Has Anyone Had Tires Mounted & Balanced By A Mobile Tire Service?

billt460

billt460

Joined
Mar 30, 2015
Messages
11,893
Location
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
I had seen a few trucks and big vans in my area that advertise, "So & So's Mobile Tire Installation Services". I'm assuming you buy the tires from the place of your choice, haul them home, and they come out to mount and balance them for you.

I've never heard of this before, but I like the idea. I would think they would be a bit more careful, because of dealing with a customer on a one on one basis. A bit like having a mobile dog groomer come to your home, instead of dumping your dog off at Pet Smart.

Has anyone used this type of service? If so how did it work out for you?
 
2.5 times now.

Both by the Tire Rack service, which operates under a different name that escapes me at the moment.

Both times I removed the wheels and rolled them up the driveway for him to mount and balance. I prefer to mount/dismount my own wheels since I do a brake inspection/bleeding during that time and clean the inside of the wheels.

The first time was for the Acura, tires rolled nice and smooth. Second time was for the travel trailer (They will not R&R trailer tires, you HAVE to do the removal and reinstallation). He saw me jacking up my axles with my 'little' jack and told me to come get his nice aluminum jacks and use those.

The .5 was that dude was nice enough to install my new TPMS sensors in my second set of Ranger wheels for me since I bought them second-hand (mostly for the brand new tires). I tipped him very well for helping me out on that one. (Did it after he'd mounted my trailer tires)

Dude was prompt, professional, and a nice fellow to boot. And I never had to get out of my dirty garage clothes or leave my property.

Cost was about $20 more than what it usually cost me to tote wheels/tires up to the local Discount Tire and have them mounted.

They also don't care where you got the tires, they're not selling anything when they get there. They are just there to mount your tires, so as long as everything is good-to-go then you'll have a splendid time. (You can order tires and have them bring them with them to mount them as well, but I never have.)

The equipment in the van was Hunter and looked to be in good shape. You could tell that he'd mounted a ton of tires, and had the well worn, but taken care-of, look to it.
 
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Thanks. I like the idea of being able to remove and mount the wheels myself. I have jack stands, and a nice 4 ton jack. I also have a nice set of those plastic covered sockets that won't scratch up my nice Aluminum wheels.

For an extra $20 or so, this option seems well worth it. I'm definitely going to check into this when I'm due for new rubber.
 
billt460 said:
Thanks. I like the idea of being able to remove and mount the wheels myself. I have jack stands, and a nice 4 ton jack. I also have a nice set of those plastic covered sockets that won't scratch up my nice Aluminum wheels.

For an extra $20 or so, this option seems well worth it. I'm definitely going to check into this when I'm due for new rubber.
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They really just need a decently level spot to park their van. Everything else is onboard. I don't think I'll use another service until I get too crippled to not be able to take my tires off. It is just worth it to not have to leave the house for anything. If anything, they're glad to not have to take the wheels off. One less thing for them to do and they make the same money and might be quicker for them.

Of course, this is a sample size of 1. I'd like to think, at least Tire Rack would vet the people they hire and don't keep idiots around.

I had the same guy both times, and it was something like 7 months apart. I hope he sticks around for a while.
 
At the start of COVID, I used a Tread Connection franchisee to install a set of Continental CrossContact LX25s on my wife's minivan. Tires were purchased and installed by the service. I went to their website, entered vehicle details, selected tires, and scheduled an appointment. (If I recall, it might have been same day)

Super polite owner-operator and he was right on time. He was extremely careful and the tires balanced perfectly. Probably cost $125-150 more for the new tires and install compared to a local tire store, but it was very convenient during the work from home days.

Unfortunately, the franchisee is no longer in business. I'm fortunate enough to also have a phenomenal local tire shop. They are super honest and can usually get me in and out in 45 minutes.
 
eugenem said:
At the start of COVID, I used a Tread Connection franchisee to install a set of Continental CrossContact LX25s on my wife's minivan. Tires were purchased and installed by the service. I went to their website, entered vehicle details, selected tires, and scheduled an appointment. (If I recall, it might have been same day)

Super polite owner-operator and he was right on time. He was extremely careful and the tires balanced perfectly. Probably cost $125-150 more for the new tires and install compared to a local tire store, but it was very convenient during the work from home days.

Unfortunately, the franchisee is no longer in business. I'm fortunate enough to also have a phenomenal local tire shop. They are super honest and can usually get me in and out in 45 minutes.
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I am going to be replacing the OEM tires on my 2019 Honda Pilot some and just started looking for tires. I see that Tire Rack will ship tires for free to Discount Tire which also includes 2 years of road hazard and other warranty. Discount Tire lists an install/mounting fee of around $102.00 on the Tire Rack site. I thought of using a mobile service but this way I get the free lifetime balance and rotation.
 
One of my daughters lives in the UK, and has used this service twice on her Audi. I happened to be there both times and it was pretty slick.
Tech showed up in a large Sprinter van with the mounting equipment and the replacement tire. Whole process took less than a half hour and he was on his way. Very convenient.
 
There's a Mexican Guy with a trailer near me. He drives out to the side of the highway and sells/mounts/balances tires. He only sells Chinese tires though, so I've never bought tires from him. I did have him put an old tire on a rim, and that's my spare tire now.
 
Not aware of any out here, but even if they did exist, I do not see their business model being competitive.
If the establishment isn't offering free lifetime balance, flat repairs and pro-rated road hazard for under $30/tire, they won't survive against Costco and Discount Tire.
 
Just wondered. Has anyone here had these guys come out to fix a flat with an inside patch? If so did you have the wheel and tire off and waiting for them?
 
^ When I worked at a tire shop, flat rate paid 18 minutes to dismount, plug & patch from the inside.

I can't imagine a business model where making house calls for this would make sense. Even if they make $100 mounting four new tires, they'd have to have 4-5 appointments minimum per day, plus driving around time.
 
eljefino said:
^ When I worked at a tire shop, flat rate paid 18 minutes to dismount, plug & patch from the inside.

I can't imagine a business model where making house calls for this would make sense. Even if they make $100 mounting four new tires, they'd have to have 4-5 appointments minimum per day, plus driving around time.
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If I recall, Tread Connection had a $50-75 visit fee. (As my location is no longer in business, I can't look up the rate card)

The cost for a flat repair was roughly $30-50, so all in, $80-125. I suspect even with the convenience factor included, most folks won't pay that for a flat repair.
 
I like the idea and have used them in the past, but one issue is that I like to have the cars or trucks aligned when getting new tires, so
I wind up having to do a shop visit anyway. For me at least, it undermines the convenience. But they are nice and convenient.
 
RAVL said:
I like the idea and have used them in the past, but one issue is that I like to have the cars or trucks aligned when getting new tires, so
I wind up having to do a shop visit anyway. For me at least, it undermines the convenience. But they are nice and convenient.
Click to expand...

Find a good alignment shop that will make your alignment spot on and then don't mess with it unless there are problems. There's no need to monkey with an alignment unless you've hammered a pothole or something. Adjusting things every set of tires is just going to make it more likely to get out of alignment as eventually, the fasteners will stretch and not hold properly.
 
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