[BeerGuy]

I expect this is a polarizing question depending on where you live (and plan to drive). I'll be driving in PA, NY, NJ and CT.

When picking up my new Ghilbi and going through the dealer offered extras at final signing, the "premiere tire and wheel road hazard insurance" was a big push (which also includes replacement for cosmetic damage). Dealer sited numerous recent customers that had taken advantage of this type of coverage and how simple it was to have the selling dealer take care of everything if damage occurs.

I have the 20" Urano's. When I said no thanks, it was like the worst decision I could have made for the car. $2800 for 5-years after several No's.

After a little Google searching in the dealership and hearing from a few folks who drive in pothole country, they all spoke of how easy it was to damage these big low profile and wide rims. And how expensive to replace. Dealer indicated each Urano rim and tire would be around $2000 to replace.

In the end, I bought the plan. I have 30 days from in-service date to cancel policy for a refund.

Any experiences and input around this type of tire & rim road hazard insurance from Maserati dealer, (Safe-Guard is the hazard plan administrator)?

 

[HQ1]

I wouldn't leave home without it...that is if you live in an area where they use salt on the road.

There is a pretty good margin for the dealer and it might be worth negotiating a bit.

 

[Etodd31856]

I drive mostly in NJ and have never had a problem but never had 20's or 21's though. did have low profiles once a long time ago and poped two tires and a rim. If you drive a lot in Manahattan and probalby the boroughs I would suggest you get the protection as the the roads are miserable. My dealer did not push it that hard.

 

[ratti]

I drive mostly in NJ and have never had a problem but never had 20's or 21's though. did have low profiles once a long time ago and poped two tires and a rim. If you drive a lot in Manahattan and probalby the boroughs I would suggest you get the protection as the the roads are miserable. My dealer did not push it that hard.

How bad was the damage on the rim?

With a car like this on low profile cars you really have to be aware of what you're driving over, more cautious than you would be than walking. That is the best way to ensure you don't damage your wheels or tires.

 

[BeerGuy]

Thanks for the input as I knew there was no easy answer. I'm the kind of guy that has multiple cars, so won't take this out in bad weather or when DOT put crushed gravel on the roads for winter traction ... the wide tires pick it up and sandblast the panels.

Polling the web it appears if you hit a bump / pothole with front tire you will likely hit same with rear ... so two tires and rims in one hazard event which covers warranty!

Interesting This agreement had to be executed at time of purchase due to region; if in southern tier, looks like you have 60 days to make a decision to purchase or cancel.

The $2800 for 5-years was quoted as "just above cost" for these Maserati tires. And Maserati dealer would handle all repairs and/or replacement so they would take care of their customers.

Etodd - interesting sounds like your in NJ and I bought my car in northern NJ. The roads were terrible around this dealership from potholes and construction on highway so can why they pushed a little (in addition to adding a little margin to the sale).

 

[mrpa1999]

I wrote this info over in the other thread but figured I would place it here as well so everyone can see it in the proper thread.

My advice cancel the plan and get you $ back ASAP! Here is why!

Start buying your rubber from:

discounttiredirect.com

I buy all my tires from them and will never consider using anyone else. They are truly the best in the biz. The beat anyone's price, they offer free shipping, no sales tax so they can't be beat! Furthermore they offer tire warranty certificates on each tire you purchase, the cost varies w tire cost, but in general each tire warranty is about $20 per tire, yes $20 per tire! You can go online right now and get the warranty price for ghibli tires.

They will replace the tire for ANY reason at all, no questions asked, no proof needed. Just last week, I walked out of BMW on Thursday nite and noticed bubbles on (3) of my tires sidewalls, from potholes and the radials breaking. I called DTD and Tuesday I had 3 brand new tires $750 in rubber in my driveway free of charge. I would say over the last 5 yrs I have gotten 10 tires replaced at no cost. Never once did they argue, no pics needed, no damage tire return NOTHING just honor system.

As for your wheels / rims, I doubt you will ever break or crack the rim. Think about it, how many times has this ever happened in your lifetime? Chances are never and it never will under normal driving conditions. If you plan on going off-road with the car sure get the insurance plan, but you won't break your wheel.

At the very minimum I think you could get some curb rash though, that's a high possibility. If you do, the plan will NOT replace your wheel with a new wheel anyway, it will simply provide you with a re-furbed one. Most dealers send your wheel out to a company who re-furbs them back to factory oem specs, no brand new wheels though. Only way you get a new one is w a crack. In any case you can have these wheels repaired yourself for about $200 per wheel if they have curb rash.

Furthermore, if you do indeed get a cracked wheel that needs to be replaced, it will be covered under your auto insurance under the "comprehensive" coverage. You prob have a deductible to pay for your comp but it's not much. You can also change your comp deductible to $0 and the premium increase will only be a few dollars more. It's not like the liability section which kills you, the comp coverage is very cheap.

Bottom line is use DTD for your tires + warranty. If you have curb rash you have the option to have them repaired for $200 wheel. If you have a cracked wheel it will be covered under your comprehensive auto insurance. I have had 2 wheels in a Mercedes I had replaced by insurance for no cost, at the time I had a zero $ ded on the comp portion.

Get your $ back fast! You will never use that $2800 they charged you.

 

[BeerGuy]

mrpa1999 - Thanks for all your insights. I've really been on the fence and could not find many folks buying this insurance in my area. I'm filing the cancellation paperwork today, (21 days out of my 30 day window). I spoke with the dealership and they really feel it is a bad decision, but that's my decision.

