Ordered a 2015 CMS 6 Speed Manual, currently awaiting transport and hope for delivery in the next 4-5 weeks.

I have never purchased any sort of extended warranty or service contract for any consumer product, motorcycle, boat or car......but the potential for long term reliability issues has me considering doing so for this purchase.

I will finance the CMS for 4 years and expect to only accumulate about 10K miles per year, so while financed it will be covered by the factory warranty.

I have no issues with paying for routine maintenance once the 3 year/36K mile free period is up and I typically do much of the routine stuff myself....I just don't want to be saddled with large or even several small unexpected service issues after the 3/4 year and 36/50K mileage periods

I'm not sure I will keep the car long term (in excess of 5 years and 100K miles) but my track history is to keep vehicles that I really like for 3-7 years after they are paid in full and up to +150K miles. If I don't like the vehicle I generally offload it during years 2-3 and move on to something else.

So assuming I was to actually keep the CMS for 7 years and/or +100K miles, which of the 2 service contracts would be the better buy?

My limited thinking tells me the Extended Warranty is the better financial protection option but would that lock me into a situation where all service must be performed by an authorized service center (dealer) otherwise they might find a technicality to void a warranty claim? Or am I being too paranoid?

Does the extended warranty pay for the failed part and replacement cost (labor) with a set deductible or just the cost of the part wherein I pay the labor cost?

I assume the Maintenance Contract only covers routine maintenance and if there is an issue with a failed part the cost for the replacement part and the labor to install/rectify would not be covered under the Maintenance Contract, is this accurate?

I'm thinking if I really like the car, the Extended Warranty would entice me to hang on to it longer than I would typically do so if it was found to be more unreliable. Whereas If I knew it would be in the shop a lot, I would sell it regardless of how fun it may be to drive if I didn't have an extended warranty. Of course I could always simply buy a new MINI if I really liked driving it and keep it until the factory warranty expires and repeat the process but that is not the best financial decision.

What is the current thinking on the long term reliability of the '14/'15 Countryman S 6-Speed Manual and did any of you all purchase an Extended Warranty or Maintenance Contract?

Thanks for any input,

Mark

 

I'm interested in the answers on this too.


One thing that strikes me is that there doesn't seem to be one or two dealers that sell extended warranties for close to cost on the internet. I've been able to get incredible deals for past Nissan's, Toyota's, Honda's and Acura's.


For example, I got a seven year/125k mile bumper to bumper warranty on my wife's CR-V for $975. A similar one for my 370Z was only $1,100.

 

After what I spent on my clubbie Blue, I did both extended warranty and maintenance contract on Lucy. Of course she will be problem free (she is to 20k). But maintenance includes 1 clutch change which is about what the maintenance contract cost. You have to see one in the shop to understand, they drop the entire drive train out of the car to change the clutch.

 

That's because those cars won't break.. Unlike a Mini..

No, I'm not kidding.

 

Personally I've never ever claimed a benefit from any extended warranty on any product. My perspective is that if you are buying a new car with the feeling you need this extra protection then maybe you should be looking for a car with more peace of mind going forward.

I bought a used 2011 CM this year and they pushed hard to sell me $1600 warranty, which I not so politely declined.

 

I declined the Warranty on my recently purchased R60. Put the $$ you would have spent in a separate account so it's there if you need it after the initial coverage ends. If you have no issues, you'll have some extra $$ to put down on your next MINI.

 

I extended my maintenance warranty to 100,000 miles but I did it in from a state that did not tax on warranties. I attached a dealer provided table here.



More at post...>

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-warranty.html

 

Thanks for the replies......while reading the specifics of the extended warranty it specifically excludes clutch repair/replacement stating that the clutch is a "normal wear" item.

So does the maintenance contract cover the cost of a clutch replacement?

My biggest high ticket item of concern is the clutch, if not covered by an extended warranty I'll likely pass. Also, I believe I could service the majority of the items listed in the table above, excluding clutch and scope.

If the maintenance contract covers normal wear items then it comes down to whether I pay upfront for someone to do the work at the prescribed intervals or just do it myself.

 

I did both. Salesman says clutch is covered minus 50 dollar deductible. I don't usually buy extended warranty or service plans but feared that with what may be a fragile clutch, it would be worth it in the end.

 

The 36,000 to 100,000 mile MINI Maintenance Program upgrade (extended maintance) does cover the clutch disk replacement and other routine maitenance due to normal wear and tear with no deductible mentioned in the contract. Unlike the factory warranty which covers non-maintenance issues thru 50,000 miles would not cover normal wear of a clutch. This contract is transferrable to a new owner if sold--so that is a plus. My dealer told me he often sees clutch failures around 60,000 miles (I know, I know many are well over 100,000). I figured I would break even with routine service inlcuding brakes--and I would be way ahead with a clutch. I should mention my 23,000 mile 2014 CM clutch sucks and difficult to start on steep hills and even getting up my driveway without a headstart. (Yes, I have other vehicles with over 150,000 on the original clutch with no issues).

Note this does not cover the flywheel or if you tracked your Mini. My local dealer quoted me $1,895+tax. I shopped around and I ended up going with a dealer in another state that does not tax on service contracts and I ended up at $1,695+NO TAX.

Also, this Maintenance Program upgrade also includes increasing the standard 48 month unlimited mileage roadside assistance to 72 month/unlimited mileage--another huge plus.

 

I think of extended warranties as the same as snake oil. Sure there are occasional winners at Las Vegas but in the end the house always wins. I've never bought one on any car I've purchased and have yet to regret my decision even one time.

If a particular part lasts thru infancy and especially thru the life time of the original factory warranty it's almost a certainty that the part was not faulty and that it was installed properly. If you maintain your car properly and (here's the big one) don't beat on your car you should have no need for any extended warranty. If you are rough on your car then that's a different matter.

