i just bought a new bmw and they were really pushing for me to get the tire/wheel insurance for the run flats and to get the extended service package to extend all inclusive service to 100K miles. i drive around 40K miles a year. the bmw forums i have read seem to have mixed reviews on the tire insurance. anyone have experience or thoughts on this?
The only reason to buy the tire insurance is if it will help you sleep better at night and if you’re the type who doesn’t mind spending money trying to “beat the house” in Vegas.
Search this forum, as there are lots of discussions on extended warranties and a few on tire warranties. The odds that you’ll ever break even or come out ahead are very small.
extended service/warranty worth it?
Financially?? NEVER!!
I would not buy the insurance. But I would watch out for potholes, etc, especially if your tires are 45 profile or lower.
Does the car have all wheel drive? In that case the tire insurance is worthless. If you get one flat, you’ll probably have to replace all 4 tires, and the credit you’ll get toward one of the tires will probably be less than the insurance you paid for all 4.
I bought the factory-branded extended warranty on my last two cars (both Ford Fusions). The 2007 has been pretty good so far so we may never use the warranty. But my 2010 Fusion has a transmission with multiple known issues, and I just had to replace the throttle body at 30K miles, so I’m glad for the longer warranty on the main parts. (I’d rather the car be as reliable as Consumer’s thinks it is, but it ain’t a perfect world, is it.)
Well any car can have major expensive repairs.
The profit to the salesman and company is usually over 50%. So for every $1,000 you spend the insurance company has less than $500 to pay for repairs or they will lose money, something insurance companies do not do. Some people will get nothing back and some will get a lot more than they pay. Most will get far less. In addition you need to keep in mind that the insurer has worded it to eliminate as many expensive things as they can.
Remember that the seller is out to make money and they get to write the rules and set the price. They are not going to sell them at a loss so one way or another they are going to have you pay more than they will pay out.
Would you gamble with a car dealer who gets to set all the rules and knows all the odds?
Your decision has to do with the value of the piece of mind it gives you. If that is worth the cost then buy it. Don't expect it to cover everything however, most are written to keep cost down and exempt what they know will cost them money.
Good Luck
If you believe in Murphy, then buying the extended coverage is a sure way to guarantee that you never have any problems until 100,001 miles 
Beyond that, what the others said is true. They wouldn’t offer the extended warranty if they didn’t think they’d make money on it. In other words, statistically you’re likely to spend (much) more money on the policy than you will save by not having to pay for repairs.
"extended service/warranty worth it?
Financially?? NEVER!!"
Never is too extreme. But extended warranties are certainly rarely worth it.
I would not buy a vehicle that I thought might have thousands of dollars worth of repairs on critical systems (your minor stuff won’t be covered) between the time the manufacturer’s warranty ran out and the time the extended warranty ran out.
I would not buy a vehicle that I thought might have major problems within the first 100,000 miles. Do the research up front and you won’t either.
In a situation where they keep pushing the warranty/insurance, look them in the eye and tell them you don’t want their worthless hunk of tin, you’ll go down the road to a dealership that sells GOOD cars, cars that won’t need such a thing. Grab the papers they made you sign, and get up to leave.
They’ll back pedal on their words so fast you’d think you traveled back in time.
I long ago decided that it was not worth my time to deal with the warranty/insurance companies. They waste a great deal of time for the shop by asking for step by step updates and demand that corners be cut based on some probability index and if they are wrong they want the shop to pay the price for their decision to take short cuts. I turned them all down and never regretted it. I would fill out the paper work for customers who had such warranties when they paid for the repair but never had a good report from anyone.
With respect to the comment on replacing run flats on awd systems…I need to comment on the assumption that if you need to replace one tire in awd, you replace all of them. That is a bogus statement, at least for my RAV. It states I may replace only the other tire on the same axle. I believe this is closer to the real truth regardless of what it might say in any car manual. It really doesn’t matter what the drive train, the tread and the wear should be reasonably close as possible on all tires for “safety” reasons regardless of the drive train. Is there additional wear on an awd system if the tires don’t match perfectly ? Sure, but no more than the wear on a differential if the tire on the opposite side of a fwd car does not match substantially and you should exercise the same caution in tire replacement.
Unequal tire pressure and tire deflection because of load variation on differentt axles are of equal or greater concern and you don’t see awd cars self distructing because of it. Exercise the same caution when safety is a concern in replacing tires you would for ANY car regardless of drive train which includes proper tire maintenance, and you’ll be fine. You may have more repair cost for Ford, GM and Audi awd systems regardless of your maintenance habits over 2wd systems. On Subaru models, you generally have fewer repairs with proper maintenance, then fwd cars in many other makes. The same is true for many other cars. Select your make carefully if that is a concern when driving awd systems and don’t be afraid of the “scare” statements imployed by many.
For some people in difficult areas, who feel awd and 4wd is as essential as AC, it’s an accepted option with it’s own specific maintenance requirements and costs, which this day and age is Minimal if the car has been properly cared for and you have a reliable make to begin with.
As far as tire warranty programs, generally they are a waste of money but may be worth it to a select few. A roofer or plow operator for example or other general contractor who may subject his tires to puncture wounds might think it worthwhile. Even that is a real stretch though I know some who do carry additional warranty on their equipment and tires occasionally.