Subaru Extended Warranties, Thoughts, Advice, Experiences??

[firedawgs]

Excuse the ignorance, but doesn't our car come with a 5/50 drivetrain warranty. Why would you pay $550 for a 6/60? That is $550 for 1/10.

 

 

Mosca,

 

Is there a extended warranty that extends the bumper to bumper warranty?

Can you help me to understand the difference of silver and gold?

[rts]

Firedawgs. I've been looking into the extended warranties too. Refer to my post on page one of this thread, #5. The paragraph is a quote from the sample contract I requested directly from SOA. That paragraph is the only detail listed in the sample contract on the Gold Plus Plan. To me it sounds like everything is covered unless excluded in that paragraph and the exclusions are really normal wear items you generally would not expect to be covered.

 

By contrast the sample contract lists a Powertrain Plan and a Classic Plan. On both of these plans the agreement specifically states that if an item is NOT listed it is NOT covered.

 

Perhaps the 550.00 you mention is not for the powertrain only plan?? I do not know. I am going to call my dealer tomorrow and see if I can get prices. I have inquired there previously about extended warranties but for some reason they hardly want to talk about the Subaru plan and seem to be pushing a third party plan.

 

Does anyone know if The Gold Plus Plan, in fact, an exclusion of specific items warranty as opposted to a listed parts only coverage? I have not priced plans as of yet but the best plan appears to be the one called the Gold Plus Plan.

 

Has anyone bought this plan? What would I expect to pay. I am interested in 6 or 7 years and 80 to 100K miles and zero deductable if offered as I tend to keep cars until they are used up.

 

Thanks in advance for any help clarifying cost or coverages.

[cachibache]

firedawgs,

 

here is some info: http://www.subaru.com/owners/addedsecurity/index.jsp?id=ADDED_SECURITY_SUBARU_PLANS

[rts]

In my opinion the info from the Subaru site linked to is still general advertising and by no means comprehensive as to the three plans they seem to offer. Even though it sounds to me as if their top plan is basicly a bumper to bumper warranty with a few exceptions for normal maintenance items, I can't seem to get anyone from Subaru or their dealers to confirm that for me. I don't understand why it seems to be so difficult to get a direct answer from Subaru. That is why I requested a sample of the actual contract you would complete when you buy the warranty.

[Mosca]

Gold Plus is an exclusion plan, Classic and PT are listed parts plans.

 

No service contract is an extension of factory warranty; warranty is free, and typically covers defects in material and workmanship. A service contract is an agreement to repair a failed part. It's an important distinction, especially if a failure is not caused by a defect.

 

The Gold Plus plan, quoting from the application: (I put notes in brackets headed by "*")

 

"During the terms of the agreement, we will pay the cost of any breakdown less your deductible, except for the following:

 

"Scheduled maintenance services and parts described in the Subaru Warranty and service booklet... (it goes on to list tuneup, alignment, filters, lubricants brake pads, shoes, and linings, clutch assembly, etc) *[clutch assembly is a recent exclusion; they used to exclude the clutch disc, but cover the pressure plate and throwout bearing]

 

"Other parts not covered are glass, weatherstrips, lenses, sealed beams, lightbulbs, tires, hard and soft trim, moldings, bright metal, upholstery, paint, exhaust system, catalytic converter, brake rotors and drums, shock absorbers, air suspension assembly, battery, rust damage, wind noise, squeaks, and rattles and cable or linkage adjustments, Accessories are covered only if factory installed or approved."

 

 

Also, not directly quoted but under "WHAT THIS AGREEMENT DOES NOT COVER", are the exclusions against the vehicle being used commercially, as a taxi, for racing, for hire, as a police car, for plowing snow, fuel contamination, for lack of maintenance, for abuse, for breakdowns caused by modifications, etc; the normal stuff in any service contract, the boilerplate. *[There's nothing to be afraid of here, except for modifications. Remember that the SAS is a contract, not a warranty; if you turn up the boost, you might as well cash in the contract. I cashed in my contract on the Miata when I supercharged it (but not when I put the coilovers on).]

 

 

"YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

"Use all reasonable means to protect your car from further damage." *[NOTE: THIS IS IMPORTANT. If your car overheats and you continue to drive it, you will blow a head gasket and warp the head AND IT WILL NOT BE COVERED. This will be recognized and denied. Lots of people have done this, and they get pissed when the claim is denied.]

 

"Notify us within 30 days.

"Furnish us with such information as we reasonably require. *[read: MAINTENANCE RECORDS, if your engine looks like the oil wasn't changed. Actually, MySubaru.com is a good place to keep track of these. The adjusters can tell if you did your oil changes.]

"Allow us to examine your car if we ask to do so....

