Where to have tires mounted?

[zcasavant]

I bought new tires for my car. It's time to have them mounted and balanced. So far, the best price I can get is $200 for all four. That's absolutely obscene, in my opinion.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[TD]

There are two important factors:

-Price
-Can the shop install them without mangling your rims?

Most shops, regardless of price, can't seem to mount anything larger than 16s without damaging rims.

Fortuantely we have a shop down here that beats TireRack prices (after their CCA discount) and mounts those tires for only $10/ea AND is the only shop around that people trust to mount tires on larger rims. It's a win/win/win.

I'd get recommendations from the local CCA chapter or, possibly even better, the local PCA chapter.

[JST]

There are two important factors:

-Price
-Can the shop install them without mangling your rims?

Most shops, regardless of price, can't seem to mount anything larger than 16s without damaging rims.

Fortuantely we have a shop down here that beats TireRack prices (after their CCA discount) and mounts those tires for only $10/ea AND is the only shop around that people trust to mount tires on larger rims. It's a win/win/win.

I'd get recommendations from the local CCA chapter or, possibly even better, the local PCA chapter.

How much does Radial Tire charge to mount and balance? Is it really only $10/tire?

[Nick M3]

$10 for mounting and balancing IF you buy the tires from them. And since they get everything that tirerack gets at at least the same price AND get everything the TireRack doesn't carry, there's no reason to buy elsewhere.

I will note that I'm not totally thrilled with their balancing. It's OK, but not as good as it might be.

[bren]

There are two important factors:

-Price
-Can the shop install them without mangling your rims?

Most shops, regardless of price, can't seem to mount anything larger than 16s without damaging rims.


This is VERY true....I found out the hard way. Make sure when you talk to the tire shop that you specify that they are low profile tires and 17" wheels.

[JST]

$10 for mounting and balancing IF you buy the tires from them. And since they get everything that tirerack gets at at least the same price AND get everything the TireRack doesn't carry, there's no reason to buy elsewhere.

I will note that I'm not totally thrilled with their balancing. It's OK, but not as good as it might be.

They quoted me a price per tire about $100 higher than Tire Rack on the Goodyear F1s.

[TD]

$10 for mounting and balancing IF you buy the tires from them. And since they get everything that tirerack gets at at least the same price AND get everything the TireRack doesn't carry, there's no reason to buy elsewhere.

I will note that I'm not totally thrilled with their balancing. It's OK, but not as good as it might be.

They quoted me a price per tire about $100 higher than Tire Rack on the Goodyear F1s.

That's odd.

You do have to make sure to mention that you want the price w/CCA discount.

In my experience, their regualr prices are a bit higher than TireRack (not a lot) and their discounted price beats TireRack. Throw in the $10/tire mounting charge and you're way ahead.

[bren]

They quoted me a price per tire about $100 higher than Tire Rack on the Goodyear F1s.
They must really want you to buy the Toyos.

[JST]

They quoted me a price per tire about $100 higher than Tire Rack on the Goodyear F1s.
They must really want you to buy the Toyos.

They had nothing good to say about the Goodyears. They were pushing the Toyos HARD.

The contrarian in me wants the Goodyears. Also, I recall my last experience with lesser known, cheaper tires with some revulsion. And (here comes the best reason...wait for it...) the Toyos look kind of stupid.

[ZHPhil]

I bought new tires for my car. It's time to have them mounted and balanced. So far, the best price I can get is $200 for all four. That's absolutely obscene, in my opinion.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.
My dealer quoted me $109.95 to do four tires if I drop ship from Tirerack. Amazed that you found someone higher than them.

[Nick M3]

They quoted me a price per tire about $100 higher than Tire Rack on the Goodyear F1s.
They must really want you to buy the Toyos.

They had nothing good to say about the Goodyears. They were pushing the Toyos HARD.

The contrarian in me wants the Goodyears. Also, I recall my last experience with lesser known, cheaper tires with some revulsion. And (here comes the best reason...wait for it...) the Toyos look kind of stupid.

Everyone locally runs the T1-S without complaints. Which isn't to say that I really want them, as soft sidewalls don't really appeal.

And who did you get your price quote from? If it wasn't Paul, prices probably weren't as good. Generally, I've seen Radial's actual price come out to $5-$10 higher per tire that the TireRack. But the fact that they mount and balance for less than half the price of most shops equalizes that.

