GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Buyers beware!!!!! (sound's sinister and cliche, don't it? )Here is my rant:When I bought my 09 GT, I bought a warranty that went along with it. I was told by the dealership's finance guy the warranty would start from the day I bought the car. It was supposed to be 6 year/60K miles and the miles were supposed to be additional and not "when the odometer reaches 60K." Pleased with my new purchase, I sped home avoiding all puddles and rain clouds.Now let us fast forward to yesterday. I finally get the warranty card and info in the mail. Long story somewhat shortened, the warranty is for 4 years/30K. Apparently, the insurance company sells from the day the car was put on the road, i.e. the "vehicle in-service date." That happened 2 years and 30K miles ago. Basically, I bought a warranty with 1/3 of the time expired and 1/2 of the miles. I went into the dealership to see the finance guy face to face and he still explained that the warranty is how he said it and not how it really is. He had "never heard of such a thing in all the years he has been doing this!" Same lame story with his boss...basically, a huge load of BS. I called the warranty company (GM Protection Plan) to see how this could happen and they said that this is the only way they have sold the warranties and it has never changed. Furthermore, they said that any GM dealer's salespeople and finance people are required to take a class on the ins-and-outs of the contracts for the warranty. Basically, there is no way this "experienced" finance guy or his boss could NOT know how this works. They were trained by the GM warranty company because they work at a GM dealership.The good thing is that I can get a full refund of the warranty's price. The (removed) news is that I only have a little bit of warranty time left. I am super frickin thankful that I was not swindled out of any money, per se. The part that burns my britches is that I was swindled into the sale of the car. The extended warranty is the main sweetener of the deal that closed it for me. I wouldn't have purchased a previously leased vehicle with 30K miles on it with no coverage to back me up. Without the "sweet warranty" deal, I wouldn't have my new GT. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this car. I just had to make some pretty serious budget changes to make it work. I also wanted coverage on the car for the entire payment term of 6 years, even though I plan to pay it off early. On that front, I am S.O.L.This weekend, with the help of my BFF, I'm going to be writing some letters; one to the Attorney General of Florida, all the local news stations, The BBB, the dealership, the warranty company, etc etc etc. My hope is that someone else won't fall for this scam. I will be giving the liars at the dealership a piece of my mind as well, but only after I get the money back and get everything sorted out on my end. And I suppose the cash I get back might just help me pay for the K&N intake I so desperately want....hee hee hee hee.I will use the remaining balance to fix anything that goes wrong. It'll be in a savings account earning a small amount of interest. I suppose I can look at that as my warranty.

I thought all GM products starting around '05 or so came with a 5 yr/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. So even w/o the extended warranty, isn't still covered for another 4 years and 70k miles? Or were you more concerned with the non-powertrain warranty which only goes to 36k miles?

my mistake for not being more clear. the extended warranty was a bumper to bumper. the drivetrain warranty is indeed 5yr/100K and the rust warranty is 6yr/100K. i wanted full coverage on everything. especially since i already have a small issue! no biggie really, just a weatherstrip problem.side note: your Redskins scare me this season...i think they are going to stay under the radar and surprise everyone. except for the Fins! i already let them know.

I was going to buy the extended warranty for my 09 GT.. But when handed the pamphlet that showed what it didn't cover.. I changed my mind.. since it was THREE PAGES of things that it wouldn't cover.. So.. I just didn't do it..

Don’t always believe what sales person says. A few tend to lie to get you buy a car. Try to obtain some written documents than oral guarantee. You can leave a review for this dealer on Google map, so people will see it when they search for this location. Or at least you can just tell me which deal it is, so I can avoid them when I look for my next car here in Miami

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »I was going to buy the extended warranty for my 09 GT.. But when handed the pamphlet that showed what it didn't cover.. I changed my mind.. since it was THREE PAGES of things that it wouldn't cover.. So.. I just didn't do it..Yep. The extended warranty is a bunch of bs. About the only thing it does cover is if the engine blows up, other than that, you're pretty much on your own.

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »Yep. The extended warranty is a bunch of bs. About the only thing it does cover is if the engine blows up, other than that, you're pretty much on your own.And wouldn't that hopefully be covered by the powertrain warranty anyway?

