My experience with aftermarket warranty and maintenance costs

[bmwx5_50i]

I bought a 2014 F15 50i with the M Sport package back in the fall of 2018. It had 30k miles on it and was bought at a BMW dealership (not CPO). The car is pretty much fully optioned (including the dynamic handling package) minus adaptive cruise control and leather dashboard. Current mileage is ~61k.

I spent a bit of time on these forums looking at people's experiences with maintenance and opted for the extended warranty, 5 years or 100k miles, whichever comes first. I paid $5500 as far as I remember, with a $0 deductible. This is the list of repairs the warranty has covered so far.

Of note, the rates negotiated for warranty are much, much lower than what BMW would charge me. I know this because I oftentimes get a quote from the dealer asking to proceed, at which point I have to remind them I bought the extended warranty through them. The final invoice lists the negotiated rates. For example, BMW charges me $4750 to replace upper and lower oil pan gaskets. It costs $2400 for warranty, of which they pay $2200 and the remaining $200 gets written off as a "customer satisfaction" discount.

If there's an asterisk next to the price it's the warranty cost, not retail. Where possible I'm using retail prices though, since that's the money I saved.

• IDrive control knob: $1200
• Armrest: $1000
• Driver seat bolster: $750* (replaced twice, covered by BMW second time)
• TPMS front wheels: $540*
• Front thrust arm bushings: $600*
• Blower motor: $1100*
• AC Condenser: $1700*
• Front lower control arms: $1800* (replaced twice I think)
• 4 ignition coils: $725* (replaced the other 4 myself)
• Suspension airbags: $1200*
• Driver seat control module: $1200
• Water pump: $2000
• Oil pan upper and lower gaskets: $4750
• Mechatronics (transmission valve body): $8500
• Oil sensor: $800
  

Total cost is $27,865 and most of these prices already factor in the warranty discount. My out of pocket cost would have probably been closer to $25,000 if all the work had been done at the dealership. So all in all not a bad deal for a $5500 warranty policy, and I still have a year to go. Auto start stop currently isn't working so the dealer replaced the battery, to no avail. From what I'm seeing online I might need a new Mechatronics unit, which costs $5000. Again I'm lucky this should be covered by the warranty.

On the other hand, I do worry about the cost of maintenance starting next year. Things on this car just break much more often than I feel comfortable with, unless I want to spend more time handling maintenance myself. I might end up with a new vehicle sooner than I had anticipated.

[jiggz]

Hmm, maybe I should also be looking for a new vehicle sooner than later.

This list seems really long for a 61K mile X5

Good work documenting all this, sounds like your warranty company will soon be excluding X5's like many of the other good 3rd party companies have done over the years.

[bmwx5_50i]

As far as I'm aware, this particular warranty company (CNA) stopped covering X5s a year or two after I bought the vehicle. At least that what I read online.
To their credit they've been great to deal with. It's an exclusionary policy and they've covered everything they were supposed to. Sometimes it takes a few extra days because they want to send out an inspector, but that's why I always ask for a loaner car when I go in.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by bmwx5_50i

As far as I'm aware, this particular warranty company (CNA) stopped covering X5s a year or two after I bought the vehicle. At least that what I read online.
To their credit they've been great to deal with. It's an exclusionary policy and they've covered everything they were supposed to. Sometimes it takes a few extra days because they want to send out an inspector, but that's why I always ask for a loaner car when I go in.

I had a CNA exclusionary warranty on my E70 X5, which paid for itself 2x over and then some (and I think you're right, they no longer write X5's). But the E70 50i was exponentially more problematic with it's N63 issues/Bang vs. BMW class action lawsuit, etc. than the F15 50i, I'm just surprised you've had so many issues on a relatively low mileage F15.

Maybe some of these issues are more common, I just don't see them mentioned that often here on the forums.

[Cranswick852]

Wow! UK owner of '14 40D. Bought when just under 2 years old at 30K miles. Now at 98K miles. Only problem has been with NOX system at approx 90K miles at a cost of £1800 ( now pretty much the same in $ ☹️). Nothing else changed other than tyres (still the original battery!). Are you really unlucky? Did you buy a lemon? Or am I the lucky one?

