Winter’s coming, and the time to change your tires is now!
With the December 1 deadline for installing winter tires fast approaching, some motorists have yet to make an appointment. But CAA-Quebec has been busy reminding people, so time slots are filling up fast at your local garage. Don’t wait! There’s less than a month left to get ready for the snow.
In Trois-Rivières, for example, appointment books are almost full, but garages say they’ll adjust. “It’s non-stop—our teams are working three nights a week. We may have to stay open five nights a week in November for all the last-minute requests,” says Jean-Guy Roy of Charles Turcotte & Fils, who is anticipating a new wave of appointments in the coming days.
In Montreal, Stéphane Poirier of ICI Pneu Touchette says that customers have really been listening to all the reminders and that volume has been very high since mid-September. “We’re 95% booked up, with some branches already full until the first of December, but we still have availability.”
No run on tires
Although there are still plenty of tires to go around, some sizes from some manufacturers are getting harder to find as the season progresses. “Fortunately there are other brands available, but they may not be the consumer’s first choice,” Roy says. But no need to worry—there will be tires for everyone. Tire distributor Stox agrees. “Our inventory is in better shape than it was last year,” says sales VP Daniel Beauvais. “We’ve been receiving a lot of stock and still have a number of orders on the way.”
Jacques Maheux, director of the CAA-Quebec Approved Garage Network, says it’s very important to take the time to ask questions and choose the right winter tire for your vehicle. Your safety—and the safety of other motorists—depends on it!
A timely reminder from CAA-Quebec
CAA-Québec held a contest earlier in the season to urge members to book appointments at approved garages. Many were surprised to hear about winter tires in September, but we were delighted to see that members listened and actually booked their appointments early. The contest was a big success. Garages report they received no less than 5,000 calls. Despite the particularly mild weather in late October, the snow is coming soon—and you’ll be very happy to have taken care of your tires when it does.