Mobile tyre fitters

[bainbridge]

Hi motors

In my experience the fitters at tyre fitting shops rarely take a pride in their work. There was one that was fairly decent but they've gone downhill too. My last fitting experience consisted of them removing the wheels fairly quickly, so the job had actually been allocated to someone and they'd started, but then there was lots of chatting and standing around by the tyre removal machine and then more chatting by the balancer. Once the new tyres were on I watched him slam the wheels onto the hubs, then attach the roadwheel bolts using an impact wrench and simply click a torque wrench on them afterwards. Once I got home the bolts were horrendously tight, apart from 1 which was fingertight. Oh and he'd knocked a corner of paint off one of the brake calipers.

I've booked a couple of tyres to be done by a mobile fitter. The plan is to stay with him and observe, while offering to help and trying not to hinder him. I might loosen off the roadwheel bolts in advance, get him a cuppa and ask him to use my jacking pad and take care with the wheels.

Does anyone else only use mobile fitters in order to get a more professional result?

 

[jamoor]

You will just get in his way

 

[bainbridge]

You will just get in his way

If it makes him do the work to a decent standard I don't care.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Yeah prefer mobile tyre fitters, I offer them a drink but keep out of their way.

I normally rotate tyres, so if I'm doing a set, I tend to Jack the car up take the wheels off, give them a good clean then have the set ready to go with the car on axel stands.

Yes I appreciate I'm doing half of the guys job for him but that way I have control other than the actual tyre fit which I cannot do myself.

They always seem to appreciate it also

 

[bainbridge]

Yeah prefer mobile tyre fitters, I offer them a drink but keep out of their way.

I normally rotate tyres, so if I'm doing a set, I tend to Jack the car up take the wheels off, give them a good clean then have the set ready to go with the car on axel stands.

Yes I appreciate I'm doing half of the guys job for him but that way I have control other than the actual tyre fit which I cannot do myself.

They always seem to appreciate it also

Yes I've no problem with removing the wheels beforehand, to be honest if there was a way for a DIY mechanic to change and balance tyres without the large machines I'd do the whole thing myself.

 

[Rroff]

Wish I could do more myself - more often than not at a variety of places it has been shoddy half-arsed work, not really listening to you as to what you want but just carrying out the nearest generic standard procedure, laziness and complacency in general.

For instance on one vehicle there was a screw to tension part of the steering that should have had a locking nut to protect it - did they tell me the nut was missing when working on it? nope just did up the screw and left it at that and I only found out when a friend had a look when the problem re-emerged.

 

[Howard]

You need to find a trustworthy local place. They do exist. Maybe ask on Pistonheads / other forums etc.

The place I go to is about 25 minutes from me (Martin's Tyres in Woking, if anyone knows them) but they are amazing. I've been going there for years as have my family and a few friends, and I simply cannot fault them.

I went through a spate of using mobile fitters due to the convenience aspect but I had various issues (mainly their seeming inability to properly balance the wheel, and general lack of attention to detail) so stopped.

 

[mushtafa]

Don't attempt to help or do the work. You'll only get in the way and annoy him.

Find and choose a fitter based on recommendations.

 

[bainbridge]

mainly their seeming inability to properly balance the wheel

I assume they actually have a balancing machine on-board the van don't they?

 

[Howard]

I assume they actually have a balancing machine on-board the van don't they?

Yeah but twice I had them back after the first time to balance the front wheels after a tyre change and each time there was a shimmy at motorway speeds. It was 3 different people / vans as well. In the end I gave up and took it to my local place (mentioned above) and £10 later it was smooth as butter.

 

[Nazbit]

I do what a couple of people have mentioned above. Book a mobile fitter to home, jack the car up on to stands, get the wheels off clean and wax them front and back.

Takes a few hours and he will turn up part way through and change the tyres you're not working on.

You get sparkling wheels and no one touches your car and you know that if you have a puncture at the roadside you'll be able to get the wheel off because the nuts haven't been over torqued.

If it's a puncture or just one tyre I'll jack the car up and just take the wheel to a garage. Not car itself, the lack of care in these places is astounding.

 

[ahenners]

I had 4 Goodyear F1s fitted by tyresonthedrive at work (tyresontheworkcarpark?) and the service was spot on. All 4 wheels left immaculate with not a single mark, and the balancing was spot on. It was a much better job than I've had from actual garages that have marked my wheels and couldn't balance properly.

Agree with the comments, don't stand over them or get in the way. Offer a brew and leave them to it. The best places seem to be the ones that take photos themselves before they start the work. Covers them and covers you. Never had an issue with a fitter that does this. No harm in getting a set of "before" photos yourself either.

 

[bainbridge]

Hi motors

So I had my first experience of a mobile fitting today. We'd agreed for the fitter to come to my workplace and I made them aware I'll be there 9am-6pm, the manager advised they're likely to arrive at about 10:30. I had a call (while still at home) from the fitter this morning at 7:50 saying he was 10 mins away from my office! I skipped brekkers and got in asap so he wasn't waiting about. So it's gone from one extreme to the other, from waiting around in a tyre centre while the fitters stand around chatting, to a mobile fitter who arrived an hour early.

I took the advice of others on here and left him to get on with it, by the time I'd gone inside to get him a coffee he was already finishing the 2nd tyre. I'm happy with the job, other than he'd hammered on a rim weight on the inner of each wheel, together with a couple of the more usual stick on weights. Should he have done that on an alloy?

 

[thewanted]

The place I go to is about 25 minutes from me (Martin's Tyres in Woking, if anyone knows them) but they are amazing. I've been going there for years as have my family and a few friends, and I

Where do you go for wheel alignment because Martin's don't do it?

 

[Howard]

Where do you go for wheel alignment because Martin's don't do it?

I get Ford to do it when I have it serviced

 

[Semple]

If you have two cars and are only getting 2 tyres replaced, I've actually taken them off and driven them to a tyre place (one had a puncture anyway).

I know that doesn't prevent possible damage from the tyre machine, but certainly stops them gunning the bolts back on.

 

[weathmatth]

I took the advice of others on here and left him to get on with it, by the time I'd gone inside to get him a coffee he was already finishing the 2nd tyre. I'm happy with the job, other than he'd hammered on a rim weight on the inner of each wheel, together with a couple of the more usual stick on weights. Should he have done that on an alloy?

I didn't think rim weights should be used on alloys, just the usual stick on weights.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I had 4 Goodyear F1s fitted by tyresonthedrive at work (tyresontheworkcarpark?) and the service was spot on. All 4 wheels left immaculate with not a single mark, and the balancing was spot on. It was a much better job than I've had from actual garages that have marked my wheels and couldn't balance properly.

Agree with the comments, don't stand over them or get in the way. Offer a brew and leave them to it. The best places seem to be the ones that take photos themselves before they start the work. Covers them and covers you. Never had an issue with a fitter that does this. No harm in getting a set of "before" photos yourself either.

Used them several times, always a good service

 

[thewanted]

I get Ford to do it when I have it serviced

Ah okay, thanks. Been looking for a good wheel alignment place around here for ages because I keep trekking all the way to ProTyre in Slough.

 

[booyaka]

I've used same mobile fitter for last 3 tyre changes.

Cup of tea, a polite word to ask if he didn't mind rotating the tyres for me, leave him alone.

Booked via blackcircles when I ordered the tyres - costs me £6 more than taking the car to the garage about 2 miles away. Good job, no complaints.