Does Your Extended Warranty Cover Struts?

Have you ever looked behind your tire while pretending you know what your looking for? If you have, you’ve probably seen the “spring thingy” sitting back there.

We’ve all done it at one point or another. Starting today though, we’re going to make a change.

We’re going to learn.

That is your strut, and it’s job is to keep your car balanced and driving evenly on the road. Your struts are part of your car’s suspension system and hold the chassis of your car off of the ground. Without struts, your car would essentially be a very expensive paperweight.

 Struts also act as shock absorbers while you’re driving to ensure that you have the smoothest ride possible. However, your struts and your shocks aren’t the same thing even though the terms are often used interchangeably.

Shocks are only meant to absorb bumps on the road. Without shocks, you could still drive, although there’d be a lot of bouncing around. Many cars have struts on the front and shocks on the back.

So next time you look behind your tires, now you know.

Signs Of Bad Struts To Look Out For

Struts are considered a wear and tear part, even though they’re pretty hardy. Honda, for instance, gives their struts a life of between 50,000-100,000 miles and other manufacturers tend to follow suit.

As a general rule though, you shouldn’t replace your struts unless there is a visible problem with them because the cost of repair can be expensive. A new set can run you up to $1,500.

So what are the signs you need to be on the lookout for?

• Leaking fluid. Fluid from your struts will leak and run down over the strut. The top of the strut will be wet, although this often won’t be visible. Your mechanic however, will be able to see it. Hence the importance of routine maintenance.
• Your car bounces several times after pushing down on the hood as opposed to settling down immediately. Same thing if your car hits a bump on the road and doesn’t settle.
• If your car bottoms out (your car comes close to hitting the ground).
• Uneven tire wear patterns. Often the easiest way to spot bad struts, your tires will often cup, which causes your tire to make uneven contact with the road and make a sound akin to a ball being dribbled when you drive down the road.

Again, having routine maintenance done will help your mechanic catch a worn strut before it becomes an issue.

So, Do Extended Warranties Cover Struts?

Struts are considered “wear and tear” items, which are expected to wear out over time as a result of ordinary use or operation. These are parts like brake pads, rotors, fluids, windshield wipers, and spark plugs.

As a result, struts are usually not covered. There are exceptions, however.

At Protect My Car, we do not cover struts with our vehicle service contracts as we classify them as wear and tear parts.

However, some of our competitors do.

Endurance Warranty:

Are Struts Covered: Yes, in the Supreme and Superior coverage plans.

Direct Warranty Provider: Yes

Notes: As a direct warranty provider, we’d recommend choosing endurance if you’re looking for an extended warranty to cover your struts. Direct warranty providers generally give a much better overall experience.

Car Shield:

Are Struts Covered: No

Direct Warranty Provider: No

Notes: Car Shield doesn’t sell its own policies, and the policies of the company it does sell (American Auto Shield) does not include struts even in its “premium” coverage policies. 

Carchex:

Are Struts Covered: Yes, in Titanium plans only

Direct Warranty Provider: No

Notes: Carchex doesn’t sell its own policies, and instead sells the policies of American Auto Shield, Royal, and Allegiance Warranty. We can’t recommend a non-direct warranty provider even though they cover struts.

With that said, there’s still the wrinkle of your factory warranty, or your manufacturer’s extended warranty if you still have it.

If your car still has its original bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranty, is entirely possible your struts are covered. To check, call your warranty’s financing company, or check your written policy to see if you’re covered.

What Is A Direct Warranty Provider?

So you’re probably wondering what the direct warranty provider bit is above. Fear not, we’ll break it down, even though no one is really talking about it.

A direct warranty provider is a warranty company that administrates and services its own claims, legally speaking. What that means, is when a direct warranty provider sells you an extended warranty, they are responsible for paying your claims, as well as handling any customer service issues that arise.

Direct providers can offer lower prices for their plans and better customer service because everything is handled in house. 

Currently, only Protect My Car and Endurance are direct warranty providers.

Other extended warranty companies aren’t selling their own plans.  When you buy a policy with them, they then transfer the responsibility for your future claims to a 3^rd party finance company. They get paid, and then that finance company that you didn’t choose becomes the legal entity responsible for paying your claims.

This can be a huge hassle. Claims take longer to get paid, and your policy can be up to 100% more expensive than choosing a direct warranty provider.

That’s not to mention that the 3^rd party finance company has no connection to you as a human being and has every financial incentive to pay as little as possible on your claim.

With over 13 years in this business, everyone will tell you that choosing a direct warranty provider is the best way to go. You’ll avoid getting a run around from claims agents, and instead will get help from a real person who wants to see you off smiling.

Don’t Want To Get The Run Around? Get An Extended Warranty From Protect My Car

As a proud direct warranty provider, you’ll never be mistreated when you join us. There’s a reason our average review score (TrustPilot, Consumer Affairs, BBB) is a 4.3/5.0, and I want you to find out why.

While your struts might not be covered, we can cover almost everything else, including expensive transmission and engine repairs that can set you back thousands.

We know there are a number of other great extended warranty companies out there, we know we’re the best and we want to prove it to you.

That’s why, for a limited time, we’re giving away $50 dollars in rewards just for getting a quote with us. From there, you’ll be able to shop all of our different plans, online, with no phone call needed.

Because we’re a direct warranty provider, you may find that our plans are significantly cheaper than what you’re paying right now.