New tires indicate manufactured in 2012

[Rick Vyncke]

Had a blowout on an inside drive axle which took out the tag axle tire as well.

Found new Michelin's available about 200 miles away and replaced 4 on the drive axle.  Ordered 2 more for the tag axle as no more in stock in the state.

I greatly appreciated all of the work and effort getting us the four tires that allowed us to get back on the road.

My question.   They were installed two weeks ago and yesterday I noticed that they are stamped 2012.  Should I demand that they get me newer tires?  I did not get a discount - these were about $850 per tire - not installed.  Reading here leads me to believe that the tire life is only 6-8 years.   Would you consider these 5 years old already or would they be considered new as they were just installed for the first time on my coach?    Thank you in advance. 

BTW - don't want to take advantage of the tire company but want to be treated fairly.  Thanks

[David T. Richelderfer]

I think you should get a discount, but in view of the circumstances, you may not have much bargaining power.  We paid $960 for one tire installed a few years ago after an outside dual tire incurred rock damage to its sidewall.  It was, at the time, the ONLY Michelin 295/80R22.5 tire in Yuma.  The closest other tire was in Texas or New Mexico, as I recall.

Also, I have heard differing opinions regarding a tire's age.  Some say the DOT stamp regardless of time spent in warehouse storage.  Others say the time spent in warehouse storage and out of sunlight should not count.  I would expect some mixture of the two opinions might be considered... like half the time, for example, 2012 to 2017 in storage would mean use 2 1/2 years old instead of the full five years.  That would mean a 1/3rd discount.. five more years of useful life instead of 7 1/2.  Just a thought...

[Jerry Carr]

I would add a point here, should you find a need to sell your rig the dealer would look at the date not condition nor history I would ask for a discount or new tires   

[Chuck Jackson]

I would at least talk to a manager and let them know that while you were very happy with their service, you would like to know if this is SOP to install tires this old on a coach. At best, your tires only have half their life left.

[Keith Moffett]

I didnt think they could sell tires that old.  Doesnt the law say 18 months max for new tires ?

Perhaps there was a mistake made so I would contact the dealer but go right to the head person.

[Stan Simpson]

No offense, but I would re-check the DOT stamp to make sure they are 2012. If they are, I would certainly go back to that dealer and ask for compensation. I agree with Chuck and Keith above.

[Gerald Farris]

Rick,
If the tire dealer can not or will not resolve the tire age issue to your satisfaction, I would contact the tire manufacturer.

To me, a 5 year old tire has very little value for use on my coach. All tires deteriorate with age, even in a warehouse. That is the one of the reasons that the DOT requires a date of manufacture on all tires.   

Gerald

[Lee Welbanks]

I have yet to find any law, rule, Dot or NTSB regulation that states when a heavy duty tire is too old. There is much talk about car and light duty tire age but not heavy duty commercial tires. 
I don't run tires over 7 years old, 5 on the steering axle, my drive tires are approaching 6 years and they look like new except for tread wear.
Heavy duty commercial tires get recapped and run on trucks all the time, I would not run them due to the heat in the southwest where I operated.
In our case when we have a tire problem out on the road and have to purchase a tire or tires we are at the mercy of the dealer to get what they have. I got lucky a couple years ago in Utah when I blew a front and found a dealer in Saint George with the correct size and brand I needed and they had new mfg dates.

[Rick Vyncke]

Thank you all for the suggestions!  I called Michelin customer support and they were very helpful.  They said that tires more than three years old should not be sold.

They asked that I get the DOT numbers from the tires so that they could verify the manufacture date.  Coach is getting some work done so I asked the service shop to get the DOT numbers
because I was trying to ascertain the tire age... they told me the tires are from 2016?  OK - so either I completely mucked this up or they misread the numbers.

In any event, when I pick the coach up, I will verify the numbers and if need be contact Michelin again.

BTW - Michelin has a 30-day (no questions asked) money-back guarantee.  If you're not happy with the tires for any reason they will take them back within the first 30.
If those tires are old, I will ask for a refund and then re-order.  Happy with Michelin!

[Joel Ashley]

Just to make certain you are reading things correctly, Rick, refer to this:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk8rVvMWm1gIVgod-Ch3dfQd5EAAYASAAEgL7IPD_BwE&techid=11&s_kwcid=AL!3756!3!200245276957!e!!!!tire%20date%20code&ef_id=WbtwawAAARtcyri-:20170915061715:s
It's the last 4 numbers of the DOT code that counts.
Joel

[Rick Vyncke]

Thank you Joel!

[Paul Bowers]

We deal with this almost everyday at our motorcycle consignment dealership.  Our rules are the motorcycles have to be in street legal condition, as stated by the manufacturer, in order for us to consign the motorcycle.  Motorcycle tires should replaced after 5 years or when visual inspection finds signs of trouble.  The date we go by is whats stamped on the tire, not when it was mounted on the motorcycle. When we order tires we will not accept any tire over 18 months old. My research on my coach seems to indicated that RV tires have a 5-7 year life...depending on how they are used, maintained and stored.

Recently a customer beat our price on line...they shipped him 2012 tires and we refused to mount the tire...liability.  We ordered from same distributor and we received 2017 tires.  Not all, but most "Deals On-Line" are being sold from: stock-outs, dealer liquidation, close-outs, etc. 

Remember, in most cases, when you start to see dry-rot on the outside of a tire, the deterioration inside the tire will be far worse.

Not only did your dealer sell you old tires, but they now have opened their business up to possible  major liability issues in the future.