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Comments
I called Honda Care and when I asked them about my warranty, they said I could get a full refund in the first two months after purchase. However, if I wanted to buy another Honda Care policy on my new vehicle, it would have to be done within 30 days of the original vehicle purchase date. After that date, they would not allow me to cancel one Honda Care policy and then purchase another Honda Care policy on the same vehicle - my only option would be to get a third market extended warranty, which we did not want to do. They also said that we could not buy a new Honda Care policy until the old one had been cancelled, since their system would not allow two policies on the same VIN number. So I had to cancel my old one and buy a new one in the first 30 days. They directed me to my original dealer to complete a "Cancellation Request Form."
Before we made our decision, I decided to see if I could actually buy the warranty from My Honda Warranty or from Bernardi Warranty since there seems to be some confusion about getting these online, especially in California and Florida. The price of the 84 month 100,000 mile $0 deductible extended warranty on my new 2008 Honda CRV was $785.00 on both of these websites, a savings of $615.00 from the $1,400.00 I had paid at the dealer. I called both vendors but unfortunately, both told me that they COULD NOT sell the Honda Care extended warranty to me since I live in California, due to a court injunction and California insurance laws.
I started calling all the local dealers, who were not very accommodating. Many did not want to give prices on the phone, some directed me back to my selling dealer, and others quoted really high prices. I was just about to give up when I discovered a dealer in El Monte, CA called Spirit Honda. I spoke to their Finance Department and explained that the warranty costs only $785.00 online. They told me that $785 was their cost and they did not understand how it could be sold at dealer cost online. They offered to sell me the same policy for $885.00 so they would make $100.00 and I would still save $515.00. DEAL!!!
I was worried that they might not honor the price, they might be giving me a third party warranty, etc., but decided to just trust them (for once) and proceed anyway. I cancelled my old extended warranty by filling out the cancellation request form at my original dealer. I called Honda Care to expedite the cancellation (they were very nice.) Then I called Spirit Honda in El Monte and handled all the paperwork over the phone and via FAX. They assured me I would get the Honda Care warranty (not third party), 84 months, 100,000 miles and no deductible - the same thing I had before. We completed the transaction, and then I waited to get my Honda Care Welcome kit and my $1400.00 refund on the old warranty before I wrote this message.
I have since received both the official Honda Care Welcome kit and the $1400 refund and everything is great. Now, we have the same exact coverage as before, but we paid $515 less !!!
If you live in California and want to contact Spirit Honda in El Monte, CA, go to their website at spirithonda.com for contact information. Their address is 3464 N Peck Rd El Monte, CA 91731. Edmunds would not allow me to post the name and phone number of the person I dealt with, so if you need that information you will have to try to contact me somehow, then I can give it to you.
By the way, I decided to keep my Honda Value Care Plan for the free oil changes since it was relatively inexpensive.
Thanks again everyone for all your help. This forum saved me $515.00 and even though that is not a lot of money to some people, it is to me and my family.
While getting the Pilot serviced a while back, I noticed a "Supply and Demand" charge on most of the new Hondas. It was over $1700. That was in addition to the "Protection" package. There were a few people getting cars serviced , but I was pretty much the only person walking around in the new car areas. Their huge inventory suggested that sticker should have reflected a $1700 discount as their supply was far greater than the demand.
In feel that all the above "haggle items" should be made illegal, because there are unsuspecting people that don't know any better. In my opinion, cars should have the selling price on the window. Period. No haggling on the purchase.
Haggling would be reserved for the "trade in" allowance.
Kip
I purchased new 2008 Honda CRV AWD in SantaClara, California. During the purchase of the car, finance department offered me “CAREFREE CAR PROTECTION” for 6 years or 100K miles for $2100 with platinum coverage. Dealer said I will be getting entire $2100 back if I wouldn’t use this protection from beginning of 4rth year to end of 6th year.
They offered me this cash back only if I purchase this on the day the car was bought; if I have to buy this later no refund option is available.
Could you please let me know if the $2100 is the best price for “CAREFREE CAR PROTECTION” and also is it worth buying this protection for a brand new car?
Are there any other options available?
I appreciate the responses, as I have few more days to cancel the policy with full refund.
Thanks,
Mahesh
Platinum Coverage - do they really put platinum to cover your car? I think 24K gold (currently $900/oz.) is just fine for me.
