PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

So, I got my '04 SC430 with 28k miles only.

However, I thought that Lexus warranties cover up to 5-years/50k-miles. To my surprise, it was 4-years/50k-miles.

So, I am in the hunt for an aftermarket warranty company.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Personal advice? Consumer reviews?

Thanks in advance for your help.

gsrthomas

iTrader: (1)

After market warranties are crap IMO.

You have a Lexus. That V8 is virtually bullet proof. My friend got 350k miles on his before he sold it without any major issues. I'm not sure how that hardtop holds up.

I do my own repairs on my cars from oil changes to timing belts so everyone is different.

If I were you I would skip on a after market warranty.

mmarshall

A good aftermarket warranty?

Works every time.



Barring that, GEICO, from what I've heard, offers one of the better ones. It's called MBI...Mechanical Breakdown Insurance.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

I used to deal with "policy holders" of aftermarket warranties all the time...

it's quite amusing to call the warranty company for the policy holder and describe whats wrong with the vehicle... they try to not pay anything... and if they do pay, its never anywhere near what the vehicle really needs to be fixed properly...

one customer has a trans cooler leaking (which is built into the radiator on his particular vehicle)... we figured, because the warranty says that the cooling system is covered, hoses, clamps, water pump and more, that for sure the radiator would be covered as well... unfortunately not... every cooling system part except the radiator was covered... I called back and this time called it a transmission cooler, only to find out those weren't covered either...

unless you have a complete engine or transmission failure, you are better off saving your money and using it as any small repairs come up... on a Lexus, it's a pretty safe bet you won't be having catastrophic engine / trans failure...

RON430

Sort of waiting to see what was posted. I bought the Lexus extended warranties and as expected, was only for peace of mind on my GS, have to see about my wife's but I probably wouldn't do it again.

But everyone knows that as usual in a downturn, people are keeping cars longer. So now everybody is coming out from under a rock to see auto extended warranties. I expect that most of these places will 1) not want to honor the claim or find some other way to reimburse you for a fraction of the repair or 2) will go out of business before you ever have a chance to use it. Makes me very hesitant to go to ShamWowautoextendedwarranty.com to buy some peace of mind. Maybe Geico would be worth it but I would do a lot of investigation and I would look around here. If the Lexus model you have bought, I know it is an SC, doesn't have anything unusual, then you need to think hard about getting any extended warranty. You should be able to find out here if anyone with that model/year has any unusual problems. Not saying something can't happen but if I got a big repair bill, I would sooner pay it and then maybe sell the car rather than fight it out with some extended warranty place. Out of pocket will be about the same. Just my two cents.

masboy

iTrader: (30)

i see....so you got "04 SC430" huh, Dr Phil ??? pics pleaseee

dunnojack

all these crooked starving companies collect thousands of dollars for extended warranties, yet refuse to pay the reasonable charge to fix the problem. just awesome.

i don't know why people don't sue these insurance dealers like they sue doctors.

if the policy says it's covered, collect the money in small claims court if you have to.

a few have tried to jip me in the past. All i had to do was threaten to sue, and they opened up their wallets real quick.

bagwell

isn't warranty direct supposed to be pretty good?

I think they are BBB members...pretty pricey tho (they email free quotes).

http://www.warrantydirect.com/Index.aspx

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Check out the SC430 Forum.

Interior pics and lighting mods will be done later this week...

pagemaster

I wouldn't get an aftermarket warranty. The SC430 is a very reliable vehicle. While parts are very expensive, the chances of a major part failing are low.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Starter, door actuators, cat converter, random trouble codes, etc. will affect this vehicle as it ages just like that of the GS series..

Iceman

A buddy of mine came up with what I think is the best approach to extended warranties. He prices out the coverage that he would want, then puts the money it would cost ($2K or whatever) in a money market account. It sits there and collects interest, and if he does require a major repair then he's got the money to cover it. But if he doesn't, then when he sells the car he has a nice chunk of change to help with the down payment of his next one...

LexBob2

Quite a few financial people recommend this approach. In some respects, it makes a lot of sense.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

yup... as I already mentioned, unless you have a catastrophic engine / trans failure, then the cost of most aftermarket warranties will easily pay for repairs on most vehicles... There are times though that you might exceed what the warranty cost initially, however, most of those times you'd have to fight tooth and nail to get them to pay anyways...

JDMUSCLE

iTrader: (1)

NONE WORKS AND ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY.... they will come up with a loop hole that is printed in the fine print to get you!!