"Incur only those expenses which we have authorized in advance." *[ie, DON'T PRESENT A BILL FOR AN ENGINE REBUILD AFTER THE WORK IS DONE. I've had people do that.]

 

What it comes down to is you agree to treat the car and the contract with reasonable care and respect, and they agree to fix whatever breaks. It is not an agreement to fix abuse.

 

Like I said, I've sold these things for 16 years and the SAS for 13.5 years. The Added Security is, IMO, an excellent plan. If you are inclined to purchase a service contract on your Subaru, this is the one to get. (If you decide not to take one, you keep your $$ in your pocket, and that's good too.)

 

 

Tom

[firedawgs]

Thanks Tom. Now if you could just hook us all up with a dealer invoice on the warranty.

[StringFellow]

Extended warranties have always interested me because no one knows the future and what might happen to your car. However, the key thing to remember is that what ever company offers these extended warranties is out to make money. If they didn't make money, they wouldn't offer these extended warranties.

 

Do you guys really thing that by 60K you will have $300, $400 or $500 dollars in repairs? I know some of the plans covers tires, etc, but think about it. To actually benefit from such a plan, you must have repairs that are MORE then the price of the warranty. My parents had a 100K $0 dec extended warranty on their last car and they never used it.

 

And the other issue that is hard to deal with is the fine print of the warrenty and what is and isn't covered. Also, having to get a repairs pre-approved is tough to deal with. Not to mention having the dealer/repair shop find those odd problems. If at 40K you replace the OEM tires with better tires (more $$$), will the warranty cover these "better" tires or just OEM quality?

 

My last car was a 2001 Mazda 626 and besides basic routine maintenance and a few minor warranty claims, I would have lost mony on an extended warranty. I ended up trading it in at just over 120K. Cars these days are designed to run 100K+ miles without issues (of course there is always a lemon).

 

Someone else said it earlier, if after $35K miles you have tons of problems, it might be worth looking into a warranty. But if you are at 35K and have had no issues, it is a good indication of how well the car will perform for the rest of its life.

 

Be gentle to your car and it will be good to you in return. I have seen many cars that are abused (ie. driven hard, no required maint., etc) and they end up not lasting.

 

-S

[Mosca]

StringFellow,

 

That's not the point. It's not a gamble, a roll of the dice where you'll either win or lose. It's laying off of risk, the acceptance of the probability that you'll not break even for the guarantee that a major repair will be covered (and every Subaru dealership has a shop, and every Subaru dealership has plenty enough warranty claims).

 

An owner will either be happier with the coverage, or happier with the money in his/her pocket, and everyone should pick the one that makes them happy.

 

My replacement starts tomorrow, and if it's who I think it is, he drives a blue GT. I'll give him a ring and see what I can hook up. This would all be "found business" for him but you never know. I was going to wait until the third quarter (Jul/Aug/Sept) to do anything because that's when the sales incentive is a trip, but he might be interested in making a mark quickly.

 

 

Tom

[rts]

Here are the prices quoted to me on two of the Subaru Gold Plus Plan extended warranties.

 

On the Subaru Gold Plus Plan, which appears to be their most comprehensive I was quoted the following prices. 6 year, 72,000 miles 1395.00, add 140.00 for zero deductable. 7 year, 100,000 miles 1580.00 add 140.00 for zero deductable.

 

On a non-Subaru third party extended warranty offered by JM&A Group of Deerfield Beach, FL (also sold by my dealer) 6 year, 72,000 miles 995.00 add 135.00 for zero deductable. 7 year 100,000 miles 1420.00 add 135.00 for zero deductable.

 

How do the Subaru Gold Plus Plan prices compare to any prices you may have been quoted?

 

There is a pretty good price spread between the JM&A and Subaru on the 6 year warranties but the 7 year ones are surprisingly much closer in price. I wonder what accounts for larger price difference in the 6 year plan and much smaller price spread on the 7 year plan. One would think the percentage difference would be more consistant between the two.

[StringFellow]

Don't get me wrong, I think exteneded warranties are great, but only if they get used.

 

It really is a gamble when you purchase an extended warranty. You are betting approx $500 that you will have repairs equalling or exceeding the cost of the exteneded warranty.

 

Example. You purchase a 6/60 extended warranty for $500. Since the Subbies already have a 3/36 warranty, you are basically purchasing a warranty for 24K miles (lets just stick with a car that is driven a lot). So, you are betting $500 that you will have $500+ repairs in that 24K mile period. Then, add to that that the Subbies have a powertrain warranty that covers some of the bigger items and the extra surcharges that come along with turbos, etc. Then you take into account how long a person keeps their car. Yes, the prices might be a little cheaper for the warranty or your might get "extra" items covered (tires, etc), but you get my point.

 

I agree that extended warranties put the risk in the warranty company's hands and not in the comsumers, but it is still a risk on where you place your money (in your pocket or in the warranty) and which one will cost you less in the long run.

