Thought I'd seek some much needed advise from my friends on Driver. I'll try to keep this short.
So I took my car in because the check engine light came on. It's an 06' coupe with 64k miles.
Apparently my 02 sensor needs replacement.
They also found that the engine tensioner should be replaced (I can hear it during idle) and my lower control arm bushings need replacing (they're cracked).
Of course to fix everything is astonomical, it always is with dealerships:

O2 sensor - $495
Tensioner - $2307
Lower control arm - $1125

They offered to sell me the extended warranty 1 year -$1395, 2 year - $2000, 3 year - $2695 with no need for pre-inspection & would cover the cost of repair 100%.
I'm not made of money but getting everything fixed at one time would be very convenient and I get a loaner in the meantime so I can still go to work.
This dealership has always done right by me in the past.

Should I bother with the extended warranty?
I'm not sure if it would be worth having a mechanic do the work instead one project at a time so I'm not out of a car for work.

 

Sure the dealership is going to treat you well, look what they're going to charge you to fix your coupe! Is it worth it to get that loaner car? Find an qualified independent brake/alignment shop to do your suspension work, that's what they do all day long! Call Nissan and compare prices for the engine work or again take it to a independent shop. Just so you're aware I bought those 02 sensors from Nissan and paid $65 each, install takes 10 minutes....what was Infiniti going to charge you???? Nissan warranty's are great if you think you're going to blow and engine or trans other wise they're a waste of your $$! I did a 3 year and never used it except a window motor, that was a expensive motor....Gary

 

After some more research I think I'll take my chances and have a mechanic do the O2 sensor and not bother with the other 2 issues for now.

 

personally i think its worth it..although you might not use it too often, its still nice to have when something does come up..have you tried contacting Courtney M from Scottsdale Infiniti down in Arizona?? she offers pretty reasonable rates depending on whether or not you want a copay or not, and there are payment options available with a slight fee at the beginning. hope this helps!

 

Yeah I called her. Thanks for the heads up.
Unfortunately for the ext warranty to apply I would need to get the car inspected so any current probs with the car would not be covered.
I talked to some mechanics that I used to deal with and I think I'll have them fix the Os sensor.
I think the other issues will have to wait.
I'm not real familiar with timing belt tensioner issues so I'm not sure how serious that will be.

 

they told me to replace my lower arm control a year ago, still running on the same one
not saying thats good but car still runs fine and i am alive lol

 

wow, that can be done at home for fraction of the price

 

I purchased an extended warranty when I purchased my used 06 and I am glad I did. The only thing that sucked is I had a 100 deductible. So far, it paid itself off when a motor went bad in the passenger seat and they had to replace the bottom part and that was a $3K repair. If I didn't have the warranty, I would have gotten race seats but it was nice not to have to worry about it. It really has been a "peace of mind" thing for me and I'm bummed it's going to expire in 7K miles.

 

I had a warranty with a maximal and it more than paid for itself. Got it with my 04 sedan 3 weeks ago. just had the MAF done with no deductible. only you know your situation. for those without the ability or facilities to do repairs it can be a good thing.

 

I would purchase the one year warranty for just over a $1000 and have all of the work they recommended done ASAP. Over the course of the next year, I would then nit-pick and pay to have them check out everything from top to bottom, fixing anything and everything they find that's marginal.

I have friends that drive Mercs and Bimmers and this is what they do since its dangerous to drive one of those cars w/o an extended warranty - and the warranty itself is expensive (3kish). If the dealer knows you have the warranty, they will look for things to fix, which benefits you in the long run,

Anything beyond a year is probably not needed as our cars are pretty solid, which is why the warranty is not that expensive.

I bet Toyota and Honda extended warranties are even less expensive. Nature of the beast.

 

Buying extended warranty is a good idea but not in his situation. His repair could cost WAY less if he did it himself or had it done at a decent local mechanic.

Also you have to be careful with what this warranty covers. Most extended warranties (not including extended warranty when you first buy the car) cover faaack all. Its always written in the fine print *we will NOT cover parts that break during ownership of this car, you are stupid for buying this warranty. Please tell your friends & family

 

Yeah I ended up buying an oem O2 sensor online and after install it will be $235.
A far cry from the dealership's $495 quote.
And like I said the other stuff can wait.
I usually always go the less expensive route with buying the parts and having my mechanic install, I guess I had a moment of weakness.
Stress will do that to ya.

 

Honestly o2 sensor can be changed in 10 minutes if u have a ramp or jack stands

However good save. Better than 400+

 

Yeah that's what I thought, but the typical quote I've gotten is $80 for labor.
Unfortunately I don't have any place or tools to jack up my ride.
I did my own plenum spacer & MREV2 install in front of my apt before but the crazy azz drivers around here make me nervous.
Damn near clipped me a few times when my head was under the hood.

 

That sucks lol