Continental DWS warranty (or lack thereof)
With wear-bars visible, I recently went to Discount to see if they would facilitate the exchange with Continental for a pro-rated set of tires. The advertised 50,000 mile warranty PLUS the all-season capability was alluring enough to get me to buy a set, but getting Continental to honor the warranty was proving to be a disaster.
No worries, DT honored their part and gave me a sweetheart deal of $360 OTD for both rear tires in 285/30/19…
That’s when we hit ANOTHER snag with Continental – 285/30/19 is no longer produced.
So, not only is my tire not covered by their warranty, but it’s obsolete. Done. Poof.
I picked the 285/30 because the sidewall height was within .2” of factory, and using a 9.5” wide wheel, I could no longer stick with the already stretched 255/35
Now, I’m forced to use 275/35 and that’s a full .6” taller than OE… hurting acceleration and throwing the speedometer off.
I went with a cheap set of BFG’s for the Dragon, simply because cheap tires WITH tread are always better than spendy tires that are balding.
But, my disgust with Continental’s handling of the situation will linger. Turns out, ANY sports car with a staggered fitment (in either wheel diameter or wheel width) is un-warrantable. Will NOT be covered, no questions asked. This was certainly omitted in the fine print.
The performance of the tire has been stellar, and if you don’t mind eating $1,100 every 18,000 miles then have at it, you’ve found your tire. Just don’t expect any help whatsoever from the “warranty” Continental so proudly touted for this tire.
My next set will likely be another brand. Winter driving will soon not be an issue for my car, so I will be able to forego the need for light snow traction. This opens up the market for me considerably.
Just a warning to everyone… enjoy the performance of the Conti’s, but be prepared to eat the cost for a new set with no pro-rating whatsoever.