ZoNiE
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2015
- Messages
- 1,217
- Reaction score
- 3
Gotta Love Costco.
Bought new battery with 85 month warranty $88 in Nov, 2013. Has a 30 (now 36) free replacement. Get in this morning, sloooooooow crank. Hmm. Was dead about 6 weeks ago for some reason on a camping trip (maybe left something plugged into the bed socket) but nothing wrong since. I take it into Costco, guy gives me a brand new one with a new warranty (so not just the remaining 55 months).
Seems to me, I could get a new battery every three years this way. I have never had one last much longer in this heat.
If it matters, I have an Executive membership. It's 2x the price, but we spend enough in a year for the 2% rebate to pay the difference and then some. This battery was 31 months old, one month past the date, and I also exchanged on of my old golf car batteries a few months past the date as well so maybe there is an unwritten grace period? maybe for everyone, not just Exec membership?
Gotta Love Discount Tire.
I have been buying tires from Discount since I was a teenager. Yesterday I had a flat, and took it in on an appointment (booked online) to get it and another one fixed, as the other one had a screw in it. I know my tires are near end of life. The guy fixed it for me so I could be on my way, and since I could use new ones, I ordered a new set and returned later to get them installed. I got one for free (They used the road hazard warranty, they didn't have to but are cool about that stuff) plus $40 each off from what I paid last time and $25 each less than Costco (but a wash with Costco's included road hazard warranty) and a $70 rebate to boot (hope I actually see it) I got four new tires for the price of three. 275/60-18 Michelins are not cheap.
In the process, and this part is a bit of a rant, I learned something (about Michelin that is a bit irritating). I usually get Michelin LTX MS tires. Two trucks and my previous GMC motorhome for which I bought 7. I Had one set on my old Sport Trac age out before they wore out. Great! Next they are replaced with LTX MS2s which are supposed to be better. Only got 2 years out of those, about half the miles. Learned from the tire guy that they came out with the MS2's because the MS's were lasting TOO LONG and people were running them past their end of life and that was causing failures. Tire companies don't like tire failures regardless of the fact that people run them too long or with belts showing. Really? So they replaced a nearly perfect tire with one that would wear out faster. Nice. The New LTX Defenders are basically the old MS's with the same compound so hopefully I'll get better life. Stay tuned. I'll let you know in two years.
I also learned that changes in the price of tires lags changes in the price of oil by about 9 months. Last time I bought tires, Gas was nearly $4 per gallon. Go figure.
LT Tires on a Travel Trailer (Instead of ST's)
There's a lot of discussion online about ST vs LT and a lot of data. People in the trailer biz here tell me if I'm gonna be in the desert, LT's are a must have on the trailer. This from guys who don't sell tires. Soooo, I also talked to the "old guy" (His term) at the tire counter about LT's instead of ST's on travel trailers. I learned that there still is a 14" LT tire I can get (General Grabber) that is about the same size as what I'm running. Wish I Knew that when I got my new Carlisle STs' a couple of years ago, I was under the impression LT's were only available for 15" and up, and the Discount In Kingman didn't have them or know about the smaller ones. I'll be getting a set of those next fall and probably sell the four practically new Carlisle Tires as a set for $100. One reason is that typically trailer tires are only rated for 55 or 65 MPH. The Carlisles are rated to 87MPH, so that's good, as I typically run 75-80 anyway. So if you are looking at tires for a trailer, Carlisles with the 87 MPH Rating (all new ones, I'm told) or Grabber LT's for about 2X the price but better tread for off road.
Hope this information is helpful to y'all.
Bought new battery with 85 month warranty $88 in Nov, 2013. Has a 30 (now 36) free replacement. Get in this morning, sloooooooow crank. Hmm. Was dead about 6 weeks ago for some reason on a camping trip (maybe left something plugged into the bed socket) but nothing wrong since. I take it into Costco, guy gives me a brand new one with a new warranty (so not just the remaining 55 months).
Seems to me, I could get a new battery every three years this way. I have never had one last much longer in this heat.
If it matters, I have an Executive membership. It's 2x the price, but we spend enough in a year for the 2% rebate to pay the difference and then some. This battery was 31 months old, one month past the date, and I also exchanged on of my old golf car batteries a few months past the date as well so maybe there is an unwritten grace period? maybe for everyone, not just Exec membership?
Gotta Love Discount Tire.
I have been buying tires from Discount since I was a teenager. Yesterday I had a flat, and took it in on an appointment (booked online) to get it and another one fixed, as the other one had a screw in it. I know my tires are near end of life. The guy fixed it for me so I could be on my way, and since I could use new ones, I ordered a new set and returned later to get them installed. I got one for free (They used the road hazard warranty, they didn't have to but are cool about that stuff) plus $40 each off from what I paid last time and $25 each less than Costco (but a wash with Costco's included road hazard warranty) and a $70 rebate to boot (hope I actually see it) I got four new tires for the price of three. 275/60-18 Michelins are not cheap.
In the process, and this part is a bit of a rant, I learned something (about Michelin that is a bit irritating). I usually get Michelin LTX MS tires. Two trucks and my previous GMC motorhome for which I bought 7. I Had one set on my old Sport Trac age out before they wore out. Great! Next they are replaced with LTX MS2s which are supposed to be better. Only got 2 years out of those, about half the miles. Learned from the tire guy that they came out with the MS2's because the MS's were lasting TOO LONG and people were running them past their end of life and that was causing failures. Tire companies don't like tire failures regardless of the fact that people run them too long or with belts showing. Really? So they replaced a nearly perfect tire with one that would wear out faster. Nice. The New LTX Defenders are basically the old MS's with the same compound so hopefully I'll get better life. Stay tuned. I'll let you know in two years.
I also learned that changes in the price of tires lags changes in the price of oil by about 9 months. Last time I bought tires, Gas was nearly $4 per gallon. Go figure.
LT Tires on a Travel Trailer (Instead of ST's)
There's a lot of discussion online about ST vs LT and a lot of data. People in the trailer biz here tell me if I'm gonna be in the desert, LT's are a must have on the trailer. This from guys who don't sell tires. Soooo, I also talked to the "old guy" (His term) at the tire counter about LT's instead of ST's on travel trailers. I learned that there still is a 14" LT tire I can get (General Grabber) that is about the same size as what I'm running. Wish I Knew that when I got my new Carlisle STs' a couple of years ago, I was under the impression LT's were only available for 15" and up, and the Discount In Kingman didn't have them or know about the smaller ones. I'll be getting a set of those next fall and probably sell the four practically new Carlisle Tires as a set for $100. One reason is that typically trailer tires are only rated for 55 or 65 MPH. The Carlisles are rated to 87MPH, so that's good, as I typically run 75-80 anyway. So if you are looking at tires for a trailer, Carlisles with the 87 MPH Rating (all new ones, I'm told) or Grabber LT's for about 2X the price but better tread for off road.
Hope this information is helpful to y'all.
