Tuning and Extended/External Warranty Coverage

[f83woody]

Not sure if this was covered (couldn't find it in a search) but does anyone have any experience with external warranties and tuning your car? I know that BMW has easy methods of detecting tunes when taken in for warranty claims but I was curious if other warranty coverage programs have the same capabilities. For example, I have an extended warranty through Carmax where I bought my car. Do you think they will be able to detect a tune as easily as if I brought the car in to BMW.

Btw for what it's worth, my car is NOT tuned. I was just curious about this.

[GMWNashville]

No issue as long as whoever you are using to repair it doesn't say anything. I'd suggest removal of any obvious mods prior to an adjusters seeing the car if you did need repairs...

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by f83woody

Not sure if this was covered (couldn't find it in a search) but does anyone have any experience with external warranties and tuning your car?

I would like to raise a word of caution with any and all external warranty companies. They have a terrible history of going in and out of business, including during the term for which the warranty was offered. Also, very few top-tier shops, including the dealer, will agree to go though the hassle of dealing with aftermarket warranty companies. Thus, you will be frequently asked to pay for the repairs upfront, and try to get reimbursed by your aftermarket warranty supplier on your own time.

If that sounds like fun, go for it.
I never bought one myself, but go one transferred to me by the PO when I bought a car once. The supposed coverage was riddled with fine print exclusions, and its customer support staff was hell bent on making you collect excessive documentation with the hope that you will give up and go away.

Originally Posted by f83woody

I know that BMW has easy methods of detecting tunes when taken in for warranty claims but I was curious if other warranty coverage programs have the same capabilities.

That would all depend on the nature of the tune (piggy-back box? unlocked DME?), and the shops where you plan to take the car for repairs (dealer? top-tier independents? Jiffy lube?).

YMMV,
a

[f83woody]

Originally Posted by afadeev

I would like to raise a word of caution with any and all external warranty companies. They have a terrible history of going in and out of business, including during the term for which the warranty was offered. Also, very few top-tier shops, including the dealer, will agree to go though the hassle of dealing with aftermarket warranty companies. Thus, you will be frequently asked to pay for the repairs upfront, and try to get reimbursed by your aftermarket warranty supplier on your own time.

If that sounds like fun, go for it.
I never bought one myself, but go one transferred to me by the PO when I bought a car once. The supposed coverage was riddled with fine print exclusions, and its customer support staff was hell bent on making you collect excessive documentation with the hope that you will give up and go away.




That would all depend on the nature of the tune (piggy-back box? unlocked DME?), and the shops where you plan to take the car for repairs (dealer? top-tier independents? Jiffy lube?).

YMMV,
a

So to be specific, I have an additional warranty through CarMax who I don't believe will be going away anytime soon considering their recent success. I am unsure about this so don't quote me but I believe they do all repairs at their own facilities. So if I had (lets choose the easiest to recognize) a DME tune and did not flash back to stock before going in, do you think they have the same capabilities that BMW does to flag your warranty and deny your coverage?

I know this is hypothetical as I don't have a tune (yet) but was just curious if anyone had 1st hand experience with this.

[sycd]

Originally Posted by f83woody

So to be specific, I have an additional warranty through CarMax who I don't believe will be going away anytime soon considering their recent success. I am unsure about this so don't quote me but I believe they do all repairs at their own facilities. So if I had (lets choose the easiest to recognize) a DME tune and did not flash back to stock before going in, do you think they have the same capabilities that BMW does to flag your warranty and deny your coverage?

I know this is hypothetical as I don't have a tune (yet) but was just curious if anyone had 1st hand experience with this.

I'd guess not, but if you blow your engine and it's a 40k repair, I'm guessing they might have it checked out by a BMW shop.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by f83woody

So to be specific, I have an additional warranty through CarMax

OK, so this is no longer a hypothetical question, but a specific Q about CarMax (MaxCare?) aftermarket warranty.

Originally Posted by f83woody

I am unsure about this so don't quote me but I believe they do all repairs at their own facilities. So if I had (lets choose the easiest to recognize) a DME tune and did not flash back to stock before going in, do you think they have the same capabilities that BMW does to flag your warranty and deny your coverage?

This is a question to MaxCare forum, not BMW forum.

If you are forced to take your car to a few specific shops, your repair experience will be 100% dependent on what those specific shops can/cannot do. It's doubtful very many M3/4 owners are in that boat, since F8x chassis is still under BMW warranty!

a

[f83woody]

Originally Posted by afadeev

OK, so this is no longer a hypothetical question, but a specific Q about CarMax (MaxCare?) aftermarket warranty.



This is a question to MaxCare forum, not BMW forum.

If you are forced to take your car to a few specific shops, your repair experience will be 100% dependent on what those specific shops can/cannot do. It's doubtful very many M3/4 owners are in that boat, since F8x chassis is still under BMW warranty!

a

I disagree with your first statement about this not belonging here. Just because I gave a specific example, doesn't mean this can't be applied in other examples.

I didn't think I'd get too many answers for the reasons you've stated but figured someone who came from a different chassis, e90 etc. could have chimed in.