Just bought a new Liberty CRD and of course I got the usual sales pitch from the business 'manager' about the virtues of an extended warranty, and especially in this case for a diesel. He's trying to sell me the Gold Plus plan because it provides 10 free oil changes over the life of the plan. He told me that he's sure that Chrysler "made a mistake" on this, because oil changes on a diesel are worth $125.00 a pop.
Would anyone care to verify or dispute this? And while we're at it, if you were buying a new Liberty CRD, which extended warranty would be most appropriate for the long haul?
snipped-for-privacy@suckeggs.ca did pass the time by typing:
Call another dealer and ask how much it would be to get an oil change for your Jeep. :)
It all depends on how long you expect to keep the vehicle and how much you want or are willing to do yourself.
Take the basic warranty. Look at bumper-to-bumper and powertrain separately. Electronics usually fail in the first few months of operation then last and last till age eventually causes failure (it's called a bathtub curve) Daily operations like the power door/windows/latches/seats/etc all eventually fail but generally they work for more than ten years even with a lot of use.
For the most part, the electronics that fail can be easily replaced by the average back yard mechanic. The cost isn't cheap but that is the trade you have to make. Pay up-front for the extended plan and hope things break enough that your not out of money, or don't get the plan and hope things don't break. It's a gamble.
If you plan on lifting or modifying the vehicle, check your countries laws. Down South here we have the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act. Dunno if there is a similar one for Canada.
I got the money out of my 7-70 powertrain. Mostly new seals on the transmission, transfer case, CV boots, valve cover, etc. If it broke I had them fix it, no matter how small. :)
Of course it's well past the waranty end now so it's all on me. Good thing I do most of my own work.
Depending on where you live, you might or might not have enough competition to keep the dealers a bit more realistic. Yours is well to the wrong end of the credibility scale.
Local dealers [silicon valley] are charging 24.95 for normal oil + filter changes and will make that synth or synth blend for a few bucks more. For the diesels using 11 quarts of oil, both seem to be charging $59.95 Of course there are oil change places on every street corner and they charge about the same as a dealer...
There are several service plans available for new Jeeps, backed by Daimler Chrysler. Some such as "Maximum Care" even cover the electronic gewgaws that cost an arm and a leg to service. The service departments at the couple local dealers seem to like those for typical owners as they claim it cuts down on hassles of covered versus non-covered repairs. Obviously they are profitable for the company. You would spend less overall if you just paid for repairs using the typical dealer discount adverts...unless you had a repair over the cost of the extended service plan. They are betting your vehicle has average or better reliability--you are betting it doesn't. Like the Vegas casinos, they play the numbers with a house edge.
The Gold Plus is not one of the names of the DC backed plans... avoid third party warranties like the plague.
Of course, if I bought it I'd never see the actual cost. I will call a couple of other Chrysler dealers in the area and get a quote. Thanks to all the others that responded to this post. I still have Canadian Tire Auto Club (sorry, now Roadside Assistance) because it is non-refundable, yet remains attached to the licence plate. With each renewal in January, there is a 'freebie' L.O.F. coupon along with enough $14.95 coupons to last the year when I was changing the oil on my Exploder every 3 months. I will call the CTC service manager and see what kind of a deal we can make with the difference being a diesel. I've dealt there for years. I just might carry on with the CTC thing since it covers a tow up to 250 km, which is better than Chrysler only towing to the closest dealer.
In the meantime, I'm told that I have up to the limits of the basic warranty to still purchase an extended warranty. That's 3/60 along with the 5/100 power train coverage. I'm thinking I'll tell them to take the Gold Plus Plan off the contract on Tuesday BEFORE I give them the rest of the down payment. I'm telling you, this business manager reminded me of one of those guys selling a slicer & dicer at the fair.
Anyhow, I'm glad I found a Jeep newsgroup with a bunch of great people. Thanks again to everyone.
I never buy extended warranties. I figure that I have saved enough money over the last ten years or so, to pay cash for a replacement vehicle, if it comes to that. When I bought my Wrangler twelve years ago, they said, "What will you do if it breaks down?" I don't know the answer to that, because it hasn't broken down yet.
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