His Transmission Failed at 71,000 Miles. His Warranty Card Said Coverage Ended Four Years Earlier.
Some automakers quietly extend coverage on a known defect years after the printed warranty runs out. Only four states force a dealer to tell…
Warranty
The Warranty Transfer Cost $50. It Handed the Buyer $1,150 in Coverage Nobody Mentioned.
A seller assumed the extended warranty would just disappear at trade-in. Instead, it followed the car and became part of the sale, for a…
The Contract Covers “Mechanical Breakdown.” You Authorized the Teardown Before Anyone Said Whether Wear and Tear Counts.
A vehicle service contract that pays only for mechanical breakdown can deny the exact wear-and-tear failure that sent you to the shop, and you…
Extended Car Warranties Cost the Same Nationwide. The Mechanic Fixing Your Car Does Not.
A vehicle service contract costs the same in Birmingham and Boston, even though mechanics in Boston earn nearly 19% more per hour. Here's what…
Repair Costs Are Up 57% Since 2019. Re-Run Your Extended Warranty Math.
A driver who ran the extended warranty numbers back in 2021 is working off a repair estimate that's now years out of date.
Buying an Extended Warranty at the Dealer Often Means Paying for Coverage You Already Have
Elena was offered a $2,400 service contract in the finance office "while it's cheapest." It would have paid twice for coverage her new SUV…
Most “Extended Warranties” Aren’t Warranties at All. Here’s What You’re Actually Buying.
Most extended warranties are not warranties at all. The kind you buy decides whether a repair claim gets paid. Here is how the three…
An Extended Car Warranty Is Worth It at 90,000 Miles and a Waste at 40,000: The Breakeven Math
Devon's BMW and his neighbor's Toyota faced the same $3,000 warranty offer with opposite answers. Here is the breakeven math that tells you when…
Your Car Was Recalled but the Dealer Says It Is Not Covered: Recall vs. Extended Warranty vs. TSB
Your dealer says the repair is not covered by the recall, and your extended warranty points to an exclusion. Here is how to tell…
Third-Party Auto Warranty Claim Approval Rates: What Independent Data Says About the 18-Point Gap
Most extended warranty denials are not coverage exclusions - they are process failures. Pre-authorization, maintenance records, and repair shop approval are the three clauses…