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[Marsden]

Well now it's happened twice. My second nail requiring another purchase of two tires (my dealer refuses to repair RFTs and will only replace tires in sets of two).

So it's been $1000 within this past year for two very minor nail incidents. You might say: go to an independent installer/repair shop but every TireRack installer in my area refuses to work on RFTs saying they cannot 'break the bead' on these tires.

So the dealer is my only option. Fortunately I live near a dealer!! I know from reading here that a number of owners have reverted to non-RFTs but that would entail giving nearly my entire trunk over to a spare, jack etc. Not to mention another huge outlay at this point.

What is BMW's operating principle with respect to these tires?? I guess BMWs aren't supposed to be driven on long-distance trips? I can imagine being far away from a dealership and having to pay mondo bucks for a flatbed tow. I had been in the market for a 5-series but I really have to reconsider.

Am I missing something obvious? Try to be kind as I'm still smarting from the $1000.

[Fundguy1]

Run flat tires are the first thing everyone gets rid of. Why would you ever buy them? I got rid of mine within the first 1,000 miles. They have worse mileage, louder, harsher ride, can't be fixed, handle worse, cost more, wear fast. Total junk. Get non run flats and a $10 nail patch tool from Walmart. With the money you save get a tow if you need to. I need one on average every 100,000 miles so I'm actually saving money vs run flats. If you're super paranoid, get the mini spare jack kit. Pretty much everyone here ditches them after they wear out and generally if they go flat you only get 25 miles or so before you need a tow anyway.

[geko29]

^^^^What he said. I bought my car in October, swapped my AS RFTs for non-RFT Blizzaks in November, bought new wheels with PSS summers in May, and sold my RFTs for $40 in June.

To add insult to injury, my PSS are less than $300 each, ride and handle 10x better than even the best RFT, don't have to be replaced if they get a nail, and don't have to be replaced in pairs.

The above is not to gloat or loard anything over you, it's to point out that you have MUCH better options available than buying two shitty tires because you got a nail in one shitty tire. Let's start by not having shitty tires in the first place. If you haven't already gone through with the replacement, put REAL tires on in place of the two RFTs the dealer says you "have" to replace in pairs. Then when you get a nail in one of the other ones, do the ohter two. Then you're done, and out of this rediculous cycle.

[NJ Krish]

I would say sell the RFT and use the money to get non-RFT from tirerack or something. Since you'll get the free road hazard in case something like this happens so you don't shell out more money.

As for Indy install of RFT, not sure why they have a issue with it if it is a recommended installer from tirerack, usually they have the equipment for these setups. I had no issue removing mines at firestone when I swapped over to non-RFT, although the price is extra to remove/mount RFT.

[Dan_Q]

Originally Posted by Marsden

I know from reading here that a number of owners have reverted to non-RFTs but that would entail giving nearly my entire trunk over to a spare, jack etc. Not to mention another huge outlay at this point.

What is BMW's operating principle with respect to these tires?? I guess BMWs aren't supposed to be driven on long-distance trips?

You just gotta get rid of them man. Too bad you didn't look into this before the most recent outlay of $500. I just bought a full set of Conti DW's for less than $800. You can easily find cheaper tires for closer to $500-$600. And as for getting a flat, I'll just call my wife/coworker/buddy/neighbor to drive me home to get a jack, wrench and winter wheel to get me home. Though I've been fortunate to not get a flat (knock on wood) and I have the benefit of being able to use the wife's SUV for any long trips. If I didn't have that option I'd get one of the compact spare kits which aren't actually all that large.

Make those two run flats be your last. Hell, since nobody works on them and they'll only get you ~25 miles anyway when flat, you're better off with go flats if you're on a trip anyway. At least then you have a hope of patching them and being on your way.

[Timujin]

I purchase the free replacement/road hazard insurance with these expensive arse tires. So far it has paid for 1 PSS non-run flat. Had to keep adding air on the way to Americas Tire. Good Luck.

[floydarogers]

I would ask myself why I got two flats in one week - kind of beyond bad luck and I'd wonder if someone has it in for me.

I've driven over 95K with only 2 flats (both plugged, have one on right now). I drove 2400 miles last month on a road trip with my go-flat snow tires (my summers are rft) with nary a worry (I do have AAA.)

Something is wrong IMHO.

[ImBradical]

Costco has road hazard warranty included in the $15 install fee. That last for 5 years! Given the tires probably won't even last 5 years on a bmw, no worries! Even if you make the switch to non run flats, the warranty is pretty awesome.

