Monday 28 September 2009

Don't get tyred in Dublin

It’s an unfortunate enough accident of birth to be born on a wet, misty*, miserable rock on the eastern edge of the harsh Atlantic. A barren outcrop where corruption, clientism, gombeenism, bockety byways, high road tax and VRT reign supreme. And it’s worse still if you happen to like your wheels… or even your tyres.

I checked my rear tyres the other day and was unpleasantly surprised to note that, while not quite coot-like, they were getting a bit thin top and bottom. Not completely, Garda, but touching on the legal minimum of 1.6 millimetres in places.

It had to happen, I suppose… what with all those very immature traffic light blast-offs. So a quick call to the local tyre centre ensued, a call that resulted in a quote of €540 for two rear tyres. Two.

If that sounds shocking to you, imagine how I felt. But fear not, dear reader, if you want to avoid such rip-off prices there is a solution, and I'm sure it applies no matter what breed of four-wheeled stallion resides in your stable. Simply hit the highway and head north to avoid robbery. Assuming your tyres have enough left in them to get you there safely.

A north-of-the-border Kwik-Fit will supply and fit the exact same tyres on my asphalt chariot for €200 less than my local tyre centre was looking for. That’s quite a saving. Quite enough, in fact, to cancel out any road tolls and petrol costs, and leave you with enough change to hit the Newry shops and fill your boot with a sizeable quantity of competitively priced booze.

Changing tyres has never been so profitable, or so enjoyable.

*Also in the German sense of the word

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know where exactly you look for new tyres, I presume Dublin. But here in the Wesht (of Ireland) you don't pay more than 40 euros per tyre, new ones and good ones, mind. Even cheaper than up North, don't you think?.

Though if you happen to drive a celtic-tiger-high-octane Dublin-SUV with specialised tyres and happen to look at specialised high-octane-tyre-dealers - well, tough.

You know, Ireland isn't just what you experience inside the pale, it's actually a whole country, even beyond Meath.

The Gombeen Man said...

No, don't drive a SUV, Dublin or otherwise.

They're not bog standard tyres (no slight intended) though, so I doubt if you would get them for 40 Euros in the Wesht. Either way, you can get them in Kwik-Fit Newry, who are hardly "specialised high-octane-tyre-dealers".

I'm sure it's also possible to get tyres for 40 Euro here the Big Smoke, but I would imagine with the disparity I found in my case, savings must be possible across the board no matter what you drive. Servicing is cheaper up north too, I hear.

Anyway, if I must venture beyond The Pale and into the nasty green stuff I might as well make it worth my while!

SaS said...

Of course, loading up your boot with all that booze will wear out those rear tyres again, necessitating a return trip up north...

The Gombeen Man said...

Good point SaS. It's an awful vicious circle to be caught up in!

Netgeek said...

FYI GM These days Kwik Fit are not exactly renowned for being the cheapest place to obtain tyres up here either

Although Its all relative I suppose. Up here one could buy a halfways respectable car for what is evidently the going rate for a set of tyres in Dublin.

The Gombeen Man said...

Yes, noticed that at my last tyre change, Netgeek.

Ended up going to FastFit around the corner from me. When I wrote this post it was worth going up to Newry though, as there was a massive difference. I know the exchange rate has changed, but I do think they've become a bit more competitive down here too.

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