My aunt has a 2006 325 and her tires are the stock ones that came on the car. I dont know who makes the tires, but they can run flat for 100 miles or whatever it is.

Anyway..she ran over a typical 8 penny nail. And the Bimmer dealer told her that the tire must be replaced, that it cannot be fixed or plugged. I was just curiuos if that is truly the case or not?

thanks

Anyway..she ran over a typical 8 penny nail. And the Bimmer dealer told her that the tire must be replaced, that it cannot be fixed or plugged. I was just curiuos if that is truly the case or not?
if nail, hole is on sidewall of tire I hear cannot be fixed?
If in tread area, tire shop should be able to fix it with no problems?
Long as you Aunt did not drive on it to long & do more damage to tire?
Do let us know if u get it fixed, good info. for us to know.

thanks..forgot to mention it is on the tread..not sidewall...she only drove a few miles on it...

so i guess bmw just wanted a few extra bucks to replace the whole tire?

bmw just wanted a few extra bucks to replace the whole tire?
Sure did. Real shame too.
Tell your Aunt in future go to "Pep Boys" or place like it.
I hope your Aunt can get that tire back & go else where to fix it?

Sure did. Real shame too.
Tell your Aunt in future go to "Pep Boys" or place like it.
I hope your Aunt can get that tire back & go else where to fix it?

Well here's the story. Patching run-flat tires is still somewhat of a controversy. I know it has been done without problems, but many places (dealers and independants alike) have a policy that they will not patch them. The issue is, that when the tire goes flat and is driven on, is the structure of the tire altered in any way. It doesn't matter how long it's been driven on. Just think of what happens when you drive on a regular tire for a very short period of time. The sidewall of that tire now has a permanent deformation running all around the sidewall where the rim pressed it into the pavement. The same forces are being applied to the run flats sidewall, but they don't always leave an indentation that's visible from the outside. Many run flats that have been driven on and then repaired end up causing terrible vibrations as a result of not being able to be balanced properly, or under 22lbs. of road force on the machine. The repairing shop does not want to have to try and rebalace the tire time after time b/c the client now has this issue and they said the tire could be repaired without concern. Hence, why some places now have the policy not to patch them.

And if you want to take your pride and joy to Pep Boys for service, be my guest. But getting a tire patched is going to be the least of your problems at that point. Your BMW requires many special tools to do work properly. If they don't have them, they just improvise. And that means stripped bolts/nuts, damaged parts, and who knows what else.

"Your BMW requires many special tools to do work properly."

SewickleyBMW,

Does that include minor DIY such as spark plug /wire replacement, fuel filter replacement, brake fluid bleeding, etc, etc. that an owner might be used to on other cars?

I have done the vacuum hose job on a 3rd Gen RX-7, do most all the maintenance work on my 90 Miata (including installing a turbosystem), and other bolt-on stuff.

Am I looking at purchasing lots of special tools to work on a manual-transmission 325i E90? One of the attractive things to me is it's an I-6 and not a V-anything. But if I have to take it to a dealer for every little thing, I will exclude the 325i from my list of possible buys.

Thanks for your time and support!

---- Bill

"Your BMW requires many special tools to do work properly."

SewickleyBMW,

Does that include minor DIY such as spark plug /wire replacement, fuel filter replacement, brake fluid bleeding, etc, etc. that an owner might be used to on other cars?

I have done the vacuum hose job on a 3rd Gen RX-7, do most all the maintenance work on my 90 Miata (including installing a turbosystem), and other bolt-on stuff.

Am I looking at purchasing lots of special tools to work on a manual-transmission 325i E90? One of the attractive things to me is it's an I-6 and not a V-anything. But if I have to take it to a dealer for every little thing, I will exclude the 325i from my list of possible buys.

Thanks for your time and support!

---- Bill

You could probably do basic work like plugs, fuel filter, oil changes etc. with no problem. The tranny I'm not 100% sure about. What kind of work do you plan on doing to it? The fluid that comes in the E90's is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle, so it shouldn't require changing, but I can see wanting to do it. Rx-7 rotary's and the Miata motors are a walk in the park compared to anything else. Especially the RX-7's. Heck you can do a full motor swap in two-three hours on one. But as far as diagnosis goes, it's going to be best to take it to the dealer since they can get more specific info with their scan tools. The E90's do not have "spark plug wires". You should be able to bleed the brakes yourself, but I'm not sure if the caliper piston tool is different that what you might use to change the pads on the Mazda's. All maintenance is covered on the BMW for 4 years/50k miles. The only thing you pay for is tires and state inspection/emissions. You don't have to do a thing for that time period. Let me know if you have any more ?'s. I'm happy to help.

SewickleyBMW,

Thanks for your response. I did not intend to imply that I was planning work on the tranny; just that the car would have a manual transmission.

