To warranty or not to warranty

[martynbox]

My 03 Boxster Tip S warranty ends in 20 days and i have the option of taking it out again. The car has done 26000 miles and is driven daily. There are some minor probs that need sorting but they dont seem to be covered. I am basically after a consensus opinion on whether to extend the warranty (895 now!!) or not. It seems that if you want to use it it is a bit of a gamble ie the ignition intermittently wont start in P mode. OPC said they will investigate but if it is not covered then you are hit with 100 pound an hour bill plus the parts, instead of approx 35 per hour at a good independent liike Zentrum. What do you think. All views appreciated

Cheers
MT

 

[Paul Judge]

If it was me I would continue with the warranty - if the engine or gearbox has a major fault then you are covered. You can still use the indi. For non warranty items.

 

[Black80XSA]

Ask yourself this....

..im the event of an engine failure, do you have the readies to get it fixed or a new engine fitted ??

Of course its sod's law either way, take the warranty and nothign will happen, don;t and something will !

 

[martynbox]

Exactly!! Out of interest what would that cost ish??

 

[Black80XSA]

Engine fitted by OPC - £12k exchange , rebuild by Autofarm - from around £4k but dependent upon failure. Gearbox around £9k from Porsche, rebuild £1500 - £3000 by gearbox specialist (some parts can only be bought as sets, rather than individual components)

 

[JCB..]

ORIGINAL: martynbox

My 03 Boxster Tip S warranty ends in 20 days and i have the option of taking it out again. The car has done 26000 miles and is driven daily. There are some minor probs that need sorting but they dont seem to be covered. I am basically after a consensus opinion on whether to extend the warranty (895 now!!) or not. It seems that if you want to use it it is a bit of a gamble ie the ignition intermittently wont start in P mode. OPC said they will investigate but if it is not covered then you are hit with 100 pound an hour bill plus the parts, instead of approx 35 per hour at a good independent liike Zentrum. What do you think. All views appreciated

Cheers
MT

My views are:

That £895 for a year's warranty on a car that is built to the same standard as a Porsche is daylight robbery! [&:]

That people that are happy to fork out £895 a year for warranty on a car that is built to the same standard as a Porsche wouldn't miss the £5k it costs for an Autofarm engine rebuild or replacement.

I could go on but my glass is empty.............[8D]

 

[John Ware]

996 owner but £800 ish per year for a warranty...

I've gone without for two and a half years which means I already have £2k to put towards a large bang if it ever happens.

 

[Black80XSA]

£895 isn't exactly pocket money, but still better than the BMW M version at £1300, and until someone else comes up with a reasonably comprehensive alternative our options are limited.

 

[Glyn]

I will not renew mine, too many things not covered, i will take my chances, most parts are much cheaper via europarts or Porsche-apart etc and only a complete engine or gearbox failure would be such a catastrophy.
If Porsche are built so well then they should not fall apart with a little use.
My last boxster didnt cost me £800 in 4 years, sure i spent a lot more than that on it but most of that was my choice, not failed parts, so this one i have (2002 S with extended warranty until July) will not be renewed

 

[chrisbradley]

Every time this subject comes up on the forum it gets me wondering - if we were driving an audi or a toyota, would we be contemplating a blown engine or a broken gearbox after only 2 or 3 years ? - of course not ! So why are we so concerned ? These are supposed to be quality machines we are driving - are they so fragile that we need to seriously consider an expensive extended warranty or is it just another massive Porsche con ?

Chris

 

[THX911]

ORIGINAL: chrisbradley

Every time this subject comes up on the forum it gets me wondering - if we were driving an audi or a toyota, would we be contemplating a blown engine or a broken gearbox after only 2 or 3 years ? - of course not ! So why are we so concerned ? These are supposed to be quality machines we are driving - are they so fragile that we need to seriously consider an expensive extended warranty or is it just another massive Porsche con ?

Chris

Here are somethings to think about:
- RMS
- A mates of mine with a 2001 Boxster S had a engine blow out last year; no warning, no signs... didn't have extended warranty so had to pay the OPC price for the engine change. Went for the OPC as he felts it will help get some value when selling, even if it doesn't it will make selling easier. He is financially okay but still the stress him and the family went through this incidence was unbelievable...

