If the damaged tires were “almost” worn out such that they wouldn’t make it thru the winter, I’m surprised the insurance company didn’t depreciate them. In 1982 (I know, a long time ago), I had all 4 tires and the cast aluminum snowflake wheels stolen off my ‘80 Phoenix. Zero deductible on my State Farm comprehensive coverage. They paid for new wheels but depreciated the tires 50% because the car had 20,000 miles on it. I was bummed cause I felt if I was prepared for new tires I would have been price shopping. But felt I got hosed on the price of the tires so that in reality my share was more than 50%.
I would ask the tire seller for a written letter stating why 4 were needed, preferably stating that they would not install just 2 because they didn’t want the liability for consequential damage. The insurance company might cave because if they disagreed and something did fail, their denial would be a huge smoking gun. And imagine if the failure resulted in an accident with injuries.
Of course, you already realize, if the insurance company paid 50% of the cost of 4 tires, that is better than if they had depreciated worn out tires 70% and only paid 30% of the cost of all 4.
My sister who spent most of her career in auto insurance would advise NOT to even make a claim in this case. I’m assuming new set of tires was around $600. Insurance companies see a small claim as a red flag. Especially for new customers. They will quickly cancel a customer that statistics show will likely abuse them. And finding a new insurer after being cancelled could be expensive, negating any small claim reimbursement you got.
I’ve been with State Farm now for over 40 years. My policies are non-cancellable. And it’s not like I’ve never had a claim. My then 18 yo son totaled an $8000 car, I’ve had 2 roofs replaced for hail damage, 2 cars repaired for same hail damage events (all told, over $20k in hail damage repairs), and a few windshields replaced, etc. I’ve had a few things I could have claimed but didn’t. They’ve treated me right and I’ve not abused them. And now I have the peace of mind that I’m a customer for life.
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