The Adam Blaster
Expedition Leader
I used to work at the Costco garage in Windsor, ON. That part-time job is actually what got me into the tire industry 5-6 years ago.
So far, a lot of the info on Costco's policies that has been posted is pretty accurate.
Costco had very strict rules back then, and we always enforced them. As staffers you can get reprimanded or lose your job for not following the company's tire installation policies. It does have to do with liability issues as has been mentioned. Costco as you know is a massive company, and they aren't going to risk lawsuits or even bad publicity to satisfy us with over sized tires. Sucks for us, but they are just protecting themselves.
There is the trick about dropping your rims off and getting them to mount and balance the tires, but you won't get the rotation service even though you are still paying for it. They will still fix any flats you get, but you'll have to bring the tire on the rim off of the vehicle.
The manager at my location was pretty cool about the oversized tire thing. If you were a regular customer, he'd usually help you out around the rules.
But like every other customer service job, it's the employees that make the difference.
They had specific policies covering the re-torque after 1oo km, as well as the speed rating that Rob mentioned.
That's another liability thing, and is a widely accepted rule within the tire industry. Various cars come from the factory with suspension systems setup to work and handle in a certain manner based on a certain level of stiffness that the tires provide.
Changing that element (tire speed rating) changes the dynamics and handling characteristics of the vehicle.
If you're a good driver that is actually aware of the specific handling characteristics of your car/truck/SUV and take that into account when you change the various components of your suspension system, including the tires, then you'll probably be fine and experience no real issues. You've likely adjusted your driving habits to compensate accordingly.
But, with our society being overly sue-happy, and the lack of self discipline along with not taking responsibility for one's own actions, they've adopted policies to protect themselves. People drive their SUV's as if they are supposed to handle like a Ferrari, and they're designing vehicles that can park themselves.
Can anyone really blame Costco for taking this stance?
Another thing about Costco that I try to mention a lot - their business plan that has to do with the garage facilities. The tire shop/garage is not designed to make money on it's own. The markup on the tires is quite low compared to other tire shops, and the oil changes are quite cheap as well. They also pay their employees fairly well and offer a decent level of benefits, especially when considering the low standards that are often present in independent tire shops.
The tire shop components of a Costco warehouse are present solely to keep members inside and shopping.
Back to tires...
I'd personally be somewhat hesitant to go to a tire shop that is willing to satisfy almost any request by the customer just to make that sale.
I deal with tire shops over the phone every day, and it's scary what they try to do sometimes.
I had one guy last week trying to get his customer into some S-rated tires that were slightly undersized for the rims on his BMW M3. :Wow1::Wow1:
And just today i had to give a verbal lesson about ply ratings and the difference between bias and radial tractor tires and why you're not supposed to mix and match them on a tractor. This was to a guy that worked at a place called "Lawn and Tractor" something or other...
Some tire shops are good, some, just run away from!
So far, a lot of the info on Costco's policies that has been posted is pretty accurate.
Costco had very strict rules back then, and we always enforced them. As staffers you can get reprimanded or lose your job for not following the company's tire installation policies. It does have to do with liability issues as has been mentioned. Costco as you know is a massive company, and they aren't going to risk lawsuits or even bad publicity to satisfy us with over sized tires. Sucks for us, but they are just protecting themselves.
There is the trick about dropping your rims off and getting them to mount and balance the tires, but you won't get the rotation service even though you are still paying for it. They will still fix any flats you get, but you'll have to bring the tire on the rim off of the vehicle.
The manager at my location was pretty cool about the oversized tire thing. If you were a regular customer, he'd usually help you out around the rules.
But like every other customer service job, it's the employees that make the difference.
They had specific policies covering the re-torque after 1oo km, as well as the speed rating that Rob mentioned.
That's another liability thing, and is a widely accepted rule within the tire industry. Various cars come from the factory with suspension systems setup to work and handle in a certain manner based on a certain level of stiffness that the tires provide.
Changing that element (tire speed rating) changes the dynamics and handling characteristics of the vehicle.
If you're a good driver that is actually aware of the specific handling characteristics of your car/truck/SUV and take that into account when you change the various components of your suspension system, including the tires, then you'll probably be fine and experience no real issues. You've likely adjusted your driving habits to compensate accordingly.
But, with our society being overly sue-happy, and the lack of self discipline along with not taking responsibility for one's own actions, they've adopted policies to protect themselves. People drive their SUV's as if they are supposed to handle like a Ferrari, and they're designing vehicles that can park themselves.
Can anyone really blame Costco for taking this stance?
Another thing about Costco that I try to mention a lot - their business plan that has to do with the garage facilities. The tire shop/garage is not designed to make money on it's own. The markup on the tires is quite low compared to other tire shops, and the oil changes are quite cheap as well. They also pay their employees fairly well and offer a decent level of benefits, especially when considering the low standards that are often present in independent tire shops.
The tire shop components of a Costco warehouse are present solely to keep members inside and shopping.
Back to tires...
I'd personally be somewhat hesitant to go to a tire shop that is willing to satisfy almost any request by the customer just to make that sale.
I deal with tire shops over the phone every day, and it's scary what they try to do sometimes.
I had one guy last week trying to get his customer into some S-rated tires that were slightly undersized for the rims on his BMW M3. :Wow1::Wow1:
And just today i had to give a verbal lesson about ply ratings and the difference between bias and radial tractor tires and why you're not supposed to mix and match them on a tractor. This was to a guy that worked at a place called "Lawn and Tractor" something or other...
Some tire shops are good, some, just run away from!
