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Beyond that, I could not get the dealer to commit to provide a complete brake job within the extra 2 years even though their price quote takes their cost + profit of the brake job specifically into account in their pricing structure, hence the term "screwed over" since it is akin to throwing away good money.
Extended contracts of any kind play against consumers' fears of costly repairs. Obviously, it is incumbent on the consumer to try as accurately as possible to estimate the benefit vs cost. Unfortunately, the vast majority of consumers are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to doing that successfully.
Extended warranties may well pay off for some, including me. However, it seems ironic to hope that your vehicle breaks down in some significant repairable way just so you can get your money's worth. I buy health, home and auto insurance, fundamentally the same as the warranties with the hope that I'll never need it. I suppose no hospital will promise you specific treatment just because you pay for major medical. There is just something much more annoying when the finance guy tries to justify his quote specifically on the total probable cost of a dealership brake job, oil changes, wipers and the like, and in the next breath, tells you that you might not need it, or get it even though you implicitly paid for it.
What I really should said, simply, is that I was quoted $4290 for a 6 year 100,000 mile (from in-service date) mechanical warranty and $2495 (now $1895) for the maintenance warranty for the same term. Compared to what others have been offered from a reputable dealership for the same warranties (assuming that warranties from any BMW dealership is an apples-to-apples comparison), is this reasonable for a 2008 328xi with about 40,000 miles?
Extended warranty - well, that's a different story. Over four grand for extra two years of coverage? No, thanks. I'd rather put it in the bank. Chances are I walk away with half of that after those two years are over. There is small possibility I may need pitch extra, but we are now talking about how likely is that.
Insurance should be for catastrophic losses, not nuisances. To me catastrophic means something that would cripple me financially. Unlikely job on a blown engine or transmission is not catastrophic, even if it exceed 4 grand. It hurts, but if I can't pony a few thousand bucks, I have no business owning $40K+ car.
Everybody has their threshold of "pain" set at different limits. I like to take my chances with small-to-medium stuff. Others shake on thought of having to come up with a few unplanned hundreds. They somehow have no problem with hundreds of dollars in monthly payments, but suddenly thousand dollars on electrical repair becomes a backbreaker they need insurance against. Those people need extended warranties just to sleep well. I don't like to pay those repairs, either, but they're not going to ruin me. So I rather take my chances.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
I am most inclined to turn down the mechanical warranty. I agree that I would rather bank the cash than fork it over in advance. With proper maintenance and moderate driving, the car should last in one piece beyond 6 years and not come too close to 100,000 miles.
You are probably right when you say that owners of moderately expensive cars should be able to afford a few grand when, and if, necessary. Unfortunately, I am equally sure there are many BMW owners who have to hope they can drive a nice ride and not have to suffer that pain. I'm somewhere in between. I will most likely not keep my '11 335i xDrive beyond the 4 years (2.5 years to go). Should both Bimmers break down requiring major repairs at the same time outside of warranty, that'll be me you wizz by on my bicycle. Have mercy!
Thanks for your thoughts, and patience. I've dropped a not too-subtle-hint to my GM that this weekend is month-end, quarter-end and year-end all rolled into one. I'll see if he comes back with something to my request for the maintenance warranty for $1695. If not, I still have until August 2012 to decide what to do.
How many miles does your wife drive her car per year? Have the brakes on her car been replaced yet? I believe you have until the last second (3 years & 364 days or 49,999 miles, whichever comes 1st) to purchase the extended maintenance pkg. Keep in mind, the dealer is really only supposed to do the maintenance when the car says to. I can tell you that on my Mom's '08 328xi that she turned in last December, the service light for the brakes went on at literally 50,100 miles. It was almost comical. Next up at about 60K miles is an Inspection II (major) service. After that you'll get an oil change at 75K & maybe an inspection I @ 90K.
There are dealers in other areas of the country that probably do charge less for the same services. I know you live in MA if memory serves me. Dealerships in the northeast are not cheap ($120/ hour) for labor.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
My wife has put on between 40,000 and 45,000 miles since about July '08, so she'll be near or just over the 50,000 miles by next August. The GM at my dealership told me I had to buy the warranty for $1895 before the end of this year, or he "couldn't guarantee that the price won't go up". It sounds like one of those ads where I have to "act before midnight tonight" or "be one of the first 10 callers". He may be right, but then again I don't have to act at all.
