First time leasing a BMW, have a few questions relate to BMW lease.
When I was in the process of signing the paperwork with a finance manager, he told me that BMW maintenance warranty can only apply to the “first registered owner” and it is not transferable unless the second transferee is family member, so if I’m leasing a loaner then I’ll have to either 1) buy the maintenance package (36 months / 36000 mile) for $1800-ish or 2) Renew/refresh (the term he used) the maintenance warranty for $500-ish in order for the maintenance warranty to apply on the loaner vehicle because the first registered owner was the dealership and not me. Is this true?
Is it really fine to replace the RFT to non-RFT tire during the lease and then replace the RFT back right before pre-inspection? Will non-RFT affect anything on the vehicle? I’m guessing they use RFT is because of the weight balance and also there’s no backup tire in the trunk. Will this violate the contract?
In the lease contract, I do see that BMW FS stated that they can take the MSD you put upfront to pay for the everything that you owe them. I forgot the exact statement but basically make me feel like it’s not that safe to put MSD upfront.
For the BMW 2018 330e hybrid vehicle, where can we find the adapter for the Turbocord Charger?
Is there a way to disable Auto Start Stop feature on 2018 330e? I think I don’t see the button to disable the feature. Is this because it’s 330e?
Yes, that is true but loaners comes with the original warranty/maintenance since they aren’t considered officially titled/registered. However if you transferred the lease, the next person would lose that benefit.
Yes, as long as the car has RFTs on it when it’s return, you are fine. Most people will just throw a can of “fix a flat” in the back of using non-RFTs.
Yes, it’s called multiple “security deposits” for a reason. The money can be used if you don’t pay off any payments, fees, or bill of any damage. Part of the reason why they are willing to discount the MF is due to the reduced risk.
I believe you can disable by coding. Read up on bimmerfest about coding. There is a cost, however depending on how computer savvy you are, this can be minimal to a few hundred bucks to have someone do it for you. Keep in mind, if you screw something up while coding, it wouldn’t be covered under warranty, so use your best judgement and be careful.
Very easy to use app with just on/off buttons for a large number of features. I turned off the fake engine noise, made the car unlock when the engine is switched off, and made the stereo go off when the door is opened. Took care of all my complaints on the car.
To address your question #2: My wife’s I3 and my Nissan Leaf do not use runflats and they still come from the factory with no spare tire (or jack/toolkit). They do supply a can of Fix-a-Flat style goo, as well as a 12volt air compressor. Of course, this was utterly useless the night my wife hit a pothole, ripping a gash large enough to fit my finger through. This necessitated hitting the car’s overhead panic button, after which a tow truck promptly dispatched. (Not incidentally: I really have to commend the BMW Mobility service. This was, by far, the best roadside assistance customer service I have ever experienced - from dispatch all the way through to a couple of days after, when the original attendant followed up to ensure everything was taken care of to our satisfaction.)
To address your question #4 (In likely far too much detail): My opinion is the Turbocord, and its associated complication, is a bit of overkill on the 330e. All 330e cars come with a 110/120v ‘regular’ three-prong charge cord as standard from the factory. Just like a toaster or blender, this can be plugged into any regular household outlet (NEMA 5-15R/5-20R). If needed, it can even safely be attached to any good-quality extension cord (although the manual explicitly tells you not to do this).
The Turbocord is an optional additional charge cord (MSRP $499) that can be ALSO be used on 220/240v to more rapidly recharge the (comparatively) small 7.6Kw battery pack in the 330e. Note: taking advantage of this benefit requires a 220/240v circuit (as used by most electric clothes dryers and electric ovens) BUT with a NEMA 6-20R wall outlet. Unfortunately, this outlet is less common than the typical NEMA 14-30/14-50 outlets found in most homes and will likely require an adapter (and the associated multiple trips to the Home Depot, because you almost never get it right the first time…). Caution is warranted here as this is more than enough juice to kill you - consulting an electrician is highly advised! None of this is really that big of a deal, but to me it all seems a bit extreme just to cut the standard 110 charge time from around 3 hours, down to around 2 hours. (This is a hybrid after all - it does have a gas tank!)
So this dealer was lying to me? They told me that rule applies to loaner car because they consider the dealership as the “first” official registered owner, so if I want to lease the loaner, I become the “second” official registered owner and I’m not the dealership’s family member so maintenance is not transferable. They also printed out a notice relate to this and wanted me to sign. Maybe the financial manager was lying or he was wrong but I’m not sure.
Thanks, I also heard that loaners should be covered for maintenance too. He wanted me to purchase the 3yr/36k mile maintenance package for $1800-ish (and I’m leasing a loaner with 24/12K with 3.5k miles) or to “refresh” the maintenance by adding my name to the covered owner list for $500-ish.
I understand that financial services will always want you to go back to the “authorized” dealer for service but this rule just seems like a scam to me. One of the reason that I decided to lease a BMW is because they also included maintenance…
