ALargeTom

I got my car back to April this year. Everyone(financial manager / sale man) knew that I needed to ship car from that area to east area.
And they sold me some extra warranties(Tire / DrivePur / maintainance) from Total Care Auto.

Last month I tried to apply my drivePur. And I just figured it out, some of those warranties only provided by total care auto service. This company doesn't have any service location in middle / east area.

And I tried to call my financial manager, he left that dealer.
So I called another manager, he never picked his phone up, and not replying my email.

And I cancelled those plans with Total Care Auto service, but still, they charged me few hundred bucks.

What I learned from this unpleasant process is that don't buy any warranties from your dealer.

Louczar1

My entire working life (over 30 years), I have bought many vehicles. I have always lived outsie of the city and commute. This causes me to puit 30K+ miles a year on my vehicles. I usually sell or trade in after 4 years. I have bought many vehicles from dealers over the years. Some of my own personal conclusions i've come to expect from dealers.

1. They are stealerships...not dealerships. They will do all they can to get more $$$ from you in the purchase process
2. I dont let stealerships do anything but warranty or recall work on my vehicles. Poor workmanship in the past.
3. I wont even use free oil changes from the dealer if offered. I have caught several dealers flat out LIE to me about things needing repair that were not broken or malfunctionig.

To be fair and honest. Of the 3 Lexus vehicles I own / have owned, I have onl;y bought one from a Lexus dealer. My wifes RX350. It was a bit better than most of the other experiences at other dealers. They still play the games...they were just more professional about it. I dont like the games. But, that was the exact car my wife wanted and it was at a Lexus dealer. It could have been much worse.

kos

iTrader: (1)

FWIW, I work at a Subaru dealership, and have been in the Automotive world 10+ years now, and can say that Aftermarket warranties are junk, for reasons like you listed. OEM extended warranties are the way to go, they're good at all dealerships across the country. The only 3rd party warranty really worth it seems to be CNA, as that is accepted almost everywhere.

Teutonic

iTrader: (1)

I fully agree. I don't even trust them to do the oil changes. I was SOOO nervous when it had to go in for the high pressure fuel pump that is cam driven. I will say that when in for warranty work they have not pushed for any other services and I always tell them to skip the wash. I'm sure there are some good dealers out there, but I rarely find them.--and so far no issues with my local Lexus dealer on the (2) warranty/recall fixes.

SailorTPD

Bought my RC F back in Sept. On the test drive I told salesman I'll buy it. 5 hours later (yes, 5 hours), I drive away. Pissed off about the waste of my time and potential exposure to idiots who aren't vaccinated (salesperson said lots of anti vax people in the dealership). I would have given them the check 10 minutes after getting back from test drive. Could have returned the next day if it takes them that long to get it ready for me. Didn't need to sign the 40 pieces of paper while bozo finance guy printed them out. Went through same time waste when wife bought lexus in 2008--different dealership but same process. 2008 and 2021-the things that bozo finance guy says were nearly identical--after salesperson 1 sells you on Lexus reliability, bozo finance guy says, "y'know, the electronics in these cars will not last." in his attempt to sell extended warranty. If you can afford to buy a 100K toy, they still treat you like you are an idiot.

vraa

iTrader: (2)

what is total auto care?

are you in usa?

Louczar1

I bought a brand new Jetta TDI in 2012 (yes, for the fuel economy). I negotiated the price before the car arrived at the dealership. I showed up the day after it did. Salesman and I took it for a drive and then straight to thye finance person....who automatically added the price of an extended warranty to the total price and tried to get me to start signing papers with that included. I told her I did not want it and she said "you will need it as those turbos go out all the time". I got up and walked out of her office. I saw the salesman talking to an older guy at the dealership and told him your finance lady likely just lost you a sale and told them both what she said. The older guy was the sales manager. Lets just say that she reprinted out everything and I closed with the manager.

btw...she 9finance lady) was partially correct. the turbo did go out at 124K miles and cost me over 3K to fix. her extended warranty she wanted ~1500.00 for would have expired at 100K

ALargeTom

may I ask where do you do the oil change? By yourself or some local shops?

ALargeTom

yeah, it’s a warranty company in west coast / UT / CA area I believe

Louczar1

I do all my own work on all my vehicles since I started driving my own car. Funny story. I got layed off in 2012. At the same time, my neighbor across the street poured a slab for a shop to work on his own cars. I helped him frame and build his 2 story shop. In exchange for my help, I get full access to his car lift he installed. I change the oil in my own driveway. I take my stuff to his place for any other bigger jobs like 60K service and such.

Kev99sv

I have bought many cars over the years and there are indeed some unscrupulous dealers out there. However, I have come to enjoy my last several car purchases at 2 local Houston dealerships. Both treat me fairly and with respect and courtesy. Both go above and beyond with service after the sale as well. It's about relationships and they benefit just as I do. I understand they are in business to make money but all I ask is that they treat me fairly, which they both have done for years. Not all dealerships are bad but sometimes it takes time to find the right one.