When it rains, it pours - replacing the PDK
#166
Racer
This is the thing with warrantees...at least for me. I never ever buy them except on my Porsches. . . . I know that statistically, I should not and that Fidelity makes money. I know that I have the cash to cover any repair. But I also know that without a warranty I have a little voice in the back of my head that worries and I don't want to hear it.
I never got an extended warranty on my 997, and I ended up having to rebuild the engine because of bore score. My wife drives a 2016 Macan we bought new. As its factory warranty was getting ready to expire, I checked the Macan forums and discovered that a LOT of people were either having transfer case issues or leaky (over-torqued) valve covers, both very expensive repairs. Further, Charles Navarro took one look at our UOA and told me that most of the Alusil in one or more cylinders has probably worn away (remember, I have some experience with bore score).
Yet my wife LOVES her Macan. Swapping it out is not an option. Against my long-standing and emphatic principles, we bought the longest term, longest mile, full-coverage extended warranty we could find for the Macan as I am anticipating near-certain expensive problems. In other words, the probability of eventually getting more than my money back is almost 100%.
Within two weeks (!) of her factory warranty expiring, her radiator thermostat failed. Based on 45 years of garage mechanics, I was expecting a $150 part and maybe an hour's labor -- even with Porsche tax, maybe $500. Well, nothing's simple anymore. They had to remove the front bumper and a bunch of other things to get to it, hours of labor, and a final bill of over $3,000, absent a warranty. For a thermostat!
Thanks to the first extended warranty I have ever purchased, our out-of-pocket cost of the deductible was close to reasonable for a thermostat change, and nearly HALF of the extended warranty total cost was recovered. Well, now, that's living right, isn't it?
My only (inexperienced) advice is to make sure any extended warranty is transferable, so if you do sell the car, its market value will be a little higher.
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Big Swole (05-30-2020)
#168
Nordschleife Master
#169
Rennlist Member
#170
Burning Brakes
2009 with 56k miles. All I can figure is there is something about the car I didn't know about and nobody would tell me. Everyone was anxious to give me an extended warranty until they checked the VIN, then would just say they can't insure it. Same story from 5 companies. I was getting scared. I have some circumstantial evidence that it was modified by a racing shop, but nothing concrete or specific. Also 2 indie garages said it was faster than it should be.
#171
Nordschleife Master
2009 with 56k miles. All I can figure is there is something about the car I didn't know about and nobody would tell me. Everyone was anxious to give me an extended warranty until they checked the VIN, then would just say they can't insure it. Same story from 5 companies. I was getting scared. I have some circumstantial evidence that it was modified by a racing shop, but nothing concrete or specific. Also 2 indie garages said it was faster than it should be.