Jchungster

I noticed that my rear driver side tire kept losing psi throughout this week. I took it in to the dealership and sure enough there was a nail/screw in it... only 500 miles on the car! . Luckily it is a very slow leak so I had time to weigh my options.

Anyways they offered me the tire and wheel warranty for 3 years for ~$1500 which would also pay for the replacement tire. If I opted not to get the tire and wheel warranty, they would charge me $354 for the tire itself.

Instead, I went to discount tire and they ordered the same tire and put warranty on all 4 tires for $360 after taxes. Understand that this warranty only covers the tires itself and not the wheels but I've never had problems with wheels in the past, just tires (knock on wood).

Anyways, I think I made the right decision in this situation, but overall very frustrating! Had the car for less than 2 weeks and already need to replace the tire!

Has anyone here purchased the tire/wheel warranty through the dealership? Have you purchased it on past vehicles and if so, was it worth it? Have you every used it to replace the wheels, not just tires?

vic viper

Did you drive the car with the tire flat?, if you didnt there is no reason for replacing the tire.

Jchungster

It was not completely flat, just continiously leaking air. The continental run-flats that MB puts on them are unrepairable so must be replaced.

What do you mean there is no reason for replacing the tire? I wasn't sure what other options I had besides replacing since they could not be repaired.

ManiacGT

Dependent where the nail penetrated run flats can be repaired.

Jchungster

According to Continental, they do not recommend repair of their run-flat tires. However after some research I just saw that they have this: Mfg. Road Hazard Program*. *Replaced free of charge first year or first 2/32" of wear (whichever comes first). Continental advises that a repair to one of its tires invalidates all other manufacturer's warranties.

Seems like I should contact Continental? Do you think that they would cover this since a nail/screw is usually considered a road hazard?

vic viper

No problems to repair RF tires, I have done it lots of times without a single hiccup.

CO2010

I caught a nail on my BMW one day before trading it in for the C300. I went to three different tires shops. Tire Kingdom, Tires plus, and Good year. Not one would patch the runflat even though they told me it could be done. I ended up spending $412.00 replacing it only to give the car up the next day!

Jchungster

From what I've been told/read, it depends on the manufacturer. According to Continental:

SELF SUPPORTING RUNFLAT (SSR) TIRE OWNERS:

CTA does not recommend any repair to or reuse of punctured Continental

SSR tires

I went to both the Benz dealership and to Discount Tire and they both said it would need to be replaced and they both confirmed they cannot repair it.

vic viper

Well, both Continental and your dealer would benefit from a replacement tire,
A small puncture hole from a nail wont cause any issues with the tires run flat properties.

rustycruiser

I also had a nail hole this morning in one of my runflats. I was planning to tire plug it. Can you update this thread if you get anywhere with having Continental replace it under warranty?

Jchungster

Just got off the phone with Continental... the lady said the warranty is only for replacement tires and not the tires that originally come with the vehicle. However, as a "gesture of good will" and since the tire is still practically new, they are willing to offer a percentage towards credit of a new tire. The percentage wasn't specified since she said that the tire would have to go through an inspection first at a certifed location. Luckily the place I am buying the replacement is a certified location (discount tire). She gave me a reference number to give to discount tire when I am getting the new tire put on and then the store will call in to recieve the credit and then apply it to my transaction of the new tire.

Hope this helps... how many miles did you have on the tire?

Jchungster

True that... well I guess at least now I have warranty on all 4 tires since I bought it at discount tire! I highly recommend this warranty to anyone also. On my previous car, I had 3 tires replaced over 3 years without any haggle or issues.

miketc

Hey Vic, do you patch, plug or both to repair RF?

rustycruiser

I have had my car since mid December, and have 3100 miles on them. I am guessing I probably wont get the same good will gesture. But it is worth a try. Thanks for the info

vic viper

Depends on the damage, small round holes can be plugged from the outside, but it's hard as hell.

chicagofan00

I had purchased the tire and wheel warranty for my 335. It ended up paying for itself one day when I hit a decent sized rock on the freeway causing one wheel and tire needing to be replaced and having another wheel repaired. If I recall correctly I paid only $900 for a 5 year warranty at the time so the $1,500 the MB dealership wants to charge seems high. I was also told by the dealership that the warranty would cover me no matter what tires or wheels I had on the car, even if they were aftermarket. Not sure if push came to shove if that would have been true if I had anything other than OEM.

With all that being said, I decided to skip the wheel and tire insurance on the C400. My daily commute is nowhere near the same as it once was so I'm hoping I won't be needing it...

Jchungster

How much did they quote you for the tire and wheel warranty for the C400? I have the tire warranty now through discount tire so I'm hoping that's all I will be needing.

chicagofan00

Sorry, can't remember what the dealership wanted. I do recall it being more than I had paid for the BMW and that is part of the reason why I wasn't interested. You should be fine with just the tire warranty I would imagine.