Hi - Its James from Goodyear here.
Just a couple of points.
We make tyres to the same spec in our global factories, so it is not the case that only German made tyres are suitable for Europe, for example.
However, there are some non - E marked tyres out in the marketplace due to unofficial dealers buying tyres (not just Goodyear) from markets that are 'exchange rate favourable' and bringing them here, irrespective of whether they are suitable or not.
In the case of non E marked tyres, drivers should report this to trading standards. These tyres are not being imported by Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK or any of our sister companies in Europe.
Also, in some cases manufacturer's tyres may be E marked meaning they are legal and safe in Europe, but they may not be the 'optimum' tyre for our climate.
Whenever we (Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited) know of E marked tyres being imported that are not designed for northern european climates we are using trademark protection legislation to take the unofficial importers to court. (See below for a recent example regarding Dunlop)
Our advice is to purchase from Goodyear Dunlop Approved dealers.
PRESS RELEASE
Goodyear Dunlop success in protecting UK motorists with legal action against unapproved tyres
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has succeeded in the first phase of a campaign to protect UK customers from unknowingly buying tyres that were not designed for road conditions in this market. As a result of this campaign, one tyre dealer has had to send 600 Dunlop tyres for recycling, to prevent these tyres from being used on UK roads.
The Goodyear Dunlop campaign targets Asian and African manufactured tyres bearing the famous Dunlop and SP trademarks, but designed for their local markets, and not imported or recommended by the UK company.
The 600 Dunlop SP490 tyres had been imported by a tyre dealer for sale in the UK, despite not being on the approved list of Dunlop tyres designed for the UK market. In an out-of-court settlement, the dealer has agreed to send these tyres to an approved collection agency, at the dealer’s cost, to be recycled according to the guidelines set by the Responsible Recycling Scheme.
Paul Wilde, Director, Consumer Tyres, UK explained: “These tyres did not carry the standard Goodyear Dunlop UK warranties on quality and performance. Therefore we took this action to remove unapproved and trademark infringing tyres from the UK market and protect innocent UK motorists who trust our brands to perform to the highest level. The tyres we list for sale in the UK are designed to have the optimum safety levels, particularly in terms of reduced braking distances, wet weather performance and are engineered for the types of road surfaces, road conditions and climatic extremes that prevail in this market.’’
We began proceedings against this dealer to protect the UK motoring public and to protect our loyal dealers. We would not hesitate to take the same action against any other dealer selling similar tyres that we do not list for UK sale. If we cannot guarantee their suitability for the local market, it is vital we take steps to ensure that the Goodyear and Dunlop product on sale from reputable UK dealers is the correct tyre for the market. ” added Mr Wilde.
“As a result of this action, customers should be reassured that the majority of professional tyre dealers in the UK are fitting the correct Goodyear and Dunlop tyres for our road conditions”
ENDS
Editor’s Notes
Buyer’s advice:
As a
guide, Goodyear Dunlop has recently identified examples of infringing Dunlop SP490, Dunlop SP7000 and Dunlop FM901 tyres on sale in the UK. The range of Dunlop tyres that that the company retails as suitable for the UK market is listed at:
Dunlop Tyres UK
If tyres are not purchased from Authorised Dunlop tyre fitters or distributors then you should make enquiries to ensure that they are authorised for sale in the UK
Recycling:
The 600 tyres are to be recycled in accordance with the Tyre Recovery Association’s guidelines. Our commitment to recycling and reuse of tyres means that the recycling is being handled by one of the first collectors and processors in the UK to claim that no tyres are disposed of as waste to landfill.
Tyre recycling includes a shredding process, giving the flexibility to dispose of tyres into a number of recycling and disposal outlets. All of these tyres will disposed of on a responsible basis into a variety of recycling and energy recovery routes such as granulation and for use as a cement kiln fuel.
