Dealer says I need 2 new tires

30 K miles is just about average for the Goodyear's that were OEM. I only got 25 K - had one bad tire (due to alignment?) but replaced all 4.

 

At 15k miles, my dealer said my tires had to be replaced soon. They recorded my treads at 4/32". I measured it myself with a penny and disagreed. The next time at 20k miles, I took my car to Firestone. They said my treads were good and recorded it as 6/32 . Uhhhhh Wth? Ok...Read on. At 25k miles I went back to the dealer (only because I had free oil change coupon). They didn't mention anything and recorded it as 5/32".

What's up?!?! Did my tires just get deeper over time??! LOL Wth! In the end, I think tire tread scarily subjective. So don't trust that dealer/technician who tells you to buy new tires. Wait 5000 more miles and see what they say then, or get your car serviced elsewhere. Other than the service manager (they've earned that position for a reason), the techs at Toyota dealerships are idiots. Really. I've watched them work.

 

My dealer said that at 13K and 20K and 34K (first and last being for nails). Still no sign of wear per the Manual. Service writers get paid on commission.

 

Really all he was doing was setting your expectation that by the time the next service stop rolls around you may be needing new tires. He didn't say "You need to buy new tires now!". He also told you that you would probably only need 2 instead of saying you need 4. I wouldn't be so quick to assume you're getting screwed.

He's not a psychic, but presumably through his experience he knows roughly when things will need to be replaced. Doctor's know, roughly through their experience how long you have to live with cancer...and mechanics know roughly how long worn components of your vehicle have to live before they will fail...

Do you rotate your tires regularly? If left unrotated its very common on FWD cars that the fronts will wear much more quickly than the rears.

You can very easily inspect the tires yourself, look at the tread, remember to measure the lowest point on the tread, which is usually the shoulder. Put an upside down penny in there and look and see how much of ol' Abe's head is covered.

Now the law says they are illegal at 2/32nds", which is roughly the top of Abe's head to the edge of the penny. Personally, I replace tires more like 4/32nds. Traction and hydroplaning resistance really go downhill after that, and tires are the single most important safety system on the car...but its your money and your life so its your choice.

Here's a good article:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=85

 

Billnchristy, as has been said here hundreds of times, don't trust the stealership.

Learn to measure tread depth yourself, it's easy.

If you are tool use challenged
Tire Tech Information - Measuring Tire Tread Depth with a Coin

Or use a slim ruler, or a dial or digital indicator.

Or buy special tread depth gauge.
Tire Tech Information - Measuring Tire Tread Depth with a Tire Gauge

http://www.amazon.com/Milton-S448-Tread-Depth-Gauge/dp/B0002STSQM

Many more
Tire Tread Depth Gauge, 0 to 1 inch


If you know your tire tread depths and the service department lies to you about the tread depth, you will have learned something valuable about your service department.

 

Toyota & the dealer set the tp low so (big surprise) tires wear faster. The odds are they will be the ones selling the tires.

 

Maybe you could get a tire debth guage. Then get the service guys to put the two tires need to be peplaced in writing. Then if when you check them, and find out they are lieing i would ask to speak to the owner and explain to him that he or she just lost you and your whole familey as customers for life.

 

Its really not. My trusted independent mechanic...who does not sell tires...or even mount tires ordered from TireRack has said the same thing to me multiple times. Sometimes he's right, sometimes he's not. What he's doing is telling me what kinds of things he thinks will need to be done, and when I can expect to need to do them so I can prepare and budget for them. Thats what I pay him to do.

People are so quick to assume they are getting screwed...perhaps thats why they feel like they are always getting screwed? Everybody here is automatically telling this guy he's getting screwed "Oh go buy a tire gauge and catch them in the act, the crooks!" when they haven't even seen your tires.

If he were trying to screw you why wouldn't he have said you need them now, when he can make money off of you? Why tell you within 5k miles, when you have the opportunity to go out and buy tires somewhere else?

