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Inner Tyre Ware!


chrisyg
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Thick Fit are not to be trusted in my experience. I had a puncture a few years ago and filled it with tyre weld and called into Kwik Fit to get the puncture fixed. The manager told me that tyres that have been filled with tyre weld are scrap and cannot be puncture repaired. I said that was bull****. He then told me the tyre I had was below the legal limit and I wasn't permitted to leave as he would call the police to inform them. I asked him to check the tyre to which he refused as "he knew to look that it was illegal". When I pointed out that it was still a good 1-2mm above the wear bar on the tyre he went very quiet and wandered off back inside. Only I had the knowledge about cars was I able to see through the blatant lies I was being told, the problem is there are many who walk through their doors not knowing and trusting what they and are being fleeced by these crooks.

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Like I said as far as I'm aware we will sort out any alignment issues we can to the manufacturers specs so I have no idea what this guy in Bath was gabbering on about.. Like I said I would like to get it done by WIM but the cost of it is holding me back and distance.

Lance: The tyre weld stuff doesn't make the tyre scrap the only problem is to repair tyres with tyre weld inside is they have to be cleaned out completely of the tyre weld including off the rim cause if you get a puncture repaired with any trace of the stuff in it then it can ruin the repair causing you to just get another puncture which would then be unrepairable. the reason we don't do them (so I've been told) is because the cleaning process of the tyre takes ages as like I said all of it needs to come out.

Sounds like the centre you went to the people just worry about their bonuses at the end of the month rather then the actual customer and their car. Whereas the centres I've worked in its always customers happiness first as hey work on the theory of a happy customer will return.

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  • 1 month later...

It's kind of rude to interrupt this thread ever more so since i'm mentioned but i feel some clarity would help.....

@Funky Monkey, I worked at your parent company Stapelton's tyres for 25yrs at head office Watford and after going my own way i found myself training your instructors and some of my old area managers!!

Anyway as you know they bought Kwick-Fit and have adopted the vision "tracking" is a thing of the past hence the Hunter acquisitions..... Well having it and knowing how to drive it are very different things.

Now your only as good as your training and you read really keen to do a good job "stick with that attitude" but there's a long way to go and i'm sorry to say in house the team don't have a clue above basic.

Quick example because i don't want to highjack the tread..... I was training your instructors but not knowing their level of knowledge i start with a simple question? "Tracking", front wheel alignment, what's it for? Some smug answers come back "to stop the tyres wearing"..... Um no i asked what's it for? Why is FWD cars front toe position different to RWD cars? Why does wheel size matter? Oh at the most simple of angles they are stumped .

Back on topic

The IS200/ 300/ SC issue is the castor position? In it's natural position it's unremarkable and not directly adjustable but it can be adjusted indirectly..... Here's where it gets a bit dirty? The problem we have is front camber migration. The actual listed camber positions are very low -21' stock, -30 sport so nothing to drastic there but the low castor and camber migration during yaw, or lock shall we say allows the outer wheel to lean to far negative. I wrote a new front camber position that during adjustment violates the toe which in turn when corrected moves the castor...... Point to note is no cars steering pivotal points are at right angles so any adjustment/ correction will be reflected.

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Admittedly yes I was only given basic training in the garage and havn't been sent on any courses for it yet. And as mentioned the only reason Iknow for adjusting the front and rear toe is for better tyre life and fuel economy.

Unfortunately this is all I get taught in centre then I get signed off, hopefully when I eventually get to go on the course I will learn more about the subject. Maybe even next time I go down to see my girlfriends dad I will have to pop in and see you :)

Also I don't fully understand the castor angle, I know obviously that the camber is the angle that the tyre hits the road and the toe is the angle the wheel is when the steering wheel is straight and as far as I've been told castor is something to do with the wheels self centring ability.

If I understand correctly from your last paragraph then the problem with the IS200 is that the castor allows to much camber when cornering which in turn affects the tyre wear?

Thanks for your input, very interesting to hear how it all works from a pro :)

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As said i don't want to hijack this thread but i there is some relevance within the reply that contributes to the problem.

Castor is a bugger of an angle to explain because it has so many duties and is very dynamic. So if you want to swat up and can't sleep then read this from my site> http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/tech-longcastor.php

I understand you training situation, blimey i was there once myself but like you i needed more information so i trained myself and this is going back to before the Internet.

One thing i will say is "ALWAYS" do a castor swing even if you know the angle is not adjustable! Knowledge is power so get the full picture rather than a cheap "toe and go". Which is what your manager would like.

Back on topic

As just said most places won't measure the Lexus castor position because it's not adjustable, problem number one..... Understanding the interaction between the camber/ castor/ Ackermann angle ( TOOT ) = Toe-Out-On-Turns and the lock angle surpasses toe and go so the real problem gets missed, problem number two.

As said i found moving the front camber position to -10' will murder the front toe position toward ( positive ) The toe correction is in a safe direction since the steering arms are screwed in the end not out. Ok your going to loose some lock angle so now your 3 point turn will be a 3.5 turn.

On the Lexus the toe's pivotal point is aft of the lower ball joint meaning it's correction will pull toward the front control arm and it's this perpendicular correction that indirectly moves the castor positive. Then the interaction between the castor/ camber and Ackermann during yaw has changed.

I know this must all read ???? but it's why the Lexus has issues and remember the manufactures OEM settings are nothing more than a "SUGGESTION", they are not the law!

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