Whether you purchased your extended warranty from a dealership or online and whether you purchased your extended warranty from Delta Auto, Endurance, Carchex, Trustmark, American Auto Care, Carshield or from one of the several dozen aftermarket warranty companies, it is likely that Sant Automotive can work on your vehicle and have repairs covered under warranty.
How Does Extended Warranty Work?
Customers detect a condition in their vehicle that they believe may be covered by an extended warranty. Sant Automotive then takes the policy number and contact information and determines the cause of the customer’s concern. Next, we negotiate on behalf of our customers. This last step is critical. Warranty companies obviously want to pay out as little as possible, and they will work hard to do so. Some will try to reduce payout by questioning the cause of a customer’s concern, questioning the price and quality of replacement parts, or by questioning whether or not a needed repair was caused is actually covered by normal wear and, therefore, not insurable. For example, a warranty company may contend that a customer’s concern was caused by neglect or abuse. If a customer drives his Chevrolet Tahoe in the Baja 500, warranty companies would be reluctant to pay a claim.
What Kinds of Damage does Warranty Cover?
Some warranty companies have asked us to use “junk yard” or inferior parts to repair our customers’ vehicles. In rare instances, this may be acceptable. An example would be if a new original equipment or aftermarket part is not available. Usually, used parts are not acceptable. The third case that we mentioned can be more complicated. For example, if a brake caliper seizes and causes damage to a brake rotor and to the brake pads on one side of the vehicle, should the warranty company be expected to pay for a new set of brakes on both sides of the vehicle? The answer depends on a variety of factors including the wording of the warranty and the condition of the brake pads. The extended service plan provider may state that if the brake pads are 90% worn, it shouldn’t be expected to pay for the replacement of all wear items.
What does Sant Automotive do Regarding Extended Warranty Repairs?
In all cases, we advocate for our customers. We ask the warranty company what they are willing to pay and make the case for them to pay more. We then contact our customers, explain the needed repairs, explain what the service contract provider has offered, and let our customers make informed decisions. If there are items in need of attention that should be done in conjunction with needed repairs that will not be covered, we give our customers the opportunity to save money in the longer term by doing them at the same time as a covered repair. Of course, this is the sole decision of our customers. There are a few things to remember about extended warranties or extended service contracts. First, most service or repair contracts do not cover any diagnostic or tear down time. We look to our customers to cover this expense. Second, just because a company refuses to pay an entire bill, it does not mean that the company is being unfair. As stated earlier, and some items will not be covered, some may only partially be covered.
If you have an extended warranty or service plan, give Sant Automotive a call at 314-849-2900. We will get you back on the road as quickly as possible at the lowest cost to you. Thanks.
