Just got a car on a 3-year/45,000 mile lease....it's a 2016 435i with 19" run-flats (no spare tire). I've never had experience with run-flats before. The dealer is offering me the wheel & tire insurance for roughly $20/month (~$720 for the duration of the lease term). The insurance will replace the flat tire at no cost, and there is no limit to how many tires are replaced. I wanted your input about the following two options: 1) Get the wheel & tire insurance. BUT, keep in mind that I would most likely have to purchase 4 new tires at some point anyways since I am expecting to put 45,000 miles on the car. 2) Don't get the insurance; instead use the money to buy four regular (i.e., non run-flat) tires and save the original run-flats. This way, the tires I buy may at least be repairable if I get a flat. And, once they wear out I can put the run-flats back on before turning the vehicle in at the end of the lease. This run-flat tire issue has me really confused, and I would greatly welcome your input.
i ended up getting the insurance. Barring an issue over the last 2 months, I ended up with 1 tire replacement (ran over a couple of nails apparently) over 3 years. But only put 20k miles on the car, so significantly less time on the road / chances for an issue than you. Run-flat was great because it allowed me to drive to my next (nearby) appointment after the car notified me of an issue, and then drive from there to the dealership without an issue. In that sense, I wouldn't particularly like Option 2 you listed if you're not carrying a spare. With Option 1, if you get multiple flats along the way, you wouldn't be purchasing 4 new tires.. only the ones that didn't get replaced. I would confirm that there is zero deductible on the insurance if you purchase it. Initially, they were saying I owed a $50 deductible--but then I ended up paying $0, which is what I expected.
Don't get the insurance from the dealer. Your first stop after picking up your car should've been Discount Tire. Buy their warranty which covers free balancing and rotations. I've had plenty of nails and bubbles on my run flats which they happily replaced with no issues. I'm not sure if you're familiar with those run flats they put on bmws but your tires aren't going to last more than 12k-15k depending on how you drive. So before you return your car you're going to dish out another $3k on tires. brigestone has these new run flats called driveguards that come with a 50k mile warranty and are cheaper than any other run flat on the market. BMW changed their stance on returning your leased car with a specific tire rating as long you bring it back with any run flats with at least 4/32" thread left. That might be your best route
12k-15k? I have all-season tires (as opposed to the performance type) and I don't plan on driving aggressively, but man I'm going to be paranoid now about how I drive!
I already did my pre-lease inspection, and I have more than enough tread on the tires to return without buying new tires. So no purchase necessary. oh FYI--2013 328i, sport edition (so slightly diff tires/wheels than on the standard)
