Slightly OT: Flat spot on car tires?

redtom

Well-known Member
Bought a slightly used car 1 1/2 yrs ago that was "certified used". Part of that deal was brand new tires of my choice as long as the tire shop the car dealer used sold them. After research I chose pricey ones sold by the people with the blimp. Almost immediately one started thumping. I imagined the sound Just like in a cartoon picture with a bandage wrapped around the tire. My wife went back to the dealer 3 times as time went on and complained and they kept rebalancing and rotating using various tire machines in their several different brand dealership shops. The last visit was finally to the tire dealer of whom I never liked. They insisted it was a wheel bearing. Well, I finally took it MY tire guy of whom doesn't sell this brand but he agreed to look at it. Both back tires have ONE flat spot clearly visible to the eye. The spots do not line up with the seam of the carcass, either. He says in all his years the only thing that will make ONE flat stop is a panic stop slide. This car has NEVER been slid! So what gives? I don't think I will get anything out of the tire dealer since they now have some miles on them.
 
First of all i hate to say this but the tire guy is a idiot. never have i heard somebody say slide a tire to fix a flat spot. Check for bent rims to start with . Do a road force balance first to see what is going on. drop tire pressures to around 15 PSI drive car 10 to 15 miles to get tires hot. Raise car on lift air the tires up to 90 PSI let the car hang on the lift in the car tires off the ground till tires cool off, over night works better. after cool down lower pressures in tires to correct PSI test drive. Thats how we do it here.
 
I was in the tire business for 20 years. There are a few things to think about; Even an antique like my 26 year old van has rear wheel anti-lock brakes. Everything out there for the last 10 or 15 years or more has 4 wheel anti-lock brakes meaning (unless there was a malfunction light on) I would like someone to explain to me how one could 'flatspot' a tire from a panic stop (a long sideways slide maybe?). Improper mounting where one bead didn't seat could have caused it. Also extreme over inflation when seating may have even ripped a belt causing a thump. We have had tires inflated from compressors that weren't drained, filling the tire with some water. It would freeze in a different spot each night in the winter throwing balance way off and making it impossible to balance day to day. Whole bunch of possibilities. Why do most people think a tire, like any other product, can't be defective.
 
Im sorry mis read yes sliding a tire will flat spot a tire but it would have to slide a good ways to do what your talking about
 
Bad shocks or struts can contribute to flat spots as well as broken belts or an out of balance tire. In my opinion you would have to drive with the parking brake on in order to get flat spots on the rear, 80% of your braking is done with the front tires and those are what cause black marks.
 
What do you mean, "What gives?"

It's pretty plain to see that the dealer did what dealers do: He screwed you.

Your "new" tires are actually take-offs from another car that probably was in an accident, hence the flat spots on the two tires from skidding.

Think about it. Dealers NEVER agree to new tires. The fact that he agreed to them so long as it was from his tire guy is a dead giveaway.
 
Well, my 2003 Dodge Dakota 4 Wheel drive has anti lock brakes, and I can skid them. The anti lock light never comes on. I can feel the anti lock on my other vehicles chatter when I hit the brakes hard.
 
I am wondering if they were take offs, but I asked for a specific brand and model of tire, so they would have to have that EXACT tire in back as a take off. That's not very likely. And no, the dealer HAS to put on new ones. Its a condition of the Honda "certification"-their rule-not mine. This tire shop was involved because that's who sells this brand in the dealers town.
 
Sorry, that should've said "...the only thing that will make one flat "SPOT..." not "stop"
 
(quoted from post at 09:22:04 07/19/16) Bought a slightly used car 1 1/2 yrs ago that was "certified used". Part of that deal was brand new tires of my choice as long as the tire shop the car dealer used sold them. After research I chose pricey ones sold by the people with the blimp. Almost immediately one started thumping. I imagined the sound Just like in a cartoon picture with a bandage wrapped around the tire. My wife went back to the dealer 3 times as time went on and complained and they kept rebalancing and rotating using various tire machines in their several different brand dealership shops. The last visit was finally to the tire dealer of whom I never liked. They insisted it was a wheel bearing. Well, I finally took it MY tire guy of whom doesn't sell this brand but he agreed to look at it. Both back tires have ONE flat spot clearly visible to the eye. The spots do not line up with the seam of the carcass, either. He says in all his years the only thing that will make ONE flat stop is a panic stop slide. This car has NEVER been slid! So what gives? I don't think I will get anything out of the tire dealer since they now have some miles on them.

After 1 1/2 years you own the tires and probably will have to fix it yourself. Sounds like someone locked it up and then put those tires on the back where it would not be noticed as much. Here is the only way to correct those tires.

Have then shaved.

This will make them round again. Google tire shaving if you need an example. It will not take off much rubber, but will make the remaining useable rubber a smooth ride. A lot of new dealerships do this on high end autos.
 
I'd bet on a defective carcass. Belt broken/stretched in that area. Check the tire to see if it is really flattened or expanded in that area and worn down so it looks flat. Jack it up, slowly rotate while near a fixed pointer, I use a framing square on the floor, held almost touching the tire, or a dial indicator if you have one. I've seen several like that. A spot swells up, then gets worn to the same radius as the rest of the tire. the resulting shallow tread area looks flat, but just worn.
 
If the tires are defective and the manufacture covers the pro-rated warranty cost, the dealer (or any other dealer) should have no trouble replacing the tire at a reduced cost for you. I would gather up my receipts and talk to another Blimp tire dealer.
 
flat spots, off topic on this but it reminded me of back in 78 working at a Chevy dealer. One of the salesmen let a customer take a brand new Monte Carlo home for the weekend to road test before he bought it. The car showed up on the lot Monday morning, keys in the night drop. It had over 1600 miles on it, scratches, dings, mud everywhere and fence wire wrapped around the driveshaft. Three of the tires had flat spots skidded into them all the way down to the cords. There were other things messed up that I don't remember, but it took one of my mechanics over an hour make a full list. I don't remember if the sales guy was fired but he was in deep hot water and they did press charges with the customer.
 
(quoted from post at 14:57:39 07/19/16) First of all i hate to say this [b:30f8950014]but the tire guy is a idiot. never have i heard somebody say slide a tire to fix a flat spot[/b:30f8950014]. Check for bent rims to start with . Do a road force balance first to see what is going on. drop tire pressures to around 15 PSI drive car 10 to 15 miles to get tires hot. Raise car on lift air the tires up to 90 PSI let the car hang on the lift in the car tires off the ground till tires cool off, over night works better. after cool down lower pressures in tires to correct PSI test drive. Thats how we do it here.

Better read again there ditchywitchy, the bolded part of your post was never said in the original post, just a figment of your imagination.
 

Whoops! Sorry there ditchwitch, I responded to your first post before I read your second post. My apologies.

To the powers that be.....Fix the damn edit option!! Geez!!
 
Why didn't you get it resolved right away instead of waiting a year and a half? At this point, you need to put a new set of tires of your choice on the car and don't look back.
 
I assume Goodyear? I wouldn't put Goodyears on a yard cart. Last new car dealer I worked for, we quit selling them because of vibration and thumping complaints.
 

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