Maintenance Plans?

[sim]

While i didnt buy into the extended warranty for an extra couple of grand, i have been pondering over the "ESP Maintenance Plans" that Ford offer. According to the dealer, the price is supposed to be state governed rather than jacked up by the dealer. I still have a little research to do on this, but i thought i would start that here and move on to the rest of the web as needed.

 

We are looking to keep this car beyond the finance period, probably at least the 6 years that is the maximum term of these plans. We also generally drive quite a few miles, my previous car averaged 20k/yr, however now there are 2 cars to pool with at the house since we got married that might drop a little for both of our cars. However just to be sure i was thinking of going for the 90-100k distance options. I have the towing package, intend to use that capability and will drive the Edge somewhat offroad - at least down dusty trails, as well as having the Floridian heat on it most of the year, so i am thinking of going with the optional maintance schedule of oil changes every 5k miles. Personally i also feel happier at 5k than 7.5k partly as i have always changed my oil on older cars around 4-6k miles and also this is a newer car so hopefully if there are problems they can be picked up by more frequent inspections. I wouldnt even consider doing 3k changes as i think that is way too often.

 

So realistically i believe that the $1600 or so that they are charging in Florida for the scheduled maintenance with "premium" package is probably not a bad deal, particularly if i can pay it in installments interest free over x months as suggested in the brochure and also given the rates of doing most of those services at a generic (non-dealer) car shop like the sort i used to use for the Sentra. I estimate the averages for various services covered in the plan as:

Oil change ~$15-20, usually plus disposal (maybe another $3)

Tire rotation - often included with a $20 oil change, but otherwise about $10-20 stand-alone

Inspection - often courtesy with oil changes, sometimes complete, sometimes not! For a stand-alone check its usually another $20

Coolant change/flush ~$50-60

Transmission change/flush ~$60-70

Cabin, engine and micro-filters ~$20-40 for parts and a huge amount for installation, always did it myself

PCV valve ~$20-40 again, not sure, its been a while since i last had that changed to recall

When calculated out over the frequency of the oil changes and with the other premium/wear items included (assuming that is kosher too - see below) it pans out to about the same amount either way and of course given that those rates above are generic, not the slightly inflated dealership prices (assuming the service is better at the dealership too) than you come out ahead going with the plan.

 

Now also available is the premium plan which is supposed to "cover the following items if they fail due to normal wear" - spark plugs, shock absorbers, clutch disc, engine belts and hoses, brake pads and linings, as well as wiper blades. Now that all sounds great, but i am not too happy about the wording of "if they fail", does that mean they have to actually break to be replaced, or in the case of brakes, wear down to a certain thickness? The same could be said for all of those parts that wear, i would prefer not to be stuck somewhere with broken parts when they could have been replaced after substantial wear, but before catastrophic failure. Wipers in Florida last about a year, could cost anywhere from $20-50 a pair on average. According to the optional plan the spark plugs are scheduled to be replaced after 60k miles, however i dont know if that would be worn enough or at the point of failure to be covered. The list goes on.

 

So does anyone have any idea on these things? I have sent a list of questions back to the dealer regarding this and hope to hear from them soon, but i thought i would ask here in the meantime.

 

Given the info in the booklet i think we are going to go for it, unless we hear otherwise that the plan isnt worth the paper its written on due to legalese that pretty much precludes a bunch of repairs.

[jimmerz]

Yeah not a bad deal. I did however buy the 7/70,000 mile bumper to bumper ext warranty. I just can not buy anything American without getting the extra piece of mind. If the big 3 were smart they would run the programs like Hyundai and kia and make 5/60,000 BtB and 10/100,000 powertrain. I think more hesitant American car buyers would give them a try.

 

I did work out a decent deal for my Ext Warr. I think it was around $1400, and for that long bumper to bumper I feel like it is worth every penny!

[sim]

Yeah not a bad deal. I did however buy the 7/70,000 mile bumper to bumper ext warranty. I just can not buy anything American without getting the extra piece of mind. If the big 3 were smart they would run the programs like Hyundai and kia and make 5/60,000 BtB and 10/100,000 powertrain. I think more hesitant American car buyers would give them a try.

