Well after many years of running nokian tyres and being very happy with them, I have to say I think the D4 is garbage.

The customer service for those of us in the UK is I think also poor.

I had a pair of d4 fall to pieces on the edges after just one winter on the tyres (Car had 4 one).

They're now only good for the bin even though they still have a lot of tread left, as it basically looks like they're de-laminating (But they're not as far as I can see).

So as there are no dealers in the UK directly, I wrote to nokian and after a long time got a droid like answer of please speak to the nokian dealer in your country.

Well thanks guys, I spoke to you because there are no real nokian dealers in the UK.

There is an importer (or was) but last time I spoke to them, they said they deal only with trade.

That has unfortunately confirmed to me, that while they're a good tyre, they're no longer suitable for use in the UK as there isn't any backup.

So after multiple sets of WR, WRG2, WR A3, the D4 have finally put pay to Nokian for me.

Great grip, but awful wear and almost no customer support in the UK.

I'd be interested in hearing what other people run in the UK, as I think I'll probably look at Conti or similar when I get around to replacing them.

Continental are pretty poor & expensive IMO.

Personally prefer Michelin which always last.

Assuming they were winter tyres? If so did you run them all winter even though it was mild?

How many miles covered since they were fitted. ?

They are actually quite good winter tyres in cold, wet and snow, but not long lasting on some vehicles obviously when used as All Season Tyres.

Some places in the UK have winter like weather from the likes of September to July or even to September.

Not used Nokian tyres. 

 

I'm currently using my folks Jetta with 205/55/16 Cross Climates on. I am mightly impressed. They don't feel squidgy or soft even in this hot weather. They are gripping well when pressing on. Not as good as the F1A2 I'm used to but bloody good. They are also nice and quiet.

My D4's have been Superb...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/380211-nokian-wr-d4s/page-2

 

 

 

They were run from November to Feb and they didn't do many miles.

So no hot weather and certainly less than 6000 miles.

The centre of the tyre is as above, solid and no issues, but the edges on both sides of both front tyres, literally look like they're de-laminating.

It's so bad the tyre pressure deflation warning kicked in, but when checked on the side of the road, they were at the correct inflation (eg a couple of PSI above as they were now warm).

I'll try and get a picture of the tyre edges, but what got me was less that I might have a faulty pair, but more that I got awful service.

They know there are no tyre dealers in the UK.

What gets me is I have run winter tyres for years, they only go on when the going gets cold as I have them on steel wheels.

If it had got seriously hot and I was going to drive and come back in the heat, the summer tyres would have gone on.

As for the conti comment, I'd agree on the summer tyres, not the best, but the winters TS850 for example, get excellent ratings and they were run by people I know on other cars who rate them also.

Edited 2 September, 20169 yr by cheezemonkhai

I used the WR D3s for three winter seasons and was very pleased with them. Last year I switched to Nokian Weatherproof all seasons, and they've been on for 12 months/10.5K miles. No sign of any delamination or other issues, and the wear is good. In May it was still 7mm on all four. I want to check them now, and rotate them - as much as anything to make sure the alloys don't bind to the hubs.

 

The Weatherproofs beat the TS850 in one of the winter tests done last year.

 

Who did you buy them from? And was it nordictyres.com that you tried to contact? They seem to be the only 'official' importer. Whether they'd be willing to get involved in tyres they didn't supply is another matter!

If you have issues with tyres & tyres you feel might be faulty and the dates / age of the tyres are OK then deal with the retailer you purchased from and let them deal with the Importer if that was not them, or with the manufacturers.

 

'Mytyres' earlier this year just sent me new replacement tyres at no cost when i complained about potentially faulty Maxxis tyres. 

Edited 2 September, 20169 yr by GoneOffSKi

They were run from November to Feb and they didn't do many miles.

So no hot weather and certainly less than 6000 miles.

Problem is we had such a mild winter, temperatures were barely below 7C. Most days were double figures.

Round our way we only had one frost where windscreens needed scraping.

Problem is we had such a mild winter, temperatures were barely below 7C. Most days were double figures.

Round our way we only had one frost where windscreens needed scraping.

Similarly for my Mum and myself (OK both West Coast, but relatively close data points for Aspman).

The a3 before got run all year once and were fine, just wore a bit quicker.

To look at them, they warranty charge you for all the postage, so by the time they're off it's about the same as two new tyres if they decide not faulty.

Bugger

Did you pay by credit card?

If so, and you have the receipt, just submit a section 75

In the UK the responsibility lies with the retailer. Nokian are right to send you back, you don't deal with the manufacturer as you never had a contract with them.

?

Who were the tyres purchased from?

