Winter tires: People have gotten the message and are having their tires put on early

News
Published on October 1, 2020

The phone is starting to ring at auto shops—which means that drivers have gotten the message (from their mechanics and from us!) to get a jump on the winter tire season this year.

“The response has been great,” says Charlyne Ratté, co-owner of Pneus Ratté, a CAA-Quebec Approved Auto Repair Service Location in Quebec City. “Consumers have been open to the idea and they’re really showing up.”

“We kicked it into high gear. We’ve been calling our customers since August and installing tires since September 8! People think it’s early, but we wanted to give them the chance to make an appointment ahead of time,” says Cynthia Fredette, head of sales and marketing at Fredette Pneus et Mécanique, a CAA-Quebec Approved Auto Repair Service Location in Montreal.

Winter Tire Appointment Week

CAA-Quebec lent a hand by organizing the second annual Winter Tire Appointment Week, which was last week. The message was simple: It’s a good idea to make an appointment early, or even go ahead and get your winter tires mounted now to avoid the rush in November. And there’s no real risk of wearing out your winter tires early. The bigger risk is finding yourself still in summer tires at the first cold snap, the first snow, or the December 1 deadline.

“So many people are working from home and hardly driving at all. They can change their tires now and they’re not going to lose any significant tread life,” says Ms. Fredette.

There are other reasons, too, to swap your tires on the early side this year. The labour shortage is even worse right now due to the pandemic, enhanced cleaning protocols are slowing things down, a lot of drivers burned through their winter tires by leaving them on all summer, and snowbirds will be staying home this year and will be lining up for winter tires too. You may see some products run low, Ms. Ratté warns.

Remember that the deadline to have your winter tires installed in Quebec changed from December 15 to December 1 last year, which has compressed the timeline for auto shops, especially in the areas where it gets cold later. Help your shop out. Make an appointment today and relax knowing you’re ready for winter.