Warranty - is it worth it?

Ala Larj · April 19, 2018

Hi all,

Have just bought an extended warranty. Two years for £1095. Was in a dilemma as the GS appears to be quite reliable. The warranty on my old IS220d was invaluable thanks to the known problems of that one, most of which I experienced!

The warranty comes with roadside assistance which covers me and t'missus on any other car which we are driving or passenger in.

I hope I don't need the warranty but figure that if we do have a problem it's likely to be expensive. Has any MK4 GS owner had warranty claims or expensive repairs?

Am trying to justify the cost!

ColinBarber · April 19, 2018

Don't wish you car is unreliable just so you can make a warranty claim!

The series IV GS is very reliable, but as they get older then maybe suspension components etc could start to fail. I didn't bother with an extended warranty on my IS300h once the original warranty passed - I did have several claims within the three years but nothing since.

I'll possibly get a two year extension on the GS F as it seems a reasonable deal for such an expensive car - if I have engine/transmission problems with will pay for itself many times over.

Ala Larj · April 19, 2018

To be honest I'm more worried about electrical gremlins. Had to scrap a beloved Volvo once due to repairs to the air con/heating system costing about three times the value of the car. It was ten years old though!

With regards to mechanical issues I've read that shocks can be an issue especially the adaptive ones I've got and gather they're not cheap.

Digitalparadox · April 23, 2018

I purchased the two year warranty and whilst it is a good chunk of money, I bought it more for piece of mind in case something electrical or major mechanical failure occurs. Thankfully I have only used it once and that was for something minor - had a whirring noise from air con which transpired to only be a leaf stuff in the fan!

I also bought it because this is my first purchase of a big sophisticated car and if something did go wrong I would have no idea where to start .

Also if you compare the warranty price to other prestige brands you will realise that £1,095 is actually not that bad. Check out the German brands and how much they charge for extended warranty and it'll make your eyes water!

Hadrian · April 23, 2018

I've thought about this myself, will think again after the 1 year warranty expires.

You do have to look at what the extended warranty covers, and what it doesn't..As far a I am aware, items like shock absorbers come under "wear and tear"

and wouldn't be covered. In general Lexus engines and transmissions are pretty bomb proof, so you have to work out you will be covering yourself for.

Ala Larj · April 23, 2018

I had two rear shocks replaced under warranty last year. Took it in for a service and they told me they'd replaced them and one was leaking slightly. I didn't even know I had a problem. It was the experience with my IS that LED me to purchase it. There was never any questions about the claims I made for that so it seems to be a good warranty. Have heard of other manufacturers trying all sorts of tricks to get out of paying up!

mrfunex · April 23, 2018

I didn’t have a warranty on my mk3 GS450h - and nothing went wrong in 2 years

I didn’t have a warranty on my ISF - and nothing went wrong in 2.5 years

I have a standard warranty on my GSF that it came with, but shalln’t be extending it. Nothing gone wrong in 6 months.

We don’t have a warranty on my wife’s RX450h, the only cost (above normal consumables) in 5-6 years has been a new washer pump for the headlights (an MOT fail!) which was about £500.

Depends on your attitude to risk and whether you’ve got a slush fund for potential problems... so far we’d be out pocket had we bought warranties. YMMV, obviously. The extended warranty on my old Mercedes SL however, paid for itself many MANY times over!

Hadrian · April 23, 2018

2 hours ago, Ala Larj said:

I had two rear shocks replaced under warranty last year. Took it in for a service and they told me they'd replaced them and one was leaking slightly. I didn't even know I had a problem. It was the experience with my IS that led me to purchase it. There was never any questions about the claims I made for that so it seems to be a good warranty. Have heard of other manufacturers trying all sorts of tricks to get out of paying up!

Was this the warranty when you bought the car, or an extended warranty ?

rayaans · April 23, 2018

Never have bought a warranty on such a new car - Id probably consider it after 5-6 years old but not before then.

doog442 · April 23, 2018

A service plan plus extended warranty on mine would be nearly £80 a month. I'll keep the service plan but doubt I'll get the warranty until its a fair bit older.

I guess it depends if you want peace of mind.

That said this article gives the GS 100% reliability according to What car

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-5630807/The-reliable-second-hand-luxury-cars.html

Ala Larj · April 25, 2018

On 4/23/2018 at 11:16 AM, Hadrian said:

Was this the warranty when you bought the car, or an extended warranty ?

It was an extended warranty when I bought the car. It was three years old and had just run out of original warranty.

Hadrian · April 25, 2018

You did well to get that work done under an extended warranty. A lot won't cover much more than the engine and transmission.

With most of the other bits coming under "fair wear and tear"

nsxer · April 25, 2018

i paid up for the extended warranty on my GS purchase as well. I normally dont buy these type of things but the Lexus one read fairly comprehensively and you are getting AA road side assistance thrown in which costs a few hundred quid anyway.

you have to treat it a bit like an insurance policy ... "in the event of" ... and going on the basis of Lexus reputation i would like to think that if anything major happens within the warranty period having this will be beneficial.

as i said i normally dont touch these things with a barge pole, and do not consider the Lexus to be something i would be worried about but my wife is a community nurse and her office is the car so with the AA cover etc this was useful

just my take on it ...

steveledzep · April 25, 2018

8 hours ago, Hadrian said:

You did well to get that work done under an extended warranty. A lot won't cover much more than the engine and transmission.

With most of the other bits coming under "fair wear and tear"

The Lexus extended warranty is very comprehensive.

I took it out on my two previous ISs and the claims just about exceeded the premium. In both cases I sold the vehicles with about 8 months of warranty remaining, I'm convinced it helped me get a good price with only a £25 transfer fee. I've never used the AA roadside assistance, but it is reassuring to have, especially when my wife travels 150 miles to see our daughter and granddaughter.

I took the extended warranty on my current RX and I've not made a claim in fourteen months of ownership. I'm very happy not to make a claim, just to enjoy the peace of mind. £1,000 doesn't buy you much at a Lexus dealership !!!!!

Hadrian · April 25, 2018

What's the period of your warranty ?

steveledzep · April 25, 2018

4 minutes ago, Hadrian said:

What's the period of your warranty ?

Two years.

Ala Larj · April 25, 2018

I also like the fact that the roadside assistance covers me any wife in the Lexus and also both of us in other cars even if we're passengers.

The claims I made on my IS far outweighed the cost.

I feel it's like any insurance - you hope you never need it but glad it's there if you do.

Ala Larj · April 25, 2018

25 minutes ago, Hadrian said:

What's the period of your warranty ?

Two years. They have deal on at the moment two years for just over a grand. You only pay the instalments for one year.

Hadrian · April 26, 2018

Thanks. Only having just bought the car, I have a years warranty anyway. I shall weigh up the options next year.

Sherra · April 26, 2018

I renewed my warranty in November. Glad I did as Tuesday it went for service and rear discs and pads. During service the water pump was found to have a slight leak then they discovered that both rear calipers were seized. one was freed off but one had to be replaced. The water pump would have been £595 and the caliper was in the region of £200. So overall a good result although I did ask them to check the calipers last year. Even so I am not bothered if it is not used as I treat it like insurance we all have it but hope you don't use it because if used it means you have trouble you didn't want.

PS This years premium covered already.