Voiding Factory Warranty and/or Extended Warranty
 

Hi everyone,

I recently spoke with an AM sales/finance manager about purchasing the premium extended warranty to kick in after the factory warranty runs out. I specifically asked whether the car needed to be regularly serviced by an AM dealership in order to keep the warranties in effect. The answer was a resounding "YES!!!!" I was told that if I had the car serviced by an independent, I run the risk of voiding either the remaining factory warranty or the extended warranty. The dealership obviously has an interest in making sure I come back for service (and I really like the dealership so far), but the prices are a bit high to say the least.

So, anyone have issues with a dealership or the factory trying to void a warranty as a result of having the car serviced by an independent?

Don't do it! I was convinced to purchase a 2 year extended warrranty at the AM dealership for over $9K and it was an utter waste of money... I've taken the car in for 2 seemingly "warranty" issues(window not closing, stereo not working) and was told neither issue was covered under said warranty. They haven't even provided me with a detailed description of said warranty...after asking several times. Buyer beware.

hmm...I was quoted $5950 USD for the 2-year premium warranty and was told that it was pretty much an extension of the factory warranty....I will have to look into this.

Save your money. By now all the niggles should have been worked out of your car. Can you really see spending 6k in repairs over those two years?
These cars are very reliable. I have on 06 which is now coming up 3 yrs out of warranty with no problems. Things that will need replacing are the clutch and brakes but those things aren't covered.
Save that 6k in a high interest savings acct. and use it for emergency repairs if need be. Otherwise buy a new exhaust system or new tires or ???? go on a vacation. Just my two cents:)

What my Dealer said & quoted for X Warranty
 

Just purchased 2005 DB9 w/8500mi, looking at extended warranty:

Newport Beach Dealer Quoted "The vehicle is over 6 years old making it only eligible for the plus coverage. The plans run $4825.00 for a 12 month plan and $7480.00 for a 24 month plan. There is a $510.00 inspection charge also."

Anyone know if this is a Standard price or negotiable?
Also asked about outside Mechanics and the requirement for annual/10K mi service to keep the contract active, and the reply was:
"The maintenance requirement is once a year or every 10,000 miles whichever occurs first, you’ll find the outline in your owner’s manual.
As long as the said technician follows the Aston Guide line noting exact maintenance performed, it can be done by any facility.
During a break down event the extended plan holder will request copies of maintenance records.
The inspection charges are above and beyond the cost of the extended service plan, not included in plan price. Sorry.
The extended agreement has come in very useful for some, and not for others. You need to pay attention to the exclusions and
also with the Plus policy there is an actual limit to repair amount. "

I'm debating an outside warranty...anyone have a recommendation?
Also is there anyone who can chime in if they think the $7480 and $510 inspection is worth it? There are a ton of exclusions. I've attached a copy of the warranty if anyone wants to see it.

Lastly, anyone know a good Independent AM mechanic in SoCal Orange County/Inland Empire?

When I purchased my '07-Vantage, I asked the service manager about the details of an extended warranty. The price was very similar to those quoted above ($3k/yr + $500 inspection). After quoting that, he said he didn't really recommend getting the warranty as the cars were very reliable.

I didn't purchase the extended warranty and agree with R13, don't purchase it ... expensive and a ton of exclusions!

I think there are 2 different warranty solutions offered thru AM. The first is for any vehicle currently under the 3 year manufactures warranty. It can be purchased as either a 1 or 2 year plan. It is essentially an extension of the factory 3 year warranty with the exception of the SatNav and general wear and tear. Cost is around $5700 for the 2 years plus inspection. Inspection must be done everytime the plan is extended and you are required to maintain the manufactures service plan. I purchashed this plan for the record. Good peace of mind. So far, I haven't used it but I guess that is Murphy's law! :)

The other plan is for cars under 10 years of age but out of the original warranty or extended warranty. I forgot the exeact name but it is still offered thru AM. My undertanding is there are many exclusions to this plan.

There is a little negotiating room in the plan so call around to different AM dealers. Some dealers will waive the $450 inspection fee if you purchase the warranty thru them.

For the record, AM has changed the extended plans and covered items numerous times during the last 3 years. In fact when I bought my car the extended warranty offered by AM was done thru a 3rd party company but AM was somehow behind it. Now, the warranties are done thru AM.

Adam

Ever find an independent AM mechanic in SoCal,IE area?

