The Globe and Mail Lou Trottier Published April 17, 2021 Bookmark We had a beautiful 1990 Alfa Romeo Spider in for its spring service recently. It sported a set of tires that looked relatively new, but they were actually 12 years old, according to their manufacturer dates. So the question that day was: How do I advise this customer? Do we really have to throw out this set of perfectly good-looking tires? I’ve heard it over and over again. “A tire is garbage six years after its manufacturer date.” But is it true? Many times, a vehicle comes in with dated tires, yet they look decent. We always closely examine the tire for any damage, dry rot and UV cracks. We recommend discarding when they’re visibly worn or cracked, but I’ve always been skeptical about this six-year rule.