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      08-02-2018, 12:46 AM   #1
laine_bmw
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Extended Warranty Advice?

Hi- New to the forum and hope it's ok to post this here - Mods, if not, please feel free to move.

My husband and I just purchased a 2014 Z4 sDrive 35i with under 14k miles! We got it from a used car dealer, not BMW (so not CPO - though it passed the PPI with flying colors), and I've asked the dealer for warranty options. I should get those in the next day or two.

In the meantime, I got two quotes from USAA:
3 yrs/36k - $3,206
4 yrs/48k - $5,182

And I've reached out to a few other companies to get quotes, so waiting on those.

We'd prefer something with lower mileage, but a longer term than the USAA option, since it won't be a primary or daily driver. We're in California and it looks like some third-party companies don't cover CA.

Could I get a warranty through BMW? Would I want to or would it be absurdly expensive? We are the third owners of the car, so not sure if that would matter.

Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome. We've never purchased an extended warranty before, but I know BMWs can be expensive to fix.

thanks in advance!

-laine
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      08-02-2018, 12:51 AM   #2
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Go with USAA, I had them before and they are extremely good and never rejected any claims, if anything they over paid.
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      08-02-2018, 06:07 AM   #3
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if the BMW 4/50 has expired then no you will not be able to buy an BMW warranty (IIRC you have to purchase it a by a bit before it expires, there is a table for that, you can likely look it up with a few quick searches).

6/75, 7/100 etc...types of warranty coverage is available via many different third parties. You will likely find good/bad reviews from just about every company. USAA is well known for being a decent insurance company, never heard of them having 3rd party warranties. Is it theirs or really under-written by some *other* company?

I have used 2 different 3rd parties with german cars. Both have been platinum exclusionary policies which are easier to deal with IMHO: it lists what is NOT covered, and you have less to argue about (I said less, not nothing

Fidelity Warranty was one of them, the other was Preferred Warranty. I had multiple claims with both, my dealers worked with both, and overall decent experience.

I pricing for them was about 4K for a 6y extension from now, and a 7/100 on the other car from the in service date.

When it came time to think about it on my wifes X1, I passed.

Yes you can come out ahead, but for 4+K you usually come out behind on these. On the 335d, I about broke even but that was after near 2K of emissions related issues in the head (carbon cleaning, injector).

On the 6y porsche extension, I got about 75% out of it, so they profited.

These things are negotiable...there is profit in them, so if someone quoted me 4500, I said no, and they went down to 3200, I may take another look at it for that.

Everyone has their happy point

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      08-02-2018, 12:58 PM   #4
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The bmw dealer should be able to pull your in service date in a matter of seconds. Lacking that you can look at the Carfax and see when it was first sold and registered. If you can still get into a BMW warranty I'd go that route.
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      08-02-2018, 04:00 PM   #5
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Don't buy the warranty. Save that money for repairs and take your chances...

I have the same engine as that car and had NO issues under 50k miles with the N54T (I know have almost double that). Any issues I did have were covered by extended warranty (HPFP).

Extended warranties are total ripoffs.
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      08-04-2018, 12:46 PM   #6
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I wouldn't say it's a total ripoff. It is an insurance for the mechanical parts. It's hit and miss. I got mine for 3K and they already paid 4.7K worth of repairs. Oil pans, struts, and valve gasket.
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      08-04-2018, 01:17 PM   #7
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Agreed it isn't a rip-off, but it is true that you are unlikely to need more coverage than you put into it - otherwise insurance wouldn't be a profitable business.

When I researched this a while back, USAA was the best option. Lucky for me I have them for my car & home insurance right now, have their credit card, and have home loans, etc. in the past. I don't think everyone can get it but perhaps that changed or they can but with different rates.

