Experience and Recommend Extended Warranties 21' Ram 6.7L

[RamRigger]

You can wait until the end of your OEM warranty before purchasing an extended
wty. That will give you some time to research. Another question, is how long
are you keeping the vehicle ? Are you working it hard, pulling a lot, or is it being
driven more like a car, etc.
Also I would be sure to ask the dealer where you do your business, they often
offer oem or outside warranty choices, make sure you talk to the service mgr.
there about their opinion.
You do know dealers receive a commission for selling a warranty. It is like
an insurance policy, they are the agent.
When I just purchased my new pickup last month, the dealer, Lithia tried selling
me on an extended wty. right then, of course I passed.
You should have seen the list of add-ons, oil changes, etc. that they sell, and
some people get suckered into it.

I did not know that a dealership is into the warranty profit center, but not much surprises me anymore. Thanks

 

[RamRigger]

MoPar Max Care is the only way to go if you are going to keep it. I do not believe the Lifetime is available any longer.

We have the lifetime bumper to bumper $100 deduc at present on 3 of our vehicles and on previously owned MoPar vehicles.
Our mini van has 215,000 miles on it at 14 years old. We have used the Max Care Lifetime many times, including transmission work, one head and two valve trains.

We have had to wait on parts. The closest we have come to a hassle is on our Challenger at about 75,000 miles and 8 years old. We had to wait for a, I guess factory rep, to inspect the covered repair. It took about two weeks from start to finish. But it was repaired. I really think they were checking up on the dealership to be sure it was not a bogus repair.

Thanks and yes I am planning on keeping it. I'll go talk with my rep at the dealership very soon. Maybe this week. Thanks very much. I was told that a had 2 lifetime warranties when I bought it but that wa by the salesperson. I'll be double checking that too with the rep at the dealership

 

[jejb]

You can't get the lifetime warranty anymore. That was a sweet deal for the folks that bought those, at least if they planned to keep the vehicles for a long time.

 

[RamRigger]

You can't get the lifetime warranty anymore. That was a sweet deal for the folks that bought those, at least if they planned to keep the vehicles for a long time.

jeje, are you referring to MaxCare or what I was told?

 

[RamRigger]

Thanks and yes I am planning on keeping it. I'll go talk with my rep at the dealership very soon. Maybe this week. Thanks very much. I was told that a had 2 lifetime warranties when I bought it but that wa by the salesperson. I'll be double checking that too with the rep at the dealership

Leroys73, I purchased mine in 21. I'll have time this week to double check but I want to stop by in person, so available time is tight this week

 

[brian42]

Mopar lifetime warranties died in late 2018 but some dealerships offer local incentives to buy vehicles from them.

"Lifetime" warranty can mean many things so be specific when you ask. One of the dealerships near me (not RAM) offers a lifetime limited powertrain warranty if you buy a vehicle from them (new or used). Another one (pre-COVID) offered lifetime loaners if you bought a new vehicle from them.

You can get a "lifetime" but only through that dealership if they offer that incentive. Make sure that you don't plan to move away any time soon as no other dealership will honor that. Same goes for all those cool trucks with aftermarket parts (lifts, tires, bumpers, etc.) lined up out front along the street to lure passers-by onto the lot. If it's not Mopar parts then only that dealership will honor warranty work on that modified truck.

Many get their Mopar MaxCare ESP on-line or over the phone as it is attached to your VIN and honored at any RAM service department. If you go in person there is most likely a huge markup (profit) compared to on-line where you can get one with little overhead. Plenty of threads and recommendations on where to get it from. I got mine from Ziegler. If nothing else you can check them out to compare what the dealership tells you and what you can get online.

Be wary when you go in person to the dealership. Most will try to sell you a 3rd party ESP as they make more profit with them (we're talking over $1000 profit in many cases) than the "in-house" Mopar ESPs. Be sure to ask them specifically what they are offering or make sure you are clear that you want a Mopar MaxCare ESP.

 

[RamRigger]

Thanks brian42. Very helpful info and I'll take a look at Ziegler before I go in to speak with dealership rep

 

[Tinman454]

I got the 5 year 100,000 bumper to bumper warranty from ram at the dealership it cost 2,800 total one way to save a bit of money is buy it from the services techs on your first oil change. It will save you 400 rather that going to the person in the dealership I guess that’s there commission. The main reason I got it was ball joints are covered and every heavy duty truck will need them between 60,000 - 80,000 the cost of doing the front end ball joints is around 2,500 -3,000 so that alone will pay you back for the warranty cost. They have all ready replaced a seal on the ram box and it was completely covered. Another reason is it covers the electric systems which are a lot of money to replace. To me the best warranty is the one you never use.

