[Samurai]

Originally Posted by starter

You anyway have 3 years of warranty.

Tyre warranties mean nothing. After driving in horrible roads of my area, how am I going to prove whether it was manufacturing defect or old age effect or adverse road conditions? They can escape from honouring warranty by quoting 1000 reasons.

Originally Posted by starter

A well stored tyre which is 1.5 years old is the same as a badly stored tyre which is 6 months old.

See, that is my fear. Before they got washed yesterday, the two tyres looked aged, I am not sure how well they were stored.

Originally Posted by starter

If you can get peace of mind for a few thousands, why not!

That's what I am doing now.

[whitemm550]

hey samurai,
you might be pleased to know?? that i am CFa for Michelin in Goa, and i checked out with a couple of companies including Michelin, it seems that the warranty of the tyres is usually valid for 2 years from the date of manufacture, so getting old tyres is definately out. sorry to say but i definately think that as a consumer, you had to be more vigilant, as the dealer( my respects to him) definately ( knowingly or unknowingly) conned you, and as a matter of practice, even here in Goa, i confirmed with the companies, the tyres which have crossed the shelf life are usually recalled from the dealers places, although i wouldnt like to confirm the same.
regards

Originally Posted by Samurai

I just ordered two new tyres and will return the two ancient beings for a loss. Michelin can sit tight with their unfair policy selling old stock for latest price. I am not going to let them spoil my peace of mind.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Sawyer, in your case, they are rare size tyres, and all were old, and you had seen the dates before installing and accepted them. So no issues.

In my case, 235/70R16 is the OE size for Safari & Scorpio. And the LTX AT2 is available in only this size in India, and they are the only all-terrain tyre offered by Michelin in India. Hard to believe they are slow moving tyres. Plus they mixed old and new tyres while giving me a set. I am not accepting it, and will change it at my cost.

i would like to correct you Samurai, that the LTX at are available in 215/75 R15 too

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by whitemm550

i would like to correct you Samurai, that the LTX at are available in 215/75 R15 too

I am referring to LTX AT2, Michelin website shows only one size.

MICHELIN

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by whitemm550

hey samurai,
you might be pleased to know?? that i am CFa for Michelin in Goa, and i checked out with a couple of companies including Michelin, it seems that the warranty of the tyres is usually valid for 2 years from the date of manufacture, so getting old tyres is definately out. sorry to say but i definately think that as a consumer, you had to be more vigilant, as the dealer( my respects to him) definately ( knowingly or unknowingly) conned you, and as a matter of practice, even here in Goa, i confirmed with the companies, the tyres which have crossed the shelf life are usually recalled from the dealers places, although i wouldnt like to confirm the same.
regards

Wrong : From this page
Warranty / Buying Guide / Home - www.michelin.in
When tires are sold within 3 years from date of MFR, warranty is valid for 3 years after purchase, not 3 years after manufacturing date

a. Tyres sold within 3 years of the manufacturing date: Where the tyres are sold within 3 years of the manufacturing date, the warranty shall be for the life of the original usable tread pattern or 3 years from the date of purchase, whichever comes first.
b. Tyres sold 3 years after the manufacturing date: Where the tyres are sold 3 years after the manufacturing date, the warranty shall be for the life of the original usable tread pattern or 6 years from the date of manufacture, whichever comes first. At the end of the relevant periods stated in paragraphs a. and b. above (each referred to as the ‘Warranty Period’), all warranties, express or implied are terminated. The original usable tread pattern is the original pattern down to the level of the tread pattern wear indicators – 1.6 mm of tread pattern remaining. Date of purchase is documented by new vehicle registration (where the tyres were fitted on a new vehicle) or original tyre sales invoice. If there is no proof of purchase, the warranty will be based on the date of manufacture.
At the end of the relevant periods stated in paragraphs a. and b. above (each referred to as the "Warranty Period"), all warranties, express or implied are terminated.
The original usable tread pattern is the original pattern down to the level of the tread pattern wear indicators - 1.6 mm of tread pattern remaining. Date of purchase is documented by new vehicle registration (where the tyres were fitted on a new vehicle) or original tyre sales invoice. If there is no proof of purchase, the warranty will be based on the date of manufacture.

[manim]

Here is my story when I went shopping for Michelin MXV8 tyres for my Civic-AT (some 7 months back): I had specially asked the tyres to be not more than six months old.

1) The first shop took the order and delivered the tyres a few days later. Since it was more than a year old I refused to take delivery.

2) The same thing happened at the second shop.

3) So I contacted a bigger dealer in a bigger city (Chennai LAL). He said that since Michelin is imported it is available only with a bit more shelf-life. Also telephone talk with Michelin officials told me that I cannot expect under six months. I agreed and bought tyres around 14 months old.

As posted before on this thread:
1. Michelin allows up to 3 years before it discards tyres as old stock.
2.The Warranty applies upto 3 years after the Purchase-date and not on the mfd-date.
3. If the tyres are stored properly, they start getting older faster only after fitting and running putting it to heat-cycles.

