Tominator Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 How do you feel about them? I've bought them on the last 4 or 5 vehicles I've owned because my wife and I put a ton of miles on vehicles and we usually drive them until they die. Lately my wife's Saturn Outlook has been acting up. She was having traction control problems. Just got off the phone with service and it turns out the timing chain is stretched and needs to be replaced. $2,000+. Her instrument cluster was also on the fritz, also pretty expensive just because of the labor involved. All the repairs will be covered by the warranty for our $25 deductible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 How much does a warranty like that with only a $25 ded run for the saturn Chris? Did not put one on our durango, has a lifetime powertrain warranty on it, have gotten a few fliers from chrysler offering their extended warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Never buy them, except on the occasional electronic gismo (usually a gift to someone else). For vehicles you will lose money over time IMHO. Might come out on top sometimes, but there's a reason they push them - statistically they are a windfall to the warranty company. A friend of mine purchased a used impala and got a lifetime powertrain warranty, the caveat is that he has to take it to them for EVERY service and has to go with EVERY service recommendation they make, so essentially he's shelling out lots of cash for the thing over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Yep ,, bought the GOLD package from Toyota on Tammys Corolla .. which covers everything 100% except for the routine stuff. She's covered for 11 yrs. so the extra $1100 is worth it to us. Should have bought it for my Silverado ,, just had to replace the plugs and another O2 sensor ... $500 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newarcher Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Never buy aftermarket warranties.....they typically put the issuing company out of business because repairs are so expensive now. Never ever ever ever ever ever buy anything but the factory warranty. Another trick is to buy the car without it and then google 'factory warranty for [insert make and model and year here]'. You will find that some dealerships are willing to sell them for $50 or so above cost (real cost not that nonsense cost figure they give you at the dealer). They become the warranty seller on the net. For instance, I bought a warranty on my wife's Honda Odyssey at 7 years / 120,000 bumper to bumper (except normal wear items) with zero deductible for $980 online. The dealer wanted some $2,800+ for it. I've had great luck with them. My Dodge Ram warranty saved me probably 3K over the cost of the warranty. I've never lost with them, I know that. New Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I think the Saturn warranty was $1300 or thereabouts. I got my first extended on my Geo Metro. Used it to repair rocker arms, or a cam shaft? Don't remember, but that paid for itself. Bought one on my wife's 2nd Saturn, never used it. Bought one on my wife's mini van, used it numerous times, more than paid for itself. Bought one on my truck, I used it twice, more than paid for itself. And now this Saturn. I'm kind of lucky in that my dad is a GM retiree so we get the extended warranty at a discount along with the vehicle itself. Just an insurance policy I guess. Shaun can tell you, with the labor charges these days, it's a gamble, but so far they have paid off for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 It does make a difference too who does the work. I don't consider most repairs that major because I do most everything myself and save the labor. When you take it in every time you get a CEL, then it's a different story altogether. I did look at the warranty on the wife's BMW because of the expensive nature of the parts and labor. $3,500 to get it to 100K (car already had 50K on it), no thanks, that's only about 2 years for us, and I don't intend to shell out $1750/yr in insurance that also does not cover tires, brakes, and service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I got my first extended on my Geo Metro. Don't think I would have admitted that in an open forum...... unless gas hits the $5/gal mark, then make fun all you want. :bummed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Like you said, it is a gamble. Is this an extended warranty from GM your talking about, or an aftermarket warranty company? Most times they pay for themselves. It just usually seems like a lot of money when you're paying for it up front. Timing chains eh? We've done lots of those on the Outlooks, Acadia's, Enclave's, Traverse's, Cadillac CTS/SRX with the same engine. GM got a bad bunch of timing chains that stretch prematurely causing camshaft co-relation codes. On the Outlook, Acadia, Enclave and Traverse we have to drop the engine out to change them, pretty big job! Usually they go within the first 20K miles or so. What's the mileage on yours? If it's a 2007 or newer with less than 100K on it it's covered under the factory powertrain warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I bought one when I got my Silverado. It came in handy, but in no way did it cover the cost of it. I'm still smarting. Matter of fact it left a mark, lol! I only got it because of what my PIECE OF CRAP DODGE DAKOTA put me through after the warranty ran out. Darned if you do, darned if you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Extended warranties are a gamble. Sometimes you win, but the odds are against you. They would not offer them if it was not a money maker. When it comes to vehicles and the cost of repairs you are getting ripped off anyway. Here's an example; a local dealership was offering brake pad replacement, one axle, for $274.99. Machining/replacing the rotors or rebuilding/replacing the calipers was an additional charge. I purchased premium brake pads for $65.00 (cost to dealer=less than half of that) and replaced the pads in less than one hour using just hand tools. It was not worth $210.00 for that hours time, but then flat rate may have called for two hours of labor but no auto mechanic is worth even $105.00 per hour (not that the mechanic gets it all). Charging flat rate should be against the law. Therefore, if it is a factory/dealer extended warranty it did not