I’m Tired of Tires

Over the last few weeks, my truck has developed a ridiculous vibration in the front end. My dad noticed one of the inner bands on my front tires was noticeably worn. He suggested a rotation and balance, so I took it in and had that done. The day after the rotation, I drove about 300 miles to a family reunion and back. While I was driving, I kept thinking the vibration was even worse. I decided to make an appointment to have the alignment checked. 


The shop I went to for the alignment checked things out and said I needed new tires. I was dumbfounded. These tires were brand new when I purchased the truck in Albuquerque in May. I had put less than 5,000 miles on them. 

Assuming I had a tire warranty with my truck purchase (silly me) I tried to make an appointment with the local Ford dealer. They were booking six weeks out. I was able to get an appointment within a few days at a Ford dealer in a nearby town.

That’s where I learned there was no warranty on my tires. When you purchase from a Ford dealer, everything is recorded in their database. There was no warranty information in the system or in my paperwork. Apparently, the dealer had put tires that weren’t legally new. Perhaps off another vehicle that had been upgraded. Brand new tires with no warranty. Boo!

I now have a brand new set of Michelin tires on my truck. I also have a three-year road hazard and defect warranty. My alignment was also checked and was within specifications. And just like that, the vibration is gone.

I had no intention of buying tires for the truck, but I do need new tires for the Airstream before I leave for my next trip. That’s a total of 9 new tires in a week. Ouch!

I have arranged to stop at the same Ford dealer who also had an RV division and have 5 new tires put on the trailer. They will also be packing the wheel bearings at the same time. Safety first!

I’ve been getting ready for our upcoming trip slowly but surely. There is so much to do. I’m sorting and repacking things, cleaning out and lightening the load in the trailer, organizing the gear in my truck bed, and making sure I have the proper fluids for this truck available and on hand should I need them.  

I wired in a 12-volt “cigarette lighter” style socket for those off-grid needs. It’s wired directly to the battery bank. 


I finally got my Rock Tamers installed on the truck. My brother helped me cut them to the correct length. Thanks Bruce! I’ve had them since last year. This trip I suspect I’ll be on a lot of gravel roads so these will help protect Bridget from those nasty rocks. 

Murphy has been taking his guard duties very seriously. The other day he discovered the truck had been infiltrated by an enemy chipmunk. After some investigation, my nephew Bob came down and check under the truck while I climbed up and looked in the engine compartment. Thanks Bob! The chipmunk fled. Murphy spent the rest of the day hunting for that chipmunk. 

I’ve been getting Murphy, and I ready to go as well. There have been vet visits for shots, teeth cleaning, and a checkup. There have been doctor, lab, and radiology visits for me. You’ll be happy to know we check out in excellent health. 

In just five days we leave Olympia, stop for tires, and then move to Portland four a couple of days. In Portland, we are going to drop off a sleigh full of Christmas and Birthday gifts and get my washer/dryer replaced with a different brand.  

That’s when the adventure begins!

0 thoughts on “I’m Tired of Tires”

  1. I guess I should have clarified that. I got my rotation and balance done at Discount Tire. They failed to notice my need for new tires, tried to send me away with only 35 psi in one tire instead of 75, telling me it will reset itself within 24 hours and tried to sell me a warranty on my bad tires.
    The reason I ended up staying with Ford is because I wasn't sure if I needed some front end warranty work, they price matched for me and I can't blame the shop out here for shoddy sales practices in another state. I did what I needed to do.

  2. I'm scratching my head as to why you would go back to a Ford dealership to buy more tires when they previously sold you "not legally new tires as new" AND refused to warranty them after only 5000 miles. Discount Tire gets all my tire money. They are very customer oriented.

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