[EBW_170]

We have had our MCS for over a year now and it has covered 8500miles in that time it has always had the correct tyre pressures ect.

However it appears that all 4 tyres are cracking between the tread patterns all around the tyre,you would think that the tread is going to rip off,it is worse around the centre section..

Has anyone else had a problem,the dealer is concerned and talking to BMW Uk??

The car was built october 05 and has the 17'' 205 45 tyres.

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

I had this problem pointed out to me on Tuesday by a tyre fitter. I've only done 9500 miles on mine and I’m really not happy about it! I paid my dealer a visit and they didn't really care about it. I was told I’d have to buy 4 new tyres from them at full price, then they'd send them back to Dunlop.

If Dunlop finds a defect in the tyre they'll pay out for the tyre based on the tread left on them. I'm looking at replacing them with normal tyres as the thought of paying out £550 for more that will probably crack fills me with dread.

The tyre fitter said Dunlop will probably just say they've been used at the wrong pressure to get out of paying anything. This could be true in my case as I never checked them. I was under the impression that the runflat indicator would warn me of any loss in air pressure. But the fitter checked all 4 and they were all ok.

[A13EX F Cooper S]

u've done well to get that many miles out of them i got about 7k out of them before they needed to be replaced I found the wear on them to be stupid gone for bigger wheels now with proper tyres on them

[RVW]

Good luck with your attempts There are a few of us that have had this problem but I feel you will be very lucky to get anything back. I tried a came up against a brick wall. At the end of the day its possible cheaper to buy a new tyre than spend loads on a probable futile attempt for compensation.
You might want to read this thread

http://www.mini2.com/forum/wheels-ty...-runflats.html

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

Did it cost you to have them returned to dunlop? The way the tyre fitter was talking about it, it sounded like they'd be sent back for free and it was worth a shot

[RVW]

No it did not cost anything to return them. But you have to buy new tyres to be able to send them back.
So if you have a reasonable amount of tread left you could be buying unecessarily.
The tyres I have on now are down to the marker bar but they have been showing cracks for a long time.As yet they have not been a problem. I feel that you/we are in a catch 22. Costs if you do and worry if you dont

If you have not much tread left then IMO I should not bother with the hassle.

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't going to chase for money for all 4 tyres because i was going to buy 2 new runflats anyway, as they are just about down to the bare bone. But the back 2 tyres look almost new! If it costs nothing its worth a try.

I'm looking at buying 4 Falken ZE 512 (205/45/17) @ £300 to replace the dunlops. So if dunlop does find a defect (very slim chance i know) would i still get any cash back or do i need to buy 4 Dunlops again for them to pay out anything?

P.S. RVW - You say the tyres you have on now are down to the marker bar but they have been showing cracks for a long time. Did you go out and buy a second set of Dunlop runflats the 1st time the cracks started to show?

[RVW]

Quote: Originally Posted by WhiteNoiseMaker

Thanks for the info. I wasn't going to chase for money for all 4 tyres because i was going to buy 2 new runflats anyway, as they are just about down to the bare bone. But the back 2 tyres look almost new! If it costs nothing its worth a try.

I'm looking at buying 4 Falken ZE 512 (205/45/17) @ £300 to replace the dunlops. So if dunlop does find a defect (very slim chance i know) would i still get any cash back or do i need to buy 4 Dunlops again for them to pay out anything?




P.S. RVW - You say the tyres you have on now are down to the marker bar but they have been showing cracks for a long time. Did you go out and buy a second set of Dunlop runflats the 1st time the cracks started to show?

red:
You will only get a proportion back i.e, they will asses the amount of wear and refund on a percentage. 70% wear > 30% refund etc.
No you dont`t need to buy new tyres. It was more to do with -if you take them off -what do you do whilst you wait for the result of the investigation.



The first time it happened I was replacing the fronts and putting thr rears on the front. This is when I noticed the cracks. I had about 4/5mm on the tyres,but decided to see if I would have a case for some compensation. So to send them back I had to by 2 more new tyres, the rest is history

[EBW_170]

Quote: Originally Posted by RVW

red:
You will only get a proportion back i.e, they will asses the amount of wear and refund on a percentage. 70% wear > 30% refund etc.
No you dont`t need to buy new tyres. It was more to do with -if you take them off -what do you do whilst you wait for the result of the investigation.



The first time it happened I was replacing the fronts and putting thr rears on the front. This is when I noticed the cracks. I had about 4/5mm on the tyres,but decided to see if I would have a case for some compensation. So to send them back I had to by 2 more new tyres, the rest is history

The Dealer seemd very concerned about the problem and we should hear from them on monday.

This is my mums car but i have the sp9000 on my M5 and one of the front tyres is starting to crack like the Minis have.