Your point about the dealer not having to do any maintenance until the car says so is an excellent one, and a point I very well understand. That's why I asked the GM to commit to doing a complete brake job before the extra 2 years would end. He declined, naturally. I would like to not have to pay for the 60,000 mile service. I understand that could be expensive. That may be the decision that teases me into paying for the maintenance extension. I hadn't thought of that, thank you. Maybe if my wife drives the car a lot and stomps on the brakes at every light and stop sign, I can really get my money's worth before 6 years are up. My nickname for her (when she had the 318ti) was Maria Andretti! We used to drive the Ortega Highway between San Juan Capistrano & Lake Elsinore in SoCal when all I had was a Toyota 4Runner. Hardly as good in the twisties.
Anyway, I'll get an idea of the brake life tomorrow morning when the car is on the lift for the oil change and chat with the mechanics. They've always been straight with us before. Then, I just have to remove my shoes and socks and count up the expected costs!
In general, it costs less to pay for repairs yourself than to buy these things, otherwise they wouldn' tbe sold. The fact that they are is a monument to the notion that certain brands are failure-prone.
Others aren't.
To gain short-term profit at the expense of long-term gain is foolish and short-sighted, especially in a down economy.
Based on this, the brakes will probably need to be done sometime before the extended warranty would expire in August 2014. Just the same, I am inclined to decline buying the warranty in advance, and just pay as I go. The mechanic said that the simpler 3 series models, especially without iDrive, are largely "bullet-proof", especially at the relatively young age of 44,464 miles.
Hopefully, this will have been the right choice.
I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year!
2018 430i Gran Coupe
I'm ready to say to hell with it and drive it.Thats alot of fun sitting in the garage. :confuse:
My 330xi has low mileage about 24k. After a cold night, it wont start. With the clutch down and the key in, when I press the start button, I hear a constant clicking sound, but the engine wont kick in.
The dash board lights flicker on for a bit and some of them stay on, which is why Im thinking maybe it is not the battery? The 4X4 symbol came on briefly a few times.
Can anybody tell me if it is indeed the battery or if it the all-wheel drive? If the AWD fails, will the car not even start?
Thanks in advance!
Can you jump start the car? If so, it's the battery 99% of the time.
6 or 7 year old battery + very cold => weak output
Looks like I hadnt driven for more than a week and the weather has dipped to the 20's with a couple of exceptionally cold nights and that did the battery in.
Hope it keeps charge and I dont have to replace it. One dealer gave me a quote of $450 for replacing the battery.
Another says there is a black battery and there is a white battery and there are about $150 and $250 or so, not counting labor.
Thanks all!!
That'll be me, or even longer . My (almost) 21 year old Sentra is only on it's second battery. The '87 BMW I got rid of in the fall was still on the battery my son put in back in 2001. My 2005 truck still has the factory battery in it.
Or autozone. Sears.
it's just a battery, even if it is in the trunk!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
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As far as I know (and, sometimes I don't know very much), all E9x series require battery registration, and BMW dealers are (with few exceptions) the only shops than can do this.
So, the Piper (in this case, BMW) is probably going to "get his due".
One poster's experience (from another forum... I hope this will be allowed, since its aimed at helping a poster here...
I replaced the original battery on my 2006 E90 myself in 2010, figuring it must be due, especially since the Florida heat tends to be tough on batteries. I had read a number of DIYs and never saw anything about registering the battery (never heard of such a thing until today). Within 6 months or so the car was cranking slow. By late summer 2011 the battery went completely dead. I put another new battery in myself (this was just a few months ago). Within weeks I noticed the cranking was somewhat slow again. I started thinking maybe the ignition coils are getting old. Today I've got the car in a good local shop for a rear window regulator replacement (damn those windows). Just got a call --- the battery is bad and the car wouldn't crank. The subject of "registering the battery with the car" then came up and was explained to me. So in addition to the window repair job I'm having them put in a new BMW battery and do the registering
This is what you call learning the hard way that the car's design is too "advanced" for the owner's own good. Bottom line is I would recommend taking care of the registering.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Of course, my friend claimed that he would drive it out once in a while to keep the battery juiced up, and I do believe him
But the 330xi, I only drive once a week or so, and this time, hadnt driven for a couple, just when the night time temps went into the single digits.
Good news is that the jump seemed to get it back. Im worried, it might stall again on a long drive, so have invested in AAA after many years
Partially....
Mr_Shiftright pretty much nailed it.
