Where to take my tire for mounting and balancing?

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

I am thinking WalMart righ now. $5 to mount, another $5 to balance. I might just go for lifetime balancing for $7.5 (per tire). Lots of location and cheap. My preference would be Firestone store but they don't seem to offer the same low price. Any suggestion? I am in DC area.

 

[Gillbot]

call around and see, I had a local dealer do one for $10

 

[exdeath]

Pretty much any place that does tires. Discount Tire, Sears, Sams/Costco, Walmart, etc.

 

[kalrith]

I go to a local tire place in town. They charge $12.50/tire, which includes mounting, balancing, and disposal of old tire. I personally stay away from Walmart's auto shop.

 

[TruePaige]

Walmart is cheap.

 

[StageLeft]

I always mount them myself. Also, do all the lubing myself; I don't need any help.

Oh, you said tires.

 

[CraigRT]

I always mount them myself. Also, do all the lubing myself; I don't need any help.

Oh, you said tires.

Ha

 

[Bignate603]

After having Sam's club (owned by Walmart) forget to tighten my lug nuts after changing my tires I'll never go back. Find someplace else.

 

[Proprioceptive]

My Firestone does it for $10 a tire... mount, balance, and disposal

 

[exdeath]

I always mount them myself. Also, do all the lubing myself; I don't need any help.

Oh, you said tires.

win

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Skoorb, you never fail to amaze me, whether positively or not.

Ok, so I just got back from walmart and have to say I have mixed feeling about it. They made me purchase 4 new stems ($8) and later I found out the lifetime balancing is only good for the current tires. How can they call it lifetime if it's good for current tires? The lifetime alignment which I bought from Firestone, goes with the car not the tire. I am disappointed.

 

[Gibson486]

Skoorb, you never fail to amaze me, whether positively or not.

Ok, so I just got back from walmart and have to say I have mixed feeling about it. They made me purchase 4 new stems ($8) and later I found out the lifetime balancing is only good for the current tires. How can they call it lifetime if it's good for current tires? The lifetime alignment which I bought a few years ago from Firestone, goes with the car not the tire. I am disappointed.

Why would they offer that service to you on tires they did not install and take money away from you? You BOUGHT a lifetime alignment at Firestone, so they owe you that service. The only thing you bought at Walmart was the installation of the tires, which with free rotations. Every other place does the same thing. You get tires installed there, they give you free rotations and balance. Any extension passed the life of your tire would simply lead to them working for free.

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Err...I didn't say the lifetime balancing was free, did I?

Lifetime balacing costs $10 more than one-time balacing cost. Not much more, but I bought it with the expectation to use that service until I gave up on the car, which could be another 10 years or so.

 

[StageLeft]

Make sure they use penetrating lube.

 

[boomerang]

Err...I didn't say the lifetime balancing was free, did I?

Lifetime balacing costs $10 more than one-time balacing cost. Not much more, but I bought it with the expectation to use that service until I gave up on the car, which could be another 10 years or so.

It could have been worse. You could have misunderstood lifetime balancing to mean the entire course of your life.

 

[fbrdphreak]

You get what you pay for.

If you go to a discount place, I'd suggest buying a torque wrench and re-torquing the lugs yourself.

Personally I wouldn't trust Wal-Mart to put air in my tires, much less something as important as tire mounting & balancing.

What do you drive? If there are any enthusiast forums built around your car, go there and ask in a regional subforum where people go.

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

thanks. I normally wouldn't trust a chain store like walmart either, but I got a chance to chat with the mechanic and he seemed like a good guy to me.

Now looking at the invoice, I think the lifetime balacing could go with the car instead of the tires....the invoice doesn't even say the type of tire I had them mounted on.

 

[NutBucket]

Depends on how nice your wheels are Go cheap if you don't care about them getting scratched/chipped.

Otherwise, stick with a reputable shop that won't damage the wheel.