[rm_arjuna]

Extended warranty is not comprehensive the scope includes only transmission,engine & major parts vis alternator , a/c condensor unlike standard warranty includes everything inclusive of electricals parts light stalks , wiper switches , power window and clutch plates / cyclnder in some cases. When i opted and paid for 3 yrs extended warranty on my Getz , hyundai refused to provide extension and refunded the monies after 3 months .

However they do honor the warranty without any fuss , i changed my light stalks , fuel tank under warranty .

[anurag_p80]

Great info, guys. Am going to nitpick a little on the extended warranties ranking table though. I see that Audi's 4 years/ unlimited kms extended warranty is ranked above Fiat's 4.2 years/ 150,000 kms warranty. Is that a typo or a mistake or some reason I have missed? Because it doesn't go with the reasoning quoted:

That's why, you'll see Honda with its 4 year / 80,000 km warranty ranking above Chevrolet's 3 year / 100,000 km coverage, or Hyundai's 2 year unlimited mileage standard package. Similar reasoning applied to the extended warranty rankings, where Hyundai's 5 year / 100,000 kms protection is ranked above that of Audi's 4 year / unlimited mileage.

However, rankings hardly make a difference. What does is that the consumer get protection from part failure where a manufacturing defect *might* have played a part.

[arin_12]

I would also like to see the If's and But's of these warranty. If you have faced any such thing. In simple term "If you do this your warranty will void"...

[sgiitk]

I am a bit surprised by all the discussion:

1. At least till not so far back the extended warranty only covered the drive train. How many know of someone who needs work here in four years - virtually nil.

There are so many clauses that the dealer will be able to negate the warranty claim in the extended period. They are not so good even in the warranty period.

2. They will insist that all servicing be done as the A$$ at recommended intervals - quite often ridiculously short for low mileage owners. Like the Hinda oil changes every three months / 5000km (thankfully now doubled).

In my view for a low mileage owner (up to say 10,000km per annum) of an A, B or even C segment car the extended warranty is not worth it, unless it is free!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by MotoKris

It is just a "strategy" a company follows, that I guess even their board room won't be able to fully agree upon and justify.

Well said. It is a strategy alright, but has to be well-thought out. Again, extended warranties have an impact on:

- The balance sheet. Cost of replacing modern components isn't cheap. Far from it.

- The dealer's revenues. It's safe to presume that most cars will visit the authorised outlet when under the warranty umbrella.

Originally Posted by throttleking

Not to forget that GM (Chevy) also offers 3 years maintenance program at very cheap price, that shows their confidance in quality of parts and material they use.

+1 to Chevy for that. It's an initiative taken by Chevy to boost consumer confidence in the brand. BTW, even BMW offers 5 year packages that include maintenance. VW offered a 3 year service package on the Jetta too.

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

GTO/Dippy - since we are on the topic of warranty, it would be really nice if you could provide some information on what is the customer's responsibility towards keeping the warranty intact. For example:
- Maintaining regular service schedule
- What modifications are allowed
- What aftermarket fittings to avoid

In a nutshell : keep your car stock, stick to service intervals and get all work performed at the authorised dealer only.

If the dealer wants, he can also refuse your warranty claim based on tyre upsizing. Thankfully, I've never had a problem with claiming warranty on any of my cars which wore after-market alloy wheels & tyres.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Not all things covered in standard warranties are covered in extended warranties.

I don't recollect any difference in my Vtec's warranty. And from a Honda dealer's website:

What should I do incase of a breakdown or a failure ?
The extended warranty is in no way different from the New Vehicle Warranty. So all you have to do is take you car along with your extended warranty booklet & new vehicle warranty booklet to your preffered H.E.A.D.

What is included within the the scope of my Extended Warranty ?
Any defects barring those mentioned in the Exclusions list of the stipulated warranty terms & conditions are liable to be repaired or replaced. The owner will have to bear no cost for any part replacement or labour under the extended warranty scheme. The decision of Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. or its Dealers would be final regarding the cover of Extended Warranty or any parts as per the terms & conditions contained in the Owners Manual / warranty Booklet.

Looks identical to me.

Originally Posted by anurag_p80

I see that Audi's 4 years/ unlimited kms extended warranty is ranked above Fiat's 4.2 years/ 150,000 kms warranty. Is that a typo or a mistake or some reason I have missed? Because it doesn't go with the reasoning quoted

The difference is only 2 months, on a total of 48. That's why. Unlike Hyundai's 5 year warranty that got a higher ranking than Audi's 4 year unlimited. A full 12 months of additional coverage.

What does is that the consumer get protection from part failure where a manufacturing defect *might* have played a part.

True.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

At least till not so far back the extended warranty only covered the drive train.

Most extended warranties offered in India today are wider in scope, than just covering the engine + transmission.

There are so many clauses that the dealer will be able to negate the warranty claim in the extended period.

They surely could, especially for enthusiasts like us who modify the car barely after turning its wheel for the first time. However, it all comes down to the attitude of the dealer & the manufacturer. Example : My Esteem's air-con compressor went kaput. Vitesse replaced it under warranty, despite my Esteem wearing after-market alloys, wider tyres and running Mobil 1 oil. It's easy to see that there is no correlation between a failed air-con compressor and my tyres.

