Extended Warranty - Worth It?

[rkwfxd]

It’s my belief that dealers and stores always push extended warranties on cars, tools, appliances, electronics etc… because it is in THEIR best interest.

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[40Caliber]

Wife and I drove Subarus for 20 years. They are reliable cars and I always turned down the plans. I owned 7 of them and saved a ton of money by not buying them. I never had a major issue before 150,000 miles, well outside the plans.

This is my first jeep and frankly they don't have the best reputation in reliability. I am retired with no more income coming in (i don't see social security for 4 more years). so it was an insurance policy

at $1200 for 8 years it seemed like it was worth a shot for me. I plan on keeping the Jeep a while. I usually replace vehicles every 7 years or so. if we keep seeing inflation we are seeing (even at a slower rate), $1200 8 years from now probably won't buy many fixes

At $1200 it makes sense to me At $5000, however, I would have passed. look around and see if there is a discount dealer on that side of the border. can you raise the deductible to lower the cost?


one last thing, I believe Canada doesn't have lemon laws? that would probably make me lean more towards an extended warranty of some sort as well

 

[TaiMc]

So I am getting pressure from all sides to get the mopar extended warrenty that extends the comprehensive from 60,000km to 100,000km (~38,00miles to 62,000 miles).

The thing is that it costs a pretty big penny. $4700 CAD for the extended warrenty (plus a bunch of stuff that I cannot seem to get rid of like car rental coverage, trip interruption coverage with hotel & meals....). If I'm willing to drop an extra $500 bringing the total for the extended warrenty to $4,200 CAD, I can prepay for a package of 11 services/maintenance checks with synthetic oil. The problem with that is I already have a trusted mechanic, and I've had zero dealings with the shop I'm buying from, so I don't trust them to have their grubby paws on my Jeep - I've read too many horror stories around here to make me not too keen on it.

So my question is this, has the extended warranty been worth it for anyone? Are there essential parts that are not covered by the factory drivetrain warrenty that would be an expensive pain to replace/fix?

I have a few people around me trying to pressure me into getting the extended warrenty, but I'm not all that keen on the value off what I get for the cost. Anyone able to convince me otherwise?

that price seems a bit steep. Many on this forum are aware of my situation. I purchased an extended warranty at the time i bought my jeep. This summer i had blown head gaskets and a coolant leak that seeped into my cylinders and warped them (left no evidence of a leak, which also emptied my coolant reservoir). I only received an ess service light that something was amiss other than noticing the temp needle go one tick above medium (once). I received no other warning lights: coolant, temperature, engine…it literally became damaged beyond repair under my nose.
All of this occurred at 61k miles (1k miles outside the stock powertrain warranty). The dealer worked with corporate and put a new block in my Jeep. I paid my $100 deductible and was good to go.

Had I not purchased my EW, I would’ve been on the hook for a new block and labor which was triple (if not more) than what I paid for the warranty. Also, the warranty was divided into monthly payments (about $78/mo), which is quite different from having to be out of pocket for a $10k-$15k bill due immediately upon receiving my vehicle.

So, because of my experience, I always plan to purchase one.

 

[TaiMc]

So the warranty offer I have is 100,00 KM (~60,000 miles) over 5 years for comprehensive, which costs $3,700 CAD. If I wanna splurge and get the first 11 services for the vehicle pre-paid, I can get the comprehensive + 11 services for $4,200. This was with the zero deductible plan. I was not made aware of any plans that did have a deductible at all.

Though truth be told, I am fairly positive this guy is trying to sell me a bloated plan with a bunch of extras I do not care to have, and there are options that cost less, but I keep getting stonewalled. It doesn’t help that mopar makes the various plans they have super vague and key-coded in a way that one must be in on to understand. Though, that’s a good tip on the warranty refund if not used, I’ll have to further look into that.

What’s the actual name of the warranty? Maxcare or Added care plus…or something else?

 

[40Caliber]

that price seems a bit steep. Many on this forum are aware of my situation. I purchased an extended warranty at the time i bought my jeep. This summer i had blown head gaskets and a coolant leak that seeped into my cylinders and warped them (left no evidence of a leak, which also emptied my coolant reservoir). I only received an ess service light that something was amiss other than noticing the temp needle go one tick above medium (once). I received no other warning lights: coolant, temperature, engine…it literally became damaged beyond repair under my nose.
All of this occurred at 61k miles (1k miles outside the stock powertrain warranty). The dealer worked with corporate and put a new block in my Jeep. I paid my $100 deductible and was good to go.

