Just bought a 2008 Subaru Legacy 48k Miles 2 weeks ago. 3 Yokohama Tires, One Bridge stone tire? 0.o'

[Grown Simba]

Now I looked over the car with my mother and we test drove Nala (Her name, yes yes i Know. Childish, but Lion King will always be a part of my life lmao) and she ran great. She had a loose heat shield, which caused a slight racking noise, but the dealer fixed it right away before selling it to us (Sales person was really nice and very straight forward. Dealer had a really high rating with BBB, and my neighbor just bought a brand new Audi from the same dealer). I had a mechanic I trust look over the car and he said everything looked good to him. Tires, engine bay...etc. Now...Would you find it to be odd that a used 2008 Subaru legacy sold by an Audi dealership, has 3 Yokohama tires and one Bridge stone tire (Front right). And not even a full week later, the tire pressure monitor light goes on? I mean my mechanic and I both looked over the tires, and saw that the tires had plenty of tread, almost like brand new tires. Can't believe we didn't see that the tires had different brands. Now the sales person said that the car was previously owned by a girl who went to MIT, and that she took really good care of it. Clean Car fax, no visible wear, no quirks with the car, literally felt brand new. She took the train to school and left the car at home, so that's why this 08 has lower miles than an average car would, so maybe she caught a flat and then replaced it? The only thing that is getting me is the two different sets of tires 0.o' and the Tire monitor light are on a car I Bought less than two weeks ago. I was thinking of Calling the dealer and bringing it back to have them look at it. I'd rather tell me I have a flat or something after looking at it, instead of me assuming. But to my recollection I haven't run over anything that would cause a flat, or cause the tire to start losing air. But in this life, freak things happen. So what do you guys think? 

[BB's93LegacyL]

It seems odd to me that a reputable dealer would sell a nice newer car like this with mis-matched tires. Check pressures in all of the tires. Have the tread depth checked on the 3 Yokohamas. If the Yokohamas are near new, get rid of the Bridgestone and buy a Yokohama of the same model, and you should be OK with regard to matching circumference. You could have a new Yokohama shaved down to mach the other three if needed.

Check the fine print on the warranty where you bought the car. They should not have sold a car with a leaking tire, regardless of the warranty.

Of course it is possible that in the week you owned the car you did drive over something that punctured a tire causing a slow leak, and the dealer is under no obligation to help you. However, if the leak is in the Bridgestone, I would hold the dealer's feet to the fire. 

The dealer probably wants to have satisfied customers. They eventually depend on that for their survival, so go to them with your concerns, and take your mechanic with you. See what the dealer says, and let us know.

[AdventureSubaru]

If they are the same size tire and not different diameter you are good to go. Previous owner may have had an unrepairable flat such as a sidewall tear.

 

Check your tire pressures and bring them up to standard. VERY common in areas with cold weather for tire pressure monitors to read low when the temperatures start cooling off. Had this happen in plenty of cars with topping off the air always being the solution.

[1 Lucky Texan]

wow - you have some dealers and mechanics that need an education.

 

The tires REALLY need to be the same brand/model/size and within 3/32" or so of wear from each other to keep the AWD system happy.

 

Yes, you can put odd sized tires on opposite corners or on one side and maybe get away with mixing , but yoy could have odd handling characteristics.

 

Taking care of your tires is the price you pay for one of the best AWD systems available.

 

Some people have found partially worn tires on ebay to match 3 worn tires.

Edited September 17, 2014 by 1 Lucky Texan

[mikec03]

The fact that you drove it for a week leaves the stealership off the hook.  Sorry but you should understand that "as is" means almost no comebacks.

 

I would put on four of the same mgf tires on the car immediately.   Yes, I know, it's $450, but they last 40K + and it's cheap insurance.  Subarus don't like different tire diameters, even small differences.  It destroys the four wheel drive clutch.

 

When I bought a 95 for my son last year, I immediately put new tires so I follow my own advice.

