Wooohooo! It's time to take off the snow tires!!! Should I drive the extra miles (and pay the extra expense) to my MINI dealer for this?? Is there any harm taking my baby into a chain tire place like Discount Tire for this service??? Whatcha think???

I say don't go to either one. Find a good independent shop. Unforetunately, this easier said than done. You might be able to get some helpful information from other MINI owners in your area on a good local tire shop.

Owen

Thanks, Owen. FYI: I'm in the Detroit/Dearborn MI area.

I worked at automobile dealerships for many years (over 40) and it was my experience that if you needed tires you went to a tire store. They have the best price due to their volume buying power, better selection and more knowledgeable personnel when it came to tires then the auto dealer could offer and the after sale service such as free tire rotation and balance is just an added bonus.

Installer

Alex

Very nice Alex--good link to save.

I've also found that getting in touch with the local SCCA chapter was the single best place to find out who was good, and who wasn't.

Jeff

If you're in the LA area, Chatsworth Tire (in Chatsworth) is a great shop. I went there and got new tires when I blew one passing through the valley and they were great. They were quick and the tires they hooked me up with were great. Perfect install and completely painless. I can't recommend these guys highly enough, and I just wanted to give them a plug. That's all!