# Baron Auto — full corpus > Independent, research-backed guides to buying, financing, and maintaining used cars — grounded in NHTSA and EPA data. This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership. Generated 2026-10-16 from https://baronauto1.com. Each document below repeats its own canonical URL and front matter. --- title: "Zips Car Wash After Chapter 11: Membership, Cancelling, Damage Rules" description: "Zips Car Wash filed Chapter 11 in February 2025 and emerged that April. What its membership terms say on cancelling, refunds, damage claims and who owns it now." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/zips-car-wash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Zips Car Wash After Chapter 11: Membership, Cancelling, Damage Rules > Zips Car Wash filed Chapter 11 in February 2025 and emerged that April. What its membership terms say on cancelling, refunds, damage claims and who owns it now. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,907 words* ## The short version - Zips Car Wash, LLC and nine affiliated companies filed Chapter 11 on February 5, 2025 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas (Case No. 25-80069). The plan was confirmed on April 18, 2025 and took effect on April 30, 2025. - Zips says the plan cut its debt by about $279 million and left it owned by “a group of its existing institutional investors,” whom no document we read names. Pete Nani became chief executive. - Zips told members it would keep “customer programs” during the case. Its location pages now list 188 washes in 19 states across its three brands, against “approximately 230” in May 2025, and its terms promise no membership at any other site. - A ZIPS Unlimited plan covers one personal car and up to two washes a day. To stop the next charge, cancel in the app or through Customer Care at least 7 days before your billing date, or you may pay one more month. - Zips’ terms refuse damage claims made more than 24 hours after you leave and cap its liability at what you paid in the previous six months. Its Safety page adds that it is not responsible for damage to cars over 7 years old or 100k miles. - There is no arbitration clause. Disputes go to Texas courts in Collin County, and claims must be brought within one year. Zips Car Wash is an express tunnel chain based in Plano, Texas, that also runs Rocket Express Car Wash and Jet Brite Car Wash. It came through a Chapter 11 case in 2025 and is still open, under new owners, with fewer sites on its location pages than the “approximately 230” it counted on emerging. On 16 October 2026 we read the case page kept by its claims agent, Kroll Restructuring Administration; Zips’ February 2025 announcement as reposted by the International Carwash Association (Business Wire, where Zips issued it, refused every request); its May 1, 2025 release; and its Terms of Use, Membership Program Terms of Service and website pages. Zips’ terms bar automated copying, so we read each page once, by hand. This site has no commercial relationship with Zips or any car wash. **Figure: Zips Car Wash after Chapter 11: what its terms say, by situation** Ten situations a Zips Unlimited member may be in after the 2025 Chapter 11 case, each with what Zips' Membership Terms, Terms of Use, website pages, releases or the claims agent's case page say: memberships kept through the case, no promise of another site, cancelling 7 days before billing, paper sign-ups, prepaid plans, the 24-hour damage cut-off, the Safety page's age limit, moving a plan to a new car, family add-ons and Texas courts with no arbitration clause. Read from Zips Car Wash's Terms of Service page, website and releases, and the case page for In re Zips Car Wash, LLC, No. 25-80069 (Bankr. N.D. Tex.), 16 October 2026. ## What happened to Zips Car Wash: the 2025 Chapter 11 case On February 5, 2025, Zips Car Wash, LLC “and 9 affiliated debtors” each filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. The case page says the cases were jointly administered under Case No. 25-80069 before Judge Michelle V. Larson. The ten debtors include Express Car Wash Holdings, LLC, Zips Operating Holdings, LLC and four companies named Zips Portfolio I to IV. The plan and its disclosure statement were filed the same day, and the court entered an order giving the case complex Chapter 11 treatment two days later. It moved fast. The court confirmed the plan, which the docket calls the Third Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization, on April 18, 2025, and “On April 30, 2025, the Effective Date of the Plan occurred and the Plan was consummated.” That is 84 days from filing, by our arithmetic, inside the “approximately 2-3 months” Zips had predicted when it filed. **In re Zips Car Wash, LLC, No. 25-80069 (Bankr. N.D. Tex.): key dates as the claims agent’s case page lists them (read 16 October 2026)** | Date | What happened | | --- | --- | | February 5, 2025 | Zips Car Wash, LLC and 9 affiliates file; plan and disclosure statement filed | | February 7, 2025 | First-day hearing; complex Chapter 11 treatment granted | | March 14, 2025 | Meeting of creditors, by telephone | | March 18, 2025 | Disclosure statement conditionally approved | | April 10, 2025 | Deadline for creditors to file claims | | April 18, 2025 | Disclosure statement approved and plan confirmed | | April 30, 2025 | Plan takes effect; Zips emerges | | August 4, 2025 | Deadline for government claims | | October 21, 2025 | Court closes the nine affiliates’ cases; the main case stays open | | December 2, 2026 | Next hearing listed, on objections to claims | The case is not entirely over. On October 21, 2025, the court closed the cases of the nine affiliates but kept the main case, Zips Car Wash, LLC, open. What remains is sorting out creditors’ claims: the listed hearings concern objections filed by the reorganized company and by “the GUC Trust,” the next on December 2, 2026. Both claim deadlines passed in 2025. What we could not read matters as much. Every filing on the claims agent’s site sits on a path its robots.txt file closes to automated readers, behind a “Verify you are human” check, so we opened none. This page therefore can’t say how many washes the case closed or sold, or what the confirmation order says about memberships; those filings are on the court’s PACER docket. What follows is the case page’s summary and Zips’ own words. ## What the plan did, and who owns Zips now In its February 2025 announcement Zips said it had agreed a restructuring plan “with a group of its existing lenders” that would “reduce its debt obligations by approximately $279 million and secure $15 million of new capital.” It asked the court to approve a $30 million “new money debtor-in-possession” loan to keep running during the case, and said it expected “to emerge from chapter 11 quickly under the ownership of its existing lenders.” Its May 1, 2025 release confirmed the outcome in general terms: Zips “reduced its debt obligations and secured access to additional liquidity through a new revolving credit facility,” and “ZIPS emerges under the ownership of a group of its existing institutional investors.” Neither release names those investors, and the plan that would is one of the filings we could not open. The release names Paul Hastings LLP as legal counsel to “the new ownership group.” The same release named Pete Nani chief executive. Zips says he “brings more than three decades of car wash industry experience” and most recently ran Clean Freak and Rainstorm Car Wash, “owned by Circle K.” It describes Zips as headquartered in Plano and operating “approximately 230 locations under three brands.” The contract carries the lead debtor’s name: Zips’ Terms of Use, last updated February 1, 2026, are an agreement with “ZIPS Car Wash, LLC” covering all three brands. For another chain that went through Chapter 11 in 2025 and sold most of its stores, see our page on [Car Toys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-toys/). ## What the bankruptcy meant for Unlimited members Zips’ message to members was that nothing would change. Its February 2025 announcement said all three brands would run in the ordinary course “with no expected changes to its retail and membership proposition,” and that its first-day motions asked to keep paying staff, keep “maintaining customer programs” and keep paying vendors. Its May 2025 release repeated the promise: “no change to its service offerings, customer experience or value proposition for ZIPS Unlimited Wash Club Members.” We could not read the court orders on those motions, so we can only report what Zips said it asked for. The same documents say the footprint would shrink. In February, Zips said it would “right-size and optimize its portfolio” and had hired Hilco Real Estate LLC “to assist with lease negotiations”; in May it spoke of “an optimized real estate portfolio.” Neither release says how many washes closed or were sold, or what happened to their members. The “Customer Landing Page” the case page links, zipscarwash.com/financialrestructuring, answered “404 Not Found” on 16 October 2026, and Zips’ press page has no item on the filing. Its help-ticket form does list “Site Closed permanently” and “Site Sold?” among the reasons a customer can pick. The membership contract does not protect you if your usual site goes. The Membership Terms say plans “may not be offered at all locations,” and that Zips does “NOT GUARANTEE, REPRESENT, OR WARRANT THAT ANY CAR WASH MEMBERSHIP PLAN WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY OTHER LOCATION.” Meanwhile a subscription “WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW ON A MONTHLY BASIS” until you cancel it. A closed wash does not cancel the charge. **If your Zips closed or changed hands, check your card statement.** Nothing we read says a closed site ends its members’ plans. If a monthly Zips charge is still running and there is no open Zips you use, cancel it in the app or through Customer Care at least 7 days before the billing date, and keep the confirmation. The deadline for creditors to file claims in the case was April 10, 2025. ## How many Zips are left, and where Zips gives itself three sizes. The May 2025 release says “approximately 230 locations under three brands”; its membership and fleet FAQs say “over 180.” Its own location lists, which we counted on 16 October 2026 without using the search box, show 171 Zips washes in 16 states, 5 Rocket Express washes in Idaho and Utah, and 12 Jet Brite washes in Illinois: 188 in 19 states, by our count, which matches the 188 location pages in Zips’ sitemap. That is 42 fewer than the May 2025 figure, by our arithmetic. It is a rough gap, not a closure count: the release’s figure is approximate, and nothing we could read counts closures or sales. People still search for Zips in Wichita and Little Rock; the location page lists no Zips in Kansas and none in Little Rock. **Washes on Zips’ three location pages, by state (counted 16 October 2026; the pages’ own lists, no search made)** | Brand | State | Listed washes | | --- | --- | --- | | Zips | North Carolina | 31 | | Zips | Texas | 27 | | Zips | Tennessee | 23 | | Zips | Georgia | 17 | | Zips | South Carolina | 17 | | Zips | Kentucky | 13 | | Zips | Virginia | 8 | | Zips | Missouri | 7 | | Zips | Minnesota | 6 | | Zips | Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma | 5 each | | Zips | Florida | 4 | | Zips | Indiana, Mississippi, North Dakota | 1 each | | Jet Brite | Illinois | 12 | | Rocket Express | Idaho | 3 | | Rocket Express | Utah | 2 | | All three brands (our arithmetic) | 188 | | The brands do not share one rulebook: the Membership Terms allow two washes a day at a Zips, one at a Jet Brite and no limit at a Rocket Express, and the FAQ’s “any ZIPS location” speaks only of Zips. Ask before assuming a Zips plan works at the other two. ## The four washes, as Zips describes them Zips sells four washes, Premier, Pro, Basic Plus and Basic, each adding services to the one below; a fifth tab, “ZIPS One,” lists no services on the pages we read. The same comparison grid appears on its washes and membership pages. Zips prints no prices on either: the washes page says “Find Your Local Pricing” and asks for a ZIP code or city, which we did not enter, and the Family Plan page says pricing “varies by location.” **What each Zips wash includes, from its washes page (read 16 October 2026; Zips prints no prices)** | Service, as Zips names it | Premier | Pro | Basic Plus | Basic | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Prewash Prep, Exterior Wash, Turbo Dry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Wheel Cleaner, Triple Foam Conditioner, Z Hot Wax | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | Tire Shine | Yes | Yes | No | No | | Z5X Ceramic Coat | Shown as “Upgraded To Graphene” | Yes | No | No | | Graphene-Ceramic Fusion X, Rain Repel, Lava Shine, Ultra HD Glaze | Yes | No | No | No | | Services included (count) | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3 | Tire Shine is “Not available in MN or ND.” None of the 12 services Zips lists is an underbody wash, so on salted roads read our page on [protecting a car from rust](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) before relying on a tunnel wash. And Zips does “not offer interior cleaning services,” though every wash comes with free vacuums and microfiber towels. The tunnel has rules. “A Team Member will safely guide you into the tunnel,” and then you “put the car in neutral and take your hands off the wheel.” Trailer hitches “must be removed before entering the wash,” open pickup beds must be “free of debris or material,” and the Safety page says “No Dually Trucks.” ## How ZIPS Unlimited works: washes a day, one car, family and fleet ZIPS Unlimited is a monthly subscription to one wash tier under the Membership Program Terms of Service, which win where they conflict with the Terms of Use. At a Zips, “unlimited” means “up to two (2) car washes per day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.” The FAQ says the plan pays for itself if you wash “twice a month,” a claim we can’t test without printed prices. **What you pay, and when.** The terms’ main billing rules: - **The first charge.** It covers “the first months’ Membership Fee as well as any other applicable on-boarding charges communicated to you.” Ask what those are before you pay. - **In advance, every month.** Fees are “CHARGED MONTHLY IN ADVANCE ON YOUR MONTHLY BILLING DATE,” with an invoice by email. Account notices come “in electronic form only” to the email on the account, so keep it current. - **Introductory prices end.** On 16 October 2026 the home page advertised an in-person introductory membership offer. The terms say that when any such period ends, your card is charged “THE THEN-CURRENT MEMBERSHIP FEES,” and that Zips can revoke the discount if it decides you were not eligible. - **Failed payments.** Zips may suspend or end your plan after an email notice, retry the card, and end access “if payment is not successfully settled within 5 days of your monthly billing date.” To reactivate, “you must visit an applicable car wash location,” and you “may be charged additional fees.” - **Price changes.** Zips may change “the details, fees and other information” at any time, “without notice or liability,” though the next sentence says it will tell you by email or by posting a notice. - **Prepaid plans.** Paid up front for a term (“e.g., annual, 6-month”), they “WILL NOT RENEW”; see the cancellation rules below. - **Gift cards and points.** Gift cards “cannot be used to purchase or pay for memberships,” and a membership fee “not paid through the App will not earn your Account any points.” Points expire nine months after the month you earn them, and vanish if the account is closed. **One car, identified by sticker or plate.** The terms say each plan “MAY ONLY BE USED WITH A SINGLE, PERSONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL VEHICLE.” Sites read an RFID sticker on the windshield or the plate, and “your vehicle make and model must match the license plate number you register.” Don’t “tamper with, copy or share” the sticker; dealer plates are barred, and a commercial vehicle on a personal plan may be cancelled or moved to a commercial plan. Jet Brite, the terms add, “may offer separate car wash plans for commercial taxi and rideshare use.” **New car.** If you sell the car, the terms say you “must transfer the Car Wash Program to another vehicle through the Service,” and the help center offers “a new RFID tag on the spot,” though the same section bars transfer “TO ANOTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON.” Do the swap at the site and keep the receipt. **More than one car.** The Family Plan page allows “up to nine total vehicles” on one app account, “one full-price membership and eight discounted memberships,” with add-ons that “start as low as $12/month” and “savings up to 40% off per month.” Each added car can be on any tier and its own card, and Zips may change or end the offer “at any time.” The membership FAQ describes a different deal: “add up to five additional vehicles to your account for just $20 a month.” Get the price of every added car in writing. **Businesses.** Fleet accounts need “10 vehicles or more” and are paid by “Check, Credit Card or EFT.” Zips’ terms require users to be at least 18. Other express chains write these rules differently, and we read each chain’s own terms on separate pages: [Quick Quack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/), [Club Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/), [Flagship Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/), [Whistle Express](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/), [Crew Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crew-carwash/) and [Go Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/go-car-wash/). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the windshield, a side mirror and the front tire, each with one fact from Zips’ Membership Terms and Safety page. Zips’ Membership Terms and Safety page, read on 16 October 2026: One plan, one car: an RFID sticker or the plate ties it; don't copy or share the sticker (callout 1); Mirrors, antennas, wipers and racks are on Zips' lists of damage it won't pay for (callout 2); Aftermarket wheels and wheel covers are excluded; report damage within 24 hours (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Cancelling, refunds and prepaid plans Zips’ terms open the cancellation section by saying you may cancel a monthly plan “WITHOUT ADDITIONAL COST OR PENALTY” at any time. The conditions follow in the same paragraph: - **Two ways to cancel.** In the app, “BY TAPPING THE GARAGE MENU, ‘MANAGE,’ THEN ‘CANCEL PLAN,’” or by contacting the Customer Care team. The help center says the call center is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm CST; you can also submit a help ticket. - **Signed up on paper?** If you joined in person on a paper enrollment form, “YOU MAY NEED TO MIGRATE YOUR PLAN TO THE APP BEFORE USING THE APP TO CANCEL” (in the app, the More menu, then “MIGRATE MY PLAN TO THE APP”). - **Seven days ahead.** A request must be made “NO LATER THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE MONTHLY BILLING DATE,” and one made later “MAY RESULT IN CHARGES FOR ONE ADDITIONAL MONTH.” By our arithmetic, if you are billed on the 15th, the last safe day is the 8th. - **Refunds are up to Zips.** Zips “MAY ISSUE REFUNDS OR DISCOUNTS AT THEIR SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW.” Nothing in the terms entitles you to one for a part-used month. **Prepaid plans** follow stricter rules. They “MAY ONLY BE CANCELED WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH,” with a refund for the rest of the term; Zips’ own example is that a six-month plan cancelled in its first month is refunded “for months two through six,” which is 5 of the 6 months, by our arithmetic. “AFTER THE FIRST MONTH, PREPAID MEMBERSHIP PLANS ARE NON-CANCELABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE.” **When Zips ends it.** Zips may end a plan or account “for any reason,” and is “not obligated to credit or discount your Membership Fees” when it does. Money left in the app is a muddle: Section 1.6 of the Terms of Use says Zips “shall not refund” it, while Section 3.4 says “we will refund you for the balance associated with your App Account in accordance with Section 1.6.” **The law on easy cancellation.** Three laws our other car-wash pages have read bear on how a monthly membership may be stopped. We copy their wording from those pages’ records (read 16 October 2026) and make no finding on whether Zips’ process meets them. - **Federal.** 15 U.S.C. 8403 bars charging consumers online through a “negative option feature” unless the seller, among other things, “provides simple mechanisms for a consumer to stop recurring charges.” - **Virginia** (8 Zips washes). Code of Virginia § 59.1-207.46 says the cancellation mechanism “shall be at least as easy to use as the mechanism the consumer used to initiate” the plan, and that for a plan “initiated in person, the seller shall offer a simple cancellation mechanism through an interactive electronic medium, such as a website or mobile application, or by telephone call.” - **Minnesota** (6 Zips washes). Minn. Stat. 325G.60 says a seller whose website has “profile or subscription management capabilities” must include a “termination election” on it, and 325G.59 says ending a continuous-service agreement must take effect “no later than 31 days” from a verified consumer’s notice. **Cancel in the app if you can, and keep proof.** Make the request at least 7 days before your billing date, screenshot the confirmation, and check your next statement. If you joined on paper at a Zips that has since closed, migrate the plan into the app first or call Customer Care, because a closed site is no help. ## Damage: the 24-hour cut-off and two different lists Section 5.3 of the Terms of Use, headed “Vehicle Damage,” starts by saying Zips does “not represent that the car wash services are suitable for your vehicle(s).” It then disclaims liability for damage involving 11 items, sets three tunnel rules (truck beds “completely empty,” “No excessively muddy vehicles,” “no dually trucks”), and ends with the sentence that matters most after a bad wash: “We will not assume liability for damage claims submitted more than 24 hours after a vehicle leaves the premises.” Zips’ Safety page has its own list, and it is longer. It says “ZIPS is ONLY responsible for car wash malfunctions or employee errors” and that “We are NOT responsible for damage caused by or to” 13 items, the first of them “Vehicles over 7 years old or 100k miles.” Read literally, that is not a kind of damage but a kind of car. The terms’ list has no age or mileage limit. The two lists side by side: **The damage Zips disclaims: Terms of Use, Section 5.3, against the Safety page (both read 16 October 2026; rows grouped by us)** | Group | Terms of Use, Section 5.3 | Safety page | | --- | --- | --- | | Older cars | Not listed | Vehicles over 7 years old or 100k miles | | Antennas | POWER Antennas (need to remove or lower prior to wash entry) | Antennas: Shark Fin, Satellite or any device used as an antenna | | Wipers | Front or Rear Automatic Wipers Left on During Wash | Wiper Blade or Arms, Front or Rear | | Glass | Windshield; Bug Shields | Windshields or Bug Shields | | Trim and racks | Loose Molding AND Racks | Body Molding; Roof Racks | | Running boards | Electric Running Boards (should be retracted) | Running Boards | | Earlier damage | Pre-Existing CONDITIONS OR Damage to Vehicle | Previous Damage to Vehicle, Loose or Broken Parts | | Non-factory parts | Non-Factory Installed Accessories; after market wheels | Aftermarket Parts | | The driver | Driver Negligence | Tunnel Collisions Due to Braking or Driver Negligence | | Mirrors, decals, wheel covers | Not listed | Side Mirrors; Decals, Pin Stripes or Wrapped Vehicles; Wheel Covers or Caps | | Loose items | unsecured personal items | Not listed | By our count, four of the Safety page’s items (older cars, side mirrors, decals and wraps, wheel covers) have no match in the terms, and one of the terms’ items (unsecured personal items) has none on the Safety page. Read both before you queue with a wrapped car, a shark-fin antenna or [aftermarket parts](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/). Section 5.4 adds that Zips “WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND” from using its washes, and caps any liability at “THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO ZIPS, ROCKET EXPRESS, OR JET BRITE IN THE SIX (6) MONTHS PRECEDING” the event; the Membership Terms repeat the six-month cap. The Terms of Use concede that “some jurisdictions” don’t allow such limits. You also agree to indemnify Zips for claims “arising out of your use of the car wash services.” Neither document sets out a claims procedure beyond the 24-hour limit; the help-ticket form does offer “I want to file a damage claim” as a topic. So look the car over before you leave the lot, photograph anything new and report it, in writing, well inside 24 hours. For cracked glass, see [what a windshield replacement costs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/); for a dent, our [Dent Wizard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/) page reads one repair company’s terms. ## Texas courts, no arbitration clause, and texts at any hour Zips’ terms send disputes to court, not to arbitration. We searched all three documents on its [Terms of Service page](https://zipscarwash.com/terms-of-service) and found no arbitration clause or class-action waiver. Section 6.1 says Texas law governs and you “consent to the jurisdiction of the District Courts of the State of Texas in Collin County and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Plano Division,” with any proceeding to be held in Collin County “to the extent permitted by law.” You must bring a claim “WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR” of the event, and for damage the 24-hour rule comes first. Other clauses worth knowing before you hand over a phone number: - **Texts at any hour.** Zips may send texts “at any time of day (including between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. where you are located).” Marketing texts need your consent, which “is not a condition of purchase.” - **Account texts you can’t switch off, in Zips’ words.** Other automated texts may cover “appointments, purchases, services, balances, and debts,” and the terms say your consent to them is a “material term of this Agreement that You cannot unilaterally modify or revoke.” The separate Text Messaging Terms are dated “Effective January 15th, 2023.” - **Terms that change on posting.** Zips may change the terms “at any time in its sole discretion, with or without prior notice to you,” effective when posted. Both sets of terms read on 16 October 2026 say “Last Updated: February 1, 2026.” Save a copy on the day you join. ## Where Zips’ own documents disagree Read side by side on 16 October 2026, Zips’ pages and terms conflict here. Where one matters to you, get the answer in writing. - **How often you can wash.** “every day” and “Unlimited washes” on the website; “up to two (2) car washes per day” at a Zips in the terms. - **Extra cars.** Up to five more for $20 a month (membership FAQ), or up to eight more from $12 a month at up to 40% off (Family Plan page). - **A new car.** Move the plan to it (terms, help center), or transfer is “EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED” (same section). - **Damage.** 11 items and no age limit (terms), or 13 items including older cars (Safety page); “ONLY responsible for car wash malfunctions or employee errors” (website), or not liable “FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND” (terms). - **Money left in the app.** Not refunded (Terms 1.6), or refunded “in accordance with Section 1.6” (Terms 3.4). - **Fee changes.** “Without notice or liability,” then, one sentence later, notice by email or posting. - **Points.** They expire nine months after the month earned, but the terms’ own example runs 10 months, from December 15, 2020 to October 15, 2021, by our arithmetic. - **Where a plan works.** “Absolutely” at any Zips (FAQ), but no guarantee of “ANY OTHER LOCATION” (terms). - **Missing documents.** Section 6.4 of the Terms of Use cites “Fleet Program Terms of Service,” which are not on the Terms of Service page, and the case page’s customer link leads to a 404 page. ## Before you join, and if you already belong - **Get the price at your site.** Zips prints none online; ask what the first charge includes, since the terms allow “on-boarding charges.” - **Check your car against both damage lists.** Over 7 years old or 100k miles, wrapped, aftermarket wheels, a roof rack or side mirrors are all on one list or the other. - **Note your billing date.** Cancel at least 7 days before it, in the app or through Customer Care. - **Joined on paper?** Migrate the plan into the app now, so you can cancel there later. - **Inspect the car before you leave.** Damage claims more than 24 hours later are refused. - **If your site closed, cancel yourself.** The terms don’t promise your plan anywhere else, and the charge keeps running. - **Save the terms.** They change on posting; the version we read is dated February 1, 2026. ## Common questions ### What happened to Zips Car Wash? Zips Car Wash, LLC and nine affiliates filed Chapter 11 on February 5, 2025 in the Northern District of Texas (Case No. 25-80069). The plan was confirmed on April 18, 2025 and took effect on April 30, 2025; Zips says it cut its debt by about $279 million. Zips is still operating, with 188 washes in 19 states on its three brands’ location pages on 16 October 2026. ### Who owns Zips Car Wash now? Zips says it emerged “under the ownership of a group of its existing institutional investors,” and its February 2025 announcement called them its existing lenders. Neither release names them. Zips named Pete Nani chief executive when it emerged, and it is headquartered in Plano, Texas. ### How do I cancel my Zips membership? In the Zips app (Garage, then Manage, then Cancel Plan) or by contacting Customer Care, no later than 7 days before your monthly billing date; a later request may cost one more month. If you joined on a paper form, you may need to migrate the plan into the app first. Prepaid plans can be cancelled only in their first month. ### How much does Zips cost? Zips doesn’t print wash or membership prices online; its pages say to look up local pricing by location. The only figures it prints are for extra cars: Family Plan add-ons from $12 a month (up to 40% off), and, in its FAQ, up to five extra vehicles for $20 a month. ### How often can you wash your car with Zips Unlimited? Up to two times a day at a Zips, every day, under its Membership Terms. At Jet Brite the limit is one a day, and Rocket Express sets none. A membership covers one car, identified by an RFID sticker or its license plate. ### Will Zips pay if the wash damages my car? Its terms make that hard. Zips refuses damage claims made more than 24 hours after you leave, disclaims damage involving 11 listed items (its Safety page lists 13, including cars over 7 years old or 100k miles), and caps its liability at what you paid in the previous six months. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. 8403: Negative option marketing on the Internet](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap110-sec8403.htm) - [Code of Virginia § 59.1-207.46 (automatic renewal and continuous service offers)](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title59.1/chapter17.8/section59.1-207.46/) - [Minnesota Statutes 325G.56 to 325G.62 (automatic renewal and continuous service)](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/325G.57) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/zips-car-wash/ --- title: "GO Car Wash: Membership Terms, Cancelling and the Washes It Bought" description: "GO Car Wash bought 23 local washes by 2022 and renamed them. What its terms say about billing, cancelling 5 business days ahead, one car per plan and damage." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/go-car-wash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # GO Car Wash: Membership Terms, Cancelling and the Washes It Bought > GO Car Wash bought 23 local washes by 2022 and renamed them. What its terms say about billing, cancelling 5 business days ahead, one car per plan and damage. