FCA Lifetime Warranty Question

[uudog]

Yep. I bought the comprehensive version, with $200 deductible.

Dan, can you post the Maxcare contract (minus the personal info) so that we can see the fine print of what is covered, what is not, what maintenances need to be performed to stay compliant, etc?

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[Mid-life Wrangler]

Did you have to transfer the FCA LT Warranty to your closet dealer? They seem to imply that in their brochure. I'm thinking about getting this.

"Plan service will be provided by the dealer who sold you the plan. In the event that you cannot return to the selling dealer for service, you may request plan service from any FCA dealer within the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico or Mexico. If you are unable to obtain plan service from an authorized dealer, call our tool-free number to receive service instructions."

I'm assuming you bought it from another dealer ... such as the one in Kalamazoo MI?

I told my dealer about the price offered on the forum (around $2600). He agreed to match it and then offered the $100 deductible for $2900. He explained that there are a lot of things that could break the would cost between $150-$200. I figured if I have to take the Jeep in three times after the initial 36,000 miles it will pay for itself and if I don’t, then I’ve spent an extra $300 for peace of mind and a very dependable vehicle.

 

[AZCrawl]

Dan, can you post the Maxcare contract (minus the personal info) so that we can see the fine print of what is covered, what is not, what maintenances need to be performed to stay compliant, etc?

http://www.chryslerwarrantys.com/maximum_care.cfm

 

[uudog]

I told my dealer about the price offered on the forum (around $2600). He agreed to match it and then offered the $100 deductible for $2900. He explained that there are a lot of things that could break the would cost between $150-$200. I figured if I have to take the Jeep in three times after the initial 36,000 miles it will pay for itself and if I don’t, then I’ve spent an extra $300 for peace of mind and a very dependable vehicle.

Hayes Jeep in Michigan actual offered was:
$2665 w/ $100 deductible
$2340 w/ $200 deductible
$4590 w/ $0 deductible

The best I was quoted from Koons was:
$3000 w/ $100 deductible - they would not go any lower. They stated it cost them $2900 so they add the $100 markup.

What dealership offered you $2900 w/ $100 deductible?

 

[DanW]

Dan, can you post the Maxcare contract (minus the personal info) so that we can see the fine print of what is covered, what is not, what maintenances need to be performed to stay compliant, etc?

They sent me lots of info, so I'll see what I can do.

Edit: Thanks @AZCrawl !

 

[DanW]

You guys are getting a better deal than I got. I wish I'd waited and negotiated a bit harder on that.

 

[Mattyp1214]

My dealer offers it on all their jeeps, free, if you do all your service through them for life of the vehicle...southern Maine jeep

 

[JeepRat]

I have the lifetime warranty on my 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. They were basically giving them away back then due to the economy. It has paid for itself many times over but it is a PIA. Unfortunately, I had had the lifter problem that is so common on those year Hemis. It seized up and ground the camshaft lobe down to nothing. They replaced it but the new camshaft's timing belt alignment pin broke and got into the engine requiring a brand new engine very soon after. I have had just a few other odds and ends done as well, like a leaking transfer case. There are a few caveats to having the lifetime warranty though:

1) You never really know if the problem you are having is going to be covered and they won't tell you until they see the vehicle. This means that you are paying for the diagnostic fee regardless if they fix it or not. At this point you might has well have the dealership fix the vehicle at their really expensive prices since you are out the diagnostic fee anyways. You always feel like you are in a catch 22.

2) Read very carefully what is covered. For instance, struts are covered on my truck but not the front sway bar, which had become loose and wallowed out the mounting holes, is not. Seals like rear sliding windows, door seals etc. are not covered. I had a infotainment problem that they weren't going to cover yet after talking to the chrysler warranty folks it turned out it was covered. As soon as that happened it turned into, ' I needed a brand new infotainment system' to the 'plug came loose'. It seems like everything is a fight, and in my opinion, the less you have to deal with the dealership the better.

