Snowbird Tire Chains

El Cajon, United States

5

Open now

20 reviews

Does not accept credit cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 619-442-3767
Website:
chainsbysnowbird.com
Address:
El Cajon, CA 92019
El Cajon
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.8 miEl Cajon Transit Center
1 miArnele Avenue
2.4 miAmaya Dr
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
No

Today

Today 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Open now
Local time (El Cajon) 12:31 Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

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20 reviews of Snowbird Tire Chains

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Thomas is a classy older gentleman who clearly knows his way around a vehicle and some snow country. His lesson on chain installation was quick and thorough, and his devotion to customer service is something missing in most businesses these days.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Great guy who knows his stuff about snow chains! He set me up with everything I need to put my chains on and even showed me some great tricks on how to install them fast! He even painted the ends of the chains to help! Happy camper going to the hills!!!
Place rating: 5
Chula Vista, CA
I met Tom yesterday with my son who is visiting from Guantanamo Bay Cuba. He was so glad he went with me. He is so highly recommended I can not say. This man is an Angel sent here to help people. See this video of him. Cut and paste or you can just google San Diego Highwayman. Give him your business!!! This man just cares about keeping people safe.
Place rating: 5
Santee, CA
Thomas knows his stuff! I called early in the day to make an appointment and they got me in same day. When I arrived he had the chains for my car ready to go and showed me to how install them and how to remember the steps with his funny little sayings. He was so sweet and funny, yet very thorough.
As others have mentioned his prices are a little higher than what you would pay at an auto parts store, but it is so worth it the way he goes over everything and installs them for you to make sure they are a perfect fit. We bought chains from Pep Boys last year with their «recommendation» on the size and they ended up being too big and falling off in the snow.
If we need another set of chains in the future we will for sure be coming back to see Thomas!
Hooooooah :)
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Thank you Thomas Weller! Excellent service and personality! Highly recommend getting chains here and worth every penny!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
just like what everyone else says, this guy is good. great personalized instruction, includes all the assorted gear you need to make putting chains on easier. two thumbs up!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
BUY CHAINS FROM SNOWBIRD ONLY!!!
Hands down best company/​person to buy chains from. I grew up in the snow and nobody has explained how to put chains/​cables on a truck better and easier than Thomas from Snowbird!
He will not just sell you the chains, he fits them to your car in front of you then demonstrates how to assemble, then makes you do it correctly before he lets you pay him.
Additionally, anyone who’s had to put chains on, knows how cold and miserable the weather is when doing so. For a very reasonable fee, included with the chains, he provides water proof gloves to wear while assembling, a tarp to lay on, a wood block to park on and a bag to store the chains.
Do not buy chains from Pep Boy or any other auto store or you will be screwed.
Place rating: 5
El Cajon, CA
I went to purchase chains from Tom after I found out there was a slight chance of snow on our trip to Idyllwild. I can’t tell you what a great decision this was. Not only did it snow, but we came across a motorist who was stranded between two hills he couldn’t drive over due to snow and ice on the hills. Tom’s install method went flawlessly, and I used every bit of extra tools he included with my purchase. Our trip would have been ruined if we had been unprepared. Instead, we zipped up the final hills to our cabin with no problems. Absolutely a great experience with Tom, and I feel like this Southern California guy can handle basic snow conditions with no problem now! Highly recommended.
Place rating: 5
San Carlos, San Diego, CA
Thomas does a great job training and explaining how to use the snow chains. Go here to make sure you have a perfect fit! worth every penny!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Thomas is awesome! I didn’t think I needed training on putting on snow chains but his easy to follow instructions & experience is well worth it. I got quality chains, blocks, gloves, & he painted a marker for easy to remove under poor light conditions.
He accepts cash & checks but no cards. Since you won’t know what you’ll need get a general price idea online for your tire size/​vehicle type if you want to bring cash. If not, I went down the street and used an ATM at a near by gas station.
