[lkstaack]

I have three weeks left on my new car warranty but don't have any apparent mechanical problems. 41K miles on the clock. Computer indicates 8K miles before the next service. Based upon your personal experiences, is there anything I should do before my warranty expires?

[vgore]

Yes get an extended warranty. It will pay for itself in the long run.

[ooshnoo]

Originally Posted by vgore

Yes get an extended warranty. It will pay for itself in the long run.

What he said...

[JaredG_F30]

Go in for an early service and have the dealer pull the undertray and check for any leaks

[perryo91]

Originally Posted by JaredG_F30

Go in for an early service and have the dealer pull the undertray and check for any leaks

Is it really possible to go in for service and say "Hey I would like you guys to take off my cars under tray and look for leaks."

I feel like they would say okay. that would cost you a deposit...$200 for diagnostics, if we find something covered under warranty youll get it refunded, if not, we keep the deposit for using our time to diagnose?

Or just straight up refuse because it's a waste of their time

[JaredG_F30]

I took mine in just before my warranty was up due to a cracked tab on my seat switch cover. Even though I wasn't due for an oil change they changed my oil free of charge.

I wish I would have asked them to remove the undertray and check for leaks because I removed mine the other day and I have a very very slight oil leak. I could have had that fixed under warranty but now I have to do it myself. You could always remove the undertray yourself and if you see a leak then take it in and if you don't then all is good.

Originally Posted by perryo91

Is it really possible to go in for service and say "Hey I would like you guys to take off my cars under tray and look for leaks."

I feel like they would say okay. that would cost you a deposit...$200 for diagnostics, if we find something covered under warranty youll get it refunded, if not, we keep the deposit for using our time to diagnose?

Or just straight up refuse because it's a waste of their time

[lkstaack]

Originally Posted by vgore

Yes get an extended warranty. It will pay for itself in the long run.

I'm still considering an extended warranty, though I probably won't. I had an extended warranty and maintenance warranty with my old CPO'd E46 that I lost money on. I am taking the following into consideration as I deliberate:

PROS:
-The warranty can pay for itself with one major repair
-BMW electronics fail all the time and they are often problematic to repair

CONS:
-Warranties are not cheap; I've been quoted $4,729, $4,259, $4,179 and $3,769 for a "Platinum" warranty in the following configurations respectively: 3-year 100K, 2-year 100K, 3-year 75K, and 2-year 75K.
-The warranty is voidable by BMW if you do your own maintenance, even an oil change (look at the small print)
-Any modifications/upgrades made can void the warranty
-The warranty company (whatever it is) makes money from it. Actuaries look at all the data and decide what they should charge to make a profit. So, the odds are that you will spend more money on the warranty than the maintenance would have cost.
-The F3* chassis is fairly reliable; a lot more than the E9*. My F30 has been pretty reliable (though the first owner did have the 6-speed replaced under warranty...I'm guessing bad synchros)

Originally Posted by perryo91

Is it really possible to go in for service and say "Hey I would like you guys to take off my cars under tray and look for leaks."

I feel like they would say okay. that would cost you a deposit...$200 for diagnostics, if we find something covered under warranty youll get it refunded, if not, we keep the deposit for using our time to diagnose?

Yes. They will be happy to charge you shop time to see if they can find something wrong. That's about a minimum of $120?

I asked my trusted SA about taking it in, and he said that it would have to have a fault or needing maintenance for them to see it without cost.

[lkstaack]

Originally Posted by JaredG_F30

You could always remove the undertray yourself and if you see a leak then take it in and if you don't then all is good.

That's a good idea; I think I'll do that.

[perryo91]

Originally Posted by lkstaack

That's a good idea; I think I'll do that.

Same here, its a good idea

[wilbur_the_goose]

An extended warranty is an insurance policy. Both parties want to come out on top.

But the actuaries have loads of statistics on their side. No way they'd price a warranty at a point where they lose money.

It's completely your call - pay me now (certain) or pay a mechanic later (possibly).

[autopal]

Originally Posted by vgore

Yes get an extended warranty. It will pay for itself in the long run.

Extended warranties are not no brainers as some seems to think, I actually think you are better off keeping your money in your bank account. If you had your car for a few years, and it has been basically trouble free, why do you think it won't remain trouble free with proper schedule maintenance for the next few years? it won't suddenly blow an engine, demanding thousands of $$$ as soon as factory warranty expire. Yes, it's possible, but unlikely. The chance of some major issues that will see you coming out ahead on your warranty, or even break even is about 10%.is it worth spending 3 or 4 grand for a 10% chance you wont lose? I don't think so. People like to talk about piece of mind, but at what cost? There is a reason dealers profit margins on warranties and other add ons are greater than their margins selling the cars.

[Kafkaesque328]

I don't entirely agree about getting the extended warranty. There are no guarantees that the warranty will pay for itself in the long run. The only guarantee is that you will pay the cost of the extended warranty whether it pays for itself or not. Sunk cost. So you probably have a year left on powertrain warranty right? Set aside x amount per month in a car rainy day fund, some kind of online 'high yield savings acct', i.e. one of these accounts that averages 1.75% APY or so. After a year, you'll have what you would have paid for the warranty in this account. It can be used if things come up and if things dont, the money is there. Extended warranties are the bread and butter for the dealer finance departments and statistically, they win, not you. They wouldnt offer these products if they didn't make money on them. Like any form of insurance, the amount of money they bring in from these products vs. what is paid out is skewed in favor of the dealer, all the time. You don't beat the house.

