Expired Warranty: 3rd party warranty options?

mroehricht · 06-24-2015, 04:12 PM

Hi Everyone -

I am about to purchase a 2011 BMW M3 convertible with all options included and at 50k miles.

Factory warranty expired in May, 2015. No extended warranty in place.

Will buy the car at Carmax next week when it arrives and am wondering if I should get an extended warranty and would love to ask for your guidance.

1) BMW Extended 4-year 100k bumper to bumper (supposedly like a new-car warranty. $6,800
Also, BMW wants to completely checkout the car first and have me pay for everything that needs to be fixed to get it to certified status and then determine if I qualify for a warranty. Sounds ridiculous?

2) Carmax Extended Warranty: 5-year 100k or 125k (preferred?) but has lots of exclusions but does that matter?. $5,400

Link to Carmax warranty page:

http://www.carmax.com/enus/maxcare/d...reL01Home_Page

Questions:

1) Do I need the extended warranty? I'll be driving 20k miles per year
2) Are there other warranty options that I should explore that might be better?
3) What "usually" goes wrong at this point in time where the car is at (living in Texas, no snow, ice, etc.)
4) What are the most expensive costs that I should plan for over the next four to five years up to 125k miles?
5) I am thinking the Carmax deductible at $200 would be fine. It's really about covering big expenses.
6) What's the cost for things like break rotors and pads and the usual work that needs to be done like services?

Anything else I am missing?

I just sold me 2009 335i Dinan Stage II and can't wait to get this one. :-)
The handling is going to be so much better and the torque line is nice and even.

Thanks everyone!
Michael

Move Over · 06-24-2015, 04:55 PM

Do some searching man. There are a TON of threads discussing common issues with this car, some even on the first page. (Rod bearings, icv, AC Evap, throttle actuators etc...)

There are also lots of threads popping up on these aftermarket warranties. I personally went with EasyCare. It was the best value for the peace of mind, and I actually got to go through a "mock" claim with one of their higher ups thanks to the finance manager at fields BMW.

One company you will see pop up around here is wanted auto protect. They will sell you a 5/100k for less than 3k. Who knows if they will pay out. Disturbed seems to be their spokesperson on here (he's had some good experiences with them) but he is literally the only person who has a claim review on the internetz. Every other single review is about their buying experience from wanted. There are a TON of fly by night companies out there. BEWARE. Please.

BimmerRookie · 06-24-2015, 04:59 PM

Try a simple search! But beware, you're going to find a ton of conflicting answers.

For example, there will be people who swear you need a warranty, and other that dont.
People who say change your bearings at 50k miles, and some are at like 100K on OEM bearings.

Its confusing. It really is.

Emm Tree · 06-24-2015, 05:59 PM

The USAA one is supposedly the best ... if you can overcome the Military requirements.

rpl77 · 06-24-2015, 06:19 PM

Id buy an extended warranty for peace of mind. I did

Bomiz · 06-24-2015, 07:26 PM

I'll have my E90 delivered to my at the end of next week. I'll probably snag up an EasyCare PowerCare warranty for the car.

Gossypiboma · 06-24-2015, 07:34 PM

The Carmax warranty doesn't have a lot of exclusions that are not pretty standard across the board such as wear and tear on interior items.

I would easily go with the warranty from Carmax as apposed to any 3rd party warranty.

jphughan · 06-24-2015, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBoosting

The Carmax warranty doesn't have a lot of exclusions that are not pretty standard across the board such as wear and tear on interior items.

I would easily go with the warranty from Carmax as apposed to any 3rd party warranty.

This, if you feel the need to get a warranty at all. There was some hilarious article on Jalopnik about a guy who bought a CarMax warranty on a Range Rover, one of the most notoriously unreliable and expensive to maintain vehicles around, for peanuts. It paid for itself in a small fraction of the coverage period. Not that the M3 is likely to treat you that way, more just that CarMax evidently has a pretty good warranty deal. I guess that guy was subsidized by all the suckers who buy warranties on Corollas.

briancl · 06-24-2015, 08:26 PM

i opted for the carmax warranty. my evaporator went out within 1 year and they covered the $3k+ repair with no questions asked. it seems the price of the warranty has gone up though, mine was about $3k with similar mileage.

