I knew this long ago, but sometimes it's like going to a new gunshow- you never know what you're going to get, right?

Anyway, Mrs. Griffith needs some new tires, and I really like the guys in town that have been here for ever and they've always treated me right. However, a friend of mine told me about a new place that started up and I thought I'd give them a try. I've looked online at the price of these tires and my old place told me what they'd charge me for a set- $560.00 tax included OTD- no fuss, and drive off.

I called the new place, and they would only tell me the cost of the tire. "We don't know what it will cost to mount them until you get here." What? She doesn't have some weird kind of wheels on her car, so...he quoted me "mounting usually runs $30.00 a wheel, but sometimes more." The tires he quoted for $563.00 plus tax, mounting, disposal fees, etc., which I figure might total to well over $625!

All I can say is let your fingers do the walking.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better.

(Kind of works that way with guns too...)

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

The favorite ruse around here is to leave your car to have new tires installed and then you get a call that says, "Sir, we've inspected your car, and you really need new brakes/shocks/radiator/engine/stabilizer/coolant/speedometer/air freshener." Just take your choice of any two on the list. I once had some yo-yo at the Firestone store look me in the eye and tell me I needed new shocks because the old ones had 25,000 miles on them.

I use only Discount Tire Store, and never have to worry about price. They are unbelievable.

It can pay to shop around. I also usually go to Discount Tire
as there is one a few blocks away, and they have good service,
and pretty good prices overall.
I had to get new tires in October, and was pricing all my options,
both online, and discount, etc..
But I got a wild hair and stopped by a one owner tire store that is
nearby, and generally caters to the "big wheel, skinny tire" crowd.

He had some brand he carried, and they had a pretty good price.
But I wanted low rolling resistance as that's what it came with,
and I was worried if I went to a standard resistance tire my mpg
might drop 2-3 points..
I asked him about replacing with the same Goodyears that came
with the car. So he got on his phone and called his source, and
danged if he didn't give me a price that beat Discount by $84 total price.

I sayeth to him, Sold!, and he ordered them and I had them installed
the next morning. Worked out pretty well, and including the same
balance and install that Discount uses. That particular day Discount
was quoting that tire at $77+tax. I ended up getting them for $65
per tire including tax, which is probably slightly under $60 a tire before
tax. A month before that, Discount was quoting nearly $100 for that tire.
I was glad I got that wild hair and checked that small stores prices.

BTW, I kept an eye on the installers and made sure they used a
torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts. No impacts will be used on
my wheels.

I bought tires about a year ago and learned a lesson the hard way. I ended up in Small Claims Court to recover some of the money I spent on tires. No matter what brand of tire you buy, make sure the store you buy from is an "Authorized Dealer" for the brand of tire you are buying. Otherwise if you have a warranty claim you are likely to run into problems with the manufacturer of the tire in settling a claim. Also, all new cars and light trucks now have a TPMS sensor in the tire that is easily broken when tires are dismounted and remounted, so make sure the place you buy from knows how to work on TPMS equipped tires.

That is a point to consider. In my case, the guy said he couldn't
offer road hazard warranty. I asked him if I would get the standard
tire co. warranty, and he said yes.
But I never buy road hazard warranty, so a non issue to me.
I kind of roll the dice in that regard. I'm pretty easy on tires and
rarely have problems.

I have been lucky when it comes to tires. A childhood friend is the manager of our local GoodYear store. He has been there for 25 years. He takes good care of me. He even came out on the interstate and picked up my truck, changed my flat-drove the truck to his store-fixed the flat tire-then returned the truck to my work place. At no cost. Nope, I can't complain. Plus I get most of the old WW for casting bullets and sinkers. Nope, I can't complain. Tom.

I use Tirerack for my Mustang-they ship to my dealer and my dealer installs them.Dealer ads lifetime bal.and rotation.On my PU,i go to Wallyworld.They also have lifetime bal.and rotation.I don't get the road hazard on either.IMHO,it's a waste of money.

Oh,yeah,check the build date[i buy only American tires,also]and make sure they don't use air tools-also torque to the man.recommended specs.

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WALSTIB

I buy tires from Walmart. They are the cheapest around here. They will not sell/mount tires that are not the factory size originally on your vehicle. They will sell any size you want that's not the recommended tire, but you have to get them mounted somewhere else. For about 9$ a tire or maybe it's $9 for 4, they have an unbeatable road hazard warranty.

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SOS USA

I'm curious....if the old place always gave you good service, treated you right, and was priced competitively, why would you even consider going elsewhere???

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Nothing to see here,move along

I used to work in a gas station that fixed flats on cars and light trucks. Some 2 piece rims, but mostly car and pickup tires. I keep all the stuff here at the house and fix my own. Usually I buy my tires, bring them home, put new stems in, mount and bubble balance them. My son bought a set of Goodyear Wranglers for his 97 Jimmy at Wal-Mart and had them mounted there. no new stems and the tires are no good. He has had them about a year and the rubber in between the tread is cracking and looks like they are 20 years old. I have fixed about 6 or 7 flats for him mostly due to pressure breaks. One did have a screw in it but the others just crack open and leak. Oh well, just glad I got the stuff to fix tires.
Peace,
gordon

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better have that checked

Most tires today are made in China. My new Goodyears on my RV have that printed on the sidewall. They may be the same design, but the quality is inferior to American made tires, which are becoming more difficult to find. I doubt the new tires on my RV will last as long as the tires they replaced.

