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Propensity for Tire Wear?

mrgem

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Do these cars chew up tires?
I ask because -- After several weeks of shopping for a 2015-2018 convertible, we finally chose a 2017 ecoboost vert with 38k miles. The car had been a rental unit. The higher than normal mileage was typical of former rentals whose 1st owners typically sent them to auction after 2 years and 35k+ miles.
When we were negotiating the purchase, we insisted on a Ford Certified (CPO) unit, so that it would still have plenty of factory warranty left. The dealer agreed to those terms and added CPO certification after evaluating the car using a 172-point checklist.
After just one day of ownership, I took the car in to have its all season tires swapped with dedicated winter tires. We live at 8200 feet in the Rockies and I always have winter tires on all our vehicles from October through April. It's pretty much essential here, as it can snow as early as September.
Anyway, the tire shop asked me if I wanted to keep the A/S tires and I said yes, that I'd be back to have them re-mounted come next May. They told me they would not put these tires on ANY car and showed me that 3 of the 4 tires had severe wear - through the wear bars on the inside shoulder. They were Goodyear Eagles and may have been the original tires. The 4th tire was a mismatch (a Firestone) and it was in better shape, but also showing odd wear on the inside shoulder. The CPO checklist specified that all 4 tires must match and show no signs of "unusual wear." They also required a minimum of 5mm (6/32) of treadwear across every tire. He said that his company would not mount any tire with less than 3/32 tread throughout.
I called the dealer from whom I bought it and he asked me to send him photos, which I did. Not sure what he'll do next.

Thinking back, I now recall that a couple of other cars that I looked at had similar wear.
Any idea if these cars tend to wear out tires in unusual ways? Should I immediately get the car aligned

TIA for your help!
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scrubber3

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You bought a rental car and you're asking about abnormal tire wear? It's a mustang rental car. Id be surprised if that's all that is going on with it.

Yes, get it aligned. Disinfect the inside. Change all of the fluids. Put an oil separator on it. Roll on. The dealer service tech that checked your car should have done his job instead of assuming.

I apologize for being so direct.
 

RdGT

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It's a previous rental car with 300+hp, what did you expect?. Tires lasting that long with one owner who takes care is tough depending on the tire compound.

One rule I've always found true - never trust the dealer. They added CPO in negotiations so that you would buy the vehicle.

Buy some new tires and enjoy the car!
 
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mrgem

mrgem

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It's a previous rental car with 300+hp, what did you expect?. Tires lasting that long with one owner who takes care is tough depending on the tire compound.

One rule I've always found true - never trust the dealer. They added CPO in negotiations so that you would buy the vehicle.

Buy some new tires and enjoy the car!
Thanks.

Let me clarify...It's not burnout or drift-type wear. It is restricted to the inside edge of the tires only -- which suggests an alignment problem as opposed to hard use/abuse kinda wear.

Furthermore, I saw this unusual wear pattern in 2 other cars that we test drove. That's what concerns me.

Restoring old cars for a hobby and having sold vehicles (and managed dealerships) for a living has given me both mechanical and "cultural" insights into the car business. I understand the brutal realities of buying and selling vehicles and the driving forces behind some of the dubious practices.

The CPO warranty and its required 172-point inspection, should have protected me -- but it did not. Ford sells the certification as protection against defects, abuse and neglect. Nine out of ten new owners never would have looked at the tires -- as they appeared to be fine from the outside. It just so happens that mounting snow tires was my first priority -- and that exposed the shoddy inspection.

Clearly, the tech who did the assessment cut some corners (I'm betting at the direction of the used car mgr) and I have told the dealer that the shortcuts he took have eroded my confidence in the entire CPO process. He broke the rules. Now, they are gonna have to buy me a full set of all-season tires -- I'll accept nothing less. I also want their assurances that no other CPO standard was violated.

What I need to know going forward is if I should align it now and rotate the tires more often than is customary. Just want to be sure this isn't an inherent problem with these cars.

Again, thanks for your input! It really does help.
 

RdGT

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Thanks.

Let me clarify...It's not burnout or drift-type wear. It is restricted to the inside edge of the tires only -- which suggests an alignment problem as opposed to hard use/abuse kinda wear.

Furthermore, I saw this unusual wear pattern in 2 other cars that we test drove. That's what concerns me.

Restoring old cars for a hobby and having sold vehicles (and managed dealerships) for a living has given me both mechanical and "cultural" insights into the car business. I understand the brutal realities of buying and selling vehicles and the driving forces behind some of the dubious practices.

The CPO warranty and its required 172-point inspection, should have protected me -- but it did not. Ford sells the certification as protection against defects, abuse and neglect. Nine out of ten new owners never would have looked at the tires -- as they appeared to be fine from the outside. It just so happens that mounting snow tires was my first priority -- and that exposed the shoddy inspection.

Clearly, the tech who did the assessment cut some corners (I'm betting at the direction of the used car mgr) and I have told the dealer that the shortcuts he took have eroded my confidence in the entire CPO process. He broke the rules. Now, they are gonna have to buy me a full set of all-season tires -- I'll accept nothing less. I also want their assurances that no other CPO standard was violated.

