Warranty ends 03/16 should I buy extended warranty?

[NissanLeafCamper]

Hi Guys,

My leaf was made in 03/2013 so the bumper to bumper is close to ending. I just hit the 30,000 miles on this used leaf and I am the second owner. I'd like to stay in the Nissan leaf a little longer until I can get a Tesla Model S. I think I will need until 2017 to be able to do that. The question is... should I buy an extended warranty? What could go wrong in 1 year that is not covered by the bumper to bumper warranty? Power train would still work. I do plan to sell it by the end of 2017 and it makes me wonder if an extended warranty would make it sell better than the car no longer having a bumper to bumper warranty.

Help?

 

[derkraut]

IMHO, extended warranties are a bad investment. I considered buying one for my 2011, since it was the 1st year of manufacture. But, I ultimately decided not to do so. Now, I'm approaching 5yrs of ownership; and I've never had my car in the shop for any reason except for traction battery checks and software updates. So, I'm $1200+ ahead of the game. Now---if you want to purchase some peace of mind, go ahead and do it. Some of these extended warranties cover a bunch of items your car doesn't have, like belts, hoses, water pumps, fuel pumps, muffler, etc, etc.

 

[NissanLeafCamper]

I see I hope they get out a good warranty for ev cars only and hopefully cheaper since it has less running parts .

I just did the math and I've had the leafy for 5 months and done a total of 6733 miles (checked odoreading in dealer papers). 6733/5= so I am doing about 1346.6 miles per month. 2016 might get a little more busy for me so I might end up doing 1500 miles or perhaps a little more. Should I not consider a warranty extension? The only issue I have had with the leaf is the right window spay unit is plugged and doesn't spray. Also it sounds like the right power window has the glass pressed against something but doesn't happen all the time.

I only will be in the leaf one more year... but I certainly am using it well enough . A year just seems like such a long time and I wonder if it will sell better with an extended warranty?

 

[minispeed]

My advice is NO WAY!

There's a reason every where you go you are offered countless extended warrantees..... they make so much money on them!!!!

Also extended warrantees are a shady business. Most are not offered by the manufacture even though at many dealers they will slap the logo on there. You really have to read the fine print. Many of them have deductibles or diagnostic fees attached to them too.

As a general rule of thumb I say that if you turn down track the price of all the extended warrantees for anything you buy and turn them all down after a lifetime looking back whatever you spend on repairs/replacements will be a small fraction of that. Yes you will find people who have saved money because they got unlucky and something broke but even then if that causes them to always say yes to all extended warrantees then they will probably be out of pocket at the end of their life.

From what you've posted about using the car for work it sounds like you want this for the peace of mind so you're not out of work. The other thing to consider is even with an extended warrantee with the rare chance of something happening to your leaf that would cost $1000 plus to fix it would be such a rare event that even with a warrantee it would likely take a few weeks to diagnose and fix it, a warrantee could add a few days to getting it approved too. You'd still be out earnings or rental car fees. It would be much better to stash away the money that you would be spending on a warrantee just in case.

 

[Stanton]

Doesn't sound like you will be keeping the car long enough to make the extra warranty worth it; the longer the time frame the better the deal. For the record: I just used my extended warranty for the first time on an A/C condenser, which cost almost as much as the warranty did (I bought 8 years for about $800). I almost never buy extended warranties on anything, but the Leaf was so new (and the deal was so good), I bought it (and it just paid for itself since I replaced a window motor as well).

 

[Flyct]

Most Manufacture extended warranties are prorated and unused miles and months are refunded. I just got a $600 check from Lexus after selling our 2008 SC430 last month. The Extended warranty covered from expiration of the original 4 yr/50k mile warranty through the end of the 8th year. So the $600 of the original $2,400 cost was refunded.

 

[NissanLeafCamper]

Doesn't sound like you will be keeping the car long enough to make the extra warranty worth it; the longer the time frame the better the deal. For the record: I just used my extended warranty for the first time on an A/C condenser, which cost almost as much as the warranty did (I bought 8 years for about $800). I almost never buy extended warranties on anything, but the Leaf was so new (and the deal was so good), I bought it (and it just paid for itself since I replaced a window motor as well).

the right passenger window when you open it there is a part where it sounds like the glass is grinding against something or rubbing against something. not the whole way down but when it goes half way for a little bit then it becomes normal again. You said you replaced a window motor what signs did you get that you knew it was time to get it looked at? I am wondering if the right window motor for the window might go out soon or something else could be the issue. prety nice to know the warranty can be prorated and returned some money back.... I am just not entirely sure. I mean one year can be a pretty long time and i am using the car pretty much all day. from the time I awake to the time I go to sleep I spend my whole day inside it so the windows get used and other things. perhaps i am not putting that many miles on it but it is getting more use on the side. I think i am doing around 1250 miles per month...

