roadside assistance question

eelton · 01-06-2008, 12:42 PM

I hit a large pothole today, resulting in a blown front tire. (The tires are non-RFTs. This is definitely a drawback of getting rid of the original tires, and my M-Mobility kit won't help me here.)

Anyway, I'm going to need to have the car towed or flat-bedded to Discount Tire, 17 miles away, once the replacement tire is available. My question is, can I get the tow/flat-bedding covered under BMW Roadside Assistance? I called them, and the woman said only towing to the dealership is covered. That's probably true, but I wanted to ask if anyone has information to the contrary. Thanks.

JSpira · 01-06-2008, 01:56 PM

This is where you should look (from BMW NA's Web site):

Quote:

Full details are available in your Service and Warranty Booklet, which you would have received from BMW of North America, LLC after taking delivery.

If I had to guess, I would say they only tow to a BMW dealer since a dealer is theoretically capable of handling the tire problem as well.

eelton · 01-06-2008, 02:35 PM

Thanks. I did find info on BMW's website. They'll tow to any dealer within 50 miles. If I wanted to be cheap, I could have it towed to a dealer which is near a Discount Tire location, and then pay the extra from there. That would be too much of a hassle, though, so I'll just pay for the whole tow.

06alpine3 · 01-06-2008, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eelton

Thanks. I did find info on BMW's website. They'll tow to any dealer within 50 miles. If I wanted to be cheap, I could have it towed to a dealer which is near a Discount Tire location, and then pay the extra from there. That would be too much of a hassle, though, so I'll just pay for the whole tow.

I was wondering this the other day because I'm going to be putting non RFTs on. If you get a flat, can you have it towed to the dealer and then just have the dealer plug the tire for $20 or whatever. Or will they give you crap for not having run flats on the car.

JSpira · 01-06-2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06alpine3

I was wondering this the other day because I'm going to be putting non RFTs on. If you get a flat, can you have it towed to the dealer and then just have the dealer plug the tire for $20 or whatever. Or will they give you crap for not having run flats on the car.

They will replace it with a new one which they will gladly sell you. They will not of course plug it. You are kidding, right?

06alpine3 · 01-06-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

They will replace it with a new one which they will gladly sell you. They will not of course plug it. You are kidding, right?

No, I'm not kidding. We've bought 6 or 7 cars from them over the last 10 years. If they have the equipment to plug a tire, you can bet your ass if they want to keep me from buying somewhere else they will plug that damn tire.

JSpira · 01-06-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06alpine3

No, I'm not kidding. We've bought 6 or 7 cars from them over the last 10 years. If they have the equipment to plug a tire, you can bet your ass if they want to keep me from buying somewhere else they will plug that damn tire.

No, they really won´t. If it´s a non RF tire, they may apply the appropriate patch and plug (it´s a special kit). If it´s a RF tire, I can promise you they won´t attempt a repair.

06alpine3 · 01-06-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

No, they really won´t. If it´s a non RF tire, they may apply the appropriate patch and plug (it´s a special kit). If it´s a RF tire, I can promise you they won´t attempt a repair.

I meant plugging a non RF, I wouldnt expect them to plug a run flat.

hav2flynow · 01-06-2008, 06:15 PM

I had a similar thing happen. Hit a pothole with my 18" non run flats in an airport parking lot before a flight. When i got back to my car at 10pm a few days later, the back tire was flat. The fix a flat did not work because it split the tire, not a hole. They would only tow it to the closest dealer (which was closed) and I would have to find my own way home, 75miles away. I had a very good friend (that fortunately lives near the airport) drive me 75mi home, picked up my OEM tire from storage, drive me back and changed it. Now i just keep the OEM in the trunk, I dont want to live that nightmare again.

shenard · 01-06-2008, 06:56 PM

Why doesn't everyone that gets aftermarket tires just get AAA? Wouldn't this fix everyone's issues? The yearly cost of it is very reasonable and usually pays for itself for me within a few months given the amount I travel.

JSpira · 01-06-2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 06alpine3

I meant plugging a non RF, I wouldnt expect them to plug a run flat.

Dealers are becoming more cautious on all tire repairs due to liabliity issues but there is indeed a greater likelihood that they would repair a non RF tire. If they just plug it, however, you should find someone else to do the repair.

tintivilus · 01-06-2008, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

No, they really won´t. If it´s a non RF tire, they may apply the appropriate patch and plug (it´s a special kit). If it´s a RF tire, I can promise you they won´t attempt a repair.

I suppose this is a bit of a threadjack (sorry) but why is this? What's the big deal about runflats that tread punctures can't be patched? Or is the issue that dealerships won't patch OEM tires for liability concerns?

The issue is of particular concern since I just had a punctured Winter Sport DSST patched on Friday and the tire shop didn't mention any issues at all.

Edit: I now feel really stupid for threadjacking since my question was already answered in wheels & tires: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103937

You may now commence flaming

Gort · 01-07-2008, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eelton

Thanks. I did find info on BMW's website. They'll tow to any dealer within 50 miles.

So if your car breaks down on you and the closest dealer is say 95 miles away, then you have to pay for towing? It would seem that they should cover towing it to the nearest dealer regardless of distance.

