Extended Service Contract

So brought my truck in for the 25k mile service today and they mentioned the extended warranty to me today but definitely were not selling it. He did mention for most vehicles it's not worth the investment but for Tacomas/Tundras you save a few hundred $$. Is that just because the dealerships charge so much to service vehicles?

I am a handy person but I don't mess with vehicles, never have and honestly probably never will. I have a reliable mechanic that I trust that is literally 5 minute drive from my house who doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

Worth it or stick with my mechanic for maintenance?

 

I'm not sure how the extended warranty would save money unless something broke. I was ok with spending the high price on a Toyota because the reputation that the truck won't break. Typically warranties aren't worth it for that reason.


You can get extended ToyotaCare for extending your "free" servicing, but the cost to extend the ToyotaCare far outweighs the cost of paying for service yourself from a reputable shop or DIY.


I'd stick to the mechanic. I'm enjoying my free ToyotaCare, but my last free service is later this month due to mileage. After that, I'll do DIY servicing the same as every other car I've owned. The Taco is a bit weird with the oil filter cartridge, but the rest is completely straightforward. At least from a modding perspective, I'd prefer to DIY anyways; the dealer I went to cross-threaded my IFS skid plate on the 10k service.

 

Were they talking about an Extended Service Contract for routine maintenance or an Extended Warranty?

 

when I bought my 16 during Toyota days, they gave me a "Lifetime warranty on the drivetrain" free...hope I don't have to use it, but most Extended warranties are not worth it.. never bought one and never will.

the dealer never even offered us an extended warranty on my wife's 16 mazda 6i, they said you won't need it...

 

Sorry Extended Service not warranty.

 

I have a Sport DCSB 6MT with Prem+Tech packages on order and debating about getting lifetime bumper-to-bumper on it. It already has a lifetime drivetrain from the dealer, but bumper-to-bumper is extra. With the new TSS in the 2018s plus the extra doo-dads in the Premium (moonroof, a/c, etc) and Tech (BSM, rear parking assist, etc), there are many, many things to break. With said options being mostly electronic devices it isn't something I'd be able to just fix with a wrench and screwdriver either.

Since I prefer to keep my vehicles long-term, hopefully lifetime of the vehicle, and hate not having options that don't work, I feel it might pay for itself over the long run as well as just give me peace of mind that if anything breaks I just bring it in and get it fixed up. It doesn't help to be browsing the forum and see all the things that breaks on other peoples vehicles though!

 

Frequently the "Lifetime Powertrain Warranty" requires you to have your vehicle serviced at the dealer you bought it from. It's a common tactic nowadays because the days of 100k transmissions are well behind us... they basically make sure your vehicle is well taken care of at your expense and will get thousands out of you (because you will have to do all recommended maintenance or they'll void it) before you will likely need assistance.

 

What he says. I had a dealership that kept telling me they give you a life time power train warranty. What they fail to mention is that you have to have them do all the service!

 

There's two kinds of support contracts: maintenance and warranty.

The Extended Warranty is up to you whether or not its worth it and covers whatever the package includes in the case of failure. Personally, I paid $1500 for the platinum (about half the original ask) so that is reasonable to me given how much electrical is on this truck.

A service contract, on the other hand, is for critical preventative maintenance (so basically oil changes and tire rotations now that everything else is mostly 100k intervals) and is generally worth it if you aren't going to do the work yourself. You can normally negotiate the price down below what you'd be paying elsewhere. Be warned, they take the hit because they want to lock you in so they can try to upsell you on the maintenance that is not included in the package like power steering, coolant, and brake fluid flushes. These will not be discounted and will be cheaper at just about any independent shop you'd find.

Either way, if you decide to go through with it, rule #1 is negotiate and negotiate hard. These things are seriously inflated and you can easily get 30% or more off the initial asking price and otherwise, you're probably wasting money.

 

What was the offer? I’m at 27k and was offered 45k Toyota Care Plus for $329 today since the regular Toyota Care is now expired.

