Question re: Warranty/Maintenance Plans

12 years ago

If I buy the 5 or 10 year extended labor warranty from Carrier ($400 and $650 respectively), is it also recommended that I buy a dealer's yearly maintenance plan (ranging from $160-$260 per year), or does the warranty take the place of these maintenance plans? If I don't get the maintenance plan, would the warranty be voided on the grounds that I didn't properly maintain the unit? I am just wondering what the experience have been with either the extended labor warranties with Carrier or these maintenance plans offered by the dealers, and whether it makes sense to buy one or both. By the way, I also currently am paying for a home warranty policy, which has not been good so far (unresponsive, companies they have sent out have not been the best ...)

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Comments (4)

cienza
12 years ago
We did NOT get an extended warranty on the parts we purchased, but we DO get the maintenance plan from our HVAC guy. The reason we get the maintenance plan every year: He comes out twice a year (spring/summer & fall/winter) to check operation, run tests, check refrigerant levels etc. I NEVER have to write the guy a check for this checkup, which I refer to as the LOF. If he has parts on his truck, he replaces whatever it needs and usually only charges us for filters (which are about $50 each) they're super thick and go in a special cleaner unit we got on the air handler. In the winter, if we have to call, being on the 'plan' puts us at the top of his list and he usually shows up & finishes before I leave for work in the morning. In the summer, same thing, he puts us at the top of the list instead of us having to wait. We've compared the cost of a service call, not including extra upcharge for weekends & summer and his plan rate is cheaper with just those two visits.
mike_home
12 years ago
The Carrier warranty does not take the place of a maintenance plan. It is a warranty for labor charges to fix items which fail under normal use.

I was told you don't have a maintenance plan for the warranty to be valid. However you must do regular maintenance to keep up the warranty. A warranty claim may not be honored if the equipment has not been properly maintained. You could call your contractor once a year to do this service.

I think home warranty policies are not worth the money. I have only read about bad experiences.
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handy-man
12 years ago
Yes you do need to maintain it according to manufacture specification. Furnace and A/C needs to be maintained by a licensed HVAC contractor. You can do it two times a year or both at the same time.
harry_wild
11 years ago
I purchased a Bryant extended 10 year warranty for $500. The last service call on my furnace before I purchase a new one was about that price so I figure it was nice price for an additional 5 years for labor! Labor in my part of the country is around the $100 a hour with a service call fee of $80 on top of the hourly rate! You can see how it can add up quickly!