3) The warranty works a lot like your insurance when they total a car. If the cost of the repair is greater than a set percent value of the vehicle (which they won't tell me) then they can elect to not pay for the cost of the repair and pay you for the what they say is the value of the vehicle. After eight years, a new engine might end up basically totaling the car. You should also note, that all those fun Jeep modifications that you have done will probably not get counted towards the cost of the vehicle and as others have said might null the warranty anyways.

I like the peace of mind, but I think this time I'm going to research a third party warranty very carefully. I have 3 years or 36000 miles to think about it.

 

[alphalife9]

I have the lifetime warranty on my 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. They were basically giving them away back then due to the economy. It has paid for itself many times over but it is a PIA. Unfortunately, I had had the lifter problem that is so common on those year Hemis. It seized up and ground the camshaft lobe down to nothing. They replaced it but the new camshaft's timing belt alignment pin broke and got into the engine requiring a brand new engine very soon after. I have had just a few other odds and ends done as well, like a leaking transfer case. There are a few caveats to having the lifetime warranty though:

1) You never really know if the problem you are having is going to be covered and they won't tell you until they see the vehicle. This means that you are paying for the diagnostic fee regardless if they fix it or not. At this point you might has well have the dealership fix the vehicle at their really expensive prices since you are out the diagnostic fee anyways. You always feel like you are in a catch 22.

2) Read very carefully what is covered. For instance, struts are covered on my truck but not the front sway bar, which had become loose and wallowed out the mounting holes, is not. Seals like rear sliding windows, door seals etc. are not covered. I had a infotainment problem that they weren't going to cover yet after talking to the chrysler warranty folks it turned out it was covered. As soon as that happened it turned into, ' I needed a brand new infotainment system' to the 'plug came loose'. It seems like everything is a fight, and in my opinion, the less you have to deal with the dealership the better.

3) The warranty works a lot like your insurance when they total a car. If the cost of the repair is greater than a set percent value of the vehicle (which they won't tell me) then they can elect to not pay for the cost of the repair and pay you for the what they say is the value of the vehicle. After eight years, a new engine might end up basically totaling the car. You should also note, that all those fun Jeep modifications that you have done will probably not get counted towards the cost of the vehicle and as others have said might null the warranty anyways.

I like the peace of mind, but I think this time I'm going to research a third party warranty very carefully. I have 3 years or 36000 miles to think about it.

Thanks for sharing. This is the kind of input that really helps deciding. The brochure looks really nice but it may not coincide with real life experience. So on top of the deductible, there's always a diagnostic charge.

What kind of problems aren't covered by the FCA warranty?

 

[JeepRat]

Thanks for sharing. This is the kind of input that really helps deciding. The brochure looks really nice but it may not coincide with real life experience. So on top of the deductible, there's always a diagnostic charge.

What kind of problems aren't covered by the FCA warranty?

I'm lucky enough to not have a deductible with my policy but if you take your car in for any issue (warranty or not) there will be a diagnostic charge. If you elect to have the vehicle fixed at the dealership then this charge is essentially waived and you pay for the cost of the repair. If you take your vehicle somewhere else you will be charged the diagnostic fee. Normally this fee is an hour labor charge with labor rates ranging anywhere from $140-$180 in my area.

As far as what's covered it can be tough to discern and I'm sure my policy in 2009 is not the same as the ones being written now. I can tell you if it not written into the contract in exact words then it will likely not be covered.

For instance, my power mirror wouldn't get hot and stopped deicing. I had gotten a quote from an independent to fix it but depending on what was actually broken there was a 'chance' that it would be covered under warranty so I took it into the dealership. It came down to if the whole mirror had to be replaced, then it was a warranty. If only the glass with the heating element was broken, then it was not a warranty issue. They couldn't tell me what was broken until after they looked at it and therefore I had to bring it in. After paying the dealership for the diagnostic it didn't make any sense to take it somewhere else when I found out it was non warranty fix. My sway bar incident from above was the same kind of situation. I find it frustrating being put into any kind of situation where I can't make a choice.