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,897 words* ## The short version - GO Car Wash is an express tunnel chain launched in 2019 by Imperial Capital, a Toronto private equity firm. It grew by buying local washes and putting its own name on them: its own releases count 23 acquisitions by May 2022, and its website lists 156 locations today. - No GO document we read says what happened to the unlimited memberships of a wash it bought. GO’s Unlimited Wash Membership Terms (effective December 26, 2025) bind anyone who enrolls with GO. - A membership covers one personal-use vehicle and renews automatically. The terms say to cancel at least 5 business days before renewal; GO’s FAQ says 7. There are no refunds for unused days. - GO identifies members by camera, reading the rear license plate. If it can’t, it fits an RFID sticker to the windshield. Enrolling authorizes GO to capture and store your plate data. - The terms exclude damage from five listed causes, from aftermarket racks and antennas to “Customer driving behavior,” say use is “at your own risk,” and set out no claim process or deadline. - Disputes go to individual arbitration in your home state. GO promises at least 21 days’ notice of a price change. GO Car Wash is an exterior express car wash chain: you stay in the car while a conveyor pulls it through the tunnel, then use free vacuums, towels and glass cleaner. It started in 2019 and grew by buying local chains in the Kansas City area, Texas, Virginia, upstate New York, California and Oregon, renaming them GO, and by building new sites. On 16 October 2026 we read GO’s [Unlimited Wash Membership Terms](https://gocarwash.com/memberships-terms-and-conditions), its Website Terms of Use, its [Help and FAQ page](https://gocarwash.com/help-faqs), its membership, wash, fleet, story, home and privacy pages and two of its blog posts; 16 of GO’s own news releases from 2019 to 2024; and its owner’s pages on the investment. GO’s terms bar scraping and automated tools, so we read each GO page once. This site has no commercial relationship with GO Car Wash, Imperial Capital or any car wash. **Figure: GO Car Wash membership terms, by situation** Nine situations a GO Unlimited member may be in, each with what GO’s membership terms, FAQ or releases say: no word on how a bought wash’s plans carried over, cancel 5 business days ahead (7 in the FAQ), no refunds, transfer rules that differ, one car per plan, no ride-share cars, 21 days’ notice of a price rise, plate cameras or a windshield sticker, five damage exclusions with no claim process, and arbitration in your home state. Read from GO Car Wash’s Unlimited Wash Membership Terms (effective December 26, 2025), FAQ and membership pages, and its own releases, on 16 October 2026. ## How GO Car Wash grew: buying local washes and renaming them GO was built to buy. When Imperial Capital announced it on February 19, 2019, the release called GO “the nation’s newest express car wash platform” and quoted its first chief operating officer, JT Thomson, saying GO would expand “through a significant number of acquisitions.” Imperial’s page on the investment describes its approach in three words: “Back, Buy and Build.” The first purchase came that spring. GO’s release of May 8, 2019 says it bought Travel Clean Express Car Wash in Overland Park, Kansas, and Lee’s Summit, Missouri, its “inaugural acquisition.” Three years later, on May 5, 2022, GO said it had “successfully completed 23 high quality acquisitions in our short history” and had 106 operating sites. The releases we could read name 11 of the businesses it bought before that date, so by our arithmetic 12 of those 23 are not named in any GO release we could read. Business Wire, where search results point to other GO releases, refused every request we made, and we have not filled the gap from trade magazines or deal databases. The table lists every acquisition announced in the GO releases we read, with the size GO gave for itself after each deal. **Acquisitions announced in GO Car Wash’s own releases (PR Newswire and PRWeb, read 16 October 2026)** | Release date | Business GO bought | Where | What GO said it bought | GO’s size after the deal | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | May 8, 2019 | Travel Clean Express Car Wash | Overland Park, Kansas, and Lee’s Summit, Missouri | Its first acquisition | Not stated | | August 26, 2020 | Bee Clean Car Washes | San Antonio, Texas | 8 sites (7 open, 1 being built) | 31 locations | | December 8, 2020 | Pirate’s Cove Car Wash | Schertz, Texas | 1 site | 33 locations | | June 23, 2021 | Champion / Dale Shine Xpress | Texas | 11 open and 14 development sites | Not stated | | August 11, 2021 | Rio Car Wash | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 7 sites | 60 locations | | October 13, 2021 | Royal Car Wash | Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse, New York | 14 sites, with 10 more to be built | 77 locations | | December 2, 2021 | Valley Car Wash and Hog Wash Express | Winchester and Richmond, Virginia | Two washes, plus an operating agreement with a third | 82 locations | | March 8, 2022 | Three Express Car Wash sites (“Splash” in the headline) | Hemet, Riverside and Loma Linda, California | 3 sites | 89 locations | | April 19, 2022 | Wash N’ Roll Express | Austin, Texas | 8 washes, with 5 more to be built | 97 locations | | April 21, 2022 | Valley View Express Wash | Harrisonburg, Virginia | 2 washes and 1 in development | 100 locations | | July 20, 2022 | Genie Express Car Wash | Austin, Texas | Not stated | 9 locations in the Austin area | | September 9, 2022 | Wash N’ Go Depot | Medford, Oregon | 3 sites | 115 locations | | October 28, 2022 | Superior Car Wash | Utica, New York | Not stated | 16 locations from Buffalo to Utica | | January 19, 2023 | Moreno Valley Car Wash | Moreno Valley, California | Not stated | 126 locations | By our count, these 14 releases name 15 businesses. Sellers are often quoted saying customers will be “in excellent hands,” and three say the business will carry on “under the GO Car Wash name.” The Oregon release sets out the method: “We enter markets with a platform acquisition of 3+ sites and then follow with aggressive acquisition and greenfield development.” GO’s chief operating officer explained why size matters: “Customers appreciate having a network of car washes to choose from, resulting in higher membership levels and better retention.” The latest GO releases we found are about new openings rather than purchases. The release of August 7, 2024 announced the 150th location, a newly built wash in Overland Park, Kansas. By December 2023, Imperial said, all 142 locations then open were operating “under the ‘GO Car Wash’ banner.” ## If your local wash was bought and now says GO This is the question GO’s documents leave open. We found no statement of what happened to the unlimited members of a wash GO bought: whether they kept their price, moved onto GO’s terms, had to sign up again or were cancelled. Neither set of GO terms says, nor do its FAQ and other pages, the 16 releases we read or Imperial Capital’s pages. GO’s site has a page titled “Acquisitions,” but it showed only the heading. The releases point one way. GO promised in the Wash N’ Roll release to “continue to bring exceptional service to their existing customers,” and a December 2020 release described memberships that “can be used at any GO Car Wash location.” They describe customers being folded into one GO network, but none says on what terms. Four things in GO’s current terms matter most if you were moved across: - **Which contract applies.** “By enrolling in a UW membership, you agree to be bound by these Terms.” They do not mention members who enrolled with a chain GO later bought. - **Price changes.** GO may change prices “at our sole discretion” but promises “you will be notified at least 21 days in advance via email, posted signage, or updates on our website.” If your price changed after a rename, look for that notice. - **Your plate.** “By enrolling, you authorize GO Car Wash to capture, store, and process license plate data.” Plate cameras are GO’s default; its own RFID sticker is the fallback. - **The cancel deadline.** Whatever your old wash allowed, GO’s terms ask for at least 5 business days’ notice before renewal, and its FAQ asks for 7. **Check what you are paying for.** No GO document says what a bought wash’s membership became. If a monthly car wash charge is still on your card after your wash turned into a GO, ask a GO site which plan and price you are on, get the answer in writing or by email, and cancel at least 7 business days before the next renewal if you don’t want it. That meets both of GO’s deadlines. ## The washes, as GO describes them GO doesn’t print one national menu. Its wash page has a button marked “Select Your Region for Wash Prices” that leads into GO’s online store, which we did not open, and the membership page says “Pricing may vary by location.” GO’s own sitemap shows how the menus are organised. Most regions list four washes whose web addresses end in go-basic, go-select, go-big and go-premier; Austin and California add a go-big-plus, Las Vegas has a go-big-ceramic, and Oregon has a three-wash menu (go-clean, go-shine and go-big). The wash page refers to the third tier as “GO Big! Wash,” and says a “Free dash wipe or air freshener” comes with it and every wash above it. We could read one regional menu in full, Oregon’s, a market GO’s 2024 release gave 3 sites. Its top wash lists 12 items, including “Graphene,” “Ceramic Shield,” “Underbody Blast,” “2x Wheel Cleaner” and a “48hr Guarantee” that no GO page we read explains; its cheapest lists two, “Wheel Cleaner” and “Clearcoat Protectant.” That menu also printed single-wash and monthly prices. We have not reproduced them: they cover one small region. Some things are the same everywhere, by GO’s account: - **Free extras.** “High-Powered Vacuums,” “Microfiber Towels” and “Glass Cleaner” come with every wash. The home page says a wash takes “under three minutes.” - **Outside only, with one exception.** “We only offer interior and detail services at our Independence, MO location.” - **A rewash, if you ask on the spot.** The home page’s “Rewash Guarantee”: “If your wash isn’t flawless, tell a GO teammate before you leave.” It is about how clean the car is, not damage. - **Size limits are local.** “All stock vehicles can fit at all of our locations,” but GO asks owners of lifted trucks or cars with wide wheels, bumper changes or roof racks to check with a manager first, and says “Ford Raptors can only come through a few of our GO locations.” If you drive on salted winter roads, our guide to [protecting a car from rust](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) explains why the underbody wash matters. On the Oregon menu we read, the underbody wash starts at the middle tier, not the cheapest. ## How GO Unlimited bills you GO sells its membership as “Like Streaming for your car”: one wash level, washed “As often as you’d like,” for “one flat rate” a month, with “Member-Only lanes.” The rules on money are in sections 2 and 5 of the membership terms: - **Start.** A membership bought online “will activate within 12-24 hours,” after which it works “at any GO Car Wash location nationwide.” You need “a credit or debit card,” according to the FAQ. - **Renewal.** “UW memberships automatically renew each month. Your payment method will be charged the applicable rate every 30 days until canceled.” By enrolling you authorize GO “to charge your card monthly without additional notice, unless required by law.” - **Which day.** The FAQ says your card is “charged monthly on your anniversary date,” and that members who joined on the 29th, 30th or 31st are charged on the 28th “for consistent payment dates.” - **Promotional rates.** A promotional rate applies “for the specified duration,” after which the membership renews “at the standard rate.” GO may “revoke promotional pricing if misuse is detected.” - **Failed payments.** GO “may suspend your membership until a valid payment method is provided,” and “You are responsible for any bank fees resulting from failed payments.” - **Messages.** Enrolling is consent to email or texts about “your account, renewals, promotions, or service changes”; you can opt out of marketing texts only. - **Changing wash level.** “You can change your package any time at your convenient GO location.” “Every 30 days” and “monthly on your anniversary date” are not the same thing. By our arithmetic, a charge on the day you join and every 30 days after falls 13 times in a year, against 12 for a charge on the same date each month. The FAQ describes the monthly version; if your statement shows charges drifting earlier each month, ask GO which rule it applies. **Prepaid plans.** The membership page also sells unlimited washing for 6 months, and for 12 months under the banner “Buy 11 Months, Get 1 Free.” The membership terms never mention prepaid plans. Their only words on the point are general: “All membership sales are final.” Before you prepay, ask what happens to unused months if you sell the car. ## One car per plan: vehicles, transfers, plates and your data **One vehicle.** Section 4.1 is headed “One Vehicle Per Membership”: “Each UW membership is valid for one personal-use vehicle. Commercial vehicles, ride-share, taxis, or limousines are excluded unless enrolled through a business or fleet plan.” Businesses can buy fleet plans at “One flat monthly rate per vehicle.” **Families.** A GO blog post from April 2026 describes family plans covering “multiple cars in your household at a discounted rate” and says that at GO, “Adding vehicles is straightforward, pricing is transparent.” No GO page we read prints a price for a second car, and the terms speak only of one vehicle per membership. Ask the site what each extra car costs. **Selling or replacing the car.** Here GO’s documents point in different directions. Section 4.2 of the terms says to remove any RFID sticker “and visit any GO Car Wash location to cancel or transfer the membership to a new vehicle,” and warns that “Charges continue until the cancellation or transfer is completed.” The FAQ says the plan “is not transferable.” Do it in person, ask which of the two happened, and keep the email GO says it sends after an update. If your car is lost or stolen, section 4.3 says to tell GO promptly, “Otherwise, the membership may continue to be used, and you will remain responsible for charges.” **The cameras.** GO’s membership page explains how a member gets in: “Cameras positioned behind your vehicle scan your license plate,” software “automatically matches your vehicle to your account,” and payment goes through on your saved card. It “only works if there’s a clean, unobstructed view of your plate.” The FAQ says that without a rear plate, “we will apply a RFID sticker to your windshield,” and the terms say the sticker and membership number “remain GO Car Wash property.” If you buy a used car with an old wash sticker on the glass, have it removed so the right account is charged. **Your data.** GO’s privacy policy (last modified June 2025) lists “License plate and vehicle information” and “Images collected by security cameras at our locations” among what it collects. It uses automated plate recognition “to identify and authenticate customers, associate vehicles with customers who have subscriptions or loyalty accounts with us, and bill for services,” says “We do not sell ALPR information to other persons,” and keeps it “only as long as it is needed for business and legal compliance purposes.” It also says GO “may record in-person interactions” with staff, “such as sales representatives stationed at car wash tunnel entrances,” for training and quality checks. ## Cancelling and refunds GO says there is “no contract or obligation and you can cancel at any time.” The timing is where its documents differ: - **The membership terms, section 5.1:** “you must cancel your membership at least 5 business days before your renewal date,” online at gocarwash.com, at any location, or through customer support. - **The FAQ, on how to cancel:** online or with a team member at your local GO, “(please allow 7 days to process).” - **The FAQ, on how long it takes:** “any updates should be completed 7 business days prior to the anniversary date on which your card will be recharged.” - **The terms, section 11.1, for California:** “You can cancel online at any time prior to your next billing cycle.” By our arithmetic, for a renewal on Monday, December 14, 2026, 5 business days before is Monday, December 7, and 7 business days before is Thursday, December 3. Cancelling by the earlier date meets every version. Either way, “Access continues until the end of the current billing period,” so you keep washing until the paid month runs out. There is no refund for that month. Section 5.2: “All membership sales are final. We do not issue refunds or credits for unused days, partial months, or mid-cycle cancellations.” The FAQ says the same: “No refunds will be given when discontinuing.” GO’s site lists a page called “Refund and Cancellation Policy,” but when we read it, it showed only its heading. The FAQ says you will “receive an email confirmation” after you cancel. GO’s contact form is the slow route: “It may take up to 5 business days for a response through this form,” and GO itself recommends “reaching out directly to your local GO Car Wash.” Federal law on plans sold online with automatic renewal requires sellers to provide “simple mechanisms for a consumer to stop recurring charges”; GO’s own pages offer the website and any location. **Cancel early and keep the email.** Cancel at least 7 business days before your renewal date, online or at a GO site, and keep the confirmation email GO says it sends. If no email arrives, go back to a site before the renewal date. Then check your next card statement. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the rear plate area, the rear deck and the side glass, each with one fact from GO Car Wash’s membership terms and FAQ. GO Car Wash’s membership terms and FAQ, read on 16 October 2026: GO’s cameras read the rear plate to match a car to its membership (callout 1); Racks, antennas, spoilers and retractable mirrors are on GO’s damage exclusion list (callout 2); No readable rear plate? GO fits an RFID sticker to the windshield instead (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## If the wash damages your car GO’s blog is reassuring. A post from April 2026 says “the risk of exterior trim damage is minimal,” and advises skipping “a mechanical car wash if you have any loose parts, pre-existing damage, or unsecured items on or in the vehicle.” The membership terms are shorter and firmer. Section 7, “Damage & Liability Disclaimer,” says “GO Car Wash is not liable for damage resulting from” five things: **The damage GO Car Wash’s membership terms (section 7) exclude, read 16 October 2026, with our own examples of what each can include** | Item as GO lists it | Our examples of what it can include | | --- | --- | | Pre-existing damage or vehicle condition | Chips, cracks, peeling clear coat or loose trim that was there before the wash | | Aftermarket accessories or modifications (racks, antennas, spoilers) | Roof and bike racks, add-on antennas, spoilers and other non-factory parts | | Loose parts, retractable mirrors, or running boards | Anything not firmly fixed, folding mirrors and powered or fixed side steps | | Unsecured items in or on the vehicle | Things left in a truck bed, on a roof or hanging from the car | | Customer driving behavior | Steering, braking or accelerating on the conveyor | The section ends: “Use of our services is at your own risk. Please prepare your vehicle appropriately before entering the wash tunnel.” Unlike the list of exclusions, the membership terms set out no claim procedure, no deadline for reporting damage and no statement of what GO pays when it accepts that it was at fault. The Website Terms cap GO’s liability at “one hundred dollars ($100),” but that clause covers “your use of the Website,” not the wash itself. Because the terms give no process, the practical steps carry the weight: - Fold mirrors, lower antennas and remove loose racks before the tunnel, as GO’s own blog suggests. - Look the car over before you leave the site and photograph anything new, with the time and the site’s sign in the frame if you can. - Tell the site manager the same day and ask for the report in writing or by email; GO says site teams are the fastest way to reach it. - Note that GO’s FAQ says its system uses “RFID, License Plate Recognition, and sophisticated cameras to identify and verify each vehicle,” so ask for the footage to be kept. For a repair estimate, our pages on [Dent Wizard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/) (one dent repair company’s own terms) and on [what a windshield replacement costs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/) may help. ## Arbitration and the two sets of terms Section 9 of the membership terms sends disputes out of court: - **Arbitration.** “Any disputes arising from your membership will be resolved through binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). You waive the right to trial by jury and class action lawsuits.” - **Where.** “Arbitration will occur in your state of residence or another mutually agreed location.” - **Exceptions.** “Claims filed in small claims court or for injunctive relief to protect intellectual property are exempt.” Small claims court stays open. - **One at a time.** “Disputes must be resolved individually. No class actions or consolidated proceedings permitted.” - **Which law.** “the laws of the state where your membership originated.” The terms don’t say which state that is for a member of a wash GO bought. We found no opt-out from arbitration in the membership terms, and no time limit for bringing a claim. The Website Terms of Use (effective April 14, 2025) cover the site itself and say purchases made there “are governed by our Unlimited Membership Terms & Conditions.” They add their own rules for disputes about using the website: AAA arbitration, a written notice first to GO’s legal department in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a 30-day attempt to settle informally, and Colorado law. They also state that “Prices and service availability are subject to change without notice,” while the membership terms promise 21 days’ notice for membership prices. ## Who owns GO Car Wash, and how big it is GO is privately owned by Imperial Capital Group Ltd., a Toronto private equity firm. Imperial’s launch release of February 19, 2019 says “Go Car Wash is Imperial Capital’s first investment for Imperial Capital Acquisition Fund VII,” and its investment page, read on 16 October 2026, gives the investment date as 2019, from Fund VII, and its status as “Active.” On December 12, 2023, Imperial announced that GO had “received a significant growth investment from a privately-held investment firm,” which it did not name; “Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.” We found no primary source naming that investor and have not guessed. Leadership and headquarters have moved. Imperial’s launch release named Darren Skarecky as chief executive and JT Thomson as chief operating officer, with GO “headquartered in Phoenix”; GO’s first release carried a Gilbert, Arizona dateline. From December 2020 GO’s releases name Bill Derwin as chief executive, and Imperial still quoted him as CEO in December 2023. GO’s releases place its headquarters in Denver from 2021, and its 2024 release and website terms give an address in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The company you contract with is “GO Car Wash Management, LLC” in both sets of terms, but “GO Car Wash Management, Corp” in the privacy policy. GO’s size, in its own releases and pages, by date: **GO Car Wash location counts in its own releases, Imperial Capital’s release and GO’s website** | Date | Where GO or Imperial said it | Locations | | --- | --- | --- | | August 26, 2020 | Bee Clean release | 31 | | August 11, 2021 | Rio Car Wash release | 60 | | October 13, 2021 | Royal Car Wash release | 77 | | April 21, 2022 | Valley View release | 100 | | May 5, 2022 | Third-anniversary release (operating sites) | 106 | | September 9, 2022 | Wash N’ Go Depot release | 115 | | January 19, 2023 | Moreno Valley Car Wash release | 126 | | December 12, 2023 | Imperial Capital release on the growth investment | 142 | | August 7, 2024 | 150th-location release | 150 | | Read 16 October 2026 | GO’s home, story and membership pages | 156 | By our arithmetic, that is 125 more locations than in August 2020, but only 6 more than in August 2024: the fast growth was in 2020 to 2022, when the buying was. GO’s 2024 release broke its 150 sites down by region. Grouped by state, by our arithmetic, Texas had 59 (39.3%), Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska 29, New York 26, Virginia and West Virginia 18, Southern California 9, Las Vegas 6 and Oregon 3. The home page also claims “500K+ Members” and “50M+ Cars Washed”; the page gives no basis for either figure. ## Where GO’s own pages disagree Read side by side on 16 October 2026, GO’s documents conflict or leave gaps on these points. Where one matters to you, get GO’s answer in writing. - **Cancel deadline.** 5 business days before renewal (terms), 7 business days (FAQ), or “at any time prior to your next billing cycle” online (the terms’ California section). - **Billing cycle.** “Every 30 days” (terms) or monthly on your anniversary date (FAQ). - **Transfers.** Transfer to a new vehicle at a location (terms) or “not transferable” (FAQ). - **Extra cars.** “Adding vehicles is straightforward” (blog), but one vehicle per membership and no multi-car price (terms, FAQ). - **Price notice.** At least 21 days (membership terms) or “without notice” (website terms). - **Where it works.** “Any GO Car Wash location nationwide” (terms, FAQ) or “participating locations” (terms, membership page). - **Who you contract with.** An LLC in both sets of terms, a Corp in the privacy policy. - **States.** The fleet page names 10 states and then says “across 9 states”; Imperial’s 2023 release listed 8. - **Age.** “5 Years And Counting” on the home page; first wash in 2019, 7 years before 2026 by our arithmetic. The founding date is February 19, 2019 (Imperial’s launch release), “early 2019” or “May 5, 2019” (GO releases). - **Guarantees.** A “48hr Guarantee” on the Oregon menu is not defined anywhere we read. - **Empty pages.** “Acquisitions” and “Refund and Cancellation Policy” pages showed only their headings. We read other chains’ own membership terms on separate pages: [Quick Quack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/), [Club Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/), [Flagship Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/), [Whistle Express](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/), [Crew Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crew-carwash/) and [Zips](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/zips-car-wash/). ## Before you join, and if your wash just became a GO - **Ask the site for the price.** GO prices by region and location; the website sends you to a regional store. - **Former member of a bought wash?** Ask which GO plan and price you are on now, and get it by email. - **Note your renewal date.** Cancel at least 7 business days before it to meet both of GO’s deadlines. - **One car per membership.** Ride-share and other commercial cars need a business or fleet plan. - **Keep the plate clean and visible.** The cameras need “a clean, unobstructed view”; without a rear plate you get a windshield sticker. - **Selling the car?** Remove the sticker and cancel or transfer in person; charges run until you do. - **Prepare the car.** Fold mirrors and remove racks or loose parts; those are excluded from GO’s liability. - **Check the car before you leave.** Report damage to the manager the same day and keep a written record. - **Save the terms.** Keep a copy of the version in force on the day you join; the one we read is dated December 26, 2025. ## Common questions ### Who owns GO Car Wash? Imperial Capital Group Ltd., a Toronto private equity firm, launched GO in 2019 from its Fund VII and listed the investment as active when we read its site on 16 October 2026. An unnamed private investment firm made a growth investment in December 2023; the terms were not disclosed. ### What happened to my old car wash membership after GO bought my wash? No GO document we read says. Its releases describe the washes joining “the GO Car Wash family” and carrying on “under the GO Car Wash name,” and GO’s current terms apply to anyone who enrolls in a GO membership. Ask a GO site which plan you are on and what it costs, and check your card statement. ### How do I cancel my GO Car Wash membership? Online at gocarwash.com, at any GO location, or through customer support, at least 5 business days before your renewal date under GO’s terms; the FAQ asks for 7. You keep washing until the paid period ends, and GO gives no refunds for unused days. ### Can I use my GO membership at any location? GO’s terms and FAQ say yes, “at any GO Car Wash location nationwide,” with the same wash package you signed up for. The terms and membership page also refer to “participating” locations, so check before relying on a site far from home. ### Does one membership cover more than one car? No. GO’s terms say each membership “is valid for one personal-use vehicle,” and the FAQ says a plan “is for one vehicle only.” GO’s blog mentions adding vehicles, but no page we read prints a price for a second car. ### Will GO Car Wash pay if the wash damages my car? The membership terms don’t say how a claim works. They exclude damage from pre-existing conditions, aftermarket parts such as racks and antennas, loose parts, retractable mirrors and running boards, unsecured items and the driver’s own driving, and say use is “at your own risk.” Report damage to the site manager before you leave and keep a written record. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. 8403: Negative option marketing on the Internet](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap110-sec8403.htm) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/go-car-wash/ --- title: "Mr. Transmission: Warranty, Performance Check and Who Owns It" description: "Mr. Transmission’s rebuild warranty is 6 or 12 months, never over 12,000 miles, with a 50-mile return rule. What its pages, franchise filing and courts say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mr-transmission/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Mr. Transmission: Warranty, Performance Check and Who Owns It > Mr. Transmission’s rebuild warranty is 6 or 12 months, never over 12,000 miles, with a 50-mile return rule. What its pages, franchise filing and courts say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,751 words* ## The short version - Mr. Transmission is franchised by Moran Family of Brands, LLC of Orland Park, Illinois, which was Moran Industries, Inc. until it became an LLC in November 2025. It now sits under two Nevada companies formed in October 2025, Automotive Franchise Brands, Inc. and Legacy Brands, Inc. It is not a Driven Brands company. - Nearly every shop is an independent franchise: 99 franchised and 5 company-owned U.S. outlets at the end of 2025, says the April 29, 2026 franchise disclosure document. Many trade as “Milex Complete Auto Care, Powered by Mr. Transmission,” under one shared warranty. - The warranty has seven categories. A major transmission repair or rebuild gets 6 or 12 months and is “Not Valid Over 12 Months or 12,000 Miles.” If the invoice names no category, the job defaults to 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever occurs first. There is no lifetime transmission warranty. - “Nationwide” comes with conditions: within 50 miles of the shop that did the work you must go back to it, every claim needs its authorization and the receipt, and the warranty does not pass to a buyer. - The franchisee, not Moran, issues the warranty. Every franchisee must honor the others’ warranties, and each pays $5,000 into a fund that covers centers that close. - The Performance Check is advertised as free, though its title reads “Free Performance Check With Repair.” Shops promise a written estimate before work, print no national prices and advertise no financing. Mr. Transmission is a franchised transmission repair chain, and the shop you visit is almost always an independently owned business using the brand, its forms and its warranty, often alongside the Milex Complete Auto Care name. That decides who diagnoses the car, who sets the price and who stands behind the repair. On 16 October 2026 we read Mr. Transmission’s warranty, Performance Check, diagnostics, repair, towing, customer-service, About and franchise pages and its store locator; Milex’s copy of the same warranty; the franchise disclosure document (FDD) Moran Family of Brands, LLC issued on April 29, 2026, with its audited accounts, from Minnesota’s registry; and two federal court opinions. This site has no commercial relationship with Mr. Transmission or any repair chain. **Figure: What Mr. Transmission's warranty says, by situation** Eight situations a Mr. Transmission customer can meet, each answered from the warranty page on mrtransmission.com or the franchise disclosure document issued April 29, 2026. Every number is in data/mr-transmission.json. Read from mrtransmission.com and the Moran Family of Brands franchise disclosure document issued April 29, 2026 (Minnesota registry) on 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Mr. Transmission The franchisor is Moran Family of Brands, LLC, “the franchisor (formerly known as Moran Industries, Inc.),” in the FDD’s words. It was “first incorporated on July 27, 1990,” and “In November 2025, Moran (formerly Moran Industries, Inc.) converted from an Illinois corporation to an Illinois limited liability company and changed its name to Moran Family of Brands, LLC.” The audited notes add that on November 5, 2025 the shareholders “contributed their common stock to the sole member of Moran.” Above it sit two new holding companies: “Moran is a subsidiary of Automotive Franchise Brands, Inc. (“AFB”), a Nevada corporation incorporated in October 2025,” and “AFB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Legacy Brands, Inc. (“LB”), a Nevada corporation incorporated in October 2025.” Both share Moran’s address and have never offered franchises. The FDD does not say who owns Legacy Brands, so we cannot tell you. Item 2 names Barbara Moran-Goodrich, one of Moran’s co-founders, as chief executive officer. The brand is older than the company: “We or our predecessors have operated Centers since 1962 under the trade name “Mr. Transmission” or other trade names and have franchised these Centers since 1970,” which makes the name 64 years old by our arithmetic. A 2010 federal court opinion records that Mr. Transmission, Inc. assigned its franchise agreements to Moran on August 14, 1990. Moran has also grown into Canada. On December 3, 2025 it “acquired 100% of the outstanding shares in Responsive Brands ULC,” whose predecessor “began offering franchises in Canada in 1967,” adding “fifty-eight (58) Mr. Transmission franchised locations in Canada.” This page covers the U.S. system. One common assumption is wrong: Mr. Transmission is not part of Driven Brands. Driven Brands’ 2025 annual report, read for our [Meineke page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#who-owns-meineke), lists its franchise brands (Meineke, Maaco, CARSTAR and others) without it. Our [AAMCO page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/aamco-transmission/) covers a different transmission chain with its own owner and warranty. ## Mr. Transmission, Milex and the other names on the sign Moran sells three kinds of franchise under this FDD: a Mr. Transmission center for “the repair, service, and installation of automobile transmissions and related components,” a Milex Complete Auto Care center for maintenance and general repair, and “a Co-Branded Mr. Transmission business and Milex Complete Auto Care business.” Moran acquired the rights to the Milex Tune-Up and Brakes name in November 1997, along with 14 franchised centers, and markets the pairing as “Milex Complete Auto Care, Powered by Mr. Transmission.” Two older names survive on some signs. Moran “previously offered franchises under the trade names “Dr. Nick’s Transmissions” and “Multistate Transmissions” but we no longer offer new franchises under these marks,” though existing owners may keep them. The system behind the sign is the same: Milex’s website prints the same “Repair Brands General Warranty,” with the same seven categories, 50-mile rule and arbitration clause. **How many Mr. Transmission and Milex locations there are, by source (read 16 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | 104 | U.S. outlets: 99 franchised, 5 company-owned (3 in Illinois, 2 in Indiana) | FDD Item 20, as of December 31, 2025 | | 2 | Franchised outlets in Nigeria | FDD Item 20, as of December 31, 2025 | | 58 | Franchised locations in Canada, under the Canadian franchisor Moran bought | FDD Item 1 and audited notes | | 65 | “Store Locations” in the website locator: 64 in 19 U.S. states, 1 in Lagos, Nigeria (our count) | mrtransmission.com, read 16 October 2026 | | 16 | Franchise agreements signed but not yet open; 12 openings projected | FDD Item 20, as of December 31, 2025 | The locator shows 40 fewer U.S. locations than the FDD by our arithmetic. The dates differ and the FDD does not say whether a co-branded center counts once, so we report both without explaining the gap. The locator’s largest states are Georgia (9), Alabama (7) and Texas (7); it lists a store in Oregon and one in Idaho, where the FDD showed no franchised outlet at the end of 2025, and none in Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa or Maryland, where the FDD did. Call to confirm a shop is still in the system. By our arithmetic franchised U.S. outlets fell by 12 from the start of 2023 to the end of 2025: 8 opened and 17 left. ## The free Performance Check, and what comes after it Diagnosis starts with what Mr. Transmission calls a Performance Check: “we offer our customers a free Performance Check to help diagnose any problems with your vehicle’s transmission. Our comprehensive Performance Check consists of a fluid check, road test, check for any trouble codes, and bay inspection.” As the page describes them: - **Fluid check.** “A transmission in good condition will have a clear, red fluid”; an odor or discoloration plus other symptoms can point to an internal inspection. - **Road test.