Do you buy an additional warranty at time of buying truck?

[Musky Mike]

Bumper to bumper is the ONLY warranty to get. Power train warranty is a huge scam. And bs

It is bumper to bumper for the most part. I don't how much a key fob is, but I get 4 free programed key fobs. I think that's pretty good, I just got one of them when I took it in for a mirror replacement and a noise in the front end.

 

[Beauregard]

"Never buy an extended warranty; they're a waste of money," is old-school thinking. These new Rams are not basic pickups with naturally aspirated engines, low-tech electronics, and steel suspensions.
With a high strung twin turbo, glitzy electronics everywhere, and four airbags suspension, you get the same old 36-36 warranty bumper to bumper.
An extended Max-Care warranty is just insurance against catastrophic repair bills that may or may not occur. It should not be looked at as something you hope to break even on or come out ahead of. It is peace of mind knowing you're covered when those $2500 repair bills start stacking on one another after 50k miles.
I didn't hesitate a second to buy the MaxCare for my 2025.

 

[Docwagon1776]

An extended Max-Care warranty is just insurance against catastrophic repair bills that may or may not occur. It should not be looked at as something you hope to break even on or come out ahead of.

Insurance is for catastrophic events you can't afford to shoulder the risk of on your own. You are paying someone else to assume the risk. They are making a profit to provide that service.

I'll keep my "old school thinking" that the best peace of mind is my own money in the bank. I don't need to worry about getting authorized to fix something, I can take it wherever I want to do the repairs, and I can use whatever parts I want. If OEM is best, use OEM, but if there is a better aftermarket part I'm free to use that as well.

 

[lpennock]

I'm on the Maxcare side of the argument especially with Chrysler products. I've had it on 4 different Chrysler products in the last 25 years and the only one that won't come out ahead of not having it is my 18 ram because of the low mileage it gets. Even then it has recovered 50% of the initial cost. The replacement of the radio ow almost half of what the Maxcare cost for the truck.

 

[Beauregard]

Insurance is for catastrophic events you can't afford to shoulder the risk of on your own.

Yes, that is a good grasp of extended warranties.
And getting a $2000 repair bill stacked on top of a $2500 repair bill within 12 months of each other is more than most want to shoulder.
What items will be authorized is clear with MaxCare. The significant items of the Engine, Electronics, and Suspension are covered, and I've had zero issues with authorization.
I will always use OEM parts.
But Doc, this is what works for me, owning a high-tech, airbagged, twin-turbo pickup. For others, the numbers may not crunch.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Yes, that is a good grasp of extended warranties.
And getting a $2000 repair bill stacked on top of a $2500 repair bill within 12 months of each other is more than most want to shoulder.
What items will be authorized is clear with MaxCare. The significant items of the Engine, Electronics, and Suspension are covered, and I've had zero issues with authorization.
I will always use OEM parts.
But Doc, this is what works for me, owning a high-tech, airbagged, twin-turbo pickup. For others, the numbers may not crunch.

It's all administered in India now. Your dealership has to take photos and send to India where people who are not mechanics may or may not authorize the repair. Then if something is wrong or they want more info, the process starts over and you go back to the bottom of the queue. I just dealt with a 4 month **** show on the MaxCare lifetime that finally took an email to the CEO of Ram to resolve. Good luck.

I worked in the extended warranty company industry as both an independent business and as a subsidiary of Kemper Insurance over 20 years ago. They will have an actuary service estimate the total cost of repair per unit. You'll pay that for the warrant, then add in profit for the underwriter, administrator, and retailer, then add in costs of each level. In the end, the payout percentage is literally less than those of Vegas slot machines.

When people talk about the cost of fixing these trucks and the need to pay someone else to shoulder that risk, I generally ask if they own their own home. If so, do you pay for warranties there? $4500 will be nothing if you need a new HVAC system these days. Septic or sewer line work? Roof ages out? Again, money in the bank is the best peace of mind because it doesn't matter what breaks, you've got the cash put back to handle it.

 

[miltonbland]

There is a very good reason there are so many extended warranty companies. They make a lot of money off their customers! I bought my first vehicle in 1960, a Model A Ford. Since then I have owned more vehicles than I can count , new and used. I have done almost all my own maintenance and never bought an extended warranty on anything. I research every major purchase and try to avoid items that may be unreliable. I figure my net worth now is at least $25,000 greater than it would be now if I had purchased warranties on vehicles and major appliances.