Toyota extended warranty on electronics

After having a local independent shop install a dash and rear camera on my 2022 4R TRD/Off Road, the shop owner commented on the entertainment screen and told the tale of a customer's insurer having to fork out $8500 to replace one in an Infinity SUV after a surfboard punctured the screen. The wheels spun in my head about the costs of one in a 4R and for the first time in 25 years of Toyota ownership, have considered exploring the costs of extended warranty. My trusted service tech at the dealership told me I'd have to explore it with the finance department at the dealership which I intend to do. She knew enough about it to tell me it could be compartmentalized into electronics only. Anyone have experience with Toyota's extended warranty program and costs? I have read of horror stories with some independent warranty programs. I am not worried about the drive train, but over the decades, the electronics have become highly complex. Gil

 

I would guess that would be the persons fault and they would have to pay

 

I purchased a plan to extend mine to 8 years / 100k for $2200 I think it was out the door? It was the platinum which should cover everything except wear and tare items & maintenance...literally after looking up the costs of the infotainment system & safety sense shit.

 

What did the total bill come out to that was covered out of curiosity? I choose the $250 deductible to gain 25,000 more miles for the cheaper price vs $0

 

So you paid the diagnostic fee in order to exercise the warranty repair?

As far as throwing parts at it, the little DC actuator motor is about $10. If they replaced the whole actuator it’s a lot more.

 

In the matter involving the surfboard it was the owner's car insurance, not an extended warranty, that paid the damages. It was the cost of the system that widened my eyes, not who paid it. Gil

 

Or you could buy an aftermarket system from Crutchfield and skip the extended warranty. On a 4Runner you shouldn't ever need it for anything major and they're pretty easy to fix on other aspects. Hence our love affair!

 

Shop around if you purchase it. I purchased from Wolverine Toyota in MI even though I'm in CA. I purchased it for my Tacoma and they fix all TSBs if you have it but can refuse to do it if you don't have it. On my Tacoma it got me new rear springs twice, new headlights when the DTRL lenses melted and was in the process of a windshield repair for improper sealing and a new rear prop shaft for vibration issues I've had since new, but were never completed because the truck was totaled.

 

Personal experience is that those extended warranties are a scam. Funny you mention the radio...

I purchased the extended electrical protection when I bought my first new vehicle, a Tacoma in 2011. The finance guy twisted my arm to get the extended electrical protection to which I finally accepted.

A few years later the screen would flicker like a rave so I hit up toyota and was like wtf, fix it, I have a warranty. Their reply? That specific component of your truck is not covered under that warranty, sorry.

I was pissed, and I will certainly not ever buy an extended warranty again.

 

If you want an extended warranty, call Earnhardt Toyota. Pennies on the dollar vs most dealerships. I've had two through them that I never used and canceled when I sold the vehicle.

 

This is the sole reason I bought the extended warranty when I bought my 2021. The head unit lists about $4k if you want to buy it from the dealer. I thought that was insane.

 

Most warranties do not cover physical damages . I broke my dad's new flat screen back in the day with a toy light-saber and found out the warranty only covered electrical issues lol

 

OP, I’m pretty sure most warranties don’t cover the radio. Ask for a brochure and read the fine print, you’d be surprised how much isn’t covered besides the bare bones of the vehicle which shouldn’t cause issues.

 

You can pick-up a pulled 4Runner JBL XM Entune Navigation Audio HU 86100-35414 OEM 510419 in great shape on ebay for ~$300.
Then you can get the new HU programed to the car for a minimal fee.

So - no need to an extended warranty just for the audio system.

 

Kind of going off topic a bit, but this is one of the reasons I absolutely hate this move towards expensive electronic displays handling more and more of a cars functionality. Whether through physical damage or out of warranty failures of these screens, todays generation of cars will be end up getting thrown away because of this sort of crap getting broken and being too expensive to fix.

 

When they pitched the extended warranty to me, they used the “complex radio and nav unit” as a reason to buy it. The guy even had a cheat sheet with prices for the HU and a bunch of other stuff.

I would be beyond pissed if my HU failed and they told me it wasnt covered.

 

Head over to T4R.org. There's a member over there with a lead to a dealership that sells the platinum warranties for half that. Last I checked, 8yr/100k warranty was selling for just over $1000. I got a 5yr/100k for $665. Platinum, zero deductible.

 

I have the Platinum warranty and the list of covered items does list "Radio Tuner" and "Navigation system." That pretty much covers a blown head unit. Someone mentioned that theirs wasn't covered. Perhaps they had some type of independent warranty coverage.

 

Give Jerry Johnson a call at Midwest Toyota in Hutchinson Kansas. I got his info from my RAV4 forum where many of the members use him. It doesn't matter which dealership you buy from and he beat my dealership's price on a 7 yr 65K miles by a lot. Do your due diligence. I got the platinum with 0 deductible. He is not my friend or a relative. I live in Houston. Direct line is 620-664-8844. Or call the dealership if that will help ensure you he is with Toyotal legit. He does not sell aftermarket warranties.

 

Didnt he stop doing it when Toyota found out? I believe he could only sell in his state from now on.

 

Just bought it today. I'll call him tomorrow and ask him.

 

I replaced the cracked screen in my 4runner touchscreen. It wasn't too tough to do.

 

Just talked to Jerry. It's an issue that was settled some years back and didn't really affect him much to begin with. This guy is famous all over the Toyota forums.