Focus Fanatics Forum banner

did you buy an extended warranty?

  • Nope. Included warranty only.

    Votes: 73 47.1%
  • Yes. PowertrainCARE (29 key components covered).

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Yes. BaseCARE (84 key components covered).

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Yes. ExtraCARE (113 key components covered).

    Votes: 5 3.2%
  • Yes. PremiumCARE (500+ key components covered).

    Votes: 75 48.4%

Did You Buy An EXTENDED WARRANTY For Your New Focus?

46K views 258 replies 109 participants last post by  Tiger-Heli 
#1 ·
honestly...there are a TON of things that can go wrong in these highly computerized/gadget-filled Foci...did you get some sort of extended warranty for your new car? i'm on the fence!!!! [scratch]

if you did...which plan and what duration did you get?

 
See less See more
1
#185 ·
Thanks. I just wanted to get the help of a fellow consumer, just in case the finance manager was just trying to make me feel inconvenienced into keeping the warranty. I really want to be covered if something happens after the factory warning, but just one bad story about that extended warranty having no effect makes me want to stay away. I should probably just keep it even though that's a lot of money in the long run. $40x72 months. New car = thrilling, new car loan = fisting in the pooper.

Thanks again for the response, this forum is such a great resource.
 
#186 ·
Sure, I have found a lot of great info here! We got the 75000 mile, and on our old Mountaineer we had the certified used warranty. Hit a huge pothole and destroyed the wheel speed sensor and wheel bearing. $100 deductable and a fully repaired vehicle felt good on a 500 fix.[thumb]
 
#187 ·
And don't forget to check your insurance policy as well. Mine has "major mechanical coverage" . . which I didn't even know about until I read the policy carefully when I bought the last Focus.

I'd had a transmission put in my 2006 F-150 and, just out of curiousity, submitted the paperwork . . . 3 months later. The carrier wrote me immediately to get details, explained that they generally require approval in advance but told me "no problem, send the dealer contact info and we'll take care of every thing here".

Check for $3,700 arrived the next Thursday.

Not an all together bad deal.
 
#188 ·
Well living & driving in NY/NJ I bought the TireCare ESP and it just paid off.

Hit a Pothole, sensor came on 10 mins. later, tire went flat.

I called roadside assistance and the tire was changed (spare) no charge (This is standard warranty not ESP).

Took it to the dealer today turns out the rim is bent also.
Going back in on monday and they will be replacing the rim, tire, sensor mounting, balancing and it's all covered under the TireCare ESP.

jftr, I have the 18" package w/Performance tires...Iknow I know, I should have a set of winters on but it's 55 degrees!! [wiggle]
 
#190 ·
Extended warranties are a very poor investment and this is not just my experienced opinion from 25+ years in the automotive industry, but the financial experts at Money Magazine who wrote an in-depth article on this topic. If you took the serious money it takes to buy an extended warranty and put that money in an interest bearing account, you'll be money ahead and then some. Plus, many of these extended warranty companies go out of business, leaving you holding onto a piece of paper you paid over $1,000 for and now it's worth nothing. Also keep in mind the salespeople make big commissions off of selling these rip-off plans to you and tend to not be honest with the details about these plans. The only cars that need an extended warranty are lemons and if it's a lemon, you shouldn't be buying it in the first place. The Focus is not a lemon. The standard warranty is just fine. They will try to lie to you and tell you the warranty is, "bumper-to-bumper", leading you to believe that anything that breaks is covered and that is false. Normal wear and tear items like struts/shocks, exhaust, tires, brakes, belts, hoses, spark plugs/wires, lights/bulbs, etc., are not covered by these rip-off plans. The only thing that is covered are major components like the engine and transmission and those are very unlikely to fail. Further, any repairs completed using an extended warranty are done to the minimum cost possible, as it is the extended warranty company paying for it. They will use rebuilt parts, not new parts, to save money and cut corners anywhere they can. Do you really want your care, "repaired", like that? I didn't think. Save you money.
 
