Thanks for the advice; here's what I did...(m) (archive)

I phoned the dealer and they said the Dunlop's had a pro-rated replacement warranty if it couldn't be fixed so I took it to the dealers. They said since it wasn't near the sidewall it could be fixed so they removed the tire, plugged the hole, and put a patch on the inside (same as I've had other tires fixed elsewhere in the past). They didn't damage the rim and used a small genuine BMW weight. Cost me a total of $97 (CDN) and I guess if it holds I'll be a happy camper. I don't think I'll swap the spare with it because I don't drive that fast and I've never had a problem with patched tires on my 300ZX.

deal with it?

In the past, if I punctured a tire, I'd typically whip in to the local Goodyear store and they would bust the tire off the rim and put a patch on the inside, put the tire back on and rebalance it. No biggie.

Now I have these nice $1000 (CDN) style 5 wheels, and I'm all paranoid about a) getting them scratched, and b) possibly getting different/even uglier stick on weights.

Should I take it to a tire shop, or would the dealer be more likely to do a more careful job?

Another alternative, recommended by a friend who has done it, is to pick up a tire repair kit from Canadian Tire and just stick in a plug. He's had no problems with this in over a year. Anyone else done this?

-=( Lon )=-

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