Conference terri::cars_uk

    I've never heard of this sort of thing before.
    
    I guess it depends how you look at it.  In one way if the price is good
    it is a good service as it saves you time messing around taking your
    car to a garage, hanging around etc.
    
    On the other hand its a bit of a liberty disturbing you at work like
    that.
    
    Royston

    Apart from the "pressure selling", you don't changes 3 tires on a car,
    you change or 2 (both front or both rear) or all 4. But not 3!! (ok,
    maybe sometimes you will, but it's not regular).
    
    Frits

    
    it's okay to change 3 as long as they match the (presumably unused?)
    spare. You remove the least worn of the 4 currently on the car and
    stick it in the boot.
    
    They changed the rear 2 tyres on my Omega yesterday too, and now it
    seems to be steering fron the back ! the original tyres were Michelin
    pilots, but the new ones are Dunlop SP D8 M2. Does anyone know if these
    are directional tyres ? They appear to have small arrows (a lot like a
    dunlop symbol) all around the edge, which point backwards on one side
    and forward on the other... also looking at the tread pattern from the
    rear of the car it looks as though the left (n/s) would force water from
    the inside of the tyre to the outside but the right (o/s) would force
    it from the outside to the inside.
                                                              
    Graham

    Get this checked IMMEDIATELY,  not only is this hazardous to handling, 
    it can destroy the tyres.
    
    The trad pattern of any tyre should be the same on any axle,  or should
    be a mirror image in the case of asymettric tyres.
    
    Sounds like these clowns didn't understand directional tyres.
    
    Richard

    RE.3
    
    Most unidirectional tyres can be used on either side of the car, but
    must be put on the wheel the right way round - if you want to move the
    tyre from one side of the car to the other then you have to remove it
    from the wheel and replace it the other way round.
    
    It sounds as if your tyres are made in 'left hand' and 'right hand'
    forms. If so then you must use them on the appropriate side of the car.
    Possibly the installer knew the tyres needed to be fitted the right
    way round, but didn't realise that they couldn't just turn the tyre round
    to make it work on the other side of the car.
    
    I think you must get this checked out straight away for safety. Phone up
    Dunlop to check on the requirement for the tyre.
    
    Andrew

    
    Do these moblie fitters have all the "kit" required to do this in the
    carpark or do they tkae away the wheel's. What about balancing and
    tracking after fitting new fronts.
    What choice do you have or do you phone them up and tell them what
    tyres to fit or "just 2 Ive got in the back of the van guv".
    
    Trev (slightly baffled at how I would feel a somebody crawling under my
    	  car without bieng asked.)

I had the tyres chnaged on my Frontera by the mobile fitting crew and I had no complaints, they have all the kit 
required to adjust tracking (the problem I reported) and balance the wheels.

I called Leaseplan this morning to check on the tyres I had fitted yesterday and they gave me the free-phone no for 
Kwik-Fit mobile - 0800 425262 - and asked me to call back if I still had a problem. I called the freephone number and the 
guy I spoke to was very helpful - even remembered the car, coz it was the only one with Michelins fitted - and said 
they'd get someone out today to check them. He said the tyres aren't directional but they do occasionally get ones 
with a distroted carcass or they may just need balalncing  (I used to work at Michelin, and this does not happen with 
their tyres !)... anyway, he's promised me it'll be sorted out so, for now, I'll wait and see.

Of course, if they say there's nothing wrong then I'll have to insist they put Michelins back on !

Graham

BTW, it could of course be that the tyre just doesn't suit this car - remember the MR2's and 'the wrong tyres' ?

[re-post of .7 for thos without widescreen monitors]


I had the tyres chnaged on my Frontera by the mobile fitting crew and 
I had no complaints, they have all the kit 
required to adjust tracking (the problem I reported) and balance the 
wheels.

I called Leaseplan this morning to check on the tyres I had fitted 
yesterday and they gave me the free-phone no for 
Kwik-Fit mobile - 0800 425262 - and asked me to call back if I still 
had a problem. I called the freephone number and the 
guy I spoke to was very helpful - even remembered the car, coz it was 
the only one with Michelins fitted - and said 
they'd get someone out today to check them. He said the tyres aren't 
directional but they do occasionally get ones 
with a distroted carcass or they may just need balalncing  (I used to 
work at Michelin, and this does not happen with 
their tyres !)... anyway, he's promised me it'll be sorted out so, 
for now, I'll wait and see.

Of course, if they say there's nothing wrong then I'll have to insist 
they put Michelins back on !

Graham

BTW, it could of course be that the tyre just doesn't suit this car - 
remember the MR2's and 'the wrong tyres' ?

The fitter turned up at my house today to do the three-tyre-trick 
for me. He was very pleasant, did a good job (I've not spun yet 
:-) and took about an hour. He even shuffled the wheels to ensure 
I had a matched pair of newies on the front.

Some points:

The reason it required 3 replacements is that one of the fronts 
was newer having been replaced about 5K miles ago because of a 
puncture.

