[asit.kulkarni93]

If the other 3 tyres on your car are in a decent condition then you will get a buy back from the tyre dealer when you purchase 4 new tyres. I know 18k kms is a bit early but 50k kms is a lot. Considering the cost involved in importing a single tyre through Audi is very high, it would be best if you go in for 4 new tyres. You have options ranging from yoko's, Michelins and Pirelli's.

Good luck!

[gkveda]

If the Car has a spare wheel with same Tyre specifications as 3 wheels, then, suggest you to deploy the spare wheel along with the 3 existing wheels for usage and purchase a Michelin Tyre to use it as spare.

When all the four tires are utilized to its fullest extent, you can replace all 5 wheels together.

Only issue would be, you will not be able to rotate all 5 wheels but you need to manage with only 4 wheels rotation. I think this should still be fine instead of spending a bomb on new spare Tyre

[mijnoirhammer67]

Well why dont you see what price you get when you opt to sell your current three tyres? Or even sell two of the current set and keep one for handy situations like you are in now. You dont seem keen on replacing them but i dont think its the wisest of options to have a tyre different than the other three especially when their milages vary so much.

And to the best of my knowledge, most SUV's only see about 20-30k kms of tyre abuse before change. The Q3 is what, 1.5 tonnes? Now thats sorta heavy. Though alot of conditions can be a factor. Driving style, roads, treatment and what not. My advice is to sell the current lot and buy yourself new tyres which are easily accessible in the future. 50k for one tyre is absolute criminal.

[vinit.merchant]

Now that you have tried your chances in all possible avenues, I suggest you take the quote of the dealer as base (i.e. 50k INR per tyre) and buy all 4 new for less than 50k. New shoes should be good for another 30-40k kms.

[SSarkar]

Update

Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.

Was about to get all four tyres changed to 'T' rated ones (190 km/hr), when I got an update from a guy that stays in my building who I had approached with this problem. He is some sort of a tyre whole-seller.

He got the tyre I was looking for. Its a grey market piece. I guess smuggled from somewhere.

Nevertheless, he got it somehow and it seemed like a legit original, so i paid him for it. It was slightly more expensive that the global list price, but still I got it for 14k with fitting.

Unfortunately no warranty, but my plan is to change all four tyres after about 10K more kilometers to locally available ones and use this one as spare.

Lesson learnt, next time I buy a car, I'm going to also check aftermarket availability of the OEM tyres before taking the decision.

[mrinmoy_s]

In the hindsight, just wanted to ask, don't you have a zero depreciation insurance cover? If I am not wrong, a zero dep would cover your tyre as well in case of any accidental damage.
I had my Rapid hit on a divider once, with damages to the bumper and one of the front tyres. I got it covered under cashless zero dep insurance including the tyre replacement. Don't know if I am missing something obvious.

[shankarbn]

Originally Posted by SSarkar

Update

Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.

Was about to get all four tyres changed to 'T' rated ones (190 km/hr), when I got an update from a guy that stays in my building who I had approached with this problem. He is some sort of a tyre whole-seller.

He got the tyre I was looking for. Its a grey market piece. I guess smuggled from somewhere.

Nevertheless, he got it somehow and it seemed like a legit original, so i paid him for it. It was slightly more expensive that the global list price, but still I got it for 14k with fitting.

Unfortunately no warranty, but my plan is to change all four tyres after about 10K more kilometers to locally available ones and use this one as spare.

Lesson learnt, next time I buy a car, I'm going to also check aftermarket availability of the OEM tyres before taking the decision.

Congratulations on getting it sorted. Was it a Bridgestone Dueler Sport 98V? Curiously, 215/65R16 98v tyres have always been available on snapdeal - though not exact brand and tread type.

[SSarkar]

Originally Posted by mrinmoy_s

In the hindsight, just wanted to ask, don't you have a zero depreciation insurance cover? If I am not wrong, a zero dep would cover your tyre as well in case of any accidental damage.

I had my Rapid hit on a divider once, with damages to the bumper and one of the front tyres. I got it covered under cashless zero dep insurance including the tyre replacement. Don't know if I am missing something obvious.

I do have zero dep insurance. However, unfortunately what they told me is that this kind of damage isn't covered. Technically, the tyre damage was caused by a really tough nail lodged in the tyre for a long time and according to them, the car was driven for quite a distance in that situation leading to further damage.

To the tyre's credit, it didn't blow out (thankfully), I realised that there was damage only when I stopped to refuel.

