Considering buying 2018 200 LC with 60 K dealership trying to sell me an extension on warranty for eight years hundred thousand miles bumper-to-bumper for 3900. Does anyone have any experience with the Toyota platinum care? Is it worth it?
Toyota platinum care
- Thread starter Icgreen3
- Start date
You are essentially purchasing insurance. IF you need it, you may very well come out ahead since $4k in auto repairs at a dealer is not out of the question with new high tech vehicles, but the odds are not typically in your favor. The dealer I had pitched it and explained how many 1000's of parts are in the Land Cruiser and how many of those 1000's of parts are only covered for 3/36. The thing is, most of the important parts that you care about and are more prone to fail have coverage beyond that.
The Toyota comes with the factory 3/36 bumper to bumper and 5/60 drivetrain plus whatever the hybrid is. So you are only getting 40k more coverage on the (expensive) drivetrain that is what you are concerned about. Sure the ventilated seat motor could fail at 95k, but unless you can rack up some big ticket failures to cover the cost, it is not worth it.
Say you end up with $5k in repairs for some electrical issue and need several boards. Well you are saving $1k since you are paying $4k up front. If you have a $3k bill, you are actually losing since you paid $4k for the coverage. Until you have $4k in repairs, the policy is not saving you a penny.
If you get the platinum coverage and when you pull out of the dealer someone drives into you, that $4k is wasted (assuming the vehicle is totaled).
Also, I am always amazed how many older vehicles still use the dealers. Once the factory drivetrain coverage expires I am looking for a good mechanic. Say at 80k you forget that you locked the center differential and go on the highway. Even if the coverage would pay for the repair (I highly doubt since it will be considered abuse), if you were to take the Toyota to a non-dealer shop, the repair will likely be much less than at the dealer; making that $4k go further.
At the end of the day, the dealer is selling you peace of mind. against what could happen. With proper maintenance and a decent mechanic you likely will not save anything. But, you do get peace of mind that for 100k you do not need to worry.
My grandfather got coverage on a Ford (mid 1990's) and had multiple transmissions replaced along with at least 1 engine. If I recall correctly drivetrain coverage then was still only 3/36 so he came out like a bandit with the coverage. My parents got coverage on a Subaru (mid 2010's) and only had the wheel bearing s go bad at 140k which ran $1k at a mechanic.
The Toyota comes with the factory 3/36 bumper to bumper and 5/60 drivetrain plus whatever the hybrid is. So you are only getting 40k more coverage on the (expensive) drivetrain that is what you are concerned about. Sure the ventilated seat motor could fail at 95k, but unless you can rack up some big ticket failures to cover the cost, it is not worth it.
Say you end up with $5k in repairs for some electrical issue and need several boards. Well you are saving $1k since you are paying $4k up front. If you have a $3k bill, you are actually losing since you paid $4k for the coverage. Until you have $4k in repairs, the policy is not saving you a penny.
If you get the platinum coverage and when you pull out of the dealer someone drives into you, that $4k is wasted (assuming the vehicle is totaled).
Also, I am always amazed how many older vehicles still use the dealers. Once the factory drivetrain coverage expires I am looking for a good mechanic. Say at 80k you forget that you locked the center differential and go on the highway. Even if the coverage would pay for the repair (I highly doubt since it will be considered abuse), if you were to take the Toyota to a non-dealer shop, the repair will likely be much less than at the dealer; making that $4k go further.
At the end of the day, the dealer is selling you peace of mind. against what could happen. With proper maintenance and a decent mechanic you likely will not save anything. But, you do get peace of mind that for 100k you do not need to worry.
My grandfather got coverage on a Ford (mid 1990's) and had multiple transmissions replaced along with at least 1 engine. If I recall correctly drivetrain coverage then was still only 3/36 so he came out like a bandit with the coverage. My parents got coverage on a Subaru (mid 2010's) and only had the wheel bearing s go bad at 140k which ran $1k at a mechanic.
Don't le them pressure you at the dealership. You can buy that coverage anytime up until your 36 month/36,000 mile warranty expires, and probably at a lot less than $3900 if you shop around. You can buy from any dealership in the country and many finance managers will sell to you even if you don't come in. I am waiting and watching the reliability on the LC and will buy at 35.9 months if there are major issues arising.
- Moderator
- #4
The price sounds a little high but I think it's well worth it. In my Chevy truck with only a 6 inch touch screen, parts and labor were over $1k so for the GM price it paid for itself.
I got a 7 year Platinum for the LC for $2k even and still glad I did. I can only imagine what the screen price is for this vehicle... dash and center. With a $500 military discount I really paid $1500.
I got a 7 year Platinum for the LC for $2k even and still glad I did. I can only imagine what the screen price is for this vehicle... dash and center. With a $500 military discount I really paid $1500.
I noticed that after the post, that it was regarding a 2018. If the coverage is for 100k on the odometer (just an extra 40k miles) vs another 100k miles (coverage to 160k) changes the risk reward.
Though, being a 2018, there are a lot less computers and components to go bad.
While the Drivetrain for that vintage is not going to return good MPG, it is a pretty reliable platform IMO.
Though, being a 2018, there are a lot less computers and components to go bad.
While the Drivetrain for that vintage is not going to return good MPG, it is a pretty reliable platform IMO.
- Thread starter
- #7
Yes, it is a 2018 with 60,000 miles on it. It is already a gold certified vehicle. The platinum would extended out an additional eight years meaning 2032 and an additional hundred thousand miles whichever comes first.
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