Michelin and Bridgestone both allow repairs on run flat tires.

[gtaccord]

You can plug rft....

[Fundguy1]

Originally Posted by gtaccord

You can plug rft....

You can throw them in the Marianas Trench too.

[kisho]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

You can throw them on the Marianas Trench too.

+1

Plug them....otherwise you are just throwing away money.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Plug them....otherwise you are just throwing away money.

Exactly. As long as they are not damaged by driving to far when totally deflated, there is no reason to throw away a perfectly good repairable tire.

Since most punctures result in a slow leak, I carry a 12v compressor in order to re-inflate a punctured tire as necessary to get to a repair facility. The last RFT I had with a nail cost $15 to plug and gave another 18k miles of service.

Tom

[Marsden]

Thanks guys. Yes I should have thought this over better before getting in so deep ($1K). I do have a compressor (AC/DC) which I normally keep in my garage but I'm going to keep it in the BMW from now on.

Mostly (besides ranting) I was wondering what BMW is thinking. They're a big, smart, successful company and this doesn't seem terribly rational, at least not from a customer-satisfaction p.o.v.

[ferocity02]

Find a mom and pop tire shop that will patch it. That's what I did and no issues. It was a Pilot Sport run flat.

[Game]

Was scratching my head after this post.

1. Why not use this as an excuse to pick up some real tires?
2. Why not have them patched/plugged?

[david in germany]

Had to park in a grass gravel parking lot yesterday.. Went out to my 335i this AM to find the right front 19" RF out of air.. Had to drive my 118i to work.. This afternoon I will be running to get the tire patched/plugged..

Originally Posted by david in germany

Had to drive my 118i to work..

What a neat car! You guys get all the best stuff over there

Also, plugging a tire is simple. Just DIY people!! I keep both of these kits in my car; they've since paid for themselves 10x over:
http://smile.amazon.com/Stop-Go-1075...ords=tire+plug
http://smile.amazon.com/Safety-Seal-...ords=tire+plug

[AdamN52]

Originally Posted by Marsden

Thanks guys. Yes I should have thought this over better before getting in so deep ($1K). I do have a compressor (AC/DC) which I normally keep in my garage but I'm going to keep it in the BMW from now on.

Mostly (besides ranting) I was wondering what BMW is thinking. They're a big, smart, successful company and this doesn't seem terribly rational, at least not from a customer-satisfaction p.o.v.

That's a tough break man. I got a nail in one of my RFTs, but it only lost like 5-10psi of pressure before I noticed.
The sidewall gets fucked when you drive on it completely deflated, so most shops won't touch it at that point. Mine was fine, and I only drove about 2km to a shop and got it plugged.

...then I ditched those suckers and got some non-RFT tires.

I think BMW's logic is that their main demographic generally won't be bothered to repair or change a tire on the side of the road... That's what 'the help' is for.
It's the same reason we don't have dipsticks - the BMW demo generally isn't going to pop the hood unless it's because they thought the engine was in the back, and they were trying to find a place for their golf bag.

[Fundguy1]

Originally Posted by Game

Was scratching my head after this post.

1. Why not use this as an excuse to pick up some real tires?
2. Why not have them patched/plugged?

I don't understand. Two great pieces of advice.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by ferocity02

Find a mom and pop tire shop that will patch it. That's what I did and no issues. It was a Pilot Sport run flat.

^this. OP don't bring it to the dealer. As far as why BMW does what it does, it comes down to liability.

[david in germany]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

What a neat car! You guys get all the best stuff over there

Also, plugging a tire is simple. Just DIY people!! I keep both of these kits in my car; they've since paid for themselves 10x over:
http://smile.amazon.com/Stop-Go-1075...ords=tire+plug
http://smile.amazon.com/Safety-Seal-...ords=tire+plug

Yes, my 118i is a great little car, 34-37 U.S. Mpg every fill up. But I miss the ride of the 3 series every time I drive it though.

I have a plug kit but I wanted a patch with plug and the simply refused to do the internal patch.. I had already paid so they went ahead with the plug. Next time I will do it myself again. I have a dynaplug kit and an old school string set as well. I just ordered a set of 18" nexen SU1's the stick on my m193s also because I am tired of the 19" sr71's on rough roads. I am running a set of the Nexens on my 118i and love them. What is good for the goose..