[IndotagSwizz]

my 320 is about 150 miles away from hitting 50k miles, I dropped it in for service this morning with the excuse of the steering wheel squeaking which is has been for a while. I asked my SA if he can do brakes and an oil change (I'm not due for either or but close) as a favor and he kindly did as well as changing spark plugs which he added and suggested himself, so I'm very thankful for that. However my question is what to do next??? I don't want to drive without a warranty, so what are my options? Obviously I'm looking at buying the extended warranty but I was wondering what have other people in this situation done...

[fusion0389]

Originally Posted by IndotagSwizz

my 320 is about 150 miles away from hitting 50k miles, I dropped it in for service this morning with the excuse of the steering wheel squeaking which is has been for a while. I asked my SA if he can do brakes and an oil change (I'm not due for either or but close) as a favor and he kindly did as well as changing spark plugs which he added and suggested himself, so I'm very thankful for that. However my question is what to do next??? I don't want to drive without a warranty, so what are my options? Obviously I'm looking at buying the extended warranty but I was wondering what have other people in this situation done...

I'm still currently in warranty, however I have thought about what to do when it runs out. My first recommendation is get on a SOLID maintenance regimen, even the stuff that seems small or insignificant, make sure it gets done! You can find a local independent BMW shop that will give you the same service you'll get at the dealer while costing you much less. If you dont want to do that, you can always buy the prepaid maintenance schedule from your local BMW center and continue having them do the maintenance out to 100,000 miles.

As far as the warranty is concerned, the BMW factory warranty is an option. Recognized everywhere, but kinda expensive. From my research, Zeigler warranties are pretty popular in the BMW community and accepted at pretty much any dealership. They are cheaper and allegedly cover more electronics than the BMW warranty does. You also have options to carry a deductible which reduces your initial out of pocket expenditure. Just a thought.

[mosmmc]

I bought the bmw extended gold and making payments on it .I Did Not want to go thru a third party becuase they never cover what really need to be covered . I work at mercedes and people aleays come with thrid party warranties and sometimes they are good but most times they are not cover much and you have to pay .good luck

[IndotagSwizz]

thanks for the replies, after asking my SA I found out you can actually finance bmw's or other 3rd party warranty companies so that's great news for me, now I'm going to take some time to do my homework on which will work out better for me and go from there

[401FlaGATOR]

I'm not sure what the warranty goes for but let's say it's 3,500 for 50,000 miles, 6 years..

That's a long time and if you spend just $1500 to $2,500 on repairs during period(assuming you don't get the warranty) then you would save $1,000.

If you put that $1,000 towards your extended warranty (let's say you got the insurance) you effectively paid 1,000 to insure yourself against a blown engine, blown tranny, etc.

I came out ahead versus the cost of the extended warranty on my E90..Valve cover gasket jobs, HVAC evaporator leak ($$$), etc..

Of course if you like to turn wrenches the risks are a bit less, you could still lose an engine or a turbo however and all you would save is the cost of labor. The parts cost would leave you full of severe regret.

I've read a story or two of oil in the turbos or blown engines on this forum, ( one at 52k and one at 75 AFAIK ). Those posters claim they weren't running mods. The odds could be infinitesimal small but I would hate to be that guy and get a repair quote for $20,000.

[Tech567]

Get an extended warranty for sure. I'm a tech for Bmw and I can't stress enough how many people come in after their warranty expires livid at how much their bills come out to. It will save you thousands in the end. Easy care is a good company to look at. They usually cover oil leaks, tranny leaks, bushings, engine light or any other light on the dash. Only thing they don't cover is rubber hoses and cosmetics. PM if you have more questions

[IndotagSwizz]

Originally Posted by Tech567

Get an extended warranty for sure. I'm a tech for Bmw and I can't stress enough how many people come in after their warranty expires livid at how much their bills come out to. It will save you thousands in the end. Easy care is a good company to look at. They usually cover oil leaks, tranny leaks, bushings, engine light or any other light on the dash. Only thing they don't cover is rubber hoses and cosmetics. PM if you have more questions

thanks for the reply, I will be looking into that company, I have to get some sort of coverage asap, the other day my idrive screen went blank again! thank god it came back after a couple of minutes!

[Professor///M]

if you owe less than your car is worth, you can always buy a new vehicle!


I have also heard stories of having BMW "certify" it for a certain price... as if you turned it in and they made it a CPO vehicle. Now I heard of this years ago, and don't know whether it's an option.

Everyone above has essentially given you the best advice so far.

[Katar]

I'm also in the same situation so I'm gonna piggyback off this thread.

Should I stick to the CBS computer and wait till 60K to do maintenance or is there some kinda other guide I should follow?

[joemoney]

Originally Posted by Tech567

Get an extended warranty for sure. I'm a tech for Bmw and I can't stress enough how many people come in after their warranty expires livid at how much their bills come out to. It will save you thousands in the end. Easy care is a good company to look at. They usually cover oil leaks, tranny leaks, bushings, engine light or any other light on the dash. Only thing they don't cover is rubber hoses and cosmetics. PM if you have more questions

Tech could you message me as I'm not sure how to message you.. First time on here and I'm trying to gather as much info possible.. Thanks

[Broadsword]

Originally Posted by Katar

I'm also in the same situation so I'm gonna piggyback off this thread.

Should I stick to the CBS computer and wait till 60K to do maintenance or is there some kinda other guide I should follow?

Google Mike Miller's Maintenance Schedule.

[TylerMcCraw]

I had the steering squeaking, and after them "Greasing the boot" 6 times, they finally replaced the steering column... the greasing only works temporary