I am looking at an extended warranty policy with Heritage. Anyone have any experience with this company?

Which company routinely denies claims and which ones tend to pay for whats broken without much stress?

 

Here is a post I made a few months ago on extended warranties, might be of some help:

Vic
95 C4

*****

Aftermarket warranties are another option; people have had varying experiences with those warranties. In my experience, the most important things to look for in an aftermarket warranty are:

1) Will the shop or dealer you plan to have your car serviced by accept the warranty, and what has their experience been in dealing with that company?

2) Does the warranty company pay for the repair upfront with their credit card or do they reimburse you later?

3) What does the warranty cover?

Number three, of course, is the most important one. In my experience, you should avoid any aftermarket warranty that specifically lists what parts ARE covered on the car. This is common -- you will see lists that read like this:

Air conditioning: Compressor, clutch, receiver/dryer, condensor, condensor fan, refrigerant lines.

That may seem good on the surface, but what it really means is anything NOT specifically listed is not covered -- and there are lots of parts in the climate control system that are expensive and can fail -- the climate control computer, temperature sensors, blower motors, servos to open and close vents, fan switches, relays, evaporator coil, vent hoses ... get the idea?

The better warranty is the one which llsts specifically what the warranty does NOT cover, and everything else is included by default. That's the one to buy.

Case in point: A customer bought a 1996 993 Twin Turbo from a Porsche dealer in Wichita, Kansas. The car was not Porsche certified and he chose to buy a 3-year 36,000 miles aftermarket warranty through the dealer. The cost was $1200 due to the low mileage of the car. Two weeks later, his third brake light went out. The dealer fix for that is to replace the rear glass, which, as we all know, is rather expensive. The aftermarket warranty covered the repair -- I believe it was $1600 or so -- because it was a warranty that listed everything NOT covered, and the wiring for the third brake light, which is embedded in the glass, was not on the list.

You can bet your bottom dollar that the other kind of warranty isn't going to include "wiring for third brake light embedded in rear glass" in the list of covered parts, and this is how those warranties deny claims.

What you're really buying is an insurance policy against a mechanical failure. It's in the warranty company's best interest to cover as narrow a selection of parts as it possibly can, so it pays to read that contract very carefully. There are lots of parts on Porsches that are costly and not likely to be common to other cars, so it's a real issue. Will you have a repair that gets into four digits? Do you like to gamble? You may never even use the warranty, but the peace of mind is worth something.

I wish I could remember the warranty company, because I purchased one for a Mercedes SL-320 in 2000, but if you call Scholfield Porsche in Wichita they may still sell them.

Vic
95 C4
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I got my money’s worth out of a company called “Independent Warranty Management Company” or something along those lines. It was one of those that lists what it does not cover, not one that lists what it does. The list of things not covered was pretty typical: tires, brake pads, clutches, plugs, filters, etc… I made a handful of claims to them over the years, some pretty big, like the wiring harness, oil leaks and spark plug wires. In each and every case, they initially denied the claim. Sometimes they reversed themselves pretty quickly, other times it took an argument. I think they have a policy of denying every claim, hoping it will go away. If they’re faced with an argument, they lose. For example, they initially denied my harness on the grounds of “improper maintenance.” They lost that argument pretty quickly. On the plug wires, they actually sent a rep out to the repair shop (where my car had to wait a couple of days before he could get there). My mechanic won that battle for me.

I purchased it because I bought the car used, without any history. I imagined a 5-digit repair bill for a blown engine. I bought the warranty for piece of mind and actually got lucky in that I got my money’s worth out of it. If you buy one, prepare to not get your money’s worth, as that’s how they make a profit. Also be prepared to battle with them, or have a mechanic that will battle for you (in one of the few times I’ve had my car at the local dealer, I had them call the warranty company. They made one phone call, where the claim got denied. They dropped it at that point).

Good Luck!

 

A bit OT, but I wanted to share my experiences with my homeowners warranty here.

I think that it is probably applicable to car warranties also.

So far, it's been a mixed bag. When the water heater went out, they came out immediately and fixed it, without question. It was done in 1 week.

A different story for my dishwasher. It took over 2 months of going back and forth, haggling, threatening, etc to finally get a replacement, including about 5 house visits.

