• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

I'd like to talk to you about your cars extended warranty

fpgt72

Old Salt
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 26, 2019
4,112
6,589
Ok, I admit it up front I am one of the suckers that always buys it when I buy a new car. I see it as cars are so darn complex now, it is not hard to hit the $2500 price of the warranty in the time I usually keep a car. And I usually keep them till they return to the earth. Back in 17 I bought a Honda Ridgeline. Nice car that I can toss crap in the back of if need to, and I need to quite often. The "real" truck rides like a hay wagon and gets shitty mileage, so the car/truck it is. Personally I think killing the Ranchero and El Camino was a big mistake. Why GM will not bring the Holden from Oz is past me.

Anyhoo, I buy it as I see $2500 a drop in the bucket of a $40k car.

A week or so ago the little dash comes up and says Transmission System Problem. Well that does not sound that bad, Figured a hay dumbass your tranny is going to blow like a Biden Nuclear Official. So I do what most do, keep driving it. Then I notice gas mileage going to hell. I generally get ~27.5mpg and we are down to 20mph. That is a bit of a hit. So I take it in.

Mr. FPG72 you are going to need a new torque converter. Ahh say again. And it is going to cost $4000 to install it. What I am getting a new transmission as well? Nope just to replace the torque converter if $4000. Ok I did not just fall off the turnip truck, but I did fall out of a PU a time or two. A torque converter don't cost that much. Well guess what Google says the torque converter costs $1900 and change.....what the hell, this computer controlled crap. And at a dealer I can see the labor being $2000 easy.

Well I bought an extended warranty from YOUR DEALERSHIP when I bought the car. I have the invoice from YOUR DEALERSHIP here where it says I paid for it, but I think the paperwork should be in the car, if not talk to your finance guy he should have record.

Calls back and says all is covered under warranty, and you don't even have to pay the $100 deductible as you brought it back to us. You should have your car Tuesday.

First time I used it on the Honda, and it paid for itself twice over in one repair.

There was a time when I was younger, and more able to move when I would have just picked the car up and done it myself, hell I have a shop with a lift A/C and heat, but I just don't want to screw with it. I will crawl under "toys" for "fun". But working on a daily driver is just not something I want to do anymore. I don't even change the oil on the car, or my wifes car. But packing wheel bearings and replacing an entire brake circuit on a 67 Fiat yea I will do that.....but do it at my pace. A month, a year.....don't care I will fiddle when I feel like it.

So in the end, if you are not handy, or just don't want to screw with it anymore, the price of that warranty might just be worth it. Easy to have a high $$ repair on a newer car today. And what do cars cost, north of $40k now vs. what the warranty costs?

Just something to think about.

And one last thing for fun google 17 Honda Ridgeline transmission for some horror stories. You don't know this kind of thing when you are buying a new car.
 
Traded in my wife's '17 Explorer Sport last year; owned it 5 years from new, and put 60k flawless miles on it. Loved that car, must've been built on a Tuesday after the boss bought lunch 🤷‍♂️ It was warrantied through Ford to 125k.

Got her a 2018 Denali with 53k; and bought an extended 3yr/36k warranty for $3k. 58-ish thousand rolls around, and I get a "service suspension system" warning.

Compressor, switch, and 2 rear shocks. Consumer retail on parts alone was about $3k, plus labor and whatever dealer mark up was. Stood my ground, and made sure to quote the policy as you did. $100 deductible later, and we're back in business.

Agreed. It can sting at purchase and payment time. But when you need it; irreplaceable.
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: DIBBS and NoDopes
If you buy a Ford, GM or Chrysler you will always need repairs. Many of the dealers are either thief's, incompetent
or both.

Now I buy Toyota's, no scam warranty for me.



1679320464818.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Talking with friends that have been car salesmen, they make good money off their in house warranties and say they are ripoffs 🤷‍♂️.

With that being said, often times for people it is easier to roll costs into financing for the car, rather than dealing with costs later down the road out of pocket.

Our last vehicle we purchased an interior/exterior warranty against scratches or defects on the paint, dash, leather etc. We have 3 large dogs of our own that we take hiking and swimming to the beach often, as well as I do dog boarding, walking, training, and daycare as a side hustle. So seemed worth it to us. Time will tell.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigfatcock
They are an insurance policy. If you did not take it back where you bought it, they likely would have denied the claim. Most are garbage.

