Do You Really Need a Road Hazard Warranty?

New tires are a necessary but costly expense for car owners. You've just paid a lot of money for new tires. Now they're offering you a road hazard warranty that will cost between $40 and $100 more. Is it worth it?

What does a road hazard warranty cover? Every day we encounter pot holes and debris on roads and highways. Especially bad road conditions can ruin your tires before their time.

The manufacturer's warranty only covers problems caused by defects in the tires themselves. A defect would be an imperfection that causes the tires to fail or not work properly. Companies will only cover a defect if it was caused by problem with material or craftsmanship. It won't cover driving over a nail. A road hazard warranty will.

The road hazard warranty covers your tires for such things as running over debris or sharp objects, or bouncing into a pot hole. If you pass through construction zones, for instance, or drive through small branches that fell in a recent storm, your tires could be damaged. Most of us are fortunate enough to avoid any severe tire damage.

If something does happen to your tire, like a cut or a puncture, wouldn't you be glad to know that it's covered? A road hazard warranty should pay for this kind of damage to be repaired. Depending on the warranty, you could be covered to replace the entire tire at a pro-rated price (this means you pay for the amount of tire that you already used safely, and they pay to replace the rest).

If you travel a lot, especially across the country, you should probably look for a road hazard warranty that will cover fixing your tires outside of your local area. Some of these warranties include extras like free rotations or balancing, if these items aren't already including in the purchase price of your new tires. Rotate and balance your tires regularly to keep from voiding the manufacturer's warranty.

So is a road hazard warranty worth the extra money? We think so. If you ever need to get a tire repaired, you'll be glad of this coverage. And you'll appreciate the peace of mind that having this warranty in place will give you the next time you hit a pot hole. So ask about a road hazard warranty the next time you buy tires. You may even be able to negotiate the warranty into the purchase price of the tires.