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Tire Etiquette

No, no . . . apparently if the dealer had charged the shop rate for the installation (which he did), but had SMILED ABOUT IT (which he did not), then everything would have been OK. :rolleyes

I've never seen a bike shop charge anywhere close to $193 to mount two tires. My local dealer charged me $25 to mount a Pilot Road some time ago (but he charged me $216 for the single tire, a Pilot Road 2). My Honda dealer used to charge the same amount for mounting on my Goldwing, with the tires at internet-competitive prices. Two local independent shops charge $25-35 per tire to mount, one only tires you buy there, the other, get 'em anywhere.
 
But Bikerfish, the problem here is NOT the charge, it's the BMW shop's attitude. RO has indicated that he has no objection to the amount he was charged for the work.

No, that's not what I said (again). :banghead

I said it wasn't unfair and that I wasn't complaining. I have no right to complain. That doesn't mean I liked the attitude or was happy with the bill I got. I didn't like the attitude before I got the bill and I didn't like the bill either.

If you go to the doctor and don't negotiate the fee up front, you are kind of at the mercy of the doctor. That doesn't mean you have no objection to the amount of the charge, especially if you sense that the doctor was ticked and used the situation to teach you a lesson.

I think the owner decided to teach me a lesson. He did. I'll remember it. The dealer was within his rights to treat me like a leper and charge me $193 for changing two tires. And I'm within mine when I take my business elsewhere. Like I keep saying: No hard feelings; it's just business.

This is a small dealer in a small city. Like all similar dealers, he's probably flush with customers and doesn't need my business.
 
The question is whether it's inappropriate to buy tires online and pay normal shop rates to have them installed at the local BMW shop?

Theoretically, it should not be inappropriate. Business is busines, and they have two different parts of the business, parts and SERVICE. If they don't wish to provide the service of mounting tires acquired elsewhere, that is their choice, and I would understand it completely. But they should post that policy, and keep all the emotions out of it. That's just good business sense.

But would I do that to my local BMW shop? No I would not, for all the reasons that have been mentioned here by others. Fortunately for me, it was issues like this that prompted me to buy the equipment and learn to do it on my own.

With this situation, I personally would not give any further business to them no matter their attitude. I would question the professional competence of any motorcycle shop that takes 2.7 hours to remove, mount, balance and re-install two tires. To me that is inexcusable, and would make me question their ability to do the technically difficult work. So like you, I'd be weighing my options and looking elsewhere. That is the choice of every customer.

I'm glad you asked the question. We all walk that line between saving money, and keeping our local shop operating. I give my shop (Morton's) as much money as I can afford, and I try to save money where I can. They understand that.

jeff
 
tire changing

I don't know about the rest of you, but by the time I set up the changer, take off the wheel, break it down, install the new tire and tube, get the bead set (sometimes I go berserk at this point), set up the balancer and do that, then reinstall the wheel, I have the better part of a Saturday morning invested in it.
My point? If you don't want to give the dealer his $30.00 juice on the cost of the tire, you might well expect no mercy on the cost of the installation. Just human nature IMHO.
 
If my dealer was closer than 235 miles away (one way) I'd gladly purchase tires from him and have him install them. Unfortunately I don't have time to just hop on the bike and run down there on a whim. And much like RO, I was abused by a local shop (non-BMW) that mounted my tire, and after a verbal assault I said no more of that.

Do the math, folks, these things appear high priced, but are they? I guess you know my answer.

455543711_eEikH-L.jpg
 
I just scanned through this whole thread, then I re-read rideoregon's original post(I should get a life!).

Here's the problem as I see it:
The dealer didn't make rideoregon feel like a valued customer.
The dealer didn't say "Jeez, you buy somebody else's tires and you want me to do x,y, and z and take liability"?
"Sorry man but I gotta charge you big for that".
"Thanks for coming back and maybe next time talk to us first and we can work a deal".

All of that 'feelgood' stuff is incumbent on the dealer.
That's his business and bread&butter.

My dealer made me feel like crap so I don't go there unless I have to.
My dealer gave me crap for showing up for a BMW demo ride without buying a new GS.

So now I call Wolf BMW 5 hours away and they always talk to me like they WANT to.
Now I'm trying to get tires shipped from Zdeno's also 5 hours away because I don't ever want to go back to the OGTC because they pissed me off.

Retail is tough but simple. Delight people and you can screw them once in a while.
I line up for that.

Thanks for listening.
 
If my dealer was closer than 235 miles away (one way) I'd gladly purchase tires from him and have him install them. Unfortunately I don't have time to just hop on the bike and run down there on a whim. And much like RO, I was abused by a local shop (non-BMW) that mounted my tire, and after a verbal assault I said no more of that.

Do the math, folks, these things appear high priced, but are they? I guess you know my answer.

455543711_eEikH-L.jpg

Would you mind sharing some details on your tire tools? What brand? Any special tools or accessories that aren't in the picture?
 
No, that's not what I said (again). :banghead

I said it wasn't unfair and that I wasn't complaining. I have no right to complain. That doesn't mean I liked the attitude or was happy with the bill I got. I didn't like the attitude before I got the bill and I didn't like the bill either.

If you go to the doctor and don't negotiate the fee up front, you are kind of at the mercy of the doctor. That doesn't mean you have no objection to the amount of the charge, especially if you sense that the doctor was ticked and used the situation to teach you a lesson.

I think the owner decided to teach me a lesson. He did. I'll remember it. The dealer was within his rights to treat me like a leper and charge me $193 for changing two tires. And I'm within mine when I take my business elsewhere. Like I keep saying: No hard feelings; it's just business.