 

Won't speak for others, but I replace my tires BEFORE the minimum tread measurement like sw03es. After 20k-25k miles, I look them over myself carefully and compare them to new tires at retailers. The past few changes, Ive had enough tread to sell them to used tire stores for $5 each. I like nice full treads where the rubber meets the road. Trust me -- I go cheap on lots of stuff but not tires. When I was a young man, I'd run them bald but with age, my priorities have changed. When the tread gets to about 25%, I start shopping for deals -- usually online. Have a tire shop that will swap them out with balance for $17 total. The local tire stores have free rotation coupons all the time. What can I say, burning into an exit ramp off the interstate at 70+ mph in my prius takes skill, good tires and a reckless disregard for life and limb. [wink]

 

I also noticed corroding/worn front tires around 1 year, 7,000 miles back in December. I then rotated the tires at Midas, front to the back, left to right. Midas Service thought the corrosion was excessive as do I. Next free weekend I get, I'm posting pics and sending off an email to Toyota. I'm also upset with my broken interior cabin light cover and fold down button on my rear seats. The rear seat button often pops off when I push in when folding the seats down.

 

How hard do you drive the car? Front wheel wear is entirely dependent on how hard you take corners, accelerate, etc. A front heavy FWD car like the Prius is hard on front tires.

Toyota doesn't make tires though...

As for the other issues...just take it to the dealer...they'll fix them.

 

I'm at 58,000km (36k miles) and now looking at having to replace the tires due the front drivers tire bulging out, can't be anything from a road hazard since since nothing hit that tire or any major pot holes so seems to me like the bands were just week and after this cold weather (nothing as cold last year) just broke.

Have to take it to the dealer tomorrow and see what they say, but likely looking at needing new ones, hopefully can find some good ones in the area in stock, anyone have recommendations? Was leaning towards Hankook but not sure about the 727 or 418's

 

mich energy savers

 

Yes we are idiots, Toyota does not provide us any training and could care less if we know how to work on cars and we definitely don't care about our customers. We just want all your money. Geez. I really don't know why I even visit this forum anymore.

 

Many times, especially with an oil change you are getting a rookie trainee tech. Depending on the dealer these guys can be right off the street. He probably measured to the wear bar which would give a 2/32 smaller reading.

Tire tread measurement is not subjective at all. Get a 6" steel rule or a tread gauge and measure it yourself at the lowest point. Didn't they teach you to measure in elementary school? Why are you messing with a penny? It's not very accurate.

"wait 5,000 miles and see what they say then"???? That's idiotic advice, what if an experienced highly competent tech measured 2/32? That would be downright dangerous advice.

""the techs at Toyota dealerships are idiots"" Another idiotic statement. Sure due market forces, like offshoreing to China there are less competent techs out there. Nobody wants a job that's become 10 times harder in the last 20 years and pays about the same as it did ten years ago while the dealers are charging twice what they did a decade ago. As an example in 1969 the entire wiring diagram for a Datsun 510 coupe fit on two pages of the 5"x7" owners manual. Today a Lexus hardcopy electrical manual is the size of a medium phone book. All Toyota techs are not idiots, only an idiot would think that.

Why don't you come down and watch me and my buddies work. Rebuilding a blown 4.7 liter, about 250 parts that all have to be completely disassembled, inspected, diagnosed and re-assembled in an exact manner and order. Any deviation or mistake can cause the loss of a $5000 engine. Diagnosing a corroded wire connector in a Prius that has about 250 different wire connectors, and over 1000 terminals in those connectors. Isolating an intermittent slight squeaking noise in a vehicle that has over 1000 moving parts. Don't forget all of this is under a time deadline pressure. If it's so easy how come you don't do it yourself?

A fully competent technician is a electrician, plumber, mechanic, machinist, fabricator. He knows computers, hydraulics, tires/wheels/ suspension/alignments, engine overhaul, trans overhaul, water leaks, air leaks, rattle/noise diagnosis, cooling systems, oiling systems, AC systems, heating systems, sound systems, alarm systems, vacuum systems, emissions systems, metallurgy basics, chemical engineering basics, mechanical engineering basics.

So when I hear someone as uneducated as yourself call me an idiot it sort of rubs my fur the wrong way. Especially when it's not really the technicians that are the issue, it's the dealer owners trying to make more money. So anytime you're ready come on down. You can change oil for a year before moving up to entry level tech. And bring your measuring penny so we can laugh at your a**.

Just to contribute I recommend tires at 4/32 especially in a wet area (hydroplane), and that's measured at the thinnest area. You can get away with 3/32 in the back especially in a dry area.

It's usually best to do all 4 tires at once because rubber degrades over time. Typically in about 5 years a tire will lose a lot of it's original traction.

 

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