Some jerk slashed my dad's BMW's tire

[Quagmire]

My dad called and he said someone slashed one of his BMW's tires. Now we are have to spend what, $500-$900 to get the tire replaced since BMW tires are expensive as hell. I hope though it was just a random thing and not a person who has something against my dad. What is weird though is thatthe jerk only slashed one tire. Why not all 4? More details when dad gets home.

[Ebby]

I never used a BMW tire, but I am sure there are plenty of other tire manufacturers that support your car. I have a pair of great tires on my Porsche and they cost $130 each. (Z-rated normally $240) You just have to find a good pice for what you want. People usually take the store price without question so that tends to drive up the price.

[staph]

$500–$900?!

What Ebby said. They come in a relatively small number of standard widths and profiles, you know.

[Quagmire]

I don't know the real cost. That is what I am guessing the range is.

[FFL]

Sorry to hear about your Dad's tire - that sucks. Your estimate does sound pretty high, even for dealer parts and service prices.

As soon as you are talking about money out of your own pocket, rather than money out of your Dad's pocket, I'm sure you'll get better at guessing the cost of things.

[ast3r3x]

If it's $500-$900 PER TIRE. That's ridiculous and then anyone is fools that would pay that.

I want my tires replaced for winter, and I think my tires are $400-$500 for all four. Now my SUV has small tires (for SUV's) but still. What kind of BMW is it?

[Quagmire]

If it's $500-$900 PER TIRE. That's ridiculous and then anyone is fools that would pay that.

I want my tires replaced for winter, and I think my tires are $400-$500 for all four. Now my SUV has small tires (for SUV's) but still. What kind of BMW is it?

It is the 330xi.

[ast3r3x]

I can't see it costing that much then. Besides, he should be sporting an M5 or 7 series.

[Brad]

It is the 330xi.
You're getting ripped off.

A quick online search finds tires for that car about $150.

[Quagmire]

You're getting ripped off.

A quick online search finds tires for that car about $150.

The prices aren't from the dealer. Just my guess. Considering my local BMW dealer is expensive.

[Brad]

Ah, I must have missed that somehow and jumped on the bandwagon. :) At least now you (well, your dad) will know what sort of price to look for!

[Quagmire]

Well my Dad is as confused as I am as why all 4 tires weren't slashed and only the one. The BMW needed new tires anyway. There were 50,000 mile tires and the BMW is at 60,000+. Talking about tires, never take a BMW over a pothole. He bent the rim so much and had it repaired, the only way to ever fix it again is to buy a new rim.

[staph]

There were 50,000 mile tires and the BMW is at 60,000+

There's a distance rating for tires? I thought everybody just checked how much tread was actually left, and decided accordingly… my 121 had the same four Michelins on it for almost 5 years and 200,000 kilometres before they became unroadworthy.

[Quagmire]

There's a distance rating for tires? I thought everybody just checked how much tread was actually left, and decided accordingly… my 121 had the same four Michelins on it for almost 5 years and 200,000 kilometres before they became unroadworthy.

Well thats is the recommended mileage to get them replaced. Sure the current tires might be in an acceptable wear where there still useable. I really don't know really.

[L'Angelo Misterioso]

Well thats is the recommended mileage to get them replaced. Sure the current tires might be in an acceptable wear where there still useable. I really don't know really.

geez, you eat up everything car dealers and manufacturers tell you huh

[usurp]

i have a 330ci and the most expensive tires on my car (17inch rims) cost me $210 and they were the high end michelins. After a couple of flats I started using a lesser known german brand and i now pay around $130 per tire.

[Quagmire]

i have a 330ci and the most expensive tires on my car (17inch rims) cost me $210 and they were the high end michelins. After a couple of flats I started using a lesser known german brand and i now pay around $130 per tire.


Ahh. I see. So my esitmate was way off. My esitmate was really for all 4 tires would cost me. Thanks for telling me that. Your prices should be around the same then.

EDIT: WOOT! 1,000 post.

[DMBand0026]

Ahh. I see. So my esitmate was way off. My esitmate was really for all 4 tires would cost me. Thanks for telling me that. Your prices should be around the same then.

EDIT: WOOT! 1,000 post.

What a waste of a 1,000th post. ;)

Edit: w00t!1! 2,885th post!

By the way, you mispelled w00t!1! It's "w00t!1!" not "WOOT!"

