2006 325 warranty... what gives?

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 23:18:34 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Choder > wrote:
>> >An extended warranty is a form of insurance, and therefore not sold at a
>> >loss. So to benefit from buying one you have to be more unlucky with
>> >problems than the average.
>> >
>> >I didn't take up the offer on my E39, and am many hundreds of pounds
>> >better off as a result.
>> >
>> >Others will have different stories. ;-)
>
>> I think that's generally true. But as I said in an earlier thread, I
>> seem to have worse luck than average with regard to reliability.
>
>> Also, I like not running into expensive surprises, I'd prefer to
>> operate on a fixed monthly budget that stays relatively constant.
>> Even if paying for repairs out of pocket turned out to be a few bucls
>> more than paying for repairs as they arise, I like avoiding the stress
>> of an expense here, an expense there, etc.
>
>Then you'd need more than an extended warranty and add something like a
>fixed price maintenance scheme, since many things will be wear and tear
>and not failures.

I suspect you're right, but I would like to see the warranty options
and evaluate things for myself before making a decision.

"Choder" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 21:53:09 +0100, "zerouali"
> > wrote:
>
>>>
>>> Anyway, my question is what exactly is or isnt covered under the basic
>>> and extended warranties. It wasnt to debate reliablity statistics
>>> across brands.
>>>
>>
>>As the website says, go talk to your dealer. They are not going to "give
>>you
>>their word", they have all the info you need and will be able to answer
>>any
>>questions you have. You will (presumably) go to the dealers to look at the
>>cars, so ask about the warranties then. Can't really see what you have a
>>problem with?
>>
>
> The problem is that to even know if I am remotely interested in the
> car, I would like to see what the warranty covers. I don't want to
> drive halfway across town and spend an hour or two talking to a
> salesman, because time is money to me (as it is to him), and if the
> warranty is inadequate I am not interested in the brand. I could
> discern this in 5 minutes if I could read the warranty itself. The web
> offers a perfect opportunity for them to publish this information.
> Manufacturers of other goods do it routinely, so why do car dealers
> need to be so elusive about their warranty information?
>
> I didn't come here to complain, I posted the original postprimarily to
> see if anyone had this info they could share. Failing that, maybe I
> will just call up the dealer and ask them to e-mail me a .pdf or other
> document with the information. The year is 2005 and this information
> should really be on the web in this day and time. If they can invest
> the time to write all the marketing spiel, they should make the
> warranty information public without having to listen to a sales dog
> and pony show or in-person visit to the dealer. Unless they have
> something to hide.
>
To be perfectly honest, in my experience of BMW's the warranty is as good as
you'll get anywhere. BMW are one of the few (if not only) manufacturers who
will honour known problems with your car even when it is out of warranty, as
long as it has been dealer serviced.

BMW's are no less reliable than any other performance marque. Everyone raves
about Japanese reliability, but this is often just good marketing. For
example, the Mitsubishi Evo 8 is a great performance car, but has a service
interval of 4000 miles. Compare that to an M3 which has a c.15000 miles
service interval and equal, if not greater performance.

Seriously, take a couple of hours out on a Saturday afternoon and go to the
dealer. If you're thinking of spending $35k I think the least you can do is
invest a couple of hours in it.

Am I the only one who does not even consider (or look at) the warranty
when buying an automobile? I pick a car I like to drive. I have been
told that I'm a little special/different though.

Choder wrote:
> I was thinking of buying one of these things, but I wanted to
> investigate the extended warranty since german cars aren't really
> known for their reliability. I dont want to own a money pit.
>
> Their website doesn't tell much about the warranty, and asks me to
> talk to a dealer regarding coverage details. What sort of nonsense is
> that? I don't want some dealer to "give me his word" on what is
> covered, I want to see the full details of regular and extended
> warranty, all inclusions and exclusions in writing. Will the dealer
> give me this BEFORE I plonk down $35k?
>
> Better yet, does anyone already have this information they could share
> here? I realize that pricing of the warranty could be something up
> for negotiation, but I at least need to know whats covered before I
> buy one of these things.
>
>
>
>
>

From the BMW web site:
>>>>>>>
BMW Full Maintenance. A whole different kind of fulfillment.

