Is Road Hazard Worth It?

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I received a quote for $450 out-the-door (includes installation and lifetime balancing) for a set of Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid tires in the P195/65R15.

However, this price does not cover road hazard. Road Hazard costs an additional $15/tire.

Is it worth the extra cost?
 
The first time I ordered tires off TireRack, I actually had an incident where I wish I had the Road Hazard warranty.

I drove over some railroad tracks and immediately afterward one of my Kumho Road Venture tires got punctured by a 1/2" bolt. Immediately turned into the nearest Wal-Mart where the service tech pulled it out and said there was no way it could be repaired. I tried a couple of other shops and they all agreed.

I ended up paying TireRack for a replacement tire (about $72 shipped) and lost a days worth of free time for errands.

4 tires x $15 = not even the price of a single tire (for most cars)

Worth it, imo.
 
that sounds expensive for that tyre size...

I am finding my tyres don't last very long due to cuts, flats etc so maybe the road hazard is a good idea.
 
i worked the tire industry for almost 4 years. that being said road hazard is an enigma of sort. i have seen countless customers buy a brand new set of 500+ plus Michelins or anty brand at that and get a nail/screw puncture within a day or week.

Each flat repair can be 15-20$ easily. How much do they charge per repair? Patch or Plug? So factor a conservative possibility of 1-2 flat repairs for all your radials.

Also I saw tons of tire bubbles. 99% of the time a tire bubble (sidewall separation) is caused by a road hazard injury. IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE RUBBER MANAFACTURER. I have had to explain that hundreds of times to customers who thought thier OEM warranty covered that. As you know a bubbled tire must be replaced as your gambling with your life and an emminent catastrophic tire failure awaits.

(However, if the bubble is visible on the inner sidewall after wheel/tire breakdown it is an OEM defect and very rare)

Road Hazard produced diminishing returns as the tire wears down so does the pro-rata. So if the tire is half worn you get a new tire 50% off plus mounting/balancing/stems/disposal/environmental costs. However if the tire fails in the first 25% you usually get 100% back.

Off topic, I believe your price for the Bridgestone([censored]) G019 are too high. There are much better rubber options for that price. I have many quality issues with [censored]/Firestone.

Are they DOT Traction A or B rated? What type of vehicle? Have you checked tirerack.com?
 
IMO, it's not worth it if the place you buy tires from includes a prorated road hazard warranty with the price of the tires. Discount Tire does, as well as offering their certificate fore replacement road hazard for $20/tire.
 
While the occasional lack of warranty can cause one to sing the blues, it's far more of a money maker for the dealer than it is for the customer!

Bob
 
Agreed. If you play the odds, you're better off without a warranty. I really don't care about people's personal experiences. The big picture tells you that tire dealers wouldn't offer it if they didn't profit from it. If I need to spell it out, that means that on average they pay less in claims than the money they take in up front.
 
If you have road hazard, they can't lie out of it if the tire is defective. I have had a few tires develop soft spots on the sidewall. I didn't have road hazard on them, and the dealer refused to cover them.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Agreed. If you play the odds, you're better off without a warranty. I really don't care about people's personal experiences. The big picture tells you that tire dealers wouldn't offer it if they didn't profit from it. If I need to spell it out, that means that on average they pay less in claims than the money they take in up front.


+1 ABSOLUTELY
 
Originally Posted By: labman
If you have road hazard, they can't lie out of it if the tire is defective. I have had a few tires develop soft spots on the sidewall. I didn't have road hazard on them, and the dealer refused to cover them.


As rare as actual material and workmanship defects have become, (even in the cheapest Chinese imports) in the past 15 years, yours PROBABLY WERE ROAD HAZARDS!!!!

Bob
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I received a quote for $450 out-the-door (includes installation and lifetime balancing) for a set of Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid tires in the P195/65R15.

However, this price does not cover road hazard. Road Hazard costs an additional $15/tire.

Is it worth the extra cost?


Here's a way to look at it. You have to pay $60.00 for Road Hazard in fear that 1 tire will need to replaced. They won't let you just buy the road hazard on just one tire for $15.00 You have to get road hazard warranty on all 4 tires just to cover 1 that may need to be replaced if at all and then it's going to be prorated which means that you'll have to spend more money if you need a tire. You end up paying for the tire, just your doing it now instead of later. Here's another thing to look at. YOUR PAST! How many tires have you ever needed to replace in the past? Im not talking about flat repairs. Most tire stores throw in free life time flat repair(as long as the tire is repairable) with the life time balance and rotation.
Also, most of the people that have road hazard warrantys on tires, while traveling out of town/state on family vacation or business, and had a tire blow out where the tire was ruined, they had to buy a tire from somewhere else ANYWAY! So much for that Road Hazard Warranty!!! The tire store manager where you bought your 4 tires isn't going to say..."Oh yeah! I'll reimburse you for the tire that you had to buy somewhere else"...Yeah Right!

