Frequently Asked Questions

Date of manufacture of Tyres
  • How to read the date of production (DOT) of a tyre?

    Since tyres can sit in a warehouse unsold for a long time, you should know when the tyres were manufactured, rather than purchased.

    Every tyre has a date stamped into the sidewall. Near the edge of the rim, you should look for a long serial number starting with the letters "DOT."

    The code will end in four numerals and corresponds to the two-digit week followed by the two-digit year. For instance, the tyre seen below has code of DOT H2LF YA9J 3507, which would indicate a tyre manufactured in the 35th week of 2007. 

    Dot Example

     

  • What is the date of production (DOT) for the tyres Pitstop Arabia offers?

    Date of manufacture of each tyre is clearly displayed on our website.  We only capture the Year and not the week as every unit may have a different week, which keeps changing all the time as we receive fresh inventory.  

    If you need to know the week of manufacture of a particular tyre, please call us and we can physically check and report back.

     

    Pitstoparabia.com makes a lot of effort to ensure the highest quality of the products we sell.

    All the tyres that we offer are brand new, and their age is never higher than maximum of 24 months.

    This is in compliance with Gulf Standards Organization regulations. Because of our volumes and rotation of inventory, 99% of the tyres we sell have a production date not older than 6 to 9 months.

  • What should be the acceptable date of production (DOT) for the tyres I buy?

    UAE's law as stipulated by Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) clearly states that tyres with a date of production of more than 5 years, cannot be used in the UAE.  

    As long as the tyres you buy are from a legitimate source, buying a tyre which was manufactured a year or two ago, is not a problem.

    Michelin says that a tyre's aging process doesn't start from its date of its fabrication (DOT). It starts once the tyre is inflated and installed on the car. This is because tyres undergo the most stress when they're being used, not while they're sitting in storage.  Study conducted in Saudi Arabia showed no difference in performance between newly manufactured tyres and ones that have been lying unused for three years.  

    If you put 30-40,000 kms on your car every year, a 2 year old DOT tyre would provide you full service before the usage limit of 5 year stipulated by ESMA.  Typically, you can get tyres with an older DOT on a better price in the UAE. So if you drive enough, get the best deal you can by choosing an older DOT.

    As as long as you are able to consume the tyre within the 5 years from the date of production, you are okay to buy a tyre with any date of manufacture. 

    Tyres are not Bananas

     

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