Buying new tires for your car can be a minefield of unexpected costs. It seems like it’s a straightforward process, but it can get complicated fast. Luckily, there are places like Discount Tire that can help lead you through the new tire maze to find the right set. Here’s what you can expect when shopping at Discount Tire.
What Is Discount Tire?
Discount Tire has actually been around for quite a while. It was founded in 1960 in Michigan. Since then, it has opened over 1,000 stores across the country and is the largest retailer of tires and wheels on the planet.
As a company, they’ve found success because of the focus they put on customer service, their satisfaction guarantee, and reasonable prices for new tires. Today, you can buy tires from Discount Tire either online or in person at one of their retail stores.
You might be wondering why a real estate website is reviewing a tire company. Well, real estate professionals need tires, don’t they? And we are committed to serving real estate professionals the best content to help maximize profits. There you have it!
Tires aren’t as simple as people seem to think. There are measurements, ratios, load capacities, and speed ratings to consider. Discount Tire helps to make all this easy to understand, you just need to do a little research before you begin to know what you should be looking for – and Discount Tire can help.
Picking The Right Tires
You can go into Discount Tire or to their website to find the right tires for your ride. Their tire professionals take into account the type of car you have as well as what the tires will be used for.
Do you use your car to commute, or to pursue a hobby or special interest? Where are you located? This information is gathered to help them come up with some recommendations on the type of tire you need so you can feel confident in your final choice.
Once you get recommendations for a few tires you will want to consider, you can go online and read Discount Tire’s customer reviews. Customers leave detailed reviews of the wheels and tires they buy as well as the service they experienced at each location.
These comprehensive reviews can help you figure out which tire may be the best for you – and where to buy them from.
If you decide to buy in the store, then the tires can be placed on your car the same day. If you buy online, then the tires will be delivered to your local Discount Tire location so they can replace your current tires.
Discount Tire Appointments
At Discount Tire, you can make an appointment anytime between 8 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 4:45 p.m. on Saturdays.
If you make an appointment, which you can schedule by phone, in person, or online, then you check-in inside the showroom with a staff member. You’re then welcome to wait as they replace your tires, which they strive to complete within 45 minutes.
Discount Tire also accepts walk-ins any time they’re open. Simply go into their showroom and make arrangements for new tires. You can wait as they complete the service or have them email, call, or text when the service is complete.
Discount Tire Features
When you buy tires from Discount Tire, you’re getting more than just new tires. Every tire includes lifetime maintenance which covers a number of services. All you need to do is stop by to take advantage of any of these services after you purchase your tires. These include:
- Balancing
- Tire rotations
- Flat repair
- Air pressure checks
- Tire condition
- Safety inspections
What About Pricing?
As you are likely well aware, the cost of new tires can really add up. When you buy tires from Discount Tire, their pricing always includes:
Installation
They advertise something called an “Out the Door Price.” This includes the installation of your tires at the store for each tire that is fitted to your vehicle.
Free Prorated Road Hazard Protection
All tires purchased at Discount Tire come with free prorated road hazard protection. This means you get credit toward new tires if you need them replaced due to road hazards.
The amount you get for replacement is based on the treadwear of your old tires. If you want to add extra protection for a fee, then inquire about their Certificate for Repair, Refund, or Replacement.
Lifetime Rotations
To help your tires go the distance, it’s recommended that you have them rotated regularly for even wear. When you buy tires from Discount Tire, you can stop by and have them rotated for free.
Disposal Fees
Discount Tire is happy to let you take your old tires with you when you go, but if you want them to dispose of them, then they’ll include that service in the price.
The disposal fee allows them to properly dispose of your tires to make sure they don’t end up where they shouldn’t be – like your local landfill. They use licensed disposal services to ensure everything is done the right way.
Taxes And Fees
When you get a quote from Discount Tire, you’ll also find a breakdown of required taxes and fees, such as state sales tax. Some states may also charge an environmental fee for tire recycling.
