Part Worn Tyres

Apr 3, 2010
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Daughter proudly showed me her new car at the weekend - 2016 Peugeot 2008 1.5 d. Nice car, bought from a dealer in Coventry. It was advertised as 'AA Inspected' so was somewhat surprised to see the front o/side tyre clearly marked 'Part Worn'. I rang the dealer and the AA this morning and was assured that this was perfectly normal and acceptable as long as the tread depth and age/condition of the tyre was good. Gobsmacked is the polite term.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Daughter proudly showed me her new car at the weekend - 2016 Peugeot 2008 1.5 d. Nice car, bought from a dealer in Coventry. It was advertised as 'AA Inspected' so was somewhat surprised to see the front o/side tyre clearly marked 'Part Worn'. I rang the dealer and the AA this morning and was assured that this was perfectly normal and acceptable as long as the tread depth and age/condition of the tyre was good. Gobsmacked is the polite term.

I recently bought a 18 month old Kia for my wife. All four tyres were part worn. Damn I should have bought a brand new car for her to remove the risk of her driving on someone else’s tyres.

My last a Subaru I sourced a part worn as I converted the spare from space saver to full size and needed something with around 5 mm tread depth as Subaru can be sensitive to mismatched tread depth. I specifically looked for a premier make, no puncture repairs, age, even wear and no visible sidewall damage.
 
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Mar 14, 2005
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Because of the construction of tyres, its impossible to assess the condition of the internal internal structure just by looking. So there is always a risk a second hand/ part worn tyre may have some invisible weakness. So that is a matter that you have to come to your own decision about.

But if your own car has been driven by someone else who knows what they may have driven over or up. I am certain there are some perfectly serviceable part worn tyres out there,

The National Tyre Distributors Association, (NTDA) website may offer some insight, but having read some of it, clearly there is an on going problem with unscrupulous rogue traders selling potentially dangerous part worn tyres.


How can the public tell the difference?

So that is a matter that you have to come to your own decision about.
 
Apr 3, 2010
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Just surprised that the AA endorse the use of part worn tyres on the cars that carry their inspection label. The tyre could have come from anywhere and been involved in all sorts. Not talking about a cheap banger here - car is 3 years old and priced just under 8k. Shall change the tyre for a new one later this week.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Just surprised that the AA endorse the use of part worn tyres on the cars that carry their inspection label. The tyre could have come from anywhere and been involved in all sorts. Not talking about a cheap banger here - car is 3 years old and priced just under 8k. Shall change the tyre for a new one later this week.
But you don’t know the history of the other three tyres do you. They could have repaired punctures or been driven over kerbs by the previous owner. It’s like hiring a vehicle how do you know the Provence of its tyres.
 
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Jan 31, 2018
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Exactly; most likely the car has been written off although there may be valid reasons; would not touch a part worn tyre with a barge pole except maybe as above a s a spare I was hoping to never use or temporarily at least!
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Exactly; most likely the car has been written off although there may be valid reasons; would not touch a part worn tyre with a barge pole except maybe as above a s a spare I was hoping to never use or temporarily at least!
There’s more reasons than a write off. Although not all write offs are super-smashes as repair costs can often lead to insurers writing off a perfectly good but older vehicle. Scrappage schemes or MOT failure being two. I put new all seasons all round on my wife’s previous car and my previous car too. All eight tyres that were removed were quality makes and all had more than 3mm tread which is the minimum I will go down too. My present Subaru came with two Bridgestones at 5 mm but five years old and two Sport Active that had done about 100 miles. All were removed so I could even up the tread depths and fit Bridgestone Weather Controls all round. The old Bridgestones I took to skips and the Sport Actives I sold.

But given a choice I would not set out to buy a part worn preferring a new budget tyre if cash were tight.
 
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May 7, 2012
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Not sure if this means the car was fitted with part worn tyres rather than the ones on when the dealer got it or they are the tyres that were on it and being a used car they were part worn because that is what was on due to the previous owner having used them.
I would not accept part worn tyres as a replacement for existing ones for the reasons given by others but doubt I would replace them just because the previous owner had used them. Possibly a lot is reliant on the amount of tread left though. If it is low then getting new ones might be worthwhile.
 
