[BM57]

I have a 2012 BMW 320i that has approximately 40,000km (25,000 miles) well equipped with Automatic Transmission, Premium Package, Lighting Package, Navigation Package, and Rear Park Distance Control. The car is in excellent condition, always garage kept, no children, no pets, non-smoker, adult driven and not abused in any way. The car is driven about 10,000 km (6,200 miles) annually. The factory warranty will run out in 2 months. I'm wondering if I should buy the BMW Extended Warranty.

Two warranty options that I was offered (priced in Canadian dollars) are:

$3499 (2 years/160,000km) - This option adds 2 years of warranty from in service date and up to 160,000km
$4399 (3 years/160,000km) - This option adds 3 years of warranty from in service date and up to 160,000km

It's my understanding that the above warranty options don't include brake pads, brake rotors, or wipers, and do not include service which I was told is a separate warranty option that will be an additional cost similarly priced to the two warranties listed above.

Are there are any known issues with F30 320i that would make it risky to own without a warranty? I'm wondering if I should purchase or not purchase an extended warranty. Or should I consider trading it in for a newer CPO (Certified pre-owned) vehicle that comes with a 2 year warranty?

Thank you

[CalCarNut]

The In-service date part bugs me. What do they consider the in-service date to be? When you took delivery..or 2 yrs from the inception of this new contract. I'd make sure that is clear..(or it just could be my understanding lol.)

Pricey stuff...but these things aren't cheap to fix for sure..

[VCuomo]

Keep in mind that an extended warranty is priced to make money (profit) for the company offering it, so (generally speaking) you save money by not purchasing it.

[BM57]

Originally Posted by SoCalDave

The In-service date part bugs me. What do they consider the in-service date to be? When you took delivery..or 2 yrs from the inception of this new contract. I'd make sure that is clear..(or it just could be my understanding lol.)

Pricey stuff...but these things aren't cheap to fix for sure..

The in service date is the day a person takes delivery of the vehicle. For example if you purchase a vehicle today, then your factory warranty will start February 10, 2016 and end February 10, 2020 (4years/80,000km whatever comes first). The 2 year extended warranty would then start on February 10, 2020 and end February 10, 2022 (2 years/160,000km whatever comes first).

Originally Posted by VCuomo

Keep in mind that an extended warranty is priced to make money (profit) for the company offering it, so (generally speaking) you save money by not purchasing it.

That's what I'm wondering. If I spend close to $4,000 (including the tax) for a warranty on a vehicle that I might only put 10,000km (6,200miles) per year on. I was hoping that maybe some other members with higher mileage vehicles might share their service/reliability experience to help weigh out the decision.

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by BM57

The in service date is the day a person takes delivery of the vehicle. For example if you purchase a vehicle today, then your factory warranty will start February 10, 2016 and end February 10, 2020 (4years/80,000km whatever comes first). The 2 year extended warranty would then start on February 10, 2020 and end February 10, 2022 (2 years/160,000km whatever comes first).




That's what I'm wondering. If I spend close to $4,000 (including the tax) for a warranty on a vehicle that I might only put 10,000km (6,200miles) per year on. I was hoping that maybe some other members with higher mileage vehicles might share their service/reliability experience to help weigh out the decision.

Walnut blasting the intake is about $1000-1500...silly stuff like seat belt sensors can be hundreds of dollars. I don't think any single part on these cars is cheap to fix. My car is like yours..it has low miles and probably will continue to as it ages...but I don't trust the reliability enough to not look into an extended warranty when the time comes. My ex wifes car is a 2009 N55 335 with 48K miles on it...so it's a low miles car. She's been spending a lot of money on it it seems..so I'm using her car as a test bed for the future.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by SoCalDave

Walnut blasting the intake is about $1000-1500...silly stuff like seat belt sensors can be hundreds of dollars. I don't think any single part on these cars is cheap to fix. My car is like yours..it has low miles and probably will continue to as it ages...but I don't trust the reliability enough to not look into an extended warranty when the time comes. My ex wifes car is a 2009 N55 335 with 48K miles on it...so it's a low miles car. She's been spending a lot of money on it it seems..so I'm using her car as a test bed for the future.

I have a 2008 Subaru Legacy GT. That car is not any less expensive to maintain compared to a BMW.

In fact, I would argue some regular maintenance is more difficult (ie. spark plug change).

[snj49er]

Originally Posted by VCuomo

Keep in mind that an extended warranty is priced to make money (profit) for the company offering it, so (generally speaking) you save money by not purchasing it.

That's the way that the entire insurance industry works. People pay premiums for protection against catastrophic failures. Obviously, more money gets paid in than gets paid out in claims. But the company provides coverage against a risk that individuals are not able -- or willing -- to accept on their own...it's called risk pooling. Everyone has to evaluate whether or not they're willing to live with the risks involved.

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I have a 2008 Subaru Legacy GT. That car is not any less expensive to maintain compared to a BMW.

In fact, I would argue some regular maintenance is more difficult (ie. spark plug change).

Labor vs parts is a whole other discussion lol. My wifes Benz is expensive (for certain items) to fix, such as cam shaft position sensors. Small part. High cost relatively speaking.

[Orion4]

Wow! $1000-1500 for walnut blasting! Ouch. Fortunately when I had my 08 335i walnut blasted in the DC area, it only cost me $400. Hope Space Coast is as reasonable when I do it next year.

[BM57]

Is the way you have walnut blasting done similar to how they're doing it in the following video:

[Orion4]

exactly.

[wakdady]

in-service date is the day the original owner took first delivery of the vehicle.

as for the coverage, you might as well get the 3 year and be done with it. no it doesn't include maintenance but i think it's still worth it.
furthermore, i would rather have a bmw warranty than an aftermarket warranty any time.

[BM57]

Originally Posted by wakdady

in-service date is the day the original owner took first delivery of the vehicle.

as for the coverage, you might as well get the 3 year and be done with it. no it doesn't include maintenance but i think it's still worth it.
furthermore, i would rather have a bmw warranty than an aftermarket warranty any time.

So your suggestion is to go with this:
$4399 (3 years/160,000km) - This option adds 3 years of warranty from in service date and up to 160,000km

Basically it ends up costing me $4927 including the tax. I suppose that's the cost for peace of mind if I keep the car for 3 more years.

[F30lolz]

OP, because of the mileage on the car I wouldn't buy the warranty. Save that money for any repairs if need be and if you feel unsafe w/o a warranty than trade up down the line. Aside from a N20 calling it quits at 72K miles from a member on here, I haven't seen much worry here.

[BM57]

F30lolz: There was a member here that lost an N20 calling it quits at 72K miles?!

I'll have to read up on it. Btw thanks for your input

[travelingman]

It is well worth the effort to email Jeff Steel at Passport BMW and get a competitive quote on a real BMW Extended Warranty plan Gold or Platinum. I purchased a 2016 328D two weeks ago and shopped the warranty at four different dealers in Texas, California, and Maryland. Two thumbs up for Jeff Steel.

Jeff.Steel@passportauto.com

[BM57]

I'm in Canada. I'll have to ask if a Canadian car is eligible for an extended warranty from the US. Thanks for the tip