 

[RamRigger]

Tinman454, when did you get that warranty? Looks like your Ram and mine are the same year, 2021. Had my firs toil change and no one mentioned it. And as far as I know at my dealership I have to go through the rep. Can't even get close to the techs

 

[mikeru]

The folks who're claiming to have a bumper to bumper extended warranties might want to read through your contracts to verify that. I have yet to see an extended warranty that is truly bumper to bumper. I can't make the claim that it doesn't exist, but I've never seen one. Things like glass and interior surfaces aren't normally covered under them. Lots of people have been bit by that.

 

[brian42]

I think people use "bumper-to-bumper" as a phrase instead of an actual policy. You are right that there is no "extended" bumper-to-bumper (basic) warranty out there.

Extended warranties are, at best, fairly extensive but nowhere near the basic warranty's all-inclusive coverage.

 

[jejb]

Mopar lifetime warranties died in late 2018 but some dealerships offer local incentives to buy vehicles from them.

"Lifetime" warranty can mean many things so be specific when you ask. One of the dealerships near me (not RAM) offers a lifetime limited powertrain warranty if you buy a vehicle from them (new or used). Another one (pre-COVID) offered lifetime loaners if you bought a new vehicle from them.

You can get a "lifetime" but only through that dealership if they offer that incentive. Make sure that you don't plan to move away any time soon as no other dealership will honor that. Same goes for all those cool trucks with aftermarket parts (lifts, tires, bumpers, etc.) lined up out front along the street to lure passers-by onto the lot. If it's not Mopar parts then only that dealership will honor warranty work on that modified truck.

Many get their Mopar MaxCare ESP on-line or over the phone as it is attached to your VIN and honored at any RAM service department. If you go in person there is most likely a huge markup (profit) compared to on-line where you can get one with little overhead. Plenty of threads and recommendations on where to get it from. I got mine from Ziegler. If nothing else you can check them out to compare what the dealership tells you and what you can get online.

Be wary when you go in person to the dealership. Most will try to sell you a 3rd party ESP as they make more profit with them (we're talking over $1000 profit in many cases) than the "in-house" Mopar ESPs. Be sure to ask them specifically what they are offering or make sure you are clear that you want a Mopar MaxCare ESP.

Great post. And a lot of the local dealer "lifetime" warranties come with conditions, like you have to have your oil changed, tires rotated, etc by that dealer.

Granger Motors in Iowa is running a deal right now for $50 over their costs on any Mopar Maxcare ESP's. I priced the warranty at several other online Mopar places before checking Granger and they saved me almost $400 on the same plan.

 

[jejb]

jeje, are you referring to MaxCare or what I was told?

Yes, maxcare is no longer offered for lifetime coverage. Mopar regrets selling those. I've read posts about them trying to buy people out of their lifetime policy.

 

[RamRigger]

mikeru, now that you mention it, I recall reading something about 'anything that is considered under the term' normal wear and tear or similar, is not covered. But now glass and interior surfaces too. My thinking is moving toward the running gear and engine and differential components, along with steering control, basically anything that makes them drivable are the covered components.

So what about exhaust systems? And here again with a CAT that probably wouldn't be covered, nor would any filters, being considered normal maintenance on all vehicles.

 

[brian42]

So what about exhaust systems? And here again with a CAT that probably wouldn't be covered, nor would any filters, being considered normal maintenance on all vehicles.

Exhaust sytem is not covered. From my MaxCare ESP:

THE PLAN WILL NOT COVER, OR APPLY TO LOSS OR EXPENSE RESULTING FROM:
- catalytic converter, particulate filter and any other exhaust system components; heat shields and exhaust hangers

The ESP covers the exhaust manifolds but nothing downstream from there.

 

[brian42]

Exhaust sytem is not covered. From my MaxCare ESP:

THE PLAN WILL NOT COVER, OR APPLY TO LOSS OR EXPENSE RESULTING FROM:
- catalytic converter, particulate filter and any other exhaust system components; heat shields and exhaust hangers

The ESP covers the exhaust manifolds but nothing downstream from there.

You're not going to get extended coverage on $60K worth of parts for $3K; that's not good business. But you can get major high-dollar items covered for that. RAM bets that most won't have a problem (and most don't). I've never had an ESP until now as my previous vehicles were older and mostly mechanical so I could do the work on them. Not so with this truck.

Even the basic warranty has its limits. "Normal" wear parts (tires, brakes, wipers, etc.) are only covered for the first year (or 12K miles).

The basic warranty is there because no two trucks are made the same. There are bound to be material or assembly issues that need to be corrected from the initial production process that need to be corrected. Some will show sooner rather than later, some drive more than others, and some drive harder than others. In any case there is an expectation that you are purchasing a quality product (especially at today's price point). Everyone offers a basic warranty to ensure that a minimum production standard is upheld, whether that's the assembly line or through the service department at your local dealership.

Make no mistake, RAM pays attention because your "free" basic warranty really isn't. RAM takes the data (cost) of what they paid out in basic warranty coverage this year and use that as one of the factors to set the pricing for trucks next year...passing most (if not all) of the repair costs for their shortcomings onto next year's unsuspecting buyer.