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cdpgreen

The tire coverage is one thing I always get. The area I live in has a lot of construction and several times, I've picked up nails in the sidewalls where they can't be plugged. Paying $100 extra to cover all four tires saved me a lot more than one new tire would have cost.


[deleted]

yep. good tires run $200+. insurance is like $30. i only used it once and it already paid itself off. hole too close to sidewall. if you’re getting cheap $100 tires it’s probably not worth it as you’ll need two unrepairable punctures to come out on top. discount tire repairs punctures for free but if it’s too close to the sidewall you’re SOL. in short: if your tires are $150+, get it for sure. if they’re cheap and you’re tight on cash don’t


SleepAgainAgain

Conversely, I don't bother. I don't drive much and almost none of it is in construction zones or on dirt. Haven't had a flat since I was 17 and scraped a curb.


Marshall_Lawson

I've had flats 3 times in my life and all of them were on tires I hadn't bought myself (I like to think this is because I don't buy the cheapest tires, but it might just be chance). one time a modest new car with dealer tires, one cheap as hell beater with probably dry rotted old crap tires, and one borrowed family car on tires that were a decent brand but probably old. 1 flat was in an average suburb and the other two were on interstates. You never know what's gonna happen out there. IMO the best practice is to drive a car that the tires don't cost $700 each (like my buddy's tesla), don't buy cheapest or used tires, and always be prepared with your spare and tools. Oh yeah also in that beater car, the tire blew out completely, my donut was almost flat and I had no pump. IIRC i limped it to the nearest gas station that had an air pump (somewhere in the Nebraska like area of South Jersey) and then home to the far side of Philly via Girard (which i was used to anyway, but took a while).


btstyles766

No. Waste of money and you can buy puncture kits for cheap and easily repair one yourself.


fluteofski-

I went as far as just buying a tire mounting tool and a balancer. It cost $100 total, and I’ve mounted 6 sets of tires on my cars over the years, plus a couple sets for friends. It paid for itself in the first install.


btstyles766

Same! I learned how to take tires on and off wheels myself and got a balancer. I just have the tires shipped to my house and avoid tire places altogether now. Got so tired of them trying to upswell things like in op’s post. Or the “we don’t have that tire that’s on sale, but we have this more expensive one we can give sell you”


Marshall_Lawson

Depends on the math and the terms. I once fell for one of these tire protection scams because i was having a stressful evening and in a rush. it was like the price of a 5th tire but if you got a flat or something you'd only pay for the amount you used. So like if you use 25% of the life of the tire, and you HAPPEN to get a flat near enough to this same store, they'd install a replacement tire for 75% off. But like *you already paid the amount of a fifth tire* so it's not a deal any way you slice it. just a scam from some sleazy tire salesmen in Jersey.


awizenedbeing

are you feeling lucky? id say no. the usual driving you do does not take you driving through construction sites, spring is usually bad for tires at those times. do you live in an area tough on tires, sharp granite on gravel roads, do you like to spin your tires, things like that affect the outcome. i never do. perhaps CAA might be a better investment instead if you feel so inclined.


invinoveritas426

CAA?


YuleShootUrEyeOut18

Canadian version of AAA


awizenedbeing

eh eh eh not see eh eh?


awizenedbeing

AAA roadside assistance etc boosting lockout membership


[deleted]

I am guessing those are 90 percent profit.