REV1 · 06-24-2015, 10:27 PM

I went with the Platinum level warranty from a company called National Auto Care. The warranty is a 3/50k warranty. It already paid itself off after 1 1/2 years. I've only had one claim but it was over 4.5k the company paid without any problems and the SA at the dealership mentioned that they were easy to deal with. I would highly recommend getting some kind of extended warranty. The throttle actuators like to go bad on these cars and it's not a cheap fix. Oh and the DCT trannies like to leak also which is not cheap to fix either.

spiceyxi · 06-24-2015, 11:45 PM

I just bought a E86 from Carmax for the wife and opted for their warranty. Seemed pretty decent, but definitely mixed reviews out there. All I know is we have a 2006 Z4 that will have warranty until 2020 (upto 125K miles). Hard to beat that piece of mind.

I am not sure what BMW's policy is, but I would go ahead and buy the warranty from Carmax and then have BMW do the inspection to see what would need to be fixed. Hopefully some of those items would be covered by Carmax's 30 day full warranty. At that point I would re-evaluate the warranty options and if you qualify. If at that point the BMW is a better all around package for about the same cost with no major fixes out of your pocket are required I would return the Carmax warranty (pro-rated refund available) and pick up the warranty with BMW.

Hope that helps. I am going to go back to researching my next car (M3 is looking to be a good possibility in a year or so). Which I will likely buy from Carmax with a warranty.

P.S. Get your oil changed right away after you buy the car from Carmax. From what I have heard and understand they perform an oil change on all of the cars and they use the same type of oil (i.e. cheap) for all of the cars.

REV1 · 06-25-2015, 12:04 AM

Op make sure you look at exclusions list on warranty. A lot of warranty companies will not cover certain parts on cars. For instance on our 135i the extended warranty did not cover a low pressure fuel pump. I don't remember the name of the company on that warranty but it's very common for companies to do that. Do your homework and read the fine print.

Good luck.

allhenyia · 06-25-2015, 12:09 AM

I'll have my E90 delivered to my at the end of next week.

Move Over · 06-25-2015, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allhenyia

I'll have my E90 delivered to my at the end of next week.

Great contribution to the thread

mroehricht · 07-07-2015, 09:40 AM

Thank you everyone for the great feedback. I did quite a bit of research before I posted and became frustrated by the various options. Hence, I posted here.

I ended up not getting the car from CarMax. It was shipped from Ohio and it was full of scratches, dings and the interior was pretty bad.

Instead, I got a 2013 M3 Convertible from my local BMW dealer last week. Got a slightly below retail price with the extended warranty and I got the maintenance plan as well so I am not worried at this point. The car is in great condition and I love it. Doesn't have the initial torque of my prior 335 but it's a much better drive overall and a lot more fun.

Thanks again everyone. Appreciate all your insights... :-)

Sephiroth · 07-07-2015, 10:18 AM

Congrats and enjoy!

2K11SGCoupe · 08-11-2015, 09:22 AM

I just purchased a used 2011 Coupe a few months ago and have started researching extended service/warranty plans.

Carchex claims to be providing an Assurant policy. This is supposed to be similar to an OEM bumper to bumper warranty and includes performing any factory service bulletins.

Product Name: 2013 U Titanium
Coverage Term: 60 months / 50,000 miles
Deductible: $100.00
Waiting Period: 30 days & 1000 miles
Expiration Date: 8/11/2020
or Expiration Odometer: 79,700 miles

Cost $4930.56

Does anyone have comments or feedback regarding their experience with Carchex and does this seem like a reasonable offer?

I am requesting quotes from USAA, Easycare and Zurich as well.

Thanks -

duk · 08-11-2015, 10:21 AM

EasyCare FTW

InnerBlueSkies · 08-11-2015, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2K11SGCoupe

I just purchased a used 2011 Coupe a few months ago and have started researching extended service/warranty plans.