[parthpatel1]

This seems like an anomaly based on my research but glad you have warranty, especially on a 50i.

[RED_Y_]

Well one thing to keep in mind that this cost was from the dealership. I can't comment on the armrest and I-drive knob or seats but control arms, suspension airbags and other items would cost half of that if you do it through indy, not even talking DIYs. This is interesting prospective and does makes sense. My 35D is getting closer to 85K miles and I only did control arms so far.

[NYCBimmer]

Originally Posted by bmwx5_50i

I bought a 2014 F15 50i with the M Sport package back in the fall of 2018. It had 30k miles on it and was bought at a BMW dealership (not CPO). The car is pretty much fully optioned (including the dynamic handling package) minus adaptive cruise control and leather dashboard. Current mileage is ~61k.

I spent a bit of time on these forums looking at people's experiences with maintenance and opted for the extended warranty, 5 years or 100k miles, whichever comes first. I paid $5500 as far as I remember, with a $0 deductible. This is the list of repairs the warranty has covered so far.

Of note, the rates negotiated for warranty are much, much lower than what BMW would charge me. I know this because I oftentimes get a quote from the dealer asking to proceed, at which point I have to remind them I bought the extended warranty through them. The final invoice lists the negotiated rates. For example, BMW charges me $4750 to replace upper and lower oil pan gaskets. It costs $2400 for warranty, of which they pay $2200 and the remaining $200 gets written off as a "customer satisfaction" discount.

If there's an asterisk next to the price it's the warranty cost, not retail. Where possible I'm using retail prices though, since that's the money I saved.

• IDrive control knob: $1200
• Armrest: $1000
• Driver seat bolster: $750* (replaced twice, covered by BMW second time)
• TPMS front wheels: $540*
• Front thrust arm bushings: $600*
• Blower motor: $1100*
• AC Condenser: $1700*
• Front lower control arms: $1800* (replaced twice I think)
• 4 ignition coils: $725* (replaced the other 4 myself)
• Suspension airbags: $1200*
• Driver seat control module: $1200
• Water pump: $2000
• Oil pan upper and lower gaskets: $4750

Total cost is $18,565 and most of these prices already factor in the warranty discount. My out of pocket cost would have probably been closer to $25,000 if all the work had been done at the dealership. So all in all not a bad deal for a $5500 warranty policy, and I still have a year to go. Auto start stop currently isn't working so the dealer replaced the battery, to no avail. From what I'm seeing online I might need a new Mechatronics unit, which costs $5000. Again I'm lucky this should be covered by the warranty.

On the other hand, I do worry about the cost of maintenance starting next year. Things on this car just break much more often than I feel comfortable with, unless I want to spend more time handling maintenance myself. I might end up with a new vehicle sooner than I had anticipated.

Anyone has experience with Assureguard aftermarket extended warranty .. think offered by Revolos through banks and credit unions only.

[corduroy]

I bought mine through CarMax and the warranty is through Assurant ($100 deductible). Bumper ... to ... Bumper. Lol.

I have 2 years left and I think the last work I had done put me into the positive territory with my aftermarket warranty. Also, if I end up trading or selling the car, I can get a pro-rated amount back. Everything on mine seems to be common X5 issues; thankfully nothing crazy. All my work has been done at an independent BMW shop (who seem to have a great relationship with the warranty company) after a not great experience with a local dealer. There might be some other work done but I need to go digging through receipts. Sounds like a definite good buy with the 50i, bmwx5_50i!

Replaced button array (surround view camera was broken) and repaired a dent (Carmax, under 7 days)
Rear AC blower went out (BMW warranty, under 4y)
Rear pinion seal leaking (Assurant)
Replaced both rear airbags (Assurant)
Replaced both lower control arms (Assurant)

[SeeYa]

In August of 2020 I bought a 2019 X6 35i with 13K on it. I love it. Now has about 35K. CPO until Nov 2023, but I would like to keep this car, so not sure what to do about a warranty after that. The damn thing has not had one problem so far, which is great, but I'm sure it's waiting until December 2023.

