- Joined
- Apr 18, 2024
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 56
- Reaction score
- 45
- Location
- Atlanta GA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2025 TRD Off Road Premium Hybrid, 2017 Subaru Forester XT
It always feels like they are just reaching for more $$$ when these come up so I totally agree it's annoying but I'm not in the camp of "they're all junk" either because I have gotten value out of them in the past. I tend to be annoying and ask a ton of questions 
On our Subaru we had major repairs incl. head gasket leaks, rear main seal leak, A/C leaks, and probably 3-4 other medium size repairs that all happened after the factory warranty. Original warranty was 36k but we bought it as a "certified used" car so it came with an extended warranty to 60k and we paid to extend it further out to 90k. ALL of our issues happened right around 70-75k. It cost us $1800 up front and saved close to $10k in repairs (yes those two big seals were to the tune of $4kea at dealership prices). Now...it wasn't a Toyota but I feel like I won on that deal. Plus it is extremely convenient to have the dealer say "it's covered", let them deal with submitting a claim to get paid and know they used OEM parts.
I got offered something similar to the first 5 options, did not see anything about "SmartShield" or "DingShield", those might just be that location or regional. They also had various term and deductible options on the "platinum" protection that I could choose from. For example 3yr/50k, 10yr/100k, 10yr/125k, etc (there were more but don't remember all the options) as well as either $0 or $100 deductible for each of those and every combination has it's own price.
I opted for the 10yr/100k option with $100 deductible because it felt the most bang for the buck and I don't mind paying the $100 if something comes up. It was just over $2k if I remember right but given that these are becoming much more complex vehicles and expensive repairs I'm happy with my choice for now. Time will tell...
On our Subaru we had major repairs incl. head gasket leaks, rear main seal leak, A/C leaks, and probably 3-4 other medium size repairs that all happened after the factory warranty. Original warranty was 36k but we bought it as a "certified used" car so it came with an extended warranty to 60k and we paid to extend it further out to 90k. ALL of our issues happened right around 70-75k. It cost us $1800 up front and saved close to $10k in repairs (yes those two big seals were to the tune of $4kea at dealership prices). Now...it wasn't a Toyota but I feel like I won on that deal. Plus it is extremely convenient to have the dealer say "it's covered", let them deal with submitting a claim to get paid and know they used OEM parts.
I got offered something similar to the first 5 options, did not see anything about "SmartShield" or "DingShield", those might just be that location or regional. They also had various term and deductible options on the "platinum" protection that I could choose from. For example 3yr/50k, 10yr/100k, 10yr/125k, etc (there were more but don't remember all the options) as well as either $0 or $100 deductible for each of those and every combination has it's own price.
I opted for the 10yr/100k option with $100 deductible because it felt the most bang for the buck and I don't mind paying the $100 if something comes up. It was just over $2k if I remember right but given that these are becoming much more complex vehicles and expensive repairs I'm happy with my choice for now. Time will tell...
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