Acura is known to be the luxury division of Honda Motor Company. With a parent company who’s known to provide reliable vehicles, if you have an Acura or are preparing to purchase one, you may be pondering the question, do you need extended warranty coverage? Or Is an Acura extended warranty worth buying for 2021? To get an answer, let’s get a better understanding of what an Acura extended warranty is.
Acura Extended Warranty Overview
Primarily, an Acura extended warranty is a vehicle service contract whose purpose is to financially cover you from expensive repairs brought from manufacturer failure. Similar to the purchase of car insurance, except with no accidents involved. But ending our definition there can cheat you from really understanding what you can get out of an Acura extended warranty.
According to RepairPal, – “The average annual repair cost for all Acura models is $501 per year. compared to $652 across all models.”
This is conceived through data on newer 2010-2019 model year vehicles. With these statistics, you can acknowledge the reliability an Acura vehicle will provide for you.
During the first few years of a new Acura, you can rely on Acura’s factory warranty, or Acura vehicle service contracts, that comes along with it. The provided bumper-to-bumper warranty lasts 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, and their powertrain warranty lasts 6 years or 70,000 miles. These Acura vehicle service contracts will alleviate you from repairs that exist due to a manufacturer fault. So keep in mind these won’t cover the common maintenance and wear and tear repairs.
The manufacturer’s warranty normally only lasts for a few years. However, it’s more common for vehicle parts to break down the older it gets and the more miles it has driven. It will be more worth your while to have an extension of warranty coverage past 100,000 miles. Does Acura offer an extended warranty? Yes. Acura offers vehicle service contracts that they call Acura Care.
Acura Extended Warranty Coverage Option
- New Vehicle Coverage
- Pre-Owned Vehicle Coverage
- Certified Additional Coverage
- Powertrain Coverage (Pre-Owned Vehicles Only)
Although you may not qualify for all four types of Acura extended warranty plans, each category is tailored depending on where your Acura vehicle is in its life cycle. As its name suggests, New Acura vehicles qualify for the New Vehicle Coverage but may not qualify for the Pre-Owned Vehicle Coverage and the Powertrain Coverage.
What is Included within Acura’s Extended Warranty?
Each of the coverage options will vary in the components they cover. These specifics will be provided for you in the Acura Vehicle Service Contracts. But here is an overview.
New, Pre-Owned and Certified Additional Coverage includes: –
- Drivetrain – Engine, Transmission, Differential, Front/Rear Axles
- Electronics – Computers, Electronic Components, Electrical System
- Chassis – Suspension, Steering, Brake System
- Heating/Cooling – Air Conditioning, Heating and Cooling System
- Acura Genuine Accessories – Audio and Communication Devices/Accessories, Navigational System, Security System
Powertrain Coverage includes:
- Engine
- Front and Rear Drive Axles
- Transmission
- Seals, Gaskets and Fluids
The specifics of what is covered under Acura extended warranty will vary depending which coverage you will have. For example, cylinder heads and the timing belt in the engine may be covered in the New Vehicle Coverage but may not be covered in the Powertrain Coverage. For these specifics, you have to contact your Acura dealer for an updated Acura Vehicle Service Contract.
With Acura Care other perks include:
1. Roadside Assistance
They provide 24-hour roadside assistance, battery jump-start, tire change, fuel delivery, towing service, and lockout assistance.
2. Rental-Car Reimbursement
During a covered repair, Acura Care also provides rental car reimbursement for up to $45 a day for up to 6 days.
3. Trip-Interruption Benefit
If you are out of town during a covered repair, Acura Care can provide you with their Trip-Interruption Benefit with Acura’s motor club. With this, $100 will be reimbursed for meals and lodging per day up to 3 days for New, Pre-Owned and Powertrain plans. For this benefit to be included, you must be over 100 miles from home and the repair must be due to a mechanical breakdown.
4. Concierge Services
Having Acura Care will also open up their motor club’s Concierge Services. This includes around the clock emergency cash advance, airline ticket assistance, shipment of personal replacement items, insurance-claim assistance and auto-glass replacement referral.
What is Excluded within Acura’s Extended Warranty?
As previously mentioned, Acura extended warranty plans won’t cover the same components and will have various exclusions. Unless the written contract is in the form of an exclusionary list, any parts not listed in the contract will not be covered. For these specifics, you will have to contact your Acura dealer.
What is commonly excluded in Auto extended warranties, are any breakdowns caused by collision, natural causes like fire, flood, overheating, corrosion or rust, vandalism, misuse, negligence and normal wear and tear items. Normal maintenance will not be included. What is commonly categorized as Wear and tear items are:
- Belts & Hoses
- Oil Filters
- Windshield Wipers
- Wheels and Rims
- Batteries
- Spark plugs
- Bulbs
- Fuses
- Air Filters
- Brake pads
- Tires
Acura Care technicians only use Acura Genuine Parts. Parts other than ACURA Genuine or AMERICAN HONDA authorized parts will also be excluded from any Acura Care’s plans.
Another set of exclusions include any repairs due to negligence, misuse and adjustments not recommended by AMERICAN HONDA. Damage done due to any aftermarket part will not be covered even if the damaged part is covered.
Acura Extended Warranty Cost
An Acura extended warranty cost will vary based on your vehicle’s model, year, miles, and plan you choose. There is affordable financing for any of the Acura extended car coverages. However, these costs are usually not exposed until you curate a plan and get an estimate for your specific vehicle.
There are five important numbers to understand in order to properly compare estimates and figure out how good is Acura warranty and are Acura extended warranties worth it for you.
