What's up with the Extended Warranty?

[DYI Dee]

I've owned MANY cars in my life. BMWs, Hondas, Jags, Fords, Toyotas, Lexus.... the list goes on. It's a bit embarrassing to think about really. But I've been a new car addict forever. Anyway, Why are Mav owners paying for an extended warranty? I've never paid for one and never needed it. Are you guys nervous because it's a hybrid or is it a truck thing? Thank you for your input. This forum always provides helpful insights .

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[Clarkdonbran]

I bought mine because I filed a lemon claim and got money from Ford. I got my truck fixed and the extended warranty essentially for free. Pocketed some money too! The endless recalls are a bit concerning as well.

 

[Rockingchair]

If your the type of person that replaces vehicles frequently, then an extended warrantee is not a smart move. If like me, your ride is a member of the family then they can be a smart investment. Last 2 pickups I had the extended warrantee paid for itself due to electronic parts issues. (nothing to do with the power train)

 

[CTYankee]

Our 2018 Fusion Platinum and 2022 Maverick XLT are the first vehicles for which we've purchased extended warranties. Part of the reason is that replacement parts for most electronic components have become so expensive that one claim can pay for the warranty. Ditto with transmissions. We also bought an extended warranty for our used 2016 Mini Cooper Clubman because, well, BMW.

 

[kpomeraning]

I purchased mine because the Maverick is (was) basically a new vehicle in which Ford celebrated getting to market ahead of schedule. If the Maverick had been five years old or like our Focus, a vehicle in Europe before coming here to the States, I probably wouldn't have bothered. Bugs need to get worked out - do you want to pay for them to be fixed?

 

[Esteban88]

I'm undecided about purchasing a warranty. But simple logic tells me it's not worth it. Ford would not be selling warranties if they weren't coming out ahead.

 

[Packer Bill]

I bought an extended warranty because I keep our vehicles for 10 years. I have been a Mazda man since 1992 and have had very little repair work. However, since the Maverick was built by Ford, I bought an extended warranty based on reliability reports on Ford products.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I've owned MANY cars in my life. BMWs, Hondas, Jags, Fords, Toyotas, Lexus.... the list goes on. It's a bit embarrassing to think about really. But I've been a new car addict forever. Anyway, Why are Mav owners paying for an extended warranty? I've never paid for one and never needed it. Are you guys nervous because it's a hybrid or is it a truck thing? Thank you for your input. This forum always provides helpful insights .

I have a 2022 lariat. The info screen installed is well over $1k maybe $2k. Do not remember. The headlights are $1600 each. It's a soundproof windshield. 10yr/100k AC life. Hell it something like $200 just to plug in computer. I had a 1991 Chevy Caprice that I paid $1100 for a 10yr/100k warranty that I took in to authorized service center (not dealer as I had moved 600 miles away) at 96,400 miles and said "fix everything covered by the warranty". I don't remember all but bushing, rear main seal on ice worn. Water pump making noise, same with AC condenser, fan clutch, joints, it paid for part of brake on two wheels and I paid something like additional $300 to replace all brake parts not covered by warranty so new brakes all around including hoses. There were other things but warranty paid just over $3600. I put another 118k miles on it. At 110k miles I threw a Maco higher quality (extra $120) paint job (plus 2 cases of good beer recommended by rumor to get extra body work during coffee break time from crew, probably not but beer was gone). Clear coat on paint was turning white ish and cracking in places. It was a big car got 12-14 mpg city, 27-39 mpg hwy. (Cruise had overdrive gear and would drop to idle and coast at speed). At 10,400 ft altitude you had to drop to lower gear as fuel would lean enough to kill ice in overdrive.

 

[RockHoundTX]

There is pretty much nothing on a car/truck that I have not trouble-shooted, pulled-out, and rebuilt over the last 40 years: engines, transmisssions, fuel pumps, axles, turbos, stearing column, etc. I have pretty much gone over 200k miles on every vehicle I have ever owned (including 4 other Fords). That being said, this was the first vehicle I have ever bought an extended warranty (125k miles/8 years bumper to bumper).

Why? During Covid, my 1997 F350 diesel stopped working. It ended up being the computer (yeah, there is one even from back then). Tried to get it fixed. No-one could do it (some specific chip was no longer available). Tried to buy one locally. Didn't exist (actually had people laugh when I called to ask for it). All the auto parts companies had a "remanufactued part" listed for about $200 on their website but "not in stock" (and most said it has not been in stock for years even before Covid). Spent 9 months looking before finally spending close to $1k from the single company that actually had one. Truck worked perfect after that.

Based on that experience, it was worth the $1500 to not have to worry about finding parts for at least the next 125k miles if something were to go wrong. I figure that by that time, there will be ample after-market parts as well as Youtube videos showing how to fix things. Neither of those things are currently available. Even though I have several OBDII sensors, Foretran, etc., my fear is anything electrical that could go wrong. So far, the truck has been "mostly" reliable, but the overall build quality of the truck does not give me a lot of confidence. I have a late '23 and at 10k miles I have already had several of the issues described in this forum (all of which are "supposed" to be fixed via a software update once I get a chance to take it back to the dealer).

