When you buy a new car, you expect it to give you faithful service for some time - especially if you’ve made a long-term financial commitment in terms of taking out a loan to help you make that purchase.
That’s why manufacturers offer a warranty which will protect you against major failures and problems for at least three years.
Things are a bit different, though, when you buy a used car. Obviously, this car has had previous owners, and there’s no guarantee that they will have always looked after the car as it should be.
This is the overriding reason why used car buyers don’t benefit from the same level of protection against possible parts failures and the need for replacements.
But by the same token, it’s no reason why, when you’re buying a used car, you should have to bear the full burden of any faults which might be down to the treatment the car has had at the hands of previous owners, or even the result of a production issue or fault at the factory.
It’s widely recognised that today’s cars last much longer than even just a couple of decades ago. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that the average car has a lifespan of 13.9 years. There’s also been an appreciable increase in the average age of cars on the UK’s roads, from 6.8 years in 2003 to 7.8 recorded in 2015.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out, therefore, that this means most cars still have a lot of life ahead of them after their initial manufacturer’s warranty has expired. And if the owners of these cars in their later lives are to have some peace of mind that they will get good service from their cars, used car warranties have a very important part to play.
Why Should You Consider Paying For A Warranty?
Think about all the use you get from your car. You may well rely on it to get you to and from work every day, and run a car because you have no other means of doing vital chores such as shopping, and visiting and tending for relatives.
Then think about how you’d go about doing these things if a breakdown meant you were without the use of your car for some time. That’s not to mention how you’d find the money to pay to get the necessary repairs done so that you can return to your normal routine.
When you consider it in those terms, the extra one-off cost of an extended used car warranty - which will meet the cost of a long list of major repairs and parts replacement, so ensuring that you get back on the road as quickly as possible - can start to seem like a good investment.
The warranty plan which we offer here at Philip Paul as an option with all our used cars is considered one of the best available by its own policyholders.
Put together with the benefit of advice and input from former Top Gear motoring journalist Quentin Willson, Warrantywise sets out to extend protection available to car owners against the cost of having problems with their cars put right which may not be due to their own actions.
Of course, this is the basic idea behind any used car warranty, but below we’ll explain the claims Warrantywise makes about why it’s different from others.
A Wiser Warranty
Against a backdrop of labour charges imposed by garages varying massively - according to Warranty Wise, the most expensive in any one area might typically charge three times as much per hour as the cheapest - many warranties don’t even contribute towards this large chunk of any repair bill.
Equally, a breakdown can leave you facing large extra charges, just for the tow to get you to a garage, and before anyone has even attempted to find out what the problem is.
Warranty Wise also doesn’t discriminate between repairers - whether you want your car to be fixed at a main dealer or at the garage around the corner, if you have the right level of cover, you can choose whichever one you want to use.
Cover offered by the various extended warranties you can buy varies greatly,
A Trusted Warranty Provider
Warranty Wise doesn’t cut corners with the service it provides its customers just because it goes the extra mile with what its policy covers. It will also pay the full cost of any out-of-pocket expenses such as hotel bills and cost of travel.
This is part of the reason why its users have given it a 4.7 out of 5 rating on customer reviews site Feefo.
There are limits to the costs it will meet, but these are clearly set out in the policy - so you can easily find these out.
Warrantywise provides a used car warranty that covers all of a vehicle’s mechanical and electrical parts when it’s up to six years old or has travelled up to 60,000 miles. If your vehicle is outside these limits you can still take advantage of a number of part warranty packages that provide comprehensive cover unrivalled in the marketplace.
Well Established
Warranty Wise has now been around for 15 years, and has struck a chord among both the used car dealers, such as us, who offer its products, and many customers alike.
On its website, Quentin Willson says that its aim is to offer a product which has clear criteria and where car owners know, as far as possible, what their cover entitles them to.
“When it comes to paying out a repair for a part on your car, many warranty companies use clever jargon to make sure they don’t have to give you the full amount for said part,” he says. “For example, many plans have betterment clauses in them, which means that a company will only pay out a limited percentage of [the cost of] a part depending on the age and mileage of your vehicle.”
Cutting The ‘Get Out’ Clauses
Willson says he wrote the Warrantywise’s product terms with the premise of excluding ‘weasel words’ to ensure an honest and transparent product. He wants customers to have confidence in the quality of their used car warranty product, and that it’s there for when they need it.
He gives these examples of the terms some providers use to ‘squirm’ out of paying for your repairs:
- Betterment: This occurs when the warranty company believes a part you need will improve your vehicle’s condition or increase its value. “It’s how they avoid paying for expensive parts such as an engine or gearbox, leaving you to pay a large share of the repair cost,” Willson writes. Often this is calculated on a sliding scale with the amount paid out being related to the mileage of your car.
- Consequential Damage: This is where a covered part fails as a result of another part failing which is not on a warranty provider’s list of parts. “You think you’re okay, because a listed part has failed, but you end up paying because the fault was caused by a part which was not listed,” says Willson.
Take Cover
We hope this explains why not all used car warranties are the same, and why you shouldn’t dismiss them out of hand as an unnecessary extra expense at a time when you’re
Philip Paul puts customer service and satisfaction at the forefront of everything we do. By offering both the most flexible and diverse range of financing options in the north-west and partnering with the UK’s most considerate and interactive warranty provider, we continue to strive towards the ultimate goal of being the region’s most customer-friendly car supermarket.
Any of our stock of used cars in Oswestry can be bought with the additional peace of mind of a Warrantywise extended warranty. Check the cover available - you can see the various levels available here to help you find the one which is right for you.