[Dullah655]

Hi I just purchased a 2012 335i coupe with 40k miles . One owner car from Florida, only driven 5k miles a year and looks like it's been garage kept from the paint conditions. CARFAX shows the car been regularly maintained at bmw every 4-5000 miles. Very clean car overall with everything needed being done. I've been worried that I might need a warranty. What should I expect in the coming miles ? I got a $3400 3 year 36k miles warranty quote that covers pumps, gaskets, starters all that good stuff ( carchex second highest plan ) would it be cheaper to just save the money for repairs or should I get the warranty .

This is the CARFAX.
https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...Vxv_YhEX3Bwz5M

[Efthreeoh]

IMO 3rd party warranties always favor the House, but if you don't wrench (DIY) on your cars, it's probably not a bad idea. My suggestions are you should decide how long you plan on keeping the car and to what mileage you plan to own it to. If you plan on longer than 3 years that puts the coverage up to 76,000 miles, which is where the common-failure parts begin to age-out and require replacement.

Extended warranties are always financially dependant upon the financial resources of the owner. My suggestion is take the time to find a good and reputable independent BMW mechanic and tell him what your plans for the car are and would like him to support your goals. For a BMW it is best to develop a relationship with a BMW shop and solicit the shop's owner to support your ownership of the car.

And read the all of the fine print before you buy a warranty.

My 2 cents.

[whyzee125]

Things you can expect to replace in the near future are:

-water pump
-oil filter housing gasket
-valve cover gasket
-battery
-belt/tensioner/pulleys

[Dullah655]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

IMO 3rd party warranties always favor the House, but if you don't wrench (DIY) on your cars, it's probably not a bad idea. My suggestions are you should decide how long you plan on keeping the car and to what mileage you plan to own it to. If you plan on longer than 3 years that puts the coverage up to 76,000 miles, which is where the common-failure parts begin to age-out and require replacement.

Extended warranties are always financially dependant upon the financial resources of the owner. My suggestion is take the time to find a good and reputable independent BMW mechanic and tell him what your plans for the car are and would like him to support your goals. For a BMW it is best to develop a relationship with a BMW shop and solicit the shop's owner to support your ownership of the car.

And read the all of the fine print before you buy a warranty.

My 2 cents.

I do plan to own it min of 3 years . My thing is I want to get all the maintenance on the CARFAX for my resale value . I definitely will thanks for the input .

[Dullah655]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

Things you can expect to replace in the near future are:

-water pump
-oil filter housing gasket
-valve cover gasket
-battery
-belt/tensioner/pulleys

Originally Posted by whyzee125

Things you can expect to replace in the near future are:

-water pump
-oil filter housing gasket
-valve cover gasket
-battery
-belt/tensioner/pulleys

Thank you !

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Dullah655

I do plan to own it min of 3 years . My thing is I want to get all the maintenance on the CARFAX for my resale value . I definitely will thanks for the input .

If you get a 3rd-party warranty make sure you can take it to your choice of repair shop and not the warranty company's choice. Nothing is worse for a BMW to take it to a technician who has no certified training on maintaining and repairing BMWs.

[Dullah655]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If you get a 3rd-party warranty make sure you can take it to your choice of repair shop and not the warranty company's choice. Nothing is worse for a BMW to take it to a technician who has no certified training on maintaining and repairing BMWs.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If you get a 3rd-party warranty make sure you can take it to your choice of repair shop and not the warranty company's choice. Nothing is worse for a BMW to take it to a technician who has no certified training on maintaining and repairing BMWs.

Honestly, after digging for months. I came to the conclusion that Route 66 is the best warranty . They pay any shop labor and 0 deductible. What do my you think ?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Dullah655

Honestly, after digging for months. I came to the conclusion that Route 66 is the best warranty . They pay any shop labor and 0 deductible. What do my you think ?

I honestly can't answer. I've never bought a 3rd-party warranty. I'm really not the guy to ask; I DIY virtually everything and 16 years ago built a $40,000 shop to maintain my vehicles. I've been wrenching on cars before I could drive and it's a hobby for me. I've had 5 BMWs in the past 30+ years, 4 of which I still have and a total of 940,000 driving miles, so I have pretty good experience with the brand, well the BMW 3-series at least.

