What does Costco do with used tires

The difference between your usual mechanic and Costco tires could be worth the price of membership.

You’ve noticed that the tread on your tires is getting a little thin—fortunately, there’s no shortage of options for replacements. So what’s your best option if you’re looking to buy a new set of tires? Surprisingly enough, it might be Costco tires.

According to the consumer website Clark.com, Costco came out on top in a survey of 50,000 Consumer Reports subscribers who recently bought tires. Why? In a word: price. In addition to Costco tires, here are some other items you should buy at Costco.

The warehouse giant’s median cost per tire when customers bought four tires was $166. Independent retailers followed at $167. The median cost per tire at online retailers Amazon and Tirebuyer came in lower at $124 and $147 respectively. But those prices didn’t include installation and balancing, according to Clark.com. Here are some other benefits to getting your tires at Costco:

The air in your tires

Another reason you might want to consider getting your tires from Costco? The warehouse club uses nitrogen to fill its tires instead of compressed air, which is what most other dealers use. “Nitrogen retains tire pressure better over time than compressed air, which can positively impact the life of your tires, as well as the fuel economy of your vehicle,” according to Costco’s website.

But how much of a perk is nitrogen really? According to Popular Mechanics, nitrogen has definite benefits, but it’s not a necessity. “With nitrogen, your tire pressures will remain more constant, saving you a small amount in fuel and tire-maintenance costs,” Popular Mechanics reports. “There will be less moisture inside your tires, meaning less corrosion on your wheels. But if your tires were filled with nitrogen (denoted by green valve-stem caps) and you’re low on pressure, don’t be afraid to bring up your psi with regular old air.” Find out other things you aren’t buying at Costco, but should.

Consumer Reports also found that while nitrogen might improve the air retention of your tires slightly, you should still check your tire pressure once a month.

Free maintenance

Warranties and the costs of upkeep are other factors to consider when purchasing tires. Costco offers a five-year road hazard guarantee and lifetime maintenance, including free tire balancing and flat repairs. That said, Costco’s list of reviews and complaints shows that the perks of getting your tires there may not always play out well in practice. One Costco-verified reviewer, Pam of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wrote that after purchasing Michelin tires several months ago and bringing her car in for routine tire rotation, the service left much to be desired, with a long wait time, lost car keys, and no reminder sticker. “Their lack of management of the details leaves me to question what kind of job they did on the rotation,” writes Pam.

Consumer experts have also questioned whether Costco tires are left-over inventory that might be the worst for wear. Bottom line? If cost is your major concern and you like the idea of saving some extra pennies with nitrogen in your tires, Costco might be your best bet. But be prepared to wait. Next, check out the 15 secrets Costco employees won’t tell you.

When you think of Costco, you probably don’t immediately think of tires — but maybe you should!

That’s because the warehouse club chain delivers members an exceptional tire-buying experience at its Costco Tire Centers across the country.

And the service doesn’t stop after the sale. Costco Tire Center has some great deals on maintenance, warranties and anything else you could need after you leave the parking lot.

Costco Tire Center: What You Need to Know About Prices, Appointments, Warranties and More

When it’s time to buy new tires, there’s no lack of places you could go — from warehouse clubs to online tire merchants to discount tire shops to independent retailers and more.

But only one consistently delivers the best shopping experience when it comes to purchase, installation and lifetime service.

In this article, we’ll take a look at Costco tire prices, appointments, installation, warranty and more. Plus, read on for real customer reviews from Clark.com readers who’ve bought Costco tires.

Table of Contents

1. Pricing
2. Appointments
3. Installation
4. 5-year Road Hazard Warranty
5. Free Lifetime Maintenance

1. Costco Tire Center Remains Competitive on Pricing

In a recent Consumer Reports survey, Costco wasn’t necessarily the cheapest on pricing. But our analysis of the data shows Costco tire prices are still competitive and customer satisfaction with the warehouse club is high.

