Tire Warranties: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

When you replace your tires, you’re making an investment. Even using coupons and discount stacking tricks, you’ll be paying a pretty penny to burn rubber. It is very likely that you’ll be offered the chance to buy a warranty for your new tires before you leave the premises.

Sounds great, right?

The answer is maybe.

The Good

You purchase your warranty, you’re rolling down the street and bang! There goes a tire. You know you’re covered because you’ve just picked up a nail. No big deal. You’ll have it replaced for a minimal fee to reset the warranty to your new tire. That’s fantastic.

Tire warranties really can be worth their weight in gold, especially for people who may find themselves near construction sites or other possibly hazardous driving areas that have a high possibility for road waste. While this does not apply to everyone, you never know when you may be behind a truck that drops a piece of wood in front of you.

If a tire warranty is a reasonable price in relation to your tire purchase price, we recommend considering it. It really can save you a bundle in the end and almost all establishments will stand behind their warranty.

Of course, make sure you read your warranty guide and acquaint yourself with it. Some warranties may be more far reaching than others.

The Bad

Same scenario, you’re driving along and suddenly you’ve nailed a nail with your brand new tire. You have a warranty and that’s great, but how are you going to get the tire to the store to take advantage of it?

“Ah,” you say. And then you frown.

Yes folks, you have a warranty on your tire and that’s great. But nearly all warranties require that you bring the tire in to replace it. That’s fine if you have a donut or a full size spare to slap on, or if you’re only a mile from the shop. But let’s be realistic, that flat is going to happen at 2 am on some old farm road on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere.

Which means that you’re still going to have to call a tow truck when your spare is flat, too.

It is a very rare tire warranty that covers inconvenience or towing to the shop.

The (Potentially) Ugly

So you’ve got your tire and you’re bringing it to the store. The technician who is replacing the tire notices some uneven wear and tear on the edge of your new tire and brings it up to the manager.

“Your alignment is bad and is the cause of the flat,” they say.

Now you’re in for a fight to get your value for a warranty you paid for. Your fix? Keep your receipts from alignments and tire rotations. This will help you disprove any problem on your end, or your vehicle’s end, with regards to odd wear and tear.

Sometimes tires just wear strangely, but they won’t tell you that.

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