Bruce Wentzel" asks:
>Anyone have either good or bad experiences with extended warrantee
>companies? (car stuff)
Nothing but bad, Bruce, with any of the aftermarket warranty companies. The ex
bought one for her used Cavalier that, upon closer reading, gave them a
sure-fire way to pay out NOTHING under any circumstances. It was a powertrain
warranty that covered "lubricated engine parts", which, for some reason, did
not include the camshaft or valvetrain until I objected (it had worn the intake
lobes off of the camshaft for 2 of the 4 cylinders), and then, they pointed to
the clause that excluded "normal wear-and-tear" and "abuse". With those two
exclusions, they can (and do) deny coverage on just about everything. So the
ex spent something like $900 (the car itself was under $4K) on a piece of paper
that completely worthless. I've compiled several similar stories from the past
9 or so years I've been online and involved with various automotive-related
fora -- and have yet to hear of a *positive* experience with one of the
aftermarket warranty companies.
The factory extended warranties, particularly the bumper-to-bumper ones, are
generally a good deal if you're planning on keeping the car for a while, or,
like me, you tend to blow through the mileage limit on the standard warranty
long before you reach the time limit. I had one on the Probe that easily paid
for itself in rear brake calipers alone (the p-brake lever would seize up in
the caliper casting, sticking the brake "on". I got good enough changing them
on my Probe -- after the extended warranty expired --and the Shields/McIver MX6
that I could do both sides and bleed the brakes in about 20 minutes).
Jim Crider
autojim@att.net
jamescrider@metaldyne.com
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