SV-

Hi all,

I would appreciate quick answers to this problem as I need to solve it asap.
Today I noticed a bubble on the sidewall of the front right tire. What's worrying me even more is the fact that the tire is cut open and you can see the metallic material. Tire is P Zero.




(The curb rash has nothing to do with the bubble, as it was a very, very light rash (but my wife still hates herself for it) and the bubble appeared many weeks after the rash)

I need to change this tire asap, but am I covered by any warranty? Should I try my luck to have this covered (at least partially) by the dealership?
I didn't take the tire/wheel protection as it was 1800-1900 CAD, not worth it IMO for a 2 year lease.

Help!

Mr. J

Not a chance in hell that they'll cover it without the wheel and tire plan, sorry

ManiacGT

Your best chance is to recover replacement costs from your local council/road maintenance authority if you don't have tyre insurance.

I'd get that tyre replaced as a matter of urgency however.

Mike5215

The rim shows abrasions at the site of the sidewall rupture so the appearance is that the wheel was curbed. (See the other abrasion on the sidewall to the left of rupture).You'll probably just have to eat the replacement cost.

Those 19" run flats seem to fail in that same location a lot. This may not be the last tire you eat even if they're not curbed. Switching to a non RF set now might save some future headaches.

whippet007

Simple:

Replace the tire.

It looks as if the tire was pinched between the (?) and the rim.
I really doubt that you will get any compensation especially with the curb rash presenting itself right next to the tire damage.

DapperStyle

Chances are when the wheel was curbed there was a small tear in the sidewall that likely went unnoticed- by driving on it it has split open further. Check out tirerack and discount tire for a replacement tire.

lbowroom

For sure there is a 100% correlation between the rash and the split. Just because the split opened up weeks later doesn't mean it wasn't initially caused by the sidewall rubbing against the curb. But yes, run-flat sidewalls are notorious to split easily.

BenzC400

I had a similar rip in a 19" Pirelli Sottozero winter tire. It was covered by my tire and wheel policy. I also had similar damage to my 19" mutlispoke rim (on another wheel.) The rim damage was also covered. I doubt the regular warranty would cover either damage. It won't hurt to ask though. The repair to the rim was valued at $150. Even if it had not been covered, I would have had it repaired.

ItalianJoe1

Warranty covers defects, not driver error. That's why they sell additional coverage for tires and wheels, to cover driver inflicted damage.

Go buy a new tire and be more careful in the future.

BenzC400

Check out the Pirelli runflat road hazard warranty that is included with the tire purchase. It might apply to this type of damage, even if it's caused by road hazards. You might even be able to make a case that the tire was defective.

https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/.../tire-warranty

Look under special warranty information. It reads:

"Road Hazard Policy for Run Flat Tires Only
Pirelli Run Flat tires are manufactured with technology that allows limited low inflation operation in the event of sudden loss of pressure. Pirelli does not recommend the repair of run flat tires and as a result, 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.
If a Run Flat tire becomes unserviceable due to workmanship or materials anomalies or road hazard injury during the initial warranty period, which is one year from the date of original retail purchase of the vehicle or purchase of replacement tires (purchase receipt required) or within the first 2/32” of the original usable tread, whichever occurs first, the tire will be replaced with the same or comparable tire at no charge for the tire to the owner. After the initial warranty period, if a Run Flat tire becomes unserviceable due to workmanship or materials anomalies or road hazard injury, the owner must pay the cost of a comparable new Pirelli brand or PTNA private brand replacement tire on a pro-rata basis. The authorized Pirelli dealer will determine the cost by multiplying the percentage of the original usable tread worn by the current dealer selling price. The owner must pay for any associated service charges, including costs associated with mounting and balancing of the tire."

SV-

Alright, so I dropped the car at the dealership, and the parts department manager said the damage was covered by Pirelli's road hazard warranty. Tire was still considered new (less than 2/32 gone) and it was fully covered, I just paid 64$ workmanship.

They had to take it off another (brand new, unsold) car on the lot however because they said the P Zero was back ordered.

Very happy and pleasantly surprised with the outcome. However it did take some time for the parts manager to find that warranty, as he initially said there was nothing he could do. So I had to insist a bit.

And to the one saying drive more carefully : just like anyone is at risk of having an accident, these things can and do happen to anyone. You shouldn't chalk it up to wrecklessness.

Thanks to BenzC400 for pointing the warranty out.. no doubt it will help others.

pvrick

Had something similar happen on my Conti DSW 06 with 3000 miles that replaced the lousy Pirelli p zero run flats. Educated the tire dealer and used the Conti road hazard warranty and it was replaced. I will have to get the wheel cleaned up under tire and wheel policy.