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Tires rotated and now sidewalls on three of them appear to be bulging?

9K views 67 replies 20 participants last post by  RocketDawg 
#1 ·
Took the car in for an oil change and afterwards they told me they rotated the tires, this was thursday, didn't think much of it until today when i noticed that three of them appear to have sidewall deformity, can't tell if it is bulging out or if they aren't seating on the rims properly? called the dealership but they have yet to call me back

wondering if this is normal with the run flats and how bad it is to drive on it like this, really don't want to buy 4 new tires after less than two years on them with seemingly little wear

Any advice appreciated
 
#5 ·
I have never seen anything like that and it is really odd that 3 of your tires look that way. I assumed from your first post you might have "bubbles" forming in the sidewalls. No competent service tech should have released the car to the customer with tires not seated properly and it will be interesting to see how they explain how the tires got into this condition. That is not normal and you need to get it addressed quickly, drive carefully and slowly on your way to the dealer. In addition to the other problems I would hate to think how far out of balance these tires are running at speed.
 
#6 ·
I can't get it to the dealer until tuesday and I absolutely have to drive it tomorrow so I am rather stuck...I also drove over two hours on it like that yesterday at high speed so thankful nothing happened. I called the dealer who called back and am bringing it by tuesday AM
 
#7 ·
You are so screwed!! Most likely ply separation. That's one of the major problems with run flats; good luck in getting either the dealer or tire company on the warranty. They'll claim you hit chuck holes or something. Get rid of those crappy tires, and put some decent non run flats on. You'll be glad you did.
 
#9 ·
Try the dealer first, but it's likely that they may recommend you go to a Michelin dealer. Michelin will likely give you at least partial credit. The original run-flats are rated at 30K miles.

The sales man for my car had recommended that I add the tire and wheel protection package for $800. Since this was my first car with either run-flats or 40's, it didn't take much to convince me. I have seen tires on ATS cars with a similar damage.

Good luck in getting some reimbursements.
 
#12 ·
I had one Michelin RF replaced at 24,000 km on warranty because of a bubble in the side wall. As long as there is no damage to the rim at the bulge in your tire they should replace on warranty depending on mileage. Only problem I had was they gouged the mag when they changed the tire and tried to say they would polish it out. But I didn't have to talk to the service manager when I brought back the loaner and got a new wheel.
 
#17 ·
Highly unlikely they would have taken tire off rim, R/F, are difficult to take on and off rims an inexperienced tire person could easily damage aluminum rims 30 K is the rated max on these tires and most aggressive drivers see a lot less than that. One advantage of the R/F is it protrudes far enough outside the edge of the rim to give some protection to the rim edge if you lightly scrape curbing obiviously this can also weaken or split the sidewall on the tire, those cracks in the sidewall look like a blowout ready to happen. R/Fs or standard tires a can of the new pressurized slime will probably get you to a nearby repair place, what they don't tell you is unless you reinflate at the time you get the TPS warning more than a relatively short drive will probably ruin the R/F inside sidewall in any case,just saying!
 
#41 ·
...... R/Fs or standard tires a can of the new pressurized slime will probably get you to a nearby repair place, what they don't tell you is unless you reinflate at the time you get the TPS warning more than a relatively short drive will probably ruin the R/F inside sidewall in any case,just saying!
Interesting, I haven't heard of this. Where did this info come from? Thanks.
 
#21 ·
In a perfect world somebody would have noticed it but usually they just do what they need to do. The service writer writes up your order and notes the mileage and may check if there are any outstanding recalls. He may look the car over to see if there are scratches or dents and make a note of them as well for liability purposes. Then the tech does the work required and moves on to the next job.

I've not heard of this problem much with Michelins but I have with the noisy Pirelli run flats on my CTS.

You have a complaint but it's Michelin that's responsible as they made the tires that failed.

Bill
 
#23 ·
At this point I really don't care, I just want it fixed...but again if it were one tire then I could see it, but three of them are all in the same condition, what you're saying is that the service writer missed it, and then the tech swapping the wheels also missed it on three of them...I guess but its a bit sad in a way as I'd hope they would check that especially since they are doing the work and its a safety issue.

^^This what I was wondering about.

From the pics it looks like the tire bead is pulling away from the lip of the rim. Enough so that it would likely effect the balance of the wheel.

If everything "felt" fine before your dealership visit and now it doesn't then something probably happened during that visit.

It wouldn't be hard to believe that a tech somehow screwed up your tires during the rotation.
Most of my driving is rush hour and pretty slow, but the night I drove it, which was the day after the service it did feel different than usual...whatever I will see what the dealer says Tuesday.
 
#22 ·
bozack said:
noticing it drove kinda weird on the highway the night before
^^This what I was wondering about.