What kind of tranny oil does BMW use that never has to be changed? That runs contrary to all my experiences with other cars.

Re: no plug wires, the BMW engine uses coil-on-plug direct ignition, then?

Will a standard OBD-II scanner work on the E90?

(Re: RX-7 rotaries being "a walk in the park," the 3rd Gen ('93 +) may be easy to transplant, but I'll bet the BMW does NOT have 68 vacuum hoses, all of which require removal of about 1/3 of the engine peripheral stuff just to reach.)

SewickleyBMW,

Thanks for your response. I did not intend to imply that I was planning work on the tranny; just that the car would have a manual transmission.

What kind of tranny oil does BMW use that never has to be changed? That runs contrary to all my experiences with other cars.

Re: no plug wires, the BMW engine uses coil-on-plug direct ignition, then?

Will a standard OBD-II scanner work on the E90?

(Re: RX-7 rotaries being "a walk in the park," the 3rd Gen ('93 +) may be easy to transplant, but I'll bet the BMW does NOT have 68 vacuum hoses, all of which require removal of about 1/3 of the engine peripheral stuff just to reach.)

I'm not sure off the top of my head what kind of trans oil they use. I know it's a full sythetic, but not what brand, grade etc. If I think of it I'll ask. But even though it says you don't have to change it, I know I still would. BMW just says you don't have to unless the is a problem in their manuals. Direct ignition is correct. Not to be confused with direct injection like the Audis ;) .

A standard OBDII scanner will still pull codes from an E90, but the engine management system is so complex that it monitors pretty much everything in the car. Therefore, it has thousands of possible fault codes it can set. On a general scanner from snap on and such, it may just tell you that the car is running rich, bank 1 - code P17. The BMW scan tool might say, ECM94003: Rich condition, bank one, 4300rpm, 6 occurances, third gear, speed, then what is sensing that error. If the sensor checks out (most of which can be done right on BMW's scan tool) then it tells you what component or components are the likely cause. You can then test those components etc. etc. etc.

I hear you on those vacuum hoses in the rotary's. Man they're a...umm female dog in heat. Luckily my friend had done quite a few swaps before. One of the crazy one's was a 1st gen rx-7 with a 3 rotor single turbo. A straight drag car with full cage and about 15 inch wide tires on the rear. Real drag slicks. It was pushing like 600-700hp depending on fuel and ECU config. tuning. RX-7's are sick whips for sure. :alright

SewickleyBMW,

Thanks; you've been very helpful.

---- Bill

SewickleyBMW,

Thanks; you've been very helpful.

---- Bill

Let me know if you have any more ?'s. I'm happy to help.

she shoulda gotten the tire warrantee...500 bux and you get your tires replaced free for 5 years...AND YOUR RIMS!!!

she shoulda gotten the tire warrantee...500 bux and you get your tires replaced free for 5 years...AND YOUR RIMS!!!

the tire warranty doesn't apply to run flats. The corporate line from BMW is that the run flats are not repairable.

We all know that the tires can be plugged/ patched, but do you want to be liable for a subsequent sidewall blowout from the car being driven too long on a flat?

:confused

If you have a local bridgestone/firestone shop in your area or close by ( http://www.bridgestonetire.com/storelocator/index_bs.asp ) you can go buy the road hazzard. It is only 10% of the tire cost (ie tire is $400 road hazzard is only $40 per tire) and that is a heck of alot cheaper than buying the tire and it is for the life of that tire. My dad works for Bridgestone and he said that they don't repair the run flats. You can buy the road hazzard at anytime (well before something happens to it) but best if you buy it right after to get the car, but even if you have 6k miles on it you can still buy it.

I thought BMW's came with Continentals...?

I have a 330i sport, mine came with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A. If you look on tire rack's web site it shows that the base can come with Continental ContiSportContact 2 SSR, Pirelli eufori, or Bridgestone Turanza. All three are runflats. And the Sport comes with what I have the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A. I don't know what you would do as for road hazzard on the continental or pirelli. But I asked my security guard here who also works for Sears tire dept and he said they don't allow you to buy road hazzard unless you by the tire there, and I'm not sure if Continental has retail stores like Bridgestone/Firestone. Bridgestone/Firestone also bought out the Tire Expert stores (http://www.experttire.com/) so they should be able to do the same as the other retail stores.

We have Bridgestone Turanza 225-50R16s on our 1994 RX-7 and they were not sold to us as runflat tires. They cost us approximately $200 each. Are there different "models" of the Turanza?

We have Bridgestone Turanza 225-50R16s on our 1994 RX-7 and they were not sold to us as runflat tires. They cost us approximately $200 each. Are there different "models" of the Turanza?


If it says "RFT" on the sidewall, it's a run flat.

Thanks for the info. FWIW, ours is a Turanza "LS-V." M+S, Treadwear 400, Traction AA, Temperature A. No "RFT" on the sidewall anywhere.