They will insist that all servicing be done as the A$$ at recommended intervals

And why shouldn't a new car owner follow the manufacturer-specified policies?

Like the Hinda oil changes every three months / 5000km (thankfully now doubled).

Doubled to 10,000 now? I've been hearing mixed reports on this.

In my view for a low mileage owner (up to say 10,000km per annum) of an A, B or even C segment car the extended warranty is not worth it, unless it is free!

I'm sure the BHPian who paid 50 grand for the brake master cylinder in his Getz will disagree with you. His car (IIRC) had only run 28,000 kms at the time. If he had extended coverage, wouldn't have paid a dime.

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by GTO

Maruti definitely sucks when it comes to warranty coverage. Its direct and identically priced competition (example = Hyundai) offers an unlimited kms standard warranty, as well as extended options for upto 5 years.

With Maruti it makes sense to take extended warranty as their quality is not good. However I don't see any reason for any extended warranty for Honda or Toyota as their quality is very good.

Originally Posted by throttleking

Not to forget that GM (Chevy) also offers 3 years maintenance program at very cheap price, that shows their confidance in quality of parts and material they use. While no other manufacturer offers such a program. No wonder the mass selling Maruti is at No. 7.

Chevy's deal is the best. They really have faith in their product.

[designersf]

I would like to add that BMW is the only company in India that provides these warranties mentioned below

12 years on Body
3 years on Paint work and
2 years unlimited mileage on other parts as STANDARD across their range.

Source : BMW India website

[vasudeva]

For whatever it is worth, there is a lot of difference between duration of warranties and honouring of those warranties, no questions asked.

I had a Opel Corsa 2 year warranty that had to be enforced a few times, and that too with some haggling. By comparison, my Corolla 3-year warranty has just expired, and I never had to get something done in warranty. My brother has just seen his 2 year City warranty expire and he also has had the same experience.

[wingsoffires]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Hi wingsoffires

How recently have you bought the Ritz because according to the dealer the warranty prices have also changed post budget. Can you put up that price list here? What we have mentioned in the excel sheet are the exact prices given by a premier Maruti dealer here in Mumbai.

Ok two things here,
Firstly I got the Ritz in November 2009. I got the extended warranty for a total of 2395+2600 for third and fourth year respectively.

Secondly I purchased a Ritz for my very close pal only a week ago....17th March 2010 to be precise for a total amount of 396500.00 from New Delhi's No 1 Maruti dealer. I can confirm it to you that prices for extended warranties have not changed even by a rupee between the above mentioned two purchases. The price list I have write now is effective dated 27.02.2010. I'll try to scan the same tomorrow and upload it for all of you.

Somehow I am having a doubt as to maybe there could be a difference between the prices for Mumbai and Delhi. But still this is a very big difference.

Ritz - For Third and Fourth Year
Mumbai(As mentioned by you) - 9590.00
Delhi - 4995.00

Dippy you need to re-check about the prices mentioned by you from the dealer. The prices I have mentioned above are confirmed active present prices.
Will try and upload the price list scanned image tomorrow for all models of Maruti.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by GTO

From my personal experience, Maruti & Mercedes are easiest with warranty claims. Mercedes even goes beyond the warranty period if part failure is indisputably a manufacturing defect. Honda I haven't had a single claim. For all of Mercedes' reliability problems, I have to say this : the dudes stick by their damn cars.

Tata, on the other hand, has a little back & forth (read = arguing) before they approve warranty claims. This has been my experience at the Tata company owned workshop at Worli.

That's nice to hear. The Mass Market leader and the Luxury market Leader are doing the right thing then (Settling claims). Others better fall in line

A friend of mine had a problem with the bearings in the i10 steering/axle assembly (Not sure exactly but it would cost around 25K to repair). The car was just out of Std Warranty and he hadn't taken Extended warranty. Forget about that, he didn't even adhere to the std no. of services to be done. But still Hyundai (Hyundai Motor Plaza-Chennai) came forward to cover it under warranty

BTW Hyundai Motor Plaza refused to offer him the 3rd Year Extended warranty when he wanted to buy it now sighting the reason that he missed a mandatory service in the 2 year period. People should watch out!

What I want to do is identify the Standard Chartered and ICICI banks in the car industry wrt warranty claims i.e the SCB Customer Service Rep in the phone has god damn rights to reverse some fines, penalties or whatever. 1 call and your request is processed. ICICI-Everyone knows! The CSR does nothing but record the request.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

With Maruti it makes sense to take extended warranty as their quality is not good. However I don't see any reason for any extended warranty for Honda or Toyota as their quality is very good.

Though I recommend extended warranties for ALL brands, it's probably a must-have for Tata, Fiat, Mercedes, Skoda and even Maruti to an extent. If you have to skip, do so only with a Toyota or Honda (but still NOT recommended).

