Advice For a Smooth Extended Warranty Claims Experience

Last Modified: May 28, 2019 by Jeff Ostroff | Published February 2, 2013

To get the most out of you extended warranty coverage:

Steps to Take for a Smooth Claim Process
Don't Buy Coverage for Preexisting Failures
Don't file a claim within the first 60 days!

Steps to Take for a Smooth Claim Process

Don't be denied a warranty claim! The following issues may cause a claim to be rejected. In many cases you can avoid the hassle by following the proper steps.

Get approval before repairs are done! People have been denied reimbursement for failure to get prior authorization. Dodge the bullet, get authorization before repairs are done. If you are kept on hold all day, it's toll free.
If your extended warranty company wants to inspect your car for pre-existing conditions before they sell you a warranty, let them. Then they can't claim pre-existing condition and reject your claims later, for they inspected and approved your car.
Most warranties require oil changes every 6 months. Follow the manufacturer's maintenance guide for your car or you'll be denied a claim. If your engine blows up because it's been over a year since you changed the oil, you're going to get the buzzer.
If your car overheats, pull over. Damage caused by continued operation after a failure IS NOT covered. They can tell when you kept driving with an overheated engine. Towing it to a repair shop is cheaper than a rejected $2,000 engine repair.
Improper fluid levels, worn gaskets which are not changed in a timely manner can get your claim rejected.
If they tear your car apart to get at the failed part and it is not a covered part, you have to pay for everything.
If you buy a used car warranty and they find out the failure was already there, you won't be covered for that failure.
If you install an after market tow hitch instead of the tow hitch from the factory, this will void your warranty.
A car with a "salvaged title" voids the extended warranty. Before you buy that used Dodge, check the VIN.

Don't Buy an Auto Warranty to Cover Preexisting Failures

When you buy a used car with no preexisting conditions, the car runs fine with no issues for several months. These are accepted odds by warranty company actuaries.

Don't file a claim within the first 60 days!

When abnormal things occur, red flags go up. When you buy your used car, you don't have 4 parts break in the first 30 days. If this happens, industry standard red flags go up. Contracts have verbiage that even if your car was inspected prior to selling you a warranty, it can still be shown to have a preexisting condition. Don't buy a problematic used car expecting the auto warranty to cover your repairs. They have seen this before. I tell people don't file a claim within 60 days to stay off the radar map and avoid triggering red flags. Warranty companies know that 90% of the claims filed in the first 30 days are fraudulent claims on preexisting failures, that can often be proven by independent inspectors. Do not test this rule, and do not email me to complain when you file a claim within 60 days and it gets rejected. I hear from people all the time who do this and get burned in the end.