Anyone Have The Lifetime Chrysler Corp. Warranty?

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Been thinking about getting the Maxcare lifetime warranty for my 2016 Challenger. The Hemi/6 speed seems to be a reliable combination, but it's all the little stuff I worry about when it gets older. Best price for $100 deduct is $2965. Thanks.
 
Keep in mind that their definition of lifetime most likely differs from yours. EG: Hypothetically speaking, lets say 20-25 years from now you need a transmission, and the cost of the rebuilt unit is $4,000, and book value on the vehicle is $3,000. You'll get a check for $3,000 and your warranty ends. That applies to any covered part, if the cost of the repair exceeds the value of the vehicle. Some people actually think they'll be covered until death does them part from their vehicle. I'm driving a 30+ year old van now, if I throw a rod with a lifetime warranty I'd get book value of the van, which isn't much. And no if the vehicle is a pristine classic, it isn't going to help you any.
 
My cousin has this on his Jeep Liberty and it was worth purchasing.

I know you can purchase most warranties outside of the dealership for half the cost of what the dealer gets so consider that as well.

Most people do not keep the car long enough to make the warranty worthwhile, thats why they sell them so hard.

But Chrysler isn't known for top reliability, so take that into consideration also and consider what the factory warranty offers.
 
It was explained to me that they will perform the repair that exceeds the value of the vehicle, but that is the end of the warranty.
 
My questions would be what's required to keep the warranty? Dealership services, inspections, etc? If so what do those cost? What's covered under the warranty? The electronics are what I'd be worried about long term with all the CAN bus and 1553 bus architecture running everything in the car. The mechanical bits should be reliable long term and I'd suspect that short of a major mechanical failure the electronics are where you'd benefit from the warranty.

Basically all warranties are betting that you're going to have a failure that exceeds the cost of the warranty and the warranty provider betting that you won't. The warranty provider hedges their bet by making stipulations such as required inspections that you must pay for out of pocket to maintain your warranty. Which in turn add to the cost of the policy over time.

When I had my Z06 Corvette I purchased a GM Major Guard warranty to cover me for mechanical and electrical issues. Never ended up needing it for anything after the factory warranty expired and I was able to sell the warranty back to GM when I sold the car. I paid about $2,200 for the warranty and got $1,750 back when I soldier the car to CarMax before I left on deployment.
 
Originally Posted By: AVB
It was explained to me that they will perform the repair that exceeds the value of the vehicle, but that is the end of the warranty.


I'd double check the fine print to be sure. Any extended warranties we ever sold would pay book value of the car if the repair exceeded the value of the car, and the warranty would end at that time. Unless it varies by mfg. or things changed in two years, which I don't think happened. When I bought my 2016 Rubicon I was chatting with the F&I manager, and the Max-Care [or whatever Chrysler called it] warranty he was pitching was set up exactly the way I described. Then he gave me the whole cock and bull story about book value, etc. I laughed and asked for the keys.
 
I have one on my Jeep. to many potential high price electronics, quadra lift suspension, zf 8spd etc to not spend 2k to insure it.

nothing special required other than std maintenance, ie oil changes, plugs at 100k etc

bought at local cdjr store, know the owner, servic manager and couple of freinds are techs, no issue getting the warranty work done, scene a lot of high mile maxcare work done when visit my freinds.
 
Probably worth it if you know for sure you will drive it till its last days.
 
Extended warranties are some of the biggest wastes of money out there. Read the fine print very, very carefully.

You'd be much better off setting that money aside into something like a low cost mutual fund. I use Vanguard LifeStrategy.
 
Was $2965 their final offer? That seems high, especially with a $100 deductible. If you really want it, work the price down first if possible. I know I reluctantly bought one with my 2016 Nissan Quest, that was a previous rental with 32K miles on it when I bought it. I figured with the CVT trans, power doors and all the power options, it was worth the waste of cash. Their price was over $3000 for 5yrs or 120K on the ODO. I got them down to just under $2000.
 
My mom has an extended warranty on her 2012 Patriot. So far it's been so worth it. It's had the following replaced: A/C compressor, alternator (was actually a CVT whine that a flush fixed), lower control arms, struts & strut mounts, throttle body, blend door actuator, and an a/c leak fixed. Powertrain warranty arrange covered the oil pan and timing chain cover gasket to be resealed.

Warranty runs out next April so I'll be checking it over before then.
 
Didn't get one on my Liberty and it wouldn't have paid off. Didn't get one on my LR3, wouldn't have paid off.

On a 2016 you should have 5 years/100,000 miles powertrain. Get a feel for it, if it feels like it's solid I wouldn't bother, but if it's been problematic I'd get it.
 
When we bought our Caravan brand new in Sept. 2007, the economy was just starting to tank and Chrysler was offering a lifetime powertrain warranty. I thought that's what you meant by the title of this thread.

We are / have been required to have a "check up" every 5 years.

I've been waiting for a reminder to show up in the mail as we're about to hit the 10 year mark...
 
I had looked into this once before and I was surprised to find that you can purchase this from any Chrysler dealer, it does not have to be the dealer you purchase the vehicle from and it does not have to be at the time of purchase. Most people don't think about this because you get hit with it at the financing portion of the deal but you can actually shop the warranty around just like you shop around for a vehicle. I had found one Dodge dealer in particular that was known for selling these warranties for good prices - don't recall the info but search around if you want the coverage- might as well get the best deal you can.
 
Ford actually allows their dealers to advertise their extended warranties on the web. Consequently there is close to the bone pricing out there from the discounting dealers.

The most comprehensive, longest Ford warranty, 8years 150k is close to the price mentioned. So the price seems OK.

I'd say that the real risk is whether Fiat is around in a form to honor the warranty 8-10 years out.
 
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer

I'd say that the real risk is whether Fiat is around in a form to honor the warranty 8-10 years out.


^^^ This. This month's sales have not been especially nice to FCA, especially the ex Chrysler brands.

Chrysler sales -33%
Dodge sales -2%
Jeep -15%
Ram -2%
FCA total -11%, down 8% for the entire year (Source: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2017/09/us-auto-sales-brand-rankings-august.html )

That along with being the least financially stable of the big 3 makes me wonder how long they will be around to honor the warranty. I'd pass and self-insure.
 
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Thanks for the advice, people. After thinking about it, I will more than likely self-insure. The Hemi-Tremec combination has a reputation dependable enough to reasonably ensure it will last for a long time.
 
Originally Posted By: ammolab
Put three grand in a CD/Bank/etc and spend from that if you ever need it. Odds are you will not.


Love this plan.
thumbsup2.gif
 
A little late to the party but, check with Clay at Zellner motors in Kanasas. They have been the cheapest for the Max Care warranty in the USA.
I paid $22xx for mine in 2014 for our Durango. Havent had to use it yet, but I am figuring it will pay for itself. I think they are about $24xx now.

I am not a fan of extended warranties on anything. But this made sense, the radios in these things are more than that. And it is a Dodge, so it will probably need something at some point.
 
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