Community Forums

Juanita andm · 07-10-2011, 10:00 PM

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I were discussing rotating the Michelin LTX LT265/70R17 tires on my 2008 Dodge 2500 HD diesel. My wife and I are planning a long trip and he said he wouldn’t make a long trip with cracks in the sidewalls like that. I looked and sure enough all 4 tires looked like they were weather checked and some looked bad. Note I only have 33,000 miles on the truck. I took the truck to Perkins dodge in Colorado Springs CO to see if they could help. I was told that yes the truck came with the tires and they sold them but they didn’t do warrantee work and the only help he did was to give me the name of a tire dealer.
I went to DLS Tire center, 127 Wasatch Ave in Colorado Springs, the dealer that Dodge told me about. The manager, Bob, immediately dropped what he was doing and came out and inspected the tires. He efficiently got all the required information. He said the tires were only cracked on the outside He mentioned our sun in Divide at 9500 feet. I told him we’ve been gone for most of the year and why did all sides crack and not just ones facing the sun. He said give him about an hour to get hold of Michelin and see what he could do. When we came back about an hour later, he said Michelin agreed to pay 47% as a good will gesture and I would have to pay 57%. That was way better than what the Dodge dealer offered and should have done. I ended up paying with mounting, balancing, and tax about $775 dollars for 4 upgraded tires (70,000 mile tires instead of 60,000 and a roadside service warrantee). I’ve used Michelins on my trucks and never had issues before and I greatly appreciate Michelins offer. And if you’re in the springs, you can’t beat the service and professionalism of DLS Tires. Bob, said he could have done my trailer tires but I had already gotten tires in Divide. Oh, and by the way, he checked his computer for the scheduled transmission fluid change on the truck which he could have done. Two dealers had said 30,000 miles but never looked it up and my book states 60,000 miles. He was honest and said even pulling the trailer it was 60,000 miles.
He didn’t ask if I used tire dressing. I noticed I have a part of a bottle of Armor All tire shine or something like that. It has petroleum in it, but it didn’t cause the Michelins on my car to crack, and I might have used it on the truck tires. But then why only the truck tires and why would Armor All sell something that couldn’t be used on all tires and aren’t being sued.

Mr_D · 07-10-2011, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juanita andm

He didn’t ask if I used tire dressing. I noticed I have a part of a bottle of Armor All tire shine or something like that. It has petroleum in it, but it didn’t cause the Michelins on my car to crack, and I might have used it on the truck tires. But then why only the truck tires and why would Armor All sell something that couldn’t be used on all tires and aren’t being sued.

Lots of companies sell things that couldn't/shouldn't be used on tires. In fact NO tire dressing is approved by Michelin for use on their tires other than one they advertise on their site. However it seems to be out of production/stock and they don't know when or even if it will be brought back. Michelin used to say 303, but then they got their own brand and say not even 303 now.
I was talking to a person from Les Schwab and he said the since Mothers tire dressing contained no petroleum distillates it was OK. I looked at the ingredients and the first thing listed was...........Petroleum Distillates!!
It's real possible that you drive you cars more than the truck. That keeps the chemicals going to the surface so they are not showing the cracking. But your truck is sitting more so the emollients aren't being brought to the surface so you get the cracking.

Juanita andm · 07-11-2011, 09:23 PM

Other way around. We drive the truck more than the car. It might have been a bad batch of rubber-just glad that Michellin didn't ignore it completely.

**JohnRR** · 07-11-2011, 09:44 PM

Either way thank you for posting about the situation. There are plenty of situations posted about negatively so it's nice to see some good ones that many take for granted

TexasPSDX · 07-12-2011, 08:45 AM

2 years ago, I went into Discount Tire to have my Michelins rotated and balanced. Tech guy showed me my tires and said they should not be weather cracked like they were. They had 35,000 miles on them at the time. The manager came out and looked them over, measured tread depth, went inside and when he came out, he told me Michelin would give me 50% credit toward the price of new tires. Needless to say, I left there with 4 new tires.

I always run Michelin tires. Seem to have good luck with them and will continue to use them.

Tom-NC · 07-12-2011, 09:20 AM

Hi,

I thoroughly believe in Michelin Tires. I had them on my 87 RV and went 90,000 miles on them with no problems. I now have them on my 04 motorhome which has 48K on them with no cracking or any problems. I do put a tire dressing on them and they are covered when the RV is not used.

When the RV is parked all 6 tires are parked on 2X12's which keeps them off moist gravel which I believe helps. I also check tire pressure at least once a month.

In conclusion I believe it is the way you take care of your tires and that Micelins are top in my book. In fact Michelins come as standard equipment on my 2011 Ford Escape.

Juanita andm · 07-12-2011, 08:25 PM

Thanks all for the posts. I'm thinking about using 303 dressing on them (my tires) as it's used on aircraft and I use it on my kayak which is recommended. Pretty expensive though.

cutrell01 · 07-14-2011, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juanita andm

Thanks all for the posts. I'm thinking about using 303 dressing on them (my tires) as it's used on aircraft and I use it on my kayak which is recommended. Pretty expensive though.

303 is good and it works on a lot of things besides tires. I use it all the time and it provides good UV protection and makes things slick so they are easier to clean. Use it on my RV fiberglass after it has been cleaned. Can buy in a 20oz spray bottle and it is not too expensive.

Juanita andm · 07-15-2011, 09:27 PM

I think I bought it in a sporting goods store and it seemed expensive. Where did you get yours?
Thanks

cutrell01 · 07-17-2011, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juanita andm

I think I bought it in a sporting goods store and it seemed expensive. Where did you get yours?
Thanks

I believe I bought my 303 from Camping World or straight from the 303 web site. Goggle several sites that sell RV supplies and you can probably find it at other places also.

bdaball · 07-17-2011, 09:17 AM

I'm riding a new set of Michelins that they discounted 50%. I had about 30,000 miles and I felt uncomfortable riding with the cracked sidewalls. We are about to trade up and the new coach has Michelins. A comforting feeling.

Ray,IN · 07-17-2011, 10:17 PM

FWIW, most tire mfgrs. say not to use anything on their tires. I found that out by reading obscure pages of their websites.

Juanita andm · 07-18-2011, 06:02 PM

We're heading up to Montana and points NW. I'll check the web and maybe COSTCO since I'm out. Thanks for all the info. This is an interesting thread with some positive views so will try to catch up next week.