May 24, 2014
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The use of part worn tyres seems to be on the rise again. It became quite unnacceptable at one point until the economy began to drive practices like this again. The other issue with part worns is that if a dealer is happy to fit them, he probably wont care about their age either.
 
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I see It's legal to put part worn tyres on cars, I've. Just changed my car and if it was pointed out to me if it had part worn tyres on I would of said get em off or no deal, I'm not bothered how good they look or the thread depth just get them off,
 
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I see It's legal to put part worn tyres on cars, I've. Just changed my car and if it was pointed out to me if it had part worn tyres on I would of said get em off or no deal, I'm not bothered how good they look or the thread depth just get them off,

But what new tyres are you willing to accept? Budgets that may have inferior braking or handling compared to the tyres that are already in the car? Any used car comes with four part worn tyres and the prospective buyer has absolutely no idea how they have been used. All you can do is look at tread depth, wear pattern, age and signs of damage to the outside walls. In the case of the OPs car one tyre was marked Part Worn but if the markings had been removed the OP would have been non the wiser.
If you need assurance when buying a used car negotiate a set of decent new tyres or a further price reduction.
 
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Mar 14, 2005
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Prof "Devil" JohnL here...

If it were illegal to fit part worn tyres, then every time you had a tyre repaired, the fitting shop would be in breach of the law!:eek:

It would do wonders for tyre sales.:love:
 
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Apr 3, 2010
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I see It's legal to put part worn tyres on cars, I've. Just changed my car and if it was pointed out to me if it had part worn tyres on I would of said get em off or no deal, I'm not bothered how good they look or the thread depth just get them off,
As would I but.....
Daughter lives 100 miles from me. I sent her a list of things to check before she bought - which was extensive, but stupidly did not include looking for a label on the tyres saying 'part worn'. The dealer is an AA approved one and the car is 'AA inspected'. I am still amazed that a car selling for 8k would have one fitted.:eek:
 
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.......the fact is that the scrapping of cars is now big business dealing with high volumes.
I have one of the countries leading operations near me and their recycling of parts is very impressive.
Their volumes are such that they have direct contact with the DVLA to handle the official scrapage notifications.
They have a huge tyre and wheel department employing knowledgeable staff that sort suitable tyres and wheels for resale........not to do so would be a huge waste.
The tyres are no different from any other tyre fitted to a car that has a previously been driven.
 
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I see It's legal to put part worn tyres on cars, I've. Just changed my car and if it was pointed out to me if it had part worn tyres on I would of said get em off or no deal, I'm not bothered how good they look or the thread depth just get them off,
As would I but.....
Daughter lives 100 miles from me. I sent her a list of things to check before she bought - which was extensive, but stupidly did not include looking for a label on the tyres saying 'part worn'. The dealer is an AA approved one and the car is 'AA inspected'. I am still amazed that a car selling for 8k would have one fitted.:eek:

I will give a scenario based on Subaru requirements for keeping tread depth between tyres at 1mm. I have four new Bridgestones and this week the rear nearside had a puncture. It was below 6 mm hole and in the center of the tread. It was repaired. Being a V rated tyre it cannot be repaired again. So in a years time it gets another puncture by which time the tread depth on the four tyres is 5mm. So I would then be faced with removing all four tyres three of which had no repairs one of which had one repair and a puncture that made it unrepeatable. So I then store my three part worn 5 mm tyres in the garage and fit four new tyres. I have them no way of knowing if the tyre depot were to save disposal charges by letting a part worn outfit pick it up. That outfit then repairs the second puncture which contravenes the BS and that tyre finds its way to a car dealer who fits it. The prospective buyer is totally unaware.
The other factor to be born in mind is that a previous owner of a car may have had a puncture and driven it whilst flat. The potential damage to the sidewall strength will unlikely be visible even to a tyre repair technician. So that tyre will finish up with a BS repair and a weakened sidewall.

So I agree with the OP in changing the labelled Part Worn tyre as he has no way of knowing if it has more repairs than allowed under BS.
 
