Since CPO sucks ass, what are some great alternatives to CPO? My warranty runs out in November and I plan to take it to the indy mechanic afterwards.

 

+1

I had my car in the dealer and specifically asked about the brake recall and they didn't touch it. They told me I had to wait until BMW NA contacted me as they were handling things in waves. Sure enough the next week I got my letter in the mail. Depending on the nature of the issue it may simply not have been your car's turn in the line.

 

I am on my second 5 series CPO. The CPO on the first car saved me a few thousand bucks. Hopefully my luck will be the same this time around as well.

 

replaced the HPFP, 2 injectors, and reprogrammed. They even washed my floor mats while they had it

 

- BMW Vehicle history report (shows any open campaigns)

Known as the "DCS Service History printout" and should record all service and maintenance action performed at a BMW Center.

Engine oil services (first four oil changes), inspections, brake services, coolant flush, belts, wipers, engine / cabin air filters, and bodywork.

The printed report will also include all options installed at factory as will as open campaigns (recalls).

- BMW Key reader / CBS report

Condition Based Service report, countdown in miles and / or months for service items such as engine oil, cabin microfilter, brakes, brake fluid, engine coolant. This information can be viewed on the vehicle's onboard info, or can be electronically read off the vehicle key at the BMW Center.

See "Section 1: Vehicle Background & Maintenance" in the PDF file at:
BMW USA Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Inspection Checklist

Due to privacy laws, they may not give you the information, but I have received such reports of prospective purchases with the owner information and VIN obscured. You can always perform a final VIN verification before making the purchase.

I see you drive the E38 7-series. My first BMW was the E36 3-series 5-speed.

 

At a BMW dealership?? Why would BMW (or any other car manufacturer) sell a used car that is NOT CPO'ed. I could see if the car was over 6 years old, but otherwise it tarnishes the whole concept of buying from a dealer.

And where can you buy a CPO'ed car for less than a grand over a non-CPO (assuming everything else is the same). If you paid out of pocket the cost is about 2 grand.


Maybe not off the lot but definitely on the way home if you make a few hard stops. Besides, 5mm of pad thickness would almost certainly show up as "yellow" on the idrive and the brake sensor/warning guage would definitely be scratching the rotor when you pressed the brakes. I got new front pads and rotors from this condition and idrive said the pads were still good for 16k miles.

 

There are plenty of cars sold by BMW dealers that aren't CPO'd, either because they don't want to go through the pain of the CPO process, or because the car won't pass the inspection. Not every dealer runs the program as a scam, and not every dealer is in a market where it makes sense for them to CPO every used car.

If you don't value the CPO coverage, than don't pay for it, don't look for one, and don't worry about it. Buy one from a private seller, buy one from a BMWCCA member, buy one from ebay. There's a perceived market preference for buying an expensive used car from a dealer, but if you don't care, than don't do it and go elsewhere. You'll pay less for sure. I don't know why this has gotten so vitriolic. Everyone has a different opinion, and a BMW dealer certainly isn't the only place to buy a car. So a salesperson in the drive to make a sale overstated some of the benefits of the CPO coverage - not the first time this has happened, and certainly won't be the last. Caveat emptor.

 

Do you have any idea how much material is on a new OEM pad?

 

On an OEM BMW pad? No, since I have yet to do any maintenance on my 5er.

On many other cars I have worked on including my wife's MB - about 1 inch or 250mm.

 

Most new pads have around 12-14mm of material when new, probably even MB.

1 inch = ~25mm You don't measure the back plate.