Vehicle service contracts, colloquially called extended warranties, are agreements that are designed to cover specific kinds of mechanical breakdowns. While these are similar to the warranty that comes with a new car when you buy it at the dealership, because it’s offered by a third-party vendor, it is not technically a “warranty”.

Extended warranties are a hotly debated topic in the car-buying world (in part because we’ve all been bombarded with phone calls trying to sell us on them). Our standard advice is to do your research on a variety of “extended warranty” providers and weigh the pros and cons of buying one versus not having one. We don’t suggest buying a vehicle service contract when you buy your car, unless you absolutely need to finance it (at which point other questions come to mind), and if you do purchase a VSC from the dealer, be sure to negotiate the price! You can buy a VSC at any point in time, as long as your car is eligible.

When it comes to the debate on Endurance Warranty vs. CARCHEX as a provider, you’ll need to examine several things before you make a decision. 

In our extended warranty comparison, we’ll examine the CARCHEX and Endurance extended warranty costs, what’s covered under their plans, and the reviews of past customers that relate to each company. All of this information will allow you to make an educated decision.

Remember, as a CarEdge member, you can schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation call with us to discuss VSCs. We’ll be happy to walk you through your VSC options. Create a free CarEdge account to schedule your call today.

Endurance Warranty vs. CARCHEX: Company Background

Understanding some basic information about a company can help you to decide if you want to do business with them. While you won’t be able to tell everything from a company’s BBB page or customer reviews, looking at these things is the best way to determine how a company might treat you.

Endurance Warranty

Endurance Warranty has been in business for 15 years. The company is based out of Illinois. They currently have a C+ rating with the BBB; however, they are not BBB-accredited.

Endurance Warranty’s BBB page currently has a warning that talks about misleading advertising practices that have been carried out by the company. The BBB has received multiple complaints about mailers that contain deceptive features and copy that makes them seem like government documents. The complaints from customers are part of the consideration in our review and overall recommendation.

CARCHEX

CARCHEX has been in business for 22 years. They currently have an A+ rating with the BBB and they are a BBB-accredited company. They are based out of Maryland.

There are currently no warnings or alerts on CARCHEX’s BBB page. In fact, there is actually some “additional information” presented that states that CARCHEX was a finalist for a Maryland business award, which is a good sign. This is a rare thing to find in a VSC company.

Endurance Warranty vs. CARCHEX:  Coverage

Both companies provide similar coverages, however, there is one crucial difference; CARCHEX does not sell vehicle service plans directly. Instead, they sell you plans that are administered by a third-party company. While you’ll always be interacting with CARCHEX when you set up your plan and file a claim, the plan itself will be managed by a separate company.

What Is the Same Between the Companies?

When it comes to the battle of CARCHEX vs. Endurance Warranty, it’s easy to focus on the differences. Before we jump into those, let’s take a look at the areas in which they are similar.

Both providers offer different levels of coverage to help you choose a plan that will be the right fit for your needs. You may want simple powertrain coverage. Maybe you want a bumper-to-bumper plan. Either way, you’ll be able to customize your coverage with CARCHEX or Endurance Warranty.

Another similarity is the flexibility provided in the places that you can take your cars for repairs. Both companies offer plans that allow you to take your car to any certified mechanic shop for repairs. The vehicle service contract provider will pay the shop directly and you won’t have to wait for reimbursement. Make sure to call the mechanic ahead of time to ask whether they accept your VSC, since it is possible that they might not.

In this CARCHEX vs. Endurance Warranty review, we’ll be going over plenty of differences between plans and providers. However, one thing is constant for every plan sold through either company: there is no coverage for damage related to abuse, misuse, or neglect.

All issues must be related to a manufacturer’s defect in order to be covered. Other than the special plans offered for maintenance, there is no coverage provided for components that are designed to wear and tear. This includes components such as brake pads and timing belts.

Both plans also require that you keep records of every visit to the mechanic, whether it’s for a repair or for standard maintenance. If you are not able to provide these records, it’s quite likely that your claim will not be covered.

How much do these plans cost? As we’ve discussed in a past article on vehicle service contracts, the cost of a VSC is based on the VIN of the car in question and its mileage. Each VSC provider uses its own algorithm to come up with quotes based on this information. As such, the only way to know the Endurance Warranty cost or the CARCHEX cost is to request a quote with your unique vehicle information.

While we’d like to settle the Endurance Warranty vs. CARCHEX debate based on their prices, we won’t be able to do that, as prices vary dramatically between cars.

