marc545i

I have about 10 days to purchase the Extended Maintenance plan for my '04 545i (37k miles).
My dealer's price I think is pretty high ($1600). This will cover maintenance for the next 50k miles or 2 years, whichever
comes first.

My question is this: Is it worth buying the plan? I just got new brake pads on the rear and whole new brakes in the front.
I'm not sure if I'm going to do $1600 worth of maintenance over the next 2 years now that the brakes are pretty much taken care of.

Thanks in advance for your input.

joewatch

Well, a dealer is certainly not selling you a plan expecting to lose money, so I would say no, it's probably not worth it. However, it MAY be worth it to YOU for the "peace of mind" that having the maintenance plan gives you.

Other things to consider - what exactly does the maintenance plan cover? What is your personal financial situation? If you are suddenly faced with a big repair bill, is that going to be a problem?

If it were me, I'd keep that $1600 in my emergency fund, learn about how to do some easy maintenance items by myself (like changing fluids, filters, etc), and find a qualified independent BMW mechanic locally to work on the bigger things.

RoBD305

i would skip out on the maintainence but buy the extended warranty. Always a long list of issues with the E60. As far as maintainence is concerned, you wil most likely get rid of the car before 2 yrs, the extended warranty helps in reselling the vehicle.

HotLap

My thoughts exactly...getting both the extended maintenance and extended warranty would help in the resale value - you coould probably recoup your expense that way. Personally, I'd pay more for a used car (especially one as complex as the E60) that had at least a year remaining on the extended warranty. Maintenance, however, would be nice - but not a "must have".

Ricracing

+1
But, I did edit the original answer.

What is extended warranty?
Could be the right choice over there.

ExGMan

Best deal on BMW Extended Maintenance: See www.twinkidneygrill.com Use the code "bimmerfest" and you'll get a good discount. I'm not trying to promote the other forum, but this is a way to save some $$. I think you might get a break on the extended warranty also.

mikeg7

I got the extended maintenance on mine, but the primary reason I did was because brakes have not been done yet. I looked at it as a break-even at that point, and if anything else "maintenance"-wise needs done I'm ahead of the game.

I will probably keep this car until the CPO warranty is up in late 2010 (at which point I'll probably buy a CPO 08 550i), so it is worth it to me.

Nolan222

I tried using the code 'bimmerfest' on twinkideneygrill.com and it says its not valid. Aybody know the new code?

ExGMan

Try calling Adrian Avila at BMW of South Atlanta (Georgia) at 888-280-4265. I'm sure he'd be glad to hear from you and give you all the details, discounts, etc. he has available. Maybe the coupon code now is simply "fest" but Adrian or one of his henchmen will know.

marc545i

Thanks for all the replies. Fortunately, I bought my car already with the extended warranty in place, so my only concern for now is the maintenance down the road.
For $1600, it looks like I will pass on the extended maintenance - unless I can find a significantly better price.
I've heard of some plans selling for around $1200. That may be more worth it.