extended warranty

[hyperslo]

Hi all, I am the new proud owner of a second-hand 2013 Leaf. Great car, I will probably have many a question still to come. The dealership has given me a few days to decide on whether I wish to add their extended warranty to the Nissan Mfr's warranties. The car has 19,000 miles on it.

My understanding is that I still have another 8 mos to go on the Nissan Mfr. Warranty.

Then I have the 5yr/60g Drive Train Warranty.

Then the 8-year Battery Warranty.

The dealership offered their extended protection, 3-years, which would kick in once the remaining 8 mos. of the Mfr. Warranty expires; & which comes out to an add'l $30/month added to my car loan payments. Reading thru these docs, the Extended warranty notes the following coverages:

"Engine Group: All internally lubricated parts; crankshaft and bearings, fuel pump, timing gears, valve lifters, camshaft, rocker arms assembly, pistons/rings, valve lifters, valve guides, motor mounts, distributor drive."

"Turbocharger/Supercharger group: Factor turbo or supercharger incl. housing and all internal parts"

"Transmission/Transaxle group: All internally lubricated parts. Drive Shaft/U-Joint, torque converter, transmission mounts. Case housings"

"Drive Axle Group: Drive and housing, pinion bearings, side carrier bearings, ring and pinion gears, carrier assembly, thrust washers, axles, axle bearings, velocity joints, internal transaxle seal"

"Power Steering Group: Steering gear box, pump assembly, rack/pinion, pitman and idler arms,tie rod, control valves, bearings and shafts."

"Electrical Group: Alt/generator, starter motor, wiper motors; voltage regulator, distributor, solenoids, electronic level control compressor, electronic ignition module, ignition coils, power window motors, window heat elements, power seat motors, power lock attenuators"

"Brake Group: Master cylinder, power brake cylinder, vaccum assis booster, disc brake calipers, wheel cylinders, ABS hyrdraul control unit, electronic control compressor, wheel speed sensors, hydraul pump/motor assembly, pressure modulator, accumulator"

"Suspension Group: Control arms, control arm shafts, bushings/bearings, ball joints, radius arm, torsion and stabilizer bars, struts, shock absorbers, sprindle, wheel bearings, variable dampering suspension parts"

"Cooling Group: Cooling fan and motor, fan clutch, radiator, heater core, water pump, thermostat"

Now, stating the obvious…I am curious that given my Baby is an EV…how much of this extended protection is moot or N/A ? or to ask it another way: are there enough elements covered here which would make $30/mo on a 6-year loan worthwhile ? Are there any common maintenance/repair problems which Leaf folks end up footing the bill for once the Mfr. Warranty is up ?

Thanks, sorry for the novel -

 

[Firetruck41]

Yikes! Thats almost $2200. I could not see paying for that. Most of the list doesn't even apply to the Leaf. It doesn't look like it covers the high voltage stuff that really matters with the powertrain. It covers axle bearings and CV joints and some of the ancillary 12v electrical stuff, brakes and suspension. Would not be worth it for most. If you can do any of your own work with a manual or using forum advice, it will very likely not pay off to get the warranty. I never buy "extra" warranties, the companies that sell them make money off the plan, that means that they pay out less than they make from the consumer, which means on average, they are not worth it. I set aside money for repairs, so that when they come I can afford it, also, I only pay for parts for most repairs, since I am content to do my own repair labor, using my tools, and the resources available on the internet these days.

Also, better to save that $2200 to go towards a replacement battery, or apply it to pay off the loan in less than 6 years.

BTW, the 8 year battery warranty is only for defects, not range/capacity. It is unlikely to be defective, but you are guaranteed that it will lose capacity. As it is, you probably have anywhere between 80 and 90% of original capacity (range) on a 2013 Leaf. The capacity warranty runs out at 5 yrs/60k mi and is triggered when you only have 8 capacity bars.

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you can get them to write in all of the Leaf-specific parts that may fail, and the A/C system, it might be worth it for peace of mind. As it is, you'd likely find yourself filing a claim only to be told "that isn't covered."

 

[GerryAZ]

There have been some early HVAC failures on 2013 and later Leafs, but overall they have been quite reliable. Nissan offers a genuine Nissan extended warranty that is written for the Leaf, but most dealers would rather sell their preferred aftermarket brand. You can purchase the Nissan contract any time before 3 years or 36,000 miles (subject to the vehicle passing an inspection). Ask your dealer to put in writing what the extended warranty covers on the Leaf. After they refuse to provide a written list of coverage, decline the warranty or ask for the genuine Nissan plan (which should cost less). Once they clarify the coverage, you can decide if the coverage is worth the price, but $30 per month seems really high (especially for only 3 years of coverage). Also, the 5-year, 60,000-mile power train warranty covers the EV system and mechanical items such as CV joints.

To give you a little different perspective: I normally do not purchase extended warranties because I plan on fixing things myself once the manufacturer warranty expires. I did not purchase one for the 2011 (and had no need for it during the 50,422 miles I drove it). I did purchase an aftermarket warranty for the 2015 because the dealer offered a reasonable price for it (after much negotiation), it covers rental cars (Nissan factory warranty terms on 2015 are not as clear as language in 2011 regarding loaner cars), there is no deductible if repairs are performed at my dealer, and the coverage terms were written so vague that I can argue almost everything except the traction battery, wipers, and tires are covered. Ultimately, two factors led to my decision to purchase the warranty: I don't have access to Nissan's Consult 3+ computer system which is needed for many repair procedures on the Leaf and I purchased the 2015 with Nissan's 0% interst 6-year financing so I am not paying interest on the price of the warranty.

 

[Firetruck41]

Gerry brings a good point, which is that the cost of the extended warranty from the dealer is negotiable, just like the price of the car. And the fact that the one you were offered is probably a third party warranty (probably more profitable for the dealership), not a Nissan extended warranty. If it is a third party warranty, you can probably do some googling and find a comparable warranty at a more reasonable price (still won't cover much on a Leaf).

 

[PianoAl]

Here's an interesting story:

We bought our Leaf last Friday. The dealer offered us an extended warranty for $2500. I said, "No thanks."

When we were signing the papers, the finance guy offered us the same warranty for $1000.

Two reasons I never buy an extended warranty:

1. They wouldn't offer it if it wasn't profitable to the dealer/company on average. That is, on average, expenses will rarely be more than the cost of the extended warranty. They make money on these, and that's why they push them so hard.

2. An extended warranty is a form of insurance. Insurance should only be used to protect you against a catastrophic expense (like $1,000,000 hospital charges). Insurance is not meant to save you money.

 

[wvleaf]

Great points already made. I don't generally buy these as they are:

- nearly pure profit for the dealer
- don't seem to cover what actually breaks
- the fine print excludes certain items or limits coverage
- 3rd party companies tend to say that you didn't properly maintain the vehicle and it's your fault
- you have to jump through so many hoops to justify and prove you're not at fault and then wait forever for a check, it's not worth the hassle

I would pass or negotiate very hard and FULLY understand what is actually covered.