While this article deals with extended warranties on home appliances, it may offer some insight into the pitfalls of extended, aftermarket auto warranties. After this couple made the mistake of buying an extended home appliance warranty policy, their second mistake was to believe that the BBB would actually help them when they ran into problems with that policy. Luckily, the newspaper’s Consumer Affairs reporter was able to help them.
I’ve never bought an extended warranty on anything…and I never will. It’s just a very expensive insurance policy.
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Agree completely. These things rarely pay off for the homeowner but they SURE DO pay off for the companies that sell them!
Many years ago, at Best Buy, they wanted to sell me an extended warranty on a small, cheap electronic device (possibly a portable radio??). Anyway, the cost of the extended warranty was as much as the device itself. Ummm… no…
About 20 years ago, I bought a new GE kitchen range from Best Buy, and the salesman tried to convince me to pay for an extended warranty on the soft-touch panel that controls the oven, timer, and oven light. “You know, these soft-touch panels don’t last very long because of their exposure to heat.” Again, I said no, and–guess what?–it’s still working flawlessly, all these years later.
The latest is insurance in case your sewer plugs up and they have to dig up your yard to replace the line. It wasn’t that expensive if I remember but then the odds of ever needing it are really low unless your line is clay and 100 years old and big trees.
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I was doing a little internet research on how to fix a problematic oven. Has anyone else noticed that if you ask Google “wiring diagram for XYZ oven”, it provides a list of almost entirely advertiser sponsored websites these days? And no relevant diagrams? It seems like it used to actually cough up at least some version of the diagram, usually on a non-commercial appliance repair forum website.
That’s not something I’d ever do, but some diagrams are proprietary and held in secret for authorized repair folks. Others are pasted on the back sides of sheet metal panels that you don’t see until disassembly. That was my dishwasher anyway. Ovens last years and years unless the light bulb burns out, the heating element fails, or the circuit board goes. If you bought a new one, would you ever need to buy another? It’s my idea of life cycle costing. Will it outlast me?
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I bought an LCD flat screen TV from Best Buy some 20 years ago. They tried to sell me the extended warranty ($200), claiming that it would cover the cost of replacing the florescent lights (before LED was used). I declined. 10 years later I had to replace the florescent lights. It took me less then 10 minutes at a cost of $5 to replace the light.
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Buy a Hot Wheels from Target and they try to sell a warranty for $3 on each one
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I bought a $59 microwave from Sears. They tried to sell me a $60, two year warranty. I threw it out after 10 years because the finish was coming off the floor.
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I know what you are writing about, Google put the advertises first and then everything else next… But for fun, I performed a search on “wiring diagrams for xyz ovens” and of course up lots of other stuff, but the secret is to click on “IMAGES” under the Search Box. Goggle defaults to the “ALL”.
It then displays actual diagrams, it may not be your “XYZ” diagram, but it will “cough up some version of the diagram…”
As they say, “Try It, You’ll Like It…”
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But then there were times when the insurance might have been useful. I bought a backlit Panasonic TV. The incandescent bulb blew after about 6 months and it was replaced under warranty. The second one blew, again replaced under warranty. The third one blew and the warranty period had expired, but it was stil just a few months old. I called Panasonic and the associate said she could authorize another bulb, but if I would talk to her supervisor there might be another solution. She said that Panasonic no longer made the TV I owned or any other 50” TV and asked if nit would be acceptable to deliver and install a next generation 56” backlit TV at no cost to me. Yeah, that worked. I mention this because in my case I was covered by warranty and the company had so many complaints about my original unit that they provided replacements. Some companies aren’t that honorable. I got lucky.
I usually never buy extended warranties until I bought my scat pack challenger. my code reader will only read codes on this car. most 2018 and all 2019 & newer Dodges use a Secure Gateway Module (SGW).
I also paid $895 for the rim and tire warranty for peace of mind. I think it was 8 years/85k miles. the rims are $1500 each and the tires are probably $250 each. Or maybe I just lost a piece of my mind. 
Interesting, thanks for the link. I can understand the concern an electronic’s hacker might break into a car’s bus system (via a wireless path perhaps) and cause damage, even resulting in an out of control crash. On the other hand, it seems like if a customer has ponied up the purchase price, the diy’er-minded customer shouldn’t be locked out of using their car’s diagnostic system. I don’t see this ending well for diyers.
Just be nice to the check outs and just say no. They have to ask. It’s part of their job. They don’t own company stock and maybe they even get a commission, I dunno, but they don’t push once they ask and you say no thanks.
I did the same thing when I bought my Lexus in November. With the prices for tires and rims, it actually seemed like a good value.
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They can still read fault codes and data, they can’t perform actuator tests or special functions (most people don’t know how to use those). One of the key points of OBDII is to allow easy access to PCM fault codes.
“Unauthorized devices will be allowed read-only or, what Chrysler calls, passive access to the private network. Passive means the ability to read codes and data but does not include the ability to clear DTCs, perform, actuator tests, special functions, ECU configuration, flashing, or module resets on the private side of the network.”
It took how many years before Tractor maker John Deere agreed to give its US customers the right to fix their own equipment. Previously, farmers were only allowed to use authorized parts and service facilities rather than cheaper independent repair options. Deere and Co. is one of the world’s largest makers farming equipment and the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that they signed with The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) only applies to their customers in the United States (the rest of the world be damned…)
Now with that being said, the key point of OBDII that allows easy access to PCM fault codes and prevents “Unauthorized Devices" which only allows read-only or, what Chrysler calls, passive access to the private network; will only Chrysler have the “Authorized Devices” and all the auto repair centers be damned?
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One way to handle this sort of dispute, the car itself provides access to the diagnostic codes. Displayed in a blinking light Morse-code form, or on a dashboard LCD panel display. No need for a code reader. I can understand why a manufacturer wouldn’t want to allow untrained customers turning actuators, memory changes, on and off at will. Some combinations could be dangerous.
Nope. I have access to Chrysler cars through the Secure Gateway and I’m just a plain old mechanic. It does cost money (nothing unreasonable) to have access to a secure network, but nothing worth having in life is free anyway, right?
There’s nothing stopping any independent garage from obtaining and using everything they need to perform factory level service (with a very few exceptions) for their customers. When a shop says they are “locked out” of doing something, it usually means they don’t want to invest in the proper tooling.
And that may not be a bad thing.