Costco for Mercedes tire set

[atdharris]

Hi all,

I took my 2015 Mercedes C-class in for service yesterday and they informed me that I will need a new set of tires. The tires currently on the car are Pirelli Cinturato P7 all seasons. They quoted me $1132 for the tires plus $95 for aligning them. I have read that the Michelin Premiere A/S are nearly the same tire, and Costco carries them with $129 off for $700 total. This seems like a no-brainer.

In general, is Costco trustworthy when it comes to tires? Or should I stick to the dealership? I told them to hold off installing the new tires this morning. I usually buy through the dealership, but nearly $1300 for new tires seems fairly expensive, but I am fairly iffy about getting work done on a Mercedes outside of the dealership.

[RickBoglehead]

Yes, Costco is trustworthy. Discount Tire is also.

Sometimes the dealerships will match prices. Ford has a corporate policy of doing so.

[atdharris]

Yes, Costco is trustworthy. Discount Tire is also.

Sometimes the dealerships will match prices. Ford has a corporate policy of doing so.

I am almost certain my dealership does not price match. I am not even sure they have the Michelin tire in their inventory. For nearly a $500 saving though, I cannot justify buying from them.

[Shackleton]

I think avoiding the dealership for tires is a no brainer. Costco or Discount afire is always the way to go. I would only go to the dealership for warranty repairs and recalls.

[yukonjack]

I’ve been buying tires from Costco for many years and find them to be totally trustworthy. And unlike some tire centers they don’t try to up sell you. I’ve yet to be dissatisfied with their service or products.

[anil686]

I third Costco - the wait sometimes is painful but they are one of the best prices around. Sam's Club (FWIW) carries Pirelli Cinturato tires (or at least they did last year) - and they often run a special on Pirelli every few months with $70 off a set of 4. The problem with Sam's is that you need to special order them to a club and then go in for installation (expect it to take a week from the time you order). Full disclosure - I have memberships at both and have done tires at both and have been satisfied with both...

[RickBoglehead]

Discount Tire lets you make an appointment, and the wait is no longer than 30 minutes before they take your car in. Of course you'd want to call first and ensure they have the right tires in stock. I also have them check the date code and make sure the tires are only a few months old before having them hold me four.

In addition, Discount Tire has discounts during specific holidays - most notably Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day - where they have large rebates, larger if you use their credit card. My tires are 6 years old, so I'm going to get the tread depth checked in April and see if I can go another year or two, or if I need to hit them during the holiday promotions.

[jabberwockOG]

I think avoiding the dealership for tires is a no brainer. Costco or Discount afire is always the way to go. I would only go to the dealership for warranty repairs and recalls.

100% agree. Costco is generally fantastic for tires. Their techs are well trained and not compensated with up selling bonus structure like some tire dealerships. Discount Tire is the only other place I would trust besides Costco for tires.

[newtonc]

Sam's Club is pretty good for tires and they have a nice selection and 70-100 dollars off a set of four at various times.

[UALflyer]

Sometimes the dealerships will match prices. Ford has a corporate policy of doing so.

Even if the dealership price matches, I wouldn't buy from them. If your tires ever have to be replaced under warranty, you'll get prorated credit but will then be stuck paying the dealership's much higher prices, as they'll have no incentive to price match anything at that point. Further, dealerships are notorious for playing games with tire warranties, which can make it very difficult for you to obtain warranty coverage, whereas Costco and DiscountTire are easy and transparent.

We have owned just about every luxury car brand out there, do use dealerships for service (with a coupon, which makes their pricing the same or better than any independent) but for the above reasons never buy tires there.

$95 for aligning them.

You may or may not need an alignment, but car dealers' indiscriminate use of the alignment recommendation is infamous. If you buy tires from the dealer and decline an alignment, they'll document the file and subsequently tell you that the tire warranty is null and void because your wheels were misaligned, you were advised of this but failed to follow the recommendation.

To be sure, if there's a significant alignment issue, it will cause uneven tire wear, but quite a few dealerships out there take the position that you must obtain an alignment each and every time that you purchase new tires and then use your refusal to do so against you. Costco and DiscountTire don't play these games.

