For Those Of You Who Purchased An Extended Warranty

Nope. I had an issue I felt should be warranteeable within the first year of owning my car. Dealer refused to warranty. A few other PriusChat members have had similar experiences with warranty refusal (a search will turn up threads).

If I have a complaint about an issue, dealers appear to be chasing quick-fix approaches rather than comprehensive repair. Example: one of my rear windows has become much much louder and I think it might be the motor. Dealer's fix: WD40 in the window channels (not even a lubricant!). Overall, I think I wasted my money.

 

I once had an extended warranty and cashed it in for my premium back. The company told me as long as it was before the original warranty was up I was fine cashing in.

Could always try that if you find yourself in a bind sometime.

 

I had the coolant heat storage pump fail twice -- once under 60K and once over 60K. Both were written up as repairs under the extended warranty, but there are some threads which say the first should have been covered under the power train warranty.

Even both together were less than the cost of the warranty.

Thing is, I was scared into the warranty by having my MFD die three months after I bought the car. No problems since, but it sure made me think it was an important investment given the amount of hardware in the car.

 

I just had my 1st repair yesterday. I had the struts replaced that hold up the hatch. The old ones died. This simple repair would of cost me $300 if I didn't have the extended warranty. I would of considered that robbery if I would of had to pay for it.
So now I still have $700 to go to get back my warranty expense. I do like the feeling that I don't have to worry about these outrageous cost of repairs.
It gives me peace of mind...which I like.

 

Keep an eye on the suspension: front struts and rear shocks. If you see significant oil seepage (more than halfway down the body of the part) then ask for replacement, in pairs. Replacement of all four could easily cost $2K+ as dealer prices.

 

HID replacement on both sides (2005 model)