Extended warranty - yes or no?

[Ala Larj]

Hi all, bought my 2014my GS300h nearly three years ago and after the first year warranty took out the extended warranty for two extra years which runs out in April. The only warranty claim I had was for wiper relays. I have just received a letter asking if I want to extend for a further two years for £1095. I am in a dilemma about what to do. The first couple of years I was averaging about 15,000 miles per year but due to early retirement now do about half this. It's currently on circa 62,000 miles. My main concern is the internal electronics such as seats etc. I have the premier which has loads of complicated stuff inside. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has a similar vehicle with higher mileage than mine with regards to the reliability of such things. I'm not too worried about the mechanical aspects. Thanks.

[royoftherovers]

If you can afford £46 per month equivalent on your income, then  do it and sleep well at nights.

If you cannot, then bank what you can afford and use it to defray any future claims.

[Ala Larj]

Thanks. The offer is for £91.25 per month for 12 months then nothing for the second year. I had a warranty claim for drivers seat on my previous IS for a dodgy drivers seat which would have cost around £5,000 had I bought a new seat myself. Hence my concern about seats!

[olliesgrandad]

I'd buy the warranty because 

1)You have 2 years full AA cover 

2) There is MoT cover and I think one of them is included in the cost. 

3) As you correctly say it is a very complex car.

4) If you pay monthly and don't make a claim you will be refunded part of the money already paid (from personal experience).

 

[Ala Larj]

Hi oliesgrandad, thanks.

1. Good point.

2. Surely this doesn't include consumables.

3. My dilemma, but it's supposedly a reliable car!

4. Interesting, I didn't know that. Not written in my terms and conditions.

I really appreciate your thoughts as I know that it is just an insurance policy which I hope I won't use so am interested if anyone with similar vehicles have had any problems. If yes then it's a no brainer, but if not then I need to way up the risks against peace of mind. I fancy a new guitar but can't afford that and the warranty!

[Shahpor]

I have the extended warranty on my 2013 GS450h Premier.

In the year and a half I have had the GS (and warranty) I have yet to claim anything but I still believe it is worth it.

For me, considering the cost of repairs for these cars, it is mainly for peace of mind that I have it, so I will be renewing it as long as I have the car.

[Ala Larj]

Thanks Shahpor good to know you've had no problems.

[Odysseus]

A different generation of car but I have the warranty on my 2008 GS450H. I had a years Lexus approved used warranty and now I’m in the last few months of the two year purchased warranty.

I’m that time I’ve had the following.
New rear shock absorber
New door switch
Four new TPMS sensors
New gearbox earth strap
New water pump
New driver’s mirror
Two new washer jets
New front passenger seatbelt
New rear parking sensor
New drain plug

Would I buy the warranty? Definitely!


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[royoftherovers]

10 hours ago, Ala Larj said:

Thanks. The offer is for £91.25 per month for 12 months then nothing for the second year. I had a warranty claim for drivers seat on my previous IS for a dodgy drivers seat which would have cost around £5,000 had I bought a new seat myself. Hence my concern about seats!

Which is why I said £46 per month equivalent,Ala.

[Hangie]

Just to give another point of view. I don't like extra warranties too much but I'm quite technically skilled and I know if something go wrong I'll just fix it 🙂

Only warranty I got is the one for hybrid drive and is extended with every service.

Just to give you an example. If you check my post history I was mentioning faulty cooling fans in audio unit. To replace it at Lexus it is 2k+ £. I've just replied the fans by myself on Sunday afternoon for total cost of £50 or so.

Another recent issue was rear parking brake. If car was parked uphill brake was still holding after release. After taking the drum off I've found that pads were split. Easy replacement, and for sure won't be covered by a warranty anyway.

As for seats, you can always buy second hand one or try to find a problem and fix it rather than replacing whole unit. I also got techstream software with cable if needed.

 

[wharfhouse]

Different car but I have IS 300h - so still hybrid with same drivetrain. My car is a 2014 and has now done 85,000 miles. I purchased it when it was 2 years old with 40,000 miles. I took the extended warranty when the mfr 3 year warranty expired for 2 years and then extended again for another 2 years. In the first extended warranty period I claimed for a replacement windscreen washer sensor (I was told that would have been ~£400 to supply and fit...!) and then in the new warranty period claimed to replace both front wheel bearings - don't know what that would have cost but must have been close to what I will have paid for the extended warranty...

