Thinking of getting tires from Costco

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htdrag11
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Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by htdrag11 »

Tires are for a Lexus RX350 AWD base model.

In the Costco site, I saw $15 installation package and disposal fee per tire and $2.99 per TPMS, which is competitive. Are there any other surprises? Think "warranty" is included for road hazard. The only reasonable option for me is the Michelin - Primacy MXM4 at $834 with discount which is more than the Continental below. It's a one-stop shop. The $70 discount is good till 1/29/17 but I see them on sales quite often.

The other alternative is the Continental CrossContact LX20, 236/60R18 with very good rating as well. I checked out Tire Rack ($699 with road hazard but before installation) and Discount Tires ($682 plus $50 Visa pre-paid card bonus). Both are reputable. Local Midas handle both TR and DT installation. Are there any other hidden fees?

Thanks.
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rob
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by rob »

I just did it for the first time.... Imagine my surprise to getting notified of 4.. count em... 4 UPS shipping notifications..... They appear to have ZIP stock so will ship the things to the store. For me that adds 7 days to when I can get them fitted.
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DSInvestor
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by DSInvestor »

If you're mounting new tires on your existing rims then that's probably the price. If you're mounting new tires on a second set of rims (say winter tires on steel rims), you may have to pay for a second set of 4 TPMS sensors for the new rims.

I got a quote from Costco for a set of winter tires for my 2013 Subaru outback. It was something like $440 for 4 Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 after the $70 off a set of 4. I mentioned this price to Discount Tire and they quoted $400 plus $100 rebate visa card for the same tires. I received the rebate cards about 4-6 weeks after I registered online for the rebate. My purchase was Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The price I got was much lower than the price shown on the discount tire web site. Give your local store a call and see what they can do for you.
Last edited by DSInvestor on Tue Jan 10, 2017 11:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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kjvmartin
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by kjvmartin »

If you don't have it already, tire installation is a good time to upgrade to the Executive membership for the 2% reward.

I have had good/bad experiences with Costco tires.

Good: The pricing for Michelin tires. As an executive member, they do frequent specials for free installation on top of the usual sales. I have taken advantage of this and gotten 4 very nice tires installed at a good price. They typically notify me via e-mail about twice a year of this special. I like Costco and I go there at least once a week anyway, so it's not hard to find time to get tires. I have not found a better price anywhere.

Bad: There's just no way to get in and out in any reasonable amount of time for the free tire rotations. I went early on a Saturday and they quoted me 4-5 hours of waiting time. I went later that week around 4:00p and they would accept no more rotations that day. I finally took a personal hour and got there when they opened. 45 minute wait. They falter here compared to Discount Tire, who allow me to schedule my appointments in advance, online. Costco does offer a vague appointment setup, but my local store was 2-3 weeks out and only took appointments from 1p-4p Mon-Fri. I recommend stopping by or calling rather than online ordering. When I ordered my tires online they were incorrect for my car and I had to wait even longer to get the correct ones.
Big Dog
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Big Dog »

big fan of tires at costco. "Warranty" also covers free balance and rotate. But yes, the wait on weekends can be a few hours. Fortunately, we have a costco a few miles away so I drop off in the am, jog home, and then get a ride back later to pickup.

I did order custom online once and had shipped to store. No problems. Still using those tires.
rgs92
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by rgs92 »

I've gotten all my tires at Costco for about 15 years now. Just fine and great service.
Erwin007
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Erwin007 »

rgs92 wrote:I've gotten all my tires at Costco for about 15 years now. Just fine and great service.
What exactly is "great" about the service? I love Costco (between in-store purchases and travel we spent close to $25,000 there in the last year), but the service for their tire center is abysmal; possibly the worst in the tire business. The "free" tire rotations are useless since you have to be there half a day to get it done. And heaven forbid you get a flat and need them to repair it. Plan to wait a week or so. I suppose if your time isn't worth anything then it may be an OK deal, otherwise go elsewhere.

