What to do if your BMW Warranty has expired

I have to admit: us, the bimmer owners are spoiled when it comes to the BMW factory warranty. The four years or 50,000 miles warranty, which includes the AMAZING BMW Maintenance Program and the Unlimited-Mileage Roadside Assistance, is one of the best factory warranty that you can have on your new vehicle.

Buying a new BMW and knowing that you will have peace of mind and zero maintenance costs for the next four years, is something that I always looked forward to.

But what if you are one of the people that like to own the car for more than the four years or 50,000 miles limit? What are your options when it comes to that? How do you plan ahead to overcome potential costs?

Well, allow me to share with you some things that I learned over the years. I’m sure there are many more tips and advice that one could receive, so here is where you, our readers, come in place to help us and all the BMW car owners.

Plan ahead, be proactive. This is mostly a tip before your warranty expires. Do NOT wait until your warranty is close to its end date in order to bring your car in for a check-up. If you feel that the car is not running fine, you hear noises coming from the engine or the chassis, the interior has a defect or your car controls are malfunctioning, please take your car to your dealership for an inspection. By taking your car a few months before the warranty expiration, it will give you more time to bring it back to them in case the issue re-occurs. Stay on top of this game and you will save money in the long run!
CPO your BMW. Let’s start with what CPO means, short for Certified Pre-Owned. Here is the official description from BMW. To be eligible for enrollment in the Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Program, a late-model vehicle must be in service for at least six months or have more than 6,000 miles but less than 60,000 miles on the odometer. They must pass an extensive examination – a thorough and rigorous inspection by BMW factory-trained technicians. They inspect the vehicle for safety, performance and wear. If something is not right, it is fixed. If it cannot be fixed, the car cannot become a Certified Pre-Owned BMW. Important:Although the Certified Pre-Owned BMW Limited Warranty is extremely comprehensive, it is not an extension of the original 4-year/50,000 mile New BMW Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Buy Extended Warranty. Buying an extended warranty can be a long and frustrating process. Most of the BMW dealerships can sell both extended maintenance and an extended warranty, priced at around $1500-$1800 and respectively $2500-$3000. These prices are usually negotiable, so feel free to hassle with them. Another option will be to buy your extended warranty from a third-party company, but do your research before you buy and make sure they are rated by the BBB. Also, you should look for a warranty company that will give the BMW dealership their credit card over the phone, rather than you paying the bill first and chase them afterward. Here are some companies been recommended in the bimmer community that also offer FREE QUOTES: SmartAutoWarranty.com and WarrantyDirect.com

Take a chance. If you’re on those people that really take take care of their cars, drove them respectfully, changed the oil more often than the 15k miles standard BMW limit, etc..then you can take a chance and not spend any money on the extended warranty or CPO. But remember, the bimmers are one of the most expensive cars to maintain and repair and if you are end up at a point that a repair is needed, I advise you to look into an independent repair shop first and see if they can help you. Avoiding a BMW authorized dealership might save you lots of money. As far as independent BMW shops, Bimrs.org is a great resource.

I hope the above information will help you a little bit and I promise, we will be back with more detailed articles on BMW warranties and the process of choosing the right one.

Now, please share with us some other tips or resources.

12 Responses to “What to do if your BMW Warranty has expired”

Car Extended Warranty says:

September 1, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Never buy a car warranty from the dealer. They sell the same product as a third-party warranty source, but double or triple the price. Dealers love the markup on extended warranties.

Horatiu B. says:

September 1, 2008 at 9:56 pm

@Car Extended Warranty: What’s your recommendation when it comes to third party warranty companies?

Gragop says:

September 2, 2008 at 9:00 am

I actually bought my warranty(CPO) off of BMW directly a it cost me roughly $1,600~$1,800. I think it depends on the condition of the car and how much work they have to do to get the car back into spec.

Keep in mind if you aren’t running Continential Contisports then the dealer may throw those on. I had a set of Pirelli’s that BMW made me strip off the tires as they weren’t to spec. I fought them on this but they insisted.

Also – the extended maintenance program is a fairly decent deal as it was roughly $1,800 and for the cost of brakes, wiper blades, fluids, and some of the inspections needed, I covered my expense of the maintenance program right there.

BMW really does provide much better, competitive maintenance/ warranty programs compared to it’s rivals.

- g says:
  
  September 5, 2009 at 12:05 am
  
  Hi,
  
  I found a 2006 530i with around 20k but it’s not from a BMW dealer and I’d really like a CPO. Are you saying I can buy this car and take it to a BMW dealer to get a CPO?
  
  Thanks!
  
Horatiu B. says:

September 2, 2008 at 9:52 pm

@Gragop: In the end, did you feel that the money you spent on the warranties was worth it? Did you have any problems with the car?

Gragop says:

September 2, 2008 at 10:48 pm

For me, the peace of mind was worth it. I’ve honestly had next to no problems with my E46 except for the occasional controlling arm getting messed up from a speed bump or pot hole or my Ipod adaptor cable getting clipped by the glove compartment door. All of which has been covered under warranty with no questions asked. My previous E46 was leased and during the 3 year term that car’s worst problem was a failed oxygen sensor and the issue with the window clips failing. Not bad for 3 years and 43,000 miles.

I’ve owned this car since new for over 3 years and 65,000 miles and aside from routine maintenance (oil changes/filters, brakes, tires) it’s been near flawless. I still love the way it looks and drives and knowing that I don’t need to worry about a repair bill for the next 3 years or so I’ll probably own it feels pretty good. Especially for when Inspection II comes up. Having a transferable maintenance and warranty program is also a large selling point as people generally seem to be wary of owning a German car without those items.

B says:

March 18, 2009 at 12:21 am

Gow did you get your car CPO’d? My dealer says only they can do that to their cars that they are selling.

Horatiu B. says:

March 25, 2009 at 8:55 pm

@B: Dealerships have the right to CPO or not CPO a car. I still believe it’s good business for them to certify the cars that really qualify for it, but I’m not sure in your case why they denied it. How old is your car and what mileage?

Mark B says:

June 18, 2009 at 4:43 pm

Does anyone know what the official BMW policy is regarding work that was repaired while under the 4 year warranty period, but then the same problem reaccurs shortly after the warranty expires. The service advisor told us this warranty work would be covered for two years but know they are disavvowing themselves of this. The left rear window regulator failed again only 3 weeks after warranty expired.

Thanks for any advice.

Nikki says:

September 29, 2009 at 5:10 am

I bought a 745Li from a private seller, where is the bet place to get a waranty and an xample of a price? Im totally lost…help me please Thanks!

- Horatiu B. says:
  
  September 29, 2009 at 5:16 am
  
  Both companies listed above seem to be known in the BMW community, I would at least get a quote and take it from there. Also, feel free to email me through the contact form and maybe I can shed some light for you.
  
- Tamara says:
  
  November 5, 2009 at 3:17 am
  
  I did the same thing with the same car….what did you find out?