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      04-19-2012, 09:37 PM   #45
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Thanks for the info and opinions!

Thanks everyone for their advice...

I've decided to save my $1300.00 and not purchase the insurance. Here in Austin, we have pretty good roads. Plus my wheels are 18 inch, not 19 or 20. Plus, my tires will be all season, not super low-profile (like on Sport line or M3, etc.).

I'll go to Discount Tire and get the tires warranty for $160. If they can patch it, fine. If not, I get a new tire.

I don't think I'll have bend rim problems. I don't drive like a maniac and tend to avoid these potholes pretty well.

Now, how about key replacement insurance for $ 300 for 5 years? Just kidding....
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      04-19-2012, 10:21 PM   #46
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Good call, not buying the buyer protection plan.

These plans are incredibly profitable to the seller. It is a contractual bet; the dealer bets you will not make a claim, you bet you will make claims exceeding the cost of the plan.

Guess who wins the bet with rare exception?

Never bet against the house unless losing the majority of the time is a significant source of amusement for you in and of itself.

(Modern run-flats are readily repairable.)
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      04-20-2012, 09:29 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by micknugget View Post
It's tire and WHEEL insurance and i spoke about the value being in the wheel insurance. It's a really bad deal if it were just for tires.
I have been driving for 25 years and I have never had a bent rim. Before you say it, I have had cars with low profile run flat tires.
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      04-20-2012, 12:11 PM   #48
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I live in NJ and drive on rough roads with pot holes, I purchased tire/wheel insurance for 5 years for $599 when I got my 2006 330i with 18" sport suspension wheels and 1st gen run flats. I never used the insurance for a tire or wheel claim. I won't buy it in the future, and definitely wouldn't if it was $1299!
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      04-20-2012, 06:45 PM   #49
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By the way...I called discount today to confirm they can patch a puncture on run flats and the answer is: "it depends".

Bridgestones - yes. Contis - no.

It depends on the tire manufacturer. The person I spoke to told me to go to the rubber manufacturer association's website for complete listings of which tires can be patched and which can't. www.RMA.org
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      04-20-2012, 07:12 PM   #50
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This would be very interesting, but all I can find is this:
http://www.rma.org/tire_safety/tire_...y/tire_repair/

Do you have a cite to a page which states which run-flats can be repaired?
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      04-20-2012, 07:15 PM   #51
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No I don't. I noticed a "members" section. Maybe the info is in there.
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      04-20-2012, 07:25 PM   #52
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Originally Posted by KneeDragr View Post
Around here BMW wheels are known to damage very easily due to all the potholes. Pretty much everyone I know with a BMW has replaced one, or more.

Still for $1700 thats like 4 new high quality wheels. The tires, I doubt you will need that unless you work or live near a construction zone.
Yes. I had an e90 335 and i busted 3 sidewalls in a year and a half, and I remember the 18" runflats costing much more than $240, I think $300+ and then mounting. I did not buy the tire/wheel insurance for that car b/c I figured I wouldn't use it. I bought it with my new one, we'll see if it was worth it.
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      04-20-2012, 07:32 PM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Scott View Post
if $260 per year for tire insurance is reasonable for any car those tires are the worst buy in the world today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by micknugget View Post
It's tire and WHEEL insurance and i spoke about the value being in the wheel insurance. It's a really bad deal if it were just for tires.
I see where you're going but think about that price as a percentage of collision insurance on the entire car and it's ridiculous. The wheels and tires would have to be complete garbage for an insurance payment like that to make sense.
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      04-20-2012, 07:57 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Scott View Post
I see where you're going but think about that price as a percentage of collision insurance on the entire car and it's ridiculous. The wheels and tires would have to be complete garbage for an insurance payment like that to make sense.
It really depends on where you live, how much you drive, and what size wheels you have. If you have 18"s or bigger, drive a lot or drive in areas with bad roads, you have a pretty good chance of bending a rim and/or ruining some tires at some point. This is amplified by the stiff sidewalls of run-flats. I have had 1 bent rim (repairable) and two flat (ruined) tires in the past 10+ years. For me the insurance isn't worth it. By buddy on the other hand has a 3 year old Camaro with 19"s and has ruined 3 tires and bent two rims ( only one was repairable). It's really a YMMV and a luck thing!
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      04-20-2012, 08:12 PM   #55
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6 tires and 3 straightened rims within 3 years. Well worth it.
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      04-21-2012, 08:01 AM   #56
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It's a coin flip, like any insurance. Geography plays a big part, but its still a crap shoot.

