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CB Automotive and Vehicles Review of Wal - Mart Tire / Lube Express
Wal - Mart Tire / Lube Express

Wal - Mart Tire / Lube Express review: They broke my car! 69

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Author of the review
12:00 am EST
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This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I brought my 1988 Honda Accord into the Seaford, DE Wal-Mart for an oil change. At the time my car was presented to them, it had no oil leaks. I didn’t notice anything when I got back in the car after it was serviced, but I really wasn’t looking either. I got home, parked my car and came out an hour or two later to run some errands and there was a huge pool of oil underneath the car. The oil was so low at this point, it didn’t register on the dipstick.

I called Wal-Mart to complain and was put on hold until the money I put into the payphone ran out. I couldn’t go to Wal-Mart to complain because I couldn’t drive the car in this condition, for fear I would damage the engine.

I had the car taken to a local shop where they told me that the threads on the drain plug for the oil were so badly stripped, that it appeared the Tire and Lube Tech at Wal-Mart had used an IMPACT WRENCH to tighten it! It cosed me $500, three trips to the garage to have this repaired correctly.

When I finally got a hold of Wal-Mart, they passed me on to their insurance company, whom I gave 2 statements to and all relevant paperwork, names and phone numbers of mechanics who repaired Wal-Mart’s negligence.

Afterwards, Wal-Mart’s insurance called me while I was at work, despite the fact that I gave them ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEEDED. I was working 12 hour shifts, six days a week, at the time. When I did have the opportunity to call them back, no one was ever at their desk. I sent them snail mail letters letting them know my availability and asking them what additional information that they need, yet they never replied. The worst part is that they only contacted me 2 or 3 times by phone and they would not leave me detailed voice mail messages to let me know what they wanted – only a name and a phone number.

Finally, I contacted the Delaware Attorney General regarding the matter. The Attorney General completely blew me off, saying basically I got what was coming to me because I didn’t call Wal-Mart’s insurance company back IMMEDIATELY the couple of times they called me at work. Well, I’m sorry, but I work in a factory that employs 700 people. I cannot leave the floor to make phone calls to Wal-Mart’s insurance company.

This situation has infuriated me and I can’t get any justice. I never even got the cost of the oil change back!

69 comments
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Dennis
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Oct 12, 2008 2:09 am EDT

well..isn't that intelligent.

That's the reason places like TLE get such a bad rap...idiots work there for 9 years because they can't do anything else. Mean while they don't fire the "mike" until after he's caused $20k in damages to peoples cars.

Lets see where to start...

1. Wal-mart TLE isn't perfect they hire dummy's occasionally, (mostly because they pay so crappy. As a manager you get just over min. wage. You tell me if McDonalds had a oil change service on the "value menu" would you use it?)

2. If you think wal-mart has done something to your car...have wal-mart check the friggin video! Its there to disprove the dishonest, whether its the Tech or the Customer...in my short time at my store 70% has been customers lying or unknowingly making false accusations...10% has been the tech lying or being too stupid for the job...and the rest don't matter because salaried management always throws money at the problem.

3.All auto shops have claims for the work they do...its the nature of the work...for most people even if your the uber-elite ASE master journeyman of auto work...you'll make mistakes...now multiply that by how many oil/tire bays TLE for your area has...multiplied by how many customers insist on interrupting/talking to/yelling at/changing work/requesting additional work/asking for a jump start in the parking lot 1.5 miles away/ect. divided by 0.5 of the technicians in the bay..(because half of them are going to have to go to lunch/break/the bathroom/follow someone to the parking lot/fabric counter/electronics section, ect. for help/just disappear for no reason)...something along the lines of this formula (B*C/(T*0.5)) = you get what your paying for.

4. ahh who cares...basically yes, lots of idiots work for wal-mart in general, they don't do the jobs they have right, are lazy, have absolutlely no work ethic and are just one example of whats wrong with the company as a whole...but the number one reason people ### about wal-mart is because they shop there, they use the discounted prices on oil changes and tires...if you had good experiences or bad experiences doesn't matter. You always come back for more...and guess what cars and trucks are extremely complicated machines...they might just wear out and you know what...it might not be the dumb ### TECHNITIONS fault...your car might have needed a bit more attention then a $20 quickie oil change that you got after only 7000 miles on a 20 year old engine...