Jan 31, 2018
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i think a tyre that has been driven flat would be clear to see-immense sidewall damage. And I can see the point with the fact that if you buy a second hand car you have no idea what has happened to those tyres. BUT they are on a car that is driveable. If a tyre has come off a written off car I would have concerns and would rather buy a budget new-don't know whey I have this irrational fear of part worns-but there are always those horror stories of dodgy dealers!
 
Nov 11, 2009
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i think a tyre that has been driven flat would be clear to see-immense sidewall damage. And I can see the point with the fact that if you buy a second hand car you have no idea what has happened to those tyres. BUT they are on a car that is driveable. If a tyre has come off a written off car I would have concerns and would rather buy a budget new-don't know whey I have this irrational fear of part worns-but there are always those horror stories of dodgy dealers!
We have had two no fault write offs in Swedish tanks. None happened at particularly high speed and the cars were written off because the cost of repairs was greater than the cars value. Anything wrong with the tyres removed from those cars. All good tread depth, no repairs and probably no more than 2-3 years old.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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i think a tyre that has been driven flat would be clear to see-immense sidewall damage. And I can see the point with the fact that if you buy a second hand car you have no idea what has happened to those tyres. BUT they are on a car that is driveable. If a tyre has come off a written off car I would have concerns and would rather buy a budget new-don't know whey I have this irrational fear of part worns-but there are always those horror stories of dodgy dealers!
I'm sorry Jezzer,

I cannot agree that driven flat damaged to the inner carcass will always be visible. A tyre that has been under inflated (but not completely flat) can sustain significant wear to the reinforcement It doesn't necessarily demonstrate visible signs of over heating in the compound. To the naked eye it may appear to be sound, but when re-inflated to correct pressure it may not retain its correct shape. Hopefully an observant fitter would notice the out of shape tyre when its inflated, but until that point it could pass through the Part Worn procedure checks without being detected.
 
Sep 5, 2016
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So the whole country is driving round with part worn tyres, just by the fact that you are told that the car you are buying does have part worn tyres off another car that was in an accident, if you want to go down that road by all means do so, who knows what the inners of a part worn tyre are like unless they are x rayed, and what are you saving just a few quid, no thanks I'll stick to my Continentals like I have done on my last four cars,
 
Nov 11, 2009
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So the whole country is driving round with part worn tyres, just by the fact that you are told that the car you are buying does have part worn tyres off another car that was in an accident, if you want to go down that road by all means do so, who knows what the inners of a part worn tyre are like unless they are x rayed, and what are you saving just a few quid, no thanks I'll stick to my Continentals like I have done on my last four cars,

Why do you seem to think all part worn tyres come off of a car that’s been in an accident. And what form of accident would be of concern to you! There’s minor accidents that lead to cars being written off on cost grounds. And bad smashes that don’t lead to a write off and the car is repaired and it’s tyres stay fitted . ???

Surely what’s required is some form of regulation and oversight over the standards applicable to the part worn trade. I’m sure some of the HGVs you drive had retreads or recuts.
 
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retreads and recuts are common on some lorries but not the steering Acle in road transport but that was not my choice when I was still working before I retired. but when it comes to my vehicle I make the decision what goes on each corner,
 
Mar 14, 2005
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This thread proves that there is considerable diversity of opinion about the nature of part worn tyres. I am certain there are some genuine traders who do all they reasonably can to check the tyres they supply are in roadworthy condition, but there are some who cut corners and perhaps unwittingly might supply a poor quality product.

In general we don't see loads of reports that tells part worn tyres are the root cause of incidents, so clearly not all part worn tyres are automatically bad news.

Fortunately, its a matter of personal choice whether to buy part worn tyres or not.

The problem is: the general public have virtually no way knowing the honesty or the competency of the trader in sourcing and checking good product compared to the less trustful trader and indeed the dishonest traders who are in it for fast buck and then can't be traced when things go pear-shaped.

Each to their own, and may your tyres never let you down!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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I should add, this is a wake up call to people in the market for a secondhand car. Most of us accept the tyres on a vehicle are interface between the car and road and you do your self a service to ensure the are in good condition. If you are concerned about part worn tyres, then make it a term in your contract to purchase the car that it must be supplied on brand new tyres.

That'll put a few more part worn ones into the system!
 

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