The dealer I ordered from has a written contract that says they will replace the tires for the life of the vehicle. And yes, it does say that the replacements will be the exact same make/model if available, otherwise a comparable replacement. They've been doing this for years, and don't skimp on the tire quality.

Of course there is no free lunch, so here are the catches:

(1) The tread must be worn to 3/32" or less (2/32" is legal in CT).

(2) "All maintenance services that are recommended and/or required by the manufacturer, including tire rotations and balances, must be performed at the dealership in order to maintain elgibility."

My gut feeling is this isn't really that great of a deal, since I like to change my own oil (Mobil 1 or some other synthetic), and I can also rotate my own tires. The dealership charges $21.95 for oil changes, or $18.95 if I supply the oil. Not sure what they charge to rotate the tires.

I don't have the maintenance schedule for the '05. Can someone post it so I can figure out how much it will cost me for these free tires?

 

I did this on my Toyota. I had the same concerns as you but since I generally do the maintenance at the dealer and they only require you to rotate every 5K and balance / align once a year...... the bottom line is they aren't really free but it feels good when they put them on and you don't write a check for them.

 

Does that include the rear tires?

 

interesting. Most Z rated performance tires have no warranty on them. Mainly because they know you will be doing burnouts

 

Yeah, I specifically asked if there is a "burnout" policy, or something that says the tires must last X number of miles, but as long as you rotate them every 5K miles, you qualify. B)

The car owner is also responsible for the mounting and balancing cost of the replacement tires. Not a great deal, I know, but it is something...

 

what if they never make it to 5k miles?

 

Do the rotation at 3K miles along with the oil change. Pay for it if you have to.

 

I guess that is good if you are happy with the stock tires.

It's pretty simple really, just calculate how much a set of tires will cost you and how long they will last. Then figure the cost of having the oil changed and rotating the tires. See which is more cost effective and go that route.

 

There must be some shady business in the fine print.

They have promotions up here for "lifetime" warranty on brake pads if installed by their techs.

What they say to dupe people is, to get the warranty, you need new rotors and all they have to do is charge an extra hour of labour every time you come back to make up the difference.

 

keep repeating to yourself- "NOTHING is free..NOTHING is free!...now, quietly, back away from the dealership!

 

Nope, there is no shady business. The lifetime tire deal is actually done through a third party named Protec.

I talked to another person who bought a car from the dealership, and he said that there is no fine print other than what's stated on the contract - you really do get the tires, providing you bring your car to the dealership for all the required maintenance, according to the Ford's maintenance schedule.

That's why I wanted someone to post a copy of the maintenance schedule - can someone do that? :scratch:

 

hmm... all the service and maintenance at the dealer?



Just make sure they don't say you need muffler bearings and headlight fluid.

I repeat, nothing is free, they'll make the money up for the tires somewhere.

 

one of our competitors advertises that offer quite a bit here in Chattanooga. the catch is all the maintenance that the dealership says you need must be done. if the book says flush radiator, replace serpentine belt, etc.. you must do it. Fuel filters, air filters, it must all be done to qualify. When you look at the cost of doing these routine items at a dealership, its not worth it, unless the idea of getting tires replaced without writing a check isworth it.

jr

 

If someone put 40K on the odo in 2 years this might work. High mileage fast might prevent some of the BS service recommended. I don't think you would flush a radiator before 2 years.

 

If it says it, you are SUPPOSED to do it. Duh. You'd be nuts to take the car anywhere BUT a dealer for service these days, just about every private service center is going the way of the dodo. Chain repair shops like Goodyear and Midas are typically much more then the dealer. Oil changes are cheap at dealers too, I do not consider wasting time doing oil changes on my days off worth 20 bucks saved. About the only thing I do myself these days are bolt on mods within reason. I really could care less about free stock tires, I cant remember ever putting on a set of stock tires after the originals died, unless it was one that blew out or something.

 

I change the muffler bearings and the headlight fluid myself. That fluid really gets dirty if you do a lot of night driving.

 

dont forget the blinker fluid, they start to loose thier orange look and turn brown over time if you neglect it.

 

If you ever drive in the snow, you'll want to replace the tires before you're down to 3/32". 5 or 6 32nds is where you really start losing winter traction. Then again, if you're driving a Stang in snow, you should really have a dedicated set of winter tires anyway. I drove my gt 20 miles to work this morning in 5"-8" of snow today. The guy I work with that has all-seasons on his V-6 never made it out of his driveway.