When you do Business with Tire Kingdom You Need to Know

The TBC Corporation, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida was a publicly traded corporation from 1983 to its purchase by the Sumitomo Corporation in 2005. During the corporation's short independent existence, it acquired a number of businesses related to automobile parts and tires.^[1] After its acquisition of National Tire and Battery in 2003, TBC chief executive Larry Day claimed it would be the largest independent tire dealer in the USA.


So you say to yourself, what does this mean to me? I live in Charlotte, NC.


I have just a few points to make and it's fundamental on how and where you spend your hard earned dollars on tires and auto repair for your vehicles.


Buffalo Tire & Car Care was a local and family owned tire & service center in the Charlotte and Jacksonville, NC markets for decades. Many of you may not know that they were sold recently to TBC Corporation. Who is TBC Corporation? TBC is wholly owned by Sumitomo Corporation (住友商事, Sumitomo Shōji) TYO: is one of the largest worldwide trading companies Sogo shosha, and is a diversified corporation. Sumitomo is headquartered in the Harumi Island Triton Square Office Tower Y in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan.

In 2005 before TBC was bought by Sumitomo Corp, then President & CEO, Larry Day earned over $1,392,478. Just recently Sumitomo Corp said at its shareholders' meeting that its three top executives received more than ¥100 million in compensation in the business year through March. Two of the three were President Susumu Kato, who received ¥186 million, and Chairman Motoyuki Oka, pictured below received  ¥183 million.

  

Let's get back to your car in your Charlotte driveway. It's time for new tires and Tire Kingdom has some big buy 2 tires, get 2 tires free deal. It gets you in their door. Only to find out that they are going to offer you many add on services that just buying the 4 tires would have been cheaper. What brands will they offer you? Multi-Mile, Cordovan, Sigme and Vanderbilt are all brands exclusive for TBC Corp. Where are these tires made? Most are made in China. Isn't interesting the the FDA won't allow Chinese baby formula to enter this country, but the government will allow your babies to ride in cars with tires on them that are made in China. I'm not here to bash the Japanese or the Chinese, they are perfectly fine people that make many fine products like the iPhone.


Our point is, that you have a choice in where you take your car to spend your money. You may take your cars to the former Buffalo Tire store that is now a Tire Kingdom and support one of the largest global corporations in the world headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. At the same time, buy tires from Tire Kingdom that also support Chinese companies, Chinese workers and the Chinese government. 


You have that choice as an American. We are free to choose with whom we want to do business with in this country. 


The TBC response may be that they employ Americans and invest in America. That may be true, but remember, those profits will all eventually make their may back to Chinese and Japanese banks to pay Japanese and Chinese shareholders dividends they received from profits derived from your America wallet.


Final note - Every former Buffalo Tire employee at their Pineville location has either quit or has been fired. 


Where can you go to avoid all the corporate conglomerates and foreign owned auto centers? Check out your local and truly independent automotive service centers. There are many in Charlotte that do a great job and are not owned by a giant foreign corporation but they are owned by a local family that lives here, works here and raises their kids here.


Carolina Tire & Auto
Steele Creek Tire
Case Automotive
Griffin Tire




** This article was written based on facts and personal opinions, it does not represent anyone or any corporation. It is also not intended to sway you away from doing business with Tire King or any of the TBC brands, feel free to honor them with your hard earned money.