Quote, originally posted by DressedInBlack »side note: your Redskins scare me this season...i think they are going to stay under the radar and surprise everyone. except for the Fins! i already let them know. I'm more optimistic about this season. Though they've been letting me down every year since '92. We'll see. Skins won't play the Fins this season unless it's in the SB, I wouldn't mind if that happened

Hmm... someone is wrong and my guess is that someone botched the paperwork on the GMPP application. My understanding and experience is that the coverage is additive based on the day and mileage of the vehicle when you purchase the warranty.Was your '09 a GM certified used?There are three levels of warranty: basic guard, value guard, and major guard. (I have major guard on my 05 AWD and am using it now to address a persistent P0442 CEL code [with $0 deductible = no additional cost to me.]If you are still under 36,000 miles, I would take the money you get back and repurchase a major guard policy for the amount of time you plan to keep the vehicle. I purchased mine online here: http://www.gmoutlet.com/emails...9.htm (if you are over 36k, they don't ask for any verification of the odo online )EDIT: they are raising the rates on 9/30/10, so act fast. I think you're class C2, so 5/50 with $0 ded. would be $1,425 now when you include the dealer's $50 discount.

@ ehoff121:Thanks for the info. I will check it out when after work today. The warranty was GMPP Major Guard. From what I was told, the warranty covers EVERYTHING, bumper to bumper, minus the regular wear and tear items and maintenance stuff (wiper blades, tires, brake pads, etc etc). The catch was the "In-service date" vs the purchase date. My car is GM Certified. Supposedly, once the factory warranty expires (in 5100 miles) I will have a 12month/12K mile warranty because it is a GM Certified vehicle. Again, I am wary about it wondering if the warranty starts on the day of purchase or when the factory warranty is done...i noticed that the tables have a little statement that says "*Note: Coverage Starts on Todays Date & Current Odometer Readings, NOT on "Original In-Service Date," which is exactly what the salesman told me...@petervivian:The only reason I believed what the salesperson said is because of the black and white on the paperwork. The truth was basically hidden because the paperwork was "filled out wrong" by the finance guy. Everything he said is on the contract, it just so happens that the info on the contract is wrong and there is nothing that can be done about it. His mistake/fault, my option to keep what I bought or get my money back...As I said before though, the warranty was a major, major part of me buying this car. Bottom line, I got swindled. @09vGT:Through what company was the offered warranty?

After reading your initial post, I knew the communication breakdown (cue the Zeppelin) had to be with the F&I (finance & insurance) guy at the dealership, not with the General Motors Protection Plan's folks.That being said, the GMPP is NOT a bogus product at all – especially the Major Guard level (this has saved my and my wife's (removed) from paying hefty labor & parts costs on our used Malibu Maxx over the past couple years). It is essential if you want to hold on to your GM vehicle for awhile, as its coverage begins ON THE DATE OF PURCHASE, and lasts as long as the mileage it ADDED to your odometer's current reading, or the purchase date, whichever comes first. Example = if you had purchased a vehicle today 9.24.10 with 30,000 miles and bought a plan that was 5 years 60,000 miles, you would be under the plan until 9.24.15 or 90,000 miles, whichever comes first. Now, you got that card in the mail only indicating you had 4 years/30k left on your warranty. Clearly, someone hit the wrong button @ the dealership, giving you a lower amount of coverage (value guard?) thus why your contract is wrong. Another kicker? Dealers can charge any price they want for these contracts. Some keep the price low to help you see the value, some see a guy coming from a mile away who doesn't care about the cost, and they triple the price on the spot. Depends on who you are dealing with. These extended warranties are a "product" to them, no different than a new set of tires they want to sell you. Go back in. Tell them there was a misunderstanding. You want the MAJOR guard level of warranty entered in to coincide with your VIN, and you want proof it went through! As far as $$$, I would hope they didn't charge you Major Guard money, but only entered in Value Guard protection. And if so, it was a mistake that they should simply correct. Good luck, and feel good keeping that protection. I know my wife and I do. Oh, and the only negative thing I have to say about the coverage? If you go into a dealer's service center with a problem on your vehicle, make sure it's a defect you can obviously replicate/prove to them. You have to sign a contract when you go to the dealer, stating that if they can not find a problem, you're on the hook for the labor time. Not a fan of that at all, but everything that has gone wrong with our cars has been demonstrable on the spot. If you think the steering is a teensie-weensie bit off and they don't find anything wrong, you just paid labor for nuthin'. Lesson? Dealers try to keep their service centers as profitable as possible, and free from overly worrisome owners.

Quote, originally posted by DressedInBlack »@09vGT:Through what company was the offered warranty?Not sure, I just went to an office in the dealership, and was given the pamphlet along with the guy telling me that it WOULD cover EVERYTHING that was currently being covered under bumper to bumper warranty; though the pamphlet said otherwise . I threw it away, or I would tell you.

no biggie, just curious. and the deeper i dig, the more i am finding out about everything...the main thing that is happening is the dealership/salespeople and the GMPP company are on different pages in different books in different languages on a different planet. the left had doesn't know what the right hand is doing...

I have seen GM dealers advertising low prices on GM Extended Warranties on the internet. Maybe you ought to do some research and cancel the one you bought at your dealer. Then rebuy on the internet. Or threaten to cancel unless they meet the price.