 

I did work out a decent deal for my Ext Warr. I think it was around $1400, and for that long bumper to bumper I feel like it is worth every penny!

The Geico version of the extended warranty is the mechanical breakdown coverage - its around $35-40/6 month period. It covers much the same as the bumper to bumper for 7 years/100k and over that 7 years (assuming you pay all the way through) it costs a max $560 at the highest rate. Hoping i wont need it, but you never know - i wanted to get an extended warranty of some sort, being its a US car and also that its fresh off the design board. Even with the extra QA/QC i heard about, i still dont want to be the guinea-pig without some extra coverage.

[ctrcbob]

1. First off, I don't like Extended Warrantys also called ESP's (Extended Service Plans) but I have purchased them. (See below)

 

2. If you do buy an Extended Warranty, only buy the one sold by the manufacturer. In this case, FORD. Never never never buy one from an aftermarket company.

 

3. As for the dealer in Orlando not discounting the Extended Warranty, - this is true, not because he does not want to discount it, but because he is not allowed to discount it by the State of Florida. Here is the story.

 

The Extended Warranty is considered an Insurance Policy in Florida. As such, it comes under the Florida Department of Insurance. Years ago, insurance agents were selling people insurance at a higher cost than the insurance companys MSRP, and people were getting cheated. Florida passed a law saying something like No Insurance can be sold for other than the MSRP. Because of this, the extended warranty can't be sold for less than the MSRP in Florida. OK, you say you will fool the State, and buy it out of State!

Sorry, you can't do that either, as long as you have a Florida address. If you try it, the out-of-state dealer will get a phone call from Ford asking if the person lives in that area, or if he purchased it by telephone or internet. If the guy has a Florida address, Ford will tell the dealer that he can't sell to the Florida person at a discount.

 

Now I'll tell you what happened to me. I could be considered a "Snowbird" here in Florida, having a Florida address, plus another address. Four years ago, I purchased an Extended Warranty for a vehicle from my Northern Dealer at a good discount. I gave him my Northern address. Two days later, I was at the dealership, in their office, when I heard the girl say on the phone "as a matter of fact, he is standing right here". It was the Extended Warranty Admin people on the phone, asking if I was a walkin, or did I buy on the phone or email, because I had purchased the vehicle in Florida, not up North. The girl told them that yes, I was standing right there, in person, and have an Northern Address. Only then, did they allow the dealer to sell me the extended warranty at a discount.

 

Hope this answers your questions why you can't buy the Extended Warranty at a discount in Florida.

 

Did I tell you to Never Never Never buy an Extended Warranty from any aftermarket company. Buy only from the Manufacturer and you will never have problems with claims. (or when the aftermarket company goes out of business).

[sim]

1. First off, I don't like Extended Warrantys also called ESP's (Extended Service Plans) but I have purchased them. (See below)

 

2. If you do buy an Extended Warranty, only buy the one sold by the manufacturer. In this case, FORD. Never never never buy one from an aftermarket company.

 

3. As for the dealer in Orlando not discounting the Extended Warranty, - this is true, not because he does not want to discount it, but because he is not allowed to discount it by the State of Florida. Here is the story.

 

The Extended Warranty is considered an Insurance Policy in Florida. As such, it comes under the Florida Department of Insurance. Years ago, insurance agents were selling people insurance at a higher cost than the insurance companys MSRP, and people were getting cheated. Florida passed a law saying something like No Insurance can be sold for other than the MSRP. Because of this, the extended warranty can't be sold for less than the MSRP in Florida. OK, you say you will fool the State, and buy it out of State!

Sorry, you can't do that either, as long as you have a Florida address. If you try it, the out-of-state dealer will get a phone call from Ford asking if the person lives in that area, or if he purchased it by telephone or internet. If the guy has a Florida address, Ford will tell the dealer that he can't sell to the Florida person at a discount.

