How do I transfer a Buick warranty?

One of the biggest perks to a Buick protection plan is that it is transferable, so if you sell your vehicle, you can transfer the plan to the new owner’s name. Typically, you just have to contact the warranty provider and provide authorization of the transfer. The provider will then need the new owner’s information.

What are some of the extra costs associated with a new Buick?

When it comes to purchasing a vehicle, there are a lot of hidden costs. Buicks offer many smart devices, including remote access (smart driver system and vehicle diagnostics, as well as remote start). Though these may be included with the car, monthly, or yearly data plan rates apply. On top of the Buick car purchase, you also have to account for title license dealer fees and freight charge tax. The list price, also called manufacturer’s suggested retail price, also excludes destination freight charge.

What is the difference between a powertrain and bumper-to-bumper warranty?

A powertrain warranty covers the major systems, including the engine, transmission, and drive axle. There are different levels of powertrain warranties, but most offer coverage for higher-mileage vehicles. A powertrain warranty is also included in your Buick warranty. A bumper-to-bumper warranty covers most parts of the vehicle. Since it includes so many parts, usually only the exclusions are listed in your contract. Typically, these warranties don’t last as long as powertrain warranties.

How much is a Buick extended warranty?

The cost of a Buick protection plan depends on your model and how long you wait to buy the plan. Dealers can also mark up the cost, so it’s a good idea to compare options from different dealerships.

Are vehicle service contracts worth it?

If you have an older vehicle and are anticipating a lot of repairs, you’ll definitely want to purchase a vehicle service contract. With a protection plan in place, you can feel confident that you’ll be able to afford the repairs without breaking the bank. You’ll also get the peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong on the highway or during a cross-country trip, you won’t be stranded or stuck paying the full cost of a rental car, meals, or lodging.

What other protection plans does Buick offer?

Outside of its basic factory warranty, Buick offers additional protection plans. Here’s an overview: GAP Coverage: This plan has to be purchased at the same time as your vehicle (for new or leased Buicks). It helps you if your vehicle is damaged and you can’t afford the costs that aren’t covered by your insurance. Tire & Wheel: This plan can cover tire repair/replacement, road hazard wheel damage, and cosmetic wheel damage. Pre-Paid Maintenance: Two plans are available, and both offer coverage on services not included in the Buick warranty, such as oil changes, tire rotations, and fluid top-offs. Appearance Guard: Warranties are meant to maintain the function of your vehicle. If you want to fix car dents, fix windshield damages, or replace your key fob, you can purchase this plan. XS Wear® Lease Protection: If you have a leased Buick, you want to protect it against normal wear-and-tear costs. Covered items include dents, chipped paint, missing parts, chipped glass, and more. Advanced Lease Protection: A higher-grade plan that helps the owner of a Buick lease to cover everything from brake pad and battery components to headlamp bulb and fluid coverage. Although these plans protect you at the time of purchase, Buick car owners want protection on parts and systems outside of these plans, which is why vehicle service contracts are so useful.

What Does Your Buick Warranty Cover?

Disclosure: This content was produced by an independent editorial party for the purposes of educating our customers, and is not influenced by the other business operations of CARCHEX.

An extended car warranty is protection from the vehicle manufacturer against mechanical breakdowns. This term is sometimes incorrectly used to describe coverage from third-party providers, which offer similar protection plans called vehicle service contracts. CARCHEX is a vehicle service contract provider.

Buick is a brand of General Motors (GM), which offers popular models like the Enclave, Envision, and LaCrosse. Whether you purchase a new, leased, or certified pre-owned Buick vehicle, you want to make sure you get coverage on your systems and parts.

A Buick warranty comes with all new cars. Below, we explore the different factory plans, as well as the benefits of purchasing a vehicle protection plan from a third-party provider. CARCHEX offers five vehicle service contract options for Buick vehicles and includes roadside assistance, trip protection, and more.

Buick Warranties for New Vehicles

Buick’s warranty has changed in recent years. In 2019, it was offering a 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and 6-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty. In 2020, it cut coverage to 3 years/36,000 miles and 5 years/60,000 miles for both coverage levels. If you bought a 2019 model year you still may have some of the longer powertrain warranty left, depending on your mileage.

Buick Warranty for 2019

4-year/50,000-mile Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty	6-year/70,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty	6-year/70,000-mile Courtesy Transportation
4-year/50,000-mile Corrosion Coverage	6-year/70,000-mile 24/7 Roadside Assistance	6-year/unlimited-mile Rust-Through Coverage

Buick Warranty for 2020 and Later

3-year/36,000-mile Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty	5-year/60,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty	5-year/60,000-mile Courtesy Transportation
3-year/36,000-mile Corrosion Coverage	5-year/60,000-mile 24/7 Roadside Assistance	6-year/100,000-mile Rust-Through Coverage

What Do These Warranties Cover?

Each of these warranties protects different parts of your Buick.

Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty: This covers all repairs, parts, and labor to correct defective materials or workmanship in your new vehicle using Genuine GM Parts. You can transfer the Buick bumper-to-bumper warranty to a new owner.
Corrosion Coverage: This protects you from paying for any corroded body and sheet metal components on your Buick.
Powertrain Limited Warranty: This warranty covers defective parts of the powertrain, including the engine (all internally lubricated parts, engine oil cooling hoses and lines, and more) and the transmission/transaxle (all internally lubricated parts, torque converter, case, seals and gaskets, and more).
Courtesy Transportation Program: Buick will reimburse certain expenses such as a rental car if your car needs covered repairs.
Roadside Assistance Program: If your car breaks down on the side of the road, you can contact roadside assistance for help. Buick offers this program through Allstate Roadside Services.
Rust-Through Coverage: If any of your sheet metals rust through and create a hole, Buick will cover the repair costs.

