Has anyone needed their extended warranty?

This was the first car I bought new with a warranty and I actually got an extended 10 year all-parts warranty because I didn't want to worry about anything. I wish I hadn't. A warranty is just dealing with an insurance company and they treat you the same way. They are very particular about what they will cover and why. For example, I just had the condenser replaced and Honda paid for it because of the service bulletin, but when they were troubleshooting where it was coming from, the warranty company said they wouldn't pay for the freon and dye to figure out where the leak was coming from, just the part and some diagnostic labor. So I then very carefully read the contract and realized that since I've been doing my own maintenance and logging it, but not the receipts, if I have engine failure that could be argued to be related to maintenance, well, they won't cover it...and I can't cancel the contract because I'd have to travel 2000 miles to the dealer I originally got it from to rescind it! And I can't even find a service manual for this car...warranties feel like scams that leverage your fears of something going wrong when really we should just be buying things we can afford to fix or replace...

I'm probably never going to buy another car new and no extra warranties. Older cars that are easy to fix and have service manuals are just fine by me...

 

Amen!

 

Per the contract, it can be canceled after 60 days, for a pro-rated refund, by sending the contract and a Cancellation Request Form to “your dealer”. It appears that you do not need to be physically present to do this.

Additionally, the ACC issue that you are experiencing, would be a covered item under the VSC, should you be able to get the problem to present itself to the dealer. It may be worth the effort to have the issue properly diagnosed before you begin throwing time and money at the problem.

Alternatively, you could preform a hard reset by disconnecting the 12V battery and then allow the system to power up and wait for the warnings to clear. That procedure has resolved a number of issues in the past.

 

In a perfect world we wouldn’t be telling other people what they should or shouldn’t buy with their own money.

Some folks buy a new car just prior to the expiration of the factory warranty. In all likelihood, such a person would have the resources to afford to fix or replace what they bought. However, they’ve eliminated the burden entirely by purchasing something that they won’t have to pay to fix.

All these decisions are personal choices that each individual makes based on their situation. One decision doesn’t necessarily make a different decision a poor choice.

 

@Landshark

I wish you were right, but my CNA contract states that I have to go to the dealer and have a signed "affidavit" that the dealer has to witness and submit to the warranty company...that's 2,000 miles away and I doubt the dealer would be willing to help me do this over the internet, but maybe, I don't know...just sharing my thoughts on the thread (I might give that a shot).

Also, I was sharing my thoughts. When I said "we" I was just talking generally...you can do whatever you want, I'm not going to try and stop you or judge you (that would be hypocritical anyway)...

Also, I forgot to mention that I also had a 3 year warranty for tires (when I bought the car) that the company wouldn't honor. Reason being that I had sidewall damage and the dealer wanted to charge me for "two" tires so they would have matching tread depth, but the warranty would only cover one and the tire was ~$500. So...I got a "used" tire of the same make and specs that matched the tread depth of the other tire for ~$50 and paid a mechanic under the table $20 to replace and balance it (because by law you can't put used tires on a customer's car because of liability stuffs I didn't really want to get into). And behold, the warranty company wouldn't pay me the $50 because I didn't send them an estimate first...even though this was going to cost them ~$450 less anyway...

 

Is the CNA contract actually an “all-parts warranty” as you stated? Why did you choose to buy that contract rather than the Honda Care contract? Was it the sales pitch from the finance department?

I may be jumping to conclusions, but it appears that your dissatisfaction with the vehicle contract and the tire warranty, stem from a misunderstanding of the coverage provided and the claim filing process. It’s imperative to understand these contracts before voluntarily agreeing to them.

 

I have a 120k mile Honda Care warranty and have used it several times. All of the repairs I had done were fairly minor but I believe the cost I paid for the warranty has already been surpassed.

 

I had the good fortune of finding these forums immediately upon purchasing Clarity. My local dealer is (AFAIK) stinky. Stinky-ness aside, they also simply knew almost nothing about the Clarity which forced me to research on my own (maybe why I started visiting the forums). But yes, in every instance, the advice I've gotten in these forums is by far better than the dealer. Anyway, it was these forums that clued me into the possibility of buying the HondaCare warranty at a reasonable price from an out of state dealer. It would not of occurred to me to buy HondaCare out of state without these forums. And yep, even my "stinky" dealer is forced to honor it.

My intent is not to rub it in, quite the contrary. I have a lot of heart for everyone especially when someone is miss treated. But I think its important to note (as others have) that there is a version of the Honda warranty (HondaCare) that may be had at a reasonable cost, is refundable (pro-rated) and transferable. And of course, to each their own.

Last note, actual price paid was $1550. This for the $0 deductable, 120K miles, and 8 years.

 

I was a sucker. Never bought a new car before. Didn't understand the process. Thought I found a good dealer that wouldn't try and screw me. I had no idea HondaCare was even an option. I asked the for the "all-parts" warranty in case the expensive battery died before ten years were up. They handed me the contract and I had to read the whole thing and I was kind of confused and not too concerned because I didn't know better...I mean it's my fault, but I'll also never buy a warranty ever again and probably not a new car either. It is all-parts, but they won't pay for things like freon, brake fluid, engine oil, even if those have to be replaced to change a part. It also says they reserve the right to use refurbished parts and not new ones. The tire warranty was from a very scummy company that is pretty much set up as a scam warranty. They had horrible reviews online, where they would do everything to get out of paying a legitimate claims. It could be something silly like you waited more than 30 days to file your claim or they can argue that you "could" be lying about something, so they won't cover you.

