[Alpine-F80]

Hi there, I'm getting my first BMW in the coming weeks (hopefully this week!) after being a VW guy for many years. I've decided on the 2015 335i RWD because I figure most kinks have been worked out by 2015 on the F30 and RWD because I've always wanted to own a RWD car with some light tuning potential.

With that said, I've had trouble finding a nicely optioned 2015 RWD 335i around here for under $30k, so I paid $800 Carmax transfer fee to have an Alpine White 2015 335i with 53k sent from NV to VA and it's en-route now. With 53k it's obviously out of warranty now though, and I've seen a lot of people say they'd never own a BMW out of warranty, so I asked about Maxcare just to get an idea of the cost. I was glad to hear that it's still ~$3500 / 5 years/100k, but disappointed at the $300 deductible!? Oh, and I work from home 3-4 days/week so I should get the full 5 years or close to it if I kept the car that long.

Obviously it seems Maxcare has adjusted the cost of the warranty to offset the money they were losing, and if the deductible was $100 I'd have zero questions about it's worth, but at $300/visit + the initial cost it feels like at best I'll break even. What do you guys think?

I'm also considering EasyCare and potentially other 3rd party warranties if anyone has recommendations.

Thanks!

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by badams86

Hi there, I'm getting my first BMW in the coming weeks (hopefully this week!) after being a VW guy for many years. I've decided on the 2015 335i RWD because I figure most kinks have been worked out by 2015 on the F30 and RWD because I've always wanted to own a RWD car with some light tuning potential.

With that said, I've had trouble finding a nicely optioned 2015 RWD 335i around here for under $30k, so I paid $800 Carmax transfer fee to have an Alpine White 2015 335i with 53k sent from NV to VA and it's en-route now. With 53k it's obviously out of warranty now though, and I've seen a lot of people say they'd never own a BMW out of warranty, so I asked about Maxcare just to get an idea of the cost. I was glad to hear that it's still ~$3500 / 5 years/100k, but disappointed at the $300 deductible!? Oh, and I work from home 3-4 days/week so I should get the full 5 years or close to it if I kept the car that long.

Obviously it seems Maxcare has adjusted the cost of the warranty to offset the money they were losing, and if the deductible was $100 I'd have zero questions about it's worth, but at $300/visit + the initial cost it feels like at best I'll break even. What do you guys think?

I'm also considering EasyCare and potentially other 3rd party warranties if anyone has recommendations.

Thanks!

Be sure to do your homework. Some EW plans will not allow if the original warranty is expired. They might very well take your money assuming your car is under warranty (or might not put 2+2 together).

However if you have a blown engine or the like and they investigate before paying $10k+ (as they most certainly would) and discover the policy was written in error, they might just refund your policy money and walk away.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Be sure to do your homework. Some EW plans will not allow if the original warranty is expired. They might very well take your money assuming your car is under warranty (or might not put 2+2 together).

However if you have a blown engine or the like and they investigate before paying $10k+ (as they most certainly would) and discover the policy was written in error, they might just refund your policy money and walk away.

Yeaahhhh, thanks, but pretty certain that’s not the case here...Maxcare is a well-known and documented EW offered at Carmax. Apparently it used to be amazing, until Doug Demuro and others racked up ridiculous repair bills on Range Rovers, MB, etc. and so prices went up, I didn’t realize that included tripling the deductible though!

Just wondering if the $300 deductible (+ $3500 price tag) makes it unreasonable for an 2015 335.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by badams86

Yeaahhhh, thanks, but pretty certain that's not the case here...Maxcare is a well-known and documented EW offered at Carmax. Apparently it used to be amazing, until Doug Demuro and others racked up ridiculous repair bills on Range Rovers, MB, etc. and so prices went up, I didn't realize that included tripling the deductible though!

Just wondering if the $300 deductible (+ $3500 price tag) makes it unreasonable for an 2015 335.

You misunderstand my post.

I *assumed* you realized my post was NOT directed at MaxCare, but at your post requesting recommendations for looking at OTHER 3rd Party EW and requirements most 3rd Party EW have.

Reread my post with this in mind and you can see what I was referring to.

Originally Posted by badams86

I'm also considering EasyCare and potentially other 3rd party warranties if anyone has recommendations.

In your circumstance with the warranty expired, MaxCare is probably your best choice if you purchase an EW, but the $300 Deductible certainly gives pause.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

You misunderstand my post.

I *assumed* you realized my post was NOT directed at MaxCare, but at your post requesting recommendations for looking at OTHER 3rd Party EW and requirements most 3rd Party EW have.

Reread my post with this in mind and you can see what I was referring to.



In your circumstance with the warranty expired, MaxCare is probably your best choice if you purchase an EW, but the $300 Deductible certainly gives pause.

Ahhh, I follow you now! Sorry for snarky response, thanks for the input!

I’m leaning towards Maxcare and will see if there’s any negotiation room. I think I read there is on their EW and financing, just not on car sticker price..

[tex2670]

You would have to have one really major problem to make this EW worth it, or a bunch of smaller problems. If every time you had a $500 issue (which is not "minor" by any stretch), you had to pay $300 of it, you would never think the EW is worth it.

There's no way I'd buy that.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Be sure to do your homework. Some EW plans will not allow if the original warranty is expired. They might very well take your money assuming your car is under warranty (or might not put 2+2 together).