I will not even waste my time dealing with them in my diesel repair business, period. Glad it worked out for you.

Managed a shop that was a service center for Freightliner, Spartan and Tiffin chassis so we saw quite a few motorhomes. Had more than one owner sit in my office and cancel warranties after finding out what is and is NOT covered. Some get lucky.
 
Just sold a 2014 Tacoma w/ 116,000 miles. Not one single problem beyond normal maintenance. Replaced with another Toyota. I would consider an extended warranty but I fear them not honoring it more than the cost. Also, I've heard you can negotiate those down to about $1500.
 
There are some mega "Data Center's" running the numbers, on everything. Vehicles are just one small segment. Data gathered on you is processed and used against you in the giant casino of the world.
All of you bragging about winning 49% of the time are the one's they love.
Very, very few of us win 51% of the time.
How is your luck running ?
 
Talking with friends that have been car salesmen, they make good money off their in house warranties and say they are ripoffs 🤷‍♂️.

With that being said, often times for people it is easier to roll costs into financing for the car, rather than dealing with costs later down the road out of pocket.

Our last vehicle we purchased an interior/exterior warranty against scratches or defects on the paint, dash, leather etc. We have 3 large dogs of our own that we take hiking and swimming to the beach often, as well as I do dog boarding, walking, training, and daycare as a side hustle. So seemed worth it to us. Time will tell.
Some are absolutely a scam but there are others that are legit. Just depends on what they actually cover which will be listed in the paperwork. Another important factor will be if the vehicle in question has any common failures that are covered by the extended warranty in question.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hobo Hilton
Some are absolutely a scam but there are others that are legit. Just depends on what they actually cover which will be listed in the paperwork. Another important factor will be if the vehicle in question has any common failures that are covered by the extended warranty in question.
No i get that. Speaking more in generalities and just passing along what was told to me directly by the people who sell (well, sold) them. Like any insurance, there's a reason the company makes good money off them. Part of the problem is people don't read the fine print, or don't understand what they are reading. Last time we purchased a vehicle we were in the dealership for 4 hours, and that is without having an extended warranty to sift through. There's also a reason places like carvana are getting more popular. Younger people just don't want to deal with the dealership "experience".
 
  • Like
Reactions: The D and AMGtuned
I've always come out ahead by not buying an extended warranty. But if I were to consider one, it would only be one offered by the car manufacturer themselves. Too many horror stories about the third party warranties for me to even consider one.
 
Just sold a 2014 Tacoma w/ 116,000 miles. Not one single problem beyond normal maintenance. Replaced with another Toyota. I would consider an extended warranty but I fear them not honoring it more than the cost. Also, I've heard you can negotiate those down to about $1500.
I could've had the extended for our Denali at that price. Then I continued reading: STANDARD suspension components (for example) were covered; flag in my head right there, as the Denali has air ride; same with most of the electric components, it was all covered with the "next tier" policy upgrade "Comprehensive". With tire and wheel protection (22" and $400/ea tires, woman driver 🤦‍♂️), that bumped us up to the $3k realm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hobo Hilton
I've always come out ahead by not buying an extended warranty. But if I were to consider one, it would only be one offered by the car manufacturer themselves. Too many horror stories about the third party warranties for me to even consider one.
And this is why so many newer models (from all manufacturer's) are traded or sold 1,000 miles prior to the warranty expiring.
I have not seen an "Insurance company", Annuity Company or Extended Warranty company go broke in a long time.
 
