I had my first and only straightforward, repairable nail puncture on my 16" OEM runflats. This was done by one of TireRack's recommended installers (GoodYear). Here is my question: They charged me $49.95 for "Repair Auto Tire (Plug Patch) Run Flat", $4.00 for "Misc. Shop Supplies", and another $10.50 for "Wheel Balance - Computer Spin" for that single tire; Total with tax: $68.32. Does this sound outrageous to people or is it just me? Unfortunately, I did not negotiate the price before the repair since I did not think I would be floored by it. I realize that tire places may charge an extra $15 - 20 for "handling" runflats (granted they use the same machine anyway) but $68.20? Please let me know what you think...if this is even worth harping about. Thank you.

 

wow. i had my GS-D3 patched at a local tire shop for like $35 or something.

included a full patch service with balancing on a Hunter wheel balancer
and free coffee.

 

Just had mine fixed last week (Drill bit - 3/8")went through the tire. My local oil and lube shop fixed mmine for $5. Pulled out the drill bit, put the plug in, and tested everything! I think you got ripped big time.

 

First let me say I have NO IDEA how different it might be to repair a runflat, but I took a flat conventional tire into my local Discount Tire where I have never even purchased tires before. They fixed it, put in the back of my truck and when I went up to the counter they said "no charge"!

 

unfortunately, you got robbed. it's sad that there are places that take advantage of people in an already annoying situation. i got mine repaired at no cost at America's Tire Center simply because i was a previous customer. now THAT's costumer service! you can go to a small "mom and pop" place and usually get a tire patched for 15 bucks or so. just chalk it up as a lesson learned. it happens to everyone.

 

Here's the kicker...called two other GoodYear service centers in the area...not owned by the same company (apparently, they are independently owned) and they quoted me $29.00 for the whole thing. Called to complain...stuck to their guns...said that they base their price on surrounding repair places (big lie). Called GoodYear corporate who said that they will call them on my behalf but stated that they cannot do anything beyond that because these places are "independently owned". We'll see what happens after this...BBB perhaps. At any rate, at least I now know where not to go when this happens again.

 

Usually about $30 unless the tire has a manufacturer's warranty
and stores like DiscountTires can fix it for free.

but the issue I have with my local DiscountTires (and most tires shops
for that matter) is that they are rough with wheels and
almost always put gashing mounting marks and scuffs. the place that
I go to is usually better than most around here.

 

I had my Pirelli Euphoria runflat tire repaired last month at my local Pirelli dealer. Patch and plug. He also marked the tire before removing from the wheel so remounted it in the same position. No rebalancing required. Total cost was $25 + Tax CDN. or $32CDN where I live.

 

really.... he must have perfect hand eye coordination. i would
rather have it spun and balanced even if the tire was marked or
match mounted. but if you have no issues, cool.

 

Please before making comments think.....

He had a runflat tire repaired. This is what steps they did: Let all the air out of the rim. Break the bead of the runflat tire off the rim (not easy to do !!!)....Removed the object.. Ensured it was safe to repair. Sand and smooth the inside of the tire for a plug patch. Remount the tire on the rim.(not easy!!) Balance the rim, since it was taken off the rim. Guys this takes a lot of work!!!!

And worth every penny since, his rim is not scratched and now is properly repaired & rebalanced !!!

And do not think for a minute that runflat tires are easy to break down. Last time I checked my runflats run like *****.. I wonder why oh, yeah it's that stiff sidewall... huh?? maybe that's why it cost more, to have repaired...

I also paid $50 to get a Dunlop runflat repaired at Goodyear, it is a fair price for the quality you get in return...

 

I plug my own for the cost of a plug. Yup, I guess you got ripped off.

But, really. The correct way to do a run-flat repair is to remove it from the rim and place a self-vulcanizing patch on the inside of the tire and them re-mount the tire and balance it. I'd guess $25 - $45 sounds fair.

 

hahaha

 

I have had 2 puctures, the place I took it to was $40 each time.