[Kzang]

Just because all of this issue happened to one owner does not mean it will happen to the next same model owner.

I have a 2015 X5 35i with 45K miles and only paid for oil changes and spark plug/coil replacement.

Others will have many issues and others will have none... some will have somewhere in between number of issues.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Just because all of this issue happened to one owner does not mean it will happen to the next same model owner.

I have a 2015 X5 35i with 45K miles and only paid for oil changes and spark plug/coil replacement.

Others will have many issues and others will have none... some will have somewhere in between number of issues.

Very few BMWs have issues at that mileage. It’s the second and third owners that pay the repair tax. There were zero repairs on my 2014 x5 35i up to 60k miles. Then airbags, VCG, axle seal, control arms, and so on.

This has been the way of BMWs for the past few decades. Is what it is.

It also depends on how it’s drive and weather and and and. But yeah, some certainly need less care than others. Point for sure

[bmwx5_50i]

The car has been back in the shop for the past two weeks. Auto start stop hasn't worked in two years and I was told by the dealer it's because my battery is bad. I replaced and coded it myself but the issue persisted so I was then told it's because I didn't use the OEM battery. Had the dealer replace the battery themselves and low and behold, the issue was still there. Now they replacing the mechatronics. There's a 4 week wait time for parts.
I think they also broke the oil sensor when they replaced the gaskets last time, since that started throwing errors as soon as I drove it out of the shop. CNA is covering both parts though.

• Mechatronics (transmission valve body): $8500
• Oil sensor: $800

So now we're up to $27,865 in repairs in 4 years.

I don't particularly care about auto start stop, but if I ever sell the car I don't want anyone to low ball me because it's such an expensive part to replace. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to drive it into the ground or get rid of it once the warranty runs out.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by bmwx5_50i

The car has been back in the shop for the past two weeks. Auto start stop hasn't worked in two years and I was told by the dealer it's because my battery is bad. I replaced and coded it myself but the issue persisted so I was then told it's because I didn't use the OEM battery. Had the dealer replace the battery themselves and low and behold, the issue was still there. Now they replacing the mechatronics. There's a 4 week wait time for parts.
I think they also broke the oil sensor when they replaced the gaskets last time, since that started throwing errors as soon as I drove it out of the shop. CNA is covering both parts though.

• Mechatronics (transmission valve body): $8500
• Oil sensor: $800

So now we're up to $27,865 in repairs in 4 years.

I don't particularly care about auto start stop, but if I ever sell the car I don't want anyone to low ball me because it's such an expensive part to replace. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to drive it into the ground or get rid of it once the warranty runs out.

while this is unfortunate and great for you. I dont really understand the point of this considering this company doens't cover X5s any more. All i see this doing is confusing future people trying to find a good warranty company.

but yes very odd for you to have all this go wrong under 60k miles. shame that vehicles like this cause these company's to stop covering our vehicles.

[bmwx5_50i]

The point of this is to inform people looking to buy a second-hand F15 to get an extended warranty if they can find it. These isn't some generic "BMWs are expensive to own" comment but gives a list of actual problems I encountered with precise dollar amounts to fix it.
I think that's relevant information for anyone looking to own a BMW. At least I was glad people wrote about their experience, which pushed me to buy the extended warranty in the first place.

[Dking078]

I'm all for the warranty also. Though I've been fortunate on all my F10's & F15 thus far. For the mechanically un-inclined, totally needed. Maybe even consider treating CPOs as leases.

But in reality with my F15's warranty, dealer rates inflate the "value" unless it's a serious mechanical problem.

Thrust arms. Dealer? $1600. DIY? <$300 via FCP and my time.
Soft close motor? $700. DIY? <$200 with a good used G11 motor

Though I'm not complaining at paying my deductible and sipping on coffee

[shimmy23]

i've been out of the loop with extended warranties since i never used it on my Audi... 2014, so 10years ago. Has pricing increased? I picked up my F15 last December and the dealer wanted $5600 for a 3year. It hardly seemed worth it considering my F15 has 36k miles and in 3 years would probably still have under 70k.

