Ask an expert

Last week I bought a used 2000 Honda Accord from a local Car Dealer.

We wanted a car with as low km's as we could afford and best quality so that we would have nothing else to spend money on.

The car we picked has 55,000km's and is in great condition.

The tyres have a lot of tread and I did not notice that they had a lot of cracks in the sidewalls until we got it home (probably hidden by lots of tyre shine).

I took it back to the dealer, and together went to his compliance agent. They said that they could not fail the tyres and they were WOF legal.

The explanation is that because the car had low km's and it is very cold in Japan that the tyres sit around and form surface cracks, but they are not dangerous.

The dealer would not offer to do anything about them. I wonder how safe the tyres are and what will happen when I go for its next WOF?

Before too much time goes by from the purchase date I was wondering if I get your input?

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 4 November 2009

Cracks in the sidewalls are not unusual, and there are legal guidelines that compliance agents must adhere to when inspecting tyre condition on used imports.

An instant rejection is if the cords of the tyre are visible or if the cracks are more than 25mm in length.

Like any rule however, it is open to interpretation and there are compliance inspectors who will reject where others will pass.

The problem develops where a tyre is borderline and passes the inspection. Within a short time it may become unacceptable and the car could fail its next Warrant.

My sources within the tyre industry tell me a high percentage of used imports have their tyres replaced with 18 months of arrival into NZ because of sidewall cracking.

I suggest you take the car to your local testing station and ask them to give an opinion on the tyres. Don't go to a tyre store, you need to know if legally the tyres are currently acceptable or not.

You may have no comeback on the dealer but in the interests of long term safety it may be best to replace the tyres (depending on the opinion of the testing station).

While tyres can be deemed legally safe, the handling and comfort are all compromised when they have almost reached their used by date.

I just recently had to replace tyres due to cracking on the insides of the tyre. It is a Jap import car and was only purchased 6 months ago. They were low profile tyres with lots of grip still I was very annoyed because they are expensive to replace. The tyre guys put it down to the air pressure not being kept high enough, which is something I never knew. Let’s say I'm now checking it more regularly.