sandwedge

The problem with third party warranty outfits is not necessarily how they perform while they perform but how often they stop performing......period. They're individually run business like pizza parlors or dry cleaners, i.e....they can shut down tomorrow and your policy is as worthless as the time you spend on suing them.

useridchallenged

I've been out of warranty on my 2005 C2 for over a year (62k miles). I bring it in for all of its regular maintenance, keep the oil and fluids at the right levels - and drive the car - a lot.

I thought about extended warranty for a long time. If something modest fails, it may still be cheaper to repair the item out of pocket than the cost and hassle of a warranty. If something more substantial fails, my Porsche dealer has always been good to take care of these things at very fair rates - they do want me to buy another one someday. If something catastrophic fails (engine, tranny), rumor has it that Porsche will often still cover such things even past warranty - not that I would count on that, though. But how much push-back do you think you'd get on a new engine from the warranty company if your engine failed?

I spent a fair amount of time on this list to see what sort of failures people were having with their cars, and as far as I could tell: (a) most of the things that were failing, were failing in the first 30,000 miles, and (b) not all that much was failing - the 997 has some great engineering behind it.

Also, my car appears to be a good one, as opposed to a "lemon". So I'm going to continue to drive my Porsche many, many miles and drive it hard - without a warranty.

Anyone else break the 60k mile mark with their 997?

Laura

I am commenting from information gathered from our experience. I have never turned in a claim for a customer and been informed the warranty company has closed down or no longer honoring a warranty. This appears to happen to others, we have not experienced it. About 85% of claims we submit are honored in full for items covered. Engines and trnsmissions included. Numerous window regulators, ignition switch housings, oil seperators, mass air sensors, coil paks, coolant tanks...covered. We may not always agree on labor hours but that is because Porsche does not release those figures to the public.
I am just offering information from our experience, I realize opinions will vary depending on your experiences.

plz

Sorry to the OP for the minor hijack but what specific problems have people had with the CPO coverage? I'm looking for a 997 and have targeted CPO cars as preferable over non-CPO. Am I missing something and should drop that requirement?

useridchallenged

With past vehicles, I've found CPO coverage to be excellent. CPO seems quite similar to the original factory warranty, and there's usually a simple flat fee for each warranty event (like $50, if I remember correctly). You pay a little extra for a CPO car, but I think it's worth it because Porsche won't CPO a car that might be sketchy from a warranty perspective. The CPO process is fairly involved with a long checklist to make sure the car qualifies. If anything, a CPO 997 will likely be a very good previously owned car.

sandwedge

Understood. I guess my question is: What's the argument for a third party, independent company that may or may not be here tomorrow over a policy sold and guaranteed by the dealership? Cost seems to be about the same.


National Warranty is being liquidated in legal proceedings currently pending in the Cayman Islands. National Warranty was responsible for paying claims of Warranty Gold customers from monies deposited by Warranty Gold on behalf of its customers and potentially from other resources (including insurance proceeds). National Warranty's insolvency has affected a reported one million consumers and numerous other extended service contract providers, such as Warranty Gold.

http://www.warrantygold.com/Litigation.cfm?PID=4

Laura

Simple one yesterday, 02 996 C4S, CPO - diagnosed at dealership window regulator, not covered by CPO warranty.
Brought car in here because customer was unhappy not covered by warranty, would rather have us do repair.

Further inspection found error in diagnosis, door latch failed, customer contacted dealership, not covered, repair made here.

sandwedge

Sounds more like a case where an owner chooses an independent shop rather than the dealer who just ticked him off. How does this relate to independent extended warranties versus factory warranties?

Laura

Most third party warranties would have covered this repair item. Customers are quite surprised when thie understanding of the CPO does not cover "everything", and the next guy in line gets his bill covered by a "3rd party warranty.

I am not here to debate, just offering an opinion based on our experience with these types of warranties and our customers experiences. I thought that people might me interested in an opinion from someone who deals with the owners of the poilicies and the companies on a daily basis.
I like to be able to tell my customer, "Hey, your policy will cover that repair!"

Sorry if I stepped out of place here, it was not my intention.
(though it is not noted on the left, I am a Rennlist member and have been for several years #030811-3893)

KeninBlaine

I, for one, appreciate your input and opinions, especially given that they are based on your experience rather than hypotheses. Thanks for sharing.