[bren]

I bought new tires for my car. It's time to have them mounted and balanced. So far, the best price I can get is $200 for all four. That's absolutely obscene, in my opinion.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.
My dealer quoted me $109.95 to do four tires if I drop ship from Tirerack. Amazed that you found someone higher than them.

Most of the big name tire shops in my area (Mr Tire, NTB, Firestone, etc.) wanted $25 per wheel. I finally got it done at Kimmel Tire for $15 each.

[TD]

I've found ~$25/wheel to be the going rate around here as well.

[clyde]

The one thing I don't like about Radial is how they push Toyo. From what I've heard, they are or want to be the #1 Toyo dealer in the US. If there is a Toyo that will work for your application, they will try to push it. Other than that, they do know their tires and wheels and their prices are good...and flexible. They do a great job and are very supportive of the local racers/autocrossers. That's something that I would like to support even if it means not grinding over every last dollar. While they can usually beat TireRack's prices w/ or w/o the CCA discount if you ask them to, if they're close, I'm don't try to grind out every last cent. They provide a value, they're a local business (not a faceless corporate chain), they're friendly and they take fix their mistakes without complaint (I think I related the story of them overcharging my wife last fall and how they resolved it).

The primary reason that I didn't order the Hoosiers through them was that the tires are in very short supply, it was unlcear when the next batch in this size would be manufactured and Radial can be a little overly optimistic in those situations. Gary at TireRack told me that he could guarantee me a set from their first batch.

Radial quoted me $12/ea for mounting them and hopefully I'll be able to drop them off tonight.

[lemming]

ZC:

yeah. tell me about it, dude.

most shops, if you don't want to get gouged by them for paying a lot of money for tires at full f*cking retail, charge $25-40 per tire to mount and balance.

it's just the way of it.

i have some porsche connections who do excellent work without scratching rims. the boys from discount tire in watertown do good work without scratching rims.

the BBS forged rims on the STi are $750 apiece from the dealer and i strongly encouraged the guy at discount tire to be careful. they did a great job --but it cost $150.

[FC]

ZC:

yeah. tell me about it, dude.

most shops, if you don't want to get gouged by them for paying a lot of money for tires at full f*cking retail, charge $25-40 per tire to mount and balance.

it's just the way of it.

i have some porsche connections who do excellent work without scratching rims. the boys from discount tire in watertown do good work without scratching rims.

the BBS forged rims on the STi are $750 apiece from the dealer and i strongly encouraged the guy at discount tire to be careful. they did a great job --but it cost $150.

Autobahn did a great job,. $30 per tire plus weights. With 6 weights @$4 a piece, it ended up costing me $144 + tax. So again, about $150 bucks.

[lemming]

ZC:

yeah. tell me about it, dude.

most shops, if you don't want to get gouged by them for paying a lot of money for tires at full f*cking retail, charge $25-40 per tire to mount and balance.

it's just the way of it.

i have some porsche connections who do excellent work without scratching rims. the boys from discount tire in watertown do good work without scratching rims.

the BBS forged rims on the STi are $750 apiece from the dealer and i strongly encouraged the guy at discount tire to be careful. they did a great job --but it cost $150.

Autobahn did a great job,. $30 per tire plus weights. With 6 weights @$4 a piece, it ended up costing me $144 + tax. So again, about $150 bucks.

basically if they have a hunter tire machine, all you have to ensure is that the monkeys don't fling the wheels around on the ground which is how they get scratched the most. no getting around the price though.

[Rob]

Price is about the last thing I consider for tire mounting. The ability not to mangle the wheels and the ability to balance well are way more important.

But yeah, $50 a tire seems a bit ridiculous.

[Roadstergal]

Where to have tires mounted?

I'd have 'em mounted on the wheels. :P

$50 per tire is ludicrous. Even $25 is a bit much.

[lemming]

so....where are you going to have 'em mounted and balanced?

[zcasavant]

Autobahn did a great job,. $30 per tire plus weights. With 6 weights @$4 a piece, it ended up costing me $144 + tax. So again, about $150 bucks.

Autobahn quoted me $200 to do all four on my car. WTF? :scratch:

The big issue I have with these wheels is that they are not repairable, and therefore, if they are damaged, I'm up shit's creek.

edit: Marijuana Storage Places wanted $52.50 per corner.






