Tires Slashed or Normal Wear Signs [Answered]

This article will examine the differences between slashed tires and normal wear and tear.

We’ll also examine where people attempt to slash tires and the sorts of weapons they use to do it. Each will tell its own story.

It can be difficult to determine if your tire has been slashed to the untrained eye.

Of course, we all hope this is never the case because that could mean someone has a vendetta against us.

We’d rather know the truth to be sure and take steps either way.

General Tire Condition and Age?

The first thing to consider is, has your tire been going down a little already? Have you had to put more air in the tire recently than normally?

Is your tire old? Is it showing signs of wear on the tread? All these will indicate that general wear and tear has caused your tire to deflate.

Do you see cut marks?

Do you see a visible cut on the tire? Just because you see a cut on the tire doesn’t mean someone has purposely slashed it.

It’s important to look at the cuts to try and determine whether it’s a natural cut or one done on purpose. If you look closely, an offender not experienced at slashing tires may have made other attempts, and you’ll see scratch marks that have not punctured the sidewall or the tread pattern.

These could be small millimeter depth cuts or scratches. These smaller marks will be caused by a person who hasn’t learned how much force they need to apply to get through the sidewall and deflate the tire.

Cut Pattern

People use various instruments to puncture a tire, from small lockable pocket knives to kitchen knives. Most knives have one sharp edge on them. If you look closely, you may see signs of this. On other occasions, sharper kitchen carving knives with serrated edges are used. This is rare because of the size and difficulty of concealing a big blade.

A deliberate cut by a knife will always look cleaner and more defined. You may need to look closely at the cut through a magnifying glass or zoom in on a camera phone and take a picture.

Often people will use a very narrow flathead screwdriver to puncture tires

This can be more difficult to see as the entry wound will be smaller and cause doubt in the car owner’s mind. The offender will feel happier walking around with a screwdriver rather than a knife as it’s easier to explain away if stopped by the police and searched.

Some tire slashes won’t use a knife or sharp instruments but hammer nails into the tire.

Also, a nail in a tire won’t deflate quickly as the air will take some time to work its way through the tire wall and pass the nail before escaping into the atmosphere. This can also lead to the uncertainty of understanding whether a tire was slashed on purpose or whether it was a coincidence.

Location of The Cut

Most tire slashes will damage the outer sidewall as they can get more force into the blow on this part of the tire.

Unless you have parked with your wheel facing outwards, getting enough force into swinging at the tread area is difficult because a vandal will be hindered by the wheel well.

However, if you have parked with a tire that’s been damaged, facing outwards, it is always worth checking around the tread as this would be a place someone trying to cover their tracks would stab the tire.

The inside tire sidewall will rarely be slashed, as it is almost impossible to get enough force into a blow to puncture a tire on that side.

Tire Slash Noise

When a tire is slashed, the air inside that is contained at high pressure rushes out of it very quickly. This causes a loud but brief pop noise.

Because of this, vandals often release the air pressure by deflating the tire a little.

It is worth looking to ensure that you still have your tire valve cap screwed onto the stem. If it is missing and you believed it to be there before the tire was deflated, then it’s likely someone has removed it to let the air out before slashing it.

How Many Tires Have Been Damaged?

Most tire slashers want to cause the most inconvenience and expense possible and will generally cut more than one tire unless disturbed.

So if you are panicked and unsure whether the damage was deliberate, if only one tire is damaged, it may indicate wear and tear or unintentional road damage and not a deliberate act.

Will A Car Alarm Go Off When Tires Are Slashed?

It’s very unlikely that your car alarm will go off unless the vandal bumps into your car and triggers the vibration motion sensor alarm. No alarm sensors around the car wheels will trigger as long as the person is careful.

Are Slashed Tires Repairable?

If the tire has a punctured sidewall, the repair is impossible. If the tread punctures, it can be patched at a tire shop.

This depends on the depth of the cut. It will cost between $20 and $40 to have it patched, making it not economically worthwhile on tires with only a few thousand miles of tread left on them.

What Else Causes Cuts To Tires?

All kinds of debris are found on a road. Trucks often lose part of their load. Metal steering, brake, or suspension parts can fall off underneath the car.

All these parts will damage rubber if driven over at speed. Quite often is not even noticeable at the time when this happens.

The shape and size of a cut are the way to differentiate between a cut and damage caused by metal or other road objects. A clean cut is more likely to be deliberate, whereas an irregular cut is more likely to be road debris damage.

Look For Evidence

Most vandals won’t want to risk being caught with a knife by the police and will get rid of the knife/screwdriver close to the scene.

It’s worth looking around the area, in bushes and trashcans, to try and find the knife. The police may be able to get fingerprints off it too.

Slashed Tires and Car Insurance

The more comprehensive your car insurance policy is, the more likely you’ll be covered for vandalism to your tires. Most insurers will have a clause requiring you to pay for some of the claim.

They may also stipulate what quality tires they will replace your damaged tires with, so you may not get back tires of the same quality. You may also have to go to a tire shop of the insurer’s choosing. Even so, it will still save you more money than paying for it all yourself.

A final point on insurance is that regular claims can increase the cost of renewing a policy, so bear this in mind before making a claim. All insurers will require you to file a police report too. It’s unlikely the police will visit, but they will take your details over the phone and give you a reference number that you’ll need to pass on to the insurance company.

Tire Protection Plans and Slashed Tires

Tire protection plans are usually sold by tire shops or manufacturers and cover road hazards that damage tires. These include driving over potholes, glass, or metal hazards. They rarely cover damage caused by vandals. As discussed above, it can be difficult to know whether the tire damage was due to metal on the road or them being slashed, so it’s always worth explaining the situation to the warranty company.