Ordering tires from Costco

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cdashd
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Ordering tires from Costco

Post by cdashd »

Apparently Costco only has two tires on their website that match my size, only one of them is in stock in the store and it has poor reviews. In person they were mentioning that they could order the tires I need but I'm not sure if they mean based on what they stock or in general. I just got a $600 Costco gift card so I'm hoping to buy my tires from them, especially since I want the installation package they have with lifetime maintenance.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had Costco order tires they were interested in that weren't available on their website? I know people have mentioning bringing tires they purchased elsewhere to Costco and having them installed there though it seems most Costcos do not offer the installation package in that case. Would anyone happen to know the process for ordering/buying requested tires through them?
curmudgeon
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by curmudgeon »

I've ordered tires from Costco, and had them installed there, but only for tires that they listed on the website but didn't stock in my local stores. I'm not sure if you get their additional warranty if you are not an actual Costco member (i.e., only using a gift card there).

Call the local Costco tire center and ask them.
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cdashd
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by cdashd »

curmudgeon wrote:I've ordered tires from Costco, and had them installed there, but only for tires that they listed on the website but didn't stock in my local stores. I'm not sure if you get their additional warranty if you are not an actual Costco member (i.e., only using a gift card there).

Call the local Costco tire center and ask them.
I'm a Costco member, I just got a gift card from them because I purchased tires with a mastercard and they couldn't refund it to that card.
I just spent all day dealing with the entire tire center staff so I'd call but I feel a little awkward taking up their time again right away. One guy had to wait 20 minutes just to get my order refunded at the customer center.
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Watty
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by Watty »

My car takes an odd size tire that they don't stock so when I was there in person they ordered them. They arrived in about a week and then I had them installed just like they would have been if they were in stock.
denovo
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by denovo »

I have found better deals from america's tire/discount tire. I am not sure if they are at your location. They will beat competitor's prices.
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bspieler
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by bspieler »

I have both Costco and Sam's memberships. I actually prefer tires from Sam's and have ordered them twice for my 2004 Accord. Basically the same package deal as Costco and if you order the tires from Sam's website, you do not pay for them until you appear for installation.
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cdashd
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by cdashd »

Watty wrote:My car takes an odd size tire that they don't stock so when I was there in person they ordered them. They arrived in about a week and then I had them installed just like they would have been if they were in stock.
That's interesting, gives me hope that perhaps they can order what I'm looking for. Previously I ordered the Michelin Primacy MXV4 but apparently they don't make them in my tire size, 205 50 17. Dang tirerack.com got me confused on what my size was because they didn't show the sport package for Chevy Cobalt 09. I've settled on the Turanza Serenity Plus. Hopefully they can order those for me.
I have both Costco and Sam's memberships. I actually prefer tires from Sam's and have ordered them twice for my 2004 Accord. Basically the same package deal as Costco and if you order the tires from Sam's website, you do not pay for them until you appear for installation.
That sounds like a good deal, surprised to see Sam's have an edge over Costco in this case.
strafe
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by strafe »

There's nothing wrong with having Costco special order a tire. They can't stock every possible size combination in the store. (The disadvantage of having an uncommon tire size is that it can be hard to get a replacement on short notice.)

The Bridgestone Turanza Serentiy Plus is a fine tire and comparable to the Michelin Primacy MXV4 in every respect. It edged out the Primacy MXV4 in a recent Tire Rack comparison test.
pkcrafter
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by pkcrafter »

I owned a '96 Camry 4 cyl and checked Costco for tires. They told my the car required S rated tires (112mph and expensive) and would not sell me R rated tires, so I didn't buy there.

Paul
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Khanmots
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by Khanmots »

Regardless of where you buy tires, I'd strongly suggest that you do your research at tirerack.

They put tires through a rather solid testing regimen and provide lots of the data... so you can see for yourself how well a tire brakes, handles, etc in wet and in dry. They also measure road noise and have a *ton* of user reviews.

Personally I buy my tires from them and have them installed elsewhere (cheaper, even after shipping, than buying local!) Have had 16 tires done this way so far with zero problems... But given that you have a $600 gift card elsewhere I can understand why you might not do that this time ;) I'd definitely recommend using them as a resource though. So much helpful information available for free.

Oh, and should note that I've got no relationship with them other than as a very satisfied customer.
LifeIsGood
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by LifeIsGood »

My biggest complaint with Costco tires is the loooong wait to have a rotate/balance. If I get there just before they open and am first in line it's usually 75 minutes. Otherwise it can take several hours. Very inconvenient.
tibbitts
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by tibbitts »

strafe wrote:There's nothing wrong with having Costco special order a tire. They can't stock every possible size combination in the store. (The disadvantage of having an uncommon tire size is that it can be hard to get a replacement on short notice.)