 

While the decision to buy an extended warranty or not is obviously a personal choice, I wouldn't necessarily categorize them as snake oil. I learned a very valuable lesson (for me at least), and when I can get one of the "near cost" deals I mentioned above, I jump on them.


My cars are heavily optioned, including Nav systems. If I can buy an additional four years of bumper-to-bumper manufacturer 100% coverage for under $1,500, it's a no-brainer to me. Go price the cost of replacing some of the high-tech electronics in today's cars.


One of the responses to my post was that Japanese cars never break. I beg to differ.


The last car, before the MINI, that I didn't buy an extended warranty for was a 2001 Honda Odyssey. I passed on a seven year. 100k warranty for $695. About six months after the van went out of warranty I incurred over $1,200 in repair costs. I learned a lesson.


Ever since then, I get the warranties when available. They are transferrable on resale, or refundable if trading in the car. Having a full warranty goes a long way when selling a car to someone.


Again, it's a personal choice, and we all have our own experiences/opinions. In my case, they have always paid for themselves.

 

If extended warranty always paid for themselves, how does the insurance company keep the lights on and where does the dealer's profit come from?

 

Doesn't it concern anyone regarding the need for clutch replacement? Mine went at 49,000 miles and was replaced under warranty. The fact that it went at all is a first for any manual transmission car that I have ever owned over 30 years. Thus my decision to trade it in for a non Mini....

 

Concerns me. My salesman mater of factly mentioned that it would need to be replaced at around 50K, like it was SOP. I've driven manuals all my life. Iv'e only had to replace one clutch at 80K and it was in a Suzuki Samurai that was used off road frequently.

We purchased the extended service and warranty contract to hedge our bet. Salesman said it would cover everything.

 

This is what worries me also. I'm an adult driver, who can drive a stick. and I mean I can really drive it as in I make-em last.

Mini seems to be known for soft clutches, but they updated them in 2012 (or so with the Countryman units) due to super early failures.

I've seen some of the posts on other forums where people clearly don't even understand how to take off from a light, and they are shocked as to why they needed a clutch at 30K. I've seen ranges all over the place from 120K to 10K on Mini clutches.

Still I worry when I see adult drivers having them fail pre-100K mark. 100K is a fair number to me for a clutch, and I'll hit it in 6.5 years at this rate. Which falls outside of the Mini warranty contract terms. So I'm mixed. I also can do the job myself, not that I want to..

$1300 for the contract VS $1500 for a clutch job at my dealer.

Throw in a few sets of brakes with a free loaner.. and its not a bad deal..

The clutch is the biggie.

If its just brakes and oil changes, no thanks. But throw in a clutch.. and boom, its worth it.

Still not sure, glad I have until 40K to make up my mind.

I also got the extend warty from Geico which is only $50 a year, a far better deal for larger scale disasters versus the Mini contract. Plus, I don't have to use my Mini dealer I can use Helix Motorsports.

 

I'd look into whether you really have to perform routine maintenance at the dealer. In most cases its illegal for a manufacturer to void a warranty for getting work done at another certified mechanic.

 

Thanks for all the replies. My car was taken off the ship last Thursday and will be the dealership tomorrow. If all goes as expected I'll pick it up Tuesday afternoon.

I've decided to forego any additional warranties or service contracts and hopefully will not regret the decision.

 

Your decision doesn't have to be final, you have 3 years to think about the maintenance contract and 4 years for the extended warranty.

 

So you are getting a 2015 and will receive it on Thurs, Oct 3rd?? Way cool! That means they are at least releasing the 2015's. Have not been able to tell from various forums if they were going to make the date or not. Curiously, when did you order yours?? I heard that they will be released in the order of order date. My first one was order on June 15, the second on Aug 5......so not sure how long I will be waiting.....

 

Yep, that's the plan....see what happens over the next 3-4 years and make a decision then rather than paying for it upfront when I purchase the car.

 

Will pick it up tomorrow. Ordered it on August 8th and pick it up 1 day short of 8 weeks from date order placed. Salesman predicted 6-8 weeks so pretty much spot on.

The day I ordered it the dealership received their first 2015 that another customer had ordered.....don't know the order date for that one.

 

There's another alternative that doesn't seem to be mentioned here. You can go to a good independent garage and easily save at least 50% off the prices quoted here. In my opinion most if not all of the prices shown here are nothing short of outrageous.

 

I have a 5 year warranty with full maintenance for EVERYTHING except the tires.
It cost here in little Belgium 500 $ a year. I consider it very cheap.

 

My Volvo Indy also does Mini (as well as BMW and Audi). He strongly suggested that I not buy a Mini, saying to expect double the number of mechanical issues, and those issues would cost 1.5x more to repair than what I'm used to.

He said if I do get a Mini, to get an extended warranty.

I just bought a used 2011 R60S manual anyway, it currently only has 21,000 miles, and seems to be in great shape so far. The No Cost Maintenance ran out in August (4 months ago), so I think it's too late to consider the Mini extended maintenance plans, correct?

I have 7 months to decide (July 2015), but I'm thinking of getting USAA's product, "Extended Vehicle Protection from Assurant Solutions".

Thoughts?

Coverage Details: https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/exte...rogram_details

So the clutch is not covered, neither are pads and rotors. I believe it does cover the turbo, cv joints, leaks, coolant system, sunroof, windows, fuel injectors, steering/suspension, but in my experience with home warranty companies, they seem to get out of paying for things that you thought were covered when you originally read the policy.

Cost:
60 months 75k miles: $1,250
72 months 75k miles: $1,587
60 months 100k miles: $1,787

I typically drive 17k per year, so I would need the 60/100 for around $1,787.