[Cars are the new horse]

Thoughts?

[ilidon]

i got it and i regret it. had my other car (Si) for almost two years without getting a flat or bent rim... don't get it, just a waste of money.

[Noc57]

Yes, for the love of God....get tire and wheel insurance.

Trust me if you don't....

you'll hit a huge pothole and bend 1 or two rims. Oh and say goodbye to your tires too. RF's are notorious for being crap if you hit a pothole....say hello to side-wall bubble.

Happened to me a week after I got the car...bam pothole. Bent two rims and had to replace a tire....cost me $1000+

Hell, that one time would have almost already paid for the warranty....I'm constantly on the lookout now, dodging pot-holes.

[darkphantom]

^I drive looking out for potholes regardless

[triton.]

$1200 seems steep. I paid $500 for 5 years of coverage, followed the car, not the specific wheels. Had a bubble on one run flat, nail in another run flat. Was about $450 to change each tire including labor. It's a gamble, but I think worth it for the price I paid for it. $1200 I would probably pass.

Another factor, most bmw dealerships won't patch a run flat tire, will make you buy a new one.

[742]

This is a financial risk management decision, and not one that can be made on an Internet message board.

Obviously the average customer is going to pay more for any form of insurance than the insurance company is going to, on average, be paying out. Otherwise the insurance company would be out of business.

How disastrous would the risk of having to buy the occasional new tire and wheel be? If you can afford it (not necessarily like it), then you will come out ahead by not buying the insurance. And the same goes for the protection plans for the new washing machine, TV, laptop computer and so on. On average, over a long period of time. On the other hand if your cash flow management is tight, and unexpected expenses a serious problem, then such insurance might be in order.

[Potty_Pants]

$1200 way too high.

anywhere from 300-600 for roadhazzard. I paid $400.

ppp

[TT3 iN NyC]

I definately think its worth it. I paid $500 though when I bought my car. $1200 is a bit steep IMHO.

[EDK99]

Originally Posted by Noc57

Yes, for the love of God....get tire and wheel insurance.

Trust me if you don't....

you'll hit a huge pothole and bend 1 or two rims. Oh and say goodbye to your tires too. RF's are notorious for being crap if you hit a pothole....say hello to side-wall bubble.

Happened to me a week after I got the car...bam pothole. Bent two rims and had to replace a tire....cost me $1000+

Hell, that one time would have almost already paid for the warranty....I'm constantly on the lookout now, dodging pot-holes.

They have potholes in Tampa? I've been in Orlando 8 years and have not seen a pot hole in Florida that would do that kind of damage. I was in Chicago last week (where I use to live) and their were pot holes everywhere that could swallow a car. First off I probably would of never bought my 335 if I still lived up their. I'd still have a SUV.

For $1200 I would pass. That is way to steep. Just think of how many tires and rims you would have to go through to get to 1200? A few for sure.

[ragingclue]

Well I'm not sure what the roads are like in Houston, but that's a steep price for the coverage, regardless of location.

I've had my car for 9 months, and just had both rear tires replaced because of nails in them. The cost for the tire alone (without install) at the dealer was $390 each. I'm surprised none of my rims have bitten the dust with some of the shit I've hit up here on the roads, but it's only a matter of time.

It really mostly depends on your location.

[Kevro]

If you keep the fragile runflats, you'll likely need to replace them frequently. On the other hand, if you use that $1200 to buy a set of more resilient non-runflat tires, you're less likely to incur damage that necessitates replacement (not to mention all the other benefits of non-runflat tires).

If you had this same coverage on your G35, would it have paid for itself? Assuming you'll be driving on the same roads in the new car, past performance may be indicative of future results.

[Rui V]

Car is actually at the dealer right now getting one of the RFT's replaced. $450 to replace. I paid $500 for the tire and wheel insurance for 5 years, so if you can get it down to around the same price, do it!

[Noc57]

Originally Posted by EK_335i

They have potholes in Tampa? I've been in Orlando 8 years and have not seen a pot hole in Florida that would do that kind of damage. I was in Chicago last week (where I use to live) and their were pot holes everywhere that could swallow a car. First off I probably would of never bought my 335 if I still lived up their. I'd still have a SUV.

For $1200 I would pass. That is way to steep. Just think of how many tires and rims you would have to go through to get to 1200? A few for sure.

No, not really. But I've had to put a few highway miles on my car heading up north and let me tell you.....Michigan has to be one of the worst areas for potholes in the US. It's literally impossible to miss potholes that are pretty much paved into the road (including highways).

It's even worse for me as I have the 19" 230's. If you hit any sort of pot-hole say goodbye to the rim, as well as the tire.

So if you plan on doing any sort of long distance traveling with your car and have no idea what you're going to run into, I'd probably man up and buy the $1200 insurance.

Cost of 1 RF tire= $375+

Cost of 1 bent rim= $500+

One incident basically pays it off.

[shifterboy45]

Heck,

I know there are a lot of nay-sayers about the benefits of extended warranties, and to some extent I would agree, on things like laptops and refrigs, and household appliances.

