Tyre damage and abnormal tyre wear
Damage poses a risk to both your safety and the safety of other road users. It is therefore important to deal with it quickly. If you come across any of these types of damage on your tyres, get in contact with your Volkswagen Retailer as soon as you can. Even if the wear on your car tyre appears irregularly across the entire running surface, you should pay attention to it. If you are unsure, please consult your Volkswagen Retailer.
How do abrasion points occur and what are the possible consequences?
Characteristics:
Abrasion points on the sidewall of the tyre.
Possible causes:
Driving into a kerb, for example, which may also damage the carcass.
Consequences:
The carcass may break or moisture may get into the vehicle interior, leading to corrosion of the metal mesh, which causes the entire tyre to become unstable.
Damages to the carcass are not immediately visible from the outside, making them particularly dangerous.
Tip: Are your rims showing clear marks of a collision? Then the tyre may also be affected. Your Volkswagen Retailer also offers a way to treat smaller scratches or damage to your rims – so you don’t have to purchase new rims and are doing your bit for the environment at the same time. Visual touch-ups save valuable resources.
Cracks, ruptures and porous areas
How can this kind of damage occur?
Characteristics:
Signs of ageing, such as cracks, ruptures or porous areas.
Possible causes:
Damage caused by incorrect storage, e.g. due to the UV impact of sunlight or aggressive cleaning agents and high water pressure during cleaning.
Tip: Use the Wheel and Tyre Storage Service – professional storage for your tyres, more space for you. Further information is available from your Volkswagen Retailer.
What are the possible consequences of a foreign object in a tyre?
Characteristics:
Embedded fragments, nails or sharp stones in the contact surface area.
Consequences:
Often a dangerous, gradual loss of pressure. Moisture can reach the tyre interior and lead to rusting of the steel cord belt, which may cause the tread or belt to detach.
How can I recognise sawtooth wear and what are the consequences?
Characteristics:
Irregular wear on the tyre shoulder in the form of sawtooth, increasingly louder noise at the tyre/road interface.
Possible causes:
Defective shock absorbers, misaligned axle geometry, racing-style driving or overly cautious driving style.
Consequences:
Tyre becomes unusable more quickly, more frequent tyre changes and associated costs.
Wear primarily on the shoulder of the tyre
What are the possible causes and consequences?
Characteristics:
Considerably less worn tread in the centre of the contact surface than at the two shoulders.
Possible causes:
The air pressure is too low due to the tyre shoulder area mainly coming into contact with the ground (in case of even wear). Or consistently rapid cornering with too low pressure (in case of severe wear at the outer shoulder).
Consequences:
Tyre becomes unusable more quickly. In extreme cases, the tyre could suddenly fail or the carcass may be damaged. Even if the tyre is used with the right pressure again, the carcass damage remains.
Wear primarily in the centre of the contact surface
What are the possible causes and consequences?
Characteristics:
Consistently even wear in the centre of the contact surface.
Possible causes:
Exceeding the permitted maximum speed of the tyre or too much pressure – as a result, it is primarily the protruding centre of the tyre that comes into contact with the road.
Consequences:
More frequent tyre changes and associated costs.
Brake plates or base plates
How can this type of damage occur?
Characteristics:
Wear spread across the entire circumference of the tyre or at specific points.
Possible causes:
Hard or full braking on a blocked tyre (brake plate), usually only occurs in vehicles without ABS, or long periods of tyre or vehicle inactivity in combination with too low an air pressure (base plate).
Severe wear on only one tyre shoulder
How can this damage occur?
Characteristics:
Severe wear on the tyre shoulder (one or all tyres may be affected).
Possible causes:
Incorrectly adjusted or worn running gear, overloading or unauthorised wheel/tyre combination.
