BMW has just informed dealers that starting in Model Year (MY) 2017 the included No Cost Schedule Maintenance program will be reduced to a 3 year, 36,000 mile program. Currently BMW is offering a 4 year, 50,000 mile program with new car. Furthermore the new program staring for all 2017 vehicles no longer includes brake pads, brake rotors, wiper blades, engine belts or manual transmission clutches. As is currently, the new program will also be non-transferable.
In March of 2016, right when the first round of MY 2017 vehicles go on sale, BMW will being offering new maintenance program upgrades (MPU). These MPUs will be sold by the dealership and will further enhance and extended maintenance coverage.
This is a significant reduction in ownership value, especially in the 4th year when brake replacement is likely needed. Some Model Year (MY) 2017 production starts as soon as March (BMW production chart) so if you were on the fence about buying now or waiting to get a 2017 model this is something you should consider.
The table below outlines the covered content in both the current 4 year, 50,000 mile program and the new 3 year, 36,000 mile No Cost Schedule Maintenance program. The new program applies to new car sales with a model year 2017 or great.
On its own this may not seem like a big deal. When you add it to low an worsening reliability, steering feel and ride more suitable for a Toyota/Lexus than a BMW and possibly removal of BMW Assist support for pre-2014 models (due to 2G/3G network retirement), I have to say my brand loyalty is being severely tested.
I currently lease a 320i and I love it. My plan is to buy a 340i or 340xi after my lease. Would it be smart to order the new 340i next November even though I have one more year left on my lease. I would pay the 2 grand for the 6 year 100k extended maintenance . Financially I could afford both payments for a year, but would I be saving money by ordering the car a year earlier (old maintenance plan vs new ). Keep in mind I will use all my lease miles on my 320i.
No. The current maintenance plan doesn't have that much value. In November next year the 340i will be a 2017 model that will have the new maintenance plan.
I had an '01 E46 with the 3/36 and an '03 E46 that came with the 4/48 so it changed over in either MY 2002 or 2003.
I also don't understand the hand wringing over the loss of 1 year of maintenance, but I buy all of my vehicles and have a great indie shop that has been first rate the past 20 years.
I do bemoan the lack of road feel and disconnected steering and would gladly chop it to 2/24 just to get that Ultimate Driving Machine loving feeling back again.
I didn't read through this entire thread, so please excuse me if I'm repeating previously stated information. I just purchased a CPO "Elite" 2015 328i. The Elite designation provides me with a 5-year, 75K mile warranty, but it is not bumper-to-bumper past the original 4-year, 50K mile. It is basically a drive train warranty for the additional year. My dealer also offered to sell me an extra year of pre-paid maintenance at a shocking cost of $2,595. Considering that maintenance is fairly minimal at one oil change/year and a set of wiper blades, it wasn't worth the cost to me. I've owned several Mercedes-Benz cars that are similar in terms of maintenance, and have the tools I need to do top-side oil changes, etc. I will let the dealer maintain it until it is out of warranty, then assuming I keep the car, I'll do my own maintenance. There are also some good non-dealership repair shops in my area that specialize in high-end European cars as an alternative.
I didn't read through this entire thread, so please excuse me if I'm repeating previously stated information. I just purchased a CPO "Elite" 2015 328i. The Elite designation provides me with a 5-year, 75K mile warranty, but it is not bumper-to-bumper past the original 4-year, 50K mile. It is basically a drive train warranty for the additional year.
The CPO and CPO Elite are not bumper to bumper, but they are much more than just a powertrain warranty. They cover way more than they exclude. Virtually all of the mechanical parts are covered. Power motors are covered. HVAC is covered. Etc.
At the end of the day, this change is against consumers no matter how people are trying to defend it.
People will buy cars for whatever reasons. Some even go as far as saying the warranty and maintenance is not important because it's an ultimate driving machine. Good for you if that's the case.
BMW is heading the way of the airline industry in their anti-consumer behavior. The airlines have been nickle and diming consumers in the last decade. At least they had a cost problem. BMW with the record margin they are getting as a result of the US vs. Euro currency exchange rate, decided that they want to screw the consumers more instead of offering customers more benefits.
If the maintenance is such a non-issue like many of you have suggested, why did BMW reduce it? I doubt it's a non-issue. Why break the goodwill BMW had generated by removing a simple thing that doesn't cost them anything to provide???!!!
Unless BMW is so arrogant that they don't care. It's the only reason to explain their decision and some of you who are blindly defending your beloved brand.
Most drivers are SMART. They buy cars that offer great values. I can't wait for Tesla 3 to come out and show how the world has changed.
At the end of the day, this change is against consumers no matter how people are trying to defend it.
People will buy cars for whatever reasons. Some even go as far as saying the warranty and maintenance is not important because it's an ultimate driving machine. Good for you if that's the case.
