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Thread: New owner of Z4 M Coupe; is it worth extending BMW Maintenance?

  1. #1
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    New owner of Z4 M Coupe; is it worth extending BMW Maintenance?

    Hey Guys!

    I just bought a certified pre-owned Z4 M last night. I'm taking delivery today.

    I come originally from MKIII Supras; got one up to 290RWHP. My current car is a 2007 350Z. Within a couple days I'll contribute what I can to the big thread about the 1-2 gear grind in these cars (I have some background and opinions based on what my restricted-bellhousing 350Z does).

    At the moment, I have one important question: is extending the BMW Maintenance program for 2 years worth ~$3,000? The salesman pushes the value of it based on the expense of brake work alone on these cars. It would be great to hear some stories about what your Z4 M (preferably Coupe, but Roadster info is useful too!) has needed during your ownership, and how much you have gotten out of BMW Maintenance programs.

    My car is a 2007 with an in-service date of 3/14/07, and has 24.5k miles on it. It is covered by the "new" warrantee with maint. for the next year, and then the CPO warrantee without maint. for another 2 years, so the extra cost is purely about adding maint. to the last 2 years. I don't expect to drive it a huge amount--perhaps 5,000 miles a year--which is another reason I am skeptical about the value of the program to me. However, it would be nice not to worry about brake pads for example, if people have found it to be accommodating and a license to drive hard. Obviously, I was warned it will not cover insane wear rates such as those seen with track usage.

    Thanks!
    Last edited by iPhoneEngineer; 03-31-2010 at 01:54 PM.

  2. #2
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    My 2 cents...if you're only putting 5k on her per year....pass

    I drive the shoes off mine.

  3. #3
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  4. #4
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    It sure does...and I assume I won't wear out engine belts or the rotors themselves before 60k, though it does depend on how it is driven. With the maint. coverage perhaps I would go on driving excursions more often on the weekend and end up with more than 5k miles/yr, but since my daily commute is all of 2 miles and often biked, I'm getting the impression it isn't worth it.

    Still, as I've never owned a BMW and experienced servicing costs for them, I greatly appreciate any/all feedback about maint. on the Z4 M.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by iPhoneEngineer View Post
    It sure does...and I assume I won't wear out engine belts or the rotors themselves before 60k, though it does depend on how it is driven. With the maint. coverage perhaps I would go on driving excursions more often on the weekend and end up with more than 5k miles/yr, but since my daily commute is all of 2 miles and often biked, I'm getting the impression it isn't worth it.

    Still, as I've never owned a BMW and experienced servicing costs for them, I greatly appreciate any/all feedback about maint. on the Z4 M.
    You may well need new rotors before 60K. My front rotors are almost 1mm down in thickness (just over halfway through their life) at 35,000km / 21,000 miles. The pads are wearing at about the same rate, just over halfway through their life. This is pretty normal for a BMW (in fact I normally only got about 45,000km to a set of front rotors on my old 3-series). The rears look like they will give about 50% more service life.

    This is with several trackdays and spirited driving when conditions are suitable, but plenty of gentle driving in the winter.

  6. #6
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    ut oh, iphone engineer... boy do I have inputs for you... LOL JK

    I would think it depends on if you work on cars yourself or not. Personally, I am an avid DIYer and love wrenching. So finding parts online and doing the work myself seems like the better option when the car gets to that point. Honestly, when I first bought the car it was odd not working on it, but I was use to working on my E36 M3 nearly on a bi-weekly basis.

    But for someone like that may not be car savvy (such as my sister) I would probably say get the extended package. BTW engine belts are cheap and fairly easy to replace. The items that I would be interested for the maintenance package would be things like valve adjustments on the S54, brakes, cooling system, potentially suspension pieces/bushings as you approach 100k miles etc...

    BTW why don't you just buy the car and worry about extended maintenance package when you come to cross that bridge? To my knowledge you don't need to sign up for it buying the car now.
    Last edited by mbimmoor; 03-31-2010 at 11:51 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  7. #7
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    I think you can get the extended warranty as long as the car is currently under warranty.
    Drink wine! BMW CCA #373875 - 2007 M Coupe (project) - 2000 Z3 Coupe - 2015 Impreza wagon

  8. #8
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    ^ yeah I had the same thought. So although it's an intriguing question about whether to get the extended program, it shouldn't matter currently to the OP.

