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Ford Escape Hybrid Extended Service Plans
When I bought a 2007 FEH in July 2006, the dealer told me that Ford provided a 3yr/36k mile Manufacturers Warranty & convinced me to buy an ESP for an extra $1948 to extend coverage to 60 mos / 60K miles.
I soon learned that all '07 Fords have the extra Powertrain Warranty already. I demamded that the ESP be cancelled within 60 days of purchase to get a full refund of the extra Premium.
I have since learned that California Law prohibits the purchase of an ESP type warranty from any party other than the Dealer. California does not regulate what prices the dealer can charge for these ESP warranties.
California law does allow for the purchase of a Mechanical Breakdown Insurance policy from a third party, even from an online site, provided the selling party is Licensed with the California Dept of Insurance. I quickly found 2 such website MBI providers both of which are registered with the CDI and licensed. Both sites encourage that such policies cover not just "breakdowns" of parts & systems but also "wear & tear" damage.
Requesting a PremiumCare coverage to supplemenmt the Ford Powertrain Warranty can cost as litle as $850 upward to $1100. The higher priced policies extend coverage beyond 5 years and include coverage for basically everything. the Hybrid components are already covered by Ford separately and for a period longer than 5 years.
My plan is to purchase a Premium MBI policy for the maximum years but for a mileage limit of only 50K or 60K to keep the premium down. I just don't put that many miles on a car. I can also reduce the premium by choosing a deductible of either $100 or $200......I mainly want to cover any major repair that might come up after a few years. With my prior car (a Benz) I had to pay over 3K to fix a breakdown of the AC/Heater system after the Mfgs warrany expired.
Anyone else have similar exasperating & confusing experiences with these Extended Service Plans ? Anyone else familiar with Mechanical Breakdown Ins policies ?
Are they worth a one time premium of up to 1K to cove a needed major repair due to break down or wear & tear occuring after the Ford warranty expires?
Mike Johnson
I soon learned that all '07 Fords have the extra Powertrain Warranty already. I demamded that the ESP be cancelled within 60 days of purchase to get a full refund of the extra Premium.
I have since learned that California Law prohibits the purchase of an ESP type warranty from any party other than the Dealer. California does not regulate what prices the dealer can charge for these ESP warranties.
California law does allow for the purchase of a Mechanical Breakdown Insurance policy from a third party, even from an online site, provided the selling party is Licensed with the California Dept of Insurance. I quickly found 2 such website MBI providers both of which are registered with the CDI and licensed. Both sites encourage that such policies cover not just "breakdowns" of parts & systems but also "wear & tear" damage.
Requesting a PremiumCare coverage to supplemenmt the Ford Powertrain Warranty can cost as litle as $850 upward to $1100. The higher priced policies extend coverage beyond 5 years and include coverage for basically everything. the Hybrid components are already covered by Ford separately and for a period longer than 5 years.
My plan is to purchase a Premium MBI policy for the maximum years but for a mileage limit of only 50K or 60K to keep the premium down. I just don't put that many miles on a car. I can also reduce the premium by choosing a deductible of either $100 or $200......I mainly want to cover any major repair that might come up after a few years. With my prior car (a Benz) I had to pay over 3K to fix a breakdown of the AC/Heater system after the Mfgs warrany expired.
Anyone else have similar exasperating & confusing experiences with these Extended Service Plans ? Anyone else familiar with Mechanical Breakdown Ins policies ?
Are they worth a one time premium of up to 1K to cove a needed major repair due to break down or wear & tear occuring after the Ford warranty expires?
Mike Johnson
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Someone is feeding you a load of bull. The extended warranty is offered by the manufacturor, not the dealer. I know that for my Honda I could have bought via the Internet. As it was, I brought the Internet price in to my Honda dealer, who matched the price - because they knew I could simply purchase the plan on my own if they didn't match pricing. The warranty in question was for 7 years / 100K miles, zero deductable. It was an extended warranty and marketed as such.
I suppose it is possible that Ford dealers aren't allowed (by Ford) to sell warranties except to their direct customers, and that CA requires that only the manufacturor may provide an extended warranty. I'm not a lawyer, just a person who has bought "ESP type" warranties.
Check out this article from the website of the Calif Dept of Ins. http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0100-consumers/0100-insurance-guides/0100-automobile- -series/guide-to-automobile-repair-agreements.cfm#wherehow
I ended up paying the dealer the inflated price for his ESP through GE Warranty which must have a deal with Ford. I have now cancelled it because of the inflated premium.
In researching the purchase of a cheaper policy I learned of the California prohibition against online ESP warranties and that California does allow for a Mechancial Breakdown Ins policy which frankly is just another name for an ESP. I found 3 websites which sell the MBI type of ESP: warrantydirect.com; forwarranties.com; and 5starwarranty.com. All 3 MBI providers are licensed to sell policies in California through the Dept. of Ins.I verified their licenses and BBB standings.