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mike
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Oct 10, 2008 9:28 am EDT

Wal-mart TLE ''SUCK NUTS''! I worked 9years for em, I saw the way the tech worked on cars, some of em didnt care about what thay did with em...When you go 4 an oil chang and get the full service, thay dont do everything 2 the car that you payed 4! you'll pay the price 4 a half ### job! An if your lucky you might get some oil all over your seats and floor bored etc. It suck that you have to go to a tle not knowing if your car will come out the same way you brouht it in! So to all the people out there that get oil changes at wal-mart tire lube expess look at everything under the hood your tiers floor bored and windows I ''GUARNTEE''
YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING NOT DONE! AND YOU"LL GET A FREE OIL CHANG 4 IT 2! SO THAY CAN DO THE SAME HALF ### JOB 2 IT ONES MORE! One more thing make sure you have an extra set of car keyz on hand cause TLE is famous 4 loseing em 2! THANK YOU FOR SHOPING AT WAL-MART TIRE LUBE EXPESS!

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BOBjoe
seattle, US
Oct 09, 2008 1:04 pm EDT

I almost always change my own oil I brought my Ranger to Wal-Mart (Beavercreek, OH) once because I was leaving for a trip and they said I could have a choice of 5-30 or 10-30 so I requested 10-30 because that’s what I always use, I come back later to pick up the truck after TLE was closed and noticed they had put 5-20 in my truck. I tried to talk with them but they were not helpfully and gave me the run around so I just changed my oil again after the trip.

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Rodriguez
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Oct 09, 2008 8:24 am EDT

I admire the employees that do their job right at W. . But i'd rather prefer go somewhere else for service since any place can check oil levels for others parts of the car not only engine! Once i asked a walmart employee to do that and he says NO! we dont do that. So then i have to go somewhere else and PAY to get those extras. if i should not go like most of the people, my differencial could run out off oil and there it goes my years savings... There are "glitch"in thet company tipical on those bog ones, so structurated that the employees act almost like robots, simply no flexibility.

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Kevin
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Sep 21, 2008 6:28 pm EDT

Walmart Tire and Lube in Athens Alabama screwed up my car. I have never seen such an unprofessional group. I've had taken several cars to several different mechanics before and when mistakes were made they were adult enough to admit they did it and fix the problem free of charge.
The idiots at the WalMart Tire and Lube in Athens Alabama did an oil change sometime in 2007. My car started to leak oil shortly there after. I took it to my mechanic because I didn't know where it came from or the cause. My mechanic said who ever changed my oil last screwed up the internal filter housing of my car. I own a 1999 Cadillac catera.
I took it back to walmart the next day. They looked it over and said it was fine. Plus the car wasn't leaking oil anymore so i thought maybe problem solved. After that I took it back for a couple more oil changes after that.
Flashforward to last week. I took my car to get the oil changed at another place because they are faster and have better service. The guys there couldn't change my filter because they said someone had tighten it so hard they couldn't get it loose. They said the internal housing was broke. The same problem that I took back to walmart a year before that they said didn't exist.
The guys at the other place made a note of it and I called up walmart to speak with a mananger. They were rude and tried to make it sound like it was my fault the thing was broke. I'm thinking about suing just to get my money back and to prove a point. You can't screw over your customers. Walmart the Great American Business Story. Yeah Right!

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Bonnie
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Sep 06, 2008 9:16 pm EDT

