[silversnl]

So a couple weeks ago I took my car into the stealership to get the radio programmed to work with my retrofit Sirius module. The day prior I was in at a local indy shop and they recommended new thrust rod bushings due to the installed ones being blown out and having a bit of play. While at the stealer, I had them take a look and check to see if they were under warranty. They said they were indeed blown and needed replaced, but they weren't covered under warranty.


Some other info to address the questions before they come up:

Was at the indy shop to have H&R Sports installed. They noticed the thrust rod bushing wear when doing the swap from stock springs over to the H&Rs.

Dealer was the only place that could program the stereo (in hindsight, I've discovered there was another option that wouldn't have cost me $120)

[e90pilot]

I'm guessing maybe it's a wear item? They're not that expensive to install. Your indy shop should be able to take care of that fairly easily or you can DIY if you fee so inclined.

[silversnl]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

I'm guessing maybe it's a wear item? They're not that expensive to install. Your indy shop should be able to take care of that fairly easily or you can DIY if you fee so inclined.

This is that part I didn't want to admit. My indy shop quoted me for both brakes and the thrust bushings. Unfortunately, when the dealership quoted me on the thrust rod replacement, I mistakenly recalled the brake replacement quote from the indy shop and told the dealer to do the work

I just wasn't sure if I could email BMWNA and request a refund.

[e90pilot]

You can definitely contact BMW NA. It never hurts to ask.

[keitaro0202]

if bushings are LEAKING should be under cpo with $50 deductible

[mhadden]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I just had a similar situation regarding the thrust bushings (leaking, need to be replaced, not covered under warrant). However, in addition to CPO, I also have a BMW extended maintenance plan (courtesy of the previous owner) and I'm still being told its not covered because it's a "wear item". I thought the extended maintenance plan is essentially supposed to cover everything but tires? I plan on calling BMW NA today about it but I'm curious if I'm boned or not.

I did already order Mehle HD replacements, though...

[techwhiz]

Bushings and suspension aren't covered under CPO *OR* maint. plan.
My car is in for control arm bushings. -> Not Covered, wear item.
The only real wear items that are covered are brakes, clutch, wipers.

[ajsalida]

You'd be amazed what isn't covered under CPO. And the length they go to not inform you of this when you're buying a CPO car.

The worst I heard recently over on another forum was a guy had a bell housing to engine bolt shear off, found it sitting in his driveway. Not covered! But to fix it the whole assembly has to be removed and taken apart, voiding the rest of the CPO. Nice scam.

[mhadden]

Originally Posted by techwhiz

Bushings and suspension aren't covered under CPO *OR* maint. plan.
My car is in for control arm bushings. -> Not Covered, wear item.
The only real wear items that are covered are brakes, clutch, wipers.

Yeah - what a crock! I'm glad I didn't pay up front for the maintenance plan (it came with the car). I'd be pissed knowing that I spend a good chunk o' change to have something small not covered. I mean, seriously, brakes and **clutches** are covered, but a simple, poorly designed bushing is not? Oh well, hopefully the Mehle HD part is far superior and holds up 100k miles.

Originally Posted by ajsalida

You'd be amazed what isn't covered under CPO. And the length they go to not inform you of this when you're buying a CPO car.

The worst I heard recently over on another forum was a guy had a bell housing to engine bolt shear off, found it sitting in his driveway. Not covered! But to fix it the whole assembly has to be removed and taken apart, voiding the rest of the CPO. Nice scam.

Fact! I guess I was bewildered when I was asking for some sort of paperwork of what was covered and what wasn't when I purchased the car and being told that no paperwork comes with the car (fortunately I saw on a BMW computer where it was CPO and Maintenance covered). I never could get a clear answer or even a fancy printout of the sheet that says it all.

Fortunately the smiles are worth the minor niggle.

[bhmax16]

Originally Posted by ajsalida

You'd be amazed what isn't covered under CPO. And the length they go to not inform you of this when you're buying a CPO car.

The worst I heard recently over on another forum was a guy had a bell housing to engine bolt shear off, found it sitting in his driveway. Not covered! But to fix it the whole assembly has to be removed and taken apart, voiding the rest of the CPO. Nice scam.

