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Dealers Tire & Wheel Protection worth it?

18K views 62 replies 24 participants last post by  caden 
#1 ·
Finalizing a deal on a M Sport 535i and dealer mentioned I should think about taking there tire and wheel protection program. Haven't seen what it includes yet, does anyone know and if so is it worth it? I am looking at a three year lease.

Thanks
 
#4 ·
Hmmmm, let's see. On my 2006 550i which had runflats, I blew 9 tires and cracked 2 rims during the course of a 24 month lease. I was having construction done on my house and it seemed like every other week I was pulling another hunk of metal out of one of my tires. So far, on my 2008 550i with non runflats, I have blown 4 tires and a rim all on potholes and I still have another year to go on my lease. That said, I would absolutely recommend tire insurance. As far as where to get it, I would go to the dealer and not just because I am one. If it's a policy from a company we sell, we can handle the whole thing for you with no inconvenience and there's no deductible. If it's bought elsewhere you are going to have to do the claim legwork and possibly even have to lay out the money and wait to be reimbursed. Our policy is, however, more money then some others so you may want to weigh your options.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Go to www.dealerservicesonline.com They are a board sponsor and quite a few members went with them, myself included. Good luck.
cheers
vern
 
#51 ·
I did not ask for a price quote, but I looked at the brochure. They have a few gaps in their coverage. First they only cover tires down to 3/32" of tread depth. Some companies do not ask about this. Secondly they do not define "road hazard". Some companies will honor a claim as long as you do not say you were driving off road, no questions asked. Do they cover cosmetic wheel damage (curb scrapes/rash)?
 
#10 ·
Although I did not buy the protection, I'm in agreement if you have runflats and/or rims larger than the 17 inch you want protection. I have 17 inch non-runflats, so the tires are a lot less expensive, and the 17 inch wheels are less prone to pothole damage. I've had no issues with either tires or rims in 18 months of ownership.

FYI, when the tires were new I went to my local Goodyear dealer (my 535i has the Goodyear RS/A all seasons) and had them write a lifetime road-hazard policy for $65 to cover tire damage. I'm hopeful the wheel rims will be ok without coverage. I did this primarily because in my 40+ years of driving I've never damaged a wheel in a way that required wheel repair or replacement. I'm hoping my good luck continues. :angel:
 
#12 ·
It's worth it.

I just paid a little over $9k in BMW and Mini tire and wheel claims for this month alone.

There is no aggregated limited for tire or wheel claims for the life of your contract. any tire destruction including sidewall is covered even if it's a curb impact. Also, my claims department is open 24/7.
 
#15 ·
probably worth it if you would be unravelled having to pay for tire or wheels at auto turn in
 
#17 ·
tire protection can be bought much cheaper elsewhere, but someone correct me if i am wrong, the dealer offered plan also covers the wheels... i did purchase it for my X5 that came w/ 20's and run-flats, but not for my 535 with non-runflats... i actually didn't take it when i was picking up the car, but went back in a week later and added the road hazzard coverage. negotiated the F&I guys at the dealer down to 575 from 750, probably could have gotten a better deal if i shopped around, but figured it was close enough, and since the roads around NY are aweful, though it was worth picking up the coverage
 
#18 ·
Eligible Tires are your vehicle’s tires that have a minimum remaining tread depth of three/thirty-seconds (3/32) of an inch and that are free of any manufacturer’s defects. Tires considered “run flat” by the manufacturer are covered under this contract. Replaced tires are covered for time remaining on the Contract.

Eligible Wheels are the originals on the vehicle upon delivery to You by the Seller.

“Standard” Vehicles – All except “High Performance/Luxury” classes shown below, or otherwise excluded.

“High Performance/Luxury” Classes include: V. VR, ZR, W, or HR17 rated tires. All vehicles with 20” wheels or greater (unless otherwise classed). Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Hummer, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, MBZ, Mini Cooper, Porsche, Saab, Volvo. All “run flat” tires (any make/model), RV’s, motorcycles (on and off road) and ATV’s.

