"Sometimes an oil light isn't an oil light. Check your owner's manual."
I always suspect it could be something else.
Fortunately, upon each illumination, the odometer has always read mileage ending in at least two zeros: 194,600 I think was the last one.
Whitey said: "Discount Tires recommends rotating the tires every 5,000 mile because it is a loss leader, a chance to sell you other things like oil changes and air filters, and also new tires when the time comes. "
I think you’ll find that Discount Tire doesn’t do anything other than sell tires. So aside from getting the opportunity to look at your tires and recommend when they need to be replaced, they get nothing else out of the deal.
Put a different way, they do NOT sell oil changes and air filters.
Where I’ve been buying my tires for almost 20 years…only until recently did they start doing audio repairs. And they offered FREE tire rotation every 5k miles. So there was never an alternative motive to up-selling any other service. And since they started doing repairs (about a year now)…they still don’t try to upsell me anything.
Well, that changes the my view of the nature of the business model somewhat, but I think it still works in their favor. If you bring your car to them for tire rotation every 5,000 miles, they will increase their odds that they get a chance to sell you your next set of tires before anyone else, like the shop that does your brakes, or the dealership that does your oil changes, or the place you go to get your battery replaced. If Discount Tire recommended a 10,000 mile interval for tire rotations, many customers would buy their tires elsewhere out of convenience. Tires must be high margin items if they’re able to sustain their business on tires alone.
If you bring your car to them for tire rotation every 5,000 miles, they will in crease their odds that they get a chance to sell you your next set of tires before anyone else, like the shop that does your brakes, or the dealership that does your oil change
Possibly…And they’ve been getting my business for years…I do check around when I need new tires…and their prices are at or better then almost everyone else…plus their service is excellent…and I trust them.
FREE tire rotation simply means you paid for it up front.
Obviously the cost of tire FREE rotation has to be included in the price…but many tire shops don’t offer tire FREE rotation. And where I buy my tires…their cost is still as cheap or cheaper.
@Robert Gift I think I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway ; What is the recommended tire pressure for your Camry?
Spoiler Alert : It’s not 42 psi.
On a previous vehicle we bought tires from Discount Tires and had them rotated every 5,000 miles because they require you to if you want to keep your tire warranty. Covered under the warranty and in our experience takes 10-15min of your time (maybe 1hr if they’re really slammed) and never had any attempts at selling anything. Just did the rotation and it’s see ya next time. But that’s our experience with the local one. Yours may vary.
What is the recommended tire pressure for your Camry?35psi on the door placcard, I recall. Tires are 44 max. I have at 42psi. Discount Tire approves of 42. At end of life, the previous set of tires, always at 42 psi, showed barely any difference between center tread wear and outside tread wear.
Going back to the title of this thread I’m just going to recommend that the oil be changed every tire rotation.
@wolyrobb, my mother buys her tires at Discount Tire, and they will honor the warranty even if you don’t rotate your tires as often as 5,000 miles.
When the Expedition has been mistreated - sustained speeds above 90 mph and 80 mph going up mountain grades with the accelerator almost floored - does the change-oil lamp come on sooner?
(Seems as though it does, but I am not sure.)
Now I realize that I have also been neglecting to rotate the Expedition’s tires every oil change.
@Robert, I doubt anyone here knows what happens to the oil life monitor after driving at sustained speeds that high. You’re the only person here with the experience to answer that question.
“Discount tires approves of 42 lbs…” Of course they will. They know it’s within a safe range which still does not mean the tires will wear as well as they should. They want you coming back to buy new ones. They know already that logic and common sense are sometimes not mentioned in the same debate when it comes to some of your preconceived notions. ;))))) like speeding and tire pressure.
^ Yes, but at end of life, the center tread wear is only very slightly greater than the outside tread.
How much fuel was saved in lower rolling resistance of the harder 42 psi tires than the recommended 35 psi tires?
If I was driving a truck-based SUV upwards of 100 MPH, fuel economy would be the least of my concerns. Safety would trump fuel economy in that situation every time. The (even slight) uneven tire wear indicates you’re driving with less than optimal traction due to overinflating your tires.
I know it is prob pointless, but I would also like to join mountain and Db in encouraging you to buy the best available tires considering the speed and tire pressure involved.
you can t possibly “look ahead” sufficiently at 120mph
I hate for you to need your own blood delivery service
(They would not be able to tell my blood from what I was transporting.)
The 120mph is only on portions where the roadway is smooth and clean and no traffic.
(Many people travel at 100+ mph in those stretches.)
(When I was at 105 mph in the Expedition, some guy in a Toyota caught up and started to pass me in lane 2!)
Both vehicles have Michelin tires.
Fuel economy: Most of the time, the vehicles are driven at or a little below the speed limit - just to save fuel and pollution.
Emergent transports ruin any fuel economy wishes.
@Robert_Gift: “The 120mph is only on portions where the roadway is smooth and clean and no traffic.”
With all respect, Robert, you’ve repeated this dozens of times. We all know this. This doesn’t change the fact that you’re driving with less than optimal traction, regardless of speed.
We all know I’m not going to suddenly convince you to behave in a safe manner, so I’m not hoping to change your mind or your behavior. I’m just hoping nobody else reads about your practices and thinks they’re a good idea. You’re going to do what you’re going to do, and we’ve learned that’s how you roll, but to not speak up about the inherent danger of overinflating your tires and speeding would be a tacit endorsement of that behavior. What you’re doing puts fuel economy above safety, and you can obviously live with the risk profile of that decision, but please don’t pretend you’re not increasing the danger of a catastrophic wreck when you overinflate your tires and drive at excessive speeds.