New Tire

[TurtleKent]

Why is one tire being replaced, and why is it not being replaced under warranty? And why not go directly to Goodyear for the replacement?

[Riover]

Here's the whole story, I'll do my best to keep it brief.

I had just gotten my coach back from Thor (Indiana) and was heading home to Texas when I noticed the rear passenger side tire was looking low. Checked the pressure on the inner tire and received no reading. I reached my hand back to feel the tire and the darn thing moved, I could push it all around. Ended up calling Goodyear because I figured this had to be covered under warranty (brand new tire, mysteriously flat). They gave me the number of a Goodyear shop to call. The person at Goodyear was very helpful and I was optimistic after that call.

The Goodyear shop crushed my optimistic outlook. First thing they told me was they never had a transaction such as this and were unsure how to proceed but would figure it out (this is relevant info for my next call to Goodyear). Then they tried to take off my tire. They pulled on the lugs, they twisted them, they then asked me if I had a special tool. I looked it up on Google how to remove the covers and actually found the answer on this forum. I showed them how to remove the lugs, showed them the groove and gave them the tool. They broke the tool (it lost its shape as they tried to remove a lug), eventually they got the cover off by using their own tools.

Then they came and told me that the only tire they have has a different type of sidewall because it's an older model. They asked me if I wanted a newer one and I told them I wanted it to be the same tire as the others, so yes. They told me it might be a couple of days and I told them, "take as long as necessary". They found a tire said the year it was and told me it was the exact same as what I have (that's all I knew to ask for, was not aware of the age being an issue).

Three days later I get a call that it's ready. My bill was a shade under $700 and they told me I would pay them, then they would ship the tire to Goodyear and if Goodyear's investigation determined that it was a warranty covered problem (get this) Goodyear would send them a check and they would send the check to me.

The billing thing seemed kind of strange to me so I decided to give Goodyear a call and see if they could just mail the check to me. Before I made the call to Goodyear I decided to get some more info concerning tire age from this forum (started this thread). Due to my previous experience on the phone with Goodyear I figured I'd get this straightened out fairly easily, boy was I wrong.

I gave the lady at Gooodyear my case number, told her my concerns about the billing, the tire age and the broke tool. In a nutshell she told me that they don't deal with commercial tires I would have to talk to the shop that I went to. I told her it was warranty work, she said that according to the shop I went to it wasn't covered because I rode on a flat. I told her the shop said that they would send in the tire to determine if it was covered, she said she wasn't personally aware of the process because again, they don't handle commercial tires, I would have to contact the shop. I also mentioned that it had to go flat somehow, something happened to the tire before I drove on it flat, surely that's not justification to deny my claim. I asked her who would I speak to if I spoke with the shop and I didn't feel that the problem was being handled correctly, surely Goodyear doesn't defer to that shop for all decisions. She gave me a number for an area manager that if I'm guessing correctly, manages that shop. So that's where I'm at, gotta call this manager guy tomorrow, it was too late to get a hold of him today.

I forgot to mention, on the tire age, when I pushed her on that subject she told me that according to the DOT number the shop provided her, the tire they pulled from my RV was a 2008, so it probably is not that big of a deal if they put an older tire on. If that's true then I suppose I'll be making some more calls but I have a sneaky suspicion that the tire they put on my RV is the DOT number she was looking at.

Thanks for letting me share and for the info you've given me so far.

[sirpurrcival]

This may be a possible solution for you. If your front tires are the same make and age as the rear, I would replace the two front steer tires, put one on in place of the bad rear and then check the other against your spare and keep whichever one is in better shape. True, you end up buying two tires but you get new rubber for the steering which is really not a bad thing. What's more, your front steer tires can be different from the rear so you are not constrained to the same brand.

[JFXG]

Riover.... Sorry you're having such a hard time. Hopefully you can get this resolved, and perhaps other items after a thorough inspection.

