Extended Warranty Options
#16
Pole Position
So as mentioned in a previous thread, I have a deposit down on a 2010 LS460 Sport with 65k miles. The dealer (CarMax) is offering me a 4 year/60k extended warranty for 2k extra. They say it is bumper to bumper and specifically i asked about electronics, amps and air suspension, all covered.
However I see lots of dealers in my area (KC) that offer "lifetime warranty" for as long as you own yor car. Since I never trade my cars in or even sell them (I have 11 personal cars at my house right now, 13 is my record) the lifetime warranty is appealing.
So my questions are:
1. Does anyone have experience with these lifetime warranties and if so, please share the details and your experience.
2. Has anyone dealt with CarMax on any warranty issue? The yelp and cars.com reviews are solid but i am still curious how well they honor their warranty.
3. Do any LS owners have sources, experiences and prices with other extended warranties so i can judge if the 4/60 for 2k from CarMax is a good deal or not.
Thanks again guys!
However I see lots of dealers in my area (KC) that offer "lifetime warranty" for as long as you own yor car. Since I never trade my cars in or even sell them (I have 11 personal cars at my house right now, 13 is my record) the lifetime warranty is appealing.
So my questions are:
1. Does anyone have experience with these lifetime warranties and if so, please share the details and your experience.
2. Has anyone dealt with CarMax on any warranty issue? The yelp and cars.com reviews are solid but i am still curious how well they honor their warranty.
3. Do any LS owners have sources, experiences and prices with other extended warranties so i can judge if the 4/60 for 2k from CarMax is a good deal or not.
Thanks again guys!
#17
#19
I just got the car last week, can anyone provide me with more information on their warranty on here or through PM if you are in Florida. I will go right to the manager and have them change the warranty. That sucks I got ripped off. I would really appreciate any help.
#20
Pole Position
You can also Google extended warranties and they'll give you a free quote,also ask.if they can email you the estimate,have your VIN# ready...
#21
Thank you, the warranty they sold me and told me the price is state regulated was through Lexus, not a third party. Just wondering if anyone got the same cheaper or more coverage for similar price. I'm starting to think dealer lied.
#22
I've always heard it's best to just keep your money in your pocket & if you feel the need just put a few $$$ back every month & IF that occasion every happens you'll have the money to pay for it. I've also heard Horror stories about some of those Extended Warranty companies, just look on the internet about some of these companies. Always do your homework & check with the BBB, A LOT of those companies will Nit-Pick Any & Every thing when you file a claim & will send an agent out to look at your vehicle & in most cases they're going to find a reason as to why YOU could have prevented it or you did something to cause it. Just be careful is all i'm sayin'
#23
Pole Position
I've always heard it's best to just keep your money in your pocket & if you feel the need just put a few $$$ back every month & IF that occasion every happens you'll have the money to pay for it. I've also heard Horror stories about some of those Extended Warranty companies, just look on the internet about some of these companies. Always do your homework & check with the BBB, A LOT of those companies will Nit-Pick Any & Every thing when you file a claim & will send an agent out to look at your vehicle & in most cases they're going to find a reason as to why YOU could have prevented it or you did something to cause it. Just be careful is all i'm sayin'
I work in the industry and I can tell you first hand that dealing with these companies can be a huge hassle. I'm sure for some it may be worth it, but for others it's a gamble. This is what it's usually like...
Customer needs a head gasket...third party warranty company is called...adjuster will come out (2-3 days later). Meanwhile the car will be drived or pushed outside. The adjuster will question the tech...does it really need this? Does it really need that? Well it looks like the guy didn't change his coolant. Well it looks like the guy never maintained this...or maintained that. Ok we'll do the head gasket, but we won't pay for coolant, we won't pay for oil, we won't pay for new bolts, we won't pay for a new water pump, we won't pay for any clips or brackets that break, we'll pay for the gasket and only the labor for that gasket, that's it. Anything else the customer will have to cover out of pocket.
