M4 with 47K miles - Buy a warranty?

[JoeFromPA]

So many little comments...

1. On maintenance, check your brakes via iDrive. My iDrive says the front pads will last 120k and my rear pads 140k. I'm at 40k now and it's said the same thing since 10k miles - and visual examination seems to support it. Rotors aren't wearing (visibly or with fingernail test) either. 1 extra year of maintenance may just be ~$500 worth of work.....it's crazy to spend $1700 on that in general unless it would includes brakes & spark plugs or similar and you didn't want to do any of the work yourself.

2. I can't speak for your f8x, but my f80 has hit 40k miles needing absolutely nothing. Could I foresee a $1-2k expense between 50-65k miles; sure. Would I pay $4,000 for a single additional year of warranty on a car that has been very reliable? No. Warranty = insurance, so consider what you are insuring against.

3. Take up a forum sponsor like GOLFRRR above on pricing offers for warranty packages and consider a powertrain warranty if necessary. Almost nothing else that a warranty would cover is THAT pricey/different than a regular f series - but the drivetrain is costly.

...

I'm going to hit either 50k miles or 4 years of age within 8 months and I have to consider the same things. I get it. Be smart, find a good indy mechanic, and don't sweat the ownership costs if you are stock/near stock.

[sandjam]

Totally unnecessary. Why does everyone thinks these cars are going to blow up after the warranty expires. If it was maintained, and not beaten, no reason to think it will have any issues.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by sandjam

Totally unnecessary. Why does everyone thinks these cars are going to blow up after the warranty expires. If it was maintained, and not beaten, no reason to think it will have any issues.

I don't think OP thinks his car will blow up. But even basic repairs are expensive on a modern M car. Aside from covering the cost of repairs there is peace of mind and ease of use which both carry value. If something goes wrong OP can either drive to dealership or have roadside assistance tow him there. Then he can get a loaner vehicle and be on his way while the car is repaired with oem parts. Much bigger hassle to deal with an Indy shop and rental car if it comes to that.

It's a form of insurance and may or may not "pay off" in terms of covering repairs in excess of its cost. But there are other intangible factors as well.

[joooiiiiii]

Price is high and it's only up to 75k miles. I wouldn't do it.

[Bimmer6]

No way the warranty is 13% of the cars value. It worth the one year you will get rid of the car. Hell a warranty on my F 458 is 4500 for a year and I didn’t do that.

[Damage Inc]

Originally Posted by NozzFest

I'm thinking of keeping my M4 for another year (before I start a family and get an SUV or something), and am considering getting a gold 5yr/75K warranty for $4,579.00. I'm also considering the +1 maintenance plan for $1,700.00.

My used 2015 M4 came with 31,000 miles on it, now at 47,500. Running great with no issues (except for some scraping metal sounds by the tire from time to time). Still under factory warranty up to 50,000 so I have a month or so to figure out if I should extend.

Is US $6,279.00 a crazy amount to pay for one year? I'm curious how many of you would just forego the warranty altogether, or might just get the maintenance plan, or some other combo.

The brakes haven't been changed out yet and I know they're close... Other than that I'm ignorant of any large maintenance coming up.

I think others have covered that there is no need to spend that much on a warranty for 1 year. Buy powertrain only, and if you do get anything make sure you can get a pro rated refund for what you dont use. And for sure dont spend 1700 on maint.

My question - if you dont even have kids yet why do you have to sell the M4? I had many M cars when my kids were 0 to 7, no issues. Car seats fit fine in the rear, trunk will hold strollers, etc.

I always loved rolling up to the school line in an M6 w modified exhaust sitting between all the moms and dads in mini vans all the dad's in envy ha ha

Now that my kids are 8 and 9 I move to a 991.1 GTS and they fit in the rear seats just fine

Unless you're over the M4, I would figure out ways to keep it. Remember these cars start as practical daily drivers which are meant for daily use. Keep it!

[chicagoshark]

Originally Posted by cotmfk

The 5/75k warranty for $4500 is not a bad deal. You'll be over 100k miles by the time it's expired theoretically. I would go for that, especially since you plan to sell in a year. The next buyer will pay more for a car with a warranty, or you can just cancel the remainder and get a pro-rated refund.

Very true

[GERM4N]

Don’t do it. Very unlikely your engine will fail unless you track it.
Most Indy repairs will be much less than dealer repairs. $7000.00 should cover other repairs. Put that money aside in a separate account to be used later when needed.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by chicagoshark

Very true

It's 5 years/75k miles from in service data, not from date of warranty purchase. So it's basically only 1 year of extra warranty.

[cotmfk]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I got extended warranties for my previous S4 and my wife's Q5. In both cases, the warranty term started on purchase date - different warranty underwriters do it differently. In both cases, they were platinum bumper to bumper coverage (exclusions listed), extended multiple years and cost less than $4,500. I still have 2 years left on my wife's 2012 Q5 that we bought in 2011. I don't understand the concept of spending $4,500 for one year.

