3rd Party Warranty

[burdoogo]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, and just wanted to introduce myself. I'm thinking of buying a 2008 s4 from CarMax (trading in my Audi Q5), and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for 3rd party warranties. I've heard nothing but terrible things about the MaxCare warranty CarMax offers. I've searched around, but couldn't really find anything. FYI, the s4 has an auto tranny, and has about 40,000 miles on it.

Thanks!

[WolfS4]

My general feeling on the subject is you are better off saving what you would of paid company X for a 3rd party warranty and using that to pay for maintenance. In the end, you will likely have money left over that you can have some fun with.

These companies are in the business of making money, so generally, you will end up paying them more than you would of paid to fix it yourself. They can also be a pain to deal with and will use any excuse they can to deny your claim.

Anyhow, not trying to crap on it, I know some people have had good luck and probably have good things to say. Welcome to the forum and enjoy the S!

[Axel-]

I ten to agree with Wolf. Also, if you plan on doing any mods, it might get a little harry.

My issue has been looking for an insurance company that's willing to cover my mods (for however much more). Can't seem to find one...

[dparm]

The CarMax warranty is actually quite good. It is a named exclusion policy which is not as common -- which is a good thing. On most of the German cars they will just take them to the dealer for you since they won't have some of the specialized tools.

Compared to Fidelity and Zurich, the CarMax one is better value.

[powderrecon]

When my original 4 year warranty was about to run out on my 2007, Troy Dietrich sold me a 4/48,000 Platinum Pure Protection Plus warranty, for $2200. It's as good as warranties get, and the price was based on the car being under 25,000 miles.

Barrier Audi tried to sell me the exact same warranty for $3800, and when I told them I was getting the same thing for $2200, all they could say is that I was getting ripped off and it was a scam.

Considering what type of dollars you drop each year on car insurance, gas, maintenance and mods, $550 /year seemed relatively inexpensive. Even if nothing goes wrong, and I don't use any of it, the piece of mind is worth it.

Troy Dietrich
[email protected]

[B5Burn]

Several aftermarket co's give you $$$ back if you don't use it.

Get an extended warranty. Trust me. These aren't solid state tv's we're talking about!!!

ESPECIALLY a used car... Whatever you do as maintenance now, means shit if the previous owner didn't also do it.

Shop around. Everyone has different experiences, but there are some good value packages out there. Call your local dealership see who they suggest, as the ease and quality of making a claim should be considered. I do it every week... Some are MUCH better than others.




B.

[burdoogo]

Thanks for the awesome info guys. Should I go with the MaxCare warranty? Or call my local Audi dealership and ask them about warranties?

[dparm]

MaxCare is a good value, as I said. You can take it to the dealer and just pay a bit more on the deductible, or let CarMax do it for a bit less.

But if you want to perform due diligence, get the detailed contract papers and read them side-by-side.

[powderrecon]

Thanks for the awesome info guys. Should I go with the MaxCare warranty? Or call my local Audi dealership and ask them about warranties?

If you go the fidelity route, make sure you check prices with Troy. His markup is practically nothing on these things.

You get to choose from these 5 levels. Platinum being the best.

http://www.sunsetimports.com/wp-cont...Protection.pdf

[Axel-]

Also, I'm assuming they don't like mods ;)

[dparm]

They won't warranty the mods, if that's what you're asking.

[Axel-]

They won't warranty the mods, if that's what you're asking.

Not only that, but will they warranty parts that could theoretically be impacted by mods? For example, engine and/or ECU mods = engine no longer under warranty (I'm assuming?)

[FastEddie]

Not only that, but will they warranty parts that could theoretically be impacted by mods? For example, engine and/or ECU mods = engine no longer under warranty (I'm assuming?)

They will try to get by on you and not warranty parts affected by new mods. For instance i believe coderedpl had this problem. Although he was able to get it fixed, he was close to losing all of remaining warranty. he had JHM tune.

[Lance.Hawk]

If I owned a warranty company I wouldn't cover parts that could be affected by mods either. That's poor business policy. Bottom line if you want a warranty or have one that you wish to keep don't mod. No one ever seems to have a problem when a vendor claims incorrect installation by a customer or 3rd party shop and refuses to replace the part so why do we get pissed when a company won't warranty a modded car?

[JimmyBones]

CarMax's warranty is pretty good. They would pay basically the entire amount of time and parts cost when I was at the dealership with a lot less wasted time from having to find the point of failure like Fidelity did. Fidelity can rot in hell for all I care!

No one ever seems to have a problem when a vendor claims incorrect installation by a customer or 3rd party shop and refuses to replace the part

I have gotten mad over that before and it wasn't pretty after.

