Warranty anxiety

[Michael Phipps]

OK, so I'm looking for practical guidance here.

I'm no mechanic. I can do bolt on stuff and I'm not afraid to get dirty when I have clear instructions to follow, but most of the time I'm taking my truck to a dealer or a real mechanic who knows what they are doing. With that said, I've ordered a 26 PowerWagon. One of the reasons I did so was the 10 year 100K powertrain warranty.

Here's where the fear sets in. I know after 3 years or 36K miles, the warranty on "everything else" goes away. I've watched the forum for some time now and the cost to repair some things NOT on the power train are eye watering and in many cases fairly complex. Well beyond me and more than I can really afford to drop all at once. Plus I'm picky about my truck- I want everything working as designed and I need to know I can rely on it.

So, I'm looking for advice on the extended warranty. Am I better off paying for one to get me at least to 5 years or 60K miles (or more)? I only really drive about 12k miles per year. Should I take the same money and skip the warranty and take that same dollar and stick it in a savings account? Am I overthinking it and I should just not worry about it?

Reminder, I am NOT MR. "I am the warranty". I am Mr. "Dealer services all my vehicles". I'm also what I guess is a rare person whose 2018 has had literally no issues since I left the dealer with it and absolutely thrilled with the performance over the years.

 

[tron67j]

You're going to get answers on both sides of the issue. For me, it is a numbers game and all companies selling them are betting you will never use it. They are sold for one purpose only; to make them money. Have some people gotten their money's worth? Sure, but they are in the minority because no company can pay for more in claims than they take in.

Take your money, out it in a CD even at a small return and be ahead. Better yet, pay off any debt with that money and you will be even further ahead.

Good luck with whatever your decision is, but first and foremost - ENJOY YOUR RIDE!!!!!!!

 

[MADDOG]

I say deposit what you would pay monthly for an extended warranty/service contract and use the money when you need it.

 

[DanAR]

I went ahead and bought a Max Care warranty for 8 years, 60 k miles, $200 deductible fo4 $1,100. Being retired I don’t drive many miles but I would like to hang on to it awhile. First time I ever bought an extended warranty on anything. But I figured for $1,100 and since these new trucks are so complicated (a Limited) I would roll the dice. My experience with new and nearly new vehicles has always been very good with very little to no out of pocket repair costs over the years. But whether a premonition or reading this forum too much I decided this might be the time to buy one.

 

[DeckArtist]

OK, so I'm looking for practical guidance here.

I'm no mechanic. I can do bolt on stuff and I'm not afraid to get dirty when I have clear instructions to follow, but most of the time I'm taking my truck to a dealer or a real mechanic who knows what they are doing. With that said, I've ordered a 26 PowerWagon. One of the reasons I did so was the 10 year 100K powertrain warranty.

Here's where the fear sets in. I know after 3 years or 36K miles, the warranty on "everything else" goes away. I've watched the forum for some time now and the cost to repair some things NOT on the power train are eye watering and in many cases fairly complex. Well beyond me and more than I can really afford to drop all at once. Plus I'm picky about my truck- I want everything working as designed and I need to know I can rely on it.

So, I'm looking for advice on the extended warranty. Am I better off paying for one to get me at least to 5 years or 60K miles (or more)? I only really drive about 12k miles per year. Should I take the same money and skip the warranty and take that same dollar and stick it in a savings account? Am I overthinking it and I should just not worry about it?

Reminder, I am NOT MR. "I am the warranty". I am Mr. "Dealer services all my vehicles". I'm also what I guess is a rare person whose 2018 has had literally no issues since I left the dealer with it and absolutely thrilled with the performance over the years.

Zeigler...Chrysler Warranty Direct. 7 Year unlimited mileage warranty Max Care. I have this and so far not one claim issue [I have had three minor ones].

Third Party? DON'T do it!!

 

[stevenP]

Ditto on the Mopar Maxcare warranty. Buying online in most cases will save you 50%. Heard RAM extended the drive train warranty due to the fact many people are now getting auto loans that are for a longer period of time than the 5 year PT warranties used to last.

 

[BossHogg]

So, I'm looking for advice on the extended warranty. Am I better off paying for one to get me at least to 5 years or 60K miles (or more)? I only really drive about 12k miles per year. Should I take the same money and skip the warranty and take that same dollar and stick it in a savings account? Am I overthinking it and I should just not worry about it?

Many people opt for self-insurance, and in your case, it may be the best option. If you are looking for a vehicle with 5 years and 60,000 miles, the powertrain warranty will last that long.

I'll share my experiences with you. I purchased the 8-year, 80,000-mile MaxCare plan for my 2015 3500. I paid $2,100 for the coverage. Out of factory warranty coverage, the rear air leveling system malfunctioned. The pump and one leveling sensor were replaced for $1,900. I'm out $300 because I had a $100 deductible.

