You probably already know this, but here's a reminder - double check the work done by large chain auto shops.
I bought my last set of tires from Costco, so I take advantage of the free rotation and balance service that came with the purchase. A couple of days before my next appointment, my tire warning light came on. Thought I'd be lazy and let Costco air it up for me. When I dropped the car off, the tire warning light was on. When I pick it up, the warning light is on. When I get home I get my gauge out and check all the tires. One of them was more than 10 pounds low. When you are a shop that does nothing but tires and batteries, how do you rotate and balance a set of tires without even checking the pressure?
Next time I think I'll mark the tires to make sure they were actually rotated.
Costco quality will vary depending on the service manager, but in general you get what you pay for. In my experience, Costco is above Walmart but below specialized chains (like Discount Tire), which are below locally owned-and-operated shops with experienced staff.
… which are, of course, below old guys working out of their garage in Tennessee 😉
If you want good auto service, go to an auto mechanic. Not Costco. Think about it.
When I go to get new tires, I bring my torque wrench with me to make sure the lug nuts are properly torqued. They NEVER are.
That is a good point. If they can't bother with the pressure, I'd best not trust how they handle torqueing the lug nuts.
Sometimes they overtighten using their - big gulp - impact wrench.
True!.. Then people wonder why their rotors are warped.
The Costco I go to, the paperwork says to come back after driving for 25 miles to get the lug nuts re-torqued. You just drive up to the garage, show them the paperwork, and they re-torque it on spot.
While I haven’t had any problems with low air from Costco, I do take advantage of their free air. They have air filling stations next to the tire center, and most are modern where you can just type in your air pressure psi.
