So, when I recently bought my new Ram truck I resisted the finance guy's ridiculous pitch for an aftermarket warranty and am doing some research.As a quick aside, PLEASE folks buying new cars don't fall for the warranty BS in the finance office. ANYTHING they offer you can be bought for FAR LESS for the EXACT same thing at a later date. In fact, you have up until your factory bumper to bumper warranty expires to buy something (okay... end of rant :))Anyway, I'm seeing this "lifetime" warranty thing. Unlimited time/mileage. So, am I to believe in 2024 when the engine falls out of my truck they are just going to give me another one? And then another one in 2034? And transmissions, rear ends, power seat motors, key fobs, radios, instrument panels, etc, etc, for life? There has got to be some fine print here that is hidden until I'm signing on the dotted line. From poking around on line there are numerous re-sellers of genuine Chrysler/Mopar (Ram Truck I bought) warranties and people are claiming to get them at as much as 25% off the posted prices.Here's a website for an example:http://www.chryslerwarrantydirect.com/get_coverage/choose_warrantyI generally shy away from these things since I know the profit margin is good for the people selling them but the whole "lifetime" thing really caught my eye. I'm thinking maybe I've bought my last truck. I'll just need a drum of "Bondo" and some duct tape to hold the sucker together for the next 50 years so I can get my 3 engines, 6 transmissions and all of the other parts I'll go through until I die (can I will it to my kids? :))

I believe it is only certain vehicles, light duty trucks and covers powertrain only. Engine/transmission. There are a lot of stipulations on it. I know one guy claims to have it on his HD Ram, but it was due to some technicality in his contract. I agree with you about the "extended warranty" They add on about 2000 dollars for a warranty that only starts after the initial warranty expires. You pay interest on that warranty through your finance costs. I declined all of the "extended warranty" stuff. The finance guy said "So your just going to go without any protection?" My reply was "You make it sound like I'm screwing a 10 dollar whore with a condom!" He laughed, I didn't. With a 3yr/36000 BTB and a 5yr/100K powertrain. I have a good bit of protection I would think.

On the link you posted I only see 7 year 100k mile maximum coverage.I will say that around here a number of dealers are offering their own "free warranty" on the cars they sell. they will advertise something like "inspections for life, engines and transmissions for life, oil changes for life, towing for life" but the catch is that everytime they have you in for an oil change or inspection they will try and sell you on expensive services that you may or may not need and overcharge on them. They love to advertise the engines and transmissions for life but you have to have the by the owners manual services done at the dealership for their engines and transmission for life to be valid. They then overcharge you for these services and there are many services in the owners manual that really aren't that vital for longevity of a vehicle that you otherwise wouldn't pay for. But they trick people into paying for all this nonsense to retain their precious free engines warranty. Just think about how long most people actually keep cars and the frequency that engines actually fail and you can see the dealer comes out way ahead on this free offer. The worst part is that they are less willing to come off of sticker because of all this free added value they claim they give the customer.

Tell them you trade every two or three years and you won't have to listen to their sales pitch. I wish we could go to Walmart, pick out a car or truck, roll it to the cash register, pay and take it home.

I believe the warranty is only as good as the truck.If truck keeps breaking down after spending 60 grand plus the extended warranty, it is no good.I bought this used 1999 F350 6 months ago for 4000 dollars knowing it had bad torque converter. I installed new converter and few other minor things it needed. I have 5000 dollars in it and I can warranty it for the rest of it's life.My next door neighbor bougt brand new Dodge Sprinter drw for his business and paid big dollars for extended warranty.His new truck as been back to dealer 16 times last 2 years for problems and he has to rent replacement. Two weeks ago they pulled entire rear axle because of shake and vibration. They told him it cost 9500 dollars and are making him pay 3000 towards the bill.Truck has 60000 miles. This rear should have lasted life of truck.

You may get that lifetime power train warranty but the trouble is it covers only the actual engine or tranny. If they were to replace the engine it wouldn't cover any of the electronics that also make the engine or tranny run that would be going bad at the same time.All those "little" items add up to more than the engine itself.

Lifetime Chrysler Warranty | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

mtofell1
Explorer
Mar 29, 2014
The cheapest I'm able to find it for from poking around the internet is around $2200. I just know it can be had for cheaper... that $1900 looks pretty good :)

I have until 12K miles which should take me about 7 months so I'm going to just wait and see what pops up. I "registered" for a quote with one place and they immediately sent me a $190 off (which brought it down to the 2200 I mentioned). I keep thinking I'll get a better offer if I wait.

I'm not totally sure I'm going for it yet. I need to be sure I'm going to keep the truck for a long time... which so far I think I am. But, I have nothing to lose by waiting a bit. I'll follow up and post here if/when I sniff out the best deal.
tmoore2
Explorer
Mar 28, 2014
When I bought my Jeep Wrangler back in January the finance guy offered the lifetime warranty for $2400.00 and Chrysler would give 24 months 0% interest.
The lifetime warranty was supposed to be $3400.00. There was a dealer(in Michigan I believe) was offering the Lifetime warranty for about $1900.00. Read about it on a Jeep forum. There were several forum members who bought theirs from him and they seemed to be quite satisfied. He did say he could not sell it at a discount in Florida due to state regulations governing extended warranties.

