Quote:
Originally Posted by tcraft
My reasoning was, in every car I've ever owned, I've had bad experience with nails. And yes, while I know it's technically feasible to repair run-flats that have had nail punctures, I didn't want to play those odds.
Guess what?!?! Within a week I already had a nail in my right rear tire. Dealer replaced the tire no questions asked. Only thing they might not have pointed out is that every service visit covered under the warranty costs a $50 deductable. Total price, out the door was about $425.
So as of now, less than a month into having my 328i, I've already received the value of $375. I'm already ahead on my $1,000 investment.
But this is my example. Your mileage may vary.
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An RFT can have a puncture repaired as long the nail was not in the sidewall. But, this goes for ANY tire type, even non RFT.
There is nothing special about RFT's that have a nail in the tread that meets the road. Repairing that type of puncture is perfectly safe.
For those who say it's not safe, please post why and cite your technical source.
The don't plug/patch an RFT thing was from the early days because manufacturers wanted them back to get data.
Repair has been approved since then.
Here's one source:
http://www.autos.ca/auto-articles/fe...run-flat-tires
The problem I have with insurance replacement is that the replacement policy seems to have no problem with doing it the wrong way.
Let me explain. IOW, if your tires have an average usable mileage life of say 40K, then what happens if you have a non-serviceable tire puncture?
Insurance will pay to have only that tire replaced. Now you have a car where on one axle one tire has 100% full tread and the other tire has 50% wear. I would rather drive a properly repaired tire than to drive with mismatched tires.
On AWD drive trains tires with uneven wear have a greater concern.
If insurance were to do it correctly, then they need to define at what wear percentage will BOTH tires be replaced. But they won't.
So really, why bother with getting wheel and tire insurance.
Take the $1000 and set it aside. Then when you have a repairable issue, you spend $20 and get it fixed properly, patched inside and plugged on the outside. You still have $980.
What are the chances of actually bending a rim? Not that much.
Plus, if you bend a rim you already have auto insurance to cover that if you decide to go with an OEM wheel, which are very expensive.
If you've got a $250 deduct, then a new wheel costs you $250.
You still have $750 of the $1000 left. If you have a $500 deduct, then you still have $500.
Oh wait, I just read that even with the "insurance" you still have a $50 deduct. You claim a $375 savings, but that's based on replacing the tire vs repairing it. If it were not repairable due to having a puncture in the sidewall, then it costs $300 at tirerack. They charge $15 to mount and balance. $325 to $350 depending on where you got it mounted and tax.
To get a $350 "value", it cost you $1050.
But, you're NOT ahead.
You're still $700 in.
Again, assuming the tire needed replacing in the first place.