WARRANTY: To Buy Or Not To Buy

FRONTIER2011 · #1 (**permalink**) 09-11-2012, 06:44 PM

I have a 2011 SV with 10k miles on it. I plan on keeping it for a long time.
Does it make sense to buy a warranty? If so, what kinds are there?
Does it matter where (what dealership) you buy it from? Does anyone have a warranty claim where the dealership boned you and would not fix for free?
thanks!

FitzIngarage · #2 (**permalink**) 09-11-2012, 08:40 PM

Request a copy of the Terms and Conditions, what each extended warranty tier covers and who the Insurance carrier is. I've never purchased these, as I find too many escape clauses, limitations and expectations of expensive routine Dealer maintenance. Research the insurance Carrier on the Internet to determine how well they meet Customer expectations and also the geographic reach of the policy if you travel.

I have a copy of an extended warranty from Fidelity Warrenty Services that I rejected. The insurance carrier reserved the right to reject any claim if they deemed "misue, abuse, negligence (even by the Dealer!), normal wear or contamination" and this was within just one of 18 paragraphs of exclusions!

Many owners make a good invetment with their coverage, so I don't want to talk you out of it. Just do your research before commiting. Good luck with your choice.

FRONTIER2011 · #3 (**permalink**) 09-11-2012, 08:50 PM

I was interested in a Nissan Factory warranty, not thru a 3rd party. Apparently you can buy these at different Nissan dealers, it does not have to be the one you purchased your truck from.

shindog1961 · #4 (**permalink**) 09-12-2012, 02:32 AM

They are a rip off! Just a way for the dealer to make more money.

nightarmor11 · #5 (**permalink**) 09-12-2012, 11:58 PM

I would only do a factory extended warranty not a 3rd party warranty. Yes there is some markup in the warranty.
Here is the break down of nissan factory extended warranty.

Nissan Extended Warranty

Chris

dan826 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-13-2012, 02:02 AM

The fact that the dealerships often push these warranties HARD when you buy a new truck should give you a clue as to who stands to benefit most.

If you maintain your car well, it is unlikely you are going to break a covered item that costs more than what you are paying for the warranty. If you do break something, you gotta make sure it's not excluded from the warranty (there's a lot of fine print).

What I can tell you for sure though is that if you do get the warranty, you are guaranteed to be out $1k - $2k or whatever they want to charge you for the warranty.

Find out whatever what the warranty costs and set that money apart in a savings account so you can help cover repair costs in the unlikely event that something happens to fail between the end of the factory warranty and whatever extra time the extended warranty would have given you.

Apbt1976 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-13-2012, 09:47 AM

I purchased my trucked used from a VW dealership with 18k miles on it. I was talked into the extended warranty mostly on account of me financing my truck for like 6 years. At the time i had a highly modded VW i still owed 15K on that i just wanted out of and got next to nothing for and rolled into my loan.

Anyway. I have yet to need to warranty. However just a couple moths ago i did have a problem with my truck that had me pulling it out to read the fine print. Come to find out my truck has to be brought to the dealer i purchased my truck from to be serviced and they decide if said problem is covered under the terms of the warranty or not.

I say be very very careful. To be honest i tried telling the sales person no but my GF at the time was sitting there nodding her head and between the two of them i just said yes as i did not want to listen to either of them anymore

**ScottB1982** · #8 (**permalink**) 09-13-2012, 10:01 AM

I drive quite a bit, and when I buy a brand new car or truck, I buy that extra warranty for added peace of mind. For instance, if my transmission goes out just outside of the standard warranty, and I am only 1/2 paid off for the truck, I want them to cover it instead of me shelling out $1500-4,000 on top of making the regular payments. Sure, there are limitations, and everything you add aftermarket isn't covered, but I don't plan on modifying my transmission or engine internals anytime soon.

dan826 · #9 (**permalink**) 09-13-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottB1982

I drive quite a bit, and when I buy a brand new car or truck, I buy that extra warranty for added peace of mind. For instance, if my transmission goes out just outside of the standard warranty, and I am only 1/2 paid off for the truck, I want them to cover it instead of me shelling out $1500-4,000 on top of making the regular payments. Sure, there are limitations, and everything you add aftermarket isn't covered, but I don't plan on modifying my transmission or engine internals anytime soon.

I've been through 4 cars, and never had an issue that made me wish I had an extended warranty. The standard power train warranty is pretty generous. It is extremely rare that something will last through the manufacturer warranty period and then break during the extended period. As long as you are taking good care of it (flushing transmission, changing belts, regular oil changes, inspections, etc as per the service manual).

If I had bought an extended warranty for each car I have owned, I would be out quite a bit of money.

FitzIngarage · #10 (**permalink**) 09-13-2012, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRONTIER2011

I was interested in a Nissan Factory warranty, not thru a 3rd party. Apparently you can buy these at different Nissan dealers, it does not have to be the one you purchased your truck from.

If you read the Terms, you'll likely find that the insurance carrier is not Nissan. Dealers act as an Agent for independent carriers and get a commission for selling policies.