[Hangie]

16 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Different car but I have IS 300h - so still hybrid with same drivetrain. My car is a 2014 and has now done 85,000 miles. I purchased it when it was 2 years old with 40,000 miles. I took the extended warranty when the mfr 3 year warranty expired for 2 years and then extended again for another 2 years. In the first extended warranty period I claimed for a replacement windscreen washer sensor (I was told that would have been ~£400 to supply and fit...!) and then in the new warranty period claimed to replace both front wheel bearings - don't know what that would have cost but must have been close to what I will have paid for the extended warranty...

Front bearings failing under 80k miles ? Someone probably drive into a deep water or mild flood damage. Those bearing should easily last up until 300k area.

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, Hangie said:

Front bearings failing under 80k miles ? Someone probably drive into a deep water or mild flood damage. Those bearing should easily last up until 300k area.

The operative word of course is "should" - but all components have some level of premature failure. In my possession the car had not been in any deep water or floods (other than what is found on normal roads after heavy rain) and had a solid history with the same dealer (purchased from new there by the previous owner and always serviced there) before I bought it. It had just had an 80k mile service where I had four new tyres fitted - so the car was a lot quieter - and I started noticing the noise.

Previously on a Honda Accord I had a rear wheel bearing replaced at about 90k miles and the noise on my Lexus was very similar though quite a lot quieter. After giving it about 1,000 miles and the usual wheel bearing failure sort of testing to be sure there was something amiss I booked it into Lexus. Initially they weren't sure (as it was not loud) and so I went out with the tech for half an hour so we could listen together and make sure he was hearing the same as me. He agreed there was a noise and that it could indeed be the start of wheel bearing going bad so would investigate. He stripped down the suspected wheel and confirmed it was the wheel bearing starting to show signs of deterioration and so replaced it under the extended warranty. He then compared the new wheel bearing to the remaining one on the car and then wasn't totally happy with the remaining one and so changed that one out as well also under extended warranty. While doing the wheel bearings he also checked brake disc thickness and as they were starting to get close to minimum thickness, although they would have probably gone another 10k - 20k miles, I chose to have those replaced too (at my cost of course as that's just normal wear).

After the work my thoughts were certainly justified and the noise that I had been hearing was totally eliminated - in fact the car generally seemed quieter than ever. Although I was surprised the bearings needed replacement, having had one done on a previous car I know they do occasionally fail prematurely and so don't hold that against Lexus. I've also run cars with the same bearings for over 200k miles so appreciate what the normal design life of these are too. In fact given the poor state of our roads and the potholes we are forced to endure I'm surprised more bearings don't fail earlier. I was actually very pleased with the dealer service dept that they took the time to look at both front bearings and that they were able to change both under the extended warranty.

Certainly no complaints from my side. No car can be guaranteed to have zero failures and I took a decision to take the extended warranty. Had I never had a claim I would have still been happy with the decision. As it happens the claims I have made have justified the extended warranty cost and given that I get the breakdown cover in the extended warranty too I am probably in pocket at the moment and will certainly be keeping the extended warranty in place if I still have the car when it is due again.

[Sherra]

I bought my extended warranty on purchase of vehicle which extended it to 3yrs then a further 2 yrs after. Had new wing mirror 1 new rear shocker 1 rear caliper 1 water pump 2 boot struts within the whole period. unfortunately a few days after it expired, due to age, a lambda sensor went which cost £500 at an independent. I only wish i was able to renew to renew the warranty. I always treat insurance as a just in case senario and hope never to use it as if I do have to claim it means I'm in trouble and i'd rather not be in trouble. My advice would be to get it and hope you never need it.

[johnatg]

Hmm....Andrew's list - I guess might have come close to the warranty cost.

Phil's wheel bearings - they're not ruinously expensive - £120 or so each (+ fitting)

Paul's list - doubt it would have come to more than what he paid for the warranties.

My view is that you're very unlucky if you need to spend more than £1095 on warranty-covered repairs in any two year period for a sub-10 year old Lexus driven a normal number of miles - might be different if you're doing 30K+ per year, but even then...

I guess it partly depends on your diy capabilities - if you are prepared/competent to work on the car yourself, you can probably buy any necessary parts for considerably less than the warranty cost. Different if you're going to need to add Lexus dealer labour charges. Of course, there's always the chance of a really big hit.

