Are Brakes Covered Under Warranty?

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Brakes are important components of your vehicle’s safety measures. The freedom to control the car’s speed and the ability to slow down or stop it at will is significant. But, ironically, the braking system has no clear-cut warranty. But you’ll need to figure out the terms and conditions of the warranty providers.

Are Brakes Covered Under Warranty?

The answer is no. Brakes are not covered under your vehicle factory warranty. The reason is that the braking system is one of the wear and tear items in your car. Usually, wear and tear vehicle components are prone to regular damage and repair. As a result, warranties don’t cover brakes.

Any items in this category do not have any coverage. They include all the components in the braking system, such as the brakes calipers, brake pads, brake rotors, and others. Other wear and tear items not covered under warranty are windshield wiper replacement, clutches, headlight bulbs, brake lights, and more.

How Do Vehicle Warranties Work?

I’ve heard some drivers argue about brakes being covered under a factory warranty. Let me shed more light on car warranties, generally. There are two basic types of warranties: factory and extended warranties. In these two divisions, you’ll further find other subcategories. They are bumper-to-bumper, factory adjustments, powertrain, and corrosion warranties.

Here’s the thing. Some manufacturers cover the brakes under the factory warranty. Factory warranty refers to a type of warranty that car manufacturers give due to an error in design. Car manufacturers can also offer this type of warranty due to defective vehicle parts resulting from poor workmanship.

So, the factory warranty implies that your car manufacturer will be responsible for any damage due to an error from the factory. The good thing about a factory warranty is that it’s transferable from the original car owner to subsequent users of the car. But the warranty subsists only if it’s not expired before the transfer.

On the other hand, when your car factory warranty expires, you can purchase the extended warranty. This time, you’re not under any compulsion to buy this warranty from your manufacturer.

Reputable third-party suppliers offer a custom extended warranty. The warranty is more affordable and flexible than the factory warranty. The terms and conditions differ from party to party. Under extended warranty, you can include the braking system.

Factory Warranty Vs Extended Warranties: Which Is Better?

In this section, I will compare and contrast the two basic categories of vehicle warranties. Largely, people want to know about the extended coverage when they refer to a warranty.

Factory Vs Extended Warranties: Similarities

Both the factory and extended warranties offer powertrain coverage. However, the coverage may be longer in one than the other. You will enjoy the opportunity of replacing or repairing a few parts of your car powertrain.

Another similarity between the factory and extended warranties is that they both cover the car powertrain. The powertrain includes the costliest parts of the car, such as the engine, driveshafts, and axles. Others are the seals, transmission, transfer case, gaskets, and more.

You can buy the extended warranty before or after the expiration of the factory warranty. The bad news is that most factory and third-party insurance companies don’t cover brakes and other wear and tear parts. However, the terms depend on the company offering the car insurance policy. Full extended warranty coverage can include the braking system of your car.

Factory Vs Extended: Differences

Usually, the factory warranty is a given. It naturally comes with your car when you newly buy it. You can also transfer the warranty to a new owner when you sell the car. Usually, this is what most car owners refer to when they talk about warranty.

The powertrain coverage is longer in both factory and extended warranties. However, extended warranties offer a longer coverage period. In some cases, an extended warranty can cover the powertrain for as long as 60,000 miles or five years.

Some can stay on for as long as 100,000 miles or ten years, depending on which one comes first. Don’t forget, the cost of repairing or replacing the engine, transmission, or any of the powertrain is high.

You don’t have to buy the maximum plan. There are low-cost plans that will still cover the engine and other major constituents of the powertrain.

Let’s examine some selected car models and their low-cost and powertrain warranties.

Manufacturer Low-cost warranty Powertrain warranty
Toyota 36,000 miles or 3 years 60,000 miles or 5 years
Ford 36,000 miles or 3 years 60,000 miles or 5 years
Chevrolet 36,000 miles or 3 years 5 years / 60,000 miles
Mercedes 50,000 miles or 4 years 50,000 miles or 4 years
volvo 50,000 miles or 4 years 50,000 miles or 4 years
Nissan 36,000 miles or 3 years 60,000 miles or 3 years
Lexus 50,000 miles or 4 years 70,000 miles or 6-7 years
BMW 50,000miles or 4-5years 50,000miles or 4-5years

Extended Brake Warranties: What To Know And Do?

Some suppliers do offer brake warranties as an incentive. Sometimes, it’s offered as a lure to make you buy more brake parts and accessories from them. As a matter of principle, I do not rely much on some of these enticing warranties.

In case you find any extended warranty covering your car brakes, there are things you must find out. They are questions you must ask. Otherwise, things may end up causing you more frustration and extra cost. Try to find out how long the unlimited brake warranties will last on repair and parts. This should give you an insight into what you’re up to in the end.