Members can visit ConsumerReports.com to see the complete list with full rankings on more than 30 retailers.

Meanwhile, savvy shoppers know that Costco discounts select brands of tires by $70 to $80 off during different times of the year.

Then, to sweeten the savings even more, they offer installation for just 1 penny per tire. That’s an additional savings of $60 right there!

Money expert Clark Howard says he’s a big fan of the penny installation deal.

“I buy my tires at Costco when they offer the double discount of penny installation and an additional incentive for using my Costco Visa card,” the consumer champ says.

2. Scheduling a Tire Appointment Is Easy

When you’re ready to schedule an appointment, you can do it right at the warehouse or you can do it online.

The nice thing about making a Costco tire appointment is that you can get all your shopping done while the tire techs work on your vehicle!

3. Tire Installation Is a Cut Above the Rest

Most garages will inflate your tires with compressed air when they install them. But not Costco. The warehouse club uses nitrogen instead.

“Nitrogen retains tire pressure better over time than compressed air, which can positively impact the life of your tires, as well as the fuel economy of your vehicle,” Costco notes online.

In addition, Costco installs new rubber valve stems when they service your tires. Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) valve stems and accessories are available for an additional charge.

4. The 5-Year Road Hazard Warranty Protects Your Wallet After Installation

The warehouse club has got your back even after you leave the Costco Tire Center and hit the road. A five-year Road Hazard Warranty protects your wallet from tread wear damage and tire failure.

That means Costco will repair or replace your tires if they’re damaged during standard legal vehicle operation. Of course, you’ve got to show your original receipt and keep up with standard maintenance like rotations, balancing, etc. for the warranty to apply.

But it’s nice to know you’re protected! You can read the fine print here.

5. Costco Tire Center Offers Free Lifetime Maintenance Services

When you purchase and get your tires installed at a Costco Tire Center, you also get a lot of freebie maintenance services thrown in for the life of the tires:

• Free lifetime inflation pressure checks
• Free lifetime tire balancing
• Free tire rotations
• Free flat repairs

However, one thing to note is that Costco will not do alignments when you get new tires. So you’ve got to factor that in if you’re thinking about purchasing Costco tires.

Costco Tire Center Reviews

Our audience is passionate about the topic of Costco tires! But their reviews are all over the board.

Here are a few of the comments we received:

• Lorilu: “They were nice and changed a tire for me at no charge when a tire went flat while I was shopping. I would have purchased a replacement from them, but their limited selection meant they didn’t have the size tire my car needs.”
• PT10981: “No alignment service, long waits for a rotate and balance. Two times I arrived by appointment for a rotation and was told it will be about 2 hours. It is just too much hassle to save $15-$30 per axle.”
• Gooze: “Rather pay a little more than spend 2 hours waiting, even with an appointment, for a tire rotation with Costco. Costco should have a dedicated tech for rotations only.”
• joepiccaso: “Their selection isn’t that big…scheduling can be a bear as they are so busy, but as long as you are there, [then] shop. The only real hangup is they don’t do any alignment work. That’s another trip to another tire store. But I always shop them and on like, kind and quality, I’ve never beat them.”
• J P: “I know I will be at Costco once a week and I can have the tires rotated anytime while I walk around the warehouse, compared to sitting in a tire shop waiting room with old coffee. I gave up looking for a better deal than Costco some 15 years ago.”

Of course, it goes without saying that your results may vary.

But this much is true across the board: With the money you save thanks to Costco’s competitive tire prices and penny installation deal, your membership will pay for itself when you buy tires at the warehouse club.

More Costco Stories on Clark.com: 

• 5 Things to Know Before You Buy a Cell Phone at Costco
• 7 Things to Know Before You Buy Gas at Costco Wholesale
• 5 Things to Know Before You Buy Glasses From Costco Optical
• Costco Members: Here Are the Best Deals & Coupons This Month

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