(that's Herb Chambers for the uninformed)

[Terry Kennedy]

Autobahn quoted me $200 to do all four on my car. WTF? :scratch:
I get mine done at Wheel Collision in Pennsylvania (just over the river from NJ). $18 each for mount and balance off the car, $20 each for mount and balance on the car. And if they screw up (not that they ever have) they refinish wheels in their shop :D

Note: It was amusing when I brought 5 of my wheels+tires and 4 of Amanda's wheels+tires out there in her Celica :lol:

[zcasavant]

Autobahn quoted me $200 to do all four on my car. WTF? :scratch:
I get mine done at Wheel Collision in Pennsylvania (just over the river from NJ). $18 each for mount and balance off the car, $20 each for mount and balance on the car. And if they screw up (not that they ever have) they refinish wheels in their shop :D

Note: It was amusing when I brought 5 of my wheels+tires and 4 of Amanda's wheels+tires out there in her Celica :lol:

This wouldn't be as big of a deal if my wheels were repairable. Unfortunately, they are mostly bare metal and not painted.

[Terry Kennedy]

This wouldn't be as big of a deal if my wheels were repairable. Unfortunately, they are mostly bare metal and not painted.
Well, I've never had them screw anything up, nor have I ever heard a bad comment about them.

[zcasavant]

This wouldn't be as big of a deal if my wheels were repairable. Unfortunately, they are mostly bare metal and not painted.
Well, I've never had them screw anything up, nor have I ever heard a bad comment about them.

That's also kinda far away from me. :p

[Terry Kennedy]

That's also kinda far away from me. :pYeah, well... They're somewhat far from me (I'm in NYC) as well. But choices in Manhattan are somewhat limited :shock:

[FC]

Autobahn quoted me $200 to do all four on my car. WTF? :scratch:

?????WTF??? :?

Well, I got mine done early December. I can't imagine them jacking their prices that much. :?:

[lemming]

i can call around to check about pricing, too, if you're really that interested, but who knows what's going on here.

i'm not so price sensitive because i just want my wheels to be taken care of -- so i couldn't guarantee you the best price, just good care.

[zcasavant]

i can call around to check about pricing, too, if you're really that interested, but who knows what's going on here.

i'm not so price sensitive because i just want my wheels to be taken care of -- so i couldn't guarantee you the best price, just good care.

I'm taking any bids below $200 for the whole deal, as long as the wheels end up not damaged in any way. I just can't fathom spending $200. $150, sure.

[lemming]

had one more thought for you:

might be worth your time to see who herb chambers uses to actually mount low profile tires. i kind of doubt that they do it themselves. dealers usually ship 'em out to subcontracting tire shops.

and mark up the cost and pass it along accordingly.

i called around, p-car shops aren't really willing to do it for less than $225. they do a good job, mind you, just not inexpensively.

[SARAFIL]

had one more thought for you:

might be worth your time to see who herb chambers uses to actually mount low profile tires. i kind of doubt that they do it themselves. dealers usually ship 'em out to subcontracting tire shops.

and mark up the cost and pass it along accordingly.

i called around, p-car shops aren't really willing to do it for less than $225. they do a good job, mind you, just not inexpensively.

We mount tires in house. The only time we outsource is when we are actually buying the tires elsewhere (if they are cheaper than what we could get them for), and they'll mount them for us.

Dealers usually charge a premium for "sport wheels", "M wheels", low profile set ups, or whatever else you can call them. You'd be shocked if you knew how much time they pay a tech to mount/balance 4 sport wheels, versus "regular" wheels. Once you know, it makes it clear why they charge what they do.

[Nick M3]

had one more thought for you:

might be worth your time to see who herb chambers uses to actually mount low profile tires. i kind of doubt that they do it themselves. dealers usually ship 'em out to subcontracting tire shops.

and mark up the cost and pass it along accordingly.

i called around, p-car shops aren't really willing to do it for less than $225. they do a good job, mind you, just not inexpensively.

We mount tires in house. The only time we outsource is when we are actually buying the tires elsewhere (if they are cheaper than what we could get them for), and they'll mount them for us.

Dealers usually charge a premium for "sport wheels", "M wheels", low profile set ups, or whatever else you can call them. You'd be shocked if you knew how much time they pay a tech to mount/balance 4 sport wheels, versus "regular" wheels. Once you know, it makes it clear why they charge what they do.

