Extended Warranty Yes or No?

[hocaspocas]

Hi. I just got my new Kizashi 2011 S two weeks ago and I am very happy with it. Paid only $14,995.00 plus Tax, License and registration fees. Also the seller lured me to get the extended warranty for 7 years/100,000. According to him this extends the basic 3/36,000 bumper to bumper warranty. The cost of the extended warranty is $1,180.
Also there is a deal with this dealership that they are promoting lifetime warranty on powertrain/unlimeted miles for all their new Suzukis but is throught a third party, not from the manufacturer. However the manufacturer warrranties the powertrain for 7/100,000. So I think the lifetime warranty is just a plus if I still have this car at the end of 7 years.

I have 60 days to cancel my 7/100,000 extended warranty in case I change my mind and they will refund me my $1,180. My question is: Does the extended warranty really worth paying $1,180 extra or should I go back and cancell it?

[Ronzuki]

The stereo amp that was replaced in mine under the bumper to bumper warranty cost $1000 (parts guy made a comment that he'd never held $1000 in his hands before). A stereo amp is one thing, but pretty much any one of the many ECUs that control the car (engine, trans, braking, steering, etc.) in the vehicle are going to be in that price range, so $1180 IMHO is not out of line at all.

[newworld2004]

question, Ronzuki

I also notice volume on stero jump high sometimes, is this because stero amp needs to be replaced?

[~tc~]

Normally, extended warranties are wasted money, however, like Ronzuki pointed out, there are a number of "small" individual items that could easily pay for the cost.

You need to ask yourself, how hard are you on cars? How long do you plan on keeping it? How much do YOU require factory parts to be replaced? (For example, if my amp blew outside of warranty, I would just replace it with an aftermarket amp for less money and probably better sound quality)

The other option would be to take the $1180 and put it in a savings account, money market, etc - something reasonably liquid - and if you have one of these big-ticket items come up, then you have at least that money. If nothing ever breaks, you get the money back and all the interest.

[chazyouwin]

Check the warranty documentation. I doubt very much they are simply extending the warranty. If the exclusions are the same as the three year, then I would also be sure to research the company that is providing the warranty. You want to believe that company will be around to pay the claims and that it doesn't have a stack of complaints.

An extension on the bumper-to-bumper on each of our 2002 Zuke XL-7s would have been a complete waste of money, as they both went through the seven year period without anything which needed the coverage. One of them required a seal fix, but that was in fact covered under the drive train warranty.

Personally, I would skip it. If there are problems with the amp, I would suspect they will arise during the initial three years. if they arise thereafter, you can find an aftermarket replacement/upgrade.

[Ronzuki]

question, Ronzuki

I also notice volume on stero jump high sometimes, is this because stero amp needs to be replaced?

Yes, that was the cause of my volume jumping. They were not terribly recptive to just replacing the amp at first. Do a search on volume jump, there's much discussion.

If I'd had to pay for it, $1000. You can source stereo equipment far cheaper via aftermarket, but not the manufaturers electronics used to control vehicle functions.

[lookin]

i think its worth it if the warranty is an extension from suzuki itself i happen to like warranties with a car if you going to keep for long haul...especially if its from suzuki itself .but the dealer has a small markup on the warranty its really 900 bucks from suzuki i had called before just to let you know...this thing people say about putting the money away in an account while its smart on paper for most people thats hard to do meaning usually u end up spending that money knowing its there and what happens is you may just need it..... i like warranties

[hocaspocas]

Yes, the extended warranty is from Suzuki based on the information on the contract, it has Suzukis logo however is backed by a third company, I think most companies do use a third party. The website on the contract is www.suzukiextended.com There is no deductible if I take the car back to the same dealer where I purchased it. There are additional services that comes with the extended warranty which makes it more atractive like road side asistance and trip interruption coverage. I will end up removing this converages from my insurance policy saving me at least 60 per year for the next 7 years = $420
It does says that it covers everything with the exception of power train and wear and tear parts like battery, tires, ...etc. Anyway the power train is covered by manufacturer's warranty of 7/100K. Did I mentioned about the lifetime warranty for the power train which my dealer gave me for free?
Thanks for everyones response. Based on your comments I'm planning on keeping it. This is my first time buying Suzuki and I have heard good and bad thinkgs about their reliability. Personally I have owned few american and Japanese cars. Normally things starts falling apart right after their warranty expires. Hopefuly this is not the case with my Kizashi.

[sloopercat]

The price is always negotiable. I paid $700 for mine, transferable Suzuki warranty 7 years/100K. I figured it was worth that much in resale value. I generally never buy them.

[Corridor 35]

If the zero deductible is contingent on using the selling dealership you should look carefully for some kind of survivorship clause that will allow you to enjoy the same terms at another dealer if the seller folds. I'm in that boat now, 4 weeks after buying my Kizashi the dealer closed up overnight and now I have to travel to another city for any kind of authorized service.