** “The road test is made up of 2 parts: a stationary test and a driving test,” looking for slipping, harsh, soft or erratic shifts and late or early shift patterns. - **Bay inspection.** Linkage, engine and transmission mounts, U-joints and axles, leaks, electronic components, sensors, switches and solenoids. - **Trouble codes** stored by the onboard diagnostic system. The check ends in one of four recommendations: preventive maintenance (the maintenance page offers anything from a fluid and filter exchange to a flush; our page on [drain-and-fill versus flush](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-transmission-fluid/#drain-vs-flush) weighs the two), an external adjustment or repair, a reseal (the transmission comes out to replace leaking external seals, for units “which have no other internal problems”), or an internal inspection. That last one is a big step: “This inspection consists of the removal of your transmission and dis-assembly of the unit in order to view all internal parts,” after which you get “a report of those items that are in need of either repair or replacement, along with an estimate for those services.” Two details deserve a question at the counter. The page’s own title is “Free Performance Check With Repair,” while its text and the About page call the check simply free, and no page says what you pay if you decline the repair. And no page prices the internal inspection, the removal and reassembly that go with it, or the separate Computer Diagnostics service, which the shop says follows “the same procedures the dealerships perform.” Ask before the car goes on a lift. If a warning light brought you in, our guides to the [check engine light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/), [signs of a failing transmission](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-transmission/) and [torque converter faults](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-torque-converter/#vs-transmission) help you describe the symptoms. ## Estimates, approval and prices The company’s pages promise paperwork before work. After a Performance Check, “If services are recommended, you’ll receive a written estimate before any work is performed,” and “You can choose whether to proceed with repairs.” The repair page says “After inspection, we provide a clear, written estimate before any work begins,” and the towing page says “You are never obligated to approve repairs.” Prices are each shop’s own: the franchisee “shall have the sole right to determine the prices for resale to its patrons,” says the franchise agreement, and no national page prices any job. The only figure near one is aimed at would-be owners: a “$2,000+ average ticket price for major transmission repair” in the franchise sales pitch, which is not a quote for your car. Our [transmission repair cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/transmission-repair-cost/) explains why no honest national figure exists, and its [four repair routes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/transmission-repair-cost/#four-routes) section explains what a reseal, rebuild or replacement unit renews. The paperwork is controlled. Each franchisee must use “only such repair order forms and sales invoice forms as are approved by the FRANCHISOR” and must show on them that the center “is independently owned and operated,” naming the business entity that runs it. That entity is who you contract with; our [Precision Tune page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/) reads another franchised chain the same way. The repair order matters more here than at most chains, because the warranty is written on it. The warranty page says that “if a repair is completed and no warranty category is listed on the invoice/repair order, the repair will default to a maximum warranty period of three months or 3,000 miles, whichever occurs first, regardless of any other warranty terms stated on the repair order or invoice.” And if the repair order, invoice, estimate or Performance Check printout “are altered in any way whatsoever by any party all warranties and claims will be voided and unenforceable.” Check that the estimate names the route (adjustment, reseal, rebuild or a remanufactured unit) and that the repair order shows a category number. **No category on the invoice means 3 months or 3,000 miles.** Mr. Transmission’s warranty page sets that default “regardless of any other warranty terms stated on the repair order or invoice.” Have the category number and its term written on the repair order before you pay, and keep the receipt: a claim without it is billed as non-warranty work. ## The seven warranty categories The whole warranty is on one page of [mrtransmission.com](https://mrtransmission.com/transmission-repair-warranty/), which says it “supersedes all previous materials, including but not limited to warranty cards, posters, or warranties written on repair orders, whether expressed or implied, 2026.” General terms apply to all seven categories, but where a category’s own terms differ, “the terms of that specific category will apply.” Federal rules expect a seller of a warranted consumer product costing more than $15.00 to make the warranty text available before the sale (16 CFR 702.3); here the published page helps, but the category on your repair order decides. **Mr. Transmission’s warranty categories as its page prints them (read 16 October 2026)** | Category | What it covers | How long | Notes on the page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Minor or preventive maintenance service | Not valid over 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever occurs first | Some of these services are excluded; see the repair order | | 2 | Major transmission repair or rebuild | “6 Month, 12-Months or 12,000 Miles”; not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles | Requires a 14-day leak recheck; which jobs get 6 months is not stated | | 3 | Declined service, no-warranty jobs, customer-supplied parts | “No warranty expressed or implied” | Declining work may also affect cover for a related failure | | 4 | Third-party extended warranty | The third party’s terms; not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles without it | The third party’s terms “take precedence” | | 5 | Brake pads and shoes | Limited lifetime on the friction material while the original purchaser owns the car; labor and other parts not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles | The lifetime term covers pads and shoes only | | 6 | Air conditioning repair | 3 months or 3,000 miles; not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles | Requires a 14-day leak recheck | | 7 | Other repairs under the car or hood | 3 months or 3,000 miles, or not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles if itemized on the repair order | Parts replaced and labor only | For a transmission, category 2 is the one that matters: it covers the transmission, clutch assembly, parts or repair on the repair order against “defects in materials, parts and workmanship,” and is “Not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles whichever occurs first.” Whether you get 6 months or 12 is set on the repair order; the FAQ says length “may vary by location.” Air conditioning is similar: 3 months or 3,000 miles, then a 12-month cap, with nothing saying which applies. Ask. The phrase “whichever occurs first” means each term ends at its earlier limit. Take a car driven 15,000 miles a year, a figure we picked only to illustrate. By our arithmetic the 3-month, 3,000-mile default ends at month 2.4; a 12-month, 12,000-mile major-repair warranty ends at month 9.6; and a 6-month major-repair warranty runs its full 6 months, by which time the car has covered 7,500 miles. The page rules out a lifetime transmission warranty twice: “Extended Lifetime Transmission Warranties are NOT VALID and will not be honored no matter what,” and “No lifetime transmission warranty is offered or implied.” Oil changes get “no warranty or coverage of any kind.” The one lifetime term, on brake friction material, runs “for as long as you, the original purchaser, own the vehicle,” which states the life it refers to, as the FTC’s guide on lifetime claims (16 CFR 239.4) expects. Category 4 needs care. The shop “reserves the right to install a remanufactured transmission or other component covered by a third-party warranty,” whose terms “take precedence over any franchise warranty.” You must follow that warranty’s “claim procedures, deductibles, coverage limits, and exclusions,” and you pay “all charges not covered or authorized by the third-party warranty,” from diagnostics and towing to shop supplies. Ask whose warranty comes with a remanufactured unit and for its terms; our guide to [who owes you under a third-party warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#who-owes-you) explains why the name on the contract matters. ## Receipts, the 50-mile rule and what voids the warranty The general terms put the original shop at the center of every claim: “This warranty and all liability remain the property of each independently owned and operated franchise center issuing said warranty. You the customer must contact the original repairing center for all approvals and authorizations regardless of reason.” If something fails, return the car to that center or, if you cannot, call it “for instructions before any actions or repairs are taken.” The distance rule is specific. “The customer is required to return the vehicle to the original repairing center for all warranty inspections and repairs whenever the vehicle is located within 50 miles of that center.” Beyond 50 miles you still go back if the original shop is nearer than the next affiliated one; only when another affiliated center is closer, and also outside the radius, may the original center send you there, and it may instead arrange to bring the car back. The warranty is honored at licensed franchise centers or “preapproved affiliated centers ... within North America.” Five things can end a claim before it starts: - **No receipt.** “A valid receipt must be presented before any warranty repair or service is authorized”; without one the job is “a non-warranty repair,” and a receipt produced after the work is authorized or completed does not qualify. - **Someone else fixed it first.** “Any unauthorized repairs being performed before proper authorization from the original repairing center will nullify and void the warranty and there will be no reimbursement.” - **You sold the car.** The warranty covers only “the legal owner of the vehicle for whom the services were performed at the time of the original repair and is not transferable.” - **Altered paperwork,** which voids “all warranties and claims.” - **A listed cause.** Exclusions the page says “(any one of these can void your warranty)” include lack of coolant or lubricants, leaks or “cross-contamination from different fluids/lubricants,” an “unknown electrical problem,” “undisclosed improper repairs performed elsewhere,” racing, an over-weight trailer, off-road use, “not maintaining proper fluid levels or maintenance,” faulty “computer system components” and “customer supplied parts.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the underside where the mechanic works, the engine bay and the ground below the front, each with one fact from Mr. Transmission’s warranty and Performance Check pages. Mr. Transmission’s warranty and Performance Check pages, read on 16 October 2026: Internal inspection: the unit comes out and is taken apart before the estimate (callout 1); Failures from faulty electrical or computer parts are excluded from the warranty (callout 2); Leaks, mixed fluids or low fluid can void it; rebuilds need a 14-day leak recheck (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. A valid claim pays narrowly: “only the repair or replacement of eligible parts and the correction of covered workmanship,” not “loss of vehicle use,” rental cars, towing, lodging or lost wages. “Other parts, services and labor maybe required at an additional charge,” and “Any and all claims cannot exceed the total amount listed on the invoice/repair order.” The page concedes that some states “do not allow the exclusion or limitation of accidental or consequential damages,” so your state’s law may give you more. ## Who stands behind the warranty, and what happens if a shop closes The marketing and the contracts describe the warranty differently. The About page offers “a nationwide warranty that is honored by our franchisees across the country.” The franchise agreement says a warranty “is extended by FRANCHISEE to the customer and not by FRANCHISOR,” that “FRANCHISOR does not, nor shall it issue, any warranty to any customer of any Center,” and that Moran “has no duty to satisfy complaints made by any customer of any Center.” Your warranty is a promise from the franchisee that did the work. Section 18 of the agreement makes it travel. Each franchisee “shall honor each warranty agreement presented by a customer at FRANCHISEE’S Center in accordance with the terms thereof, irrespective of whether the car part was originally repaired at FRANCHISEE’S Service Center or any other authorized Service Center.” The original shop must repay the repairing one “within twenty-four (24) hours after such demand,” and a new owner of a franchise must “honor all warranties issued by its predecessor.” Note “in accordance with the terms thereof”: the terms include the 50-mile rule, so the network mainly helps when you are far from home. A 2010 court opinion describes the same system: “Moran also maintains a national warranty program in which the franchisees are required to participate.” There is a backstop. Each franchisee pays “Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) to be held by FRANCHISOR in a warranty fund,” used for warranties a franchisee fails to honor and those of “any Center which has closed for any reason and not reopened.” A drawn-down deposit must be topped up within 10 days, failing to honor warranties is a ground for termination, and a franchisee that ceases trading stays liable “above and beyond the warranty fund.” The audited accounts show the fund in use: $31,000 reimbursed in 2023, $25,000 in 2024 and $6,175 in 2025, against $58,000, $39,000 and $38,257 collected, with $330,421 accrued at the end of 2025. They do not say how many claims that covered. If your shop has closed, use the customer-service form; the warranty page says “All customer service inquiries must be submitted” through it. It asks for your vehicle, “Current Vehicle Mileage,” the “Invoice Number” and a repair-order upload, so keep them; we did not fill it in. ## Claims, arbitration and the reviews clause A dispute the shop and owner cannot settle “may be submitted to arbitration were permitted by applicable law,” under American Arbitration Association rules. A request “must be submitted in writing within 60 days after receiving written notice that the dispute could not be resolved,” costs “shall be shared equally (50/50) by the repairing center and the customer” unless your state forbids it, and no award “will exceed total face amount of total cost of original repair.” The clause says “may,” and the page separately says you “may also have other rights that vary by state or province”; whether it binds you is a question for a lawyer, but the 60-day clock is a reason to put any refusal in writing at once. A section headed “Public Statements and Reviews” says “Customers retain the right to share honest opinions and experiences,” but that “knowingly publishing false statements of fact that are defamatory, libelous, or slanderous” may bring legal action. Federal law draws the same line. The Consumer Review Fairness Act, [15 U.S.C. 45b](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap2-subchapI-sec45b.htm), voids a form-contract term that “prohibits or restricts the ability of an individual who is a party to the form contract to engage in a covered communication,” while leaving “any civil cause of action for defamation, libel, or slander” intact. Outside complaints reach Moran too. Under section 35, each franchisee must “give notice to FRANCHISOR of any customer complaints made to any consumer agency, including, but not limited to, the Better Business Bureau, state or federal agencies,” and send Moran a copy of its answer. ## Towing, offers and financing The home page offers “Free towing on all major repairs” and the towing page “Free towing available on all major repairs!*” with an asterisk we found no note for. The warranty says “Towing is not included or covered under this warranty,” and towing given with the first repair is “a one-time courtesy” that “does not create or extend towing coverage for any future warranty claim.” If a covered part fails later, expect to pay for the tow. The special-offers page lists “This Month’s Hot Offers” and points you to your local center “for Additional Promotions.” Offers change and vary by shop, so we do not record them. Neither mrtransmission.com nor the Milex site advertises customer financing on the pages we read: no store card and no financing link. If a shop offers credit, get the lender’s name and terms in writing. ## What regulators and courts have recorded Item 3 of the FDD says “No litigation information is required to be disclosed in this Item,” Item 4 says the same of bankruptcy, and the audited notes say management “is not aware of any claims or lawsuits that could materially affect the financial position” of the company. Searches on 16 October 2026 found no FTC or state attorney general action naming Moran, Mr. Transmission or Milex, which is not proof none exists. Two federal opinions on govinfo name the brand: - **Tennessee, 2010.** Moran sued a former Chattanooga franchisee “for breach of a franchise agreement and for trademark infringement in violation of the Lanham Act.” On July 15, 2010 the court denied the franchisee’s motion to dismiss Moran’s claim for lost future royalties. It decides nothing about repairs. - **Illinois, 2014.** A customer sued a company “doing business as Mr. Transmission” and its operator under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, adding Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act claims. The shop had run diagnostic tests “without charge”; the customer asserted that parts he was shown “were not from his transmission or vehicle,” a point the ruling did not decide. On January 14, 2014 the court granted the shop summary judgment on the federal claim and declined to rule on the state claims. No consumer-fraud finding was made either way, and Moran was not a party to that ruling. Minnesota renewed and amended file 5012, still in the name “MORAN INDUSTRIES INC,” effective 06/01/2026. A separate application by Moran Family of Brands, LLC (file 11619) was withdrawn on 05/29/2026 after “no activity” for “a period of 120 days”; the order makes no finding about the company. In its Washington addendum Moran says it “has previously removed and does not include no-poach provisions in its franchise agreements” and offers “an assurance of discontinuance,” which “shall not be considered an admission of a violation.” The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, and we used no review sites. ## Where Mr. Transmission’s own documents disagree We recorded 13 places where the pages, filings and registry disagree or leave a gap. Those that matter to a customer: - **“Nationwide”:** honored “across the country,” says the About page; within 50 miles you must return to the original shop, says the warranty. - **Who gives the warranty:** “we offer a warranty,” says the services page; the franchisor “does not, nor shall it issue, any warranty,” says the franchise agreement. - **The free check:** free in the text, “With Repair” in the title; the home page describes it as fluid levels, tire pressure and “a FREE code scan.” - **Terms:** 6 or 12 months for a major repair and 3 or 12 for AC, with nothing saying which. - **Towing:** free on major repairs in the ads, “not included or covered” under the warranty. - **The company:** the Privacy Policy still names “Moran Industries, Inc., dba, Moran Family of Brands,” an Illinois corporation, and cites “our Terms of Use,” a page that answers “Page Not Found.” For franchise buyers, the franchise web page trails the FDD: fees of $35,000 and $45,000 against $45,000 and $55,000, an investment from $197,457 against $267,500, and a $5,000 veterans’ discount against $6,750. - **Ask what the Performance Check costs if you decline the repair**, and what an internal inspection and reassembly cost. - **Get a written estimate that names the route**: adjustment, reseal, rebuild or a remanufactured unit with a third-party warranty. - **Have the category number and its term written on the repair order**; with none, you get 3 months or 3,000 miles. - **Keep the receipt and repair order in the car**; no receipt, no warranty. - **If something fails, call the original shop before anyone touches the car**; unauthorized repairs void the warranty. - **Go back for the 14-day leak recheck** after a major transmission repair. - **Put any dispute in writing within 60 days** of a refusal. Our [Honest-1 Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/honest-1-auto-care/) page reads another franchised repair chain’s terms the same way. ## Common questions ### Who owns Mr. Transmission? Moran Family of Brands, LLC of Orland Park, Illinois, formerly Moran Industries, Inc., an LLC since November 2025. The FDD says it is a subsidiary of Automotive Franchise Brands, Inc., wholly owned by Legacy Brands, Inc., both formed in Nevada in October 2025. It is not a Driven Brands company. ### Are Mr. Transmission and Milex the same company? Yes. Moran franchises both names and sells co-branded centers marketed as “Milex Complete Auto Care, Powered by Mr. Transmission.” Each center is independently owned, and both websites print the same warranty. ### What is Mr. Transmission’s transmission warranty? A major repair or rebuild is category 2: 6 or 12 months, not valid over 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first, with a 14-day leak recheck. The repair order sets which. There is no lifetime transmission warranty, and it does not transfer when you sell. ### Is the warranty good at any Mr. Transmission? Only on its terms. Every franchisee must honor system warranties, but within 50 miles of the original shop you must go back there, and any claim needs that shop’s authorization and your receipt. ### Is the Mr. Transmission Performance Check free? The page says so, but its title reads “Free Performance Check With Repair,” and no page says what it costs if you decline the work. Ask first. ### Does Mr. Transmission offer financing? Not on its website or Milex’s. Each shop sets its own prices and payment options, so ask the shop and get any credit terms in writing. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mr-transmission/ --- title: "Big Brand Tire & Service: Warranty, Free Flats and Who Owns It" description: "Big Brand Tire prints a 6-month or 6,000-mile repair warranty, fixes flats free on any tire, sells no road hazard plan and has agreed to buy Belle Tire." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-brand-tire/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Big Brand Tire & Service: Warranty, Free Flats and Who Owns It > Big Brand Tire prints a 6-month or 6,000-mile repair warranty, fixes flats free on any tire, sells no road hazard plan and has agreed to buy Belle Tire. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,867 words* ## The short version - Big Brand Tire & Service is a California tire and repair chain founded in 1969 and run by Majco LLC. Percheron Capital has backed it since 2021, and since October 2025 it has been held in a fund co-led by Blue Owl, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus. - Its directory lists 182 stores in 17 states, and 67 of them carry a “Formerly” notice naming the chain they used to be. Four more chains keep their own names on Big Brand’s website templates: Burt Brothers, American Tire Depot, Robertson Tire and Tucker Tire. - Big Brand agreed to buy Belle Tire in July 2026. On 16 October 2026 neither Big Brand nor Percheron had posted a notice that the deal had closed. - The written warranty is 6 months or 6,000 miles on repairs. Tires get a pro-rata defect warranty to the last 1/16 inch of tread, and “Road hazards are not covered.” We found no road hazard plan. - Flat repair is free “Even if you did not purchase the tires from us,” within six rules. One turns away any tire older than 6 years. - Renamed stores say old warranties transfer, without saying on what terms, and each brand’s warranty sends you back to that brand’s own stores. Big Brand Tire & Service is a tire and auto repair chain based in Moorpark, California, that has grown by buying local tire shops and usually putting its own name on them. It prints a 6-month or 6,000-mile warranty on repairs and a pro-rata warranty against tire defects, sells no road hazard plan we could find, and repairs flats free whoever sold you the tire. On 16 October 2026 we read its warranty, service, credit, discount, store directory and Terms of Use pages, the same pages on four sister sites, two Percheron Capital releases, the July 2026 Belle Tire announcement and a Blue Owl Capital Corporation filing with the SEC. This site has no commercial relationship with Big Brand or any tire seller. **Figure: What Big Brand's warranty and free flat repair cover, situation by situation** A two-column table of eight situations: a flat in a tire bought elsewhere is repaired free if it passes six rules (in the tread, under 1/4 inch, at least 2/32 inch of tread); a tire more than 6 years old is not repaired; road hazard damage is not covered and no plan is printed; a defective tire is replaced pro rata down to the last 1/16 inch with the original receipt; a failed repair is covered for 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever occurs first; renamed stores say old warranties transfer without stating terms; claims at the other Majco banners are not addressed; and the warranty is for the original purchaser only. Read from Big Brand Tire & Service's warranty, flat repair and store pages, and the four other banners' warranty pages, on 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Big Brand Tire & Service The company behind the stores is Majco LLC. Big Brand’s privacy policy speaks for “Majco LLC DBA Big Brand Tire & Service,” and every page footer reads “© Copyright 2026 Majco LLC.” The Terms of Use, though, say the site is owned by “The Big Brand Tire & Service Corporation,” and the trademark line names Big Brand Tire & Service Corporation. No document explains how the names relate, so check which one is on your invoice. Above Majco is private equity. Big Brand’s July 2026 release says it has partnered with Percheron Capital since 2021. Percheron’s [release of 2 October 2025](https://percheron.com/media/percheron-accelerates-growth-of-big-brand-tire/) announced “the closing of a $1.625 billion recapitalization” through a “single-asset continuation vehicle,” a fund formed to hold Big Brand alone, “co-led by funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ, and Warburg Pincus.” Percheron says revenue grew “more than tenfold” after 2021, and chief executive Joe Buscaglia speaks of plans to “expand to 1,000 service centers.” A public filing ties the names together. Blue Owl Capital Corporation’s [quarterly report for the period ended 30 June 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1655888/000165588826000056/obdc-20260630.htm) lists a “First lien senior secured loan” to “MAJCO LLC (dba Big Brand Tire & Service),” due in September 2032, and an “LP Interest” in “Percheron Horsepower-A LP (dba Big Brand Tire & Service),” acquired in September 2025. A Blue Owl fund is both lender to the store operator and investor in the Percheron partnership carrying Big Brand’s name. We did not record the dollar amounts, which describe Blue Owl’s holdings, not your bill. **Who is on the other side of each Big Brand document (read 16 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | | --- | --- | | The website and its Terms of Use | “The Big Brand Tire & Service Corporation”; footer copyright Majco LLC | | Text messages and the privacy policy | “Majco LLC DBA Big Brand Tire & Service” | | The repair and tire warranty | “Big Brand Tire & Service”; no legal company named | | The credit card | Synchrony, on the Synchrony Car Care network | | Lenders and owners | Blue Owl’s 10-Q: “MAJCO LLC” borrows; “Percheron Horsepower-A LP” is an equity holding | | The tire itself | The tire maker, under its own warranty, where it publishes one | Big Brand calls itself “the acquirer of choice in the industry,” and its website carries a “Sell Your Tire Business” form asking shop owners for their revenue and bay count. A familiar local shop can become a Big Brand store, as 67 of them have. ## The Belle Tire purchase: agreed, not shown closed On 16 July 2026, Big Brand announced “a definitive agreement to acquire Belle Tire,” the Michigan chain whose home page counted 185 locations when this site read it on 9 October 2026. The transaction “remains subject to customary closing conditions” and “is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026,” and it “propels Big Brand past $1.5 billion in revenue.” The release praises Belle Tire’s “trusted brand” without saying whether the stores keep their name, and prints no price and nothing about customers’ plans or warranties. Big Brand’s Terms forbid links to its site without written permission, so we name the release rather than link it. The third quarter ended on 30 September. On 16 October, 92 days after the announcement, the only news item on Big Brand’s About page was still the July release, it was still the newest item on [Percheron’s news list](https://percheron.com/), and Big Brand’s directory listed no store in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana or Illinois. As far as these documents show, the deal was agreed but not confirmed as closed. Our fetch script re-checks Percheron’s list and flags any newer item. Belle Tire customers keep Belle Tire’s terms, recorded on our [Belle Tire page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/). Its optional [Tire Protection Plan](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/#tire-protection-plan) runs until 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years from purchase, whichever comes first, and “is honored at any of our 180+ Belle Tire locations.” Neither company says whether Big Brand stores will honor it. Keep your invoices: Big Brand’s renamed stores, below, say only that warranties “transfer.” ## How many stores, and the chains that keep their own names Big Brand’s pages give four store counts: “530+ Locations nationwide” on the home page; 182 store addresses under 17 state headings in the directory, matching the fleet page’s “182 locations across 17 states”; “174 locations across 15 states” on each renamed store’s notice; and a careers page still describing a chain in “Central and Southern California” growing “throughout the Southwestern United States.” By our arithmetic, the home page claims 348 more stores than the directory lists. Part of the gap may be stores under other names. Four tire chains run websites on Big Brand’s templates, with the same Majco LLC copyright and Terms of Use. Each site says it is “owned and operated by” a corporation in its own name, under California law, and none mentions Big Brand; Burt Brothers’ About page is Big Brand’s text with the name changed. Percheron confirms one: on 30 October 2025 it announced that Big Brand “has closed the acquisition of Burt Brothers Tire & Service.” For the other three, the shared Majco copyright and identical pages are the only link we found. It is the pattern our [Town Fair Tire page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/#who-owns-town-fair) found with Mavis, an owner the store’s site never names. **Chains whose websites carry a Majco LLC copyright, from each site’s own directory and terms (read 16 October 2026)** | Name on the sign | Owner named in its Terms of Use | Stores in its directory | Count on its home page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Big Brand Tire & Service | The Big Brand Tire & Service Corporation | 182, in 17 states | 530+; “since 1969” | | American Tire Depot | The American Tire Depot Corporation | 94: 92 in California, 1 in Arizona, 1 in Oregon | 94+ | | Burt Brothers Tire & Service | The Burt Brothers Tire & Service Corporation | 30, all in Utah | 29+; “since 1991” | | Robertson Tire | The Robertson Tire Corporation | 18, all in Oklahoma | 18+; “since 1962” | | Tucker Tire | The Tucker Tire Corporation | 2, both in California | None printed | By our arithmetic the five directories list 326 stores, no address twice; adding Belle Tire’s 185 gives 511, near the home page’s “530+” but not equal. Big Brand does not explain its figure or say whether it counts Belle Tire. A search result named a Midwest chain as another Big Brand purchase, but its website carries its own copyright and no primary document we read links the two, so we leave it out. If a store with another name sold you tires or a repair, that brand’s warranty page is the one that covers you. ## Renamed stores, and what happens to their old warranties Most chains Big Brand buys lose their name. In the store data behind the directory, 67 of the 182 stores show a notice such as “Formerly Roadmaster Tire Pros,” under 50 former names; the largest groups are five former First Tire & Automotive stores and four former Integrity Car Care stores. Outside California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Texas, every Big Brand store is a renamed one. **Big Brand stores by state, and how many carry a “Formerly” notice (directory, counted 16 October 2026)** | State | Stores | With a “Formerly” notice | | --- | --- | --- | | California | 73 | 19 | | Arizona | 37 | 3 | | Texas | 23 | 16 | | Nevada | 13 | 0 | | Colorado | 8 | 1 | | Utah | 6 | 6 | | Oregon | 4 | 4 | | Arkansas, Idaho, Tennessee | 3 each | 3 each | | Georgia, Iowa | 2 each | 2 each | | Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin | 1 each | 1 each | | Total | 182 | 67 | Each renamed store has a short FAQ. The Monroe, North Carolina store’s says Roadmaster Tire Pros “became part of Big Brand Tire & Service through an acquisition” and that “employees are not fired or replaced as part of the transition.” On warranties: “Yes. Your warranties transfer, and Big Brand Tire & Service has access to available service history and warranty records from Roadmaster Tire Pros.” In the store data, all 67 renamed stores answer the warranty question “Yes,” and none says which terms apply. That matters because Big Brand’s written warranty covers tires “purchased at a Big Brand Tire & Service facility” and says “Your purchase invoice must be presented.” A receipt from before the sale shows the old name. Bring it, and ask the store to write on your paperwork whose terms it is honoring. The FAQs promise only “available” records, so your own copies are the safer proof. ## The written warranty: 6 months or 6,000 miles, and a pro-rata tire warranty Big Brand’s warranty page opens: “Big Brand Tire & Service offers a limited 6 month or 6,000 mile warranty on all repairs.” The terms: - **Repairs.** The “Parts & Labor warranty period” is “6 months or 6,000 miles (whichever occurs first).” No repair is singled out for longer cover. By our arithmetic, a car driven 1,000 miles a month reaches both limits on the same day; drive more and the mileage ends the cover first. - **Tires.