Soon to be 535i owner / MB Tire Insurance

First of all, I just wanted to introduce myself. I just ordered a 2013 535i Dark Metallic II with the Oyster / Black interior.

I currently own a E39 M5 which I've had since new in May 2000. Finally decided to move on. The Beast has served me well and I guess I'm getting old enough that a stick shift in Atlanta traffic is no longer "thrilling" like it use to be.

Anyways, this is the first time I've ordered a car and mine's currently in production. I'm working with a dealer out of Bowling Green Kentucky. They're a combination Mercedes / BMW dealer.

They've been great so far and I got the car for what I consider to be an excellent price (Invoice plus $350) and they waived their normal $599 doc fee (which I told them was a BS fee anyways).

The only option I really was considering from the finance department was the tire / wheel insurance. I live in Midtown Atlanta, and the potholes around here are brutal.

They offered me the insurance fro $1149 (which is a heck of a lot less than what the Atlanta dealers were offering).

However, they are recommending that I get the Mercedes Benz version of the insurance. Its called their 1st Class Wheel and Tire protection Plus. This is a 5 years of coverage and the key reason why he says its better is that it covers "cosmetic" damage to wheels (whereas the BMW version does not). When asked, he said that either a BMW or Mercedes shop can will replace my wheels / tires if I make a claim). Its administered by the same company that the BMW insurance is administered by. Safe-Guard here in Atlanta.

Anyways, I was wondering if any of you folks had any experience with this insurance and getting claims paid?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

Victor
2000 M5 (Titanium Silver - looking for a new home)
2013 535i (Currently in production)

Question....how many times of have you damaged a tire or rim on your previous car? If you can answer that to the tune of $1200 over the past 5 years then the policy might be for you. If not, that is a lot of money to spend on wheel/tire insurance. Even if you damage one tire during that 5 years, what's the out of pocket cost? $300?

Put the money in your tank and watch out for the road hazards. Insurance policy's are just money makers for the carrier.

Techman.

PS congrats on the new car.

I've been incredibly lucky. In the 12 1/2 years I've owned my M5, I've never even had a flat. However, I keep reading in the various forums how everyone's been getting bubbles and such on their run flats. This will be the 1st time I've owned a car with run flats.

Flat tires are one thing and tire/rim damage is something else. Again, look up the price of a replacement tire on your new ride, plus factor in any premature failure is covered by the tire manufacturer. I think you would have to have 4 flat tires to break even on the policy. 1 flat a year? Time to move to a place with better roads!

Sounds like you are careful avoiding the road hazards that might damage your wheel/rim combos. If you are unfortunate to actually hit something that could wreck a tire AND rim you probably have suspension damage too. Luckily your purchasing the ultimate driving machine and will probably be able to brake/steer your way out of trouble!!

Don't sweat the run flats. Just keep the right pressure in them and drive, drive, drive!

My vote...skip the policy. Just trying to save you some coin.

If you look at the owners who had bubbles and damage rims, most of them are from NYC and have 19" wheels. Unless you fit into that catagory, I would skip the tire insurance and spend it on something more sensible.

If you have 18's on the f10 you should be fine. I haven't had one problem to report after 12k miles and the roads out here in the chicagoland area are pretty awful.

Agree with the X Man .... we don't have the tire bubble problems like up North.

How many miles do you drive a year? Probably will be replacing tires before 5 years anyway.

Yea, I've gone back and forth on this. I don't drive all that much - maybe 10 miles each way to work and back. I only have 93k miles on my M5 and its a MY2000 (although I've started driving a bit more recently). I got the Msports package so I do have the 19 inch wheels. That's what's worrying me a bit. Wheels actually aren't that expensive to fix. I was more worried about the tire bubbles and such. If people think its not that big of a deal, I'll probably pass.

Welcome to Bimmerfest, Vibui, and congratulations on your new F10--(incidentally, nice exterior and interior color selections!)

