Originally Posted by donschorr
I agree, you CAN buy them for less online, but the attitude you put up with having a local company install them- it is like they are doing you a favor and when you really think about- What does TireRack have invested in your purchase- not much really just shipping the product.
You may save $100-$150 by the time freight and tax is added and then the installation fees to the online pricing. I would prefer to keep my local retailers in business for when I need them.
Don
I have not had that experience. As a matter of fact, the last eight sets of tires (several 5-tire sets) have come from online retailers, and I have had very little problem with the tires or delivery. One time I did have a problem and the online retailer bent over backward to fix it.
As for the local folks doing the install - not a single one ever showed any sign of being bothered by my BYOT behavior. That includes my local Mercedes dealer who has installed two sets of tires on the Crossfire. They rolled out the red carpet both times.
I save about the cost of one tire, sometimes even more. Spread over those eight sets of tires, that's two sets of tires. I'm sorry but that's significant. None of the locals I use to mount and balance has gone out of business and they know me by name when I show.
It might have a lot to do where we live. It's small-town USA around here. That can cut both ways.