My tire is sprouting

David Anderson · April 04, 2011, 06:40:22 PM

We were in Miami Ok and going about 20mph noticed a bump, bump, bump. I could feel it in the seat. I pulled into Walmart and got the fashlite and saw an 8" long wart on my bogie tire. It is a Kumho. It was 10:00pm so we closed the blinds and went to bed. Sunday morning I went into Walmart and the tire center guy sent me to Petro on I44 in Joplin. They didn't carry Kumho so I had them put on the spare. They charged me $16 and the young man that mounted it gave my a $10 bill since I told him we were on our way to a church building job in Bethany MO. I told him I'd give to the church for the buildiing project.

Anyway, I got in touch with my tire guy back home and he said try a Kumho dealer for adjustment. If no success bring it back to Texas. The tire has 14/32" tread on it and about 30k miles. I checked a tire shop in Bethany and the guys said there is no adjustment credit on these tires. He's not a Kumho dealer BTW. He acted like that is standard practice. Hmmm, I guess I'll ride the spare back to Pleasanton in 6 weeks. I hate to do that because I'll put about 1500 miles on that spare and it's pretty old.

Do these tire mfgs warrant these tires for defects on a prorated basis? I hope so since I just replaced two last week.

David

fe2_o3 · April 04, 2011, 07:17:44 PM

Kumhousa.com or 1800hikumho Should be able to answer that question. ..Cable

David Anderson · May 18, 2011, 05:34:43 PM

We got back home on Sunday. Lived in the coach for 6 1/2 weeks and 2731 miles on our trip. About 2000 miles was on the spare. I took the tire back to my local dealer. No adjustment was rendered. I bought another tire for my bogie axle at $409. I installed it myself this time since the bus was at home and the bad Kumho was in the back of my pickup.

I think I'd rather still be in the coach since it is dry as a bone here in south TX. My yard is all dead, and I don't even feel like messing with it. I sure wish I could convince my wife to go fulltime.

Oh and I just bought 8 gals of Exxon XD40 CF-2 oil for my bus for $112 (tax incl). I'm doing an oil change today.

David

boxcarOkie · May 18, 2011, 06:03:55 PM

It is awfully hard to find a girl that will full time, they all seem to want to come home "and touch their stuff." At least mine is that way. Now guys, they are different, life on the road is a dream, no maint. painting, no weed-eating, mowing, sacking, trimming or hauling it out to the curb.

BCO

happycamperbrat · May 18, 2011, 06:25:57 PM

Yup! Even me...... I like to nest. I did live fulltime, but longed for a yard to putter in and grow food. But I gotta admit too, the road sure calls me

PP · May 18, 2011, 06:30:07 PM

I am one lucky man!!

Dreamscape · May 18, 2011, 06:35:57 PM

David, Glad to see you made it home safe with the spare. I'm sure you are not happy with what happened, with the price of tires these days. I get to buy two for our steers in a month or so, not looking forward to the whipping I'll get. I bought six new Firestone's last year for 2400 and thought I got ripped off. Can't wait to see what these will cost.

It had been my dream for many years to go full-time. Becky and I had talked about it but it never went anywhere. One day while I was at work in Ireland in 09, she said she was having a yard sale and selling off everything, well almost everything!

I never pressed it, just let my dream work on her, and it worked! At least for a while anyway. I got home and all the big stuff was gone. I sure hated to see the lawnmower go................NOT!

She swears that when we have to use a walker, that's it!

Chopper Scott · May 18, 2011, 07:59:28 PM

As much as I have been working on the bus in recent winters my wife thinks I'm fulltiming it. But when it's 10 below and snowing outside and the shop is 70..... well sometimes me and the bus just like to take a nap and practice for better days!

luvrbus · May 18, 2011, 08:14:06 PM

My wife lasted 7 months with full timing we sold the house in Scottsdale and stored everything in Mohave Valley she said enough so we made this place liveable and now she wants to move back to Scottsdale back to the house we had to repo last year women lol but I am ok with it

good luck

robertglines1 · May 18, 2011, 08:26:06 PM

Scott got a place for you next winter-- bring bike-wife if necessary-- Why didn't they warranty the tire?

David Anderson · May 20, 2011, 10:27:55 AM

When I arrived at the job site back on April 3rd, all the other volunteers came out to greet me. I backed into my parking spot and about 10 of the men were all standing by my bogie axle looking my bus over. They all had a puzzled look on their faces as they examined the wheel area. Finally one asked, "we know you must have lost a tire, but we don't see any damage to the skin of the coach. What happened?" I told them the Lord was watching over me as I felt the "bump, bump, bump" in the seat and went out to examine it. I still had to drive 22 more miles to Joplin to get to the Petro Stop on I44.

They were astounded that the tire didn't come apart, because many of them have lost tires on their own rigs with all the damage that goes along with it. This was a very fortunate experience for me, but i am disappointing that none of the tire Mfgs warrant their tires at least on a prorated tread basis. I'm too acclimated to Wal Mart's tire policy on my cars. It's always been pretty good for me.

David

Chopper Scott · May 20, 2011, 10:12:34 PM

Quote from: robertglines1 on May 18, 2011, 08:26:06 PM
Scott got a place for you next winter-- bring bike-wife if necessary-- Why didn't they warranty the tire?

I would love to Bob and with out a doubt you would be one of the ones that I would enjoy waving out the window at! I just have several years to go until I'm as lucky enough to do that!

qayqayt · May 21, 2011, 10:17:14 AM

We just bought 5 new Kumho's to go with the one we had to buy on the road last fall when the drivers side outer dual went. The dealer is the same place I buy my car tires and they have a road hazard guarantee based on tire wear. I asked if my new Kumho's were covered like my car tires and the guy gave me one of those "looks" and said, no there's no guarantee other than product failure.

David Anderson · May 21, 2011, 04:29:17 PM

Quote from: qayqayt on May 21, 2011, 10:17:14 AM
no there's no guarantee other than product failure.

I guess sprouting a tumor 1" tall x 12" long is not considered product failure.

David

robertglines1 · May 21, 2011, 04:37:44 PM

I guess the more you pay for it the less warranty you get. I run caps on drives they have been tested by time and have never had one fail--have had two new good years 3 years old fail on steers. Not warrantied either. So this tire game is frustrating at best. They know you won't fight them over the money:you did the rite thing letting the rest of us know what kind of tire you had trouble with. Bob