Spent a mint to replace the passenger's side latch (98 323ic). Seems to be a common problem from other forum searches. Has anyone found a recent post on discussions with BMW on what they will/won't cover? Isn't this a "safety" item?
It is a safety item, and I THINK according to federal law... ...safety and emissions items are warrantied for 10 years. I could be mistaken, but that was my understanding. When you consider the millions of cars that are out there on the road, while lifetime warranty coverage would be terrific on every single car out there, the cost to the automakers would probably be horrific to indefinitely supply replacement safety and emissions parts. The one sole exception to this is safety items covered under a factory recall. If there is an SIB (Service Information Bulletin) out on a defective safety item, that's separate from the vehicle warranty in the regard that it doesn't expire, but it's still treated as a warranty replacement from a cost standpoint. Factory recalls are known or discovered defects in factory workmanship, and to protect themselves from liability resulting from having cars with known defects, the manufacturers service these SIB issues free of charge. Warranty items and factory recalls are one thing. Stuff that breaks under normal wear and tear is another. Sorry about that. I would still check to see if there are any SIB items related to safety or emissions on your 98 vehicle. Any dealer ought to be able to pull up this information.
On an October '10 tour of Welt and the Munich plant, we were told that Germany requires that auto manufacturers maintain a supply of parts for ten model years. For the sheet metal dies used to stamp out parts, BMW maintains a reserve of parts for only a few years beyond the model's production, then sells the dies to a third party which continues to produce a predicted amount of the parts, sufficient to last the ten year requirement. Whether you get a genuine BMW part, or one made with original factory equipment, may depend on your car's age and place in time. Driver's seat belt latches are frequently-replaced items on most newer cars. Lots of latching cycles, spilled food and drink items, and the sensitive electrical contacts to activate the restraint systems can really test them, especially here in fast-food North America. Years ago, Honda gave up on Japanese designs to adopt American latching systems, simply because we eat and spill so much that their warranty claims were beyond tolerance.
