Is the Acura extended warranty worth it? I just bought a 2000 NSX this week and (m)

[pka1]

would please like some info as to whether I should part with the extra $3500 for a warranty, or if the car is reliable enough, call it a tossup. Does the warranty cover scheduled maintenance like BMW does? If not, anyone with stories of repair on their cars (at how many years and mileage from new and what cost would have been) that made a warranty worth it? My NSX has 20K miles on it and will be driven about 7500 miles a year (my only car). Multiple inputs would be appreciated as it would help me draw my conclusions. I'm currently covered until May 2004. Also, do you have to have someone else do all of your maintenance such as oil changes, plugs, fluids, filters, as to have all receipts or is it OK to have receipts for the parts purchased. I'm not a mechanic, but I can do a lot of the general maintenance and prefer to. I know this is a long post but I really appreciate your hel. The car has a perpetual smile on my face.
Raj

 

[Shumdit]

It's really like playing craps. You are taking a gamble either way you go. You are bettting you will have failures that exceed the cost of the contract (plus the time-value of the money, which is the interest you could be earning off it if it were invested elsewhere) and they are betting you will not. What you really are buying is an insurance policy, and legally many of these "extended warranties" are actually called extended service contracts, even though service (maint. items like oil changes, brake pads, etc.) are not covered through them. $3500 is a lot of coin for a contract, but a single major component failure (tranny, engine, or even massive a/c problem from a compressor coming apart internally and contaminating the system) could be more than that cost. Also, 3 or 4 little items could add up quickly. If you can budget it and are planning on holding on to the car for a few years, go ahead and get it, because it will avoid the possibility of a major failure that demands a huge dip into your funds to cover it, and also it will help with resale (in value, and in the ease of selling the car) if you should decide to sell it while the "warranty" is still in effect. This will not shield you from other expenses like the Clutch, T-belt, 30K service, brakes, etc, so be prepared to pay for those out of pocket. You can do your own service, or have it done by an independent (non-acura) shop, but you need to keep all receipts, and if you use non-oem parts you need to be sure the parts you use meet Acura's standards to avoid failing to meet the requirements of the "warranty". One final thought: If you are not sure you will keep the car for at least a reasonable period of time past the 5/2004 factory warranty expiration date, you may never see any benefit at all from the "warranty", so it's only value will be in the resale, and I doubt it would be worth $3500 in resale value. Roll the dice......

 

[Big_nate]

$3500?!?!? That seems like a LOT for an extended warranty. I got an extended warranty for my wifes 2002 Explorer that we bought used last year for ~$1200 from 'warrantybynet'. Thats a 'bumper to bumper' type warranty with $0 deductible for 7 years from our purchase or 100k total miles. Keep in mind thats for a FORD product thats probably 10 times as likely to need a repair as your Acura. I have to say it does give you peace of mind. Best of luck.

Nate

 

[Shumdit]

The diference between the two "warranties" are the reason the cost may be so great. A factory certification usually will be more expensive, and even though the Ford MAY be more trouble-prone the repair costs generally will be much less expensive. Also he is probably going through a dealer (who surely is marking their cost on this "warranty" up. He may get a better price at another dealer. The last important difference is that your warranty most likely provides for LKQ replacements (Like Kind and Quality). This means they can use aftermarket or used parts from a comparable mileage car on your repairs they cover. If there is a difference between what the dealer charges (especially for labor time) and what the "warranty" companies book time is, you will have to pay the difference. This is not the case with the Acura plan. They will only use new OEM parts, and the dealer will take what Acura will pay them labor-wise. It is a pretty big difference.

 

[AKUDOU]

Re: Is the Acura extended warranty worth it? I just bought a 2000 NSX this week and (m)

would please like some info as to whether I should part with the extra $3500 for a warranty.
Raj

I bought a 2000 NSX a year ago and only paid $1,332.00 for the warranty at Acura. Chinaman say "Something wong here"

 

[Taj]

Regardless of how much it costs; make sure that you are purchasing a factory warranty, not a dealer warranty. The factory warranty is a Honda/Acura product. The dealer warranty is a third party warranty with no affiliation with Honda/Acura and warranty work can only be performed at the dealer you purchased the warranty from.

You shouldn’t have to worry about the reliability of the vehicle. Isn’t it a reason for purchasing a NSX. There are some minor issues that you have to watch out such as window regulator, cracked windshield visor, cloudy marks on the rear view mirror…etc. Just pay attention to those items. Btw you can grind the finance guy for a better deal. I couldn’t tell you the invoice of the factory warranty, but the dealer has a good profit margin.