** Under “Manufacturer’s Standard Tire Warranty (Limited),” a tire that becomes “unsafe or unserviceable due to defects in workmanship or materials” is “replaced on a pro-rata basis charging for only the portion of tread warn off, down to the last 1/16 of an inch of tread.” Out-of-round tires are adjustable only “during the first 10% of the tire’s life.” “Road hazards are not covered by this warranty.” - **Wheels and trailer tires.** Custom wheels are warranted “for the first year”; trailer tires that fail from a defect “within 2 years from date of purchase” are replaced pro rata. - **Twelve exclusions,** including “Premature tread wear out,” “Repairable punctures,” “Vehicle Misalignment,” under-inflation, accidents, vandalism, and mounting damage “if not mounted at a Big Brand Tire & Service facility.” - **Claims.** “ALL TIRES MUST BE RETURNED TO A BIG BRAND TIRE & SERVICE FACILITY AND ACCOMPANIED BY THE ORIGINAL RECEIPT.” A replacement not in stock “will be available usually within 10 days.” Cover “is provided to original consumer purchaser only,” and excludes costs such as “loss of time, road service charges.” Pro rata means you pay for the tread you used: if a defect shows when the tire has worn halfway to the 1/16-inch floor, for example, you would pay for roughly half the replacement. The page does not say whether that share is of the price you paid or today’s price, so ask. Early wear is excluded here; that claim goes under the maker’s mileage warranty, which Big Brand’s alignment page warns does not cover “uneven tire wear” from misalignment. Our guide to [how tire makers prorate](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) covers those booklets, and Big Brand’s own maker-warranty page links 96 brands’ warranty pages. Who stands behind the tire warranty is unclear. It is headed “Manufacturer’s,” yet Big Brand prints it, applies it to tires bought at its stores and handles claims there, while noting that “Most tire brands also offer their own treadwear and workmanship warranties.” Treat it as the store’s promise and keep the maker’s booklet too. **The “in lieu of” line.** The page says “These warranties are in lieu of all other warranties expressed or implied.” Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm), “No supplier may disclaim or modify (except as provided in subsection (b)) any implied warranty” if it “makes any written warranty,” and such a disclaimer “shall be ineffective.” Big Brand’s page partly concedes this (“Some states do not allow limitation on how long an implied warranty lasts”). A repair that fails just after 6 months may be outside the written warranty but not outside your rights under state law. **The same text on four other sites.** Burt Brothers, American Tire Depot, Robertson Tire and Tucker Tire print this warranty word for word with the name changed, and each sends tires back to its own brand: “ALL TIRES MUST BE RETURNED TO A ROBERTSON TIRE FACILITY,” for example. No page says a Burt Brothers receipt is honored at a Big Brand store or the other way round. Only the military discount is promised “at all Big Brand Tire & Service locations,” with no word on the other brands. Until someone tells you otherwise in writing, claim at a store with the same name as your receipt. ## No road hazard plan, and what stands in for one Nails, potholes and road debris are what road hazard cover exists for, and Big Brand’s warranty leaves them out. The page’s description promises “details on coverage and road hazards,” but its only road hazard line is the exclusion, and the maker-warranty page adds that “Manufacturer warranties typically do not cover road hazards.” The tire model page we read showed prices and “+ Installation costs added in cart,” with no road hazard add-on. We did not open a cart. One phrase hints at something more: a tire promotion on the home and coupons pages requires “purchase of tire maintenance certificates.” No page says what a certificate covers, costs or how long it lasts. Under [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), a seller of products costing “more than $15.00” with a written warranty must make its text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” so ask to see it. **Ask what a “tire maintenance certificate” is before you buy one.** Big Brand’s warranty excludes road hazards and repairable punctures, and its website defines no certificate. Get the coverage, price per tire and end date in writing, and ask whether it is good at Burt Brothers, American Tire Depot, Robertson and Tucker stores as well. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a tread face, a sidewall and the tread grooves, each with one fact from Big Brand Tire’s warranty and flat repair pages. Big Brand Tire’s warranty and flat repair pages, read on 16 October 2026: Flats are repaired free even on tires bought elsewhere, if the hole is under 1/4 inch (callout 1); Its flat repair rules turn away any tire older than 6 years: check the date code (callout 2); The tire warranty is pro rata for defects to the last 1/16 inch; road hazards excluded (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. What Big Brand does print is free flat repair for any tire that can be safely fixed, which handles a nail in the tread but not a sidewall cut or a blowout. The table sets Big Brand’s printed terms beside those of Belle Tire, the chain it has agreed to buy, copied from our [Belle Tire page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/). It compares documents, not prices, and ranks neither. **Printed terms at Big Brand (read 16 October 2026) and Belle Tire (read 9 October 2026)** | Term | Big Brand Tire & Service | Belle Tire | | --- | --- | --- | | Road hazard cover | None printed: “Road hazards are not covered by this warranty” | Optional Tire Protection Plan, ending at 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years, whichever comes first | | Flat repair | Free, “Even if you did not purchase the tires from us,” within six rules | Free with “the tire installation package” | | Repair warranty | 6 months or 6,000 miles, parts and labor | “Comprehensive warranty on parts and labor”; no length printed | | The store’s own tire warranty | Pro rata for defects, to the last 1/16 inch | None; the FAQ points to the tire makers | | Card: no-interest promotions | $199+ for 6 months; $1,199.99+ for 12 months | $199 to $999.99 for 6 months; $1,000+ for 12 months | | Card: standing terms | New accounts as of 7/31/25: purchase APR 34.99%, penalty APR 39.99% | The same wording | | Military discount | 5% in store; not combined with other offers | 5% in store; the same no-combining wording | | Price promise | “we will not be undersold”; no price-match terms | “We will beat any competitor’s price,” with seven printed rules | For how road hazard cover works where it is sold, see [Discount Tire’s Certificates](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) and [Les Schwab’s included road hazard warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/#road-hazard). ## Free flat repair, rotation and checks, and the rules “Flat Tire Repairs are always free. Even if you did not purchase the tires from us.” Staff first “remove the tire from the rim and inspect it inside and out,” and the repair must pass six “Tire Repair Requirements,” as printed: - “The puncture must be in the tread area of the tire” - “The puncture must be less that 1/4 inch in diameter” - “There must be at least 2/32″ of tread surface remaining” - “The tire must not be severely weather checked” - “The overall condition of the tire must be good” - “The tire must not be older than 6 years old” Big Brand admits the age rule surprises people and bases it on NHTSA’s tire-aging work, writing that makers recommend “tires should be replaced within six to ten years, regardless of tread depth.” Read the [date code on your sidewall](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) before you go; our guide to [how old is too old](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#how-old-is-too-old) covers the advice. By our arithmetic, the 2/32-inch tread floor equals 1/16 inch, where the pro-rata tire warranty also stops. Run-flats are repaired only where the maker allows (see [run-flat repair](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair)). If a tire fails the rules, Big Brand says it will “walk you through replacement options.” **Rotation and checks.** “We rotate your tires at no cost,” with no condition that you bought them there, and oil change bookings include “a Free Tire Rotation and Free Vehicle Fluid Check.” Big Brand recommends rotation “every 6,000 to 8,000 miles” (see our [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) page). Its Car Services page heads 15 services “FREE,” flat repair and rotation among them; the rest are checks of alignment, brakes, battery, pressure, TPMS sensors, cooling, engine, fluids, belts and hoses, shocks and struts, alternator and starter, lights, and a full inspection. Balancing, tire changeover, wipers and filters are not marked free. A check is a measurement, not a repair: the alignment page promises “Recommendations for adjustment if your alignment is out of spec” and prints no price. Get any quote in writing; our pages on [when an alignment is due](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align) and [brake pad replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) help you judge it. **If you hold a service contract.** Big Brand calls itself an “Authorized Service Provider” for SilverRock, covering buyers from “Carvana®, DriveTime®, or another dealer,” and for the Shield Repair Network, covering “CarShield® or American Auto Shield®” contracts. What gets paid depends on your contract; see our [Carvana warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carvana-warranty/), [DriveTime](https://baronauto1.com/financing/drivetime-review/) and [CarShield](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carshield/) pages. ## The credit card, the military discount and price promises **The Big Brand Tire & Service credit card** is issued through Synchrony and is “Valid everywhere Synchrony Car Care™ is accepted in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.” Its standing offer is “No Interest if Paid in Full Within 6 or 12 Months On purchases of $199+ (6 months) or $1199.99+ (12 months).” That is deferred interest: if the balance is not cleared, “interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” The amount “must be on one receipt,” and gas station purchases do not qualify. The dated account terms: “New Accounts as of 7/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2.” There is “No annual fee.” By our arithmetic, $199 needs $33.17 a month to clear in 6 months, and $1,199.99 needs $100.00 a month to clear in 12. Belle Tire’s card, read on 9 October 2026, prints the same APR terms but starts its 12-month offer at $1,000, so Big Brand’s threshold is $199.99 higher, by our arithmetic. A rebate on the credit page carries a deadline and is left out, and we did not use the prequalification button. **The military discount.** “Active-duty service members, military retirees, and veterans receive 5% off purchases in store,” with a valid ID shown “each time you visit.” It “does not extend to spouses or family members,” is “applied in store only” and “cannot be combined with other sales, coupons, discounts, or promotions,” though Big Brand will apply “the one that saves you the most.” The home page offers it to “active duty, veterans, and reserves,” so reservists who are not veterans or retirees should ask first. Belle Tire’s discount page used the same wording. **Price promises.** Big Brand prints no price-match policy. Its About page says “Value is our objective, we will not be undersold” and “Shop our competition and see for yourself,” with no rules on competitors, time limits or refunds. Bring a lower quote if you have one, but there are no terms to hold the store to. Tucker Tire’s home page advertises a “Lowest Price Guarantee” and “Nationwide warranties that actually mean something,” and its sitemap lists no page explaining either. Coupons and the e-mail Advantage Club are promotions and are not recorded here. ## Terms of Use, disputes and public records Big Brand’s Terms of Use are undated, and it may “change, modify, add, or remove portions” at any time. California law governs, and “the California courts will have non-exclusive jurisdiction,” so a court elsewhere may still hear a case. We found no arbitration clause or class-action waiver in the Terms, the warranty, the privacy policy or the credit page. The Terms cap liability for the website at “THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, FOR ACCESSING THIS SITE”; work on your car falls under the warranty and the law, not that cap. Big Brand also says it “does not guarantee the accuracy of the information at all times,” one more reason to rely on your invoice. The privacy policy, also undated, says Big Brand “will not trade, sell, or share” personal information without consent, except with “its franchisee dealers, or third-party business partners.” No other page mentions franchised stores. Big Brand “does not ship products”; online orders are collected and fitted in store. Searches on 16 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or Federal Trade Commission action naming Big Brand Tire & Service. CourtListener’s robots.txt closes its dockets to AI agents, so we did not search court records there, and California’s repair-dealer registrations sit behind a search form we did not use. ## Where Big Brand’s own pages disagree We recorded 14 places where Big Brand’s pages contradict each other or leave a promise unfinished. The ones a buyer should know: - **Store counts.** 530+, 182 in 17 states, and 174 in 15 states, plus a careers page still set in “Central and Southern California.” Burt Brothers prints “29+” and lists 30. - **Road hazards.** A warranty page that promises “details on coverage and road hazards” and only excludes them, and “tire maintenance certificates” that no page defines. - **Whose tire warranty.** A “Manufacturer’s Standard Tire Warranty” that Big Brand prints and handles, beside a note that makers offer their own. - **Disclaimers.** “In lieu of all other warranties expressed or implied,” next to an admission that some states do not allow it. - **Old warranties.** 67 FAQs that say warranties “transfer,” and a warranty for tires “purchased at a Big Brand Tire & Service facility” against the original invoice. - **Names.** The Big Brand Tire & Service Corporation, Majco LLC and, in a lender’s filing, Percheron Horsepower-A LP, plus “franchisee dealers” no other page mentions. - **The military discount.** “Reserves” on the home page, “military retirees” on the discount page. - **Silent sister brands.** Four chains on Big Brand’s pages and copyright that never name their owner and send claims to their own stores; Tucker Tire’s “Lowest Price Guarantee” is never explained. In a dispute, your paperwork counts for more than the website, so get the warranty terms, the company’s name and any certificate terms on the invoice. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Big Brand Register your tires so the maker can reach you about a recall. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), a dealer must either give you “a paper tire registration form” with “The entire tire identification number” filled in, or send it to the maker “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” No Big Brand page says which it does, so ask. NHTSA says makers notify registered owners “within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision”; its [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) covers tires, and our page on [tire recalls](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) explains more. Other regional chains are read the same way on our [Tire Discounters](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/) and [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) pages. - **Match the name on the sign to the name on the invoice.** Each of the five brands sends warranty claims to its own stores. - **Keep the original receipt.** Tire claims need the tire and the receipt, and cover is for the original buyer only. - **Note the date and mileage of any repair.** Cover ends at 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first. - **Do not count on road hazard cover.** Get any “tire maintenance certificate” terms and price in writing before paying. - **Check the date code before a flat repair.** Tires older than 6 years are not repaired. - **If your store was renamed,** bring the old receipt and have the staff write down which terms they will honor. - **Belle Tire customers:** keep your plan paperwork until the new owner says in writing how it will be handled. - **On promotional card financing,** divide the balance by the months and clear it in time. ## Common questions ### Who owns Big Brand Tire & Service? Majco LLC runs the stores as Big Brand Tire & Service. Percheron Capital has backed it since 2021, and in October 2025 announced a $1.625 billion recapitalization through a single-asset continuation vehicle co-led by funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus. A Blue Owl filing for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 lists an interest in “Percheron Horsepower-A LP (dba Big Brand Tire & Service).” ### Did Big Brand buy Belle Tire? It agreed to on 16 July 2026, with closing expected in the third quarter of 2026. On 16 October 2026 we found no notice from Big Brand or Percheron that the deal had closed, and Big Brand’s directory listed no store in Belle Tire’s states. ### What is Big Brand Tire’s warranty? Repairs carry a limited parts and labor warranty of 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Tires bought there get a pro-rata warranty against defects down to the last 1/16 inch of tread; custom wheels are covered for one year and trailer tires for 2 years. You need the original receipt, and the warranty is for the original buyer only. ### Does Big Brand Tire have a road hazard warranty? Not on any page we read. Its warranty says “Road hazards are not covered by this warranty,” and no road hazard plan is printed. A promotion mentions “tire maintenance certificates,” which no page defines, so ask in store. ### Does Big Brand fix flats for free? Yes, “Even if you did not purchase the tires from us.” The puncture must be in the tread and under 1/4 inch, with at least 2/32 inch of tread left, and the tire must be in good condition and no more than 6 years old. ### What brands does Big Brand Tire own? It renames most chains it buys: 67 of its 182 stores carry a “Formerly” notice under 50 former names. Burt Brothers Tire & Service, which Percheron says Big Brand bought in October 2025, keeps its name, and American Tire Depot, Robertson Tire and Tucker Tire run on the same website templates under the same Majco LLC copyright. Belle Tire is pending. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-brand-tire/ --- title: "Honest-1 Auto Care: Roadworthy Warranty, Exclusions and Owner" description: "Honest-1’s 36-month, 36,000-mile Roadworthy Warranty is made by your shop and excludes engine internals, tires and batteries. What its fine print and FDD say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/honest-1-auto-care/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Honest-1 Auto Care: Roadworthy Warranty, Exclusions and Owner > Honest-1’s 36-month, 36,000-mile Roadworthy Warranty is made by your shop and excludes engine internals, tires and batteries. What its fine print and FDD say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,938 words* ## The short version - Honest-1 Auto Care, spelled “Honest1” on its own site, is a franchise chain: 61 locations at the end of 2025, 58 franchised and 3 company-owned, says its franchise disclosure document of March 26, 2026. H-1 Auto Care, LLC of St. Petersburg, Florida is the franchisor, wholly owned by H-1 Holdings LLC. - The Roadworthy Warranty runs 36 months and 36,000 miles “whichever is to your advantage,” or 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, on light duty commercial vehicles. The fine print says the shop named on your invoice makes it, not H-1 Auto Care. - The exclusions are wide: internal engine and transmission work, any repair that removes the engine or transmission, tires, batteries (hybrid drive batteries excepted), oil and fluid changes and filters. Honest-1’s service pages still sell engine replacements and tire work. - More than 25 miles from the shop, you must call before any warranty work, and a non-participating shop can mean paying first and claiming back. Keep the original invoice: it can add terms that “take precedence.” - The “Honesty Policy” is the warranty itself. There is no satisfaction or money-back guarantee, and the “Roadworthy Guarantee” on three service pages is never defined. - No national prices and no customer financing are advertised; coupons are local and dated. Honest-1 Auto Care is a franchised general repair chain whose written promise is a 36-month, 36,000-mile warranty made by the individual shop, with exclusions that matter more than the headline. On 16 October 2026 we read the warranty page and its fine print, the FAQ, Our Story, the service, specials and franchise pages on honest1.com, two location pages, the franchise disclosure document (FDD) of H-1 Auto Care, LLC issued March 26, 2026, from Minnesota’s franchise registry, and the federal warranty and environmental-claim rules on govinfo. The name is written Honest 1, Honest-1 and Honest1; the FDD says all three mean the same franchisor. This site has no commercial relationship with Honest-1 Auto Care or any repair chain. **Figure: What Honest-1's Roadworthy Warranty says, by situation** Eight situations an Honest-1 Auto Care customer can meet, each answered from the Roadworthy Warranty fine print, the warranty page or the March 26, 2026 franchise disclosure document. Every number is in data/honest-1-auto-care.json. Read from honest1.com and the H-1 Auto Care, LLC franchise disclosure document issued March 26, 2026 (Minnesota registry) on 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Honest-1 Auto Care The brand belongs to H-1 Auto Care, LLC, which sells the franchises. The FDD settles the spelling: “‘H-1’, ‘H1’, ‘Honest-1’, and ‘Honest1’ means H-1 Auto Care, LLC, the franchisor.” It is “a Nevada limited liability company formed on June 29, 2007,” based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and says “All rights in and goodwill from the use of our Trademarks accrue solely to us.” The chain is older than the company. Its predecessor, Honest-1 Auto Care, Inc., was a Nevada corporation incorporated on March 17, 2003 that “offered franchises for Honest-1 Centers from June 2003 to June 2006.” On July 10, 2007 H-1 Auto Care bought its assets, including an Oregon center the predecessor opened in 2005. That is why Our Story says “since 2003” while the FAQ says “Since opening our first shop in 2005.” Above the franchisor sits H-1 Holdings LLC, formed in Delaware on September 22, 2011, which the FDD calls “a non-operating holding company” that on October 12, 2011 “acquired 100% of us.” The FDD does not say who owns Holdings, and we read no record that does. Michael B. Cowan “has been our President and CEO since January 2018” and co-founded SLC Capital Partners, “a private investment firm located in St. Petersburg, Florida.” An affiliate, Honest-1 Auto Care, LLC, runs the company-owned centers opened in “Fall 2018, Winter 2020, and Fall 2023,” which the franchise pages call the “3 Model Training Stores.” Another affiliate is a regional master franchisee of the JAN-PRO commercial cleaning brand in Florida. The FDD names its competitors as “Midas, Firestone, Monro, Sun Auto, Mavis, Christian Brothers and Meineke.” Our pages on [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/), [Firestone](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/), [Monro](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/monro/), [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/), [Christian Brothers Automotive](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/) and [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/) read those chains’ own terms. ## Franchised shops: who you actually deal with Almost always a local franchisee. The FDD says “There were 61 total locations in the System as of December 31, 2025 (58 franchised and 3 company-owned),” so 95.1% were franchised by our arithmetic. The company’s own pages round the number differently: **How many Honest-1 locations there are, by source (read 16 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | 61 | 58 franchised and 3 company-owned locations | FDD Items 19 and 20, as of December 31, 2025 | | 50+ and 3 | “50+ franchised stores and 3 Model Training Stores” | Franchise FAQ | | 60+ | “Each of our 60+ locations around the US” | Foreign and Domestic Repairs page | | 41 | Location sites in the site’s sitemap index (our count; a sitemap can miss or keep a shop) | honest1.com | | 12 | Franchise agreements signed for shops not yet open | FDD Item 20, Table 5, as of December 31, 2025 | Use the FDD’s 61. The sitemap count is 20 lower by our arithmetic, so check that a shop is a current Honest-1 location before you rely on the brand’s warranty. The footprint is lopsided. Minnesota had 16 franchised locations at the end of 2025, 27.6% of the franchised total by our arithmetic; Oregon had 6, Texas 5, and Florida 5 franchised plus the 3 company-owned centers, 8 in all. Shops sat in 17 states. The chain has shrunk slowly, from 64 locations at the start of 2023 to 61, and the outlet table shows no new franchised location opening in 2023, 2024 or 2025. Twelve signed franchises were waiting to open, 4 of them in Minnesota. The franchise agreement tells you whose business you are paying. Each franchisee must present itself “as an independent contractor operating the Franchised Business pursuant to a license from the Franchisor,” with a sign “in a conspicuous place” (section 18.2), and put a “notice of independent ownership on all forms, business cards, stationery, advertising, signs and other materials” (section 18.5). Nothing in the agreement lets a franchisee make any “warranty or representation on the Franchisor’s behalf” (section 18.4), though shops must use “only the standard service order, warranty and other forms approved or provided by the Franchisor.” One clause helps if something goes wrong: “any and all consumer related complaints shall be answered by the Franchise Owner within fifteen (15) days after receipt,” with a copy to the franchisor “within three (3) days.” Put a complaint in writing to the shop and keep a copy. Item 20 also warns that some franchisees “sign provisions restricting their ability to speak openly about their experience with ‘Honest1’ System.” ## What Honest-1 does: services, the digital inspection and estimates Honest-1 sells general repair and maintenance. Its services index lists 16 services, from oil changes, brakes, cooling and exhaust to alignment, tires, transmission, electrical, battery and diagnostics, and the foreign and domestic page says “From Acura to Volvo, we cover most automotive makes and models.” Ask the shop near you whether it does the job you need. The selling point is a free digital check. The home page says “Our ASE-certified technicians only fix what needs fixing” and offers “complimentary digital Roadworthy Inspections®,” and the FAQ promises “the what, why, and how much.” The diagnostics page lists checks from “Assessing air bag/passive restraint/SRS” to “Locating fluid leaks,” and says the team will “present any recommended repairs or safety concerns.” Our guide to [the check engine light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/) helps you read a warning before you agree to a diagnosis. The FDD shows the system behind it. Every franchisee must buy “a digital vehicle inspection computer system,” and the confidential Operations Manual has an exhibit titled “Deferred Services” and a planned one for “Personalized Mailed Deferred Service Letters with Coupon,” so expect a follow-up on work you decline. No page promises in so many words that nothing is done without your approval: ask for the estimate in writing, line by line, and approve each item yourself. The franchise pages add a claim of their own, “In 2025, our shops had an average Google Rating of 4.6,” which we did not check. ## The Roadworthy Warranty: 36 months and 36,000 miles, made by your shop The [warranty page](https://www.honest1.com/warranty/) leads with the number: “The Honest1 Roadworthy Warranty® covers 36 months and 36,000 miles, whichever is to your advantage. If we or the parts manufacturer mess up, and it’s been less than 36 months or 36,000 miles, it’s on us.” The binding text is the [fine print](https://www.honest1.com/warranty/warranty-details/) linked below it, a form headed “WHO MAKES THIS LIMITED WARRANTY,” marked “Copyright ® 2021 Sonsio, LLC” and revised 10/21. Six points matter most: - **The shop makes it.** “This Warranty is made by the Independent Service Facility (‘Facility’) who is so named on the original repair invoice,” and it “is not a warranty of H-1 Auto Care, LLC or Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC.” - **The clock starts at the repair.** Cover is “measured from the date of the first repair and the odometer reading shown on the original repair invoice.” - **Commercial vehicles get less.** The same sentence gives “24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, for Light Duty Commercial Vehicles,” and commercial vehicles over 1 1/2 tons are excluded. - **It does not pass to a buyer.** It “is extended only to you, the original purchaser.” - **The shop chooses the fix.** It may repair, replace the part “or refund to you the entire charge for the warranted repairs,” and “Warranty repair costs shall in no case exceed the costs of the original repair or service.” Cover is conditioned on “reasonable and necessary maintenance.” - **No knock-on costs.** It does not include “INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (additional expenses which you may incur as the result of faulty repair or service),” though “Some states do not allow the exclusion.” In California the period is extended by the days the car is out of your hands for warranty repairs, and a failed warranty repair must be reported “within 60 days after they were completed.” The phrase “whichever is to your advantage” appears on four pages and is defined on none. By our arithmetic, a car driven 18,000 miles a year reaches 36,000 miles 24 months after the repair: under “whichever comes first” cover would stop then, while a warranty running to the later limit would last the full 36 months. Read plainly, “to your advantage” points to the later limit, but the landing page’s “less than 36 months or 36,000 miles” can be read either way. **Get the warranty terms on your invoice before you pay.** The warranty page says “Your original repair invoice may also include additional terms, conditions and exclusions that are additive and take precedence over the general terms.” Ask the shop to write which repairs are covered, for how long and which limit ends the cover, and keep the original invoice: without it there is no claim. The form is labelled a “LIMITED WARRANTY,” as 15 U.S.C. 2303 requires of a warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards: it “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” Because the text is online, you can do what [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml) intends for products costing more than $15.00, where the seller “shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer”: read it before work starts. And since the shop gives a written warranty, [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm) says it may not “disclaim or modify ... any implied warranty”; the fine print does not try to. Here is how other chains print the same term, copied from our pages with their read dates. We compare the wording only: **Printed repair-warranty terms (Honest-1 read 16 October 2026; the others copied from our pages read 9 and 10 October 2026)** | Chain | Printed term | Which limit ends it | | --- | --- | --- | | Honest-1 Auto Care | “36 months and 36,000 miles, whichever is to your advantage (24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, for Light Duty Commercial Vehicles)” | “To your advantage,” not defined | | [Christian Brothers Automotive](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/#nice-difference-warranty) | “3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever limit occurs last” | The last | | [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#the-warranty) | All other parts and services: “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first” | The first | | [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#repair-warranty) | “twelve (12) months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless otherwise described” | The first | | [Precision Tune Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/#warranty) | “National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile warranty, which is valid at most of our centers” | Not stated | ## What the warranty covers, and what it leaves out The fine print covers only the repair types it lists, “even though the Facility may offer other services.” There are 16 covered groups and 7 exclusion groups: **The Roadworthy Warranty’s covered repairs and exclusions, as printed (Rev. 10/21, read 16 October 2026)** | Covered repair types | Excluded | | --- | --- | | Air conditioning, heating and climate control; engine cooling systems | Engine: “Any internal repairs or replacement of internal components, or replacement of engine assembly” (external seals and gaskets excepted) | | Brake system; steering and suspension, wheel bearings, CV and U-joints, half-shafts and drive shafts | Transmission, automatic or manual: “any internal repair or component replacement” (external seals and gaskets excepted) | | Engine performance and drivability; ignition; fuel systems; emission control | “any repairs involving the removal of the engine, transmission, or transaxle” | | Engine management and other on-board computers; cruise control; electrical; starting and charging | “TIRES, BATTERIES (excluding Hybrid Drive Battery replacements)” | | Clutches; drive axles and transaxles (differential gears, bearings, shafts and seals) | Preventive maintenance: “Oil changes, fluid changes and flushes, wiper blades, filters” (belt and hose replacement excepted) | | Exhaust system | Body, paint, molding and glass; used, customer-supplied or salvaged parts | | “Other minor repairs and services” | Commercial vehicles “with a load carrying capacity greater than 1 1/2 tons (17K LBS GVW)”; “abnormal use, misuse, neglect, accident”; “normal wear and tear” | Set that beside Honest-1’s service pages and the gaps show. The engine page offers “a minor engine repair or a full replacement”; the transmission page says “the engine often needs to be removed”; the foreign and domestic page promises “any foreign or domestic auto service, all backed by our one-of-a-kind Roadworthy Warranty®.” Yet internal engine and transmission work, and any repair that removes the engine or transmission, are excluded by name. If you are quoted for that kind of job, ask in writing what warranty it carries. Our pages on [transmission symptoms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-transmission/) and [AAMCO](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/aamco-transmission/) cover transmission repair separately. Tires and batteries follow the same pattern. The tire page says to book “your next tire repair, rotation, or replacement at Honest1 for a Roadworthy Guarantee®,” and the battery page says technicians “perform car battery replacements daily,” but tires and ordinary batteries sit outside the warranty, as do oil changes and filters. For tires and batteries the maker’s warranty is usually what you have; see our guides to [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) and [car battery warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/), and ask for the brand on the invoice. Inspections are a grey zone too: the diagnostics page says “we back every car inspection or diagnostic with our Roadworthy Warranty®,” but neither appears in the covered groups, which end with “Other minor repairs and services.