Tire Warranties

[Manolo1]

I did it one day too late after I lost one rear tire and the replacement cost me $325 at the dealer (Tire Rack price is $230 plus shipping, install, tax, etc).

The extended warranty for tires which covers everyting except curb damage to the tire (and rim) for 5 years unlimited mileage and a maximum covered accrued loss of $5K during the life of the contract cost me $439 with tax.

As I put 20K miles per yr in the car I assume I will have at least one more tire to replace and probably two or three flats in that period. Not a fantastic deal, but plenty of peace of mind...

now I don't worry about debris on the road ... I drive much more relaxed...

[ranger7]

I did it one day too late after I lost one rear tire and the replacement cost me $325 at the dealer (Tire Rack price is $230 plus shipping, install, tax, etc).

The extended warranty for tires which covers everyting except curb damage to the tire (and rim) for 5 years unlimited mileage and a maximum covered accrued loss of $5K during the life of the contract cost me $439 with tax.

As I put 20K miles per yr in the car I assume I will have at least one more tire to replace and probably two or three flats in that period. Not a fantastic deal, but plenty of peace of mind...

now I don't worry about debris on the road ... I drive much more relaxed...

I bought the tire and wheel warranty. Just peace of mind really. Wheels are expensive.

[twitte]

I purchased the "Tires for Life" plan for my IS350 for $1,800 due to the fact that the tires are low profile and wear out faster than normal tires. I have 15,000 miles on the tires and they have 7/32 in tread left (they replace the tires when they get to 3/32. In order for this warranty to remain valid I have to have the tires aligned once a year and have the car serviced at the dealer where the warranty was purchased. Based on the way the tires are wearing (better than I thought) this warranty may not be worthwhile. I got a nail in one tire recently and they fixed it free (not a big deal).

[Scott M]

I purchased the "Tires for Life" plan for my IS350 for $1,800 due to the fact that the tires are low profile and wear out faster than normal tires. I have 15,000 miles on the tires and they have 7/32 in tread left (they replace the tires when they get to 3/32. In order for this warranty to remain valid I have to have the tires aligned once a year and have the car serviced at the dealer where the warranty was purchased. Based on the way the tires are wearing (better than I thought) this warranty may not be worthwhile. I got a nail in one tire recently and they fixed it free (not a big deal).

I've always been hesitant on these "Tires for Life" programs.

From what I've heard, the tires need to be so worn before they can be replaced that by the time you start getting close, the car is a death trap in rain or anything else that makes for a less than perfect driving condition.

I also opted for a Tire Protection package which covers the tires and wheels.

I do wonder though... does this only cover the original tire type?

What if I upgrade my tires to a more expensive brand -or- larger size?

Is this usually still covered?

I would assume after-market wheels are not covered, so what about different tires?

[twitte]

I purchased the "Tires for Life" plan for my IS350 for $1,800 due to the fact that the tires are low profile and wear out faster than normal tires. I have 15,000 miles on the tires and they have 7/32 in tread left (they replace the tires when they get to 3/32. In order for this warranty to remain valid I have to have the tires aligned once a year and have the car serviced at the dealer where the warranty was purchased. Based on the way the tires are wearing (better than I thought) this warranty may not be worthwhile. I got a nail in one tire recently and they fixed it free (not a big deal).

I've always been hesitant on these "Tires for Life" programs.

From what I've heard, the tires need to be so worn before they can be replaced that by the time you start getting close, the car is a death trap in rain or anything else that makes for a less than perfect driving condition.

I also opted for a Tire Protection package which covers the tires and wheels.

I do wonder though... does this only cover the original tire type?

What if I upgrade my tires to a more expensive brand -or- larger size?

Is this usually still covered?

I would assume after-market wheels are not covered, so what about different tires?

