My husband's brake light was on in his car so he took it to the dealership to get checked. They told him he needed new brakes. The next weekend he took it to our usual place (Virginia Tire and Auto) and they called him back and said all he needed was about 1/4 bottle of brake fluid and that his front and back brakes both had at least 80% of the padding left on them and there was no need for new brakes. Didn't even charge him for the labor to do that. He was so pissed- the dealership he took it to was one we have bought TWO cars from, but we will no longer be going to them thanks to that shadiness.

You don't need to replace TPMS sensors very often, especially when you replace your tires. How old is your car? Do you see any TPMS amber light on your dashboard? If no and if the dealer tells you you have to replace them with new tires, they are lying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the dealer tell you that other tire places will stop the tire pressure sensor from working? And you believed them? They all know how to install tires on new cars. You'll get a better price and a better choice of tires at an actual tire shop. They know how to install them properly.

OP here. Yes, yes they did. Can you recommend me a good tire shop then? We live in DC and most of the ones nearby look pretty sketchy.

NTB/Merchants, that would be a starting point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the dealer tell you that other tire places will stop the tire pressure sensor from working? And you believed them? They all know how to install tires on new cars. You'll get a better price and a better choice of tires at an actual tire shop. They know how to install them properly.

OP here. Yes, yes they did. Can you recommend me a good tire shop then? We live in DC and most of the ones nearby look pretty sketchy.

Please tell us which dealer outright lied.

Anonymous wrote:We do everything at the dealer - oil changes, tires, brakes, etc.

Why?

Radial tire is great. You can purchase tires at tirerack.com and they will tell you which tire shops they certified in your area for delivery and install.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the dealer tell you that other tire places will stop the tire pressure sensor from working? And you believed them? They all know how to install tires on new cars. You'll get a better price and a better choice of tires at an actual tire shop. They know how to install them properly.

OP here. Yes, yes they did. Can you recommend me a good tire shop then? We live in DC and most of the ones nearby look pretty sketchy.

I recommend Radial Tire in Silver Spring, not far off East West Highway. I own BMW and used to have a Porsche 911, which requires the most precise balancing and alignment of just about any car because of the engine sitting low over the rear wheels. If a shop can get that car right I'd trust them to do anything else right. They have always done the job perfectly and been honest and professional.

In general I recommend staying away from dealers and finding a good indie shop for all your needs. There are plenty out there and they often have skilled techs who used to work at stealerships but got tired of the corporate BS of working for a big shop. Less overhead means lower rates for you, too.

Anonymous wrote:Did the dealer tell you that other tire places will stop the tire pressure sensor from working? And you believed them? They all know how to install tires on new cars. You'll get a better price and a better choice of tires at an actual tire shop. They know how to install them properly.

OP here. Yes, yes they did. Can you recommend me a good tire shop then? We live in DC and most of the ones nearby look pretty sketchy.

We do everything at the dealer - oil changes, tires, brakes, etc.

It isn't the tire, it is the sensor stem. Dealership cost me $200 to replace the stem. Goodyear charged me $40. The one Goodyear did has been working great for 5 years.

Yeah those sensors have been mandatory since 2008. Oddly, Herson's Honda and Criswell Honda both messed up those tires. Mr. Tire does it perfectly.

Did the dealer tell you that other tire places will stop the tire pressure sensor from working? And you believed them? They all know how to install tires on new cars. You'll get a better price and a better choice of tires at an actual tire shop. They know how to install them properly.

Nearly every car has that sensor. Absolutely any place that installs tires know how to deal with it. I do use the dealer for regular maintenance but I wouldn't dream of using them for tires. Go to NTB or Costco. You'll pay so much less and they will probably do a better job.

Nope.

You can comp shop tires.

If you bought a new car from a dealership, do you typically use them for maintenance, even though it's more expensive?

We need to replace our tires, which have an electronic sensor to tell you if the pressure is off or if you have a flat. It's much more expensive at the dealership but if we don't use the dealer then the electronic sensor may not work. Anyone faced a similar issue? What did you do?