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[danimal]

I had to get a nail puncture in my right-rear runflat fixed on a Sunday. There was a Firestone shop just a few minutes from my place. I figured, being Firestone, they'd know how to work on a Bridgestone runflat, so I went. Here's what transpired:

1. They fixed the flat, remounted. I drove home. All felt fine but then I noticed they ##@*'d the $hit out of my wheel. Not talking about just scratches here. It was all chipped and dinged up around the edges.

2. Called Firestone. Manager said to bring it in so he could take a look. When he saw the damage and that it was only that one wheel, he agreed it had to be their fault and offered to get it fixed. He said he'd arrange for a substitute wheel so I still use my car while my wheel was being repainted.

3. Few days later, returned to Firestone to get the substitute wheel mounted. It looked like an E46 330i wheel, but it was the same size, so cool.

4. Returned a week or two later to get my repainted wheel mounted. I checked the wheel. The quality of the paint job was not exactly stellar, but my bigger concern was that the paint looked wrong somehow. The manager brought it out to my car so we could compare it. Sure enough, the paint was not right. It was glossy and approximately the right color, but it didn't have any of those tiny reflective flakes that make the other wheels appear metallic. Again, the manager agreed with me. I insisted he order me a new wheel from BMW this time, and he promised he would.

5. Two week later (i.e., today), I returned once again to get the brand new wheel installed. They managed to mount the tire without putting so much as a scratch on the new wheel. I wish they had done that in the first place, but I'm just relieved to have my car back to the way it was.

Incidentally, I wonder if this is yet another reason to dump my runflats when they wear out. The first Firestone store I called said they refused to work on runflats at all. It probably won't be long before this one does too (they must have lost at least $500 on this job). The manager did mention they are so much stiffer, it takes more skill to work on them, even if you have the right equipment. They had one of their most experienced techs mount mine this morning, which is probably why it came out okay, but I would not want to go through this hassle again.

-Dan

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by danimal

I had to get a nail puncture in my right-rear runflat fixed on a Sunday. There was a Firestone shop just a few minutes from my place. I figured, being Firestone, they'd know how to work on a Bridgestone runflat, so I went. Here's what transpired:

1. They fixed the flat, remounted. I drove home. All felt fine but then I noticed they ##@*'d the $hit out of my wheel. Not talking about just scratches here. It was all chipped and dinged up around the edges.

2. Called Firestone. Manager said to bring it in so he could take a look. When he saw the damage and that it was only that one wheel, he agreed it had to be their fault and offered to get it fixed. He said he'd arrange for a substitute wheel so I still use my car while my wheel was being repainted.

3. Few days later, returned to Firestone to get the substitute wheel mounted. It looked like an E46 330i wheel, but it was the same size, so cool.

4. Returned a week or two later to get my repainted wheel mounted. I checked the wheel. The quality of the paint job was not exactly stellar, but my bigger concern was that the paint looked wrong somehow. The manager brought it out to my car so we could compare it. Sure enough, the paint was not right. It was glossy and approximately the right color, but it didn't have any of those tiny reflective flakes that make the other wheels appear metallic. Again, the manager agreed with me. I insisted he order me a new wheel from BMW this time, and he promised he would.

5. Two week later (i.e., today), I returned once again to get the brand new wheel installed. They managed to mount the tire without putting so much as a scratch on the new wheel. I wish they had done that in the first place, but I'm just relieved to have my car back to the way it was.

Incidentally, I wonder if this is yet another reason to dump my runflats when they wear out. The first Firestone store I called said they refused to work on runflats at all. It probably won't be long before this one does too (they must have lost at least $500 on this job). The manager did mention they are so much stiffer, it takes more skill to work on them, even if you have the right equipment. They had one of their most experienced techs mount mine this morning, which is probably why it came out okay, but I would not want to go through this hassle again.

-Dan

Well, to me it sounds like you got the issue worked out just fine.

If you have the $, I would swap out the runflats as they are pieces of garbage.

