AberdeenAngus
Registered user
....so I threw the towel in and will now stick her back together with ducktape
s'only for ducks. You need dogtape.
BMW Warranty ???
- Thread starter Tusky
- Start date
s'only for ducks. You need dogtape.
To anyone:
Why not read the policy and find out? If still in doubt having read it, then ask BuMW to tell you what happens. As it is an insurance backed product, they have an obligation to explain as clearly as they can what the obligations under the policy are.
Whilst you are in the reading mood you can also compare it with what the other extended warranty providers say about repairs abroad.
Of course if you prefer not to trust what you read on the policy document or what you are told by the seller, or believe that you can do it all yourself cheaper, that is - and always will be - of course your choice. I would though refer you to assorted threads where bods come on begging for help to unravel the assorted messes they seem to have created by trying to be smart.
Very true, but I'm sure most on this forum would only try and tackle specific jobs they have the knowledge, experience, tools and common sense to do properly and safely.
I know I do....
god, it's that flying pig again........
AberdeenAngus
Registered user
Risk = probability x consequences
For a typical repair.....
say 10% chance of failure per year
say average repair bill from said failure is £500
risk to you = 10% x £500 = £50
Therefore the 'value' of the insurance you are buying is £50 per year.
Doing a sensitivity test. Let's double both probability and consequence....
20% x £1000 = insurance 'value' of £200
Still way under the cost of the insurance.
The value of the insurance is further devalued since, even without warranty, there is a chance that BMW would chip in toward the repair bill.
There is a significant profit margin built into any policy you should only buy insurance as a necessity not a luxury, as it is never 'value for money'.
So, the question you need to ask yourself is....if it fails, can you afford to fix the bike out of your own pocket?
If so, then don't get a warranty.
If not, then it may be necessary - but you should ask yourself if you can really afford the bike.
For a typical repair.....
say 10% chance of failure per year
say average repair bill from said failure is £500
risk to you = 10% x £500 = £50
Therefore the 'value' of the insurance you are buying is £50 per year.
Doing a sensitivity test. Let's double both probability and consequence....
20% x £1000 = insurance 'value' of £200
Still way under the cost of the insurance.
The value of the insurance is further devalued since, even without warranty, there is a chance that BMW would chip in toward the repair bill.
There is a significant profit margin built into any policy you should only buy insurance as a necessity not a luxury, as it is never 'value for money'.
So, the question you need to ask yourself is....if it fails, can you afford to fix the bike out of your own pocket?
If so, then don't get a warranty.
If not, then it may be necessary - but you should ask yourself if you can really afford the bike.
snerkler
Registered user
Interesting that. I've always taken out extended warranty on my last few cars as worst case scenario it could cost well in excess of £10k, which I can't afford in one lump sum, therefore taking out warranty is more of a necessity.
Whether I take out extended warranty on the bike will depend on how big the expense COULD be if something went drastically wrong. IF the MAX ever repair bill (not talking accident damage here obviously) is around £1k, I'd have to seriously consider whether paying the warranty is worth it. However, if there's a possibility that it could be much higher than £1k then taking out warranty might be the better option for me.
I'm no expert on insurance but my logic is simply that the cost of the insurance is directly proportionate to the average cost of repairs to those bikes covered by said warranty plus on top of that comes the profit the insurance companies have to make. If this is true, then the average cost of repairing a bike covered by the warranty has to be less than £350 per year. What would be a sensible profit mark up for the insurers? Say about 20%, then the average cost of repair becomes less than £300, most of which will be labour costs.
Reckless
Registered user
Hi - just joined the GS world but I have had only good experiences with the BMW Insured Warranty on my K1200S. Remember that the £30 per month in my case includes BMW Assist which, again in my case, saves me the cost of similar cover for the 2 or 3 trips I do each year to Europe.
