Faulty Caravan Tyres only 4 years old.

[Notmyvan]

Yestrerday I had a service on the caravan I bought in June last year.

The mechanic reported that on the inside wall of the two tyres there were "radial" cracks on the walls and cracks in the tread.

The date of manufacture of the tyres is week 18 in 2019 which means they are only just over 4 years old, and as an ex-mot tester I know I need to change them , plus when I retired I was working for a large insurance company and know if there was an accident because one of the tyres failed any claim for damage because of the blow out could be refused.

I notice that many tyres sold tese days have a "Lifetime" Guarantee, I wonder if I could send them back as just over 4 years old is not a long time.

(PS, I should have had it serviced (inspected ) just after II bought it as although the dealer I bought it off said they would service it, they never looked at the tyres as I thought that the tyre pressures were a bit low and when I tried to remove the valve caps to check the pressures, the valve caps would not come undone (which means the caravan dealer never checked them) I had to remove the wheels and take them to a tyre depot where they deflated the tyres and fitted new valves. The cracks in the tyres would have been evident when I bought it last year.

 

[Woodentop]

You need to check what the tyre figures are - size, speed rating, load rating etc. Also do be aware that Cooper Tire (correct spelling) who make Avon tyres very specifically state that even though they may be the correct size and rating for your van spec they are <NOT> suitable to be used for towing.

 

[otherclive]

It sounds very much as if the previous owner did not give adequate care to the tyres. Although my daughter had sidewall cracks as advisories on 5 year old Dunlops, and our Kia runabout has them on four year old Yokohama tyres. Both those cars had regular pressure checks and were used daily. I’ve seen some reports saying that tyre gloss sprays may lead to advanced deterioration.

 

[Mandarin]

Just replaced ours at 5 years old for the same reason. No idea why but the van had been standing for 8 months awaiting repair.

 

[otherclive]

This is part of an article on why tyres degrade. I’ve stopped using tyre shine.

“
1. First of all, never opt for tyre shine solution as most of them contain petrochemicals and silicone that will disperse the wax protectant infused by the tyre maker leaving the tyre unprotected from natural elements.

2. Deep and excessive washing of tyres with harsh solutions also decreases the life of tyres, although they might make the tyre appear pristine, but will remove the necessary wax protectants instilled for tyre preservation. Drive your car/vehicle often, as regular usage will allow wax protectant to move to the surface of the tyre and shield it against ozone injury.”

 

[Mandarin]

I can guarantee that my tyres were not excessively washed!!

But certainly not used enough, the tyres failing just added insult to injury.

 

[ProfJohnL]

...

I notice that many tyres sold tese days have a "Lifetime" Guarantee, I wonder if I could send them back as just over 4 years old is not a long time.

...

You don't categorically state that your tyre have a "lifetime" guarantee, but they did have one you would almost certainly need the purchase documentation to verify if the guarantee only applies to the original purchaser or whether it can be extended to second-hand purchasers.

Such warranties are usually tied up with all sorts of liability limiting clauses, Often they are so limited you can barely use the product without triggering a limited liability clause.

There is the possibility the damage may have been triggered either by some chemical or air borne contaminant, or in deed some motoring fopar such as running over some sharp debris.

I'm not going to hold my breathe to see if you can get compensated for a damaged tyre, but good luck to you.

 

[Jcloughie]

My van was bought new in 2015. Tyres were dated 2015. They failed the 3rd service. The cracking was on the inside of both, so not even in the sun.

John

 

[Buckman]

My van was bought new in 2015. Tyres were dated 2015. They failed the 3rd service. The cracking was on the inside of both, so not even in the sun.

John

We are similar happen on our 2011 Lunar. Rubbish budget tyres.

 

[GaryB]

Just to add another as I commented on another thread, our previous (2018) caravan had tyres dated 2017 and at it's third service (tyres 3 1/2 years old) one was noted as having slight crazing on the inner face. I changed the caravan 6 months later and it's still on the dealer's forecourt with the same tyres.

 

[Beachball]

Our tyres on our last caravan were five years old and they are still on the new owner says they are fine for another year .

 

[Raywood]

I would dispute the idea that a simple blown tyre would allow an insurer to repudiate a claim successfully. Insurers are required to treat the customer fairly and to repudiate they would have to show that the customer was grossly negligent and should reasonably have been aware of the problem.
We did get our caravan back from its service last week and we were warned the tyres were five years old and need to be watched. They had however checked them and there was no cracking so we are still able to use them, but will look at replacing them next year.
In the past we were warned about cracking at six years on a previous model and going further back actually used the same ones for ten years without problem before the current recommendations came into force. That one was stored between the house and a wall and got very little sunlight which may have helped.

 

[Angus]

My (then new) 2016 Swift had it`s tyres changed at its first service (under warranty) due to cracking!

