Our car started going through tires like crazy. They would get gouged and wear out incredibly fast. We were getting new tires on all the time it seemed.
One mechanic told us we needed to quit peeling out on gravel and that was why we were ruining our tires. Problem solved! Only we weren't peeling out. But that was the only explanation he could come up with for why we were getting gouges in our tires.
So we went to multiple shops for alignment after alignment, got more expensive tires, and still nothing worked. Each shop said it was either an alignment issue or we were just having really bad luck with faulty or bad tires.
And then we moved. With the first major cold that hit our tire pressure sensor dinged in the car so I took it in to get that checked and asked about the tires (as at this point they were making our car vibrate badly). He said they would take a look and see what they could find.
1/2 an hour later he came back and said that our problems came down to two factors. First, the "suggested" tires online for our car are rated for 220 mph and typically wear out fast because they are built for speed. Second, our shocks were 80,000 miles overdo for replacement, meaning that every bump we went over the tires would hit the shocks and the springs would leave gouges in the tires. Apparently shocks are supposed to be replaced every 50,000 miles. We had no clue. How do you keep track of when to replace everything in a car?!
So, we saved up for the shocks/struts/alignment job, and then a new set of tires...ones that are a little more suited to our non-220mph lifestyle.
And it feels like a whole new car!
Why do I tell you this boring story about car parts? Because I figure if we had no idea, maybe one of you out there had no clue either and can't figure out why your tires are getting gouged and wearing out so fast.
Man...there should be a manual for how to keep on top of all this adult stuff in life!
I'm totally clueless on car stuff beyond the basic oil change level. I hate having to just trust my shop to take care of me, but I'm so glad I found one I feel like I *can* trust!
ReplyDeleteUsually a dealership can tell you what you need to do at every oil change or milage change. I know that on Volkswagons, timing belts need to be replaced at 109K miles and not much later (or the belt will snap and you'll need a new car). Some things can be ignored or delayed but other things cannot. The manuals that come with the car should have the information, also.
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