[Darth Sid]

That's why I had suggested earlier to try another Swift's wheels to isolate the problem. Anyway, if these MRF fools are going to act this way, you really can't do much unless you want to waste time chasing their head office.

As for selling these tyres off, have you talked to another tyre shop for possibility of buyback? Usually the deal is not good but at least it is easier to trade in one's existing tyres. I had asked at more than one tyre shop what my Michelin Energy XM2 185/70R14 with 1200 km on them might fetch if chose to upgrade and all of them offered me 3k per tyre. I had bought them for 4.5k each. You will clearly lose more.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by deepv

Going by amount of time (and possibly money as well) spent, it looks so.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Mostly they'll try to play it down as a manufacturing defect.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

You might be lucky to get it under warranty and see if it fixes the issue.

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

+1 to that.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Any update on the tyre issue.

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

Thanks for the detail and informative post. MRF/Jk or lets say Indian Tyre OEMs are known for the road noise, of all JK is the worst.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

After reading your experience i may shift focus to Yoko Earth 1 or Good year assurance

Originally Posted by madhav14

He should have at least told that he will speak to his senior and come back regarding that possibility.

Originally Posted by ScorpMan

As I said

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

Hey Anurag, I feel sorry for this.

Originally Posted by Darth Sid

That's why I had suggested earlier to try another Swift's wheels to isolate the problem.

Yesterday while I was at home and had some free time, was browsing YouTube for video (DIY) for wheel bearing replacements where one guy (Chris Fix) said that a shot bearing need not have the play that one checks by holding the wheel at position '9' & '3' and '12' & '6' (by the clock). Sometimes a no play bearing can fail but it will give out a metallic sound.

So with that doubt seeded in my head, I headed straight to G M Motors along with BHPian interc00led. At that FNG, I swapped the tyres of a Swift LXi onto my car just to see if the humming noise is because of the wheels or bearing itself.

1) First they got to check the bearing in all 4 wheels but found it in healthy condition;

2) Second thing they did was, remove the front wheels from the other Swift and put it onto mine.

3) Went a TD and VOILA! There is NO HUMMING NOISE at all.

4) Came back and re-fixed my tyres and the Humming noise is back.

CONCLUSION: The tyres are at fault and not my car / wheel bearings as blamed by the MRF TE.

Donor Car - Swift LXi:



Donor Tyre - Apollo Amazer 3G:



Apollo's on my Car:

Originally Posted by Darth Sid

As for selling these tyres off, have you talked to another tyre shop for possibility of buyback?

Haha this is the worst nightmare.

After doing the above trial on my car, I headed straight to the tyres shop in Hyderabad. Informed them that I am interested in tyres from Bridgestone / Michelin / Yokohama.

He looked at my car, opened all 4 tyres and saw the condition. pretty impressed with it he was smiling which made me think I'll get a good buyback so I can swap tyres.

He asked me when I purchased these and if I had the bill. To which I replied Yes. He went inside and spoke the incharge regarding the buyback price.

He came out and said Rs 1200-1500 per tyre is the maximum I can get. I was like

His words: Saar this is MRF and also a non-moving size so no one will buy in second hand market. Moreover people shy away when it is MRF or JK Tyre or Apollo's. People are comfortable with Bridgestone / Michelin / Yokohama.

Had I bought any of the above brands the buyback price would have been better than what I was getting for the MRF.

I thanked him and walked out as the loss that I was bearing was too high.
__________________________________________________ ________

Went straight to M G Tyres and asked for a solution but the owner wasn't there at that time so I have been asked to come again in the afternoon so things can be sorted (If there is a chance). Sent multiple emails to Head Office (Customer relations) but they are all read by blind people I guess.

Let's where this goes and ends.

• Sincere thanks to BHPian interc00led for the time and help to sort this issue out.

[deepv]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

... one guy (Chris Fix) said that a shot bearing need not have the play that one checks by holding the wheel at position '9' & '3' and '12' & '6' (by the clock). ...

Didn't quite get this ... holding wheel at these clock positions??

...
3) Went a TD and VOILA! There is NO HUMMING NOISE at all.

