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Bought a new car several months ago, and noticed that the tire pressure was down. Since it was due for an oil change....I took it in to have the car checked over. After about a half an hour, I was taken in to see my car...and shown what seemed to be a vertical cut that was possibly about 16" long in the very middle of the tire. Of course, since I didn't pay some fee for all the tires (hazard ins?) at the very beginning....(I think about $15), I now had to pay for a new tire. They said at the time approximately $200.00...for the tire, and installation. I told them to put the old (?) tire in the back of my car. They kept on saying that I must have run over something. I didn't remember running over anything. Then they said I probably ran over something in the road....in the rain. I think I would have felt that. When I went to pay, they had taken a few dollars off...because I was taking the tire away...for which they had a charge to do that. The guy acted like he was doing me a favor. Anyway...I have a practically new tire in my car that still seems to have the new tire smell on it. This tire was used less than five thousand miles. My husband seems to think that the tire was coming apart.
What I want to know is....has anyone else had this type of problem with this brand of tire...or the dealership selling you a new tire....when the other may have been messed up? They gave me the 800 number to call Continental Tire....and I will call them...but first I wanted to see if any others have had the same problem. Thanks for any input.
Bought new Continentals a few months ago, been aces so far. All companies, however, do manufacture a variety in terms of quality as some consumers go straight for the cheapest. Not enough people do the simple research that should be put into tire purchasing. I realize it's different when you buy a car - you get the tires someone else chose. Did you inspect the tires upon buying the car? Does the car have a tire pressure warning light? If you're losing air, it would have warned you. It is possible you ran over something. It's also possible some shady mechanic - or someone in your neighborhood or some random person in some parking lot for that matter - harmed your tire, but don't go accusing because that's not something you could ever fundamentally prove unless you saw it right before and right after. Unless you have an SUV, truck, or something bigger, $200 is too much for one tire. My tires cost $650 (before the $100 refund) for all four, plus installation, balancing, etc. If the car could have been driven safely, you shouldn't have done what the mechanic suggested on the spot. Tell him you'll think about it and go somewhere else. The dealers and the chain mechanics are highest priced. Ask friends, co-workers, people on here for shop recommendations, look for deals at those preferred shops, and purchase after researching (especially user reviews) your size and type you need for car. I suppose what's done is done, but perhaps Continental has a warranty guarantee for your car. If Continental tells you your car warranty should cover it and not them, give Continental, your dealer, and the dealer's corporation a hard time until somebody ponies up a refund (whole or partial) for your new tire. Companies almost always refuse on the first go-around. They want you to give up. Persistance usually pays off, just don't make it a stresser for yourself. You might even want to take the damaged tire to a local tire dealer or two for an opinion on what caused the damage. They'll probably give the opinion for free if you don't drag them into your dispute.
I will add, though, when I was researching tires for my car I wasn't thinking about Continentals at all, but they consistently had great reviews. Those reviews and locating a good deal on the kind I wanted caused me to make my purchase. I'm getting a better and smoother ride, better gas mileage, and need less braking time since I bought my new set. I'm a satisfied costumer.
Location: Butler County Ohio and Winters in Florida
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Ok, I must say it, you should have bought the Road Hazzard. Now you want the benefits of the policy without paying for it. Sorry I know that doesnt help, but over and over I have seen on this site people telling others never to buy such policys.
I would try to call Continental and ask for help. No one knows for sure what caused the cut or seperation in the tire.
Your new car dealer should have done this for you. I have seen Goodyear do a similar thing for a customer.
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 model with the AWD system would split the front tires, I forgot what brand they had.
I usually jump tire brands every time I get tires, but my Continentals have impressed me.
I have the extremeContact DSWs.
I just replaced the last set with a brand new set. I got 62,000 miles out of the last set without more than 1-2psi of pressure loss every 2-3 months. Good tires. Held balance from the original balancing through 62k miles. Even wore evenly.
