Extended auto warranty

Lets talk about the extended auto warranty. Although brand, make, model and price are all vital parts of your purchase decision, the automobile warranty was very likely one of the contributing factors in your decision.

A car warranty is a valuable tool, giving you vital protection for a very long time. However, not all vehicles carry the same amount of warranty.

In addition, there is more than one type of vehicle warranty. With all the different information available, this can be a confusing topic.

As a dealership technician I can shed some light on this subject. I get to see what is covered and who is paying before I perform any auto repairs.

The standard warranty

Under this warranty, many repairs are covered at little or no cost. While fluid changes and other maintenance items are not covered, some common costly items are.

Even brake wear and rotor warping can be covered in some cases (providing it was actual pad failure or part defect and not incorrect braking habits).

Some GM products offer a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty, and, of course, Kia offers a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Each of these automakers provides a different warranty length as dictated by the durability of their product, current marketing needs and more.

As an example, Kia lengthened their warranty in order to attract new customers. However, Honda only offers their warranty for a short duration because of their reputation for dependability.

The manufacturer warranty would pay for parts and labor to replace this part. In the case of an item that incurs wear over time, many manufacturers will split the cost with consumers, especially just after the warranty has expired.

Note that not all automakers do this, or all dealerships. An extended warranty is much different from your manufacturer warranty.

For one thing, you must purchase this on your own, it is not provided free of charge. Additionally, different insurance companies offer different coverage for items, mileage and more.

Extended auto warranty

It is not uncommon for an extended auto warranty company to pay for the part, but not the labor, which must be supplied from your own pocket.

In addition, an extended auto warranty has a deductible, much like insurance. You have to meet this deductible for each problem, in most cases.

Unlike your insurance, the deductible is not an annual occurrence, but applies with each use of the warranty. In essence, you must pay a specific portion of the repairs during each visit, while the warranty company may or may not cover the rest of the repair.

While that may seem to cast the value of these car warranties into doubt, they can be very beneficial, especially in the case of big-ticket items failing.

Examples of this would be cracked engine blocks, and failed transmissions. Also car air conditioning repairs are soaring and all of the major components like the compressor, condenser, evaporator and receiver dryer are covered under most plans.

If you have an a/c compressor failure the total repair could be over $1500 dollars. And no one wants to drive without air conditioning.

I see major failures like these on both foreign and domestic automobiles all the time. In fact I would be out of a job if this was not a common occurrence.

Regardless of the type of auto warranty in question, they are very beneficial. There are very few cases in which a warranty is not a helpful thing.

However, in some cases, buying an extended warranty will require some thought before making the decision. Used vehicles are a different creature from new vehicles and different rules apply.

And my closing point for purchasing an extended auto warranty is to please shop around. Buying at the time of purchase from the car dealer is the most expensive way to go.

And in most cases the coverage is no better than the cheaper options. You did your homework when you picked out the car so use the same techniques to pick the best coverage for it.

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