Kudos on your persistence!
It would have kept playing at the back of mind if not for this evidence.

His words: Saar this is MRF and also a non-moving size so no one will buy in second hand market. ..

This is pretty much standard for any kind of buyback.

[Darth Sid]

At least now the cause has been narrowed down to the tyres. Is there a way to contact the TE you met earlier? Maybe he can help you if you show him that he cheated you by saying that the tyres are not at fault.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by deepv

Didn't quite get this ... holding wheel at these clock positions??

Hey sorry if I couldn't put it down correctly. Here are two images to help you understand:

Holding the tyre at 9 O'clock & 3 O'clock position:


Holding the tyre at 12 O'clock & 6 O'clock position:


When the tyre is shaken during this process and you notice a play, the wheel bearings are shot.

Originally Posted by Darth Sid

At least now the cause has been narrowed down to the tyres. Is there a way to contact the TE you met earlier? Maybe he can help you if you show him that he cheated you by saying that the tyres are not at fault.

I'll call him and ask him to meet me today.

[a4anurag]

Went to the dealer - MG Tyres and asked for a solution.

So the dealer called up the head office in Hyderabad regarding this. They replied saying we know the case as it has been inspected by one of our technician and then I was handed over the phone to speak.

After 45 minutes of heated discussion, tomorrow at 4pm again there is a meeting with the senior at MRF where he has promised to look into the issue and solve it. He was very apologetic for the behavior of the technician who carried out the analysis.

They are clear that there will be no chance of a refund but they'll offer me another set of tyres like ZV2K or ZVTS.

What say guys?

[no_boundaries]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

What say guys?

My opinion Anurag. Don't go back to the brand. If a simple check resulted in you running around multiple times what is the assurance this would not re-occur. I suggest ask them for a refund or atleast a percentage of your total cost and move on.

OR;

If they are not settling for a refund, get the new tires and scout around for selling them off at a good cost. However have the sale backed up with a good reason.

[deepv]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

...They are clear that there will be no chance of a refund but they'll offer me another set of tyres like ZV2K or ZVTS.

I am assuming you mean a set of 'new' tyres which would be a decent option, see which one you would like to try - ZV2K or ZVTS, use for some time.
If you don't like them you may always go for replacement later, or better, take these and get them exchanged for Michelins/Bridgestones - should fetch you somewhat more.

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

They are clear that there will be no chance of a refund but they'll offer me another set of tyres like ZV2K or ZVTS.

What say guys?

Get a new set, drive off to another tire shop immediately and swap it with Michelin XM2.
Brand new MRF tires should fetch you a good buy back value.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

CONCLUSION: The tyres are at fault and not my car / wheel bearings as blamed by the MRF TE.

I am glad you were able to locate the exact issue. I have been silently and sadly following your thread all these days, and I must say, for issues related to tyres, it is best to deal straightaway with the high honchos and not some appointed technician. I have been through such an ordeal when the Bridgestone S322 on my M800 went bad in just 8k kilometers. They had issues of radial pull and offlate, they had developed bulges everywhere.

• Approached dealer. He again minted money out of me in name of alignment and balancing-Issue not resolved
• Then they washed their hands saying that some pull will be there on a 16 year old car.
• Disgusted, I contacted Bridgestone. It is the worst company I have ever dealt with, and I think they are some relative of Skoda. ABsolutely carefree attitude, and they had the audacity to say that their dealer had the final say, and they can't help me out in anyway!!

I bit the bullet and decided to change the wheels. Luckily, got a nice buyback of Rs.1500 per tyre only due to the brand image of BS.
Just to give you an idea, I had bought them for Rs. 2650 about 2 years back. According to shop owner, Indian brands don't enjoy such buyback.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

After 45 minutes of heated discussion, tomorrow at 4pm again there is a meeting strange with the senior at MRF where he has promised to look into the issue and solve it. He was very apologetic for the behavior of the technician who carried out the analysis.

They are clear that there will be no chance of a refund but they'll offer me another set of tyres like ZV2K or ZVTS.

What say guys?

