I went through the entire process with a sales person (test drives, quotes, final lease agreement) and my monthly payment came to $463. However, when I got to the finance office, I was surprised to hear that the car had run-flat tires and that it was "very important and highly recommended" that I get the insurance for them.

Once all the insurance stuff was out of the way, my monthly payment had increased to $497. The sales persona apologized for "forgetting" to mention this during the first phase of negotiations. I felt like walking out at the time but didn't say anything and went on with the deal. I had spent hours there and was far from home, so I just wanted to get done with it.

Anyway, just fair warning to make sure that all is mentioned so that there are no surprises.

Sam

 

Sam,

Just an FYI to let you know that if you want to ditch the run-flats and have regular tires installed, the new tires WILL be covered under the Wheel & Tire Warranty that you purchased.

I've had run-flats replaced due to non-repairable incidents and when I switched to regular tires and had non-repairable incidents, the replacement process was quick & easy.

Hope this helps!

Erika

 

HOLY CRAP.... how much did you pay for the tire insurance???

Assuming you have a 60 month loan, you're paying an extra 34 per month..

That's over 2000 bucks


When I bought my '08 last month, I bought a 5 year, unlimited mileage for a no questions asked complete replacement for my runflats AND wheels for 249 bucks. TOTAL....

How much did you pay for the insurance... that's RIDICULOUS.

Mark

 

[quote=orangecrush;2341732]When I bought my '08 last month, I bought a 5 year, unlimited mileage for a no questions asked complete replacement for my runflats AND wheels for 249 bucks. TOTAL....quote]

$249 for 5 years? That's too good to be true! The program my MA quoted here in NY costs $795 for 5 years! I would have to read the fine print of your insurance, but they sound similar. I'm not taking the tire insurance ... screw it!

 

If it's the same insurance plan, my dealer offers a "tires for life" insurance plan for $2050 for run flats or $1550 for non run flats. The plan also includes wiper blade, battery, and windshield repair/replacement if road hazard damage is incurred.

Sounds like a good deal to me, given the cost of tires these days.

 

[quote=chowdah;2341777]
We've got the same plan... not sure if yours includes wheels but mine includes them also.

My plan sells for 795 bucks. I got it for a dollar over cost.

Regardless, there's still a big difference between 800 bucks and 2K.

 

Erika,

I would double check that. When I purchased my plan, my very first question was "what if I change to runflats?"

I was told that NO, it's for the exact tire type replacement. (as per the legal end of it) However, I'm sure they wouldn't be that specific but you know how some dealers are... they may use it as an excuse to not cover something.

Which makes sense... reason being, they're covering runflats which will obviously take more abuse than a regular tire. If they allow you to switch over to regular tires, the odds of replacing them are probably much greater.

I'm not saying they wouldn't, I'm just saying it's like someone putting a 15% pulley on their car and the dealer denying transmission warranty. Chances are they wouldn't... but could.

Mark

 

The plan offered by my dealer is the same as Erika's--if you switch to non run flats, you just have to contact the provider of the program and go through a hoop or two. No prohibition, though.

 

The plan I was quoted covers the original rims, but is very limited in what type of damage is covered. Also, it will only cover the runflats-If I change to non-runflats, then I'm on my own.

 

Mark,

No need for me to double-check...I've already used the coverage for run-flats & regular tires...back to run-flats...and back again to regular tires.

Another neat thing about the coverage is that I'm NOT required to go through the dealer, either.

My coverage only cost $800, too!

Erika

 

That's cool.... like I said, I'm sure what the finance guy told me was "the fineprint" but in reality, they probably wouldn't say anything.

Mine too is nationwide, they said the rims were included but they had to be the factory rims. Personally, I doubt the repair shop doing the work would know the difference but...

Mine was 795 but since my bodyshop does almost all the work at the dealership next door (same people own it) and it was the finance guy's last day (I was there at 5pm) he gave it to me for a dollar over cost.... 249.00

I'm not sure if I would have bought it at 800 bucks but for 249, absolutely....

Mark