Since I am writing this response on my iPad, and cannot see if your "signature clip" describes the configuration of your new 5'er, I would suggest you consider the tire and wheel insurance only if your vehicle will be delivered with 19" Goodyear LS2 RFT's, which typically have been spec'd with some versions of BMW's sport packages. There are any number of threads on Bimmerfest, dating back to the F10's introduction in 2011, which discuss the issues with these tires, such as bubbles and bent rims, caused by potholes, but particularly when they've been paired with vehicles ordered with the dynamic handling package (DHP) and xDrive.

My 2011 535i was ordered with the "bread and butter" 8-speed transmission and xDrive, which arrived with 18" Conti RFT's. I have not experienced any of the reported problems in this configuration, and could not be happier with my vehicle's performance, which continues to improve! I had one flat tire, stemming from an embedded nail. It was replaced immediately, and without question, by my dealer. I purchased BMW's tire and wheel insurance (TWI) as part of BMW's ultimate protection plan, which I bundled with BMW's extended maintenance program at a discounted price. Your dealer's recommendation and quote seem reasonable. Quite honestly, if your vehicle arrives with the 18" Conti's, as mine did, I do not think you will benefit from TWI, other than the peace of mind it brings along with the convenience of having your tires replaced, one-stop, by your dealer. This has been my experience--and I can expect the same if I need to have minor issues with my wheels, rims, body panels, and the like, etc., addressed (refurbished, repaired, and/or replaced, as defined) under my TWI/Ultimate Protection Plan. As they say, "you never know," especially in my neck of the woods in Northern NJ/metro NYC, where the potholes are rampant, and the terrains, conditions, and weather can be equally unpredictable!

Enjoy your new car! I'm sure I speak for others who wish you the best, and look forward to your review.

Yes, another vote here for skipping the tire/wheel insurance. Pure profit for the dealership and insurance carrier. If you hit something hard enough to damage a wheel, there would probably other damage to the vehicle, all of which would be covered under your regular collision insurance clause.

Originally Posted by Revelation19

Yes, another vote here for skipping the tire/wheel insurance. Pure profit for the dealership and insurance carrier. If you hit something hard enough to damage a wheel, there would probably other damage to the vehicle, all of which would be covered under your regular collision insurance clause.

Stupid inaccurate comment

Get the coverage that covers driver-fault curb rash. I curbed a wheel hard 2k miles in, got it repaired for free. Has happened two more times as well since. I prefer the peace of mind.

I am in the nyc category referenced above and in my 335 vert once hit a pothole so bad that i badly bent one rim and damaged 2 tires. The shock even popped off the cover to the plastic cover for where the headlight washers would be(i dont have cold package). However, no suspension damage, and the car actually got me 40 miles back to the dealer. Total cost was 1300.

I still do not buy the wheel and tire package and didnt get it for my 550. Dealer puts a hard sell on it and says bmw loses money on it- i think thats a little hard to believe. Fact is in 8 or 9 years of driving bmw/mb's with low pro tires that is the first time that happened to me. I did bend several (3) rims on my E550 one winter but was able to get them straightened to the point where they comfortably balanced.

I put it under the heading of self insurance. I might pay a little more or a little less over time....but very unlikely i am going to be way off.

Waste of money. I have a Mercedes and I do not have the insurance on it, the previous Mercedes I had the insurance and what a waste. Here is why. The rims on my car are like $990 each and if you damage the rims (CRACK THEM) then its money well spent but most people bend the rims. I do all the time and it is NOT covered. I bent 2 rims on drives side from a pot hole and I was only driving 35 miles per hour. I went to Mercedes and he told me because the rims are bent it is not covered...he told me to go crack my rims and come back and it will be covered. So instead of attempting that dumb move I called Allstate and they covered it. So instead of paying over $2,000 it cost me my $500 deductible. Actually to be honest my service guy fudged some numbers so in reality it cost me $150 out of pocket to my insurance.

Originally Posted by NCSUAlum

Get the coverage that covers driver-fault curb rash. I curbed a wheel hard 2k miles in, got it repaired for free. Has happened two more times as well since. I prefer the peace of mind.

It only costs $100-200 to repair a rashed rim to like new condition...I would not take the insurance...over time you will come out ahead.

Just switch to non-run flats. I made this switch after my first bubble and hadn't had another bubble for 30,000 miles. It's a better ride as well..