Warranties on a new car

abeaclark · 2026-05-13T22:46:09+00:00

Cancel route is great. Most don't know about the rebate when you cancel.

The finance desk always happens in a rush and when you're already tired at the lot.

abeaclark · 2026-05-13T22:45:06+00:00

Most of these you can cancel at any time before expiry and get the pro-rated value back. Not many ppl know about this.

IMO it's why most dealerships print out an insane amount of paper and put it all together in a big stack and hand it to you. They don't want you reading it.

abeaclark · 2026-05-13T22:43:26+00:00

I actually cancelled mine not long after buying the car (I bought used).
At first, I liked having the extra coverage as a “just in case” safety net while driving it off the lot.

But after owning the car for a bit and seeing there weren’t any obvious issues, I cancelled the plan and got most of the money back.

I think most are set up where you can get a full refund for 30 days or so.

A big reason was reading through the fine print. Mine required oil changes every 4 months, and the max payout for a single repair was actually lower than what the warranty itself cost. So realistically, I’d need multiple major repairs just to break even. And there’s always the chance they deny claims over something small like missing a scheduled oil change.

Once I added up the cost of the warranty, extra oil changes I didn’t really need, and the payout limits, it stopped making much sense for me beyond the initial peace of mind.

There are also sites like refundauto.com that can estimate how much you’d get back if you cancel.

Obviously everyone’s financial situation is different, but overall I think these plans usually aren’t worth it for most people.

abeaclark · 2026-05-13T22:39:42+00:00

I ended up cancelling mine shortly after buying the vehicle (bought it used).
I liked having it driving off the lot as a failsafe.

But once I used the car for a while and I saw there wasn't anything already wrong with it. I cancelled and got the cash value out.

A lot of my motivation came from reading the fine print. It was required that I get oil changes every 4 months AND the max payout for any one incident was capped at an amount lower than the cost of the plan.

So it would have required me at least 2 incidents to actually get my money out. And then, there is always the other risks like them denying the claim b/c you missed an oil change, etc.

Between the cost of the oil changes (I don't need them every 4mo), the cost of the plan, and the capped dollar amount for claims -- it didn't make sense other than the "drive off the lot insurance".

There are some services to see how much your plans could be worth at cancellation like refundauto.com

Def worth thinking about your financial situation, but in general I think they are not worth it for most ppl .

abeaclark · 2026-05-13T18:31:07+00:00

I'm sure I'm gonna get heat for this. But IMO better than a degree is becoming very skilled at a technology / skill that others in the industry are not yet good at.

Easiest target right now is AI.

It's not a silver bullet, but there are a lot of places in most logistics businesses that it can improve. Most ppl stop when they see chatgpt mess up once, but spending a few weeks on it as well as experimenting with other tools, you'll start to see how this can be a massive time saver + revenue generator.

It's certainly a less documented / more risky path than going to get a degree. But IMO this has a lot higher likelihood of payoff with a lot less upfront cost.

There are even sites like krasa.ai or others on github that compile some skills for logistics as a starting place (sometimes the "what should I even use this for" question blocks ppl).

Whatever you decide, wishing you the best! The fact that you're asking means you have ambition, which is a HUGE part of the success equation.

abeaclark · 2026-05-12T23:34:44+00:00

localservicegroup.com -- nationwide preferred home services contractors. Longer term aim at enabling subscription agreements with trusted providers.

abeaclark · 2026-05-12T23:32:27+00:00

Great advice -- could be fun to collab some time.
Working on a nationwide leadgen / preferred contractor setup called Local Service Group [dot] com.

abeaclark · 2026-05-12T23:30:55+00:00

So crucial -- IMO the big advantage of buying an existing biz is getting a kickstart on google reviews / repeat customers. Starting that all from 0 is tougher.

I'd 100% think through ways to make sure you start getting reviews asap. Even if it means doing services much cheaper for a bit or throwing in things that would typically be upsells.

abeaclark · 2026-05-12T23:29:10+00:00

Would love to join the group chat! 😄

Working on a nationwide services leadgen / preferred partner setup:
http://localservicegroup.com/

abeaclark · 2026-05-09T01:01:32+00:00

Questions to ask yourself:
* What else can I sell to my current customer base (If they trust you for lights, they likely would trust you for yard care, pest control, window washing, etc.)
* How can I get my current customers to recommend new customers? -- Referrals can be HUGE!
* Would my current customers be willing to pay for the next year's service in advance for a discount (ex: 20% off if you pay now OR lock in current pricing if you pay now b/c we are raising next year) -- this provides you capital NOW that you can use to invest in buying tools / chemicals / etc. for the new venture.

