[murcielago07]

Hi,

I am purchasing a CPO 328i Coupe,

They asked me if I want to buy Winter Tires and Tire Warranty.

I only drove a car that has 16" wheels,
my 18" new wheels and tires, would they get punctured easily?
these guys are scaring me that 1500 payment will be nothing compared
to punctures I may get in the future especially in Toronto...

Let me know what u guys think,
Can I also get cheaper winter tires somewhere? and where?
BMW winters were too expensive..

thank you

[vantage_coupe]

Theres a good thread in the Canada section that discusses this. My personal opinion is get it if you plan on having runflats for winter and summer.

If you plan on changing to non-runflats anyway then it probably doesn't make sense to buy the tire warranty.

[hubble bubble]

$1,500!!!!! that is really steep. I used to audit car dealers and these warranty packages are the HIGHEST profit margin of anything they sell, even more profitable than the service department.

Your wheels run $700 each. Your tires run $300-$400 from the dealer. BMW reduces the coverage on the tires as you wear out the tread (half-tread = 50% of costs covered). So you need to replace 2 wheel and tires or 10+ partially worn tires before the tire warranty pays for itself.

ANY tire place will sell you the exact same tires as the dealer for 20-40% less. Search the Canada forum for tire places in your area if you only want tires.

BUT, if you plan on keeping the car for 3 years or more, you really should have a set of winter wheels and tires. Try www.tirerack.com. They are the #1 tire retailer in the world - good service, great prices (only Costco can compete with them on price), shipped to your door by UPS in about 1 week. You can even see what different wheels would look like on your car. The house brand wheels are called sport edition - I have both my and my wife's winter tires on these wheels for 5 years without any problems.

If you ski or drive on in the snow belt on a semi regular basis, I highly recommend the Michelin Xice 2. You will give up some dry handling performance, but nothing beats them on snow and ice. Nothing. If you mostly want something decent for driving around the city and major highways, you might want to consider a sport performance tire. Not much better than "normal" all seasons in snow, but your car will drive great on dry, cold roads. Dunlops get good reviews on the tire forums. Me, I drive Nokan Hakkapeliitta R snow tires from Finland. Most BMW driving instructors put Hakkas on thier personal cars, as do many Subaru/Mitzu ice racer freaks.

If you have any questions, contact Gary@tirerack.com. He is all over the wheel and tires forum and is a long time wheel guy and BMW owner.

[w2]

Originally Posted by murcielago07

these guys are scaring me that 1500 payment will be nothing compared
to punctures I may get in the future especially in Toronto...

How much is a replacement tire? At $300 per tire, you have to have five tire failures in order to break even, and six for the warranty to be worth it. Over a four year period, that's one tire failure every eight months. Do you normally go through tires that quickly?

In a four year period, expecting one tire failure is not unreasonable, but maybe you have an affinity for potholes and spike strips and so expect to lose two on average. That's a $600 repair, which is $900 cheaper than the warranty. If you think your average failure rate is going to be two tires every four years, you will need to have a failure rate that is three times average in order for the warranty to pay off. Otherwise, you are going to come out behind.

My personal average tire failure rate has been 1 tire every 7 years, so at $300 per tire, I would expect to pay an average of of $42.86 per year for failed tire replacement, or $171.43 over a four year period. For me, then I would need to have a tire failure rate that is nine times my historical average for that kind of warranty to pay for itself. The chance of it paying for itself is so remote that I wouldn't even consider it.

In general, extended warranties have a very high profit margin, which is why they are pushed so hard. Occasionally, a particular warranty ends up paying out more than it cost, but in the long run, you are better off taking that money and putting it in an investment account so you have a pool of money to insure yourself against life's little disasters. Keeping one large pool of emergency money in a bank account is cheaper than buying a bunch of individual warranties for each item you own.

[aatj698]

The lowest you can go is $900. I got mine at $950 for 5 years and it can be put on the negotiated price of the car. Hope this help.

[TheDarkone]

i heard that on your 5th tire there is a deductable.

[zkhi]

Tire23 in Mississauga has been the best in price and service.

[aatj698]

Tread depth must be at or bigger than 3/32 for a equivalent replacement from them free of charge including labour, and this is the only condition on the contract. If you go to the dealer you purchased it you do not have to shell out a dime. You will get a refund instead if you go to a different dealer and they ask you to pay.