Would you buy the extended warranty on a new 4.0 Ranger

[barrys]

Just replaced the Ranger with feelings of great joy and sadness...

I'm on the fence on buying the extended warranty on a new 4.0 Ranger?
I'm on the fence. It takes the warranty from 3 to 7 years (I'll never hit the mileage limits) with $100 deductible -- seemingly bumper to bumper. They want $1500. I'll call around to find out if that's competitive. Also not sure how long I have to decide either. But, I'm sure the Ford corp site will have that info.

There's plenty of new, complicated shit in there compared to the 94. I also know the 4.0's are more likely to have head problems than the 3.0 I'm getting out of. I'm a worry wort so there's some serious peace of mind value in there too.

Just curious to hear how many others in the forum ponied up for the extended warranty in the rare case that they bought their Ranger new.

 

[06RangerXLT]

i got it. mine covers everything from a broken internal part to my ball joints wearing out and needing replacement. my dealerships warrantys are much more expensive, and if it saves you having to pay for a rear main seal job (about $1000) or a new tranny, your covered. its 100% your call. but im glad i have mine.

now if you want to mod your truck, dont bother. you'll end up wanting to do something that will void it and then its money down the tube.

also if you havent bought the truck you have all the time in the world to decide. if you have, youve got 30 days.

EDIT: also on a side note, i bought mine used and got the warranty. have already had it in for a leaky door seal, wheel bearing and high beam switch. ive decided, unless the thing wont start, ill do the work my self. i have access to parts at cost and a lift so im GOOOOOOD. lol

 

[pcollins]

Depends on your financial situation, and how much of your own work you do. I would get it with a new new vehicle only because of all the electronics, i'm terrible at diagnosing electronics, but i do all my other work on my own (clutches, wheel bearings etc)

 

[Big Jim M]

Not me!!

I buy MORE than one new vehicle a year. I wouldn't buy that insurance on a bet! In all the new vehicles I've purchased including the first one a 1963 Ford pickup, I've never had a catastrophic breakage that was beyond the normal warranty.
I've had new engines, new trannies, wheelbearings, third members and I can't remember all of what else... but they were all within the normal warranty period.
After the normal warranty period I've only had things go away that wouldn't have been included in that extra warranty..
I think I gives my money and I takes my chances, I am sure and certain I am way ahead by not paying for the extra warranty.
Only last week my 08 GMC Z-71 had the rear third member go away... It was replaced under the standard 100,000 mile GMC warranty.
Big JIm

 

[Daniel_187]

I did, I regret it. Only took it in once and for the breaks squealing all the time, they did jack-o-shit, the a check engin light came on they said the warrnty won't cover it, keep in mind I had the truck for less then 3 month and 3,000 miles and it would be $100 to read the code and $172 to replace it. And that they"had to scan it to see wahts wrong", so i was out 100 bucks. After that I never went back to the stealership and don't get the warnty

 

[sholzy]

Be aware your warranty may not cover you if you're on a trip. Waaay back (1987), I bought a new Dodge truck and bought the extended warranty from the dealer. I was on vacation in another state and the brake master cylinder started leaking. I was about 1,000 miles over the manufacture warranty. Took it to the local Dodge dealer and they told me they can't honor that warranty. They said only the dealer who sold it and a few other dealers might honor it. So that is something to consider also. I won't buy another extended warranty because of it. Things may have changed in 23 years.

 

[barrys]

If someone's replacing vehicles frequently, then it doesn't make sense at all.
I plan to keep the car for a while. Also, there are many resellers of the real Ford ESP plan on the net with gouged discounts. So, I think I'll go that route. I have 30 days to sign up.
I'll buy one online. If it doesn't show up in the Ford dealer system, I'll cancel the credit card payment and consider buying from a dealer. Just calling around to local dealers brings the price down a lot on its own.

And, even though this is my 3rd Ranger, it's a buttload more complicated than any of the previous ones. I can't believe they went to drive-by-wire throttle. The nylon intake manifold was an amazing surprise too. Anyway, two examples of expensive pieces of crap that could crap out.

