Lifetime Warranties - Are they really worth it???
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Posts like a Corvette
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,483
Likes: 3
From: New Jersey - Most of Our Elected Officials Have Not Been Indicted
Lifetime Warranties - Are they really worth it???
Originally Posted by jr's3800
Originally Posted by GAMEOVER
as long as it has i lifetime wareenty i could care less how long it last'* just as long as i down has to pay for it again
This is something I'd like to avoid...
I had a water pump fail not much after a long trip... I'd hate to see if it had failed while I was in a hurry to get back to Florida... I have also had a set of bearings in my alternator go out... That alternator failed shortly after a long trip too... The water pumps were bought at Autozone... With the Lifetime warranty.. It made 1 year and failed... The one I have now is at about 4 years and several long trips( this was bought at a place that has been known for good parts, and its a reman unit at that)..
The alternators with a lifetime warranty, well lets see the first one lasted 2 months and then left me starnded 35 miles from home... Car was dead as a door nail... I had the battery completely recharged and drove the car home... Got another alternator under the life time warranty... It made a little better than 1.5 and then the voltage would drop way low to the point the car wouldn't run... Couldn't even run the AC... The 3rd lasted 1 year I think, and after a long trip up north and back, it too failed... The bearings started making all kinds of noise...
at that point I bought an AC delco unit, have yet to have another issue......
All I'm saying is that you get what you pay for... You pay for crapp you get crapp...
I love to work on cars but I don't want to replace a water pump every year...
I just wanted to point out that you'll live and learn with all of these "Lifetime" products. Some parts on our cars might give us some warning that they are about to fail like a leaky water pump. But what good is that Lifetime Guarantee if that "Autozone" part fails you in East Cupcake where there are no Autozones! Like JR'* 3800 said "you get what you pay for"
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 5,146
Likes: 3
From: Racine Wi
well worth it they arent designed to break again with many new parts installed the the unit so regardless a warrenty is a warrenty so and a part can fail on your car at anytime so and some parts last forever and last only a year
you take the good with the bad
you take the good with the bad
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,879
Likes: 6
From: Three Oaks, Michigan
I haven't had a whole lot of parts break in my car.. or at least major parts like alt, wp, ECU, etc.. well, the alt has been replaced many times, but not by me. Anyways.. my opinion on FULL Lifetime Warrenties, is that if it has one, chances are it isn't prone to failure, in that it will last a very long time. Unfortunatly, this is not true for all products. I have only Craftsman tools.. I pay the extra buck for the quality, just because if I break one, I don't want to pay for another. I have learned the hard way, that "You get what you pay for." This is true on just about everything. If you buy an $8,000 KIA, don't expect it to have the quality of a $40,000 GM Vehicle *coughbonnevillecough*. If you see generic brand over there for $5, and you see name brand here for $15.. you know there HAS to be a difference. However, when it comes to cheap plastic parts.. sometimes the generic will be just as good, but other than that.. it'* a different story.
-justin
-justin
Senior Member
Certified Car Nut
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 15,408
Likes: 1
From: Robbinsdale, MN
I would sum it up as, if you are going to get a lifetime warranty, make sure you feel like whoever is supposed to hoinor that warranty will be around for a while.
Getting a lifetime warranty from "Joe Schmucky'* House of Tools" probably ain't a good idea. The Home Depot, on the other hand, don't seem like they're going away any time soon....
Getting a lifetime warranty from "Joe Schmucky'* House of Tools" probably ain't a good idea. The Home Depot, on the other hand, don't seem like they're going away any time soon....
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,684
Likes: 0
Here'* my view, even if it has a lifetime warranty you still have to work to replace the item. Apply this to a water pump, they arent exactly an easy thing replace. I'd rather get a quality product that will last 5X longer than the cheaper lifetime warrantied product.
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 3,266
Likes: 1
From: Bedroom, Ontario
The only thing that I have thats lifetime warrenty on my car are plugs *Belden'spremium blue 7mm ( easy to change relatively speaking ) and brake pads.. (from crappy Tire.. bring old ones in..and theywill give me the new ones.. been on car for 2+yrs so far and no prob ) 
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 9,130
Likes: 0
From: Farmington, Minnesota =MWBF '05 SURVIVOR= =CEBF '06 SURVIVOR= =August '06 COTM=
Seth is correct for the parts stores around lakevile. Checker, they're not good for **** but small little maintance stuff ( oil, filters, headlamps, and fluids) and tools granted they break easily....but they'll always let you return them. I make the extra drive to go South Saint Paul to go to Pep Boys for everything. They've always gotten me the right parts the first time, and every part that could fail that I've bought from them, has not failed yet. I got an alt in my truck from them 2 yrs ago....Hasn't even had any voltage drop. Checker'* alternator'* I'd have gone through about 3 by now I'm guessing.
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,879
Likes: 6
From: Three Oaks, Michigan
Checkers is a restaurant in the southern part of the country, and Rally'* is the northern equivilant. Obviously they have the idiots who work at Checkers, making the parts for Checkers loL
-justin
-justin