My parking sensors on my 535 failed front and rear. "Please park manually and visit a service centre" flashed up on iDrive. I checked the fuses etc but this was a hard fault.
BMW diagnosed a faulty control module after having traced the wiring. They even had the cheek to say beforehand that if the wiring was broken due to a mouse or insects then this would not be covered. Seriously.... I thought I was dealing with BMW here, not Bill and Bob on the dodgy back streets....
Anyway, after them keeping it for four days and a load of back and forth they repaired it under warranty. £1886.76 inclusive. I can't believe that BMW repairs cost what they do as per my recent encounter. The part in that case would have been £532 + VAT. The module, a common component across all BMW cars, has to be programmed according to the car it is fitted in (different lengths/widths etc) and that takes two hours and it likewise charged at the hourly rate.
I am on extended warranty so in the end it just cost me my excess of £100. But seriously.... the thick end of £1900 and labour rates of £180 per hour plus VAT?
Is this a chicken and egg of repairs being so high that you have to have the warranty that forces the warranty costs up that in turn make it that everyone has to have the warranty to save themselves from ludicrous repair bills like that which in turn creates a situation where BMW can charge more. Is this a cartel? A deliberate rig and price fix to drive maintenance costs up?
I asked the Sytner service advisor who said about 90% of the cars are under extended warranty. I can see why. No way would I not haver this car covered. And I see why that BMW/Audi etc only offer 3 years standard new car warranty and not 5 and 7 years like the Japanese and Koreans do.... It must be a massive money earner for BMW.
I paid extended warranty on my 5 series for two years and didn't need to make a claim. That two years cost me £1700 in total. I was tempted to not bother this year but reluctantly continued on the monthly plan (at £91 per month). I am glad I did.
Just sharing an experience. Apologies for the War and Peace.