Tire and Wheel Protection Plan advice
Lexus Test Driver
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From: NJ
I’m not worried about the reliability of the engine and transmission on the Lexus. It’s all the computers, electronics and all the hardware that I’m concerned about. People that I know have told me that an ABS sensor costs $400 to $500 to replace if it stops working. Other sensors and computer modules in these vehicles costs even more. The infotainment screen costs anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 to fix if it stops working. These are the things that will go first and burn out and break on the Lexus vehicles and they are very expensive to fix and replace. That’s why I want to purchase the 150,000 mile/10 year warranty. I would like to keep the car at least 5 years if I can and I would like to be covered if anything breaks. I don’t want to have to pay out of my pocket if anything breaks and needs replacement.
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Insurance does not cover an expired auto warranty. At least not my insurance. And no, I don't but I do have a few friends that work at Toyota who know the Toyota and Lexus models very well and they all say the same things that the electronics, sensors and computers as well as the screens on these vehicles are the first things to go and they are all very expensive to repair/replace. For example, an ABS sensor for Toyota runs between $400 to $500 right now just for the part without the labor $9,000 dollars to replace only the part without labor. The screen inside a POS $30,000 Prius costs $9,000 only for the part. I'm sorry, but I would rather have the 150,000 mile extended warranty instead of having to fork out that type of money for these types of repairs on a Lexus when the 3 year/36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty runs out. You never know when these electronic items will break. I would rather be safe than sorry.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jul 2017
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From: NJ
Insurance does not cover an expired auto warranty. At least not my insurance. And no, I don't but I do have a few friends that work at Toyota who know the Toyota and Lexus models very well and they all say the same things that the electronics, sensors and computers as well as the screens on these vehicles are the first things to go and they are all very expensive to repair/replace. For example, an ABS sensor for Toyota runs between $400 to $500 right now just for the part without the labor $9,000 dollars to replace only the part without labor. The screen inside a POS $30,000 Prius costs $9,000 only for the part. I'm sorry, but I would rather have the 150,000 mile extended warranty instead of having to fork out that type of money for these types of repairs on a Lexus when the 3 year/36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty runs out. You never know when these electronic items will break. I would rather be safe than sorry.
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From: Massachusetts
Lexus Test Driver
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From: SE PA
The OP asked for advice on buying extended warranties for various parts of his car and several members gave their opinions pro and con. However it seems that the decision was already made. Glamglam I would recommend that you do what your heart tells you to do so that you can sleep easy at night and not worry about the display not working in the morning or listening to sixties on 6. I say that whatever floats your boat, go for it and good luck... 
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Joined: Feb 2022
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From: Massachusetts
The OP asked for advice on buying extended warranties for various parts of his car and several members gave their opinions pro and con. However it seems that the decision was already made. Glamglam I would recommend that you do what your heart tells you to do so that you can sleep easy at night and not worry about the display not working in the morning or listening to sixties on 6. I say that whatever floats your boat, go for it and good luck...
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You didn't read my post did you. WHY should I decline coverage when I want to have coverage for all the electronics, switches, sensors, computer modules and infotainment screen for the Lexus that I want to keep for more than 5 years? I do not want to pay thousands of dollars out of my pocket for these particular repairs if you know what I mean.
That's all I'm saying.
My Lexus has almost 90k miles on it, well past the original warranty, and I've had no issues. My prior Lexus' infotainment screen had a bad reaction to a damp microfiber cloth, however, and that was, you guessed it, covered under the original warranty.
As with most products, warrantable issues typically manifest early in the lifecycle of the product. Anything else is usually just called "wear and tear".
Edit: I do see now your OP was about Wheel and Tire Packages, and subsequent posts were about Extended Warranties on the vehicle itself. There does seem to be a bit of cognitive dissonance, given your hesitance towards the WTP. At least you recognize there is a limit at which these things cease to be of any value. The question is, what is that limit? To that I say, the actuaries aren't going to be outsmarted.
Last edited by nitroracer; May 22, 2022 at 09:30 AM.
Lexus Test Driver
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From: NJ
I understand what you're saying, @glamglam. What I'm trying to say is, statistically, the way these things are priced (not just Tire and Wheel Packages, but Extended Warranties as in your case), you can expect your fears to be unfounded.
That's all I'm saying.
