Extended warranty or Self insure

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by B-man

dinan e39 we got a good reputable indy here and most of the BMW owners got their cars fixed there and were quite happy. They also even offer a 2 year unlimited miles warranty on their work. Where did you got the Zurich drivetrain only warranty?

B, Zurich offers their warranties through a dealer network. You can call them and they will tell you where the closest is to you.

[peabo]

Originally Posted by vegasX5

I personally like the self insure + DIY route. For the 3 year warranty for $3500, I'd rather sock $100 away into a money market account and tap into it if you ever have a serious repair bill. For the most part, the things that will crop up are annoying but not terribly expensive to DIY. Brakes every couple of years for ~$400, an occassional CV (I do the whole joint for ~$110), window regulators, FSR, regular PM, etc. If something like a transmission or another big ticket item comes up, pay it from the reserve fund you've been contributing, and if that failure never happens before you get rid of it, you have an extra couple of grand in your account. Of course the discipline to set it up and stick with it is the hard part

VegasX5 brings up a good point. If you have the ability and time to go the DIY route, then putting money away may be the best option. When we made our decision (to get the extended warranty and maintenance plan). We were both working 60+ hour weeks, and barely had the time to do laundry, so the extented warranty option was an easy choice.

Now that we have both cut back our hours to normal, I am doing everything that I can myself, and if offered an extended warranty now, I would decline it. So if you have the time and are mechanically inclined (remember, this is not a Chevrolet), you might consider not getting it.

Peabo

[aus]

Originally Posted by peabo

Hi B-man,

We bought our X5 in 2000. After three years, BMW offered us an extended maintenance and warranty package for $3,500 (for the first three years or 50,000 miles of the car's life, everything was covered by the original maintenance and warranty package).

This extended program covered us for 3 more years or up to 75,000 miles.

It was the BEST $3,500 we every spent!!!

During that period, the following required service by the dealer:

1. speed sensor
2. Inspection 2
3. rear sensors
4. Output shaft seal
5. Oil service
6. Recharge a/c
7. Left rear window regulator
8. Right rear window regulator
9. Front brakes
10. Front axle boot
11. Left front window regulator

We also thought about this decision, but for us, the peace of mind was worth it. I think the extended warranty companies vary in reliability, so I would check them out thoroughly. BMW's extended warranty program was excellent, in my opinion.

Hope this helps,
Peabo

Where did you get this warranty, as if obviously also includes the service? And how much was it?

[peabo]

Originally Posted by aus

Where did you get this warranty, as if obviously also includes the service? And how much was it?

Hello Aus,

It was offered through the BMW dealership. It cost $3,500.

Peabo