twhitehead

I’m really enjoying my 2015 GS 350 Base with only 55k miles.
I got the car through CarMax and opted for their 5 year 50k mile warranty. The cost to me is $2800 with a per visit deductible of $300.
I questioning if it makes sense to go with this plan. My local dealer said they have had very good experience with coverage payment and items under coverage.
I have 4 months to decide to keep it. But with the excellent reliability of the GS, does it make sense?
What say you?

bclexus

@twhitehead - As you may or may not already know, CarMax's 'RepairPal' certified shops are not going to be affiliated with Lexus. This means the certified or authorized shop that you must deal with for repairs will definitely not have access to trained Lexus technicians, OE Lexus parts inventory, specialized tools/equipment - including access to firmware/software updates from Lexus' mainframe computers, Lexus Technical Service Bulletins, Lexus repair manuals/instructions, etc. - - that all Lexus dealer's service centers will have.

The answer to your question is totally dependent on the unknown. You'll have to flip a coin to decide if it is to your advantage to keep the warranty coverage you agreed to at purchase, or not.

The Lexus GS is indeed a very reliable vehicle as all Lexus and Toyota vehicles are - BUT it's made up of many mechanical parts and electronic equipment that can fail.

Things that would cost the most that could fail might be the HVAC system or the NAV system. Things like the water pump, alternator or shocks/struts are things that will wear out over time and may or may not be covered with various plans. The GS engine and transmission are typically rock-solid and can last 250k miles or more.

Let's say you experience hot air coming out of the dash vents with the A/C set on 65°, which is an indication that the HVAC's ductwork damper doors are not operating correctly which is almost certainly a problem with either individual servo motors or signals from the HVAC system not establishing servo motor operation. Or, let's say Walmart, Costco or Pep Boys replaces your battery and that simple event totally bricks your NAV system. A typical mechanic is not going to have any clue whatsoever how to fix these two issues!, But that's who you will be dealing with! But it doesn't even end there - in the case of replacing your battery bricking your NAV system, if you reveal to the warranty company who replaced your battery, the warranty will likely claim it is the responsibility of Walmart, Costco or Pep Boys to repair your NAV system. And so it goes!!!

Warranty or not, there's really no equal to having trained and qualified technicians with all that Lexus service center offers.

Only you can best predict guess what might happen in the future that a warranty could possibly help take care of.

Flip a coin!

alxhastngs

I wouldn't keep it.

The biggest thing that might go by 100k is the HVAC servo issues, and $3,100 basically covers the highest end repair for that.

Brakes wouldn't be covered. Suspension may or may not be, but even if it is they likely wouldn't pay for all four corners if say just one or two struts were leaking.

I would imagine just about anything else you might have to take it in for the $300 deductible will just nickle and dime your value right out of the warranty since it's unlikely to need more than $1000 in isolated repairs.
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gripau1

If it gives you 5 years additional coverage, and you are planning to drive and keep it for another 5 years? Then look at it this way, its only $560.00 per year or about $1.50 per day for some piece of mind.

bclexus

If that warranty coverage was with Lexus I might agree, but it's not...


@twhitehead - I paid $2,405 for a 100% Lexus Platinum 10Yr/100k Mile Zero Deductible Extended Warranty for my 2018 GS 450h.

I bought it more for peace of mind. I have not used it, but I only have 18k miles on the car. You never know what might happen and I only want my Lexus dealer working on it...

bclexus

CarMax RepairPal - enter your Zip Code to schedule repairs near you.

See if there are any shops near you that you think knows how to perform more than just basic auto repair and maintenance on a Lexus GS 350...

Do you see any shops you'd trust to fix servos in your HVAC system? Do you see any shops you'd trust to work on your locked-up NAV system? I don't!

By the way, CarMax's RepairPal Certified Shops are 'third-party' service providers, and they are not owned, associated or controlled by CarMax.

So if you have a problem the shop doesn't know how to fix - good luck dealing with CarMax on that!

