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BMW 5-Series Sedans

12737 messages,  Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 11:05 PM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Sedan

Messages Page 1165 of 1275

#11634 of 12737 Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... by shaymasdaddy

Oct 04, 2006 (12:12 pm)

I have a titanium metallic 2001 525i with the sport premium package with 78K miles that I purchased CPO from BMW almost two years ago. My 5 has been relatively trouble free thus far. My CPO warranty is up in Jan '07 so I recently started looking for an extended warranty. I found from a "very reputable" company but the warranty only covers components related to the engine, transmission, and drive axle (no coverage for electrical systems). I can get this coverage for an additional 3yrs/60K miles at 0% deductible for roughly $1500. Most other extended warranty companies do not provide 'bumper-to-bumper' warranties for vehicles with more than 75K miles.
 
Seeing that this warranty will not cover electrical components, what is my potential exposure from the electrical components that may fail over the next 40K miles? I love my 5 and want to keep but I have not problem selling it if I can't get "proper/affordable" coverage for January 2007 and beyond.
 
Any assistance current/previous 5-series owners can provide would be appreciated. Thanks.

#11635 of 12737 Re: Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... [shaymasdaddy] by div2

Oct 04, 2006 (2:08 pm)

Replying to: shaymasdaddy (Oct 04, 2006 12:12 pm)
Put the $1500 in a money market account, find a good independent BMW tech, and keep on driving. I seriously doubt that you will spend anywhere close to $1500 on non-scheduled repairs. As I stated in response to another post:
 
Relax! Most of the "horribly expensive BMW repair" stories are spread by people-many are envious fools, while others are just plain fools- who heard that his best friend's sister's college roommate knew a guy who had a dentist who told him that it cost him $3000 to change the oil on his 318i. Yes, there ARE some dealers and independents who grossly overcharge their customers. Having said all that, there are good dealers and independents out there who charge fair prices and offer a CCA discount.
 I ran a 1997 528iA to over 130K miles and my service and repair costs averaged $80-$90 per month. We only sold it because my wife wanted an X3. I needed to keep my US built Wrangler for political reasons. As it turned out, I wish I had the 5er back. The new owner loves it...

#11636 of 12737 Re: Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... [div2] by markcincinnati

Oct 05, 2006 (8:17 am)

Replying to: div2 (Oct 04, 2006 2:08 pm)
My phrase is "German cars can be breathtakingly expensive to repair."
 
This, however, does not suggest I think they will need much in the way of repairs.
 
For some, $1,500 is peace of mind.
 
I consider it "insurance." I would never drive my car without insurance even if it were legal to do so.
 
The number of claims I have made in a lifetime of driving are but a mere fraction of the premiums I have made.
 
I am suggesting one do what one feels most comfortable with and I do agree the chances of spending $1500 on warranty claims is slim.
 
Also, though, maintenance on these Germans can be nearly breathtakingly expensive -- but that is another policy -- usually $3000 -- and I am really not sure about that.
 
My friends 58,000 mile young X5, flawless in virtually every way, needed new front brakes -- the car was used frequently for communting between Cincinnati and Indianapolis. New brakes + oil change = $950. Yep, the oil change was $800 all by itself.
 
Just kidding. The oil change was probably about $49.95 and the rest was for the brake pads, rotors and labor.
 
My friend, pondered the cost of the extended warranty+maintenance pack and said, hmm, $1800 for the front and rear brakes alone, makes this a $1200 decision and the fact that the other "routine" items are hardly ever less than $100, does give one pause to consider such a package.
 
Just a thought.

#11637 of 12737 Re: Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... [markcincinnati] by div2

Oct 05, 2006 (1:08 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Oct 05, 2006 8:17 am)
As I put it in another topic...
 
