BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The biggest concern for many car owners who live in Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood is the fight for parking spots on weekends, but Sunday, dozens of people woke up to find their tires had been slashed overnight.

"It's just rotten. If there's anything that you could do to somebody's car to really let them have it financially is to slash their tires, because most of the time, they're going to be (paying) out-of-pocket on it," said Bob Ruh, president of an insurance company in Allentown.

For many, the frustration continued after replacing the tires when it came time to pay.

"This is under my deductible, so it's all coming out of my pocket," James Osmon, who had his tires slashed.

"I hear that it won't be [covered]. I have as much insurance on my vehicle as I could possibly have," said Ben Berry, who also had his tires slashed. "I'll try and see if I get reimbursed. If not, I'll just be the proud owner of a new tire."

Ruh says tires are covered under comprehensive auto insurance for things like fire, water, theft, and vandalism, but the problem with tires is they have a much shorter life than other parts of a car that could be vandalized.

"A claims adjuster is literally going to measure the tread depth that's left on your tire," said Ruh, the Ruh Agency Inc. "If you tire is worn out, you're going to be effectively paid probably nothing. Couple that with a deductible, most people are going to have at least a $200 deductible, maybe a $500 or even $1,000 deductible so unless you have some pretty special tires on the car, sadly, I think most people are going to be out of luck on this one."

Ruh says victims can get an estimate to replace the tire, and if it is something they can manage without insurance, paying for it themselves is a better option in the long run.

"I hate to see people put claims in for $20, $50, or even $100 because it isn't worth it most likely," said Ruh.

"Sadly, most of the time, even with four tires slashed, you're probably barely going to break your deductible. Virtually any call about a claim, or coverage, might be somehow held against you in some way."