Exclusions: Tire and Wheel failure outside united States and Canada; tire and wheel damaged resulting from vehicle collision, cosmetic damage, vandalism, dry rot, acts of God, fire or flood. Tire manufacturer defects, theft, recapped tires, racing tires, snow tires, tires with less than three/thirty-seconds (3/32) of an inch of tread depth, normal wear, normal wheel or tire maintenance including alignment or balancing, abnormal wear caused by misalignment or suspension problems, and driving vehicles other than off-road motorcycles/ATV’s on unpaved roads are excluded. Vehicles used commercially are excluded.

Non-Covered Expenses: Non-covered expenses include: mounting or removal of snow tire or chains; vehicle storage charges; any and all fines; service on a vehicle that is not on safe condition to be towed or serviced; towing or service on roads not regularly maintained, such as sand beaches, open fields, forest and areas designated as not passable due to construction, etc.; towing by other than licensed service station or garage; a second tow for a single claim. Only on disablement for the same cause during any seven day period will be covered. Transportation of a damaged wheel or tire to a service facility is not reimbursable other than the cost of covered emergency road service.
 
#19 ·
I still do not see an answer to my specific question, which is: what is the specific advantage of this product?

If it's price, then I'd love to understand how that works. If it's convenience, then I'd love to understand how that works. Thanks.
 
#21 ·
The advantage with wheel/tire insurance is that if you get a flat, the dealer will replace the tire, mount, balance and get rid of the bad one for free. If you damage a rim so badly that the car wibrates or that the tire won't hold air, they will also pay for a new rim.
 
#20 ·
I would say go for it. I bought it for my two BMW's and used it 2 times for flat tires. Depending on where you live it's nice to not have to worry about every little ding on the wheels too.

After all, if you're dropping 50k on the the car, what's another 1k for piece of mind:p
 
#23 ·
Thank you for explaining more about how your products work.

But I still don't see an explanation of an advantage. Compared to someone that does not buy this product, what is the advantage? For example, I understand that someone can get their tire replaced if it is flat. But clearly so can someone that does not have tire insurance. In fact, isn't it more convenient for someone that doesn't have tire insurance? Wherever they have a problem, no matter where they are traveling, outside the country, etc., they can choose whomever they want to do business with and seek out the best option with zero friction since there are no policy defined constraints.

Here's the crux of my question: It seems like this is just an insurance product. If I were to continue to buy a tire protection plan my whole life, isn't it very likely that it would cost me more in the end than if I did not buy it? Paying for insurance for some things make sense since there could be a massive and unexpected expense, and the insurance is there to protect you financially. But we're talking about tires here. Anyone that can afford a bmw should be able to take the hit of buying new tires if the need arrises.

I understand that for some people tire insurance might actually pay out more than they pay in. For example, if there is significant housing construction being done in your neighborhood and the crews are sloppy. Then it might make sense to purchase tire insurance because you are taking into consideration a factor that the tire insurance company is not: the fact that you are significantly higher risk than average, etc. But for the average driver, the expected pay out is surely less than the cost of the policy, or else these businesses would fail. How much do these products cost, and what is the approximate mark up?

If the mark up was very small, and the service frictionless to use, then it might be nice to have a tire protection plan just for piece of mind. But my experience is that insurance products like these, and extended warranties, etc., have massive mark up: upwards of 100%.

So assuming you can afford the hit of replacing your tires, and you are not significantly above average risk, it seems like tire insurance amounts to paying more for something that is less convenient. This is what I'm trying to figure out. Is this really the case? What is the advantage of this product?
 
#24 ·
Without our program, all repairs and parts comes out of your pocket. Side note: I had a customer with an '09 M3, huge accident in the freeway, he ran over debris and he had a blow out on three of his tires and also cosmetic damages on the three rims. Since this is a road hazard policy, we replaced both rear tires, left front tire, repaired and refinished both rear rims and also the left front rim. Our dispatch sent out a tow truck immediately and towed his M3 to a nearby repair facility. Because of the substantial damage, we payed the shop with a credit card on the spot. Nothing came out of his pocket. Imagine living in pothole cities.

This is not just an insurance product, this is a piece of mind. Just like having auto insurance... it's there when you need it.

