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Is aftermarket extended warranty worth it? 1999


laraldo
01-12-2005, 03:55 PM
Is aftermarket extended warranty worth it? 1999 Blazer (Trailblazer)
I got a quote for $1447 for 3 years or 36,000. Plus a $100 Deductable everytime I go in. Am I going to have that much go wrong in the next 3 years? Also I keep with all my maintenance.
Thanks
Larry

TorinoGT69
01-12-2005, 03:59 PM
how many miles are on the vehicle? that price is too high unless the vehicle has high mileage.

laraldo
01-12-2005, 04:00 PM
I have 48000

laraldo
01-12-2005, 04:01 PM
Lets say I can find it for $1100 with $50 deductable. How about then?

2000blazerls
01-12-2005, 04:18 PM
Well I got it on my 2000 Blazer 2wd with 36,000 miles. Have already had the alternator replaced. My deductible is only $50 per visit. I think it added about $1000 on to the financing.

I also had it on my 97 s-10 which had about 30,000 miles on it. Had to replace valves, timing chain, water pump, and a few other things on it so that warranty was well worth it. Then again, those repairs all came within 2000 miles of the warranty going out so I would have been ticked had I got it and then had all that stuff go bad.
Better to be safe than sorry in my opinion =)

TorinoGT69
01-12-2005, 06:16 PM
thats a better price, but what is the coverage? is it component or exclusionary.

swalt
01-12-2005, 06:48 PM
When you say aftermarket, you are obviously referring to "non GM" warranty. Read all the fine print before you sign. All aftermarket warranty companies will do anything to not pay out. They are not in the business to lose money. There will be disclaimers like "no do it yourself work" or "all fluids changed as per manufacturer schedule." Miss one and they can revoke warranty coverage. Adding aftermarket parts can allow them to revoke. Verify their coverage for parts of what they do cover and don't. For example, they may cover CV boots, but may not cover clamps/fastners/cables. If they deem a loose clamp caused your CV boot to empty of grease and then the CV failed, they would not cover. I paid $4k Canadian for my aftermarket warranty and I have a fight on every claim. My last one was for $2400 when my front differential went out. The warranty company tried to claim it was the actuator cable that failed and caused all the damage. $40 part which can't be maintained, but they tried that as their out. A sales person will tell you everything you want to hear, tell you its piece of mind, but once they make their commission off the sale, they don't care who you are when you come back with a problem. Best advice, read the fine print and take away a copy of the contract before you sign so you have time to understand it. Get everything you can in writing that they say. Word of mouth means nothing when trying to get a claim processed. (The sales guy told me I get a rental car within 6 minutes of determining it is a warranty covered failure...unfortunately they can take two days for an adjuster to come out and approve the failure) And if possible, get the MFG warranty. They will stand behind it because they have a reputation to uphold and a hopefully a repeat customer on their hands.

ricksza
01-13-2005, 05:32 AM
I've come accross one company (Republic) which would cover absolutely everything and spell it all out in their warranty. That is until you came to the last paragraph for exclussions which said they would not cover worn or broken parts. We couldn't get a single part covered. Our dealership ate over $50K in claims to make good to the customers.

laraldo
01-13-2005, 02:52 PM
I did get a few quotes and they can't send me the contract until I make a down payment. That did sound shadey to me. What is the worst thing that could go wrong with the suv. The most expensive that has happened to other owners?

BlazerLT
01-14-2005, 12:24 AM
You can do a LOT of repairs for 1500 bucks.

Not worth it.

ricksza
01-14-2005, 04:59 AM
But all it takes is one motor, or transmission. ABS bpmv list is $1100. Do you feel lucky? By the way, I didnt buy a warranty. I would rather take a chance.

swalt
01-14-2005, 08:36 AM
If doing it again on a Blazer, I would absolutely take out a warranty, providing it was not just a powertrain warranty. My front diff has been done (but I use the 4WD quite a bit in the snow and in the pits), ball joints, CV Boots, wheel bearing, u joints, fuel sender, vacuum switch, 1 tire. I paid just under $4k Canadian for the warranty and repair costs so far are about $3700, and I still have 70k left on it or Sept 2008, whichever comes first. I highly doubt I will get by over the next three years with less than $300 in repairs, so for me it was absolutely worth it. As I mentioned previously, the only thing I would do different is I would get a GMPP warranty as opposed to an aftermarket provider.

TonyMazz
01-14-2005, 10:31 AM
I have a 99 blazer LS with 156000 miles on it....have had some $1500 repairs along the way, but all-in-all the car is a great vehicle. I'd save the money and go with it...you have 48,000 miles on it and I'd say it isn't even broken in yet....

BlazerLT
01-14-2005, 11:02 AM
Just make sure it is completely maintanined with proper transmission fluid changes which BTW, it is due for now.

Keep the vehicle in tip top condition and it will treat you well.

Most problems with this truck is because of lack of proper maintanence and people not being patient.

