Chevrolet Impala Warranty & Extended Warranty

Karen_S

moved to here

bh0001

I had a 5yr/160,000km extended warranty on my '01 Impala LS. It paid for itself 2x over. Transmission issue (can't remember what it was), BCM, front wheel bearings (slightly damaged by someone backing into me, but they covered replacing both!), steering shaft, and a few other things.

I bought a 4yr/160,000km GMPP extended warranty with my '06 LTZ. I'm no good at the whole "put aside some extra money to cover future repairs" thing, so I choose the extended warranty.

As much as I love my Impala, I do agree that it's sad that I feel so strongly about purchasing an extended warranty because I pretty much expect things to go wrong. It would be nice if the factory warranty was longer, but as charts2 said, warranty costs are just built-in to the cost of the car anyway. Either way, you end up paying!

I'm up to about 7,000km in 10 weeks on my LTZ with zero problems.

nosirrahg

How many of those problems did you have outside the timeframe that would have been covered by the original manufacturers warranty? I haven't had anything "new" crop up with my 2000 Impala since the warranty expired at 36k miles (and I'm over 91k miles now). As far as I can remember I haven't had any problems outside the initial warranty period that would have been covered by an extended warranty (which would have expired by now anyway).

bh0001

All of the things I mentioned were outside of the original manufacturer's warranty and were only covered because I had the extended warranty. I had a few things covered by the original manufacturer's warranty as well (most notably the upper intake manifold and another gasket leak).

The nice thing about extended warranties is that they are OPTIONAL. Everyone can do their own cost/benefit analysis and decide what they feel most comfortable with. There's no right or wrong - just what each person feels is best for them.

steve333

I had my mother buy a API Warranty (purchased from the Chevy dealer, who was pushing this one over GM's own!) on her 2006 Impala. It is $1400 for 7 years/100,000 miles. It seems like a good price and covers almost everything. There is a $100 deductible though. However, if she never has to use the warranty, after the 7 yr period she gets a full refund. Seemed like a good deal to me. Also, with the API Warranty she can get the car fixed at any service place, not just Chevy.

dispencer1

The dealers sometimes push third party warranties but I'd never buy anything but GM Protection Plan for a GM car. What if API goes out of business? You have kissed $1400 good bye. Look at ripoffreport.com and read the reports from buyers of the Winns warranty. The third party warranties are cheaper as a rule but I wouldn't buy one.

white6

I agree with you 100%. I have only purchased extended warranty one time, and only because they offered it so cheap ($350 to extend my Sierra warranty to 5/60 from 3/36). Of course, GMC was forced to buy back this lemon and I received refund on the warranty. Olds dealer wanted $750 for GMPP when I purchased my 99 Intrigue in Dec. 98. Would have extended the warranty to 6/100. Between 36,000 and 100,000 miles I spend $450 on repairs, so I would have been down $300 (plus $200 for 2 deductibles, of course). Of course, the tranny required extensive repair at 105,000 ($1650 rebuild from a trusted independent shop as opposed to $2500 from dealer service dept.) but it wouldn't have been covered, since I was 5,000 miles past the warranty limit. You are basically buying an insurance policy and gambling that your car will require more in repairs than the policy costs (plus the $100 per visit deductible). I'm glad they give me the option of not paying for the extended warranty. I actually have a friend (very saavy mechanically) that mentioned he wished they would just sell him a car without a warranty at all and knock off $1,000. He's also considering all the hair he's lost dealing with frustrating dealer service departments. Can't disagree; if I see one more "can't duplicate/normal operation" I may punch someone. How do you force them to fix something that they say is "normal operation?"

66novss

I wonder how much in cost the basic 3 year 36K mile warranty actually adds to the price of a vehical. I know its factored in[the price],but is it possible to purchase a vehical with out it? Very doubtful.

mitzij

"How do you force them to fix something that they say is "normal operation?" "

You can't force them, but you can:

1. return to the dealer when the vehicle is acting up,
request to ride with a technician, and point out your concern.
There may be an explanation for your trouble, or they may have incomplete information from their service writers. I've seen repair orders with 'Check noise' as the complaint. The tech has no idea what the noise is. We had a lady with an annoying rattle noise. The tech checked it several times, no problem found. He rode with the lady and found the problem: her garage door remote was rattling in it's cubbyhole!
Many times a customer will leave an Early Bird envelope with a complaint: Leaks. What leaks, when, how much, where does the leak seem to be coming from? If I can't get ahold of that customer, my tech is stuck searching for a leak that could be as little as the a/c condenser doing it's draining thing.

