3 Questions For Tire Dealers From A Confused Customer

I'll be honest, I don't know much at all about tires. But I assume I'm not alone, and that my frustration with replacing or purchasing tires is shared by quite a few others. I'd have to say that for me, a visit to the tire shop is right up there with a visit to the dentist.

This is odd because getting new tires isn't invasive or physically painful. But man is it stressful. So I've done some soul searching into why this may be, and I'd like to pose a few questions to those holding power over the nether region of my vehicles.

My first question is why is the price never the price? You go in for a new set of tires. You see the price for those tires. You confirm the price. When time comes to pay there are other charges mysteriously present on that bill. Why? Tires aren't cheap, and there's nothing more aggravating than extra charges on something expensive.

My second question builds off of the first. What the heck is balancing, or rebalancing, or whatever that thing is that costs more money and needs to be done but isn't done unless we pay more for it? This one has always puzzled me. Is it damaging to the car, or dangerous to the driver if the new set of wheels aren't balanced?

If so, why isn't this service included with the cost of the tires themselves? I understand the concept of balancing, I do it martial arts, and it keeps me from falling over. If I don't balance, I get hurt. I assume it's similar with a car. I can't help but feel like I'm getting taken every time this issue comes up. Why would you provide a service, but not do it well enough or properly unless customers pay a little more for you to do it properly?

My third question is about your intuitive sense of mechanical malfunction. You look at the tires for 2 minutes and all of a sudden the breaks need replacing and the fan belt is worn out. You always say we could keep driving, but if we do continue on, more damage could be done to the car. Naturally we don't want that, because damage to the car could mean damage to us, and for fear of burning alive on the highway we fork over more cash.

I hope I'm not alone here in my curiosity, but in keeping with current economic and financial trends, a call for more transparency is in order when it comes to our precious vehicle maintenance. I'll be passing out transparent t-shirts to wear when you get your tires looked at as a statement of our unity so that tire dealers will know we mean business.