Trafalgar Tire

I was on my way to work today riding along the QEW as I always do and I hear a pop coming from my passenger rear and I’m trying to figure out whether or not to pull over right there or to try to hobble along to the next exit. The highway is not exactly clean and there’s no real safe place to pull over so I’m hoping I can ride it out to the next exit.
I am able to make it safely to Trafalgar Road in Oakville and I exit and take the first right and then the first right ready to change my own tire at a Petro Canada station where I see a Goodyear auto service center. How lucky am I that I don’t wipe out on the highway, make it safely to the exit and the first place I pull over has a place that can get me a new tire?
Well luck is how you look at it. It could have been I didn’t get a flat at all that would have been lucky too but if something is going to happen on the road the best scenario is that you’re safe and that you are able to get help as soon as possible.
It just so happened the place was open and I spoke to the gentleman at the counter explaining what my issue was. He came outside and looked at the tire. I could tell the tire was a goner. My worry at that point was that the rim was ok.
He told me that his guys weren’t in just yet but they coming in shortly. He checked to see if they had stock of my particular tire and they didn’t which is sort of understandable because I have a non-​standard size. It’s not the first time I’ve been told that and I knew it. Well it so happens they didn’t have immediate stock but they could get it delivered. I was thinking how long is this going to take?
Sitting in the waiting area and just killing time I was able to speak to the gentleman who helped me. I learned that he was the owner and his name was Mauricio. He explained how it is becoming more and more common that service stations such as his business are not as common. Basically how gas stations are just gas stations now and mom and pop service stations attached to gas stations are just not as common. I have to say I agree. Where I live and grew up most of my life in Etobicoke I’ve seen 4 gas stations/​service stations turn into houses or banks or strip malls. I have to go all the way to Saturn Shell near Renforth and Burnhamthorpe to get gas now and it’s only a gas station.
This Goodyear /​Trafalgar tire is on Iroquois Shore which is basically the first street north of the QEW. It’s where you would turn if you’re coming from the south of Trafalgar and looping around to go to Oakville Place. This place used to be a Certiguard service station but that’s no longer since Mauricio took over this space and made it a Goodyear Auto Service Centre. They do brakes, oil changes and of course, tires.
So in speaking with Mauricio I learned a lot about him in the short time I was there. He is a very personable person and although he’s originally from Sao Paulo Brazil he’s been around the GTA long enough that we were able to speak of how things were in the 80’s and such. He’s a really good guy with a good business in a good area.
As far as the service goes they didn’t have my tires in stock. I ended up getting a second one because the other one had uneven wear on it and I did notice I was getting a bumpy ride out of it. I ended up changing both. I had to also visit a service center in Pittsburgh to change a flat and destroyed tire in August of last year. I ended up changing both front tires because my other front tire had a bulge.
All in all I was able to get both rear tires replaced that they didn’t have in stock in about an hour which is pretty quick. They would have been able to do it quicker if they didn’t have to have the tires brought in.
Fast and friendly service with competitive pricing. What more can one ask for?