SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside

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Tue 19 Jan 2016 15:40
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Nutkey

Car is a 2013 Mk2 Alhambra (7N). Just put two new tyres on the rear, swapped the old rear tyres to the front - but discovered the inner edge is excessively worn, 2-3mm on both tyres. So one tyre has been on for about 20K and is barely legal, the other has only been on for 10-11K and is on the way out.

I don't straddle speedbumps.

My mechanic reckoned I needed a four wheel align, and phoned up to see if someone could be do it, only to be told there's no rear adjustment on the Alhambra. So that leaves me a bit stuck, and at £130/tyre, I don't really want to be trashing the pair I just put on.

Any ideas?

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Tue 19 Jan 2016 15:52
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Peter D

Yes but a decent alignment place will tell you if there is an alignment issue that it causing the problem. Toe out must make the car a bit unstable on a motorway. Regards Peter

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Tue 19 Jan 2016 17:55
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Cyd

find somewhere off alignmycar.co.uk. They'll have proper Hunter rigs which cost upwards of 35,000 not toy ones.

many cars do have rear alignment adjustment, so double check you haven't been advised incorrectly.

If there is no adjustment then as mentioned above a four wheel align will tell you if there is a rear alignment problem and a good operator may be able to help you pinpoint the problem (suspect worn bushes?)

I know a great place in south Leicester (Wigston) if that's in your locale?

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Tue 19 Jan 2016 19:48
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - bathtub tom

OP doesn't state age and mileage. As Cyd says, could be a worn bush issue.

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Tue 19 Jan 2016 20:39
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Nutkey

It's 2013 as stated - and only 20K done.

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Wed 20 Jan 2016 00:13
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - bathtub tom

It's 2013 as stated - and only 20K done.

Sorry, missed that!

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Wed 20 Jan 2016 00:20
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Peter.N.

The wheels must either be towing put or the camber angle is wrong - wheels leaning in at the top, it will either be caused by damage to the suspension or worn bushes as mentioned.

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Wed 20 Jan 2016 13:54
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Cyd

So, just to be clear, this is a less-than 3 year old vehicle with a total of only 20k on the clock and so the tyres you've just removed are the OE factory fit items?

Surely it's under warranty. At the very least the supplying dealer should be looking into the problem for you. At 20k I'd say worn bushes are unlikely on both sides and whatever it is it's probably been like it from new.

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Wed 20 Jan 2016 14:21
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - skidpan

Car manufacturers only garantee wheel alignment for a few weeks, look at any warranty T & C's. Its easy to knock the alignment out and no manufacturer is going to accept responsibility for missuse.

Car manufacturers do not cover tyres. If its suspected they have a fault that caused the premature wear they should be sent back to the manufacturer for checking and testing. Had 4 Michelins on my BMW that were deemed to be faulty, had them replaced and ATS sent the old ones back. Received a cheque for £197 a few weeks later, not bad for tyres that had been on for 3 years. New ones did not cost much more. Michein provide cover for 6 years from the manufacture date on the sidewall.

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Thu 28 Jan 2016 14:46
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Nutkey

Thanks for all the replies. I've now had the car aligned (on a Hunter rig at Gladwins in Cambridge, cost £65+VAT).

Results were: (Camber/Toe)

NSF: -33" camber 4" toe corrected to -37" camber, 7" toe

OSF: -1'4" camber 10" toe corrected to -58" camber, 7" toe and a warning about a possible inside edge wear due to worn strut - he was only just able to get it within tolerance).

NSR: -2'22" camber, -45" toe corrected to -1'35" camber 7" toe

OSR: -1'53" camber, 2" toe corrected to -1'37" camber, 5" toe

AIBU to expect that that suspension parts should last longer than 20K miles?? I slow down for speed bumps.... though I did buy the car at 7K, not had it from new.

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Thu 28 Jan 2016 14:57
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - RobJP

I the car has been in a knock - even a small one - it could be enough to dent or damage the strut enough that wear then happens very quickly.

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Thu 28 Jan 2016 17:06
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - RT

I the car has been in a knock - even a small one - it could be enough to dent or damage the strut enough that wear then happens very quickly.

That NSR needed significant adjustment - the fact that all were out of tolerance indicates that all wasn't well.

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Thu 28 Jan 2016 17:14
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Nutkey

I the car has been in a knock - even a small one - it could be enough to dent or damage the strut enough that wear then happens very quickly.

That NSR needed significant adjustment - the fact that all were out of tolerance indicates that all wasn't well.

NSR is the one tyre that has been replaced (by me) after a puncture against a rock, so the fact that that wheel was worst doesn't surprise me.

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Fri 29 Jan 2016 12:35
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - RobJP

So, previously there was a hard enough impact against a rock that a tyre got wrecked, and had to be changed ?

A little detail which was missing from the original post.

I'm not surprised that the suspension was way out, and components appear to be worn. Something has been damaged/dented in that impact.

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Fri 29 Jan 2016 22:11
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - Nutkey

So, previously there was a hard enough impact against a rock that a tyre got wrecked, and had to be changed ?

A little detail which was missing from the original post.

Guilty as charged. I didn't understand that a knock on one corner could affect the tyres on the other side.

I'm not surprised that the suspension was way out, and components appear to be worn. Something has been damaged/dented in that impact.

Still don't see how a knock on NSR affects the suspension strut on the OSF though...

Also, how "way out" was the suspension? I have no other experience to relate it to. Do cars going in for an align normally need just a tweak or two?

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Fri 29 Jan 2016 22:56
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - bathtub tom
Still don't see how a knock on NSR affects the suspension strut on the OSF though...

>>NSR: -2'22" camber, -45" toe corrected to -1'35" camber 7" toe

Because if you turn the steering wheel it doesn't just move one front wheel.

If one rear wheel's out of line it'll put force through the one on the other side.

Your car must have been crabbing down the road and you didn't notice?

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Sat 30 Jan 2016 08:11
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - RT
Also, how "way out" was the suspension? I have no other experience to relate it to. Do cars going in for an align normally need just a tweak or two?

I've had uneven wear issues on two 4wd SUVs - corrected by full Hunter alignment but in both cases, only two of the twelve potential adjustment points needed adjustment with the others in the optimum alignment sector - this cured the uneven wear issue and subsequent rechecks were all in their optimum sectors with no adjustments needed. In my case, it may have been poor alignment after being strapped down for shipment from the Far East or a knock as both SUVs were used for light off-roading.

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Wed 15 Jan 2020 08:59
SEAT Alhambra - Rear tyres worn on inside - louisp
Hi all and thanks for this thread. My seat Alhambra 2001 135000 miles failed it's MOT on a tyre work through to cloth on the inside edge in near side rear. The hunter alignment places nearby were all owned by crash repair centres so asking local garages they ask recommended a local place near lancaster who replaced their alignment rig 6 months ago with a super tracker rig.

NSF +1.9 to +0.6 & -0.89* to -0.80*, NSR -0.60 to +0.60 & -1.59* to -1.61*, OSF +0.90 to +0.70 & -1.02* to -1.06*, OSR -2.40 to +0.70 & -1.84* to -1.61*.

New tyre on so hopefully all will be well from now on.
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