Carchex claims to be providing an Assurant policy. This is supposed to be similar to an OEM bumper to bumper warranty and includes performing any factory service bulletins.

Product Name: 2013 U Titanium
Coverage Term: 60 months / 50,000 miles
Deductible: $100.00
Waiting Period: 30 days & 1000 miles
Expiration Date: 8/11/2020
or Expiration Odometer: 79,700 miles

Cost $4930.56

Does anyone have comments or feedback regarding their experience with Carchex and does this seem like a reasonable offer?

I am requesting quotes from USAA, Easycare and Zurich as well.

Thanks -

USAA's plan is Assurant. You don't need to be a member of USAA to get their plan though I don't see why you would if your can go directly to Assurant.

kb9uwu · 08-11-2015, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REV1

I went with the Platinum level warranty from a company called National Auto Care. The warranty is a 3/50k warranty. It already paid itself off after 1 1/2 years. I've only had one claim but it was over 4.5k the company paid without any problems and the SA at the dealership mentioned that they were easy to deal with. I would highly recommend getting some kind of extended warranty. The throttle actuators like to go bad on these cars and it's not a cheap fix. Oh and the DCT trannies like to leak also which is not cheap to fix either.

Make sure to read the level of coverage. The above poster did his homework. I bought the "gold" level warranty on my E90 and it did not cover throttle actuators.

2K11SGCoupe · 08-11-2015, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InnerBlueSkies

USAA's plan is Assurant. You don't need to be a member of USAA to get their plan though I don't see why you would if your can go directly to Assurant.

I have been a USAA member for a long time and need to call because their online quote sucks compared to what I got from Carchex. USAA wants $5647.46 for a 48 month/48,000 mile Extended Vehicle Protection plan.

USAA seems kind of high and Carchex even offered me a $400 rebate at the end of the program so their Titanium plan actually comes down to $4536.

I still need to get an estimate from Easycare. I filled out their online quote but no one has contacted me yet. I will definitely be reading over the exclusions and ask about the DCT situation.

2K11SGCoupe · 08-12-2015, 04:03 PM

I just finished reading all the exclusions and pushed on the sales person from Carchex (Fidelity). The titanium package they were trying to sell me DOES NOT cover the DCT gearbox.

Funny that this warranty is backed by Assurant, the same underwriters for USAA. I need to inquire regarding USAA's Extended Vehicle Protection plan and determine if it covers DCT.

I emailed Easycare again and requested that they contact me.