I have a warranty at the moment because it came with the car but I doubt that I'll be renewing it. But I'll keep the hybrid system warranty with an annual hybrid inspection at least.

[wharfhouse]

38 minutes ago, johnatg said:

Hmm....Andrew's list - I guess might have come close to the warranty cost.

Phil's wheel bearings - they're not ruinously expensive - £120 or so each (+ fitting)

Paul's list - doubt it would have come to more than what he paid for the warranties.

My view is that you're very unlucky if you need to spend more than £1095 on warranty-covered repairs in any two year period for a sub-10 year old Lexus driven a normal number of miles - might be different if you're doing 30K+ per year, but even then...

I guess it partly depends on your diy capabilities - if you are prepared/competent to work on the car yourself, you can probably buy any necessary parts for considerably less than the warranty cost. Different if you're going to need to add Lexus dealer labour charges. Of course, there's always the chance of a really big hit.

I have a warranty at the moment because it came with the car but I doubt that I'll be renewing it. But I'll keep the hybrid system warranty with an annual hybrid inspection at least.

Agreed - I have no plans to do anything more than basic maintenance on my car and I know it's often not the parts but the labour - at least at a main dealer - that is where the majority of the cost is and why I'm happy with the peace of mind of the extended warranty for what it costs - especially as I can pay for the 24 months with 12 monthly payments - plus it includes the breakdown cover which I'd have to pay separately otherwise. But if one has the time and skills then a lot can be done for much less. 

[Odysseus]

Hmm....Andrew's list - I guess might have come close to the warranty cost.

And the rest mate! The shock absorber replacement cost alone is £445, getting on for half the cost of the warranty. With everything else that’s been done I’m definitely winning in terms of warranty cost vs stuff needing replacement.





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[OldTrout]

On 2/20/2020 at 7:45 AM, Odysseus said:

A different generation of car but I have the warranty on my 2008 GS450H. I had a years Lexus approved used warranty and now I’m in the last few months of the two year purchased warranty.

I’m that time I’ve had the following.
New rear shock absorber
New door switch
Four new TPMS sensors
New gearbox earth strap
New water pump
New driver’s mirror
Two new washer jets
New front passenger seatbelt
New rear parking sensor
New drain plug

Would I buy the warranty? Definitely!


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Andrew,

What was wrong with the TPMS sensors. I'm guessing flat batteries for a 2008 car but if dos how come on warranty?

You were very lucky to get the shock absorber replaced.

John

 

[LexIS200Sport]

20 minutes ago, OldTrout said:

You were very lucky to get the shock absorber replaced.

Indeed! My rear shock failed MOT due to a leak whilst under extended warranty and three different Lexus dealers refused to replace it!

Same with a hole in my centre exhaust section as well - their reasoning for the shock and exhaust were normal wear and tear and not manufacturing defect..

 

[Odysseus]

Andrew,
What was wrong with the TPMS sensors. I'm guessing flat batteries for a 2008 car but if dos how come on warranty?
You were very lucky to get the shock absorber replaced.
John
 

No idea what was up with the TPMS. I was regularly getting a ‘CHECK SYSTEM’ message and the Lexus fix was replace TPMS sensors. I have the strong impression there’s not much mechanical fault finding going on in main dealer land, they just hook it up to their scanners and replace parts/modules until faults go away.

I was glad the shock was covered by the warranty, but in my view they should be. Shocks aren’t a wear and tear item like brake discs.

[johnatg]

That's an optimistic view! They wear and go soft or leak eventually. I've replaced quite a few in my time.

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[Ala Larj]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I might go for it. Peace of mind is a great thing!

[KayCee]

Just in the proccess of renewing mine just had the car coming up to a year now nothing as gone wrong but i am renewing  warranty

[royoftherovers]

A wise move Robert.

Statistically, the greater the period one has had with not needing to use the warranty, the shorter the period one will have before needing to use it!

 

I accept that the Lexus Brand may not conform to this model.

Just continue to enjoy one of motoring pearls.

[westo3]

Can you lapse a warranty and then opt into it again. I thought that as my car is only three years old I would be alright for maybe a couple of years and then take out a warranty, or does the warranty have to be continuous. Can I take out Lexus roadside assistance without taking out the extended warranty?