When will you learn? 1337 Speak Info (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet)

1337 Speak Generator (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11171)

[Kickaha]

Man, your Dad should sue BMW for not providing slash-proof tires. I mean really, those are critical to the use of the car! Or at least demand they replace them for free... as a consumer, he should demand quality.

[DMBand0026]

Absolutely. I'm sure there's some scratches on the doors. Maybe someone ran a shopping cart into it or something like that. Friggin BMW...they should build better stuff, scratch proof paint and the like.

<scampers off to start an online petition>

:D


Note:
Quag. I'm not making fun of you because I know you're personally against the Nano lawsuit...I'm just having some fun. :)

[Koodari]

This isn't even very far offtopic..

This new-fangled thing where they put in some kind of run-flat tyres, a kit to quick fix punctures and a mini compressor instead of a spare wheel. Do any of your cars have that? Have you had to fix a tyre on the road? What's the motivation behind the new setup?

To me it just seems so much simpler to have a spare wheel and jack. Run-flat tyres, why not, after all you can lose several tyres especially at once if you run into something on the road. It's the patching kit and compressor I don't "get".

[alcimedes]

My RX8 came with that. no spare. in my case, i think they did it because there wasn't really room in the trunk for the spare.

i think the other motivation is cost.

[Matsu]

If your looking for a reason why someone might have slashed your tire, it's probably because you're one of those people who runs around referring to "my BMW" rather than "my car". Elitism, learn it early, practise it often... :p

That, and whoever did it was probably bored

[Amadeus]

That is just terrible undertaker. Sorry to hear that undertaker. Chances are it was just random

My wife is a visiting nurse and someone dented the side of her car while at a patients house.

[flounder]

As for the why one and not all four question, the answer is simple.

One slashed tire makes your car just as immobile as four! And remember, the perpetrator is doing something quite illegal, so it's best to spend as little time at the scene as possible. Slash one and go, probably no one notices. Go around and slash all four, and you're far more likely to get spotted.


Also, some people (although I didn't read closely) mentioned run flat tires. If your tire has been knifed through the side-wall, that tire is completely and utterly done, run flat or not.

As a person who has had a tire slashed, it's also possible they thought your dad's car belonged to someone else. That's what happened to me when my tire got slashed.

[usurp]

i watched an episode of the show 5th Gear were they were demonstrating runflat tires. They drilled a hole through the side-wall and nothing happened.

[flounder]

Really? Craziness. You learn something new every day!

[ast3r3x]

If your looking for a reason why someone might have slashed your tire, it's probably because you're one of those people who runs around referring to "my BMW" rather than "my car". Elitism, learn it early, practise it often... :p

That, and whoever did it was probably bored

Or annoyed about hearing "my BMW" ;)

Convince him to get a M5, or 7 series...or a 6 series. Then you can brag a bit...and you could get those south african theft deterrents that shoot a fireball along side of the car!

[Dorian Gray]

Well, if your old man gets 50,000 miles out of the tyres on a BMW 330, he clearly doesn't deserve the car. A 3-series with a nice engine is the best driving machine BMW makes, and should not have to endure a life of cruising on motorways!!!

Nowhere is the motto "you get what you pay for" truer than in car tyres. Tyres are fiendishly difficult to design and require huge research budgets to get right. Look at the situation in Formula 1, where Michelin-shod teams dominated this year no matter what the Bridgestone teams (including Ferrari) did. Michelin has the better tyre: end of race. The entire season was reduced to a tyre championship (one of the reasons many people want to see an end to tyre competition in F1). Likewise, the tyres you put on a road car determine cornering and braking performance more than any other component. It's extremely foolish to "save" money by getting cheap tyres.

PS. $150 = very cheap. Judging by the stuck-up attitude of his son, your dad can probably afford decent tyres.

[Matsu]

Just to be straight about it. There is nothing wrong with buying and driving BMWs, even the latest Chris Bangle ones, just with refering to them as "my BMW" this is nearly as bad as saying, "my beemer" or "my [insert any make here]". The only people who can get away with this own some form of insufferably cute/trendy vehicle, and are chicks. So, your girlfriend may say, "my miata", "my mini', "my beetle", you get the idea. The only other people who may refer to their personal conveyance by brand name are filthy rich, and when doing so, they should use the definitive article, like Higgins in Magnum PI, "the Ferrari" or Q in Bond, "the Aston". Bond even drove a BMW twice, but never called it 'my' BMW -- either "the BMW" or "my car". Same goes for Magnum and "the Ferrari". Even Batman never talks about 'my' Batmobile, and who else's could it be?

