Route 66 Warranty Review [2024]
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Not unlike the iconic highway from which it takes its name, Route 66 extended warranties have been around for a long time. Despite being in business for over 33 years, there are not many Route 66 warranty reviews available online. The company has a strangely small online footprint for a company that is so old.
This article will provide information about a Route 66 extended warranty by analyzing cost, coverage, reviews, and the claims process.
See how Route 66 compares to the best extended car warranty companies by researching quotes for your own vehicle. Use the buttons above to get started.
Table of contents
Route 66 Warranty Review: 2.8 Stars
It’s hard to recommend a Route 66 extended warranty. While the company partners with local financial institutions and appears legitimate, the lack of Route 66 warranty reviews is suspect.
The sample contract on the Route 66 website is three years old, and customers have complained about coverage. It may be worth learning more about this provider, but because we were unable to find many other positives, there may be no need to take the risk. You can find similar contracts at lower prices from more reputable extended car warranty companies.
Route 66 Highlights
Overall Rating |
2.8 |
---|---|
Reputation |
2.2 |
Coverage |
2.1 |
Price |
2.8 |
Transparency |
2.9 |
Customer Service |
3.8 |
Route 66 extended warranties, also called vehicle service contracts, are a little different than other providers in that all coverage is provided through financial institutions. This means that contracts are serviced through banking partners—generally local banks and credit unions. As such, all service agreements are fully insured and available nationwide.
There aren’t many Route 66 extended warranty reviews online, so it’s difficult to find out how customers feel about this provider.
Route 66 Extended Warranty Coverage
The following vehicle types are excluded from deluxe and bumper-to-bumper coverage:
More details about each plan and covered parts are described in the chart below:
First Street (Drivetrain) |
Main Street (Deluxe) |
Easy Street (Bumper-to-Bumper) |
|
---|---|---|---|
Vehicles Covered |
No restrictions |
10 manufacturer years old and newer with fewer than 140,000 miles |
6 manufacturer years old and newer with fewer than 85,000 miles |
Engine |
|||
Transmission |
|||
Transfer Case |
|||
Drive Axle Assembly |
|||
Cooling System |
|||
Electrical Components |
|||
Timing Chain |
|||
Air Conditioning |
|||
Front Suspension |
|||
Steering |
|||
Select Brake System Components |
|||
Fuel Delivery |
|||
Rear Suspension |
|||
Navigation System |
|||
Turbo/Supercharger |
All extended service plans cover parts and labor and have no deductible. Each plan also includes the following bonuses:
- 24-hour roadside assistance: Includes towing, flat tire changes, fuel delivery, lock-out service, and battery jump-starts
- Rental car reimbursement: Includes reimbursement of $40 per day up to $200
The term limits of Route 66 extended warranty plans vary with each contract. Main Street and First Street plans are 3-year/36,000-mile contracts.
The Easy Street plan is most similar to a factory warranty, and its terms vary depending on vehicle mileage.
- Vehicles with less than 72,000 miles: 4 years/120,000 miles or 8 years/120,000 miles
- Vehicles between 72,000 and 85,000 miles: 4 years/48,000 miles
All contracts are transferable and can be purchased at any time. If your car is declared a total loss, Route 66 will refund your entire premium.
Route 66 Cost
In our shopper analysis, we were unable to obtain a quote for a Route 66 extended warranty. To get an idea of what an extended warranty costs, we had to turn to Route 66 warranty reviews. The company does not have a profile on Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau, but there are some reviews on Yelp.
In Yelp reviews, customers complained about the high cost of contracts. One reviewer said that Easy Street coverage costs $3,000. Another customer said their coverage was $3,900 but did not mention which plan. These prices are average to high for an extended car warranty.
Your own price will vary depending on your vehicle’s make, model, age, and mileage.
Quotes and Claims Processes
You cannot get a quote directly from Route 66 or through car dealerships. All contracts are serviced through local financial institutions, so to receive a quote, you must first reach out to Route 66 to find the provider nearest to you. Then you need to contact that bank directly to ask for your quote. Email sales@route66warranty.com for more information.
All contracts come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Contracts can be canceled after 30 days, but you must pay a prorated amount for the days you were covered.
One nice customer service feature offered by Route 66 is a live chat option, which offers a quick and painless way to chat with a representative.
Claims
If you have a breakdown, you can take your car to any licensed repair facility. You'll have to contact Route 66 Warranty before any work can be performed. There are four options for submitting claims to the claims department:
- Submit an online claims form.
- Call 800-808-0828.
- Email claims@route66warranty.com.
- Use the website live chat feature.
When your claim is accepted, Route 66 will pay the repair shop directly. Route 66 warranty reviews from customers on Yelp complained about the claims process. Many reported difficulties having claims covered. Customer service appears to be good when you are purchasing a Route 66 warranty, but poor when it comes time to file a claim.
Route 66 Warranty Reviews and Ratings
It is difficult to find Route 66 extended warranty reviews online. As we mentioned, the company does not have a BBB or Trustpilot profile. The only reviews we could find on Route 66 were posted to Yelp. Such a small presence is strange for a company that is over 33 years old.
The lack of customer review information is a troubling sign. It doesn’t guarantee that the company is bad, but it does make knowing for sure a little more difficult. The Route 66 extended warranty reviews we could find were mostly negative. Customers complained about the price of coverage and claims denial.