My gut feel is that if the car has low miles, will not rack up a lot of miles, and passed the inspection as cleanly as you said - that I'd agree to just save the money and gamble. Issues with these cars seem to come with miles more than they do age, but that's just my theory, I can't actually prove it.
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      08-05-2018, 12:44 AM   #8
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UPDATE: Did some research and called around, and we decided to go for it. We do use USAA for car/home insurance and got a quote from them, but it wasn't what we really wanted. We were looking for an option that was for a longer time frame/lower mileage - rather than a 3 yr/36k or 4 yr/48k kind of plan.

Ultimately went with Autopom.
72 Months / 90,000 Miles
Price: $2,377
Deductible: $200

It's an exclusionary plan, so covers pretty much everything except for wear and tear. Figured for the cost - and the fact that it lasts 6 years - it would be worth it. Though hopefully, I'll never use it.
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      08-05-2018, 01:18 AM   #9
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If you are still looking, check out Route 66 warranty. They are pretty good.

$3000 for 5 years or 100k miles, sold through Pen fed or other credit unions.
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      08-05-2018, 08:08 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by neroneuman View Post
If you are still looking, check out Route 66 warranty. They are pretty good.

$3000 for 5 years or 100k miles, sold through Pen fed or other credit unions.
They wouldn't touch my 2014 BMW 750ix with a 100ft pole...only 31K miles ..
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      08-05-2018, 09:48 PM   #11
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yes, they have a lot of exclusions.
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      08-05-2018, 09:52 PM   #12
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Yeah, I had a bunch of folks tell me they wouldn't insure my Z4 or they didn't insure in California - or a Z4 in CA.

Autopom seemed to have decent reviews and they're based in California, so that helped. No idea how they will be. Honestly, hoping I never need to call them. But for the term I was looking for - at least 5 years - and the price - under $3k - it seemed to be worth it.
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      08-05-2018, 09:55 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laine_bmw View Post
Yeah, I had a bunch of folks tell me they wouldn't insure my Z4 or they didn't insure in California - or a Z4 in CA.

Autopom seemed to have decent reviews and they're based in California, so that helped. No idea how they will be. Honestly, hoping I never need to call them. But for the term I was looking for - at least 5 years - and the price - under $3k - it seemed to be worth it.
Did you already buy?
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      08-05-2018, 09:57 PM   #14
laine_bmw
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luv4greenleaves View Post
Did you already buy?
I did. Not sure if it was a mistake or not, but just decided to go for it, since it seemed to be the best quote of the four I got.
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      08-05-2018, 10:18 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laine_bmw View Post
I did. Not sure if it was a mistake or not, but just decided to go for it, since it seemed to be the best quote of the four I got.
sounds too cheap. you need to find out the fine print.

from what i see Autopom isn't even the provider of the warranty they're just brokers. You need to ask them WHO is administering the plan and get the details and fine print to see if they'll actually cover stuff. Getting a good deal is fine, but it's all about what they actually cover....

this is why i say extended warranties are rip offs----they are PURELY profit driven. They will always find a way to profit.....

good luck.
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      08-05-2018, 10:33 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 10" View Post
sounds too cheap. you need to find out the fine print.

from what i see Autopom isn't even the provider of the warranty they're just brokers. You need to ask them WHO is administering the plan and get the details and fine print to see if they'll actually cover stuff. Getting a good deal is fine, but it's all about what they actually cover....

this is why i say extended warranties are rip offs----they are PURELY profit driven. They will always find a way to profit.....

good luck.
Yeah, I know. It is a shot in the dark here. Honestly, it's the convertible hardtop that made me actually consider it. Just fixing that I imagine will cost thousands.

