Extended Toyota Warranty

[llith]

Hi all

Got a letter today from Toyota asking if I wanted to extend the warranty on the Rav as it is three years old in Sept. Cost over £450 .

Has anybody taken up this extended warranty , does it cover the DMF ? Is it better to put the money to one side crossing one's fingers nothing major goes wrong as up to now nothing has ? It also includes RAC cover but I have that paid for from my Tesco vouchers.

Regards

Llith

[redlew]

Iasked the same question http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=84340 but only got two replies -one said yes and one said no -so I'm still unsure what to do.

[shcm]

Don't know whether this has been said before but apologies if it has.

As Anchorman has pointed out on here, during the standard warranty period Toyota cannot insist that you car is serviced at a franchised main dealer. It has to be serviced in accordance with their recommendations, but I believe it is illegal if they insist on a dealer. Not that they make a big point of this of course

However, I don't think that is the case with an extended warranty. It's an insurance policy isn't it?, so, in theory, could you then stuck with main dealer servicing whether you like it or not? That may not bother you, but best to check the small print.

Whether you could find as good cover with an independent policy, I wouldn't like to say.

As to whether it is a good idea, well to some extent IMHO it boils down to something equivalent to betting on a horse. Do you feel lucky?

Remember, despite all the problems you see on here (that's the nature of forums), Toyota is still among the best in terms of reliability.

Personally, I don't bother, but each person's circumstances are different.

[llith]

Don't know whether this has been said before but apologies if it has.

As Anchorman has pointed out on here, during the standard warranty period Toyota cannot insist that you car is serviced at a franchised main dealer. It has to be serviced in accordance with their recommendations, but I believe it is illegal if they insist on a dealer. Not that they make a big point of this of course

However, I don't think that is the case with an extended warranty. It's an insurance policy isn't it?, so, in theory, could you then stuck with main dealer servicing whether you like it or not? That may not bother you, but best to check the small print.

Whether you could find as good cover with an independent policy, I wouldn't like to say.

As to whether it is a good idea, well to some extent IMHO it boils down to something equivalent to betting on a horse. Do you feel lucky?

Remember, despite all the problems you see on here (that's the nature of forums), Toyota is still among the best in terms of reliability.

Personally, I don't bother, but each person's circumstances are different.

Small print says you must service the car with Toyota within 30 days or 750 miles of service interval !! A bit harsh in my opinion as I had the 30000 service when the car had done 31000 miles so that would have invalidated the extended warranty. I can only service the car during my holidays as the nearest service centre is 40 miles away.So I willnot go ahead with it simply put the money to one side with fingers crossed.

Thanks to all who replied.

Regards

Llith

[anchorman]

My sentiment entirely.

Insurance is only ever good value if you use and although there have been some tales of owners being very thankful for it the insurance companies make good profits. I will save my money and put it towards a repair if I need it.

Regards

[Fujisan]

Iasked the same question http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=84340 but only got two replies -one said yes and one said no -so I'm still unsure what to do.

I think with quite a few of us being faced by the same question in the next 12 - 18 months, we are all in the same position and still unsure what to do.

I take AM's point on insurance. Personally, I dismiss extended warranties on household electrical goods etc., with a pleasure that shocks the poor sales person :D . After all who is going to pay £60 insurance on an £50 microwave for example.

But a car warranty needs more thinking about IMHO.

I tend to think of it more in terms of House B & C insurance rather than small electrical goods insurance.

If your microwave goes bang, take it down the tip and buy a new one. But just like work on a house, replacing something that goes pop on the car can be very expensive.

Another factor to consider is how long you are going to keep the car?

If you are fairly certain that within the next 12 months you will change the car, then it's worth taking a chance.

If you plan to keep the car in the long term.......then I think you have to sit down and consider all options.

I guess we are lucky with Toyota..........certain other makes we would all be ticking the yes box, filling in the cheque and popping it back in the post, before it hit the doormat!

[MC#1]

Got a phone from my local Toyota dealer telling me my 3 yr service was due at price of £180. Got it done at "local" garage for £100 after they contacted dealer, printed off all service requirements and followed them to letter.

On warranty issue I have used the online company "click4" for gap insurance and they also do "click4warranty"...