If the prices are less than a local tire store (Les Schwab tire stores in our area are fantastic), then it may be worth it, but if you're counting on the "free rotation and balance" with tires you buy there, it's not worth it at all in my experience.
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sunny_socal
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by sunny_socal »

I often get tires from Costco. Their warehouse selection is weak but I can usually order any Bridgestone or Michelin tire I want during their sales.

I didn't think road hazard was worth it but I recently got a nail in my tire and it was too close to the edge to repair. I hadn't bought from Costco and had no choice but to buy a new tire. From now on I'm sticking with Costco.
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by curmudgeon »

I've used Costco for times for quite a few years, but in our area they have become too popular. There is just no way to get in and out in a reasonable time frame for rotations or install. I've got a new set of tires to buy in the next several months, and there is a fair chance I'll go elsewhere for the first time in 20 years.
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htdrag11
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by htdrag11 »

My time is not a premium, so waiting is not an issue other than annoyance. "Free" rotation is not their priority.

I'm replacing my old tires, not mounting onto new rims, so do not need new TPMS.
carolinaman
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by carolinaman »

kjvmartin wrote:If you don't have it already, tire installation is a good time to upgrade to the Executive membership for the 2% reward.

I have had good/bad experiences with Costco tires.

Good: The pricing for Michelin tires. As an executive member, they do frequent specials for free installation on top of the usual sales. I have taken advantage of this and gotten 4 very nice tires installed at a good price. They typically notify me via e-mail about twice a year of this special. I like Costco and I go there at least once a week anyway, so it's not hard to find time to get tires. I have not found a better price anywhere.

Bad: There's just no way to get in and out in any reasonable amount of time for the free tire rotations. I went early on a Saturday and they quoted me 4-5 hours of waiting time. I went later that week around 4:00p and they would accept no more rotations that day. I finally took a personal hour and got there when they opened. 45 minute wait. They falter here compared to Discount Tire, who allow me to schedule my appointments in advance, online. Costco does offer a vague appointment setup, but my local store was 2-3 weeks out and only took appointments from 1p-4p Mon-Fri. I recommend stopping by or calling rather than online ordering. When I ordered my tires online they were incorrect for my car and I had to wait even longer to get the correct ones.
I agree with this. The big negative with Costco is free tire rotations. The wait is very inconvenient and often results in delay or failure to do tire rotations. Costco's prices are great but can often be matched by other competitive tire retailers.
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I avoid waits wherever I go by simply bringing the loose wheels in rather than the car. Do the paperwork and open the car for their guys to remove the wheels and then come back the next day. Never more than 15 minutes total for both drop off and pick up. Yes, I have 2 sets of wheels for each of my cars. Costco is a nogo for me as it's an hour drive to get there.
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Rupert
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Rupert »

Erwin007 wrote:
rgs92 wrote:I've gotten all my tires at Costco for about 15 years now. Just fine and great service.
What exactly is "great" about the service? I love Costco (between in-store purchases and travel we spent close to $25,000 there in the last year), but the service for their tire center is abysmal; possibly the worst in the tire business. The "free" tire rotations are useless since you have to be there half a day to get it done. And heaven forbid you get a flat and need them to repair it. Plan to wait a week or so. I suppose if your time isn't worth anything then it may be an OK deal, otherwise go elsewhere.

