Customized Moto X phones are already a good deal, considering that the standard models are the same price as their retail counterparts, or just a bit more if you want one of those swanky wood backs. But there may be a more practical reason for you to use the Moto Maker service: a bit of free insurance. A Reddit user recently broke the screen on his(?) Verizon Moto X, and after letting Motorola support know, he got a code for a free replacement phone on Moto Maker.

We reached out to Motorola for confirmation of this policy. The representative confirmed: "yes, we do offer a one-time free repair or replacement for broken displays on Moto X's." Motorola's support page doesn't explicitly state that they'll replace a customized Moto X with a broken screen, which normally falls under "physical damage" not covered by hardware warranties, but it does mention the replacement phones. Here's the official text from Motorola's support page:

What service options are available for my phone? For most phones, Motorola offers an Advance Exchange program. This program will provide a replacement device and a prepaid Fed Ex label to send your malfunctioning phone back to us. Normally, requests placed M-F before 5 pm ET will ship within 48 hours. If a holiday falls during the week, this may take up to 96 hours, or 4-days. There is no fee for this program for an in-warranty device. Cost may be incurred for out of warranty, or devices that display liquid or physical damage. This program requires you return your defective device to Motorola within 5 days of receiving your replacement device. Return shipping cost will be covered. In cases where the Advance Replacement option may not be available, due to the age of the phone or part availability, the service time may be slightly longer. The good news is that these cases are handled by our Repair Specialists. Once you submit a Repair Request, they will be in touch with you to discuss available options and time-frames. Custom Device, Customized Service If you have a Moto X Customized Device, submit a Repair Request to receive a Service Redemption code and prepaid shipping label. Use the Service Redemption code to design a replacement device at Motorola.com/designit. The time-frame to receive your new customized device will display at the time the order is placed. Once you receive the device, just ship your original device back to Motorola, using the shipping label provided. Once a Repair Request is submitted, please allow 4 business hours for your prepaid shipping labels and Service Redemption code to be emailed to you.

According to the Reddit thread, customized Moto X owners have been able to do this as far back as four months ago and as little as one month ago, so presumably Motorola is still honoring the service. That's just downright cool, and just one more reason to buy a phone from the Moto Maker portal over a carrier store. Here's the link for the service portal.

Keep in mind, this only applies if your customized Moto X is still within the warranty period, one year from your date of purchase. (At the time of writing, all Moto X phones should still be within this timeframe.) After that, you'll have to pay up to $175 plus taxes for Motorola's repair service.

Source: Reddit Moto X - thanks, Joe Coppola!