Extended Warranty

[raz]

I own a 2000 STS with 43000 miles on it. My warranty is ending this month. The dealer gave me a price sheet for extended warranty. GM Major Guard Protection

Some of the prices i was looking at buying are $50 deductible 36/30 $2490 48/40 $3720. I would like any input on this matter you can give me. Price to high,coverage etc.

[tjtjwdad]

I would do a search on google and see what's out there. When I purchased my STS in 2003. The tricky part is to find who the underwriters are and what kind of shape/reputation they have. Additionally, there are two types of warreatys that I'm aware of.

1. Those that explain/list by part what "is: covered.

2. Those the list everything that "is not" covered.

Thanks!

Jim White

[an01sts]

I passed on the ex/warranty and will take the gamble at eating any repairs. Someone made this mention: You're going to give away $3.72k. Are you going to cough it up in a lump sum, or are going to make payments? Let's say that you make payments; Why don't you put those monthly payments in a fund/bank/whatever--you'll be spending it anyway--and if something happens, you can make the repairs out of the fund. Why is it that I think that you'll stand a good chance at having some or all of the money when the "warranty" expires?

[acklac7]

I bought an after market warranty when I purchased my car for about $1700...through Western Diversified I belive. The warranty covered about $3500 worth of work, time certs, water pump,alternator, ac compressor.However I began to suspect that the dealership (which was not a true Cadillac dealership) was milking me and the warranty company for unnecessary repairs. That being said I don't think I've heard of any problems with any of GM warranty's.

[tjtjwdad]

It's a gamble either way. Warranty prices to vary. You can also barter/bargin with them as well. I did, and it worked for me. It helps if your car is still under warranty.

[pats37]

I am not a proponent of extended warranties.

Think of it this way. 1) They are offerred because they are profitable to the issuer. 2) Some of these companies are nothing more than "boilerplates" (investigate thoroughly if you decide to do it. Besides a generous commission is paid to the seller of the contract.) 3) You care and pamper your car and are usually ahead of the curve when things start to go wrong. 4) There is no guarantee that the money you pay will guarantee you peace of mind when you actually make a claim. Plus you are doomed to fill out mountains of forms to justify your claim.

If you have found a good mechanic and take care of your car, put the money in the bank as a "rainy day" fund. If you have good luck with your car you have a nice bonus.JMHO

Best of luck to you.

[RalPh]

This board has a [sEARCH] button too

Lots of posts on the subject!!

[GR8NSTAR]

RAZ,

I rolled the dice on my extended warranty and decided to go with it. You may

want to check with your dealer, but mine was purchased through a company called

A. U. L. It was 5yr/50k miles. The dealer tried to sell it to me for about 3k or so.

They actually make a lot of money off of commision and I told them I knew that

they did. I also shared with them that I had friends who were and have been car salesmen and the cat is out of the bag on over priced warranties(bluffing them) I paid 2k for it instead of the 3k that they tried to sell it for and they were able to set it up to where it was paid off in about a yr or so via electronic withdrawals from my checking account. It also had NO DEDUCTABLE. I have to say that I'm so glad I got the extended warranty because it's already paid for itself as I've gotten a new A/C compressor, alternator, and air ride compressor since purchasing it. All of which happened in the 1st yr of purchasing it. It covers (seals and gaskets) which are huge and things like struts which if you're a caddy owner you already know they don't come cheap. Check out they're website http://www.aulcorp.com/. Good luck

[OynxSTS]

It covers (seals and gaskets) which are huge and things like struts which if you're a caddy owner you already know they don't come cheap. Check out they're website http://www.aulcorp.com/. Good luck

This is CRITCAL. Most of the third party Bumper to Bumper warrantees that I have seen exclude shocks and struts... And we all know how dear these are on our cars! My 0.02 if it excludes shocks/struts I would buy something else...

Read the fine print!

[tjtjwdad]

First of all I don't sell insurance. I'm a Field Service Engineer in the Semi Conductor Industry.

I purchased my 2001 STS in June of 2003 with 35,000 miles on the clock. Since then the following has occurred.

1. Oct 2003. The steering system went out while driving (found out the Stabilink systems worked though) and the car had to be towed in. The rack & pinion mount was broken off on the right side. Both tie rods were bent. The wire harness for the right strut was broken through. Bolts for rack & pinion had backed out. The rank & pinion assy & Rf strut was replaced. The front end was realigned. Also, the dealership mechanics discovered the water pump cover was leaking ant repaired.

2. Nov 2003. The right front level sensor went out. Replaced. Repaired loose bolts on a bracket between the engine and transaxle. Replaced steering wheel due to wood flaw and worn volume control buttons.

3. Dec 2003. Recieved "Snap Shot" DIC message for sensor sensitivity. Replaced drivers heated seat element.

4. Feb 2004. Oil level sensor went out, replaced. Leaking trunk lid repaired.

5. May 2004. Grill rattles when closing the hood. Repaired. Replaced. Replaced rusted components from water leak in the trunk.

6. June 2004. Check engine light on. Repaired bad connection.

7. Aug 2004. Molding around the door was loose. Repaired.

8. Oct 2004. Popping noise when turning the steering wheel. Intermediate shaft replaced. Power steering pump moans excessively. Power steering pump damaged internally. Replaced.

9. Dec 2004. Bearing noise from right front. Replaced RF hub and bearings.

As one can see, if I would have had to pay for the parts and labor I would easily exceed the price of a warranty. Heck, the parts alone would in all likelihood would of paid for the warranty. As it was, the vehicle was under the factory warranty. Granted, some of these things such as the cosmetic repairs (steering wheel, molding) could have been omitted. In “my” case, I feel pretty good about purchasing an aftermarket warranty.