 

These points are why most exteneded warranty companies make money. Do you think the exteneded warranties at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc benefit the consumer more? No....they (the big corporations) are in it to make money, but also on the idea that consumers do not want to take the risk that their item might break or need to be repaired. It is just like the stock market and its associated stocks!!!

 

-S

 

 

 

StringFellow,

 

That's not the point. It's not a gamble, a roll of the dice where you'll either win or lose. It's laying off of risk, the acceptance of the probability that you'll not break even for the guarantee that a major repair will be covered (and every Subaru dealership has a shop, and every Subaru dealership has plenty enough warranty claims).

 

An owner will either be happier with the coverage, or happier with the money in his/her pocket, and everyone should pick the one that makes them happy.

 

My replacement starts tomorrow, and if it's who I think it is, he drives a blue GT. I'll give him a ring and see what I can hook up. This would all be "found business" for him but you never know. I was going to wait until the third quarter (Jul/Aug/Sept) to do anything because that's when the sales incentive is a trip, but he might be interested in making a mark quickly.

 

 

Tom

[PGT]

An extended warranty is just like auto, life, or health insurance. Most of those companies are 'for profit' enterprises too.

[StringFellow]

Here are the prices quoted to me on two of the Subaru Gold Plus Plan extended warranties.

 

On the Subaru Gold Plus Plan, which appears to be their most comprehensive I was quoted the following prices. 6 year, 72,000 miles 1395.00, add 140.00 for zero deductable. 7 year, 100,000 miles 1580.00 add 140.00 for zero deductable.

 

On a non-Subaru third party extended warranty offered by JM&A Group of Deerfield Beach, FL (also sold by my dealer) 6 year, 72,000 miles 995.00 add 135.00 for zero deductable. 7 year 100,000 miles 1420.00 add 135.00 for zero deductable.

 

How do the Subaru Gold Plus Plan prices compare to any prices you may have been quoted?

 

There is a pretty good price spread between the JM&A and Subaru on the 6 year warranties but the 7 year ones are surprisingly much closer in price. I wonder what accounts for larger price difference in the 6 year plan and much smaller price spread on the 7 year plan. One would think the percentage difference would be more consistant between the two.

 

I assume those prices don't include any turbo surcharges, correct?

[StringFellow]

An extended warranty is just like auto, life, or health insurance. Most of those companies are 'for profit' enterprises too.

 

Very true, but the risk there is much greater. Also you can't go without auto insurance in most states. With these you are talking the possibility of many thousands of dollars to be payed out.

 

Also with a car, you can sell a problomatic car, but you can't do that will yourself (health insur.) or with your spouse (life insurance).

 

Hmmmm...acutally some people might think that selling the spouse might be a good thing!

 

-S

[rts]

StringFellow,

The prices I was quoted were not for the turbo. According to Mosca in an earlier post there is a 250.00 surcharge on trubo plans of 80K and 100K miles.

 

Mosca also indicated dealer cost on the 6 - 100K plan was 990.00. I was quoted on a 7 - 100K plan. Cost increments seem to be about 200.00 between plans so I wonder just what cost is on the 7 - 100K, perhaps around 1200.00?

[Mosca]

OK, here's the deal.

 

Email acorazza@epix.net , he will sell them for $100 over. He'll work out the payment details. He'll probably refer you over to the new F&I guy, Chris; Chris has an Atlantic Blue GT, and he's a good guy.

 

 

Tom

[rts]

OK, here's the deal.

 

Email acorazza@epix.net , he will sell them for $100 over. He'll work out the payment details. He'll probably refer you over to the new F&I guy, Chris; Chris has an Atlantic Blue GT, and he's a good guy.

 

 

Tom

I think I will email him and see what's up and how they want to handle it. What do we have to loose? Thanks for the info. I notice your location is listed as Pa. Where is this dealer located? Might be close enough for me to check in person.

[rts]

OK, here's the deal.

 

Email acorazza@epix.net , he will sell them for $100 over. He'll work out the payment details. He'll probably refer you over to the new F&I guy, Chris; Chris has an Atlantic Blue GT, and he's a good guy.

 

 

Tom

 

Tom,

Any idea if this offer on extended warranties is still good. I wrote to the above email address three or four days ago and have not heard anything back as of yet.

[rts]

OK, here's the deal.

 

Email acorazza@epix.net , he will sell them for $100 over. He'll work out the payment details. He'll probably refer you over to the new F&I guy, Chris; Chris has an Atlantic Blue GT, and he's a good guy.

 

 

Tom

Update:

Al came through as stated. I bought my warranty through him. His dealership was hundreds less than my next closest quote. He can be reached at the email address above.

[eVoMotion]

thanks for the update