Price of Service after Motorplan

[QikNish]

Extended the motorplan on my x5 at +/-R40k. 2 weeks later it went in for rear air shocks and front control arms ++. It's already making sense. And I'll extend again to the full 7 years.

 

[Beemerbro]

The lapse of motorplan is a difficult time for a lot of ordinary owners facing the dilemma to extend or not to extend. During the MP years the cost of services is actually way below the cost of that MP in my experience if nothing's broken. The really high cost of keeping your BMW in top condition comes when you're on the wrong side of 100k, and that's after the MP expires. That's when most suspension components and expensive engine parts start to fail. And BMW parts don't come cheap. Dealer hourly charges only worsen the picture:thumbdo:
If you have deep pockets, the bill is handled by your PA/ secretary most likely and you won't even know. But for many of us that bill can look like a deposit on a house.
Basically you have two choices:
1. if you know your way around engines and you have technical knowledge about parts and you know where to go to get something fixed cheaply, then you don't need MP extensions cos to you they'll be a waste of money.

2. If you're not the above person, you should seriously consider befriending such a person so they look after your car (could be a decent mechanic). OR
Extend MP or buy some other similar warranty that will pay for breakdowns.

 

[PsyCLown]

Wow guys, this is very helpful as I've never heard of an 'aftermarket warranty'. Any tips on what companies I should consider for this? :ty:

SAWarranties/Msure or SMG Innovation - Wouldn't look at any other companies.. Makes sense to add top-up cover as well, seeing as though parts are not the cheapest on newer BMW's and every bit of coverage helps.. Services are not the issue, most times you can get away with an oil service for under R1k when BMW does their specials, its when things break outright that things can get expensive.

That said, I haven't heard the best stories on reliability for the smaller 1 series engines (116i/118i) past 100k mileage, so I would be cautious out of plan.. Make sure your warranty cover is decent else I would sell and get something else.

I believe SA Warranties / Msure have changed the structure a bit as there is no longer a top-up policy.

I had one of their policies on my Kia, only ever had to claim for a headunit - they would not authorise an aftermarket one but had no issues authorising a factory unit. Claiming was easy.

My friend has had one of their aftermarket warranty on his many cars and has had to claim a few times - each time was effortless. The last claim was due to his cam chain snapping and total repair bill came to around R9k and they paid no issues at our RMI approved mechanic.

I'd say look into SA Warranties / M-Sure. As I have said above, they have changed their products a bit since I signed up but I think they still have the plan where if the car is still under the warranty when you sign up then you get unlimited cover (rand value) on the parts which they do cover - which even includes some wear and tear parts such as your clutch.