General Chat

The car has failed the MOT on bald tyres yet again.

We combine the annual service with the MOT so the dealer picks up anything that needs doing .
We can trust them too as we bought the car from them

Hubby was a Ford worker so gets staff discount on parts

I was aware a couple of weeks before that one of the brake lights had gone so got them to replace both at the service.

Hubby did look at the tyres a couple of months before and we had 2 new ones fitted and the other tyres swapped around so both new ones were on the front .

The car is an 09 but with low mileage of 15000 plus miles

All costs though :-(

If I had looked I would have gone to Nigel up the Common who is cheaper than they are and Fred used to work for his dad so I am usually alright there but I really should know to look myself before the MOT and service.

Once again I am paying for my bone idleness!

I only ever used 2 garages for my cars MOT tests, they were both very good, when I phoned up to book my car in for its MOT, they always told me that before the test I should check that the, windscreen washer & wipers were OK, lights including indicator & hazard lights were all working, tyres & wheels were OK, and exhaust was not noisy, they pointed out that doing these simple checks reduced the chance of being failed - from the time MOT test began through to when I had to give up driving in 2011 - due to eye problems, I never had a car fail its MOT.

My concern is that apparently your car fails every MOT on bald tyres.

What do you do when you drive????? Do you drive like a racing driver and then have to slam the brakes on all the time.

New tyres should last a couple of years at least. And consider yourself lucky it was only the MOT. If the police had stopped you, you would have been fined. Bald tyres are a danger not only to you, but to all road users. In the wet they have no grip....

Please tell me where you live, so I can avoid the area!!!! :-) ;-)

Maybe when Sharron gets behind the steering wheel she thinks she is Lewis Hamilton :-D

She is a very lucky lady. So to are those around her.

It was the front ones this year, back ones last.

There's one who will be so concerned they won't be holidaying around here. Result!

Sharron I'm sure it isn't your driving! whatever your understanding friends on here have said! would it be worth having the wheels' alignment checked out? you would have to pay, no idea what but it might be cheaper than replacing the tyres so often

The tyres have been on there five years.

No problems there at all.

The police don't bother me because I do nothing to draw their attention. Everything is legal apart from the tread on my front tyre being just worn enough to fail the MOT on one wheel and almost there on the other.

They were not smooth or scuffed, there was no wire visible,

Nobody has been lucky.I am no danger to anybody.

Braking distance increases as tyres wear down. An extra car length from 50 mph for tyres that are only just on the legal limit compared to tyres with 3mm tread. It is even worse in the wet.

You may also find that your insurance is invalid if you drive with tyres that fail to meet the minimum requirements so if you were unfortunate to be involved in an accident you could have been in big trouble.

That's right.

I wonder how many get down and look at the inside edges of their tyres?? These days narrow road humps can wear the insides badly on smaller cars even though the treads are deep. Just as dangerous but out of sight.

Normally at your MOT the guys will let you know roughly how long the tyres on your car could last.

Not an exact science, but a rough guide. Well worth listening to them....

This is a case of cobblers children.

I am supposed to know, in fact I do know very well but I can always find something more interesting to do.

Do the words'slap' and 'dash' come together readily in your mind?

You must stop doing doughnuts in Tesco's car park after dark!! :-D

I'll go along to Sainsbury's then.

Sharron is a first-class driver.

Why not go further up market and shock 'em at Waitrose. ;-)

First class driver or not driving on slicks may be ok for Brands Hatch but they are not quite the thing going to Waitrose especially if it is raining.

Sharron may care to remember that the law requires you to check the tyres frequently not once a year. The penalty per tyre is £ 60 plus 3 points and the fuzz can - and do - impose this such that 12 points and £ 240 fine comes all at once! NB: The spare is included in any check inc MOT.

Bad tyres will not void insurance.

These things will cause tyres to wear out sooner than they should:

under inflated ( over inflated will cause loss of control )
steering out of alignment - tracking, toe in etc
worn suspension components
bumping into kerbs
heavy braking

A normal family car eg Fiesta, Focus should give 15 000 miles for the front wheels. Rotating back and front is NOT a good idea with FWD cars as the tyre picks up shape while in use and rotating them around can cause handling problems. If you must rotate them do it front/back same side never diagonally with modern tyres. Many tread patterns can only be used in one direction in any case.

Budget tyres are a good buy if you have a budget value on yr life, those of people in the car with you and sundry pedestrians, prowling cats etc. Otherwise stick to major brands.

Never ever buy remoulds or second hand tyres. They are liable to suddenly blow out and then you will need the driving skills of Fangio.

The MOT does not mean your car is roadworthy just that it has passed the test criteria. Current testing is especially poor at picking up suspension wear which can lead to poor handling and excessive tyre wear.