If the prices are less than a local tire store (Les Schwab tire stores in our area are fantastic), then it may be worth it, but if you're counting on the "free rotation and balance" with tires you buy there, it's not worth it at all in my experience.
I agree with this, and I also love Costco for all other things. I just wouldn't buy tires or any other auto service there. I have never had trouble getting my local Firestone to match the price offered by Costco or Tirerack. Firestone also offers free lifetime rotation and has reasonably priced road hazard protection, which is valuable since Firestones are everywhere. Not so, Costcos. Of course, I can't get Michelins at Firestone, but I've always had good luck with Bridgestone tires. YMMV.
jbuzolich
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by jbuzolich »

We love Costco but I am yet to find any of their sales or coupons on tires to be competitive. They always look busy so someone is using them but not us yet. Every time I have bought tires I check Costco first and then usually buy at Americas Tire (same as Discount Tire). That's with no price matching or any coupon use. Each time it's $100 or more lower than Costco.
Jags4186
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Jags4186 »

I bought tires from tirerack.com and had them shipped to a local place around the block from where I live. Tires cost $350 and I got a $70 visa gift card rebate and then installation cost about $80.
sport
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by sport »

DD bought tires at Costco. One of them failed due to road hazard. She had to pay a small pro-rated cost to replace that tire. However, Costco no longer carried that tire, so the replacement would not match the tire on the other side. So, they gave her a second new tire at no charge.
Nowizard
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Nowizard »

If a member of Costco, you notice in monthly mailings that on alternate months there is either a $70 off coupon for Michelin or another brand of tires. We have purchased Michelin tires there previously with good results. You may have to wait quite awhile which may not be an issue if you want to shop for other items, but they do have limited appointments at our location if you want to move quickly.

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Flymore
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Flymore »

My last tire purchase was WalMart.
Best price, not the best service.
smitcat
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by smitcat »

"My last tire purchase was WalMart."

Shopping tires is like shopping many items these days as the products are not equal.
That is you need to do some research on the quality and attributes of the exact tire you want to buy before you start looking for installed prices.
Even with the same manufacturer (Mich, Bridgstone, Good year etc) the performance of that tire - excepted life, traction, wet traction, sound level, etc - will vary greatly within their offerings.
Most concerning is that even within a tires manufacturer and specific type (ie Good year - GTA) you will find varied quality and attributes as some runs of these are only made to be delivered to placed like Walmart and Costco.
They have almost the exact same name but the tires vary from the normal national name brand & type.

IMHO - pricing anything before research and selection of a couple of good choices for your specific use is an experiment in futility.
flyingbison
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by flyingbison »

I just got new tires about a month ago - thought I would get them at Costco, because I've heard they have the best prices, but when I shopped around I found that their prices are in line with all the other tire places in my area. For the specific tire I wanted, Discount Tire had the best price, so I got them there. Also, since Discount Tire is brand new in my area, they weren't busy at all. They called me when the tires arrived at the store, and I was able to pick the time I wanted them installed that same day. I showed up a few minutes early, they took the car right in, and they were done in about 20 minutes.
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by bloom2708 »

Research the tires you want. Then research your local and online options for buying those specific tires.

If you want to just drive up, get new tires and drive out, then you can likely do better than Costco. Others have mentioned the long waits. Costco is a busy place. I shop there often. They do not have the lowest prices on tires. Do you have a discount tire store in your area?

To get the lowest price possible (not the lowest amount of work/time), you will likely have to purchase the tires online and then have them mounted/balanced at a local shop.

I use our local Fleet Farm for installation. It isn't the lowest hassle factor. As long as the tires meet the specs for your car, mounting/balancing/getting rid of your old tires is just making an appointment.

Do you have a brand or style of tire that you prefer? Cooper or Firestone, etc?
MangoManiac
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by MangoManiac »

As most others have mentioned, our local Costco's tire department is super busy. I just went in last Saturday morning, 15 minutes before the official opening hours and there was already a line at the tire section!

Good:
>Got a nail last month in a tire I bought in 2012. I simply dropped off the tire with the wheel (around 9:30am) and it was plugged for free. They called about an hour later that it was ready. Reading the warranty online, they will cover road hazard for 5 yrs. They didn't even need my original receipt.
>Don't appear to up sell or pressure for other services (what other services?!), so I'd feel comfortable if a family member who wasn't car savy went there.
>They don't impact the lugs back on. Supposedly it's hand torque'd to spec.

