[bobbydigital]

Next month my 435 GC will arrive at the dealer after its long journey from Bremerhaven.

Being my first lease, I figured I'd ask what to expect the process to be like, including the up sells they will do and which are worth getting.

[bill1718]

do not leave their without a rim and tire package worst mistake i made with my lease worth every penny these rft tires suck will be replacing them before winter

[rolltidef32]

Originally Posted by bobbydigital

Next month my 435 GC will arrive at the dealer after its long journey from Bremerhaven.

Being my first lease, I figured I'd ask what to expect the process to be like, including the up sells they will do and which are worth getting.

Well, if you'll then be sitting down with the finance guy, they'll try to get you to buy some extra "protection" that will drive up the price of the car note.

One poster just mentioned tire and wheel coverage. If you live in an urban area with bad roads and you plan to roll on the run-flats, then yes, get it. However, if in some parts of Florida or Texas with smooth roads, maybe not so much.

If you plan to take off the run flats (RFT), because you have a garage to store a stack of tires until the end of the lease when you will have those still new RFTs put back on for lease turn in, then I would net get tire and wheel. I passed on it this time, but had it on my old lease, used it once.

The lease protection coverage is the one worth looking into. At turn in, the lease inspection will hammer you for minor scratches under the front lip finder, wheel rash on rims, etc. little things can add up to $1000 quickly. When you're getting into a new lease, you normally don't want to owe any $$ on the car.

Do keep in mind that all of these "extras" can also be haggled. Tire and Wheel is something they won't drop the price on much, but you can shave at least $400-$500 off the cost easily. Usually an extra $1000 onto a lease equals around $25 per month.

Good luck with you car. Leasing is pretty good, if you know up front and are smart enough to think ahead.

[bri1042]

The wheel and tire warranty is a bit of a gamble, though. I have it and, at just about 19 months into my lease, I haven't needed it. The RFT's are not a guarantee of tire-popping or anything. Portland isn't NYC or Jersey, though. Our roads are bad, but not that bad!

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by bobbydigital

Next month my 435 GC will arrive at the dealer after its long journey from Bremerhaven.

Being my first lease, I figured I'd ask what to expect the process to be like, including the up sells they will do and which are worth getting.

Get wheel and tire: last year: 4 tires and 2 rims. This year: 2 tires.

Don't buy it because you may need it, buy it for peace of mind. This damn thing saved me thousands.

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by rolltidef32

Well, if you'll then be sitting down with the finance guy, they'll try to get you to buy some extra "protection" that will drive up the price of the car note.

One poster just mentioned tire and wheel coverage. If you live in an urban area with bad roads and you plan to roll on the run-flats, then yes, get it. However, if in some parts of Florida or Texas with smooth roads, maybe not so much.

If you plan to take off the run flats (RFT), because you have a garage to store a stack of tires until the end of the lease when you will have those still new RFTs put back on for lease turn in, then I would net get tire and wheel. I passed on it this time, but had it on my old lease, used it once.

The lease protection coverage is the one worth looking into. At turn in, the lease inspection will hammer you for minor scratches under the front lip finder, wheel rash on rims, etc. little things can add up to $1000 quickly. When you're getting into a new lease, you normally don't want to owe any $$ on the car.

Do keep in mind that all of these "extras" can also be haggled. Tire and Wheel is something they won't drop the price on much, but you can shave at least $400-$500 off the cost easily. Usually an extra $1000 onto a lease equals around $25 per month.

Good luck with you car. Leasing is pretty good, if you know up front and are smart enough to think ahead.

+ 1. If the roads aren't too bad where you live, and you are the type of person who is cautious about avoiding road hazards, I'd skip the tire + wheel protection.

I wish I did, I ended up swapping my OEMs out instantly. Just seems like money down the toilet.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by bill1718

do not leave their without a rim and tire package worst mistake i made with my lease worth every penny these rft tires suck will be replacing them before winter

x2, you can negotiate on price because with the asking price you'd really have to blow all 4 tires to recoup your cost.

After some back and forth I decided to get it since the combination low profile run flats and pothole ridden streets of DC, I figured it'd be a nice insurance policy.

Sure enough, three weeks later, I got a flat tire which was replaced. I still haven't fully recoup the cost but that one tire alone made up a majority of the cost. If it happens again or if anything happens to my rim, it'll have paid for itself and then some.