Yeah, but I can still get 30 series tires mounted for $10 per. :twisted:

[SARAFIL]

had one more thought for you:

might be worth your time to see who herb chambers uses to actually mount low profile tires. i kind of doubt that they do it themselves. dealers usually ship 'em out to subcontracting tire shops.

and mark up the cost and pass it along accordingly.

i called around, p-car shops aren't really willing to do it for less than $225. they do a good job, mind you, just not inexpensively.

We mount tires in house. The only time we outsource is when we are actually buying the tires elsewhere (if they are cheaper than what we could get them for), and they'll mount them for us.

Dealers usually charge a premium for "sport wheels", "M wheels", low profile set ups, or whatever else you can call them. You'd be shocked if you knew how much time they pay a tech to mount/balance 4 sport wheels, versus "regular" wheels. Once you know, it makes it clear why they charge what they do.

Yeah, but I can still get 30 series tires mounted for $10 per. :twisted:

When you are paying a tech 1 hour of labor per tire, it is hard to do it for $10. Yes, that's right, I said 1 hour per tire. As it is, the price is HEAVILY discounted. Compare that to 4/10 for a standard tire. :shock:

[clyde]

Yeah, but I can still get 30 series tires mounted for $10 per. :twisted:

When you are paying a tech 1 hour of labor per tire, it is hard to do it for $10. Yes, that's right, I said 1 hour per tire. As it is, the price is HEAVILY discounted. Compare that to 4/10 for a standard tire. :shock:

You say that you're paying your tech for one hour of labor per tire, but is that how long it's taking him? Book time and reality are frequently far removed from each other in favor of the shop. Nick's point, I believe, was that it doesn't take someone that knows what he's doing an hour to change a 30 series tire on a "sport wheel."

[Nick M3]

Yeah, but I can still get 30 series tires mounted for $10 per. :twisted:

When you are paying a tech 1 hour of labor per tire, it is hard to do it for $10. Yes, that's right, I said 1 hour per tire. As it is, the price is HEAVILY discounted. Compare that to 4/10 for a standard tire. :shock:

You say that you're paying your tech for one hour of labor per tire, but is that how long it's taking him? Book time and reality are frequently far removed from each other in favor of the shop. Nick's point, I believe, was that it doesn't take someone that knows what he's doing an hour to change a 30 series tire on a "sport wheel."

Indeed. The folks at Radial tire get them off, on and balanced in a matter of minutes.

[lemming]

had one more thought for you:

might be worth your time to see who herb chambers uses to actually mount low profile tires. i kind of doubt that they do it themselves. dealers usually ship 'em out to subcontracting tire shops.

and mark up the cost and pass it along accordingly.

i called around, p-car shops aren't really willing to do it for less than $225. they do a good job, mind you, just not inexpensively.

We mount tires in house. The only time we outsource is when we are actually buying the tires elsewhere (if they are cheaper than what we could get them for), and they'll mount them for us.

Dealers usually charge a premium for "sport wheels", "M wheels", low profile set ups, or whatever else you can call them. You'd be shocked if you knew how much time they pay a tech to mount/balance 4 sport wheels, versus "regular" wheels. Once you know, it makes it clear why they charge what they do.

highly dealer dependent, from my experience with dealers (lots of 'em).

[SARAFIL]

You say that you're paying your tech for one hour of labor per tire, but is that how long it's taking him?

It's just a number that is extrapolated from the BMW warranty labor allowances. They pay alot of time for stuff like mounting tires on sport wheels, doing alignments, etc. It doesn't take anyone that knows what they are doing that long, but they're paid on the time in the book, regardless of whether it takes them half or twice the time to do the job.

Trust me, tire mounting is not in any sense a "gravy" job for any service department, so it's not like they're all excited when they hear that they get to mount tires. The techs might like the fact that they'll make alot of hours on a relatively simple job, but the service department isn't too excited about the fact that they're doing yet another job that serves only to reduce their effective labor rate.

[zcasavant]

You say that you're paying your tech for one hour of labor per tire, but is that how long it's taking him?

It's just a number that is extrapolated from the BMW warranty labor allowances. They pay alot of time for stuff like mounting tires on sport wheels, doing alignments, etc. It doesn't take anyone that knows what they are doing that long, but they're paid on the time in the book, regardless of whether it takes them half or twice the time to do the job.

Trust me, tire mounting is not in any sense a "gravy" job for any service department, so it's not like they're all excited when they hear that they get to mount tires. The techs might like the fact that they'll make alot of hours on a relatively simple job, but the service department isn't too excited about the fact that they're doing yet another job that serves only to reduce their effective labor rate.

