Should the set number include the customer's name?

It is better not to. A neutral number such as year plus a running number is unique, fits on a small label and does not show personal data on the shelf. The link to the customer lives in the record.

How many photos should we take at intake?

At least one of each tire's tread and sidewall, plus close-ups of any damage or rim scratches. That is usually enough to settle questions about condition later.

What should the storage terms cover?

Typically the storage period, the price, how the condition is recorded, liability, how the customer is reminded and what happens to sets that are not collected. What you may do with uncollected sets depends on local law, so have the terms checked.

Do we need a separate system for customers' tires and our own stock?

Not necessarily, but they must never be confused. Keep customers' sets in their own zone and record them as stored for a customer, so they never appear as stock for sale.

Seasonal tire storage: intake, labeling, storage and return without mix-ups

Where mix-ups come from

Lost or swapped sets have the same few causes. The set had only a surname, not its own identifier. The paper label did not survive a damp cellar. Someone moved the set and nobody wrote it down. Or two customers with the same car and tire size came in on the same day. Each is a process problem with a simple process fix. What a tire hotel is and why it is worth offering is covered in our article on tire hotels; here the focus is on running it.

Give every storage place an address

Before the season starts, divide the storage area into zones, racks, shelves and bins, and mark each one physically with a durable sign. An address such as B-03-2-4 (zone B, rack 3, shelf 2, bin 4) means the same thing to everyone. Size bins to hold exactly one set, so one address equals one set. Count the addresses: that number is your real capacity, and it tells you when to stop accepting sets before the storage overflows.

What to record at intake

Customer, contact details and vehicle registration.
A unique set number, never reused in the same season.
Tire size, brand, model, season and markings such as M+S or the snowflake symbol.
Production date from the DOT code, tread depth of each tire and visible damage.
Whether rims are included, rim type, hubcaps and wheel bolts.
The position of each wheel on the car: front left, front right, rear left, rear right.
Photos of each tire and of anything unusual.
The storage address and the agreed storage terms.

Let the customer sign or confirm the intake record, and give them a copy. If a question comes up in spring about tread depth or a cut, both sides look at the same facts.

Labels that survive a season

Label every wheel or tire, not just one per set, with the set number and the wheel position, for example 2026-0417 FL. Use tags made for tires that stay readable in cold and damp rooms. The position lets you swap front and rear at the next fitting if wear is uneven, and shows at once if anything was swapped by mistake. Keep the set together so it never has to be split.

Storage conditions

Store tires cool, dry and dark, away from heat, sunlight, solvents and ozone sources such as electric motors. Complete wheels are usually stacked or hung; tires without rims stand upright and are turned from time to time. Keep aisles clear so any set can be reached without moving others.

How to run seasonal storage, step by step

Before the season, set up and mark all storage addresses and count your capacity.
At intake, create the record: customer, vehicle, set number, tires, rims and positions.
Measure tread depth, read the production date, note damage and take photos.
Label every wheel with the set number and its position.
Place the set at a free address and record the address against the set number.
Give the customer a copy of the intake record and the storage terms.
Whenever a set has to move, record the move with the new address at the same time.
Before the next season, remind storage customers and plan the fitting work.
At return, find the set by its address, check set number, positions and condition against the record, and fit it.
Mark the address as free and close the storage record.

Worked example (illustrative numbers)

A shop has two storage zones with 240 bins in total. In late October a customer leaves a set of summer wheels. The set gets number 2026-0417, with tread depths of 5.5, 5.5, 4.0 and 4.0 mm, production date DOT 1822 on all four (week 18 of 2022), alloy rims and no damage. Four labels read 2026-0417 FL, FR, RL and RR. The set goes to B-03-2-4.

In January staff need rack B-03 for larger wheels and move the set to A-07-1-2, recording the move straight away. In April the customer arrives, the system shows A-07-1-2, and the set is on the lift within minutes. Because the rear pair was recorded at 4.0 mm, staff suggest fitting the deeper pair at the front or replacing the worn pair. Bin A-07-1-2 is then marked free.

Return without mix-ups

Check the set number on every label against the record, not only the surname, and compare tread depth and damage with the intake photos. Fit each wheel by its recorded position or your rotation decision. Many shops remind customers to have the wheel bolts rechecked after a short distance, as vehicle and tire makers commonly advise; use the manufacturer's torque values.

How this is done in OrgLines

In OrgLines each warehouse is a tree of storage locations: zones, shelves and bins, created in company settings. A client's set is placed at a specific address, and its condition is recorded at intake. Moving it to another bin is a transfer with a history, so the location in the system matches the shelf. Attributes can be defined for single units, so every tire can carry its own tread depth, production date, condition and photos.

Workshop staff do not need a computer: the Telegram work bot shows them their tasks, lets them change statuses and send photos, and a manager approves who can use it. Before the season, automations and the AI assistant prepare reminders and task lists based on your client base. There is no online booking; requests from website forms or ads arrive in the Lead Center and are scheduled as tasks. Warehouse management is part of the Business plan.

Common mistakes

Identifying sets by surname or car model instead of a unique number.
One label per set instead of one per wheel.
Paper labels that fade or fall off in a damp room.
Moving sets during the rush without recording the new address.
Skipping tread depth and photos at intake because the queue is long.
Accepting more sets than there are addresses, so sets end up on the floor.
Fitting at return without comparing the set with the intake record.

Checklist

Every storage place has a physical address sign.
Capacity is counted and known before the season.
Every set has a unique number and a signed intake record.
Every wheel carries a durable label with set number and position.
Photos and tread depths are stored with the set.
Every move is recorded when it happens.
Storage customers are reminded before the season.
At return, set number and condition are checked before fitting.

Try it free in OrgLines