Aston Martin Extended Warranty
Discussion
In February my V8 Vantage S Roadster is 3 years old and I've just booked in for the end of warranty check, service and MOT at Aston Cambridge. As expected there is an option of extending the warranty for around £1600. To date the car has done about 7500 miles and has had a couple of parts replaced under warranty (throttle body and a pipe that carries the cables to the boot lid which had started to pit). The car is a "keeper" rather than one I intend to trade in.
What's the current consensus on extend the warranty or self-insuring? I get it's quite personal to each person's circumstance and attitude to risk, but wondered if there was anything spectacular that might go amiss that I should be worried about.
Thanks
Chris
What's the current consensus on extend the warranty or self-insuring? I get it's quite personal to each person's circumstance and attitude to risk, but wondered if there was anything spectacular that might go amiss that I should be worried about.
Thanks
Chris
We've had many of these debates in the past, it's a bit like Brexit leave or remain to be honest, so I'm sure you'll get roughly equal responses each way.
My personal choice was I didn't renew, but then I only had a used car dealer warranty which like most of those products wasn't worth the paper it was written on anyway, however the genuine AM warranty by all accounts is an excellent product but also a fair amount of wedge.
It's really impossible to give definitive answer, some people on here will tell you that having the warranty has saved them thousands in repairs, some will tell you it's cost them thousands in premiums and the car hasn't missed a beat in years.
My personal choice was I didn't renew, but then I only had a used car dealer warranty which like most of those products wasn't worth the paper it was written on anyway, however the genuine AM warranty by all accounts is an excellent product but also a fair amount of wedge.
It's really impossible to give definitive answer, some people on here will tell you that having the warranty has saved them thousands in repairs, some will tell you it's cost them thousands in premiums and the car hasn't missed a beat in years.
Its like any insurance, you hope you dont need it and the majority dont. A few people will save thousands with one and the odd scary stories about nightmare vehicles will sell many more insurance policies over the years.
I never bothered and have saved many thousands over the last 13 years. Running are costs well documented on here, as the "warranty or not?" question comes up on a regular basis.
Tthe extended warranty does not cover a lot of stuff the original does, so you need £1600 worth of non consumable items failing every year to break even on it. Many of the things that go wrong are easy, less expensive fixes, so long as you do a bit of research and use independents or DIY.
So my vote is never bothered, others may treat it as part of the running cost of a premium car .......
I never bothered and have saved many thousands over the last 13 years. Running are costs well documented on here, as the "warranty or not?" question comes up on a regular basis.
Tthe extended warranty does not cover a lot of stuff the original does, so you need £1600 worth of non consumable items failing every year to break even on it. Many of the things that go wrong are easy, less expensive fixes, so long as you do a bit of research and use independents or DIY.
So my vote is never bothered, others may treat it as part of the running cost of a premium car .......
joinery80 said:
My veiw is if you use the daily get a warrenty.
If not and it's a 3k annum car don't bother
Cars sat with low miles infrequently used are rumoured to have more problems than cars that are regularly used.If not and it's a 3k annum car don't bother
To answer the OP, if you have sufficiently deep pockets to stomach a four figure repair bill should the worst happen then I would not spend money on the warranty/insurance. I would only take out extended warranty if I was in a position where a significant repair would cause me financial difficulties.
i extended the db9 for probably 5 years, a year or so ago I decided no more, and whilst at the following service i had an aircon compressor leaking and one or two other items, it was still less cost than the warranty - and for better or for worse it's sat in the garage for 11.5 months out of 12
my man maths said if I ended up with a repair bill I couldn't afford I could always postpone and repair later as it's not a daily.
But as everyone else says, if you don't want to take the risk then spend the £1.6k and sleep well at night.
my man maths said if I ended up with a repair bill I couldn't afford I could always postpone and repair later as it's not a daily.
But as everyone else says, if you don't want to take the risk then spend the £1.6k and sleep well at night.
Im two years into not having a warranty on my V12VS. So that’s approximately £3.2k in the bank. Ok so far. Last month some paint came off one of the window trims. Trim is not covered under the warranty......
So I would check exactly what is covered then it’s an informed 50/50 decision.
As an aside I’ve been looking to buy a 2014/2015 RR Sport. Everyone on here plus the dealers are saying ‘do not buy one of these under any circumstances without a warranty.’ If I do then I will. If you buy JLR approved it’s a free one year plus £1.5k for two extra years.
So a bit easier to stomach. But after all the warnings etc I may just not bother
So I would check exactly what is covered then it’s an informed 50/50 decision.
As an aside I’ve been looking to buy a 2014/2015 RR Sport. Everyone on here plus the dealers are saying ‘do not buy one of these under any circumstances without a warranty.’ If I do then I will. If you buy JLR approved it’s a free one year plus £1.5k for two extra years.
So a bit easier to stomach. But after all the warnings etc I may just not bother
Edited by Phil74891 on Friday 20th December 20:26
Chris Hinds said:
As expected there is an option of extending the warranty for around £1600.
My Vantage is also a keeper.
I calculate from your figure of £1,600, that I am up £11,200 so far, by not having had a warranty.
