[SimonB]

I picked up a roofing screw in one of my rear tyres yesterday and, I am told, because they’re Pirelli runflats, they’re not repairable. Even though there’s only 6000km on the vehicle and the screw is in the main tread part of the tyre.

I’m told that if they were Bridgestone, they’d be repairable.

A replacement is going to cost me $525 (US393 nd 296 pounds) fitted, this is for a P275/40 R20 106W tyre.

That’s just simply unacceptable and I will bear it in mind when I next get tyres replaced or buy a new car. I’m not about doing unsafe repairs, but that’s just crazy.

[bmtespar]

It depends where you take it. There are shops that will plug the tire. Others will not. The general rule of thumb is that if the puncture is on the flat portion of the tire (ie: not the side) and in the thread grove it is fine to plug. I have done this quite a few of our bmw’s in the past and it has never caused any issues and I’ve traded the cars with no complaints from the dealer. On this one, I got the wheel and tire protection because of the notoriously awful potholes in Atlanta.

[Sea-Tac]

Originally Posted by SimonB

I picked up a roofing screw in one of my rear tyres yesterday and, I am told, because they’re Pirelli runflats, they’re not repairable. Even though there’s only 6000km on the vehicle and the screw is in the main tread part of the tyre.

I’m told that if they were Bridgestone, they’d be repairable.

A replacement is going to cost me $525 (US393 nd 296 pounds) fitted, this is for a P275/40 R20 106W tyre.

That’s just simply unacceptable and I will bear it in mind when I next get tyres replaced or buy a new car. I’m not about doing unsafe repairs, but that’s just crazy.

If no trend or sidewall was damaged it is totally repairable. In my 3 series with RFs I’ve done it.

[SimonB]

Thanks guys. I did a ring around, found a reputable tyre place that would ‘have a look at it and see if it was safe to repair’ and, after they’d seen it, did, for $50 cash.

Seems like a scam to me, or, at best, Pirelli pandering to the lowest common denominator and refusing to ‘allow’ any repairs.

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by SimonB

I picked up a roofing screw in one of my rear tyres yesterday and, I am told, because they’re Pirelli runflats, they’re not repairable.

A replacement is going to cost me $525 (US393 nd 296 pounds) fitted, this is for a P275/40 R20 106W tyre.

Pirelli has a Road Hazard Program for Run-Flats in US and Canada.
It will replace damaged tires (caused by "road hazard injury" which should cover screw punctures) free of charge in its first year of warranty period.

Check with Pirelli Australia to see if there is a similar program. If not, maybe you can make a case to get the same treatment as customers in North America.

[RocketRomeo]

In the UK we have the “standard” which states repairs only in th “T” of the tyre... central 60/70% etc... however my local trusty tyre chap will repair anything as long as it’s minor and I’ve never had an problems... run flats or not.

http://www.dexel.co.uk/blog/british-...ncture-repair/

[dagneto]

i was "lucky" enough to get a screw in my tyre in my 3rd week (1000 km). beaurepaires wouldnt repair it – "company policy" but the guy was really good and said his view repairable. as my tyres are bridgestone, i took them to my nearest one and got it repaired for $30 – was very happy about that.

[SWOT1]

I feel your pain!! ...a hair too close to the sidewall, had to replace.

[ZHPsedan]

Wife picked up a nail in her 19" Pirelli runflat that the first tire shop wouldn't fix but a second opinion at another shop gladly would free of charge.

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by ZHPsedan

Wife picked up a nail in her 19" Pirelli runflat that the first tire shop wouldn't fix but a second opinion at another shop gladly would free of charge.

As I posted above, you can get a brand new tire free of charge from Pirelli within the warranty period.

[ZHPsedan]

I need to look into that I guess.

[Slalom]

Had to replace a Bridgestone on my wife's 335 - the nail was within 1 inch of the sidewall.
Frustrating that tradespeople are not more careful. I have done a lot of home repairs and I use a magnetic sweep after my work is done.

