Bmw charges about $170 to mount and balance winter tires

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Mamaci3

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Messages
17
Does BMW do anything different when it comes to mount and balancing tires compared to other non Bmw service centers. Got a quote from Midas and they charge only $100.00
 
First off, not all balancing machines are the same. There can be a major difference between a simple balancer, a spin balancer, and (the best) a road force balancing machine. The last one not only checks dynamic balance of the free spinning tire, but also then pushes it against a roller simulating the car running down the road. That machine costs more and takes a bit longer to deal with, as it can often tell the mechanic to rotate the tire around the rim to help improve the overall effect (matching high and low spots, or slight imbalances of the tire/wheel pairing).

Then, while not always done, industry guidelines call for changing the stems to the TPMS when mounting a new tire...those parts, retail anyway could be up to about $50. That doesn't take all that long, but it is one more thing that has to be done versus a 'simple' balancing.

So, it's not always apples to apples...you need to know a bit more about what exactly was done and how. IF old tires needed to be disposed of, some of the cost may have been the disposal fee. That can vary a lot from place to place. In the city where I live, a resident can dispose of up to four tires at the dump for free, but a business must pay to do it.
 
A static balancer may do a half decent job on the i3 tires because they are so narrow. But considering the pro balancer quality, time ,effort and cost involved this is the service I want to pay for, just not at the dealer. You need to stress the importance of a torque wrench- BMW bolts are just the right size and may be damaged if over tightened.
 
gt1 said:
You need to stress the importance of a torque wrench- BMW bolts are just the right size and may be damaged if over tightened.

Ugh, last time I had to use a BREAKER BAR to get my wheel bolts off. I had to stand on the end of the breaker bar and put all of my body weight on it. I follow torque specifications closely when putting pieces back together- it avoids this situation. I have to use a torque wrench as I have a habit of over tightening the bolts.
 
Meanwhile, at a West Coast tire shop chain, Les Schwab, I just paid $26 for all four wheels/tires to get swapped, including balancing and resetting the TPS. ($6.50 per wheel.)

I was planning on just swapping them out myself, but for that price, I'll let them.
 
If you're lucky, a simple spin balance works fine. At that price, they did not change the stems on the TPMS or do a road force balance. Resetting the TPMS is just two clicks on the menu...something nobody with a modern BMW should have to pay for. The larger and heavier the tire, the more important a road force balance is, the i3's assembly it fairly large, but doesn't weigh much, so the forces involved aren't always hard to deal with.
 
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