The beauty of having a warranty.
Discussion
I noticed a few drops of power steering fluis under the car. Being under warranty the dealer would be my first port of car. So I llll asked them to check over the car. They did the pump in December but reused the old bajos which were slightly old by now. They also reported a 'slight' misfire and had it on the diagnostic machine.
A few days later and voila.......£1700 worth of work done for FREE.
Turns out the actuators were on the way out - I never would have noticed it apparently. They also did the SMG control module too
If anyone is in doubt whether or not to get a car with an AUC warranty and pay a premium, let this make your mind up for you.
A few days later and voila.......£1700 worth of work done for FREE.
Turns out the actuators were on the way out - I never would have noticed it apparently. They also did the SMG control module too
If anyone is in doubt whether or not to get a car with an AUC warranty and pay a premium, let this make your mind up for you.
Edited by Schermerhorn on Tuesday 12th May 10:43
That is a good result, a warranty does seem essential on the M5/6.
It doesn't go so smoothly for everyone - I'm currently in dispute with BMW warranty dept over the dealers refusal to replace the roof motor on my girlfriends Z4. Apparently water ingress is not covered, despite there being no way to prevent it happening - seems a clear design fault.
It doesn't go so smoothly for everyone - I'm currently in dispute with BMW warranty dept over the dealers refusal to replace the roof motor on my girlfriends Z4. Apparently water ingress is not covered, despite there being no way to prevent it happening - seems a clear design fault.
duff said:
That is a good result, a warranty does seem essential on the M5/6.
It doesn't go so smoothly for everyone - I'm currently in dispute with BMW warranty dept over the dealers refusal to replace the roof motor on my girlfriends Z4. Apparently water ingress is not covered, despite there being no way to prevent it happening - seems a clear design fault.
Take it up with BMW UK. A design fault should be rectified through a recall via the dealers.It doesn't go so smoothly for everyone - I'm currently in dispute with BMW warranty dept over the dealers refusal to replace the roof motor on my girlfriends Z4. Apparently water ingress is not covered, despite there being no way to prevent it happening - seems a clear design fault.
Definately ring around various dealers. You could get a different response.
So how did you "save thousands" if you paid a premium and the main dealer work (cheaper at an Indie) was worth £1700 ?
Not suggesting there is no benefit in this instance but let's deal with facts.
And one data point never makes a compelling argument. I could provide another data point from which you could draw a totally different conclusion.
Not suggesting there is no benefit in this instance but let's deal with facts.
And one data point never makes a compelling argument. I could provide another data point from which you could draw a totally different conclusion.
0836whimper said:
So how did you "save thousands" if you paid a premium and the main dealer work (cheaper at an Indie) was worth £1700 ?
Not suggesting there is no benefit in this instance but let's deal with facts.
And one data point never makes a compelling argument. I could provide another data point from which you could draw a totally different conclusion.
Bit of an arsey post.Not suggesting there is no benefit in this instance but let's deal with facts.
And one data point never makes a compelling argument. I could provide another data point from which you could draw a totally different conclusion.
The OP has probably benefited from economies of scale. Neither you nor I know what he paid for the warranty, but it's reasonable to presume that the warranty provider prices their product competitively knowing that not every client will make a claim.
0836whimper said:
So how did you "save thousands" if you paid a premium and the main dealer work (cheaper at an Indie) was worth £1700 ?
Not suggesting there is no benefit in this instance but let's deal with facts.
And one data point never makes a compelling argument. I could provide another data point from which you could draw a totally different conclusion.
Ok I paid a premium over a non AUC car. I got 2 year warranty as I pushed for it rather than a standard 1 year warranty. £1000 saved already.Not suggesting there is no benefit in this instance but let's deal with facts.
And one data point never makes a compelling argument. I could provide another data point from which you could draw a totally different conclusion.
I paid £22850 for my car. A non AUC car at the time was around £5000 less.
My car had 3 new tyres, front and rear discs and pads done, spark plug service, and many other things for a total of £4000. I have the reciepts also.
Warranty work over the years worth £8000 has been done also.
Cost to me £0.00
Lete factor in the premium I paid and I have still saved thousands as the work done has now far exceeded the premium paid.
It's not rocket science. It is worth is for the piece of mind. Especially on a V10 BMW. A 320d of that era going wrong would not really bother me. A V10 BMW would make me cry as I wrote out a four figure cheque....again.
Edited by Schermerhorn on Thursday 23 April 08:03
Andy M said:
Bit of an arsey post.
The OP has probably benefited from economies of scale. Neither you nor I know what he paid for the warranty, but it's reasonable to presume that the warranty provider prices their product competitively knowing that not every client will make a claim.
I didn't read it as being "arsey" at all, I think it's a valid point. How much is the annual warranty that the OP would have to pay next year? How much would the work have cost at an indy? Etc etcThe OP has probably benefited from economies of scale. Neither you nor I know what he paid for the warranty, but it's reasonable to presume that the warranty provider prices their product competitively knowing that not every client will make a claim.
Edited by Leins on Thursday 23 April 09:52
Leins said:
Andy M said:
Bit of an arsey post.
The OP has probably benefited from economies of scale. Neither you nor I know what he paid for the warranty, but it's reasonable to presume that the warranty provider prices their product competitively knowing that not every client will make a claim.