[runner3081]

Find tires on TireRack, take the quote to Discount Tire and they will match (they will add shipping to the charge and mounting/balance).

[BobTexas]

I also agree about Costco being great for tires. They also rotate for free every 10k miles

Only thing I would do is ask the Costco tech if you really need new tires. The Audi dealer always tells me I need new tires well before I really do.

[Housedoc]

Take pictures of each wheel and verify condition before work done. Inspect afterwards. I had a rim scratched on my F150 at Costco. They bought me a replacement wheel after some back and forth.
Good idea anytime work done anywhere.

[atdharris]

I will have to order the tires to Costco either way, and I don't have a Sams Club membership. As of today, Costco has a $129 off a set of 4 of the Michelin tire I have looked at for my car, and I think I will go ahead and pull the trigger. There is no way I can justify spending an additional $600 to have the dealership do it.

I do use them for service and will continue to do so, but not for tires.

I can't find any price to beat Costco's with their $129 off deal for Michelin. Not Discount Tire or Tire Rack.

[ttjt_99]

I've used Costco for tires before for a Honda and got a great price during one of their promotions with using the Citi Visa card.

I have a rim I'd like replaced due to a gash. Does anyone know if Costco will install tires on wheels that are purchased online and shipped to them?

[atdharris]

I've used Costco for tires before for a Honda and got a great price during one of their promotions with using the Citi Visa card.

I have a rim I'd like replaced due to a gash. Does anyone know if Costco will install tires on wheels that are purchased online and shipped to them?

If you mean through their website, then yes. I am going to order my tires through Costco.com and it says they will call me to schedule when they come in. If you mean from another vendor, I have no idea, but I would likely say no.

[Nowizard]

There are numerous possibilities with tires, unlike concerns that may exist with automobile maintenance or repair. Save the money. We have had excellent results with both Discount tire and Costco.

Tim

[neilpilot]

I've used Costco for tires before for a Honda and got a great price during one of their promotions with using the Citi Visa card.

I have a rim I'd like replaced due to a gash. Does anyone know if Costco will install tires on wheels that are purchased online and shipped to them?

Years ago Costco did this, and I'd have Costco install tires ordered from Tire Rack. They stopped that over a decade ago.

[ttjt_99]

I have a rim I'd like replaced due to a gash. Does anyone know if Costco will install tires on wheels that are purchased online and shipped to them?
[/quote]
Years ago Costco did this, and I'd have Costco install tires ordered from Tire Rack. They stopped that over a decade ago.
[/quote]


I figured as much since I didn't see it on the website. It would be only the matching rim I'd order online, I'd buy the tires from Costco. I'll talk to the local office and see if they'd be willing to do that for me. If I order the wheel and bring it in when getting new tires I'm sure they'd swap them out no trouble.

[sport]

I will have to order the tires to Costco either way, and I don't have a Sams Club membership. As of today, Costco has a $129 off a set of 4 of the Michelin tire I have looked at for my car, and I think I will go ahead and pull the trigger. There is no way I can justify spending an additional $600 to have the dealership do it.

I do use them for service and will continue to do so, but not for tires.

I can't find any price to beat Costco's with their $129 off deal for Michelin. Not Discount Tire or Tire Rack.

As of today, Costco also has a 1 cent per tire installation special. The offer goes from 2/6 through 2/12. Be sure to ask for it if they cannot get the tires in before 2/12.

[02nz]

The Michelin tires are at least as good, probably better. Don't bother trying to get a price match - your MB dealer almost certainly doesn't do it as a matter of policy, and they definitely won't price match to a different product - nobody does.

[neilpilot]

I have a rim I'd like replaced due to a gash. Does anyone know if Costco will install tires on wheels that are purchased online and shipped to them?

Years ago Costco did this, and I'd have Costco install tires ordered from Tire Rack. They stopped that over a decade ago.
[/quote]


I figured as much since I didn't see it on the website. It would be only the matching rim I'd order online, I'd buy the tires from Costco. I'll talk to the local office and see if they'd be willing to do that for me. If I order the wheel and bring it in when getting new tires I'm sure they'd swap them out no trouble.
[/quote]
Actually I misread your question. Even though they will not install other's tires, I do think they will install a tire you purchase from them on your own rim.

