The Tire Network

Joe is super friendly and took me in without an appointment. He fixed my power steering sensor an my at runs just fine now.
I dropped my car off Friday morning expecting it to be a quick fix. I called Joe later that afternoon to get an update and e informed me it would be slightly more extensive than anticipated. I called again Saturday morning and my car could potentially be ready that afternoon. Joe was going to leave me a message at 1 to inform me. I never heard from Joe, so I called and he told me he’d have to wait until Monday to give me info. Apparently the wrong part was sent so he had to reorder it. I called on Monday afternoon after Joe told me the car will likely be ready before 3, and he said he had taken a lunch break so it was taking longer. Mind you, I had not been given an estimate at any time, not had I ever been contacted. I was calling the tire network everyday for an update rather than vice versa.
Joe is super nice but the communication and effectiveness was severely lacking. My car was in the shop for 5 days when it should have only taken a couple of hours. I’m sure Joe is very busy but I was not a happy customer! He did make it a point to ask me what he could do better as a business owner and I graciously told him I was a little frustrated. But he didn’t make any offers for recovery but was sorry to disappoint me.
Sorry for the novella, but all in all I was not impressed. I bet Joe is great for a quick tire fix but the «full service» auto repair could have ha me fooled!

Overall they fixed my power steering return line but it was a very expensive repair. I purchased the part and asked them to install it and they did however they also charged me $ 100 just to confirm the hose needed to be replaced. Afterwards I learned the repair didn’t even require the vehicle to be lifted or the tire removed as initially expected. Did they lower my repair cost? No. Bottom line, They did the repair quickly and correctly but at a price I feel was about $ 100 more than it should have been.

Joe is just great. I totally trust him with my car. I was having body work done at another place and he took the time to give advice. I have been taking my car here for years, well priced especially for being in such a prime location. Very honest, they would always discuss all price options and show me exactly what was going to be done.

When the «low tire pressure» indicator went on in my brand new car last week, and when I realized that I actually had a tire with a slow leak, I needed to find a place to get my tire repaired ASAP. I looked through all the various reviews for local tire places, and The Tire Network had entirely positive reviews, so I gave it shot. Long story short, the reviews are all true and Joe is one of the most upstanding mechanics I’ve ever met.
After they determined that my tire had a hole in the sidewall, I learned that I needed a new tire. When I called the dealership to ask what they would do, they told me it would be $ 230 for the new tire before tax. Joe told me that it would be $ 247 for my tire before installation, but in his experience, based on my tire being brand new and the fact that there was no evidence of me hitting a road hazard, Michelin would probably give me 25−50% towards the cost of the new tire. He told me that he’d help me fill out the claim and talk to them. The dealership said that they would not be able to help me with that and I’d have to deal with Michelin on my own.
Joe spent 20 minutes calling back Michelin until he found somebody competent and understanding of my situation. He got them to give me 50% towards the cost of the tire as goodwill since it broke with less than 2000 miles on the tire, and spent a good amount of time and effort working for me on my behalf.
The whole time while I was waiting I watched a stream of new and existing customers come in needing various repairs — some needing tire work, others just needing service on their cars. All the regulars love Joe and his staff and he knew them all personally and really cared about more than just their business.
I was very impressed by the integrity of Joe and his staff, the quality of their work and the overall customer experience. I would definitely recommend The Tire Network and Joe Hooe to anyone looking for a fair and competent mechanic. Thanks again Joe!

Do not get your car inspected here — unless you’d like to wait 5 HOURS. I called ahead of time to ask if there was availability for a car inspection, front desk asked when I was coming in, I said 20 minutes, and they said okay and it will take an hour.
I got there within 20 minutes and dropped my car off and was told that it would be an hour from when he starts and they «don’t know when that would be». 2 ½ hours later I come back and am told that it was started but would take another hour or hour and a ½. So 2 hours after THAT I call again and am put on with the inspector who told me my window tint was too dark.
I giving this 2 stars instead of 1 star because the state inspector was actually very nice and explained the window tint laws/​regulation to me. However, I feel that I did not have to wait 5 hours just to have more car inspected. Front desk did not even apologize about the situation. They need to manage appointments and expectations better.

