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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Am I wrong to think an extended maintenance is actually a good idea?
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      09-10-2013, 02:15 PM   #1
sickwithit
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Am I wrong to think an extended maintenance is actually a good idea?

So I've read posts where people say the extended maintenance plan is a waste of money.

I live in the bay area and I don't work on my cars so I expect I will never be able to fix anything, both for lack of time and perhaps even interest. I have a 2011 F10 coming up on 50k miles and I've been offered a 3y 2mo or 100k miles extension for $1900. I'm due for new front brakes and according to the guy who is trying to sell it to me he thinks I'll be doing front and back brakes (possibly even rotors), spark plugs, at least 3 oil changes, micro filter, break fluid and something pretty major (I forgot what it was) he said needs to be done at 100k (which I can do at 96k) before this plan is over. He actually gave me an itemized list of the cost for these things and based on his numbers, I'll be spending well over the cost of the plan in three years if I were to pay out of pocket.

Some of you may be wondering why it's 3years instead of 2 and it's because my car's maintenance plan was supposed to go until dec 2014 so extending that by 2 years is giving me another extra year and change. I'm really tempted to jump on this but I want to hear what you guys think before pulling the trigger. Again, I would like to emphasize that I have absolutely no intentions to do any of this work myself. Yes, I know that's pitiful to some of you car lovers but I'm just not into that stuff. I just like driving the car.

Last edited by sickwithit; 09-10-2013 at 03:10 PM..
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      09-10-2013, 03:20 PM   #2
sickwithit
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I had initially said 2300 but I was just able to find a dealer who would do it for $1900 so I've updated the original post. Here are some of my upcoming services.

Standard Scope - $100 - Due in Uknown...wth?
Engine Oil - $180 - Due in 2700 miles
Intake Silencer - $165 - Due in Unknown...wth?
Front Brakes - $1278 - Due in 2600 miles
Brake Fluid - $195 - Due in 10k miles
Microfilter - $285 - Due in 10k miles
Rear Brakes - $985 - Due in 21k miles
Transmission Fluid - $820 - At 96k miles

Assuming three oil changes, microfilter and brake fluid replacements, the cost of these services will run me something close to 5k. I know these prices are probably inflated but what I need to know is are they so inflated that they would actually cost under $1900 if I were to do them elsewhere in the bay area.
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      09-10-2013, 06:28 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sickwithit View Post
I had initially said 2300 but I was just able to find a dealer who would do it for $1900 so I've updated the original post. Here are some of my upcoming services.

Standard Scope - $100 - Due in Uknown...wth?
Engine Oil - $180 - Due in 2700 miles
Intake Silencer - $165 - Due in Unknown...wth?
Front Brakes - $1278 - Due in 2600 miles
Brake Fluid - $195 - Due in 10k miles
Microfilter - $285 - Due in 10k miles
Rear Brakes - $985 - Due in 21k miles
Transmission Fluid - $820 - At 96k miles

Assuming three oil changes, microfilter and brake fluid replacements, the cost of these services will run me something close to 5k. I know these prices are probably inflated but what I need to know is are they so inflated that they would actually cost under $1900 if I were to do them elsewhere in the bay area.
Most of the BMW service are condition based and have long intervals. Looking at your list, it looks like it is a hard sell list used by a car salesman. As far as I know, standard scope is not on the list of BMW maintenance, what ever is it. Engine oil change is about $100 if go to an indy BMW mechanic, you might need two of them for the extra two years while you are on the plan. Intake Silencer must be something inline with the standard scope, sounds very technical, but not on the list from BMW USA. If you can get one set of brake change before 50000 miles, you might just need one more set change in the next two years, about $800 at an indy. Brake fluid every 2 years, at about $150, microfilter every 2 years at about $100 and transmission fluid is lifetime, no need to change it. I have a total of $1250, if I were you, I would hang onto your money.
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      09-10-2013, 07:38 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sickwithit
So I've read posts where people say the extended maintenance plan is a waste of money.

I live in the bay area and I don't work on my cars so I expect I will never be able to fix anything, both for lack of time and perhaps even interest. I have a 2011 F10 coming up on 50k miles and I've been offered a 3y 2mo or 100k miles extension for $1900. I'm due for new front brakes and according to the guy who is trying to sell it to me he thinks I'll be doing front and back brakes (possibly even rotors), spark plugs, at least 3 oil changes, micro filter, break fluid and something pretty major (I forgot what it was) he said needs to be done at 100k (which I can do at 96k) before this plan is over. He actually gave me an itemized list of the cost for these things and based on his numbers, I'll be spending well over the cost of the plan in three years if I were to pay out of pocket.

