As some of you are aware, my airbag light came on this past weekend while out of town. It brought back memories of my old '02 MCS, for which the entire circuit wiring had to be replaced. That was a week's worth of shop time. Well, by the time I arrived at Checkered Flag this morning, I had only 200 miles left on my extended warranty.
I originally thought I had a simple wiring issue with the airbag sensors in the seats. Turns out I had moisture underneath the insulation/mat in the boot. It had corroded the module next to the battery, plus possibly the battery wiring itself. All of that will have to be replaced. I should have my MINI back by Friday.
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Now, the warranty. Since I have my old '02 MCS for spare parts, I was going to forego the extended warranty offered by MINI and take care of whatever breaks as it comes. But, I'm not wanting to deal with future "electrical" issues. So, I decided to buy it. It's a plan agreement between the dealership and
Fidelity Warranty Services. This is NOT Fidelis; they have gone bankrupt.
Here are the plan options presented to me today:
- 2 Years/24,000 Miles - $2,117
- 3 Years/36,000 Miles - $2,646
- 4 Years/48,000 Miles - $3,569
- 5 Years/60,000 Miles - $4,080
I am not sure if these are offered once you are out of warranty. The cost of them may be less if you are still within the original 3/36K phase and not the 4/50K extended phase. Your cost options may also be different if you have an R55/56/57 instead of an R53. Fidelity offers five coverage levels, with Platinum being the highest. So far as I know, that's the only one CF offers, so that's what the prices above are for. My deductible option is $100; there are other options listed on the contract. I was offered 18 months to pay it back at 0% interest with a 10% down payment.
I bought the 5/60K plan. It starts TODAY. You can read all the coverage details in the
Fidelity Vehicle Protection Plan Brochure. To include some highlights:
- Up to $75 coverage for the tow to the nearest dealership ANYWHERE IN THE USA
- Up to ten days coverage at $35/day for a rental car
- Up to $75/day covered ($375 max) for food/lodging if more than 100 miles away from home
- Fluids/oils/greases/lubricants replaced in conjunction with a repair
- Normal wear-and-tear items are not covered (e.g. bulbs, brakes, rotors, etc.)
- Improved resale value if you sell your MINI (i.e. this plan IS transferrable to a new owner)
- If you opt to not sell the plan with your MINI, you can redeem it and get a prorated rebate based on lapsed time/miles
- You cannot get reimbursed once the warranty runs out if you never used it for any repairs
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I hope this clarifies any questions some of you may have had about this option.
P.S. This is NOT the extended service contract.
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