New vehicles come with a basic bumper-to-bumper warranty which virtually covers everything like mechanical and electrical components, air-conditioning, all other basic parts that need to be replaced except the ones that are exposed to regular wear and tear.
The worrying part comes when the warranty has expired, or the purchaser is looking to buy a used car in the aftermarket space. An extended warranty should be purchased otherwise the purchaser will be forking out a great deal of money.
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Extra protection is high on every purchaser’s list – and rightly so. There are several good deals that are available with extended warranties, and there are some great bargains with the smaller dealers.
What every purchaser should do is go online and see if any dealers have got the thumbs-down or are featured on sites like ‘Hello Peter’.
Payment options for extended warranties are:
Different warranty packages
There are different packages available with extended warranties and it will serve the purchaser to dig deep into them all and find out what is offered – and what is not.
There are criteria’s for buying any extended warranty package and some of them are – full service histories with the necessary stamps in the service book; year and mileage meeting the required status, and that previous maintenance work being performed by an approved workshop.
Extended warranty exclusions:
Some warranties do cover labour – the purchaser must check to find out those who do.
Warranty means financial protection
The point is that if the purchaser does not have a warranty for the vehicle, there will be no cover for anything at all. If the warranty has expired or if a used car is being purchased, the purchaser must ensure that he renews the policy or purchased an extended warranty if the standard warranty period has expired.
The costs of servicing a vehicle are exorbitant – that is the reason many cars are seen on the road which haven’t been in the inside of a servicing bay for a long while.
This is obviously not only bad for the vehicle involved. It’s also dangerous for the other cars on the road. There are stories from many drivers who have been in near-fatal collisions with vehicles that are not road-worthy. The consequences would be dire for the driver for not having cover were there to be such an accident, even if there were no injuries or fatalities.
There are several factors which could void a car warranty. The purchaser should under no circumstances do any DIY work on the vehicle. This could cancel the warranty instantly.
If the owner hasn’t used the car according to the manual and hasn’t used the correct fluids, tyre pressures, incorrect petrol, and the like, the warranty would also not apply. Also, if the purchaser is thinking of modifying the vehicle at all, it’s best to check first to see if the warranty still applies.