So I go to the dealer and my AC/heater/vent fix = will cost $1011.

He suggested to get a extended warranty from whoever (not Dodge, because they do not offer a 7 year 100,000 warranty on my vehicle, which I have) on line. He explained it  ($2K+) will pay for the repair and I will have additional insurance for the future. Since I am paying $1K+ some of it should go toward the additional insurance as a plus.

Opinions/real experiences???

HELP!!!!!!!!!

V
OUT

Sounds like he's suggesting insurance fraud.

If I explain to the company what I need done with the problem I am experiencing (to ensure it will be covered) will it be fraud..?

I guess I am lost.

V
OUT

If you call the insurance company and tell them what is wrong with your car and they still give you a policy then it's not fraud.  

If you get the insurance policy say on 12/14 and make a claim stating your heater broke on 12/15, that would be fraud.

My only experience with an extended warrenty was the one I bought through Griffen Ford in Waukesha on my Mini Cooper.  Paid for itself when the transmission grenaded and I held bits of reverse gear in my hands.  



Sucks that the car was totaled about a month later in the last snow storm of the year...

Ah!

 

Extended warranties from dealerships are usually a waste of money, but at least they are legit and offer peace of mind.  They generally pay out, but even then they can be awfully picky when it comes time to write a check.  The 3rd party warranties are usually a waste of money for the same reasons (the amount you spend on them, for MOST people, does not warrant the potential savings from having it), but also they are hugely notorious for being scams, rip-offs and not paying for jack or shit.  Also, you can't take out insurance to pay for something that is already broken.  They wont insure you and if they dont do an inspection it's probably a scam, or they'll decline you so fast your head will spin.  If you conceal it and they find out that is insurance fraud.   Also, if you have one of these, and paid in a few grand to get it over time, and get 2 major repairs covered, and then they drop you for overuse, you still paid in more than you got out.  I got one once as a throw in from the dealership where they paid for it.  Had I not I guess there would've been some merit to having it for the relatively low cost and it was to cover major power-train (expensive) damage for longer than the original manufacturer warranty.  That's not a bad idea, but usually not used.  If you get the lemon, though, you'll be happy you have it.  

In short, if it's from the dealership/manufacturer you should probably walk away or at least comb through every word of the policy and do your math, and if it's from a 3rd party policy (not from the manufacturer/dealer) run as fast as you can.  Research any and all companies you do high dollar business with via the BBB and consumer reviews/ratings/insurance ratings/etc.

Thanks for all the helpful info.

V
OUT

The ones from the dealer often aren't any better. IIRC, only about 12% of your payment goes to the actual insurance. Everything else goes to overhead and profit/commissions.

You are better off starting a "car repair fund". Just put X amount into a simple savings account every month  until you reach whatever amount you think will cover your most likely car repairs. This way, you don't piss your money away on warranties, cause you keep it, and you can pay for repairs without arguing about whether the insurance covers it or not.

I'm more interested in what's wrong with your car.  For $1100, the compressor better have taken a dump, but that doesn't effect your heat.

I am guessing the blower fan must have went too...

Maybe pick up a repair book and some tools + parts for $1100.  

What kind of car/truck are we talking about too?  Someone on here may have run into a similar problem or know their way around it.



 

Replacing a heater core and/or AC condensor on a lot of newer cars is easily in the $1100-1600 range.  The wonderful engineers thought it would be a great idea to place them in between the dash the firewall which means in order to change them, you have to remove the entire dash.  Back in high school, we spent well over 10 hours pulling the dash out of my parent's old Mercury Sable to put in a $35 heater core.