This is my experience as well - aftermarket warranties are from date of purchase. So, if you have a 4 year old car with 40k miles, a 5/50k warranty would go to 9 year old car with 90k miles. The pricing OP mentioned - $4,500 - sounds consistent with this type of warranty.

1 year of warranty for $4500 sounds asinine - which it does sound like he was saying he is being quoted. Crazy.

[5soko]

From what i have seen since the release of the s55 engine, they have been pretty solid and reliable.. way more then past M engines..
The dct has already earned a reputation of being reliable so nothing new there..

[DocWeatherington]

I agree with others, the F8Xs have been pretty reliable. I haven't heard of any major issues, beyond user caused issues or the random.

I am in the same boat and will not get an extended.

[01'325rip]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I'd roll the dice or get rid of the car before I spent that much to keep it for one year. Is the 5 year warranty 5 years from in-service date or 5 years from date warranty is purchased? If the latter and you can get a pro rated refund for the unused 4 years, the cost is obviously lower. Still a lot for one year though. M

Do not count on this. I am getting shafted after requesting my money back.

"Fax in all your paper work with original receipt and proof of payment"

Of course they never receive fax, nor the copies I mailed in.

Not allowed to email or drop it off in person either

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by 01'325rip

Do not count on this. I am getting shafted after requesting my money back.

"Fax in all your paper work with original receipt and proof of payment"

Of course they never receive fax, nor the copies I mailed in.

Not allowed to email or drop it off in person either

I have cancelled 2 warranties and received refunds with no problem. I use certified mail with return receipt to submit information and then follow up by phone. It can take a while once they get information, but if contract has termination terms, they must be honored. Of course, starting with a reputable company is important whether warranty is kept or cancelled.

[Wills2]

I'm on 61k and the engine feels great and stronger than ever before, I won't be getting a warranty after year 3 (UK gets unlimited mileage 3 year warranty) The fact they offer unlimited mileage tells me they are confident in the engine.

But I know my car, have had it from new and looked after it, buying a secondhand one does introduce variables and unknowns that you might want to cover and therefore pay for surety.

But that costs in the same way that buying a new car costs.

[MN2///M]

I've kept several cars for years past when their warranties expired. For me, the only reason I have gotten a new car is because I wanted it. Every out of warranty car I have kept has cost me very little to hold on as compared to new car payments.

I Still have my 2003 BMW 330i. In my experience, what becomes as the known mechanical issues show up in the first 4-5 years so you can pretty much forecast what will need replacing in the future. Past that, age is more of an issue I think as plastic and seals get hard and brittle.

For the 330i which is now approaching 15 years old, I have to replace the valve cover gasket every couple of years and the odd seal here and there. Beyond that, the power steering pump at about year 8, DISA valve in year 9 (plastic), a starter at about 10 years, and a coolant reservoir (plastic) and blower fan about 2 years ago have been the only other items.

I send the 330i to the dealer for routine oil changes/inspection with the idea that they know what to look for as far as problem areas go since they want to identify items that they can make money on. Some items I will pay them for, others I do myself. Overall, I spend about $4-500 a year on maintaining the 330i.

The F8X will be considerably more expensive for many parts than my 330i has been, but I believe it would be a very solid car right up to about 8 years and whatever mileage I may have on it by then. For me, that would likely only be about 50-60K....but I so want to do another European Delivery so will likely trade the car before that point.

So like others have said, forego the warranty, evaluate the maintenance plan for what is likely to need replacing and determine what level of risk you are comfortable with. There are many repairs that if performed by the BMW dealer could cost you $4-5k, but I think the risk is very slim for a solid car for the next couple of years or 80-100k miles.

[MTG_Snake]

I am purchasing my 2015 M4 this week, it has 36k on it, was wondering how much the extended warranty costs?

[shortseller]

When do parts on these things start getting cheaper? The F series is on its way out? More to the point, what are the expensive repaires other than turbos and injector banks? I’m guessing the dct has been around long enough not to fail that easily?

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by shortseller

When do parts on these things start getting cheaper? The F series is on its way out? More to the point, what are the expensive repaires other than turbos and injector banks? I'm guessing the dct has been around long enough not to fail that easily?

Two generations of DCT. I feel pretty good about it's reliability.

[Hops128i]

I'd say do whatever you can to keep the M4 as long as you can, and avoid the SUV. Rear facing worked with my kids in a 128i, a M4 has plenty of room!

[ano0oj]

Originally Posted by ali_hekmatfar

I am purchasing my 2015 M4 this week, it has 36k on it, was wondering how much the extended warranty costs?

I'd like to know the answer to this as well...thinking of buying same car year/mileage in a couple months.

[MTG_Snake]

Originally Posted by ano0oj

I'd like to know the answer to this as well...thinking of buying same car year/mileage in a couple months.

Bmw does not give me extended warranty cause the fist owner didn’t do the 1,200 miles service (he did it at 6k). Anyway I searched a lot and the warranty cost around 4k for another year or 10k miles. I decided not to go for the warranty, save the money, add some small mods! Good luck man!