Ripped off with a part worn?

[brokenaxel]

A bit of advice please on the way to work yesterday got a puncture in the side wall of my tyre ( unrepairable ) .
Out of desperation and shortage of fund decided to go down the part worn route to get me 6 months up till my next mot where I will change both front tyres.

I went to an local place which has good(ish ) reviews - I asked for a branded one rather than a budget one ... They fitted a michelin radial xse - looked ok with around 5mm of tread thought all good until I got home and found the date for the is 2004 so 19 years old.

Is this safe to use as I thought tyres had a shelf life of between 7 - 10 , I phoned the garage who doesnt want to know . Can see any cracks and he said he checked it before fitting.

[Terzo123]

brokenaxel said:

A bit of advice please on the way to work yesterday got a puncture in the side wall of my tyre ( unrepairable ) .
Out of desperation and shortage of fund decided to go down the part worn route to get me 6 months up till my next mot where I will change both front tyres.

I went to an local place which has good(ish ) reviews - I asked for a branded one rather than a budget one ... They fitted a michelin radial xse - looked ok with around 5mm of tread thought all good until I got home and found the date for the is 2004 so 19 years old.

Is this safe to use as I thought tyres had a shelf life of between 7 - 10 , I phoned the garage who doesnt want to know . Can see any cracks and he said he checked it before fitting.

Really?

If you want a brand new tyre, buy one.

[Bobupndown]

I wouldn't be happy driving around on a 19 year old tyre of unknown origin.

[steveo3002]

not surprised , want a new tyre get a new tyre

[DrDeAtH]

I dont think you'll die using that tyre for a few months

If you do though... please report back

[2Btoo]

DrDeAtH said:

I dont think you'll die using that tyre for a few months

If you do though... please report back

Username checks out ....

[Gordon Hill]

I buy part worns all of the time and I've never died yet. I do insist on inspecting them before they are fitted though and am very picky.

[jeremyh1]

i cant be bothered with the paperwork so I buy new ones

[thebraketester]

You don't mention how much you paid.

[Geertsen]

Some harsh replies. I would never condone part worn tyres or buy them myself but surely there should be some law against selling someone a nearly 20-year-old tyre. It’s not safe for them or anyone else on the road at the same time.

[Geertsen]

brokenaxel said:

A bit of advice please on the way to work yesterday got a puncture in the side wall of my tyre ( unrepairable ) .
Out of desperation and shortage of fund decided to go down the part worn route to get me 6 months up till my next mot where I will change both front tyres.

I went to an local place which has good(ish ) reviews - I asked for a branded one rather than a budget one ... They fitted a michelin radial xse - looked ok with around 5mm of tread thought all good until I got home and found the date for the is 2004 so 19 years old.

Is this safe to use as I thought tyres had a shelf life of between 7 - 10 , I phoned the garage who doesnt want to know . Can see any cracks and he said he checked it before fitting.

Unless this garage is an absolute hell hole I can’t understand why they wouldn’t be willing to swap it for something of equal value. They would lose nothing. Unless they are over the moon at finally seeing the back of that tyre they’ve had for a decade.

[Rough101]

I occasionally use a part worn if I can’t get a matching tyre on an axle following a puncture BUT. ……I buy them in one place and after inspecting them, get another shop to fit it. If the remaining tyre is under 4mm I just buy two.

I check the date code before buying and only but them with no repairs, I double check before fitting, as do the local tyre shop. I’ve had the odd dud sent to me, they refund instantly, but if the supplier fits them you miss that opportunity

[sixor8]

Geertsen said:

Some harsh replies. I would never condone part worn tyres or buy them myself but surely there should be some law against selling someone a nearly 20-year-old tyre. It’s not safe for them or anyone else on the road at the same time.

It's been illegal for a while now on PSV and LGV vehicles, the final straw being an old tyre blowing out on a coach that involved the death of some of the passengers. Since Jan 2021, they must be less than 10 years old, but it doesn't apply to private cars or motorcycles. It IS not allowed in some countries which is why containers full of used tyres come into the UK.

I've had part-worns a few times and as long as it's not perishing, it should be OK although it is likely to have poor grip. IT's UV light that causes them to deteriorate so if stored indoors, it will last much longer. 'New' tyres can often be a couple of years old.

As a stop gap in summer, I'd do similar. I've seen tyres well over 20 years on classic cars that have passed an MoT.

