So I went to pick up my car last night. I went into it and we had money to put down and were going to finance the rest. We went into the financial manager's office and he started going on and on about warranties. We told him we didn't think we wanted it, but then he started telling us that we would not be wise to refuse them. He was going on about it being 1300 dollars to replace the brakes and other things that would make the warranties worth it. Well I showed a lot of hesitation, but I signed anyway. I know I made a mistake by not doing anything then.

Well this morning I called him back and told him that I really had a bad feeling about spending all that money on the warranties, and that I really don't want them. He informed me that I already signed the papers, and there was nothing he could do. Is this true, do I really have no options?

 

Not all contracts can be cancelled within three days of signing without any loss or liability. While there are laws which do mandate a three day right of cancellation, these laws only apply to specific types of contracts.
Certainly if the contract itself does not state on its face that the consumer has a right to cancel the agreement within three business days or some other period of time, you should never assume that such a right exists. Absent a right of cancellation spelled out in the contract or provided by law, once the contract has been signed by both sides, it is most likely binding and enforceable.
You’d be well advised to consult an attorney to see what can be done in terms of applying pressure as well as to see contract cancellation law as it applies to your state.



chema

 

Where do you live - you may want to check into state laws. For instance in VA you typically are given 72 hours to cancel any contract (there are exceptions to everything).

 

I actually live in Virginia. I just talked to my lawyer, and he said that the "cooling off" period of 72 hours does not typically apply to new car purchases. He said he would look into it though and call me back.

 

Sorry to hear that.

 

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. It stinks that people at some dealerships care more about a more profit than they do winning good relationships with their customers. Hope your lawyer can work something out.

 

You have my sympathy. Having bought many cars, I expect a hard sell when I'm signing the final papers and am used to saying NO to *any* dealer add on, be it an extended warranty, paint protection, or an anti theft device. These are all high-profit items, hence the high pressure.

In California, dealers typically (perhaps it is required?) have a sign posted that says there is no cooling off period. Assuming your state has the same law, you might be better off looking at this as a learning experience. Depending on the warranty, you may even benefit from it.

 

Well, at the very least, make sure you get the most out of of it by stomping on the brakes every stop light!

 

At my dealership we Motoring Advisors handle the entire sales process from start to finish. To the OP, might I ask if you purchased an extended warranty or the extended maintenence plan. There is a big difference. The extended maintenence plan gives you 6 years/100,000 miles of free covered maintenence. It is a very popular item with our customers due to the fact that it will pay for itself if you keep the MINI for 5-6 years. I strongly recommend it to my customers who plan on keeping the car for an extended period of time.

If you go to edmunds.com you can actually estimate the cost of ownership over 5 years. According to the estimate I did a while ago for a 2007 MCS the typical MINI owner can expect to spend upwards of $4300 over five years in maintenence. This number from Edmunds includes tires, which are not covered under the MINI maintenence plan so the number is inflated a bit, but it also doesnt show the 6th year costs. Items such as brakes, clutch, light bulbs, wiper blades, oil changes, check ups, fluids, etc.. are all covered. When you look at the totals, purchasing the extended maintenence plan is a no-brainer.

I personally do not pressure my customers into anything. As an MA it is my duty to present all of the options to my customers and let them make the best decision. I never sell items to people that wont benefit from them. I am sorry to hear that you were pressured into purchasing something that you regret. You should have a warm fuzzy feeling when you leave a MINI dealership in my opinion.

 

So Patrick, if you were Pepperwhitemcs's MA would you honor his request to cancel the warranty (or x-maint) , in your dealership?

 

The only thing I thought was worth consideration was the gap insurance.

 

They tried to sell me a "7-year" extended warranty for $2,300 (California Dealership). ...it sounds like a 7-year deal, however what it really is, is a "3-year" extension as Mini covers you for the first 4 years. So, I'd be paying $2,300 for 3 years extended coverage. I figure at most my repairs (if any) after 4 years and in that 3 year extended window will probably be minimal at most. ...even if I have to pay $2,300 for some outrageous expense I am still breaking even.

Anyway, my advice going forward or for anyone buying a new car is to say "NO" at the dealerhip and let them know you'll think it over in the evening. You can always call them and order the warranty a day or two later. There is no reason you have to buy it on the spot when you pick up your car.

 

That is a tough question to answer. If it were entierly up to me I definetely would however I am not the person who would make that call. There might be problems once the maintenence/warranty is transmitted to the carrier. It is all done electronically and I do not know if we can back it out once it has been submitted.

 

My finance minister recommended the service plan as a good deal also.

The jury is still out on it. (18k miles)

I can say after reading the recommended intervals after buying it,
it seems that all the really major stuff occurs at 100,000.01 miles,
while relatively minor stuff occurs up to 99,999.99 miles.

Therefore, its looking to be a $1400 set of brake pads.

Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

But I'm pretty sure I got snookered.

It was put to me as "I really recommend the extended service, but
the extended warrenty isn't worth it".

My guess is it is just the opposite.

 

Patrick, I have a question for you about the extended maintenence coverage. Does it include replacing a worn out clutch at let's say 90,000 miles? Our MA said it did but when I read the fine print it looks to me like a clutch will only be replaced if it was "defective". I doubt many would call a 90,000 mile clutch defective

 

To the best of my knowledge the extended maintenence plan (6yr/100k) covers a replacement clutch due to wear. The standard 3year/36k maintenence that comes with every new MINI does not cover wear on the clutch. I will look into it to be sure.