The Bridgestone Turanza Serentiy Plus is a fine tire and comparable to the Michelin Primacy MXV4 in every respect. It edged out the Primacy MXV4 in a recent Tire Rack comparison test.
Last I looked, if you screen for green and/or symmetric, Turanza won't even show up. Primacy will, but then you have to determine whether the tires you actually receive will be green, since historically some Primacy tires have been and some... not so much. And you have to hope that you don't have a super-exotic car like a Ford Focus that Primacy won't fit. Let's face it, around here nobody (outside of the couple of car enthusiasts populating the forum) will buy tires that aren't the cheapest on gas and can't be rotated to every possible position.
tibbitts
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by tibbitts »

pkcrafter wrote:I owned a '96 Camry 4 cyl and checked Costco for tires. They told my the car required S rated tires (112mph and expensive) and would not sell me R rated tires, so I didn't buy there.

Paul
Are you sure it doesn't require S rated tires? I don't know but it seems like a reasonable question. An advantage of higher ratings (typically H and higher) is greater resistance to heat, which can actually be beneficial for many drivers.

Most stores won't install tires that are rated lower than the OEM tires that came on the car.
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cdashd
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by cdashd »

Khanmots wrote:Regardless of where you buy tires, I'd strongly suggest that you do your research at tirerack.

They put tires through a rather solid testing regimen and provide lots of the data... so you can see for yourself how well a tire brakes, handles, etc in wet and in dry. They also measure road noise and have a *ton* of user reviews.

Personally I buy my tires from them and have them installed elsewhere (cheaper, even after shipping, than buying local!) Have had 16 tires done this way so far with zero problems... But given that you have a $600 gift card elsewhere I can understand why you might not do that this time ;) I'd definitely recommend using them as a resource though. So much helpful information available for free.

Oh, and should note that I've got no relationship with them other than as a very satisfied customer.
Oh definitely, that's where I mainly did my research as well as a couple of other sites. The problem I had with tirerack was they didn't have the sports package tire on the list of options when I checked for my car. I should have checked for my tire size on the tire itself so it's my fault but I figured just putting the car info in their website they could tell me the size. I put in that it was a Chevy Cobalt 09 LT2 but no additional options popped up unlike if I try to enter the car on Costco's tire buyer. Costco only really has the Ecopias in stock for my size and based on what I read on Tirerack I'd prefer to avoid those. My other mistake when I ordered the tires from Costco was I didn't use my Amex to buy them so they couldn't refund them on the card itself, hence the giftcard.

Anyways based on what I read here it seems I will be fine contacting them and putting in an order request for a tire not currently in stock, I'll be sure to let them know now that I've done the hard part of researching which tire I want that actually has my size. The only thing neative I've read about the Bridgestone Turanza Serentiy Plus is that it may be loud but it sounds like it depends on the car since there's mixed reports on this. Not sure what the price will be either since it's not on their site, if it's around what they're going for on tirerack I think it'll be fine. Thanks guys, I really like this forum as I always like to do research on consumer issues.
tibbitts
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by tibbitts »

Sorry I was wrong: Serenity Plus does have low rolling resistance. Or at least there's conflicting evidence. But it's asymmetric, so that still rules it out for most people.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by jeffyscott »

tibbitts wrote: But it's asymmetric, so that still rules it out for most people.
Why? Asymmetric does not prevent you from rotating them normally, they just need to be mounted with the correct side out. I think you are, perhaps, thinking of directional tires?

I have asymmetric tires, Continental Extreme Contact DWS.
tibbitts
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by tibbitts »

jeffyscott wrote:
tibbitts wrote: But it's asymmetric, so that still rules it out for most people.
Why? Asymmetric does not prevent you from rotating them normally, they just need to be mounted with the correct side out. I think you are, perhaps, thinking of directional tires?

I have asymmetric tires, Continental Extreme Contact DWS.
Wow, wrong twice in one thread. Sorry, but thanks for correcting me! I absolutely was thinking of unidirectional tires, which I've had some experience with. Too much, maybe. So, no reason at all to avoid those tires, that I know of.

I had help getting the low rolling resistance thing wrong, though. Some sites show tires with LRR, and have Bridgestone Serenity Plus not specified as not having LRR. But it is at Bridgestone, so I'm assuming that's definitive.

On the other hand, somewhere I found a table of all the Primacy sizes, with an * next to a handful of non-LRR sizes, and my size was included. I wrote to Michelin, and they claimed my size was LRR. Nobody around here has those tires in stock, so it's not possible to check for the green logo on the sidewall. Very confusing.
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cdashd
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by cdashd »

So I went back to Costco and even though they have the Serenity Plus, it appears it is being discontinued in my size so the hunt begins again. It's really hard to find tires in this size, they only have 2-3 options they can get in this size. Michelin Primacy MXM4, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and he also mentioned a Potenza so time to do my homework. Right now they have a deal $70 off any Bridgestone set, he told me next month the Michelin have the same deal so I should wait until then if that's the one I want. I'm pretty sure he said these aren't as good as the one I was looking at though.
texasdiver
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by texasdiver »

strafe wrote:There's nothing wrong with having Costco special order a tire. They can't stock every possible size combination in the store. (The disadvantage of having an uncommon tire size is that it can be hard to get a replacement on short notice.)
This turned out to be the real issue for me. When it first came time to replace the OEM tires I my Sienna I had Costco special order the top end Michelin Hydroedge which were nice tires. However there was a lot of construction happening in my subdivision at that time and I kept getting nails and nails in the sidewalls due to the construction trash that contractors didn't get cleaned off the streets. After the second time waiting for days until Costco could special order a new replacement tire for me (which they did free of charge no problem due to their excellent road hazard warranty) I got fed up and replaced them all with their standard Michelin X-radials that Costco pretty much always has in stock in every size.