As far as what else to expect, most of the upsell items they'll try to sell you aren't really relevant for a car you're just leasing so it should be a short meeting. My meeting with the Finance guy lasted 3 hours but that was mostly my own fault. The guy was nice but very odd. He started talking about economics and politics and it wasn't long before I realized he was one of those crazy types (thinks the government is trying to create a new world order through economic manipulation). Unfortunately for me, I studied economics in college and enjoy the subject so we spoke in depth about it and I was just agreeing with him on purpose and bringing up other points he agreed with. I'd just shape economic theory into conspiracy theories. Why did I do this? Because when it got time to talk about upselling, it was super easy to negotiate killer pricing or just say no and move on. We spent maybe 10 minutes talking about actually upsell packages. Afterwards he went on and on about how intelligent I was given my age blah blah blah.

Guy was a bit of an odd ball, but I actually was thoroughly entertained by his unusual point of view. I imagine he has a Ron Paul shrine he prays to in his home every night.

[justinnum1]

Save your money on the tire and rim protection. Get some pss

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by bill1718

do not leave their without a rim and tire package worst mistake i made with my lease worth every penny these rft tires suck will be replacing them before winter

You're better off spending the money on a set of non RFT tires with a road hazard warranty from Tire Rack.

I drove for 3 years with the 19's on my F30 and I ended up bubbling one tire right at the end, but at that point the tire needed to be replaced before lease end anyways.

Your best bet is to pull off the RFT's and throw them in a garage, throw them back on at lease end so you don't need to worry about it when you return the car. It'll be cheaper to buy cheaper non runflats then it is to wear out the RFT's and have to replace them with another expensive tire.

[Buckeyes]

4.5 years and two cars with run flats and summer low profile tires and zero issues. Some of you guys drive like my wife, hitting every curb and pot hole out there. I do live in Atlanta so roads are good, traffic sucks

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Trcb777

4.5 years and two cars with run flats and summer low profile tires and zero issues. Some of you guys drive like my wife, hitting every curb and pot hole out there. I do live in Atlanta so roads are good, traffic sucks

The Northeast roads have been absolutely brutal this winter due to all the snow we've had. Especially in the city areas.

[WilliCO]

You'd need to lose all four tires, or two wheels, in order for the tire & wheel insurance to become economical. I usually recommend people open a separate savings account at their bank, call it the "car expense" account, and stick your thousand bucks in there instead. Use it if you need it, pay for your kids' college books one year if you don't.

Potholes in Colorado were worse than normal this year and I actually did lose a tire to one of them. The wheel was OK, though, making me wonder whether the road hazard insurance available from the tire stores - which is much less expensive than BMW's plan but does not cover the wheels - might actually be a decent compromise for those who really feel the need for coverage.

[Rautha]

2nd BMW w/ RFT's since 2009
No issues with tires / wheels
Obviously if they paid out more in damages than what they charged they would not offer this!! As with any insurance its about collective risk. if you have really bad roads or if you have a tendency to hit potholes, consider it. You can always get replacement tires from Tirerack or in our area Town Fair Tire which will typically get special order tires within a day or two and will match internet prices.

they will also offer other crap like 2 years additional maintenance, paint protection, upholstry protection.

My suggestion, pass pass pass. You can haggle on the prices as most of these are high profit items for the dealer. If you can really get the price down tire protection or maintenance extension would make sense. However since these are the most tangible items they offer these are the ones in my opinion I've found they are least willing to discount much.

The nonsense items like the interior protection, scratch return wavers, etc are more discounted. They have pretty clear documentation on what type of damage they consider wear and tear on the lease contract (worth reading carefully). I can't remember the details but its small dings less than 2 inch, scratches less then a certain length etc.

I did find this group of videos that may help:

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...tionFlash.aspx

[Polo08816]

Wheel/Tire protection is a waste of money if you have the following:

- Non RFT
- 18" OEM wheels

I've driven about 25,000 miles between MD to NY since delivery in June 2014 and zero issues with potholes/blown tires/bent wheels.

If you want to look hellacool on 19"+ then it might be worth it.

[sr5959]

OP, I'm in Seattle also, my advice is skip all add-ons at the dealer, then drop by Discount Tire on the way home purchase their tire protection for about $150. Covers the tires but not the rims, but I don't think you're going to damage rims on the roads around here. On my previous lease (F30) in 3 years I had one slow puncture which Discount Tire repaired for free.

I've also leased many cars and found manufacturers are very generous at lease turn-in for minor dings/scratches, I've never been charged extra for anything except mileage.

[Thumper333]

Originally Posted by WilliCO

You'd need to lose all four tires, or two wheels, in order for the tire & wheel insurance to become economical. I usually recommend people open a separate savings account at their bank, call it the "car expense" account, and stick your thousand bucks in there instead.