[atdharris]

I will have to order the tires to Costco either way, and I don't have a Sams Club membership. As of today, Costco has a $129 off a set of 4 of the Michelin tire I have looked at for my car, and I think I will go ahead and pull the trigger. There is no way I can justify spending an additional $600 to have the dealership do it.

I do use them for service and will continue to do so, but not for tires.

I can't find any price to beat Costco's with their $129 off deal for Michelin. Not Discount Tire or Tire Rack.

As of today, Costco also has a 1 cent per tire installation special. The offer goes from 2/6 through 2/12. Be sure to ask for it if they cannot get the tires in before 2/12.

I saw that this morning. It looks like the discount is applied when I order the tires through their website. Unless they add an additional charge, I will have already paid for all of it.

The Michelin tires are at least as good, probably better. Don't bother trying to get a price match - your MB dealer almost certainly doesn't do it as a matter of policy, and they definitely won't price match to a different product - nobody does.

I had Michelins on my last Mercedes and had no issues with them. From all I have gathered, the Premiere A/S is just as good or better than the Pirelli I currently have on the car. I know my dealership won't price match it, and I doubt they will the same tire given it's the "Mercedes optimized" version.

[Retrograde]

There's no reasons to pay an extra 500 just to have it done at the dealer. The only thing you will want to do is make sure your wheels don't get scratched, but that's an issue whomever you go to. Also you will probably want a four wheel alignment done afterwards as the tread pattern on your new tires will be different.

[researcher]

They quoted me $1132 for the tires plus $95 for aligning them.
I usually buy through the dealership, but nearly $1300 for new tires seems fairly expensive, but I am fairly iffy about getting work done on a Mercedes outside of the dealership.

Could you explain this thought process?
Why do you typically go through the grossly overpriced dealership for tires?

I might consider it if were were talking an AMG GT or a G-Wagen, but definitely not a C-class.

[stimulacra]

You can get your tires wherever. Costco would be a great place to get them.

There's nothing magical about a Mercedes C-class despite what MB's marketing brochures, ads, salespeople, or the service department tells you.

AMG might be a different story.

[amindu]

The Michelin Premiere A/S are great tires i have them both my vehicles and they perform exceptionally well.

[downshiftme]

I’ve been buying tires from Costco for many years and find them to be totally trustworthy. And unlike some tire centers they don’t try to up sell you.

I didn't experience any classic upsell, like suggesting a more expensive alternative, but when I needed tires and went to Costco they turned out to have only the more expensive tires in stock and it would be a week or more to get the less expensive tires in. I went with the more expensive and Costco service has been exemplary. They even replaced a tire damaged by a road hazard with no cost and no hassle. I'm happy to recommend them, but best to go when you don't need tires immediately and can wait for the better deal to be shipped to the store.

[neilpilot]

There's no reasons to pay an extra 500 just to have it done at the dealer. The only thing you will want to do is make sure your wheels don't get scratched, but that's an issue whomever you go to. Also you will probably want a four wheel alignment done afterwards as the tread pattern on your new tires will be different.

Please help me understand how a different tread pattern on the new tires warrants an alignment. I certainly agree that if the old tires show signs that the alignment is out of spec it should be checked, and maybe it's a good practice to have your alignment checked periodically.

However, can someone offer a reference that indicates that different tread design can impact alignment specification?

[Retrograde]

Some tires are directional or have a side that should face inward and a side that it should face outward. And these tires generally have a pull. So if you're driving on a straight level road and the steering wheel is straight and hands off the wheel, your car will pull to one side or the other. And there are settings they can adjust when performing an alignment to account for this. Now if you are moving from a set of tires that pull, to a set of that doesn't pull, or moving from a set with no pull to a set that does pull, your alignment settings will be slightly off. Most people would find this pull irritating and want an alignment to help correct this.

A number of Mercedes and other higher end vehicles come with tires that are directional, so my guess is that your pirreli tires are direction and these new Michelin are probably not. If it's an issue it's something you'll notice when you drive on a level road.