[IchMagMunchen]

I noticed a bulge on the sidewall of my rear right tire, and a hole below it. It is a Michelin PSS that came from the factory and the car has 2900 miles on it.

I have a service appointment with a dealer tomorrow for that.

1. Would this be covered under Michelin's warranty? If not I'd rather not buy it from the dealership.
2. Both rear tires have 7/32 or 8/32 inches of tread on them. At this point is it OK to replace just one tire? (The car is an RWD, 2020 M240i Coupe.)
3. Anything else I should be concerned about?

Thanks everyone.

[BrettKA7]

Definitely replace it, but I'd say there's a 99% chance they will determine warranty does not cover this because it is likely due to impact from a road hazard. Replacing just one tire after only 3k miles will be totally fine.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by IchMagMunchen

I noticed a bulge on the sidewall of my rear right tire, and a hole below it. It is a Michelin PSS that came from the factory and the car has 2900 miles on it.

I have a service appointment with a dealer tomorrow for that.

1. Would this be covered under Michelin's warranty? If not I'd rather not buy it from the dealership.
2. Both rear tires have 7/32 or 8/32 inches of tread on them. At this point is it OK to replace just one tire?
3. Anything else I should be concerned about?

Thanks everyone.

Unless I am mistaken, that certainly looks too neat to be road hazard related damage. That's a damn manufacturing defect. WTF Michelin!

Look at how neatly it is squared off and how it misses the crease above.

But, then again, I am not an expert on tires

[IchMagMunchen]

I don't think I have even hit a pot hole, for this to be road hazard damage. How would that be determined / what is the standard? There seems to be a lot of reports of tire manufacturer warranty claims getting denied for bulges.

[chattanooga240]

There is no way near enough damage for them to try claim road hazard. (but they may try)

That could just as easily be a side wall defect.

That's close on tread wear, you may need to replace both and just keep one as a spare. 7/32 is right on the edge.

[IchMagMunchen]

According to the spec on tire rack, new Michelin PSS at this size (245/35ZR18) come with 9/32 tread depth. So this is a difference of 2/32 inches.

Tire rack would also shave the tire, which is not an option if I go with the dealer.

[IchMagMunchen]

My car came with a "Tire Manufacturers' Warranties - Guide" CD ROM.
It has a pdf each for several of the major tire manufacturers. Here are the relevant pages from Michelin's.

It doesn't say how they'll determine if this is a road hazard or workmanship/materials defect.

[overcoil]

At my dealership if I buy a tire from them and get a puncture that can't be repaired they only charge me around $35 for mounting/balance and they pick up the cost of the new tire.

So ask questions and the dealership tire price may be worth it.

[chattanooga240]

Again, with no clear puncture damage or wheel damage, it would be difficult for them to deny you workmanship replacement on that.

Take it to the dealer.

[ralawren]

Originally Posted by chattanooga240

Again, with no clear puncture damage or wheel damage, it would be difficult for them to deny you workmanship replacement on that.

Take it to the dealer.

I have had good luck with used tires off eBay. You should be able to find one with 7/32nds or whatever you want for $80-$120. I purchased four tires this way over a one year period. (HPDEs on MPSS ugh!).

Ps. Broke down and purchased Hankook R-S4s! Four track days and they are in great shape.....

[IchMagMunchen]

Originally Posted by chattanooga240

Again, with no clear puncture damage or wheel damage, it would be difficult for them to deny you workmanship replacement on that.

Take it to the dealer.

Thanks everyone. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow. I'll update how it goes.

• If Michelin's OEM warranty is recognized, I'll get the tire replaced. (And probably live with the 2/32 inch difference in tread depth... assuming that'd be okay.)
• If no, I'll buy one shaved to 7/32 inch from Tire Rack.

If this is not a manufacturing/workmanship defect, I do not know what else is!

This is not the dealership I bought the car from, which was an out of state dealer. This is a nearby dealership that used to service my previous BMW. Not sure if that would make a difference.

[chattanooga240]

Originally Posted by IchMagMunchen

This is not the dealership I bought the car from, which was an out of state dealer. This is a nearby dealership that used to service my previous BMW. Not sure if that would make a difference.

It does not make a difference, BMW warranty is BMW warranty no matter the state.

That is pretty clearly a manufacturing defect. You can live with a small tread wear difference and I agree it is close and may not matter. If you notice some wear on the edges though, you will know why.

[AUSf22]

Hmm don't drive too long on that, if the tyre side wall has a bubble it could pop without giving you much notice!

[AleksanderSuave]

thats pothole damage. Ive tried a "warranty" claim a similar issue before.

Ive seen this exact type of bubble many times. we're fortunate enough to have some of the worst roads in the country in Detroit. 100% pothole damage. If you get lucky someone at the dealership with entertain the idea of a warranty claim on it with michelin, but dont hold your breath.

get the tire replacement certificates on the new ones.

[IchMagMunchen]

As many of you pointed out, this was not covered under Michelin's workmanship warranty. Sidewall bulges are considered road hazard.

I ended up getting the tire from the dealer because their price was quite competitive, within $20 of tire rack's.

The new tire has warranty that would cover sidewall damage for a year.

Thanks everyone for the inputs.

[AleksanderSuave]

Sorry to hear man, tire replacements are like punishment for driving this kind of car at times. My last 4 vehicles ran low profile 18’s so I’ve been living with this forever

[H2O_Doc]

Hmmmm...inappropriate bulge for sure. Reminds me of my adolescence.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by H2O_Doc

Hmmmm...inappropriate bulge for sure. Reminds me of my adolescence.

Hah! All this time I thought you were a girl.

[chattanooga240]

I didn't get to check back on this thread but I meant to.

Did you get them to measure wheel runout? A hit hard enough to damage that side wall would have a good chance to damage the round of the wheel as well.

If the wheel was still perfect, that would have been a could stance for defect within the tire.

[IchMagMunchen]

Originally Posted by chattanooga240

Did you get them to measure wheel runout? A hit hard enough to damage that side wall would have a good chance to damage the round of the wheel as well.

If the wheel was still perfect, that would have been a could stance for defect within the tire.

The dealer said there was no wheel damage, and that sidewall bulge from pot hole damage is possible without wheel damage.

[JP Medina]

Originally Posted by IchMagMunchen

The dealer said there was no wheel damage, and that sidewall bulge from pot hole damage is possible without wheel damage.

Possibly it will skip the damage but not the "mark", the rubber spot, if you know what I mean.
I once got into a pot hole and the bulge got a clean cut and did not damaged the wheel (this is other reason to always buy OEM or Quality Verified wheels), but the mark was clearly visible.

So If there is no mark in the wheel I would take the case further, BMW NA, Michellin ?

Remember, in the case of tyres, the dealer is just an intermediary, you can always go to the maker. Buy a new one, try harder to get this warranty honoured.

[chattanooga240]

Originally Posted by IchMagMunchen

The dealer said there was no wheel damage, and that sidewall bulge from pot hole damage is possible without wheel damage.

Eh, that's not where the smart money is.

I guess the real deal is, did you hit a massive pothole? If not, I would not be coming out of pocket on that one.