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the fuse box, the engine bay and the technician’s hand, each with one fact from Honest-1’s Roadworthy Warranty fine print. Honest-1’s Roadworthy Warranty fine print, read on 16 October 2026: Covered: brakes, A/C, cooling, steering, suspension, exhaust, fuel and electrical work (callout 1); Not covered: engine or transmission internals, tires, batteries, oil and fluid changes (callout 2); Keep the original invoice: claims need it, and it can add terms that take precedence (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Making a claim away from home, and the 365 Roadside program Where you claim depends on distance from the shop that did the work: - **Within 25 miles.** “you must return your vehicle to that Facility and present your copy of the original repair invoice,” which you must “temporarily surrender” if warranty work is done. - **Farther away.** Call the original shop first, “prior to calling the Warranty Administrator or having repairs performed at another facility,” says the warranty page, adding “We have programs in place to help cover costs of towing, if needed.” The fine print then requires a call to the Warranty Administrator “prior to any Warranty repair work being performed,” from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, “excluding U.S. holidays.” - **No participating shop nearby.** You “may take your vehicle to a non-participating service facility,” and if it will not bill the administrator, “you must pay for the Warranty service and submit your original repair invoice and subsequent Warranty repair invoice to the Warranty Administrator for reimbursement.” The marketing is broader. The warranty page says “More than 58,000 auto repair and service centers throughout the US honor our Roadworthy Warranty®,” and the FAQ says “It’s valid at 58,000 locations across the country.” The fine print says it “may be honored by any Honest1 Auto Care Facility participating in this program, or other authorized facility anywhere in the United States and Canada,” once the administrator directs you. The administrator’s hours list no Sunday, and nothing provides for warranty work done before that call. Behind the network is the franchise agreement. Section 4.9 makes each franchisee join “a national warranty program” and fix covered work “even if the original products or services were provided to the customer by another Honest1 location.” The FDD says “Currently, the fees for the Warranty Programs are paid by the National Fund,” the advertising fund, “although this policy is subject to change at any time.” The manual’s warranty chapter lists exhibits titled “NAPA Car Care Center,” “Sonsio” and “National Warranty, the To Your RESCUE Program and Road Hazard Warranty”; the 17-page Roadworthy Warranty Manual is confidential, and no road hazard plan appears on the public site. **365 Roadside.** “With any purchase of $25 or more at any Honest1 service center, you’re automatically a member of the 365 Roadside Assistance Program,” covering a tow, a flat tire, a jump-start or a lockout, and “we’ll reimburse up to $75 of the fee. Membership lasts a year from your last $25 purchase.” You pay first and are reimbursed “up to a maximum of $75.00 per occurrence” with a “limit (2) occurrences per coverage period,” so at most $150 a period by our arithmetic. It works “in the USA and Canada,” and “The driver of the vehicle must be present when the service provider arrives.” ## The “Honesty Policy,” the “Roadworthy Guarantee” and “Eco-Friendly Auto Care” With a name like Honest-1, people look for an honesty promise. The one on the Our Story page is the warranty, headed “Our Honesty Policy: Roadworthy Warranty®”: “We’re so confident in our services we back them up with a 36-month / 36,000-mile warranty, whichever is to your advantage. No one else offers a better nationwide warranty.” That last sentence is the company’s claim; the terms table above shows another chain printing 36,000 miles with a stated end point. We found no satisfaction guarantee and no money-back promise on any national page. The “Roadworthy Guarantee®” is a name rather than a document. The brake page says “Schedule your next brake repair or replacement with Honest1 for our Roadworthy Guarantee®,” and the tire and diagnostics pages use it too. The FDD’s trademark table lists ROADWORTHY GUARANTEE as registered on 06/25/2024, the same day as ROADWORTHY WARRANTY, both on the Supplemental Register. No page says what the guarantee covers, for how long or who honors it; if a shop invokes it, ask for the terms in writing. The other theme is the planet. “Eco-Friendly Auto Care®” is on almost every page and has been a registered mark since 10/20/2009, the FDD shows. The FAQ explains it as “We deliver top-notch auto care services while minimizing our environmental footprint,” and Our Story points to “our complementary Roadworthy Inspection®, or operational processes like safe waste removal” and an “ESA® Program (Environmentally Sustainable Actions),” whose manual runs about 10 pages and is not public. The FTC’s Green Guides, at [16 CFR 260.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec260-4.xml), address exactly this kind of phrase: “marketers should not make unqualified general environmental benefit claims,” and their first example says “The brand name ‘Eco-friendly’ likely conveys that the product has far-reaching environmental benefits.” They allow “clear and prominent qualifying language that limits the claim to a specific benefit or benefits.” The guides are the FTC’s reading of the law, not a finding about any company, and we found no FTC action naming Honest-1. The practical step for a driver: ask the shop what it recycles and how it disposes of oil, coolant and old parts. One premise does not hold. Honest-1 is often described as family-friendly, but its pages never use the phrase. Our Story has a heading “Family-operated, community-minded,” about training and technicians who “are Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certified,” and promises “a cozy waiting area.” ## Factory warranties, maintenance schedules and your records Honest-1’s national pages say nothing about a carmaker’s warranty. The maintenance page takes its own line: “Your vehicle’s manual suggests a maintenance schedule; however, we believe in a more customized approach.” The oil change page suggests changes “every 5,000 to 7,500 miles,” with the oil type “as listed in your owner’s manual.” If your car is still under its factory warranty, follow the carmaker’s schedule rather than a custom plan, and have every visit recorded. Federal law lets you use an independent shop. Under [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2302.htm), “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using” a branded article or service unless it is free, and [16 CFR 700.10(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec700-10.xml) bars requiring “the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” Your proof is the invoice. Our guides to [oil-change intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) and [routine maintenance](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-maintenance-tips/) explain what a schedule usually asks for. Keep those records yourself. Section 5.16 of the franchise agreement counts “any customer service history, customer invoices, customer warranty information, and customer contact information” among the “trade secrets of the Franchisor,” and the FDD records shops leaving the system: 2 locations ceased operating in 2024 and 1 franchise was terminated in 2025. If your shop closes, the invoice in your glovebox is the one you can count on. Our page on [getting service records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/service-records-from-dealership/) covers what to do when a shop holds them. ## Prices, coupons and paying Honest-1 prints no national price for any job. The Specials page says only “Find your local Honest1 to see current specials.” The two location pages we read, in Aurora, Illinois and McKinney, Texas, list local specials with expiry dates, some for rewards members only; we record no amounts. Prices are each shop’s decision, though the franchisor “may provide guidance on suggested prices.” Ask for the total, with any fees and tax, before you approve work. We found no customer financing: no card, lender or payment plan on the national pages or the two location pages, and the roadside fine print has you pay a provider by “credit card or cash” and claim back. The financing lines on the site concern franchise buyers: “Honest1 does not provide direct financing to its franchisees,” and the FDD says “We do not offer direct or indirect financing.” If a shop offers a payment plan at the counter, it is that shop’s arrangement; read the lender’s terms first. For franchise buyers, the FDD prints a $75,000 initial fee, a total investment of “$285,250 to $1,317,250,” a royalty of 6% of weekly gross sales and an advertising fee of 2% to 4% (2% now). ## What filings and regulators show **Lawsuits in the FDD.** Item 3 lists two cases, both “Franchisor Initiated Litigation” against franchise owners. In *H-1 Auto Care, LLC v. Driven Ventures, Inc., et al.*, Case No. 6-25-cv-00573-AGM-DCI (M.D. Fla.), “On March 31, 2025, Honest1 filed a Verified Complaint for Injunctive Relief and Damages.” On May 20, 2025 the court “converted the Temporary Restraining Order to a Preliminary Injunction,” barring the defendants from transferring their franchised businesses or misusing trade secrets while the case runs, and by agreement “enjoined Honest1 from terminating the DV Franchise Agreements”; the franchisees’ counterclaims “were, therefore, abandoned.” In *H-1 Auto Care, LLC v. Green Auto, LLC, et al.*, Case No. 8:25-cv-02885 (C.D. Cal.), “On December 21, 2025, Honest1 filed a Verified Complaint” claiming a former franchisee failed “to pay past due royalties, advertising fund contributions, and comply with post-termination covenants.” These are the franchisor’s allegations as its own document describes them; we read no court file, and neither case concerns a customer’s repair. **Settlements.** The audited notes say the company sued “a now former franchisee, its owners and personal guarantors, and competing businesses” in 2023, and that a settlement effective March 8, 2024 carried “total monetary consideration” of $5,000,000. In 2025 it “settled two legal matters and received total proceeds of approximately $1,210,000.” Item 4 says “No bankruptcy is required to be disclosed in this Item.” **Minnesota’s registry.** H-1 Auto Care, LLC is registered under file number 10880 for the franchise name “Honest-1”; its renewed registration took effect on 06/12/2026, with the next annual report due 06/12/2027. **What we did not find.** Searches on 16 October 2026 turned up no action by the FTC or a state attorney general naming Honest-1 Auto Care, Honest1 or H-1 Auto Care. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is reported, and we read no court file for private suits. If a repair dispute goes nowhere with the shop, your state’s consumer protection office is the next stop. ## Where Honest-1’s own documents disagree We recorded 13 places where the company’s documents disagree. Those that matter to a customer: - **Who stands behind it.** “it’s on us” and “Our Honesty Policy” on the marketing pages; “not a warranty of H-1 Auto Care, LLC” in the fine print. - **Engines, transmissions, tires and batteries.** Sold on service pages “all backed by our one-of-a-kind Roadworthy Warranty®” or “for a Roadworthy Guarantee®”; excluded in the fine print. - **Inspections.** “we back every car inspection or diagnostic with our Roadworthy Warranty®”; neither appears among the covered repair types. - **Reach.** “58,000 locations across the country”; participating Honest-1 shops or other authorized facilities, reached through the administrator, in the fine print. - **Every vehicle.** “parts and labor up to 36 months and 36,000 miles” in the FAQ; 24 months or 24,000 miles for light duty commercial vehicles, and a refund option, in the fine print. - **Size and age.** “60+ locations,” “50+ franchised stores and 3 Model Training Stores” and 61 in the FDD; “since 2003” and “first shop in 2005,” both explained by the FDD. Smaller slips: the maintenance page rotates tires “every 6,000 to 8,000 miles” while the tire page cites “5,000 to 8,000 miles”; the fine print names “Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC.” and then “Administrative Services, LLC”; and the FDD’s Item 19 says one 2024 location “was mutually terminated” while its outlet table shows no 2024 terminations. None of this changes your invoice, which is why the invoice is the document to check. - **Check the shop is a current Honest-1 location** and note the business named on its independent-ownership notice. - **Get a written, itemized estimate** and approve each line; keep the digital inspection report. - **Ask whether the job is covered.** Engine and transmission internals, tires, batteries, oil changes and filters are not. - **Have the invoice state the warranty term**, which limit ends it and any added terms, since invoice terms “take precedence.” - **Keep the original invoice**; claims need it, and it proves maintenance for your factory warranty. - **Away from home, call before any warranty work**: the original shop first, then the Warranty Administrator. - **Keep roadside receipts**; 365 Roadside pays back up to $75 per call, twice per coverage period. ## Common questions ### Who owns Honest-1 Auto Care? H-1 Auto Care, LLC, a Nevada company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, owns the brand and sells the franchises. It is wholly owned by H-1 Holdings LLC, a non-operating holding company. Michael B. Cowan has been President and CEO since January 2018. Each shop is owned by a local franchisee, apart from 3 company-owned centers in Florida. ### Is Honest-1 the same as Honest1 or Honest 1? Yes. The franchise disclosure document says “H-1”, “H1”, “Honest-1” and “Honest1” all mean H-1 Auto Care, LLC. The website writes Honest1; Minnesota’s registry lists the franchise as Honest-1. ### What does the Honest-1 Roadworthy Warranty cover? Listed repair types, including brakes, A/C and heating, cooling, steering and suspension, exhaust, fuel, ignition, electrical, clutches and drive axles, for 36 months and 36,000 miles “whichever is to your advantage” from the repair date. It excludes internal engine and transmission work, tires, batteries other than hybrid drive batteries, oil and fluid changes, filters, body work and glass. ### Is the Honest-1 warranty honored nationwide? At participating Honest-1 shops and other authorized facilities in the United States and Canada. Within 25 miles you go back to the original shop. Farther away, call the original shop and the Warranty Administrator before any work; a non-participating shop may mean paying and claiming back with both invoices. ### Does Honest-1 offer financing? Not on its website. We found no customer credit card, lender or payment plan on the national pages or the location pages we read; the financing statements concern franchise buyers. ### Will servicing my car at Honest-1 void my factory warranty? Federal law bars a carmaker from requiring authorized dealers or branded parts for maintenance it does not pay for, so an independent shop can do the work. Follow the owner’s manual schedule rather than a custom plan, and keep every invoice; Honest-1’s own pages say nothing about factory warranties. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/honest-1-auto-care/ --- title: "PCARMARKET Review: The Porsche Auction Site’s Fees and Terms" description: "PCARMARKET’s own agreements, read: a 5% buyer’s fee ($500 to $7,500), $1,250 on Verified Auctions, bids placed for sellers up to the reserve, and arbitration." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/pcarmarket-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # PCARMARKET Review: The Porsche Auction Site’s Fees and Terms > PCARMARKET’s own agreements, read: a 5% buyer’s fee ($500 to $7,500), $1,250 on Verified Auctions, bids placed for sellers up to the reserve, and arbitration. *Used Car Buying · 21 min read · 4,802 words* ## The short version - PCARMARKET runs the auction; the sale is between you and the seller. Its Buyer Agreement says it acts “only as a facilitator,” and its Terms say it never holds title, never arranges shipping and does not stand behind what sellers say. - Vehicle buyers pay a 5% buyer’s fee with a $500 minimum and a $7,500 maximum, charged to your card. Some “Verified Auctions” add a $1,250 fee payable by the buyer: $3,250 in fees on a $40,000 car, by our arithmetic. - The Buyer Agreement lets PCARMARKET place bids on the seller’s behalf below the reserve, up to the reserve, and those bids count in the bid total you see. - Bids cannot be retracted. A bid with under 2 minutes left resets the clock to 2 minutes 15 seconds, and a hidden max bid is available. - You pay the seller directly within seven business days. A winner who does not pay loses the car and owes liquidated damages equal to the buyer’s fee, plus collection and attorney costs. - Disputes go to binding arbitration in Nassau County, New York, with no opt-out printed, and PCARMARKET’s liability is capped at the fees you paid it on that sale, or $500. PCARMARKET is an online auction site for Porsches first and other enthusiast cars second, and what it costs a bidder is in its own agreements: a 5% buyer’s fee between $500 and $7,500, a hold on your card for every bid, and a $1,250 fee on “Verified Auctions.” On 16 October 2026 we read its [Member Terms and Conditions](https://www.pcarmarket.com/terms) (updated 4 March 2026), its [Buyer Agreement](https://www.pcarmarket.com/buyer-agreement), Seller Agreement and Verified Listing Agreement (all 3 March 2026), its [FAQ](https://www.pcarmarket.com/faq), its How it Works, About, Sell and Partners pages and its sitemaps, plus Hagerty’s annual report for 2025 on the SEC’s EDGAR. We did not register, bid or submit a car, and this site has no relationship with PCARMARKET or anyone named here. Its Terms bar using the site to crawl or scrape it, so we read each page once by hand and quote short passages only. **Figure: What PCARMARKET's agreements say happens at each step** A two-column table of eight steps from PCARMARKET's Terms and Buyer Agreement, read 16 October 2026: registering takes an age of 18, an ID and a card; a $40,000 bid holds $2,000 and cannot be retracted; PCARMARKET may bid for the seller below the reserve; a bid with under 2 minutes left resets the clock to 2 minutes 15 seconds; a $40,000 win costs a $2,000 buyer's fee, with the price paid to the seller within 7 business days; a Verified Auction adds $1,250, $3,250 in fees; a winner who does not pay owes the fee as liquidated damages; cars are sold as is where is, with liability capped at the fees paid and arbitration in Nassau County, New York. PCARMARKET's Member Terms and Conditions (4 March 2026), Buyer Agreement (3 March 2026) and FAQ, read 16 October 2026. Hold and fee amounts are our arithmetic on the printed 5%, $500 minimum, $7,500 maximum and $1,250 Verified Auction Fee. ## What PCARMARKET is, what it lists and who runs it PCARMARKET describes itself in Porsche terms: its About page says “Porsche is at the heart of PCARMARKET,” with the marketplace extending to other makes, rare parts, fine watches and memorabilia. It calls itself “the premier marketplace” for such cars, which is its claim, not ours. Besides timed auctions it runs PCAR Private, for “negotiated, fixed-price sales.” Its sitemaps show the Porsche weight. On 16 October 2026 the live vehicle-auction sitemap listed 21 cars, 16 of them Porsches (76%, by our arithmetic), and the MarketPlace sitemap 53 vehicles, 29 of them Porsches (55%). Results pages exist for 172 makes. That is a one-day count of addresses, not of sales. The Buyer Agreement calls the site “a public venue” where PCARMARKET acts “only as a facilitator.” It is “not an advocate” for you, may “represent and/or assist other buyers” who want the same car, and “cannot and does not confirm” that users are who they claim to be. ### Who you contract with, and who owns it Every agreement names the same company: WIDOWMAKER AG LLC, doing business as PCARMARKET, with a notice address in Glen Head, New York. None names its owners. Coverage of a 2025 change of ownership sits on two sites whose robots.txt files bar our crawler, so we have not used it; New York’s corporation register could not be read within our rules, and the SEC’s EDGAR shows no filing by PCARMARKET or Widowmaker AG. One public filing mentions it: Hagerty’s 10-K for 2025, filed 26 February 2026, lists PCARMARKET among the “digital auction platforms” Hagerty Marketplace competes with, beside Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids and Collecting Cars. That says nothing about ownership. A search for PCARMARKET with “lawsuit,” “attorney general” and “court” showed no regulator action on its first page. New York’s court website refused our requests, so we could not search dockets and make no statement about litigation either way. The Better Business Bureau blocked our requests too. ## How a car gets listed, and what “verified” means here A seller submits a short form, and “one of our consignment specialists will contact you,” the Sell page says. The seller pays the listing fee and supplies photos and an interview, PCARMARKET’s copywriting department writes the listing, the seller approves it, and it can go live “in as little as 72 hours.” For reserve auctions an auction specialist “will verify all information with the Seller.” Auctions typically run at least 7 days. The seller carries the accuracy. The FAQ calls sellers “solely liable for the accuracy” of a listing, and the Seller Agreement has them warrant a marketable title free of liens (or the means to clear one) and disclose material defects. Sellers must list only on PCARMARKET during the auction and owe a service fee, set by PCARMARKET, if they pull the car or fail to contact the buyer within 3 business days. One rule binds buyers too: any member in an off-platform deal on a listed car “is subject to a service fee equal to the auction fee,” plus possible legal fees. Some listings come through paid intermediaries. The Partners Program offers “commissions on qualified listings” to people who coordinate listings for sellers, including “representation during the auction,” so the person speaking for a car may not be its owner. ### Verified Auctions and the $1,250 on each side The home page’s title reads “Verified Porsche & Collector Car Auctions.” The agreements are narrower. The Buyer Agreement says some auctions “may involve, in part, a third-party” and carry a Verified Auction Fee of $1,250, payable by the buyer at the time of sale. The Verified Listing Agreement describes that third party as a “Shop” that repairs vehicles, refers sellers and verifies “certain information,” and has PCARMARKET pay it a $1,250 referral fee on completed sales, adjustable at any time. Neither document says one $1,250 pays for the other, or what a shop checks, and the Terms disclaim cars “listed as verified, certified, or otherwise inspected by a third-party.” Treat a Verified Auction as a seller-side referral from a shop PCARMARKET pays, not an inspection done for you: ask which shop, what it looked at, and budget the $1,250. The About page says every listing is “fully vetted by our team of experts”; the Terms say members “will not rely on Information” when deciding whether or how much to bid. The Terms are the contract. ## Registering, the card hold and how bidding works Registration is free. The Terms limit membership to people 18 or older who hold a valid driver’s license, state-issued ID or passport, and say you may be asked for proof. To bid you must put a credit card on file, and the account holder answers for “all bids submitted” under the account’s login, whoever typed them. Every vehicle bid puts a hold on that card, sized three ways: 5% of the bid with no floor or cap (Buyer Agreement), the fee with its $500 minimum and $7,500 maximum (How it Works), or 5% of your first bid, cancelled the next business day if you lose (FAQ). By our arithmetic a $6,000 bid holds $300 or $500, a $40,000 bid $2,000 either way, and a $200,000 bid $10,000 or $7,500. If you win, the full fee is charged, in several payments if the card cannot take it at once. A direct bid becomes the high bid at the full amount you type. A max bid stays hidden and bids for you one increment at a time, $250 on vehicles and $25 on parts, up to your limit. The FAQ’s example: with the bid at $5,000 and your max at $15,000, you lead at $5,250; when someone bids $8,000, you move to $8,250. Tied max bids go to the earlier one, and a max bid binds you up to its amount. A PCARMARKET representative can also bid for you on “verbal or written instructions.” Any bid “cannot be retracted, deleted or canceled for any reason whatsoever,” and in a bid dispute PCARMARKET is “the exclusive deciding authority.” A bid with less than 2 minutes left resets the clock to 2 minutes 15 seconds (135 seconds), again for as long as bids come in. How it Works also says bidding ends 1 minute after the last bid, which does not square with the reset, and that results take 1 to 30 minutes to process. The FAQ warns of browser “time drift”: refresh the page near the close. ## Reserve, no reserve, bids for the seller and MarketPlace In a reserve auction PCARMARKET “will work with the seller to determine the reserve price,” and the seller can lower it during the auction through Seller Central. The car sells only if bidding reaches the reserve, and PCARMARKET may accept offers on the seller’s behalf at or above it. A no-reserve car is auctioned “absolute, without reserve” to the highest qualified bidder at any price. The clause bidders most need to read is in Section 2 of the Buyer Agreement. PCARMARKET “may open bidding on any Product by placing a bid on behalf of the Seller below the Reserve Price,” and may keep bidding for the seller “up to the amount of the Reserve Price,” or up to an “irrevocable bid” if there is one, a term the agreement does not define. In a timed auction, “such bids will be counted toward the total bid count displayed.” Below the reserve, then, neither the price nor the bid count tells you how many real buyers are bidding. **Below the reserve, some bids may be the seller’s.** PCARMARKET’s Buyer Agreement allows bids placed for the seller up to the reserve, counted in the total shown. Set your limit from your own research on the car, not from the bid count or how fast the price is climbing. The same agreement lets PCARMARKET, “at the sole discretion of PCARMARKET,” pay part of the proceeds to the buyer or seller to close a gap to the reserve. No amount or rule is printed. A car that misses its reserve can move to MarketPlace, “a living social classified section,” where registered bidders make anonymous offers that expire after 72 hours, some listings carry a Buy Now price, and the buyer’s fee is unchanged. The FAQ and How it Works give it 30 days, extendable; the Seller Agreement says 48 hours to four weeks in one section and 48 hours in another. Sellers can also list straight into MarketPlace, called MarketPlace Direct. ## The buyer’s fee and seller fees, as printed The Buyer Agreement of 3 March 2026 sets the vehicle buyer’s fee at “five percent (5%) with a minimum of $500 USD and a maximum of $7,500 USD” of the winning bid, offer or Buy Now amount, MarketPlace purchases included. How it Works prints the same and calls it non-refundable. We saw no promotion. By our arithmetic the $500 minimum applies below $10,000 and the fee stops rising at $150,000. The FAQ is out of date: it still gives “a maximum of $5,000,” with a note that the cap would rise to $7,500 after auctions closed on 27 June 2025. The agreement is the contract; at $150,000 and above the two figures are $2,500 apart, by our arithmetic. **The PCARMARKET vehicle buyer’s fee at sample winning bids (our arithmetic on the printed 5%, $500 minimum and $7,500 maximum, read 16 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Buyer’s fee | Fee as a share of the bid | Bid plus fee | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $5,000 | $500 (minimum) | 10% | $5,500 | | $10,000 | $500 | 5% | $10,500 | | $25,000 | $1,250 | 5% | $26,250 | | $40,000 | $2,000 | 5% | $42,000 | | $75,000 | $3,750 | 5% | $78,750 | | $100,000 | $5,000 | 5% | $105,000 | | $150,000 | $7,500 | 5% | $157,500 | | $250,000 | $7,500 (maximum) | 3% | $257,500 | A Verified Auction adds $1,250: by our arithmetic, $2,500 in fees on a $25,000 car (10% of the bid), $3,250 on $40,000 (8.1%) and $5,250 on $80,000 (6.6%). Parts and memorabilia carry 10% with no minimum or maximum; luxury watches 6% capped at $3,000, reached at $50,000. The Terms let PCARMARKET debit any outstanding fee from your card without asking, and the only buyer refund printed is the fee when a seller fails to hand over the car. Sales tax is “solely” yours, as are shipping, registration and inspection. See [the out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) and [where tax is due on a car bought in another state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#tax). **What a PCARMARKET seller pays, from its Terms, Seller Agreement, FAQ and How it Works (read 16 October 2026)** | Item | As printed | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Vehicle auction, reserve or no reserve | $99 listing fee, not returned if the car does not sell | Terms; Seller Agreement; How it Works | | Vehicle MarketPlace Direct | $199 (Terms, FAQ, How it Works) or $199.99 (Seller Agreement) | All four | | Parts and memorabilia | $69 auction listing; $150 MarketPlace Direct | $69 in the Terms, FAQ and Seller Agreement; $150 in the Seller Agreement only | | Race cars | $99 listing plus 5% of the sale ($500 minimum, $7,500 maximum), the same 5% the buyer pays; $3,099 on a $60,000 race car by our arithmetic | FAQ; How it Works (not in the Seller Agreement’s schedule) | | Listing photos | PCARMARKET may charge the seller’s card when photos are scheduled; no price printed | Seller Agreement | | Rejected listing | Listing fee refunded | Terms | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the engine, the body beside the cabin and the bumper, each with one fact from PCARMARKET’s Terms of Use, Buyer Agreement and How it Works page. PCARMARKET’s Terms of Use, Buyer Agreement and How it Works page, read on 16 October 2026: Sold as is where is: PCARMARKET recommends a pre-purchase inspection before you bid (callout 1); Check the VIN plate: the Terms do not promise a car has all its VIN plates (callout 2); Buyer's fee: 5% of the winning bid, minimum $500, maximum $7,500 (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## After you win: payment, title, inspection and shipping When the auction closes, PCARMARKET gives buyer and seller “each with the others contact information,” and they “communicate directly to complete the transaction.” You pay the seller in full “within seven (7) business days of the sale date” (How it Works says 7 days; plan on the shorter). PCARMARKET “shall not be liable or responsible for arranging payment and delivery,” and no document we read names a payment method or escrow service. See [paying a private seller safely](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#payment), a [bill of sale](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/) and [private-party auto loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/). Within 48 hours of full payment the seller must make the car available, and you must collect or arrange delivery in that “Delivery Period” unless you agree otherwise. If your fees to PCARMARKET are unpaid, the seller need not release the car or its title. **Title.** Transfer is the buyer’s and seller’s job; title “will never be held by PCARMARKET.” The FAQ’s glossary lists what you might get: clean; lien, where the lender may hold the title; branded, such as salvage or rebuilt; bill of sale only, used for race cars; title in transit, where the seller awaits the paper title; or registration only, for older cars in some states. Ask which before bidding, and see [lien payoffs](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#payoff) and [out-of-state paperwork](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#paperwork). **Risk before pickup.** You carry “all risk of loss” from the moment PCARMARKET accepts your bid. One exception: if parts are removed or replaced, new damage occurs, or a title-type discrepancy appears before you collect, you may buy at the original price or cancel. An odometer within 1,000 miles of the listed mileage does not qualify. **Shipping.** “Under no circumstances” will PCARMARKET arrange it, and it is not liable for lost keys, damage, theft or delays. See [broker versus carrier](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier), [how to look a transporter up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up) and [damage claims](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage). **Registration.** PCARMARKET does not guarantee a car can be registered where you live or meets emissions and safety rules; its Terms note a clean-title car may need a salvage title if resold in another state. **Warranty.** If a listing claims one, you must confirm it with the carmaker or warranty company; PCARMARKET is “not responsible for voided or expired warranties.” See [how to tell if a Porsche is really certified](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/porsche-certified-pre-owned/#verify) and [Porsche’s service contracts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-extended-warranty/). **If the seller does not deliver,** PCARMARKET refunds only its own fee, less an administrative charge: after 48 hours under the Terms, after 45 days under the Buyer Agreement, which adds that you have “no other claim” against it. Recovering the price is between you and the seller. ## If a winner does not pay A winning bid is a purchase. The Buyer Agreement says that winning gives you “the right to purchase” at the hammer price and that failing to complete the sale is a Buyer Default. If you do not pay within the allotted time, you have “forfeited all of its rights in the Product.” Failing to collect or arrange delivery within the Delivery Period is a default too. The cost is set in Section 13. A defaulting buyer owes PCARMARKET, as liquidated damages, “an amount equal to the Buyer’s Fee,” plus administrative charges and any collection-agency and attorney fees, and PCARMARKET may charge all of it to the card on file. The buyer “may be additionally and separately liable to Seller.” On a $40,000 car that is at least $2,000 before costs, by our arithmetic. The Terms add that membership may be suspended for “non-payment of contracted agreements,” that the seller may relist the car, and that a car not collected in time may be declared “abandoned.” For sellers, the Seller Agreement offers no refund of listing fees when a buyer defaults and says PCARMARKET “cannot and does not control” whether winners complete their purchases. **Settle the money before you bid.