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I purchased a new Ford Focus and have been the sole owner since 2001. I have also used Wal-Mart for my tires since the cars purchase. However in the last few years, in my opinion, the tires have been of a low quality and have been unreliable and unsafe.
On January 26, 2007 I purchased 4 Douglas Xtra-Trac P185/65R14 tires. I had them installed; I also purchased the road hazard and lifetime balance and rotation. The tire wore evenly and still has plenty of tread on them. However in Feb/March of 2008 the car developed a violent shake. We pulled the car over and found a large bulge in the tire. We took the car to Wal-mart and they replaced the tire giving us a $13.00 pro-rated credit for the unused portion of the 45000 mile tire. On September 2008, The car again developed a similar violent shake again, however we could not find the cause, nor could the Wal-mart service technician (who did not drive the car; he just visually inspected the tires. The car set for two months because I believed the suspension needed replaced. In December the car still had a shake and I parked it again, waiting for money to fix the suspension. In January 2009 I took the car into a tire shop (Other than Wal-Mart) they informed me all the tires steel belts were separated. I am amazed at the poor quality of these tires. I was told by Wal-mart that they were 45000 miles, but barely got 30, 000 miles on the when they started separating.
I also am concerned that I purchased 4 new Douglas tires for my Girlfriends’ 2001 Saturn. I am very concerned that I had received such poor quality tires on my car, that I will replace hers also when I replace mine.
I will also not be using Good Year or Wal-mart for any tire purchase in the future.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I being an ASE auto technician, AND having a set of the Douglas Xtra-trac II tires on my car will say they are the best tires i ever had. NOW, i will be more specific. I DO NOT trust ANY Walmart "tech" to even touch my car, plain and simple. Most of the complaints about the tires are from their so-called "techs" installing the tires. Now granted, installing tires are very simple, but some care should be taken to install them properly, such as tire mounting lube and cleaning the rim of corrosion to get a good bead. Also, tire pressures are key to proper tire life and traction. Not many people understand proper tire inflation pressures. Correct tire pressures for each vehicle can be found on a tire placard that is on every vehicle, and in different spots on different vehicles. Another key for proper tire life is having a "tight" chassis, i.e., good balljoints, good tie rods, control arm bushings, etc. Walmart "techs" are not allowed to inspect the front end, and if you dont have your car inspected by a competent mechanic, you may never know you have any problems. Last thing is have your car aligned! You may think it goes straight, but the $15, 000 alignment machine may say different!...
With that being said, I have had a set of the Douglas Xtra-Trac II 195/75r14 on my 93 Subaru Legacy for about 20, 000 miles and still have at more than half life left with 6/32 tread depth(10/32 new). I keep them at 32psi and check them at LEAST once a week. They are AMAZING in snow, smooth, sorta quiet, but overall GREAT. As long as they make a size for the vehicle i own, i will continue to use the tires.
I agree completely. Walmart does not employ ASE accredited technicians. I have seen stockers on the sales floor and unloaders transfer to the TLE (walmart speak for "Tire-Lube-Express" and start changing oil. I would NEVER allow walmart to touch my car for any reason. Take you car to a reputable dealer or service center where you can be sure that the certified techs working on your car know what they are doing. I have seen luxury sedans on the oil change lift at walmart and I just wonder what their owners were thinking. Would you trust your Mercedes of Lincoln to these goofballs. ?
Tires are tires, that's it. I read an interesting article once about how shocks and struts are ALL made in the same assembly plant in Mexico; they just paint them different colors and add different stickers. The same applies to tires. Take any business and economics college course and you will learn that companies often use the same manufacturer and sources. Why? Because they offer a good product at a good price, giving the same deal to all of their clients, allowing an open profit margin to be based upon what brand happens to be stamped on the side of the tire.
If they wore out early, you probably had improper air pressure or did not check the air pressure enough, or had a broke-down beater car that needed an alignment, ball joints and other things that DO factor in when it comes to tire wear. I had purchased a set of these Douglas Xtra-trac II tires for my vehicle about 5 years ago. They lasted 52, 000 MILES before needing replaced. I own another vehicle now, and I HAVE purchased another set of these tires. They are great in all weather conditions here in Maryland, and although the price could be a little better, they are an absolutely great deal! I have been commuting for both work and college for 2 years now and with about 10 more years left to go of college, I TRUST these tires and appreciate the value and performance.
If you are having problems with your tires, just go back and let the shop take a look. If that still doesn't address your concern, just get a 2nd opinion. Don't rule out that your car could have an issue, not the tires.
Current Vehicle: 1993 Ford Escort Wagon, 58, 000 Miles, 43MPG.
Tires: Douglas (Goodyear) Xtra-Trac II 175/70 R13 tires.
Usage: Daily driving, commuting to and from work and college.
Qualifications: Forklift Mechanic/Technician, Pre-Medical Student, College Student, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Tires great, ASE technicians are everywhere DA. Key words are changing oil and I agree most people can not do that!
I have spent many years at a laboratory determining what tires fail. Therefore I do know a little about tires. All tires must meet certain minimum quality requirements however all tires are not equal. Douglas xtra track tires are a low end tire. They are safe and reliable but due to differences in the rubber formulation and tread design they will not wear as well as a premium tire. They simply wear out sooner than a premium michelin or Goodyear tire. Vibrations and noise is usually a result of suspension problems or improper tire balancing. I have inspected and test tires with belt separation failure from all manufacturers and are always traceable to a manufacturing problem. I've seen them from firestone Goodyear michelin hankook kumho to mention a few.
I bought a 95 nissan hardbody truck in 97 and it had Douglas extra track 2 tires on it. These tires were on the truck for well over 15 years. They started dry rotting and 1 developed broken belts in it so I thought it must be one awesome tire. These tires still had good tread depth. So I went to Walmart in North myrtle Beach and bought 4 new Douglas extra track tires in January of 2014. Got home and started looking over my new tread and proud of my purchase. Notice an indent in the side of all 4 tires and thought well maybe this is normal. These new tires still look good after 2 years but today I had a flat from 1 of the front tires. It developed a small split in the side wall and seemed to be soft to the touch like it's thin. Went to Walmart in Norfolk Virginia today and purchased a new tire. Have checked it over and see no indent in it yet so not so sure now. Kinda disappointed with my purchase now
I purchased 4 tires from Wal-Mart on August 16th I have had 3 flats on the same tire in 5 weeks. I took it the manager and he tells me well you punctured the tire. Well it's funny all the holes are within 10 inches from each other.. the tire must have a defect in it since it is in the same area! He blamed me saying I can't drive and that really pissed me off!?
I purchased a full set of Douglas tires for my Town and Country in 2016. Out the door car pulled to right. Walmart rebalanced but I had to put one of the front tires in back to stop the pulling. Since then I have had three fail with bulges and separation. Inconveniently I lost receipt and conveniently for Walmart they lost my records. Worst tires I have ever purchased. No more Walmart tires.