Mr. Airport

I am curious to know if and when does the extended warranty become a sensible purchase, if at all. I am about to take ownership of a TLX and plan to keep it at least 7 years, should I consider getting the extended warranty?

Also the "finance manager" pushed and pushed the car care package, touting its benefits of a detailing every 6 months, and the paint protection coating, which I hear is a load of crap and I can buy a solution and do it myself.

What would some seasoned owners recommend in both of these cases? If protecting the paint myself, what products should I buy, and can they be purchases at my local auto parts store? The "every 6-months" detailing seems to be appealing to me for the interior as I am a bit of a slob and my current car looks like a meth-lab exploded.

Quandry

There are so many factors involved that there is no simple answer. Every situation is different. Consider the extended warranty this way. Whoever is selling it will make money on the deal if you write the car off, sell it and do not tranfer the warranty, never make a claim, or file a claim that they can reject.

As a buyer you are ahead if you have to make a claim and the total of all your claims is more than what you paid for the warranty. Unfortunately, it feels like the extended warranty is not priced like insurance but in reality it is cheaper, and hopefully you will never need it.

So it comes down to how lucky you are, how hard you drive the car, and how much mileage you put on the clock.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

IMHO only...I have never bought an extended warranty for a Honda product and I've been lucky enough not to regret that decision.

Pay a local detailer every 6 months. It will still be cheaper than what is being sold.

NBP04TL4ME

Just remember you can cancel and get a prorated refund if and when you need/want.

Syzygy

Personally, I never buy the extended warranty. I laughed at my Lexus dealer when he tried to sell me an extended warranty right after showing me how they are number 1 for reliability. I remember reading recently that Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus owners were the least happy with their extended warranty purchases because most of them never used it.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

One thing to note - you can purchase an extended warranty from any Acura Dealer (and you can do so after you purchase the car) so if you want one it would be worth your time to make a few calls before committing to whatever price your finance guy is offering.

What do they want for the detailing service and what exactly do you get for it?

Mr Hyde

This. Besides, with a local detailer, they will customize their packages based on your needs, and desires. With the newer coatings out there like Opticoat, Pinnacle black diamond, or CQuartz, 1yr+ between details would be easy if you use some care while washing your car. (i.e. no automatic car washes)

For the warranty, it's what you are comfortable with. Years ago people bought warranties for the engine, tranny, etc, but now you have smart cruise control, ventilated seats, and integrated DVD entertainment systems to worry about in modern cars, and those are most likely going to be the issue more than anything else.

NBP04TL4ME

And those items aren't likely cheap either.

ITdude

One big thing to know before you purchase a warranty is what time and mileage will work best for you. There are a lot of different combinations. Also give thought to how much coverage you want. Generally you can go from basic powertrain coverage, all the way up to plans that cover maintenance.


The cost of a warranty is often negotiable. It doesn't hurt to ask for a discount.


I generally don't buy the extended warranties, but did on my 2008 TL with Navi. I ended up having issues with my navigation system after the basic warranty expired, so the extended warranty paid for itself.


If you use it just once, you will think it was worth it. If not, then it was a waste of money.

Rocketsfan

I tend to keep my cars for a long time, so this is only the 4th car I've ever owned. I had bought an extended warranty on my first 3 cars and although I did end up using the warranty in some cases, the warranties didn't end up paying for themselves. I wasn't going to buy an extended warranty for my TLX based upon this experience. However, somewhere after I purchased the car, I talked myself into buying a 6 yr/120,000 mile warranty. lol. What made me (possibly erroneously) re-think my decision to not buy it was I just started thinking about all the new radar, headlights, cameras, navigation, P-AWS, transmission, etc., the car has. Based upon this and the fact I could pretty easily afford the warranty, I just talked myself into buying the extended warranty. We'll see if it pays off. Even if it doesn't, I can sleep at night.

NBP04TL4ME

It's like an insurance policy. You only need it when you need it. We had one on our MDX and we made out like bandits. Two torque converters, one door lock actuator, one HFL unit, a couple of dashboard lights and one accessory belt pulley all under AcuraCare extended warranty.
I have one on my TLS and haven't broken even yet. Just a couple of side view mirrors so far, but am going to push for replacement of my compliance bushings.

FredS

As mentioned here you can buy the extended warranty anytime as long as it is still under the factory warranty and any dealer. I bought my 2010 RL with 25,000 miles and live in North Carolina. I bought over the phone my extended warranty from Bernardi Acura in Boston. Negotiated to a point that she would not go lower and had her throw in a $100 gift card for parts.