Conclusion:
My personal opinion is that it is okay to buy tyres uptill 1.5 years old, and it is just a comfort we feel in our mind if we get newer ones.

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by Samurai

A word of advice to new tyre buyers: Check the date before mounting the tyres, nobody else will do it for you.

Whenever my friends are at BK Tyres, New Delhi Jitesh is very particular about the date of manufacture of the tyres being mounted as he knows how fussy I'm about it. (Courtesy:TBHP Gyaan)

Originally Posted by sukiwa

@ aka_iitd & tsk13: Read about DOT code from this thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...-your-car.html

Thanks. I thought only a select few follow this coding Procedure.

[ravibhat]

Its very clear after proper analysis Michelin pushed old tyres even it might be used one for few km. The reason this particular tyre and the size is in great demand and there is hardly any stock sometimes. If they had sent 5 tyres manufactured with same year and few weeks differance thats acceptable. But 1.8 yrs old and 6 months old tyres I can see something fishy here from Michelin.

Samurai you did the best thing to order 2 new tyres and sell those old dated tyres, you will hardly loose anything (max. 1000/- per tyre). First thing I did was change the tyres because Safari's 6 years old tyres I just don't wanted to take risk although they were in good condition. I gifted those 4 old tyres/tubes (I paid 400/- towards transport cost) to my friend who takes me to jungles and nice places when I visit there in Sirsi who would use it in bolero or whatever it suits because I found they use even 8 years old tyres.

FYI I use LTX (all terrain tyre) 15 inch on my 2003 Safari and I found they are not as soft as XM1+ (highway tyre) and not as shiny as XM1+ as well but they are good compared with other brands since previous tyre was goodyear and I have travelled in bridgestone too.

I suggest once you are done email Michelin including their top officers India and abroad about this incident and this thread URL as well. This incident of sending old tyres to small town should be employee mistake rather than Michelin took advantage. But still Michelin must take responsibility!!

OT
I noticed tyres were too hard in my now sold Innova which had mfg date aug05 and was sold to customer in apr 06. I knew this fact very well while buying the vehicle that it was parked under SUN between sep. 05 to march 06. Because of this Battery went dead within couple of years too! which Toyota itself excepted. But its good that Toyota had offered nearly 1 lac. discount for its customer when that Innova was sold in March 06 being 05 model.

So point is befoe you see tyres Michelin must have offered 10-20% discount If you are ok with may08 mfg tyre. Blindly sending old tyre shows they are learning some of the Indian way of business!!

However technically rule says 18 months old tyres does not create any problem, but practically they should not be accepted by customer!

Ravi.

[Nikhilb2008]

Mr. Ravibhat, you need to wake up. What you are demanding is possible only in a fantasy land.

And for your theory that "Michelin purposely sent old tyres", it's nothing but a conspiracy theory. I honestly dont believe that at all.

[ravibhat]

Well I don't want to argue in this matter, I have also mentioned there is no issue in using 18 months old tyre. But it will be psychological feeling especially when 2 tyres are 18 months and 3 are 6 months old. Its just bad luck few customers get into such random badluck.

I totally understand even Michelin or its distributor has to keep clearing out old stocks. At some point of time someone has to loose(Customer or Michelin).

Regards,

Ravi.

OT PS Nikhil I realized both of us joined TBHP same year/month

[Gansan]

@Nikhil

OT, but after going through the posts, I have the following doubts:

1. What are the "best before" dates for tyres from Indian companies? If it is also 3 yrs from DOM, then the climate factor (cool/tropical) is not valid.

2. I, as a consumer, will naturally try to ensure the tyres are from as latest stock as possible. But if the date of sale is well within the "best before" date then I think the dealer is not at fault. Provided the mixing of tyres from different batches does not matter, as you say. But is there a possibility that the tyres from the earlier batch will go bad before those of the newer batch, for a low mileage user?

3. Does age actually mean DOM or KM run or both? All the five MRF ZVTS on my Alto are from April'09. When I do the 5k KM tyre rotation, one of them will be, shall we say "brand new". So will it be better to do a 4 tyre rotation instead of a 5 tyre one?

5. My brother-in-law's Alto is five years old, all 5 of his tyres (ZVTS again) are from May'04, and in good condition. The car has done only 21500 KM till date. Is it safe for him to continue with the tyres or should I tell him to change them? They look good for another 20k KM at least. I am concerned because he does go on the occassional highway trip.

[Nikhilb2008]

1). Anything less than 1 and a half years old is ok. But it obviously makes sense to try your level best to get the latest possible tyre. But in some cases, it is not possible. So, anything upto 1.5 years is ok.

2). How do you define "go bad"? Tyres when exposed to the elements harden and crack. I've never seen it in a Michelin, Yoko or Conti. I'm serious. I've NEVER seen a tyre of these brands crack. I've seen loads of MRFs, Bridgestones, Goodyears in this condition, but never a Yoko, Michelin or Conti.