But I have also been on the other side of the phone call when someone asks -- can I still get that extended warranty coverage on my <whatever it may be>? . I dont try to sell stuff like this, so please know I'm currently speaking as a consumer.

I bought the wheel and tires coverage (not for 1200.00, thats way too steep in my opinion) only because if something should happen at an inopportune time in my life or the cars life, I rather not have to worry about it. I have the 230 option which are somewhat costly - one tire and rim combo is not gonna be cheap and there are a lot of potholes and unexpected crap in the road (like last night) to justify the "piece of mind" that I want when im on the highway.

Its funny, we rarely if ever complain or question we need life/house/fire or flood insurance -- and we pay some outrageous premiums for that coverage, and seldom will we use or need it -- but when all hell breaks loose, boy are we glad we have it. Hope your F/I people will give you some type of break on the price if you decide to get the protection plan.

cheers

[Angry3]

I think what a lot of people forget is that these policies are littered with exclusions, and there's a lot of red tape that has to be navigated. If you think you these companies are going to just pay out on a $1500 claim for 2 tires and 2 rims, don't be mistaken. Bottom line: these policies are only as good as the underwriting company, and just as importantly the selling dealer & their willingness to bring heat on the insurer if and when you file a claim.

If you drive a lot of miles, and you have a lot of potholes and bad roads, the hazard insurance may be worth considering. It doesn't make sense for me.

As others have said, $1200 is pricey for this coverage. There was/is a supporting dealer on another forum selling this coverage in the $400-$500 range, so you know that there's typically a lot of markup in these policies.

[Angry3]

Originally Posted by shifterboy45

Heck,

I know there are a lot of nay-sayers about the benefits of extended warranties, and to some extent I would agree, on things like laptops and refrigs, and household appliances.

But I have also been on the other side of the phone call when someone asks -- can I still get that extended warranty coverage on my <whatever it may be>? . I dont try to sell stuff like this, so please know I'm currently speaking as a consumer.

I bought the wheel and tires coverage (not for 1200.00, thats way too steep in my opinion) only because if something should happen at an inopportune time in my life or the cars life, I rather not have to worry about it. I have the 230 option which are somewhat costly - one tire and rim combo is not gonna be cheap and there are a lot of potholes and unexpected crap in the road (like last night) to justify the "piece of mind" that I want when im on the highway.

Its funny, we rarely if ever complain or question we need life/house/fire or flood insurance -- and we pay some outrageous premiums for that coverage, and seldom will we use or need it -- but when all hell breaks loose, boy are we glad we have it. Hope your F/I people will give you some type of break on the price if you decide to get the protection plan.

cheers

I agree that the piece of mind you get with this insurance has value, but I don't see the parallel between this coverage and auto/home insurance. That coverage is often mandated by state law or lenders, and even when it isn't it gives protection against catastrophic losses that almost no one can self insure against.

[Frosty]

I have gone through at least 7 tires due to bubbles.... and have a screw and bubble currently... ZSP

For me, tire insurance has been more than worth it.... $595 out of pocket (in 2006)... has covered ~$2,500 in tires..

on the contrary for my girls R32, $800 for tire wheel protection (INT.I.R.E) and it has taken 40 days...to date... I have yet to be reembursed for first use of insurance..

~Frost

[John 070]

My tire/wheel protection was $390 for 5 years and covers the rims. I don't know why the prices are all over the place but since the beginning of time salesmen have tried to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, I guess these weird extended warranties are available for unsuspecting victims......

[jopa489]

Pass. I don't think all of that extra crap the dealer tries to sell is worth it at all. Between all the exclusions and upfront costs, I'll deal with it when I have a problem. It's just a way of the dealer making a few extra hundred bucks off you - if it was worth it to most customers, they wouldn't be offering it.

The only one I'd even briefly consider is the tire/wheel protection. I ended up passing on it, but can understand how it could be worth it. Only $400-600 which isn't terribly high considering the cost of these RFTs. Then again, if you don't want RFTs skip this too - BMW will only give you RFTs.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by Angry3

I agree that the piece of mind you get with this insurance has value, but I don't see the parallel between this coverage and auto/home insurance. That coverage is often mandated by state law or lenders, and even when it isn't it gives protection against catastrophic losses that almost no one can self insure against.

I agree, but human nature overrides sensibility. I've never had a car nor house claim, and must have paid over 20k in premiums. A human says, but you just never know, I'll keep paying. A business says let me hire some actuaries to figure out that I don't need insurance, I'll self-insure.

How many people does Travelers employ? How many people do they collect from? They just got added to the Dow, it's a pretty good bet they understand human nature and take that money down.

[roozie2001]

i got 3 tires replaced so far but now that i have new rims i dunno if its worth it. Can u get your money back on the remainder?? like a pro rated amt?

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by roozie2001

i got 3 tires replaced so far but now that i have new rims i dunno if its worth it. Can u get your money back on the remainder?? like a pro rated amt?

Haha, highly doubt it. Nice thought though.