A chauffeur from Surrey is warning other operators to look a bit deeper when giving their tyres an inspection following a blow-out which can cost many hundreds of pounds.
Despite regular tyre checks, Chauffeur Paul Collins found himself with a £500 bill and £700 loss in business after his rear tyre burst on a recent job. When arriving to the garage after the blow out, Mr Collins was told that the inside wall of both of his rear tyres were down to the cord, and could have even produced sparks whilst driving.
The offending tyres outside wall.
Due to the width of the tyres on his BMW 730 Ld, it can become difficult to completely check the inside wall unless a complete inspection takes place. Paul is warning chauffeurs to make more of a point of getting under the car when possible to check for illegal tread.
Mr Collins has praised the Dunlop run-flat tyres on the 7-Series which had covered almost 40,000 miles. He told thechauffeur.com; “Although I could not complete the job I was on, the run-flats allowed me to get my vehicle back to my home town which was around 40 miles at the time.”
He added; “Without these, I would have simply been stuck on the hold shoulder to attempt a wheel change – this is the last place I would have wanted to be!”
You would think the problem would end there – but when he was told he had to wait two days for two new tyres to be ordered, the pounds started to add-up. This resulted in a £700 loss in business, and a number of unhappy clients.
Tyre tips:
Be sure to thoroughly checks ALL tyres on your vehicle at least once a month, along with your tyre pressures.
Contact your nearest garage and find out how long it would take to find a replacement tyre. If they do not keep them in stock, buy a spare tyre and keep it in your garage for emergencies.
DO NOT assume that the whole tyre is legal if the tread on the outside wall is suitable. Some luxury top-end cars are prone to excessive wear on the inside wall.
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