What is a fair price for tire install ?
 

Hey guys. I'm about to order 4 tires from tirerack ---I looked at some of their "certified installers" from my area and called to see how much it would cost to mount and balance, get rid of old tires, valve stems and whatever other BS fee they have. STS tire said it was 37 dollars a tire !!
A pontiac dealer I called was at like 26 a tire but said the "weights" they put on could cost more but would not be any more than an additional 50 dollars for the 4 tires !!
I call bulls***. These fees really seem ridiculous to me...can anyone recommend a nice cheap place that can do the install for a reasonable amount ?
Or am I out of touch and this is just how much it cost ?

By the way on a side note...I got a quote of 183.00 for toyo proxe 4's from sts --he said they were so much more than last years price (120) because of the price of gas...wtf does that have to do with anything ?

Anyway.....any advice on the balancing would be appreciated.
Thanks again my TL bruthas !

Remove , mount & balance & discard can get up in the $30 area ... if done carefully with the proper no touch equipment and balancer.

Or you can go cheap and have some $8/hour kid mark up your rims and over torque your lug nuts.

When I bought new tires last March, I actually found my dealership to be reasonable as far as mounting/balancing. I think I paid around $20/tire.

-LOD

I called around and the lowest quote i got was from sears auto @ $25 a tire.. but they also include free rotations and some other useless crap. I was just looking for the cheapest price..

$20 a tire here

You will definitely pay more at tire shop when you don't buy the tires from them. If you did buy them there, they would likely only charge $10 - $15.

I would imagine that your Acura or local Honda Dealer would give you the best deal. Anything beyond $20/tire is too much when you are talking about the stock size. That said, if you want to mount and dismount 20's with a 30 series tire, you're gonna' pay alot more.

Compare what local stores- like americas tire/discount tire, will charge you for the same tire from them - total price-- to get them on your car.
They will often match online tire price- just take proof and ask!

For larger expensive rims and tire, pay extra for the Hunter Roadforce balance- its trick-
puts the weights inside the center of the rim for clean look, and accounts for tire position on rim, and tells you where on the car to put each tire!

I heard on the news about tire prices increasing due to the fact that petroleum is used in the production of tires. It went on to say that (on average) each tire has approximately 2.5 gallons of petroleum in it.

That being said...along with everything else...the rising oil prices are again not-so-gently kicking us in the balls!!! :ugh: :yuck: :bawling: :thumbsdown: :annoyed: :cuss: :bs:

^^ Not to mention the fact that they have to be shipped from the factories to the various dealers and warehouses. You don't think the tire companies are just gonna' eat the rising cost of deisel, do you?

...should be whatever the rim size is x 4, thats what i've always paid and i never buy tires from them directly

My acura dealership wants about 30 per tire...wtf?!

This time last year I think I paid $25 per tire Road Force Balanced. Now, same place would be ~$35 per tire.

tire install and customer service
 

:annoyed:i had 4 tire installed at a discount tire place in north kansas city. they charge 15.00 per tire for install and tacked on 60.00 for labor for the install. my car was detailed the day before 75.00 and when i got back to the discount store i found my car, bought 24 hours prior was keyed. white speckles of paint on it and i requested a refund. i didn't like the customer service. i was very calm and professional. the lady behind the counter called a friend on the police force and i was told to take them to court. i would not get a refund, even though it was try and buy for 30 days. they were not the tires they told me they would be. and the police said the lady at the counter didn't want me on the local sidewalk of this small community in north kansas city. i was very disappointed with this location. the girl at the counter said I quote" it will be a cold day in h*** before they give me back a penny. i am going to anyplace beside independently owned shop in north kc. I was just wanting fair and reasonable treatment. but its nice to have 'police' as friends i guess. they are known for not being kind in this area. buyer beware. they do not have to do promised tire rotations or other garantees given from firestone. i can go to the actual dealership for after care. i video taped the situation and the out come was once they get your cash, they can say go fly a kite. but 140.oo is high to put tires on your car then having it damage while in thier care. i was very disappointed.

:no: i went to an attourney and he said if i live in the community to just wait for lease to run out. North Kansas City has thier own ways. and the treatment would only get worse in such a small community.

Hint: if you paid with a bank/credit/debit card, call up your bank and cancel/respute the charge. If you explain the situation, they will reverse it and there is absolutely nothing this shop can do to prevent it. If, however, you paid cash, I'd probably just put a brick through their window :thumbsup:.

I'm getting a set of DWS's put on monday for $19 a tire. I'm not sure if this is a lifetime balance or not, some places do that. I'm also getting an alignment for $90. Using the closest "Price Plus Pro" listed under Tireracks installers.

Yup. I almost cried as I watched a buddy pay 35$ a tire.

I usually get my buddy who works at Acura to do mine. 50 bucks flat for all 4 removal/remount/balance.

Cheapest place around here is $70 for all four low profile tires, removal mount and balance.

Some tire shops are willing to match the online tire price and give you a discount on the mounting and installation if you buy from them.

America's Tire in Santa Clara, California, offered to do this for the two Yokohama tires I bought a couple years back. I got a pretty good deal until I noticed that the technician who installed my tires also charged me for balancing the back tires that only needed to be moved to the front.

After doing some online research, I found out that even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not require re-balancing tires when you are simply moving them from back to front unless there is an obvious problem with the tire requiring re-balancing. My used back tires were in good working order and already "balanced."

I went back to America's Tire and gave the technician an earful. He quickly refunded my money and offered me a lifetime maintenance certificate on my two used tires. I told him that if I hear of America's Tire pulling this type of fraud on unsuspecting or unsophisticated consumers, I would sue their ass under California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act.

Do some research, learn about your car, and learn the law. Most folks in the auto service industry will take you out to lunch, unless you're a close friend of theirs or you know the law.

Good luck!

i don't trust big box shops to handle my wheels or even touch my car. i've watched these guys work...they could really give a crap (this is at the "preferred" installers on tirerack too). keep in mind that the reviews on tirerack on the installers aren't necessarily a reflection of the most anal OCD car owners (ie enthusiasts). their preferred installer damaged my rims and took forever. the manager wouldn't even own up to any wrong doing.

i'll drive out of the way to a local tuner shop with a touchless set up and pay $30 a wheel/tire where they actually will be careful with your car.

free/lifetime/whatever...you pay for what you get.

at my shop i charge by the size of the rim/tire.. example. 15" would be 15$ mounted and balanced

Don't know why you'd call as the TR site has installers with a Price Pledge guarantee, so that would be the amount that would be charged. Depending on the location, $20-$25 per tire.