What is a high interest savings account?:confused:

Greek 1 year bonds - 200% .... but there's a good chance you might end up with a fat goose egg :(

I just purchased my 9th Aston Martin in the past 30 years, one of the left over 2017 used 'new' V12S (more on that later). My first Aston's were used Lagondas, naturally no warranty on those. The three I owned had zero problems with the engine and drive train - lots of electronic problems and things that simply broke or needed adjustment, something I expected owning a handmade 'engineered in the barn' car. If I drove the car, I'd say there was about a 30% chance I'd come back with something new not working right. One day standing next to the car walking by, the fuel door popped open, it seems the weld on the tiny mechanism holding the door open on the electronic mechanism decided to simply give up. I was able to order the past and actually fix it myself, but looking at the logic behind what should have been a simple design seemed like someone on crack designed it - far too complex than it should have been. The TV screens on my 1985 Lagonda would do a vertical roll, at the time there was no fix. I thought I'd just pop the dash open and about what seemed like a thousand tiny wires went back and forth across the dash - another design decision from hell, so I closed it and lived with one or more of the three TV screens doing vertical rolls as I drove.

Aston's are not made in a barn anymore and for the most part they are solid excellent cars that can (almost) compete with Porsche quality, but even Porsche can make mistakes, causing a warranty claim.

All of my 5 (now 6) Vantages have(had) a warranty. My first one, a new 2007 Vantage on the fist week had a squeal on the timing belt. I called in a claim within 15 minutes a flatbed showed up and shipped the car from Minneapolis to Chicago, and returned it the next evening with a timing belt fix. A few months later I made another call on something minor - they picked it up, and the next evening delivered it to a restaurant in St. Paul where I was having a meeting. No other problems in the 25,000 miles of use. I lost the car due to the recession.

In 2012 I bought a 32,000 mile used 2009 Vantage with a Sportshift (from Newport Beach) that was Certified and I added another year warranty. Drove that another 10,000 miles. The only warranty claim was a drivers mirror that was jerky movement.

When the warranty was up on that I traded for a 2015 Vantage GT - with 2 years left on the factory warranty. Here's where it gets interesting: Under Warranty, replaced both rear tail lights, two computers that controlled indirectly the Sportshift (one was a defective new computer, which was replaced with another new one), a timing cover leak (someone who put the engine together did not seat the seal and it was pinched), and a transaxle leak. If I did not have a warranty, adding these items together would have been over $20,000.

I traded that 2015 GT for a 2015 V12S, again used certified with two years coverage. As soon as I got the car I noticed several odd things about the car and many items that should have been caught on the 'Timeless Certified' inspection. These I've addressed elsewhere in this blog, so I'll not mention them again, but under warranty (including stuff I know about from the next owner)... replaced both headlights, one tail light, a new engine, two new clutches, panels in the dash with leather shrinkage, inop gas cap remote, a new waterfall where the electronics are, a new GPS thing, five new computers, a new windshield - all within the 50,000 miles that the car now has. My guess that by now, the value of the warranty claims if someone had to do all the fixes out of warranty would be more than what I bought the car for.

Aston early on replaced the car for me and that car with another 2015 V12S, with 8,000 miles (locally owned by a mature person), I traded with 13,200 miles on it. Zero issues, not a single claim in the 1 1/2 years I've had it.

My new 2017 V12S has over 2 years remaining on the factory warranty, I added a year on the deal. Assuming this is my last Aston Martin, I'll be extending the warranty until I can't anymore.

Is it stupid to have an extended warranty? On a used car, you never know if the previous owner beat the crap out of the car (my first V12S was an Aston corporate tracked car - hence yes, it's a problem) and the warranty covers your butt. If you know the past owner(s) and how they drove and maintained the car, maybe not a problem. On a new(ish) car like my 2015 V8 GT - all of the warranty claims were due to factory sloppiness - that can happen to any car.

If you have any Aston Martin (new or used) budget at least one tail light replacement, and possibly a headlight also - these are known gotchas that would be under warranty, and should be covered even if out of warranty (it should be a class action against Aston - they are lucky it has not come to that).

I have a lot going on in my life running businesses, family, etc. Worrying about something expensive breaking on my Aston and the hassle of repair is just not something I want to live with if I don't have to. The warranty to me is not a stupid thing, it's simply necessary. If I have no claims, no big deal - it means I've bought a good car, or the problem has yet to appear.

I just broke a joint in my axle and the total bill \to pull the box and have it inspected because they didn't find the axle problem on the way in was $6300. It would have been covered under warranty. But I've always believed they sell a warranty for a reason, it makes them alot of money. I prefer to self insure and when it bites it hurts, but it isn't guaranteed to hurt, like buying the warranty and being told something isn't covered anyway....

I should have added my white LED's are dead in a headlight that would be covered and the cost of the headlight is higher than the year of warranty......