My biggest problem came 2 years ago in Switzerland when my frame snapped and left me with no gear shift and no sidestand. I was recovered to a Swiss BMW dealer who sent me for a coffee while he built a bespoke bracket to mount my gear shift on. 4 hours later I was back on the road and caught up with my mates feeling great again. The repair cost me 100 Euros - the Warranty does not apply in Europe BUT, if you keep any receipts, you will be refunded once you get home. My frame was replaced when I got home - £1700 plus 3 days labour - myust have been £3000 total at least. No arguments, no questions beyond the obvious and a superb service from BMW, the team in Switzerland and particularly Balderston in Peterborough throughout.
So - for me, there will be no doubt - when my new GS warranty runs out I will be in the queue for the BMW Insured Warranty. £30 per month is barely noticeable these days whereas a £1000 would still make my eyes water.
My biggest problem came 2 years ago in Switzerland when my frame snapped and left me with no gear shift and no sidestand. I was recovered to a Swiss BMW dealer who sent me for a coffee while he built a bespoke bracket to mount my gear shift on. 4 hours later I was back on the road and caught up with my mates feeling great again. The repair cost me 100 Euros - the Warranty does not apply in Europe BUT, if you keep any receipts, you will be refunded once you get home. My frame was replaced when I got home - £1700 plus 3 days labour - myust have been £3000 total at least. No arguments, no questions beyond the obvious and a superb service from BMW, the team in Switzerland and particularly Balderston in Peterborough throughout.
So - for me, there will be no doubt - when my new GS warranty runs out I will be in the queue for the BMW Insured Warranty. £30 per month is barely noticeable these days whereas a £1000 would still make my eyes water.
In which case, you won on the deal which is great. But paid for by all the other owners who took out the warranty and never claimed. It is a business after all.
snerkler
Registered user
Thanks for this response, you have just confirmed for me that I will indeed be taking out the extended warranty as I can afford £30/month for peace of mind, but not £3k in one go. Plus you get the benefit of assist as you say.
I am wondering on low mileage use if saving £350 per year (Plus £100 for non BMW dealer servicing) is gonna be a very good bet.
I may well take the gamble if for no other reason is I do not really trust the main dealers to carry out the service work properly, and this may even have made FD issues worse if they skimped on the oil changes to save a bit of time
So keep my £450, get a reputable specialist to service it, reduce chances of failure and if it does all go wrong I have a fair bit of cash towards the repairs, and certainly an FD will not ruin me.....
...however the dreaded valve drop is still a worry, as I guess this wrecks the entire engine and results in a c£3k+ repair bill - not the sort of cash I can easily find - suddenly the crap overpriced servicing and expensive warranty sounds good again!
I may well take the gamble if for no other reason is I do not really trust the main dealers to carry out the service work properly, and this may even have made FD issues worse if they skimped on the oil changes to save a bit of time
So keep my £450, get a reputable specialist to service it, reduce chances of failure and if it does all go wrong I have a fair bit of cash towards the repairs, and certainly an FD will not ruin me.....
...however the dreaded valve drop is still a worry, as I guess this wrecks the entire engine and results in a c£3k+ repair bill - not the sort of cash I can easily find - suddenly the crap overpriced servicing and expensive warranty sounds good again!
rudiemoto
Registered user
hi Rasher
dont worry about dreaded valve drop
rust will kill it 1st
as for the engine
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ride it
dont worry about dreaded valve drop
rust will kill it 1st
as for the engine
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ride it
rudiemoto
Registered user
Risk = probability x consequences-fun+tons of cash=bmw
my outlook
ride it =fun+offroading it ,camping,bike bling =my gsa12
999s fun ,but not for long
my outlook
ride it =fun+offroading it ,camping,bike bling =my gsa12
999s fun ,but not for long
Take the warranty
Tusky
Firstly did you cancel the pet insurance or kill the cat!
