Am I entitled to a refund for prematurely cracked tires?

I bought four new Bridgestone Potenzas for my 2004 BMW Z4 around 14 months ago from a big name tire company. I've noticed both rear tires have started to develop cracks around the outer part of the tread. I've done less than 3000 miles on the tires and they have always been at the correct pressure. The date stamps are February 2016 on the rear tires. After speaking to them, they want me to purchase two new tires and they will send the old tires off to the manufacturer for inspection. This is under the BTMA guidelines apparently. They say if the tires are found to be faulty I will get a refund. Surely the tires have proven themselves as not fit for purpose and I should be entitled to a replacement.

Asked on 26 May 2017 by Matthew Appleton

Answered by Honest John
Not necessarily "not of satisfactory quality" because the cracks may merely be superficial. Puts you in a dilemma. What I'd do is get a second and maybe a third opinion from other tyre specialists before making a decision.
Similar questions
I have been running Pirelli P7 runflats (225/55 R17 Y) on my BMW 5 Series for years. Is there now a runflat available which might give a less hard ride?
I purchased a Citroen C4 Picasso on 10 August, it's three years old and had 21,000 on the clock. On arrival to my viewing and during the test drive I noticed a few things - one alloy was particularly badly...
My lovely new Toyota C-HR's windscreen developed a crack whilst sitting on the drive overnight. I took it to the dealer and after a few days was informed that it would be fixed under warranty. However,...
Related models
Better looking and a sportier drive than its Z3 predecessor.
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer