Costco blog/discussion forum

It's hard to describe this Powerstation PS5000M (Costco item #179852, priced at $79.99 in July 2008), which is available at Costco warehouses. It is an air compressor, a portable power source, a worklight, and a car battery all rolled into one. I've owned this for about a year, and have used it only a few times but it was worth the $80 each time I used it.

First let me describe what you get: the Powerstation PS5000M contains an 18 amp-hour battery, two 46 inch 6 gauge cables that have heavy duty 400 amp clamps, a 400 Watt inverter, a 140 PSI compressor, and a bright LED worklight.

Now let me describe how you use it. When you buy this, unpack it and plug it into the wall somewhere out of the way. I have it in the garage.

• One day you go to your car and it won't start, the battery has died. Just get the Powerstation PS5000 out from the garage, open your hood, connect it to the battery, and a ground. Start the car. You just saved yourself a call for a tow truck.
• You notice your tires are low on air. Go get the Powerstation PS5000M, unplug it from the wall, bring it out to your car and inflate the tires. It's that simple. You can also use it to inflate basketballs, volleyballs, etc.
  

June is the month to buy tires at Costco. It seems like every June they have a deal of $60 off for a set of four tires.

Costco only stocks only popular tires. However, you can order specialty tires at costco.com, they will ship them to your local warehouse at no charge and notify you when you can get them installed.

You can go to costco.com to get prices and compare with others tire shops. These will be the same prices as you get at the warehouse.

I compared prices for a Michelin HydroEdge P205/70R-15 95T at Costco.com with prices for the same tire at America's Tire. The Costco price was $113.99 each, while the America's Tire price was $103.00. (This is without the $15 per tire discount that is in effect in June.) It appears that Costco does not have such a good deal on tires. However, it is more complicated than that.

Although the price available through America's Tire was about $11 cheaper, it does not include the environmental fee ($1.75) the tire disposal fee ($2.00), and the installation and spin balancing ($15.00). Adding these extra charges, which everyone has to pay, brings the price to $121.75 or $7.75 more than the Costco price.

On a set of four of these tires, you'll save $31 by buying them at Costco. If you buy this tire in June, you'll save an additional $60, for a total of $91.

Costco's price includes mounting, balancing, a road hazard warranty, tire pressure checks, lifetime flat repair, free rotation and balancing for the lifetime of your tires.

Costco inflates tires with nitrogen. Nitrogen maintains better pressure than air. The technicians at Costco are trained and certified through Michelin.

Costco sells these yellow microfiber rags in the auto section. Specifically, they are Unitex Microfiber Auto Cloths 36 pack of 16 inch by 16 inch cloths. (Costco item number 188426). These sell for about $15.

Costco apparently uses different suppliers for these with different item numbers. I have also seen a similar package of yellow microfiber cloths with Costco item number 84565 manufactured by Sunset Products a few years ago.

Microfiber is just what it sounds like, it is a fiber that is smaller than usual. This micro size has some advantages. It allows for greater absorption of water and oil. It does not give off any significant lint.

These fibers have many different uses, including cleaning your car, rv, and even your plane! We have a stack of them in the kitchen, and keep a separate laundry pile for these rags. Get a pack and see how versatile they are!

To keep the microfiber in good shape, you need to wash them regularly. The manufacturer recommends that you do not machine dry, but you are probably OK, if you follow these directions.

• Remove the labels (white tags)
• Wash them in your machine by themselves, no bleach or fabric softener. Do not mix with other towels you may have hanging around. If you do, they will collect lint from the other towels.
• If you use a dryer, don't use a fabric softener. Again, dry them by themselves or they will pick up lint.