The aftermarket auto warranty is the warranty that you must buy from a service provider if you wish to get coverage on a vehicle that currently has none, or if you simply wish to extend the coverage period and coverage benefits to your vehicle.  While other warranties are issued free of charge by the manufacturers, dealers, or person who sells the car, the aftermarket auto warranty is an independent warranty that you can buy anywhere; it is not limited to the people who sell you the car.

When purchasing an aftermarket auto warranty however, there are certain things you need to consider.  Because it is a warranty that you must purchase, you should make sure that you obtain a money-back guarantee for a period agreeable upon by both parties.  This is because you need to ensure that the warranty is right for you and that it covers what you need covered in your car.  The best time to review the warranty is once you leave the service provider.  This is because the dealer usually tells you what you need to hear to buy the warranty, but may leave out certain other vital information that you would not pick up on unless you were fully knowledgeable in the matter.

 

While car warranties are not necessary by law (at least in some states), and while you can very well get along without a car warranty, the purpose of a car warranty is to save you money during times when your car would need servicing or repairing.  While auto insurance is made to cover you and your car against accidental damages, it does not cover the basic wear and tear damages of your car that occur from day to day.  You might be thinking that these repairs are minor, that you do not need car warranty coverage to assist you here.  But think instead about the money that you would have spent to maintain your car for a total of three years, and now think if you had saved that money instead, what you could be doing with it – a vacation, new rims, even put it towards your retirement fund!

 

How do you save money?  If your car is a new car, then most often it is automatically included with the purchase.  And all your repairs (check the actual term of coverage though) would be covered by your manufacturer for the time specified.

 

The aftermarket auto warranty is also known as a warranty.  It is the only warranty that can be used to fill the gaps or limitations imposed or left by other types of warranties.  However this comes at a price.  While you should never be asked to pay for a new car warranty, the aftermarket auto warranty has to be purchased – that is the only way that you can gain coverage from an aftermarket auto warranty. This warranty has also been referred to as a service contract – you get what you pay for out of the contract and nothing more or nothing less.

 

The aftermarket auto warranty is able to extend the coverage period of an existing warranty like the new car warranty or the used car warranty.  For example, if your used car warranty is to expire some six months after the date of purchase, then you could purchase an aftermarket auto warranty for an additional three years.  Note however that the aftermarket warranty can only become valid once the original warranty coverage period has passed in such a case. 

The used car warranty law, or used car lemon law, is provided in some states for vehicles that are not covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. This law provides a solution for buyers of vehicles that do not have the proper documentation. This law still allows purchasers or lease owners to benefit from hassle free repair and servicing normally issued to new cars. However, under this law there are special characteristics that define a used car and only when the car falls under these conditions is it covered by the used car warranty law. Some of these conditions are listed below.
The car must have been originally purchased, leased or transferred after 18,000 miles of operation or two years from first delivery. The vehicle should have had a purchase price of at least $1,500 and been used primarily for personal purposes only.  In addition, the vehicle should have been driven 100,000 miles or less at the time of purchase or lease. Under the law, cars that fall under these categories are those that will benefit from the used car warranty law. These laws tend to differ from state to state, so one should research the laws for your state.

One of the popular used car warranty laws out today is the limitation of selling vehicles ‘as is’ without proper documentation in the buyers’ guides.  Even if you choose to sell a vehicle without a proper warranty, which is what the auto sales term ‘as is’ means, the law of several states state that the owners or dealers give you a written warranty.  This warranty allows you to be exempted from paying the fees necessary to repair the car or replace certain defected parts, as seen fit by the dealer.  You are even entitled to a full reimbursement if the car is not fixed after several attempts. This law is referred to as the used car lemon law, and no car can be legally sold by any dealer ‘as is’ under this law.  

It is the consumers’ right to understand these used car warranty laws and not be fooled by enthusiasts who are only trying to profit otherwise. Used car warranty laws are often misunderstood and should be more emphasized. It should be understood, however, that buying a car privately, and not from a dealer, does not guarantee the used car warranty law to be upheld and such matters should be settled via a lawyer. 

