My '06 MCS w/JCW is about to come out of warranty in October and so I've been researching and shopping around for extended service contracts. I LOVE the MINI and don't want to give it up. It's the best car I've ever owned!!

I've been quoted what I think is a great price for an extended service contract that will last an additional 4yrs/48k miles beyond the 4yrs/42k mile mark I am at now - effectively giving me 8yrs/90k miles bumper-to-bumper.

And it's through Fidelity Warranty Services, which is a division of AM&P.
I was quoted $2,760, which I thought was a phenomenal price, considering who is providing the contract, and it is a bumper-to-bumper coverage.

The problem is I also have Service 2 coming up, which is supposedly going to cost about $1,250. And I'm still on the original clutch, which I know costs $2,700 to replace (with flywheel). So basically I'm afraid to have "fun" with the vehicle for fear of burning up the clutch. After spending $4,000 on maintenance costs before the end of this year, it's going to be real tough to cough up an additional $2,700 should the need arise!


My question to you guys:
Did you decide to buy an extended warranty or go w/o one?
Or did you trade in the car for a newer vehicle?

 

No service contract for me.
In general I don't like them. The seller must make a profit and do what repairs it must do from the money you send them. From what one person in the industry told me they spend less than 30% of revenue on repairs. Therefore I chose to go without.
However, I know if you don't like doing your own repairs or need financial predictability some people sleep better having one.

I have an 04 with 63k and have had no problems without a service or warranty agreement.

 

This thread is a bit long, but a thorough reading should bring you up to speed: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...act-terms.html.

 

There's definitely some confusion and mixing of terms here.
Extended Service Contracts cover mechanical breakdowns. It's not legal to call them "Extended Warranties" anymore, so they're called ESCs.
Extended Maintenance Contract cover regularly scheduled wear-and-tear maintenance items that ESCs don't cover.

Thanks for the link JJF! The extended maintenance contract is starting to look attractive, if it will cover the cost of Service 2 and also "insure" me against needing to spend an additional $2700 if I end up needing a new clutch. After 50k+ on the OEM clutch, I can't see them claiming "abusive driving". Seems like justifiable wear-and-tear to need a new one after that many miles. And really I think I'll probably get 70k+ out of this clutch, with the way that I drive it.

Seems like I'm going to be dropping $4k pretty soon here.

 

Does anyone know how much the extended service contract is? the dealership asked for $2,200 but I think it is too much. Is there a Mini official price for it?

 

There are so many out there... I have yet to see one that blows me away...