My Lexus has almost 90k miles on it, well past the original warranty, and I've had no issues. My prior Lexus had a bad reaction to a damp microfiber cloth, however, and that was, you guessed it, covered under the original warranty.
As with most products, warrantable issues typically manifest early in the lifecycle of the product. Anything else is usually just called "wear and tear".
That's all I'm saying.
My Lexus has almost 90k miles on it, well past the original warranty, and I've had no issues. My prior Lexus had a bad reaction to a damp microfiber cloth, however, and that was, you guessed it, covered under the original warranty.
As with most products, warrantable issues typically manifest early in the lifecycle of the product. Anything else is usually just called "wear and tear".
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From: SE PA
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jul 2017
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From: NJ
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OIOW, in any portfolio of insurance policies, the profits go to the underwriter, everything else to the policyholder. This is inarguable.
Last edited by nitroracer; May 22, 2022 at 09:36 AM.
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From: Massachusetts
I saw the dealer cost on the extended warranty and on the wheel and tire warranty. It’s NOT even close to 95% profit margin. It’s more like a few hundred dollars profit. That’s it. Not 95% like you think it is. My friend who’s finance manager at Toyota showed me the Lexus warranties. I saw it with my own eyes on the Toyota/Lexus computer system.
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From: Massachusetts
You don’t know wtf you are talking about. The profit margin for these warranties isn’t 95% like you think it is. It’s only a few hundred dollars from the dealer’s cost. I have a very close friend that’s a finance manager at Toyota that has access to all the Toyota and Lexus warranties and the dealer costs for each warranty and I can tell you that the profit margins are nowhere even close to the 95% that you think it’s at. Also, the cost of parts for the Toyota/Lexus vehicles has gone up 4x times since the plandemic and since the supply chain problems as well since the cost of diesel and gasoline has gone up. For example, an ABS sensor for a Toyota used to cost $100 and the dealership used to have many of them in stock. Right now, that same exact ABS sensor costs $400 to $500. If you think that I want to pay 4x times more today for sensors and for other electronic and computer items that may break on the Lexus, you’re crazy. Having the extended warranty will avoid me having to pay astronomical repair bills if anything on my Lexus breaks. It’s common sense that the extended warranty is worth having only because the costs for parts and repairs have gone up astronomically 4x times because of the supply chain issues and because of the $6.40 a gallon diesel prices.
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From: New Hampshire
I’ve been trying to find out more about the Wheel/Tire warranty for the Lexus and I came across this thread while searching in the forums, so I thought that I would post and ask people in here about this particular warranty.
I will be getting delivery of a brand new 2022 ES350 Ultra Luxury next week. I happened to drop by the Lexus dealership last night and I asked about their warranties. The Lexus dealership quoted me $2,336 for 60 months, $2,376 for 72 months and $2,402 for 84 months for the Tire/Wheel coverage. The dealer said that this warranty can replace or repair any damaged rims and also replace any of the tires if they get damaged. I think that these prices are very expensive for a warranty like this.
We plan on keeping the car for at least 5 years, maybe longer up to 10 years and because of this we are thinking of purchasing the extended warranty for either 100,000 miles or for 150,000 mile/10 years to cover all the computers, electronics and the engine/powertrain on the car if anything goes wrong or breaks on it.
However, the Tire/Wheel coverage seems like it’s too much money for $2,300 - $2,400. What should be the “reasonable” cost be for the Tire/Wheel coverage for 60 months, 72 months and 84 months if one wanted to purchase this particular warranty for these long lengths of time? I think that the price that the Lexus dealer is asking for this particular warranty is too much money. I just paid $650 last week for the wheel/tire warranty for my brand new 2022 Avalon that I just purchased which is a fraction of the cost of what Lexus is asking for the same type of warranty.
I’ve repaired and refinished the rims on my E300 4 times so far in the last year and a half at a private wheel/rim repair place and it cost me $120 the first 3 times and just recently $140 the 4th time because the repair shop had a price increase. Will it realistically cost me $2,300 - $2,400 to repair/replace the rims and tires on my ES350 Ultra Luxury over a 5 to 7 year period if I keep the car a minimum of 5 to 7 years? I’m trying to figure out if the $2,300 - $2,400 price that Lexus quoted me last night is a realistic figure when compared to how many times and how much that I will use this particular Wheel/Tire warranty in real life.