When I got the replacement, it was something of inferior quality to the original. DOH!! All the mental energy and hassle was definately not worth the several hundred dollars necessary to replace the dishwasher myself.

I think that Tom had some very good advice.. Expect a fight to get money from them. They are in it to make money also. Ask yourself if you are ready to do that.

Another option would be just to "self insure" yourself. Put away $150 a month for car incidentals. If nothing happens, then you can use the money for "upgrades". Unfortunately, I've been doing it backwards ( ie, using the money for upgrades first. )

Jeff

 

From a shops perspective..
The company Tom was talking about is one that we have dealt with frequently. Once you are able to have a conversation with a representative that is familiar with the type of car, claims go much quicker. Independent Warranty Management Corp. 800 845-6477 As with all warranty companies there are different levels of coverage or 'plan codes'.

Another is Warrantech 800 577-6624.

Also each state has different options.

Shops like the company that OK's over the phone upon recommendation and takes care of their portion of the bill by credit card. Having to wait days for a rep to come by the shop can make things unpleasant for a shop owner and customer.

Laura

 

The two companies I'm reviewing now are:

<a href="http://www.1sourceautowarranty.com" target="_blank">www.1sourceautowarranty.com</a>

<a href="http://www.warrantygold.com" target="_blank">www.warrantygold.com</a>

I have no affiliation. The warranty gold product appears to cover much more than most others. Get the document before you sign/pay.

 

[quote]Originally posted by Silver Bullet:
<strong>Warranty Gold doesn't cover CA... </strong><hr></blockquote>


It's only you Kim, they know if they'd covered your car, it would mean that they need to cover parts for building three Porsches...

 

Thanks for the info. I know that Western General likes to send out a rep for major issues and this can extend the time to start work by three or more days, but at least they provide rental car coverage during that time. Unfortunately, WG does not cover cars with over 60M. The policy that my dealer is recommending (and giving me at their cost) is from Heritage and their contract lists covered and exclusions.

For Example: "Covered Parts AC/Heating -(includes only factory or dealer installed equipment) Condenser, compressor, compressor clutch, pully stabilizer, clutch coils, evaporator, POA valve, accumulator, orifice, serpentine belt tensioner, temperature control programmer, power module, idler pully & bearing, ducts and outlet hoses, blower motor, high/low cutoff switches, pressure cycling switch, receiver/dryer."

There is nothing in the Exclusions about AC or any other specific part, just legaleese about "Repair of any parts during a covered reparir which are not necessary to the completion of the coverd repair or were not damaged by the falure of a coverd part." or " Costs of other damages caused by the failure of a part not listed as a Covered Part."

Since I am neither a mechanic nor a layer - I won't know what is covered until I try to collect. Does the above sound typical - and with regard to AC in particular - inclusive enough?

Thanks for your feedback and assistance!

<img src="graemlins/oops.gif" border="0" alt="[oops]" />

 

Hmmm ... I see right off the bat that the climate control brain is not on the list, and that's one of the things that typically fails on a 993 and it's not cheap, either. Unless it's the "temperature control programmer," but that could be interpreted as the buttons to punch in the number. Which leads me to the next point ...

The service manager at a Porsche dealer told me that some warranty companies will not cover the part if Porsche doesn't name it they same as their contract states. so if "pully stabilizer" has some other name, or is part of some other part, they'll deny the claim.

No offense, but they are probably full of s--- when they tell you it's at their cost. One of the warranties I looked at was $1599 "list;" and their "cost" was $1099. I didn't buy it. When I became friends with the sales manager later, I learned the real cost was $699. Huge moneymaker for the dealership.

I have the Porsche certified 1-year warranty on my C4, and it's already paid off big-time. Consider getting your car from a Porsche dealer. You'll pay more, but I am already way ahead, as my car suffered a rear main seal leak and they gave me a new clutch to go with it, plus the third brake light went out which meant new rear glass for me, and the trip computer burned out an LED which meant a new tach. None of that stuff is cheap, especially at dealer prices, but it's all covered under the 2-year service warranty, too, which is nice peace of mind. Any trip to the dealer for anything can $299 you to death.

Vic
95 C4