Home Appliance and System Insurance

[BlueHouse]

Does anyone have experience with or recommendations for Home Maintenance plans (Insurance for appliances and systems)? 

I understand that this is an insurance product, and as such can usually be better financed by self-insuring.  In my case however, I'm in a newish house (5 years old) with some known issues in some of the major systems.   My development is overall pretty decent quality, but a few of the systems installed by the builder and their subcontracts were less than high quality.  For instance, we have Goodman ACs.  The particular units we have are involved in a class action lawsuit in another state, but here nothing.  And the fix has been rather expensive.  I've held off on buying insurance because it's about $650/year, but as I hit the 5 year mark, I notice that this is the time threshold that other homes have seen failures in their AC units, Washer/Dryer, Dishwashers, Microwaves, etc. 

Additionally, a few nights ago I very clearly heard something different from the AC that I've never heard before.  The sound is just different.  The first night I heard it, it was clearly straining.  As in the system was working extra hard to push out air.  I had just changed the air filter to a very cheap one that didn't fit quite right, so I thought that may be the problem.  The next night, I noticed the straining when I closed off a particular door (one that I close every night and have never noticed the strain before). 

Anyway...long story.  Sorry for the boring parts.  I think I want to bet on something going bad and I'm thinking of using American Home Shield.  Just wanted to get your opinions on whether or not to buy the insurance in the first place (considering my circumstances ) and if you have experience with a specific company, please offer recommendations.

Thanks for any advice.

[YttriumNitrate]

In general, insurance companies are in the business to make money so on average self insuring is the way to go for small items. A 1 year home warranty was included when I purchased a house back in 2009, and the insurance company certainly did not make it easy to file a claim or have something repaired. I believe there was a $85 charge every time a person was sent out, a lot of stuff was not covered, and repairs often took more than one trip.

$650 a year will buy a lot of appliances, especially if you are the type of person willing to look for $300 washer/dryer sets off Craigslist. In my new house, the whole AC system (indoor and out) was just replaced for $3300.

Have you tried cleaning out the furnace filter to improve air flow?