First, you open your recent post saying "...I had just gotten my coach back from Thor (Indiana) and was heading home...". Why was the coach back at Thor? Warranty? Was anyone at that time messing with wheels and tires?

You need to stop for a bit and step back. In my opinion, it sounds like you are being (or have been) blatantly defrauded. Its hard to imagine that the manufacturer would have sent out a new vehicle with such old tires hidden on the inner duals, but it was back in Thor's shop after the sale; and even if they did send it out new that way, any reasonable person would conclude that the dealer should have found the problem. It sounds to me likely that someone-- either the dealer or someone in Thor's shop-- pulled the two brand new inner rear tires off your coach so they could sell them under the counter, and replaced them on your coach with two old trade-ins, hoping you'd never notice. If they did this, they may well have tried other tricks as well. If this were my brand new coach at this point, I would demand a thorough inspection by an independent tech, at Thor's expense.

1) You should have a lawyer on your side right away. Have your lawyer deal directly with Thor, and at the very least demand a full new set of tires and a thorough inspection of the entire coach.... by an independent service center, if possible, since you don't know who's screwing with you.

2) When your right inner rear went flat, and you then drove for some indeterminate time on the single right outer rear, that right outer rear tire has likely been destroyed by overloading, and probably needs to be replaced now.

3) Any tire you buy as new from a shop should be no more than 3-4 months old by DOT code.

4) You would provide a valuable service to many, many fellow RVers by identifying the dealer and keeping us informed.

Good Luck!

[Doggy Daddy]

Here are Video's on what you NEED TO KNOW about tires:

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/need-...on-194037.html

[Riover]

Originally Posted by JFXG

Why was the coach back at Thor? Warranty? Was anyone at that time messing with wheels and tires?



1) You should have a lawyer on your side right away. Have your lawyer deal directly with Thor, and at the very least demand a full new set of tires and a thorough inspection of the entire coach.... by an independent service center, if possible, since you don't know who's screwing with you.

2) When your right inner rear went flat, and you then drove for some indeterminate time on the single right outer rear, that right outer rear tire has likely been destroyed by overloading, and probably needs to be replaced now.

3) Any tire you buy as new from a shop should be no more than 3-4 months old by DOT code.

4) You would provide a valuable service to many, many fellow RVers by identifying the dealer and keeping us informed.

Good Luck!

I was at THOR for warranty work, nothing to do with the tires though. I really can't imagine they would do anything with the tires but I'm not discounting anything at this point.

The Goodyear dealer that replaced my tire was Wingfoot Commercial in Cedar Rapids, IA. I'm considering disputing the charge on my card for this, anybody have advice concerning that?

Also tell me more about the possible damage to the outer tire. I'm traveling with my wife and three children and now am concerned about our safety.

Thanks.

[TurtleKent]

Thanks for giving a more complete story. I doubt that after anyone(selling dealer, Thor, or Goodyear) will pony up for a new tire... any number of operator errors could have caused the tire to go flat, and that will be what you hear from all parties concerned. The tire shop is either incompetent or crooked, I would get out of there ASAP and go somewhere else to get a replacement tire. Even truck road service would be better than this shop.

However, I would personally climb under the coach and inspect EACH tire for DOT date, don't trust anyone else to do it. My guess is your tire shop is wrong/crooked. If you truly have any other tires with 2008 dates, I would be all over the selling dealer and Thor to replace all affected tires, with recent dated tires, at no cost to you. No new coach would be legitimately sold with six year old tires.

Sorry you're having problems with your new dream.

[AUPOP]

I was quoted $2075 for 4 Michelin 245-70-19.5 XZE from a Tire dealer locally. I went thru the local FMCA referral/dealer, who was very aware of the program, and they quoted $1978...my question, will the ultimate price thru FMCA be less than the quote? I received excellant service from the dealer locally and would do business with them for the $100 difference

[GA Navigator]

Originally Posted by Riover

I was at THOR for warranty work, nothing to do with the tires though. I really can't imagine they would do anything with the tires but I'm not discounting anything at this point. The Goodyear dealer that replaced my tire was Wingfoot Commercial in Cedar Rapids, IA. I'm considering disputing the charge on my card for this, anybody have advice concerning that? Also tell me more about the possible damage to the outer tire. I'm traveling with my wife and three children and now am concerned about our safety. Thanks.

