[EdM5]

Today my F10 had a puncture, it happened at the carwash.

Seems like a simple problem? Unfortunately not.

I called the BMW service centre and a tow truck arrived within 30 minutes.
The guy checked the tyre and showed me the problem, a rupture in the sidewall.
Of course, this rupture couldn't be fixed and as BMW doesn't provide a spare these days, the car had to be towed. And a new Pirelli winter sotto zero 19" apparently takes 5 days to arrive.
More misfortune: when the tow truck guy tried to disconnect the air hose, it smashed in to the fender, leaving a nice little dent.

And to make things worse, I was given a Renault loaner car. Just my luck

Bottomine: if I'd still had a spare, I would make an appointment with my dealer to replace the tyre and still be able to drive my beloved F10.

By the way: the flat tyre monitor never rang the alarm, although the tyre pressure was zero. So much for a sophisticated safety system

[GGPlena]

I once drove home from France -> Stockholm, Sweden with a puncture in a RFT tyre...
Why couldn't you drive from the carwash to your dealer?

[535DMSport]

Wow Edwin that sucks man! I would be so pissed at that guy, he should be careful with every car, but especially with a car like yours. Hope everything will be resolved soon for you.

[guji]

Originally Posted by GGPlena

I once drove home from France -> Stockholm, Sweden with a puncture in a RFT tyre...
Why couldn't you drive from the carwash to your dealer?

I am wondering the same thing... shouldn't a RFT be able to run when its flat?

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by GGPlena

I once drove home from France -> Stockholm, Sweden with a puncture in a RFT tyre...
Why couldn't you drive from the carwash to your dealer?

Read the OP's post again - the sidewall was ruptured. I suppose you could continue driving if you wanted to write off the rim, but I reckon I'd have called the rescue service too .

[gatoman39]

I don't think the car rang any alarm, because you weren't in motion, but that shouldn't have mattered. Sorry for all your troubles. At least the RFT replacement debacle is not country specific. Seems to be a global quagmire.

[EdM5]

Originally Posted by gatoman39

I don't think the car rang any alarm, because you weren't in motion, but that shouldn't have mattered. Sorry for all your troubles. At least the RFT replacement debacle is not country specific. Seems to be a global quagmire.

Actually the car was in motion, I drove about 100 yards before I first noticed the problem. No alarm though.
Then the car got absolutely undriveable, so I pulled over.

[northernmonkey]

I have no sympathy for you EdwinF10....why????

you took that lovely F10 to a carwash?????? a carwash?

I don't think the tyre ruptured at all, i think it was the F10 crying out in pain at being subjected to a carwash.

show it some love and wash it by hand and then it might show you some love back

[SpawneyGet]

Originally Posted by northernmonkey

I have no sympathy for you EdwinF10....why????

you took that lovely F10 to a carwash?????? a carwash?

I don't think the tyre ruptured at all, i think it was the F10 crying out in pain at being subjected to a carwash.

show it some love and wash it by hand and then it might show you some love back

That's harsh. Linking the car wash with his misfortune with the tyre, when you know the two are not linked in anyway whatsoever.

The trouble with the dealers not having the tyres in stock seems pan-European if not global and I am really annoyed by it too. I had a puncture in Scotland close to the north coast and the fact that I had to wait a couple of days for the tyre made my holiday in total ruins. All my months of planning and reservations had to be totally changed as I was only staying at a hotel for one day at a time as I wanted to cover as much ground as I could. I kept on thinking "if only I had a spare"...

BMW have to sort it out. It's really irresponsible of them, and I am worried that the nightmare might return.

[northernmonkey]

To Mr SpwaneyGet who called my post harsh. How many smiley faces does one need to insert into a post to hjghlight the fact it might be meant in a sarcastic, jokey friendly way to cheer up the OP? <sigh>

Anyone whos owned BMWs with runflats on large alloys over last 5 years will not be surprised at the fact tyres are not held in stock. Go ask 6-series owners with the 20" wheel when they came out lead times of 3-6 months were not uncommon at first due to rarity of wheel tyre combo and a few untimely tyre warehouse fires causing havoc in the supply chain.

I personally have had to replace 3 runflats on various bmws and never once found the tyres in stock. Always had to wait ok sometimes only 24 hrs but never yet found one same day.

It's not just bmws. I replaced two front tyres on my wife's Audi Q5 20" wheels factory fit option. 2 week lead time minimum and I had to order tyres in no dealer carried any stock and just as well as I got them from an independent for 80 GBP per tyre less than Audi dealers wanted.

[SpawneyGet]

Actually, I too used the term "harsh" in a jokey way, norhternmonkey. Hence was the fact I did not dwell on that issue but moved onto my expressing my sympathy on the matter quickly. No matter, apologies if I have caused you concern.

Anyway, getting back to the issue, I personally found that the better bet is with independent tyre dealers actually as they "sometimes" do stock them and if not can procure them by the following day for at least for my 18" 245s for the E61s. Cannot comment on 6ers, though. 3-6 months sounds insane nontheless. Utterly insane.