This is a small dealer in a small city. Like all similar dealers, he's probably flush with customers and doesn't need my business.

RO ~ Thanks for sharing your experience and observations. I like your 'calculus' summation - that's pretty much what these experiences boil down to -what we take away and how what we took away figures into future decisions.

I'll be needing tires soon, thanks for the opportunity to do some pre-calculus
 
Would you mind sharing some details on your tire tools? What brand? Any special tools or accessories that aren't in the picture?


It's the NoMar Jr Pro model. http://www.nomartirechanger.com/product/show/2 And to answer my own question, they are actually pretty expensive. But change a few of your own tires, start changing other peoples tires, change ATV tires, lawn mower tires, etc. And do it when YOU have the time. I haven't had it long but I have a feeling it's going to be a busy tool when warm weather comes again. Word has leaked out that it's in my garage. :)

And if all else fails, there are cheaper options out there:

324440468_VwCyn-M.jpg
 
Just picked up my RT this afternoon after having some work done on the electronics. Another story another day. Anyhow, the service manager at my dealer in Plano, Texas has his desk right next to where the dealer stores all their tires. While waiting for him to finish my paperwork and looking at all the tires stacked to the ceiling, I asked him what the deal would be if I purchased tires on line and brought them to the dealer to mount. His reply: "No a problem at all in fact we do it all the time". "Only thing I would suggest is to give us a chance to match the price. If we can't, it's understandable to get them elsewhere". He also admittedly said our mounting price isn't the cheapest,but not over the top. I forgot to ask, but I believe they charge $30 to $40 per tire.

My reply to him was even if the the dealer's price were about $15 to $20 higher per tire, I would probably still buy them from the dealer to support them. I live about 12 miles away from my dealer and rely heavily on these guys to keep my bike running well so I like to maintain a good relationship. They have bent over backwards for me over the years so it all seems to work out well for me. On the other hand, if the difference is significant, it would make sense to take the significant savings.
No hard feelings as they are happy to charge for the labor.
 
Just picked up my RT this afternoon after having some work done on the electronics. Another story another day. Anyhow, the service manager at my dealer in Plano, Texas has his desk right next to where the dealer stores all their tires. While waiting for him to finish my paperwork and looking at all the tires stacked to the ceiling, I asked him what the deal would be if I purchased tires on line and brought them to the dealer to mount. His reply: "No a problem at all in fact we do it all the time". "Only thing I would suggest is to give us a chance to match the price. If we can't, it's understandable to get them elsewhere". He also admittedly said our mounting price isn't the cheapest,but not over the top. I forgot to ask, but I believe they charge $30 to $40 per tire.

My reply to him was even if the the dealer's price were about $15 to $20 higher per tire, I would probably still buy them from the dealer to support them. I live about 12 miles away from my dealer and rely heavily on these guys to keep my bike running well so I like to maintain a good relationship. They have bent over backwards for me over the years so it all seems to work out well for me. On the other hand, if the difference is significant, it would make sense to take the significant savings.
No hard feelings as they are happy to charge for the labor.

that's just the way you want it to be.
 
I have NEVER bought tires from a stealer, nor ever will. I don't feel obligated to pay outrageous prices , just to keep a dealer open. I would rather support the local independent guy.

There are alternatives for a reason, if stealers fit your definition of economical than use them, if not then make use of capitalistic ideals.

I have never set foot in a service center, until my New GT decided to be less reliable than my 86k100rt with 86k miles on it. OH BMW
 
I once priced a rear tire at the Kawasaki dealer. $185 + mounting. I bought the same tire delivered to my door for $86 via the net. Etiquette? I guess I'm just rude and uncouth.


Ralph Sims
 
Oh, I supported the Honda dealer when they mounted my tires for $20 and I bought the tire at denniskirk.com. Cheaper is usually better. I am rude.
 
I once priced a rear tire at the Kawasaki dealer. $185 + mounting. I bought the same tire delivered to my door for $86 via the net. Etiquette? I guess I'm just rude and uncouth.


Ralph Sims

:nod................:rofl Hi Ralph :wave
 
Hey RideOregon,
Tires are one thing that shops seem to want to make an unreasonable amount of money on.

I got tired of that and bought a no-mar tire changer. Your profile doesn't say where in Oregon you live. (hint) Here in Salem I have a No-Mar tire changer and handy motorcycle lift in the garage. I have several friends who buy tires and just have them sent to my house. Some of them are mechanical and change their tires using my tools. And some of them are not mechanical and just watch me change their tires.

Tip and beer money are always accepted.
 
The dealer in KC (Engle) is really a great shop except for tires. Expect, mounted and balanced, $400 for two Michelin's mounted and balanced. Really a rip off. Other than that a great shop.
 
Dittos to RTRandy's post. Indeed that is the way to approach a deal like this. The dealer in this case could have told the customer, look, next time I'd appreciate a chance to match the price or come close. Even if he charged too much for the time, he could have kept a customer and not had his reputation tarnished. I had a dealer put tires on my RT which price was quoted over the phone. Very reasonable and i could support the dealer. Good for both of us. Had the work done and quess what, the bill was higher. They had "made a mistake" but bike was done and ready to roll. I had little leverage, but in the end shame on me. A retailer in this case honked me off to the point that i will try at every effort to go to Atlanta for service which is about 6 hours away verses one hour. I hate that. In the future I will make extra sure I know what they'll charge in advance. but even if i go to the more local guy again, I will always feel like they will take advantage of me any chance they get. I hate that feeling.
 
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