Hello my fellow MINI enthusiasts
Quick question did anyone purchase a extended warranty/maintenance plan with their Roadster? I am close to closing one at a local dealer and wanted to prepare as they do not have special financing on this 2014 model.
Any help is much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Danny

 

Hi Danny,

I went through the same question some weeks ago when we got the car.
In the end I felt that the extended maintenance plan wasn't worth it, and the extended warranty way too expensive.
I decided to take the risk to evaluate the car reliability during the first few years and access the need for extended warranty when we get there. Sure it will be more expensive to buy it once the car has some miles on it but with the extended warranty in the thousands of dollars I felt that there was a lot of room for repairs. So overall I didn't feel it was a good enough deal.

An other thing about it I didn't feel great about is what I was offered was not a true BMW extended warranty but some BMW affiliates. That tells me right away that I may have some options to shop around for it later and that there is always some risk in getting the the BMW affiliates warranty way ahead of time.


If money was no issue than I would have gotten it . . . than again, if money was no issue I may buy a new car more frequently annulling the purpose of extended warranty . . . It's not an easy call I must say.

 

I thought about this, and didn't do it. I usually trade my cars near the end of the warranty. I might keep this one though, dependent on a bunch of things including what the replacement looks like.

As I understood it from the dealer you can buy these packages at any time before the factory coverage runs out, so my thought was to see how many problems I had and do it if I thought it would be worth it based on the history, and what we found out about the replacement car. They are quire expensive though, as TG says.

The other factor was upgrades. As stuff wears out I planned to replace it with better stuff (e.g. go to JCW front brakes when it needs rotors, get new springs when it needs shocks, etc.) so with that plan in mind it may not make sense to do the warranty as those upgrades, or the upgraded parts afterwards, probably wouldn't be covered anyway.

It is a tricky decision for sure...

 

Thanks for the info; I'm in the same boat while awaiting delivery. A few of us were discussing this on another thread, and I had a few questions:

If you really don't like your dealership, is the maintenance plan transferable? to another dealership?

For most of the 22 (non-MINI) cars and motorcycles I've purchased over the past 4 decades, the extended warranty price was negotiable. If I didn't bite on the original offer, it usually reappeared again (often via a post-purchase letter from the finance guy) with a "special offer", often around 25% less. Did the finance guy offer a price discount different than what was on the printed price sheets they have?

On my 2010 Honda, I bought the extended warranty after learning that the price of the extended warranty was fully refundable (clearly stated in the written contract) if I didn't use it during the 7 year period. It became a win-win: win for me if I really need it, win if I don't and get my money back. Does anyone know if the MINI extended warranty is refundable if not used?

 

Hi, congrats on your upcoming arrival,

I'm in the minority on this one I purchased the extended warranty, maintenance, tire and key.

This for me made sense, I plan on keeping peanut past the initial warranty which will be ending soon. Even the s/a can't believe the amount of miles on it. My average commute is 110 miles round trip mostly 6 days a week. Although i am set to retire ( fingers crossed) around december, i am hoping that will slow it down some.

We were offered the BMW/MINI extensions and I had shopped around different dealers and ours was on par. I do like the fact that extended warranty covers electronics also( HK amp already blew once I shudder at the replacement cost)

With the BMW/MINI plans I had checked and rechecked with MINI cooperate that they are good at all MINI dealers ( must honor even if they don't "sell the contracts") This was huge make or break for us on the car as i will be retiring from NY and moving to TN. As far as the maintenance goes breaks front and rear including rotors so far.

As far as the tire plan goes I'm enjoying that one too. It extends to whatever tires and wheel you put on. I have already used it once. I'm still running run flats, again long commute at late hours. Was able to drive home 50 miles in 11 degrees at 2am. Both run flat and insurace served their purpose but glad to know Dunlaps will be covered when these are worn out.

For me they are giving me price of mind that if something goes wrong at 75k I won't be stuck with a 2 yr. car and big bills. The maintenance plan well I don't have the skills, tools, space or time to do my own work right now. Hoping next spring to get the time to install the boxes of toys waiting on the hutch. ( some girls collect dolls, dishes, me i got interior leather upgrades just no time to install lol)

Good luck
-nk

 

Yes, everyone stories is different and I would agree that if you are a heavy mile rider the extended warranty isn't necessarily a bad idea...

It's as if you are well above the 10k miles average per year it's a good thing. If you are well below, it probably isn't and if you are around what they expect then it's a tricky gamble


The problem in my case is that to be interested I would have looked at a warranty for 6 to 8 years. I understand, most of you guys (in the roadster market) probably can't imagine keeping a car that long but to us it's meaningful. So doing so would cost $4,000 to $5,000 of extended warranty. I though that it's was a pretty big sum of money in proportion to potential repairs. But more importantly even a 6 to 8 year warranty would have limited mileage. See we intend to do more trip with the MINI it is likely that it would turn into just 2 extra year or so of warranty. In the end it still felt like a toss-up and not a clear choice.

 

Noreen:

Thanks, very helpful summary. Like you, my daily commutes were over 100 miles RT before I retired, but since my regular warranty was over in about 18 months (and extended warranty would only last about 3 years, I never bought the extended warranty since it would be over so quickly. In 35+ years of owning several dozen new cars, I've only had 1 car that had a major repair issue (heater core) that would have been covered under an extended warranty, so I really came out ahead.

Some car guides suggest taking the $ you would have spent and put it in a dedicated savings account for "car repairs", and you will most likely have most of the $ left when you trade your new car in.

TG: And your right that I'd likely trade my Roadster (used for just pleasure driving and stores in the winter) for something else around 3 years/30K miles, so I'm still debating the option to just lease the vehicle, and thus no need for extensions on maintenance or warranties. I also don't mind doing most routine maintenance like oil changes and wiper blades.

 

I guess I'm also one of the few. I purchased the Extended Warranty and Maintenance. I originally only wanted the maintenance because I have 3 teenagers that are in sports/school all year long so there is no time for the next four years for me to do anything. I denied both twice and finally the finance guy gave me both plus wheel and windshield and 1.9% (JCWs originally had no discount) on financing for about $2K.

A couple of points that made it for me:
1. The convertible top can be replaced if they feel wear and tear is unusual (on our R57 they did this on a place where I didn't even notice). This alone can pay for the warranty. In fact my SA told me I could wait until extended warranty is almost up and have it replaced then.

2. Maintenance can be done on a "Time" basis as well as mileage. Since I ride my motorcycle a third of the year I wont hit mileage for oil. My SA said he can do an early one that is measured in the amount of time between changes. Also told me to complain about brakes shuddering or squeaking and they will replace them without hesitation.

3. My dealer gives loaners for every service appointment. I never have to worry about getting a ride.

In the end I feel its well worth it for me, but your life experiences may vary. Don't just take cost in consideration, but your time as well.

 

Thanks MikeandTricie,
how many years was the extension for? 2000 doesn't seem too bad if it's for 7 years and everything would be covered.

-Danny

 

I believe its 6 years for my Roadster and 5 for my wife's R57.

-Mike

 

+1

 

I average about 6k miles per year. I have no mechanical skills, so I will not be doing any maintenance or repair work. My original warranty will likely expire at the 4 year mark with approximately 24k. If I purchased the 7/70 extended warranty, it would expire about the time I hit 42k. Driving patterns are always subject to change, but I cannot fathom my driving habits changing drastically. Perhaps I'll get caught up in MINI rallies and put on extra miles, who knows.

I'm beginning to conclude neither the extended warranty or extended maintenance agreement makes sense in my situation. However, I'm always open to second opinions by reasoned individuals with greater knowledge of MINI reliability.