I would also emphasize the importance of buying an *exclusionary* warranty. Compared to a warranty that specifically defines what parts of the car are covered (buyer beware!), an exclusionary warranty defines what parts of the car are NOT covered (typically those are all the usual consumables that you would expect not to be covered). Then everything else not on the exclusion list IS covered. Obviously the exclusionary warranty is going to be more expensive than the defined coverage warranty - the insurance company ALWAYS wins.

Another important point is if the warranty is transferable to the next owner. That makes for a good selling point (and I have always recouped the warranty cost in getting a higher price on the car) - if there is significant mileage left on the warranty (gives the buyer a warm and fuzzy feeling).

Our 2008 S-Type just came off the factory warranty, so after doing a good bit of research, I got the "Premium Care" Vehicle Protection Plan offered by Costco (really Century). It is an exclusionary, transferable policy. I got quotes for three levels of coverage (time/miles taking over after the factory warranty expires, with $250 deductible):
6 yr/60K miles - $5192
4 yr/48K miles - $3811
3 yr/36K miles - $3156

I got the 6 yr coverage (we love the S-Type so much that we plan on running it into 6 digits on the odometer). Yes, it is expensive (at least it is payable over 18 months at zero interest), but I can anticipate a lot of money going into the S-Type between now and 2018. And yes, the insurance company ALWAYS wins (at least in the aggregate).

I find the low UK quotes a bit mind-boggling. Unless it is so much cheaper to keep a Jaguar running in the UK (or the coverage is an illusion), those quotes make absolutely no actuarial sense. No insurance company is in business to do its customers favors (favours?). At least in the US, the insurance company ALWAYS wins. Unless you are especially unlucky - sort of like buying life insurance with the hope that you die young.

Yes, you could self-insure in the hopes of being lucky and pocketing much of the money. But that removes the transferable extended warranty as a buying inducement for the next owner (just in case that C-X16 becomes a must-buy before we get to 2018).

 

Mine expired due to years a month ago and I'm undecided whether to buy a new one. Of course the car broke down last week due to valve cover gasket leaking oil into the spark boots. Mechanic replaced gasket and spark plugs, but still not right. He thinks it might be some rusted coils because of previous leak from coolant reservoir. Car is running on all 8 cylinders, but breaks up under high RPM. Any ideas?

 

Since the oil does not conduct current, that was not the reason. The most common cause of high speed misfires is bad plugs, although in the days of electric fuel pumps, low fuel pressure is another common cause.

 

new fuel pump a few moths ago. put new plugs and valve gasket and still not 100%. I ordered some coils and hopefully that will cure the problem. Took the car to my indie mechanic who has done Jags before, but I wonder if I was "penny wise-pound foolish" not to bring it to dealer. If coils don't work, dealer get her. At least now I can drive it the dealer.

 

I bought my 01 Xkr in 04 with 18k miles on it and purchased a 6year 100k mile aftermarket warranty for it at that time. I did a tremendous amount of research on after market warranties at that time. I spoke to repair shops I knew. Dealers. Anyone and everyone to be sure I was buying a legitimate warranty from a reliable company. I was under the impression at that time that i was buying the best of the best aftermarket warranty. I believe it cost me 2600$. One year later the warranty company filed chapter 11. I never saw a red cent from the "settlement". I am sure the attorney who settled the class action suit against the company bought a new jag with his cut...

I won't buy another extended warranty ever again. If I can't afford to fix it I won't buy it.

Just my thoughts.

 

Okay, so there was a lot of talk about extended warranties a few months ago. But, no one ever mentioned the name of the warranty company they dealt with. I just bought a 2007 XK that only has 15,000 miles on the OD. But, it is out of nearly all of the factory warranties. The recalls on this car have been few but there have been dozens of small items posted in different blogs that I may or may not have to deal with. So, if I was to buy an extended warranty which companies are reliable? The Better Business Bureau is riddled with complaints about these companies. Thanks

 

I guess I already chipped in on this a long time a go, but I'll try to find the info, but the main thing with any of them is longevity, less complaints, and READ EVERY BIT of the contract. There's loopholes for them everywhere, and you just need to know exactly what they will or won't cover. Transferability is a great feature if you plan to sell the car before it's ended.

 

+1 on oldjaglover's comment. Read everything carefully. I bought an Audi A6 several years ago and they threw in a 1-year warranty to seal the deal. Since it cost me "nothing", I had low expectations, but they managed to make it a bad experience anyway.

They never paid more than about 30% of the total cost of repairs, even with a low $50 deductible. Once they disallowed the labor for an alignment, but paid the cost of A-arm, tie rod and suspension bushing replacement, even though the fine print stated they would with related repairs. When I protested they sent me to an arbitration company that turned out to be owned by the warranty provider. Wanna guess how they ruled?

Bottom line, is to research, research and research. BBB sites and car forums are full of complaints about bad warranties; however, some people have gotten the right company and are very pleased. Be cautious with Missouri or Pennsylvania based companies. The laws there were once very lax and the bad guys took advantage of it.

 

So far I am finding the best experiences have been had by people who have the extended warranty from EasyCare. My dealer supports this as well (and they don't sell it).