[kuksul08]

I would probably get it. Right now I have an airbag light on which alone could cost up to $1000, then you have brakes, possible vanos failure, etc.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by Tak555

yah, that would probably help.

my car is a 2004, that i bought used in 2007, with 18k miles on it. it currently has about 47k miles on it. when i bought the car, i also purchased an aftermarket warranty for about $2,100 that would cover me for an additional 70k miles and 5 years (exclusionary type of warranty).

when i initially bought the car, it actually had a little bit of factory warranty left, and during the first 3 months i had a couple electrical problems (battery went bad, alternator died, interior lights on the fritz) plus some little things like premature wear on interior trim, etc. so those things were taken care of using the bmw warranty.

since that time, i've had zero problems. no smg or vanos problems, and when i had my subframe looked at by an indy shop, they said everything looked good.

OK. So, you've done about 30K miles with no issues, much less major ones. And, as you've said, you're cleared on the typical biggies: SMG, VANOS, and subframe. For my purposes, she'll be a 6-speed, so SMG wouldn't be a factor. VANOS--only time will tell. On the subframe front, I'm having a PPI done by an independent shop before finalizing the purchase.

I'm curious if anyone else has had any more complex and costly repairs . . .

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by kuksul08

I would probably get it. Right now I have an airbag light on which alone could cost up to $1000, then you have brakes, possible vanos failure, etc.

Yeah, I'm still not sure. Certainly, an airbag issue could be a little pricey, especially if done at the dealer. As it is, I would use a local shop for that.

On the brakes front, the maintenance for that wouldn't be covered, of course, thing being an extended warranty, rather than maintenance deal. Unless there's some sort of brakes issue I'm not aware of on these cars?

[Obioban]

You can pick up a used engine these days for $3000.... and that's about as bad as it can get. Everything that fails before 100,000 is maintenance stuff (bushings, etc), and won't be covered either way. I'd pass.

[deadlysyns]

Originally Posted by kuksul08

I would probably get it. Right now I have an airbag light on which alone could cost up to $1000, then you have brakes, possible vanos failure, etc.

$1000 to reset an airbag light? Tell them to lay down the crack pipe.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by deadlysyns

$1000 to reset an airbag light? Tell them to lay down the crack pipe.

Warranty won't reset an airbag light, anyway... unless it's due to an airbag failure. I've never seen an airbag light for failure-- it's always due to use or someone unplugging it without disconnecting the battery first.

Likewise, brakes would also not be covered by the warranty.

... Which leaves you with the small chance of VANOS failure, which, worst case scenario grenades your engine... and you buy one for $3000.

[Tak555]

Originally Posted by gimmethemuumuu

OK. So, you've done about 30K miles with no issues, much less major ones. And, as you've said, you're cleared on the typical biggies: SMG, VANOS, and subframe. For my purposes, she'll be a 6-speed, so SMG wouldn't be a factor. VANOS--only time will tell. On the subframe front, I'm having a PPI done by an independent shop before finalizing the purchase.

ya, so far so good for me... but 47k miles over six years is pretty low i think. not that it matters that much, but just something to consider.

Originally Posted by Obioban

Warranty won't reset an airbag light, anyway... unless it's due to an airbag failure. I've never seen an airbag light for failure-- it's always due to use or someone unplugging it without disconnecting the battery first.

my wife's old e46 323ci had an airbag light come on, and when a shop checked it out, everything was good (ie, it would operate normally), but some sensor went bad. and to change the sensor out would cost bookoo. maybe not $1k, but still not worth it.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by Obioban

You can pick up a used engine these days for $3000.... and that's about as bad as it can get. Everything that fails before 100,000 is maintenance stuff (bushings, etc), and won't be covered either way. I'd pass.

Certainly, if that the worst-case scenario--picking up a used engine for $3000 because of extreme VANOS failure --that's not too bad. Of course, there's still the cost to get that engine put in. (I ain't that smart All things considered, though, that does sound like a good argument for the save-the-money-for-a-rainy-day approach.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by Obioban

Warranty won't reset an airbag light, anyway... unless it's due to an airbag failure. I've never seen an airbag light for failure-- it's always due to use or someone unplugging it without disconnecting the battery first.

Likewise, brakes would also not be covered by the warranty.

... Which leaves you with the small chance of VANOS failure, which, worst case scenario grenades your engine... and you buy one for $3000.

Yeah, it seems that it would have to be a series of cumulative failures totalling more than $3700 to make it worthwhile to get the warranty.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by Tak555

ya, so far so good for me... but 47k miles over six years is pretty low i think. not that it matters that much, but just something to consider.

Yeah, 47K and six years is pretty low. Nonetheless, I appreciate the input