triumphs
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Port-a-walls

To: triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: Re: Port-a-walls
From: Bob Lang <LANG@ISIS.MIT.EDU>
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 09:51:47 -0500 (EST)
Hi,

My TR6 had these when it was new. The car came with Goodyear G800's, but 
the dealer installed the port-a-walls so it looked like the car had 
whitewall tires. Yuck-a-roo!

After a couple of years, the port-a-walls started to distort or "cup". 
This led to some wierd front vibrations. I told my dad to have the dealer 
remove the port-a-walls and rebalance the wheels.

He had it done by the dealer, and lo-and-behold, the problem went away.

Next time I was home, I took a look at the car, and I could not believe 
what the dealer had done. Instead of "breaking the bead" and removing the 
port-a-walls, he had taken a utility knife and sliced the port-a-wall 
off! My father had not thought to look at what the dealer had done, and 
he was quite surprised when he saw it.

This incident was the downfall of that dealer in my eyes. I never ever 
trusted any work that they did after that, and I found many problems with 
service work that they had done. What a bunch of Bozos(tm). If they had 
clipped the sidewall of the tire when slicing that port-a-wall crap off, 
the tire could have failed dramatically...

I just feel bad for any service manager that works on my cars now. I am 
relentless and insistant that they explain all work in full detail and 
then make sure they do what the say they are going to do. And even when 
doing that, they still screw up.

This is why I do 99.44 percent of the work on my TR6. I don't trust 
others do do it right.

rant mode off!
rml
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Lang                Room 11-221            | This space for rent.
Consultant              MIT Computer Services  |        
Voice: (617)253-7438    FAX: (617)258-9535     |
url: http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/user/b/l/blang/www/home.html
Quote: How many Triumphs do you own??? One that RUNS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • Re: Port-a-walls, Bob Lang <=