Bad:
>Again, it was busy even before the doors opened. When I picked it up after lunch, it was packed! Don't think I would go again for tire service during the weekend.
>I'm pretty sure there wasn't a $15/tire installation fee back in the day. I just noticed this.
DSInvestor
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by DSInvestor »

The costco in my area takes appointments for installation, rotations, wire tire swap etc and I can typically get an early appointment. I have never had to wait long for a free rotation/rebalance. Not sure how they would be for a tire repair if you needed it done ASAP.
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ponyboy
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by ponyboy »

Wait until black friday and get a set installed from walmart. By far the cheapest price wise you will ever come across.

One of my tires had a flat the other week...side wall was punctured so couldnt patch. 1 tire from a local place where I live cost almost as much as 2.5 tires (same brand/type) of those purchased on BF from walmart. What a joke.
DSInvestor
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by DSInvestor »

ponyboy wrote:Wait until black friday and get a set installed from walmart. By far the cheapest price wise you will ever come across.

One of my tires had a flat the other week...side wall was punctured so couldnt patch. 1 tire from a local place where I live cost almost as much as 2.5 tires (same brand/type) of those purchased on BF from walmart. What a joke.
Do you have to go to walmart on black friday to get the black friday price? If so, that's not appealing to me. I got my set of Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires from Discount Tire on tuesday before Black Friday and I think I got a good deal but did not check if prices dropped on Black Friday. Costco quoted me $440 after $70 off set of four. Discount tire beat Costco's price - $400 and then offered me an extra $100 visa rebate card. They were aggressive about getting my business.

I entered my purchase on citi price rewind and may get $27 back per tire as someone had a lower price somewhere. We'll see.
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miles monroe
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by miles monroe »

kjvmartin wrote: Bad: There's just no way to get in and out in any reasonable amount of time for the free tire rotations. I went early on a Saturday and they quoted me 4-5 hours of waiting time. I went later that week around 4:00p and they would accept no more rotations that day.
i love costco but don't get tires there for that very reason. my mechanic is across the street from a mcdonalds, i drop my car off and eat breakfast while i get an oil change and free rotation. the convenience is well worth paying an extra $70 for tires every 3 years or so.
new2bogle
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by new2bogle »

Do you have a Discount Tire near you? I've found their service to be top notch and they will always meet Costco's pricing, if they are not already lower.

Just make sure to get the tires you want.
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by jeff1949 »

new2bogle wrote:Do you have a Discount Tire near you? I've found their service to be top notch and they will always meet Costco's pricing, if they are not already lower.

Just make sure to get the tires you want.
+1

I do a lot of shopping at Costco but have not been impressed with their tire prices or their auto service. Most of my tires I get at Discount Tire (aka America's Tire).
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by texasdiver »

Long time Costco member and I've bought perhaps 8 sets of tires there.

My opinion? Not worth the hassle if you live a distance from Costco and have Discount Tire nearby. Stop into Costco during the coupon month for Michelin and price the tires you want, get the "out the door price" printout, and drive over to Discount Tire for the price match. Discount Tire has Costco-level service But they can also be busy too.

Right now we are currently living 5 minutes from our nearest Costco. The trick to doing tires is to take 2 cars and drop one off for tire replacement Saturday morning then go home and watch football until they call to tell you your car is ready. If you live nearby and can drive over with 2 cars so you don't have to wait at Costco then it's all good.

As for tire replacement. Twice I had sidewalls punctured by construction debris that ruined the tire and required a replacement tire as opposed to a patch. Costco put on new X-radials (their "house brand" of Michelins) both times for no cost. So I've been happy with the Costco service warranty. The trick is to buy their stock house brand tires. Costco usually has some model of Michelin that is more or less their house brand that they try to keep in stock in most sizes. Save yourself hassle by buying these and not some special order thing. It would literally be impossible for Costco to stock every 100+ tire models in every single size.

