Tire Replacement Program For Gs

[MarkieMark]

Hi,

Said bye to my BMW330Ci and hello to my new GS350.

So far I really like this car, especially knowing I won't have all the reliability problems of a typical german car.

has anyone here purchased the GS tire replacement program (as long as you own the car) for $2000?

(labor charge is extra; this program also insures the alloy wheels for accidental damages.)

Whether yes or no, do you have any opinions on this?

Thx,

markiemark

[Duckman]

This is something I had never heard of. Could it be a program that your dealership is specifically running, or is truely a Lexus program?

--Duckman

[steviej]

It is a Lexus dealership program. My dealership offers it too.

Read the fine print thoroughly then do the math on paper.

1. Find out what tires qualify for this program. I am sure they are not the top of the line models that you and I would pick. They will most likely be the general OEM fleet tires that may not be the best of choices. Do you get to specify or pick from a variety of brands and models or do they select for you?

2. How often do you change tires, how many miles do you usually get out of a set. Figure $500 for a set of "good" tires with no labor included. Lexus will charge you upwards of $200 in labor costs to mount and balance a set of tires. Figure that in to you out of pocket cost.

3. How long do you usually own your cars. This plan benefits those that own their cars for long periods of time (ie. 10 years).

steviej

[Ron6437]

"$500 for a set of good tires" that sounds more like for a set of two tires. I just put 4 Michelin's on my wife's IS250 for around 1k, on the other hand, last summer I was able to put a set of 4 Michelin's on my Ford explorer for $500.

[MarkieMark]

this program is offer through the local dealership; the insurance is carried by Express Systems Inc.

My GS came with the Yokohama tires ($642 for 4 tires at America's Tire Company); it's supposed to wear out in 15000 miles. (I figure 20000 miles for how I and my wife drive.)

My BMW 330Ci's Continental tires needed replacement every ~25000 miles; each time was about ~$1000 for 4 tires.

So I figure that if I keep the GS for at least 7 years like my 330Ci, the program should be worth it. I know I will pay more for the installation and stuff.

[jasontucker]

If you're going to keep the car a while, it might be a good program. My GS430 is on it's 4th set of tires in 80,000 miles. Of course, it came with some, so I've replaced the tires 3 times and I'm about to have to change them again. Each time I replace the tires, I spend around $800 - $1000 all in. And, I've had my rims repaired once (wife rubbed them up against a curb...).

If I could go back and pay for such a program, I would - depending on some of the good points made earlier (e.g. what tires are included, what are labor costs for installation, etc...) but then again, I've driven my car almost 80,000 miles and counting.