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2014 MDX tech FWD - 3 yr warranty finishing up

1K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Emmet 
#1 ·
Hi friends,
I bought my MDX tech in Jan 2014 and soon the warranty will be coming to end in Jan 2017. It has 23k miles only. No issues so far...just clunking sound and right turn grinding very rarely. All paid off. Also I am going to Acura dealer to talk abt TSB's and fix them.
Plz advice on the below:
1. Do I buy extended warranty?
2. If yes then from where??
3. Any other check up needed which is covered under warranty??

TIA


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#3 ·
As stated above, in the USA at least, the basic warranty is 4 years.

Extended warranties are biased heavily in favor of the provider and the sales team for the warranties rather than the vehicle owner. You're generally much better off not buying one and just paying for repairs that would have been covered with your savings from not buying the warranty.

There will always be anecdotes from people who benefited from an extended warranty due to repairs that exceeded the cost of the warranty but statistics I think show this to be a small percentage. The extended warranty is a moneymaker for the provider and sales people.

In short - I'd never buy an extended warranty and I keep my vehicles for a very long time - well after the warranty ends. If you do get an extended warranty you should only get it from the manufacturer (Acura) and make sure you read the fine print because a lot of things that are covered in a standard warranty, essentially bumper to bumper, are 'not' covered in an extended warranty. The extended warranty mostly covers what mostly doesn't break and won't need repair.
 
#4 ·
Even after your 4/50,000 basic is up in Jan/18, you will still have your 6/70,000 powertrain warranty until Jan/2020 (looks like your warranty will expire because of time instead of mileage). You will still have certain TSB and extended warranties that can also apply up 100,000 miles. Chances are you will get little to zero use from an extended warranty. Acura Care can be cancelled (pro-rated discount for unused period) or transferred to a new owner down the road.

I ended up getting Acura Care warranty for my 11 MDX because I had a magnetic strut failure and replaced a front endlink at 35k and it was covered by the 4/50K basic. It would have costed me +$2500 out of pocket after the basic warranty if it happened again. I purchased Acura Care in Dec/14 for $2400 for 120,000 miles of coverage or until 2019 because of the magnetic struts/shocks. The 4/50K Basic expired in Jan/15 and I only used Acura Care twice to replace driver and passenger seat heaters for about $600 total. With 85K on my MDX, Acura just offered an extended 100,000 mile warranty for the magnetic shock/struts as of few weeks ago. Only if my magnetic struts/shocks fail at all four corners between 100,000 - 120,000 miles before 1/1/2020 is the only time I will come out ahead on my Acura Care warranty. Hindsight is 20/20.
 
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#6 ·
In general, I don't think that extended warranties are bad. It just depends on a number of things, such as cost, vehicle make/model, provider, and the terms.

I usually don't spring for the extended warranty. In my experience with three Honda vehicles, the repair costs never came close to the price of the warranties I was offered. I elected to not purchase one for my Infiniti. It turned out that with all the repairs I had to have done, I actually would have come out ahead had I decided to buy one for that car. I also thought about getting one for the MDX, but ultimately I did not pull the trigger.

As a general rule of thumb, extended warranties offered by the manufacturer are usually the best. And with a few exceptions, it's a good idea to avoid getting one offered by a third party. At least you know that the warranty will be valid over its term as long as the manufacturer is still in business. With the others you may never know when they'll close shop.

Lets say you wanted a BMW and were planning to keep it long after the factory warranty expires. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get one, as BMWs typically don't have the reliability of a Toyota and the parts & labor costs for repairs tend to be higher than average. But if you were buying something like a Corolla, you're probably just flushing money down the toilet by buying the warranty.

Though this example is an anomaly, there is an automotive journalist named Doug Demuro who purchased a Range Rover and extended warranty through Carmax. It turns out that the warranty company had covered every single repair, which when combined cost almost double what he paid for the warranty. Even if you factor in the deductibles he paid and the Carmax markup on vehicle price, it looks like he's come out way ahead financially. Like I said, it all depends :) .
 
#7 ·
I usually purchase my vehicles used; but, still under factory warranty (just to cover any issues after purchase). I like to drive them between 150,000-200,000 miles before replacing. Very rarely I've had an issue with an Acura/Honda that left me stranded other than a flat tire, dead battery, or faulty alternator in the last +25 yrs. I just keep jumper cables, check the spare tire PSI, and have a portable NOCO GB40 in all 3 vehicles. Acura/Honda still makes extremely good "used" vehicles with solid power-trains "IF" you do the routine scheduled maint. On average, the most you have to worry about is door actuators, alternator, battery, seat warmer, speakers, CD player, or key fob for the next +100,000 miles.
 
#9 ·
I would only worry about a spare if you travel a lot, worried about being stranded for a while waiting on someone or a tow, poor cell coverage, or you (or spouse) work odd hours or travel low traffic or remote areas frequently.

About 95% of my (near) flats were nail in the tire with a slow leak stuff. TPMS would alert me with enough time to fix. The other 5% of the times, the tire ran over debris and fix-a-flat canister would be useless because the hole was too big or the tire was destroyed. I have Continental DWS tires and they can take 7-10 days to ship depending on time of year (don't want to be on vacation loaded down or driving around town that long on a donut). Having at-least a donut spare on the vehicle AND a full size spare at home has come in handy a few times for me. I purchased a used tire off eBay (Conti DWS 06) with 80% tread for $85 and mounted to my spare OEM rim to use as a full size spare (upgraded my MDX to aftermarket rims).

I don't think the FWD MDX come with any spare tire hardware/tools. It might get very expensive to add to the MDX. If you haven't had an issue for years in the past, there is a good chance it won't be an issue in the future.
 
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#10 ·
As mine is FWD with no spare, is it a gud option to buy a spare tire and wheel??
I would definitely get one if I were in your position (I have an shawd so it came with a spare). I've had too many experiences with flat tires due to sidewall damage which can't be fixed with a can of fix-a-flat. I also have no faith in towing services since it seems that every time they're called they say 'it's extra busy right now' and they show up more than an hour later - sometimes multiple hours. In addition, I've had flat tires in places where a cell phone wouldn't work. Even if you don't want to change a tire yourself having a spare available will let someone else help you. In addition, even if AAA was called I'd rather drive away on the spare myself than have the vehicle towed by a truck and then need to ride to wherever someone can fix or replace the tire - especially if it happens in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere when the fixing place might be closed.

Look at it another way - if when buying the vehicle there were two vehicles on the lot that were identical except one had the spare and one didn't - would you spend the extra <1% price to get the one with the spare or would you forego it?
 
#11 ·
I think it makes sense to have these two items (extended warranty, spare tire) in the same thread. (My brain's odd way of seeing things helped me to make this determination. :) )

They're similar in that they're both a type of insurance. You'll never need it until you actually do; and you'd wish you had it if you didn't. That being said, I'd say that the cost of a spare tire kit is a little easier to swallow than the cost of an extended warranty. As the vehicle owner, it's up to you to evaluate and weigh the costs, risks, and potential outcome of each.
 
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