[blackhawkk22]

Hi guys – I wanted to share my experience on why extended warranty is such a great idea if you’re buying a car/brand that has a reputation of high repair bills.

I always wanted the 335i, and a few years ago I bit the bullet having read how ‘unreliable’ the car was. The only way I was gonna buy it was if it came with some kind of warranty. Ended up buying my current one as it checked all the boxes I needed before pulling the trigger. Bought the car, but purchased aftermarket warranty with it to make sure I can keep it for a long time. Right after I got the car, I had some work done to establish a baseline. Changed the spark plugs, did the OFHG, new oil + filter and had the intake valves cleaned. From that point on the car ran without a hitch for 15k miles.

Car was running a bit louder than usual + slight wastegate rattle, drive belt was making noise, intermittent oil spots, etc. Took it to a dealer for a diagnosis. The SA confirmed my diagnosis told me the turbos were on their way out, injectors were bad, valve cover had a crack and gasket was leaking, oil pan gasket had a small leak, drive belt tensioner was looking bad among other things. Told me those were not immediate concerns but I should get it done sooner than later. BMW covered the turbo and injectors under the 8yr 82k warranty but the rest of it was on me. I told him about route 66 and gave them my agreement number. Next thing I know is I get a call saying everything is covered and will be done in the next 2 days. My out of pocket was $115 for some wear items but Route 66 covered the rest of it with OEM parts.

So I’ve paid $2,395 for my warranty and I’ve had about $9,900 worth of work done with absolutely no issues, and still have another 2.5 years/25k miles to go. I’ve had great experience with Route 66 and I hope it helps some of you make the decision whether you should or should not get *any* aftermarket warranty.

[Krynos]

I'm money ahead on my MaxCare warrantee too. Glad I got it.

[F30lolz]

Good to hear OP. I purchased a warranty for my 335 after I bought it last year but cancelled it as lots of notorious parts in our cars weren't covered. I plan on purchasing the Route 66 warranty by next month. Was the wastegate rattle on your turbos the main reason they were replaced under warranty? My turbo warranty ends this June and I have the dreaded rattle but one dealer near me said I would need more rattle for them to be replaced.

Maxcare has been good so far on my wife's CTS. No complaints so far.

[LMB335IS]

Originally Posted by blackhawkk22

Hi guys – I wanted to share my experience on why extended warranty is such a great idea if you’re buying a car/brand that has a reputation of high repair bills.

I always wanted the 335i, and a few years ago I bit the bullet having read how ‘unreliable’ the car was. The only way I was gonna buy it was if it came with some kind of warranty. Ended up buying my current one as it checked all the boxes I needed before pulling the trigger. Bought the car, but purchased aftermarket warranty with it to make sure I can keep it for a long time. Right after I got the car, I had some work done to establish a baseline. Changed the spark plugs, did the OFHG, new oil + filter and had the intake valves cleaned. From that point on the car ran without a hitch for 15k miles.

I hit a nasty pothole, even though no damage was done to the car, my steering wheel angle sensor was malfunctioning. Had it checked out and the estimate was $1,200. I had the shop call Route 66 - they didn’t even flinch and fulfilled the claim. Had the car back with a $0 bill and steering wheel angle sensor fixed.

Fast forward another 15k miles, car was running a bit louder than usual + slight wastegate rattle, drive belt was making noise, intermittent oil spots, etc. Took it to a dealer for a diagnosis. The SA confirmed my diagnosis told me the turbos were on their way out, injectors were bad, valve cover had a crack and gasket was leaking, oil pan gasket had a small leak, drive belt tensioner was looking bad among other things. Told me those were not immediate concerns but I should get it done sooner than later. BMW covered the turbo and injectors under the 8yr 82k warranty but the rest of it was on me. I told him about route 66 and gave them my agreement number. Next thing I know is I get a call saying everything is covered and will be done in the next 2 days. My out of pocket was $115 for some wear items but Route 66 covered the rest of it with OEM parts.

