[Voltemort558]

Good morning,

So excited to pick up my new-to-me 2014 Volt tonight! It's got every option (I think) except a sunroof, coming off a 3-year lease with just under 20k miles, in Brownstone. My kids are calling it Voltemort. LOL

I'm purchasing from Carmax, who I've never done business with before. I'm not getting a smokin' deal, of course, but I'm comfortable with the price given all the options and the low mileage, and they are giving me $1,500 more on my trade in than I expected. Win.

I'm debating on the Carmax extended warranty. I can get what amounts to 55k miles of coverage, up to 5 years, with a $300 deductible for $1,300. I'm leaning towards getting it -- it seems like not a lot of money for a little peace of mind. The big thing, I guess, is that anything related to the battery isn't covered. ??

Any thoughts? Has anyone used the Carmax warranty and felt either positively or negatively about it?

Oh, and a follow-up -- the car says it's at a lifetime mpg of 37. I'm assuming that means that the previous owner drove it mostly/all on gas. In reading the forum, I think I understand that it's not uncommon... but is it something to be concerned about? I will be able to drive it almost always on battery, so I know that number will change over time.

Thanks! Glad to have found this forum and all the great info that has been shared!

 

[sduck]

The carmax warranty can be a godsend, depending on the car. There are stories all over the internet of people buying them for their unreliable exotic rare cars and saving a fortune on repair bills. Of course, they have to sell a lot of them that don't pay out a ton to break even, so for something like a volt, it's a crap shoot. Many people (like myself) have never had any kind of repairs needed. I personally skipped it, but gave it some consideration. Who knows, I might regret not having it next week.

Don't worry about the 20K miles on gas - the car is designed to work that way just as well as electric only. Mine was 140 mpg average when I bought it, but I managed to drag it down to under 80 with a series of long road trips. Hoping to get it back up there eventually.

 

[freshcut]

It may have been primarily gas or even exclusively depending on how the previous owner drove. For example I bought my '13 with 93K miles and a lifetime mpg of 37.7mpg. According to the onstar profile it had about 70K gas, and about 22K EV. I suspect the previous owner had a heavier foot as I've managed to climb to 43 mpg lifetime since I bought in August last year.

If you insist on a warranty, and have the ability to price another warranty before settling on the carmax coverage, I'd suggest going to a Chevy dealership and inquiring on a GMPP. You might be able to get far longer and no deductible for about the same or slightly more. I know mine came with a GMPP major guard (best coverage, almost bumper to bumper and zero deductible) that the original owner purchased and transferred to me. Mine is covered until April of next year or until I hit about 111K miles which will happen sometime later this year. The GMPP can be bought if the car is still under the original 3 year b2b warranty and your local Chevy dealership should be able to help you with coverage options.

Regarding battery warranty, GM already offers that as part of the original vehicle warranty. It covers most of the Voltec system including battery, A/C compressor, and pretty much all of the 300V stuff for 8 years/100K miles so if that is your main concern for wanting the extended warranty, perhaps save yourself the extra for a slush fund that you might never have to dip into for battery issues.

 

[firehawk72]

Good morning,

So excited to pick up my new-to-me 2014 Volt tonight! It's got every option (I think) except a sunroof, coming off a 3-year lease with just under 20k miles, in Brownstone. My kids are calling it Voltemort. LOL

I'm purchasing from Carmax, who I've never done business with before. I'm not getting a smokin' deal, of course, but I'm comfortable with the price given all the options and the low mileage, and they are giving me $1,500 more on my trade in than I expected. Win.

I'm debating on the Carmax extended warranty. I can get what amounts to 55k miles of coverage, up to 5 years, with a $300 deductible for $1,300. I'm leaning towards getting it -- it seems like not a lot of money for a little peace of mind. The big thing, I guess, is that anything related to the battery isn't covered. ??

Any thoughts? Has anyone used the Carmax warranty and felt either positively or negatively about it?

Oh, and a follow-up -- the car says it's at a lifetime mpg of 37. I'm assuming that means that the previous owner drove it mostly/all on gas. In reading the forum, I think I understand that it's not uncommon... but is it something to be concerned about? I will be able to drive it almost always on battery, so I know that number will change over time.

