Warranty Coverage Question

[jacks25]

Here goes- I have an '02 745i which I bought certified pre-owned from BMW in July 2005. I've been lucky enough to have minimal problems with the car and have a fantastic mechanic. My question is this: Just found out that a problem with the engine will cost approx. $2,500 to fix. (Something about a 'weep' pipe) ouch. My mechanic said that, while my mileage is under the 100K warranty ceiling (80K)- coverage would depend on when the warranty began. He suggested I call the dealer to find out if it's covered. Exactly when does the warranty begin and is a 2nd owner covered? I bought the car as a lease return and I believe the build date is '02.
Thanks in advance

[ROYinGA]

your VIN and it will give the build date.

[JeffWYO745]

The warranty is 6 yr/100k from the 'in service' date, which is the day the car was first sold/leased. Any BMW service dept can look up your in service date.

[mochabean]

Is that a pipe that carries coolant between the left and right cylinder banks? I had that fail a few months before the warranty ended. The dealer had both heads off, and the front of the engine too.

The engine sounds a little rougher after the fix, but my gas mileage went up!

In service date was what I was told too, hope yours is less than 6 years.
'02 745i, Titanium Met Gray, Flanel Gray
Enjoy your drive!

[bmwtech2003]

That is the date that matters in the land of warranty.

[kv745]

I have a 2002 745li with 42,000 miles. My in service date was 6/18/02. A little over 30 days after my 6 year warranty expired I had a catastrophic engine coolant failure. The failure was a defective O-ring at the crossover pipe, which then caused the engine coolant leak. When the seal failed the coolant dumps out through the weep hole on the bottom of the engine. To repair it took 40 hours of labor, which BMW wanted $135.00 per hour, to repair a defective part that BMW was aware of. This is an unbelievably poor design from BMW. This is a fairly common problem with the 02 and 03, but not so common that it has warranted a recall. The entire engine has to come out to get to the crossover pipe. Prior to 6/18/08 BMW and my dealer was always there for me and couldn't have delivered better service and responded to my concerns. The day following the expiration of the warranty they were unwilling to do anything for me. They did offer to reduce the labor hours from 40 to 35. BMW of North America never responded to my calls or e-mails and the Zone rep and dealer said BMW had offered GOODWILL on the 02 and 03 745's by extending the warranty from 4/50,000 to 6/100,00 and because of that the full amount of the repair ($7,500 plus @ BMW) was all on me. They did acknowledge that even had the car been in the day prior to the expiration of the warranty they would not have caught the problem. Every dealer and mechanic that has seen this problem and worked on the issue all have said this is an extremely poor design from BMW. All I can say it, hope your vehicle is still under the warranty, which is the first in service date of the vehicle, or you have an extended warranty that will cover this costly repair. Because if you believe that BMW is going to do the right thing, you just may be in for a huge eye opening experience and a deep cut to your pocket book, as I was!