[Deep_Blue]

I purchased my 2007 e90 335i certified pre-owned in 2011 with extended maintenance. The car has a steptronic transmission w/ paddle shifters, sport package, premium package, adaptive xenon headlamps, and logic 7 system.

CPO warranty/extended maintenance expire in April 2013. So far the car has performed very well. Only major repair has been a new rear differential because the original one was whining ($2,000+ repair for $50 under CPO ). My plan is to keep this car for at least another 3 years before hopefully buying the F80 M3.

Given the n54's complexity and my concerns about turbos, pumps, etc failing, I went to my dealer to check out aftermarket warranties. The warranties below will cover my car until approximately April 2016 or 111K miles, whichever comes first.

EasyCare Stated Coverage
Cost ($250 deductible): $3,629
Cost ($500 deductible): $3,053
Covers: Engine, TURBOS, transmission, drive axles, seals/gaskets, air conditioning, fuel system, cooling system, braking system (not pads/rotors), suspension, steering, electrical system

EasyCare Total Coverage
Cost ($250 deductible): $4,611
Cost ($500 deductible): $3,969
Covers: Everything on the car except for regular maintenance items (oil changes, brake pads/rotors, spark plugs, wiper blades/bulbs, etc)

So, what do you think? Worth buying a warranty? Which one? Anyone have experience with EasyCare?

I have to buy before i hit 75K to get these pricing levels and options. Any input would be appreciated.

[tshoww]

I always say warranties are worth it for our cars. If you ever sell your car you can get a pro rated amount back from the warranty usually or transfer it to the new owner. I would just do the standard warranty which is all the major stuff plus you will stay headache free. Just my 2 cents, and I have an 07 e92 335i and my extended plan ends in Feb 2013 but the dealer said a warranty would be around $2k. So maybe check outside the dealer for third party vendors.

[kfrazie1]

At those prices, I don't think it's worth it. I think warranties are a good thing, but only at reasonable prices. I got a 4 yr, 48k mile warranty with no deductible for $1500. Its a third party company. So far, I've only had a thermostat and door lock actuator replaced under it. It's been fairly decent. At $4000 for that warranty, I'd rather save the 4k for a repair, if needed.

[Deep_Blue]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Mind sharing which warranty companies you were dealing with?

[kfrazie1]

I've got Diamond. They're decent. Only denied claim so far was mechatronics seal.

[Route 16]

Any good west coast warranties? I think east and west don't have same warranties fOr all states.

[WiLD]

Originally Posted by kfrazie1

I've got Diamond. They're decent. Only denied claim so far was mechatronics seal.

What all have you had to claim with them?

[Deep_Blue]

Originally Posted by kfrazie1

I've got Diamond. They're decent. Only denied claim so far was mechatronics seal.

Any detail on why they denied it? Did you buy through a dealer or direct?

[tony20009]

First off, seem my post here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...9#post12527569 .

Now even with the issues I cited therein, I still wouldn't buy that warranty. At this point, if the car has another major failure, I'll have it fixed and then trade it in for something else, or maybe not have it fixed and trade it in for something else. But I bought my car new and it's long since paid for, so I'm not married to it, but I'm not getting rid of it until it ceases to serve its primary function: daily driver transportation.

If you really need to, go for the lower priced one. The main things you need to worry about on the 335 are all related to the engine, HPFP, and the turbo chargers (and the seals and gaskets attached to the turbos, repairs of which are insanely expensive). Of those, BMW warrants the latter two for 120K miles and 10 years and 82K miles and 8 years, respectively. (Refer to the SIB posting that appeared earlier this week regarding turbos acquiring extended warranty coverage from BMW.) The a/c, and all that other stuff you probably don't need to worry about, although sure, you could have a one-off situation where something fails that for most folks doesn't.

Finally, if you feel like you just have to have one of thee warranties, you may want to consider increasing the deductible to something like $1000. You, like most of us BMW owners, probably always have $1000 available to spend on "whatever" without it being of any real concern. I say this because the prices you cited are nearly or in excess of double what BMW charge for a zero dollar deductible. That is the reason I said I wouldn't buy either of the warranties you mentioned; both seem way overpriced to me.

