Hi SAINTIVY. Welcome to the forum. What is the problem with the engine? What are the symptoms and what has been checked so far? Extended warranties, especially aftermarket ones, are never a good investment for the vehicle owner. While working at the dealership, I heard over and over again, "what you need isn't covered". Also, the dealers are so used to failing to get reimbursed, they now make you pay for covered repairs up front, then let YOU argue with the insurance company.
Most service plans have a deductible for each service, not each visit to the shop. If you show up with an engine problem and an electrical problem at the same time, you might be surprised to have to pay two deductibles. Also, some dealerships, GM dealers in particular, have a one-hour minimum labor charge. Not sure how the guys down the road from me can get away with that but warranty companies don't care about that. They only cover the actual repair time. If that was less than an hour, they only cover the parts and actual time minus the deductible. You are expected to pay for the remainder of the hour.
At my dealership, there was a computer record and a paper folder for every customer. In them was a copy of every repair and service done to their vehicles. It will take just a few minutes to find and make a copy of every related invoice. If you look at the top 1/3 of the computer-generated repair order when they write it up at the service desk, you will see a listing of the work performed during your most recent visits. Mechanics use that for reference when working on your vehicle. That's just a partial list of the total records.
Chrysler did not require any proof of maintenance when covering drivetrain problems under warranty at least up through 1999 when I left the dealership. I can't say if that's true about extended warranties. My experience has been they will do whatever is necessary to keep you happy within the warranty period, but every insurance company will do whatever it takes to avoid paying a claim after that. Good record keeping is essential when it comes to proving your claim is entitled to be honored. Chrysler will even cover most problems after the warranty has expired if the dealer has documentation showing the problem occurred during the warranty period.
If you had oil changes done at a different shop, they might be able to find it in their records but you will have to provide at least the approximate dates. Some independent shops keep a record of each vehicle similar to what the dealers keep, but many do not.
As a final thought, you should be able to request a partial refund of the premium you paid for the extended service contract. That money could be put to better use paying for the repairs.
Caradiodoc
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Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 AT 1:46 PM
