Late break-in service - Keep after warranty ends?

[ElectroThermal]

Hey all -

I've got a pretty tough decision to make, and seeking some advice from fellow enthusiast.

I picked up my dream car, a '18 F80 ZCP with ~43k miles in early 2021 for $51,000. I've since put in about 3k very enjoyable miles on the car. Seeing the CARFAX list a number of oil changes all at a dealership, I was lulled into a false sense of security and failed to do proper research due to the remaining factory new car warranty that remains until 5/22, or 50k miles. Specifically after Austin Yellow - this thing just checked all the boxes!

When looking into extended warranty options, I found something out after purchase that worries me. I discovered this car does not qualify for BMW extended warranty due to its late break in service. Talking with a dealership/member on this forum, they were able to provide me my car's dealer service records and I found out my car was late for its 1,200 mile running-in service... very late. The documented break in service is at 6,200 miles! Scarier still, the 6,200 mile service also documents a complaint of a block oil leak.

Had I not read the service records, I would have never guessed. The car runs perfect, sounds perfect, not a single flaw to note. Looking under the skid plate, there are no signs of leaks or anything abnormal. Having no way to contact the original owner, there's no way to know if there was any initial service done (private shop/owner serviced) prior to the documented 6,200 mile service.

With the market still inflated, I received an offer from one of the big-name "Sell us your car" companies for more than I paid - enough to cover all taxes, etc. I've paid out since buying. The question comes down to would this be a deal breaker in keeping the car past factory warranty for you? I'm aware of the price for even a used S55, which has heavily weighed in my serious consideration of letting my dream car go. I've read every thread I could find on late service, and from what I've gathered, BMW did not use actual break-in oil for these cars. Aside from the M Division's service recommendation of a 1,200 mile change - it would not be abnormal for any other luxury car (including non-M models) to go the first 6k miles on factory oil.

I'm curious to hear what you would do in this situation. Would sending an oil sample out for evaluation (assuming positive results) ease your anxiety enough to hold onto it? Would you let it go while you had the chance - even though it has had an uneventful 40k miles put on it since?

Cheers

[RugbyBro]

If you love the car and everything works as intended then keep it. Break-in service is just a engine oil and diff fluid change. These engines & drive trains are stout so I wouldn't worry about missing a break-in service if this is your long-term keeper, what's more important is the regular maintenance throughout those 46k miles. Oil analysis is unlikely to tell you much outside of your current oil's performance - there are so many variables that go into that kind of thing; they are more useful when done consistently to track changes in real time rather than find historical issues. These cars are pretty reliable and I'd have no heartache in your situation about keeping that car providing it has been consistently maintained, but it's not my place to decide your comfort level of owning an out-of-warranty car.

On the flip side, if you're already half way out the door then sell it.

[ElectroThermal]

RugbyBro - thanks so much for your insight! As stout as these cars are, my initial reaction was similar to yours. I started second guessing myself after reading some threads on this forum telling people they'd hard pass and avoid any car that'd been late for its running-in. For some reason, the dealer did an additional oil change 1,600 miles after the break-in change. Per the service history:

Changes on dealer service history:
6,200
7,800
18,000
27,000
(went in for HVAC service at 37,000 and 40,000 - but does not list oil changed)
43,000 (from selling dealer)

[swagon]

AG BMWs do not even get a break-in period nor a service after said break-in period.

Think about it; E82 1 Series M had a regular N54, and being an M car, it had to have the 1,200-mile service. 135is were not eligible for the service, despite using the same motor. Diff and gearbox fluid are "life-time", so...

I wouldn't sweat it. It's not the end of the world.

What's the service history in iDrive say? The logs under Vehicle Info should have every bit of information there.

[BzsBimmer]

You can always get an extended warranty.
You said “dream car” so if it is, why not keep?
These cars are pretty solid so I wouldn’t worry too much but if you’re going to have a panic attack (figuratively) then sell it. As you stated the market is relatively hot so in the end do what makes you whole.

[SD ///M4]

When my '16 M4 was getting close to being 4 YO, I decided to get a BMW extended warranty, mostly based on the extensive problems we had with my wife's '11 33is Coupe under warranty. The car eventually threw a rod bearing at 70K and 6.5 years and BMW replaced the engine under the extended warranty. I also had the water pump, both turbos, 4 of the coil packs, and the charge pipe replaced, all under the extended warranty.

I did Euro Delivery on my M4 and had the car serviced at 2000 km at the BMW dealer in Stuttgart. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the dealer said that I couldn't get an extended warranty because BMW NA had no record of the service! Fortunately, I have the service records from that service and my dealer copied everything and sent it to BMW NA. They approved the extended warranty. Bottom line, BMW NA is pretty serious about getting the 1200 mile done on time. They definitely won't offer an extended warranty if it's not.

That said, the only warranty work I've had done on my M4, and it was under the extended warranty, was one of the front strut sensors (I have the Adaptive M Suspension). And I have over 24 track days on the car. These cars seem pretty bulletproof, unless you tune the car and get the dreaded crank hub failure. The extended warranty is good through April 2023, and so far it seems unlikely that I'll come anywhere near recouping the cost. But the engine replacement alone was estimated to be ~$12,000, so that and the other warranty work easily covered the cost of both extended warranties. Cost averaging...