#195 ·
The only cars that need an extended warranty are lemons and if it's a lemon, you shouldn't be buying it in the first place. The Focus is not a lemon. The standard warranty is just fine.
I respectfully disagree. Is the 2006 Ford Explorer a lemon? Nope. It's not bulletproof and they have a couple of chronic issues (e.g. V6 radiators) but no chronic powertrain issues that I'm aware of. But I just had to have a head gasket replaced at only 53k miles. Probably a 1 in 10,000 chance. A $2,500 job that was fully covered by my $0 deductible GM Major Guard extended warranty (bought the Ex slightly used at a Cadillac dealer). I paid $1,200 for the warranty - in this case it turned out to be a wise investment. I could not possibly have invested that money and doubled it in 2 1/2 years unless I got really lucky.

In my view an extended warranty is insurance to cover that 1 in 1,000 chance occurance. Each person has to judge the cost-benefit for themselves.

The only thing that is covered are major components like the engine and transmission and those are very unlikely to fail..
I respectfully disagree. Believe it or not my Ex's "instrument cluster" was collateral damage in the engine rebuilt - the GM warranty covered it too, no charge or questions. Another $700 covered! They could have easily said "No, that's an unrelated failure that's not covered by the plan."

Further, any repairs completed using an extended warranty are done to the minimum cost possible, as it is the extended warranty company paying for it. They will use rebuilt parts, not new parts, to save money and cut corners anywhere they can. Do you really want your care, "repaired", like that? I didn't think. Save you money.
So will your neighborhood mechanic. What's the difference?

Not trying to disrespectfully dump all over you, just pointing out that you may have gone slightly overboard and sometimes an extended warranty really does come through on a car that you had no reason to expect it breaking down. I've seen no other posts regarding blown head gaskets in '06-'10 Explorers on the Explorer forum, yet it happened to mine. 1 in 10,000 chance.

I'm going to be monitoring the Focus's quality issues, particularly regarding the DCT, over the next 3 years and if it looks dicey going forward I'll be seriously considering getting an extended warranty before the bumper to bumper expires.
 
#196 ·
I purchased a 7yr/84k bumper to bumper (not including tires, brake pads, wipers, etc.) with rental through my dealer. I have a 5 year loan on my fofo and wanted at least 1 year after the loan was up to save $$ for another car and not have to worry about paying for major car repairs. Oh, if I decide to sell the car before the extended warranty is up, it's a 50 buck transfer fee for the new owner to have the remainder of the warranty.
 
#198 ·
I didn't purchase one through the dealer, but because this is my first brand new car I'm thinking of keeping it well past the 5 year loan term. Based on the fact that I've driven it 4000 miles in 6 weeks I'm thinking I'll hit the end of my bumper to bumper warranty by mid next year and the end of the power train warranty well before the 5 year mark, so I'm considering purchasing an extended warranty. Does anyone know around when the latest time I could purchase the warranty would be? I don't want to end up waiting to long and then being unable to add one to the car
 
#199 ·
I didn't see any limitations on the Ford warranty website. It only says if you buy a plan while the car is still under the original warranty you lock in the price now. Doesn't say anything about needing to buy a plan before the warranty expires.

And there's always the plan advertised on the radio for any car with less than 125,000 miles. I wouldn't be comfortable with that one though.
 
#200 ·
I'd rather spend the money on...

The dealer I bought from tried pushing an extended warranty on me, I said... "That tells me you don't trust your product, maybe I better look at a different car."... He didn't like that.. I chose not to buy the warranty and instead plan to spend what the warranty costs on...

1. Ford's IDS system and when needed a 3 day subscription to the Motorcraft service website for access to updated factory shop manuals, TSB's and other documentation. Which will also work other Ford/Mazda Vehicles than just my Focus when the day inevitably comes that i buy a newer one.. Plus, I can use this to make a few bucks when fixing friend's cars...

2. By the time the factory warranty expires, there should be enough of these things that have been wrecked and end up on ebay parts auctions or local "U pull it" lots to get good useable parts at a discount.. Plus there will be reman parts and more aftermarket support by then...

Finally since I have a trim level that omits most of the "problematic" features I feel an extended warranty is a waste of money... It can never fail and cause a problem if it was never there in the first place..

[wrenchin]
 
#203 ·
The dealer I bought from tried pushing an extended warranty on me, I said... "That tells me you don't trust your product, maybe I better look at a different car."... He didn't like that.. I chose not to buy the warranty and instead plan to spend what the warranty costs on...