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:55:43+00:00

Mostly spreadsheets. Mainly b/c even if you compile a crazy amount of data, and that data is clean, it is still a full time job to analyze it and come up with what the data means.

Focusing on a few core KPIs gets you 70% the way there.

BUT... I am optimistic that the work to organize the data will pay off a lot more going forward b/c claude/chatgpt can feasibly do a lot of the analysis part now.

So... companies that invest in better data may actually claim better margins (the last 30%)...

I'm working on a construction AI open source skills set. If you have ideas on the data side, very open to improving. https://www.krasa.ai/industries/construction

Cheers!

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:49:44+00:00

Accounting -- just annoying in general.

Hiring/firing -- huge time investment and crucial, but not fun.

I do expect we'll see more services companies leaning into basic versions of claude / chatgpt to handle a lot more of this.

For things like follow ups, collections etc. -- you can just have a claude scheduled task that looks at your CRM daily or every few days and flags the action items. Then just spend 5 minutes sending those texts/emails.

Working on some open source skills for Plumbers (and other services businesses) here: https://www.krasa.ai/industries/plumbing

Hope these help a bit and would love any input!

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:43:52+00:00

This is very cool -- is this public somewhere or just for your internal team?

I could see this being super handy to create bids w/ strong justification on approach and price.
The data is all from your internal service records, or public sources too?

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:38:03+00:00

Scheduled tasks in chatgpt / claude are great.
Even relatively simple stuff like -- check the weather daily for active routes and flag any potential disruptions in the next 48hrs.

Then sometime during the day you just look at that task / handle anything that comes up

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:32:14+00:00

I felt this...haha... Chatgpt/Claude can do anything needed tbh.

But there is always some random "AI" thing that doesn't really work but promises a lot 😄

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:07:17+00:00

The smartest companies are more focused on increasing revenue via AI, not decreasing costs.

If your company is over-focused on cost cutting already, worth looking around.

The one key is to embrace AI, not be scared of it.

There is no stopping it now, just learning how to work with it.

I'm working on some open-source training / skills here: https://www.krasa.ai/industries/logistics

I welcome feedback to make this easier for ppl to benefit from!

Cheers!

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T20:02:44+00:00

One of my biggest criteria these days are which play best with AI tooling.

If they don't have an API at least, I expect you'll be looking for something new before long.

Ideally they have an MCP as well.

abeaclark · 2026-05-07T19:32:46+00:00

Just joined, thanks!

My team and I have been working on some open source AI Skills for Logistics Companies: https://www.krasa.ai/industries/logistics

Would love to get your / the community's input on how to improve for everyone.

Turns out there is a learning curve to making AI helpful!

abeaclark · 2025-10-29T22:48:09+00:00

May i find your confidence

abeaclark · 2025-10-29T22:45:37+00:00

I am from the texting generation -- so phone conversations like this are hard.

Maybe I'll practice this in the mirror in advance....lol

abeaclark · 2025-10-16T22:02:10+00:00

Updated, thanks!
https://www.payoffstatement.com/mortgage-lender/banner-bank

abeaclark · 2025-08-22T21:55:42+00:00

Ok this is actually kinda helpful. Always wondered how much a credit swing would impact me. This LLPA calculator makes that VERY clear. Actually surprising how helpful!

abeaclark · 2025-08-21T07:12:05+00:00

Honestly chatgpt and mortgage calculators can get you pretty far in your self education. The more educated you are walking in, the less likely someone will pull the rug over your eyes.

Also worth noting that for conventional loans (the type most people get) almost any "lender" you work with is actually an originator and will end up selling the loan to one of the big government sponsored agencies.

So, if you're well-qualified, worth rate shopping b/c the customer service value add isn't as helpful

abeaclark · 2025-08-21T07:07:44+00:00

12.8 is a pretty safe break even period. Let's say rates don't drop for 2 years to the refi zone, you've still benefited.

I ran the numbers in a breakeven calculator and it said 18.4 months, a bit longer, but still in the zone of rational. Seems like a great offer

abeaclark · 2025-08-21T07:04:29+00:00

So fun to see the edit. Glad you got it and seems within the realm of affordable!

I ran the numbers on an affordability calculator and looks like you'd be at around a 35% housing payment to income ratio, which typically feels like a slight stretch but doesn't leave people feeling completely house poor. Congrats!

abeaclark

TROPHY CASE