What happens when your car breaks down

No surprises version. Six steps, one of which decides more denied claims than every coverage question combined.

1. 1

   Get the vehicle to a licensed repair facility

   Any licensed shop in the United States, including your dealership. You do not have to use a shop from a list. If the car is not driveable, use the roadside assistance included with your plan rather than paying for a tow yourself.

2. 2

   Have them diagnose the problem

   The shop needs to know what failed before anyone can say whether it is covered. Expect a diagnostic charge at this stage — it is commonly reimbursed when the resulting repair turns out to be covered, and commonly not when it isn't.

3. 3

   The shop calls the claims line BEFORE any work starts

   This is the step that matters. Before teardown, before parts are ordered, before a wrench is turned, the shop calls for authorization and gets an authorization number. Work begun without it can be denied even when the failed part was plainly covered. If a shop offers to sort the paperwork afterwards, stop and have them call first.

4. 4

   The claim is reviewed against your contract

   The administrator checks the failed component against what your plan covers, confirms the repair is a covered breakdown rather than wear, maintenance or pre-existing damage, and agrees the labor time and parts with the shop.

5. 5

   Covered repairs are paid to the shop directly

   You are not asked to pay the full bill and claim it back. The covered amount goes to the repair facility, and you settle your deductible with them along with anything not covered.

6. 6

   You collect the car

   If the repair runs long, rental reimbursement — where your plan includes it — covers a daily allowance up to a set number of days.

Why claims get denied

We would rather you knew these before you buy than found out at a counter.

• Work started before authorizationThe most common one, and the most avoidable. One phone call prevents it.
• The part isn't on your planCoverage levels differ. The Coverage Plans page shows which systems each level includes.
• The failure was pre-existingAnything already wrong before coverage started is excluded on every plan, everywhere.
• It's wear, not a breakdownParts with a designed service life — pads, filters, bulbs — wear out rather than fail.
• Missed maintenance caused itKeep your service records. They are the evidence that a failure wasn't neglect.

This page describes the general claims process and is not a contract. Coverage, exclusions, deductibles and benefit limits are set out in your service contract and vary by plan and by state. Before starting any teardown or repairs, please call Claims at 1-877-252-8036 for authorization & instructions.