I'm so undecided and troubled by a decision that could prove worthless or worth its weight in gold. I'm about to run out of CPO warranty (one month), and having zeroed in on a warranty company (Mercury), I'm still waffling back and forth on whether I really need the warranty or not.

I have owned the 2006, 525xi for three years. I had the transmission replaced shortly after I bought it (running great now), had the ticking valve lifters replaced with the new, improved design, and had one steering angle sensor replaced. In addition, they cured the steering wheel noise by performing the TIB of steering pump drain and refill at various temperatures. The software has been upgraded to either 31xxxx or 32xxx (I can't remember). All this work was needed right after I bought the car, three years ago. I blame the previous owner for not being as attentive or aggressive about car repairs.

Bottom line is, the car has been very dependable for the past three years, has now 74K miles, all maintenance is up-to-date, oil is changed every 7K miles, and I expect to keep it for another 5 years. The car will be driven for another 40K miles, tops.

At a cost of $3500 for a 3 yr/36,000 miles extended warranty, do you fellow E60ers feel that it's a worthy expense?

I expect that the warranty will run out on time and not mileage and that the car will be driven 27K miles in the next three years. When the warranty expires in three years the car will have 98K miles on it (let's say 100K to make it easier). The last two years will be with no warranty whatsoever as nobody is going to warrant a car that old. The car will be driven a total of 12,000 miles in its last two years under my ownership

What kind of problems can one expect on an E60 from 74K miles to 100K miles? Do people typically spend more or less than $3500 in real repairs (not maintenance items) from 75K to 100K?

Thanks to all for any advice.

 

I would strongly suggest the Mercury policy, as ONE big mechanical failure could be the end of your beloved E60! I can give you an example....about 4 years ago our old X5 was having some issue with the transmission, very minor, and I figured it was time for a software update....flash to about 2 hours later, the transmission needed replacement ($7500.00), and that was that! We had to buy another car on the spot! So yes, I would DEFINITELY buy the warranty! Good Luck with your decision!

 

yeah, but how often does a trans go out. plus you're spending a guaranteed 3500 with a warranty. and the guy already had his trans replaced and most common issues addressed.

i say skip the warranty and pocket the money and take your chance. i have had several bmws hit 100k, and none have needed major repairs. my 550i is about to cross over into the 100k territory. just keep up the proper maintenance.

 

Personally, to have the security of knowing I'm covered and won't have a repair that would cause me to buy a different car, is good enough for me to buy the aftermarket warranty! Obviously, he does not HAVE to buy it and can take the risk and may well save the money, but he's talking about driving the car for 5 more years....so it's a car that is already 5 years old and he wants to drive it another 40,000 miles, chances are SOMETHING will fail, and of course with this warranty the dealer treats it like a BMW warranty, he'll get loaner cars and should he opt for it NO deductible (unlike CPO)! Please understand, I gain NOTHING from the sale of this warranty, I just know if it were my car I would buy the warranty for the peace of mind in a heartbeat!

BTW, $3500 dollar warranty for 36 months, is less than $100 a month, that sounds pretty damned cheap to me! Just saying!

 

why does it matter that its ~100 a month? you're still spending $3500, and that will have deductibles and wont cover normal wear items.

not having money for repairs, and the "i can afford it only by making payments" attitude, is not the right way to do things financially.

 

So quite obviously we are at different stages in our lives.....we'll have to agree to disagree!

 

hey, if everybody thought alike, life would be boring.

 

We wouldn't want that now would we!

 

I recently bought an extended warranty after looking up the cost of some replacement parts.....

iDrive = $1,500 plus labor
HUD = $3,000 plus labor
Night Vision = $4,000 plus labor
Turbo charger or any other internal component???? - I don't wanna know.


I'd say buying an extended warranty is a good idea especially if you are more worried about the electronics on these cars like I am.

 

+1!!