If you want to go to a Charlotte Tire Kingdom, check out some of their local reviews:




http://charlotte.citysearch.com/profile/40064446/charlotte_nc/tire_kingdom.html

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?pq=griffin+tire&hl=en&sugexp=pfwl&tok=NpB7BLEgPG9bG1qfGyhaiA&cp=6&gs_id=o&xhr=t&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=869&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tire+kingdom&fb=1&gl=us&hq=tire+kingdom&hnear=0x88541fc4fc381a81:0x884650e6bf43d164,Charlotte,+NC&cid=15383803301328225839&ei=P78iT6PpCMbItgeT8vGGBg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=9&sqi=2&ved=0CHkQ4gkwCA

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=869&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tire+kingdom&fb=1&gl=us&hq=tire+kingdom&hnear=0x88541fc4fc381a81:0x884650e6bf43d164,Charlotte,+NC&cid=17538129558274625872&ei=ub8iT4qsIJGgtwe2ou2iCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=8&ved=0CI4BEOIJMAc

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=869&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tire+kingdom&fb=1&gl=us&hq=tire+kingdom&hnear=0x88541fc4fc381a81:0x884650e6bf43d164,Charlotte,+NC&cid=11789147817898137298&ei=ub8iT4qsIJGgtwe2ou2iCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=1&ved=0CEEQ4gkwAA

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=869&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tire+kingdom&fb=1&gl=us&hq=tire+kingdom&hnear=0x88541fc4fc381a81:0x884650e6bf43d164,Charlotte,+NC&cid=4870396904783005601&ei=ub8iT4qsIJGgtwe2ou2iCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=3&ved=0CFkQ4gkwAg

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&gs_upl=1618l3438l0l3632l10l4l0l6l6l0l61l225l4l10l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=869&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tire+kingdom+pineville&fb=1&gl=us&hq=tire+kingdom&hnear=0x88569c8bbd005ca3:0xbc7e05a36298d802,Pineville,+NC&cid=13804338911232786112&ei=QsAiT6zBPIi9tweo6NiVBw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=placepage-link&resnum=1&ved=0CDsQ4gkwAA

Carolina Tire to Open New Store in Uptown Charlotte

Family-owned and operated Carolina Tire & Auto Service Centers, based in Fort Mill, SC, has opened a new full service auto repair facility in Uptown Charlotte near Myers Park and CMC Main.

The company has grown to two locations throughout the Charlotte metro area. The South Charlotte store is located on Pineville, NC near Ballantyne. The new store is in the Myers Park/Randolph Rd area on Monroe Rd near Uptown Charlotte. The building is the former Buffalo Tire center and has a large swanky waiting area with wood floors, refreshments, Wi-Fi, leather couch and  HD-TV.

The facility boasts 5,500 square feet of floor space with eight full service repair bays featuring state of the art equipment, including environmentally friendly lifts, and will offer all of Carolina Tire’s current selection of tire brands like Continental and Michelin and services, according to the business.

“We have a passion for service and go out of our way to serve all of our customer’s automotive needs,” said company President Jim Seidel, who is also known as Charlotte's Tire King. “We are proud to provide the Seidel standard of professional tire and auto service, and are excited to bring this quality automotive care to the Uptown Charlotte, NC, area.”

The new address is:

Carolina Tire & Auto
3325 Monroe Rd
Charlotte, NC 28205
980-219-8500

I'm not Playing Any More

Think I Can Keep Track of all These Tires?

How Can You?

You know when you call all the airlines for prices and the next day they are cheaper or worse yet, more expensive? When I tell you that the giant tire retailers also do this, I'm totally serious. I don't have a team of marketing whiz's watching the ups and downs of tire prices, inventory overages or shortages and raw material costs like a stock market to adjust the price accordingly to make those most out of their investment. Because at the end of the day, a tire is an investment to these tire giants. How can I buy at the lowest price and sell at the highest price? They could be selling oranges, they just happen to sell tires, it's a commodity. A commodity that everyone needs if you own or drive a car.

Switch over to Carolina Tire & Auto with 1 store versus Discount Tire with over 700 or TBC Corp (Tire Kingdom, Merchant's, NTB, etc) with well over 1,000, Firestone and so on.

Carolina Tire & Auto doesn't look at a tire as an investment for our company. It's an investment for you, our customers. We truly want you to have the best tire that fits your needs, driving habits and budget. Not the best tire that fits my P & L. As a company we no longer will participate in the "gimmicks" that other choose to play or better yet prey upon you.