I'm in NY and have it on my Mercedes and in 2 years, I've had to replace 4 AMG rims and two tires, which would have cost me around $4000! I'll take my $1000 insurance over that.

That said, I had the insurance on my Audi S5 and had two bent rims that shook the steering wheel pretty bad and they wouldn't replace them, since they still held air.

So obviously I'm happy I have it now and was pissed I did on the s5...

On BMW's, it wasn't offered on my '99 e46 and I bent 3 of them, but back then it was cheap and easy to replace with reconditioned wheels. I wasn't offered it (though it did exist) on my '07 x5 4.8 with the 20" wheels and I drove it from NY to Baltimore and back (over the George Washington bridge and it's battery of potholes) and never bent a single one.

I opted not to get it on my wife's x3 because the tires (28i with the 18" wheels) aren't quite as low profile. On my next car (F30 335 sportline with 19's), I will probably take it.

In places with better maintained roads (don't get me started on how much I pay in taxes and how many potholes I get for my money), I would probably skip it.
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      04-21-2012, 10:42 AM   #57
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They should really charge you NY drivers more for the T&W insuarnce, you guys are driving up the cost for the rest of us
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      04-21-2012, 11:25 AM   #58
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They should really charge you NY drivers more for the T&W insuarnce, you guys are driving up the cost for the rest of us
Ha. Don't charge me, charge the damn towns that don't do a good enough job maintaining the roads despite real estate taxes that rival mortgage payments in some places..
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      04-21-2012, 11:50 AM   #59
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this thing was 399 when i got it in 07 for my n54 lol
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      04-22-2012, 04:24 PM   #60
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Didnt BMW took over the tire and wheel insurance business from the 3rd party, now the price is triple.
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      04-22-2012, 04:44 PM   #61
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Insurance is insurance. By its very nature there is no way to say its either worth it or not worth it. It will be different for every person.

Consider the factors that are part of the decision making process: cost, benefit, likelihood of use, and risk tolerance. Tire insurance for me would break down as...

Cost: $1500 or whatever it might be
Benefit: Repair or replace tire/rim damage for x years
Likelihood of use: Low. I drive very little and mostly on very well maintained roads.
Risk tolerance: I don't need coverage. If I had to replace a flat tire or damaged rim it wouldn't be a significant hardship. I am willing to tolerate the risk of paying for a repair because I can afford it.

For me, there is little need and little chance of use so it doesn't make sense.

Consider critical illness insurance instead..

Cost: $18/month
Benefit: $200,000
Likelihood of use: Who knows! Will I get cancer? Will I get run over?
Risk tolerance: If I'm going to be out of work for several months then I need that $200,000 plain and simple. Otherwise I could be a burden to family and friends, or risk using retirement savings which then puts me in a pinch 30 years from now. I have no risk tolerance for potentially being off work and out of money.

So I buy critical illness coverage, and I don't buy tire and wheel coverage
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      04-22-2012, 10:00 PM   #62
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i bought it and thought i got suckered. took my car down from ny to tennessee and guess what, i had a nail stuck in my tire with 2500 miles. and just like my dealer said, i went to any dealer in the US and they fixed it no questions. even gave me a loaner for an hour.

since then, i haven't had any issues. who knows though, in the next 2 and 1/2 years i might be thanking myself for getting the insurance, or maybe not. that's why it's called INSURANCE. i'm paying $37 more per month but it gives me a peace of mind. so whether it's worth it or not, it's up to you cause like someone said, YMMV.
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      04-23-2012, 03:29 AM   #63
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IMHO, I agree with a few folks that it depends on where you live/drive to make this insurance bet pay out (or at least even out).

