Lifetime power train warranty

[Donald]

I am half considering a Subaru Crosstrek from a Subaru dealership in Albany. It comes with a free lifetime power train warranty from the dealer. The only hitch is all recommended maint. must be performed by the dealer if within 60 miles, and another Subaru dealer if beyond 60 miles.

I usually do my own oil changes and ATF change/flush.

And a $50 deductible/visit and if the repair is more than the vehicle is worth, then the can give you the value of the vehicle.

Is it worth it?

 

[Rand]

well dealer maintenance will make you very poor esp if you need to follow the severe service schedule.

also lifetime warranty dealers are usually gimmicky in the extreme. and flaky.

 

[dernp]

There will be alot of fine print. Sounds like you will lose control of all potential do it yourself maintenance.

 

[dparm]

Modern powertrains are super-reliable. They know that virtually no one will need to claim on it after the manufacturer warranty expires, and they can of course screw some people because they didn't follow those "rules" (or they'll sell the car).

I honestly would not buy a car just because the dealer offered that. The rest of the car will degrade far faster (suspension, body panels, electronics, etc).

 

[99Saturn]

Originally Posted By: dparm
I honestly would not buy a car just because the dealer offered that. The rest of the car will degrade far faster (suspension, body panels, electronics, etc).


I seem to remember reading a similar thread months ago on BITOG and this was the consensus. Plus rust will probably get you in NY.

 

[IndyIan]

Can't say I've ever had a major power train failure, but we try to get manual trans cars for that reason.
Odds are they win out money wise, as I assume the drivetrain warranty only covers the metal parts of the engine and trans which rarely break anyways.
If they cover electronics and CV boots, seals, etc then its probably a great deal, but I doubt it covers anything likely to need repair.

 

[Tdbo]

You probably would be better off doing your own maintenance and buying a Subaru extended warranty.
It would probably be more economical in the long run, because you will be paying for their "free" plan anyway, as it obviously will be absorbed in their service rates.
Also if the dealer goes belly up, the lifetime power train warranty won't be worth the paper it is written on.

 

[JTK]

Depends how much you enjoy dealing with this dealer. Recommended oil change interval for the new Crosstreks is 7500mi and a dealer 0w20 oil change is about $60+

The other thing to consider is, do you have to follow the dealer's maintenance regimen for the "dealer" warranty? The dealer could spec anything they want, that being the case.

The owner's manual maintenance chart is pretty light. Not much is recommended with the new 2.0i FB, CVT or 5spd powertrain.

Cool thing about the new PZEV Subarus is all the stuff that's covered for 15yrs/150K miles. You just have to live in a PZEV state, which NY is.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Suabarus have had a good share of "teething" problems with the new powertrain and more than a few with the EJ25x. Whom underwrites this warranty? How long has the dealer and underwriter been doing business as: "current name"?
Alternatively, even If you buy an extended warranty you will have to keep excellent records and have ALL rec maint work performed to get coverage.

 

[TrevorS]

How much is an extended warranty on the entire vehicle and how does that compare to the cost of dealer maintenance?

And don't forget that when you DIY, you save time and have more peace of mind.

 

[JTK]

With my recent Crosstrek purchase, a 6yr/100K mile bumper/bumper warranty "backed by Subaru" was about $1000, with a $100 deductible. I had them down to $900 (started at $1300), but still declined. Never had intentions of buying an ext. warranty.

Like said, a lot is covered by the 5yr/60K P-train and a ton more by the 15yr/150K PZEV warranty, BUT you have to live in a PZEV state for it to apply.

 

[eljefino]

What's to stop them from jacking up the price of an oil change or a timing belt job a year from now, once you're hooked?

 

[Voltmaster]

Life time oil changes will simply add up....
I wouldnt bother with it, KIAs and Hyundais are pretty good right now and cant go wrong with Toyotas.

Remember, dealers will already have lawyers and techs and engineers on board. its going to be sooo hard for you to fight them if they dont want to do something for you.

Its something to think about. You'd have to hire lawyers and engineers to inspect if they deny anything. When money is involved, you need to think as if everybody wants to rip you off specially something like "lifetime warrantees".


They can simply raise their price as your car ages so they are getting the value of their warranty repair back.

 

[Cubey]

For the cost of dealer maintenance vs doing it yourself, why not bank the extra money in savings? I would imagine it would be enough to just buy a new tranny or engine (or both!) by the time they actually go out while you own it.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: TrevorS

And don't forget that when you DIY, you save time and have more peace of mind.


I do my own stuff (but not oil, I hate oil and antifreeze) because I like it. It takes less time to drop the car off at the dealer, let them take me to/from work and work on it while I'm working. Piece of mind is if they F something up it's on them, not me.

 

[KB2008X]

Stay away. It's a sucker's bet.

 

[JHZR2]

Define recommended maintenance. From the OM or from the schedule at the dealer's servide department?

 

[Chris142]

The dealer is not going to lose money.if you did have a problem they will find a way to weasel out of the warranty.

 

[javacontour]

BINGO!


Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Define recommended maintenance. From the OM or from the schedule at the dealer's servide department?

 

[dishdude]

The ones I have seen even make you buy tires and brakes from the dealer. I always just assumed they were a scam to sell a bunch of overpriced services not needed and never seriously considered them.