zzzzdoc

Just wondering what people here think of an extended warranty on a LS600hL.

The standard warranty is 4 years / 50K miles.
The powertrain warranty is 7 years and 70K miles
The hybrid system warranty is 8 years and 100K miles

Cost is about $3,300.00 I've been told.

I typically keep a car 6-8 years, and drive 10K miles/year.

Do you think it would be worth getting the extended warranty? I've benefitted from them several times in the past, though on my present LS430 the car has been so reliable, I haven't used it at all (knock on wood )

Nospinzone

Probably on just about every other vehicle manufacturer I'd consider it, but Lexus? Nope. With the 600hL I'd be most concerned about the hybrid system, but it looks like you'll be covered anyway.

Gojirra99

I always thought with a Lexus, you shouldn't have to have extended warranty, but with my experience with my SC430, I *may* consider it for my next Lexus.

Not that my 2003 SC430 is unreliable at all, it never had any problems during the standard warranty period(first 4 years), but since it had been out of warranty the past 11 months, I had to replace the O2 sensor and one of the tire pressure sensors, only little issues, but that cost me several hundred dollars already.
Even assuming I would not have any major issues the next couple years(which I hope), even little things like these could cost you hundreds of dollars per year.
So now I am thinking that an extended warranty may not be a bad idea afterall, it doesn't really take you too much to come close to breaking even on the warranty cost unless you're really lucky (or unlucky, depending on the way you look at it ).

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

even if the nav unit dies after warranty its probably going to cost that much to replace

rominl

iTrader: (4)

personally i won't go for extended warranty. and 3300 sounds exceptionally high. when we got the sc430, we were offered extended warranty for 1200. the 600hl does not worth more than double the price of sc430 imho.

zzzzdoc

I think I agree. For $3325, I think I would spin the dice. The basic warranty/powertrain warranty/ and hybrid warranty are already decent - and I would think the big ticket items would be powertrain or hybrid stuff after the basic ran out anyway.

Still wondering. Any other thoughts?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

while we are at it, for this car, if the extended warranty is 2k, maybe i will give it a thought. still, you said you keep your car 8 yrs at most usually, that's when the hybrid system warranty ends, so that's covered.

i would be a lot more confident on toyota drivetrain, so wouldn't worry about that

now the gadgets are the problems, you basically would go maybe 4 yrs without warranty on those stuff. so say the extended warranty is 2k ot 3k, that's what i would imagine myself paying to cover the gadgets. sounds pretty hefty

Nospinzone

Another negative with these extended warranties is they usually carry a deductible. Is there one, and if so, can you accumulate several small items and then have them fixed all at once and pay only one deductible?

zzzzdoc

This was for zero deductible.

garyr

Guess I think a little bit differently than most on the board. I paid 2-k for a 100-k warranty. They usually run about a thousand dollars on most luxury brands and thought this one was a little high. It's only worth buying the best they have or coverage isn't worth the money. I think they call it gold or platinum level.

Because we have the first model year of a new car it's absolutely worth thinking about. The fact that parts for this car and I mean any parts for this car are in the thousands that's all the more reason. This car is not any better build quality than any other car I've owned and right now with some of the problems I've had it's worse. I can't imagine what hybrid repairs would cost out of warranty. I would think an out of warranty repair at a dealer minimum would be $1000 or more just for basic repairs. If a wear part such as a water fails I wonder what they would have to remove to change the part.

It's a personal choice but if you can afford it and are planning on keeping the car for a long time I think it's well worth it.

I like the car but IMO Lexus build quality ain't what it used to be.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

but if it's wear and tear item, it's not covered under extended warranty as well right?

also, i don't think the hybrid 600hl would be too different from the normal 460 when drivetrain is 7 yrs and hybrid system is 8 yrs?

garyr

A water pump is not a drain train part. However it's coverage under an extended warranty. My point is with another electric motor and an AWD system shoved under the hood that can't leave much room for repairs.

You may need to remove major parts for simple repairs.

This is an extreme example and not what Lexus is experiencing but in the 80's when the American cars adopted front wheel drive cars one of the models?? a GM I think, you had to loosen a motor mount and lift the engine slightly to remove the oil filter.

I've never seen the hybrid motor only my own after removing the sound shields and theirs not a heck of a lot of room. I enjoy working on my own cars when I have the time and I check the maintenance points closely for access.

zzzzdoc

A Chevy Monza, if memory serves.

A very interesting point. And for $2K, it might be worth it. But $3350????

Nospinzone

Actually, the more I think about it and read the opinions above, maybe it isn't such a bad idea. The thing is this car has so many electronic devices and is so sophisticated, that when anything goes after the 4 yr/50 mi. warranty, its going to cost a fortune to repair/replace.

Some things like the "HOLD" function or the AFS function for the headlights are things that I could live without if I had to. However, if the touch screen or my radar cruise control failed, I'd have to get that fixed. I imagine both items could cost $1000 to as much as $4000 to fix.

I hope this has helped muddy the situation further for you Z!

zzzzdoc

Yup. Clear as mud.