[milfordguy]

Hopefully this is an OK forum for this, but bought new Land Rover Discovery and they are selling pre-paid maintenance for $1955. I went ahead and bought it but now having second thoughts. It covers the basics (change, lube, etc) and you get 1 maintenance per year. Just looking for advice. I would pay now if it means I come out even but I don't want to be ripped off. Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[reverendALC]

I've never had success with an aftermarket warranty. I've tried a few times... they spring it on you when you're excited and hurried and don't read closely enough... stuff that's covered never really breaks, stuff that breaks isn't covered... and even in a complete/catastrophic engine failure, you're still on the hook for half the bill.

 

[tyl604]

In theory you get a guarantee when you buy a new one (and you will need it). However how many years extra do you get for $1995? While in general I agree that the after market warranties are bad, $2K is not going to dent you much.

 

[reverendALC]

the only way this prepaid maintenance can possibly pencil out, is this:

dealer charges X for "covered" services, which they have, say... 30% margin on
dealer/contract provider knows you'll find the services for cheaper elsewhere, so offers prepaid service for X-15%
the 15% margin they lost actually secures them the additional 15% margin that they were never going to receive in the first place

in this model, you very well may save the % advertised (I made those numbers up), however the devil's in the details... read the fine print, make sure they don't nickel and dime the difference with non-covered consumables, disposal fees, etc etc.

one thing to always have in the back of your mind is that dealerships need lots of money to keep the lights on, and they're not in the habit of leaving money on the table. the more convoluted and confusing they can make their offerings, the easier it is to get extra money in the process.

 

[milfordguy]

Super helpful. I think I am going to take a pass on it.