Old “new” tires

[Steve578]

Yesterday I had a set of tires put on my 5th wheel. When I got the estimate for the tires the owner of the store told me that they “don’t play that game” when it comes to selling old tires as if they are new. After I got home I took a look at the date code on the tires and the newest one is 2 years and seven months ago. My question is if I should go and complain about the age of the tires? The tires were in a warehouse but I wonder if that makes any difference.

[hamm2018]

Yes, I would especially since he made that statement.

Question: Did you inspect the tires' date code prior to leaving the tire shop or prior to installation?

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Steve578

Yesterday I had a set of tires put on my 5th wheel. When I got the estimate for the tires the owner of the store told me that they “don’t play that game” when it comes to selling old tires as if they are new. After I got home I took a look at the date code on the tires and the newest one is 2 years and seven months ago. My question is if I should go and complain about the age of the tires? The tires were in a warehouse but I wonder if that makes any difference.

Not new as far as I’m concerned.
My question is…..if you knew how to read the date code, why didn’t you do it before leaving the shop?

[MFL]

IMO, it helps if they are stored out of the elements. However, I would not accept tires that are 2 years or more old.

I would want to know the exact date code of the tires, before I would have them installed. If tire salesman won't cooperate, as to getting/informing the buyer of actual date code info, before installation, I would go elsewhere.

[Steve578]

The tires were in the service area where customers aren’t allowed. I took the owner at his word.

[Mark_K5LXP]

Whatever the potential service life a given tire would have in this application has just been reduced by 2.6 years. If you replace tires say every 5 years, that's a 50% reduction. Were the tires half as expensive? That's how you have to look at it. "Proper" storage isn't suspended animation, it's just a better controlled decline. Your replacement interval is now 2.6 years sooner than it would've been otherwise. If you're OK with that then down the road you go. If not, you can ask for either newer tires or some amount of refund. This is solved by putting some constraint of date code in the sales order.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Steve578

The tires were in the service area where customers aren’t allowed. I took the owner at his word.

Consider it a lesson learned.
Even with the sign, I still go and look at what they are doing.

[BLUEMETEOR]

When we bought our new tires, I said I wanted to check the date code before they were installed. I thought that was reasonable and so did the shop manager, after all we are talking about a lot of money.

[SafariBen]

How old were the ones you replaced, and how long had they been in service? are you expecting the new ones to get as much use as the old set? or less use so they live longer in terms of years.


Trailer tires wear more than motorhome tires due to the steering stress, so if you're expecting to replace in five years or less, the age doesn't make much difference. I'd sure prefer a year or less, and a matched set though.

[Mr. Lars]

With the dealer saying ‘I don’t play that game with date codes’ he was actually telling you; ‘tuff toenails, you get what you get at this shop’. If I had an installer of any type proclaim ‘We don’t play that game’ that is a red flag in my world.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lars

With the dealer saying ‘I don’t play that game with date codes’ he was actually telling you; ‘tuff toenails, you get what you get at this shop’. If I had an installer of any type proclaim ‘We don’t play that game’ that is a red flag in my world.

[TruckinRound]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lars

With the dealer saying ‘I don’t play that game with date codes’ he was actually telling you; ‘tuff toenails, you get what you get at this shop’. If I had an installer of any type proclaim ‘We don’t play that game’ that is a red flag in my world.

Absolutely. It’s easy enough to just roll one tire up to the counter, and certainly unacceptable if they won’t. But in all fairness, go inspect the date codes BEFORE the tires are installed, preferably prior to scheduling the installation appointment. Working on a trailer or motorhome is a pita for a tire shop to begin with.

[Steve578]

The tires that I replaced were 5 years old and the tread on them was down to the wear indicators. They would not last much longer.

[Steve578]

I went to the tire shop today and the owner was very gracious in offering to contact the warehouse and get tires less than a year old. He promised to switch the tires next week. I’m confident he will make it good as his shop is a well known franchise with a good reputation.