I bought a extended warranty from the dealer and when I had a problem with the sunroof the guy the company sent out spent more time noting my mods than with the sunroof (which they did not cover).

 

It appears that few MINI owners have actually had experience with them, other than the one post by an owner whose warranty company went bankrupt.

The benefits, that I see, is that I can extend the time that I'm under warranty (if your warranty is still in affect most of the policys run from the date that they are purchased). I keep a car until it is shot, ten years, or so, on average, unless I hate it. Also, the mechanical work can be done by any certified mechanic and I am two and one half hours away from the closest dealer. I've already had minor warranty work done locally without factory coverage, i.e., out of my own pocket, because it isn't worth my time to spend a day to get to the dealer and back.

One company that I have contacted will provide bumper-to-bumper coverage for seven years for $2000. (I have two years left on the factory warranty.)That seems reasonable to me.

The real question is how reputable the warranty company is. My mechanic has dealt with some in the past without problems. Secondarily, how comprehensive is the coverage? You must read the exclusions carefully. DO NOT purchase coverage w/o being provided with a written contract to review.

That said, who has worked with a warranty company that they can recommend?

 

All true.

I think the statement should be don't sign any contract without being provided with a written document to review. In terms of which extended warranty to purchase, the primary decision factor should be which one does your mechanic like to work with the most. Unless you want to pay the mechanic first and then seek re-imbursement from the warranty company, it would seem best to let the mechanic deal with the warranty company. In terms of coverage, the best approach is to buy a warranty contract that lists what is excluded, rather than only what is included. With the excluded coverage contract, everything other that the exclusions are covered. In terms of reputability, te first test is whether your mechanic wants to deal with them. After passing the mechanic's seal of approval test, depending on which state you live in, extended warranty contracts are a form of insurance policy that are generally subject to requirements for continuation/assumption of coverage if the original company goes out of business/bankruptcy.

 

bought an after market warranty from the dealer when I recently purchased my 2003 cooper cvt...so far since May, the dealer has shelled out $2200.00 dollars for repairs... most recently 981.00 to replace the gauge cluster due to an erratic fuel and temp gauge...I am not out of pocket for one dime yet...Old Republic is the warranty company and so far it has definitely paid for itself glad I purchased it and I have no regrets

 

In California, its illegal for a second party to sell an extended warranty (not extended maintenance). I can't imagine how this happened but the consequence is that there is no competition and the dealers can charge what they want. My dealer wanted $2,800 to extend the coverage to 100K miles. Based on what I am hearing on this board, the mini is not a Honda (thats a good thing) but very expensive to fix. I hope to purchase before my 50K mile warranty is up. I know I know many feel that this is money down the drain but it seems to me repairs on this car, even if only 1 or 2 things go out will pay for the warranty. And if one of those large ticket items go out, well you no what I mean.

 

When I picked up my 03, it was from the dealer with the Mini certified 100,000 mile warranty (which I'm sure was just rolled into the price, which they wouldn't haggle on one bit) So far in the 9 months and 16,000 miles they've done about $1000 in repairs I guess. I haven't really kept track, but they've changed the drivers side power mirror, something was squeaking in 1st gear only when cold and they changed it (tensioner?) and something in the heating system, which they found for me, I didn't notice any problems. I don't remember what that was, but they needed to keep the car two days and gave me a free loaner and everything.

Right now I have a funny vibration/shudder which is more heard than felt coming from the front right that I want them to look at when I get my next oil change shortly.

I'm hoping to have the flywheel problem at some point under warranty, so I can get the clutch replaced on the cheap. By the time I pay this thing off, I'tll have about 160,000 miles.

 

Glad I saw this thread. Was thinking about an extended warranty which was offered. Now I have heard both sides of the story. I think that I will just bank the money. With a mechanic husband, all I need to do is pay for parts, and supply him with Pepsi while he works!

 

This brings up another question. As I stated earlier, you have to buy your extended warranty through the dealer in California (some sort of law). But do you have to buy it through your dealer? Kinda like you can take your mini to any dealership to perform warranty work. My dealer wanted almost $3K for the extended warranty to 100K miles. Is it possible that the extended warranty at the dealership in say Arizona charges a lot less? I don't know. But what if their extended warranty is only $1,200. Could I purchase through them and use it in California? I bought it through a dealer. I know some people have purchased their minis from out of state and had them delivered to another state. I am assuming some have purchased the extended warranty. They don't take their car to where the purchased the car. Just a thought.