I didn't read it as being "arsey" at all, I think it's a valid point. How much is the annual warranty that the OP would have to pay next year? How much would the work have cost at an indy? Etc etcThe OP has probably benefited from economies of scale. Neither you nor I know what he paid for the warranty, but it's reasonable to presume that the warranty provider prices their product competitively knowing that not every client will make a claim.
Edited by Leins on Thursday 23 April 09:52
Discs, pads, tyres etc were not warranty covered items. It was part of the AUC sale preparation and totalled £3995.00. That is money I did not have to spend.
Had I not gone the AUC route, I dare say I wouldnt have seen a 'better' prepared pre-sale car.
The warranty gives the peace of mind
If people don't want a warranty, that is fine. Save yourself £X amount per year and spend it on towards a holiday. Horses for courses.
However, my point is that is better to have one on any performance car. The S85 engine is totally unique. It doesn't share any parts with other BMW models. Specialists are few and far between and will charge a lot of money. The warranty takes that concern away.
Would you not agree that it's better to have on, that not, on such a car?
If you have a warranty, and never have had to use it - excellent news. However, sod's law the moment it expires, something goes wrong and you end up having to spend thousands on the car.
Edited by Schermerhorn on Thursday 23 April 13:02
Agree with you 
I had a 996 engine go pop outside warranty (£7k) and I won't really consider a performance car now without a decent warranty. I get the 'put the money in the bank and sit on it' types....but realistically, who actually does that?
Mondial warranty is the main reason why I'm looking for an E92 and why the 997 plan is on the backburner
I had a 996 engine go pop outside warranty (£7k) and I won't really consider a performance car now without a decent warranty. I get the 'put the money in the bank and sit on it' types....but realistically, who actually does that?Mondial warranty is the main reason why I'm looking for an E92 and why the 997 plan is on the backburner
Ok.
The bits I object to are : "The work was free" and "It makes sense for owners of all performance cars". Neither of these statements are true.
I do agree that peace of mind is worth a lot to many people and they are willing to pay for it even if it means an overall cost to them.
In my own experience, I had a warranty for three years on a performance car and never got value for money spent. I then bought another car in a private sale and negotiated on worn consumables, as well as got a warranty for the first year to cover a car I wasn't very familiar with. Nothing covered by the warranty went wrong and I have stopped the warranty now safe in the knowledge that money saved will easily cover the cost of anything going wrong. And if nothing goes wrong, then it's my money to spend on what I like, or to continue my own insurance (which is what extended warranties are).
There are also many examples of BMW quibbling over the small print of the warranty itself (which is not piece of mind at all). Also depends on how the car is used, the amount of use and the availability of part and their expense, either OEM or alternatives.
Someone who is 'saved' from a big bill with a warranty will naturally conclude it's a no brainer, but often a cold hard look at the total cost of ownership will be revealing.
The bits I object to are : "The work was free" and "It makes sense for owners of all performance cars". Neither of these statements are true.
I do agree that peace of mind is worth a lot to many people and they are willing to pay for it even if it means an overall cost to them.
In my own experience, I had a warranty for three years on a performance car and never got value for money spent. I then bought another car in a private sale and negotiated on worn consumables, as well as got a warranty for the first year to cover a car I wasn't very familiar with. Nothing covered by the warranty went wrong and I have stopped the warranty now safe in the knowledge that money saved will easily cover the cost of anything going wrong. And if nothing goes wrong, then it's my money to spend on what I like, or to continue my own insurance (which is what extended warranties are).
There are also many examples of BMW quibbling over the small print of the warranty itself (which is not piece of mind at all). Also depends on how the car is used, the amount of use and the availability of part and their expense, either OEM or alternatives.
Someone who is 'saved' from a big bill with a warranty will naturally conclude it's a no brainer, but often a cold hard look at the total cost of ownership will be revealing.
So I'll never get involved in the warranty side of a discussion, but I will the technical.
Of the two parts listed, you had a Throttle Actuator replaced as well as the SMG control module. I see absolutely no way in which the SMG module had anything to do with a misfire, in fact...I've never seen one replaced for any reason other than misdiagnosis.
The throttle actuator on the other hand...extremely common failure due to very poor (intentional?) material selection for the internal gearing.
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60-m5-e61-m5-tou...
That said, I can't think of any way but one in which the TA would cause a misfire and that one way seems highly unlikely.
I do hope that whatever the cause was, you don't see it return and the problem is gone. I also sincerely hope there was an actual problem in the first place and it wasn't a "money grab" from a repair facility who knows you have a warranty. Between that and the utter inability of the majority of BMW technicians to diagnose these cars, there's the reason our resale values are in the toilet and problems take 5-6 visits to get sorted.
Of the two parts listed, you had a Throttle Actuator replaced as well as the SMG control module. I see absolutely no way in which the SMG module had anything to do with a misfire, in fact...I've never seen one replaced for any reason other than misdiagnosis.
The throttle actuator on the other hand...extremely common failure due to very poor (intentional?) material selection for the internal gearing.
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60-m5-e61-m5-tou...
That said, I can't think of any way but one in which the TA would cause a misfire and that one way seems highly unlikely.
I do hope that whatever the cause was, you don't see it return and the problem is gone. I also sincerely hope there was an actual problem in the first place and it wasn't a "money grab" from a repair facility who knows you have a warranty. Between that and the utter inability of the majority of BMW technicians to diagnose these cars, there's the reason our resale values are in the toilet and problems take 5-6 visits to get sorted.
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