986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

zagit · 07-07-2005, 05:12 PM

My research on this issues resulted with several conclusions
1. Usually the extended warranties are not rip-off.
2. Great exception is warranty direct, at least i could find a person who would tell me that warranty direct is not working.
3.Very difficult to find a positive stories, even for warranty direct.
4.In able to make a profit, they need to take money from you, and logically try to find any loophole to get away from payment. if you have an that warranty, its nice if you have a friend who is a attorney and will help you to understand and win the battle during the claim.
5.For myself, believe it or not could decide, so mysterious this topic is, you would imagine. The tears and cry mixed with happy laughs,

interesting topic, drama and comedy in the one bottle.

and here is quote which i find helpful from BMW Roadfly 3 series forum:

To bein with, shop around if you are hell bent on getting one. Many 3rd parties will write such warrenties. Dealers and others mark these up by 100% or MORE. They are usually WAY overpriced. You can get them much cheaper if you shop around.

Then read them carefully. Many do not cover anything except stuff that NEVER breaks - like the crankshaft. And unless you can show proper maintenance (oil changes, etc.) you are not covered for even that. Don't expect new tires and free brake pads out of this deal.

Also, review the repair policies. Many folks end up with "claim denied" when they fail to follow the procedure for repair. You have to go to a mechanic (usually authorized by them) who will work with the company. Then you have to get pre-approval for all work. If you are on the road and get a repair done at a non-authorized shop, they will not reimburse you later on.

Much is not covered by these policies. The salesman will verbally tell you that it covers "bumper to bumper" (a meaningless phrase). One big problem with the extended warranty industry is the verbal misrepresentations by salesmen. Salesmen usually get huge commissions on these warranties - like half the markup. So if you buy a $3000 policy, he probably gets $750. He has a big incentive to sell you this stuff.

My experience with these plans has been they are not worthwhile. You will pay a lot for them, and rarely obtain more in service than you paid for (think about it, this is how they work). Most times, you will receive NOTHING in return. Catastrophic failure of major engine parts is very, very rare in a car that has been properly maintained. Usually such catastrophic failures occur when the car is fairly new (and are often covered under secret warrenties, anyway, such as the M engine crank problem, or the Nikasil issue on the 5 series).

Buy a car with a KNOWN service history, in great shape, with low miles. You will be far better off than buying any warranty. Spend the money you'd waste on an extended warrenty on regular fluid changes (e.g., synthetic oil every 3,000 miles) and regular service. You 'll get far more mileage out of the car.

Now, in response to this, you'll see a posting from someone who claims that they got a new engine out of the extended warranty and it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Assuming they are not a plant (e.g., actually someone who works for BMW or an extended warranty company) these people are the small exception to the rule - the one percenters. The overwhelming majority of people spends huge bucks on these things and never get anything.

The second flame I'll get is from Joe Car Clueless (This is a guy who goes to the dealer to get the radio station pre-sets changed) who claims that the warranty gives him "peace of mind". Of course, this is a fool's paradise. If you really want peace of mind, buy a low mileage, late model car from an enthusiast (not a dealer) and take really, really good care of it. You'll have more peace of mind that 1,000 extended warranties.

Car dealers have a litany of add-on products they can use to get you to pay more for your car than it is worth. These include:

1. Extended Warranties
2. Paint Sealer (you need trucoat Mr. Lundegaard!)
3. Undercoating
4. Fabric protector
5. Dealer financing
6. Loan life insurance (pays the loan off if you are disabled!)
7. Various junk fees ("document prep" is a classic)

While some of these add-on items may have some intrinsic value, the Dealer usually sells them for much, much more than they are worth.

BTW, you can'd blame Dealers for doing their thing, anymore than you can blame a shark for chewing on surfers. It is in their nature. If you don't want to get bit, don't swim in their waters. A guy in the Z3 forum is whining because the dealer charged him $9 for a quart of oil - so he returned it. Who buys oil from a dealer, anyway?

FWIW.

