Factory tire warranty question...

[8mpg]

Our little Mini Cooper has 19000 miles on it and the front tires are shot. I looked up and Bridgestone has a 3 year 36k mile replacement warranty then its prorated from then to 5/50k.

Anyways, its an 09 and less miles... Do I have to take it to the dealership to get the warranty or is this something any tire place can do? The outsides are a little more worn than the rest, but most of the tread is dead even wear pattern.

Never had a problem with factory tires before.

[talisman]

Runflats right? Those things don't get great milage. Good luck.

[8mpg]

Runflats right? Those things don't get great milage. Good luck.

yep...the fronts are shit, but the backs are okay. They are under warranty...they better warranty them

[talisman]

yep...the fronts are shit, but the backs are okay. They are under warranty...they better warranty them

Yeah, from what I remember they were expensive as fuck. Like $200 each in 2005 dollars.

[SC457A]

Here is the kicker... Are the tires suffering from a tire defect? Alignment issue? or not keeping them rotated properly?

If they are both worn equally on only the fronts, may be very difficult to get a tire covered by a warranty.

Just going off the description of your post, I would think they would say normal wear. I see lots of cars/trucks with around 20k come into the dealer I work at with tires worn out by 20k.(Ford store) Be prepared to prove you kept the tires rotated at normal intervals (I would assume Mini's get rotated)

[8mpg]

Here is the kicker... Are the tires suffering from a tire defect? Alignment issue? or not keeping them rotated properly?

If they are both worn equally on only the fronts, may be very difficult to get a tire covered by a warranty.

Just going off the description of your post, I would think they would say normal wear. I see lots of cars/trucks with around 20k come into the dealer I work at with tires worn out by 20k.(Ford store) Be prepared to prove you kept the tires rotated at normal intervals (I would assume Mini's get rotated)

we bought the car with 11,000 miles on it (though it was considered brand new...we are the first registered owners). If the dealership didnt rotate them in that time, its their fault. It is not an alignment issue from what I can tell...though the outsides are a little more worn, most of the tread is even across the surface.

[SC457A]

At 11k they should have been rotated 2 times (well, Fords that is).

The wear you describing sounds like normal cornering wear for a FWD car. The outside edge will show more wear than the inner edge and the tread will be smooth (no feathering).

If you have good relations with dealership/service writer, may have a chance for some help. They may also say... ha! I am not sure how Mini's dealers work.

[SC457A]

Just curious, whats the tread wear rating on the tires?

[8mpg]

So reading the owners manual and it says "The manufacturer of your MINI recommends that you do not swap the front wheels with the rear wheels as this may impair the handling of your MINI.

So dont rotate...

The tires are Bridgestone Turanza ER300-02RFT 320AA tires...

[Pooter]

So reading the owners manual and it says "The manufacturer of your MINI recommends that you do not swap the front wheels with the rear wheels as this may impair the handling of your MINI.

So dont rotate...

The tires are Bridgestone Turanza ER300 320AA tires...

lol, why the hell not? Why would you NOT rotate tires at least front/back if theyre directional?

Its like they just want them to wear out quickly so they can tell you that you didnt rotate them like you should have

[8mpg]

lol, why the hell not? Why would you NOT rotate tires at least front/back if theyre directional?

Its like they just want them to wear out quickly so they can tell you that you didnt rotate them like you should have

shit I dont know but they better give me some free fucking tires

[helosailor]

A lot of places will not want to do anything if it's just premature wear, because they don't consider that to be a defect...especially on the drive wheels. I'd say your best bet would be the dealership, preferably the one you got it from.

[8mpg]

A lot of places will not want to do anything if it's just premature wear, because they don't consider that to be a defect...especially on the drive wheels. I'd say your best bet would be the dealership, preferably the one you got it from.

We are...Im going to argue the hell out of it. Bridgestone says rotate every 5k UNLESS the manufacturer says otherwise...which they do.

Bridgestone put out the warranty saying it has 3/36 REPLACEMENT warranty then a prorate credit after that. Im going to call the dealership in the morning. Just wished I could pop into Discount tire and have it taken care of

[SC457A]

Wow, no recommended tire rotations. Are they the same size front to rear?

I am willing to bet the dealership will be ready to handle this deal, as they see a lot of Mini's with front tire wear.

I lost track of times I've tried to sell tires to Focus owners that never rotated their tires around 18-24k.

[8mpg]

Fuck a duck

After a calling the dealership, they said they dont warranty them and that I needed to call a Bridgestone dealer.

Bridgestone dealer says they dont warranty OEM tires, only tires they sell... call Bridgestone directly

Called Bridgestone directly and they say they dont offer warranty on any OEM tire because manufacturers are too cheap to pay for it. She said that all the manufacturer cares about is getting a cheap tire that makes a nice ride. They dont care about longevity. She said BMW owners complain all the time about tires being shot at 12,000 miles.


So, Bridgestone directly offered to prorate some of the costs dependent on what a Bridgestone dealer says about the tire. She opened a claim number and told me to bring the car by a Firestone Auto Center for an eval. They will have to call corporate with the claim number and then corporate will offer a discount on new tires based on their findings.

Im very thankful they are offering any assistance since they are not obligated to. The new tires should have a warranty since they are no longer OEM. We will see what the discount it. If it isnt much we will just have to pony up for the Michelins at Discount ($170 each)