This is quote I got on my 55 plate XTR Diesel

Bronze Level

Premium : £177.01 (inc IPT)

Term : 12 months

Claim Limit : £3000.00

Silver Level

Premium : £183.66 (inc IPT)

Term : 12 months

Claim Limit : £3000.00

Gold Level

Premium : £208.03 (inc IPT)

Term : 12 months

Claim Limit : £3000.00

[Plutus]

Is this warranty a full Toyota one or is it offered by an insurance company?

Also, do Toyota offer "service plus" type of warranty where the servicing and warranty are all part of your annual payment (at an agreed mileage p.a) ?

[Hoovie]

Is this warranty a full Toyota one or is it offered by an insurance company?

It is a a Toyota Warranty underwritten by an Insurance Company, I believe.

This is what it says on the Document:

What's not covered:

Serviceable Items

Drive Belt Adjustments

Brake and clutch adjustements and replacements due to wear [is this where the DMF would slot in?]

Glass replacements due to breakage or impact

Lights, bulbs and headlamp adjustment

Window and Door Lock adjustments

Paintwork and bodywork

Battery (except HV on Prius)

Interior Trim

Road Wheels

The claim limit is what you paid for the car.

Couple of points to consider - The RAC cover that comes with the car is the top cover - Homestart, roadside assistance/ recovery, onwards assistance (car hire, accomodation) and also covers you in Europe. I think you need to check the alternative cover you may have got for a fair comparision (I have the Toyota cover, but I also have AA cover free with LTSB, but that is far more limited).

It is horses for courses and maybe to a degree how good your car has been ..... if you have had a lot of niggles with it, maybe cover is more worthwhile then if it has been trouble free?

It is exactly the same as taking out insurance for a TV, fridge, washing machine, etc, but - IMO - there is a lot, lot more that can go wrong with a car and one thing going wrong can affect something else.

Also, do Toyota offer "service plus" type of warranty where the servicing and warranty are all part of your annual payment (at an agreed mileage p.a) ?

Don't know if this is dealer specific or not, but I have a service plan for my RAV4 until March 2011 - I pay a set amount every month and that will pay for annual servicing. I went for a 3 service/3 year plan with the costs fixed at todays price (so 0% inflation for 3 years), and it also pays for one Free MOT, so I will take that freebie in 3 years when MOTs will probably be £100 or something daft!

So for me, I have my car covered against faults and for servicing for at least the next two years and it gives me peace of mind that no big bills will appear.

I am sure I will end up paying more then someone like anchorman who has the knowledge to service his car himself, but I am not sufficiently mechanically minded to be sure to do that right, so would end up paying someone else to do it anyway, and I have a good feeling about my local Toyota Dealer and do trust them to do a decent job.

Just my 2 pence worth ;)

[redlew]

Good point about not all insurance policies being equal. If I don't insure my house for (say) £200k rebuild and it burns down I will forever regret not paying the (say) £300. Similarly I always take out insurance when going abroad not wishing to rely on an E111 if something goes wrong in the wilds of Greece. On the other hand white goods extended warranties are a joke. The Toyota extended warranty at a net cost of £550 for two years is borderline. If something goes wrong that is not excluded and the cost of repair approaches £2000 I'm going to be a) regreting not paying it and b] wondering what else I'm going to have to pay out before the 2 years are up. Warranty Directs price was much the same. I'm dithering.

[Hoovie]

I would say if you are considering a warranty from anyone, then the 'genuine' Toyota one is worth the extra over a non-Toyota one. I have heard not-wonderful things about these 3rd party warranties where they seem to find mitigating reasons why what has gone wrong is not covered.

And I know I have posted about this before, but I had a Celica GT4 I bought back in 1994 from a Toyota Dealer - it was 4 years old and came with a 1 year Toyota warranty - In that time I got an Exhaust system free under it () and also the air-con fan failed while I was on a drive out on a Sunday - The vehicle got recovered, had a new fan fitted; plus a new Air-con rad fitted as they found a cold-spot on it while checking it out, and I had a courtesy car for a couple of days while they were fixing it, so I have nothing but praise for how that warranty worked when I needed it.

Deciding on the worth on a insurance policy is all down to the probability of a failure and the cost of rectification if the failure happens.

Cheap Product insurance example ... I bought a mains hedge trimmer for £60 or so and I DID buy the £9.99 insurance as I thought that is the kind of thing that can get damaged .. and sure enough, I have cut through the mains cable twice !! I will be taking it back before the 3 years is up and swapping it for a new one as my stupidity is actually covered by the insurance :) - so that £9.99 will be worth it!

