If You Need Tires In North Hollywood, California

[Marrk]

Yesterday, I bought four new Michelins for my '08 Fit from Green's. A small shop, but very good service. Apparently, they do wheel chroming as well.


Green's O.K. Tire
11634 Vanowen Street
North Hollywood, CA 91605
818-765-6803
www.Mrchrome.com
I dealt with Ron

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dude how are the prices? And where you at? Do you have a Stewie? MARRK we need to KNOW these things!

[philiam]

Last I heard he had an 07 and was looking for a CR as well.

I rode in the Fit and was very impressed. Of course you can get tires for it at Dunkin Donuts.

[Marrk]

Okay, here goes.

Green's is not the place for killer prices. I would guess that you could get the same tires I got for approx. $18.00 less per tire if you bought from a site and had them shipped to your house. Green's is a place for a little brick-and-mortar service. They will get you a tire in half a day (if their distributors have them in the warehouse) and they will mount and balance (another $10 each for balance). It's a very small shop, but one that has been around for a while. They helped me when I needed it, so I guess they have won my business.

Hey, Phil, you old geezer! How you doing? I've been following your posts. Not only do I have an '07 s2k and want a CR, but I am thrilled to see that I will have a crack at '09 CRs (all the '08 CRs I looked at had miles on the odo. ). The Road & Track I just bought a few hours ago has an article on '10 S3000 (?) ... but I just got home from work and I'm guess that that news is already all over the Forum!

The markets have really taken a crap all over me. So, I don't even know if I will be able to get a CR anyway. My brother just got a used Porsche 993 . . . maybe that is the way to go ???


P.S. Dunkin Donuts would have been an improvement over the Dunlop SP31s that were OEM. We'll see about the Michelins.

[philiam]

Howdy Mark,

We're doing well thanks. I have Stunt Rd. pretty well in hand, still enjoying the S. Stocks will come back in time. As the last president to pull us out said, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself"! Being a depression kid I never did trust the market.

As for the Porsche, nice to own but I doubt it'll have Honda reliability and cost a bunch to repair.

If you have a tire dealer that gives you good service, stay with him. Same with a mechanic. My method is to open the phone book and get prices, then ask the people I use, who guarantee price match, if they can do that. My next door neighbor is a tire dealer but I don't recommend him. He knows less about tires than I do. He looked at my S and thought it had duals in the back.

How's the fit holding up?

[Marrk]

Hi Phil,

With regard to tire store vs. website tire deals: I'm a sucker for service in a world that is offering less and less of it. This time, I had a blowout, so Green's sold me an OEM Dunlop tire. When I got home, I saw that another of my OEMs has a gash in it, with steel belting showing through, so I called Green's and told them to go whole hog and get me four new Michelins. He recommended the size and got the Michelins for me. After the mount and balance and install, I say to the guy, "How would you like to buy a slightly used Dunlop?" He says, "Look at your bill." He had given me a full refund on the Dunlop! So, he made me happy all the way around.

The Fit is a great little car and holding up well, so far. After 13,000 mi., I have only two complaints. One is the fly-by-wire throttle. It is tough to get smooth shifts off of it. The other is that the car has used a little coolant — approx. one coolant reservoir worth, or maybe a tad less — since 4.0 mi. I detect no visible leaks and can discern no contamination of the exhaust. It's a small amount of coolant loss, but it bugs me.

My s2k just had a little wrench light come on (approx 7,300 mi.), so I know it is time for an oil change (which I do anyway) and inspection of things like tie rod ends and drive shaft boots and brake pads. I wish I knew what I was looking for, hehe.

How are you? How is your car doing? I haven't done Stunt in a little while. The young Asian guys I used to drive with are all busy doing other things, so I don't see 'em so much, plus I have a miserable teaching semester this Fall — really killing myself for a few lousy sheckles. I'll be glad when it's over.

