OPC Tyre/Alloy Insurance

[Conflicted]

Does anyone have any experience of this or the cost of private repairs?

It covers "accidental damage" to the alloy up to £150 and 10 claims over three years. I have no idea how much an alloy costs to repair but there is a good chance that I will curb the car once or twice over the course of three years so I suspect this is decent value?

As for the tyres, I havent been sent the Policy Summary but does anyone know if this is like-for-like replacement or simply a cash payment towards the tyre of my choice? Basically, if I am unlucky to drive over a screw with a 3.5mm tread depth do I get a nice new tyre?

[Far Cough]

How much have you been quoted ???

A wheel in normal sizes costs anywhere from £55 - £80 for a full dipped , lathed refurb including removing and replacing the tyre and balancing afterwards. A puncture costs peanuts to fix.

Do you drive in the gutter or are prone to picking up many punctures ? If you feel the need to get tyre insurance , there are independant ones available ( google ) as a mate had a policy and had 3 tyres out of them for £200 on an M3. Those tyres were not cheap !

[Conflicted]

I was quoted £600 for the 3yr insurance. I think I can talk them down to a lower quote.

[csmith319]

I took tyre insurance out from BMW a few years ago - £250 for 3 years. Was a no brainer at the time as I seemed to frequently get punctures for some reason and with run flats most places wouldn't repair - I did use it and it was very simple, just turn up at any supported tyre fitter and they change it without you having to pay and reclaim - mine was basically treated as a 'fleet' car for that work. Given one tyre cost more than the policy it paid for itself right then.

[Conflicted]

For the tyres alone this seems like a no brainer to me but my concern with any insurance policy is the level of aggreviation when trying to extract money from said insurer. On the tyre front I am awaiting the T&C's from the OPC so I can read the small print.

[Carbon Based]

We took it out on our new car as, like you, we reckoned it was a pretty good deal on tyres alone. A puncture on the first day (ouch) put it to good use.

So call to Porsche's emergency number, a visit from the RAC chap to get us patched and then home. Then wait a couple of days as our OPC didn't have that particular tyre in stock, but all fixed and no grief.

[Far Cough]

Its a good deal at around £250 but £600 up front is a bit steep and you may never use it. They wont pay out on worn tyres and I`d want to check the small print before signing as I bet there are a few get out clauses.
Personally I would keep my money in my pocket and worry about it "IF" it happens. I reckon on fag packet maths that the £600 you save will get you 2 wheel refurbs and 2 tyres if you did it yourself.

[Radish]

Given the state of our roads and the price of tyres it seemed like a no brainer to me as well.

[Actus Reus]

Was offered this, and didn't take it against the strong recommendation of the OPC salesman. I've had no punctures and no damage to my rims in 2.5 years - so for me very glad I didn't bother. I only do low mileage, mostly holidays and high days though, so if your car is a daily, it might have more value.

[Conflicted]

N rated 19" wheels are what, £200-250? That leaves £100 left over to pay for a couple of alloy refurbishments. I've got to be honest, I am astound that people are indicating that I can get a refurb done for well less than £100. I obviously need to look into this further because that is significantly less than I would have imagined.

[thegoose]

Conflicted said:

N rated 19" wheels are what, £200-250? That leaves £100 left over to pay for a couple of alloy refurbishments. I've got to be honest, I am astound that people are indicating that I can get a refurb done for well less than £100. I obviously need to look into this further because that is significantly less than I would have imagined.

Any painted wheel refurb will always cost less than £100 - usually closer to half this amount.

Check the terms of the policy but I'd imagine that upon replacement you'll (not unreasonably) have to cough up for the wear on the tyre. So if it started with 8mm, meaning there's 6.3mm to go until it's illegal, and you damage it at circa 5mm (meaning you've used 3mm) then you'll have to pay half the cost of the new tyre - and you may be tied in with the insurers as to where this is done and what they charge.

[sidicks]

thegoose said:

Any painted wheel refurb will always cost less than £100 - usually closer to half this amount.

Check the terms of the policy but I'd imagine that upon replacement you'll (not unreasonably) have to cough up for the wear on the tyre. So if it started with 8mm, meaning there's 6.3mm to go until it's illegal, and you damage it at circa 5mm (meaning you've used 3mm) then you'll have to pay half the cost of the new tyre - and you may be tied in with the insurers as to where this is done and what they charge.

That price seems optimistic!

Excel wheels, will charge around £125 per wheel for a complete refurb of 19" Porsche alloys, although that does include a set of loan wheels while the work is carried out.

