How To Use Costco Tire Inflation (A Few Easy Steps)

Every Costco location typically has a dedicated Costco tire center section for all of your tire shopping, maintenance, and repair needs. These tire centers also come with a few outside Costco tire inflation pumps that can be used to inflate your tires. So, how to use Costco tire inflation?

How To Use Costco Tire Inflation
In order to use a Costco tire inflation station, or any other Costco tire service, you need to be a Costco member. With this disclaimer out of the way, the easiest way to use a Costco tire inflation pump is to simply just use it like any other pump. It’s worth mentioning that many people use Costco’s tire inflation stations even though they are not members, but no one guarantees that you will be able to do it too.
Pull up to one of the inflation pumps located at a Costco tire center and be sure to park the car up underneath the “Tire Inflation Parking Only” sign. Simply follow the instructions laid out on the pump itself and you should be back on the road in no time.
How Much Does Costco Charge For A Nitrogen Tire Fill Up?
Costco does not charge you anything to fill up your tires with nitrogen because Costco only uses nitrogen in general. As mentioned above, these services are only available for members, but people often just pull up to the station and inflate their tires without asking for permission, and the reality is that no one at Costco cares all that much.
Most dealerships and tire shops will charge you between $7-and $10 for a nitrogen fill up while Costco will do it for free.
Does Costco Offer Free Tire Pressure Checks?
Costco does offer free tire pressure checks for anyone who opted for their Lifetime Tire Maintenance Package. In order to get the package, you have to select it whenever you source your new tires through Costco. Then you have to install them directly at Costco and pay the additional fee which enables you to select the Lifetime Tire Maintenance package. This package is really useful as it comes with quite a lot of benefits.
Some limitations do apply, so be sure to always have your original receipt readily on hand when you want to receive any of these services. If your tires are too old or have little to no tread left, Costco will not perform any maintenance services on your tires and will tell you that it’s time for new tires.
What Do I Get With Costco Road Hazard Warranty?
Costco road hazard warranty gives you quite a few perks if you do decide to buy your tires directly through Costco. All passenger car tires, performance car tires, and light truck tires bought online or in Costco stores directly come with a 5-year long warranty that covers the tires against various tread damage and failures that could arise during regular ownership.
This means that Costco will not cover your damages if you did something you should not do, but various forum threads state that many people got tire repairs or even brand-new tires even when the issue was down to their own doing. Either way, the coverage is subject to various terms and conditions such as proper tire care and maintenance.
If Costco deems that you do deserve a complete tire replacement, they will offer you credit that can be used at Costco depending on the result of the tread analysis. It’s also worth mentioning that this warranty is completely separate from the ones that come with tires directly from the manufacturer.
What Are The Alternatives To Buying Tires At Costco?
Is It Cheaper To Buy Tires Through Walmart Than Costco?
According to many online sources, Walmart is the place with the best tire prices which means that buying tires at Walmart is cheaper than at Costco. However, Walmart does not offer you all the additional benefits that Costco does, so when you add it all up, Costco still makes more sense overall.
Is It Cheaper To Buy Tires Through Sam’s Club Than Costco?
Yes, Sam’s Club will offer you tires at a cheaper rate, but you need to keep in mind that Costco prices also include installation costs. Therefore, it’s more or less the same story as usual, and that is that Costco makes a lot more sense financially if you also opt for the lifetime tire maintenance package.
Is It Cheaper To Buy Tires Through Discount Tire Than Costco?
Discount Tire will charge you less for only the tire, but Costco will give you a better warranty, and cheaper installation costs. You do not need a membership to shop for tires through Discount Tire and you also have a wider selection. However, if you take advantage of all the benefits you get through Costco and you shop in Costco anyway, then Costco is the better deal.
Be sure to consider this if you can’t decide between buying your tires at Discount Tire or Costco.
Is It Cheaper To Buy Tires Through Tire Rack Than Costco?
This is a tough one, but you are able to get a better price at Costco if you pick the right time to buy new tires and you do so during a Costco sale. Tire Rack offers you a much wider selection, but they don’t install the tires. You don’t need to be a member to buy at Tire Rack, but you do need to be a member to buy through Costco.
If this is not enough to help you make up your mind about which one of these two is better for you, click here.
Conclusion
Airing up your tires at Costco is easy and it takes less than a few minutes. All you have to do is park your car near the inflation pumps and follow the instructions listed on the pump. You do need to be a Costco member to use Costco membership perks, as such, you should not be doing it without a membership.
What about help for handicapped? It was a nice perk that they did it for me.
Hey Nancy, thanks for pointing that out. Can you give me some more information about it so that we can update the article?