In my humble opinion I would say take out the warranty either with BMW if you can afford it or with a reputable insurance company. A 1200GS is a lovely machine but its not cheap, final drive will set you back a bundle of cash and even small items are expensive i.e. new headlight £200+. With BMW you don’t have the hassle of getting an assessor in to view the bike before they can start repairing it. The down side is that you have to have your bike serviced by an authorized BMW dealer and that’s where the real cost stack up.
Good luck whatever you do!
Tusky
Firstly did you cancel the pet insurance or kill the cat!
In my humble opinion I would say take out the warranty either with BMW if you can afford it or with a reputable insurance company. A 1200GS is a lovely machine but its not cheap, final drive will set you back a bundle of cash and even small items are expensive i.e. new headlight £200+. With BMW you don’t have the hassle of getting an assessor in to view the bike before they can start repairing it. The down side is that you have to have your bike serviced by an authorized BMW dealer and that’s where the real cost stack up.
Good luck whatever you do!
Tusky
Registered user
Yup the insurance got cancelled and the savings paid for a skiing trip
She's not a cat she's a dog.... a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever to be exact Well thank you guys..... this has been a really informative thread and there has been a nice balance of views.......
I guess I need to ask myself what do I use the GS for and how do I use it?
In my case mainly two up for touring around the Alps, France and UK.
Do I like to grab a handful of throttle? Yes
Is the combination of a combined pillion weight of 27 stone plus 3 stone of luggage (190kgs) going to put a strain on things?
I guess it must do !!!
So on balance, am I best to see this and the dealer services as a £700.00 a year investment for piece of mind riding when abroad....
either way, I need to decide by the 29th April......
This is a nice idea when sitting down trying to work out contingency for your given project. But remember, even on billion pound projects you still take out insurance. Why? Well its for the worst case scenarios. Low probability high impact events. So in this case is it worth taking out insurance against a dropped valve, shagged gearbox, knackered FD?? Well thats up to the individual. I've ended up claiming on the insurance every year, sometimes £50, sometimes £100+. I've also broken down each year and used the recovery.
The main thing is, I don't have to worry about it. Makes the bike more enjoyable. When its knackered, I hand it over to BMW, they fix it and there's no bill. Not bad for a 4yr old bike
I have not broken down (as in needed recovery) for over ten years, in 25 years I have only needed recovery twice (flat tyre / broken chain) In 25 years I have needed very few non service items / consumable parts. I have only had one major failure (RG500 throwing gearbox through engine cases)
The above quote leads me to believe doing the maths based on other bikes (a cheap to fix breakdown every 12.5 years) would suggest an extended warranty on a Jap bike is completely un-necessary, however for a 1200GS which is almost certainly gonna break down on an annual basis it is very worthwhile.
The main dealer / warranty premium at todays prices would amount to £11,250, far more than one chain (probably 90% worn anyway) one tyre (faulty batch FOC replacement) and one RG500 rebuild (About £1500) would cost, so I would have actually saved enough to buy a new bike outright!
Definately a model specific thing here, I doubt I would bother for a 650 / 800 / 1100 / 1150 or anything Japanese - but maybe on the 1200 it offers good value
I have not broken down (as in needed recovery) for over ten years, in 25 years I have only needed recovery twice (flat tyre / broken chain) In 25 years I have needed very few non service items / consumable parts. I have only had one major failure (RG500 throwing gearbox through engine cases)
The above quote leads me to believe doing the maths based on other bikes (a cheap to fix breakdown every 12.5 years) would suggest an extended warranty on a Jap bike is completely un-necessary, however for a 1200GS which is almost certainly gonna break down on an annual basis it is very worthwhile.
The main dealer / warranty premium at todays prices would amount to £11,250, far more than one chain (probably 90% worn anyway) one tyre (faulty batch FOC replacement) and one RG500 rebuild (About £1500) would cost, so I would have actually saved enough to buy a new bike outright!