Originally Posted by designersf

I would like to add that BMW is the only company in India that provides these warranties mentioned below

12 years on Body

Body warranty? Meaning, against rust?

Originally Posted by vasudeva

For whatever it is worth, there is a lot of difference between duration of warranties and honouring of those warranties, no questions asked.

Absolutely.

I had a Opel Corsa 2 year warranty that had to be enforced a few times, and that too with some haggling. By comparison, my Corolla 3-year warranty has just expired, and I never had to get something done in warranty. My brother has just seen his 2 year City warranty expire and he also has had the same experience.

Similar experience here. All the Tatas in our family (including extended) have had warranty claims, which were passed only after some haggling. However, I don't know of one Honda or Toyota in my circle that required a warranty claim.

Originally Posted by kiku007

That's nice to hear. The Mass Market leader and the Luxury market Leader are doing the right thing then (Settling claims).

The car was just out of Std Warranty and he hadn't taken Extended warranty. Forget about that, he didn't even adhere to the std no. of services to be done. But still Hyundai (Hyundai Motor Plaza-Chennai) came forward to cover it under warranty

Super! Now that's an example of a company that builds goodwill in the market. The other brands that misbehave with consumers are just being penny wise & pound foolish. India is a unique market where word of mouth reputation makes or breaks a brand. Family / friend recommendations play a huge part in purchase decisions.

[mohandas]

Originally Posted by GTO

Though I recommend extended warranties for ALL brands, it's probably a must-have for Tata, Fiat, Mercedes, Skoda and even Maruti to an extent. If you have to skip, do so only with a Toyota or Honda (but still NOT recommended).

How do you rate Ford, GM on this? I am asking because I am going to get a Figo diesel in couple of days.

Originally Posted by GTO

Similar experience here. All the Tatas in our family (including extended) have had warranty claims, which were passed only after some haggling. However,

My 3+ yrs of experience is different with Malik Cars, a TASS in Hyd. In number of times, they reminded me that this or that parts were covered under warranty. I found them (Malik Cars) better than any Maruthi dealer at hyd.

[Sahil]

My vote for best standard and extended warranty goes to BMW. In the past I have admired Toyota for the service they provided on my car but BMW has taken A.S.S satisfaction to another level !

Although my BMW has the BSI cover for 5 years it is only recently that the BSI came into effect, after I crossed the standard 2 year warranty. In the first year itself I complained to Inifinty Motors during my first service at 15,000kms that I do see a little smoke when the car is pushed hard for the first time after start-up. They investigated the matter and found some oil in the turbo charger, they informed me that it was a minor problem and can be fixed BUT if i would feel more satisfied they would replace the entire turbo charger assembly for me under warranty, it costed 1.5Lakhs !

Now after the standard warranty is over, I experienced increase in engine vibration, common for a diesel at 45,000kms. I got the engine mounting changed under BSI along with the hose pipe that had developed a small crack. But again being the peculiar car nut that I am, I wasn't completely satisfied. I noticed a slight vibration sound from the exhaust assembly that was annoying at times when the car was heated up. They inspected the car for 3 days but no solution was found. Navnit Motors decided to log in a complaint and has requested every part that could be responsible for this vibration sound to be replaced, pulleys, exhaust assembly rubber parts,etc apart from the engine mounting that has already been changed.

The parts have not yet arrived but I will be sending in the car next week to get the same rectified. Although having a team-bhpian at the dealership looking after your car is a huge bonus, I admire the attitude of the dealers that leave no stone un-turned to ensure the customer is satisfied and feel his car is running like new no matter how many kms it has clocked.

Overall attitude of both dealers is similar but Navnit Motors defiantly does have my vote hands down ! Most of their staff is very helpful and co-operative, besides they do have far more experience on handling these cars as they have been doing it for far longer.

Only downside after BSI, things take slightly longer to get done as the dealership has to wait for BMW's approval before replacing the parts, so you might land up keeping you car there for a day or two longer. Under standard warranty parts are changed without needing BMWs approval.

[designersf]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I am a bit surprised by all the discussion:

1. At least till not so far back the extended warranty only covered the drive train. How many know of someone who needs work here in four years - virtually nil.

There are so many clauses that the dealer will be able to negate the warranty claim in the extended period. They are not so good even in the warranty period.

2. They will insist that all servicing be done as the A$$ at recommended intervals - quite often ridiculously short for low mileage owners. Like the Hinda oil changes every three months / 5000km (thankfully now doubled).

In my view for a low mileage owner (up to say 10,000km per annum) of an A, B or even C segment car the extended warranty is not worth it, unless it is free!

I differ from your opinion. My Swift has barely done 9000kms in 3 years (used only in weekends and holiday trips) and I was happy to take the extended warranty as I had to replace the AC blower (the entire HVAC module was changed) within 3 years. The failure of a part does not depend on the running alone but on many more factors

[gpa]

I've had good experiences with MUL and Hyundai w.r.t extended warranties. The steering gearbox on my Omni was replaced under the extended warranty when the car had close to 50,000 kms on the odo. Hyundai, replaced a defective blower motor under the extended warranty scheme.