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"Secret" Warranties

When people purchase a car they get a warranty along with it which covers the cost of any repairs the car might require within a certain time period. Many people find that once the warranty period is over, the car starts needing some repairs and they have to pay out of their own pockets to get the repair work done. Many people keep cursing their hard luck and wonder why this did not happen during the warranty period so that they could have got it done without any cost.

But most people who buy cars are unaware of a small feature which is known as warranty assistance or a secret warranty which is designed by vehicle manufacturers to help customers whose warranty on their newly purchased vehicles has expired. This is also known as after warranty assistance (AWA) which helps customers to pay for repairs that take place after the period of factory warranty has been completed. But this cannot be used if the customer has an extended warranty which can help in covering the cost of the repair. If the car does not match even one of the given conditions then the required assistance cannot be given. This is the reason why not every person who owns a car is able to use the secret warranty. This program is not available with every company which manufactures cars.

There are certain criteria which need to be met before any car can be given after warranty assistance. The manufacturer will check records of the previous maintenance which has been performed on the car. The company needs to know that the person who owns the car knows that the car needs to be maintained well and a lot of time care and patience is necessary for this. The basic purpose of offering the after warranty assistance is to maintain the loyalty of the customers towards the dealer.

Many people would feel that this is a very unfair concept. But they should also understand that the company would only help those people who are loyal to them and to their dealers. If the vehicle has been given to an independent mechanic previously for maintenance then the manufacturer does not feel the need to help the customer in any way. When the car is sent to the manufacturing company for servicing, then the quality of the parts and the quality of the services which are being offered by the mechanics can be maintained. But this need not necessarily be the case when the car is taken to an independent mechanic. If you stay as a loyal customer to the company which has manufactured the car and to the dealer, then the company will bend over backwards to offer you the best quality of service.

Once the manufacturing company decides that after warranty assistance can be offered to the customer then they need to decide up to what extent the manufacturer or the dealer will be involved in the process. There might be a scenario when the customer will not have to pay a single penny for the services and repairs which might have been performed. Otherwise the bill can be divided between the customer, the dealer and the manufacturing company. Sometimes when the bill is only for a small amount, then it will be divided between either the customer and the manufacturer and the customer and the dealer. When the bill is large, it will have to be split three ways.

But it is not necessary that the bill will be split equally every time. Sometimes the customer will pay the same amount as the dealer and the manufacturer while sometimes he might have to pay more or pay less. Sometimes the customer might only have to pay for the spare parts which have been replaced, and the cost of labor will be borne by the manufacturer.

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