Thanks! Glad to have found this forum and all the great info that has been shared!

If that $300 dollar deductible works like I think it will, RUN!! That 300 might be per occurance, which means your warranty would never pay anything until you pay 300 per occurance.

Do this instead. Take that $1600 and put it away. Don't touch it. Use it ONLY for repairs that are not covered by the warranty. Do not use this money for normal wear and tear items. Then, once you decide to let this Volt go, use that money for anything else.

 

[Voltemort558]

Thank you for the responses! I did decline the warranty -- my exact thinking about the deductible for each occurrence. So I'll tuck away that money, and hopefully I won't ever need to use it. Maybe I'll even add my gas savings money to it and let it grow. Hee hee...

LOVED my commute to work this morning. This car is ZEN.

 

[Froggmann]

The carmax warranty IS valuable if you get it for a vehicle that is prone to breaking down. The Volt is not one of those cars.

As for the carmax warranty value, just google Doug DeMuro Carmax. The guy is a pretty entertaining writer and has a carmax warranty on an 06 Range Rover that has netted something like $14000 in repairs. This was his most recent update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvJCCoLoKRA

As for the '14 volt, from what I understand they are pretty bulletproof. Save for maybe an AGM battery replacement, you're off the hook for expensive things while you still have your Voltec warranty.

 

[wizard_of-ahs]

Glad I found this thread. I too just purchased a 2014 Premium with safety package 1&2, my link, nab, backup camera and every other thing you can think of with 27k on it and it's a CPO !
I pick it up in 2 days, Saturday. I'm sure they'll want sell me the extended warranty (which is NOT a warranty but a Service Contract and after reading this thread. I'll be declining it. Thanks to all !

 

[Matrix21]

I bought my 2012 and it came with the GM extended warranty (200$ CND franchise).

Just read the fine prints and the exclusions
1300$ might be a good investment for the next 5years.

 

[Bacardi]

The devil is always in the details when asking a "is the warranty good for my Volt?"...First and foremost see what's left from the factory since the powertrain will most likely still be covered...

Next is going to be what does your warranty cover? Bumper to bumper or not and deductible? I see the OP did pass and I would recommend passing too on the deductible...Unscheduled maintenance is a real possibility for any vehicle, that's why I prefer to lease especially if the vehicle is highly subsidized like the Volt...

 

[Diamond.g]

Good morning,

So excited to pick up my new-to-me 2014 Volt tonight! It's got every option (I think) except a sunroof, coming off a 3-year lease with just under 20k miles, in Brownstone. My kids are calling it Voltemort. LOL

I'm purchasing from Carmax, who I've never done business with before. I'm not getting a smokin' deal, of course, but I'm comfortable with the price given all the options and the low mileage, and they are giving me $1,500 more on my trade in than I expected. Win.

I'm debating on the Carmax extended warranty. I can get what amounts to 55k miles of coverage, up to 5 years, with a $300 deductible for $1,300. I'm leaning towards getting it -- it seems like not a lot of money for a little peace of mind. The big thing, I guess, is that anything related to the battery isn't covered. ??

Any thoughts? Has anyone used the Carmax warranty and felt either positively or negatively about it?

Oh, and a follow-up -- the car says it's at a lifetime mpg of 37. I'm assuming that means that the previous owner drove it mostly/all on gas. In reading the forum, I think I understand that it's not uncommon... but is it something to be concerned about? I will be able to drive it almost always on battery, so I know that number will change over time.

Thanks! Glad to have found this forum and all the great info that has been shared!

I too got mine from carMax and didn't get the extended warranty. They were pretty upfront saying that the Voltec system isn't covered, so I didn't bother.

 

[crowtoo]

Good morning,

So excited to pick up my new-to-me 2014 Volt tonight! It's got every option (I think) except a sunroof, coming off a 3-year lease with just under 20k miles, in Brownstone.

FYI, a sunroof was never an option on Volts.

