2000 Audi S4

I DON'T KNOW THE DOT #'S ON THE TIRES. FIRST TIRE I PAID FOR MYSELF. DUE TO MANY COMPLAINTS ON AUDIWORLD.COM FORUMS, I PURCHASED ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY FOR ALL TIRES. SECOND TIRE WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY, BUT THERE WAS A NATIONAL SHARTAGE OF RE040'S AT THIS TIME. I THEN OBTAINED A USED REPLACEMENT FROM ANOTHER S4 OWNER THAT ALREADY SWITCHED TO ANOTHER TIRE. I'M MOVING SOON, SO PHONE# AND ADDRESS WILL CHANGE. THE PHONE# AND ADDRESS ARE MY PARENTS. MY PARENTS SHOULD GIVE YOU MY NEW PHONE# IF NEEDED. MAIL SENT TO MY PARENTS SHOULD ALSO GET TO ME WITHOUT PROBLEM. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 245/45 R17 )

THIS IS THE THIRD TIRE FAILURE SINCE I RECEIVED MY S4. A FELLOW MOTORIST NOTICED A LARGE BUBBLE IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. THIS TIRE IS A REPLACEMENT TIRE THAT WAS INSTALLED AFTER THE ORIGINAL FAILED. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY SOME PROBLEM OR DEFECT WITH THESE TIRES. I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH OTHER S4 OWNERS AND MANY OF THEM COMPLAIN ABOUT THESE SIDEWALL BULGES. THE FACT THAT BRIDGESTONE DENIES ANY PROBLEM AND WILL NOT REPLACE THE TIRES FREE OF CHARGE IS RIDICULOUS. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR WITH THESE TIRES. PRESSURE NEEDS TO BE PUT ON AUDI AND BRIDGESTONE TO EITHER REIMBURSE US FOR THE TIRES AND REPLACE THEM FREE OF CHARGE, OR TO SUPPLY US WITH A NEW IMPROVED OR DIFFERENT TIRE. THESE TIRES SHOULD BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE THEY ARE UNRELIABLE AND UNSAFE. A BLOWOUT IN THE SIDEWALL OF A TIRE AT HIGHWAY SPEED CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AFTER WHICH A SERIOUS LAWSUIT WOULD FOLLOW. *AK( DOT NUMBER: EJH8CFE279 TIRE SIZE: P225/45R17 )

THIS IS THE SECOND TIRE FAILURE IN LESS THAN 4000 MILES. ONCE AGAIN WHILE WASHING MY CAR, I DISCOVERED A BULGE IN THE SIDEWALL. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO OCCUR APPROXIMATELY EVERY 1900 MILES. I CONTACTED BRIDGESTONE AND THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT SINCE THESE TIRES HAVE A LOW PROFILE SIDEWALL, THEY ARE PRONE TO DAMAGE FROM DRIVING ON "ROUGH" ROADS. I TOLD HIM THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY WHERE THE ROADS MAY BE "ROUGH" BUT THAT LOW PROFILE TIRES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ENGINEERED WITH A STRONGER SIDEWALL TO ABSORB ANY "ROUGHNESS" IN THE ROAD. THIS IS WHY THEY COST SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN TIRES WITH A LARGER SIDEWALL. AS AN ENGINEER, I KNOW THAT THE SIDEWALL SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED ON A LOW PROFILE TIRE TO PREVENT DAMAGE AND REDUCE THE RISK OF A FAILURE OR AN ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE THAT THESE TIRES ARE UNSAFE UNLESS THEY ARE USED ONLY ON PERFECTLY SMOOTH ROADS. I STILL HAD TO PAY $125, HALF PRICE FOR A NEW TIRE, AND I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWERS I RECEIVED AT ALL. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE QUALITY OF THESE TIRES AS WELL AS CONCERENED FOR MY SAFETY WHILE DRIVING WITH THESE TIRES. IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT NORMAL EVERYDAY DRIVING WOULD CAUSE TWO IDENTICAL TIRE FAILURES IN LESS THAN 4000 MILES ON A BRAND NEW CAR. THE MANUFACTURER INSISTS THAT THERE IS NO DEFECT AND THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES. HOW CAN THIS BE? MY FAMILY AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON THE SAME ROADS FOR YEARS WITH VARIOUS DIFFERENT CARS EQUIPPED WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF TIRES AND HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED TIRE PROBLEMS BEFORE. ONE MORE POINT OF INTEREST IS THAT ON THE BRIDGESTONE WEBSITE, THE POTENZA RE-040 TIRES ARE NOT EVEN LISTED IN THE CATALOG. THIS SEEMS STRANGE TO ME. PERHAPS THERE IS A PROBLEM OR A RECALL AND THE MANUFACTURER JUST DOES NOT WANT TO STAY. I WILL BE KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED AND WILL REGULARLY CHECK THE CONDITION OF THESE TIRES, THOUGH IT MAY BE IN MY BEST INTEREST TO CHANGE ALL THE TIRES TO ANOTHER BRAND ALTOGETHER. *AK

AFTER WASHING MY CAR AND DETAILING THE TIRES (THERE WERE NO ABNORMALITIES AT THIS TIME), I MADE A TRIP ON THE HIGHWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES. WHEN I REACHED MY DESTINATION, I NOTICED A GOLF BALL-SIZED BULGE IN THE SIDEWALL OF MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE. UPON INSPECTION, IT APPEARED TO BE A DEFECT OF SOME SORT SINCE THERE WERE NO MARKS ON THE TIRE AND I HAD NOT HIT ANY SIGNIFICANT POT HOLES ON MY TRIP. I REPLACED THE RIM AND TIRE WITH THE SPARE. THE NEXT DAY, I WENT TO THE AUDI DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY DO NOT COVER WARRANTIES OR SERVICE ON TIRES. THEY DIRECTED ME TO THE BRIDGESTONE DEALER (KING BEAR, 3907 4TH AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, (718)836-6501). THE TIRE DEALER SAID THAT I HAD "IMPACT DAMAGE. YOU MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING." I INFORMED THE DEALER THAT I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO BUY A NEW TIRE. I TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS RIDICULOUS THAT A $250 TIRE ON A $42,000+ NEW CAR WOULD FAIL AT LESS THAN 2000 MILES. HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. UPON FURTHER ARGUING, HE CALLED BRIDGESTONE AND THEY AGREED TO LET ME PAY HALF THE PRICE OF THE TIRE. I RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO PAY. THEY HAD TO ORDER THE TIRE AND I AM NOW WAITING FOR IT TO COME IN. I AM VERY DISTURBED THAT A BRAND NEW $250 TIRE WOULD FAIL FROM NORMAL DRIVING AT LESS THAN 2000 MILES. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THESE TIRES. DOES THIS MEAN THAT I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE TIRES ON A REGULAR BASIS? I WISH TO LET YOU AND OTHER S4 OWNERS KNOW THAT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES, THOUGH THE DEALER SAID THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/45R17 )