Different battery construction types have differences in their optimum charge rates, how they discharge, etc., and "registration" gives the on-board computer the info it needs to program charging rates, etc.
I haven't had the experience myself, so I can't tell you who, besides BMW, may be able to perform the process.
You can simply change out the battery and replace it with a new one, but be prepared for some strange "electronically related" issues to arise.
Here's what ALLDATA says: (ALLDATA PRO is for all types of mechanics, not just the ones at BMW dealerships.)
"IMPORTANT:
The scope of application of some systems may be restricted after a power supply interruption.
Likewise, individual settings may be lost.
Settings or activations must be carried out, depending on the equipment specification.
For example:
Vehicles with automatic engine start stop function (MSA): MSA function is active only after learning period (vehicle must not be woken for a period of approx. 6 hours) > if necessary, notify customer of the situation
E46 Perform (four-wheel drive) / E53 / E83: steering angle sensor adjustment
If necessary, carry out adjustment of active steering
If necessary, activate slide/tilt sunroof
If necessary, activate power windows
If necessary, activate mirror with compass Please refer to the Progman user documentation for further information on vehicle-specific activation.
BMW appears to prefer that no one ever raise the hood; any and all maintenance issues (including putting in oil from time to time) should be taken to the dealer. The hood may as well be welded shut, oh and the trunk too, in the case of the battery.
Several of us think otherwise. . .way otherwise.
So where I live that's $200 + the battery.
I just purchased a 2010 328i XDrive with 35K miles. Dealer is offering the BMW extended warranty (not third party) for 6 years /100K miles at $2500 (7 years / 100K was $3000). He was also offering to extend the maintenance program to 6 years/100K for another $1700.
The car is relatively new - In service date was in May 2010 but mileage is high.
Should I buy the warranty, maintenance or both?
Thanks!
Also I'd drive 80 miles a day 75% highway so the battery gets charged.
Do a search for
E90 Duralast 47-DL
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2098929
All cylinders checked for compression and are OK. Based on that we're scratching our heads as to what would cause this intermittent oil burn...
Any thoughts on next steps?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Anyone have any suggestions on how to analyze to get to the root cause?
For motor work.
I thought it may be a faulty PCV assembly that we just put in but my mechanic didn't think so. He said if it was faulty, it would be a continue draw of oil from the pan into the cylinders causing the engine to Hydro-lock... which is what happened to it when they had it in the shop a couple weeks ago.
Prior to that I had no isues with oil consumption or these intermittent oil bursts.
I'm not getting a good feeling about this mechanic, I have to tell you.
I also just talked with another mechanic at a shop called "German Motors" and he said he could think of a few things... Cracked piston ring, partially blown head gasket, valve seats.
Do any of these sound more likely than the others or are there ways to eliminate some of them, without tearing down the engine?
The car also has an aftermarket supercharger and he said to check the intake to see if there is any evidence of oil from the cooling lines.
Also, superchargers or turbochargers exploit any weakness in an engine, but I would have thought that only on full boost would the engine then burn oil due to internal problems.
I'd certainly look further into the supercharger to see if any connection is possible. I know with a turbocharger this would be a prime suspect.
How has your coolant level been through all of this? What about the condition of the coolant? Any oil getting in there? Have you pulled off your oil cap? Any foam or brown sludge in there?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Actually, the saddest stories of M54 oil separator failure end with a blown engine, secondary to hydrolocking with oil, secondary to oil separator failure. It is quite rare but it does happen, especially in cold climates. Your story is quite common. On the bright side, I haven't heard of any catalytic converter failures following oil separator failure -- they smoke like crazy when you start the engine after the repair, but that goes away and so does the smell.
BMW has a completely revised most of the oil separator parts and every car needs the whole system. But, true to form, BMW didn't tell owners about it and did not issue a service action or provide a secret warranty. The oil separator update with cold weather modification, cleaning out the hole for the dipstick tube, the new dipstick tube, and all the associated hoses (which are always soft and mushy) costs about $450 to $600 depending on where you are and who is doing the work. Every M54 needs it, but it is REALLY important if you live in a cold climate. What happens is that ice forms in the sludge inside the system and completely blocks it, and that's when you get what happened to your car. You're very lucky it didn't hydrolock...
[T]he updated parts and cold weather modification are detailed in BMW Service Information Bulletin 11 08 03.
Aftermarket forced induction can only exacerbate the situation I'd bet- especially if the OEM oil separator system was modified in the process.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.