Tires - from dealer or elsewhere?

[Doctordestiny]

My DD was quoted $450 for new tires on her Mazda. Includes installation. She's wondering if she should buy them from her dealer or try to save a bit of money and shop around for the same tires (Goodyears) but have the inconvenience and hassle of doing all of this.

I told her that she might save a hundred bucks or so but then she has to do the shopping and related work. Getting the tires during a service visit at the dealer is definitely easier.

Opinions? How much might she save by buying at Costco or somewhere else other than the dealer?

[burn_this_city]

$450 for 4 tires installed is a decent price.

[EDBTZ12]

The dealer charges around 130 dollars for Labor so I'd guess anywhere other than the dealer would save her money.

[stang]

Whats DD?

Are they just the same as her factory ones? Cause they are most likely junk. I wouldnt buy tires from a dealer.

But then again I wouldnt buy a vehicle for any of the dealers here (Lloydminster) either.

[Ducay]

Always buy from the dealer. They are the ones that know your vehicle best and are the ones who will know what works best at a reasonable price. Get your oil changed there too, only they know how to replace the blinker fluid

[Regulator75]

^ I kinda laughed...

[yads]

How much is the labor? Most places charge $15/tire for installation and maybe another $5/tire for balancing. If it's not worth it to shop around then just get it done during your next scheduled service.

[BlackArcher101]

Frankly, I'm under the belief that once you buy the vehicle, one should never return to the dealer unless for warranty or recall work. The $450 for tires sounds good though... but what are they? Are they the OEM tires that were on there before? The name Goodyear does not necessarily mean it's a good tire.

Definetely shop around. Also visit www.1010tires.com to see other options. Can also see www.tirerack.com to read reviews on various tires, as 1010's site is lacking in that regard a bit. Just remember that the prices on 1010 don't include mounting and balancing, you still need a shop to do that here.

[Ducay]

Costco, good prices and free green valve caps!

[BlackArcher101]

Oh, and don't fall for the nitrogen gimmick, shop with tires being #1 worry.

[OBCT]

Beyond that.... dealerships usually charge pretty high rates for labour. Unless the convenience is really worth it to her, I'd recommend taking your business elsewhere (maybe a place that specializes in tires?).

EDIT: Beaten to the punch with the www.tirerack.com recommendation.

[burn_this_city]

If you want to buy tires over the net www.tiretrends.com

Dont waste money paying duty and brokerage fees by buying Canadian.

[Bill Bumface]

The tires they give her will likely be garbage. Besides some performance cars, OEM tires usually suck.

Also tell her to go with winters and summers if it's time for new tires. Practically the same price over time, and there is really no good reason not to. All seasons suck in all conditions.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

The tires they give her will likely be garbage. Besides some performance cars, OEM tires usually suck.

True dat. I'm really disappointed with the tires that came with my new truck. They're Bridgestones, but they seem to be some kind of extra cheap ones. First of all, the tread depth was like 60% of what a new set of Bridgestones would have been at a tire shop. Secondly, I've had more nail punctures in these tires in the last year than I had in the two years prior on my old truck with tires I bought from a tire shop.

Love my 'Yota, but you'd think that spending damn near 40 grand on a truck would get you a decent set of rubber. Heninger will not be profiting from my tire purchase this fall.

[REDVAN]

I went from goodyear oem on my grand am, to falkens for summer and nokian hakka's for winter.

Got both sets at Kal Tire.

I know a lot of people hate them, but they've always done a good job for me.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

If you want to buy tires over the net www.tiretrends.com

Dont waste money paying duty and brokerage fees by buying Canadian.

When the tire I want costs $152 at TireRack and $248 at Tiretrends, I'm still further ahead, including shipping and brokerage...

[taco.vidal]

Shop around. When I got winter tires last year, the dealer was suprisingly the cheapest place around. When a dealer has a sale on goods like tires and aftermarket accessories, you can find some pretty good deals.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

When the tire I want costs $152 at TireRack and $248 at Tiretrends, I'm still further ahead, including shipping and brokerage...

Brokerage is now included for Tirerack orders. $0 due when they hit your door. Much easier to cross shop, and they are almost always cheaper by a decent margin.

[Hemi-Cuda]

as another Mazda 3 owner, DO NOT buy those Goodyear tires. the stock ones they put on the 3 (and i'm assuming the same ones you'd buy at the dealership) are absolutely terrible.

IMO you should visit Kal-Tire and ask them about the Nokian all-weather tires. they'll cost a bit more, but they are very highly rated winter tires that you can run all year, and Kal-Tire puts a 5-year/100,000 mile warranty on them, so if you do get a flat you can get it fixed for free

i had 2 of those stock Goodyear tires blow out on me on the highway, then i finally had enough and got the Nokians installed. not a problem since, and that was 4 years ago

[C-Life]

$450 for 4 tires+labour is cheap. So they are most likely cheap tires.

I needed winter tires during the winter tire shortage last year, I had no choice but to go through the dealer. And because of the 18" rims I have, I had to get new winter rims (which turned out to be way too nice for winter rims), plus labour, it ran me $1300 cold hard cash. Really, really good winter tires though.
http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?ti...VS+Winter+V901