I have read website after website of 100s of complaints but where are the millions of comments from people who have had great service. theres none cause only mad people take the time. For starters the people who work on your car are just that they are people and people make mistakes. yes i agree they need to watch what they are doing cause its very important. But what most of you dont understand is that when one person makes a mistake you guys come on and blame all the TLEs. If the person that messed up your car is found well lets say stupid, dont want to call it guilty, they are fired on the spot. When these mistakes do happen they are taken care of by the insurance company and i know this for a fact for my husband is an employee of my walmart tle. i have also had a friend whos car blew up two miles down the street cause a noob forgot to put oil back in. and with in a day he had a rentle car and with in the week a new car. paid by walmart in full. and i nicer car then what he had. and that ### responsible was fired. new or not along with the person responsible for his training and supervision. but come on people most of you dont relize that the reason it can take so long for your vehicle to be done is cause they are making sure they do it right and by the book. also my walmart is full of a**hole managers that like to enforce rules then make it in possible to do it, for example two people to do a oil change, one upper one lower, and the lower cant leave the pit till the car leaves the bay. but wait there are only two people working and one as to do tires, what do you do? the biggest thing is the people who complain non stop and try to rush the workers cause it took longer then 15 mins and there are 11 cars. thats when mistakes are made. not to mention the average of ten people a day who try to scam walmart complaining about stuff the employee had nothing to do with. the bay is full of cameras that make sure that nothing is done to your car that not suppose too. also so they know who is responsible for the mistake. my husband manager just got fired for blaming my husband for a mistake the he himself did, and the cameras proved it. as for plugs and caps they put a blue sealing around them so they know if someone as touch it since they finished the car. One last thing if you see that they are busy or think you have stupid tech its not that hard to check to make sure there is oil in the engine before you leave. also the few stupid people who insist on driving the car back to walmart when they know there is a problem like no oil or you see a giant puddle are responsible for the damage. for walmart will send techs to your house to fix a problem like this before its damages the engine. and yes this is true. but i do want to thank those who are understanding and patient. Thank you.

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Andrea
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Sep 03, 2008 8:30 am EDT

I too have always taken my car to Wal-mart TLE and have never had a problem until now. My boyfriend and his brother-in-law, who is a certified mechanic went to change my spark plugs and found them sitting in about 1 1/2" of oil. When they first diagnosed the problem they thought it was the O rings that had gone bad. I took it to a local mechanic who said that the O rings were not the problem. My oil filter, put in my wal-mart 3 months before was not properly fitted and was not tight. My car ran fine. I was extremely lucky that they went to change the spark plugs, if they hadn't found the oil my engine would have blown. My mechanic said that there was hardly any oil in the car and he has no idea why it didn't blow before I took it in.

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3rd pRTY
Herndon, US
Aug 25, 2008 6:18 pm EDT

Listen to this one...I used to get my oil changed on mine and my wife's trucks regularly at Walmart. Well a couple of days (3-4) after an oil change in my wifes Eddie Bauer Expedition, I was driving it and the oil light flashed on. So I checked the oil. It didn't register on the dipstick, so I added a quart, rechecked, added a quart, rechecked, added a quart, and so on. Five fricken quarts! This truck did not burn or leak oil. It does hold six quarts, so the best I can guess is that when I gave them the 5 quart jug and the single quart of Mobil 1, the imbicil in the bay only managed to get the one quart in before his two second attention span and 1 minute memory were maxed out and he neglected the put the other jug of fricken oil in the truck! I never went back to the Walmart because the truck wasn't driven far those couple of days and it didn't get hot or over heat. We started watching the oil level very closely and didn't have a problem until 5 months later... the engine started knocking and the entire motor had to be replaced! I can see an someone screwing up a drainplug, but how the hell do you forget to put the fricken oil in the engine when you are doing an oil change...shouldn't you be checking the oil level when your done! Incompetence at it's best!

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longstem
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Aug 10, 2008 12:21 am EDT

WalMart = China

Out here in Oregon, we are proud that we've shut down more plans for wal-marts than any other state in the Union.

F wal-mart.

Our local businesses are also finding creative ways of takin' it to Sam or is it Chang?

I'm buyin' local!
Oregon first, Domestic Second, Import Last.

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Michael
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Apr 07, 2008 12:04 am EDT

I work in the TLE at a walmart. They know what time you brought the car and what time the car was done... If someone thinks that the walmart associate broke something then let the managment know and ask to see the video of the work done on your car. This is what we do... 9 times out of 10 the video clearly shows that the problem like (broken dipstick) which if it was already broken they should not have even did the oil change. Using an impact on a drain plug is impossible plust walmart keeps oil plugs in stock for customers with some stripped plugs for no charge even if it was not our fault. Only problems that may happen is lost parts which the video can find and if the oil filter gasket stick and put on a new oil filter which could cause major problems. Plus they try to hurry us at a point that they want us to vaccum, wash windshield, check air pressure, tread depth, check air filter, check and fill powersteering fluid transmission fluid, fill washer fluid, check battery, check differential fluid, and greese fittings all before we even check the oil level to start the oil change in 15 minutes from when you sign the palm that the greeter has. I do admit that some people they hire are not capable of doing all this and they make mistakes. Any people need to remember that vaccuming is a courtesy and we are not suppose to get every little piece of dirt that you have.

