I bought a 2008 Mini S (R56 automatic) in November of 2010.

It was put in service in February 2008.

It had 24K on it when I bought it; now has 47K on it . . . as a Daily Driver. We are going to definitely keep the car well beyond a 100K and beyond, using it for years. The current warranty runs out at 50K, I believe.

Car came with the extended maintenace plan for up to 100K and transferredit to myself . . . had only oil changes and brakes done under that.

We have had several items of warranty work done on it: timing chain repair and some seals at the sunroof replaced, and a speaker replaced, among some smaller things.

Two questions:

1) Since I am keeping the car for years, should I purchase the 100K Extended Warranty from a dealer?

3) Can you contact different dealers to shop the price down? (I was not happy with the $3000 my local dealer wants for the extended warranty. Can it be bought cheaper at another dealer?

Advice?

 

I was able to shop the Lexus dealers when I purchased it's extended warranty. Saved over $400. I would try areas where the MINI dealers are all close by,,, LA perhaps... My 0.02 worth.

 

Not only can extended warranties be shopped among MINI dealers, they csan be shopped online also. You don't have to buy it from MINI at all. You're just buying an insurance policy.

 

Stay away from non-MINI backed warranties! You know the ones that are all small print,,,

 

Well, if you READ the small print, you can be sure what your coverage is. I have a solid non-MINI warranty that covers everything but clutch, brakes, and other wear items. If I dont' use it, I get almost all of my $3k back.

I'd get the extended warranty. These are great cars but some of them can be problematic. It's worth the cost for the peace of mind, if nothing else.

My two cents.

 

Both JD Power and Consumer reports have good articles on extended warranties. Neither of them is very high on buying one, but both say if you have a car with less than average liability on which the repairs are expensive it might be worthwhile. On those criteria MINI's might qualify.

 

I did quite a bit of research and went with Warranty Direct. It covers all major items except brakes and clutch. I only paid 1200.00 for 3 additional years of warranty. So now my car is covered for 7 years or 70,000 miles. I believe it was cheap because my car is new. It is called elite plus from warranty direct. It also includes roadside assistance, rental car coverage among other things. It seems very good on paper, I hope I never have to find out, but......

 

Thanks for sharing. I've been looking into my warranty options. I currently have 10 months left on my factory warranty and weighing whether I want to go with a 3rd party warranty or just trade the MINI in for an STI next October. With all the problems coming to surface as the R56's start aging, I don't think I could feel comfortable with this as a DD outside of warranty coverage. Another company I've been looking into and am curious about is the warranty company that USAA partners with, Assurant. I have used USAA for auto insurance and bank accounts and I have been very pleased with them throughout. The rates are very similar to yours from Warranty Direct.

 

I have had around $11k in 3 trips, within 6 months to my MINI dealer using the Easy Care, Total Care policy I bought on my '02 R50. I am a poster-child to them for the sale of the 3rd party warranty. I have never had an issue with what they would and would not cover thus-far.

 

Well, I am now ready to buy a MINI extended warranty....do not want to go third party . . . Did not like the $3490 the 100k warranty my local dealer quoted. (The car came with the 100k maintenance agreement . . . Brakes, oil changes, etc., already on it . . . But I am looking for the best deal on a MINI factory repair warranty, not third party.)

$3490?!?!?!? There's has to be a better deal out there at another MINI dealership in the country, especially since I already have the 100k maintenance agreement.

Ideas on how to shop that price down? (I do not care if I buy from a MINI dealer on the moon, just so I get the best price on a MINI backEd 100k extended warranty.)

Is there a dealer out there anyone knows where I can call and get a great deal?

Doing this, because I already had to have the timing chain replaced at 40k . . . Would have cost $1500 without the warranty. Since I will be keeping the car over 100k, and know between 50k and 100k will have more repairs--Iput on about $25k a year on the car--and . . well . . . this is my wife's Christmas present . . . All she wants is her 100k repair warranty with true MINI backing. Beats a new vacuum! ;-)

 

i think this answers the question of extended warranty.

You know what?,.... dont do it, everyone here is wrong, including me !!

 

Ronin....I appreciate the sentiment . . . But the decision is made . . . It is the only Christmas present my wife desires . . . And the only Christmas present she has ever asked for in 15 years of marriage . . . And would be disappointed . . . So, it is not a possibility I am checking into . . . The decision is made . . . MINI USA only warranty . . . i am now just trying to get the best price from the right dealer.

 

Happy Wife...Happy Life!!

However, I'm with those that have said you do not need an Extended Warranty, put the $$ in the Bank for 'The Rainy Day". or get the MINI Financial Credit Card...use it, then pay it off every month. I have almost $500 in MINI Moolah and will be using it in April to buy Molly some Driving Lights!!