Had I not purchased my EW, I would’ve been on the hook for a new block and labor which was triple (if not more) than what I paid for the warranty. Also, the warranty was divided into monthly payments (about $78/mo), which is quite different from having to be out of pocket for a $10k-$15k bill due immediately upon receiving my vehicle.

So, because of my experience, I always plan to purchase one.

and the best part, if it was an 85K warranty (or more), you still have it if something else goes wrong...

sorry about the worse part (that it happened at all)

 

[TaiMc]

and the best part, if it was an 85K warranty (or more), you still have it if something else goes wrong...

sorry about the worse part (that it happened at all)

Yup! My warranty is actually an unlimited mileage /lifetime added care plus plan.

They offered this type of warranty for a few months in 2018. I just couldn’t pass up an unlimited mileage warranty… when I log into my Mopar account it shows that my warranty expires at: 999,999 miles or 2101! So yup…I think it was a wise decision on my part.

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

Luckily all these guys who tell you not to get a warranty will drive up and help you change out that engine or tranny when it goes out for free.
Those fancy electronics behind the dash - no prob ! - they'll bring a soldering iron and a 6-pack and get right on it for sure mate
Just get the best deal which probably won't be from your dealership, unless you plan on selling your new Wrangler in 3 months like some of these turkeys claim.

 

[Gnomad]

You have 3yr or 36,000mi to think about it…when you decide, do this…

**Copied over from the 392 forums

——-

“Hello Everyone,

We strive to be an asset to this community are doing our best to get creative with what we can offer here as a benefit to the Jeep392 Forum. With that being said, we have done some shopping and have come up with the best deal on Mopar Vehicle Protection plans. We will now offer any plan (Maximum Care, Added Care Plus, Powertrain Care Plus, Tire & Wheel, Maintenance) at $50 over dealer cost on any Wrangler! This offer is good for any Wrangler whether it was purchased from our store or another Jeep store. This represents a discount from in-store MSRP pricing of $1500-$2000 on average and is cheaper than any other online retailer.

How do you get this started?

Please send an email to [email protected] with the following information:

Name
Address
Phone number
VIN
Approximate mileage on Wrangler now
Coverage desired (years and mileage)

The entire process will be handled seamlessly online by electronic signature and a secure electronic deposit. Your contract will be in force within 2-3 business days of completion of the deposit and electronic signature. Stellantis' MVP system is nationwide and will update electronically within their system showing your contract status, so you won't need a paper copy of the contract to bring with you to the dealership for repair

Have another Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram vehicle you'd like to add coverage to? Our pricing will be $50 over dealer cost as well. This should meet or exceed any other pricing you find online. The process is initiated the same way by emailing [email protected] with the information above.

This offer is good for anywhere in the U.S.

Again, we want to thank this supportive community here and appreciate the opportunity to help wherever we can!

Zach”

 

[Mike8194]

I’m not sure about Canada pricing etc but search the forum we have quite a few seller in the US which might be able to hook you up with a price quote or possibly know someone that does extended warranties in Canada, from my understanding as each year goes by the premium goes up for the warranty plan, so if you purchase it in the first year of the vehicle manufacture warranty vs the last year of the 3 yr 36,000 miles, the plan will be cheaper, the mopar maxcare is a bumper to bumper plan,

Tom was the best quote I got back in spring of 22’ might want to get in touch with him and see what he might be able to do for ya

Tom Winkels
Hayes Jeep
3718 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, Mi 49008
DIRECT-269-385-1116
TEL-269.488.2080

Mopar maxcare coverage info
https://www.mopar.com/content/dam/mopar/pdf/mvp/2016-12 MVP_New Maximum Care Web.pdf

@M_Pluto I also bought from Tom Winkels. I needed time more than mileage. I’m usually not a fan of extended warranties, but with the JL’s rising cost, parts availability/product substitutions, assembly line staffing, etc, it made sense for me. 8yr/60k/$100 for $980. Tom is great to work with and always has the lowest prices. [email protected]

Check out Zeigler‘s online tool for comparative plan pricing. Use code PAYINFULL to see discounted price. Also, it looks like MaxCare plan pricing is set to increase again 1/3.

https://www.chryslerfactoryplans.com/

 

[Deleted member 59498]

That is true but warranties (insurance policies) are a numbers game. There will be people who buy them and never use them or sell the vehicle before the warranty period is up and there are others that will benefit to some degree from the policy. As long as more people don't benefit from it than do, they make money.

