To buy extended warranty or not...

[imallstressed]

Good afternoon,

Lurker here... I have a 2018 Audi Q7 3.0T with 47,500 miles on it. I currently do not have an extended warranty, and was thinking about purchasing one, but I cannot make a decision. So far, the car has only had routine maintenance performed and replacement of the touchpad in the console. An Audi extended warranty will run roughly 5k for 4 more years. I am trying to decide if I should buy the warranty or take the chance without one. I worked as a tech(ASE Master with older VW, GM, and Toyota experience for what that's worth) for years and am not afraid to take on many jobs, but if there is a major component failure(engine, trans, in-depth electrical diagnosis), I would probably not do that myself.

What major failures(lets say $2,000 and up) happen on these cars? Maybe your responses can help me make up my mind!!!

Thanks in advance for your stories and suggestions...

[Zolli]

The last time I had an extended warranty, it was for my Mazda Protege5. It was a third-party service, and it was very comprehensive and ran 2400$ for four years if I recall correctly. I broke even after about 2.5 years, then totaled the car in a stupid accident shortly thereafter. Never had problems getting the warranty company to pay the shop. I currently have the Dieselgate warranty on my TDI, which has been good and saved about $4500 on random repairs (Turbo inlet leak, DEF fluid tank transfer pump, etc). There have been a few things not covered that required dealer service, like battery recoding and airbag igniter replacement ($2600 job due to its location behind the headliner). Annoying.

I’d say get the warranty. If for some reason you don’t make your money back, consider it the cost of convenience and peace of mind, Sind with don’t have to do it yourself. But I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you came out on top of the deal.

[Zolli]

“Sind with” is Autocorrect for: especially if

[captain_video]

Extended warranties are a crapshoot. I bought one for my 2005 Audi A6 and we never even came close to breaking even on it. I do most of my own maintenance so the odds of me ever breaking even on an extended warranty are slim to none. Then again, unless you're like me and need to have someone else do the work it may pay you just for the peace of mind it gives you. Most extended warranties will never pay for themselves unless you have some kind of catastrophic failure. Check into the warranty company before you buy it. Not all of them will cover everything you think they should. You really need to read the fine print.

[blackfunk]

I worked for an insurance company and was very good friends with one of the lead actuaries - we had a discussion once about warranties - statistically speaking you will not break even or come out ahead. For obvious reasons, I'd say nope. Worse case scenario you have to pay 5k out of your pocket for repairs, or you're guaranteed to be parted with 5k just for peace of mind. Being that your skill level is better than most you're already ahead of the curve for repairs etc.

[Zolli]

Black funk makes a good point.

The “recoding” requirements in a Q7 are incessant and a pain in the ass, so they add up quick. Electrical troubleshooting is a weAkness of mine.

[turboale]

It really depends on how you optioned your vehicle and how long you plan on keeping it...
When shopping I'd also ask about reimbursement if you total or sell the vehicle. Don't know if this is standard practice or only on oem warranties, but I'm getting my extended warranty and wheel and tire back after totaling my navigator. Ford credit even remined me when getting the paperwork settled. I broke even on my quite reliable raptor last go around but buy in was less. I will probably be getting one on my SQ7. The air suspension and aws scares me down the line.

[chawski]

Theres a few reasons Ive never bought one. For starters, id say if you make it through the mfr warranty without issue, chances of catastrophic failure seems slim. Also, its sold by the dealership. If they werent making money on them, they wouldnt sell them.

That being said, my single favorite piece of youtube journalism is Doug Demuro's "documentary" on how many times his carmax bumper to bumper warranty paid for itself on a used Land Rover!