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Chrysler Lifetime Bumper to Bumper Warranty

35K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  DodgeCares 
#1 ·
Just curious to see what some of your thoughts are on the Chrysler lifetime bumper to bumper extended warranty is.

I have always been a GM guy and have had about 12 GM trucks and loved every one of them except the 08 that I last had. It was a piece of junk and GM wouldn't stand behind it. So a buddy of mine is the assistant sales manager at my local dealership and he talked me into a brand new 2010 4x4. I absolutely love the truck!

I have never purchased any extended warranties because I was always told that they never cover everything and it is a waste of money. When I bought this truck and my wifes 2011 Grand Cherokee I ended up buying the Chrysler LIFETIME BUMPER TO BUMPER warranty. I drive 50-55K miles a year and thought maybe it would pay off? Just figured if it was bumper to bumper it would be worth it?! They told me it was the same bumper to bumper warranty when buying new.

Did I get hosed or do you think it was a smart move?
 
#2 ·
probably got hosed if you purchased from dealer. a few online DCJ dealers sell online for about 40% off.
the extended warranties are extremely worth the money if:
1. you are planning to keep the vehicle for the balance of the warranty (lifetime - more than 7 years)
2. you believe fiat or whoever owns the DCJ nameplate will be solvent in the future
i would say that the service vehicle coverage alone has been saved me enough money to cover the cheapest warranty - around $600.
 
#3 ·
I also wouldn't do any modifications just to be sure the warranty is upheld, I'm sure that there is fine print somewhere.
 
#4 ·
I plan on keeping the truck and paying it off. I have a 5 year note so that means I will have a minimum of 250K miles on it when I get it paid off. Typically I trade in at 2-3 years to try and avoid high milage issues. So I am going to pay this one off and keep it since it won't be worth anything and then go buy me a new 1 ton cummins to keep in the garage as a second vehicle and keep this one as my daily driver. I am sure I will put the warranty to test with Chrysler!
 
#5 ·
I also put on quite a bit of mileage, so I bought the MaxCare Lifetime warranty when I bought the truck. So far, so good, I have not had one warranty issue yet (still under factory warranty right now-21k miles). Almost all of my GM's have had some warranty issue in the first 20k so I am hoping this is a good sign!
 
#6 ·
If you put that many miles on it that fast I think it just might be worth it. If you use it to pay for a new tranny, yep, it's worth it.
 
#7 ·
Ive purchased two of these so far. The max care is the best bang for your buck if you are keeping it for a long time. I got the one with the 100 dollar deductible, but they do have a zero deductible one as well.

Just keep up on the scheduled maintenance and you will be sitting nice for a while. On my 07, I had a rear diff replaced, power steering pump replaced, and a transmission replaced, all were no questions asked. I did have maintenance records in case. I have not had to use it on our 2010's yet, but as long as its not obvious abuse or mods, most dealers take care of it. (they get paid for it by Chrysler service contractors)

With your yearly mileage, im sure you will get a new or rebuilt transmission or two, ac compressor, and few other parts. It will pay for itself!
 
#8 ·
I think you did the right thing. You got a warranty that covers just about everything. That's good! It's when you spend money on extended warranties that only cover certain parts (usually the ones that don't break). Meanwhile, those stupid little things that AREN'T covered keeping adding up.

I don't put on nearly as many miles as you, but I just purchased an extended warranty on-line for my 08. Basically extending everything for another 3yr/30K (that's how much longer I'll keep it) It cost me $1200 and it's a $0 deductible. I think of it as money set aside in advance and peace of mind that I will ONLY pay a total of $1200 should there happen to be a lot of repairs.

(knock on wood) This truck has been absolutely trouble free for 27K. It's solid! I would be fine if nothing breaks and that $1200 ended up being a waste.
 
#9 ·
I do all of my maintenance at my local dealer and I have a file of all of the things that they have done in my filing cabinet. They actually argue with me about me changing my oil every 3k miles, they keep telling me that I don't need to do it until 5k miles. Either way I am in the dealership getting my fluids and tires rotated every 3K miles. With the miles that I put on I am in there once a month getting this stuff done! I will burn the place down if they ever try to claim lack of maintanance on me! I am pretty anal about my vehicles and my toys in the garage.

I am wanting to lift the truck so I am planning on having them do their "mopar" 4" lift so if something happens they will be less likely to mess with me. It sucks to spend the money with them when one of your best friends own a truck accessorie shop and I can get the lift at cost and he would let me do it in his shop at no cost. But I would rather spend the money with the dealership since I plan on never getting rid of the truck. Hell my plan is to try and bankrupt Chrysler with this lifetime warranty. I laughed when they told me I could get a lifetime warranty and the F&I lady couldn't figure out why I had an evil laugh!
 
#10 ·
Gedo,

Let me start by saying that to try and answer if buying the Service Contract was a smart move or not cannot really be answered by anyone but you. I have dealt with many customers who considered it a bad move because they never had to use it. So I guess it's all based on your prerogative. Let me state some facts that might help you decide for yourself.

First off there is no such thing as a bumper to bumper service contract from Chrysler or anyone else that I have ever heard of. Covering everything? Never. If your dealer told you it covers the same as the vehicles basic warranty they lied.

Now lets get to the facts.

