Sunday, 19 January 2020

Is a Nissan Extended Warranty Worth It? Here’s a Comprehensive Look

  • A Nissan extended warranty allows you to maintain coverage after your factory warranty expires.
  • When purchasing an extended warranty for your Nissan, your choice of coverage will be limited to either a Nissan dealership service contract or a third-party extended warranty plan.
  • Read on for a full breakdown of the pros and cons for each respective extended warranty provider

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An extended warranty is a worthwhile investment for the longevity of your Nissan. Extended warranty coverage not only safeguards you against potential financial injury, but also greatly improves your overall peace of mind. If you are ready to begin researching third-party providers and comparing Nissan extended warranty costs, kick-start the process with a free, no-obligation quote from one of our recommended providers.

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If you want to know more about Nissan warranty coverage, we’ve compiled a comprehensive Nissan owner’s guide to extended warranty options, coverage conditions, and warranty providers.

Why Do You Need An Extended Warranty?

On paper, taking out an extended warranty seems like a sensible and even obvious decision. Even though this sentiment remains true in reality, a 2018 study from Pegasystems has revealed only 47 percent of U.S. vehicle owners actually hold an extended warranty. Unsurprisingly, the most commonly cited reason car owners gave for not having an extended warranty was the additional upfront cost in the form of premium payments. 

We understand shelling out extra money is the last thing car owners want to do. However, when the factory warranty expires, it’s important to save money in the long run if you plan on keeping your car. If you live in an area with hot summers or cold winters (or both), there are even certain seasonal repairs to consider as your Nissan accumulates miles.

Nissan Reliability & Repair Preparation

Despite the company’s well-deserved reputation for durability and reliability, Nissan vehicles are not immune to defects or mechanical breakdowns. Unsurprisingly, the probability of your vehicle having mechanical issues increases significantly after the expiration of the factory warranty. If your vehicle isn’t protected by an extended warranty during this period, you can quickly end up owing thousands of dollars in uncovered repair and service costs.

To illustrate just how quickly things can stack up, we’ve listed some of the most common repair costs for three of the most popular Nissan models currently on the market:

Is a Nissan extended warranty worth it? We take an in-depth look.
Despite the company’s well-deserved reputation for durability and reliability, Nissan vehicles are not immune to defects or mechanical breakdowns. A Nissan extended warranty can help protect your vehicle for the miles ahead.

What’s Covered Under Nissan’s Factory Warranty?

Nissan’s driveaway vehicle protection plan, the Nissan New Vehicle Limited Warranty, is a fairly straightforward factory warranty. Under a Nissan factory warranty, new vehicle owners are guaranteed comprehensive bumper-to-bumper coverage for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. In addition to its industry standard bumper-to-bumper warranty, Nissan’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty also features the following coverage plans and extensions:

  • Powertrain Warranty: For five years or 60,000 miles, Nissan will cover repairs or defective component replacement in the engine, drivetrain, transaxle assembly, and transmission system.
  • Corrosion Warranty: For five years and unlimited miles, Nissan will cover the cost of repairs arising from perforation in your car’s chassis or body sheet panels.
  • Seat Belt Warranty: For 10 years and unlimited miles, Nissan will cover replacement and repair costs for your entire seat belt system. 
  • Adjustment Coverage: For one year or 12,000 miles, Nissan will cover the cost of wheel alignment and axle balancing adjustments.
  • Federal Emissions Control Warranty: There are three different warranty levels for the Federal Emissions Control Warranty: 2-year/24,000-mile Performance coverage, 3-year/36,000-mile Defect coverage, and 8-year/80,000-mile Long Term Defect coverage.
  • California Emissions Control Warranty: Depending on your residency and vehicle model, you may be eligible for additional emissions control coverage provided by the state of California. 

