Did I just get hosed?

[Duck 16]

I took my wheels and rims to Tri-City Auto and Tire Service. They were really friendly and totally cooperative in helping me out with my wheel switch over.

When I dropped them off I could have sworn the guy said it was 18 bucks total, 9 bucks to take 4 tires off 4 rims, and 9 bucks to balance and install 4 tires on 4 rims.

When I went to pick up the stuff this morning the bill was like 82 bucks - tax plus 18 dollars per wheel not for all four!

Is this out of whack? I have no idea what tire places usually charge for this. There's a dick at OK Tire in Guelph that I've avoided but when I did call there he said "2 bucks a tire", which makes me think even more that they have no idea what they're doing at that place.

I could only fit my steel rims in my car so I have to go back tomorrow morning to get my alloys which now have my winter tires on them.

-Iain

[Bailey24 0]

82 bucks seems a bit steep, but 18 for all four seemed too cheap. I think my Benz dealer charges 48 for all four. Usually I get them done when something else needs service, like the brakes and then they charge me nothing since the wheels have to come off anyway, but it doesn't always work out that way.

[ValgardForkbeard 2]

Good day.Most tire places I have dealt with, it is about $20 (+/- a couple of bucks) to unmount/mount a tire, including flat repair, unless you bought the tires from them; then it might be cheaper or free.my $.02 worthMG

[booneylander 37]

A couple years ago it was about 8$ per wheel to re & re, at Canadian Tire. I would assume it might be more now. Are they disposing of your old tires for you? That adds usually 5$/tire or thereabouts.

[Duck 16]

No no, I'm keeping everything - I was just moving my winter tires from my steel rims over to my sportline (stock pulse) alloys) - they removed the tires from those rims so I could ship them.-Iain

[42Kruiser 0]

I think he was quoting you per wheel. here it is 8-10 to balance a wheel and the same again to re and re a tire. Always nice to find a place that still accepts cash for less though.

[Guest SmartUtilityVehicle]

Having a family owned Big-O-Tires shop, I would say you got a fair deal.The price really depends on the equipment the shop owns and the location it is in. For us, in the Metro Vancouver area obviously we need to charge more than Chilliwack. Furthermore we have a Nitrogen Compressor, the Latest Diagnostic JB Balancer and the most Expensive Corgi Tire machine you can buy at the moment. What does this mean to you? Aside from beind precision balanced, the balancer is set so that the weights are strategically placed behind the spokes rather than whereever the balancer sees fit, to increase the asthetic appeal. The wheel mounter never comes close to making metallic contact with your rim, ensuring the finish remains intact. A nitrogen compresser fills the tire with a larger molecule inert gas, that should require less re-filling (increasing fuel economy and tread life if you don't check your pressure regularly) as well as decrease deterioration on the inside of the tire due to a lack of condensation. These are small details sure, but the shop pays BIG bucks for this type of equipment.So we would generally charge based on the type of rim and type of tire. Obviously low-profile tires are much more difficult to mount than big baloons. Furthermore they are often mounted on more expensive rims, of which having a top of the line mounting machine protects. This is all factored into the cost. So for a 15" Alloy with performance tires I would say the $25 a tire mark is more than acceptable. Sure you can get it done at CDN tire, just like anything you can always find someone to do it cheaper. But for some people (especially those with $1000+ per rim) would you really want to chance it?

[darren 192]

That's about what i paid for the same thing at OK Tire in Burlington a couple of years ago. That seems like the going rate.

[Duck 16]

Thanks for the feedback guys!I'm going to ask him tomorrow when I pick up my other rims to show me the balancer - I'm quite curious how it attaches to any rim. I've seen an automated balancing machine for a component of an automatic transmission during the machining process (spins up the housing and then machines a notch on one side of the part - the size of the notch is dependant on how out-of-balance the housing is). Really neat!-Iain

[Guest SmartUtilityVehicle]

I would suppose you mean a torque convertor balancer.

[shattered roof twice 0]

Yes, you did get hosed. We used Tiretown in Stony Plain, Alberta. In a hurry right now but will look up the bill when I get back. They ordered our 1st set of winter tires for us for half the price that the Mercedes dealer was going to get them for and Tiretown installed them for quite a bit less and if it had been anywhere near $80 a tire, I would sure as heck remember!