A useful auto warranty tip for first time car owners, and any other vehicle owner for that matter, is figuring out whether or not to invest in an extended warranty at all or if it is even worth the extra cost that you would have to pay for it.  Most people buy used cars because this is all they may be able to afford at the point in time.  But ambitions are set higher and most of those same individuals dream of the day that they will drive a brand new car.  So buying a used car is the immediate solution to one problem, and the stepping-stone to achieving greater things. 
It is also a temporary move with the intention that the car would be sold in the not-so-distant future – as short as a couple of months or as long as a couple of years.  The question to ask oneself is therefore: do I, or do I not invest in an additional warranty plan for this vehicle?  True, it would save you the hassle of breakdown repairs and even roadside service assistance, but in the long run would you be paying more money for this plan than you need to for your immediate use?  Is the additional investment a worthy one?  Chances are that if your car is in good condition and looks to need little or no repairs or replacements, then your best option altogether is to forgo the extended warranty!

A car warranty is like your vehicle’s health insurance – you can use it during the insured period to help with the cost, or at least part of the cost, of repairs to your vehicle.

But just as a person’s health insurance policy is issued based on his or her current state of health, so too is your car warranty issued based upon its age and current state of fitness (which would include the vehicle mileage used to date). Much like your health insurance coverage is based upon your age, so too is your vehicle’s warranty based upon it’s life – if your vehicle is too old or has a high mileage , then it become increasingly difficult to issue a car warranty to cover its ‘life’.
Additionally, a health insurance will not cover you for every single sickness, disease or virus that you may come upon. It does not cover certain fatal illnesses or sudden death coverage. Your car warranty works very much on the same principle. Some warranties, for example, cover the cost of repairs for all the parts of the car while others cover only specified parts. Which coverage you have or do not have depends a lot on the age and health of your car.

The aftermarket auto warranty is designed to protect your car, or more specifically to protect you when your car breaks down or wears down.  It is a warranty or a service contract that is bought at an additional price to the vehicle purchase and it differs from all other warranties for the said reason – it is the only warranty that you must purchase.  It is also the only warranty that you can get at any other time after the first purchase of the car; more so, you can purchase this warranty at any other dealer or service provider different to the dealer that you buy the car from.
The aftermarket auto warranty is different from all other warranties also for the very reason that it is not really a warranty.  Since you are paying for this coverage, you could say that it becomes more of a guaranteed service that is valid for the terms of purchase agreed upon.  Most times this term of purchase simply means the type of coverage (limited or fully comprehensive), the period of coverage, or the distance covered in terms of mileage.  The aftermarket auto warranty is simply designed to extend the coverage of an existing warranty or to provide coverage for a vehicle where there formally existed none.

The first tip about purchasing an auto warranty is that you never purchase is warranty unless it is truly an auto warranty and not some plan where you get minimal warranty coverage.  Both new auto warranties and used car warranties should be provided upon purchase of the vehicle, or not at all.  Sometimes even if these warranties are included, you might need to pay for transfer to your own name.
The only auto warranty that you should purchase is the aftermarket warranty.  It is advisable that you never purchase a warranty from the car dealer from whom you bought the car.  This is simply because all car dealers mark up their prices by as much as thirty percent and over.  Also, you must never buy an aftermarket auto warranty that is included within the final price of a car that you purchase under loan agreement.  This is because all loan purchases will carry an interest charge that would be spread over the total period of payment – that means that if your warranty was included in that price that you would be paying interest on it for years to come.  This could amount in hundreds of dollars unnecessarily spent on a warranty coverage that is worth less than twenty five percent of that.

The aftermarket auto warranty is one of the few warranties that you will ever own that you would have the most control over.  This is because the aftermarket auto warranty, also known as the extended warranty, which is a service contract that you have to pay an additional cost for when you purchase a car.  This warranty also is different from all the rest in that it can be purchased any time after the purchase of your car, and can be purchased at that too from any service provider – not necessarily an authorized car dealer where you might pay twice as much for anything.

An aftermarket auto warranty can be purchased if you have a new car warranty, a used car warranty, or even no auto warranty at all.  It is a warranty that provides you with additional coverage from independent providers.  For example, if your new car warranty expires in two years, an aftermarket warranty can be purchased to extend the validity of the car warranty by any specified period.  Or if your used car warranty only has limited coverage, you can buy an aftermarket auto warranty to specifically cover the parts of your car that are not covered (extending warranty coverage).