In my twenty three years of BMW ownership(E3, E24, E28, E36/5, E39, E83) I simply haven't found that to be the case. Maintenance and repair costs for my 1995 104K Club Sport have averaged a bit under $40 per month. My E24 M6 was a bit pricey to run, but even then the costs weren't that much out of line. I believe the most I ever spent on one shop visit was around $1200- and that covered replacement of the radiator, water pump, and PS pump. I still kick myself for letting that one go-though I did drive it for three years with zero depreciation.
As for my wife's 2004 X3, I'm not considering an extended maintenance plan. Nothing that I've learned about the car leads me to believe that it will be all that expensive to run. That said, I do think that the newer gadget filled cars such as the E60 and E65/66 will be expensive to maintain-primarily due to the sheer amount of their on-board electronics. Normal scheduled maintenance costs should not be that bad. In any event, keep talking up that "breathtakingly expensive" angle every chance you get; it might help depress the market for the non-CPO cars I'm looking at

#11638 of 12737 Extended Maintenance & German Cars by nyccarguy

Oct 05, 2006 (9:38 pm)

My Dad has an '04 X5 3.0iA SP with a little over 56,000 miles on it. It has been the absolute pinnacle of reliability. He drives 20K a year on his lease and wanted to be covered for the duration of his 42 month lease. Once he has his Inspection II done and another set of brakes, the extended maintenance will have paid for itself.
 
My Mom has an '05 530iA which she loves. It has been so reliable that I actually considered buying the car when the lease is up. The maintenance costs don't bother me, but I don't trust that i-Drive once bit. I don't even want to think how much that would be to replace if it crashes.
 
Japanese cars are reliable, but once mileage gets up there maintenance gets expensive too. I drive a 2001 Honda Prelude Type SH that currently has 74,000 miles. Last year I had to replace the clutch at 52K which cost A LOT of money ($1800 because the ATTS unit had to be taken out & re-installed for clutch work to be done for an extra 5 hours of labor). I had the work done by the dealer (providing my own Centerforce Clutch), but got some quotes from indy shops that were not that much cheaper. A few months ago I had the timing blet & tensioner replaced along with the H2O pump and valve cover gasket. That was like $1600 and I had the work done by an indy shop.

#11639 of 12737 Re: Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... [shaymasdaddy] by 530ir1150r

Oct 06, 2006 (5:56 am)

Replying to: shaymasdaddy (Oct 04, 2006 12:12 pm)
This issue keeps coming up every 6 months or so.
 
Keep in mind that profits and commissions are priced into the deal. Neither BMW or some other firm is going to subsidize your maintenance or warranty work. Therefore, the average person with the average car will lose money.
 
If buying insurance buys peace of mind, get the extended plans. If you want to get a good deal (or save money), self insure.

#11640 of 12737 Re: Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... [530ir1150r] by markcincinnati

Oct 06, 2006 (7:45 am)

Replying to: 530ir1150r (Oct 06, 2006 5:56 am)
That's what I said!
 
For some folks "peace of mind" is. . .priceless.
 
So many folks end up buying the extended warranties on TV's and DVD players and other home electronics. This seems even more unlikely to beat self-insuring.
 
Then these same folks don't get the extended warranties or service plans and they get hit with routine expenses and become turned off of the brand.
 
My BMW X5 owning friend still is a loyal fan.

#11641 of 12737 Re: Should I keep my 2001 525i ...... [markcincinnati] by div2

Oct 06, 2006 (2:16 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Oct 06, 2006 7:45 am)
My BMW X5 owning friend still is a loyal fan.
 
I only hope the dealer who hosed him with an $800 frontbrake job kissed him and sent flowers the next morning...
What's that they say about a fool and his money?

#11642 of 12737 Not to beat a dead horse... by jimbres

Oct 07, 2006 (5:05 am)

...but where's the peace of mind in a contract written by a 3rd-party insurer 2 time zones away that could go belly-up any minute? I just don't see it.
 
For the most part, the service contract industry draws its customers from the ranks of the financially untutored.
 
Real peace of mind is money in the bank. If you can afford to drive a $40K+ car, you should have the balance sheet to go along with it.

#11643 of 12737 Re: Not to beat a dead horse... [jimbres] by div2

Oct 07, 2006 (7:37 am)

Replying to: jimbres (Oct 07, 2006 5:05 am)
...but where's the peace of mind in a contract written by a 3rd-party insurer 2 time zones away that could go belly-up any minute? I just don't see it.
 
Also, some contracts make you use certain shops or they are very stingy with reimbursement to the shop that you choose. The owner of my indie BMW shop is a friend of mine and he has numerous stories concerning those so-called warranties and how the companies are difficult-if not impossible-to deal with. They want the repair performed as quickly and cheaply as possible. Some piece of mind...

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