Reliability

[deilenberger]

I bought my coverage at contegodirect.com just before my BMW warranty ran out, which saved me a lot. I've got 72 months of coverage for $660, with a $50 deductible. I just found out about my transmission and clutch, and I don't think the dealer has yet called for pre-approval; clutches might not be covered, alas.

On the interlock switch, I paid $50 and the policy paid $70.

As a followup..

I've been exploring the ContegoDirect policies - and found several discrepancies that just plain don't make sense..

For their "Pinnacle" plan (the most expensive one) if you go to the brochure describing it https://www.contegodirect.com/serve/bas ... ochure.pdf - on page one under "What is not covered" - it EXCLUDES "brake rotors, brake drums".... from coverage.

OK - but on the 2nd page - it says under the section what else it includes - it says it INCLUDES "Disk Rotors"...

And then AGAIN on the 2nd page - it repeats the "only items below are excluded" - guess what? "Brake Rotors, Brake Drums"..

So.... what IS actually included? Rotors? Dunno. If you go on in the process of signing up - (and the website sorely sucketh, since it often has dead end branches where you can't get back to where you started, so you have to start all over again) - it offers up a nice PDF of the policy complete with your info filled in, dates and all that good stuff. The what isn't covered on that policy excludes things from coverage that are SPECIFICALLY included in the brochure.

It also very specifically excludes "clutch" - but does that include the hydraulic control circuit? Dunno. I'm guessing it does. Both the policies - looking at the brochure do SPECIFICALLY INCLUDE seals and gaskets - but then someplace it appears to exclude any collateral damage caused by a leaking seal (if a seal caused the clutch to die - the seal is covered, the clutch isn't.)

So - what IS the story with Contego? I know ANY extended warranty is a bet by the insurance company that they can pay out less than they collect, but with the conflicting statements in the brochure and the policy - it looks like it's a loaded bet to me, and I gotta question the value.

I sent them an email asking about the stuff I found - no answer yet.

Vroomr - how did you make out with the Contego claim?

[deilenberger]

Doug, you obviously, really have no idea what you're talking about in your little bubble, even with all that fancy sounding stats, very specific app performance and having 6 computers in your house... hmm takes 6 eh?

Pssssstttt..... Joe (Chi) - it's DON. Dunno who the fook Doug is..

[deilenberger]

Been doing some research with Tacoma (used to be Google..)

http://www.nacsolution.com/index.php?op ... &Itemid=29 is where the policies actually are coming from. Did a BBB search - nothing turns up for "Contego" or "Contego Direct" - but the phone number they give - 614-438-7400 does give a BBB hit - right to National Auto Care Corporation:

http://www.bbb.org/centralohio/business ... govtaction

There are a reported 29 complaints in the past 36 months against NAC.. which doesn't sound awful until you click on the "Industry" comparison for this sort of company. Turns up:

440 # of businesses with NO complaints in the past 36 months
104 # of businesses with 1-4 complaints in the past 36 months
54 # of businesses with 5-25 complaints in the past 36 months
*32 # of businesses with 26-99 complaints in the past 36 months
11 # of businesses with 100 or more complaints in the past 36 months
641 Total # of businesses in the BBB database in this type of business
*National Auto Care Corporation is in this range

Not so good - but dunno how many policies the other companies reported have.

Dunno - still waiting to hear back from Zoomr about how he's made out with the clutch claim.. and to hear back from Contego with the questions I had on conflicting coverage listings.

[Lost Rider]

Doug, you obviously, really have no idea what you're talking about in your little bubble, even with all that fancy sounding stats, very specific app performance and having 6 computers in your house... hmm takes 6 eh?

Pssssstttt..... Joe (Chi) - it's DON. Dunno who the fook Doug is..

spenserj87 = doug?

[vroomr]

My dealer tells me that Contego will be paying, less deductible, for the drive shaft leak and clutch slave cylinder leak. Whew. Waiting on parts, I'll report back in when the dust settles.

Zoomr? They call me Vroomr!

[deilenberger]

My dealer tells me that Contego will be paying, less deductible, for the drive shaft leak and clutch slave cylinder leak. Whew. Waiting on parts, I'll report back in when the dust settles.

Zoomr? They call me Vroomr!

Cool.

You might add your real name using the SIG feature - makes it lots easier to know who we're talking to.. (right Joe?)

Upper right corner - User Control Panel, Profile, Signature.

Prolly be a great idea to toss the site some $$ while you're at it so your user name isn't that ugly black color..

[deilenberger]

spenserj87 = doug?

