Hood latch, BMW Extended Service Plan

[LuisBoston]

Does anyone know if the hood latch is covered under the BMW ESP? I can’t open my hood and have ESP.

Thanks!

[tock172]

Depends which service contract you purchased.

[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by tock172

Depends which service contract you purchased.

I have the BMW Extended Service Protection Gold 7/72k.

From the document, it says body is not covered:
Body and interior parts, including but not limited to: paint, glass, headlamps, bulbs (except instrumentation), mirrors, lenses, body and chassis, body seals and gaskets, interior and exterior trim, moldings, fasteners, upholstery, headliner, carpeting, floor mats, trunk mats, convertible top (all components except electronics), air or water leaks, wind or body noises, wheels, and damage due to rust, corrosion, or contamination.

Would the hood release system be considered body parts?

[LuisBoston]

It wasn't covered and the dealership charged $683 to replace the latch and cable. I'll be writing a letter to BMWNA, kind of ridiculous that something so simple would fail at 5 years / 38,000 miles.

[mackeroni]

Originally Posted by LuisBoston

It wasn't covered and the dealership charged $683 to replace the latch and cable. I'll be writing a letter to BMWNA, kind of ridiculous that something so simple would fail at 5 years / 38,000 miles.

I agree. Please let us know what BMWNA has to say.

Peace... Mack

[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by mackeroni

I agree. Please let us know what BMWNA has to say.

Peace... Mack

They didn’t do anything but give me a credit of $100 on my next service since I already had the repair done.

BMW should know how to design and build a hood latch that doesn’t fail within 5 years. Lazy engineers and cheap bean counters.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by LuisBoston

They didn’t do anything but give me a credit of $100 on my next service since I already had the repair done.

BMW should know how to design and build a hood latch that doesn’t fail within 5 years. Lazy engineers and cheap bean counters.

Perhaps hood latch problems on these cars are a common problem, but it's not something I've read about before.

I've owned BMWs off and on since 1973 and one thing for certain is that when small things go wrong, typically big bills result. This is the nature of the beast and one reason why owning an older one presents risks to those who don't expect it.

The depreciation curve of BMWs is enough to give most people motion sickness. Once you get out of the new car, bumper to bumper warranty coverage, you either need to budget some cash for these things or you need to get rid of the cars. On the plus side, the nausea-inducing depreciation slows (after all, few cars can be worth less than zero), but the little things that might cost $75 to fix on a Toyota (but likely will never break) can easily cost hundreds to fix on a BMW.

Unfortunate, but nature of the beast, and it was as much this way in the 1970s and 1980s, as it is today (in relative terms, allowing for inflation).

Enthusiasts with 2002s and Bavarias and older 3-Series, etc., would put up with this sort of thing as being part of the price of admission. The question is really whether the current crop of owners, who have bought the soulless cars that this manufacturer is currently producing, will have any stomach for this, the 5 or 8 year old used car, that drives like a Camry, that is now worth $12,000, and has some minor thing go out which costs $700 to fix.

My guess is NOT.

[doublevanosrc]

This is why I'm going back to leasing, just to avoid spending so much out of pocket. BMW knows most of its cars are leased so they are not investing in long term quality anymore. Spend some time in any new BMW and you will notice signs of cost cutting all over. It's not apparent from the get go but with time you will see cheap parts and panels that were usually high quality on E chassis models. I know it's a sign of the times but BMW should really get their long term quality up. Water pumps, engine gasket failures have been going on since the 1990's. At least they figured out the subframe issue.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

This is why I'm going back to leasing, just to avoid spending so much out of pocket. BMW knows most of its cars are leased so they are not investing in long term quality anymore. Spend some time in any new BMW and you will notice signs of cost cutting all over. It's not apparent from the get go but with time you will see cheap parts and panels that were usually high quality on E chassis models. I know it's a sign of the times but BMW should really get their long term quality up. Water pumps, engine gasket failures have been going on since the 1990's. At least they figured out the subframe issue.

So does this mean you'll be trading in your 1er, or will you keep it and DD the leased car?

[champignon]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

This is why I'm going back to leasing, just to avoid spending so much out of pocket. BMW knows most of its cars are leased so they are not investing in long term quality anymore. Spend some time in any new BMW and you will notice signs of cost cutting all over. It's not apparent from the get go but with time you will see cheap parts and panels that were usually high quality on E chassis models. I know it's a sign of the times but BMW should really get their long term quality up. Water pumps, engine gasket failures have been going on since the 1990's. At least they figured out the subframe issue.

I think it has always been subpar, and this is nothing new. A few examples:

(1) My 1973 2002, which I bought new (for under $4000!) had stuff that broke just about every year; the window cranks, the windshield washer pump, etc. The car had essentially zero electronics, no A/C, no radio, basically very little to break, but what was on it did break. And adjusting for inflation, it cost a lot to fix the shitty little things that could break.;

(2) I have a 2000 Z3M Coupe, which is built on the E36 platform. E36s with electric seats have plastic gearing, and when the gear goes, BMW won't sell you the gear, they want to sell you the entire seat/motor mechanism, which costs a fortune. Some enterprising soul (or souls) is making replacement plastic gears for these cars, which at least some indies use in repairing them;

(3) A local independent mechanic who is no longer in the area, had an old X5 he would let customers use while their cars were in the shop. He worked on a lot of BMWs, and he commented several times, that for "luxury cars," BMWs are full of cheap plastic parts;

(4) My 1993 325i, which I owned for 10 years had constant annoying failures of various parts, none very important, but all very expensive. I expecially remember the electrical parts that broke, turn signals, 4 way flasher relays, etc.

