Caliber Tire And Auto Service Center

I have been going to Caliber since they opened under new management. Tires, front end work, brakes, oil changes and just about anything you need other than body work and full drive train replacement. These guys are very good at what they do and very reasonable price wise. Karen at the front desk is just about the most knowledgeable and efficient manager I've ever worked with. My "go to" guys in New City!

I try to do all of my own work on my car, but I came across an issue involving my wheel that I didn't think I would be able to resolve without causing damage. I decided that I would take it to a professional that would have the correct tools and environment to get the job done correctly.



From the way the original inquiry went I should have known that this would end in an expensive disaster, but I went with Caliber anyway because my Mother had been recommended this shop via a trustworthy professional in the area. I was also in a bind and needed the car for work, so I hastily made the decision to get the car towed to the shop.



I will admit that there was a mention that the wheel could possibly be damaged during the work that needed to be done. I figured this was a canned response that had to be said legally and didn't think they would actually destroy my wheel because from all the information I had gathered the solution was a piece of cake with the right tools.



When I ended up picking up the car, I was told that they were able to finish the job with minimal damage to the wheel. What was done to my wheel was not minimal damage. Does burning the metal and putting huge gashes in the wheel qualify as minimal damage? That may fly with a soccer Mom, but not with someone who takes good care of his vehicle. Not only was my wheel destroyed, but the amount of labor charged for them destroy my wheel was exorbitant.



I had been researching this repair on my own, and almost every post on the issue said with the right drill bits you simply have to drill out the stud. I did not have the proper tools, but I expected a wheel shop to have these strong drill bits. After the job was "done", I inquired about if they drilled the wheel. The answer was something along the lines of "we tried but the stud would spin". I asked if they used a vise grip to prevent it from spinning and the answer was "there was no room". This is funny because the night before with my low quality drill and drill bit I was able to drill into the top of one of the lug nuts. I encountered the spinning stud problem and was able to get around it by using long nose vise grips to hold the lug nut in place while I drilled. Another alternative solution to the spinning stud would have been to use a socket and then grab the socket with the a larger vise grip if there was no access to a long nose vise grip.



In hindsight I should have specifically mentioned the technique they should have used to rectify the situation, but they are the professionals.



I will never recommend this shop to anyone that actually cares about getting their car back in the same condition they brought it in. If your wish is to spend $285 to have one of your wheels destroyed this may be the place for you.



UPDATE: I just noticed that they caused even more damage to my car. They did not lift my car properly and ended up denting and chipping the paint when lifting my car.