[Lee St.Clair]

I have a 2013 Accord EX-L . It's coming up on 36K on the clock. I would like to extend the warranty but the dealers I have talked to want a small fortune for the Honda extended warranty. Is there an aftermarket warranty out fit that is OK? There are so many out there that I don't know good ones from bad ones. Any experience you can provide will sure be welcome.

 

[crmplex]

I have worked with CNA and Ethos aftermarket warranty companies. As a tech i love working on cars with CNA warranty cause they pay cash labor times and cover A LOT of parts. So i never mind "upselling" warranty work cause it pays well.

I know paying the technician isnt your priority here, but when the tech gets paid well to work on your car, and its free for you, then the tech will most likely try pretty hard to find any issues that the car may have while he is working on it.

And as i said, CNA covers a lot. thats just my experience.

best of luck

 

[RickBlaine]

@crmplex: Thank you. It may be a good idea to mention a few that rarely pay anything...

 

[crmplex]

You're welcome. And you're right. HondaCare, is by far the worst warranty company I have dealt with. They do cover a vast amount of components. However they only pay warranty times. Actually worse than warranty times. they don't cover additional time for unforeseen circumstances or diagnosis.

For example, if I'm doing a repair under factory warranty, and a rusty bolt breaks, honda will pay me additional time to extract the bolt, repair the threads, etc. HondaCare does not. In SOME circumstances u can get them to but it's worse than pulling teeth. More time is spent arguing for labor than it takes to make the repair.

HondaCare also does not pay for diagnosis time. At least not well. They never authorize diag because if the repair isn't covered then they don't pay at all. So we have to diagnose it first, then call them to see if it's covered. And if it is covered, they don't care about ur diagnosis time because we have already spent the time and they have us by the balls.

We certainly can't say to the customer, "ur service contract sucks so u have to pay a portion of it." So the dealer takes the hit. The tech however feels the biggest punch.

I'm sure u can imagine the slippery slope of shortcuts taken, and issues overlooked.

I'm not saying it's right, or that I allow my guys to do this, but it's an unfortunate truth.

"When u pay with bananas, you get monkeys to do the work."

 

[14v6]

Your welcome. And your right. HondaCare, is by far the worst warranty company I have dealt with. They do cover a vast amount of components. However they only pay warranty times. Actually worse than warranty times. they don't cover additional time for unforeseen circumstances or diagnosis.

For example, if I'm doing a repair under factory warranty, and a rusty bolt breaks, honda will pay me additional time to extract the bolt, repair the threads, ect. HondaCare does not. In SOME circumstances u can get them to but it's worse than pulling teeth. More time is spent arguing for labor than it takes to make the repair.

HondaCare also does not pay for diagnosis time. At least not well. They never authorize diag because if the repair isn't covered then they don't pay at all. So we have to diagnose it first, then call them to see if it's covered. And if it is covered, they don't care about ur diagnosis time because we have already spent the time and they have us by the balls.

We certainly can't say to the customer, "ur service contract sucks so u have to pay a portion of it." So the dealer takes the hit. The tech however feels the biggest punch.

I'm sure u can imagine the slippery slope of shortcuts taken, and issues overlooked.

I'm not saying it's right, or that I allow my guys to do this, but it's an unfortunate truth.

"When u pay with bananas, you get monkeys to do the work."

One of the most informative posts I have ever read that reflects the other side of an extended warranty. Now I know why my Honda dealer does not sell HondaCare.

I've always purchased HondaCare, for a consumer it sounds really appealing.

Now I know why when I took my CRV in for a valve cover gasket leak 3 times and it still leaks. They gave me the same mechanic 3 times.

Maybe this explains why a master tech with all of the plaques on the wall changed the steering rack on my CRV for a terrible noise at idle. Turns out that it was a serpentine belt tensioner. I had to bring it in twice for this and had to show them a video on the internet to prove my case. I just asked them to change the tensioner and would pay for it outright if it wasn't the problem but fortunately they say that Hondacare would cover it. Guess that diagnosis time wasn't a priority.

Can't really find much info on CNA so for a consumer it's real easy to go for the Hondacare.

What's upsetting is that as a car owner, if something is wrong with the car it's already going to be an uphill battle to get the best effort from the tech because it's all about how the tech is going to get paid. This doesn't sit well with me at all but I guess that this is the way that it is.

 

[TN9thSi]

Thanks for your insight, crmplex! Had no idea HondaCare was that much different than factory warranty. I have it and I hope I never have to use it after reading your post.

