This woman was politely pressured into buying a set of new tires after a worried salesman figured out her current tires were a nearly 20-year-old safety hazard.
In the viral video, TikTok user @trailerparkgal explained that she stopped by her local Discount Tire to get a perpetually flat tire inflated and maybe patched up. She knew the tire was bad, but barely wanted to replace the one tire—let alone all four.
“I just know that there’s like a little tiny hole. I’ll put some fix a flat in it. I’ll get a new tire in a little bit. I just want it filled up,” @trailerparkgal said.
The worker was down to help until he saw the tire. “He’s like, ‘Woah.’ He’s like, ‘Honestly, I’m almost too scared to put air in this tire. Like, it’s really, really bad,'” @trailerparkgal said.
Despite his hesitation, @trailerparkgal insisted she wasn’t buying a new tire and said she’s been airing up the tire for a little while already. He agreed to still air it up, but kept telling her she “seriously” needed a new tire.
The thing is, @trailerparkgal already knew her tires weren’t in the best shape. She bought them used from an older woman who only used them on a car she drove to church and back.
She ended up going back to Discount Tire to get a single new tire because she was tired of having to air one of them up every day.
“I’ll get one tire, it’s fine, then I’ll get the rest in like a week or so. Like, I’m that type of person. I’m like, I don’t wanna drop all this money on four new tires right now. Like, I’ll just do one by one. Girl math,” she said.
She goes in with this intention, but things quickly take a turn. A completely different guy from last time goes out to her car to see what kind of tire she needs and has a similar shocked reaction. “Oh my god,” he said. “These are from 2005.”
He goes back and gets his manager and two other workers and they’re all in shock. “I really don’t think I could sleep at night without you [getting them replaced]. You need all four tires. You don’t drive this car, right?” he asked.
She lied and said she didn’t. But the workers’ utter shock at the condition of her tires convinced her to get them all replaced at once, and they were able to get the price down to $397 with a warranty. “As embarrassing as that was, I’m alive, I’m well, I’m gonna get four new tires, and it’s not breaking the bank,” @trailerparkgal said.
However, she added that she was “actually humiliated” by the gasp the worker let out when he saw the condition of her original tires.
According to J.D. Power, old tires can leak air faster than newer tires and significantly increase the risk of accidents. Old tires blow out more easily, hydroplane more easily, and increase stopping distance. “Although knowing the date a tire was manufactured is important, it is vital to make a visual inspection of the tires for signs of aging. That’s because environmental conditions and how a tire is used affects its lifespan,” the site reads.
@trailerparkgal IM EMBARRASSED #storytime #discount #tire #justagirl #tehe ♬ original sound – Tr@ilerP@rkGal
The video has nearly 200,000 views and hundreds of comments.
“397 for four new tires is a GREAT deal,” the top comment pointed out.
“no maam.. just no ma’am. I’ve seen some crazy things working in a shop and ive seen 20 yr old tires once,” a person said.
“In all seriousness this happened to me & I spun out on the freeway when it was sprinkling. Be careful out there,” another shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to @trailerparkgal for comment via Instagram direct message.