i have a 2002 acura cl-s w/ 127k miles. i looked into getting an extended warr. and looked into carchecx.

they gave me 2 options.

#1 Alpha Warranty Services for just a powertrain $1464 (no deductible) or

#2 Dimension Warranty Services for a powertrain + hvac + alternator, starter for $1758 ($50 deductible)

This seems like a great way, to keep the CL, and not worry about the tranny dump.

Have you heard about these companies? Used them? Used them for the CL tranny?

 

also, the terms for them were 5yr/100k miles for the powertrain one, and 5yr/150k miles for the powertrain + hvac one.

Just seems "too good to be true"

 

Consumer Reports highly recommends against these types of extended warranties. It sounds like most of the companies are a pain in the ass and find any reason not to pay out when the failure occurs.

 

Are these from the date the coverage begins or the actual mileage on the vehicle? Please read the fine print so you don't get screwed.

 

Not worth it at all. What do you think is gonna go wrong that'll cost you $1400 or $1700 to fix? Even rebuilding the transmission doesn't cost you that much and you will get a warranty with a rebuild anyways so you're covered after that should it happen. Alternator, starter and HVAC repairs aren't gonna cost that much unless something really bad happens to the HVAC system (these vehicles aren't known for any issues related to those types of things).

After market warranties are never worth what they charge. Save your $1400+ for repairs should you need them but the warranty is a waste of money.

 

What are the conditions? And what are those terms? from date in service or date of the warranty start?

 

1. those time/miles numbers are from the date of warr purchase.
2. at any point in time they can deny a claim as a pre-existing condition or if they claim that you have not been keeping up with maint.
3. their payout for a tranny is no more than 2k
4. their payout for a transfer case is no more than 1.5k
5. i'm pretty sure that the tranny rebuild would cost $3,500
6. i've heard of hvac units being almost as much as a tranny depending of course on what is wrong.

 

We only use Western General or Mercury Insurance. Use others at your risk.

 

I think you are referring to mechanical breakdown protection.. which only lasts to 100k from vehicle purchase. I am talking about warr. from time of warr. purchase.

 

Should be able to get the transmission rebuilt for about $1200 at any reputable shop. $3500 is stupidly expensive.

As I said, CLs aren't known for having HVAC issues. Why waste your money on insurance for something thats very unlikely to happen when you could save that money in case it does and likely pay a lot less to resolve the issue.

I've heard enough horror stories with 3rd party warranties that it doesn't make sense to even look into them. As you said, they can deny you for any pre-existing condition (like the fact that the Acura auto trans has a design flaw that causes them to fail at a high rate) or for not keeping up with maintenance. Even one misplaced receipt or forgetting to record mileage or a slightly longer then normal service period can mean they'll deny your claim.

 

BIG NO TO aftermarket warranty... i have expierienced them and i do not want to deal with them anymore...

they dont pay low labor about 50-60 $/hour and they pay usually not for all required labor anyway
they send you their cheap parts
deductible...

you have to pay the difference.

last year i got my ac compressor down... totall was 1200$ i had to pay like half of it.

 

So if the trans costs more then $2K you have to pay the rest?
Then add the $ for the warranty.
Now you tell us.... does that makes sense?

A big no on that warranty. You want a warranty buy a new car or certified pre owned. Warranty are not for cars with 127K miles. BTW did you have the timing belt changed? If not well there's your maintenance neglect.

 

I've thought about that myself. An with the rest of the comments on here I am gonna skip getting this warr.

I did have the timing belt changed. I am also on my second tranny (first one went at 66k)... so I'm getting real nervous since the second is approaching the death clock of the first.

Just dunno what to do about keeping the car or not w/out some kind of warr.
Maybe it costs $1200 to rebuild a 6speed, but based on all the info around these forums its more like $3500 for what would need to get done on mine if it dumped.

Trade in at CarMax is 4k. If the tranny goes, I would just drop it at a junkyard. I don't have the time/energy to private party it. So its either cross my fingers and hope that it keeps running for another 30k when I can then trade it in or just get rid of it now. My second tranny was installed sometime in early 2005. Kind of a big gamble. Either give up a perfectly good car for a pathetic 4k, or don't but then if the tranny goes get zero.

 

Id have to agree with everyone aftermarkets warranties are a bad idea. They will most likely give you a hard time and try to deny coverage of anything claiming pre-existing condition. You would be better spending that money on repairs yourself, or save it for when you need tranny.

 

I would start a trans fund. Take that warranty $ put it in an account & add to it. And if your trans holds up well you got a down payment for a newer car.

 

Funny thing is that I bought a warranty from the dealer when I got my CL two years ago. The warranty lasts for 3 years, I have one year left, and I have yet to actually use any of it... I'm embarrassed to say how much it cost, too. It's funny because that warranty actually DOES cover most anything that could happen to the car.

Bottom line, these cars are reliable enough (aside from the trans, get that out of the way) to where any extended warranty isn't worth it. Like others have said, just set a decent amount of money aside in case anything happens. You'll save money in the long run.

 

LOL, when your tranny goes they can say "its pre-existing condition on your model and year"

 

I agree that the cars are extremely reliable other than the tranny. In the 10 years and 192K miles I have owned the car, other than the tranny and normal wear and tear, I have only replaced the rear view mirror because the auto dimmer feature stopped working and the wiper linkage assembly because the wipers were moving too far. That's it! I do not think it is a wise investment to get an extended warranty.

 

I seen the policies for the above and there are so many restrictions you can hardly get anything covered.

 

Not really there are 4 or 5 different types of coverage levels. Bottom levels = nothing covered.