Exhaust Manifolds and Extended Warranties

[Popntx]

I've never been a fan of purchasing extended warranties, as I know that they generally favor the manufacturer. However, in the case of my 2012 Ram 1500 with 135,000 miles, an extended warranty would have easily paid for itself due to several high cost repairs after the regular warranty expired, including broken exhaust manifold bolts requiring an expensive fix.

I know there are lots of threads about this, but now that I'm ready to consider a new truck, I have a couple of specific questions. First of all, do the new Rams have this issue resolved? This seems to be a design flaw that Chrysler need to fix.

Secondly, if the issue isn't resolved, chances are very good that at some point there will be a problem with the manifold requiring an expensive fix. So, this makes me reconsider the value of an extended warranty. If you can almost count on having the problem, it might make sense to deduct the cost of the repair from the cost of the extended warranty, knowing that you'll probably have the expense sooner or later anyway.

I know I wouldn't buy the extended warranty at time of purchase as this is a high profit margin "add-on" and you can purchase them much more cheaply later on before the factory warranty expires. I also would never consider purchasing anything other that a Chrysler warranty.

I would appreciate others thoughts/comments. Thanks.

 

[MoparBrent]

I've never been a fan of purchasing extended warranties, as I know that they generally favor the manufacturer. However, in the case of my 2012 Ram 1500 with 135,000 miles, an extended warranty would have easily paid for itself due to several high cost repairs after the regular warranty expired, including broken exhaust manifold bolts requiring an expensive fix.

I know there are lots of threads about this, but now that I'm ready to consider a new truck, I have a couple of specific questions. First of all, do the new Rams have this issue resolved? This seems to be a design flaw that Chrysler need to fix.

Secondly, if the issue isn't resolved, chances are very good that at some point there will be a problem with the manifold requiring an expensive fix. So, this makes me reconsider the value of an extended warranty. If you can almost count on having the problem, it might make sense to deduct the cost of the repair from the cost of the extended warranty, knowing that you'll probably have the expense sooner or later anyway.

I know I wouldn't buy the extended warranty at time of purchase as this is a high profit margin "add-on" and you can purchase them much more cheaply later on before the factory warranty expires. I also would never consider purchasing anything other that a Chrysler warranty.

I would appreciate others thoughts/comments. Thanks.

Good morning. Short answer is no, the exhaust manifold issue has not been fixed, the 5.7 hemi design and manifolds are the exact same even on 2021 ram trucks. As it is not a safety issue in anyway requiring a recall they will never look into fixing it.

I myself never buy extended warranty on my vehicles as I do my own maintenance anyways. And after my standard 100,000km powertrain is up id rather use a good small shop over incompetent dealer mechs

 

[avantiguy]

Opinions on warranties are just like (well you know) everyone has one. If you decide you want one, they do get more expensive as the truck goes over one year or 12,000 miles, so get a quote from Ziegler Ram before you sign the paper work on the truck and see if the dealer will match it. Otherwise you can price shop for a period of time after you purchase it.

A few things to remember. The warranty (service contract really) time period and miles start when you buy the truck, no matter when you buy the warranty, so an eight year warranty is really five years after the 36/36 original. Because it is a Mopar product it is/should be honored by any Ram (Mopar) dealership. If you buy one and don't want it, there is a period of time you can cancel it and even afterwards it has a redemption value based on time and usage.

Lastly, the service contract does allow for a loaner car if the dealer won't provide one and also has $600 in key replacement from the get-go.

 

[BOWERSFJ]

Wife’s 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee ... 25k on the meter .... Nav radio just went out .... $3200 plus labor .... Covered .... At 33k I will be buying Mopar Max Care 8yr/100k .... These things are just to expensive to fix .... The plan is only $2800 and 0% for 18 months .... It’s a no brainer


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[Popntx]

$2,800 for Max Care is well worth it in my opinion, especially if it includes a loaner vehicle. Maybe not for a vehicle with a good reputation for reliability, but Ram's, as nice as they are and as much as I like them, do not have a good reliability record. Does anyone know what a similar plan costs for a Ram 1500 with the Hemi engine?

 

[BOWERSFJ]

Go to jeepfactorywarranty.com and plug your numbers in ....


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[RLJ10X]

You could always just replace the crappy log manifolds with some spiffy new shorty Headers. Problem averted.

Or your new truck could have one of the V6s in it, that don't snap manifold bolts.

.....or buy a vehicle that you're you have more faith in to begin with.

 

[tron67j]

You are correct, warranties favor underwriting entity. The whole picture is some people get value but the majority do not, there has to be profit or no one would offer them. Regardless of what might go wrong, odds are greater you won't get full value back. But fixing things can be cheaper, I replaced 3 bolts at non-dealer repair for $500 on last Ram. Put in practically new UAS radio for $550, I buy more basic trucks, add the options I want and try to avoid repairs. I keep my trucks 10 or so years, and have had not been at a point I wished I had a warranty. Just my story, wish you luck.

 

[ChevySlayer69]

There are dealers that offer 10 year 100k power train warranty for free to the original owner. Find one of those.