I would like to get opinions of people who have owned previous BMWs. While I enjoy my car very much, part of that enjoyment equation include the questions of reliability, repair cost, and warranty purchase after the original warranty expires.

If you kept your bimmer after the factory warranty expires:

1. Was the car reliable? Please specify the model and year.

2. If not reliable, were the repairs costly and parts readily available compared to other manufacturers? Please specify what components broke down.

3. Did you get the extended warranty and if yes, how long and how much?

Taking in consider of the e60 and its computerized components, would you buy the extended warranty from BMW and the maintenance plan?

Thanks all. I'm not in the business of selling warranty. I just want to know what people are doing after the 4yr/50K warranty runs out.

 

I'm on my 8th BMW, so here goes:

1. Yes, see models ranging below in sig.
2. None ever left me stranded (never even "limped home") but replacement parts and labor are very expensive...as are these for all marques. So do your comparisons.
3. Never believed in them....until now. The electronic maze of this car begs for $$$. I'll probabaly buy it before the factory version runs out.(~$2400)

Hope this helps,
Ray Hull

 

I drove my 97M3 from 50,000 miles (CPO) to 135,000 miles as a daily driver.
It was fairly reliable it only had 3 major repairs: Radiator/water pump failior( known problem on E36), Ignition coil, and Clutch replacement. None of these repairs broke the bank, and only the radiator failior had me waiting for a towtruck. These are the times when your service advisor can shine or drop the ball. I must say that part of the reason I keep buying BMWs is that my service dept. comes through in a pinch.

 

1. a. 1977 530i drove until 160k miles (owned for 55k of those miles) only changed out alternator and the rest was wear and tear (brakes, tires, oil)
b. 1983 533i drove until it gave up it's life for mine (way before safety was cool). Car was destroyed with about 70k miles and no major issues other than wear and tear.
c. 1984 533i drove until it had 90k miles. Reliable but needed clutch master cylinder (nothing that broke the bank)
d. 1989 535iA drove until it had 140k miles. Minor electrical problem one dealer couldn't resolve after multiple trips. Moved to another state and new dealer traced it to a bad harness in one short visit. Cheap repair once it was isolated. Old dealer was clueless. Also replaced a mother board due to failed battery (Southern AZ heat?).
e. 1999 M Roadster (Z3) drove until it had 7500 miles (3 years) and had to get rid of it due to growing family. The car had NO issues other than giving me a perma-grin and a few close calls with 'the man'. This was a weekend/nice day car.
f. 2000 540i/6 currently 40k miles and no issues other than a bad run-in with the law. I can't keep it under 90mph... uh... I mean under 65mph.
g. 2002 X5 4.4L drove until 36k miles. Minor little issues (trim, air suspension and seat memory) but it was a US built BMW and an early year for it. I've found the Z3 and the X5 to not be up to the same level of quality parts (interior) as the German build BMWs. Engine and Drive train are the same (US vs. German). Other than that it was very reliable.
h?. Looking into getting an E60 within the next couple of months.

2. They were all reliable. I've found parts to be cheaper than some other makes but more exotic parts such as motherboards to be pricey ($800+). There are plenty of options from OE to OEM and aftermarket parts available. Even rebuilt parts if you're a DIY'er and don't want to pay dealer prices. Join the BMWCCA and also get about 10% off from most dealers on parts. BTW, originial parts from BMW (I think still) have a lifetime replacement policy if the replacement part fails while you own the vehicle. Expect a slight premium compared to Toyota, Nissan or Mazda but you might find a few things like a brake switch (common item) to cost less. But those more exotic items that are unique to that vehicle for a short production run to be expensive (NAV, mother boards, etc.). Those same items are some times the items that are not even found in the Toyota's and Mazda's of the world so you can't compare. For comparison some of the other makes I've owned over the years... Ford, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, VW, Audi, and Land Rover.

3. Never got the extended warranty. Often thought about it but didn't want to bet against the house.

 

Let me preface this response by saying that I normally do not keep a car more than 3 or 4 years (irrational, yes, but you only live once right?).

I also do not plan on keeping my current 5er more than 3 years; in fact, I'll probably sell it sometime mid-year 2006.

That being said, I think whether or not an extended warranty is a good choice depends on the particular car. If during your ownership experience the car does not act up (e.g. no weird electronic bugs, or oil leaks, etc.), then I would think seriously hard about not getting the extended warranty.

On the other hand, if the car gives you that paranoia feeling everytime you floor it (e.g., weird ticking noises, etc.), then the warranty is a no brainer.

Bottom line: just depends.

 

My extended warranty costs me $40K+

 

My Brother had an E36 that was out of warranty for about 3 - 4 years after it had run out. He always took it to BMW for its service, over those 3 - 4 years he spent less on it that a warranty would have cost. It needed brake pads, disc, the only item I recall would have been a warranty item was the top mounts on the rear suspension and some work on the bushes at the front. It had almost 100k when he sold it.

It's easier to determine the risk if you have owned the car for 2 - 3 years as you will know if it's a "always in the garage car". I had an early MINI Cooper S and that had so much warranty work and repeat work on the same things that there would have been no chance I would entertain owning that car outside of a warranty. It was a new model and so I accepted there would be niggles which I am sure are not there now. If though it had no warranty work it's then likely the car will run realiably for a number of years and only need wear and tear items that aren't always covered by warranty. In the UK wear and tear is usually excluded.

I would look at the cost of the warranty once it had expired and determine the value of it against putting that money to one side in anticipation or an issue.

 

I plan to drive the e60 close to 10k miles a year, which after 4 years will be less than 40K miles. From reading your posts (thanks all for being detailed), previous bimmers are fairly reliable and not as costly in regards to extended warranty cost. So far, I seem to drive the e60 a bit harder than my Toyota, and I don't expect bimmer repair cost to be as low as the Toyota (apples to oranges).

I used to own a Nissan Maxima with an extended warranty. In short, a complicated front axle problem exceded the warranty cost. It was an everyday working car, but this bimmer will be more garage than work.

At this point, I get a better feeling whether or not to get extended warranty; probably not get it. But there's still an ounce of doubt that says, "What if something major breaks down after the factory warranty?" I guess that's how warranty companies make money. :thumbsdown:

 

BMW mechanical part are made for last. Only electronic and electrical cause high labor bill.

Old I6 BMW used to have blown head gasket, but I hope not anymore.

As so many people said BMW and Toyota should be building car together: BMW/machenical, Toyota/Electronics and we'll have the best car in the world last for years.

 

I had a 97' Z3 for almost 8 years (first owner) and a total of almost 160.000 km. The repair costs went up: the repair costs during the first four years where half the repair costs during the second four years. I did not have an extended warranty - the regular warranty in Germany being only one year. Still, I would not worry to much about the repair costs - they'll almost certainly be low compared to the costs a new car would introduce.