New tyres...

[Migmac]

They put my daughters wheels on with the gun, over tightened the locking nut. Broke the key, £50 for a new key. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys working for you.

 

[Bobupndown]

It's physically tiring work for minimum wage in a usually pressured and undesirable working environment.

If you put in any time, effort or care, you probably aren't going to last long in a tyre bay - they just want cheap disposable youngsters that can slap the tyres on and get it out the door as quickly as possible.
Garages or high end specialists that aren't trying to make a living solely from it might be a different case.

I gave up on tyre places, invested in a tyre machine and a balancer. Takes me a lot longer and a lot more effort, but it’s done right the first time and my wheels don't get trashed either.
Don't even get me started on wheel alignment. £40 for somebody to round off a track rod nut and point the steering wheel off centre.

Would love to have the kit to change my own tyres and balance them but can't justify the cost for something used so infrequently.

 

[zx9]

If you put in any time, effort or care, you probably aren't going to last long in a tyre bay - they just want cheap disposable youngsters that can slap the tyres on and get it out the door as quickly as possible.
Garages or high end specialists that aren't trying to make a living solely from it might be a different case.

I was going to say, the two places I use locally are no more more expensive than the national chains but take real care with your wheels, they are staffed with people in their 40s/50s who have a real interest in cars and doing a good job. Well worth having to wait a day or so for them to get exactly the tyres you want rather than what happens to be on the rack in stock.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I remember on my volvo the wheel bolt had to be burned off (locking bolt)!....the guy said some moron had put it on with a windy gun. He asked me who fitted the tyres (yea you can guess what's coming!)...unfortunately they had!!!

Nothing more annoying than seeing them gun the new tyres on....actually there is....watching someone who fits tyres all day for a living not knowing where to align the tyre dots!

Only to be topped by the guy who puts the weights on the rim....when you've told him specifically that there are wheel trims to go on and they won't fit over the rim weights!!!!!

....I think I'm getting old....and grumpy

 

[Other Daniel]

I remember on my volvo the wheel bolt had to be burned off (locking bolt)!....the guy said some moron had put it on with a windy gun. He asked me who fitted the tyres (yea you can guess what's coming!)...unfortunately they had!!!

Nothing more annoying than seeing them gun the new tyres on....actually there is....watching someone who fits tyres all day for a living not knowing where to align the tyre dots!

Only to be topped by the guy who puts the weights on the rim....when you've told him specifically that there are wheel trims to go on and they won't fit over the rim weights!!!!!

....I think I'm getting old....and grumpy

Sorry @Pigeon_Droppings2 , but what are tyre dots ?

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Tyres Explained: Red Dot vs Yellow Dot!

Have you ever noticed red or yellow dots on the sidewall of a new tyre? Here we explain their function and how to use them properly. Read on.

www.tyrebaydirect.com

Sort of a code system used by the tyre makers to help with fitment. Except they just get ignored by most places. It isn't critical...just a little annoying I find.

Quite annoying watching the guy gun the tyres on...with the dot not aligned and a nice fresh weight stuck to the outer rim! Don't get me started on placement of the trolley jack!

On my Figaro I took the wheels off and took them to the place along with the tyres....I just couldn't take the stress!

 

[Other Daniel]

Tyres Explained: Red Dot vs Yellow Dot!

Have you ever noticed red or yellow dots on the sidewall of a new tyre? Here we explain their function and how to use them properly. Read on.

www.tyrebaydirect.com

Sort of a code system used by the tyre makers to help with fitment. Except they just get ignored by most places. It isn't critical...just a little annoying I find.

Quite annoying watching the guy gun the tyres on...with the dot not aligned and a nice fresh weight stuck to the outer rim! Don't get me started on placement of the trolley jack!

On my Figaro I took the wheels off and took them to the place along with the tyres....I just couldn't take the stress!

Thank's for that.
Learned something today.

 

[redlig]

I've just had to take the torque wrench off him and show him how it works!
He "checked" the wheel he'd already done with the dugger dugger and the wrench just clicked and he was happy with that!
I wound it up to 110Nm click again then up to 120Nm and it turned so it tried to explain that those nuts were set to somewhere between 110-120Nm.
Blank looks!
FFS it isn't hard, how are these companies working like this?

Because 99.9% of their punters know no difference. I bet you are the ONLY customer to ask the question.

 

[Melvyn Best]

I knew a tyre fitter that took great pleasure in overtightening wheel nuts until he got a puncture in a wildlife park in his own car with his family aboard on a Sunday , after walking 5 miles he managed to borrow some decent tools so he could fit his spare.

 

[Migmac]

I remember on my volvo the wheel bolt had to be burned off (locking bolt)!....the guy said some moron had put it on with a windy gun. He asked me who fitted the tyres (yea you can guess what's coming!)...unfortunately they had!!!

Nothing more annoying than seeing them gun the new tyres on....actually there is....watching someone who fits tyres all day for a living not knowing where to align the tyre dots!