This policy will actually pay out because as I stated before it is unlimited --no aggregated amount.

Our program is frictionless to use. If you're concerned about mark ups, well, I wish you all the luck in finding a program like ours THAT OFFERS 24/7 CLAIMS DEPARTMENT.

So assuming you can afford the hit of replacing your tires, and you are not significantly above average risk, it seems like tire insurance amounts to paying more for something that is less convenient. This is what I'm trying to figure out. Is this really the case? What is the advantage of this product?
The advantage is there when you need it.
 
#25 ·
I agree there is a piece of mind aspect. But if you live in an area where you are prone to hit potholes or debris in the road at moderate to high speed, you are likely going to damage tires or wheels. Just drop by your BMW dealership and check the replacement cost of their rims. And also ask them what the cost is to replace a damaged run-flat.

Many folks who have posted here indicate that hitting a moderate sized pot-hole at highway speed can damage the runflat beyond repair. It doesn't necessarily lose air, but the internal sidewall damage causes development of bulges over time, vehicle shaking, etc. The tire has to be replaced. Along with the tire damage, rims get bent or cracked by the impact. Replacing a single runflat tire and wheel rim together can easily approach $1000 per corner.

Like I've said before, if you have the runflats and larger diameter rims (18 inch or larger) the probability of needing a tire/wheel replacement goes up... there's less sidewall depth between the rim and the road surface, so its easier to incur major damage.
 
#26 · (Edited)
You can run a new car to discount tire. They will sell you tire protection for about $30 per tire.

Or you can spend $1000 at the dealer. Just shows you how much markeup is in this stuff.

Granted the dealer also includes wheel insurance. But frankly, if you break wheels, drive on bad roads, etc. you really should have a truck or something without low profile tires. More than likely the car will rattle to death with a few months.
 
#27 ·
You can run a new car to discount tire. They will sell you tire protection for about $30 per tire.
Or as I did, take it to a authorized dealer for your tires.. I only paid $17 a tire.

Granted the dealer also includes wheel insurance. But fankly, if you break wheels, drive on bad roads, etc. you really should have a truck or something without low profile tires. More than likely he car will rattle to death with a few months.
Agreed!

I realize you are in california and may not have driven the Northeast, but for those of us that live in the mid-atlantic to northeast where we have frequent winter freeze/thaw... potholes are an annual reality. Roads that are perfectly smooth one day are shot the next. Potholes do literally appear overnight. :yikes:

Thats exactly the reason I did not buy the BMW sport option, as I didn't want to deal with the lower profile runflats and larger rims.
 
#47 ·
First off Adumbasshole is a moron, but at least he's keeping this thread going. NE driving is a horrible experience. 8mil + people in nyc alone, countless cars, countless potholes. I wonder how many NE drivers can say they went a whole year without hitting a nasty pothole, or bump, or dip. You could then ask those same people how they did on the NYS lotto that year ( at least Adumbasshole would) but I wouldn't see the correlation.

$1,000 is a small price to pay IMHO as long as there are no games. My 20" rims cost me 130per for a slight bent that caused very bad vibration in my DTS. I couldn't do it anymore, even driving very slow there are thing on the expressway and road you can't avoid. I did really really well on the 20's for awhile but on my way to atlantic city (TO GAMBLE LOL) I hit a nasty one at night on the expressway never seen it coming and I keep my eyes on the floor. I would bet the farm that a ton of people wrecked their rims on that very same pothole before it was "fixed", and that's just one.

I'm looking into leasing a new car and wheel and tire protection is the most important thing to me. I keep my car in a garage at home and at work and always park in the part of the parking lot with no other cars around, but pot hole are the one thing out of my control.


Thanks for the link vern, it's too bad that insurance is not available to me in NY. Two other companies I found also exclude NY. I know that people in NYC can get their MB AMG wheels insured so there must be a way.

This is for a infiniti or vw cc, not a bmw.
 
#48 ·
First off Adumbasshole is a moron, but at least he's keeping this thread going. NE driving is a horrible experience. 8mil + people in nyc alone, countless cars, countless potholes. I wonder how many NE drivers can say they went a whole year without hitting a nasty pothole, or bump, or dip. You could then ask those same people how they did on the NYS lotto that year ( at least Adumbasshole would) but I wouldn't see the correlation.

