In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics on how warranties work for used cars. Often a very important factor to a buyer, a car’s warranty helps protect the owner against certain kinds of damage or failure that might take place outside their control.

At Auto Showcase of Tulsa, we’ll be happy to detail the warranty specifics for any of our quality used cars you’re considering, along with other important details about the vehicle. Part one of our series discussed new car warranties, extended warranties and service contracts – today will go over a few additional warranty types or coverages that might be present, plus a couple important variables to keep in mind when obtaining a warranty.

Additional Warranties and Buyer’s Guide

In many cases, used cars sold at dealerships will come with some kind of additional warranty beyond the manufacturer warranty. In such situations, the dealership must disclose warranty details. One of the major rules here is displaying a buyer’s guide, which contains several pieces of information – including warranty coverage.

Per the Federal Trade Commission, this buyer’s guide will be extensive and cover both warranties and many other areas. Some requirements for the buyer’s guide include advising consumers about each of these factors:

• Major mechanical and electrical systems present, plus any major problems that might occur in them
• Whether the vehicle is being sold as-is or with a warranty
• What percentage of repair costs the dealer pays under warranty
• Oral promises are difficult to enforce; the guide recommends all promises be taken in writing
• Guide advises consumers to have the car inspected by an independent mechanic before buying, plus obtain a vehicle history report and inquire about any safety recalls

Insurance Factors

One major area to inquire about for any warranty, whether it’s a manufacturer’s warranty or one offered by a dealership: The insurance coverage that backs it. The most reputable dealers, like ours, will be able to detail coverage through A-rated insurance companies for any warranties that are sold.

Others, however, might not be so robust. Some sell extended warranties with no insurance coverage whatsoever – these should be avoided, as should limited coverage that doesn’t include common areas.

“Bumper to Bumper” Myth

Finally, we wanted to help steer you clear of a big myth in the car warranty world: The “bumper to bumper” coverage type. Simply put, this doesn’t actually exist – there is no such thing as a warranty that literally covers everything. Rather, extended warranties will generally include an exclusionary policy, which expressly lists the components or items that are not covered – anything not listed on this policy is covered. While many policies will come with very few exclusions, there’s no such thing as true “bumper to bumper” coverage in a warranty.

For more on used car warranty considerations, or to view our used car lot or options, speak to the staff at Auto Showcase of Tulsa today.

For many of the highest-value items we’ll purchase in our lifetimes, warranties are common areas of interest. Vehicles are no exception – both for new and used cars, warranties are commonly parts of the purchase and help protect the buyer in case of damage in the future.

At Auto Showcase of Tulsa, we’re happy to explain the warranty situation for any of our high-end used cars you’re looking into. How do warranties work for used cars compared to new cars, and are there situations where warranties won’t be available? This two-part blog series will go over everything you need to know about vehicle warranty considerations, including a few terms to know and areas to check into as you research this realm.

New Car Warranty

Understanding how warranties work for used cars first requires grasping their basics for new cars, which will play a role here in many cases. All new cars come with a new warranty, known as the manufacturer’s warranty, which guarantees that a car’s components and systems will function properly under normal driving conditions for a certain period of time.

So how long does a new car warranty last? This will vary widely. Some will be full coverage for a specific period of time or number of miles – warranties covering three years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), for instance, are very common. In other cases, warranties will describe certain kinds of coverage, such as powertrain or other specific components.

Extended Warranty

In many cases when a somewhat newer car is sold and enters the used car market, especially when this takes place through a used car dealership like ours, the service department will recondition and restore any significant issues with the vehicle, and it will often enter the dealership’s certified pre-owned program. At this point, the car will often be given an extended warranty beyond the initial manufacturer’s warranty.

Naturally, such used cars will cost more than similar vehicles that do not come with such warranties. Some will add more miles or time to the original, while others will add additional areas of coverage.

Service Contracts

In cases where your used car does not come with an extended warranty, or where the original manufacturer’s warranty is not still in place, there is another option available known as the service contract. There are numerous types of service contracts for used cars, each with different costs and payment formats – many which can be added into your finance contract so you have no out of pocket expense. There are even third parties that offer separate service contracts for a fee.

For more on warranties for used cars, or to learn about our used car lot or auto dealership services, speak to the staff at Auto Showcase of Tulsa today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the key myths out there regarding fuel economy in a vehicle. Many of these relate to misconceptions regarding fuel or additives, but there are also several that speak to basic vehicle operations and related themes.

At Auto Showcase of Tulsa, we’re happy to over mileage, fuel economy and any related factors for all of our quality used cars. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll go over a few additional areas of misinformation to be aware of when it comes to gas mileage and fuel economy, including several within the realm of basic operations and several misconceptions that have cropped up here.

“Topping Off” the Car

We’ve all had the experience: The automatic nozzle at the gas pump clicks off, but you try to squeeze just a little more gas into your tank before replacing it. Most assume this is the right move and will improve their fuel capacity in a small way.

Simply put, this is not true. This nozzle pump feature is designed to stop when the tank has reached true fullness – pushing more gas into it afterward actually pushes gas into the evaporation system, where both the gas itself and the system can be damage. This is the single top cause of canister failure in the evaporation system, which is often a high-cost repair.

Cruise Control Factors

This is an interesting area, because part of it is not a myth at all: For many longer drives, cruise control is an effective feature for maintaining good gas mileage. It helps stop you from accidentally accelerating too much or too little during flat sections.

However, for hilly areas, cruise control may actually worsen gas mileage. This is because it may accelerate or decelerate the vehicle in rapid ways that are not ideal for fuel economy, especially when trying to get up a steep hill. For this reason, we recommend turning off cruise control in hilly areas.

Size Myths

You might assume that the smaller and lighter a vehicle is, the better its fuel economy will be. But this really isn’t a major factor – there are incredibly efficient vehicles that are quite large, and smaller vehicles that are not efficient at all. What matters is the engine and various fuel economy features within it.

Fuel Efficiency Lifespan

Finally, there’s a common misconception out there that your car’s original gas mileage will maintain throughout its lifespan. But this isn’t the case – due to things like friction, engine wear and basic aging over time, fuel efficiency gets worse with time. Proper tune-ups and upkeep will limit this wear-down, but there will still be a point where gas mileage begins to trend downward.

For more on gas mileage myths debunked, or to learn about any of our auto dealership services, speak to the staff at Auto Showcase of Tulsa today.