I have had to replace two tires from blowouts and walked into Firestone both times and found OEM tires. I get my company van serviced there once a month and regularly ask if the tires are in stock, and every time was a yes!
OEM tires getting scarce?
I went to the dealership today to have a slow leak repaired in a rear tire. A nail was found in a sidewall, so the tire had to be replaced. No big deal; the tires are originals, and I was thinking about replacing them anyway.
But the Honda dealership had no tires in stock, nor did any of its suppliers. Instead, they used a tire from another Insight which had its tires swapped recently. The tire, on closer inspection, looks worn, but not badly. But I wasn't too happy the dealership didn't bother to have any new tires around.
I ordered a new set from tirerack.com for $49 apiece. Trouble is, the anticipated shipping date is Dec. 28 -- three weeks from now. Are the OEM Bridgestones getting scarce for some reason???
But the Honda dealership had no tires in stock, nor did any of its suppliers. Instead, they used a tire from another Insight which had its tires swapped recently. The tire, on closer inspection, looks worn, but not badly. But I wasn't too happy the dealership didn't bother to have any new tires around.
I ordered a new set from tirerack.com for $49 apiece. Trouble is, the anticipated shipping date is Dec. 28 -- three weeks from now. Are the OEM Bridgestones getting scarce for some reason???
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Why would anyone have a tire repaired or even purchase them from a dealership? Don't you know they charge you more than anywhere else. As far as the tires being scarce goes, I don't see this. But there are only so many cars that use this tire, so there isn't the production need like with other tires.
Hmmm ... my Honda dealership in Tulsa has been *extremely* reasonable with repair costs. If I bring my own Mobil 1 oil and filter, it costs $6.
And for the record, taking the bad tire off and replacing it with a used one was at no charge.
I wasn't planning on buying all four tires at the dealership. If I needed a new one there, I would have bought one, then get the other three at tirerack.com
Too bad there are no CostCos in Oklahoma. I would have gotten the tires there.
And for the record, taking the bad tire off and replacing it with a used one was at no charge.
I wasn't planning on buying all four tires at the dealership. If I needed a new one there, I would have bought one, then get the other three at tirerack.com
Too bad there are no CostCos in Oklahoma. I would have gotten the tires there.
Count your blessing's I just had my oil changed at the dealer where I bought mine and they said it it was going to be around $20. I had brought my own Mobil 1 0w-20 oil but no filter. When I got it back it was almost $29. They said because the filter was higher than they thought it was. You can bet that I will bring my own filter the next time. On the tire issue I plan on buying a set of Michelins for my next set. Mine are over 4 1/2 years old and after only 42K and are looking bad. The OEM's warranty is only for 40K. They wear out too fast for me. I will probally go with P175/65R/14 size.
The oem tires have been on backorder on and off for quite some time now. When I had mine replaced I lucked out that they had a set in stock at the local Firestone warehouse. Unfortunately if your wanting to replace them you should probably order them now. Costco is also a good place to get them if you have one near you.
Also consider these tires are made in Japan (at least I think) so they have to come over in a container ship, not the quickest process in the world.
Also consider these tires are made in Japan (at least I think) so they have to come over in a container ship, not the quickest process in the world.
I had my tires replaced today with the OEM RE92's. I ordered them last Thursday from the local Firestone authorized retailer. He had to get them directly from Firestone. They requested my name, address, and phone number since they were an OEM tire.
I inspected the skirts since I had read all of the horror stories here.
The right rear was bulged out near the black. I removed it myself while it was on the rack. The lower front clip was bent STRAIGHT out. The technician said he may have bent the clip when he removed it. I did get it bent back without breaking it.
I asked him how much air he had put in them. He said 35 psi front & rear.
I had told the salesman to put 45 in all.
I drove the car home with the 35 psi. It definately road much better/quiet.
It was very sluggish and unresponsive. When I got home I checked the pressure. 33 psi in all. I installed 50 psi in all.
A supervisor told me when I was hired, "Only Expect what you INSPECT". This is very true.
I inspected the skirts since I had read all of the horror stories here.
The right rear was bulged out near the black. I removed it myself while it was on the rack. The lower front clip was bent STRAIGHT out. The technician said he may have bent the clip when he removed it. I did get it bent back without breaking it.
I asked him how much air he had put in them. He said 35 psi front & rear.
