Extended Warranty: What do you really get?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Paul R @ Aug 24 2007, 09:26 PM) [snapback]501891[/snapback]</div>

ECU(s). There are a bunch of them. They don't seem to be excluded on your list and they are pretty expensive.

However, I'm not a big proponent of extended warranties. On something as complex as the Prius, they might be a reasonable precaution if you are not a technically oriented owner, but I have thought that for myself, a good scan tool might be a better investment.

 

I had a hard time getting an answer on this when I asked at the dealership. I was pretty amazed actually when the salesperson told me that I had no choice in spending $990 to extend the powertrain to 100k. He told me that the Prius, Camry Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrids are in such high demand that the dealership essentially forces you to pay for the extended warranty because they know the demand for the cars is high, and that someone will pay for it. That someone happened to be me, because, frankly, I really wanted the car. I did feel like it was dirty pool, though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EarthFriendly @ Aug 25 2007, 12:44 PM) [snapback]502008[/snapback]</div>

There's a window in which you can cancel those for no penalty, I thought... ? If so, and the dealer refuses, I'd contact Toyota corporate and tell them which dealership and who you're specifically working with there. I'd tell the dealer you're doing it, too, and see if they change their tune.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Paul R @ Aug 24 2007, 09:26 PM) [snapback]501891[/snapback]</div>

Take a look at this Service Agreement Comparison chart.

 

My two reasons for getting the extended warranty:

1. 2004 was the first model year of a redesign. EVERY redesign from every manufacturer has more problems than previous or subsequent years.

2. There was a known problem with the MFD, and mine didn't crap out before the standard warranty was up.

If my MFD had gone out before 36,000 miles, I *might* have passed on the extended warranty. If I had purchased a 2005, 2006, or 2007, I would not have gotten it, under the assumption that they would have ironed out the bugs by that time.

 

Well, part of it is that was when, and part is this is now. In 2004 it may have been a good bet, no one knew how the new model would go. Now I would be more cautious. The present design appears to be fairly stable though the warranty period and less of a value than in 2004. It is like all gambling, there are losers and winners. What can one say.

 

Waste of money I think. :angry:
1 in 100 chance you might make a claim on the warranty and that claim will most likely be less than the premium paid.
Lets say you get the warranty and the most likely thing happens, no claim. You're out of pocket $1000 to $2000.
Now lets say you don't get the warranty and the MFD goes night night. You're out of pocket about $1000 maybe.
Now lets say the most likely thing happens, no problems and you have no extended warranty. You're already $1000 to $2000 closer to a new Prius with another 3 years factory warranty.
The battery and HSD are still covered by the factory warranty for the period of the extended warranty anyway.
It's a Toyota, that's warranty enough for me.

 

Piece of mind.

I usually don't buy extended warranties on anything, but I made an exception for the Prius because of it's complexity and it's still relatively new (and complicated) technology.

If I had passed I'm sure something expensive would have needed repairing right after 3 years/36,000 miles. Now that I've purchased it I'm sure nothing will happen until after the 7 year/75,000 miles the warranty covers. By that time I may already have traded it in.

 

Notwithstanding Toyota's bullet-proof reputation, it is not immune from what is usually the weakest link or Achilles Heel of all autos --- the electrical system. Take a look at Consumer Reports' Frequency of Repair charts for Toyotas going back a few years. I think that you will find that if there are any black circles, black half-circles or clear circles, they almost always involve the car's electrical system. And the advent of computers and ECUs throughout cars has only made things worse (see e.g., Mercedes or Volvo, or better yet --- the first generation Prius).

I think that for $990 on PriusChat, the Platinum Care extended warranty is a good deal, especially for a car like the Prius. Dealers charge a lot for repair work. If anything goes wrong, the warranty is likely to pay for itself (or several times over given how expensive it is for dealer repair work) on the first repair under extended warranty. I'm going to get it myself for my 2007 Prius pretty soon. I think you have like 3 years/30 something thousand miles to elect to get it. But I'm going to get it soon because I'm a little afraid of a possible rate hike (I believe that the MSRP for the extended warranty went up sometime during the past 6 months from $1600 to $1800).

 

our reasoning has always been that parts are really expensive! even though DH could diagnose and fix anything that would go wrong, thereby eliminating labor costs altogether, some of those parts go pretty damn high in price. and we have terrible luck, in case anyone hasn't noticed :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 26 2007, 10:10 AM) [snapback]502378[/snapback]</div>

But for everyone else, labor rates can take their pound of flesh (so to speak). The bottom line on extended warranty is how badly do you want peace of mind? If you are wanting some uncertainty in your life, pass on the extended warranty. If you don't want any un-expected events costing you a bunch of cash (otherwise known as peace of mind), then it would seem the extended warranty is something to get.

 

i was saying that's why we bought the EW... parts alone are expensive enough, nevermind the rest of it. and like i said, we're rather unlucky folks.

 

I feel like all I got is screwed.

Bought the platinum policy from the dealer for $1695 per car. Even told 'em I was paying more to buy from them because I expect the extra margin to buy me some level of "above and beyond" care.

Got a 4-wheel alignment on the '05. Came up in the red on the left rear toe-in. Got a 4-wheel alignment on the '06. Came up in the red on the right rear toe-in. Independent shop and dealer both agreed on the out-of-spec condition and the lack of adjustability. Dealer said the solution is to rotate tires regularly and not worry about it. Warranty provider (turns out it's not a Toyota policy) refused to cover since they contend alignment is a wear item. Dealer and regional factory rep have each independently inspected and state there is no damage, no defect to repair, no basis for assuming replacement parts ($1800+) would correct the condition.

Dealer's cancelling the policies and getting checks mailed back to me, but their only suggested recourse is to pursue through the state's lemon-law system, when I explained what would really satisfy me is to get 2 Prii - these or 2 others - to come up in the green on the rear alignments.

In a way I feel like I'm splitting hairs. I never knew about the problem til I got the 4-wheel alignment, something many owners never do or just don't get the reports for. But after shelling out MSRP plus service and warranty contracts, I expect every little out-of-spec thing to be fixed and fixed free. And at this point I feel like there is no component a warranty claims person would have to pay on: there must be a way out of every possible claim situation.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bobdavisnpf @ Aug 26 2007, 02:06 PM) [snapback]502434[/snapback]</div>

Would getting a real Toyota extended warranty from Troy for both cars for almost what you originally paid for one be something you would consider? There's a lot more to deal with than alignment. I think $1700 per car is a ripoff. But I think Troy's price is reasonable. It gives me 7 years of piece of mind. Of course, so far my dealership hasn't tried to $crew me like your's has to you.

And I disagree with your dealer. If both are out of alignment and can be fixed, it should be fixed. AND under warranty. Seems to me I read on Priuschat about someone having this problem and it getting if not fixed, then improved.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bobdavisnpf @ Aug 26 2007, 12:06 PM) [snapback]502434[/snapback]</div>

I also had the RR toe in out of spec on my 07. Dealer basically fudged the data instead of fixing the car. Details in this thread. I ended up shimming the axle with shims provided by Galaxee and her DH (thanks again BTW). I recommend this approach if the dealer won't fix it; its pretty easy and will save your tires.