Your car should be under factory warranty currently, drive it and pay attention to detail and look for defects before the factory warranty expire. Good luck.

 

[pka1]

Just wanted to thank those who have and will post on this subject.

It's giving me a lot of insight
Raj

 

[spyderman33]

Ext warranty

Hey Raj

I have found that pricing varies by state.. My ext warranty was $1000 higher because I was in Fl.. If you have a friend in another state, try using that address and see if the cost goes down.

What state are you in? if you are in Fl, let me know.. I may be able to help.

PM me.

 

[AKUDOU]

Re: Re: Is the Acura extended warranty worth it? I just bought a 2000 NSX this week and (m)

I bought a 2000 NSX a year ago and only paid $1,332.00 for the warranty at Acura. Chinaman say "Something wong here"

Call Automotive Warranty Servicrs, Inc. 5050 North Broadway Chicago, Ill 60640 (!-800-621-2130) I got the Platinum with $100.00 deductible. For the price I stated above. If I had acted a few months earlier I would of paid only $950.00. Good luck.

 

[jedi boy]

warranties

i went through the same thing and many hours of thought and searching. try this post....i'll also pm you to give you more info.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6494&highlight=extended+warranties


good luck

 

[Tony Montoya]

When I bought a 91 NSX in 94 the Honda warranty was at least 3600 CDN for two years extra warranty compared to the factory one. It might have even been 5k. I forget. I didn't buy it.
I gambled and I won.

 

[AKUDOU]

Another Company

http://www.extendedwarrantyprovider.com/?id2=azoogleads&aff=648-2501174

 

[Nsx Service Girl]

Extended Warranties

Stick to the Acura extended warranty (although the pricing they have quoted is too high). This contract is honored at any Acura dealership in the U.S.and covers things that actually fail on Acuras...A/C control panels, clutch master cylinders and oil pan gaskets to name a few. They reimburse realistic towing amounts, provided decent rental coverage, and will cover hotel expenses if you break down while traveling...Stay away from third party companies. You never know if they will be in business by the time you actually need them, and their coverages are normally too basic for an exotic sports car.
Susan

 

[Shumdit]

NSX Service Girl is right. I am a former Acura Service Manager, and the headaches from third party warranties can be huge. Here are some examples of problems I have seen:

1. They deny coverage for some technicality in your failure to service the car, i.e. you do not change the tranny oil on time and the a/c fails which is totally unrelated, but they can void the whole contract based on your failure to maintain the vehicle.

2. They put aftermarket, or worse, USED parts off of salvage cars on yours to repair it. They call this LKQ (like kind and quality).

3. They do not pay a reasonable amount of labor to repair the car, so you have to pay the difference out of pocket (very common, as they usually do not pay any diagnosis charges).

4. If you do not buy it from a dealer, or you take it to anywhere besides that particular dealer, you have to pay for the repair and then wait 4-6 weeks for reimbursement. This is not as common as it was, but it still happens.

5. THE WORST: The company who underwrites the contract (warranty) goes belly-up and your contract is worthless. This has occured more often than you would think. You do have some recourse if you buy it through a dealership if the dealer has not changed ownership since you bought it, but this is a big gamble, and a bigger hassle.

Shop around at other Acura dealers and see what figures you get.
My $.02

 

[AKUDOU]

Re: Extended Warranties

Stick to the Acura extended warranty Stay away from third party companys.
Susan

I would have but the Acura dealer told me that Acura wasn't offering an extended warranty on the NSX.

 

[spyderman33]

ext warranty

my extended warranty is through allstate...

they won't go bellyup...

 

[Shumdit]

Re: ext warranty

my extended warranty is through allstate...

they won't go bellyup...

I think I heard that about Enron a few years ago too

 

[spyderman33]

if you think about it like that, then maybe honda will also go out of business..

My point is that the larger the company the more the chance that you won't have an issue like that..

 

[Shumdit]

Just making an observation my friend..

 

[spyderman33]

Cool... I understand what your saying..

 

[Shumdit]

Spyderman- did you evet get a car yet?

 

[spyderman33]

1996 NSX-T

Yeah, I just sealed the deal for a 1996 NSX-T black w/ tan..

NICE!!!

I am stoked.. I am picking it up this weekend..

Pics coming soon...



Can you tell I am happy?

BTW: Thanks for asking!

 

[Shumdit]

Congrats! Post the pics and details when you get it!