The used car market dominates the brand new car sales in Zimbabwe and the rest of the African continent.
But this should not be the same when it comes to the tires of the same cars. l am very worried with the scenario because many people generally would think that the used cars performance would be the same with the tires. It is not true at all.
The facts are that a tire can work from five to 10 years, depending on the maintenance, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, ozone, salt, dust, etc.
After the five year, annual inspections have to be done to check the condition of the rubber, as the compounds start to dry and deteriorate.
However, it is possible to determine the age of a tire by reading the four-digit code on a tire sidewall.
Two first numbers mean the week of the manufacture, and the second – the year, so 2815 will mean the 28th week of 2015.
The importation of used tires was banned by the government of Zimbabwe to prevent the use of unsafe tires and to promote the use of brand new ones.
But the psychological influence of buying used cars by the majority of our motorist have the risk of psyching them to still buy the used tires anyway on the attraction of cheap prices.
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So let me share some analyses of the dangers associated with buying the used tires before we can talk about the few advantages;
The inspection difficulties
Buying used tires requires some kind of professional skills to determine if the tires are good or bad. In majority of cases the car owners do not have this skill which exposes them to high risk of buying “good looking” tires that are a complete no to a professional in the industry.
If you don’t know everything about the tire’s condition and prior maintenance you should not buy them because any lack of cleaning procedures or excess exposure to sunlight can make the rubber break down much faster. You should therefore not buy used tires that have;
-Less than 2/32’’ tread left.
-Signs of tread, ply, or cord separation, bumps, chunks, or other kinds of damage.
-Exposed cords or any other inner parts due to a damage.
-Repairs in sidewalls, beads, or tread shoulders.
-Punctures that were not repaired in a proper way.
-No clearly visible Department of Transportation (DOT) code.
-Being recalled by the manufacturer.
-Punctures wider than ¼’’.
Internal damages may be missed
If you shop for used tires online, there’s no way to inspect the inner side of a tyre. In fact, looking for certain inner damages is impossible even if you buy from the tyre dealers at petrol stations or the roadsides.
Majority of these tire dealers may not know about those damages either, which makes the situation even worse. Internal damages usually occur from:
Small bits of glass getting deep into the rubber.
Numerous impacts that weaken cords and belts and causes tread separation.
Invisible pinholes that let water into the tire.
Impacts that causes bulges outside (there can be a cut).No warranty, no returns
There are no returns accepted and no warranty offered on used tires. So even if you realise later that you have been duped into buying bad condition tires or wrong size, unfortunately, you can’t do anything, you will have lost that money completely. Cheap is expensive in the long run. There are many people smuggling used tires into the country avoid the temptation.
You end up spending more
If you buy a tire even with half a tread life left, you will spend more money on mounting and balancing to get the same amount of mileage you would get with a new set. Furthermore, the additional costs associated with frequent tire puncture repairs that accumulate overtime can exceed the cost of a brand new tire.
High risk of accidents
A damaged, improperly repaired, or old tire can cause a wide range of incidents that can not only damage your vehicle, but injure you, your passengers, and pedestrians around. Many accidents in Zimbabwe happen due to old tire failures annually, causing accidents that leads to deaths.
There is no saving at all by deciding to buy used tires. I know that many people invest extra money on their used cars soon after receiving them from Japan or UK.
So instead of putting a powerful sound system or leather seat covers or a major service l honestly think that it is wise to invest in brand new tires and a new battery first.
When you think about it there is no sense in spending US$15,000 on buying a used car and spend additional US$2,000 on some extras and only to let that whole investment seat on used tires worth US$200.
I also know that families go to the extent of doing a party after receiving their car.
I have no issues with adding some extras, doing a party and so forth but these expenses make sense when you have already secured your asset and life by fitting four brand new tires on your car.
Apparently women judge men by the type of shoes they are wearing. So by extension l would like the ladies to start judging the men by the quality of tires fitted on their cars! Yes! In Kenya women judge men by the number plate of their car.
So the men with the latest number plates are more attractive than those with very old numbers.
So my logistic for women to swing this by judging men by the quality of tires fitted on their cars is realistic and could literally help in saving lives!
Used tires aren’t suitable although they are cheaper than brand new ones. However, you may still buy them after inspection by an honest professional seller as that decreases the possibility of getting low-quality tires greatly.
*Stanley Makombe has 25 years of experience in the motor industry, currently handling vehicle imports from Japan, Thailand, the UK, and South Africa into African countries. He is writing in his capacity and can be contacted on +254 743 900 590, on X @Stan_Carsales, email: [email protected], www.stanleymakombe.com
