Had the Honda in for it's first oil change at 9,000 miles. They tell me you should rotate and balance the tires at 10k, do you want to do it now ?
For $60, I declined, seemed a bit high ?
Do it, or blow it off ?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Dear Tom and Ray:
The owner's manual for my 2000 BMW 328i says in the interests of safety and handling, I should NOT rotate my tires. And it implies that tire rotation will not extend the life of the tires in a meaningful way. But the instructions with my new tires (not to mention those from the tire reseller and the mechanic who services my car) all suggest periodic rotation. To rotate, or not to rotate? -- Larry
TOM: This was one of the great civic debates of the 20th century, Larry.
RAY: Make that 20th AND 21st.
TOM: We've always felt that tire rotation is of marginal value in terms of saving you money. Why? Because the cost of tire rotation roughly equals the amount you'd save by extending your tire life.
RAY: You can see why mechanics like it. Not only is it an easy few bucks for us, but it also gets your car into the shop again so we can sell you other services -- like engine flushes and fuzzy-dice reupholstering!
TOM: So, our feeling has always been that if the tire rotation is free, do it. In other words, if you're having your brakes checked, and the wheels are already off the car and your mechanic is nice enough to put them back on different wheels for nothing, then do it. That's what we do for our customers.
RAY: Actually, we just get confused, and don't remember where the wheels came from. So we tell our customers, "We THINK we rotated your tires."
TOM: But if you have to pay for tire rotation as a separate service, it's pretty much a wash, as far as we can tell.
RAY: As for BMW, it figures that anyone who buys a BMW places handling above a few bucks. And in many cases, its cars come with directional tires, which are only supposed to be rotated front to back. When you rotate that way, you're supposed to do it every 3,000 miles, which further reduces any economic advantage.
TOM: BMW cites safety because the front and rear tires develop different wear patterns. And for at least a little while -- until the wear evens out, which is the point of tire rotation -- you might have slightly inferior handling with newly rotated tires.
RAY: It's a technicality, and very few drivers would ever notice it, but BMW is, technically, correct.
TOM: Still, we see nothing wrong with rotating your tires. No harm will be done, in our opinion. But if you're paying your BMW mechanic $125 an hour to move your tires around (and eight bucks a wheel for rebalancing, too), it's very unlikely you'll save any money in the long run, Larry.
Back to the September 2004 index
For $60, I declined, seemed a bit high ?
Do it, or blow it off ?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Dear Tom and Ray:
The owner's manual for my 2000 BMW 328i says in the interests of safety and handling, I should NOT rotate my tires. And it implies that tire rotation will not extend the life of the tires in a meaningful way. But the instructions with my new tires (not to mention those from the tire reseller and the mechanic who services my car) all suggest periodic rotation. To rotate, or not to rotate? -- Larry
RAY: Make that 20th AND 21st.
TOM: We've always felt that tire rotation is of marginal value in terms of saving you money. Why? Because the cost of tire rotation roughly equals the amount you'd save by extending your tire life.
RAY: You can see why mechanics like it. Not only is it an easy few bucks for us, but it also gets your car into the shop again so we can sell you other services -- like engine flushes and fuzzy-dice reupholstering!
TOM: So, our feeling has always been that if the tire rotation is free, do it. In other words, if you're having your brakes checked, and the wheels are already off the car and your mechanic is nice enough to put them back on different wheels for nothing, then do it. That's what we do for our customers.
RAY: Actually, we just get confused, and don't remember where the wheels came from. So we tell our customers, "We THINK we rotated your tires."
TOM: But if you have to pay for tire rotation as a separate service, it's pretty much a wash, as far as we can tell.
RAY: As for BMW, it figures that anyone who buys a BMW places handling above a few bucks. And in many cases, its cars come with directional tires, which are only supposed to be rotated front to back. When you rotate that way, you're supposed to do it every 3,000 miles, which further reduces any economic advantage.
TOM: BMW cites safety because the front and rear tires develop different wear patterns. And for at least a little while -- until the wear evens out, which is the point of tire rotation -- you might have slightly inferior handling with newly rotated tires.
