[Zooks527]

So, after taking a sidewall hit on one of my tires yesterday, I contacted my dealer and asked about the cost to replace the tire.

Things to know up front:

• I do not have the tire/wheel insurance.
• I do have Pirelli runflats.
• Pirelli warranties all their runflats with a pro-rata replacement warranty, which must be run through a Pirelli dealer.
• I have 4/32" of the original 9/32" tread remaining.

Got a call from the dealer a little while ago. $335 all-in to replace the tire. I asked about the Pirelli warranty and received a "There is no Pirelli warranty." After I explained the details, he said they didn't know about that, but they're not a Pirelli dealer in any event, so they couldn't do anything.

Quick call to my indy. Sure, he's a Pirelli dealer, and can have an OEM BMW runflat from the warehouse this afternoon. $275 all-in before the warranty, but he figures I'll get $90 back from Pirelli for a final cost of $185. Hey, $150 less than the dealer. Works for me.

As a side note, he also said that since I have an AWD, there was a very high probability that Pirelli would cover replacing all 4 tires on the car at the warranty price. Mildly tempting, but I hate the runflats so much that I think I'll just run them out and then replace with a set of Continental DWS when the time comes. Price will be about the same.


Two observations:

1. Fortunately, I'm running on the T-spare, otherwise, BMW roadside assistance would have just dropped my car at the dealer, and I'd have no options.
2. The dealer isn't a rep for the OEM tires that come on the car, so you're SOL if you don't take the tire insurance. Really??

[overcoil]

Good post, I know my dealership wouldn't pro-rate a Michelin PSS bubble - but my friend with body shop would warranty tyre through their supplier - I didn't take that offer - so can't confirm.

[Sportstick]

The new DWS06 are great UHPAS tires. I have them on my wife's Audi A6. If you want to dial up fun/handling a bit over quiet/soft, check this out from the Rack. As you likely know, Michelin owns the Bridgestone brand, and this is a lower price position variant of the Pilot Sport AS 3+, per one of the Michelin tech advisors.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....RatingsReviews

With only 4/32 left, swapping out all four does seem the most reasonable course for you today!

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

With only 4/32 left, swapping out all four does seem the most reasonable course for you today!

Well, they only started with 9/32", and I should have clarified 4/32" usable (over the wear bars). Much as I dislike them, they're only half done.

The Bridgestone is at a hell of a price point, but the tread doesn't seem to look anything like the A/S 3+

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Well, they only started with 9/32", and I should have clarified 4/32" usable (over the wear bars). Much as I dislike them, they're only half done.

Ah...got it....but as you (understandably) dislike them so much, why prolong the suffering? The DWS06 went on our Audi a few months after the car was new just so we could remove the OE ProContacts. Much better now!

[xantdieselx]

I had the same situation about a couple months back. No tire/wheel insurance. Got a nail in one of my Pirelli RFT's. My car had 3k on it so essentially less than 1/32 wear. Dealer replaced the tire for free. There are some really good dealers out there.

[wtfbrah]

So what's the dealio with runflats?

All I've heard is that they significantly increase the firmness of your ride, making it almost unbearable in sport mode, and are more prone to sidewall bubbles. They also clearly won't stop a catastrophic damage event... So it seems they're only useful for those "got a nail in my tire" situations.

Opinions - is the rougher ride really worth that peace of mind?

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by xantdieselx

I had the same situation about a couple months back. No tire/wheel insurance. Got a nail in one of my Pirelli RFT's. My car had 3k on it so essentially less than 1/32 wear. Dealer replaced the tire for free. There are some really good dealers out there.

Or your dealer is a Pirelli dealer as well. With under 2/32" wear and less than a year old, Pirelli's warranty gives you a free tire. Sure, the dealer has to kick in a free mount / balance, but that's a lot of good will for short cost.

[DanG]

I went with the A/S 3+ and really like them.

[Supernaut]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

The new DWS06 are great UHPAS tires. I have them on my wife's Audi A6. If you want to dial up fun/handling a bit over quiet/soft, check this out from the Rack. As you likely know, Michelin owns the Bridgestone brand, and this is a lower price position variant of the Pilot Sport AS 3+, per one of the Michelin tech advisors.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....RatingsReviews

With only 4/32 left, swapping out all four does seem the most reasonable course for you today!

The link is for a BF Goodrich tire but you're mentioning Bridgestone...

[Dylan86]

AFAIK the only thing BMW "could" do for you is contact Pirelli on your behalf regarding a manufacturing defect in the tire to start the warranty process. Since this is a sidewall bust, I wouldn't expect anything from anyone unless you had an additional road hazard warranty. If you have a shop willing to do a pro rated exchange for a new tire, I would proceed with them as that's already outside of standard warranty replacements of most tire brands. Usually, tire dealers themselves have the ability to do a pro rate in most conditions, just not many are willing to do so if you didn't buy the tires from them. Especially outside of the standard defect warranty.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

Since this is a sidewall bust, I wouldn't expect anything from anyone unless you had an additional road hazard warranty.

