I swear, one of the biggest rackets in automotive service is tires. $35-40 mount & balance
09-05-2007, 01:42 PM
#11
I used walmart, mounted balanced fine, but dropped the wheels on their FACES. Few nicks and..
scratches. I was not happy. I also had no other choice as they were the only place open on saturday that would mount 18" tires not bought from them.
09-05-2007, 02:56 PM
#14
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not only that, hard to get good work
for example, at Discount Tire, paid for road force balance, they didn't mark the force and direction for each tire, just marked which corner it goes. Asked for a specific valve configuration, they used a different one. Told them they could place stick-on weights on the outer lip and inner lip, but not close to the brake disc (for clearence). Ignored that too.
09-05-2007, 03:39 PM
#17
Most are ****holes.I've nice WalMarts, one with 70y/o super-stud Bob, tells me about chicks he boned
I'm in rural area with 3 different ones to pick from. Not a big sweat, but they are all tidy with a good staff. Since there are few major stores to shop in, I know them by name and they are cool with me. I let them work on my new Acura and Honda. Bob is a riot. Just point out you are not driving a minivan and want a tech who will tcob. It's not hard to spot a young guy there with a brain and ask him or her if they would be cool with working on your car. Just be positive and that makes things smooth. Someplaces are ****holes and nothing can redeem them, use your best judgment.
09-05-2007, 03:40 PM
#18
a comment...
If you consider the costs:
-Hunter equipment
-Wurth wheel weights
-labor
-time to set the car on the lift and remove the wheels
I won't even go into the tax , evironment, and local implications. Tires are usually a break even for most local shops unless they specialize in it. Its a volume business and good/educated labor is a rarity. Tires that have low and stiff side walls are a real bear to mount and require "real" equipment to mount. Unless of course you don't mind tons of scrapes and the paint removed. We change tires so infrequently, that the residual cost amortized of time is realatively small. I hear you though, there has been a bit of inflation over the years in costs, like labors , parts, and distributed costs.
-Hunter equipment
-Wurth wheel weights
-labor
-time to set the car on the lift and remove the wheels
I won't even go into the tax , evironment, and local implications. Tires are usually a break even for most local shops unless they specialize in it. Its a volume business and good/educated labor is a rarity. Tires that have low and stiff side walls are a real bear to mount and require "real" equipment to mount. Unless of course you don't mind tons of scrapes and the paint removed. We change tires so infrequently, that the residual cost amortized of time is realatively small. I hear you though, there has been a bit of inflation over the years in costs, like labors , parts, and distributed costs.
09-05-2007, 03:40 PM
#19
AudiWorld Uber User
Thread Starter
they said $3.50 per tire to mount, so maybe I'll just have them do that
and get a good balance elsewhere. It's kind of hard to screw up the mounting of a tire.
09-05-2007, 03:44 PM
#20
AudiWorld Uber User
Thread Starter
the one place didn't care that I was just bringing in the wheels and tires, no need for a lift
maybe I should mention that to every shop I get a quote from. I don't know if it will really matter, though.