Decided to buy again because they were awesome in the snow with my AWD g35x. Fortunately for me, the last 15k miles of their life was spent during the spring/summer. I prob could have gone another 4-5k, but winter is coming and I need tread again.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 10-07-2013 at 07:35 PM..
There was a new set on my F150 when I bought it used. I realized they needed to be balanced, but two different shops couldn't get them right. One shop used an entire sheet of weights on one wheel and still couldn't get it right. The second shop told me that these were only sold by Walmart, so I went there. They couldn't get them balanced. They ended up trading me for a set of Michelins which have been great.
Yeah I've used the ExtremeContact DWS also, mostly impressed with them, though they developed some flat spots and vibration later in life...probably my own fault, I wasn't conscientious about rotating them. I'll be buying a set for my new car probably in December, the snow ratings on the OEM Dunlops frighten me a bit.
Back to the Contis, they were a little squirmy when I first put them on, but tightened up by about the 500 mile point. This was on a 16 inch rim, so not very low profile, but they tend to have soft sidewalls. Anyway, you give up a little dry handling but the things are the best tires I've ever used in snow. Note that I did not say "best all-season tire." These things are literally better than any snow tire I've ever used, though I've admittedly not used any top-end snow tires like Nokians or X-Ice or Blizzak.
Bought a new car several months ago, and noticed that the tire pressure was down. Since it was due for an oil change....I took it in to have the car checked over. After about a half an hour, I was taken in to see my car...and shown what seemed to be a vertical cut that was possibly about 16" long in the very middle of the tire. Of course, since I didn't pay some fee for all the tires (hazard ins?) at the very beginning....(I think about $15), I now had to pay for a new tire. They said at the time approximately $200.00...for the tire, and installation. I told them to put the old (?) tire in the back of my car. They kept on saying that I must have run over something. I didn't remember running over anything. Then they said I probably ran over something in the road....in the rain. I think I would have felt that. When I went to pay, they had taken a few dollars off...because I was taking the tire away...for which they had a charge to do that. The guy acted like he was doing me a favor. Anyway...I have a practically new tire in my car that still seems to have the new tire smell on it. This tire was used less than five thousand miles. My husband seems to think that the tire was coming apart.
What I want to know is....has anyone else had this type of problem with this brand of tire...or the dealership selling you a new tire....when the other may have been messed up? They gave me the 800 number to call Continental Tire....and I will call them...but first I wanted to see if any others have had the same problem. Thanks for any input.
Really hard to say without seeing it, but from your description, it sounds like something that could be covered by the tire's warranty. It is a WORKMANSHIP warranty and not a road hazard warranty. This may sound obvious but here is the difference: If you hit a pothole and blow the tire, you pay, it was a road hazard. If you drive down the road on your tires within normal useage and the tire begins to separate, it is a workmanship issue that Continental should handle.
Also, its much easier to charge you retail and get you to pay than to hassle with a warranty. If they convince you its your issue, its better for them from a number of perspectives.
Phil.....you and the other kind people pointed out several things that I should have been aware of...and I am considering everything. You are right, I could have gone over something...that I didn't realize I had done, someone could have fooled with it in my parking area, and it could have been just a bad tire...who's to know? You are right about one absolute thing....I don't need to stress myself out with this thing, as I should be thankful that I had the money saved for something like this. I will call Continental to see if they can help...if not...I will bury the thing! After I had read your input this morning....I checked out the road that I had been going down for awhile to work....it is where all the contruction is on Rea Road. Dugh! Its anyones guess. Thank you to everyone....and my sincere apologies to Continental Tire...if it wasn't a bad tire.
I've had uniformly excellent experiences with Continentals FWIW...
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After I had read your input this morning....I checked out the road that I had been going down for awhile to work....it is where all the contruction is on Rea Road. Dugh! Its anyones guess. Thank you to everyone....and my sincere apologies to Continental Tire...if it wasn't a bad tire.
