Like many people mentioned, extended maintenance and extended warranty are two different thing, when you all shop around for pricing, look for other dealership other than your local because you might find it cheaper. Not sure if you all know this but you can purchase extended maintenance/warranty from any MINI dealer and use at any MINI dealership (I used to work for BMW).

 

After reading the thread about a vacuum pump failure destroing an engine (over $8,000 to replace it) I'm glad I got "ripped off" with the extended warranty.

 

I paid $1,395 yesterday for mine. I put 20,000 miles on my car a year so I figured it was worth it because I will be at 100,000 miles before I know it. I've already had one set of brakes put on the car and I'm due for fronts in 8,000 miles. Seemed worth it to me, especially since I hate working on my own car.

 

I know of NO extended plans, mtce or otherwise, that cover clutches.

 

yeah RC that's some scary stuff there. While I only put less that about 10K/year on my car, extended mtce plans dont make sense. However, if I keep the car, the extended warranty thru my dealer will def make sense, that is if something is not done about these flaky valve train issues.

 

Extended maintenance does cover the clutch if it wears out as well as the brake pads/rotors. It covers anything that wears out during the 100,000 miles.Filters,wiper blades etc.
I'm sure it won't cover a clutch if you just plain burn it out from resting your foot on it all of the time while driving.
Ronnie948

 

which dealership did you get that deal?

 

I paid $1,592.18 with the Florida tax. I got it when I bought my car at Downtown Mini in Orlando Florida.((Which is now Orlando Mini)) I'm trying to scan the agreement but my computer won't let me save it as a jpg. It covers all services and drive belts, brake pads & rotors, "CLUTCH" wiper blade inserts etc.
I'm sure if I burnt out my clutch by riding the pedal or doing constant burn-outs it would not be covered.
It covers things that need maintenence that will wear out in a normal maner after so many miles.
It is good for me because I'm not going to do any mod's to my car. I'm sure if you modify your car the warrenty is not for you.
I have Hot laped my car on a track but I really don't do stuff like that very often.
Ronnie948

 

perhaps the extended "maintenence" warranty will cover a clutch that normally wears out, but I know of no extended "mechanical" vehicle warrant(ies) that cover a defective clutch or flywheel, because they are considered wear items. Ive researched them all, even my dealer's program through GE Financial--clutches are excluded.

this is one (minor) reason why I opted for the auto. It's fully covered, with no drivetrain-specific part exclusions.

 

Yes this is extended maintenence, while Robin's is an extended vehicle warranty: two completely different programs (with the latter generally more pricey.) This is what I originally meant Assuming there's a clutch exclusion in RC's warranty, and Im pretty sure there is, if his engine fails due to a blown valve train vacuum pump, its replacement would be fully covered with an applicable deductable (this happended to WPSkier on his 07 and his deductible on a $8K new engine was about $200). But if RC's plastic throwout bearing shatters, it would not be covered because it is an excluded (clutch) component, a normal wear item like wipers, brake pads, etc. He would be better off going aftermarket if that happened.

This was all explained to me when I considered an extended warranty for my 2005 S before I traded it in. All the clutch and flywheel problems I had with that car, and the fact it would NOT be covered, is one reason why I opted for an 09 auto.

 

I called the dealer the following day to complain about misrepresentation on the extended maintenance plan. I told him the financial guy said everything is covered except for wheel alignment, battery and tires. The Financial director said the guy didn't misrepresented me. Regardless, i said the fine print didn't say this. Anyways, I told him I would like to get a refund on the $2280 which he agree to.

 

As far as I know, there is no known FACTORY extended warranty for a Mini. You can only get FACTORY extended maintenance. The extended warranty would have to be a 3rd party warranty provider offering it through a Mini dealer. Warranty and maintenance are two different things, and if something goes wrong with your Mini that would be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty and you don't have any sort of extended warranty, you would not be covered.

 

Yessir you are correct

 

Years ago (high school) I had a business law teacher who had a saying--"If it's not in writing, it doesn't exist." It's been several decades since that class, but I think it still holds true.

A few days before going to the dealer to pick up the MINI, I asked them to send me a copy of the contract for any warranties / services they would be offering me. Though I thought this was a fairly straight-forward request, it seemed to throw the money folks at the dealer for an absolute tizz. In the end, they never sent anything and I (to this point) haven't bought any additional coverages.

As the customer, I think anyone considering purchasing additional services has a right and responsibility to know what's covered and at what cost before signing.

 

I bought extended maintenance for about 1600 and it covers up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. I know there is a lot of things you can do for yourself. I think that scheduled service just after the intial period is over costs about 800 bucks. Hopefully it was a wise decision.

 

I paid $1850 for my extended maintenance primarily because I was assured that it covered clutch replacement. I've driven many manual tranny cars over the years and routinely get over 100K miles on a clutch, but I feel better now about the purchase after reading about the many clutch failures here.

 

Spoke with my dealership and they said it was $1395 for the 6 year 100k miles. The flyer they had didn'y say anything about the clutch so i am gonna call Mini USA and ask. If it covers the clutch i will buy it before my first 3 year /36k miles. Other wise i will DIY for it all.

 

FYI
Prestige Mini
http://www.prestigemini.com/

 

Hey Flyinace, there's a typo in your URL!!

 

Fixed!

Thanks

 

Every consumer oriented publication I've ever read has said to avoid ALL extended maintenance programs like the plague. They also said to read and thoroughly understand extended warranties and get them signed by the sales person. I've never bought either and I've yet to get burned. CAVEAT EMPTOR!

 

So does extened maintenance service covers clutch replacement?
If it does i am getting it right away.
which dealership sell for 1395?
let me know

 

What I've always hated about these things is that they (dealer people) will drop the price like a timeshare if you say you don't want it. Most people don't want to add to the price of a new car that has a long 3 year warranty on it to start with. They dropped the price on my wife's Mazda 3 by more than half, which is like saying "we thought you looked stupid when you walked in here so we gave it a try" . Just terrible.

 

Still not sure about the clutch. But the 1395 price was from Prestige Mini in NJ.

On another note i called MiniUSA on a different matter and also asked if that department knew about the Maintenance plan. He said his department didn't have details on it, but they did know it was being "upgraded" in October.

 

We bought the extended Warranty, 84 months 100,000 miles. The warranty covers everything except normal maintenance items. Reading the fine print the clutch is not covered but the flywheel is covered. Squeaks, rattles and wind noise are not covered. Paid $2361.00
We also bought the extended maintenance agreement. 72 months or 100,000 miles and paid $1395.

I don't have buyers remorse. I drive a lot of stop and go and very fast and have a tendency to drive my vehicles pretty hard. I don't abuse them and perform all mandated and preventative maintenance, but I do drive it hard. We plan to keep the cars as long as we can. My wife is not so hard on hers but it's piece of mind for us. The Mini dealer is close and I use them for all maintenance. I gave up doing the maintenance things once I could afford to pay others. (And got over 50)

So I'm happy. If I would have suffered from buyers remorse I would have canceled the contracts.

Pat