My Japanese cars have all served me reasonably well, each with one major annoyance along the way, though not getting me stuck on the road. My current car approaches the end of its financing span. I will take full ownership at the end of the calendar year. With all my cars, I've been attentive to scheduled maintenance, which the manufacturers have all made easy to track. The current dealer always tries to upsell me something based on their automated diagnostics, most of which I decline until I can go home and see the significance of the suggestion. One that I cannot decline for very long, is the observation that my tires will not pass inspection when it comes due at the end of this calendar year. They quoted me a price, about $250 a tire for four tires. The ones they provided with the car only lasted 50K miles, so I don't really trust them. Having owned my own car going on fifty years, I've needed to purchase tires before. In the 1970s I needed a pair of rear snow tires each winter. I've had ordinary milage-based replacements and a couple of more emergent purchases for flat tires, which are now often repairable but in a previous era did better with replacement. I've gotten good value and I've been ripped off. My last elective tire replacement from a local shop went well, so I scheduled an appointment for the replacement and related front-end alignment that the dealer's inspection had also advised.
Shops dedicated to tires seem much fewer than when I last purchased. Some that represent single manufacturers like Goodyear and Firestone still exist. Sears Auto is long gone. Pep Boys is a shell of its legacy. Costco sells and installs tires. But the place which serviced me electively last time seems the way to go.
Purchasing is a little different than ten years ago. I logged onto their website along with Costco's. I need not know anything about my vehicle, just my license plate number. From that, my year and model comes up, along with the tires they have in stock that they feel are suitable for that car. Prices vary, estimated longevity of the tires by milage also varies, though nearly all exceed the 50K I've gotten from mine. Radial tires made semiannual snow tire purchases obsolete decades ago.
I expect to purchase a mid-priced set of four, well below the quote provided by the dealer, though I have the good fortune to avoid skimping by financial necessity. The guarantee may influence me. This store is part of a regional chain. There are advantages to national chains like Costco or Goodyear that can honor a warranty when I drive far from home, but if I need urgent attention, I can deal with it locally. I drive outside my metropolitan region perhaps three times a year. And I have ample funds to deal with an urgency.
Next month I anticipate a major road trip, so I want to get this important safety element completed as a high priority.
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