Good news: according to the guy at the tire place my friend recommended, I can get away with just replacing two tires, not all four. The tires on the right side are much more worn down than the ones on the left. So they will move the left front tire to the back, and replace the front two. Which is good, this being a front wheel drive car and all.

(I figure in another 6000 miles, I will rotate the newer tires to the back, and replace the front two again.)

I got to the garage right at 7:30 this morning, the guy checked out my tires, gave me his opinion, went back & priced 5 different tires for me (I went with Pirellis 4-season), and I was on my way to work with one of their servicemen by 7:45! I still got to work on time. This rocks!

So now I just have to find someone to give me a ride home after work, but lots of people go down that road. Shouldn't be a problem.

I totally knew that $700 for Bridgestones -- and the guy today told me Bridgestones are overpriced -- at the dealership was bogus. He never even suggested just replacing two. I'm so glad I didn't cave.

OK, so I called my pal Dr. M and asked him to recommend a good local tire place. He suggested first pricing the tires on TireRack.com, and then going to one of their preferred installers, who just happen to be down the road from my office! Dr. M says he orders tires for his wife's foreign car from TireRack and has them shipped to the installer, but he just buys his regular-size tires from them there. And apparently installation is included if you buy from the installer, but not TireRack.

I called them this morning and said, "Look, my dealership says I need all four new tires. But frankly I can't see the problem. You guys are open a half hour before I need to be at work, and I work down the street. Can I bring the car by and have you guys take a look? If you don't see a problem, great. If you agree they need to be replaced, I'll leave the car with you, and can you give me a ride to the office?"

YES on all counts.

So now I'm researching tires on their website. They have this very helpful decision maker that helps you filter only tires that fit your car and have the criteria you want. I'll print out a list and take it with me on Monday.

Oh, and the website prices are much better than what my dealership was quoting me. I had a feeling I could do better than $700, for Bridgestones. (Aren't Bridgestone like the Wal-mart of tires?)

I relayed all this to Hubby over the phone, and he also feels this is a good way to go.

I feel like I have a handle on things. I have a solid recommendation from a friend who's really into cars. I have my Webbernet to do research. And I have a place to go that's decent and only 10 minutes from work! Yeahhhhh.

O crap. Just found out we need all 4 tires replaced. I'll have to do research & find out what a reasonable price is. Have you rotated lately?

I'm waiting @ the Pontiac service center, for an alignment & fuel injector clean. I'm prob here till 10:30. Yaaawwwwn.

Okay, follow along ( if you dare... )

Agh.

I was headed out to the store to buy a few last odds and ends to make Hubby's birthday carrot cake (from the Best Light Recipe from Cook's Illustrated), and I found I had a flat. I tried to drive around someone's trash can lid and went up over the curb, and I must have cut or damaged the tire. Poots.

I do have AAA, but it probably would have taken an hour for them to get here. And changing a tire is just really one of those things a person should be able to do for him/herself, in case you're far from home and can't call someone. (Especially if you're a woman, particularly if you're a woman who drives alone often.) So with Hubby's invaluable help, we did manage to change the tire in half an hour. Not bad, I suppose, for being the first time I did it on this car, and Hubby's first time ever. I'll have to call the dealership and see if I can bring the tire in for repairs.

Anyway, all's well now. I got to the store, found everything I needed, and came right home. Hubby was good enough to peel the carrots for me. Actually, the cake came together quite easily. It's got about 10 minutes more to bake before I start checking for doneness. It smells divine. I'll let it cool overnight, then make the frosting and frost it tomorrow.

Hubby did have a good point though. It's a good thing I had to go to the store tonight, or else I wouldn't have discovered the flat till morning, and that would have ruined my whole day's schedule.