Tyre fitters install winter tyres In the Tomic Garage

Winter is approaching, and this garage in Baar is therefore very busy these days.

There’s a smell of rubber, the music from the radio is loud and the tyre fitters are walking quickly back and forth between all the cars on the ramps. Outside, other customers are queuing up with their vehicles in front of the Tomic Garage in Baar. They all want to have the winter tyres fitted. And that’s no wonder: the wet and cold weather seems to be a reminder to carry out the tyre change. In principle, winter tyres should be mounted from October to Easter, says Operations Manager Rolf Röllin:

"We notice that our customers are increasingly following the O-to-O rule, and are actually appearing more and more at the beginning of October. In the past, many only came in November."

Meanwhile, the owner of the garage, René Tomic, is rushing back and forth in the rain in a yellow jacket and hat, coordinating the vehicles and reporting back to his colleagues in the hall if they have to fetch stored winter tyres from the warehouse. The movements appear routine, the wheel is quickly lifted, placed on the axle and bolted into place. In the case of a complete set of tyres –in which the tyres are already mounted on the rim – the change from summer to winter tyres takes just five to seven minutes. If the tyre has to first be mounted on the rim, the service takes about 20 minutes.

Waiting times up to one and a half hours
It’s necessary to work quickly, because there’s a lot of customers. "On average, we change the tyres of 120 to 160 cars per day," explains Rolf Röllin, while looking at the hustle and bustle in the hall. There are nine employees at work. In the past, when the parking lot to the Lättich didn’t yet exist, customers queued far up the road, sometimes even up to the roundabout, a good 500 metres further, remembers René Tomic. Why does the queue get so long? Because you don’t have to book an appointment at this garage. "In the worst case, you have wait between one and one and a half hours. In recent days, this has happened frequently because of the crowds," says Rolf Röllin.

Photo 1: A tyre change takes between five and around 20 minutes.
Photo 2: Long queues form in front of the garage.
Photo 3: Owner René Tomic.
Photo 4: With the specialists, every move fits
Photo 5: Thousands of tyres are stored.
Photo 6: Workshop manager Sascha Köhler sorting the tyres.
Photos: Mathias Blattmann (Baar, 3 November 2021)

Many drivers still change their tyres themselves. According to Rolf Röllin, however, this is becoming increasingly difficult. Newly imported vehicles have a tyre pressure sensor, which that needs to be reset after a tyre change. "Depending on the type of sensor, many drivers reach the limits of their technical abilities during the reset, and the attempted tyre change ends with a visit to the garage."

Around 2,500 car users store their tyres at Tomic
The growth of the garage can be seen during a guided tour. Rolf Röllin leads the way to the upper floor, where thousands of customers' tyres are stored. The wheels are stored in metre-high frames, and workshop manager Sascha Köhler is currently in the process of using a small lifting platform to store a few dismantled summer tyres at the top of the shelf.

A total of 2,500 customers store their tyres at Tomic. In addition, 15,000 to 20,000 new tyres will be provided at the beginning of the season. The warehouse has already been expanded in order to be able to cope with the increasing capacity, explains the plant manager.

The large increase in customers also poses challenges for the business. "After all, all our customers want to have their tyres changed at about the same time. Accordingly, we have to cope with a higher workload during this period," says Rolf Röllin as we descend down to the garage, where it getting louder again. It’s still raining outside, and René Tomic is still moving between the cars in his yellow jacket. Looking at all the commotion, it’s clear that the tyre fitters won’t be enjoying an early end to the working day.

The police recommend using winter tyres from October to Easter
There’s no obligation to fit winter tyres in Switzerland. As Frank Kleiner, media spokesman for the Zug police, explains, the Zug police recommends using different sets of tyres. A vehicle with summer tyres cannot be operated safely in winter conditions, because the weather is unpredictable from time to time, and, in the worst case, summer tyres could lead to a traffic accident, regardless of driving style. The profile of the winter tyres and the composition of the rubber have a supportive effect. "Anyone who has an accident because of summer tyres or who gets stuck in snow and ice must expect criminal consequences," adds Frank Kleiner. The police recommend following the rule of thumb: winter tyres from October to Easter.