Extended Warranty For Bronco

[Mr. Nice]

I am playing the odds by buying the warranty. I’m betting that the warrantied repairs over the life of the warranty will exceed the cost of the warranty. I know that statistically my bet Is a loser, but no new vehicle I’ve owned has been perfect and never needed something that would be covered by extended warranty. If I spend $2K on a warranty and the warranty pays for $1K of repairs then my piece of mind cost me $1K for the last 5 years of ownership.

Maybe its time to make that run to that "casino" since you like betting against the odds...

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[Efthreeoh]

Buy Ford Protect Premium Care. There are LOTS of aftermarket warranties out there. Some are good, but LOTS are in the business of finding a way NOT to pay claims. Under Ford Premium care probably 90% of the car is covered. Ex. Paint/corrosion not covered. Interior trim and upholstery including dashboard not covered. DESPITE WHAT THE FINANCE GUY WILL TELL YOU, there is NO SUCH THING AS a “BUMPER TO BUMPER” extended warranty. The frustration level increases exponentially on the lower level warranties when you find out after the fact and in a time of need that things aren’t covered. Get the lighting option (an led tail lamp assembly on a Mustang for example is something like $1300 just for the part!) & first day rental option (if you are going to need a rental immediately when goes into the shop). You can negotiate on price and customize your deductible and length of coverage. As others have said, you can also buy online and save some money but you can’t bundle it into your monthly payment this way.

some of these know it all’s and “I’ll never buy an extended warranty, it’s a rip off” types may find themselves crying the blues when something goes wrong out of warranty and they get an estimate in the thousands for what they THINK should be a small repair. Modern vehicles are complicated and it doesn’t take an engine or trans failure to have things start getting real expensive real quick.

they’ll probably just blame the manufacturer for “not standing behind their product” long after the warranty has expired. Claiming its bad customer service or say “I’ll never buy another one if they don’t take care of this.” Guess what, at some point the factory warranty expires. At some point repairing the vehicle does become YOUR responsibility & not the manufacturer’s problem anymore. Extended warranty is a way to protect yourself. Without it you are rolling the dice.

it’s like life insurance. You are betting that you are going to die and the insurance company is betting that you won’t. If you don’t die it could be considered a waste of money, but if something goes wrong it was a good investment (for your family anyway).

I had a customer the other day ask me incredulously if a repair was really his responsibility? “Is that something that I have to pay for? Why isn’t Ford going to stand behind their product? I didn’t do anything to cause this problem, it must have been a factory defect”. Well sir the manufacturer is not responsible mostly because your vehicle is almost 7 years old has 120,000 miles. It’s your baby at this point. The factory warranty covers defects for 3 years or 36k whichever comes first, not forever! & “But I’m still making payments” doesn’t mean your warranty gets any longer I’m afraid.

You don’t have to buy an extended warranty. You might get lucky and never need it. If you aren’t going to keep the vehicle longer than 3/36 (or 5/60 Powertrain) then it’s probably not be a good investment. You CAN get ripped off buying one if you pay too much or get wonky terms. It pays to be an informed consumer.

But if you have a history of or are planning to keep the vehicle long term it’s not a bad idea. I had a customer a few weeks back who had his transmission overhauled under Ford warranty on his 2008 Mustang Bullitt! A 13 year old car still under warranty! I’d say he got his money’s worth out of that policy!

Feel free to gamble and skip it as long as you are willing to take a little personal responsibility for your decision in the event of an unexpected failure down the road. If you are unwilling to or can’t afford to take on that kind of risk then I’d say get the warranty. Just make sure you get the best price you can on the warranty (again they are negotiable) and make sure the time AND mileage fit your realistic needs.

Sorry for the long post
/rant off

If there is a manufacturing defect or design of a part, it usually shows up early and under the original factory warranty. That is what the warranty is for, a fault in the design and workmanship of building the vehicle. The original factory warranty is not to ensure the vehicle is going to last a lifetime, that's an insurance policy. While you compare the extended warranty to a life insurance policy, it's actually not, unless the extended warranty policy replaces the vehicle. Life insurance is for replacement of one's income for their family in the case they die while still earning a living or providing retirement income to their spouse. An extended warranty is more akin to health insurance, but it is limited to what is covered and for what reason the repair of the abnormality can be avoided by the warranty company.

While on an individualistic level, there are examples where the owner "beats the house", but overall, the "house always wins". While electronic modules can be problematic, major components like the drivetrain either break early because of a manufacturing defect, or they don't break until very high mileages unless the vehicle is not well cared for. I've taken most of my vehicles to well over 150,000 miles, several over 230,000 miles, and one over 400,000 miles. Modern cars easily last 100,000 miles without major repair work and require little maintenance other than oil changes.

For the Bronco, I'd say if you actually use it to ride trails, if anything breaks after the factory warranty, the warranty company will not cover it due to excessive use. Other than the body, removable tops and doors, there is not much new. The drivetrain is really not new and has a lot of real world durability testing. Most of the electronic modules are standard Ford parts used in numerous other models. IMO, frame rust will be the biggest worry, which will show up well beyond the scope of any extended warranty.

 

[TXNavy]

Hello! We have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty.

 

[Bronco-ocnorB]

The thing I'm most worried about is the MIC top....fo those of you with Wrangler experience, how does their warranty deal with leaks?

My BD won't even have the MID package...in fact, I'da paid thousands more for a screen-delete & analog dials. So I don't have quite as much tech-risk to worry about. I believe the summary below is generic & non Bronco-specific:

100% with you on a screen delete and an analog set up. I would have paid a bit more from less tech.

