Spare Tire problems of the 2007 BMW 328

Two problems related to spare tire have been reported for the 2007 BMW 328. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Spare Tire problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2009

I discovered few weeks ago that the car I lease since 2008 does not have a spare tire. When I inquire the reason why, the manufacturer explained that the car uses especial tires called run flat which in the event of a tire problem would allow me to go to the next tire shop. There are a number of problems with this argument. First, the rationale for eliminating a spare tire is flawed and unsafe: a spare provides drivers with an extra wheel including both tire and rim, in case something happens with either component. Eliminating the spare because a car has rfts (run flat tires) fails to take into consideration that the wheels of the car can also suffer damage to the point of immobilizing the vehicle. This is an important safety hazard that would be easily solved with a spare tire. Second, after researching about rfts I found out that most tire shops in the metropolitan area where I live dont carry these tires (one needs to pre-order them) and cannot even repair them. I cannot imagine what would be the availability outside metropolitan areas. Third, these tires are twice or three times as expensive as a regular tire the cheapest rft for my car are $200 per tire; and according to tire shop employees they typically last half the mileage of a regular tire. Fourth, and perhaps the most concerning issue, when I was buying the car nobody at the dealership disclosed the type of tires the car had or the lack of spare tire. If I would have known this information I simply would not have leased the vehicle. I contacted the manufacturer and they said that even though they suggest their dealers disclose this information, they cannot monitor nor can they do anything to make the dealers comply. I think both manufacturer and dealers are to blame for putting people at risk by eliminating the spare tire, and for not being forthcoming and explicit about the introduction of new technologies that may affect the purchase decision.

2 Spare Tire problem

Failure Date: 02/17/2009

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328xi. The vehicle has bridgestone tires. The contact stated that her tires are defective at 18,000 miles. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began swerving to the left and the tires felt hard. The dealer stated that the tires are defective and all four needed to be replaced. The tires are called "flat" tires and no spare tire was available. If the "flat" tires ever go flat, she can still drive on them for at least 125 more miles. The dealer will replace two of her tires for free, but the other two must be purchased at the cost of $625. The tire size was unknown. The failure mileage was 18,025.


Other Tire related problems of the 2007 BMW 328



328 Service Bulletins
328 Safety Recalls
328 Defect Investigations