Approved Used: Tyre depth different across pairs

[centas]

Hello!
I have just gotten an approved used C Class.

Driven it around a bit and today was looking at tyre depths and the pairs are very different. Seems like there are 2 almost new tyres: one front and one at the back.

But also the other ones are 4mm and possibly even towards 3mm (at least one of the lines)

So setup is:
Front driver: 8mm
Front passenger: 4/3mm
Rear driver: 4mm
Rear passenger: 7mm

I am going to dealer tomorrow to pick some stuff up but was wondering if 2 tyres are brand new and others are worn: should they not have replaced them in pairs?

When asked for quote for replacing they only gave quote for 2 tyres even though I wanted to replace all (new to this so didn’t notice) so think the dealer knows what’s up.

to top this the car is pulling to left a tiny bit at higher speeds (i read and researched a lot on topic and already considered a trip to WIM). Not sure if tyre wear is due to pull and that’s why only one front and one back got replaced.

Any wisdom/words of advise?

Apologies if already asked in past, not too good with the right terminology to narrow down the post

 

[markjay]

No harm in trying to get some goodwill contribution from the dealer, but I don't think that having two new tyres (or, rather, one new and one nearly-new) and two older tyres is a valid reason for not accepting the car, given that it is roadworthy and passed the MOT.

I am aware that the recommendation is for all four tyres to be of same make and model and have the same level of wear, but this is a recommendation only.

Are all four tyres the same make and model? If so, then if I were you, I would either buy two new tyres so that I have four matching tyres all around (apart for the 7mm tyre), or - if the tyre size is the same front and rear - I would put the two new tyres at the rear and the two worn tyres at the front.

And, I am aware that the recommendation is to put the new tyres at the front, but on a rear wheel drive car the rear tyres wear quicker so the difference in tyre wear between the new and old tyres will become smaller over time.

But the obvious difficulty for me would be that I would definitely want the car to have four identical tyres in terms of make, model, and wear, and at the same time there's no legal obligation on the seller to provide that. So I would just have to see what I can get from the seller as after-sales goodwill (obviously it would have been easier to make these requests prior to the sale....), and then incur any costs that the seller won't cover.

But this is just me being OCD... there's nothing wrong in driving around with four different tyres - it's perfectly legal - so it's down to the individual owner.

PS - there are some limitations on mixing different types of tyres, e.g. radial with non-radial, or winter and summer tyres, but generally speaking there are no legal limitations in terms of mixing different makes, models, or wear.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hello!
I have just gotten an approved used C Class.

Driven it around a bit and today was looking at tyre depths and the pairs are very different. Seems like there are 2 almost new tyres: one front and one at the back.

But also the other ones are 4mm and possibly even towards 3mm (at least one of the lines)

So setup is:
Front driver: 8mm
Front passenger: 4/3mm
Rear driver: 4mm
Rear passenger: 7mm

I am going to dealer tomorrow to pick some stuff up but was wondering if 2 tyres are brand new and others are worn: should they not have replaced them in pairs?

When asked for quote for replacing they only gave quote for 2 tyres even though I wanted to replace all (new to this so didn’t notice) so think the dealer knows what’s up.

to top this the car is pulling to left a tiny bit at higher speeds (i read and researched a lot on topic and already considered a trip to WIM). Not sure if tyre wear is due to pull and that’s why only one front and one back got replaced.

Any wisdom/words of advise?

Apologies if already asked in past, not too good with the right terminology to narrow down the post

Hi , are the tyres of the same brand and a quality tyre ?

If your car a Mercedes Approved is this tyre selection really good enough ?

As long as your car has the same wheel / tyre size all round for the short term you could change the tyres around.

Hope that is a starting point.

 

[centas]

No harm in trying to get some goodwill contribution from the dealer, but I don't think that having two new tyres (or, rather, one new and one nearly-new) and two older tyres is a valid reason for not accepting the car, given that it is roadworthy and passed the MOT.

I am aware that the recommendation is for all four tyres to be of same make and model and have the same level of wear, but this is a recommendation only.

Are all four tyres the same make and model? If so, then if I were you, I would either buy two new tyres so that I have four matching tyres all around (apart for the 7mm tyre), or - if the tyre size is the same front and rear - I would put the two new tyres at the rear and the two worn tyres at the front.

And, I am aware that the recommendation is to put the new tyres at the front, but on a rear wheel drive car the rear tyres wear quicker so the difference in tyre wear between the new and old tyres will become smaller over time.

But the obvious difficulty for me would be that I would definitely want the car to have four identical tyres in terms of make, model, and wear, and at the same time there's no legal obligation on the seller to provide that. So I would just have to see what I can get from the seller as after-sales goodwill (obviously it would have been easier to make these requests prior to the sale....), and then incur any costs that the seller won't cover.

But this is just me being OCD... there's nothing wrong in driving around with four different tyres - it's perfectly legal - so it's down to the individual owner.

PS - there are some limitations on mixing different types of tyres, e.g. radial with non-radial, or winter and summer tyres, but generally speaking there are no legal limitations in terms of mixing different makes, models, or wear.

Thanks for a great and detailed reply.

All tyres are same brand (p-zeroes): they are staggered so cannot swap back to front.