Be nosy to get clarification on the following areas of the warranty:

  • You should inquire about how long (weeks, months, or years) the warranty will last.
  • Some warranties run on mileage; so, you should be sure of the mileage the warranty will cover.
  • Ask to know if the warranty covers only the brake parts, or labor, or both.
  • Let the third-party extended warranty state the exceptions. Or are there no conditions attached to the warranty?
  • For instance, will the warranty become invalid under severe driving conditions? Let the warranty also define what ‘severe conditions’ mean.
  • What will be differentials in labor cost for brakes under warranty?

FAQs

What are other types of car warranties?

As I mentioned earlier, we have the basic warranty, bumper-to-bumper warranty, and powertrain warranty. Each of these warranties has good enough coverage based on how much you’re willing to commit.

The more the length of the basic or bumper-to-bumper warranties, the more protection your car will have against defects. A powertrain warranty can come to the rescue when the most expensive parts of your car need repairs.

Depending on the policies of the third-party warranty issuer, you may not be able to transfer any of these warranties to the next owner of your car. They only cover the first buyer.

For instance, Mitsubishi or Hyundai 10/100 powertrain warranties are not transferable. Once the original owner of the car sells it out, that means the warranty will expire at that point.

The best you may get as a new owner will be 60 000 miles of 5 years. The price you get these warranties depend on the warranty provider.

What Are The Top 3 Third-Party Warranty Companies?

Here are the top 3 third-party car warranties providers around.

1. Endurance Warranty

This company provides a direct contract with its ‘Select Plus’ and ‘Secure Plus’ plans representing the essential and medium coverage. The medium coverage covers the entire braking system.

These include brake parts such as the master cylinder, ABS, wheel speed sensors, hydraulic control unit, electronic control processor, disc brake caliper, hydraulic trailer brake assembly, vacuum assist booster, hydraulic fittings, and lines.

Other components include a power brake cylinder, wheel cylinders, hydraulic pump, isolation dump valve, and more. The essential coverage is similar to what you get in most powertrain plans.

  • Provides direct contract service
  • Covers the entire brake system
  • Covers ABS components

2. Carchex

This is one of the top extended warranty providers in the industry. As a third-party company, Carchex has the brake systems included in its maximum royal titanium extended warranty coverage.

The brake parts covered under the company’s package include wheel cylinders, relays, retainers, disc calipers, and power assist booster. Others include a master cylinder, electronic ABS, metal fittings, metal hydraulic lines, wheel cylinders, and rear actuators, combo valves, and more.

Under its low and medium car insurance plans, the Carchex warranty doesn’t cover the brake system. The warranty can last up to 5 years, depending on your model and manufacturer. The company only sells the warranty services of American Auto Shield, Allegiance, and Royal Administration Services.

  • Can last up to 5 years
  • Covers a wide range of brake parts
  • Coverage duration depends on car manufacturer and model
  • No provision of direct contract
  • Sells third-party plan

3. Car Shield

This is another third-party company that offers an extended warranty. It offers both basic and maximum coverage plans. The maximum plan covers the master cylinder, actuators, disc calipers, combination valves, wheel cylinders, power assist booster. Other parts include self-adjusters, vacuum assists booster pumps.

The basic and premium plans are services of American Auto Shield Power Train and Platinum respectively.

  • Not a direct contract
  • Covers many car brake parts
  • Offers both basic and premium coverage plan

How Much Does Brake Repair Cost?

The brakes are not just the brake rotors and brake pads. The entire system also consists of the brake calipers, brake disc, and master cylinder.

The good news is that brake components and accessories are some of the pretty cheap parts to replace in the car. Depending on what’s damaged, you may not spend beyond $500 to replace or fix your car brakes. This cost is even at the highest estimation.

What Does Direct Contract Warranty Provider Mean?

A direct warranty provider is a company that claims responsibility for paying your claims after selling you an extended warranty. In this instance, the company administers and fulfills its own legal claim under vehicle warranty laws and services.

A direct warranty provider also relates with the car owner at the level of customer service. They often offer lower prices for their warranty packages.

Final Thoughts

Now, you know that the brakes are part of the wear and tear components of your car. You’re also aware that most extended warranties don’t cover the braking system. Before you okay brake repairs or replacements in your car, it’s best to ask about a brake warranty.

As more and more warranty providers emerge, new features and services are springing up. For instance, some car warranty providers have added roadside servicing and repair to make extended warranty a lot more attractive.

You may get towing services from some automakers, including Nissan and Chrysler. Other auto manufacturers may assist you with mounting spare tires or provide lock-out services.

What is best, most basic, and essential to do, however, is to always maintain your car brakes. If you take good care of your brakes, you won’t have to start searching for an extended warranty all over the place.

Inspect the brake fluid, top or replace it when it’s right. Make sure you follow the maintenance schedule. Also replace the other weak parts, including the rotors, calipers, and pads.

Pay attention to the signs that come with a failing braking system. Each of the brake components comes with its respective symptoms.