If you are new to the automobile industry, there are terms and words you may not know. One of them is the commonly used word “warranty.” This term must not be much strange to you since it also applies to other commodities and not only just cars. However, the bull we are focusing on here is ”warranty”. A car warranty is a contract and agreement between the car manufacturer or any other third-party vendor with the buyer of the same car. This agreement covers selected car parts from sudden and unforeseen breakdowns in the long run cart ownership. The coverage will include the labor pumped into the repair and also cover for replacement of the selected parts within the contract.
How a car warranty works.
Cars are never made to be anti-breakdown. Once you own a car, you will at one point come across faults and issues that will require paying for. The damages will determine how much you will pay for a repair or replacement in that case. Therefore, given the current cost of living, where almost every other product and service is way up, you won’t like it. That is why car warranties are introduced to cushion car owners from costly maintenance and surprise faults.
Factory warranties
Car warranties are mandatory for all brand-new cars and come in a factory warranty. The factory warranty/ manufacturer warranty is offered by the car maker and covers the car for the initial period of ownership. The period for coverage of most factory warranties goes from 36,000 miles/to 3 years. However, some factory warranty plans go beyond the stated period to over 10 years.
The sad thing about factory warranties is that they do not last long. Their usage period is very short despite saving a lot of cash that will be spent directly on maintenance. Once the factory car warranty expires, the owner is responsible for looking after their cars. Sadly, car maintenance is not usually given the rising cost of living. You might have glitches and flaws here and there.
Can one use factory warranties anywhere?
Once your car is still covered under the factory warranty, the car owner is entitled to make claims if a fault happens. But now the problem is, is it possible to use the car warranty, in that case, the factory warranty, anywhere else? Unfortunately, once your car is covered under the factory warranty, the owner cannot take it anywhere else for repairs and maintenance.
One can only take the car to registered dealerships and service centers. That only applies to repairs and replacements of those parts included in the warranty agreement. Unrecognized service centers and dealerships won’t meet the criteria for making a claim. However, if you get any other issues related to routine maintenance, you take the car to any other repair center of your choice. Remember, a factory warranty does not cover routine maintenance such as tire or oil changes.
Extended warranties.
Since most car owners always prefer to own their cars beyond the expiry time of the factory warranty, it is wise always to consider an extended warranty as the next option. This car warranty covers the car once the factory warranty is due as a continuation to the factory. It plays a similar role but is more extensive. That includes coverage of the most complex and numerous parts compared to the factory warranty. Extended car warranties can be purchased from third-party vendors of manufacturer’s dealerships. Most plans go for an average price of $1,000 and a deductible of not less than $100.
Are extended warranty places applicable everywhere?
Now, whether they get used anywhere is quite tricky when it comes to extended warranties. That is because extended warranties get purchased from a dealership or third-party vendors. Both have different regulations regarding where to use your extended warranty. First, let’s begin with extended warranties from dealerships. Most of these dealerships are always connected to the manufacturers of the car. Therefore, once you need coverage or make a claim, the car will only get fixed at the dealership of the selected service centers near you.
On the other hand, when you purchase an extended warranty from third-party dealers, you will be free to take the car anywhere you want to. However, some providers have regulations limiting one to the kind of service centers.
Conclusion.
A car will, at one point, begin to lose its “as clean as new” vibe once it begins to depreciate. That is always the destiny of automobiles. Therefore, you need to brace for more failures and breakdowns. It would be best if you were mentally and financially prepared to meet all maintenance-related costs.
Unfortunately, without a car warranty, things won’t work out easily for you. Your car needs protection in one way or the other. That can be in the form of a factory warranty or a car extended warranty. Now, to avoid any confusion on where you can use your car warranty, you need to read and understand the agreement on paper keenly. Only by doing so will you avoid regrets and complaints in the future.