2 years passed, good thing I didn't get extended warranty!
 

Hi everyone,

It has been just over 2 years and 35k miles since I bought my 2005 3.0i. It had 3 months of orig warranty left and only had 42k miles on it.

During the first three months of my ownership, it was still under the orig 4yr/50k warranty, and a few sensors and issues got replaced/resolved by the dealer during that period.

Here is an old thread that I started back then asking others on this forum if the problems I was having were common problems or were specific to my car:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-problems.html

This forum has always been a good source of information and helpful people chimed in. At the time of posting the above thread, I still had a few days to get extended warranty from BMW dealer to cover me until now.

If I had gotten any such warranty, it would have expired now, and I would have ended up not using it.

I am simply glad that I haven't had any big problems that needed such repairs, and more glad that I ended up saving the warranty money for future repairs. I know there is some value to peace of mind that comes with having a warranty, and surely I did not have that kind of peace of mind over the last two years.

Here is what I thought about when I decided to NOT get the warranty:

- a bunch of sensors/etc. were just fixed under the orig warranty, and still would be covered under their individual warranty for the following two years anyway

- the car had only 45k or so miles on it, and I would still be below 80k miles in two years... it seemed like most problems would start at 70-80k miles and above.

- the car was a California car, and it would remain in California, immune from harsher weather and all the extra stress/problems that it can bring with it.

- it had the 3.0i engine, which was easier on transmission and less problem prone as per feedback from a few local independent shops, and was easier/cheaper to work on if a problem came up.

- I could fix some of the problems myself (leaking radiator hose / temp sensor, for example), and I could live with some of the other issues (occasional water dripping from the center-top console after heavy rain).

- I figured $2400 or so for extended warranty could be used for any major repairs that could come up at an independent shop.

- Brakes and other things like valve cover gasket, etc. , were not covered under extended warranty anyway (changed both front rotors/pads recently)


I am happy to report that the car is running absolutely beautifully; it has been maintained well but also used well too: I have put about 35k miles on it in just over 2 years.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share this with you all, and also perhaps highlight the point that the answer to an often asked question of 'should I get an extended warranty?' is not always a 'yes'. This question should be answered on a case by case basis.

Of course, I could be one of the few lucky ones. Who knows. :)

Thanks for the great website. Happy X5'ing.

Thats great... I wish I could get the 3.0 But for my location and going up into the mountains. I just can't deal with the power issues it will have.

Hope your tranny hangs in there. $2400 warranty is piece of mind IMO.

I think it's a toss up, on the tranny. You should be fine and with Xoutpost you can do most of the repairs yourself. $ 2400.00 will buy you alot of parts and it sounds like you are willing to work on your X. Enjoy your X. I find the harder you drive them the longer they last.

Congrats! Hopefully it will continue rolling on with minimal issues.

congrats. we had the same situation, only ours is a 2004 3.0, so we are one year ahead of you. working great and no issues. the 3.0 is so easy to work on I love it. no power issues either as the tranny keeps the engine in its power band.

It's still worth having.

If you lived in Colorado I'd actually reconsider the 4.4.... The 3.0 sounds nice as far as maintenance goes..

I would agree, if one can't afford the cost of likely repairs and wants to finance the insurance policy in with the vehicle cost.

But the fact of the matter is that most people will not come out ahead, as the insurance companies are making a profit just fine on these warranties. Can't all be winners and beat the house. The OP's experience is as expected, he did better on a cash flow basis by not buying insurance.

Thanks guys, I too hope it will continue to run as it has been for the next couple of years.

Wally, I kinda agree with you... the harder you run the BMW cars, the better they seem to work. They definitely don't like to be used 'less', that is for sure. :)

smileyboy, I am not sure about the affects of the mile high air pressure on the performance, but at the sea level and going to LA a few times, crossing over 2000+ feet elevations, I have not seen ANY reason to be dissatisfied with the 3.0i performance. (and I have a 160+ hp zx14 sportbike, so I am no stranger to performance.) But there is no denying: 4.4i is more powerful and more satisfying in the end.

kloogy, there is no price that one can put on one's peace of mind. I spend a lot on other insurances, and my friends think I am an idiot for doing so. I like peace of mind, and if the above conditions that I described in my original post above were different, I would have probably gotten the extended warranty just for the peace of mind. But as it stood, I thought the odds were in my favor, and they ended up working out for me.

In the end, all that this thread is about can be simplified to:

A happy out-of-warranty X5 owner who suggests considering the car-specific circumstances before deciding on buying extended warranty. :)