A mechanic has sparked an interesting debate online after he revealed that he intentionally damages tires that have been discarded before he gets rid of them. If the tires are being discarded anyway, it does at first sound unusual to damage them intentionally if they are already junk, but there is some logic to his decision-making.
Mechanic @greaseandglory is a Kia technician who also happens to share various tips and tricks online via his TikTok account. According to his TikTok, he slashes the tires prior to them being discarded, in order to prevent those who take them from him from being able to resell them as ‘used tires.’
That makes a lot of sense. There is every chance that an unsuspecting customer could come across some well-priced, and seemingly good-condition, used tires and be looking to save some money on their car. So why not take a chance on some tires?
This is all about ensuring that those customers do not get scammed or duped into buying a product that ultimately is highly likely to be defective. In fact, the mechanic even said that some of the tires have punctures, which could potentially be very dangerous if someone bought them and put them onto their car.
Damaging These Tires Is All Done in Good Faith
@greaseandglory Slashing all of the used tires we discard because these people come take them after hours to resell them to unsuspecting customers. Some of these tires have bubbles, uneven wear patterns or punctures. #fyp #trending #tires #hustle #mechanic ♬ Rock and Roll Session – Canal Records JP
The mechanic opened his TikTok video with some pretty strong words about the tires. “Slashing all of our discarded tires so the parasites who take them can’t resell them to innocent people,” said in the caption on the video. We can then see him punching several holes in some of the tires to stop them from being resold.
“Slashing all of the used tires we discarded because these people come take them after hours to resell them to unsuspecting customers,” he said. “Some of these tires have bubbles, uneven wear patterns, or punctures,” added the mechanic. Clearly, those tires weren’t going to be useful to anyone, hence his decision to ensure they could never be resold.
The mechanic expanded, saying that shops do this to top tires already deemed unsafe from being reused. Damaged or worn tires can pose significant safety risks and potentially lead to serious accidents. Worn treads, sidewall damage, cracks, and bulges can all be reasons a tire is no longer safe to use.
The Move Led to Some Interesting Debate in the Comments
Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of debate in the comments about whether this was actually the right move or not. While buying used tires is risky, it isn’t illegal, and for some drivers, they are a good, cheap alternative, especially if they need new tires for their car quickly and abruptly. It could allow them to keep driving until they can afford brand new ones to replace them.
“Damn, I always went down to the used tire shop when I was young. Never had 1,000 bucks for a new set, but I could get 4 with at least 50% tread from them for $200,” said one user. This was one of several comments that seemed to push back on the move to destroy them. However, the flipside is that, if these tires did in fact pose a safety risk to a driver and those around them, ensuring they can’t be used again is probably the best course of action.