1. Ford's IDS system and when needed a 3 day subscription to the Motorcraft service website for access to updated factory shop manuals, TSB's and other documentation. Which will also work other Ford/Mazda Vehicles than just my Focus when the day inevitably comes that i buy a newer one.. Plus, I can use this to make a few bucks when fixing friend's cars...

2. By the time the factory warranty expires, there should be enough of these things that have been wrecked and end up on ebay parts auctions or local "U pull it" lots to get good useable parts at a discount.. Plus there will be reman parts and more aftermarket support by then...

Finally since I have a trim level that omits most of the "problematic" features I feel an extended warranty is a waste of money... It can never fail and cause a problem if it was never there in the first place..

[wrenchin]
You are very, very wise! Hopefully others here will take our common-sense advice and not throw a huge chunk of their money out the window on these rip-off extended warranties!
 
#201 ·
kam327;4101680]I respectfully disagree. Is the 2006 Ford Explorer a lemon? Nope. It's not bulletproof and they have a couple of chronic issues (e.g. V6 radiators) but no chronic powertrain issues that I'm aware of. But I just had to have a head gasket replaced at only 53k miles. Probably a 1 in 10,000 chance. A $2,500 job that was fully covered by my $0 deductible GM Major Guard extended warranty (bought the Ex slightly used at a Cadillac dealer). I paid $1,200 for the warranty - in this case it turned out to be a wise investment. I could not possibly have invested that money and doubled it in 2 1/2 years unless I got really lucky.

In my view an extended warranty is insurance to cover that 1 in 1,000 chance occurance. Each person has to judge the cost-benefit for themselves.
Spend $2,800 on a 1 in 1,000 chance of getting back more than $2,800? Those are very, very poor odds. So we spend $2,800 to save $2,500. We're still out $300. It would have been wiser to save that $2,800, pay for the $2,500 repair in cash and be $300 ahead of the game. Again, extended warranties are usually not a financially wise idea.

So will your neighborhood mechanic. What's the difference?
Any automotive technician/neighborhood mechanic isn't going to repair a vehicle to the absolute cut to the bone cost, as this greatly increases the likelihood of the vehicle coming back for corrective/warranty repairs. In the automotive maintenance and repair industry, these are referred to as comebacks and are an absolute nightmare.

Not trying to disrespectfully dump all over you, just pointing out that you may have gone slightly overboard and sometimes an extended warranty really does come through on a car that you had no reason to expect it breaking down. I've seen no other posts regarding blown head gaskets in '06-'10 Explorers on the Explorer forum, yet it happened to mine. 1 in 10,000 chance.
So now we spend $2,800 in the 1 in 10,000 chance that we'll get more than $2,800 back? That's even worse.
 
#207 · (Edited)
Spend $2,800 on a 1 in 1,000 chance of getting back more than $2,800? Those are very, very poor odds. So we spend $2,800 to save $2,500. We're still out $300. It would have been wiser to save that $2,800, pay for the $2,500 repair in cash and be $300 ahead of the game. Again, extended warranties are usually not a financially wise idea.

Any automotive technician/neighborhood mechanic isn't going to repair a vehicle to the absolute cut to the bone cost, as this greatly increases the likelihood of the vehicle coming back for corrective/warranty repairs. In the automotive maintenance and repair industry, these are referred to as comebacks and are an absolute nightmare.

So now we spend $2,800 in the 1 in 10,000 chance that we'll get more than $2,800 back? That's even worse.
I said it cost me $1,200. GM MajorGuard - Pretty much bumper to bumper and $0 deductible. And I got $3,000 out of it and counting. I only got it because I knew that the '06 Explorer was the first year of a significant update - new engine and tranny (for the Ex), I had read new or heavily updated chassis, etc. Now I'm glad I did.

Oh, and that $3,000 was what was negotiated between the dealer and the warranty company - I would have had to pay significantly more out of pocket had I not had the extended warranty. $1,200 to cover $4,000+ sounds like a great deal to me.

Since based on my research I felt that this particular Ex was priced roughly $2,000 below others on the market, it seemed like a no brainer. Paying an extra $1,200 added about 6% to the purchase price.

Paying $2,800 for an extended warranty would be a much more jagged pill to swallow and I probably wouldn't do it. If anything I'll get an extended powertrain warranty for the Focus after the 5/60 is up.
 
