Do you buy extra warranties on cars?

[Bernadine]

I’m likely getting a new car in the next few weeks and I know they always try to sell extra warranties on things. Are any of them worth it?

I’m reading mixed opinions when I google.

[mccallister84]

My engineer husband is a hard no on all of these things. He says statistically things will break right away (and be covered under the standard warranty) or after the warranty has expired.

[slbride2003]

Generally no. However with one car I did opt for tire insurance. H was not pleased and thought it was a waste. We had multiple tire issues the first year we had it, and the insurance saved us a lot of $$

[sunshineluv]

Normally no, but I did with my last car. I kept saying no because I wasn’t interested at all, and he kept going lower, I paid maybe $700 for it. (2022 Hyundai palisade)

[hermione]

We generally don't buy extended warranties on anything.

[SusanBAnthony]

No. Trying to get anyone to pay out on the warranty, let alone cover the stuff that actually breaks, is unlikely.

[minzy]

So, funny story on those. My mom, as she was dying, started typing this letter to my sister and me. We found it a few years after she died and eagerly sat down to read her sage advice about education, relationships, life goals, etc.

Nope. It wasn’t very long but was all about how we should never buy extended warranties! LOL. So I generally do not do that. 🤣

[kadams767]

I never had in the past, but opted to on the new car we bought last Fall. They offered a discounted rate. Our rationale was that we've never had a new car with the bells and whistles like this one has, and I am firmly in the camp of the more components something has, the more likely it is to break. I followed this logic and bought extended warranties when we got new kitchen appliances several years ago, and we've used that warranty three times already since 2019, and had a very easy time getting the company to come out and fix the problems, no additional charges, so the warranty was worth it. The car is much more expensive than my appliances, so I was willing to take the chance on that warranty too.

[gerberdaisy]

I don't, but my H decided to for my car. We have gotten our money's worth on it as it has had a ton of issues not covered under the standard warranty.

[pierogigirl]

When we buy a minivan, we get the warranty that will cover the cable for the sliding doors. In my experience, it's almost guaranteed to break and it's expensive to fix. The warranty is usually about the cost of fixing one side, so it's kind of a wash, but I felt better having it. We had to use it on the last van and it covered everything. If the other side broke later, it would have been covered and would have saved us a lot of money.

I didn't get the extra coating for scratches, or the other warranties they wanted to sell me.

[doggielover]

Normally I don't however something told me to get it on my last car I bought in 2018 (Jeep Cherokee). Since having the car I've had to 5 different batteries all due to the start stop feature draining them; I've had to replace the ball bearings; the transfer case went so 4wh drive wouldn't work; I've had electrical issues and also my speedometer stopped giving me correct readings (said I was going 60 when I was in stop and go traffic).

If I wouldn't have had the extended warranty I would have had to pay for all of this. I have 1 year left on the extended warranty and then I'm getting rid of it. The car's already been paid off but it's also a lesson learned that I will never buy another jeep.

[cjcouple]

No but I do buy gap insurance.

[bears]

I did, simply because of all we ended up using the warranty for was oil changes and one small fix, it paid for itself.

Anything above that, we'll come out ahead.

[steamboat185]

No. Take whatever money you would have spent on the warranty and put it into a fund for car issues. The extended warranty companies only exist because they continue to make money, which means most consumers loose money.
Edit
Plus they send out a large portion of those annoying robo calls!

[momin2013]

Jul 19, 2023 7:20:17 GMT -5 hermione said:

We generally don't buy extended warranties on anything.

This!

[gt7301b]

No, negotiated one for free with our previous car. Sadly those days are over. We used it ~ 3 times and the total cost of the repairs was less than a $1,000. When we were purchasing this car they tried to sell us one for $3,000. So that math doesn't add up.

The dealership near me is also a pain to deal with, it takes 30 minutes to drop off and pick up your car so I'd rather deal with a local shop.

[Susie]

Firm nope on extended warranties - cars, appliances, computers, etc.

I figure I self insure against those sorts of issues by putting the "extended warranty" $ in my emergency fund.