Our home came with American Home Shield warranty for a year. The last owners had 4 kids and it wasn't long before both toilets would not flush. Normally i would go rent an auger and do it myself, but figured hey why not use the warranty for the $100 service call. They send out some 19 year old plumber that is socially retarded and lazy as fuck who doesn't even check the cleanout to bother seeing if the issue is down the line. Literally this kid spoke like he was kicked in the head by a mule as a child. He spends 5 minutes snaking the line, gets it to flush and calls it good. A couple days later everything is clogged again. Call AHS to tell them the problem isn't fixed. The "plumber" then said that the issue is we have "high effeciency toilets" that don't have enough suction and that they will only come out to replace the toilets which would be an estimated $200 each (could be more). Well, i'm not the average homeowner and can smell bullshit (and actual shit at the time) so i just pay for a good plumber to come out. He spends over an hour unclogging a massive blockage of rock hard shit (says the previous owners must have been on meds to make it that hard) and "feminine products". Said the previous plumbers probably just knocked a hole in the clog. Left some "shitty" reviews for the AHS contracted plumber and same with AHS. A lot of these warranties have in-network contractors that are absolutely worthless and you end up spending more money in service fees than you would if you just had found a decent contractor on your own.


Sorry, first time ranting about that.
 
I've always come out ahead by not buying an extended warranty. But if I were to consider one, it would only be one offered by the car manufacturer themselves. Too many horror stories about the third party warranties for me to even consider one.

Unaware manufacturers had their own extended warranties. Maybe they own the companies that offer warranties.
 
Having worked years as a Service Advisor in a dealership and having to deal with just about all the extended warranties out there. I would say it really depends on the coverage you buy at the time. Most of the extended warranties that the dealership sells are usually pretty solid. Now the ones that advertise on TV like Car Shield or whatever they send you in the mail or call you to buy are absolute shit.
 
We did extended warranties through our auto insurance. A fraction of the cost of what the dealer sells and really good coverage. The adjuster just comes out to the dealers garage and confirms what is needed. One time he looked over my wife’s car and added a couple of thousand worth of stuff to covered repairs (struts, etc) that I never thought would have been covered.

Dealer warranties generally suck…
 
They are an insurance policy. If you did not take it back where you bought it, they likely would have denied the claim. Most are garbage.

I will not even waste my time dealing with them in my diesel repair business, period. Glad it worked out for you.

I will only buy ones backed by the company that made the car. This way they are good wherever. I agree many are crap, you should research them just like you should with any big thing you buy. I am generally pretty good at it with cars as I am a gear head and that just interests me. Sometimes big dollar things just don't trip my trigger and I just can't research them. That is a me issue.

But yea research, if it says Honda on it for example it should be good anywhere that also has Honda on the building. It is easy to find out now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hobo Hilton
The actual factory extended warranties that are actually from the actual manufacturer of the vehicle are often a good addition on expensive stuff.
But all the "dealer" warranties and 3rd party warranties are usually just ways to suck more money.
 
Having worked years as a Service Advisor in a dealership and having to deal with just about all the extended warranties out there. I would say it really depends on the coverage you buy at the time. Most of the extended warranties that the dealership sells are usually pretty solid. Now the ones that advertise on TV like Car Shield or whatever they send you in the mail or call you to buy are absolute shit.

I did that job in another life from the early 80's to the early 90's, not a real fun job. They had just started to come in and become popular when I went up to corp.

You do need to read them, understand what they cover and what they don't. And sometimes you don't need it.

Several years ago over on tractorbynet they started talking on the Kubota warranty, and what it covered. One guy came on there and said they cover stupid. He dropped a tree on his tractor, covered. Another guy had it fall into a creek, covered. It is like $400 per year and I do buy it, but I have never used it. I have had the tractor for about 8 years now, whenever the BX25D first came out however long ago that was.....because I am stupid, and know I will do stupid things. Little machine has roughly 600hours on it, and I am starting to debate if I should do it again. I have saved enough to replace it by now so I could, but nice having that kind of money in the bank.....provided the bank stays there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hobo Hilton
If it is made by man there is a chance it will get messed up. Humans are not perfect.
True except the asshole men that made my last GM had 2 engine failures one transmission failure, multiple door lock switches,
rear AC line failure, coolant pipe failure, and other shit I cant remember or the men that made my last Ford that had a head gasket failure, seat, shifter, radio, gauges, ABS failures. Fuck them.

Or my new vette that couldn't pass inspection because the reverse light switch in the manual transmission took a shit.

My two Toyota's have 160k each, one starter and one trans neutral safety switch.
 
I did that job in another life from the early 80's to the early 90's, not a real fun job. They had just started to come in and become popular when I went up to corp.

