You should buy an extended auto warranty for your car right away as the basic warranty does not cover everything. It is also important to get this type of coverage if you are not buying a new car, as some warranties are not transferable.

Sometimes people don’t know where they are going to find the money to buy and extended warranty, which is why it is sometimes a good idea to buy a car, that has a rebate. If you get a rebate a new auto you can use the money to buy the warranty.

It is also a good idea to make shore you are dealing with a reputable extended warranty company. Make sure the company that you choose is well funded and administers their own auto warranty. If not make suer that they use an A-rated insurer to do it for them. The best insurers tend to be those that have been in the auto warranty business for twenty years or more.

You should also understand auto warranty coverage before you ever buy it.  This means doing some research. You need to read your contract (especially the fine print.) and understand what it covers so that you do not buy coverage that duplicates what you already have. You also need to understand that no extended auto warranty covers the entirety of your car or all of your car no matter what the lingo in the contract seems to imply.  Make sure too that you understand important caveats such as how to follow the proper vehicle maintenance schedules or you could accidentally void the warranty.

You should also be aware that a mechanical breakdown car warranty does not cover wear and tear problems and that very often warranties use the “wear and tear” excuse not to cover certain issues.  This is why some kind of wear and tear clause or warranty is also recommended.

The kinds of things that are never covered in extended warranties are extensive and include lenses, glass, light bulbs, trims, moldings, paint, upholstery, exhaust systems, batteries, drums, brake rotors, shock absorbers and throttles.  There are many more exclusions as well that are quite typical.

A really great warranty will also pay for a rental car to get you around while your car is in the shop. As some mechanics take forever to complete repairs or find a part not having car rental covered should be a deal breaker when it comes to purchasing an auto warranty contract.

Don’t deal with any company that does not show you a sample contract before you buy. You should be able to see an itemized list of exactly what is covered and not covered on the list.  Do not buy from any company that cannot show you a real contract and not what is known as a “slick sheet.”  A slick sheet is a marketing document that itemizes what might be covered under retains circumstances. More than half the time what is on the slick sheet does not apply to your vehicle for one reason or another.