[Deleted]

There was an added warranty I opted for that covered wheels/rims. With all of the potholes and crappy roads we drive, every year at least one of us hits a pothole that causes $$$ damage. The annual cost of the coverage was less than what one repair would typically cost so that is worth it for me.

For everything else we stick with the standard warranty.

[eddy]

I have always read they are a sham. Also the earnest and pushy nature of the finance people on this issue tells me they are getting a big kick back. So that makes me even more skeptical. The last time we bought a car the guy would not let up. I don't even think we were using them for financing, but he pushed so hard. That made me dig my heels in even more. The guy almost got H but I gave him a death stare and he straightened out. We said going in, don't fall for the extended warranty talk.

[kdubs923]

We had never gotten the extended warranty, but did for my current car. They were pretty persistent and kept bringing the pricing down to where it felt like a deal (Jan 2020). It also covered oil changes and some maintenance, so it would just about pay for itself.

Funny enough, I'm at the Toyota dealership right now for an oil change & 40K mile service. The right front suspension arm needs replacing (to the tune of $1300). The warranty is covering it, and the company even requested to Toyota to replace the left one while they're at it. It's going to take several hours, so they're also paying for a car so I can go home. So it's covered and I guess would have been about $2600 in work? OK

[redheadk]

On new cars, no.

We do buy the extended warranty at carmax. We have used it every single time and it’s saved us a ton. It is one of the easiest to use and dh’s cars have always been serviced at the car brands dealership. One car, in particular, had a major issue that took 4 months to fix; not only was it covered after the regular warranty expired, he also had a loaner car from carmax the entire time. His service advisor at the dealership for his current car commented that the carmax warranties are the only ones he ever sees that are worth it, both in what is covered and the ease of use.

[nicolewi]

pierogigirl, interesting g! That is exactly what broke for us on our last minivan! We have another now and factory warranty is almost up, so probably the doir cable will break this winter (laugh/cry).

[lostrn]

We did get one for my new car, but not through the dealer that sold me the car. DH found an amazing deal on an extended warranty from the manufacturer going through a different dealership that our dealership couldn't match. This is the first model year of this car and it has a ton of bells and whistles so it felt like a good idea. Especially for the price he found with the coverage it offers. This is the first time either of us has gotten an extended warranty.

[leahcar]

I have one on my van. It has so many electronics that things will inevitably mess up. I've only had to use it once- but it absolutely paid for itself with that one repair.

[msmerymac]

I did with this current car, but it was 3 years old when I bought it. And it did cover a $4k repair.

[circa1978]

minzy, it sounds like my dad would have gotten along with your mom; I think the last lucid conversation I had with him before he died was about the proper timing of paying personal property taxes.

[Jalapeñomel]

I did, but it was a used car. And I’m so glad we did, because the engine went to shit shortly after we got it, and the extended warranty covered the whole thing. Had we not had the extended warranty, we would’ve paid OOP. But I negotiated it to $6 a month.

[dochas]

No, not on anything. It was such an easy experience buying our last car until we got to the paperwork person. Who tried to sell us a warantee on every inch of the car and could not believe we didn't bite. We have not regretted passing on the tire warrantees.

[DotAndBuzz]

I do now.

Was iffy about it when I bought the redesigned Honda Pilot, and it literally saved me well over 10K in repairs in about 5 years total. The extended warranty came into play after 36k miles, which I hit around the 2 year mark. That car was a train wreck, and I lost track of how much I had to have repaired on it.

Ditched the Pilot 2 years ago, bought a Subaru Ascent.
Just used the extended warranty when the A/C gaskets failed (it cooled sort of, sometimes, so it took them a while to figure out what was going on. The system itself worked, but seals where the air flowed were broken/not secure), and the oil pan had a leak. I drive a lot, and was over the initial 30k mile coverage. A/C repair would have been about $1200, oil pan was another 400ish. So I'm about halfway to the break even point, and I got the car 2 years ago.

I keep hearing it's a scam, but that hasn't been my experience at all.

[pinkdutchtulips]

I did but that's bc it was an 11 yo car with less than 100k miles on it.