Walmart is one of the most popular places to get tires rotated. Like most things at Walmart, tire rotation is relatively inexpensive. So, how much does Walmart tire rotation cost?
A Lifetime Balance and Rotation Service at Walmart Tire and Lube Express costs $14 per tire. If you purchase this lifetime service, they will rotate your tires at no charge for the tire’s service life. But if you go there just for a tire rotation service, it will cost you $2.50 per tire.
In other tire service centers, you will most likely spend from $10 to $20 to have the tires of your car rotated. That is the cost per wheel and not the whole thing. So, for the whole set of four tires, you are likely to spend from $40 to $80 if you will take your car for a tire rotation service.
Read on to learn more about the cost of tire rotation service at Walmart and the details of a tire rotation service.
Walmart Tire Rotation Cost
Aside from consumer items, Walmart also offers car parts and vehicle maintenance services. One of the vehicle maintenance services that they offer is tire rotation service. They have a Lifetime Balance and Rotation Service that costs $14 per tire.
If you buy this service plan, Walmart will rotate your tires for free for the entire lifetime of the tires. If you go to a Walmart Store and ask them to have the tires in your car rotated, you will pay $2.50 per tire.
But remember, when you go in just for tire rotation, Walmart’s tire service center technicians will not do anything but rotate the tires on your car. They won’t do any balancing or remounting.
Details of Walmart Tire Rotation Cost
The very basic tire rotation cost at Walmart is $2.50 per tire. So, all four tires rotated will cost you $10. But that does not include tire mounting or installation. Installation of the tires will cost you $12 per tire. So, that will be $48 for a set of four tires.
Tire installation at a Walmart tire service center usually includes mounting, balancing, valve stems, and lifetime rotation service every 7,500 miles. There are many times when the actual tire rotations are provided for free.
Walmart Tire Center Tire Rotation Services and Cost
The following table will give you a clearer picture of the charges for tire rotation and similar services at Walmart Tire Center:
Services | Description | Cost |
Tire Rotation | It does not include mounting and balancing | $2.50 per tire |
Lifetime Balance and Rotation | Complete balancing and rotation service | $14 per tire |
Tire Mounting Carry-in | It does not have general installation benefits | $10 per tire |
Tire Mounting Specialty | It does not have general installation benefits | $15 per tire |
Flat Tire – Tubeless | Rubber Manufacturers Association repair | $15 per tire |
About Walmart Tire Center
One of the many sections of the Walmart chain of retail stores is the Walmart Tire Center. This department store is well-known for its discounted prices for consumer items, typically lower than other department stores.
Walmart was established in 1962 and has consistently grown its networks of stores throughout the years. It is currently operating in almost 6,000 locations across the United States and other countries.
Walmart is best known for its affordable food costs. This store has also branched out into other lines of business, including auto servicing. The auto service department of Walmart offers low-cost car services, including battery services, oil and lube services, and tire services.
The cost of tire rotation at Walmart is very reasonable. As you can see from the table provided above, Walmart’s prices are low. In addition to the figures in that table, here are the prices for other specific tire services at Walmart and their details.
Other Walmart Tire Services and Cost
- Tire Basic Installation – $15 per tire for tires bought at Walmart. The tire services included are tire mounting, valve stems, lifetime balance and rotation for every 7,500 miles, and lug re-torque for every 50 miles.
- Tire Valve Stem Installation – $3 per tire for cars without a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system).
- Flat Tire Repair – $10
- Resetting of TPMS – $5
- Value Tire Installation Package – $25 per tire. This package provides basic tire services and a road hazard protection warranty.
- Lifetime Balance and Rotation – $12 per tire for the useful life of the tires. The tires do not have to be purchased at Walmart if you buy this package.
- Lug Nut Replacement – $2 per lug nut
When choosing the Value Installation Package, its Road Hazard Warranty feature safeguards your tires after leaving the tire service center. This warranty covers all unforeseen flat repairs and hazards.
With this warranty, Walmart will fix repairable punctures for free. In addition, tires can also be eligible for replacement depending on their damage.
If you want to take advantage of discounts on tire services, you can check Walmart’s official website. There you will find deals that will enable you to save money on the cost of tires and their tire services.
Do All Walmart Stores Offer Tire Rotation?
Tire rotation services are offered at most Walmart stores across the United States. The usual charge for this service, in whatever Walmart location, is $2.50 per tire. The store’s professional tire technician will rotate your car’s tires to another vehicle’s wheel.
This type of tire service does not include tire balancing and tire mounting. It is just purely rotating all four tires to different wheels of the vehicle. Please note that tire balancing and mounting are required if your tires are directional.
Tire rotation is necessary to ensure that all four tires in your vehicle wear out evenly simultaneously. To avoid frequent tire changes and prolong your tires’ service life, you need to rotate them every six months or every 6,000 miles (whichever comes first).