What’s Not Covered?

Like most warranties, Buick only covers mechanical breakdowns caused by errors on their end. That means if your car is damaged from any of these events, it’s not covered by Buick:

Accident
Misuse
Alteration
Lack of maintenance
Contaminated or poor-quality fuel
Chemical treatments or aftermarket products
Environmental impact (hail, salt, snow, etc.)

Buick warranties also don’t cover maintenance items or services, such as brake pad replacements or oil changes.

Is Buick’s Warranty Enough?

As you can see, Buick’s coverage gets shorter and shorter every year. Chances are, your Buick will outlast its factory warranty protection and you’ll want to get the most out of your car’s lifespan without paying hefty out-of-pocket costs. You can extend your car’s life and get unexpected repairs and replacements covered under a vehicle service plan from a third-party provider like CARCHEX.

Something else to consider is Buick’s reliability. According to RepairPal, Buicks are rated 3.5 out of 5.0 for reliability, or above average. In 2024, J.D. Power ranked Buick as the third most dependable car brand among 29 others, with the Buick Encore as the most dependable small SUV. Other models were mentioned as runners-up in other categories. Ultimately, this means your Buick will likely stick around for many years.

However, even the most reliable cars need repairs, especially as they age. As you consider purchasing a Buick vehicle service contract, you’ll want to know how much Buick repairs and replacements will cost. On average, Buicks costs $608 annually in repairs.

To break down what some of these expenses could be, here are some costs for common Buick problems:

Vehicle	Replacement	Cost
Encore	Drive belt tensioner	$268–$300
Encore	Turbocharger boost pressure solenoid	$483–$504
Enclave	AC compressor	$788–$975
Enclave	Tie rod replacement	$162–$176

Would you be in a bind if you had to pay for one of these repairs? If you want to have peace of mind and avoid hefty car expenses, you’ll want to purchase a vehicle service contract and make sure you’re protected—should your systems or parts fail or break.

Why CARCHEX Offers the Best Buick Service Contracts

With more than 20 years of experience, CARCHEX is recognized as one of the best vehicle service contract providers in the industry. We’ve earned an A+ customer review rating on the Better Business Bureau.

What our customers like about us is that we offer affordable, flexible Extended Vehicle Protection Plans that are customizable to your specific needs. Our five levels of coverage are listed below:

Titanium: High-level coverage with the fewest exclusions of any of our other plans.
Platinum: Covers hundreds of parts, including major systems, brakes, high tech electronics, and more.
Powertrain Plus: Covers nine main systems including the air conditioning, fuel system, and electrical.
Powertrain: Covers the engine, transmission, drive axle, turbocharger, transfer unit, and cooling system.
Extra Care: Covers components outside the powertrain system like the steering, suspension, brakes, and air conditioning.

Buick Protection Plan

Buick offers three Protection Plans for owners: Platinum, Silver, and Powertrain. All of these can last for 8 years or 100,000 miles. Here are the details on what these plans cover:

Platinum: Covers 13 systems including navigation, audio, high-tech, and brakes
Silver: Covers 10 systems including brakes, steering, electrical, and climate control
Powertrain: Covers the engine, transmission, drive axle, and hybrid drive components

All plans come with roadside assistance, trip interruption, and rental car coverage. There are a few limitations to be aware of with Buick’s Protection Plan:

You can only purchase a plan before 3 years or 36,000 miles. That doesn’t give you much time to compare plans, prices, or other providers. You can buy a CARCHEX Vehicle Service Contract at almost any point in the car’s lifetime.
Buick’s Protection Plan is administered by a third-party company called Safe Guard Products International.
Repairs must be made at an authorized Buick dealer. This can cause a real inconvenience if you’re not near a dealership.
The contract overlaps with your original Buick warranty, so you’re only covered for a few more years. CARCHEX contracts can be as long as 10 years.

Why Choose CARCHEX?

The best vehicle service contract providers like CARCHEX offer coverage for high-mileage cars plus benefits like roadside assistance, rental car coverage, and more. There are many perks if you choose CARCHEX to protect your Buick.

Coverage well beyond 100,000 miles
24/7 roadside assistance, with up to five emergency roadside service calls per year
Trip interruption services and rental car reimbursement benefits
Low cost payment options to make your plan affordable
Online claims service, making it easy to file a claim at any time
Service from a professional, reliable provider
Endorsements from industry leaders like CARFAX and Kelley Blue Book

Buick Warranty: FAQ

Below are a few frequently asked questions about the Buick warranty.

Sources:

Buick:
https://www.buick.com/warranty-information

Buick:
https://my.buick.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2019/Buick/encore/2019-buick-limited-warranty-owner-assistance-information.pdf

RepairPal:
https://repairpal.com/reliability/buick

J.D. Power:
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2019-us-vehicle-dependability-studyvds

RepairPal:
https://repairpal.com/buick

RepairPal:
https://repairpal.com/estimator/results/

Better Business Bureau:
https://www.bbb.org/us/md/hunt-valley/profile/extended-warranty-contract-service-companies/carchex-0011-23015869

ThoroughlyReviewed:
https://thoroughlyreviewed.com/car-warranty/carchex-reviews/

Buick:
https://www.buick.com/protection/extended-limited-warranty

Buick:
https://www.buick.com/content/dam/buick/na/us/en/index/owners/protection/protection-plan/02-pdfs/protection%20plan-direct-contract-2019.pdf