joe545 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Yes, maybe something that you would do in somewhere like Sweden for example but I was meaning who does it in the UK, can't be too many folk surely? I live in Sweden and you need to do it here legally. I wouldn't bother in Scotland as if the weather is that bad that you need winter tyres then you'll still get stuck behind others that don't have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenblueeyes Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Just out of interest, how many people change their tyres from winter to summer or vice versa?, never heard anyone doing this before. Seems an unnecessary outlay to me. First time this year - I have a horse which is kept out at a remote yard on unclassified roads. Weighed up buying a 4 wheel drive versus winter tyres on a normal car and it was the best option. Managed to get me up a steep hill covered in ice that another rider couldn't do in her car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Col Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I know about 4 folk who swap between summer and winter tyres. The severe winters of 2009/2010 forced that change on them. Each of them had a situation where they got stuck and the car was useless for about a week due to the current trend of fitting massive runflat summer tyres which are hopeless on snow and ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I would never use a car dealership for repairs or servicing (unless the service is tied into a warranty - there was talk a while back about making that tie-in legally unenforcible, but I'm not sure what happened about that?). A lot of these dealerships are at it. Find yourself a garage which concentrates on repairs. They have a reputation to keep up. Ask your friends and family where they take their cars to. As far as car repairs go, word of mouth is by far the best advertising for good garages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenblueeyes Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I know about 4 folk who swap between summer and winter tyres. The severe winters of 2009/2010 forced that change on them. Each of them had a situation where they got stuck and the car was useless for about a week due to the current trend of fitting massive runflat summer tyres which are hopeless on snow and ice. Yep - it was those winters that started me thinking about it. Have been rescued on the road to/from the yard three times and it's not practical. Neither is walking 2 miles from the nearest gritted road which in those winters I had to do for about 4 weeks until the thaw eventually kicked in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenblueeyes Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 I would never use a car dealership for repairs or servicing (unless the service is tied into a warranty - there was talk a while back about making that tie-in legally unenforcible, but I'm not sure what happened about that?). A lot of these dealerships are at it. Find yourself a garage which concentrates on repairs. They have a reputation to keep up. Ask your friends and family where they take their cars to. As far as car repairs go, word of mouth is by far the best advertising for good garages. Fab - there is a scuzzy wee garage a few streets away which most people in the office use so I'll give them a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Just out of interest, how many people change their tyres from winter to summer or vice versa?, never heard anyone doing this before. Seems an unnecessary outlay to me. Yep I do it. started after the bad winter of 2010 - as my car was stuck in the drive for weeks on end and the council dont clear our road. My car has a big heavy engine in the front with fairly fat tyres so is a compelte dog in the snow. just spins and slides even if i keep the revs low and change up quickly. its just the car I think. winter tyres from what I can tell so far have made a difference, seems to give it more grip and extra pull when its slippy though to be fair havent tested them in deep stuff. did it when my kids were small as needed a bit more guarantee the car could be used in bad weather. other option was to change the car which i didnt want to do. If you read up though - it doesnt have to be snowy/icy to make a differnce. Winter tyres perform in anything around or below 7 degrees and your improvement in grip and stopping distance is faifly significant. no brainer for me on that basis. and not really an extra expense. an extra outlay at the start but then your tyres last twice as long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 First time this year - I have a horse which is kept out at a remote yard on unclassified roads. Weighed up buying a 4 wheel drive versus winter tyres on a normal car and it was the best option. Managed to get me up a steep hill covered in ice that another rider couldn't do in her car. That's fair enough yeah, but if the horse was really talented you could train it to answer a phone and come to you, just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Fab - there is a scuzzy wee garage a few streets away which most people in the office use so I'll give them a go. would always recommend using small independents for MOT/ servicing. generally all my experiences are that they wont rip you off. Girl in my office went back to vardy for a check up after only 1 year. they wanted £150 off her. she went to a local boy and he did full service and check for £90. and dont swallow the rubbish about invalidating your warranty if you dont go to a dealer - the govt changed the law on that a few years back. as long as you use genuine parts you are ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Yep - it was those winters that started me thinking about it. Have been rescued on the road to/from the yard three times and it's not practical. Neither is walking 2 miles from the nearest gritted road which in those winters I had to do for about 4 weeks until the thaw eventually kicked in. Sounds like it's probably worthwhile for you. Most folk don't need them though, IMO. Have you ever sat down and worked out how much it costs you to do this swap every year? If this garage is trying to con you into getting extra repairs done, part of the reason will be that they think that they have found somebody that has fallen for the winter tyres con trick (even if in your circumstances you do actually need them). The fact you are female may also have an impact on what they think they might get away with. That may sound a wee bit sexist but it is how these places operate. From the wee bit