As for rotations. I don't bother going back to Costco. I have a wheeled floor jack, a 3 car garage, and an air compressor. I can rotate my own tires in the garage faster than it would take to drive over to Costco and back. Although now that we are back in a snow zone I'll probably not bother and just do the rotations when we switch from snow tires to all seasons every spring and fall.
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htdrag11
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by htdrag11 »

jeff1949 wrote:
new2bogle wrote:Do you have a Discount Tire near you? I've found their service to be top notch and they will always meet Costco's pricing, if they are not already lower.

Just make sure to get the tires you want.
+1

I do a lot of shopping at Costco but have not been impressed with their tire prices or their auto service. Most of my tires I get at Discount Tire (aka America's Tire).
I'll probably go with DT with the $50 pre-paid Visa credit for a set of Continentals.

Thank you for all the inputs.
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sunny_socal
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by sunny_socal »

I just go an email from Costco for Executive Members:
- $70 coupon for set of 4 Michelins
- $60 coupon for installation


Getting new tires while shopping @ Costco? Priceless :beer

Expires 1/13/17
ponyboy
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by ponyboy »

DSInvestor wrote:
Do you have to go to walmart on black friday to get the black friday price? If so, that's not appealing to me.
My walmart has an auto center where they change tires, do oil changes, etc etc. You drop your car off and they install on the spot. Mine isnt busy on BF so it was pretty painless.
minnesotan
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by minnesotan »

If you have one nearby, I would recommend checking out Discount Tire. My husband and I have been using them for our two cars for about 5 years now and I've never had a bad experience. I've always loved their customer service and I'm pretty demanding where that is concerned.

What really won me over, was a couple of years ago I'd bought a brand new set of winter tires and rims for my 2003 VW wagon. They were great. A week after I got the new winter tires, my car needed repairs and my mechanic nicely suggested it's time to get myself a new car and stop putting money into repairs on my VW. I called up Discount Tire to see what they thought of the situation. I spoke with a manager and, without my even suggesting it, he said they would take the old tires and rims back and put the full cost of purchase towards new winter tires for my new vehicle.

My husband and I both have winter and summer tires and the seasonal switch is always pain free. We schedule an appointment online, get there right in the morning and we're out of there in 30 minutes.

They will also price match for any other deals you find online or in other stores. I can't say enough good things about Discount Tire.
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by leonard »

Have purchased a couple sets from Costco. No issues.

If you have any sort of weird size - call ahead and make sure they have the size in stock, to avoid the second trip.
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simplesimon
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by simplesimon »

This thread got me thinking about my own tires and while I don't mean to hijack the thread, I hope to get some advice. My car is a 2008 Outback, which I purchased used in 2013 with about 45k miles on it. The treads look fine and I currently have about 78k on it but I've read things about age of tires and the rubber are factors to consider in a replacement. The used car was purchased from a dealer and the prior owner was a company car...I somehow doubt that the tires have been changed before.

Should I get these tires replaced?
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by flyingbison »

simplesimon wrote:This thread got me thinking about my own tires and while I don't mean to hijack the thread, I hope to get some advice. My car is a 2008 Outback, which I purchased used in 2013 with about 45k miles on it. The treads look fine and I currently have about 78k on it but I've read things about age of tires and the rubber are factors to consider in a replacement. The used car was purchased from a dealer and the prior owner was a company car...I somehow doubt that the tires have been changed before.

