How many of you have been fine without a warranty?

[TwinTurboed]

My factory warranty is running out in a couple of days. I just want to know how many of you have been fine without a warranty on the 135i? I will be replacing fluids and regular oil changes and i am aware of the electric water pump replacement, but those will run cheaper than a warranty that costs $3500 for full coverage.

[Marc08EX]

That's the reason why I made this thread:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=877376

[Jockey]

I've been out of warranty for a year and a half, so far so good.

Keeping fingers crossed.

[Stohlen]

This is a really bad question to ask... you're not going to get a truthful answer. Chances are more people are going to comment on the problems they've had than what really represents the reliability of the car.

If a product fails 1 out of every 100 produced, you're going to hear about it like its 10 out of every 100 or more. People never comment when the product works as its supposed, they only comment when something fails and they're disappointed. Take this thread with a grain of salt.

That being said i've not had any major issues that I myself didn't cause with modification.

[Andrewcoja]

There's no way to know really. One person's car might run perfectly forever, another person's car might shit the bed the day after warranty goes out. It's a crap shoot.

[Walt White Coupe]

Extended warranties (i.e. insurance) are money makers for the people that sell them. You can be that money maker by self insuring. Over the long run, the house always wins. You want to be the house for expenses that won't break you.

[e36addict]

Originally Posted by Andrewcoja

There's no way to know really. One person's car might run perfectly forever, another person's car might shit the bed the day after warranty goes out. It's a crap shoot.

Exactly this. I've been out of warranty for 12,xxx miles now with zero issues. I only worry about my water pump leaving me stranded, but that's about it.

[Wakka]

Ive been out of warranty for like 6 months now, and all is well so far.

[mleskovar]

Originally Posted by Walt White Coupe

Extended warranties (i.e. insurance) are money makers for the people that sell them......

+1 Ask yourself why extended warranties are even available if it would lose money for the people writing them

[Andrewcoja]

It's a money maker yes, but not every policy makes them money. An extended warranty (and insurance in general) is a bet you are making with the person selling it to you. You are betting that your car will cost them a lot, they are betting it won't. The good thing is if they take enough bets, they won't lose. Sure one car might cost them two or three times what they got from you, but that's covered by all the people who got one but never use it.

It's kind of funny because neither party wants anything bad to happen to your car. You have to buy it just in case something happens, they are willing to sell because the law of averages says they will make money. It all comes down to whether or not you think your car will be cheaper to maintain than the extended warranty costs. For all you know, your engine shits the bed, needs to be replaced and then that extended warranty was the best investment you ever made.

[Walt White Coupe]

Or nothing serious breaks (most likely) and it's not so good an investment. Most people lose, some break even and a few make out.

[TwinTurboed]

Looking at my car's 45k history, it has had its HPFP replaced at 6k miles and an ignition coil at 43k miles. It has been pretty reliable so far, so I will not be purchasing a warranty, and will be using the funds to replace trans and diff fluids and walnut blasting the intakes.

[Pkaia524]

I've been out of warranty fo 60K miles so far. Only repair is a mass air sensor 2K miles ago. $425 repair. I would have lost $ on an extended warranty.

[ejm3]

Originally Posted by Andrewcoja

There's no way to know really. One person's car might run perfectly forever, another person's car might shit the bed the day after warranty goes out. It's a crap shoot.

This.

What's you're threshold for pain? Will one $2000 problem really piss you off? If so just get the warranty.

Also how long do you plan to keep the car? If you're in it for the long haul then maybe its worth it. If you're planning on getting another car in a year or so maybe you role the dice. I know some of these warranties are transferrable but you're not going to get your money back if you sell it or trade it in before the warranty is up.

I know plenty of people who've bough these warranties and not had many problems, but it made them feel better knowing they were covered. Then there's a co-worker who bought the warranty for his Jag and only a couple months later the transmission exploded. That one repair cost way more than he paid for the warranty. So yeah, its a crapshoot.

Its a fact that they make money on these warranties, but its like insurance.
One way they make money is claiming whatever broke on your car is somehow not covered by the warranty. Thats why I would pay the extra for the best one you can get. You know if get anything less they will find an excuse not to pay when a problem comes along.

[MZWIE]

I don't understand why this is an issue. Just pretend it's a used car, which BTW at this point it is. If you are nervous then sell it prior to warranty running out.

I always look at it that most of the time it will still be less to fix than to buy new.

[ShocknAwe]

Put the money in a bank account and use it for a rainy day if you must. I wouldn't count on your engine or transmission blowing up. Things that will probably go wrong? Wear & tear items, which are not covered by most if not any mechanical malfunction insurance (this is what those extended warranties are.)

It's all in the fine print and I haven't found ONE that covers what will go wrong outside of a major mechanical failure, and I'm not comfortable shelling out $3,000+ on the slim chance that might happen during the 2 or 3 years the coverage is good for. Nevermind the car would be paid off by then anyways, so if it blows up after, who cares?

[MZWIE]

^^ What he said.

As a point of reference there are many countries where BMW's are sold with no warranties at all. All costs are by the owner.

In the US this of course would never fly....becuase we are so whinney about everything.

[Walt White Coupe]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Put the money in a bank account and use it for a rainy day if you must. I wouldn't count on your engine or transmission blowing up. Things that will probably go wrong? Wear & tear items, which are not covered by most if not any mechanical malfunction insurance (this is what those extended warranties are.)

It's all in the fine print and I haven't found ONE that covers what will go wrong outside of a major mechanical failure, and I'm not comfortable shelling out $3,000+ on the slim chance that might happen during the 2 or 3 years the coverage is good for. Nevermind the car would be paid off by then anyways, so if it blows up after, who cares?

Good advice. Stop worrying. Follow Alfred E. Neuman's advice.

[Iron Man]

If you did proper maintenance on your car (changing your oil sooner than every 15,000 miles, doing the 1200 mile break-in service, changing trans/diff fluids at reasonable intervals, changing steering fluid, brake fluid, etc) you should not really worry. If you take care of your car following the Mike Miller recommended intervals, I would think your car could go 100,000 miles plus, without a need for any extra warranty and no need to worry.

If you did not properly maintain your car, well best of luck then...

[mike@x-ph.com]

No warranty for the last year, 85 000 miles on a 2007 car, no problems yet. I made sure they change my turbos couple days before my warranty expired