Local tire mounting and balance charges up, up and away.....
 

Just called around. Looks like all the local chain and indy stores are charging $45-50 each tire due to competition online. Basically doubles matching online pricing with bend over installs.

Any chains out there that will do lower prices than that?

Wal mart $8

Local guy just did my 190SL. $5 each.

Wow. We do it every year at the local Firestone store for about $50 total. We have the Firestone credit card that gives another 10% discount and always get coupons in the mail to bring it down even farther. We've shopped around and Firestone seems to have the best price, but strangly the dealerships up here aren't far behind.

The absolutely highest charges come from the independent tire, battery and accessory shops like Tires Plus, National Tire and Battery, etc. this is particularly interesting because Bridgestone/Firestone owns Tires Plus, but the net cost between the two is almost half at the Firestone shop.

$15 to mount and balance a tire in my area.

It's about $25 per tire around here

Tire plug is $15. Tire patch is $20 Install a tube is also $20, plus the price of the tube.

If somebody shows up with a flat tire in the trunk that needs to be replaced, and they want to jack it up and change it themselves after I sell, and mount a new one on their wheel, it's $15, plus the price of the tire. Valve stem, and balance included.

I charge $20 per wheel to mount a tire, replace the valve stem, and balance it, if tires are still on the vehicle.

If I sell a set of four, I charge an hour's labor which is $75, and I'll even wipe off yo' brake dust so my hand prints ain't all over yo' rimps. :cool:

4 wheel alignment is also $75, plus any alignment parts like cam kits, shims, ball joint bushings, etc... If there's some chassis damage, but it's still within the adjustment range and I know I can still line it up, I charge however long it takes.

I think I found your problem.

$16.00 per wheel here but they have state of the art equipment and know what they're doing.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g.jpg~original

I used to go to a little Mongolian place before the llantera's shut him down. He would balance the tires on a bubble balancer. Good ole' days.

I go to the local mexican tire yards (llantera) now. Bring my own metal valve stems and they charge 10$ for mount and balance. They don't scuff the rims, and don't even charge a disposal fee. It would prolly be more if i showed up in a brand new truck with 2-300$ tires.

I used to go to a little Mongolian place before the llantera's shut him down. He would balance the tires on a bubble balancer. Good ole' days.

I go to the local mexican tire yards (llantera) now. Bring my own metal valve stems and they charge 10$ for mount and balance. They don't scuff the rims, and don't even charge a disposal fee. It would prolly be more if i showed up in a brand new truck with 2-300$ tires.

Took a car to a low price chain store once.

Never again.

Ended up with two different compounds of tires, and they jacked the car improperly. :(

That was my first, and hopefully last time of taking a car I own to a not family operated tire business, and I'm not doing it again. Who cares the cost, its once every few years.

Place I went to last used hand ratchets on the 944, tightened it down with a torque wrench, no impact hammer.

I have a mobile guy that come to my house for only $40 per wheel...

I take my wheels off, take them to a friend of mine; he charges 75 bucks, and I tip him 25, because he gives a s hit and the wheels and tires come back scratch free and beautifully balanced, and he's happy to see me when I have a special request, like the time I asked him to take a space saver tire off of a stock 911 steel wheel and remount it on an alloy 928 spare wheel. Since I buy my tires online, I'm still saving a bundle. Win, Win!

Tirerack has their list of preferred installers. Lets you see the price online before you go to the hassle of showing up. Most places were in the $20-30/wheel last time I checked. I usually buy my tires from Discount Tire Direct and have them installed at a local America's Tire. They charge about $20-25/corner IIRC. Plus they do free tire patches.

I sold my fair share of 928/951 alloy space savers. Your guy is good if he can dismount those without damage.

Sort of like taking food to a restaurant and having them cook it....
If I owned a shop and you brought tires in there would be a exorbitant charge passed on as a stupid tax.
How can they stay in business spending a hour of a shops time for 25 bucks?

Tire shops are not allowed to mount tires of the wrong size on a car, it doesn't matter what you want, they won't do it. It has to do with messing up the ABS braking system that would send wrong signals to the computer if the diameter is different.

You can bypass this problem (not reccomended) by taking the wheels/tires to a shop and having them mount on the rims and balence them while off the car. Take them home and mount them on your car yourself.

ditto, Ron and Matt at C2 are the best. :):)
The chain stores seem to have a lot of turnover with many newer employees changing tires.
The chain stores have balanced our tires incorrectly and damaged rims with impacts too often.
The chain stands behind the damage and offers to fix it.
But it takes 3 months instead of a week and in that time the chain most likely has moved the manager to a new location.
One such chain moves its managers frequently just to avoid them developing a long term relationship with the customer.

Had a motorcycle salvage yard that did that. The guys could mount and balance a tire in 10 minutes flat. Charged 10 dollars. Was like that for the last 10+ years. 6 months ago he started charging people 20 dollars mount and balance if you brought your own tires. Claimed "I have the best prices in town on tires". Well you don't :rolleyes: