Automotive

Car Warranties Explained

Published

1 year ago

August 31, 2023

Freelancer

Understanding the ins and outs of car warranties can be somewhat of a challenge, especially for individuals unfamiliar with the lingo used in the automotive industry. From identifying the differences between powertrain and bumper-to-bumper coverage to knowing when a warranty is worth the investment, understanding this information is key.

In this comprehensive guide, we delve deep into the topic of car warranties, breaking down everything you need to know about this crucial aspect of car ownership.

Understanding the Basics of Car Warranties

Before venturing into a discussion about the specifics of car warranties, it’s vital to comprehend the basic premises underpinning these offerings. A car warranty is basically a guarantee by a car manufacturer or a third party, ensuring the repair or replacement of certain components of the vehicle should they fail within a particular period.

This time frame typically ranges from three to five years, although some providers, like Endurance Auto Warranty, offer extended warranty plans that last even longer.

The components covered under a warranty depend largely on the warranty type. For instance, a powertrain warranty covers the engine, transmission, and other fundamental components of the car’s propulsion system.

On the other hand, a bumper-to-bumper warranty is more comprehensive, encompassing virtually every aspect of the vehicle, from the bodywork to the electrical system. However, wear and tear items like tires and brakes are usually excluded from such warranties.

It’s also crucial to note the warranty’s validity can be affected by how you maintain your car. Regular services as recommended by the manufacturer are often necessary to keep the warranty intact. This means that missing even one service could result in your warranty being rendered void.

The Importance of a Car Warranty

So why are car warranties such an essential part of car ownership? The primary reason is they protect owners from potentially large repair costs, particularly in the initial years of ownership when the vehicle is new.

Because cars are complex machines, they’re susceptible to various mechanical issues, even if they’re well cared for. Without a warranty to cover the costs of repairs, drivers could end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket, which can be a substantial financial burden.

Car warranties also offer peace of mind. Despite our best efforts to maintain our vehicles correctly, unforeseen issues can still arise. With a warranty in place, drivers can rest easy knowing they’re protected from surprise costs.

Additionally, warranties typically include extras such as roadside assistance, which can be a lifesaver if you’re stranded somewhere due to a mechanical failure.

Moreover, warranties can also serve as a selling point when the time comes to part with your car. Having a transferable warranty makes your vehicle more attractive to potential buyers, knowing they’ll be protected from unanticipated repair costs.

Manufacturer vs. Extended Warranties

Manufacturer warranties come as part of the vehicle purchase package, often covering specific parts and labor for a certain period or a given mileage, whichever comes first. Extended warranties, on the other hand, come into play right after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. Such warranties can either be purchased from the manufacturer or from third-party providers.

Contrary to what many people think, extended warranties can be worthwhile investments. They offer coverage for a more extended period and can save you money in the long term. That being said, the appropriateness of an extended warranty largely depends on the vehicle and the individual needs of the owner.

A point to ponder is whether or not the cost of the extended warranty will surpass the cost of potential repairs. It would be best if you also considered the reliability of your vehicle.

If you own a car with a proven track record of reliability, an extended warranty might not be a worthwhile purchase. Ultimately, an extended warranty’s value is subjective, and it depends on various factors, including how much protection you want and your financial situation.

How To Make the Most Out of Your Car Warranty

Owning a warranty doesn’t automatically rid you of all potential problems. There are practices you can adopt to make the most out of your car warranty. One of the most crucial things is to ensure you abide by the maintenance schedule outlined by the manufacturer.

This will guarantee that your warranty stays intact and you can claim the benefits when needed. Also, remember to keep records of all the maintenance and repairs done on your vehicle. These records might be required when making a warranty claim.

Furthermore, if you notice a problem, take your car to the repair shop as soon as possible. Ignoring an issue can lead not only to more significant damages but also to your warranty getting voided. It’s paramount to stay proactive and remedy any identified problem before it escalates.

Lastly, know what your warranty covers and utilize those benefits. Many warranties include extras such as roadside assistance, rental car coverage, and more. Be sure to leverage these benefits to maximize your investment.

Dealing With Denied Claims

At times, you may find your claim for warranty coverage gets denied, a situation that can be rather frustrating. The most common reasons for claim denial include irregular maintenance, modifications not approved by the manufacturer, or damage caused by accidents or misuse.

In such situations, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with your warranty terms and conditions. If the refusal seems unfair, don’t hesitate to escalate the issue to higher authorities or even consider legal advice.

It’s also a good rule of thumb to have your vehicle inspected at a reputable service center. The service center will diagnose and document the problem, something that can come in handy when you’re disputing a claim.

Also, keep track of all communication with your warranty provider and maintain records of all repair orders, receipts, and any other related documents.

Remember, as a consumer, you have certain rights and protections under the law. Educating yourself about these rights can help you assert them effectively and ensure you get the coverage you paid for.

Busting Common Myths Surrounding Car Warranties

Despite their importance, car warranties are often misunderstood. Many people fall victim to misinformation or misconceptions about how these warranties work. For instance, a common misunderstanding is that extended warranties are a waste of money.

While it’s true that not everyone will find an extended warranty valuable, for many, these warranties can lead to significant savings and peace of mind.

Another myth is that warranties are only usable at the dealership from where the car was purchased. In reality, most warranties are valid at any authorized service center for that specific make. Lastly, the incorrect belief that a car must be serviced at the dealership to maintain the warranty’s validity also persists.

In fact, as long as maintenance is done regularly and with equivalent-quality parts, the warranty remains valid, regardless of where the work is carried out.

Understanding the truths behind these myths can make navigating the world of car warranties much easier and ensure you make the most of the coverage available to you.

Overall, the importance of car warranties cannot be understated. They safeguard you from potentially huge repair costs while also offering you peace of mind. Whether it’s an extended warranty or the one that comes with your new car, knowing how to make the most of it is crucial.

Remember to stay informed on what your warranty covers, follow suggested maintenance schedules, and challenge denied claims when necessary. By adopting these steps, you can truly benefit from your car warranty while minimizing the chances of unexpected costs down the line.

Automotive

Russell’s early departure leaves Lando Norris on pole at the Hungarian F1 GP.

Published

5 months ago

July 20, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – Lando Norris and his McLaren squad survived a tough qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but they know they must perform on Sunday.

Lando Norris needed to win Budapest after Oscar Piastri locked off the top row in the field’s fastest McLaren. Recent races have been costly owing to wasted opportunities and little mistakes.

He matched Max Verstappen’s pole lap at the Hungaroring, who was unhappy to finish third. In a confident and aggressive approach, the 24-year-old finished more than three tenths ahead of the Dutchman, hitting the apexes.

Piastri followed Lando Norris by two hundredths of a second on the second hot run, demonstrating McLaren’s speed.

McLaren is doing well since Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix.

His potential triumphs have been cost by team and driver error, for which both parties have taken responsibility. On Sunday, he and McLaren will know they must do well.

Norris was quietly pleased with his historic first pole in Hungary and third overall. Although confident, McLaren will also be proud of their recent race progress. No one has won the pole in Budapest since Lewis Hamilton won the race and flag in 2012.

Norris and his crew recognize they must capitalize on closing gaps with 12 races left to drive Verstappen to the finish. Lando Norris understands. Behind Verstappen by 84 championship points.

“I know we missed out on some races, but we did the best we could in every one of them, and I don’t want to get back into all that stuff,” he said. I expect Oscar and Max to challenge me in the rear, not a clean weekend.

“Every location and point must be maximized; the more we can do to return to Max and Red Bull, the better.”

Hungary is a great opportunity since Lando Norris Verstappen was plainly unhappy with his car and outperformed. This disappointed him twice because the team had swiftly upgraded this race.

Verstappen had stated that the upgrades will define the second half of the season, but he admitted that he did not think they had gone far enough and could not defeat the McLarens.

“The changes are effective, but we still need more as we are not at the top,” said he. “Despite the imbalance, I liked the laps. I was pushing hard, so you had these little moments. Fast lap times are less crucial today. Simple: we need to work more because we’re moving slower. McLaren’s qualifying performance suggests a lot of ground to cover.

Lando Norris completed his best lap despite two crash-related stoppages.

Verstappen looked great in dry Q3 hot laps. He set a record with a lap time of 1 minute, 15.555 seconds and was quickest through each sector.

Lando Norris followed and pushed through the corners with fearlessness, posting a perfect 1:15.227 lap time. Piastri improved to second place on the penultimate laps while Verstappen did not, and Yuki Tsunoda’s crash halted the session.

A tardy coda didn’t matter when practice resumed because the last two minutes on old tires were worthless. McLaren has all the cards, but they must perform at the highest level to prove the legendary brand can win again.

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was fourth and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes fifth. George Russell, Sainz’s teammate, was unexpectedly ousted in the first round.

Sergio Pérez of Red Bull struggled again in the first qualifying round. He hit the curb, lost the rear at turn eight, and crashed, interrupting the session.

Poor performance again for the Mexican, whose Red Bull berth is in risk after a succession of poor performances, especially in qualification. His contract, recently extended to 2025, may have a performance clause, and Red Bull is unlikely to tolerate him underperforming for long. He was sixteen.

Russell fell behind because Lando Norris Mercedes didn’t fuel the car until the session ended. The British driver was eliminated in 17th place after staying out when the track dried after the break.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari placed sixth, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin placed seventh and eighth, Daniel Ricciardo of RB placed nine, and Tsunoda placed tenth.

Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen of Haas finished 11 and 15, Valtteri Bottas of Sauber 12 and Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant of Williams 13 and 14. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly placed ninth and twentieth for Alpine, while Guanyu Zhou placed eighth for Sauber.

SOURCE: GN

Automotive

M5 Partially Closed as Cullompton-Exeter Crash Hospitalizes Two

Published

5 months ago

July 12, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – Two people were sent to the hospital for treatment as a result of the M5 tragic vehicle accident that happened in Devon.

The accident between two vehicles was the cause of the disaster. One more consequence of the crash is that it has left the M5 partially blocked to traffic to this day.

Between junction 28 for Cullompton and junction 29 for Exeter, the highway was blocked in both directions; however, one lane on the southbound carriageway has been opened up for previously closed traffic.

In a statement issued by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, they stated that they were notified of a traffic accident that had happened in the Exeter district at 2:29 p.m. on Friday, July 12.

M5 happened in Exeter, according to reports.

Furthermore, information was given to them by the South Western Ambulance Service.

To provide medical assistance to those injured, four land ambulances, each with two crews, an air ambulance, a critical care M5 vehicle, a doctor, an operations officer, and a responding officer were dispatched to the scene of the incident.

Furthermore, a critical care vehicle was dispatched. We also dispatched an air ambulance to the scene of the event.

Two patients were transported to their respective hospitals: one was transported by land ambulance to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, while the second patient was flown there by air ambulance.

After being moved, the two patients were sent to hospitals in Devon and Exeter, respectively. Simultaneously, both patients were transferred to their respective sites at the same time.

Here’s what Devon and Somerset M5 Fire and Rescue Service said:

“We responded to the scene of a road traffic collision on the M5 at 2.30 p.m. today, between junctions 28 and 29.” The statement cited above was part of an official declaration.

A car that had been hit by another car coming from the other direction had two persons inside that had been rescued. It had been traveling in the other direction.

We offered support as the people were being taken out of the car. These people are now receiving medical assistance from the ambulance service in order to fulfill their duties.

The event caused significant delays for the M5 and the routes that pass through Exeter during the period when traffic was being redirected. In order to accommodate the traffic, this was being done.

A southbound vehicle experienced wheel failure, causing it to cross the center reserve and merge with the northbound road approaching. The car was going the wrong way, which is why this happened. The vehicle was traveling southward at that precise moment.

National Highways indicated that based on the facts they have provided, it is expected that the police would begin their investigation into the occurrence given the magnitude of the calamity that occurred. The entity that made this information public was National Highways.

The Devon and Cornwall Police Department issued the following statement:

“We know the M5 closure is causing traffic.”

The statement that was released is located beneath you. “We will get people moving safely when we can but please bear with us while we deal with the incident and causalities at the scene.”

In order to accommodate cars and other small vehicles that were traveling on the now-closed northern route towards M5 Taunton and Bristol, the back of the line has been shifted.

This was done to create space for these cars, which were heading towards Taunton and Bristol. The purpose of this activity was to provide space for larger cars. At this point, it seems like more and more vehicles are being stopped from going forward.

Due to this incident, a second lane has been opened up for use by any and all vehicles traveling southward.

SOURCE: ITV

Automotive

Honda to Cease Production at One of its Thailand Auto Factories

Published

5 months ago

July 10, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – The Japanese vehicle firm Honda Motor made the news in a statement that was posted on Tuesday. The statement stated that the company intends to center its production at the site that it operates in the province of Prachinburi.

As a consequence of this, the production of automobiles will be halted at the facility that it operates in the province of Ayutthaya in Thailand by the year 2025.

The more difficult circumstances that the second-largest car manufacturer in Japan is facing in the country of Thailand, which is located in Eastern Southeast Asia, are exemplified by this move. Thailand is located in Southeast Asia.

There are several reasons for this, including the fact that Chinese firms are determined to grow their market share in Thailand, and a growing number of consumers are expressing an interest in electric vehicles (EVs). They both play a role in contributing to the problem.

The combined output of automobiles produced by Honda’s two facilities has fallen throughout the course of the succeeding four years, going from 228,000 vehicles in 2019 to less than 150,000 vehicles annually. This downward trend has occurred during the course of the past four years.

The preceding four years have been the time period during which this decline has taken place. With regard to the sales that the company has made in Thailand throughout the course of the past four years, there has been a consistent range of less than 100,000 to less than 100,000 for the entirety of this time period.

This is according to Honda’s spokeswoman.

When the factory first opened its doors in 1996, the company anticipates that it would continue to manufacture vehicle components at that location. When the firm finishes manufacturing vehicles at the Ayutthaya facility in the next year, the spokesperson stated that the company intends to continue producing automobile components at the plant.

In accordance with the statement that was given by the spokesman, the Prachinburi factory, which was built in 2016, will be utilized for the purpose of integrating the facilities with which automobiles are created. This was said in the statement. There are only two factories in Thailand that are owned and operated by the vehicle manufacturer, and these two factories are the only ones in the country.

According to the statement made by a spokeswoman for Honda in Thailand, the company’s goal is to reduce the disparity between the number of automobiles it produces and the number of sales it has experienced in the nation.

According to the remark that was made by the spokesman for the company, the automobile manufacturer are already exporting their products from Thailand, particularly to other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. According to a statement that was sent by a spokeswoman for the company.

Currently, Honda has no plans to invest in Thailand.

When it comes to mainland China, Honda and Nissan Motor, a Japanese automobile manufacturer that competes with Honda, have been hit particularly hard by competition from rising Chinese manufacturers.

Nissan Motor is a competitor of Honda. As a result of the fact that these businesses provide reasonably priced plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles that are loaded with software, a significant number of customers have been drawn to them.

Now, Japanese automobile manufacturers are at risk of losing clients in countries outside of China, such as those in Southeast Asia, to Chinese companies that are increasingly attempting to increase the quantity of automobiles they export and build up operations outside of China.

As a result, Honda Japanese automobile manufacturers are facing a potential loss of customers. They are exposed to this danger as a result of the fact that Japanese brands compete with Chinese brands in these locations.

BYD, a Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles, recently launched a plant in Thailand that will be responsible for the production of automobiles that are powered by electronic batteries.

This plant was established last week. The Chinese electric car manufacturers are beginning to establish facilities in the country, and this factory is a component of the wave of investments that they are making in the country. These investments have a total value that is greater than 1.44 billion dollars together.

SOURCE |SCMP