So I’ve paid $2,395 for my warranty and I’ve had about $9,900 worth of work done with absolutely no issues, and still have another 2.5 years/25k miles to go. I’ve had great experience with Route 66 and I hope it helps some of you make the decision whether you should or should not get *any* aftermarket warranty.

That's great. My factory warranty is up in April and there's no way I won't have some kind of coverage. Do you remember which one of their plan's you went with? And is your car modded at all?

[blackhawkk22]

Originally Posted by Krynos

I'm money ahead on my MaxCare warrantee too. Glad I got it.

I think MaxCare is the better warranty but my quote was about 6k from carmax when I bought my car.

Originally Posted by F30lolz

Was the wastegate rattle on your turbos the main reason they were replaced under warranty?

..one dealer near me said I would need more rattle for them to be replaced.

I'd try another dealer. Truth be told, the car in general was running louder. Combination of vacuum leak, turbo rattle and drive belt/pulley sounds. The rattle was barely audible (by itself) but the dealer I went to caters to the wealthier customers and in my experience those tend to be a little bit more lenient.

Originally Posted by LMB335IS

Do you remember which one of their plan's you went with? And is your car modded at all?

I went with Easy Street Protection, and no mods besides aesthetics.

[SynergyAE86]

Extended warranties are a touchy subject for some, but it sure is nice to have one when the bigger things go wrong.

Mine is through fidelity (local BMW said maxxcare was harder to deal with, and that fidelity was always easy to deal with, and covered everything)

heard good things about route66

[blackhawkk22]

Originally Posted by SynergyAE86

Extended warranties are a touchy subject for some, but it sure is nice to have one when the bigger things go wrong.

Mine is through fidelity (local BMW said maxxcare was harder to deal with, and that fidelity was always easy to deal with, and covered everything)

heard good things about route66

This post is by no means an endorsement. I feel like when I got Route 66, I took a leap of faith. I just want to make this information available for folks who are looking for more info on stuff like this

[mike@x-ph.com]

I always hear good things about route66

[n55jb4]

Originally Posted by blackhawkk22

This post is by no means an endorsement. I feel like when I got Route 66, I took a leap of faith. I just want to make this information available for folks who are looking for more info on stuff like this

Can I purchase same plan as you for my 2007 328xi? I already have a VCG leak so how should I go about it - will they give me warranty on everything else except current issues?

Also, do you have to go to dealers for repairs or you can choose local indy shop yourself?

[dasmako]

Route66 has covered about 12k for me in repairs and I paid 2.2k for it. They have been great and never had any issues. They did send an inspector down once but everything was approved. I have not modded my car.

[Sabcat]

I am still fighting Route 66. I brought in my car for an oil change and they discovered a leak w/ the oil pan gasket. Called Route 66 to report the issue and see if they would cover it. They had them do an oil loss test that included a degrease and dye. When I went back in my SA called Route 66 to inform them that in fact that the repair was needed. Route 66 told them that because I had only had the warranty for less than 1000 miles that they would not cover it even though they had us perform a series of tests to see if the repair was needed.

[blackhawkk22]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

Can I purchase same plan as you for my 2007 328xi? I already have a VCG leak so how should I go about it - will they give me warranty on everything else except current issues?

Also, do you have to go to dealers for repairs or you can choose local indy shop yourself?

Depends on you mileage, year and all that good stuff. Search Route 66 Brochure or Penfed Route 66 and you'll find their coverage information.

They didn't do an inspection on my car so I can't imagine how they could inventory current issues.

Anyone who is certified to work on cars can claim it on your behalf - to my knowledge. Indy or Dealer.