 

[John Bronco]

I bought my ctsv and jk rubicon used. Both had extended warranties. I used them both a lot.

Point being, if your are keeping your vehicle relatively stock and for a long time, they can be very much worth it.
If your lifting and or doing drivetrain mods, they weasel out of coverage anyway so don’t waste your money.

 

[Efthreeoh]

Hello! We have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty.

LOL, I get those calls all the time. I have five vehicles, so when I take the call just to fck with them, they always ask "Please verify the make, model, and year of your vehicle.", and I reply, "I have five cars, you called me, which one are you calling about?" That's when they hang up. Or, I play the game and when they ask how many miles, I say 200,000 (which is true for one of my cars when it was just a bit over 6 years old it had 200K on it), and I get silence, then "I'll have to check with the manager". I say, "Right, you go do that." They come back and say, "Well, we can't offer you a warranty..." LOL.

 

[TheWoo]

People have to learn to play the odds. They would not sell these policies if they lost money.

Of course they make money. And they don't make "odds sense" on an individual basis. But insurance isn't like sitting at a blackjack table-it's about transferring risk from many individuals to a group.

There are plenty of cases (healthcare comes to mind) where I hope I never recoup my premiums but will be extremely thankful for it if I need to.

This idea that every decision in life should come down to playing the odds is incomplete advice at best. There are times the downside risk is large enough, even if odds are that you won't encounter it, that it's worth the expense.

Everyone's mileage will vary, of course, based on risk tolerance and ability to take on whatever the risk is through other means.

 

[Efthreeoh]

Of course they make money. And they don't make "odds sense" on an individual basis. But insurance isn't like sitting at a blackjack table-it's about transferring risk from many individuals to a group.

There are plenty of cases (healthcare comes to mind) where I hope I never recoup my premiums but will be extremely thankful for it if I need to.

This idea that every decision in life should come down to playing the odds is incomplete advice at best. There are times the downside risk is large enough, even if odds are that you won't encounter it, that it's worth the expense.

Everyone's mileage will vary, of course, based on risk tolerance and ability to take on whatever the risk is through other means.

Agree, but with a new car purchase, you mostly have 60 months of warranty coverage. If you are that risk adverse, just build a slush fund at $50 to $100 month (should be doable if you can afford a $45K vehicle) while the vehicle is under warranty, and save up $6,000 for an unexpected repair. It's not really like health insurance; car repairs are generally limited in scope and cost. If after 10 years, your Bronco never needs the $6K in repairs, you've got $6,000 for hookers and blow on your next trip to King of Hammers...

 

[TheWoo]

Agree, but with a new car purchase, you mostly have 60 months of warranty coverage. If you are that risk adverse, just build a slush fund at $50 to $100 month (should be doable if you can afford a $45K vehicle) while the vehicle is under warranty, and save up $6,000 for an unexpected repair. It's not really like heath insurance; car repairs are generally limited in scope and cost. If after 10 years, your Bronco never needs the $6K in repairs, you've got $6,000 for hookers and blow on your next trip to King of Hammers...

Wouldn't disagree at all, just addressing the general sentiment. Insurance is not (always) like the gaming tables.

 

[Skeletor]

People have to learn to play the odds. They would not sell these policies if they lost money. Just like any kind of insurance you should most always buy the minimum.

If you don't like playing the odds then maybe one should frequent their local casino.
Would that give folks that great "peace of mind" they talk about?

Getting the minimum required amount of insurance is terrible advice.

In WV, the min amount is 25k property 50k per claim. Get into a car accident with just about any vehicle and you are going to max the policy very quickly. Then you either have to sue or get sued.

Buy the most insurance you can afford. It only takes one moderate accident with no coverage to put you in a terrible spot for years.

 

[broncosor]

If warranties are always good buys, no one would offer them because they would always be losing money.

Buying an additional one is betting against Ford. Ford is betting their vehicle lasts longer than the warrant you bought - if so, they score a profit.

So I am assuming you don’t have health insurance, car insurance and home insurance? Since it’s a bet against insurance companies and they all make money just like Ford.

 

[Mr. Nice]

Getting the minimum required amount of insurance is terrible advice.

In WV, the min amount is 25k property 50k per claim. Get into a car accident with just about any vehicle and you are going to max the policy very quickly. Then you either have to sue or get sued.

Buy the most insurance you can afford. It only takes one moderate accident with no coverage to put you in a terrible spot for years.

A lot of people can afford millions and millions of dollars of insurance. That does not mean that it is a good investment over time.

"I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you"

 

[Skeletor]

A lot of people can afford millions and millions of dollars of insurance. That does not mean that it is a good investment over time.

"I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you"

I'm quite aware of how insurance works. You don't need to explain it to me.

Get the minimum amount of insurance. Get into an accident and get sued. Experience that anxiety and then tell me insurance isn't worth it.

Hopefully you never need it, but I'd rather pay the money and know I'm not going to lose everything I've worked for.

 

[kodiakisland]

I’ve bought at least 15 new cars and never needed an extended warranty until I did. A 2yr old Volvo with 55K miles dropped a valve and caused major damage. It was a first year model engine design, and a new head had to come from Sweden. In all over $12K out of pocket, on a 2yr old vehicle. Wish I had the warranty on that one.

I will get a policy from Flood with a $200 deductible. I know I will have the vehicle long term, well beyond the factory warranty.

 

[Toastedtostito]

Don't worry, there will be tons of final warnings that your car's extended warranty is about to expire if you actually buy one or not. You won't feel left out.

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