#211 ·
I got the 7/100k PremiumCare ($100 ded, extra rental) for $1105. It's worth it to me and my particular focus for three reasons.

1) Having rental coverage will save me the massive phone tag headache I've experienced with my local dealer. Trying to arrange to pickup a vehicle when "it might be ready today" and it isn't is very frustrating and wastes my time. Since I have outstanding issues still, I feel like another 4 service visits in the 36k isn't out of the question. Because I'm a risk to society at age 23, an on the spot rental can cost me $50/day easily. If my car is in the shop for 10 more days, as it already has been, I'll get up to $750 in rental benefits alone.

2) I've already had $2700 worth of warranty work done on my car, within the first 10k miles. First year model, and early in the production run (May 11 build), so the probability of future problems seems high to me. I've already had the sync APIM replaced once, the headliner is sagging, the speakers rattle, and the transmission is jerky even after an update and miles. If the trans lasts me to 100k, as rough as it is on the clutch sometimes, I'll be really surprised.

3) I'm apartment bound for a while, so there's no garage for DIY repairs down the road. I ran a 99 explorer from 60k to 140k miles without any major issues, but I also had space to do my own repairs for cheap.
 
#214 ·
The Ford dealer near my house, and I didn't buy the car from them, had no problem working with my GM extended warranty for a head gasket replacement. As long as they get paid a fair rate, they probably won't care. Might depend on the size of the dealer though.
 
#215 ·
Oh, and one more thing. There are dozens of folks on here saying they're going to trade their Focus in after a year or less and take a several thousand dollar hit on it. Where are you in responding to those posts? That's a far dumber idea than spending a couple grand on what is essentially insurance. I would think your channeling of Dave Ramsey would kick in to overdrive denouncing those stupid financial moves, but I don't remember seeing anything from you.....

Some sort of weird fetish with extended warranties going on here.....

I was one of the ones that took advantage of someone trading off their Focus after about 4 months...

I bought mine used with 5200 miles on it.. just over 12,200 outta pocket... based on kbb website (which is taken with a grain of salt).. I should get about a 1700.00 profit if i were to trade it now.. (not that I plan to...) this one has to last me at least 7 to 10 years for it to be getting my money's worth.. My dad told me I for all intents and purposes, Stole the thing.
 
#216 ·
Okay, this thread has some age on it, and I didn't read through all 18 pages, but from my experience:

  • Obviously the extended warranty only makes sense if you are planning to keep the car. The factory warranty covers everything for the first 3 years, so you are paying $1,000-1500 to cover years 4-7. If you won't keep the car 7 years, you threw away some money.
  • Generally, I've come out ahead buying the warranty over not having it - but you have to take some of that with a grain of salt. For example, on my current car, the hood release broke just before the warranty ended, but it still was useable. The cost to replace it at the dealer was around $350 for the cable and the labor - so I almost made up the cost there, but if I didn't have the warranty, I would have either just lived with it, or spent $50 and replaced the cable myself. The car has been virtually flawless from 75,000 to 124,000 miles, but YMMV.
  • The big advantage with modern complex cars is you don't have to do any "guesswork" - i.e. typically you have an intermittent problem and without a warranty you "throw parts" at it - "I replaced the relay and that didn't work, so maybe it's the motor, but that didn't work, so maybe it's the sensor", with the extended warranty, you take it to the dealer and say "The car is acting up - put me in a loaner and call me when it's fixed."
  • Similarly - I recommend the $0 deductible warranty even thought it's $200 or so more. I had the $50 deductible plan once. The thing is you pay that deductible anytime the car goes in the shop. So if something minor fails, you have a tendency to "save up" issues - so when something major fails, you can take it in for that and say "Also - this isn't working right either". With $0 deductible, you just take it to the dealer and get it fixed, and if something else breaks a week later, you take it back then.
 
