Turns out buying a little "extra protection" can be a good thing. Case in point: my tires.
I purchased a set of winter tires a little over a year ago...and of course left them on my car all year long. I wanted all-season (which they didn't have in stock in my size) and I didn't think too much of it. Besides, having them on the car only in the winter means they'd last for years, I'd have to store them 9 months out of the year and my car is older...who knows how many years it has left anyway?
But I digress....
I typically do not spring for the "extra options" package whenever it is offered, no matter what the item is as it is usually not worth it to me. For some reason, however, the tire protection plan was offered and I accepted. Hmmmm....probably because the tires cost less than I had budgeted for in the first place.
A year and a few months go by without incident...until yesterday.
Sunday afternoon I hop in my car and pull out of the driveway to drive to my brother's house (I was scheduled to make fajitas for our weekly dinner/get-together). As I pulled onto my street the car felt funny and I could hear this strange sound. The guy behind me started honking and flashing his lights...it felt like I had a flat tire and this guy confirmed it. I pulled over, got out and looked. Sure enough, my back driver's side tire was flat as a pancake. I must have picked something up on Friday because I didn't drive my car Saturday (maybe there is something to this "Friday the 13th" thing after all?)
I drove a few blocks to a gas station, filled up the tire, and got a hold of the tire center where my warranty was(thankfully they were open on Sundays!) Going slow I drove across town and pulled up at my local Sam's Club. There were a few customers ahead of me but within 40 minutes I was driving away with a repaired tire at no cost to me. The culprit? A shiny silver roofing nail and I have no idea where I picked it up.
Hmmmm.....I still don't see myself buying additional protection on everything, but I guess, in some situations, coverage can be a good thing.
6 comments:
You drove a FEW BLOCKS on a tire that was "flat as a pancake"?!?!?!?
I hate to admit it but my "spare" is a tiny donut....and I don't think the jack works. Even if it did I would need to completely empty my trunk to get to either item. I also hate to admit that my trunk has been full for most of the time that I have owned the car. It seems like everytime I clean it there is still a ton of crap in there. I should probably just chuck it all into a dumpster...the link below is pretty much exactly what my tire looked like (except there was snow on the ground!)
http://lockportslugline.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/flat-tire-770803.jpg
Honey, have Jason pick you up a can of fix a flat so next time you don't drive on a flat. That isn't good on a tire. PS any tire you buy from Les Schwab's comes with free flat repair and they even came out last winter and give me road side service free!!! But I did probably pay more for my tires than you did.....
Dad...I've used "fix-a-flat" before but was told by Sam's Club that if I used it I would void my warranty. I'll pick up a can though and keep it in the trunk.
An electric inflater as well as a regular-sized spare? Those would be my votes...
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