Vote: Aug 29 - Oct 9Who puts the tires on your ride?Voting for the Seattle A-List starts August 29 at 8:00AM. Browse all 221 categories and let us know if any of your local favorites are missing. Make a nomination » WATCH ABOVE: Canadian consumers out to buy tires may end up purchasing products that were manufactured many years ago. And one of Canada's most prominent retail brands says it imposes no limits on how long ago a tire could be built and sold as new. TORONTO — One of Canada’s largest tire and auto repair retailers places no upper limit on the age of new tires it installs in customer vehicles.Canadian Tire, with 488 stores, says it does not restrict the sale of new tires no matter how long it has been since they were manufactured.Global News found that Canadian Tire, as well as other retailers, sell tires that are well over a year old. READ MORE: ‘New’ tires not necessarily as new as consumers might thinkWhile perfectly legal, because there are no expiry dates on tires, consumer safety experts say tires degrade over time and pose a potential risk.“

All of the science shows that tire age matters, tire age plays a role in the safety of the product whether or not it’s been used,” said Sean Kane of the Rehoboth, Massachusetts-based Safety, Research & Strategies.In the U.S. and Canada, however, the organization representing many tire manufacturers disagrees.“There’s no data to support that chronological age of the tire in any way affects performance of that tire,” said Glenn Maidment, president of the Tire and Rubber Association in Mississauga, Ont.Consumers are rarely told about age when buying new tires.Bondi Beach Patio FurnitureWhen Global News mystery-shopped some Toronto-area retailers by telephone, asking to find out when a set of tires was manufactured, we were assured the tires were new.Corrigan Moving And Storage CoBut no manufacturing date was offered.Bengal Cat Rescue Bc

Active Green and Ross, a franchised Ontario tire and auto repair company, sold four-and-a-half year old tires to Randy Kamino, an insurance adjuster.When he found out, almost a year later, he asked for his money back from the company, which refused.“You’re paying the same price, so you’re entitled to the brand new product,” said Kamino.Andy Chiodo, marketing manager with Active Green and Ross, defended the company’s position.“We respectfully disagree with the comments that Mr. Kamino did not get full value on that purchase,” he said.“The tires were brand new when he purchased them in November, 2014, regardless of the DOT (tire identification) date.”Global News mystery-shopped a company location in Toronto and found Active Green and Ross selling tires manufactured in 2012, 2011 and even 2010.A Canadian Tire location was also selling a display Michelin tire manufactured in mid 2013, about two-and-a-half years old.When contacted about its policy on selling aged tires, a spokesperson said the company strives to provide customers the best selection of tires and follows the recommendations of its industry association.“

We do not have an official policy in place regarding the sale of tires past a certain age,” the spokesperson said in an email.Consumers can determine the age of tires by looking for the four-digit tire identification code imprinted into the sidewall.The first two numbers represent the week of the year when it was manufactured; the last two digits are the last two numbers of the year when the tire was manufactured.For example, 2612 refers to a tire produced in the 26th week of 2012. © 2015 Shaw Media Michelin® X® Radial LT2 Next Generation of Tire Even Better in Wet. Fuel efficient and long lasting 2Most Viewed Writer in with 120+ answersThere are way too many variables to give you a dollar amount answer. I'll list some considerations as well as some of the costs involved from a shop aspect.Are the adjustment points simple eccentrics and threaded rods, or do they require removal of access panels or replacement of bolts or components to adjust angles?Do you have other dependent systems that require calibration or additonal data interface such as traction control, dynamic headlights, dynamic cruise control, forward facing traffic recognition cameras, etc?

Is the shop just a "set the toe and let it go" facility or do they truly correct all adjustable angles?Do you have any other issues affecting the alignment such as a tire pull, subframe mounting missalignment, worn components, or structural defect to correct?Now the typical shop runs between $100 and $200 per labor hour, depending on if it's your corner gas station, tire shop or a luxury dealership. (And yes, there is a distinct difference. Like going to your good old general practitioner, vs Walmart prescription counter, vs a specialized surgeon) This rate factors in a bunch of overhead on top of the typical technician pay of about $ 20 per hour. But an alignment may run a different rate than shop labor rates due to the extra overhead involved. A new hunter alignment machine will run over $20k installed, plus any specialized tooling required for your particular vehicle. (Just the aiming tool for the forward facing radar on a benz is about $10k last I checked) a simple alignment will run about 30 minutes, while a more involved process can be over 4 hours.

Say that alignment rack and tooling runs 200 days a year at 8 hours a day and will stay serviceable and accurate for 5 years with a company on contract to maintain the equipment. All of this can add an easy $50 per complete alignment in overhead.All of this to make sure your car drives straight and stable, corners effectively, brakes safely, and doesn't wear the new tires off before your next oil change.Depending on the make and model of the car, it usually takes from about half an hour to an hour to do an alignment. Some cars with four wheel drive, four wheel independent suspension, fancy wheels, etc take longer. Exotic cars always take longer.If the prevailing hourly labor rate is a hundred dollars an hour in garages in your community, an alignment will most likely from about sixty or seventy bucks to around a hundred bucks. This price range will cover most popular cars. Any necessary repairs would be extra.Sometimes small shops on back streets do excellent work for less. If the shop belongs to one old man who does the work himself, you can expect good results at less than the going price at dealers and larger shops on busy streets.