The Mongoose

Hey guys, first post.

My new-to-me 2007 550i has factory warranty remaining until 50,000 miles. The previous owner purchased an extended warranty through BMW to 100,000 miles.

Now, I've searched this forum regarding transferring the extended warranty. I found these threads: http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-7...r&sa=Search . None of those seem to answer my question directly, so I decided to post what I've run into to a) hopefully shed some light on my situation and b) have a topic the next guy down the line can find via search.

Complicating the issue is that I did not buy this car directly from the original owner who had purchased the warranty. I bought it through a car dealer.

BMW USA (800-831-1117)states that transferring the extended warranty shouldn't be a problem. As long as I'm within the 30 day window, there will be a small cost of transfer (like $25 or $50). They told me that I must call BMW Assurant to finalize the transaction.

BMW Assurant (800-283-0785) tells me that unless I bought the car directly from the purchaser of the warranty, they cannot do the transfer. My only option is to buy an extended warranty from my dealer. I called back and got a more helpful person on the line, and they stated that as long as I had the original purchaser of the warranty call and request the paperwork to transfer the warranty, everything would be okay.

Here are my questions:

1) If I can contact the original owner (I have his info from the registration that was in the owner's manual book) and get him to agree to transfer the warranty, would the 30 day window apply to the date he sold the car to the dealer I bought it from, or would the 30 day countdown start from the day I purchased the car?

2) Why would he agree to transfer the warranty? If he still had time under the 30 day window, couldn't he just cancel the remaining warranty and receive some sort of rebate?

3) The dealer he bought the car from and my local dealer both looked up the records of the car and see the extended warranty intact until 100,000 miles. If I do nothing, would the warranty remain? I'd rather buy a new extended warranty to make sure I have it when I need it rather than take a chance that they would reject it because I'm not the name on the extended warranty.

4) What the hell should I do now? What's the best way to make sure I get an extended warranty? Is it even worth chasing down this transfer.

Thanks in advance.

njmarro

You dont need to transfer anything they are liars probably trying to make some extra coin on you and sell you the same warranty that is already in place. The extended warranty follows the car. I am a auto dealer and purchased my vehicle through an auto auction. The vehicle was already out of factory coverage, but the CPO extended warranty including maintenance was purchased prior by the previous owner before it was for sale at the auction. That was the entire reason I bought mine because it had that warranty. I called my local dealer and asked them about any type of transfer and the remaining amount left on the warranty. I was told by one of the service advisor the you dont need to transfer anything because it is basically attached by the VIN. So when ever you go and service the car and give them your key its already in their computer system. I know this because I have already had maintenance and service done on my car and have never transfered anything. Warranty picks up the tab everytime.

The Mongoose

Thanks for the response, but the info you provide doesn't jive with info from previous posts. I think I'm becoming more confused.

From this thread: http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry918966

The Mongoose

Okay, I think I finally have a concrete answer and can put this subject to bed.

I called Assurant (the company that apparently handles extended warranties for BMW) again and got a knowledgeable rep on the phone.

Extended warranties, including those purchased through BMW dealerships, can only be transferred from private party to private party. Within 30 days from the sale either 1) the seller can apply to get a rebate on the balance of the extended warranty or 2) the new buyer can apply to have to the extended warranty transferred into his name.

If the original owner trades his car in to a dealer, and then it goes to auction or whatever, you cannot transfer the extended warranty. It can only be transferred from private party to private party. If you try to track down the original owner and get him to sign off on the appropriate paperwork (as I was thinking of doing), the computer will catch the fact the vehicle was traded in and your claim will be denied.

So, it appears that I have to purchase a new extended warranty.

Anyway, this site is a great resource; I hope this info can help the next n00b who comes down the line trying to transfer extended warranties. Thanks.

njmarro

That sucks then. My vehicle was actually repossesed from the prior owner when I purchased it. Is the extended warranty different from a CPO extended warranty. Maybe this is true from the info you have received from the warranty company, but it sound like they are blowing smoke. Hopefully you work it out and it doesn't cost your $1000's.

GL

kscarrol

Yes, the Original Owner Extended warranty IS different than the CPO warranty. As the CPO is issued by BMW, it is effectively the same as the factory warranty and does move with the car, following the VIN. The Extended Warranty has to be transfered, with purchaser (original owner) requesting the transfer in writing within 30 days of the sale. I went thru this when we sold my wife's X5 where we had purchased the Extended Warranty. We had not read the fine print, instead relying on my uninformed dealership, and therefore missed the 30 day window. Assurant did indeed refund nearly the full purchase price to us, which we then gave to the buyer so they could buy a third-party warranty.

z06bigbird

1. Call prev owner to see if he/she applied for refund on warr. If prev owner did/does not want refund, ask him/her if you can transfer warr.

2. After that discussion, I would approach service mgr and ask for his/her input. I believe there are a few ways to deal with the 30 day time frame for transferring warr. Service mgr might be willing to assist.

3. In short, prev owner of warr needs to write a letter to warr company telling them that you (your address, your phone, etc) purchased vehicle.

4. Then you contact warr comp with similar info and (possibly) a check for $25 or $50.)