Lease car return standards- uneven wear on tyres

[FWIW]

Would appreciate thoughts on this.
VRS has gone back to Skoda and they want £270 for the rear tyres due to uneven wear.

"The BVRLA believes the photos show evidence that the outside edges are worn to the wear bars, which appear to be worn to a greater degree than the inner wear bars."

I can't see any unusual uneven wear. Yes, they're shot...but they're legal.




Is it worth fighting?

[FWIW]

Thanks for the replies!
I agree they need changing and if I was keeping the car obviously I would change them. But...they are legal and vwfs are not disputing that. They want to charge me on the basis of uneven wear which is perhaps subjective? All tyres must have uneven wear to a greater or lesser degree...if you're going to get your micrometer out!

[FWIW]

Yes, that is from the bvrla conciliation service.

The tyres are absolutely legal and over 1.6mm across 100% of the width (just). I checked this with a depth gauge as did the inspector and the collection driver. Neither said they were illegal.

[FWIW]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Whats the contractual legal limit for min. depth on return?

1.6mm, 2mm, 2.5mm?

Is there anything in the guidelines surrounding 'uneven' wear?

Your answer will be in the contract that you signed.

FWIW: These things can be worth fighting - I had nearly 600gbp worth of 'fees' removed from my last lease car return as they were taking the piss and I wasnt willing to roll over and accept it.

The contract basically repeats mot standards (1.6mm over 75%) but also mentions uneven wear, although isn't specific on this point other than due to over or under inflation
It's the bvrla FW&T standard that needs to be complied with, aiui:

Edited by FWIW on Wednesday 27th April 07:07

[FWIW]

So they appear to be saying the tyres have been over inflated.

[durl]|http://thumbsnap.com/58n94ZTz[/url]

I.e. The centre of the tread is worn more than the sides. That's certainly not true in the first pic and doesn't appear to be evident in the second.

The fight is on.

[FWIW]

Sheepshanks said:

It's really odd they've been specific on those causes of uneven wear - you'd think they'd be more concerned about alignment / suspension damage etc.

Agreed.

Final statement from BVRLA:
"The BVRLA appreciates that you remain disappointed with our decision, however we have provided you with our opinion based on the evidence presented to us. The inspection has been conducted by a qualified inspector to the BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear guidelines, and we believe the photos corroborate his findings. We are therefore unable to escalate your complaint further, however this decision does not restrict your right to pursue remedies through the courts."

[FWIW]

V8RX7 said:

If you look at the pic that part of the statement is technically true - they are slightly more worn - so what ?

That's as even tyre wear as you could hope for - I'd fight it.

Indeed. I agree that there is very slightly more wear on the outer edge (right of pic) and conversely there is slightly less wear on the inner edge. Completely normal and not evidence of over, or under inflation.