I'm trying to see if I can come out ahead if I buy just a 1-year maintenance plan for my 2014 M6 GC.
I'm at 32k miles, but drive only 7k miles a year on the car. I calculated I can only come out ahead if I can ensure I do a complete brake job, 2 oil changes and spark plugs and/or rear diff fluid.
My comparable pricing if I had to buy OEM parts and pay for labor myself:
Full OEM brakes parts $1500 parts
-($900 just for the front)
OEM brake fluid $20
OEM rear diff fluid $40
OEM oil change kit: $100 each
OEM plugs: $200
Indie labor to do it all (no labor on oil as I DIY):
$500
According to this chart, I need my car to get up to 50k miles to get my diff fluid and plugs done.
My rear brakes CBS says I still have 22k miles to go, 9k miles for my front brakes. So that means my base cost of doing it myself for next year is:
$900 (front brakes) + $200 (oil x2 if I'm lucky) + brake fluid ($20) = $1100 in parts + $300 or so in labor. Considering 1 year plans are at least selling at $1700, it just won't work out for me. It'll be great if I can buy it for 1 year this time next year, b/c I'll have plugs, diff, and hopefully a full brake job.
Anyways, this is how you should value these plans. For most people, it all hinders on whether you can do a complete brake job, not a partial brake job on the plan. Even better if your plugs and diff fluid is also scheduled in the same 1-year timeframe. Needless to say, BMW isn't in the business of losing money on these plans.