AJLex19

Due to lack of availability of my local guys, last year I paid $2k to fix my AC from my dealership which is my most expensive single fix to date i've incurred on any car i've owned out of warranty. On my previous '01 GS430, i had two cats that failed but at separate times in the 80k-100k mileage range ($1100 part at the time and my local guy installed for ~$400).

On my '11 IS350, there was TSB on bubbling headlamps and both my headlamps were replaced free of charge - cost over $2200 for parts/labor but I had the certified warranty at the time. No other problems during my ownership period under warranty with the IS350.

On my '13 GS, I incurred no warranty claims during my certified warranty period of 3yrs. I now have no warranties, but if my infotainment system went bad, i'd get a used unit off eBay and install it myself...if my servo motors went bad, i'd buy the motors from the cheapest OEM dealer online and have a local mechanic do the work, and so on and so forth...

It is truly a toss up like BC mentioned. For the GS, I don't anticipate any failure that would require you to pay $2800 for any single repair. I'd personally take the $2800 and likely keep it as a rainy day fund for future repairs. It's really a personal preference based on how much you use the car, its current mileage, its care history and how much you'd feel comfortable to pay out of pocket if there were multiple failures in the future.

Also: That $300 per visit out of pocket deductible seems a bit high unless that's the going rate today and i'm out of the loop...

Lanson

Here's a counterpoint as an example. I purchased a "covers everything except wear items of brake pads/rotors, shocks/struts (but does cover all electronics that manage them)," etc. It is a 4 year, unlimited mileage contract with a $100 deductible and my choice of repair facility. Total cost OTD was 3k. So that may be a consideration for you, as your deductible is much higher (there's a lot of things I can fix for 300 bucks or less on my own), but you have a longer term. And they are absolutely going to get the better of me on the mileage as the majority of the time my GS holds the concrete down in my garage. But...as someone with not a lot of extra savings stacked away, this piece of mind that the worst off I am is $100 if things go bad...that's been a good feeling so far and worth the expense.

bclexus

Will this MaxCare coverage allow you to choose to have the 'covered' repair be done by a Lexus dealership's service department? I rather doubt it!

greys0uled

Cancel it. This car is so reliable it’s not even funny, and there are OEM quality parts that are cheap.

twhitehead

Thanks all for input.
I’ve decided to cancel the policy and ride like the wind…

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

Put away some money each months for repairs. It's not like a German car but you will have some repairs you will be doing on a 2015 car. Hopefully not the $3500 ones.

twhitehead

OK, the situation is different now.
I registered the car with Lexus and saw the previous service records. Oil change at 5k, 10k and then nothing until 45k. There was a service at 16k to replace the fuel tank and it was noted that customer requested maintenance light reset.
At 22k the muffler mount was re-tightened but no oil service. Then nothing until 45k when the car was serviced and prepared for resale as a Lexus CPO vehicle.
So I might be looking at 35k with no oil change.
Now would a big SoCal Lexus dealer offer a CPO without any proof of an oil change or other mainenance on a lease return? (off topic; when will lease contracts require proof of periodic maintenance upon surrendering the vehicle at lease end?)
I did find this on the Lexus website as a condition of CPO assignment to a vehicle:

• Vehicle History Report: A thorough and satisfactory vehicle history report is required, proving that you followed the recommended maintenance schedule in the owner’s manual.

And if there is damage from that neglect, will a compression test reveal?
Thoughts?

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

You never saw a Carfax before you purchased? Unless it was a lease, I doubt the new owner spent $60k and did not do a oil change for 30k plus miles???

Try a Toyota dealer also for a price on the extended service contract, and google best service contracts you can purchase on your own out there. Maybe a bit cheaper.

bclexus

Many, if not most, people don't always go to their Lexus dealer to have a routine engine oil and oil filter change. It's a pretty good (VERY GOOD) bet the owner had the car's engine oil and oil filter changed somewhere other than the Lexus dealer - and that is why the mileage gap on the service record.

At CPO conditioning the engine oil and oil filter is automatically changed and the engine air filter and cabin air filter are checked and replaced if necessary, along with a slew of other stuff.