Great service from Costco...

I usualy do not post about shops and service unless it is extreme on one end or the other. I needed to get a new valve stem do to the fact that I had to play with the old one to stop releasing air everytime I checked the pressure. A shop I frequent regularly, told me an hour to an hour and a half wiat and the cost would be $20. Didn't seem bad so I went over to Costco to kill some time. I have heard a lot of people talk about buying their tires from there so I thought I would give them a try. No problem they said, pull your car up front. They changed the valve stem, checked the pressure in less than 5 minutes and did not charge me. I did not buy my tires there. The guy wouldn't even take a tip. I was amazed, doesn't seem like anyone does anything for free anymore.

he must be high on industrial size adhesive. no charge, really?

I've heard that Costco's policy doesn't allow them to service anyone, even a Costco member, unless the service entails tires which were purchased from them. but, i have to ask, how did they mount/dismount tires in less than five minutes? sounds like they only changed the valve not the stem. if it's the valve then that's a two minute job. i'm sure if your local guy could have done the same thing if he had diagnosed it as a valve problem. And it could be that he quoted you a price that required mounting and dismounting. I like Costco but I like my Porsche more so I will always go to a reputable wheel shop. Not to bash on why you went to Costco though - you did what you had to do.

I thought valve stem is one piece and tire needs to be dismounted/rebalance. My MB wheel has a huge scrap from tire mount at Costco. I don't think I'll try my Porsche there. Costco offers free tire rotation which is not possible on Porsche so I don't think there is much advantage since more tire shops will match Costco prices.

Jsaindc- Thanks for the favorable feedback. I would love to forward it to the location that helped you. djantlive- "My MB wheel has a huge scrap from tire mount at Costco" How did you address this with the shop? Since it obviously did not meet your needs, please contact me via phone or PM. (425)313-8167. Make certain you compare apples to apples....ie. Costco price includes road hazard coverage. Kind of nice to have on cars such as ours. Best regards to all, Dan

I purchased my PS2s from Costco. They used a screwdriver to chisel off the old wheel weights. You could totally tell is was fresh because the inner wheel was not clean, except where the scratches were. I pointed it out and the guy who said �That was already there.� I pointed out the obvious, he said sorry. I left it at that, no reason to stress about the little things (at least that is what my therapist says ). I would like to replace them with Sport Designs, so no biggie.

All stems (valve stems) have what's called a core which is really the valve. This core, with a recore tool, can easily be replaced (screw out old core and screw in a new one) while leaving the actual stem itself intact. Therefore, there's really nothing intrusive about replacing a valve (core if you want to be precise). Replacing the stem (rubber neck which already has a new core in it) requires that you remove the tire from the car, dismount, replace the stem and remount, and even rebalance. The first step alone takes nearly five minutes. So, I will venture to guess that the core was the part that was replaced in jsaincd's car. I haven't tried Costco for any service but I just get the feeling that regardless of who it is, any incompetent person, regardless of equipment, can scratch your rims. I've had the same experience as you with STS Tire (a big branch) here in NJ. My feeling has been that I prefer to stay away from the companies who do most of their business with regular passenger vehicles. It's like going to Pep Boys for an oil change. Or to Meineke for exhaust work. They have the equipment but do they have the ability to cater to the needs that we expect? Kudos to Costco for helping out with the tire issue but if you compare the relative ease of replacing a core vs. damaging rims due to improper care, I'd stay away from most of the big places. Nothing against Costco but let the average car to go costco for service work. I like Costco for their superb selection and prices on their foods and stuff. i didn't pay this much for a Porsche to save a few bucks and chance damaging anything. the frustration is never worth it.

I guess I did lable this wrong as it was not the stem but the core. A small tool that looked like a screw driver/driver took the old pin out and put the new one in. All I can say is these guys did not have to do this, they should have charged me, and they could have taken a tip. The fact that they did it and were happy to do so is what I really think was the Key. These were the folks in Leesburg VA.

The MB wheel scrap (or gash) is on the inner wheel barrel. The gash isn't visible and I only found out when I rotated the tires a few months after the damage. I'm not going asking anything from Costco at this point since damage isn't visible unless wheel is taken off the car. I just want to let people know that Costco is focused on volume and isn't the best place to take a nice car to. In fact, I would only take my wheel to dealer or somewhere that I can watch the work clostly. At Costco, you often have a 3+ hr wait so you can't wait there for a 1/2 day.

I will forward the praise to the crew at Leesburg. AND we will provide the rest of the above feedback to all. Rgds, Dan

The new tire mounting machines grip the wheels on the inside barrel. It usually leaves some indentations, but they shouldn't be visible on the car. The first shop you went to probably thought they needed to replace the entire valve stem.

You don't even need to always replace the core. If you have one of those tools often all that's needed is to tighten it down. BTW, if you don't want your wheels being banged up when you have your tires changed and you live in the DC area check http://www.radialtire.com/ . You might be taken aback by the fact that they don't have lifts, but don't worry about that. Plus they have the german style 2 piece weights.