I’m returning my BMW 3 series in a couple of weeks and at a recent service it was flagged that my tires are looking worn - at least 2 of them would need replacing, possibly all 4. I’ve leased many cars (thank you hackrs), and understand that there are standards of returning the car. But I’m also questioning why a car needs new tires after 15k miles of driving. Shouldn’t they be warranted to last longer than this? I’m not ready to part with several hundreds of dollars without questioning why this leased as new car needs tires with so little driving. Lease has been for 3 years.
Any input grateful.
Measure them. How much tread is left?
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I just had an inspection done with 22,900 miles and tread depth came in a 7/32. No penalty.
Audi lease return.
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Doesn’t matter how much you’ve driven on them, it matters how they’ve been driven.
Maybe your alignment went out of spec and you wore them down faster?
There are a ton of reasons why, all that matters is whether or not the tread depth is within acceptable return spec, not whether or not the dealer thinks you need tires.
Service people make money selling you tires, it’s entirely possible that you don’t even need them.
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Same thing happened to my wife at same 15k miles. Tire depth is measured in the middle rows of the tires, not the little outside edge of tire water dispersion type treads. We took it to a tire dealer to have them remeasured and took pictures. I believe 3/32’s depth will pass, but it might depend upon the state you live in?
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LF: 4mm, RF: 4mm, LR: 2mm, RR: 2mm.
I’m doomed to pay?
Those are very bad if accurate. What kind of tires are these? Are you on performance tires? Was this a loaner car lease?
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Almost every captive publishes some lease return guidelines online so you’ll need to check what you’re required to return with.
Keep in mind millimeters are not the same as 32nds of an inch.
Some tips for your next car: keep a closer eye on your tires. It could be alignment, the way you’re driving, etc. If either axle is at 5/32 or below before your third winter, just replace them. At least you’ll get some use out of them instead of just paying a bill for nothing in return.
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They’re Pirelli 225/45 r18 All Season. Run Flats. It’s just surprise as this was not flagged at last service so I’m going to go outside the dealership and get another opinion.
Spent $1 on a tire measurement tool at a gas station and just check yourself from center tread.
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good advice
I can’t remember the last time I got 15,000 miles out of a tire.
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If you need new tires- shop around for decent used ones- there are websites/local stores that sell used tires with 5/32 tread or so. Just might have to drive a little to get them. You gotta match them too.
Could be the difference between spending 600 dollars for two tires at a tire store or about 100 dollars by picking them up yourself.
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Those Pirelli all-seasons should last you at least 30K miles. At 2mm you should see the wear bars. I can’t believe they would be this low after only 15K miles unless something is really wrong with either your alignment or they were driven with improper inflation
a few months ago the same happened with my 3series lease, replaced them all for acceptable used ones for a total of $200. shop for a local tire shop
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make sure you get used runflats though
Lots of good advice here:
1 - either get a tire gauge yourself or verify tread depth where they show you real measurements
2 - check online listings for used tire shops. A lot of them sell dealer rejects that are good enough for lease returns.
3 - keep in mind that 4 mm isn’t same as 4/32". 4 mm should be fine. See chart here
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BTW, the irony here is that you’d be on the hook for all four tires had you rotated them as you were supposed to and assuming that the above measurements are accurate. Your fronts are apparently good enough as they are.
PS: Check eBay and Craig’s if needed.
I’ll be calling used tire places for sure! Thanks.
bestusedtires and unitedtires on eBay are another source. they’re both one the largest used tire shops online. Probably easier than running around to used tire shops hoping to find 2 of the same tires to match the fronts.