Dennis Fichtner

Well January 2019 is gone and onto February & March. So my goal for 2019 is to smash the 2017 record and with all of my new and old customers I hope to get the job done. I am coming out swinging in February and March with a two month sale for all of you that have January, February, March and April In Service Dates.

I sincerely appreciate all of our Corvette Forum customers that we have had the pleasure to serve since the founding of the Forum! Thousands have saved a ton of money on protection plans and Corvettes! Thanks!! Also there are posts out there about owners paying low, low prices for a warranty, well I can’t and will not sell a warranty for a loss and I don't really believe any other dealer will do it either so again my promise is to meet or beat any price out there but again I can't lose money or I will not have a job. I think everyone can agree to the service I offer and the very fair prices I offer!!

Prices from GM on the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, & Cadillac Plans (GMEPP) did increase on February 1st so at this time we should now be good for a while. We are offering the Protection Plan from GM on any make & model and the plan prices are priced at a very fair price, much less than the GM price they tell me to sell them at. I am offering a great discount for the two months(February and March). Sorry but Forum rules will not let me post any pricing or discounts. Remember it doesn't have to be a Corvette, we can do them on all vehicles including Fords, Mercedes, Hyundai, Lexus, etc.

To qualify:

You can reside in any state except for my California customers who I have not been able to sell to since April 1st. Your vehicle must be a 2009 or newer model with less than 120,000 miles on the odometer!

AND there is no no sales tax and also no additional fee for accepting a credit card!

We are still in business! I’m confident that you know the names of Ken and DennisFichtner for their expertise in the Corvette Forum for many years. We promise great service and the lowest prices. Matching and/or beating other offers is our goal so before you commit to someone else let me take a look at their numbers and if I can I will match or even try to beat their price!

Email for a quote today!
dfichtner@dennymenholt.com or go to our new website at www.dennymenholtprotectionplans.com. If the link doesn’t work for you just enter it in your search engine and it will come up, it is a great site and you can send an email for a quote thru there also.

Make sure to include your VIN, current odometer reading, date of purchase if bought used and state of residence.

You can reach me in my office directly at 406-896-3082 or on my cell at 406-698-6355.

Have a great day and a great 2019!!!

DennisFichtner

1BadRS

I recall reading a post about these extended warranties where you are not allowed to service your own vehicle. Can you please confirm if that is correct? Thank you

Vetteman Jack

In for the answer.

LarryFL

I think people are confused between crappy 3rd party plans vs GM plans. I have a GMEPP (from him) and there is nothing that says you can't do your own maintenance. Also, he will send the contract to look over before you even pay, and you can even cancel the whole thing for a full refund if you don't like what you read in the fine print (FL gives up to a month I think).

I highlighted the important sections below. Section D says maintain your damn car (and you should probably keep good records to prove it if needed). Section F says beware of mods that break things, this is non-starter for many people on this forum.

Here is the entire EXCLUSION section (what they won't cover) on my Platinum contract purchased less than a month ago.

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This Vehicle Service Contract provides no Coverage or Benefits in case of the following:
A. For any of the following parts: carburetor, battery and battery cable/harness (unless listed as specific covered parts), standard transmission clutch assembly, friction clutch disc and pressure plate, distributor cap and rotor, glass, lenses, sealed beams, light bulbs, fuses, circuit breakers, cellular phones, game centers, AM/FM radio/cassette/CD players exceeding $3000 repair or replacement cost, speakers, audio/ video equipment, any pixel damage on display screens, electronic transmitting/receiving devices, remote control consoles, radar detection devices, brake rotors and drums, all exhaust components, and the following emission components: EGR purge valve/solenoids/sensors, vacuum canister, vapor return canister, vapor return lines/valves, air pump/lines/valves, catalytic converter/filtering/sensors, emission vapor sensors, gas cap/filler neck, weather strips, trim, moldings, bright metal chrome, upholstery and carpet, paint, outside ornamentation, bumpers, body sheet metal and panels, frame and structural body parts, vinyl and convertible tops, any convertible top assemblies, hardware or linkages, tires, wheels/rims. External nuts, bolts and fasteners are not covered except where required in conjunction with a covered repair.

B. For maintenance services and parts described in Your Vehicle’s owner’s manual as supplied by the manufacturer and other normal maintenance services and parts which include, but are not limited to: alignments, adjustments, wheel balancing, tune-ups, spark plugs, spark plug wires, glow plugs, hoses, drive belts, brake pads, brake linings/shoes, and wiper blades. Filters, lubricants, coolants, fluids and refrigerants will be covered only if replacement is required in connection with a Breakdown.

C. For any damage and/or Breakdown resulting from collision, road hazard, fire, theft, vandalism, riot, acts of terrorism, explosion, lightning, earthquake, freezing, rust or corrosion, windstorm, hail, water or flood, acts of God, salt, environmental damage, chemicals, contamination of fluids, fuels, coolants or lubricants.

