If you're planning on putting a lot of highway miles on your MINI, you might want to think twice before paying for an extended maintenance agreement, because you might not get very much out of it. (The OBC stretches the service intervals out considerably if you do a lot of freeway driving).

I got a free extension on my maintenance period to 4 years/50k miles from MINIUSA, but at the rate I'm going, I'm not going to have even one service come due during the extension period. Here's how the OBC-recommended service history has gone so far:


12,500 - car came due for first scheduled service visit ("Oil Change")
33,000 - car came due for second service visit ("Inspection I")

There was less than a year between the two service visits, so I wasn't eligible for a free "annual low-mileage" oil change between the two OBC-recommended visits.

So there's no way I'm going to get more than the two visits out of the standard 3/36k service agreement, and if the OBC tells me to go more than 17k miles before the next visit, even the extended 50k period will have ended as well. This seems likely, since the last interval was almost 21,000 miles. And even if I can squeak in one more service before 50k, it will just be another "oil change", not an inspection.

I'm glad I got the extension for free, because I'd have been a little miffed if I had paid the ~$750 the dealer charges to purchase the extension on my own.


Just something to think about.

 

I believe my MA mentioned the extension for both the warranty and maintenance was 6yr / 100K for a total of $3,200. I dunno how much of a benefit I'd get though.

 

I'm not a big fan of extended warranties in general. The automakers/aftermarket warranty companies set the prices so that on average, they'll pay out less in claims than the warranty costs the buyer.

That's not to say that you won't be the "lucky" buyer that gets $12 kajillion dollars' worth of work done for free under the extended warranty, but the odds are against it - the actuaries that calculate the prices are *very* good at what they do.

Also, keep in mind that if the car is sold/stolen/totaled after the extended warranty/service agreement kicks in, you can't get reimbursed for the money you spent. (Although you usually *can* get your money back if the car is stolen or totaled *before* the extended plan goes into effect, which not many people know.)

 

That's like saying you shouldn't buy health insurance because you probably won't get cancer anytime soon, or shouldn't get a good car insurance policy because you're a great driver and will never get into an accident. Come on now.

 

No, we're talking about two completely-different things here. Insuring yourself against potentially devastating/catastrophic losses is a *good* idea.

To use your example, medical coverage is almost always a good idea, regardless of how much you have to spend to get it, because even a short hospital stay can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. (in 2003, I had *one* surgery, a ten-day hospital stay afterwards, and a few months of physical therapy, and the total bill was $140,000).

Same with car insurance. When an accident can easily result in a lawsuit potentially costing you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, insurance makes sense.

Things like accident liability and medical conditions can easily wipe out your life savings, but it's not going to be as tragic if you have to drop $2500 to have a clutch replaced on your car.

It's the same reason you shouldn't spend $50 to buy an extended warranty on a $500 camera. Odds are, you're not going to need $50 worth of repairs during the extended period after the manufacturer's warranty expires, and even if you do, spending a few hundred dollars to repair it or $500 to replace it altogether shouldn't be an unbearable loss, so it makes less sense to purchase the additional coverage.

 

Yeah I agree with you Scott...I didn't spring for the extended maintenance because I'm coming up on 50k and still haven't even hit Inspection II yet because of all the highway miles. I do my own oil changes every 5k and can do all my own standard maintenance, and know people who can get me through anything else that might come up, so I just didn't see the need.

On the other hand, I have a CVT. So I did spring for an extended warranty for the drivetrain because I wanted to protect myself against a potential $5-9k loss there.

 

I agree on these points, but I also think extending the warranty and/or maintenance will more than pay for itself on resale value. Many people looking at BMW/Mini's are highly concerned about maintenance and repair costs after the initial free period (myself included). Any car with a turbo engine can amount to very high repair costs. Having these items taken care of to 6 years/100k miles is a HUGE selling point and one that will set your car apart if you decide to sell it before that time is up. Take a look at the M3 market and see what kind of premium cars with the maintenance/extended warranty command (it's usually just about equal to the cost, so you can fully recover it if you wanted to). Granted, both items on M3's are much more expensive than a Mini, but the cost is also proportional. Not only that, but you get to use them if you don't sell the car before 100k miles....I don't know exactly what Mini charges, but if it were a reasonable amount it would be worth it. If it's $5k, I'd pass.

 

This is what i got from the dealer for maint only I will not get it but might buy the extnded warranty
Also, Im sure your Motoring Advisor went over the 3 year or 36,000 Mile Free Maintenance program on your new MINI! No cost for Oil Services, Wiper Blades, Brakes (Pads, Rotors, Sensors), Belts, Hoses, and Brake Flushes!
Now, upgrade this warranty to 6 years or 100,000 miles for only $1495.00!
Pre pay your service and save thousands!

 

I am one who will not get the extended warranty as the closest dealer is 100 miles away....at the end of warranty I will take it to my euro shop or my BMW shop....it might be more expensive but every warranty i have bought. i have lost money on..... If i had go auto trans. i might have considered it ...

 

I for one got the extended maintenance plan for 6yr/100K only because it will cover the brakes AND clutch(if need be) now i have never burned out a clutch but you never know. Also my brother's 06 MINI is in dire need of brake work and while he found the parts cheaper online and is doing it himself the dealer wanted 1200 for the job. the 1400 i spent on the plan pretty much gets paid for on the first brake job...and i would feel a lot more comfortable taking Tobey to the dealer for brakes.