[amitwadhwa]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Sorry for being slightly off-topic but how exactly does one prevent this so called tyre abuse? What is the reason given by these experts when they cite this to decline your warranty. How can you abuse the tyres within 3000 kms to have bubbles form? Also do they actually ever process a warranty related claim?

As someone said on this forum, we should keep the tyres in the passenger compartment
The reason given to me was that "Bangalore roads are horrible, there is not much we can do, it is a consumable. Only manufacturing defects are covered. It has already run 3000 kms, must have hit a few potholes on the sidewall, after all it's rubber."
I really doubt they honor warranties. Maybe if you are a big shot and can pull some strings, they will just replace it outright, but other than that "the power of a common man is underestimated" - not that we have much here anyway

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by amitwadhwa

The reason given to me was that "Bangalore roads are horrible, there is not much we can do, it is a consumable. Only manufacturing defects are covered. It has already run 3000 kms, must have hit a few potholes on the sidewall, after all it's rubber."
I really doubt they honor warranties. Maybe if you are a big shot and can pull some strings, they will just replace it outright, but other than that "the power of a common man is underestimated" - not that we have much here anyway

No but this is what I am interested in knowing. What is a manufacturing defect when it comes to tyres? That they left a hole/cut in brand new tyre? Ofcourse in that situation it will not get inflated in the first place.

How do they decide abuse? I am sure in under 10k kms their would be no uneven loss of tyre tread. Hitting a pothole leaves a mark on the tyre? I don't think so.

[amitwadhwa]

So allow me to first gloat a little and then tell you about the abysmal condition of our system in my opinion.
This is my 6th car, and I've done about 400000 kms in my past 12 years of driving. Three of those were vernas... First gen, then fluidic, then fluidic again. (almost booked the Elantra on launch date, but didn't - but that's another topic). I respect cars, and I drive them quite well I think.

I've never ever had any trouble with tyres, i've been on the same roads for donkeys years now. Nobody gets to drive my car. Even when I was in a right leg plaster, I was using the car's torque to propel myself along without the gas pedal. But over the years I've also come to realize that the after sales support we get on anything - be it food, clothes, consumables, cars, electronics - is nowhere close to what there is in other countries. Ive never been to consumer court either, though ive heard a lot about how they fast track stuff etc.
That said, our suppliers, trying to save brand equity (Raymond's replaced a shirt free for me when a thread came out, but my gshock case replacement from the authorised service center had zero day guarantee on water proofing), also know how to work around the system big time. If you are lucky, you are lucky, else pay up and move on, is the story here.

When my tyre incident happened, I had two choices - buy a tyre outside for 5k, or buy the 7.5k tyre from Hyundai at 50% off. Period. No other choices were given or are available. Ok if I choose to take bridgestone to court over 3.5k, im sure hey have an army of lawyers waiting to burn holes in my pocket. I can't take Hyundai to court - they have it clearly written that go to the oem manufacturer.
If I do win a case against bridgestone after a million years, im sure it will cost me a fortune. Plus either I make do with the bubbled tyre, or buy a new tyre anyway, till the case is closed (and end up with a 6th tyre from bridgestone as a replacement).

All such suppliers here are like the tobacco and pharma companies of the west.

A manufacturing defect in the oem tyre would imply a weak lining or something like that. But im sure they have that covered saying it became weak because you abused it.

Bottom line, throw away the warranty card when you get it.

[Nikhilb2008]

It's easy to blame the manufacturers but no one actually is honest enough about their driving and the abuse a tyre goes through.

99% of the time, there is a clear indication on the rim. I have personally looked through many people's bullshit stories and caught them lying.

Anyway, it doesnt matter if you've driven 20 kms or 20 million kms. If your luck is bad, you can have a damaged tyre. A damaged tyre has nothing to do with your many years of driving.

A tyre can be damaged if it's pinched between a stone and the road, footpath, median, etc... Hit a pothole at the wrong angle, even at a slow speed, and you have a damaged tyre.

It is always amazing to me that people just want to blame tyre companies instead of blaming the local corporations for the bad roads. We all pay road tax, toll, etc. Why not direct this indignation towards them and the contractors who build shoddy roads?

Let it not be said that I am a supporter of the tyre companies. I am well aware of their business practices and have a lot of contempt for some of them. But unfairly holding them responsible for something they havent done is just silly.

We are aware of weight transfer in a vehicle. Brake and the front wheels and tyres get loaded. Accelerate and the rears get loaded. Imagine a worst case scenario of hitting a pothole when you are braking. You may be at a slow speed, but the weight of the car is transferred to the front.

Also, the angle of the wheel/tyre makes a difference. If the steering wheel is turned a bit, there is a chance for the sidewall to get pinched.

With all this happening every hour of every day on our roads, can you seriously remember each and every pothole/stone/expansion joint you hit and the precise conditions at that time? Of course you cant! But it happens. And at one given moment, the limits of the tyre are exceeded and you damage your tyre.

So, please dont think that just because you havent had a damaged tyre for 12 years, you are somehow immune to it!


Mohit - In today's world, there is no real manufacturing defect. I mean, there are cases when the tread separates from the carcass. This happens due to a manufacturing defect. But everything else we see on a tyre is caused due to external impacts.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Mohit - In today's world, there is no real manufacturing defect. I mean, there are cases when the tread separates from the carcass. This happens due to a manufacturing defect. But everything else we see on a tyre is caused due to external impacts.

