I need to get some winter tires and I've heard its better to buy them online instead of going through a retail store. Does anyone have any ideas... even for retail stores? And which offer the best deals?
We get ours from our small independent and local garage. It might be a few quid more expensive than going to nearby France- but then the local garage is so helpful, we can trust him entirely and he would drop everything to help us out. Sometimes these things are more important, well, for us anyway.
We’ve used the garage in Marley that’s right down the bottom of the main road from Fribourg. It’s just off the roundabout by the vetranarian’s, but I can’t remember their name.
Also Pneu Elite in Courtaman have done us some good deals over the years too.
Thanks for the advice! I checked both of those websites, and the prices seem to be very reasonable (maybe even cheaper than in the US!). I also appreciated the advice for places around Fribourg since that's where I live. I will have to check that place in Marley... I think it might be close to Landi?
Not sure as I don’t know where the Landi is in Marly. The vet is at Route de Corbaroche 14, 1723 Marly and the garage is almost next door to him. Drive down Route de la Gruyere in Marly from Fribourg going right through the town. If you google the vet you should be able to get directions. Just done that and the garage is called Pancho Pneus.
I am very close to Elite in Courtaman, and recently received a flyer, but their prices seemed more than reifendirect (whom I've used in the past, and probably will for my winter set).
Definitely! Several of the places wanted to charge me their hourly rate (about 90 CHF) to mount and balance the tires on the rims.
For this reason, I have basically given up on buying tyres online - when I add the costs of getting them mounted up, it's almost the same cost as buying from ATU (an auto parts shop with an independent garage) or a stealership in Germany.
That sounds very normal, you think they should do it for free ? It is between Chf 15-20 per wheel including balancing, anything over 17" or 18" rims, you usualy pay about + Chf 5.-- per rim
You need to search for reifendirect montagepartner, nearest to you - where the tyres can also be directly delivered to. You can see their fitting prices up front.
On a serious note though, I will keep the rims and only get tyres replacement. I'm bit reluctant purchasing from my pricey car dealer. Rather will look for independent tyre shop when time comes.
We have only one set of wheels; we swapped the tyres.
When I was in the UK, Kwik F told me their policy was that they would not put on (used!) tyres they had not supplied new. Might have been true, or it might have been their way of telling me to F-off at 4pm on a sat afternoon.
It did make me ask the question here and the garage that supplied our winter tyres here said no problem.