Safe-Guard Tire & Wheel Protection/Roadside Assistance

[Bill Bradley]

When I bought my 2006 Outback 3.0R VDC, the Dealer Finance Person tried to
sell me the "Safe-Guard Tire & Wheel Protection/Roadside Assistance"
(http://www.safe-guardproducts.com/ptire.php) for $499 for 5 years. She
justified this by telling me that "if I ruined one tire, all four would have
to be replaced at ~$180 each, at my expense, and, they would cover this,
unlike Subaru's standard warranty or Gold Plus extended warranty (which I
bought, at the same as a web-based price, as I had this with previous cars
and it saved me a bundle)".

I'm sure that this is somewhat of a Rip, especially since I already have the
Roadside Assistance with my warranty and even more the hotel stay coverage
with the extended warranty, but, should I even consider this? Could I get
just tire insurance elsewhere, or, even add a rider to my car insurance, or
something. I did read in Consumer Reports about the VERY high cost of tire
replacement lately, so, am a bit concerned...<G>

Thanks.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

When I bought my 2006 Outback 3.0R VDC, the Dealer Finance Person tried to
sell me the "Safe-Guard Tire & Wheel Protection/Roadside Assistance"
(http://www.safe-guardproducts.com/ptire.php) for $499 for 5 years. She
justified this by telling me that "if I ruined one tire, all four would have
to be replaced at ~$180 each, at my expense, and, they would cover this,
unlike Subaru's standard warranty or Gold Plus extended warranty (which I
bought, at the same as a web-based price, as I had this with previous cars
and it saved me a bundle)".

I'm sure that this is somewhat of a Rip, especially since I already have the
Roadside Assistance with my warranty and even more the hotel stay coverage
with the extended warranty, but, should I even consider this? Could I get
just tire insurance elsewhere, or, even add a rider to my car insurance, or
something. I did read in Consumer Reports about the VERY high cost of tire
replacement lately, so, am a bit concerned...<G>

Thanks.

That may be a little tempting. And could depend on factors like rural vs
urban(might be easier to get a tire shaved down in a big city), and
driving conditions(do you visit a lot of construction sites or run on
rock/gravel roads) and whether you but tires that are cheap or
expensive. Also, i wonder if that warranty is universal? Some ext.
warranties require you to go the A dealer. In the past some even
required you to go to THE dealer you bought it from! Dealer cost of
tires will be higher than aftermarket.

Personally, I'd put that money in a 'car fund' and hope I don't need it.
If I do, well, it'll help offset the cost of a set of tires.

meh

Carl

 

[y_p_w]

When I bought my 2006 Outback 3.0R VDC, the Dealer Finance Person tried to
sell me the "Safe-Guard Tire & Wheel Protection/Roadside Assistance"
(http://www.safe-guardproducts.com/ptire.php) for $499 for 5 years. She
justified this by telling me that "if I ruined one tire, all four would have
to be replaced at ~$180 each, at my expense, and, they would cover this,
unlike Subaru's standard warranty or Gold Plus extended warranty (which I
bought, at the same as a web-based price, as I had this with previous cars
and it saved me a bundle)".

You can buy tire with a road hazard warranty. Big O even has
a free repair program if you buy your tires there.

I'm sure that this is somewhat of a Rip, especially since I already have the
Roadside Assistance with my warranty and even more the hotel stay coverage
with the extended warranty, but, should I even consider this? Could I get
just tire insurance elsewhere, or, even add a rider to my car insurance, or
something. I did read in Consumer Reports about the VERY high cost of tire
replacement lately, so, am a bit concerned...<G>

I looked it over. The first thing they offer to do is repair a tire.
This is anywhere from $20-30 for a (minimally acceptable)
inside patch-only with rebalancing, up to maybe $50 to do a
complete patch and plug with the hole properly drilled out.
Their website doesn't have all their terms, which I'm sure is
spelled out in their contract. They don't specify if there's a
pro-rated repair payout or limits (if any) on repairs. The Tire
Rack's Road Hazard Program clearly spells out that they
have a $25 limit on repairs and a prorated replacement
payout based on elapsed time.

 

[Bugalugs]

When I bought my 2006 Outback 3.0R VDC, the Dealer Finance Person tried to
sell me the "Safe-Guard Tire & Wheel Protection/Roadside Assistance"
(http://www.safe-guardproducts.com/ptire.php) for $499 for 5 years. She
justified this by telling me that "if I ruined one tire, all four would have
to be replaced at ~$180 each, at my expense, and, they would cover this,
unlike Subaru's standard warranty or Gold Plus extended warranty (which I
bought, at the same as a web-based price, as I had this with previous cars
and it saved me a bundle)".

I'm sure that this is somewhat of a Rip, especially since I already have the
Roadside Assistance with my warranty and even more the hotel stay coverage
with the extended warranty, but, should I even consider this? Could I get
just tire insurance elsewhere, or, even add a rider to my car insurance, or
something. I did read in Consumer Reports about the VERY high cost of tire
replacement lately, so, am a bit concerned...<G>

Thanks.

You realy need ask yourself "when was the last time you had a complete
tire failure" ??

Then put the money back in the bank. In a special account if you want to.

 

[Bill Bradley]

Update:

I called them, direct, and they have a plain Tire & Wheel protection,
without the Roadside Assistance, for $399, but, when expressly queried about
"replacing all four tires if one goes bad", they stated they'd never do
that, only the one, no matter how worn the tires are. They asked who told
me that, and, when I said my dealer, said that they would call and clear
that up.

So, as I thought, a Rip. I'll put my money in the bank, as you guys have
suggested...

Thanks.

 

[Michael Pardee]

Update:

I called them, direct, and they have a plain Tire & Wheel protection,
without the Roadside Assistance, for $399, but, when expressly queried
about "replacing all four tires if one goes bad", they stated they'd never
do that, only the one, no matter how worn the tires are. They asked who
told me that, and, when I said my dealer, said that they would call and
clear that up.

So, as I thought, a Rip. I'll put my money in the bank, as you guys have
suggested...

Thanks.

I think the concern is for some AWD systems, especially the early one Volvo
used. In the Volvo forum there have been a number of reports of destruction
of the AWD system due to uneven tire sizes, including one that didn't make
it 10 miles on the spare because the spare had not been included in the tire
rotation. An alternative to replacing all four is to have the new tire
shaved to the size of the others.

Subaru AWD doesn't have that problem, does it, y'all?

Mike

 

[y_p_w]

I think the concern is for some AWD systems, especially the early one Volvo
used. In the Volvo forum there have been a number of reports of destruction
of the AWD system due to uneven tire sizes, including one that didn't make
it 10 miles on the spare because the spare had not been included in the tire
rotation. An alternative to replacing all four is to have the new tire
shaved to the size of the others.

Subaru AWD doesn't have that problem, does it, y'all?

I think the primary problem is with some of the electronic AWD
systems (4EAT an an example?) that go with the automatic
transmissions. Detect slip and it goes to work with an
electronically controlled transfer clutch. If the tires are of
uneven size, it'll start freaking out and working overtime. In
no time flat it could wear out like someone riding a clutch on
a manual transmission.

The manual transmission models use a viscous coupled
mechanism. Not prone to rapid destruction from mismatched
tires (although I hear it can happen long term). I've used the
compact spare on my 5-sp WRX and it didn't die after 20
miles at under 50 MPH.

Also - those 225/55-R17 tires on the Outback are really, really
pricey.