Service Question

[minnesotamonster]

Hi, I need to put some new tires on the bike, and wanted to go with the pilot Roads since I got such great mileage out of the last set. So I called my local shop and asked for a quote, and I just got the quote back.

They quoted me $160 for the FRONT and $197 for the REAR, and $120 to mount and balance.

That sounded a little high to me so I went looking online. I can find the same set for almost $80 cheaper. Is that right?  I'm ok with the mount and balance price, but marking up the tires by $80 kind of pisses me off.

Would I be better off ordering the tires online and taking my wheels and tires in seperately to get them mounted and balanced?

I'd like to give the dealer some business and buy through them, but that markup is a little high in my opinion.

Let me know if I'm way off here or what I should do.

Thanks

[Heath]

Do you have a Cycle Gear near you?  If you can take the wheels off your self you save money right there.  If you buy a set usually they take a percentage off too.  Plus they are inexpensive when it comes to the mounting costs.  I think last time I went I got 15% off for buying a set, they only charged me 1 mount and balance fee, and I learned how to take my wheels off myself.

[minnesotamonster]

I'm pretty sure I can take the wheels off myself. I'm certainly not afraid to try. I understand they are going to be a little higher than online prices, but jeez, I think the $80+markup a set is a little much.  No cyclegear store. But I do live 40 minutes from Dennis Kirk 

[minnesotamonster]

Did some more looking...found the same tires, front and rear, for $244 shipped. That's over $110 cheaper. I'm just going to order them online...sorry local shop     I really didn't want to.

[Slide Panda]

Just make sure the local shop will mount online tires - some can be a little odd about it.  Some won't do it at all, some will charge a higher mounting fee for tires that were not purchased at their shop.

[woodyracing]

listen up, most of the time the price a vendor pays for tires is based on their sales volume.  A local dealership has a MUCH MUCH lower volume than an online vendor so just because they charge $80 more doesn't mean they're making $80 more profit on them.

[corey]

that's true.
but it does mean they are charging YOU $80 more dollars on them.
they might not make $80 more profit, but you certainly lose $80 more out of your wallet.

[minnesotamonster]

I realize they don't have the sales volume online vendors do. I also understand they need to make a buck. I just think the $80 markup, whether its all profit or not, was a little much.




Update://   They will mount and balance the tires if I bring them in. $50 for both. I made the appt. to do that, and ordered the tires online for $244. I'll save  $180 by buying them online and taking the wheels off myself. I think I made the right choice.

[ghosthound]

I have no problems not giving a stealership my money.  Unless the people there are very nice and really have awesome customer service i would rather get the cheapest prices. 

[sbrguy]

I think their tire price is somewhat reasonable as they have to make a profit a bit per tire of maybe 40$ but the mounting and blancing fee is a bit high.

120 for both tires is a bit high that is 60 each, that is insane.  local duc dealership i went to 2 years ago only charged $40 per tire on the bike, it was $20 if they were off the bike.