2. find another dealer. another shop may have a tech that has A) seen your problem before and knows the fix for it or actually looks for technical bulletins.

mitzij

There's a reason why the F&I guy was pushing the API service contract over GMPP. It's not because he is your friend.
Make sure that refund promise is in writing, on the contract.

steve333

I checked into the company and they are a member of the BBB. I also called the AAA-rated service dealer my mother likes to use and they said they have never had a problem with API.
I considered a AAA Extended Warranty but decided to let her stay with API since they seem to be on the up and up. The warranty includes wear and tear, which lesser companies wont include.

steve333

He was pushing it because they make more money on it than the GM Warranty. The API Warranty actually turned out to be a better deal, but only because I talked him down from $1900 to $1400. You can imagine the mark-up.
The refund promise is right in the contract.

charts2

I applaud Kia and Hyundai for offering a 5 year 60,000 mile warranty on their vehicles. Their power train warranty is 10 year or 100,000 miles....thats all lot better then the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty Chevrolet offers on their Impala. There is no evidence that Hyundais fall apart after 100,000 miles or evidence that Chevrolets fall apart after 36,000 miles. It is time that Chevrolet bumped up their basic warranties to at least compete with some of the other competitors. Its time that Chevrolet took the lead like they did years before.

charts2

I am surprised with the number of car purchasers who buy an extended warranty on their cars when new. eg; When I purchased my 2001 Impala LS I passed on the GM extended warranty. The salesman did everything to get me to buy one. There was one price that was it. Just prior to the original warranty expiring I went into my dealership and they said I could negotiate in purchasing an extended warranty at that time at less $$ then the original price. Sounded like a good deal but again I passed on it. Within a month the Chevy dealership sent me a letter offering an extended warranty at an even much lower price then I was offered when the car was new. For the 2 1/2 years of ownership of my car the money I didn't spend on the extended warranty I invested and made a tidy profit.

If after a year or two you decide not to keeep your car or it gets totalled by another hurricane that extened warranty $ paid for upfront is lost. Wouldn't it make more sense to wait and decide when the original warranty is about to expire?

steve333

My mother got a 7 year warranty from a company that wasnt GM, and from the dealer. He actually pushed this one over GMs. I was hesitant to tell my mother to get it but she will keep this car forever, so I figured for $1400 it would be a decent deal. I talked him down from $1900. Her favorite service station also accepts this warranty and said they have never had an issue with them.
Also, if she never needs to use the warranty, after 7 years she gets the entire $1400 back.
Peace of mind I guess. Its easier to pay off the $1400 over the life of the loan than for her to come up with a ton of money if something should ever happen.

dispencer1

I agree with you completely. You can buy the extended warranty up until 3/36 but it starts when you first put the car in service, not when you buy the warranty unless things have changed so you lose three years, for instance, of a 6 year warranty. I think another factor is how dependable the car is. If you are having lots of problems in the first 36,000 miles, then perhaps the warranty is a good idea. Actually most American cars will be pretty dependable for the first 80-100k miles so I don't think that a warranty is really necessary but I've had it several times especially on my more expensive cars.

gened1

If at the beginning of a new car purchase you purchase a 6 year extended warranty on a three year 36000 mile bumper to bumper manufacturers warranty you still lose 3 years as you get three years 'free' with the purchase of the car. So buying an extended warranty near the end of the Manufactuers warranty is the same as buying it at the time of initial purchase.
Gene

dispencer1

That's true on a new car. If you buy a used GM vehicle (except a Certified Cadillac)from a GM dealer you can purchase a GM Protection Plan that covers you from the time you buy the vehicle, not from the time it went into service. I bought a really cheap 1998 Silhouette in 1999 with 50,000 miles on it (the owner went to Florida every month for some sort of medical treatment) and got a 3 year 36,000 protection plan on it which covered it to 86,000 miles. The intake manifold gasket went out at 70,000 so it was a good investment.