A defective clutch would be covered under the 4yr/50k bumper to bumper warranty, or any other extended warranty that could be purchased.

 

This doesn't seem to make sense. The extended maintenance is just that, an extension of the 36K original one. If the original one doesn't cover the clutch, its likely the extension wouldn't either. Is there fine print somewhere we can actually read on line. I bet not. I may be wrong on this though. The problem here is the finance manager can say whatever he/she wants as you won't get around to using the product your being sold for 3+ years. By that time it's you vs the fine print of the document.

I just posted this on another thread. I'm picking my Clubbie S up in a couple of days and am also struggling with the extensions to maintenance and warranty. So far the only thing I have done right is to discuss it before the point of sale so I have time to think it over. I went in today over lunch to talk with the finance manager. I was quoted 1895 for the 3 year 100K maintenance extension and 2661 for a 7 year 100K extended warranty, yes which means only 3 additional years.

My thinking is as well that the extended maintenance is really only going to buy you a brake service. For a lot less than 1895 I could upgrade the brakes to the JCW kit and do the work myself, plus in the mean time I keep the 1895 and don't pay finance charges on it.


The extended warranty I'm still thinking about. I plan on keeping the car for at least 100K. The clutch is the single biggest worry. The problem is, I don't think either of the 2 options is going to buy you a new clutch at 90K. The warranty certainly won't, as a defective clutch is not going to last past the factory warranty. If the maintenance covers it that might be the better way to go.

 

I discussed the warranty options with the finance manager as well. When we were talking about the extended maintenance (which I really don't think I'll get), I asked him if he had an average maintenance cost over those extra years covered vs. the extension price. He didn't, which really made me think that you save a lot more without the plan or else they would advertise the hell out of that fact...

The warranty I'm really struggling over right now, though. I don't know how long I plan to keep the car for - I may want to sell it in a few years and upgrade to an S/JCW. And if I do something like that paying for the extended warranty wouldn't be the best idea.

 

Do you mean through an outside company or does Mini actually offer a warranty pass the 4year/50k miles?

 

What dealer? The reason I ask is because the dealers that I know of nearest you....well it just doesn't sound like them. I bought from MINI of Sterling and they simply explained the extended plan, I said no, and they moved on. No pressure at all.

 

Through Mini. They're offering me a 5/75 for $1200.

 

I see that the extended mechanical Warranty costs way more ($2600 for some) than the extended Maintenance offering ($1300). True, it's a year more but the same # of miles. Why should that be? The latter covers brakes and clutch. Most mechanical warranties don't. Does that make any sense, or am I missing something. The mechanical also won't cover oil changes and the little stuff either. Does the Ext. Maint. cover the engine if it blows, tranny, etc?
I think some Finance people do pressure you to buy this stuff. Some places they are on commission. When we bought my wife's Mazda 3 the dude dropped the price of the extended warranty in half by the time we got out of there. Honestly it was like one of those timeshare pitches. I was happy to get out of there alive! The Mini person was much better and lowkey.

 

I have a printout from Edmunds.com showing the TCO (true cost of ownership) and another printout that we use at our dealership showing what maitnenence the average MINI needs over the course of 6 years/100k. I am looking on the edmunds sight now but cannot find the MINI listed under their TCO section. I will try to get some pdf's and post them tomorrow.

 

It is true that the clutch does not appear on teh 3yr/36k maitnenence plan. The reason being is that it is impossible to wear out a clutch within 36k due to normal wear and tear. if it does go it is either defective or being misused.

I will quote the MINI Maintenence Program Upgrade Agreement (extending the factory plan to 6yr/100k) to clear up the confusion:

"Coverage of Programs
... The MINI Maintenence Program covers factory recomended maintenance as listed in the owners MINI Service and Warranty Information booklet that you received with your new (or eligible used) vehicle. In addition, the replacment of THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ONLY due to normal wear and tear are also covered: Brake linings (pads) and rotors (both covered only when worn below limits as per MINI Techincal Data Information); external drive belts; clutch; wiper blade inserts; any adjustments required due to normal operating conditions ....

This is an official MINI document that we provide to our customers, signed both by them and the dealership representative. YOu can purchase this agreement when you pick your car up new, or at any time within the factory 3yr/36k maintenence plan.


MINI sent us a little brochure which helps explain what you get with the extended maintenence plan. It is called The Secret To Stress-Free Motoring. The following are items listed beyond the 3yr/36k plan...

Cooling System Service (every four years from birth)
Brake Fluid Service (every two years from birth)
Inspection II or Vehicle Check (appx. 60,000 miles)
Oil Service (appx 75,000 miles)
Inspection I or Vehicle Check (appx. 90,000 miles)
Automatic Transmission Service (appx. 100,000 miles)
Spark Plug Service (appx. 100,000 miles)

When you combine all of this, at least 1 if not 2 sets of brake pads and rotors, most likely a clutch, light bulbs, wiper blades you can see why we pitch the program as hard as we do. If you are going to keep your car for 5-6 years it is a no-brainer.

 

MINI as a company does not offer an extended warranty. Any extension would be bought through a 3rd party. Granted you will purchase it through your MINI dealership, but the carrier will be a company such as GE or some other.