Conrad’s Tire Express & Total Car Care

Free? Okay!
So, I’ve gone back and forth through the years with Conrads. It’s always the default place that AAA brings my car if I need repairs and, well… it is convenient.
So I’ve had issues in the past, but if you ask me today, I like Conrads. That’s the beauty of updated reviews, right?
I had my car towed in and found out it just needed a super-​charge (my battery charging was apparently not cutting it when I tried at home). I came in to pick up my card, credit card in hand and they gave me a $ 0 bill. No charge for time. No charge for charging the battery. They even replaced a headlight for free… no charge for that either!
On top of that, the gentleman that works the front register the majority of the time is just the nicest guy. He just chats about «the darnedest things» and makes me leave the desk with a smile (even when I do have to pay a bill).
So I’ve done a 1 star and a 5 star and a 4 star. Hopefully that evens things out to be about right. If you have a huge bill coming your way, feel free to get a second opinion, but I do think they’re trying their best and are a great go-​to spot for us city-​dwellers.

My tire was leaking air. I was told it was not repairable because there was a nail too close to the sidewall. In addition it was recommended that I replace all the tires because they were showing less than 4/​32″ on the treads. The car has run flat tires but was told that I could replace them with run flats or regular tires. I was quoted prices for both types. The car is still under warranty and so before making a decision I took it to the dealership where I bought it for a «second opinion». According to the dealership, all the tires are fine and the problem was a leaking tire pressure sensor which they replaced. Wow…
On another occasion (with my previous car) I was quoted prices for lots of things that «needed to be fixed or replaced». The car was 10 years old and before I dumped a ton of money into it, I took it to the dealership and had them determine its «road worthiness». According to them, absolutely nothing was wrong with the car.
More conveniently located than the dealership, but unfortunately, I’m done with Conrads :-(

A simple oil change should not take 1,5 hours. I mean when your competitors can finish it in 10 minutes while you sit in the car and you do EXACTLY the same stuff, and finish it in hours, there is seriously something wrong here. I could go on youtube, learn how to change oil, do my oil change myself, then eat some lunch and I bet you i could probably do it in less than these turtles are doing.
Save yourself some time and go somewhere else. I can’t believe I am seriously still sitting in their waiting area and still waiting for this stuff to be over. I bet you a heart surgeon can finish a complicated heart surgery before these guys can change your oil.
I just realized, I can write a novel about how terrible Conrad’s service is while I am waiting here and finish the book before these guys can change my oil.
:)

I’m reviewing this based on services I went in for. Although I was treated nicely, asked if I would like a water or shuttle back to work, it doesn’t make up for what they are there for. With very few miles on my car, I discovered a nail in my tire. WHY ME. I think everyone asks that. So, I notice the free air and fill my car and ask a sales person if this can be plugged. I was told YES bring it back tomorrow and we will take care of you. Left it at lunch the next day and went back at 5pm. To my total disappointment, and also with an inkling as to what would happen based on reviews, they handed me an invoice for a tire to replace mine. Magically, there was only one in stock. No phone call telling me this in the 4.5 hours they had it. Just an invoice.
Hi and bye. It’s a shame the honesty game isn’t played anymore at a lot of these places. My tire puncture wound is currently being fixed. No new tire needed. Thanks.

I don’t know why this place has so many poor reviews, I’ve always brought my car here for oil changes and had great service. They never pressured me to get extra services even though there were problems with my car at the time. Just this past week I had to get my car towed here from Payne Avenue after hitting a pothole and getting not one but two flat tires (darn you City of Cleveland!). They were able to order the tires I needed and have them the next day. Fortunately because my repairs were over a certain amount, they knocked off the cost of the towing. They also offer a complimentary shuttle up to 3 miles, useful for those that work downtown. The gentleman working up front, Thad, is exceedingly kind and very knowledgeable; he always takes the time to explain any questions you might have about repairs. They also have free soda and popcorn up front for those waiting… a small thing, but it can make a not so pleasant trip a little better.