What I need to know going forward is if I should align it now and rotate the tires more often than is customary. Just want to be sure this isn't an inherent problem with these cars.

Again, thanks for your input! It really does help.
I would have it aligned so you know 100% the car is straight and won't wear incorrectly. In my opinion that thought will always be in your head unless you get it done. If you don't do it now you'll likely do in in the future if it bothers you.

Personally I wouldn't rotate the tires more often than usual unless you're roasting the rear tires while driving around town. After 10k-15k miles or so, check out the tires and make adjustments if the wear is heavy in certain tires.
 

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mrgem

mrgem

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I would have it aligned so you know 100% the car is straight and won't wear incorrectly. In my opinion that thought will always be in your head unless you get it done. If you don't do it now you'll likely do in in the future if it bothers you.

Personally I wouldn't rotate the tires more often than usual unless you're roasting the rear tires while driving around town. After 10k-15k miles or so, check out the tires and make adjustments if the wear is heavy in certain tires.[/QUOTE
Good advice. Thanks!
 

302@12psi

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You didn't bother to look at the tires before buying?

I agree it is a sporty rental car. I'm sure it hasn't had an easy life. Get new tires and an alignment. Good luck getting the dealership to fix it. They should according to your post but if they are that shady to sign off on it what are their ethics when it comes to customer service on the back end?
 

Jetnoise

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I'd hope your chosen alignment shop also inspects your suspension systems to confirm a good health report is obtained.
 
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mrgem

mrgem

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You didn't bother to look at the tires before buying?

I agree it is a sporty rental car. I'm sure it hasn't had an easy life. Get new tires and an alignment. Good luck getting the dealership to fix it. They should according to your post but if they are that shady to sign off on it what are their ethics when it comes to customer service on the back end?
Thanks. I did look at the tires, but didn't crawl under the car or put it up on a 2-post lift so I could get a look at the underside of the car and the inside shoulder of the tires...One dealer we visited actually agreed to put the car up in the air and let me inspect the underside.

When I examined the car, the outside tire shoulders looked just fine. What I did not notice is the fact that one of the rear tires did not match the other 3. That acknowledged, because it was a CPO car -- all that stuff and more was supposed to be checked by a professional mechanic, I should not have to do anything once they certify the car. At least that is the theory.

The dealer has agreed to check the alignment and adjust as needed -- so I don't trash the new winter tires I just put on it. The salesman has already told me that will be a freebie. Once that is done, I will likely pay a used car inspection outfit to go over the car and let me know if anything else missed the dealership's inspection. That will cost me about $150.

It just galls me that I have to go to these lengths when the price of the CPO inspection and certification was already built in to the price of the car.

This particular dealer has a great reputation and it puzzles me that someone would jeopardize their professional reputation to save 400 bucks (the price of 4 tires). It takes a long time to build a great reputation -- but only a few minutes to destroy that reputation.

No one yet has said these cars have a tendency to wear tires excessively -- so I assume that isn't an issue.The fact that 3 cars i saw had strange tire wear was just a coincidence, evidently.

Ironically, here's what Ford says about buying a CPO car from them:
" The Ford Certified Pre-Owned Program takes the risk out of buying a previously owned vehicle. Driving a Ford CPO vehicle means driving with the knowledge and confidence that the vehicle you purchased has been thoroughly inspected and comes with a manufacturer-backed limited warranty coverage."

I'll give them an opportunity to make things right...Could have been just a screw up, but it sure shakes my faith in this dealer.

Thanks again for everyone who has weighed in.
 

NightmareMoon

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Mustangs are very heavy and most all-season tires are pretty soft in the sidewall, so some tires do wear out on the inside shoulder first. I had a previous set that went out that way. Tire life is ok, but not great. Check your air pressures often, but you shouldnt have to rotate tires more often than usual.
 

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mrgem

mrgem

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Mustangs are very heavy and most all-season tires are pretty soft in the sidewall, so some tires do wear out on the inside shoulder first. I had a previous set that went out that way. Tire life is ok, but not great. Check your air pressures often, but you shouldnt have to rotate tires more often than usual.
Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Sounds like too much camber for the tires -- which tend to have soft sidewalls.

Getting the car aligned Monday, so I'll at least start with everything set up correctly.

Thanks again for the input.
 
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mrgem

mrgem

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Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Sounds like too much camber for the tires -- which tend to have soft sidewalls.

Getting the car aligned Monday, so I'll at least start with everything set up correctly.

Thanks again for the input.
This dealer has renewed my faith in the auto sales universe. Met with their Customer Service manager and explained the situation. She didn't hesitate. She told the Service Adviser to align the car, dispose of the old tires and give me new replacements -- Pirelli P_Zeroes, no less.

I'm completely satisfied. Couldn't have asked for more.

Good folks! Dealer name is Sill-Terhar Ford in Broomfield, CO.
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