Car Companies

Tricks of the Trade - Top Dealer Tricks to Watch

By Guy Starbuck

If you’re in the process of buying a car then you should prepare yourself for the extended warranty. Every car sales person will try to sell you some form of extended warranty when you are buying a car, whether it is new or used.

Some of these auto warranties are scams and should be avoided at all costs, however some of them can be a useful form of protection.

If you are unsure how much one of these extended guarantees would cost then you should defiantly read this article.

An extended auto warranty gives a greater level of protection than just the standard dealer guarantee. All extended warranties are different; however most allow you the flexibility of being able to have your car repaired at any licensed service centre, rather than just the dealer that you brought the car off.

The extended warranties offer the standard repairs of mechanical breakdowns, but it also often includes a 24 hours a day roadside assistance, car rental if the car is out of action, towing fees, many other services including lock out, replacement of fluids and jump stars.

Few car buyers actually know anything about auto warranties, many people assume that an auto warranty will pay for anything that could possibly go wrong. Unfortunately this is not true.

There are exclusions to everything, and extended car guarantees are no exception. You will likely find a list of many items that are excluded from the repair by warranty, and it can cause you to wonder what there is exactly covered. It may seem like nothing is covered, and the only things that you get are the roadside assistance perks, and car rental facilities.

There are many websites on the internet that can give you advice about how to buy an auto warranty online. You should carefully investigate these. Many people sell extended guarantees, so you don’t have to have the one that is offered by your dealer. Don’t give into the hard sell, make sure you shop around before choosing which extended warranty you use.

An extended warranty is only as good as the company that issues it. I could promise you a brand new car should your car ever break down, however should that ever happen I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay out.

Ok so maybe that’s a stupid example as you wouldn’t trust me to offer you insurance, it’s ok I’m not offended I understand. But it’s exactly the same with a company, if the company is unable to afford to pay out it will just fold.

You can get extended warranties from several sources, including warranty brokers, and insurance groups.

As you will no doubt know that the car dealership will almost always offer an extended car warranty, however you should look somewhere else for these warrantees as often the first offer is not the best. If you purchase your warranty from an external company then you should be able to find one that provides the right level of cover for you, and also you should be able to get a great deal.

It’s worthwhile checking out a credit union, other insurance dealers and even looking on the internet to find some great deals for extended warranty. Car buyers generally have a margin of around one-third to negotiate on the extended warranty, so it’s worth bearing that in mind. Also remember that the younger your car, and the less mileage it has done the cheaper it will be to get an extended warranty. This is because older cars are a greater risk.

Before you hand over your money make sure you thoroughly read the contracts to find out what the manufacturers warranty provides. Many manufacturers guarantee the car for 3 years or 36,000 miles.

If you plan to trade in your car within three years, then you are unlikely to need an extended guarantee. However you should bear in mind the mileage restrictions.

Just make sure you don’t get conned, again I could offer you insurance for 100 years, and only 30,000 miles. This doesn’t even match the mileage by most manufacturers, when choosing the insurance quote make sure you compare both figures.