Installation at Walmart?

In all honesty, the integrity of the employee is going to be similar at either WalMart or a tire specific business. Unless you're dealing with an enthusiast shop that has spent $20,000 on a touchless machine you are going to experience the possibility of wheel damage.

There is simply no guarantee that you're NOT going to get the wheels damaged. It is unfortunate that the mechanics don't slow down and take every single precaution that they can to protect the customers property but in our society it just doesn't work that way.

From watching YouTube videos it seems that if you speak to the mechanic and let them know that you're an obsessive person who cares greatly about your personal property then you might stand a better chance of having your tires installed to your satisfaction. This type of work is not easy. It does take a certain level of skill to operate the machine to ensure no damage occurs. Most of these guys are just like we are and they don't damage wheels on purpose.

I got so tired of dealing with this that I spent the $1800 and bought myself a tire machine. I was sick of having my aluminum wheels internally mounted on the table and having the clamps dimpling my wheels. I got tired of the wheel weights flying off as I exited the parking lot of the tire shop because the "TECHNICIAN" used the wrong weights. I got tired of having the expensive TPMS sensors broken during tire mounting because the "TECHNICIAN" smacked them with the shovel when he broke the bead or during tire installation.

I am not perfect and I have made errors during my learning curve but every single error I made was because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. Here is a simple video that addresses 99% of errors made at tire shops. This doesn't address the fancy wheels that have obtrusive castings on the exterior that usually get wiped out by the duckhead but again, this is purely due to lack of attention to detail.

Let WalMart install the tires you bought from WalMart. Explain to the mechanic what your concerns are and it should all go fine. On the rare occasion that I need a weight that I don't have at home and I don't want to buy a whole box just for one application then I will go to WalMart and ask them to sell me a weight. They have always taken me back into the shop and let get get whatever I want and when I try to pay they refuse my offer and tell me to have a good day. They take my recycle tires for $2 each and I generally have a very positive experience. The only time things get uncomfortable is if I have to deal with some young punk who thinks he invented the world and feels the need to prove it to everyone. I try to avoid these types at all cost.

So enjoy this entertaining video:
 
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The WM's around here use mounting and balancing equipment that are better suited to service economy cars from the 90's/early 2000's.
 
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