The best advice I can give is as I said, develop a relationship with a BMW independent. Most BMW Indys love BMWs, which is why they specialize in them. It's no secret that BMWs are expensive to maintain (if you don't DIY) so buying into the brand you should understand that; if you don't, you'll be disappointed with your ownership experience. If your Indy knowns that you understand BMWs cost more to maintain than a Japanese brand, the better off you'll be. If your Indy knows you want to keep the car for 3 years and have a good maintenance record for resale purposes, that's what you should tell him is your goal for the car.

How you want to pay the Indy, with your money at the time of each repair, or through a 3rd-party warranty company as a middleman is your choice. If I didn't DIY, I'd follow my advice (of course ) but I'd choose to keep bank for unexpected repairs, and not have a warranty company in the middle of the transaction. I'd say that between 40,000 and 76,000 miles, the car will probably not need $3,400 in repairs. It will need maintenance; spark plugs, tires, brakes, and fluids and oil changes. The 3rd-party warranty does not pay for maintenance; just repairs. Keep that in mind. The list whyzee gave may or may not happen. All of those repairs would total less than $3,400 at an honest Indy that you have developed a relationship with.

Properly maintaining a BMW is not difficult, doubling up on maintenance and replacing perfectly good parts preemptively does not double the life of the car. With just 40,000 miles, the car you are considering is barely broken in. If it has a good record of maintenance at a BMW dealership, then you should continue that practice with a BMW Indy. I have to say, these cars do not need service every 5,000 miles unless it is annual oil changes on a car that is driven very little during the year, which sounds like the case with your car.

Your CarFax report link doesn't work. 44 records seem like an awful lot for an 8 year old car.

My last bit of advice is to buy a good LED flashlight, open the hood every few weeks, keep an eye on the engine, and get a BMW scan tool and learn how to use it. If you have little knowledge of cars and how they operate, educate yourself. The best way to deal with a mechanic is if there is an issue, go to him with an understanding of the problem. With the E9X and this Forum, there is practically nothing you can't learn about an issue if it crops up. The internet has a great resource to understand the magnitude of repair procedures, which is newtis.info.

The happiest BMW owner is an educated one...

[Dullah655]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I honestly can't answer. I've never bought a 3rd-party warranty. I'm really not the guy to ask; I DIY virtually everything and 16 years ago built a $40,000 shop to maintain my vehicles. I've been wrenching on cars before I could drive and it's a hobby for me. I've had 5 BMWs in the past 30+ years, 4 of which I still have and a total of 940,000 driving miles, so I have pretty good experience with the brand, well the BMW 3-series at least.

The best advice I can give is as I said, develop a relationship with a BMW independent. Most BMW Indys love BMWs, which is why they specialize in them. It's no secret that BMWs are expensive to maintain (if you don't DIY) so buying into the brand you should understand that; if you don't, you'll be disappointed with your ownership experience. If your Indy knowns that you understand BMWs cost more to maintain than a Japanese brand, the better off you'll be. If your Indy knows you want to keep the car for 3 years and have a good maintenance record for resale purposes, that's what you should tell him is your goal for the car.

How you want to pay the Indy, with your money at the time of each repair, or through a 3rd-party warranty company as a middleman is your choice. If I didn't DIY, I'd follow my advice (of course ) but I'd choose to keep bank for unexpected repairs, and not have a warranty company in the middle of the transaction. I'd say that between 40,000 and 76,000 miles, the car will probably not need $3,400 in repairs. It will need maintenance; spark plugs, tires, brakes, and fluids and oil changes. The 3rd-party warranty does not pay for maintenance; just repairs. Keep that in mind. The list whyzee gave may or may not happen. All of those repairs would total less than $3,400 at an honest Indy that you have developed a relationship with.

Properly maintaining a BMW is not difficult, doubling up on maintenance and replacing perfectly good parts preemptively does not double the life of the car. With just 40,000 miles, the car you are considering is barely broken in. If it has a good record of maintenance at a BMW dealership, then you should continue that practice with a BMW Indy. I have to say, these cars do not need service every 5,000 miles unless it is annual oil changes on a car that is driven very little during the year, which sounds like the case with your car.