What Does Endurance Warranty Cover?

How does Endurance insurance stack up? Endurance Warranty provides six levels of plans, each with a unique level of coverage.

• Secure:  This basic plan provides coverage for powertrain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, and transmission.
• Select Premier:  This plan provides additional coverage for some electrical components, cooling system components, and fuel delivery system components.
• Secure Plus:  This program has the same coverage as the previous plans, with the addition of steering components.
• Superior:  As the highest component coverage plan, this plan covers almost every component in your vehicle, other than seals and gaskets.
• Supreme:  This “bumper-to-bumper” plan, also known as an exclusionary plan, provides coverage for everything that’s not specifically mentioned.
• Endurance Advantage:  This plan provides basic mechanical breakdown coverage, along with coverage for maintenance services.

Make sure to read any contracts that you’re given so that you can have a clear understanding of what’s covered under your vehicle service contract. 

With so many plans being offered, it can be confusing to understand which one is best for you. In fact, we only have one sample contract available from Endurance Warranty to investigate. As such, you’ll need to investigate the specific coverage of the plan that you choose.  

What Does CARCHEX Cover?

CARCHEX has five levels of plans to choose from, each with a coverage term ranging from 5-10 years. The five levels are:

• Bronze:  As the most affordable plan offered, the Bronze plan provides basic powertrain coverage, which includes coverage for your engine, transmission, cooling system, and drive train.
• Silver:  This plan adds to the previous plan, providing coverage for the air conditioning system, some electrical components, and the fuel delivery system, too.
• Gold:  Sold as the plan that’s best for cars with over 60,000 miles, this plan is said to cover most major systems in the car. It adds coverage for steering and braking, in addition to the coverage to the previous plans.
• Platinum:  This plan offers the highest stated level of component coverage, with coverage for a greater number of electrical components, heating and cooling coverage, and suspension.
• Titanium:  As their only exclusionary plan, anything that is not specifically excluded is covered under this plan.

CARCHEX provides sample contracts for one plan at each level. Take note that this doesn’t mean that the plan you are looking at will be the same as the one in the sample contract. You’ll need to request a quote and request a specific contract for the plan that you’re interested in. Examine this contract carefully and make sure that the coverage that you’re after is clearly stated within the contract.

CARCHEX has deductibles that range from $0 to $200, based on your selections and the vendor you choose. When it comes to the debate between CARCHEX vs. Endurance Warranty, CARCHEX is the only one with a $0 deductible option.

What Perks Do They Offer?

Many vehicle service contract providers package their services with other benefits to tempt people into becoming customers. We discovered that both providers have similar benefits. They both offer the following benefits with any of their plans:

• 24/7 roadside assistance, including lock-outs, battery jump starts, fuel delivery, and limited towing coverage
• Limited trip interruption benefits
• Rental car reimbursement

Endurance Warranty enrolls every new member in their Endurance Elite Membership program. Being in this program provides several additional benefits that are worth having, such as:

• ID theft protection
• Key fob replacement
• Tire replacement or repair
• Personal concierge services for reservations, emergencies, and other uses

This means that customers of Endurance Warranty will have plenty of useful benefits available that come with their plan, at least for the first year. You’ll have to make sure that you cancel this membership by the second year; otherwise, you’ll be on the hook for the cost of the membership.

We’d like to see more perks coming from CARCHEX, but it’s not a major drawback of their service. We’d never suggest buying a VSC based on the perks that come with it. Instead, it’s best to make your decision based on the cost, coverage, and company reputation.

Endurance Warranty vs. CARCHEX: Customer Reviews

Both Endurance Warranty and CARCHEX have been serving the automotive world for over a decade. This means that you should have plenty of evidence about how they might treat you based on the ways that they’ve treated past customers.

Today, we’ll look through some of the common themes of the reviews so that you can see the types of complaints that people are making against these companies, along with the types of practices that consumers are praising.

Endurance Warranty Customer Reviews

Endurance Warranty has a rating of 3.59 out of 5 on the BBB customer review site. This rating is the average of 1,088 customer reviews. Having such a high number of reviews makes their 3.59 rating seem like an accurate representation of their service. Let’s take a look at a few of the reviews they’ve received.

