Buying a car - degraded tyres

[rossmc88]

I'm wanting to get some opinions on this:

I'm buying a 56 plate Vauxhall Tigra for the other half

I'm happy with the car apart from 3 of the 4 tyres are the original ones that came with the car. The car is low mileage for the year (40,000) so the tyres have degraded rather than worn out. There are loads of cracks where the tyres have degraded. I pointed this out to the salesman at the time, but he assured me this was no problem and the tyres were fine.

In my eyes (I'm not qualified, but I'm applying some common sense) the tyres don't look very safe.

The garage (Honda Main dealer - the car was a trade in for them) are going to put a years MOT on the car as part of the deal. I get the feeling this means the MOT won't be very thorough and they probably won't pick up on the tyres being degraded as they won't want to replace them.

I'm thinking, get the car on Friday (This is when it will be ready), if the tyres aren't replaced, get an independent inspection of the tyres from another garage as to whether they are an MOT fail. If they are, which I think they are, take the car back and get some free new tyres as they would have given an unsafe car an MOT?

I asked the salesman if he could get me some cost price tyres and I would pay for them myself, but he wasn't interested and thought I was an idiot. I am younger, so older people don't tend to take me seriously.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[10 Pence Short]

FFS.

If you're happy with the deal, buy the car and replace the tyres if necessary. If you're not happy with the deal, don't buy the car and walk away.

Does it need to be any more complicated than that? It's not as if you're buying a rarity.

[Cupramax]

If the cars done 40k there's no way the fronts at the very least are the originals. If they have cracks in the sidewalls they need replacing no matter what any salesman says.

[300bhp/ton]

rossmc88 said:

I'm wanting to get some opinions on this:

I'm buying a 56 plate Vauxhall Tigra for the other half

I'm happy with the car apart from 3 of the 4 tyres are the original ones that came with the car. The car is low mileage for the year (40,000) so the tyres have degraded rather than worn out. There are loads of cracks where the tyres have degraded. I pointed this out to the salesman at the time, but he assured me this was no problem and the tyres were fine.

In my eyes (I'm not qualified, but I'm applying some common sense) the tyres don't look very safe.

The garage (Honda Main dealer - the car was a trade in for them) are going to put a years MOT on the car as part of the deal. I get the feeling this means the MOT won't be very thorough and they probably won't pick up on the tyres being degraded as they won't want to replace them.

I'm thinking, get the car on Friday (This is when it will be ready), if the tyres aren't replaced, get an independent inspection of the tyres from another garage as to whether they are an MOT fail. If they are, which I think they are, take the car back and get some free new tyres as they would have given an unsafe car an MOT?

I asked the salesman if he could get me some cost price tyres and I would pay for them myself, but he wasn't interested and thought I was an idiot. I am younger, so older people don't tend to take me seriously.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

erm why do you think the MoT will be "dodgy" as you've implied?

Tyres age - don't like it either:

-haggle for replacement ones/money off
-don't buy the car
-replace tyres once you've got it

really can't see the problem tbh.

[Temple]

I'm sure the rubber will be fine, but as a salesman its in his interest to sell you the car you're probably paying over the odds it being from a dealer, get him to change the rubber if not - be cool theres bound to be loads more tigra's in better condition (tyres) lol

[philmots]

10 Pence Short said:

FFS.

If you're happy with the deal, buy the car and replace the tyres if necessary. If you're not happy with the deal, don't buy the car and walk away.

Does it need to be any more complicated than that? It's not as if you're buying a rarity.

+1

[Snowboy]

There is no law about old tyres on cars in the UK.
(AFAIK that is)

However, I believe there is a law that says tyres over 6 years old can’t be sold in the UK.
In many places in Europe they have different laws.
I think the strongest laws say they must be 3 years old to sell, and at 6 years old must come off the car.
The UK gets a lot of part worn 6 year old tyres from Germany as they have to come off the car then.
(This is from memory, it may be slightly wrong)

Personally, I wouldn’t want 6 year old tyres on my daily drive.
I’d get them all changed.

But, I tend to drive quite aggressively and push my tyres hard.
If you drive like a granny the tyres might be fine.