BMW is heading the way of the airline industry in their anti-consumer behavior. The airlines have been nickle and diming consumers in the last decade. At least they had a cost problem. BMW with the record margin they are getting as a result of the US vs. Euro currency exchange rate, decided that they want to screw the consumers more instead of offering customers more benefits.
If the maintenance is such a non-issue like many of you have suggested, why did BMW reduce it? I doubt it's a non-issue. Why break the goodwill BMW had generated by removing a simple thing that doesn't cost them anything to provide???!!!
Unless BMW is so arrogant that they don't care. It's the only reason to explain their decision and some of you who are blindly defending your beloved brand.
Most drivers are SMART. They buy cars that offer great values. I can't wait for Tesla 3 to come out and show how the world has changed.
Again, nobody is really defending it, but it is what is. BMW is still competitive and a lot of times better than other manufacturers even with the shortened and reduced maintenance program. If you don't believe me go ahead do some research.
Also, you keep harping on this smart driver/consumer slant. You really can't see the irony here of you essentially ripping BMW and their quality etc, but went out and spent 55 plus thousand on a brand new 2016 340? That is what a smart consumer does? :dunno: Good luck with your Tesla, they have cool ideas, nice cars, but also have their issues as well. I do hope they succeed for many reasons though and am rooting for Tesla.
IDK if this has been addressed but what happens if you're one of those people that leases with 15k miles a year? Are you just **** out of luck after just 2 years?
A clutch needing changing that soon is most likely bad driving skills. Serpentine belts have a long life so changing is probably not affected.
The main change for most is wiper blades and possibly brake pads/discs. For FWD, I have worn out the front in 15-45k miles. For RWD or AWD, I would expect it to often last more than the current 50k miles, but not always.
I was leaving BMW anyway for many reason. . . but mainly because they've really cheapened their interiors with all hard plastic. Seems a Dodge Dart is more luxurious than recent BMW's
As if there was something wrong with plastic. Guess what the new carbon fiber material that is used in the new 7 series is - plastics. This is not your grandfathers plastic.
a break from the nonsense-
The Wall street Journal today-
"The Munich, Germany-based car maker said global sales of its namesake BMW brand and MINI compact cars rose 6.1% to 2.25 million vehicles last year."
1. The warranty and maintenance provisions in the BMW deal seemed to be orientated towards preserving the value of lease cars that are swapped at lease end. They simply wanted to make sure they were maintained well and could command a relatively high price as a CPO vehicle.
2. I have leased a good number of the 13 BMWs I have owned/leased and they have never needed brakes or anything outside warranty. Oil changes and wiper blades and that is it. All this in in 36K to 45K of driving. Providing the rest is guilding the lilly so to speak and the cost of wiper blades are not going to break the bank. Lots of warranty issues (new cylinder head for a 2006 Z4 3.0Si being probably the most expensive warranty issue) I have definitely had, but this change in policy appears not to affect warranty.
3. BMW have obviously worked out that a full maintenance plan is not needed as their cars have improved (not so sure about that since the new turbo engines need more frequent oil changes, but they have kept those), so they have reduced the scope. No big deal for the majority of drivers as they do not need them (people who lease their BMW). If it was a bad deal BMW would be the losers, they would end up with a load of useless cars for their CPO program.
4. Having said all this, removing a perk will always cause a problem, whether we need it or not. The perception is that BMW are removing value and perception is reality these days. So BMW will take a hit. It matters not whether Audi, MB, Jaguar etc. have it or not. The feeling is that if it was there, why remove it. Also if it was not used (see above) why remove. It seems penny pinching for a car that is not cheap and is not good value for money and will create a lot of the feelings reflected in this thread. So I sympathize, even though it has no real effect on me.
Bottom line for me is that it will not have much affect on my cost of ownership but it will be seen as BMW reducing value in a time when they are under intense scrutiny for the very poor value for money the BMW is seen to represent (come on: plastic seats, no navigation, manual seat controls, no rear ventilation controls, plastic everywhere etc. in a car costing $40K, nonsense, that's why Kia and Hyundai sell). I will buy them because I appreciate their underlying engineering, but most people do not.
Your last paragraph: Power seats are standard on all except the 320i. Rear vent controls are standard unless this has recently changed and no one at this price gives you leather and nav as standard. MB Tex (plastic) is very well regarded as is the BMW synthetic material.
While the maintenance plan was a plus for me, it shouldn't be a deal breaker. Currently on vacation in Hong Kong, the prices of the cars are double here, gas is 3 times more expensive than in California, the warranty is only 2 years, and there is no maintenance plan.
Oh I misread your mind. That does not change I think BMW is doing a great job of catering to a variety of interests. I can hardly keep up with the new offerings.
Oh I misread your mind. That does not change I think BMW is doing a great job of catering to a variety of interests. I can hardly keep up with the new offerings.
This thread was posted in many forums and is about maintenance for all models. Besides the fact I was responding to a silly enthusiast comment that made no mention of a model.
