Extended warranties

popikn
Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:06:04 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

Hi Tom and Ray!

I love your show and I like you very much. You both brighten my Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Heeeeereee is my question: My 2004 Volvo XC90 has 75,000 miles on. I drive it about 42 miles a day for work commuting. I have maintained it rather well BUT, big but, for the last two years each time I take it for service I get an awful call from the dealer telling me they discovered something that must be fixed right away, a matter of life or death, so to speak. One time was the module at the driver’s door. All of a sudden I could not roll my window up and down. $625 later I did. Next, the drains in my sun roof were blocked. The “car belly was saturated with water!” $779. All these happen, mind me, as I take it to the dealer for the normal oil change thing. I dread the dealer’s calls.

But I also hate the prospect of a new car payment. I do not want a new car payment. The dealer told me, if properly maintained, I can drive my Volvo up to 300,000 miles. ( I do not know if the dealer tells the truth)

So, I’m considering an extended warranty: the one I looked in is AAA. The dealer suggested it even though he is not an approved AAA repair facility! Go figure?

So AAA offers a Platinum, Gold and Silver protection plan. I’m looking at the Platinum as I’m sick of paying platinum fees for platinum repairs to the dealer.

The Platinum plan will cost me about $4000 and will buy me 40,000 miles guaranteed with a $100 deductible in a non approved facility (aka my dealer) or $50 in a AAA approved facility.

So what do you suggest? In the absence of an extended warrantee I spend about $1,500 annually to maintain that car.

Thank you so much,

Popikn

26 posts - 10 participants