Just been offered a benefit package available through (although not provided by) my employer
Just over 25 quid a month gets you 4 new tyres in 12 months, full RAC cover and RAC European cover. They will also organise servicing and collect / return your car.
The deal is the tyres will be Michelin, but could be substituted for Continental or Pirelli. Supplied / fitted by ATS either in branch or mobile. Also includes tracking once a year.
For Mrs b the tyres on the sharan are 215 X 55 X 16 reinforced - Cant find decent brand for under hundred quid a corner - is this a good deal or am I missing something obvious?
|
Sounds good, but a couple of questions.
Will they decide when tyres need replacement, even 2mm tread i will not drive on, the value of this obviously depends on your mileage too, small print study time.
Secondly they organise servicing, does that mean your are bound by who they choose and at what price, again small print time.
I'm sure others will see lots more.
|
Tyres can be changed at 2mm. No mileage limit, but only allowed 4 new tyres a year.
No idea where they servicing is done, but not to bothered about that - taking the view that 4 tyres and tracking plus european RAC is worth more than the 300 quid a year cost
|
Can be changed at 2mm?...not a hope in hell i'd be driving round on them anywhere near 2mm, but we all have our own views on tyres...which by the way if you don't wear them out quickly enough you might only use a set every other year.
It's been my experince that wide-ish tyres puncture very easily once they get down to the cords (2mm, good grief?;), if you have a puncture that scraps the tyre is that covered?
I'd look into the servicing costs first too, might be an open cheque book there, unless servicing is included...in which case i'd doubly want to know where it's done for different reasons.
Sounds like you are going ahead, so hope it works out ok.
|
My Jetta Sport currently has 17in Continental Sport2 tyres (the car had only done just over 15k when I bought it at three-and-a-half years old) and the front tyres will need replacing ere long.
The best quote I've had locally (about £4-£5 a tyre less than ordering on the internet and having them fitted when delivered) is £117 per tyre for two replacement Continental Sport3s. The tyre specialist, a genuinely honest outlet that I've used over the years, says tyre prices are going up substantially on a regular basis and that the next round of Continental price increases is due in June.
This information was confirmed by the mechanic who did the MOT on the Jetta recently, adding that tyres delivered to his garage are up in price on a weekly or fortnightly level.
So your scheme seems a bit of a bargain; in fact I'm thinking of ordering and paying for the two new tyres required and asking for them to be kept on one side until they are needed......
Last edited by: Stuartli on Mon 9 May 11 at 23:33
|
|
Do you get through 4 tyres in 12 months then? - Thats a lot of mileage you are doing
|
At that price you do not need to get thro a set in 12 months. Just replace them every 12 months!
Not much more than I am paying the RAC for similar cover.
Last edited by: pmh on Tue 10 May 11 at 07:26
|
>> At that price you do not need to get thro a set in 12 months.
>> Just replace them every 12 months!
But that's the point. If I understand the deal correctly you can replace the tyres only when they are down to 2mm and are limited to 4 in a 12 month period. Most drivers will not wear out 4 tyres in a year.
|
|
BUt if your tyres are due to change, say this year, whats to stop you joining the scheme, get your 400 quids worth of tyres fitted, and a years RAC, for 300 quid, and then leaving the scheme at year end?
|
|
Don't know without reading the scheme. Perhaps you have to sign up for more than one year. No doubt the OP can enlighten us.
|
>>Perhaps you have to sign up for more than one year.
I would be very surprised if the OP would be allowed to sign up for less than two years, possibly three.
|
|
I suspect that the small print has been well thought through ....... just imagine a multi car family passing the fleet around via the one signed up user.
|
|
Michelin (who own ATS ) are very experienced at contract tyre supplies across Europe, in fleets and HGVs. I am sure they have it taped.
|
|
Didnt know they owned ATS - thats why they told me it would nearly always be Michelin tyres then
|
|
Do ATS always have the best price on Michelins? If not, why not I wonder?
|
Taken from the terms:-
Minimum Period” means a period of twelve months commencing on the date on which the Agreement is concluded
|
>> BUt if your tyres are due to change, say this year, whats to stop you
>> joining the scheme, get your 400 quids worth of tyres fitted, and a years RAC,
>> for 300 quid, and then leaving the scheme at year end?
>>
Spot on, and thats my thought. The term is a minimum of 12 months so I cant find anything the would exclude me from joining, paying 12 months, and then leaving with 4 new tyres.
There is an exclusion that you can only request replacement tyres 90 days after joining which appears fair to me.
The sharan is getting close to 2mm on the front, so I think they would remain legal for 90 days, and when they replace them will get the front and back swapped so that the front need doing again before the 12 months is up.
Keep thinking I am missing something, but cant see what
|
>> Do you get through 4 tyres in 12 months then? - Thats a lot of
>> mileage you are doing
>>
Not 4 new ones, but the current ones on the sharan will all need replacing over 12 months
|
>> Minimum Period” means a period of twelve months commencing on the date on which the Agreement is concluded
Can I join, please?
|
>>Can I join, please?>>
On that basis, may I also join please? ..:-))
|
One of the things that I most enjoy since I opted out of a company car is that I get to choose when the tyres are replaced.
It really is a complete pain to try to hit that 2mm point - and gone are the days when you take it in on a Sunday and get them done with a nod and a wink and they'll sort it out authorisation on Monday morning, they won't touch the car without authorisation now.
They also very much err on the side of not changing them - to save messing about, I took one car in that had the fronts worn completely flush to the treadwear indicators and they still measured them at 3mm! Once they'd said that, it took the mother of all rows to get them changed.
You may also find with the scheme mentioned by the OP that there's a minimum mileage - do less than, say, 30K, and they'll surcharge you.
|
Just to update on this - phonecall to ATS on Friday - 2 X new Michelin Primacy HP's fitted 9:30 this morning.
Mobile fitter reckons the tracking needs doing, but he couldnt do that so got to drop into ATS at some point
They appear to be around 140 a corner for 215 X 55 X 16 97 load so I have alsost had my 300 quids worth
|
>> They appear to be around 140 a corner for 215 X 55 X 16 97
>> load so I have alsost had my 300 quids worth
>>
It's a good deal for you - I guess they balance it that some people will have tyres that cost £40 and get 3 years out of them.
|
Tyre Package - -