Carolina Tire & Auto will still try to give you the best prices we can world class tires like Continental and Michelin tires. However, if you get a better price quote installed, we'll match it. It's that easy. Because I don't want my treasured customers to think they have to "go somewhere else" because I was inadvertently priced to high on the day that Discount Tire decided to lower their tire prices.

Here's my "catch" if you will. Please give me the opportunity to show you what I believe is the best tire option for you. Remember, I can choose from over 40 tire brands and 1,000,000 tires in stock. I'm going to choose the best tire for you, your driving habits and budget. If you can convince me that your tire option quoted to you by Walmart, Discount Tire, Tire Buyer, Tire Rack or whomever is better for you, your driving habits and your budget then I'll match it exactly, get you the tires you were quoted and then hand you $20 bucks cash out of my pocket for your efforts.

Because at the end of the day, buying tires shouldn't be this hard on you and all this calling around. I want to focus my efforts on keeping our relationship alive and well and vibrant while maintaining your whole car, truck or SUV for all your maintenance, service and repairs.

So now that my tire prices are exactly the same as Tire Kingdom, Discount Tire, Walmart, Tire Rack, Tire Buyer, Firestone, Goodyear or anybody, you can go back to living your normal life getting the best service in South Charlotte on your vehicle only at Carolina Tire & Auto.

I feel better now, don't you?


Safe driving,

Jim

Try as I Might to Sell Tires

Yesterday was an interesting time for me as I worked the front sales counter all day at Carolina Tire & Auto. I have a new tire sales program going on with a Buy 1 Tire, Get 1 Free and Double Rebates on manufacturers rebates. Believe me, it's  a lot to try to jam all that in on a phone conversation with someone shopping for tires. Major tire retailers, and you know who you are, are the absolute worst at making the general public believe that you have to have the cheapest set of tires to make it "a deal."

Let me side bar here for a moment, tires are the most important safety auto part on your car, truck or SUV. Yes I said auto part. Your car is made up of hundreds of integrate parts and tires are the most important when it comes to safety.

Back to the giant tire retailers, none of whom have a headquarters in Charlotte, NC, live here or are raising a family here are trying to sell you the cheapest tires with cute gimmicks. Worst of all, they started to drag me down that same evil path and yes I said evil path. Let me explain, it'll all make sense soon.

Carolina Tire & Auto did not become Charlotte's # 1 South Charlotte Dealership Alternative, an Angie's List Super Service Award Winner or the highest rated auto repair center on Google and the Internet in all of Charlotte because we went cheap on your cars. We pay more for highly trained mechanics, we pay more for quality auto parts, we pay more for the best equipment, we pay more for one of the best showrooms in all of Charlotte, NC.

So now I found myself getting into this buy 1 get 1 free promotion to match Tire Kingdom. What was I thinking?? I don't know. Here's how this program works at Tire Kingdom:

Buying 2 tires:

Tire costs you = $100 - buy 1 tire at $100 and get a $100 tire for free.

You must buy their "premium installation package" which is $59.95. For that you get lifetime rotation and balance, free roadside assistance and their road hazard for their tires.

Next you must buy their 1 year alignment program at $129.95. You get alignments all year long for 1 price.

So here's your big deal buy 1 tire get 1 tire free - $59.95 x 2 = $119.90 + $129.95 = $249.85 + $100     (1 tire) = $349.85.

Want to know what these 2 tires would have cost you at the regular installation price? $230.00 How? Two tires at $100.00 a piece and $15.00 per tire to install = $230.00.

So if you really wanted just 2 tires and bought this deal, you'd have paid $119.85 MORE for the same tires. Now the tires you may choose from are only selected brands of Yokohama, Pirelli, Cooper and Nitto. All fine tire manufacturers, not the top manufacturers but just ok in my opinion. Then the brands to choose from these manufacturers are their "value line" or in other words, the cheap ones.