RAY: It's a technicality, and very few drivers would ever notice it, but BMW is, technically, correct.
TOM: Still, we see nothing wrong with rotating your tires. No harm will be done, in our opinion. But if you're paying your BMW mechanic $125 an hour to move your tires around (and eight bucks a wheel for rebalancing, too), it's very unlikely you'll save any money in the long run, Larry.
Back to the September 2004 index
<SMALL>© 2004 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.</SMALL>
<HR>Get your question answered.
Search our humungous column database now.
[ Latest | Previous | Next | Random |Search |Browse ]
(check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.
<!-- end feature content --><!-- begin footer --><!-- begin footer --><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD><TD colSpan=2>
<HR><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=115> </TD><TD class=sponsor vAlign=center>Hosting for cartalk.com is generously provided by Corsis Technology Services.</TD><TD> </TD><TD width=115> </TD><TD class=sponsor vAlign=center>Car Talk's email newsletters are powered by Emma.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- end footer --><!-- end footer --></TD><TD width=10>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><!-- end large middle column --><!-- begin right sidebar --><!-- begin right sidebar --><LINK href="http://www.cartalk.com/styles/ct-styles.css" rel=Stylesheet><TD class=sidebar-carscom vAlign=top width=160><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=160 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin search box --><FORM action=/ct/search.jsp method=post><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#000066 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#ffcc00 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle><INPUT type=hidden value=searchBasic name=action> <INPUT type=hidden value=true name=newSearch> <INPUT size=12 name=words> <INPUT type=image height=24 width=24 src="http://www.cartalk.com/template/images/go-red-yellow.gif" align=absMiddle border=0> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></FORM><!-- end search box --><!-- begin right rail cars.com pieces --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width=170 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!--car.com stuff--><!-- BEGIN CARS.COM --><!-- HAP: follow the comments for more information --><SCRIPT langauge="Javascript">// window.onerror=processError;// variables used to change selection when "===" selectedvar nModelPrevSelected = new Number(0);var nMakePrevSelected = new Number(0);var makesName = new Array();// used as a cross reference table for name and number// the following are used as a 2D table for makes and modelsvar makes = new Array();var models = new Array();// load the arrays and construct the selections on the pagefunction initDocument(){initCars();fillMakeSelect();fillModelSelect( "1" ); }// create car make objects and fill arraysfunction K( makenumber, make ){makesName[make] = new MakesName(make,makenumber);makes[makenumber] = new Make( make,makenumber );}// make name constructorfunction MakesName( makeName,makeNumber ){this.makeNumber = makeNumber;}// make constructorfunction Make( makeName,makeNumber ){this.makeName = makeName;this.makeNumber = makeNumber;// create array associated with makesthis.models = new Array();}// construct make selection on pagefunction fillMakeSelect( ){document.QuickForm.mknm.options.selectedIndex = 0;// init selection indexdocument.QuickForm.mknm.options.length = 1;// clear select// fill selection with makesvar i = 0;for ( makesIdx in makes ){var aMake = makes[makesIdx];document.QuickForm.mknm.options[ i ] = new Option( aMake.makeName, aMake.makeName );i++;}document.QuickForm.mknm.options[ i ] = new Option( "===============" , "" );document.QuickForm.mknm.options[ 0 ].selected = true;// select first item}// create car model objects and fill arraysfunction D( makeNumber, model ){var modelObj = new Model( model, makeNumber);makes[makeNumber].models[model] = modelObj;}// model constructorfunction Model( model,makeNumber ){this.modelName = model;this.makeNumber = makeNumber;}// construct model selection on pagefunction fillModelSelect( makeNbr ){document.QuickForm.mdnm.options.selectedIndex = 0;document.QuickForm.mdnm.options.length = 1; var