But, if you just don't want to deal or worry about it, just pay the $3-5000 or whatever it costs and be done with it

[JJS]

Originally Posted by lkstaack

I have three weeks left on my new car warranty but don't have any apparent mechanical problems. 41K miles on the clock. Computer indicates 8K miles before the next service. Based upon your personal experiences, is there anything I should do before my warranty expires?

You avatar suggests you have a 6MT. If that is the case, you might like to check your second gear synchro for premature failure. Execute a fast 1>2 change at high rpm (circa 6,000 rpm) and see if its smooth.

I got an extended warranty when my standard 3 year expired. In exchange, I got a new gearbox, which is considerably more expensive than the warranty extension. About five times more, apparently.

[sspade]

No extended warranty for me. Agree with others above. Id rather enjoy, maintain and take care of my vehicle than buy an extended warranty for THOUSANDS and hope something breaks so I can get some money BACK through repairs?

Sounds backwards doesnt it? At best you may break even but most likely you will LOSE.

[lkstaack]

Originally Posted by JJS

You avatar suggests you have a 6MT. If that is the case, you might like to check your second gear synchro for premature failure. Execute a fast 1>2 change at high rpm (circa 6,000 rpm) and see if its smooth.

I got an extended warranty when my standard 3 year expired. In exchange, I got a new gearbox, which is considerably more expensive than the warranty extension. About five times more, apparently.

Yes, my transmission has already been replaced, as my previous post indicates.

[chiefneil]

My personal belief is that the car will tell you how reliable it's going to be post-warranty. If you've had issues under warranty, then it might a good idea to consider an extended warranty. Although personally if that happened to me, I'd trade the car in as soon as the warranty expired.

In my case, the 335i is our 5th BMW and we've never purchased extended warranties on any of them. The shortest period of time we've kept one of cars was the E36 which we sold around the 6 year mark as it was getting expensive to maintain. Otherwise the others we've kept around 10-12 years. If you figure 3k per extended warranty times 5 cars, we've "saved" about 15k. I put "saved" in quotes because probably we've had a few repairs that the warranty might have covered, although I can't think of a single instance where I thought "damn I wash I'd spent 3k on that extended warranty". YMMV.

Anyway back to the OP. Right when my warranty expired at my last oil service, they found/repaired a leaking oil pan gasket. I mention that just because so many other posters recommended dropping the underbody tray and looking for leaks; definitely a good idea. None of my other BMWs ever had a leaking oil pan gasket so the possibility never crossed my mind that it might happen.

[lkstaack]

Originally Posted by chiefneil

Right when my warranty expired at my last oil service, they found/repaired a leaking oil pan gasket. I mention that just because so many other posters recommended dropping the underbody tray and looking for leaks; definitely a good idea. None of my other BMWs ever had a leaking oil pan gasket so the possibility never crossed my mind that it might happen.

I've had to replace the oil pan gasket on both of my E46s, a laborious task. I've also had to replace the oil filter housing gasket on both of them as well. They are both common problems once they are over 100k miles. However, the oil filter housing on my F30 failed at 41k miles, but was covered under original warranty. My SA said that it wasn't common to replace that gasket at that mileage, but not unheard of.

Is that a sign of things to come? Who knows. I've been monitoring this board for the last year and have come to the conclusion that it is generally trouble-free with a few known issues, most have which I have already run into under the original warranty.

[benp2k6]

I? just purchased a used 328i and the warranty offered from the bmw dealership was terrible. They quoted 3 yrs 36k miles at the second of 5 level warranty for $3200. I? told them my credit union offered me 5 year 60k mile warranty at the highest tier and zero deductible for $2500. After that they extended their offer to 5 years 50k miles but still at silver level of the plan. Bmw silver level didn't even cover engine or tranny. It was a joke. A good warranty will be worth it.. one or two repairs could equal $2500

[HighlandPete]

In the UK we can purchase the extended insured warranty either on a yearly policy, (after the 3-year manufacturer's warranty), or extend it monthly, with monthly 'in advance' payments. Makes it much more flexible and fits many user needs.

I've run with extended warranties and I'm one of the users who has had good value out of them, year on year. Including a new V8 engine in a 540i.

This year I'm already in pocket for my 535i. Comfort access issues, new door handle with sensors, side view camera, along with the control unit. One rear air spring. Outstanding issues in progress including further air suspension problems, looks as if it will be a new compressor/control unit.

I've an intermittent Climate Control fault developing and a lazy driver's door actuator. I can see more warranty claims under this year's policy.

[lkstaack]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

In the UK we can purchase the extended insured warranty either on a yearly policy, (after the 3-year manufacturer's warranty), or extend it monthly, with monthly 'in advance' payments. Makes it much more flexible and fits many user needs.

I've run with extended warranties and I'm one of the users who has had good value out of them, year on year. Including a new V8 engine in a 540i.

This year I'm already in pocket for my 535i. Comfort access issues, new door handle with sensors, side view camera, along with the control unit. One rear air spring. Outstanding issues in progress including further air suspension problems, looks as if it will be a new compressor/control unit.

I've an intermittent Climate Control fault developing and a lazy driver's door actuator. I can see more warranty claims under this year's policy.

There is usually someone leaving a casino with more money than they came with. However, the odds are always with the house. It's the same with a warranty; someone is going to come out ahead, but most people won't.

[sspade]

Other than what's been said about dropping under cover to look for leaks... nothing else recommended for 328i owners prior to warranty expiration?

I have 36k at this point and will reach 50k in about 6 months or so.

[Buzzo]

Take your car to an indy for a 'PPI' (or more like 'before-warranty-expires-inspection'). If something needs attention, take it to the dealer to be repaired under warranty. The results of the inspection might also help you decide on whether to get an extended warranty or not. At least, this is what I am planning to do when my 4yr/50K is about to expire.