I had a similar problem with some Coopers purchased through mytyres. After going through some hoops I got a credit and replaced them with Nokians supplied and fitted by Nordic Tyres. The Nexens I fitted to my Fabia split and tyres-pneus didn't want to know. I'd now only source tyres from outside the UK if the pattern or size was unavailable through UK distributors as was the case with the Maxxis I subsequently fitted to the Fabia where Weatherproof or Crossclimate weren't an option and the MA-AP2 hadn't been launched in the UK.

Interesting.

On my old mk1 Octy vRS, I ran A3s for winter 12/13 and they were superb in the Italian alps. Then I came home and returned for a summer on Lake Garda. I left them on all summer. They wore a bit quicker, but no issues.

After selling that car and buying a cheap hack for last winter in the alps, I went for D4s based on my great experience with the A3s. They were flat out amazing in the driving snow up and down the mountain. They were also left on the Leon over this summer which was again a hotter than here, Italian one (albeit alpine this time).

 

That said, I'd be fascinated to see the pictures of the sides, as I wonder if maybe mine have done the same thing. Sadly, the Leon finally died in Italy and is now sat in a scrapyard down there, but I was losing a little pressure and they had like a brownish looking bit around where the sidewall met the tread.

Just bought another vRS and will be heading back to the alps in about 10/14 days. So will need 4x something decent and was planning on D4s, but now not so sure...

Auto Express places them 2nd (99.7%), just behind the more expensive Conti TS860 in the latest test.  BUT the Weatherproof would have placed higher still (99.8%) if it was counted as a "winter" rather than an all-season.

So maybe the lesson is just that cheezemonkhai's were a bad batch from a non-authorised dealer?

In the UK the responsibility lies with the retailer. Nokian are right to send you back, you don't deal with the manufacturer as you never had a contract with them.

Indeed, but I was hoping Nokian might have cared more than nothing at all, since I've been using their winters for many years and this is the first time I've had a problem. 

 

?

Who were the tyres purchased from?

Oponeo.co.uk (They are authorised to sell Nokian, but based in Europe, despite the .co.uk website)

They offered to start the warranty claim, but would then need £30 per tyre (Plus me paying to get them off) if they needed to look at the tyres (Which they would if thought faulty).

 

I had a similar problem with some Coopers purchased through mytyres. After going through some hoops I got a credit and replaced them with Nokians supplied and fitted by Nordic Tyres. The Nexens I fitted to my Fabia split and tyres-pneus didn't want to know. I'd now only source tyres from outside the UK if the pattern or size was unavailable through UK distributors as was the case with the Maxxis I subsequently fitted to the Fabia where Weatherproof or Crossclimate weren't an option and the MA-AP2 hadn't been launched in the UK.

Interestingly I spoke to Nordic and they're doing a warranty claim on them.

Currently in progress, but they'll be replaced by a set of different tyres (Probably the A varient again) if Nokian come through.

If not, then that'll be it for me, as I can't abide companies that don't stand by their warranty.

 

So maybe the lesson is just that cheezemonkhai's were a bad batch from a non-authorised dealer?

Dealer is authorised.

It could be a bad batch and I've heard comments about the D4 on some heavier (read bigger derv) FWD vag cars wearing a bit quicker than would be accepted.

Nokian (Thanks to a very helpful nordic) have the pictures, batch numbers, DOT codes and the rest, so I'm waiting on them now.

Oddly, this is the first batch I've had that were made in Russia (From the new factory they have there).

The rest have been from Finland.

I'll update when I hear back, which will probably be next week.

Edited 21 October, 20169 yr by cheezemonkhai

Assuming you paid by credit card just do a section 75. There's a Debit card version but it's more complicated and difficult compared to section 75

It does sound like a bad batch, I too use the D4’s on my Superb (190 TDi... so heavy)

 

Having previously used WRG2, WR A3, these are certainly no worse and I wouldn’t hesitate buying them again, I even ran the WRG2 through a couple of weeks in the summer whilst having a set of wheels refurbished, with no adverse effects.

 

Unfortunately as you have found out this is the problem when buying from a distance, it is down to you to return them to the retailer you bought them from (at your cost). Pity they cannot replace them with photographic proof of the defect (providing your details are on a piece of paper in the photo)

 

Care to post a photo of the fault on here?

 

​My D4’s have scrubbed about 1 ½mm in approx 7 - 8K miles (which is the same as my summers have worn)

I'll put pictures up when I have an answer from Nokian or if they drag their heels.

Still nothing back, so I'll chase nordic next week to see if they have heard anything, then post pictures up here if not.

Did you pay by credit card? If so just section 75 it.

Well nothing back at all, one last chase, then it might well be credit card time.

 

That's pretty awful customer service from Nokian to be honest.