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me3
Kent, US
Mar 13, 2008 5:03 pm EDT

I'm feeling you Not important. By no means do or will I ever disrespect a customer eventhough sometimes they have no respect for us. My job is very important to me and I take a lot of pride in my work I have never had a major claim take GOD for that and I try very hard to make sure that all the techs around me stay on point as well. I trust my vehicle to Wal-mart for all services that they do. I am truly sorry for any problems that any customers ever has at any Wal-Mart store and I really try to avoid them from happening at my store.

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Not Important
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Feb 24, 2008 6:26 am EST

If Wal*Mart broke two of your wheel studs it's your fault for not getting it replaced and making them pay for it. Why would you just drive around like that (which is extremely unsafe) and then get pissed when they won't fix your tire?

I had a customer at the TLE I work at go 5,000 miles after an oil change and then his engine blew. He blamed us because his mechanic said the oil filter was double gasketed. Never mind all the oil that had obviously been leaking out of his valve covers all over the side of the engine. I listened to his parents (while he stood there like an ###) argue with my managers for months about this engine Wal*Mart "owed" them.

I get people who cuss and yell at me when I won't plug a smooth bald tire for them. Apparently Wal*Mart customers all believe that they are the only person in the world that know about TLE too. They treat me like I am absolutely ###ed for telling them an oil change will take 2 hours "How can it take you 2 hours to change my oil and filter?" Well, maybe you're not the only goddamn person that wanted an oil change at walmart on saturday at 3pm.

I KNOW my techs make mistakes, but people need to take a little responsibility for their cars. If your life really depends on it as much as you say when you blame ME for your problems with it maybe you should learn how to take care of it. I get yelled at by people all the time who are mad that "You sell anit-freeze, why can't you come out here and pour it in my radiator?" Because I don't get paid to be your ###. We sell toilet paper too, but I'm not coming home with you and wiping your ###. It's not like it's chemistry or rocket science... Show a little respect for your car, YOU own it... not me.

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Me
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Jan 17, 2008 7:43 pm EST

I know I will not take my car to Wal-Mart after my situation I had with them. It may not happen at all stores but I believe I had a legitimate complaint and nothing was done. A friend also had another issue with Wal-Mart therefore they do not go there either and we pretty much do not recommend Wal-Mart to anyone. Word gets around and when one customer has a bad experience Wal-Mart not only looses one customer but they can lose several. Of course this can and probably does happen to other businesses also.

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Service Manager
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Dec 14, 2007 7:53 pm EST

As a Wal-Mart TLE service manager I can tell you that in my store we take full responsibility for our actions. Tire complaints from us not replacing tires at a prorated price when the reason for tire damage is poor vehicle care is not our fault. Vehicles that come in with existing oil leaks again not the fault of Wal-Mart. Things like the threads in an oil pan stripping out are going to happen over time weather you have the vehicle serviced at Wal-Mart or elsewhere. In my shop the polices and procedures are followed to the letter because I want my customers to keep coming back. On the rare occasion that I have an unhappy customer I do everything in my power to make sure whatever the situation is that it is resolved before the customer leaves. Say what you will but I have full confidence in my staff and gladly bring all my vehicles there for service.

