Costco tire rotation appts. / very unusual

[ecotourist]

My BMW recommended not to rotate tires. Think it was the manual, but could have been the enthusiast website. I never did and they wore out evenly.

My Tesla seems to have very even tire wear as well. Haven't rotated the tires yet.

Front wheel drive seems to be where tire wear is uneven. In my experience anyway.

 

[javacontour]

My BMW recommended not to rotate tires. Think it was the manual, but could have been the enthusiast website. I never did and they wore out evenly.

My Tesla seems to have very even tire wear as well. Haven't rotated the tires yet.

Front wheel drive seems to be where tire wear is uneven. In my experience anyway.

Staggered sizes and directional tires precludes a rotation.

 

[John105]

My BMW recommended not to rotate tires. Think it was the manual, but could have been the enthusiast website. I never did and they wore out evenly.

My Tesla seems to have very even tire wear as well. Haven't rotated the tires yet.

Front wheel drive seems to be where tire wear is uneven. In my experience anyway.

On my BMW I notice the rears wear faster than the fronts (RWD/staggered/manual). I don't notice this on the Lexus (RWD/squared/auto). Only the Lexus is rotated, not the BMW. My tires are not directional but what's the point of swapping from one side to the other...

 

[edyvw]

On my BMW I notice the rears wear faster than the fronts (RWD/staggered/manual). I don't notice this on the Lexus (RWD/squared/auto). Only the Lexus is rotated, not the BMW. My tires are not directional but what's the point of swapping from one side to the other...

Rotation needs depends on the vehicle. Most BMW's have 50/50% weight distribution or some RWD's have 49/51 and xDrives, 51/49%. They really have perfect balance.
But try not to rotate tires on Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey, and you will find out very fast how expensive is that.

 

[NeoistheOne]

Only problem I have with Costco tires is they only sell top line tires. Sometimes you don't want the best.

Go to a Used Tire place for cheap Rim Protector Tires

 

[Merek]

I just go with Tire Rack anymore, I know Costco does have good deals but will practically only go with what the vehicle came with from the factory. I had a coworker that had a '96 Camry and I believe came with V rated tires which were a lot more expensive and also didn't last that long either, he purchased tires for his other vehicle there but for that car he went elsewhere. I found that now most places will not even install a size different than what it came with.

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

Costco will not warranty the tires if you rotate them yourself.

Really? I am getting tires soon and was likely getting them from Costco for a number of reasons. Flat repair being one, warranty obviously on the list too. I wouldn’t ever be back for rotations, though, as I do all my own work at home. No warranty without them rotating them for me may bring them down a notch.

 

[The Critic]

Really? I am getting tires soon and was likely getting them from Costco for a number of reasons. Flat repair being one, warranty obviously on the list too. I wouldn’t ever be back for rotations, though, as I do all my own work at home. No warranty without them rotating them for me may bring them down a notch.

Yes. If Costco does not perform the rotations at their specified intervals, they will generally reject any treadwear warranty claims.

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

Yes. If Costco does not perform the rotations at their specified intervals, they will generally reject any treadwear warranty claims.

Kind of a pain, but I doubt I’d ever use a treadwear warranty. I’d just want them to honor their repairs and road hazard.

 

[The Critic]

Kind of a pain, but I doubt I’d ever use a treadwear warranty. I’d just want them to honor their repairs and road hazard.

For repairs, they don’t care about your rotation intervals.

Keep in mind that they have their own specified intervals for rotations and that interval is often different than your OEM or tire manufacturer’s recommendation. Both too soon and too late will void the treadwear warranty in their eyes, and they also won’t warranty anything before 2/32.”

The ones around here also really struggle with balancing tires. I think the Coats balancers they use are not very idiot proof compared to Hunter’s mounting setup.

 

[CKN]

Let's be honest, making a trip to Costco isn't "planned." It's basically either rush over on lunch break (or anytime during work hours for remote workers), or spur of the moment.

