We bought our first Prius!

The dealer wanted to sell us the Toyota extended warranty, but it seems a bit expensive. Is the Toyota warranty from WarrantyShack comparable and cheaper?

The dealer also wanted to sell us a BlueCorral outside treatment and an interior stain-protection treatment. I was a bit leary of the BlueCorral because they have to clay-wash and acid treat the new factory finish to apply it. Is the BlueCorral effective protection, or is the clear-coat good enough? (Car is generally outside.)

 

Are you in the habit of keeping your cars waxed? You can't really beat that for protection from contaminants IMO. Go with a 3M clear bra product if you want to protect the front end from stone chips. I'm pretty sure you can buy Scotch Guard in a can for the interior, too. As for the warranty, what did they quote you? The price varies widely depending on how much the dealer decides to mark it up (read: fleece you.) Also, what state do you live in? If you are in a CARB state, there is a lenthy extended warranty on most of the hybrid components (something like 10yr/150,000mi on the battery) as mandated by law, no extra charge.

 

Not in a CARB state.

A bit under $1300 for 7yr-75K miles-$50-deductible, which is sufficient for our driving habits.

Can't say that I'm a good waxer, but my wife might pick up the habit, since it will be "her" car.

 

The hybrid components are covered under manf. warranty for 8 years or 100,000 miles... right???

Why would you need to buy a 7 year warranty when the manf. warranty covers 8 years???

Is it a bumper-to-bumper warranty? Even so, most toyota parts are pretty reliable... look up the reliability ratings for a Prius... extremely good.

Do you really think that $1,300 worth of parts are going to break due to manuf. defects in 8 years??? (I'm not being sarcastic- this is something you'll have to decide)


When I bought my Camry Hybrid, I was very annoyed by how much they tried to push all of the extra warranties and protection packages. I told them no, and they still insisted on going through each one. When I told them no again, they called a manager to 'review' the reasons why I said no. I almost got up and left.

Seriously, most of that stuff isn't worth the money. The extra paint and interior 'sealant' is pretty bogus. Modern day 'undercoating'.

 

MPG50

We are new Prius owners as well. Took the plunge 3 weeks ago. I couldn't pass up the 2.9% financing and the dealer gave us $2750 off sticker on a package 2 (MSRP $24,247). We love the car. I'm lucky if the wife lets me take it for a spin.

Anyway, I reluctantly bit on the Finance guys bait quoting me only $XX per month for the 6/75 Platinum warranty and an alarm. I said no the first two times, but the third quote seemed unbelievable. And it was. He quoted me $13 a month for a 60 month loan for both. We were in a hurry so I said, OK. I was scratching my head while signing docs, because the warranty was $1095 and the alarm was $395. I knew in the back of my mind that he must have lied about the payment, or I suppose I misunderstood his quote, but I don't think so. Anyway, when I got home and figured out that I was actually paying around $24 a month for the two, I was not a happy camper. Needless to say I went back to the dealer the next week and had them remove the car alarm, and I'm in the process of cancelling the warranty through Toyota. We still have plenty of time to purchase the warranty if we really want it, and I've seen quotes on GH.com about purchasing the Toyota Platinum warranty from some dealers for under $1000. I'm not sure if I'll pursue it, but I was happy to cancel the warranty from that dealer.

I also got a quote from my credit union, which I trust, for MBI insurance(mechanical breakdown). I can get 6yr/100k mi coverage with $100 deductible for $799, and with a $200 deductible for $553. I'd actually lean towards the $200 deductible because I think the odds are in my favor that I won't need to use it.

That's my 2 cents,
Jay

 

I would stay away from Stealership extras. Even an extended warranty is only a money maker for them, not you. Put the money you would spend on it into an investment for later. Remember the Toyota drive train warranty is already 5 years or 60 months and the Hybrid system warranty is like 10 years or 150,000 miles. Those are the only two things you really should be concerned with. So invest your money and if you need it for non covered items pas the 3 year, 36 month warranty then you would have it, if not you made some extra cash. But if you never has to use your extended warranty then you lost all that money. They only pay off if something goes wrong with your car, so you basically are hoping the worst just to get your monies worth.

