Beware of scams involving altering the expiration dates on car tires.

Tires are an extremely important component, directly related not only to the vehicle's performance and safety but also its aesthetics. After prolonged use, tires will wear out and deteriorate, requiring periodic replacement every 50,000-60,000 km or no more than 7 years from the date of manufacture, whichever comes first.

Tires on the market today are usually embossed with the production date using 4 characters, where the first two numbers indicate the week and the last two numbers indicate the year of manufacture. For example, a tire marked 2118 means it was manufactured in the 21st week of 2018.

The typical tire date is embossed with four digits. (Image for illustration purposes only)

Typically, when replacing car tires, users tend to choose the newest models possible to increase their lifespan and ensure stable and safe performance.

However, there are many unscrupulous tire service establishments that, due to unsold tires accumulating, have resorted to altering the manufacturing year or importing these tires to replace customers' old ones in order to profit.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Thi, director of the Thi Lop chain of stores (Hanoi), the trick of "altering" the production year of tires is not uncommon these days. The purpose is to "re-establish" a tire, extending its lifespan and deceiving vehicle owners.

In fact, at his facilities, he has often discovered that the tires of customers who came for service had their expiration dates altered, leading to faster tire degradation and a higher risk of breakdowns and malfunctions than normal.

"A few weeks ago, while patching a customer's car tire, we discovered that the tire looked unusually old compared to the embossed production year on the sidewall, which was 3618 (week 36 of 2018). When the staff tried to pry it off, the number 8 peeled off, leaving a faint mark underneath, as if the numbers 2 or 3 had been scraped off. Thus, with this trick, the tire was 'magically' rejuvenated by 5-6 years," Mr. Thi recounted.

After prying it open, the number 8 on the tire sidewall came off; this number 8 also had a slightly different font compared to the others (Photo courtesy of the owner).

According to this expert, tires are made of a compound of rubber and organic materials that are prone to degradation over time, even without use. Even with careful storage, old tires will deteriorate after many years. Therefore, many tire manufacturers, businesses, and service providers have been erasing or re-labeling old tires to make them appear new.

According to the owner of the Thi Lốp chain of tire shops, tires for luxury cars priced over 1 billion VND are at a higher risk of having their expiration dates altered due to the larger number of tires in inventory. Tires for budget cars under 1 billion VND are less likely to have their expiration dates altered because of the large number of vehicles and faster turnaround times, resulting in less inventory. Therefore, the more expensive and luxurious the car, the more cautious one should be about this trick when getting new tires.

To avoid buying tires with altered dates, which can lead to poor quality and rapid deterioration, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thi advises car owners to check the condition of each tire and carefully examine the four-digit date before replacing a single tire or a set of tires. If the numbers are stamped or pasted over, they will not be sharp, the letters will not be clear, and they may even be easily peeled off by hand. If any abnormalities are detected, request a new tire immediately.

In addition, this expert also advises car owners to choose reputable establishments for tire replacement and to have their tires regularly maintained to avoid unnecessary tire damage along the road.