Expensive tire swap?

[Tman]

So . . . after riding only a few miles off-road on my new bike, I realized I HAD to have more aggressive tires on it so I ordered new Shinko SR 241's from my local dealer. I didn't buy the bike from them because they didn't have one and didn't know when they would ever get one. Anyway, the tires came in and I went over to have the swap done in their service dept. I was surprised to get a bill for $209 just for the tire swap (not including the price of the tires}. It took them about an hour and a half. Does this seem excessive to you or am I just totally out of touch?

 

[AZ7000']

Sounds about right for a stealership these days

 

[dmonkey]

Yes that sounds expensive, but unfortunately it's on you to ask them for an estimate up front. They should be able to tell you their hourly labor rate, how many book hours they charge for a front and rear tire install, any additional parts or supply costs for the tire install (tire mounting lubricant, new inner tubes), and if they take your old tires if there is any disposal fee associated with that. If they're a Honda dealership they should be able to give you a firm number on all of this up front if you ask, otherwise they're probably not worth dealing with.

If you have the time, space, physical ability, and desire to do the work yourself then buying the tools to do common maintenance like oil changes and tire changes often pays for itself the first time you DIY them, while more involved work can take a few service intervals to pay off the tools needed for them. Highly recommend going that route if you're up for it! It's nice to not be dependent on a shop or have to deal with scheduling a service.

You can also shop around. Third-party shops will often be cheaper, you just might want to check reviews to see how reputable they are.

 

[m in sc]

I pay around 40 each when I bring the wheels in, money well spent. I hate, loathe and despise changing tires.. with a passion.

 

[Misterprofessionality]

OP: if iunderstand your story correctly, it sounds like you took the whole bike in to have the tire change done? Most folks just bring the wheels. Its usually quite a lot less when you do that.

 

[SneakyDingo]

I've been told locally it's about $25 per tire if you bring in just the wheels, which seems low to me. I joked about this with the dealer because the only way this is happening is if I use my electric cargo bicycle to bring it in. $209 is in the ballpark for what I would expect to be charged for wheels on the bike, maybe a shade more. It's pretty likely even if I hate it, I'll do it myself, I have enough bikes that I can ride something else in the meantime, but also not so many bikes that I will get frustrated having to do this over and over again. That busted knuckle pain should subside just enough that I'll think it's a good idea the next time I have to put new rubber on rims lol.

 

[dmonkey]

Thanks to the bike's center stand you could easily pull the wheels in the parking lot of the shop and put them back on after if you wanted to, maybe just bring a block of wood to rest the front forks on so you can bring both in at the same time.
I'm a fan of hauling bike parts with other bikes, motorized or otherwise!

 

[Tman]

Yes that sounds expensive, but unfortunately it's on you to ask them for an estimate up front. They should be able to tell you their hourly labor rate, how many book hours they charge for a front and rear tire install, any additional parts or supply costs for the tire install (tire mounting lubricant, new inner tubes), and if they take your old tires if there is any disposal fee associated with that. If they're a Honda dealership they should be able to give you a firm number on all of this up front if you ask, otherwise they're probably not worth dealing with.

If you have the time, space, physical ability, and desire to do the work yourself then buying the tools to do common maintenance like oil changes and tire changes often pays for itself the first time you DIY them, while more involved work can take a few service intervals to pay off the tools needed for them. Highly recommend going that route if you're up for it! It's nice to not be dependent on a shop or have to deal with scheduling a service.

You can also shop around. Third-party shops will often be cheaper, you just might want to check reviews to see how reputable they are.

Yes, you're absolutely right. It's on me for not asking for a quote. My only excuse is that I've had a long-standing relationship with this dealer, bought several new bikes from them (although not this one), and they've always treated me well so I didn't feel the need.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

Sounds high to me.
My Honda dealer quoted me $130ish for new tires, tubes, tires still on the bike.

 

[Carolina Vagabond]

My closest dealership has a BIG sign in the service dept. that states they charge $90 an hour for service.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

I'm amending my post. I guess I misunderstood dealer.
So I just got back and I paid
2 tires at 40 per
2 heavy tubes at 13 per
labor 1.5 for a total of 135 labor

$240.80 plus taxes, taxes, taxes.