And you would be wrong. EVERY Pirelli runflat tire comes with a pro-rated warranty that covers both damage and defect. It's not just a defect warranty, it's a road hazard warranty as well.
https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/.../tire-warranty

"Pirelli provides road hazard coverage on all Pirelli produced tires that are manufactured with run flat technology. To qualify for Run Flat Road Hazard coverage, a completed claim form along with the tire exhibiting the road hazard must be returned to Pirelli through an authorized Pirelli dealer. "

All you need to do is take them to a Pirelli dealer. Now, one would think that since BMW sold me the car with the Pirelli tires, they would do so through BMWNA, but no. Or, conversely, the delaer would rather not.

So, if you're dropped off at a BMW dealer by BMW Roadside Assistance, you get to pay for the full price of a tire even though it carries a far-better-than-standard warranty that you paid for in the cost of the car. Such a deal.

[Dylan86]

^^

Ok, you're right and I'm wrong. Never ran run flats myself, hence why I wasn't aware of this. Good to know. Looks like you have it all figured out...

D

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Supernaut

The link is for a BF Goodrich tire but you're mentioning Bridgestone...

Brain short circuit. Sorry. Welcome to my 60s!

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

Good to know. Looks like you have it all figured out...

D

But it's just irritating. You get sold a car whose tires have a great warranty, but you can't access it if you rely on BMW Roadside ("we'll tow you to a dealer").

Doesn't hurt me, just adds an extra level of effort, because I have the spare an can drive to my other mechanic. But you've got to feel bad for the people who don't know about it and who rely on the dealer when they have a problem. They're getting stuck with extra costs they shouldn't have to pay.

[Dylan86]

I hear you brother. People get hosed left, right and center constantly with newer cars and tire related issues. Most stories I hear, dealers are not friendly when it comes to defective tires, unless you buy their road hazard warranty, which is silly IMO. OR they just tell you to deal with the manufacturer yourself and open a case to get it covered. To me, the dealer should go above and beyond to help you through the process, especially while under the vehicles warranty period.

Best thing I ever did was buy a third party wheel/tire/windshield protection plan. It was $800 and it has a total coverage amount of $8000 over 5 years. I've already had my runflats replaced with PSS's ($1800 bill) which was fully covered by my protection plan. You can have multiple claims under the same policy too, and they cover wheels and the pricey windshields we have. In the mountains here, there's shale all over the place at times and you can certainly lose 2-4 tires if you're not paying attention or night driving over the passes, not to mention the inevitable windshield chips/cracks that are bound to happen if you drive here often enough.

I plan on "running" over some shale once these ones wear down

[Pparana]

Tire markup at the dealer is minimal, they really don't want to pull a tech and do tires for free, so warranty work on tires is really not something they are interested in. Just the reality of it. The dealer techs and service are about on par with jiffy lube in my mind. Only vehicles I really let them service are ones we lease.

[xantdieselx]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Or your dealer is a Pirelli dealer as well. With under 2/32" wear and less than a year old, Pirelli's warranty gives you a free tire. Sure, the dealer has to kick in a free mount / balance, but that's a lot of good will for short cost.

Nope not a Pirelli dealer. They quoted me the price for a new tire. I said go ahead and replace it. When I picked up the car they said there was no charge. They good willed the tire/mount/balance.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by xantdieselx

Nope not a Pirelli dealer. They quoted me the price for a new tire. I said go ahead and replace it. When I picked up the car they said there was no charge. They good willed the tire/mount/balance.

And may well now be first on your list when thinking about a dealer for your next car. Good will pays.

[BentZero]

OP I hope you let the dealer know that you found an indie that would work with the Pirelli warranty

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by BentZero

OP I hope you let the dealer know that you found an indie that would work with the Pirelli warranty

Yup. And the response was "Oh, OK. Good."


So I stopped by my indy this morning to get the new tire, and the Pirelli rep was there (he needed to stop by this week anyway, so the owner set it up while I was there). In addition to having him confirm 40% off the price of the new tire, I also got tickets to a "Ride & Drive" next year where they're doing a same car / different tires day. Works for me!

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Yup. And the response was "Oh, OK. Good."


So I stopped by my indy this morning to get the new tire, and the Pirelli rep was there (he needed to stop by this week anyway, so the owner set it up while I was there). In addition to having him confirm 40% off the price of the new tire, I also got tickets to a "Ride & Drive" next year where they're doing a same car / different tires day. Works for me!

Dang, that's nice. my response to the dealer would have been "Oh, okay. You've just lost a customer."