[roastbeef]

My girlfriend's 335d is coming up on 50k miles. I know the general rule when buying a maintenance plan is that it is only valuable if you are going to get a set of brakes out of it.
well, she may get a set of brakes since she drives a lot, but its hard to say because she isn't as hard on her brakes as i am with mine.
is there anything added specifically for diesels that makes the extended maintenance worth it?

thanks!

[bvanlieu]

If you pay BMW dealer prices for DEF perhaps...if you DIY, or get the same product from VW/MB, no. I have heard of some folks getting banged with large DEF charges.

Recently I had my D in just for an oil change. The SA took the liberty to put in DEF although I had put in 2.5 gal a few weeks back myself. They won't see my car again
for an oil change. I wasn't going to argue and ate the $46 charge for 2 small DEF containers.

Regarding brakes sure, if you factor in rotor cost and labor the 'plan' helps you break even, but the truth is unless you are measuring the wear on the rotors, replacing them often is just dealer add on profit, not because you need to. An example is a SA advising it on my wifes Cayman last year...I measured the rotors a having 40% remaining with a micrometer. Needless to say they will go another 20-30K easily.

If you have the plan and a dealer works with you to get things done it can also help: if its very specific and they won't do it (1mm remaining on pads? no soup for you!) then skip it.

For the Diesel you would want to see if DEF and Fuel Filter are covered for example, along with the normal wear items like brakes, wipers etc....do the math and you will see its usually a net loss for the consumer.

- b

[kbsilver]

Really depends on how handy you are (for your girlfriend). As I am nearing retirement, there is less I am willing or able to do on the car than in years past. But for items that would fall under "Maintenance", probably only one I will not do myself is changing the fuel filter and transmission fluid (trans is not covered under the maintenance plan anyway). As far as DEF, there is a local truck stop where I usually get my fuel (fresh, high volume) where they sell the 2.5 gallon DEF for $12.50. They have it by the pallet full right where you fill up.

[larrysing]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

My girlfriend's 335d is coming up on 50k miles. I know the general rule when buying a maintenance plan is that it is only valuable if you are going to get a set of brakes out of it.
well, she may get a set of brakes since she drives a lot, but its hard to say because she isn't as hard on her brakes as i am with mine.
is there anything added specifically for diesels that makes the extended maintenance worth it?
thanks!

If you can afford it, then you should buy it. I own two 2011 335d cars, and one of them has been in the shop under a CPO warranty 3 times in the first 8 weeks of ownership. BMW repairs are expensive, and the warranty can save your tail. Mine already saved me probably a couple thousand in repairs. I bought extended warranties on my Toyotas and really never used them - but not the same with this BMW. "German engineering" is great on the road, but the reliability is not fabulous.

[135i_vs_]

For me it was worth it. Got front and rear pads+rotors. That alone paid for it. Also you get the ~$200-$300 service intervals (brake fluid, oil, DEF, filters, fuel filter).

[kbsilver]

Originally Posted by larrysing

BMW repairs are expensive, and the warranty can save your tail. Mine already saved me probably a couple thousand in repairs.

Read it again. Maintenance is not the same as Warranty. For Warranty, I agree 110%, you cannot own this diesel experiment on wheels without one.

[Nadir Point]

Definitely worth it for me. BMW paid for CBU cleaning, new injectors, new iDrive controller and a few other things, not to mention all the maintenance.

[larrysing]

Originally Posted by kbsilver

Read it again. Maintenance is not the same as Warranty. For Warranty, I agree 110%, you cannot own this diesel experiment on wheels without one.

Oops, sorry, thanks. My input is restricted to warranty. I have no knowledge on the benefits of a maintenance plan