Are prices like this everywhere?

[tallyho8]

Our gas is down to $2.75 at my favorite stations.

 

[civilian]

I paid $3.54 for a gallon of gas last week. Today I saw gas for $4.09 for a gallon. Jon

 

[JasperFrank]

I volunteer to maintain some the equipment at a local State University. Surpized to learn that in the past, they were paying $400 a visit by a private company to do what I could in 20 minutes. Very simple stuffstuff

 

[MossRoad]

I needed new tires on my 1995 F250 and Sams Club was the first place I looked because they usually have the best prices and the tire installation kit, including everything, is only $20 a tire. They were out of the size tires I needed and it would be 2 weeks to order them so I went online to Amazon and ordered 4 and got them in 2 days. Then I had to find a place to install them. I called 3 of the different shops I have used in the past. They all had the same price to install the tires, $250 plus tax! Finally I found a Mexican tire shop that only charged $100 to balance and install them and no charge for them to keep the old tires.

The truck ran a lot smoother with the new tires but not as smooth as when it was new so even though it only had 120,000 miles on it I thought about getting new shock absorbers. Checking online at Advance Auto Parts they had Monroes that met OEM specs for $36 each. But I didn't want to install them myself since I am now 77 and prefer to let others do my dirty jobs at times. I called around and every place wanted between $100 and $125 a shock to install them. In the past using hand tools I have changed these shocks in less than 30 minutes apiece but could have done it much faster on a lift with power tools. I decided not to get the shocks at his time. Maybe mine are still good.

Amazing that shops now charge $650 for labor only to change the tires and shocks.

I laugh at your $36 shock absorbers...

More Information for GM GENUINE 540532

Price out rear shocks for a 2003 Suburban.

That's $287 per shock.

 

[MossRoad]

It WAS $3.39 a couple days ago. Now its $3.69 again here

A week ago Sunday we got it for $3.19 in northeast Ohio just off the toll road.
Sketchy area, though. Abandoned strip club and hotel. Lots of trucking companies. Two nice gas stations, though.

 

[MossRoad]

My mechanic lives across the street from us. He has a shop behind his garage with a lift. He also owns a repair shop in town. Very honest guy. He has one guy working for him that is very good. He can't find anyone else that is willing to work on older vehicles. He said they all come out of school and want to work on the latest and greatest at dealerships, and don't want to work on older vehicles with high mileage. He has more work than he can handle, and has to turn it away. Very good prices as far as I'm concerned.

 

[MossRoad]

My mechanic lives across the street from us. He has a shop behind his garage with a lift. He also owns a repair shop in town. Very honest guy. He has one guy working for him that is very good. He can't find anyone else that is willing to work on older vehicles. He said they all come out of school and want to work on the latest and greatest at dealerships, and don't want to work on older vehicles with high mileage. He has more work than he can handle, and has to turn it away. Very good prices as far as I'm concerned.

Heck, he'll even tell me jobs I can do myself, and jobs that he'd be concerned if I put my fingers on it.

 

[sd455dan]

I laugh at your $36 shock absorbers...

More Information for GM GENUINE 540532

Price out rear shocks for a 2003 Suburban.

That's $287 per shock.

just ordered / received Monroematic pluses for my sons Regal
$20.86 each

 

[MossRoad]

just ordered / received Monroematic pluses for my sons Regal
$20.86 each

That's the same price I was paying in the 70's for shocks. Ah, nostalgia!

 

[kenmac]

I also purchase all my tires on line. I own a tire machine and a computer balancer, so I mount and balance all my tires.
The reason I purchased a balancer is, I had a (what I thought was a tire out of balance) I took the vehicle to several places to have them check for balance.
They would take all wheels/tires, off and balance.
Each time at 60-70 there was a bad vibration.

After buying my balancer, I found the problem that all the shops I paid couldn't find. The wheel was bent, and it showed when the balancer began to spin the tire /wheel to check for balance, you could see the wheel was warped !

Now, I balance all my tires trailers and all vehicles when I get ready, on my time. No appointments needed ! LOL

 

[kenmac]

Another thing I found out about balancing tires.
If there are rocks between the tread, it will affect the balance.
so, when you balance a tire, you should remove all the rocks out of the tread for a true balance on the balancer

 

[ultrarunner]

Someone mentioned fuel and the last week here we go again!

Picture taken today…

Premium self-serve 6.95 gallon!

 

[jyoutz]

Someone mentioned fuel and the last week here we go again!

Picture taken today…

Premium self-serve 6.95 gallon!View attachment 764276

$3.24 where I live.

 

[seville009]

I have found that in the long run, it’s just cheaper to buy tires at Discount Tire. Free rotations, balancing, and repairs for the life of the tires. Probably built into the purchase price, but their tires are competitively priced with other businesses.

I agree in general.

There’s a guy on the local craigslist that buys up used tires and resells them. His prices are high though; for what he asks for most of them, you could buy new (with installation, balancing, etc as you said).

I do come across good deals on Craigslist occasionally though. Got a one year old set of rims and snow tires for $25; guy was miving out west and had no use for them. Cost me $50 in gas and tolls to go get them, but it was worth it.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Not the best tires but walmart has cheap ones on sale all the time.

Paid just under 50 per tire brand new in 2020 for my work car. Got about 30k miles on em before the car died.

 

[Hay Dude]

Diesel still $5 + around here.
It’s trending back up again.
I get the reason for it, but why punish people who have no alternative EV to drive? Like what are people using diesel equipment supposed to do?

 

[tradosaurus]

Bottom line is what ever people are willing to pay is the going price. We (I use the term loosely) are getting exactly what we deserve. If humans weren't by nature greedy, selfish, jealous and general horse's hind end toward one another barter clubs could solve the whole thing and set market prices where they should be. Seriously, residents within any given area have skill, training and ability to perform everything from taxes, auto repair and home repair to plowing snow but don't want to trade because they fear others might benefit unequally.
Here is a real life example of what I'm talking about. A close friend asked to borrow my trailer to haul scrap metal from his parent's farm to the recycle yard. I didn't have anything planed so I went along to help. As we were loading an old washing machine I noticed it had a gas engine and after taking a closer look, asked if I could have it. He asked if it had unusual value and I said I wasn't sure. He asked why I wanted it and I said I wasn't sure but simple thought it would be interesting to tinker with. He said he would just keep it and set it aside. He brought the machine up about 3 months later and I said I was no longer interested. Realizing the fallacy of his actions my friend apologized for how he reacted.

Any close "friend" that did that to me would be the last time I lent my time or equipment unless he paid for it.

 

[tradosaurus]

I have found that in the long run, it’s just cheaper to buy tires at Discount Tire. Free rotations, balancing, and repairs for the life of the tires. Probably built into the purchase price, but their tires are competitively priced with other businesses.

You pay for that lifetime balancing and repair at Discount Tire but it's worth it.

 

[Dftodd]

Someone mentioned fuel and the last week here we go again!

Picture taken today…

Premium self-serve 6.95 gallon!View attachment 764276

What's really surprised me is gas was only $5.81/ gallon in Honolulu last week.

 

[Alan W.]

Grabbed my 35 gal Kroger rewards, $1 off, gas yesterday for $1.96 a gal. Price went up later in the day.
I am running the Walmart cheap tires on my Ranger. They are made in USA and so far are tons better than the Goodyears they replaced.