There is a carbuyingtips.com article discussing MBI policies thoroughly and touting warrantydirect.com as the most comprehensive in coverage.See http://www.carbuyingtips.com/warranty.htm
Where I need some input is as to type & length of policy to buy. I lean toward premium coverage to make certain the big expense breakdown items are covered and insist that the policy must coverage damage from "wear & tear" as well as "mechanical reakdown". My queston is does it make sense, since I don't put a lot of miles on the car, to buy a policy for an extended period of coverage (like the 7 year max offered) but for a limited mileage like 60K......this helps keep the premium down and I know that I won't have put on 60K miles at the end of 7 tears.
Sorry for the length of this reply; but I'm too full of information on this subject & need to get it out of my system.
Most internet postings regarding the purchase of an ESP are negative but I disagree provided the ESP you buy supplements the Manufacturer's Warranty and provided that claims can be processed & paid promptly.
I stand by my statement, except that I forgot to mention that the Internet contract was offered by a Honda dealer in another state. Since Honda Extended Care warranties are recognized in CA (Honda USA is the "obligator", operating as "Honda Care", "Honda ESP", or some other name, I expect), and the contract was offered by a dealer, I guess it was legal here. I doubt if my Honda dealer would have honored the price if competition was not present.
Their initial offer of extend service was about $600 more than the Internet price.
I suspect that every Ford dealer would have the same price for their ESP. Honda and Ford have different philosophies about business (and engineering).
I'm sorry, I cannot give any advice on which company to choose. My experience with Honda has been that anyone other than the genuine Honda ESP is risky. However, that may not apply to Fords.
BTW, I almost bought an Escape Hybrid this spring, but opted for the Freestyle instead. Good luck with your search.
I had a similar extended warranty with my Honda Passport that I purchased in 2000 and the way I see it with these waranties: you win if you need to use them, and you win if you don't. It just so happened I got my money's worth with the Honda's warranty within two services.
BTW: The people I got the deal from on line was a brick and mortar dealer in MA. They do Ford products too.
BBTW: Besides going online (easiest - I got the link from one of the Prius forum), you can call around the dealers both in your state or other states. The warranty will come from Toyota USA HQ.
I've got a 2004 with under 36,000 miles I'm considering buying an extended warranty for and I'm not sure I want to spend that kind of money.
Mark.
I bought an 08 about 3 weeks ago. I am not a high mileage driver, so the 6-60 premium plan appealed to me. The price quote, which was suppose to be $10 over employee pricing, was $1100. I balked at the price and the finance guy immediately came back with a $700 price. I accepted that price. I guess the employees get ripped off.
Mark.
Mark.
The site is easy to use and has all the price options for your particular model and circumstances.
For my 2008 FEH 4wd I selected the PremiumCare, 6year, 75,000 mile plan with a $200 deductible. Your personal circumstances should dictate which plan if any you should choose. (Note: your state of residency is required for the pricing. I reside in VA)
I paid the price indicated on the chart for my selection ---$640. My local dealer was not able to match this dealers price. Note: As stated by others on this discussion topic, it really doesn't matter from which Ford Dealer you purchase, as the contract you receive will come from Ford once they verify your particular vehicle etc.
I found one site that will sell me the plan, but 4 years/48,000 miles ExtraCare is priced at $1380, and it requires an inspection by a licensed automotive repair facility at an additional cost. Can I do any better than this?
"Your vehicle must be within its Manafacturer's Warranty to purchase a new ESP plan. Please call 888-318-8534 for used vehicle pricing."
You might try that number...
Since you appear to only make posts for warranty plans, I'm assuming you are a dealer or broker.
I got my ESP at www.myfordwarranty.com. They had the exact same price for the same warranty as the site you suggested, plus you can complete the entire transaction online, without providing any email information and waiting for an email quote. Plus, they offered a deal on first day rental... the warranty was accepted pending Ford official approval, which came in a couple of days. Very easy processing.
Ah, that explains it, all your posts were about one of these two sites. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
I also recommend that everyone at the very least check out the prices on these sites, and take that information to the dealer. If the dealer will match the price, fine. Otherwise, buy the car and then go on line to buy the warranty.
You must read what components are covered in the ESP plans and I only found mention of the Hybrid Battery in the "Premium Care" under "Covered Components", "High Tech",
"Unique Hybrid Vehicle
Components (Excluding High-Voltage Battery and Cables)"
So, sadly it appears the battery is not covered!!!!!
You must read what components are covered in the ESP plans and I only found mention of the Hybrid Battery in the "Premium Care" under "Covered Components", "High Tech",
"Unique Hybrid Vehicle
Components (Excluding High-Voltage Battery and Cables)"
So, sadly it appears the battery is not covered!!!!! "
It is not covered because the Federal government requires a hybrid parts warranty to 8 years / 100K (10 years 150K for CARB states).