Maybe the "techs" at your dealership should take lessons from the people at Radial Tire then. $52 is the price at Herb Chambers REGARDLESS of vehicle; whether it's a hummer with low profile dub-dubs or a ford taurus with 14 inchers.

:evil:

[clyde]

You say that you're paying your tech for one hour of labor per tire, but is that how long it's taking him?

they're paid on the time in the book

Which is what I said.

[clyde]

Indeed. The folks at Radial tire get them off, on and balanced in a matter of minutes.

And they do it without scratching or otherwise damaging anything as well.

[zcasavant]

Update: I called the place that quoted me $200 for 4 corners and begged the guy to come down on the price. No dice. He said that e36 M3 wheels are very difficult because of some bullshit reason. I was under the impression that the standard staggered setup for the 330s was the same size and type of wheels as on the e36 M3s.

Anyone have documentation to that effect?


:evil:

[FC]

Update: I called the place that quoted me $200 for 4 corners and begged the guy to come down on the price. No dice. He said that e36 M3 wheels are very difficult because of some bullshit reason. I was under the impression that the standard staggered setup for the 330s was the same size and type of wheels as on the e36 M3s.

Anyone have documentation to that effect?


:evil:

:?

Did you tell him what kind of wheels you have? Maybe there is extra labor involved with those forged wheels. But I have a feeling they are full of shit.

[zcasavant]

Update: I called the place that quoted me $200 for 4 corners and begged the guy to come down on the price. No dice. He said that e36 M3 wheels are very difficult because of some bullshit reason. I was under the impression that the standard staggered setup for the 330s was the same size and type of wheels as on the e36 M3s.

Anyone have documentation to that effect?


:evil:

:?

Did you tell him what kind of wheels you have? Maybe there is extra labor involved with those forged wheels. But I have a feeling they are full of shit.

He has no idea what wheels I have. the forged wheels are the same dimensions as new M68 wheels (as far as I know). I just want some documentation (ideally from BMW) that shows that the wheels on a 330i and wheels on an e36 M3 are the same.


grrr.

[Rob]

Is it in the e36 manual? The BMW website will give you the wheel sizes for the 330. Having had both, I can tell you for certain that the setup and size is the same.

[zcasavant]

Is it in the e36 manual? The BMW website will give you the wheel sizes for the 330. Having had both, I can tell you for certain that the setup and size is the same.

As it turns out, the offsets are slightly different.

[clyde]

They just want ///More ///Money from you. What they're trying to do to you is obscene.

Is there a mail list or forum for your local CCA? Have you asked about who is used by the local track/autox junkies?

[zcasavant]

They just want ///More ///Money from you. What they're trying to do to you is obscene.

Is there a mail list or forum for your local CCA? Have you asked about who is used by the local track/autox junkies?

This place is known for quality, expensive work. Spacemonk and mbr129 had their tires mounted at this shop.

The guy said he had take a look at the wheels before reconsidering the quote. I'm still on snows, and the car goes in tomorrow for service. If I put 4 wheels (with old tires) and 4 new tires in the car, and he won't come down on the price, I'm going to throw a fit.

[FrenchBoy]

zcasavant,

I had AVS 100 mounted on my Type 44s at Direct Tire in Natick for like $40 per wheel. I thought it was a little steep at the time but they actually did a pretty good job.

My 2 cents,

FrenchBoy

[lemming]

zcasavant,

I had AVS 100 mounted on my Type 44s at Direct Tire in Natick for like $40 per wheel. I thought it was a little steep at the time but they actually did a pretty good job.

My 2 cents,

FrenchBoy

i did mention Direct Tire already, also...... :scratch:

[zcasavant]

zcasavant,

I had AVS 100 mounted on my Type 44s at Direct Tire in Natick for like $40 per wheel. I thought it was a little steep at the time but they actually did a pretty good job.

My 2 cents,

FrenchBoy

i did mention Direct Tire already, also...... :scratch:

That price differential isn't enough to make it worth my while. The car is going to Autobahn tomorrow, hopefully, the dude will realize that the e36 M3 is a fake M car, and as such, warrants a cheaper price. ;)

[lemming]

just let us know how it goes.....with the subtle warning that how they treat you likely determines future business from "us" guys.

if they treat you like crap, f*ck them. i'll get my porsche guy to mount our tires and i am sure he'd do it for less than $200 if he knew the business was coming his way.