I figure I am also slightly hedging against inflation. My wife's Ford Focus died (at over 200k miles) and was luck enough to find the exact same model with less than 100k miles. First thing I did was do all the normal "fixes" that were common to this model (motor mounts, tie rods, etc.). As I started adding parts to my shopping cart, all I could think was "holly cow!!! This seems WAY more expensive than the last time I ordered." Checking prices today vs 3-5 years ago, most parts were 2x the cost and some were closer to 4x. Ouch.

 

[Jman79]

I have a 2022 lariat. The info screen installed is well over $1k maybe $2k. Do not remember. The headlights are $1600 each. It's a soundproof windshield. 10yr/100k AC life. Hell it something like $200 just to plug in computer. I had a 1991 Chevy Caprice that I paid $1100 for a 10yr/100k warranty that I took in to authorized service center (not dealer as I had moved 600 miles away) at 96,400 miles and said "fix everything covered by the warranty". I don't remember all but bushing, rear main seal on ice worn. Water pump making noise, same with AC condenser, fan clutch, joints, it paid for part of brake on two wheels and I paid something like additional $300 to replace all brake parts not covered by warranty so new brakes all around including hoses. There were other things but warranty paid just over $3600. I put another 118k miles on it. At 110k miles I threw a Maco higher quality (extra $120) paint job (plus 2 cases of good beer recommended by rumor to get extra body work during coffee break time from crew, probably not but beer was gone). Clear coat on paint was turning white ish and cracking in places. It was a big car got 12-14 mpg city, 27-39 mpg hwy. (Cruise had overdrive gear and would drop to idle and coast at speed). At 10,400 ft altitude you had to drop to lower gear as fuel would lean enough to kill ice in overdrive.

I'm visiting my In-laws and you just made me feel like I was taking to Pop and he fell asleep practically mid-sentence. I was with you until the Chevy Caprice "fix everything under warranty". Even followed along with Maco story waiting for it all to tie back in, but you drifted into mpg at altitude and then left us hanging. Did you doze off?

 

[Tim d]

I've owned MANY cars in my life. BMWs, Hondas, Jags, Fords, Toyotas, Lexus.... the list goes on. It's a bit embarrassing to think about really. But I've been a new car addict forever. Anyway, Why are Mav owners paying for an extended warranty? I've never paid for one and never needed it. Are you guys nervous because it's a hybrid or is it a truck thing? Thank you for your input. This forum always provides helpful insights .

I've never bought one either in almost 50 years of driving. The manufacturer should have enough confidence in their product that one shouldn't even be offered.

 

[Mav_RICK]

I'm undecided about purchasing a warranty. But simple logic tells me it's not worth it. Ford would not be selling warranties if they weren't coming out ahead.

Of course they are coming out ahead just like any insurance product they are designed to make money for the insurer. I don’t like buying insurance for anything least of all extended warranties. If you can get the warranty at a reasonable price like through Granger it’s definitely more palatable. Thats what I did anyway.

 

[millertyme15]

I purchased the extended warranty to meet or excced the length (years) of my loan. I am financing for 5 years, so I want some coverage for 5 years. And of course the mileage I estimated as well for those 5 years.

 

[Mav_RICK]

I bought an extended warranty because I keep our vehicles for 10 years. I have been a Mazda man since 1992 and have had very little repair work. However, since the Maverick was built by Ford, I bought an extended warranty based on reliability reports on Ford products.

We had a 2016 Mazda CX 5 and bought the warranty because it was my wife’s car and she insisted on it. That was a waste of money. Drove it 7 years and not one single repair. Not even one recall. Should have kept that car

 

[259Maverick]

First off I am a former Toyota and Honda car salesman (about 10 years ago) and even then would have said don't get the warranty. After that though when I bought my used Subaru I got the extended warranty and went through 2 short blocks, 2 radiators, and 2 a/c compressors. It definitely paid for itself.

Now fast forward to February when I got my Maverick, I decided to get one through Grainger during one of their best sales and put my fordpass points towards it. I chose the 125k/7yr because it was the best value to me where my realistic mileage over the 5yr finance term would meet term length. I might be anywhere between 5 years and 6.5 years for 125k but didn't want to pay nearly double to jump to a 10 year with higher mileage because my theory is by then I should have an idea how long it will last and the wear and tear parts I would have to pay out of pocket after then. So when I'm done financing I hope to at least year a few months of no car payments where I'm still just under warranty and can decide to keep the truck longer term and pay the maintenance costs then, or get out of it and purchase a new vehicle.

I'm a self proclaimed Ford guy, but I also don't have much faith in ANY new vehicle so I hopefully have 5 years of not worrying about things outside of oil, brakes, and tires. As far as most chassis and suspension work, I can do it all myself. Even some basic external engine work like plugs, pumps, belts etc... I can but my expertise stops short of being able to or wanting to pull an engine/transmission and rebuild it. If the major things seem ok after then, I can deal with spending a bit of money each year to keep it going.

The last real callout though I can think of while writing this is rust. I plan on spraying it down in the fall each year with surface shield, but if it looks to be rotted away in 5 years I'll dump it no matter what. With the premiumcare most of the major parts in the suspension and subframe are covered until then, but after I don't want to rebuild and entire front or rear end. I guess this is more a ramble of random thoughts but figured I'd type it out anyway lol

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