Again, how much does a Walmart tire rotation cost? Getting a tire rotation service at Walmart will cost you around $2.50 for each tire. However, if you get a Lifetime Balance and Rotation Service, Walmart will rotate your tires at no charge during the tire’s lifespan. This service will cost you $14 per tire.
How Walmart Rotates Tires
If you’re after tire rotation only, the job will be finished in about half an hour. However, when you take your car for a tire rotation service at a Walmart tire center, there will be times when the professional tire technician discovers other conditions related to the tires that may need some repairs.
The basic reason for this is: that it is not a good customer service practice to perform tire rotation without first checking things out. So, the tire technician may find that some suspension or braking system components need repair.
At Walmart, an oil change or a tire rotation is also a time to uncover potential issues. There are tire centers that will take advantage of the situation and buy a product or service you don’t need.
On paper, Walmart does not do that. They will inform you first. If you are not present at checking, they will note what needs to be done or send you a picture through email.
There will be times when Walmart will charge more than their quoted fee. For instance, there could be lug nuts seized between the rim of the wheel and the cone of the nut. This can happen with rims made of aluminum alloy. Fixing this condition takes more time and effort.
Other issues may also get uncovered during the actual rotation of the tires, which can require more work and materials and delay the process.
But a decent tire rotation service without any unforeseen issues can take about one-half hour. This is true if the tire tech is meticulous, examines other things properly, and then tightens all the lug nuts manually using a torque wrench.
There is no need to do fast work in a tire rotation. At Walmart Tire Center, it is safety first. They don’t want it to happen that they have rotated your tires, and then one week later, you find that there is metal to metal contact in your brake pads.
Cost of Tire Rotation at Walmart Vs Its Competitors
Walmart has several competitors in the tire service department. Some of them are Sam’s Club Tire Services, Sears Tire Service, and Costco Tire Service. All three tire service centers offer nearly all the tire services that Walmart offers but at different prices:
Sam’s Club Tire Service
This tire service center also offers a tire installation package. The cost of this package is $15 per tire. Sam’s Club is also an auto parts store where customers can buy car parts. Aside from the tire installation package, the tire services offered by Sam’s Club are the following:
- Lifetime balancing and tire rotation
- Puncture repair
- Scrap tire removal
- Road hazard protection
- Mounting and balancing
- New valve stems
Sears Tire Service
The basic tire installation package of Sears Tire Service is $18.49 per tire. This package is offered to customers who buy new tires from this store. The tire services included in this package are the following:
- Tire rotation
- Multi-point inspection
- Mounting
- New valve stems
- Lifetime balancing
Costco Tire Service
The cost of tire installation at Costco is $15 per tire. Costco is one of the most popular car parts stores in the country because of its products and its very varied tire services. Customers can also buy their products from Costco online.
Included in the tire installation package of Costco are the following:
- New rubber valve stems
- Removal of old tires
- Mounting
- Tire inflation with nitrogen
Removal of old tires is an important service offered by Costco since it is tough to dispose of old tires.
If customers buy their tires from Costco, they get the following services during the life of the tires:
- Tire rotation for free
- Inflation checks
- Tire pressure checks
Tire buyers can also choose to get services like
- Road hazard warranty
- Puncture repairs
Walmart Auto Center Price List
Is Walmart Tire Rotation Cost the Cheapest?
The tire rotation cost at Walmart is the cheapest among its nearest rivals. But using additional tire services like brake assessment and road hazard warranty increases the cost of tire service.
Walmart offers a wide array of car accessories and parts apart from tires and tire services. Its network of stores is wide. In almost all places in the United States, Walmart stores are easily accessible to people. This makes it easy for car owners to buy car parts and have their car tires serviced.
Walmart has an extensive network of stores across the country. Its rivals can hardly beat it in this area. There are remote areas where Walmart’s competitors have no presence. This is one of the reasons why consumers, and car owners who need tire services, choose Walmart.
In some areas, car owners choose Walmart not only for its inexpensive tire service charges but simply because it is the only one around that could service their tires.
Conclusion: Cost of Walmart Tire Rotation
Walmart offers a Lifetime Balance and Rotation Service that will cost you $14 per tire. If you buy this service plan, the store will rotate your tires for free for the entire lifetime of the tire. But if you will only ask them to rotate your tires, it will cost you about $2.50 per tire.
In other tire service centers, they will charge you between $10 and $20 to have the tires of your car rotated. That is the cost per tire and not the whole set of four. So, you will probably spend anywhere between $40 and $80 for the four tires if you take your car for a tire rotation service.
Be aware that the cost of a basic tire rotation service only includes the actual changing of the tire’s location. You still need to pay for the mounting and installation of the tire on the wheel.
Related reading:
Walmart Tire Installation Cost [How Much Do They Charge?]
Costco Tire Warranty [How It Works and What It Covers]
Cost of Tire Rotation [Average Rotation Cost]
How Much Do Hydraulics Cost? [Car Hydraulics Price Estimates]