Extended Maintenance and Motorer Protection
 

This is always a touchy subject as it is hit or miss. I completely understand that, overall, these plans are in favor of the dealer/MINI. However, when we take delivery of our car today/tomorrow, we're going to purchase these plans. This thread is more to discuss price versus discussing value.

I've been shopping around dealerships to see what the lowest price I could get and here they are:

2016 4 Door Mini Cooper (non-s) [averaging 13-15k per year]

Extended Maintenance: $1495
Extended Motorer XXL (warranty): 6yr/100k - $2580, 7yr/100k - $3080

There are only 5 MINI dealerships in the Washington DC area and only one talked about the Extended Motorer Plan with me but with the Maintenance plan, this is definitely the lowest I've been offered and that I've seen around the forums.

Any other comments or suggestions on pricing?

That's a great deal. I got 7 year/60K for around $2250. I drive less than 10K a year.

Well worth it for the peace of mind alone.

I think that seems pretty on-par with what we paid last week at MINI of Montgomery County. I don't remember the exact details, but I can look 'em up tonight. Our plan was only 7 / 70,000, though.

I'm actually getting my car from them as well but my quotes are coming from another dealership. I thought i would be taking delivery today but apparently the car still hasn't arrived.

Update:

$1495 maintenence
$2670 7yr/100k

Didn't bother on mine, I drive 5K or less a year. So the 4 year warranty is good enough for me, and the 3 years of Maint is a good deal as well. I will also have it paid off by then too, so any extra repairs by me are ok.

which dealer is this? I should be getting my car by the end of this month and am shopping around for the extended warranty. PM me if you prefer.

Thanks!

in-service date
 

I don't know if this is relevant to east coast dealers. But I had bought an extended maintenance plan for 72 months or 100000 miles for my 2011 Cooper S on September 2011. I was just informed during my recent visit to the dealer that my extended service plan was expired because it started counting from the vehicle's "in-service date", the date that the dealer first received the car. I am in the process of arguing with them now. But make sure the extended period is as long as you think you are paying for.

5 year/75K warranty came with my CPO car. I'm good until September '19.

Keep in mind, the MINI of Montgomery County and MINI Alexandria are the same company, just different locations.

Okay, so a new MINI comes with 4 years/50,000 miles of pretty-much bumper to bumper warranty coverage. A 6 year Extended Motorer package buys you 2 years of extra coverage and a 7 year buys you 3 extra years, albeit NOT as comprehensive as the original 4 year factory warranty -- BE SURE TO READ THE FINE PRINT so you know what is covered in the extended plan and what is not covered.

So 2 years of extended coverage costs you $1,290/year and 3 years costs you $1,027/year.

I'd see if I could AT LEAST bring the cost for the 2 year plan down to $2,054 (the same cost/year as they are offering you on the 7 year plan), though, IMHO, that's still pretty pricey for the coverage you're buying, unless you know FOR SURE you're planning to keep the car or drive a bunch of miles in the first 4 or 5 years.

Things to consider when negotiating an extended warranty:

1. Will the dealer show you true invoice on the warranty so you can see the dealer's mark up and negotiate price from there?

2. What if your car is totaled before the original factory warranty is up and prior to the extended warranty becoming effective (for the first 4 years the extended warranty doesn't matter unless you're over 50,000 miles)? Can you get a full refund for an "unused" warranty if the car is totaled?

3. Will your car insurance reimburse you for any portion of what you paid for an extended warranty if the car is totaled or stolen and not recovered?

The reason why this is all worth considering is that in order to calculate the actual value of dealer add-ons such as extended service plans there must be consideration of how value is recovered if the warranty cannot ever be used due to total loss of the vehicle. It is always entertaining to hear how dealers respond to queries regarding this issue. Such inquiries can help in negotiating a better, more reasonable price for the product.

What to tell the Dealer when you Ask For Invoice Cost
 

Let's say a dealer has 50% mark up on an extended warranty. They "buy" it for, say $1,400 and sell it to you for $2,100.

If we know the dealer paid $1,400, then we know the "cost" of the insurance, from an actuarial standpoint, is $1,400, meaning the people who are paying for any claims feel that at $1,400 they can cover their risk. Anything beyond that $1,400 is profit ON TOP OF whatever profit the claims people have engineered for themselves into the $1,400 dealer cost.

So, the dealer should make something for his overhead and sales commission -- maybe a couple of hundred bucks. Beyond that is an awful lot of fat which should be trimmed off of the final price to the customer.

So the thing to tell the F&I person or whoever is selling the extended warranty is that dealer cost represents the true value of the warranty and you are willing to pay a bit more than that so the dealer can make a reasonable profit for providing the product, etc. So, Mr. Dealer, show me your cost and let's see if we can agree on a reasonable price for me to pay and, if we can agree, I'll buy it.

I just bought a 2015 mini S with advertised 6 yr 100K extended warranty.. when I called to transfer the warranty I was informed it only covered "routine" maintenance but not repair .. I asked about engine and drive train...not covered ! basically the original owner paid $2400 for two more years of oil changes and wiper blades.....

That doesn't sound right. I bought my 2015 in 9/15 with 5K miles on the clock. It was a CPO car and it came with an extended 5 year 75K mile warranty. The routine maintenance is only good for 3/36.

So now we enter the netherworld of "Extended Warranties." Most are really service contracts, few, if any, are actual extensions of the factory warranty.

In the instance whippa describes, I would request a written print out of the actual contract as sold by the dealer. I've heard some outrageous stories of F&I rip offs, but $2400 for two extra years of scheduled maintenance is a new world's record!! I'd do a bit more research on this as I think MINI USA would not be happy to learn that any of their authorized dealers are doing motorers that dirty.

whippa - the dealer or whoever you bought the car from probably confused the extended warranty and the extended maintenance program. The warranty would cover repairs but the extended maintenance is as you describe, more oil changes and wiper blades (in 2013 they cover the clutch too) and brake pads, all routine maintenance items. They are independent programs you can purchase. The PO of my car did the same thing, purchased extended maintenance but ended up driving 9k miles in 3 years, then selling it. The small mom n pop type dealer I bought the car from had no idea it came with the extended maintenance!

That sounds about right. MINI dealers *love* this scam. It's an utter rip off.

My friend bought an extended warranty on his truck. Retail price $2500. He paid $700. It was 3 years. Covered most of the truck he said.