Definately a model specific thing here, I doubt I would bother for a 650 / 800 / 1100 / 1150 or anything Japanese - but maybe on the 1200 it offers good value
Your making it sound as if a failure on every bike, every year is mandatory
. If it was, the warranty would be costing a lot more than £350 per annum as that only covers a minor repair with labour costs. Most 1200's don't break and I think the cost of the warranty indicates that must be the case in reality. IMO of course.Tusky
Registered user
Cheers Guys
I've weighed up all the pros and cons and I think I am going to go for the warranty.
Reasons being...
1) I can't get it in for its 12000 mile service before the 2yr warranty runs out.
2) The GS is my 2up touring bike, so it's had two years of being spanked with a 200kgs payload on it, that's got to put it under greater stress and therefore the likely-hood that something will fail.
3) As it has all the bells and whistles on it, that can only mean that there is more to go wrong.
4) European (dealer) recovery and loan bike is chucked in, so that's a big plus, as that is what attracted me to the brand in the first place when I saw how well a mates K1200 with broken gearbox was dealt with.
So there you have it..... £310.00 a year versus a strong chance of a £1000 + breakdown in the next 3 years.....
OK I will have to have it serviced at the dealers which will be circa £350.00 but if I had it done by an independent, it would still cost £200.00, so it's not that bigger factor...
True cost of warranty is IMO £310.00 + £150.00 (Main dealer overcharge on servicing).
If the bike was just my weekend steed, I probably wouldn't bother but its a my touring bike and a heavy bill is the last thing you want when you are on holiday.
I've weighed up all the pros and cons and I think I am going to go for the warranty.
Reasons being...
1) I can't get it in for its 12000 mile service before the 2yr warranty runs out.
2) The GS is my 2up touring bike, so it's had two years of being spanked with a 200kgs payload on it, that's got to put it under greater stress and therefore the likely-hood that something will fail.
3) As it has all the bells and whistles on it, that can only mean that there is more to go wrong.
4) European (dealer) recovery and loan bike is chucked in, so that's a big plus, as that is what attracted me to the brand in the first place when I saw how well a mates K1200 with broken gearbox was dealt with.
So there you have it..... £310.00 a year versus a strong chance of a £1000 + breakdown in the next 3 years.....
OK I will have to have it serviced at the dealers which will be circa £350.00 but if I had it done by an independent, it would still cost £200.00, so it's not that bigger factor...
True cost of warranty is IMO £310.00 + £150.00 (Main dealer overcharge on servicing).
If the bike was just my weekend steed, I probably wouldn't bother but its a my touring bike and a heavy bill is the last thing you want when you are on holiday.
SpyInTheCamp
Registered user
I think that you are right to do so.
I didn't bother taking the extended warranty on my last GS (2005 model) and was OK for a little while until the gearbox let go towards the end of 2009 and a whole load of other things followed. In the end, it cost me around £2k to keep it on the road last year. I didn't even go for a new gearbox but got a used one from Motor Works and had it fitted by an independent.
There are many variables in making the decision. In my case, I now keep bikes for longer (that 05 bike lasted until February this year when I PX'd it) and the annual mileage is 'relatively' high at around 9k.
I bought a used GS this year which came with a one year warranty but I'm pretty sure I'll be renewing it next year. It sticks in the throat a bit but I've come to terms that (for me at least) it is part of the territory if you want a GS (and perhaps BWMs in general).
I didn't bother taking the extended warranty on my last GS (2005 model) and was OK for a little while until the gearbox let go towards the end of 2009 and a whole load of other things followed. In the end, it cost me around £2k to keep it on the road last year. I didn't even go for a new gearbox but got a used one from Motor Works and had it fitted by an independent.
There are many variables in making the decision. In my case, I now keep bikes for longer (that 05 bike lasted until February this year when I PX'd it) and the annual mileage is 'relatively' high at around 9k.
I bought a used GS this year which came with a one year warranty but I'm pretty sure I'll be renewing it next year. It sticks in the throat a bit but I've come to terms that (for me at least) it is part of the territory if you want a GS (and perhaps BWMs in general).
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