[tims1138]

I just picked up a 2014 BMW 328i M-Sport and got talked into getting a BMW 6yr/70k mile extended platinum (since I have NAV) warranty for $2500 (which seems a bit high for only covering 2yr/20k additional mileage). They basically said that when the BMW's break (which they do according to them), they are very expensive to fix (2-3k per repair).

Now my question, are they really that unreliable? I've only owned Japanese cars up to now (Lexus, Acura, Infiniti), and other then minor repairs, never really saw a need to a extended warranty, but the dealer really had me freaked out that these cars just fall apart, which I find odd considering consume reports say the the 328's are good and to stay away from the 335's (a model that I was no interested in anyway). Do folks find the BMW extended warranties any good?

I did find out that BMW just resells a 3rd party warranty and puts their name on it, its not handled by BMW at all, but a 3rd party vendor. I found this out when I called BMW customer relations, they directed me to the 3rd party company, when I talked to them, they had not info other than to talk to the dealer if you had any questions.

thanks.. Tim

[carzaddict]

im not understanding why you would buy a third party warranty on a car that already has an OEM warranty?

did you purchase it just so you can have the additional 2yr/20k coverage? You could have purchased that after your OEM warranty expired.

I would strongly suggest getting a refund on it. its a brand new car with a brand new 3 or 4 yr OEM warranty...you dont need any other coverage at this point...when it runs out..then you start shopping, if you need it (at that point you'll know if the car has been reliable or not)

[focal]

also not under any obligation to buy it until the end of your warrantee. price is the same.

also, you'll know if you have a lemon then.

[BMWbill]

I suspect these new computer controlled F30's will be far less reliable than the E90 before it, just as the E90 was less reliable than the E46 which people complained was too gadget driven compared to the E36!

I can speak only from my own experience as I own my 2004 M3 for 10 years now. It needed some warranty service back in the early years when the radio just died, but that is is so far. It has never broken down. Then again I have only 36,000 miles on it.

I agree with others that you are better off buying an extended warranty in 4 years and not now. You might sell the car in 4 years or it might get totaled or we all may die when the great asteroid hits. Who knows.

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by mauicoug

Insurance is the most profitable business in the US, so, do you really think that spending $2500 upfront is a good investment? Buying any of the crap the finance guy sells you is ALWAYS a bad deal for the customer. They prey on your fear of high repair bills, the tires are going to blow up, and so on. BTW, if you bought the wheel and tire warranty, bad idea too. You can purchase a tire warranty at Discount Tire for a lot less.

Or buy your tires at Costco and get free lifetime Road Hazard.

[tims1138]

I got talked into a extended warranty based on the fact that the BMW dealer said that BMW's are unreliable and break down, since I typically keep a car for 5-6 years, I would be out of warranty for perhaps 2 years before I moved on to another car. I didn't buy the extended maintenance or the tire and rim warranty as they did not seem to be needed, after the OEM maintenance is used up, there are enough German auto repair shops in the area that folks use with high recommendations, that I will most likely not use the dealer for service after the OEM maintenance is used up.

The dealer also said that if I wait to buy the warranty, then the price goes up considerable, they said that if I waited to near the end, then the warranty price would double in price. Again, not sure if he was BS'ing me or what to be honest, every time I try to get a straight answer from them, I get a bit of the run around since I'm asking for things in writting and not just taking their word for it over the phone.

[RoundelM3]

I bought "Gold" 7-year/100K miles extended warranty for $1900 from the dealer. Worth it with all the electronics and such.

[tims1138]

I have NAV on mine so I was *only* offered platium as a option, he BMW finance guy would never even give me a price on gold level warranty.

[ksdindy]

Originally Posted by tims1138

I got talked into a extended warranty based on the fact that the BMW dealer said that BMW's are unreliable and break down, since I typically keep a car for 5-6 years, I would be out of warranty for perhaps 2 years before I moved on to another car. I didn't buy the extended maintenance or the tire and rim warranty as they did not seem to be needed, after the OEM maintenance is used up, there are enough German auto repair shops in the area that folks use with high recommendations, that I will most likely not use the dealer for service after the OEM maintenance is used up.

The dealer also said that if I wait to buy the warranty, then the price goes up considerable, they said that if I waited to near the end, then the warranty price would double in price. Again, not sure if he was BS'ing me or what to be honest, every time I try to get a straight answer from them, I get a bit of the run around since I'm asking for things in writting and not just taking their word for it over the phone.

Man, I'd have a hard time working with a dealer who said that the cars they sell are unreliable!

[Ih8usrnms]

Originally Posted by mauicoug

Insurance is the most profitable business in the US, so, do you really think that spending $2500 upfront is a good investment? Buying any of the crap the finance guy sells you is ALWAYS a bad deal for the customer. They prey on your fear of high repair bills, the tires are going to blow up, and so on. BTW, if you bought the wheel and tire warranty, bad idea too. You can purchase a tire warranty at Discount Tire for a lot less.