Maintenance is one of many hidden costs to consider when you're looking at a
car's sticker price. For most cars, that is. Fortunately, BMW offers one of
the most comprehensive maintenance programs in its class. Not that service
is needed often, only every 15,000 miles or so. Just about anything your BMW
might need replaced or serviced-brake pads, wiper blades, oil change,
checkup-is fully covered for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Full Maintenance covers all factory-recommended maintenance on all MY 2004
vehicles and newer vehicles, as determined by the Service Level Indicator,
for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. Exclusions from
coverage: gasoline, gasoline additives, windshield washer additives, tires,
wheels, wheel alignment, tire balancing and rotation. All work must be
performed by an authorized BMW center. See the Service and Warranty
Information booklet for more details and exclusions.
>>>>>>>
That last sentence indicates that there is a booklet that explains the
warranty. Call your dealer and ask them to mail it to you.

"Choder" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 21:53:09 +0100, "zerouali"
> > wrote:
>
>>>
>>> Anyway, my question is what exactly is or isnt covered under the basic
>>> and extended warranties. It wasnt to debate reliablity statistics
>>> across brands.
>>>
>>
>>As the website says, go talk to your dealer. They are not going to "give
>>you
>>their word", they have all the info you need and will be able to answer
>>any
>>questions you have. You will (presumably) go to the dealers to look at the
>>cars, so ask about the warranties then. Can't really see what you have a
>>problem with?
>>
>
> The problem is that to even know if I am remotely interested in the
> car, I would like to see what the warranty covers. I don't want to
> drive halfway across town and spend an hour or two talking to a
> salesman, because time is money to me (as it is to him), and if the
> warranty is inadequate I am not interested in the brand. I could
> discern this in 5 minutes if I could read the warranty itself. The web
> offers a perfect opportunity for them to publish this information.
> Manufacturers of other goods do it routinely, so why do car dealers
> need to be so elusive about their warranty information?
>
> I didn't come here to complain, I posted the original postprimarily to
> see if anyone had this info they could share. Failing that, maybe I
> will just call up the dealer and ask them to e-mail me a .pdf or other
> document with the information. The year is 2005 and this information
> should really be on the web in this day and time. If they can invest
> the time to write all the marketing spiel, they should make the
> warranty information public without having to listen to a sales dog
> and pony show or in-person visit to the dealer. Unless they have
> something to hide.
>
>
>
>
>

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 01:48:18 +0100, "zerouali"
> wrote:

>
>"Choder" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 21:53:09 +0100, "zerouali"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, my question is what exactly is or isnt covered under the basic
>>>> and extended warranties. It wasnt to debate reliablity statistics
>>>> across brands.
>>>>
>>>
>>>As the website says, go talk to your dealer. They are not going to "give
>>>you
>>>their word", they have all the info you need and will be able to answer
>>>any
>>>questions you have. You will (presumably) go to the dealers to look at the
>>>cars, so ask about the warranties then. Can't really see what you have a
>>>problem with?
>>>
>>
>> The problem is that to even know if I am remotely interested in the
>> car, I would like to see what the warranty covers. I don't want to
>> drive halfway across town and spend an hour or two talking to a
>> salesman, because time is money to me (as it is to him), and if the
>> warranty is inadequate I am not interested in the brand. I could
>> discern this in 5 minutes if I could read the warranty itself. The web
>> offers a perfect opportunity for them to publish this information.
>> Manufacturers of other goods do it routinely, so why do car dealers
>> need to be so elusive about their warranty information?
>>
>> I didn't come here to complain, I posted the original postprimarily to
>> see if anyone had this info they could share. Failing that, maybe I
>> will just call up the dealer and ask them to e-mail me a .pdf or other
>> document with the information. The year is 2005 and this information
>> should really be on the web in this day and time. If they can invest
>> the time to write all the marketing spiel, they should make the
>> warranty information public without having to listen to a sales dog
>> and pony show or in-person visit to the dealer. Unless they have
>> something to hide.
>>
>To be perfectly honest, in my experience of BMW's the warranty is as good as
>you'll get anywhere. BMW are one of the few (if not only) manufacturers who
>will honour known problems with your car even when it is out of warranty, as
>long as it has been dealer serviced.
>
>BMW's are no less reliable than any other performance marque. Everyone raves
>about Japanese reliability, but this is often just good marketing. For
>example, the Mitsubishi Evo 8 is a great performance car, but has a service
>interval of 4000 miles. Compare that to an M3 which has a c.15000 miles
>service interval and equal, if not greater performance.
>
>Seriously, take a couple of hours out on a Saturday afternoon and go to the
>dealer. If you're thinking of spending $35k I think the least you can do is
>invest a couple of hours in it.

I hear you brother but please understand 2 hrs = roughly $400 of
billable time for me, (yes I often work saturdays because I dont want
to work forever) or time I could spend with my family which is valued
higher than that.

