Business Opportunity

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Talking to

one of our guests a couple of weeks ago, I asked what his plans were for the

day. “Well,” he answered, “I’m going to take the car in for a service and four

new tyres.”

 I confess

that I was a little nonplussed by this, and asked him to elaborate. He

explained that for his car (a Ford Galaxy - just like ours only much, much cleaner) tyres were half the price in France

compared to the UK, ditto servicing, so he always tried to get it done in

France whilst on holiday. On four new tyres (and these are big tyres – all steel

reinforcing and double stitched gussets, that sort of thing), he reckoned to be

saving about the cost of the ferry crossing from Portsmouth. This chap “knew”

about cars, so I’m assuming that he knew of what he spoke (is that English? No matter.)

 Now, I don’t

know (nor care) much about cars. I’d go so far as to say that there are tribes

of Amazonian pygmies as yet unknown to modern anthropology that know more about

cars than I do. Not in the sense that I don’t know that they need oil, petrol

and water to make them go, and I know that these MUST be placed in the correct

holes or they won’t move. I have a rudimentary understanding of the mechanics

involved and (by dint of having written blends for several billions of litres

of the stuff) an unhealthily deep understanding of how gasoline works, but I

know nothing of the advantages of double wishbone suspension, care little for

traction control or sports gearing, and regard satellite navigation as an

insult to intelligence and a threat to human ingenuity. Some people have even

told me that they find driving more invigorating than sex. These are clearly

people who need some kind of therapy.

 However,

I

think that I can recognise a potential scheme to make a few shekels, so

here it

is: combined fag / booze warehouse shopping & car servicing. All we

need is

a large building, a collection of grease monkeys (Polish for preference

as they seem to have one hell of a work ethic) and big pile of

re-treaded tyres.

The “Billies” (the most offensive term I have yet heard for customers –

Billy Bunters

= Punters) come off the ferry at Calais

and drop the car off with us. We heave them into a charabanc and trot them down

to the local liquor mart so that they can stock up. Meanwhile, whatever has to

be done to cars when they are serviced (and I haven’t got a clue what it is) is

done and the customer saves the cost of his beer, fags and Chilean drain

cleaner on the car, all the better to refill the cellar.

 I’ve got

about €10 in petty cash – anyone else fancy in?

[Viv]

Yeah, but only if I can be a surly cashier type who doesn't say a dickie bird but just thrusts a hand out for payment and mutters something unintelligible as the billie walks off.

 

[Dick Smith]

Now, where's Miki just when you need him?

Is it true that tyres are cheaper in France? I had to keep pumping one of mine up all summer, and now we are back it looks OK. Typical. I'll be your first customer.

[Gardian]

Jon D ..............

Could I be the 'Rhone Concessionnaire' in your new and exciting enterprise?

Plenty of local Caves around here, so with a friendly wave from a 'Diva Star' look-a-like / sound-a-like, they could be off for an afternoon's quaffing.  Throw in a few olives and bit of tapenade on some stale bread and they'd be happy as Larry (where did that phrase come from?).  It's a bit far to drive for a few tyres, but hey, so what?

Business name:  "RU Pneus"?? 

[Alane]

Sorry to put a spoke in your wheel but we have a similar car and the last time I looked at tyre prices in France they were pretty much the same price as I could achieve by ringing round the local Kwik Fit, ATS etc. I wonder if he was comparing like with like? The UK guys are always trying to convince me that a standard tyre is OK and I don't need the re-inforced spec that Volkswagen/Ford specify. I even had one who fitted ordinary tyres despite my specifying reinforced and then moaned like stink when I made him take them off again.

I have heard that servicing is cheaper in France but never thought it worth the effort of losing a day out of a trip and the thought of discussing over the phone the necessary extra work that the garage had found has never seemed attractive. While my French is reasonable I'm not sure if it's up to querying whether my big end has gone or not. At my last service in the  UK the garage called to say that my anti-roll bar down-links needed replacing - how would I cope with that in French (or Polish) I ask myself. Now if your warehouse is staffed with English speakers you may well be on to a winner.....

[Russethouse]

I remember researching this (well the tyre bit) when we had the Espace, no real difference in price, at that time anyway.

