Need tire experts advice

[iriponsnow]

Short version: new car developed a bubble on the sidewall:



I’m hours away from an Acura dealer & no one would warranty it at local Honda dealership or any tire store that carries Continental.

Spoke w Acura & they say drive 3 hours so we can look at it and tell ya you hit something & voided the warranty...... “you’ll see the impact as soon as you get the tire off...”

Now not wanting to drive 3 hours on a wonky tire, I purchase 4 new tires locally at my amazing mechanic after Acura agrees consider the issue if I ship them the tire.

Pulled the tire & I see nada, thoughts?

[tango uniform]

Hmmm...
Conti definitely stands behind their tires, and will replace that tire in the picture; no questions asked. Did you buy 4 new Conti tires?



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[iriponsnow]

Did you buy 4 new Conti tires?

Negative Ghost rider- local Conti place told me it was an Acura proprietary issue & that they sell Conti, but don’t warranty Conti....

[nord]

Disclaimer not an Expert.
I have driven a lot of old cars and had tire bulges.
Looks like an internal delamination or other internal structure failure.
There is a scuff/mark on the sidewall just inside of the gap in the text on the tire. So maybe you hit a pothole and pinched the tire.
I wouldn't drive on that tire.

[ZomblibulaX]

How it was explained to me ('17 outback got 21k mi before they couldn't rotate them due to lack of tread depth): Most new cars come with "club" tires; the same cheapo ones you can get at Costco or Sam's Club. That's why they only last ~20k mi. They're not substandard, just inexpensive and geared toward providing a nice ride feel during test drives. Doesn't solve your problem, but might explain why the dealer aren't willing to warranty them.

[Hopeless Sinner]

How many miles on the new car? It sure looks like there wasn't any damage to cause the bubble, but not sure if this battle is worth fighting. Acura would prob only prorate a warranty and only if you bought a new Conti from them. I'd prob send pics directly to Conti directly and have a go if it was really low miles and an expensive tire.

[iriponsnow]

Thanks all; car ran snows all winter. This set only has lesser than 7k miles; not much for a hi end 265 45 r20 104.

[macon]

I'm assuming these are the stock contis from when you bought the car. In that case you're probably out of luck.

Most mfgs have deals with tire mfgs to create a retail-spec tire for those cars. Iirc, they can only be warrantied by the mfg itself. These are typically really low end tires on their cars for sale, and are usually only have a 25k warranty and are expected to last barely longer than that, though many people drive them for 50-70k.

You might be SOL here if that's the case.

[Harry]

I see a scuff mark right where the bulge is. I doubt that any warranty coverage will apply, looks like you are SOL.


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[Falcon3]

Most mfgs have deals with tire mfgs to create a retail-spec tire for those cars. Iirc, they can only be warrantied by the mfg itself. These are typically really low end tires on their cars for sale, and are usually only have a 25k warranty and are expected to last barely longer than that, though many people drive them for 50-75k.

This reminds me of an ex of mine. She’d always go to the dealer for tire replacement and put the exact OEM model back on and pay like $1000 for a set. I tried to convince her several times to get better aftermarket tires and her logic was this:

“If the manufacturer puts these on a new car, then they’re clearly the best tires for this car”

I gave up after a while.

[Buster Highmen]

I see a scuff mark right where the bulge is. I doubt that any warranty coverage will apply, looks like you are SOL.

that's what she said

[Jonathan S.]

Is this by any chance a ProContact TX?
That model is OEM on my VW Arteon and on-line posters are often telling their tales of sidewall bulges/bubbles woe.
(Fortunately the highest trim comes with a full-size spare and matching alloy wheel, so I'm almost looking forward to that problem, given that I've been doing five-wheel rotations to prepare for that possibility.)

[Jonathan S.]

This reminds me of an ex of mine. She’d always go to the dealer for tire replacement and put the exact OEM model back on and pay like $1000 for a set. I tried to convince her several times to get better aftermarket tires and her logic was this:

“If the manufacturer puts these on a new car, then they’re clearly the best tires for this car”

I gave up after a while.

Wow!
Did the dealers actually have four tires in stock of those OEM-exclusive models? They must have been shocked by a customer buying anything other than one or two tires after a blowout.
I'm always surprised why even somewhat higher-end cars don't come with tire models that anyone would ever actually buy.

[Quandary]

That looks like a basically brand new tire. Why would you buy 4 new tires? People should not fall for the nonsense that comes from tire retailers that when you replace one you need to do all four, maybe, sometimes, often not.

[iriponsnow]

My claim was denied due to likely impact. However, it’s a win as my local mechanic was able to score my new tires FTW.