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SOldBear · 07-08-2009, 01:11 PM

A few years back, I bought a new set of 4 tires from Costco.

Last week, one of the tires was punctured. I brought it back to Costco to fix but they said the tire was not reparable because the hole was on the sidewall.

They said the tire needed to be replaced.

Not only that, since the tires are uni-directional, and have been discontinued (so they could not find an identical replacement tire), TWO tires (on the same axle) need to be replaced.

They said the warranty would cover part of the replacement cost. I didn't ask, and assume that the warranty would cover 60% of the damaged tire (based on the tread wear) and I would have to pay for one new tire, plus 40% of the damaged tire.

Costco no longer carries similar tires, so they had to special order them.

Today I bought the car in for tire replacement.

The verdict: the warranty paid for 60% of the damaged tire, PLUS 100% of the other tire. I ended up paying only 20% of the cost of two new tires.

The guys at the tire shop are very pleasant and professional.

Needless to say, from now on I will buy tires only from Costco.

(Of course they perform routine tire balancing and rotation as part of the warranty service).

Mike Cash · 07-08-2009, 02:07 PM

I kept slowly reading my way through your post....waiting to see where the bitching started.

It was so pleasant to find there was none.

SOldBear · 07-08-2009, 02:15 PM

Originally posted by Mike Cash

I kept slowly reading my way through your post....waiting to see where the bitching started.

You must be disappointed

I decided NOT to bitch for a change this time

I told my boss, uh, I mean, wife, that the $200 saved on the tires would go to the K-7 fund.

daacon · 07-08-2009, 03:58 PM

Costco has one of the best warrenty return policies on the planet as far as I am concerned.

SuperAkuma · 07-08-2009, 05:36 PM

It is great to hear good things from Costco. I work there.

I don't work in the tire department though, I am the guy selling the TV, computers, cameras and other electronics.

cardinal43 · 07-09-2009, 05:32 AM

My last 3 sets of tires (3 separate vehicles), have come from Costco, and I have been pleased with all of them. The only down side is Costco does not do alignments. I always have the alignment checked/corrected when I put on new tires.

reeftool · 07-09-2009, 09:13 AM

We don't have a Costco within a reasonable distance. I have purchased tires in the past from BJ's which is a similar operation and had similar warrantys. Unfortunately, they farmed out their automotive operations to a third party operating out of the building and the prices went up enough to loose me as a customer.

Jackm · 07-09-2009, 10:37 AM

I worked at costco for over 5 years, and only left cause I moved.
The return policy is the best i've seen anywhere.

When I started it use to be, unlimited no questions asked on anything. But people were returning computers they bought 2-3 years ago at full price they paid for it. So they did put a 90 day return policy on their electronics.

I have seen some crazy returns, one was a grill that the obviously just used as they didn't even bother to clean it. But we still gave them a full return.

I'm pretty sure it's unlimited on everything but electronics.

Horseonthefly · 07-09-2009, 07:09 PM

Just out of curiosity, was the sidewall puncture from an external source or a failure? J/w since I work on a "tire farm".

The tires on my Gf's truck dry rotted on the sidewall a few years ago (from sitting around too much, in a bad environment for tires). Started as a slow leak and got progressively worse. When it started leaking she put slime in it which (depending on the manufacturer) voids the warranty, so no money back on those.

But anyway, it's good to hear you got your tires fixed up so easily (and cheaply)!

krypticide · 07-09-2009, 09:51 PM

Costco is great. Awesome return policy, though naturally there are some people who will take advantage of that. 90 days on electronics is still pretty awesome.

SOldBear · 07-09-2009, 11:24 PM

Originally posted by Horseonthefly

Just out of curiosity, was the sidewall puncture from an external source or a failure?

I think it was an external source. But I can't tell what it is.

I found out that the tire was low when I was doing about 75 mph on the freeway, didn't know what had hit the tire.

This morning when I pulled of my garage, I saw a car with a flat tire in front of my house. The driver was a teenager just getting his driver license a few days ago. He know absolutely nothing about cars, not even whether his car had a spare tire and where the spare tire was. I then spent 30 minutes teaching him how to replace the tire. The spare tire's air pressure was 20 psi (vs. 60 psi as required). I had to put in some air. Interestingly, the tire was damaged in the sidewall, almost identical to what I had last week.

Reminder: when you check air pressure in the tires, please also check the spare. And if you, or anyone you know, don't know how to replace the tire, please practice in the driveway, not on the road.

reeftool · 07-10-2009, 08:51 AM

Originally posted by Horseonthefly

Just out of curiosity, was the sidewall puncture from an external source or a failure? J/w since I work on a "tire farm".

Many tire dealers offer a "road hazard" warranty. Some include it into the price and others offer it extra for a fee, usually around 10-15 bucks a tire. If you read the small print you will find that adding products such as fix a flat will void that warranty. Some of those products have been known to explode when dismounting.

