Protect Yourself from Unexpected Breakdowns

There are thousands of parts in your vehicle. Any one of them could unexpectedly fail. With dealership service labor running as much as $150 an hour, why would you want to risk having to pay for your own repairs?

Extended Vehicle Service Contracts / Extended Warranties (exact term depends on your state) offer the peace of mind you need at a price you can afford. You can get parts and service coverage, even towing or rental reimbursement with the right extended warranty.

There are many choices when buying an extended service contracts that can affect how much you will pay for one. Let’s go over some of your options:

How long do you want to keep your current vehicle?

The length of your new vehicle service contract can be one of the largest factors affecting the price you will pay. Depending on the year and mileage of your vehicle, the extended warranty could be from one to five years in length and up to 60,000 miles from date and mileage start date of your contract.

What coverage level do you need?

There are generally many different levels of service contract protection from "basic" power train coverage to extended warranties that cover almost everything on your car, often called "bumper-to-bumper" protection. Some things that are not ever covered are normal maintenance items that wear down such as tires, brake pads and rotors, wiper blades, oil, as well as items not listed as covered on your particular service contract.

Does your vehicle still have a manufacturer warranty?

By limiting short term risk for your warranty provider, the price of your extended warranty can be dramatically lower if your vehicle still has some manufacturer\'s warranty remaining. If your vehicle is near the end of your manufacturer\'s warranty, do not delay the purchase of your extended warranty. Delaying could cost you hundreds.

How large of a deductible are you comfortable with?

Just like in insurance, the larger deductible you take, the lower your warranty price. Most of the time, deductible options are between $0 and $200. The deductibles are typically required per incident, which means per time you need to get work done on your vehicle. Each incident usually requires several parts to be replaced, so when something breaks on your car, your costs are going to be small because of your new extended warranty.