Tyres: It pays to shop around - and how!

[WrenChasen]

Michelin Crossclimate SUV tyres (4) - fitted prices:-

National Tyres - £967.60
Blackcircles - £818.44
Local tyre shop - £404.76!

[NomoneyNohoney]

That is impressive.

[Clavain]

Wow, a very significant saving. I have found my local tyre fitter to be excellent, has 3 locations so a relatively small business and is in fact a Black circles fitter. Always cheaper though, I do still look about but i have never even had to ask him to beat a price.

BIg and on the Internet still not always best.

C

[GeoffF100]

My tyres are getting down towards 3 mm and the Toyota dealer advised changing them. Halfords was the cheapest that I could find for premium tyres. the original tyres were Continental EcoContact 3. Goodyear EfficientGrip Compact are a little cheaper. Kumho KH27 are much cheaper with a similar spec. I think I have got six months to make my mind up.

[Dod1010]

I think I have got six months to make my mind up.

Four months of which will be winter weather. Are you sure?

Dod

[WrenChasen]

My tyres are getting down towards 3 mm and the Toyota dealer advised changing them..I think I have got six months to make my mind up.

Six months?!

If my tyres were down to 3mm, I'd be thinking of changing them in the next six days, especially given the time of year and icy road conditions.

[GeoffF100]

I said,"getting down to", not "down to". My average tread depth is about 4 mm. Worst case is about 3.5 mm. I do less than 6,000 miles per year, usually just two journeys per week, and drive very cautiously. My average tyre wear between annual services is about 1 mm, judging from my records. In six months time, I am likely to be under 3 mm for some of the width of at least one tyre though.

[GeoffF100]

Toyota's tread measurements are:

NS Front: 3.3 3.8 3.5 OS Front: 3.5 3.9 4.0
NS Rear: 4.4 4.7 3.6 OS Rear: 4.9 5.2 4.8

N.B. Front wheel drive 6 year old Aygo. My first pair of replaced tyres went on the rear axle.

I appear to still have quite a bit of rubber, but the wear has not been even. I am disappointed about the 3.6 mm on the inside of the NS rear, assuming that the measurement is accurate. I do not know how that could have happened. The wear does seem to be mostly on the outside of the tyres though, which suggests that I should pump them up more often.

[WrenChasen]

I picked up on the fact your Toyota dealer advised replacement (present tense), but given your annual mileage I understand why you're thinking of replacing them in months, not weeks. That said, 3mm is the lowest my tyres are allowed to go regardless of annual mileage.

The wear does seem to be mostly on the outside of the tyres though, which suggests that I should pump them up more often.

AFAIK, tyre wear on outside and inside edges indicates under-inflation. It might be worth getting the alignment checked.

[GeoffF100]

I found this:

http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/advi ... -tyre-wear

An alignment check does seem to be a good idea. Perhaps I should take the car back to them. I have just shelled out nearly £500 for a main dealer big service. My brake disks had corroded and they recommended replacing the pads as well. With my low mileage and economy driving, the disks get very little wear, even on an automatic, which does them no good.

[WrenChasen]

I'd certainly be getting an alignment check, but I'm wary of the big players like Halfords, offering "free" checks.

I have just shelled out nearly £500 for a main dealer big service. My brake disks had corroded and they recommended replacing the pads as well. With my low mileage and economy driving, the disks get very little wear, even on an automatic, which does them no good.

Even taking into account they're a main dealer, what did they do to justify that huge bill?

[jackdaww]

.... My brake disks had corroded and they recommended replacing the pads as well. With my low mileage and economy driving, the disks get very little wear, even on an automatic, which does them no good.

=========================

many years ago my local renault garage fitted new discs without consultation.
i refused to pay and they backed down .

twice since then at other places ive been advised i needed new discs - corroded/scored - i refused .

the cars passed their mots ok for many years subsequently .

the one time i did agree was when the discs were warped.

[GeoffF100]

Even taking into account they're a main dealer, what did they do to justify that huge bill?

The big 6th year service cost £250. The replacement of the disks and pads cost £220. There was also £30 for replacing the brake fluid that I was not told about in advance. I did, however, get a £37 discount for signing up to a service plan for the next two years.

Kwik Fit's website quoted £150 for a "full service". I used them once for a previous car, but got the impression that I did not get a full service to the manufacturer's spec. They also replaced the brake pads and battery at extra cost, and I doubted whether that was necessary. On the one occasion that I used an independent for an even more previous car, they failed to fix a fault after several attempts. The main dealer fixed it immediately.

I do not know whether it was really necessary to replace the disks and pads, but the main dealer flagged it up as an essential repair. I had been told about the problem after last year's service.

I spoke to a friend who used to be in the business today. He says I need a four wheel alignment, and says I need to find a local garage with the necessary equipment. He said that should cost £25-£40. Google found several garages. ATS was the only one that quoted a price on their website, but that was £63. I will phone the others first.

My friend usually does his own servicing. When he does put it in to a garage, he marks all the parts that they are supposed to remove.

If you do not have the technical knowledge, there is no easy answer here.