07-08-2009, 01:11 PM	#1
SOldBear Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 3,206	Tire Warranty at Costco A few years back, I bought a new set of 4 tires from Costco. Last week, one of the tires was punctured. I brought it back to Costco to fix but they said the tire was not reparable because the hole was on the sidewall. They said the tire needed to be replaced. Not only that, since the tires are uni-directional, and have been discontinued (so they could not find an identical replacement tire), TWO tires (on the same axle) need to be replaced. They said the warranty would cover part of the replacement cost. I didn't ask, and assume that the warranty would cover 60% of the damaged tire (based on the tread wear) and I would have to pay for one new tire, plus 40% of the damaged tire. Costco no longer carries similar tires, so they had to special order them. Today I bought the car in for tire replacement. The verdict: the warranty paid for 60% of the damaged tire, PLUS 100% of the other tire. I ended up paying only 20% of the cost of two new tires. The guys at the tire shop are very pleasant and professional. Needless to say, from now on I will buy tires only from Costco. (Of course they perform routine tire balancing and rotation as part of the warranty service).

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07-08-2009, 02:07 PM	#2
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	I kept slowly reading my way through your post....waiting to see where the bitching started. It was so pleasant to find there was none.

07-08-2009, 02:15 PM	#3
SOldBear Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 3,206 Original Poster	Originally posted by Mike Cash I kept slowly reading my way through your post....waiting to see where the bitching started. You must be disappointed I decided NOT to bitch for a change this time I told my boss, uh, I mean, wife, that the $200 saved on the tires would go to the K-7 fund.

07-08-2009, 03:58 PM	#4
daacon Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 20,914	Costco has one of the best warrenty return policies on the planet as far as I am concerned.

07-08-2009, 05:36 PM	#5
SuperAkuma Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 445	It is great to hear good things from Costco. I work there. I don't work in the tire department though, I am the guy selling the TV, computers, cameras and other electronics.

07-09-2009, 05:32 AM	#6
cardinal43 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,412	My last 3 sets of tires (3 separate vehicles), have come from Costco, and I have been pleased with all of them. The only down side is Costco does not do alignments. I always have the alignment checked/corrected when I put on new tires.

07-09-2009, 09:13 AM	#7
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,555	We don't have a Costco within a reasonable distance. I have purchased tires in the past from BJ's which is a similar operation and had similar warrantys. Unfortunately, they farmed out their automotive operations to a third party operating out of the building and the prices went up enough to loose me as a customer.

07-09-2009, 10:37 AM	#8
Jackm New Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Nowhere Special Photos: Gallery Posts: 12	I worked at costco for over 5 years, and only left cause I moved. The return policy is the best i've seen anywhere. When I started it use to be, unlimited no questions asked on anything. But people were returning computers they bought 2-3 years ago at full price they paid for it. So they did put a 90 day return policy on their electronics. I have seen some crazy returns, one was a grill that the obviously just used as they didn't even bother to clean it. But we still gave them a full return. I'm pretty sure it's unlimited on everything but electronics.

07-09-2009, 07:09 PM	#9
Horseonthefly Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Raleigh or Fayetteville, NC Posts: 37	Just out of curiosity, was the sidewall puncture from an external source or a failure? J/w since I work on a "tire farm". The tires on my Gf's truck dry rotted on the sidewall a few years ago (from sitting around too much, in a bad environment for tires). Started as a slow leak and got progressively worse. When it started leaking she put slime in it which (depending on the manufacturer) voids the warranty, so no money back on those. But anyway, it's good to hear you got your tires fixed up so easily (and cheaply)!

07-09-2009, 09:51 PM	#10
krypticide Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,079	Costco is great. Awesome return policy, though naturally there are some people who will take advantage of that. 90 days on electronics is still pretty awesome.

07-09-2009, 11:24 PM	#11
SOldBear Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 3,206 Original Poster	Originally posted by Horseonthefly Just out of curiosity, was the sidewall puncture from an external source or a failure? I think it was an external source. But I can't tell what it is. I found out that the tire was low when I was doing about 75 mph on the freeway, didn't know what had hit the tire. This morning when I pulled of my garage, I saw a car with a flat tire in front of my house. The driver was a teenager just getting his driver license a few days ago. He know absolutely nothing about cars, not even whether his car had a spare tire and where the spare tire was. I then spent 30 minutes teaching him how to replace the tire. The spare tire's air pressure was 20 psi (vs. 60 psi as required). I had to put in some air. Interestingly, the tire was damaged in the sidewall, almost identical to what I had last week. Reminder: when you check air pressure in the tires, please also check the spare. And if you, or anyone you know, don't know how to replace the tire, please practice in the driveway, not on the road.

07-10-2009, 08:51 AM	#12
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,555	Originally posted by Horseonthefly Just out of curiosity, was the sidewall puncture from an external source or a failure? J/w since I work on a "tire farm". Many tire dealers offer a "road hazard" warranty. Some include it into the price and others offer it extra for a fee, usually around 10-15 bucks a tire. If you read the small print you will find that adding products such as fix a flat will void that warranty. Some of those products have been known to explode when dismounting.

Tire Warranty at Costco

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