For 2022, I have the same 8-year, 80,000-mile MaxCare plan with a $100 deductible. The power steering went out and was replaced under MaxCare. The cost was over $3K, I'm ahead since the MaxCare plan was $2,200.

I have kept my vehicles for around 8 to 9 years in the past. 2015 is an exception, with MSRPs over $100K, and absolutely nothing wrong with the 2015, I'm not interested in replacing it. But at its age, I'm self-insuring it.

 

[jimboschnitz]

I purchased my service contract on line from Mopar, 8 year/125,000 miles because of all the complicated electronics on the newer vehicles. So far I haven't recovered my investment of $3900 but I've gotten part of it back. At around 40,000 miles after the basic warranty was done my 12 " Uconnect display, radio, hvac controls failed. The module alone sells for around $1600 plus labor. I had to pay the $200 deductible. The vehicle now has 86,000 miles and I haven't had any other problems but I plan on keeping the vehicle to at least the 125K mark with a complete sense of
security in knowing that if something major goes wrong, it won't cost any more the the deductible.
You can save the cost of a service contract and put it in the bank, but if you have some kind of catastrophic failure it will probably cost more to repair than you have in the bank account.

 

[miketx]

One very key thing to remember about Mopar warranties: you have to follow the service schedule 100%, and keep receipts if you do stuff yourself like oil changes. Mopar is by far the best warranty to get, but the dealers can get snippy with you about the service schedule. I had the old lifetime warranty on my '16 Rebel and used it numerous times, but at least once I had a service tech challenge me on basic services I did myself (4x4 service, oil changes). I put him in his place with a stack of records and receipts. Dealers need to learn not to challenge customers. I no longer go to that dealer and bought my new 24 2500 Cummins at a competing dealer who so far has had stellar service. So far I haven't bought an extended warranty for it.

 

[pakuma]

Chrysler Service Contract Maxcare with maintenance.

 

[PowersOf12]

I have had the Lifetime Chrysler Maxicare since I bought the truck ($2400). I did not need it until the Hemi manifold bolts broke a few years ago and then the Hemi cam / lifter failure last year. The Pentastar only has the pesky oil cooler leak. These are mostly easy but time consuming to fix.

If I bought a new Hemi or Pentastar, I would not get the warranty. If I was getting the Hurricane, I would purchase some kind of Maxicare extended warranty. Just my $.02

 

[Docwagon1776]

There's dozens, if not hundreds, of threads on this already.

My shortened take: There is no "peace of mind" with any warranty from RAM now.

I worked for an extended warranty administration company and strongly advise against it. Insurance is paying someone else to assume risk. You should only pay for this if the loss would be catastrophic to you. You can't afford a new kidney on your own, so you pay for health insurance. Your house burning down would be a catastrophic loss, so you pay for home insurance. A new touchscreen or something should not be a catastrophic bill to you, and if it is why are you buying a new vehicle to begin with?

Ram specific: Remember they have outsourced all of their warranty claim administration to India. Look at all the threads here about people having long delays or refusals on very basic and obvious warranty claims. Do you want to be captive to that? Do you want to deal with parts being "back ordered" for months?

Or do you want to self fund, be able to buy parts or service wherever you want and wherever they are in stock? Replace a busted item with an improved aftermarket one or rebuild to prevent the same issue again? Be able to modify your vehicle as you like?

 

[bcbouy]

I've yet to have an issue with my extended warranty.I'm still dealing with an ongoing issue where when I hook up my travel trailer it blows out the front camera and I lose my collision warning and my cruise control.it's been replaced twice and is currently not functioning for the third time.the dealer is working with ram to figure out what's going on with it.hasn't cost me a dime and I've been assured it will get sorted.the only garbage extended warranty I've come across is the B.E.S.T warranty from can am.that one is a piece of garbage and I'll never get that one again.

 

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[Bigskyroadglide]

@MADDOG nailed it.

My father, was a very successful car dealer. Extended warranty was a huge revenue stream.

I've had 1 Extended warranty, on one 1 vehicle in 65 years. It was a Harley CVO. I paid 5200 bucks for it, about a year before i blew the engine on the bike, cracking the cases, coming back from Daytona and it covered everything, over 10k of repairs. I made out handsomely.

I average two or 3 vehicles every other year, run them to 150k or so, then let them go. Warranty claims are rare and everything works when they are disposed of via sale.

I only do one thing most people don't do with vehicles, mine do NOT sit outside in any weather unless I'm out of town on a trip. I drive em, run them hard, but when I'm home, they are parked inside. In my opinion, that makes a huge difference.

Listen to MADDOG, you will be $$ ahead.

 

[GrangerMotors]

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