My wife drives a leased car because she is able to get favorable tax treatment as a business owner.

One of the tires seems to have a slow leak and is holding air, but not enought for safe travel.  Another tire has a plug in it so I was anticipating replacing at least two of the tires.  This is painful on a leased car, but safety is important to me.

Being the frugal cheapskate that I am, I started to scour the internet for tire prices.

But then I had a change of heart.  I decided to call the dealership and have the tire looked at there.  Getting regular maintenance on a car at the dealership is not typically a wise financial decision.  Dealerships have historically high prices.  But having a leased car, I was hoping that I might get a discount because the car would have at least 2 new tires when we turn it in 6 months from now.

When I dropped the car off I was very surprised by the service advisor’s advice.  He said I could replace one tire even though the car was AWD.  He also said it would be worth trying to fix the tire.  I never expected the dealership to offer tire repair at all!.  The best part was that if the tire was able to be repaired, the cost would only be $25.

Sure this may be a few bucks more than the local garage, but it was very fair and reasonable pricing.

I write this post from the comfort of the wifi enabled waiting room as I enjoy a free coffee and muffin.  I know the extra cost of the repair pays for these free items, but the experience is worth it.

Regardless the outcome of my tire problems, I feel feel good that my decision to give the dealership a chance resulted in a positive experience.  I feel like I got great advice that balanced vehicle performance, cost, and safety.  I suppose that all of the competition in the auto repair space has encouraged dealerships to reel in price and become viable options for regular consumers like me.