Extended Warranty & how to buy one

silverelan

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When the car was initially unveiled, there was talk of a new extended warranty option that would better fit the Mustang Mach-E than the current options available.

Ford says that the battery pack and other high voltage components (motors, inverter, onboard charger, etc) are covered for 8 years / 100,000 mi. But with all of the cameras, computers, screens and other high-tech componentry, I am not really comfortable with just the 3 years/36,000 mile warranty. I would probably opt for a 7 or 8 year warranty option to match the HV components.

Is anybody else in the same boat and interested in a factory backed extended warranty? Tesla doesn't even offer the option for the 3/Y and the forums are littered with Tesla owners getting charged for obvious warranty work.
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jhalkias

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I guess it depends. I drive about 30K back and forth to work annually, and when I bought my Escape, I did the 100K warranty. Well, at 102K, I had to replace the Turbo for over $2,000 right after the extended warranty that I paid over $1,000 for expired that I had never used. In general, I’m not a fan of extended warranties, as I typically lose rather than win on them.
 
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silverelan

silverelan

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Any Ford dealer will sell you an extended warranty and it is the same product as what you would buy from your local dealer in the F&I office.

Here are a couple of Ford dealers with their published prices online that you can use as leverage to get a better deal when you are negotiating a price.

Lombard Ford
https://www.lombardfordwarrantys.com/

Flood Ford
https://www.floodfordesp.com/index.php
 
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silverelan

silverelan

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I guess it depends. I drive about 30K back and forth to work annually, and when I bought my Escape, I did the 100K warranty. Well, at 102K, I had to replace the Turbo for over $2,000 right after the extended warranty that I paid over $1,000 for expired that I had never used. In general, I’m not a fan of extended warranties, as I typically lose rather than win on them.
Absolutely. It's a kind of insurance right? Some might say it's better to have and not need than to need and not have. I'm also the type of person that finds value in peace of mind, especially since I'm planning on having the car for 7 years or longer. But not everybody reaches the same conclusion though.
 

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There are actually less parts in an EV, way less that can mechanically go wrong. Most of the issues Tesla owners face are fit and finish issues. One big reason I'm going to try and buy a MachE over Tesla is because Ford has fit and finish down. Car cameras are not high tech. But I understand, especially as something that's new to Ford and a first year vehicle might not be a bad idea.

Another option is your Bank (the one financing the car) or Car insurance company. They often offer just as comprehensive warranties for much less.
 
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silverelan

silverelan

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There are actually less parts in an EV, way less that can mechanically go wrong. Most of the issues Tesla owners face are fit and finish issues. One big reason I'm going to try and buy a MachE over Tesla is because Ford has fit and finish down. Car cameras are not high tech. But I understand, especially as something that's new to Ford and a first year vehicle might not be a bad idea.

Another option is your Bank or CAr insurance company. They often offer just as comprehensive warranties for much less.
The yellow border on the Model S and X main screen is a good example of warranty problems that Tesla owners faced.

I've not seen third-party warranties offered from banks or car insurance but I might check into that. The nice thing about a Ford extended warranty is that it's all done by the dealer and requires no futzing with paperwork and submitting a claim. To top it off, if you go to sell the car before the warranty is out it's actually a selling point to a potential buyer because the warranty can be transferred to the new owner.
 

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The yellow border on the Model S and X main screen is a good example of warranty problems that Tesla owners faced.

I've not seen third-party warranties offered from banks or car insurance but I might check into that. The nice thing about a Ford extended warranty is that it's all done by the dealer and requires no futzing with paperwork and submitting a claim. To top it off, if you go to sell the car before the warranty is out it's actually a selling point to a potential buyer because the warranty can be transferred to the new owner.
I agree. There is no question that having the warranty that is 1st party is the easier way to go. When we bought a RAV 4 Limited AWD, first year model was out, we bought the warranty direct from Toyota, which also covered all routine maintenance on the vehicle for 7 years. I did the numbers and it paid for itself. I usually preach against extended warranties and service contracts because it's usually a cash cow for the Dealership, but sometimes it makes sense.

But my credit union did offer a warranty on the car when I was looking to finance the car through them, so there are alternatives.
 

Edez ME

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I am not considering an extended warranty because I will likely trade in my Mach E after the original warranty expires. If you hold onto a car beyond the warranty period sometimes self insuring by putting the money to be spent on an EW away for future repairs makes more sense. Actuaries working for the EW company keep the odds in their favor.
 