At Discount Tire, they are dedicated to transparency. Every single cent you are charged is accounted for, so make sure when you’re comparing prices with other retailers, you ensure all the extras are included in their price.
Discount Tire Warranties
Tires are covered by manufacturers warranties. However, Discount Tire also sells extended warranties. A quick sampling of online forums confirmed that warranties can be worth the cost, but it depends where you live and how you intend to use the tires. There are a lot of fine details to a warranty, but in general, they include these components:
Tire Tread Warranty
This is also known as a mileage warranty. In general, this warranty covers the tires for a period of four, five, or six years from the purchase date, though the exact amount of time depends on the manufacturer.
This warranty simply guarantees that if the tires wear out by reaching a certain tread depth before a predetermined timeframe, then you may be able to get a prorated refund for the difference between the number of miles promised by the manufacturer and the actual miles delivered by the product.
To be eligible for a claim under this type of warranty, the tires must have even wear and be down to their final 2/32” of tread. You must also show service records to prove that your tires were rotated regularly.
Interestingly enough, a Consumer Reports study found that these warranties are useless. Letting your tires get to this threshold is dangerous, and not even legal in some states.
Road Hazard Warranty
This is a limited warranty offered by some manufacturers that usually covers the tires for the first year after you buy them or the first 2/32” of tread wear – whichever happens first.
This warranty may cover you if your tires are damaged by a road hazard such as a pothole, but to be eligible to file a claim, the tire must not be repairable.
Materials And Workmanship Warranty
This is a warranty that covers tires from five to six years from the date you purchased them to protect you from defects or other issues that are the result of the materials used to make the tire or the manufacturing process. For eligibility under this warranty, tires must be in a condition that isn’t the result of lack of maintenance or mechanical issues of your vehicle.
Uniformity Warranty
This warranty is offered by some manufacturers to cover tires for ride disturbances or excessive vibration. This is usually an issue that’s apparent from the moment you have the tires installed, so pay attention to how your car drives after the new tires are put on.
The tire experts at Discount Tire should be able to help you make sense of the warranties offered by each tire manufacturer. Make sure to ask.
Certificate Of Repair, Refund, Or Replacement
We previously mentioned Discount Tire’s Certificate for Repair, Refund or Replacement. This is an add-on expense when purchasing tires from Discount Tire that adds additional coverage to your tire purchase, charged as a small per tire fee.
Is this worth it? Well, problems with tires are common and can be expensive to take care of when they occur. The Certificate offered by Discount Tire allows for repair or replacement of your tires any time within three years of when you purchase them. It’s basically their version of a limited warranty.
The standard warranty included with most tires covers replacement at a prorated amount that’s based on the tread level on your tires. When you buy the Certificate from Discount Tire, you are covered on the road.
If you run into a problem with your tires due to a defect or road hazard, they’ll provide a refund of the purchase price of your tires plus tax and offer you brand new replacement tires at the price of your refund.
So, you can look at it as getting brand new tires for free if something happens. This will cost about $15 per tire, which you can buy when you purchase the tires or within 30 days of purchase.
When or if you need to use it, you simply bring it in to be validated for a refund to purchase a replacement tire at any Discount Tire location. There are a few limitations of the Certificate you should be aware of. It won’t cover any tire damage that is the result of:
- Crime
- Vandalism
- Fire
- Improve wheel use
If you run into problems with the look of the tire after the first 10 percent of wear, then you can’t use the Certificate to replace it. Also, the certificate is good for either three years or if the tread depth reaches 3/32”.
If your tire depth reaches that level before the three years is up, then the Certificate cannot be used for replacement or refund. All in all, it’s an inexpensive way to give yourself peace of mind in the event of a flat tire, so take a serious look at making the investment.
Discount Tire’s Rating System
In an effort to make tire quality easy for the average person to understand, Discount Tire offers its “Good, Better, Best” rating system. This helps you to understand the differences between tires when it comes to performance and quality to help you find a tire that meets your needs. Here’s how the rating system works:
Good
Tires with a “Good” rating usually have minimal features and basic designs. They’re also made from basic materials and rubber compounds but are the most affordable tires offered at Discount Tire.