 

[sholzy]

And, even though this is my 3rd Ranger, it's a buttload more complicated than any of the previous ones. I can't believe they went to drive-by-wire throttle.

What do you mean by "drive-by-wire"? Did a solenoid replace the throttle cable?

 

[barrys]

> What do you mean by "drive-by-wire"? Did a solenoid replace the throttle cable?
I just got the car last night so I need to take a closer look. I'll do that and update. But, it looks like the throttle cable goes to an electronic box. It could be related to the cruise control which is another new Ranger experience for me.

> They said only the dealer who sold it and a few other dealers might honor it.
You have to be really careful when buying any extended service contract (which is what it really is, not a warranty by the strict definition). If you buy from a third party, then it's totally up to them what rules and regs they put on that contract. Needing to service at selling dealer is common. The Ford ESP plan is good at any Ford dealer in the US for the term of the warranty. I would only buy an extended service plan from the manufacturer unless it wasn't available.

 

[Mike Tonon]

They say to never get an extened warranty. I got the 5 year one on my 07. I didn't want to, but my parents wanted me to. I got free oil changes for as long as I own the vehicle.

 

[ElleShooTiger]

Almost all of the aftermarket warranties are BS!!!! They'll find almost any reason to deny your claim, its just money down the drain honestly.

The only ones worth a damn are the ones sold by car manufacturers, and I think Ford's will refund you the total amount if you never use it. Make sure its actually a Ford warranty, and not just some aftermarket warranty the dealer is pushing (they earn lots of money on those).

The powertrains on these trucks, with the exception of the auto trans, are pretty much bulletproof. Honestly, the new trucks arent that much more advanced than your 94, they're rather basic vehicles overall, heck the last times they were majorly redesigned were in 95 (interior) and 98 (suspension). Parts are cheap, and if you can do the work yourself, they're really cheap to repair.

If you really, really want peace of mind, open a second bank account and deposit $1,500 into it, then maybe drop an extra $20 or $50 a month in there. When you need it, you'll have money to pay for repairs. If it never breaks down, its free money for you!!

 

[ElleShooTiger]

> What do you mean by "drive-by-wire"? Did a solenoid replace the throttle cable?
I just got the car last night so I need to take a closer look. I'll do that and update. But, it looks like the throttle cable goes to an electronic box. It could be related to the cruise control which is another new Ranger experience for me.

The box is your cruise control module. No idea if they ever went to drive-by-wire, but really doubt it considering that Ford never seems to redesign these trucks haha.

 

[barrys]

I got one on a VW Passat ($1000.00) and that one paid for itself. I got one for a new Honda CR-V ($750) and the service manager laughed at me when I told him.

The new Ranger is definitely in the middle of those two vehicles in terms of potential for reliability issues. So, to me, a part of the question is the cost of the extended warranty. The list price on the Ford ESP Premium is about $2,500 which is what I'd expect to pay for a Benz or something. They offered me the "special deal" for about 1500+. That would make me want to put the money in the kitty. The price from an internet vendor on the exact same, authentic Ford warranty is $705. For that price, it's a no brainer. That's one to two repairs and that premium flavor covers "almost everything" (you can look up the details on the Ford owners site). It seemed so low I thought it was bogus. But, I got a callback from the vendor today which seemed professional and sane. And I've been doing a lot of googling with no complaints so far. They just resell the Ford product. After a week, you call your dealer and make sure it shows up in the system.

At the end of the day, it is an insurance policy. Can my water pump go in 7 years? I think so... MP3 player? Window motor? Who knows... Do the heads on the 4.0's crack a lot? From what I hear on TRS... Definitely could happen... I'm an uptight dude. 700 seems fair to me to get a little peace of mind. 2,500 is a non-starter. My shop will put in new heads for 1400.

This is a product you can shop. You actually have up to 3 years to buy one from Ford. It just gets more expensive every day... If you're not comfortable shopping on the net, call any local dealer, ask for finance, ask them for their rock bottom price. Around here, it came down to $1300 with 2 phone calls.