Brands with insured warranties?

Elessar

The last few cars I've had including my current were BMWs and apart from looking well and being great to drive one of the things that keeps me coming back is the insured warranty you can buy each year after the manufacturer warranty runs out. I pay about €600/year for the comprehensive with no excess which includes roadside assistance and I find it's great peace of mind with almost everything covered. I've used it once or twice over the years and it's been worth its weight in gold, probably saved me more money than I've spent. Completely painless process.

Eventually though I will replace this car and I would like to try a different brand. Are there any others with similar insured warranties?

MarkR

Had to Google it. Insurance part confused me. You're paying money to BMW in case your car has an issue. Each to their own I suppose.

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122042759#Comment_122042759

I don't think it's seen that way. Like any car that reaches the end of the manufacturer's original warranty, your paying BMW to extend that warranty further so they cover the cost of any repairs that may pop up. So it's really an insurance policy against mechanical failure that is sold as an extended warranty product beyond the manufacturer's original warranty period. BMW work it through one of the larger insurance companies, I think it's AIG here and BMW dealers will honour it once it is covered. The most comprehensive policy is similar to what BMW dealers offer under their Approved Used Car warranty. Not sure if Audi or Mercedes offer similar products.

Some people like the peace of mind of not having to worry about expensive repairs especially on premium brands. There are third party warranties out there from the likes of Mapfre and Car Protect but they are littered with exemptions and then you to find a repair centre that actually wants to deal with those warranty companies.

rubberdungeon

https://www.toyota.ie/relax?_ga=2.198462703.1322639974.1713601197-321445498.1713601197&_gac=1.20652362.1713601202.CjwKCAjwz42xBhB9EiwA48pT75Gos8BJycXL2QxRREqTrx7rf-uv68w-jkwxgSsp6TWuJzl9L-pjkBoC124QAvD_BwE

When you get your Toyota serviced by a Toyota Authorised repairer you get a 12-month warranty on your vehicle.

Would this be similar?

Elessar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122043283#Comment_122043283

Probably the most similar I've seen on the market, thanks. Although a look at the T&Cs suggests that wear and tear are not covered, whereas the BMW insured warranty covers this too. Probably unlikely I would be opting for a Toyota (lexus maybe!) to replace my 3 series though.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122042759#Comment_122042759

You could see it that way. As mentioned it's essentially paying for an extended manufacturer warranty. I've had several thousand €€€ covered in repairs for my previous 3 series thanks to it. Without it I would have been out of pocket a lot of money, and a hire car was provided too. The entire thing was seamless.

I was hoping VW or Mercedes or Audi might have something similar but I guess not. This would definitely sway me more towards BMW next time, not that that is a bad thing, because I tend to keep my cars for several years after the dealer warranty ends.

prawnsambo

Not an ICE vehicle, but Polestar do something similar after the three year warranty runs out.

https://www.polestar.com/ie/polestar-support/warranty

kirving

With a 3yo premium car, you'd want to be nuts NOT to buy an extended warranty. These days, if anything electrical goes, it's very likely to be into the thousands.

I recently bought a 3yo car, with a 2yo CPO warranty, but extended it at purchase time for an additional 2 years, so the car will be 7 by the time it's out of manufacturer warranty.

cr-07

Does the €600 for BMW cover servicing costs as well, or just repairs?

bazz26

Nothing to do with servicing costs.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122048827#Comment_122048827

Yeah maybe in to the thousands if you bring it to a main dealer. But if you know a good auto electrician they can sort most issues for a fraction of what a main dealer would charge.

Extended warranties wouldn’t be a thing if they weren’t profitable. So that leads me to believe that in most scenarios you don’t actually get your moneys worth.

Obviously I get the appeal of having an extended warranty, but they wouldn’t be for me.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122050128#Comment_122050128

I'm sure they're profitable alright (I got a deal on mine, but they're still making money I know)

On mechanical stuff, it's a well established skillset, you get aftermarket or used parts, stuff welded, etc. I'd be comfortable enough there.

But with lots of electrical stuff now, and I mean premium stuff in particular like digital dashboards, large touchscreens, lidars, HUD's, camera systems, they're often not designed to be be repaired as they're glued together, skills to do it even if possible are thin on the ground (especially in Ireland), and some safety critical stuff is encrypted so you need dealer-lever (if not dealer-only) equipment to work on it.