What should I do? Should I pass on the Tire/Wheel coverage or should I get it and try to get it for a much lower cost. I was thinking of offering them no more than $1,000 for the Tire/Wheel coverage if I decide to buy it. I doubt that they will accept my offer of $1,000 though. I don’t know what to do. I would like to get advice on what I should do. Thank You
I will be getting delivery of a brand new 2022 ES350 Ultra Luxury next week. I happened to drop by the Lexus dealership last night and I asked about their warranties. The Lexus dealership quoted me $2,336 for 60 months, $2,376 for 72 months and $2,402 for 84 months for the Tire/Wheel coverage. The dealer said that this warranty can replace or repair any damaged rims and also replace any of the tires if they get damaged. I think that these prices are very expensive for a warranty like this.
We plan on keeping the car for at least 5 years, maybe longer up to 10 years and because of this we are thinking of purchasing the extended warranty for either 100,000 miles or for 150,000 mile/10 years to cover all the computers, electronics and the engine/powertrain on the car if anything goes wrong or breaks on it.
However, the Tire/Wheel coverage seems like it’s too much money for $2,300 - $2,400. What should be the “reasonable” cost be for the Tire/Wheel coverage for 60 months, 72 months and 84 months if one wanted to purchase this particular warranty for these long lengths of time? I think that the price that the Lexus dealer is asking for this particular warranty is too much money. I just paid $650 last week for the wheel/tire warranty for my brand new 2022 Avalon that I just purchased which is a fraction of the cost of what Lexus is asking for the same type of warranty.
I’ve repaired and refinished the rims on my E300 4 times so far in the last year and a half at a private wheel/rim repair place and it cost me $120 the first 3 times and just recently $140 the 4th time because the repair shop had a price increase. Will it realistically cost me $2,300 - $2,400 to repair/replace the rims and tires on my ES350 Ultra Luxury over a 5 to 7 year period if I keep the car a minimum of 5 to 7 years? I’m trying to figure out if the $2,300 - $2,400 price that Lexus quoted me last night is a realistic figure when compared to how many times and how much that I will use this particular Wheel/Tire warranty in real life.
What should I do? Should I pass on the Tire/Wheel coverage or should I get it and try to get it for a much lower cost. I was thinking of offering them no more than $1,000 for the Tire/Wheel coverage if I decide to buy it. I doubt that they will accept my offer of $1,000 though. I don’t know what to do. I would like to get advice on what I should do. Thank You
On the other hand, he wanted $5K for an 84 mo warranty which I thought was absurd. The dealer (in NH) claimed that he couldn't go lower. I called a dealer I knew in Charleston and got it for $2600.
This also happened several years ago with ab IS-F. The dealer in CT wanted too much and I got it out of the midwest cheaper. From I picked up at the time depending on what zone a dealer is in gives them more leeway in pricing. I see you're in MA and probably hit the same issue I did.
You might want to check with Hendricks Lexus (ask for Zephyr) in Charleston.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Illinois
I just bought a '22 GX460 - the dealer wanted $1200 for the Lexus 5yr wheel and tire - I took it, it was a bit more than a CARGUARD policy, which I've had good experience with, but I would have had to have gotten it elsewhere and I didn't feel like schlepping around.
On the other hand, he wanted $5K for an 84 mo warranty which I thought was absurd. The dealer (in NH) claimed that he couldn't go lower. I called a dealer I knew in Charleston and got it for $2600.
This also happened several years ago with ab IS-F. The dealer in CT wanted too much and I got it out of the midwest cheaper. From I picked up at the time depending on what zone a dealer is in gives them more leeway in pricing. I see you're in MA and probably hit the same issue I did.
You might want to check with Hendricks Lexus (ask for Zephyr) in Charleston.
On the other hand, he wanted $5K for an 84 mo warranty which I thought was absurd. The dealer (in NH) claimed that he couldn't go lower. I called a dealer I knew in Charleston and got it for $2600.
This also happened several years ago with ab IS-F. The dealer in CT wanted too much and I got it out of the midwest cheaper. From I picked up at the time depending on what zone a dealer is in gives them more leeway in pricing. I see you're in MA and probably hit the same issue I did.
You might want to check with Hendricks Lexus (ask for Zephyr) in Charleston.