UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

I understand what you are saying but I think that it is far over the top to worry about fitting a tyre that is the same brand and model and has the same speed ratings ect just because it was not purchased from the manufacturer. They have the VW badge on them because they were in the deal and allocation for VW direct to be fitted to the cars and the others are for the after market. Remember that when the polo first came out many were fitted with Continental premiumcontact 2's because those tyres were on the best deal. The rubber compounds I highly doubt will be different because lets be honest this is a polo and not a koenigsegg or bugatti that requires a custom compound to suit its suspension set up.

As far as insurance goes there is no way an insurance claim would be void simply because you have a different brand of tyre on the car as long as it is the same size, speed rating ect there is no problem.

Manufacturers dont just do it with tyres they do it with oils and fuel, eg advertising castrol and BP and recommending them, im sure if an engine blew up VW would not turn around and say that it was due to the car being ran on Esso fuel and not BP.

What im saying is dont fall for/ get scared by what a large corporate company say because they are not advising you on the best products but the products that will line the executives pockets most

No No No, this marking of tyres for some marques is something completely different and it is nothing like, so instance buying NGK plugs instead of exactly the same model of plug with VAG branding marked on the insulator(ie exactly the same numbering/lettering round the threaded end). Something else is going on with these tyres, and that makes them different but not necessarily wrong for use where the same type model and ratings are fitted as standard.

Edit:- pity you didn't mention Castrol oils there, as VAG love to use their use - which is a bit of a nuisance since lots of people reckon that Castrol oils are not good performers when compared with some others like Mobil.

Yeah i know, Ford love to sponsor Castrol as well, think they are the best marketed oil brand hence many people think they're the best

Well I believed that Castrol was, back in the old dark oil days, one of the few lubricating oil suppliers/makers that used virgin base stock oils, others just mainly used old oils scrubbed up and re-fortified with goodies. Trouble is, when you think about, all "new or virgin" base oils are nasty dirty things that need to get cleaned up - so that "amazing" bit of quality information was probably just a bit over used in a bid to make us believe that Castrol was the best, or at least one of the best available. Of course nowadays any quality lubricating oil is completely synthetic, so bang goes that handy issue over using only virgin base oil stocks!

Another illusion I was under was, BP fuels are one of the best out there, this time it seems that the BP name has been, like most of the other "oil brands" handed over, or rented out to a third party, and it is often said that BP fuels is now one of the "also rans" in the fuel supply business, and living of its good name from the past, I will still use it if I'm stuck - but only if I'm stuck!

The above definitely is what Lucas is now all about - that name gets rented out to companies bringing in low quality bulbs from third world countries - sticking them in a Lucas branded box and away we go - avoid!

Now Baked Beans, well some are still quite good!!