I just picked up my new 2008 Cayman S from Boardwalk Porsche in Plano TX and decided to purchase the "Tires for Life" option. The cost was $3800 and I have 30 days to cancel without penalty. My question is if this option is worth it? The car will be my daily driver replacing my 2001 Audi S4 that needed new rubber every 10-12k miles. Not sure if it's my driving style or typical but when I heard about the Tires program I did quick math and decided to go for it. The car is on a 3 year lease, however if keep the car it continues as long as I own it (purchase the car at end of lease) and I can roll-over it to another Cayman S lease once for no fee. They replace tires when you reach 3/32" or less (I assume this would be considered standard for 'low-tread') It also pays for front-end alignment when they replace.

So thoughts? Is this a good deal? What does a typical set of new tires cost? I checked tirerack.com and it looks like they will run $1200 just for the rubber, not including tax, stems, disposal fees..... alignment.... I'd assume it will be about $1500 when all done and if I use the program just three times I've got my money’s worth.

One downside I have been warned about it that they require a tire check-up every 6k miles and may request you perform a 'balance' if needed. I told my sales guy that I've heard this is how they make money, requesting you balance your tires every 6k for $100+ and he said as long as the balance is required due to 'road hazard' then they pay for it.... and that most times its due to pot-holes and they would be considered a road hazard.

I assume they make money from this program because so many Porsche owners are not daily drivers and hence don't burn up rubber as quick as I will.

Any comments on experience others have had with this program or similar would be appreciated.

-chillie

Ouch..... $3800.

OK if you do 3 sets in 3 years perhaps or keep the car. But the fronts last longer than the rears typically, I have 18,500 miles on a set on my 2004 Boxster S and they still have plenty of meat on them.

I'd only be tempted if when they replace the rears they automatically do the fronts. A point of note is my rears on the Boxster S where replaced at 16,000.

Sounds like a dealers way of getting money out of you.

How about this, you keep the $3800 in an account marked for tires....and see how long it lasts....bet you will still have some money in the account when you sell the car.

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Current Cars:

2008 Orange - Limited Edition Boxster S
2004 Atlas Grey - Boxster S

Well my car is 2 years old, with 17K miles on the original set of PS2s, including 3 track days and 1 endurocross. They are just about ready to be replaced (probably after 1 more track weekend). YMMV.

What is your annual mileage limit under lease? Are there restrictions on tracking/AX with the car (and how would they know)? Does it also cover replacents for punctures, etc? (I'm assuming they will pay for N-spec tires also).

Obviously, you need them to buy 3 sets of tires to make it worthwhile - if you can keep the policy thru two 3-yr leases, or if you plan to buy/keep the car, then it would probably be worthwhile. They are making their $$ because you're loaning them money (interest-free) that they probably won't have to start paying back for at least 1-2 years.

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My Blogs
2006 CS Tip (Daily Driver & Part-time Track Toy)
2005 Ford Expedition (to haul the CS)
2006 Lexus RX400h (wifey's)
Gone, but not forgotten: 2002 WRX, 2004 MINI

Are there any limitations w/ tracking or autocrossing your car? I'd be at the track all the time if my tires really were covered for life!

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'07 Guards Red Cayman S
'08 Honda Ridgeline RTL
'99 Miata 10th Anniversary Edition
'07 KTM Super Duke 990
'07 KTM 300 XC-W / '06 KTM 450 XC

finally, a good reason to perform cord slapping burn-outs every time I drop my daughter off.

My CaymanS is a daily driver and I got 29K miles with 5 DEs on my first set. Mileage on tires varies a lot around here. $3800 seems a bit high to me.

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"The Cayman doesn't need any more toys." -- My wife

I purchased my CS from Boardwalk last year and also bought the "Tires for Life" program. My reasons: Car is my daily driver, and I expect to put 15K miles per year on it. I typically burned through a set of longer life tires in 10K miles on the old, less powerful car. Where I live (Houston) there is lots of new construction, and lots of my tires get holed by nails and cannot be repaired. I keep my cars (if I like them) for 6 or 7 years. Even without DE and AX time, I expected to come out ahead. And finally, I liked the idea of "peace of mind", that I would not be pissed off when I burned up a set of rears in 6 months, or put a screw through a $200 tire that was three days old (both real experiences I have had).

BUT.....I cancelled the contract within 30 days. None of the local dealers would support it in Houston (it is sold through Boardwalk out of Dallas). While I could have had all work done, pay out-of-pocket and then file for reimbursement, that sounded like a PITA. They cheerfully refunded my money.

I think that the attraction for Boardwalk (apart from $$ up front) is that they see your car every 6 months, instead of every 20K miles (or whatever the service interval is). That did not bother me - if they can find something that is actually broken, I do not mind letting them fix it. The other concern you might explore is the health of the company (I think the "Millenium Group"). The program is not a big national thing, so you must consider the possibility that they could go out of business at any time. You may be able to drop by and find out more, since they are in Dallas.

If you keep the program, please post your experiences. I tried to research the program, and could not find any user info posted on the internet. Your findings, good or bad, will help others.

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....its even SAFETY YELLOW! What could be more practical???

Yes, these "deals" are often there to benefit the dealer, not the customer. Lots of times tires go on sale as new versions come out, etc. When Michelin PS3s come out, I will grab a set of PS2s when they go on sale to clear them out.

I can also take the $3800 and turn it into $5000 or more in a few years time. I also don't like other people holding my money for me, which is what they are really doing.

Your case could be the exception, but the dealer would not offer it unless it was truly in their benefit to do so. Good luck with your decision.

My dad bought a lifetime muffler from Midas in 1968 for his 65 Mustang. My parents kept the car nearly 35 years. He got 8 to 10 mufflers for free. Then there was the lifetime garden hose bought from Fedco in 1962. He got over 10 hoses from them before they folded in the late 80's. My late dad, God bless him, kicked some arses with those deals.

Isn't it a shame the oil companies don't do a similar deal 'Gas for the life of the car' for the same price. I'd buy that one

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Current Cars:

2008 Orange - Limited Edition Boxster S
2004 Atlas Grey - Boxster S

You must know that there is no way the company is going to loose money on the average buyer. Otherwise, they would not be in business.

Just do the math yourself. How long are you going to keep the car? If its a lease, I'll bet they make money on you. If you keep the car for 10 years, you make money. It's probably simple to figure out.

The average person drives 12K miles/year (or so). The rears probably have to be replaced twice, the fronts once. Thats about $2200 in rubber. If your average and paying them $3800, I would imagine they are hoping more average people walk in the door

Someone is always trying to get between you and your money. If they weren't making a profit, they wouldn't be selling it ...

I have 16,000 miles on my CS with about 60% wear left. I had two track days.

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Cayman S - a portable amusement park

- 2006 Cayman S
- 2003 Dakota SXT
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LL

2nd! If theres no limitations on tracking, and you do a lot of events each year, it can possibly be worth it.

However, w/ that said, I cant remember the last time I bought tires to replace an old set. Only b/c I either sell the car before it needs them or I buy/used new wheels that either have them already mounted or require a different size. :shrug:

I dunno, those kind of deals always turn me off. IMO, someone already did the math on it and it will somehow benefit the dealer or person offering the deal. Any good business is going to know how to make $ off a deal like that.

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