Run Flat/AWD questions....

[Toller]

I took my Sienna into the dealer today to get an oil change and tire rotation. He refused to rotate the tires because they were worn unevenly. He said I had to replace all 4 tires.

The left rear is badly worn and needs to be replaced. The right rear is nearly new. The two front tire are worn, but still have half their life left.

Questions:
1) My understanding is that both sides should be reasonably close, but the front and back don't have to be identical. So, if I put the new tire with the nearly new tire, it should be okay, right?
2) Do the front or rear wear more quickly? ie. should I leave the better tires in the back, or rotate them to the front?
3) My recollection is that the tire that is now worn out (left rear) was nearly new when we got the one that is nearly new now (right rear). Could it really have worn that badly in 7,000 miles, or must I have screwed up where I put the last new tire?

There is probably no answer for #2, but help on 1 & 2 would be appreciated.

[TrailDust]

Provided your driving style is reasonable, your tires should not be that worn in 7K miles. Sounds like your left rear wheel is out of alignment. Have the alignment checked/fixed, and rotate your tires every 4K to 5K miles to help prevent cupping, and also to provide better long-term wear. It also helps because you can catch any alignment issues earlier so less tire damage occurs.

[NoHeat]

I'm not sure, but you seem to be saying that you're not sure which tires on your car are oldest and which are newest.

If that's your dilemma, you might be able to solve it by looking at the manufacturing date codes on the tires. That might help, or it might not, depending on how long the tire sat somewhere before you bought it.