 

[otherclive]

My (then new) 2016 Swift had it`s tyres changed at its first service (under warranty) due to cracking!

You did well on that one. How old were they from date of manufacture?

 

[Angus]

You did well on that one. How old were they from date of manufacture?

Don`t know TBH, I took it for it`s first service and the dealer made a beeline for wheels as soon as I arrived and after a cursory glance told me I needed new tyres and Swift would pay for them. Obviously part of a dodgy batch of the cheapest black rings they could find.

 

[Raywood]

If things were as bad as that looks, there should have been a recall.

 

[Angus]

If things were as bad as that looks, there should have been a recall.

I think they just relied upon people getting their first service to check them. The sidewalls were fine, the tyres were cracked all around the base of the tread.

 

[shouldknowbettor]

I wonder if the place you bought it from uses an Ozone generator for deodorising the inside of vans. They're death for tyres if done in an enclosed space. Ozone damage often shows as cracks on the base of the tread as it causes the rubber to go brittle and the movement of the tread blocks opens up cracks at the base of the tread. You normally won't see anything on the sides from it.

 

[ProfJohnL]

If things were as bad as that looks, there should have been a recall.

Unlike motor vehicles, there is no standard protocol for setting up a caravan recall. In the past we had to issue a recall on gas appliances becasue one of our suppliers had changed the materials used in side a gas valve, and had not told us or any of their other customers.

Whilst we know the serial numbers of our affected products, and could trace to which caravan manufacture they were sent, the manufacturers could not tell us the serial numbers of the caravans they had been fitted to, or to which dealer the products had been despatched too.

We had to join forces with the affected OEM manufacturers and orchestrate full page adverts in the newspapers.

To day far fewer people read newspapers, so that route to contact would be far less effective.

CRIS might help but they don't keep track of applaince serial numbers.

 

[Angus]

I wonder if the place you bought it from uses an Ozone generator for deodorising the inside of vans. They're death for tyres if done in an enclosed space. Ozone damage often shows as cracks on the base of the tread as it causes the rubber to go brittle and the movement of the tread blocks opens up cracks at the base of the tread. You normally won't see anything on the sides from it.

The `van was brand new from a dealer. It was straight from Swift as it had been on order and we had been awaiting delivery from the factory. I can only attribute the problem to substandard manufacture or product and Swift going for the cheapest tyres available without doing due diligence.

 

[shouldknowbettor]

Swift going for the cheapest tyres available without doing due diligence

That you can probably take as given...

It could still happen at the dealer though. Im guessing they take them into the workshop to remove shipping materials etc. and it could have been parked up next to a 2nd hand one getting a clean, but your version works too!

 

[Dustydog]

Unlike motor vehicles, there is no standard protocol for setting up a caravan recall. In the past we had to issue a recall on gas appliances becasue one of our suppliers had changed the materials used in side a gas valve, and had not told us or any of their other customers.

Whilst we know the serial numbers of our affected products, and could trace to which caravan manufacture they were sent, the manufacturers could not tell us the serial numbers of the caravans they had been fitted to, or to which dealer the products had been despatched too.

We had to join forces with the affected OEM manufacturers and orchestrate full page adverts in the newspapers.

To day far fewer people read newspapers, so that route to contact would be far less effective.

CRIS might help but they don't keep track of applaince serial numbers.

That’s a great concern. In ignorance I thought even caravan manufacturers worked to some ISO standards and kept audit trails, especially gas and electrical appliances?

15 years ago a major U.K. gas boiler manufacturer had to carry out a major Product Recall. It meant an Engineer had to visit hundreds of boilers and change a gas valve. Originally the valves were metal . The Italian manufacturer made the male and female parts out of plastic. Press fitting the two together caused stress cracks in the plastic meaning the valve failed and bang, an explosion on ignition.
The Italians best offer was a batch of new updated valves. The litigation costs were anticipated more than the claim. We took the new valves but that wasn’t right in truth.
Money ruled!

Cris is a waste of money , look at who owns and those who run it?
I keep getting the feeling someone down the line is still not playing cricket and making up their own rules.🤮🤮

 

[ProfJohnL]

That’s a great concern. In ignorance I thought even caravan manufacturers worked to some ISO standards and kept audit trails, especially gas and electrical appliances?
...

There are thousands of "standards" covering a wide range of activities or products. Some are simple a convenience, such as standards commercial screw thread sizes and as such would not require an audit trail, where as others like some aerospace standards need to record the name of the guy who dug it up and the colour of his socks.....

Not all standards require audit trails.

 

[Notmyvan]

If things were as bad as that looks, there should have been a recall.

There probably was but they only told the dealers.

 

[Notmyvan]

When I bought the caravan I believe that the tyres were under inflated as it was impossible to remove the valve caps., the under inflation could have been the cause of the tyre cracking.