Why? You have to pay for MBs maintenance plan and even then they still don't include brake pads, rotors or clutches. Looks pretty similar to the new no cost BMW plan. Except for wiper blades, oh no.
I have no problem with this. My 340 will be the first car that I own that comes with a maintainence program at all. I don't mean this in a negative way against anyone but perhaps those who are used to a maintain ce program are spoiled by the fact. As long as the warranty program stays the same then I'm good with it. It's funny reading the comments of some who say another car is worth a look. Sure, all brands are always worth a look but what has drawn you to BMW time and time again? Surely it hasn't just been the maintainence program.
I agree. It's bizarre that some people are saying basically, "I'm pissed that BMW only offers three free years of maintenance so I'm going to switch to this other brand that doesn't offer any free maintenance at all."
So if the greatest BMW ever made, the 428GC was offered with just a 3 year maintenance plan instead of the 4 years maintenance plan, would it still be the greatest BMW ever made?
Somebody might have made this statement before, but I'm not going to re-read 346 posts to find out. I'm sure you will be able to buy back that four year of maintenance, and buy a fifth and sixth year of maintenance as an option... for a price. A two-year maintenance upgrade is $2095 on a 3 Series. If I had choice between three years of maintenance and $1k in my pocket, or four years of maintenance, I'd take three and $1k.
Somebody might have made this statement before, but I'm not going to re-read 346 posts to find out. I'm sure you will be able to buy back that four year of maintenance, and buy a fifth and sixth year of maintenance as an option... for a price.
"Since my first E46, this has been one reason why I have purchased BMWs and have referred many to the brand."
I'm going to call BS on that statement. You've bought BMW's because you like the way they look, drive and perform. On a $50,000 - $70,000 purchase, who makes a decision between Mercedes vs BMW based on the cost of a brake job and a couple of oil changes.
Take it a notch down BobRae. I didn't say it was the ONLY reason why I buy BMWs and refer people to the brand, but it is "one reason" why I have.
I'm not sure how long you've been with the brand, but back in the 90s, it was around $150-$200 for an oil service at a BMW dealer and an "inspection" (i.e. service) was around $400-$600. Furthermore, brakes seemed to not last as long at the time (i.e. 30k mile brake changes were more common). So, what this meant was over the course of 50k in ownership, you were looking at $300 in oil changes, at least $1000 in "inspections", and $1000 in brakes. I don't know about you, but that can influence a purchase. Also, remember that my E46 328i was almost fully loaded and just broke $41k in 1999, so paying an additional 5% is significant over 50k miles considering some consumers, including many here bicker over a few hundred over invoice.
Furthermore, when BMW introduced their complimentary maintenance, they miraculously increased the general service interval for the cars (based on the condition based indicator) from around 10k to 15k miles.
While I purchased my E46 and E90, I chose to lease my F30 given the pace of change in automotive technology and I know several people who lease with full maintenance being a factor in their decision given the sunk cost of the lease and competitive BMW lease rates. Some people don't care as much about the car and more about the brand, so they value what their outlay for their lease and additional costs are more than others. This is especially true since over 50% of BMWs are leased.
BTW. I heard on the radio that all Lexus CPO vehicles get 6 years UNLIMITED mileage Warranty. I know it's not maintenance - but look at that company stepping up their game and BMW stepping it down. Add to that, Lexus is way higher on the reliability factor
Lexus has always had an advantage in customer service. They have to when competing in this market. Yet IS sales volume is 1/3 that of the 3 series. Lexus makes great cars that are reliable and offers fabulous service. But the name still doesn't have the cache of BMW or Mercedes and they do a lot of volume in the RX and ES models.
Just read in the newspaper that Jaguar in the U.S. has 5 years warranty and maintenance. That's nice. They are also lowering the price a little in an attempt to have 5 series and Mercedes E class buyers buy the new XF and Mercedes C class and 3 series buyers to buy the upcoming XE.
I like the warranty part. The maintenance part is nice but less important to me.
Picking up a 2016 ED delivery of a 228i Xdrive Convertible in 2 weeks. Looks like we lucked out on warranty change. But honestly it's nice to have free maintenance however not a deal breaker. Also have a 2013 Audi Q5 without any maintenance and still love it. The BMW warranty set them apart though. Competitors would be smart to upgrade their plans to steal business. I am already thinking of the new Mercedes GLC to replace the Audi next year, will see.
It may be a sales gimmick with Jaguar but their 5 year warranty/normal maintenance got me into their dealership. Never ever considered a Jaguar or Land Rover in the past. If BMW had not made the change to their maintenance package, I may have never gone to even look. Fortunately or unfortunately, I liked what I saw a lot. Their cars are pretty nice and the pricing is pretty much in line. Will be checking retained value of other Jaguars and Land Rovers for comparison to BMW's. That is really a major cost of owning a luxury car.
You are the winner for the most profound and correct of 370 posts. (Really.) :thumbup:
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