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i was wondering if in the event of something like that would the dealer contact all new swift owners?

i think this post should be one of them special top post ones!

Our van is only a little over one year old.  It doesn't have Matador tyres, but i will be checking them in any case.  Lots of rubber companies source their raw materials from common outlets.  If the problem concerns a batch of pre-mixed rubber compounds, and it was a large batch which was split up and supplied to several tyre makers, then Matador tyres are not the only ones which could be affected.

Bertie.

Not been on here for a while...

reason I logged on was for advice on trailer tyres over winter... seems a good fit with this article.

Last year we kept the trailer down the side of the house, on it's "bottom" with no weight on the tyres.  This year we've left it (packed) in the garage.  What's the best way to keep the tyres from flatting ?

Should I move the trailer e.g. every week, overinflate the tyres, or what ?  From posts above, UV should be drastically reduced.

Or, would a set of "winter storage wheels" be a better idea ?

We tend to leave our caravan on its wheels in the storage yard over the winter and as yet not had a problem with the tyres, if you are worried about it though why not use a couple of bricks to lift the wheels off the ground, placed under the main chassis of the trailer they should support the weight ok, or use axle stands if your trailer has an axle.

Sorry, but you all seem to be missing the point that romany has raised.  The issue is not how you look after your tyres; it is about the existence of a manufacturing fault in the tyres themselves.  As I said in my previous post, rubber product manufacturers frequently buy pre-mixed compounds, and if Matador and other tyre manufacturers have obtained the same compound mix from the same source, then Matador tyres may not be the only brand to have the fault.

Bertie.

Hi Bertie, I realise that but gilesme, raised another issue which I have replied to.

Hopefully all the manufacturers who used the bad batch of compound will issue notices to have them recalled, after all it is their product that is the only one keeping the caravans in contact with the road surface and if that fails we are all going to looking at trouble on the roads.

I would hope so, Papa Pip, if that scenario does in fact apply.  I only indicated that it was a possibility, thus suggesting that we all check our tyres, regardless of make, if we feel that they fit into the time period applicable to the Matador problem.

The company that I worked for, prior to retirement, is a producer of metal-to-rubber bonded products, many of them used in safety-critical applications.  Many ingredients for the rubber compounds were received in plastic packaging.  These went into the mill as received; the theory being that the plastic would be so dispersed throughout the rubber as to be inconsequential.

Assuming tyre manufacturers employ similar practices, my thoughts go along the lines that something unusual may have occurred at the rubber milling stage.  But, as tyres are "built" in layers prior to going into the moulding process, and use other materials with the rubber (e.g. rayon), the inclusion of any incompatible substance (contamination) could contribute to the fault.  And all the materials used in tyres are available to all tyre manufacturers from common sources.

So,regular tyre inspection (car and van) is advisable.  Not primarily because there may be a production fault, but also because these are the most abused components on car and van.  Not because we ourselves abuse them, but because they (the tyres) have to withstand all the thumps and abrasions inflicted on them by rough and broken road surfaces.  Dismal reading, what!

Bertie.

Send them an email and ask which batches are affected.

Jan Marecek - Managing Director
jan.marecek at matadoruk.co.uk 

Quote: Originally posted by raymcm on 13/10/2007

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Send them an email and ask which batches are affected.

Jan Marecek - Managing Director
jan.marecek at matadoruk.co.uk 

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If you have Matador tyres, and feel you have good reason to be concerned, this is probably a good idea.    But ask if it was an in-house problem, or if it concerned materials already faulty when bought in.  This would help to deduce whether there may be other makes of tyre affected, although any such faulty batch could all have gone to Matador.

Then, in-house problems could be due to addition of incorrect compounds/ratio of compounds,  insufficient milling to disperse all components of the compounds evenly (could cause e.g. lamination at the vulcanising stage).  Also, the problem could be incorrect time/temperatures during the vulcanising process.

Providing that they can recover all the suspect tyres, and no accidents have apparently resulted, Matador would probably decline to divulge information that related to their technology and processes.

Bertie.