I had told the salesman to put 45 in all.
I drove the car home with the 35 psi. It definately road much better/quiet.
It was very sluggish and unresponsive. When I got home I checked the pressure. 33 psi in all. I installed 50 psi in all.
A supervisor told me when I was hired, "Only Expect what you INSPECT". This is very true.
G
Hi All:
___I had a screw penetrate the sidewall of one of my RE92’s ~ 3 months ago causing a slow leak. The Bridgestone/Firestone dealer down the street ordered one and within the same week I was back on the road.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:gqji1va1][email protected][/email:gqji1va1]
___I had a screw penetrate the sidewall of one of my RE92’s ~ 3 months ago causing a slow leak. The Bridgestone/Firestone dealer down the street ordered one and within the same week I was back on the road.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:gqji1va1][email protected][/email:gqji1va1]
I wonder if hybrid tires get flats more often? It has been years....Actually I've never had a flat in my car or my truck but the brand new HCH has already had a flat. Bad luck or is something going on with the hybrid tires?
PS the flat was just a nail in the tread which was fixed for $6.50 at Wal-Mart.
PS the flat was just a nail in the tread which was fixed for $6.50 at Wal-Mart.
There's really nothing too special about Hybrid tires other than them being LRR and having a stiffer side wall. If anything they should be less susceptible to blow outs because of this.
I to date have never experienced a flat tire (knock on wood). On my original set of tires I didn't have a hitch with them, but when I had my new set put on I picked up a nail on like the 3rd day. The guy at Costco made some comment about me being back so soon when I took it in to have it fixed (which was included in their price).
I to date have never experienced a flat tire (knock on wood). On my original set of tires I didn't have a hitch with them, but when I had my new set put on I picked up a nail on like the 3rd day. The guy at Costco made some comment about me being back so soon when I took it in to have it fixed (which was included in their price).
I ordered 4 OEM tires from TireRack on Dec 28 after getting a nail in one - they all had 45Kmiles - and am still waiting for them to arrive, so it seems that at least TireRack is running short.
Don Kenmore WA
Don Kenmore WA
Grab them while you can!
Well, my OEM tires are getting close to be replaced, and in a few months, I was going to just do it anyways...
... so, of course, I got a flat today... sigh.
Big giant hole at the side wall of my rear driver-side tire. I hope it's by natural causes, and not started by someone having a grudge. The flat occur while I was on the highway, and I drove at least 1/2 to a mile on the rim before I had a chance to stop. I hope that didn't ruin the rim. Would the tire place let me know if they think it's busted? Looking at it, it seems ok.
Anyways, I shopped around online and found Costco to be the best price advertised: at $60 each, and til Jan. 30, 2005, there is a $60 off any set of four Bridgestone tires.
Not wasting any time, I went there to special order the tires. The Costco service rep. called directly to their vendor (which I thought the automated message mentioned it being Bridgestone itself) and both the machine, and the live operator said that there is NO such tire left at the warehouse. Any tires ordered today will take 4 to 6 weeks, shipped from overseas. The Costco rep. says he can't order them for me, so I'm trying Discount Tires now, to see if a different distributor may stock them. They wanted $70 each, but I have some credit with them of past services, so I'm waiting for them to call me back, before I shop elsewhere.
Now that Firestone may be the last place for us to easily get such tires, I would recommend that all of us help each other out, and watch out for some kind of Firestone/Bridgestone promotion. I think it may be best that we stock a few of these tires, just in case, instead of need them in a hurry, and have to settle for an alternative.
At this point, if none of the local stores can get them, I guess I'll start shopping for the Dunlop 8000.
Any other alternative recommended?
Thanks.
Charles
Well, my OEM tires are getting close to be replaced, and in a few months, I was going to just do it anyways...
... so, of course, I got a flat today... sigh.
Big giant hole at the side wall of my rear driver-side tire. I hope it's by natural causes, and not started by someone having a grudge. The flat occur while I was on the highway, and I drove at least 1/2 to a mile on the rim before I had a chance to stop. I hope that didn't ruin the rim. Would the tire place let me know if they think it's busted? Looking at it, it seems ok.
Anyways, I shopped around online and found Costco to be the best price advertised: at $60 each, and til Jan. 30, 2005, there is a $60 off any set of four Bridgestone tires.
Not wasting any time, I went there to special order the tires. The Costco service rep. called directly to their vendor (which I thought the automated message mentioned it being Bridgestone itself) and both the machine, and the live operator said that there is NO such tire left at the warehouse. Any tires ordered today will take 4 to 6 weeks, shipped from overseas. The Costco rep. says he can't order them for me, so I'm trying Discount Tires now, to see if a different distributor may stock them. They wanted $70 each, but I have some credit with them of past services, so I'm waiting for them to call me back, before I shop elsewhere.
Now that Firestone may be the last place for us to easily get such tires, I would recommend that all of us help each other out, and watch out for some kind of Firestone/Bridgestone promotion. I think it may be best that we stock a few of these tires, just in case, instead of need them in a hurry, and have to settle for an alternative.
At this point, if none of the local stores can get them, I guess I'll start shopping for the Dunlop 8000.
Any other alternative recommended?
Thanks.
Charles
Perhaps...
What about ordering them online from Discount Tires Direct? My boss here at work used them, had the tires delivered here, mounted and balanced at a nearby Big O.
They showed up in big baggies.
What about ordering them online from Discount Tires Direct? My boss here at work used them, had the tires delivered here, mounted and balanced at a nearby Big O.
They showed up in big baggies.
You could try your local Firestone/Bridgestone store. Mine were ordered and installed in four days for $60 each plus installation, tax, etc... The following link will locate your closest store.
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/storelocator/index_bs.asp
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/storelocator/index_bs.asp
I called the local Firestonre (MasterCare) store, and got the tires from the warehouse within the hour, and installed the same day. So I guess this could mean that Bridgestone distributor can't get the tires for 3rd party, but the Firestonre/Bridgestonre chain have plenty of such tires in stock?
I don't know if it's a mistake, but every vendor I called asked about the car, questioning which car would use "such a small" tire. I tell them it's the Insight. Could this have affected the final cost of the tire? Firestone quoted the tires to be $67.99 each. I asked about a discount for four, and he said that there is a sale; buy 3 get one free. Show up expecting a certain price range, but of course, I forgot about the extra fee and protection service, etc. etc. Cost about $20 extra per tire. After the "discount" and the "insurance", the final price of four tires is $321.
If Costco could have gotten the tires, plus the current promotion of $60 of a set of four tires, it would have been the best price around, even if one includes a brand new membership. The $60 per tire *includes* lifetime balance and the road hazard insurance.
In any case, it was quick turnaround that I had to pay for. I really wasn't going to wait possibly weeks for Costco or TireRack to get the tires back in stock. Put two on, and kept the other two. The last two OEM tires still have about another 5K to 10K of tread left, so I'll have them replaced when ready, or possibly be served as backups, if another major blowout occurs.
Oh, don't forget to check your spare tire pressure from time to time. Between the last time I used the spare and this time around, the spare lost 1/2 the pressure.
Charles
I don't know if it's a mistake, but every vendor I called asked about the car, questioning which car would use "such a small" tire. I tell them it's the Insight. Could this have affected the final cost of the tire? Firestone quoted the tires to be $67.99 each. I asked about a discount for four, and he said that there is a sale; buy 3 get one free. Show up expecting a certain price range, but of course, I forgot about the extra fee and protection service, etc. etc. Cost about $20 extra per tire. After the "discount" and the "insurance", the final price of four tires is $321.
If Costco could have gotten the tires, plus the current promotion of $60 of a set of four tires, it would have been the best price around, even if one includes a brand new membership. The $60 per tire *includes* lifetime balance and the road hazard insurance.
In any case, it was quick turnaround that I had to pay for. I really wasn't going to wait possibly weeks for Costco or TireRack to get the tires back in stock. Put two on, and kept the other two. The last two OEM tires still have about another 5K to 10K of tread left, so I'll have them replaced when ready, or possibly be served as backups, if another major blowout occurs.
Oh, don't forget to check your spare tire pressure from time to time. Between the last time I used the spare and this time around, the spare lost 1/2 the pressure.
Charles
As long as the Insight is in production the tires should be available. Perhaps since they only produce the insight for a few months at a time the restarting of the production line has soaked up a lot of the inventory. I have a Civic VX that was only produced for 3 years. Two years after production stopped the low rolling resistance tires were no longer available. Have fun, RIck
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