I am glad atleast they showed some responsibility. I'd say get replacement in the ZVTS tread, and then you may think of two things-
1. If you are willing to keep them for rest of the life of your car, fine-you can get either the 185 or 195 section as replacement.
2. If you are determined to get rid of the brand, then I'd advise you to get the replacement in 185 section, preferably 185/65R15 in ZVTS brand-It enjoys better image compared to ZV2K, which is more like mid variant. Then go to some multibranded tyre shop, which sells both Michelins and MRF. They'll be able to give you maximum buyback compared to brand exclusive dealers of Michelin or Yoko. Those tyres will be useless for Exclusive outlets as they won't be able to sell them easily compared to multi-brand showrooms.

Regards,
Shashi

[amansanc]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Went to the dealer - MG Tyres and asked for a solution.

So the dealer called up the had office in Hyderabad regarding this. They replied saying we know the case as it has been inspected by one of our technician and then I was handed over the phone to speak.

After 45 minutes of heated discussion, tomorrow at 4pm again there is a meeting strange with the senior at MRF where he has promised to look into the issue and solve it. He was very apologetic for the behavior of the technician who carried out the analysis.

They are clear that there will be no chance of a refund but they'll offer me another set of tyres like ZV2K or ZVTS.

What say guys?

Excellent. Go to the other tyre dealer and ask him which tyre out of ZV2K or ZVTS would fetch higher value if you sell brand new tyres. Take those from MRF as replacement and then go in for better tyres after selling these.

Yes, you will incur some monetary loss even if you sell the new MRF tyres and go for better ones but in my opinion a loss of 4-5k is nothing for peace of mind and a better product.

[Darth Sid]

Looks like everyone else has already suggested what I was going to. If they give you a replacement set at no extra cost, I say go for it. Then drive straight to a multi brand shop and get a set of Michelin Energy XM2 195/60R15.

On a side note, Paytm has some tyres listed at 35% cashback. I just saw a Yokohama Earth 1 185/65R15 for approximately 3300 rupees after cashback. Not that I would recommend buying tyres online but it might be worth a look.

[shashank.nk]

Just read through your ordeal,and agree with what all others have said,better to get tyres from another brand than test your luck.

Also,these tyre dealers merely substitute brands and a few words depending on what they're buying back. Last year I was trying to sell a 195/65 Michelin Primacy LC tyre and was quoted very low prices.

Many dealers said 'Michelin is premium brand and your tyre is odd size. No one in the second-hand market looks for premium brand, they prefer MRF or JK'

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

If they are not settling for a refund, get the new tires and scout around for selling them off at a good cost.

Originally Posted by deepv

If you don't like them you may always go for replacement later, or better, take these and get them exchanged for Michelins/Bridgestones - should fetch you somewhat more.

Originally Posted by kpzen

Get a new set, drive off to another tire shop immediately and swap it with Michelin XM2.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

2. If you are determined to get rid of the brand, then I'd advise you to get the replacement in 185 section, preferably 185/65R15 in ZVTS brand-It enjoys better image compared to ZV2K, which is more like mid variant.

Originally Posted by amansanc

Excellent. Go to the other tyre dealer and ask him which tyre out of ZV2K or ZVTS would fetch higher value if you sell brand new tyres.

Originally Posted by Darth Sid

Then drive straight to a multi brand shop and get a set of Michelin Energy XM2 195/60R15. Not that I would recommend buying tyres online but it might be worth a look.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Just read through your ordeal,and agree with what all others have said, better to get tyres from another brand than test your luck.

Thank you all for the replies and clearing my confusion.

If I am offered either of the two tyres, I'll pick the tyre that comes in 185/65 R15 as the tyre size that I am currently using 195/60 R15 is not a common one and not preferred by the dealers hence would be difficult to get rid. Moreover MRF is the worst brand preferred by dealers.

Hope to put an happy update tomorrow or day after.

[Darth Sid]

So things are looking up then! If you get 185/65R15 at no extra cost, that would be happy news for sure. If you are able to swap them out for a set of Michelins or Yokos or any trouble free tyres at an acceptable cost, you will be free of this worry and headache. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!