According to my warranty document, "...this Dealership will provide, at no cost to you, any tire if the tread depth has worn to 3/32 of an inch or less. You will be responsible for the cost of mounting, balancing, and sales tax (if applicable) of tires provided under this program. Tires will be new tires of the same or comparible brand and size on your vehicle as of the Purchase Date above. Only tires worn out due to normal wear will be replaced." They recorded the name of the tire manufacturer (Bridgestone) and tire sizes (225/40/R18 and 255/40/R18) on the warranty document. They said if the tire isn't available they would give me an equivalent tire. I don't think that I would want to mess around with changing tire sizes but maybe the dealer would work something out if you wanted to do this (or refund a prorated amount of your money back to you so you could get out of the plan). These tires are fairly "sticky" and actually a good tire for holding onto the road when cornering. My son has already given me a thumbs up on the performance of the tires.

[tex2670]

I purchased the "Tires for Life" plan for my IS350 for $1,800 due to the fact that the tires are low profile and wear out faster than normal tires. I have 15,000 miles on the tires and they have 7/32 in tread left (they replace the tires when they get to 3/32. In order for this warranty to remain valid I have to have the tires aligned once a year and have the car serviced at the dealer where the warranty was purchased. Based on the way the tires are wearing (better than I thought) this warranty may not be worthwhile. I got a nail in one tire recently and they fixed it free (not a big deal).

I've always been hesitant on these "Tires for Life" programs.

From what I've heard, the tires need to be so worn before they can be replaced that by the time you start getting close, the car is a death trap in rain or anything else that makes for a less than perfect driving condition.

I also opted for a Tire Protection package which covers the tires and wheels.

I do wonder though... does this only cover the original tire type?

What if I upgrade my tires to a more expensive brand -or- larger size?

Is this usually still covered?

I would assume after-market wheels are not covered, so what about different tires?

According to my warranty document, "...this Dealership will provide, at no cost to you, any tire if the tread depth has worn to 3/32 of an inch or less. You will be responsible for the cost of mounting, balancing, and sales tax (if applicable) of tires provided under this program. Tires will be new tires of the same or comparible brand and size on your vehicle as of the Purchase Date above. Only tires worn out due to normal wear will be replaced." They recorded the name of the tire manufacturer (Bridgestone) and tire sizes (225/40/R18 and 255/40/R18) on the warranty document. They said if the tire isn't available they would give me an equivalent tire. I don't think that I would want to mess around with changing tire sizes but maybe the dealer would work something out if you wanted to do this (or refund a prorated amount of your money back to you so you could get out of the plan). These tires are fairly "sticky" and actually a good tire for holding onto the road when cornering. My son has already given me a thumbs up on the performance of the tires.

3/32 is only 1/32 shy of illegal in PA.

I just can't believe any program like this is truly a "good deal", because if it was, they would be losing money, and wouldn't do it.

[DaRacerz]

I too ended up buying the a Tire and Rim Warranty for 5 years... $250, thought it was a good deal. To say the least, it came in very handy and paid for itself already.... NY Pot holes do their damage. Covered all accidental damages and with little hassle.

[Cory]

A set of Bridgestone RE960AS Pole-Position tires for the IS350 will run you upwards of $700. Even though they've got a 40k mile treadlife warranty, if you put 15k/yr on your car, you'll change all 4 tires at least once every 3 years. So a 5 year tire replacement warranty sounds reasonable as long as it's not more than $1500 or so and covers road hazards.

[marcelol]

A set of Bridgestone RE960AS Pole-Position tires for the IS350 will run you upwards of $700. Even though they've got a 40k mile treadlife warranty, if you put 15k/yr on your car, you'll change all 4 tires at least once every 3 years. So a 5 year tire replacement warranty sounds reasonable as long as it's not more than $1500 or so and covers road hazards.

Where will 960's cost you $700 ??? Not at TireRack, or any other place I've looked. And for that matter how did you find 255-40-18's when they don't even make them that size ?

[tshek]

question is. What is the condition/requirement to get the tire. If Lexus use the same condition that Toyota use. You might end up spend more than the actual tire cost.

