exTDI

At the urging of the dealer I bought a 5-year policy on my CPO's 18" wheels and tires, in addition to a Continental bumper to bumper warranty.

The 18" 5-spokes retail for around $450, much less than I was led to believe.
Tires are under $200.

I've never popped a tire or bent a wheel with extensive driving on 40- and 50- profile tires. Only once did I scrape a wheel and quickly learned that lesson.

I know there's a aftermarket warranty sub-forum, but the question I have for other W212 owners is: Would you buy one again?

cetialpha5

The real question is, how much did you pay? In the last 2 years, I've had 3 flat tires on my 18 inch rims. Also one bent and bubble tire. No tire warranty. About $125 to fix the bent rim, and tires were in the $180 range each. The last 2 were when the tires had about 30k on them and weren't good for much longer so they were almost shot. I was offered the warranty at $2k which I declined but I've heard of others just charging 1K. I think I'm still ahead even at 1k so far.

exTDI

I paid waaaaay too much: $2297.

mellonc

I laughed at the finance dept lady who tried to sell me that thing. I said, "is this some kind of prank?" She was quite offended that I said that. I guess her customers have never heard of people taking off current wheels to put on aftermarket wheels. I don't know but it seemed like she was selling me paint sealer/protection system which is a giant joke. anyways, I couldn't stop laughing for at least a full minute..... and then she offered the 2 year extension on my CPO warranty for $3800..... then I simply started crying from laughing even harder and showed her a quote from another dealer (who participates in this form) for less than $1800.

I finally asked her, how do you exactly make your living? by cheating gullible people?

beejAMG

you could have gotten a nice set of aftermarket 20's for that price.

you actually said those words to a lady? from where i come from, thats how people get slap and then they have that wondering look in their face...WHY, WHAT DID I SAY?

IgorE350

I dont understand people who buys warranties on cars. Its like flushing $$$ down the toilet. I might be wrong who knows.. I got my set of 4 nice 18"rims, tires and new sensors plus mount and balance i think it was like $1100 the whole thing.

fosterelli

You can't hate on a lady for trying to up-sell...that's how the finance personnel make bonuses and spiffs - which can make a big difference to them. I, like most buyers, go in knowing I'm not paying extra for anything...but I don't blame them for trying, nor offend them for doing their job. It's like the Xfinity salesperson trying to sell me a land line...no thanks, but all good.

It is quite amazing how many things some dealerships will try to sell - glass coverage, wheel/tire coverage, undercoatings, paint sealant, ding/dent/scratch insurance, LoJack, VIN etching...man I could go on all day...and I haven't even touched extended warranties, gap insurance, etc.

IgorE350

You made my day But what is the most funny that a lot of people buy that and they feel good about it lol

davidjohnbamber

Why would you buy a "Continental Bumper to Bumper warranty", when you can buy two additional years of CPO warranty for about 2k if you shop around with info from this website, and others?

exTDI

Because it gets me an extra (3rd) year and I tend to keep cars a long time - good cars, anyway.

The G Man

You paid way too much, I was offered $500 for two years for 19" AMG wheels and tires. I decline, sadly, I got a nail on the side of one of my tire last month, cost me $400 to fix. The way I look at it, I am still a $100 ahead.
Those finance managers are ruthless, my finance guy had a cut out of a damaged wheel for show and tell, he was also super aggressive which I did not like. Living in Virginia, I would not think you need tire and wheel protection at all. If you live in New York or Boston, it might be a good idea, especially if you have runflat tires.
I believe by law, you have a certain amount of time to cancel the policy and get a refund., you might want to check into that.

Rogue Leader

NYer here and decided against the wheel/tire warranty despite 2 friends who are both Mercedes master techs recommending it - at first.

The truth is it is easy to damage low profile wheels and tires, especially in NY with potholes. My friends regaled me with stories of replacing multiple wheels on people's cars. But then we discussed it more and realize that I (and people whom care enough about their Mercedes to be posting on this forum) aren't "typical Mercedes owners".

As a whole we tend to treat our cars better, avoid using the curb as a parking guide, avoid pot holes, etc. And by extension the likelihood of us damaging a rim goes down. On top of that, we as a whole, would be more likely to figure out an economical solution (such as my local rim repair which will fix one to new condition for $125), vs drive back to the dealer and say "its broke fix it" and walk out with a $1000 bill for a $600 rim, $180 tire, and "installation fees". For someone like that, its worth it.

As for abusing the finance manager, they are just doing their job, in fact they would get in trouble if they didn't ask. Really not nice to abuse them.

cetialpha5

I think the problem is that with low profile tires and 18" rims, it's only a matter of time. It doesn't matter how good a driver you are, sometimes you just can't avoid that pothole, especially at night or in the rain.

But yes, there are cheaper alternatives than the dealer. I remember when I was quoted 2k for the tire package, the finance guy had a bunch of other options like their extended warranty and the usual fabric, rustproofing etc that added up to over 10k, the car was under 20k. I can't imagine someone walking in and paying 50% more for a car by taking them up on all the optional items, but I guess it probably happens. I declined all of it and the guy didn't give me a hard time.

mellonc

I admit I exaggerated a little. I said "how does your dealer......." rather than "how do you........" I was the Eskimo being sold ice that day....

DC-IT

I may be the exception. I bought the Tire & Rim protection for my 2013 E350BT for only CAD$940.00 on June, 2013 with a 60 months coverage.
Over the past 44 months of driving my car, my claims have so far come up to around $3,000.00 for 1 rim + 3 winter tires + 2 all seasons! And I still have 16 months coverage left. Even though my tires are not run flats, my dealer won't repair a flat tire even if it has a nail and simply replace the whole tire. This happened the last claim when I brought it in because one tire was leaking air. Instead when the dealer checked two tires had nail in them so both tires were replaced without any questions. I said how come the tires were not plug as I felt guilty for having so many tires replaced.My dealer said since you've the coverage we'd rather just get you a new tire.

beejAMG

good on you for getting brand new tyres all the time.
but if you look at it from another angle, i reckon youre still at a lost. 1 brand new wheel will not cost you $300 if you know where to look. 3-4 punctured tyres/repaired wont cost you $100 good as new. so id say youre still short of around $540 to break even, good news is, you still have 16mos, so try to nail those nails on the road.

not sure how you came up with $3k but if thats how you see it, then youre way ahead of the game.

DC-IT

There's more to the story... When I bought my car the Sales Manager sold me a set of used O.E.M. alloy rims plus 4 used Pirelli Winter Sottozero Seie II tires which were good for 2 more seasons for $1,000.00. My protection also covers both winter and all season tires and O.E.M. rims so I've replaced two used winter tires and one rim for brand new ones since then!

Firestopper0383

Through my ownership when I owned a 2010 E350 with AMG package and 18"wheels, I had to replace both front wheels due to cracks in rims from hitting a large pot hole and 3 of the 4 Continental tires over 3 years. I felt the wheel and tire warranty was worth the price I paid.