So anyway lets start off by stating that I have an 03 G35 purchased 5 months ago. When I purchased the vehicle I purchased a warranty RPM Tire Service Contract, which coveres like nails, slices in tires, and most importantly POT-HOLES!. Recently I ran over a huge pothole while driving back home from work. My front right rim has a deep scar, and theres a huge chunk of rubber missing from the tire. There is No Thread left on the back tire due to my driving habit. There was no racing, drifting or what so ever involved, if anything it was just punching the car with VDC off. I brought in my car for service today explaining what has happened, I told them I ran over a pothole sliced my front and rear front tires and asked if they can replace that. They stated that because I had less than 5mm of thread left in the back that I was not going to be covered on the warranty, now this gets a little better I also said that my alignment was shot due to the pothole, and i was returned with an answer- "Were sorry but in order to fix that issue you must have atleast 5mm of thread on your tires". So to make the story short the warranty is useless then? Because of my tired thread? I'am being charged 365$ for 2 Rear Tires including balancing, and another $170+ for alignment?
Also they said that the big slice in the front tire is not a safety issue and does not need to be replaced. This slice is huge im talking about a quarter of an inch in the tire sliced off the sidewall of the tire itself. Were looking at a $500 fix which wont be covered by the warranty in which i purchased it for in cases like this. Also I have a meatgrinder transmission and clicking in the back of the vehicle. They stated that they found no evidence of the transmission grinding or axles clicking and therefore does not need to be fixed. How can you fully test if your transmission is shot if you have a dougnnut on your back right wheel. This is some ****ING BULL****!! I need some help and advice please, any comments are appreciated. Thank you for reading my post.




1800-890-7211 Is the number to RPM for the tire service contract, im going to immedietly call them on monday. If others wish to aswell feel free to call them and debate with them on this issue.

 

Did you actually say the rear tire with no tread left was the one that blew out? And you want a replacement free? I think your tire warranty will say that tread wear is not covered, and there is a minimum that should be documented in the warranty.

Now, does your tire warranty cover alignment? Maybe so, but they won't do an alignment until your tires are in spec? Sounds reasonable to me. Again, it might be written in the warranty.

Take your car to another shop (doesn't have to be a dealer) and ask them about the front tire to see if it's safe. If they say it isn't you could complain again to the dealer and site the other shop.

Transmission grinding; axle clicking; start another thread. Members will be able to help you better on those but they're not always going to wade through your first point to even see them here (sorry, I don't have any suggestions). Good luck.

 

I can understand them not replacing the tire if the threads are low (sorta). I don't know the contract but I'm only guessing that they will prorate what's left on your tire and make you pay a difference? Not sure...

 

I got the "Tire and Wheel Protection" insurance when I recently bought my '06. I'm not sure if we have the same company backing our insurance, but mine says First Automotive at the top of the contract.

According to my contract, you should get Reasonable Reimbursement if your tire suffers a Failure due to a Road Hazard (defined as "any abnormal road conditions and or objects such as potholes...").

As far as a Failure is defined: "Failure means (1) Covered tire(s) and or wheel(s) have been damaged sufficiently by a Road Hazard as to cause them not to operate in the manner for which they were designed. (2) Because of a defect in materials or faulty workmanship in the coverd tire(s) or wheel(s) , that have been properly maintained, that fail to operate in the manner for which they were designed. This specifically excludes excessive wear and tear."

Also, "The term of this Agreement...ends...with respect to any individual tire, when the tread depth has reached 3/32 inch." (2.38 mm)

Note that they say "individual tire" and not any tire on the car. A bald tire in the back shouldn't affect the ability of the front ones to withstand nails and potholes.

It also mentions that it doesn't cover used tires.

What I see is that:
-rear tire tread is irrelevent if the problem is on the front tire, so long as the front one that is damaged has enough tread.

-it's debateable as to whether the gash means the tire "fails to operate in the manner for which they were designed." I'd go to several tire stores and get some opinions, see if they'll back you up. The dealer shouldn't care where the money comes from--be it you or an insurance company, so long as they get paid.

-If your rim is bent, out of round, or damaged in a way that could damage the new tire, that might be considered a Failure, but if it's only cosmetically scratched it'll probably still "work as designed."
-the contract probably won't cover alignment unless it says so.

-if you really want to fight it and feel like you got ripped off, call/write some letters to the local Nissan/Infiniti regional manager, and keep going up the chain to Japan HQ until you get some answers. Worst case, if you had other tire shops say the gash is effectively a tire failure or safety issue, you could go to small claims court and represent yourself. Some companies would rather pay you the cost of a tire than send one of their lawyers out. I'm not a lawyer or anything, so check the fine print on your contract and see what the story is.

Thanks for puting in the cost data, good to get an idea of what all that runs. A pic of the gash would be cool. Good luck.

 

I will get the picture of the slice probably in the next few days, what do you think if I went to the dealership with a written contract stating that the technician said that the slice in the tire does not affect the tire in safety. Therefore if they dont want to fix the issue they must sign a contract so when something does happen I will have some evidence. What I'am scared is speeding down the expressway and all of a sudden my tire bursting and causing a accident. Also I'am going to call the warranty claims department and ask them a few questions about the warranty and try getting a contract from the dealership, I was told that it will take a few days in order to get a contract copy for me, which I think ludacrous.

 

Yeah, it's probably a good idea to get them to acknowledge the gash in some way (get them to sign a picture of it or something, put a ruler in the photo next to the tire for size comparison). Maybe that'll guilt them into fixing it. I'd visit several tire shops and get some opinions, if not for the warranty issue, then at least for your safety. Maybe you'll get a different opinion from another dealer, maybe a Nissan one.

I had a gash in the front tire of my last car, but it was a not too sporty 4 door american car (yeah, what was I thinking?) so I just rotated the tire to the back. It was 1.5" by 0.25" wide and on the outer corner. I should have filled it with epoxy or glue, but I was lazy and let it go! But I didn't drive too aggressively with that car, either. That, plus a screw in the tire, made me glad to trade it in.

If no one says it's a safety issue, then keep an eye on it to see if it grows (maybe measure it, fill it with rubber compound) and get it fixed when it does become an issue. But it would suck to lose control of a nice car for the cost of a tire.

 

You honestly believe that they should replace tires that are bald? Its time to buck up and buy the rear tires. However, I had a small gash on one of my tires last year and it eventually started leaking air slowly. I kept filling up the tire and one day the tire it exploded. So, I think that gash is a safety hazard. Get a 2nd opinion.