Ripped Off!!!

So I have a 1989 Jeep Cherrokee, I use it every once and a while for tow a small trailer, or the 4x4 when it snows, but it is not my daily driver.

anyway, it needed tires pretty bad, I did not want to spend $500 on new tires, when I only drive it 2-3k per year. A friend told me about this place $25 a tire for good used tires. I went this morning, found some with awesome tread, $100 bucks later they were on the jeep and I was off and running. the place i bought them from mounted the tires, but they did not have a balancing machine. so down the street I went to the tire shop to have the wheels balanced. The guy balancing the tires came back in, asked me when i bought the tires, and then proceeded to tell me that the tires were from 1989 and the tread was seperating.

Long story shorter, they will not take the tires back, and i ended up spending $640 on tires today. ($100 for crap used ones, and $540 for new ones.)

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P.T. Barnum said....

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Sorry to hear about your tire debacle. One good thing to know, especially if buying used, is how to read the manufacture date on a tire.

DETERMINING TIRE DATE CODES

How old are the tires on your vehicle? The date of manufacture is indicated by the last group of digits in the DOT manufacture code on the sidewall of the tire. The number is often stamped in a recessed rectangle. The DOT code tells who manufactured the tire, where it was made and when. The last group of digits in the code is the date code that tells when the tire was made.

Before 2000, the date code had three digits. Since 2000, it has had four. The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the year (1 = 1991). For most tires made after 2000, the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004).

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Don't buy used tires from a stranger unless you know tires.

There is a shop I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used tire from. He's been in business for about 40 years. I went there one time to replace a separating van tire, and when he did, he explained to me that he had sold that tire to me (a year earlier) and replaced it on warranty. Not bad for a $30 tire.

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That sucks.....Keep them around for spares when you really need one and dont have the scratch for a new tire...you will get your moneys worth down the line.

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you get what you pay for, next time fleece the wrecking yard for name brands

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rbh said:

you get what you pay for, next time fleece the wrecking yard for name brands

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That only works if the wrecking yards don't sell off their tires to the used tire dealers first.
Most junk yards around me won't sell tires, they dismount them and sell them to the used tire guys to avoid the liability. The bad part about that is that you don't know if the used tire your getting has taken a hard impact or not.

I don't get all crazy about the dates on used tires, at least not one that's in service. I have 7 vehicles, the oldest being a 1994, it still has the tires I put on it at 30K backin 1995 and they show no wear or rot, I'm certainly not about to toss them after only 2200 miles just because they're old.
I put used tires on my van, they came from a new tire dealer who sold them and took them back after the customer wasn't happy with them. They sat around his shop for a few years before he all but gave them to me. The way I see it, driving on those if far better than driving on bald tires. When all the static came out about tire dates a few years ago, I checked several of my tires, those on that van were older than the van, but they were shipped as new to the tire shop within two years of my getting them. I know that since that was when he started the business.

If the tires you bought were separating, its most likely not due to age, but impact or running under inflated, overloaded, or at too high a speed. Maybe all of the above.

I did have an old set of Firestone 500s on a truck I used to own, they were about 15 years old when they failed. They didn't fail on the road, they exploded in a hot sun heated garage, all four in one day to boot. I had just inflated them to spec after seeing a few were low from sitting. A few hours later in the other room I heard a loud bang that sounded like a gun shot, then on my way back to that room I hear two more. I actually walked all around the place not noticing the blown tires, when the fourth one blew apart. The cords in the sidewalls all but turned to dust. The tires were new in about 1974, this was in the late 1990's. They came as factory tires on that truck, were removed by a former owner and I put them back on to have four stock sized wheels while I restored the truck. It was not being driven at the time. Those tires looked brand new, but still failed. (My buddy who sells tires got all four replaced since they were the affected or famed Firestone 500's that were recalled way back when).

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Be especially wary of trailer tires. I had learned to read tire date codes off another forum, and it came in handy a couple of times. Trailer tires that don't get a lot of use, but still have tread get hyped on ads as "new tires" when all they have is lots of tread. Unfortunately that date code is up on the inside sidewall and not that easy to get to,
One of those "new tires" blew on me once when out with another rig, and all of can relate to what it is like changing a trailer tire on the side of the road....

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the place that sold you the bad tires should be reported to the better busines bureau, and one red flag, I would never buy tires from a place that puts them on, but doesn't have balance method.

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I don't see reporting them to the BBB and doubt if it would do any good since they sell used tires as just that...used tires. As far as the date thing goes, IMO, that is up to the buyer to confirm and decide if they are too old or not. Anything used is basically buyer beware.

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Buying used tires is penny wise pound foolish. You have no idea if a tire has gotten terribly bruised hitting a curb or run flat for awhile. The tire could look brand new and blow out the next day. Putting yourself or your family in danger by saving a few dollars is the worst form of economy.

As far as what reelfishin states about the age of tires goes against almost every advice put out.

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Those firestone 500's were recalled in the late 70's. That tells you the crap shoot even if you by new tires.

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Since yesterday I have learned how to read the age of a tire, and I should of been thinking about that before i picked them up. I was just thinking that the tires would naturally be rotated through from people buying them and using them. The thought never accured to me that these tires could be from 1989, wich they all are. anyway, I just spent $500 bucks on new tires, so I am at least good to go for another 50,000 miles. I want it to be safe, Febuary we are having our second child, and i am not going to take my chances on the road with a faulty tire.

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I just gave my neighbour 4 BF Goodrich tires I had sitting in the garage for a few years ans they had lots of tread left on them. I have no idea how old they are, they were on my 1967 Galaxie that had been in storage for almost 20 before I bought it in 2000.

The guy at the tire shop who put them on for my neighbour said they were old but still good.

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Running tires that are older than 10 years is the same principle as Russian roulette, except that you are pointing the "gun" at more heads than just your own.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=138

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I bought a used tire several months ago. The reason why I did, is because I had front end problems that needed some major work and I didn't want to put a new tire on the car, until I got that straightened out. I bought the tire from someone that I had ample reason to trust and I inspected the tire myself, before buying it. Several weeks later, after the front end work was completed and new shocks and brakes were installed, I put all new tires on the car.

I don't have a problem with used tires in general, But I do think you have to be careful about what you buy and who you buy it from.



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buying used tires is also known as buying "may pops" there is a reason they are there.

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jay_merrill said:

I don't have a problem with used tires in general, But I do think you have to be careful about what you buy and who you buy it from.


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Click to expand...

Agreed, but unlike most other systems or parts in a vehicle, there is no practical way for even a well-equipped tire shop to accurately assess the internal condition of an aged tire.
The experts seem to agree that 10 years is about the limit.

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I work in the automotive industry as a Service Director , A few years ago the government released a report in cooperation with tire manufacture testing that stated any tire over 6 years old was dangerous . You can fail state inspection for "dry rot" cracks in your tires . Also tires are not like used cars , People get rid of tires with good tread for a reason !
Remember that you can always get "off brand" new tires at a very low cost to get by on ... They may wear out in 2 years but they can get you by . ALOT cheaper that a used tire blow out and incurring dammage !

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True that there are no guarantees, but I think folks are forgetting that we are all driving around on used tires - our own.

Additionally, where I live, there are a lot of used tires available, because the former owner replaced them with different tires that are larger, or are part of a low profile set that requires new rims too, etc.

As the saying goes, "there are used tires and there are used tires."



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