Tire Wear

[san6279]

Have seen threads regarding uneven/premature tire wear. From what I've read it was mainly due to rear camber, alignment problems, etc. As a preventative measure, would anyone suggest getting these items checked out by the dealer? Currently have only 250 miles on vehicle, but may be stopping by dealer soon for accessories. I wonder how much that would cost, assuming they found out everything was okay and would therefore charge me for the work?

Figured this may prevent future arguments if tire wear did become a problem...or maybe I am just being too paranoid?

 

[grommet]

You are probably being paranoid. Watch for irregular wear... if it ever starts to look odd, bring it up with your service department ASAP. Mine are wearing just fine...

 

[san6279]

Yeah....sometimes I get like that. Just had to check.... : )

 

[xcursion]

Even if the dealer checks out fine now, I am sure they will find some excuse to avoid responsibility if the problem actually shows up later. So no point paying now or wasting time for something that may or may not show up later.

 

[davez26]

You are not paranoid.

Figured this may prevent future arguments if tire wear did become a problem...or maybe I am just being too paranoid?

Get it checked. Adjustments early in the life of the vehicle are covered. I would not go in saying "I think my tires will wear off". Maybe instead your car pulls one way or another, and therefore needs the alignment checked. Excessive early tiire wear due to alignment is not unheard of.

 

[san6279]

Interestingly....the car does pull ever so slightly to the right.

 

[jackmac]

Not paranoid. I had uneven tire pressure and alignment issues before the 1000 mile mark, and did not do anything to cause it. This is with the 19" Goodyears. I'm certain it was this way at delivery. Alignments are generally not covered by the regular maintenance plan or warrantee.

Slight pulls to the right may be normal (assuming you drive on the right side of a crowned road).

 

[san6279]

How were you able to identify the uneven wear only after 1000 miles? Did you use a gauge, or was it actually visible?

Correct, that pull may have just been due to the road crown. I'll check next time in a parking lot or some other flat surface.

 

[Houm_WA]

The vehicle does seem to ride into whatever curves it encounters...like, if there is a sudden rut in the road, the car flows right into it....it doesn't filter that stuff out. Believe it or not there are roads (like highways and interstates) in Washington state that suck that bad as to have ruts in them and the vehicle can just "take off" when it hits them. It rides crowns pretty hard, too.

 

[davez26]

Interestingly....the car does pull ever so slightly to the right.

I think you missed the sublety. THe point I was trying to make, is that if you go to the dealer and say, "please check my alignment just in case.", they will charge you for a customer requested alignment check. However, if you were in for service or whatever and stated, "The LR3 seems to pull to the "blank", and they checked it early in the vehicle life, the alignment should be covered under warranty. Like I said before, poor tire wear due to alignment is not unheard of. If you can get it checked, I would highly reccomend it.