Tire Repairers and Changers

Most tire shop jobs are still done by people, often using machines or simple tools. For example, technicians raise cars with lifts or jacks and balance wheels on a machine ^{[1] [1]}. These machines help with the work but need a person to run them.

Today there are a few new AI-powered robots that can change tires faster than humans. One startup, RoboTire, has an AI-driven robot that uses cameras to find each wheel and swap out its tire ^{[2] [2]}. RoboTire’s system can change four tires more quickly than a person can, though it still needs a human to set it up.

This kind of technology is just starting – RoboTire’s robot was only deployed in one Detroit garage as a test run ^[2]. Other tasks on the list – like finding a puncture by eye or with a water bath ^[1], plugging a leak by hand ^[1], rotating tires on the vehicle, or cleaning the shop – are still done by people with hand tools. (There are AI inspection systems for tires in factories or recycling centers ^[3], but those are not used in your local tire shop right now.)

Right now, AI and robots in tire shops are rare. Special machines (like lifts and balancers) are common, but full tire-changing robots are new and expensive. For this reason, adoption is slow.

Big companies or shops with lots of business may try these robots first, but many smaller shops find the cost hard to justify. RoboTire’s example is telling: it just raised money and started service in only a few locations ^{[2] [2]}. It even offers a “robot-as-a-service” plan tied to local wage levels, aiming to offset high setup costs.

In general, unless a shop is very busy or near cities with labor shortages, people may stick with the cheaper option of a human technician. Socially, customers and workers also need to trust the new tech. For now, that means AI is more of a helpful add-on than a replacement.

Human skill in understanding cars and solving unexpected problems remains very valuable, so most tire repair and changing jobs will still need people for the foreseeable future.