What plan did you purchase? Was it a Maximum Care, Added Care, or Powertrain Care plan? The Maximum Care plan is the top of the line and it goes down from there. I will assume for my comments that you have a Maximum Care Plan.

Maximum care plans cover everything mechanically and electrically on the vehicle besides wear and maintenance items. Wear and maintenance being things such as brake pads, bulbs, hoses, plugs, filters and the like. No paint, glass, trim, and items like that are covered at anytime on any plan. These are things the 3/36 may cover but the contract will not.

What does Lifetime mean? It means that as long as your repair is less than the value of the vehicle the contract will cover it. Once the repair cost is greater than the value of the vehicle, Chrysler Service Contracts will pay you the value of your vehicle and the contract is over. This is all stated in the plan provisions you should have received within 14 days of purchase. If you didn't you should go to Servicecontracts.chrysler.com to order a copy.

These service contracts also cover things your warranty does not cover such as paying for a rental while vehicle is in the shop. It also covers trip interruption which will pay for meals,lodging and the like up to $1000 when you are more than 100 miles from home.

The decision to buy or not buy a service contract varies per individual. Many do it yourselfers consider them a ripoff and many non tech types swear by them. You must decide for yourself. My biggest issue would be price. Besides the state of Florida, these contracts are all negotiable as to price. If you get a good deal why not buy one? The web site I listed above is a good place to start as far as getting the MSRP price. You can negotiate from there. As long as its a Chrysler Service Contract it will be honored at any Chrysler dealer in the U.S. no matter where you buy it. And remember, these things can be cancelled at any time as long as it's not expired. If you sell the vehicle and have coverage remaining you will get a pro-rated refund. If you have any other Chrysler Service Contract questions please feel free to PM me with them and your VIN and I will answer them for you as soon as I can.
 
#12 ·
Glad to have ya in camp. I was super lucky

as mine came with the lifetime warranty for free(Only done in 09 as far as I can tell)and being 70,I will most likely keep her for ever or until I go,then,I will simply add wings,give her a real run up thru the clouds and take God for a ride altho,we all know he already has a Hemi ! LOL
 
#21 ·
as mine came with the lifetime warranty for free(Only done in 09 as far as I can tell)and being 70,I will most likely keep her for ever or until I go,then,I will simply add wings,give her a real run up thru the clouds and take God for a ride altho,we all know he already has a Hemi ! LOL
Heminut,

The Lifetime Powertrain Warranty started on 7/26/2007 for the 2007 model year through the 2009 model year. This covers powertrain only. As a side note to this, to keep that Lifetime Powertrain Warranty active your vehicle must be inspected every 5 years at a Chrysler dealer and that inspection should be free of charge.
 
#13 ·
When I bought my truck (Canada) I bought two extra warranties with it. I bought the "Gold 411" which covers powertrain and bumper-to-bumper for 5 years or 200 000 kms. This was $4600 and the second one I bought was $1000, and covers paint repairs for 50 years (fixed every two years), undercoating for 50 years (done as needed) and covers leather and covers upholstery for 5 years. I think it will pay off in the end as I've already put on 42,000 kilometres on it since January 2011.
 
#14 ·
Waste of money in my opinion...

If the truck has something go so wrong I can't afford to pay for it the truck will no longer be sitting in my driveway.This is the main reason I pay cash for vehicles.

Extended service plans are like a waiter asking you if you would like to start dinner with an appetizer or a drink from the bar. It's an upsale so the guy can put some extra cash in his pocket.

My salesman has gotten so used to my ways that he tells the finance guys to not even bother offering me anything! hahahahaha
 
#15 ·
most 3rd party ones can be sketchy. Also depends on who buys it. For people who want and will keep it for many many years, it can be very well worth it. My last one on my 07 ram paid for itself when I needed the new transmission. For the person who drives minimal miles or plans on trading in, then yes, it can be a waste of money. Chrysler, and other warranty companies know this and also know most people dont cancel the warranty and get reimbursed the pro rated amount and make bank. :)

For me, its not that I cant afford a new $3k transmission, but I like paying $100 instead. Throw a rod, $100 dollars.
 
#16 ·
Just like health insurance. You might need it. You might not.
 
#17 ·
I have been a tech in Jeep-Dodge-Chrysler Dealers for 30 years... Anyone planning on keeping there car/truck for a long time or puts high mileage on it should buy a max care plan.... As a tech i might not make as much working on it for warranty time but it beats having the customer tow the vehicle out to an independent shop and only getting check out...

My 09 came with Lifetime Power Train and I added the Lifetime Unlimited mile Max care... Hard to beat getting payed to work on your own vehicle.. :D
 
#18 ·
When you pay for this your betting that your need it and they're betting you don't use it... a gamble step right up and play!!
 
#19 ·
We have the max care on our Journey... It has paid for itself already. The only drawback is having to do all oil changes at the dealer. Otherwise, we have 85K miles on it and will probably put another 85K befor we sell it.... I would do it again if the price was right... we got over 1K off the price when we got our Journey... just my .02
 
#20 ·
You don't have to do all your oil changes or maintenance at the dealership, you just have to keep documentation that it is done. If you keep receipts for the purchase of the materials and a log of what is done, that is supposed to be adequate, at least according to my dealership and what I can tell from reading the terms of the warranty I received.
 
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