I have 8600 Miles on my Cooper S. I was at the dealer and they recommended I have tire rotation and wheel balancing for $99 . I declined. How often do I need to do this? Is it a must do? Would Firestone, Pep boys or Costco be okay to do this or should i pay the dealer? I have the run flat tires on my 2009 car.

I am thinking about buying regular tires once my run flat tires wear out.

 

Smart lay down. They should do the rotation each 10,000 for free. Front to back never side to side. I do it every other oil change. About 10,000 miles. On the even 10,000s is how I remember.

Any place would be good but if you get a jack at Costco you can do it easily yourself. But if you don't have the workspace, anywhere can rotate tires. I wouldn't balance them unless there is a vibration. If you buy the tires at Costco they do that for free for as long as the tires last.


Most will say that is a good idea. Non-runflats are quieter and about half the price. But you don't have a spare. I usually tell my friends to go with non-runflats and buy AAA Premium service which includes a 200 mile tow once a year. I have been running non-runflats for about 80,000 miles now on Artoo and have not had a problem yet.

Rich

 

- Paying $99 is unnecessary for what is really needed - just a rotation. I also agree, that the balanacing is only needed if there is a vibration, otherwise its a waste of money.
- A single good jack behind the front wheels is all that is needed (and a 17mm lug wrench, torque wrench optional). Put your hand brakes one firmly, on a level surface. Break the lugs while the tires are on the ground. Jack up the front and the rear will also lift up too (that was a surprise to me the first time). Swap tires, moderately tighten and lower. Torque to ~100 ft/lbs. Done
- I rotate about every 6-7K miles. Its cheaper than new tires and doesn't cost $100 every 10K miles!

 

Agreed,

I tend to rotate more often when a tire set is new, every 3 k or so. After 10k you can slow it down to every 5-7k.

 

$100 to rotate tires?
I like to do it every 5K - these cars burn the fronts MUCH faster than the rears.

 

I would not bother rotations for the runflats - let the fronts wear-out that much faster. Actually we just ditched the runflats at 2,500 miles and the ride is soooo much better. Went with the low rolling resistance Michelins in my sig and gained 3.5 MPG to boot - they should pay for themselves if that holds true.