Seattle Tire Installation for Tires You Bought Online

Buying tires online means three parties have to line up: the seller, the carrier and the installer. Before you order, ask the installer whether it mounts tires it did not sell, where the tires can be delivered, and what its quote includes. Then check the size and load markings on your order against your vehicle. Doing it in that order avoids the situation where a set arrives and nobody will put it on.

Ask the shop before you pay the seller

Some shops mount tires bought elsewhere and some do not. Do not assume either way. A short call or message settles it, and it is far easier to do before checkout than after.

Questions worth asking:

Do you mount tires that you did not sell?
Is the labor quoted differently for tires I bring in?
If something is wrong with a tire I supplied, such as damage or a manufacturing defect, how is that handled on your side?

That last question matters because the shop did not choose or sell the tire. Ask how the shop would handle that situation, and read the seller's return terms yourself before you order.

Decide where the tires will land

A delivery that goes to your home is simple. A delivery that goes to a shop needs the shop's agreement first. Do not have a parcel sent to an installer that has not said yes, because a receiving address on a seller's checkout form does not mean the shop accepts deliveries.

If you plan to deliver the tires yourself, ask the shop about timing and whether it wants an appointment for tires you bring in. If you have a hatchback or a small trunk, think about how four tires will travel. That is a practical planning point, not a rule.

If you are also considering buying through the shop instead, the new tires page is the place to start a comparison. Weigh the whole picture, including mounting, balancing and any disposal of the old tires, rather than the tire price alone.

Match the order to the vehicle

A tire's sidewall carries a size code, and the order page should show the same code. Check three things before you buy:

Size: the width, aspect ratio and rim diameter in the code should match what your vehicle was set up for.
Load index: the number after the size indicates how much load the tire is designed to carry. Compare it with the figure on your vehicle's tire information placard. Your owner's manual says where the placard is on your vehicle.
Speed rating: the letter after the load index. Compare it with your placard and with what the shop recommends.

If your current tires are a different size from the placard, tell the shop and ask which size it would want you to buy. Do not guess. If you cannot read the order page clearly, send the shop the exact listing and ask it to confirm before you pay.

Also check the date code on the tires when they arrive. It is a four-digit code on the sidewall that shows the week and year of manufacture. A seller may ship a tire that has been in stock for a while, so look at it and decide if you are comfortable with its age. If you are not, contact the seller before the tires are mounted.

What the installation quote should cover

A quote for tires you supply can be a single line, and a single line can hide a lot. Ask for each item to be named so you can see what is and is not included. Several parts of the work have their own pages on this site, so you can see how each is described:

Tire installation: ask whether the quote covers mounting, new valve stems and disposal of the old tires.
Tire balancing: ask whether balancing is part of the mounting price or separate.
TPMS service: ask what happens to the pressure sensors in your wheels. Sensors can be reused, serviced or replaced, and the shop can tell you which applies to your vehicle once it has looked.

These pages describe services the site lists. They do not tell you what a given shop will do on your specific order, so confirm each item in the quote itself.

Also ask whether the quote changes if a wheel needs attention, for example if it is bent, corroded at the bead, or has a sensor that will not read. You want to know in advance what could change the number, and who decides before extra work starts.

The local handoff: El compadre Tires in Seattle

Seattle Tire Shop lists El compadre Tires as the provider, based in Seattle, WA. For a Seattle driver this is a local enquiry, not a call to a shop based in another city. The service-area list on this site includes Georgetown, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Rainier Beach, Seward Park, West Seattle and Mercer Island, and also White Center, Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila, Skyway, Renton and Kent.

A list of places is not a promise of coverage, a travel arrangement or a delivery address for a particular order. So say where you are when you contact them, and ask directly. If you are in Renton or Kent, you can ask, "I am in Renton. Can you confirm you take on tires I bought elsewhere, and how do you want them to reach you?" If you are in West Seattle or Beacon Hill, change the first sentence and keep the second.

Those are questions for El compadre Tires to answer, not facts to assume. Their answers will tell you whether to order online at all, or buy through the shop instead. You can send the listing, your vehicle details and your questions through the contact page.

A short checklist before you order

The shop has confirmed in writing that it will mount tires you supply.
You know whether the tires go to your home, to the shop, or are brought in by you.
The size, load index and speed rating on the listing match your placard, or the shop has told you what to buy instead.
The quote names mounting, balancing, valve stems, TPMS work and disposal as included or extra.
You have read the seller's return terms and checked your own tire or vehicle coverage terms for anything that applies.
You know who to call if a tire arrives damaged or the wrong size.

If any line is unanswered, hold the order until it is.