Some people have used old tyres for years without a problem.
Other people have stories about old tyres rupturing and failing at very dangerous times.

[mnkiboy]

As you know, tyres do degrade if not used, I think around 5 years is the max recommended but you can't fail an MOT due to the age of the tyres, only condition. However, ff they're visibly cracked i'd be wanting them changed personally.

I don't see anything wrong with asking again if they can replace them at cost price at your expense.

[300bhp/ton]

Cupramax said:

If they have cracks in the sidewalls they need replacing no matter what any salesman says.

On what basis?

[rossmc88]

I think the MOT will be dodgy as they just want to shift the car. It isn't alot of money to them/or pistonheads, as I'm not a powerfully built director, at £4700, but it is a lot to us.

It will be an interesting test to see if they will pass the car with unsafe tyres just to get rid of it. I'll report back on Friday when we pick it up

[Snowboy]

300bhp/ton said:

Cupramax said:

If they have cracks in the sidewalls they need replacing no matter what any salesman says.

On what basis?

Generally speaking tyres should not have cracked sidewalls.
The rubber should be supple and all in one piece.

If the sidewalls are cracked then it normally indicates that the tyres have been stored badly and the rubber has dried and cracked which will make a weak point in the tyre.

That said, it’s important not to confuse surface wear with cracks.
A lot of tyres have what looks like small cracks on them, this is quite different thing.

[Cupramax]

300bhp/ton said:

On what basis?

The basis they're likely to be unsafe perhaps

[300bhp/ton]

Cupramax said:

300bhp/ton said:

On what basis?

The basis they're likely to be unsafe perhaps

I think in most cases an MoT would disagree though.

[TonyRPH]

Never fear OP, I bought a Lexus last year, and it passed it's MOT with this tyre...

[rossmc88]

The tyres are definitely original as they are continentals and this is what the Tigra's came with. After looking at 7 different Tigras over the weekend, my head has unfortunately filled up with unwanted Tigra knowledge.

I've seen the cost price of tyres, so I thought the dealer could have helped me out and got me some cheap and I would of paid for them, but he wasn't interested. None of the dealers/garages I've been to over the last few days have been very helpful. They see a young person and think idiot, it's a poor reflection on society that they are probably correct.

[300bhp/ton]

rossmc88 said:

I think the MOT will be dodgy as they just want to shift the car.

I'm sorry, but do you actually live in reality?

If you think they are deliberately passing unsafe cars just to sell them - report this and DO NOT BUY THE CAR! This really is a no brainer.

However, does the garage actually perform MoT tests? Or is it more likely to go off to an MoT test station? So why do you think it'll be dodgy?

rossmc88 said:

It isn't alot of money to them/or pistonheads, as I'm not a powerfully built director, at £4700, but it is a lot to us.

erm ok...

rossmc88 said:

It will be an interesting test to see if they will pass the car with unsafe tyres just to get rid of it. I'll report back on Friday when we pick it up

How are they unsafe? By what REAL measure and expertise are you being able to determine this as a fact and not just your opinion?

As said it's really rather simple:

-buy it
-don't buy it

But why make it difficult for yourself?

[TonyRPH]

rossmc88 said:

I've seen the cost price of tyres, so I thought the dealer could have helped me out and got me some cheap...

And you would have got cheap Chinese tyres - probably even more dangerous than what's on the car at the moment.

[Snowboy]

rossmc88 said:

The tyres are definitely original as they are continentals and this is what the Tigra's came with.

Quite often people will replace a tyre with one that’s exactly the same as it already on the car.
The fact it has standard tyres doesn’t mean they are the original ones.

Have you checked the DOT codes on the tyres to establish their age?

[rossmc88]

It's not really my opinion,

I used my eyes, looked at the tyres and they all have lots of cracks on them

I work in computer programming, I see life as a 1 or a 0, my brain has been trained to work this way, the tyres are either cracked or not cracked, and I see cracks, so they are crakced, I don't really believe in opinions

[Save Ferris]

TonyRPH said:

Never fear OP, I bought a Lexus last year, and it passed it's MOT with this tyre...

'kin hell