So I banged up my 350z a little a week ago pulling a couple G's around a hairpin turn with my VDC off. Today, (a week later), my insurance company finally gave my dealership the ok to start ordering the parts (Total damage so far ~3,350). The only problem is that the adjuster from the insurance company is trying to tell my dealership that he is only authorizing the replacement of the 1 tire that was damaged (which was the left front one). This is no good, becasue I have 5,000 miles on my car already and I am afraid that by replacing only 1 of the front tires and not the other, it will cause a problem (uneven alignment, pulling to one direction, etc.). I am not sure what our Bridgestone Potenza RE-040's are rated for as far as how many miles they last, but I can't imagine that it is any more than 15,000 becasue we can't rotate them. Before starting a possible war with my insurance adjuster over this issue, I wanted to check with you guys (and gals) first so I can get your opinion on the matter. Thanks in advance.....Luke


Oh by the way, I just recieved my Injen SES exhasut and Injen CAI from Concept Z Performance and the dealer is installing them while my Z is getting repaired. I will post a full write up with many pics after the install becasue I know we are lacking a variety of Injen pics.

 

pulling some g's with vdc off huh...

i think we need to do a driving school group buy on this forum cus this is getting rediculous.

 

If your asking if the insurance company should replace all four tires , or even both fronts, the answer is no. The company's job is to replace damaged items only.

 

so pay for the other new tire yourself. Whats wrong with that?

 

How cool would that be if we could get a class with 20 or so 350Zs at bondurant or skip barber or the like!

 

So your saying that the insurance company isn't obligated to cover the cost so that my car is safe and aligned correctly again?

 

Uhh, nothing except for the extra 200 bucks....

 

High-performance driving schools are not that expensive and are well-worth the money. I would recommend it for anyone who owns a 350Z. But that is not what this thread is about.

Ask your dealership to work with you. If they will allow, use the money the ins co is paying for the one tire, add some of your own, and buy two Toyo Proxes T1-S tires (or any well-respected high-performance tire of your choice; Bridgestone S-03, Michelin Pilot Sport, whatever). As a LAST CHOICE take RE040s and don't spend a penny of your money on one. You really don't have to worry about that much, though. RE040s are pretty much unavailable because Bridgestone is having to replace so many under warranty because they are crap.

 

Ummm, if you can't afford the extra $200 maybe you shouldn't have beeen "pulling a couple G's around a hairpin turn" in a $30K+ car.

 

Your car will be safe with the tires on it.....it will align correctly as well.

There is nothing wrong with the tires on the car.....they are not obligated to replace undamaged items.

 

I never said I couldn't afford it....I just think the insurance compnay should pay for it.

 

On the contrary, I spoke with 2 different reputable tire shops yesterday and they said that BOTH front tires should be replaced. One shop said "Even if for the first ~1,000 miles the car doesn't pull, after the already worn tire begins to wear more, the car will start to pull."

 

You might have an argument if someone had hit you or caused you to have the accident, but this was your screw up and you have to live with it.

Find out how much the insurance is offering for the tire and see if you can use that money and chip in some and get two tires at a discount tire place like tirerack, normally insurance comapnies will pay list price and they issue the check to the individual.

 

So how much is your deductible? Just wait until your next policy comes rolling around.

 

I checked my insurance today, and I have an -$87 balance. Gotta love those recently lowered rates in Colorado. BTW, what does eveyone pay for insuring their Z. I paid $821 a year for mine. Full coverage and a $500 deductible.

 

Uhhhh.....An accident is an accident the last time I checked. Insurance companies don't give you more money becasue another car was involved. As far as getting a discount tire at tirerack...LOL. Tirerack sells the Potenzas for the same price as everyone else. I have no intention on having to different brand tires in the front than in the rear (ghetto). Thanks for your advice though....

 

Um. No offense here (honestly), but insurance companies will take into account whether or not someone else was being the idiot and hit you, or if it was your own bad judgement that caused the damage. In this case, it's clearly your fault, and they have no obligation to take care of the other front tire if it's not damaged. If you think the insurance company should pay for an additional tire because you couldn't keep the car under control, you're seriously dreaming.

If I were you, I'd take the money they were offering for the one tire, and add that to a fund to buy four new ones. That way, everything will wear evenly (provided you invest in a driving school soon), and you can get rid of those aweful re040s.

 

Yesssssssss!!!

Just got off the phone with my adjuster. He agreed to replace both tires. He claimed that he was unaware that the front tires couldn't be rotated when he first came to calculate the damages. I was being super nice to him the whole time and made sure not to cop an attitude, so maybe that played a part in it. I guess they would rather pay for a new tire and have a happy customer than to squabble over $200. 350zspeedracer--I will definitely switch to Toyo Proxies or Bridgestone Pole Positions all the way around when the rear tires start to go.

 

Good for you! However, I must say that, using your argument that the tires must be evenly matched for it to be acceptable to you, he could have replaced the damaged tire with one that had been used for 5k miles. That's what you were driving around with before you lost it. Right?

WayneTN

 

and we wonder why our rates keep going up????