In any case, this damage as per the insurance company does not amount to accidental damage...its more like 'damage from ignorance or something in the zone of act of god'

Originally Posted by shankarbn

Congratulations on getting it sorted. Was it a Bridgestone Dueler Sport 98V? Curiously, 215/65R16 98v tyres have always been available on snapdeal - though not exact brand and tread type.

Yup, got the exact same dueler sport model with matching tread pattern and rating.

Reason I did not go for any other make is because the tread patters and tyre composite would not have matched.

I probably could've lived with it but I guess just the knowledge that one of my 4 tyres is of a different company & tread pattern would have irritated me no end. A bit of an OCD issue.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by mrinmoy_s

In the hindsight, just wanted to ask, don't you have a zero depreciation insurance cover? If I am not wrong, a zero dep would cover your tyre as well in case of any accidental damage.
I had my Rapid hit on a divider once, with damages to the bumper and one of the front tyres. I got it covered under cashless zero dep insurance including the tyre replacement. Don't know if I am missing something obvious.

Zero depreciation policies do NOT cover tyres

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by noopster

Zero depreciation policies do NOT cover tyres

You are right, Zero Dep policies do not cover tires by themselves. But you can get an add on cover for the tires on most cars.

Usually the all risk cover on the high end brands cover the tires and wheels, unless the buyer chooses to buy a cheaper policy with lower coverage.

[mrinmoy_s]

Originally Posted by noopster

Zero depreciation policies do NOT cover tyres

I think in its regular form it does not. But the insurance that I had from Bajaj Allianz in the first year of ownership of my car had it covered. Frankly speaking, I did not know that it covered. The Service Center guys told me it was covered and they replaced the tyre (the same stock Apollo 185 one) under the insurance

I have now upgraded to Michelin 195, so don't have any idea if the present policy (Zero Dep from Future Generali) would cover it or not!

[shankarbn]

Originally Posted by SSarkar

Yup, got the exact same dueler sport model with matching tread pattern and rating.

Reason I did not go for any other make is because the tread patters and tyre composite would not have matched.

I probably could've lived with it but I guess just the knowledge that one of my 4 tyres is of a different company & tread pattern would have irritated me no end. A bit of an OCD issue.

Wow getting that exact tyre is a massive relief. Also re OCD : Suffice to say there are many of us cut from the same cloth

[carmayogi]

Originally Posted by mrinmoy_s

In the hindsight, just wanted to ask, don't you have a zero depreciation insurance cover? If I am not wrong, a zero dep would cover your tyre as well in case of any accidental damage.
I had my Rapid hit on a divider once, with damages to the bumper and one of the front tyres. I got it covered under cashless zero dep insurance including the tyre replacement. Don't know if I am missing something obvious.

Originally Posted by noopster

Zero depreciation policies do NOT cover tyres

If I am correct, an accident that also damages tyre(s) may result in tyre(s) being replaced as part of the zero dep warranty. I think there are some restrictions though including age and kilometers run. In the OP's case, the damage could be argued by the insurance company as anything from road conditions, driving off-road, negligence, rough use etc - essentially to get away from paying.

I guess it is a good idea to have readily available tyres on your car especially in our conditions.

A side note since I have moved to New York City - many of the new taxis here are Nissan Evalias (called NV200) running on JK Tyre Vectras!! Wonder what their experience is of buying replacements!

[rocksterraghu]

I can see that the issue is resolved, but here's 2 cents from my experience. The 215 profile is dying a slow death in India. It's either 205 or 225 that's selling across the brands. I would suggest you consider an upgrade to 225 the next time you upgrade the tyres or consider a purchase upgrade that involves 215. 225 is widely available in P3ST (I'm running a 225/50/17, not on a Q3 though; you could source a 45 quite easily too) or Michelin Sport or Continental MC5.

[prasadee]

Originally Posted by SSarkar

But, I'm uncomfortable with doing that, as it will not match the tread pattern of the other 3 tyres and may also lead to uneven tyre wear.

For many years, I have only replaced 2 tires at a time. If your Q3 is a non Quattro FWD, that would wear faster than the rear anyways. If I get 60k miles on rear, I get 30k miles on front. So, 2 sets of front for every set of rear. You can drive it like you stole it, knowing you would replace the front sooner. No need to rotate tires either

Also, assuming the other (good) tire has some wear, your wheel alignment may be affected if you replace just the damaged tire. If I were you, I would replace 2 tires with the other brand (Rs 10k tires).