Additional warranty coverages.

[gschettl]

I'm wondering if it's worth the extra ~$2,000 for added warranty coverage that is being offered by the Nissan dealership. Has anybody had trouble with their LEAF that was covered by additional bumper to bumper coverages that wouldn't have been covered by the basic Nissan warranty that comes standard with the car? Please let me know your horror stories they are out there. If these cars are proving to be trouble free or at least typical problems are covered under standard warranty I'd likely skip the additional coverages. I don't feel like I need more YEARS of coverage, but might want more % of the issues covered. Thanks. Gary.

 

[garygid]

Are they offering a Nissan, or a Third-Party Extended (or Expanded) Warranty?

What does it cover that the Nissan Warranty does not?

When do you have to purchase it (now, or up to 3 years later)?

If they cannot answer these, then ... it would seem questionable to me.

 

[TimLee]

There aren't any horror stories.
I have 8000 miles, one year, of absolute problem free driving in my LEAF.
Only been in the shop twice. Once for the software update that resolved problems with Carwings communication, and recently for the one year battery check and free complete check.
I did pay for replacement of the cabin filter. It was really dirty and had picked up some contaminants that was occasionally causing strong odor when parked outside in hot summer sun.
I did buy a Nissan extended warranty when I bought the vehicle, mainly out of concern of what maintenance cost might be of major electrical component such as the on board charger or the inverter.
But is strictly a guess as to whether that will be a smart financial move.
I don't think there is any data to know whether there will be longer term maintenance costs to justify buying additional warranty coverage.

 

[Herm]

You can buy a Nissan 96 month bumper-to-bumper extended warranty for about $1200 IIRC, from another Nissan dealer that is willing to deal.. that dealer does not have to be in your state and you dont have to buy the warranty right now... but they will require an inspection if you delay it. It does not necessarily have to be the same dealer you bought the car from.

Use the search function for extended warranty, I believe Santa Monica Nissan is the dealer offering good deals.

BTW, I think its a good idea if you plan to keep the car past 3 years, lots expensive new parts in the Leaf besides the battery..note that it still does not cover battery wear & tear degradation, nor tires, brake pads or windshield wiper wear.

The Leaf uses some components not found in any other Nissan.. such as the inverter, motor, electric AC compressor, electric heater, electro-hydraulic brake master cylinder and the electric emergency brake.. probably past $15k in parts alone

 

[RegGuheert]

If these cars are proving to be trouble free or at least typical problems are covered under standard warranty I'd likely skip the additional coverages. I don't feel like I need more YEARS of coverage, but might want more % of the issues covered. Thanks. Gary.

I bought the extended Nissan waranty for about $1200. I wanted it for the additional years and miles.

Frankly, I'm not sure it gives you much of anything extra during the first three years, as nearly everything is covered during that period already.

My main motivation was coverage of the EV components past 5 years and 60,000 miles.

Battery coverage is not affected by the extended warranty since you cannot extend past 8 years and 100,000 miles on the LEAF.

 

[QueenBee]

Definitely consider getting a Nissan extended warranty.

Generally a good idea to stay away from the third party warranties and stick with the plans offered directly by Nissan. Generally do NOT buy the warranty from the dealer at the time you buy your car. Their BEST employee price is generally going to more expensive than what you can buy it online from other Nissan dealers. If you bought it already at a dealer consider your options for returning it and buying it from an online dealer. You can buy the extended warranty as long as your car is still covered under the original warranty but may require a trip to the dealer to make sure everything is OK. Literally expect to pay ~50% of what your dealer is charging you if you buy it online.

 

[baronvonshush]

Santa Rosa Nissan is the dealer that was selling genuine Nissan warranty contracts online. Typically their prices were much cheaper than what a dealership would offer a new customer at the time of purchase. We used this to our advantage during negotiations, getting our dealer to match Santa Rosa's price (the dealer initially offered about 3 times that - yeah, right!). If that doesn't work, you can buy directly from Santa Rosa; don't believe your dealer's lies if they say you must purchase the warranty at the time of delivery or not at all.

They used to have prices listed on their website, and you could easily get all warranty options listed on one page with prices. Now it seems you have to give them some contact info to get a quote, which is too bad. So I don't know if their prices are still as good.

http://nissansantarosaservicecontracts.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cracovian]

Just buy it right before your 3/36K coverage expires. It doesn't make sense to buy it before then. I'll probably do it myself.

I bought max Toyota coverage for my Sienna in GA from some dealer in Idaho for $800, the same contract that was selling for $2K elsewhere.

 

[Stanton]

I bought the Nissan extended warranty (see sig) because I thought that NO ONE (but Nissan) would be able to work on these cars for a few years. I don't typically buy extended warranties (and I probably won't do it for a car again), but I don't regret it as I thought it was a fair price (about $800) and I knew I wanted to keep my Leaf as long as I could.

 

[gschettl]

Thanks for all your warranty comments. I'm new to the forum but found this all very helpful, especially the link to Santa Rosa's extended warranty quote site. Gary.