Thanks for that explanation. This is what I was seeking out. So basically as you rightly said, tyre warranties are a myth except in the rarest of rare occasion. For all practical purposes everything can be blamed on our roads.

[pmvelu]

I am currently facing similar problem (Bridgestone not accepting the guarantee) and hence thought of writing my issue too in this thread.

I bought 4 B290 Tyres for my Santro from Bridgestone select. Bridgestone dealer told me, approximately B290 tyres will hold good for 50K-70000 kms. But in just 15000 kms, (At 85000 Km, All 4 tyres changed and at 100000 kms 2 front tyres went totally bald and the other 2 tyres are good). Enquired with the dealer and he told , probably I did not do the alignments on time. I actually did 4 paid alignments ( twice in the same bridgestone select shop and twice in Michelin tyres shop) in that 15000 kms. So Sent a mail to Bridgestone india on this and one BS engineer came and inspected and right from start he was mentioning guarantee wont cover and casually he suggested me to do alignments only in Bridgestone select shop . Not sure whether that point make any sense.He asked me to collect the alignement reports from the other shop. I got all those and sent it to him. Now, the logic from him is :
a) Tyre manufacturer is not at fault
b) Went through all the alignment reports and all alignments were properly done and hence alignment centre is not at fault
c) You as a customer did a good job as you did 4 paid alignments in 15000 kms. so you are not at fault.

Something happened between 8000 -10000 kms and that's the problem. After Long discussions , his answer is , Bridgestone guarantee wont cover this but as a help he can give 1240 RS for only one tyre and for other tyre nothing(provided I change the tyre again from the same dealer and it's deduction from tyre cost and not cash). I totally got frustated by his bargain talks and the projection of 1240 Rs deduction as a personal help, I rejected his offer . Just for information, I bought 4 tyres for 14400 (including fitting + alignemnt charges )

Sent mail to bridgestone customer support and till now no response / no calls.

Now more than the tyre problem, the lethargic attitude of customer support (by not answering the mails ) is more irritating.

Note: Previously I had MRF tube tyre (Stock) and it lasted for close to 55000 kms with majority of driving in poor/ forest roads.
By reading through Nikhil's post, it looks guarantee card is mere formality as always the tyre manufacturer will be having positive edge.


Advice Needed :

1) Is there any use in following up with the BS folks on this?
2) Can I replace the bald BS tyres with MRF ZVTS ( I mean 2 tyres BS and 2 tyres MRF is ok?)

Thanks in advance for your help

[VellVector]

How can you blame the tyre company if you wear out the treads on your tires? There are a lot of factors for tires wearing out, though burning out just the front tires in just 15K KM points to some spirited driving on your part.

Stick to one type of tire, mixing series let alone brands is never advisable.

[black_rider]

Originally Posted by pmvelu

I am currently facing similar problem (Bridgestone not accepting the guarantee) and hence thought of writing my issue too in this thread.

Would be helpful if you could upload images of all the tires' treads.

[Enobarbus]

I too had tyre issues twice; both times with Bridgestones and both times the warranty claim was rejected for the exact reasons mentioned.

Going through the arguments, it is clear that:

1. There is no way you can prove that you were not at fault.
2. The tyre company can always claim that the tyre was abused, because there is no stretch of road in India that doesn't have a pot hole or some such obstruction.
3. As mentioned by Amit above, just throw away the warranty card as soon as you buy the new tyre.

[pmvelu]

Thanks Vellvector, black_rider, Enobarbus for sharing your thoughts / Advice. I am attaching the photos of the tyres below. For time being , Changed the bald tyres to the back and good tyres to the front. Will change all 4 shortly.

[sagarpadaki]

From the pics it looks like your car alignment is shot royally. Can you post the alignment report values if you have them. Maybe the car's tie rod and lower arms must be changed if the before and after values are still out of the range

[Enobarbus]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

From the pics it looks like your car alignment is shot royally. Can you post the alignment report values if you have them. Maybe the car's tie rod and lower arms must be changed if the before and after values are still out of the range

Yes, from the pictures, it is clearly a case of misalignment of wheels. Apart from the parts mentioned, this can also happen if one or both the shock absorbers go weak.

[pmvelu]

Sagar, I am attaching 2 alignment reports which is with me. First and Last report BS engineer directly collected from BS select . Please have a look .

On my stock tyre (MRF) , I missed many periodic alignments (Without knowing its importance and being the first car) but still it lasted for 55000 kms .

Once I did car service with Hyundai service centre during this tyre's tenure.

[black_rider]

Originally Posted by pmvelu

For time being , Changed the bald tyres to the back and good tyres to the front. Will change all 4 shortly.

Looking at the tire wear, front 2 tires (which have now been moved to back) are worn out at outer edges, seems like your front suspension has a outside-limit positive camber. But the reports suggest that all parameters are within limits. And this does not add up.

I would suggest you to visit a good alignment shop in your city, someone who knows what he is doing, and has his machines calibrated periodically.

Did you have any suspension work done on your car in the last 15K kms? Any accident/body repair? If not, have your suspension checked. There could be worn out bushes, and at the car's mileage its a possibility.

I don't think there is a need to change the good tires, unless they are more than 6 years old from manufacturing date. Just have your alignment issue fixed, and get 2 new tires of exact same size.

[VellVector]

As mentioned above, it looks like your alignment is fried. Does the car pull in any direction while driving? I would get the alignment and suspension checked at the ASS before your other tires (which you have moved to the front) also wear out in a similar pattern.