So you’re at the dealership and about the purchase your vehicle. The sales staff member comes over and offers a vehicle warranty- something he or she says will fully protect you in the event that your engine, transmission, or any other large fault happens with your vehicle. What they don’t tell you is that according to consumer reports, the majority of those that purchase the warranty end up losing money on the investment. The rest of this blog is set to examine why.
Let’s start with the obvious: The extended warranty company is a BUSINESS- meaning they exist to make money. According to consumer reports the median investment in a warranty program is $1200.00 so let’s work with that figure. Keep the $1200 in the back of your mind and think of all the costs the warranty company is paying:
Adding all of these costs up in your head- how much of your 1200 is going to pay those costs?
The next step to examine is the cost to you that they don’t explain fully- the rental car. So you buy the warranty and you have a break down. Most warranty companies tell you that you have rental car coverage BUT they fail to tell you that you don’t get that coverage until after the claim is accepted. This means the following all has to take place before you get a paid loaner car:
After all of these steps they will finally begin paying for your rental car- in some cases we have had customers without car coverage for over a week- think of the rental car cost you would incur!
Third, we examined already that the warranty company is a business but, let’s talk about how they keep some of their profits when you have a legitimate claim. A lot of policies and contracts will stipulate how much they are willing to pay for a shop’s labor and that they either supply their own parts or pay a certain amount for parts. There are several issues with this for us as automotive professionals:
Therefore, we as a shop have come up with the only alternative possible. We fight as hard for you as possible with the warranty company and get you as much coverage dollar wise as possible. However, the downside is that you would still have to make up the difference. Therefore, you still have an out of pocket expense for the repair bill itself plus the first period of a rental car and the contract to begin with.
With all of the costs you have to outlay as the customer, both at the initial time of sale and when the vehicle fails- we believe it is much more beneficial for you not to buy the warranty and receive the limited benefits. We are happy to review any warranty contract with you as one or two have proven to be good for the customer- but they are very limited in our experience.
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6009 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228 Phone: (410)788-3838