#217 ·
Got a funny story about that subject.I owned a 2012 Focus for 5 months.Like "a few" unlucky members of this message board,my car had many issues:Electrical,bearings,transmission(DCT).The car spent weeks in the shop and the time it was not ,it was barely usable.I obviously asked for compensation and was recommended to contact Ford's CRC(Customer Relationship Centre).After 2 months of ownership and problems,they told me I would get an extended warranty.Not knowing how long it would take to get the car fixed for good,I said I would wait before accepting anything.Near the 5th month,I contacted the CRC again to see what else could be put on the table for compensation.I was asked what I wanted and told them that considering that the car was barely usable since I owned it ,that I be refunded the value of the depreciation between the moment I purchased the car and the moment it would be a 100% fixed.After almost 2 weeks they finally called back to say that not only the partial refund was out of the question ,but the extended warranty offer had been pulled off for the reason that I was "not driving the car enough".I tried to explain in polity terms that the car could not be used for long distance driving in it's current condition,and she simply replied that it was my fault for not going to the dealership to get the car fixed.Needless to say that this conversation didn't end well.

Two weeks later the car was fixed and traded it before something else went wrong.Two months ago I received a letter from the dealership congratulating me for one year of ownership(even if I told them via email and survey that I didn't owned the car anymore).And they also used the occasion to tell me it was not too late if I wanted to buy an extended warranty.I did take a few minutes to reply them and give them the name of the CRC employee who already told me that Extended warranties were not made for me.

So,to sum up and answer the question of this thread:

No.
 
#218 ·
Too much words for a simple answer. You sure are not politician ?
 
#222 ·
As often as I trade cars, I opted to wait it out to see if I actually keep the Focus long-term. Lord knows I'll hear from Ford before my factory warranty runs out, offering me to extend it. If I've managed to keep the car that long, I will probably buy it. I bought one for my Sport Trac and it paid for itself when it shredded a 1st gear bearing.
 
#224 ·
Lord knows I'll hear from Ford before my factory warranty runs out, offering me to extend it. If I've managed to keep the car that long, I will probably buy it.
As I said above, the price of the extended warranty goes up after one year of in-service with the car. Recommend you decide at 11 months whether you are planning to keep it long term and buy the ESP then, if interested.
 
#231 ·
Has anyone price-checked ESPs recently?

When I first looked about 9 months ago (when I bought the car) it seemed to be running around $850 for a 7yr/100k, $100 deductible PremiumCare plan.

As best as I can tell, the same thing's up to around $955 now. I've checked Zeigler, Flood, Anderson, and Lombard. Haven't been quoted by Troy, Hunt, or Warrick yet since you have to call those guys.

My fault for not buying sooner but I'm close to 12K and need to pull the trigger soon. Just wanted to see if anyone's been able to do better before I go ahead and do so!
 
#235 ·
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. But I'll cross 12K within a few days of 10/2 anyway (with the accompanying increase in ESP price) so I need to get this done by then regardless.
 
#233 ·
Is it worth buying if I purchased a certified used? The Power Train warranty is extended for 100k. Not sure if I will be keeping this car or not so I would kind of hate to plunk down the coin for stuff I may not use. Dealer sold me on it for 3k + service plan, but I canceled that one. If anything I will get the same warranty with cheaper deductible for about 1/2 the price elsewhere.
 
#237 ·
This is a call you will probably need to make. If you don't plan on keeping the car for long, don't get it. But do realize that anything can happen at any time. IN a way, you're buying piece-of-mind of not having to fork out large amounts of cash should your trans decide to quit, etc.

This was a tough call for me, but I eventually bit the bullet and realized that I planned on keeping my car for at least 6 years / 100k, so the warranty makes sense over that time frame (to me). For me, it will be less than $100 per year, which is "cheap insurance" in case something major does go wrong. And after the 100k is up, I may trade it in, or keep it... I'll have to make the decision when that time comes.

This is something you'll have to weigh out. But if you do get one, I would suggest looking around, and not just taking the Ford one off the bat. For certified used, depending on what you paid for the car and how much the insurance is in relation to that. If it's 10% or less, it may be worth it. think about where you drive, could you afford to repair the car if something broke (like a radiator, or the AC compressor, etc). Maybe get a second opinion on the condition of the car from someone else to see if there is any signs of things that may be of concern. It's really a personal preference. Some people like the insurance, and not having to worry about how to pay for a major repair. Others have faith in their purchase and assume the risk that if something does break, they'll have to pay out of pocket without assistance from a warranty. It's really your call. I did it mainly so that for the next 6 years or so I won't have to worry about major repair bills. My car expenses are pretty much set and predictable for the most part (at least in terms of maintenance and repairs).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top