[cpt]

I was at the dealership to discuss the lease contract for my i5 M60 (delivery expected in a week). One item they slapped on the sheet was a "maintenance agreement" charge of 1.3k, which they explained covers all the wear and tear costs during the lease period. They said because EVs wear out the brakes faster, the pads will need to be replaced before the lease ends and the cost would be much higher than 1.3k, but it will be covered by this fee.

Is it reasonable to have such a fee included as part of the upfront cost in a lease?

I'm extremely skeptical because with the EV regen braking, the motor is applying the braking force, not the brake pads, so the lifespan of the brakes is only going to increase. Or am I missing something?

[arkhi]

You got scammed dude. Also, read the contract. There's a good chance that this is the kind that's only easy to execute when performing service at your dealership's network; very hard and tedious or otherwise just flat out rejected if not.

I had one of these, and the only thing that's really useful in the first 3 years of the car ownership was the wiper blades, and those are considerably cheaper than $1.3k.

[cpt]

Originally Posted by arkhi

You got scammed dude. Also, read the contract. There's a good chance that this is the kind that's only easy to execute when performing service at your dealership's network; very hard and tedious or otherwise just flat out rejected if not.

I had one of these, and the only thing that's really useful in the first 3 years of the car ownership was the wiper blades, and those are considerably cheaper than $1.3k.

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. I'll ask to remove this before I sign the contract for sure.

[G35c6MT]

Originally Posted by cpt

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. I'll ask to remove this before I sign the contract for sure.

100% remove this. Brakes wear out less not more on EVs.

[alewifebp]

If you want to cover the brakes, here is the package you want. From BMW USA

Purchase this BMW Ultimate Care+ upgrade to add: Replacement of specific wear-and-tear items such as brake pads, wiper blades and manual transmission clutch. Ultimate Care+ is transferable to a subsequent owner, should you sell your vehicle. Price - $850 across the board for all 2023 model/series.

From the wording and what I was told, you can add it later, you don't need to add it now. So if during your lease you need new brakes, add Ultimate Care+ for $850, and you'll be covered.

[DHDCF]

I'm tired of dealing with dealers/dealerships for these reasons. In the end, they couldn't care less about the consumer. Make the move to an all on-line experience already, BMW!

[DocWeatherington]

cpt

So 1,300 over the course of 36 months is nothing in the grand scheme.

Brakes are items on which it depends upon the driver and your use case. One can kill a set in 30 mins and within 50 miles if you trying. $1,300 bucks is a steal for a brake job especially OEM. This also covers other wear and tear items excluding tires. Newer high performance bmws tend to kill the rears before the fronts (DSC). Your getting a EV and it takes some effort to slow it down as it's well over 5,000lbs..


THE QUESTION... Is can you afford this and can.. will you use the coverage this provides... Toss up..whats your use case?

However, if you have a good relationship with your advisor (hint) and you want to buy the car out at the end of the lease or even by the end of this contract (drive it like you stole it) it will work out.

I always take the prepaid maintenance upfront as in the cheaper as long as you ensure you use the benefits.

Now for the price.. I would confirm what package they are offering. As per bmw below the base package is 850 for an I5 M60. If they are doing a markup( without other pros).... call it, also ensure your getting base money factor in the deal.

As others have said you can add this after the fact... But I would confirm timeline and known precondition considerations. Aka you take you car in and the brakes are toast and you get a estimate of 2300 bucks then you sign up for maintenance.. Not sure if it will work or not.

Also, I would look at the other wear-and-tear items in the fine print. On an EV it won't be much but they still have wear and tear.

Let us know the outcome and congrats