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Comments
I don't know why BMW doesn't offer such an extended warranty. Ton of other marques do (e.g., Lexus, Infiniti, Lincoln, Hyundai, etc.). I wonder if it isn't because BMW is a bit concerned about future warranty costs. Lexus and Infiniti can because their build quality is so high.
But you have to remember that BMW does help by offering full "free" maintenance during the 4/50 period (for MY 2003s and later). My Lexus only gives me the first maintenance free. After that, all at my dime. (But can't say I trust BMW's service intervals or level of service when they pay for it. Roundel (BWM CCA), Bimmer, and others often recommend a lot more maintenance.
Do keep in mind that these extended warranties aren't cheap. They are really service contracts with the manufacturer that work like an insurance product. No claims and you wasted your money. And they normally start the terms at time of purchase. So if you sell the car at 75,000 miles, you've used up 3/4s of your 100k coverage, even when the b-to-b part covered the first 50 or 60k. I bought one for my new '04 Lexus IS300. Going 7/100 cost me $1,625. (Peace of mind and I deduct my car for taxes.) When I had a '00 Lincoln LS8 I looked into it. Their longest term plan (forget if 7/84 or 7/100) cost nearly $2,400.
And keep in mind that BMW does NOT offer a separate powertrain warranty. Many marques (e.g., Lexus, Infiniti, Hyundai, etc.) have this as standard in addition to the original b-to-b warranty. Infiniti and Lexus have some of the best overall warranties that are marred only by the lack of decent "free" maintenance.
Where can I find them?
Thanks for the perspective. The fact that the warranty is third-party and not cheap is probably going to sway my son to say no thanks to the dealer's offer.
Bob
Bret
But I'm always looking for new cars. heheh My wife thinks I need help. heheh
-Paul
regards,
kyfdx
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'In a settlement with the Minnesota attorney general, Walser has agreed to tape or video-record sales to ensure that "products are presented in a way that they're supposed to be," says Mr. Walser. The company must deliver all recordings to the AG's office monthly for four months and by request after that. Consumers may also get copies of their own tapes.'
Try googling minnesota attorney general walser to see more.
As far as detailers go, I've always done my own work. There's a guy in the BMWCCA who did a seminar for the club and he really knows his stuff and I've heard he does good work. His company is called Sterling Enterprises and I think their phone number is (612) 598-7920. Good luck!
Fewest defects per 100 new vehicles in 2003:
#1 Toyota
#2 BMW
#3 Honda
Fewest defects per 100 new vehicles in 1999:
#1 BMW
#2 Toyota/Honda
I find that there is such a stereotype attached to BMW's that people will always ask me if I am having problems with my BMW when they see it. In over 2 years of ownership my car is flawless.
Issue with "defects" is trying to determine if major or minor. Always a methodological issue. Does a defective transmission or engine equal a problematic cupholder or CD player?
Timing of data also a serious methodological issue. Is this data after 30 days? 90 days? 1 year? 3 years? Is initial quality more or less important than long-term reliability?
There is not much else supporting the data like the questions you ask around when the survey was conducted. However, I am sure the same methodolgy applied to all car manufacturers.
regards,
kyfdx
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Lucky. 6 months of ownership and I have a laundry list.
Your laundry list on your BMW probably matches those on my former Nissans. All three of them. Getting a German car was a no brainer for me, no matter what, it had to better.
I'm changing my oil this weekend and will be needing to reset that (along with replacing the filters and such).
-Paul
ksso
Your friend is part of a hilarious legion who spend 30-40k on a car and then cheap out over a lousy 10 cents a gallon.
Is Mid-Grade ok for a 325 or is Premium Gas Necessary?
You can use mid grade as Bimmer's system will simply retard the engine's performance. Instead of getting all your horsies, you'll get fewer and won't be following manu specs. But hey, that's a $1.60 a fillup saved!
Speaking of the M3, I saw this beautiful Silver/Black E36 M3 Luxury on the way to work this morning. Still a great car even though it has been retired since the end of '99. I did a CPO search in my area to see if any were around. There's a cosmos black/black '99 with 32K miles selling CPO for $25K and change. Man I'd love to get my hands on that:) Good thing I'm sensible and am in the middle of buying a condo so it looks like I'll be holding onto my '01 Prelude for quite a while.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
91 octane is the minimum required for the E46, although there is a noticeable improvement in acceleration with 93 and even more so with 94. I have not in my experience noticed any tangible difference in fuel economy when using higher grade. FWIW, I've heard that your car will run OK with octane < 91 but it may retard the timing. I would not try it...
ksso
there isn't an amoco errr now bp in every part of the world
TO INCREASE UNDERSTEER / TO INCREASE OVERSTEER
Front Tire Pressure Lower Higher
Rear Tire Pressure Higher Lower
Front Tire Width Smaller Larger
Rear Tire Width Larger Smaller
Front Camber More Positive More Negative
Rear Camber More Negative More Positive
Front Springs Stiffer Softer
Rear Springs Softer Stiffer
Front Sway Bar Stiffer Softer
Rear Sway Bar Softer Stiffer
Bottom line is, for street driving any mix between 28 and 40 is OK. The lower the pressure, the more comfortable the ride and the worse the fuel economy. The higher the pressure, the bumpier the ride is but fuel economy is better. Same pressure all around (32/32 works well - higher for heavier cars) is OK and so is a setup that uses more pressure in the rears.
BTW, I'd check my own tire pressure but I'm physically incapable of doing so. It's not that I'm lazy. :P
if you keep the car only within warranty, it's almost irrelevant what kind of problems crop up, because it's not your issue--the burden is on the dealer to fix it. it's a headache, but if the car is unreliable, no money comes out of your pocket.
on the other hand, if you are a guy who buys a car and keeps it well beyond the warranty period, that's another issue entirely. the cost of ownership for a new BMW for 4 years/50K miles is nothing, because that's included in the warranty. compare a lexus to a BMW after 100,000 miles, and i would argue that the lexus will handily beat the BMW for reliability.
BMW's are great cars, but they require some babying if you want them to always perform.
FYI, i'm a guy who keeps cars for 100K miles or more, because at a rate of 30K miles/year, that's just a little over three years of driving. if i only kept my car within warranty, i'd be turning them every 18 months.
ksso
Too bad there are not many alternatives with the BMW, although there are a few independent German-car specialist shops in the area. I'll probably have to shop around after my initial 4 years are up.
Then there's the do it yourself option. I have a few friends with lux cars who do the oil swap in their driveway.
Resetting the service indicator is easy if you follow brave's process listed several pages back (search for service indicator post #24796).
I'm doing mine this weekend, along with a new air filter, a/c microfilter swap, and wiper replacements (my 50,000 service). My dealer wanted 200.00. I am doing it for less and I can use my fluid extractor on my other cars as well.
-Paul
@$65
and one of these:
@$140
and do the job yourself. With a CCA discount your oil and filter shouldn't cost more than $35, and after three or four changes the extractor and reset tool will have paid for themselves. Also note that BMW's "Inspection I" service is essentially an oil change combined with an examination of various parts and systems. Once out of warranty you can do those yourself as well; it takes all of about two hours, tops. And don't be ashamed of wanting to save money. I reserve my venom and ridicule for those nitwits who spend $40000+ on a new car and then post:"I know the manual says to use premium fuel, but will it hurt to use the cheapest no-name rotgut fuel I can find?". Idiots!
Can't we just use the method Brave posted a while back to reset the SI?
I am assuming that besides the reset feature, this tool adds those diagnostic features for that $140?
-Paul
-Paul