During the 83rd annual NTDA dinner, chairman Stephen Callow spoke out against part worn tyres, the impact EU tyre labeling will have on the industry and thoughts on the MOT proposal being scrapped.

Callow focused on three main areas during his speech at the Hilton Hotel, Deansgate with his primary focus being on part worn tyre sales and the fact it was “frightening and unacceptable”. Despite part worn tyre legislation being clear and concise  the key problem is that many retailers are simply ignoring regulations when it comes to selling part worn tyres which leaves the consumer in the dark. More and more surveys are taking part across the UK, with Trading Standards leading the pack, these surveys are uncovering alarming results Callow reported, with over 90% of part worns that were surveyed, being illegal.  Callow said that “we must bang the drum”, and encourage the media to help share the story of part worn tyres in the industry in order to warn motorists of the potential dangers. He went on to say, “The NTDA logo is our badge and it represents that, we as members go to great lengths to maintain standards and to be accountable for our actions, but all too often backstreet lock-up part worn tyre dealers are not [up to this standard].”

He continued that part worn tyre sales is the key issue that needs to be tackled not only by the NTDA but also tyre related organisations within the industry to ensure that the problem does not elevate further.

Callow went on to focus on the issue of EU tyre labeling, noting that despite it being considered as an inconvenience by some, it may in fact have a “silver lining”, noting that; “I am sure that this legislation will give us the opportunity of point of sale dialogue. I believe that, with the right information, the motorist will make the correct choice when purchasing their tyres resulting in a win-win scenario for us and the customer.”

Callow closed of saying that he was glad that the “ridiculous” MOT frequency change proposal that NTDA joined other industry bodies in lobbying against at last year’s dinner, has been scrapped:

“Even the most responsible motorists rely on the MOT for the safety standards of their vehicles, not fully appreciating that the MOT is “only at time of test” and does not guarantee the vehicles road worthiness for 12 months. We are engaged in a major review of the overall test and will ensure that the concerns of our members are put to the proper authorities.”

You can visit the NTDA website for more news here. 

Today’s Hot Topic from TyreQuote.com is ‘Tyre Labelling’.

Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it?! Well to us, it could be. Let me explain…

In November 2012 another bit of European red tape will hit our shores and this time the impact will be on tyre retailers. The lovely people in Brussels have decided that all tyres should come with a label that allows consumers to easily compare 3 criteria – Fuel Efficiency, Wet Grip and Exterior Noise.

The labels will look much like the sort of thing you see on fridge freezers with coloured bands that range from a greeen ‘A’ to a rosy red ‘G’ with A being the best and G being the worst. We assume that low noise is good and higher noise is bad – contrary to what many motor enthusiasts believe to be true of their exhaust or engine notes!

So far there’s not much noise from the major tyre retailers about the forthcoming tyre labels, it will certainly cost them to ensure that all the right labels are displayed in the right places but in our view the concept is a good thing. At TyreQuote we already grade almost all of our tyres for Dry Grip, Wet Grip, Tyre Wear and Comfort. We then compile these measurements for an overall grading to help you purchase the right tyres for your motoring needs. We shall certainly be looking to add Fuel Efficiency and Noise to those gradings as soon as we can tease the data from the manufacturers.

We know that picking the right tyre can be a confusing task, especially if you do few miles each year and care little for the mechanics of the rubber wrapped round your wheels. The average punter is very much in the hands of the salesman/mechanic in their local fitting centre and we’re not saying that is a bad thing, but having clear and concise labels on each tyre has got to be an improvement on just the bewildering impressions of letters and digits we find on tyre sidewalls these days.

TyreQuote.com say yes to EU Tyre Labelling and look forward to displaying them on our site as soon as we can get the relevant data from the manufacturers.

James