charts2

Purchased a 2001 Impala LS brand new. Basic 3 year 36,000 mile warranty like they all are. Salesman tried to sell me an extended 3 year warranty that would have taken me to 6 years or 72,000 miles. Showed me the price and I passed on it. He told me I could purchase this 3 year extended warranty anytime up to my base warranty expiring. A couple months prior to my base warranty expiring 34,000 miles I went back to the chevy dealership and now they were willing to negotiate the price of an extended 3 year GM warranty at less then what I was offered when the car was new 3 years before. I was surprised. I passed on it again. A week later I received a letter from the salesman with an offer even lower then that, if I purchased this 3 year GM extended warranty in the next 7 days.

I would think purchasing a 2006 Impala would also be the same today. If purchasing an extended warranty you can negotiate the price of it. Too often people pay the full amount.

steve333

They charge more for the warranty if you do it that way.
I got my mom a 7 year API Warranty for $1400. So basically its 4 yrs tacked on to Chevy's crappy warranty. With API she can go to her Firestone dealer and have the work done if she needs it. Closer by than the dealer, better hours, drive home service, AAA Station. I also considered the AAA Extended Warranty.
This is going to be her last car, she wants it to last, and she doesnt want any surprises down the road. She may or may not need it, but she knows after the 3 year GM warranty is up all she will ever have to pay for a major repair is the $100 deductible. The warranty also covers wear and tear, which some don't.
If she didnt get such a good deal on the car I wouldnt have had her get the warranty. She got the Impala LT1 for $20,100, minus my $3,000 GM Card Rebate which I gave her. So I figured what the heck, GM gave me an extra $1400 off towards the car.

steve333

I'm surprised, usually the price of the warranty goes up later on.
Good thing I negotiated $500 off the API warranty!

yurakm

When my wife and I bought our 2004 Regal, we "bought", or rather received an extended warranty - for free. It was paid by two $500 GM coupons that GM sends to dealerships.

The dealer really wanted to sell the car. It was an out of production model replaced by LaCross, a demo with 6800 NY City miles, with few very minor paint scratches, about 450 days old. On the other hand, we were somewhat afraid to buy a demo without a warranty.

yurakm

She got ..., minus my $3,000 GM Card Rebate which I gave her.

Is it possible to give GM card rebates to relatives? I thought that only an account owner can use them...

dispencer1

I understand that the GM warranty costs more after 12 months or 12,000 miles but as has been said you can negotiate the price. Any GM dealer can sell the warranty on any GM car whether or not they happen to sell that brand. I don't know whether I'll get the warranty on this Chevrolet. I certainly get it on Cadillacs because I always get a Certified one. You can't beat it - 100k miles 6 years, 0 deductible. It would have cost nearly $900 to fix a wind noise on my 03 Deville -the warranty paid for it. I paid an extra $1000 to get the car "certified". That included a new set of four Michelin tires and all the checks done during certification.
I've found that Cadillac dealers are much more interested
in fixing things under warranty with less hassle than are Chevrolet dealers. Certification on other GM cars is a joke -they tack 3 months onto the 36 month warranty. Big deal.

charts2

It would be good business if Chevy increased their powertrain warranty on the Impala to at least 50,000 miles. Many manufactures are already there and some are even higher.

steve333

You can give it to a relative if they have the same address, which I have until this September. It was perfect timing since i can't afford a new car right now.

yurakm

Thank you very much for the information!

I thought about buying a car and selling it to a relative immediately, but with the double sale tax there is no point to do it.

steve333

I believe all GM cars should have at least 60 months on the powertrain.
In fact, if GM wants more buyers they are not going to get them without increasing the warranties across the board, IMHO.

lmpala62

does changing own oil affect warrenty, what oil do you use ?

kw5kw

Kia doesn't have anything on GM anymore:

GM now has 100,000 mile powertrain warranty on all '07 vehicles.

Russ

ryster

KIA's powertrain warranty is 10yrs/100,000miles. GM is 5yr/100,000miles. The GM powertrain warranty will be done in 5yrs (and probably less than 100,000 miles) while the average KIA driver will be covered all the way to 100,000 miles. Assuming the average driver goes 12-15K miles per year, the KIA warranty will last 7 to 8 years.

