I have a Honda warranty on both my Ridgeline and HCH II. Haven't used it yet on the HC but the battery in the RL died. Honda Care will pay for a tow, etc. whereas the standard warranty doesn't cover roadside, etc. this according to my dealer. This is my one gripe with Honda products--no roadside or emergency assistance.

 

I purchased the extended warranty from sacucci. It was the 7 yr 120K one. The car will be fine assuming no major accident, but the probability of software compuetr failure/senors /electronics is distinct and those things for now tend to be expensive and can require more than one trip to get it right.

The warranty adds resale value as well.

 

I didn't get a warranty. It's a waste of $$$...Honda wouldn't offer it if they thought it was worth it to you!!

 

Its widely regarded as a waste of money but if you dont mind parting with the $$$ for peace of mind then why not. Lets not forget its a Honda, not Ford or GM product with a higher rate if 'issues' out of warranty.

I rarely keep cars longer than 4 yrs or 50k miles so its definately not something I worry about.

 

Like many, I've owned Hondas and Acuras for decades and I've kept them for many trouble free years. I had my last daily commuter for 16 years and when I traded it in for the HCH-2 it had nothing wrong with it.

What does this mean to me?

It means that based on my long experience with the brand, an extended warranty is a waste of my money. Since I take very good care of my vehicles by always servicing them at the dealership and using genuine Honda parts, keeping a Honda vehicle for 10+ years is not just possible - It is a certainty.

So yes, I see an extended warranty as a double payment for the same product. I believe that I share this feeling with many other folks who have also owned Honda products for a very long time.

So my recommendation is that if purchasing an extended warranty makes you feel better, particularly if you've owned other brands, then by all means spend the money.

Otherwise, keep that money in your savings account earning some interest. In the future when performing regular maintenance on the car (for normal wear and tear), make sure the repair is done with genuine Honda parts and you'll have that money saved on the side to soften your total cost of ownership.

Moral of my story? Manage your own insurance for the things that the extended warranty does not cover and you'll be ahead especially if you plan on keeping the car for many years.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

Not to sound like a salesman, but for about $20 per month, you assure yourself of no cost for virtually any repairs for up to 8 years. Not a bad deal.

Plus Free oil changes... Free car rental... Free roadside assistance... SUCH A DEAL!

I hope I NEVER have to use my extended warranty and end up throwing away the money. But if something does break, I will be smiling and happy I made such a wise decision.

Kind of like life insurance or car insurance... You have it, it make you feel good, it protects your family, but you hope it never gets used.

 

IF I had purchased the Civic EX, I would NOT have purchased an extended warranty.
Since I did purchase a new-model-year Civic Hybrid, I figured it was cheap insurance for 8yr/$120K miles. The random IMA battery giving up before its time of any of the components controlling the IMA system could cost a bundle. It IS insurance - I just chose to buy it rather than self-insure. It's probably going to be about a wash.

 

The battery already has an 8yr warranty.

 

Darn right it does !!

So do the other major hybrid specific components !

First:
In some regions (states & provinces), the standard warranty is extended to far more than 8 years (and much higher mileages) which should be a good indicator of the expected reliability of the technology - Afterall, all HCH-2's come from the same production and design stream in Japan. <hint>

Second:
On average, Japanese assembled units seem to consistently have a higher initial quality than same model units assembled in other continents. This emplies, that the HCH-2 is a "higher quality" vehicle than than a typical NA Honda Civic which is assembled in North American plants. This has been consitently true for the last 18 years. If I were to ever purchase a warranty for a Honda product I would be more inclined to do so for a model unit that has not been assembled in Japan. That would obviously include a Civic EX, LX and DX. I did so for my Acura EL which is assembled in Canada.

Third:
We have to read the Warranty terms and component/system coverage! Many times the warranty will not cover items that failed due to normal wear and tear. If you drive your vehicle regularly then it likely that you will be subject to this cost of ownership.
More often than not the warranty terms explicitly state that a component is only covered if it shows signs of premature or un-expected wear leading to its failure.

