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      01-21-2014, 09:01 PM   #35
Bimwat
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Drives: 2011 X3 28i
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Mid-Atlantic

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RFT is nothing but a Scam

Quote:
Originally Posted by sids911 View Post
Well, we actually experienced the downside of BMWs stupid design decision by experiencing tire damage in the middle of nowhere. Details over here
Couldn't agree more. I went to Firestone (owned by Bridgestone) today to get a RFT plugged where it had picked up a nail. I was relieved, because this was the 6th tire shop I had called (here in Washington DC metro area) and the first that said they repair RFTs. However, upon inspection, the nail was too close to the edge of the tread and they couldn't do the repair. The store manager then spent 15 minutes trying to track down a Bridgestone Dueller from his warehouse and nearby shops, and there were NONE available. He told me that BMW had bought them all up and that the expected production date for restocking inventory was April!! Unless I was willing to pay close to $500 for 1 tire and install labor, I would be reduced to buying a used tire on EBay, which I did for $60. But now - in the middle of a snow event - we can't even drive the vehicle until the new tire is mounted. The air leaks out too quickly.

As owners and consumers, we're getting it from both sides with RFTs. The stealer saves money by not including and extra rim or space to store a spare, they make money by buying up all the available RFTs for popular models and then selling them to us at double the normal cost. And the tire shops (most of them) refuse to patch the tires because they figure they can sell you an overpriced new tire. But, of course, even they can't do that when there are none available locally.

Anybody who's sold on the idea of RFTs would be well-advised to buy a used one and keep it in your garage as a spare. It may well save you the loss of use of your vehicle for a week. As for me, I'll be switching over to high-performance conventional tires come springtime
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