Does Discount Tire Do Brakes?
With a yearly revenue of $5.2B, Discount Tire is the world’s leading independent wheel and tire retailer. They are available in almost all US states and they also deal with all sorts of tire and wheel-related maintenance. However, Discount Tire is not a one-stop-shop when it comes to repairs as they only offer a limited number of services.
Can I Do My Brakes At Discount Tires?
No, you can not. According to all the available data online, Discount Tire technicians are only able to sometimes informally visually inspect your brakes and suspension components, but they do not deal with brake and suspension repair. When asked to elaborate on the matter, a Discount Tires spokesperson said:
“Our service technicians are not qualified to provide insight or guidance on your vehicle’s condition beyond the condition of its wheels and tires”. As such, if your brakes need repair or component replacements, you ought to find a different workshop properly equipped and able to do so.
Which Services Are NOT Being Offered By Discount Tire?
- Oil changes
- Alignment, brakes, and suspension
- Battery
- Commercial, heavy machinery, and motorcycle tires
- Tire stenciling, tire lettering, tire stickers, tire shining, tire shaving
- Towing services
- Air conditioning checks
- State inspections
Oil Changes
Given the fact that oil changes are commonly carried out around the same time most people tend to rotate their tires (5000-6000 miles), many people are interested in knowing if they are able to do both at Discount Tire.
However, Discount tire does not and never did do oil changes which means that you should visit a quick lube shop, a dealership, or an independent technician to change your oil. You can also try to change the oil yourself if you want to save yourself some time and money.
Alignment, Brakes, And Suspension
As mentioned in the beginning, Discount Tire does not offer wheel alignment, brake, and suspension services because the technicians working there are not professionally trained to do so. On the other hand, Discount Tire states that they do maintain a good professional relationship with local shops that do if you are looking for referrals.
Even though Discount Tire does not do suspension and brake repairs, you are able to buy specific suspension components through the Discount Tire eBay store.
Battery
Discount Tire also does not do any work with any of the car’s electrical components which also excludes the battery. You are not able to buy, repair or replace batteries at Discount Tire, so be sure to look elsewhere, no matter what anyone else says.
Discount Tire does state that you should indeed recycle used batteries appropriately by taking them to auto shops and stores that do battery recycling.
Commercial, Heavy Machinery, And Motorcycle Tires
If you own a semi-truck, a tractor, a monster truck, you should not take it to Discount Tire as they also don’t deal with these sorts of heavy machinery rubber. They also don’t deal with motorcycle tires, but most locations will happily provide air pressure checks.
Tire Stenciling, Tire Lettering, Tire Stickers, Tire Shining, Tire Shaving
Discount Tire also does not do tire cosmetics and visual upgrades such as tire stenciling, tire lettering, tire stickers, tire shining, or tire shaving. However, specific Discount Tire workshops sometimes tend to offer tire shining, but only during tire installation.
This means that they do not offer these services on a regular basis and you can’t go to a Discount Tire workshop and ask for tire shining specifically.
Towing Services
Many people out there believe that Discount Tire is a company that also deals with roadside assistance, but that’s not the case as they don’t provide any sort of towing services. They will happily serve you if you tow your car directly to a Discount Tire workshop, but only for tire and wheel-related repairs, consultations, or replacements.
Air Conditioning Checks
Discount Tire leads a strong marketing campaign that often states that “Discount Tires will perform free air checks”. However, this does not mean that Discount Tire is willing nor even able to check your air conditioning systems. “Free air checks” refers to inspecting tire air pressure exclusively.
State Inspections
Finally, Discount Tire does not do any sort of state vehicle compliance inspections. They do say that you should always follow all the state and federal safety regulations in order to be safe. They will happily inspect your tires and wheels, but nothing more than that.
What Does Discount Tire Do For Free?
If you buy tires from Discount Tire, they will also include free lifetime tire balancing and rotation services as long as the tires are able to fulfill their duty without any safety issues. You should take your car in for a tire balancing service every 6,000-8,000 miles, or even earlier for specific types of tires.
Is Discount Tire Worth It?
As mentioned in the beginning, Discount Tire is the world’s largest tire and wheel retailer which means that you should be able to find everything at Discount Tire. Most people use Discount Tire services for online tire shopping, but some also use Discount Tire for wheel and tire installation, checks, and maintenance.
They tend to offer better deals when compared to small-scale tire and wheel retailers which means that Discount Tire is indeed worth it. They also offer secure, fast, and free shipping which means that buying wheels and tires from Discount Tire is as easy as it gets.
Conclusion
Given the fact that Discount Tire is so big, they often get inquiries about all sorts of car-related maintenance and repair services. However, Discount Tire specializes in retail, and they also do strictly wheel and tire-related repairs such as tire patching, tire balancing, tire installations, and tire rotating.
They do not offer any sorts of brake repairs or replacements which means that you should skip Discount Tires if you need a new pair of brake pads, brake rotors, brake calipers, or anything else brake-related. Their technicians simply do not have the necessary tools or expertise to do so, so no matter what anyone says, they do not offer brake services.