That said, a recent Yelp reviewer said the warranty covered most of the cost of a recent repair, but not all of it. Overall, the reviewer was satisfied but wished Route 66 Warranty covered the whole cost.
Top Recommendations for Extended Car Warranties
#1 Endurance: Best Coverage
We think Endurance offers an impressive range of coverage and pricing options among warranty providers. There are six different coverage levels and four different deductibles. Endurance extended warranty plans extended as high as 8 years and 200,000+ miles. Endurance can help you protect your investment over the long-term.
In 2019, Endurance was named one of the Inc. 5000. This means it was considered among the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Endurance is our top-rated provider and a reliable choice for an extended car warranty.
#2 CARCHEX: Best For Used Cars
CARCHEX has been selling extended car warranties for over 20 years. This is notable in the fast-changing car warranty industry, where companies are born and go out of business in less than a decade. While competitors withered, CARCHEX steadily accumulated multiple industry awards and an army of customers.
CARCHEX offers five levels of coverage, with options that extend as high as 10 years and 250,000 miles. Among top-tier providers, it offers some of the lowest prices. Multiple deductible choices allow for more plan customization to fit your budget.
Methodology
- Price: Comparing providers can be difficult due to the many factors that influence cost. To determine this score, we employ a secret shopper analysis using different vehicles, mileages, warranty plans, and locations.
- Coverage: A wide variety of coverage is essential to support the differing needs of customers. We take into account the number of extended car warranty plans available, term limits, exclusions, and additional benefits.
- Customer Service: The level of customer service and care provided by an extended warranty company is an important consideration. Our review team sifts through customer reviews and complaints from reputable sources such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot. We also consider the responsiveness of each company's customer service team based on our secret shopper analysis.
- Reputation: Good extended warranty providers consistently provide quality experiences. Our team takes into account BBB ratings and the company's history of reliable service when giving this score.
- Transparency: Customers value a commitment to open and honest communication when it comes to vehicle service contracts. Our team of experts takes into account the availability of money-back guarantees and sample contracts.
Q & A
How long is a Route 66 warranty good for?
Route 66 extended warranty contracts vary in term length. First Street (drivetrain) and Main Street (deluxe) plans last for 3 years/36,000 miles. Easy Street (bumper-to-bumper) plans last up to 8 years/120,000 miles depending on the vehicle's starting mileage.
How much is a Route 66 warranty?
Route 66 Warranty's plans vary in price depending on your vehicle's age and mileage and on the coverage level you select. According to our research, plans can range from around $2,500 to $3,500 or more in total cost.
Do extended warranties really work?
Extended warranties from reputable companies do cover the repairs that are outlined in the contracts. According to our consumer survey, 41 percent of consumers were satisfied because the warranty covered repairs, while another 24 percent were satisfied even though they hadn't used the warranty.
Stephen Kenney is a writer and editor who focuses on car insurance, auto financing, and vehicle shipping services. He's a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and has experience covering categories ranging from travel to sports to environmental sustainability. In his free time, Stephen enjoys going on long-distance runs, trying out new recipes, and exploring his adopted hometown of Cincinnati.
More by Stephen Kenney
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If you have a breakdown after 5:00 pm on the west coast, you can forget about rapid repairs, the route 66 office is on the east coast! And, they won’t talk (approve) your repair until the following business day, if they even return the repair stations call! (They are NO TIMELY! You will just have to wait on them! You don’t matter! You are just the customer! I would recommend purchasing a different companies policy!
First of all I personally feel Warranty Companies and product warranties are a big rip-off. That being said, I have some input that might be helpful to someone.
I had the Car Shield Extended Warranty. I am getting up in age and figured it might be helpful for my wife if and when something happens to me. I told them I wanted to best policy. Well, came time to test it out. I took my wife 2011 BMW 535iX in to the BMW dealer for a bad oil leak on the valve cover and oil filter adapter.
BMW started the process through Car Shield. Turns out that I did not have the best policy, but the Extended Warranty still would not cover the Valve cover leak because it was considered plastic. I asked CS about upgrading to the best policy and the initiated it. Then I found out that the cost of the upgraded warranty was about the same as HALF a new car payment (Bear with me now) but still would not cover the repairs because they were now considered PRE-EXISTING. I also found out that if you turn more than ONE item for warranty that there was a $100 deductible AND each item had to be turned in separately, meaning if you had five items to turn in you had to submit five different claims and pay $100 deductible for each one.
Since Car Shield was now a no-go, I went with Route 66 Extended Warranty. I just got my vehicle back from the BMW dealer. They turned in warranty request for (FIVE) items. The repairs did have to be pre-approved which took longer BUT there was NO deductible, they approved all 5 claims, all were performed at the same time and the only thing I had to pay was the sales tax for the parts.
The Route 66 warranty was about HALF price of the Car Shield Warranty, covered more, NO DEDUCTIBLE, and ALL items were repaired on the same visit.
My only complaint, if you want to cal it that is that the car rental while my car was being repaired was only covered for 5 days at $40 per day, Maximum of $200.
Route 66 Warranty paid out about $6,500 including car rental reimbursement and I am absolutely tickled to death with it. Sure, it took a few days for them to approve it but all is well and I'm still regretting getting hooked up with Car Shield.
You needn't expect ANY warranty to jump in right away... it will take time for approval, but I am happy with Route 66.
Ed