Hello, I have a 2013 S60 T5 front wheel drive (1st Volvo ever and one of my favorite all time cars).

I'm planning on financing the balance on my lease and keep it for 2/3 more years. It currently has 39K miles on the odometer and I plan on driving it another 50K more miles. With that in mind, should I get an extended warranty? Or gamble and assume it wont need any major repairs.

With this in mind, is there anybody out there with this version/vintage V60 T5, who has used theirs for 60K to 100K?

Also, do I need to take it to a certified Volvo for regular scheduled maintenance, or can I take it to an independent Volvo garage?

Sincerely, Mike

 

Nobody can, as a condition of keeping a warranty in force, require you to take the car to the dealer or any specified service point. You can even perform oil changes yourself. Just be prepared to document each service if you want to do it elsewhere should you end up with an engine or transmission claim. Also make sure to read the warranty in detail to understand what is or is not covered. It's rarely as inclusive as the original factory warranty.

As for whether or not to buy the warranty, just think about how a manufacturer would go about pricing the warranty or why they would be motivated to even sell it. See, they have plenty of data to tell them the average cost of repairs over the time and miles the coverage will be in effect, so they have the advantage of playing the odds. Do you think they sell the warranty at a price designed to lose money, break even, or make money? I'll give you one guess. What you do when you choose to buy the warranty is bet that your car will be enough worse than average that you would spend more on repairs than the average plus the profit that is built into the price. The dealer is also making a markup in the sale, so there is really two profits built in. All that said, today's cars are so complicated that issues that used to be simple cost hundreds or thousands to fix. I would make the decision based on how good you are at maintaining a "rainy day" fund. If your checking account regularly has $5K that while it would be painful you could use it to pay for an expensive unexpected repair then bank the warranty $$ and if you don't spend it over the next 2-3 years treat yourself to something nice. If you aren't good at that and would be in danger of missing rent or maxing out your credit card in such an event then buy the warranty and build it into the payment. I highly recommend sticking with the manufacturers warranty if you do it as 3rd party companies come and go, but I've never seen the factory one disappear. Also, the price is negotiable so don't be afraid to work it. Good luck!

P.S. Also understand that any major maintenance interval that you encounter is not covered by the warranty.

 

Pkrface - thanks very much for taking your time to respond/provide feedback, which is most logical.

BTW, based on a little research/speaking with a pretty decent local Euro mechanic about my "2013 front wheel drive, S60 T5", he said for the most part that its much less complicated/more reliable than various German cars, and he'd pass on purchasing the extended warranty.

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!

 

Could it be that this mechanic is banking on being your shop of choice when you experience problems, and have no warranty?

 

Yep, you could be correct!

Based on asking around, I've found that the S60 T5 has a pretty good reputation for reliability (however, I know for a fact that no matter "what car it is" there are always a lemon in the bunch).

Anyway, based on my intention of using/keeping it for 70/80K miles, I'll probably pass on getting the extended warranty.

Thanks/have a good day.

 

I agree with whoever told you to pass. For 2 or 3 years and 80k, it wouldn't be worth it. Those are pretty reliable.