I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

**bjl584** · 10-24-2006, 08:30 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

Well, it depends on a few things. Are you mechanically inclined enough to work on your own car should something go wrong? If so, then you may want to consider cancelling your warranty and taking the money. If the answer is no, then I would keep the warranty. You said that you don't need the money, so it doesn't make sense to possibly find yourself faced with another $1500 repair bill if you can easily avoid it by simply riding out the warranty. You also need to look at what kind of shape the car is currently in, how dedicated you are to keeping on top of servicing and maintaince, and your driving habits. I noticed that you said your car has 66K on it. That's not a lot. Here are a few things that you may want to do to insure that your car is in tip top shape. I'm willing to bet that you've never changed your timing belt. That should be done religiously every 60K on a foreign car. Also, have your plugs and wires changed. You most likely have a 4 cylinder. They run hot, and your spark plugs are probably fried. Change your fuel filter as well. You should do that about every 30K. I'm willing to bet that has never been changed either. You may want to consider having your transmission fluid changed as well. Other than that, just stay on top of your oil changes. Every 3000 to 5000 miles depending on driving habits. One last thing, check your antifreeze. You should flush and refill your radiator every 3 years or so. That should keep your car going for a long time.

**Albies5** · 10-24-2006, 08:40 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

BJL- To answere your questions- NO i am NOT mechanically inclined to work on my own vehicle- so there goes that- hahah- although we do have a friend going through mechanics school. We actually just had the 60K tune up- so i think they changed all those things like plugs and stuff. It is a 6 cylinder car-so im sure itll burn even hotter. You make some good points- i just feel like i can take that 800 put it in a bank and grow 4-5% interest on it and use it if needed- like other boards have mentioned. i dont know if huge things will break down and stuff- i mean alot of stuff taht prob would have to be fixed would be things NOT covered by the warranty anyways.

**bjl584** · 10-24-2006, 08:47 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

That's a whole different issue. If it isn't a bumper to bumper warranty, then there is a big chance that what breaks may not be covered anyway. In that case, you may be better off taking the cash. Something to consider though. If you take the 800 and earn 5% a year, you'll only have about 1000 after 5 years. Well short of your 1500 repair bill that you would have had to pay previously. So, I guess that it's sort of a gamble. If you feel that your car is mechanically sound and isn't currently showing any signs of problems, then cancel the warranty and take the money. But, if you have any doubts about your car at all, then I would keep the warranty. You did say that you don't need the money. Think of it as insurance or peace of mind.

**Albies5** · 10-24-2006, 08:51 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

I guess your right. I keep going back and forth in my brain about what should i do. Truth is weve done alot of work on this car- some regular maintennace and some just trying to figure out whats wrong. we got it from a used cra lot- i think it was sitting tehre for a while- so it was sold to us- un beknownst to us needing alot of work. but now that weve done alot of work-i was thinking that its only good for 2 more years and if something happends after that time well be screwed so may as well haev the 800 bucks for that- but if somethign major does happen thats over 800 then well be screwed- i dunno what to do-

**bjl584** · 10-24-2006, 09:11 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

Well, you still have 2 years left on the warranty correct? I notice that you don't drive that much. About 7K a year. That puts you around 80K when the warranty is up. That's not a lot for a car that has been looked after. You say that you've already done a lot of work. Do you know what has been done to it so far? I may be able to tell you what you can expect to go wrong with it in the future. Oh yeah, a 6 cylinder will typically run cooler than a 4. It's a bigger engine, so it doesn't have to work as hard to move the car. Let me know what has been done so far if you know. I've always worked on my own cars, so it's really saved me a lot of money over the years. I've taken my car in once for warranty work just because I had the warranty and the repairs were free. Other than that, I always head straight to the parts store whenever I have a problem.

**Albies5** · 10-24-2006, 09:18 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

ya we dont really drive it crazy amounts- thankfully my husbadn works close to where we live- so it doesnt get too much mileage put on it. well what has happend if i can rememebr is- the 6th cylender was like broken or somethign- we needed a new one- the starter was bad- needed a new one i guess- i cant remeber what else there was- but basically we couldnt accelerate past 40 and it was making sounds- so they fixed all that. i want to say like an air filter /air flow air somethign maybe or somethign like that neede dto be replaced- i dont knwo if that sounds right---i can find out later. we had some belts replaced, rotors, and somethign with wires. i mean we put in ourselved prob close to 700 bucks for stuff overt the year non warranty related- a mix of reg. maintenance and fixing things like rotors that arent coverd adn break pads. i dunno if thats good enough descriptions- i dont have teh paper in front of me-- i mean i dunno what else can go wrong that would be warranty-able ya know. we do give it its oil changes every 3 mos and stuff- so i dunno. thanks for all yoru help so far!!

**bjl584** · 10-24-2006, 09:49 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

No problem. Sounds like you had a bad Mass air flow sensor, or a bad ERG valve. A bad cylinder huh? That's unusual on a car with such low miles. Sounds like the piston was burned or you had a bad ring. That would only happen if the previous owner had neglected to change the oil (in most cases.) You were probably burning or losing oil before you had that fixed. See if you can get a copy of everything that you had done on the car so far. Just post it on here whenever you get a chance. I'm happy to help any way that I can.

**Albies5** · 10-24-2006, 11:07 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

thanks!! ill try and remember when i get home to get a list of stuff. i mean most probably there was no oil changes or maintenance going on while this was on the lot and from the previous owner- thats the only reason why i can think there would be so much damage. we had a 60K tune up- tehy didnt say anythign else needed repair, i dont know if they would have- but i for sure know that somethign was wrong with the 6th cylinder and the starter- but ill try and get the exact things!! thanks again!

**Albies5** · 10-25-2006, 05:49 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

ok heres some of what they said was wrong- i dont know if i wrote it correctly-- front rottors had to be cut, #6 engine coil replaced/fixed, starter bad-- and then something about teh air flow somethign i didnt write down. well weve since gotten all of that fixed- so i dunno what else can go wrong- i guess its anyones guess- but any help would still be appreciated.

**bjl584** · 10-25-2006, 06:07 AM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

Okay. It was the coil that was fixed not the piston. That makes more sense. The airflow thing that you're talking about is probably a MAF sensor. Well, you still have relatively low miles on the car, so you shouldn't have any major issues to worry about. You should double check to make sure that your timing belt was changed. If not, you defenitely need to get that done. Also, check to see the last time your anti freeze has been drained. You should do that about every 3 years. Go to Walmart or an auto parts store and pick up a bottle of coolant system conditioner/lubricant and add it to your radiator when you get it refilled. They'll know what you're talking about at the parts store. Basically, it's a lubricant for your water pump. A lot of people don't realize that you need to do that. It will keep your water pump from going bad on you. Double check and see if they replaced your fuel filter as well. Get that done if not. Also, see if they replaced your brake pads when they cut your rotors. It would be worth it to have them changed if they didn't. Bad pads will just ruin your rotors all over again. That's all that I can think of off the top of my head. Check into those things and let me know what you come up with.

**project15** · 10-25-2006, 12:34 PM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

Some year Maxima's had a timing chain that didn't need to be replaced practically ever, however, I would also advise you to look into that.

**Albies5** · 10-25-2006, 12:50 PM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

thanks guys! so if you were me with my situation what would you do with this extended warranty- keep it or cancel it?

**bjl584** · 10-25-2006, 04:51 PM

Re: I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---

Yes, being that your engine is a V6, you may have a chain instead of a belt. The chain is good forever, but look into it. Well, I think that I would keep the warranty. You stated that it has saved you from a $1500 repair bill earlier. Also, you said that you don't know that much about cars, so if something does go wrong you'll most likely be paying someone to fix it. There is a chance that what goes wrong may not be covered by your warranty, but if you cancel the warranty, then there is 100% chance that the problem would not be covered. Personally, I would probably take the money, but I keep detailed service records, and I have enough know how about cars to service them myself. Since you said that you can't work on cars and that you aren't 100% certain what has been done to the car, I would say that keeping your warranty would be the safest, smartest move you can make. You don't need the money, so it shouldn't be a problem. How long are you planning on keeping this car? If you can keep after the maintenace on it and stretch out owning it say 1 or 2 years beyond what you originally planned, then that would more than make up for the money lost by not cancelling the warranty. It would save you 1 or 2 years of car payments. That's one way to look at the situation. You could also take a look at other areas of your budget. I bet that you could "find" money in other places besides your warranty that you could save and invest. I don't know your personal financial situation, but just look over everything. I bet that you could cut here, cut there, and easily come up with the $800 that your warranty is worth over the course of the next year. But anyway, keep the warranty. It's peace of mind and just might save you from a big repair bill.

I also need help on an Extended Warranty question---