[Z4C_luvver]

Following the posts on this thread, I'm checking the prices on RFT's and they seem damn expensive! For the price of two, you could buy 4 regular (reinforced sidewall) tyres and a can of goop. Has anyone else gone down this road?

[Sdb]

I bought non-run flat Dunlop Wintersports (also saved over $150 per tire) and purchased this 'goop' kit with compressor for emergencies - http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=38

The Conntinental ContiComfortKit seemed like a good choice to a bulky spare in the trunk.

[jlgwu]

I too hate the runflats. Hence, very shortly after I picked up my new F10, I replaced the RFTs with regular Conti ExtremeContact DW's. Great tires. I also got a set of non rft 19" Blizzak's for on replica M6 rims for winter use.

In case of emergencies, I bought a small high capacity compressor, a tire plug kit and a BMW Jack Kit. If only a nail or screw that still in the tire, just fill it up with air and drive to the repair shop. I can also use the plug kit if needed. I don't want to use goop as it's not always effective and it really messes up the inside of the tire. SO much that some places won't even want to fix the tire.

[Z4C_luvver]

Originally Posted by jlgwu

In case of emergencies, I bought a small high capacity compressor, a tire plug kit and a BMW Jack Kit.

Hi, where do you get the jack kit from and how much?

[EdM5]

Originally Posted by northernmonkey

I have no sympathy for you EdwinF10....why????

you took that lovely F10 to a carwash?????? a carwash?

I don't think the tyre ruptured at all, i think it was the F10 crying out in pain at being subjected to a carwash.

show it some love and wash it by hand and then it might show you some love back

Yeah, you're right. That is disrespectful isn't it?

[highfive]

that sucks Edwin. so much for RFT. hope u get it sorted quickly.

PS: even on the tow truck your car looks gorgeous.

[bobbyd1961]

Originally Posted by EdwinF10

Today my F10 had a puncture, it happened at the carwash.

Seems like a simple problem? Unfortunately not.

I called the BMW service centre and a tow truck arrived within 30 minutes.
The guy checked the tyre and showed me the problem, a rupture in the sidewall.
Of course, this rupture couldn't be fixed and as BMW doesn't provide a spare these days, the car had to be towed. And a new Pirelli winter sotto zero 19" apparently takes 5 days to arrive.
More misfortune: when the tow truck guy tried to disconnect the air hose, it smashed in to the fender, leaving a nice little dent.

And to make things worse, I was given a Renault loaner car. Just my luck

Bottomine: if I'd still had a spare, I would make an appointment with my dealer to replace the tyre and still be able to drive my beloved F10.

By the way: the flat tyre monitor never rang the alarm, although the tyre pressure was zero. So much for a sophisticated safety system

wow amsterdam must suck at cars

[Gsearles]

This might be the story to make me drop my stock run flats as soon as I get my car. The combination of Goodyear RFT's on the 19" sport package wheels seems like a recipe for disaster. And "run flat" is obviously no guarantee against being stranded.

Screw it. I'm going to pack away the stock tires for the duration of my 39 month lease and return them intact at the end. In the nesting going to invest in good summer tires and for winter 18 inch wheels and higher profile winter tires. Can't handle the aggravation the stock all seasons seem certain to cause on my local roads!

Greg

[Gsearles]

This might be the story to make me drop my stock run flats as soon as I get my car. The combination of Goodyear RFT's on the 19" sport package wheels seems like a recipe for disaster. And "run flat" is obviously no guarantee against being stranded.

Screw it. I'm going to pack away the stock tires for the duration of my 39 month lease and return them intact at the end. In the meantime going to invest in good summer tires and for winter 18 inch wheels and higher profile winter tires. And the can of goop. And I have CAA. Can't handle the aggravation the stock all seasons seem certain to cause on my local roads!

Greg

[EdM5]

Originally Posted by GGPlena

I once drove home from France -> Stockholm, Sweden with a puncture in a RFT tyre...
Why couldn't you drive from the carwash to your dealer?

I'm curious what size of rims your car had?

Yesterday I spoke to an engineer at the dealer. The guy told me that in his experience, in case of a puncture, Rfts are okay as long as they are 17".
But if we're talking 19 or 20" rims, basically, you're screwed.

Anyway, I couldn't drive as the car in fact got undriveable and after a quick visual inspection I knew I was gonna destroy the (19") rim if I'd proceed.

[jlgwu]

Originally Posted by 5er_luvver

Hi, where do you get the jack kit from and how much?

The part # for the jack is 71 10 6 773 536. It's listed on the BMW website as the one that fits the F10.

I searched around for the price and the best price I found after searching alot of places is from BMW of Newport, Rhode Island. Cost me $123 US + shipping. Great price. You need to contact Gary Romani - parts manager. To get the best pricing, you need to mention that you saw his name from the 5 series forums online. Otherwise, you won't get the discount. I've bought quite a few things from them and generally, the best #'s.