Buying a car rule #5: NEVER ...

T

TKD01

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ever ever buy a car with Run Flat tyres!!!

Apart from being a MASSIVE rip-off, the cherry on top of this bitter cake: punctures can in normal sitations NOT be plugged... So a metal screw yesterday after work ended up costing me R10000! (needed to buy two of these madly expensive tyres since the other one had 50% thread left).

The "safety" aspect simply does not justify the costs involved - especially in SA (the same tyre thats R4700 here is 130 pounds (+- R1600) in UK)

FFS - selling the BM and gettting a car with normal tyres... :mad:

/vent
 
Won't it be cheaper to get new mags/tyres?
 
And Rule #1 is not to buy a car that runs on R5000 Tyres if you can't afford to change them.
 
Keeper said:
And Rule #1 is not to buy a car that runs on R5000 Tyres if you can't afford to change them.
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yeah, after replacing 6 mags and countless tyres in the last two years, i can attest to this.
although my tires were no where near that figure...
i now have a greater tolerance for suv owners in sandton and fourways.
 
Keeper said:
And Rule #1 is not to buy a car that runs on R5000 Tyres if you can't afford to change them.
Click to expand...

Not about affordability - its the fact that its 3x the normal price for no real additional value (well apart from the "safety" of not having to stop immediatly when getting a puncture, in which case you anyway have to replace the tyre), and too be honest I can think of loads of other things to spend R10k on...

I wasn't aware it was run-flats...
 
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Even if you take a Beemer with normal tires, BMW's have odd tire sizes so it is generally more expensive to replace.
 
I've had punctures plugged on run-flats. Maybe you were unlucky.

I agree the cost is a b|tch, but I like the safety aspect, especially for my wife.
 
rorz0r said:
Won't it be cheaper to get new mags/tyres?
Click to expand...

The car is built to drive on run flats only, if you put normal tires, i think you void your motor plan.
 
Thinking about it, maybe you need to buy that tire insurance if you have run flats.
 
TKD01 said:
The "safety" aspect simply does not justify the costs involved...
Click to expand...

Are you serious? Why have you "quoted" the word 'safety'?

Blowouts at speed typically result in the motor car rolling, rolling a car can result in serious injury and in many cases is fatal... you believe there is a price you can put on something that pretty much ensures you car will never roll?
 
TKD01 said:
ever ever buy a car with Run Flat tyres!!!

Apart from being a MASSIVE rip-off, the cherry on top of this bitter cake: punctures can in normal sitations NOT be plugged... So a metal screw yesterday after work ended up costing me R10000! (needed to buy two of these madly expensive tyres since the other one had 50% thread left).

The "safety" aspect simply does not justify the costs involved - especially in SA (the same tyre thats R4700 here is 130 pounds (+- R1600) in UK)

FFS - selling the BM and gettting a car with normal tyres... :mad:

/vent
Click to expand...

Friend of mine just replaced the run flats on his 530D with normal tyres. He schemes it is like driving a new car, much softer on the road and less noisy. The 5-series comes with run-flats, but at least has a spare. I'm stuck with using run-flats on my 130i, since there is no spare in the boot.
 
SlinkyMike said:
Are you serious? Why have you "quoted" the word 'safety'?

Blowouts at speed typically result in the motor car rolling, rolling a car can result in serious injury and in many cases is fatal... you believe there is a price you can put on something that pretty much ensures you car will never roll?
Click to expand...

People have been driving with normal tyres for ages! Ofcourse he's serious!

I agree with the op. Theres no justification for that price!
 
SlinkyMike said:
Are you serious? Why have you "quoted" the word 'safety'?

Blowouts at speed typically result in the motor car rolling, rolling a car can result in serious injury and in many cases is fatal... you believe there is a price you can put on something that pretty much ensures you car will never roll?
Click to expand...

I had a rear tyre burst on me recently. Within seconds the car veered over in the oncoming traffic lane, missing them with fractions of a second. No effort could bring the car back on track. I ended up across the road in a shallow ditch with minor damage to the front suspension. That was close.

Rather pay the money! Just madness its such a high cost.
 
TYR said:
Friend of mine just replaced the run flats on his 530D with normal tyres. He schemes it is like driving a new car, much softer on the road and less noisy. The 5-series comes with run-flats, but at least has a spare. I'm stuck with using run-flats on my 130i, since there is no spare in the boot.
Click to expand...

Is his motorplan expired? Or does it not affect the motorplan? Or does he just not care about his motorplan?
 
catweasel said:
The car is built to drive on run flats only, if you put normal tires, i think you void your motor plan.
Click to expand...

That sounds like BS sales talk to me.


SlinkyMike said:
Are you serious? Why have you "quoted" the word 'safety'?

Blowouts at speed typically result in the motor car rolling, rolling a car can result in serious injury and in many cases is fatal... you believe there is a price you can put on something that pretty much ensures you car will never roll?
Click to expand...

BS. So the car just rolls?

I've been in plenty of cars that had blowouts, even at high speeds, and never has a car rolled. Even once around a bend, all that happened is the ass shifted a tad.
 
PythonFSi said:
People have been driving with normal tyres for ages! Ofcourse he's serious!

I agree with the op. Theres no justification for that price!
Click to expand...

Safety/lives have a price. Each one of us have a different price-barrier before we compromise. I easily justify the price for the safety aspect.

Having said that, prices will probably come down over time, it is ridiculous atm.
 
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