Taken for A RIDE?
WHEN EXACTLY SHOULD ALL THE TYRES BE CHANGED?
Inamed Apple as the firm I felt most let down by in 2018 because of its iPhone 6 battery replacement policy. They wanted to charge me around $400 to replace my battery. I’ve since noticed that one year earlier, in December 2017, there was a news report that Apple had apologised for iPhone battery issues, offering a replacement battery for out-of-warranty iPhone 6’s for just $49. I wish I’d seen the news report earlier, I’d have waved it around in the store and insisted Apple honour that offer! I can only assume that, at the time, the Apple store I was dealing with, or maybe just the assistant I was dealing with, wasn’t aware of this policy. In the end, I paid $90 for a replacement battery to a nearby IT store recommended to me by the Apple employee. I’m now wondering how aware Apple staff are, nationwide, about their own firm’s policies. I’d be interested to hear from any readers who have recently taken their iPhone 6 to an Apple store and had trouble getting them to replace the battery at the discounted price of $49.
When you recently took your car in to replace a worn tyre, the tyre guy said you should replace all four tyres at the same time. It was a matter of safety. So you did.
Your husband reckons you’ve been sucked in, though. Were you?
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) says that car manufacturers advise you to change all four tyres at the same time or, at least, both tyres on the same axle. So there’s a bit of wiggle room if you have budgetary restraints. Other online experts say that replacing all four at once makes sense only if you regularly rotate your tyres. Apparently front tyres tend to wear out faster than rear tyres. So before you throw out all four because a front tyre is worn, get the condition of the rear tyres checked. Some experts agree with your tyre guy, all four should be changed no matter what car you’re driving. Others say that only applies if you own an all-wheel drive vehicle. So it comes down to how cautious you want to be, maybe what sort of car you drive and if you can afford to replace all four at once.