The angle we will take if they wont replace is to have the dealer put in writing that the tyres are safe to use,we will also ask an MOT station if they would be failed.

Will let you know anyway.

[BENJ]

Before I had our two front Dunlop SP 9000's changed at 14,000miles (No, I don't like a granny just a lot of motorway driving!!) I noticed that they were all splitting and cracking - thought no more of it other than was how glad I was getting them changed. The back two are showing no signs of splitting or cracking - is this the same for everybody else??

Of the two I replaced the front passenger one showed a lot more wear on the shoulder closest to the kerb than across the rest of the tyre - is this due to spirited roundabout driving and has anybody else had this.

The tyre mechanics at Guildford tyres (very reliable and knowledgeable) didn't say there was any problem with the tracking nore with the cracked/splitting tyres.

[Robert Stancliff]

I'm going out to take a close look at my Dunlop runflats. They have about 8,000 mile and have been fine so far.

A reminder to everyone to check their tire pressure at least once a month. Also, whether MINI says to or not, I think it's best to rotate your tires every 5,000 miles or so.

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by BENJ

Of the two I replaced the front passenger one showed a lot more wear on the shoulder closest to the kerb than across the rest of the tyre - is this due to spirited roundabout driving and has anybody else had this.

The tyre mechanics at Guildford tyres (very reliable and knowledgeable) didn't say there was any problem with the tracking nore with the cracked/splitting tyres.

My tyres are exactly like yours BENJ! The passenger side is almost down to the marker. The driver side still looks like its good for a few thousand miles more!

I think the major problem with my tyres was I asked for them to be transferred to another set of alloys. The tyre fitter told me that the process of removing them and refitting to them to new rims would cause the crack's to become much worse and more dangerous to use.

If I don't fit my new alloys (long story ...there on eBay right now!). I only plan on replacing the front tyres, as I don't think they are going to give me any problems. If i go with the new alloys i'll be getting normal tyres for sure.


Heres a photo of the cracking:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1151424425

[BENJ]

Good to see somebody elses (WhiteNoiseMaker) tyres are wearing in the same way as mine. It was annoying to have to replace them quite so soon but they were becoming dddgy in the wet and the change when the new ones went on was remarkable - realised just how much grip they had lost.

I think I will rotate this new set of tyres at about 8000miles as I have noticed that the back tyres wear slightly faster on the inside shoulder of the tyre whereas the front ones wear faster on the outside shoulder of the tyre (particularly on the pasenger side)

[theone]

Hi,

I emailed Dunlop about the problem and got the following back + thanks for the advise on the tyres woodman, i was thinking about trying the goodyears next but i'll definately wait for the bridgestones! :-)

Dunlops reply :-

Thank you for your "e" mail regarding the issue with your run on flat
tyres.

Our passenger tyres are warranted for 5 years from date of manufacture or
date of purchase if proof can be shown. The warranty covers manufacturing
and materials but not accidental damage natural wear etc caused during use.

We offer a tyre inspection service for any tyre dealer or member of the
public.

Tyre dealers can send tyres back for inspection if they have an account
with us. If they do not have an account the return can be made through
their wholesaler who will then arrange to return the tyre here on their
behalf.

Should we during our inspection offer an allowance it will be % based and
is worked out using the remaining tread depth of the tyre. We then advise
the recommended allowance to the account holder by letter. We also send a
letter advising you of the results as long as your name and address have
been included on the complaint form that dealers raise. If the dealer has
no forms they can obtain pads from the BRMA on 0207 457 5040.

The allowance will be made to the account holder who returned the tyre to
us. It will be based on their purchase price of the tyre from us. Most
dealers will then normally reflect that allowance back to their customer
based on their payment price should of course the tyre or a replacement
tyre have been brought from them. You will need to speak to your dealer
regarding their complaint tyre policy and allowance reimbursement to
yourself.

If no allowance is offered on your tyre we will hold it for 14 days. The
tyre will then be disposed of. Should you require your tyre back you will
need to arrange for a carrier to pick it up within the 14 day period. The
return cost would need to be covered by yourself. Carriage costs from the
account holding dealer to ourselves are covered by us regardless of the
outcome.

[theone]

Makes you angry doesn't it?

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

I hope the Bridgestone Runflats are going to be available in 205/45/17

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

EBW_170 do you have anything to report back from your dealer?? I'm really interested to hear what BMW had to say about our problem.

[woodman]

And You Will Always Find That Your Passenger Side Front Tyre Will Wear Out Faster Due To Roundabouts And You Can Take Left Hand Corners Faster Than Right Hand Ones

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

That's great news woodman. I hope my dunlops will last another 2 months so i'll be able to replace them all with bridgestones!

...I still wonder how EBW_170 got on at their dealer. If they replace them for free i'll be printing this thread out and stapling it to the managers head at my dealer!