JM & A - Fidelity Warranty Services - any good ??

hey festers...

I have decided I will purchase extended warranty and I need some help on this. I have found most dealers are selling JM & A warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services. I am getting that from a local dealership for a 4 year 48K mile Platinum plan with 100$ deductible (bumper to bumper) for $2,341 + sales tax from where I live.

Only things not covered under this are regular wear and tear items and these: Brake linings, brake drums and rotors, disc brake pads, standard transmission clutch components, air bags, solar powered devices, hinges, glass, lenses, sealed beams, body parts and/or panels, trim, moldings, door handles, lock cylinders, tires, wheels, batteries, light bulbs, upholstery, paint, bright metal, freeze plugs, heater and radiator hoses, exhaust system, shock absorbers, audio, security or other systems not factory installed, work such as front-end alignment or wheel balancing, constant velocity joint boots, safety restraint systems, cellular phones, electronic transmitting devices (except for those specifically listed under silver, gold, or gold plus coverage), radar detectors, appliances, near object avoidance systems and all laser radar cruise control components, vinyl and convertible tops.

1. Is this the best price that i can get for this.

2. I have been told from one of the dealers that JM n A Platinum can only be extended to 3yr 100K miles (wat Rodney from BMW of South Atlanta is offering) and not 4yr 48K ??

3. I did a google search for Fidelity Warranty Services - and came up with a bunch of scams, frauds, people not getting their claims and stuff like that - that has made me worried. Please can the dealers advise on the same

like this:
http://www.columbusconsumer.com/RICA...ACTICS%20I.htm
http://www.mcglinchey.com/images/pdf/intF1.PDF

4. I know any company can go bankrupt and I would loose my money - what do the dealers think abt JM & A ??

5. Is there some other better warranty service out there ? Please let me know.

Please can the dealers n knowledgeable ones here answer these questions for me. Thanku Thanku

(please dont gimme the speech about how i need extended BMW maintainance - i understood how that works and have gone ahead and purchased this from Rodney - am still awaiting his blessings when he processes it and sends me the email to sign those papers n send them back jst kidding.....)

Thanks a lot for ur input...

I too am looking at an extended warranty and got info from Warranty America. Seems too expensive though. About the same plan as you are speaking of, but also offer towing, roadside assistance, electrical, for 3 years, 45,000 at 2,935 Zero interest for 18 months payment plan and $100 deductable. Would appreciated some imput also on what else is out there. Kindly

Buy a BMW factory warranty instead of a 3rd party one if you want piece of mind:

www.twinkidneygrill.com

I am not the original owner and do not qualify for the O2 warranty plan from BMW, that is why i am considering third party plans....

ah, bummer

I have an '03 MB E500 and didn't qualify for factory extension, so I did a lot of research. Basically, most of the third party warranty cos. have bad reputations. I ended up buying one through Daimler Chrysler Financial, sold by Chrysler dealers, after reading good things on the MB forums. They do most cars, not just Chrysler products, and it was very competitive in price. No deductible, and covers basically everything except wear items. Also covers rental car from day one. I figured Daimler Chrysler is more likely to be here over the next few years than some random warranty company. The dealer has to call and get approval in advance of any work, and supposedly they were pretty good to deal with, although I haven't had to make a claim yet. I bought mine through chryslerservicecontracts.com, a dealer out of Illinois. You might take a look at it.

any follow up on this? Im trying to find out if i should keep my Fidelity Warranty or try to get a refund and go else where,

I canceled my JM & A warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services contract today, it was premium level, after reading the fine print and researching them on BBB.gov and Google... i didn't want to put money i into something i didn't trust. Same thing when i found out my Dealer Loan was with Wachovia dealer services... Refinanced that crap with Navy Federal credit union the week after.