I would be very concerned about the one good tire carrying the load for who knows how long.
I think you are probably right that the 08 tire was the "new" tire that sat on the shelf at Wingfoot. Check all your DOT numbers yourself.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by Riover

Sorry missed that part of the question (seeing a little bit of red right now). It's a 2014 Thor Palazzo (class A DP). Tire is a Goodyear 255/70R22.5.

Although you have a 2014 model it was built in 2013 and the tires are put on when the chassis is built by Freightliner in Gaffney. It is interesting watching the chassis roll down the assembly line. So the chassis is built well in advance of when Thor puts the box on it.

In my case, I picked up my 2013 Palazzo in October of 2012 and it had come right from the factory, never sat on a dealer lot. But the chassis build date was months prior. My tires are dated 1712 which is 7 months prior to when I took delivery. But considering the time involved with getting the tires to Freightliner, getting the chassis to Thor, and getting everything else done I don't consider it unreasonable.

You should check your chassis build date and compare that with the tire dates.

[Butte64]

Just finished reading the rest of the thread and agree with comments about the tire dealer and checking all the tires. I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time and hope you can get some relief.

[Riover]

Well, Goodyear or Wingfoot was supposed to call me today but no call. I got on to their website and submitted an email. I suppose we'll see what happens tomorrow.

I figure it's probably better to start corresponding with them via email anyway, at least that way I'll have a paper trail of what transposes.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by Riover

........ Also tell me more about the possible damage to the outer tire. I'm traveling with my wife and three children and now am concerned about our safety. Thanks.

Its hard to be precise without knowing your coach specs, how you're loaded, etc., but I'll go with generalizations for a few minutes.

Let's say, for the purpose of description, that you have a 20,000 lb rear axle. With four tires on the axle, you'd have each tire carrying 5000 lb, and appropriately inflated for that weight. Each tire, of course, is capable of carrying somewhat more max load (if properly inflated to a higher pressure), perhaps up to about 6000-6300 lb.

Now, before your right rear inner (RRI) went flat, the right dual assembly was carrying about 10,000 lb, and the tires were properly inflated to carry the assigned 5000 lb apiece. After the RRI went flat, the RRO was immediately forced to carry 10,000 lb while only inflated to carry 5000 lb.

Not only was it carrying a load far in excess of its rated maximum under any circumstances, but it was also doing so in a woefully under-inflated condition for that load. Kudos to the tire for not failing almost immediately, but that's not the main point. These two factors combine to generate a high degree of internal heat and stress in the tire, which in turn seriously degrades the lifespan and integrity of the rubber and tire structure, and renders the tire essentially useless going forward. For all practical purposes, if one of a pair on a dually goes flat or blows out (particularly at highway speed), the only way to consider the surviving tire usable is if you get the coach stopped within about 1/4 mile.

Sorry. You're just getting inundated with good news, I know.

[Riover]

Thanks everybody for the bad news.

I'm not going to assume malice on the part of the Goodyear people but rather ignorance. An ignorance I shared until asking a few questions on this forum; difference being that I'm not in the tire business.

Any advice on how I should deal with this. I did the Goodyear customer service phone thing and basically was told to talk to the Wingfoot shop but it is already known that they don't have the proper knowledge to help me . I've tried contacting Goodyear through their corporate webpage and have not received a reply.

Surely someone at Goodyear knows RV's and their tire needs (or even duallys). This is making me sick and unable to sleep. I'm trying not to stress over it but this is expensive and important.

UPDATE: I've went ahead and emailed the Wingfoot manager about the problem. Any other advice on how to proceed would still be appreciated.