Urgent: new tyres no good ~ what can we do? Nissan Lafesta

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Urgent: new tyres no good ~ what can we do? Nissan Lafesta

maclongshanks

49 posts

Geek

#312445 17-Apr-2024 00:40

Hi everyone,

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere in the forum. I did search but couldn't find anything 🙏🏽🐾

We had 2 new tyres put on our car recently at a local tyre company. Unfortunately the tyres aren't right for our car.
They're too light and feel weak and weird. Not solid and reliable like our previous tyres.
They feel too light or too small for our car.
Our car feels lower to the ground as well.

The size type is the same as our previous tyres but they're very different and not right.
Both sets of tyres are 195/60R16 89H directional.

Our car is a 2005 Nissan Lafesta.

The new tyres are also hard and bumpy on the road, and louder to drive. They've made driving pretty horrible.
We've had them on for 2 weeks and have driven every day but they haven't improved.

Our previous tyres were Daytons, a cheaper brand but they were great for the 4 years we had them on.
Our new tyres are more expensive and are BF Goodrich, which I would have expected to be better.

The company have offered to replace the tyres with another brand.
That's great and I appreciate it. We may take them up on that.
I'm pretty stressed that this has happened though and I'm not sure about buying more tyres from them.

Am I entitled to a refund so we can get new tyres somewhere else?

Would I have to be able to prove the tyres aren't up to a certain standard or would they take my word for it?
If that is needed how would that be done?

We're on a low income and it's taken a long time to save for these tyres. We can't afford for this to happen again, and we can't afford to have $450 of tyres we can't use.
How do we make sure we're getting the right tyres?

I'm wondering if we might need to be more particular about the actual size of the tyres, the height and width etc, maybe the weight?, and if there is any way to tell how cushioned (?) they are?

We have one of our previous tyres at home and 2 of them still on the back.
If needed we could bring our previous tyre in to be measured and or weighed. Do you think that would be useful?

Is it possible to take tyres for a short test drive first?
I understand that would mean they would no longer be fully new to re sell if we decided not to take them. I just wondered if that's possible in some way.

Would you know the best ways or sites I might be able to sell the BF Goodrichs myself if I need to, where we would have a reasonable chance of selling them?

If you aren't able to help could you suggest who I would be best to contact?

If anyone can help urgently we'd be very grateful 🙏🏽🐾

Thanks so kindly :)
🐾🐈🐈🐈

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

6480 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3219351 17-Apr-2024 06:20

"The new tyres are also hard and bumpy on the road, and louder to drive. " I would check the tyre pressures first. Nissan's recommended pressures should be on a sticker on the driver's door frame.

Goosey

2829 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3219352 17-Apr-2024 06:28

What’s the policy with said tyre company

you have mentioned they are offering to swap them….whats the cost (is it just the cost difference of the tyre or do they want to charge fitting)?

daytons are ok for everyday city driving… I don’t think y’all be racing a leaf at all kinds of speeds up and down hills and in the rain right?

the sound you are hearing is probally normal…because you now have good tred depth…(what was the tred depth on your old tyres bs the new ones)….perhaps it was below WOF standard so about less than 2mm vs new tyre at 4mm.

but yes, different tyres sound different and I’m not disputing that. The hardness could also be your suspension..but I reckon your previous tyres were overly soft due to their age so you thought that was normal

sell them on trade me to begin with. Reserve price what you paid for the tyre (not fitting) Y’all soon get an idea of what people are looking for…

Ge0rge

2052 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3219353 17-Apr-2024 06:36

They're too light and feel weak and weird. Not solid and reliable like our previous tyres.
They feel too light or too small for our car.
Our car feels lower to the ground as well.

If the old tyres and the new tyres have the same size markings on them, then it is very uikely that the ride height of the vehicle will have changed.

What do you mean by "light and feel weak"? That's an odd description for tyres. Is the vehicle under or over steering?

Do you remember what the wear pattern looked like on the old tyres? I'm definitely inclined to agree with Bung that the pressures may not be correct, or perhaps that the pressures in the old tyres wasn't correct and the new ones are, thus feeling different to drive.

cddt

1552 posts

Uber Geek

#3219379 17-Apr-2024 09:57

How frequently did you check the pressure in your old tyres?

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

Silvrav

469 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#3219438 17-Apr-2024 10:31

Ge0rge:
They're too light and feel weak and weird. Not solid and reliable like our previous tyres.
They feel too light or too small for our car.
Our car feels lower to the ground as well.

If the old tyres and the new tyres have the same size markings on them, then it is very uikely that the ride height of the vehicle will have changed.

What do you mean by "light and feel weak"? That's an odd description for tyres. Is the vehicle under or over steering?

Do you remember what the wear pattern looked like on the old tyres? I'm definitely inclined to agree with Bung that the pressures may not be correct, or perhaps that the pressures in the old tyres wasn't correct and the new ones are, thus feeling different to drive.

And to add to this new tyres come with protective coating that takes a bit of driving to get rid of. During this time they will feel slippery and over steering is common.

Senecio

2710 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3219494 17-Apr-2024 11:23

While I've never tried them so can't comment on their quality. The safest thing for you to do is ask them to replace the BF Goodrichs with the same Daytons that you had on their previously.

Bung

6480 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3219501 17-Apr-2024 11:58

Senecio:
While I've never tried them so can't comment on their quality. The safest thing for you to do is ask them to replace the BF Goodrichs with the same Daytons that you had on their previously.

