QUESTION FOR ABARTHGUY

"Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast." (twostrokesmoke)
11/04/2013 at 15:49 • Filed to: Hmmmm...I'm thinking about it.

or any other car service types....

Do you think the life time warranty the is offered by Fiat is worth it?

DISCUSSION (4)

EL_ULY > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
11/04/2013 at 15:58

yes :]

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
11/04/2013 at 17:28

Depends. Will this become a treasured family heirloom, or will you tire of it in 5-7 years? The lifetime warranty is only transferable in Florida & North Carolina. Now, that said, I do believe in the MOPAR warranty because I've read the text from cover to cover, and I can tell you firsthand that it is very, very inclusive. Here's the deal: Go for the Maximum Care plan if you intend to hold on to this for years to come. It is very nearly an identical extension of the original factory warranty, and it covers many, many little inconveniences that can become big headaches in cars as they reach 8, 10, and even 15 years. Namely, latches & electronics. Neither are cheap, both are prone to failure given a long enough timeline, and you don't want to replace either on your own, because it SUCKS. Let me tell you about the 4 times I've repaired/replaced the mechanism on the trunk for my back up car, a 2001 Jetta TDI.

MSRP on the Lifetime Maximum Care is $3,095 with $100 deductible. Offer the dealer $2,295, and they should gladly jump at it. Make $2,695 your absolute threshold (the cost of the Added Care Plan) but insist on the Maximum Care plan. It's absolutely the one you want. The labor rates alone make this a good proposition in the long run. And since it's a Mopar branded warranty administered through Chrysler, the legal verbiage means they have to stick to it, even if FIAT were to ever leave the US market. That warranty should be good until Chrysler ceases to exist.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap!
11/04/2013 at 19:05

My master plan is to give it to my daughter in a few years, once she starts driving....and by "give" i just mean let her drive it pay for repairs and associated costs of ownership....and then it is Abarth time for me! So, in other words, I probably should do that. Thanks for the tip on the counter offer, I didn't know that it was a negotiable item.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
11/04/2013 at 20:13

The big ones are negotiable (stuff over $500). Once in a blue moon you'll find a finance guy who wont budge, but those guys typically don't last long on the job.

Protip: they can usually sell these warranties on units that are less than 48-months in service and 48,000 miles on the odometer. Your best bet for a good price is in the service lane. Go in for your LOF, and ask the service writer about it. He gets a little stipend for selling it, and they don't often sell these (most extended warranties are sold at delivery and rolled into financing), so when the opportunity arises it makes them pretty excited. Some of the very small dealerships might night be set up for this, but the bigger ones are.