I highly recommend this business!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Well worth it. Believe everything that everyone says about this guy. He took care of us on almost zero notice for a last minute trip to Big Bear on a Sunday evening. We feel like we totally scored coming across him online. My husband got chains and the extras people mentioned and also did the required self install. Thomas is just a nice old guy making the world a safer place. Thanks again, Jenny (and Alan)
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I bought a set of snow cables here, was taught how to use them, and the very next day used this knowledge to get out of a tricky situation on a steep snowy road. It would have been a big problem, and potentially dangerous, to have tried to figure out how to use the cables once I was already out in the snow. Having a package of gloves, tire block, and tarp as well as the cables made it much easier and more comfortable. Well worth the drive out to El Cajon.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
snow chains can be found anywhere autozone, pepboys, amazon and even possibly get a better deal (this place still beat local stores). but having someone show you how to use the product sold, hands on cant be beat.
you DO NOT want to learn how to use them when you finally need them. even if you’ve used tire chains there are different types, knowing what you have helps.
He is a nice older man that sells tire chains out of his garage/​workshop on the side. it is well kept and he’s always cracking jokes. He wouldn’t let us leave until my girlfriend and i installed/​removed one tire chain.
He even gave us extra gloves and a 1×4 block of wood to help us in the snow. take a video for reference.
Place rating: 5
Tustin, CA
At least in Southern California, snow chains are one of those things that you’re rarely going to need. But if you do need them, chances are you’re going to need them really badly. Accordingly, getting the right chains and knowing how to use them if needed was really important to me. I was very lucky to come across Tom and Snowbird Tire Chains Tom is a patient and enthusiastic teacher and he took the time to make sure I really knew how to use the chains properly. He is extremely knowledgeable and professional. I cannot recommend Tom and Snowbird Tire Chains highly enough.
Place rating: 5
Poway, CA
I read the Unilocal reviews and decided Snowbird Tire Chains was the best option in town. We were not disappointed! Not only is Tom very knowledgeable but he’s quite an entertaining character. Everything the other reviewers said is true so don’t waste your time ~ this is the place to go.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
If you need snow chains/​cables go see Tom at Snowbird Tire Chains in El Cajon (especially if you have never put chains on before!). It is a bit more than what you would pay for chains at Walmart BUT you get instruction on how to put on/​remove them, accessories, and very personal service! He was a great teacher about not only chains but traveling in snowy conditions in general… and he was awesome with our two daughters! Fabulous man and top notch service!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Going on a snow adventure? Meet Thomas of Snowbird Tire Chain. Found his company when searching for snow chains and man what an awesome service and great gentleman. If you are in the San Diego area and looking for tire chains don’t look any further. Snowbird Tire Chains is the place to go ;)
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
The Highway Man is a vibrant, eclectic teacher of many things. He & his wife were professional & friendly.
Place rating: 5
Solana Beach, CA
The 5 stars from every single reviewer says it all.
See all those kids with chains wrapped around their axles or destroyed wheel wells ½ a mile from the place it took them 1 hour to put them on? Don’t be them!
Tom’s chains + accessories + service costs more than a box of chains from walmart would cost you, but long term, unless you know exactly what you are doing, his service will be a saving and much better value. Well worth it.
I went to him because I had a slightly unusual car and needed someone who knew what they were doing to help me. Job done. Thanks Tom.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Snowbirds In The Summertime.
Though it may have been nearing 90 degrees in August, we met up with Tom in anticipation of the snowy months ahead come winter. Tom is professional, interested, experienced, welcoming, friendly, knowledgeable, fun and witty. He took the time to ensure we knew how to install and take off the traction cables, as well as, finding the best fit for our tires. He had a few good stories in the process that were relevant and interesting. I highly recommend supporting Tom and his business over purchasing from a store, as Tom gives easy to understand instruction in a manner which proves to be of passion and great experience. Included with the chains and/​or traction cables are a travel bag, gloves and blocks. THANK YOU, TOM for an overall great experience.