Don't think of warranty as throwing money away to the best piece of German engineering; it is just for the peace of mind and nothing else... I also feel it helps when selling i.e. having an extended warranty would make the car more appealing to a buyer and yes, I know a buyer can get it checked and have it extended anyway...

PS: I don't think an Audi or a Toyota engine would cost 10K and after a couple of years the whole car would be valued under 10K anyway...

 

[JCB..]

ORIGINAL: THX911

ORIGINAL: chrisbradley

Every time this subject comes up on the forum it gets me wondering - if we were driving an audi or a toyota, would we be contemplating a blown engine or a broken gearbox after only 2 or 3 years ? - of course not ! So why are we so concerned ? These are supposed to be quality machines we are driving - are they so fragile that we need to seriously consider an expensive extended warranty or is it just another massive Porsche con ?

Chris

Here are somethings to think about:
- RMS
- A mates of mine with a 2001 Boxster S had a engine blow out last year; no warning, no signs... didn't have extended warranty so had to pay the OPC price for the engine change. Went for the OPC as he felts it will help get some value when selling, even if it doesn't it will make selling easier. He is financially okay but still the stress him and the family went through this incidence was unbelievable...

Don't think of warranty as throwing money away to the best piece of German engineering; it is just for the peace of mind and nothing else... I also feel it helps when selling i.e. having an extended warranty would make the car more appealing to a buyer and yes, I know a buyer can get it checked and have it extended anyway...

PS: I don't think an Audi or a Toyota engine would cost 10K and after a couple of years most of them would be valued under 10K anyway...

RMS - It's not a big deal unless it is really bad you get the odd spot of oil on tour garage floor. The cost to have it fixed is less than a years warranty it now seems.

Peace of mind - You should have that already by buying a Porsche.

Food for thought - ten years in and the number of reported 986 failures is very, very small and there is going to be a growing number of cars that are no longer eligible for cover by Porsche mine included.

 

[THX911]

ORIGINAL: JCB..

Peace of mind - You should have that already by buying a Porsche.

I understand where you are coming from but I'm afraid if Porsche don't have the confidence to give a 5 years warranty because it is a Porsche then I don't either... Things may have been different in the past but now it is just another business with profits and investors as the top priorities...

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Peace of mind - You should have that already by buying a Porsche.

I should.
I don't.

I agree with Kish. Anyway it's not there just to cover a blown engine and RMS....I've claimed for many other common problems (including coil packs, variocam cover leaks, fuel sender issues etc).

The problem I have is you can never tell if a car is going to have issues or not (full PSH etc doesn't mean much), so it's just pot luck. I'd rather have that element of luck removed. Some don't mind. Some do. So it depends on your appetite for risk.

I didn't buy a warranty for my Boxster for 3 years, and I was quids in.
I did buy one for my 996 and I'm absolutely quids in.
Net result - Even if I would have bought one every year for my full 4 years of Porsche ownership I still would have been quids in.

 

[martynbox]

Rodney, when you claimed, I take it they said the same thing ie they cant guarantee that whatever is found will be covered and you therefore run the gauntlet as it were. It seems therefore that the £895 is really for absolute catastrophies and of course the RAC low loader to recover.
I am obviously a low risk type of person by the fact i have it in the first place and bought it for peace of mind initially.
Thanks for the responses all, clock is ticking and still indecisive!!

MT
MT

 

[Black80XSA]

Thats a good point Martyn - yes you do have to sanction them to investigate any fault, and it might transpire this isn;t covered so you have to pay their stupid labour rates.

Then again - full euro breakdown cover doesn't come cheap either

 

[Glyn]

Im with ChrisBradley on this, Now if the warranty covered everything except genuine consumables i would happily pay, it just seems that everything you claim for there is a catch in which the warranty does not extend to, for instance wheel bearings - they are not service parts, you cant take them out polish and grease and pop back in like a bulb, The door lock is another, The lock mechanicals are not covered but the electrics that opperate the lock are, Porsche dont market the two parts seperately so in the event of a door lock problem it is diagnosed as mechanical and sorry - No Cover, or electrical - but we cant get that part seperately so - no cover
The warranty is to suppress the fear factor of a major blow, Porsche love trading on that, few suffer complete blow outs, and, well if it does happen just leave it unlocked for a scrote to steal, and after the fire has been put out the claim sorts the next car

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Rodney, when you claimed, I take it they said the same thing ie they cant guarantee that whatever is found will be covered and you therefore run the gauntlet as it were.