[burdoogo]

So I ended up finding a 2007 6 speed s4 with 25, 000 miles! I'll be getting it in two weeks. In the meantime, I'll be doing more research on warranties. I'm leaning towards MaxCare, but will also be contacting Troy with fidelity. I'll also call my dealer and ask if they're familiar with either. I'll keep you guys updated on any info I find out.

[dparm]

Fidelity is very very expensive, and they don't have much flexibility in mileage/time. For a low-mileage person like me the value isn't really there. At least CarMax and some others allow you to reduce the mileage but keep the same term.

[BAHNSTORMER]

MaxCare is only available if you buy a car from Carmax.

[scythe1969]

I agree with dparm. This is my 2nd car experience with CarMax (E36 M3 came first) and I have nothing but good things to say about the warranty - and with the Audi, it's from experience. They have taken and repaired 1/3 of all my problems (taking it to the dealer is a choice they will cover) and I've only had to cough up the $50 deductible every time. Sometimes they will send someone out to confirm the issue and occasionally they will send their own remanufactured part but they've never denied any of the claims. And if anyone every wondered about getting a good warranty to cover possible failures... well, you can search that thread about general car failures and see the rather long list of issues I've had to get an idea of how expensive it can be to maintain these glorious machines. I would have thought that having 4K in the bank for possible problems would be enough, hindsight says otherwise.

[powderrecon]

It all comes down to what's affordable for you, and what you define as good value in your life. For me, I am not a fan on using a wrench, and when something goes wrong with my car I don't want to waste my time on the telephone getting multiple quotes, finding the right repair shop, or even trying to fix it myself. I want to give the car to the Audi dealership, let them charge me $100, and then take a loaner from them. That type of convenience to me is worth it. Zero added stress to my life, and more time for me to do other things. I paid $2200 for 4 years of the highest coverage, and when I think about control arms and window regulators, I feel I might get added value out of it, besides the peace of mind, which was the biggest selling point for me. However if I don't use a cent of it, i am not phased.

[dparm]

Whichever you get, make sure it is a named exclusion policy.

Read the portion of the contract governing the labor rate/time they will cover, and the specific parts sources. Some warranties skimp out by only reimbursing up to $90/hr (when Audi dealerships are $125+) and may require refurb'd or "OEM equivalent" (often sub-par) parts.

[One Nice Audi]

So, if your car is at 61k, can you buy one?

[Monops87]

What company covers the s4 ???
just spoke with warranty direct and they don't cover the s series nor do they cover the m series for BMW

[burdoogo]

What company covers the s4 ???
just spoke with warranty direct and they don't cover the s series nor do they cover the m series for BMW

I believe CarMax allows you to purchase a warranty for any car you buy from them. Not sure about other companies though--apparently Fidelity covers the s4 too. I'm about to call a couple of reputable German auto repair shops and ask what warranties are easiest to work with.

[Monops87]

I believe CarMax allows you to purchase a warranty for any car you buy from them. Not sure about other companies though--apparently Fidelity covers the s4 too. I'm about to call a couple of reputable German auto repair shops and ask what warranties are easiest to work with.

Please post or pm me with what you find out! Thanks!

[burdoogo]

Please post or pm me with what you find out! Thanks!

Haha will do.

[dparm]

I believe CarMax allows you to purchase a warranty for any car you buy from them. Not sure about other companies though--apparently Fidelity covers the s4 too. I'm about to call a couple of reputable German auto repair shops and ask what warranties are easiest to work with.

Fidelity covers the M and S cars but the premium is higher.

CarMax covers any car, and their rates on high-performance vehicles are barely any higher than the ho-hum Camrys. For a 2008 M5 I think it was like under $2500.

[burdoogo]

Just spoke with Troy from Fidelity. If your car is over the original 4 year/50,000 mile factory warranty, he can't sell you the extended warranty.

[burdoogo]

Was looking over the MaxCare FAQs to see if they cover timing chain tensioners, since those are are an issue with S4s, and saw that they only cover timing belt tensioners. Anyone know if any warranty would cover timing chain tensioners?

EDIT: Sorry, I'm not sure if timing chain guides and tensioners are the same thing.

[dparm]

MaxCare is named exclusion which means they only list what is NOT covered. Double-check what you're seeing.

[burdoogo]

MaxCare is named exclusion which means they only list what is NOT covered. Double-check what you're seeing.

They list all the parts they cover, and the parts they don't cover, which are mostly maintenance, and wear and tear items. Am I wrong?

Here's the link for reference in case anyone is interested: http://www.carmax.com/enus/maxcare/default.html