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Thomas Patterson
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Dec 13, 2007 5:59 pm EST

I work at a TLE in NC, i see complaints all day about drain plugs and tires that can't be repaired and so on and so forth. I agree that walmart should definetly pay attention to who the hire because most of the people have not had any training what so ever. On the other hand if trained properly they can expereince the knowledge to be a good technician. We as walmart associates do not cause damage on purpose. I personally have claims on myself for simple things like a broken wheel cover and even a drain plug, but any honest shop will tell you things happen that can't be avoided. I am ASE certefied and have worked with high end european cars before i got my job at walmart, the only reason i work there is becuase they have insurance and its closer to home for me so that i can attend college. Most of the claims that walmart has they pay for becuase it was a problem that was caused by a walmart tech, others are things that weren't done at walmart, such as the gentleman that his wheel studs broke. The problem was not walmarts becuase they simply put tires on the car, they didn't take them off and put them back on and then back off again so that the wheel studs were broken. People have to realize also that we as techs have certain procedures that we have to go by and if not we could lose our jobs. I believe that walmart is a good place to take you car becuase 90% of the techs actually care about there jobs, i personnaly treat every car as if i was taken the customers life into my hands.

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me3
Kent, US
Dec 05, 2007 8:36 pm EST

I too work at Wal-Mart TLE. I have found that maybe 50% of the customer complaints are on the up and up however you would be amazed at how many people have found that they can come into wal-mart pitch a B!@#ch and get they car fixed or something replaced on it that wasn't even there when they came in. I blame a lot of this on management and some on techs. We have to be a little bit more particular on the cars we are excepting and management needs to be a little tighter on the purse strings and not so easy to make every single complaint a claim. We had one manager that filed every single complaint as a claim we had a customer to come in stating that we broke her axel when all she came in for was an oil change and we have full lifts how in the wolrd is that even possible. I have seen mistakes happen in the shop but most of them are do to customers coming in the bay pressed for time trying to get their cars rushed in and out. All TLE centers should be walled off from the customers the window is good but customers don't need to be in the bay it is a great distraction and yes if you pull up and theres a line when you get there sorry but there will be waiting.

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Me
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Nov 25, 2007 6:39 pm EST

Well I had my car checked over and my transmission was NOT leaking. With that being said how would I be 2 1/2 quarts low on Transmission fluid if Wal-Mart checked it 6 days ago? I guess cars usually go through that much in a weeks time. I had a friend who had her tires rotated and they must not have tightened out the lugnuts and her tire fell off. What did WM do? Not a thing of course.

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jone small
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Nov 17, 2007 4:42 pm EST

I work at a wal-mart tire lube express and all our techs have had previous experience with cars a lot of people try to get over on wal-mart like a man coming calling back a month later and saying his trans went out well it is not our fault that you ant smart enough to check your fluids once a month even top mechanics check there fluids once a month and the person had towed a trailer with the sue and called back with three or four different story's most of us do our jobs right but the few who don't give us a bad name and people who want something for nothing but i do agree that wal-mart needs to watch who they hire.

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Me
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Nov 14, 2007 6:18 pm EST

Does that make it right that they don't do their job and my transmission goes out because of it?

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neutral
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Nov 14, 2007 2:56 pm EST

Wal-mart, Texaco, and Jiffy Lube. Why would you go there? It's cheaper than the dealership. Why do these things happen, because the employee's get paid less than the people working a MacDonald's across the street. Now there are some good quick lube shops, and some bad ones. If you really want to risk your 2007 Camry, for $10, 4 times a year (and that's if you actually change it every 3000 like you are recommended) then go ahead. If it was me I'd pay the extra cash.

p.s. $500 for a drain pan, plug, removal/installation, labor, is not that bad at a shop, especially if the exhaust is in the way. But you shouldn't have had to pay anything... they have a tool called a re threader, that will (yes, you guessed it) re-thread your oil pan. It takes 5 minutes and is a hassle free solution.

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Me
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Nov 11, 2007 9:00 pm EST

My car was taken to Wal-Mart for an oil change. They said they topped off all fluids and I noticed a week later the car was running funny and that same night I noticed it my transmission went out. I checked the fluid level and it was bone dry. I checked at home and at work and there were no leaks anywhere. I put in 2 and half quarts to get it full but that did not do anything. So it's obvious that Wal-Mart did not check and fill all my fluids and I blame them for my transmission going out because when they say they check and top off the fluids I take their word for it. I have not contacted them as this just happened on a weekend but I will for sure call them tomorrow. If anyone has any advice or if I'll need a lawyer please e-mail me.