 

Now I'll tell you what happened to me. I could be considered a "Snowbird" here in Florida, having a Florida address, plus another address. Four years ago, I purchased an Extended Warranty for a vehicle from my Northern Dealer at a good discount. I gave him my Northern address. Two days later, I was at the dealership, in their office, when I heard the girl say on the phone "as a matter of fact, he is standing right here". It was the Extended Warranty Admin people on the phone, asking if I was a walkin, or did I buy on the phone or email, because I had purchased the vehicle in Florida, not up North. The girl told them that yes, I was standing right there, in person, and have an Northern Address. Only then, did they allow the dealer to sell me the extended warranty at a discount.

 

Hope this answers your questions why you can't buy the Extended Warranty at a discount in Florida.

 

Did I tell you to Never Never Never buy an Extended Warranty from any aftermarket company. Buy only from the Manufacturer and you will never have problems with claims. (or when the aftermarket company goes out of business).

The aftermarket service is our insurance carrier, a national company, so if it goes out of business we also dont have that insurance either. I feel ok about doing, maybe i'll live and learn, maybe it'll work out ok.

 

I dont know if we are talking across purposes here, i was asking about the maintenance plan, i only mentioned the extended warranty thing in passing. Thanks for your advice on the warranty though, i appreciate the time spent writing it. I will continue to try to find info about the plan and see what others have said/done about it and any issues found to date.

[ctrcbob]

Don't know about Ford, but for many manufacturers, the ESP is another name for the Extended Warranty.

 

Double check so you know what you are buying.

 

You keep mentioning you want this because it is an American car. This means you believe American cars break down more often than other cars. OK, I don't just buy American. I buy what I like. Following are the last few cars I had and problems, if any.

02 Continental (no problems)

03 Grand Marques (no problems)

98 Continental (no problems)

98 Continental (different than the one above - outer tie-rod ends replaced)

99 Buick (no problems)

97 Dodge (waterpump and transmission replaced - Hey it is a Chrysler product <grin>)

94 T-Bird (torque converter replaced)

92 Camry (no problems)

92 Camry (different than the one above - no problems)

90 Accord EX (worse modern day car I've ever owned. So man problems, it would take too darn long to list them all).

I could go back further, but then I'd be showing my age.

[sim]

Both the Extended Warranty and Maintenance Plan have the ESP written in the title, i want to know about the maintenance, not the warranty.

 

As for the US car thing, Ford seems to have a bad rep over here for being unreliable. The previous 3 Fords i owned in the UK were all great cars, but they are known for quality over there, i heard otherwise over here.

 

As for cars 82 Ford Fiesta, 89 Ford Escort, 95 Ford Escort (no problems on any of these), 01 Nissan Sentra (probably as many if not more problems than you found with the 90 Accord - i almost pushed it into the dealership to trade) and most recently 05 Honda Accord (again a great car, probably fixed a few of the things since 1990) for my wife and now the 07 Ford Edge for me. She also drove a Honda Civic (95?) which she said she had no issues with.

 

I wanted to buy a Ford, this particular one, i just want to cover my backside if the reliability is as i have heard of other Ford models, that is why i have bought the Geico extended warranty. However i am debating whether the price and coverage of the maintenance plan (also ESP designated) is good enough to take it rather than paying as i go on maintenance.

 

My questions relate to whether there is an option to go without the premium wear items coverage, if the replacements are hard to come by due to their policies and also whether other people have tried and have any comments about these types of plans on other cars.

[sim]

The dealership came back with a few answers to my questions. The premium items are checked with each maintenance and replaced when showing enough wear, however i didnt get specifics on how thin a wearable item might get or such info. The item doesnt have to fail, but should be worn enough to require replacement in the immeadiate future. They did mention that the item could still fail between maintenance if it wasnt showing enough signs of wear to warrant replacement, but that is a given. Usually with things like wiper blades and brakes, the shop is always telling me to get them replaced - not sure if that will be the same when they have to bear the cost of those replacements though!

 

Maintenance including spark plug replacement, transmission fluid changes (however i was wrong on the PCV valve change) and such is scheduled to be done according to the specs and as we are going for the shorter timeframe 5k, that would mean more frequent changes of most items for only a little extra cash ($3-400 i think over 6 years).

 

We are going to buy this maintenance plan when we take the car in for its first oil change at 5k - the first one is on the dealer regardless. It seems like a good deal, no-one has mentioned anything on here or the other two forums that i subscribe to.