He bought tires at Costco, but getting them installed there was a different story. One man's trip to the tire center turned into a lesson in how far a big-box store's service will and won't go when you’re needing help with your car. Costco Tire Center Said No. Neighborhood Shop Said Yes. In a trending video with more than 26,000 views, content creator Creigh Riepe (@creighriepe) explains why Costco's tire center wouldn't mount his Mud Grapplers on his truck. The technician explained that Reipe’s tires are rubbing the inside sway bars and flagged it as a safety concern. "They told me that they were rubbing them raw and that I need to look into getting those replaced," Riepe says. Riepe isn't disputing the facts. He knows about the sway bars; he just doesn't think it should be Costco's call. "I know full and well that they're rubbing my sway bars," he says. "I don't really care. I just want you to put the tires on." Costco held firm. So Riepe bought the tires at Costco anyway and drove over to Latinoamerican Tire Shop to get the job done. The video ends with his truck up on the lift, tires off. "Y'all go see my friends at Latinoamerican Tire Shop," he said in the caption. Why Tire Rubbing Is Actually A Problem Tire rubbing isn't just an annoying noise; it's a sign that something isn't properly dialed in, and it gets worse over time. The sway bar is a metal bar connecting the left and right sides of your suspension, and its job is to keep the car level during turns. The sway bar link—the small rod connecting it to the suspension arms—is what makes that possible. According to this breakdown on YouTube, when those links wear out or get damaged, the car starts feeling sloppy on corners, the body rolls more than it should, and in a worst-case emergency maneuver (like swerving to avoid a deer, for example), the loss of sway bar support can be the difference between keeping control and losing it. Now, add tires actively grinding against that bar on every bump. Tire rubbing can cause premature tire wear, damaged components, and, in extreme cases, become a genuine safety hazard, Apex Wheels reports. The telltale signs include scraping sounds when turning or going over bumps, visible marks on the sidewall, uneven tread wear, and a burning rubber smell after hard driving. These are all red flags that something is making contact that shouldn't be. Sway bar links themselves are one of the cheaper suspension fixes since parts run $30 to $80 per link, with labor adding another $100 to $150. The issue is that if tires are rubbing against them continuously, you're not just wearing down the links. You're wearing down the tires, too. How Do I Know When It's Actually Time For New Tires? Most drivers don't think about their tires until something goes wrong, and by then, it's often too late. The most straightforward way to check is the quarter test: stick a quarter into one of the tread grooves with George Washington's head pointing down. According to Consumer Reports, if the top of his head is flush with the tread, you've got about 4/32nds of an inch left, which is enough grip for wet roads, but it's time to start shopping. If you can see space above his head, you may need to replace them immediately. Tread depth isn't the only thing to watch. Bridgestone recommends getting tires professionally inspected after five years, regardless of how they look, and pulling them out of service entirely at the 10-year mark (including the spare), even if there's no visible wear. Age matters because rubber degrades from the inside out; a tire can look fine and still be compromised. Uneven wear is another red flag. If one side of the tread is wearing faster than the other, that's usually a sign of improper inflation or misalignment, and a tech should look at it before the next rotation. One more thing worth knowing: Bridgestone advises replacing all four tires at once when possible. Mismatched tires (even slightly) can cause one end of the car to respond differently than the other in a hard stop or sudden swerve. If you're only replacing two, those should go on the rear axle. Why Won't Tire Shops Work On Older Tires? Here's something a lot of people don't find out until they're already at the counter: Many tire shops won't rotate, patch, or even balance tires once they hit a certain age—regardless of how much tread is left. As Denver7 reported, one woman was flatly refused a patch on a tire with a nail in the center because her tires were over six years old. There's no federal or state law requiring shops to turn away old tires. But major automakers, including Ford, Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, now recommend in their owners' manuals that tires be replaced after six years, and most national tire chains have adopted policies to match, largely for liability reasons. That shift traces back to the Ford Explorer/Firestone rollover crisis of the late 1990s and early 2000s, which pushed the industry toward stricter standards across the board. The rubber trade association and manufacturers like Michelin and Continental maintain that tires can be used safely for up to 10 years if the tread is solid and there's no visible dry rot. But good luck finding a shop willing to service a seven-year-old tire. Some independent shops are more flexible than chains. Commenters React To Costco Customer's Tire Experience “Why they rubbing in the 1st place???” a top comment read. “Good job on Costco for keeping you safe and keeping themselves out of a lawsuit,” a person said. “Liability my man. Dont blame them. Small business dont know and care. Something happens and boom lawsuit,” another wrote. “My husband bought tires from Walmart and they would not put them on bc their computer said they didn't fit his truck even though they were the same exact tires that were already on the truck,” a commenter shared. Motor1 reached out to Creigh Riepe (@creighriepe) for comment via TikTok direct message and comment, and left a voicemail for Latinoamerican Tire Shop. We will update this story if either party responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team