South Yorkshire Times, March 21st, 1970
Your Interests Come First
A man drove into a tyre service station in a Rover 2000 and asked the manager to fit him two remoulds as he was selling the car that afternoon and had promised that the tyres would be in good condition.
The manager refused to do so, pointing out that the car was designed specifically to take radial or cross-ply tyres all round and cross-ply remoulds on just two wheels would be unsuitable and dangerous.
The station, of course, lost a chance to sell the remoulds, but they had adhered to their principle PRIDE BEFORE PROFIT.
The garage industry, and in fact the car industry as a whole, has had the reputation of making money out of the ignorance of the ordinary motorist. Here was a firm which most certainly put the interests of the motorist first. This, in fact, is a true story. It happened only last week and the firm concerned was Carr Hill Tyre Services Limited who opened new premises in Mexborough earlier this month.
For All Needs
And if you happen to own a pushbike, or a mechanical digger, you will be able to obtain the tyre you need in the old bus depot at Mexborough Toll Bar on Doncaster Road, where the firm have set up shop.
One word of warning – they don’t stock helicopter and aeroplane tyres, it’s about the only type of tyre they don’t stock!
There are tyres valued at between £8,000 and £10,000. Over 200 tubeless remoulds, to fit every car, over 200 tubeless new tyres and over 200 radials, described by the firm’s General Manager, ex-racing driver Terry Wheatcroft, as “the tyre of the future.”
“I’ve tried to specialise in this type of tyre” said Terry “they are the up-and-coming tyres, and in our opinion all vehicles will be fitted with radials in the end.” Terry graduated through the Jim Russell Racing Driver’s school and raced in sports cars and in Formula Junior class. He is an expert, like all the Car Hill staff, and he takes great pride in the correct fitting of tyres.
“We think that not only the price of a tyre is important, but also the type of tyre and how it is fitted,” he explained “we are definitely not just a discount shop. We are tyre specialists.”
To back this statement up, the firm have installed into their Mexborough station some of the most reliable and up-to-date equipment on the market. Under the supervision of Mr. Walter Knowles, of Swinton, the fitting staff have a specially imported Italian tyre fitting machine. Air and electrically operated, the machine cost nearly £300 and is reputed to be one of the best in the country. “It is gentle – that’s what we like about said Mr. Wheatcroft. It’s nice and smooth and causes absolutely no damage to either tyre or wheel rims when fitting.”
There is also a £150 wheel balancing unit, for wheel balancing while you wait, and a special vulcanizing machine with twin heating elements to ensure permanent repairs to all punctures.
Efficiency
The deliciously racey decorations of the red and white station give it that atmosphere of professional skill and efficiency which has rapidly become the firm’s hallmark since it was founded over six years ago. The first station was opened at Carr Hill, Doncaster, and a further station (trading under the name of South Yorkshire Tyre Supply Co.) is in Wombwell. The Assistant Manager of the Car Hill Depot, Mr. Wilf Goodge, is the new Manager of the Mexborough branch. He has had 41 years in the tyre trade.
The firm was taken over by the nationally famous A.T.S. company four years ago, and now all the best makes of tyre are sold from Mexborough. There are Michelin ZX and Michelin XAS, Pirelli, Cinturato, Goodyear G800 and Dunlop SP68. The firm supplies certain racing tyres and has also secured several contracts for haulage and garage firms in the area.
Mexborough’s is a drive-in station, specifically designed so that motorists can pull in one end, have their tyres fitted, and then drive straight out the other end. The accent is on good service, with the interests of motorists as the prime concern. As Terry Wheatcroft says, “most drivers think a tyre is just a round piece of rubber. In fact it is a lot more than that. It is the difference between life and death. We can assure clients that we can answer any questions they would like to ask, and we can fit whatever tyre they might need – correctly.”
This includes everything from the 30s. bicycle tyre to the £1,500 industrial earth mover’s tyres and the firm offers FREE advice and inspection of your tyres.
The firm say, if you have to fork out for tyres buy the best, at the best price from the best people. Car Hill Tyres are not just a discount house but specialists in all aspects of tyres from wheel barrows to earth movers. So if your car is reaching re-tyrement age, Carr Hill Tyres will give you maximum service. And remember professional pride comes before profit.