Rental car coverage, Towing coverage, Travel breakdown(hotel expenses), Diagnostic coverage etc...
Silver and Gold includes the following coverage:
Cooling, Fuel, air conditioning, Steering, Front suspension, Rear Suspension, Electrical.
I am just wondering if any one has bought "Care free Car protection", if yes how much is the amount paid?
Is honda care is better than this?
Thanks
I'm not sure what "CAREFREE CAR PROTECTION” is, but it sounds a lot like the Honda Care Extended Warranty.
I also have a 2008 Honda CRV (but not the AWD model - just the base model.) I got the 7 year 100,000 mile coverage for $885 (see my earlier post) and it has a zero dollar deductible and also includes Rental Vehicle Reimbursement, Trip Interruption Reimbursement ($100 per day to cover hotel if more than 100 miles away from home), Roadside Assistance including towing, flat tire change, jump start, emergency fuel delivery, lockout assistance, etc. Covered items include Engine, Front, Rear and 4WD axles, Transmission, Chassis - Suspension, steering and braking system, fuel system, computers and electronics, Air Conditioning, Heating and Cooling systems, honda electronics, etc. So I don't see much difference in what you are getting.
The only difference I could tell of what you have and what I have is the "refund" option if you don't use it. The Honda Care extended warranty allows a full refund in the first 60 days, after that, if you ask for a refund, it's pro-rated. With your Platinum coverage, it seems like the only way you'll get a refund is if you never use it. If that's the case, why would you want it anyway? It's like giving the dealer an Interest-free loan! For example, let's say something breaks in year 4 (i.e., Air Conditioner) and you find out it will cost $500 to fix it - if you use the warranty, you'll lose all $2,100 you paid. If you don't, there's $500 out of your pocket. Then if you have more breakdowns (radio, suspension, etc.) you'll have to decide each time if it's better to pay yourself or relinquish you rights to a refund. To me, that sounds like a bad deal.
I think you should either get a Honda Care extended warranty for much cheaper (like the $885.00 I paid) or not get anything at all. My advice is for you to get your $2,100 back as soon as possible!
Kip
Thanks again.
Could you advise how I can contact you for more detail information about spirithonda? Thanks.
Thanks for your prompt response. I got into a similar situation as you and bought the Honda Care EW at an outrageous high price $21xx. I am going to return it tomorrow anyway. But according to your post, if I still want to get the EW, I have to buy one within one month. Is that right? BTW, please check my email address and send me more info about the person at spirit honda. Thanks again.
Paulinca - I would appreciate if you could e-mail me the person who you dealt with at Spirit Honda.
Thanks!
Thanks for the email - I sent you the name and numbers I have for the Spirit Honda representative.
By the way, before you call Spirit Honda, check online to see what the warranty should cost for your vehicle at the websites mentioned earlier in these posts. Then you will have a starting price to work with when you call Spirit.
Good luck - let me know how it goes.
Thanks
rtkerr@sbcglobal.net
But then they got to earn interest on our $$$ and that was ok with us.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
where did you get your warranty?
what websites did you look at?
is it the same exact warranty as the honda dealer would give you?
honda dealers are not calling me back pertaining to the warranty.
Thanks for all you help,
thepower124@optonline.net
Our 03 Pilot has 36K+ miles on the clock right now.
I've had an ongoing problem with a check engine light that comes on every once in a while for the last few months. Error code is P1457 which could involve the gas cap not tight. Generally I just turn the light off and tighten the gas cap and the light doesn't return for a while. But it does return and doesn't coincide with gas fill ups.
I was at my Honda dealer yesterday from 1:30 pm till 4:30 pm. The Error Code P1457 covers a lot of area dealing with the fuel evaporative system. That starts with the gas cap and goes through a lot of stuff before terminating at the evaporative canister. . They didn't really find anything wrong. They did a lot of checks and tightening of components. Won't know if the problem is fixed for a while. Because it only happens every once in a while.
A couple of years ago it appeared the torque converter was self destructing. Car would jerk and buck violently at around 50 mph when the TC was trying to lock up. There were no error codes, and Honda tech support was baffled and no help to the dealer.
It took nearly 2 days to discover a sluggish EGR valve. Seems it does some stuff with the engine as the torque converter is locking. What we were feeling was the engine bucking and jerking, but felt more like the tranny. As I said, there were no error codes.