[FrenchBoy]

i did mention Direct Tire already, also...... :scratch:

I think you mentioned Discount Tire not Direct Tire...

[clyde]

the dude will realize that the e36 M3 is a fake M car, and as such, warrants a cheaper price. ;)

Debadge before going there. :D

[zcasavant]

I brought the car there tonight. He agreed that the wheels were of identical size and shape (round) to the 330i wheels. I got him down to $160. Good enough.

[lemming]

for our "market", that's much more reasonable.

[zcasavant]

for our "market", that's much more reasonable.

I'm much more concerned about what he's going to find during Inspection II. The car has been VERY loud lately, and although I like it, something is amiss. :(

[lemming]

for our "market", that's much more reasonable.

I'm much more concerned about what he's going to find during Inspection II. The car has been VERY loud lately, and although I like it, something is amiss. :(

uh-oh.

that doesn't sound so promising.

[zcasavant]

for our "market", that's much more reasonable.

I'm much more concerned about what he's going to find during Inspection II. The car has been VERY loud lately, and although I like it, something is amiss. :(

uh-oh.

that doesn't sound so promising.

Any guesses on what it might be?

[FC]

I brought the car there tonight. He agreed that the wheels were of identical size and shape (round) to the 330i wheels. I got him down to $160. Good enough.

That's roughly what I paid. They do a good job.

[zcasavant]

Update:

Just got off the phone with the shop. The motor is fine, according to them (I still think it's damn loud). The car is leaking coolant at the thermostat housing, needs new belts, front brakes, rtabs, and front bushings.

The tires are being mounted right now.

[Rob]

He agreed that the wheels were of identical size and shape (round) to the 330i wheels

:lol:

Good luck with inspection II.

Side note, why is it that every BMW I own and drive (2) has even brake wear front and rear and everyone else goes through front brakes first? I just ordered parts and had to show my parts guy the back rotors and pads to convince him that I really wanted to replace them all.

[Nick M3]

My rear brakes wear at exactly half the rate of my fronts. Maybe your have been replaced once already? :p

[Rob]

I would think that, but . . . I changed the brakes on the 330 something like 4 times (in 25k miles!) due to track schools and the rears were always about even with the fronts. I thought it was well engineered based on weight balance and smaller pads, but I seem to be the only one. It is possible that the fronts were changed on the e36 before I got the car. Otherwise they lasted for 50k. Not likely.

[lemming]

any news on how they treated the car?

anything bad come up for inspection II?

[SpaceMonk]

Update:

Just got off the phone with the shop. The motor is fine, according to them (I still think it's damn loud). The car is leaking coolant at the thermostat housing, needs new belts, front brakes, rtabs, and front bushings.

The tires are being mounted right now.
Well, you knew about the rtabs.

I'm really surprised reading about your experience (now after the fact). Who were you dealing with on the phone? Chip?

They seem to do a ton of work on e36 M3's, and the two tech guys there (especially Chip) were really knowledgable about bimmers.

Maybe they just got tired of mounting low profile 17"+ wheels. I remember when I got my tires mounted there, Chip grumbled a bit about having to mount 17" tires first thing in the morning. But that's no excusing them trying to pork you.

[zcasavant]

any news on how they treated the car?

anything bad come up for inspection II?

Nothing serious so far. As I mentioned, there is a coolant leak, it needs new belts, some bushings, and front brakes.

[zcasavant]

Update:

Just got off the phone with the shop. The motor is fine, according to them (I still think it's damn loud). The car is leaking coolant at the thermostat housing, needs new belts, front brakes, rtabs, and front bushings.

The tires are being mounted right now.
Well, you knew about the rtabs.

I'm really surprised reading about your experience (now after the fact). Who were you dealing with on the phone? Chip?

They seem to do a ton of work on e36 M3's, and the two tech guys there (especially Chip) were really knowledgable about bimmers.

Maybe they just got tired of mounting low profile 17"+ wheels. I remember when I got my tires mounted there, Chip grumbled a bit about having to mount 17" tires first thing in the morning. But that's no excusing them trying to pork you.


Yeah, I worked with Chip. They have a reputation for doing quality, expensive work. I still swear the car sounds way different than it used to (louder), but I guess it's fine. :dunno:

[zcasavant]

I went and got the car back tonight. They did a superb job mounting the tires. They were very throrough in inspection 2, and replaced some lamps that were out too. Total price was $645. I think that's fair.