I ended up going here because there were the only place with an appointment.
Little did I know that having an appointment did very little.
They charged me an hour of labor to simply change a tire. I had to get a tire changed on the drive chain and they didnt move the tires around as to put the new tire on a non drive wheel which is SOP. They also over inflated the tire (39 PSI vs the 33PSI which is recommended. For the record the tire can only hold 41psi).
I was overcharged for bad labor that could have potentially damaged my car if I hadn’t had some car knowledge. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

I dropped my vehicle off for them to check a vibration in the rear tire, mentioning there’s a chance it could be ice from the snow storm this past weekend. I park in a open garage, so there’s really no chance for it to warm up overnight and melt that ice.
They called a few hours later, telling me all four of my tires were bald and there was no sense in balancing the tire that needed it because we would just need to replace all 4 tires…$ 900 quote for tires & service. They wanted an immediate answer in order to place a 10 am order for the tires, which could be there by 4 pm that day.
Yeah…not making a $ 900 purchase decision when pressured to do so within 10 mins.
I immediately called the Mazda dealership where I purchased the car and asked them to look up the wear on my tires from when I was in for the last oil change (4,000 miles ago). They were above 50% at that time. Made an appointment with them for the next afternoon.
I picked up the vehicle later that day from Conrad’s and drove it the short distance home, let it sit overnight. The next day, the vibration seemed to have disappear… (ICE???) probably from sitting in their bay for an hour or two. I still decided to drive the vehicle that afternoon to my Mazda dealership, where they graciously took me back to the service bay and showed me as they measured, that only one of the tires was below 50%. In their professional opinion, I had at least another 10,000 miles left on these tires.
It’s really unbelievable that Conrad’s would try to take advantage of a young female in this situation. Low“er” tred, yes… in need of a immediate replacement, not quiet…
I have to give these guys credit where credit is due, they didn’t charge me a dime for looking at the vehicle that morning. Thanks for that.

Very disappointed with a delay over 2 hours for an oil change, even with an appointment. Also, I receive a discount with my company but the salesperson didn’t acknowledge it and when I asked about it they admitted they didn’t understand. Rather than trying to help he was very dismissive and interested in getting me to pay full price.

Always have had great service here. The guys don’t try to screw over a woman either. I asked to have all 4 tires replaced and they told me I only needed 3 when they could have easily taken my money and ran! Thank you, I will continue to have my car serviced here.

Despite the many 1 star reviews, I found Conrad’s on Chester to be completely wonderful!
I went for tires and they not only matched the lowest competitors price but beat it as well. From the initial phone conversation to my appointment they were nothing but polite, helpful and informative.
I dropped the vehicle off and after a pleasant conversation with the guys at the counter, I received a ride to my job which was really nice on such a cold day. The drivers both to and from my job were friendly, interesting and fun to talk to.
There was only one glitch in my whole purchase, and that was out of the 4 tires ordered, only 3 were found.
It was unfortunate that I had to split the install over two visits but Conrad’s made up for the oops by tossing in either an alignment (if needed) or another perk.
So, in the end I left with 4 new tires & warranty package which beat the lowest competitors pricing, free alignment (thank you Cleveland potholes), BOGO wiper blades, oil change special, and? They even removed the overly rusted bolts from my bike rack and placed it in the trunk per my request :)
And they were awesomely friendly!
Thank you Bruce, Mark and your entire team! Highly recommended!

This probably summarizes what others have said (I didn’t bother to read others):
Pros:
It is close to my apartment
Cons:
They will do their best to shoehorn car maintenance wherever they can. Seriously… they will rob you blind if you allow them to. I’ve been here twice… once for tires and they quoted me for some wheel issues that I took to another garage and was charged ¹⁄₃ the price they quoted. The second visit was a coolant leak that was a $ 12 valve… charged $ 200 for 15 minutes in labor and the part… and tried to tell me there were other issues with wheels although it was just at the dealer weeks prior for the 90k all-​around maintenance.
Scammers.

Completely unprofessional. I called early in the morning about my problem. They told me they need to take a look and maybe order parts. I asked if 5.30 pm was okay, person replied affirmative. I go at 5.30 and they just bluntly said that they don’t have time and I should come back some other time (preferably morning). All they had to do was take a look and order the part. I wasn’t expecting on the spot service.
The person was extremely rude and dismissive.