 

i purchaced 13 tacoma 2 years ago with 89000 miles on it they got me to buy a extra 36000 mile warranty 100 dollar deductble well it payed off 2 months ago when transmission failed they replaced all with new trans tourg converter transmission cooler all parts from toyota i priced all the parts was 4675.89 not including labor and they towed it 80 miles best 2200 dollars i ever spent

 

OP - Figure out what interval they are covering (i.e. 6 years/100,000 miles for example). Also find out precisely what they cover. Get it in writing so that it is clear. Then figure out what the cost of two oil changes and tire rotations per year are. Then calculate all the other stuff they cover over the time frame they cover.

I found this useful:

https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

BOTTOM LINE: I ended up not going with any "Toyota" extended service or warranty plan because I thought it was too expensive at my particular dealership. However I did go with an extended service plan on my wife's Ford Escape because we got $8,000 off MSRP and they sold us a service plan for $2,000 (originally $4,000) that covers 6 years/100,000 miles and includes brake and rotor replacement, coolant flushes, wind shield wipers (always a pain in the butt), bulb replacement, etc... And it is transferrable should I sell the car. Also it came from Ford Motor Co, not Dewey Cheatem's dealership or some obscure third party company.

 

Keep using your mechanic.

 

Appreciate all the advice and experiences.

There was no offer ther than the service rep mentioning that he felt it was worth it. Never mentioned price etc. Part of the reason I go to this particular dealership is because they don’t pressure you into making a decision. My wife bought her Camry there, and my dad bought his Taco and my mom’s Highlander there as well in addition to my Taco.

Figured I would do my research. I suppose if I can negotiate it down enough it’s worth it. I won’t do the maintence myself, cars are about the only thing I don’t mess with, couldn’t tell you why.

 

Better read all the fine print first. Inclusions, exclusions, requirements like frequencies/following the owners manual (if any) etc etc. before negotiating anything.

Most periodic services listed in the manual are pretty minuscule. You'll see a lot of 'inspect' phrases. Meaning not much happens.

Your regular mechanic will likely be more competitive price wise for actual work performed, AND be able to do all those 'inspections' along the way in conjunction with actual work.

 

I've spent too much time sweating or freezing my nuts off late at night trying to get something working so I can drive into work the next day. Or running into something that I absolutely cannot figure out how to get on/off. I'd rather pay someone who's enjoys or at least it's making a living off of it and has all the right tools.

Now if I could choose when and where to work on it with no pressure, I might enjoy the process more.

 

I purchased the 10 year 100K Platinum Toyota extended warranty. The low miles fits my needs.

I ALSO picked up the Oil maintenance program dealeo… $710 for 15 SYN Oil changes (also rotate tires & top off all fluids). NO expiration date on the oil changes & transferable for $50.

 

I did this one on my 2017. As part of it at my 30k service they changed fluids on front and rear diff as well as transfer case. Oil and filter change at 30k, oil/filter/cabin air filter/engine air filter at 40k. When I compared it to some local independent shops it was basically a wash in terms of cost. I feel there is value in having records of maint by the dealer for possible future trade in and resale. I also think this is part of the reason my dealer doesn’t give me any crap when I ask for TSB’s or have issues I want them to check. They have been good about fixing and investigating my issues, no matter how small to date.

My time outside of work is worth more to me playing on my bikes, skis or with my family vs. wrenching. I’m capable, just have different priorities right now.

 

I just bought a 19 tacoma, did anyone get the mechanical failure service contract? Cost is 4900 for 10 years/ or 100,000. Is it worth it? Thanks.

 

I got the cilajet plus and the 100,000 mile or whatever amount of years bundled. The cilajet was warrantied pretty ridiculous. I was on a trail on a angle going through a rut and tipped from like 15 degrees to about 30 into a fallen tree and it poked my door pretty good. The warrant covered the the paint damage and the ding. Same thing with the pine cone that fell and dented the scoop on my pro.