Molly will be out of Warranty in April 2012, but I won't be purchasing any Extended Maintenance Plan or Extended Warranty.

 

Not looking for advice on why not to get the warranty or in naming my car or in a 3rd party warranty or for credit card recommendations or for suggestions for driving lights (I will use any extra cash I save on other stuff).

Just looking for help identifying for my non-named anonymous 2008 R56 S with already the 100k maintenance plan a MINI dealer in the country where I can pay less than the $3490 for a 100k MINI USA extended repair warranty my local dealer quoted.

Any help with that?

 

There's already a thread going on here where owner's are posting prices they've paid for the maintenance plan and the extended warranty if that's what you're looking for. Their advice has been to call nearby MINI dealers and basically pin one against the other. In other words if one is cheaper than another then see if they will negotiate with you.

 

Thanks...I looked for 20 minutes for a thread like that in the forum search engine and could not find it.

Any idea where that thread is?

Thanks.

 

This thread mostly has information about the maintenance program but if you search through it you should see information about the warranty.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...act-terms.html

Someone paid 2300 in another thread...accidentally closed that tab so I can't give the URL now doh!

I've seen another post with the extended warranty for a Cooper (Non-S) to be 3000 and the "S" model was about 3200.

Start with the thread that I included. I remember someone getting a quote for an extended warranty from an out of state dealer and their dealer matched it.

 

I'd have to carefully read the policy. IIRC the MINI warranty covers the car for a total of 6 years from when it was put inservice, or 100K miles whichever occurs first.

So, car inservice Feb 2008 warranty will cover til Feb 2014. Ok. Mileage. The op has put 23,000 miles on it in 1 year? If that rate continues, you will reach the mileage limit of 100K in about 2.5 years, so about when the warranty expires...

If it's me, you can pay out of pocket for a LOT of repairs before you spend $3K. I mean it's got to be a MAJOR problem. Perhaps take that $3K+ and invest it. Take a nice vacation if nothing goes wrong. Even if it does, you can get a used engine and have it installed by an indy mechanic for $3K... I mean, it's a used car with 100K miles at that point, how much is it really worth?

Me? I'm betting nothing major is going to go wrong. They aren't getting my money on spec...

 

That is the current warranty and i believe it was in place when the OP purchased his car in 2010.

Yes he should check into it. Further details can be found here.

http://www.miniusa.com/#/shop/next/warranty-m


EDIT of course that is only if he purchased the car thru a MINI dealer. If it was purchased anywhere else it would not be covered.

 

Right . . . I will hit 100k in under 2. 1/2 years....maybe even soon because my office is moving 20 miles farther away next fall . . . Drive in 4 days a week.

Definitely want the warranty, but I bought the car with 24k on it in Nov 2010 from a private individual....came with the transferable 100k maintenance service plan, but no extended warranty . . . Putting another 1500 on a Christmas trip...47,500 on it now . . . So I need to find a MINI USA who will beat the $3490 my dealer wants . . . Silly . . . 60% higher than the cost for a 100k bumper to bumper on my 2010 Camaro!

I can fix a lot for $3490 . . . Joust heard of others keeping the 100k extended MINI USA repair warranty under $2k . . . If I can't find it, well, I just won't buy one.

I have already had some automatic transmission repair and the timing belt and tensioner issue fixed under warranty.

This has not been a troubl free car . . . I can see, like many, some possible big repair bills ahead . . . $1300-$1400 seems fair, especially since the engineering is supposed to be so much better than American cars.

But, for now, I'm on the hunt! No third party warranties for me . . . I don't want to argue about every single repair approval and the paperwork. Not interested.

Thanks for the tips.

 

Ttt

 

When I was doing my research, I've called other dealers outside of my home area and they all told me that they can't sell it to me because they need to have a recent read of the key. So I can't even mail it to them. So I ended up paying the higher price from my local dealer. $3300+tax. For 6 total years and 100k. Hope this help you

 

I purchased the 7 year 100000 mile extended warrenty from ray cantena mini in white plaines ny for 2800. At the time they had a internet promotion that i took advantage of about 10 months ago. This car must have a warrenty or your basicaly screwed its a quirky car. At 52000 i had a repair done that was 900 dollar job. At 57000 i had the chain tensioner replaced for the 3rd time and some kind of sensor replaced was a 1400 dollar job. At 61000 the hose that supplies the turbo with oil broke spraying oil everywhere causing the turbo to blow up. During the repair they found a cracked something not sure what is and found an oil gasket leak blah blah blah 5000 bucks later. So far 7300 in repairs, 4 days at dealer and 39000 left on my warrenty and 2 months of payments left for warrenty.

 

And there will be many others that will motor on for 100K+ miles and never have an issue.