Dealer offer RAC Smart and wheel & tyre insurance
- Thread starter Andy.M
- Start date
Never had wheel and tyre insurance in 45 years of driving.
IMHO important to read the small print in the insurance policy to see what the scope of cover actually is. Things may have changed, but historically, many of these policies used to have restrictions or limitations such as;
With tyres, IMHO it’s important to understand whether any replacement tyres are like for like or whether you might end up with some cheapo Chinese ditch finder brand of tyre.
Bear in mind that these types of product offered by the dealer are usually more expensive than it would be going direct to the provider, as in most cases the price through the dealer will include their commission mark up which can be as much (or more) than the actual net premium required by the provider of the product. GAP insurance is a classic example where dealer prices are horrendously expensive (sometimes 2 or 3 times more than buying direct) because of the large commission the dealer takes.
IMHO important to read the small print in the insurance policy to see what the scope of cover actually is. Things may have changed, but historically, many of these policies used to have restrictions or limitations such as;
- diamond cut alloys were excluded
- in some cases, alloy wheel repairs were limited to SMART repairs, rather than a proper refurbishment
- is replacement of an alloy wheel covered if a damaged wheel can’t be repaired? If so, with the high cost of most OEM alloys, is there a monetary limit per claim under the policy?
- a limit on the number and cost of claims you can make
- an excess, which could mean that any benefit you get from having one of these policies isn’t great value.
- bodywork repairs may be restricted to SMART repairs and there’s probably a monetary limit or limit on the number of repairs. Also, if repairs aren’t carried out by an Seat authorised repairer then the manufacturer’s paintwork and corrosion warranty would probably be invalidated.
With tyres, IMHO it’s important to understand whether any replacement tyres are like for like or whether you might end up with some cheapo Chinese ditch finder brand of tyre.
Bear in mind that these types of product offered by the dealer are usually more expensive than it would be going direct to the provider, as in most cases the price through the dealer will include their commission mark up which can be as much (or more) than the actual net premium required by the provider of the product. GAP insurance is a classic example where dealer prices are horrendously expensive (sometimes 2 or 3 times more than buying direct) because of the large commission the dealer takes.
I've never bothered with alloy insurance, I own my cars and if they get a bit scratched I'll get a refurb done - and as I have the coppper alloys it'll need to be all 4 I expect to get a matching set!
Tyre insurance I bought for the very first time with this car (I've only ever damaged one sidewall, and had the occasional puncture, and as I used to have full sized spares it on;y meant repacing one tyre at a time) - but not from the dealer - as I'm running 20" 35 profiles on my Ateca. I got mine from ALA, the GAP insurance people - although it's a third party that provides the cover. It's 5 tyres in 2 years, and ostensibly full price like for like. I actually managed to damage 2 sidewalls on the nearside - had to kerb hop on a narow road when the BMW approachng dodn't pull over enough. Anyway, the first repacement they paid for the tyre but not the labour, the second tyre (2 weeks later as I missed the bulge in that initially) they paid the full amount. Basically I paid the garage, and then sumitted the claim to the insurer. So, for me, I'm quids in. And because of low mileage all 4 tyres are still pretty close to each other in wear.
Tyre insurance I bought for the very first time with this car (I've only ever damaged one sidewall, and had the occasional puncture, and as I used to have full sized spares it on;y meant repacing one tyre at a time) - but not from the dealer - as I'm running 20" 35 profiles on my Ateca. I got mine from ALA, the GAP insurance people - although it's a third party that provides the cover. It's 5 tyres in 2 years, and ostensibly full price like for like. I actually managed to damage 2 sidewalls on the nearside - had to kerb hop on a narow road when the BMW approachng dodn't pull over enough. Anyway, the first repacement they paid for the tyre but not the labour, the second tyre (2 weeks later as I missed the bulge in that initially) they paid the full amount. Basically I paid the garage, and then sumitted the claim to the insurer. So, for me, I'm quids in. And because of low mileage all 4 tyres are still pretty close to each other in wear.
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