[DonkeyApple]

brokenaxel said:

A bit of advice please on the way to work yesterday got a puncture in the side wall of my tyre ( unrepairable ) .
Out of desperation and shortage of fund decided to go down the part worn route to get me 6 months up till my next mot where I will change both front tyres.

I went to an local place which has good(ish ) reviews - I asked for a branded one rather than a budget one ... They fitted a michelin radial xse - looked ok with around 5mm of tread thought all good until I got home and found the date for the is 2004 so 19 years old.

Is this safe to use as I thought tyres had a shelf life of between 7 - 10 , I phoned the garage who doesnt want to know . Can see any cracks and he said he checked it before fitting.

20 year old tyre is a bit of a piss take and you probably have some consumer rights under which you can push to replace. However, I suspect that you'll be entering further into the arse end of commerce.

Some years ago I bought a new tyre in Watford due to a puncture and the car drove very strangely after. It gave a weird lurch on tight right handers as it loaded up. It was while checking the tyre pressures that I noticed they had fitted a ten year old tyre. It took quite a lot of explaining to blokes who looked more comfortable having instructions clubbed into them and who knew damn well they'd tried to pull a fast one for them to accept that new isn't ten years old.

I assume that as you've gone down the part worm route the car in question is not a performance vehicle of any kind so you won't be loading it up with hard driving?

[V8 Animal]

Antiques roadshow?

[Pedro25]

I fully understand with the way the Uk is right now that people will want to or try to save money, however why would you save money on something that keeps your vehicle safe and legal on the road? Not only for yourself but passengers and other road users as well. My daughters BF was recently chuffed to bits as he'd managed to get 2 PW tyres for his car for £50. He's got a good job no money concerns at all, decent car as well. He was not as happy when I told him I didn't want my daughter in his car until he'd replaced the PW's with new. Currently she has to drive her car to see him which has annoyed her as much as it did me.

[Riley Blue]

Pedro25 said:

I fully understand with the way the Uk is right now that people will want to or try to save money, however why would you save money on something that keeps your vehicle safe and legal on the road? Not only for yourself but passengers and other road users as well. My daughters BF was recently chuffed to bits as he'd managed to get 2 PW tyres for his car for £50. He's got a good job no money concerns at all, decent car as well. He was not as happy when I told him I didn't want my daughter in his car until he'd replaced the PW's with new. Currently she has to drive her car to see him which has annoyed her as much as it did me.

But, but... won't every car on the road where your daughter drives as another road user be on part-worns?

[otolith]

Geertsen said:

Some harsh replies. I would never condone part worn tyres or buy them myself but surely there should be some law against selling someone a nearly 20-year-old tyre. It’s not safe for them or anyone else on the road at the same time.

Generally, the only necessary requirements for people buying part worn tyres are (a) round (b) black and (c) MOT legal tread depth.

[Pedro25]

Riley Blue said:

Pedro25 said:

I fully understand with the way the Uk is right now that people will want to or try to save money, however why would you save money on something that keeps your vehicle safe and legal on the road? Not only for yourself but passengers and other road users as well. My daughters BF was recently chuffed to bits as he'd managed to get 2 PW tyres for his car for £50. He's got a good job no money concerns at all, decent car as well. He was not as happy when I told him I didn't want my daughter in his car until he'd replaced the PW's with new. Currently she has to drive her car to see him which has annoyed her as much as it did me.

But, but... won't every car on the road where your daughter drives as another road user be on part-worns?

Absolutely correct probably not every car but a good chance there will be a few, all I can do is minimise the risk to my daughter by ensuring her car is legal and roadworthy, her BF's car is his problem to deal with, I just don't want her in his car until at least he agrees that driving a car is about making good choices even if he's 22 years old.

[TwinKam]

OP got what he wanted, what he asked for, what he paid for, what he deserved; a cheap-skate second-hand part-worn tyre caveat emptor and all that.
Bit rich to then come on here and whinge that his cheap-skate second-hand part-worn tyre is a bit more cheap-skate second-hand and part-worn than he would have ideally liked.
You guys that buy these things are encouraging the supply chain, stop it. They're invariably sold 'cash only' which tells you all you need to know about the legitimacy of those that deal in them. Interesting to learn that we're the cheap-skate second-hand part-worn capital of Europe... is there anything we don't take in? I'd vote to ban the whole dodgy business, along with any tyre over ten years old, on anything. If you can't afford to put decent rubber on your wagon, park it up and save up until you can.