06-24-2015, 04:12 PM	#1
mroehricht New Member 6 Rep 11 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 335i Convertible Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Expired Warranty: 3rd party warranty options? Hi Everyone - I am about to purchase a 2011 BMW M3 convertible with all options included and at 50k miles. Factory warranty expired in May, 2015. No extended warranty in place. Will buy the car at Carmax next week when it arrives and am wondering if I should get an extended warranty and would love to ask for your guidance. 1) BMW Extended 4-year 100k bumper to bumper (supposedly like a new-car warranty. $6,800 Also, BMW wants to completely checkout the car first and have me pay for everything that needs to be fixed to get it to certified status and then determine if I qualify for a warranty. Sounds ridiculous? 2) Carmax Extended Warranty: 5-year 100k or 125k (preferred?) but has lots of exclusions but does that matter?. $5,400 Link to Carmax warranty page: http://www.carmax.com/enus/maxcare/d...reL01Home_Page Questions: 1) Do I need the extended warranty? I'll be driving 20k miles per year 2) Are there other warranty options that I should explore that might be better? 3) What "usually" goes wrong at this point in time where the car is at (living in Texas, no snow, ice, etc.) 4) What are the most expensive costs that I should plan for over the next four to five years up to 125k miles? 5) I am thinking the Carmax deductible at $200 would be fine. It's really about covering big expenses. 6) What's the cost for things like break rotors and pads and the usual work that needs to be done like services? Anything else I am missing? I just sold me 2009 335i Dinan Stage II and can't wait to get this one. :-) The handling is going to be so much better and the torque line is nice and even. Thanks everyone! Michael
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06-24-2015, 04:55 PM	#2
Move Over Colonel 1258 Rep 2,492 Posts Drives: M3 6MT Join Date: May 2015 Location: Peninsula iTrader: (9)	Do some searching man. There are a TON of threads discussing common issues with this car, some even on the first page. (Rod bearings, icv, AC Evap, throttle actuators etc...) There are also lots of threads popping up on these aftermarket warranties. I personally went with EasyCare. It was the best value for the peace of mind, and I actually got to go through a "mock" claim with one of their higher ups thanks to the finance manager at fields BMW. One company you will see pop up around here is wanted auto protect. They will sell you a 5/100k for less than 3k. Who knows if they will pay out. Disturbed seems to be their spokesperson on here (he's had some good experiences with them) but he is literally the only person who has a claim review on the internetz. Every other single review is about their buying experience from wanted. There are a TON of fly by night companies out there. BEWARE. Please.
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06-24-2015, 04:59 PM	#3
BimmerRookie Major 469 Rep 1,320 Posts Drives: E93 Cavalier Z24 M3 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Try a simple search! But beware, you're going to find a ton of conflicting answers. For example, there will be people who swear you need a warranty, and other that dont. People who say change your bearings at 50k miles, and some are at like 100K on OEM bearings. Its confusing. It really is.
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06-24-2015, 05:59 PM	#4
Emm Tree First Lieutenant 86 Rep 348 Posts Drives: M3 bro Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: U.S. iTrader: (4)	The USAA one is supposedly the best ... if you can overcome the Military requirements.
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06-24-2015, 06:19 PM	#5
rpl77 Lieutenant 26 Rep 489 Posts Drives: 2011 E92 M3 AW Join Date: May 2013 Location: Virginia iTrader: (5)	Id buy an extended warranty for peace of mind. I did __________________ 2011 e92 M3, DCT, ZCP, AW with FR
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06-24-2015, 07:26 PM	#6
Bomiz Captain 323 Rep 824 Posts Drives: SS E92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (2)	I'll have my E90 delivered to my at the end of next week. I'll probably snag up an EasyCare PowerCare warranty for the car.
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06-24-2015, 07:34 PM	#7
Gossypiboma Major 542 Rep 1,195 Posts Drives: 13' M3 6MT 18' M3 CS Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: The John iTrader: (8)	The Carmax warranty doesn't have a lot of exclusions that are not pretty standard across the board such as wear and tear on interior items. I would easily go with the warranty from Carmax as apposed to any 3rd party warranty. __________________
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06-24-2015, 08:26 PM	#9
briancl Lieutenant 48 Rep 523 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: California iTrader: (17)	i opted for the carmax warranty. my evaporator went out within 1 year and they covered the $3k+ repair with no questions asked. it seems the price of the warranty has gone up though, mine was about $3k with similar mileage.
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06-24-2015, 10:27 PM	#10
REV1 Second Lieutenant 47 Rep 221 Posts Drives: 08 E92 M3 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Off the grid, CA iTrader: (0)	I went with the Platinum level warranty from a company called National Auto Care. The warranty is a 3/50k warranty. It already paid itself off after 1 1/2 years. I've only had one claim but it was over 4.5k the company paid without any problems and the SA at the dealership mentioned that they were easy to deal with. I would highly recommend getting some kind of extended warranty. The throttle actuators like to go bad on these cars and it's not a cheap fix. Oh and the DCT trannies like to leak also which is not cheap to fix either. __________________ WIDE OPEN TILL YOU SEE GOD! THEN BRAKE