I was absolutely gob-smacked to see the state of the front tyre 
that needed replacing. There was (were?) a solid three 
millimetres or so of rubber across the tread.
EXCEPT for the inside shoulder, where it was bald down to visible 
canvas (or whatever). Maybe a steering alignment check is in 
order!

The Kwikfit van is a Transit sized vehicle, a Renault I think. 
He's got all of the gear including tyre remover, wheel balancer 
etc onboard, and a generator/compressor driven from the engine. 

The fitter said he's been doing mobile work for over three years, 
normally to sort out problem cases. He stumbled on the idea by 
accident. He was called out to a foul-up at Warrington - wrong 
type of tyres fitted to a vehicle. After he'd done the swap he 
noticed a car nearby in need of the wrong 'uns, and tried his 
luck.

He's linked into LeasePlan who have supplied him a list of which 
car is run by whom and where. He's obtained permission from the 
location manager (Ian Mackenzie) at Warrington to do a trawl 
every month.

His main problem is limited tyre stock, 'cos he's dependent on 
deliveries from the nearest depot.

This guy will go far!

To add to the discussion of tyre types etc.: my new ones are 
black and round.

Brian.

    The mobile fitter came back on Friday and checked the tyres again.
    They're not directional, but one of them needed balancing. He said they
    do occasionally get a 'bad' tyre, so if I still thought there was a
    problem on Monday then he'd replace it.The car feels a lot more stable
    now, but if the tyre was that far out of balance that it effected the
    handling, then perhaps I should ask for a replacement anyway ?
    
    Oh, these Dunlops spin a lot more easily than the Michelins BTW.
    
    Graham

Leaseplan do not fit Michelin tyres - even if fitted as original kit.

Reason - too expensive.

Pity - because they're a good tyre (MXV etc).

They are happy to fit four different makes (and patterns) of tyre on each 
axle BTW.

Rupert

    >They are happy to fit four different makes (and patterns) of tyre on
    >each axle
    
    There is nothing illegal about having different treads/makes of tyre on
    the same axle.
    
    What is illegal is mixing radial and crossply. However, I don't think
    crossply tyres have been available since the sixties (not that I
    remember).
    
    At the end of the day our lease cars are owned by LP and what they say
    goes.
    
    A slight ratehole but i'd be interested to hear comments about LP's 
    cheap skate policy on replacement tyres and exhausts.
    
    Royston
    

RE:        <<< Note 2580.11 by CHEFS::16.43.128.198::marchr "Mega Hero" >>>

>> They are happy to fit four different makes (and patterns) of tyre on each 
>> axle BTW.
    
    At the same time? That's a clever trick.

    Cheers, Laurie.

After an accident (someone elses fault) in a previous Landrover
I needed some new tyres as one was damaged.

Town and Country supplied the new tyres and fitted them.
The Landrover had slightly wider rims on the back than 
on the front, T&C managed to move the wider rims from back 
to front, supplied to new cross-ply tyres and fitted them 
with my radials mixed on both axels, across the diagonal.

Simon

Hmmm, back a couple, LP might own the car but you drive it.... so if you stuff 
it into the green/brown stuff 'cause of your tyres, then it might just be more
painful to you than to LP.....
Moral ??  Make sure you're happy with the tyres that get fitted

-MARK-

    re ,15,
    
    And if LP still refuse to put "good" tyres on their car....?
    
    Do LP actually do the insurance?  They will not feel the pain if you
    hit the green/brown stuff
    
    I'm just off to get two new tyres for my Omega.  I bet they will not be
    nice Michelin tyres to match the front.
    
    Jc
    

    
    Old trick that used to work,
    
    Go to local tyre suppliers on the preferred list and ask them to order
    the tyres YOU want on the car, then when they get them in the tyre guy
    phones up lease plan and says that your tyres are not safe to drive on
    and the only ones he has in your size are the ones YOU orders earlier.
    
    This will only work on "tame" tyre fitters some will not do this and
    only fit what (they can make most proffit on) LP/ PHH / Hetrz say as me
    last company car was PHH and Iam now out of the scheme.
    
    Trev.

    FWIW,  ATS are no longer "prefered suppliers" to LeasePlan.           
    
    I guess I'm supposed to read all the small print in the LP book - why
    don't they just highlight the changes?
    
    Jc
    
    

ATS are owned by Michelin - LP won't buy Michelin.

Prams and toys come to mind...

Well, I needed two new fronts on and had then fitted by Mr Kwik Fit @BBP car 
park yesterday.

Mind you I first tried to get them done 3wks ago at local tyre store (well 
know national tyre fitting place, but carn't remember name.....)  When they 
phoned up LP they were told that I should know that they weren't autho 
suppliers and that I should have known that !!  Anyway, I was informed that I 
should go to Kwiky or National......

Car also needed service so I thought I'll get them sorted at the service....
think again, didn't get done so I checked vtx, no autho names on there, phoned 
LP and they gave me 0800 no for Kwik Fit and hey presto visit to the car park.

Down side is that I could not get Michelins but ended up with Dunlops....

-MARK-