Should I get these tires replaced?
I doubt very much those are original tires with 78K miles if the "treads look fine."
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by Rupert »

simplesimon: Even really really good tires only last 50,000 miles or so. And 8-year-old tires would almost certainly show signs of dry rot even if there's lots of tread left. So those probably weren't the original tires. Factory tires, i.e., those installed by the mfr on new cars, often only last 30,000-36,000 miles. So the prior owner probably replaced the tires sometime before selling it.
Last edited by Rupert on Wed Jan 11, 2017 2:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
MnD
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by MnD »

Regarding the difficulty with free rotations at Costco - I had a set of Michelin tires wear out (with very even wear on all 4) prematurely at around 30K miles. They were on an all-wheel vehicle driven mostly in the mountains - perfect case for fast tire wear. Costco would not honor the 70K mileage warranty because I had not had them rotated every 7500 miles (did more like every 12K). With very even wearing tires it's ridiculous to rotate every 7500 miles and at Costco I hope you are financially independent and unemployed with many hours of extra time to spent at Costco for your "free" rotation every 7500 miles on the off chance you might want to use the mileage warranty.

Regarding the Costco road hazard warranty - Just had a tire ruined with a screw near the sidewall. Costco tire guy made a big deal about how the "free" replacement tire (super-common Michelin Defender model tire) would have to be ordered and maybe I wanted to go buy a replacement locally elsewhere. I said no, put the compact temporary spare on and order it. It's now 5 days out and the tire is not in yet. They told me it would be 4 days. When I called at day 4 the service guy wanted to know if it was a local special order or an out-of-state special order. How would I know what there special order details were? Oh and the replacement tire wasn't even close to free because they claim the price had gone up $30 per tire since I purchased them.
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htdrag11
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by htdrag11 »

sunny_socal wrote:I just go an email from Costco for Executive Members:
- $70 coupon for set of 4 Michelins
- $60 coupon for installation


Getting new tires while shopping @ Costco? Priceless :beer

Expires 1/13/17
The plot thickens. I'll check to see if my wife who is an Executive member, received the mail yet?

As for the Outback, my own set of tires have 50k miles and they are rated at 55k.
jda
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by jda »

Like everyone else has mentioned, unless you don't value your time, buying tires Costco is totally not worth it.

The tires selection is limited (no Continental, Goodyear), takes literally half of day to get it done and the price is only average.
All you get is the free road hazard warranty which can be purchased else where for around $70. So assume you can get the tires + installation for the same price else where, is the 70 bucks worth your time? (1/2 day for installation + 1/2 day for every rotation)

edit:
+1 for Discount Tire, much quicker service and better selection
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bottlecap
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by bottlecap »

Costco is a great place to get your tires.

Yes, getting them rotated without an appointment can take longer. We just plan to shop when we go. I don't think you wait much longer than anywhere else. It takes roughly 1 to 2 hours, most times less than an hour and a half. If you really want to, you can get them rotated somewhere else if you are that pressed for time.

But the prices are good and the road hazard warranty is good (if they can't repair, you get a matching new one on the other side as well).

I also think they balance the tires better than other places. Before I went to Costco, I would occasionally have to take them back to get them rebalanced. It hasn't happened in the last 6 years on two vehicles at Costco.

As far as intervals, Costco's may vary as to their policies, but the documentation with mine was vague. I get them rotated every 8k to satisfy Costco, but I think the manufacturer (Michelin) says no more than 10k. If pressed, I bet they would go by the manufacturer's recommendations.

To the thread hijacker: You don't mention how old your tires are, but you need to find out before you'll know if you should replace due to age. I'd ask your mechanic. He should be able to confirm the tread and the age, and then help you determine if it's time to replace. Tires are important - do it now!

JT
mdba73
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by mdba73 »

Costco is very An@l about treadwear warranty; unless you rotate your tires as recommended by the manufacturer at Costco or can prove if done outside - they won't honor it. I had this issue with bridgestone ecopia tires and they didn't budge. Haven't replaced tires since at Costco. Their car battery program is going down the drain - the either kirklands used to warranted for 100 months now the interstate brands are for only 3 years - no prorated warranty plus my local costco is never in stock of car batteries for Honda Odyssey.
skinner
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by skinner »

