dssdmd

In trying to decide if I want an extended warranty for my wife's 2011 A4 with 17K miles and my just ordered 2013 A6 -3.0, a lot would depend on how many of you have paid over $2500.00 out of pocket after the original Audi warranty has expired on previous AUDI'S you have owned. Not everyone keeps cars 6-7 years as I do, but what has been your experience. Consumers Report shows excellent repair histories for the 2011-12 A6's and good for the A4's. Seeing as the 2 warranties would cost over $5000.00 for 6 or 7 years or 100,000 miles, I think I should self insure. What has been your experience with high repair costs not covered? I do keep up with all required maintenance and have the Audi Care pack on the A4, and will get it on the A6.

snagitseven

This has been pretty well discussed over all the AudiWorld forums. While you may get lots of opinions, I'm in the "bank the cost of coverage" and self insure. Warranties are nothing more than insurance policies and with the high cost of premiums, deductibles, limited coverages and the sometimes hassle of getting coverage approved or reimbursed, the profit and odds are weighted heavily to the insurer. Think of slot machines - there's always one out of hundreds of players that gets the jackpot but the rest many times over for that one winner. Unlike car and home insurance, which you need to cover against total loss, repairs don't often total your car.

I invest the premium costs into a reserve against future repairs and have never come out behind in my three previous Audis.That said, I too, buy the Audi Care service plan which has always paid off for me since I use the dealer for service while under the manf. warranty. A sure bet if you don't do your own service.

NVThs1

I for one might want a little extra warranty if you plan on keeping your car that long. Just make sure you know what it covers and does not.

I owned a 2004 C5 that I bought CPO with a CPO warranty. I did have warranty items repaired, but they were not many. My CV boots went bad, and I replaced them at my expense (not covered and expensive for what it was). As the car got older other items started showing wear and the repair on them was rather high. I rarely heard anything under $1k. I was out of warranties so I have no idea if they would have been covered. What saved me some money was the maintanance package I bought with the C5. I had maintances covered every 10k up to 85k (which included a timing belt change) Huge savings and a leading cause to an easy sale for me.

As I type this I realize this is not much help. Point of story, know what it covers and weigh your options. I for one would imagine you might spend more on repairs without a warranty. Maybe 5 years from now we can comiserate on repair bills as I too will be keeping this car for a long time. I am in love with it.

MileHighJC

As already stated, you will many differing opinions - it’s all about how you want to bet.

I tend to keep cars a VERY long time (my A4 was 15 years old when I passed it along to my son). I can tell you this: the A4 did not break much. But when it does, it is expensive. Basic "on the schedule" repairs can be very pricey as well (case in point, timing belt replacement which had a ton of labor as it required the bumper to be removed).


For reference, my off the "schedule" repairs on the A4 were:

• Replaced tie rods at about 45K. I found the parts online, and a guy to do the labor relatively cheaply. Total cost was <$300.
• Thermostat failed at about 80K. I think this really could be expected, but it would have been wicked expensive as it required removal of the bumper. Instead of doing it ala carte, I chose to do the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, hoses and some other miscellaneous stuff at the same time. Total bill about $1500.
• It started throwing codes for the EGR valve at about 110K. Looks like it is a vacuum problem, I guess I’m still chasing this one intermittently, have about $700 in it so far.
• I have a leak somewhere in the power steering system. Would cost about $700 to repair outright, but in the short term have chosen to add some fluid every 10K miles. It does not seem to be getting worse.

Otherwise, its scheduled maintenance, tires, oil, etc. IMHO, that is a pretty good record.

For my money, I choose not to buy the extended warranties, as I believe that over the course of multiple cars over multiple years, the "house" will ALWAYS win. So I risk getting hit with a large bill at a bad time (instead of potentially spreading it out over time by buying the warranty). In trade, I don’t have to hassle to get the coverage when I need it, and pay less in the long haul (IMHO).

I am probably taking some risk with a car as technically complicated as the A6, but if it starts giving me fits, I’ll get rid of it.

YMMV

Grapeking

If you keep your new A6 6-7 years, you are looking at only 2-3 years when your extended warranty would protect you. If the warranty cost is $2500 as you say, then the question on the table is "what is the lieklihood of needing to spend $2500 in a two year period".
Having had extended warranties and aftermarket warranties in the past, I would roll the dice and take the risk - you'd have to have a couple of significant items break during those 2-3 years to recoup the cost of your investment in the warranty.

snagitseven

Don't forget to factor in those $100 per instance deductibles to the $2500. Also, what does a $2500 policy actually cover and exclude? I.e., are ALL the electronics covered at that price?