The software the dealership service department uses has every single part for your vehicle and whether or not it is covered by warranty. Although a huge list, this might be helpful. Also, there will be a number that you can call on your warranty if you want to dispute the dealerships claims. So far the dealership has been right on most accounts but at least the people at the warranty claims number are sympathetic.

 

[alphalife9]

I'm lucky enough to not have a deductible with my policy but if you take your car in for any issue (warranty or not) there will be a diagnostic charge. If you elect to have the vehicle fixed at the dealership then this charge is essentially waived and you pay for the cost of the repair. If you take your vehicle somewhere else you will be charged the diagnostic fee. Normally this fee is an hour labor charge with labor rates ranging anywhere from $140-$180 in my area.

As far as what's covered it can be tough to discern and I'm sure my policy in 2009 is not the same as the ones being written now. I can tell you if it not written into the contract in exact words then it will likely not be covered.

For instance, my power mirror wouldn't get hot and stopped deicing. I had gotten a quote from an independent to fix it but depending on what was actually broken there was a 'chance' that it would be covered under warranty so I took it into the dealership. It came down to if the whole mirror had to be replaced, then it was a warranty. If only the glass with the heating element was broken, then it was not a warranty issue. They couldn't tell me what was broken until after they looked at it and therefore I had to bring it in. After paying the dealership for the diagnostic it didn't make any sense to take it somewhere else when I found out it was non warranty fix. My sway bar incident from above was the same kind of situation. I find it frustrating being put into any kind of situation where I can't make a choice.

The software the dealership service department uses has every single part for your vehicle and whether or not it is covered by warranty. Although a huge list, this might be helpful. Also, there will be a number that you can call on your warranty if you want to dispute the dealerships claims. So far the dealership has been right on most accounts but at least the people at the warranty claims number are sympathetic.

Unless you had "Aftermarket" glass/heating element in your power mirror, how can they possibly justify not covering it if you have warranty? Wow.

 

[JeepRat]

Unless you had "Aftermarket" glass/heating element in your power mirror, how can they possibly justify not covering it if you have warranty? Wow.

If the whole mirror was bad then it was deemed a mechanical failure and was covered, since they could replace just the glass it fell under a different category and wasn't covered. We went round and round on it and I made many calls to the warranty service, but they won. They had me over a barrel because replacing the part wasn't that much more expensive then the diagnostic fee.

 

[alphalife9]

If the whole mirror was bad then it was deemed a mechanical failure and was covered, since they could replace just the glass it fell under a different category and wasn't covered. We went round and round on it and I made many calls to the warranty service, but they won. They had me over a barrel because replacing the part wasn't that much more expensive then the diagnostic fee.

@JeepCares, is this the norm with the FCA warranty?

 

[JeepRat]

@JeepCares, is this the norm with the FCA warranty?

Probably about 50/50.

To the dealerships credit when I had the camshaft problems they were great (except that the new camshaft they replaced failed, but that really isn't their fault). There was no questions and I got a new engine in a truck with only 100,000 miles.

However, the agreement on what is covered is really quite vague and can be left open to interpretation, which Chrysler takes full advantage. This allows certain items like the mirror and the sway bar to not be covered even though if you read the contract it seems that is should/might be covered. If my struts had failed, then it is covered. Why not a sway bar? You could argue that the since the bushings failed thereby ruining the sway bar that it is my fault for not properly maintaining the truck. However, I have had the oil changed at the dealership at the regular intervals and nobody mentioned that I needed sway bar bushings replaced. It wasn't until I noticed that the my new tires were loud and wearing out very quickly. A $400 part not including labor.

 

[jloyva]

My dealer offers it on all their jeeps, free, if you do all your service through them for life of the vehicle...southern Maine jeep

Is that the Lifetime Powertrain Protection you are referring to? https://www.southernmainechryslerdodgejeep.com/southern-maine-simple-promise.htm

Or do they offer the FCA Lifetime Warranty that we're talking about here? https://www.mopar.com/content/dam/mopar/pdf/mvp/2016-12 MVP_New Maximum Care Web.pdf

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