If you purchase a vehicle at a dealership, your salesperson may try to talk you into extended coverage through Warranty Solutions. But does this provider offer the right coverage for your vehicle?
In this article, we’ll discuss Warranty Solutions in detail, including its many coverage plans, prices and customer reviews. We’ll also give you our unbiased opinion on the provider and give you some alternative reputable extended car warranty companies to think about if you’re not convinced Warranty Solutions is the best choice for you.
Either way, it’s best to get quotes from multiple providers to ensure you’re purchasing a cost-effective, quality extended warranty. Our research team has looked into every major provider, compiling a list of the best extended car warranty companies on the market today. You can start reaching out to a few of our top recommended providers for free quotes below.
Best Extended Car Warranty Companies
We reviewed every major warranty company for coverage, affordability and more. Here are our recommendations.
Warranty Solutions Overview
Established 40 years ago, Warranty Solutions specializes in extended warranties and other auto-related finance and insurance products. The provider does not sell plans to customers directly, but instead, works through dealerships throughout the U.S. Warranty Solutions plans are available in all 50 states.
Warranty Solutions currently holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), indicating it uses sound business practices and has a strong ability to effectively communicate with customers.
Here’s a snapshot of how we rate Warranty Solutions overall:
| Overall Rating | 6.0 / 10.0 |
|---|---|
| Industry Reputation | 7.0 |
| Coverage | 8.0 |
| Warranty Cost | 6.0 |
| Transparency | 5.0 |
| Customer Experience | 6.0 |
What Does Warranty Solutions Cover?
Warranty Solutions offers varying coverage tiers, the longest option extending up to 175,000 miles. Coverage options include:
- 5 Star: Bumper-to-bumper extended warranty that covers most components, minus a short list of exclusions
- 4 Star: Stated-component coverage that protects vital systems like the engine, brakes, fuel and electrical systems
- 4 Star Plus: Covers the same stated components as the 4 Star plan, as well as technology and electronics, enhanced electrical components, and body hardware and accessories
- 3 Star: Protects your pre-owned vehicle’s engine, transmission, drive axles, hybrid and electric systems, transfer case, transaxle, and seals and gaskets
- 3 Star Plus: Covers all that’s included in 3 Star plan, as well as your front suspension, steering, interior climate and comfort systems, fuel components, cooling systems, brakes, and electrical systems
- Star Cool: Protects cooling parts like air conditioning and radiator
- Star Fuel: Protects fuel parts like your fuel injectors and fuel pump
- 5 Star Wrap: Covers all major mechanical and electrical systems, except for your powertrain, and is best used if your powertrain factory warranty is still in place but your original bumper-to-bumper coverage has expired
- Mileage Select: Powertrain coverage that protects your engine, transmission, transaxle, transfer case and drive axle
- Lifetime Limited: Lifetime warranty on your powertrain parts, including seals and gaskets
- Quality Plus Certified: Covers the engine, transmission and drive axle of certified pre-owned (CPO) cars
- Quality Plus Certified Cool: Covers all that’s included in the Quality Plus Certified plan, as well as cooling systems, interior comfort and climate systems, and seals and gaskets
According to Warranty Solutions, each coverage tier comes with flexible term lengths and deductible options. All of the options provided are available to new and pre-owned cars alike, aside from the 3 Star Plus, Quality Plus Certified and Quality Plus Certified Cool plans. These coverage tiers are only available for used vehicles.
Warranty Solutions’ plans can be transferred to a subsequent owner if you sell your vehicle to a private buyer before your coverage expires. This may up the resale value of your car.
Additional Benefits
With Warranty Solutions’ extended warranties, you also get some additional perks including:
- 24/7 roadside assistance
- Rental car reimbursement
- Trip interruption coverage
- Courtesy towing
What’s Not Included?
Warranty Solutions has individual exclusions that apply to each coverage tier, but in general, the provider doesn’t cover:
- Maintenance parts and services
- Misuse or neglect
- Exhaust systems
- Glass
- Trim and moldings
- Upholstery
- Paint
- Wiper blades
- Tires
- Wheels and rims
- Batteries
- Battery cables
- Brake pads and rotors
- Manual clutches
For specific exclusions, check your coverage agreement from Warranty Solutions.
How Much Does Warranty Solutions Coverage Cost?
