ETM and extended warranty

[Shoe]

My 2001 XC has 46,500 miles on it now. I bought it used late this past winter and it has been wonderful so far. Previous service and warranty work records show that the car was well maintained and had only some minor warranty work (a couple of replaced stablizer arms and what ever recalls were done). I think I got a "good one". The original ETM is in place. I kind of feel like I'm sitting on a ticking time bomb here. It is very difficult to know if all of the press the ETM failures have gotten are the noisy few, or a significant percentage of the cars out there. I have done my homework and know that there have been estimates that between 24-94% of XC70's in my model year will fail before 100,000 miles. That estimate has a large gap.

I am leaning toward getting an extended warranty. Am I right to assume that it is pretty much a slam dunk that I will experience the $1000 ETM repair somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 miles? Thow in another $1,000 in covered repairs and I am at break even with the price of Volvo's VIP extended warranty. I paid a reasonable price for the car, and think that adding $2,000 to what I have into it will still make it a decent buy for me. I will have saved approximately $1,000 by buying it the way I did, and adding the extended warranty, over the same certified pre-owned car at the local Volvo dealer (I walked on their best offer). I am leaning this direction, but want to see if anyone has a good reason to talk me out of it.

Thanks for the help ahead of time!

Greg

[Bluegrass-XC]

Greg - I bought my 2000 from a non-authorized Volvo dealer - i.e. a Mazda/Subaru dealer, but they offered a third party (non-Volvo) extended warranty for $2500 which included the ETM. At the time I didn't know about the problem with the ETM nor did I know the warranty covered it. When it finally crapped out on me after several "false-fails", the warranty covered the replacement cost. I was extremely happy that I bought the extended warranty since I was out of town when it failed.

Buy the warranty - you don't know when or where you'll break down ... and you WILL break down.

[Dr Fonta]

Make sure you check the warranty. I don't think the ETM is covered under Volvo's extended warranty. Further evidence that they know the ETM will eventually go.....

[anna123]

I was in the same sitituation as you are Greg. Fortunately, I was able to locate the service records and found that the throttle had indeed been replaced. If I had not found the records, I was intending to find the lowest priced dealer (hopefully @800.00) and replace the throttle before I found myself on the highway with an unrepsonive gas pedal. This is a serious and very dangerous "time bomb" to be driving around with. I LOVE my car and have decided to keep it, despite the rediculously expensive maintainance, i.e. 350.00 for an tansmission flush vs. less than a hundred for our old Mercedes.

[Shoe]

How hard is it to replace? Can the part be purchased, and then installed by an independent mechanic? As I said, the car is not a lemon by any means. Perhaps a preventive replacement would be a safe option - plus a cheeper short term option over an extended warranty.

[Shoe]

Dr Fonta,

I called the dealer and they said that the Volvo extended warranty does cover the ETM.

I was quoted $1950 for the warranty (which includes the certification check up). This is the 6 yr/100,000 mile warranty. Can anyone give me an idea if it is worth shopping around at other Volvo dealers for a lower price?

[DYZ]

If your car is less than 15 month old and has less then 15,000 miles, Geico's mechanical breakdown coverage seems to be a better option.

[Dr Fonta]

Dr Fonta,

I called the dealer and they said that the Volvo extended warranty does cover the ETM.

I was quoted $1950 for the warranty (which includes the certification check up). This is the 6 yr/100,000 mile warranty. Can anyone give me an idea if it is worth shopping around at other Volvo dealers for a lower price?

That's interesting. Before you buy it you better check. On both my CPO warranty, and the additional warranty I purchased ($995.00 to eight years, 100K) it says under the section "What is not covered" - sub section "other parts not covered" that the "throttle body assembly" is not covered, along with a list of other parts not covered.

If I had it to do over again I wouldn't have bought the additional warranty. The CPO warranty would've been enough, since I'll probably wind up trading in for a XC90. But if I do keep it, I'm covered for most big items until 2009.

I just want to make sure that what the dealer says, and what you actually get are the same thing. A quick reading of the fine print will do you well.

Good luck

[Shoe]

Here is the list of exceptions (things not covered) from Volvo US website for VIP Total Care;

VIP Comprehensive Plan Exceptions*

1. Mechanical: Adjustments and Cleaning, Battery and Cables, Belts and Hoses, Brakes (Front and Rear Discs and Pads, and Hubs and Parking Brake Linings), Exhaust Systems (including Catalytic Converter), Filters, Fluids (except in conjunction with a covered repair), Lights (Bulbs, Sealed Beam and Lenses), Lubricants, Manual Clutch Assembly, Shock Absorbers, Spark Plugs and Wires, Squeaks and Rattles, Tires, Tune-up, Wheel Balance and Alignment, Wiper Blades, Coolant and Wheel Studs.

2. Exterior: Adjustments (Glass and Body Parts), Bright Metal, Bumpers, Glass, Moldings, Paint, Rust, Sheet Metal, Side View Mirror(s) (Glass and Housing), Water Leaks, Wheel Covers and Ornaments, Wind Noise, Weatherstrips, Door Handles, Wheels and Outside Ornamentation.

3. Interior: Carpet, Rearview Mirror (Glass and Housing), Trim, Upholstery, Door and Window Handles, Dash Pad, Knobs, Clock, Buttons and Safety Restraint Systems.

[Dr Fonta]

Read the fine print on the contract you buy. If it's not listed as not covered, then good for you. Maybe they owned up to it recently. I just know what mine says.

There are some good threads on here about extended warranties and as to whether they are worth it or not. Check them out.

If you do buy one, let us know if they have indeed removed the throttle body from the "what's not covered" list.

Good luck

[DonWillson]

This is Don Willson that started this thread. My son's wxtended warranty did not cover throttles. I am still trying to find out whu not. His failed at 44,000 miles, 2 monthis outside the time period. Pedersen Volvo in fort Collins would not cover it.
DonWillson for VEXED
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