D. For any Breakdown caused by misuse, abuse, negligence, lack of normal maintenance required by the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule for Your Vehicle, or improper servicing or repairs subsequent to purchase. For any Breakdown caused by sludge build-up resulting from Your failure to perform recommended maintenance services, or failure to maintain proper levels of lubricants and/or coolants, or Breakdowns caused by fuels containing more than 10% Ethanol (if the engine was not manufactured for this fuel mixture), or failure to protect Your Vehicle from further damage when a Breakdown has occurred or failure to have Your Vehicle towed to the service facility when continued operation may result in further damage. Continued operation includes Your failure to observe warning lights, gauges, or any other signs of overheating or component failure, such as fluid leakage, slipping, knocking, or smoking, and not protecting Your Vehicle by continuing to drive creating damage beyond the initial failure.

E. For any repair or replacement of any covered part if a Breakdown has not occurred. Any part that a repair facility or manufacturer recommends or requires that it be replaced or repaired, or is an update, and is not a Breakdown, is Your responsibility and expense.

F. If any alterations have been made to Your Vehicle or You are using or have used Your Vehicle in a manner not recommended by the manufacturer, including but not limited to, the failure of any custom or add-on part, all frame or suspension modifications, lift kits, any tire that is not recommended by the original manufacturer if it creates an odometer/speedometer variance of greater than 4%, trailer hitches. Also not covered are any emissions and/or exhaust systems modifications, engine modifications, transmission modifications, and/or drive axle modifications, which includes any performance modifications.

G. If, while owned by You, Your odometer has ceased to operate and odometer repairs have not been made immediately, or the odometer has been altered in any way subsequent to purchase of this Contract.

H. If Your Vehicle has ever been a total loss, salvaged, rebuilt or is a grey market vehicle.

I. For any liability for property damage, or for injury to or death of any person arising out of the operation, maintenance or use of Your Vehicle described in this Contract, whether or not related to the parts covered. For loss of use, time, profit, inconvenience, or any other consequential loss, including any Consequential Damage to a non-covered part that results from a Breakdown.

J. For any Breakdown where the manufacturer is responsible for the repair or if the Breakdown is covered by a repairer’s guarantee/warranty (regardless of manufacturer’s or repairer’s ability to pay for such repairs).

K. If Your Vehicle is used for towing (unless Your Vehicle is equipped with factory installed or factory authorized tow package), or is used as a Commercial unit (unless appropriate surcharge is marked on Registration Page and only as defined under "Definitions", "Commercial Use"), or is used for rental, taxi, limousine or shuttle, towing/wrecker service, dumping (dump beds), cherry pickers, lifting or hoisting, police or emergency service, principally off-road use, prearranged or organized racing or competitive driving.

L. For any Pre-existing condition or for any Breakdown occurring before Coverage takes effect or prior to the Contract Purchase Date, or if the information provided by You, or the repair facility cannot be verified as accurate or is found to be deceptively inaccurate.

M. For Breakdowns that occur and/or repairs made outside of the United States of America and Canada. N. For Diagnostic and/or Teardown procedures that are not listed, or are in excess of the times listed in the current year’s national flat rate hourly guide in conjunction with a covered repair.

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That's it. Everything not listed above, they have to cover. Period.
.

Katie22

Extended warranties are a great way for the company selling them to make money on people that fit into PT Barnums famous phrase.......

1BadRS

Thank you for posting that Larry. I found that post I was talking about and this is the last reply from Dennis. He shouldn't be saying things like that if it isn't any issue at all. The next guy that posted bought his plan and now seems to be regretting it. I just bought my C7 so I have the full bumper to bumper, but just trying to learn all I can about these plans now.

Dennis Fichtner
Platinum Supporting Dealership

Member Since: Nov 2015
Posts: 262
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RichieRichZ06 has pretty much covered everything in this post, he is a parts & Service director at a big store in Rio Vista, Ca and sells lots of these plans as I do in all states but his so I reiterate what he states throughout. Why chance not getting something covered especially an engine just for the price of an oil change.

JerryU

Hmm, guess you could say that for any insurance policy!

Bought tire insurance for my Grand Sport from Discount Tire, as soon as I got the car. Thank goodness, like the fire insurance I have on my home, have not had to use it! Discount Tire was much less expensive than the tire/wheel insurance from GM BUT does not cover the wheels, which on a Grand Sport is a risk. I was willing to manage that risk myself but the tires are nail magnets! Worse if a nail is in the outer/inner tread area ~(3 and~ 2 1/2 inch wide) it's considered the non repairable side wall and the tire must be replaced.

BUT, Idon't buy extended warranty's for my cars as I'm will to take the risk. In fact have high deductibles on collision and comprehensive to get a lower insurance rate. Even have the minimum Liability required by the State (in fairness have a very high value Umbrella policy that makes that a non risk.) But for those who would prefer not taking the risk- extended warranty is worth the cost. From reading posts over the years don't believe you can beat the OP's pirces.

Katie22

Bare in mind Jerry that warranties are created using math. Warranties are SOLD using fear and NO math........

Mathematically (dealing in reality and absolutes) any extended warranty is going to cost more than what the person buying it will ever consume in claims.