The Impala base prices increased anywhere from 2%-6% for '07. Probably somewhat due to the increased warranty coverage (in addition to some new standard features in the LTZ and SS models).

The powertrains on these cars are probably pretty good. GM wouldn't increase the warranty, and open themselves up for higher warranty costs, if they weren't confident their exposure is limited. They also wouldn't do it at no cost to the consumer

If GM really wants to make a statement, they would offer a 5yr/60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper including routine maintenance (oil changes, wiper blades) but exclude major wear items such as tires and brakes. That would mean a lot more to consumers than a lengthy powertrain warranty that will most likely pass without being used.

jaxs1

I wouldn't be surprised if the service departments greatly exaggerate the price and and maybe even the extent of the repairs when they write up your copy of the invoice.
When you look at the high dollar amount you have "saved" by buying the extended warranty, you will tell others about it and buy another warranty from them the next time you buy a car.

A marketing technique.

Car dealerships certainly have done and still do worse things than this, so it is not that unlikely.

They can write any amount since you aren't paying it. The warranty may have only paid them an hour or two of a pre-negotiated discounted rate labor charge to fix a wind noise, but they might pencil whip $900 as the value of the repair and you have no way of knowing or no real desire to verify or question it (since the warranty is covering it) and instead think to yourself: "Wow! I am so smart/lucky to have paid for this great extended warranty so I can get all these free repairs now! "

steve333

I hope you made sure this is a legit site because GM doesnt sell for a penny less than list price for their warranties.

steve333

Update-API is bankrupt and the extended warranty is now worthless. Thanks to Huntington Chevrolet, whose finance manager talked us into buying this POS over GMs warranty, whixh is what I wanted in the first place.
GM refuses to intervene at all.
Should my next car be bought from Chevy or any other GM dealer?

mitzij

Update-API is bankrupt and the extended warranty is now worthless. Thanks to Huntington Chevrolet, whose finance manager talked us into buying this POS over GMs warranty, which is what I wanted in the first place. So it's their fault you bought something you didn't want? Your previous post (#19-this thread) reflects no strong-arming on the dealer's part. At the time, you thought you were getting the better deal, above and beyond Chevy's 'crappie warranty'. You even checked out a third service contract company before buying API.

GM refuses to intervene at all.
Should it? GM has no dog in the fight. A franchisee sold a contract that GM has no involvement in. You might have some recourse through the dealer. Read your contract carefully. If there is mention that the dealer shares responsibility, you may get some repairs paid for by them.

Should my next car be bought from Chevy or any other GM dealer?
I'd be showing my bias if I said yes! Many dealers, be they Honda, Chevy, Toyota, or Ford, will try to sell a third-party contract over a manufacturer-backed one any day. They make more profit off third-party contracts.

steve333

The dealer is only honoring the warranty by doing repairs there-in NY. My mother lives is San Diego now.
I think GM should get involved as their dealers represent GM. GM gets involved with service at the dealer, I see no reason why this should be any different. At least they should offer her a GM warranty and then get the money from the dealer.

mitzij

Let's say the dealership has a Coke machine in their office, and you buy a drink. You take it home, and a few days later, you pop the top and find a big bug floating in your Sprite. Do you blame General Motors? The Dealership? or does the blame lie with Coca Cola? The dealership contracts with Coke to supply the machine/product. They make a profit from the sales. The dealership franchises with GM to sell cars.

Is it GM's fault you got a bug in your Sprite? Of course not. GM has no control over what another company does. GM's contract with the dealer is in regards to selling cars, not Cokes, or (non-GM) service contracts. Is it the Dealer's fault? How was the dealer to know there would be a problem with your drink? They don't control production, they just get a cut of the sale because they supply the space for the machine.

