https://www.bmwcca.org/news/bmw’s-maintenance-program-great-program—-initial-buyer Ok, so wtf is this? Anyone have any insight or logical speculation why BMW makes this move? If the competition doesn't follow suit, seems to me BMW is shooting itself in the head? 30 years ago, BMW's had only a 1 year warranty, and the idea of anyone other than the owner paying for service wasn't even a concept; those were also the days of recommended 3k oil changes, 2-yr. coolant flushes, 30k trans & diff. fluid changes, and the notion of a "lifetime" fluid was laughable. Is this a step backwards or a smart move on BMW's part? Thoughts anyone? One thing I wonder is if this might particularly backfire due to misperception that BMW is reducing its warranty coverage, which is not the case.
I'd imagine it makes selling a car with no maintenance harder since it may have been a selling point previously.
It's official - it's on the BMW website. http://www.bmwusa.com/ultimateservice As stated above, the new policy only limits the maintenance program to the original buyer. The warranty would continue for a subsequent buyer. I'll bet you don't see this new policy in any BMW advertising. BMW will save some maintenance money on those vehicles sold within 4-years and I suspect the original lessee or buyer doesn't care if the subsequent buyer will be included in the maintenance program. It won't hurt sales. What do you really get under BMW's very limited maintenance program? It's not worth much - annual oil change, wiper blades, bi-annual brake fluid flush. I end up doing additional maintenance anyway. However, it is nice to get a new BMW loaner while my oil is changed. It's a chance for BMW independent shops to pick up business, since subsequent buyers won't be hooked into "free" service at BMW centers.
First of all, how many other automakers offer a free maintenance program for the life of a four-year/50,000-mile warranty in the first place, original owner or not? Only one that I see, Cadillac, and this decision isn't going to push me over to the dark side (GM). Second, just how much real value is there for the second owner of a car who bought it when it already had three years/36,000 miles? Maximum might be one oil change (maybe), a set of wiper blades (probably), and a brake fluid flush (possibly). Is this really a dealbreaker for the second owner? How does this policy by BMW help its competition? I doubt that other premium automakers are going to start running ads that their maintenance programs now suck less versus BMW's than they did before. Mercedes and Audi only offer a prepaid maintenance program. Cadillac offers a four year/50,000-mile program but it doesn't cover as much stuff as BMW's. It can, at last count, be transferred however. Other competitors offer shorter-length programs if they offer them at all, so it's hard to imagine how BMW suffers by comparison. Perhaps that's what the bean counters in Munich were looking at when they made this change. The company has already announced it intends to cut operating costs by $4 billion to $5.4 billion a year. I'd rather they cut free maintenance for the second owner than decide to buy cheaper materials to build cars from. As for the value of the maintenance program to the original owner, my personal experience is that it has significant value, especially at dealer service prices. My 2011 x5d went out of warranty in June. Up to that point, under the maintenance program, I received four oil changes, four DEF/flushes or top offs, one set of wiper blades (front and rear), an unspecified amount of windshield washer fluid, two brake fluid flushes, one fuel filter replaced, one air filter replaced, and two sets of micro filters and recirculation filters replaced. Granted, the condition-based oil services arrive more frequently with a diesel than a gasser, but that doesn't diminish the value of the program to me.
My other car is a Cadillac, my wife's choice & her daily driver. Maintenance is pretty uneventful, except they always seem to put me in a loaner that I find interesting. Maybe my expectations are too high, but when the BEE goes in for service, I generally get a Fleet loaner. Service Loaners = Extended Test Drives... Put me in something I might want to buy, please.
The maintenance on my car bought CPO was nice I got an a few oil changes, air filter, and a spark plug change out of the deal. I would have done the filters and plugs myself if it weren't covered but It was a nice perk. I will probably continue to go to the dealer for oil changes, and brake fluid flushes or trans fluid and filter changes just due to not wanting to deal with it in the garage at home. The local dealer is only about $25 more than buying the proper oil and filters to do the job myself. Money well spent.
The BEE is coming up on it's 3 year anniversary. Just past 25,000 miles & outside of replacing the tires, no other problems to report. However, I guess the word must be out & I get at least two calls a week from an after market warranty extension company. Is there a BMW direct warranty extension program? If not, is there a reputable warranty extension program I should consider?
As Charlson says, BMW sells maintenance programs. He neglects to add the words: "and warranty..." You can purchase a BMW extended warranty program that extends the factory warranty to up to 7 years/100K miles. Prices from dealers vary from around $2500-$4500 (3 levels of coverage, too) so shop around. You have to purchase it before the factory warranty ends.
Going to my dealership tomorrow to check out the Extended Warranty packages... Power Train Plus, Gold or Platinum. Feeling like the Gold option would fit best, covers all essential systems needed to keep the Bee on the road. Platinum adds coverage for the optional electro-bits, at the right price I could see this making sense too. Anybody else take this plunge? I like the security of having extended coverage, but at these prices, I would want to know that there are no games to be played when the time comes for repairs. The marketing package states: "A worry-free ownership experience." Anybody able to offer confirmation on this promise?
The water is both cold & deep... Based on my current history & future mileage expectations, I bought the "Gold" warranty package for 84 months & 70,000 miles. Basically a 3 year extension to the basic BMW warranty. I went with the extra months & shorter mileage because I can control the mileage, but still working on slowing down the time it takes the earth to orbit the sun. In the Bee, this package set me back about $3,400, so as with most other forms of insurance, peace of mind, never comes cheap. This warranty is transferable & if I decide to trade the car in, I can request a refund for the unused value of the coverage. Not really a factor for me, since I plan on keeping the Bee until the earth orbiting the sun is no longer a point of interest for me.
