Yes, Discount Tire will accommodate your need to install winter tires late into the night at the onset of snow season. They will also repair your flat free of charge in most cases. I liked these 2 things about them. However, I came across some incidents that made me realize I was paying more at Discount Tire than other tire shops.
Some tire shops will also do flat repairs for free. But even of they do charge, it is usually a small amount. Considering you don't get a flat every month, no worries there.
When shopping for tires recently, I noticed that Discount tire was more expensive. Now, the tires themselves were not priced higher, but the mandatory service charges they added once the tires were in my shopping cart made the total cost quite higher than other shops. Then, further additional charges were added if I wanted hazard coverage (Tirerack.com, for example, includes 2 year hazard coverage for free as do other shops if you shop around; and no they are not all just pro-rated as Discount Tire would have you imagine).
And then, the worst part is that if you haven't bought the tires from Discount Tire, the cost of service is downright outrageous.
Recently, to move 4 tires from one set of wheels to another, Discount tire Apple Valley quoted me $172 labor (!). Their explanation was $11 to unmount from each wheel ($88), then $11 to mount each tire on the new wheel ($44), then $10 to spin balance each ($40), totaling $172.
Hmm, I scratched my head. I asked for the manager and verified that it was not a mistake. It wasn't.
This car was a newer addition to my fleet. So naturally, it came with tires and so I did not "buy" these tires from them. I asked the manager (Justin) if it helped that my other 2 cars in my home had tires bought from Discount Tire (I showed it to him on their system).
Nopety nope. $172 it is. Take it or leave it.
Hmm. I said, "No Thank You" and left.
I then called a local tire shop in Bloomington (Tirezoo.com), asked for the same service. They quoted a total of $40 -- which included the same unmounts, mounts and spin balancing.
Then I called another tire shop (Goodyear service) that was closer to my home. They quoted $60 though they had no time slots available for the day.
Neither of these shops was anywhere close to the $172 that Discount Tire quoted.
It was a 30 minute drive but I got my work done at the Bloomington tire shop. And their quality and workmanship were just as good, if not better.
So unless you want a last-minute tire install once the snow has started to fall, I recommend getting your tires purchased, installed and serviced elsewhere. read more