What to do when new car warranty expires?

[paris1]

So the warranty on our 2013 35i expires in February and I'm starting to think about how to handle repair and (to a lessor extent) service requirements after that. The dealer just did what will be our last freebie service and I plan on changing over to a more aggressive (7500 mile) oil change schedule next year which I will probably perform myself, supplementing with maintenance from the dealer or an independent shop as need be. My real concern is expensive repairs which have heretofore been covered by BMW, most costly being replacement of a electronic body module a few months ago that would have cost us over a grand. So I'm just now starting to look at extended warranty options and am wondering what others have done. I'm open to all suggestions at this point, so please let me know what your experience has been with out of warranty repairs. We plan on keeping the car for a few years.

[fmorelli]

Generally speaking body modules are ok, unless there is a component that has an inherently weak design, or poor location. I'm unfamiliar with any weak ones specific to the N54 or E89 platforms. A few thoughts -

• Keep in mind you are driving a $60k car ...
• Parts on eBay can be cheap - factory parts. I can't believe how cheap factory Z4 headlights are, for example.
• Some parts can be rebuilt. On my E39 I just had the ABS unit rebuilt for $120 with lifetime warranty, for example.
• Oil change - I run 0-40 european Mobil 1 ... it's cheap and works well with our cars.
• If you are DCT, not sure what to tell you ... that's the only real risk area I see. If you are manual trans, then you should be ok.
• Find a good independent BMW shop, local to you. Most of them should have lots of experience with the N54 platform as it is the "honda accord" of BMW.
• If and when the time comes, get yourself an OBDII code reader. Dirt cheap on Amazon ... like $20.
• If you have an issue, do exactly what you did - ask the forums ... and for our cars, look at other BMW forums as well (for the 3-series) as much component crossover exists.

Good luck!

Filippo

[fifthdawn]

I can't imagine owning a BMW without warranty. I would get a extended warranty. There are some pretty good deals. I got 5 years 61,000 miles from Endurance for 1800. Pretty much one repair within those 5 years would have paid off and made it worth it. There's just too many problems. High pressure fuel pump, wastegate rattle, roof mechanism failing, etc.

The only downside is you can't mod your car much. With factory warranty, it is protected by certain warranty acts. If you can't prove that the mod causes the problem, they must respect it.
I believe extended warranty are considered contracts. If the fine print mentions that you can't mod, even if they can't prove it caused the problem, they can still deny the repair.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by fifthdawn

The only downside is you can't mod your car much. With factory warranty, it is protected by certain warranty acts. If you can't prove that the mod causes the problem, they must respect it.
I believe extended warranty are considered contracts. If the fine print mentions that you can't mod, even if they can't prove it caused the problem, they can still deny the repair.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm not into modding this car, but does that include switching from RFT to non-RFTs?

[ljkiter]

Originally Posted by paris1

I'm not into modding this car, but does that include switching from RFT to non-RFTs?

most likely mods that include performance gain, springs/tune/downpipes etc
I have ext. warranty through a third party too and i'm not too worried about mods since the shop owner will help you out usually

[35i-Nut]

there is no way I would have my 35i without a warranty , lots of niggles which would have cost me big bucks to sort. Pay the money you could be in for some big bills.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by 35i-Nut

there is no way I would have my 35i without a warranty , lots of niggles which would have cost me big bucks to sort. Pay the money you could be in for some big bills.

Which warranty, why and for how much??

[35i-Nut]

I would only carry on the BMW warranty , pay monthly , other warranties I doubt will be as comprehensive

All work I have had done with BMW was without quibble , no issues whatsoever and I would not hesitate extending my BMW warranty again