Not sure about Lexus, because when they offer it to me. I turned it down right away, because it linked to the Toyota experience I had in the past. When I purchased my Toyota, they offered the same kind of program, Tire for life. I asked what I need to do in order to get the tire, and of course they always tell you is no catch. So I asked him to put everything in black and white, sign it, and put the Toyota dealer stamp on it. As soon as I asked that, his tone change 180. And finally honestly told me that, well, you will just need to get the regular service done. Regular?? What regular? just oil change for every 3K, or all the "extra" no needed services that Toyota "recommended"? Long story short, basically he told me, I will need to get the service done with Toyota plus something like I need to let them rotate tire, balance them once a while(I forgot the exact mile he told me, something like 7500 or every 10k), alignment all kind of good stuff that cost a ton, and pretty much don't really need it.

My conclusion is all the services that I pay for is surely will cover my tire cost.

I hope Lexus will give you a better/more honest deal.

[tshek]

A set of Bridgestone RE960AS Pole-Position tires for the IS350 will run you upwards of $700. Even though they've got a 40k mile treadlife warranty, if you put 15k/yr on your car, you'll change all 4 tires at least once every 3 years. So a 5 year tire replacement warranty sounds reasonable as long as it's not more than $1500 or so and covers road hazards.

depends on you have the original rims or the 18" rims. This tire don't have the size for the back tires, 255/40R18. but they do for the front, $151 each.

[Edric]

I did not purchase the wheel/tire road hazard my selling dealer was offering me. Too expensive! I work for goodyear and can get RHW at $20 a tire and I do not drive on badly paved roads here in FL so I will not have to worry about bening a rim or what not.

[Knightshade]

The real gotcha to the tires for life program is that you have to perform all your service at the dealership.

Which means you'll be spending a massive amount of cash on regular service, oil changes, etc.... which would more than pay for a couple sets of tires if you didn't go to the dealership for $100+ oil changes and the like.

Plus, better hope you don't need to move... since most such plans don't go with you to your new local dealership.

As pointed out, if they didn't turn a profit on these deals, they wouldn't offer em.

[SGVRSM]

The real gotcha to the tires for life program is that you have to perform all your service at the dealership.

Which means you'll be spending a massive amount of cash on regular service, oil changes, etc.... which would more than pay for a couple sets of tires if you didn't go to the dealership for $100+ oil changes and the like.

Plus, better hope you don't need to move... since most such plans don't go with you to your new local dealership.

As pointed out, if they didn't turn a profit on these deals, they wouldn't offer em.

I got the tire and wheel deal for my 06 IS250...I punctured 3 tires since I purchased the car in Aug 2006...They replaced all 3 with no questions asked...I got the same proctection when I picked up the 08 IS350 on New Years Eve...beter to have and not want...than to want and not have

[Knightshade]

You're in Durham, you're probably losing tires to random gunshots :P

If you get your regular service at the dealership though (as those tire plans generally require) you'll generally end up spending more (between the dealer markup and the cost of the tire plan) than you would if you'd gone somewhere cheaper for service and just replaced those tires yourself via tirerack.

This isn't like an extended vehicle warranty, which is good anywhere in the country, doesn't require dealership visits every 5k miles, and will cover parts that cost many many thousands of dollars per indcident. (and even that one could argue the value of).

Now, all that said... if you plan to not move anytime in the life of the warranty, and are someone who will pay extra and have the car dealer serviced every 5k anyway, and you tend to drive on poor roads, then it's probably a pretty good deal.

[Memi]

We bought the 'tires for life' plan in 2009 for our ES 350 and it actually is a good deal. How do we know? It was cancelled promptly two years later because the dealership was losing so much money. They balk at enforcing it however - your tires are always "ok" until they are literally illegal to drive on. But now the dealership has been sold and they say this warranty has been cancelled. Needless to say, I'm filing complaints left and right.