To cover or not to cover?
- Thread starter Sgreen
- Start date
Smartbear said:Sgreen said:
Has your car proven reliable since you've owned it? I would rather put some cash in a piggy bank each month just in case-if it doesn't go wrong you're winning
Rob
It's been argued about a fair bit on here Sharon, most go with taking a warranty out, fair enough, personally I'm with Mr Bear here, stick the cash in a pot until if it's needed, but you've got a nice little party fund saved if it isn't. My theory is that insurance companies exist because they make oodles of money, some you have to have, but the least you can have the better in my book. Everything's a risk, yes there are the odd big failures but you hedge your bets.
I expect the e89 will be different. However thus far mine has cost me £400 for a new radiator fan in 5 years. If it explodes tomorrow the money I've not spent thus far on warranties should cover it. 
Fingers crossed, I don't think it will any time soon, but you never know.
Ask yourself, can I afford to fix it if it goes bang? If you can, then do your own insurance and stick the money in the bank. If not, then take out insurance with someone else, simples. :wink:
Fingers crossed, I don't think it will any time soon, but you never know. Ask yourself, can I afford to fix it if it goes bang? If you can, then do your own insurance and stick the money in the bank. If not, then take out insurance with someone else, simples. :wink:
I'm also of the opinion that touch wood nothing too major is likely to happen. My cars ten years old this year, ive owned it for six months and had it serviced today by my local Indy who has advised the wheel bearing has just started to pack up. It's the only money outside of consumables it's cost me. It's going to cost me £150 to put right but I would have lost a fair bit more if I was paying the warranty. Dealers don't like warranty work and often try to avoid taking the blame. Money put away each month for me.
Rocket Man
Member
are there any week points about any of the E89 cars that cause concern ?
Usa
Rocket Man said:
Not really. The E85 has the dreaded roof motor and coil spring issues.
The E89 has the cracked alloy problems with 296/326 wheels that's mainly caused by the RFT's. Other than that not really any comon problems across the range.
I had a £3000 job done under warranty during 2nd year of ownership. Set of injectors and a module.
If I keep paying my £48 a month for the next few years I'll still be quids in even if I never make another claim.
If I didn't have the warranty I'd be putting £100 each month into a bank acount coz nothings cheap on these cars.
Some may disagree:-
BMW N54 engine
Common problems
1. The most common problem of N54 engine is connected with high pressure fuel pump (HPFP). It will serve you not more than ~50 000 km (30 000 miles) of mileage in case you use fuel of low quality. The main symptoms of HPFP problems include reduced power; the price of new HPFP is not very high.
2. Sometimes problems of white smoke may also occur. This is when you need to check the coolant level which is the main cause of such problem in the majority of cases.
After 100,000 km (60,000 miles) of mileage high pressure fuel injectors often go out of order in N54 engines. The same duration term is for water pump and turbocharger. Spark plugs will serve for about 20,000 km (12,000 miles) of mileage.
Abovementioned figures also depend on level and type of usage.
Summing up we can say that this engine is rather reliable and powerful. Owners will hardly face any problems. At the same time this motor has high level of durability and long lifespan. In addition it is the best bet for those who like different tuning experiments. This is why BMW N54 is one of the best engines ever produced by major bavarian automaker.
Full link here: http://mywikimotors.com/n54b30/#Problems
BMW N54 engine
Common problems
1. The most common problem of N54 engine is connected with high pressure fuel pump (HPFP). It will serve you not more than ~50 000 km (30 000 miles) of mileage in case you use fuel of low quality. The main symptoms of HPFP problems include reduced power; the price of new HPFP is not very high.
2. Sometimes problems of white smoke may also occur. This is when you need to check the coolant level which is the main cause of such problem in the majority of cases.
After 100,000 km (60,000 miles) of mileage high pressure fuel injectors often go out of order in N54 engines. The same duration term is for water pump and turbocharger. Spark plugs will serve for about 20,000 km (12,000 miles) of mileage.
Abovementioned figures also depend on level and type of usage.
Summing up we can say that this engine is rather reliable and powerful. Owners will hardly face any problems. At the same time this motor has high level of durability and long lifespan. In addition it is the best bet for those who like different tuning experiments. This is why BMW N54 is one of the best engines ever produced by major bavarian automaker.
Full link here: http://mywikimotors.com/n54b30/#Problems
Rocket Man said:
Yup. The roof microswitches are a problem. Had 2 of mine go. Luckily it was under extended warranty.
I pay £36 a month with £100 excess. Bmw typically charge £120+vat per hour. It won't take many hours work to ramp up a bill in excess of my yearly premium. That's not including parts, which are again a lot and sometimes only available from
Bmw.
Now I know you can take it elsewhere that's cheaper, but I think some garages might struggle with some of the more tricky e89 things, such as the roof.
Me personally, I like the piece of mind for less than £450 a year.
This, for me, is a thought provoking thread as in October this year I face the same question as the OP. To make matters worse I have an excellent, well proven Indy less than 10 miles away who helped me out "for a drink" even though the car was under BMW warranty.
For those that have the BMW extended warranty does it cover EVERYTHING the original warranty covered under the same terms and conditions?
I've only ever had one extended warranty (Harley Davidson, some years ago now) and it proved to be useless. Nasty bearing type sound from the engine. Warranty wouldn't entertain any investigation, said come back when it's a CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. What???
The dealer fudged some words and got a top end strip down approved - then the warranty company wouldn't pay the workshop rates saying H-D rates were too high. Got it sorted in the end - but swore I'd never have one again.
So I'm a bit on the cautious side, but from what I've read on here people seem to fare better with their claims. Hasten to add that the extended warranty I had was insurance not manufacturers.
For those that have the BMW extended warranty does it cover EVERYTHING the original warranty covered under the same terms and conditions?
I've only ever had one extended warranty (Harley Davidson, some years ago now) and it proved to be useless. Nasty bearing type sound from the engine. Warranty wouldn't entertain any investigation, said come back when it's a CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. What???
The dealer fudged some words and got a top end strip down approved - then the warranty company wouldn't pay the workshop rates saying H-D rates were too high. Got it sorted in the end - but swore I'd never have one again.
So I'm a bit on the cautious side, but from what I've read on here people seem to fare better with their claims. Hasten to add that the extended warranty I had was insurance not manufacturers.