Hi,

Had my mini in for a service last friday and they told me that my tires needed rotating and balancing. Told them I would do when I went back to have the coolant sensor replaced. They want $119 to rotate and balance tires. Seems expensive. So called Pep Boys and they want $12.99 per tire for same service. usually I would just let dealer take care of this stuff. I would like to save money so am thinking of going to a different auto shop instead of going to the dealership.

Your thoughts?

Stephanie

 

If it isn't under warranty, find a good mechanic. There is no need to pay premium prices for a service that someone with the same talent can do. That being said, I don't know if I would trust PepBoys to do it. Surely you have a local mech around you?

 

Should not be hard to find someone who is perfectly qualified to rotate and balance your tires. There's nothing unusual about your car in this respect. There's no need to pay dealer prices for this.

 

I only called Pep Boys as I was curious about price and I was driving by and noticed them. Thought similar shops would be priced about the same.

I have never had to have a car repaired where I live so do not know of any good mechanics or places to go to. There are a few non-chain stores around me and will give them a call. Will check out google reviews also.

 

Cassidy Tire has several locations in your area. They certainly have the expertise and will be considerably less than the Mini dealer. There's nothing unusual about rotating and balancing the tires on your Mini versus other cars.

 

I found a local place that got great reviews. Becker Car Service. Taking the mini there. Since I do no know much about cars and only drive them I tend to worry about taking my cars to places other than the dealership. Tired of paying their high prices though.

 

I'll probably get bounced on for this as I'm not that familiar with the CM, but if it is like 1st and 2nd gen MINI's there is negative camber on the rear wheels. To get maximun wear and tear on the treads it is a good idea to rotate the tires about every 5K just as a matter of form, so find a good tire guy you are comfortable with an they'll take good care of you when you need replacements.

 

Clean your wheel rims and take photos of them before you give them your car, just in case they use a technician who likes to toss and stack wheels around carelessly, so they won't be able to deny causing any damage you find afterwards.

 

America's Tire/Discount Tire will give you a lifetime guarantee with spin balance and rotation for roughly $25/tire or lifetime spin balance and rotate for about $16/tire.
The guarantee covers flat repair or replacement if the tire is unservicable. With the run flats the unservicable is usually after any flat.
They recommend a 3-5K rotation schedule. I am completely satified with their service on my Mini and wife's Mercedes.

 

Why isn't rotating the tires covered under the 3 yr no cost maintenance?

 

+1 on America's Tire/Discount Tire. Excellent service. Good value.

 

Hey bguarino,
Tires are an expensive wear and tear item. Manufacturers are not going to touch those. Wiper blades no big deal but tires.....
My wife had a flat on her 2 week old Mercedes and thought it would be covered. Well before I could intervene she had already gone to the dealership, sidewall puncture unrepairable and $250 for a new tire. And now she knows.
Same tire $170 at America's tire and since it was so new they would've given us $35 for the old one, thus $135 for new tire. I immediately bought the tire guarantee through them for $100 and now all is covered.

 

I do my own rotations, but I've taken advantage of Discount Tires' lifetime balance to get my tires re-balanced. DT even patches family members' tires from other places if you get your tires there. Very happy with them. So +1 to them from me as well.

@ bguarino, tire rotations are specifically excluded from the included maintenance program.

 

hmm strange. Rotating the tires is maintenance- not a wear and tear item. I understand not fixing or replacing them, but to NOT move them around the car? sheesh- lame.

And aren't brakes covered? My MA pushed that pretty hard last week to get me to sign up for the 6 yr (total) no cost maintenance plan. They have to take the wheels off to get to the brakes...couldn't they "forget" which location they came from and "rotate" them?

 

bguarino,
I love your reasoning and if life was only that simple. I totally agree with you too.

 

+2 on Discount Tires...

 

My local mechanic charges me $30 to rotate and balance all 4 tires. I am happy to pay him the $30 too. I buy oil and the oil filter cartridge from my local MINI dealer and have him do the oil service as well. He is a great guy and HONEST. That right there is amazing. Been going to him for more than 12 years... I know he is honest.

He also did most of the work on my car such as brakes and rotors, SS brake lines, short shifter, torque arm insert, full turbo back exhaust, rear sway bar, intake etc.

Find yourself a local mechanic. The good ones are worth their weight in gold.

 

Check out 'Independent Repair Shops' at http://soopercooperinfo.com/ I don't think the web master would list them if they didn't have a good rep.

 

If you have, and are a member, Sams Club rotates and balances for 3.75 a tire!

 

Do it yourself but understand the RF will still cup eventually. Going through this after the first year with my CM and MULTIPLE dealer visits for what I thought was a "wobbling noise" the Service Manager and Tech both told me it was the way they set the suspension up on the Countryman S and there was nothing we could do. Rotating does not help but I do it anyway (in my garage with Jack Stands) to pro-long the life of the tires for even wear. They have no idea if this same problem will happen as quickly with non-RF since nobody they know is running them. Brand new car with 12k miles on it when it started.

 

If you have your trusted mechanic do anything with your wheels, ask them to hand-torque. Air wrenches are notoriously inaccurate and overtorquing is endemic. I guarantee you'll not be able to get the wheel off yourself afterwards if he uses an air wrench and it's overpressurized.

 

does this apply even to tires not purchased from SAMs?

 

Well news to me that this is not covered under the free service plan when new Scion vehicles that cost half as much and come with free 25k servicing include tire rotations. However, even if MINIs did, when I had my Michelins installed at Discount Tire I paid another $80 for free lifetime rotation, balancing and tire replacement certificates - even though I didn't even buy the Michelins from them! It was well worth it given the cost to replace a Michelin, should the need ever arise.

So another big + for Discount Tires and America's Tires.

 

Yep! That is the price for non Sam's Club tires. If you purchase tires there, its free of charge.

 

i have a CMs with black rims...i'm not sure what i will do when it comes to rotating etc. last year, i took my wife's nissan rogue to a good year center...they scratched up all of the rims when installing new tires...not sure if it was from the air gun or stacking them improperly but a nissan dealership told me that they didn't use the right socket size and were careless. i was pissed and even more pissed when they tried to deny it. in the end, they gave me $800 worth of tires for free but i still have the scratched rims. i would take photos but more importantly....show the manager the shape the rims are in and that you expect them returned the way they got them.