A clutch and one door damper. Don't expect a clutch would be covered anyway.
For a keeper doing about 2,000 miles a year, you might consider bi-annual servicing. I do that now after being reassured by using a Mercedes, which officially only needs servicing every 2 years. Fully synthetic oil is quite happy for 2 years and 2,000 miles.
Be interesting to know what main dealers do at the year 7 service. Is it, "The service schedule requires a spark plug change sir"?
Spark plugs are not time critical, and should not need changing at 15,000 miles/7 years.
Is your car garaged Chris, rested during winters and generally pampered ?
I would guess on average, the more miles covered, then perhaps the greater benefit of having a warranty, or have I just been lucky?
Thanks for the insights everyone - it kinda confirms the logical position is almost that if you're able to afford the warranty, you're probably able to afford to not have it too. I have done 4,000 miles in the first year I've had the car and to be honest don't expect that to change massively and while it spends most of the winter in the garage if we get a nice day over the break I will take it out for a trip too, but otherwise it's pampered and battery conditioned...
Think going "thanks but no thanks" is probably the right choice for me as I could cover a 4 figure bill if I needed to and it's not a daily so wouldn't have to do instantly if something had to be done.
Appreciate the support and input - brilliant!
Think going "thanks but no thanks" is probably the right choice for me as I could cover a 4 figure bill if I needed to and it's not a daily so wouldn't have to do instantly if something had to be done.
Appreciate the support and input - brilliant!
Insurance companies make money (out of you if you buy their products).
I go down the no warranty and use an Independent garage route but it is a personal choice. The other aspect of this not yet mentioned is that you are then free to modify the car without concerns that the warranty is invalidated. Clearly not everyone wants to do this but it is another option.
I go down the no warranty and use an Independent garage route but it is a personal choice. The other aspect of this not yet mentioned is that you are then free to modify the car without concerns that the warranty is invalidated. Clearly not everyone wants to do this but it is another option.
soofsayer said:
Cars sat with low miles infrequently used are rumoured to have more problems than cars that are regularly used.
To answer the OP, if you have sufficiently deep pockets to stomach a four figure repair bill should the worst happen then I would not spend money on the warranty/insurance. I would only take out extended warranty if I was in a position where a significant repair would cause me financial difficulties.
Good point made there you would be amazed how many people buy top end cars that actually can't afford the up keepTo answer the OP, if you have sufficiently deep pockets to stomach a four figure repair bill should the worst happen then I would not spend money on the warranty/insurance. I would only take out extended warranty if I was in a position where a significant repair would cause me financial difficulties.
All I can suggest is you read the Timeless documents before you buy one. I bought a three-and-a-half-year-old, one owner V8V Coupe in March with a "Timeless" warranty from a main dealer. To date, the warranty has replaced a leaking rear lamp (which I luckily spotted on the very day of collection, so no argument from the dealer), fixed an engine timing cover oil leak (apparently a known weakness) which I was told requires the front subframe to be dropped and consequently the complete front suspension to be realigned - so that wouldn't have been cheap. However, I've been told that things like a minor door seal leak ("not covered, Sir; the warranty will keep essential fluids in but not water out") and a small blister in the passenger dash leather top-roll (yes, you guessed it). I really need to re-read the documentation to confirm.
There was an excellent post by BamfordRoseMike where he pointed out that, if you were planning to keep a car for 5 years, it would be unlikely that you'd have a bill for around £10k during that time that would have been covered by the Timeless warranty (especially as clutches aren't covered if it's normal wear-and-tear and not catastrophic failure).
I've got until February to make up my mind, but one option is definitely to metaphorically put £2k a year away in a bank account - my savings would have to cover any major failure in the next couple of years until a balance built.
There was an excellent post by BamfordRoseMike where he pointed out that, if you were planning to keep a car for 5 years, it would be unlikely that you'd have a bill for around £10k during that time that would have been covered by the Timeless warranty (especially as clutches aren't covered if it's normal wear-and-tear and not catastrophic failure).
I've got until February to make up my mind, but one option is definitely to metaphorically put £2k a year away in a bank account - my savings would have to cover any major failure in the next couple of years until a balance built.
Edited by LTP on Saturday 21st December 10:06
I kept my warranty going for 3 years and it didn't really cover anything that needed doing (though to be honest nothing much needed doing) and this is on a 2005 DB9 that I bought just to try Aston Martin out and then decided to keep.
Since I dropped it I have been quids in.
I would say that you should consider the cost of the warranty (plus standard servicing costs) as a percentage of the value of the car itself.
If the warranty (on its own) is less than 1% of the car value then it may make sense. If it is more (2%/3%/5%) I would question this, just as you would with pension/investment charges.
That is perhaps a bit to simplistic though. I just decided that saving this money every year would either result in a big net gains (which it currently has) or be better used to earn me investment returns until such time as it may be needed to be called upon (which it also has).
Bottom line is that paying £1,600 for a warranty on a £160,000 car makes sense, providing it covers everything a manufacturer's would.
Paying the same for a warranty on a £40k to £80k car, when it does not cover everything that a manufacturer's would cover seems (to me) to be a waste of money!
