Extended warranty company to trust???

johnsjmc · 03-27-2010, 03:06 PM

Just bought a 1999 996 with 55000 mi. My wife will drive for about 35000 over next 5 years. We are looking for an extended warranty for the powertrain after reading about the countershaft bearing issue,and knowing Porsche repair part costs in general. lots of companies on the net best ones like Warranty Direct and Fidelity only insure back to 2000. A company called AA autowarranty has one which covers 5 yrs and up to 100k but limits in engine catagory are $3500,trans $2000 etc. total claims limited to 10k. Is it worth it at $2200 for 5 yrs coverage?? I suppose if engine fails they would pay almost 1/2 of replacement with a used engine. they would also cover all of a rear seal repair,alternator,AC repair etc. Is AA auto reputable . I am in Florida.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

Congrats John! The 996 will give your 3.6-powered SC a run for it's money.

As for warranty coverage, etc, I wouldn't really worry about it. If you work on the cars yourself, then you can save the $$$ and just make sure you change the oil every 3000 - 5000 miles MAX. You can also inspect and replace the IMS bearing if you think it's going to fail in the near future...

-Wayne

johnsjmc · 03-28-2010, 02:08 PM

thanks for your reassurances. I am going to sell the 3.6 SC hotrod as my wife would never drive it and was often scared when I drove us in it. We considered replacing her VW TDI with a BMW or something but I felt I would still want to keep the old 911 for me. This way we can downsize the fleet. she will drive the 996 and that will keep the mileage low .We then will have only a 2009 Jeep Wrangler and the 996.
After alot of reading I am nervous about the IMS bearing and will likely replace it ASAP.
If I get an extended warranty it might pay me to do so as I would be able to do any work required myself and be reimbursed as I am the Canadian equivelent of an ASE tech here.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsjmc

After alot of reading I am nervous about the IMS bearing and will likely replace it ASAP.
If I get an extended warranty it might pay me to do so as I would be able to do any work required myself and be reimbursed as I am the Canadian equivelent of an ASE tech here.

Pelican has a new kit coming out soon, and I will have a tech article on it very soon as well.

As for having the insurance company reimburse you - firstly, that's a big conflict of interest, and I'm sure they probably have clauses against that in the contract. Secondly, the replacement of the IMS bearing would be preventative maintenance, which I'm sure is not covered under a break-down / component failure contract.

-Wayne

johnsjmc · 03-28-2010, 02:37 PM

I know the IMS bearing is a maintanance issue. I was thinking about a rear main seal leak or AC failure etc. I work part time for a shop near me to keep my skills and license up to date. The insurance compaies are welcome to inspect the car any time prior to authorizing any repairs. I can do the repairs once authorized and be paid to do it .I would not loose sleep over a conflict of interest unless I intended to defraud someone which I don,t.