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Originally Posted by Karl F
that being said... How many purchase the extended warranty.. and is it worth it?
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I bought a bumper to bumper 6year/100k warranty for my Tacoma and I've actually had occasions to use it. Several times though, imo, something that should have been covered was denied. Starting this past summer, I've had to be careful with the truck on warm days since it will occasionally overheat. When it was brought in for diagnosis they said it had poor coolant flow, yet they wouldn't replace anything suspect such as the radiator, water pump or t-stat. They just left me hanging. The ultimate kick in the nuts was that the next step in finding out what is wrong would be on my dime, pulling the radiator for a flow test to the tune of $600. This is a '01 truck with 70k warrantied to 100k. I was ready to blow stuff up at that point. The additional bonus is that in a couple cases some of the dealerships acted as though it was a huge chore, complete with an eye roll in my direction, to contact Toyota to get clearance for a warranty item.
Overall customer service has been a disappointment nevermind that the truck hasn't exactly been a Toyota. Now that I'm thinking about it here's another little gem. I bought the truck as a "Used Certified Vehicle" with the whole "bumper to bumper 115 point inspection" they brag about. A week after I drove it off the lot the brake pads were scraping the discs. Some inspection. Later I discovered it had an aftermarket windshield that was leaking water into the inside of the truck. I had to pay to have it resealed, they wouldn't cover that either. Only "the best of the best used vehicles" my ass. I love Toyotas but at this point they probably won't be getting any more of my money unless I really fall in love with that new FJ.
On the customer service front I may be forced to buy another Mercedes just so I can enjoy service visits at Viti Inc. again. That company BY FAR understands customer service and the concept of repeat business more then any other business, automotive or otherwise. I always left with an empty wallet, but I always felt it was worth it. I even had a few unrelated small things fixed for free that I didn't even ask to have fixed while my car was in for service, and this was on an out of warranty car. I honestly model SWE customer service after that place, it's that good. 90% of it is the way they treat you, which was with respect, something seriously lost in most of my recent automotive experiences. I really don't care to be treated like my warranty service visits are a chore for the dealership after I drop 25k on a vehicle...
ok, that's enough ranting for tonight. I'm sure I'll have something new to be fired up about tomorrow.