cost them anywhere near what they would have charged you. Yes, you saved money, and, yes you were ripped off. As an added note, not everyone can do their own repairs, I was a mechanic in a prior life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I have never bought them for anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Don't think I would have admitted that in an open forum...... unless gas hits the $5/gal mark, then make fun all you want. :bummed: One of my all-time favorite cars. That car was so light, you could downshift and cut the wheel and put it into a sideways slide in no time flat. If you were so inclined (as I was twice that I can remember), you could dead lift the back end of that thing, with not much problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Timing chains eh? We've done lots of those on the Outlooks, Acadia's, Enclave's, Traverse's, Cadillac CTS/SRX with the same engine. GM got a bad bunch of timing chains that stretch prematurely causing camshaft co-relation codes. On the Outlook, Acadia, Enclave and Traverse we have to drop the engine out to change them, pretty big job! Usually they go within the first 20K miles or so. What's the mileage on yours? If it's a 2007 or newer with less than 100K on it it's covered under the factory powertrain warranty. 2007 with 89,000+ miles on it Shaun. Yep, big job. Guy said they would need 2 full days just to replace it. I don't envy you guys at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Originally Posted by Shaun_300 Timing chains eh? We've done lots of those on the Outlooks, Acadia's, Enclave's, Traverse's, Cadillac CTS/SRX with the same engine. GM got a bad bunch of timing chains that stretch prematurely causing camshaft co-relation codes. On the Outlook, Acadia, Enclave and Traverse we have to drop the engine out to change them, pretty big job! Usually they go within the first 20K miles or so. What's the mileage on yours? If it's a 2007 or newer with less than 100K on it it's covered under the factory powertrain warranty. 2007 with 89,000+ miles on it Shaun. Yep, big job. Guy said they would need 2 full days just to replace it. I don't envy you guys at all. Hmmm, we almost bought a 2008 acadia and would likely not have gotten an extended warranty. Last item I bought an extended warranty on was our philips 42 inch tv, came from sams club. The warranty was around $60, that only after reading how some of those screens only last a year, seemed a three year extended warranty might not be a bad gamble. Price was right anyway, sams deal was like $80 cheaper than wal mart. We did put an extended warranty on our yukon, bought it pre owned from a gm dealer. Never used the warranty, we lost on that deal.:yes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiobucks Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 We bought an extended warranty when we got Kim's van, and it is about to run out. Can't say it has paid for itself. We've used it twice, but the initial cost was greater than the repairs.... Can't see buying anymore of 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 If you are going to get an extended warranty, you might as well go for the Platinum coverage, which covers pretty much everything. The lesser warranties don't really cover you for much and are a waste of money. Always read the fine print. When I bought my old truck second hand from a dealer, I was a little reluctant to buy a warranty with it, but I did just in case. My warranty was just about expired, when all kinds of things started going wrong with the truck. It ended up that the warranty paid for itself 3 times over when all was said and done. If I had of bought one of the lesser type warranties, nothing that broke down would have been covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Forgot that our American standard hvac unit came with an extended warranty built in, 10 years parts and labor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 I have only bought one. For a Windstar. Glad I did because the tranny went. I will be buying a new truck this year and am not sure if I will buy it or not. Probably not....but we will see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBow Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 I think if you took the cash they wanted for every extended warranty from every purchase you made (vehicles, electronics, appliances, etc.) and put it into a separate account ear-marked for repair or replacement costs, you'd be money ahead in the long run. Retail salespersons are required to push extended warranties for one reason, "It makes money for the retailer", which typically translates into costing the customer money in 9 out of 10 times. I purchased an extended warranty on an Oldsmobile back in the 80s. It cost me $500. Every time I took it into the dealer to get any warranty work, they told me I wasn't covered because it was usually a "friction part" and I was on the hook for the cost anyway. TBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 I think if you took the cash they wanted for every extended warranty from every purchase you made (vehicles, electronics, appliances, etc.) and put it into a separate account ear-marked for repair or replacement costs, you'd be money ahead in the long run. TBow You're clearly not married. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiobucks Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 Just found this one out - we did buy an extended warranty on our appliances when we moved into our house almost 6 years ago. It was a 5 year warranty that never got used. Our dishwasher is crapping out on us right now......1 year and 1 month out of "warranty". Wasted that money away......I'll never buy another extended warranty again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 I usually don't. However, some things I do if it's a wash with known maintenance items that will have to be replace. My treadmill I just bought fits that criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBow Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 You're clearly not married. Going on 41 years (287 dog years) now. Hence my knowledge and need for a separate account. Joint accounts? YA RIGHT! :no: If we had joint accounts, I wouldn't have made it 41 years! TBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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