Fear no longer for your safety, righteye — I got new tires!
Hankook tires, to be specific — which are what Jim Matson of Jim Matson Automotive recommended when he sent me over to 7 Dias Tires.
From the name, I’d never’ve guessed the place to be a lil Korean shop, but it is! I called, asked for Kevin (Jim told me to), and the guy said, “I’m his brother. Can I help you?”
Cost for 4 tires plus installation, after taxes and CA tire fees: $203.55. The whole process took less than half an hour.
Then I went to Sniper Alignment & Auto Service. 20 minutes later, my wheels were aligned. Cost: $30.
All local, all speedy, and all recommendations I received via Jim Matson, who I discovered via Thom of Monkey & Son. See all the good things that happen when you get to know your local fair trade coffee roaster?
7 Dias Tires. 1305 S. Western Ave. (@ Pico) Los Angeles. 323.732.1235.
Sniper Alignment & Auto Service. 5510 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles. 323.935.9090. (Cash or check only)
Glad to see you got new tires. I bet you feel better already. Sounds like a good price.
Now. Get that tire gage, and learn how to use it.
Mark on your calender to check your air pressure at least once a month. Hey!, not only will it save you money, but it’s good for the environment. peace.
Comment by woodrow — January 9, 2006 @ 8:34 pm
Thanks woodrow :) You know, I actually feel like my car drives better. Is that my imagination, or can a driver really physically feel the effects of new tires?
Comment by Siel — January 9, 2006 @ 8:57 pm
We are very adaptable creatures. You “learned” how your car responded to the worn tires, and compensated.
With the new tires, your car is more responsive. That is transmitted back to you as the driver.
BTW, did you ever get the owners manual? And, about that tire gage.
Comment by woodrow — January 10, 2006 @ 5:29 am
I did get the owner’s manual! I’ve only gotten through the seatbelt and airbag section so far — which now have me v. v. frightened about whether I’m far enough away from the wheel when I drive…
About the tire gauge — I’m thinking I’ll wait on that till I need my next oil change, at which point I’ll pester whoever’s doing the oil change about how I might use said gauge. The prob I have now is that, even if I understood how to use the gauge, I still have no idea how to fix the tire pressure using the knowledge gained from using said gauge…
Comment by Siel — January 10, 2006 @ 8:36 pm
Fantastic about the manual!
Don’t worry too much about the airbag. Better hit in the face with it, than the steering wheel. Older airbags “opened” very quickly. This was solved on newer models. They open at a more controlled rate. Mostly the airbag issue concerns small children in car seats. One of the reasons they should be in the back seat.
On the issue of oil changes, the old standby is 3000 miles or six months. Don’t wait that long to check and bring your tires up to the correct pressure. Tires will lose about 10lbs of pressure over that six months.
Stop by the place you bought your tires and ask the guys to show you how. It’s not hard to do, very easy. Most guys will be happy to show you, i’m sure.
Comment by woodrow — January 11, 2006 @ 7:03 am
It’s really amazing how much I’m able to trust the rankings on eBay. I saw that the guy pretty much had a perfect rep, and thus chose to send him his $15 via PayPal outside the eBay system. And he duly delivered, quickly!
But about the oil change — I thought that was 3,500 miles or 3 months. No?
Comment by Siel — January 11, 2006 @ 4:43 pm