In a world where inflation is high, the prices of everything are skyrocketing, and everyone is feeling the pinch in their wallets, any trick that will save you money is worth hearing out. This is especially true when it comes to our cars. Cars are a necessity in a lot of places, and if something goes wrong with them, they can be pricey to fix.
An Important Part of the Car
Brakes and tires are two of the most important aspects of your car. A car without brakes is nonfunctional and dangerous, and a car with bald tires is equally so. For those who don’t know, a tire that is “bald” is a tire that doesn’t have tread.
Tread is the measurement that is used to look at the health and longevity of the tire. All tires are rated to a certain mileage or year usage point, and many auto shops will use the tread measurement to check where the tire is in its lifecycle.
Warning Signs From the Tires
If your tread starts to get thin on your tire, auto shops will let you know that your tire is reaching the end of its lifespan. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to get the tires changed right away. Often, when an auto shop says that the tread on a tire is concerning, it still likely has several thousand miles of use on it.
The warning to be considered when driving on tires with low tread is that the tread is part of what allows the car to break on the road. The tread is meant to provide friction in tandem with the braking system, so tires with low tread don’t have as much gripping ability on the road as tires that are newer.
Cost Is An Important Factor
Of course, for many people the factor preventing us from buying new tires right away when the car needs them is cost. Tires can be very expensive depending on the type of tire and the lifespan you need. Cars with bigger tires will, by nature, be spending more money to replace them.
It’s also important to consider the installation fee when purchasing tires. The cost of the tire is all very well and good, but there’s also the labor fee that’s necessary to pay unless you have the ability to remove the old tire and install a new one on the tire rims yourself.
A Video Off Tiktok Saves The Day
Fortunately for those of us who are budget conscious, a new video off of Tiktok appears to have a hack that will allow shoppers to save some money on tires. The video appeared in August of this year, and it was a response to another user asking the question, “What is something that’s a company secret at your work?”
The user, Alex Rodriguez, responds by revealing that he works for a major tire corporation. He doesn’t reveal which one, but the information that he shares is astounding nonetheless. He says that the best way to get a deal on tires is by simply calling the shop, and asking if they price match.
A Different Method of Business Means Allowances Can Be Made
Alex goes on to say that all major tire shops base their success rate on units sold – meaning the number of tires that go out the door. This is opposite to a lot of other businesses where the mark of success is the amount of profit that they bring and get to announce during their quarterly investor meeting.
Because the measurement of success is units sold, not profit earned, Alex says that nearly every tire shop will price match if you call and ask them to. Of course, it isn’t nearly as simple as that. In order to call and ask for a price match, prospective customers have to shop around.
Amazon to the Rescue
Alex has a solution to the daunting process of poring over prices and trying to find a better deal elsewhere, too. In his video, after dropping the information that tire companies will, in fact, price match, he reveals that oftentimes, the place to find the best deal on tires is actually Amazon.
Now, regardless of how you feel about Amazon, it can’t be denied that the company has added a certain level of convenience to our lives that didn’t exist before. You can order anything you can think of and have it shipped to your house the same week, at an affordable price. And, evidently, those affordable prices extend to tires.
As Simple as Making a Phone Call
Alex goes on to tell his viewers that the process of asking for a price adjustment is as simple as looking up the price of the specific tire on Amazon, getting the number, and then calling the tire shop in question. The specific price that you want to match is important, as it allows the shop to plan for your service when you bring the car in.
A lot of people in the comments were not only thrilled to hear Alex’s life hack, but also grateful. Several comments stated that the information had actively saved them money on tires while they were waiting for their car to be worked on, and others said they were going to finally get their tires done at a lower price.
Save Money Where You Can, and Look Out For the Next Hack
It’s understandable that many of us are trying to save money anywhere we can. In this economy, every dollar matters, and that especially applies to necessities like cars. Little life hacks like the one Alex revealed in his video can make a huge difference to a lot of us.
Even if you don’t feel the need to use the tire hack, it’s still fun to consider different avenues of saving money. So many people work for major corporations, and you never know what life hack is going to pop up on the internet next that will save you a few dollars in your bank account.
