Contracts & Service Plans

Vehicle service contracts read as documents: exclusion lists, what voids coverage, cancellation and prorated refunds, and what CPO and a Buyers Guide oblige.

Contracts & Service Plans August 21, 2026 Manufacturer CPO vs Dealer Certified: Reading Both on Paper Two used cars wearing the same word, and only one of them has a warranty document behind it. The four lines that separate them, and what to ask for by name. 10 min read

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Nothing looked wrong on either car. Both times the problem was already written down somewhere Clay Dettmer had not thought to look — a title branded in a state the seller never mentioned, a recall that had been open for two years. He buys cheap used cars and now pulls the free records before the test drive instead of after the tow. He is not a mechanic, a dealer, or an adjuster, and he inspects nothing. Everything here comes from public federal and state data, quoted with the agency, the section number, and the date it was read.

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Every guide cites the agency, statute, or document it was checked against, and carries the date it was checked. Rules change — if something here is out of date, tell us and it gets corrected.