Extended Warranty

[09vGT]

I was just wondering if I should go ahead and purchase an extended bumper to bumper warranty for my 09 vibe; By the end of the year it will have passed 36K miles for sure. I've already had to take the car for warranty work once, and I need to take it back for 2 or 3 problems. I'm afraid problems will only get worse as time goes by. I bought the car used with around 26K miles at the end of July. Thanks for the help!

[Caretaker]

You buy extended warranties for GM vehicles, not Corollas and Camrys. Specifically, what warranty issues have you had? If your (in your case) Camry Vibe falls to pieces, then Toyota is in a lot worse shape than any of us imagined. Save you money. Your car is 90% Corolla and 10% Camry. To gamble that the genes of the two cars that make up yours are going to fail would be money well wasted. Moreover, I spent $1600 on my extended warranty for my Malibu Maxx and it nearly cost me my life in taking it back to the dealership for their worthless "service." You have made a wise purchase in selecting the Vibe. Don't bother second guessing a hundred thousand people worldwide who have purchased the Corolla or Camry; the numbers simply wouldn't be in your favor.

[ou.grizzly]

Your Vibe comes with a 100,000 mile / 60 month power train warranty.Seems like you have the meat and potatoes covered already. Save some money per month if something needs to be fixed; it will be a lot less expensive and more feasible in the long run. What kind of issues are you having with your Vibe?

[star_deceiver]

Not worth the money, IMO.

[09vGT]

The area around the ignition, behind the steering wheel, keeps falling off.. no matter how many times a snap it back.. it keeps coming open. On the passenger side, the panel around the window switch had to be fixed.. because.. it came loose and was popping out. I think the auto lights are screwed up since it has to be almost pitch black before they will ever turn on. Also, when I back up, something, somewhere is rubbin or grinding. No major problems but just annoying ones. I'm really hoping that the it will last a LONG time since this is going to have to last me through college and then some..

[Caretaker]

OK, well the first two items merely indicate that drunken monkeys assembled your car. I doubt those two issues will resurface now that you've had them fixed. As for the lights, sounds normal. The DRLs will stay on until the sun starts to set. As for the rubbing noise, we need more info. You will get a rubbing noise after you wash your wheels or after a rain storm resulting in a mild coating of rust on the rotors. When you put the car in reverse and apply the brakes, you will get a rubbing noise until that coat of rust is worn back off. Is that what it sounds like?

[jake75]

Whether to buy an extended warranty is an individual risk/rewards type of decision. There is one non-GM warrasnty company (Warranty Direct?) that has a good reputation. Also - you can buy the GM warranty from any dealer and I think there is at least on internet dealwer that discounts those warranties. Seems to me that Warranty Direct makes a big deal about their policy covering everything except what is specifically excluded, whereas the GM warranty covers only items listed. My one bad experience was with a Chrysler warranty - who would have thought that engine mounts were not covered, but they were not among the items listed as covered so I had to pay for that repair.Lots of complicated stuff to go wrong on the '09 including the ABS, stability control etc. I know I am repeating myself - but GM could probably offer their extended warranties as an option carrying the typical 12% dealer margin thus pricing them a lot lower than they are now. And of course on the usual invoice up based pricing you would probably not even see that 12%.

[09vGT]

The rubbing noise is anytime when in reverse and it is in motion.. with the brakes applied or not. My parents paid like 2500 bucks for an extended warranty on their 06 caddi cts. Good thing to as it has had several problems that require towing.. i don't want that to happen to me without warranty :S