Advice and help required (longish post)

[msm]

I bought a set of tyres from one of our forum sponsors (The Wheel Shop). Good service and no complaints about Shaheen :thumb:

However, I'm having problems with the tyres (Kenda KR20) and it looks like the suppliers are giving me the run around, blaming the car :nono:

Anyway here's a brief history:

1) Got the new tyres balanced (by Shaheen) when I picked them up. He advised that I should get alignment redone, as I went from 17 to 18s. On the way home, I had a slight vibration - so I thought maybe the alignment would sort that out.

2) Took the car for alignment to Autowiel after a few days (about 150KM's after fitting the tyres). The vibration also got much worse by then. They REDID the balancing. 3 of the tyres needed to be rebalanced again :dunno:. When the oke was doing the alignment, I asked him to double check if he picks up any possible issues - he called me under and confirmed that I had new bushes and that everything else looks 100%. BTW, great service from AutoWiel Centurion :thumb:

3) Still had a slight vibration and left it. Got worse after a few days and took it back to AutoWiel (after about 300km's from previous balancing with them). One front tyre needed to be rebalanced again and one rear tyre. However, the rear rim was also SLIGHTLY bent and the oke showed me how the tyre was "hopping" when they spun it. He said balancing is just short term - the wheel needs to be straighted and the tyre looks off-round, but cannot confirm until the wheel is sorted first.

4) Took the car to Centurion Mag repairs and left the wheel. Oke lent me an exact same wheel with a Good Year tyre and when I drove home the ride was perfect. Collected the wheel last Saturday and the oke confirmed that the wheel was now sorted, but the tyre was definitely a problem - he tried his best to balance, but the tyre is a "skew".

5) Car had a very slight vibration on Saturday but has now gotton worse as I drive.

The vibration on the all above events happened at different speeds and changed each time I got the tyres balanced. Also gets worse and worse as I drive. Been a total of less than 1000KMs since I got the tyres.

6) So I informed Shaheen who contacted the supplier and now they are asking about my bushes, suspension, etc knowing that these are common problems on BMWs.


However, when I had the borrowed Good Year tyre on it ran perfectly. The oke at AutoWiel also said that if I come back after only about 200 - 300KM, and the tyres needed to be rebalanced there is a definite problem with it - usually when a tyre compound is uneven it does this and I should go back to the guy I bought them from. He said the fronts are going to need constant balancing as they should not have needed to be rebalanced so soon.

Also, my previous 17s ran perfectly (after I ditched the cr@p SP7000Ds). Initially needed bushes replaced and alignment redone (about 3 months ago) and was perfect after that.

So what do I do now - I'm afraid the oke is going to give me a run around as they are already pointing at my "suspension problems/weight falling off, etc" and after a few weeks may say that it is now too long to do anything about it.

Please advise what I should do.

 

[freerider]

I think its pretty standard practice that they would ask about your bushes etc before simply replacing a tyre. I have a wheel balancing issue in the past which turned out to be worn bushes, so they would obviously want to know that sort of thing.

 

[msm]

I think its pretty standard practice that they would ask about your bushes etc before simply replacing a tyre. I have a wheel balancing issue in the past which turned out to be worn bushes, so they would obviously want to know that sort of thing.

Agree totally.

But the car was perfect with the loan tyre and I did not need to re balance my previous 17s every few hundred KM's, so I'm 100% sure its these tyres.

 

[freerider]

If I were the supplier, I would want to also be 100% before replacing. One has to be cautious with everything now days, as there are chancers everywhere, just waiting to take advantage

 

[msm]

If I were the supplier, I would want to also be 100% before replacing. One has to be cautious with everything now days, as there are chancers everywhere, just waiting to take advantage

Yep, I don't mind getting a swap on the same tyre, as I've heard lots of okes on this forum recommend them, so maybe I just got mine from a faulty batch. Not looking for anything more. Would be fine with a refund too, if they are not willing to exchange/swap.

 

[Beast_Power]

This is a difficult one, as you are not dealing with a manufacturer, but a person that decided to bring in the Kenda's on the cheap (Kenda's are rated as one of the cheapest tyres internationally), so they are going to be looking for or even fabricating reasons not to pay you your money back.

The tyre reviews on these tyres are very mixed, but most commented that they would not buy this tyre again, thus evidence that it is not a good tyre to start with.

 

[rick540]

Dude I feel for you, I really do.

Two years ago I threw away four Pirelli P7's with 250Kmh on them, that little episode cost me like R8000.

8 years ago I threw away a brend new set of Eagle NCT 5 cost me like R5000

I got sick of the suppliers blaming my car and after two weeks of bullshite gave up arguing, replaced them with a set of Bridgestone Turanzas and the car was perfect afterwards, and I mean PERFECT.

Often brand new tyres either 'hop" or have uneven compound "alternating hard/soft spots) and there is no amount of balancing in the whole world that will fix that issue.

Suppliers always think their poo smells of lavender and it could never ever be their precious product!

_______________________________

I say stand and fight, get a technical expert behind you and a letter from BMW saying your suspension is fine, then go sue their asses for their inferior quality control.

 

[Beast_Power]

If I were the supplier, I would want to also be 100% before replacing. One has to be cautious with everything now days, as there are chancers everywhere, just waiting to take advantage

Yep, I don't mind getting a swap on the same tyre, as I've heard lots of okes on this forum recommend them, so maybe I just got mine from a faulty batch. Not looking for anything more. Would be fine with a refund too, if they are not willing to exchange/swap.

It is like the Yokohama ADVAN Sport tyres, a lot of people recommended them and I put them on the 540i, and what a load of cr@p they are, causing all kinds of vibrations and problems, put Bridgestone on and all the problems were gone. (And not even yokohama was willing to even give part on my money back).

I only later learned that the ADVAN where prone to doing this, but what gets me is the guys selling them should warn you of possible problems you could pick up, when using specific tyres.