I just don't think that BMW used to be a fine car built with high quality parts that don't fail, and now all of a sudden they are cheaping out. They have been cheaping out for a very long time, and it just continues. Usually the important drivetrain stuff is pretty good, but the rest of it is crap, the stuff you never think about until it breaks.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

This is why I'm going back to leasing, just to avoid spending so much out of pocket. BMW knows most of its cars are leased so they are not investing in long term quality anymore. Spend some time in any new BMW and you will notice signs of cost cutting all over. It's not apparent from the get go but with time you will see cheap parts and panels that were usually high quality on E chassis models. I know it's a sign of the times but BMW should really get their long term quality up. Water pumps, engine gasket failures have been going on since the 1990's. At least they figured out the subframe issue.

Isn't leasing spending out of pocket? : Is this in comparison to leasing vs owning a car outright or leasing again vs purchasing outright?

I've done the math and I haven't figured out a way where trading in my used and paid for car and leasing or financing a new one is significantly cheaper than fixing the things that go wrong.

Right away I'd have to pay freight, PDI and get a new set of winter wheels and rubber. My trade in would just cover that and leave enough for just under a year's payments. Still have to make payments for the next 3.5 years and start all over again

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

Isn't leasing spending out of pocket? : Is this in comparison to leasing vs owning a car outright or leasing again vs purchasing outright?

I've done the math and I haven't figured out a way where trading in my used and paid for car and leasing or financing a new one is significantly cheaper than fixing the things that go wrong.

Right away I'd have to pay freight, PDI and get a new set of winter wheels and rubber. My trade in would just cover that and leave enough for just under a year's payments. Still have to make payments for the next 3.5 years and start all over again

Agree...

That's a guaranteed monthly payment. I haven't spent any money on my car since my last oil change, which was approximately 6 months ago. Yes, eventually there will be repairs needed and money will have to be spent, but if I was making a $500 (or more) monthly payment, that would be $3000.00 already spent, which would be a pretty big repair bill. Not that these cars can't have big repair bills, because we know they can.

My dealer emails me often telling me how they want my car as a trade-in and want me to buy or lease a new 2018 M240i.

Emails look like this:

Dear Steven,

Upgrade Eligible:

We recently reviewed our records regarding your 2011 BMW 135i coupe, VIN WBAUC9C5XBxxxxxxx.

When we analyzed your account, we identified a number of reasons why you should consider upgrading to the new 2018 M240i coupe this month.

Return your current vehicle and upgrade to the new 2018 BMW M240i coupe for $0 down.

They try to entice me by saying avoid repair charges - original vehicle warranty has expired. Receive BMW Maintenance Program for 3 Years/36,000 Miles.

They appraised my car for $13,092.00. Do they think I'm crazy? They want me to 'give' them my perfectly running, they don't make them like this anymore, wonderful feeling hydraulic steering, beautiful little 135i? So I can have a car that's less than mine in my opinion, for x number of years of car payments? No thanks. Perfectly happy with my car and don't care what the resale value is because I'm never selling it or trading it in.

Leasing's the worst IMO because when it's all over you have to start again. I think a person should get cheap reliable transportation if they don't want to put a lot of miles on their 1er. I drive an '05 Jetta everywhere and try to take my 135i out every day for nice, long, fun drives.

Edit: forgot to add that I had the high pressure fuel sensor replaced in late February. 1 hr labor and $110 for the part at my indy shop. So I did spend a little money on repairs recently.

[dsocold]

mines got a latch problem...
not opening, i just result to constantly using a long screw driver through the grill and manually open it all the time:

[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by dsocold

mines got a latch problem...
not opening, i just result to constantly using a long screw driver through the grill and manually open it all the time:

That did not work for me.

[mr.fabulous]

Originally Posted by dsocold

mines got a latch problem...
not opening, i just result to constantly using a long screw driver through the grill and manually open it all the time:

post a pic... how/where do you do that

[dsocold]

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

post a pic... how/where do you do that

sorry i will have the pic up for you by tonight its easy to do at times i stick the screwdriver at that location i will show you and wiggle it without even looking into it and i get it to open

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by Esteban

So does this mean you'll be trading in your 1er, or will you keep it and DD the leased car?

One day, probably after it passes 100k miles(67k right now). I still love driving it but as I get older I can see myself in something softer like a 330i. I would like to pay if off and keep it but I might need the $$ for something important like a house.

[dsocold]

Originally Posted by LuisBoston

That did not work for me.

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

post a pic... how/where do you do that

put your long screw driver in there and just wiggle it up and down left right it will pop open trust me