Extended Warranty anybody buy one

[1970 CST Short Wide]

We bought a 2018 Traverse New in 18. 3 years are up but only 12,000 miles
Heard they have transmission problems and electric parking brake has stuck twice now. Any way thinking of buying 3rd party extended warranty. Any suggestions ?.

[61_FL_Apache]

don't do it! Thats my one time experience anyway. We bought a 2.5 year old Chevy Venture and thought it would be wise to do. It cost $1700 for 3 more years. I only used it ones for a $90 repair and I had to pay 1/2 of the bill. So that fuel pressure regulator repair cost me $1745 the way I see it.
I took it to the dealer for the repair and when the service guy saw who the warranty was thru, he shook his head..
My only advise is to see about a manufactures extended warranty and not 3rd party.

Thankfully its been an awesome vehicle for 15 years now with very few minor repairs.

[Palf70Step]

I had one on my Dodge Ram years ago (2006 ish) when I bought it. It was just under 1000 for 5 years and 50K. In that case It worked out good for me. I had got it because of the price and I expected transmission issues. Turns out the heads warped and they got replaced so it was worth it. Not sure I would do it on anything else again. The prices are just not worth it to me. BTW the issues you mentioned on Equinox/Traverse is why we got a CR-V for the wife. I have known too many people that had issues with the GM car-based SUVs.

[1slo64]

I have had my wife buy the one Ford offers when we bought her 21 explorer, extends the warranty to 7 years or 100k miles. We both drive about 18k miles a year so I figured it will come in handy at some point.

[67C10Step]

I bought one on a Toyota 4Runner in the late 1990's and the one issue I had with the rig in nine years the warranty did not cover. My bad for not reading all the details.

Read the fine print and, like was said before, is it factory or third party. It's a statistics game and if they didn't come out on top more often than not they wouldn't offer them.

[Steeveedee]

We have them on our newer Kia vehicles. Good for 10 years/100k miles. I had one on a 2005 Corolla. Felt funny buying it, but it got a right rear hub and bearings, water pump and transmission before it got out of warranty, so it was worth it in my case. With all these electronics nowadays, if something fails it's going to be $1k or so. I've had my car almost 6 years. As long as it works OK, I'll keep it, but once it starts to break, it's a goner. I'll have another older vehicle like my truck that I can repair myself, by then.

[1970 CST Short Wide]

I feel I need to do something for warranty. This is my wife’s car and obviously she doesn’t drive it much 12000 in 3 1/2 years but with little things like this E Brake not releasing (Twice now) and hearing about trans issues I don’t want it to Nickel and Dime Me. A 10 year 100,000 mile would work if it’s bumper to bumper

[FleetsidePaul]

I don't have any but I keep getting phone calls that mine is going to expire and I need to call right away.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

I don't have any but I keep getting phone calls that mine is going to expire and I need to call right away.

Hah! You too, eh?

I've never had one, and never needed one. I see it as if you're paying for repairs whether you need them or not. I prefer to pay only if it's necessary. Just one of my many quirks I suppose.

[1970 CST Short Wide]

Originally Posted by Stocker

Hah! You too, eh?

I've never had one, and never needed one. I see it as if you're paying for repairs whether you need them or not. I prefer to pay only if it's necessary. Just one of my many quirks I suppose.

That’s why I didn’t buy one when I bought the car. Today the battery died just 3 years old. Not totally uncommon but Funny it happens just after warranty is over
Found a policy for $1950 5 years 65000 miles Bumper to bumper . Question is do I spend $1950 now OR who knows what’s next $$$$
I hate making these kind of decisions. I also hate letting go of $$$

[JJH Jimmy]

I bought one for the first time when I bought my 21 duramax at4. It cost $2k for 150,000 miles or 7 years. It has a $1k deductible it covers any thing other than brake pads and tires. My truck is loaded with every option and it is the first year with the 10 speed tranny. If I never use the warranty I am still happy.

[Steeveedee]

Over the life of the loan/vehicle I'd consider it like car insurance. Hopefully it'll be there when you need it. I should go back and add up the money I spent just on car insurance, but I'm betting that it's less than whatever it would have cost me if I ever ran into somebody and caused them serious injury.

[Axle]

Are you planning on having all repairs done by the dealership or by your favorite independant garage?

As others have said, read the fine print.
You need to find out what the definition the 3rd party warranty company puts on various parts, not what you think that part falls under. Just because its bolted to something doesn't mean its covered by what that falls under.
Fuel pump module. Powertrain or Electronics or something else?
If a module needs dealer programming is it covered? Or how much of it would be.

What hoops do you need to jump through to get a claim? Got to pay first and do your own submission?
Are you restricted to who you can use to get a repair?
Does your car need to be inspected by the warranty company before your garage can perform the repair? and is that defined by a dollar amount, or by what classification the part falls under?

If you are getting your work done at an independant, go ask them who they will work with. No point in buying a 3rd party warranty your mechanic doesn't want anything to do with.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by Axle

Are you planning on having all repairs done by the dealership or by your favorite independant garage?

As others have said, read the fine print.
You need to find out what the definition the 3rd party warranty company puts on various parts, not what you think that part falls under. Just because its bolted to something doesn't mean its covered by what that falls under.
Fuel pump module. Powertrain or Electronics or something else?
If a module needs dealer programming is it covered? Or how much of it would be.

