[Fruitycups]

I know that this has been beaten to death. Beaten like a dead horse. With a stick.

Just wanted to confirm what the general consensus is.

Extended WARRANTY has a case for being worth it correct? Also, do you guys recommend I get gold or platinum. I do have navi in my vehicle but is the cd player/navi system/audio something that fails often in a BMW? If so, maybe its worth spending the 600 more?

The other more concerning question is, is there ANY WAY a person can get there money's worth with a extended maintenance plan. The rotors I understand can be a expensive service but with all the free oil chances, filters, etc etc factored in the plan, does it approach the 1850 they're trying to charge me?

[Mobster1983]

I don't think the maintenance plan would be worth it. It is too easy to buy parts yourself for much cheaper at that point.

The warranty plan I got the full one that includes navi. I plan to keep mine for at least 6 years and don't want to have to worry about anything. My fiancée had an X5 with only 30k miles that the engine blew a couple months back. $20k to fix so we just sold the car as is. Navi would be an expensive replacement and could affect other parts of the car since it is all controlled by the computer.

[marlin2911]

I personally went with the Geico Mechanical breakdown (same concept as the Extended warranty) which covers everything (though I don't believe the radio will ever bonk out personally).

I also did the extended maintenance as well, as for the cost of it I believe I will personally make it all back and then some. I will at least have front and rear brakes done once (possibly twice), then you have the spark plugs at 60k, o2 sensors, coolant, etc that all gets done in that extra 2 years. And for me, driving 20k miles a year, I know I'm going to fill out the 6 years/100k, so it makes sense. Based on the dealer charging me probably around $1,200 for the brakes, $300 for spark plug service, $200 for coolant, and then at least another $500 for oil changes, filters, wipers, etc., I believe I'm making over the mark.

Could you be more frugal doing it at an independent shop? Probably. But for me, the loaner while they do the work also has a huge value to me as both my wife and I need our cars on a daily basis. So factor in a rental car for each service and that adds up to another couple hundred bucks.

[lsutiger]

I change my own oil and only drive about 10K miles per year so the extended maintenance isn't worth it for me. I'm definitely going with the Geico mechanical breakdown over the extended warranty though.

[billiebob]

Plus three for geico mechanical breakdown. I've used it around 5 times on various cars including wheel bearings and axles on a 2001 Jetta and I only had to pay my 250 deductible.

[jbr5049]

So I have a 335 with Nav and Hud. I drive 40,000 miles a year so I know that I will get my moneys worth out of maintenance, and I wanted the Platinum coverage to basically cover my ass if anything else broke. Got Maint and Plat coverage for 4300 out the door. The cost stings, but peace of mind is worth it. If you drive like I do, do it.

[RoundelM3]

I went with the BMW Gold extended warranty, which covers all the electronics that are so prevalent in our cars. I don't put many miles on my car (I work from home), so it will last me as long as I plan to keep the car (7 years or so). Maintenance can pay for itself if you need a brake job before the factory 4-year period is up, but other than that, I'd just deal with routine maintenance myself.

[Fruitycups]

Originally Posted by billiebob

Plus three for geico mechanical breakdown. I've used it around 5 times on various cars including wheel bearings and axles on a 2001 Jetta and I only had to pay my 250 deductible.

At 250 a pop, wouldn't that make it almost as expensive as just buying the warranty?

[marlin2911]

You figure that for the Geico MBI, it's only about $100 a year...so if you have it for 7 years, that's around $700 vs the $3500 for the BMW Platinum coverage, a savings of $2800. I'll take my chances with the $250 deductible being used 10 times to make up the difference.

[halfmonkey]

Originally Posted by Fruitycups

I know that this has been beaten to death. Beaten like a dead horse. With a stick.

Just wanted to confirm what the general consensus is.

Extended WARRANTY has a case for being worth it correct? Also, do you guys recommend I get gold or platinum. I do have navi in my vehicle but is the cd player/navi system/audio something that fails often in a BMW? If so, maybe its worth spending the 600 more?

The other more concerning question is, is there ANY WAY a person can get there money's worth with a extended maintenance plan. The rotors I understand can be a expensive service but with all the free oil chances, filters, etc etc factored in the plan, does it approach the 1850 they're trying to charge me?

Getting the extended warranty is a requirement when buying any BMW. It's going to break. Just do a search for my user name and you'll see all of the repairs that I've documented for other users so they have tips for things to be on the look out for. My extended warranty has paid for itself and then some. Keep in mind that warranty brokers are banking that your warranty runs out/expires on time and not mileage. Most people never terminate their extended warranty by hitting the mileage. Most people terminate their extended warranty based on time. Even with the miles I drive, I still terminated based on time. My miles were just a few thousand short of the allotted so I made out ok with my terms. The very last service was some repair to my A/C unit which require taking out the dash board and about a week at the dealer and I'd say that service alone covered the extended warranty.

As far as extended service, this really only makes sense if you plan on driving your car a lot. Otherwise, based on BMW's no-service/nothing-done-to-your-car free maintenance plan, you won't get your money's worth. Many of the services that would be covered under the maintenance plan, would only come into play if you drive your car enough so to be concerned with replacing rotors might be a non-issue if you don't put many miles on your car. Replacing spark plugs might also not come into play. The other stuff that might be replaced more frequently doesn't necessarily need you to hedge your bet with a ext maintenance plan paid up front. If you can negotiate a great price, then go for it. It can also be seen as a peace of mind thing. If not, you might be better off passing.

[Fruitycups]

Thanks for the thorough response HM.

I unfortunately am with NW so the Geico warranty is out of question. So far I have a quote of 3k for 3800 for 7 year plat. Seems a bit high tbh.

Im leaning towards on getting the warranty but just looking for the best deal. I do have three years and 30k left to find a good deal

[bimmermeupscoty]

Originally Posted by Fruitycups

So far I have a quote of 3k for 3800 for 7 year plat. Seems a bit high tbh.

I purchased: Platinum Plan Extended Warranty- 7 years / 100K miles/ $50 Deductible for $2,660