sr20bet

I read the threads on 'high milage isf' and a couple of 'extended warranty' threads, which were helpful.

My 4 yr warranty is ending in 6 weeks and I can extended it for another 4 yrs upto 100,000 miles, i'm currently at only 24,000 miles and only add about 8-10,000 miles per year. I live in the snow belt, but drive a winter beater around when things get rough up here.

I'm thinking that it's not worth it for me to buy an extended warranty based on the issues most posters have to deal with. I might be wrong, but it sounds like other than the water pump, there aren't that many 'issues' with the isf (please correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm planning to opt out of the extended warranty in 6 weeks.

Any one who has regretted buying their extended warranty? or has anyone come out on top with buying an extended warranty?

A family friend who is a Toyota and Lexus Master Mechanic told my family member not to buy an extended warranty for their Camry, but he told me that I should buy it for the Lexus isf. He was saying there are a lot of microcomputers which could go faulty with time and that is the biggest risk. Has anyone had an issues related to these? He wasn't trying to sell me anything.

I8ABMR

On my LS, GS, and ISF it has gotten jack squat after the oem warranty. In the end the issue is it will cover major crap, but little stuff like noise, and rattles you are on your own. When the original warranty expires they act like they are doing you a favor to fix something small. It has to be major. They are also no repairs for something intermittant . Its annoying but if something happens and you dont have the coverage you will kick yourself. In the end the extended warranty will run 2500-2800. It comes down to wether you are willing to gamble on the value of future repairs vs paying for the coverage up front. At least with the warranty if you sell or trade the car you can easily get the prorated amount for your warranty back easily

sr20bet

I totally agree with most of your views.

Yet, in my area a used car with an extended warranty will be easier to sell, I think people in my area are low ballers and won't pay the pro-rated amount in the event they buy a used isf or any car for that matter (this could just be the people I've come across), you probably live in a more civil area of the country...lol.

I might have to take my chances just based on the feedback from this forum and the low milage I put on the car. My biggest concern is the electronics over time due to the extreme cold and hot weather I have in the snow belt. When the weather is more consistent, electronics tend to have less problems (based on my experience) - yes I took electronics in high school...hahahaa

Sean

iTrader: (3)

This is something I'll have to think about early next year. I plan to keep the car for another couple years at least and have the same concerns.

Is there a dealership that specializes in selling extended warranties? I know with Nissan there is a dealership (Santa Rosa, I think) that sells nationwide and pretty much undercuts all others.

matthewusm

I bought an extended warranty on my GS, never used it. However, on my BMW 335 and now on my ISF, it has saved me TONS of money. After doing tons of research, I realize that my issues with my F are a rarity. I bought it used, and since it is a fairly high performance vehicle I decided to get an extended warranty. Well, thank goodness because my car has been at the lexus dealership for going on 10 weeks now. Turns out the car had a damaged valve, which I think must've been caused by the previous owner doing some serious modifications. (Lexus technician thinks it had nitrous). I did my homework on the car and got pre purchase inspections done and both shops that inspected it said the car was in amazing shape and ran like a dream. Which it did. But over 12 thousand dollars in repairs later, and a brand new RX350 loaner to drive, I'd say the warranty was well worth it. The reason I got another lexus (my 3rd) was because of reliability, and I fully believe in the brand, I just got a bad one.

dannyk8232

Kudos to you and I agree with the fact that statistically, there's always a chance you'll end up with a bad apple.

I do find it funny that most people spend freely on warranties for tv's, game consoles, laptops, stereos etc. which add another 20-30% to the price of the device, but are reluctant to a buy them on a car that was at least a $30-40k investment.

Murph145

I wouldnt just because I always sell my cars before I need the extended warranties to be in effect.

I8ABMR

perfect example of why its better to have one. Damn ....10 weeks. A dealership out here had mine for 23 days and I was ready to kill someone

BluStreak1

iTrader: (4)

I could write PAGES of bad experiences I've had when dealing with extended warranty companies. Mind you, all of my warranties have been third party ones, so I don't know if that makes a difference, but I'll just say that if you have ANY kinds of modifications to your car, the company will try to find a way to void the warranty. My last car had rear end problems, the company said that because I had bigger tires than what came on the car, that made the diff work harder thereby voiding the warranty....I had went from a 245 tire to a 275...same size wheel...I was pissed! and yes, intermittent stuff will not be fixed. Unless your car throws a code, it doesn't count. My car was overheating on and off, so I brought it in. The dealership figured it could be something as easy as a sticky thermostat or something costly like a bad engine temp sensor. They had to wait 2 days to get the warranty rep to review the options. He said because the car wasn't putting out any trouble codes, nothing was wrong...BUT if I continued to drive my car with the dealership recommending repairs and something happened....that would void my warranty!!! Talk about a catch 22!! I just ended up replacing the thermo and all was good. $5000 for a 4yr extended warranty and I end up repairing the car myself! Never again...

caveman

the only extended warranty i would get is the Lexus factory extended warranty. it may cost more than the 3rd party ones, but it'll save you some headaches when you actually need to use it.

with that being said, i had the Lexus Platinum warranty on my GS300. i used to it to cover some repairs in the 8 years i owned it, but the repair totals were more than what i paid for the warranty. this is the case statistically for most people that buy the warranty, or else Lexus wouldnt make any money selling these warranties.

ddcruise

i have the extended warranty and it has already paid for itself. good luck!

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

no because not only will mine expire due to year and not mileage in 2015, nothing broke. i guess its better to be safe than sorry .

dannyk8232

Agreed. Which is why I never leave the house without wearing a condom.

matthewusm

yeah.... not thrilled about it. But there were a lot of parts that were on backorder. I have definitely missed the car, the RX isn't bad, and I bought a motorcycle to occupy my time. Haha

calteg

Short answer: It depends.

I bought my extended warranty through my credit union, drivetrain coverage up to 180,000 miles for $1,000...kind of a no brainer.

But absolutely read the fine print. Who services the warranty? Do they specify which shops you can take it to? Lots of times the warranty company will use the cheapest Chinese replacement parts they can get away with in order to keep costs down.