Deco warns that buying used tyres is more expensive, certainly more dangerous and ends up costing the driver more in the long run.
The consumer protection association analysed 89 used tyres and concluded that most had serious flaws.
The purchase of used tyres is not at all recommended by Deco and in a statement released today, the association said the results of its tyre test showed 50 of the 89 were unsafe to use.
Deco will now ask the dreaded ASAE, the country’s health and safety authority, to look at the problem that is rendering thousands of Portugal less well off car owners in danger of their lives.
Of the 89 tires tested, 17 were over ten years old and one venerable set was 19-years-old. Poorly repaired punctures, bulges and tyres with the wire showing through were spotted by Deco’s team.
The association also found that in the long term it costs more to run on re-treads and second hand tyres as they need replacing more often despite an up front saving of around €130 for a set.
Assuming a tyre is in good shape, for the purchase to make financial sense there must be at least 4.5 mm of tread left - new tyres have around 8 mm. Of the eighty-nine purchased from a variety of stores, only eleven would have made financial sense for consumers.
Deco says "these results show that the purchase of used tyres is a risk, given the lack of regulation."
The consumers’ champion has reported its results to ASAE and demands that regulations are created for the second hand tyre business with the re-seller responsible for the safety of his products.
"Minimum security standards should be established for tyre dealers for all products that they sell," demands Deco.
Comments
Is liveaboard suggesting that tyres at ten years and older, which on some cars may be the originals, should somehow be made illegal?
While most tyre problems are visible to the [semi] trained eye, when more than 10 years old they can appear perfect, but in reality be life threateningly dangerous.
An old tyre can delaminate after some time at normal highway speed, and literally come apart.
A good friend of mine nearly became a statistic that way. It's a well known danger.
Don't reject what they say just because they're Portuguese
If people were not driven by shocking economic circumstances to buy inferior products, the world would be a safer place. If their economic lot were improved, all of these people would be buying top of the range Pirellis.
DECO is almost totally financed by its members - €3 million last year, also by sales of products such as insurance - €230k.
There is a mysterious line in its accounts named 'Operating subsidies and projects' €240k which may be paid for research but it is unlikely.
Deco was a child of the 1974 Revolution and has a proud history of sticking to its founding principles. I think its findings can be taken as safe and not tainted by big business or government.
Certainly inadequate tyres need highlighting but the authorities must know who imports them or remoulds them. So why do we now read of the need to create "regulations .... for the second hand tyre business with the re-seller responsible for the safety of his products."
Surely tyre re-moulders have always 'supposedly' been responsible ?
If only these backward countries understood and universally applied the notion of Duty of Care - we could all move forward together !!!