I bought the 18" A-spec rims and wheels separately. I've been quoted $100-130 for mounting and balancing from the Acura dealer and from a local shop. Costco will do it for $40.

They're a lot cheaper, but I have visions of a high school flunky doing a hack job.

Has anyone done this through Costco with satisfactory results (weights mounted on the inside, good balance, no scratches, etc)?

 

Costco is fine. Discount Tires also do a good job

 

Make sure the tire bar they use to pry the tire on has a plastic sleeve. If it doesn't they will damage the painted surface of the wheel. My dealer did this to my wheels and it cost him 3 new wheels.

 

Wow. Thanks for the heads-up.

How in the hell could a dealer make this kind of mistake???

 

Mancur,
I hope it's not too late !! I special ordered Bridgestone S-03's from the Costco in Waltham. They had the lowest price and offered the same low price for mounting and balancing ( $9 + $1 for disposal of old tire). They hacked up my wheels!!! I had to tell them twice to use stick on weights ( they said they weren't sure if they had any ) but they did, And when everyhting was all done they left all of the soap lubrication on the wheels. They never even cleaned the wheels up!! Plus I noticed marks (after I got home) where the machine touched the edge of the rim.

If you do use them, I would talk to the guy personally and even offer a tip if the job is satisfactory.

Try to get your dealer to mount them for free. Tell them that you are so unhappy with your stock tires flatspotting, that you were forced to buy the larger wheels and tires and that you shouldn't have to pay for the cost of mounting/balancing. It might work

-Chad

 

Thanks Chad. I was hoping to hear something like that to make my decision easier. I was going to head to either their Danvers or Dedham store, but now I think the extra $60 is worth the peace of mind to take it to a specialized local shop.

 

Unfortunately 95% of their clients probably wouldn't care or even notice. I am not one of them and I was disappointed that it happend but the dealership gave me no trouble with replacement or any excuses.

I bought a brand new 911 in 1997 ($75k), I had two bad Pirelli's and with 1k miles on the car they swapped them out. Lo and behold they damaged the two front rims. There was a perfect die cut all the way around the lip of the rim! They were not nearly as responsive as my Acura dealer but eventually they made it right.