Tyre fitting companies not wanting to fit your tyres?

[knitware]

SO, here's a business model...

Open a tyre shop to make money selling and fitting tyres. To increase revenue add value adding options like MOT, servicing etc but remain a tyre selling and fitting operation, make money and profit. Simple isn't it?

This morning I drive into Oxford to visit National Tyres & Autocare. I see the tyre fitter chap and ask him if he has time to fit my winters, "we don't fit customer's own tyres". I ask why not?
"Not our policy" then he added, "you'll be hard pushed to find anyone to fit them". I'm sure he was smirking...

I ring Kwikfit, he responds with the same message. I'm a litte worried, so I try one more garage, Formula One Autocentre who, thankfully, say not a problem.

So if you want a summer to winter tyre swap, despite what some tyre fitters say, they won't fit tyres, not yours anyway.

[Daston]

never had an issue with our local place (not a chain), £20 for 4 tyres.

[lostkiwi]

Not unusual for the larger chains.
I always use a local small company. Better service than the large chains and cheaper too in my experience.

[Garybee]

Although it's annoying I can see why they might not want to. If they're busy then without the profit of a sale at the same time as fitting there isn't much in it for them. Of course they can always charge a much higher fitting price but I bet they'd have endless arguments if they charged £100 or so to fit four tyres.

[Thermobaric]

Strange. I just had four tyres fitted that I sourced myself. I phoned about six companies from local places to specialist garages to big chain tyre places and not one said they wouldn't fit them. I just got fairly high quotes, imo for them. Cheapest was £15 per tyre.

[sebhaque]

I assume it's the same as asking a garage to fit parts you've bought - in my experience, most bigger garages won't fit customer parts. I always assumed it was in case there was any legal fallout if the part you'd bought failed in service.

[briang9]

avoid chains, local smaller tyre retailer should be happy to fit, and then you will go back to him for other stuff in future

[Coldfuse]

Daston said:

never had an issue with our local place (not a chain), £20 for 4 tyres.

I would bite off his arm for that price....

[CoolHands]

Tyre shops are ten a penny as its not a very skilled job so there will always be plenty of places to do it. Not surprised the big chains won't do it.

[anonymous-user]

I suppose if you don't like the business model of people who don't want to do the tyre swap you could do it yourself
(Remove tongue from cheek )

[lostkiwi]

Coldfuse said:

Daston said:

never had an issue with our local place (not a chain), £20 for 4 tyres.

I would bite off his arm for that price....

Same price I pay for 4 tyres swapped and balanced.

[SuperHangOn]

I call around the local tyre places but can never manage to get the low fitting prices I read on here. It makes buying from Camskill a false economy compared to black circles. Maybe I sound too posh.

[whoami]

lostkiwi said:

Same price I pay for 4 tyres swapped and balanced.

£20?

For four?

[DuraAce]

Can you give us the name? Hopefully they're somewhere near me!

£5 per tyre fitted and balanced is a brilliant price. Can't find anyone less than £15 where I live, that's per wheel if you get 4 fitted. Otherwise it's usually £20 per corner.

[lostkiwi]

whoami said:

lostkiwi said:

Same price I pay for 4 tyres swapped and balanced.

£20?

For four?

Yes. £5 each.
We have 4 cars so see them quite regularly.
Been using them for a while so I think he gives me a good rate.
My other half likes baking so on occasion drops off a few cup cakes for them as a thank you for them.

[InitialDave]

Strange, my branch of National have always been happy enough to remove/fit tyres I bring to them.

[caelite]

I have a mate who runs a small garage. We had this convorsation a while ago (when I was disputing a price he was quoting me for a wheel bearing xD). He says he makes it a personal policy to not fit parts provided by customers. Its not an issue of warranty/legality, he just says its usually a pain in the arse for him with folk bringing in the wrong bits and dodgy used parts. Although with his being a small place he makes exceptions for people he knows... and knows they wont piss him about with dodgy bits . Folk walking in off the street though, no chance.

[PositronicRay]

My local garage (general servicing and repairs, not a tyre specialist) charged me £12.50 each balanced and fitted last time.

I paid cash so probably went in the "tea" fund.

[GC8]

KF told me that fitting and pricing was at their branch managers discretion. I asked because the Stratford upon Avon garage quoted a brilliant price, but my local branch in Sheffield wanted 2.5x as much for exactly the same job.

[mrdelmonti]

Never had a problem in the past, I know of 2 places near work that'll fit and balance for £5 a tyre provided they're not too busy.