Originally Posted by Sabcat

I am still fighting Route 66. I brought in my car for an oil change and they discovered a leak w/ the oil pan gasket. Called Route 66 to report the issue and see if they would cover it. They had them do an oil loss test that included a degrease and dye. When I went back in my SA called Route 66 to inform them that in fact that the repair was needed. Route 66 told them that because I had only had the warranty for less than 1000 miles that they would not cover it even though they had us perform a series of tests to see if the repair was needed.

I'm sorry man, hope it all works out.

[mjn77]

2011 car, 107k miles on the clock, no warranty

[LMB335IS]

Originally Posted by Sabcat

I am still fighting Route 66. I brought in my car for an oil change and they discovered a leak w/ the oil pan gasket. Called Route 66 to report the issue and see if they would cover it. They had them do an oil loss test that included a degrease and dye. When I went back in my SA called Route 66 to inform them that in fact that the repair was needed. Route 66 told them that because I had only had the warranty for less than 1000 miles that they would not cover it even though they had us perform a series of tests to see if the repair was needed.

Depending on which plan you have there is a 30 day/1000 mile waiting period until coverage actually is in effect.

[triax37]

Question - in the paperwork, there are references to changing oil every 3,000 miles. Are you all doing this? For those who have submitted repairs, has R66 asked for the proof? Anyone doing their own oil changes and keeping the oil+filter receipts as proof? Even though that's more than BMW recommends, I'm open to doing so just to keep the warranty intact.

Thanks for starting this thread!

[blackhawkk22]

Originally Posted by triax37

Question - in the paperwork, there are references to changing oil every 3,000 miles. Are you all doing this? For those who have submitted repairs, has R66 asked for the proof? Anyone doing their own oil changes and keeping the oil+filter receipts as proof? Even though that's more than BMW recommends, I'm open to doing so just to keep the warranty intact.

Thanks for starting this thread!

Not that I know of. I do most of the maintenance myself and have no record of it except for an excel sheet. Check out this sample contract and it may answer your questions.

https://www.cudirectconnect.com/Cudc...e-Contract.pdf

This is turning out to be a un-paid endorsement of Route 66 lol. Certainly not meant to be - I did a lot of research when I was buying a warranty and something like this was not available. Hope this helps a prospective buyer!

[Route 16]

i don't think it's an endorsement, even before this thread I've thought about going with route66 8 years ago, it just adds fuel that they're easy to deal with

[John 070]

strange I got burned on one, but I didn't learn, got one on my wife's car. Now, in the last 18 mos., her car hasn't broken. It was threads like this one that convinced me I couldn't drive a 335i out of warranty. Seriously, if everyone paid $3k, and had $9k of services, the cos. would be out of business. It would almost imply if you know you've got a below avg. car, you get the warranty, and get it all fixed up. Couldn't be that easy...my.02

[John 070]

Originally Posted by triax37

Question - in the paperwork, there are references to changing oil every 3,000 miles. Are you all doing this? For those who have submitted repairs, has R66 asked for the proof? Anyone doing their own oil changes and keeping the oil+filter receipts as proof? Even though that's more than BMW recommends, I'm open to doing so just to keep the warranty intact.

Thanks for starting this thread!

Who in their proper mind would waste good oil like that, even if it's $25/5 qt. with a $12 rebate? 3k per change? I wouldn't change it less than about 6-7k. We may not be driving Priuses but at the same time wasting resources like that....

[derrick603]

Same here, $2k+ for the Main Street warranty (my mileage was too high to qualify for Easy Street) and it has paid out about $9k so far with 1.5 years to go. Since they're supposedly willing to do a prorated refund on the warranty if you decide to cancel it before the coverage period ends, I'm wondering if I should cancel it right before my Main Street eligibility ends and start a new policy.

[Wilkz]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Route 66 too. Paid about 2.3 and it's paid out around 6k so far. They mentioned the oil test once, but my SA straightened most of it out. They spoke to me to confirm I had been leaking oil, but that's only happened once.

[Johnny Boost]

Good to read through a thread like this since I purchased the RT 66 easy street last week.