Shall I transfer warranty in my name when buying a truck?

[tracer]

This 2004 International 9400 I'm buying has extended warranties on the engine, transmission and differentials that are valid till 2010. I was surprised to learn they were not going to be automatically transferred to the new owner (me). The used truck dealer said, "most guys don't bother" and "it might cost you around 400 bucks".

I called CAT Customer service and they told me they'd recommend to transfer the warranty. "There shouldn't be a large fee for this," the rep said.

I called another truck dealership in the area, asked to speak to someone in their Service Dept. and asked if they would fix a transmission problem on a 2004 truck that has extended warranty in the name of a previous owner. The guy put me on hold, talked to someone, and said, "It'd be better if you transfer the warranty; however most guys don't."

So, can someone tell me shall I spend money on this? Isn't it supposed to be done by the dealer as part of the deal? I just sent them a fax requesting they use the $500 "administration fee" they slapped on the contract price without telling me anything about it for this purpose.

What do you guys and gals think?

The truck specs and pictures

[jegzus]

Well the real question would be why wouldn't you transfer the warranty? I mean you just spent 70k on a truck why not lay down the extra money to switch the warranty that will probably save you a ton of headaches down the road when you need to use it.

To me it's a no brainer, switch it for your own sanity.

[GMAN]

I would transfer the warranty if it gives you piece of mind. If the warranty is good whether you transfer it or not, then I wouldn't worry about it.

[Orangetxguy]

I found out, through the International dealer in Lake Charles LA, that my truck (2001 9400 Eagle) has 145,000 miles of warranty left on the tranny and differentials...and 210K on the engine rebuild, 2 weeks ago. You cannot believe what a releif that parts buying trip was. I don't have to do any paperwork to receive the warranty, except take the truck to an International dealership. 8) 8)

[Jumbo]

The warranty may be valid till 2010 but are there milage restrictions. Is the trans and rears warrantied to 750,000 but does truck have 745,000 on it. Then maybe it isn't worth it, but if the milage is low enough I would. Have everything in your name. That way some dealer can't say that the warranty isn't in your name therefore we don't have to honor it.

[tracer]

The warranties on this truck are good till 2010 or 500,000 miles whichever comes first. Right now the truck only has about 160,000 miles... so there's still plenty of coverage. I sent a fax to the dealer (they're 60 miles away from me) asking them to transfer warranties in my name as part of the deal, and surprisingly ... they agreed. Maybe because I mentioned the 'admin fee of $500' the financial company added to the price of the load without notice. So, the issue got resolved in my favor thanks to everybody for the input.

[Jumbo]

Sounds like you made the right decision.