As for the tire guy scratching your wheel, I've had it happen to me at the BMW dealer while they were replacing a runflat that had blown. The SA called me up and told me they had scratched my wheel while replacing the tire, and said they fixed it and it looks like new. Well when I got there to check on their work, SURPRISE, the paintjob was shit. I told them I wanted a new wheel and they complied. Needless to say I ended up curbing that same wheel a couple months later anyway. Stupid.

[Ascension]

Originally Posted by danimal

I had to get a nail puncture in my right-rear runflat fixed on a Sunday. There was a Firestone shop just a few minutes from my place. I figured, being Firestone, they'd know how to work on a Bridgestone runflat, so I went. Here's what transpired:

1. They fixed the flat, remounted. I drove home. All felt fine but then I noticed they ##@*'d the $hit out of my wheel. Not talking about just scratches here. It was all chipped and dinged up around the edges.

2. Called Firestone. Manager said to bring it in so he could take a look. When he saw the damage and that it was only that one wheel, he agreed it had to be their fault and offered to get it fixed. He said he'd arrange for a substitute wheel so I still use my car while my wheel was being repainted.

3. Few days later, returned to Firestone to get the substitute wheel mounted. It looked like an E46 330i wheel, but it was the same size, so cool.

4. Returned a week or two later to get my repainted wheel mounted. I checked the wheel. The quality of the paint job was not exactly stellar, but my bigger concern was that the paint looked wrong somehow. The manager brought it out to my car so we could compare it. Sure enough, the paint was not right. It was glossy and approximately the right color, but it didn't have any of those tiny reflective flakes that make the other wheels appear metallic. Again, the manager agreed with me. I insisted he order me a new wheel from BMW this time, and he promised he would.

5. Two week later (i.e., today), I returned once again to get the brand new wheel installed. They managed to mount the tire without putting so much as a scratch on the new wheel. I wish they had done that in the first place, but I'm just relieved to have my car back to the way it was.

Incidentally, I wonder if this is yet another reason to dump my runflats when they wear out. The first Firestone store I called said they refused to work on runflats at all. It probably won't be long before this one does too (they must have lost at least $500 on this job). The manager did mention they are so much stiffer, it takes more skill to work on them, even if you have the right equipment. They had one of their most experienced techs mount mine this morning, which is probably why it came out okay, but I would not want to go through this hassle again.

-Dan

I feel your pain My next set of tires will be either Goodyear Eagle F1 or Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP (runflats)

[steve02492]

I recently had a run flat repaired (plugged and then patched on the inside) at Direct Tire in Norwood, Mass. I held my breath the entire time, but they didn't scratch the wheel at all. I checked before giving them the job to make sure that they were comfortable working with run flats, but I still consider myself lucky..

When these tires wear out, I'm getting non-run flats ASAP. I'm still irritated that we aren't given the option of run flats versus non-run flats when we purchase these cars. In the winter I have non-run flat snows and keep a ContiComfort kit from TireRack in my trunk for insurance. So far so good...

[Tondtar]

I am not sure why BMW decided to offer RFT's on a performance car that comes with 24hour road assistance program. I understand if you want it on your spouse's 5 or 7 series but E92's? ...Come on! There must be some $$$ on this for someone. The decision does not seem logical.

Mine came off after 100 miles as soon as I got my wheels. Toyo TR1's are a dream ride compared to the stock ones (sitting pretty in the garage now!)

[danimal]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Well, to me it sounds like you got the issue worked out just fine.

If you have the $, I would swap out the runflats as they are pieces of garbage.

As for the tire guy scratching your wheel, I've had it happen to me at the BMW dealer while they were replacing a runflat that had blown. The SA called me up and told me they had scratched my wheel while replacing the tire, and said they fixed it and it looks like new. Well when I got there to check on their work, SURPRISE, the paintjob was shit. I told them I wanted a new wheel and they complied. Needless to say I ended up curbing that same wheel a couple months later anyway. Stupid.

I wonder if there's ever been a wheel repainting that looked good.