I do know they are a broker. I have one of the exclusionary plans from their site:
http://www.extended-vehicle-warranty...otection-plans

My plan is being serviced by Royal, it's the Royal MBI Elite Plus plan - this is the sample contract they shared - https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/29397...tePlus_MBI.pdf

I get my actual plan book in 5-7 days. And I only put down 10% of the total cost. So once I read through their fine print, I have options. I'll let you all know if it's any good, in case someone else in CA might be interested.
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      08-08-2018, 12:39 PM   #17
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Wow I am glad I found this thread. I also have a low mileage Z4 (24K) as a weekend car and I decided not to get the extended warranty with BMW because I didn't think it was worth it. It's good to know that there are 3rd party warranty providers too.
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      08-08-2018, 01:54 PM   #18
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I'm with #5 above. Our 2013 (which we bought in latte 2014 from a Mercedes dealer who could not pass on the CPO warranty issued seven months earlier by a BMW dealer) ran out of factory warranty in February of 2017. It would have been eligible for a BMW extended warranty or any of the aftermarket products mentioned here, but I decided to go with my gut (and a life-long conviction that extended warranties are generally just not worth it) and go it alone. Before I did cut the cord, I had a (carefully researched) indie shop go over the car for $135 and give me a short list of some fairly pricey repairs that needed to be address by the dealer before the 4/50 warranty expired. Having a good relationship with the dealer service dept (which always helps!), they addressed everything and sent me on my merry way. 18 months later the car has well over 50k miles on it and we have had no further problems. The shop that did the inspection for me even credited us back the $135 fee at our first service with them. So there are plenty of creative ways to skin this cat without shelling out thousands of dollars up front for a warranty you may never need or may not cover what breaks.
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      08-08-2018, 03:37 PM   #19
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My extended warranty is via USAA. Getting to use it for the very first time on a bad coil right now (whoopee).....

Hindsight it has not paid off - but I still have ~15 months.....
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      05-02-2019, 04:46 PM   #20
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Clearly an older thread but thought I’d chime in regarding anyone picking up a used Z4 E89. I purchased a 2012 BMW Z4 3.5IS two years ago, and count my blessings every day that I purchased a warranty. The dealership has done roughly $20k in repairs so far and I’d be mortified if I had to pick up that tab.

Picking it up from the shop today:

1. Groaning noise from steering column
2. Washer pump out
3. Paddle shifters broken
4. Oil leak [again]
5. Fault code emanating from alarm system
6. *This one is funny* Known issue where dealership diagnostic machine fries window/door lock unit.

My warranty through Maxcare/Carmax hasn’t declined ANYTHING [other than rear bulb assembly that melted].

I may be unlucky, but good grief I’d cry if this repair alone was on my dime....

**PS, car only has 64k miles on odometer.

Last edited by Z4EDH; 05-02-2019 at 05:05 PM..
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      05-02-2019, 07:03 PM   #21
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Z4EDH: See my post #18 above. Well over 2 years and 56k miles without a warranty and haven't spent a dime on repairs, just maintenance.
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      05-02-2019, 10:41 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paris1 View Post
Z4EDH: See my post #18 above. Well over 2 years and 56k miles without a warranty and haven't spent a dime on repairs, just maintenance.
I’ve owned 6 BMW’s, warranty’s were ESSENTIAL on four of them:
1988 BMWW 325IS... a TANK, cost me maybe $500 in repairs outside of maintenance over 325k miles.

2008 BMW 128I:
- top broke, covered under warranty
- Radio unit went out
- Totaled when two kids rear ended me

2014 BMW 328I:
Transmission went out after 18 months
Minor oil leak

2011 BMW X5:
- Electronic brake failure
- Suspension failure
- Oil leak
- other minor issues

2012 BMW Z4 3.5IS
Rattle fixed:
Top fixed:
AC/Heating Unit replaced:
Seat motor:
Oil Leak:
Water Pump Replaced:
Windshield sprayer motor:
Steering Wheel Buttons Replaced:
2nd Oil Leak
Steering wheel column bearing
Washer pump issue [second time]
Paddle shifter replacement
Door controller failure
Alarm fault code
Both fuel pumps failed
Engine overheating issue [radiator?]

I mean, take your chance... just funny hearing people thumb there nose at warranties... I lived no warranty for two years with one of my X5’s and it was $HELL$!

To each his own... 🤷🏼*♂️

Last edited by Z4EDH; 05-03-2019 at 12:44 PM..
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