Took my tire in for a new valve replacement and they broke the tpms sensor and claimed it was already broken. I’ve had a tpms sensor come loose before and you can hear it in the tire at low speeds. This sensor was not broken until they went to replace the valve and then they tried to charge me $ 250 for a replacement when the Audi dealership sells them for $ 125… Ill never take my car here again, they do shoddy work and it took hours to just replace a valve…
I took my car to The Tire Guys on W65th and they replaced the valve and fixed the sensor for $ 12… No lie…

This review encompasses about 3 different Conrad’s locations we’ve taken our vehicles to over the years. Repair cost and service were average (compared to other places we’ve come to trust), but what really gets me is how impossible it is to get a simple oil change! In the past few weeks, at 2 different locations, I brought my car in (very early in the morning), and was told that they «can’t fit me in today» because they are «backlogged» or «too busy»! They advertise $ 19.99 oil changes, but can’t deliver! If you morons don’t have time for a customer oil change, then DON’T advertise them in your local business flyers and Val-​Pak! You’re wasting your customers’ time! Also, they often advertise that they have a «clearance tire sale», «warehouse tire sale», or a rebate on tires. You go there, and they tell you that the rebate or sale does not apply to this or that tire! In addition, talk about shenanigans, I was quoted 60 dollars less on a set of 4 tires before installation, and when I was handed the bill, they gave me the higher bill! I cannot understand how this establishment is a member of BBB!

If I could zero-​star this place, I would.
While the facility was nice, I was disappointed at the quality of service. If I hadn’t been vigilant, my vehicle would have been severely damaged because they managed to botch a simple oil change. The manager had the gall to lie to me about the cause, and if I hadn’t been skeptical of his explanation, my car would probably be in the scrapyard.
I won’t be back. I don’t recommend you go, either.

Good folks here. Rewind to 2010… during a routine balancing, the gang at Conrad’s alerted me to defective tires on my just-​bought car. Took it back the dealer and had all four replaced under warranty.
Fast forward to this week… caught a screw in my tire (slow leak) and brought it in. Thad (store manager?) got me in and explained everything that was happening. I’m a car-​guy, so I knew what I was looking at, but I appreciate that Thad/​Conrad’s didn’t try to over-​sell anything.
Turns out, I had another bad tire (sidewall bulge due to CLE potholes). Ordered two fresh tires (in an odd-​ball size) and Conrad’s had ‘em in the store 12 hours later.
So, less than 24 hours after arriving unannounced, I have two fresh tires which are rolling great. Good stuff!

Good service. Friendly workers who move the line efficiently along. They do great oil change service, which is really all I use them for — and the occasional tyre rotation. They always have a coupon online ($ 19.95 for this combo service which after taxes and fees on the basic oil change comes out to be about $ 23). I drop my car off at 0730 before work, walk to work (shuttle also available) and pick my car up at 1630 after work (though they do call much earlier in the day to say that is is already done). They also usually do indicate 1 other thing that I «need» to have done (this time it was a fuel induction blah blah blah) but since my car is leased I always decline that and am giving no hassle regarding doing so. If you’d rather wait for your car in the shop you can do so but note the waiting room is in a room full of new tyres so if you don’t like that smell… The only suggestion I’d have is to let you know where they pur your car when you come to pick it up because you do spend a minute wandering the parking lot (which is on either side of the building) looking for it. Free air.

After I hit a pothole and completely messed up my tires I took it to Conrad’s. I was so afraid of what the price was going to be and it was much less than I thought. I always hate getting work done to my car because I’m afraid I’m being ripped off but these guys were super nice and explained everything to me so I understood and I didn’t get that sick feeling I ususally get taking my car in. My tires are great now, my car runs great and I’m always going to take it here when I need car care. Thanks Conrad’s, overall, excellent experience.

I’ve been taking my cars here for years. Convenient downtown-​ish location, and they have a shuttle that will drop you off downtown and also come get you if you call in advance by about a half hour or so. I’ve always felt that the folks here are honest and do a good job. They have popcorn too :-) And some beverages.

Thank you Conrad’s for being a drastic change compared to my experience at the Honda Dealership! What a joy to deal with friendly and helpful people! I lost battle with a pothole outside of CIM (watch out folks! it’s FEET wide!), and my tire popped right then and there. I have unique tires on my car — stupid sports model — and they found me the tire at a whopping $ 65 less than the dealership quoted me, even more of a difference after parts and labor. Yippie!
Additionally — they have free wifi, snacks, soda, television, newspapers and magazines. It’s clean, they have fair prices, and friendly staff. What more can you ask for?