[Plutus]

Thanks Hoovie - very useful reply.

Can I be cheeky and ask how much per month you pay?

My Rav will be 3 years old before too long and I will need to decide.

[Hoovie]

Thanks Hoovie - very useful reply.

Can I be cheeky and ask how much per month you pay?

My Rav will be 3 years old before too long and I will need to decide.

The 2 years Warranty I bought at same time I bought the car and I think was £650 for 2 years unlimited miles. This has just kicked in two years after I bought the car (I took it out on purchase on the theoery that two years later it would be more).

One key reason I did take it out, I now recall, is that I was dithering about Extended Warranty on my Honda HR-V.

Decided not to as Honda, like Toyota are extremely reliable motors, but a month or so before I sold and bought the RAV, I got a cracked Manifold! That cost £300 to fix but would have been free under warranty. They warned me that the O2 sensor may break when they replace the manifold (?) and that would be a couple of hundred quid to replace if that happened - but free under warranty. So the 2 year Honda Warranty would have paid for itself just on that one failure (and it was the only thing that failed on the car except Exhaust)

The Service Plan I took out in March this year. I don;t know if they do an official warranty+service combined package that you pay over the term of the warranty?

The way the service plan works is that the current book price of the next n number of services due are totted up, and then divided by the approx months the plan covers.

So I took out the plan just after my last service (I wanted to check how well they did on that before I commited to use the further :) ) for a 3 service period - which for my annual mileage is 3 years as well.

Services due are 40k, 50k & 60k - so two main and one intermediate, with last main service being a big main. So cost of those divided by 31 (don't know why 31 not 36 but don't really care) and regular payment made each month for next 31 months. It is essentially going to a 'service fund' and if I decided to opt out, then I just stop paying and use whatever money has been taken for the next service. In that respect it is not different to saving the money each month in your own savings account. I lose the interest on the money, but gain on not paying any increased service costs over the years.

[Plutus]

Thanks again.

A friend of mine has a 3L merc (petrol) and pays £900 p.a. for service and repair. Everything is covered except rubber and glass. Based on 10k per annum.

The Toyota one looks better value

[Robert6920]

Am reading this with interest. When we bought my better half's Rav4.2 in January this year, it was 30 months old so the original 3 year manufacturer's warranty applies until 10 August this year ie next week (its third birthday )

The dealer just gave me (no extra cost - at least, at no identifiable extra cost and after we'd done the deal on the Rav4) "Toyota Dealer Cover" which kicks in on 10 Aug and provides 12 months unlimited mileage warranty and free 24 hour roadside assistance

As far as the warranty is concerned, it says

"All mechanical and electrical components of the vehicle that were manufacturer's orignal fitments are covered against mech or elec failure due to sudden or unexpected circumstances with the exception of

• Wheels, tyres and batteries
  
• Exhaust systems (Cat is covered, one repair only)
  
• Bodywork, paintwork,all weatherstrips and seals, water ingress
  
• Door locks (central locking motors,solenoids are covered)
  
• Door handles, hinges, check straps
  
• glass inc heater elements
  
• trim, upholstery inc seat runners and adjustment mechanisms, cosmetic finishers
  
• cosmetic oil leaks (except front crankshaft seal, rear main oil seal and gearbox input shaft seal failure)
  
• Aux drive belts
  
• wiring connections and looms, pipes and hoses
  
• av equipment, satnav, radio aerial mast and motors
  
• the adjustment of any component
  
• rubber suspension components and rubber mountings
  
• damage resulting from excessive oil consumptions and/or biodiesel
  
• serviceable items and items requiring periodic replacement eg clutches, brake discs, brake shoes and pads,spark plugs.....
  

Timing belts are covered provided that the last due change of belt took place as specified by the manufacturer's schedule"

Interestingly (it's the first time I've read it, actually!) it's not transferable and is only valid in Ireland. I'll be having a good look over the vehicle this weekend (we have a bank holiday tomorrow, thankfully ) so I can see if there's anything that needs to be done under the original warranty...

[silverarrow]

sorry to say the warranty is not toyota another company runs it.

Read the full terms wear and tear is not covered and they try and make you pay for a strip down which is not in the terms and conditions.

It is in real a weak policy and clamis to offer more than it does read the toyota web site on warranties and it reads so easy to claim but in real terms a hard slog and pain with getting things fixed.