I've always found it suspect that no appointments are available for 5+ days in the future, for the 3 closest to my home.

Then, I check the one near work, and they have appointments today. Problem is I have to pay the bridge toll to get there. I will. I can hit the car wash while across the bridge (monthly).

But my point is, I think it's suspect that 5 Costcos have zero appts well into the future, then 1 has them as soon as this afternoon, and every single day into the future. As if most stores don't use appts, or, on purpose, they book them all so none show up.

I have glanced over at tire shops and have seen zero to one car in the bays, on a weekend. The only one that has no availability as in not ever, is the one in Delaware. People from PA/NJ/DE/MD/VA/DC are all getting tires installed no sales tax.

Think about it, what would you do if you got a flat, wait 7 days and make an appt.?

The disclaimer is walk ins are available. For such a huge organization, they need to improve on scheduling. I once made an appt for right before closing, and was called and told to come in sooner hahahahahahahaha

Costco is not a great place to buy tires-IMHO. For exactly the reasons you stated. However-it SHOULD BE WELL KNOWN that the problems you mentioned are not isolated and if you buy tires at Costco for the prices of Michelin, Bridgestone, etc., - this is what one is in for.

 

[Finklejag]

My GF had a flat because of a screw. She removed the tire from her CUV and put the spare on all by herself. She took the tire to Costco where she bought them and they said they can repair it in 3 weeks, the next available opening. They might be a good place to buy tires with the $150 off deal, but trying to get in there for repairs and rotations not so much.

 

[Carmudgeon]

BMW's philosophy on tire rotation was the same -- no -- prior to when it adopted staggered setups in the 90s.

I know some people have issues with Discount Tire, but being able to set an appointment, and be on the road 30 minutes afterwards has its appeal.

Costco has never been a place for anything but leisurely tire service, and combined with their limited brand selection and other rules, don't make it appealing in their own ways.

Only time a DT has turned down a request is when they wouldn't touch an old, aged spare tire, even just to check the pressure and air it up.

 

[Johnny248]

Let's be honest, making a trip to Costco isn't "planned." It's basically either rush over on lunch break (or anytime during work hours for remote workers), or spur of the moment.

I've always found it suspect that no appointments are available for 5+ days in the future, for the 3 closest to my home.

Then, I check the one near work, and they have appointments today. Problem is I have to pay the bridge toll to get there. I will. I can hit the car wash while across the bridge (monthly).

But my point is, I think it's suspect that 5 Costcos have zero appts well into the future, then 1 has them as soon as this afternoon, and every single day into the future. As if most stores don't use appts, or, on purpose, they book them all so none show up.

I have glanced over at tire shops and have seen zero to one car in the bays, on a weekend. The only one that has no availability as in not ever, is the one in Delaware. People from PA/NJ/DE/MD/VA/DC are all getting tires installed no sales tax.

Think about it, what would you do if you got a flat, wait 7 days and make an appt.?

The disclaimer is walk ins are available. For such a huge organization, they need to improve on scheduling. I once made an appt for right before closing, and was called and told to come in sooner hahahahahahahaha

I worked at a Costco in the tire shop for five years. Appointments didn't exist when I started. Then when they rolled them out it was literally a notebook/calendar book that we would write in peoples appointments. I can tell you that we were pretty much also always a week out. I'm not sure if the appointment process has been updated or not.

The store that I am at now is ALWAYS busy. Most days you will have to park next door because there are zero parking spots. It's weird though because sometimes we are a week out for tire appointments, other times we are totally open.

 

[Hermann]

On a recent tire purchase I went with Tire Rack. Their association with DT seems to reap benefits. Other than the tires being shipped into the worst part of Hurricane all was very smooth. Installation took 18 minutes and the tires are very well balanced. Costco did not handle the tires I wanted and found some of their rules a bit grade-schoolish IMO YMMV