- Total Price – the total price for the Vehicle Service Contract.
- Monthly Payment – the price you pay per month to reach the total price.
- Down Payment – the portion of the total price that you pay upfront when you start your plan.
- Deductible – the amount of the repair cost you must pay for each visit for repair breakdowns covered by the contract. This amount is what you have to pay before the extended warranty and is separate from payments you make to the Total Price.
- Cost per Year of Coverage – the number to compare with other plans to figure out which is cheaper or more expensive. Dividing the Total Cost with the years of coverage will give you this number.
According to creditKarma.com –“Vehicle extended warranty costs can range from $1,000 to $3,000 or more”. Vehicle service contracts bought from dealerships like Acura Care will be more expensive than purchasing from a third-party extended warranty especially if you opt to insert the cost of the warranty into your auto loan. Keep in mind, If you do add it into your auto loan, you’ll not only be paying for an Acura extended warranty cost, but also interest and potential fees.
Third-party extended warranty providers will offer more affordable options and curate a payment plan more favorable to the purchaser. As per the data from autowarrantyresources,
“Most Acura extended warranty providers offer 0% financing and it doesn’t matter if you pay for your coverage in full or finance it.”
The two common levels of coverage are Exclusionary (commonly referred to as “Bumper-to-Bumper”) and Powertrain. With more coverage under Exclusionary, the average total price ranges between $1,700 and $4,600.
For Powertrain coverage, the average total price ranges between $1,300 and $3,400. What also affects the prices are the make, model, mileage, term length and deductible.
“As you can see, prices vary, but you are likely to pay between $500 and $900 per year for an Acura extended warranty.” – automoblog.net
So is Acura extended warranty worth it? Their main purpose is to help you when you have a surprise mechanical repair. According to Repairpal – “the average Acura visits a repair shop 0.4 times a year for unscheduled repairs”.
And as previously mentioned, the average annual repair cost is $501 per year. Across all Acura models, 8% of repairs are considered severe.
Here are a few prices you would pay for a repair based on research from thedetroitbureau:
- Acura Legend Water pump replacement $632 to $906.
- Acura RL Alternator replacement $519 to $775.
- Acura RSX Intake manifold gasket replacement $248 to $290.
- Acura TL Stabilizer bushing replacement $181 to $225.
Estimated Cost*
After getting a personal estimate for an Acura extended warranty for your vehicle, compare the numbers, you can figure out if it is financially beneficial for you. If you’re one who likes to be prepared and would rather not have a huge surprise repair bill, an Acura extended warranty would be worth it.
Third-party Extended Warranty vs Acura Manufacturer’s Warranty
| Third Party Extended Warranty | Acura Manufacturer Warranty |
|---|---|
| Less Expensive – no hidden fees | More Expensive – interest and extra fees |
| More coverage options and flexible payment plans | Four coverage options |
| Repairs can be made by local repair facilities | Repairs must be made by your Acura dealer repair shop or other authorized Acura Dealer |
| Authorized parts may also include aftermarket parts | Acura Genuine or American Honda authorized parts |
| More vehicles qualify | Limited qualified vehicles |
Benefits with Autopom Acura Extended Warranty
The last thing you wanted was to pay for a headache. Getting your Acura extended warranty from autopom! is the right step to getting the best customer service. autopom! also provides some of the lowest prices for various coverage options, from the most coverage with an Exclusionary plan to the most affordable coverage with a Powertrain Plus plan.
They approve of any licensed repair facility so there may not be a need to switch from your favorite, reputable mechanic. Nationwide roadside assistance and rental car assistance is also included to help during a mechanical breakdown.
autopom! is a company you can trust with their highly rated services and are known for being an advocate for their customers. You can have peace of mind knowing your Acura will be covered and the process doing so will be simply refreshing.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Does Acura offer an extended warranty?
Yes. Acura’s extended warranty program is called Acura Care.
2) What is covered under Acura extended warranty?
Depending on the type of coverage, the list of parts covered under Acura extended warranty will vary. Possible inclusions are Powertrain, Electrical System, Steering, Brakes, Air Conditioner, Suspension, and Fuel System. Parts are covered so long as it is not due to natural causes, negligence, wear and tear or any other breach of contract.
3) Are brakes covered under Acura warranty?
The brakes system may be included depending on the coverage; however the brake pads and rotors are considered wear and tear items and will not be covered.
4) How good is Acura warranty?
Acura warranty can be really good in giving you assurance for surprise mechanical breakdowns or from just the assurance knowing you have coverage in place of such an incident.
5) Are Acura extended warranties worth it?
Acura extended warranties can save you thousands of dollars with the assurance of having a payment plan already prepared and in place for unplanned mechanical breakdowns.
6) What Will Void My Acura Warranty?
Depending on the provider you purchased the Vehicle Service Contract from, what may void coverage are: aftermarket modifications, lack of maintenance specified in Your Owner’s manual, repairs due to negligence or misuse, environmental causes, accidents, coverage from another contract or warranty, failure to provide all maintenance records and if miles traveled cannot be accurately determined.
7) What Is Acura Plus Extended Warranty Coverage?
Acura plus extended warranty coverage is an Acura extended warranty coverage USA and Canada covering more than 4 years.
8) Is Extended Warranty Coverage Required by Law?
No. An extended warranty coverage is not needed to operate a vehicle like how car insurance is needed in the States.
9) Is an Acura Extended Warranty Worth Buying? (2021)
Acura extended warranty is worth buying when you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars from unexpected mechanical breakdowns or from having peace of mind with a plan in preparation for such an event.
