RE: Is Extended Warranty Worth it for High Mileage Driver?

[Tim Irwin <timi@Interlinq.com>]

I've had my '98 for 6 months and hit 10K last Monday. Warranty repairs so
far include:

- Adjustment of seat heater mechanism to keep it from poking me in the back
- Replacement of DS airbag after steering wheel re-alignment messed up the
cover (dealer fault)
- Sunroof not closing with key (to be done)
- PS rear window not working (to be done)
- Occasional whiny fuel pump (waiting for it to be bad when I'm at the
dealer)

This so far shatters my previous record of warranty work done on a new car,
mainly due to the "luxury" items in the car. With this track record, I don't
at all feel bad about spending the $1000 on an extended warranty. Of course
it should not be necessary, I've had cars go well in excess of 100k without
any warrantable work, but that does not seem to be the case with my Jetta.

The key is that the items which would wear out with high mileage driving
(drivetrain, etc.) are covered by the factory warranty. Its the luxury items
which break (sunroof motor, electrical, switches, etc.) that can really nail
you in the pocketbook.

Tim Irwin
'98 GLX

ps. Yes, I'm very picky about things. When I spend over $20k for a car, I
expect everything to work, preferably work perfectly.

-----Original Message-----
From: John Kiekhaefer [mailto:jonnk@execpc.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 1999 8:35 PM
To: jettaglx@igtc.com
Subject: Is Extended Warranty Worth it for High Mileage Driver?


Due to my work, I have put 19,000miles on my 98 Jetta GLX in one year.
Most of it is highway miles.   At that rate, I will be at 100,000 miles
in around 5 years.  Because these will be mostly highway miles, one
would expect to have fewer component failures or wear-outs than would be
normal for 100,000 miles.  In your opinion, would this suggest that an
Extended Warranty Contract may not be worth it for my vehicle?

John Kiekhaefer