FWCruiser

Do any of you have extended warranties on your car? Are they worth it for this car. I've never gotten them on any other car I've owned because I figured they were priced to provide a profit to the provider, meaning I would come out ahead just paying repair bills after the factory warranty ran out. On the other hand, there is a lot that can go wrong. In the roof mechanism alone there must be a bunch of motors which would be a high dollar repair. Would I get a better deal going with a company other than Lexus for the extended warranty? All comments are appreciated.
David

RodF

I've always gotten extended warranties on my cars, and have usually gotten more for it than I paid over the life of the car. Assuming you are going to keep the car for 7 years, it is well worth it IMHO. Especially with a car with as much electronics as this, where no one but the dealer can service it. Not to mention what it would cost if the (shudder) roof should malfunction when it is out of warranty.

ron36330

FW;
I agree with Rod. If you are going to keep the car 7 years then I would get the warranty. I purchased mine with the car and paid $1800.0 for a 7 year "0" deductible Platinum warranty. I share your concerns about the cost if something goes wrong. I do have a lot of faith in Lexus reliability however, when the dashboard control goes it is $1000.00 for that item alone.
As for warranties other than Lexus I would be very careful. I have no personal experience, but have heard many horror stories about people trying to use warranties from other outfits only to find claims denied or the company not recognized by Lexus or the warranty company only willing to pay part of the claim or the company out of business by the time you have to use the warranty.I just don'tr like hassles, that's one reason why I only by Lexus'.
My humble observations.
Ron

FWCruiser

Dealer quoted me these prices, said this was $50 dollars over their price.
6 years/70,000 miles $1650
6 years/100,000 miles $2250
7 years/100,000 miles $2425
Ron, What year is your car? This would be for a 2004. You don't think they might be making a little more than 50 bucks off me do you? David

JCtx

Hey David, I have NEVER bought an extended warranty, and with the money I've saved, I'm well ahead financially. Having said that, I MIGHT buy it for this car if I don't have any problems, since I plan to keep it for a long time. Consider these points:

1. You can buy it a day before your warranty expires, so why pay 4 years in advance when you don't know if you're going to keep the car or not? Leave it for later buddy.
2. Extended warranties are about 90% profit for dealers, so make sure you shop around (Carson toyota/Lexus and others) before buying. Keep in mind extended warranties run CONCURRENTLY with your warranty, so if they say 6 yr/70K miles, you only have TWO years and 20K miles over the factory warranty.
3. When I checked the 'fine print' for my GS400, it turned out ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS weren't covered, like the Nakamichi, A/C, etc; that was exactly what I wanted covered. There were many other exclusions, to the point I asked myself: what the hell is covered? I didn't get it and sold the car shortly after the warranty expired (had A LOT of problems initially). Also 'wear and tear' wasn't covered, and nowhere was a shedule of expected component life to figure out if their pro-ration was justified. For example, if your alternator goes out at 30K miles, and was supposed to last 50K, you have to eat 60% of the cost of a new one, at outrageous dealer prices. Other items like brake pads, rotors, etc. are not covered at all. The reason for the outrageous profit on those warranties is that whatever is going to be wrong with your car, it usually shows up way before the warranty expires. Remember the powertrain is warranted by Lexus for 6yr or 70K miles.
4. I've heard very good comments about other warranties like warrantygold.com and another one I don't remember the name; have been around for years. Those guys provide a corporate credit card and cover any shop in the country, including dealers. I'll check those too at the appropriate time (4yrs).
5. Ah, and think again if dealer tries to convince you resale price goes up. Yes, he's right, but you'll be lucky to get 20% back from your 'investment'.

Keep us posted on this; do your homework first.

JC

ron36330

FW;
I have the extended warranty on both of my Lexus. I have an 03 LS 430UL purchased in OCT 02 and an 03 SC 430 purchased in Jan 03. I paid $1800.00 for the extended warranty on each car and purchased the warranties at the time I bought the cars. At $2400.00, yes I would say they are making a big profit. The price of the warranty is totally negotiable so I would start the process right now.
Good Luck
Ron

Joe Peters

With 3rd party warranty it all depends on
the guy at the dealer who calls in the claim.
I had a claim denied on a air conditioner
two lines that rubbed together and caused
a hole. This was on my Corvette and the
first dealer reported it as a hose and it was
not covered (500.00+$). Then the next problem
Iwent to a different dealer the service mgr.
was a coustomer of our company and ne how
to " work the system " had i gone to him first
I would have needed a " new A/C compessor"
and the Lines would have be covered. New
front brake pads = master cyl. replacement.
The guy at the dealer has to work with you.
I bought my 02' preowned cetified with 100k
or till May 2006 coverage + Lexus road side
service.

LexPro

If yall are considering a Lexus warranty on your SC430's be sure and get the Platinum. Lots of things are not covered by the gold.

Jayson

I agree with LexPro. My service writer at Lexus of Austin said that if the warranty is not Platinum, it isn't worth the money.