picking up new 2012 528ix with sport package and therefore 18" wheels; tires are Goodyear Eagle Run Flats all season, 245/45/R18....Dealer pushing tire and wheel insurance through BMW at about 2400 for 3 year lease; anyone with experience and necessity for the coverage and also about the price? I am in New York, live on Long Island and most driving on Long Island but sometimes into New York (pothole) City. thanks
A friend of mine just wished he'd opted for that for his X5 lease, although he said it was $700, maybe that was for one year. Anyway, he picked up a nail, replacement tire was $400, plus I'm sure some more for mounting & balancing. If you damage a rim, that's very expensive to replace with a like wheel from BMW. Some places sell sets of wheels for less than one BMW wheel, I think. You'll have to gauge your roads - but, run flats are low profile, if they take a good hit, you stand a good chance of suffering irreparable damage to tire (run flats can't be patched, only option is replacement), and possibly wheel too. One way to look at it, is $66.67/month for 36 months, paid in advance, worth it as insurance against $300-$400 tires, and wheels that could cost nearly $1k-$2k to replace if damaged? You know your driving and your roads, you can gauge the likelihood of encountering a problem and make your judgment call. That's the gamble with insurance, you have no way of knowing if you need it - unfortunately, it's a decision you have to make up front in this case. It might be less guaranteed, but you might ask your insurance company if they can add something like that, then you could pay as you go - but if something does happen, then there's the potential for insurance company hassles - they balk, or refuse coverage, etc., a nuisance and perhaps leave you wishing you'd opted to pay out the $2400 in the first place. Sounds like a big chunk of money to me, but then those dang run flats and their wheels ain't cheap either!