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06-24-2015, 11:45 PM	#11
spiceyxi Second Lieutenant 90 Rep 210 Posts Drives: '08 528i, '06 Z4C & '13 135i Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Orange County, CA iTrader: (0)	I just bought a E86 from Carmax for the wife and opted for their warranty. Seemed pretty decent, but definitely mixed reviews out there. All I know is we have a 2006 Z4 that will have warranty until 2020 (upto 125K miles). Hard to beat that piece of mind. I am not sure what BMW's policy is, but I would go ahead and buy the warranty from Carmax and then have BMW do the inspection to see what would need to be fixed. Hopefully some of those items would be covered by Carmax's 30 day full warranty. At that point I would re-evaluate the warranty options and if you qualify. If at that point the BMW is a better all around package for about the same cost with no major fixes out of your pocket are required I would return the Carmax warranty (pro-rated refund available) and pick up the warranty with BMW. Hope that helps. I am going to go back to researching my next car (M3 is looking to be a good possibility in a year or so). Which I will likely buy from Carmax with a warranty. P.S. Get your oil changed right away after you buy the car from Carmax. From what I have heard and understand they perform an oil change on all of the cars and they use the same type of oil (i.e. cheap) for all of the cars. Last edited by spiceyxi; 06-24-2015 at 11:52 PM..
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06-25-2015, 12:04 AM	#12
REV1 Second Lieutenant 47 Rep 221 Posts Drives: 08 E92 M3 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Off the grid, CA iTrader: (0)	Op make sure you look at exclusions list on warranty. A lot of warranty companies will not cover certain parts on cars. For instance on our 135i the extended warranty did not cover a low pressure fuel pump. I don't remember the name of the company on that warranty but it's very common for companies to do that. Do your homework and read the fine print. Good luck. __________________ WIDE OPEN TILL YOU SEE GOD! THEN BRAKE
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06-25-2015, 12:09 AM	#13
allhenyia Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: bmw Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: x6 iTrader: (0)	I'll have my E90 delivered to my at the end of next week. __________________ Looks cool bmw
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07-07-2015, 09:40 AM	#15
mroehricht New Member 6 Rep 11 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 335i Convertible Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Thanks Everyone... Thank you everyone for the great feedback. I did quite a bit of research before I posted and became frustrated by the various options. Hence, I posted here. I ended up not getting the car from CarMax. It was shipped from Ohio and it was full of scratches, dings and the interior was pretty bad. Instead, I got a 2013 M3 Convertible from my local BMW dealer last week. Got a slightly below retail price with the extended warranty and I got the maintenance plan as well so I am not worried at this point. The car is in great condition and I love it. Doesn't have the initial torque of my prior 335 but it's a much better drive overall and a lot more fun. Thanks again everyone. Appreciate all your insights... :-)
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07-07-2015, 10:18 AM	#16
Sephiroth 4-6-8 234 Rep 990 Posts Drives: for the fun of it Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Jax, FL iTrader: (1)	Congrats and enjoy! __________________ M3 E46 PY/Black S2000 AP2 GPW/Tan
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08-11-2015, 09:22 AM	#17
2K11SGCoupe Private First Class 15 Rep 150 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Coupe Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	2011 M3 DCT Coupe I just purchased a used 2011 Coupe a few months ago and have started researching extended service/warranty plans. Carchex claims to be providing an Assurant policy. This is supposed to be similar to an OEM bumper to bumper warranty and includes performing any factory service bulletins. Product Name: 2013 U Titanium Coverage Term: 60 months / 50,000 miles Deductible: $100.00 Waiting Period: 30 days & 1000 miles Expiration Date: 8/11/2020 or Expiration Odometer: 79,700 miles Cost $4930.56 Does anyone have comments or feedback regarding their experience with Carchex and does this seem like a reasonable offer? I am requesting quotes from USAA, Easycare and Zurich as well. Thanks -
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08-11-2015, 10:21 AM	#18
duk ///M 158 Rep 3,195 Posts Drives: 2011 AW/FR 6MT E92 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Irvine, CA iTrader: (0)	EasyCare FTW __________________ 2011.5 AW/FR E92 M3 6MT
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08-12-2015, 04:03 PM	#22
2K11SGCoupe Private First Class 15 Rep 150 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Coupe Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	I just finished reading all the exclusions and pushed on the sales person from Carchex (Fidelity). The titanium package they were trying to sell me DOES NOT cover the DCT gearbox. Funny that this warranty is backed by Assurant, the same underwriters for USAA. I need to inquire regarding USAA's Extended Vehicle Protection plan and determine if it covers DCT. I emailed Easycare again and requested that they contact me.
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