In customer reviews, we found reports of drivers paying between $2,000 and $4,000 for Warranty Solutions vehicle service contracts. This is about average for the industry. However, the cost of a plan from Warranty Solutions may differ depending on:
- The deductible you choose: Typically, a lower deductible results in a higher premium cost, and vice versa.
- Your vehicle’s make, model and age: Older, luxury, high-mileage and less reliable cars are often more costly to cover.
- The coverage level you choose: If you select a more comprehensive coverage plan, like the Warranty Solutions 5 Star plan, it will probably be more expensive.
- Your contract length: Expect to pay more for longer contract lengths.
As we mentioned before, Warranty Solutions offers a few different deductible options, so you’ll have some flexibility in your overall premium price.
How to Get a Quote and File a Claim
Here’s how Warranty Solutions handles claims and quotes:
Get a Quote
Unfortunately, Warranty Solutions does not provide an online quote tool for customers. Since the provider doesn’t sell to drivers directly, you’ll only be able to get a quote from a participating dealership.
File a Claim
For any repair, you’ll need to get authorization from Warranty Solutions before having any work done. Take your vehicle into a dealership or other authorized repair shop and have your mechanic call 800-322-3933 (or 800-247-9469 for Florida drivers) to file your claim. If you have a mechanical breakdown on a weekend, you’ll need to wait for the next business day to gain prior authorization.
Warranty Solutions pays dealerships directly or sends you a reimbursement check based on the vehicle service agreement you have.
Warranty Solutions Reviews
Customer reviews can be a telling sign to either skip or pursue a warranty provider. Below, we’ve compiled a few different customer testimonials on Warranty Solutions.
Positive Customer Reviews
“I’m not sure what all the negative reviews are for this company. I had a very positive experience… They paid $108 for the tow, $3,400 and some odd dollars worth of work, and parts and $240 for my rental car. Considering the warranty cost me $2,400 when I bought the vehicle, it was certainly worth it.”
– Roman E. via Yelp
“It paid for itself. Warranty Solutions was wonderful, paying for a bunch of needed repairs. [I only paid] my deductible of $100 each time.”
– Kathleen A. via Yelp
Negative Customer Reviews
“If I could, I would give this company zero stars. They have the worst customer service I have ever dealt with in my entire life.”
– Nadia H. via BBB
“They charge you an outrageous amount and an outrageous [deductible] so you end up paying thousands more to fix a car that is supposed to be under warranty. Do not buy their warranty.”
– Ashley W. via BBB
Conclusion: Is Warranty Solutions Worth It?
Overall, if you’re offered a Warranty Solutions contract at your local dealership, it may be worth considering. Having so many plan options could get confusing though, so be sure to read your contract carefully to know what is and is not covered before signing on the dotted line.
Also, to make sure a Warranty Solutions plan is the most cost-effective extended warranty for you, reach out to other providers for additional quotes. If you find that your contract has pages and pages of exclusions or is offered at a high price point, it’s probably best to skip it and go with another auto warranty provider.
Our Picks for Best Extended Car Warranties
When looking for a few companies to compare against Warranty Solutions, we recommend checking out our top two recommended providers: Endurance and CARCHEX.
Endurance: Best Provider
Endurance tops our list of the best providers in the industry. We evaluated Endurance’s coverage options, transparency and customer satisfaction, and it performed well in each category. The provider offers six coverage options, which can extend up to 8 years or 200,000+ miles. We also like that Endurance has the most comprehensive benefits package of any third-party warranty company.
For more information, read our full Endurance warranty review. To go ahead and get a free quote, click below.
CARCHEX: Best for High-Mileage Cars
CARCHEX is a reliable choice for high-mileage car owners. The provider offers an extended warranty for cars over 100,000 miles and term limits that top out at 10 years or 250,000 miles. Like Endurance, CARCHEX offers five coverage tiers. This provider also has outstanding customer reviews and a positive industry reputation, and it provides transparency by posting sample contracts for potential customers.
If you’d like to learn more, check out our comprehensive CARCHEX review. To get a free, personalized quote from the provider, click below.
Methodology
The Detroit Bureau collects data from every major car warranty provider to formulate rankings of the best warranty companies. Our in-depth rating system takes into account coverage, pricing, transparency, customer satisfaction and ratings from industry experts. Each provider is given a weighted score in five categories, as well as an overall score out of 10.0.
We recommend auto warranty companies based on these rankings, but we also encourage you to perform your own research and compare quotes to find the best coverage.
