Is This Tyre Retreaded?

[Loom]

Hi

Due to rear suspension/alignment problems my car is going through rear tyres faster than a 1.8 VVTi engine could swallow a cup of oil. I bought two tyres on eBay to use until my suspension problems get sorted. The tyre in question was advertised as "a couple of years old but never used". It's a Pirelli P6 Cinturato. The tread pattern looks nothing like the P6 currently available. Upon enquiring the seller said it could be because the tread pattern has changed since.

Please have a look at the attached images and let me know what you think.

The yellow markings look like "B127"

Is "022" the date stamp? 2nd month of 2002?

Thanks!

[Q.S.]

It is a legal requirement that all remoulds are marked on the sidewall with either 'REMOULD' or 'RETREAD'.

A new tyre will carry an EC marking (E11) in a circle next to a number and it is illegal for a remould/retread to carry this mark. (its probably just out of shot on your last photo?)

Tread patterns do change quite frequently and also vary from summer tyres to winter tyres,I think your seller is probably telling the truth, however, if they have been stored for some time, do check carefully for any signs of deterioration to the rubber e.g. signs of perishing to the sidewalls and inbetween the treads.

Hope this is of some assistance.

[cfc1]

It's not a remould, it is Pirelli P6, quite an old tread pattern though. The newer tyre in the range (that you are probably thinking of) is the P6000.

My understanding is that your tyre was made in the 2nd week of 1992... which makes it 17 years old. Not what I would call ""a couple of years old but never used".. if your not happy with that then I would contact the seller and tell him how old they are and that they could be dangerous....as a rule-of-thumb, you should never use tyres more than 6 years old. The rubber in tyres degrades over time, irrespective of whether the tyre is being used or not. The tyre might look brand new, but it could delaminate or have some other failure after being fitted on a vehicle.

The code is pretty simple. The three-digit code was used for tyres manufactured before 2000. So for example 1 7 6 means it was manufactured in the 17th week of 6th year of the decade. In this case it means 1986. For tyres manufactured in the 90's, the same code holds true but there is a little triangle after the DOT code. So for this example, a tyre manufactured in the 17th week of 1996 would have the code 176 (triangle)

[Loom]

It is a legal requirement that all remoulds are marked on the sidewall with either 'REMOULD' or 'RETREAD'.

A new tyre will carry an EC marking (E11) in a circle next to a number and it is illegal for a remould/retread to carry this mark. (its probably just out of shot on your last photo?)

Tread patterns do change quite frequently and also vary from summer tyres to winter tyres,I think your seller is probably telling the truth, however, if they have been stored for some time, do check carefully for any signs of deterioration to the rubber e.g. signs of perishing to the sidewalls and inbetween the treads.

Hope this is of some assistance.

Thanks, the E-marking is "E3" in a circle. According to http://www.dunloptyres.co.uk/ourTyres/car/sidewallMarkings/ the number indicates the Goverment that granted the tyre approval. E11 is the British Goverment. E3 is another European country, I don't know which one.

It's not a remould, it is Pirelli P6, quite an old tread pattern though. The newer tyre in the range (that you are probably thinking of) is the P6000.

My understanding is that your tyre was made in the 2nd week of 1992... which makes it 17 years old. Not what I would call ""a couple of years old but never used".. if your not happy with that then I would contact the seller and tell him how old they are and that they could be dangerous....as a rule-of-thumb, you should never use tyres more than 6 years old. The rubber in tyres degrades over time, irrespective of whether the tyre is being used or not. The tyre might look brand new, but it could delaminate or have some other failure after being fitted on a vehicle.

The code is pretty simple. The three-digit code was used for tyres manufactured before 2000. So for example 1 7 6 means it was manufactured in the 17th week of 6th year of the decade. In this case it means 1986. For tyres manufactured in the 90's, the same code holds true but there is a little triangle after the DOT code. So for this example, a tyre manufactured in the 17th week of 1996 would have the code 176 (triangle)

Thanks, I've looked up both the new P6 and the P6000 and both are quite dissimilar to this one. I checked my e-mail again and the seller stated " the tyre is a few years old". Any other suggestions on how to build my case against him? Are there any legal issues regarding selling 17 year old tyres? Whatever the case, I most certainly do not want to take my changes with such an old tyre!

Thanks again for your replies. I got above info from http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/arc...p/t-188067.html. http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html refered to in that forum is really handy, I'll start a separate thread so more people can learn about that.

[T V O R]

It just doesn’t look right, and putting any tyre on a car as old as that is asking for trouble. You were probably safer having a remould compared to that!

[cfc1]

I would seriously contact trading standards... " the tyre is a few years old" could mean a multitude of things, but I would say that trading standards would argue that 17 years is more than what could reasonably be called a few.. the key word here is "reasonably". I certainly wouldn't think they would believe 17 years and the description to be reasonable. They will advise you on how to go about any redrees you want to take and how to word things.

Personally I think you have seriously been misled and as such I feel you have a strong case against the seller.

[Loom]

Just to let you know that the seller has given me a full refund including original and return postage. According to him he sold it on behalf of a "friend" at work (he did say that in the item description). The thought of this tyre being sold to someone else is very disturbing so I'll try to convince him to keep the return postage and let me take the tyre to the dump where it belongs. I can't believe someone would actually risk the lives of others for a couple of quid.

[cfc1]

Good result, I'm glad the seller has realized his mistake.

[goodison]

the load rating was also incorrect for the avensis. Although this is not an MOT requirment, it does come under construction and use. For an avensis it should be no lower than 91v, any thing lower would make your insurance null and void in the result of an accident. that tyre was 87H

[Loom]

the load rating was also incorrect for the avensis. Although this is not an MOT requirment, it does come under construction and use. For an avensis it should be no lower than 91v, any thing lower would make your insurance null and void in the result of an accident. that tyre was 87H

Load rating for mark 1 Avensis is 88 with speed rating H. The difference between 87 and 88 load rating is 15kg and as I drive by myself most of the times I did not deem it to be a problem. Good point about the insurance, though.

[Beagh1958]

To Loom,

Sorry, just picked up on your posting regarding P6 Tyre. As cfc1 points out that is an old tread pattern & has been upgraded years ago. Which Magazine, the consumers friend just did a TYRE SURVEY, makes very interesting reading. Points out some very very good tyres & some that would be fit for the bin only, but not a wheelie bin. Might be worth having a browse. And if you have legal problems with POWER SELLERS with incredible 100% feedback, legal department can shred these sort of people with a few short sharp letters.

Regards, Beagh.

[Loom]

To Loom,

Sorry, just picked up on your posting regarding P6 Tyre. As cfc1 points out that is an old tread pattern & has been upgraded years ago. Which Magazine, the consumers friend just did a TYRE SURVEY, makes very interesting reading. Points out some very very good tyres & some that would be fit for the bin only, but not a wheelie bin. Might be worth having a browse. And if you have legal problems with POWER SELLERS with incredible 100% feedback, legal department can shred these sort of people with a few short sharp letters.

Regards, Beagh.

Thanks Beagh, this one had a good outcome. The disturbing thing is that the return address was given as a wheel and tyre company, which leads me to believe that the seller or his "friend" knew well that it was such an old tyre.