BMW Insured Warranty renewed ... again

[Busterboo]

Just renewed BMW Insured Warranty again. Basically, it's for non-service parts & labour. Essential* on a 70,000-mile 35iS. £339 with £250 excess.

(*First claim was at 50,000 miles for leaking adaptive front shocks, gearbox sump plate & engine top cover gasket.)

[Smartbear]

Sounds as though it could potentially save you a lot of money, over the years you’ve owned the car would you have been better off pocketing the premium & paying for repairs yourself?
Rob

[Nictrix]

Sounds as though it could potentially save you a lot of money, over the years you’ve owned the car would you have been better off pocketing the premium & paying for repairs yourself?
Rob

If it was both front shocks replaced is that not around £1600 alone for just the parts?

[Busterboo]

Sounds as though it could potentially save you a lot of money, over the years you’ve owned the car would you have been better off pocketing the premium & paying for repairs yourself?
Rob

If it was both front shocks replaced is that not around £1600 alone for just the parts?

Yep, the first claim came to well over £2000.

[Argyll Andy]

Sounds as though it could potentially save you a lot of money, over the years you’ve owned the car would you have been better off pocketing the premium & paying for repairs yourself?
Rob

If it was both front shocks replaced is that not around £1600 alone for just the parts?

I’ve just checked the invoice for mine. It needed 3, 1 front and a 2 rears. £341 for rears and £560 for front plus labour of £639 and VAT on all those prices. The other front one had been replaced shortly beforehand.

Those prices are BMW servicing charging BMW sales cost so don’t know if those prices quoted are discounted and it’s dearer as a member of the public

[Smartbear]

Sounds as though it could potentially save you a lot of money, over the years you’ve owned the car would you have been better off pocketing the premium & paying for repairs yourself?
Rob

If it was both front shocks replaced is that not around £1600 alone for just the parts?

Holy Moly
Rob

[mcbutler]

Just renewed BMW Insured Warranty again. Basically, it's for non-service parts & labour. Essential* on a 70,000-mile 35iS. £339 with £250 excess.

(*First claim was at 50,000 miles for leaking adaptive front shocks, gearbox sump plate & engine top cover gasket.)

Always a good idea, Warranty direct give better cover though and slightly cheaper.

[Busterboo]

Just renewed BMW Insured Warranty again. Basically, it's for non-service parts & labour. Essential* on a 70,000-mile 35iS. £339 with £250 excess.

(*First claim was at 50,000 miles for leaking adaptive front shocks, gearbox sump plate & engine top cover gasket.)

Always a good idea, Warranty direct give better cover though and slightly cheaper.

I did no market research and was led only by my previous experience of BMW Insured Warranty, which was very good.

However, have just been to Warranty Direct online and found this:

Warranty Direct
Thanks for your visit.
We are no longer selling new policies directly to customers but the business remains open for existing customers.
If you have an existing policy enquiry, we will of course continue to support you.
Please contact us via email on [email protected] or call
0800 731 7001

[step_change]

I also have it on my 35is, BMW extended warranty. £51 per month with £100 excess, fully comprehensive. 63000 miles and I started monthly prior to it tipping over 60000 miles.

Some scary bills on these cars although I have to admit that during my ownership, so far in nearly three years, I’ve only had the cracked oil filter mount leak fixed. Previous owner had HP fuel pump and two shocks replaced.

Plenty of expensive stuff to go wrong still so to me I factor the extended warranty into the cost of ownership. It is not that bad in the great scheme of things, IMO.

[buzyg]

Personally I have always been from the school of thought, that if you can afford to underwrite your own claims then insurance is an additional cost of owner ship, in the long term. Of course you take on the risk. But for most that will result in a cheaper over all cost, in the long term. Or the warranty system could not exist.

[Silverstar]

A lot of those repair costs are expensive main dealer prices many of which you can get done for a fraction elsewhere. Warranty is like insurance most of the time you are never going to need it. It is how these companies make money, a bit like casinos the house always wins. For the vast majority of owners they would be better off pocketing that money themselves and find a decent independent to do repairs at a fraction of what the main dealer charges.

[step_change]

A lot of those repair costs are expensive main dealer prices many of which you can get done for a fraction elsewhere. Warranty is like insurance most of the time you are never going to need it. It is how these companies make money, a bit like casinos the house always wins. For the vast majority of owners they would be better off pocketing that money themselves and find a decent independent to do repairs at a fraction of what the main dealer charges.

Yep, agreed mate. It is indeed simply insurance and if you are prepared to wear the risk.

I have always been very sceptical about "the local BMW Indy" down the road. It is true, I get simple jobs like a 6 monthly oil change done by them. But many of them themselves will say, anything complex and it needs to go to BMW to reprogram the part.

YMMV and to me, £50 per month to maintain cover is worth it. To me. Accept 100% everyone's experience and tolerance to risk will be different.

[Busterboo]

A lot of those repair costs are expensive main dealer prices many of which you can get done for a fraction elsewhere. Warranty is like insurance most of the time you are never going to need it. It is how these companies make money, a bit like casinos the house always wins. For the vast majority of owners they would be better off pocketing that money themselves and find a decent independent to do repairs at a fraction of what the main dealer charges.

I'm not "the vast majority of owners". I have a 35iS with, for example, adaptive suspension, the replacement of parts of which I cannot "get done for a fraction elsewhere". My insurance claims have already paid for at least 5 years' premiums. So, my experience is that the insurance is very much worth it.

[Silverstar]

Busterboo and step_change, I understand your point of view and you have to do what you feel is best for you but think about it if all 35i / 35is were prone to claims the insurance companies would not be making any money selling warranties for this model of car and would stop offering them. Sure sometimes you might get stuck and have to visit a main dealer but for most things it is not necessary. I am sure I read on this forum somewhere that there is a company that will rebuild the adaptive struts at a fraction of new cost.

[Busterboo]

The insurance work doesn't have to be done by an AD*, Silverstar. But you're right, by implication, that the parts come from an AD or, at least, most of them do.

As for adaptive shocks, like you I remember a post about them being re-built, but I think the job was done in Hungary. Wherever, my indy has nowhere to store the car, waiting for parts to be re-conditioned.

(*Correction. The BMW Insured Warranty work does have to be done by an AD. The servicing does not - it can be done by an indy - but the service record must be stamped by the garage that does it.)