However if you have a blown engine or the like and they investigate before paying $10k+ (as they most certainly would) and discover the policy was written in error, they might just refund your policy money and walk away.

+1.

Originally Posted by badams86

Yeaahhhh, thanks, but pretty certain that’s not the case here...Maxcare is a well-known and documented EW offered at Carmax. Apparently it used to be amazing, until Doug Demuro and others racked up ridiculous repair bills on Range Rovers, MB, etc. and so prices went up, I didn’t realize that included tripling the deductible though!

Just wondering if the $300 deductible (+ $3500 price tag) makes it unreasonable for an 2015 335.

Sounds like you've already made up your mind.

Originally Posted by tex2670

You would have to have one really major problem to make this EW worth it, or a bunch of smaller problems. If every time you had a $500 issue (which is not "minor" by any stretch), you had to pay $300 of it, you would never think the EW is worth it.

There's no way I'd buy that.

+1. The only EW I would consider (and bought) was the BMW Platinum Extended Warranty. The deductible was $50 and I used it about 5 times - 1 time of which included a replacement ZF 8HP45 at 96,000 miles. Other notable repairs I had done under the EW were oil pan gasket which required the removal of the front subframe.

I bought the EW because I was reasonably sure my use case (tracking) would bring out issues in the car later on after it's initial 50k warranty. I was right.

The things that fail at this point in the car's life are plastic connectors, rubber hoses, etc. (things that would get brittle and fail after repeated heat cycles). None of those things are terribly expensive and certainly not worth a $300 deductible.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

+1. The only EW I would consider (and bought) was the BMW Platinum Extended Warranty. The deductible was $50 and I used it about 5 times - 1 time of which included a replacement ZF 8HP45 at 96,000 miles. Other notable repairs I had done under the EW were oil pan gasket which required the removal of the front subframe.

I bought the EW because I was reasonably sure my use case (tracking) would bring out issues in the car later on after it's initial 50k warranty. I was right.

The things that fail at this point in the car's life are plastic connectors, rubber hoses, etc. (things that would get brittle and fail after repeated heat cycles). None of those things are terribly expensive and certainly not worth a $300 deductible.

Exactly. As if EWs weren't profitable enough for the providers, the $300 deductible really stacks the deck against the owner.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by tex2670

Exactly. As if EWs weren't profitable enough for the providers, the $300 deductible really stacks the deck against the owner.

Yeah, you’re absolutely right...this is what I was thinking originally. I’m so torn now

The car should be here by Tuesday so I can take it for a test drive, if there’s not a lower deductible option I’ll probably pass on it...I think?

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by badams86

Yeah, you’re absolutely right...this is what I was thinking originally. I’m so torn now

The car should be here by Tuesday so I can take it for a test drive, if there’s not a lower deductible option I’ll probably pass on it...I think?

Why are you torn? You are going to have $3500 more in your bank account without the EW. That's a win.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by tex2670

Why are you torn? You are going to have $3500 more in your bank account without the EW. That's a win.

If the $3500 was coming out of my bank account directly then absolutely, no-brainer! But the EW cost would be rolled into the car loan so it’s more subtle...I just did the math though and that’s $50/month into savings :confused

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by badams86

If the $3500 was coming out of my bank account directly then absolutely, no-brainer! But the EW cost would be rolled into the car loan so it’s more subtle...I just did the math though and that’s $50/month into savings :confused

It's not subtle. When you borrow money to pay, you still pay. This is how F&I managers screw people over every day--by brainwashing people to think that by paying pennies a day, it's really nothing at all.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by tex2670

It's not subtle. When you borrow money to pay, you still pay. This is how F&I managers screw people over every day--by brainwashing people to think that by paying pennies a day, it's really nothing at all.

Yep, you're absolutely right, and even though I know that I'm still worried to skip the warranty on my first BMW. I almost feel that because the price is so ridiculous it almost proves the point that some warranty is necessary. A $300 deductible + $3500 cost is just silly though...

So I'm almost certain I'm going to skip the Maxcare EW unless I'm able to get it at a $100 or less deductible.

As of now my plan is to test drive the car thoroughly, and if it feels smooth, no leaks, etc. I'll buy it. Within the first few days I'll take it in to BMW Dealer or an Indy shop that specializes in BMW to get a full inspection and hopefully get an all clear. If something is found Carmax will most likely fix it, otherwise I'll just return the car.

FWIW I'm also a very handy/DIY type person too, although more-so around the house, so I'd like to think I can fix a lot of the smaller repairs (gaskets, charge pipe, etc.).

Here's hoping that's the right call!

[upsidedownfunnel]

So to cover your car up to 100,000 miles, $3500 isn't bad. But for a $300 deductible, I'm not sure. There's a good chance you'll have at least 2-3 $1000 repairs needed by the time you hit 100k miles. However, if each of those visits cost $300, then you're really only being covered for about $2100.

A lot of "expensive" issues can often be dealt with for much cheaper and indy shops. Like if iDrive goes out, the dealership might quote you $2000 to fix it, but you could just buy a $500 part and do the install yourself. Or common items like a water pump or oil filter housing gasket might be $500-$1000 at the dealership but would only cost a couple hundred bucks at a good indy.

So if you're the type that MUST get work done at the dealership, AND you're going to keep your car for the whole warranty period, it's not a bad deal. Especially if it'll give you peace of mind. But if you're willing to find a good independent mechanic and can be without a loaner or are adventurous enough to do some work yourself, it probably isn't worth it.