 

I thought hard about what "extras" might be worth it. I researched on the net what each extra would go for if bought later.

1. The "Simonize". Dealer wanted $400. Told me "paint today is really soft compared to years ago. It will peel and fade" I said why aren't there cars riding around with no paint. Answer, "they have the Simonize". I believe the Simonize is a rip off. I have read that in many cases it is not even applied. I'd wait a year and have a full detail done including wax, Scotchguard and carpet shampoo, that's less than $200. You can get a Zaino or some other premium product and seal it yourself.

2. Alarm $800, what a laugh. have you ever heard an alarm going off, it's a joke. Better I thought was the Lojack for $450 (which I bought from the dealer)

3. Front clear stone shield. I bought this fron the dealer for $475 as I researched and found it to be lot's more elsewhere. The front of the Prius has plenty of surface area to get chipped.

4. "Toyota Platinum 100,000 mile bumper to bumper" I paid $1065 from the dealer for this. It covers everything, even wipers and is probably unneccesary. I figured, since it is cancelable before 36,000 miles I could cancel if I changed my mind. After the fact I believe I should have waited since you can buy it any time after purchase but before 36k miles. Still...I like the piece of mind. Since I previously owned BMW I am leery of simple parts costing plenty to fix. I believe the electronics, radio, display and other things could be costly to repair. Also, the "peeling, fading paint" mentioned above is covered. OH! Buy the way, the Dealer tried to change the Toyota Extended Warrenty with a GE aftermearket one. I did not find out until the next day when I read the Very Faded copy of the warranty. I could just make out the words "General Electric". I almost cancelled the deal on that one! Make sure you get the Toyota Platinum. The Gold is useless to you since it only covers drivetrain and the Prius Warranty already covers Drivetrain and Hybrid components.

That's all I bought. I might have gone for a Sirius if it was offered but I installed it myself using the Integrated System available on the net.

 

You could have put the $1065 in a CD making interest. If nothing goes wrong after the 3yr/36k miles warranty, you will have your money back plus some. But I guess you have to ask yourself how often you purchase a new vehicle. If you keep them for at least 10 years then maybe the extended warranty might be worth it for you. I keep cars that long and still don't buy the an extended warranty. I can afford to pay for wiper blades with out a warranty. But as I stated before the items that are the most costly are already covered by a long warranty period. If the other items break sooner, then I would have to question Toyota's quality. If you need an extended warranty then there is no quality. I understand your view about parts costing alot but this is a Toyota Prius, not a Lexus.

As far as the front stone shield, I would have just gotten a bra, as the cost much less and would protect much better than those clear ones. $475 is just over priced. You really only need this kind of protect for low nosed vehicles anyway.

I have gotten GM to do courtesy warranty work well outside the warranty period. It is in their best interest to keep good customer relations and they usually do. So I would assume Toyota would do it also. It is the dealership's that are the problem in this area, especially the service departments.

 

I would have to agree that, if you can do it, go without any extras. My experience is that the service contract is never worth it, stones still get through the stone shield, and I only had one vehicle stolen and got it back the next day. Statistics would bear out

I's true that the clear shield is overpriced so even that would be cheaper to buy on ebay for $60 and do it yourself (I'm doing the window tint myself).

What I can say is, I buy a vehicle and keep it for 10 years and then pass it to another family member. I try to pick vehicles that I think are simple enough to keep going this long. Frankly, the Prius is a bit of a jump for me (it's complicated for sure). I'm counting on Toyota reliability, but emotionally went for the insurance, shield and Lojack for piece of mind. I've never owned a Toyota before) Is piece of mind worth $2,000....NO, not that I am thinking of it. But, before I bought the car I thought so.

Now, if something happens, like a cracked screen, dead radio or a window refuses to work, then I'll get the service contract money back. The chances of all of those things happening is pretty remote though.