Infiniti is a brand known for quality and luxury, so how does their certified pre-owned program stack up to the rest? If you’re interested in buying an Infiniti certified pre-owned vehicle, you need to know the ins and outs of their program.
We are about to dive into the Infiniti certified pre-owned program and discuss their complicated warranty, inspection process, and go over their perks.
TLDR; The warranty policy is needlessly complicated. There’s also no additional powertrain warranty on top of the standard warranty, although the powertrain is covered within this warranty. Ultimately, we like this program, but it has some severe drawbacks that we didn’t expect from Infiniti.
Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information
To become an Infiniti certified pre-owned vehicle, the car must meet the following criteria:
- Under 70,000 miles
- Six years old or newer
- Clean title history and Carfax report
The vehicle must undergo and pass the 167-point inspection. If a car doesn’t score 100% on the inspection, it will not become certified.
What does Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?
Only one warranty is offered by Infinity, and that is their Certified Pre-Owned Warranty. This warranty only covers mechanical breakdowns caused by parts not functioning as intended, which you could also call manufacturer defects. Their documentation explicitly states that the following are not covered:
- Negligence
- Accident damage
- Failure of non-covered parts
- Gradual wear and tear.
All of these conditions are standard for a CPO warranty, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary.
The Infiniti Certified Pre-Owned warranty covers most components in your vehicle, including the powertrain. That’s why they don’t offer a separate powertrain warranty; they decided to cover both with the same warranty.
Get the information & insights dealers don’t want you to have! It’s like Honey, but for buying cars, trucks, and SUVs. Sign Up For Free
Infiniti does offer an extended protection warranty that can be purchased to enhance coverage and extend the warranty. This extended warranty adds coverage for 352 components, which you can view on their website.
It’s worth noting that their website does not make mention of any deductibles. They also don’t discuss the transferability of the warranty. Both of these pieces of information are vital when discussing a CPO warranty. Most automakers, such as Audi, explicitly state if there will be a deductible for covered repairs.
How long does Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?
The Certified Pre-Owned Warranty has three different durations for the same warranty based on the age and mileage of the CPO vehicle that you’ve purchased:
- A vehicle with under 15,000 miles receives a 6-year/75,000-mile warranty that begins when the car was first purchased
- A vehicle with more than 15,000 miles that is also less than 48 months from the original in-service date (when it was sold) receives a 6-year/unlimited mileage warranty starting when the vehicle was purchased
- Vehicles with more than 15,000 miles and more than 48 months from the original in-service date receive a 2-year/unlimited mileage warranty that begins when you bought the vehicle
Doesn’t that seem needlessly complicated? It’s almost as if they created this policy to confuse buyers. It looks like the best choice is option number 2, more than 15,000 miles but less than 48 months from being sold. With this warranty, you’ll have an additional four years of coverage with no mileage restrictions.
Ultimately, you’ll need to keep this complex coverage system in mind when making your purchase decision.
Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection
Every Infiniti must pass a 167-point inspection to be sold as an Infiniti certified pre-owned vehicle. Infiniti has made their complete checklist available on their website, but we’ll cover the main points below:
- Vehicle history inspection, including Carfax and other vehicle history reports
- Powertrain/chassis, including any fluid leakages and engine mounts
- Cooling system, including hoses and radiator condition
- Fuel system, including fuel pump noise and vacuum pump operation
- Electric system, including wiring condition and ignition system operation
- Transmission, including overall condition and transmission mounts condition
- Hybrid system, including inverter coolant and hybrid battery charge level
- Suspension/steering, including springs condition and struts/shocks leakage
- Brakes, including brake fluid level and brake system lines
- Body frame, including a visual inspection for rust or abnormal tire wear
- Road test, including engine idle quality and shift interlock
- Interior, including HVAC condition and audio system functionality
- Body exterior, such as bedliner condition or windshield damage
- Additional detail, such as body free from dents and scratches
This inspection is precisely what we’d expect from Infiniti, a brand known for being luxurious and of the utmost quality. It seems like they do their best to ensure that every vehicle in their CPO program will last for decades.
Other Infiniti Certified Pre-Owned Perks
Every automaker with a CPO program includes various perks to persuade people into buying from them. Infiniti has many perks in their CPO program as well:
- 24/7 roadside assistance, including lockouts, flat tires, battery jumping, and towing assistance (to the nearest Infiniti dealership)
- Trip interruption coverage, providing up to $500 for meals and transportation for any breakdown that’s determined to be a warrantied repair
- Comprehensive Carfax report (are Carfax reports reliable?)
- Three-month subscription to SiriusXM
- Car rental assistance, up to $35 per day for up to 5 days
These perks seem like the bare minimum for a brand like Infiniti. While these perks are more tempting than perks offered by some other automakers, Infiniti should certainly be doing more to entice people to buy one of their CPO vehicles.
We like Infiniti’s certified pre-owned program. However, we are not a fan of their complex warranty coverage policy based on mileage and the time since it was sold. It seems needlessly complicated. Plus, there’s no additional powertrain warranty, even though the powertrain is covered in the included warranty. Aside from these issues, the inspection appears to be thorough, which is arguably the most crucial part of a program. Still, make sure you have an independent mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection to verify that you’re buying a quality vehicle.
Do sales personnel access your looks when you first enter the car dealer? I always try to dress down so I don’t look like I have an expensive taste. I also drive one of my car that is not too presentable. Thanks.