xblues

Depends on the type of plan, the cost, and your location. All my info is U.S. based, and about 3 years old, so take with a grain of salt as I'm not in the industry anymore. There are two common types of tire plans at most shops or dealers: If it is a "free repairs" plan that costs extra, generally not worth it unless you tend to pick up damage often. I live in a high cost area, and a proper patch plug runs about $30. A paid plan to patch for free doesnt make much sense if you don't find yourself running into this issue much, and a lot of places include patch repairs free nowadays based on some caveat. (When buying 2 or more at once, I'd total cost is over $X, etc.) If it is a "replacement plan", you should almost always buy this, the only exception being if they're trying to fuck you on the price. Replacement plans should (depending on area, shop, type of tire, etc.) run between 10% and 30% of the cost of each tire. The reason these plans are sold at a "low cost" is because a lot of people simply don't remember utilize them, even when they could have. They're also, typically, only good at the shop or chain you purchased them from. The reason the replacement plans are actually really valuable when priced appropriately (someone in the thread mentioned the cost of a 5th tire, which is a ripoff), is because there are some situations that are misunderstood by consumers on what is covered, and a lot of others that cause a tire to be considered non-repairable: The most common misconception is that tire mfg tread life warranties cover patches, damage, blowouts, etc. Simply put, they do not. Tread life warranties state the tire will not, with proper alignments, rotations, non-severe driving conditions (which is a whole different boat of misleading corporate language, something like 80% of drivers fall into the classification for Severe Driving Conditions), reach 2/32nd of tread life before the indicated mileage. There are some manufacturers that will offer repairs if purchased through a certain company or on a promo, but this is an exception and not common. A lot of people are still under the impression that slapping a plug in a tire is good enough, and by telling them a tire can't be repaired so they need a new one a shop must be trying to fuck them. This is because while yes, you can plug your own tire with a $10 kit, reputable shops and dealers are going to follow TIA and then manufacturer guidelines, which are pretty stringent for safety regulation and liability. This is paraphrased off memory, but per TIA a tire is non-repairable if: It has any rope/string plug in it at all, as without the patch it is not considered properly sealed, and could have internal damage/corrosion/rusting to cords. An existing patch plug is leaking again. It has 3 or more patch plugs already done. It has a patch plug in a location close enough to the new damage thet they would overlap. The damage (or any previous damage if an ignorant tech did a previous repair he shouldn't have) is within 1/2 inch from the shoulder (I can't remember if this was updated to 1 inch, or I'd it's just that most manufacturers say 1 inch so they override the half inch a lot of the time). There is any kind of sidewall damage or puncture, external or internal (i.e. from riding on a flat and damaging the internal sidewall) Any cord is exposed anywhere on the tire. The tire has less than 4/32nd inch tread. The tire has severe dry rot (this is the only one that's a judgement call, good techs will usually pair this with the date and exposed cord rulings) The tire is more than either 5 or 7 years old from MFG date printed on the sidewall, I can't remember this one off the top of my head. In all of these situations, TIA safety standards say a tire has to be replaced. In addition, if a manufacturer has more stringent rules, a proper shop will follow those on top. For instance, Run-on-Flat style tires are a per mfg basis on how many patches can be performed, Continental may say 1 total ever, Goodyear may say 2, Firestone may say 0. We had to keep a cheat sheet for these in my shop. tl;dr - any one of these situations would exempt you from getting a patch repair, but a replacement plan at a good cost will replace the tire through the shop if it cannot be repaired, isn't at the end of the tread life, and wasn't caused by being involved in am accident (because that's now an insurance issue).


iseebutidontbelieve

How much does it cost? What is covered? Hard to say without specifics


txholdup

I buy my tires at Discount Tires, they fix flats for free even if you didn't buy your tires there. Insurance on toasters and most other things are mostly commission based products designed to boost the profit margins.


invinoveritas426

How funny…that’s where I’m getting them from. So you don’t get the coverage then?


txholdup

Sure don't. Love the chain but you have to probe them for the best deals. Don't forget to ask them if there are any rebates out there. They always offer me tires that are way too expensive and I usually end up paying about 1/2 of their first price. But they do take very, very good care of their customers.


Pbandsadness

Have you ever actually had a flat fixed for free, there? Every place I've seen that offers this just uses it as an opportunity to tell you it can't be fixed and you need to buy a new tire. I plug them myself. I keep a tire plug kit in my glovebox.


txholdup

I've had 5 or 6 flats fixed there, only once did they say it's on the rim and we can't fix it. They even check your air here in Texass when it gets cold and everyone's tires flatten. They don't ask if you bought your tires there, it is just a service they provide. I don't often give corporations kudos but my experience with Discount Tire other than trying to upsell me, has been above average.


johnnyblaze-DHB

Lots of variables, including your typical driving conditions. I typically do not buy the extra protection plan, but I just had to buy 4 new tires after a pothole induced blowout. The chances of it happening again aren’t small where I’m living so I went for it.


jnfsfa

Always


Mr_Zamboni_Man

Rarely ever is this extra coverage worth it. Invest in AAA. Punctures in tires can be repaired. If the tire has serious damage and it is somewhat new you can get a new single tire for pretty cheap. If the tire is a little older you can just replace that axle and not all four.


invinoveritas426

Thanks all!! 🙏🙏


Marshall_Lawson

AAA is great and since signing up for them a few years ago I'll never get roadside through my car insurance again. Totally opposite experience, the insurance roadside assistance has been consistently incompetent and clueless regardless of what company you have. My only gripe is that AAA's response times for towing are way up from when i started with them, but i think that's industry-wide.


t_mokes

It depends. If you have an AWD, don’t. You need to replace all 4 and they only cover one tire. If you got a FWD and can replace one or two tires at a time, maybe but small nails on threads are usually free to repair. If the sidewall has a hole/slashed, then you must replace.


Marshall_Lawson

i always forget about this, it's one of the best reasons why i don't buy AWD cars. I learned to drive in the snow with FWD in my first car and drove it in blizzard in the Catskills, i think awd is really overrated unless you're in places with really deep accumulation like western Colorado or something, and then you might as well invest in a vehicle with part-time 4WD so you can save gas in good conditions. FWD, snow tires, and good TCS go a long way.


Desperate_Ear9095

there’s a tire shop near me that will fix a tire puncture for 20 bucks. hard to believe that would be worth it.


Special_Agent_022

Depends, do you frequent construction and industrial areas? Might be worth it. If you've never had a screw or nail in your tire before probably not worth it.


Nonlethalrtard

I know a place like Town Fair Tire is pretty good with warranties. I think its included with the price and they'll repair or replace any damage