Lifetime drivetrain warranty offered by local dealer

So, to add to to the title:

Must be maintained within 500 miles of scheduled mileage. Must be done by ASME qualified persons and documented.

When I questioned the ability to replace needle bearing I was told it would void this offer. So, I assume MT accumulator delete will also void this warranty.

Has anyone ever heard of this kind of offering? And what has your response been?

A 2/1 level may require a needle bearing replacement. And while I can live without accumulator delete, it would be nice. It is worth noting, all Toyota factory warranties are still applicable.

 

I'd want proof that an ASME certified technician checked my washer fluid, wiper blades, or coolant level...

I'd say there are likely so many conditions and subject-tos on it that you'd probably never get anything from it.

 

A lot of those BS "lifetime powertrain" warranties that are free or "included" by the dealer are just marketing to keep you going to them for maintenance. Also, they usually only cover lubrication related failures, which are pretty much non-existent if you do the bare minimum for maintenance. they also exclude a ton of shit too, such as differentials, driveshafts, u-joints, cv joints, etc... so it is a warranty that will cover lubricated components of your engine, transmission, and maybe the transfer case if the failure is the result of improper lubrication. Coincidentally, these components are probably the least likely to fail items on any modern vehicle that isn't being abused and neglected for it's entire life.

 

X2 ^

Blow a motor at 8 years and 200K and see if you've met the criteria for a free replacement.

OP, this 'warranty' isn't unique to your dealership. The local Ford dealership here is offering the same facade.

Similarly with our inground swimming pool dealer. Lifetime warranty, surface and structure, with one water test done in house each month, every month.
Miss one water test or decline a particular treatment and the warranty is voided.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

 

My uncle had one of those lifetime dealer warranties on his Camry, but the fine print required him to have all services done there including buying tires.

 

They know on average they will make money on selling a warranty, and they control the terms of the warranty to maximize the profit.

 

Including tires?! Yikes.

 

Yeah those are generally things where you need to keep things as bone stock as possible for it to apply. But that's really no different than them trying to tell you why various things aren't covered under the normal warranty. My local dealership offers a 1,000,000 mile warranty. Given that I didn't buy through them I don't know what the stipulations are but I imagine it is similar.

 

When I bought my truck the dealer included an unlimited years and miles powertrain warranty from Fidelity Warranty Services, which is the extended warranty company owned by Southeast Toyota Distributors (same company you would buy a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty from - we can't get Toyota factory extended warranties because of SETD). Basically you have to keep the vehicle completely stock - even tire size - and you have to do the maintenance required in the owner's manual. Any failure caused by a non OEM part is out. There is no requirement to have the service done at the dealership, just have to have proof the maintenance was done. Other than that it seems to have the usual exclusions...accidents, falling objects, theft, anything covered by a manufacturer's warranty, etc. I'm sure I paid for this thing somewhere, nothing is "free" at a dealership, but I got a pretty decent deal on the truck so I'm happy.

 

The 2/1 TRD factory Lift that Toyota sells you does not include needle bearings. That's gotta tell you something....

 

Well there's only one needle bearing in the front diff, and it's already in there so the lift wouldn't include it. There's no Toyota anything that's going to come with aftermarket parts like an ECGS bushing to replace the factory needle bearing.

 

If they have your phone number standby for up selling warranty marketing calls for the rest of your life.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I had my skepticism and was probably going to proceed anyways. I wouldn't pay for anything extra through the dealer, you can find everything cheaper elsewhere. It was an idea they brought to my attention after we were already on agreement on the sale, free. But you don't buy a tacoma to be a slave to a warranty, not very free.

 

My used taco came with a lifetime powertrain warranty. It covers the engine, transmission, transfer case (all internal parts only), as well as the 4x4 component, drive shaft, carrier bearing, u joints, etc etc.

The contract says to maintain the vehicle according to manufacturers specs, which I do and have proof of. If one of the covered components ever fails I'm confident that the warranty company will honor the contract.

The only risk to deals like this (so long as you hold up your end the bargain) is that the company providing the warranty goes under.

The engines and transmission the these trucks are expensive and it's nice to know I'm covered in the event of catastrophic failure. In addition when I burn out my u-joints and it's time to service the drivetrain I won't have to go underneath there myself, as I've done on two previous Tacoma's (why they would cover a u-joint or carrier bearing is beyond me, but I'll take what I can get when I can get it).

 

You got all that in writing? Sounds too good to be true.

 

I thought it was too, and was worried the dealership would screw me over. But they came through and I have a contract with terms, the whole bit.

The devil is in the details. Always get a printed contract.

Again, all good until you've had the truck for ten-twenty years and the company supplying the warranty went out of business.

 

Lol these "lifetime powertrain warranties" are such a scam. Get one oil change done at the quicklube place instead of the toyota dealership you warranty is invalid.

 

And deal with the subsequent markup on each and every one of those tires...

 

These "dealership" warranties always work in favor of the dealership. They are called dealership warranties because they are backed by the individual dealership which also means you can not have service or repairs made elsewhere.

As others have mentioned there are too many loopholes to jump through and trust me the dealership will put in the effort to deny the claim.

And if the dealership for some reason has to pay a claim well all they are doing is using the money they made off of you for all those inspections & service appointments.

Also what about labor, the OP hasn't mentioned if that is included.

 

It all depends who’s underwriting the contract and who’s each component is warrantied. I put a transmission in a GM truck that had a lifetime warranty. Truck had 180k on it. Like any other vehicle service contract, it’s all about the fine print. I would take a copy of the contract to someone who knows how to decipher it to see if it’s worth more than the paper it’s printed on. Some dealers are a single transaction company and others want your business for life. Once you figure those things out, then you’ll have your answer.