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Auto Assure is a specific brand of specific brand of insurance that works much like an extended auto warranty. The real difference with Auto Assure and other extended auto warranty companies is that they will cover the repair bills on really old cars for up to 200,000 miles. I’ve looked at an extended auto warranty before, but only the kind that extend the manufacturers car warranty on cars that are still fairly new. Car assurance is a whole new ball game. I’ve never been much in favor of extended warranties of any kind, but a radio commercial for Auto Assure made me think twice. To explain, I’ll talk about the extended auto warranty in general; then I will discuss the specific Auto Assurance brand and how it might benefit me using my own, old, old car as an example.
Am I a Good Candidate for an Extended Auto Warranty
When you Might Consider Car Assurance
My old, 1997 BMW 540i has 158,000 miles on it. You might ask why I would keep such an old car, knowing that Bimmer owners are prime suspects for extremely high-cost repairs in the first place? My dilemma is that I cannot afford to replace this old, BMW with a new car that is anywhere as close to being as satisfying to drive. The other problem is that once you start putting money into your old car, it’s hard to stop. For instance; radiator and transmission replacement, valve covers, seals, wind-shield and the list goes on. Makes you start wondering if car assurance is for you. The right time to buy car assurance would have been three years ago when I bought the car with 143,000 miles on it. So, the answer is, yes, I am definitely a good candidate for car assurance assuming I plan on keeping the car another three years. Truthfully, I didn’t even know car assurance existed for such an old car until I heard the radio ad for Auto Assure.
Should I consider Auto Assure?
Quote on an Extended Car Warranty
What you are about to see is a real-life experience working with Auto Assure. I gave them a call to talk about my car and see what it would cost to get car assurance through them. The Auto Assure website reveals an offering of four, different service contract plans. Here are the auto assure plans from most expensive to least expensive:
- Platinum Exclusionary
- Gold Component
- Powertrain Plus
- Basic Powertrain
The basic powertrain plan, ofcourse, includes the most basic, yet most expensive things that can fail on your car: Engine, Transmission, Cooling and Axle. The Plus adds fuel system, electrical, electronics, air conditioning, seals, gaskets, transfer units. The Platinum includes anything and everything under the sun and the Gold Component only emits internet and blue tooth from the coverage. Surprisingly, when I called Auto Assure they didn’t even bother to talk to me about the different plans. They immediately went for the Gold. A young sounding man answered the phone and asked me for the details of my car. I gave him the model and mileage and mentioned to him that I had just replaced the transmission and radiator and some of the additional work that had been done. He told me that he needed to check with his supervisor and see if he could get my car approved for Auto Assure car assurance and transferred me. I spoke with his supervisor for a few minutes who explained to me that I would I was approved and would get a $400 discount. I was transferred back to the first agent who began using some high-pressure techniques that I didn’t particularly care for. He explained that the $400 discount offer had to be acted upon now – that is, not today, but during the call. I told him that I don’t operate that way. I don’t make financial decisions without talking to my spouse about it; then sleeping on the idea for one night. I politely refused his offer. So, let’s see what I turned down.
How Much Does Auto Assure Cost?
Here is the breakdown of the Auto Assure offer I got for my Bimmer: $295.00 down payment (over the phone NOW) – Then 18 subsequent, monthly payments of $179.00 each. That comes to about $3,517, total cost. Coverage lasts for 5 years. In hindsight, I would have saved about $3700 had I taken advantage of a plan like this 3 years ago. I paid over $3500 for my transmission and about $2700 in additional repairs in the last 3 years. You can read about my transmission repair experience here: Avoid Engine and Transmission World. Here is another not-so-good experience you can read about for my radiator repair: Avoid 5601 Garage in Arvada. I’ve had some bad luck associated with my BMW and repairs and was not about to take a risk on Auto Assure without fully checking them out. How can you know they are actually good for the money when something goes wrong? The sales agent explained to me that not only every repair of the car fully covered, but it includes towing insurance as well. This sounds good, but do they deliver the good when you need the goods? I did some Google searches for Auto Assure and car assurance companies and was not able to find much in the way of any confidence building testimonials or A+ BBB ratings. Even without the high-pressure sales tactics, it would be unlikely that I would take a chance on a company that I know so little about. Having written an article about Extended Home Warranties, I learned that the greatest cause for dissatisfaction is getting paid for the work when you need it. Extended warranties need to provide 100% confidence and peace of mid. Without that, you have no idea if you’re simply throwing your money away. Before I got off the phone with the high-pressure agent, he did give me another offer: $179.00 Down and $139.00 per month for 24 months. That still adds up to the same amount: $3,515. I told him, no thanks.
Conclusions about Auto Assure and Car Assurance
Despite the relatively negative review on Auto Assure, I have nothing against an extended car warranty for an old car that I plan on keeping. I can see where a program like this would be very beneficial for people who love their old cars and want to continue driving and enjoying them for a very long time. The key is to do your research and home work and choose an extended auto warranty company with credentials, positive reviews and a track record of happy customers. Auto Assure was not that company.
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I was considering using Auto Assure but like you, I want to know what I am getting into. Thus before I even call, I investigate. I checked out their website. Although it looks good, it doesn’t really have the info I was looking for. Mostly COST and what is actually covered (or not covered). Essentially the “Terms” (not of the site but of the “service contract”.
After hearing from multiple sites/reviews that they use the “High Pressure” sales techniques, I think I will consider other options instead.
Thanks for the useful info.
Peg.
Your BMW 540i has an NADA avg trade value of about $3800 . . . which is the maximum AA would pay out over th elife of the contract. And that’s only IF you can get them to pay any claims.
All true – and that is pretty much what I decided. On the other hand, some cars are worth more to the owner than its retail or ‘street’ value. My original thought was that it might be a way to keep an old car that you wouldn’t want to get rid of – yet have some peace of mind like a new car. It turns out you can’t. You certainly can’t get peace of mind unless you’re confident your claims will be paid. I’ll skip car assurance of any kind. Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
Rob
Any company that will not let you hang up the phone and think about the offer, or even time to make your decision, is probably a ripoff. Be ready to make an instant choice to go with auto assure when you call, if not you wont get coverage if you decide you wanna hang up and call back 5 minutes later or however long it may take you to decide.
They have bilked my parents out of thousands! Pure fraud. My Mom has 1800 mile on her 2015 Ford Escape and those con artists got her to agreed to their bull** contract and service. I have reported it to the police. Please avoid this POS company.