Interesting on discount tire direct. I recently looked at their prices and was very impressed. I was not aware of the excellent customer service,
I recently used Tire Rack who were a little more expensive, but got me genuine Maserati TPMS for the spare set of rims for the winter tires.

Had I more directly asked questions on this forum versus just reading prior to buying the car I would have been better prepared. Lesson learned for any new potential buyer reading this website ... research and don't be afraid to ask questions!

As an aside, I bought winter Sotto3 tires from the Maserati dealer (equal price to Tirerack). More I thought about it, I didn't want to rip the tires on and off twice a year, so bought new wheels similar to the 20" Urano's. It would have been so much easier to have bought a tire and rim package from TR or DTD with an equal to or lower net cost, (plus warranty). Another lesson learned.

Thanks again for all the input.

 

[mrpa1999]

DTD is the best in the biz. You will never Hangup the phone unhappy, their cust svc is always 100% satisfaction. I always talk to the same group of guys as well, not just random people. The prob w tire rack is they nail you on shipping and don't warranty the sales.

If you ever have curb rash on your wheels you can take them to almost any body shop and they will have them sent out for resurfacing.

 

[BeerGuy]

Thanks ... I'll keep them in mind for my next splurge!!
I'm still working on wheel warranty cancellation confirmation after I emailed back my paperwork ... all went silent at dealer and always in meeting without return call.

 

[Wrecked Em]

I looked into upgrading my car to Uranos at the time of purchase. If I remember correctly, buying a set of 4 wheels outright was less than they charged you for insurance.

 

[BeerGuy]

I was told expect a replacement cost of $6000 for a set of 4 Urano's + Pirelli Tires or minimum dealer cost of $1500 per tire/wheel combo + tow + installation if you break a rim/ruin a tire hitting a pothole. 20" Urano wheels are right at that high risk threshold and you have no choice but to buy them from Maserati dealer.

That is the beauty of the premiere warranty ... unlimited replacement/repairs, mounting and towing over 5 years. Which if you live in pothole city sounds like a reasonable insurance plan and I definitely would have kept it. I have no plans to drive in bad weather or into the city areas when roads are bad, although you never know when one will come at you suddenly out of no where on an open stretch of road.

I hedged, and bought a set of new FKethos 20" gum metal rims and winter Pirelli's to drive from November - March/April. Got them all mounted today and ready to go for the price of the insurance (credit).

 

[doubledeetob]

FK ethos rims

Can you post the exact information for the wheels and tires you purchased?

From DTD or direct ?

 

[rjp71]

I live in PA too and I would never not buy the Wheel/Tire insurance for my Ghibli when I pick it up in May.

Since January on my BMW with 19" wheels, I have needed to have four tires replaced and two wheels. In the two years prior I have lost count on how many tires I had replaced. Most of the tire replacements were because of sidewall bubbles. I don't expect this to be a problem with the Ghibli because they don't have run flats.

I am a big tire rack fan for winter tires or planned replacements but it is hard to beat the convenience of driving to a dealer, getting a loaner while they replace the tire.

 

[BeerGuy]

Pirelli photos attached with sticker information (bought from Maserati dealer)

FK Ethos RT-6 Rims: 20X8.5 5-114.3 38GCM and 20X10 5-114.3 40GCM. Word of caution ... these are not forged one piece wheels, I didn't want to spend a lot for winter rims.

Tirerack for 4 TPMS sensors (genuine Masterati for Ghibli)

Discount Tire Direct and Costco had the lowest prices for these wheels, but got my local Pep Boys to order for me at similar cost and would mount/balance ... plus complimentary switch out each season since I bought through them. They are 5 miles from my house so worth a little more for the convenience. The guys that mounted and balanced the tires did an excellent job protecting the rims and making sure everything was perfect.

As I said in another post, if I could do it again, I would likely just order the wheels and tire combo from DTD for best prices and low cost protection package. It was a few extra steps to buy the tires and wheels from different sources.

 

[sverzi]

Just got pushed form Manhattan, and Bergen County NJ dealer to get the insurance.. covers rims and tiers ( including bubbles from hitting pot holes.) Needless to say, In the last 4 years I probably went thru 2 sets of new tires ( from bubbles to puncture) on my MB...( 19" rims)
So I did not hesitate a second..There s two package though.. the scratch and dents is another package that i didn t get considering im getting the car with M3 scotchguard.. so In my case if the rim get scratched.. I d have to basically crack it or dent it to get it changed.

 

[BeerGuy]

Just got pushed form Manhattan, and Bergen County NJ dealer to get the insurance.. covers rims and tiers ( including bubbles from hitting pot holes.) Needless to say, In the last 4 years I probably went thru 2 sets of new tires ( from bubbles to puncture) on my MB...( 19" rims)
So I did not hesitate a second..There s two package though.. the scratch and dents is another package that i didn t get considering im getting the car with M3 scotchguard.. so In my case if the rim get scratched.. I d have to basically crack it or dent it to get it changed.

I never cancelled my elite tire and wheel protection from Bergen County ... thought it was expensive and a very hard sell push when finalizing sale. I do have to admit, that having the second set of winter rims/tires made a huge difference in cold weather handling plus I like the different look, (even though the car is hibernating for now). I figured one hard hit of a pothole you could ruin the front and back tire/wheel set so at best I would break even over the 5 year plan.