 

[HondaBob]

Just recently got a card in the mail "offering" extended warranty coverage on my Odyssey which now has 240K+. How much do you guys think that would cost. I didn't even inquire.

 

[crmplex]

One of the most informative posts I have ever read that reflects the other side of an extended warranty. Now I know why my Honda dealer does not sell HondaCare.

I've always purchased HondaCare, for a consumer it sounds really appealing.

Now I know why when I took my CRV in for a valve cover gasket leak 3 times and it still leaks. They gave me the same mechanic 3 times.

Maybe this explains why a master tech with all of the plaques on the wall changed the steering rack on my CRV for a terrible noise at idle. Turns out that it was a serpentine belt tensioner. I had to bring it in twice for this and had to show them a video on the internet to prove my case. I just asked them to change the tensioner and would pay for it outright if it wasn't the problem but fortunately they say that Hondacare would cover it. Guess that diagnosis time wasn't a priority.

Can't really find much info on CNA so for a consumer it's real easy to go for the Hondacare.

What's upsetting is that as a car owner, if something is wrong with the car it's already going to be an uphill battle to get the best effort from the tech because it's all about how the tech is going to get paid. This doesn't sit well with me at all but I guess that this is the way that it is.

sorry to be the bearer of the news. believe me, it doesn't sit well with any of us. especially those of us to take pride in our work.

imagine your boss saying to you, "hey im gonna need you to punch out for a few hours but you still have to work." that is how we as techs look at it. we find it insulting to have a skill that we aren't always compensated for. don't get me wrong most of us (at least where I work) get paid very well if you are a master tech. but getting paid well most of the time doesn't justify sacrificing time, and effort.

Thanks for your insight, crmplex! Had no idea HondaCare was that much different than factory warranty. I have it and I hope I never have to use it after reading your post.

you're welcome! and if you do have to use it, I hope you end up with a good tech with a conscience. we are out there I promise!

 

[JenerationX]

Having been at a dealer for a little while now, there are a lot of good techs. They grumble quite a bit when they're asked to basically work for nothing, but 90% of them will suck it up and do it anyway. Of course there's always a few that aren't motivated by knowing they took good care of a customer.

 

[Lee St.Clair]

I have a 2013 Accord EX-L . It's coming up on 36K on the clock. I would like to extend the warranty but the dealers I have talked to want a small fortune for the Honda extended warranty. Is there an aftermarket warranty out fit that is OK? There are so many out there that I don't know good ones from bad ones. Any experience you can provide will sure be welcome.

Thank you for the insight. I can sympathize with you because I worked as an instrument tech for a lot of years. We too were expected to eat the diagnosis time. Funny, but not very nourishing I have to ask...what does CNA stand for ? I don't seem to be able to find anything on them.

 

[14v6]

Thank you for the insight. I can sympathize with you because I worked as an instrument tech for a lot of years. We too were expected to eat the diagnosis time. Funny, but not very nourishing I have to ask...what does CNA stand for ? I don't seem to be able to find anything on them.

https://www.cnanational.com/cportal/web/guest/home

 

[Schoat333]

What does a typical extended warranty cost?

 

[crmplex]

I wanted to mention costguard. They are a great company to deal with.

 

[Smedley]

FYI - check your state. I know Florida has some funky regulations. I believe it has to be bought in Florida, as opposed to a decent outfit found in another state. Others may have similar regulations.

 

[desertrat]

If you go without an extended warranty the odds are very much in your favour. Of course it has to be that way because the warranty companies are making a good profit. If you read the fine print you may find that a lot of the "expensive to fix" items, such as the electronics, are not covered anyway.

 

[crmplex]

If you go without an extended warranty the odds are very much in your favour. Of course it has to be that way because the warranty companies are making a good profit. If you read the fine print you may find that a lot of the "expensive to fix" items, such as the electronics, are not covered anyway.

your right. However some warranty companies will reimburse you full price of the warranty if you never use it. Of course that is in the fine print as well and they never tell you that. and you have to contact them afterward and request it. its not an automatic reimbursement. HondaCare has ALWAYS done that. however they just stopped a few years ago. (i know many people here are gonna be pissed) they were losing to much money.

But i have to disagree with you about the electronics. I find myself doing lots of warranty repairs with electronics. Maybe not every switch the car has, but certainly the big money ones. (navi units, radios, ECU's, ect. But my opinions are biased as i have only dealt with 3-4 companies. We also have to consider that warranties have different tiers. They have low, medium, and high tiers and even then they have plans without, and with deductibles. I work in an area thats pretty wealthy (Wellesley, newton, weston, MA) so money doesnt seem to be much of an object to most of our customers. what im trying to say is that most of them with warranties go for the most expensive warranty that HondaCare has to offer.

