Warranty Specifics

What should I watch for when buying an additional warranty?

Just the same way you were careful to make sure that the the vehicle met your needs, you want to make sure that the warranty you're going to add to that vehicle is also going to meet your needs. I think a big issue has been people assuming that a warranty will take care of any of the problems that come up, without reading the fine print. Have a look at that fine print before you sign. You might see that there are mileage limitations you weren't aware of, or time, or different feature limitations, maybe the stereo is not covered, and so you'll have to replace it on your own. You want to make sure that it's providing you the degree of coverage that you expect before you sign on the dotted line.

Will replacement parts void my warranty?

When understanding car warranties, you want to make sure that you don't void the car warranty by using incorrect replacement car parts. This was actually established by the Magnus-Moss Act in the mid 1970's to protect consumers from being stuck buying just the Ford or General Motors certified car parts. It allowed more competition to bring the prices down, thus protecting the consumer. The real advantage is that by using a non-OEM-certified part you are not automatically voiding the warranty. It was a bit of a monopoly that the manufacturer held you to using their particular parts at whatever profit margin they wanted to maintain. It was great consumer protection that was founded in the Magnus-Moss Act.

What should I do if my car breaks down during the warranty term?

When understanding car warranties, if your car breaks down during its warranty period, your best first move is to contact your dealer where you bought the vehicle, or the local nearby dealer that sells the same car as the one you purchased. You want to make sure you make an appointment and have the broken down vehicle towed to them. Also, you want to keep it within the vehicle system, if you will. For example, if you bought a Brand X vehicle, you want to make sure it's serviced by Brand X mechanics to keep it in their warranty system.

What happens when my warranty runs out?

With regards to car warranties, when you're warranty runs out this is a sad day because it represents when you are responsible for the cost, effort and the energy for repairing anything to your vehicle.

What steps do I take if I have a warranty or service contract dispute?

When understanding car warranties, if you have a warranty or service contract dispute your best and first move would probably be taking it to the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, or a local Chamber of Commerce. See if they can exert pressure on the dealer to help them apply the additional funding or additional backup to make sure that your problem is solved. Another way of help if you're in a warranty or service contract dispute might be to actually contact the manufacturer and explain your situation. Explain why you think that this is a conflict and see if they can help provide a solution. A good first step would be to get the warranty out of the glove box or where ever you keep it, and make sure that you're not going to be opening up a can of worms that doesn't exist. Make sure that your warranty does or does not cover you before you open up this full dispute.