Tire replacement - Event Date: 18 Jan 2023

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Geezerbill, it may be worth a phone call to the r-Pod customer service number.  You may want to try this:  Katlyn Mabie (574) 642-3119.  She's the service department rep for the West Coast r-Pod factory.  If she can't help, she'll probably transfer you to someone you can.  
I suspect FR will take this seriously since it can have some legal implications for them and they may want to address the issue with the dealer, which is their agent.

We geezers need to stick together.

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lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Calendar Event: Tire replacement Posted: 27 Feb 2023 at 4:51pm
	Geezerbill, it may be worth a phone call to the r-Pod customer service number. You may want to try this: Katlyn Mabie (574) 642-3119. She's the service department rep for the West Coast r-Pod factory. If she can't help, she'll probably transfer you to someone you can. I suspect FR will take this seriously since it can have some legal implications for them and they may want to address the issue with the dealer, which is their agent. We geezers need to stick together.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Geezerbill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2022 Location: Puyallup, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 37	Post Options Post Reply Quote Geezerbill Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 2023 at 4:14pm
	Glue Guy, The trailer is in storage but possibly I can go over there tomorrow and look and see if I can find it. Bill

Geezerbill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2022 Location: Puyallup, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 37	Post Options Post Reply Quote Geezerbill Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 2023 at 4:12pm
	I believe you are correct. The trailer seemed very new but not the tires. I checked my documentation provided by the dealer yesterday and there is not anything on tires. As you suggested, I am sending an email to FR with the vin code and all buying information with an explanation of why I am requesting the tires provided by them. It’s going to be interesting if my tires are not those that were installed at the factory. Thank you for your response and informative suggestions. Also, please note that I had indeed, inflated to the max per sidewall data, not my five lbs under max as I had stated.

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630	Post Options Post Reply Quote GlueGuy Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 2023 at 10:06am
	I wonder, what is the date code on those tires?
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2023 at 3:40pm
	It really sounds to me like the selling dealer put some used tires on your trailer and didn't bother to properly inflate them when it delivered the trailer. For r-Pods the normal OEM tires are Westlake brand. It really sounds like the dealer did a swap and gave you a set of used tires. With a little tire "dressing" to make them look new, it would not likely be something most people would scrutinize during a purchase, since there is so much other stuff to look at. It might be worth a call to FR/r-Pod with your VIN in hand and ask them what their records show for the tires they mounted on the trailer. Usually, tire warranties are from the tire manufacturer and are included in the stack of paperwork you get with the trailer. Do you have a warranty brochure from Goodyear or Westlake? Swapping new tires for used ones on the sale of a new vehicle, especially if it is not called to your attention by the selling dealer, is a form of fraud. Imagine buying a nice new Tesla model X and finding that the tires on it were old and worn out. When you buy a "new" vehicle of any kind, everything is supposed to be new, unless the seller tells you otherwise and you agree to the used parts. That includes trailers. Seventeen pounds under max pressure for 180 miles should not cause that much wear on the tires, especially ferrying it back home from the dealer where it's likely to not have a lot of extra weight. Running 5 lbs below on a C or D range tire can cause some excess tread wear on the sides, leaving the center of the tire tread thicker by comparison. I think you'll find most on this board advocate inflating to the maximum sidewall number. Good luck in getting this sorted out.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Geezerbill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2022 Location: Puyallup, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 37	Post Options Post Reply Quote Geezerbill Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2023 at 2:00pm
	Thank you for that response Lostagain. I did purchase the unit new from a dealer in Oregon which is 180 miles away from where I live in Washington. After driving the trailer home, the next day I checked tire pressures and found it down nearly seventeen lbs. I then inflated to five lbs blow the sidewall max inflation value. I then visually compared the tread depth to that of the spare and was shocked at the difference. That is why I feel either the trailer or the tires were not new. Most likely the tires. I also have two pending recalls on the pod but chose to have a local dealer to do that to save driving nearly two hundred miles and possibly having to stay overnight away. However, the local dealer seems to have an attitude about doing it. I am awaiting spring before I take it there for the warranty work to be done. I will look into the tire warranty and see if I can pursue that. Thanks again for your comments!

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2023 at 1:45pm
	Did you purchase the trailer new from a dealer? What was the running pressure you maintained for your 800 miles? Normally, Goodyear tires are not OEM tires on FR trailers. Usually you get a set of Westlakes. If you bought the trailer used it may be that the prior owner put a set of used Goodyear tires on it in place of the originals. If the trailer was purchased new from a dealer and if you maintained proper pressure and balance, you may want to check the tire warranty to see if there is some form assistance that may be available for prematurely worn tires, provided they are the OEM tires. The wear pattern in the tire tread should tell the story about inflation and balance. Same for sidewall condition, insofar as impacts with curbs and such are concerned. If the dealer swapped out the original OEM Westlakes for used Goodyears, that is something that you may want to take up with the local consumer fraud detail in your county if the dealer doesn't want to make it right.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Geezerbill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2022 Location: Puyallup, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 37	Post Options Post Reply Quote Geezerbill Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2023 at 1:10pm
	Interesting. I have a 2022 Rpod 192 with about 800 miles on Goodyear Endurance and they are nearly 60% worn out. Very possible they were not new on the trailer when purchased.

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630	Post Options Post Reply Quote GlueGuy Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Jan 2023 at 11:01am
	This is part of my morning entertainment; dead animals and all.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Post Options Post Reply Quote offgrid Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 23 Jan 2023 at 4:18am
	Actually, LA and I have lots in common. Which, being old and opinionated, just makes us more argumentative about the things we disagree on. Such is human nature. I keep telling my wife about the equestrian dangers every time she goes riding. But then, she reminds me that I fly an experimental aircraft. So that puts a quick end to that discussion.. The problem I have with horses is that you have there a huge powerful animal that thinks everything it sees is trying to eat it. Makes them unpredictable. I really wish our riding animals had been bread up from dogs or some other omnivore that wasn't so fearful all the time. That would be safer I think. The original horse was dog sized after all.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold