Chevy Extended Warranty
Let's talk about the Chevy extended warranty. Hello, Nate Waterfalls here. I'll try to answer the question, "do I need one"? In this short article, I will cover:
- Chevrolet's Success
- Manufacturer's Warranties
- Reliability
- Do I Need Extended Warranty Protection?
William C. Durant and Swiss-born Louis founded Chevrolet in 1911. Chevrolet is an iconic US car manufacturer and is now a division of General Motors (GM). Chevrolet has earned its reputation by offering consumers durable and affordable vehicles within its vast and complete lineup from sub-compacts to heavy-duty trucks.
Chevrolet's Success
Chevrolet is GM's volume leader in sales. In 2008, Chevrolet's top sellers included the Impala, but saw its best sales come from the Silverado. The absence of a strong Asian truck market left it wide open for Chevy to sell nearly 500, 000 units that year. From working in a dealer environment, I have enough experience to validate that most people still trust domestic brands for full-size trucks. From 2008 – 2009 Chevrolet saw a 30-point increase in the annual Brand Perception Survey by Consumer Reports, bringing them to fourth place all the way from ninth.
Manufacturer's Warranties
- Limited Basic
- Powertrain
- Miscellaneous Other
Chevy 5-year/100,000 mile limited basic warranty. Chevrolet will warrant each 2007 through 2010 model year Chevrolet passenger car, light-duty truck, crossover or van for 5 years or 100,000 miles.
Chevy 5-year/100,000 mile transferable Powertrain Limited Warranty with no deductible.
Chevy 5-year/100,000 mile 24/7 Roadside Assistance Program.Chevrolet offers 24-Hour Roadside Assistance Program for 5 years or 100,000 miles whichever comes first.
Chevy 5-year/100,000 mile 24/7 Courtesy Transportation Program. This Chevrolet program provides alternate transportation and/or reimbursement of certain transportation expense if your vehicle requires warranty repairs.
You can find complete warranty information at the Chevrolet website.
Reliability
Unfortunately Chevrolet does not have the same reputation for quality as other brands in the same vehicle categories. Let's face it, people typically find Toyota and Honda to be the brands synonymous with quality.
Chevrolet's mid-size vehicles are vulnerable to the leaky intake gasket. Expect this from your Malibu or Impala. Several Silverado owners over the last few years have experienced electrical and rough idle problems with their trucks. The Silverado also has one of the highest number of recalls of all Chevrolet's vehicles. You might want to consider a chevy extended warranty or third-party vehicle service contract if you own one of these vehicles.
I've also spent a lot of time replacing steering/suspension parts on cars like the Malibu, Impala, and Trailblazer, and have seen almost as many transmission problems. Some transmission repairs can be done simply, others involve thousands of dollars worth of parts and labor. The cost on average of replacing the transmission itself is $1600 - $2000, so in this situation a chevy extended warranty would have paid for itself. Chevrolet's are prone to many common problems.
Before making any decision, research your specific model and year to ensure reliability. Certain cars are known to be unreliable, making the extended protection decision a no-brainer. Check out the the U.S News and World Report. for current reliability ratings.
Another easy to find out about a product's reliability in the age of the Internet is to check with a community of people that have the same product. People in these groups tend to be very outspoken. In the case of automobiles one such community is Edmunds.com.
Use the links below to research your specific model for known problems.
- Astro
- Avalanche
- Aveo
- Blazer
- Camaro
- Cavalier
- Cobalt
- Colorado
- Corvette
- Equinox
- Express
- HHR
- Impala
- Lumina
- Malibu
- Monte Carlo
- Prizm
- S10
- Silverado
- Suburban
- Tahoe
- Tracker
- Uplander
- Venture
Here's another great resource to check the reliability record of your used vehicle.
Do I Need to Purchase a Chevy Extended Warranty or Service Contract?
Choosing to purchase extended coverage for your Chevrolet is ultimately a personal decision. However, here are some things to consider:
- The age and mileage of your Chevy
- The reliability record of your particular Chevy model
- How many miles you drive
- How long you plan to own your Chevy
- Your risk tolerance
- Your financial ability to pay for unexpected repairs
Here are two additional resources to help determine if extended coverage is right for you:
- POMCalc! Check your peace of mind.
- How to determine if a vehicle extended warranty is right for you.
Personally, I believe a Chevrolet owner will be wise to consider either the factory GM extended car warranty option or a mechanical breakdown protection plan from a reputable third party company. In California, this latter option is called a mechanical breakdown protection insurance policy. I would definitely recommend purchasing a Chevy extended warranty or mechanical breakdown protection before the factory warranty expires. If you wait until the factory warranty expires, it will be more expensive and will substantially limit your options.
Although parts from GM aren't as outlandishly expensive as some of the other automakers, Chevy's do not have a reputation for high reliability.
Nate Waterfalls
For additional information on determining your need for extended protection please review the following pages:
Although, you will pay more, the manufacturer's extended car warranties are usually a solid choice. However, if you decide that mechanical breakdown protection is a better option for you, I recommend the folks at autoPOM! and Mercury Insurance Group.
autoPOM! backed and administered by Mercury can provide you with repair service comparable to the manufacturer's extended warranty. Not surprising, autoPOM! pricing is far less than dealer pricing and offers the flexibility of allowing you to choose the repair facility that you're most comfortable with.
autoPOM! has an A+ rating from the BBB and Mercury has a A+ rating from A.M. Best.
See 10 Reasons To Choose autoPOM! and Mercury.
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