[hufington]

I was wondering if anyone changed their tires right at the dealer before delivery from runflats to regular tires to avoid any tire and wheel issues with them.

I am thinking about doing so instead of buying the rather expensive tire protection plan from the dealer. I can buy a set of tires from the Tire rack or Discount Tire and get their relatively inexpensive road hazard plan.

And at the lease end, I can return the car with its original set of tires.

What do you guys think?

[bmw-man-uk]

If your changing to Non RFT, you can't risk not having a spare, thus it would be wise to buy a single alloy in the same size/design and put a cheap tyre on that too, obviously it would have to be the same dimensions as the front tyres.

or just put up with RFT's, bewary of the tyre insurance, read the t&c's the bmw uk version of the policy usually stipulates a minimum tread depth of 3mm across middle 75% of tyre (when the legal limit is only 1.6mm here) also if your rft's are 19"+ and low profile then you might find you'll be paying the differance per tyre as these policys usually set a max limit for tyre price.

Just my 2p's worth, hope its helpful.

[rjm98119]

How much is the tire & wheel protection right now? I don't remember what it was when I took deliver of my '13 535 in November.

Since you're leasing, Keep in mind (I think/thought) that insurance also covers damage to the wheels themselves. I'm not sure how forgiving your dealer is (mine is super-forgiving), but some dealers charge $150+ for even the most minor scuff. Bend/break it (unlikely, but...) and you're looking at a big bill. So, if you are planning to use the factory wheels, it might be worth it, regardless of what you do with tires, depending on cost.

Also... you on 18's or 19's? Those damn 19" RFT are sickeningly expensive, so if you don't change 'em out, just get the insurance.

That said: I drove 300 miles on my stock 19's and then ditched 'em for a set of Sportline CS wheels with Conti DWS tires (great wheels, not sold yet on the tires) and I am happier. Stock tire/wheel is terrible set up. Will return to dealer with fresh original tires/wheels, as you say. This is what I did in my 2008 335 and was much happier for that last year without the RFTs.

[crl8474]

I drove my car from the dealership directly to Discount Tire where they sold me the warranty and road hazard coverage. I wasn't sure they would do it but they told me it was okay so long as the tires were new. Keep in mind that this doesn't cover the wheels. There have been well documented issues with the OEM wheels bending (I currently have two that are bent) so this is something to consider also.

[hufington]

Originally Posted by crl8474

I drove my car from the dealership directly to Discount Tire where they sold me the warranty and road hazard coverage. I wasn't sure they would do it but they told me it was okay so long as the tires were new. Keep in mind that this doesn't cover the wheels. There have been well documented issues with the OEM wheels bending (I currently have two that are bent) so this is something to consider also.

They did that for the factory tires?

[hufington]

Originally Posted by rjm98119

How much is the tire & wheel protection right now? I don't remember what it was when I took deliver of my '13 535 in November.

Since you're leasing, Keep in mind (I think/thought) that insurance also covers damage to the wheels themselves. I'm not sure how forgiving your dealer is (mine is super-forgiving), but some dealers charge $150+ for even the most minor scuff. Bend/break it (unlikely, but...) and you're looking at a big bill. So, if you are planning to use the factory wheels, it might be worth it, regardless of what you do with tires, depending on cost.

Also... you on 18's or 19's? Those damn 19" RFT are sickeningly expensive, so if you don't change 'em out, just get the insurance.

That said: I drove 300 miles on my stock 19's and then ditched 'em for a set of Sportline CS wheels with Conti DWS tires (great wheels, not sold yet on the tires) and I am happier. Stock tire/wheel is terrible set up. Will return to dealer with fresh original tires/wheels, as you say. This is what I did in my 2008 335 and was much happier for that last year without the RFTs.

My dealership is not very trustworthy so I am not sure about their service department. I will have to find a nice authorized service in NJ.

[hufington]

Originally Posted by bmw-man-uk

If your changing to Non RFT, you can't risk not having a spare, thus it would be wise to buy a single alloy in the same size/design and put a cheap tyre on that too, obviously it would have to be the same dimensions as the front tyres.

or just put up with RFT's, bewary of the tyre insurance, read the t&c's the bmw uk version of the policy usually stipulates a minimum tread depth of 3mm across middle 75% of tyre (when the legal limit is only 1.6mm here) also if your rft's are 19"+ and low profile then you might find you'll be paying the differance per tyre as these policys usually set a max limit for tyre price.

Just my 2p's worth, hope its helpful.

I will have a bottle of tire fix foam with me at the least in case I change to non-RFT.

[crl8474]

Originally Posted by hufington

They did that for the factory tires?

Yes. I heard from a buddy that they would do this so I gave it a shot and it worked. They checked the tires and odometer to confirm mileage but it wasn't an issue. The bad news is that the insurance on run flats is much more expensive and you'll want to make sure they can get the same tire should one need replacing.