[booneylander 37]

It was $80 total, not $80 per tire.

[MikeT 744]

Seems fair enough. For comparison, FastEddy did a re+re on my winter pulse skinny alloys last weekend, with 4 new Hankooks, total cost all in was $450.

[cappytanjack 0]

I pay an independent Tire Store here in Cornwall approx $100 each spring and again each fall to swap out my summers for winters and vice versa. This includes mounting, balancing and new valve stems. Your price seems comparable IMO.Cappytanjack ...

[Duck 16]

I forgot that they also pulled the tires off my alloys before I shipped them off... so yeah I guess I did get a good deal. Okay I'm satisfied!!-Iain

[Fred J 0]

I pay an independent Tire Store here in Cornwall approx $100 each spring and again each fall to swap out my summers for winters and vice versa. This includes mounting, balancing and new valve stems. Your price seems comparable IMO.Cappytanjack ...

That $200 per year would be better spent on a second set of wheels and change them yourself at your convenience.

[cappytanjack 0]

No argument there, but I subscribe to the theory happy wife, happy life and she wants her 06 3-series BMW to "have the same damned wheels on it summer and winter" so I have no choice. It's a small price to pay for peace and relative quiet and it helps keep the economy rolling. LOL :)Cappytanjack ...

Edited September 30, 2008 by cappytanjack

[shattered roof twice 0]

I said Tiretown earlier, it is Tirecraft and it was $26 per tire to chg in spring and fall, including balancing and valve stems. Once the car is off warranty, we will no longer be getting the oil changes from them either. They turn an inexpensive, fuel efficient car into an expensive item. Service, shop work, products, all highly over priced.

[Jibber 0]

IIRC, Lone Star here in Calgary charged me $130 to swap my EcoContacts with my WinterContacts on my 450, and I carried the Ecos home in the back. I think you got a good deal, Iain.

[Putz 0]

Now in my opinion you got a more than fair deal. Taking 8 tires off rims and installing 4 tires on rims and balance those 4 tires is about 100-125 here locally. And i just called Tirecraft in Stony Plain and they told me $120.00 plus tax.

[Francesco 71]

A local, reputable tire place will just re-re mounted tires (if you have your winters on extra rims) for $5 a corner. A full swap is $15 dollars a corner. So if I'm reading this right: you got them to remove your snows from the steelies, remove the summers from the pulse alloys, and re-install the snows on the pulses? Or am I wrong? 'Cause if that's it, that's a good price. If four of the rims were bare and they just re-re'd the tires off one set to another, it sounds like a very normal price.

[bilgladstone 13]

Had the tires rotated today. Remove all rubber; clean out Ride-On Tire Protection (water soluble); install fronts on back, backs on front, balance & new valve stems.

$100. Done.

B

P.S. a suggestion to check your tire pressure the next morning to be sure it's where you want it to be.

[Duck 16]

A local, reputable tire place will just re-re mounted tires (if you have your winters on extra rims) for $5 a corner. A full swap is $15 dollars a corner. So if I'm reading this right: you got them to remove your snows from the steelies, remove the summers from the pulse alloys, and re-install the snows on the pulses? Or am I wrong? 'Cause if that's it, that's a good price. If four of the rims were bare and they just re-re'd the tires off one set to another, it sounds like a very normal price.

Yeah you got it - that's exactly right!-Iain

[Ian7 0]

I pay an independent Tire Store here in Cornwall approx $100 each spring and again each fall to swap out my summers for winters and vice versa...Cappytanjack ...

At $200 a year, only takes 2 years to pay for a set of dedicated winter rims. Plus the bonuses of:1. you can now do it yourself, at your convenience2. less risk of damaging a tire bead; wait until the first time a rookie cuts your bead, and you try to get the tire place to cover it...

[Francesco 71]

I'm considering doing swaps as a sideline starting in the spring. I've done my own for almost 20 years, and a few years ago I started doing my wife's, her mom's and my mom's cars. I store all the tires under my deck. This year I also did my sister's car and my BIL's. It's become a bit of work, but I can't repeat enough how a good set of tools makes all the difference in the world: I have a big, well-lit garage, a good jack, compressor and industrial-quality impact wrench and sockets. It takes me about 15 minutes to swap from one set to the other on almost any car now. I'd like to expand the "operation" to include friends' and co-workers' cars, and charge $5 per tire.