Rolo

I have a 96 c4s. It has 25k miles on it. Should I buy an extended warrenty? It cost around 4k for 7 years 100k miles.

And performance chips, how hard is it to install? Which is the best, what are the cost and what can I expect?

Thanks for any info,

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

[quote]Originally posted by Rolo:
<strong>I have a 96 c4s. It has 25k miles on it. Should I buy an extended warrenty? It cost around 4k for 7 years 100k miles.

And performance chips, how hard is it to install? Which is the best, what are the cost and what can I expect?

Thanks for any info,</strong><hr></blockquote>


Hi Rolo:

The decision to buy an extended warranty is rather subjective and really depends upon the reputation, track record and intregity of the underwriter. You are really the only one who can answer how much risk you are willing to assume when buying any used car but, I'll advise you to do your homework and check the references of any insurance carrier.

Read and understand the "fine print" before any money changes hands.

I would address your question about chipping your '96.

In a nutshell, the ECU in your car cannot be chipped. The '96 model year 993's used a one-year-only ECU that required special Bosch chips that are no longer available.

You have 2 choices:

1) Purchase the newer 97-98 993 ECU which can be chipped and have your immobilizer codes transfered or disabled.

2) Install the Unichip which requires an experienced and competant installer/operator.

In either case, make certain that the chip mapping is compatible with the fuel octane in your area and be sure that the stock rev limiter (6750 RPM) is NOT changed unless some internal engine components are upgraded.

tom_993

I usually never buy extended warranties, as a rule. For example, I recently bought a $20 blender and they wanted to sell me a three year extended warranty for $5. No brainer on that one. But when I bought my used ’95 993 with 32,000 miles on it, with a somewhat unknown history (pretty much only the stamps in the maintenance book), I realized I was taking a much larger risk than with a $20 kitchen appliance. An engine or tranny rebuild could easily approach $10,000. This is what the warranties are about: mitigating risk. And that’s a personal decision you’ll have to make.

In my case, the warranty paid for itself. I had three major repairs covered, and a couple of minor ones. The three major ones were my wiring harness, a bunch of oil leaks, and replacing all 12 spark plug wires. Note that in all cases they denied the claim up front, but later reneged. But this is not how the warranty companies make money. They make money by paying out less than the warranty costs. They need to do this on the majority of their contracts.

So your decision is to pay for the warranty knowing that it most likely will not pay for itself, or live with the risk of paying for a major repair out of pocket.

I believe mine was with “Independent Warranty Manufacturers Corp” or something like that. It expired about six months ago. They did not offer to extend it further, probably because they lost money on it.