I'm just glad to have it back :).

[Rob]

$645? $160 of that was the tire mounting and another $300 was probably parts for the front brakes. Sounds like a decent deal after all. How's it run?

[zcasavant]

$645? $160 of that was the tire mounting and another $300 was probably parts for the front brakes. Sounds like a decent deal after all. How's it run?

The brakes were not serviced, just checked. I'll replace them myself. Inspection 2 was $435 (I specified no oil change), mounting tires was $160 + $28 for weights (ugh), and some money for some lamps that were out.

I feel that I was treated fairly.

[FC]

$645? $160 of that was the tire mounting and another $300 was probably parts for the front brakes. Sounds like a decent deal after all. How's it run?

The brakes were not serviced, just checked. I'll replace them myself. Inspection 2 was $435 (I specified no oil change), mounting tires was $160 + $28 for weights (ugh), and some money for some lamps that were out.

I feel that I was treated fairly.

You wont get a bargain from them... ever. But they will do a great job. I think I trust Chip more than the dealer.


On that note... I brought my car in so they could check on this brake noise I had (and reprogram my DRL's which they cleared last time) and they gave me (verbally) some BS about it being OK and maybe it was rust causing it ( :? ). Fine, as long as I have it on record that they checked it and saw it was ok. I don't want to hear from them later if something happens that "I did something to it."

I get the paperwork in the mail and they put down (cannot duplicate complaint). WTF!!?? It's there... ALL THE TIME! What are they stupid? Tell me you couldn't find the root cause, but don't tell me you couldn't replicate it. I even told them specifically how and when you can hear it.

Then the next day I go to clean my wheels and I find a (very small) dent on one of my spokes. :roll: So I went back and they are going to repair it next week.

I hate bringing my car in.

[zcasavant]

$645? $160 of that was the tire mounting and another $300 was probably parts for the front brakes. Sounds like a decent deal after all. How's it run?

The brakes were not serviced, just checked. I'll replace them myself. Inspection 2 was $435 (I specified no oil change), mounting tires was $160 + $28 for weights (ugh), and some money for some lamps that were out.

I feel that I was treated fairly.

You wont get a bargain from them... ever. But they will do a great job. I think I trust Chip more than the dealer.


On that note... I brought my car in so they could check on this brake noise I had (and reprogram my DRL's which they cleared last time) and they gave me (verbally) some BS about it being OK and maybe it was rust causing it ( :? ). Fine, as long as I have it on record that they checked it and saw it was ok. I don't want to hear from them later if something happens that "I did something to it."

I get the paperwork in the mail and they put down (cannot duplicate complaint). WTF!!?? It's there... ALL THE TIME! What are they stupid? Tell me you couldn't find the root cause, but don't tell me you couldn't replicate it. I even told them specifically how and when you can hear it.

Then the next day I go to clean my wheels and I find a (very small) dent on one of my spokes. :roll: So I went back and they are going to repair it next week.

I hate bringing my car in.

I definitely don't trust the dealer I used to use. I brought my car in for some routine maintenance while it was still under warranty and they noticed that the OBC was reading "Brake Lamp Out" or something like that. They proceded to replace the ENTIRE TAILLAMP ASSEMBLY (under warranty, but still....). When they called to tell me they had done this, I notified them that I was aware that there was a brake lightbulb out because I HAD REMOVED A BULB EARLIER THAT DAY!

Their response: "Oh, we didn't notice that"

That was the last time I went there.

[Rob]

Comparisons - I just picked my car up after the tire install. The install portion of the bill was $86. They don't charge for weights.

On the down side, they put weights on the outside of the wheel. I asked them why and they said it worked better for balancing at high speeds. I can't argue. The car was rock solid at 100mph without the slightest out of balance tremor. But it's ugly.

On the down side, I had them get the brake replacement parts and plugs for me. Four rotors (floating in front), new pads all around, two brake sensors, and six NKG replacement plugs - $725. *sigh* The prices were better than I could find on the net by a few dollars a part, too.

On the up side, what a difference from the tires! I replaced Bridgestone RE730s with Pilot Sport 2s. The first 50 mile test drive is nothing by smiles.

[lemming]

Comparisons - I just picked my car up after the tire install. The install portion of the bill was $86. They don't charge for weights.