Changing from budget Bridgestones to budget Goodrichs of identical sizes shouldn't make much difference. I suspect something else is going on. It could range from loose wheel(s) to the mechanic shifted the seat position 😀. So yes take it back for the tyre shop to check.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

Chills

161 posts

Master Geek

Subscriber

#3219510 17-Apr-2024 12:34

Bung:

"The new tyres are also hard and bumpy on the road, and louder to drive. " I would check the tyre pressures first. Nissan's recommended pressures should be on a sticker on the driver's door frame.

I wouldn't use the tyre pressure on the door frame, refer to the actual tyre itself. It will show a max pressure (don't go to the max) but good general practice for a 15" - 17" tyre is 32 - 36 PSI

Ge0rge

2052 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3219511 17-Apr-2024 12:39

Chills:
Bung:

"The new tyres are also hard and bumpy on the road, and louder to drive. " I would check the tyre pressures first. Nissan's recommended pressures should be on a sticker on the driver's door frame.

I wouldn't use the tyre pressure on the door frame, refer to the actual tyre itself. It will show a max pressure (don't go to the max) but good general practice for a 15" - 17" tyre is 32 - 36 PSI

That's a really good point - definitely don't go by what the vehicle manufacturer recommends - you should always go off random internet advice.🤦‍♂️

/S

Chills

161 posts

Master Geek

Subscriber

#3219515 17-Apr-2024 12:51

Ge0rge:
Chills:

I wouldn't use the tyre pressure on the door frame, refer to the actual tyre itself. It will show a max pressure (don't go to the max) but good general practice for a 15" - 17" tyre is 32 - 36 PSI

That's a really good point - definitely don't go by what the vehicle manufacturer recommends - you should always go off random internet advice.🤦‍♂️

/S

The point I'm making is that the tyres they've just put on aren't from the manufacturer. Sure the manufacturer will recommend the PSI the vehicles tyres should be on, but different tyres, different types of tyres etc. Cheaper tyres and more expensive tyres. Referring to the side wall of the actual tyre is more accurate. Unneeded hostility, just a recommendation.

maclongshanks

49 posts

Geek

#3219516 17-Apr-2024 12:54

Just tried to edit my original post but can't see how to do that. Can we not edit here?

Thanks so much everyone for your thoughts and info :)🙏🏽🐾

I wanted to update my post to say regarding tyre pressure, tread depth and aging, our Daytons were put on the car new when we bought it 4 years ago.
They were great from the very first drive and were the whole time over that 4 years. A mechanic we know who took it for a test drive for us first even commented what a smooth drive it was, when they were new.

The tyre pressure has gone up and down multiple times over that time and the tread decreased as you would expect, but they were great the whole time. Still comfortable, handled fine, felt great. No problems.
Including when the tread was new.

We check our tyre pressure every 3 or 4 months but that's not really a factor. We had no problems with the Daytons when it would go down and after we pumped them up.

We've bought new tyres several times before and never had this happen. They've been fine to drive even when they were new.
🙏🏽🐾

Ge0rge

2052 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3219517 17-Apr-2024 12:55

I'm sorry, but I hard disagree. The sidewall of the tyre will tell you the maximum cold pressure - not the optimal operating pressure.

Behodar

10504 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3219518 17-Apr-2024 13:00

maclongshanks: Just tried to edit my original post but can't see how to do that. Can we not edit here?

There's a time limit on it, to prevent "stealth edits". You get a few minutes to correct typos.

maclongshanks

49 posts

Geek

#3219519 17-Apr-2024 13:02

Bung:
Senecio:
While I've never tried them so can't comment on their quality. The safest thing for you to do is ask them to replace the BF Goodrichs with the same Daytons that you had on their previously.

Changing from budget Bridgestones to budget Goodrichs of identical sizes shouldn't make much difference. I suspect something else is going on. It could range from loose wheel(s) to the mechanic shifted the seat position 😀. So yes take it back for the tyre shop to check.

Thanks so much :)🙏🏽🐾
I'll definitely check the pressure on the new tyres.
I agree. Something else is going on. I'll get the shop to check.

If you mean the driver's seat it's still in the same place. Tho I have shifted it myself since but the tyres are still the same :p

maclongshanks

49 posts

Geek

#3219524 17-Apr-2024 13:25

Goosey:

Thanks so much :)🙏🏽🐾

They've said we will just pay any difference in price with the replacement tyres, they will cover fitting. Which is great.
I just don't feel confident to buy anything from them after this understandably. We can't afford for this to happen again with any replacement tyres. Which it potentially could.

Does anyone know how refunds would work in this situation?
The company policy is no refunds if the tyres have been fitted. But there is the Fair Trade Act and Consumer Guarantees Act etc.

The Daytons were great from the first drive when they were new and have been the 4 years since. Smooth, comfortable, handled well, weight felt right, and quiet enough.
I didn't notice any changes at least that were noticeable to me over that time, with the tread decreasing and the pressure varying as it does.
The tread was very low when we replaced them but as I say they were great from when it was new.

Could it still be our suspension when it was fine up until we put the new Goodrichs on?

Do tyres sell much on TradeMe?
I forgot to say in my post that we're 5 and 6 hours away from AK and Wgtn, and 3 and 4 hours away from the other nearest towns.

I've never shipped or couriered tyres before but with their weight would it be too pricey to send them out of town?
Or are there other ways we can send tyres?

The tyre shops here didn't have our size in and had to order them in. It sounds like it's not a common size here so maybe not a great chance of someone buying them here 🙏🏽🐾

1 | 2 | 3 | 4