If you are buying a pre-owned car, a used car warranty can come in handy. Most car dealerships offer warranties to help with the repair costs of the cars they sell. Here is a guideline on what to expect in your warranty.
What You Should Know Before Buying a New Car
Buying a pre-owned car is a lot cheaper compared to a new one. The best used-car is one that is still in mint condition and has low mileage on it. The downside of pre-owned cars is that they have a shorter shelf-life. This is especially true for internal components.
Car dealerships buy and resell cars as they are. They do not test drive the cars to find out what issues they have. For that reason, the consumer inherits all the issues the car may come with. This may include worn out or damaged components that will need repair. The car dealership offers a used car warranty to help with the sudden repair costs.
What Does A Used Car Warranty Cover?
There are certain things to consider when calculating the price of a used car warranty. This includes the car’s production year, mileage covered, and years left on its shelf-life. The warranty price also considers what components it will cover. The more the components covered the higher the warranty cost.
The warranty on a pre-owned car with higher mileage will be less than that of a used car with low mileage. A high mileage car will likely need frequent repair and replacement of components. For such a car, warranty providers will cover fewer components to cut on cost.
A car with a lower mileage has more shelf-life to it. Most of its components are still in good condition and will not need repair anytime soon. You will get a good warranty on such a car and even extend its coverage if need be.
Your warranty will not cover all the components in your car. Most warranties will not cover components that are not connected to the engine. This includes the steering wheel, side mirrors or air conditioning. As your car does more mileage, the warranty will start to cover fewer components. Electrical components or sensors are not covered in a high mileage warranty.
Use car warranties will only cover internal components that need lubrication to function. The engine’s transmission system also gets covered by your used car warranty.
Is It Possible To Increase Your Warranty Value?
You can increase the value of your used car warranty albeit at a cost. You will have to repair or replace most of the worn-out components that need repair or replacing. This raises the shelf-life of the car which also adds value to your warranty. However, if the cost of replacing all components surpasses the value of the car, then such an investment is not worth it.
It is important to know the car parts covered by your used car warranty. Consult your car dealership to take you through the warranty they offer. Shop around and compare what other providers offer as well.
