Tire dates my gripe

So I bought new tires for the motorhome this week. I am feeling much lighter in the pocket book now but the old ones were made in october of 02 and better safe than sorry on RV tires I think.

Here is my gripe. I shopped around found a good deal for Goodyear GV760s (I think that is the model) @ a local commercial tire shop. The said they could have them in next day. I gave them a deposit and went about my day. That night I took off all 6 wheels loaded them in my truck and dropped them @ the shop the next morning. They called @ noon and said my tires were ready. I got there they were nicely mounted and ballanced and even inflated properly. Not many places I have found will air up to 80psi even if I request it. I was a happy customer UNTIL I looked at the tire date and found the tires were made in october 07. Maybe I am to particular but it seems a year of usable life has been spent sitting on the shelf.

I complained to the guy helping me and he said "so they have not been used it dose not matter when they were made, only tread wear :"  I complained to the Manger he said I was reading the DOT date # wrong and they were only a few weeks old. I called Goodyear on my cell and got a really helpful guy who explaind to the manager how to read the DOT date # but also said they allow 1 year of warehouse time on all their tires. We called the warhouse and they said they did not have any newer tires.

So I took my bitter little pill and left with my new tires. Shop did what they were supposed to. Warehouse did what the were supposed  to. Goodyear allows 1 year warehouse time so they were with in that year. Is this normal? I have seen a few months but never 11. I guess I am too particular but it chapped me a bit.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Wayne

I'm surprised that they had G670 RV tires a year old.  It's a very popular tire and most stores sell them almost a fast as they can get them.  For the RV, I always specify when ordering that I want to see the date codes before the tires are mounted and I won't accept any more than a few months old.  And I like to see all have the same date code.

That would have "chapped" me, a bit, too. But, I'm no expert. I'll be interested in what the experts have to say.

On their side, you can't expect tires that came off the line, yesterday, and one does need to recognize that the dealership has to stock quite a variety of tires in order to serve the public the variety it expects. And, not everyone is looking for RV tires. They are a small market nich.

I think I might have bargained for a small discount, for the age. If the delivery standard is for tires, a year old, I'll withdraw that.

I yeild to the experts. Gonna have to buy tires in two more years.

Ray D  ;D

Ray D said:

On their side, you can't expect tires that came off the line, yesterday, and one does need to recognize that the dealership has to stock quite a variety of tires in order to serve the public the variety it expects. And, not everyone is looking for RV tires. They are a small market nich.

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But these tires came from the warehouse, not the dealer stock.  It's not likely that they haven't sold that many G670 RV tires in the last year.  I suspect they don't rotate their stock properly.

Ned said:

But these tires came from the warehouse, not the dealer stock.  It's not likely that they haven't sold that many G670 RV tires in the last year.  I suspect they don't rotate their stock properly.

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You are probably right about failure to properly rotate their stock.  When we purchased our tires I let them know anything over 3 months old would not ba acceptable and before they started work I checked the DOT codes.  All was well.

I don't buy tires for the motorhome enough to be good at it yet. First set in 5 years, I should have given more direction but did not even think about it. A lesson learned I guess.

Wayne

The one tire, to date, I had to buy (Belle Tire, Redford Micihgan) was "Current" date wise

I have learned to always specify the earliest DOT date that I will accept. If they can't meet the date, either I negotiate or go elsewhere. Period.

Everyone:

When I pruchased our "new" G670's from Purcell's last spring the dates ranged form 3 to 14 months old. They called all their AZ branches and none had anything newer by more than a month or two. Several of these tires had been purchased from Goodyear in the past 60 days so the tires are sitting at Goodyear's warehouses.

I did talk to the manager before we went any further and he agreed to discount the installed price 15% (1/7th) to make up for the year of age I lost.

Goodyear allows a year of shelf life BUT all warranties on Goodyear tires expire at 60 months so the last year would not be covered. I believe Purcells moves quite a few RV tires in the Southwest so if they have these kinds of dates I'll bet most dealers do unless there has been a shortage like there was a couple of years ago. The current lull in manufacturing is probably going to make it worse.

Jeff, you're probably right.  When we bought our 6 G670 tires in January 2006, it was right after Goodyear was back from the strike and the tires were still warm from the mold   We had ordered them in November and they didn't arrive at Purcell until January.  In fact, Purcell called me at Quartzsite to tell me the tires had arrived.

The 15% discount you got was fair enough for year old tires.

As I recall we got our tires in Yuma in Feb 2006 which also goes to support what Jeff said.

zukIzzy...

Perhaps you read my recent post regarding a very similar issue.  My tires were already at least two, and upwards of three (years old)  on a NEW vehicle and now showing significant age related deterioration.  I am still having 'talks' with Ford - the chassis manufacturer about reimbursement.  Because the newest tires were installed in Sept. 2004, at Ford they were almost out of warranty when I purchased the vehicle 'new' in June 2006.  Michelin denied any responsibility when I spoke to their customer service people recently after only two years worth of use from the tires.  They argued it was not a warranty issue and the warranty had, in any event,  expired two years ago.  They pointed the finger at Ford who allege the MH manufacturer, Four Winds, in this case, is at fault.

In your case the year old tires doesn't seem much of a deal until you look at the tires warranty.  Typically it will date from the DOT stamp and you have already lost a years worth of warranty.  Should a tire defect occur, resulting in a warranty claim, the tire manufacturer will use the DOT date to their advantage to possibly deny the claim.  I would contact the manufacturer and see if they will extend the warranty period from the date of purchase...Good luck.

BT

BT

Thanks Bt I did contact Goodyear and they sent me a letter (on Goodyear letterhead) via email that stated the warranty would start from the purchase date.

On the cars I drive I will wear a tire out long before the age is of concern. The motor home is diffrent. The tires I replaced look great except one which started life as a spare but that is a story for a diffrent day. I bet they are for sale at a used tire place right now
Except one which is now a spare

wayne

zukIzzy

Thanks for the update.  Looks like Goodyear came through, I doubt I will have the same luck with Ford.

BT

I just wanted to make sure I understand something correctly. I thought the replacing a tire due to age along had mostly to do with UV damage done by exposure to sun over the years. So, if the tire sat in a warehouse (therefore NOT in the suN), I imagine they would be all right.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Also, all warranties have to be from the date of purchase. There are laws regulating this at least in my home state of CT. I imagine similar laws exist elsewhere.

Unfortunately tires begin the aging process right after they come out of the mold.  Thus the reason for tires having the DOT date stamp indication their true age.  Tires that set in the warehouse for say 4 years would have an expected service life of 3 years.

Thanks for setting me straight Ron! I'll be sure to check out my date codes on the new one I'm picking up on Friday.

Tires that set in the warehouse for say 4 years would have an expected service life of 3 years.

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Is that based on any kind of a formula or strictly your own empirical data?

http://www.aa1car.com/library/tire_expire.htm






Made link hot

The tire warranty booklet that came with my new vehicle, specifically refers to the tire manufacture date as being the commencement of the warranty period.

BT