Add to it the idea that a car sold today is going to fail in a ball of flames in the first 100000 miles is seriously funny. Even a dam Smart car will likely run to 100000 miles with NO major failures..

Elk

Not quite.

If the carrier's actuarial calculations are correct, the total of premiums received will exceed the total expenditure of paid claims. This is how an insurer makes a profit, along with investing the money they took in as premiums.

Whether any single individual will receive in benefits more or less than he paid is a matter of chance. As with the B2B warranty, some will make claims against the policy; some, not.

If you can comfortably absorb any potential loss, skip the extended warranty. For that matter, do not buy any insurance. If you cannot, buy the coverage.

NSC5

I haven't bought an extended vehicle warranty in decades, I did so when I was getting ready to start my PhD program because I didn't need any unexpected expenses at that time so the insurance was worth it. Since then I have self insured.

In 1995 I bought my first diesel powered pickup and the dealer tried to sell me an extended warranty. They were already doing PDI and I had some time to kill so I let him go through the pitch where he was selling a 5 year/100K B2B warranty. I then asked for the price for the same pickup with a gas engine and the extended warranty price was the same even though the diesel powered vehicle already came with a powertrain warranty that covered that entire time/mileage period unlike the gas powered vehicle. I suspect pricing is still pretty similar across a given model and if so the person buying an extended warranty on a vehicle loaded with options is more likely to benefit than someone buying a warranty for a more basic trim/option level.

IF you cannot do any service work on your vehicle and you plan to always use the dealer for repairs then an extended warranty is going to be more useful but for those able to do some of the repair work (like replacing an infotainment screen or an axle seal) and willing to take the vehicle to an independent for other work can safely consider self-insuring against repair costs. I carry good policies on my home, vehicles, and pro camera gear and I have an umbrella liability policy riding on top of the other policies but for vehicle repairs I am comfortable self-insuring. Others will have a different risk appetite which is what it ultimately comes down to in making this decision.

If I were going to buy a policy it would definitely be from Dennis. He clearly provides excellent service at a compelling price.

Art17

I suggest that you publish your prices right here. Maybe I might be interested.............................. ............

Elk

As the first post indicates, forum rules preclude him from doing so. Call him or email.

ricks327

Read the 3rd paragraph in post #1.

JerryU

Could say all Insurance is based om FEAR to some extant! Life insurance etc etc. Kind of like Term Life Insurance, you pay the annual premiums when you have a need to protect your family but hope it's not used!

But all insurance is just hedging risks. Sure the car companies in total make money on the program BUT some customers will never use it while others will get more then the cost of the insurance back. As said, I don't get it but know I am taking a risk that I can afford. Will pay the bill if needed.

SIDE BAR
I liked what we did with heath Insurance as a company. We like MOST large companies were "Self Insured." for heath care. Sure we paid Blue Cross Blue Shield a fixed percentage of claims to administer the program (they had more clout with doctors and hospitals than we did getting discounts that mostly paid for their administration fee!) Then we had a catastrophic insurance policy IF we had claims over XX million per year. Recall I had a fellow who got a new heart and it kicked in that year. Also gave us the incentive to have seminars about eating right, to quite smoking, cover a portion of a gym membership etc.

Rebel Yell

Wow, that's ballsy to come on here, and call those that buy an extended warranty a sucker. I'm quite sure none of them will ask you to help pay for the plan, so why should you care? If someone wants the plan they can buy one, if you don't want one don't buy one. But, don't feel you're any smarter than they are because you didn't.

JohnnyDee

I thought about an extended warranty but I figured after the first oil change on my Z51 when the dealership over filled my dry sump system, they didn't know what they were doing. I did not return for my free changes. In everything I've seen about the extended warranties, one has to have a reputable dealer, whether it's a dealership or otherwise, so they can record the transaction. One cannot do their own maintenance. With that and everything that is not covered I decided to forget the warranty. Before looking into buying a extended warranty, look at everything that is not covered, which is a lot. Don't forget about the 5 yr 50,000 mile power train warranty that you already have.

JerryU

Understand Katie22 is one of Warren Buffet's daughters so has no insurance of any type!

If you can afford, why not!

Rebel Yell

Oh I see, that says a lot. I've never understood how someone thinks it's their business to tell someone else how they can spend their money. But I'm old, what do I know these days?

Dennis Fichtner

JohnnyDee

If you look at the exclusions in the policy about 80% of it is maintenance items and some of the things not covered are covered on your car for 8 years and 80,000 miles so why would they cover those. No extended warranty covers tires, wheels, paint, upholstery, carpet, seal beams, light bulbs, etc. etc. etc. I could go on with the entire list but I am not going to. To each his own about a warranty but when you get hit for $2,000 for a Radio then you wonder why you did not buy one.

Thanks for the great response to this post, keep the emails coming and check out our website at www.dennymenholtprotectionplans.com, it has great info in it.

James Dean

Would this cover items like the magnetic ride control shocks & controller?
What about if the vehicle is set to a slightly shorter ride height due to the lowering bolts?

How does it cover failure of one item causing another to fail ex: Bearing failure causes engine to grenade?