Thats simply not true, their not even in the top 10. But I do agree with the rest of your statement.

[Mobster1983]

I purchased the gold warranty from BMW as well. Here's why:

Last month my fiancé was driving her 2007 BMW X5. It only had 34,000 miles, but was out of the original warranty. The engine completely blew and would have cost $20k to replace. We found a buyer for the car as is, but ate over $14,000.

I had a BMW M6 that also had serious issues. It was under the extended warranty, or I would have had to pay over $15,000 in repairs in only 9 months.

To me, if you are keeping your car for more than the original warranty get the extended. I will never own a BMW without a warranty.

[Mobster1983]

Originally Posted by tims1138

The dealer also said that if I wait to buy the warranty, then the price goes up considerable, they said that if I waited to near the end, then the warranty price would double in price. Again, not sure if he was BS'ing me or what to be honest, every time I try to get a straight answer from them, I get a bit of the run around since I'm asking for things in writting and not just taking their word for it over the phone.

From what I have seen this is true. I tried buying an extended warranty shortly before my original one expired and it was over twice as much as if I bought it with the car.

[zamboni]

Originally Posted by roundel335

I bought "Gold" 7-year/100K miles extended warranty for $1900 from the dealer. Worth it with all the electronics and such.

Only platinum plan covers for NAV & other electronics but not on gold plan.

[AweSam8]

I was thinking of purchasing it soon as the original warranty goes up. It will just depend on the price and my experience with my f30.

[tims1138]

Interesting that their seems to be ton of issues with BMW's, I've never had a Japanese car's engine blow up at 34k miles.. Man, if I had those type of issues, I would run away from these cars and never look back. I guess I should have spend more time in the forums before I bought one. But it seems the moral of the story is to get an extended warranty or dump the car before the OEM warranty runs out...

[ksdindy]

Originally Posted by tims1138

Interesting that their seems to be ton of issues with BMW's, I've never had a Japanese car's engine blow up at 34k miles.. Man, if I had those type of issues, I would run away from these cars and never look back. I guess I should have spend more time in the forums before I bought one. But it seems the moral of the story is to get an extended warranty or dump the car before the OEM warranty runs out...

I don't think there are any more issues with BMW than there are with any other vehicles. For every 1 complaint, there are thousands of drivers with no issues.

I traded in a Jeep for my BMW and it was plaqued with issues. I was a member of a Jeep Wrangler forum and while there were people with issues, there were plenty of others reporting zero problems after 30, 40, 50K miles. The same will be true with BMW.

Roll the dice and enjoy. They don't call it the Ultimate Driving Machine for nothing.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by zamboni

Only platinum plan covers for NAV & other electronics but not on gold plan.

Incorrect - I don't have NAV or any of the other cockpit gimmicks, but I was talking about the electronics such as the ECU, power steering, dynamic suspension, and so forth. My gold plan covers those.

[Boben5]

No, unless you like giving them your money before something really happens, if it does at all. Better idea just put a little each month in a savings account and if, only if, something happens take money out to pay for repair. That way your not giving more profits to the dealers who are out to make as much money as possible and thats how they do it with warranties.

[drob23]

Friend of mine with an e90 was just quoted at 3.5k by the dealership for some repair work he needs done to his power steering pulley. I think it's a MY2008, and he does put a lot of highway miles on.

It's not that these cars are necessarily unreliable by design, problem is the parts are very expensive, need to generally be imported from the motherland and can be difficult for untrained people to work on. IMO, if you have an older German car, you'll need to find a good independent mechanic who you trust because the dealership will charge astronomical book prices on a lot of jobs because they can. The extended warranty would remove this hassle at a slightly increased price (though hard to know how reliable the F30 will be in 5 years).

[zamboni]

Originally Posted by roundel335

Incorrect - I don't have NAV or any of the other cockpit gimmicks, but I was talking about the electronics such as the ECU, power steering, dynamic suspension, and so forth. My gold plan covers those.

That is not what I meant most mechanicals & electrical parts were cover under gold plan but not entertainment & nav.

[tdizzle]

Getting anything repaired at the dealer is crazy expensive. You could find the OEM parts and have an indy shop do the repair for much cheaper if you could find a good one.

Back on topic, the extended coverage is only good ... if you use it, like insurance. It's profitable for the dealer, similar to extended warranties Best Buy will sell you for your tv. Chances are you won't use the full amount you paid for it, but for some that piece of mind is worth it. Then there are the small cases where an engine blows that wouldve otherwise come out of your pocket.

It's all chance, but the dealer is betting that they're going to make money off of selling it so that should tell you what you need to know about the odds.

[JFREEZISM]

Lease or trade at the 4 year mark. By then there should be very little if any inequity in the vehicle.