Good call. These warranty’s are rarely worth the hassle and cost.

 

I'm amused by the dealer sales folks who try to convince us that the cars are wonderful, then the F&I guy who tells us the car is crap and we need an extended warranty. There's a healthy (~~50%) commission for selling these extended policies. So I generally propose that folks toss the premium payment amounts in a cookie jar marked "Pilot Transmission". If the transmission finally fails after a long life of regular fluid swaps, there's the money in that cookie jar. The Car Shield guys are doing the same thing, they just gather from more people, skimp on what they actually do vs. what they sell you, and keep the rest. That failing transmission? The fine print in the contract says they can install a used boneyard transmission in your car when yours craps the bed. But they only have to do it after you demonstrate (read: prove) that all the regular services have been performed and the transmission hasn't been "abused".

I'm not sure how hard it is a to install the upgraded PS and compressor mounting. The biggest part of that campaign was a software fix that raises the engine idle speed slightly when the AC is on.

If your car was sold to you by a Honda dealer or you have it serviced by Honda, ask them to install all the PCM patches to get the system up to date. Add your VCM-defeat device after they do the updates.

 

The Honda dealer did update the transmission software. As I understand it, the shift points get moved upward in rpm. Whatever the software was supposed to fix, it didn't fix the shudder, and in fact made it a tad worse. Not in intensity but in how long during the acceleration it lasted. No improvement in the PS whine.

When I called Car Shield to cancel my contracts, they said they would but that I would still get charged for another month. Why? Because they have a 15 day advance notice stipulation in the contracts and it's only 12 days until the next month starts. They only need 15 MINUTES to open a new account and charge your first month.

 

Suits and ties sitting around big conference room tables scheming ways to boink their fellow man.

 

I bought the Hondcare 8/120 when mine was new for around $1400 and it has paid out 3x, once on the rack, once on the driver's side seat frame and once on the propeller shaft. 1st time I ever bought an extended warranty on a new vehicle and it has paid out for me well. With this in mind, two years ago I bought my wife a new 2018 Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, our second Hyundai and as most know they have a robust factory warranty. Since to my knowledge Hyundai doesn't offer its own "in house" warranty like Honda, I looked into car shield to take the 5/60 B2B coverage out further and possibly the powertrain as well since it is a Turbo. I shopped it before it had 5k miles on it and was absolutely shocked at the ridiculous pricing and the aggressiveness of the sales peeps. It was nuts, like over 3K! For that kind of dough it better be lifetime, but its not. They also push the hell out of financing the warranty. No thanks.

 

My Car Shield contracts are on a month to month auto renew basis, not a lump sum fixed term. They run about $100/month, so in the past year or so for two cars I've shelled out about $2,500 in premiums. My homeowners is $2,000 a year and covers the house that is more than ten times the value of the cars plus it covers liability, not just mechanical things. As much as they spend on advertising, it must be a huge moneymaker.

 

I considered Car Shield and one other when I bought my '12 EX-L last month. But they made it impossible to price the plans in a way that you could comparison shop, and the pricing was alarmingly fluid- seeming hefty discounts if I would sign with them on the spot. It all made me suspicious and seem very scammy.

 

Statistically Honda quality provides a sure bet of a hefty profit on extended warranties, especially if the coverage is limited. I bought a new 2017 V6 Accord and have been getting calls for the last year from at least 10 different numbers (I block the numbers as I get them) in 8 different states trying to sell me an extended warranty. it may never stop!! I personally do not believe in extended warranties on Honda or other quality products. (It may be worth it on Volkswagen products though! )