Evaluating Nissan’s Extended Warranty Options

Nissan’s manufacturer-backed extended warranties, better known as Nissan Security+Plus Extended Protection Plans, become active after the expiration of the Nissan factory warranty, providing expanded coverage for up to eight years or 120,000 miles. We’ve briefly described the coverage breakdown for each of Nissan’s three Security+Plus preferred plans:

Gold Preferred Security+Plus: Nissan’s most comprehensive service contract, Gold Preferred covers more than 2,000 components across the powertrain, electronics and steering, axle-assembly, suspension, brake system, body/interior, climate control, and audio/navigation system. Gold protection automatically includes any additional coverage detailed in Silver Preferred or Powertrain Preferred plans.

Silver Preferred Security+Plus: Nissan’s mid-level extended warranty offering, Silver Preferred protects over 1,400 vehicle components, with coverage concentrated on the engine, transmission, suspension, drivetrain, steering, and electronic systems. Similar to Gold Preferred, any supplementary Powertrain Preferred coverage inclusions are automatically rolled into Silver Preferred plans.

Powertrain Preferred Security+Plus: As a standard entry-level extended warranty, there’s not much that stands out about Nissan’s Powertrain Preferred plan. Like most powertrain plans, coverage under Powertrain Preferred is limited to key components in the engine, transmission, and drivetrain.

Nissan’s Extended Warranty Tiers: Coverages & Costs

The average car owner doesn’t have time for researching and comparing component coverage between different extended warranty plans. The chart below is handy for comparing the level of component coverage across each of Nissan’s three extended warranty tiers. As you can see, there is considerable variation in the number of covered components for each plan, even for critical vehicle systems like the engine and transmission.

Vehicle System Gold Silver Powertrain
Engine 499 345 252
Transmission 454 370 321
Drive Axle Assembly 80 74 66
Braking System 105 59 21
Electrical Units 358 269 20
Steering System 102 70 50
Suspension System 150 94 89
Climate Control 134 87 20
Chassis/Interior 260 90 0
Audio/Video/Navigation 71 71 0

Source: Nissan

While this table gives you a general idea of each plan’s coverage limits, it doesn’t show you what’s not covered under a Nissan extended warranty. As a general rule of thumb, Nissan extended warranties have the following coverage exclusions:

  • Standard wear and tear issues, such as tire rotations, brake pad replacements, and oil changes.
  • Damage resulting from general negligent care, such as ignoring routine maintenance checks or over-stressing the powertrain.
  • Damage resulting from terrain and environment factors, such as hail or chassis scarring.
  • Damage resulting from DIY maintenance or irregular vehicle modifications.

How Much Will a Nissan Extended Warranty Cost?

The following table breaks down five key factors affecting Nissan extended warranty cost calculations:

Cost Factor Influence on Premium Cost
Deductible Choice The cheaper your deductible, the more expensive your premium. Unfortunately, Nissan only offers two extended warranty deductible options: $0 and $100.
Provider Choice Third-party extended warranty providers are usually more affordable than manufacturer-backed extended warranty providers.
Existing Coverage You’ll receive discounted premiums if your car’s extended warranty is stacked alongside the Nissan factory warranty.
Coverage Selection More comprehensive extended warranty plans will have more expensive premiums
Vehicle Age & Model Extended warranty premiums will cost considerably more for older Nissan cars or Nissan models with well-known reliability issues.

Nissan also offers a Consumer Financing Plan for new car owners who wish to bundle their warranty premiums alongside their auto loan. With no income or credit requirements, Nissan’s payment-free financing plan can sound like a dream come true. In reality, dealership programs to package your auto loan and extended warranty together are almost always some kind of trap. In this case, bundling your car loan and warranty will mean you’ll need to pay interest on both.

Nissan Extended Warranty: 3 Things We Like

  1. With three markedly different tiers of extended warranty coverage, Nissan owners shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a plan which aligns with their budget and coverage requirements.
  2. As a Nissan Security+Plus warranty holder, you’ll also benefit from tons of exclusive perks, including trip interruption benefits, multi-day rental car reimbursement, 24/7 emergency roadside assistance, towing services, and premium customer support.
  3. Nissan Security+Plus warranties have longer-than-average term limits, with coverage usually lasting for up to 8 years or 120,000 miles.

