I know not everyone uses Z rate tires on their 914 but...

I purchased my 2003 Boxster S in April from Livermore Porsche with dealer installed new Continental ContiSport Contact 2 N2 tires. These tires drove as smooth as silk. Well needless to say I was very surprised in May when I took my car to Carlsen Porsche to have a simple flat (from a screw) repaired and was told that Porsche does not recommend and in fact states the any z rated tire with a puncture is considered unrepairable. It was like you have to be kidding me!! Then I dug a little deeper. Porsche’s logic is that it is possible the integrity of the tire has been compromised and are considered unrepairable. So Cha-Ching $350.00 for a new rear tire you know better safe than sorry. I ask Carlsen do they offer any road hazard warranty and the answer was absolutely NOT.

Well last week went to work early… and when I got home I had a new screw just barely in my front tire. Of course when I took the screw out that dreaded hissing sound started. So I plugged it! My plan is to purchase a new tire. I had heard of TireRack and thought I would check them out. While browsing the OEM N rated tires for my 2003 Boxster I noticed that Bridgestone, Michelin and Pirelli all offered road hazard insurance, but not Continental. I found this curios and call TireRack to find out why. The reason is that the Continental tires come from the factory with a 1 year and 1st 2/32 wear hazard/defect warranty. Thus there is no need to buy the warranty for Continental.

So here is where it gets interesting. The road hazard warranty replaces your tire only if it the damage is from manufacturer defect or is unrepairable, Thus if the tire is unrepairable the warranty will cover the replacement of the tire. Well guess what these tires are Porsche N rated tires meaning they meet Porsche's Specification and these same specifications state a puncture flat is considered unrepairable by Porsche and thus ARE covered by the manufacturer warranty.

Of course the icing on the cake is that my new tires where purchased by the dealer in August 2008 and thus my current tires are more than one year old and are not covered. However, had my tires been less than one year old and not worn more than 2/32 (I know this reduces to 1/16 but their numbers not mine) they would have replaced the tire under warranty.

Thus the moral of this story is that a replacement tire for a simple flat on Porsche N tire is covered by the manufacturer warranty.

Hopefully someone else will benefit from this knowledge.


Regards,

James

Just go to a tire shop and get it plugged for $10.

The better method of repair is to patch the tire from the inside.

While plugs have always worked, some have come out.

Just like the cell phone companies ripping you a new one at random with overcharges, and then claiming it's all your fault. Try to warranty a tire like that and see just how far you get. Everybody already has more than one easy out option. I'm jus sayin!
I'm with SLITS on this one, an interior "Vulcanized" patch is the way to go. The protruding object might have damaged the cord or not. Never know till you try. I might not go running a buck and a half plus on said tire however.
I have recently seen a plug patch. it is a skinny strip of rubber in the center of an interior patch. I witnessed this at a Toyota Dealership recently, and the ole dude there swears by them. No not profanity! And not at them.