[Raptor_pilot]

I am a first time BMW owner….in fact my first luxury vehicle and jumped directly to X7. A bit nervous reading all the quality problems potentially due to material shortage. My current plan is to keep the vehicle for another 5-7 years atleast.

The vehicle is on its way and should by at dealer in a few days. Over the past few days, I have read the forums and following is the advise/questions i have before i go for picking up the vehicle:

(1) Tire repair and replacement: The dealer is going to offer this for ~$2K for 5 years coverage. Is this worth it ?
I am thinking of negotiating and taking this package considering that it covers tire replacement and small windshield damages among other things. Even if i had 1 or 2 tire damage over next 5 years or a windshield damage, this gets recovered.

(2) Cilajet coating - Dealer is offering $1500 for 10 year coverage.
Is it worth getting the car coated ?
If not Cilajet, what else would you recommend ?

(3) Extended maintenance plan and extended warranty:
Should i take either or both ? I am expecting less than 10-12K miles per year but I would be keeping the vehicle for a longer period (5-7 years).
I am tilting towards NOT doing the dealer extended warranty but rather try out Geico (or similar) insurance or go with external warranty firms (eg endurance). Given the quality debates, i wonder if extended warranty is a must have.
Any strong reasoning to go with dealer offered program ?

(4) I understand that insurance varies by a lot of different factors, but any major preference or recommendation for insurance companies for luxury cars ?

(5) What kind of detailing and car wash approaches are preferred ?

Thanks in advance !

[jsmonet]

for that price you're better off just having a local, good detailer do a paint correction (yes, right off the lot) and ceramic coat it

[X5M50D]

You are always going to pay a premium when purchasing BMW aftersales products.
You are better off shopping around on the web for cheaper deals of comparable quality especially when it comes to insurance products.
As for paint protection there are a lot of threads on this forum about ceramic applications by professional detailers which I would recommend. You will find that with dealer paint protections, the car is badly prepared and coating poorly applied to new vehicles.

[Phasers]

For #1: Go to discount tire and buy a road hazard warranty on the tires. Cost is $308 for the set on 22” tires.

[BMWBear]

Quality problems? There’s definitely less options but what quality problems do you refer to? Can’t say I’ve see many mentioned on this forum over the past two years.

[Salespunk]

I did the extended maintenance for two reasons. First off is that is makes the included maintenance transferrable on sale. It also extends the coverage to the brakes. I expect to need brakes in the first 50K miles and if having them done at the dealer it should cover the cost of the plan.

You can extend the warranty at any time while the original is still in service.

Cilajet is really just a warranty against paint etching or leather issues. Hard pass.

Wheel and tire are not worth it to me. Would have to destroy 3 tires or 2 wheels for it to pay off. Plus you can usually find a set of 4 takeoff wheels on here for around $2K or less. Pass.

[Raptor_pilot]

Originally Posted by BYEIL

Quality problems? There’s definitely less options but what quality problems do you refer to? Can’t say I’ve see many mentioned on this forum over the past two years.

I have recently read a few threads on paint problem on brand new car, dashboard creeking & other material not being fitted properly, a material shortage which might lead to quality issues, etc. I am sure they are a very small ratio of the pool.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Raptor_pilot

I have recently read a few threads on paint problem

What's the "paint problem"?

As for cliajet, it comes down to how much you want a maintained vehicle, how willing you are to maintain it, and how much tiny rock chips in your bumper bother you.

IME, there's no need for PPF unless those tiny rock chips REALLY bother you because where PPF really saves you is a thin use-case:

An incident not big enough to dent the metal, but bad enough to break the clear coat

And then, of course, you have to pay upfront for the PPF install cost, and then again to replace it should an incident happen. And it likely won't raise the value of your car, so basically for PPF to be worth it, those paint chips gotta REALLY both you and/or you gotta be pretty confident you get in a lot of low-grade clear coat incidents. (though, with that, if you love your paint color, are willing to invest in a full paint correction, hire an experienced PPF installer to do a custom install, i.e., no pre-cut pieces, of a top quality PPF like ClearGuard,, and you pay to ceramic it all, so, say, $10k, ... in those cases I can say it always looks phenomenal and hose-cleans for months with a restore being a small job)

Ceramic is a different story ... while it won't protect against scratches or paint chips like PPF, it does make maintenance REALLY easy *if* you keep it up ... so to the extent you WANT a maintained vehicle, and to the extent you're willing to maintain it, then ceramic can make sense ...

That said, if you're willing to maintain your vehicle yourself, a "light" or consumer grade ceramic is pretty easy to apply and you can do one that'll last a year or more in 30 min or less with no cure time, so if that's the case I'd say just do it yourself.