I'm willing to drive the RFTs down to the cords, but I'm 90% sure I'm going to get conventional tires and a fix-a-flat kit when I replace 'em. The RFTs handle and grip well enough, and I do kind of like the peace of mind of knowing that if I get a flat in an unsafe area, I can keep going, but they are otherwise full of fail. They're very noisy and harsh over bumps or botts dots, and they're expensive.

-Dan

[danimal]

Originally Posted by Ascension

I feel your pain My next set of tires will be either Goodyear Eagle F1 or Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP (runflats)

-Dan

[danimal]

Originally Posted by Tondtar

I am not sure why BMW decided to offer RFT's on a performance car that comes with 24hour road assistance program. I understand if you want it on your spouse's 5 or 7 series but E92's? ...Come on! There must be some $$$ on this for someone. The decision does not seem logical.

Mine came off after 100 miles as soon as I got my wheels. Toyo TR1's are a dream ride compared to the stock ones (sitting pretty in the garage now!)

I actually think the runflats hurt comfort and noise more than handling (although they do add some unsprung weight to the vehicle, which is not good for anything), but I agree with you--they should offer a conventional tire + fix-a-flat option.

-Dan

[nicknaz]

Have you guys tried using the fix a flat in the can stuff? The results are pretty dicey depending on the size and location of the puncture.

Have you guys ever gotten stuck in the middle of nowhere or in a bad area due to a tire failure?

RFT are great for both of those situations. Also use the sport package RFT for something other than commuting before you switch them out.

IMHO they really do work as advertised... performance summer only tires that let you drive away from tire damage

[Ascension]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Have you guys tried using the fix a flat in the can stuff? The results are pretty dicey depending on the size and location of the puncture.

Have you guys ever gotten stuck in the middle of nowhere or in a bad area due to a tire failure?

RFT are great for both of those situations. Also use the sport package RFT for something other than commuting before you switch them out.

IMHO they really do work as advertised... performance summer only tires that let you drive away from tire damage

Nick, let me be the first to tell you from an experience I had last week that RFT do exactly what there supposed to do. I was descending from the Altamont Pass heading towards Tracy when I thought I hit a deep pothole. About a minute later, the sensor on my dashboard light up and indicated that I have a flat tire. I was driving about 70mph when this occurred and the car handled superbly. The car did start to vibrate, but I was able to safely exit about 5 miles later and off the freeway. The picture speak for itself

[danimal]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

Have you guys tried using the fix a flat in the can stuff? The results are pretty dicey depending on the size and location of the puncture.

Have you guys ever gotten stuck in the middle of nowhere or in a bad area due to a tire failure?

RFT are great for both of those situations. Also use the sport package RFT for something other than commuting before you switch them out.

IMHO they really do work as advertised... performance summer only tires that let you drive away from tire damage

Hey Nick,

I agree that being able to drive away from tire damage is a very big advantage of RFTs, but I'm not sure what you mean by, "Use the sport package RFT for something other than commuting before you switch them out." I haven't driven my car on the track (thought I have driven other E9X's on the track), but I've used it for commuting, road trips, and drives in the twisties. I think the car handles very well with RFT's, as I said above.

My complaints are strictly about noise and ride quality over small, sharp bumps and the extra cost of the tires. If I were to switch to conventional tires, I think I'd give up nothing in handling--might even gain something--and it would feel less like my car is wearing heavy clogs and more like lightweight track shoes. I think I have double coverage for roadside assistance (BMW and AAA, plus I may get some through my insurance--not sure) and I have a cell phone, so I can live if the can of Fix-O-Flat doesn't work.

The only real reason I can think of to stay with RFT's is that one situation where a tire fails in a dangerous location (where I can't pull off the road fully or I find myself in a bad neighborhood). If my car didn't have one of the best chassis in the business, I might not be as anxious to ditch the runflats, but I would really appreciate the better feel of conventional tires 99.9% of the time I'm behind the wheel. Getting RFT's would be for that .1% of the time where something goes wrong.

-Dan