Where is everyone purchasing their warranties? I bought my Audi warranty (Fidelity) from a Toyota dealership in another state. I don't recall the name of the guy but he beat prices by $1000!

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by bmwx5_50i

I bought a 2014 F15 50i with the M Sport package back in the fall of 2018. It had 30k miles on it and was bought at a BMW dealership (not CPO). The car is pretty much fully optioned (including the dynamic handling package) minus adaptive cruise control and leather dashboard. Current mileage is ~61k.

I spent a bit of time on these forums looking at people's experiences with maintenance and opted for the extended warranty, 5 years or 100k miles, whichever comes first. I paid $5500 as far as I remember, with a $0 deductible. This is the list of repairs the warranty has covered so far.

Of note, the rates negotiated for warranty are much, much lower than what BMW would charge me. I know this because I oftentimes get a quote from the dealer asking to proceed, at which point I have to remind them I bought the extended warranty through them. The final invoice lists the negotiated rates. For example, BMW charges me $4750 to replace upper and lower oil pan gaskets. It costs $2400 for warranty, of which they pay $2200 and the remaining $200 gets written off as a "customer satisfaction" discount.

If there's an asterisk next to the price it's the warranty cost, not retail. Where possible I'm using retail prices though, since that's the money I saved.
[LIST][*]IDrive control knob: $1200[*]Armrest: $1000[*]Driver seat bolster: $750* (replaced twice, covered by BMW second time)[*]TPMS front wheels: $540*[*]Front thrust arm bushings: $600*[*]Blower motor: $1100*[*]AC Condenser: $1700*[*]Front lower control [...]

My last 3 cars were also CPO and I got extended warty on all of them. Range Rover Sport, Cayenne S and X5 50i. Over 10 years and we’ll over 100K miles for all three, I have yet to hit over $10K in total. So you are definitely very unlucky and lucky at the same time. Looks like you got a lemon to start with.

I buy extended warranty for peace of mind. So far, I am slightly below break even in terms of repair cost and cost of warranty and likely much more behind if I had self insured and the money into the stock market (even with the recent declines in the market).

[ArthurMorgan]

'17 X5M. Carmax's MaxCare, provided through CNA. Bought the car in October with 29k, the warranty was $4020 for 5 year/100k total miles w/ $150 deductible.

All work done at the local "M certified" dealer, since they never hassle me about loaners and CNA can't haggle with them to use non-OEM parts.

So far I've had it in for an A/C refrigerant leak, the upper oil pan gasket, and the rear hatch pull down breaking. ~9 months in and I've already more than broken even on the service contract.

[c00lbeansdude]

Jesus. I’m at 97k on my 17 40e and seeing these prices and issues is making me want to get rid of my X5. So far I have had to do rear airbags, washer fluid pump, aux battery, sos battery, and solder a wire back on the the adaptive headlight motor. Basically $600 in parts and maybe 6 hours of my time.

What big issues should I be looking out for moving forwards?

[Hotflare]

Damn. I got a 16 x5 x35i as a dd yesterday w/ 114k miles. The car is sound but it was a 3rd party dealer who was pushing that I get their extended warranty for 1700 bucks.

Plan to keep this car for 2 or 3 years before getting into a 2/ 3 year old, well optioned (used) g series x3 m40i

Wonder if I should get it being in Cali and surrounded by great indy shops

[e90Jeet]

Old thread but wanted to catch some of your experiences on the extended warranty.

I picked up 2018 X5 50i at ~42k miles last week (actually it's 2 weeks now)

I have been shopping around to get extended warranty. Dealer quoted me $4400 for 37 months/37k additional miles (exclusionary coverage).

Endurance was highest so far .. over $5500 for 48 months/48 additional miles.

American Dream Auto Protect https://americandreamautoprotect.com/99-3/ offers to match dealer price for additional 20K miles coverage.

So far the best quote I got was from Route66 via Credit Union - but unfortunately Route66 doesn't cover X5 in their Exclusionary plan (easy steet).

Next best quote was from another credit union using MemberCare plan.

Wondering if the folks here have any feedback on these service providers? I am inclined to go with membercare but their reviews are all over the place from few best to a lot worst.