Hello there! I've been away from the forum for a few years but am happy to say my 2008 is chugging along great. With 39000 miles, it has only been to the dealer for repair once, to fix a part of the plastic door handle that broke off. I've done all my oil changes myself and welcome the mess that comes with a job done right. I love my H3 and plan to keep it around for as long as it stays reliable...hopefully 5+ years or more. I have two questions: With 39000 miles, what scheduled maintenance is there on the near horizon. Also, I'm thinking about buying and additional 4 year 40k GM Major Guard Protection Plan, but at a cost of $3300, I was wondering if it is worth it? What is the general consensus for reliability and cost of repairs up to 80k for the H3. I'd love to hear everyone's experiences that cares to share.

 

I'm at 90k on my 06 with no major problems yet. I got it with 35k on it. I would definitely consider an extended warranty but shop around a little. I bought an extended warranty through a company called Zurich. It has to be purchased before you are out of factory warranty and covers everything the GM warranty covers but with a little more leeway for mods. I also have a $100 deductible. I know there are alot of warranty companies out there that are crap but Zurich doesnt seem to fall into that category. I have used it on 2 occasions with no problems. They dont send an adjuster out and they pay the dealership or other licensed facility directly so its not a reimbursment-type situation. Thye also pay for your rental car up front. The warranty cost about half what the GMPP cost.
From memory, you should be coming up on diff and transfer case fluid change at 50K. Look in your manual for the list of maintenance procedures at your mileage.
Good luck.

 

I'm a few months away from getting an extended warranty, and was planning on going directly through my HUMMER dealership. Advantage: zero deductible, Hummer trained mechanics, Disadvantage: If I go anywhere else for service, there IS a deductible. If anyone else could chime in on their experience/suggestions, it would be appreciated.

 

The question you need to ask yourself is do you forsee having greater than $3300 worth of repairs over the next four years. If not, then the extended warranty is not worth the money. Basically you'd need the engine or transmission to fail to come out ahead on the warranty. Both seem to be pretty reliable in the Hummer and in the other GM models in which they were used.

 

Xlr8n: WOW, you haven't seen the hourly labor rate for diagnostics out of warranty at a dealership have you? Let alone the price of over the counter parts from the dealer. $3300 adds up quickly when you are talking about out of warranty repairs on our HUMMERs. 1/2 shaft, tie rod, radiator and alternator and you are over $3300 from a dealer out of warranty.

Widespread Hummer: I won't be getting an extended warranty (close to the 4/50k now) due to being able to R&R almost all of the items that we as H3/H3T owners have had issues with that will not be covered after 50k. I DO like the fact that I still have the 5/100K powertrain warranty. That I may extend when the time comes because those are even bigger ticket items and a $100 deductible would be very nice to have.

 

I got a year left on my warranty...when it's done no way getting an extended for that cost. If half, maybe. If the H3 is running good, I'll take my chances.

 

You make a very valid point for those folks that don't work on their own vehicles. I should have indicated that I do most maintainence and repairs myself and am very aware of dealer shop rates and dealer part markups. My bad.

For the average DIY'er, half-shaft, tie-rod, radiator and alternator replacements require no diagnostics, just over the counter parts which are fairly reasonable outside the dealer. For example, a radiator replacement through the dealership could easily approach $1000 for parts and labor but DIY is only $230 plus antifreeze and an hour of my time. Alternator is $200 and a half hour. Half shaft is about $200.

From my perspective, the only way I'd likely incur more than the cost of the extended warranty is if the motor or transmission completely died. Didn't mean to mislead anyone.

 

Thanks for the replies. I too can fix pretty much anything on my Hummer except engine and tranny, if I know WHAT to fix. If the thing quits on me and the problem isnt obvious, I'll have no recourse but to have it towed somewhere and diagnosed. I use my H3 for work and would need a quick turn around if something does go wrong. I'll look into the Zurich plan Widespread mentioned and if the cost is much better I might go ahead and buy it.

 

Hummerhead,

I used these guys here to price out what the warranty would be for a GM GMPP (GMPP Discounted Prices Online, Calculate Your Own GM Protection Plan Price). I dropped the price by about $150 and called my dealer telling them another dealer had offered me the price out the door, but I wanted to give them the business since I bought my vehicle there. They matched it!

I was just under 24K on my 2007 H3 and purchased a 60/60 for $1500.00. My dealer's original price was $1780.00

I should add, the warranty has almost paid off for me. So far, I have had vehicle in for warranty work, $675 for the first work on the front suspension, $170 for replacement of rear dome light and a replacement radiator.

 

Depends on how many miles/years you plan on keeping it. You already have the 100k powertrain for the expensive stuff. 3300 plus interest for 5 years makes a nice down on the next rig.