Commenting on the part-worn tyre market at a Continental Tyre briefing to motoring journalists this morning, Tom Dennigan, General Manager, Continental Tyres, said he wants to warn motorists not to consider fitting such tyres to their vehicles because there is no way of knowing what hidden damage may have been caused to the tyre in its previous life,
writes Trish Whelan.
Experts in the UK have pointed out that the majority of tyres that are offered for sale as part-worn have come from 'End of Life Vehicles' (ELVs), cars and vans that have been involved in accidents. Ask yourself, he said, would you be happy letting the safety of your family depend on tyres that may previously have been on a vehicle involved in an accident, or perhaps even written off.
"Irish motorists should also be aware that a lot of the tyres that are sold as part-worn are winter tyres from European countries and that, if these tyres are put on the same axle as the existing standard tyre, the car will automatically fail the NCT as the Road Safety Authority has ruled that winter and summer tyres can not be mixed across the one axle."
Mr Dennigan said, while there are no reliable statistics, part-worn tyres continue to be a significant part of the market here. He believed their market share is at least 10 percent, maybe more. He also pointed out that in the last few months, the number of part-worn tyre outlets has decreased here.