It's not GM's fault, or the dealer's fault, that your service contract company went bankrupt and left you with an expensive, useless, contract.

steve333

Considering in this case we asked for a GM warranty and he goaded us non stop into buying the API warranty, even going as far as saying the big advantage is that we wouldnt have to take the car to their dealer to get it fixed we could go anywhere. I find that a little odd. He pushed the warranty on us, and even though the fault lies ultimately with us for signing it, it was done under duress and with him pushing that warranty over GMs. GM makes money on their warranties, GM wants customers to use their service, and this dealer who is selling GM products basically talked us out of GMs own warranty.
So, yes, I think GM should be getting involved on our behalf.

mitzij

Your previous posts:
(#15)
My mother got a 7 year warranty from a company that wasnt GM, and from the dealer. He actually pushed this one over GMs. I was hesitant to tell my mother to get it but she will keep this car forever, so I figured for $1400 it would be a decent deal. I talked him down from $1900. Her favorite service station also accepts this warranty and said they have never had an issue with them.
Also, if she never needs to use the warranty, after 7 years she gets the entire $1400 back.
Peace of mind I guess. Its easier to pay off the $1400 over the life of the loan than for her to come up with a ton of money if something should ever happen.
(#19)
They charge more for the warranty if you do it that way.
I got my mom a 7 year API Warranty for $1400. So basically its 4 yrs tacked on to Chevy's crappy warranty. With API she can go to her Firestone dealer and have the work done if she needs it. Closer by than the dealer, better hours, drive home service, AAA Station. I also considered the AAA Extended Warranty.
This is going to be her last car, she wants it to last, and she doesnt want any surprises down the road. She may or may not need it, but she knows after the 3 year GM warranty is up all she will ever have to pay for a major repair is the $100 deductible. The warranty also covers wear and tear, which some don't.
If she didnt get such a good deal on the car I wouldnt have had her get the warranty. She got the Impala LT1 for $20,100, minus my $3,000 GM Card Rebate which I gave her. So I figured what the heck, GM gave me an extra $1400 off towards the car.

Hardly the language of a man 'goaded' into buying a certain service contract. You weighed the options, you even checked out another third-party company, you seem proud that you got a good price for your mother. You brag that you talked the guy down a few hundred bucks. You were happy with your decision back then, don't decide now that you were coerced. This was 100% your decision. If you don't know enough to realize that the finance man is going to push the contract that makes him the most money, perhaps you should not 'help' your mother (or anyone else) buy cars in the future. No salesperson has your best interests at heart-he's trying to make money.

steve333

I guess at the time I was pleased because that dealers service center was so bad. After her first service where they did nothing on the car and even scratched it to boot I became pleased that we didnt have to go back there again-Huntington Chevrolet-worst service dept. ever.
Now she's screwed since the car is in SD and API is bankrupt.

mitzij

Now she's screwed since the car is in SD and API is bankrupt.

Which has nothing to do with Huntington Chevrolet. You just want to blame somebody, rather than blaming the person who signed the contract.

mitzij

Do you want me to say: Yes! it's GM's fault! they should unwind the deal! Give you a GMPP contract! Give you a new car! Buy you a house!
Ain't gonna happen.
You posted. I gave you a dose of reality.

I work for a dealership, but never heard of Huntington Chev until your post.
I believe there's something in the membership agreement on this site about calling people names.

I'm just trying to get you to stop blaming third parties when you bought a dud service contract of your own volition.


If you had heeded the warnings (many of which I wrote) on this site, and not bought a third-party service contract, you'd not be in the pickle in which you find yourself. That's not my fault, not the dealership's fault, and definitely not GM's fault.

steve333

Thats fine, but if someone came on and said they were out $1400 I'd be a tad supportive.
The dealer did pressure sell the warranty and yes we're to blame for signing it and I admit I did try and convince myself that we did the right thing, but when someone goes into a GM dealer and requests a GM warranty thats what they should get. Buying a car is a pressure situation and I thought GM would be surprised to hear that the dealer put down GM's own warranty in favor of a third party. They were not pleased about it, but like you said they wouldnt be able to do anything about it.
Lesson to all out there-NEVER buy a Third Party Warranty.

mitzij

Thats fine, but if someone came on and said they were out $1400 I'd be a tad supportive.
My first response to you was supportive-I suggested you find out if the dealer was responsible via your contract. You treated that advice with the same attitude you treated my (an others') advice two years ago when you bought the contract. I recall one poster even warned you that API could go bankrupt.

I have great sympathy for people who are taken advantage of, but when they allow themselves to be snookered in spite of excellent advice, my sympathy wanes.

