BMW Warranty Period Almost Up - Advice Needed - BMW Forum

skyeblue818 · 05-16-2006, 04:58 PM

My bumper to bumper warranty is expiring in the next couple of weeks. I drive a BMW 325Ci with the 4 year 50k warranty.

My question is, since my warranty is up soon, and I only have about 32k miles on my car, what kinds of things can I bring up for the dealership to replace since I rather have them fix it now in case problems come up later.

Are the service advisors very helpful with coming up bogus problems so that I can take advantage of the warranty before its expiration?

What kinds of things can I tell them to look at?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Teh Prof · 05-16-2006, 05:22 PM

Any chance you can pay the thousand bucks and extend it?

AlpineWhiteE46 · 05-16-2006, 07:56 PM

I'm dealing with this too. I have 43700 miles on my car (after just two years)

As far as I know, there's no extended warranty from the dealership...I think you have to go third-party. I'll post when I find out more concrete info, as I hope you will too!

AlpineWhiteE46 · 05-16-2006, 07:57 PM

Oh, one more thing. I was told by a friend who had a 325ci to get the window seals replaced. I hear with the lack of a window frame, those seals get worn out over time. I'd just make up some bogus "it happens enough to bother me" excuse...I plan on using that one.

skyeblue818 · 05-17-2006, 01:16 AM

Yes, I don't want to extend the warranty because apparently it costs a few thousand dollars.

I'm gonna chance it, especially since I'm relatively low on miles.

Hootie · 05-17-2006, 09:06 AM

I understand there's a huge concern for a car owner to suddenly lose their warranty, but let's be honest here. From the vast experience of the people on this forum (and others) BMW's are one of two types of cars: those that run flawlessly when maintained properly and those that roll off the assembly line with what can only be described as "factory installed headaches". From day one, either you have problems with your car, or you don't.

Let's assume you've had no major problems thus far with your car. With proper preventative maintenance, your car should offer you no major or expensive repairs while you own it. Now it's a matter of comparing the costs of a 3rd party extended warranty (shady) to the costs to occasionally have a certified mechanic or dealership diagnose and possibly work on the car. Or, option 3: for approximately $500 you could purchase a Bentley manual, a Peake fault-code reader and the appropriate tools to DIY. This forum is included, free of charge. :-)

441tech · 05-18-2006, 07:00 AM

Well said, Hootie.

I only paid $135 for my brand new, paperback Bently manual, and it has served me VERY well. Aside from tearing apart the transmission, the manual covers EVERYTHING. For me, an extended warranty is a waste of money. In my opinion, they're for domestic shit, 'cause those are the cars that really need them.

Also, this forum is a lifeline. There really are a lot of knowledgable and talented folk in this forum. If you don't know, SOMEONE in here surely will. And, most people are cool and explain things well. It's like getting to talk directly to a mechanic without some stealership saying, "Well, just bring it in and we'll look at it." ***k that. I HATE dealerships.

I used to work in them, so I know first hand most are crooks, and is most of the reason why I got out. Don't get me started....

Anyway, if you have any mechanical aptitude at all, don't sweat the warranty. Get a book and a scanner, talk to the Forum, and there will be very little you won't be able to do.

441tech