On the morning of Thursday, June 16, I got in my car to go to the Adult Swim session at the Wilson Park Pool here in Cutesville (which again is my name for Granite City) when my car promptly notified me upon turning it on that my passenger side rear tire was low on air.
I wish I could say I was surprised, but sadly, this was not the case. The night before when I was coming home from work, I ran over this abrupt and abrasive bunch of asphalt debris that was scattered across the road and after driving over it, I was left hoping that nothing unfortunate would befall my car. Well, unfortunately my hopes went unanswered and something did disrupt my car as one tire was now reading at 24 PSI (pounds per square inch) when the other three all sat comfortably at 35.
Despite the warning from my car, I still opted to maintain course and go to the Adult Swim because honestly, why not? Either way I was going to have to go get my tire patched or replaced at some point that day, might as well enjoy myself a little longer before dealing with the damage.
And enjoy myself I did, given that it’s nearly impossible not to at the Wilson Park Pool, which I firmly believe is one of the biggest and brightest crown jewels of this fine and fair city. I really do absolutely love it there and it’s forever my perfect summer spot! After a wondrous ninety or so minutes, I got back in my car to leave and received the same warning that my passenger side rear tire was low, this time though, it had dropped to just 21 PSI! There was no more playing around!
So, I sat there in the parking lot at the pool and ice rink and Googled, “tires granite city,” with the first place popping up being O’Brien Tire & Auto Care. Although I’d never been there before, I knew exactly where they were because I drive by them twice a day when I head to and from work! I immediately gave them a call in hopes that I could bring my car straight there to get this tire terror taken care of.
Right away I knew this was going to be a pleasant experience as the woman who answered the phone had one of the best phone speaking voices I’ve ever interacted with! I was immediately impressed by her warm tone and eloquent words. After explaining my situation, she told me that the team there was on lunch, but I could bring my vehicle in at 1:00, which was only forty-five minutes from the time of my call. This was actually quite ideal for me since it now provided me a window to go home and change out of my pool clothes and into more preferable ones. Also, I live basically right between the pool and O’Brien Tire & Auto Care, so I wasn’t worried about my tire deflating too much further.
Despite my earlier confidence I found myself most thankful I live close because by 1:00 when I arrived at O’Brien Tire & Auto Care, my tire had deflated all the way down to just 18 PSI! This was basically half of what the other three were! I went in and met with the increasingly friendly receptionist who I handed my keys over to and a gentleman from the back came out to get. She and I chatted a little bit before I went and took one of the several vacant seats in their expansive waiting area.
After recognizing the situation I’ve been cast in probably warrants a blog post, I got up and started taking pictures of the historical photos and such that adorned the well-decorated walls around me. I knew this was the oldest auto repair shop in the country from the signage I passed by regularly outside, but it was truly awesome and awe-inducing to see some of the pictures from past eras. I’m a BIG history person, so this was honestly pretty exciting for me to see.
After taking all the photos I wanted, I returned to my original seat and within moments a professionally dressed man came out of the back and took the seat next to me. He proceeded to explain that my tire was not patchable and would have to be replaced. He came prepared with a couple of sheets of paper, each one explaining an alternative option of a new tire. From the moment I received the first low air notification, I had this sinking feeling that the tire wouldn’t be able to be patched, so this news didn’t come as a shock to me whatsoever. The gentleman, who I can only assume was the manager, led me to the back to show me where the hole was as I pondered which of the tire options to go with.
My tire was lying on the ground and he poured some liquid over it and right on the front of the tire we could see the bubbling of where the hole was. As it couldn’t have been anymore obvious I wasn’t leaving here without a new tire, I took the readily available option for $171. I would’ve had to wait till the next day for one of the exact tires to match my other three to be ordered in and that unfortunately wasn’t going to work for me because I needed my car bright and early that next morning, so I chose the option most similar to what I already drive on. Plus, my original tire was another $50 more in price than the one I was leaving with, so that helped ease the situation for me.
After selecting the tire I wanted them to go with it was only a few more minutes before I had my keys back in hand and was ready to roll out of there. From the time I arrived, till the time I left it was around forty-five minutes, which I didn’t think was bad at all. Honestly, because I walked around and read all their historical information and took all the photos I did, it felt like hardly anytime had passed whatsoever.
Overall, I was extraordinary pleased with the swift, professional, courteous, and knowledgeable service I received from O’Brien Tire & Auto Care. Going there that Thursday was not something I expected to do, but I literally have no complaints and zero regrets about having gone, in fact, just the opposite, I’d recommend them to anyone now! Sure I spent a $171 that I was most definitely NOT expecting to have to spend that morning, but they took care of me and provided me a service at what I believe to be a more than fair price. Everyone I interacted with was exceptional and they had me in and out in less than a hour! Not to mention the fact that they were able to get me in within an hour of calling! I really enjoyed this experience and it came as no wonder to me that they’re America’s oldest auto repair shop!
All in all, I’d definitely give O’Brien Tire & Auto Care a 10/10, highly recommend! I couldn’t have been more pleased with my experience and will for sure be keeping them in mind for all my future auto repair needs! Thank you O’Brien Tire & Auto Care for making what could’ve been an abysmal situation anything but! You all are simply THE BEST!
O’Brien Tire & Auto Care is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and can be found at 3924 Nameoki Road, Granite City, IL, 62040 and reached at (618) 219-1420 or found online at obrientire.com. They offer a wide variety of automobile services such as Engine Diagnostics, Brake Service, Oil Changes, Steering and Suspension, obviously Tire Services, and many, MANY more, so be sure to check them out the next time your vehicle is in need of maintenance!
As always, THANK YOU so much for viewing! Feel free to leave me a comment below as I LOVE reading and responding to them! I’ll return next Tuesday with another all-new post, so until then, I wish you all, all the best!
Explore More Cutesville Connections:
Well I hope they see your blog and if needed in the future they give you a discount – you really inflated their egos and your kind words will rev up their business 😂😉
Well, despite having a wonderful time, I hope to not have to go back anytime soon! 😂 A discount though is always a nice touch!
We use O’Brien as well for all things tire. Always good service and comparable prices. The service is what keeps us going back!
I was blown away with how wonderful the service was! Definitely left me impressed! I feel like I’ve been missing out on how great this place is!
Now thats something to be proud of! Oldest auto shop in the country! That sure is neat!
Agreed & I love that it’s right here in my own backyard – so to speak!