NBP04TL4ME

I can also vouch for Bernardi as this is where I have bought several extended warranties. They do have good competitive pricing on parts too, but tend to get some of that back on the shipping charges (IMO).
Another member here on AZ is a big fan of extended warranty pricing offered by Saccucci Honda in Rhode Island. And one other one to check out is Hyannis Honda. All three of these are brick and mortar dealers here in MA or RI and all sell Honda and Acura extended warranty contracts.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Our AcuraZine vendors also sell warranties.

jjsC5

Every time you buy a product that offers an extended warranty, put the amount of money the warranty would have cost in a jar. Whenever any of those products needs repairs use the money in the jar. When you die, your heirs will be very happy you did. Think about it. Thats how the extended warranty companies are in business and profitable.

NBP04TL4ME

Absolutely correct Potential buyers need to do their due diligence.

ceb

I've bought a handful (maybe more) of warranties from Saccucci and used one one time - but it paid off quite a bit more than the cost of the warranty.

If unused and unexpired, you can get a pro-rated refund. I've gotten a significant portion back for warranties when I sold the car prior to the expiration of the original warranty.

Saccucci also gives you a deal on the pre-paid maintenance ($850 for 48/60k when I last bought it) which makes your life easier if you normally do dealer maintenance - no need to look for coupons or call around to different dealers. It also is an incentive to have your servicing done on time. I don't know if the other online dealers do the maintenance discounts.

While you can get an extended warranty at any time while your car is under the manufacturer's warranty, it is cheapest if you buy it when you have less than 6k miles on the car.

Get a quote from Saccucci and see if your dealer will match the price - but make sure that you are getting the Acura warranty and not a 3rd part one.

As far as the paint protection packages are concerned, they are pure crap and cost the dealers about $25.

Don't consider buying anything but the extended warranty from the dealer (if they match the Saccucci/Bernardi/Curry/Hyannis prices). If you decide that you want GAP protection then get a quote from your insurance company - they are often much cheaper.

miner

^They are profitable because they invest what you pay for the waranty withhopes they will get a 75% ROR on the investment. I have owned Honda products since 1981 (CRX was first purchase). All with warranties and all have paid for themselves. Nowadays it does not take much for an $1800 repair bill, especially with all of the electronis in the cars these days.

NBP04TL4ME

ceb - you are the "another member" I was referring to above, but just didn't specifically name you -

Exactly -

Jmark

For what it's worth Acura extended warranty is relatively cheap compared to others.

This is a new model car, so I say go for the extended warranty as it won't take much to pay for itself. Add it to the price of the car and see if you still think the total price is worth it.

I bought extended warranty on my TL and it wasn't until year 5 I started have some electrical issues. Was in the shop many days trying to pin down the problem, which finally turned out to be a simple faulty relay. But I didn't have to pay a dime for all that time it took to figure out the problem. I dont know if the warranty fully paid for itself but I sure was happy when it was determined I was covered. I do know the first visit cost $500+ as they didn't think the issue was a warranty item. I had to show them in the warranty brocher that signal lights not working properly was indeed covered.

Electrical issues are the worse as it can take a crazy amount of time to find the real issue. My car was back in the shop at least 5 times before it was resolved. The Mechnic was at wits end as he had replaced several switches already and the problem persisted.
Out of ideas and frustrated he finally googled the issue and found the TSX was having a similar issue that was resolved by replacing a $5 relay. Turns out this relay had a few manufactures and only one part # the car HAD to have the one built by xyz company only.
Bingo problem solved !

Mr. Airport

The detailing covers repairs on leather for any scratches, marks, normal wear and tear. Full exterior and interior cleaning every 6 months, I cant remember exactly how much they wanted for the detailing.

whatmeworry

I normally would never buy extended warranties.

But I bought it because

1. It's the first generation TLX
2. brand new transmission
3. It has a lot of New electronics
4. It has more electronics parts than my PC
5. From my previous repair on my other Acura, sometimes the electronics modules are not cheap.
6. These new jewel eyes looks great but I don't know how long they last and each light I don't think is replaceable like the old style. They cost about 1400 per side.
7. The extended warranty not that expensive considering it will keep me covered for at least 7 years.
8. I am a Pessimist

kurtatx

I think that's reasonable for piece of mind, honestly. I'm new to Honda (Acura), so I went with a warranty I probably didn't need, but I plan on keeping my TSX for a long time.

NBP04TL4ME

Seems reasonable and sound to me.

Tonyware

Car care package? You mean let the dealer wash my car? Are you kidding me? No way.

+1 to whatmeworry for the summary and common sense logic.