selectedModels;selectedModels = (makes[makeNbr].models);var i=0;document.QuickForm.mdnm.options[ i ] = new Option( "Select a Model" , "Select a Model" );i++;for ( aModelIdx in selectedModels ){aModel = selectedModels[ aModelIdx ];document.QuickForm.mdnm.options[ i ] = new Option( aModel.modelName, aModel.modelName );i++;}document.QuickForm.mdnm.options[ i ] = new Option( "===============" , "" );document.QuickForm.mdnm.options[ 0 ].selected = true;}// when make selected fill model selectionfunction selectedMake( aSelectedMake ){var selectedIdx = aSelectedMake.selectedIndex;var selectedMakeName = (aSelectedMake.options[ selectedIdx ]).value;var i = 0;for (aIdx in makesName){if (aIdx == selectedMakeName)i++;}if (i == 0){Populate(document.QuickForm.mknm,0);} else{var makeNBR = makesName[selectedMakeName].makeNumber;// use cross reference table to get makeintidfillModelSelect( makeNBR ); }}function PopulateClient(listBox, prevSelected){var selectedValue = new String(listBox.options[listBox.selectedIndex].value);with (document.QuickForm){ if(listBox.selectedIndex != listBox.options.length-1)selectedMake(listBox);else{listBox.options[prevSelected].selected = true;selectedMake(listBox);}}}// check user selection on model selection listfunction validateModel(){with (document.QuickForm){if(mdnm.options[mdnm.selectedIndex].value == "")mdnm.options[nModelPrevSelected].selected = true;}}function Validate() {with (document.QuickForm) {//allows us to quantify use of widget// change mypngtag to your profile name// example: chitrib.pngvar random_number = Math.round( Math.random() * 1000000000 );document.images["tracker"].src = "http://www.cars.com/rd/usertrack/widgets/mypngtag.png?rand=" +random_number;// check user input for zipcode entry fieldif (zc.value == "") {zc.value = prompt ("Please enter a Zip Code:","");}}}function processError(){with (document.QuickForm){if(mknm.options[mknm.selectedIndex].value != ""){Populate(mknm,0);}elsemknm.options[0].selected = true; }return true;}function submitForm(sentForm){ if (!sendForm(sentForm)) { return false; } return true;}</SCRIPT><!-- pulls in our model table. cars.com hosts the script to ensure its accuracy --><SCRIPT language=javascript src="http://www.cars.com/includes/js/makemodels-used.js"></SCRIPT><!-- HAP: this include pulls in our model table. Cars.com hosts the script to ensure its accuracy --><!-- This script makes sure that the user picks a zip code. --><SCRIPT language=Javascript><!--function ValidateNew() { with (document.NewQuickForm) { if (zc.value == "") { zc.value = prompt("Please enter a Zip Code:",""); } }}--></SCRIPT><!--outer table and logo--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Search our humungous column database now.
[ Latest | Previous | Next | Random |Search |Browse ]
Find a local paper that carries the Car Talk column.
<HR>Auto repairs can be costly! Save money by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet:"Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send
<!-- end feature content --><!-- begin footer --><!-- begin footer --><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD><TD colSpan=2>
Actual Car Info | Our Lousy Radio Show | Email & Chat
Time Kill Central | Shameless Commerce | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Home
</TD><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Time Kill Central | Shameless Commerce | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Home
Cartalk.com is a production of Dewey, Cheetham and Howe. Contents © 2007, Dewey, Cheetham and Howe.
CAR TALK, DEWEY, CHEETHAM & HOWE, SHAMELESS COMMERCE, and WARPED DISCS are registered trademarks of Tom and Ray Magliozzi and/or Tappet Brothers Associates d/b/a Dewey, Cheetham & Howe.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>CAR TALK, DEWEY, CHEETHAM & HOWE, SHAMELESS COMMERCE, and WARPED DISCS are registered trademarks of Tom and Ray Magliozzi and/or Tappet Brothers Associates d/b/a Dewey, Cheetham & Howe.
<HR><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=115> </TD><TD class=sponsor vAlign=center>Hosting for cartalk.com is generously provided by Corsis Technology Services.</TD><TD> </TD><TD width=115> </TD><TD class=sponsor vAlign=center>Car Talk's email newsletters are powered by Emma.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- end footer --><!-- end footer --></TD><TD width=10>