We've got a couple who bought a new Malibu here. They are very nice, very old people. Their car is 4 years old, has all of 6500 miles on it. My service manager makes a trip to their house about twice a year to charge the battery for them (for free). Mrs. Malibu showed up a few months ago with a shiny new service contract, she paid $2600 for it.She needs a service contract like she needs a hole in her head. (the boss will goodwill any repairs it needs for as long as he can) It broke my heart to see, though there's nothing I can do except encourage cancellation. One of those fly-by-night companies that auto-calls people got ahold of her and convinced her to buy. If she'd called me, I could have saved her $2600.

Lesson to all out there-NEVER buy a Third Party Warranty.
The smartest thing you've said all month.

lightning23

When inquiring about extended warranties in these forums some time ago, the name and website of a dealership in Penn. was given as a wholesaler whose prices on the GM Protection Plans were very attractive (Black Pontiac Cadillac GM Outlet ~ http://www.gmoutlet.com ) My question is this: has anyone ever conducted business with them and if so - how was the experience? The western Pennsylvania BBB site has them listed as not receiving any complaints ("...does not have an unusual volume or pattern of complaints, or any government actions involving its marketplace conduct. The BBB understands and has no concerns about the business' products services and type of business. The BBB processed no complaints about this business in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period.)

Does anyone have any information they could add in regards to this dealer OR any other options to purchase the GMPP (at attractive prices?).

Best Regards,

Brian

hawkman

Funny you should mention them bacause I was going to (probably still will in a few months) get their warranty. I haven't heard anything negative or positive about them, BUT - the GM warranty is like a store product insomuch as it doesn't matter where you get it - it will be honored at any GM dealership service department. Asumming of course that they (GM) stay in business.

Thanks for the question. Anyone buy from them?

lightning23

For what it is worth - I made the rounds this afternoon to some local GM dealerships in regards to GMPP prices (as my intent was, if at all possible, to support a local business before going to one out of state). Out of 3 dealerships I stopped at 1 stopped just short of calling me a liar when I told him of the wholesalers price and wouldn't work with me any more (and I won't be going back there again!), the second suggested that I buy a new car as to get further warranty coverage (uh, sure) and the 3rd was willing to work with me on the pricing and ended up matching the wholesalers price - much to my surprise!

Lesson learned: give the local businesses a chance, be honest and cordial with them and see what they are willing to do!

-Brian

wlbrown9

One difference. Here in TN if you buy locally, even if they match the sales prices, you pay 9.125% sales tax. So, just assuming round figures, your $1000 GMPP bought locally totals $1091.25 while buying off the internet out of state costs you $1000...of course, most states require that you send them the tax on out of state purchases, so it would be even :-)

lightning23

The sales tax scenario you bring up is one I didn't even think of. Thankfully we are fortunate that here in Minnesota there is no tax on Warranty/Service contracts!

Good reading: http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-2604-m-2-sc-59-sales_tax_on_the_inter- net_who_pays_it_who_doesnt-i

wlbrown9

Yep... Every state is pretty much different on taxes. TN is fortunate that we have been able to avoid having a state INCOME tax so the sales tax is high to try and make up for that.

sdeng

Here is mine story.

1. On 2/27/2010 I bought the 2009 Impala CPO with 38781 miles on it, specifically asked the financial manager with Community Chevrolet if there is any deductible, answer was NO. But it actually came with $100 deductible.

2. The CPO car came with 12000mile/12month as certified vehicle, and I purchased 32000mile/48month GMPP Major Guard protection. Again the financial manager with Community Chevrolet told us the car would still be in coverage till 2/27/2015 or at 82781 miles. So it will start after the certified warranty runs out. I think that is a logical explanation. Just to find out that the coverage I purchased only covers up to 2/27/2014 or at 70781. In fact, it costs $1800 for 20000mile/36month.

3. When I got the booklet, sent emails on 05/18/2010 to the sale person, financial manager, and sales manager asking to cancel the policy, the dealership seems to be nonexistence.

Call GMPP, they were saying that it is MY FAULT that signed a document that I didn’t understand. Had to admit that I was trick by the straight and simple lies from the seemingly friendly ppl in the dealership. Other than saying it is a scam to rip you off, with the GMPP running side by side with the factory warranty for CPO, what is the point? And both GMPP and ppl in the dealership try to hide that fact.