Joe helped me out a while back. I got a flat, and I replaced it with a used tire (big mistake). And I decided to get it replaced since it was making this annoying thumping noise.
It turns out I had tread separation on my tires and he got a manufacturer warranty to save me like 70% on a new set. So I got a new set of tires and an oil change and a Maryland inspection pretty cheaply.

I and six co-​workers use the Tire Network as our tire and mechanical shop. Always HONEST, COMPETITIVE, and PROFESSIONAL. They back up their work and don’t hesitate to go the extra mile.
Additionally I have recommended numerous others to the Tire Network and to the letter all of them have been satisfied with the service.

Update: Wondering how there so few negative reviews? Evidently Joe threatens his paying customers who write negative reviews with legal action. If you have been in the shop, you have seen that the proudly displayed lawsuit against Goodyear, framing The Tire Network as the David vs Goliath — I doubt he will be displaying his threatening legal action against a paying individual customer who wrote a negative review however — that’s not good press.
On April 15^th, 2014, I received a letter from Joe’s lawyer threatening legal action for «defamation» (ie. my negative review). The details of the letter charge that «your posting is an intentional act of retribution designed to harm the reputation and goodwill of The Tire Network, Inc., and if defamation is established, will expose you to defamation of punitive damages as this is defamation per se.» This, I will note, is an untrue charge as I am simply posting a review with an opinion based on my experiences as Unilocal is intended.
The letter demands that I correct the post to include all information, and specifically that Joe Hooe based his decision to decline credit based in part in that he attempted to run a previous card, with my permission (which was canceled in light of the target system hacking) which was declined. This is true, yet the only reason he attempted to run the card was when I actively walked back to the office to show my good faith after I realized that I had left my wallet at home. I could have very easily left, and returned with the services having been completed.
Rather than email an apology and/​or request an amended the post, or make any attempts to fix a poor business relationship, The Tire Network opted to seek legal action to intimidate a paying customer.
Shame.

Outstanding service with great prices.
It’s hard to find a good mechanic you can trust. Joe at The Tire Network is outstanding. Great service. Good prices. Knowledgable staff.
And most of all — trustworthy!

Good, friendly service. Fixed my problem pretty quickly. Overall a good experience.

After a miserable tire experience at another Baltimore garage, I am pleased to have found the Tire Network. I knew I should have checked Unilocal first!
I live in Hampden, not Federal Hill, but the service I received here was so excellent that it is worth the short journey (even with a donut tire) to get honest, fast, and reliable service.
Joe and his wife (who works the desk) are lovely people. They are sympathetic, sweet, and most importantly… truthful! The rest of the employees were attentive and helpful as well. They could obviously see that I was having a bad day and took the time to make sure I was well taken care of, explaining everything to me along the way.
Both times I visited, I was in and out in about 20 minutes.
Great experience. Highly recommended.

Called at 2pm on a Saturday and the man on the phone told me to come right in and sounded pleasant. Very friendly people over all (I was greeted by 3 different employees). I need a tire plugged and sealed which ran me $ 40. I was also aware my car needed more repair than just the tire. They showed me what and explained why parts needed to be fixed and even gave me a printed out invoice so I could come back later to get my car fixed and know the exact amount it would cost me. The girl in the office even signed it incase someone else was there. I don’t know about you but knowing an exact amount of money you need is much better then waiting for a price and struggling to come up with the money on the spot. I will be returning this week for my new tires and inspection.

I went to an oil change and ask to review if my braeks needs to be changed … They check and estimate $ 850!!! The oil change cost me $ 79 + $ 99!!! Total of $ 185!!! At least if they told for review) that only takes 15 minutes) will cost you «x» … But not!!!

