HondaCare is a rip-off... right?

Loser_in_ATL

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Hi! First time here. First off, let's just say that I'm a complete moron when it comes to cars - I didn't know how the car dealership market runs, didn't know the actual values of features and add-ons, and didn't even know this forum's very existence until a few months after my purchase. Well, I guess some people just learn it the hard way.

So, when I bought the Civic hatchback with a base price under $20k, I found myself stuck in a small room with the Sales Manager, signing purchases for maintenance and extended warranty packages worth more than 20% of the car price (and paying in cash from my savings account as an attempt to save money from loan interests by sacrificing the measly bank deposit interests). Fast forward to now, I stare at the car screen that still says "oil change 100%" due to my low usage, and start to wonder if those packages were really worth it - which is how I eventually found this place.

My experience is telling me that I don't actually need the maintenance or the extended warranty, even though the name HondaCare makes it sound like a popular choice. I may take a road trip once per year at the most, but most of my daily commute won't take too many miles. But I still want to see what you, the more experienced ones, think. When your miles rack up and the maintenance scheduler alerts you, do you find yourself paying for the maintenance items that dealers show in their 5k-10k-15k-etc schedule? Which brand of extended warranty would you use, if you use any? (I just found out the one that the dealer sold me is actually only available at dealerships... sheesh. Even a 5-star rating from BBB won't make it unsuspicious.)

And for those of you who have walked the path that I'm probably walking now... how do you make the dealer follow the promise in the paperwork and give you a prorated refund? How do you make them start the process right away, and prevent them from trying to delay the process so that you eventually get too tired about it or forget about it?
For me, it's a bit more complicated. Earlier the sales manager told me the HondaCare Maintenance they sold me was rejected (possibly because I bought a CPO), and I'm due a refund. Guess what - the refund paperwork never came. The money for the maintenance is still theirs because I paid in cash, and I can see how they don't have any incentive to follow-up besides a courtesy call. I tried sending the dealership emails at first, because I'm terrible at standing up for myself in real-time, but even when I started calling them, they still divert me to a recorded message box and never call back. Do I have to physically be there and refuse to leave, or make a fuss, or put something they value at risk, to get them start giving back what they do not own? Should I start consider finding a lawyer (and is this going too far)...? The only thing I know how to do is writing one single negative review that probably would do nothing...
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Spartan-033

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Hi! First time here. First off, let's just say that I'm a complete moron when it comes to cars - I didn't know how the car dealership market runs, didn't know the actual values of features and add-ons, and didn't even know this forum's very existence until a few months after my purchase. Well, I guess some people just learn it the hard way.

So, when I bought the Civic hatchback with a base price under $20k, I found myself stuck in a small room with the Sales Manager, signing purchases for maintenance and extended warranty packages worth more than 20% of the car price (and paying in cash from my savings account as an attempt to save money from loan interests by sacrificing the measly bank deposit interests). Fast forward to now, I stare at the car screen that still says "oil change 100%" due to my low usage, and start to wonder if those packages were really worth it - which is how I eventually found this place.

My experience is telling me that I don't actually need the maintenance or the extended warranty, even though the name HondaCare makes it sound like a popular choice. I may take a road trip once per year at the most, but most of my daily commute won't take too many miles. But I still want to see what you, the more experienced ones, think. When your miles rack up and the maintenance scheduler alerts you, do you find yourself paying for the maintenance items that dealers show in their 5k-10k-15k-etc schedule? Which brand of extended warranty would you use, if you use any? (I just found out the one that the dealer sold me is actually only available at dealerships... sheesh. Even a 5-star rating from BBB won't make it unsuspicious.)

And for those of you who have walked the path that I'm probably walking now... how do you make the dealer follow the promise in the paperwork and give you a prorated refund? How do you make them start the process right away, and prevent them from trying to delay the process so that you eventually get too tired about it or forget about it?
For me, it's a bit more complicated. Earlier the sales manager told me the HondaCare Maintenance they sold me was rejected (possibly because I bought a CPO), and I'm due a refund. Guess what - the refund paperwork never came. The money for the maintenance is still theirs because I paid in cash, and I can see how they don't have any incentive to follow-up besides a courtesy call. I tried sending the dealership emails at first, because I'm terrible at standing up for myself in real-time, but even when I started calling them, they still divert me to a recorded message box and never call back. Do I have to physically be there and refuse to leave, or make a fuss, or put something they value at risk, to get them start giving back what they do not own? Should I start consider finding a lawyer (and is this going too far)...? The only thing I know how to do is writing one single negative review that probably would do nothing...
Well my dealer tried to sell me on HondaCare, but I already had financed an extended warranty via my Credit Union. Basically it ended up being half the price, covers everything under warranty and not-under warranty on the car, and it built into my loan for the length of the loan.

I can see an extended warranty being beneficial, as I purchased one, but when I went over the HondaCare options they were exceptionally expensive compared to what by bank got me,.
 


 


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