TYRES!

[Paul_5041263]

After changing two perfectly good but 7 years old tyres on our van earlier this year have developed quite an interest in them.....
I now find that on every visit to dealers I am checking the age of tyres on, supposedly, brand new vans.
I have to find one new van with this years tyres. All I have seen so far are midpoint 2013.
If the age of caravan tyres is as important as we are told I think purchasers of new vans should be more picky and not accept new vans fitted with tyres with already one years life gone.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Whenever we make a retail purchase we should be aware of our rights and obligations. In the UK we should always consider Caveat emptor, or Buyer Beware. The reason is it is the buyers responsibility to ensure the goods we purchase is fit for purpose.

Retailers must ensure what every they say or publish about a product must be accurate, but they are not obliged to tell customers everything so unless you make tyre age a specific point, a dealer is not obliged volunteer information.

Consumer law recognises any product that has not been previously sold can be described as new. It does not necessarily mean the product has no age, only no use and no purchasing owners.

There has to be some latitude on age to things like tyres. Most of the tyres are produced abroad so it takes time to get them into the UK, there is time during the manufacture of the caravan, and some time at the dealers so its entirely possible an reasonable for a tyre to be of some age on a new caravan.

If the age of the tyres is particular concern for you, make it a particular point on your order of the caravan, but its very unlikely you will be able to have a set of tyres less than a several months old.