Cudos to daughter / Used car unlimited warranties

[Bob Kontak]

A bit of a ramble........

Daughter pre-approved for $31k. She set her payment limit at $200 for 60 months. Got some stars in her eyes and loan crept up over the $10k mark given the nicer cars that $14k-ish provide. Over $10k is over $200 monthly. She said I am not ready for this and the payment is too high post tax, doc fee, etc. I'll wait and put more money down. I was with her in the background. Well done, April.

OK. Visited five places. Two were higher end used car sales. Not higher end cars, higher end, larger dealers, affiliated with new car sale locations. Two of the places offered lifetime unlimited warranties on powertrain and drivetrain on used under 100k miles. Gotta follow the maintenance guide though.

I think that's great, I am a wrench, gots me a shop, I can do the maintenance. Then I ask if I can do it. Nope. Just the dealer who sold the car and if you deviate warranty is void. Now, if you call the 1 800 number you may get approval to go to Goodyear, etc. but NO maintenance can be done by a regular or advanced DIY guy.

Went to a new car dealer. Asked them about the unlimited warranty we had heard of. Guy just said it's a scam and no one can keep up with the schedule.

[masraum]

Sure, there's NO way anyone can offer an unlimited warranty on a car unless they are going to make a ton of money out of you in the process.

Way to go on you and the girl for he being so smart and practical on the purchase.

It's very easy to let that loan creep up, and I have helped the kids buy cars in the 10-14k range recently, and that can make a big difference.

[exploserous]

From what I've heard, CarMax is really the only reliable option for user-friendly warranties on used cars.

[KFC911]

Smart girl

[cabmandone]

"If it sounds too good to be true...."

Yeah those lifetime warranties are a scam. You have to do maintenance at the book intervals and it has to be done by a qualified dealer. I'd rather buy a good solid car, do the maintenance myself and not worry about all that nonsense.

[unclebilly]

When I bought my new Tundra in 2011, I got free oil changes for life ($15 if I want synthetic). Here is the catch, every 2nd visit has about a $150 - $600 scheduled maintenance item. I think this is also when they change the oil filter...

I went along with it for about 2 years until I got fed up with them forgetting to use synthetic most of the time and tired of them damaging / scratching my truck when they washed it. The final straw was when they told me that my skid plate (needs to be removed to access the oil filter) was missing 3 of the 4 bolts that held it in place. I pointed out that they were the only ones that had ever taken the skid plate off so they better figure it out. The same visit, I had them put the cabin air filter on the seat for me to replace after harvest. When I replaced the filter, I noticed that the dealer idiots had broken the little shelf clips in the glove box on a previous filter replacement.

I'd rather pay for $70 worth of synthetic oil and know what is in there than have these ham fisted idiots working on my truck.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by masraum

Way to go on you and the girl for he being so smart and practical on the purchase.

It was all her. It's like she's almost not an embryo at 27 anymore. I have spoon fed her and "Crash", her notorious car crunching brother, with cars since day one. She wants a high MPG newer vehicle and she has her head on straight.

Exploserous - will check Carmax. No Carmax in Akron. But two in Columbus and one in Cleveland. Internet is sweet. Can check inventory online without leaving the den.

[stomachmonkey]

If you look further into it you will find the warranty company is owned by the dealer.

Fairly common.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

If you look further into it you will find the warranty company is owned by the dealer.

Fairly common.

Has to be lucrative. Damn, it sounds intoxicating at first blush.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Carmax is an ok option but a little looking will yield nicer cars for less money. Carmax is a good business model and advertising, their cars are no better and are frequently not as reconditioned as they claim. They buy cars from the same auctions as every other dealer, no difference except marketing.

[HardDrive]

I have to wonder if there is an entire division in the Carmax warranty department called 'Fhocking Land Rovers'.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by cabmando

"If it sounds too good to be true...."

Yeah those lifetime warranties are a scam. You have to do maintenance at the book intervals and it has to be done by a qualified dealer. I'd rather buy a good solid car, do the maintenance myself and not worry about all that nonsense.

Ours came with the lifetime powertrain warranty. The first 3 years free oil change and tire rotation and after that they have to be done at a dealer as well. 6000 mile interval on both of them so we can go to the express lube and have both done at once. Not sure it is worth it but I don't have to take the used oil somewhere to recycle it but I don't think the express lube is cheap.

[Baz]

Cudos to your daughter indeed, Bob......thanks for sharing! Keep up the good work, sir.

As to the other part. Its true. There is no free lunch!

[legion]

Charging for a product and then setting conditions such that it is impossible to use sounds like fraud to me.

[speeder]

Lots of good info here. The general theme seems to be that no one is doing anyone any favors in the car business, it's all geared towards profit in the service department.

Most extended warranties, (really insurance policies), are sucker bets once all of the fine print is read w exclusions and conditions, deductibles, etc. Once in a great while they can work out on a car that breaks expensively.

CPO warranties are better but the premium you pay for a CPO car from dealer over private party sale will usually pay for a couple transmissions. And chances are, you'll never need one.

Kaisen used to break these issues down really well, I miss him here.

Most people know nothing about cars other than that they are expensive machines that eat up a lot of a household's budget and they want the predictable cost option. That and the desire to drive new is what fuels the entire auto industry.

Guys like us who like to fix/maintain/repair older cars are a shrinking populace. I'm like Matt in that I really enjoy putting a car I liked from years past back to *right* but I'm starting to question how much time and $$ I spend doing it. It's a lot. I justify it all kinds of ways but sometimes I wish I was a normal person who just drove a new Prius or some other twatmobile and didn't care. It would free up about 50% of my consciousness.

[ckelly78z]

My FIL found out the really hard way on extended vehicle warranties. His 2005 6.0L diesel Ford F-250 (which he had not "bulletproofed" like I recommended) had an EGR cooler go out on the way back from Florida pulling a camper. The Kentucky dealership they had it towed to "fixed it" for them overnight, and they were on thier way with no problems. Somehow, the mechanic had dropped a bolt into the direct intake track, so the next time they tried to start the truck (at home), it developed a severe knock. $8000 and a new piston/ring/headwork/valves/labor later, they found out their ext warranty would cover absolutely nothing, and the dealership would not admit they did anything wrong. He had paid an extra $1500 for the coverage, but they determined that the EGR cooler was not part of the drivetrain.

Bulletproofing a 6.0L diesel Ford consists of deleting the EGR system, replacing the stretchable head bolts with ARP studs, and replacing headgaskets.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

Bulletproofing a 6.0L diesel Ford consists of deleting the EGR system, replacing the stretchable head bolts with ARP studs, and replacing headgaskets.

After the EGR system removal, won't that throw OBD codes? Just asking because I work on an F550 (2007) with a diesel motor.

[ckelly78z]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

After the EGR system removal, won't that throw OBD codes? Just asking because I work on an F550 (2007) with a diesel motor.

Not quite sure on all the details, I will keep my 7.3L diesel, and probably not ever get a 6.0L.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Denis, if I didn’t care about cars I cannot even imagine how much extra money and time I would have. Which I would immediately waste on a more expensive hobby, like hookers and blow. I always tell my wife that it’s cheaper than gambling.....

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

Not quite sure on all the details, I will keep my 7.3L diesel, and probably not ever get a 6.0L.

I do think the one I work on is a 7.3. I remember the dual engine thermostat and blend door motor being rude to replace.