Let me circle back around and close this piece out. My customers at Carolina Tire & Auto have trust in me and my business that I will make their cars run safely, smoothly and that I'm not putting some cheapo part on so I can make more money. I never want you to think that I ever "got one over on you". I'm sorry, in my opinion, Tire Kingdom's buy 1 get 1 free, Discount Tire's "$20" tires or Firestone's buy 3 get 1 free deal are all sham's to make you think they they have the best deals in town. Again, in my opinion they are trying to fool you into a sale and I have never, nor will I look at any customer as just a sale. I live with you people. you are my neighbors and my friends, not a sale.

Therefore Carolina Tire & Auto is pulling our Buy 1 Get 1 Free promotion and going back to promoting the best, safest and in our opinion, the coolest tires on the planet like Continental and Michelin tires.

Safe driving,

Jim

DOUBLE TIRE REBATES FROM CAROLINA TIRE

REBATES GONE WILD

Michelin – Buy any set of 4 Michelin brand passenger or light truck tires and we’ll DOUBLE your $70.00 rebate to a $140.00 Rebate

Continental – Buy any set of 4 Continental brand passengeror light truck tires and you’ll get a FREE Garmin GPS AND a $75.00 Rebate.

Offer good only through November 15^th, 2011 and only at Carolina Tire & Auto in Pineville, NC. 

704-553-9800 or www.carolina-tire.com

No carry outs, installation required. Hurry before this deal ends on November 15th, 2011

Not from Discount Tire, not from Tire Kingdom, not from Firestone, not from anyone BUT Carolina Tire & Auto.

Buy 1 Tire, Get 1 FREE at Carolina Tire

Buy 1 Tire, Get 1 Free comes to Carolina Tire & Auto in Pineville.

When it comes to buying anything in Charlotte, North Carolina we always want the best deal. It's no different when it comes to tires.
Announcing a very special limited engagement from Carolina Tire. While supplies last, BUY 1 TIRE, GET 1 FREE*
Need 4 tires? Double down on this deal get all 4 tires for the price of 2 tires.
What kind of tires? Only the Best for you Charlotte.

Buy1 get 1 FREE tire sale valid on purchase of a set of two in stock General Altimax RT and HP (up to 15 inch), Continental ProContact (up to 15 inch and select 16 inch), Capital H Rated (up to 16 inch) brand tires and all Kumho KR21 T Rated tires with purchase of a premium tire installation package with Roadside Assistance for each tire and a one year wheel alignment policy on same vehicle at time of purchase from October 31st, 2011 Through November 30th, 2011. No carryouts. Not valid with any other tire discount or offer. While supplies last. See store for details. No cash value.

Matt Seidel Photography is Open for Business

St. Louis Wedding Photographer

St. Louis Photography

This blog has nothing to do with auto repair, but we just wanted to get some props out to our nephew Matt Seidel who just opened his own small business, Matt Seidel Photography. 


Below is an excerpt from Matt's website:


Matt Seidel Photography, specializing in wedding and portrait photography in St. Louis, Missouri. Inside you'll discover what makes St. Louis Photography by Matt Seidel so unique and special. Matt is a young, yet serious expert in professional photography in the St. Louis, Mo area. Click on the Seidel Gallery to see a sample of Matt's photographic work. Or read about Matt and how he'll make a perfect fit for your St. Louis wedding, portrait work, business outing or meeting in the St. Louis area. Click on our pricing to see the photography packages we can offer your budget. If you don't see a photography package that fits you and your budget, Matt will make one especially for you that does fit your photography budget.


Below is some of Matt's beautiful work. If you live in the St. Louis area and are in need of a hot new photographer, then Matt Seidel is your man. Call him today at 636-578-8575 or e-mail him at matt@mattseidel.com 

  

Great job Matt! Good luck !