My father-in-law purchaces warrantys on everything he buys and never uses them. I told him what Im going to mention in the next paragraph. Although I do know people that have used the warranty on products they have purchaced and were happy they got the warranty. Although the repair didn't cost what the warranty did and they only used it the once. So they paid dearly for the actual repair and paid up front instead of later. I also have a friend that purchaces warrantys of cars and when he needs a repair, that particualr item isn't covered. He screams and yells and nothing get done because he didn't read the terms of the warranty, he just assumed that everything was covered.

In the past 35 + years, I have never purchaced a Road Hazard Warranty or any extra warranty on vehicles, electronics or appliances and thus far I haven't had to use a warranty. Im not saying that I haven't had repairs but the repairs didn't cost what a warranty would have cost. So, as of now Im ahead of the game. If I have to eat a repair on a vehicle/electronic/appliance/tire at this point in my life, so be it!
 
Many once liberal tire stores (Costco for an example) are much harder on tread life adjustments...using even slightly uneven teadwear (alignment) to disallow any mileage adjustment. Some customers are now using the road hazard warranty to beat this. If they think they will be turned down, they just put a nail or screw in the sidewall or the edge of the tire where most reputable tire stores will not repair but instead they replace the tire. Not the honest thing to do but I have seen with my own eyes tire stores screwing people over minimum uneven tire wear.
 
Quote:
Is it worth the extra cost?


Do you travel in new home construction areas regularily? If you do, it'll pay itself back quickly from the nails you pick up. My record tire for nail/screw repairs is 17 (seventeen) in ONE tire. That tire alone paid back the road hazzard many times over.

Once my new construction days where done, I have had maybe one flat repair every two years, if that. Road hazzard isn't worth it for me any longer, even less since I plug 'em myself now.

Alex.
 
Thanks guys, I'll make sure the tire shop offers free flat repairs as part of the deal. My friend has not picked up any screws over the last 24,000 miles or driving, so I don't think road hazards will even be an issue.

outrun- the tires are for a '06 Corolla. The Potenza G019s are $81/each, which is less than Tire Rack + shipping. With the local 8.5% sales tax, the ridiculous CA environment/disposal fees and installation charges, it comes out to $450 out-the-door for everything.
 
The tire can also be a factor in getting hazard coverage.

If it's a $250+ 40 series tire, springing $15 is a fair gamble. Better to get lifetime tire/wheel protection when you buy those types of vehicles, however.

Replacement cost of the tire, tendency to impact related damage, and where one intends to drive it are all factors.

But for more modest tires, I've avoided road hazard coverage and have never needed it.

Check the fine print; some coverages don't cover mounting or balancing. That can be a big component on a cheaper tire.
 
I get atleast 1 flat a month. Usually a nail or a bolt.

I bought 4 tires at Americas tire and bought the road hazard warranty at that time. All 4 of my tires have been replaced through the warranty due to objects going into the sidewall.

I had one tire that was pretty worn out and when it got a nail near the side where it's not fixable a new tire cost me about $25.

Well worth it in my case.

Now Pep Boys tire warranty is a rip off. I bought 4 tires for moms car and she ruined one on a curb. PB said that they no longer carry that particular tire and that I had to pay full price for the replacement.

I will never buy tires at Pep Boys again.
 
The Firestone shop I use offers free flat repair. I have had to use this on two of my vehicles. They also do free alignment on new tire purchases.
 
I always shy away from extended warranties. It's another cash cow for the dealer/store. Play the odds, most of the time they will be in your favor.
 
Just remember should you use the RHW, it only replaces the tire at a prorated price(plus the extra money that you will kick in), not the installation fees(new stems, mounting/balancing, tire disposal if applicable). If your buying a new tire, many of the installation fees are included or will be waved but, if it's a warranty replacement then, you pay.

To change the subject a bit...When I was very young, I purchaced a new car battery. In a year or two that battery was shot. I took the battery back to the auto parts store where I bought it and they gave me another battery under the Pro-rating. For the money that I paid in difference for the battery under the Pro-rated warranty I could have just about purchaced a new battery all together, considering that the battery I had received under warranty only finished out the old battery's warranty which was in about 2 weeks.

When buying an item, you pay the store price(somewhat discounted)but, when using the warranty, especially if it's a Pro-Rated Warranty then, that item is prorated at the MSRP.

All Im saying is; read very carefully the warranty terms because most of the time they're not worth the paper they're written on unless you use them sooner after your purchace rather than later.

I do agree with GMGuy that if you live and drive in a construction zone or have had many bad experiences in the past or the tires are very expencive high end tires then, buy some peace of mind and get the RHW.
 
Road Hazard Warranty is not worth for most car owners, specially for me. I got only one flat the last 10 years for all cars I owned. '00 E430 is on 6th set of tires without any flat and still have original spare that never used. '94 LS400 with more than 200k miles had 1 flat 8-9 years ago.
 
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