Better
For a tire to have a “Better” rating, it must be comprised of newer components and rubber compounds, have a longer tread life, better performance, and be comfortable to drive. These are mid-range tires that are priced accordingly.
Best
When tires are put in the “Best” category, then you can be sure they’re of the highest quality. That means they use only the best materials, have great performance, a longer tread life, and are reliable. These often run at the higher end of the pricing spectrum, but also are the best value since they tend to last longer than other tires.
Payment Methods
At Discount Tire, they offer a wide variety of ways to pay for your new tires. They accept personal checks, debit cards, credit cards, traveler’s checks, postal money orders, and cash at all of their stores. They also offer financing options through their Discount Tire branded Credit Card.
With the Discount Tire Credit Card, you will be approved for special financing through your local Discount Tire store. Depending on your credit, you can be approved for a no interest credit card for these financing terms:
- Six months – For purchases between $199 and $999.99
- Nine months – For purchases between $1,000 and $1,499.99
- Twelve months – For purchases of $1.500 or more
This breaks your purchase down into more manageable monthly payments and can be really helpful if you unexpectedly need a new set of tires for your vehicle.
What About Returns?
Tires may not seem as if they’re an item you can return or exchange, but they’re not like a pair of shoes you’ve worn a few times. When you buy tires at Discount Tire, it is possible to return or exchange them.
How? Well, all you have to do is bring in the receipt, original form of payment, and the item within 14 days of purchase. They do their best to accommodate you and what you’d like to return or exchange, but it is always up to their discretion whether or not they’ll take the item back.
Money-Saving Tips
There are a couple of ways to save a little money on a set of new tires from Discount Tire. They offer a low price guarantee. That means if you are shopping around for tires and find a competitor offering a lower price the same product, then bring the advertisement into your local Discount Tire.
They usually ramp up the promotion offers right before summer begins on certain wheel packages or specific tire brands. They also have rebates available on various brands of tires, so make sure to ask if any rebates are available so you can factor that into your final decision.
You can find a complete and accurate listing of the specials, promotions, and rebates they’re currently running at DiscountTire.com.
The Competition
There are a lot of places you can buy tires, but two of the biggest competitors of Discount Tire are Costco and Tire Rack.
Costco
At Costco, you may be able to find lower prices on name brand tires and they offer rebates too, but they have a very limited selection of only major brands such as Goodyear, Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, and Michelin tires.
They often have coupons for the tires they sell and also include in their price a 5-year road hazard warranty. Plus, they’ll fix flats for free, check your tire pressure, and give you free tire rotations.
Be forewarned that the road hazard warranty will not protect you from certain situations where your tires are damaged such as an accident, off-road use, or worn mechanics.
You can make an appointment at Costco, which is recommended since showing up without one could lead you to a two to three-hour wait, especially on the weekends.
Tire Rack
Tire Rack has a lot of variety, but the prices listed on their website seem cheaper because they don’t factor in shipping or installation at a local shop. They exist online only, so you’ll have to have the tires shipped and installed at one of their recommended shops.
Finding deals with Tire Rack is easy, though. They have a feature that allows you to sort the tires available online by discounts and current specials, which can help you save money.
Tire Rack’s tires also include free two-year tire road hazard protection. They don’t offer this on every single tire they sell, but most common tires for passenger vehicles are covered. They’ll reimburse the total replacement cost under warranty and pay up to $25 per tire for repairs.
Whoever you go with, it’s important to do your homework. Make sure you know what is included in the total tire price, not simply the price of the tires alone.
Should You Shop At Discount Tire?
Discount Tire is a reputable brand that’s stood the test of time. If you’re looking for good, better, or best tires at a reasonable price, then it’s worth your time to explore the Discount Tire in your area or online. Get a few quotes and see which can save you the most money, then take that road trip you’ve been thinking about on tires you can trust!
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