What hoops do you need to jump through to get a claim? Got to pay first and do your own submission?
Are you restricted to who you can use to get a repair?
Does your car need to be inspected by the warranty company before your garage can perform the repair? and is that defined by a dollar amount, or by what classification the part falls under?

If you are getting your work done at an independant, go ask them who they will work with. No point in buying a 3rd party warranty your mechanic doesn't want anything to do with.

Jumping through hoops is right. when we bought my wife's Abarth it came with a bumper to bumper lifetime warranty. What a bunch of BS. If anyone other than a Fiat dealership worked on it for anything then it would void the warranty. Everything had to go through the dealer and the nearest Fiat dealer was an hour away. I would have to have someone follow me for an hour, drop the car off and drive an hour back. Then do it all over again when the car was ready. Completely useless.

I took it to a Dodge dealer 5 minutes from my house. The paperwork on the Fiat had Mopar logo's all over it. Same company right? Wrong. They said that it had to go back to the Fiat dealer. They wouldn't do it.

So I voided my warranty and sold the car.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by 1970 CST Short Wide

Found a policy for $1950 5 years 65000 miles Bumper to bumper . Question is do I spend $1950 now OR who knows what’s next $$$$

make sure there is no deductible or "service charge" on repairs. make sure you get to say what gets repaired and what gets replaced, if its up to them they may repair something that should be replaced, and if you have a deductible or service charge its a good way to eat up your money on something that is only temporarily fixed with a repair. make sure they cover consumables like AC refrigerant or gear lube. read for language that gives them the right to just walk away for a fixed amount.

if it sounds like i have had all these things happen, its because i have had all these things happen. with a home warranty, but same principle. i paid a $55 service charge on the same dishwasher 6 times, they would not replace. that $330 would have gone toward a new dishwasher. the leak in my AC was a $55 service charge and $300 in refrigerant. my vintage stove broke and they paid a $350 stipend for a new gas stove, not a feature by feature replacement, which cost another $800. the last straw was the water heater, which was covered, but needed $1100 of "code upgrades" which were not covered. on the phone with the service guy asking why a catch pan was needed in an equipment room with a floor drain (it wasnt) and why it cost $200 from him and $20 at the box store. I did that repair myself. read the fine print, and read actual coverage reviews online.


if you are worried about transmission or engine issues, I get it, 1950 is about the labor on that job. do you expect these problems though? with the e brake, when there is a common problem I hit the google box and youtube and usually someone has fixed it permanently for next to nothing.

[Killer Bee]

well, first off, $1300 in San Francisco is not the same as it is in other parts of the country..

SF metro area remains most expensive place to live in US

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- For the sixth year in a row, the San Francisco metro area is the most expensive place to live in the country.

According to federal data prices here were more than 17% higher than the 2020 national average.


and consequently shop labor rates may be drastically higher than other parts of the country..

Bay Area's Best Auto Shops: New Analysis Compares Cost, Quality

More than 500 auto repair shops in the Bay Area have been evaluated based on quality and price. How does your mechanic compare?

Hourly labor rates range from $62 to $288


we're a closed fleet mostly concentrated in the los angeles basin and our fleet engineering has started spec'ing extended powertrain warranties on most of our vehicles from major manufacturers..

out of service time is also very expensive and more often the oem dealer is the fastest route to repair..

I have 22 2018-2019 canyons in my area and we've sent four of them to the dealer for water pumps in the past six months.. invoices are zero dollar but I suspect they are approaching $1000..

we just sent one to the dealer thursday for a trans seal that was just here last month for a water pump and also got a new oil pan during that visit.. I'm sure that canyon will run well over a $5000 total betwwen these two visits..

the 2009 colorados were so bad, they are almost all gone already - replaced by the canyons.. starter motor was on top of the engine, don't recall exactly but that was an an extremely high labor hour job..

we had one 09 colorado parked in the stall outside my office that wouldn't start after a pm inspection.. the timing chain got knocked off by the nozzle on the oil dispenser gun that pathetic 5cyl engine was quoted over $6000 from the dealer, when an ls was under $5000..

by contrast, we have more than 700 2012 hd2500 c and k pickups in various cab/bed combinations.. ls engine problems are very rare and only recently finding trans and other drivetrain issues with ~200k miles... extremely hard miles at that.. couple of the k models had a right side front axle seal issue early on and my guys were sending them to local dealers on warranty..


I don't like giving advice on how people spend their money but I personally buy the manufacturers extended warranty on the lot and negotiate the best price.. I factor it into the total cost at purchase and forget about it..

none of the vehicles I've bought new have never went to the dealer although they may have only needed at or near the extended warranty cost of repairs.. I don't recall ever having any major repairs on new vehicles I've owned however I would still buy the longest warranty available if I was purchasing a new vehicle..

my 95 impala ss was 3-4 years old and I stopped by the market on my way home.. wouldn't start after only 15 minute stop.. wouldn't jump start either while removing the battery to swap in a dual post I had in my 74 c20, the cable and post twisted right out of the side of the battery.. the blanket was already soaked inside although wasn't visible in the dark until I pulled it.. so the new fender liner, battery tray, etc. that were all damaged from battery acid that the dealer replaced due to a simple defective battery was thankfully covered..

oos time is also very expensive for me and my household so I prefer the fastest repair route with the highest probablility of success.. also not a big fan of surprises, especially financial ones..

good luck!