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Discount Tire: The Second Tire Incident This Year

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Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Kenn W. Kiser)

What is it with me and tires this year? If you can answer this question, then I’m all ears. Prior to this year, the only issue I have had with tires is replacing them from wear and tear.

Then along came this year.

First Incident:

I have already shared my dealing with the pothole incident that took about 3 weeks to resolve (although I am still awaiting reimbursement from the State for those damages), and then this summer I had a flat tire.

Second Incident:

I went out grocery shopping. When I returned home, I parked in the garage (like normal). As I walked around the front of the car, I noticed that the tire seemed low on air. I mentioned it to Paul that afternoon and forgot about it. Later that evening, the family piled into the car on our way to go swimming. As Paul backed out of the garage, the thumping began.

Oh, the tire.

We unloaded the car, and Paul began putting the spare tire back on the car. In using our time wisely, the kids and I walked down to the swimming pool where Paul met us after changing the tire.

Resolution:

The next day, I had a sick child, so we stayed home. The following day, the kids and I took the car back down to Discount Tire. Though I am glad these guys are here to help, I am getting tired of seeing them so often.

While sitting in the waiting area, the kids and I read books, and my two older kids enjoyed coffee. (Yes, my older two like coffee. This is even more humorous when I tell you that neither Paul nor I drink coffee. They picked up this habit from their Grandmother. Thanks, Mom. :-)) Thankfully, this visit was rather short, about half an hour, but the best part, . . . the visit was free.

Discount Tire employees were able to plug the hole, refill the air, and swap out the spare for the repaired tire. How did we get this service for free? By purchasing the additional coverage on our new tires, which has been worth every penny of the approximately $17.95 charge per tire, I did not incur a charge for the repair.

Lesson Learned:

I will never doubt paying for the additional coverage again. The extra $80 for the coverage has saved our family at least $100 this year. Since the warranty time limit covers the life of the tire up to the mileage parameters, these tires should last until the next tire purchase.

Now we are back on the straight and narrow. Hopefully, our tires will last us for another few years, but if not, I will be visiting Discount Tire with my warranty in hand.

Question: Do you purchase the additional coverage on tires for your vehicles? If so, have you had to use the warranty?

Time Management: Expecting the Unexpected

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Last week I shared my strategy for planning each day. Lest you believe that at the end of each day I have accomplished all I set out to do, I give you a glimpse into my life. Last Sunday night before heading to bed, I planned a general idea of what I wanted to accomplish on Monday. I was planning to do laundry, menu planning, and blogging in the morning. My children and I headed off to school. After dropping off my son, we headed home. About 3-5 miles from home, I hit a pot hole and popped my front passenger-side tire. After moving to safety onto the shoulder, I examined the damage. Yep, the tire was flat.

After calling my husband, I used a temporary AAA membership, which came in the mail as a promotion, to get the tire changed. There were a number of gracious folk who stopped to make sure the girls and I were not hurt. One lady passed us and sent her husband and son to come help us. When they arrived, I informed them that AAA had been notified and was sending someone to help. The husband/son team offered to wait in their vehicle behind our car to be sure we stayed safe. This dad has 3 children of his own and would not want his wife to be stranded without some protection. How kind of this family to spend their time ensuring the safety of myself and the girls while we waited for AAA to arrive!

Many offered to change the tire for me, but I did not want them to get dirty. Some of them were wearing their business attire or white shirts. Their offers were kind, but I’m thankful we waited for AAA. About 1 hour and 15 minutes after calling, the employee arrived. He noticed that our spare tire was flat, so he pumped it up. He also had a really sturdy jack, unlike the one included with our spare tire. Since the car was in the dirt/sand, the girls and I stayed behind the car as he worked. He quickly finished, and we were on our way.

My morning was then spent at Discount Tire to repair the damage. After inspecting the tire and wheel, the employee informed me that I would need a new wheel/rim and a new tire. Remember how I opted to pay for insurance on the new tires I purchased? Having that insurance saved our family about $130 for a new tire. Discount Tire replaced the gashed tire for free, and I added the insurance on the new tire for $16. In the event that I hit another pot hole, this new tire will be covered as well.

The wheel is another story. A refurbished wheel for the year and make of our car is $180. Yikes! Learning that the car is drivable with the current bent wheel, I opted to look around. After speaking to our mechanic, I called a store in a nearby city and found a refurbished wheel for $125 plus tax. Our mechanic suggested having ours fixed, so I called another local establishment. They will fix our wheel for $125. Since our mechanic likes the local business that repairs bent wheels, I now need to find a day that works in my schedule. Working around church, soccer, school, and family obligations is quite tricky.

Though I had a plan for my day, the unexpected occurred. I did not plan to hit a pot hole, be in the car with my girls for over an hour, and then wait at Discount Tire for the repair work to be completed. I’m not sure I know of anyone who would have this on their To Do list for the day. On the list or not, it happened. I just used my time to play with my girls. The baby enjoyed “driving” the car. She loves pushing all the buttons. My oldest daughter enjoyed changing seats. She kept moving from the front seat to the back seat. We read books, stacked rocks in the sand, and watched the passing cars. They both were worn out as they fell asleep on the way back to school to pick up their brother.

We were safe, the car is almost repaired, bonding time was achieved during the morning, and the planned items were pushed off to the afternoon and the next day. As all the items on my list for the day were “need to be done” items, I did not have a pressing need to be home. I’m thankful that the Lord protected us from harm, provided the resources to repair our vehicle, and allowed us time to spend with each other. When life throws me an unexpected delay, I attempt to seize that time and spend it wisely.