You do need to read them, understand what they cover and what they don't. And sometimes you don't need it.
This is the key. Most people in the process of buying a car, don't have a clue what they are signing and think they are getting a comprehensive coverage on the extended warranty they are buying. I don't know how many times I have had to inform the customer on why they bought will or will not cover. The finance dept should have better explained to the customer what they purchased.

Even the "manufacture" extended warranties are like this. And not all the manufacture warranties are backed by the manufacturer. GM warranties years back were bought out by another company, I think Ally bank.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hobo Hilton
This is the key. Most people in the process of buying a car, don't have a clue what they are signing and think they are getting a comprehensive coverage on the extended warranty they are buying. I don't know how many times I have had to inform the customer on why they bought will or will not cover. The finance dept should have better explained to the customer what they purchased.
Definitely doesn't help that most car salesmen are shifty and aren't going to help out with that. Informing the customer seems to not be in the salesman's best interests or bottom line. Again, why places like carvana have gotten more popular. Most people don't want to deal with dealerships anymore. It's an all day ordeal and way more stressful than it has to be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bacarrat
Definitely doesn't help that most car salesmen are shifty and aren't going to help out with that. Informing the customer seems to not be in the salesman's best interests or bottom line. Again, why places like carvana have gotten more popular. Most people don't want to deal with dealerships anymore. It's an all day ordeal and way more stressful than it has to be.
Just in general I think the automotive business has a bad wrap in sales and service. I really never saw it on the service side since when I was a advisor we didn't run it like most shops. But now working on the fleet side and having to deal with shops on a daily basis, I can see why most people hate the car industry.
 
True except the asshole men that made my last GM had 2 engine failures one transmission failure, multiple door lock switches,
rear AC line failure, coolant pipe failure, and other shit I cant remember or the men that made my last Ford that had a head gasket failure, seat, shifter, radio, gauges, ABS failures. Fuck them.

Or my new vette that couldn't pass inspection because the reverse light switch in the manual transmission took a shit.

My two Toyota's have 160k each, one starter and one trans neutral safety switch.

I worked at GM.....I think it is a little like making the sausage. I will never own a product made by them....evar. But that new corvette is a good looking car. But no.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AMGtuned
Just in general I think the automotive business has a bad wrap in sales and service. I really never saw it on the service side since when I was a advisor we didn't run it like most shops. But now working on the fleet side and having to deal with shops on a daily basis, I can see why most people hate the car industry.
I avoid them when possible, but the recent market made that hard. Generally we got Honda employee pricing due to my FIL being a retired Honda engineer, but due to lack of inventory, it wasn’t being honored which I get. Last experience I walked out as soon as we got an offer that “expires once we walk out the door”. I’m not one to rush a $40k purchase or be bullied into one. Two of my friends that I referenced being former salesmen said both their dealerships trained them to drag the process out as long as possible, because eventually the buyer would just want to get the vehicle and get out of there, and is more likely to miss fine print or agree to things without fully considering them. It’s an industry that makes more money, the more uniformed the consumer is. Not saying there aren’t honest salesmen, but they aren’t the norm. I’d rather deal with a lawyer than a car dealership.

Edit to add: they both also said they were pressured to really push the warranties, as that’s where the highest profit margins are.
 
  • Like
Reactions: turbo_bird
Definitely doesn't help that most car salesmen are shifty and aren't going to help out with that. Informing the customer seems to not be in the salesman's best interests or bottom line. Again, why places like carvana have gotten more popular. Most people don't want to deal with dealerships anymore. It's an all day ordeal and way more stressful than it has to be.

The thing is it does not have to be, the customer allows it to be. But I think being in that business for a little while gives some of us a unique insight.

I had one guy ask me if price was the only thing I would be looking at. Yes. Oh.....

The games are just that games, and there are not any such thing as an innocent question, they are all fishing for something. So what do you do for a living, none of your business you are to sell a car. Well I need to know what kind of finance offers are out there for you. No you don't you have a finance department for that. I will not play these games if you keep going there is another Honda dealer 12 miles down the road.
 
The thing is it does not have to be, the customer allows it to be. But I think being in that business for a little while gives some of us a unique insight.

