Extending BMW warranty........worth it??

[Col 666]

I purchased my Z4M from a main dealer nearly a year ago so had the full used car warranty. This is due to expire on the 21st of March and I've just recieved the renewal letter to extend it for another year.
I cant decide which to go for, it'll be 5 years old this July but has only covered 28k miles.
Full comprehensive cover £835 - Covers virtually everything.
Named Compoment £706 - Main mechanical and Electrical parts.
Driveline £557 - Covers engine, transmission and drive train.
I'm planning on keeping it for a while but find the comprehensive cover a bit steep, I'm thinking the driveline should be enough but I know if i get an electrical fault it could be costly to fix.
Will it really start falling to bits and breaking down??!

Col.

[beemarman]

Col 666 said:

I purchased my Z4M from a main dealer nearly a year ago so had the full used car warranty. This is due to expire on the 21st of March and I've just recieved the renewal letter to extend it for another year.
I cant decide which to go for, it'll be 5 years old this July but has only covered 28k miles.
Full comprehensive cover £835 - Covers virtually everything.
Named Compoment £706 - Main mechanical and Electrical parts.
Driveline £557 - Covers engine, transmission and drive train.
I'm planning on keeping it for a while but find the comprehensive cover a bit steep, I'm thinking the driveline should be enough but I know if i get an electrical fault it could be costly to fix.
Will it really start falling to bits and breaking down??!

Col.

How lucky are you?

[ecain63]

BMW warranty is very much worth the money. No doubt about it! Small repairs cost more than a warranty.

[naefeart]

I don't know what the running costs of a Z4M are like, but if they're anything like those for M3s and 5s, the BMW warranty goes a long way to piece of mind.

I'm not terribly unlucky, but I've made the most of their warranties in the past.

[Mattt]

Comp is the one to have.

My first year the warranty saved me 4 figures. The second year I didn't have to claim.

Question is, are you feeling lucky?

[SirBlade]

I'd go for the comprehensive policy too.
At £120 per hour, that's equal to about 7 hours of ramp time.

I don't wish to derail your post, but do anyone know if I could get a real VW warranty for?

[physprof]

go for comprehensive - my Z4M spent an entire week in garage trying to chase down the sixth, yes sixth, failure of a O2 sensor.... all done under warranty ... without I'd be idling like a dog and buying all the gear to do it myself. cost? time? ...oh and don't forget you'll be due new springs at some soon.

labour racks up and don't forget to add 20% VAT....

[Crusoe]

Answer is yes - on my Z4 it covered 3k worth of repairs needed for its MOT. Expect springs and bushes to be going on your Z4 at around that age and mileage, plus auxiliary belts, alternator and possibly a few other known issues which would pay you back for the outlay. My M3 had a full exhaust paid for last week, another four figure bill they paid for. If you like your car kept in the best condition then they do go a long way in replacing things with new rather than repairing.

[Col 666]

Thanks for the advice, looks like it'll be the comprehensive cover then.
Its in for an MOT tomorrow and I'm sure the bushes are knackered on the front with all these bloody potholes about, are they not classed as wear and tear though?
2 new back tyres to go on too, its an expensive start to March!
Suns out though, i've had the roof down all week

[fridgemiester]

IMO The bushes will not be covered.

The stealer will try and blame everything on "WEAR AND TEAR"

[sjj84]

Bushes should be covered, certainly were on my m3. I think 60k miles is the point that things start to get blamed on wear and tear.

[Davidonly]

E46 M3 on extended warranty £100 xS: RTAB noted by service (Murketts) and replaced no problem. ditto diff seals front nearside droplink, power steering hose.

3 months later, new DMF and clutch.

well worth it!

As you get to 60k miles swap to monthly policy and keep lovin' your M!

[SirBlade]

Anything like this from VW?

[Mr Bimmer]

Bank the money and pay an indie to do the work.

If you have the extended warranty, only BMW main dealers can service it.

A low mileage user will be subsidising the high milers. It's your choice, but BMW are making a fortune out of the warranty scheme.

Edited by Mr Bimmer on Wednesday 2nd March 22:29

[Toilet Duck]

SirBlade said:

Anything like this from VW?

Ask in the VAG section for more info, but yes VW do their own warranty (they tried to flog me one on my Polo when the original 3 year warranty ran out, I din't take it)

[Toilet Duck]

Mr Bimmer said:

Bank the money and pay an indie to do the work.

If you have the extended warranty, only BMW main dealers can service it.

A low mileage user will be subsidising the high milers. It's your choice, but BMW are making a fortune out of the warranty scheme.

I see it as an insurance policy against massive bills. I've got the BMW warranty on my M3. Yes its expensive at almost a grand, but I know where I stand. Other than normal running costs, I won't get any unexpected bills. Like someone else said, circa £120 an hour labour rate soon adds up. I've only had to call on it a few times, but if the diff blew up or some other hideous component failure, I'd rather not have to stump up out of my own pocket!

[sjj84]

Even little jobs quickly add up. Two rear springs replaced is around £300. I had well over a grands worth done on my m3. Will be extending it on my z4 too, especially as it's around £500.

[krisdelta]

Just to drop into the mix, I have an E46 '04 and am now on 69k and have only replaced tyres, disc / pads and had routine servicing (e.g consumables) in the two years I've owned it. I've found mine to be exceptionally reliable and fault free even at the grand old age of (almost) 7

[bennyboydurham]

I'd definitely have it but on my E65 it was over £2000 for a year! As hard as I tried I just couldn't square that with the family finances so went it alone and so far it's been routine. *off to find some wood to touch...*