I love the car and as the dealer is quite local to me I want to build a good relationship with them, so have raised this before handover happened and even said happy to contribute as was hoping to possibly get some more from trade in a s sign of goodwill but that didn’t happen. As the approved used is 4mm limit they didn’t bother which is fair. I didn’t realise the front one is pretty new too as thought only one tyre has been replaced recently, so all things considered finding out there is only 2 to replace instead of 3 is still good news

Still new to all of this so still learning

Don’t mind paying for replacement tyres to have a piece of mind, just a shame really as clear 2 tyres been replaced really recently based on tread left.

The car (W205) is still under manufacturer warranty so for now don’t want to take to any other garage just to avoid any reason for invalidating that.

 

[markjay]

Nice car.

Buying tyres elsewhere won't affect your warranty in any shape or form, not will it affect your relationship with the dealer.

I suggest that you get a quote from Black Boots (WIM) for two new P-Zero tyres before taking the car there for wheel alignment.

 

[centas]

Nice car.

Buying tyres elsewhere won't affect your warranty in any shape or form, not will it affect your relationship with the dealer.

I suggest that you get a quote from Black Boots (WIM) for two new P-Zero tyres before taking the car there for wheel alignment.

Thanks for advice and good idea. Just emailed them to get a quite for the whole thing with tyre replacement.

 

[Benz17]

Nice car, and lovely colour too. You won’t go far wrong with WIM as far as wheel alignment goes.

 

[M4drums]

Hi,

I've just purchased a 2019 C200 EQ Boost Coupe from my local Mercedes Benz dealer.
On the initial test drive I noticed that there was definitely a balance issue with the front wheels which the salesman assured me would be resolved as it was all part of the approved used vehicle scheme that MB stand by and was certainly a major reason for buying an approved vehicle.
Last week on a wet and salty M4 motorway I hit a dip in the road at 70mph and nearly lost control of the vehicle. On examining the tyres I found the front Continental Eco Contact 6's had less than 4mm of tread (3.2 -3.7mm) and the rear fitted tyres were of a brand I've never heard of, 'Davanti'?

I'm not holding my breath in terms of the dealership helping (they didn't when I had a similar situation with a C class saloon two years ago), just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience. At the moment I'm looking at around £600 to have a set of Eco Contact 6 Continentals fitted!

 

[RobertoMercini]

Hi,

I've just purchased a 2019 C200 EQ Boost Coupe from my local Mercedes Benz dealer.
On the initial test drive I noticed that there was definitely a balance issue with the front wheels which the salesman assured me would be resolved as it was all part of the approved used vehicle scheme that MB stand by and was certainly a major reason for buying an approved vehicle.
Last week on a wet and salty M4 motorway I hit a dip in the road at 70mph and nearly lost control of the vehicle. On examining the tyres I found the front Continental Eco Contact 6's had less than 4mm of tread (3.2 -3.7mm) and the rear fitted tyres were of a brand I've never heard of, 'Davanti'?

I'm not holding my breath in terms of the dealership helping (they didn't when I had a similar situation with a C class saloon two years ago), just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience. At the moment I'm looking at around £600 to have a set of Eco Contact 6 Continentals fitted!

I would definitely expect more than 3.2mm on a used approved. I’m on my 7th now and have never had less than 5mm although I know others have said these are only recommendations.

As a side note 150 a tyre is v expensive - unless you’re particular sold on that brand it should be easy to pick up 4 premium brand tyres (even different contis) for a lot less than 500 (the last two I bought were Bridgestone and cost 230 fitted

 

[markjay]

...As a side note 150 a tyre is v expensive - unless you’re particular sold on that brand it should be easy to pick up 4 premium brand tyres (even different contis) for a lot less than 500 (the last two I bought were Bridgestone and cost 230 fitted

Agreed, though it does depends on size and type. 19" Premium tyres, especially run flats, can easily cost as much.

 

[M4drums]

I would definitely expect more than 3.2mm on a used approved. I’m on my 7th now and have never had less than 5mm although I know others have said these are only recommendations.

As a side note 150 a tyre is v expensive - unless you’re particular sold on that brand it should be easy to pick up 4 premium brand tyres (even different contis) for a lot less than 500 (the last two I bought were Bridgestone and cost 230 fitted

Thanks Roberto,

Yes the Eco Contact 6 are fairly expensive from my local tyre centre but I prefer to support a local business. As my mileage is relatively low now I probably won’t need new tyres for a couple of years. Poor show on the dealership though resorting to this sort of practice with a loyal customer. I purchased this AMG line C Class coupe and a GLA 200d Sport last month!

 

[markjay]

Unless you're particularly keen on fuel economy, theres no reason to stick with the ContiEcoContact 6 tyres. Eco tyres in general are not the best performing or most comfortable choice. Car manufacturers like to fit them as standard as it improves the car's emissions and mpg figured when tested for certification. Nothing wrong with ContiEcoContact 6, but there are better-performing tyres out there from Continental (ContiSportContact) and from other manufacturers (Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Dunlop, etc etc). Of course, if the car had (say) two good ContiEcoContact 6 tyres and you were only looking for another matching pair, then that would have been a different story.