kolokmee

I won't claim to be an expert on manufacturing cars, but a while ago I read somewhere about individual QAs done on the completed car prior to leaving the factory; and those are before the odometer is reset. Closest I could find now is something similar to https://blog.toyota.co.uk/factory-to...lity-assurance. Note the acceleration and brake tests -- I'm just presuming these are on the same tires they would be delivering the car with, otherwise why bother with QA? Unless these are included in the odometer reading, then I stand corrected.

You also hear of anecdotes where the dealer is willing to swap out wheels on in-stock cars, so that's another grey area for the actual mileage. In any case, it's hard for me to see thread depth as evidence of different material being used in OEM/non-OEM tires.

Edit: Besides, Michelin (I can only find the Canadian site on my end) lists the 20" Premier LTX as having a depth of 8.5/32 from the factory. https://www.michelin.ca/en/premier-ltx.html; so your 8/32 reading when you got your car sounds about right... Defender LTX has stock depth of 10.5/32.

gadgetman1

I toured the RX factory in Cambridge, Ontario. They only pick a few cars to be sent to their test track in the back. The rest are tested on a dyno for a very short time. Nowhere does the link say anything about odometers being “reset”. That would be a gross violation of the actual new car mileage. Why is it so difficult to accept that manufacturers are buying cheap & less mileage worthy OEM tires vs. higher mileage warranted tires from a tire shop?

kolokmee

That might be true of the Bridgestone Ecopias, as I have yet to find a non-OEM version of the V-rated Ecopias on the market. Costco Canada had some that were supposedly warrantied, but they don't carry them anymore. The other Ecopias you checked with the stores about were all H-rated ones, which are different tires.

I'm still not convinced the Michelin Premiers are any different whether they are installed at the factory, or the ones you find in the tire store. If we're going by anecdotal evidence, my old RX 350 came with the Michelins, and when I traded it in at around 55k km (35k miles), they were still perfectly fine and (I think) at least 4/32 tread left. Just because there's no "official" tire warranty on them doesn't tell me anything about the tires. Weren't there some people on here who managed to get Michelin or at least their dealership to do a retroactive warranty/rebate on the Michelins when they were worn out early?

rxtimes2

This is interesting, and I think new. Go to https://www.lexustirecenter.com/ Enter your relevant information, and you will see that the Lexus dealer tires now have tread wear warranties. 70K miles for Bridgestones, 60K for Michelin’s, and 85K for Goodyear’s. These are the same warranties offered at TireRack.

gadgetman1

This must be something new since I purchased tires in the Fall. My dealer had NOTHING with a warranty & they were way more expensive than Firestone or other tire stores.

kolokmee

Did Lexus update their FAQ regarding tire warranties as well now, or was it always there?

https://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/answ...=190,1284,1291

To quote: "All tires supplied as original equipment on new Lexus vehicles are warranted by the individual tire manufacturer only, and not Lexus. Coverages by individual tire manufacturers may vary."

It kind of makes sense that Lexus doesn't do the tire warranty themselves since they have different sources for the tires. You might just have had bad luck with the Bridgestone representative, or else they changed their warranty coverage on the OEM Ecopias.

gadgetman1

You are confusing apples & oranges. Lexus or Buick or whoever doesn’t warrant tires. Only the tire maker warrants the tires, whichever that might be. The OEM Ecopias had a code stamped into each tire that told the Firestone dealer there was no mileage warranty. Yet, they sold an Ecopia without that code (in the store) that was warranted for at least 50,000 miles. When I went to Lexus, all they had were the Bridgestone or Michelin & neither had a mileage warranty. Some variables: Things in Canada may be very different or Lexus may have made some changes.

yardbird88

Why would anyone buy tires from the dealer anyway when there are tons of tire stores that provide better prices & warranty for the same tires? Silly!

GSFRX350

Saying that OEM tires may have worn from testing - come on, yes maybe they are rolled a few times but not 1,000s of miles. Have a look a new cars in a dealers showroom, most still have the little rubber "tags" hanging off the tires on the tread section. Tires look virtually brand new often.

rxtimes2

The tire prices at my Dealership, for the V rated 20" Michelins run about $23 per tire more with the same warranty as at my local tire store. Every once in awhile, the Dealership has a tire special that saves you $100 on a set of four tires. That makes the prices competitive with the local stores. the Dealership gives you a two year road hazard warranty (not sure about the local store). My dealer has a very good service department. I also know that if there is a problem with the TPMS sensor, the correct part and setup knowledge is readily available. Think I will stick with the Dealer, however I might change from the Michelins to the 85K Goodyears.

gadgetman1

Road hazard warranties & mileage warranties are two completely different things. Who cares how cheap a car dealer’s prices are, if they are selling tires without a mileage warranty! That means if they wear out in 10,000 miles, you get NOTHING.

rxtimes2

Read my post again. Tire Tread Wear warranty is the same at the local store and the Dealer. 60K for the Michelins.

gadgetman1

Perhaps there is a mileage warranty on Michelin now, but there wasn’t one in November when I purchased tires. I checked & neither brand had a mileage warranty when buying from Lexus. That’s why I went elsewhere. No luxury car tire should ever wear out in 20,000 miles! All of my performance car tires lasted way longer than that! So how do you explain those of us that had both Bridgestone & Michelin & our tires were shot by 25,000 miles, even with regular rotations?

yardbird88

Costco has $80 discount for a set of 4 tires, Michelin & Bridgestone all year round with manufacturer warranty and FREE lifetime road hazard and free rotation and very competitive prices too.

rkhoslatx1

I purchased 2017 RX350 in Dec 2017, and am the original owner, this car has 16,000 miles, and two tires are showing tread less than 2/32. Is this normal to have tires with such little life?