Worth buying extended warranty?

[pipspeak]

As my 2004 SE approaches the 36K point I'm wondering if it's really worth buying an extended warranty (which my local dealer says he can sell me at "cost").

Normally I'd say "It's a Toyota, it'll last", but the sheer number of electronic gadgets has me wondering if that is no longer a valid attitude. ECUs can go at any time for any reason and proabbly cost about $500 a pop to replace.

Is an extended warranty worth it? And what have folks been paying in CA?

 

[Mr. Lambdebois]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11206

See that thread for pricing......

All the different ecu's in the 4runner remind me of a the amount of ecu's you would find on a ten year old cadi.

There is a saying we had in the shop about them. "The worst car to own is a ten year old cadilac." Reason being is all the ecu's they had are expensive to replace if they do fail and when they get that old it is not suprising for them to fail.

I am strongly considering getting one myself in the future.

 

[CuzzinOlaf]

My sunroof went and the parts alone at Toyota cost close to $2k. I got my 7/100/$0 for $795. Yea, I think it is worth it.

 

[pipspeak]

My sunroof went and the parts alone at Toyota cost close to $2k. I got my 7/100/$0 for $795. Yea, I think it is worth it.

Sounds like a far better price than the stealer quoted me (surprise surprise). Who did you buy from?

I also emailed Shaun, who was quoted in the thread Mr. Lambdebois pointed out. I'll see if he can do anything for me here in CA.

Thanks.

 

[ovrrdrive]

When we bought our used 03 a few months ago the dealer told me they didn't offer this type of warrany anymore on used trucks and that I had to get an aftermarket version that was about 3x the price to be covered for 2 years.

I'm very interested if you can still get this...

If it's still out there I'm going to need a lawyer.

Normally I don't mess with stuff like this, but on a used truck that cost as much as this one did I felt it was justified.

 

[Sac State]

It's worth it. My Toyota extended warranty (5year/75K mile) will send me back what I paid if I don't have any claims against it, So essentially, less a small handling fee ($25), I get an extended warranty and if nothing breaks I get my money back.

If you believe in insurance, get it.

 

[jacal]

I decided to purchase the 0-deductible Premium Care ECP when I bought my used 03. Toyota does indeed have ECP even for used vehicles, but you must buy the vehicle through a toyota dealer.

ECP is a couple of things to me:
-piece/ease of mind. I just worry less.
-helps "fix" or allocate my vehicle ownership costs.

One of my local dealers has already warned "yes there is no deductible, but we will always charge you for diagnosis". That bothers me, but we shall see. If a part is clearly broken, I'm not paying for diags.



J

 

[Uneek]

When we bought our used 03 a few months ago the dealer told me they didn't offer this type of warrany anymore on used trucks and that I had to get an aftermarket version that was about 3x the price to be covered for 2 years.

I'm very interested if you can still get this...

If it's still out there I'm going to need a lawyer.

Normally I don't mess with stuff like this, but on a used truck that cost as much as this one did I felt it was justified.

Is your truck still covered by the factory Toyota warranty (less than 36k miles and 36 months)? If it is, you can contact Shaun in the thread mentioned for the extended warranty as long as he can sell it to Florida residents. If your truck is out of factory warranty, then you can't get it.

 

[Koz]

Get it! They will accept half of what they are asking.

Koz

 

[pipspeak]

One of my local dealers has already warned "yes there is no deductible, but we will always charge you for diagnosis". That bothers me, but we shall see. If a part is clearly broken, I'm not paying for diags.

Wow, that's bogus. Like you said, if the sunroof breaks, then it's broken. What is there to diagnose?!

I had a Jeep extended warranty once and it worked like a charm *if* I got the car serviced at the dealership and they could find problems during routine maintenance. It might be a problem if you take the truck to another mechanic because Toyota will then want to confirm any problems that mechanic identifies, hence the diagnosis fee.

The only problem I came across with my Jeep warranty is what it didn't cover. No warranty covers everything. I needed a new switch in the transmission that controlled the reversing lights and it was not covered, although seemingly everything else in the tranny was. Who would've guessed that?!

So, back to Toyotas... can anyone else suggest where to buy a 5-year/75K warranty in CA for cheaper than the $1200 quoted by my local dealership? No word from Shaun yet.

 

[CuzzinOlaf]

I copied and pasted this from an old post. This is what I paid about a year ago but by now it could have changed a little.




1-800-5-TOYOTA

Ask for Scott Moss, John Ward, Jenna or Betty.

I got my 7/100/$0 from Scott for $795 total.....

 

[owen4runner]

Sac State

It's worth it. My Toyota extended warranty (5year/75K mile) will send me back what I paid if I don't have any claims against it, So essentially, less a small handling fee ($25), I get an extended warranty and if nothing breaks I get my money back.

Where did you get your warranty?

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

Is an extended warranty worth it? And what have folks been paying in CA?

I'm a few miles away from CA (in TN) and I paid $900 for 6 yr/100k miles/$0 deductible warranty. Actually, it's $0 deductible if the original dealership does the repair work, and a $50 deductible at any other dealership. Includes a rental car if the repairs require keeping the vehicle overnight. Even though it's a Toyota, and will probably outlast me, I felt it was a good insurance policy. Just one moderate mechanical failure will mean I came out ahead. Besides, I would have just invested the money and lost it in the stock market, so why not invest in something I know will be a solid investment?

 

[Dave858]

My Credit Union located in San Diego offers an extended warranty that has coverage up to 100K miles for about $1,400. You do not need to finance the vehicle through them but you probably have to become a member by opening a savings account. They will give you an exact quote over the phone. You can get the number on cabrillocu.org. Call the Scripps Ranch office.

 

[CuzzinOlaf]

I copied and pasted this from an old post. This is what I paid about a year ago but by now it could have changed a little.




1-800-5-TOYOTA

Ask for Scott Moss, John Ward, Jenna or Betty.

I got my 7/100/$0 from Scott for $795 total.....

Keep in mind the warranty I mentioned is a genuine Toyota platinum warranty

 

[4RunnerSE2006]

Is your truck still covered by the factory Toyota warranty (less than 36k miles and 36 months)? If it is, you can contact Shaun in the thread mentioned for the extended warranty as long as he can sell it to Florida residents. If your truck is out of factory warranty, then you can't get it.

You can buy this warranty as long as your car is within the factory warranty period?

Is it true they refund the amount if you don't file any claim either?

 

[Sac State]

Sac State



Where did you get your warranty?

I bought it from my dealer when I purchased the vehicle.

 

[Uneek]

You can buy this warranty as long as your car is within the factory warranty period?

Is it true they refund the amount if you don't file any claim either?

That's correct, as long as you're under factory warranty. I was offered by my dealer for my '04 Camry when we bought our Tacoma last year. (Our Tacoma and 4Runner were from the same dealer, Camry was from a different one. The extended warranty offered for the Camry appeared to be third party.) Scott Moss and others who are selling the Platinum warranty says the warranty can be purchased as long as the factory warranty is still valid.

Refund depends on the selling dealer. My 4Runner's warranty is refundable if I don't make any claims. There is one caveat though, even when it's under factory warranty for repair work, I cannot get a loaner car. Otherwise, it's considered a claim towards my extended warranty and it will not refundable.