What is a limited warranty on a car?

Limitations of the limited warranty This means that the warranty does not cover all parts in all cases where a repair or replacement may be needed. In most cases, limited really means limited. A true limited factory warranty only takes effect when a specific defect arises that is the manufacturer's fault. Virtually all car manufacturers offer a factory warranty for new vehicles.

The factory warranty usually includes a limited warranty for new vehicles, sometimes referred to as a bumper-to-bumper warranty. The factory warranty can also include a powertrain warranty and coverage for maintenance, corrosion and emissions. The term lifetime warranty implies for many that the warranty is limited only to the life of the consumer or to the period of time that the consumer owns the product. In addition, some extended dealer warranties are only available for purchase when you buy your new car or within a specific time period.

Because extended vehicle warranties aren't limited to manufacturers, there are many options on the market. Truly unlimited warranties are extremely rare, as most products tend to wear out after a long enough time. The two main benefits of extended third-party guarantees are that they have flexible terms and preserve the forecast of your monthly budget. From a brand point of view, it wouldn't make sense to offer an unlimited end-to-end warranty that was also free of charge.

Parts that fail due to general wear and tear (such as brake pads, tires, and windshield wipers) are generally not covered by bumper-to-bumper warranties. If you're buying a used car that isn't a CPO, make sure that the previous owner transfers any warranties that haven't expired to you. However, some car manufacturers, such as Hyundai and Volkswagen, only cover the battery for 36 months, despite having longer warranties. Most factory warranties are transferable, although the process is not automatic and may require a small fee.

Since all major car brands compete in the same market, buyers expect most factory warranties to offer similar basic coverage, although warranty details may differ from brand to brand. In reality, an unlimited warranty would only be limited by the lifespan of the company that offered it in the first place; that company would probably end up losing money if it replaced each and every product that stopped working properly. While this table is not a comparison of all the guarantees on the market, it is a representative sample. Factory warranties are different from other types of warranties because they are backed by the actual manufacturer.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the 10-year or 100,000 mile warranties that we just mentioned only apply to the original owner and are not transferable.