I needed a headlight replaced ASAP (I was traveling out of state in the coming week). Sure, getting a headlight replaced isn’t complicated, but my old, used car came with blue led lights that are wired into the battery. Joe, the owner, was able to replace it the day I brought in my car (on a Saturday!) and explained in detail what he was changing/​fixing and how much he was charging. I will definitely be back for future car issues!

I went in for a flat tire. They have used tires. Mine was $ 40 installed, which is really good. I got a call while they were putting my tire on saying that my studs and lug nuts had been stripped and needed to be replaced. He wanted $ 120 for new posts and lug nuts. I know from experience that studs aren’t very hard to replace and only cost $ 2-​$ 3. Lug nuts are about $ 0.99. So, I know parts were about $ 8, and that’s from a retailer. I’m sure they get parts wholesale. So, $ 112 for labor? When parts are $ 8? Seemed like a rip off to me, so I took my car without having them do the job. I went to Advance Auto Parts and got new lug nuts. Guess what. They went right on my studs; threaded easily and snugly. My studs were just fine and I fixed the problem they wanted $ 120 for, for $ 6 (I got a 4 pack of lug nuts) and 5 minutes of labor.
To make things worse, the mechanic was condescending to me. When I told him I didn’t want to give him $ 120 for something that costs less than $ 10 in parts he jibed back with «And who’s going to put it on for you?» Really? Because I couldn’t possibly do it myself? Also, it’s none of his business how I fix the problem. Honestly, I just think they didn’t want me to know that the posts didn’t need to be replaced.

Ummm who reviews a tire place on Unilocal?Apparently I do. I second everyone who has had a great experience with Joe.
Though I had a small hiccup with an employee (a new one) who gave me incorrect info, Joe ultimately called my cell and straightened it out. Fixed my tire quickly and professionally. Worked out a great deal. No funny business. Never thought replacing a tire could be such a pleasant and smooth experience.

This is the place for tire issues in Baltimore, period.
My tires have been through a lot after a blowout last year. I took it to one place and they put me through hell. I came here based on the Unilocal reviews and was not disappointed. The guys that run this place strike me as honest, and as a result, they’ve earned my respect and I come here for my rotations and rebalacing. Taking care of your tires should not be an issue and these guys do their jobs professionally and do it right the first time. Plus, you can go eat at any of the great places in the neighborhood while you’re waiting on your work. Win-​win!
Protip: call ahead to see how busy they are before coming.

After running into some muffler issues and thinking my car was going to explode with all of the sound it was making, I headed over The Tire Network on my dad’s recommendation. Without making an appointment, I came in at 8am and Joe immediately was able to take a look at the car. Super nice, super helpful and super quick. Turns out the problem was pretty minor but he went above and beyond by checking out the rest of the car to make sure everything was running right. Even took me on a test drive to make sure I was happy with the fix.
In comparison to what Nissan or the other repair shops I’ve been to, the price for ½ hour of labor ($ 46) was not bad at all. I was expecting the worst and left feeling great that I wasn’t going to have my car implode on 95. Joe and his employees definitely know a thing or two about customer service— you can bet that I’ll be coming to them again for any work needed.

Decent place in federal hill. I went here to fix a leaky tire because the Goodyear off of Fort Ave sucks so I figured this place has to be better than rock bottom. The place is a mom and pop place so you know their prices are going to be higher because they can’t compete that well with the big players.
Any who — they fixed my tire quickly for $ 40 and so far so good. I would return for minor things, but they are too pricey for most stuff.

My car left us stranded in Federal Hill this weekend. Never fun! Joe came out to look at the battery and determine why it failed to start. He advised me on options for repairing the starter and then showed me a great trick to get by in the mean time. Who knew a car would start by putting it in neutral! He didn’t even charge for his time and trouble! I’ll definitely be returning to The Tire Network for my repairs in the future.