Costco Refusing to Fit Non N-Rated Tyres

Costco Refusing to Fit Non N-Rated Tyres

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rfn

Original Poster:

4,545 posts

214 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Has anyone experienced Costco refusing to fit NON N-Rated Tyres to their Porsche?

They had a pretty decent price recently for PS5s, which I ordered. They've now arrived and they're saying they won't fit them as they're not N-Rated.

I'm awaiting a call back from their manager, as I couldn't find anything in their terms that states this. I'm keen that they do fit them as they're quite a lot cheaper than from other places. This is the first set of tyres I'm fitting on my 2001 986.

Jim1556

1,819 posts

163 months

Wednesday 14th August
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Can you take them home/get them delivered, then find an independent to fit them?

981Boxess

11,529 posts

265 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
rfn said:
This is the first set of tyres I'm fitting on my 2001 986.
You have 23 year old tyres on your car?

rfn

Original Poster:

4,545 posts

214 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
981Boxess said:
You have 23 year old tyres on your car?
I've only owned it about a year :-)

Jim1556 said:
Can you take them home/get them delivered, then find an independent to fit them?
That's an option I'd not considered.

981Boxess

11,529 posts

265 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
rfn said:
981Boxess said:
You have 23 year old tyres on your car?
I've only owned it about a year :-)
Ok, well if you have only been driving it for a year they will be fine.

I can see why them not being N rated might not matter to you rofl

ziggy328

1,073 posts

221 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Something a slightly different happened when my wife needed 2 front tyres. They insisted on putting the new tyres on the rear and moving the rears to the front. I wasn't with her but when did this become a thing? They apparently said they wouldn't fit them unless she agreed.

Not sure what their plan would be if I bought my tyres from them as my car has 19" wheels on the front and 20" on the rear! confused

Jefferson Steelflex

1,494 posts

106 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
Costco fitted 'normal' Michelin tyres to my 2008 997 Turbo a few months ago and it was no issue at all. As it should be, because what tyres you put on your car is none of their business.

Orangecurry

7,534 posts

213 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
rfn said:
Has anyone experienced Costco refusing to fit NON N-Rated Tyres to their Porsche?

They had a pretty decent price recently for PS5s, which I ordered. They've now arrived and they're saying they won't fit them as they're not N-Rated.
Someone in that branch thinks N-rated are an insurance requirement, due to Porsche OPC service managers (of old?) implying as such. I once even had Camskill refuse to sell me non-N-rated.... that was a long time ago. I thought everyone had grown up by now?

Just get them to give you the refusal in writing. The individual at fault will not, a more sensible manager person will get involved, and everyone will live happily ever after.

Orangecurry

7,534 posts

213 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
ziggy328 said:
Something a slightly different happened when my wife needed 2 front tyres. They insisted on putting the new tyres on the rear and moving the rears to the front. I wasn't with her but when did this become a thing? They apparently said they wouldn't fit them unless she agreed.
Modern thinking is that nobody can drive anymore. Therefore (in any given new-tyre situation) the newer tyres need to be fitted to the rear, to result in understeer in an emergency situation.

But insisting and/or refusing? Perhaps an american has sued a tyre fitter for not doing the above?

Grantstown

1,093 posts

94 months

Wednesday 14th August
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All summed up by a simple word, ‘Jobsworth.’

I think it’s a synonym for ‘loser,’ but I may be wrong.

Sheepshanks

35,018 posts

126 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
ziggy328 said:
Something a slightly different happened when my wife needed 2 front tyres. They insisted on putting the new tyres on the rear and moving the rears to the front. I wasn't with her but when did this become a thing? They apparently said they wouldn't fit them unless she agreed.

Not sure what their plan would be if I bought my tyres from them as my car has 19" wheels on the front and 20" on the rear! confused
I can answer that - they’ll still try and swap them until you point out they’re different. Then they’ll refuse to fit the new ones to front until you get the store GM to over-rule them. They’ll then do it grumpily, but make a point of saying they absolutely wouldn’t do it if the rears were less than 4mm.

The really daft thing is the car’s handbook (it was a 2005 Merc) said if fitting a pair of tyres then they’d be best on the front as Mercedes ESP can deal with the back.

To be fair, they didn’t mention that the tyres needed to be MO versions. On Porsche, is current N rating really relevant for a 23yr old car?

G-996

149 posts

120 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
I used Costco several times for tyre replacement on my old 2003 996, and found them to be very good. They never mentioned N-rating, even though I did use them to fit N-rated tyres. If I were you I would use the argument that PS5 is a better tyre than the ones homologated by Porsche when your car was sold two decades ago.

I have heard them mention that they normally fit new tyres to the rear even if you are replacing a worn front pair, but obviously they can’t do that in any 911 since the wheels are different sizes. As this is a safety mandated policy, since oversteer is considered more dangerous than understeer, I doubt they would agree to ignore the policy for cars with the same size wheels all round.

Sheepshanks

35,018 posts

126 months

Wednesday 14th August
quotequote all
G-996 said:
.

I have heard them mention that they normally fit new tyres to the rear even if you are replacing a worn front pair, but obviously they can’t do that in any 911 since the wheels are different sizes. As this is a safety mandated policy, since oversteer is considered more dangerous than understeer, I doubt they would agree to ignore the policy for cars with the same size wheels all round.
It is industry recommended practice, it's just that few follow it. It makes sense on your average FWD car as otherwise they end up with old, deteriorating, tyres on the rear.

The really daft thing is in the US tyre rotation is routine and Costco do it there free - so they're generally going to be putting the most worn tyres on the rear. They won't do rotation in the UK as a stand-alone job.

scrounger73

299 posts

165 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
If you watch this it'll give you the reason why you should put new tyres on the rear

https://youtu.be/ufau3V2Nc7c?si=R1UqyEjFHp5FMG2p

InitialDave

12,235 posts

126 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
Yes, new tyres on the rear is correct, but Costco are very insistent that they won't do otherwise.

It's a bit annoying but can be tolerated, can always just swap the wheels back.

ziggy328

1,073 posts

221 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
scrounger73 said:
If you watch this it'll give you the reason why you should put new tyres on the rear

https://youtu.be/ufau3V2Nc7c?si=R1UqyEjFHp5FMG2p
Very good. Thanks for the link.

Scrump

22,936 posts

165 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
A few years ago I had to sign a disclaimer before Blackcircles would arrange to fit non N rated Michelins on my 996. More recently I again purchased non N rated Michelins for the same car and Blackcircles didn’t mention any waiver.

Orangecurry

7,534 posts

213 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
scrounger73 said:
If you watch this it'll give you the reason why you should put new tyres on the rear

https://youtu.be/ufau3V2Nc7c?si=R1UqyEjFHp5FMG2p
I watched it. The issue I have is that the tester says the tyres being compared are either 'new' or they are 'worn'.

How worn? 90% 50% 10%? It's not particularly useful IMHO.

Gary C

13,168 posts

186 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
981Boxess said:
rfn said:
981Boxess said:
You have 23 year old tyres on your car?
I've only owned it about a year :-)
Ok, well if you have only been driving it for a year they will be fine.

I can see why them not being N rated might not matter to you rofl
Do you fall for the marketing then ?

981Boxess

11,529 posts

265 months

Thursday 15th August
quotequote all
Gary C said:
981Boxess said:
rfn said:
981Boxess said:
You have 23 year old tyres on your car?
I've only owned it about a year :-)
Ok, well if you have only been driving it for a year they will be fine.

I can see why them not being N rated might not matter to you rofl
Do you fall for the marketing then ?
I think you missed the point.