On the down side, they put weights on the outside of the wheel. I asked them why and they said it worked better for balancing at high speeds. I can't argue. The car was rock solid at 100mph without the slightest out of balance tremor. But it's ugly.

On the down side, I had them get the brake replacement parts and plugs for me. Four rotors (floating in front), new pads all around, two brake sensors, and six NKG replacement plugs - $725. *sigh* The prices were better than I could find on the net by a few dollars a part, too.

On the up side, what a difference from the tires! I replaced Bridgestone RE730s with Pilot Sport 2s. The first 50 mile test drive is nothing by smiles.

dude: that's not too expensive for all of those parts. and it's not like you do that all of the time.

in other news, did you decide on what suspension to go with?

[Rob]

Comparisons - I just picked my car up after the tire install. The install portion of the bill was $86. They don't charge for weights.

On the down side, they put weights on the outside of the wheel. I asked them why and they said it worked better for balancing at high speeds. I can't argue. The car was rock solid at 100mph without the slightest out of balance tremor. But it's ugly.

On the down side, I had them get the brake replacement parts and plugs for me. Four rotors (floating in front), new pads all around, two brake sensors, and six NKG replacement plugs - $725. *sigh* The prices were better than I could find on the net by a few dollars a part, too.

On the up side, what a difference from the tires! I replaced Bridgestone RE730s with Pilot Sport 2s. The first 50 mile test drive is nothing by smiles.

dude: that's not too expensive for all of those parts. and it's not like you do that all of the time.

in other news, did you decide on what suspension to go with?

Sorry for contributing to the thread hijack. :oops:

I know the cost isn't bad comparatively, but it's still a bunch of money. As for the suspension, I probably won't decide that for quite some time (or until the shocks actually start leaking). I want more information on the KW stuff to see if I can keep the parts sale "in the family" and I still don't understand the "overpriced" concept. When you add everything up that comes in the Dinan packages, it seems pretty competitive to buying the parts seperately. But the suspension discussion got lost in that thread. :lol:

Z, how do you like the new tires? (Yes, that is my lame attempt to un-hijack.)

[zcasavant]

Comparisons - I just picked my car up after the tire install. The install portion of the bill was $86. They don't charge for weights.

On the down side, they put weights on the outside of the wheel. I asked them why and they said it worked better for balancing at high speeds. I can't argue. The car was rock solid at 100mph without the slightest out of balance tremor. But it's ugly.

On the down side, I had them get the brake replacement parts and plugs for me. Four rotors (floating in front), new pads all around, two brake sensors, and six NKG replacement plugs - $725. *sigh* The prices were better than I could find on the net by a few dollars a part, too.

On the up side, what a difference from the tires! I replaced Bridgestone RE730s with Pilot Sport 2s. The first 50 mile test drive is nothing by smiles.

dude: that's not too expensive for all of those parts. and it's not like you do that all of the time.

in other news, did you decide on what suspension to go with?

Sorry for contributing to the thread hijack. :oops:

I know the cost isn't bad comparatively, but it's still a bunch of money. As for the suspension, I probably won't decide that for quite some time (or until the shocks actually start leaking). I want more information on the KW stuff to see if I can keep the parts sale "in the family" and I still don't understand the "overpriced" concept. When you add everything up that comes in the Dinan packages, it seems pretty competitive to buying the parts seperately. But the suspension discussion got lost in that thread. :lol:

Z, how do you like the new tires? (Yes, that is my lame attempt to un-hijack.)

The PS2s are great so far. As any other people from the Boston area know, it's monsoon season here, so I didn't push it too hard. However, wet traction is absolutely phenomenal. I had to try really hard to get wheelspin on launches. The turn-in is very crisp.

One thing I've noticed is that my steering feel has deteriorated since before mounting the snows. Hopefully, replacing front suspension bits will help with that.

[lemming]

re: PS2's....

very good feedback from you guys. the original PS tires needed some tweaking. they really gave up a lot of grip from the original OEM M3 tire, the SXX3, for that v-tread.

i think they've gone back and regained some of the lost dry grip while managing to keep the wet running.

i've been impressed by toyo a lot lately. the T1-S tire is a nice, lightweight tire. i'm going to need new tires in about 7500-9000 miles and i will be watching with interest the feedback about the PS2's. otherwise i'll default to T1-S tires. the OEM goodyear f1-SC tires are really, really good for dry grip. pretty worthless when it rains.

(sigh).