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'There's No Way 4 Car Tires Cost $3,500:' Woman Buys BMW XM. Then She Finds Out It's A 'Really Heavy Car'

"The only other person that has this car where we live had to get tires at 12,000 miles."

Woman buys BMW XM. Then she finds out it’s a ‘really heavy car’

Photo by: ryeleejase & Maxence Ambert

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Oct 5, 2025 at 6:00am ET

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Luxury cars come with luxury price tags, not just for the initial purchase, but for maintenance too.

One BMW owner just learned this lesson the hard way when she discovered how much it costs to replace the tires on her high-end SUV. The sticker shock has people questioning whether certain vehicles are worth the ongoing expenses.

How Much Would You Pay For Tires?

In a video with more than 139,000 views, content creator Ryelee Steiling (@ryeleejase) shares her frustration after spending a jaw-dropping amount on routine car maintenance.

"Thirty-five hundred dollars. That's how much I just spent on tires for my car—$3,500. Are you kidding me?" she says.

Steiling explains that she found out a few months earlier she needed new tires because she had virtually no tread left despite having purchased the BMW XM less than a year before. The luxury car currently starts at $159,600.

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"I was like, I just got this car in November. How do I need new tires?" she asked the shop.

"It's like a really heavy car,” the dealership reportedly responded.

The explanation didn't make the situation any better.

"A really heavy car that needs tires every six months? Are you kidding me?" she continues in the post.

Steiling says she asked the dealership if BMW could cover the first round of tires since she wasn't informed about this issue when purchasing the vehicle. The dealership told her they'd try, noting that they encounter this problem frequently.

"We have this issue a lot with people. The only other person that has this car where we live had to get tires at 12,000 miles," she recalls them saying. "I was like, okay, 12,000 miles. I get it. Whatever. I haven't put 12,000 miles on this car."

When she picked up her car, they gave her a courtesy wash, but she wasn’t impressed.

In a follow-up video, Steiling addresses people who thought she was saying “crazy stuff to drive engagement.” In it, she pulls up her receipt and shows a whopping $3,461.06 total.

How Much Do Tires Usually Cost?

To understand just how outrageous Steiling's $3,500 tire bill is, let's break down what most people actually pay for tires.

Tire prices vary widely by size and intended use, Discount Tire reports. Here’s average pricing for all-season tires:

Small wheels (12-15 inches), which typically fit compact cars, all-season tires average $80-$150 per tire.
Medium wheels (16-20 inches) that fit crossovers, SUVs, and small trucks run $100-$250 per tire.
Large wheels (18-26 inches) for trucks and performance vehicles cost $140-$170 per tire on average for all-season tires.

But here's where things get expensive: performance tires can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 per tire, depending on the size. High-performance luxury vehicles like the BMW XM require specialized tires that fall on the pricier end of that spectrum.

So if you're doing the math, even at the highest end, most people are paying up to $680 for a set of all-season tires—that’s a roughly $2,800 difference.

Gallery: 2026 BMW XM Label

2026 BMW XM Label engine bay

2026 BMW XM Label Exterior 2 2026 BMW XM Label Exterior 4 2026 BMW XM Label Exterior 5 2026 BMW XM Label Exterior 6 2026 BMW XM Label Exterior 7 2026 BMW XM Label Exterior 8

Source: BMW

NerdWallet notes that how often you need to replace tires depends on the type and quality of the tires, as well as your driving habits and road conditions. Weight is another factor. Heavier cars do tend to need new tires more frequently.

The BMW XM weighs about 6,000 pounds, while other mid-size SUVs tend to be closer to the 5,300 pound range.

Still, 12,000 miles is well below the average life of tires. Consumer Reports states that all-season tires are generally “expected to last 60,000 miles or more.”

Commenters React

People had a wide variety of reactions to Steiling’s $3,500 tire bill. Many people blamed Steiling for purchasing a luxury vehicle in the first place, though a few were sympathetic or offered advice.

“BMW XM and you complain about $3,500 a year for tires?” a top comment read.

“Buys expensive German sports car. Shocked when it cost a lot to maintain it,” a person said.

“I didn't even pay $3,500 for my whole car,” another added.

“Sell it, it’s not worth it. If you think 3,500 is crazy, just wait until the engine goes out at 40k miles,” a commenter warned.

Another said they’d been quoted nearly $1,400 for two tires by a dealership. They refused and found a better deal at Discount Tire.

What do you think?

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“I went to Discount Tire, and put FOUR new MICHELINS on it,” they said. “I have MICHELINS on a C6Z06, the M5, and my SUV. BULLETIN: NEVER GET TIRES FROM A DEALERSHIP!!”

Motor1 reached out to Steiling for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We'll update this if she responds.