Most liked posts in thread: Extended SERVICE - How to choose L XL XXL?

None and save your money and have a local mini specialist do your Service work.

 

Welcome, thanks for joining Motoring Alliance, the FUN and Friendly MINI Community.

Hmmm, had no idea they were selling them in clothing sizes. Is there a comparision chart anywhere that shows what comes with each.

Be aware, being MINI the "cut of the cloth" mostly fit a svelte hipster European build.

 

Depends on what you get for what amount. I'd say if it's a 100k factory style warranty and it's at or below $2500 go for it. If anything goes wrong it'll pay for itself in no time. My car came with a 100k mant. plan(thanks first owner) and that also may be worth the price, but these are priced differently for each car, age, mileage etc.
Ultimately it comes down to your dealership. If you trust them and they do good work, I don't see the harm. The good thing about MINI is that if you purchase a warranty or maint package you can have it serviced at ANY MINI dealership and they have loaner cars

 

Welcome to Motoring Alliance the onlyest MINI forum you'll ever need !!

 

I have had extended warrantees on two of my cars. I had a bought a three-year, 36,000 plan for my 2007 MINI CS when I bought it used. It was $1,800 and it paid for itself. I had a similar plan on my 2004 Audi allroad quattro, and it paid out almost double what I paid for it.

I bought the plans for different reasons. On the Audi, it was because of the twin-turbo V6 shoehorned into the front, and the air suspension. Both of those things are uber-pricey to repair. I bought the plan for my MINI because it was a five year old car that I didn't know the history on.

So, it is really a risk vs cost thing. In both cases, I thought the risk was enough to justify the cost -- and it turned out to be a good decision.

Maintenance plans are just pre-paid basic maintenance, from what I've seen.

CD

 

I have the maint. package and it's great even covers a clutch.

 

Welcome to M/A!

I had the maintenance warranty on my early '03 Gen 1 R50 and it was not much of a deal [mostly wiper blade replacements...in '04, there was not much of an offering in the basic warranty]. It's hard to classify the warranty I had back then in today's MINI sizes...maybe a S/M?

However, when I bought my wife's '06 Gen 1 R53a in 2012, it was used and I had no idea what kind of misuse the car had had during it's first 2 owners, so I bought the full extended warranty [the XXL], and it just ran out this year. I definitely got the full value off it from the money I spent for it.

So, while some people think of the extended warranties as money wasted, I think it all goes back to the saying, "you get what you pay for". When I bought cheap, I got cheap in return. When I paid for the most expensive warranty, I made out like a bandit.

It all comes down to what you want to pay and the choice you make.

 

When you buy an extended warranty you are gambling & so is the warranty provider. Glad you won Jeff, but in most cases it is the folks who sell the warranties who win. On a MINI I feel it is money well spent.

 

MINI is not the only maker I have warranted in the past, and I can HONESTLY say that the extended warranties I purchased for my other cars were almost like having won a lottery, in terms of having made money on that which I had spent.

Like I said earlier, it all depends upon whether you wish to buy an extended warranty and then deciding upon which one appeals to you most...and getting it.

For me, the one I bought for my wife's MCSa was a no-brainer, since I had NO IDEA how its miles were gotten or if the car had been tracked or driven on twisties. As far as I can tell, the Service checks had never been done to the car until I bought it, and there was no record of the previous owners.

 

Very true for a used car. ^^^ When I was about to buy my car I actually had the VIN researched by a friend of mine at a BMW/MINI dealership. The car was custom ordered from his dealership and they had all the records for the car including order / build sheet so I knew what I was buying and it was still under warranty.

After the warranty was over a year later and I had done all my research it was time to open my wallet and take my car to Helix and let the Mad Modding begin. :ihih::devil: Helix & RMW parts and Eric's attention to all the detail's have made my car not only fast but very reliable daily driver for all those years driving to the office everyday.

The best thing anyone can do to make a MINI last is change the oil every 3-4k because it is the blood of your motor. Also your Trans Fluid is not lifetime fluid. :idea: If the motor fails all you have a nice 2500 lb paper weight.

 

My thoughts....
I usually self-insure....
Ponder this...if you will roll the warrenty cost into the loan, you are paying EXTRA in interest on a product YOU MIGHT NEVER USE, meaning if the car is stolen or totaled, or you sell it , you get zero back in most cases...
Beyond that, if you mod you car, then the extra warrenty is likely voided....
BUT...
MINI has had such a bad track record reliability wise, MANY folks have come out ahead...
And some warrenty companies WILL NOT INSURE MINI's...that's howbad they are...right up there with some supercar brands....
So if you are 100% sure you are going to keep the car, not mod it, and LOVE YOUR DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT, it MIGHT be an ok buy for you.
No solution is best for anybody...do the math...look at the $$, and pick the level of risk you are ok with.
Often prepaying to matain a car is cheaper than regular dealer prices, but of a similar price as the local shop...but you have more flexibility with that local shop....