I did buy the warranty because I had a 2000 wrangler and in six years I had to replace the radiator, water pump, AC vents, and have the AC repaired. I didn't want to get a new wrangler without an extended warranty.
NJRVer
Explorer
Mar 28, 2014
Just remember "lifetime" is the life of how long the manufacturer wants to honor it.

"Lifetime" frequent flier miles.
"Lifetime" free checking.

Right, two or three years later, no more.:)
rebelopie
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
rexlion wrote:
I will absolutely get the Chrysler lifetime maximum care coverage! I'm planning to keep the Jeep for 15-20 years and....buying this contract is a no-brainer this time around.

X2. We bought 2 Chrysler vehicles (08/09) when they were running the lifetime powertrain warranty promo with the plan of keeping them a really long time (15 years or more). At purchase, we also bought the lifetime Maxcare warranty, which covers pretty much everything else the powertrain warranty doesn't.

Our vehicles are now at the age/mileage where things are starting to need to be repaired. The warranty has already more than paid for itself on both vehicles. In the Jeep, for example, I got a tree branch caught in the moonroof rail. The the Maxcare covered what would normally have been a $2000 repair (minus the $100 deductible). The main catch on the warranties is to be sure to get the inspection done every 5 years. We got a reminder on the 300C but didn't receive one on the Commander and nearly missed the deadline.

-TJ
mtofell1
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
bucky wrote:
On a side note somebody mentioned profit on these sales. What do you think pays you? Even if you have a public job of some kind, the rest of us are paying you from taxes paid on profit.

I'm fine paying a business profit and understand that it's a necessary part of the real world. Where I have the problem is this cat and mouse BS that must happen with every aspect of buying a car, including the warranty. The price starts at $4000 and they try to just build it into your purchase (as if you won't notice). When you resist, the price falls instantly to 3000... then 2500.... then 2200. Then the finance guy is acting like a child who dropped his ice cream when you still resist.

The same game is played on a larger scale for the vehicle purchase. It's just such an old routine and I can't believe I still have to play it when I buy a vehicle.
Perrysburg_Dodg
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
Oh come on Bucky, haven't you figured out that everyone thinks they, are the ones entitled to make money?

Don
bucky
Explorer II
Mar 27, 2014
In the business 40 plus years, never ever ever buy a warranty that is not sold by the manufacturer. Can you say snake oil? I can only speak for GM, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota but these 4 stand behind their products with their extended warranties. On a side note somebody mentioned profit on these sales. What do you think pays you? Even if you have a public job of some kind, the rest of us are paying you from taxes paid on profit.
Perrysburg_Dodg
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
We had the lifetime max on our Jeep Liberty was part of the deal. When we traded it in for the 200, Chrysler sent me a check for $1,800 and change!

You can't beat that with a stick! Most people don't know that if you sell/trade the vehicle before the 3/36 coverage is up you get almost all of the purchase price refunded. After 3/36 coverage is up, it is refunded at a percentage. Have to say I have almost always come out on top with any extended coverage I have bought.

Don
Hannibal
Explorer
Mar 27, 2014
Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
Hannibal wrote:
The thing you need to read word for word is what's not covered such as belts and hoses. And the stipulation that if a non covered part such as a belt or hose causes the damage to a covered part, the covered part is also not covered. It's easy to make a very long list of things that hardly ever break and call that the covered parts. The gamble is in their favor or they'd go out of business pretty quick. There are instances when it pays off but there are also many loopholes in those warranties. I prefer to pay as I go. So far, I've saved a lot of money.

Nope not true, at least not with Chrysler's maximum coverage. Hoses and about every thing else is covered. Brake pads are the only thing I could find not listed, even the clutch assembly is covered. You can get a life time policy if you want. But as Dodgeguy said, it's non transferable (the life time coverage) and you have to have records and inspections done (at no cost).

Don

That sounds good!
rexlion
Explorer
Mar 26, 2014
Last time I bought an extended warranty was in 1986, a 3rd party warranty that the company refused to honor when the vehicle got "beyond its expected life" (in their opinion) at around 150k miles. Since then I've always turned down such contract offers.

But this spring I intend to order a Jeep Grand Cherokee just the way I want it, and I will absolutely get the Chrysler lifetime maximum care coverage! I'm planning to keep the Jeep for 15-20 years and there is no way imaginable that it could be so trouble-free as to never cost me at least $5k-$10k in unexpected repairs during that time. Why, just in the past 9 months I've spent $3000 sealing up 7 fluid leaks on my '08 Highlander (160k miles on it, mostly towing miles BTW). Chrysler's contract covers gaskets and seals. And like someone else posted, if at some point the repair estimate exceeds the vehicle's value they will pay me the value... there's a few thousand bucks right there, most likely. To me, buying this contract is a no-brainer this time around.