Eagles Canyon Raceway - TX with E92 MDCT

[skierman64]

Originally Posted by tszene

Lucid,
Here's the part of the manual that discusses track use.

http://www.m3post.com/goodiesforyou/e92-m3-manual.PDF

page 109 top right

Seems like the manual isn't worded very clearly here, "Operation on a race track can lead to inceased wear. The BMW M3 is not designed for use in competitive motorsports. This wear is not covered by the vehicle warranty."

So does that mean if I'm on the track in a non-competitive event then I'm ok? What about an autocross?

That's what the BMW NA M brand manager told me when I asked the question.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by tszene

i got lucky finding this manual online, i actually read it in the hardcopy.
however i think it sucks that some got away with warranty and i got screwed
Anyway, i'm glad at least some got a chance to beat the system.

I just checked my hardcopy version, and you are correct; that section is in the manual.

However, they stuck that explicit language about "track driving" in a non-warranty related section of the manual under "driving guides", which is why I missed it. My interpretation is that your warranty is not voided if you drive on a track. However, excessive wear on certain items such as brakes will not be covered. That actually makes sense to me. They will not replace pads and rotors twice a year, which could be necessary if you tracked very often. I'm fine with that, and will pay for most of it.

The real question is if they would try to refuse a claim on the powertrain (leaving suspension aside), which is the pricy stuff. I don't think they can. You could be commuting in this car on the autobahn going WOT at 7000 rpms at high speed, and accelerating quickly. It wouldn't be as severe as driving on a track, but it wouldn't be babying the car either. That's considered okay. But I agree with Skierman that this is all somewhat gray. That's why it is important to build a relationship with your SA, and not overdue things. My SA told me I'd be OK as long as I kept the car stock, and that a seriously modified car begins to attrack the wrong kind of attention. I'll test that when I take the car in for brakes in a couple of months at around 10k miles and about 10 months of ownership. I think that is reasonable.