of information you have given us, I would say, find yourself another garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Sounds like it's probably worthwhile for you. Most folk don't need them though, IMO. Have you ever sat down and worked out how much it costs you to do this swap every year? If this garage is trying to con you into getting extra repairs done, part of the reason will be that they think that they have found somebody that has fallen for the winter tyres con trick (even if in your circumstances you do actually need them). The fact you are female may also have an impact on what they think they might get away with. That may sound a wee bit sexist but it is how these places operate. From the wee bit of information you have given us, I would say, find yourself another garage. you are probably correct in most cases - the winters here are not bad enough to worry too much. but we often get temperatures down close to freezing and winter tyres perform far better at those temperatures - so it depends how you class needing them. are they safer? - yes much. and if you think its to do with driving ability, I grew up and learned to drive in north perthshire - used to get regular snow in the winter and became pretty comfortable driving in snow and ice at times. used to deliberately spin the car about for fun when it was really bad. I would say its generally more about the car. some cars handle snow/ice a lot better than others of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parklife Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Can't you just buy a set of cheap wheels and get your winter tyres put on them? Then change the wheels yourself each winter? Bound to be a saver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Can't you just buy a set of cheap wheels and get your winter tyres put on them? Then change the wheels yourself each winter? Bound to be a saver. yes you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Can't you just buy a set of cheap wheels and get your winter tyres put on them? Then change the wheels yourself each winter? Bound to be a saver. thing is when i get the tyres changed i get them to check the alignment and tracking. makes sure they dont wear on one side - if you have expensive tyres its worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UPROAR Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Just out of interest, how many people change their tyres from winter to summer or vice versa?, never heard anyone doing this before. Seems an unnecessary outlay to me. it was mandatory when I lived in Germany and I think it should be here too.... its not that big an outlay, most people keep a cheap set of second wheels with winter tyres... you've got the initial outlay but over the typical life of a car its not extra, they take twice as long to wear out... and any wear gets noticed when they are changed, not when you slide into a lamppost in January.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Can't you just buy a set of cheap wheels and get your winter tyres put on them? Then change the wheels yourself each winter? Bound to be a saver. Aye, you can, but you need to have room to store the extra set of wheels. A lot of folk don't have that storage space. A lot of tyre dealers very kindly offer to store your tyres for you. That means that they always have a set of your tyres so you will tend to keep going back to them every time you need tyres. All part of the con, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Aye, you can, but you need to have room to store the extra set of wheels. A lot of folk don't have that storage space. A lot of tyre dealers very kindly offer to store your tyres for you. That means that they always have a set of your tyres so you will tend to keep going back to them every time you need tyres. All part of the con, IMO. keep mine in my garage. TBH the charge for tyre change is pretty low and much the same at most places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilser Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I went for winter tyres (wheels) a few years back after the really dismal winter we had when I couldn't use the car for about a month. Even though we've not had a winter anywhere near as bad since they still work much better when the temperature is below 7 degrees. I just get the garage to change them as I get a complimentary valet, car wash and free tea, pastries etc thrown in for £25 + VAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 keep mine in my garage. TBH the charge for tyre change is pretty low and much the same at most places. Not everybody is posh enough to have a garage though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I went for winter tyres (wheels) a few years back after the really dismal winter we had when I couldn't use the car for about a month. Even though we've not had a winter anywhere near as bad since they still work much better when the temperature is below 7 degrees. I just get the garage to change them as I get a complimentary valet, car wash and free tea, pastries etc thrown in for £25 + VAT. It's no exactly "complimentary" if you paying £30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilser Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 It's no exactly "complimentary" if you paying £30. Possibly, but It's still worth the £30 all in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Not everybody is posh enough to have a garage though. not sure about posh enough. lucky enough maybe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasgowmancity Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Jen, there's a really good garage just over the back from your house if you're looking to get a second opinion or other work done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantyboy1983 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Surprised to learn the amount of folk who actually go for the winter tyres. Personally I've never had a requirement for them, even back in 2009/10 I still managed to drive my car about no problems but I guess everyone's circumstances are different. What happens when you sell the car? Do you sell it with the winter tyres then? What if the buyer doesn't want them? Do you have to buy winter tyres every time you replace your car or do you buy another car that the winter tyres would fit on? Just curious lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Why don't folk just do away with summer tyres and drive on winter tyres all the time if they are safer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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