Hi All, I took my 2012 PiP to an automatic carwash, the kind that pulls you through, and it emerged with the tread damage shown to the left front tire in the attached photo. I know, lots of reasons not to go to those kinds of car washes. Now I know why they have signs disclaiming liability for damages. . . The missing chunk of tread doesn't expose any of the belt or structural elements of the tire, and doesn't extend below the deepest grooves that go around the circumference of the tire. The tire only has about 6K miles on it, due to a nail puncture near the sidewall of its predecessor last Sept. Still, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Any opinions about whether this merits a new tire? Thanks in advance, Dan
Ker CHUNK!!! What in the world would have done that??? Was that on the type of car wash that pulls the entire car through it? I would take it back and ask them to replace it, regardless of their "stated no liability" as you really can not legally do that. I had an old Pinto that the overhead rolling brush caught the antenna, and it tried to pick the car up with the ant. when it got caught. They still paid to have it replaced regardless of all their signs saying they held no responsibility for damages. Just tell them you will take them to small claims if you have to, and see what they say. I would not feel totally safe with that tire on a real wet road... Ker Thunk, Ker thunk....
i think i would replace it. can you be sure it happened in the car wash? i don't see how a tire free wheeling through could undergo any kind of damage like that. but i'm not sure what else could have caused it either, it looks very strange.
Another thought would be to go to where you bought that tire, (it was a recent replacement, right), and ask them to replace it under a manufacturing defect. Maybe it was not the car washes fault at all, and just a defective tire?
If you have road hazard insurance then your tire dealer will probably replace it free. If you do not have road hazardous insurance I would still go back to where you bough the tire and ask their opinion as to the safety aspect of driving on the tire. I'll have to start checking my tires. I also go through car washes.
My $.02 is to not trust that tire anymore and have it replaced. True that the gouge did not reach down to the belts, but I am imagining the force involve to make such a gouge, and I think it could weaken the carcass in that area such that you will ultimately have a carcass failure and either separation of tread from the steel belts or a blow out. If you choose to keep tire, please consider re-balancing it as you lost a few ounces of rubber from that spot. I would expect the tire to "thump" when that low spot hits the ground, and that would bother me just as flat-spotted tires bother me. Good luck!
I think you are right on all of your observations. Good points. Replacing the tire is a very good idea.
Thanks, everyone. Replacement it is. Interestingly, the tire doesn't seem to make any distinctive noise, but I've only taken it up to ~45 mph. The car was off, in neutral, as it went through the wash, but it lurched and moved slightly laterally when the puller started, so I suspect I wasn't lined up correctly, despite the thumbs up from the operator. -Dan
I've avoided automatic car washes for decades, doubly now with the Prius inability to be off and in Neutral. My main beef though, is just that if I were to get into the habit, I know there'd be dings I'd never notice, starting to rust. That said: Was just about to get into my car at the bank parking lot, and noticed a car rolling into an auto car wash at the gas station next door. In this one (and I guess it's common now, hey: I'm a luddite...) the car rolls in, comes to a stop, doors close, and the car just sits in one spot, the sprayers and what have you work around it. I might roll through that in a pinch. Also, I know our dealership has an auto car wash, and they ran our car through it once, without event, I'm suspecting it similar method. Still, I've got a driveway, the inclination, and I care about the corners the car wash is going to miss. Will stick with that method, maybe just backslide in the dead of winter.
I'm going to inspect my tires first chance! I use Auto Bell all the time - yes it pulls the car thru with the front tires. Q10 ? 2
Looks like it hit the guide, like you described, in your post. I would bet that if you were to go back to the carwash and look at the metal guide tubes/pipes on the left side of the carwash entrance, there is a missing cap or open end that took a scoop of tread out of your tire when it was pulled into the guide rail. SCH-I535
Yeah, those have been around for awhile now. I've been using the one at Costco with my van because it does wax, Rain-X and tire bright for $7.99, it even blow dries pretty well. But I'd worry about the rear wiper being ripped off and the Prius is small enough to wash fairly easily, even in the heat. My biggest problem with the van was getting it dried quickly enough, even in the shade, to avoid water spots, etc. With the Prius, I plan to buy a Water Blade to wipe the water off quickly. And I'll get back in the habit of waxing it myself.
I like to wash on cloudy days. Also, use a leaf blower, working front-to-back, to knock off 90% of the water, then go over it with a flannel towel. I'm getting more and more laid back about washing though. The dirt doesn't really accumulate with our low mileage too. So maybe 6 times a year I wash it, more in winter actually, when there's a lotta salt on the roads.
No, the damage is in the tread and not the carcass. Those are 2 separate things molded together. This should not be safety issue, but I can see how there could be vibration or uneven wear at that spot. Carcass is #1, under the belts.
