Many car buyers are looking for that extra sense of security, but extended warranties aren’t for everyone. Do you need that extended warranty for your car? Let’s take a look.
What is an extended warranty?
Reliability is one of the most critical factors for people searching for a new or used car. Beyond the safety and longevity of the car itself, most buyers seek the peace of mind that comes from knowing their vehicle will keep rolling long after its first significant bump in the road.
Extended warranties, often referred to as vehicle service contracts, are optional protection plans designed to provide assistance in covering the cost of various repairs during car ownership. These plans typically begin after the expiration of the manufacturer’s warranty, although there are instances where the two can overlap.
While a dealer can make an extended warranty sound like the best idea you’ve ever heard while strolling the showroom floor, these service contracts usually come with a high sticker price. Depending on the issue at hand, they won’t necessarily have you covered. On top of that, most people purchasing an extended warranty never actually use them, thus resulting in a cost with zero financial return.
Will an Extended Warranty provide a good value?
The most substantial benefit of an extended warranty is that it can save you a considerable amount of money if your car requires repair on a part covered under warranty. In instances like these, you would only be left responsible for payment of your deductible instead of the entirety of the repair. If your protection plan covers the repair in question, the warranty provider will handle the remaining cost of parts and labor. Having a trusted mechanic inspect the vehicle before closing the deal is an essential step towards that much-needed confidence and security in such an important purchase decision.
These plans are available from insurance companies, auto clubs, and dealerships. They can vary greatly in cost, duration, and what may or may not be covered under warranty. Those reading the details on these warranties are cautioned to read the fine print with a keen eye because many of these plans have different restrictions regarding which repairs are covered and on specific locations where the repairs are to be conducted.
Why an extended warranty may not have you covered
There are some potential drawbacks to consider before you sign that extended warranty paperwork.
An issue with Coverage
Extended warranties won’t usually cover anything that could go wrong under the hood. Always be sure what your plan does and doesn’t cover before you’re stunned by that whopping repair bill that wasn’t covered under warranty.
Depreciation clauses
Many warranties will strictly cover part of the cost of repair or replacement of parts contingent on the mileage of the car.
Redundancy
Most warranties place either the manufacturer, dealer, or third party as responsible for payment of repairs. If they were to go out of business suddenly, you would be left holding the bill and owner of a warranty worth nothing.
The smart move when looking to buy a new or used car is taking a pass on that extended warranty, focusing on finding a proven reliable model, and then making a point to maintain it properly. Keeping to the maintenance schedule of regular car inspections is genuinely the best warranty you can obtain for your car because you’ll know you are safe and secure in a vehicle that’s been properly maintained and serviced.
Car Maintenance And Repair At T3 Atlanta
T3 Atlanta has been Atlanta’s trustworthy auto shop since 1994, keeping Lexus, Infiniti, Toyota, and Nissan safely on the move. Comprised of the area’s top service technicians, T3 Atlanta provides our customers with an economical and efficient service that presents a much more robust and reliable value than any extended warranty on the market today.
If you are currently looking for a mechanic to inspect a vehicle before purchase or a trusted auto shop that’s committed to keeping your car serviced and safe, please give us a call to schedule an appointment with one of our skilled technicians today!
We always tell our clients that the suspension system in your car works similarly to the joints and to a certain extent your bones. It’s what keeps you upright and helps cushion your every step. Have you ever seen somebody with joint problems? It’s just like in cars. If your suspension has problems it becomes harder to move properly.
3. A Rough Drive
7. Difficulty in Steering
Unlike your engine or other electrical components in your car, there isn’t an ‘air conditioning service’ light on your dashboard. As a result, your car’s air conditioning is one of those service items that you may not think about until it isn’t working like it should.
One of the most common causes of air conditioning problems is that the freon contained in the system has leaked. In this case, you may need to recharge air conditioning, also known as an “evac and recharge”. This process consists of vacuuming all existing fluids from the system before refilling the system with new fluids.
