Quote:
Originally Posted by denrusso
For those of you that have an extra set of tires:
Do you also have an extra set of wheels too and then just jack the car up after the season and change the wheels? Or do you need to take the wheels to a shop and have them installed?
If you don't have an extra set of wheels, do you tend to use the dealer for or a specialized wheel/tire store to swap the tires? What's the cost to do this?
I have storage space, but would prefer to only purchase a set of tires as wheels can be a bit expensive. On the other hand, I think it would be a pain in the @ss to pack up the tires in the trunk of the x3 and take them somewhere to be swapped. I'd imagine this can be a dirty job.
Thanks,
dr
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DR,
I bought winter wheels to go with my winter tires. There is an excellent independent BMW shop near my office, which I am beginning a relationship with by having them do my seasonal wheel changeovers. I may also use them for supplemental oil changes. I definitely will use them if I choose to own my X3 after the warranty expires.
Dealers often offer storage for a fee. I have adequate space to store my extra set, so it's not a problem for me.
My local independent shop also offers wheel cleaning for a small price, so the wheels that I take home are clean.
I'm a wee bit uncomfortable that I don't have a good way to tie the wheels down when they're in-transit, and they sometimes slide around a bit.
There is obviously additional cost involved in buying a 2nd set of wheels and a 2nd set of TPMS. I justify it in a minor way by not having to have the tire/wheel setup Hunter Road Force Balanced twice a year, and by knowing that my BMW wheels will not be going on a tire machine operated by the latest minimum wage hire at my BMW dealer. (My local independent is a 2-man shop, both with gobs of experience.)
Anyway, those are my opinions. Yours may vary.