Technically though, it's true. A tyre which is one year older than the others will degrade sooner than the newer tyre.

3). Age means DOM. KMs run has nothing to do with age. Some tyres would be 6 years old. They would have been fitted on a car which has run 10,000 kms. I would stay away from such a tyre even if it's offered free of cost.

In your case, it doesnt matter. Such minute variations will not matter. The thing is, at the end of the life cycle(maybe 60 or 65k kms), all 5 tyres should be equally worn.

4) --- You missed this number in your post!

5). It's ok. But after another couple of years, it's better to get it changed. Also, you cant decide purely on numbers. You should see the tyre and get it examined by a professional. He can then give you the best advice.

[DieselFan]

When I went to shop for new set of tyres for my Swift-D there was a set of BS Turanza ER60 which was 18 months old and a set of BS Potenza GIII which was 4 months old. I had Turanza in mind before I went shopping.

Any guesses which tyres I finally selected. Potenza. Why? because I got Potenza for same price as Turanza and they were New. The new factor was overweighing the debated Noise factor of Potenza GIII. I am happy with the buy so far. Not much of road noise even after 10000 kms of drive on new set of tyres.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

1).
4) --- You missed this number in your post!

Thanks for the inputs. There actually was a point #4 which I thought was not relevant and removed, but forgot to edit the subsequent number!

[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Out of the first 4 tyres, two were Jun08 (2308) and the Michelin logo was smeared in red color. The May09 (2109) tyres were smeared in blue. The fifth tyre (blue & 2109) arrived late when the installation was almost over.

I presume you've bought white-lettering tyres,the blue/red ink is not due to being 'badly stored and smeared' it's there to preserve the white letters from getting dirty/smudged when tyres are stacked one on top of the other.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I wanted to feel wonderful after installing Michelins on my Grand Vitara, but I just feel miserable now.

'coz you're letting yourself be that way over an 'issue' which i clearly see you have no intention of being otherwise convinced about

Originally Posted by ravibhat

Its very clear after proper analysis Michelin pushed old tyres even it might be used one for few km. The reason this particular tyre and the size is in great demand and there is hardly any stock sometimes. If they had sent 5 tyres manufactured with same year and few weeks differance thats acceptable. But 1.8 yrs old and 6 months old tyres I can see something fishy here from Michelin.

I wonder by what stretch of imagination you thought Michelin would do something like sell tyres which have been run a few kms,when they point blank refuse to take back even those that have been mounted onto rims ?? And if the size is so much in demand how come someone would return them in the first place / dealers would have 'old' tyres ??

Originally Posted by ravibhat

I gifted those 4 old tyres/tubes to my friend who takes me to jungles and nice places when I visit there in Sirsi who would use it in bolero or whatever it suits because I found they use even 8 years old tyres.

You're fine being driven around in a car shod with 8 yr old tyres in a jungle where no one would come to your rescue if you were to be in a tight spot, but have sleepless nights driving with 8 month old tyres in a city when help is a 1 paisa call away ??

Originally Posted by ravibhat

So point is before you see tyres Michelin must have offered 10-20% discount If you are ok with may08 mfg tyre.

Forget offering 10% Michelin would not even blink if you were to suggest something like this.

Originally Posted by ravibhat

technically rule says 18 months old tyres does not create any problem, but practically they should not be accepted by customer!Ravi.

So basically it's the heart ruling over the head, technically the tyres are right but practically they're wrong

Originally Posted by whitemm550

I am C&FA for Michelin in Goa,as the dealer( my respects to him) definately ( knowingly or unknowingly) conned you, and as a matter of practice, even here in Goa, i confirmed with the companies, the tyres which have crossed the shelf life are usually recalled from the dealers places, although i wouldnt like to confirm the same.

Let's get this right whitemm, you wouldn't like to confirm something that you claim you've confirmed with the companies ?? AFAIK no company has ever recalled tyres that have 'crossed their shelf life' ever ever in India,be it desi or videsi. It's mighty surprising coming from someone like you who's a part of the tyre trade. And pray how in god's name can a dealer definetly con you unkowingly ??

For all those following this thread, it's easy to make assumptions and allegations,but you cannot simply tarnish a company / individual (dealer in this case) based on hearsay or what certain individuals 'think' Ground realities and the logistics involved make the availability of tyres from the factory to the dealer end a prolonged procedure. It's not possible that you land up at the dealer and expect him to give you factory fresh tyres. Ishaan and Nikhil are 2 people everyone trusts when it comes to tyres,and they've made their views and opinions clear on the matter.These guys are not on michelin's payroll, they're telling you things 'coz they know how tyre companies and dealers function. The problem with online forums is many people tend to believe the written word,without getting into the intricacies of how things get done in real life.

[SX4LOVER]

Michelin tyres being sold after such a long time. something fishy here i suppose.!