I had one guy ask me if price was the only thing I would be looking at. Yes. Oh.....

The games are just that games, and there are not any such thing as an innocent question, they are all fishing for something. So what do you do for a living, none of your business you are to sell a car. Well I need to know what kind of finance offers are out there for you. No you don't you have a finance department for that. I will not play these games if you keep going there is another Honda dealer 12 miles down the road.
I agree, i have had lengthy talks about the tactics and strategies they use first hand. I know the car I want and how much I will pay for it before I even talk to a salesman. More likely than not, I know more about the car than they do, especially since my FIL is was an engineer for Honda and that’s all we really purchase other than my Silverado. I also never shop for a vehicle when I really need one. Makes it easier to walk away when you already have vehicles to get you to work reliably.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fpgt72
I've bought and sold a dozen or so vehicles over the years and never bought the warranty. The cost of repairs has been minimal, maybe $4000 in the last 30 years.
Ever since I have been driving Toyotas, the issues have dropped significantly.
 
Unaware manufacturers had their own extended warranties. Maybe they own the companies that offer warranties.
Unless something has changed, I know the domestics do (or did). Back when I bought new vehicles, usually Ford or Chrysler, they were always offered to me in the finance office. The selling point was that they were accepted at every Ford or Chrysler dealership in the USA or Canada. I've read that many of these aftermarket, third party warranties are not always accepted by dealerships. Because they have been stiffed and not paid too many times. So you are left paying the bill up front, then hope you will get reimbursed by your warranty company. No thanks.
 
I've bought and sold a dozen or so vehicles over the years and never bought the warranty. The cost of repairs has been minimal, maybe $4000 in the last 30 years.
Ever since I have been driving Toyotas, the issues have dropped significantly.
I always thought that too, but I am not so sure any more. The Camry I bought new (and quickly sold) in 2018 was crap. The transmission on that car was the worst I have ever experienced. My 10 year old Tundra, while it hasn't had any major issues, has not been trouble free. And it has always been exceptionally well cared for by me and only has 100K miles. I had considered possibly trading for the new Tundra. But after seeing the sub-par build quality and the complaints posted online, I said no way.
 
Unless something has changed, I know the domestics do (or did). Back when I bought new vehicles, usually Ford or Chrysler, they were always offered to me in the finance office. The selling point was that they were accepted at every Ford or Chrysler dealership in the USA or Canada. I've read that many of these aftermarket, third party warranties are not always accepted by dealerships. Because they have been stiffed and not paid too many times. So you are left paying the bill up front, then hope you will get reimbursed by your warranty company. No thanks.
I would have to blame a lot of the dealerships/shops for this too. A lot of the times the shop will go ahead and do the work and call the extended warranty company afterwords for the approval. WTF In the time I have worked at the dealership I have never done this. But it is becoming more and more commonplace to do. I know, since now I am on the receiving end of that call now, albeit on the fleet side. I always lecture the stupid advisor/ shop on the other end what if the client or policy holder doesn't approve of the work or the pricing that they give? What are they going to do when that's denied? I always ask them what if your wife, SO or family member had this happened to them? Usually crickets after I ask them that. I had one the other week where a stupid service advisor went ahead and put in a trans on a 17 F350 without anyone's approval. He stated the driver gave him the approval. lol He knew that with company vehicle that drivers don't pay the bill on these things. Turned out the company declined the repairs since they were going to retire the unit. Shop is going to eat that 7k trans job.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arc Light
I would have to blame a lot of the dealerships/shops for this too. A lot of the times the shop will go ahead and do the work and call the extended warranty company afterwords for the approval. WTF In the time I have worked at the dealership I have never done this. But it is becoming more and more commonplace to do. I know, since now I am on the receiving end of that call now, albeit on the fleet side. I always lecture the stupid advisor/ shop on the other end what if the client or policy holder doesn't approve of the work or the pricing that they give? What are they going to do when that's denied? I always ask them what if your wife, SO or family member had this happened to them? Usually crickets after I ask them that. I had one the other week where a stupid service advisor went ahead and put in a trans on a 17 F350 without anyone's approval. He stated the driver gave him the approval. lol He knew that with company vehicle that drivers don't pay the bill on these things. Turned out the company declined the repairs since they were going to retire the unit. Shop is going to eat that 7k trans job.
Damn, $7K loss. Was he sent packing or did he keep his job?
 