Chris

 

[Detroit80]

If you insist on a warranty, and have the ability to price another warranty before settling on the carmax coverage, I'd suggest going to a Chevy dealership and inquiring on a GMPP. You might be able to get far longer and no deductible for about the same or slightly more. I know mine came with a GMPP major guard (best coverage, almost bumper to bumper and zero deductible) that the original owner purchased and transferred to me. Mine is covered until April of next year or until I hit about 111K miles which will happen sometime later this year. The GMPP can be bought if the car is still under the original 3 year b2b warranty and your local Chevy dealership should be able to help you with coverage options.

Read the fine print on the GMPP, ESPECIALLY if it's backed by Ally. I initially purchased the GMPP from my dealer, (and subsequently returned) as it was promised that it's a "warranty direct from GM"...it's not. Ally is in no way connected to GM any longer.

More importantly, under the section of what's not covered, is "hybrid drive components" or something to that effect. I'm 2500 miles away from home right now, so I can't check the exact wording right now. But the short of it is that it did not cover the Voltec systems at all, and at least in my case, would have expired around 84K miles any ways. My loser dealer told me the GMPP was a 100% Bumper to Bumper warranty which did cover all the Voltec bits, and the factory GM Voltec warranty was only a 6yr/60K mile on the traction battery only and absolutely nothing else. I really wish I would have had a voice recorder going at that point...I likely would have sued them after this.

Now my monthly payments are $50 higher than planned....

 

[Jim_N_Tonic]

I'll be picking up my 2015 in a couple weeks from Carmax and I have been debating the Warranty thing as well. It's got 19K on the odo, but the 3/36 warranty expired back in July. All other warranties are still in effect.

I guess I have to decide if the Carmax warranty is worth the investment or not. I'm more concerned with ancillary items failing like the Radio, Nav system, BCM, ECU, etc...

Decisions, decisions...

 

[JuneBug]

I got my 2015 Premium with 31K miles from Carmax back in May. Lifetime MPG was 104, I have since reset it. The 3/36 warranty had expired in March, and my wife insisted we get the Maxcare extended warranty. It comes with a $50 deductible that is only paid if the vehicle has to be sent to the dealer. If they can fix it at Carmax, no deductible. I knew about the Voltec 8/100K warranty but wanted something to cover the engine and the rest of the vehicle. The Toyota extended warranty we got for the RAV4 more than paid for itself.

 

[emg77]

I wouldn't recommend getting the warranty. You still have powertrain warranty in effect from 5 years/60,000 of the in-service date, as well as the Voltec warranty for 8 year/100k which covers most of the expensive stuff. In 4 years and 50k miles, I've had 1 warranty claim for a broken window regulator (under original warranty, and really wouldn't have been an expensive fix.) The reliability of the Gen 1 Volts is very good, and most of the expensive items will be covered under the powertrain or Voltec warranty anyway. Save your money. I don't see many or any here complaining about failed electronics (Radio, Nav system, BCM, ECU, etc), so I really wouldn't worry about that.

 

[hellsop]

I wouldn't recommend getting the warranty. You still have powertrain warranty in effect from 5 years/60,000 of the in-service date, as well as the Voltec warranty for 8 year/100k which covers most of the expensive stuff. In 4 years and 50k miles, I've had 1 warranty claim for a broken window regulator (under original warranty, and really wouldn't have been an expensive fix.) The reliability of the Gen 1 Volts is very good, and most of the expensive items will be covered under the powertrain or Voltec warranty anyway. Save your money. I don't see many or any here complaining about failed electronics (Radio, Nav system, BCM, ECU, etc), so I really wouldn't worry about that.

At least very little that isnt' fixed with a reflash and an hour's shop charge.

 

[tacman7]

I'll be picking up my 2015 in a couple weeks from Carmax and I have been debating the Warranty thing as well. It's got 19K on the odo, but the 3/36 warranty expired back in July. All other warranties are still in effect.

I guess I have to decide if the Carmax warranty is worth the investment or not. I'm more concerned with ancillary items failing like the Radio, Nav system, BCM, ECU, etc...

Decisions, decisions...

Someone was saying the warranty didn't cover the electric drive train. If they don't do that I doubt they have the expertise to work on the infotainment center and all the other computer controlled things.

What exactly would they cover?