If other car vendors are willing to put warranty information online,
BMW is not above the industry norm. The cheesy 80s are over and
nobody is going to feel better saying "I drive a bimmer!" these days.
Quality is everything.

I'm with you Keith. I buy the car, not the warranty.

"Keith Kratochvil" > wrote in message
news:uubLe.30$287.18@trndny03...
> Am I the only one who does not even consider (or look at) the warranty
> when buying an automobile? I pick a car I like to drive. I have been told
> that I'm a little special/different though.
>
> Choder wrote:
>> I was thinking of buying one of these things, but I wanted to
>> investigate the extended warranty since german cars aren't really
>> known for their reliability. I dont want to own a money pit.
>>
>> Their website doesn't tell much about the warranty, and asks me to
>> talk to a dealer regarding coverage details. What sort of nonsense is
>> that? I don't want some dealer to "give me his word" on what is
>> covered, I want to see the full details of regular and extended
>> warranty, all inclusions and exclusions in writing. Will the dealer
>> give me this BEFORE I plonk down $35k? Better yet, does anyone already
>> have this information they could share
>> here? I realize that pricing of the warranty could be something up
>> for negotiation, but I at least need to know whats covered before I
>> buy one of these things.
>>
>>
>>
>>

In article >,
Choder > wrote:
> If other car vendors are willing to put warranty information online,
> BMW is not above the industry norm. The cheesy 80s are over and
> nobody is going to feel better saying "I drive a bimmer!" these days.
> Quality is everything.

I tried to find the *UK* warranty conditions for a Toyota Prius online
(just for interest ;-)) and failed.

Seems to me you're looking for an excuse not to by a BMW. ;-)

--
*Cover me. I'm changing lanes.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 18:57:32 -0400, Choder >
wrote:
> The year is 2005 and this information
>should really be on the web in this day and time. If they can invest
>the time to write all the marketing spiel, they should make the
>warranty information public without having to listen to a sales dog
>and pony show or in-person visit to the dealer. Unless they have
>something to hide.

Does *any* company have its warranty information on the net? Is it
only BMW that has something to hide?
Emanuel

"Choder" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 12:45:09 -0500, "KJM" > wrote:
>
>>In ,
>>Choder > typed:
>>> I was thinking of buying one of these things, but I wanted to
>>> investigate the extended warranty since german cars aren't really
>>> known for their reliability. I dont want to own a money pit.
>>
>>Sure about the money pit thing?? We own 3 BMWs, none of which have failed
>>"reliability". Only 1 has an extended maintenance warranty, but we aren't
>>so
>>sure we needed it.
>>
>>Kathy
>>
>
> I just have friends that had 2002-2004 3-series and they are in the
> shop for 200 bucks here, 300 bucks there all the time. I seem to be a
> little "harder" on a car than most, because american cars don't last
> long at all with me driving, I've had success only with japanese
> models.. thus my interest in extended warranties. It also worries me
> that the new 3-series is brand new, and Im wondering if I should wait
> till 2007 for them to work the bugs out.

The BMW will require more preventive maintenance than a Honda or Toyota, but
given that (and in the US, it's free for the warrantee period of 50K / 4
years) the reliability is exceptional. OTOH, I would follow BMW's
pre-free-maintenance-era schedule for such things as coolant, differential,
transmission and power steering drain and refill. (I think 2 years for
brake fluid is adequate.) That would reflect an over-and-above cost that
could be a couple hundred dollars during the free maintenance period.

I find it hard to believe that you have friends with relatively new cars
that require significant maintenance on their nickel. The warrantee and
maintenance offered by BMW should cover the average driver for 3-4 years.
What specifically are your friends spending their money on?

If you're inclined to under-maintain your vehicles (late with oil and
various filter changes, never drain/refill fluids, never check tire
pressure, etc) an extended warrantee might be a good thing. But under those
circumstances, I think your needs would best be served by the aforementioned
Japanese cars. They absorb the punishment of neglect better than German or
Detroit iron.

R/ John

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 09:09:41 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Choder > wrote:
>> If other car vendors are willing to put warranty information online,
>> BMW is not above the industry norm. The cheesy 80s are over and
>> nobody is going to feel better saying "I drive a bimmer!" these days.
>> Quality is everything.
>
>I tried to find the *UK* warranty conditions for a Toyota Prius online
>(just for interest ;-)) and failed.
>
>Seems to me you're looking for an excuse not to by a BMW. ;-)

Heh.. trust me, I want one of these puppies. Just dont want to be
sorry I did.