[Ragnarkov]

Originally Posted by Slalom

Had to replace a Bridgestone on my wife's 335 - the nail was within 1 inch of the sidewall.
Frustrating that tradespeople are not more careful. I have done a lot of home repairs and I use a magnetic sweep after my work is done.

Well, depending on where people get a nail/screw, sweeping after a home reno is vastly different than costruction on a subdivision or condo highrise (as examples).

Were we used to live, a large subdivision was being worked on. Within 2 weeks we had a screw in the tire of my wife's fiat (no spare, that stupid goop you spray inside to seal it) and my pilot (spare). Both cost us to have repaired, and both times the builder (a very reputable one for the area) compensated us 100% without hesitation.

If you have 20-30 tradespersons working in all sorts of weather, there's always a chance a rogue piece of hardware might go astray. definitely not ideal, but possible.

course, it all depends on the situation, and some people might be simply unlucky and run over a random nail on the road, totally isolated from any sort of construction.

I will say though, that non-reputable builders are trash in this regard. The company who built our brand new home left easily 10+ random screws and nails laying around. It's a miracle we didn't get stuck with any. I'm pretty sure he would t have compensated us.

[Njerts]

I was told that there is no warranty on the tires that came with the vehicle, does not matter what brand.
Once you replace them, you will get a warranty.
That is why BMW tries to sell you a warranty when you pickup your brand new vehicle.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by Njerts

I was told that there is no warranty on the tires that came with the vehicle, does not matter what brand.
Once you replace them, you will get a warranty.
That is why BMW tries to sell you a warranty when you pickup your brand new vehicle.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

I don't think so. Usual warranty covers manufacturing defects and some have tread life guarantee. It does not cover punctures by screws and nails, something that the BMW Tires and Rims protection plan would cover.

The Pirelli's Road Hazard Program is unique for its Run-Flat as it specifically stated that no Pirellis Run-Flats can be repaired.

[darrylo]

Originally Posted by Njerts

I was told that there is no warranty on the tires that came with the vehicle, does not matter what brand.

In the US, tire warranties come do come with the car, although BMW annoyingly supplies them on a CDROM. (What's next? Floppy disks? Clay tablets?) I assume the situation is similar for other parts of the world.

As others have said, road hazards are generally not covered, although Pirelli runflats are an exception. Pirelli will apparently replace an "unserviceable" runflat tire within the warranty period (1yr) or the first 2/32nds of tread life, whichever occurs first. Everything has to be done through an authorized dealer, though. It seems that they'll also pro-rate a replacement for a tire outside the warranty, which is nice. (Again, this is all in the US.)

[Tjalle]

darrylo - no the situation is NOT the same in all other parts of the world!

For some reason, EU- at least most of EU - seem to be void of screws and debris on roads - we rarely have punctures.

Hence this is a non-issue, and tyremanufacturers do not bother with guarantees.

BMW Sweden claims that RFT:s are non-repairable, which of course is BS. Many on X3/X4 sites are switching to non-RFT:s for better all-round performance. Most includes a repair kit in trunk:12V compressor, slime/sealant and repair tool/material. Amazon.

[SimonB]

I spent some time checking and couldn’t find ANY evidence of such a program in Australia. Consumer Protection here didn’t see it as an issue as manufacturers are free to craft their own rules.

[Boosh99]

Originally Posted by SimonB

I picked up a roofing screw in one of my rear tyres yesterday and, I am told, because they’re Pirelli runflats, they’re not repairable. Even though there’s only 6000km on the vehicle and the screw is in the main tread part of the tyre.

I’m told that if they were Bridgestone, they’d be repairable.

A replacement is going to cost me $525 (US393 nd 296 pounds) fitted, this is for a P275/40 R20 106W tyre.

That’s just simply unacceptable and I will bear it in mind when I next get tyres replaced or buy a new car. I’m not about doing unsafe repairs, but that’s just crazy.

Just to confirm, went to the local Bridgestone dealer referred to me by BMW dealer after getting a screw in my tyre (800km on the clock, so not impressed), and they said the Alenza are definitely repairable. Outcome for me was a $35 repair, versus $558 for a new 275/35/21 tyre... On the whole, a good outcome!