John H., one-star review

“Endurance scammed my 84-year-old mother for a year. They signed her up through aggressive tactics. Then, once I learned what my mom was paying to cover a car — my mom literally drove 18 miles total in 2020 — I called to cancel my mom’s contract. The ensuing phone call was over 15 minutes long as the customer service person I spoke with was overly rude and extremely condescending and berating to both my mother and me. Now, to finalize the ending of the contract, I have to get my mom to sign the cancellation form in front of a notary. This company is the worst and takes advantage of the elderly!”

La’Shawn B., five-star review

“The level of customer service I received was outstanding, which made my overall experience spectacular. The staff was well-informed and helpful. My questions and concerns were promptly addressed. I will definitely recommend this company to all my friends and family.”

Cori R., one-star review

“I thought I purchased the most comprehensive coverage available. I was shocked when the dealership called me back and said Endurance would not cover any of the repairs (tension drive belt, alternator drive belt, spark plugs, engine partitions, right rear comfort armrest that was draining the battery, etc)… All those repairs ($4k) were on me, and if I didn’t get them fixed, the Endurance agent told me they wouldn’t cover the engine or alternator if they needed repair. I pay $114 a month for this coverage. Complete garbage. Canceling ASAP! Do not recommend!”

Keep in mind that Endurance currently has an alert on their BBB page saying that they engage in intentionally confusing marketing tactics. This fact makes the first review seem entirely reasonable, and that’s not okay with us.

The middle review was a great example of the type of reviews that are all over their BBB page. There are plenty of satisfied customers who have just signed up, but haven’t filed any claims yet.

CARCHEX Customer Reviews

CARCHEX has a rating of 2.26 out of 5 on the BBB customer review site. This rating is derived from an average of 102 customer reviews. While it’s surprising that there aren’t more reviews to look through, it’s still plenty to use to evaluate CARCHEX.

Jordan K., one-star review:

“Bought an extended warranty. On October 7, 2020, CARCHEX received a complete packet from me about cancellation and told me I would be receiving a refund in 45-60 days. Here it is, December 23, 2020, and I still have not received a refund. They are great at taking your money in seconds, but when it comes to refunding it, they are horrible. This needs to be settled, one way or another.”

Mick O., five-star review:

“I was considering getting a secondhand car and called CARCHEX for a warranty quote. I did this apprehensively because I’ve heard about the horror stories of high-pressure sales, never-ending phone calls, and so on. I withheld my number and gave them a call. I gave Ryan my details and details about the car I was thinking about getting. He came back with a reasonable quote and told me what that covered. I glossed over that. He then made sure I understood the exemptions and what the warranty would ONLY cover. He then explained to me why the car I was looking at was so cheap — repairs run to multiple thousands for everything. He gave me some really good advice on buying a car and the pitfalls. He actively dissuaded me from the warranty and the approach I was thinking about. He’s a really great salesman — he put the customer first, not selling a product that might do half of what I wanted. I will definitely use this company again and would highly recommend their salesman, Ryan C.”

Dennis H., two-star review:

“Seemed good. Now, I’ve canceled my warranty after 4 days. Fighting to get my money back, getting a run-around. Said I had to respond to an email, but they don’t send an email. Called twice now.”

Response from CARCHEX:

“Thank you for your review. We have reached out to you and processed your request to cancel. With your purchase being inside our 30-day money-back guarantee period, your refund will appear in your account in 2-3 business days. Please give us a call if you have any additional questions or concerns. We can be reached at our phone number. Best, CARCHEX Customer Service Team.”

When going over the CARCHEX reviews, one of the first things we noticed was that almost every review has an official response from CARCHEX. That’s something that we love to see. 

Most of the reviews tended to be about buying or refunding the policy, not speservicing it. This could be taken as a good thing, since there weren’t many reviews complaining about a lack of coverage. We’re happy to see one review detailing a time a customer service representative went above and beyond, too.

Endurance Warranty vs. CARCHEX: Who Do We Recommend?

When comparing Endurance Warranty and CARCHEX, we’ve examined background information, coverage details, and customer reviews. While both companies have mixed reviews, if you were to choose between the two, we would recommend CARCHEX over Endurance Warranty. This is because of the aggressive tactics being used by Endurance Warranty that we do not agree with.

It’s worth remembering that CarEdge also offers vehicle service contracts.

Our VSC has transparent pricing, and you can meet with one of our team members to have all your questions answered for free. Not to mention, AUL (our partner) has great customer reviews.

We chose to work with AUL due to their excellent plans, affordable cost, and great customer reviews. Still not sure? Schedule a 15-minute consultation call with us. We’ll be happy to walk you through VSC options, even if you don’t choose ours. Create a free CarEdge account to schedule your call today.