AcuRane

Hello all,
First post here.
Purchased 2013 RDX (Base model, nothing fancy) about 2 years ago. It is in great condition. Didn't drive it much then, since I had another smaller commuter car; till recently. With the commuter car gone, RDX is going to be the everyday vehicle. I have 31K miles so far on the odometer. It is soon to run out if its manufacturer warranty (end of September 2016). Hence the search for extended warranty. Here're my findings so far:
1. Extended warranties (Acura or 3rd party) are expensive.
2. They may or may not be worth the $$$ you spend getting them.
3. The 3rd party warranties may exclude several items covered by Acura Care and might be difficult to work with.
4. You can shop online for Acura Care warranty.

I have decided to go with Acura Care extended warranty. But here are a few questions I have.
1. If I purchase Acura Care warranty online - will it be accepted at my local Acura dealer? (I have only 2 in the city, one of whom doesn't seem to be much pleasure to work with)
2. Curry Acura Care shows up often during the search. It is Acura Care sold by Curry. I have seen some threads here that talk about them being good & legitimate. Those threads, however are a few years old (2009 and earlier). Any latest thoughts, comments, experiences with regards to buying Acura Care online from Curry?
3. I have also seen some threads talking about Honda/Acura "banning online sales of Extended Warranties". Is that true? Anyone tried or bought extended warranty online lately?
4. I also read another thread here that mentioned buying extended warranty that also included some maintenance fees in it. Pretty much the OP didn't have to pay for any maintenance for a few years that he had purchased the extended warranty for. Anyone have experience about this?

Thanks in advance.

mrgold35

I did on-line purchase of an Acura Care 5yr/120,000 miles extended warranty for my 11 Adv+Ent for $2390 in Dec/14. I purchased from Tim Poliniak, Acura of Peoria in Arizona, 1-866-347-8355, for my extended warranty. I purchased when my basic warranty was still active around Dec/14 and I am covered for another 3 1/2 yrs or until I pass 120,000 miles (I have 80,000 miles now). The ONLY reason for the extended warranty was because of my magnetic struts/shocks. I already had a failure of the fronts at 35K (covered by the basic warranty) and I knew it would cost $800-$1000 per corner if they went out again without a warranty. If it wasn't for the magnetic ride, I would have skipped the Acura Care Warranty.

The prices for the exact same Acura Care warranty are within a few $100 dollars at different on-line dealerships (Tim was the lowest at time of purchase). There are different coverage periods with lower prices depending on length of coverage you need (5/120 was the longest). Purchasing on-line and out of state has the added bonus of zero sales tax (can save you up to $400 depending of local sales tax %). No difference in Acura Care prices for coverage for if you have a fwd RDX base compared to an AWD Adv RDX. The Acura Care will not kick in until the 4/50k basic, 6/70k powertrain, or any extended warranties expires. Acura Care is good at any Acura dealership unless one is too far away. I don't know the procedures and rules for reimbursements if you have an warranty issue and had to take to a Honda, another dealership, or local mechanic?

The only place I know of that your can't purchase on-line/out of state is in Florida. I think you have to purchase local; but, I am unsure about if you already have an existing Acura Care from another state and move there?

I've owned Acuras for +10 years and I don't think I've spent over $1500 on all three vehicles on maint issue outside of the basic, powertrain, extended warranties, and TSB (not counting routine maint like fluids, tires, brakes, battery, wipers, filters, belt/plugs). Items that might have been covered; but, failed after +120,000 miles on the odo were, RDX alternator, RDX driver side door actuator, TSX alternator, replaced RDX struts/shocks, and TSX upper passenger side control arm. I came out ahead not getting Acura Care for my RDX/TSX and those vehicles have about he same tech level or more than your RDX base.

An Acura or 3rd party warranty would really be a "peace of mind" purchase depending on how long you will keep your RDX. I don't think I will get my full value from my Acura Care unless all four corners of my magnetic ride fails in the next 3 years or 40,000 miles.

kipsy

i plugged in your info to the place i go for my extended warranty, but didn't know your state
the 0 deductible is best.
hyannishondacare.com is the site, and should be the cheapest out there when i bought in may 2016.
$0 Deductible Options

Plan Code Years*Mileage*Rate
G28 2 80,000 $890.00
G20 2 100,000$1,005.00
G22 2 120,000$1,100.00
G38 3 80,000$945.00
G30 3 100,000$1,130.00
G32 3 120,000$1,375.00
G48 4 80,000$1,040.00
G40 4 100,000$1,605.00
G42 4 120,000$1,935.00
G58 5 80,000$1,070.00
G50 5 100,000$1,625.00
G52 5 120,000$1,945.00

chickdr

My advice? Take the cash you plan to spend on the extended warranty and put it in a car service account. That way you get use of it weather or not you have problems and there is no fear of being "denied coverage".

Leighton Lee Tyau

I bought a new to me 13 on Sunday myself. I looked into acuracare. My conclusion: for only one year longer than the factory... what's the point? That's a gamble I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose. But the car's only got 30k miles on it now, so I've got 1 year and 10k miles left and 2 years on the power train.

I bought the brand for it's reliability ratings, kind of defeats the purpose if I dump 2k for peace of mind.

Leighton Lee Tyau

Update. I reread the terms. The Acura care starts the day of buying it. But it's still expensive and the miles remain. I'm going to wait until just before the warranty expires and review the options again.

AcuRane

Thank you to each one of you who took time to answer. I am yet to purchase the warranty. All your input has been helpful.
@ kipsy - I looked at hyannishondacare.com and got some good quotes, cheaper than Curry.
@ chickdr - I really like your advice. With not much car repair experience and too many electronics, I live in a constant fear of things breaking down that could be out of my control or expertise/willingness of repair. Thus, making me a good candidate for insurance.
@ mrgold35 - you went great lengths to answer my questions. Thanks. I am the second owner of the car and still live in the same state that I purchased the car in. It is still under basic Acura Care warranty.

I plan to make my decision in next week or so. If anyone else has more to add to this, it might be helpful.

I saw some threads talking about Honda/Acura "banning online sales of Extended Warranties". Is that true? Anyone tried or bought extended warranty online lately?

mrgold35

You can purchase anytime as long as the basic 4yr/50,000 mile warranty is still active. I was at 3 yrs 11 months and 48,000 miles when I made my purchase. Your basic warranty starts when the RDX was 1st purchased off the lot, when a lease was started, or if the dealership make the RDX a daily demo/loaner driver. I called Acura warranty folks to double-check when my MDX was purchased to see when my 4/50,000 would expire and it was leased in Jan/11 and the basic would expire in Jan/15. I would call to double-check your 4/50k basic warranty time and mark that date on the calendar.

chickdr

I hear what you are saying, but even with insurance there is no guarantee they will cover something if it breaks. If you "self insure" with a service account there are no such concerns. You have to remember, the extended warranty companies wouldn't be in business if they paid out more than they took in....

Comfy

Very well said.
If you don't care about the interest rates, a resealable bottle will also work (I mean to put the cash which you are planning to give to the insurance company).

Acc20yrs

AcuRane

All,
After a lot of thought and wonderful input from everyone here, I have decided to not purchase new extended warranty. Thanks for everyone's input and advise.

chickdr

Smart move!!! Especially with a base model you have minimal bells and whistles. I bet you will really be glad you made this decision when the time for the extended warranty runs out and you realize you wouldn't have needed it.