[Waise]

If you are planning on keeping your car longer time, I do recommend negotiating BMW extended warranty (Platinum zero deductible) which is the extension of your normal BMW bumper to bumper. You can get much better price during car purchase; also because price jumps up at different car milage (20K miles and 40K miles). There are also other posts on this.

My wife's X7 is 2019 has 39K miles. After calling many BMW dealerships multiple States, including local and where I purchased, the lowest for a BMW Platinum Zero deductible (i meant to say 6 years/100K miles) I found is $6,400 and I signed up.

During the car purchase, i did negotiate maintenance plus2 and got decent price, some of the reasons mentioned above including breaks.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

What's the "paint problem"?

As for cliajet, it comes down to how much you want a maintained vehicle, how willing you are to maintain it, and how much tiny rock chips in your bumper bother you.

IME, there's no need for PPF unless those tiny rock chips REALLY bother you because where PPF really saves you is a thin use-case:

An incident not big enough to dent the metal, but bad enough to break the clear coat

And then, of course, you have to pay upfront for the PPF install cost, and then again to replace it should an incident happen. And it likely won't raise the value of your car, so basically for PPF to be worth it, those paint chips gotta REALLY both you and/or you gotta be pretty confident you get in a lot of low-grade clear coat incidents. (though, with that, if you love your paint color, are willing to invest in a full paint correction, hire an experienced PPF installer to do a custom install, i.e., no pre-cut pieces, of a top quality PPF like ClearGuard,, and you pay to ceramic it all, so, say, $10k, ... in those cases I can say it always looks phenomenal and hose-cleans for months with a restore being a small job)

Ceramic is a different story ... while it won't protect against scratches or paint chips like PPF, it does make maintenance REALLY easy *if* you keep it up ... so to the extent you WANT a maintained vehicle, and to the extent you're willing to maintain it, then ceramic can make sense ...

That said, if you're willing to maintain your vehicle yourself, a "light" or consumer grade ceramic is pretty easy to apply and you can do one that'll last a year or more in 30 min or less with no cure time, so if that's the case I'd say just do it yourself.

He might be referring to a thread I either started or commented and post these pictures in. Can't seem to find it anymore.

These aren't huge deal breaking issues, the paint is just bewildering since they do a thorough QC immediately after paint. If they weren't all unionized that person should be put on a plan and managed out or maybe consider Lasik.

These weren't things the dealer wasn't willing to jump on quickly and fix. My issue now is time without the car, and allowing monkeys employed by the company who did this to crawl around in my car and screw something else up.

Last picture is if the wheel well liner that was installed incorrectly and has huge gaps allowing water intrusion into the main panels of the car. Another easy fix and quite honestly expected when there is no accountability in your job and you can just transfer the issues over to the dealer without consequences. Thats not a BMW problem, thats an American Auto industry problem. My Audis all built in Germany never so much as a flaw in any of them.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by skids929

He might be referring to a thread I either started or commented and post these pictures in.

good gawd, is that just metallic speckle or actual partially sprayed paint??

If the latter, hell yeah, that's some pretty shitty quality control!

In the videos they show the QCers feeling all of the surfaces ... that couldn't have happened here because you'd feel that straight away.

6:00 min point, QCing the paint ...

[skids929]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

good gawd, is that just metallic speckle or actual partially sprayed paint??

If the latter, hell yeah, that's some pretty shitty quality control!

In the videos they show the QCers feeling all of the surfaces ... that couldn't have happened here because you'd feel that straight away.

6:00 min point, QCing the paint ...

Partial spray! I know I was a little shocked myself. I must have watched this video 100 times before I took delivery so I was super familiar with the process. Still can't believe they holiday'd that part of the car. My guess is the QC person never opened the door since it's super obvious in person.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by skids929

Partial spray! I know I was a little shocked myself. I must have watched this video 100 times before I took delivery so I was super familiar with the process. Still can't believe they holiday'd that part of the car. My guess is the QC person never opened the door since it's super obvious in person.

Dude, sorry you had to deal with this! That's pretty shitty ... it's bound to happen to us all eventually BUT IT SHOULDN'T!

I have an upcoming delivery and, after buying BMWs for the last 10 years, this will be my first one that not an ED so I'm pretty nervous! I've heard the ED cars don't get anything extra but I can't believe that ... I would've done PCD, but it was just too far to drive ...

Anyway, please keep us updated on how this works out for you - eventually we're all gonna get hit, so the best thing we can do is share the experience to make it easier for the next person...

dammit!

[toddwalton]

Threads like this make me feel grateful that I lease. For cars this expensive and complex, it's the best option.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

Threads like this make me feel grateful that I lease. For cars this expensive and complex, it's the best option.

I've found it's 6 of 1 half dozen of the other if you get out around 4 year marker. Lease is fine for those who dont have to cash to buy one of these things the right way. I've done both, over many years, never gained or lost much with either financing term.

