Finally, Toyota platinum warranty for 08' put in good use

[blueshirts0819]

They just replaced the left side of the front brake caliper last month for my 08 Urban runner with 45k on it..no deductiable..don't know why they are corroded already since I never take it off road, maybe it is the jersey weather with the road salt.

Recently, suspension is making clanking sound when going over rough roads. Did some research here and could be sway bar bushing are all worn and needs to be replaced which is also cover by this warranty.

We paid about 16-1800 for the platinum back in 08 so finally it's put on some good use since it's cover 7 years 100k. There is about 1 1/2 year left on this coverage and chances are there are more repairs need to get done...x-reas..suspension..electrical..etc.

My 2 cents is I guess if you are planning to keep your trucker for a while it's good to get it since all these little components for new cars can cause a large repair bill after bumper-bumper warranty is out.

 

[2uzrunner03]

Sweet. The front brake caliper is about $125 for reman. $20 in brake fluid. Prob $30 for some sway bar bushings. So your doing good. Only about -$1600.

 

[Glock_19]

Sweet. The front brake caliper is about $125 for reman. $20 in brake fluid. Prob $30 for some sway bar bushings. So your doing good. Only about -$1600.

Assuming you have the time and knowledge to fix those items yourself...

 

[2uzrunner03]

Assuming you have the time and knowledge to fix those items yourself...

My point is if you have a major failure like the engine then ya you came out on top. Brakes are simple things that any man should be able to handle. Not trying to piss on your parade but warranty companies aren't in the business to lose money.

Maybe I'm just still upset from having to do an axle swap last weekend. But that was at 160k, way out of any warranty range. It only cost me about $200 by the way.

 

[04_4runner]

I've had my 04 for almost 2 years. I too got the Toyota warranty (3 yr 36K miles). I got it for piece of mind, not because I thought it would pay for itself. I feel good knowing that it will most likely not have any major problems, but if it does, it will be covered. So far both front calipers have been replaced and one axle due to bad CV joint. Each time there was no stress. Toyota said, here is a no additional charge rental and we will let you know when everything is fixed.

For similar reasons, I keep maintenance contracts on the equipment I am responsible for at work. If something breaks, I just call and pretty soon all better.

To 2uzrunner03:
"Brakes are simple things that any man should be able to handle."

I absolutely know how to replace brakes, I can, and have done, ground up restorations on project cars. I did everything myself and only sent out a few parts of the engine to a machine shop. I don't consider myself any less of a man when I decide my time is worth way more than the cost of paying someone else do it.

I do actually like working on cars but its not the same if I HAVE to work on my daily driver. I would much rather work on upgrading my truck or work on a project vehicle, although it has been a few years since I have had one.

 

[eddiebx]

My point is if you have a major failure like the engine then ya you came out on top. Brakes are simple things that any man should be able to handle. Not trying to piss on your parade but warranty companies aren't in the business to lose money.

Maybe I'm just still upset from having to do an axle swap last weekend. But that was at 160k, way out of any warranty range. It only cost me about $200 by the way.

It's not about being man enough to handle these things, we're literally talking about turning a few bolts and changing the thing. You have to understand that to some people their time is more valuable and they have better things to do with their time. Not sure where you're trying to go with this besides pissing on his parade actually.

I mean how would you like it if I automatically pass judgement on you as being jealous of not being able to afford an extended warranty? Not fun is it?

 

[03_4x4Runner]

An extended warranty would have been a complete waste of money on my 03 I bought new. The only problems I have showed up at 8.5 years, leaking transfer case actuator and speedometer reads off after driving around 4 hours. The speedometer resets after it cools off a bit. Both of my problems would have been out of the extended warren range. I never had a problem with my calipers.

 

[blueshirts0819]

Sweet. The front brake caliper is about $125 for reman. $20 in brake fluid. Prob $30 for some sway bar bushings. So your doing good. Only about -$1600.

Thanks for your sarcasm but actually I was changing the brake pads only to find out the brake pistons are all corroded. i do understand some people do think is a waste of money but if put this in a real world stealership repair. This probably cost me easily 5-6 hundred repair with parts labor. And the bushing replacement probably another few hundreds more.
Unfortunately I just don't have the time and technical knowhow such as yourself and other forum members here.

At the end, what I'm saying in my experience this extended warranty give me some comfort when comes to little and major repair I can't do myself.

 

[fghstrhhu]

I've had my 04 for almost 2 years.

 

[MikeInNH]

Years ago I worked as a software consultant to the insurance industry. This was at the beginning of the big boom of the extended warranties. It is a very very lucrative business. Most of the extended warranties are underwritten by the big insurance companies like (Allstate, State Farm...etc). They've all created separate divisions to underwrite these insurance policies. The profit in this business is HUGE. Much much larger then any other division.

If these policies give you piece of mind...GREAT...But in general they are waste of money. Sure you'll find the 1-2 people who actually collected more then they paid in...But it's rare..less then 5% of people who buy them make out. That's why this insurance is so lucrative for the insurance companies. Financially you'd be better off saving the money and paying for any added repairs yourself.

But if it gives you piece of mind...GREAT.

I'll NEVER EVER buy one.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

In my opinion an extended warranty is an investment you may or may not get a return on at best and a losing bet at worst.

I've had a mostly good experience with my extended warranty on my 4Runner, but that's been because of a few factors. The sales guy having pushed so hard to sell me a 3yr/36k extended warranty that he wrote me a $0 deductible, knowing I was a Toyota Tech, having a great service writer to work with, ect.

I've paid $1700 for my extended warranty and have made $5k+ sucessful claims/repairs on my 4Runner and have had a mostly positive experience personally. Profesionally I have seen many customers get brow beat and intimidated into submission on claims that have legitimate basis on and many times the warranty company is just in the wrong; but they fight so hard people give up. Its mostly a snake oil business and larger risk than benefit, my experience fits under that "5%" that Mike talked about vs. the norm.

That being said, if you're dead seat on getting an extended policy, follow these tips to help you get the best return on your investment;

~Shop around for the best policy/price, negotiate hard on the intial price and coverage. This will help upfront and later down the road!
~Push for the lowest possible deductible! ($0 being the best of course!)
~Research, research, and more research on what the policy covers! The difference between that "affordable" policy and that "ridiculously expensive" policy can be as simple as covering items that make sense! (i.e. a "low cost" policy might not cover ABS components or electrical crap, while the higher end one does and on modern cars you want that extra coverage!)
~Study the literature, this will become very very important when you need to make a claim as the company will try and use their writing against you and sneak out of accepting your claim! (read some of the Hydraboost failures that people had to fight to get fixed.)
~Find a service writer that knows what they are doing! This is critical, you want a guy who knows how to massage your claim and put the warranty company in their place when they try to spout BS. This will help take the load of fighting what is rightfully yours and help keep your sanity!
~Finally... save the money for an extended warranty for parts, find a guy who works for beer and be happy! :hello:

 

[Atlanta_man]

I paid $700 for the Toyota extended warranty that some dealer in the NE was offering on this forum. Saved me almost 5x that. Right you are about the service writer, I even had to call the extemded insurance / warranty folks for authorization when the service writer would get a busy signal on their call attempt. Quick to give up they are.