Some of you may be wondering why it's 3years instead of 2 and it's because my car's maintenance plan was supposed to go until dec 2014 so extending that by 2 years is giving me another extra year and change. I'm really tempted to jump on this but I want to hear what you guys think before pulling the trigger. Again, I would like to emphasize that I have absolutely no intentions to do any of this work myself. Yes, I know that's pitiful to some of you car lovers but I'm just not into that stuff. I just like driving the car.
Is there a co-pay amount with this plan?
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      09-11-2013, 07:22 AM   #5
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I have a 2011 535I (M-Sport). I have 26K miles. So far the dealer has replaced both front rotors and pads, two buttons on the AC unit on the dash, replaced a part in the fuel injector (don't know what part), and of course all the regular scheduled maintenance.

I would expect that once I'm closer to 35K more things will go wrong and the rear brakes will have to be replaced. The brakes alone would pay for the cost of the extended maintenance.
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      09-11-2013, 04:03 PM   #6
sickwithit
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The X Men, the other thing is I no longer have any faith in my indy BMW mechanic. I used to like them until they started charging me $600 for an hour of work+labor (they claimed they had to replace the fuel pump). If we go with your numbers, I'm basically gambling on some $700. If you throw in the fact that they give you a loaner every time which is a big win for me because I have to go to work every day, that may be another $100-200 so all together, I'm looking at circa $500 in risk. Hmm...I need to think about it more but to me, given the fact that I may have other unanticipated maintenance issues, that seems like a worthy investment...btw, I'm at 49800 miles right now (200 miles away) and paying the $1900 will actually extend my maintenance plan for 3 years and 2 months (so that is until Dec. 2016...not just 2 years) or 100k miles, whichever comes first. So maybe I can sneak in another oil change or even a new microfilter at the end of the 6 years?

sanyomats, no there is no copay or deductible. That only applies to their extended warranties I think.

Centerfield, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I've an older bmw and I've had to deal with all that nonsense out of pocket.
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      09-11-2013, 04:25 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sickwithit View Post
The X Men, the other thing is I no longer have any faith in my indy BMW mechanic. I used to like them until they started charging me $600 for an hour of work+labor (they claimed they had to replace the fuel pump). If we go with your numbers, I'm basically gambling on some $700. If you throw in the fact that they give you a loaner every time which is a big win for me because I have to go to work every day, that may be another $100-200 so all together, I'm looking at circa $500 in risk. Hmm...I need to think about it more but to me, given the fact that I may have other unanticipated maintenance issues, that seems like a worthy investment...btw, I'm at 49800 miles right now (200 miles away) and paying the $1900 will actually extend my maintenance plan for 3 years and 2 months (so that is until Dec. 2016...not just 2 years) or 100k miles, whichever comes first. So maybe I can sneak in another oil change or even a new microfilter at the end of the 6 years?

sanyomats, no there is no copay or deductible. That only applies to their extended warranties I think.

Centerfield, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I've an older bmw and I've had to deal with all that nonsense out of pocket.
Logical enough for me, it seems like its a good situation for you to get into. I forgot to add plugs to my list, so the numbers are even closer.
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      09-11-2013, 04:27 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sickwithit View Post
The X Men, the other thing is I no longer have any faith in my indy BMW mechanic. I used to like them until they started charging me $600 for an hour of work+labor (they claimed they had to replace the fuel pump). If we go with your numbers, I'm basically gambling on some $700. If you throw in the fact that they give you a loaner every time which is a big win for me because I have to go to work every day, that may be another $100-200 so all together, I'm looking at circa $500 in risk. Hmm...I need to think about it more but to me, given the fact that I may have other unanticipated maintenance issues, that seems like a worthy investment...btw, I'm at 49800 miles right now (200 miles away) and paying the $1900 will actually extend my maintenance plan for 3 years and 2 months (so that is until Dec. 2016...not just 2 years) or 100k miles, whichever comes first. So maybe I can sneak in another oil change or even a new microfilter at the end of the 6 years?

sanyomats, no there is no copay or deductible. That only applies to their extended warranties I think.

Centerfield, that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I've an older bmw and I've had to deal with all that nonsense out of pocket.
Which Bay Area indy has lost your trust? My experience has been that the indies are good for small jobs, but they can charge close to dealer prices on big ones(maybe 10-15% cheaper). Does dealer always change pads + rotors on brake jobs? If so the extended maintenance sounds like a good bet.
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      09-11-2013, 05:29 PM   #9
sickwithit
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f30fanboy....I've been going to bimmers in san carlos since 2002. But I'm very wary of going back since that last visit a couple of months ago. I have a 2001 330i that has been acting up lately so I don't know if my experiences will be different with a newer car but I'm not going to find out.
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