Is it just me or are other people fed up with leasing companies who push tyre life to the limit. I got turned away by a tyre fitting company, with allegedly very quick fitters, because the wear bars were not quite flush. I measured the tread @ ~2mm max. Yet if it had been my own car with my own money I would have shelled out folding for new tyres before then, but I knew the leasing company were tight wads.
Any suggestions for suitable strategies, like deliberately flat spotting tyres? Anybody tried it?
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You should take advice from the local health & safety department in your local council if you feel that your safety is at risk by having a poorly maintained car. Short of sticking a stanley knife in the sidewall, they are probably your only help.
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Stuart
Difficult - when I had a company car the leasing companies policy was not to change until the tyres were down to 2mm. Safety then rather depended upon the tyre performance at those tread depths and the ABS! But, at least the tyres were legal. Uneven wear can be a bonus - when the rears were showing about 4mm over most of the tread the inside edges were down to virtually zero, so I got them changed.
Yes, your lease company is being tight fisted. You could argue that requiring you to get to the wear bars is taking you to the legal limit, and risking prosecution especially if you cover large mileages and could have problems geting the car in for replacements, not to mention compromising your safety. Bitch to your fleet manager about it - only they can really influence the lease company. Could be a negotiating point when the contract renewal is due. Certainly try the HSE, but unfortunately as the lease company are not (quite) asking you to do anything illegal, I'm not hopeful of the response.
Regards
John
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If the car is front wheel drive, find an open, empty space, apply the parking brake hard, select first gear, and burn the tread off to the markers. Whoever laid down this policy at the leasing company could be endangering lives (on wet roads, at least; not on dry roads), so the mug with the leased car should feel entitled to take direct action.
HJ
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And if you take HJ's advice don't forget the Max Power sticker, you'll feel quite at home about 1am Sunday in the B&Q Superstore car park. Might meet some new friends who really know about cars.
David
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David,
Do you think I should wear my flat cap back to front?
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HJ concerned about legal limits ? That's new !
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Stuart.
You should have declared the flat cap first, it so alters the advice we can give. May have to re-think this one. Could you borrow a baseball type just for this occasion?
Hello Wontee. Sorry I was a bit sharp in the other thread. All in the cause of good (?) humor.
David
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For God's sake don't wear a flat cap.
A baseball cap back to front is the ONLY appropriate form of headgear.
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There could be some argument for Corporate Responsibility and Health and Safety.
By adopting a policy of only replacing tyres that are worn to the limit there is a high probability that you will be driving the car with illegal and dangerous tyres. The company's policy has therefore made you liable to prosecution and exposed both you and other road users to danger.
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Worn tyres creep up on you, don't they? I mean, you subconsciously adapt to the grip that they delivery (same as you do with worn shock absorbers etc.) and things are hunky dory until the s**t hits the fan - usually an emergency wet weather stop, or over application of steering.
This nearly did for me in my Pug 306 a couple of years ago (fronts within legal limits, but severely lost grip in the wet). Since then I've adopted a policy of periodically checking grip limit in the wet (on a safe stretch of road, naturally). It's surprising what you learn. I agree with whoever it was who said that he would happily pay to replace tyres early.
Remember - the only way to avoid old age is to die early!
Keep taking the Pils
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Dear Bill
I wonder how long it took to Stockport before the M60 was completed. I work in Eccles and live in Huddersfield and it has helped no end.before this summer 1 and 1/2 hour son a Monday morning if i left near to 8 pm.
Peter
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What I want to know is if HJ follows his own advice does the trilby then go on backwards?
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Latest news, got a baseball cap guys, borrowed it from my daughter.........................
Bit of a begger about the Minnie Mouse ears though.
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You're OK Stuart, Minnie Mouse is cool.
If the boys see you with it and you drive like a "leader" they'll all have them next week.
David
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I had a huge argument with the lease company of my CO CAR a few years ago, they wanted to fit different tyres to each axle of the Mondeo because that was all KwickFit had in stock, (all of the tyres were at their best before date). I refused to take the car from the premises untill I had matched pairs on each axle and preferably 4 of the same. In the end I had to take the phone from the KF manager and harange the lease agent down the phone. I ended up with 4 tyres of the same make fitted the next day.
As an aside to the quickest way to get from Stoke Newington to Gatwick, all I can say is move north, sell your house for £500,000 or what ever in the smoke, and move to the M62 corridor. I can get from Huddersfield to Stockport ( where I work) in 35 mins and its 30 miles, the airport is only 15 minutes farther on.
This in one for HJ, I asked for the lowest running costs for a car to get me to work, you suggested a Panda, H reg for £500 I got one for £350 and so far its been brilliant. BUT I still prerfer my Blackbird!!
Cheers
Bill Doodson
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Interested to hear about the different tyres on the front of the Mondeo. I had a June 97 2.0LX (facelift model) as a company car. The car was supplied with VR tyres. I ended up with one VR and one HR at the front (think they were the same make but can't be sure). I felt this was unsafe. I pointed this out to the specialist tyre help line for my leasing company, who said they were quite happy with the arrangement. I also pointed out that this was not original equipment and might endanger the warranty (let alone my health). Their response was that the car only actually required HR-rated tyres, and had presumably been fitted with VR tyres because they bought a job-lot at the factory. I gave up at this point. I have to say I didn't notice any problems.
I used to think that VR-rated tyres had stronger/less flexible sidewalls, but heard recently that they are identical to HRs, except that the VRs are "first quality" and the HRs effectively "seconds", not quite meeting the designed criteria in terms of balance etc. Any thoughts on this anyone?
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Hey up, is this a Huddersfield website? God's own country, speaking as an ex-pat. Where is Stoke Newington anyway? is it t'other side o' Brighouse?
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When I was working around the country a few years ago I was in the Huddersfield area, one of the guys in the factory was bemoaning the fact that he lived way out of town and what with the traffic and so-on, it took him over ten minutes to get to work.
At the time it was taking me an hour. It now takes up to an hour and a half.
Some people don't know when their luck is in!
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