Overpaying car dealership for repairs

[dumpster56]

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Originally Posted by thefed did you know that WALMART sells good Goodyear tires (Vivas) for about 75 including everything for your car.... dont overlook wallyworld for the easy stuff....TIRES

I put Michelin Harmony tires on the 05 Camry, with a 80K tread wear warranty. At a local tire shop. 115 a tire plus tax. Came out to about 600 dollars. Had 55K on the original Goodyears. Brakes are still fine.

[FinanceDude]

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Originally Posted by newguy888 I put Michelin Harmony tires on the 05 Camry, with a 80K tread wear warranty. At a local tire shop. 115 a tire plus tax. Came out to about 600 dollars. Had 55K on the original Goodyears. Brakes are still fine.

Sam's Club has screaming deals too, often on MICHELINS. I saved $150 on 4 new Michelins for a van I used to have at Sam's verus everyone else.........

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by thefed did you know that WALMART sells good Goodyear tires (Vivas) for about 75 including everything for your car.... dont overlook wallyworld for the easy stuff....TIRES

Wow! Sounds like I need to go to Wal-Mart next time. That's a wonderful price. Is it the same price nationwide?

Mine were $108 per tire, though I don't remember the model of Goodyear tire. I don't have the receipt here or I'd check on what model they are; I know they are guaranteed for 65,000 miles, but that is probably normal. As I recall they also charged $1 for valve stems, and for labor, which brought the price up.

Some people at my work buy their tires on the internet and get great prices. I suppose they mount them themselves (but no way could I do that).

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by FinanceDude Sam's Club has screaming deals too, often on MICHELINS. I saved $150 on 4 new Michelins for a van I used to have at Sam's verus everyone else.........

Alas, I don't belong to Sam's Club (too miserly to join), so for me the price would have to include the cost of a membership card. Still that sounds like you got a great deal!

[jazz4cash]

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Originally Posted by thefed did you know that WALMART sells good Goodyear tires (Vivas) for about 75 including everything for your car.... dont overlook wallyworld for the easy stuff....TIRES

YEAH....If you really want those Vivas, they're ONLY available at Wal-Mart. Always my concern at Wal-Mart is they sometimes force mfr's to make tradeoffs between features and price. Maybe it's a feature that's not important, but it's just not the same as the stuff at other stores with the same brand name. At least Goodyear which is my preferred brand put a unique model tire on the Wal-mart shelf. Tires are critical to me and saving a few dollars just isn't worth it. That said, they are probably decent tires and a good value and I might consider for a beater-type vehicle. I actually would be more concerned with quality of the wal-mart tire technicians than anything else, at least in my area!

I posted elsewhere that I surprised my self by buying tires online. I was using an online tire vendor strictly for comparison shopping and found that even with shipping I got a great price on the brand and model tire I was looking for. They partner with various local stores for install and I chose NTB (owned by Sears, I think) where they delivered the tires and I got 4 Gooodyear Eagle LS tires installed and out the door w/ 4wheel alignment for $560. I always get an alignment check when installing new tires.

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by jazz4cash YEAH....If you really want those Vivas, they're ONLY available at Wal-Mart. Always my concern at Wal-Mart is they sometimes force mfr's to make tradeoffs between features and price. Maybe it's a feature that's not important, but it's just not the same as the stuff at other stores with the same brand name. At least Goodyear which is my preferred brand put a unique model tire on the Wal-mart shelf. Tires are critical to me and saving a few dollars just isn't worth it. That said, they are probably decent tires and a good value and I might consider for a beater-type vehicle. I actually would be more concerned with quality of the wal-mart tire technicians than anything else, at least in my area!

Interesting! I had no idea that they had different tires. I would be concerned with the wal-mart tire technicians in my area, as well, though it can't be that hard to put tires on. On the other hand, I don't know if they would have told me that I needed new brake pads and finding out that sort of thing is a safety issue for me.

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Originally Posted by jazz4cash I posted elsewhere that I surprised my self by buying tires online. I was using The Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels strictly for comparison shopping and found that even with shipping I got a great price on the brand and model tire I was looking for. They partner with various local stores for install and I chose NTB (owned by Sears, I think) where they delivered the tires and I got 4 Gooodyear Eagle LS tires installed and out the door w/ 4wheel alignment for $560. I always get an alignment check when installing new tires.

Now there's something else I did not know. I had no idea that online sources would partner with local stores like that. Live and learn!

[jazz4cash]

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Originally Posted by Want2retire Now there's something else I did not know. I had no idea that online sources would partner with local stores like that. Live and learn!

I was surprised also. Usually installation of replacement parts purchased elsewhere is a problem. The installer loses a juicy parts markup and has some liability if the part is low-quality or defective. For this reason, I expected some attitude from the installer, but it was just the opposite. After ordering the tires I got an email notification and called the tire shop and they greeted me very well "Mr Jazz, we were just ready to call you.....your tires are in, when would you like to bring your car?"

[GoodSense]

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Originally Posted by thefed i didnt read the whole thread, but have you considered taking your es300 to a toyota dealer? they will fix it with toyota parts for a fraction of the cost (your car is the same as a camry). or take it to an independent garage/=...dealers ALWAYS charge too much

Yes, I actually took the car to an independent garage in the middle of last week, thanks to this forum. (It's a place near where I used to live, and I followed the Car Talk mechanics link on this thread to verify that they have good reviews) The "Check Engine" light was on. The mechanic didn't find anything wrong with it and just reset it. They charged me for their time but didn't make up any excuse why I need to spend hundreds of dollars on it. They told me to come back if the light comes back on. I'll go back next week to have the timing belt replaced. They were too busy this week to take it on.

I like it! Thanks everyone.

[jazz4cash]

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Originally Posted by GoodSense Yes, I actually took the car to an independent garage in the middle of last week, thanks to this forum. (It's a place near where I used to live, and I followed the Car Talk mechanics link on this thread to verify that they have good reviews) The "Check Engine" light was on. The mechanic didn't find anything wrong with it and just reset it. They charged me for their time but didn't make up any excuse why I need to spend hundreds of dollars on it. They told me to come back if the light comes back on. I'll go back next week to have the timing belt replaced. They were too busy this week to take it on. I like it! Thanks everyone.

Did they happen to mention what the code was for? It might be helpful to know and you may want to take note of whats going on when/if the light comes back on (road speed, engine warm, cold, etc.)

[GoodSense]

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Originally Posted by jazz4cash Did they happen to mention what the code was for? It might be helpful to know and you may want to take note of whats going on when/if the light comes back on (road speed, engine warm, cold, etc.)

I have it in my car but don't remember -- it's some component that's not running efficiently. (That shows you how much I know about cars!)