Looking at buying a 4.8is need warranty advice.

[BMW_TUNER]

I am located in Reno Nevada and am currently looking to buy a 2005 4.8is with about 70k on it. I am wondering if anyone has any advice with regards to a warranty company or product. My local dealer sells a product from warranty solutions priced at $5500 for 4years or 48,000. I am wondering if there is a better product available to me as a private party or possibly a better rate.

Any advice is appreciated, this will be my first X5 but not my first BMW.

[03BamaX5]

Personally, knowing what I know now I would stay away from the V8's. Save some cash and get a loaded up x5 with 3.0i. Imagine how many issues you can come up with engine related and multiply that x 3.

At 70K you will be within a year and a half of needing to replace all radiator hoses, water pump, thermostat. Count on a battery too. The nice expensive water cooled alternator is also going to be suspect. A coil pack or two will start giving you problems soon. Might as well go ahead and stock up on window regulators.

Get ready for some leaking coolant in the valley pan gasket or the cap on the back on the engine. Maybe both. Valve covers will be leaking oil as well.

Your smart wanting a warranty but from what people have told me they don't always appear as they seem.

[vegasX5]

Warranties are crazy expensive for these unfortunately, but it is definitely at the age where many repairs will need to be done soon to maintain its performance and safety. I suspect a lot of the repairs won't necessarily be covered by the warranty as they are wear related as well. If you have the ability to purchase the $5k warranty outright (ie not finance it into the purchase), then I'd say just put the cash aside and tap it for repairs. Even my 4.4i has been an incredible drain of $$ after about 60k. I'm at 110k now and feel I took care of most of the issues, but it was not cheap!

[BMW_TUNER]

I am wondering if I can get away with a power train only warranty or if I should spend the extra money for the comprehensive.

Also I am not sure whom retails a good warranty that BMW will honor.

[03BamaX5]

Originally Posted by BMW_TUNER

I am wondering if I can get away with a power train only warranty or if I should spend the extra money for the comprehensive.

Also I am not sure whom retails a good warranty that BMW will honor.

BMW is not going to honor anything but their warranty. Either existing 4/40 or a CPO/Extended. So hang that up.

Also, I bet you money that when that transmission fails the 5k worth of insurance you paid for will not cover it. Or if they do it will be a highly reduced amount.

I know a guy who had one of these warranty and if you did not take it to shops they are directly dealing with they would only cover 50% of the costs and you had to pay out of pocket waiting 4 to 6 weeks for them to pay you back.

I say screw the aftermarket warranty. It is not going to help you much. And who knows you might be one of the lucky ones who buys one that never gives you much trouble. Just don't bank on it.

[BMW_TUNER]

I just talked to niello BMW in Sacramento and they sell a Zurich product. The Zurich product is reviewed and rated insanely well. They want $5834 for 36 mos. my brother has a Zurich product and they have fixed everything right down the electronics. Anyone else have experience with the Zurich product

[motordavid]

I had Warranty Direct, and they were seamless; admittedly my couple of claims were chump change, and their pricing was much less costly a few years ago.

I disagree with 03Bama: a good 3rd party coverage company, (I don't know Zurich other than the name), will usually be accepted at most BMW dlrs and most Indies. That doesn't mean their labor rate/price quote to fix something will be accepted by that extended warranty company, but the driver has a choice to cover the diff.

As for trannies, the results here from memory, tend to range from never had a problem to 'oh crap, $5Gs+ for a rebuild'. Again, any 3rd party coverage may cover some/all of the trans fix, but everyone's MMV.

A comprehensive policy is unnecessary and very costly, imo.

A powertrain/trans deal makes more sense.

I used to bang the table that everyone needs to have that safety net of some kind of extended warranty coverage, but I have relaxed my vigor for needing it, other than maybe the trans roll of the dice.

The Ext warranties that many dlrs hump may or may not be 'good'; I will guarantee that the profit margin for that selling dlr is excellent. Whether dlr A's warranty will work at dlr B's location is unknown.

Not handing out assignments, but if you plug in 'Extended warranty' or similar terms in the Search Tab, upper right hand corner of any page, you will discover literally pages of full threads on the subject. Or, just base your decision on a dozenish responses to your post.

Do some studying, and most importantly: read closely the 'excluded items/conditions' in an offering. Yes, it's mice prints and a PIA, but those excluded items/conditions are the entire trampoline that any Ext Warr policy will use to bounce a claim, if they choose to. My 50Cts...
GL, mD