Beware of Used Tire Shop Tires! (Good Information Everyone Should Know)
Beware of Used Tire Shop Tires
I want everyone to beware of purchasing used tire shop tires. Actually I want you to beware of buying used tires period.
Most of us are under a huge misconception about used tires. We think just because they have tread on the tires that they must be good. You couldn’t be more than wrong! Not only is the amount of tread on a tire important but the age of the tire is just as important and most of us don’t even know how to find this information out. I’m here to help!
Your probably wondering why the age is so important, right? The age of the tire can compromise the integrity of the tire. You would also look for dry rot. Dry rot occurs to almost all rubber and plastic materials when left exposed to the weather conditions for long periods of time. Dry rot is visible small cracking within the tire. Dry rotted tires will fail you.
My husband is in law enforcement and I can’t even tell you how many stories he tells me about the accidents he works because of bad tires. The most common reaction he gets: “But my tires have plenty of tread left!”
What about used tire shop tires? I used to work for a used car dealership that also had a used tire shop. These used tire shops take the tires off of the vehicles getting new tires and resell them. They also have employees that go around to other new sales tire shops to get the used tires they have going for disposal. This is how they get their inventory. There is no inspection of these tires and most of them are not safe. The new tire sales shops are happy to hand over the tires because they have to pay a disposal fee and this can save them money.
I personally would never buy a used tire. If you absolutely have to buy a used tire I highly suggest you know how much tread is left and even more importantly the age of the tire.
Here’s how to determine the age of tire
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by ten, eleven or twelve letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer’s code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.
Here’s an example of a tire manufactured in 2002 with plenty of tread on it:
Penny Tread test
To determine the amount of tread on your tire simply grab a penny and place it head first into several different tread groves. If you always see the top of Lincoln’s head, your treads are shallow and worn. These tires need to be replaced.
If part of Lincoln’s head is always covered by the tread, you have more than 2/32 of an inch of tread depth remaining. This means you may not need new tires unless the age is known or dry rot is visible. Below is the same tire that was manufactured in 2002. It has never been driven on the road and is full of tread but more than 10 years old. I would only use this tire as a spare because of it’s age.
I’m certain I am not going to make any friends in the used tire business for writing this post but I felt it important enough to write about.
Please share the very valuable knowledge with all of your family and friends. We could prevent faulty tire accidents from happening everyday. If you are in the market for a used vehicle, please read my How to purchase used vehicles cheap post (I’ve included tips and information the dealerships will not tell you about).
Reference: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv20/07-0496-W.pdf
You are right in saying that a lot of used tires come from vehicles that have been traded in at a dealership. Usually, a dealership will replace the tires of a used vehicle with brand new tires before attempting to re-sell the vehicle, no matter if the tires 1 month old, 1 year old or 5 years old. My husband and I have owned a used tire store for 2 years. We are in a small town with several thriving used tire businesses besides ours. We thoroughly inspect all tires before selling them. They are checked for dry rot, bulges, holes….anything that might be a problem. If we, or any of our competitors, ever got the reputation for just selling a bunch of dry rotted, no good used tires, we WOULD NOT be in business for long! Before we opened our store, I replaced all 4 tires on my expedition for $150. New would have cost me over $600. I drove on those tires for 18 months with no problems at all. If you are buying used tires, be sure to deal with a reputable business. Ask questions about how they are inspected. Inspect them yourself. Don’t feel forced to buy new tires AND be sure that the new tire salesman that said you needed new tires was telling you the truth.