JSpira · 01-07-2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gort

So if your car breaks down on you and the closest dealer is say 95 miles away, then you have to pay for towing? It would seem that they should cover towing it to the nearest dealer regardless of distance.

I think it's any dealer within 50 miles OR the closest dealer. So if the closest dealer is 95 miles away, there should be no charge.

Maestro · 01-07-2008, 01:01 PM

For this very reason is why I still have AAA. I took out the sidewall on my 3 day old 335I when out of town on a Sunday and they told me the only option was to tow it to the dealer. Needless to say I ended up being out $500. If I could have gone to the local tire place (which was not an option since no one stocked the tire BMW use) I could have gotten it fixed for a few hundred and been on my way the same day.

PaulBailey@ltbmw · 01-07-2008, 01:57 PM

I had the same thing happen to me. I ended up having it towed to a local tire shop and getting it fixed out of my pocket :-(

Quote:

Originally Posted by shenard

Why doesn't everyone that gets aftermarket tires just get AAA? Wouldn't this fix everyone's issues? The yearly cost of it is very reasonable and usually pays for itself for me within a few months given the amount I travel.

That's a great idea. What does AAA cost a year?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gort

So if your car breaks down on you and the closest dealer is say 95 miles away, then you have to pay for towing? It would seem that they should cover towing it to the nearest dealer regardless of distance.

+1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maestro

For this very reason is why I still have AAA. I took out the sidewall on my 3 day old 335I when out of town on a Sunday and they told me the only option was to tow it to the dealer. Needless to say I ended up being out $500. If I could have gone to the local tire place (which was not an option since no one stocked the tire BMW use) I could have gotten it fixed for a few hundred and been on my way the same day.

That sucks. Live and Learn

Maestro · 01-07-2008, 03:08 PM

AAA is $65 a years, but you get some other benefits other than towing if you choose to use them. I still use their trip ticket if going on a long trip and I have use it to get hotel and other travel discounts when I could not find anything cheaper. I say they same me more then I had spent with them.

01-06-2008, 12:42 PM	#1
eelton Private 2 Rep 67 Posts Drives: 335i coupe 6MT Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago, IL iTrader: (0)	roadside assistance question I hit a large pothole today, resulting in a blown front tire. (The tires are non-RFTs. This is definitely a drawback of getting rid of the original tires, and my M-Mobility kit won't help me here.) Anyway, I'm going to need to have the car towed or flat-bedded to Discount Tire, 17 miles away, once the replacement tire is available. My question is, can I get the tow/flat-bedding covered under BMW Roadside Assistance? I called them, and the woman said only towing to the dealership is covered. That's probably true, but I wanted to ask if anyone has information to the contrary. Thanks.
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01-06-2008, 02:35 PM	#3
eelton Private 2 Rep 67 Posts Drives: 335i coupe 6MT Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago, IL iTrader: (0)	Thanks. I did find info on BMW's website. They'll tow to any dealer within 50 miles. If I wanted to be cheap, I could have it towed to a dealer which is near a Discount Tire location, and then pay the extra from there. That would be too much of a hassle, though, so I'll just pay for the whole tow.
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01-06-2008, 06:15 PM	#9
hav2flynow Private First Class 9 Rep 172 Posts Drives: 2013 Mineral White 328i Sport Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vero Beach, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 F30 328i Sport ... [0.00]	I had a similar thing happen. Hit a pothole with my 18" non run flats in an airport parking lot before a flight. When i got back to my car at 10pm a few days later, the back tire was flat. The fix a flat did not work because it split the tire, not a hole. They would only tow it to the closest dealer (which was closed) and I would have to find my own way home, 75miles away. I had a very good friend (that fortunately lives near the airport) drive me 75mi home, picked up my OEM tire from storage, drive me back and changed it. Now i just keep the OEM in the trunk, I dont want to live that nightmare again.
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01-06-2008, 06:56 PM	#10
shenard Captain 41 Rep 796 Posts Drives: '09 X6 50i AW Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dallas, TX iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW X6 50i [0.00]	Why doesn't everyone that gets aftermarket tires just get AAA? Wouldn't this fix everyone's issues? The yearly cost of it is very reasonable and usually pays for itself for me within a few months given the amount I travel.
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01-07-2008, 01:01 PM	#15
Maestro Major 1013 Rep 1,268 Posts Drives: 2007 335i Sedan, 2021 X3 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0)	For this very reason is why I still have AAA. I took out the sidewall on my 3 day old 335I when out of town on a Sunday and they told me the only option was to tow it to the dealer. Needless to say I ended up being out $500. If I could have gone to the local tire place (which was not an option since no one stocked the tire BMW use) I could have gotten it fixed for a few hundred and been on my way the same day.
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01-07-2008, 03:08 PM	#17
Maestro Major 1013 Rep 1,268 Posts Drives: 2007 335i Sedan, 2021 X3 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0)	AAA is $65 a years, but you get some other benefits other than towing if you choose to use them. I still use their trip ticket if going on a long trip and I have use it to get hotel and other travel discounts when I could not find anything cheaper. I say they same me more then I had spent with them.
	Appreciate 0 Quote