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Old 09-04-2012, 02:37 PM   #1
snowhawk2
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Bit By The Marathon China Bomb

This past Monday, towing home, one of our Marathon tires decided to self destruct at 65mph. The underside had some damage and now the fight begins with Goodyear. Will go to Goodyear G614s and the lowest price in Springfield, MA, seems to be $363 per tire. Someone said it here, it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when your Marathon will blowup. I thought with my meticulous air checking process, and maintaining the correct pressure, that I would have better luck.
 
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Old 09-04-2012, 03:27 PM   #2
1retired06
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Welcome to the significant group of owners who have been in the same situation!
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Old 09-04-2012, 03:34 PM   #3
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Some of us have been there twice, we blew out the Mission tires that came on the rig, to the tune of 3K damage. Replaced with Marathons as that was all that was available in Key West. There ARE NO OTHER TIRE STORES in the keys.. Then last year on the way to the rally about 100 miles away from home we had a marabomb toss a gator and do about the same amount of damage. now have 614s
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Old 09-04-2012, 03:39 PM   #4
DQDick
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You're right about the issue being luck. Anyone who gets away with the Marathons on a Montana either doesn't tow much or has been very lucky. Most of the time the luck doesn't last the life of a set of tires.
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Old 09-04-2012, 04:01 PM   #5
8.1al
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While it is important to check the air pressure in many cases the cause of failure is the tread coming loose from the casing.
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Old 09-04-2012, 06:04 PM   #6
jim n deb
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Just put them on this afternoon. Had a blow out in cleveland oh.but couldn't get AAA to change the tire some good fellow stopped and helped me change it. took me to atire store so I could get a spare
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Old 09-04-2012, 09:40 PM   #7
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Jim n Deb,
Sorry about your blowout problem. Hope the damage was not too severe. If you don't mind sharing --- What was the problem with AAA coming out to change your tire? Like you; We have been helped by complete strangers. It is one of the great benefits of RVing. Good luck, Dennis.
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Old 09-05-2012, 02:48 AM   #8
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We were on I 90 the side of the road had a curb so there wasn't much room to get off.It was 4 to 430 in the afternoon. The local police stop three time to make sure we were all okay. They call the AAA the second time but were not given any time that they would be there.There was no damage to our trailer. ther was a car i the lane to the right that saw it and came up right away and told and told us.
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Old 09-05-2012, 03:52 AM   #9
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I guess I wont be buying any of these tires in the near future. they should start calling these Marathon tires "Maypops" from all the negative remarks we have seen over the years past.
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Old 09-08-2012, 03:17 PM   #10
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UPDATE From Snowhawk: Well all good news here and hats off to Goodyear Customer Service. I called GY and told them what happened, and then told them that I wanted to upgrade all five tires to G614s, and how they treated me, would impact whether I stayed with GY or bought Michelins. Without any hesitation, debating, arguing or any push back the customer service person asked me if I would be satisfied with this offer:

1.Pay the difference of $172 per tire to upgrade all five tires ($363 g614 - 191 Marathon)
2.Get reimbursed 191 through a warranty claim for the tire that exploded.
3. Pay for all damages to my trailer.

Are you kidding me? Of course I took the offer and had all five tire replaced today. Now I just need to file the claim and get an estimate for the repairs. The net out the door cost after warranty reimbursement will be $1,062.00! Goodyear really came through and I am totally impressed with their position, attitude, and interest in my customer satisfaction. it nice for once to end up on the plus side of a situation and be treated well.
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Old 09-08-2012, 05:59 PM   #11
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I've been following the many posts with regards to the MARABOMBS that are standard equipment on our new Montana's. I picked up my 2012 3582 in early May this year. We have only done a few trips this summer as most of our travels are in the fall and winter. We put on 13k miles last fall thru this spring. Needless to say I've been very concerned with my stock tires. I called Goodyear and after talking to several customer service reps, I was finally referred to a local Goodyear company store just south of Seattle whom would help me upgrade to 614's. Bottom line, $962.00 for 5 tires including tax out the door. The rep I talked to was quite familiar with the issues that have been posted here and the other forums. I have an appt. Monday morning at 10am in Fife, Wa. for the exchange just as we start a trip down the Oregon coast. I feel very relieved this is one issue I shouldn't lose any more sleep over.

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Old 09-09-2012, 03:19 PM   #12
snowhawk2
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So we have the G614s installed and the profile of the tire is more robust and has squared off corners when compared to the E rated Marathons. We noticed the tires had plenty of clearance from the floor but the fenders were rubbing against the tire when the suspension was fully compressed. So we removed the fenders and low a behold we found a flimsy piece of metal strip connected to the center of the fender between the tires, and the flimsy strip basically allowed the fender to drop straight down. It was obvious that the fender needed to flare out a bit.

So we went to home depot, and bought some metal bar stock, and configured it to attach behind one of the bolts on the structure that holds the left springs, and at the other end screwed it into the center hole between the tires, where the flimsy piece of metal was. The bar stock spans about 14 inches and the fender bows out a bit, look pretty good, and gives plenty of clearance from the fender. It is a real nice modification to accommodate the taller tire and its square edges. If you have G614s you might want to check the upper inside of the wheel well for rubber scuff marks.
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Old 09-12-2012, 01:35 AM   #13
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Snowhawk did you have to send them the tire that blew? I've been dealing with since Aug 17 when ours blew and was told I would have to wait 2 - 3 weeks for them to test the tire. I have TPM system and everything was green (OK) at the time the tire blew.
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