You’re Paying for It, Get the Most Out of Your Warranty

What is “It”? The subject we’re going to discuss is your vehicle warranty, which is an important part of your vehicle and is something that’s rolled into the price. As much as a salesperson or company might want to tell you that you’re getting something for free, you’re actually paying for what you receive, but they are including items in the price. For example, when you stay at a hotel that states they have a free breakfast, the breakfast is actually included in the price, but it is a service that’s not always offered.

Your vehicle warranty is something that’s offered for every vehicle and is an item you pay for. The expectation is that your warranty will be available for you to have the service and items you want when you’re ready to head out for a drive. What some of us don’t realize is the fact that you need to take some actions as an automobile owner in order to make sure your warranty will continue to be available for you. Here are some things you need to keep in mind and consider when it’s time to take care of your warranty and your vehicle.

Maintenance

The manufacturer of the vehicle you drive offers you a scheduled maintenance guide in the owner’s manual to help you know what you need to do and when. It’s important that you keep the receipts and details of the services that have been performed during the warranty period so that you can have warranty work done when needed. There are some grace periods offered, but if you ignore the need to change your oil, or have your spark plugs changed, you’re going to void your warranty and end up without this coverage that you’ve paid for.

Before it Expires

If you’ve been great about taking care of your car and have had it serviced when it’s supposed to be, you should remain covered until the end of the warranty period. If this is the case, you should get an inspection of your vehicle before the warranty expires to make sure you don’t have any issues that could pop up after the warranty has expired. If you’re lucky you won’t have any, but if something shows up during the inspection you need to make sure you have it taken care of right away.

When you take the vehicle to be serviced near the end of the warranty period you need to make sure you document the work and the mileage to show that you brought the vehicle in for service before the mileage had ended. Get a work order from the service provider to ensure there won’t be any charges that should be covered under your warranty and shouldn’t be charged to you because the coverage period hadn’t ended. Doing this will help you make sure the vehicle you drive can last much longer for you beyond the warranty period that was originally offered.

Extending the Warranty

As you near the end of the warranty period if you have kept excellent records and your inspection shows you don’t have any troubles with your vehicle, you can typically purchase an extended warranty to cover the vehicle for a longer period of time. Make sure you add this before the original warranty expires to ensure you’ll continue to enjoy the protection you want for the vehicle you love to drive. If you like the vehicle you drive and plan to continue to drive it for several years longer, this could be the right choice for you to make sure you have the protection you need.