07-07-2005, 05:12 PM	#23
zagit Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Posts: 17	to be or not to be... My research on this issues resulted with several conclusions 1. Usually the extended warranties are not rip-off. 2. Great exception is warranty direct, at least i could find a person who would tell me that warranty direct is not working. 3.Very difficult to find a positive stories, even for warranty direct. 4.In able to make a profit, they need to take money from you, and logically try to find any loophole to get away from payment. if you have an that warranty, its nice if you have a friend who is a attorney and will help you to understand and win the battle during the claim. 5.For myself, believe it or not could decide, so mysterious this topic is, you would imagine. The tears and cry mixed with happy laughs, interesting topic, drama and comedy in the one bottle. and here is quote which i find helpful from BMW Roadfly 3 series forum: To bein with, shop around if you are hell bent on getting one. Many 3rd parties will write such warrenties. Dealers and others mark these up by 100% or MORE. They are usually WAY overpriced. You can get them much cheaper if you shop around. Then read them carefully. Many do not cover anything except stuff that NEVER breaks - like the crankshaft. And unless you can show proper maintenance (oil changes, etc.) you are not covered for even that. Don't expect new tires and free brake pads out of this deal. Also, review the repair policies. Many folks end up with "claim denied" when they fail to follow the procedure for repair. You have to go to a mechanic (usually authorized by them) who will work with the company. Then you have to get pre-approval for all work. If you are on the road and get a repair done at a non-authorized shop, they will not reimburse you later on. Much is not covered by these policies. The salesman will verbally tell you that it covers "bumper to bumper" (a meaningless phrase). One big problem with the extended warranty industry is the verbal misrepresentations by salesmen. Salesmen usually get huge commissions on these warranties - like half the markup. So if you buy a $3000 policy, he probably gets $750. He has a big incentive to sell you this stuff. My experience with these plans has been they are not worthwhile. You will pay a lot for them, and rarely obtain more in service than you paid for (think about it, this is how they work). Most times, you will receive NOTHING in return. Catastrophic failure of major engine parts is very, very rare in a car that has been properly maintained. Usually such catastrophic failures occur when the car is fairly new (and are often covered under secret warrenties, anyway, such as the M engine crank problem, or the Nikasil issue on the 5 series). Buy a car with a KNOWN service history, in great shape, with low miles. You will be far better off than buying any warranty. Spend the money you'd waste on an extended warrenty on regular fluid changes (e.g., synthetic oil every 3,000 miles) and regular service. You 'll get far more mileage out of the car. Now, in response to this, you'll see a posting from someone who claims that they got a new engine out of the extended warranty and it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Assuming they are not a plant (e.g., actually someone who works for BMW or an extended warranty company) these people are the small exception to the rule - the one percenters. The overwhelming majority of people spends huge bucks on these things and never get anything. The second flame I'll get is from Joe Car Clueless (This is a guy who goes to the dealer to get the radio station pre-sets changed) who claims that the warranty gives him "peace of mind". Of course, this is a fool's paradise. If you really want peace of mind, buy a low mileage, late model car from an enthusiast (not a dealer) and take really, really good care of it. You'll have more peace of mind that 1,000 extended warranties. Car dealers have a litany of add-on products they can use to get you to pay more for your car than it is worth. These include: 1. Extended Warranties 2. Paint Sealer (you need trucoat Mr. Lundegaard!) 3. Undercoating 4. Fabric protector 5. Dealer financing 6. Loan life insurance (pays the loan off if you are disabled!) 7. Various junk fees ("document prep" is a classic) While some of these add-on items may have some intrinsic value, the Dealer usually sells them for much, much more than they are worth. BTW, you can'd blame Dealers for doing their thing, anymore than you can blame a shark for chewing on surfers. It is in their nature. If you don't want to get bit, don't swim in their waters. A guy in the Z3 forum is whining because the dealer charged him $9 for a quart of oil - so he returned it. Who buys oil from a dealer, anyway? FWIW.