Meanwhile the customer has to pay for coolant, oil, belts, water pump, bolts, hardware and miscellaneous items. His bill is $400 and he has a deductible on the head gasket. So is it worth it? Well I guess he saved on paying $1,500 for the head gasket, but he did have to purchase the warranty, a deductible and other items. So to get his money back he'll need a couple major repairs in the time frame/mileage it is good for.
With the LS - in my opinion - on a base model the "major repair" will be the control arms. Control arms at an independent shop will cost a customer around $1,200 to replace all 8 with aftermarket parts. To replace only the top 4 will cost you half that...that's $600. Other than that?? The only other major issue is the brake actuator,mwhich is now covered under an extended warranty campaign through Lexus, so you don't have to worry about that component any longer. Now if you buy a loaded long wheel base model with air ride? Then you'll have to worry about the amp and air shocks, but you'll need those items to fail in order to get your money back. It's a gamble, but depending on the cost of the warranty and the deductible, it may be worth it to some. For others, piece of mind is also a huge factor. Personally I turned down the opportunity to purchase either a one year, or a two year warranty. And I saved $2,000-$3,000 by doing that.
#24
What Doublebase says is about the way it works, at least some of the time. I worked at dealers 25 years and did a lot of extended warranty work. We used to look for problems we could get them to pay for because hey we always needed more work. I even came up with a brilliant plan for my service manager to pull all files of sales of extended warranty contracts and anyone who drove in with one which we always recorded in our database. We mailed them all invitations to come in so we can find any covered problems they could get fixed for free. We even stated we would waive their deductible. It was a windfall and a yearly event. The company's almost always sent an independent adjuster to come and approve the work. It your engine was fried they would always boil in water the thermostat to see if it was operating. Because shocker the thermostat was always left out of covered repairs and they would use that as the reason your engine fried to deny you. So many extended warrant stories I will save more for later.
#25
Pole Position
What Doublebase says is about the way it works, at least some of the time. I worked at dealers 25 years and did a lot of extended warranty work. We used to look for problems we could get them to pay for because hey we always needed more work. I even came up with a brilliant plan for my service manager to pull all files of sales of extended warranty contracts and anyone who drove in with one which we always recorded in our database. We mailed them all invitations to come in so we can find any covered problems they could get fixed for free. We even stated we would waive their deductible. It was a windfall and a yearly event. The company's almost always sent an independent adjuster to come and approve the work. It your engine was fried they would always boil in water the thermostat to see if it was operating. Because shocker the thermostat was always left out of covered repairs and they would use that as the reason your engine fried to deny you. So many extended warrant stories I will save more for later.
So I guess if you buy an extended warranty for $2,000-$3,000, you will most likely get yourself some free control arms (that you probably didn't need, or that you could have gotten for $1,200 at an independent with a warranty on the work). To each his own. Like I said, it depends on personal preference.
Last edited by Doublebase; 07-01-16 at 06:26 AM.
#27
I understand exactly what you are saying...sometimes the warranties=let's find something, it's easy money, the customer is not going to say no. Take the control arms for instance, if I'm working as a Lexus tech right now and it's slow in the summer (which it usually is), and a LS460 comes in with an extended warranty?? Boom! It needs control arms, doesn't matter if it came in for only an oil change. It needs control arms. And as a Lexus tech, doing control arms are the easiest 6 hours of labor I'll ever get...I'll have that job done in an hour and a half, plus an extra 15 minutes for the "alignment", that only needs a slight toe adjustment. Done. I just made $210 in two hours, including the alignment. Everyone goes home happy...me, the customer, the dealer. And then the customer will come on here and tell everyone how his extended warranty just saved him $3,600!
So I guess if you buy an extended warranty for $2,000-$3,000, you will most likely get yourself some free control arms (that you probably didn't need, or that you could have gotten for $1,200 at an independent with a warranty on the work). To each his own. Like I said, it depends on personal preference.
So I guess if you buy an extended warranty for $2,000-$3,000, you will most likely get yourself some free control arms (that you probably didn't need, or that you could have gotten for $1,200 at an independent with a warranty on the work). To each his own. Like I said, it depends on personal preference.