Ahhhh... didn't think anyone else here was goofy enough to have that many computers at home. Good to see there is someone else. I don't have all of them turned on at the same time (one laptop and one desktop are pretty much always off. One netbook and one desktop and one laptop and one server are pretty much always on. Gotta be a simpler way..)

Oh Winders7 - crashes REAL good when one disk of a mirrored set takes a barf and you don't realize it. It craps up the other half of the mirror - which isn't supposed to happen. Back to hardware RAID mirroring..

[Mollygrubber]

spenserj87 = doug?

Ahhhh... didn't think anyone else here was goofy enough to have that many computers at home. Good to see there is someone else. I don't have all of them turned on at the same time (one laptop and one desktop are pretty much always off. One netbook and one desktop and one laptop and one server are pretty much always on. Gotta be a simpler way..)

...one desktop, one laptop. One too many I guess, but my S.O. has stopped kicking me off now

[Oh Winders7 - crashes REAL good when one disk of a mirrored set takes a barf and you don't realize it. It craps up the other half of the mirror - which isn't supposed to happen. Back to hardware RAID mirroring..

Back to the 'simpler' concept... I just have a remote drive back up automatically overnight. RAID/mirroring always seemed like too much trouble for the performance increase, especially with the speed modern computers run.

Peter

[red baron]

At one time there was talk for BMW offering an extended warranty. I believe it came up during last year's National ralley. Any news?

[deilenberger]

At one time there was talk for BMW offering an extended warranty. I believe it came up during last year's National ralley. Any news?

That was me who asked the question at the RA rally during the interview/Q&A with BMW-Motorad's head dude.

Nothing. I've asked some sources within Motorad - nada..

So - I did end up taking the Contego warranty. It has an opt-out/money-back deal.. Fee of $45, but you get back the unused portion of the warranty, divided out by days in effect vs days overall. So - if it doesn't work out, I'm gonna back out and get most of my $$ back. My real hope is - I never have to use it.. so far I wouldn't have. That's my bet with the warranty company - that I totally wasted my money - but not because the warranty is crap, but the bike is great.

BTW - cost after a $50 MOA discount (they also offer AMA and other discounts - same amount) - was $550 including tax, tips, gratuities (well - tax..) which is 1/3rd what the dealer quoted me for the same 36 month term (unlimited miles - and that may work out since I retire in about a year..) and $50 deductable, without the absurd 3,000 mile total tuneup requirements the dealer's policy had.

[spenserj87]

Ahhhh... didn't think anyone else here was goofy enough to have that many computers at home. Good to see there is someone else. I don't have all of them turned on at the same time (one laptop and one desktop are pretty much always off. One netbook and one desktop and one laptop and one server are pretty much always on. Gotta be a simpler way..)

Hey, Don. Yes, the wife needs her iMac and her MacBook. I'll leave OS X alone, but we had an older iMac that I actually gave away because the fan was so loud and Apple was no help in getting it fixed (plus it was a pre-Intel model that I'd really hate to own now). The MacBook works great except for batteries - worst batteries I've ever experienced and I've gone through many PC laptops at my business. Apple replaced the first dead battery, told me I'd have to pay for the 2nd less than a year later. I think you should get more than 8 months on a battery...that's just me. Apparently MacBooks are sensitive to NOT being used all the time.

I've got an HTPC hooked to the plasma, then there is my home desktop, my work/travel laptop, and one PC for my teen daughter. It's the kids that eat up the tech - gotta love it. Joe, a simpler life without daughters...but not nearly as rewarding/exciting.

Last, I couldn't agree more on using RAID - hardware solution for sure. Even built-in RAID on some motherboards isn't worth the trouble. I have a NAS with mirrored drives that holds all the important stuff so I keep the PCs free from RAID. My Win7 mileage has been really good, but two of the PCs in my house are WinXP and they work great - so I'm not a complete convert yet.

And back to the thread - my 2007 R1200R has been trouble free with the exception of the warranty/recalls for brake lines and ring antenna. And following Joe's lead, I try to do all the service myself. Fun bike to work on.

-Doug (aka Spenserj87)

[dirty red]

Boys wake up and smell the coffee. These are not your fathers BMW, they still run. Taking your BMW out for a ride should not be a crap shoot but that is what BMW has turned it into. I have two BMW motorcycles in the garage right now, 07 R12R and 03 F650CS one for me one for her. I told her last night that these would most likely be the last BMW bikes we own, I am just sick and tired of the hassle of owning a BMW motorcycle. Unless you are retired and don't have to worry about sticking to a schedule I would think very hard about getting to far from home on anything BMW makes.

