I purchased four new Lemans tires from a Firestone dealer, only for the two front tires to wear out in less than (3) months. Both tires wore evenly. I went to Sears and mounted (2) new front tires, front end alignment, and tire rod. The front driver tire worn down in two months. Was the alignment and tire rod worth it?
Year, make, and model please. Be as specific as possible, even down to the color of the paint. Without this information we are helpless.
Also tell us how many miles you drive per month.
Thank you.
Either they didn’t do a good job with the alignment or there is something about the way drive that is wearing the tires.
So tell us how many miles you drive a month. Lots of city driving? Gentle or “spirited”?
Also, why did you buy tires from a dealer, then go to Sears?
Also–How often do you check and correct your tire pressures?
I use my car for deliveries. It is a lot of stop and go driving. I drive about 25-40 miles a day. I went from a dealer to Sears because I could smell rubber when I initially started using the tires from the dealer. They wore so fast and the dealership would not honor the warranty I purchased. They stated the tires would be replaced when down to 2/32 treadwear left. Two months is pretty fast for a tire to wear down that quick. The one from Sears just wore unevenly on the outside.
The Firestone dealer should have honored the warrantee. But you need to take this vehicle to a reputable mechanic and have the front end checked out. Ask friends for recommendations or check out the find a mechanic’s link on the home page of Car Talk.
You still did not mention make, model, year, and average yearly mileage. It makes it difficult to give good advise without that.
If this is a typical unibody car with front Macpherson strut suspension, I have to ask if this car was in an accident with front end damage.
Going through tires like this typically means something is WAY out of adjustment in the front end alignment. Sears should still be on the hook for this, since they did the alignment. They should have found something amiss during the alignment to cause the tires to burn up that quickly.
Since there is obviously a problem with the vehicle, the tire warranty is void - and while it would have been nice if the Firestone dealer had offered some sort of concession, he was under no obligation to do so.
And based on the OP’s description of how he uses the vehicle - deliveries, lots of stop and go (which also means lots of turns and most tire wear occurs during cornering.), I can see why the dealer might be reluctant to give a concession - throwing good money after bad.
Puhleeze! 25-40 miles a day, stop-n-go? I do that every day. I takes me an hour to drive home 12 miles due to stop-n-go. My tires last 3-4 YEARS, not months. He’d have to be driving in a perpetual state of burn out. If that is happening, something is WRONG with the car!
The warrantee may not be void, there are a lot of circumstances that could have made the warrantee valid. Firestone stores that I have used ALWAYS recommend an alignment when they sell tires, in fact they are pretty aggressive about it. If they could see any indication that the front end might need work, they would be obligated to inform the customer.
We only have the information that the OP chooses to provide. They may have warned him and he chose to ignore them, in that case the warrantee might be void, but that should have been noted on the sales contract. But, most tire warrantees, especially ones you pay extra for are really insurance contracts and are valid regardless of the alignment or driving conditions.
My main point was that the OP needs to find a competent front end mechanic and get the car checked out. I think it has more issues than just alignment, and its possible that something caused this after he bought the tires the first time.
Keith you are pretty much on the money. The Firestone dealer didn’t recommend a four wheel alignment. BustedKnuckles was correct also about the “perpetual state of burn out”. I was not in that situation. Sears also installed a tire rod in addition to the alignment. But, the tire showed signs of cupping within a month. The car is a '96 Chev. Lumina. Initally, the Lemans tires would smell of rubber burning with each stop. My fault with the dealer was old tires. I may be wrong, but I did some reading about tires sold beyond period stated on the manufacturer date.
My 1987 VW Scirocco with gas cartridge struts and original springs: right side is perfect - bounces right back and stays put. Left side is a nightmare: no bounce at all and difficult to press down in first place with fluid motion sound. When remove gas cartridges, 7" extension takes 2 to 3 seconds - right side, but 22 sec for left side! In same time frame I warranty swapped left cartridge 2 times and right side zero times.