+1

If you're really worried, drive from the dealer to an America's Tire/Discount Tire (think Big O does it as well) and just buy their road hazard. It only covers tires, but it's only like $150 (depends on the cost of the tires).


as for other experience, it depends on the dealer. Not sure if it's age or what, but when I was younger (and buying Chevies and one Dodge) finance used to hammer me with 9 million upsells. And they came hard and aggressive. Everr since I started buying German I haven't had that experience. The VWs only upsells were extended warranty and tints. The Audi's only upsells were the exterior/interior protection (covers door dents, scratches, wheel wash, and leather rips......the one reason i almost considered it on the S4 with the fine leather), and ont he BMW the only upsell was tint and the protection plan.

And none of those were pushy....they were offered, when I declined what I didn't want that was it.

[BavarianFanatic]

Lol at all of the wheel/tire paranoia. It's not a universal issue. The roads here in PA are extra crappy this year, but if you're careful and paying attention it's a non-issue. In my last 27k miles I've had a single puncture from road debris that was easily patched. That's it.

As an aside, the extras that are offered are negotiable which many don't realize. If you're really worried about something, figure out what it's worth to you and try to drive the price to that mark. They will often allow you to add things like tire/wheel coverage after the fact - within a week or two usually. I'd skip all of the "rust and dust" offerings myself. Especially on a lease.

[WilliCO]

Originally Posted by Thumper333

+1

If you're really worried, drive from the dealer to an America's Tire/Discount Tire (think Big O does it as well) and just buy their road hazard. It only covers tires, but it's only like $150 (depends on the cost of the tires).


as for other experience, it depends on the dealer. Not sure if it's age or what, but when I was younger (and buying Chevies and one Dodge) finance used to hammer me with 9 million upsells. And they came hard and aggressive. Everr since I started buying German I haven't had that experience. The VWs only upsells were extended warranty and tints. The Audi's only upsells were the exterior/interior protection (covers door dents, scratches, wheel wash, and leather rips......the one reason i almost considered it on the S4 with the fine leather), and ont he BMW the only upsell was tint and the protection plan.

And none of those were pushy....they were offered, when I declined what I didn't want that was it.

I do think it's dealer specific. I've worked with the same one for 15 years, but Sonic Automotive bought them along the way. I got way more upsell from the finance manager the last time around than I ever did before.

+1 on the suggestion for the tire insurance from the tire shops.

[bobbydigital]

Thanks for info and advice everyone.

My plan was to swap the RFT for PSS almost right away. Even though I'm on 19" 442s, since I'm swapping tires, the protection just for rims doesn't seem worth it.

I live in Seattle so roads aren't nearly as bad as places on the east coast like Jersey, NY or DC.

Anyone have more thoughts on the lease protection for the ding and dents mentioned earlier? I haven't heard many people talk about this nor recommend it.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

x2, you can negotiate on price because with the asking price you'd really have to blow all 4 tires to recoup your cost.

After some back and forth I decided to get it since the combination low profile run flats and pothole ridden streets of DC, I figured it'd be a nice insurance policy.

Sure enough, three weeks later, I got a flat tire which was replaced. I still haven't fully recoup the cost but that one tire alone made up a majority of the cost. If it happens again or if anything happens to my rim, it'll have paid for itself and then some.

As far as what else to expect, most of the upsell items they'll try to sell you aren't really relevant for a car you're just leasing so it should be a short meeting. My meeting with the Finance guy lasted 3 hours but that was mostly my own fault. The guy was nice but very odd. He started talking about economics and politics and it wasn't long before I realized he was one of those crazy types (thinks the government is trying to create a new world order through economic manipulation). Unfortunately for me, I studied economics in college and enjoy the subject so we spoke in depth about it and I was just agreeing with him on purpose and bringing up other points he agreed with. I'd just shape economic theory into conspiracy theories. Why did I do this? Because when it got time to talk about upselling, it was super easy to negotiate killer pricing or just say no and move on. We spent maybe 10 minutes talking about actually upsell packages. Afterwards he went on and on about how intelligent I was given my age blah blah blah.

Guy was a bit of an odd ball, but I actually was thoroughly entertained by his unusual point of view. I imagine he has a Ron Paul shrine he prays to in his home every night.

In all likelihood, you need to damage you rim to make the pkg worthwhile. But if you are leasing, you definitely need to negotiate the price, because the standard coverage goes out 5 years, which you don't need if you lease.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by Thumper333

+1

If you're really worried, drive from the dealer to an America's Tire/Discount Tire (think Big O does it as well) and just buy their road hazard. It only covers tires, but it's only like $150 (depends on the cost of the tires).

Isn't road hazard coverage from a tire shop pro-rated?

[alex2364]

Tire Rack offers free road hazard coverage on most of their tires and it's not prorated. I just had mine replaced few weeks ago and they covered 100% of the replacement, but I had to pay for mounting and balancing.