Quite simple. Price difference. I work for myself, and
business the last year has not been exactly booming
due to the economy, but also a change in equipment
which causes buyers to have to pay more to convert.
So.. some this last year didn't buy at all. They didn't
have the money.
So I'm having to watch my nickles and dimes a bit.
And also, like G.T. Smith, I have done tire and other auto
work way back in the past, and can deal with most issues
myself.
Don't have a mounting machine though. Wish I did..
And they did the exact same grade of work as the old place.
IE: I got new stems, balance, torque wrench, the whole works.
Anyway, $84 is enough difference for me to go wherever,
the way things are right now. I generally live in a constant
state of terror, being as I never know exactly what I'm going to
make.. So I'm tighter than a drum..

Also, I really like the guys...but I do want to check every once n' a while that they aren't trying to pull one over on me.

It's no different than checking prices on a new gun or ammunition that you would want to buy at your favorite gun shop, or checking prices at a new shop in town when they open.

It does keep everyone honest, and it may also show how good I've been treated over the years and thankful.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

There's a local Mom and Pop shop that I've used for years. They aren't always the cheapest but their customer service is exceptional and the tire techs really know their stuff. I won't even consider going somewhere else...

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"Shall not be infringed"

I bought tires for my pickup truck, F-250 4WD, a couple months back. Plenty of tread left but the sidewalls were cracking from age and sunlight- the truck only spends about half the year in the garage. I have had the best luck with Michelin on my truck tires, so I dropped by my neighborhood shop, a small local chain, and got a quote. LT235/85R16, LTX/MS, load range E (I carry a 2,000 pound camper and tow a 2,000 pound boat). Total with mounting, spin balance, stems, and a 4 wheel alignment, plus sales tax and tire disposal fee (a local thing, I believe) was $939. I gulped. He said, "Find a lower price and I will match it and give you $50 credit for any future service."

I dropped by my local Discount Tire. They advertise "the lowest price guaranteed." Told the man what I wanted, at his best price. He gave me a price for just the tires. I asked about mounting and balancing, he added $65. "Was that spin or static (bubble) balancing?"

He said, "Bubble. Spin is $35 more."

I said, "That's with new valve stems, isn't it?" "No, they are $12."

"Wheel alignment?" "Front wheels, $60. All wheels, $90."

Sales tax was mandated by the state, as was the tire disposal fee, but I had to bring each one up to get a total cost. Otherwise, he would have sent me away with just the price of the bare tires, sitting in the truck bed, obviously. The tires alone were $45 more each ($180). His out-the-door price was $1,214.

Clearly, what he wanted me to do was leave the shop thinking my cost would be just the price of the tires he told me. I'd find about the other charges after the tires were on the truck, likely.

I asked if they were in stock. "Sure!" Can I see one? He went to the back and rolled one out. The manufacture code on the sidewall said the tire was over 3 years old. I asked to see another. It had a date code making it 4 years old! I said, "Can you get me a set that were all made at the same time, and that aren't already 3 years old?" He said that it didn't make any difference!

"Is this the best price you can do?" "Yessir, this is our Memorial Day sale price. The prices were so popular, we kept the sale going for over for a month extra! I gurantee you won't find a better price, and if you do, I'll match it!"

I checked a third shop and their price was about halfway between the other two. I went back to the first shop and got my new tires on.

A month later, a sidewall on one of the tires on my car developed a bubble, so I decided to buy 2 new ones and put the still-good other front tire on a new rim so I'd have a full size spare. I got a price from the local shop and went back to the Discount Tire for a quote. Same guy waited on me. I took him out to my car and showed him what I needed. He gave me a price, 30 dollars each higher than the last place, and then said, "You know, you really ought to replace all 4 tires at the same time. The manufacturers recommend it."

I said, "These tires on the car only have 7,000 miles on them. They are fine. The manufacturers only recommend that I replace all 4 so they can sell me 4 tires instead of 2. 2 will be plenty. I'll think about it," and turned to leave.

"Hey, Mr. BUFF, did you ever buy the truck tires we talked about before"

"Yes, I did. I got them at (let's call it) Black and Round Tires, up the street. They were $275.00 cheaper than your price."

"$275? Gee, I told you if you found a better price to come back and I would match it."

"If you could have given me that price if I had come back, why didn't you give me that price when I was in here the first time? Why should I have to come back a second time to get what you advertise?"

He looked a little embarrassed, like I had figured out his selling secret or something. "So, Mr. BUFF, how about the car tires? Can we put them on for you right now?"

"No, I don't think so. Black and Round Tires will save me at least $60 over your price, and they aren't trying to sell me 2 new tires I don't need." He frowned.

"You know," I said as I got in my car, "you would sell a lot more tires if you quit playing games and, when someone asks your best price, you just gave them your best price."

And when I drove back to Black and Round Tires and got my 2 new ones on, the manager gave me a $50 pre-paid gift card good just about anywhere. "What's this for?" I asked.

"Mr. BUFF, it's because you are a repeat customer, and you buy our better brands."

It's not a bad idea to check the manufacture date on "new" tires.

I checked the dates on the ones I just bought, and they
were fairly fresh. Two were slightly older than the other two.
But I think the oldest were made late last year. I think the other two
were made early this year. I forgot the dates, but they were fresh
enough I was satisfied they weren't something that had been laying
around for a few years. Also, that car is a very common size, which
probably helps as far as turnover.
The Tires on my old F-250 are already 7 or so years old.. That's
how long they have been on the truck. And they still have half their
tread.. I just keep an eye on them for any problems. They are still
in good shape. They haven't worn that much because I totally rebuilt
the front end, and had it aligned at a frame shop before I had them
put on. With the utility bed and tools on that truck being so heavy,
my rear tires actually wear faster than the fronts.
Before I rebuilt the front end, it used to eat front tires like candy..
It is a 1968 though.. I rebuilt everything. New kingpins, steering
parts, bushings, the whole shabang.. The guy that aligned it at the
frame shop must have been a wizard, cuz he got the alignment perfect.