Cheers!
Since I dropped it I have been quids in.
I would say that you should consider the cost of the warranty (plus standard servicing costs) as a percentage of the value of the car itself.
If the warranty (on its own) is less than 1% of the car value then it may make sense. If it is more (2%/3%/5%) I would question this, just as you would with pension/investment charges.
That is perhaps a bit to simplistic though. I just decided that saving this money every year would either result in a big net gains (which it currently has) or be better used to earn me investment returns until such time as it may be needed to be called upon (which it also has).
Bottom line is that paying £1,600 for a warranty on a £160,000 car makes sense, providing it covers everything a manufacturer's would.
Paying the same for a warranty on a £40k to £80k car, when it does not cover everything that a manufacturer's would cover seems (to me) to be a waste of money!
Cheers!
My warranty ran out in January. I was going to extend it for another year, but the AM dealer wanted $600 to inspect the car. My car was in for its service at this time, a $2000 service. They wanted $600 on top of the $2000, plus another $2000+ to extend the warranty for 1 year. The inspection fee was non negotiable. This last year There were zero times I needed a warranty. In the first 3 years I used the warranty zero times.
The service manager pushed the warranty hard. For me it would have been a waste of money.
The service manager pushed the warranty hard. For me it would have been a waste of money.
I had the Timeless warranty from the AM dealer for the first year of ownership, as the make and model was new to me and it was a leggy car, but haven't had it in the subsequent two years.
I had significant need of it in the first year but since then I've saved £4k in Timeless premiums and not had any warranty-covered issues... once you know your car and its foibles you're well placed to judge.
I had significant need of it in the first year but since then I've saved £4k in Timeless premiums and not had any warranty-covered issues... once you know your car and its foibles you're well placed to judge.
The AM Timeless warranty is run by A plan and as per other posts it does not cover a lot of items that it should with respect to the first 3 years of proper AM warranty.
I purchased a car that in the first 4 weeks required 4 new dampers and a timing cover seal that would have cost in excess of £10K, but should have been sorted as part of the inspection before sale.
Doubt though that I will renew if I keep the car as within 12 months I should have a good idea of any other problems that may arise.
I purchased a car that in the first 4 weeks required 4 new dampers and a timing cover seal that would have cost in excess of £10K, but should have been sorted as part of the inspection before sale.
Doubt though that I will renew if I keep the car as within 12 months I should have a good idea of any other problems that may arise.
Never had a problem with items not being covered. In 5 years I had a headlight, 3 O2 sensors and a roof module plus one call out for a dead battery that was replaced with a new Aston one (I had to pay part cost).
Also helped as Aston replaced the dash board leather panels under goodwill and when I sold the car privately a few months back it gave the new owner piece of mind there were no potential mechanical issues.
On the negative that 5 years probably cost me over £9k in premiums for less than £3k of repairs.
Also helped as Aston replaced the dash board leather panels under goodwill and when I sold the car privately a few months back it gave the new owner piece of mind there were no potential mechanical issues.
On the negative that 5 years probably cost me over £9k in premiums for less than £3k of repairs.
SHIFTY said:
The AM Timeless warranty is run by A plan and as per other posts it does not cover a lot of items that it should with respect to the first 3 years of proper AM warranty.
I purchased a car that in the first 4 weeks required 4 new dampers and a timing cover seal that would have cost in excess of £10K, but should have been sorted as part of the inspection before sale.
Doubt though that I will renew if I keep the car as within 12 months I should have a good idea of any other problems that may arise.
This is what AML should be addressing imho. That AM dealers can do an inspection on a car that they are selling and pass it with a 'Timeless' warranty in full knowledge that that car has known faults to the perspective buyer. They do this knowing that the faults will be paid for by the warranty and to hell with the owner (previous or future). It stinks and brings the warranty and the AM brand into very murky waters. A real shame as my own experience with AML has been superb but for the supplying AM dealer whom clearly mislead and lied. I purchased a car that in the first 4 weeks required 4 new dampers and a timing cover seal that would have cost in excess of £10K, but should have been sorted as part of the inspection before sale.
Doubt though that I will renew if I keep the car as within 12 months I should have a good idea of any other problems that may arise.
Yes, agreed, I am sure some of that happens, but I have to say I've had all sorts included in the fix including rusty bolts in the engine bay, front suspension arms, corrosion bubbles that appeared post sale and things that you would think would be excluded.
I have to say it was only the maths on what I'd had fixed, what might go wrong in the future and the risk/cost that made me self-insure. My experience is that the Timeless warranty, if not the inspection, is excellent and really very comprehensive.
I have to say it was only the maths on what I'd had fixed, what might go wrong in the future and the risk/cost that made me self-insure. My experience is that the Timeless warranty, if not the inspection, is excellent and really very comprehensive.
^^^^ Agreed, it is a fabulous warranty. But, my point is that 'some' dealers are self-certifying cars on the 140 point inspection knowing full well the faults on a specific car with the knowledge that the warranty will cover it. It makes the inspection worthless being no more than a tyre kicking exercise at best IMO.
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