** A PCARMARKET bid cannot be withdrawn, and walking away costs at least the buyer’s fee ($500 minimum) plus collection and attorney costs. Have the full price available, or a loan approved, and ask the seller how and when they want to be paid before the auction ends. ## Checking a Porsche’s history and VIN before you bid PCARMARKET’s Terms put the research on you. The “Vehicle Information” it disclaims includes mileage, odometer disclosures, the vehicle identification number, title, repair history, title history and total-loss history. That information is “for convenience only,” and it is “the sole responsibility of Buyer” to research and inspect before bidding. The Terms also say keys may be missing and that, because some places allow cars to be sold without them, PCARMARKET does not guarantee a car has “any or all VIN plates.” Before you bid, get the VIN from the listing or the seller and work through these checks: 1. **Decode the VIN** and match it to the listed model, body and engine. Our [Porsche VIN decoder guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/porsche-vin-decoder/) explains what the number holds and [the internal type codes enthusiasts use](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/porsche-vin-decoder/#type-codes), which are not in it. 2. **For older cars, know the format.** The 17-character VIN became mandatory in the United States for the 1981 model year; earlier cars need a different approach. See [why there is no universal classic decoder](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/classic-car-vin-decoder/#no-standard) and [reproduction tags and restamps](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/classic-car-vin-decoder/#restamp). 3. **Check title brands** such as salvage, rebuilt or flood: [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) and [what an NMVTIS report shows](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/). 4. **Test the mileage claim:** [odometer check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/) and [low mileage on a Porsche](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/porsche-vin-decoder/#mileage). 5. **Look for crashes, water and past auctions:** [accident check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-accident-check/), [flood damage check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/flood-damage-check-by-vin/) and [salvage auction history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions). 6. **Check theft and recalls:** [is the car stolen](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-if-a-car-is-stolen/) and [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/). 7. **Ask about liens** and whether the title is in hand: [how to check for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/). Our [guide to checking a used car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) explains what each source can and cannot show, and the Porsche guide covers [cars brought in from other markets](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/porsche-vin-decoder/#imports) and [modified cars](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/porsche-vin-decoder/#modified). ### The inspection is yours to arrange The Buyer Agreement recommends a pre-purchase inspection “before placing bids.” Some listings include one supplied by the seller, from a mobile inspection firm, a dealer or an independent shop; PCARMARKET “bears no responsibility for the accuracy of these inspections.” The FAQ says you may inspect or request your own at your cost, but “the seller is under no obligation to facilitate a PPI request.” If the seller will not allow one, price that into your bid or pass. See [inspecting a car you cannot see](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote), [mobile inspections out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#out-of-state), our [Lemon Squad review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/) (a firm the agreement names), and [why the inspection matters more on a luxury car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-used-luxury-car/#inspection). Race cars sold on a bill of sale raise separate questions; see [engine swaps, tuning and paperwork](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#legal). ## The Terms: as is, a fee-sized liability cap and arbitration Everything is sold “AS IS WHERE IS,” without warranty, and cars “may have latent, hidden, or undisclosed damage.” Members release PCARMARKET from claims tied to what they buy, including their use of “any of PCARMARKET’s recommended service providers,” and changes to the Terms take effect “upon their posting to the Website.” If PCARMARKET is found liable anyway, its liability is capped at the fees you paid it on that transaction, or $500 if you paid none. On a $40,000 purchase that is the $2,000 buyer’s fee, by our arithmetic; whether a Verified Auction Fee counts depends on who receives it, which the Buyer Agreement does not say. Disputes go to binding arbitration under New York law, before “a panel of arbitrators or an arbitrator located in Nassau County, New York,” who also decides whether the clause is enforceable. Both sides waive a jury and bear their own costs. A disputed fee goes first to PCARMARKET in writing, then to arbitration, and you indemnify it for losses from “any fee dispute of any kind,” its attorney’s fees included. We found no opt-out, class-action waiver, named arbitration body or small-claims exception in the Terms or the Buyer and Seller Agreements. Registering means accepting arbitration in Nassau County. ## Where PCARMARKET’s own documents disagree Where these conflict, the Terms and the Buyer and Seller Agreements are the contracts; the FAQ, How it Works and About pages are descriptions. **Points where PCARMARKET’s documents differ (all read 16 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Buyer’s fee cap | FAQ: “a maximum of $5,000,” rising to $7,500 after 27 June 2025 | Buyer Agreement and How it Works: $7,500 | | Card hold | Buyer Agreement: 5% of the bid, no floor or cap | How it Works: equal to the fee, $500 minimum, $7,500 maximum | | Payment deadline | Buyer Agreement: seven business days of the sale date | How it Works: 7 days of auction close | | Seller fails to deliver | Terms: fee refunded if the car is not available within 48 hours of payment | Buyer Agreement: refund if not delivered within 45 days | | End of the auction | FAQ and How it Works: a late bid resets the clock to 2 minutes 15 seconds | How it Works: bidding ends 1 minute after the last bid | | MarketPlace period | FAQ and How it Works: 30 days, extendable | Seller Agreement: 48 hours to four weeks in one section, 48 hours in another | | MarketPlace Direct fee | Terms, FAQ, How it Works: $199 | Seller Agreement: $199.99 | | Race-car seller fee | FAQ and How it Works: 5% of the sale on top of the listing fee | Seller Agreement: no race-car fee in its schedule | | Vetting | About: every listing “fully vetted by our team of experts” | Terms: members “will not rely on Information” when bidding | | Listing fee timing | Terms: charged at submission, refunded if rejected | Sell page: paid “If your listing is accepted” | | Who receives the price | Buyer Agreement and FAQ: the buyer pays the seller directly | Verified Listing Agreement: shop fees paid on sales where “the full Sale Price has been paid to PCARMARKET” | | Section references | Buyer Agreement Section 3: fee refundable only as in “Section 6” | Section 6 covers non-payment; the refund rule is in Section 14 | ## Before you bid: a checklist PCARMARKET is one of several enthusiast marketplaces we have read against their own documents; see our reviews of [Bring a Trailer](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/), [Cars & Bids](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/) and [Hemmings](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/), and [Mecum](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mecum-auction/) for a live auction house. Each charges its own fees, which those pages set out. The table below compares printed terms only. **Printed terms, not fees: PCARMARKET (read 16 October 2026) beside Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids (from our reviews, both read 16 October 2026)** | Term | PCARMARKET | Bring a Trailer | Cars & Bids | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | A bid near the end | Under 2 minutes left: the clock extends to 2 min 15 sec | Last 2 minutes: the clock resets to 2 minutes after every bid | Final minute: each bid resets the clock to one minute | | Taking a bid back | Cannot be retracted, deleted or canceled | BaT does not cancel bids | A bid is a binding commitment to purchase | | Inspection by the site | None; the buyer’s own due diligence, with a PPI recommended | BaT has never inspected a listed vehicle | Cars & Bids does not inspect seller cars | | Opting out of arbitration | No opt-out printed; arbitration in Nassau County, New York | No opt-out printed | Written notice within 30 days of first accepting the Terms | To find the same car on several sites at once, see our [AutoTempest review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autotempest-review/); selling instead, start with [where to sell a car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/where-to-sell-a-car/). - **Get the VIN and run it yourself:** [decode it](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/porsche-vin-decoder/), then check [title brands](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/), [mileage](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/), [accidents](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-accident-check/), theft and [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/). The Terms disclaim the VIN and title history in the listing. - **Ask about the title** before bidding: clean, lien, branded, bill of sale, in transit or registration only. - **Book an inspection before you bid,** at your cost, and find out whether the seller will allow one. - **Ask whether it is a Verified Auction,** which shop is involved and what it checked, and add the $1,250 fee if so. - **Work out the fee:** 5% of your top bid, never under $500 or over $7,500, and make sure your card can carry the hold. - **Bid from your own number.** Below the reserve, the price and bid count can include bids placed for the seller. - **Line up the money and the method** to pay the seller within seven business days, and agree them with the seller first. - **Price the shipping** and plan pickup within 48 hours of paying; PCARMARKET arranges neither. - **Check you can register the car** where you live, and budget for sales tax. - **Accept the arbitration clause knowingly:** there is no opt-out, and claims go to Nassau County, New York. ## Common questions ### What is the buyer’s fee on PCARMARKET? For vehicles, 5% of the winning bid, with a $500 minimum and a $7,500 maximum, charged to your card and non-refundable. Verified Auctions add $1,250. Parts and memorabilia carry 10%, luxury watches 6% capped at $3,000. Tax, shipping and registration are extra. ### How much does PCARMARKET charge sellers? $99 to list a vehicle auction, reserve or no reserve; $199 for MarketPlace Direct ($199.99 in the Seller Agreement); $69 for parts and memorabilia. Race cars also pay 5% of the sale. Listing fees are refunded if PCARMARKET rejects the car, not if it fails to sell. ### Who owns PCARMARKET? The company you contract with is WIDOWMAKER AG LLC, doing business as PCARMARKET, of Glen Head, New York. Its documents do not name its owners, the sources on a 2025 ownership change bar our crawler, and New York’s register could not be read, so we cannot say who holds it. ### Is PCARMARKET legit? It trades under dated, published agreements through a named company, and Hagerty’s annual report names it among the digital auction platforms Hagerty competes with. We found no regulator action in a first-page search but could not search court dockets, and we make no recommendation. Whether a given car is sound is your own checks’ job: PCARMARKET sells as is and disclaims the listing information. ### How does PCARMARKET work? Sellers pay a listing fee and PCARMARKET writes and runs a timed auction, typically at least 7 days. Bidders with a card on file place direct or max bids; a bid with under 2 minutes left resets the clock to 2 minutes 15 seconds. The winner pays PCARMARKET the fee, pays the seller directly within seven business days, and collects or ships the car. Cars that miss the reserve can move to MarketPlace. ### What happens if you win a PCARMARKET auction and don’t pay? You lose all rights to the car and owe PCARMARKET liquidated damages equal to the buyer’s fee, plus administrative, collection-agency and attorney costs, which it may charge to your card. You may also be liable to the seller, and your membership can be suspended. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [NICB VINCheck](https://www.nicb.org/vincheck) - [NHTSA odometer fraud](https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud) - [NHTSA VIN decoder](https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/pcarmarket-review/ --- title: "EasyCare Warranty: What the Contract Says, Read Line by Line" description: "We read EasyCare's 2022 contract form: who owes the repair, the four coverage levels, 30-day refunds, the $50 transfer rule and who has owned APCO since 1984." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/easycare-warranty/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # EasyCare Warranty: What the Contract Says, Read Line by Line > We read EasyCare's 2022 contract form: who owes the repair, the four coverage levels, 30-day refunds, the $50 transfer rule and who has owned APCO since 1984. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,817 words* ## The short version - EasyCare is a brand. On its 2022 contract form, Automobile Protection Corporation (APCO) owes the repair in most states, insured by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant subsidiary. Arizona, Oklahoma and New York name a different obligor. - There are four levels: PowerCare (groups 1 to 5), PrimaryCare (1 to 10), StatedCare (1 to 14) and TotalCare (every factory part not excluded). The form prints no waiting period. - Cancel within 30 days with no claim and the refund is full. After that it is pro rata on the greater of time or miles used, less a $50 fee; 15 jurisdictions change the fee, and Florida allows 60 days for a full refund. - Bought at a dealership? You cancel through its finance office, and the dealer refunds you or your lender. - A transfer costs $50 ($40 in Florida, $25 in Nevada), within 30 days, to a private buyer only. The contract cannot pass through a dealer, so a used car from a dealer does not carry the last owner’s EasyCare. - Ford owned APCO from 1999 to 2007; Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has been majority owner since 2016. We found no regulator action naming APCO or EasyCare; the one appeals opinion we read is a 2022 loan dispute with a dealer. An EasyCare “warranty” is a vehicle service contract, usually sold by a car dealer, and EasyCare’s own site says its contracts “are technically neither warranties nor insurance.” What you are owed is in the printed contract. On 16 October 2026 we read EasyCare’s coverage, support and About pages, its brochures and forms, an 11-page specimen of its 2022 contract posted by a Rhode Island dealer group that sells EasyCare online, a 2012 form EasyCare still hosts, Ford’s and Assurant’s SEC filings, two Ontario Teachers’ releases and a 2022 federal appeals opinion. EasyCare publishes no prices; dealers set them. We requested no quote and have no commercial relationship with EasyCare, APCO or any dealer. **Figure: What the EasyCare contract in your hand decides** A two-column table pairing six things an EasyCare contract holder can see on their paperwork with what EasyCare's 2022 contract form says they mean: APCO as obligor with American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida as insurer; a different obligor in Arizona, Oklahoma and New York; a Wrap term counted from the in-service date; a full refund within 30 days (60 in Florida) and a $50 fee after; no transfer to a dealer; and coverage ending when claims reach the Vehicle Purchase Price. Read from EasyCare form B1035099 (02.22), an 11-page specimen, on 16 October 2026. State sections and the page 1 of your own contract can change any line. ## Who owes you the repair on an EasyCare contract A service contract has a seller (usually the dealership), an obligor that owes the repair, and an administrator that approves claims; our guide to [who owes you the repair](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#who-owes-you) explains why the obligor matters most. On the specimen of EasyCare form B1035099 (edition 02.22), the foot of page 1 reads “ISSUING PROVIDER / OBLIGOR / ADMINISTRATOR,” then Automobile Protection Corporation, and “WE, US, OUR” means “the Issuing Provider/Obligor of this CONTRACT as set forth on page 1.” Three state sections change the name: **Who EasyCare form B1035099 (02.22) names as the company that owes the repair, read 16 October 2026** | Where the contract was bought | Company named | Role as printed | | --- | --- | --- | | Most states | Automobile Protection Corporation (APCO) | Issuing provider, obligor and administrator | | Arizona | Warranty Support Services LLC | Issuing provider, obligor and “service company” | | Oklahoma | Warranty Support Services LLC (provider license #44198031) | Issuing provider and obligor | | New York | APCO Services LLC | Issuing provider and obligor | | Florida | APCO, Florida License #60080 | Issuing provider, obligor and administrator (“service agreement company”) | | Texas | APCO, provider license #123, administrator license #107 | Issuing provider, obligor and administrator | **An insurer stands behind the obligor.** Section M says APCO’s obligations “are insured under a service contract reimbursement insurance policy issued by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida.” If a covered claim is unpaid 60 days after proof of loss, or the obligor fails, you may claim directly against the insurer (30 days in Alaska). Assurant, Inc. lists that insurer among its subsidiaries in the [exhibit to its 2025 annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1267238/000126723826000010/aiz12312025-ex214q25.htm). It is the same insurer this site found behind CARCHEX’s term contracts on 9 October 2026, in our [CARCHEX review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carchex-review/). **Check your own page 1.** The brochures say each contract is “Administered by” APCO, and the website footer names APCO as issuer in Texas and Florida, then adds: “The Issuing Provider is subject to change.” Look up the name on your contract on your state’s [service contract register](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#check-the-register). Older contracts can differ: a 2012 EasyCare form still on its website (A1032065, dated 10/11) names Warranty Support Services LLC as issuer, APCO as administrator and Universal Underwriters Insurance Company as insurer. EasyCare also says it has “acquired several brands,” with separate support for EasyCare, National Auto Care, CAP and ForeSight, so “You’ll find your administrator at the bottom of your contract.” **Your dealer may share in the business.** EasyCare’s dealer pages describe “dealer participation” built on a “reinsurance structure,” and one structure offered is a “Dealer-Owned Obligor Company (DOOC).” We read no contract written that way, which is one more reason to read the obligor line rather than assume it. ## Who owns EasyCare EasyCare’s About page dates the brand to 1984 and founder Larry Dorfman, calls EasyCare “an APCO Holdings brand,” and says Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan “is the majority shareholder of our parent company APCO Holdings, LLC.” The public record fills in the years between: **Who has owned Automobile Protection Corporation (APCO), from public records read 16 October 2026** | Year | What happened | Where it is recorded | | --- | --- | --- | | 1984 | APCO is incorporated in Georgia; by 1999 it markets and administers service contracts sold by car and RV dealers. | Ford’s 1999 tender offer | | 1999 | Ford, through AM1 Acquisition Company, offers $13.00 a share for APCO (offer dated 16 June 1999). APCO files Form 15-12G on 20 July 1999 and leaves the SEC record. | [Schedule 14D-1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/833441/0000950124-99-003806.txt); EDGAR | | 2007 | APCO’s management and Trident IV, L.P., managed by Stone Point Capital LLC, buy APCO from Ford, which reports a $51 million pre-tax gain. | [Ford’s 10-K for 2008](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/37996/000114036109005071/form10k.htm) | | 2015 | Agreement for Ontario Teachers’ to buy a majority stake; Stone Point funds and management stay on. | Release of 17 November 2015 | | 2016 | Ontario Teachers’ later says it has been majority shareholder “since 2016.” | Release of 3 January 2023 | | 2023 | APCO Holdings acquires National Auto Care, mainly with new equity from Ontario Teachers’; Tony Wanderon becomes APCO’s chief executive. | Release of 3 January 2023; About page | The records disagree in small ways that matter if you ever name the company in a complaint: the 2015 release says “APCO Holdings, Inc.,” later documents say LLC; that release expected a December closing, while Ontario Teachers’ dates its control from 2016; and Ford’s 10-K calls the company “Automotive Protection Corporation.” There is no current annual report: APCO stopped filing in 1999, and neither APCO Holdings nor Ontario Teachers’ files annual reports with the SEC. APCO’s 2023 claim that its brands “have protected over 11 million customers, and have paid over $3.5 billion in claims” is its own, and we could not check it. ## The four EasyCare coverage levels, as printed EasyCare’s coverage page says its contract “offers four levels of coverage to suit your budget and driving habits.” The contract builds them as layers: each listed level adds numbered component groups to the one below, and TotalCare switches from a list to everything not excluded. **EasyCare coverage levels: the contract’s groups and the rows ticked in EasyCare’s web table, read 16 October 2026** | Level | What form B1035099 covers | Web table rows ticked (of 14) | EV rows ticked (of 5) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PowerCare | Groups 1 to 5: engine, transmission and transfer case, drive axle, seals and gaskets, taxes and fluids | 5 | 2 | | PrimaryCare | Groups 1 to 10: adds air conditioning, heating, fuel, cooling and braking systems | 10 | 4 | | StatedCare | Groups 1 to 14: adds suspension, steering, electrical system and the high-tech and convenience group | 14 | 5 | | TotalCare | “All parts and components of YOUR VEHICLE, as installed by the VEHICLE manufacturer,” less the exclusions in section C | 14, plus “All vehicle components except those specifically excluded” | 5 | Electric and hybrid parts sit inside the same groups: the traction motor and high-voltage battery under group 1, the reducer box under group 2. A battery failure is measured against the carmaker’s tolerance or, if there is none, as “a measured loss of more than 30% of its charge retention capacity”; gradual loss of capacity with use is excluded. If the “Manufacturer Certified Wrap” box is checked, “YOU may only select TotalCare® or StatedCare™.” Commercial use, medium-duty trucks, lift kits, snow plows and Canadian cars without a factory warranty are covered only if their boxes are checked (coverage “shall only be provided if the applicable boxes are checked”); a lift kit must be shop-fitted, up to 6 inches with tires no more than 4 inches taller than stock, and the kit itself is never covered. Every level carries the same added benefits, with no deductible: - **Substitute transportation:** up to $40 a day for up to 6 days, $240 per occurrence, for a rental car, rideshare or taxi; an optional upgrade, which the TechCare brochure says needs a surcharge, raises it to $75 a day, $450 in all. - **Trip interruption:** up to $100 a day for meals and lodging for the first 3 days, $300 in all, when you must stay overnight more than 50 miles from home. - **Roadside assistance:** towing, winch-out, jump starts, tire changes, fluid delivery and lockout help, up to $100 per occurrence, or $500 for towing a medium-duty or lifted truck. Rental and trip benefits also pay when the failure is “covered under YOUR VEHICLE’S manufacturer warranty,” which is easy to forget while factory cover still runs. TechCare, a separate EasyCare contract for GPS, entertainment, convenience and active safety systems such as cameras and blind-spot sensors, is not one of the four levels. ## What EasyCare does not cover EasyCare’s web page lists 9 exclusions, from upholstery to “Damage caused by any external cause.” The contract’s section C has 18 numbered exclusions, the first with 26 lettered conditions, a to z. The ones most likely to matter on a used car: - **No authorization, no payment.** Repairs done “without prior authorization from the ADMINISTRATOR” are excluded, except after-hours emergencies. - **Maintenance you cannot prove.** Failures linked to “lack of maintenance as recommended by YOUR VEHICLE’S manufacturer,” and any costs where receipts are not produced on request. - **Anything another promise covers.** Parts under a warranty, another contract or insurance are excluded “regardless of whether each: can or cannot be honored or collected,” and so are defects under a public recall. - **Problems that began earlier.** Failures that occurred “prior to the CONTRACT PURCHASE DATE.” - **Heavy towing and changed cars.** Towing over 2,000 lbs. without a factory towing kit; failures affected by oversized or undersized tires or by “exhaust, intake, ignition, fuel, suspension, or steering system modifications.” - **Odometer and title history.** An odometer wrong or broken “for more than 1 month or 1,000 miles,” and any “previous flood or salvage vehicle” or washed title, “regardless of when such determination is made” (see our [salvage title guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/)). - **Contamination.** Damage from “varnish, sludge, fuel or lubricant contamination, rust, corrosion,” moisture or condensation, regardless of cause. - **Wear and maintenance parts.** Spark plugs, filters, brake pads, hoses, belts and wiper blades are excluded “Unless required as part of a covered repair and YOU have TotalCare® coverage.” The exhaust, catalytic converter, brake rotors, shocks, glass, ordinary batteries and “Tire or wheel damage” are excluded at every level. - **Diagnosis that runs long.** Teardown is unpaid if the failure is not covered, and so is diagnostic time beyond “the current year’s national flat rate hourly guide.” On TotalCare, when a covered part fails and damages another, “coverage will be extended to the next singular part or component.” State sections move the line too: Illinois says the contract “does not provide coverage for wear and tear,” while Maryland adds “normal wear and tear” to what counts as a breakdown and includes teardown and diagnosis in a covered repair. ## When coverage starts, how it is measured and when it runs out The 11 pages of form B1035099 contain no waiting period; a text search for the word finds nothing, though the pre-existing-condition exclusion applies from day one. How the term is counted depends on one of three boxes on page 1: - **Max Miles:** months start on the contract purchase date, miles “at zero miles on the odometer,” so miles already on the car count against the term. - **Add-On Miles:** both start on the purchase date; the expiration mileage is the odometer reading at sale plus the term’s miles. - **Manufacturer Certified Wrap:** both start “on the IN-SERVICE DATE and at zero miles,” the date the car was first sold or leased, “not necessarily the date YOU purchased YOUR VEHICLE.” On a [certified pre-owned car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/certified-pre-owned/), the years before you owned it are already used. Coverage ends at the earlier of the expiration date, the expiration mileage or the overall limit. The contract is “non-renewable”; you can ask in writing for a new one at least 15 days and 1,000 miles before it ends, under the administrator’s “then current underwriting guidelines.” **The limit is the price of the car, not of the contract.** No single breakdown is paid beyond the car’s “Clean Retail Value” in the J.D. Power used-car guide, and “the total of all benefits payable shall never exceed the Vehicle Purchase Price” on page 1. Once claims reach that total, the contract price “shall be deemed fully earned and no future coverage will be available,” so nothing is left to refund. Check that the Vehicle Purchase Price on your page 1 is right. Each repair is paid at “the reasonable price” the administrator sets, never above the carmaker’s suggested retail price, with parts that may be “new, remanufactured, rebuilt, non-original manufacturer’s parts or components, exchanged, or serviceable used parts.” Our page on [what mileage caps buy you](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cap-arithmetic) shows how much of a car’s life a term covers. ## How a claim works, and where you can take the car “YOU may take YOUR VEHICLE to any licensed repair facility. However, WE recommend that YOU return the VEHICLE to the SELLER, if applicable.” The contract adds that “Under certain conditions” you may be required to return to the seller, without saying which; if a dealer insists, ask which clause it relies on. You authorize the shop to diagnose the car “in a timely manner”; the shop calls the administrator with your contract number and mileage; and “Before any repairs are performed pursuant to this CONTRACT, the ADMINISTRATOR must authorize such repairs by issuing an authorization code.” The exception is a breakdown outside business hours: any licensed shop may do emergency repairs and must call “on the next business day.” To be reimbursed, you send “A legible, itemized repair order signed by YOU” with towing, rental, meal or lodging receipts. Your side is maintenance: service as the carmaker recommends, with dated receipts you can show before repairs begin. There is some slack: “Service within 1,000 miles and/or 30 days of the VEHICLE manufacturer’s recommended service interval shall be considered compliant.” When a warning light comes on, you are “required to safely pull YOUR VEHICLE off the road and shut off the engine immediately.” Damage from driving on is not covered. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the odometer, an amber warning light and the trip readout, each with one fact from EasyCare’s 2022 vehicle service contract. EasyCare’s 2022 vehicle service contract, read on 16 October 2026: Wrap contracts start counting at the car's in-service date, not the day you sign (callout 1); No repair is paid until the administrator issues an authorization code (callout 2); Service within 1,000 miles or 30 days of the factory interval counts as on time (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. At the counter you pay the deductible plus “any costs that exceed the amount that is covered.” Our page on [how a service-contract claim works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) covers the steps that are the same everywhere. ## Deductibles: per visit, and set when you buy The deductible is “either a preselected dollar amount or a percentage of the covered claim amount, per visit,” printed on page 1. The form prints no default; it is chosen when the contract is written, like the price. Our page on [why the price depends on where you buy](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#markup) explains how dealer pricing works. Under the “ONE-TIME DEDUCTIBLE GUARANTEE,” once a part has been repaired, the deductible on later repairs to that part “will be waived during the Contract Term.” A contract can also carry a “Diminishing” deductible that is lower when the selling dealer does the work. The contract’s own example: with “$250 Diminishing $100” on page 1, you pay $100 when the seller or its “SELLER GROUP” (locations owned by the same company) does the repair, and $250 anywhere else. Decide before you sign whether you will go back. The 2012 form offered $0, $50, $100, $250 and a $500 “Catastrophic” deductible, with “If nothing is marked, then $100 per visit,” and rental at $30 a day; an old contract keeps its own terms. ## Cancelling an EasyCare contract and getting money back The contract “may be cancelled at any time and for any reason by YOU or US.” How much comes back depends on timing: - **Within 30 days, no claim:** “this CONTRACT is void and YOU will receive a full refund of the Total Contract Purchase Price, provided no claim has been authorized or paid.” - **After 30 days, or after a claim:** “a pro rata refund based on the greater of days in force or the miles driven related to the Contract Term less a $50 cancellation fee.” - **If APCO cancels:** “YOU will receive a full refund of the Total Contract Purchase Price.” “The greater of” matters if you drive a lot. In our arithmetic, take an invented 48-month, 48,000-mile contract cancelled at month 12 after 24,000 miles: time used is 25%, miles 50%, so the refund is the remaining 50% of the price, less the $50 fee. **How to cancel depends on who sold it.** EasyCare’s support page gives two routes. If you bought directly from the EasyCare Customer Care Center, you call it. For a contract bought at a dealership: “Please contact the finance department of the dealership you purchased your contract through to complete the Cancellation Form,” and give the dealer, “within 30 days of the Cancellation Date,” the signed form, proof of mileage (an odometer statement, bill of sale or notarized affidavit) and a lien release or payoff letter if there is a loan. “The dealer will be responsible for issuing the refund to either you or your lienholder.” If the contract was financed with the car and the loan is still open, the refund goes to the lender unless you include proof the lien is released. **The date your request arrives sets the refund.