Extended Car Warranties: What To Watch Out For

Extended warranties are an option to extend the service which car dealers present to buyers. However, most car buyers are not well informed and do not even know if they need one. Extended warranty policies can not only be expensive, they can be disappointing if you find out that they do not cover what you thought they did. The costs do vary depending on the policy and the length of time. And, knowing the rules is vital when filing a claim.

Should you purchase or not? The first step when purchasing a vehicle is to decide whether you need the extended warranty plan or not. Many people purchase the extended warranty without knowing enough about what they are choosing and end up losing money. This is simply because they do not understand the coverage that it offers. Another mistake that people often make is that they think the extended warranty plan must be bought from the dealer where the car was purchased. This is not the case, but, car buyers are often led to believe this because the car dealer themselves convince them this is the truth.

How will diagnostics be handled. This can be a very gray area. Suppose you are a customer that is having trouble with their speedometer and take it to the dealership to have it covered under the vehicles extended warranty which you purchased. However, the problem cannot be diagnosed without a diagnostics which costs several of hundreds of dollars. In cases like this the extended warranty many times does not include diagnostic testing which the repair can be as minor as a faulty wire that is a few dollars and the owner of the vehicle ends up paying hundreds out of pocket. This is where knowing what options on extended warranties comes in handy and making sure you choose one that covers such scenarios.

What’s the Deductible? Extended warranties, unlike car insurance, typically work the same way. Car insurance deductibles can save you a tremendous amount of money. For example you have a plan that has a $100 deductible that costs you $2000. You would expect to pay $100 as a deductible , so you would expect to pay around $1000. You may find that that is not the case at all and you need to actually pay $2100.

Confirm whether it is a captured warranty. A captured warranty is a extended warranty plan that is sponsored by a the vehicle manufacturer and offered through specific sellers at special pricing. The flip side to the captured warranty is that it only allows you to have the vehicle serviced at the specific dealer. Should you receive poor service, then you are stuck.

The first step is to look for a place where you can get a free quote on an extended car warranty. You can find some great deals on these vehicle extended warranties here.

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