There were in the neighborhood of 8-10 hours technician time and a rental car involved.
Point is, that while they are looking, the $$$ clock is running at somewhere in the $100 per hour range. The "Honda Care" Extended warranty is and has payed the bill.
The wifes 03 CR-V destroyed the inside of the AC compressor, last summer. Factory warranty had expired June of '06. They said the entire AC system would need replacing due to particles floating around inside it. Price would be in the $3000 range. Then a few weeks ago, she had a check engine light. Turned out to be an 02 sensor. Replacement cost in the $300-$500 range. Her extended warranty covered both.
My son's Suburban destroyed the tranny at 66K miles and his extended warranty fixed it.
There is the group that says, it is a Honda, or a Toyota and "Shouldn't Break". There are those that drive 100K+ miles without a single problem. But if or when a problem does appear, it can be very expensive to repair. The savings on repair bills have more than paid for the EW on both our cars and my son's car.
You are looking at $23 a month or 1.5 cents per mile for health insurance on your Pilot.
In my opinion there are just too many things that can go wrong with these new cars to not have the extended warranty. I look at it as a health insurance policy on the car. I won't leave the dealer without one.
I've carried insurance on my homes for 40+ years and have made a claim for one tree hit by lighten for which I was paid $175. I've just filled a claim for hail damage to the roof in the last two weeks. Those two items will not even come close to what I've paid out. Yet I will continue to pay for it year after year.
Just some thoughts.
Kip
I just bought an Odyssey EXL with 7yr/80K EW. Paid $27400 for EXL and paid $1000 for EW. I live in Milpitas, CA. I tried many sites to buy warranty online, but they don't sell in CA. at $1000, I think it was not a bad deal.
Any thoughts?
We just bought a new 09 odyssey for 27,100 and dealer presented warranty for over $2,000. I negotiated 8 yr/ 120k warranty for $1,525. I had a '00 Odyssey with a third party warranty that cost me $900 back then. I have not had Hondacare in the past.
1) What are your impressions of Hondacare?
2) Do you think my price was worth it? I can still cancel.
Thanks in advance.
Wayne
Is it worth paying $583 dollars for 28 month, 49K miles? Does the Odyssey really break down that much before 100K miles?
So, my local Honda dealer wants $105 for labor plus 6.95 per bulb to replace them. That's spendy... :mad:
Is the Honda Care Warranty fully refundable if it runs its entire term and is never used?
I am thinking of getting the 8yr 100k coverage so its likley i would need it at some point but wanted to clarify this part.
Thanks,
BUT...a dealer in Jay Honda in OHIO said they can sell me the HC. Is this right?
Curry Honda in MA is one that I have found. This one is mentioned here, who are the others and what are your experiences???
He applied all of his "discounts" and brought the price down to "only" $1995. Ridiculous. Found the same plan through Sacucci Honda (http://www.saccuccihondacare.com) for $750, and a 72 Mo/120K plan for $1,015. Don't succumb to the pressure by the finance manager. Go online and find a deal.
To get a price, go to Saccucci Honda or Bernardi Honda. Please note, for both websites you'll have to choose a state other than FL or CA and give a valid email address for them to send you a quote via email. You used to be able to get the HondaCare quotes directly online, but I guess they want contact information now. Neither of these are in California, and they cannot sell to you if you are in California, but at least you'll get a starting point for your price.
Make sure you insist on Genuine HondaCare, not one of their own in-house warranties when you call dealers here in California. To see what a genuine HondaCare Application looks like, click here. If your application does not look like that, then you're probably not getting genuine HondaCare.
If you find a dealer in CA willing to negotiate a price close to what's mentioned above, let him/her know that you can post it here and get them lots more customers. Since I've submitted my post 2 years ago, I've had over 20 folks email me for the contact info for my guy. I don't know how many secured a contract with him before he left, but if they all did and he got $100 each, he made a quick and easy $2K. And probably many others just looked up the phone number themselves. Maybe he made $5K.
Sorry I can't help you anymore, but I hope that Honda gets a clue and stops ripping folks off on these warranties. Otherwise, I would guess that people will most likely look at other car manufacturers that have more consistent policies on pricing.
http://www.saccuccihondacare.com/