OEM tires getting scarce?

rwarn17588 · 12-06-2004, 06:53 PM

I went to the dealership today to have a slow leak repaired in a rear tire. A nail was found in a sidewall, so the tire had to be replaced. No big deal; the tires are originals, and I was thinking about replacing them anyway.

But the Honda dealership had no tires in stock, nor did any of its suppliers. Instead, they used a tire from another Insight which had its tires swapped recently. The tire, on closer inspection, looks worn, but not badly. But I wasn't too happy the dealership didn't bother to have any new tires around.

I ordered a new set from tirerack.com for $49 apiece. Trouble is, the anticipated shipping date is Dec. 28 -- three weeks from now. Are the OEM Bridgestones getting scarce for some reason???

JeffKinTN · 12-06-2004, 07:45 PM

I have had to replace two tires from blowouts and walked into Firestone both times and found OEM tires. I get my company van serviced there once a month and regularly ask if the tires are in stock, and every time was a yes!

Resist · 12-06-2004, 08:47 PM

Why would anyone have a tire repaired or even purchase them from a dealership? Don't you know they charge you more than anywhere else. As far as the tires being scarce goes, I don't see this. But there are only so many cars that use this tire, so there isn't the production need like with other tires.

rwarn17588 · 12-06-2004, 10:46 PM

Hmmm ... my Honda dealership in Tulsa has been *extremely* reasonable with repair costs. If I bring my own Mobil 1 oil and filter, it costs $6.

And for the record, taking the bad tire off and replacing it with a used one was at no charge.

I wasn't planning on buying all four tires at the dealership. If I needed a new one there, I would have bought one, then get the other three at tirerack.com

Too bad there are no CostCos in Oklahoma. I would have gotten the tires there.

Big D Insightman · 12-07-2004, 01:01 AM

Count your blessing's I just had my oil changed at the dealer where I bought mine and they said it it was going to be around $20. I had brought my own Mobil 1 0w-20 oil but no filter. When I got it back it was almost $29. They said because the filter was higher than they thought it was. You can bet that I will bring my own filter the next time. On the tire issue I plan on buying a set of Michelins for my next set. Mine are over 4 1/2 years old and after only 42K and are looking bad. The OEM's warranty is only for 40K. They wear out too fast for me. I will probally go with P175/65R/14 size.

Rick · 12-07-2004, 12:39 PM

The oem tires have been on backorder on and off for quite some time now. When I had mine replaced I lucked out that they had a set in stock at the local Firestone warehouse. Unfortunately if your wanting to replace them you should probably order them now. Costco is also a good place to get them if you have one near you.

Also consider these tires are made in Japan (at least I think) so they have to come over in a container ship, not the quickest process in the world.

LoNOx 1 · 01-05-2005, 12:19 AM

I had my tires replaced today with the OEM RE92's. I ordered them last Thursday from the local Firestone authorized retailer. He had to get them directly from Firestone. They requested my name, address, and phone number since they were an OEM tire.

I inspected the skirts since I had read all of the horror stories here.
The right rear was bulged out near the black. I removed it myself while it was on the rack. The lower front clip was bent STRAIGHT out. The technician said he may have bent the clip when he removed it. I did get it bent back without breaking it.
I asked him how much air he had put in them. He said 35 psi front & rear.

I had told the salesman to put 45 in all.
I drove the car home with the 35 psi. It definately road much better/quiet.
It was very sluggish and unresponsive. When I got home I checked the pressure. 33 psi in all. I installed 50 psi in all.
A supervisor told me when I was hired, "Only Expect what you INSPECT". This is very true.

01-05-2005, 07:30 PM

Hi All:

___I had a screw penetrate the sidewall of one of my RE92’s ~ 3 months ago causing a slow leak. The Bridgestone/Firestone dealer down the street ordered one and within the same week I was back on the road.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:gqji1va1]Waynegerdes@earthlink.net[/email:gqji1va1]

lakedude · 01-06-2005, 06:04 PM

I wonder if hybrid tires get flats more often? It has been years....Actually I've never had a flat in my car or my truck but the brand new HCH has already had a flat. Bad luck or is something going on with the hybrid tires?

PS the flat was just a nail in the tread which was fixed for $6.50 at Wal-Mart.

Rick · 01-06-2005, 07:49 PM

There's really nothing too special about Hybrid tires other than them being LRR and having a stiffer side wall. If anything they should be less susceptible to blow outs because of this.

I to date have never experienced a flat tire (knock on wood). On my original set of tires I didn't have a hitch with them, but when I had my new set put on I picked up a nail on like the 3rd day. The guy at Costco made some comment about me being back so soon when I took it in to have it fixed (which was included in their price).