lets stir it up; TYRES (1 Viewer)

mentaliss

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Simple question, Dealers (most) work under a code of practice,
Should dealers sell a used Motorhome that is five years old or older fitted with the original tyres? (original fit can be established) I say this as an article in the MMM mag last year implied that tyres over five years old should be replaced regardless of mileage, we all know that tyres come under the vehicle MOT, Tyre tread depth, cracks, etc, etc... but not rubber deterioration:Doh:.....thoughts from fellow funsters:whatthe:
 
May 16, 2010
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If they pass the MOT then they are legal .... maybe you should push for a change in the MOT rules to force the garage to check the age of the tyres...this will of course raise MOT costs as well as increasing costs of test passes....

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Puddleduck

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If they pass the MOT then they are legal .... maybe you should push for a change in the MOT rules to force the garage to check the age of the tyres...this will of course raise MOT costs as well as increasing costs of test passes....

Checking for the age of tyres at MOT is a good idea.... what price safety?
 

gibbon

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There's been many many posts on this subject. I remember reading one that quoted Michelin stating their tyres should be ok up to ten years!
 

yorkshirepudding

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There are many causes of deterioration in tyres, it is not only a question of age. Tyres in some situations will deteriorate at a different rate to tyres in another situation.
Is there any evidence of accidents caused by old tyres? I don't recall reading of any. I see more bald tyres than cracked ones when crossing the car park and that is a real cause for concern.

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A friend took his twin axle caravan as a part exchange to collect his new one, the PX price had been given unseen so they inspected it and damp checked it, and ............... they said they would reduce the price due to a small area of damp, it was pointed out to them that it was just about still under there damp guarantee they then said that they would deduct the price of 4 tyres as they were 6 years old and they could not sell the caravan with tyres of that age, he refused the deduction as they knew how old it was, after a heated discusion he won.
 

Rob and Val

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Unless a lot of touring miles are covered it is unlikely that your motorhome tyres will wear out. However, like all tyres, they will deteriorate with age and can become distorted if they are left unused in the same position. Motorhome tyres that are on a stationary vehicle are always likely to age more quickly than those in regular and frequent use. Also surface cracking of the sidewalls can occur if the motorhome tyres are allowed to become under-inflated and remain for a long period of time in that condition.

You can identify the age of your tyres by the date code printed on the tyre sidewall. Basically, a three digit code means the tyre was made before 1999, which was replaced by a four digit code in 2000. After 2000, the code stands for the week and the year in which the tyre was made, i.e. 0304 would mean the tyre was made in the third week of 2004.

If you are buying from a dealer, perhaps you could do a visual check on the age of the tyres and, if necessary, use their age as a negotiating tool to reduce the price?
 
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mentaliss

mentaliss

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If they pass the MOT then they are legal .... maybe you should push for a change in the MOT rules to force the garage to check the age of the tyres...this will of course raise MOT costs as well as increasing costs of test passes....

'maybe you'..... this is not about me:whatthe: if the MMM Mag had seen fit to write an article about this issue surely this should come under an safety factor, in case you missed my point :Smile: that is Dealers must have a responsibility here

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schojac

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If memory serves me right then the 5 year limit on tyres nearly became legal a few years ago but was never implemented. AS previously stated 5 years is the recommendation with 7 to 10 years depending on degradation. If tyres are suspect they will fail the MOT regardless of age anyway - that is personal opinion of the guy doing the MOT though.

At the end of the day it is risk assessment; cost versus safety and that will always be each to their own. Personally, as some of you may well know, safety comes first and cost, make of tyre, loading, commercial etc does not come into the equation.
 

Spenders

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I can see your point Mentallis, but would add the following point:

The dealer has a responsibility not to sell you something that is illegal. At the moment there is no legal age limit on tyres, only recommendations, which as we have seen vary from manufacturer to trade body to magazine to individual. If the law were to be tightened up the dealer would be under a specific liability, and tyres would be an easy one to spot and implement, but as has been said, the cost would be passed on to someone (a lower trade-in price to the seller or a higher price to the new buyer).

At the moment the dealer can use 'young' tyres as a selling point to justify a higher sticker price whereas the buyer that spots 'older' tyres can use it as a lever to reduce the price they pay. You could apply a similar argument to cambelts.... should a dealer be liable for those as well if it is not clear from the documentation if and when a belt has or has not been changed?

Simon
 

Puddleduck

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At the moment the dealer can use 'young' tyres as a selling point to justify a higher sticker price whereas the buyer that spots 'older' tyres can use it as a lever to reduce the price they pay. You could apply a similar argument to cambelts.... should a dealer be liable for those as well if it is not clear from the documentation if and when a belt has or has not been changed?

Simon

It should be made clear right from the word go how old the tyres are and when the cambelt was changed. A dealer could then factor into his price either the cost of replacement / change or make it clear that the vehicle is sold on the understanding this work will soon be necessary and will be the customers responsibility.

Most dealers are up front when asked but there are a few rogue traders out there.

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May 16, 2010
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'maybe you'..... this is not about me:whatthe: if the MMM Mag had seen fit to write an article about this issue surely this should come under an safety factor, in case you missed my point :Smile: that is Dealers must have a responsibility here

Nope sorry I disagree....as an ex MOT tester.....the rules governing what are safe and legal tyres is explicit and therefore if the tyres fit within these "rules" then the dealer has no responsibility....they are merely following the law...
 

Printermick

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Simple question, Dealers (most) work under a code of practice,
Should dealers sell a used Motorhome that is five years old or older fitted with the original tyres? (original fit can be established) I say this as an article in the MMM mag last year implied that tyres over five years old should be replaced regardless of mileage, we all know that tyres come under the vehicle MOT, Tyre tread depth, cracks, etc, etc... but not rubber deterioration:Doh:.....thoughts from fellow funsters:whatthe:

Just checked mine - thanks for the prompt - they are 2313 which means that Brownhills changed them when I bought my 2007 B544 last autumn. Old tyres were probably 7 years old with not much mileage (about 18,000).
 

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