WTF!!
It is not hard to find a mechanic. Pull out your god damn phone, open maps, type in mechanic. See which has high ratings on google and CALL a few. Then pick one you like and go to it. Repeat until you have a list of mechanics like they're hookers. Make sure you buy the parts at the dealer and get their 10% off (talk to the guy!). You need mechanic options because not all are available on short notice, nor will they charge the same for similar services which is why you CALL around.

 

OH man, i had it replaced today, with very good deal with good mechanic. but he told me that mounts weren't broken at all just old and loose. Dealership Lied. but i just went ahead and replaced it because it was very old and could break anytime. but it wasn't actually broken like Dealership said. they ripp you off big time

 

In related news:
Water is wet!

 

so is Continental Tires really worth paying $60 more for ? each tire costs about $60 more than Hankook tires.

 

I'd put the Conti tires or Michelin over the Hankooks any day of the week..

 

No idea....put it this way though....I run Michelin MXM4 which cost more than the Continentals and will probably use a similar tire when these wear out. Tires are not the place to cheap out on. There are for sure some pretty good less expensive tires...as well as some crappy more expensive tires. I have run all ranges of tires over the years as my budget allowed. I had Khumo Ecsta and Fuzion ZRi summer tires on a previous car. Both sets of tires were pretty low on the price scale, but they mostly did their jobs fairly well. Both wore a tad funky and got louder as they wore. As my budget for tires improved, I have continued to improve what tires I choose. There is no single right answer on what tire "you" should be using. There are lots of threads on here discussing that topic. You must make up your mind on what features are important to you. Do I like the MXM4? Yes, or I wouldn't have paid for them. Will most others on this forum agree? Probably not since they are not intended for spirited driving. Define what features you want, pick a budget, and go find tires that meet most of what you just defined. Do NOT shop just based on pricing. Pricing needs to factor in, but it should not be the primary decision point.

 

yes

 

3 things I generally like better about contis compared to Hankooks:

1) longer life (stated at least)
2) quieter
3) better in the wet (I live in western WA)

Yes, I'm getting old and value low road noise as much as handling

 

I'm right there with ya.

 

I am finding that if i buy at NTB tires, i can get the continental tiers much cheaper, like 150 dollars each. IS NTB tires safe place to get your tires done ?

 

NTB is a toss-up if they are good or bad...just like any other place. I have had great experiences as well as piss poor experiences at NTB over the years. "Generally" there is nothing wrong with using NTB as a general tire store. Just remember the "general" part of that statement. Rarely will there be true experienced mechanics/techs there. But for the basics and convenience, they win quite often. I have the same feelings about my local Firestone shops.

 

So sounds like for just replacing the tire purposes, it is safe to use NTB. but what about if i need a Wheel Alignment ? is it still safe to go to NTB ?? and how do i know they will give me the right Continental tires that i asked for ? what if they give me different one and try to rip me off ?? I grow suspicious now of so many auto shops ? due to this dealership trying to rip me off completely taking me as a moran.... What has the world come to ? Can't we trust anyone these days ? Should God take vengence for our bad ways ? like he did when Noah made his boat ?

 

I had dealer try and pull same shit on my RL when I brought it in for airbag recall. Came to me with $3000 in needed repairs including engine mounts. I told them to pound sand as I just had Tbelt done and was literally just underneath the car and saw no signs of failure or issue on any of the components they mentioned nor did the Honda tech when he pulled everything apart.

Check the tires before you install, simple. So Tirerack cannot beat NTB?

Regarding alignments I have found poor behaviors at big box retailers so I have gone to local specialty shops or independant mechanics to perform the work that are more interactive with me on specifics of vehicle behavior and use.

 

The dealer didn't try to rip you off. You need new mounts and dealer labor and part rates are higher than most other shops. There is no rip off there. It is nothing more than the need to be educated on your options and determine the risk/price ratio that works for you. I take my car to the dealer for various services all the time. The fact that the dealer is near my wife's work, will drop her off at work or provide a loaner, makes certain services at the dealer more appealing even though it may be more expensive. The fact that I don't have the time nor motivation to hunt around for some random shop quite often leads me back to the dealer. They are a known entity with a reputation to protect. Some cheeseball mechanic may or may not give a rats ass and may or may not do good work. I don't have time to deal with that crap and I don't have nearly enough repair/service work to establish a relationship somewhere. Everyone has their opinions, views, reasoning, and logic when it comes down to this.

Know what the real part prices are. Know what the labor hours and rates are. Then make up your mind if the dealer mark-up is worth it to you.

Even if he uses Tirerack, he has to find someone to mount the tires....which will probably lead him to NTB. I just price shopped Tirerack vs NTB locally here and by the time you got to the mounted and out the door costs....they were the same since quite often they are running a "special" which brings their in-house pricing down to roughly what Tirerack will cost after you pay for the mounting.

Also to note on alignments.....I have used NTB, Firestone, and the Acura dealer to align my car. By far the best alignment has been from the dealer. NTB and Firestone are hit and miss depending on the condition of the equipment and the training of the tech. My local dealer charges $100 and the alignment is perfect. It has also saved me before when fighting with Michelin since the dealer saved my alignment sheets in my service history to prove my alignment was perfect the entire time I had their tires on my car.

 

Ive had bad experiences at STS and at pep boys. Oky exp at NTB. Horrible experience at Firestone. My opinion tho is you can get bad service anywhere anytime. A lot depends on the car, timing, technician, and then general mood of the day and conversation. However the stealerships almost always have better machines, tools, and techs BUT you will pay a premium for sure.

 

 

Mine are fine after 10 months. Noiseless, excellent traction, and I'd buy them again in a heartbeat!

FWIW, they're still the top rated all season UHP tire on tirerack edging out the Conti DWS06's.
.
.

 

I wish I could agree with this statement. I have paid very close attention to the routine maintenance on my car, it is an 05 TL with less than 110k miles and it is falling apart. Too many failures to even mention, the biggest one being the transmission at around 90k miles. I am looking to get rid of mine now, no more Acura's for me.

This I will agree with, the Continental DWS tires have been the best tires I have had on my TL.

 

before 2008, there had been many transmission breakdowns in TL's. Previous TL's my transmission completely broke at 60,000, and at 110,000. but so far with 08 TL , no problems with trans yet. So if you go to another manufacturere, what would you go to ?? Infinity ?? Lexus ?(lexus is more expensive though)

 

Independent mechanic should be able to do the motor mounts for less. If I had to guess, you probably only need the front and passenger side mounts.

As far as tires, I'd look into the Goodyear Eagle Sport A/S. On Tire Rack, they are actually rated higher than the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (at least they were last time I looked) due to superior winter weather traction. And on dry pavement they are really close. I got nearly 50k miles out of my last set. Grip is so good I ended up adding larger anti-roll bars to take advantage of it.

 

I guess it depends on the dealer. I had mine in at Vandergriff Honda (Arlington, TX) twice now. Once for the power steering hose recall and once when my water pump failed prematurely and they were the only ones who could get my car done on the Friday before Labor Day (2015). In neither case did their "world class" inspection show I needed any repairs. The service manager actually mentioned to me how rare it is they don't find anything that need attention and complimented me on how well taken car of my car is.