Fitting your own tyres

[darrsi]

I cannot subscribe to the "cheaper if you DIY" argument. sorry. change your shop/mechanic if thats the case; they should be able to buy in bulk and receive upto 20% discount; they also have some leeway in negotiating a price; the latest tyre purchase I made was for a BT-021 120/70 Front - £68 - fitted+  balanced , "while U wait"; total of 15 mins. How can that be less convenient and cheaper than DIY - the best price I could find on the internet for this tyre was £63 - just for delivery of the tyre. Id then have to remove the old one, piss about with breaking the bead, knife an fork it off and get the new tight one over the rim. Then , how do I balance - sure I could have a wheel balancer but thats nowhere near as good as the shop system and I'd have to fk around with weights.
naaa, sorry, but if fitting your own tyre is more convenient and cheaper then all I say is you aint got a good shop / mechanic and they are taking the piss

You keep mentioning prices, but i would imagine they all vary throughout the UK quite a bit.
I normally take my wheel off and get a lift up to get my own tyres changed that i've already bought.


When i had my MOT a few days ago i had my own new tyre taken in for me and was charged £55 all in.
I believe the MOT is currently £29.95, so i was charged £25 for a tyre swap.


I'm in North London though so i expect to pay a bit more.


I reckon once you have your own correct tools and you're confident you won't seriously foc it up then without a doubt you will save a few quid in the long run, but for me personally i don't have them changed often enough for me to be worried about a £10-£25 charge every couple of years or so to have a pro job done.


Ironic really, as my dad and both my older brothers used to all be tyre fitters!  :lol