Now, if you are offered a warranty deal sweetened by other deleaship specific benefits, then I would say go for it. Free oil changes, road side assistance, free tire rotations, free tire repairs & replacements, etc, etc - are in my view, some of the things that would justify paying for a warranty of this type.
For instance: For my Acura EL, I not only got those feature levels but I also got a lifetime warranty rust protection among a few other hard to ignore benefits the dealership threw in. Unfortunately, my HCH-2 had no such coverage offered by Honda or the dealership - just the extended warranty standard stuff.

What many of us are trying to say is that it is hard to recommend the purchase of a warranty on the basis of its standard value and historically solid reliability of the brand.
In the other hand, you should buy the warranty if it either becomes a personal comfort issue (it is your money!) or if the warranty includes un-usual value that justifies adding it as a long term benefit that lessens the total cost of ownership.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Can't argue with your points Noflash and MSantos!
I considered all those things and much more, and agree about 90%. I well know normal wear-n-tear items aren't covered (brakes, timing belts, etc).

Here are some of my reasons for buying the 8yr/120,000 mile extended warranty.

(1) I live in TX, so I get the 8yr/ 80,000 miles version of the standard "hybrid bits" warranty. I will drive 80,000 miles in 4-5 years. My extended warranty covers another 2-3 years and 40,000 more miles - much deeper into the car's life. I've owned several cars deep into their lives, and THAT's when an extended warranty often pays off.
(2) In TX, a hot state, there have been HCH1 premature hybrid battery failure issues. Honda is even reported to have quietly replaced batteries in the past and have an unspoken extension on them in sertain hot states (TX, AZ, NM, others I can't remember). This issue may well exist in the HCH2 batteries, since Honda owned up to this issue just recently. And it's possible Honda will NOT stand up & do the right thing on the HCH2, if so. Only time will tell.
(3) 2006 HCH2 - first year. Japanese or otherwise. They always have more issues than subsequent years. Usually these are early-on kinks (like the odometer-bug, and the side window issue, the spoiler paint-rubbing issue), but nevertheless...
(4) We just don't have overwhelming evidence yet of the hybrid longevity. Early Insights had some hybrid component issues, usually showing up around 85-100,000 miles. 6-8 years is not a lot of history to judge very-long-term reliability.
(5) I worry a little about the CVT. All CVTs are iffy, and Honda HAS already had some issues with them in the HCH1. The CVT is covered by the standard Honda warranty, not for 8/80K miles.
(6) Catalytic Converter. Some HCH1's have had this isue as well. Enough, that is IS a concern.
(7) After 90,000 miles, many of my past cars became "needy". I could often get by until changing to a new car, but this time I want to have the (inexpensive) option to "keep her" longer.
(7) I've found (in the past) that having an extended warranty made me MORE inclined to keep excellent maintenance on the vehicle.
(8) Hybrid components could easily cost $2K or more. A new CVT could cost even more. I figure $980 is a fair price to pay for the extra assurance (insurance).
(9) Since I am paying for the extended warranty with a 0%/12month loan, I can plan better (upfront) for an unexpected failure down the road. With my shaky job future, I can see being in a position to not be able to afford some future expensive repair, so I'm paying for it now. I *know* I could sock that same money away now, instead - and self-insure.
(10) For me, it helped sway me to buy a HYBRID in the first place, and that's the best reason

I know very well how typically well-built and long-lasting the Hondas and Toyotas are. If it had been for the Civic EX, with 5-spd (or even traditional AUTO), I would not have bought the extended warranty.

Having made my decision, I cannot fault anyone for deciding not to purchase an extended warranty. It gives me more peace of mind. I'm willing to pay a little more for that than many.

If Honda makes money on my extended warranty purchase, I can only hope it fuels them to build even better cars!