Shopping for a new tire shop.
Last week I took my ride to get the tires rotated. I chose a local shop you know "support your local business" crap. Any how I bought the 50K miles tires that only got 30K miles and they refused to rotate the tires because of "low tread". Now they knew they weren't going to rotate the tire 30 minuets in to my wait. They were out there scanning my tires with their tablet but they made me wait another 30 before telling me they weren't going to do the job.
Then they threw me a curve ball that made me think "what?". Basically they said that they would sell me two new tires to do the tire rotation. I then stood there puzzled since I thought if they do this, then next tire rotation they would say that the old tires would need to be replaced before they could do the tire rotation. Basically trying to sell me tires that will barely last 30K miles. I'm planning to ride that until they show steel belts. About 10K miles.
So I was thinking COSTCO for my new tire shop. Don't have a Costco card but couple of years back they built a Costco gas station so getting a Costco card might be a good thing. I could do shopping for 3 gallons of mayo while I wait and grab a ready to eat hotdog.
Anyways Costco tires and service any good?
Comments
Costco is no better/no worse than any-other tire shop, it all depends on the owner/manager/technician that you are dealing with, in truth it's a craap shoot till you find one that suits your expectations and needs.
Even then individual visits can be 180* out of the norm with previous visits when you get a different writer/or tech.
I always get the mayo by the case when I shop there!
First tip: Buy better tires. 30k and worn is pathetic. Worse, it's stupidly dangerous.
I used Les Schwab for years until they switched to cheap brands. Now I use Discount Tire. Nationwide stores, great warranty, free repairs and rotation/balance. I bought Michelin Defenders from them and at 10,000 miles, they had worn only 1/10". Great traction and very quiet (a hard to find combo). Got a puncture in one that was unrepairable. They gave me a brand new one, rotated and balanced the other three; no charge.
If the tire you have is worn in 30K a few things come to mind. Does the tire have a tread wear rating or is it an actual warranty? Next, do you have records of inflation and rotation, most warranties require it. Are your tires under inflated, heat destroys tires, even a couple of PSI and heavy loads is bad for tire life. DO you drive fast? Fast makes heat, heat is bad.
If the tires are worn down to the 2/32" wear indicators they are toast. If you drive on these tires you can expect hydroplaning even at low speeds. If they are worn, replace them. Tires are expensive, crashes caused by bad tires can cost a life.
Make sure there is a WARRANTY, not a tread wear rating. Make dang sure th tires you buy match the tires required on the drivers door pillar. Buy the best you can afford, buying American made tires are 100% for sure better than any Chinese tire due to quality control.
Les Schwab and Discount Tire have both been great to me over the years. Can’t go wrong with either one.
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
I don't let grease monkeys work on my vehicles. I do it myself or go to people I trust. Money is not a concern when it comes to my safety.
BTW, do check your spare. When I was getting that puncture worked on, I had them check the spare. Turns out, it was the OEM tire in there since 2008. Long past its shelf life date. I replaced it with a correct size, but lower rating tire because chances are it will never see the ground. If I do need it, it will be for only a few miles until I can get to another Discount Tire store.
I use Discount Tire, quality service and tires. Not cheap, despite the name.
Stay away from Hercules tires. They don't wear and a gravel will puncture them.
I prefer to use a National Chain store, such as Discount or Les Schwab. They have more stores, so if you're on a trip and have trouble, it is easier to find one of them than a Costco for repair.
Les Schwab has always been real good to me, if you have one in your area I'd recommend them.
There are places/things on your vehicle that you can scrimp on. Tires ain't one of 'em!
I have found them to be adequate.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
I'm a Discount Tire fan...Just make sure they have stores where you may move to. Got the tires and the warranty then moved to the East coast where they had no stores...not good.
I like Les Schwab and their network of locations, but they obscure the origin of their tires. Not sure I trust them.
I also use Costco, but it's a hassle.
