Date:         Thu, 11 May 2000 18:00:57 -0700
Reply-To:     Doktor Tim <doktortim@ROCKISLAND.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Doktor Tim <doktortim@ROCKISLAND.COM>
Subject:      Re: tire info
In-Reply-To:  <001801bfbba7$04e65640$381e0a3f@default>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 08:14 PM 05/11/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>                  taught the others how to make tires, in  today's world.
>               Jeff/Florida

(Asside: what you see above is all that comes through when I hit reply.
Your strange and hard to read font must have something to do with it.)

All I can relate is my experience. I've never seen a Michelin with heavy
cracking in 3 years before this US made item. And I, like many others, have
seen 20 year old French Michelins finally getting iffy after phenominal
life and service, typically on light weight T-I's.

The rubber may come from the same place, but when it comes out of a French
process it is not the same as what comes out of an obviously lesser
(UniRoyal-one of the worst reputations in the business) US production.

I need to see more and better data before I will ever consider advising
anyone to install a US code Michelin.

Just like Mexico VW parts are not at all in any case remotely like the
German VW parts. Difference is, you don't have to pay German prices for
Made in Meheco.

In the particular case I mention, Michelin flat renigged on the warrenty as
well. Hadn't blown out, so no claim would be honored. That's another first
for Michelin in my experience. How do you take care of a 20% claim rate
when you built your reputation on a less than 1% replacement rate. You
don't, you waffle, if raw neo-capitalist policy has taken over.



T.P. Stephens
San Juan Island, WA