Thanks for the info. FWIW, ours is a Turanza "LS-V." M+S, Treadwear 400, Traction AA, Temperature A. No "RFT" on the sidewall anywhere.

Far as I know, no RFT = not a run flat.

The Bridgestone Turanza EL42 should be a run flat (and no it is not that same model you have for your RX-7) This tire is more of an all season tire, not a performance tire. As for having the RFT on the side wall I am not sure about all tires, I know Goodyear calls theres a zero pressure tire.

another nomenclature you see a lot is EMT for "Extended Mobility Tire"

The E90 suspension is set up for the runflats, and I'd imagine that BMW can afford better engineers than the guys at the local Pep Boys.

:D

another nomenclature you see a lot is EMT for "Extended Mobility Tire"

The E90 suspension is set up for the runflats, and I'd imagine that BMW can afford better engineers than the guys at the local Pep Boys.

:D

E90 sport package with 18" runflats = ridiculous handling from stiff sidewall. I literally tried to push them past the limits and they wouldn't budge. Even over a sharp elevation drop right hander. :alright

Keeping my wife from having to change a flat is cheap compared to the price of a tire.

:)

I don't know if run-flat can or cannot be repaired. However I do know that if you replace a run-flat with a standard tire you run into two issues. #1) You'll need a spare tire (additional cost for tire and rim) and #2) handling will be affected.

Run-flat tires have a sidewall stiffening brace built into them. The sidewall in a run-flat tire is much stiffer than the sidewall in a convential tire. Thus when pushed to a certain limit they will handle differently.

the tire warranty doesn't apply to run flats. The corporate line from BMW is that the run flats are not repairable.

:confused


Thats not what BMW told us when we bought the warranty from them - they said that if you get a puncture, they will replace the tire for free. Bent wheels are also covered.

Our non-sport came with the Continentals - but they're not SSR2's, just the originals - which kinda suck.

Ive got q runflat question. Lets say we buy the 335i with the sport pkg because we want the 18" rims. Now that pkg also comes with summer tires.. What happens if, realizing we will have to drive it on at least a few days with snow, and not wanting to switch to a whole winter wheel and tire pkg, decide we can best deal with the climate thing by using the highest performance of the all season tires that are available in a size to fit on the 335i sport pkg's 18" rims. The question is, can we get regular, non runflat tires to fit the rims that previously held runflats? Or are they special rims?? I sure hope not... that would seriously limit our replacement tire choices, if it forced into only using runflats...

You can also use non-runflats, but then you would need a can or two of "fix-a-flat" with you at all times.

"Your BMW requires many special tools to do work properly."

SewickleyBMW,

Does that include minor DIY such as spark plug /wire replacement, fuel filter replacement, brake fluid bleeding, etc, etc. that an owner might be used to on other cars?

I have done the vacuum hose job on a 3rd Gen RX-7, do most all the maintenance work on my 90 Miata (including installing a turbosystem), and other bolt-on stuff.

Am I looking at purchasing lots of special tools to work on a manual-transmission 325i E90? One of the attractive things to me is it's an I-6 and not a V-anything. But if I have to take it to a dealer for every little thing, I will exclude the 325i from my list of possible buys.

Thanks for your time and support!

---- Bill
Most of the bolts cant be reused on the engine, so yes you will regularly be going to the dealer... at least for parts.

You can also use non-runflats, but then you would need a can or two of "fix-a-flat" with you at all times.

Yea, I was wondering.. I only found one tire, in only the 19" size that tirerack carries that are listed as runflats... Besides, the price of those tires is between 400 and 500 each!!!!! Would anybody pay that to replace their OE runflats with the same?

I was thinking Id probably be wanting to replace the hi performance tires with the highest performance all seasons tirerack carries, but I was wondering, would I have to carry around a spare somewhere? Hate to use trunk space for it if it wasnt designed to carry one... Then I remembered alot of new cars come without runflats, but without spares also; they come with this can of 'fix-a-flat' or whatever you call it. Not a great solution, but probably good enough as the only alternative.

I keep any driving in snow to a bare minimum, but living in the ny area, and using a car 12 mos/yr, I have to be prepared for getting caught. So, the new category of ultra hi perf all seasons seems like the best bet.. On my current M3, I currenly use an extra set of wheels with the highest performance rated winter tires mounted. But thats also because my summer wheels are Fikses, and I didnt want them to have to face the salt and sand of winter driving. I told myself, though, that for my next car, Id try to use the new, highest performance all seasons I could find, and then just live with the one set all year. When you consider how expensive runflats are to replace, Im not sure theyre such a great choice for the car makers to use. Especially considering that they often use them on hi perf cars like the vette, or the new bmws, meaning theyll likely wear out fast(er) and need to be replaced sooner.