lland

You should be able to do it all over the phone.

If they try to sell you a third party warranty, take a good hard look at it. My dealer tried to sell me one that was "much better" than the Acura Care warranty. I took a copy home and not only was it more expensive, it didn't cover as much and in many cases I would have to pay for the repair and "apply" for reimbursement. A quick internet search turned out a large number of customers who's requests for reimbursement were not honored.

I was a bit disappointed that an Acura deaer would offer (or even be allowed to offer) anything other than an Acura warranty.

LL

miner

True. I had a 3rd party warranty from a AAA bonded company (Warranty Gold) and their adminstator comapny they used misused the funds, went BK which caused WG to go BK. No more 3rd party warranties for me.

krellis

Our dealer recommended an extended warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services, in Deerfield Beach, FL. This company is owned by Jim Moran (owner of Southeast Toyota Distributors and a host of smaller companies.) There were nurmerous complaints about this company and we have since cancelled the warranty. I am applying for an AcuraCare warranty as the terms were better and the price was less. The dealers push these third party warranties as they make more money from them. I believe the AcuraCare from one of the recommended dealers is a better deal.

Kaiserseal

Sorry if this is already in the thread, but it will save you guys some bucks if it is not. I have bought 2 acura and 2 honda factory extended warranties from Curry honda. The guy in charge is named dave (google Curry Honda). They discount them about 40% and give longer terms. He even got my Honda warranty cashed in toward the price of my Acuracare contract. My dealer, Rick Case in Weston Florida was so pissed, Curry will now no longer sell to people in Florida, you have to give an out of state address. The warranty on my 04 RL is 7 years 120,000 miles bumper to bumper. These include roadside.

askus

Thanks, but giving an out-of-state address, when I live and work in Florida and the car is registered in Florida, just doesn't sit well with me. I'd always be scared someone would find out and the warranty would be voided. But to each his own, if it worked for you, that's great.

EnemyWithin

I just purchased the 7yr/100k AcuraCare warranty on a Certified Pre-owned 2006 RL with 15k miles. Price was $880. I normally wouldn't get the extended warranty, but the price seemed reasonable.

stever500

Enemy within: We're about to buy an RL. Your 7 yr warr for $880 - where did you get it and was it a 0$ deductible? That's a great deal. If my math is right, it only adds on 3 yrs so you're prepaying $293 a yr for the extra coverage past warranty? Also, why 7 yr and not the 8 yr?

Steve R

EnemyWithin

Yes, it has a $0 deductible. We got it from Acura of Ocean (in Ocean, NJ). It does add an extra 3 years of coverage. I would have liked the 8 year warranty, but with 15K miles on the car it wasn't an option.

stever500

Thx EnemyWithin: I think we'll go for the 8 yr policy. After driving it again today with my wife, she claims she'll keep it 10 years.

I am so jealous of her ride, now... They said if we buy the 8 yr policy and we sell it in 6 years, we get a prorated refund for the difference. That's really amazing.

Steve R

VPescado

Something to keep in mind when considering the value of the prorate - Although the eight year service contract is really only providing coverage for four years (because the first four years fall under the original warranty), the prorate will be based on the full eight years.

So if you sell the car after six years (which means two years or 50% into the useful life of the contract), you only get back 25%.

In general the prorate returns one-half of what a fair pro-rate should give you back (assuming you cancel it after four years).

VOdoc

True...and my fellow MBAs would add that the value of a dollar tomorrow is less than the value of a dollar today. The "opportunity cost" of money is what you could have made on it had you invested rather than spent it. That rate, together with the rate of inflation, define the "discount rate" that you need to apply to figure exactly how much less that future dollar is likely to be worth. (That's how these companies can afford to give some or all of your money back--and that "float" is one of the biggest factors that made Warren Buffett almost as rich as Bill Gates.)

That said, I bought a 6 year/100K AcuraCare warranty as I plan to keep this beauty past the factory warranty period. I put on 17K miles a year, thus my choices were a bit limited, and that one seemed the optimum for me.

wstr75

At one time I bought extended warranties but I was also driving problematic American cars made in the 1980s and early 1990s. I did not buy an extended warranty for my 2006 RL as it is a poor investment in my opinion. I've got enough money that I can take the risk. I guess if one is living paycheck to paycheck, an extended warranty would be a valid consideration. Thank goodness those days are behind me (and stay behind me!). The thread below is illustrative of why the risk to reward favors not paying for an extended warranty.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4159

GoHawks

It has nothing to do with living paycheck to paycheck.

I spent $1,400 for the extended warranty on my Toyota Land Cruiser. To date the touch screen needed to be replaced at a cost of $5000, yes $5K. Head unit was replaced due to a bluetooth problem ($750), and the rearview camera was replaced at a cost of $900.

Money or not, in this case I came out ahead. Money in my pocket is better than money in theirs, and I still have over 30K milesw left on the warranty.

I spent $1000 for my warranty, and even though I have faith in this car, with all the electronics that exist in these cars, I know I'll come out ahead. The door handles alone cost $00, and we know there are issues with those. I know that I can have them replaced as often as I wish if the situation arises.

wstr75

Hawks, your situation is the exception that proves the rule. You were fortunate to have extended insurance. However, for every case like yours, there's got to be a disportionate number of cases like our fellow RL owner with 148,000 miles before having a major repair. If it were not so, the insurance companies wouldn't be in the business. I respect you for your decision and know that it provides peace of mind. For me, the challenge of seeing if my investment decision works provides considerable mental benefit. I like to think of it as a form of arbitrage. If I lose then I take a big hit. If I win (and the odds favor me winning), then it is something to hang on the wall in my mental locker cabinet. At my age, these kind of mental calistenics are fun exercises and make for great conversations over a beer.

GoHawks

I understand and this is more of a debate. I fully understand the concepts as I have been employed with a major insurance carrier for the past 20 years.

As I mentioned in a previous thread, it depends on wha tyou pay for the warranty. Paying $3,300 (as I was initially quoted) is ridiculous, and I agree with you that your money is best served by saving, and investing it and keeping your fingers crossed. In the interim, if a repair is needed, you pay out of pocket.

Now I was able to negotiate the same warranty down to $1,000. For me it was a no brainer since a $1,000 repair bill can easily occur with all the technology in this car.

I will admit though that for every person like me that gets their warranty for $1,000, there are many more who are paying a substantially higher price. THAT is what makes this lucrative for the issuers of these policies.

tasdisr

GoHawks, I have to say I agree with you.
I have never purchased an extended warranty on a car until now.
I was able to get my 7yr/120k 0 deductible warranty for 1300 and felt it was a good thing to do. As you and so many have stated with all the technology this car
has, a $1000 repair bill could occur very easily.