Your CarFax report link doesn't work. 44 records seem like an awful lot for an 8 year old car.

My last bit of advice is to buy a good LED flashlight, open the hood every few weeks, keep an eye on the engine, and get a BMW scan tool and learn how to use it. If you have little knowledge of cars and how they operate, educate yourself. The best way to deal with a mechanic is if there is an issue, go to him with an understanding of the problem. With the E9X and this Forum, there is practically nothing you can't learn about an issue if it crops up. The internet has a great resource to understand the magnitude of repair procedures, which is newtis.info.

The happiest BMW owner is an educated one...

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I honestly can't answer. I've never bought a 3rd-party warranty. I'm really not the guy to ask; I DIY virtually everything and 16 years ago built a $40,000 shop to maintain my vehicles. I've been wrenching on cars before I could drive and it's a hobby for me. I've had 5 BMWs in the past 30+ years, 4 of which I still have and a total of 940,000 driving miles, so I have pretty good experience with the brand, well the BMW 3-series at least.

The best advice I can give is as I said, develop a relationship with a BMW independent. Most BMW Indys love BMWs, which is why they specialize in them. It's no secret that BMWs are expensive to maintain (if you don't DIY) so buying into the brand you should understand that; if you don't, you'll be disappointed with your ownership experience. If your Indy knowns that you understand BMWs cost more to maintain than a Japanese brand, the better off you'll be. If your Indy knows you want to keep the car for 3 years and have a good maintenance record for resale purposes, that's what you should tell him is your goal for the car.

How you want to pay the Indy, with your money at the time of each repair, or through a 3rd-party warranty company as a middleman is your choice. If I didn't DIY, I'd follow my advice (of course ) but I'd choose to keep bank for unexpected repairs, and not have a warranty company in the middle of the transaction. I'd say that between 40,000 and 76,000 miles, the car will probably not need $3,400 in repairs. It will need maintenance; spark plugs, tires, brakes, and fluids and oil changes. The 3rd-party warranty does not pay for maintenance; just repairs. Keep that in mind. The list whyzee gave may or may not happen. All of those repairs would total less than $3,400 at an honest Indy that you have developed a relationship with.

Properly maintaining a BMW is not difficult, doubling up on maintenance and replacing perfectly good parts preemptively does not double the life of the car. With just 40,000 miles, the car you are considering is barely broken in. If it has a good record of maintenance at a BMW dealership, then you should continue that practice with a BMW Indy. I have to say, these cars do not need service every 5,000 miles unless it is annual oil changes on a car that is driven very little during the year, which sounds like the case with your car.

Your CarFax report link doesn't work. 44 records seem like an awful lot for an 8 year old car.

My last bit of advice is to buy a good LED flashlight, open the hood every few weeks, keep an eye on the engine, and get a BMW scan tool and learn how to use it. If you have little knowledge of cars and how they operate, educate yourself. The best way to deal with a mechanic is if there is an issue, go to him with an understanding of the problem. With the E9X and this Forum, there is practically nothing you can't learn about an issue if it crops up. The internet has a great resource to understand the magnitude of repair procedures, which is newtis.info.

The happiest BMW owner is an educated one...

Thanks man that's really a great advice. I appreciate the time and thought you put in this and will definitely use your advice . Thanks again.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by Dullah655

Honestly, after digging for months. I came to the conclusion that Route 66 is the best warranty . They pay any shop labor and 0 deductible. What do my you think ?

I looked into the extended warranty thing too and Route 66 was the company I would use if I was gonna do it. I think they do have a $100 deductible but not bad. You have to pay for diagnostics and they only replace parts that fail. So let's say your water pump fails, normally the thermostat is done at the same time, but they won't cover that. They also don't cover things that are only recommended but are not the main issue. So if you take the car in because it won't start and they find an oil leak too, they won't cover that unless you make a separate visit and pay the diagnostic. These small things adding up is why I ultimately decided not to do it. I can DIY MOST (not all) for the cost that I'd still end up paying for each repair on top of the ~$3k for the warranty. That said, if you don't like working on your own car and want some protection against major catastrophic repairs, I think route 66 could be a good option. Even still most people who have it, have had the warranty pay out more than it cost, for 335i's.