Audi Q5 tyre blowout - should the dealer pay for repairs?
My daughter had a blow out at 60mph on a new (1 month old) Audi Q5 on 20-inch wheels. Blowout was immediate and just before a slip road where she came to a halt. Only the wheel and a little part of the tyre was retrieved (too dangerous to retrieve the rest of the tyre) and the local Audi dealer has claimed that she had run the tyre when flat, hence the reason the tyre disintegrated. This is incorrect. The only driving that was done on the wheel was whist coming to a halt.
Is this a common fault on Q5s with 20-inch wheels. If Audi continue to refuse to replace or to make a contribution to the cost of a new wheel/tyre, would you recommend a claim in smalls-claim court?
Is this a common fault on Q5s with 20-inch wheels. If Audi continue to refuse to replace or to make a contribution to the cost of a new wheel/tyre, would you recommend a claim in smalls-claim court?
Asked on 20 December 2014 by Nick
Answered by
Honest John
In my view it is stupid to specify an SUV on 20-inch wheels that necessitate very low profile tyres that, in turn, makes both the tyres and the rims very vulnerable to damage that could result in a blowout like this. But increasing your vulnerability to damage does not make either the supplying dealer or Audi itself liable for what happened.
They will always be able to claim that the blowout was cause by damage from something lying in the road or a pothole in the road or by kerb damage or damage from speed cushions. If a check on the tyre reveals severe wear to the inner shoulder or the other tyre on the same axle then the culprit was almost inevitably the practice of straddling speed cushions that causes severe unseen abrasion to the inner shoulders of car tyres. Speed cushions should be traversed one wheel over the crown and one wheel on the flat between the cushions.
They will always be able to claim that the blowout was cause by damage from something lying in the road or a pothole in the road or by kerb damage or damage from speed cushions. If a check on the tyre reveals severe wear to the inner shoulder or the other tyre on the same axle then the culprit was almost inevitably the practice of straddling speed cushions that causes severe unseen abrasion to the inner shoulders of car tyres. Speed cushions should be traversed one wheel over the crown and one wheel on the flat between the cushions.
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wheels and tyres
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