I'm getting ready to take delivery and purchase my MINI here soon. The dealership has a number of warranties and I wanted to solicit some input on which of these is worthwhile and worth taking advantage of.

1) Tire and Wheel Protection (3, 4 & 5 year option) ranging from ~$800-$1,200. Pretty much covers tires, mounting, valve stems, wheels, balancing and even tax. Are these wheels that sensitive that they may get messed up?

2) Extended Maintenance (get 3 yrs/36K miles) up to 6 years or 100K miles. Is the maintenance cost pretty expensive if I plan to keep it long term?

3) Extended Warranty up to 7 yrs / 100K miles. I get that is just hedging against major problems, part costs, etc. down the road.

4) Windshield repair or replacement (get 3 or 5 yrs) ranging from ~$600-$700. Are these low enough that our MINIs are pretty prone to this?

What have most of you done on these? Or, if you had it all over to do again knowing what you know today, do you wish you had/hadn't done?

Appreciate any and all feedback.

 

These are all merely dealership-required sales pitches. Depending on the area you live in (like if you live in an area with huge potholes, or with lots of gravel on the roads), some of them may make sense to you. I personally passed on all of them - I can get new tires for $100 each, I can get wheels refinished for $100 each OR get a used replacement for even less, and windshield repair/replacement is covered by my auto insurance. The cost for the extended warranty is outrageous IMO - I have Geico for auto insurance and can include major breakdown insurance for an additional $5/month. Extended maintenance MAY be worth it if you are not handy and tend to go through brakes quickly. If you are a DIYer, it's not worth it.

Is it convenient to just do it all at the time of sale? Sure. Can you do better? Absolutely. But it's an individual question - only you know what your finances allow for and what you can DIY.

 

I have Geico also and they tell me the mechanical breakdown insurance is $15 a month. Still not bad but the deductible is $250 per incident.

 

My opinion is that they are a waste of money. Think about it if you bought ALL of the plans the dealership has to offer it would be almost 6 grand...you're almost a quarter of the way to another new MINI.

We had the tire and wheels on my wife's 2006 MCS...we didn't buy it for my new 2010...not that I would have wanted to...but she wouldn't have let me. She saw it as a big waste of money.

Also...her car is 5 years old...not a single bit of warranty service done on it so far.

You can always buy extended warranty later...wait and see if you have a dud of a car with things going wrong all of the time before you invest the dime. And then again...if it seems to be a dud...you many want to be selling it anyways...

 

I suppose it varies based on the vehicle (and the driver maybe, also, I don't know). $250 is less than you'd spend for almost any repair out of pocket. I believe the extended warranty through the dealer carries a $200 deductible.

 

Ah I didn't know their deductible was so high.

 

Yeah...so if you do the math, the MBI works out quite a bit less expensively, even at $15/month = $180/year plus deductibles, versus $2900 plus deductibles (which is what my dealer wanted for the MINI warranty). Even if the MINI warranty carried NO deductible, it would take a LOT of repairs to make it worth it (which, it's a MINI, I guess it's possible lol).

 

My insurance company does not have repair options. I have purchased a 5/60K extended warranty plan. It starts today. The plan has a $100 deductible. Cost was $4,080. You can read my full writeup here: http://www.hrmini.com/component/opti.../topic,3704.0/.

 

Just a question of clarification...the years and mileage that you listed in your attached link...those are from the time of the end of your factory warranty not from day zero?

I ask because I was a bit confused because their brochure said "up to 100,000 mile coverage"...but the factory 50 plus the 60 option would be 110k?

 

Nah...didn't do it last time, and won't do it this time either...

 

I honestly think that's a fortune to pay for one of these things.

 

scottmd, the coverage starts after the factory extended warranty runs out. So, yes that means I'm covered up to 8 years or 110K miles. I'm guessing the options vary based on what company your local dealership goes through.

sekhmet101, I call it peace of mind. It averages out to $800 coverage per year. Two issues that come to mind that would be worth the coverage are 1st-gen CVTs failing and 2nd-gen carbon buildup issues for other MINI owners.

 

I understand wanting peace of mind. I agree it is sometimes necessary. I bought an unnecessary extended warranty on my Civic that cost roughly $1200. There was a $50 deductible for each incident, good for 5 yrs/60 K miles. I think I used it 3 times. Most of my problems have occurred since the warranty ran out (go figure). I just think $4800 for that peace of mind is excessive. I've heard of companies that offer warranties that are cheaper then the dealership warranty. I just don't know if they're reliable.

 

Yeah, the reliability factor is what I question. The only other advice I would consider is:

- Someone you know that bought one and knows the plan is legit.
- Recommendations from your auto insurance company.

Not quite $4800; was $4080. I already knew it would be roughly $3000-3200 for the 6/100,000 plan mentioned in other forum posts. But there is still some question as to whether that 6-year plan would start from when you purchased your MINI or the plan itself.