From the pics it looks like the tire bead is pulling away from the lip of the rim. Enough so that it would likely effect the balance of the wheel.

If everything "felt" fine before your dealership visit and now it doesn't then something probably happened during that visit.

It wouldn't be hard to believe that a tech somehow screwed up your tires during the rotation.
 
#25 ·
I guess if they somehow dropped it down off the lift really hard that could damage multiple tires at once. Maybe watch for new clips on YouTube to see if the service tech played Dukes of Hazard with your car.
 
#26 ·
When I had my tires rotated at my Dave Towell Cadillac dealership some time ago, they immediately pointed out a similar budge or bubble on my crappy run flats. I honestly never noticed prior to the rotation, having not having the habit of examining my tires after every drive. At that point, it gave me the excuse and opportunity to get rid of those dogs for regular tires. That was just one tire and not three. I can't in my widest dreams imagine that someone that up close with rotating tires did not take notice and report it to you. Quite frankly, they have an obligation to tell you about possible tire hazards resulting from this. Something smells here. Are you sure those are your original tires?
 
#27 ·
Like Rustybear I cannot imagine how a service tech could rotate those tires without noticing at least one of the defects. That is roughly equivalent to a guy sleeping with his new girlfriend and not realizing it was actually another guy. Some things are pretty obvious and those bulges where there shouldn't be any are very obvious.
 
#28 ·
Seems strange that the dealer didn't notice this because it would have been a perfect opportunity to sell you new tires but on the other hand, just rotating tires couldn't have done this. Your tire inflation pressures shown on your DIC however could have done that damage. Too much air pressure could pop that tire right off the rim.
 
#29 ·
Seems strange that the dealer didn't notice this because it would have been a perfect opportunity to sell you new tires but on the other hand, just rotating tires couldn't have done this. Your tire inflation pressures shown on your DIC however could have done that damage. Too much air pressure could pop that tire right off the rim.
That is how it was after they rotated it, I thought they had filled them when they did that I always inflate them to specification, was also surprised that they all seemed different with air pressure, then again its super cold here so I didn't think much of it at the time
 
#30 ·
You know what I think happened; They gave a rookie mechanic the job of filling your tires with air and he filled them to 120 psi. That is why the bead looks off in places. He is lucky he was not injured. Then he corrected them to around 35 psi. Also they did not mention to you about the tires which is very strange because they are dangerous to drive on. When I showed the T/A my sidewall with a bubble in it he offered a loaner and told me to leave my car because it was dangerous to drive on.
I would go back to the dealer and demand to know what happened to the tires? They should replace all tires free of charge. See the regional rep. if the dealer is not accepting blame.
 
#36 ·
The bulges between the rim and the sidewalls can be caused by a sudden impact with speed bumps, potholes, curbs, or sudden grade drops. Like a break in the wet seal when tire was mounted.

Correct pressure for ATS4 with 18's is indeed 35/40 as per the placard. I even have to remind the dealer service reps about that.
 
#38 ·
We all know what causes them (bulges) that's inherent in those run flats, especially curb bumps, etc. the question is why he wasn't told? That dealership should be "outed" and be avoided, if they can't inform customers of the potential of serious tire problems. Don't forget, your service rep is supposed to look over the car before releasing it to you. More the one person should have noticed. It will be interesting to hear what they say when you go back in. The bottom line: it's time to get rid of them.
 
#39 ·
My front runflats also had bulges in them and I replaced them with non runflats. I think my tire bulges were caused by impacts with pot holes or other hard impacts. I agree the tech rotating the tires should have said something buy my feeling is also that the bulges were there and just not noticed.

My guess is runflats have really stiff sidewalls and when you hit something hard enough they don't have the ability to compress so the next thing that happens is they bulge out.
 
#40 ·
Did you happen to notice the mileage on your car when you took it into the dealer and when you left? It may even be on your receipt (but I suppose they could put any number on there).

The reason I ask is, the scenario I see is that they rotated your tires, then took the car out for a test drive (or maybe took it to lunch, if you left it there for a while) and ran over something pretty hard ... pothole, speed bump, whatever. Those tires have either been damaged, or three of them all decided to fail at once due to manufacturing defects. And I doubt the latter is the answer.

Be sure and tell us what you find out when you take it in Tuesday. I'm not sure I wouldn't just call them and tell them to come get it and bring a loaner car with them. They don't look safe to me.

Many, many years ago, in the early '70s, I bought a new Monte Carlo and within 3000 miles they had "eggs" on the sidewalls somewhat similar to yours. And of course, they were not runflats (so I don't think having runflats is your problem). I finally got them replaced under warranty, but it was a hassle. So be prepared to stand your ground. I've never had a tire do that in all the years since.
 
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