PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP! 2008 Mazda 3

Trillionaire

We purchased the Mazda from a private seller in 2011. Since then we've had to replace the back tyres every 6 months as they become completely bald! There is no weight being carried in the back so, I'm absolutely sure tyres are supposed to last longer:mad:

Would anyone know what the problem could possibley be?

Buellguy

go and get your tracking checked at a REPUTABLE garage

w50nky

As above 4 wheel alignment check needed.

arcon5

Don't buy cheap brand tyres?

How many miles do you do?

What does bald mean? Wearing at certain places or evenly?

Trillionaire

1. I have it serviced & MOT'd at a reputable garage every year. I asked them about this but they said that some cars are just like that! They mentioned something about a BMW model having this problem.

2. Initially I was buying v.expensive tyres but (yesterday) we paid £50 for each one.

3. Wearing evenly on the back tyres so that the grip pattern is smoothed out.

4. I do 8200 miles per year and there is less than 45000 on the clock.

Ultrasonic

Trillionaire wrote: »

1. I have it serviced & MOT'd at a reputable garage every year. I asked them about this but they said that some cars are just like that!

I struggle to believe that any front wheel drive car with properly aligned wheels would wear out rear tyres in 4,000 miles. Either way, my parents have a Mazda 3 of a similar age and they have yet to replace the rear tyres at all. They do lowish mileage, but we're talking at the very least 20,000 miles total and the rears still have something like 5 mm of tread. (I know this as I was looking at them and encouraging my dad to consider changing them for age.)

I would:

a) Get a proper 4-wheel alignment done. Have a look here for proper places to go:

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/

Don't just go to Kwik Fit.

b) Find a new garage to get your car serviced and MOT tested. Telling you it is normal for a Mazda 3 to wear out rear tyres in 4,000 miles is poor advice IMHO. Are they where you have been buying your replacement tyres out of interest?

Trillionaire

Ultrasonic wrote: »

I struggle to believe that any front wheel drive car with properly aligned wheels would wear out rear tyres in 4,000 miles. Either way, my parents have a Mazda 3 of a similar age and they have yet to replace the rear tyres at all. They do lowish mileage, but we're talking at the very least 20,000 miles total and the rears still have something like 5 mm of tread. (I know this as I was looking at them and encouraging my dad to consider changing them for age.)

I would:

a) Get a proper 4-wheel alignment done. Have a look here for proper places to go:

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/

Don't just go to Kwik Fit.

b) Find a new garage to get your car serviced and MOT tested. Telling you it is normal for a Mazda 3 to wear out rear tyres in 4,000 miles is poor advice IMHO. Are they where you have been buying your replacement tyres out of interest?

Finding a good garage is like looking for a needle in a haystack!! The garage we use now was recommended as being GOOD!!!

NO - we used Kwik Fit once for MOT, and, never again!

I think I'll get my hubby to phone the garage & ask them about the wheel alignmnent, so THANK YOU for that suggestion. I hope it's the solution to our problem:T

colino

Are you absolutely sure that they are wearing evenly? There are a lot of complaints about Mazdas being heavy on their rear tyres, normally scrubbing them out due to wrong toe-in and it is down to poor manufacture. Even with the rear suspension moved to its furthest adjustment, some of them still aren't within spec.
Taxi owners of 5s have resorted to replacing suspension components with non-oem just to get the proper amount of adjustment, but if I had one of the rogue ones, I'd be complaining directly to Mazda.

Trillionaire

Are they where you have been buying your replacement tyres out of interest?

The first time it was from a different garage, and I really RANTED at them when the v.expensive tyres didn't last. I thought the young lad that had put them on had put them on incorrectly. (I still had the receipt for the tyres - well, it was only 5 months later!)

Since then, once at Kwik Fit and the rest of the time from the garage where we do the MOT.

Ultrasonic

Trillionaire wrote: »

Since then, once at Kwik Fit and the rest of the time from the garage where we do the MOT.

I bet they don't have the equipment to do wheel alignment. It sounds to me like they have been making money out of you selling you tyres rather than trying to address the problem.

Trillionaire

Yes, they are wearing evenly.