Sort of Ferrari related... I've bought 2 sets of tires from Tire Rack... one set for the 308, another set of winter tires for my TT coupe. They have good prices, so no complaints.... until now. They sell "road hazzard" insurance, for about $20 / tire. Now, the Blizzaks for my TT were $188 / tire (15 months ago). So, about $80 added to the bill Here is the fine print: they cover you at 100% for the first 12 months. Then it is PRO RATED, but the pro-rating starts on day one. So, on month 13, you get about 66% coverage, going down each month till you get to zero. I hit the mother of all potholes the other day, split the sidewall of one of my tires. Tire Rack will cover $107 total (does not cover mounting, balancing, etc). So, had this happened 2 months from now, I would have "lost out"... meaning what they would reimburse me would be LESS than I paid up front. PLUS: I do all the leg work. Have to get one of their "certified" shops to confirm the tire is shot. I buy the tire, send in the paperwork and WAIT for them to reimburse me. Not much of an insurance policy! How is this F related? I bought the same insurance a few years ago for my 308's tires too, thinking it was a decent deal. Most of us don't drive them that much (unfortunate, but true)... so I would NEVER recommend "tire insurance" especially for the Ferrari. Most people just don't rack up that many miles (increasing the possibility of a problem). as side bar, buddy of mine is a car wholesaler, says the tire sales guys at whatever shop you go to get dinged if they don't sell you the insurance. BUT, if you try to collect, they get dinged by the shop for selling it to you!
I bought a set of Eagles for my 328 a few months back from Tire Rack. I declined the road hazard insurance for the reason you mention. Also, the 16" tires are so cheap that frankly it's not worth it. The other problem is that if I did blow, say, a rear tire on the 328, and the tire wasn't almost new, I'd want to replace both rear tires at the same time. And that second tire's not covered, IIRC. I just swerve everytime I see a bolt on the road...
The tire warranty at Wal-Mart is the same, pro rated after so much time. Think about it, tires wear as they are used right? So why should they give you brand new tires when your tires are 50% worn? Doesn't make sense does it? It's like getting a brand new car because your engine blew after 50,000 miles. They wouldn't replace the whole car would they?
I recall tire warranties were pro-rated 25 years ago when I started buying tires, at least the places I shopped.
Mike, you've learned a valuable lesson! Buying warranties, or extended warranties, is usually just a bigger profit maker for the retailer. Stay away from them!!! They'll usually more profit on the warranty they sold you, than on the product itself. Skippity
Not always. I think the tire warranties are great, personally, even though they're pro rated after a period of time. Let me propose a scenario for you, one that I've personally witnessed so I know it happens. Say you buy a brand new set of tires for your car, and a month later your driving down the freeway and have a blowout caused by a small nail you picked up somewhere, or say some kid slashes your sidewalls some night, or you hit a curb and blow out your tire. All of these are non-repairable damages, so your going to have to buy a new tire ($100 or more) right? If you had the warranty, you wouldn't pay a lick for that tire. Most warranties are scams I think, but not the tire one's. I've seen them used plenty of times and save a lot of people money. I also witnessed a guy buying a new pair of tires 3 weeks later because he skipped the warranty. Woulda' saved this one about $180. Just my opinion.