** The contract calculates any refund “using the date the SELLER or the ADMINISTRATOR receives a cancellation request.” If you sold the car, documentation sent within 60 days cancels the contract from the date you stopped owning it. A lender can cancel for a default, and after a repossession or total loss it must give notice within 90 days; see our pages on [repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) and [GAP coverage](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/), which EasyCare’s cancellation form lists beside the service contract. By signing that form you release the benefits “as of 12:01 AM” on the cancellation date, and “some contract(s) may not be reinstated or repurchased.” Section P of the contract then changes these rules in 28 jurisdictions. The fee changes in 15 of them: **The $50 cancellation fee on EasyCare form B1035099, as each state section replaces it, read 16 October 2026** | Fee after the full-refund window | Where the contract prints it | | --- | --- | | $50 | Every state without a different rule below | | $25 | Alabama, Nevada | | 7.5% of the unearned price, or $50 if less | Alaska | | 10% of the gross amount paid, or $50 if less | Arizona, Mississippi | | 10% of the Total Contract Purchase Price, or $50 if less | District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, New Mexico, Wisconsin | | 10% of the unearned pro rata price, or $50 if less | Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma | | 10% of the refund amount, or $50 if less | North Carolina | Other changes are as large. Florida’s section gives a full refund for 60 days, not 30. Georgia, Missouri and Texas delete “provided no claim has been authorized or paid,” so a claim in the first 30 days does not cost you the full refund there. Mississippi measures the pro rata refund by days only, not miles. Connecticut lets you cancel “at any time,” including if the car is sold, stolen or destroyed. And 20 jurisdictions add a 10% monthly penalty when a refund is paid late, usually after 45 days. Your state’s own statute may give more; our page on [cancellation rights by state](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#cancellation) sets out three of them. ## Transferring EasyCare, and buying a used car that has it EasyCare’s brochure says “EasyCare coverage is transferable to another private owner if you sell your vehicle.” The contract’s section H sets the conditions. You must contact the administrator “within 30 days of the change of VEHICLE ownership” and send a written request, the “$50 transfer fee” ($40 in Florida, $25 in Nevada), proof that the maintenance was done, proof of the sale and mileage, and proof that any factory warranty was transferred too. The car “is subject to inspection by the ADMINISTRATOR upon transfer,” and any benefits already paid stay used. EasyCare’s [Transfer Application Form](https://info.apcoholdings.com/hubfs/EasyCare/EasyCare%20Website/Transfer%20Form%20-%20Easycare%2009272023.pdf) asks for more than the brochure suggests: a notarized odometer statement from the sale, and the buyer’s signature confirming they have every maintenance receipt “from inception of the agreement,” because missing receipts “could result in the denial of any claims.” It also says: “Approval of the transfer is at the discretion of the Administrator and may be declined for any reason.” The contract itself prints no such sentence, so the brochure, the contract and the form do not say quite the same thing. **A dealer cannot pass an EasyCare contract to you.** The contract says “YOU are prohibited from transferring this CONTRACT to a vehicle dealer,” and EasyCare’s transfer form says the title “may not pass through a Dealer or other Retail Seller.” The 2012 form went further and barred transfer “to the customer of a vehicle dealer.” If a dealer told you a used car came with EasyCare, the last owner’s contract could not pass to you through that dealer under these terms; EasyCare lists “Trade In” as an ordinary reason to cancel. What you may have is a new contract the dealer sold you. Check that page 1 names you as the customer. Buying privately is different: ask for the seller’s contract before you pay, start the transfer together and collect every receipt. EasyCare says the holder can download the contract from its ID card portal with the contract number or VIN and last name. A [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) also helps, because the administrator may inspect the car on transfer. ## Regulators, courts and the dealer’s side of the sale Searches on 16 October 2026, including one limited to federal and state regulator sites, found no enforcement action, consent order or attorney-general release naming APCO, APCO Holdings, Warranty Support Services or EasyCare. That is a search result, not a clearance. We pulled no CFPB counts for this page, and the BBB blocked our request, so EasyCare’s A+ rating is carried only as its claim. The one court record we found is about dealers. In an unpublished opinion filed 16 August 2022 (No. 21-14193), the Eleventh Circuit described a 2017 agreement in which “APCO lent NBA $1,000,000, and in exchange NBA agreed to sell a certain amount of APCO’s services, known collectively as EasyCare products, each month” for 36 months. APCO accused the dealership of no longer selling them and demanded $815,850; the district court held the dealer owed $955,799.58 including interest at 12%, and the appeals court affirmed. It is a commercial dispute, not a consumer case, but with EasyCare’s own “dealer participation” pages it shows the person offering you EasyCare may have a stake in the sale. EasyCare’s site says the purchase “is optional and is not required to qualify for financing,” and the Texas section says the contract “may not be offered by a dealer who requires a loan for the purchase of a vehicle to be financed exclusively with such dealer.” Disputes go to “BINDING ARBITRATION,” with a class-action waiver; you keep the right to use small claims court, and if you start a JAMS arbitration your fees are capped at $250. Georgia, Mississippi and Oregon delete the arbitration clause; 8 states make it depend on both sides agreeing when the dispute arises. Our page on [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) covers the other add-ons sold in the same office. ## EasyCare’s printed terms beside three other contracts Printed terms only, each from a specimen this site has read; no prices, no ranking. The Zurich form is the dealer-channel one from our [Zurich page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/zurich-extended-warranty/#two-forms); see also our [Endurance page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/endurance-extended-warranty/). **Printed terms on four service contract specimens; EasyCare read 16 October 2026, Zurich and Endurance 7 September 2026, CARCHEX 9 October 2026** | Term | EasyCare B1035099 (02.22) | Zurich VEH750BX (02/22) | CARCHEX term, outside Florida | Endurance VSC-01DE-EDS_ORI_04/25 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who owes the repair | Automobile Protection Corporation (APCO) | Universal Underwriters Service Corporation | American Auto Shield, Ltd | Endurance Dealer Services, LLC | | Insurer behind it | American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida | Universal Underwriters Insurance Company | American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida | Old Republic Insurance Company | | Waiting period | None printed | 0 days | First option blank, or 90 days and 200 miles | Set on the application page | | Full refund window | 30 days, no claim | 30 days | 30 days, no claim | 30 days | | Later cancellation fee | $50 | $75 | $75 | $50 | | Transfer fee | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 | | Rental | $40 a day, 6 days | $40 a day, 10 days | $60 a day; days vary by plan | $30 a day | | Trip interruption | $100 a day, 3 days, beyond 50 miles | $250 a day, 3 days, beyond 100 miles | $125 a day, 4 days, beyond 100 miles | $150 a day, 3 days, beyond 100 miles | All four let you go to the insurer after 60 days without payment. Before you sign anything, these are the checks the EasyCare form points to: - **Read the obligor line at the foot of page 1** and check it on your state’s register. - **Find the term box:** Max Miles, Add-On Miles or Manufacturer Certified Wrap decides when your months and miles started. - **Check the Vehicle Purchase Price** on page 1; it caps everything the contract will ever pay. - **Get the deductible in writing,** including any lower “Diminishing” amount tied to the selling dealer. - **Keep every service receipt** with date and mileage; claims and transfers both depend on them. - **Cancel in writing, early,** through the seller, with proof of mileage; the refund dates from receipt. - **Selling privately?** Start the transfer within 30 days and hand over the receipts. ## Common questions ### Who is the administrator for EasyCare warranties? On EasyCare’s 2022 contract form, Automobile Protection Corporation (APCO) is the administrator, and in most states also the issuing provider and obligor. Arizona and Oklahoma contracts name Warranty Support Services LLC as obligor, and New York contracts name APCO Services LLC. Older contracts may name another administrator at the bottom of the contract. ### Is EasyCare legit? EasyCare is a brand of APCO Holdings; APCO, founded in 1984, markets and administers dealer-sold service contracts and was owned by Ford from 1999 to 2007. Its obligations are insured by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant subsidiary. We found no regulator or attorney-general action naming it. Whether a contract is worth its price is a separate question; see [when a service contract pays off](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#worth-it). ### How do I cancel an EasyCare warranty? If a dealer sold it, ask that dealer’s finance department for EasyCare’s Cancellation Form and return it with proof of mileage and any lien release within 30 days of the cancellation date. Within 30 days of purchase, with no claim, the refund is full; after that it is pro rata less a $50 fee, with state changes. ### Is an EasyCare warranty transferable? To a private buyer of the same car, yes, for a $50 fee ($40 in Florida, $25 in Nevada), if you apply within 30 days of the sale with maintenance records. The transfer form says approval may be declined, and a contract cannot be transferred to a dealer. ### Does EasyCare have a waiting period? The 2022 specimen prints none. Breakdowns that began before the contract purchase date are still excluded, and on a Wrap or Max Miles term, time or miles already on the car count against coverage. ### What does EasyCare TotalCare cover? TotalCare covers every part the carmaker installed except the exclusions in section C, which include wear and maintenance items not needed for a covered repair, the exhaust, brake rotors, shocks, glass and tire damage. It also pays for the next part damaged by a covered failure. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [FTC: a businessperson’s guide to federal warranty law](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — service contract providers, Occupations Code Chapter 1304](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/scp/scpfaq.htm) - [Florida CFO — motor vehicle service agreements, Chapter 634](https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/understanding-insurance/motor-vehicle-service-agreement-overview) - [New York DFS — service contract provider registration, Insurance Law Article 79](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/apps_and_licensing/service_contract_providers) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/easycare-warranty/ --- title: "Omega Auto Care Review: Who Owes the Repair and What Its Contracts Say" description: "We read Omega Auto Care's 3 sample contracts: who owes the repair in each state, the $100 deductible, refunds, transfers and a 2019 Maine order." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/omega-auto-care-warranty/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Omega Auto Care Review: Who Owes the Repair and What Its Contracts Say > We read Omega Auto Care's 3 sample contracts: who owes the repair in each state, the $100 deductible, refunds, transfers and a 2019 Maine order. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,767 words* ## The short version - Omega Auto Care is the brand of EGV Companies, Inc., which administers the contracts and, in most states, owes the repair. In Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma the sample agreements make Lyndon Southern Insurance Company the obligor instead. - Whoever sold you the contract, a marketer or a dealer, “is not a party to this Agreement and has no obligations to You,” according to the agreements. - All three sample agreements print a $100 deductible per repair visit and cap total claims at the car’s value when bought or $12,500, whichever is greater. None prints a price or a waiting period in days or miles. - Cancel within 30 days and you get the full price back less any claims paid; after that, a pro rata refund less a $75 fee. If a payment plan is unpaid, the funding company gets the refund. - Only the original buyer can transfer a contract, by selling the car directly to another person within 30 days and paying $50. Dealer trade-ins are excluded. - Maine fined EGV $1,250 in 2019 for administering contracts before registering. A 2017 robocall lawsuit naming Omega was dismissed on pleading grounds, with no finding. We found no FTC or state attorney-general action naming Omega. Omega Auto Care sells and administers vehicle service contracts, often called extended car warranties, and many people meet it through a sales call, a mailer or a contract left over from a used car’s previous owner. What you are owed is in the agreement, not the pitch. On 16 October 2026 we read the three sample agreements linked from Omega’s [Coverage page](https://omegaautocare.com/coverage/), its benefits, claims, FAQ, about, contact and privacy pages, a 2019 Maine consent agreement, a 2020 federal appeals opinion, a 2020 California Department of Insurance release and SEC filings on the insurer behind the contracts. Omega publishes no terms of use. We requested no quote, and this site has no commercial relationship with Omega or any seller of service contracts. **Figure: Who stands behind an Omega Auto Care contract** A two-column table showing, for each situation, who stands behind an Omega Auto Care service contract as its three published sample agreements print it: EGV Companies owes the repair in most states with Lyndon Southern Insurance Company insuring it; Lyndon Southern is the obligor in Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma; Atlantic Specialty insures in New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin; Insurance Company of the South in Georgia; no auto coverage is offered in California; the seller is not a party; and a funding company takes the refund on an unpaid payment plan. Read from Omega's three published sample agreements (form codes ending 0319) and its privacy policy on 16 October 2026. Your own declarations page and state terms govern. ## Who owes you the repair on an Omega contract A service contract has a seller, an obligor that owes the repair, an administrator that runs claims, and often an insurer behind the obligor. Our guide to [who owes you the repair](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#who-owes-you) explains why the obligor matters most. Omega’s samples name the parties on their first two pages, and the answer depends on your state: **Who Omega’s sample agreements name, by state, read 16 October 2026** | Where the contract is sold | Obligor (owes the repair) | Insurer named | | --- | --- | --- | | Most states | EGV Companies, Inc. | Lyndon Southern Insurance Company | | Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma | Lyndon Southern Insurance Company | Lyndon Southern Insurance Company | | New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin | EGV Companies, Inc. | Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company | | Georgia | EGV Companies, Inc. | Insurance Company of the South | | California | Omega says it does not offer auto coverage to California residents | | **The seller is not on the hook.** Every sample says “The Seller (issuing party) is not a party to this Agreement and has no obligations to You in regards to the benefits provided.” EGV Companies, Inc. is the administrator everywhere. If a telemarketer or a dealer sold you an Omega plan, claims go to EGV, not to the company that took your payment. **The insurer is a backstop with a clock.** Your benefits are “insured by an insurance policy with Lyndon Southern Insurance Company,” and if they are “not provided within sixty (60) days after You provide proof of loss,” you may claim directly against Lyndon Southern. In New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin the policy is issued by Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company, and Georgia residents are guaranteed by Insurance Company of the South. Look the obligor up on your state’s [service contract register](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#check-the-register) before you pay. **The website says something simpler.** Omega’s contact page says: “As the administer and obligor of our own plans, we’re with you every step of the way.” In the four states where Lyndon Southern is the obligor, Omega is the administrator only. The name on your own agreement is the one that counts. One clause does reach the seller: the arbitration provision defines “We” to include “any retailer or distributor of its products,” so a dispute with the seller goes to the same arbitration. ## Who Omega Auto Care is, and who stands behind it **The company.** Omega’s privacy policy is written in the name of EGV Companies, Inc., which it says “markets Omega products in auto, home, electronics, and device protection.” The agreements give EGV a Jacksonville, Florida address. Maine’s 2019 consent agreement adds that EGV “is domiciled in Missouri” and that “Ensurety, Inc. legally changed their name to EGV Companies, Inc., effective February 16, 2016.” A 2020 appeals opinion names a related company, “Ensurety Ventures, LLC, d.b.a. Omega Autocare.” An unfinished Omega page, “Our Family of Products,” lists six brands, among them Drive America, EFS Companies and Driven Solutions. **How long it has operated depends on the page.** The banner on every page reads “Servicing Vehicle Owners for Nearly Two Decades!” and the contact page says “nearly 20 years,” while the about page says “Since 1968.” Maine’s order dates EGV’s administration of Maine contracts from September 3, 2014. **The insurer’s group.** Lyndon Southern Insurance Company and Insurance Company of the South are on the subsidiary list (Exhibit 21.1) that The Fortegra Group, Inc. filed with the SEC on January 29, 2024, which says all listed subsidiaries are wholly owned by Fortegra. Tiptree Inc., Fortegra’s parent, still listed Lyndon Southern as a subsidiary on December 31, 2025. Tiptree agreed on September 26, 2025 to sell Fortegra to DB Insurance Co., Ltd. of Korea by merger, and its 8-K reports the deal closed on May 29, 2026, with Fortegra now “a wholly owned subsidiary” of DB Insurance. Nothing we read says Fortegra or DB Insurance owns Omega or EGV. **Payment plans and reinsurance.** A credit agreement of Fortegra’s premium-finance companies, dated October 6, 2023 and filed as Exhibit 10.7 to Fortegra’s registration statement, defines two agreements that touch Omega. One, dated August 5, 2019, has South Bay Funding LLC acquiring “Warranty Service Payment Plan Agreements,” with EFS Companies, LLC as subservicer and “EGV Companies, Inc., as Administrator.” The other is an “Indemnity Reinsurance Agreement dated May 7, 2013” between Lyndon Southern and “Ensurety Reinsurance, Ltd.” A lender’s agreement does not say how many Omega plans are financed or reinsured. It does explain an FAQ answer: asked who receives a monthly payment, Omega offers to help you find “your contract provider and payment information.” If you pay monthly, the company collecting may not be Omega. **Who owns Omega.** None of the documents we read names the owners of EGV Companies or Ensurety Ventures, and an EDGAR full-text search found no SEC filing by either. We did not use news reports or business directories for ownership. ## Who sells Omega contracts, and the marketing calls The agreements define the seller only as “The entity that sold this Agreement to You,” named on the declarations page. Omega’s pages point to three channels: direct marketing (the privacy policy mentions information “from our marketing partners and other third parties,” and a post on the site is an RSVP page for a “2025 Agent Summit Reception”); dealers (an “Auto Dealer Customer Service and Claims” line on every page, and an “OAC Dealer Services” unit that designs “F&I product programs”); and Omega’s own quote form, which we did not use. Omega’s pages say nothing about robocalls or about third-party marketers using its name. The one court record we read is about exactly that: in *Hirsch v. Ensurety Ventures, LLC*, a consumer sued in 2017 under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, alleging, in the appeals court’s summary, that the defendants “find and hire non-party call centers, and instruct those entities to make the calls to consumers.” Those were allegations; the case was dismissed with no finding about who made any call (see [regulators and courts](#records)). If an Omega plan is offered on a call you did not ask for, ask for the sample agreement and declarations page before giving card details, and check the obligor against the table above. The FTC’s [alert on extended warranty calls](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/what-know-about-auto-service-contracts-extended-warranty-scams) lists the warning signs. California is different: Omega says “We currently do not offer auto coverage to residents of California,” and the California Department of Insurance says service contracts “can only be sold through dealerships licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Direct sales to consumers are illegal.” See [mechanical breakdown insurance in California](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mechanical-breakdown-insurance/#california). ## The plans, who qualifies, and what each one covers Omega’s Coverage page offers three programs, with Powertrain sold at three levels. Its 5 sample links lead to 3 distinct agreements, all with form codes ending 0319 and saved as PDFs on 31 July 2020. Eligibility depends on the car’s age in model years and its odometer reading: **Omega’s plans as its Coverage page and sample agreements describe them, read 16 October 2026** | Plan | Cars Omega says qualify | How the sample agreement defines cover | | --- | --- | --- | | New Exclusionary | Current model year + 7 model years, under 100,000 miles at purchase | All assemblies and parts except a printed list | | Used Stated | Current model year + 10 model years, under 150,000 miles | Named parts under 13 system headings | | Powertrain | Current model year + 15 model years, under 250,000 miles | Engine, transmission, transfer case and drive axle parts, plus hybrid drive parts | | Powertrain Plus | As Powertrain | Powertrain plus 9 named A/C and electrical parts | | Powertrain Enhanced | As Powertrain | Powertrain Plus plus 23 named A/C, cooling, fuel and electrical parts | **New Exclusionary** covers “all assemblies and parts” except a list that includes paint, trim, body panels and glass; all exhaust components and the catalytic converter; the battery, spark plug wires, fan belts and non-metallic hoses; shock absorbers and the clutch assembly; tires and wheels; airbags; and all maintenance services, naming brake pads, rotors, alignments and tune-ups. **Used Stated** covers only the parts it names, under 13 headings from engine and transmission to brakes, electrical and hybrid. It warns that “The vehicle systems listed are NOT Covered Parts”: a heading covers only the parts listed beside it. The factory radio and speakers are covered up to $300. **Powertrain** covers the engine’s block, heads and internally lubricated parts, turbocharger, timing chain or belt and water pump; the transmission case, internal parts, torque converter and valve body; the transfer case; and drive axle parts. “Leaking seals and gaskets are not Covered Parts,” and “Constant velocity joint boots are not covered under any circumstances.” **Powertrain Plus** adds 9 parts, such as the A/C compressor, alternator and starter. **Powertrain Enhanced** adds 23 more, from the A/C dryer and fuel pump to power window motors and manually operated switches. Hybrid drive parts are covered, but “Batteries are excluded.” The Exclusionary and Used Stated samples also offer an Enhanced Electronics Package paying $750.00 toward factory radios, screens and similar equipment, if you paid for it on the declarations page. ## What every Omega agreement excludes - **Anything still under the factory warranty,** or covered by a recall, special policy or technical service bulletin: repairs are excluded “IF THE VEHICLE IS STILL IN THE MANUFACTURER’S BASIC WARRANTY PERIOD.” - **Anything that broke before cover started,** before the purchase date “OR THE DATE COVERAGE TAKES EFFECT,” or before “THE COMPLETION OF THE VALIDATION PERIOD.” - **Missing maintenance records** for “THE LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP,” wear within the carmaker’s published tolerance, and gradual loss of performance. - **Contamination,** corrosion, sludge, carbon build-up, detonation and the wrong fuel; and damage from continuing to drive an impaired car. - **Some uses and cars, whatever you pay:** police, taxi, limousine, shuttle, delivery and racing use “REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE BUSINESS USE OPTION WAS PURCHASED,” and salvage or branded-title, grey-market, lifted and exotic vehicles or anything over 1 ton. See [salvage and branded titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/). - **Modifications** such as oversized tires and lift kits, and breakdowns outside the United States or Canada. **Two exclusions can swallow an engine claim.** Every sample excludes “A BREAKDOWN CAUSED BY OR FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM OVERHEATING REGARDLESS OF CAUSE,” and a breakdown “OF A COVERED PART BY A NON-COVERED PART.” An uncovered hose that bursts and overheats the engine can fall under both. Ask the administrator in writing how it applies them before you buy. Omega’s FAQ is candid about denials: “In many cases the component your repair shop is asking to repair or replace is not specifically listed in your contract for coverage.” ## When cover starts: the samples print no waiting period None of the three samples includes a declarations page, and none prints a waiting period in days or miles. The agreements still refer to one: the emergency-repair rules tell you to check there is no “wait period in effect,” and the exclusions mention a “VALIDATION PERIOD” they never define. What is printed: - **First payment first.** “YOU must make your first monthly payment per the payment plan agreement before claims can be paid.” - **An oil change within 60 days** of purchase, unless you have a receipt from the 6 months before; then every 6 months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first, or on the carmaker’s schedule. - **The maintenance perks** begin 30 days after purchase and end 13 months after it. Before paying, ask for the declarations page you will receive and read the waiting period on it. Other sellers print theirs there; see [CarShield’s](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carshield/#waiting-period) and [CARCHEX’s](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carchex-review/#waiting-period). ## Deductible, price and the most Omega will pay **The deductible.** All three samples state: “A one hundred dollar ($100) DEDUCTIBLE per repair visit will apply.” Omega’s home page adds: “Use one of our RepairPal certified shops and we’ll waive your deductible.” No sample agreement contains that waiver, so get it in writing if it matters to you. **The price.** No Omega page or sample prints one; a figure means filling in the quote form. Our guide to [why service contracts have no sticker price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#no-sticker) explains what drives the quote. Omega’s home page calls the product “insurance for when your vehicle inevitably becomes damaged due to mechanical failure”; the documents are Vehicle Service Agreements, and Maine registered EGV as a service contract provider. See [why a service contract is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty). **The cap.** Total claims “shall not exceed the actual cash value of YOUR VEHICLE at time of AGREEMENT purchase, or $12,500, whichever is greater.” On a car worth less than $12,500 the cap is $12,500 for the whole contract; on a car worth more, it is the car’s value when you bought the plan, not when it breaks. See [how the cap changes the arithmetic](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cap-arithmetic). **The number on the Coverage page.** Omega asks, “Do you have $11,535 for vehicle repairs?” The same page lists an “average repair cost” for 12 systems, from $1,420.41 for the engine and $1,186.09 for the transmission to $603.00 for brakes. By our arithmetic the 12 averages add up to $11,535.82, using the top of the electrical range. The headline is what you would pay if all 12 systems failed at once, not the cost of a typical breakdown. ## How a claim works, and where the car can be repaired “Authorization from Omega Autocare is strictly required before any repairs can begin,” says the claims page. The agreements set out the sequence: 1. **Protect the car.** Damage from “THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF AN IMPAIRED VEHICLE” is excluded; roadside assistance can tow it. 2. **Take it to a licensed shop** and have the shop call the administrator before any work. You authorise the diagnosis: “If the failure is not a Covered BREAKDOWN, then YOU are responsible for this charge.” 3. **Wait for the authorization number.** The administrator may inspect the car first, and “Repairs performed without prior approval will not be honored” except emergency repairs. 4. **The repair is paid at guide rates.** Labor is checked against the Motor’s, Mitchell and All Data guides; parts may not exceed the maker’s list price and may be “new, remanufactured or used.” 5. **You pay the $100 deductible**, and Omega pays the shop by “direct credit card payment” once the repair is invoiced, its FAQ says. **Which shop.** Omega’s FAQ says “Any licensed repair facility.” The agreements define a repair facility as one “authorized by the ADMINISTRATOR,” and if the administrator decides the shop cannot diagnose or repair the car, or the two disagree, it may move the car to a facility of its own choice. **Emergencies and records.** If the administrator is closed, you may authorise a repair needing 2 hours or less of labor and costing no more than $500, then call within 5 business days; the FAQ mentions the two hours but not the $500. And “WE will not reimburse for repair costs or expenses if YOU cannot provide accurate records proving that You have maintained the failed COVERED PART.” Keep every oil-change receipt. Our guide to [how a service contract claim works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) covers the general pattern. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the page being read, the pages below it and the edge of the agreement, each with one fact from Omega Auto Care’s sample vehicle service agreements. Omega Auto Care’s sample vehicle service agreements, read on 16 October 2026: $100 deductible per repair visit; the samples print no RepairPal waiver (callout 1); Cancel within 30 days: full refund less claims paid; after that, pro rata less $75 (callout 2); No repair without authorization; a teardown that finds nothing covered is your bill (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Rental car.** The benefits page gives every plan “$30 per day, maximum of $150 per occurrence.” The agreements add that on claims over $3,000 the limit is $240 for up to 8 days, plus 3 more days ($90) if parts are delayed: $330 at most for one breakdown, by our arithmetic. You need the rental agency’s receipt; no deductible applies. **Trip interruption.** If a covered repair strands you overnight more than 100 miles from home, lodging and meals are paid at up to $75 a day for 3 days, $225 per breakdown. **Roadside assistance** is limited to $100 per occurrence. The agreements name United States Auto Club, Motoring Division, Inc. as the provider; Omega’s roadside page names Driven Solutions. Both say help from any other source “IS NOT COVERED AND IS NOT REIMBURSABLE” without prior authorization, and “THIS IS NOT A ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE REIMBURSEMENT SERVICE,” although the benefits page lists “Reimbursement: up to $100 per occurrence.” Call the number on your contract first. **Tires and maintenance.** Road-hazard tire repairs are paid up to $20 per tire and replacements up to $100 per tire, $400 in all, if the tire has more than 3/32 inch of tread and the work is pre-authorised. Omega’s maintenance page, not the agreements, adds up to 3 oil changes at $40.00 each ($120 by our arithmetic), $100.00 or $130.00 toward brake pads, a $100.00 battery credit and one cooling-system service, claimed within 45 days; that page says refunds take 3-4 weeks, the claims page 2-3 weeks. ## Cancelling, refunds, and transferring an Omega contract The agreements let you cancel “by returning it to the Seller or directly to US,” with an odometer statement; Omega’s FAQ says to contact Client Services. What the samples print: **Cancellation and refunds as Omega’s sample agreements print them, read 16 October 2026** | Situation | What the agreement says | | --- | --- | | You cancel within 30 days | The entire purchase price back, less any claims paid | | You cancel after 30 days | Pro rata by days or miles, whichever gives the smaller refund, less claims and a $75 fee, “except where state law provides otherwise” | | Financed, or a payment plan not paid off | The finance or funding company is entitled to the refund | | You miss monthly payments | It may be cancelled “and no refund will be due”; a plan stopped for non-payment shrinks the term to the part paid for | | The car has a lienholder | The lienholder is named on the refund check | Two clauses are easy to miss. The refund is split: the obligor refunds its share, and “The Seller agrees to pay the unearned portion of the commission,” so part of your money comes back from whoever sold the plan. And the cancellation form says to mail the agreement’s front page “to the Seller listed on the declarations page,” though you may also contact the administrator. Write to both, with the date and odometer reading. Unlike the CarShield and CARCHEX samples, Omega’s 30-day refund does not require that no claim was made; claims paid are deducted instead. See [how to cancel an extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cancel). **Selling your car.** “This AGREEMENT will terminate when YOU sell YOUR VEHICLE unless transferred.” A transfer works only if you are the original purchaser and sell “directly to another individual (excluding dealer trade-ins),” notify the administrator in writing within 30 days and pay $50 ($40 in Florida). Any payment plan must be paid off or taken over, you must hand over proof of maintenance, and the new owner is covered only on “Confirmation of the transfer acceptance by US.” The coverage “cannot be renewed.” **Found an Omega contract on a used car?** Under the samples’ wording it covers you only if the previous owner sold you the car directly and Omega confirmed a transfer made within 30 days. If the car was traded in to a dealer, the transfer is excluded and the contract terminated on that sale. Call the administrator with the contract number before relying on it. Our [Zurich page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/zurich-extended-warranty/#transferable) shows how differently other forms treat transfers. ## Regulators, courts, and a different “Omega” **Maine, 2019.