Extended Warranty Answer!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 752
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa OK
Extended Warranty Answer!
For all those who ask about whether to buy an extended warranty - the jury is back and the answer is YES!
I have an 03 A4 and the factory warranty expired last October when the car had about 21,000k on it. Never had any problems and felt certain there were no hidden "lemon" issue so I seriously questioned whether I would ever need the extended warranty. But finally decided to purchase a GM Major Guard extension.
The car now has 27,000 miles on it and last week the drivers window stopped working. Checked fuses etc and everything was fine. Then the whole control panel on the door failed - memory, door locks, mirrors, passenger window - nothing. Finally the guage cluster started going nuts. Guages flipping back and forth and the DIC was scrolling through every warning in the book. When it read "the wheels are about to fall off" I figured I had a big problem.
Took in to the dealer and it turned out that the wiring harness to the drivers door control panel had worn through on something or was too short to begin with and was under a lot of tension causing a bad spot that shorted to ground and created a low voltage situation. It could not be repaired and had to be replaced. $$$$
When was the last time anyone has ever heard of wiring harness to a door "wearing out" in a car with only 27,000 miles - or at any time? Well I did - it happen to me.
IMO the extended warranty on these cars is the best investment you can make.
I have an 03 A4 and the factory warranty expired last October when the car had about 21,000k on it. Never had any problems and felt certain there were no hidden "lemon" issue so I seriously questioned whether I would ever need the extended warranty. But finally decided to purchase a GM Major Guard extension.
The car now has 27,000 miles on it and last week the drivers window stopped working. Checked fuses etc and everything was fine. Then the whole control panel on the door failed - memory, door locks, mirrors, passenger window - nothing. Finally the guage cluster started going nuts. Guages flipping back and forth and the DIC was scrolling through every warning in the book. When it read "the wheels are about to fall off" I figured I had a big problem.
Took in to the dealer and it turned out that the wiring harness to the drivers door control panel had worn through on something or was too short to begin with and was under a lot of tension causing a bad spot that shorted to ground and created a low voltage situation. It could not be repaired and had to be replaced. $$$$
When was the last time anyone has ever heard of wiring harness to a door "wearing out" in a car with only 27,000 miles - or at any time? Well I did - it happen to me.
IMO the extended warranty on these cars is the best investment you can make.
Last edited by EStreeter; Apr 26, 2006 at 02:11 PM.
Even if you never need it (unlikely) the peace of mind is worth something. 
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,297
Likes: 24,776
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
The peace of mind alone is well worth the cost. My first extended warranty paid for itself in only one trip to the dealer.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 717
From: Terrell North Carolina
The GM extended warranty on my 2000 Vert. has paid for itself about 3 times over what I paid for it, car has 26K miles on it now. Just about every problem the forum has discussed about a C-5, mine has had after the 3/36, just this past week New seat tracks for the famous rocking seats. I have 1 yr to go before warranty runs out. I am not sure if I want to own a Corvette with out a warranty, I love the car, but if I had had to fix all those things out of pocket,I would have been some kind of upset and probably have give up on Corvette by now. But Still, You Can Not Beat the Car For The Price and The Fun.