Crap like this makes me glad I bought my BMW used from Bertera Dodge. Compared to the CPO vehicle at the BMW dealer down the street, the one I bought at Bertera Dodge was in better shape, was fully loaded except for Nav, and a whopping $5,000 cheaper. It had 49k on it when I bought it, so I got everything replaced I could think of while I still had the 1,000 miles left on the factory warranty and have maintained the vehicle myself ever since. I have saved a ton of money vs. had I paid an extra $5k for a crappier vehicle through the dealer simply because it was CPO

[ajsalida]

Let me be clear about CPO, it is supposed to only cover drivetrain issues. To me that means like long block, tranny, diff, transfer case (Xi) maybe half shafts. Major items. Maybe radiator water pumps etc. Glad I haven't needed to find out the hard way what mine does not cover.

I do not think suspension bushings fall into this category. Bolt breaking on the bell housing, yeah. It's when they try to get out of what they say they will cover that is sleazy, suspension brakes clutch etc they say up front they do not cover (when you ask, and I did). They do not go out of their way to explain it though, and nowhere in writing that they could not weasel out of if they tried.

In my case I bought a used dealer loaner car, low miles, with remaining 4-yr/50k + CPO added to the end of that. It is now into the CPO part and would need to think hard about taking all the mods off to make a claim if needed, depends on how big a deal it was I guess.

[techwhiz]

My car was/is CPO. I paid $6k under KBB. The color was just bad for the area I'm in. People in Silicon Valley don't like Arctic Metallic.

Anyway.
The maint. plan is a joke. Way overpriced for a few oil changes, brakes and plugs. I bought it but in retrospect I would not again. I'm making sure I get the brakes done along with anything else when I go in.

My SA is great through. When I go in for the maint. he looks for any and everything that is possibly wrong. Right now, they are replacing charge pipe, valve cover gasket, claps and vacuum hoses. They found some oil in my charge pipe and decided that it looked old an worn, etc...

My car has had the following done under CPO:
Set of plugs because one set was fouled by bad injectors:
Partial set of injectors.
Full set of injectors when the part numbers changed.
2 HPFP, one just because they were swapping out the full set of injectors, the first when it died and left me on the side of the road.
Water pump and thermostat.
Vanos sensors
crank sensor
Valve cover and gasket(cracked)
Gasket second time due to leaking
Charge pipe, seals clamps etc.
O2 sensors

Some additional stuff.
My SA says while on the dime of BMW change everything that looks suspect.

CPO is worth it if you ever have an issue. The HPFP they would change anyway.
But under CPO, they don't hesitate to diagnose and replace.

[mhadden]

I just swapped out my tension struts from OEM to the Meyle HD last night. It wasn't a bad project except I broke two T-40 sockets trying to get the passenger side ball joint out! My 50-60mph steering wobble is gone! Feels just like it did before the bushings went out.

Now to see if I can convince my preferred dealer (not D&R) that an alignment check should be performed under maintenance/CPO

[Wolf 335]

Mine were covered under CPO

[mhadden]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Mine were covered under CPO

Unfortunately after talking with 3 dealers (two of which I trust and take my car to), no one would cover it. I made a point to tell the others that they were only leaking, not shot, but it didn't matter.

[Denny347]

Originally Posted by mhadden

I just swapped out my tension struts from OEM to the Meyle HD last night. It wasn't a bad project except I broke two T-40 sockets trying to get the passenger side ball joint out! My 50-60mph steering wobble is gone! Feels just like it did before the bushings went out.

Now to see if I can convince my preferred dealer (not D&R) that an alignment check should be performed under maintenance/CPO

Mine does the same thing. I've got 85k miles on it so I'm sure they are worn out.

[RandomHero]

Can any of you provide a copy of your service receipt to prove that the bushing were replaced under the CPO warranty? It would greatly help me plead my current case.

When I bought my car, I paid for BMW to do an inspection. In their notes they wrote "Front Thrust Rod Bushings cracked and leaked out."

On BMWUSA is specifically says "The components listed in the “Wear and Tear Only”section are covered for defects in materials or workmanship."

At this point, it's not even about the money. It's about the principle of the matter. The rubber cracked which caused the part to fail. That is a clear indication of a defect in materials. Tires wear out from wear and tear. However, if they crack within the warranty period, that is a clear indication of a defect in the material.

Also of note: On the BMW website it says to ask your local dealership to view the "CPO Consumer Information Statement." BMW of Austin nor BMW Customer Service knew what that was.

We are getting screwed around on this and things aren't being honored under the CPO Warranty. Hopefully, I can get some backing on this.