So far all the repairs made to my bike have only been considerably inconvenient and not expensive as my warranty just expired. Now the fun begins - $$$- and lots of arguments. How does BMW expect people to keep throwing down this kind of cash for motorcycles no more reliable than a Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki or Honda. Sorry Honda.

[Lost Rider]

Unless you are retired and don't have to worry about sticking to a schedule I would think very hard about getting to far from home on anything BMW makes.

How does BMW expect people to keep throwing down this kind of cash for motorcycles no more reliable than a Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki or Honda. Sorry Honda.

I never thought of any BMW being more reliable than a Honda, but my BMW has a SOUL, and no Honda ride's like this.


As for being afraid to venture too far on any BMW, including one's leaking oil... well most of you know what I think about that.

Have fun sitting at home afraid of something while I'm out living.

[spenserj87]

Hey Joe. Apple really nailed it on the iDisplay, huh? Gotta celebrate the boneheaded stuff too...

[whitelightning]

I've followed this and similar threads regarding the reliability of these bikes in comparison to others.
1. $$$ does not equate to reliability
2. If you really want to whine about things that go bump in the night, try a Ducati!
3. BMW cars are more prone to idiotic behavior than the motorcycles, and they cost more to repair.
4. You wanted character when you bought a Beemer, otherwise the smart money (read: reliability) is on the Asian bunch.

[gezerbike]

I think I've owned at least 8 BMW's in the last 20 years...and none of them were new. Closest to that is the 08 RR. I can honestly say that I have never been stranded on a trip because of a bike or part failure. Closest was when my diode board on my Airhead took a crap on the way to the Old Skool rally a few years back. Even then, I managed to limp into Memphis after riding almost 300 miles with one diode out. My dealer helped me out over the phone and Bloodworth was waiting for me to arrive with a new diode board in hand. I just had my 1100 GS out trying to run some of the winter gas out of it and it is still the bestest BMW I have ever owned and I wouldn't hesitate to jump on it tomorrow and ride anywhere...it's that confidense inspiring. Can't say I have that confidense yet in the RR, mainly due to the reports on the internet about all sorts of different failures in some of the new designs. I really feel that BMW's from the mid 80's thru 2005 are and were some of the best bikes made. The K bikes were and are virtually indestructble, with many of them reaching well over 200,000 miles without a major repair. The oilheads after 96-97 I think were the best bikes BMW has ever made.

[Rocket]

Feel a bit of a tail end charlie on this thread but for whats its worth, I too have a 2007 bike and the warranty is up next month. No major problems in my first year of ownership but I only do low mileage so probably not the best comparision. Battery gave me some hassle last year but no other issues (except for poor paint quality on the centre stand and frame - both replaced under warranty!)

Ron

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Can't say I have that confidense yet in the RR, mainly due to the reports on the internet about all sorts of different failures in some of the new designs.

Hi gezerbike !

I'll be interested to read those reports on the internet
could you post a link when you have time ?

Like I wrote in the past it may come from my riding behaviors but the only weird things I noticed was 1) Unstable idle at slow speed 2) bike can easily stall in between N & 1 and even more when cold... 3) Clanking hammer noise felt from the rear area of the bike often while riding slowly in Parking for example.

I repeat I really don't know if it is the Bike style, a "malfunction" or an engineering flaws

Postscript-->@Rocket....I did 2000 miles per month average in my first year and no major issues also.

[gezerbike]

Just spend some time in G Spot over at Adventure Rider.com and you'll read alot about issuses folks over there are having. I don't always put alot of credability to internet complaints, they so often are one sided arguments. But many of the complaints are duplicated by others, such as the dead battery issue that appears to be a real issue no matter which model BMW you have. Still waiting for my letter from BMW NA informing me there is an issue and I should get my bike in for a fix...just glad I'm not holding my breath. That said, I'll stand by my comments that I have no issue jumping on my BMW's and just riding........anywhere, anytime. And as for the dealers, I've been to every dealership in Il, Mo, In, Mi Wi, Ky, Oh, western Pa, eastern Ia and Ks and I can honestly say I have never been in a dealership where I wasn't treated politely and with courtesy. I've got no issues with either BMW bikes, or their dealers. I understand that they are in business first and foremost to make money, provide a decent paying jonb for their employees and to serve the brand.

[vroomr]

Finally got my bike back. The total, before tax, to replace my input & output shaft seals was 376.37, of which Contego paid 328.59 and I paid 60.71. I think the reason I paid more than my 50.00 deductible is that my dealer may have neglected to get prior approval for 10.00 of shop supplies--whatever, I'm pleased. I think Contego covers seals only if you buy their coverage while the original warranty is still in effect.