Don't care or not my problem after the fact. lol Fuck them and the stupid crooked ass shops and dealerships.
 
Unaware manufacturers had their own extended warranties. Maybe they own the companies that offer warranties.
Chrysler fucked up my Ram 1500, they gave me a 8yr, 125k mile warranty for my next vehicle. I’ll run this heep until that warranty runs out and then throw it in the dumpster
 
Unless something has changed, I know the domestics do (or did). Back when I bought new vehicles, usually Ford or Chrysler, they were always offered to me in the finance office. The selling point was that they were accepted at every Ford or Chrysler dealership in the USA or Canada. I've read that many of these aftermarket, third party warranties are not always accepted by dealerships. Because they have been stiffed and not paid too many times. So you are left paying the bill up front, then hope you will get reimbursed by your warranty company. No thanks.

I certainly haven't seen them all, but every one I've been offered was a company contracted with GM, Ford, etc. Much like financing.

My son recently bought a truck. He had approved financing through his credit union. The dealer where he finally bought said they did not use outside financing. "Okay, if you can match or beat my CU rate, no problem." He walks away and returns in a few minutes, "We can get really close." Son gets up and thanks the guy for his time. "Oh, wait. Let me see what I can do." Uh, huh. Nice try.
 
Just sold a 2014 Tacoma w/ 116,000 miles. Not one single problem beyond normal maintenance. Replaced with another Toyota. I would consider an extended warranty but I fear them not honoring it more than the cost. Also, I've heard you can negotiate those down to about $1500.
I have a 2016 Tundra with about 95,000 miles on it. All I've done to it is wipers, a battery, tires, and brakes. That's it. Noting else has failed on it. Nothing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jefe's Dope
Bought the wife a 2018 volvo s90 2 years ago with 26k on the odemeter from carvana. I got the warranty, why I dont know cause I usually dont. Last summer evaporator core had a leak. To fix this on a volvo you have to remove the windsbield and the ENTIRE dash. I mean seats and all. 3600 bucks. I just knew they werent gonna pay shit or give me a hard about every penny. Paid 50 $ deductible and done.
Fast forward to 2 months ago. Reduced power light comes on. I have it towed to dealership. #3 cylinder oil ring has failed causing oil to stay in cylinder and misfire. 42k miles. Pop the head off and cylinder scared beyond repair. The same 3rd party insurance/warranty replaced the engine paid 50 $ deductible. Insurance warranty still got till may 2024. I think I got my money out of the cost of the warranty.
 
Bought the wife a 2018 volvo s90 2 years ago with 26k on the odemeter from carvana. I got the warranty, why I dont know cause I usually dont. Last summer evaporator core had a leak. To fix this on a volvo you have to remove the windsbield and the ENTIRE dash. I mean seats and all. 3600 bucks. I just knew they werent gonna pay shit or give me a hard about every penny. Paid 50 $ deductible and done.
Fast forward to 2 months ago. Reduced power light comes on. I have it towed to dealership. #3 cylinder oil ring has failed causing oil to stay in cylinder and misfire. 42k miles. Pop the head off and cylinder scared beyond repair. The same 3rd party insurance/warranty replaced the engine paid 50 $ deductible. Insurance warranty still got till may 2024. I think I got my money out of the cost of the warranty.

So, what did you learn?
 
I usually get the extended warranty, for an extra $10-20 a month it’s peace of mind for the 5-7yrs I own the vehicle. I got called a “sucker” by friends who swear against them as nothing more than a money grab. I just had to use mine, saved me $1800 out of pocket.

The only problem I ran into was since I bought it out of state I had it towed to a dealer in my state. They gave me shit and denied the claim because the vehicle was within 40 miles of the dealership I bought it from after I had it towed 50 miles to the closest dealer from me which happens to be on the way to the other one. I was going to have the pay the dealership the truck was at for the time they had into it and then have it towed again across state lines. Luckily when I called the dealer I bought it from and was like wtf, you told me I could bring this to any major dealer she agreed it was bs and ended up working out a deal but told me next time to tow it in the other direction. Morale of the story… read the fine print on the warranty they are selling you and shop around if need be.

