95gxe

A short while ago there was discussion about the need for the Infiniti extended warranty. I did get one and have to say that it was money well spent. I recommend it to guys with later models on which the basic warranty is about to expire. Since my factory warranty ran out last November I’ve had to take the I35 back for the things below which would have been costly if I had to pay out of pocket. But since I got the Infiniti Elite coverage with $0 deductible I paid nothing. And the coverage is good for 60 months or 70k miles, whichever comes first. So I'm covered until 2010.

1. Broken Seat Heater Button (driver’s side)
2. Check Engine Light (high idle required software update)
3. Malfunctioning Power Driver’s Seat (wouldn’t move backward of forward)
4. Check Engine Light (replaced two bad rear O2 Sensors)

P+RV=CrzyDel

So what was the cost of this warranty? If I may ask.

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

I purchased an extended warranty and had to use it for a malfunctioning driver's seat as well. Apparently there is a known issue with the power seat motor. Unfortunately, my warranty has a $75 deductible, but that is still WAY cheaper than not having the warranty.

flewdawg

I got one when I bought my car ... 1800 and never needed it.

And when I could have used it, the dealer put that it was a road hazard that caused the damage, and out of my pocket came $300

Double E

Cost of warranty is an interesting thing... Just the short list of what went wrong above ....might equal the cost of the warranty but I doubt it.

The thing that bothers me is that a true waranty should also provide me with a loaner for the day while it is in service because I bought the warranty to avoid the hassle (and the associated hassle) of mechanical things going wrong.

My time equals money too and is enough for me to disregard a waranty for a well-made car ...always. (It was even a waste of money for a Grand Cherokee I have.)

Hope you do get your money out of it but...if you also financed the car, you're additionally paying interest on the warranty cost ...through the life of the loan.

With no deductable, I bet it was expensive.... add compounded interest over 60 months (or so) and you can toss in another 20% to the base cost and you'll be in the ballpark to determine total cost of the warranty and be able to see if you'll ever break even with it.

You'll still probably be out the time it took to have it serviced though.

On top of that, those repairs (aside from the SW update) are incredibly easy for even a novice to handle themselves for the simple cost of parts and a Saturday afternoon (at most).

You'd THEN end up more mechanically familiar with your car for the after-warranty life, save a coupe of grand for the warranty and even be able to help out others here with your experiences.

Again, hope you get out of it what you spent, but don't have any issues...

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

My mitts are my warranty.

95gxe

Man...I'm sorry to hear that. It is good that your car has been solid the whole time that you've had it. But that being the case you could've used the1800 for other things had you known ahead of time that you'd have no issues. I guess that's the thing with extended warranties. They're kind of like insurance in case something happens. But that's no consolation if you end up not needing it. What prompted me to get mine was the never ending list of issues that I had with my '95 max before I got the I35. It was a pure headache. Every time I turned around it seemed like somthing was going wrong with it. So given the amount of time and money I spent with it in the shop I definitely did not want to chance going through that again. And I guess in my case it was a good thing. I've already had four issues in less than a year since the end of my basic coverage. With a little over 4 years of coverage left who knows what else could happen before the warranty expires.

95gxe

Double E thanks for the well wishes on many years of good service. You definitely raise some good points, especially with your experiences of not needing the warranty that you got on your Grand Cherokee. (See message above to flewdog). If guys are still considering getting one though there are a few things that they should know.


*The list of things above may not equal the total cost of the warranty but it should be noted that those things happened within less than 12 months of having the extended warranty. It's highly conceivable that more repairs will be needed in the next 4 years that would surpass the cost of the warranty if they were paid out of pocket.


*The Infniti Elite warranty does provide a loaner while your car is in service and you also get roadside assistance. It's bascically like an extension of the basic warranty with a few exceptions.


*Getting the warranty is actually supportive of the belief that time equals money. By leaving the repairs up to someone else to handle you can simply take the loaner and spend time with family or on whatever else you need to do.


*Guys should really pay attention to the excellent point about financing the car and extended warranty cost together.You are 100% correct. I did not finance either one and actually got my warranty from a different dealership than where I got the car. The cost of the warranty is negotiable just like the cost of the car is. You can and should call several Infiniti dealerships to find out what their cost is for the warranty that you want ($0, $50, $100 deductible, etc). You can then pay for the cost of the warranty in full. One thing to note is that dealerships are more eager to give you a deal on one at the end of the month because they are trying to reach their quota.


*The cost of my warranty was $1500 for the $0 deductable. Prices vary per dealership. In this same area other dealerships quoted nearly the same price for the $100 deductible. So do call around and ask specifically for the package wiht the deductible that you want because you may get finance rep that tries to trick you over the phone.

95gxe

Overall I hope this thread helps somebody. What's cool about this forum is that guys can gain from the different experiences of the members. The valuable input from those that don't need a warranty like Flewdog and Double E may help save someone who's thinking about getting a warranty but is confident that he can make it without one. At the same time input from those that have needed it like me and Clayman88 may help save a guy who is on the other end and thinking that the warranty would be a good thing to have. All in all guys should do your homework and weigh all the options on what's best for you.

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

I bought my I30 & warranty from a Lexus dealership and they ALWAYS provide a new Lexus as a loaner car for any service that will take more than an hour. I think if you get your car from a quality dealership and ask all those sorts of questions ahead of time, you'll be ok.

As far as financing a warranty, if you don't have the upfront money then I don't see anything wrong with it. However, if possible, I would suggest paying cash for it and not financing. This all depends on each individual's situation and how long they plan on keeping the car.

Double E

Yep.... Good posting 95gxe. Good for you for also knowing what to go after ...and get a decent deal.

95gxe

Wow, that's cool. Do they give you an ES330 or IS250 as a loaner? I'm interestd to know how those ride and handle. I got my I35 from a Suzuki dealership and the warranty from an Infiniti dealership. So I get the standard G35 loaners. They're a blast to drive but the interiors are cheap and nowhere near as nice as the I35.

sshocker96

iTrader: (2)

Are you sure about this? When I bought my car, they told me that the clock starts ticking from the in service date, not when you purchase it. If I remember correctly, this was even in the brovhure they give you at the dealer. Because my 02 was purchased in Nov. 01, basically, I wopuld've paid $1900 for a two year warranty.

I know people say that the prices are negotiable, but the rep at my dealer would not budge. This is probably a situation where it depends on where you go & who you talk to. Just to throw the race card in, it was probably because I'm black! JK

I guess my point is, like everything else, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE FINE PRINT!

95gxe

Yes, I'm positive. The exact language on the agreement is:

"Coverage begins on the date of purchase, and expires at the number of months or miles after purchase as selected below, whichever occurs first."

In my case it's 60 months/70,000 miles. I think that the language you're referring to in the brochure pertains to an extended warranty that's purchased at the time the first buyer buys the car. In that case it really just extends the new car warranty to 7 years or 100,000 miles for the 1st buyer.

96i30azn

Its like an Insurance, they wouldn't be offering it if they didn't make money... and where do you think the money is comming from if there are only two parties?

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

Lexus has outstanding customer service. They gave me an ES the last time I had my Infiniti in there to get the seat motor fixed. I have driven the IS250 & 350 and they are sweet rides...especially the 350. They're not very roomy, but the interior is gorgeous. I think Infiniti has recognized their interiors have bee lacking, hence the 07 G35.

MAXI BLUE 03

that is pretty cool!