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I had an oil change done at Colony Tire (in Cary, at the corner of High House Rd and Davis Dr.) this weekend. They told me that I need new front tires. They charged $185 for two, and $59.99 for alignment. They said I need to do alignment every 6000 miles. Is this a reasonable price? Do you do alignment every 6000 miles, as they suggest?
I remember I had an oil change done a few months ago, also at this Colony Tire location. They suggested me to do the transmission oil change for $109, and power steering oil change for $90. Are their price too high?
Do you have any good/bad experience at this Colony Tire location?
Do you have any recommendation for good mechanics for this Cary area?
Sixty bucks for an alignment doesn't sound too bad. I can't judge the price on the tires without knowing what size you got. $185 isn't awful, but it's not great either - at least for a small car with basic all season tires.
I get an alignment when I notice serious problems with my tires. Certainly not every 6000 miles. I think you're getting upsold.
I don't think I've ever changed transmission oil or power steering oil, but I could be wrong.
Well, without knowing the secifics of your car (make, model, year, and mileage) as well as your driving habits (city, hwy, mixed, hard driving, start-stop, etc.), it's impossible to know if the recommended services were needed or not.
You should always get an alignment with new tires because the manufacturer will void their warranty if you do not balance them and align your car (claiming negligence on your part). As for doing it every 6000 miles, that's a crock! It should only be done when needed. The price is normal. As for your tire price, I don't know since I don't know what tires you purchased.
The transmission oil change depends on car/mileage/how it's driven but a good rule of thumb for Automatic transmission fluid is to do a change it every 45K miles under normal conditions (most people will tell you to change it every 30K, but that's overkill, just like changing oil every 3000 miles) and flush it every 100K. The pricing isn't unreasonable.
The power steering and brake fluid should be flushed every 3 years / 45K miles as well. The reason I put a time on it is because the DOT fluid is notorious for attracting humidity and water. The price does dound reasonable, tho.
Just be cautious and don't allow them to upsell you on stuff you don't need.
Without knowing anything about your car, we have no way of knowing if these services were necessary or not. We can also not accurately comment on the cost of these services. I can, however, say that getting an alignment every 6000 miles is rediculously unnecessary. I've had my car for 75K miles and it has never needed an alignment. You should be able to tell if your car needs an alignment very easily. Go down a smooth straight section of road. Let go of the steering wheel. Try this a few times. Does your car stay in a straight line, or does it pull to one side or the other?
I had an oil change done at Colony Tire (in Cary, at the corner of High House Rd and Davis Dr.) this weekend. They told me that I need new front tires. They charged $185 for two, and $59.99 for alignment. They said I need to do alignment every 6000 miles. Is this a reasonable price? Do you do alignment every 6000 miles, as they suggest?
I remember I had an oil change done a few months ago, also at this Colony Tire location. They suggested me to do the transmission oil change for $109, and power steering oil change for $90. Are their price too high?
Do you have any good/bad experience at this Colony Tire location?
Do you have any recommendation for good mechanics for this Cary area?
The moral here is never let a tire company service your car as they will always find some way to sell what they actually do ie sell tires and wheel alignment. I would have told them I will go away and check out competitor tire prices as I imagine Sams Club in Morrisville would have been significantly cheaper - and only $15 per wheel for alignment. I would suggest you go to speak with the manager at Colony Tire and tell him to read comments on this forum and ask him to re-consider in the light of feedback if he still believes his charges are fair and reasonable. He may decide to give you a free service next time as a goodwill measure - if you don't ask you dont get
$15/ tire is exactly what the OP would be paying....
I've been told to have my tires aligned every 10k. I bought a lifetime alignment from Firestone for $120 and 7 years later it has paid itself off time and time again!
I've never done the flushes though so I should probably get on that.
Depending on how many miles are on your car a flush of the transmission fluid can do more harm than good. If you have over 100K miles and the fluid has never been flushed DO NOT FLUSH IT. Instead just do a drain and refill. Give us more details on the make, model, year, and mileage and we can help you out a whole lot better.
I hate it when these places try tp upsell you constantly.
You dont need an alignment every 6000 miles, unless you have hit monster potholes to knock it out of alignment.
Once, I went to have my car serviced and told me I needed my power steering fluid replaced for like 109.95. I went and bought a turkey baster and a container of fluid (all for under $10) and did it myself. Now, it isnt like completely removing old, but if you do it a few times after letting it cycle through, it does the trick.
ETA: $185 for 2 tires isnt that bad at all.
Last edited by srs1994; 01-06-2010 at 08:26 AM..
Reason: Left out Info.
I don't think I've ever changed transmission oil or power steering oil, but I could be wrong.
This is why I try to avoid used cars with automatics. Hardly anyone ever changes the fluid and it really needs to be unless you like paying for new transmissions.
I would have told them I will go away and check out competitor tire prices as I imagine Sams Club in Morrisville would have been significantly cheaper - and only $15 per wheel for alignment.
there are places that charge for an alignment on a 'per tire' basis? i've heard of getting a discounted price on RWD solid axle vehicles that have basically no adjustment to make on the rear, but per tire?
to the OP, i have to ask, are you SURE they said to get an ALIGNMENT every 6K? did they, perhaps, say to ROTATE the tires every 6K? that sounds much more reasonable, especially on a FWD vehicle.
regarding alignments, though, there is more to an alignment than whether the car goes straight when you take your hand off the wheel. alignment will affect handling and tire wear, so it is a good idea to get it done periodically and ESPECIALLY after new tires are put on. it IS possible to have a car out of alignment that does NOT pull side to side, so using that as the only test is not the right way to go. so, how often should you get it aligned? depends. i drive the bejesus out of my car so i get it done every 3 months or so (which equates to about 6K miles for me, sadly). is it overkill? maybe, but i buy the lifetime alignment (about $150 at Firestone) and after the first few visits it pays for itself. with as much as i drive, getting every last mile out of my tires is a worthwhile expense, so paying for getting the alignment done is crucial. i can't say i recommend this to others, but it's what works for me.
and lastly, the prices they're charging sound just fine to me. of course, this would depend on which tires you bought and the tire size, but the labor rates on the fluids sounds right in line with what i would expect. you can always expect these places to try to talk you into extra services, but they're not always wrong when they say you need it. the best thing to do is to consult your owner's manual (if possible) and know when services should be done.
Mike
Last edited by whiteboyslo; 01-06-2010 at 09:25 AM..
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