[Owens88]

[quote user="Jon D"]

However, I think that I can recognise a potential scheme to make a few shekels, so here it is: combined fag / booze warehouse shopping & car servicing. All we need is a large building, a collection of grease monkeys (Polish for preference as they seem to have one hell of a work ethic) and big pile of re-treaded tyres. The “Billies” (the most offensive term I have yet heard for customers – Billy Bunters = Punters) come off the ferry at Calais and drop the car off with us. We heave them into a charabanc and trot them down to the local liquor mart so that they can stock up. Meanwhile, whatever has to be done to cars when they are serviced (and I haven’t got a clue what it is) is done and the customer saves the cost of his beer, fags and Chilean drain cleaner on the car, all the better to refill the cellar.

[/quote]

I think that your idea would work anywhere. Seems like a very all-in holiday package !  Bonne Courage.

[Tresco]

[quote user="Diva Star"]

Yeah, but only if I can be a surly cashier type who doesn't say a dickie bird but just thrusts a hand out for payment and mutters something unintelligible as the billie walks off.[/quote]

Jon D, regardless of the profit margins, which seem to be shrinking by the minute, I think I can do a 'SHOCK'! thing by smiling while taking the money.

Sorry DivaViva Star...if you need the cash I'll train you; for a fee, naturalleeeee.[:D]

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Hmmm...perhaps some research MIGHT be prudent. Could someone in the UK

call Kwikfit and get a price for a pair of Dunlop 215/55 R16 95H tyres

including mounting? I've nip into LeClerc and ask there.

Diva - are you able to mumble whilst simultaneously chewing gum and

smoking a fag? If so, I really think we could have an opening here.

[Miki]

Never really noticed a great deal of difference with tyres, on a like

for like basis to be honest, certainly not enough to pay for a BF

sandwich let alone the ferry fare.

Certainly servicing in general is cheaper here, again on a like for like basis.

Many of our personal tyres for our cars always came as part worns off

commercial travellers motors (a magouille) and for many years, my

servicing was done by a service manager at a well known company, who

got cheap tyres from us and a good trade in. So as in all walks of

life, it's not what you know but.......... [:)]

If anyone wants training for any sort car businesses, I can help but

you will need thicker skins than double glazing peeps and even more

than estate agents [;-)]

Allo Jean got a new moteur ................

[Missy]

[quote user="Jon D"]Hmmm...perhaps some research MIGHT be prudent. Could someone in the UK call Kwikfit and get a price for a pair of Dunlop 215/55 R16 95H tyres including mounting? I've nip into LeClerc and ask there.

Diva - are you able to mumble whilst simultaneously chewing gum and smoking a fag? If so, I really think we could have an opening here.

[/quote]

 

Careful! Asking so much of one's staff might come in expensive as they tend to want fags, chewing-gum, coffee/tea break material, nail grooming material etc... declared as valid expenses in the pursuit of their valuable jobs! Watch your pettycash... [;-)]

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

[quote user="Alane"]

While my French is reasonable I'm not sure if it's up to querying whether my big end has gone or not.

[/quote]

Translations would surely be part of the service? "Est-ce que ma fin grande est allée?" Easy peasy!

[Alane]

And I'd never thought about my big end being feminine before. You learn something new every day.

[montagrier]

Well in the dordogne for some reason the price of tyres for transit vans is about twice the price of UK .I could do all four for 140 quid in UK and its 170E here for 2 tyres. I had french tyres up with french paint, something to save up for....

monti

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Alane"]And I'd never thought about my big end being feminine before. You learn something new every day.[/quote]

Maybe its feminine because women are supposed to do the repairs whilst the men sit and drink beer (also feminine)  [:)]

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I've been quoted €460 for the proper reinforced jobbies, €320 for a

pair of the non-reinforced ("which are just as good - all the taxis use

them"). That includes fitting. Anyone get anything from Kwikfit????

[Logan]

I spend part of the winter in southern Spain.

It's much cheaper for servicing and tyres than France. I have my vehicles done there annually. Perhaps you should operate your business there.  

[united]

 I bought 4 new tyres this year and saved myself over £100 on the prices the multiples like Kwik Fit, Tom Farmer, Costco etc quoted. I used the net and found http://www.blackcircles.com/. They supplied the tyres and gave me a choice of 3 or 4 local garages who would fit them and dispose of the old tyres. I turned up by appointment and everything was really efficient.

My only connection with the firm is that of customer.

[Alane]

Jon

I paid £58 each for 195/65 15 Reinforced Firestone's at a local dealer- most of the newer Galaxy/Sharans use larger tyres - mine is getting on a bit now so may not be the same size tyre as yours of course. That was the cheapest I could find locally in the UK.

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

Alane: "And I'd never thought about my big end being feminine before. You learn something new every day."

As in 'does it look big in this' ?