Haven't heard from you in a long time. Glad you got paroled!!!!!! Just kidding, Les Schwab all the way. But then I live in a small town and we all know each other.
Buy better tires, eh? When I bought the tires that was rated for 50K miles I wasn't sure if my Caprice with 350+K miles would last much linger (but I hope I am wrong). Besides I now got "The War Hippo" minivan to divide the yearly mileage.
Discount Tires huh? I wonder if I got one of those near me?
scooterdriver - Why the hassle? Is it because they had the same idea as I did? Get some shopping done while killing time and also get the "front row" parking.
elubme - They can't silence the Yello Brotha for long.
@yoshmyster
IMO… DT and (mostly) LS are tire stores that bend over backwards on customer service. Got a flat…we’ll get it fixed ASAP. Plus, they have a gazillion locations all over the place.
Costco is a different experience. Park in the south 40, dodge a bunch of people trying to eat their $1.50 hot dog, wait. Sounds nice to “shop while you wait”, but how often do you want/need to shop for 1.5+ hours? And what if you don’t need a Costco run when you need tire service? And what if you’re out in the country and the nearest Costco is 75 miles away?
I’m not being a hater (I have Costco tires on 1 of my vehicles) just pointing out considerations. My hunting truck has LS (lotsa locations in Eastern WA where I hunt). My mom’s car has LS since they have one 1000 yds from her place and locations where she drives on vacation.
I’ve found Costco to be a little cheaper (if you buy what has the rebate), DT has name brand tires but their warranty certificate is a bit pricey, and LS tires are unique to them so it’s hard to comparison shop.
Good luck with the search.
Les Schwab has always treated us right... But I don't think they go that far south....
"Independence Now, Independence Forever."
John Adams
I won't use any tire store every again, except for Mavis. They are always fast, good prices and never play games with you. WE have used them several times when on Vacation in Georgia, WV twice and in Alabama. As soon as we told them we were on vacation, They stopped everything they were doing, and got us back on the road asap. The tires are quality and they have a variety. I recommend them to everyone.
This is a quick funny story. I blew out a tire in a nice WV pot hole. Got towed to Mavis and within a half an hour, was on the road again. Dummy me, hit the same damn pot hole on the way back. Another trip to Mavis. I asked the manager if this was some kind of trap to get me to buy tires. We both laughed. Here is the nice part, They didn't charge us for the second tire!!!! He just asked that I use Mavis in the future. I kept my word. Oak
I had a set of Uniroyal Tiger Paws last 109,000 miles and a set of Yokohamas last 105,000 on my old Nissan truck.
For the last 5 years or so I have bought all my tires online, even front tractor tires, and done them in my farm shop. I drive on gravel roads a lot, and they are hard on tires. My tire machine is a $30 Harbor Freight unit which I have modified and reinforced as things have broken/bent on it. I think it is $12 or $14 to get a car tire patched in town and my patches cost 25 cents each. I have a wheel balancer and plenty of weights plus a good air setup. I like working on tires as long as I am able.
I don't think I have a LS in my neck of the woods. Actually about 20 miles out I do in Hollister (thanks google). And is DT part of America's Tire? I ask because when I typed in DT on google and it linked me to America's Tire.
I have had Discount Tire replace a couple tires using their insurance certificates.
Lately I've been buying sets of slightly used tires from friends at significantly less $ than new.
I got kicked out of a Costco tire center, will not go back to them, as I caught them lying to me.
Les Schwab sold me a set of tires that had no sidewall strength, which I warned them the tires had a reputation of being poor for hauling. I returned them, and after talking to the manager got a full refund.
I have been happy with discount tire. I stopped buying chinese tires which they were happy to replace when they shredded.
I bought Michelin tires and never looked back. Cheapness is a false economy. I will not be stuck on the side of the road again.
Just sayin'
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain
I too like Michelin tires. What has me a bit concerned is their commercials are claiming that they will be using a lot of recycled plastics in their tires in 2025. 😲