$1,000 is a small price to pay IMHO as long as there are no games. My 20" rims cost me 130per for a slight bent that caused very bad vibration in my DTS. I couldn't do it anymore, even driving very slow there are thing on the expressway and road you can't avoid. I did really really well on the 20's for awhile but on my way to atlantic city (TO GAMBLE LOL) I hit a nasty one at night on the expressway never seen it coming and I keep my eyes on the floor. I would bet the farm that a ton of people wrecked their rims on that very same pothole before it was "fixed", and that's just one.

I'm looking into leasing a new car and wheel and tire protection is the most important thing to me. I keep my car in a garage at home and at work and always park in the part of the parking lot with no other cars around, but pot hole are the one thing out of my control.

Thanks for the link vern, it's too bad that insurance is not available to me in NY. Two other companies I found also exclude NY. I know that people in NYC can get their MB AMG wheels insured so there must be a way.

This is for a infiniti or vw cc, not a bmw.
First post and you're already calling people nasty names :rolleyes:

There's no question that NYC roads can be hard on tires and wheels. What's not clear is the value add from a potentially expensive policy.

Here's a simple question for you: Let's say you buy tire and wheel insurance over the next 20 years. Do you believe that you will spend less total money on the tire and wheel insurance than on fixing tires and wheels had you not purchased it?
 
#50 ·
I'll go the other direction here and state that these problems your hearing, imho, are the huge minority. The warranty companies make their gargantuan profits because that is the case. It really does depend on your road conditions, and how you drive, though. In nearly 25 years. and a 1/2 million miles between CA and NC, I 've never had to replace or fix a tire/wheel other than the old worn out tire. Nor do I know anyone in my immediate or extended family who ever has either. If I had paid for this type of warranty every time I bought a car, I'd be at a loss of many thousands of dollars. However, some people drive in very poor conditions, or they drive very irresponsibly in even slightly poor conditions, and then this warranty is most likely very practical. Now that I've said this, I'll probably damage a rim tomorrow, knock on wood, lol!
 
#53 ·
im2slw, team infiniti is listed as dealer in CA. Am I missing something? I don't want to derail the topic since this isn't for a BMW ( I'm pretty sure I could get it with BMW or MB). The guy at infiniti gave me the run around saying it's included in one of the warranties but would have to ask the finance manager that wasn't in at the time. VW told me no.
 
#54 ·
You're right. Team Infiniti is in CA. My apologies.

Our Tire and Wheel Protection isn't included in the warranty. Talk to the finance dept.
 
#55 ·
I almost forgot that this Program is also a True Sign and Drive (Not Reimbursement).
 
#57 ·
If I understand what you are saying, this is a very nice feature to have. Dealing with reimbursement is always a hassle.

Of course, paying with a credit card is also "sign and drive". So this isn't actually a benefit when compared to simply not having tire and wheel insurance. It's an absence of additional hassle.
 
#59 ·
my question is, whats to stop somone from paying for the 5 year protection plan on wheels and tires and not taking advantage of BMW? theoretically cant you just keep waiting till your tires are 70-80% worn, purposely run over 4 nails and get a new set of tires? that can probaly be done 3-4 times over the coarse of 5 years? at that point, you would def be getting your moneys worth. is it that hassle free? are you even questioned or do they keep replacing rims and tires with no questions asked over the coarse of the protaction plan?
 
#60 ·
I can't answer for all insured coverage but all the company's that I've use state that you have to have the tire or rim available for inspection if they want to see it. So what your asking is probably impossible. Good luck
cheers
vern
 
#61 ·
I had this wheel and tires insurance for 5 years coverage when I bought my My 2007 550i in 2008. Last year I had a flat tire and because I had this coverage, the BMW service replaced my tire with no hassle. I recently noticed that I had scratches rim in on of the tires and wonder if I could claim and make them fix it? But I must admit that having this wheels and tired protection plan gives me a peace of mind knowing if something happen to my tires, they will take care of it.
 
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