Extended Protection Plan or save my cash?

[airmarc]

Hi all,

I know there have been tons of posts on this, but I am really questioning whether I want to purchase the BMW Extended Protection Plan, (Gold or Platinum) Does the extended plan include routine maintenance services? Or is it just extending the factory warranty?

FYI: My factory new car warranty expires next week.

Thoughts? Votes?

[army_men]

how much is the extended warranty each year?

[BMWZ4RIDER]

See my post.
http://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ded+protection

I opted for the BMW GOLD PLUS Extended 3 year/70K on my 09 35i with 27K on the clock.
IF you go with it DO NOT PAY FULL PRICE.
I went to my local BMW dealer and showed them the competitive offer I had and they agreed to sell me the 3 Year/70K Gold Extended Protection Plan at $50 over cost.
Normal BMW list cost- $3270
I just paid $2670 on 6-28-13.

[jparnes1]

This is not a maintenance plan, it's an extended warranty. The main question to ask yourself is this: is your warranty going to expire based on miles or time? Parts wear out or break based on miles, not time. If you're like me and put about 8K miles on your car per year, your warranty will expire on time. I'll put the cost of the warranty towards repairs. I think in my case there's a reasonably good chance that the warranty would not have been used before it expired.
It's a guessing game, but that's my 2 cents.

[tarantino7]

My warranty on my 09 is up in two weeks. Will probably pass on the warranty but I only put about 8,000 miles a year on my z

[nicknaz]

Count the part failure threads on this board?

[Frank Costanza]

I'm in the same debate. I have until Nov to decided to extend it or not.

I guess we won't have a clear consensus on whether its worth it or not until these cars are older.

[BMWZ4RIDER]

Pay me now pay me later was my thought. I purchased this for the time not the miles, as I am only doing 5K per year. I disagree with the statement the " parts wear out or break over miles not time". Not true. How many posts are on this forum stating" it worked today and stopped working the next hour, day etc. Just made my appointment to take the car in"?

For me, As I had the funds now, I took the gamble. Just like home and auto insurance. I paid $2670 now or $74 a month for 3 years, gaining my personal peace of mind to be able drive the Z hard if i chose. I looked at the the case of the DCT with NO serviceable parts costing, I am guessing here, $5-7K,minimum, 4 hard top motors probably $500 each, 2 expensive turbos-$1-2K, the many posts on the AC gremlins and failures reported, all the cooling components, etc. For me it all added up to wanting to enjoy the car and as stated be able to lead foot around in sport plus, ripping thru the DCT with the top down, with peace of mind. Sure I could have put the bucks in the bank to cover potential future failures, but one failure of any of the above would have eaten that cash ++++++++ in minutes. Insurance. It a gamble, hoping to now use it.

[jparnes1]

Yes, there have been many people posting their woes with this car, but as I've always said, you have to consider the sample size and venue. We represent a small fraction of total Z4 owners, and that fraction posts on this board mainly 3 things: check out my new ride, check out my new mod, check out my malfunctioning car. Who posts here saying "I have no problems with my car"? No one. So we're getting a skewed sample, IMO.

[airmarc]

Thanks for all the posts and opinions, quite honestly my car has been very reliable (fingers crossed, no jinx!).
I plan to keep it a very long time. Im a pretty good mechanic and for what I cant handle there are some excellent indys here in FL. I dont have the DCT, or turbos, and havent ever had any cooling problems. Im most worried about the convertible top mechanisms and possible engine problems. Its a gamble and guessing game I know.

Also, I assume that if I do the extended warranty that the complimentary maintenance is not included and ends at the normal warranty expiration?

[HABANEROTE]

My CA and l had a conversation about tis 4 days ago, and this is what he told me... we don't see those cars as problematic cars, biggest problems with the Z4 is the Audio Amp, the Battery Cable, and the turbos due to the N54 Engine, and he only mentioned the turbo just because some of then has it like mine, but he said is a good car overall.

Now, how right he is? no idea...

[rodsmith123]

Originally Posted by davelrodriguez

My CA and l had a conversation about tis 4 days ago, and this is what he told me... we don't see those cars as problematic cars, biggest problems with the Z4 is the Audio Amp, the Battery Cable, and the turbos due to the N54 Engine, and he only mentioned the turbo just because some of then has it like mine, but he said is a good car overall.

