Hey Guys,
I am wondering if anyone had any idea on the prices of Tire Protection from Acura Dealers. On an RDX with tech.
$1200.00
I have no idea if this is negotiable or not. Never purchased something like this, but the car is for my mother and she insists on it. Any help would be appreciated.
Total? How much for each, and who is the warranty company for each?
Yes it is negotiable. Start with (this is homework for you):
This covers 5 years, so for it to be worth it, atleast one of these events every year
I realize this is mom and she wants the peace of mind, which is where the most dealer margin (and a lot of f&i commission) is. Highly suggest skimming:
And
That said, for me personally (0 science here):
For some brands, an auto locksmith is cheaper. If I was buying it, it should be less than the cost of 1 key (because I can otherwise buy the key later, and not pay rent & tax on the rent to prepay). Have never boughtGood luck
You don’t have to buy “OEM” tires.
I called up for a few quotes for paintless dent removal and it’s much much more than $100 a ding. Trust me.
Let me say that as someone who paid $995 for this kind of “protection package” in the past:
these contracts have a max covered $ amount, and they almost always are less than the amount you pay (these are profit centers for dealers). For example, wheel/tire only covered $250 in parts, not including labor. My windshield protection had a max of $150, again not including labor.
paintless dent removal is less useful than you think, and you definitely will overestimate what is covered under the contract. A screen door in my garage accidental dropped on my hood and of the 4 points of contact, only one was fixed as PDR, the others were scratches not covered by the contract, of course. In addition, the max coverage was 150 bucks or so, meaning a maximum of 3 repairs, but probably 2, based on how much these things normally cost. The chance of you getting a ding you find unsightly but does not chip the paint is extremely low and all they do to fix it is exactly what they show you on YouTube
I also got windshield protection as part of this package which was my least favorite of them all, thanks to 3 separate attempts to see if a ding was covered, all of which were denied because the 1) crack was too small, the 2) crack was too big, the 3) crack was in the driver field of vision… just go to Safelite.
I know there are people who say that some maintenance and protection packages have benefits, but I can’t recommend it based on my experience. The best you can do it to ask for the actual contracts and make sure that the benefits you think you’re getting are indeed covered, and to what amount
Would you not pay $.25/mo to not be kept up at night worried about what would happen if your juicer broke? That’s like one cup of coffee a year.
Seems like a small price to pay to have one less thing to worry about.
On our last two Acura’s, we never needed dent removal, but used bumper repair companies to paint scratches on and around the bumpers about 4 times at about $300-$400 each time. Does it only cover dents or does it include paint as well? The paint guy said that Honda’s and Acura’s are notorious for having poor factory paint jobs.
Wow, what great responses. Thank you all. I’ll have to read the contract carefully, but overall I am in agreement that from an actuarial point of view, the chances of you using this are low, but they sound good. Maybe at a better price point.
That’s your takeaway here?
How many keys do you lose per year on average?
For how many of us here are expert negotiators, I haven’t actually seen many instances of people negotiating down the price of maintenance packages to cost
I can only imagine the look on the finance manager’s face when you ask him to sell you his/her last ditch profit reserve at cost, especially after agreeing to a loser deal 
I think you misunderstood. The chances of using something like this are pretty low, but they make it sound good so you are enticed to buy.
My takeaway is not that “this sounds good.”
How many keys do you lose per year on average?
As I said, this is not for me, but for a 78 year old. She has lost a key before.
I paid $595 for a 5yr dent/ding/wheel/tire warranty on my Accord. At that price point with me driving 20-30k miles a year it made sense. It’s already paid for itself with 3 wheel scuff repairs and 2 small dent repairs.
At $1200…yeesh. I don’t think that’s a good value.
Also keep in mind that in addition to contract limits, tire coverage is going to be prorated based on tread life.
@kimmel the biggest unexpected cost on these vehicles is windshields. They are over $1k to replace. I would get a separate glass insurance coverage (separate from comprehensive) with low or no deductible.
Thanks,
She has full glass coverage no deductible, which I always get as well due to highway driving.
“Also keep in mind that in addition to contract limits, tire coverage is going to be prorated based on tread life.”
I’ll have to check on these limits – I hate these plans… They always screw you one way or the other.
The only time I have ever heard the actual cost on an F&I product, it was from an F&I manager over dinner and drinks. At the dealership, even when your friend says “my cost is…”, it’s likely much less ($100+).YMMV
