Extended Service Contract?

[Brian K.]

I got my first C6-2007 at Carlisle; 17k miles, fully loaded conv except the NAV option. I was wondering wether or not I should buy an service contract since they can be expensive to repair. My understanding is that they are pretty reliable. This car will see limited use & good care and be garaged.

Any suggestions or comments? I know there are a bunch of rip off companies in this market. That goes without saying.

Thanks

[Vinnie P.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

Brian, When I purchased my 2009 I purchased the GM extended plan with the car, it's transferrable if you sell the car...My 2012 Z06/Z07 package I also purchased the extended warranty, but not the GM plan as I purchased the car from Hendrick Chevrolet and Mr. Hendrick has his own plan that I purchased...bumper to bumper 6 yrs or 60,000 miles, was very reasonable.

[Paul J.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

Brian, in general, service contracts do not pay for themselves. The deductable, the limit on covered repairs, and the low mileage during the coverage period are the primary reasons for this. However, some people get peace of mind in knowing that any major repairs are covered. I have a friend who always bought an extended warranty on all of his new cars (until he started buying Hondas). I would point out to him the money he wasted on each one, until the electrical/computer problem on his Mustang ran up a $1,200 bill and the warranty paid for it (less his deductable). That was one that paid for itself and I shut up after that.

Paul

[Brian K.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

Thank you Paul & Vinnie; That's the way i have felt about them but I was concerned with a complicated vehicle (like the Vette). I have a VW Touareg and I was glad I had one with that.....but again, that's a manufacturer with some reliability issues.

I guess what I was worried about was the reliability of the Corvette's complex systems.

[Michael J.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

I bought the GM extended warranty plan on my ZR1 when I bought it last year, but I did because that car has soooo many complex systems (magnetic ride control, supercharger, intercooler, dry sump system, etc.), that like the Cayenne Turbo S I had, many things that are very expensive to fix and only a dealer can do them. As it turns out my Cayenne went 120,000 miles with nothing but oil changes, but I still felt better having the warranty. But, I am not sure a base 'Vette really needs the extended warranty, not nearly as much complexity. It is a good thing that even the engines that Vinnie and I built have a 100,000 mile warranty.....

[Terry M.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

I too bought an extended warranty (they should call it insurance, because that is what it is.) from GM shortly before my three year original warranty expired. I have better access to diagnosis equipment (I teach at the local Community College) than most and I get a fair parts discount from a Chevrolet dealer with whom I have established a relationship over many years. Not withstanding all that the parts for these newer cars can be quite expensive and I wanted the comfort of that security.

If you look at the bigger picture, which the insurance company does, they are making money off those policies. For any of us who collect more than we paid there are many others who will never have a claim. It is like life insurance. One buys it with the hope ones beneficiaries will not collect.

BTW: I got the best price on GMPP from a dealer in Montana. If you want contact information email me.

Edit add: The end of September is the deadline for GMPP for 3009 modles. See more below:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...gmpp-news.html

[Cathy S.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

I bought the contracts for both my 06Z and my 2007 vert. Nothing I mean nothing ever went wrong. Wasted $$$

[Clem Z.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

it is a good selling point if you outright sell the corvette and if you trade it in before the extended warranty is up you can get a rebate from GM for the remaining time .

[Patrick H.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

Dad's 2002 has never been to a dealer for any reason since the day he bought it.
My 2008 has only been there for the new top latches because I hated the clicking from the originals - which I had the service manager return to me.
I contemplated getting the warranty but so far I'm ahead. I spent the money instead on the Clearguard.

Patrick

[John D.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

Keep in mind that since 2007 GM cars already have a 5yr/100k powertrain warranty so the extended warranties price should reflect that. Be sure to read the fine print on any contract very carefully, some of the plans offered are flat out scams that cover very little.

[Clem Z.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

when you buy a new car and you want the extended warranty tell the dealer it has to be includied at dealer cost or no sale. they are not going to miss a car sale over a few hundred dollars

[Thomas H.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

When I bought my C6 (one owner 05 with 15k miles) the car was just coming out of the factory warranty period and I was able to extend it another 5 years with a very low deductible. Ended up going for it and it paid off in one shot when the trans seal started leaking. They had to take the whole differential out just to get to the seal. Very expensive job. Factoring in the cost of the GMPP and my deductible, I figure I cut the bill in half.

Other then that, the car has been solid in every way.

[Mike E.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

This weekend I put a new clutch in my built in November 2000 ‘01 Z06. I had some transmission work done under warranty in late 2003 shortly after purchasing it used with 17K on the clock, the problem was there when I bought it but the price was right and it was covered by warranty.

The dealer had to remove the transmission/driveline to repair. When I got it back the clutch was never right, but it didn’t really find the problem because the car went into winter storage and by the following spring was out of the 3 year warranty. I lived with the flakey clutch until a few weeks ago when I noticed the slave cylinder was leaking. Anyway this weekend took on the R & R on the clutch myself. It was a pretty big job but I’m happy with the results and the car has never shifted better.

I was really disappointed when I found out what bad job the dealer did when they removed the driveline. An electrical connector going into the differential looked like it had been ripped loose then spliced back in. There is a black box mounted above it that was also ripped lose and dangling. Most of the plastic hold-down for wires and brake lines looked like they were ripped off rather than removed. I seriously wonder if they dropped the rear suspension cradle while removing it. When removing the torque tube I notice a studded bolt which was designed to hold the electrical conduit was used on the bottom and a standard acorn head bolt was used to hold said conduit. The oxygen sensors cables were not reinstalled in plastic clamps. Also the slave cylinder hose was not reinstalled into its clamp and was just flopping around.

While researching the project I reviewed a few threads in CF and CAC that mention the time allowed for a clutch replacement by the book was 5.5 hour for warranty and 8 hours for a paid work. This seems puzzling to me on why the rate would be different. It also calls into question what type of quality work you get under warranty because the technician must rush the job for warranty because of the rate difference. BTW it took me about 25 hours because I took my time and was working in less than ideal conditions, like jack stands instead of lift however I think in the long term I did a better job than if I would had taken it to a dealer. The long and short is I’m not sure I would buy a warranty if there is a rate difference between warranty and paid work because of the shotty work you might get under the warranty.

[Thomas H.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

I was really disappointed when I found out what bad job the dealer did when they removed the driveline.

I have heard many horror stories of dealer service on Corvettes. I am very lucky in that we have a local dealer here in southeast PA that has a Corvette tech that is second to none. People from all around the area go to this dealer whether they bought their car there or not, just to have their Corvette serviced by him because he is very good. When I bought my C6 and started inquiring about where to take it for service work, everyone I talked to said take it to Bryner in Jenkintown.

Tom

Tom

[Brian K.]

Re: Extended Service Contract?

I too bought an extended warranty (they should call it insurance, because that is what it is.) from GM shortly before my three year original warranty expired. I have better access to diagnosis equipment (I teach at the local Community College) than most and I get a fair parts discount from a Chevrolet dealer with whom I have established a relationship over many years. Not withstanding all that the parts for these newer cars can be quite expensive and I wanted the comfort of that security.

If you look at the bigger picture, which the insurance company does, they are making money off those policies. For any of us who collect more than we paid there are many others who will never have a claim. It is like life insurance. One buys it with the hope ones beneficiaries will not collect.

BTW: I got the best price on GMPP from a dealer in Montana. If you want contact information email me.

Edit add: The end of September is the deadline for GMPP for 3009 modles. See more below:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...gmpp-news.html

Thanks Terry. I don't think I can buy anything from GMPP because this car only had a 3rd party contract. Are you saying I may be able to get something from GMPP?