Getting tires for model S from Costco

[DX-MS21]

I have 20k miles on MS and need new tires. Rockville service center wants $1400+ for 19” all season oem tires, I thought it was little high.

So I ordered from Costco, Michelin Promacy MX4 19” 245/45R19 for about $800. Now problem is getting them installed. Costco in Arundel Mills MD says they won’t do Tesla since it’s not in their system even though I told them I have jack pads and will show them how to lift the car.

Costco in Columbia MD says they can’t install tires if they aren’t OEM tires without foam in them (wtf). Other Costco’s tire center in area won’t even pickup phone.

Rockville SC said they will install Costco tires for me for $125 if I sign waiver since there aren’t oem tires.

Should I find a Costco who is willing to work on Tesla or just go with Rockville SC? I am surprised we have to just through hoops to get tires.

Thanks

 

[Xenoilphobe]

In problems with Costco in Chantilly VA... they have installed on both my Tesla Model S's. Michelin Primacy's where standard in 2013 on the 85....

 

[PhatCat]

Costco in Brookfield CT installed Michelin X-ICE snow tires on OEM 19" Slipstream rims without any issues. These are certainly not OEM tires but they were one of Costco's recommendations on their website. This center has also swapped these wheels in/out with the non-winter ones without complaint. I always remind them to be aware of the jack points just to be sure.

I have also seen posts that say some Costco centers will not work on Teslas at all. Seems to be dependent on the policy of your local Costco tire center.

 

[Buster1]

You got a fair price on tires... now pay a little more for a shop that can safely lift your car and do the tires. The costs of battery pack damage from an idiot shop/worker will far eclipse the cost of a knowledgeable shop.

 

[SSedan]

Local Costco quoted me over $300apiece for the MX4 tires.

Went elsewhere and got something else.

 

[DX-MS21]

I guess I will just pickup tires from Costco and let Tesla sc install them

I was hoping to get free nitrogen in tires from Costco but I guess it’s not a big deal.

 

[Don TLR]

I asked my SC if they matched prices and they said no, so I purchased anyhow. One week later I get a bolt through my tire,, call and get a wheel delivered then dropped the tire off to get repaired. Tesla said it couldn't be repaired but they would cover it because I just bought them.
Would a discount place do that without paying for certs?? Maybe but I'm happy to spend my $$ at Tesla hoping the company succeeds and my share price increases ..

 

[jkoya]

Costco in Sacramento refuses to install anything other than OEM size on an OEM wheel. Since Costco online sells aftermarket wheels, I asked them if they would install tires on those. The answer I got was "not this Costco".

 

[PhatCat]

Costco in Sacramento refuses to install anything other than OEM size on an OEM wheel. ".

Yeah, I think this is standard Costco policy. You also must purchase the tires from Costco.

 

[ckoval7]

I wonder if I'll face the same challenge going through Sam's Club.
You could also possibly look to see if AAA or similar shop will mount tires. I think even Walmart will do it, but I don't know how much I trust them.

 

[MyJoule]

I originally had an issue with my Costco not wanting to do a tire repair and install because their system at the time didn't have the torque spec in it, I took the installer to the car- showed him the manual on the display where it said 129ft-lb torque He took a picture of it with his phone and then did the work. I also showed them Jack Mode. They have nice lifts with pads that line up well with the jack points. That was 2 years ago. Recently when they had their 1c install sale, I went and bought new tires there was no problem at all. They never even asked about the jack mode, they all knew about it now. Their system showed the torque specs. I'm sort of surprised that all Costco stores aren't hooked to the same system.

 

[glide]

Tesla SC will mount and install the tires for you.

I have had my winter set, bought online, delivered to Tesla and installed.

 

[ucmndd]

My Costco did it after I offered to walk back with them, physically point at the jack points, and then approve before they lifted the car. No big deal after that.

Surprised they're giving you grief about the MXM4s, they WERE Tesla OEM for quite some time and Tesla still sells them (or at least they did last I checked).

 

[Oldschool496]

The only way I would ever think of using anything other then SC is to take the tires and rim off the car myself, deliver them to Costco and put them back on myself. Other then that, Tesla gets all the liability and the business. Even then, if another place scratches or damages the rim in anyway its tough luck. If Tesla damages anything they replace it.

 

[Ken7]

I hate to sound naive, but are the jack points that much different on our Teslas than other cars? Have people suffered damage as the result of jacking by service guys that aren't familiar with the car?

 

[outdoors]

Had no problems getting my snows put on at Costco. They didn't have the Model 3 in the system. I had ordered my tires a month prior with the Costco item number. I handed them the pucks and they said these are neat. First 3 they had worked on. Only question they wanted was lug torque specs.

Only thing I didn't care for is having to get in line at 8:45am for a 10:00am open. They ran the Black Friday sale prior to black Friday. Everyone was coming back for installs. 13 people in line at open. Me first sitting on a foam pad in a down jacket at the front door.

In general I would say Costco can't churn out tire installs as fast as other tire shops, but they are a lot closer than the SC which is out of state.

Also my S was no problem either. As this is the S forum.

 

[ucmndd]

I hate to sound naive, but are the jack points that much different on our Teslas than other cars?

No. They're extremely well marked and visible.

The one gotcha is the battery pack hangs down lower than the lift point, so you need to make sure whatever is lifting it is completely on the jacking point and not too far inboard, else you could hypothetically damage the battery. That's why some people use hockey pucks or buy/make custom lift pads. But it's far from rocket science.

My nearest service center is 150 miles away so having them do every bit of tire/wheel work is not practical. Any half way competent tire shop should have no problems at all.

 

[AEdennis]

I'm in Southern California, with 105,000 miles on our 2013 standard S85...

4x Michelin Primacy replaced around 50-60k miles... at the Costco in Huntington Beach with no problems.

2x Michelin Primacy just replaced this last annual (Rears) at Tesla, prices have dropped and were only $5 each tire more expensive to have done at Tesla (pre-tax, but after all fees)...

So, no worries here... Then again, Costco sees a LOT OF TESLAS here.

 

[swegman]

I’ve purchased 3 sets of tires from the Costco store in Gaithersburg MD location without any problems. They found the tirqye specs in their computer system and have done many Tesla vehicles.

I like Costco for tires because they rotate and balance the tires whenever I request it and fix flats if needed, at any Costco location. In this regard, I’ve used the Costco store in Knoxville TN twice (once to balance the tires because I felt a vibration and once to replace a blown tire (tire blew on the highway near Knoxville and Tesla had the tow company tow me to Costco for a replacement tire as the nearest service center was about 300 miles from my location). I’ve also had no issues with Costco in NH and the Costco near Palm Beach, FL.

Further, the service advisor at the Rockville MD SC directed me to Costco for replacement tires when my prior tires were worn.

I do not have original wheels on my car. I replaced the 21 inch wheels with 19 inch wheels. Neither Tesla or Costco has ever given me a problem about having non-Tesla wheels. Tesla has rotated, balanced and even replaced the original TPM sensors with new sensors (requiring that they dismount the tire from the wheel and then remount and balance them), and also performed many alignments without voicing any concerns.

 

[McKiwi]

I have a nail in a tire, discovered by the SC, they said it was too close to the edge and could not repair it. Said they didn't have the tire in stock so just go to a tire store. Based on some of the comments here folks suggesting there is some concern with not having this at the SC?