Originally Posted by Stubakka

I canceled my JM & A warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services contract today, it was premium level, after reading the fine print and researching them on BBB.gov and Google... i didn't want to put money i into something i didn't trust. Same thing when i found out my Dealer Loan was with Wachovia dealer services... Refinanced that crap with Navy Federal credit union the week after.

smart move...good luck

Originally Posted by peakpro

smart move...good luck

+2. Between the cost, coverage gaps, deductibles, and expected hassle trying to get claims approved I'll take my chances with self insuring over a 3rd party warranty any day of the week.

Originally Posted by Stubakka

I canceled my JM & A warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services contract today, it was premium level, after reading the fine print and researching them on BBB.gov and Google... i didn't want to put money i into something i didn't trust. Same thing when i found out my Dealer Loan was with Wachovia dealer services... Refinanced that crap with Navy Federal credit union the week after.

Good move.

My advice, to others:

1. READ and UNDERSTAND the policy. The ACTUAL policy, not what the salesman says, not the 'description of coverage'. If it says "this is just a summary, see the actual policy for..." you are reading the wrong thing. Lazy people will say "I want a bumper to bumper" and they get screwed by the fine print. Read the policy with an eye towards the MOST UNFAVORABLE INTERPRETATION THEY CAN MAKE.

2. Strongly consider buying a warranty from the dealer that will service your car- they have a relationship with the warranty company, which can mean they both trust the company, and the service group knows how to work with their claims. HOWEVER, beware of risk retention group' based insurance plans- dealers can form companies that just dump the liability onto a company that- if it goes belly up you are screwed. I won't say this is their intent....but...

Do research on line- there is alot of general info on what matters and how to interpret language, spend the time to understand the details....

Be particularly aware of of language that describes your responsibiities- what you must do to get a claim paid, how approvals must be received before any work, some even can exclude covering say a transmission if you upgrade the audio system. Mods are ALWAYS a problem with any policy, some worse than others.


Cheap policies are to be avoided. They must fight had to deny coverage in order to stay in business. OTOH, an expensive policy is not necessarily the best either.

GL

A

Fidelity or mecury for the extended who is the best to chose from please help me

I am in the process of trying to file a claim with Fidelity on an excess wear and tear policy that I bought from BMW of South Atlanta- Adrian's dealership- and I am getting a severe run around. "You need to speak with this person, you got the wrong person, call this person, why did they tell you to call me?.... try this person, voicemail, voicemail... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING from them and don't expect your dealership (that sold it for a commission to you) to help much in these situations.... They Don't........ What a crooked business................

Originally Posted by sbgator90

I am in the process of trying to file a claim with Fidelity on an excess wear and tear policy that I bought from BMW of South Atlanta- Adrian's dealership- and I am getting a severe run around. "You need to speak with this person, you got the wrong person, call this person, why did they tell you to call me?.... try this person, voicemail, voicemail... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING from them and don't expect your dealership (that sold it for a commission to you) to help much in these situations.... They Don't........ What a crooked business................

I emailed Adrian about an extended warranty on my '09 328 but when I found out it was not a BMW warranty that was the end of the discussion. I would never buy a warranty that wasn't BMW because I fear the company going bankrupt and I fear what is happening to you. I don't understand why some BMW dealers don't offer BMW extended warranties. I suspect the other company warranties cost the dealer much less and give them a larger profit opporitunity, especially if they don't disclose what they are selling is NOT a BMW warranty. They wouldn't do that would they ?

Originally Posted by sbgator90

I am in the process of trying to file a claim with Fidelity on an excess wear and tear policy that I bought from BMW of South Atlanta- Adrian's dealership- and I am getting a severe run around. "You need to speak with this person, you got the wrong person, call this person, why did they tell you to call me?.... try this person, voicemail, voicemail... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING from them and don't expect your dealership (that sold it for a commission to you) to help much in these situations.... They Don't........ What a crooked business................

Did the Dealership disclose to you that it was third party warranty?

There is no brand name whatsoever on the front (main) page of the contract- yes, an obvious tip-off. Absolutely- that way on purpose to make sure you don't think about it much (which I didn't.) Won't make that mistake again. The inference of doing business with a "BMW" dealership makes you feel better about what they are selling, when all they are selling (in many cases) is rubbish. BUYER BEWARE any extras you buy from the dealer. It is obviously profit motivated.