 

[Stanton]

Doesn't sound like you will be keeping the car long enough to make the extra warranty worth it; the longer the time frame the better the deal. For the record: I just used my extended warranty for the first time on an A/C condenser, which cost almost as much as the warranty did (I bought 8 years for about $800). I almost never buy extended warranties on anything, but the Leaf was so new (and the deal was so good), I bought it (and it just paid for itself since I replaced a window motor as well).

the right passenger window when you open it there is a part where it sounds like the glass is grinding against something or rubbing against something. not the whole way down but when it goes half way for a little bit then it becomes normal again. You said you replaced a window motor what signs did you get that you knew it was time to get it looked at? I am wondering if the right window motor for the window might go out soon or something else could be the issue. prety nice to know the warranty can be prorated and returned some money back.... I am just not entirely sure.

The short answer is: yes, eventually that thing will die (and probably when it gets cold).

 

[NissanLeafCamper]

The short answer is: yes, eventually that thing will die (and probably when it gets cold).

What symptoms did your window motor give you before death? It has been pretty cold here. I saw 32F last night on the LED in the leaf. Do you think this is cold enough? Would the sound of light grinding be enough for it to get changed? It seems to work fine most of the time. I wonder what the light grinding could be? Just the motor?

 

[Firetruck41]

Most Manufacture extended warranties are prorated and unused miles and months are refunded. I just got a $600 check from Lexus after selling our 2008 SC430 last month. The Extended warranty covered from expiration of the original 4 yr/50k mile warranty through the end of the 8th year. So the $600 of the original $2,400 cost was refunded.

The other thing you can do (usually) is transfer it to the new owner, sometimes for a small fee, but it can be a selling point when negotiating with the new owner. If you just buy the warranty and keep the car for the duration of the warranty and never cancel it, you do not get any refund at the end.

 

[Firetruck41]

If you are worried about troubleshooting a window problem, you may want to have a warranty... I would likely never use the warranty enough to offset my DIY repair costs. We also have another car so I am not "under the gun" if a larger repair is needed that will take time to complete, order parts, etc. Last year I got a dealer quote for $3000 in repairs needed to my Acura (courtesy inspection during a recall service), I did them all myself for about $600, so if you are used to paying exorbitant dealer labor rates a warranty could pay off.

 

[NissanLeafCamper]

Unfortunately my family doesn't want me touching the vehicle for any sort of repairs I am likely way too busy to really be able to do the work meaningfully (Plus no experience repairing anything and extremely limited access to the net; can't watch videos online unless it is at a library). Needless to say I am in a pinch and am just working pretty hard and long hours to get things done. Another hope is getting a used tesla hopefully by the end of 2016.... Since the window has a grinding noise when it goes halfway down then stops I will have to make some time to get it checked at the dealer . I am still wondering if I should get that warranty... it might be a good idea though it will cause me to be a few bucks out of cash hopefully not too much. I am going to stop using the window on that side until it gets looked at. The weather is too cold and I spend hours on end in the car and in this weather it will just be bad for it to get stuck down low.... If the warranty can be sold to the next owner or sold back to the dealer then it might just be worth it . Really wish i could just make the vehicle jump now, but financially speaking it is not possible. I still have about 3k in debt and my credit score is about 700 something I believe. I am hoping to apply for a car loan once it gets to 760 or preferably over 800 (If that is even possible). I actually saw a used tesla at the tesla website for 43,600 which was pretty cheap. If it were to hit 40k or lower that is basically rav4 ev plateau...

 

[TomT]

I didn't get a warranty and considering that I have had no billable repairs since, it was a very financially sound decision. Rarely, if ever, do warranties pay off unless, perhaps, it is a known highly unreliable vehicle... And in two months when I turn it in, it will be Nissan's problem...

 

[mark1313]

We have the extended warranty ..... Im not saying buy it, but Leaf parts are very expensive .... We had a headlight go out last year .....I was told parts and labor were close to $1000.00 ..... @ that time I was told only 5 headlights had failed in Leafs .....

 

[mwalsh]

We have the extended warranty ..... Im not saying buy it, but Leaf parts are very expensive .... We had a headlight go out last year .....I was told parts and labor were close to $1000.00 ..... @ that time I was told only 5 headlights had failed in Leafs .....

+1. Even though the LEAF has proved itself a lot over the last 5 years, there are still a lot of very expensive components on it, and any one could be an oddball failure. Or not. The only repair that I've had (other than my battery pack replacement) thus far was on the right front axle and, as such, was still covered under the 5 year / 60,000 mile drive-train warranty.

You can buy the warranties for a fair price on the Internet rather than the marked up price from your local dealership. Mine was purchased through Vaden Nissan and is the 6 year / 75,000 mile Security+Plus Gold Preferred, and it Cost $740 2 years ago. I could have also gone with 5 years / 75,000 miles for $620, or 5 years / 60,000 miles for $600.

In making your decision, make yourself aware what an extended warranty doesn't cover (exterior trim parts being just one example).

 

[minispeed]

...Since the window has a grinding noise when it goes halfway down then stops I will have to make some time to get it checked at the dealer...

You should be able to get that repair done at any qualified (cheaper) shop. It may be a simple case of adjustments or may need a new or used regulator. The dealer will only source brand new parts and will hardly ever try to repair a part. Independent shops will source used and will repair parts if it can be done. Even if they go with brand new Nissan parts the labour rate is usually much cheaper per hour.