There remains one other exception to this rule, and it happens when the vehicle in question has a certain iconic quality that defines a class of vehicle not generally called a car. 'My jeep', or 'my landrover' will be perfectly acceptable (variously) in parts of the US or Great Britain in the same way that your old secretary never hands you a copy of something, but rather a zerox. 'Mia Vespa' springs to mind as well, but only in parts of Europe. 'My Lambretta' OTOH, only identifies you as a nut, though the explanation takes more space than we have for this short course in linguo-automotive ettiquette.

You're lucky you got off with one slashed tire...

[Quagmire]

PS. $150 = very cheap. Judging by the stuck-up attitude of his son, your dad can probably afford decent tyres.


So I am stuck-up?

[Kickaha]

Well, we do tend to get the rundown of how many Macs you have, how many iPods, your upcoming brand new truck, etc... some day you'll learn that a) nobody really cares, b) people who have to scrounge and scrape to afford *one* aren't going to look kindly on someone who has multiples just *given* to him for no good reason, c) they really aren't going to think highly of you if you keep talking about it like it's what defines you.

So yeah, some people might think you're stuck up and spoiled given the above. Just as an FYI. It's part of growing up, learning to deal with a variety of people in various situations.

Hint: we like *you*, not what toys you have. It just doesn't matter, and crowing about the gifts you have received is just going to paint you in a negative light over time.

[Quagmire]

Well, we do tend to get the rundown of how many Macs you have, how many iPods, your upcoming brand new truck, etc... some day you'll learn that a) nobody really cares, b) people who have to scrounge and scrape to afford *one* aren't going to look kindly on someone who has multiples just *given* to him for no good reason, c) they really aren't going to think highly of you if you keep talking about it like it's what defines you.

So yeah, some people might think you're stuck up and spoiled given the above. Just as an FYI. It's part of growing up, learning to deal with a variety of people in various situations.

My family has had 4 macs in the past 12 years. The Powermac 6100 lasted 6 years then it was killed by a lightning strike to our house causing a power surge. So we got a Powermac G4 400 Mhz to replace it. Then I got a Powerbook because a) I would like to have the portability when the time comes b) My parents were sick of me always using the Powermac C) I made a deal with them if I lost 50 lbs, they would get me a computer. Now with the 20" iMac G5, that was to replace the Powermac G4 as it is 5 years old. My dad persisted on the 20" model for his eyes, even though I said the 17" model would be fine. For the 4 iPods I have, my parents bought the iPod Nano and my first 4G iPod monochrome. I bought the 4G iPod color and iPod shuffle with my own money that was saved up all through my life. Also, my dad has made a deal concerning the Tahoe. If I get in Annapolis, he will get me the Tahoe since $40,000 is still cheaper then a college intuition would cost. Even if I do get in, the Tahoe isn't 100% set in stone, look in my sig, it also states I would like the Chevy HHR. Nothing is set in stone yet. My dad might think the HHR is not big enough for my stuff, and then I will go with the Equinox. The reason I want the Tahoe is because our experience with our Suburbans which is just a lengthened Tahoe. They have been reliable. I mean very reliable. Our '96 Suburban had zero problems with it. Same story with our newer '02 model so far. I would like a vehicle that is like that. I am not saying I want a Tahoe just to have the biggest most expensive thing.

[Kickaha]

See, now if you mix that sort of info in along the way, instead of just giving the final tally of "Well I've got four iPods." it sounds better. ;)

Of course, it's also a matter of perspective. A *new* vehicle is, in most people's eyes, outrageous extravagance for a kid. Period. I'm sure in your social circles it's just considered expected, but that's sort of where the whole 'spoiled' thing comes in. It applies to groups as well as people, and of course within in any group there are strata. In my high school *I* was the spoiled one because I got a '75 BMW 2002 in mediocre condition on graduation. In 1989. My extended family pitched in and bought it because they knew I'd need a car at college.

You're on the Net now, and exposing your life to people who have very different backgrounds and experiences. What may be considered normal and expected for your local setting is almost certainly not what most people are going to think of as normal or expected, and you open yourself up to being thought of as spoiled.