Nissan Extended Warranty: 3 Things We Don’t Like

  1. Covered repairs and maintenance work will not be approved unless your vehicle was serviced by an authorized Nissan mechanic or dealership. As a result, car owners with a Nissan extended warranty may have to abandon long-standing service relationships with their local mechanic.
  2. Outside of general plan selection, Nissan does not allow further customization of their extended warranty plans. Being unable to customize your component coverage can leave your vehicle dangerously under-covered, especially if you only hold a Nissan Silver Preferred or Powertrain Preferred plan.
  3. Nissan will not approve repair coverage if the service technicians find prior evidence of non-OEM component replacement. This condition can be a big inconvenience if you enjoy DIY maintenance or wish to make aftermarket modifications to your vehicle.

Why Choose a Third-Party Extended Warranty for Your Nissan?

Despite the outward convenience of using a Nissan extended warranty, shopping for an extended warranty from a third-party provider, such as CARCHEX, can often net you a cheaper and more comprehensive plan. Here’s three reasons why you should choose a third-party extended warranty for your Nissan:

Affordability: Because they are not affiliated with any one auto company, third-party extended warranty providers can compete for customers at a much larger market scale. The result? More affordable and more flexible pricing amongst third-party providers. For example, CARCHEX extended warranty coverage on a Nissan vehicle only costs an average of $65 per month.*

Service Flexibility: If you choose a third-party extended warranty provider, you’ll be free to service your vehicle at nearly all certified auto repair shops, not just authorized Nissan dealerships. If you partner with CARCHEX for instance, you’ll gain priority access to a network of more than 30,000 certified service stations.

Coverage Customization: Third-party extended warranty providers typically build in more leeway for plan negotiation and coverage customization. For some high-end plans, the warranty holder is free (to a point) to personally adjust coverage length and coverage conditions, even to the level of individual vehicle parts.

While CARCHEX remains our top recommendation for Nissan owners, price-conscious customers will likely want to check for themselves how CARCHEX stacks up with competing third-party providers like Endurance and CarShield. If you want to start comparing prices today, the first thing you’ll need is a customized quote.

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Frequently Asked Questions 

Does Nissan offer a CPO warranty?

Yes, if you have purchased a used Nissan, you may be eligible for Nissan’s certified pre-owned (CPO) warranty. Under a conventional Nissan CPO warranty, you will receive powertrain coverage for seven years or 100,000 miles (with the coverage term starting from the vehicle’s original date of purchase). 

Does a Nissan extended warranty cover long-term CVT issues?

Nissan’s first-generation CVT system has a very poor reputation for reliability. Despite being rolled out way back in 2002, Nissan owners still complain about jerky acceleration, whining engine noises, and stuttering gear shifts. In fact, persistent problems with the CVT system became so bad that Nissan was forced to double CVT coverage for 2003 – 2010 Nissans to 10 years or 120,000 miles. 

Can you cancel or transfer a third-party extended warranty?

Yes, canceling or transferring a third-party extended warranty is usually a quick and easy process. For instance, CARCHEX offers an immediate full refund if you decide to cancel your plan in the first 30 days. After this period, the refund from canceling your warranty will be prorated by the time left on your plan. Similarly, the only cost you will incur when transferring a CARCHEX extended warranty is a $50 or $75 transfer fee

Can you negotiate third-party extended warranty costs for Nissans?

Yes, if you’re a price-conscious Nissan owner, you’ll be happy to know you can negotiate premium or deductible cost adjustments with a third-party provider. In most cases, if you can show evidence of a dealership warranty costing less than an equivalent third-party plan, the third-party provider will be happy to match or beat the price.

*Figures accurate as of May 2017. Average monthly coverage cost is based on the average total price of the Vehicle Protection Plan over a four year coverage period. Actual monthly payments will vary per plan’s payment policy. Individual pricing is subject to change based on the combination of make, model, and mileage as well as coverage level and term length.

Original article: Is a Nissan Extended Warranty Worth It? Here’s a Comprehensive Look



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