Car warranty in 2023: how not to overpay?

After the departure or cessation of activities of most car manufacturers, a previously little demanded form of service, a paid warranty, revived. It is supplied by both car dealers and intermediary companies that neither sell nor repair cars.

There are no clear rules, as regulatory documents do not describe in detail how and what should be. Therefore, many schemes have been developed. Essentially they are similar – all warranty obligations are performed at customers expense. But there are also differences.

Dealer warranty

Not all dealers and not all models offer it. You can get a warranty for a new car that is imported via parallel import and for a car with a low mileage. From now on, rates and warranty conditions will be determined by the dealers themselves. But they are still guided by the Consumer Rights Protection Act, which obliges sellers to remedy the identified shortcomings of the goods free of charge within two years from the date of sale.

The cost of the warranty can be included in the price of the car – the illusion is created that it is free and “everything remains as before”. In general, this is because factories also include the cost of warranty repairs in the price of cars. Difference: The manufacturer wanted the dealer to get parts ASAP, but now he doesn’t care.

The guarantee can also be an option for a fixed amount. In this case, the new car is prescribed in the contract as a used car and the law sets different requirements for a used product. Or the warranty is really free (but not more than a year or two) – provided that the customer maintains the car only at this dealer. And during the maintenance, the motorist brings money again, and living money.

For many makes and models, the dealer warranty is technically the same as the usual manufacturer’s warranty. Dealers undertake to rectify defects that have arisen through no fault of the owner within a certain period of time – the period depends on the age and mileage of the car. Some dealers are even making design improvements as part of official recalls announced by the factory. Well, at least they promise.

Also, as before, many offer the usual extended warranty – after the expiration of the factory date. For most brands, this is an age range of three to six years.

WHY REPAIR? To attract customers, intermediary companies give “average prices” for the repair of a particular device. They even look a bit understated – at least for premium cars. We provide your reference. It is noteworthy that it is not mentioned anywhere “replacement with a new one of the same” – only repair. By the way, the repair itself has its own warranty and is still free. ICE repair – 200 thousand rubles Timing repair – 40 thousand rubles Gearbox repair – 170 thousand rubles Repair of transmission 4 × 4 – 80 thousand rubles Repair of a radiator (air conditioner, generator) – 40 thousand rubles With such expenses, it is not entirely clear to whom the guarantee with coverage up to 3 million rubles is intended. Even on a premium car in one year you can’t break a similar amount for a similar amount.

insurance guarantee

The idea comes from insurers: to sell the guarantee as an insurance product. For example, some dealers offer customers an option in the form of a policy, where all amounts are clearly specified and the terms under which payments are made are specified.

There is no question of compensation in the form of repairs. The insurance company pays the damage in cash. The insured then chooses the service where his car is repaired. The risks of the insurance not fully covering the repair costs are about the same as those of OSAGO.

There is nothing new in this service, it was offered before – for cars not older than five years. And not only insurance companies, but also some banks. It was commonly referred to as the “extended warranty”. But now the conditions have changed a bit. That is why Ingosstrakh launched a new overtime guarantee program in the fall, especially for unofficially imported cars. The validity period is one year.

Interim warranty

Warranty can be obtained not only for a new car bought in a showroom, but even for an old car bought from a private individual. You pay a certain amount to the company – the company will, within the agreed period, if a breakdown occurs, find a competent repair organization for you and pay for all the work. Plus a partial refund of the cost of the tow truck. It is described in detail which parts are covered by the warranty and which are not. And in what cases.

The system is simple and seemingly without pitfalls. For example, the company Carso (offices in all major cities from St. Petersburg to Irkutsk) is ready to insure cars less than 20 years old and with a mileage of up to 250,000 km. Rates for a warranty for 1 year or 20,000 kilometers start from about 30,000 rubles – for minimum warranty coverage. There are three such levels, but the youngest already includes the engine and transmission.

Apparently, the company’s main customers were the owners of expensive cars that arrived on gray schedules.

Lack of transparency

All of these warranty schemes are essentially grayish as well. On a cursory study, they look like “I want to twist-twirl-confuse” – mainly because price targets are very vague. The amounts that must be paid to get a guarantee are calculated individually for each specific car – taking into account its condition. And so far there are no online calculators like OSAGO and transportation tax calculators. As well as there is no doubt that a paid guarantee is a profitable business.

But at least all this is absolutely legal and documented. If you want, you can get a guarantee for a period of six months to three years, and if the service provider fails to fulfill its obligations, the usual ways of entering it will work. The most difficult thing is to understand what is more profitable – to buy a warranty or to fix the breakdowns that arise at your own expense.

TWO REGULATIONS: REPAIR OR INSURANCE When purchasing a car, new or used, you cannot contact the dealer for warranty matters. Approximately the same coverage terms and prices are offered by independent firms. Prices start at 30-60 thousand rubles for a one-year warranty (depending on the model, age and mileage) and go far. You can consider and compare two typical schemes. Carso offers a so-called technical warranty, while Garantek offers an extended warranty. Company carso GuaranteeTech Type of service technical warranty extended warranty For which cars passenger cars, age 0-20 years, mileage not exceeding 250,000 km passenger cars, age 3-6 years, mileage not more than 150 thousand km, price not more than 7.5 million rubles. Warranty period 1 year or 20,000 km, whichever comes first from 6 to 36 months, but not more than 250 thousand kilometers Additional terms perform maintenance 10 days before the activation of the warranty; all work is carried out at service stations recommended by the company (from the list) document the timely and quality maintenance during the warranty period Coverage levels 3: from 500 thousand up to 3 million rubles 3: from 200 thousand up to 3 million rubles Compensation for damage Troubleshooting at service stations recommended company (from the list) insurance payment after assessing the damage with the calculation of the cost of spare parts and work