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.
Decide to buy or not to buy. The first step is to decide on whether buying a certain extended warranty plan for your vehicle is the right one for you. The reason why most people are losing money on extended warranties is because they do not really understand the entire coverage of the plan and that they don’t know which ones are covered and which ones are not. Another common misconception on extended warranties is that many thought that it must be bought from that same company where you have purchased your vehicle from. This happens because some of the sales staff will be inclined to say anything in order to persuade you into making a purchase decision right at that moment. Do not fall for that.
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.
Check the deductible. Extended warranties are not like car insurance where when you make the purchase there is a tremendous savings on premiums when you pay a higher deductible. Extended warranty plans are just not the case. Suppose you have a plan that has a $75 deductible that costs you $1500. You would expect that because your deductible is $75 and the cost should be around half the amount of the plan, but that typically is not the way it works. You may find that a $75 deductible plan costs $1575.
Verify if it is a “Captured Warranty”. Basically, a captured warranty is a plan sponsored by the vehicle manufacturer by the company that has special pricing arrangement with some vehicle sellers. It can be a bit difficult with a captured plan because you cannot choose a service provider of your own. If you get poor service from the service provider, you have no option to transfer to another service provider. Captured plan is not really good for you, only the company can benefit from it.
The first thing to do is to find a website where you can get a free quote on an extended car warranty. You can find some great deals on these vehicle extended warranties here.