They even try not to pay out over hire car fees.

Warranty direct is better covers wear and tear and is cheaper. :D

Mr T should pick a better policy and improve on the customer service.

Toyotas are not as good as when they had a made in japan stivker on them.

Way too many sub standard parts.

TOO ALL WITH A TOYOTA WARRANTY READ THE SMALL PRINT WEAR AND TEAR!!!!!!

[Dutchrav]

My 3 year warranty ends in December. Got letter from Toyota it costs me 650,00 Euro for 2 years of extra warranty..

A lot of money!! Let the RAV4 checked by a Dekra station (2,5 hour check!) and they found nothing. So no extended warranty for me!

Also, when it is every 15k km serviced at a Toyota dealer, the dealer can extend the Eurocare service upto 2 more years. Only give it a service once a year or every 15k KM. Don´t know if it only for Netherlands but was happy to hear it.

[Zwart_Verso]

My 3 year warranty ends in December. Got letter from Toyota it costs me 650,00 Euro for 2 years of extra warranty..

A lot of money!! Let the RAV4 checked by a Dekra station (2,5 hour check!) and they found nothing. So no extended warranty for me!

Also, when it is every 15k km serviced at a Toyota dealer, the dealer can extend the Eurocare service upto 2 more years. Only give it a service once a year or every 15k KM. Don´t know if it only for Netherlands but was happy to hear it.

Dutchrav, are you sure you are not confusing things here?

The extended Warranty covers the costs of the repair and includes Eurocare.

Whereas Eurocare basically gets the car to the dealer and you to your destination but you still have to pay for the repair.

I see for the Verso it cost €415 for 2 years, and at the moment I intend to take it when the time comes (in 18 months). I figure there is a lot that can go wrong and for €415 you don’t get much fixed and peace of mind is also worth something!

That said I must admit my last car, a Carina E which I bought new and kept for 10 years (140,000 Km), only required a new drivers seatbelt after 2½ years and a new water pump after 8½ years, so extended Warranty, if had been available, would have been a waste of money.

But there is a lot more kit on the Verso to go wrong, for example if the radio/CD player goes wrong you can’t just buy a new one for €100 at Halfords because it won’t fit and somehow I think the Toyota replacement will cost more than €415.

Hope this helps,

Andy

[Hoovie]

sorry to say the warranty is not toyota another company runs it.

Read the full terms wear and tear is not covered and they try and make you pay for a strip down which is not in the terms and conditions.

It is in real a weak policy and clamis to offer more than it does read the toyota web site on warranties and it reads so easy to claim but in real terms a hard slog and pain with getting things fixed.

They even try not to pay out over hire car fees.

Warranty direct is better covers wear and tear and is cheaper. :D

Mr T should pick a better policy and improve on the customer service.

Toyotas are not as good as when they had a made in japan stivker on them.

Way too many sub standard parts.

TOO ALL WITH A TOYOTA WARRANTY READ THE SMALL PRINT WEAR AND TEAR!!!!!!

I have the extended Warranty on my RAV4, but have not needed to claim so can't comment on what the "they try to make you do" bit, but the policy is very clear about things like hire car, accomodation, etc, so is your comment based on an personal experience?

Many years ago I had extended warranty on a Celica GT4 and I had a couple of items fixed on that without any problems and they also replaced the exhaust under warranty - BUT they did not replace a electric window broken plastic switch, so I think they stick very much to the T&Cs of the agreement.

Re the Wear and Tear thing - what sort of wear and tear would be covered by any warranty - original or extended?

If Warranty Directs covers wear and tear, then they pay out for replacement brake pads when worn, brake discs when worn, seats damaged by dropped cigarettes, ..... sorry - don't believe that To get "wear" cover, you are talking about a service maintenance agreement, not a warranty agreement, I reckon.

My Warranty clearly lists all the items that are NOT covered and there is nothing on the list of exclusions that surprised me when I reviewed the policy prior to buying it.

The only two items that visibly come out to me as not covered where I have used the original warranty to have replaced are the Wheels and the Batteries.

I regard the level of cover on the Toyota "manufactuer equivalent cover" policy as good or better as any warranty cover I have seen and personally would steer away from Warranty Direct as heard too many stories of them trying to get out of paying a claim.

PS - it IS a Toyota Warranty, but is administered by AON, as it is ,like ALL extended warranties, an insurance policy and therefore underwritten by an insurance company.