By: Cristina | Last updated January 17, 2020 
Most car owners get really attached to their cars and they keep them for years and years, for as long as they work and can drive them around. If you want to enjoy your car for as long as possible, you have to think ahead and take all the precautionary measures you can.
The dealer/manufacturer do offer you some warranties when you buy a new car, but they can only do so much for you. The bumper to bumper and the powertrain warranties are usually the most popular ones.
What do the bumper to bumper and the powertrain warranties include?
The bumper to bumper warranty is the comprehensive warranty that comes with your vehicle and covers everything in your car, from bumper to bumper: engine, transmission, air conditioning, electronics and so on. It only excludes the consumables, which are the parts that wear over time and have to be replaced by car owners: lights, wipers, tires, brake pads, etc. Despite the name, the bumpers are also considered wear parts and are not covered by the bumper to bumper warranty.
The bumper to bumper warranty usually lasts for approximately 3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), but some car makers offer them for up to 5, even 6 years (Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia).
After that period, another warranty remains in effect: the powertrain warranty. This warranty is more minimal though and only covers the basic parts in your car, mainly the ones that make the car move: engine, transmission, suspension.
Extended car warranties, which should really be called vehicle service contracts, because that’s what they really are, are an additional type of warranty you can buy for your car, to protect it after the other 2 warranties expire. You can get it from your manufacturer, a third-party or directly from the dealer. It can be bought for 5 or even more years/miles, depending on the provider.
The extended car warranty covers specific parts/systems of your car (the coverage also depends on the provider and type of plan you opt for) and in case they break, the extended car warranty provider will pay for the repairs.
Autopom! is one of the most reputable extended car warranty providers in the industry. The name stands for automotive peace of mind and this company is based in California. It has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Autopom! offers full coverage for US and Canada and has one of the best mileage restrictions in the industry. It covers vehicles that are up to 15 years old and have up to 200,000 miles on them. In California, where they sell MBI (Mechanical Breakdown Insurance), they only cover cars that are up to 10 years old and have up to 120,000 miles on them.
Autopom! covers pretty much any type of car out there, except for some really high-end ones such as Lamborghini, Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche, Rolls-Royce.
What does it offer?
Autopom! offers 20 plans to choose from, grouped in 4 levels: exclusionary (the most premium one and the most comprehensive of them all), high-level, mid-level and powertrain plus.
Regardless of the plan you sign up for, autopom! includes in it 24/7 assistance and rental vehicle assistance. You get a 30-day money back guarantee with all their plans and you can take your car to any repair shop you want, as long as it is located in the US or in Canada.
There is a $200 deductible charged, which is a bit high, but their overall service is impressive. They assign a dedicated representative to work with you for the entire period of the contract and they offer an excellent customer support.
Levels and plans offered by autopom!
Exclusionary level
The plans included in this level are: Royal Elite Plus MBI, Mercury Platinum MBI (only available in CA), UCC Paramount, Royal Ultimate, Mercury Ultimate, EFG Ultimate (available most states nationwide). The plans included in this level resemble the most with manufacturer’s warranty.
The maximum term for all these plans is 8 years for UCC Paramount, 6 in the case of Royal Elite Plus MBI and 7 years for the rest of the plans. They also cover cars with up to 150,000 miles for EFG Ultimate and around 100,000 miles for the rest.
High-level
the plans in this level cover a lot of components related to transmission, engine, transfer case, drive axle, steering, electrical, air conditioning, braking, cooling, seals and gaskets and fuel system.
Available plans: Royal Premium MBI, Mercury Gold MBI, UCC Comprehensive, Royal Premium, Mercury Deluxe.
The maximum period of coverage is 7 years or 6 years for the Royal Premium MBI. Number of miles: 100,000 and 105,000 miles for the Mercury Deluxe.
Mid-level
this level covers all the components included in the Powertrain Plus plans (will describe them below) plus components related to steering, braking, fuel delivery, suspension, cooling.
Available plans: EFG Deluxe, Royal Preferred, Royal Standard MBI, Mercury Silver MBI. The maximum term is 7 years for Mercury Silver MBI and Royal Preferred, 6 years for Royal Standard MBI and 5 years for EFG Deluxe. The max. number of miles is 100,000 and 125,000 miles for EFG Deluxe.
Powertrain Plus level
The plans in this level are the most affordable ones but cover only the major systems/components of your vehicle: transmission, engine, transfer case, drive axle, differential assembly. You can also cover extra components related to air conditioning, the electrical system and the fuel systems.
Available plans: Mercury Copper MBI, Mercury Select, UCC Powertrain Plus, EFG Powertrain Choice, Royal Centennial.
The maximum term is 6 years for UCC Powertrain Plus and only 3 years for Mercury Select and Mercury Copper MBI. As for the number of miles: 100,000 for Royal Centennial and EFG Powertrain Choice and only 36,000 for Mercury Select and Mercury Copper MBI. For UCC Powertrain Plus: 75,000 additional miles.
Overall we have been very impressed by all aspects of AutoPOM! and highly suggest that you take a look at them. They are our #1 ranked extended auto insurer and we have put them as a better provider than USAA's extended auto insurance.
