Tire Issues

[TFBuckeye]

I bought my 2005 GP a month and a half ago. 20k on it, appears to be original tires. Well, since I picked it up from the dealer, I can hear a slight road noise. It was getting difficult to ignore. So I took it to my tire shop, the guys there are good friends and excellent businessmen. The guy's immediate reaction was that you have a blister on the outer edge. He showed me where it was cracking, he said basically the belt inside is giving away. He walked around and looked at the other side and found one even worse. He thought if he took the other tires off, it's likely he would probably find all four of them have the same issue. He said this is common for these Goodyear tires they put on from the factory. They are a 40k tire, these have 20k on them and they're half worn, 5/32. A new set of these factory POS Goodyears are $520 roughly. A new set of Michilen Harmonys are $560, and a set of Uniroyal Tiger Paws are $395.

I'm going to take it back to the dealer and talk to the service manager. I'm not happy about this.

Why would GM put these crappy things on from the factory? They're an expensive 40k tire. Michilens are 80k tires for about $10 more/tire, and the Uniroyals are also 80k for much less money!!!

[archemedes]

goodyear has problems with all their tires, but has gm in a contract bind, I tend to ignore the mileage ratings as they don't tell much (some cheap chinese tires claim 80k but you wouldn't want them for 800 miles)

[TFBuckeye]

Well I talked to the service director at the dealership this morning. He told me that it isn't a service issue any more. The car is out of warranty from GM and the 3 month, 3k mile warranty from the dealership won't cover tires. I talked to the salesman who I bought it from and he told me to talk to the sales manager. This particular guy does not work on Wednesdays. So, I'm going to call him tomorrow and tell him that I need something done if they want my business in the future.

[LMCOOK87]

i know a lot about tires. i worked at a goodyear retail store. i will be the FIRST to tell you goodyears have a lot of problems. on my grand prix. i have 225/60/16 goodyear eagle response edge. carbon fiber sidewalls with dupont kevlar. they ride awesome. 50 k mileage warranty. my advice. when you replace all four tires..make sure alignment is performed. with a good alignment, you'll be in good shape

[Sabrewings]

Bridgestone Potenza G009s. Best stock size tire for the money. Under $100 each at tire rack and these have to be the best all season tire I've ever had on a car. I've been amazed.

Bridgestone Potenza G 009



I have 15k miles on them and someone asked me a few weeks ago if I had just bought tires. They're still in great shape with tons of tread life. And I haven't been totally nice to them either....

[Toasty]

Well I talked to the service director at the dealership this morning. He told me that it isn't a service issue any more. The car is out of warranty from GM and the 3 month, 3k mile warranty from the dealership won't cover tires. I talked to the salesman who I bought it from and he told me to talk to the sales manager. This particular guy does not work on Wednesdays. So, I'm going to call him tomorrow and tell him that I need something done if they want my business in the future.

you're not gonna get anything out of them, sorry to say. your only chance would be if a goodyear dealer wants to do something for you, but since youre not the original owner, its unlikely. with the gm warranty gone, you have no other recourse, as indeed the typical used car warranty is ONLY for the drivetrain. goodyear has some OK tires, but most of what you pay for is the name. especially with marginal middle of the road tires like what are on the vehicle. this also says nothing of how the previous owner cared for the tires, which can also be a factor.


i'm afraid you're gonna just have to suck it up and buy new. --that being said, can you take a pic of the problem area on the tire? i have worked with tires a very long time, and im not sure what he's calling "blisters"

[archemedes]

you're not gonna get anything out of them, sorry to say. your only chance would be if a goodyear dealer wants to do something for you, but since youre not the original owner, its unlikely. with the gm warranty gone, you have no other recourse, as indeed the typical used car warranty is ONLY for the drivetrain. goodyear has some OK tires, but most of what you pay for is the name. especially with marginal middle of the road tires like what are on the vehicle. this also says nothing of how the previous owner cared for the tires, which can also be a factor.


i'm afraid you're gonna just have to suck it up and buy new. --that being said, can you take a pic of the problem area on the tire? i have worked with tires a very long time, and im not sure what he's calling "blisters"

I'm thinking it's the air into the sidewall when a belt breaks

[TFBuckeye]

I talked to the sales manager. He said he wished I would have brought the car to them. He claims they thoroughly inspect these cars before they go on the lot. Basically he told me he thinks I got taken from my tire guy because he's a tire guy and wants to sell new tires. He couldn't believe all four needed replaced. I asked him if he had ever dealt with this tire dealer, he said no. I told him that in the same manner he is questioning my tire guy's integrity I will question their mechanic/inspector's integrity. Did the guy really look over the tires or did he just see they had half tread life and call them good? These tires were like that when I picked it up, I heard the road noise when I drove it home. They were cracking and bulging on the shoulder. I saw it on two tires, I replaced all four because well, it's a freakin new car to me and I'm not going to have flippin mismatched tires on it!

In the end, I shouldn't be too upset at the sales manager, he agreed to buy two of the tires to make me happy. That's what I wanted in the end. I got the Uniroyal Tiger Paw Tourings. Set of four out the door for $394, minus $50 for the two tires they said were good enough to sell as used.