A few months ago my wife purchased a new Mercedes GLC 300 with run-flat tires and no spare tire. She went to Costco today to purchase a set of snow tires and was told that they could sell her the tires but that it was against the law for them to install them since she didn’t have a spare tire. I’ve never heard of this “law” and haven’t been able to find it using Google. Is there such a law? We live in Montana if that matters.
In NJ a friend of my dad got a ticket for not having a spare tire. This was after a flat stranded them roadside. The ticket was something like not having proper equipment, though I forget.
Now I don’t know if that would mean a shop would be legally prohibited from doing so, and it does sound like CYA policy, but there are things shops can do. Including in NY removing an inspection sticker if they see the car is unsafe to drive (I believe they are legally compelled to do so), though I think they must also be a shop that does inspections.
Also having a can of fix-a-flat may be all that is required, as auto manufactures sometimes include that instead of a spare.
Interesting point. AFAIK, it is not illegal to drive in Montana without a spare tire. We’ve been doing it for the past 5 months and the dealership sold us the car knowingly without a spare tire and didn’t mention anything.
There are a number of run-flat snow tires available on the market. It’s entirely possible that the Costco garage was not aware that a) your wife’s car had run-flat tires, b) did not think to replace them with suitable run-flat snow tires. I’d call the shop and ask the question of someone more experienced. I’d also call other tire shops in the area to get the details. Of course, your best bet is to go to your dealer. I just bought a set of new tires for my MB. The dealership matched the best price I found from TireRack, including the cost of mounting, balancing and two year road hazard warranty.
Could she just carry a can of fix-a-flat and a small 12v pump? A lot of (if not most) new cars no longer have a spare. In the place where the spare should be, there’s a pump and some fix-a-flat. In my last car, in addition to those two things was a number for Honda’s 24 roadside service. The instructions for the pump tell you that if the hole is too big, in a bad spot or you have more than X miles to drive, to call them instead. It’s free and they’ll come take care of it.
I assumed that was just a weight and cost saving measure. They also don’t include a full manual, but you can get one for free if you email them. They probably save more by not including all that stuff (and maybe the MPG goes up a little) than they spend on the roadside service.
I’d think, in this day and age, having a cell phone would be considered ‘proper equipment’. Keeping in mind that, I’d guess, more than half the people driving a car right now couldn’t change a flat tire on the side of the road if they had to, even if there’s a spare tire, they’re still going to call someone to come out and do it for them.
This thread isn’t about not having a spare tire and trying to figure out what to do about it, it’s about Costco’s policy of not installing tires on a car without a spare tire, presumably because they are worried about there being a lawsuit should someone get stranded. They told my wife it would be illegal for them to install the tires, which is a lie, so now I have to find another tire store to install them once they come in at Costco. It’s inconvenient for me, but not the end of the world.
Well, now that you’ve had time to call around and get more information, what did you learn? Is there an actual law preventing Costco from mounting your four tires, or is it just some bullshit corporate policy that is otherwise meaningless?
It’s a Costco policy. Nobody else around here seems to have a problem doing it. There is no law. Case closed.
…and you essentially said as much in your previous post. Sorry. I responded earlier before the coffee kick started my brain.
I am irked by many things in life but one of them is being told something is illegal by someone who doesn’t know, doesn’t care to learn, and just wants to justify their recalcitrance. I’ve never had the experience with Costco but I’ve had several car dealers say things like this to me. I’m glad you solved your problem.
I can’t be the only one who opened this thread hoping to glean tips about removing belly fat.
mmm
There you go, it’s it violates Costco’s internal law.
Here’s a follow-up. When the new tires arrived Costco called to set up installation. At the appointed hour I told my wife to take her car down and if they said anything just pretend she didn’t know anything about their “law”. If Costco refused to install the tires because we didn’t have a spare, so be it. We could surely find someone else in town to install them. At the appointed hour she dropped off her car in the Tire Center parking area and walked in to give them her key fob. They took it, and 45 minutes later called her to pick up her car with four new Blizzak snow tires installed.
I’m not sure what the moral of the story is, but apparently, they forgot their law or let it slide in this case. Why they bothered to bring it up in the first place I’ll never know.
Or else only one or two employees are more gullible about urban legends that “the law says…”
Me too.
In my days as a truck driver, some numpty in a warehouse would use the “you can’t do that because - insurance” excuse to stop me doing something. Many places had their own rules and I had to abide by them, but insurance was just a catch-all.
The trick is using bicycle tires;)