Oh, and I thought my puppy ate my key fob so was able to call it in and have it warrantied, saved a few hundred. Also found the other shortly after. Saved me a few hundo and gained a spare.

Not exactly proud that I DID have to use it to begin with but it has already paid for itself and then some.
 
Bought the wife a 2018 volvo s90 2 years ago with 26k on the odemeter from carvana. I got the warranty, why I dont know cause I usually dont. Last summer evaporator core had a leak. To fix this on a volvo you have to remove the windsbield and the ENTIRE dash. I mean seats and all. 3600 bucks. I just knew they werent gonna pay shit or give me a hard about every penny. Paid 50 $ deductible and done.
Fast forward to 2 months ago. Reduced power light comes on. I have it towed to dealership. #3 cylinder oil ring has failed causing oil to stay in cylinder and misfire. 42k miles. Pop the head off and cylinder scared beyond repair. The same 3rd party insurance/warranty replaced the engine paid 50 $ deductible. Insurance warranty still got till may 2024. I think I got my money out of the cost of the warranty.
That sounds about right on the dash having to be pulled. That's how vehicles are engineered now. I had a 6.7 Ford diesel the other day, the FRONT engine cover had to be pulled and seals replaced. You have to pull the oil pan off to do it and to pull the oil pan, you have to pull the transmission out.

Personally I would never buy a Ford or pretty much any European car since the labor and parts for their cars are so expensive for that they are.
 
I wasnt aware volvo was made in china. Should i have bought a ford or chevy made in mexico or canada?
I usually buy her a low milage certified benz. You get a factory warranty and it is usually some rich blue hair that had it and gets a new one every two years. She wanted this volvo. I dont think I will ever have to worry about her wanting a volvo.
 
And one last thing for fun google 17 Honda Ridgeline transmission for some horror stories. You don't know this kind of thing when you are buying a new car.


I knew. I owned a honda odyssey and is it the reason I would lean away from Honda on my next purchase

My Ody had the torque converter go tits up at 47k (under the standard 50k mile honda powertrain warranty period)
Honda dicked around with me trying to apply 'fixes' that were not really fixes hoping to push me past the warranty period

I called them on it, left the van with and said do not want it back until it is fixed, called corporate Honda on the dealer made a whole thing out of it

I ended up getting the new torque converter about 2 days later, it sort of fixed the problem. I think they owed me a new trans too, but I only have so much energy to fight this shit

Here is the trick with the larger hondas and their crap design. change the transmission fluid at every other oil change or more often if you are up for it.

I got away from the crap honda fluid went to Valvoline MaxLife, I also added lubeguard red (exactly per instructions)
**I have to make a note here, I am NOT an 'additive' sort of guy, I never add extra crap into oil or transfluid, I make one exception for lubeguard red

When I implemented 15k mile trans fluid change intervals, went to maxlife, added lubeguard red, my MPG went up, the van got smoother and quieter and no bullshit at 170,000 miles when I sold it, it ran better than it did at 48k when they replaced the torque converter
 
I’ve owned Toyota's since 1997. Bought a 1989 FJ62 with 120,000 mileson it. I put another 140,000 or so miles on it before I sold it in 2017 and never had anything major go wrong; just oil changes, tires, brakes, radiator re-cored, and alternator. That’s it. Bought a new Tundra; no troubles so far, still have it. Bought a 2016 TRD Pro 4 runner in 2020 that had 22,000 miles on it; not troubles with it.

My lovely wife of almost 4 years……2017 Volvo XC90 that has 90k on it. She wants to get a new one, of course, cause why not buy a $70,000 vehicle, trade it for a new one in 6 years for $80,000?? Of course, her 2017 Volvo is worth less that my 2017 Tundra even though my Tundra cost me $37,500 new. You can imagine how pissed she was to find that out, but does it change her mind as to what kind of vehicle she wants?? Nope. When she says I spend a lot on guns, I remind her how much she spends on luxury vehicles, which is far more that my gun hobby.