Tyre damage - opinions?

sidehaas · Post by **sidehaas** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 1:04 pm

Hi folks, slightly unusual request... this is not actually to do with my ID.3 but I think there are some people on here who are pretty knowledgeable about cars in general, so hopefully I can get away with it...

I damaged a tyre on my other car (Octavia) against a kerb a few days ago. It's holding pressure ok but I thought it would need to be replaced. To my surprise the local garage have just told me it's ok as long as you can't see any metal showing in the sidewall structure. However I'm due to take the family to France in it in a few weeks (it has a much bigger boot than the ID3) so I'd appreciate some extra opinion(s). Below are some photos - what do you think?
If it makes a difference the tyres are Dunlop Sportmaxx.

Many thanks!

Utumno · Post by **Utumno** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 3:47 pm

There's no way I'd drive on that personally, but I am a known paranoid about tyres.

Daveion · Post by **Daveion** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:01 pm

I would get a new one as soon as I could and would certainly not consider a long journey.
Chances are its ok at low speed but the dusruption if you are away and it lets you down. Not a risk I would take personally.

monkeyhanger · Post by **monkeyhanger** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:17 pm

Based on the last photo whereby the tyre looks like it has very minor scuffing, I'd say yes.

Based on the first few photos where it's clear you have quite a deep gash in the sidewall, i'd say no way! Get it replaced and the sharp edge of tgat wheel gouge on the rim filed down or skimmed with an angle grinder with an abrasive disk at the very least. Do you have any pride in the Octavia or is it just a workhorse? If you do, I'd get that wheel replaced.

sidehaas · Post by **sidehaas** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:22 pm

Ok thanks all - you have confirmed my initial thoughts. I was surprised when the guy at the garage said it was ok. I'll get it replaced.
(MH - I did have some pride in it - but it's done 90k now and low use during the pandemic hasn't been very kind to it, so it is starting to need more spent on it. If I'm honest I'm treating it as more of a workhorse now. It needs to be safe though!)
I'll stop spamming the forum now

monkeyhanger · Post by **monkeyhanger** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:29 pm

sidehaas wrote: ↑Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:22 pm Ok thanks all - you have confirmed my initial thoughts. I was surprised when the guy at the garage said it was ok. I'll get it replaced.
(MH - I did have some pride in it - but it's done 90k now and low use during the pandemic hasn't been very kind to it, so it is starting to need more spent on it. If I'm honest I'm treating it as more of a workhorse now. It needs to be safe though!)
I'll stop spamming the forum now

One last thing...Don't let that garage replace your brake pads/discs when they need doing.

Daveion · Post by **Daveion** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:50 pm

monkeyhanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:29 pm
sidehaas wrote: ↑Tue Mar 15, 2022 4:22 pm Ok thanks all - you have confirmed my initial thoughts. I was surprised when the guy at the garage said it was ok. I'll get it replaced.
(MH - I did have some pride in it - but it's done 90k now and low use during the pandemic hasn't been very kind to it, so it is starting to need more spent on it. If I'm honest I'm treating it as more of a workhorse now. It needs to be safe though!)
I'll stop spamming the forum now
One last thing...Don't let that garage replace your brake pads/discs when they need doing.

I made the same observation.
Unless they look like little round mirrors what you expect the technician to say next is "your discs need replacing" without any supporting measurement or data.
Pet hate.

sidehaas · Post by **sidehaas** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 6:05 pm

The front discs are in good nick but yes, the rears are bad - another casualty of low use in the pandemic. Believe it not, they actually look a lot better than a couple of weeks earlier, a quiet motorway run with repeated hard braking has cleaned them up quite a bit, but whether they can be improved more I'm not sure. They got an advisory at last MOT.

MotMot · Post by **MotMot** » Tue Mar 15, 2022 6:30 pm

I’ve done something like that before - blob of superglue down to the base of the split and wipe of any excess after - never know it happened.

duckworthsj · Post by **duckworthsj** » Wed Mar 16, 2022 5:15 am

Tyre side-wall damage like that is super dangerous particular on high speed / hot tyre temperatures. The pictures you show, look to be deep.
If you want to avoid a blow-out, with possibility of losing control of the vehicle, or damage to other parts of the car, change it!!!!
Also yes, do something to eliminate the sharp edge on the rim. Probably any professional tyre fitter will insist that it is done.

You are coming to France (you dont say where), where now in recent days the temperatures are above 23C, plus long runs at high speed, so the risk will be higher due to higher tyre pressures.

If you do get a blow-out on the autoroute, expect a lot of money to get recovered. In addition, expect your insurance company to ‘get out’ of paying because their argument will be ‘that the car was not properly maintained’.

The rubber is the only thing between you and the road…. Don’t cut corners….forget the advice that it ‘is Ok’ or ‘use some superglue’… that’s advice you will contemplate whilst waiting for recovery service for several hours on the autoroute in the middle of no-where!

Ignore advice

sidehaas · Post by **sidehaas** » Wed Mar 16, 2022 7:30 am

I've filed off the burr (took 20 seconds, was surprisingly easy) and ordered some new tyres now. The fronts were getting low and would have needed changing in 6 months anyway so I just decided to change the lot. Black circles only charged me £90 a corner for 225/40/18 Pilot Sports which I was pretty pleased by - pretty sure I've paid more in previous years. Maybe that sort of tyre has got cheaper now that there so many bigger ones about!

monkeyhanger · Post by **monkeyhanger** » Wed Mar 16, 2022 7:46 am

sidehaas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 7:30 am I've filed off the burr (took 20 seconds, was surprisingly easy) and ordered some new tyres now. The fronts were getting low and would have needed changing in 6 months anyway so I just decided to change the lot. Black circles only charged me £90 a corner for 225/40/18 Pilot Sports which I was pretty pleased by - pretty sure I've paid more in previous years. Maybe that sort of tyre has got cheaper now that there so many bigger ones about!

Good job. I did wonder whenI saw that burr whether it was mainly paint, or at least very thin. 225/40 R18 are a very common size, so they're quite cheap. My old Polo GTI+ came on 215/40 R18s which were almost double the price of the 225s, so I put the 225s on. It seems to be the same with ID3 18" tyres, quite a niche size therefore expensive, although they are coming down in price (about £104 performers fully fitted at Costco for Primacy 4 if you catch the regular Michelin promo).

Utumno · Post by **Utumno** » Wed Mar 16, 2022 9:35 am

sidehaas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 7:30 am I've filed off the burr (took 20 seconds, was surprisingly easy) and ordered some new tyres now. The fronts were getting low and would have needed changing in 6 months anyway so I just decided to change the lot. Black circles only charged me £90 a corner for 225/40/18 Pilot Sports which I was pretty pleased by - pretty sure I've paid more in previous years. Maybe that sort of tyre has got cheaper now that there so many bigger ones about!

I'm 100% in support of this decision.

Tyre damage - opinions?

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