  9. #9
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    Don't get it now and wait a year and see how it goes. If you decide to purchase it you have a "free" year to think about it.

  10. #10
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    I tried to determine if the two year extension made sense a couple of years ago. It only covered typical inspections plus now it looks like they added Brake Pads and Brake Disks (I would assume that includes the service cost of brake replacement). I found that in order to make out on the deal you needed to keep it for the entire extension period because you simply were getting one inspection for free. I just received this week in the mail a 20% off Maintance Upgrade Special and a 20% off extended service contract offer from my BMW dealer. What is the difference between the 2?
    From BMW Web site:
    Engine Oil Services: $0

    Inspection Services: $0

    Wiper Blade Inserts: $0

    Brake Pads: $0

    Brake Discs: $0
    Engine Drive Belts: $0
    Brake Fluid Service: $0

  11. #11
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    They tried to sell it to me. Brakes were the "expensive part". We did the math and I would have paid the 5k for an oil change and maybe... MAYBE.... one set of brakes.

    It just had service II on it... should be good to go.

  12. #12
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    Another consideration to your $ is where you would get the work done after your regular warranty is up. If you're all about service at the dealer that's one thing as they tend to be kinda expensive. If you have no problem going to an independent shop who's prices are going to be alot cheaper than the dealership then chances are you'll come nowhere near the cost of that extended warranty in maintenance.

    The independent shop I go to charges about 65% what the dealership does.
    Not so much a signature as a cry for help.

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  13. #13
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    Yep, indy shop for me (or DIY). They tried REALLY hard but I told them unless they were willing to drive the 2 hours to pick it up and then bring it back each time (for free) it wasn't worth it to me.

    But she was really hot, so it was hard to say no while staring at her chest... lol Then the "if there's anything we need to do to ensure the survey is all 10s let us know"... I just looked into her eyes smirked, checked out her chest again and smiled and almost blurted something really bad out... lol... No ring either. Well, on her..

  14. #14
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    On the Z4M the brakes and the Inspection services are the expensive stuff. The valves get adjusted at inspection service and M rotors and pads are expensive. Face it cheap parts don't do what BMW's do. Call the place you will most likely have this work done and get an estimate of thoses services. Calculate the odds they will happen in the 5th and 6th years of ownership and do the math. You will probably need rotors when your pads wear out, don't fool yourself, plan on it. My bet is it will be cheaper to pay as you go, particularly if you can get your Inspection one and brake fluid flush before the original 4 years runs out. Remember the brake fluid flush is 2 year intervals from date of production, not original in service date. Make sure that the first flush has been taken care of. Have fun.

  15. #15
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    Thanks for all the info and opinions. I do have another year to think about it, though they could change the price of the extension over that period...BMW is selling fewer cars these days and has lots of maint. to do on existing ones.

    I'm somewhat mechanically competent--used to drive a 290RWHP MKIII Supra Turbo. The problem is I don't have a garage anymore (underground parking, but no good working space), so I won't DIY most larger jobs.

    Does anyone in NorCal (particularly south bay) recommend a BMW shop? Can these shops do as good or better a job at adjusting the S54's valves as BMW? Still waiting on my owner's manual...what are the recommended intervals for valve adjustments? If you have had to replace the rotors on your Z4M, when did they wear out?

  16. #16
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    1) I doubt the maintenance extension price will change vastly over the next year. They might even have something about this on their website, or just ask the dealer you buying from - or if you aren't buying from a dealer, call a dealer and just ask.

    2) I feel you pain with limited working space. Find a buddy in the area that you can use his garage.

    3) Check the regional sections for recommendations of shops in your area.

    4) I forget the exact recommended S54 valve adjustment intervals, but if you search on google or wherever, it will probably pop up very quickly. E46 M3 owners have more experience with this since they've been running the same engine for more years, in greater production numbers and thus there are more higher mileage versions out there.

    5) Brakes wear out depending on your usage. Track days, driving habits all affect this...
    Last edited by mbimmoor; 04-05-2010 at 08:16 PM.

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