Placing blame
I was waiting in the showroom of a tire dealership—where I bought four Michelin tires—and saw the Oct. 22 issue of Tire Business, which had a story about a lawsuit against Michelin North America Inc. A jury awarded a Louisiana woman $32.4 million after a car accident in 2002 left her a paraplegic.
The article said the plaintiff's attorney argued in court that Michelin neglected to tell the tire dealership that installed two new tires on the driver's car that, when only two new tires are purchased, they should always go on the rear axle.
I got angry when I read that—they were just after the money. I knew they should have put on four new tires. I always do that because that's what a tire dealership told me years ago.
It seems someone is always trying to place blame and trying to get money.
Since 1971, I have owned numerous vehicles, including motor homes, and have used four new Michelin Roadhandler steel-belted tires on every one of them. I've never had a flat! I've even bought new cars and swapped the tires that came on them for new Michelin Roadhandlers (purchased from Sears).
Here I am a 74-year-old great-grandmother with a safe driver's license until 2012, praise God!
In 1982 we were involved in an accident in which my first husband, who was driving, overturned the car and was killed. Although we were ejected from the vehicle, my son and I survived. The four Michelins on the car didn't even blow out. The troopers told me the accident was likely caused because the tires were overinflated to almost 65 psi each (probably by the gas station we went to regularly).
You can tell my experience to Michelin's lawyers and give them my advice: Don't pay the plaintiffs a dime. It's their fault that they did not follow Michelin's specifications.
Sign me a very satisfied Michelin customer.
Geraldine Snyder
Orange Lake, Fla.
Editor's note: At the time Tire Business published the story, Michelin said it planned to appeal the verdict. The jury absolved both the retail dealership that installed the tires and the wholesaler that supplied them.
Not a 'super' ad
I'm a Bridgestone/Firestone-affiliated dealer, and I thought Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. would put a nifty ad on TV during the recent Super Bowl. Was I wrong.
The ad they ran was unidentifiable. The first rule of advertising is to show a picture of the tire you're trying to sell. It appeared to be an ad for Richard Simmons.
Somebody spent lots of money on it. I thought it was inefficient, and my wife said the ad had no class. I thought it stunk and everyone I talked to thought that too.
Jim Gruetzmacher
Owner
Big 8 Tyre Center
Marshalltown, Iowa
Too many changes
Hopefully someone out there has some answers to what I see happening to our industry.
Some companies are recommending putting nitrogen in tires when we have used air for years. The car makers are putting sensors in wheels because people are too lazy to check the tires on their vehicles. They're starting to use carbon wheel weights for balancing instead of lead. What are they going to make car batteries out of?
I believe we have some people who have never changed a tire making up all the rules. I think they are trying to put the little guy out of business.
I've been in the tire business for more than 47 years and I'm just tired of people getting run over. If they want us to close our doors, why don't they just come right out and tell us?
Tony Phelps
Owner
Tony's Tire Service
Indianapolis