Buying Tyres Online

Monday 29th April 2002

We try out the new service from Buyatyre.com. Intelligent use of the web or just a gimmick?

I hate buying tyres. We all know there are one or two places in the country that will supply performance tyres at superb prices but that makes it such a chore. It either means trekking miles on a weekend to get them or quibbling with a local supplier to get them delivered and fit them on your behalf. And all on a Saturday morning when every other numpty is queuing up to get remoulds on their Espace.

The idea of a tyre service that comes to see you instead seemed rather appealing. That coupled with very competitive pricing on the Bridgestones I needed made it all the more desirable. I haul myself out of bed, get the car out of the garage and watch someone do the work in 20 minutes and then bugger off. Perfect.

Boiler Suit

That's precisely the service Bookatrack are now providing with their Buyatyre site. Whack in your requirements, get a quote and before you know it they are back onto you arranging a fitting time convenient to you. So far so good. Then a phone call from the bloke from Kwik Fit confirming the order and the fitting time. I'm not a fan of Kwik-Fit having after previous encounters with numskulls in ill fitting boiler suits so I was a little wary however.

However, blokey turned up on time however and was old enough to drive his well-equipped van so I knew I wasn't dealing with a tyre-fitting truant from the local comp.  Sliding open the van door to reveal a compressor, tyre fitting machine and balancing machine he set to work with his air jack.

Zeppelin

Two wheels were done in no time and the only complaint was the common trait of over-filling up my tyres with enough air to make me think he'd fitted power steering when I wasn't looking. "That's what I puts in BMW's," he told me before offering to deflate them.

I let my tyres back down to 26psi, paid the nice people at Bookatrack using their online credit card facility and went back to bed to dream of Kylie and cross-plies. Sorted.

Would I use the service again? You bet, in fact this whole internet shopping thing might mean I only have to leave the house to go to track days and the pub. Don't you just love the web?

Links: www.buyatyre.com , Pies Online