Car for my daughter

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by Luxus, Oct 14, 2021.

  1. TORQUED455

    TORQUED455 Well-Known Member

    One thing we can agree on is that many people who buy these contracts have no idea what they are purchasing. They are being “oversold” by the seller and many folks are under the impression that much more is covered than what actually is. I wonder where they get that idea from? That’s not your fault, but the companies that hold these policies need to vet their sellers better. Or the sellers should be required to have a toolbox.

    So many of us shops have had issues dealing with aftermarket warranty companies that the number of shops that accept customers with a contract in hand dwindles daily. We screen them now. Every major engine or transmission issue has been an unmitigated disaster for me in trying to get “coverage”. Everything from teardowns, root cause, inspections, etc, (which I understand why), but the tactics of delay, deny, coverage of only the failed part, insurance co wanting to supply me with parts(!), insurance co shopping for the lowest price and dictating my margins, very little if any labor allotted for diagnostics, no allowance for labor due to rust which absolutely adds considerable to labor to most jobs in the rust belt, heck most policies don’t even pay out for an oil filter during heavy engine work! Why won’t companies even pay for a wheel alignment after a subframe R&R for an engine or trans job on a FWD vehicle? With 3.6L DI GM engines, GM SI requires the fuel crossover pipe be replaced if the rail is removed and the injectors be “rebuilt” (whatever that means). Are you adding that pipe and 6 new injectors to the claim? Most DI engines have expensive fuel system component handling requirements for safety reasons. How many 3.6L GM injectors, by the 6, have you paid for during 3.6L heavy engine work, or is that buried on the second or third page of exclusions?

    I have yet to see a policy cover catalytic converters or exhaust systems. Most emissions items are excluded. Here in NY, we have emissions inspections, so guess what? LOTS of emissions repairs. Most are not covered.

    You approved an 11k engine on an Escalade. How many hoops did the shop have to jump through to get that done? How many inspections after teardown, how many service records did the contract owner need to supply, how long did the whole process take and how many necessary items did the contract not cover? These are things that are conveniently left out of the discussions when the policy is being sold also. It’s easy for the seller of the policy to leave out the dirt when the customer is purchasing the contract. They don’t have to deal with the shortcomings later on, and an angry customer!

    Like everything else, there is a lot of fraud and bogus claims made by shady shops. Because of this, one company won’t even let us see what’s covered, we have to waste time and call just to see if an item is covered. I have never had a large ticket job go smoothly. You make it sound so neat and tidy that a Silverado “will need a transmission and it’s covered”. Tell me what company will take a “pattern failure” and write the check please!

    Again, overall the house wins, and wins big. Yes, they write large checks at times (likely not large enough!) and most of those times it’s not without a lot of headaches for the shop. The fact remains that all 3 (the contract holder, the insurance company and the repair shop) will not all make out well in most cases on a given repair. The only one who makes out is the contract seller. He got his money and is long gone.
     
    BUICKRAT likes this.
  2. derek244

    derek244 Gold Level Contributor

    You have your mind made up about service contract companies across the board. I understand and will respect that.
     
    TORQUED455 likes this.
  3. BQUICK

    BQUICK Gold Level Contributor

    Yeah pretty sad...esp since this is a Buick site. I have had a bunch of W-bodys 97-04...Supercharged Regals and Grand Prixs.....NEVER an engine problem, no timing chains or belts, no water pumps, no tensioners.....325K on one of them before brake lines rusted. But...it was the snow beater so expected.
     
  4. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    they stopped making sedans because we weren’t buying them.
     
  5. Luxus

    Luxus Gold Level Contributor

    From my daughter's perspective, Buicks are not even on her radar. Like I said, Beemers and various ricers were her choice. Buick made decent money courting the older crowd for a long time but those chickens have finally come home to roost.
     
  6. Max Damage

    Max Damage I'm working on it!

    It’s not just Buick. The whole SUV vs car is a huge trend.
     
  7. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    Heres a nice 2 door SUV in red.
    Commanding view of the road, its diesel powered so mileage is decent, and its got the towing package:p
    01e63125adb275103efaab7d609892ad.jpg
     
  8. derek244

    derek244 Gold Level Contributor

    That's it. I am definitely watching Smokey and the Bandit tonight.
     
    Mark Demko, FLGS400 and pbr400 like this.
  9. gs66

    gs66 Silver Level contributor

    How about that newer Buick convertible? Cascada?
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2021
  10. Luxus

    Luxus Gold Level Contributor

    Epilog:

    We wound up getting the 2003 Infiniti G35. It's not Buick or American but I have to admit it's kind of a fun little car. She absolutely loves it. Today we spent some time giving it the once over. Checking fluids and the brakes. She insisted on doing all the work, I was there to advise and help her as all the car maintenance stuff is new to her. It was really nice spending time with her working on her car.
     
  11. derek244

    derek244 Gold Level Contributor

    I am sure that will be a goodd and fun car her. It is also awesome to hear about the father daughter time! Time flies.
     
  12. TexasT

    TexasT Texas, where are you from

    We did and are doing GM(specifically Chevy so far) in a 2000 Malibu that has gone on to its next caretaker and currently a 2003 Cavalier dubbed Mr. Valentine by the daughter. We do our own maintenance and repair and parts are cheap and we find a lot at the local wrecking yards. After the Malibu locked up the engine(yes, they don't care and I slacked off on checking the fluids) we were able to get a whole engine for $300 and it went another several yrs until the trans started slipping. We did do an ac overhaul with new compressor and such. Definitely got our moneys worth.

    This Cavalier uses a bit of oil but I try to stay on top of it and keep it changed. It is a beater but gets her to school and work and blows cold air so she is happy with it.

    I cant imagine even looking at a BMW even though one of the daughters friends drives one. It was sitting in front of my house today and they rolled up in mr valentine. Seems like a money pit and I'm not even sure i've seen any at the wrecking yards we frequent.
     
  13. Nailhead

    Nailhead Gold Level Contributor

    I have a 2019 Subaru Outback, currently at 65,000 miles. Any insight on what to expect up to 200-250,000?
     
  14. derek244

    derek244 Gold Level Contributor

    I have not seen many issues with very late model Subarus. But I will only see powertrain issues after the warranty expires (5/60 etc).
     
  15. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    Have had many Infinitis. Excellent cars, dang near bulletproof, and yes, very fun.
     
    derek244 likes this.
  16. newmexguy

    newmexguy Well-Known Member

    There is a little discussion on the Subaru site
    www.ultimatesubaru.org
    Suspect you might find more on facebook
     
    derek244 likes this.

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