Aftermarket Warranty Ripoff

[BadQ45t]

I have a 97' Q that I bought in 2000, I added a 5 year 100k warranty from the dealership. Didn't pay much attention to the warranty other than the cost of it and the deductable (which was nothing). Anyhow, had one or two little things go wrong in the first year under the Infiniti Warrany, included in this was a fuel door solinoid. Anyhow, the gas door started opening up again on its own so I took it to Peninsula Infiniti confident that the warranty company was going to have to pay.

Well, i get a call from the dealership that it is in fact covered, but Warrentech (the aftermaket company) was in the World Trade Center and they are in bad shape. They now pay off claims over a 2 year period quarterly. The dealer told me that I'd have to pay and than wait for them to pay me back. I was furious and told them I'd bought it from THEM. Oh, but we're Peninsula Infiniti now, you bought it from Shen Infiniti which was the previous dealership on the property.

I told the Gen Manager that I bought the policy from his current sales rep and that this repair was done 19 months ago by the same service tech and the same service writer. i asked how bad getting ZEROS for my satisfaction was going to go over with his management.

Long story short, they covered it but I'm screwed. What should I do??? Just take the chance with a 97' Q with 70k on it or try to buy another warranty? Should I call Infiniti????

Advice is appreciated, beware of Warrantech!

[Chally]

You may have it different there, but I have advised my customers to Avoid dealer warranty, as most have NEVER been able to get anything out of them.Not only do they want you to service your vehicle at their premises only, (& charge like a wounded bull) but when something goes wrong, it has nothing to do with them.

The only warranty that really stands is Manufacturers Warranty.

As I say, you may have more reputable dealers over there, but car salesman is still a salesman anywhere in the world!

[docsmile71]

That sucks big time. I guess that's why it's sometimes better to go with a large dealership and pay a little more for the car.

I purchased both infinitis from North Shore Infiniti in Great Neck, NY. They have a pretty good network of dealerships and we purchased the warranty from them. We used it a LOT with our 92 but with our 95 we didn't really use it. We insisted on the Infiniti program so that it would be honored at any infiniti dealership and there would be no problems with payment or deductibles. Overall, we would buy another Infiniti warranty if we bought another Q.

[Alan]

Jeff, Sorry you are left holding the bag. I bought an AUL warranty when we got our '92Q from Northbay Nissan. Both AUL and Northbay have weasled at every opportunity, but I am way in the black with AUL.

What I really want to say is good for you for making a strong case at Penninsula, great that you stood up for what is fair, and to their credit they finally listened.

Alan

[Jberger]

Pursue the matter with your state's atty general. Insurance Companies, (almost all warranties are actually insurance policies) are governed under STRICT guidelines. I imagine that the state would actually be able to enfore the contract and also hold the present dealer liable.

[Q451990]

That's terrible! I had wonderful service out of the 100K warranty on my Q, but it was through Infiniti - I'm surprised the dealership sells aftermarket warranties... I guess times changed from the early 90s to when you bought yours...

Heath

[AZhitman]

I've had GREAT experiences with my aftermarket warranty - Feel free to email me for more info. Tons cheaper than what the dealer wanted to charge me....

[suretytek]

Warranty Gold is who I bought a 7 year/100K warranty from for my 99 Q45t, and so far, they have been very good to work with. Their Diamond plan seems to cover about the same as the original bumper-to-bumper warranty. I have got to say that they surprised me with their recommendation to have the dealer do any work under their plan! I would have guessed that they would want another (cheaper) shop to do the work. Message me if you have additional questions on these guys...

[juiceman]

Had an extended warranty from phoenix american on my dodge minivan and did have to use it

They replaced quite a few items including main engine seals and ac control units etc

Never had a problem and could take it where I wanted

I did get the chrysler warranty on the new one I bought because it was ssuch a good deal and they upgraded me to the higest level at nc due to a screw up

Pick a good company (not necessarily the one the dealer is selling) and you will have no problems

[greg_atlanta]

There are LOTS of choices for extended warranties and I'm sure some companies are better than others. As with many things, the lowest bidder may not be the best option!

[DenverQ]

I second what Hitman said as I had the same warranty as him and they spent about 8k on my car =)

[AZhitman]

Yep - They are NOT liking us right now...

I'm at $6K, and going in for a new steering rack next week... OUCH!

[GEOFF]

I have had good luck with aftermarket warranty on my '93. They paid for over $5k of work including transmission rebuild and even valve cover gaskets. Make sure the warranty co is backed by insurance co incase a plane flies into their office! Oh and be careful if you have mods...if they ask for 3rd party inspect, and they see mods, you may have trouble with claim.

[BadQ45t]

I didn't even consider what I was getting when I bought this, the salesman told me "it was good" and as far as I knew aftermarket warranties are very common. My dad had one and they paid out big time, I think I'm going to the attnorney general on this one. The dealership I bought the car from is gone (Shen Infiniti) and the people that bought the dealerhip out say it wasn't their problem, which in some fairness it isn't. But this is a contract and they've changed the terms after the fact on me.

Thanks for your advice on this, greatly appreciated.