It just sucks that when you fortunately buy insurance for less than the cost of the claim- (ie. you beat the house) to be hosed out of it anyway.

Originally Posted by sbgator90

There is no brand name whatsoever on the front (main) page of the contract- yes, an obvious tip-off. Absolutely- that way on purpose to make sure you don't think about it much (which I didn't.) Won't make that mistake again. The inference of doing business with a "BMW" dealership makes you feel better about what they are selling, when all they are selling (in many cases) is rubbish. BUYER BEWARE any extras you buy from the dealer. It is obviously profit motivated.

It just sucks that when you fortunately buy insurance for less than the cost of the claim- (ie. you beat the house) to be hosed out of it anyway.

People have this idea that having a BMW sign somehow makes a dealer less likely to lie, or means they have some duty or obligation to have some level of integrity.


I suppose I am a bit harsh on our dealer brethren- but I take the position that anyone needs to earn my trust, it isn't automatic.

Well, here i am about 23 Days before my Factory warranty Goes out and Kinda wondering what i should do. Im not the first owner of the car so BMW extension is not an option. I only have like 36 K on my X3 so i don't drive much, just not very Car Maintenance savvy

"It is obviously profit motivated" Ya think? Each and every single one of us goes to work to make a profit...anyhoo, after doing my own research on several aforementioned warranties, I decided to go with whichever BMW warranty offered. BMW does offer warranties other than an "extension". I rarely recommend any others.

Originally Posted by Stubakka

Well, here i am about 23 Days before my Factory warranty Goes out and Kinda wondering what i should do. Im not the first owner of the car so BMW extension is not an option. I only have like 36 K on my X3 so i don't drive much, just not very Car Maintenance savvy

You could have still bought the BMW warranty. In the PAST it was "original owner only", but ~2 years ago they changed that.

Make sure you understand the difference between 'maintenance' and 'warranty' Given your low miles, DO NOT get the 'maintenance plan'. In fact I'd say self insure given that you will only do 20k miles in the next two years....

A

Please note the following:

If your warranty disallows audio repairs, it might also disallow nav, cameras, lane change radars, etc. Remember that your warr covers only what it specifies, not what anyone tells you verbally.

Note this too: From what I have been told by BMW and Audi service mgrs, their certification packages do not cover the iphone, the nav, etc.

Check out my comments with your dealer, as I could be misinformed.

Lastly, remember the use of the term bumper to bumper. Not many manufacts use that term anymore. And I don't think it is because of a shortage of the letters in the alphabet.

Good advice, but pretty old thread.

I think your core point is that one MUST read the ACTUAL policy ...AND they must interpret the words in the 'most unfavorable' light.

Dont ASK any salesman 'does this cover ____'. They can flat our lie and you have no recourse whatsoever.

You do need to read the policy very carefully and sometimes a call to the warranty company claim representative can be helpful.

I did buy a Fidelity Platinum warranty for a Porsche Carrera which is an exclusionary policy, meaning it states what is excluded so everything else is covered.

I recently tested the coverage with regard to possible change of my TPMS. The TPMS on these cars are self contained and when the battery within the sensor dies, the entire sensor needs to be replaced. A set of 4 from Porsche is about $1K installed. Porsche CPO does not cover it. But Fidelity Platinum policy does.

This does not mean that Fidelity is great. But the coverage under their Platinum policy is pretty good.

Please contact danieldutton@pacificbmw.com before you pull the trigger on a warranty. 818 246 5600

Originally Posted by newnovice

I am not the original owner and do not qualify for the O2 warranty plan from BMW, that is why i am considering third party plans....

You do not have to be the original owner to extend the warranty through BMW, that was an old policy that has changed. As long as the car is still under original factory warranty then you can extend it. If you have any questions or would like a quote just send me a message.