WARRANTY: To Buy Or Not To Buy

[BasicSV]

Having to deal with less than stellar credit, the dealer gave me the extended warranty at cost (saved > $1000), to get the interest rate down a point or so, plus I decided to buy a service package.

Now, for the first three years, all my oil changes, tire rotations, etc are paid for so I don't have to worry about not keeping up with routine maintenance and not getting a warranty item covered. And my truck is completely covered for the life of the loan.

My decision certainly was financially-based, but I'm glad I have the peace of mind. Only time will tell if it was all worth it (since I just bought the truck 2 weeks ago).

[mdawg4x4]

I always said no, until I had to pay $1800 to have my timing chain and tensioners replaced at 70K miles, $75 for fuel sending unit at 61K miles (did this one myself), front hubs at 75K miles, replaced front and rear u-joints at 80K miles, and now at 82K in less than 5.5 years, the paint is flaking off. Still have the radiator issue facing me, but I keep a close eye on it. I need to go ahead and get a tranny cooler. I'm not interested in the bypass mod. Fortunately, when the timing chain was replaced the radiator was inspected and OK at the time.
So, when I bought my wife's Murano, I bought the extended warranty.

[tradesmith45]

Frontier 2011 you might want to ready my post about multiple rebuilt transmission problems.

For the 1st time every, I bought an extended warranty through my credit union for my used 06 Nismo 2x Frontier - cost $1,400. Both the credit union & the local Nissan dealer have had positive experience w/ Route 66 my warranty provider. It is a basic warranty that has an abuse exclusion that I think is standard. It does not cover electrical, body or other fittings. Only goes to 100,000 miles which isn't a long time to own a vehicle these days.

So far, their service has been responsive & they've paid for 2 rebuilt transmissions but I have yet to let them know the 2nd transmission isn't working - I haven't done all my home work yet.

Consumer Reports agrees with most of the posts here that extended warranties are not cost effective for consumers. I usually agree but I planned to tow a trailer that is half of the rated towing capacity of the truck & wanted a little peace of mind. I bought the warrant, they've paid far more for repairs than I paid for the warranty but I certainly haven't gotten peace of mind!

I did not buy an extended warranty for our 05 Audi V6 A4 & have had another nightmare w/ it - 4 blown head gaskets! Even though Audi piece by piece paid for a new engine - what a pain in the rear!

So don't expect a warranty to make a major car problem easy. Buy one if it fits your financial situation or you expect hard use of your truck or there is a history of poor reliability for what you bought. And do shop around.

[Sethareno]

Extended warranties were created to make a profit, or else they wouldn't offer them. In a small percentage of cases, like mdawg stated, they do pay off for the insured, but more often than not you'll never use it or be turned down reimbursement for repair. If you're really wanting an extended warranty my advise would be to figure out how much more per month it is going to add to your payment then put that in a savings account for a possible future repair. That way if you don't use it at least you've got a little bit of interest paid to you.

[FRONTIER2011]

Originally Posted by dan826

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

This is the first and last brand new vehicle I buy. I plan on keeping it for 20 years. I am not someone who gets a new vehicle every couple of years (although that would be kind of cool).

Originally Posted by BasicSV

Having to deal with less than stellar credit, the dealer gave me the extended warranty at cost (saved > $1000), to get the interest rate down a point or so, plus I decided to buy a service package.

Now, for the first three years, all my oil changes, tire rotations, etc are paid for so I don't have to worry about not keeping up with routine maintenance and not getting a warranty item covered. And my truck is completely covered for the life of the loan.

My decision certainly was financially-based, but I'm glad I have the peace of mind. Only time will tell if it was all worth it (since I just bought the truck 2 weeks ago).

The free oil changes were part of the warranty you bought or was it something that the dealer threw in?

[RiverRat]

I can tell you the Security Plus Warranty on my 06 Nismo saved my a$$! Complete drive train replaced already up to the motor. Almost lost the transfer case due to loose bolts (leaked fluid). All kinds of sensors replaced, EPDM, ECM relay issues, fuel sending unit.......list goes on. Biggest LEMON I ever bought.

[FRONTIER2011]

Originally Posted by RiverRat

I can tell you the Security Plus Warranty on my 06 Nismo saved my a$$! Complete drive train replaced already up to the motor. Almost lost the transfer case due to loose bolts (leaked fluid). All kinds of sensors replaced, EPDM, ECM relay issues, fuel sending unit.......list goes on. Biggest LEMON I ever bought.

good to know!

How much was warranty? How many miles?

[FlyerGirl]

It's smart of you, Frontier2011, to be weighing all your options. This isn't a decision to make too lightly.
I personally won't ever buy the warranty again. I got one on my truck, and while (so far) I've had to replace rear axle seals twice, I still haven't even used up half the cost of the warranty. And what, more than anything else, will prevent me from buying a warranty in the future, is how they lock you into one specific dealer no matter what. I prefer to have a choice, and if you can't trust the dealer who holds your warranty, you're out the cost.
So here is my advice: don't buy any warranty for any dealer you're not good with. Research your options as far as that goes, even as you research different types of warranties. If you aren't comfortable with any dealership repair center within a reasonable distance, I would consider scrapping the warranty idea and saving up some 'just-in-case' money...

[FRONTIER2011]

Originally Posted by FlyerGirl

It's smart of you, Frontier2011, to be weighing all your options. This isn't a decision to make too lightly.
I personally won't ever buy the warranty again. I got one on my truck, and while (so far) I've had to replace rear axle seals twice, I still haven't even used up half the cost of the warranty. And what, more than anything else, will prevent me from buying a warranty in the future, is how they lock you into one specific dealer no matter what. I prefer to have a choice, and if you can't trust the dealer who holds your warranty, you're out the cost.
So here is my advice: don't buy any warranty for any dealer you're not good with. Research your options as far as that goes, even as you research different types of warranties. If you aren't comfortable with any dealership repair center within a reasonable distance, I would consider scrapping the warranty idea and saving up some 'just-in-case' money...

I was under the impression that if you bought a factory warranty from Nissan you could have the work done at any Nissan dealership.
Guess I was wrong.

[FlyerGirl]

You'll have to read the fine print on that. I wouldn't know. Got my Nismo used, and while there was still some factory warranty on it, I bought the extended, not knowing it was dealer specific. So just be sure what you're actually signing up for...