A better option, IMO, would be to see a different, less expensive warranty that covers the major mechanical parts -- engine, transmission and exhaust system -- that are relevant to keeping the car running. I say this because you only plan to keep the car for three years longer. For that short time frame, what's it need to do besides be transportation? The cache of it being a BMW 335 has long since faded, even now.

[tony20009]

You know, after posting what I did above, it occurs to me you said you bought a CPO with extended maintenance in 2011. Doesn't that get you to 2015 under BMW's coverage? If so, you shouldn't buy any after-market warranty.

It may not be the case with what you bought, but my extended maintenance extended the warranty as well. Thus the reason for this post/question....

[kfrazie1]

Originally Posted by awild1797

What all have you had to claim with them?

Just thermostat, door actuator, and mechatronics seal. Warranty does not cover seals and gaskets unless a covered component fails causing the seal or gasket to ultimatey fail.

[Deep_Blue]

Originally Posted by tony20009

You know, after posting what I did above, it occurs to me you said you bought a CPO with extended maintenance in 2011. Doesn't that get you to 2015 under BMW's coverage? If so, you shouldn't buy any after-market warranty.

It may not be the case with what you bought, but my extended maintenance extended the warranty as well. Thus the reason for this post/question....

The CPO is for 2 years following the expiration of the 4yr/50K factory warranty (which expired in April 2011 because my car is an 07).

Read your post, sorry to hear about the issues. Even with $6k potential repair cost you wouldn't buy a warranty? You make a good point on the extended warranties resulting from lawsuits. I saw the stories on the front page but am not sharp on the details (i.e. how is turbo failure determined and what types of failures are warrantied).

I understand the argument of keeping my money and just paying cash if something breaks. However, I'm gun shy because my last car was a C32 AMG that had unbelievable issues ($10K in repairs in a year) before I finally couldn't stand it and got rid of it. I also just paid $1,800 to replace the AC compressor in my wife's Lexus (something that also happened to my AMG) so maybe I'm seeing that as a probable repair (GA summers are hard on ACs).

For me, knowing that I won't have to live with looming mechanical issues or shell out for an unexpected expensive repair is worth something. For example, my diff was still working when BMW replaced it because I heard the whining/grinding. As closely as I monitor my car (do DIY oil changes every 5K with dealer changes at 15K intervals, planning to change plugs at 75K) I think the odds of something going wrong are somewhat lowered. However, the chance that I notice something (like the diff) are much higher. This makes me think that in 3 years I could come out ahead.

Kfrazie1 - what year is your car and how many miles did it have when you bought the warranty?

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Deep_Blue

The CPO is for 2 years following the expiration of the 4yr/50K factory warranty (which expired in April 2011 because my car is an 07).

I clearly misunderstood you. I thought you were saying that you bought the car with a CPO warranty and then purchased an additional two years of extended coverage.

Originally Posted by Deep_Blue

Read your post, sorry to hear about the issues. Even with $6k potential repair cost you wouldn't buy a warranty?

No, I would not. Given what I've been through thus far, I kind of have in my head that if I find myself spending more than $1500 on any single repair and my total out of pocket reaches $6000, I'm getting rid of the car. I'll just cut my losses and move on.

I am fairly certain I'll spend somewhere between $45K and $60K for my next daily driver, or if the 335 doesn't need repairs, up to $66K. So you see, I'll just reduce what I'm willing to spend on the next car by the amount it's cost me to keep the 335 and fix it. I feel confident that for that money I can find a car that is pleasing to drive and considerably more reliable than than the 335, if it should come to needing to be replaced before it's 10 years old.

The truth is that much as I really do like BMWs, I could give a shit if I buy one again or not as my daily driver. I want a car that I like, that I can afford, and that won't waste my time and money (really the same thing for me) taking it to be fixed, and that will remain reliable and in need of no non-standard fixes for 10+ years. That car could as well be a BMW as it could a Chevy.

