AndrewT1993

I just finished signing and will pick up my new A4 today. The finance manager told me that I should get the wheel/rim protection option because you can't patch Audi wheels. Is this true?

HyperS4

Never heard that before unless a tire is a runflat. That being said, Ive patched runflats before too.

Strife1013

That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard!?! Audi doesn't make tires they buy them from Goodyear, Michelin, etc... Tires are tires and depending on where the puncture is they can be fixed.

I think what he means is that the dealership doesn't patch tires, take it somewhere else. Places like Discount Tire (don't know if you have one where you live) they will do it for free. Places like Walmart and other places will do it from $10-20.

When you get new tires find a place that offers tire hazard warranty like Costco or something where the tire is covered for several types of damages.

How much do you normally jack up your rims on your car? If you do it a lot it maybe worth picking up as they will fix rim damage (confirm with dealership) but if you think you may "curb" your rim once or twice in the lifetime of the car than it maybe better to pay out of pocket or leave as is.

I would pass. Dealerships offer a lot of nonsense things IMO. I would pick up AudiCare, that is the only thing I will add from the dealership to my car.

HyperS4

Depending on where you live the options might be relevant. Here in NJ every winter you see tons of cars coming in with bent wheels and popped tires from the massive amount of potholes we have. If you live in NJ having wheel/tire protection is necessary. If you live in CA/FL/AZ places like that, probably not important.

Strife1013

Yeah, suppose that's true, I've never been to the east coast so I don't know how "bad" those roads are but it sounds like you live in that area so that being the case if it's that bad where you live than yeah I would buy that warranty too. I think if you bend a rim it would have to be replaced that right there covers the cost of the warranty one would think. Very good point Hyper.

superswiss

They just want to extract more money from you. What's true is that Audi's policy is to not patch tires, so dealerships won't do it. But any reputable shop who knows what they are doing can patch a tire as long as the damage is not on or close to the sidewall. Runflats as said are not supposed to be patched, though, but Audi doesn't put runflats on the A4.

If you are prone to messing up your rims, then the package maybe worth it, but other than that, get your tires through TireRack for example, which includes free Road Hazard Coverage with every purchase or some other place that gives you Road Hazard coverage.

I've patched many tires on my Audis and I do a lot of sport driving in the California canyons and no issues whatsoever. I've had the same tire patched multiple times in the past, which can also be done as long as the damage is not close together.

A4Nash

I had a flat at 250 miles. Caught a nail on the interstate. Slow leak so I took it directly to a local shop and they patched it for $20. No problem. Important to note, the tire protection package they try to sell you DOES NOT cover "curbing" damage or scratches/gouges to the outside of the rim. I declined it immediately, along with all the other marked-up options. I will get the road hazard for the tires upon first replacement cycle. Has saved me big bucks in the past, especially with run flats.

A4Driver

I fix my own tire punctures with an inexpensive kit you can buy at any auto parts store (and even Walmart). Been doing this for years and have never had a problem. I keep the kit in the trunk of my car so I don't get stranded somewhere.
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BiscuitEmbryo

I've been driving in NJ for 25 years and have never bent a rim or popped a tire from a pothole. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that it's not worth it for everyone.

fnarq

On my BMW 328i with runflats, I have had to replace three tires due to either punctures or bubbles... and you kinda should buy them in pairs, so I bought six tires in about 4.5 years.

I could never get any of my local shops to repair a runflat, not saying it can't be done, I could just never get anyone to do it. I swore that I would never get a car with runflats again.