Now, how right he is? no idea...

You also might want to have your VIN # checked at the dealership. BMW has extended the warranty on my 2009 model on the turbos and high pressure fuel pump well beyond any extended warranty plan I would purchase.

The dealer has also made it absolutely clear that the clutches in the DCT would not be covered under any of the Extended Warranty plans. You also have to factor in the $50.00 deductible.

That said, I'm still on the fence about buying the warranty.

[jparnes1]

Originally Posted by rodsmith123

You also might want to have your VIN # checked at the dealership. BMW has extended the warranty on my 2009 model on the turbos and high pressure fuel pump well beyond any extended warranty plan I would purchase.

The dealer has also made it absolutely clear that the clutches in the DCT would not be covered under any of the Extended Warranty plans. You also have to factor in the $50.00 deductible.

That said, I'm still on the fence about buying the warranty.

Extended warranty on the turbos? Never heard about that one. More details as to why they did that?

[fisherman]

Originally Posted by jparnes1

Yes, there have been many people posting their woes with this car, but as I've always said, you have to consider the sample size and venue. We represent a small fraction of total Z4 owners, and that fraction posts on this board mainly 3 things: check out my new ride, check out my new mod, check out my malfunctioning car. Who posts here saying "I have no problems with my car"? No one. So we're getting a skewed sample, IMO.

I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. There goes that theory....

I'm trying to decide whether to get the extended warranty on my 30i that comes off warranty next July. I only put 3000 miles per year, and so far the car has been perfect. I think I heard there is a reduced rate on the extended warranty if the car has less than 10K on it- can anybody confirm this and whether the difference is significant enough to buy the warranty early to take advantage of the discount ?

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Only you can decide ... condition of your car, how long you plan to keep it ... perhaps after 4 years it is time to get a new one ... then as said you need to decide

Good Luck !

[jparnes1]

Originally Posted by fisherman

I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. There goes that theory....

You're the first, buddy! Thanks for breaking the ice.

[HABANEROTE]

All n54 got extended warranty on 07/25/2012 for a 8 years or 82,000 miles. Because of the wastegate issues.

This is from the dealer.

[HABANEROTE]

Forgot to attach.

[rodsmith123]

Originally Posted by jparnes1

Extended warranty on the turbos? Never heard about that one. More details as to why they did that?

I stopped by my dealer and asked them to do a key read on my car:

01/29/2010 SIB B13 03 09 High pressure injection pump(fuel) warranty extended 8 yrs. or 120,000 miles.

07/25/2012 Bulletin B01 02 12 turbochargers or wastegates warranty extended to 8 yrs. or 82,000 miles.

The service writer said it was because of so many issues. They printed it out so I can keep it with my records.

Again, this for a 2009 model 35I. For peace of mind I would get your VIN/key checked at the dealership.

[HABANEROTE]

Mine didn't say anything about the fuel pump.

[CedarZ4]

Originally Posted by rodsmith123

I stopped by my dealer and asked them to do a key read on my car:

01/29/2010 SIB B13 03 09 High pressure injection pump(fuel) warranty extended 8 yrs. or 120,000 miles.

07/25/2012 Bulletin B01 02 12 turbochargers or wastegates warranty extended to 8 yrs. or 82,000 miles.

The service writer said it was because of so many issues. They printed it out so I can keep it with my records.

Again, this for a 2009 model 35I. For peace of mind I would get your VIN/key checked at the dealership.

I know this is off-topic, but are these two warranties only for the 09 MY? I know the earlier N54s had a lot of HPFP issues and as such has this extended warranty, but this issue was fixed in later MY, so does it mean that it doesn't apply?

[BMWZ4RIDER]

Originally Posted by fisherman

I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. There goes that theory....

I'm trying to decide whether to get the extended warranty on my 30i that comes off warranty next July. I only put 3000 miles per year, and so far the car has been perfect. I think I heard there is a reduced rate on the extended warranty if the car has less than 10K on it- can anybody confirm this and whether the difference is significant enough to buy the warranty early to take advantage of the discount ?

Go to this post. I added a copy of the new extended warranty effective April 2013 that does discount the plan costs for vehicles with under 10k miles.See my post.

http://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ded+protection