Mobile Tire Install at a Condo or Office: What to Know

Why condos and offices are their own case

A house with a driveway is the easy version of mobile tire installation. The van parks, the work gets done, and nobody else is involved.

A condo tower in Fort Lauderdale or an office park off Sawgrass is different. There's a gate, a garage with a height bar, a management office, assigned spaces, maybe a security desk. None of that rules out having your tires installed where you park. It just means a few questions are worth answering before the appointment, not during it.

This post covers those questions. For how booking and pricing work, the mobile service page is the place to start.

What the van actually needs

Less than most people expect. Per Extreme Tires' mobile service:

• One standard parking space next to your vehicle
• About ten feet of clearance on the side where the work happens
• A reasonably flat surface: a driveway, a flat stretch of street, an office lot or a jobsite staging area all work

What it doesn't need:

• Your garage. The work happens beside the car.
• A lift. The van carries a rated jack, stands and a cart for heavy assemblies.
• Your outlet. It runs on its own generator, with its own work lights.

At a condo or apartment complex

This is where a little planning pays off.

Tell us how to get in. When you book, include the complex name, any gate code and any call-up instructions. That's what lets the technician reach your car without a phone tag session at the gate.

Know your association's rules. Every building is different, and we won't guess at yours. Per Extreme Tires' mobile service, some complexes want the van checked in at the gate, and some ask that work happen in a visitor space rather than a covered garage. Check your association's rules or ask management before the appointment. If the rules point to a visitor space, the car can be moved there first.

Mind the height bar. If your assigned spot is inside a low-clearance garage, plan on meeting the van at a surface space.

At the office

An office lot is often easier than a condo, with a couple of things to confirm:

• Is the lot open to service vehicles? Some office parks and garages restrict them. Property management will know.
• Is there a security desk or gate? Add the details to your booking.
• Keys. The technician needs the car unlocked and, depending on the job, the keys. Plan how you'll hand them over if you're in a meeting.
• The wheel lock key. If your wheels have locking lug nuts, make sure the key is in the car.

Then you get on with your day. The mobile service page puts a four-tire installation at about 45 to 75 minutes, and your confirmation lists the estimate for the exact service you booked.

What happens where you park, and what doesn't

If the technician spots something in your parking lot that needs a lift or an alignment rack, you'll get a straight explanation and an estimate, and a booking at the shop.

Before the appointment

1. Get the tires to the van. Order from TireDrop and choose free ship-to-store at checkout, and the van brings your set from the Sunrise shop. Or ship them to your address and the van fits them there. Our post on getting tires installed after buying online covers both routes.
2. Check the size against your door placard. USTMA's guidance is that replacement tires match the size, load index and speed rating on the vehicle placard, with a load index equal to or above what the placard requires.
3. Know whether your car has TPMS. Under the federal FMVSS No. 138 rule, vehicles of 10,000 lb gross vehicle weight rating or less built from September 1, 2007 on have one. Installation includes a TPMS reset where the vehicle has it.
4. Clear the work side. Move anything stored beside the car, and leave room for the van next to it.
5. Send access details. Gate code, building name, where the car is parked.

What about the weather?

Afternoon showers are part of South Florida. Per Extreme Tires' mobile service, short showers rarely stop the work, because the van carries lighting and cover for the work area. If there's lightning or sustained heavy rain, you get a call, the job pauses and it's rescheduled.

After the van leaves

Your old tires leave with the van and are recycled, so nothing gets left in the parking garage. The wheels are torqued to your vehicle maker's spec and pressures are set to the door placard.

From there it's the usual routine: NHTSA's guidance is to check pressure with a gauge at least once a month, spare included, with the tires cold. If a TPMS light shows up afterward, our TPMS light guide explains what it's telling you.

Mobile installation covers Sunrise, Plantation, Fort Lauderdale, Davie, Weston, Coral Springs, Tamarac, Lauderhill, Pembroke Pines and Miramar. Outside those cities, you can bring the car to the Sunrise shop instead. See mobile service or call (954) 773-1896 to ask.