Last night before beddy-bye, I scanned that Road & Track issue. It appears that Honda is going to come out with a new s2k with a 4-cyl 2.2 or 2.5, or a V6. Or maybe a "green" technology hybrid. This should be interesting either way . . . but I wouldn't mind getting an '09 s2k or one of the last of the last.

As for the markets, I'm only concerned about these piece of crap funds that I'm in. I hope they don't dry up and blow away. My few individual stock investments will, as you say, come back eventually.

I guess "eventually" means in 10 years, after The Second Great Depression is over. Can you believe this shit?

Best,

Mark


P.S. I'm sure my brother's 993 is a lot of fun, but you are probably right about reliability and cost. BTW, I am really liking the pics of the expected Lotus Evora 2+2. Looks really nice. If they build it bigger than the matchbox Elise/Exige . . . wow, it will be great.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dudes Thanks for the info! Marrk do you run on tracks? What about Sumitomo's?

[philiam]

The other is that the car has used a little coolant — approx. one coolant reservoir worth, or maybe a tad less — since 4.0 mi. I detect no visible leaks and can discern no contamination of the exhaust. It's a small amount of coolant loss, but it bugs me.

Have the dealer re torque the head. You can also put a little Bars Leak in the radiator. A whole reservoirs worth means it's going somewhere. Still under warranty?

The first Civics blew head gaskets because of the expansion and compression of the aluminum head. Got a free rebuild at 20,000 miles.

@7200 mi. I wouldn't worry much about tie rods or boots. It's just getting broken in. The brakes aren't problem, unless you drive around with your foot on the brake. Drop by if you have some questions, or just to talk cars if you can understand me.

And Yeah, work is the curse of the drinking man.

[Marrk]

phil,

couldn't i retorque the head myself? or is it too complicated?

best,

mark

Originally Posted by philiam

The other is that the car has used a little coolant — approx. one coolant reservoir worth, or maybe a tad less — since 4.0 mi. I detect no visible leaks and can discern no contamination of the exhaust. It's a small amount of coolant loss, but it bugs me.

Have the dealer re torque the head. You can also put a little Bars Leak in the radiator. A whole reservoirs worth means it's going somewhere. Still under warranty?

The first Civics blew head gaskets because of the expansion and compression of the aluminum head. Got a free rebuild at 20,000 miles.

@7200 mi. I wouldn't worry much about tie rods or boots. It's just getting broken in. The brakes aren't problem, unless you drive around with your foot on the brake. Drop by if you have some questions, or just to talk cars if you can understand me.

And Yeah, work is the curse of the drinking man.

[philiam]

You need a torque wrench and shop manual. It's not hard but needs a little taking of things apart. I would recommend a pressure check as well. Probably need a tech to do that.

I had an Alfa that warped the head because they forgot to tell me it needed re torqued every 10,000 miles. The Fit has a good reputation and shouldn't be a problem, but I'd want to know where the coolant is going.

Should be under warranty, no?

[Marrk]

After sleeping on it, I've decided to follow your advice and take it in to the dealer. I hate having people touch my cars, and I have never been to a dealer who knew what they were talking about, but it must be done.

Yes, it is under warranty. The car's not even a year old.

Thanks, Phil.

Mark

Originally Posted by philiam

You need a torque wrench and shop manual. It's not hard but needs a little taking of things apart. I would recommend a pressure check as well. Probably need a tech to do that.

I had an Alfa that warped the head because they forgot to tell me it needed re torqued every 10,000 miles. The Fit has a good reputation and shouldn't be a problem, but I'd want to know where the coolant is going.

Should be under warranty, no?

[philiam]

Probably no problem, but worth checking out while the car is in warranty. Some car companies put Bars Leak in the radiator as a preventitive routinely.

[Marrk]

I agree, it could be nothing.

On the other hand, I've never had a Japanese car or bike lose coolant.

Hmm.

Best,

Mark

Originally Posted by philiam

Probably no problem, but worth checking out while the car is in warranty. Some car companies put Bars Leak in the radiator as a preventitive routinely.