Heavy traffic in the morning can spell significant delays and plenty of people in a rush to get to school or work. Book extra time to get where you’re going so that you won’t need to worry about being late for the bell if you encounter heavy traffic.
Emails, texts, calls, choosing the best song for your morning ride, and even reacting to street directions all demand a part of your attention. However, the most important thing you need to focus on is the road.
Keep your gas tank at least half full. Even though it might mean an extra trip to the gas station, you will never have to worry about running out of gas when you’re stuck in traffic on the freeway.
Depending on where you live in Atlanta, your neighborhood may have a lot of cyclists and pedestrians on the road. Be sure to share the road when you’re behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, a VIN check doesn’t always tell you if a car has been water damaged. The previous owner could be deliberately hiding the damage or may not know that the vehicle ever experienced water damage. In addition, water damage that was not reported to the insurance company may not show up on a VIN check.
4. You Notice Rust or Corrosion on the Vehicle
Buying a car is an investment, so it’s important that you do your research before you buy. The more informed you are, the better equipped you are to spot problems with candidates.
In addition to these more general research points, you should also take an in-depth look at the specific vehicle you plan to purchase. A car that has a lot of repairs, especially if they appear to be for the same thing, is at an increased chance at being a potential lemon.
While you may not be able to identify mechanical problems on your own, a visual inspection can still tell you a lot about the car. Check the inside and outside of the car to look for engine, structural, and water damage that can cause long-term problems. Of these, water damage is by far the worst from a long-term cost standpoint. After all, water and mechanical parts don’t mix!
After-market accessories like mufflers, electronics, speakers, or other electrical system add-ons might sound attractive, but there are a lot of hidden dangers with these neat extras.
There’s nothing like the excitement of new car ownership crashing to a stop because of an unexpected repair bill. T3 Atlanta recommends that you have any vehicle that you are strongly considering inspected before you buy. If the dealer you’re planning to shop with refuses to let the vehicle be inspected by an independent mechanic, that’s a red flag you should not ignore.
A sun screen is an affordable and easy way to not only keep the temperature inside your vehicle cooler but prevent damage to your dashboard and electronics caused by regular exposure to heat and UV rays.
Just like keeping your car’s window open for your dog can help keep Fido cooler while you’re at the store for a few minutes, keeping your windows cracked can help keep your vehicle’s electronics from getting damaged.
While this may not always be a possibility, parking in the shade can help keep the temperature in your car cool. When combined with a sun screen or keeping your windows open a crack, your car will be a comfortable temperature when you’re ready to go.
There are a lot of fluids in your car at a given time: transmission fluid, oil, brake fluid, and coolant, to name a few. Transmission fluid often appears dark, slick, and shiny like oil, but unlike oil, it usually has a burnt smell. Leaking transmission fluid generally appears around the front or middle of where your car is parked.
Gear slippage refers to a few different possible symptoms. These directly impact how your car performs. In turn, they can lead to safety issues if your engine performance means you cannot respond promptly to changes in traffic.
There are many types of fuel grades, but the ones most commonly seen at U.S. gas pumps are 87, 89, and 93. The numbers refer to what’s known as the ‘octane rating’ – a number that measures how much pressure fuel can withstand before igniting. The lower the rating, the more readily the fuel will combust. The higher rating, the more resistant the fuel is to ignite.
It might seem like a great idea to put Premium gas in your car, but the truth is that manufacturers have done a lot of testing and calibration to optimize engines for certain grades of gas. Putting Premium gas into an engine that runs on Regular may actually do more harm than good, and vice versa.
The benefits of high quality gasoline aren’t a myth. Using higher quality gasoline can reduce the amount of knock – or explosions in the combustion chamber that are unregulated – that occurs in your engine.
Air-ride suspensions can improve your car’s fuel efficiency by lowering your vehicle’s profile, which improves air displacement when you’re traveling down the road.
