warranty advice??

[knuk]

My 7 year powertrain warranty runs out in March but I am parking my Viper for the winter very soon.
My question is, do you think it is advisable to have the car checked over by the dealer, before I store for the winter, to see if there are any powertrain issues that should be taken care of while still on warranty? Or am I just throwing my $$ away having them check it over. As far as I can tell everything seems fine with the car...

 

[Martin]

Can you extend your warranty while it's still covered? I think I've heard of people at least getting a powertrain warranty after the 7/70 maxcare runs out.

 

[Nader]

It is not a bad idea for someone to look at it but my guess is if you havent noticed any issues that is because there probably isnt any. These cars are built well and can take some punishment.

My 7 year powertrain warranty runs out in March but I am parking my Viper for the winter very soon.
My question is, do you think it is advisable to have the car checked over by the dealer, before I store for the winter, to see if there are any powertrain issues that should be taken care of while still on warranty? Or am I just throwing my $$ away having them check it over. As far as I can tell everything seems fine with the car...

 

[knuk]

Do you mean a warranty extension through Dodge? Or an after market company? May be worth looking into.

 

[Martin]

I think it's definitely worth looking into - if you have a choice between paying someone to look at something that's probably not broken, or paying for a warranty that protects you if something does break, it's a pretty easy decision. I don't know how it works exactly, but I seem to remember that Chrysler had a tier of warranty coverage available after a maxcare warranty ran out - as long as you bought the plan before your existing plan expired. I'm sure someone will chime in about that.

 

[Newport Viper]

You used to be able to call Tator's Dodge for this kinda thing....

 

[Flexx91]

The 7/70 he is referring to is not the MaxCare warranty. The 7/70 is the original factory warranty that covers only the powertrain and was offered only on the 03's and some of the 04's. The MaxCare is an Chrysler extended warranty which extends coverage beyond the factory 3/36 and 7/70 (no 7/70 on some '04's and beyond).

To answer your question, to me it makes no sense to pay someone to check over your car to make sure nothing is wrong with it before the warranty runs out. There is no way to visually check something to see if you have a potential issue such as an internal engine or transmission issue. You may as well put that money towards the purchase of an extended warranty. If you do have a powertrain failure, you will definitely regret not purchasing an extended warranty.

 

[Boxer12]

I would get the fluids changed in the entire drivetrain and ask them to look it over when its on the lift. You need to do that periodically anyway. Have them check the wheel bearings, that is the usual first thing to wear out on a Viper.

I personally think extended warranties are a waste of money unless you are doing it for resale. Spend your money on regular maintenance.

 

[knuk]

I did change all fluids this year and also had the car "checked" as it was required for track days. I think I'll skip having someone look at it now but I will check into extended warranties a bit more.
Thanks for all the replies.

 

[conceptpi916]

Who is giving us the deals on the MaxCare extended warranties now? Tator used to give us a great deal.

 

[Martin]

Good point. Maybe a dealer out there wants to do a group buy? I know of at least three people that need to get extended warranties.