Originally Posted by Deep_Blue

...I understand the argument of keeping my money and just paying cash if something breaks. However, I'm gun shy because my last car was a C32 AMG that had unbelievable issues ($10K in repairs in a year) before I finally couldn't stand it and got rid of it. I also just paid $1,800 to replace the AC compressor in my wife's Lexus (something that also happened to my AMG) so maybe I'm seeing that as a probable repair (GA summers are hard on ACs).

For me, knowing that I won't have to live with looming mechanical issues or shell out for an unexpected expensive repair is worth something. For example, my diff was still working when BMW replaced it because I heard the whining/grinding. As closely as I monitor my car (do DIY oil changes every 5K with dealer changes at 15K intervals, planning to change plugs at 75K) I think the odds of something going wrong are somewhat lowered. However, the chance that I notice something (like the diff) are much higher. This makes me think that in 3 years I could come out ahead...

I hear you. You really have to decide based on what you can afford. You may want to consider an approach like the one I described above. Personally, writing a check for between $3500 and $4800 seems like a lot to spend to avoid spending even as much as $8-$10K (though the reality is that the most costly thing you are likely to encounter is considerably less than that) just doesn't seem like a good use of resources to me.

If you are paying the warranty cost so you can then pay only $500 on, say, a $4000 repair, the fact is you've still spent $4500, and you are at that point hoping something else big and expensive goes wrong so that you can justify having spent, what would then be $5000 (the premium + your two repair deductible). There again, I just don't want to be in that position of needing my car to break to justify my having spent the money on the warranty when I could just get rid of it and use that money toward a new car.

Cars are like people. When you have a house guest who's stayed too long, you send them packing. When you have a partner who's stayed to long, you send them packing. If you have a child who won't get out from under your wing, you send them packing too. When you have a business relationship that is no longer yielding returns, you end it. Now if you can rationally arrive at a point of doing that with another human, surely you can do it with a car. I guarantee you it will bear you no ill will and won't say nasty about you. (LOL)

Best of luck.

[kfrazie1]

Originally Posted by Deep_Blue

Kfrazie1 - what year is your car and how many miles did it have when you bought the warranty?

2007. Bought in 2010 with 54000 miles. Car has 74000 now.

[Deep_Blue]

Originally Posted by kfrazie1

2007. Bought in 2010 with 54000 miles. Car has 74000 now.

That explains the price difference at least partially. Mine is being priced with 16k more miles and 2 years more use at time of purchase. Still, worth looking at other reputable providers.

[tracerit]

have you considered Penfed's Route 66 warranty for $1895 for 5years/100,000 miles. No deductible.

https://www.penfed.org/route-66-extended-warranty/

[Deep_Blue]

Originally Posted by tracerit

have you considered Penfed's Route 66 warranty for $1895 for 5years/100,000 miles. No deductible.

https://www.penfed.org/route-66-extended-warranty/

Thats interesting. I like that is an exclusionary policy, even though i only qualify for the 3 year/36K mile warranty since im over 65K miles. I wonder if you have to be a credit union member or have an auto loan with them to get it? Do you have experience with this warranty?

Since my original post, i have done some more research.

The Tech Choice Warranty from Carchex: 5yr/50k mi warranty for $3,289

• Has some shady language on wear and tear parts (i.e. shocks are covered, but only for "total failure" and not if they wear out, seems slippery)

• Limit payout to retail value of vehicle at time of warranty purchase and no single claim can be worth more than the vehicle at the time of repair

• Does not cover headlight motors (issue as i have adaptive headlights)

• Slippery language on repairs "caused by or involving" mods. Caused by I understand, but "involving" is scary. If turbos blow, seems like they could deny if i put an aftermarket FMIC on even though it didnt "cause" the failure.

Warranty Direct: 3yr/36k mile $4,370

• Still reading this contract, but man it looks pricey