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Oct 11, 2007 5:28 pm EDT

I just got an oil change on my car today, but when I got it back they told me that the dipstick was broke... it wasn't broke before! Why wont they just tell me the truth and say they broke it. It was fine before they touched it, now I have to go out of my way to get some new dipstick. The truth is they lied and I know my dipstick wasn't broke before.

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i work for someone
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Oct 08, 2007 10:25 am EDT

500 bucks for an oil pan+ drain plug... If they broke your studs you need to get them fixed and return with the bill so you can be refunded, walmart tle is a great place, you just have to stop trying to blame all of your cars problems on them!

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Betsy45
, US
Sep 19, 2007 11:03 am EDT

Hey I'm not going to buy nothing anymore at walmart, I was thinking about tires or oil change but not now.. they can go to blazes. I'm going to a reputable tire dealer not a china made walmart store and there use to be claim American made has been shot to hell...where are the good ole Walmart family who started this Co...the don't exist anymore. People just stop shopping all together at Walmart. I am period. The quality of what they have sucks because most of it is coming from China.

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Dawn Nelson
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Sep 01, 2007 1:49 am EDT

I purchased a set of tires from Wal-Mart and paid for the lifetime road hazard coverage. When they put the tires on, they broke off two of the lug nut stems and told me there was nothing they could do about it. So today, I got a flat tire and took it there to have it repaired. THEY REFUSED to even touch the tire, because of the broken stems that THEY BROKE! They informed me the car was "unsafe to drive" and to "take it to a mechanic right away". I drive over 50 miles a day and had done so for months with no problems... my problem is the flat tire! I just wanted them to repair the tire that I had road hazard coverage on. Of course, the manager was gone for the day and the mechanic who deemed the car untouchable was "on break".

I smell a scam here - THEY caused damage that would make it to where in the future they would not have to honor the Road Hazard coverage, which of course is non-refundable. Im stuck with 2 missing lug nut stems, and a flat tire that I will now have to pay to have repaired, when it should be covered. The gum chomping dolts could have cared less.

Its a shame that they know that they can treat their customers like crap, and people will keep coming back for the Super Low Prices.

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Lincoln
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Apr 23, 2007 1:03 pm EDT

I too work at a Walmart TLE in Indiana, and I will also say that they need to watch who they hire. Our major problem with a few of our techs is leaving oil caps off.

And to the guy who had to pay $500 for a new pan: At my Walmart, we torgue all of the drain plugs to the proper specs and follow the book to a tee. Also, this is one thing that pisses me off, we get customers all the time who already have something wrong with there car, and they bring it in and let us work on it, then they complain and say that we did it. More often than not, they get what they want, whether or not it is walmarts fault.

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Tle Tech Here
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Apr 18, 2007 2:55 pm EDT

I am mike, i will not say which tire and lube express i work at but it is here in IOWA. I have been with walmart for almost a year. I agree on how walmart needs to watch who they hire but we are all fully trained technicians and also to the guy who says your drain plug was tightened with an IMPACT WRENCH? There is no way possible. We dont have impacts anywhere near the oil bays. And im sorry but the shop screwed you! $500.00 for a drain plug and a new drain pan? Wow i bet your proud now!

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Tim
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Mar 09, 2007 10:06 am EST

Dont feel bad guys I have had two cars damaged by walmarts TLE from 12/31/06 is when the first one was damaged and now I have one damaged on 02/27/07 and i am pissed, but i have a lawyer and I am also going to go to the local news if they dont fix it cause my motor is shot now.

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michael anderson
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Feb 10, 2007 4:19 pm EST

I took our 2001 honda crv to the wal-mart super store to have the tires rotated and oil an d filter changed.They told me that they could not get the filter off,that i needed to take to a garage.I took it to the Honda dealer.After three hours they had it fixed.They said the filter had been cross threaded.I took the paper work to wal-mart they paid the bill.Thursday my 1992 toyota had the oil and filter changed,on the way home smoke came from under the hood.they had left off the oil cap.I went and bought a new one and a quart of oil.I took the paper work to walmart they paid me for the parts.they still have not rotated the tires.It sure have been a hard week trying to get my oil changed.I have a 2007 camry that i am afraid to let them change the oil in it again.in the past they have stripped to oil plugs for me.i like shopping at wal-mart but not much fun shopping when your car is being destroyed.