[Texas Ex]

I have the 5-year Tire & Wheel warranty for my 335i from BMW and had a flat in December. They "changed" the tire and I saw the invoice and so forth saying that I got a new tire. I looked at the tire and it "looked" new. Anyways, I got my state inspection done yesterday and that tire tread depth is 6mm...the same as my other tires. It should be higher, correct? It leads me to think they just plugged the whole and didn't change the tire.

Should I and would you go back to the dealership and request a new tire? Or am I over-thinking this?

[Mech_Man]

First, I'd get a gauge and measure it myself. Who knows if the state actually measured it.

Then, check the paperwork they gave you when they replaced that tire.
Did the paperwork have the tread depths of the other tires? If so, then it should be obvious how much the paired tire (on the same axle) has worn. Compare that to the tread depth of the replaced tire.

Confirm the replacement tire is the same make/model as the replaced. Make sure they didn't give you a different tire that has a much lower, softer wear rating. (This would be a whole different flavor of complaint!)

If they just patched it, or gave you the wrong tire, then I'd be really pissed.
I'd take the car to the dealer, along with the paperwork you got during the replacement (which will have the mileage etc), and ask them to measure the tread depths and confirm the current mileage (so they know the tire 'should have worn more').


Another thing: It's often overlooked when discussing the merits of patching a RFT vs replacing that the tire manufacturers consider patching to void their warranty, so any future factory defect failure will be out of your pocket. Or so I was told by my dealer when he was replacing vs repairing my last RFT flat.

[ENINTY]

Here is an easy way to check. Write down the four tire serial numbers and see how close they are. Tire serial numbers contain the month, week, and year of manufacture. If the tires are the OEM that came with the car new, then the date codes should all match or be very close to each other. If the replaced tire is a close match in date code, then they repaired the tire.

I doubt they repaired the tire because BMW only recommends replacement of a RFT anytime it has been punctured and I doubt any dealer would deviate from that practice. Also, if they did only patch it, why do you care? It is holding air like it should, and there is no structual damage to the tire with a patch repair, so it is no big deal.

[Mech_Man]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Here is an easy way to check. Write down the four tire serial numbers and see how close they are. Tire serial numbers contain the month, week, and year of manufacture. If the tires are the OEM that came with the car new, then the date codes should all match or be very close to each other. If the replaced tire is a close match in date code, then they repaired the tire.

That's pretty cool! Great idea.

Originally Posted by ENINTY

I doubt they repaired the tire because BMW only recommends replacement of a RFT anytime it has been punctured and I doubt any dealer would deviate from that practice. Also, if they did only patch it, why do you care? It is holding air like it should, and there is no structual damage to the tire with a patch repair, so it is no big deal.

My concern for this, is that my SA told me that the OEM tire manufacturer's consider any patching of a RFT will void their warranty. So if the tire has a failure some other time due to faulty manufacturing, you're screwed. I also am concerned about the manufactures' stand, considering I want my tires to do more than just 'hold air', I want them to not blow out when I'm driving faster than I'm willing to admit by public posting