So the Superb (now owned by my dad as i gave it to him and bought me a new'n) had it's 1st MOT last week...

and passed! - I hadn't drive it in a while, and felt something wasn't right the day before it went in - i had my wife drive it to the garage and she agreed it wasn't right - a vibration at anything over 60 - so asked them to check it out.

They said "You still have your winter tyres on and one is deformed" - Ok, 225/40/18 Vredestine WintracXtreme's are fitted to genuine rims. - so i took them off when i got it home and changed to summer...

This is what i found in one of the front tyres. - Two rather large Blobs in the inner side-wall...

Erm, so really, should it have passed....?!

Needless to say, new tyre will arrive before next year.

Al.

I would be sending these photos direct to Vredestein. They are now aiming to be branded a "premium" tyre and I would hope that they may compensate you in some way. I ran the same tyres this winter and they have been 100%.

Give it a go............

Should it have passed NO

It looks like delamination of sidewall, most likely potholed or kerbed, garage should not have allowed it on the road. Sidewall could have blown out at any time.

how are you getting on with that old merc you bought AL.

BILL

Just had a quick look in the Tester's Manual - Where a bulge is due to internal structural failure, it should be a fail, not an advisory. Your tester should not have passed this. (IMHO)

Yep, that's a dangerous fail. I've just replaced one of my summer tyres before they go back on as one looked like that.

Thanks all,

Yeah, i didn't think it should have passed either!

And strangely, no word of it on any paper work... Might email Vred' - noting to loose really..!

Bill, Merc going really well - boot space dwarfs that of the Superb Estate (It's not as tall but is deeper and wider) - It's averaging 41mpg (same as the Superb did) and still can't work out how it's £135 to tax! Ride is nice and it's a lovely auto-box.

Believe it or not, my dad aint happy with the Superb and has ordered an L&K 170 Yeti! - The Superb is going to move on yet again to my father-in-law - talk about keeping it in the family!

Al.

It sounds like a hand me down Al.

Was the MOT passed because the tester "knew" they were winters and therefore would or should have been coming off?

It sounds like a hand me down Al.

Was the MOT passed because the tester "knew" they were winters and therefore would or should have been coming off?

It sounds like a hand me down Al.

Was the MOT passed because the tester "knew" they were winters and therefore would or should have been coming off?

Makes no difference the tyre was dangerous and the vehicle should not have passed the test or been allowed to leave the garage.

Ok, Get's worse...

Car now no longer mine, but is my father-in-laws... we're off to see the dealer tonight - one of the rear seat-belt receivers don't work! - (I never really sit in the back and had the car for it's boot rather that leg room) - so needless to say, the rear belts aint been belted up for MOT! - Ooo, did i mention that altho they've performed a "Variable" service, they've set the counter to fixed?!

So, Passed MOT with Dodgey Tyre, seat belts that dont work and didn't set the service indicator correctly... so did they really MOT and service it at all...?!

Al.

What are winter tyres.... apart from the obvious?

You say you "took them off when you got home".

do they fit on top of the normal ones?

Winter tyres are made of a rubber formulation that grips better at low temperatures than the 'general' formulation. Downside often is they wear more rapidly, therefore a lot of folks will either have two sets of wheels - one with winter tyres / one with 'normal' (and sometimes have the winter ones on steel wheels to save the cost of two sets of alloys)

Alternatively, they will have only have the one set of rims but have the tyres swapped in the autumn, and then again in the spring.

Thanks

swapping tyres twice a year on the same rims seems a bit of a rigmarole. how much does the garage charge to do that?

easier to have two sets of wheels so you can change them yourself.

does it make much of a difference to the road handling?

does it make much of a difference to the road handling?

In normal driving on dry roads, I find them exactly the same as summer ones, but I'm no boy racer. They're better in the wet and on snow/ice its night and day. You can drive about pretty normally* in conditions other people cant move, steer or stop in.

I also don't find they wear any quicker in winter than summer ones in summer. Net cost is close to zero as while one set is wearing down, the other isn't.

Personally, I won't drive without them in winter by choice again.

*that doesn't mean you can drive around at full speed in all conditions, just that you will be able to go, stop and steer without trouble if you keep in mind what you are driving on.

thanks

Mot testers are in the most part human , they can make mistakes and miss things

As did you as you really should be checking your tyres more often especially if it didnt feel right

As did you as you really should be checking your tyres more often especially if it didnt feel right

Not my car... drove it the day before test and didn't feel right so asked to check out the vibration from front end. Blebs were on the inside of the tyre.

Al.

ps. It went back yesterday - the MOT tester who did it, "wasn't in" but the head tester said he would have failed it, or at very least given advisory - and a new SeatBelt receiver is on order under warranty.

Edited 23 April, 201313 yr by ukcruiser

I know where you are coming from , my wife complained the Superb felt down on power.

Nothing wrong with the power , the front tyre looked like this

I've failed tyres for a lot less than that. The last owner of a car that I failed on two tyres and advised another had a bill for £700.

I know where you are coming from , my wife complained the Superb felt down on power.

Nothing wrong with the power , the front tyre looked like this

The aluminum wheel is also damaged. Hit a kerb?

well the car has to be tested as presented so whatevers on the vehicle at time of test is how the cars tested

tyres are one of the most important to look out for on a test really ,

It sounds like a hand me down Al.

Was the MOT passed because the tester "knew" they were winters and therefore would or should have been coming off?