Dealers response to complaint re: Conti Ecoplus tires

[Zig in East Orleans]

3 days after buying my Vibe, it snowed 3 inches and quickly realized that the 'all seasons' were really only 3 seasons tires. 2 weeks later, more snow, black ice, almost lost the car several times in a deep ditch. The following is the dealers first reply to my complaint:Mr. Garand,Thank you for taking the time to notify me regarding concerns with your vibe. The tires on your new vibe are Continental 205/55/R16 which are an all season tire. These tires meet General Motors standards and are adapted to your vehicle.Furthermore If you would like to purchase winter tires in the fall I would be glad to give you an estimate on any name brand tire. If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me.Sincerly,Marc SéguinService Manager Marcel Belanger Pontiac Buick GMC Inc.613-824-8555 ext. 247Guess i'll have to find out who the DSM is and go that route now ???

[Zig in East Orleans]

True, i keep forgetting about the premie wear. My main concern is, i'm leasing. I certainly do plan on getting winter tires anyway, esp with a new baby coming in August!thanks for the info.

[Mavrik]

Well even with a lease, warranty is warranty and should be honored. Just keep up the regular tire maintanence, rotations and documentations and you should be good. Depending on the driving, you may see some wear before this coming winter.

[kenton]

I agree these are the worst tires I have ever had in the snow and ice. They were totally useless in deep snow and we get 6 months of it here (Saskatchewan) We only have 30,000km on the car and these tires are almost done. We purchased a set of Nokian Q winter tires, they cost almost $1000 but they were worth it. Other than that our '03 Vibe is the best vehicle I've ever owned just wish I could have ordered it in orange but it was'nt available in '03 so we have salsa instead.

[cohocarl]

Quote, originally posted by kenton »I agree these are the worst tires I have ever had in the snow and ice. I've been driving for 28 years now, and these are the worst tires I've ever driven on period. I'm not a tire expert, but they gave me a feeling the sidewalls are paper thin, and not firm enough to give the car any stability. I found them to be very difficult to know which direction it was going to steer to next, and it was difficult to keep the car going straight without constantly correcting it.I just had new tires installed a couple days ago. I put on the cheapest 225/50/16's I could find (Visa's off of Discount tire direct) on some aftermarket 16 x 7" wheels I have. For being a very cheap tire, it makes the Vibe drive like a totally different vehicle. It doesn't wander around like it did with the Conti's. The new tires make for much more relaxed driving. I wish I had replaced them long ago.