We're hoping to pick up the car in the next couple weeks. I wonder if its worth it to extend the 3 year/36K service to 4/48K?

What is everyone's opinion on this?

 

How many beans does it cost?

 

I don't know. I can't remember what another dealer quoted where it was part of their markup.

 

I think what we concluded with our MA is that it's worth it, cuz the cost of the maintenance plan extension covers the cost of the scheduled maintenance you'd have to get anyway.

However, you do NOT have to get it at time of delivery (at least not with my dealership). I have until right before my 3/36 warranty expires to extend it.

 

Did not get it. The financial guy mentioned that Mini would soon have a 100k extended plan available, though I do not recall if it was to happen in June or July.

 

I got it on my first MINI (early '03) because there was speculation about a some maintenance issues would likely be scheduled during that fourth year. Turns out that wasn't the case. I slept better, though...so I got it the second time around, too. I think one thing that helps is that my friendly neighborhood MINI dealer has an utterly fantastic service department that routinely goes above and beyond...so I don't have the feeling my money will be wasted whatever the outcome.

 

I bought the 36k to 50K extension for $500.00. A couple of months later I go in for a brake adjustment and I'm told the car needs a total brake job, close to $900.00. It was all covered!

 

I got it too. I went ahead and got the 3yr tire and wheel coverage as well.

 

My MA said probably best to wait rather than buy this when taking delivery. It can be added anytime at the same $$

 

Our dealers finace manager poked his head in when we placed our order. Sorda like a pre-sell and also mentioned that MINI was going to change the extended warranty to 100,000 miles. I asked him if that would cover the clutch and he said no, that Mini excludes it.

 

I got the 4 year extended warranty when I took delivery. I just decided to take care of it ahead of time. Will we be able to purchase/upgrade to the 100K warranty anytime as well?

 

As I recall the tire/wheel deal was $700 and it covered to a max of $2000 for any damage to tires or wheels. So if you damaged a tire and wheel you ate up about $500-600 of that (at their retail prices). It seemed really pricey to me. They said they would not fix runflats at the dealership of course (another topic I know). But they'll fix them most places.

 

Is the extended warranty dealer specific or with MINIUSA? Do I have to go to the dealer where I get the extended warranty for service or I can go to any dealer?

 

I have an '03, and I purchased both the extended service and a 100,000 mile extended warranty. I don't know what they're charging for those nowadays, but I'm glad I got both. The extra mileage of free service was nice, and I squeezed in a free brake job before it was up, so it was definitely worth the minimal cost.

My extended warranty was about $3,000, and I'm well into the extended period now (80,000+ miles). My car has, fortunately, been pretty trouble free, and the things that have broken or worn out early have been replaced under warranty with no problems. The biggest issue for me has been steering racks - I'm on my 4th one. The current one was installed under the extended warranty. I paid a $100 deductable for a $1,400 job, and no one batted an eye. If I go to 100,000 miles without any other major service expenses, then I guess I've lost about $1,700 on the deal, but if I need yet another steering rack in the next 18,000-19,000 miles (a good bet, considering the average so far), then I'll be closer to even, and consider it (the ex. warr.) money well spent. I half suspect that I might need a transmission before the warranty is up, too, and if that's the case then there's no question that it was worth it.

It's still a bit of a question of whether you want to spend the money up front for the possibility of future repairs, or if you want to save the money and be prepared to cover possible repairs if they come up. It's been fairly well documented that these cars aren't the paragon of trouble free operation and durability that a Honda or Toyota is, and as the finance guy said to me, "they are BMWs, and if something does break, it's going to be expensive".

 

Unless MINIUSA has come up with something, the extended warranty will be through the dealer, and is akin to an insurance policy. I couldn't swear that other dealers/shops could perform work under the extended warranty, but in my case, I have had work done by an independent shop that they were able to bill out under the extended warranty.

 

According to the paperwork I got, the wheels and the tires are covered for any type of damage during the warranty period. Damage being defined as anything that prevents or interferes with normal operation of the vehicle (excluding normal tire wear). I dunt remember the cost of it, but it was less than the cost of replacing one wheel.

You'd have to understand my stupid luck before it would make sense for me to get this. Let's put it this way. I bought the same thing for the Lexus and so far, after 16 months, two wheels and tires have been reaplced for free. One time the damage occurred while I was not in the car.

 

I was told at the dealership that the extended warranty could be added anytime before the standard warranty runs out. So it's not necessary to buy at delivery if finances are an issue. Also, has anyone looked into GEICO's version of an extended warranty? I do know that you must add that coverage to your car before the 15,000 mile mark. I believe the extra premium is about $30 per month and it goes to seven years/100K wcf.

 

I will get it at some point before my 3yr/36k runs out. For $500-$600, it can't hurt.

 

I will wait until close to 36,000 miles and then get it. Brakes alone will make it worth it.

 

Thanks everyone. We'll wait until closer to the deadline. Great option allowing us to do that. With our Jeep you had only a few months to decide...

 

IMO, extended maintenance: NO under any circumstances.
extended Warranty: Maybe.... if the car is trouble free during the first 4 years, it is not a lemon and I won't get the extended warranty. However, if the car keeps breaking early on, I probably will get the extended warranty.

 

It was quoted at $700 for me. $2000 limit. You don't have to get the tire at the dealer, they will pay you back if you damage one elsewhere. But you can only get a certain number of tires/wheels total. I guess they don't want you showing up once a week with a nail in each of 4 almost shot tires for a new set.
I got a warranty for $100 on a set for my Jeep. Rock puncture at 40k, repair not possible. They replaced the entire $500 set because the 4WD system requires that all 4 have similar tread depth. Good deal there.

 

We didn't buy it at time of purchase, thought we'd look at other options. The finance mgr didn't mention that you could buy it before the warranty runs out -- nice to know.

 

I'm pretty sure the extended maintenance is through miniusa but the extended warranties and tire protection come from a variety of 3rd party companies therefore terms may be different from dealership to dealership.

The tire protection at my dealership is 5 years unlimited mileage but doesn't cover the rubber tire while it is under 2/32nds of an inch. Once it's replaced with a new tire though the new tire is covered. No limits on how many times it can be used or how much total cost you claim. It's $599.

 

There is a law in California that does not allow for third party extended warranties. You have to get an extended warranty through the dealer only. This is unbelieveable to me. Some insurance companies have what they call maintenance warranties but my insurance co., State Farm does not. I think Gieco has it from another thread.