I just picked up my 2010 SR5 on March 25th and was considering an extended warranty. What are your opinions on the extended warranties? Are they worth the extra money? How long of a warranty should I consider? Just looking to get some opinions from anyone interested in chiming in. Thanks!

I have the 7yr/100k mile Platinum warranty on mine. When I bought it from the dealer, they offered a money-back guarantee on it if I don't use it. The finanace manager said, it was a new program they started offering to make the extended warranty decision easier.

For the 4th gen mostly... If I were to take a guess, I would say maybe 20% of the members here have an extended warranty. For those that do, it's been a good ROI (return on investment) for them. Most of the time, 4Runners don't have many issues, but when they do it, they're easily four-figure repairs. One of the more expensive and probably more common repair out of warranty is the moonroof. A few (by no way an alarming rate) had X-REAS replaced.

The bright side is even with a new generation 4Runner, you have some time to decide if you need the warranty in the next couple years and see if there's a common theme of problems that can develop. (What I mean is with the 4th gen, common possible problems were the moonroof rattling or it stops closing, seat popping, driveshaft thump (still no true fix for 4Runners), seat popping/movement.) Toyota's extended warranty through TFS (Toyota Financial Services) can be purchased at any time you're under the 3yr/36k mile bumper to bumper warranty.

Thanks for the info! I guess I still have a some time to figure out if I am gonna want the extended warranty. Can I purchase the warranty through any Toyota dealer or do I need to get it from the dealer I bought the 4runner from? Or can I buy it online at Toyota Financial?

IMHO if you have X-Reas it's a must. Please be aware that the genuine Toyota warranties can be purchased on-line from guys that work for dealers, at substantial reduced costs. I would search other 4Runner, FJ, and Camry forums for these guys.

I have the Platinum Extended on my 04, came in handy when they wanted to replace some stuff in the drivetrain, but ...

the issue was some small leaking from the front (forgot what), one was leaking from the bushing the other outiside that. Warranty covered only the parts leaking from the bushing... something about fine print. Also didn't cover new cracks in the dashboard (though explained to me differently when I bought it)

but...

They discounted the price of it, and it's almost paid itself off already.

So I say no brainer.

I purchased an extended warranty on my 2008. When the warranty was presented to me, it was presented as a warranty through Toyota themselves. The warranty was supposed to be a bumper to bumper warranty through 100k miles. My Runner is in the shop right now and as it turns out, the warranty is actually through a third party.

Thus far, it has been a challenge to get the warranty guys to cover the full costs of the repairs (driver and passenger front door power lock actuators are out).

My advice...buy the warranty and ensure that it is through Toyota and not a third party.

I got the extra warranty on my 06.
It's already paid for itself maybe two to three times over - though the difficulty I had with my truck seems somewhat unusual.

I also think there is a good deal of mental value in knowing you have what essentially is a kind of mechanical insurance for your vehicle - if I knew anything about trucks and had the tools to fix 'em I wouldn't bother - but I don't so I have a warranty instead. Oh, and the one I got is transferable, so it adds to the resale value I guess.

Here is nice thread about extended warrany. You do not have to make decistion right away as you can purchase Toyota's warranty anytime before your 3yr/36K expires. I purchased mine last month from Troy before the original expired and took the 7yr/125K for $1135.


Troy was such pleasure to deal with and was very informative as well.

Toyota of Greenfield
1 Main Street
Greenfield, MA 01301

Attn: Troy Dietrich

Phone -(413) 772-0231 (Dealership)
Phone -(413) 772-0989 (My direct line).

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...-warranty.html

The platinum extended warranty is worth it. I would wait till 1 month prior to the factory warranty expire to buy the extended IMO just to save a few bucks. I purchased the platinum 100k mi on my used 06' T4R sport, and noticed have had a few issues w/ 4LO http://www.toyota-4runner.org/proble...uldnt-fix.html

Its good coverage down the road for sure, this has basically paid for itself like they mentioned. whats 50 bucks more? ontop of your truck payment....ya know!

if it's through toyota you'll be good. also with the money-back guarantee. there's fine print so make sure you know what it is. if you never use it, basically when it expires you have 60 days to claim the refund. if you don't do it within that time period, then you lose that $. it may vary from dealer to dealer but that's how mine worked out. but let's say at mile 55k something goes wrong and it's a $500 fix. don't use your warranty pay for it out of pocket, then you'll get your full $ back (depending on how much you paid for the warranty). since yours is the first year of the model, i'd get it. esp with how things have been going with toyota lately though the trucks are usually bulletproof. you can look at it as $1500 peace of mind.

My sunroof got off track and Toyota would not cover it under Platinum warranty. They did cover a leaky X-Reas shock and car rental for a few days.