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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / Warranty > Extended warranty/maintainence - worth it?



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      05-13-2009, 12:58 PM   #1
Phil G
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Extended warranty/maintainence - worth it?

So, my car is now is at 42k miles, and I'm starting to go through the decision process to decide if it will be worth it for me to get extended warranty, extended maintenance, or both. I absolutely plan on keeping my car past 100k miles, if not much longer (shoot at this rate of driving, that's just another 2 1/2 years!) However, I'm still not convinced that either contract is actually worth it.

It looks like from posts on this forum that I'll probably be paying at LEAST $2,500 for an extended warranty and $1,000 for extended maintainence. I've had a few warranty issues I've had taken care of (replaced DSC steering column sensor, shorted brake lamp, wastegate issue), but other than the fixing of the wastegate issue none of the problems were really major. And now that the HPFP warranty has been extended for N54 engines I'm not too concerned about that anymore.

This is my first BMW, are there really any problems that I should be anticipating further down the road that make the warranty worth it? Also, I really don't mind doing oil changes myself and if I can learn how to properly change brake pads, I don't mind that either. I did a search on this, but I just wanted to see if I could get some more feedback with other people's experiences. Thanks!
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      05-13-2009, 01:06 PM   #2
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I have it but haven't gotten into it yet to give you a personal concrete perspective on it considering my car only has just a twitch under 27K. I do however know that from what I have heard from some of my friends that have bimmers that it is worth it. I got my ride cpo and opted into it after seeing the outragous amount of money my mom has had to pay to get minor things like brake jobs done on her AW 03 E46 (she's wishing she had the chance to opt in now.) Your $2500 figure to opt in sounds about right...mine was like 2349 on top of the price if my memory services me correct. To sum it up (because I am rambling a bit here) I'd say it really depends on your financial situation, and if you have money to burn then it might not be for you. But since you are planning keeping your car til after 100K it still wouldn't hurt to save some dough in the meantime untill then just in case of a rainy day IMHO

Last edited by RavenE90; 05-15-2009 at 03:36 AM..
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      05-13-2009, 01:15 PM   #3
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My 06 330 has almost 58K, so far, no problems after expired warranty. I opted not to get the warranty, but I got the extended service.

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      05-13-2009, 01:33 PM   #4
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Extended service should be easy to figure out: Calculate the value of the service provided, and compare that to what the service would cost on your own (dealer, independent, or DIY). Should be straight forward. If somebody has run the numbers, would you post them here?
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      05-13-2009, 01:39 PM   #5
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I would recommend checking with other third party companies for warranties that are cheaper and provide better warranty services. powertrain, electrical etc

Overall of the 3 bmw's I have owned the extended warranty was worth it because every time I had a small glitch they would also fix other items that I was not even aware of. Eg Brought my 2000 328 in for a bad console light, they informed me that my bushing were wearing, so I got new bushings, new control arms and a free alignment. My brother had a radiator leak and they replaced the radiator and accessory hoses for free. (2003 540)

For every car that I have had that was a first year model, honda, nissan bmw I have always gotten a extended warranty that has paid off.

I like you can do simple maintenance work like oil change, fluid flush, spark plugs and thus have never gotten a extended maintenance agreement.


Good luck

Do a search on warranty and several companies will arise.
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      05-13-2009, 02:01 PM   #6
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i will be in your position in a year or so and i'm already stressing about it...

from the looks of it, i will probably be going mainly with the extended warranty.

I think you can do everything else on your own for less. Probably one brake job and some oil changes....
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      05-13-2009, 02:43 PM   #7
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These are cash management and risk issues that each person has to decide on their own. Neither is going to save money for the average buyer in the long run, otherwise the companies offering them would be bankrupt.
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      05-13-2009, 04:47 PM   #8
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Thanks for the responses! Good point about this being an issue of my financial situation, I didn't really think about that. Really, I have a pretty good reserve in money market right now for emergency situations, which this would apply to. It really is a tough call as it is a little bit of a gamble not to get it, but I think if a serious problem arose I would be able to cover it without TOO much problem. I would be VERY displeased and frustrated about it, but I would be able to do it.

I'll see if I can calculate the maintainence cost over the next 50k miles, but it looks like that I can do most things myself for a fraction of the cost of the dealership. I'll probably bring it into an independent BMW shop nearby for vehicle checks and MAYBE brakes, but that will be about it.
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      05-13-2009, 08:51 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil G View Post
...now that the HPFP warranty has been extended for N54 engines I'm not too concerned about that anymore.
I know that HPFPs are a major issue with N54 engines, but what about the engine in my '06 325 (N52?)
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      05-14-2009, 10:57 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcumac View Post
I know that HPFPs are a major issue with N54 engines, but what about the engine in my '06 325 (N52?)
As far as I know, the HPFP issue is pretty much only a problem with the N54, as I believe it is a different pump than that used with the N52. I have not heard of any issues whatsoever with the N52. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
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-'06 911 Carrera S - Black/Black - Full Leather/Sport Chrono/Porsche Sport Exhaust/Nav - 80k miles. Acquired 1/2021. One needy old German car just wasn't enough!
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      05-15-2009, 03:13 AM   #11
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Well you have a 335i, you might wanna go with an extended warranty. Those engines are still new and no one really knows how long they'll hold up in a long run.
I have a 325i with 67.5k miles on, no big problems so far.
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      05-15-2009, 07:12 AM   #12
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I'm going to try to do the maintenance and all the small repairs myself (even the HPFP). There should be a detailed service manual out this year from Bentley. Anything major, like new turbos will be done at a local enthusiast/performance shop that works on European cars. Been 2 years since I picked the car up right after it got off the truck, and it has never been back to any BMW service center.
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      05-16-2009, 05:01 PM   #13
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I believe they are both worth it. It's nice to know you have it just in case. Maintenance is definitely a must though. Thats my opinion though.
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      05-16-2009, 05:04 PM   #14
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By the way. Now they have the extension of the warranty on the hpfp. So your good on that no matter what.
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