To be honest, in many cases, I knew what the fault was and knew it would be covered. The one time I expected to pay, was for a faulty fuel sender, but they replaced it FOC anyway. Another time they just couldn't diagnose the fault, but didn't charge me anyway - at the same time I told them to look at the coolant tank because I thought it might be cracked. It was, and needed replacing at a price. I told them I'd do it. They didn't charge me a penny, and the tank only cost around £50.
It has never been any effort to get them to do things, as would be expected, they make money out of these claims.
And every visit to the OPC gets a free valet!

A lot of things that aren't covered can be bought for a very fair price at Eurocarparts anyway (disks £around £50, pads around £40, bearings around £40, header tank around £50 etc)

If you have a fault with your car, ask the forum, you may get the answers, then you'll know whether to bother to take it to an OPC (and risk the labour charges) or go to an indy.

TBH people like Richard Hamilton and JCB have had no real issues with their cars, and obviously pleased with not getting the warranty. They have done well.
I have done well getting the warranty.

So it's just a matter of choice and risk aversion.

 

[GreigM]

I have had warranty before and didn't bother this time - partly because the previous owner hadn't extended it and I didn't like the £1200 bill to get "into" the warranty game, however my own bitter experience with the porsche warranty has forced me away:
1. I got caught by the catch 22 that you need to take the car to them and it might NOT be covered (as in my case with a 25p seal in the coolant system which was too small to be covered even though it was 8 hours labour to replace).
2. The items covered by the warranty are really very limited - if it is not specifically mentioned in the warranty booklet then it ain't covered (I took issue with their use of the word "system" in "cooling system" when in fact only 3 of the parts of the "system" are covered. I also took issue with them saying "Steering/Suspension" when zero suspension components are covered).
3. I also got caught by their "wear and tear" clause - in that if they think and item is failing due to w&t then it will not be covered - like a gearbox in my 50K mile GT3.
4. I also got caught by their "no intermittent problems" clause - where I had an intermittent electric problem in the emergency cutoff (GT3) which cut the engine out - once at 130mph (no power brakes/steering etc) but because the component hadn't completely failed they wouldn't replace it - so I had to pay for it myself as I like this living thing.
5. Don't get me started on their "worldwide breakdown" - they left me abandoned for 8 hours by the side of the road in Belgium because the belgian porsche-assist refused to believe I had warranty and had no way of confirming it, so their default position was just to leave me there - I only got rescued after a relative back in blighty phoned porsche uk and threatened legal action. I spent over £200 in mobile calls trying to get rescued that day - Porsche refunded £0. Then when I went to pick up the car, the Belgian dealer hadn't been told I had warranty, so charged me full rate and said I should claim when I get back - I eventually got £100 of my £500 bill back (all warrantable items, but because they weren't pre-approved before fitting they couldn't be reimbursed).

The stress of having the warranty was too much - now I don't have it I feel somewhat liberated and that my car belongs to me again.

Add to that the statistical chances of having a complete engine or gearbox failure I decided are acceptable to me....

 

[JCB..]

ORIGINAL: Rodney Naghar

People like Richard Hamilton and JCB have had no real issues with their cars, and obviously pleased with not getting the warranty. They have done well.
I have done well getting the warranty.

So it's just a matter of choice and risk aversion.

It's certainly a matter of choice.

For me it's not really a question of being happy with not having an extended warranty it's more a question of how much disposable income I'm prepared to sink into owning a Porsche. I have other passions to indulge in which also require funding and fate hasn't dealt me the wallet to match. [&:]

What is clear is that the Porsche warranty is very very expensive insurance and as it seems most people that have it are content with the "peace of mind" feel good factor it's a nice little earner for somebody.