Topic: Protector Plus and SymTech

[Trainman]

OK, so it looks like as a theft deterrent, these things are pretty useless.

But if your car is stolen, and registered in such a program, is the insurance part easy to collect?  Or is there a bunch of "outs"?  Maybe paying a couple of hundred bucks for $4-5,000 worth extra coverage is not a bad thing?  Anyone with experience on this end of these programs?

[Car_nut]

I have been to a local (TO east end) Mazda dealer where all new cars come with mandatory $299 protector plus charge, on top of the $299 admin charge. No way around it. (unless you don't buy from this dealer).

As for Sym Tech, isn't this some form of rust proof system that they market in late 80's and early 90's? I have Sym Tech sticker on my car, still has a  lot of rust. I would say that is totally useless.

[Craig]

Sym-Tech, Sym Tech and SymTech.  Any way you spell it, it appears to be the worst "extra" investment you can make on your new car purchase.

Again, no website.  Who doesn't have a website?  What are they trying to hide?

And if you want to buy a car without it, refuse the charge.  Walk out of the showroom.  The charge will magically disappear before you reach the door handle.

[Arthur Dent]

OK, so it looks like as a theft deterrent, these things are pretty useless.

But if your car is stolen, and registered in such a program, is the insurance part easy to collect?  Or is there a bunch of "outs"?  Maybe paying a couple of hundred bucks for $4-5,000 worth extra coverage is not a bad thing?  Anyone with experience on this end of these programs?

there was a poster mentioning that the discount seemed only to be applied if he bought from the same dealer again - sure weakens your bargining position. If that is true I'd except extra dealer padding would take at least half of the amount. I don't think he ever came back to confirm it but definitely something to check into.

[Trainman]

OK, so it looks like as a theft deterrent, these things are pretty useless.

But if your car is stolen, and registered in such a program, is the insurance part easy to collect?  Or is there a bunch of "outs"?  Maybe paying a couple of hundred bucks for $4-5,000 worth extra coverage is not a bad thing?  Anyone with experience on this end of these programs?

there was a poster mentioning that the discount seemed only to be applied if he bought from the same dealer again - sure weakens your bargining position. If that is true I'd except extra dealer padding would take at least half of the amount. I don't think he ever came back to confirm it but definitely something to check into.

That is why I posted the question, to try and help the other poster.  That seems to be the only info that anyone here can offer on this.  Sounds very strange but if true, then I agree, not worth it then.

[Red Line]

     3 years ago , I got my 95 civic hatchback stolen.  Car had engraved windows, Steering Wheel Club, and a Kill switch.  They still managed to take it. 

     Police where no help at all.  Even if the thieves ran my car into a police cruiser in broad daylight, I probably wouldn't have gotten my car back.  Police are useless against a car thief who want's your car.  Sure if they find a car that joyriders ditched after there fun, you'll get your car back, otherwise they ain't doin' ship about it  ... ::)Sorry!  Kinda got of track.

     Lessen to learn from this, save up your $$$, get a good alarm system that won't cut off, even if your car gets towed away (Probable way they go my car)  Can't remember, but I think insurance companies only give a small rebate for anti-theft marking.

OK, so it looks like as a theft deterrent, these things are pretty useless.

But if your car is stolen, and registered in such a program, is the insurance part easy to collect?  Or is there a bunch of "outs"?  Maybe paying a couple of hundred bucks for $4-5,000 worth extra coverage is not a bad thing?  Anyone with experience on this end of these programs?

  Instead of hoping your insurance doesn't screw you over, it's probably wiser to protect your car from getting stolen in the first place    My 2 ¢

P.S.   Oh! I almost forgot, I don't think it's worth getting anti-theft markings done.

[Craig]

I was reading the Protector Plus warranty in the mother-in-law's car and found the company that offers Protector Plus is Roy, Speed & Ross Ltd.  I then (finally) found their website:

https://www.royspeedross.com/rsr/

They seem to be rolling out a replacement for Protector Plus called "Globali".

The PP payment is $3000, plus $2000 towards the purchase of a vehicle at the original dealership where the PP warranty was purchased.  I think I have that right.

The Globali payment is $4000 towards a car from the original dealership.  Here is the first two paragraphs of the Globali warranty:

Roy, Speed & Ross Ltd. ("RSR") warrants to the original owner, being a participating RSR licensed automotive dealership and the subsequent transfer owner that paid for the globali.comŽ Registration Fee ProgramŽ, both of which are herein defined as the ("Purchaser") of the globali.comŽ anti-theft deterrent system, upon the dealership permanently theft identifying the vehicle with the globali.comŽ anti-theft deterrent system on selected body parts and placing the globali.comŽ decals on the driver and passenger side windows that (1) the vehicle will not be stolen and (2) in the unlikely event the vehicle is stolen the globali.comŽ anti-theft deterrent system will be effective in causing the return of the vehicle to the Purchaser.

PAYMENT TERMS: Should the globali.comŽ anti-theft deterrent system fail in meeting both warranties stated above, RSR hereby warrants to provide the Purchaser, a Replacement Allowance benefit up to $4,000.00, with terms as follows: the Replacement Allowance benefit of up to $4000.00 will be provided at the participating RSR licensed automotive dealership at which the vehicle was purchased or leased to be used to purchase or lease a replacement vehicle. The warranty Replacement Allowance will not exceed the actual cash value of the vehicle as established by the Purchaser's insurance carrier total loss payment.

From that mess, what do you make of this first part: "Roy, Speed & Ross Ltd. ("RSR") warrants to the original owner, being a participating RSR licensed automotive dealership and the subsequent transfer owner that paid for the globali.comŽ Registration Fee ProgramŽ, both of which are herein defined as the ("Purchaser")"?

