It’s always exciting shopping the market for a new car; however, it’s important to remember that buying a used car is also a risk. Without the right warranty, you could be left forking out for repairs just weeks (or days!) after driving the vehicle away. Therefore, it’s worth brushing up on some knowledge before spending your hard-earned money.
While used vehicles from Collishaw Auto used cars & trucks don’t normally come with a full warranty like new cars, reliable car dealers like them often offer a powertrain warranty. But what does this mean? What does it cover?
What’s a Powertrain?
Often, people confuse the powertrain for the engine. While the powertrain does include the engine, it’s actually a more complex part of the vehicle. Various components are included in the powertrain including the engine, driveshafts, transmission, differentials, and the transfer case. This last one is only applicable to vehicles that have four-wheel (or all-wheel) drive.
Even in this regard, the term ‘engine’ is still too broad because it contains the internal parts, oil pan, cylinder block and heads, pumps, fuel injectors, valve train, flywheel, seals and gaskets, and more.
As you’ve probably noticed, the powertrain includes all the parts required for the car to generate power. With this in mind, many other vehicles also have a powertrain including airplanes, motorbikes, and boats. If something goes wrong with this system, the car doesn’t have power and cannot go anywhere.
Powertrain Warranty
When you see that a used car comes with a powertrain warranty, it essentially means that all of the aspects of the powertrain mentioned above are covered for a certain period. If something goes wrong, you can take the vehicle back to the dealer and they should deal with the problem or give you a refund (if the problem is a serious one).
Depending on the level of coverage, your powertrain warranty could also cover the following:
Axle shafts
Wheel hubs and bearings
Exhaust and intake manifolds
Other elements
Essentially, the engine creates power, this moves to the transmission, goes through the driveshaft, and finally reaches the wheels to help us move backwards or forwards. If something is wrong with the powertrain, power is unlikely to reach the wheels and you’re stuck on the driveway on the morning of a very important meeting (it’s always the way!).
When purchasing a used car, the powertrain warranty provides you with peace of mind. If you have the car for two days and then it fails to start, you’re covered and aren’t left dealing with the problem alone. Powertrain warranties protect customers and prevent used car dealers from selling poor-quality cars.
What Isn’t Covered?
With all of this in mind, it begs the question of what isn’t covered. Ultimately, features that don’t contribute to the powertrain system are omitted from this coverage. For example, this could be the windows, radio, or air conditioning. Since they don’t directly contribute to the power system, they aren’t covered in a powertrain warranty.
Similarly, you aren’t covered for features that need replacing regularly as a result of normal wear and tear. Even though clutches and brake pads are considered parts of the powertrain, they’re features that need changing every so often anyway.
Of course, you also aren’t covered for an accident, theft, fire, flooding, vandalism, or events of this nature. The powertrain warranty is provided to cover breakages that shouldn’t theoretically occur given the car’s age and overall state.
If you have questions about the powertrain warranty before buying a used car, speak with the dealer and get all the answers you need!