I should also add that honda does a GREAT JOB as backing their product. If a customer services their car with us, (does cash work) and has a problem can usually work something out if they play their cards right. Time and time again i have seen customers ask to speak to a manager and have a speech ready. usually goes like this "i have taken care of the car, and i bought the car because i expected it to last a long time being a honda.'' If they are good customers and arent to far out of warranty, we usually "good-will" it. remember, every service director is authorized to good-will a repair under $500 without contacting honda about it. If the repair is a big one (trany/engine work) then Honda often does a split. (labor vs part, or 50/50, ect)

I truly hope all of this is helping. im trying to be as honest as i can without somehow putting myself in a bad position. Im a blue collar guy who understands the pain of a surprise $1000 bill.

 

[JenerationX]

Research the company carefully. I've had people call in about being reimbursed and they're calling the dealer because when they call the 800 number on the warranty they're told that the company has closed and they need to contact the dealer. No idea what the process is for getting money back but a lot of those companies don't seem to last long.

 

[Flyboy]

My personal opinion is that extended warranties are not a good value. I have owned a lot of Honda automobiles since 1981 and only one required a major component replacement. My 2000 Accord Coupe V6 transmission was replaced for free at 96,000 miles under an extension to the normal new car waranty and Honda even paid for a rental car while they replaced the transmission.

In the past Honda has replaced seat covers on my 81 Accord because they fell apart in five years due to poor materials. Honda paid for the parts and I paid for the labor which was the less expensive of the two. My wife's Fit right rear wheel is very slightly misaligned. The dealer wanted $900 to replace the rear torsion beam. There's no way to alighn the rear wheels. I complained to Honda in California that this was ridiculous even though the car was five years old and had 50,000 miles. They offered me a good customer deal to replace the beam for $500. We declined and I just rotate the tires more often to spread out the wear.

BTW those are the only problems I have ever had with Honda cars and I drove everyone over 100.000 miles. I also keep the cars maintained according to the honda maintenance schedual. If I bought a Chevy I might buy an extended warranty but not on a Honda. Hopefully, my good luck will continue.

 

[14v6]

My personal opinion is that extended warranties are not a good value. I have owned a lot of Honda automobiles since 1981 and only one required a major component replacement. My 2000 Accord Coupe V6 transmission was replaced for free at 96,000 miles under an extension to the normal new car waranty and Honda even paid for a rental car while they replaced the transmission.

In the past Honda has replaced seat covers on my 81 Accord because they fell apart in five years due to poor materials. Honda paid for the parts and I paid for the labor which was the less expensive of the two. My wife's Fit right rear wheel is very slightly misaligned. The dealer wanted $900 to replace the rear torsion beam. There's no way to alighn the rear wheels. I complained to Honda in California that this was ridiculous even though the car was five years old and had 50,000 miles. They offered me a good customer deal to replace the beam for $500. We declined and I just rotate the tires more often to spread out the wear.

BTW those are the only problems I have ever had with Honda cars and I drove everyone over 100.000 miles. I also keep the cars maintained according to the honda maintenance schedual. If I bought a Chevy I might buy an extended warranty but not on a Honda. Hopefully, my good luck will continue.

No doubt they are not a good value but it's the peace of mind.

Flyboy, you are good at working the consumer end of things and get the dealers to get you stuff that not everyone would get without your expertise. Nor do they have the extra time to present a case to a manufacturer.

As far as Honda reliability, I used to be like you but now I have my doubts. My family has had 12 Honda/Acura vehicles since 1980. The most recent 3 have had issues the prior 9 no problems at all. Even with Honda at the top of the surveys, I still spend a lot of time at the dealership for unscheduled problems for my 09 CRV, and 14 Accord. Have already had 2 problems with the Accord in 5,000 miles. Doubtful if it will hold up. My Odyssey has been mostly trouble free. The 09 CRV with 49k had about $1,500 in problems last month (steering rack and serpentine tensioner which was covered by HondaCare).

 

[Ricky Bobby]

I added the warranty coverage through my insurance company when I purchased the vehicle new. Is $45 every 6 months and has a $250 deductable. I figure if the trans goes out at 60k $250 is cheap for a replacement...lol... And at $90 a year I'm only paying $450 for 5 years coverage.