[Grown Simba]

Well guys I figured that all the tires even though I have two different brands, that I'm doing well. I'm running 3 Yokohama's  P205/50/R17 88V. And the one Bridge stone is the same only the weight Capacity is "93". The problem my mechanic found that the sealant was wearing down due to corrosion. I mean it looked like snow white, mixed in with a little blue, but I hear this is due to driving over time and that stuff gets into your tires and it's normal. So my mechanic took off the wheel, cleaned out the inside of the tire, cleaned out the sensor, and also cleaned out the rim (He did this to the right rear tire, which the tire pressure had run all the way down to 14 PSI, when I checked it myself this morning 0.o' ) He then checked the tire pressure on the other tires and they were fine. So long story short, tire pressure light came on, checked the tire pressure, tire was all the way down to 14 PSI 0.o', Came to the Ultimate Subaru forum to get some great advice and reassurance, then brought my baby to the mechanic and he fixed her right up. The dreadful light has disappeared from my life for hopefully a long time.

 

Thanks a lot for keeping this newbie calm and letting me know that I'm not having some catastrophic failure guys. Great to know that I joined a great family dedicated to loving their cars and maintaining them well as well as helping others gain knowledge about them.

[1 Lucky Texan]

Well guys I figured that all the tires even though I have two different brands, that I'm doing well. I'm running 3 Yokohama's  P205/50/R17 88V. And the one Bridge stone is the same only the weight Capacity is "93". The problem my mechanic found that the sealant was wearing down due to corrosion. I mean it looked like snow white, mixed in with a little blue, but I hear this is due to driving over time and that stuff gets into your tires and it's normal. So my mechanic took off the wheel, cleaned out the inside of the tire, cleaned out the sensor, and also cleaned out the rim (He did this to the right rear tire, which the tire pressure had run all the way down to 14 PSI, when I checked it myself this morning 0.o' ) He then checked the tire pressure on the other tires and they were fine. So long story short, tire pressure light came on, checked the tire pressure, tire was all the way down to 14 PSI 0.o', Came to the Ultimate Subaru forum to get some great advice and reassurance, then brought my baby to the mechanic and he fixed her right up. The dreadful light has disappeared from my life for hopefully a long time.

 

Thanks a lot for keeping this newbie calm and letting me know that I'm not having some catastrophic failure guys. Great to know that I joined a great family dedicated to loving their cars and maintaining them well as well as helping others gain knowledge about them.

It may have the same size listed on it, but that does not mean it is necessarily OK to use. Subaru claims AWD damage can occur if the 'rolling circumference' is more that 1/4" difference. Some people say, lifting the car and using a measuring tape around the tires can can determine if the tires are actually within the 1/4" dimension. Unless your mechanic did that, you do not know that the tires are OK.

[Olnick]

What Tex said!  What your mechanic did is all well and good.  But it doesn't prove anything.  You need to measure the circumferences of all 4 tires.

[Grown Simba]

It may have the same size listed on it, but that does not mean it is necessarily OK to use. Subaru claims AWD damage can occur if the 'rolling circumference' is more that 1/4" difference. Some people say, lifting the car and using a measuring tape around the tires can can determine if the tires are actually within the 1/4" dimension. Unless your mechanic did that, you do not know that the tires are OK.

Good point. Alright, I'll go give all the tires a check and come back and let everyone know. Thanks for the Info 

[bratman2]

If the circumference is within 1/4" and the wear rating on the tire is the same you should have no problems. Buy you a good air pressure gauge and a decent 12v portable air pump and stay on top of pressure in your tires. This also gives you a chance to watch tire wear. Ideally you would want 4 tires of the same wear, manufacture and size.  

[Fairtax4me]

You'll see that TPMS light a LOT during season changes. When outside temperatures are changing from high summer temps to moderate and low temps (and vice versa) the air pressure in the tires changes drastically.

 

The best thing you can do is check tire pressures at least once a week in the morning while the car and tires are cold. Keep your pressures 2-3 Psi above the recommended pressure on the door sticker to help keep pressures between checks and avoid having the TPMS light turn on.