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If you hold onto a car beyond the warranty period sometimes self insuring by putting the money to be spent on an EW away for future repairs makes more sense. Actuaries working for the EW company keep the odds in their favor.
I'm in the self insuring camp too, when I can reasonably do so. To me, insurance makes sense for catastrophies, like a house fire or a major medical procedure or emergency. I'd rather not "pre-pay" for stuff that might not happen, if I can instead just handle it if/when it does happen (e.g. failed car parts).

I've had quite a few issues on my Fiesta, but it's still costing me less to cover repairs as they happen than what I would have pre-paid for an extended warranty. And this is true even though I've been getting my repairs done by Ford dealerships, which I am 10,000% positive are overcharging me.
 
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silverelan

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Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield from Transport Evolved had an issue with her 2017 Bolt EV's sway bar. It needed replacement due to its failure but the car had just come out of the 3yr/36mo warranty and the sway bar is not part of the drivetrain or high-voltage component warranty so there's a $2000 repair bill that someone has to eat. There's some back and forth going on between her, the dealer, and Chevy over the whole thing but it definitely goes to show that unexpected things can and do go wrong.
 

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Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield from Transport Evolved had an issue with her 2017 Bolt EV's sway bar. It needed replacement due to its failure but the car had just come out of the 3yr/36mo warranty and the sway bar is not part of the drivetrain or high-voltage component warranty so there's a $2000 repair bill that someone has to eat. There's some back and forth going on between her, the dealer, and Chevy over the whole thing but it definitely goes to show that unexpected things can and do go wrong.
Sure. These things do happen. However, there is a reason most consumer organizations like Consumer Reports discourage the purchase of extended warranties. By their business model, extended warranty companies are charging a rate that will more than pay for all of the claims, plus their profit margin. What they sell you is a feeling of greater assurance that someone will protect you if these sort of rare events happen.

Keep in mind, however, that there are plenty of stories of people who have to fight the companies from whom they purchased extended warranties, often in court, just to receive repayment for covered claims. That is often a part of the business model as well: resisting claim payment saves money. It's amazing how many people will take no for an answer and just grumble under their breath. In the meantime, that is profit to the company that sold the extended warranty.

If you feel you can't afford to cover the cost of repairs and want that sort of assurance you are protected, then extended warranties are for you.
 

kennelh

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Just to offer another data point...

My wife and I purchased an 8yr-96K extended warranty from Acura on our 2006 TL for around $1,500. After the standard 4yr-50K expired, we had one or two minor things which cropped up. But at around the 7 1/2 year mark I took it in for some normal maintenance and the dealer (from whom I didn't purchase the extended warranty) noticed something funky with one CV boot. They ended up doing around $2K parts/labor to repair a number of problems. I didn't even have to fight with them about it; they contacted the regional Acura people who examined the problems and approved everything.
 
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silverelan

silverelan

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Yup, it's a nice feeling to just have the dealer take care of anything that goes wrong because it's covered under warranty.

I'm still a few hundred bucks short of what I paid the dealer to purchase my 7 year/ 100k mile $0 deductible extended warranty from Subaru but I'm now on my third fuel door and had a sensor replaced that made my dashboard light up like a Christmas tree. The dealer just looked up my car and said don't worry about it.

But I take your point, @ChasingCoral, there's an actuarial calculation going on and lots of people choose not to buy an extended warranty.
 

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When the car was initially unveiled, there was talk of a new extended warranty option that would better fit the Mustang Mach-E than the current options available.

Ford says that the battery pack and other high voltage components (motors, inverter, onboard charger, etc) are covered for 8 years / 100,000 mi. But with all of the cameras, computers, screens and other high-tech componentry, I am not really comfortable with just the 3 years/36,000 mile warranty. I would probably opt for a 7 or 8 year warranty option to match the HV components.

Is anybody else in the same boat and interested in a factory backed extended warranty? Tesla doesn't even offer the option for the 3/Y and the forums are littered with Tesla owners getting charged for obvious warranty work.
I think waranty it's just something for deslers to make money. 100% you'll have to go there every 10k miles and spend 200ÂŁ or $ just to check it up.
I drive 20k miles per year easily. So..if I pass 1st year without issues I don't rhink the car will get any problems. I had warranty on other cars like Kia or BMW etc and ai ended up spending a ton of money on mentenance just to keep the waranty when the reality is that ...if something brakes, will cost you less money than the ones you spend for mentenance
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