Only to be topped by the guy who puts the weights on the rim....when you've told him specifically that there are wheel trims to go on and they won't fit over the rim weights!!!!!

....I think I'm getting old....and grumpy

Tyre dots, I think the majority of people won’t have a clue about them.

 

[Bobupndown]

Shiny shiny rubber!
Mmm smells lovely View attachment 339315
Well he used the torque wrench in the end and the truck drives nice and smoothly.
I'll probably still check the stud's myself though.

What do you think of the Yoko Geolanders, have you used them before or is this a first time?
My General Grabber At3 are about due for replacement, had 48000 miles out of them and still about 3mm remaining. Keep looking at other makes but have had great service out of Generals for years.

 

[carbon]

Don't get me started on placement of the trolley jack!

I used to drive an VW LT van from the mid 80’s and it needed some front tyres. Took it in to get tyres fitted. The fitter decided that one jack under the ‘beam’ across the front would lift the van. I told him to go get another jack and use two. His reply was ‘no that beams strong enough’. I then told him that ‘beam’ is the bottom of the radiator so unless you want to pay for a new radiator get another jack. He then decided that a second jack was a good ideal.

 

[Agrismith]

What do you think of the Yoko Geolanders, have you used them before or is this a first time?
My General Grabber At3 are about due for replacement, had 48000 miles out of them and still about 3mm remaining. Keep looking at other makes but have had great service out of Generals for years.

The geolanders are the best tyres I've ever had and they use to be cheap but now they are the same price as everything else decent

 

[anto44]

This thing of having to recheck wheel nuts after x number of miles was invented by the big tyre chains as a way of passing the blame for incorrectly tightened nuts onto the customer. If you come back after a few months with any problems they can blame it on the customer doing/not doing the check.
I worked for main dealers for almost 15 years, we never told any customer to recheck the bolts after we fitted them. No car manufacturer that I'm aware of does

 

[Ruffian]

Tyre dots, (yellow and red) Or Barcodes on pirelli bike tyres.

I hate tyre shops with a passion as had one explode the lockers, nut gunning them off. (Which also not ment to do)

I try to take pride in them all and balance to 0,0. Rather than close enough.

Also try and hide the weights behind the spokes as well as coloured weights on alloys. (Black on black etc)

 

[DanZac]

This thing of having to recheck wheel nuts after x number of miles was invented by the big tyre chains as a way of passing the blame for incorrectly tightened nuts onto the customer. If you come back after a few months with any problems they can blame it on the customer doing/not doing the check.

I don't know about the big national chains, but the place I get my tyres from tell you to come back after xx miles and they'll check the Tq for you.
I can't imagine the average Joe Public having a Tq wrench, let alone the knowledge to use it.

 

[bricol]

This thing of having to recheck wheel nuts after x number of miles was invented by the big tyre chains as a way of passing the blame for incorrectly tightened nuts onto the customer. If you come back after a few months with any problems they can blame it on the customer doing/not doing the check.
I worked for main dealers for almost 15 years, we never told any customer to recheck the bolts after we fitted them. No car manufacturer that I'm aware of does

Common practice on anything that moves - as things settle, bed in, get loaded up, they move and fasteners lose preload.

You might need to bone up on car manufacturers - photo of my car owners manual attached . . . the group sold 6.2 million vehicles in 2020, so a reasonable amount.

 

[dobbslc]

Because 99.9% of their punters know no difference. I bet you are the ONLY customer to ask the question.

Unfortunately true!

I knew a tyre fitter that took great pleasure in overtightening wheel nuts until he got a puncture in a wildlife park in his own car with his family aboard on a Sunday , after walking 5 miles he managed to borrow some decent tools so he could fit his spare.

I find this unbelievable! ^^^


He was aloud to breed???

 

[Melvyn Best]

Unfortunately true!

I find this unbelievable! ^^^


He was aloud to breed???

They live amongst us!

 

[dobbslc]

What do you think of the Yoko Geolanders, have you used them before or is this a first time?
My General Grabber At3 are about due for replacement, had 48000 miles out of them and still about 3mm remaining. Keep looking at other makes but have had great service out of Generals for years.

@Bobupndown
I had a full set of Geolandar's fitted to the Surf when I got it as the original tyres were bald/odd makes etc. I did some research and they had better wet weather performance than most AT tyres.

The ones I had fitted before are Geolandar AT G012. Discontinued now I think.
The new ones are Geolandar AT G015 and when comparing them on-line they seem to be very slightly more road biased but they still look a nice chunky tyre (a must on a 4x4)


They are very quiet on the motorway and feel well planted at high speed fully loaded.
Wet weather grip is pretty good, on the Surf I can drift the rear out of rounderbouts if I want, but put it in 4 wheel drive and it's absolutely planted.

I've done very little off roading but have pulled a few cars and vans out of the ditch down the lane without any trouble, I drove it up a 45° grass bank at Mallory Park like it wasn't even there once., No tyre slip at all.

They seem to last very well milage wise too.

I've been very happy with them