To Warranty or Not to Warranty

[cgoldie187]

Hey all,

Just got a new '13 ZCP ZPP E92. Loving it to pieces.

Warranty just expired a few months ago, and the car has about 34.5k miles.

Throttle actuators and Idle control valve are covered for me until 2021 through the emissions warranty in CA.

But, considering getting a long term warranty just for piece of mind, and that now would be the time to get a better price since the car is relatively low miles.

What do you guys think? I am going to absolutely keep the car for 5-6 years, unless of course there is a situation where I was in dire need of cash and had to sell.

Any warranty company recommendations? thoughts? love this forum! everyone is so kind and helpful.

[cgoldie187]

Probably gonna go for a 5 year/60k miles warranty through Lithia for $3900.

[Sephiroth]

This topic comes up frequently, and it usually boils down to personal preference. Warranties exist because they are profitable at the prices which they are sold and for the numerous things they don't cover, and ultimately this is the deciding factor for me.

[Megabrode]

From time to time, I still think about a warranty for my '11 e92 M3. But the car has been faultless for 10K miles, and good luck with two previous M3's makes me think it's better to skip the warranty and plan on $5-6K in repairs over the next 6-8 years.

I once bought a 75K-mile warranty for an e46 M3. Covered repairs never matched the cost of the warranty. As with the e92 M3, there was widespread fear of catastrophic failures, for the e46 subframe cracks and Vanos detonation, which never occurred in 145K miles. My big item under warranty was a bad fuel sender: $500. Before that I had a 100K-mile warranty on an e36 M3. Same story. Covered repairs totaled less than the premium. I continued driving the car to 160K miles with no big issues, notably no failed valve spring retainers, the subject of endless forum discussions.

It's a good bet that the e92 M3 throttle actuators will fail before 75K miles. What's the cost there -- $2500? The much-feared rod bearing failure seems unlikely by then, far less likely than getting rear-ended.

The beauty of putting money aside is I'll still have it after a 75K miles. Given my current driving habits, I'll hit that number in two years.

[cgoldie187]

Originally Posted by Megabrode

From time to time, I still think about a warranty for my '11 e92 M3. But the car has been faultless for 10K miles, and good luck with two previous M3's makes me think it's better to skip the warranty and plan on $5-6K in repairs over the next 6-8 years.

I once bought a 75K-mile warranty for an e46 M3. Covered repairs never matched the cost of the warranty. As with the e92 M3, there was widespread fear of catastrophic failures, for the e46 subframe cracks and Vanos detonation, which never occurred in 145K miles. My big item under warranty was a bad fuel sender: $500. Before that I had a 100K-mile warranty on an e36 M3. Same story. Covered repairs totaled less than the premium. I continued driving the car to 160K miles with no big issues, notably no failed valve spring retainers, the subject of endless forum discussions.

It's a good bet that the e92 M3 throttle actuators will fail before 75K miles. What's the cost there -- $2500? The much-feared rod bearing failure seems unlikely by then, far less likely than getting rear-ended.

The beauty of putting money aside is I'll still have it after a 75K miles. Given my current driving habits, I'll hit that number in two years.

Very good point. My only reason for getting a warranty is so I can truly enjoy the car - knowing that if something blows up it'll get replaced at a dealer is comforting. Plus, a comprehensive warranty is awesome, there are so many technical/electrical things in the car that if only a few thigns go wrong, I should have my money back.

We'll see! still shopping around. is $3900 for 5 years/60k a good deal? currently 35k miles on the car.

[Megabrode]

My experience was hitting the mileage limit long before the time limit. I found it to be expensive "peace of mind" for 2-3 years of driving. If you're going to buy, I'd say keep looking for a better deal -- at least to 75K miles for that kind of money.

[cgoldie187]

Originally Posted by Megabrode

My experience was hitting the mileage limit long before the time limit. I found it to be expensive "peace of mind" for 2-3 years of driving. If you're going to buy, I'd say keep looking for a better deal -- at least to 75K miles for that kind of money.

I would agree completely, I just know I will only put about 10k miles per year on the car, and I'll be gone abroad for 5 months in 2019 so the car wont be driven much at all.

I will keep looking for better deals for sure though.

[gfisher99]

My platinum level warranty thru National Auto Care for 5yr/60K when the car was at 26K miles ran me $3100. It's already paid for itself when my AC evaporator had to be replaced 2 months ago to the tune of $3300. Worked out fine for me, but as everything else in life, it's a gamble.

[jlo0109]

I was firmed on purchasing an extended warranty when I was planning to purchase an e92 m3. After reading and reading on the forums and various of other sources. I decided to keep the money towards the repair and not think about it.

The history of this car, aside from all the RB failures that have posted on this forum which created a whole new fear of owning an e9x m3, has proven to be one of the most reliable M3s ever.

Sure I am always fearful when I see the oil temperature creeps up. Sure I get paranoid whenever I hear an odd noise from outside. But am I going to let a less than 1% of failure problem stop me from enjoying my car? No.

Some of the e9x M3s around the world have hit well above 200k on their motors, do you think they were thinking about extended warranty or cost repair?

[cgoldie187]

Originally Posted by jlo0109

I was firmed on purchasing an extended warranty when I was planning to purchase an e92 m3. After reading and reading on the forums and various of other sources. I decided to keep the money towards the repair and not think about it.

The history of this car, aside from all the RB failures that have posted on this forum which created a whole new fear of owning an e9x m3, has proven to be one of the most reliable M3s ever.

Sure I am always fearful when I see the oil temperature creeps up. Sure I get paranoid whenever I hear an odd noise from outside. But am I going to let a less than 1% of failure problem stop me from enjoying my car? No.

Some of the e9x M3s around the world have hit well above 200k on their motors, do you think they were thinking about extended warranty or cost repair?

Very good point. Thanks! I will keep shopping around. I just think that for $4k to not have to worry about a thing except wear and tear items for 5 years is worth it

[C Dome]

As said before, it really comes down to preference. I would have forgone the thought of a warranty until the dealer sold me a 4yr exclusionary plan for $2500, I feel like it was a bit of a steal.

The way I'd look at it is, is it cheaper to do the preventative maintenance to the vehicle and/or repairs yourself? Probably so, given the likelihood of something going wrong. (Rod Bearing Replacement Kit $1k + labor) (Throttle Actuators $1.5k + labor) On the other hand, if you're not as mechanically inclined- or simply don't have the time to deal with it, the warranty can be well worth the piece of mind if something goes kaboom, you're good. It's like a casino, you go in knowing you're going to spend no more than $200 and leave with $0 and you're okay with it. But there's a slight chance the house loses and you come out on top, same for the warranty.

For reference mine was purchased at 59,900 miles- '12 Coupe 6MT ZCP.
Best of luck!