This is a pretty reliable platform for BMW with the 6 cylinder.

[TexasJester]

Originally Posted by Raptor_pilot

I am a first time BMW owner….in fact my first luxury vehicle and jumped directly to X7. A bit nervous reading all the quality problems potentially due to material shortage. My current plan is to keep the vehicle for another 5-7 years atleast.

The vehicle is on its way and should by at dealer in a few days. Over the past few days, I have read the forums and following is the advise/questions i have before i go for picking up the vehicle:

(1) Tire repair and replacement: The dealer is going to offer this for ~$2K for 5 years coverage. Is this worth it ?
I am thinking of negotiating and taking this package considering that it covers tire replacement and small windshield damages among other things. Even if i had 1 or 2 tire damage over next 5 years or a windshield damage, this gets recovered.

(2) Cilajet coating - Dealer is offering $1500 for 10 year coverage.
Is it worth getting the car coated ?
If not Cilajet, what else would you recommend ?

(3) Extended maintenance plan and extended warranty:
Should i take either or both ? I am expecting less than 10-12K miles per year but I would be keeping the vehicle for a longer period (5-7 years).
I am tilting towards NOT doing the dealer extended warranty but rather try out Geico (or similar) insurance or go with external warranty firms (eg endurance). Given the quality debates, i wonder if extended warranty is a must have.
Any strong reasoning to go with dealer offered program ?

(4) I understand that insurance varies by a lot of different factors, but any major preference or recommendation for insurance companies for luxury cars ?

(5) What kind of detailing and car wash approaches are preferred ?

Thanks in advance !

Everybody has their own thoughts and ways of doing things, I’ve been playing with cars and the market for 35 years. To start with, if you keep your 80+k car for 5-7 years you will be lucky if it’s worth in the teens! But if you trade between 10-20k miles it will still bring the most it will ever bring. Keep all that extra money your considering giving away on top of the purchase price. You can trade every year for under 10k, much better if you develope a relationship with a good dealer. We do a lot of miles so I’m on my 3rd 2021. A loaded X7m50i and a pair of Alpina XB7’s back to back. If your paying for a new car, be driving one CONSTANTLY! Oh, and get the top tier bmw card! If you spend enough your points might cover your trade difference.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by skids929

I've found it's 6 of 1 half dozen of the other if you get out around 4 year marker. Lease is fine for those who dont have to cash to buy one of these things the right way. I've done both, over many years, never gained or lost much with either financing term.

This is a pretty reliable platform for BMW with the 6 cylinder.

I could buy 10 X7's and not feel a ripple in my portfolio.

"The right way" is to not put $100K into a car but into the market. My financial advisor would slap me silly if I ever bought a car.

[mjr24]

Originally Posted by skids929

I've found it's 6 of 1 half dozen of the other if you get out around 4 year marker. Lease is fine for those who dont have to cash to buy one of these things the right way. I've done both, over many years, never gained or lost much with either financing term.

This is a pretty reliable platform for BMW with the 6 cylinder.

I love uneducated/moronic comments like this. Most people who lease have a business and write their lease off.

Leasing is for people who do have cash and enough to switch out for brand new cars every couple years instead of having to drive the same car for 5-7 years like most do when they buy the car outright (because they have no choice).

[mjr24]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

I could buy 10 X7's and not feel a ripple in my portfolio.

"The right way" is to not put $100K into a car but into the market. My financial advisor would slap me silly if I ever bought a car.

Exactly......but I'm sure skids is a multi-billionaire with his S4.

[jcarlilesiu]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

I could buy 10 X7's and not feel a ripple in my portfolio.

"The right way" is to not put $100K into a car but into the market. My financial advisor would slap me silly if I ever bought a car.

So depends on how long you hold onto it.

If you drive the car for 8 years, the cost per month is far lower than the lease payment less income on investing.

If you like a new car every couple years, then leasing is right.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by mjr24

Exactly......but I'm sure skids is a multi-billionaire with his S4.

Rationalize much? And who said I WASN'T leasing mine genius?

Do you drink a glass of douche bag every morning or do your financial advisors dictate your diet as well?

Dudes like you make me laugh..Micro-penis syndrome. Who says sh*t like this out loud, let alone put in writing on a forum.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by jcarlilesiu

So depends on how long you hold onto it.

If you drive the car for 8 years, the cost per month is far lower than the lease payment less income on investing.

If you like a new car every couple years, then leasing is right.

Certainly, but then the car is out of warranty and all it takes is one repair to throw the financial balance over to the lease side and you sit there and look at yourself in the mirror and say "I could have been in my 3rd new X7 for the same money instead of this 8 year old car that smells like spilled yogurt and stale goldfish."