[Biturbos4] Extended Warranty Buy (Read The Fine Print)

Fri Jan 2 03:16:02 EST 2004

Well Adam...I have to respectfully disagree with your point about CHIPPING and the S4 ECU. 

As Keman pointed out in a previous post, some (I think MOST) warranty companies will require/request a "tear down" (diagnosis) of your S4 when the turbos blow. 

Replacing K03s is not an INEXPENISVE proposition ($5400 -USD or better). Any warranty (insurance) company "worth it's salt" will absolutely (IMO) require a diagnosis before authorizing such $$$$ on a repair. Especially, when u ONLY paid $2k for the warranty/policy in the first place. 

These companies are NOT in business to LOSE money. So, they will send an inspector out to review all relevant parts of the engine that are suspected of blowing the turbos. Any inspector "worth their salt" would also INCLUDE the ECU to see if it was faulty (since it controls boost levels). Thus, your aftermkt chip would be discovered. Then..I suspect the warranty/insurance company would deny your claim and the round robin (btw you & them) would begin. 

I also own a 30' boat. Recently, I submitted a major damage claim ($17k - USD)  to my insurance (warranty) company. They would NOT authorize ANY repairs, until THEIR inspector reviewed the damage, and sent them a report. 

I bet if folks read the FINE print on their aftermkt warranties, they will find similar language, especially with LARGE $$$ claims like BLOWN TURBOS. 

These warranty (insurance) companies aren't in the FIX and REPAIR business, they are in the PREMIUM COLLECTING, and INVESTING business. Yes, small claims like DVs and TBBs will get paid relatively hassle free, but wait until your turbos blow. See what happens - I guarantee that they will play hardball.

My additional $.02 on the subject.

Adam Schwartz <adam.schwartz at rcn.com> wrote:
Sorry, but I have to disagree. Now, it certainly does depend on the 
warranty. My warranty says that if I modify the car, the modified 
part is no longer under warranty. say for example if I modify my 
stereo... As the factory stereo IS covered on my warranty. So in 
theory if I modify the ECU, then the ECU is no longer under warranty. 
No matter how you interpret the meaning of the wording, it almost 
seems irrelevant in some sense.

My S4 is modified. I have an APR chip. I also have the 
warrantybynet.com warranty. I bring my car to MY mechanic. MY 
mechanic then gets paid from the warranty service. The warranty 
service knows nothing of my chip. I guess if a job was very 
expensive, they may send an inspector - but I dont think they would 
find out about the chip.

Another thing...

When my TBB went, I replaced it with a Kevlar wrapped one... The 
warranty paid for it

When my DV went, I replaced them both with Bosch Sport 110 parts... 
rather than the standard Bosch 108. The warranty paid for it. I am 
sure if I had decided to replace them with Forge, they wouldn't cover 
the WHOLE cost as those parts are a lot more expensive... but my shop 
would let me pay the difference. It has been very versatile so far.

I havent 'made my money back' but I am half way there and I have a 
few years to go.

Adam

>now, would the extended warranty allow us to chip and
>add other mods to the car? Ahhh...the short answer is NO!..No 
>warranty company will cover mods like chips that STRESS the engine. 
>If you want to mod your S4..make sure that your VISA/MC has a BIG 
>credit line...K03 turbos cost $5400 (parts/labor) to replace. K04s 
>(the best way to go) cost even more. My credit cards are capable of 
>handling major repairs to my 00 Imola S4 after I finish modding. I 
>wouldn't WASTE my time trying to get an aftermkt warranty company to 
>cover repairs on a MODDED S4. Good Luck,
>
>
>ken kgrant wrote:
>hi tom, i may be interested as well. i've got 37k
>miles on my s4. i was thinking of selling my car
>soon, but then again, i may keep it.
>
>now, would the extended warranty allow us to chip and
>add other mods to the car?
>
>thx
>ken
>
>
>--- TStifler wrote:
>>
>> I too plan to buy an extended warranty for my '02
>> S4. I shopped a lot when I first purchased the car
>> but then realized I didn't need to do it until close
>> to 50K mi. I've been reading the threads here and
>> since I'm on 44K mi. I need to buy one in the next 3
>> months or so. If anyone is about to buy - drop me
>> a line and let me know which co. and perhaps two
>> (or more of us) can both get a better deal. They
>> certainly kept lowering the price every week or so
>> when I last was quoted, so there should be some
>> value in a few of us coming together. I liked the
>> advise of paying with the credit card for some
>> protection if a Co. folds. Anyway, good luck
>> shopping - I am going to resurrect all the old
>> quotes I got 2 yrs ago and see which seemed
>> attractive then, and get a re-quote. Let me know if
>> interested.
>> Happy New Year
>> Tom Stifler 443 463-5668
>> Tstifler at att.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Biturbos4 mailing list
>> Biturbos4 at www.audifans.com
>> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/biturbos4
>
>
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Adam Schwartz adam.schwartz at rcn.com 
(617)666-4539 - home (617)365-7511 Cell

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