Overall, I liked getting my tires from Costco - the price and service have been great. The only thing that has been problematic is that they use nitrogen for the tires (which is great for tire wear, mileage, comfort), BUT then you're stuck with always putting nitrogen in the tires, should they need air (or at least Costco says). I have a friend that says that its alright to add some air to the nitrogen filled tires, because no tire will be totally filled with nitrogen. This has been a small hassle, but its something I thought I'd bring up.
goldendad
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by goldendad »

I have been buying tires from Discount Tire for many years. Only one bad experience - they put a flat tire in as my spare. I caught it when I got home and they took care of it immediately. Usually they have been very good and will fix flats and do rotations for free. In the last 5 years I have bought a couple of sets from the Toyota dealer when they have them on sale - both time a good experience.
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htdrag11
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by htdrag11 »

On the Costco site, I saw the discount on the tires upon checkout, but did not see the $60 discount on installation. I only got till Friday to do it. Looks like I'll pass

Two-day turn around is way too short.
smitcat
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by smitcat »

simplesimon wrote:
This thread got me thinking about my own tires and while I don't mean to hijack the thread, I hope to get some advice. My car is a 2008 Outback, which I purchased used in 2013 with about 45k miles on it. The treads look fine and I currently have about 78k on it but I've read things about age of tires and the rubber are factors to consider in a replacement. The used car was purchased from a dealer and the prior owner was a company car...I somehow doubt that the tires have been changed before.

Should I get these tires replaced?

I doubt very much those are original tires with 78K miles if the "treads look fine."


Agreed - and FWIW worth there is a date code stamped into each tire on eth sidewall so you do not need to guess when it was made.
inbox788
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by inbox788 »

flyingbison wrote:
simplesimon wrote:This thread got me thinking about my own tires and while I don't mean to hijack the thread, I hope to get some advice. My car is a 2008 Outback, which I purchased used in 2013 with about 45k miles on it. The treads look fine and I currently have about 78k on it but I've read things about age of tires and the rubber are factors to consider in a replacement. The used car was purchased from a dealer and the prior owner was a company car...I somehow doubt that the tires have been changed before.

Should I get these tires replaced?
I doubt very much those are original tires with 78K miles if the "treads look fine."
How old are your tires?

http://www.tirebuyer.com/education/how- ... your-tires

Chances are the tires were changed before you bought them. What is the brand/model of tire? What is the treadwear warranty? I've seen 90k tires, but not OEM. How much tread to you have left? Does it pass the quarter test?

http://www.goodyearautoservice.com/cont ... TreadDepth

As far as Costco, if you're at a typical Costco, the tire center is very busy and not worth the time. They have some fair deals and some good deals, but service time is just excessive. I used to buy them there, but could never get service, so not worth it anymore.
sport
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by sport »

To paraphrase Yogi Berra: Costco is so busy that no one goes there any more. :)
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htdrag11
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by htdrag11 »

I went with Tire Rack and ship them to my local Firestone shop for $80 installation. Did not want to hassle with Discount Tire's $50 pre-paid Visa (came out about even). Hope the "free" Road Hazard" is worth the money. So I'll be getting my Continental.

BTW, I had an oil change at my Toyota dealer (mine is the only Lexus in the service bay) and asked for a price match, no dice. They are about $150 more than Costco, and $250 more than Tire Rack or Discount Tire.
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bertilak
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Re: Thinking of getting tires from Costco

Post by bertilak »

sunny_socal wrote:I recently got a nail in my tire and it was too close to the edge to repair.
Hmm. I got a nail in a tire and it did not NEED to be repaired because it was close to the edge where the rubber (or whatever it is) was thick enough that the nail did not penetrate all the way through and cause a leak. I brought it to VW. The called back and said come and get it, no repair or replacement needed! It never gave me a problem afterward.
May neither drought nor rain nor blizzard disturb the joy juice in your gizzard. -- Squire Omar Barker (aka S.O.B.), the Cowboy Poet
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