AKA,

-not letting it run for a minute or two before taking off and driving it in the morning
- Not servicing the front end with grease.
- not flushing the cooling system properly or not even doing it at all (BTW, yours needs it.)

blazer99aficianado
05-04-2005, 05:30 PM
Hard to say, really. We had a friend whose Suburban had so many problems within the first 3 years that we decided on an exrtended warranty for our '99 Blazer. Bought the Blazer in '01 with 19K miles on it, purchased a 6 yr/72K warranty for $1800, and so far have used $400 of it (leaking coolant lines issue). Right now we are at 69K and have had no other problems so I think we made a mistake getting the warranty. Peace of mind is important, though, so go with your gut feel.

rksnc
05-04-2005, 08:20 PM
Yea for the most part it is a money game for the warranty company. You would not believe the money they make on theses kinds of warranty. Not just car and truck but even at the store. Now for Vehicle warranty I have found that they will not pay if they can find a reason. The fine print matters alot. And the way it is put to the company makes a big difference. I mean when you have a repair that needs to be done the answer given to them about failure can make a big effect on what they will do. In the long run they hope to win. A the odss are in thier favor. Just think about the way they come up with the price of contract. They figure out from thier claims what it will take for them to come out ahead. Hay you think they are watching out for you? But then there are some who wins in any game.

[RIT]IVIr_Evil
05-04-2005, 10:34 PM
Don't get an extended warranty through AUL Administrators.. I purchased the warranty for 2000 and 100 deduct.. Not worth it.. whish I was smarter when buying my blazer, but it was my first time buying a car all in my own name and by myself.. They wont cover anything in my experience and I haven't had the blazer for too long and my warranty is almost up and it was 3 years/36,000 miles... and i have almost the amount of miles.. Next Blazer I buy I'll be smarter..
...just my input...
- Tom

biv343
05-05-2005, 09:14 AM
If I were in your shoes, I'd bank the warranty money, keep up on maintenance and go for the gamble. Worst case, you break even or lose a couple hundred bucks, best case, you've got the cash in the bank at the end of the warranty period.

TonyMazz
05-05-2005, 10:37 AM
I have a 99 blazer with 165K on it and have had to do a few things.

- Sun shell reaction assy
- Fuel pump
- Brakes
- Lower ball joints
- Idler arm
- pitman arm
- tires
- battery
- oil lines
- cap & rotor
- radiator cap
- wheel bearing

..and that's it.....each item is pretty pricey but you are going to get that either way......conversly, you can eat up $1500 real quick on some of the above items....the first two cost me about 2800 bucks....

But the 99 is one of the few years in this line that has never had a recall and is a very reliable truck....I may keep mine forever or till it eats me out of house-n-home....

dmbrisket 51
05-05-2005, 12:07 PM
if they wont give you the warrenty to look over, tell them to sit on it, there is a damn good reason they wont do that, they dont want you being able to get a nice close look at what is accually being said, they want to get you in THEIR office with THEIR sales people all around, the temp up a little to high so you sweat, give you "free" coffee and say heres a pen ill be back in 5 seconds for your check!

Allbert
05-06-2005, 12:30 PM
I'm a die-hard DIY guy, and I agree with BlazerLT... if you know a wrench from screwdriver, you're probably better off pocketing the money and doing your own maintenance and repairs. Even if you run into something big like the sun gear reaction shell issue in your tranny, you could probably find a rebuilt or salvage transmission for way less than $1500. In a couple of years, you'll probably be able to pick up a whole '99 Blazer at auction for $1500 (not necessarily 4wd with only 48k on it though). That's my opinion anyway.

Rick Norwood
05-06-2005, 02:08 PM
I think it all boils down to how much mechanical work you are willing or able to do, your access to the proper tools, and last but not least your financial status. I've worked on Cars and trucks for 35 years but I still swear by the warranty coverage because of all of the high tech computer equipment and special tools you need to finish alot of the work, or to diagnose a problem. It is a gamble pure and simple. If you can afford it, and/or you're not too handy, it is probably worth the cost. If your Daddy owns a garage or you work for one, don't waste your money.:naughty:

TonyMazz
05-06-2005, 02:19 PM
I agree personally...as you state, not that I can't do alot of the mechanics but just don't have the tools and/or time.

I also have been wrenching cars for along time, and even came from a top fuel / drag racing family, but computer systems, scanners, special GM tools are just not at my disposal...so I personally resort to wrenching with my pocket book...i.e. fuel pumps and pitman arms are truly a pain and even the shop had a real time getting my pittman off to replace it...I'd still be whacking it with a hammer...

If you have the money and no time/tools go with the warranty...want to gamble ride it out and pay as you go....can be lucky or can be bad.... :iceslolan

Rick Norwood
05-06-2005, 02:31 PM
Amen. Tony, Amen. I spent weekends laying under cars cussing and swearing and kicking myself for lack of the proper tools etc. At least if you have the warranty, you can choose your battles.

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