What are your tire warranties really good for?
Are they just for emergencies, or do they cover regular wear and tear? One woman was very surprised to find out that her “50,000-mile” warranty had been voided due to her daily use.
Phillie3814 (@phillie3814) took to social media to ask her viewers if she got cheated. Did she not read the fine print carefully enough?
She posted the story to her TikTok account on Friday. So far, the video has over 6,853 views.
Read the fine print
“I bought a set of tires that had a fifty [or] sixty thousand mile warranty on them,” she tells her viewers.
“I took them in today. My tires only had 26,000 miles on them. I told the lady I wanna swap them out,” Phillie claims.
“She says, ‘Well, I’m sorry, we can’t do that because your tires have over 50 percent of the tread missing, which essentially [means] your warranty’s no good,” she states.
Phillie asked why she was never told by the staff that her tread was getting low and her warranty was in danger of being voided when she came in for regular service.
She states no one advised her to “swap ’em out.”
“Nope, they don’t do that,” she claims she was told. “You gotta pay attention to them or whatever and get them swapped out before 50 percent of the tread is missing.”
“I guess, read the fine print,” she concludes.
What do tire warranties cover?
It is impossible to know if she was entitled to new tires without seeing the exact details of her warranty.
According to the online auto resource Edmunds, “the usable life of a tire is either six years from the date of purchase or when there’s just 2/32nds of an inch of tread left,” and most warranties reflect this.”
Her tires were estimated to last for 50,000 to 60,000 miles. If what Phillie claims is correct, her tires with only 26,000 miles on them would have still been under warranty.
However, the warranty may have also specified that it was void if the tread wear extended beyond the 2/32nds of an inch standard.
Per Edmunds, “If a tire has worn out evenly across the tread well before its estimated mileage limit, it may qualify for replacement under the tread-life warranty.”
As Phillie warns, it’s important to check the fine print when it comes to tire warranties.
@phillie3814 Read the fine print of your warranty. You learn something new! #tires #warranty ♬ original sound – Phillie3814
Viewers weigh in on tire warranties
Very few viewers believed Phillie was entitled to new tires.
Jasonsski (@jasonnski) commented, “A tire warranty is against defects. It doesn’t mean they won’t wear down. You got normal wear and tear which is not covered under warranty.”
“60k isn’t a warranty it’s a life expectancy,” another person added.
One viewer wrote, “It’s not worth anyone’s hassle to try and get them warrantied for mileage. Defects are a different story.”
However, some sympathized with her experience.
“The warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” said one.
“They would have just made another excuse even if you brought it up earlier. go to a different shop for your next purchase,” wrote another.
The Daily Dot reached out to Phillie via TikTok comment and direct message for a statement.
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