 

[KayserNissan]

Without going into *exact* cost. $1200 for a 96month 100k warranty with a $100 deductible is VERY fair. That warranty retails for just shy of $2200.

If you want opinions on the pricing, terms, length let me know

 

[fberknm]

FYI,

I just went to the Santa Rosa link left here and went through their online quote system for the warranty. Within two minutes I received a schedule of price quotes for the various Gold Preferred Nissan warranties (39 - 96 months, 49k - 100k miles). The most expensive option of 96 months and 100K miles was a shade over $1,100.00

Simple online purchase process.

Thanks for the advice. It was very helpful.

F

 

[TonyWilliams]

If you buy the warrantee now, and subsequently want to get a refund (your car gets sold, stolen, totaled, etc), you will likely get a prorated refund (when you specifically apply).

Therefore, I absolutely do not recommend buying the warrantee until the 36,000 miles / 3 year Nissan warrantee is near its expiration. The same theory holds for making a down payment on a lease. If the car is stolen or totaled while driving off the lot, all that down payment is lost.

Obviously, the situation would be far greater for a purchase.

 

[edatoakrun]

If you buy the warrantee now, and subsequently want to get a refund (your car gets sold, stolen, totaled, etc), you will likely get a prorated refund (when you specifically apply).

Therefore, I absolutely do not recommend buying the warrantee until the 36,000 miles / 3 year Nissan warrantee is near its expiration. The same theory holds for making a down payment on a lease. If the car is stolen or totaled while driving off the lot, all that down payment is lost.

Obviously, the situation would be far greater for a purchase.

"...The same theory holds for making a down payment on a lease. If the car is stolen or totaled while driving off the lot, all that down payment is lost..."

IIRC, this statement is incorrect, in most cases. Do confirm your coverage terms with your insurance company, if you want to put down a large payment.

Aren't current lease rates so low, there's now no real reason make a down payment larger than the minimum, in any case?

 

[QueenBee]

If you buy the warrantee now, and subsequently want to get a refund (your car gets sold, stolen, totaled, etc), you will likely get a prorated refund (when you specifically apply).

Therefore, I absolutely do not recommend buying the warrantee until the 36,000 miles / 3 year Nissan warrantee is near its expiration. The same theory holds for making a down payment on a lease. If the car is stolen or totaled while driving off the lot, all that down payment is lost.

Obviously, the situation would be far greater for a purchase.

"...The same theory holds for making a down payment on a lease. If the car is stolen or totaled while driving off the lot, all that down payment is lost..."

IIRC, this statement is incorrect, in most cases. Do confirm your coverage terms with your insurance company, if you want to put down a large payment.

Aren't current lease rates so low, there's now no real reason make a down payment larger than the minimum, in any case?

Tony, do they prorate it from the date you buy it or the date it really takes effect (36,000 / 3 year)?

edatoakrun, it has nothing to do with your insurance company. In fact if you are paying your insurance company more for gap insurance you should call and cancel that since the LEAF lease includes gap insurance. The issue is that the lease is worded such that if your car is totaled you can not buy the car/pay off the lease, all insurance proceeds go to NMAC, and any difference in your payoff relative to what insurance pays is absorbed by Nissan. That works great if you owe more than the car is worth BUT if you owe less than the car is worth (Which most people did initially, and would if they made large down payments/additional payments) then NMAC keeps that.

Read the terms of the lease...

 

[SteveInSeattle]

I purchased a Nissan contract from Santa Rosa Nissan. I wouldn't pay $2K, but for what they charge I thought it was worth it.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Tony, do they prorate it from the date you buy it or the date it really takes effect (36,000 / 3 year)?
...

That's why I said to not buy it until you are close to the end of the Nissan included warranty. When you buy it, it "takes effect" then, officially concurrent with the normal Nissan warrantee until that expires.

Yes, it's a little slimy, but so many car deals are, IMHO.

 

[QueenBee]

Tony, do they prorate it from the date you buy it or the date it really takes effect (36,000 / 3 year)?
...

That's why I said to not buy it until you are close to the end of the Nissan included warranty. When you buy it, it "takes effect" then, officially concurrent with the normal Nissan warrantee until that expires.

Yes, it's a little slimy, but so many car deals are, IMHO.

Wow, that's surprising. I hadn't actually thought of that since common sense would dictate otherwise. Another reason why it's a very bad decision to buy it at the time of purchase (Besides the most obvious that the experiences I've had is that the dealership is charging outrageous amounts over what it costs for the same exact thing online. Plus the obvious benefit of not having to pay for the warranty for nearly 3 years, although I guess the cost of the warranty could go up during that time frame...

Thanks for sharing this very important detail.

 

[laalan]

Geico insurance.. the Gecko folks allow you to extend the warranty for 7 years 100,000 miles for about $60 per year fee subject to a $250 deductible. Yes, it does have to start at year one, but the long term cost is quite a bit below any other option. I have this on my LEAF as well as ICE vehicles.

Geico is competitively priced and this is another incentive to stay with them

 

[cracovian]

Geico is $200/year more than Progressive for me (identical coverage), so it only pays if they happen to be the lowest quote which they are not anymore.