I have been rolling on 17" low profile tires since about 1995 on my old school Eclipse GSX (250,000 SoCal miles) and have only been disabled by nails twice (Then again i have AAA and they just flat bed my car home). I have four 10" subs in my hatch... so i have no spare tire. This car has only been using normal tires it's entire life. When I relocated here to the NJ area with brand new tires, I got a chipped rim on a NY pothole 2 months after i arrived here (less then 500 miles driven in NJ/NY) had to repair the rim and get a new tire. After that... I just don't drive my eclipse since March 2008 (current mileage on the car is 250,6xx miles).

I got my CPO 335xi in Jan '11 hit a pothole just seconds after paying at a toll booth (1.5 months after purchasing the car), the front tire blew out from the side and I had 2 bent rims. I wish I did get the insurance, because in 5 years time i think i can get the pay out back with low profile tires. I ended up getting a new set of 4 tires from Tirerack for $800 and had to fix the bent rims $300 (BMW offered me the T&W insurance for $1200, but i declined).

I actually do wish I could get a spare tire kit for the 335xi and switch to non-RFT's, because I strongly feel that the hard sidewalls on RFT's contribute to more bent rims. Also I feel that RFT's are prone to more failures (bubbles, bursts, nails shouldn't be patched, etc...). But since this is a daily driver for my wife now that she got her drivers license... I would rather just keep the safety of the RFT's.

If I were to do it again, I would ask more details on the T&W insurance, like: What is the deductible per issue?
Is there a $ limit or quantity limit on coverage expenses over the 5 years?
At what tread depth do they consider the tire not covered for replacement?
Under what conditions do they replace the wheel?
Under what conditions do the not replace a wheel (acceptable wear/damage)?

My wheels would balance after the pothole hit but when you spin the wheel... you can see it's wobbling on the inside. Also at freeway speeds you can feel a vibration inside. I'm not sure if BMW would cover that???

It would actually be nice if BMW would allow people to buy the wheel and tire insurance even after you drive off the lot or give you a cool off period where you can change your mind and cancel the insurance for a full refund.

Depending on the cost of the T&W insurance in the future, if I am getting something with a Tire Aspect Ratio of 45 or less here in the North East States (or any area that it snows or doesn't care about local roads)... then I think the bet is worth while because I won't have to worry about having to track down a tire deal, get it shipped to me, find it in stock, pay for mounting balancing, etc... I just drive to my nearest dealership and say "fix it".

To be honest, I actually wish they would come up with an insurance plan which you can pay for year-by-year and choose to re-new on an annual basis. I think the adoption rate on the insurance would be much higher at time of purchase and the cost annually would be a lot cheaper. I would be more hesitant to pay $1500 up front for 5 years, but more willing to pay $300 and try it out. The one other factor no one said anything about is... what if my car is totaled in the 5 year period?? can I cancel the insurance and get my prorated money back?

-Faz
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      04-23-2012, 03:33 AM   #64
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You could take it out with an independent insurer for a fraction of that price.
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      04-26-2012, 01:54 PM   #65
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Can you tell me how this work? I have called up discount tire. The claim that you have to buy their tire to get the warranty. Plus, they don't have warranty for nonflat tire. The can patch nonflat tire for $45/each.

Thx.
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      04-26-2012, 02:30 PM   #66
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It really depends on your area and how you drive , I guess.

My last 335i , I did not get insurance , and I cracked 2 rims, and had bubbles in two.

Now that I have the new f30 , I got insurance, but I have a feeling im never going to use it .. haha

I also have stock 19s , so I figured it would be worth it
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