Tyre Recommendation - Cornwall
Discussion
Rather than me asking for help or advice I thought I would share me experience with a recent visit to A1 Tyres of Bodmin. Firstly, let me state, I don't work there, they are not one of my Customers and I'm not on commission! 
I needed 2 new tyres for the Subaru after Cornwall Council kindly ruined them along with my RB320 alloys. Thanks Cornwall Council and Highways btw. You "will" be hearing from me and you "will" be paying for the repairs.
Anyway, back to getting the new tyres. Seeing as I needed 2 new rears for the other "Italian" car I thought I'd check out a few local places to see what sort of gear and kit they had for levering off tyres of my 2 pride and joy 4 wheeled transports. All the places in Liskeard and with 10 miles away including a well known supplier in Callington have somewhat crude instruments that were dated and I'm sure would have damaged my wheels, even minimally. And none had a decent 4 wheel alignment either.
On ringing A1 Tyres and specifically speaking to Matt I instantly thought hey, this place is different as is the owner, whom btw answered the phone and I spoke to. When arriving in Bodmin, a time slot had been booked too, so no hanging around for hours as per Geoffrey Harris in Liskeard for example, so off to a good start!
Taking the tyres off they had a special removal machine with plastic shoes (probably not the right technical term) and they even fitted new ones for my wheels which were buggered anyway. Tyres off and not a scratch on the rims.
Thanks....
Putting them on was a reversal of the above and then the balancing of which their method I'd never seen before. They actually will look for the best position for the tyre on the wheel, with the aid of a machine admittedly, and then once being balanced the machine them applies load to the tyre to put pressure on the tyre wall again to get the best possible fit. So both tyres after their initial fitments were taken off, deflated and then moved around the wheel to the preferred position. Inflated once more then balanced again and weights applied.
Wheels then fitted to specific sides of the car and then double checked by another staff member and torques checked.
Next was the 4 wheel alignment. Toe had been considerably knocked out as a result the badly maintained road incident.
So steering wheel straightened, punched in my Prodrive/RB320 settings to override the standard settings and alignment underway. It took Matt roughly 40 mins or so to get this right, perhaps longer. BTW, this is a nice bit of kit on some scissor ramp. Not some noddy other laser alignment I've seen locally.
I can't recommend these guys enough. Their attention to detail is second to none. Not something you come across everyday in any garage. All the staff are meticulous and have a passion for cars. That is obvious to see, especially with Matt himself who used to race a while back.
Now here's the strange thing. I would expect to pay quite a premium for this kind and level of service, that attention to detail and accuracy in having my tyres replaced and wheels aligned. But of the 8 other suppliers I visited and got prices on they were amazingly the 2nd cheapest. So ok, not the cheapest, but not by much and if you consider what you were getting it was exceptional value for money. The only thing I didn't get was a mug of tea and some biccies which I do get from Mike Pullen down in Haywards Heath but that is another story for another day!
We really need to support these kind of guys and keep them in business. If you use them I'd guarantee you would not only not be disappointed but you will be singing their praises just as I've done here.
Mods, please don't remove this post. We need to know who is good in their line of work locally and who isn't. And these guys are second to none.
Cheers,
Chris
I needed 2 new tyres for the Subaru after Cornwall Council kindly ruined them along with my RB320 alloys. Thanks Cornwall Council and Highways btw. You "will" be hearing from me and you "will" be paying for the repairs.
Anyway, back to getting the new tyres. Seeing as I needed 2 new rears for the other "Italian" car I thought I'd check out a few local places to see what sort of gear and kit they had for levering off tyres of my 2 pride and joy 4 wheeled transports. All the places in Liskeard and with 10 miles away including a well known supplier in Callington have somewhat crude instruments that were dated and I'm sure would have damaged my wheels, even minimally. And none had a decent 4 wheel alignment either.
On ringing A1 Tyres and specifically speaking to Matt I instantly thought hey, this place is different as is the owner, whom btw answered the phone and I spoke to. When arriving in Bodmin, a time slot had been booked too, so no hanging around for hours as per Geoffrey Harris in Liskeard for example, so off to a good start!
Taking the tyres off they had a special removal machine with plastic shoes (probably not the right technical term) and they even fitted new ones for my wheels which were buggered anyway. Tyres off and not a scratch on the rims.
Thanks....
Putting them on was a reversal of the above and then the balancing of which their method I'd never seen before. They actually will look for the best position for the tyre on the wheel, with the aid of a machine admittedly, and then once being balanced the machine them applies load to the tyre to put pressure on the tyre wall again to get the best possible fit. So both tyres after their initial fitments were taken off, deflated and then moved around the wheel to the preferred position. Inflated once more then balanced again and weights applied.
Wheels then fitted to specific sides of the car and then double checked by another staff member and torques checked.
Next was the 4 wheel alignment. Toe had been considerably knocked out as a result the badly maintained road incident.
So steering wheel straightened, punched in my Prodrive/RB320 settings to override the standard settings and alignment underway. It took Matt roughly 40 mins or so to get this right, perhaps longer. BTW, this is a nice bit of kit on some scissor ramp. Not some noddy other laser alignment I've seen locally.
I can't recommend these guys enough. Their attention to detail is second to none. Not something you come across everyday in any garage. All the staff are meticulous and have a passion for cars. That is obvious to see, especially with Matt himself who used to race a while back.
Now here's the strange thing. I would expect to pay quite a premium for this kind and level of service, that attention to detail and accuracy in having my tyres replaced and wheels aligned. But of the 8 other suppliers I visited and got prices on they were amazingly the 2nd cheapest. So ok, not the cheapest, but not by much and if you consider what you were getting it was exceptional value for money. The only thing I didn't get was a mug of tea and some biccies which I do get from Mike Pullen down in Haywards Heath but that is another story for another day!
We really need to support these kind of guys and keep them in business. If you use them I'd guarantee you would not only not be disappointed but you will be singing their praises just as I've done here.
Mods, please don't remove this post. We need to know who is good in their line of work locally and who isn't. And these guys are second to none.
Cheers,
Chris
Thank you so much for the review Chris. It makes such a difference to my team and I when people notice the extra lengths we go to, to deliver the best possible service I sometimes wonder if anybody does realise that we go more than just a step further the most. It's also great to have staff that are as keen to turn out the best job as I am. I look forward to seeing you again with the Italian beast. 
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