I just wish buying a car wasn't so anxiety provoking where you have to worry about how much your dealer is going to screw you. I'm also the type of person that has trouble with eye-contact and probably have some mild form of autism, unfortunately, so that doesn't help. I'm not trying to have prolong conversations and stuff with strangers, so rapport is hard.

But whatever. I know it's my fault, but this kind of thing turns me away from buying from a dealer. I probably won't ever again, but maybe they don't care about. There's always new suckers being born anyway.

 

Yeah, if you yourself are honest, it is often difficult to see through another person's dishonest intentions. My experience has been that being trustworthy is worth more than money. But yes, sometimes one does lose money.

 

I do agree with @squishycans that buying a new car is anxiety provoking, unless you get a lux brand like audi, bmw, benz,lexus,etc. I was screaming and yelling when I bought a Dodge, and my 2 Hondas. I was nice and calm when I bought my Bimmer and VW. Lux brand usually won't try to beat every nickel and dime out of you. Both Hondas I brought from 2 different dealers all added 'junk' like door edge protection, paint strips, etc and charge me for it. 1 even try to sell me Nitro filled tires for $100. (you can get that for free at Coscto).
Back to warranty. I once bought mechanical coverage for my car from Geico. It was like $100 for a year and a $100 or $200 deduct. You can go anywhere you want. The repair place will call them up get approval and Geico rep will give them a CC number to charge the repair to minus the deduct.

 

Add Tesla to that list. No-haggle price online, order and pay online, pick up the car with zero pressure. Hopefully that presages a future without the extreme aggravation that nearly comes with a trip to a dealer.

 

The battery is covered under warranty for 8-10 years. There’s no need for an additional warranty. Likewise, there’s no need for an additional warranty for the first 3 years/36,000 miles.

Mark Twain said: “Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”

You may want to take your recent experience as an opportunity to be prepared for the next anxiety riddled encounter. We recently watched a documentary about anxiety, and a Buddhist Monk said that he welcomed anxiety in. The general message was that life without anxiety would be quite boring. Learning to recognize, accept and respond appropriately to anxiety is the goal.

Buying a car can be stressful. Even the haggle free approach, which simply means that you agree to pay full price, suggests that you are powerless to negotiate a better deal. You’ve just been screwed in advance rather than in the showroom.

Yesterday, I bought a timer to use in combination with a Thermo-cube for a brooder lamp in a chicken coop. The choices are unbelievable. Mechanical, digital, Bluetooth, WiFi, Alexa compatible, smartphone apps. My head nearly exploded. I opted for the mechanical version.

The luxury brand theory falls apart in my experience as well. That includes an Audi and a Volvo. The online process still involves making decisions, which can cause anxiety. It’s just relocating the stress from a salesman’s office to your home.

Of course, we’re wildly off topic, which is, have those of us who have made the decision to purchase a VSC, despite the wisdom bestowed upon us by those who have decided not to buy a VSC, been in a situation where the contract was utilized.

 

Nice points Landshark. I'd add, that at least for me, I bought the 8 year very intentionally. If they sold a 10 year I would of bought it.
Of course, we all know more failures the longer time passes, and Honda is essentially unwilling to give us extended warranty out that far.

My point just being none of us have a Clarity that is older than 5-6 years yet. And I really like the car so wanting to hold on to it (if I can). Longer period of use makes the per-month cost go down provided not paying expensive repair bills at the same time.

 

I read the contract and knew that clause was included but I wanted the dealer to reaffirm that it was excluded. Interpretation is subjective. I put the burden on them. The dealer had no clue.

 

A list of parts, followed by the words “are specifically excluded from coverage” doesn’t leave much to be interpreted. But then, I’m not a politician or a lawyer, so I may qualify as a reasonable person.

 

Did the dealer repair/replace a non covered part out of sheer ignorance or are they still waiting to charge you a diagnostic fee before telling you that the part isn’t covered?

What’s the expected outcome of putting the burden of discovery on the dealer?

 

If a Honda dealer does not read or understand what is covered under their company’s own warranty, “seller beware.” They should have known and not trick their customer into paying $125.00. If you and I found the provision in the contract POSSIBLY covering thus situation, Honda could too with a little effort. It is the dealers responsibility to at least make an effort. And not say it was “50/50” proposition whether it was covered if it was a 100% probability it was excluded in the contract as you allege. In fact the dealer told me that they would have to take the mirror apart to diagnose the cause. Next time I am at the dealer, I am going to insist on specificity on what would be covered since he insisted it was 50/50.

 

Just want a straight answer from the dealer. He said it was 50/50! Obviously ambiguous…
What Is the Contra Proferentem Rule?
The contra proferentem rule is a legal doctrine in contract law which states that any clause considered to be ambiguous should be interpreted against the interests of the party that created, introduced, or requested that a clause be included. The contra proferentem rule guides the legal interpretation of contracts and is typically applied when a contract is challenged in court.

 

Here’s another challenging question for you. Are you willing to take the matter to court in order to determine whether or not the wording in Sec IV, A, 3 is considered to be ambiguous?