As mentioned earlier, there is a big mark up in these warranties. This is where you can bargain/negotiate and see if they will budge. The one thing you have going for you is that your car is still under warranty. The one thing going against you is, these cars cost a lot to repair when they do break.

Jim

[GR8NSTAR]

Also when you know you're covered you tend not to lag on repairs....case in point

I noticed a very tiny spot of oil on the garage floor from the car. I didn't hesitate bring it in and it turned out to be the engine "case half or half case...something like that" leaking or dripping oil. Didn't cost me a dime and I got to ride and the current yr Deville as a loaner car. If I had to come out of pocket I know I wouldn't had taken it in so quick to get fixed because I knew I didn't have money for the repair cost because it just wasn't immediately a part of the my budget.

[pats37]

GRN8STAR,

Not a good comparison. Sorry but I can't let it pass. Maybe it did work for you, but you are in the minority and perhaps your contract was backed up by GM.

But in "most" cases it is a bad deal. We are talking about putting real money on the table. I don't know what your repair actually costed but in the real world the warranty companies are makng tons of money after paying "liberal" commissions for selling those contracts.

Unless you are "psychic" and know that you are going to blow an engine or a transmission you are throwing your money away.

I think the money is better kept in my pocket, not theirs.

[seabass]

I HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH MOST OF YOU , I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR MY 93 STS YEARS AGO ( IT HAS EXPIRED NOW) BUT ANYWAY IT WAS THE BEST $1100 INVESTED .

TRANSMISSION $4500.00

FRONT END $600.00

FRONT AXLES( THE THINGS THAT GO INTO THE TRANNY THAT MAKE THE WHEELS TURN) $500.00 OR SO

TWO BAD INJECTORS AND COMPUTER@$1000.00

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? I THINK IT WAS THE BEST MONEY EVER SPENT. MOST WARRANTY COMPANIES HAVE MONTHLY PAYMENTS WITHOUT ANY APR.SO TAKE YOUR $7000.00 AND PUT IT IN THE BANK WITH A 1% INTEREST RATE AND SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN SAVE ! JUST MY 2 CENTS!

SEABASS

93 STS

[GR8NSTAR]

Pats37,

While I totally respect your opinion, you can get an excellent warranty if you do

a lil home work. In your defense and others....if you allow a dealer to sell you a warranty and you know nothing about the ends and outs of that business, chances are you'll either pay too much for it or decline to take it. Remember knowledge is power and if you exercise that knowledge you should get a good deal. A magician can indeed fool the masses, but if one person in that crowd were to share that magicians secret then we're not fooled. This is what makes this such a great site...

the sharing of the knowledge we have with one another. Having a warranty to me is no different than having car insurance. We did the homework and went with a company to insure or vehicles not knowing if we're going to get into an accident today, tomorrow, or never.

Yes people are making huge commisions on selling warranties. I say when you're

about to purchase that warranty let that magician know that you know his/her

secrets and refuse to pay $3k for a warranty that only cost him/her $600 or $1k. Someone shared the light with me and I saved, and I'm just trying to share the light with my fellow comrades. It cost me about 2k for mine which was paid over a period of time...not all at once. The tried to sell it to me for 3 thousand. I can easily reflect over the years on how i've blown about $2k on things that I no longer have and somethings that I still do. I too had the option of declining the extended warranty and after breaking down (alternator) while vacationing out of state the 1st thing I said was I'm glad I got that warranty. The 2nd thing I said was now let's call AAA and have them tow me to the nearest cadillac dealer so they can fix it. The blessing of it all was that I didn't have to blow that $600.00 on an unexpected car repair, and was able to blow it on what it was intended. Vacation.

BTW, I also leave $85 on the table every year for AAA and sometimes i've needed them and sometimes not, but because they were there when I broke down or locked the keys in the car/trunk turns out that this $85 was well spent. Just a

lil sarcastic humor.

[theGman]

The more complicated the car, the better the idea of a warranty. I bought one on my 96 SLS; after 2 years, it's paid about 3800. Three years to go; cost 2200.

[raz]

Thanks for all the replies, though it seems its about 50/50 on warranty or no warranty. I have never been one to get extended warrantys as most minor repairs i can make on my own but this car has been in the shop a lot during the warranty,mostly minor things. The major things have been tilt steering,sunroof,master cylinder,trunk leak,power steering pump,o2 sensor and timing sensors twice. Yes, some things like power steering and master cylinder i could have done myself and the o2 sensor i had to tell the idiots what part to change. They wanted to do a throttle body cleaning for 300 dollars which would have been a waste of money because after they changed the part, the problem was solved. Tis is why i am also hesitant, because this dealership is a bunch of part changers. They keep changing parts until it is fixed, some of the problems listed above took two to three trips to get repaired. I will let you all know what i decide, when i decide.

Thanks again

[pats37]

GR8NSTAR,

I also have AAA Plus for my whole family. Have only had the ocassion to use it twice in the last two years but I would not be without it.

My STS is a 98 and has close to 26k miles. I don't do much driving since I retired.With the exception of a very frustrating ignition switch problem that I detailed on this board I haven't had a "lick" of trouble with the car. If I had purchased an add'l warranty from the dealer when I bought the car it would have expired before the ignition switch problem was diagnosed. LOL

I guess I have mostly heard the nightmare stories from people on extended warranties. Some of the posters here have made out quite nicely by having the warranty. I'm glad to hear that.

With the low amount of miles I put on the car I'm not sure it would be worth it. However, I can see where it would be helpful if you happened to get a car built on a "Monday."

[GR8NSTAR]

Pats37,

You're right, AAA has been a life saver when I needed it. I can't believe I locked

my keys in the trunk. RAZ good luck which ever way you decide. Keep us posted.