Extended Warranty and FCA "Customer First Award for Excellence"

[Jebruns]

You can have the services done anywhere including doing it yourself. You need to keep all receipts and logs of when you did them to be able to prove the required maintenance was done. Make the dealer show you in the contract where it states the dealer must do the services. He won't be able to.

Correct. It's actually illegal for them to even tell you that BS in the USA. Check out the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act for details.

 

[bcbender]

For what it's worth, the Max Care warranty prices are somewhat negotiable, so check a few different places.

I also did the warranty a few weeks after buying, dealer also matched the quoted price online for the Max Care 8y/125k miles... so I am good to go for at least that long with no worries....

 

[dannonebr]

I'm on my 6th Ram/Dodge trucks since 1994, three of which were Cummins. I owned my 2003 3500 Cummins for 17 years and 130K miles, it never left me stranded (nor did any of the other Rams) except once when I broke a front u-joint pulling a small but heavy tractor pulling sled out of deep sand and up a hill in 4 low. The 2003 3500 automatic was listed on the internet as one of the worst trucks ever made but I was very happy with it, just super dependable. Not one transmission, engine or drive train issue other than a new u-joint somewhere every 30k, but I regularly serviced by the book. Heck, it even took 15 years to start getting fender rust and it was all I drove in the winter with salt and all.

With all this said, I have never purchased an extended warranty. Do the new 2020 2500 Rams really need an extended warranty?

 

[endoscott]

You been lucky so far...or I been very UNLUCKY on my 2014. Lot of repairs, but never stranded.

 

[bcbender]

I only bought mine to cover all the electronics that usually fail the "day after expiration" and also for the "just in case" on the whole CP4 thing... I was reading the OM this am and the RAM LED headlights are dealer service only...? I wonder how much it would cost when the projector gets stuck pointing into the center of the road at oncoming drivers..... I also heard that 12" screen is pricey also

 

[endoscott]

I have had several mechanical problems, not just electrical/electronic stuff. Front hub, rear wheel seals, NOX sensors, turbo actuator, intake. Just the cost of replacing the turbo actuator probably paid for more than half of my warranty. But like I say, my truck just might be somewhat more problematic than others. At whatever point I trade it in for a new one, I will buy an extended warranty again. All maintenance done by the book, at a dealer that services a ton of these trucks. I think they are pretty good.

 

[dannonebr]

Is there any advantage to buy an extended warranty early rather than wait a couple of years?

 

[Jebruns]

You may save some money if you buy it when you're closer to new. Go to the following website and plug in different mileage to see:
https://chryslerwarrantydirect.com/

I'd probably never buy one with a brand new truck, personally. I just feel like there's too much pressure at that point to get the best price. I'd rather write the check later after doing the research.

 

[bcbender]

I'd probably never buy one with a brand new truck, personally. I just feel like there's too much pressure at that point to get the best price. I'd rather write the check later after doing the research.

I was told there is a small price advantage to doing before the title is generated, then there are tiered pricing based on mileage / remaining coverage. Obviously the cost goes up as miles accrue. Not that I'll need it but Key FOB replacement is covered and I've been told if you drop it in the toilet, dock, or simply leave it in the console (too close to the RAM Charger) it'll be messed up.. so there is $600 or more that is covered. Not trying to sell you on anything, just saying that my last truck warranty paid for itself twice over, If I need this one.... Im sure that will be the case as well.. I dont trade up often so in 8y... I'll either be ok w/o warranty or I'll be glad i did it... just piece of mind is worth it to me.

 

[lpennock]

Also don't forget the rental coverage when it has to go in for repair.

 

[brucejohnson]

Is there any advantage to buy an extended warranty early rather than wait a couple of years?

An excerpt from Chryslerwarranties.com has an answer addressing your question.

Mopar extended warranty pricing is tiered, based on the mileage on your vehicle when you purchase a plan. The tiers are 0 - 12,000 miles, 12,001 - 24,000 miles and 24,001 - 36,000 miles. The pricing for each vehicle is different based on what Mopar expects for future anticipated claims. So, the difference in price from one tier to another is also different for each vehicle. Depending on which term and level of coverage you are looking to buy, the difference between buying when you have 7,000 miles, over buying when you have 27,000 miles can be over $1,000 and you won't get one extra day of coverage!
​

Two points to consider when purchasing:

1. Please insure you have both parties listed on the extended warranty if you have joint ownership in order to keep coverage if something were to happen to you. It is valid only for the named individual(s) on the contract.
2. Pay for it separately instead of financing along with the vehicle. If you were to cancel the contract or sell the vehicle you would receive a prorated refund vs. the refund going to the lien holder...and less principle and interest in your monthly payment. You can even get a couple years reasonable interest free financing if purchased directly through a dealer or the Mopar Vehicle Protection Plan. (Hint: Find the cheapest online deal and present it to a dealer or FCA unit for price match).

 

[Jebruns]

I was told there is a small price advantage to doing before the title is generated,

I wonder if that is true though. It's pretty rare to read where someone gets a better price in the finance office than they do on the site I linked in above. You do read about the other way around, that people use the above website to make their dealer price match on a new vehicle. But I guess it's still possible, and the dealer just pockets the pre-titled difference.

 

[dannonebr]

After reading the owners manual, with all the different doodads the truck has it's probably a good idea to get one. These are sophisticated machines. Thanks for the input from everyone! The MSRP on these trucks are about as much as I spent on my house 30 years ago. I plan to take my time and compare pricing from Mopar online, private companies and the dealer with pros and cons.

 

[Markh1254]

I shopped around quite a bit and found a wide range of prices. The dealer here in Cleveland was pushing their third party over the factory service plan, which was extremely over priced. I was just about ready to purchase from Ziegler, when I got a call from moparservicecontract.com and they offered me the 8 year (maximum) Maxcare for $2495 - nearly half of what the dealer offered to sell me a 5 year Maxcare contract.

 

[Rob S]

I shopped around quite a bit and found a wide range of prices. The dealer here in Cleveland was pushing their third party over the factory service plan, which was extremely over priced. I was just about ready to purchase from Ziegler, when I got a call from moparservicecontract.com and they offered me the 8 year (maximum) Maxcare for $2495 - nearly half of what the dealer offered to sell me a 5 year Maxcare contract.

Thats a real fair deal on the maxcare buddy!

 

[Ltngdrvr]

I shopped around quite a bit and found a wide range of prices. The dealer here in Cleveland was pushing their third party over the factory service plan, which was extremely over priced. I was just about ready to purchase from Ziegler, when I got a call from moparservicecontract.com and they offered me the 8 year (maximum) Maxcare for $2495 - nearly half of what the dealer offered to sell me a 5 year Maxcare contract.

Thats a real fair deal on the maxcare buddy!

8 years, but for how many miles???

 

[bcbender]

and what deductible....

 

[Cummins12V98]

My 7 year ZERO deductible 100k has worked out well. I have one year left and 17k remaining.

 

[Markh1254]

$200 deductible and 80K miles, which is not an issue for me. My last truck I had 18 years and put 40K miles on it. My options were limited because I am not the original owner and I was beyond the 3 year in-service date.

 

[Ltngdrvr]

$200 deductible and 80K miles, which is not an issue for me. My last truck I had 18 years and put 40K miles on it. My options were limited because I am not the original owner and I was beyond the 3 year in-service date.

Doesn't sound like that would be worth $2500.