Tire changing season kicks into overdrive in Estonia
The first real snowfall isn't far off and wait times at tire shops can stretch to a week. The rush to switch to winter tires will continue for several weeks.
It's that time of year again when the forecast warns of the first snow and that means one thing — weeklong lines at tire service shops.
"We've already had a packed schedule for weeks now. At this point, there's no way to get an appointment for today. Our current wait time is a full week," said Tauno Haapsal, service manager at Minurehvid OÜ.
"We've actually been going full steam for a month already. People who drive with studless tires have learned from previous years and are getting them changed much earlier now," said Tanel Adamson, CEO of Kummid24 OÜ.
There's no clear preference between studded and studless tires — most people make their choice based on lifestyle. Tire shops report that prices have gone up.
"There's definitely a trend toward buying more affordable tires. Tire shops and online retailers don't have much control over this — the prices are mainly set at the factory. We buy them, add our usual margin, which hasn't changed, but our hands are tied. Prices have gone up and I can confidently say they'll rise again after the New Year," Adamson said.
Most cars will likely have their winter shoes on by mid-December, but the rush doesn't look to be ending anytime soon.
"Some people are putting on poor-quality tires now and when real winter hits, they'll be back to swap them out again. That's when they start thinking seriously. And when they realize they need better tires, they're also more willing to open their wallets," Haapsal noted.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Marko Tooming
