This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sam’s Club . All opinions are 100% mine.
Now that the kids are out of school and we’re into a summer routine, we’re really looking forward to a couple of road trips we have scheduled! In June we’re meeting some friends from law school for a couple of days at the beach. We have such a fun time catching up while our kids play together. In July, we’ll meet my whole family at a cabin in northern California. My sisters and I have each had a new baby since we were all together, so it will be great to get to know all the new little ones!
Besides packing swimsuits, towels, and plenty of snacks for the road, we also try to make sure our cars are in working order before we take off. That includes getting an oil change, having our tires rotated and checking the air pressure, and checking out any other noises or problems that we haven’t taken care of yet (some of the joys of older cars). This summer our van also needed new tires.
I’ve written before about the reason we have a Sam’s Club membership. While we like buying our milk, cheese, and bananas there, it’s the tires that keep us renewing our membership year after year.
I’m serious!
We love the benefits and services we receive with the tire installation package at Sam’s. It has saved us a significant amount of money in the past. The tire installation package includes:
- Tire Mounting
- New Valve Stem
- Tire Lifetime Balance
- Tire Lifetime Rotation
- No Charge Tire Lifetime Flat Repair– love this one!
- 24-hour Emergency Roadside Service
The installation package is $15 per tire ($25 per dually tire). The rest of the details are available at the store. One that’s important to keep in mind (we found out the hard way once) is that you need to have your tires rotated regularly or you can’t take advantage of the treadwear warranty on the tires (e.g. 60,000 mile or 90,000 mile warranty). Since we go to Sam’s Club regularly for non-tire needs as well, we can have the tires rotated without making a special trip to an auto shop.
It’s handy that Sam’s Club is all over the place. We’ve visited out-of-town Sam’s Clubs for tire maintenance while on trips, and even had them replace two tires for free after one had an unrepairable puncture, so that the front set still matched.
Another thing I was especially thankful for this time around, was having somewhere to hang out that is fun for the kids and productive for me. While our new tires were being installed, we cruised Sam’s with the littlest one in the baby carrier and the other three at my side. I got some shopping done while the kids kept their eyes peeled for samples. They also looked forward to getting ice cream from the Sam’s Club cafe while we waited.
Well guess what?! It’s gotten even better with Sam’s Club #DareToCompare Tire Event!
How the “Dare to Compare” offer works
Bring a valid “all-in” quote from a tire sales and installation retailer to your Sam’s Club Tire and Battery Center service counter. It must be printed on dealer/retailer letterhead and dated within the past 7 business days. The tire must be the same brand, line, load index and speed rating (service description) as the tire intended for purchase at Sam’s Club.
Where Sam’s Club carries club-specific tire lines, they will compare the club-specific tire line to the equivalent general-market tire line. They consider the following tire lines to be equivalent and will price match accordingly:
Club-Specific Tire Model <—-> General-Market Tire Model
- BFGoodrich Touring T/A <—-> BFGoodrich Advantage T/A
- Michelin Defender XT <—-> Michelin Defender
- Michelin X Radial LT2 <—-> Michelin LTX M/S2
Current Tire Deals at Sam’s Club
- Michelin 5/14/2015 7/5/2015 $70 off set of 4
- Pirelli 5/15/2015 7/12/2015 $80 Instant Savings
- Goodyear 6/24/2015 8/31/2015 $70 off set of 4
If getting your car road trip ready means you need new tires, then check out Sam’s Club #DareToCompare event!
How about you?
- Are you taking any summer road trips?
- What car maintenance is on your list to get your vehicle road trip ready?
- Have you ever had to do tire maintenance while on a trip?
Kim says
When we first bought our Sam’s membership 6 yrs ago, it was with the intention to buy new tires there. However, when we got it there, they said that they couldn’t do the tires on our van (Kia Sedona) because of something to do with the spin of the tire or something (sorry.. I’m not a car gal.. cant remember precisely). We ended up going to BJ’s instead, and they had no problem doing the job. I recommend calling to make sure they can actually service the tires BEFORE you shell out the money for a membership (if that was your main purpose in purchasing one).
Stephanie says
That’s a big bummer Kim! That’s a good reminder to check what they carry beforehand!
lydia @ frugaldebtfreelife says
We had a Sam’s membership, but I let it lapse. Maybe I should reconsider because tires are crazy expensive.
Stephanie says
It’s always tires that makes use renew our membership, even after it lapses.