I have a 2007 BMW 328i sedan with about 17-18 K miles on it. After dropping it off recently for scheduled servicing, the dealer informed me that my rear tires are entirely worn down and are now completely smooth, without a tread. I stopped by the dealer an confirmed that the tires are in fact completely worn down. I have the sport package, so the tires are Bridgestone Potenza 050A II run flats.
My question relates to my options moving forward. This obviously comes as a big surprise in having to replace the tires for a car that is relatively new with low mileage. Do I have any recourse in going directly to BMW or to Bridgestone in getting at least partial support for the replacement?
Thanks.
While that does seem to be very low mileage for the tire treads to be totally worn, you should be aware that run-flat tires are notorious for short tread life.
However, since you state that this situation applies only to the rear tires, it also may have a bearing on owner-performed maintenance, i.e.–tire rotation, rear-wheel alignment, and of course, inflation pressure. If the tires were never rotated during those 17,000 miles, that certainly didn’t help to extend the tread life. Also, alignment may be an issue, so a 4-wheel alignment is certainly in order when you buy your new tires.
A conscientious car owner will check his/her tire pressure every few weeks. When you get down “close and personal” with your tires, this allows you to see the state of each tire’s tread, in addition to correcting the inflation pressure.
Now that you have experienced how quickly run-flat tires can wear out, I would suggest that you personally check your tire pressures every few weeks, look at those treads, rotate them on a regular schedule, and align them when you detect uneven tread wear.
VDC, I think maybe the rears are different size than the fronts with the sport package, but I’m not sure. Lots of folks with high-performance tires have been shocked by the low tread life. Folks with the ‘Touring’ package on the Toyota Avalon have the same problem! Don’t know if there’s much he can do, except if there was any tread wear warranty. And all the pointers you made, of course.
If your tires were that bad, count yourself very lucky that you didn’t wreck when driving in the rain. You’re supposed to check your tire inflation and overall tire condition regularly, so I suggest you start doing that before you kill someone.
Do you drive it hard?