 

I am the original poster. $40.00 sounds reasonable to me. Typically (based on my research), it costs between $22 - $27 in this area to have a regular tire fixed, and this includes balancing which really is part of the service. TireRack data suggests that shops charge an additional $15 - 20 per RunFlat for special handling of the tire - perhaps for more careful handling or special equipment. $40 seems to be a ballpark total. In my situation, not only did they charge $49.95 for the repair, they tacked on $10.50 for balancing and another $4.00 for Misc. shop supplies (I can't imagine what those are since $2 of the $10.50 charge for balancing is for "parts"). Some shops here that have the special Runflat equipment only charge an additional $6.00 on top of the $22.

As I stated earlier, my receipt total was $68.32. This is something I may report to BBB for the sake of principle. I, as I know many others, really hate being robbed .

 

I paid $45 at a local NTB last year...

 

The place I took it to charges $25 I think for a regular tire. This includes rebalancing as well.

They did mark teh tire to put it close to teh same spot, but added a weight to it for my last one. I guess they try to get it as close as they can, then put it on teh balancer to be sure.

 

Might be easier to talk to the manager f2f (face to face) and ask him
to give you a deal next time on a free puncture repair or free mounting/
balancing. ask him to write it on back of his business card, sign with
an expiration date.

at least that's how i did business when my local DiscountTires made
a mistake on my service. Free mounting and balancing on any new
set of wheels. (but I never go there ). was more of just
educating the manager.

 

Talked to the co-owner who was surprised with the inflated price and equally surprised as to why balancing was a separate charge from the repair. Credited me the difference...their usual price is $39.95 for a 55 and up series and $49.95 for a 45 and lower series (needs two people to handle). He explained that his partner made a mistake because of a "new computer update" . Based on this experience, I think a fair 55 series puncture repair price done by a reputable, well equipped (runflat certified) shop would range from $29.95 - $39.95 (plus tax). Thank you for all your input and I hope this thread will help others in the future.

 

Good job!

they can bs watever they want, but you got what you wanted so
congrats.

 

This all makes me happy that I have a longterm established relationship with my local Discount Tire shop. I've been going there for years on a variety of cars and they never charge me to fix a flat. I've also never had wheel damage, I think most of the techs there at least try to respect their customer's equiptment. I've had a number of 30, 35, 40, and 45 series tires worked on there and NEVER seen two techs involved. If you're happy, be happy, but I still think you got ripped. Yet another good reason to ditch the runflats.

 

we are all glad that you are happy with your local tire store and
envy you in our dreams that we wished we had a dream tire store
like you. there! jk

he didn't get ripped. you just got lucky dood.

 

What, one guy has to hold the other guy's coffee??
I may be talking out of my boot, not having watched a low profile runflat dismounted, but as with mtbscott, I've never seen two guys work on a single dismount. Can anyone corroborate seeing two people dismount a 45 series runflat?

FWIW our local America's Tire stores charge $30-35 to mount, dismount and balance a 17" runflat. $10 mount, $10 dismount, $10-15 balance. Flat repair has always been free (for some time now, anyway) but I haven't had a flat on the runflats.

Also FWIW, supposedly the latest in tire repair technology call for a 'mushroom' plug in addition to a patch. The plug looks like a mushroom (duh) and is inserted from the inside into the puncture. Supposedly this displaces the void caused by the penetrating item.

 

I agree with you kenchan. I do think a free fix is more an exception than the rule. In terms of two people doing it...well, I never saw it myself...just relayed what I was told...really doesn't mean I believe it...nor do I care. I do think that it is important to have a price range to work with. It would be frustrating to have to call 10 tire repair places or more, trying to find a fix for less than 15 bucks, only to get an ill equipped one and end up with scratched rims. I think a few of you out there are lucky but not all of us can be . I also am inclined to believe that there is such a thing as better equipment for runflats. I called one service center who referred me to another one of their branches (this was when I was just checking out prices after being overcharged) because the latter had the "equipment" for runflats. Doesn't mean it can't be done with standard equipment but I think rims are safer with the newer ones .

 

What they charged you was pretty steep. As a shop owner, The most i would charge is $15. if your a regular customer then it would be free of charge. I would just use a plug to seal it. The plug weigh less then 1/4oz. so there's really no need to balance the wheel. And i would even plug the tire with the wheel on the car.