[Luv my car]

I work at a Chevy dealer here in Paris. I've been here 11 months now and have seen the PP system pay out 3 times. It's easy - if your car is stolen and declared lost by your insurance than Global-i pays (we did one just after Christmas). Just that simple. And yes a lot of insurance companies will give a small discount if your car is etched.

Best regards.

[Craig]

I work at a Chevy dealer here in Paris. I've been here 11 months now and have seen the PP system pay out 3 times. It's easy - if your car is stolen and declared lost by your insurance than Global-i pays (we did one just after Christmas). Just that simple. And yes a lot of insurance companies will give a small discount if your car is etched.

Best regards.

Wow.  Nice to see my thread come back from the dead.

What are the odds that your car is stolen and not recovered?  "Luv my car", how many cars has your dealership sold with the Global-i "protection" in the last 11 months.  I'm guessing the answer is in the hundreds.

The point is, you're paying out ~$300 in some cases, for a chance at $4000 if your car is stolen and not recovered.  It's just a weird lottery, and your average expected return is far less than the $300 you're paying.  It's got to be less than the $65 or so that the dealership pays Global-i (Roy Speed & Ross), or they wouldn't offer it.

It simply remains a profit centre for the dealership, with little chance of benefiting the consumer.  If they want to offer it, fine.  Just don't pretend it's mandatory.

[articsteve]

It simply remains a profit centre for the dealership, with little chance of benefiting the consumer.  If they want to offer it, fine.  Just don't pretend it's mandatory.

It's a brilliant concept.  Wish I had thought of it.    Dealer makes $130. per unit for doing absolutely nothing factoring in customers who have enough backbone to refuse it.

It's analogous to those insurance ads on TV pitching burial insurance (small print appears on the bottom of the screen: "benefits reduced in first 2 years").   

[Benz29]

"The point is, you're paying out ~$300 in some cases, for a chance at $4000 if your car is stolen and not recovered.  It's just a weird lottery, and your average expected return is far less than the $300 you're paying.  It's got to be less than the $65 or so that the dealership pays Global-i (Roy Speed & Ross), or they wouldn't offer it."

By this logic then why have insurance? .. Drop your home owners policy.. your car has a better chance of being stolen in the GTA then your house burning down.. save yourself the cash...

[Gardiner Westbound]

I have been to a local (TO east end) Mazda dealer where all new cars come with mandatory $299 protector plus charge, on top of the $299 admin charge. No way around it. (unless you don't buy from this dealer).

See this link.

http://www.omvic.on.ca/pdf/OMVIC%20bulletin%20-%20November%202005-2.pdf

[Wheelboy]

"The point is, you're paying out ~$300 in some cases, for a chance at $4000 if your car is stolen and not recovered.  It's just a weird lottery, and your average expected return is far less than the $300 you're paying.  It's got to be less than the $65 or so that the dealership pays Global-i (Roy Speed & Ross), or they wouldn't offer it."

By this logic then why have insurance? .. Drop your home owners policy.. your car has a better chance of being stolen in the GTA then your house burning down.. save yourself the cash...

Because homeowners' and theft on your car is very inexpensive relative to the "insurance" scam the dealers try to foist on us.  $300 premium for a potential $4000 payout?  Your car or home insurance guy would love you to be stoopid enough to pay those rates.  I think my Vette theft insurance is something like $80 for a $40,000 potential payout.  So what's that, about 35x less?

Edit - seeing as I'm a math whizz, based on my figures above, I figured your auto insurance company could offer you an extra $4000 of insurance for .......wait for it......$8.  That kinda puts the Globali crap into a better perspective.  I'd make 'em an offer of $6 for the Globali - take it or leave it.

Next read the fine print on those Globali things.  You auto insurance company won't insist you use your insurance payout on another car from the same dealership that sold you the stolen one.

[Benz29]

"The point is, you're paying out ~$300 in some cases, for a chance at $4000 if your car is stolen and not recovered.  It's just a weird lottery, and your average expected return is far less than the $300 you're paying.  It's got to be less than the $65 or so that the dealership pays Global-i (Roy Speed & Ross), or they wouldn't offer it."

By this logic then why have insurance? .. Drop your home owners policy.. your car has a better chance of being stolen in the GTA then your house burning down.. save yourself the cash...

Because homeowners' and theft on your car is very inexpensive relative to the "insurance" scam the dealers try to foist on us.  $300 premium for a potential $4000 payout?  Your car or home insurance guy would love you to be stoopid enough to pay those rates.  I think my Vette theft insurance is something like $80 for a $40,000 potential payout.  So what's that, about 35x less?

Edit - seeing as I'm a math whizz, based on my figures above, I figured your auto insurance company could offer you an extra $4000 of insurance for .......wait for it......$8.  That kinda puts the Globali crap into a better perspective.  I'd make 'em an offer of $6 for the Globali - take it or leave it.

Next read the fine print on those Globali things.  You auto insurance company won't insist you use your insurance payout on another car from the same dealership that sold you the stolen one.

So you paid $80? One time fee? That's pretty amazing... Most of us pay that per month for our car insurance. So for the rest of us suckers who pay their insurance monthly.. at $80 per month over 4 years (which is the length of the gloabli warranty) you would have paid $3,840 for you $40,000 coverage. So break that down in value of coverage per dollar spent you go $10.41 of coverage for every dollar you spent..

The globali warranty pays out a $4,000 credit for $300.00.. . broken down that is $13.33 of coverage per dollar spent..

Now I'm no math wiz but that seems like a decent value to me.. except in your Utopian world where you only paid an $80 one time fee for full insurance coverage..

[Wheelboy]

$80 per year for $40,000 theft coverage part of my policy.  Over the 4-year period of the Globali, that's $320 for a potential $40,000 payout.  Kinda puts the Globali stuff into perspective IMO.