[bh021]

Been reading a lot about RFT etc, must say that today put a whole new perspective on owning what I thought was a great car.

Travelling to work (having only had the car 6 weeks) and a message pops up saying a pressure loss in a tyre, and had 60 miles to get it changed, phoned up Sytner Coventry, where I bought the car, who told me that I probably had a puncture and would need a new tyre, got quoted £480 for rears (255's) and £380 for fronts (225's) Apparently if you remove the run flats it invalidates the warranty, so looks like rft are the only option, took it down there and it just needed a bit more air, thank f***.

Anyway, it has put me off owning a bmw, clearly £1500 for rubber in 4 corners of your car is seriously taking the pi**, and now i'm dreading a puncture, which would appear to be on the cards, due to the sodding tyres

[willhollin]

It won't invalidate the warranty but may affect claims on parts that could have failed due to having non-RFTs fitted.

[flyfs6]

I think there's confusion. No, changing tyre doesn't invalidate warranty. It could be grey area if the owner goes to claim for cracked wheels etc if the vehicle was on non approved tyres so to speak.

A little birdy in the dealer network recommended buying tyres elsewhere because the suppliers prices to the dealer were not competitive.

[flyfs6]

Originally Posted by willhollin

It won't invalidate the warranty but may affect claims on parts that could have failed due to having non-RFTs fitted.

1

[Baby Dave]

Fitting non rfts won't invalidate any claim on warranty as you can have yr bm fitted with proper tyres from the factory. That's why they are known as stealers

[dxb335d]

Absolute tosh. What a plonker you spoke to!

[willhollin]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Absolute tosh. What a plonker you spoke to!

His name wasn't Frank was it?

[bh021]

his name was hari i think, do non run flats last longer than runflats, I got a quote from pro tyre for 4 rft's and it came it a £1010, the non run flats were about £800. so not a lot in it, and i dont mind paying for peace of mind, but i do mind paying for something that isn't going to last 5 minutes, and gives me a hard ride...these tyres seem like a common problem, also, i was advised to let my insurance company know, as they may use it as an excuse not to pay out if anything happened, all because of a bloody tyre !!!

[dxb335d]

I did tell mine! Some people don't!

[bh021]

did it affect your premium, and was it a good move, presumably you did it because of the harsh ride, and the cost of run flats

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by Brett_h4

Been reading a lot about RFT etc, must say that today put a whole new perspective on owning what I thought was a great car.

Travelling to work (having only had the car 6 weeks) and a message pops up saying a pressure loss in a tyre, and had 60 miles to get it changed, phoned up Sytner Coventry, where I bought the car, who told me that I probably had a puncture and would need a new tyre, got quoted £480 for rears (255's) and £380 for fronts (225's) Apparently if you remove the run flats it invalidates the warranty, so looks like rft are the only option, took it down there and it just needed a bit more air, thank f***.

Anyway, it has put me off owning a bmw, clearly £1500 for rubber in 4 corners of your car is seriously taking the pi**, and now i'm dreading a puncture, which would appear to be on the cards, due to the sodding tyres

Presumably you're not required to replace all four at the same time?!?

[bh021]

if i go to non run flats then yes, advised not to mix them, if i replace 1 run flat, then it prolongs moving to non run flats - hence the question, if i decide to stay with run flats then, no, obviously i'll just replace what needs to be replaced

[briers]

My dealership advised me on some non runflat winter tyres

I actually clarified with my extended warranty company that i am free to put whatever rubber i want on the car providing it is of the correct size. Hence the dealer advice.

Of course they will say things like what they told you, they make a decent margin on those silly runflats.

[doughboy]

With all due respect OP, why didn't you just put some air in it yourself?

Do you call the dealer when the petrol light comes on?

Phoning a BMW dealer with a flat tyre is akin to calling a plumber for a blocked sink - asking for a wallet emptying!

[Jeff123]

Originally Posted by Brett_h4

if i go to non run flats then yes, advised not to mix them, if i replace 1 run flat, then it prolongs moving to non run flats - hence the question, if i decide to stay with run flats then, no, obviously i'll just replace what needs to be replaced

There are dozens of threads on the whole RFT issue. Just do your home work and don't pay anything like £800 for a set of tyres - let alone the £1000+ that you were quoted for RFT's. FWIW, people seem to be paying around £420 for a set of Falkens. Mine were even cheaper last year, but VAT was lower and it was 12 months ago.

You will get more common sense on this and other forums than the dealers. They have a vested interest in parting you from your money.

[Spaceman330D]

I`am currently running a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport runflats on the rear and Bridgestone re050A on the front(Non RFT ebay user fukt it up) im sticking a can of holts tyre weld in the boot job done. as long as the tyres over a axel are the same your laughing.

[MEGA]

It wont invalidate the warranty they are talking shite.

POSSIBLY they'll try and get out of any claims for cracked alloys but other than that you'll be fine.

Go get yourself a set of Falken FK-452. Infinitely better performance for 450 the set.

Or go to town and get Mich PS2s. 1100 a set but truly stunning performance.

I'd get the 452s though

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by Brett_h4

Been reading a lot about RFT etc, must say that today put a whole new perspective on owning what I thought was a great car.

Travelling to work (having only had the car 6 weeks) and a message pops up saying a pressure loss in a tyre, and had 60 miles to get it changed, phoned up Sytner Coventry, where I bought the car, who told me that I probably had a puncture and would need a new tyre, got quoted £480 for rears (255's) and £380 for fronts (225's) Apparently if you remove the run flats it invalidates the warranty, so looks like rft are the only option, took it down there and it just needed a bit more air, thank f***.

Anyway, it has put me off owning a bmw, clearly £1500 for rubber in 4 corners of your car is seriously taking the pi**, and now i'm dreading a puncture, which would appear to be on the cards, due to the sodding tyres

In M-Sport sizes, the going rate around here for 4 B'stone RFTs from Qwik-Fit for example is between £700-£750 depending on what specials they're running. Best prices when you order the tyres and fitting via the internet. From dealer, we're talking £1200+

[Anneka @ Sytner]

Originally Posted by briers

Of course they will say things like what they told you, they make a decent margin on those silly runflats.

Or, in my case, because I don't want the responsibility of telling you that there wouldn't be any issues if you changed over.
Remember dealerships don't make the warranty decisions, if your warranty company rejects a claim on say, a wheel bearing for arguments sake, and I didn't advise you that this could happen, it will be me that you'll blame.

We can only advise people, when they ask us to.

[Falmouthboy]

To be fair I just hade a very good deal on tyres (or a tyre) from Ocean BMW. OK, 225/45 17" Bridgestones, not 18s, but at £185 inc VAT, cheper than Kwik Fit. I actually had a screw in one of my rears and it was replaced through the BMW Tyre Insurance scheme - no arguements. As the other tyre was dowm to 2.5mm I decided to ask for a quote for a replacement and at tht price had it done.

Tyres were duly changed - BMW valve caps replaced (not nicked like last time I wet to Kwik Fit) and the car washed and hoovered. Bargain!

As to the question do RFTs last as long - from what I can make out - yes they do but are more prone to punctures. Howevever, you will be told that you cant repair them. Had the puncture described above been in a non RFT it would have been a simple repair.

That having been said, there are non-franchise tyre places that will repair them perfectly safely provided the tyre hasn't lost pressure and been driven on.