Well yeah that is the point, like most insurance.

 

[M_Pluto]

What’s the actual name of the warranty? Maxcare or Added care plus…or something else?

It's one of the mopar warrenties. He didn't bother showing me any others when I asked about them and said it wasn't worth looking at them.

Edit - I should add that I'm purchasing from a Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler/Ram dealership. Not a Jeep specific one.

 

[rickinAZ]

There's not that many threads around here discussing warranties. I searched. Maybe about 4 or 5 pages worth of results tops.

This thread alone will likely end with 4-5 pages of results. Trust me, there are LOTS of them on here.

 

[40Caliber]

This thread alone will likely end with 4-5 pages of results. Trust me, there are LOTS of them on here.

Heck aldo and I both started our own threads like this I know!! so this make 3 without looking.
there's probably a dozen between this and the wrangler forum (vs the JL wrangler forum)

 

[jeepoch]

Hi all,

For what it's worth category, the rear seat in my 2 door 2019 JL Sport recently stopped working. I can't really say 'broken' because nothing was obviously damaged or amiss in any way except that it would no longer rotate forward. The seat back itself would fold up and down properly but the bottom section would no longer unlatch to allow it to rotate up and out of the way. The position needed in order to completely remove it.

I normally always drive around with my Sport with the seat rotated 'up' for maximum cargo space. This allows me to retain the seat and put it down whenever I have more than a single passenger. With my wife and I now being empty nesters, I rarely ever need the rear seat anymore. I've even contemplated completely removing it.

However and now to the rest of the story and the purpose of this thread. The last time I used my rear seat, it functioned normally. My daughter, Son-in-Law and I enjoyed a trip to one of the Forest Service Mountain trails near our home, Argentine Pass. But upon return it would no longer rotate up. I did everything in my unskilled brain to try and locate the problem. Nothing was obvious. So off to the dealership I went.

They quoted me $1018.67 for the repair. Yes, you read that right! Over a grand for an inoperative (but not obviously busted) rear seat latch. WOW!!!

Furthermore, they needed me to prove that I indeed have an Extended Warranty. I had bought the warranty when I purchased this Wrangler from a dealership in Greeley, CO which was not the dealership closest to where I live, in Longmont. So even though I own a qualified Mopar Seven year Unlimited mileage Extended Warranty, the Longmont dealership said they didn't show this in 'their' records.

Only after I brought in the original, signed paperwork, did they then remarkably say "oh, there's the information on this other screen. We must have missed it on our initial assessment." -- Yea sure. So be careful to safeguard you're paperwork if you do invest in one. Every dealership may be as sinister as this one in that you're assumed guilty until (you can) prove otherwise. This is a corporate Mopar warranty but they still made me go through the run-around regardless.

Then, to make matters worse, during the time my vehicle was in their possession, I get a call while at work (15 miles away) that my Jeep was involved in a collision. This dealership's General Manager did initially assure me that they would take care of everything, but when the rear seat repair was finished, the Service Manager informed me that since my vehicle was hit by a third party, parts delivery truck and they [the dealership] had therefore no culpability. And that I would need to get the collision damage fixed by my own insurance company. Refer to the thread of whether I should now seek legal counsel:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...d-or-just-a-waste-of-time.105711/post-2196242

So in the end I paid the $200 deductible from my Mopar Extended Warranty and another $500 deductible for the collision damage done at this dealership. Together that still is less than the quoted repair cost. Which by the way turned out to be a tightening of an internal seat cable. So nothing was even replaced.

I originally purchased the extended warranty for a likely repair to a sophisticated component like the engine, transmission, transfer-case, or their corresponding electronics. I did not fathom needing an extended warranty for something as simple as a seat latch.

Worse yet upon pickup, the passenger side rear headrest failed to latch upright. So they needed yet an extra day to repair everything. I suspect the headrest functionality was accidentally broken during the repair of the latching mechanism. Turned out to be another internal cable alignment.

So is the Extended Warranty worth it? I could argue is taking your vehicle to the dealership in the first place worth it?

Jay

 

[Micky]

its like insurance. A waste of money till you need it. that you are glad you had it.

Catch is not everyone will need it. and you wont know till several years from now.

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