Norm_427

I've debated the wisdom of going without RF tires but yesterday I had Michelin Super Sports mounted on the rear of my '07. I thought about buying a patch kit that would make it easier for my wife to make roadside flat repairs if needed. Then when I was paying my bill yesterday I learned something new that Michelin introduced last year:

http://www.michelinman.com/automotiv...e#promise_plan

3-Year Flat Tire Changing Assistance2

A qualified service professional will change your flat and install your spare tire or provide towing at no charge. In case of a flat tire, simply call 1-888-553-4327 and a qualified professional will change the tire or provide towing up to 150 miles for free. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the U.S. and Canada.

ATC399

Sounds good. I bet the response time will be ridiculous

z06 driver

What spare?

Dirty Howie

Thanks, adding this number to my speed dial


DH

Chance42

Response time will depend on the sub contractors. Michelin will sub-contract to a roadside provider such as Agero, Nation Safe Drivers, USAC, etc. It will depend on the area you are in as well, as those companies sub contract the work out to privately owned towing companies. Some areas are rural with little or no towing companies so a truck will have to come from out of area. A lot of these roadside companies don't want to pay market value rates or anything near them, so a lot of companies refuse to sign up with them.

So, what happens is they go down a list of companies starting with the nearest company to you (unless one is within a reasonable distance and it will cost them less) and keep calling until they find a contracted provider to take care of you, they seriously will call out a truck from 2+ hours away if they are willing to take the call. What normally happens in a rural area is after calling all the tow companies that are contracted within a few hours of you, they will start again with companies closest to you that are in the phone book (non contracted providers) and go from there. At this point they pay the towing company the rate the towing company provides (within reason of course) and usually have to pay by credit card before or at completion of the job. Seriously some of these roadside companies take 180 days to pay, and 60-90 days isn't unusual. Some of them will pay within 14-30 days.

The majority of the roadside companies really make things a big headache. You have to fight to get a raise in rates, some of them take a long time to pay, they try to fight you over a tenth of a mile (do you pay a plumber for 1 hour and 47 minutes or 2 hours? Think about it), they will short pay you and then you have to fight them for money. It really can be a hassle and that is why a lot of towing companies refuse to work with a lot of them.

I have 2 locations, we work with roadside companies often, but at our rates. One location we don't do much with them because people are doing them around here for ridiculously low prices (A lot of operations are one man, one truck shows that shut down within 6 months - 1 year due to expenses). The other location is more rural and they are more willing to accept market value prices, so we do way more work for them at those locations.

That being said, Geico and State Farm are usually a pleasure to work with. As long as you do the State Farm calls directly or through their local agent, and not through the national level, as that falls back through a different roadside company.

A little novel there, but just some insight from someone that has been in/around the towing & recovery industry for almost 28 years.

AzDave47

Not really new. I got my PSS in Feb. 2012 and the tire "Owners manual" that covered those tires indicated it applied for tires bought on or after March 1, 2011. Same coverage as you mention above.

The_Raging_Bull

Make sure they have the proper bed on their tow truck; so they can pull it onto the truck without damaging your CF splitter etc, when they tow your C6...not all BillyBob tow services are created equal...

Chance42

Any rollback will do honestly. Some make it easier with a duck tailed bed, or a hinged rear section (I run one of these). All that you need is enough of the proper length and height lumber or ramps to create around a 5 degree load angle and you can load almost anything. Also some knowledge and experience to know when to tilt the bed while winching up a low clearance vehicle to keep clearance at the front doesn't hurt either.

The_Raging_Bull

Might be a guy like you says its a no brainer, but if I was taking Michelin up on their guarantee - what do you think the odds are of getting someone like you - experienced, especially in the area of moving cars without much clearance?

That was my point, not every operator has a great skill set.

NavyAirTraffic

Just put 285/345 MPSS on my Z... this is great news!! Saved the number to my phone, just in case . Thank you!!

Chance42

True you should definitely be proactive about protecting your car and not reactive. I just meant that any rollback truck with lumber or ramps and a competent operator will do, don't be afraid because it isn't a specialized deck.

lemans

Curious, where do you "hook" a C6Z to pull it on the tow truck bed?