For me the problem was that I don't really live near a Costco so each tire replacement meant 2 long trips to Costco, the first one to show them the ruined tire and order the replacement and the second to install the replacement when it finally came in. Despite the fact that I prefer Costco and they are slightly cheaper on tires, I now prefer to pay a bit extra to just buy locally from my Discount Tire shop a couple miles down the street just so I have a shop close by for flats and replacements. Plus there is practically a Discount Tire shop in every town in Texas so I'm always near one when doing road trips.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by jeffyscott »

cdashd wrote:So I went back to Costco and even though they have the Serenity Plus, it appears it is being discontinued in my size so the hunt begins again. It's really hard to find tires in this size, they only have 2-3 options they can get in this size.
Well at Costco, perhaps, it is difficult...but I think that is the case for any tire size, they just have a very limited selection. I just checked and for my car they have just 2 all-season tires, according to the website.

Tire rack shows 47 options for all season tires in size 205/50 - 17, including mine, Continental ExtremeContact DWS.

BTW, when you buy something from costco.com with a non-Amex card and then return it, you have the option of getting your refund in cash, you did not have to take a gift card.
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cdashd
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by cdashd »

jeffyscott wrote:
cdashd wrote:So I went back to Costco and even though they have the Serenity Plus, it appears it is being discontinued in my size so the hunt begins again. It's really hard to find tires in this size, they only have 2-3 options they can get in this size.
Well at Costco, perhaps, it is difficult...but I think that is the case for any tire size, they just have a very limited selection. I just checked and for my car they have just 2 all-season tires, according to the website.

Tire rack shows 47 options for all season tires in size 205/50 - 17, including mine, Continental ExtremeContact DWS.

BTW, when you buy something from costco.com with a non-Amex card and then return it, you have the option of getting your refund in cash, you did not have to take a gift card.
I think I recall he was even checking other local stores to see if they had it and no one did. It sounded like he was contacting Bridgestone directly to order the tires.
I learned that the original owner of the car upgraded the rims so I imagine that's why it's harder to find the sports package tires rather than the more standard size 16.
Is there anywhere on their website that states they can give cash refunds, what is your source for this info because they took forever just to get me a refund on the gift card. I don't know why they had to go through so much trouble just to get a refund. Maybe if it's higher than a certain amount it has to be store credit or refund onto the amex.
rooms222
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by rooms222 »

I know I paid for tires with Paypal on costco.com. When they were not the correct ones for my car, the tire guy walked me to the customer service desk and they gave me back about $600 in cash.
strafe
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by strafe »

cdashd wrote:So I went back to Costco and even though they have the Serenity Plus, it appears it is being discontinued in my size so the hunt begins again. It's really hard to find tires in this size, they only have 2-3 options they can get in this size. Michelin Primacy MXM4, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and he also mentioned a Potenza so time to do my homework. Right now they have a deal $70 off any Bridgestone set, he told me next month the Michelin have the same deal so I should wait until then if that's the one I want. I'm pretty sure he said these aren't as good as the one I was looking at though.
Both of those Michelins are excellent. The Pilot Sport A/S 3 is the best all-season ultra high performance tire on the market, but not what you want given that you were originally looking for a grand touring tire.

The Primacy MXM4 (not to be confused with the Pilot MXM4 or the Primacy MXV4) is Michelin's best grand touring tire. I would take that over the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus if the pricing is comparable.

The Bridgestone Potenza they mentioned is likely the RE97AS. It's a decent grand-touring tire, but nothing special, would avoid unless a bargain.
If it's the RE970AS Pole Position would stay away since it's an ultra high performance tire (i.e. extreme traction & handling at the expense of comfort and wear).
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jeffyscott
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by jeffyscott »

cdashd wrote:Is there anywhere on their website that states they can give cash refunds, what is your source for this info because they took forever just to get me a refund on the gift card. I don't know why they had to go through so much trouble just to get a refund. Maybe if it's higher than a certain amount it has to be store credit or refund onto the amex.
My source is this is what they have offered me, cash refunds for my online purchases that were made with non-Amex cards. I have never had any problem getting a refund at all, including for items that we had used but were not satisfactory, surprised you had a hassle with this.
rec7
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by rec7 »

pkcrafter wrote:I owned a '96 Camry 4 cyl and checked Costco for tires. They told my the car required S rated tires (112mph and expensive) and would not sell me R rated tires, so I didn't buy there.

Paul
I don't have a Camry but that seems wild on Costco's part.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Ordering tires from Costco

Post by jeffyscott »

I didn't even think anyone was making tires with less than S speed rating.

Anyway, even CR says: "...speed ratings also reflect how well a tire dissipates heat, which affects overall quality and durability. Tires with a higher speed rating often provide better wet and dry cornering grip and handling"
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