[sidicks]

Carbon Based said:

We took it out on our new car as, like you, we reckoned it was a pretty good deal on tyres alone. A puncture on the first day (ouch) put it to good use.

So call to Porsche's emergency number, a visit from the RAC chap to get us patched and then home. Then wait a couple of days as our OPC didn't have that particular tyre in stock, but all fixed and no grief.

The T&C's are important:

Does the policy provide for both tyres to be replaced on the same axle, in the scenario where one tyre is damaged but fitting just one new tyre would not be advised due to differences in tread.

Is it a 'new for old' policy or is wear and tear taken into consideration?

Has anyone been offered this for a 991 GT3 and if so, at what cost?

The tyres are £300-£350 each and those gorgeous 20" alloys will be very expensive to repair!!

[thegoose]

sidicks said:

That price seems optimistic!

Excel wheels, will charge around £125 per wheel for a complete refurb of 19" Porsche alloys, although that does include a set of loan wheels while the work is carried out.

And yet, the highest price I pay is for a collection and delivery service where they remove the wheels and leave the car on (their) stands, repair any damage (although welding cracks is another 20 quid, but more applicable to BMW 19" wheels) and do a full powder coat (I've only ever had silver but no charge for any colour AFAIK), fit and balance either the original or new tyres, return & refit them and they charge me £55+VAT per wheel. That included the 20" wheels on my Cayenne. Turnaround is usually 48 hours. Painted minor refurbishment I get done locally for a fair bit less.

Another comparison is a BMW main dealer will charge about £55 for a painted refurb (which may even include VAT) and one that I know does this in-house in a dedicated wheel refurb bay.

Hopefully you'll see why I suggested the price for a painted refurb shouldn't exceed £100

[sidicks]

thegoose said:

Hopefully you'll see why I suggested the price for a painted refurb shouldn't exceed £100

Fair enough!

[csmith319]

thegoose said:

Any painted wheel refurb will always cost less than £100 - usually closer to half this amount.

Check the terms of the policy but I'd imagine that upon replacement you'll (not unreasonably) have to cough up for the wear on the tyre. So if it started with 8mm, meaning there's 6.3mm to go until it's illegal, and you damage it at circa 5mm (meaning you've used 3mm) then you'll have to pay half the cost of the new tyre - and you may be tied in with the insurers as to where this is done and what they charge.

The policy I had was very easy to use and didn't seem to have any nasty terms - tyres just needed to have more than 2mm tread for replacement. I did mine at Kwik Fit (was urgent and my local one is actually ok), and there were no questions asked, no forms and no cash from me.

If you can get the price down and you are susceptible to punctures for whatever reason then it is nice to have.

[Far Cough]

Wheel refurb from reputable well known place is £65 + Vat for a 19 inch wheel. It jumps by a tenner for a 20 inch wheel :

http://www.lepsons.com/prices/

Nowhere near £100 and these are in the higher range pricing. Easily had for less if you shop around.

Tyre Insurance + Gap Insurance from an OPC is madness (IMHO) and a simple way of the OPC making money when identical policies are available "IF" you can be bothered to do some research.

[Conflicted]

Far Cough said:

identical policies are available "IF" you can be bothered to do some research.

The research part is a fair comment but insurance is a unique beast in that policies, and firms interpretation of said policies, are rarely identical even if they appear similar on the surface.

For this reason I think there is merit to memorialising peoples OPC experience given that it will be pushed/offered to so many. 24hrs into the thread and there has not been a negative comment upon the actual service.

I may be risk adverse, but I am loathed to give money to an insurance company without a recommendation.

Edited by Conflicted on Monday 13th January 16:49

[csmith319]

I think my BMW insurance was from Mondial.

[Far Cough]

I`m sure the service is fine .... for £600 up front it ought to be ! I`m just saying you can get the same cheaper elsewhere, which is what you asked in your OP.

You have the costings now for private repairs in the event you go down the route of paying for it if it happens.

Ultimately , it comes down to whether you think you will get several punctures that cannot be repaired and will need a couple of wheels refurbed within the time frame. Once you have answered that and want the insurance , the second question is - should I pay through the nose for it ?

For reference :

http://www.car2cover.co.uk/tyre-insurance/quote-me

2 year policy for £192 on a £150 claim limit but I imagine a £300 claim limit is more appropriate and a grand total of £199 for 2 years cover and will replace 5 tyres if needed.

Edited by Far Cough on Monday 13th January 16:51