** In a [consent agreement](https://www.maine.gov/pfr/insurance/themes/insurance/pdf/licensee-discipline-consent-agreements/2015-2019/19-227.pdf) with the Maine Bureau of Insurance and the Maine Attorney General’s office (Docket No. INS-19-227), resolved “without resort to an adjudicatory proceeding,” EGV agreed to these facts: the Bureau received a complaint in March 2018 about “a vehicle service agreement marketed as Omega Auto Care,” bought on January 12, 2017; EGV had administered 662 Maine contracts since September 3, 2014, 284 still active; and it did not register as an administrator until April 18, 2019. EGV accepted a civil penalty of $1,250 and agreed to keep its registration current. The order is about registration, not claims or sales. **The robocall lawsuit.** *Hirsch v. Ensurety Ventures, LLC, d.b.a. Omega Autocare* was filed on October 30, 2017 in the Middle District of Florida (No. 3:17-cv-01215) against Ensurety Ventures and Fortegra Financing Corporation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The [Eleventh Circuit’s unpublished opinion](https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/files/201913527.pdf) (No. 19-13527, March 18, 2020) summarises the claim that Ensurety, trading as Omega Autocare, and Fortegra, “which provides underwriting services to Omega,” were responsible for calls advertising Omega policies. A later complaint named seven defendants, including EGV, Lyndon Southern and Insurance Company of the South. The district court dismissed it with prejudice as an “impermissible shotgun pleading,” and the appeals court affirmed, noting that “Hirsch did not allege that either Fortegra or Omega had made any of the subject calls.” No court found that anyone made unlawful calls. **A different company called Omega.** On May 4, 2020 the California Department of Insurance announced a cease and desist order against “Omega Vehicle Services, LLC doing business as Delta Auto Protect” for “allegedly selling illegal Vehicle Service Contracts” ([release 041-2020](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2020/release041-2020.cfm)). Nothing we read connects that company to EGV or Omega Auto Care. Search results often mix the two, so check the company name on any record you find. **What we did not find.** Searches of the FTC, CFPB and Justice Department sites and for state attorney-general releases on 16 October 2026 found no action naming Omega Auto Care, EGV or Ensurety; that is a search result, not a clearance. Omega’s home page shows “BBB Accredited with an A+ rating”; BBB’s site blocked our request, so we have not checked it. Compare [the FTC’s 2024 order against CarShield](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carshield/#enforcement) and [what regulators have done](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#enforcement) in this industry. **Disputes.** Every sample requires binding arbitration before one arbitrator under the American Arbitration Association’s expedited rules, with no jury and no class action. On written request the company will advance “all or part” of the fees, and the arbitrator decides who finally pays. Florida buyers can also use the [Florida CFO’s service agreement page](https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/understanding-insurance/motor-vehicle-service-agreement-overview). ## Is Omega Auto Care worth it, and how its printed terms compare Whether any service contract is worth buying depends on the car, the cap and the price; see [when an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#worth-it). Omega prints no price, so this compares printed terms only, beside two sellers whose samples we have read. It ranks no one. **Printed terms in published sample contracts: Omega (read 16 October 2026), CarShield (read 6 October 2026) and CARCHEX (read 9 October 2026); CarShield and CARCHEX term contracts outside Florida** | Term | Omega Auto Care | CarShield | CARCHEX | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who owes the repair (most states) | EGV Companies, Inc. | American Auto Shield, Ltd | American Auto Shield, Ltd | | Insurer named behind the obligor | Lyndon Southern (others in NY, RI, WI and GA) | None on the car term samples outside Florida | American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida | | Waiting period printed | No days or miles printed | 30 days and 1,000 miles, or 90 days and 200 miles | First pair blank, or 90 days and 200 miles | | Full refund window | 30 days, less any claims paid | 1 month, if no claim made | 30 days, if no claim made | | Cancel fee, then transfer fee | $75, $50 | $75, $50 | $75, $50 | | Rental, per day | $30 | $60 | $60 | Read our [CarShield](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carshield/) and [CARCHEX](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carchex-review/) reviews for their full terms, and our pages on [Endurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/endurance-extended-warranty/), [Zurich](https://baronauto1.com/financing/zurich-extended-warranty/) and [EasyCare](https://baronauto1.com/financing/easycare-warranty/) for other forms. Buying a used car? A [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) says more about its future repair bills than any contract. - **Get the declarations page before you pay:** it names the seller and sets the term, price and any waiting period. - **Check the obligor and insurer** against the state table and your state’s register. - **Read the plan’s own parts list;** on Used Stated and Powertrain, only listed parts are covered. - **Change the oil within 60 days** of buying and keep every receipt after that. - **Get authorization before any repair,** and agree in writing who pays for a teardown. - **Get any deductible waiver in writing.** - **Cancel in writing to the seller and the administrator,** and ask who holds any payment plan. - **Transfer within 30 days of a private sale;** a dealer trade-in cannot carry the contract. ## Common questions ### Is Omega Auto Care legit? Omega Auto Care is the brand of EGV Companies, Inc., which administers its own plans, and its sample agreements name an insurer behind them in every state they cover. Maine fined EGV $1,250 in 2019 for administering contracts before registering there, and a 2017 robocall suit was dismissed on pleading grounds without any finding. We found no FTC or attorney-general action naming it. Judge the contract you are offered, not the call. ### Who underwrites Omega Auto Care? The samples say Lyndon Southern Insurance Company insures the obligations in most states, Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company in New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, and Insurance Company of the South in Georgia; Lyndon Southern is itself the obligor in Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. SEC filings place Lyndon Southern in the Fortegra group, which DB Insurance Co., Ltd. acquired on May 29, 2026. ### Does Omega Auto Care have a waiting period? The agreements refer to a “wait period” and a “validation period,” but none of the three samples prints one in days or miles, because they include no declarations page. Claims also wait for your first monthly payment. Ask for your declarations page before paying. ### How do I cancel Omega Auto Care? Return the agreement to the seller or the administrator with an odometer statement. Within 30 days you get the full price back less any claims paid; after that, a pro rata refund less claims and a $75 fee. If a payment plan is unpaid, the finance or funding company receives the refund. ### Can I transfer an Omega Auto Care contract when I sell my car? Yes, if you are the original purchaser and sell directly to another person: notify the administrator within 30 days and pay $50 ($40 in Florida). Dealer trade-ins are excluded, and the new owner is covered only once Omega confirms the transfer. ### What is the Omega Auto Care deductible? All three samples print $100 per repair visit. Omega’s home page says it will waive it at RepairPal certified shops, but that waiver is not in the agreements, so get it confirmed in writing. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [FTC consumer alert — auto service contracts and extended warranty scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/what-know-about-auto-service-contracts-extended-warranty-scams) - [FTC: a businessperson’s guide to federal warranty law](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [Florida CFO — motor vehicle service agreements, Chapter 634](https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/understanding-insurance/motor-vehicle-service-agreement-overview) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/omega-auto-care-warranty/ --- title: "Mecum Auction: Buyer’s Premium, Bidding, Payment and Pickup" description: "Mecum’s own FAQ, forms and terms, read 16 Oct 2026: a 10% buyer’s premium in person, 12% by phone or online, $1,000 minimum, pay within an hour, sold as-is." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mecum-auction/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Mecum Auction: Buyer’s Premium, Bidding, Payment and Pickup > Mecum’s own FAQ, forms and terms, read 16 Oct 2026: a 10% buyer’s premium in person, 12% by phone or online, $1,000 minimum, pay within an hour, sold as-is. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,958 words* ## The short version - Mecum runs live collector-car and motorcycle auctions open to any registered bidder, in person, by phone or online. No dealer license is needed, but a spectator ticket does not let you bid. - The buyer’s premium is added to the hammer price: 10% in person, 12% by phone or internet, never less than $1,000 a vehicle ($500 a motorcycle). Mecum prints no maximum, and no registration fee amount on any page we read. - Mecum’s FAQ says it does not inspect the cars. Every vehicle sells “as-is, where-is” with no warranty, so your own inspection before the car crosses the block is the only one there is. - Payment is fast. The bidder rule Mecum quotes on its Proof of Funds form says on-site winners pay “within one hour” of the winning bid; phone and internet winners within one day after the auction ends. - Bidders planning to spend over $50,000 must verify funds before registration is approved, through an ACH profile, a bank letter, Mecum Financial Services approval, a $5,000 deposit or a blank check. - Mecum’s website terms send disputes to individual arbitration and apply Wisconsin law. A federal court held in 2014 that a 2011 Mecum bidder registration’s “as is” and non-reliance wording barred a buyer’s fraud claims, and entered judgment for Mecum in 2017. Mecum Auctions, based in Walworth, Wisconsin, describes itself as “a live auction company for collector cars, motorcycles, tractors, Road Art and other collector items.” On 16 October 2026 we read its [FAQ](https://www.mecum.com/faq/), its [Terms of Use](https://www.mecum.com/terms/) (updated 30 January 2023), its bidding, consignment and transport pages, two auctions’ detail pages, nine state sales-tax pages, the two bidder forms its FAQ links, Mecum Financial Services’ terms and two federal court opinions that quote a Mecum bidder registration. We registered for nothing, bid on nothing and have no commercial relationship with Mecum or any company named here. **Figure: What happens at each step of buying at a Mecum auction** A two-column table of eight buyer steps at a Mecum live auction and what Mecum’s own pages and forms say follows: a registration fee that is not printed, funds verification above $50,000, no inspection by Mecum and as-is sales, a 10% in-person or 12% remote buyer’s premium with a $1,000 vehicle minimum, payment within one hour on site or one day remote under bidder rule 21, Bid Goes On bidding for up to 21 days after a no-sale, and an example removal deadline of 6:00 PM on October 26 at Dallas/Fort Worth 2026. Read from Mecum’s FAQ, its Proof of Funds form, its Bid Goes On page and its Dallas/Fort Worth 2026 auction page on 16 October 2026. The bidder agreement inside the registration form was not opened. ## What Mecum is, how its sales run, and who owns it Mecum sells cars the old way: on a stage, in front of a crowd, with an auctioneer calling bids. The FAQ says “Almost all of Mecum’s live auction events are open to the public” with a spectator ticket, a bidder registration or a consigned car. Most collector car and motorcycle sales “last 2 to 4 days,” and some, such as Kissimmee and Indianapolis, “can last 8 to 12 days or more.” Bidding generally starts at 10:00am local time, with lots taken in lot-number order. The Dallas/Fort Worth auction lists 1,500 vehicles at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on October 21-24, 2026; Kissimmee lists 4,500 vehicles at Osceola Heritage Park on January 5-17, 2027. The cars, Mecum says, “come from individual collector car owners, enthusiasts or collection owners,” plus “some dealers and charities.” Mecum also runs Mecum On Time, a separate “TIMED, ONLINE-ONLY BIDDING PLATFORM”; we did not read its terms, and nothing below about fees applies to it. ### Who owns Mecum The Terms of Use say the site “is property of Mecum Auctions Inc.” of Walworth, Wisconsin. Mecum’s transport page says it has been “In the business since 1988,” which by our arithmetic is 38 years, and its consignment page says “more than 35 years.” Its Who We Are page calls the company “Family-run.” A 2017 federal court opinion, discussed below, names Dana and Frank Mecum as “the principals of Mecum Auction” and records the company as “a citizen of Delaware and Wisconsin.” We read no filing or press release recording a sale or an outside investor, so we name no other owner. ### How Mecum differs from the online sites This table copies one line each from the documents our other guides read; it states none of their fees. **What each auction route’s own documents say about its role, from this site’s readings (Mecum, Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids and Hemmings read 16 October 2026; CarMax Auctions read 9 October 2026)** | Route | What its own documents say | Our guide | | --- | --- | --- | | Mecum Auctions | Live auction; “Bidding at Mecum auctions is open to the public, and none of them require a dealer license” | This page | | Bring a Trailer | Online auctions; its terms say it is “NOT AN AUTOMOBILE BROKER, DEALER OR TRADITIONAL AUCTIONEER” | [Bring a Trailer review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/) | | Cars & Bids | Online auctions; at the end, “both the buyer and seller are given each other’s contact information to complete the transaction” | [Cars & Bids review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/) | | Hemmings | Online listings and auctions; its terms say it does not “CALL BIDS AT A LIVE AUCTION” | [Hemmings review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/) | | CarMax Auctions | “This is a DEALER-ONLY auction” | [CarMax auction guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/) | The practical difference: at Mecum you pay Mecum, on the spot or within a day, and Mecum handles the title paperwork. On the online marketplaces above, money and title mostly pass between buyer and seller. Salvage sales such as [IAA](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/) run on their own buyer rules again. ## Registering to bid, the fee Mecum does not print, and verifying funds A ticket gets you in; it does not let you bid. The FAQ is direct: “daily spectator tickets do not include bidding privileges. To bid at an auction, you must register with Mecum Auctions, sign a bidder’s agreement, and pay the registration fees.” You can bid in person, by phone or online, and registration stays open for the whole auction, though Mecum recommends registering early because some registrations need financial checks. **The fee.** No page we read prints the registration price. The FAQ says only that “Bidder registration fees vary by bidding method and package options,” and points to a video for “bid methods and pricing.” The packages and the bidder’s agreement appear inside the registration form, which we did not open because doing so starts a registration; read both there before you pay. An in-person registration includes “one bidder badge and one guest pass” for every auction day, and registrations received two weeks ahead get their credentials by mail. Kissimmee’s page adds that “Gold bidders” park free, so packages differ. **Financial verification over $50,000.** “Bidders intending to spend over $50,000 will be required to provide financial verification,” and it “must be received by Mecum prior to registration approval.” Any one of five options works: - **ACH profile.** Mecum’s form authorizes “Mecum Auction, Inc.” to debit your account up to an amount you set, which is “the maximum amount you will be authorized to bid at the auction.” Debits may come “as soon as a winning bid is placed, and up to 14 days following the auction,” and the form says Mecum “will not contact me to verify transfers.” - **Bank letter of guarantee** on Mecum’s Proof of Funds form, signed by your bank. - **Approval through Mecum Financial Services** (see the payment section). - **A $5,000 deposit**, applied at settlement, with unused funds returned after the auction. Card deposits carry a “3% non-refundable processing fee,” $150 by our arithmetic. - **A blank check** made out to Mecum Auction, Inc., “completed at settlement.” A blank check or an ACH authorization lets Mecum collect whatever you win. Set the ACH ceiling at your true all-in maximum, premium included. ## Inspection before you bid, and what “as-is, where-is” means here The single most important line in Mecum’s FAQ answers the question “Are Mecum auction cars inspected?” with one word: “No.” Mecum, it says, “simply coordinates the auctioning of vehicles on behalf of the sellers,” and “all vehicles are sold as-is, where-is.” A separate answer adds that Mecum “does not offer warranties on any vehicle or item sold at auction.” What Mecum does offer is access. “All vehicles are available to view and visually inspect at the auction prior to the start of bidding.” Remote bidders can ask Mecum staff on site to look at a car and answer questions, and Mecum says bidders “are also welcome to hire professionals to inspect the vehicle or item of interest in advance of placing bids.” Note the verb: view and visually inspect. Nothing we read promises a lift, a test drive or a cold start, and the FAQ says cars are pushed across the block, “Mainly for overall safety and to minimize exhaust fumes.” The 2011 bidder registration quoted by a federal court in 2017 went further. “All lots are sold ‘AS IS, WHERE IS.’” Guarantees of “authenticity, originality, or condition” were “not the guarantee of the Auction Company,” and the information presented at auction was “deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed.” Today’s agreement may be worded differently, but the FAQ’s plain “No” tells you the burden has not moved. For a collector car, a visual check is not enough on its own. Decode the VIN the way older cars need (our [classic car VIN decoder guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/classic-car-vin-decoder/) explains why a modern decoder rejects older numbers and what a trim tag adds), compare the VIN plate, the title and the catalog description, and if you cannot be there, send someone. Our guides to a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) and a [mobile inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/) cover what to ask for; for motorcycles, start with the [motorcycle VIN lookup](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/motorcycle-vin-lookup/). ## Reserve, no reserve, the hammer, and what “sold” binds you to **Reserve.** “A reserve is a minimum sale price put on the vehicle or lot,” typically the lowest price the seller will take, and Mecum keeps it private: “Reserves are not public information.” You will not know where it sits while you bid. **No reserve** is the opposite: such lots “are guaranteed to sell at the highest bid, regardless of price.” **Before the sale.** Mecum allows pre-bidding on most lots, and a bidder “can also set a maximum proxy bid.” Set it at a number you are content to pay plus the premium. **The fall of the gavel.** Mecum’s current pages do not spell out the moment a sale binds, but its 2011 bidder registration did, in its General Bidder Rules: “Purchaser agrees to accept ownership of merchandise/property at the fall of the gavel and he/she willingly assumes all responsibility and liability for said merchandise/property at that time and without exception.” Read literally, the car and its risks are yours from the hammer, before you have paid and before title moves. Insure it from that moment and arrange transport early. **When the reserve is missed.** A car that does not sell on the block is not finished. Through The Bid Goes On, “As long as you’re a currently registered bidder with Mecum, you can place additional bids for up to 21 days after the auction closes.” The team works from a booth beside the block, so a no-sale becomes a negotiation for a buyer who stays registered. ## The buyer’s premium and other buyer costs, as printed Mecum’s FAQ defines the premium as “a dollar amount added to the hammer price of each sold lot, paid for by the bidder/buyer.” It depends on what you buy and how you bid. These are the standing figures printed on 16 October 2026; no promotional offer is included. **Mecum buyer costs as printed in its FAQ and auction pages, read 16 October 2026** | Cost | In person | Telephone | Internet | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Buyer’s premium, collector cars and motorcycles | 10% of the hammer price | 12% | 12% | | Minimum premium | $1,000 per vehicle; $500 per motorcycle; no maximum printed | | | | Buyer’s premium, Road Art lots | 20% | 22% | 22% | | Bidder registration | Not printed; “vary by bidding method and package options” | | | | Card deposit for financial verification | 3% non-refundable processing fee on a $5,000 deposit | | | | Spectator ticket (no bidding) | $30 for one day, $75 for three days, before taxes and fees; free at 12 and under | | | | Parking (Kissimmee 2027 page) | $15 per vehicle per day; free for Gold bidders | | | **What the premium adds.** By our arithmetic, with hammer prices we chose and before any tax, title or transport: - An $8,000 hammer: 10% would be $800, so the $1,000 minimum applies either way: $9,000, or 12.5% on top. - A $25,000 hammer: $2,500 in person ($27,500), $3,000 by phone or online ($28,000). - A $60,000 hammer: $6,000 in person ($66,000), $7,200 remote ($67,200), $1,200 more for staying home. - A $250,000 hammer: $25,000 in person, $30,000 remote, a $5,000 gap, because no maximum is printed. The $1,000 minimum sets the premium on any in-person car hammered below $10,000, and below $8,333.33 for phone and internet bidders. For motorcycles the $500 minimum binds below $5,000 in person and $4,166.67 remote. Above those points, bidding remotely costs 2 percentage points more on every dollar of hammer. Bid with the premium already in your number: a $66,000 all-in ceiling in the room means a last hammer bid of $60,000. Sales tax, below, may be collected at the sale too. **Sellers pay too.** The FAQ prints consignment entry fees of “$350 - $1000” plus a seller’s commission of 6% (no reserve) or 10% (reserve), charged only if the car sells, with entry fees halved for no-reserve cars ($175 to $500 by our arithmetic). Mecum calls this a “commission-based auction model.” For a buyer, that means Mecum earns from both sides of the same sale. ## Paying: the one-hour rule, accepted methods and financing Mecum’s FAQ does not print a payment deadline, but its own Proof of Funds form (revised 5 October 2020) quotes the rule that sets one. Per “the General Bidder Rules, Rule 21”: - **On site:** “If bidding on-site, Bidder will pay for the Lot (including applicable commission, taxes, and fees) within one hour of placing the winning bid.” - **Phone and internet:** “Telephone/Internet Bidders shall make payment within one (1) day following the auction event’s conclusion.” - **No holding back:** “Bidder is prohibited from suspending or deferring payment.” **A stopped check is treated as proof of fraud under Mecum’s own rule.** Rule 21, as the form quotes it, goes on: “Any stop payment order on a purchased Lot, or any payment check drawn upon an account with insufficient funds, shall serve as conclusive, irrefutable proof that Bidder intended to and did commit fraud at the auction.” Combined with ownership passing “at the fall of the gavel” in the 2011 rules, there is no cooling-off period to rely on. Have the money ready before you raise your hand, and do your checks before the car crosses the block, not after. The form calls itself “a constituent part of the General Bidder Rules.” We did not read the current rules in full, so we cannot say whether rule 21 has changed since 2020; the registration form shows the current text. **How to pay.** The FAQ lists “cash, check (personal or company), certified funds or wire transfer,” and adds that “credit/debit cards are only accepted for the payment of Road Art” purchases. A card is fine for a $5,000 verification deposit (with the 3% fee) but not for the car. If you set up an ACH profile, Mecum can collect “the amount due at settlement” directly, up to the ceiling you signed. **Mecum Financial Services.** The FAQ says bidders can apply for financing through Mecum Financial Services “prior to or during the auction,” and that approval satisfies the $50,000 verification rule. Its site describes “a flexible, pre-approved line-of-credit” from “partner lenders.” Its terms, last updated 24 April 2019, say approval is “undertaken by third parties” and “MFS is not engaged in selling vehicles directly,” and put claims under the laws of British Columbia, Canada, within twelve (12) months. Its advertised starting rate is a promotion, so we do not repeat it. Compare any offer with a lender you find yourself; see our guide to [private party auto loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/). ## Sales tax at the sale, state by state Mecum’s state pages open with the same sentence: “All purchases at a Mecum auction are bound by local tax law.” Whether tax is collected on the spot depends on the state, your residence and, in several states, whether you can prove the car is leaving. These are vehicle rules as Mecum’s pages state them on 16 October 2026; Road Art and dealer purchases differ, and your home state may tax the car again or give credit at registration. **Sales tax on vehicles bought at Mecum auctions, as stated on Mecum’s nine how-to-pay pages, read 16 October 2026** | State of the sale | Resident buyer | Out-of-state buyer | Does a bill of lading remove it? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Texas | 6.25% collected only if the seller is a Texas dealer; otherwise paid at registration | None collected | Not needed | | Florida | 6%, plus county tax on the first $5,000 | Home-state rate or 6%, whichever is less | Yes | | Arizona | 5.6% state, 0.7% county, city 2.9% under a $5,000 hammer or 2.2% above | At least the city tax; plus the state and county tax for buyers from reciprocal states | Yes | | California | The buyer’s county and city rate | 9.25% | Yes | | Indiana | 7% | Home-state rate or 7%, whichever is less | No | | Missouri | None collected; paid at registration | None collected | Not needed | | Nevada (cars) | The rate for the county of registration | None collected | Not needed | | Nevada (motorcycles) | The county rate | None if sold on title; collected if sold on a bill of sale | Yes, for bill-of-sale motorcycles shipped out | | Pennsylvania | None collected; paid at registration | None collected | Not needed | Where a bill of lading matters, Mecum’s Florida, Arizona and California pages require it to show the venue as origin, a destination outside the state, the “Shipping company’s MC# or USDOT#” and the car’s VIN, emailed to Mecum’s accounting team. Book Mecum Auto Transport and, on the Florida and Arizona pages, “the tax will be removed automatically and an updated invoice will be issued.” Indiana is the outlier: Mecum says “a Bill of Lading will not remove sales tax” there. Our guide to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/) covers what your home state does next, and [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) shows how to total a deal before you commit. ## Title, paperwork, removal deadlines and getting the car home **Title.** Mecum handles the paperwork itself; its consignment page says it facilitates the sale and paperwork “from initial consignment inquiry to transfer of title.” No current page we read says how long title takes. The 2011 bidder registration did: “Titles on purchased vehicles will be processed in 14 working days contingent upon confirmed payment.” In 2017 the court read that clause narrowly. It held that “nothing in the contract obligates Mecum to transfer title to the purchaser,” only to process it, and recorded a Mecum principal’s testimony that the clause is “a protection for Mecum, not the buyer,” meaning “we do not give you the title until we have confirmed that you have paid for it.” So check the paperwork at the auction office before you leave: whose name the title is in, that its VIN matches the car character for character, and to whom it will be assigned. Our guides to a [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/), [branded titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-branded-title/) and a [car title transfer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/) cover the checks and the steps; a [bill of sale](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/) guide covers what the sale document should show. At Harrisburg, Mecum’s Pennsylvania page says a messenger service on site can issue 60-day in-transit tags; elsewhere, see our [temporary tag](https://baronauto1.com/guides/temporary-tag/) guide. **Removal.** Each auction sets its own deadline on its details page. Dallas/Fort Worth 2026, which ends October 24, says: “All vehicles must be removed by 6:00 PM on Monday, October 26,” two days later by our arithmetic. Road Art there must be gone by noon on October 25, or “will be shipped via the designated shipping company at the buyer’s expense.” No storage or late-removal fee for vehicles is printed on any page we read; ask the auction office before the deadline, not after. **Transport.** Mecum Auto Transport offers to “schedule delivery home right from the auction floor via our enclosed trailers,” and says its drivers “document and photograph each vehicle prior to loading” and track it “with GPS-equipped trailers.” Rates come by quote, which we did not request. Whoever you use, note the car’s condition on the bill of lading at pickup and look the carrier up on federal records; our [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) guide shows how. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the hood, the grille and the windshield, each with one fact from Mecum’s FAQ and its bidder Rule 21 (Proof of Funds form). Mecum’s FAQ and its bidder Rule 21 (Proof of Funds form), read on 16 October 2026: Mecum’s FAQ: it does not inspect auction cars, and all of them sell as-is, where-is (callout 1); Buyer’s premium: 10% in person, 12% by phone or online, at least $1,000 a vehicle (callout 2); Bidder rule 21: on-site winners pay within one hour of the winning bid (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## If something goes wrong: default, disputes and arbitration **If a buyer does not pay.** No Mecum page we read prints a default penalty, a relisting charge or a storage fee for an unpaid car; those terms, if any, sit in the bidder’s agreement inside the registration form. What is printed is rule 21: no “suspending or deferring payment,” and a stopped or bounced check counts as “conclusive, irrefutable proof” of intent to defraud. For bidders over $50,000, three of the five verification options (a deposit, an ACH authorization or a blank check) put the money within Mecum’s reach before the sale, so a buyer who balks has little room to back out. **Disputes about the car.** The 2011 rules quoted by the court added: “Should any dispute arise after the sale, the auctioneer’s records shall be conclusive in all respects.” Mecum’s paperwork wins, so keep your own record: photos of the VIN plate and title, the catalog page and the block sheet you sign. **Disputes with Mecum over the website.** The Terms of Use cover the site and fold in the separate terms for “registering to bid, consignments, online bidding”; where those conflict, “the latter terms shall control.” The Terms themselves provide: - **Arbitration:** disputes “shall be resolved only by final and binding arbitration” under the Federal Arbitration Act, before one arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association “or a similar arbitration service,” in a place both sides agree. - **Costs:** “the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.” - **Individual only:** “class arbitrations and class/representative/collective actions are not permitted.” - **Wisconsin:** the agreement is governed by Wisconsin law, with “exclusive jurisdiction and venue of courts in Wisconsin” for disputes about use of the site. - **Bidder agreements are separate:** the Terms’ entire-agreement clause excludes “any bidder or consignment agreements,” so the agreement you sign to bid can carry its own dispute rules. The Terms also bar “any page scraping, spider, or other automated device” and “artificial intelligence”, and robots.txt repeats the ban, so we read each Mecum page once by hand, requested nothing under the disallowed /search/ path and quote only short passages. ## What a federal case shows about Mecum’s bidder agreement Mecum’s bidder agreement has been tested in court. In *Pardo v. Mecum Auction Inc.*, No. 12 C 08410 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, a buyer sued over a Corvette bought at Mecum’s Bloomington Gold auction in St. Charles, Illinois, on 25 June 2011. We read the court’s order of 29 December 2014 (Dkt. 124) and its [memorandum opinion of 31 March 2017](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_12-cv-08410/pdf/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_12-cv-08410-4.pdf) (Dkt. 178), both public records on govinfo.gov. What they record, stated as the court stated it: - **The sale.** The buyer bid $68,500, “plus an auctioneer’s commission to Mecum of $4,110,” and paid $72,610 in all. By our arithmetic that commission was 6% of the bid; today’s printed in-person premium on the same bid would be $6,850. - **The claim.** The buyer alleged the car was not the 1967 Corvette it was sold as but an earlier car altered to look like one. Mecum disputed that. For its 2017 ruling the court assumed the buyer’s version without deciding it: the facts “are disputed.” - **Who sold it.** In its fact summary the 2017 opinion says the seller was “The Mecum Collection Inc. (undisputedly, an alter ego of Mecum Auction),” and that “Mecum Auction did not disclose that its alter ego was the seller.” It also records that Mecum “admits that it was aware of and did not disclose the car’s replacement engine,” while denying any duty to, because the engine could be inspected before bidding. - **The fraud claims failed.** In 2014 the court dismissed the fraud and misrepresentation claims with prejudice, because in the bidder registration the buyer acknowledged that all lots are purchased “as is” and “entirely upon [the buyer’s] own or his agent’s examination and opinion.” The 2017 opinion describes that as a holding that “the contractual non-reliance clause found in his bidder’s agreement foreclosed his claims.” - **The title claim failed too.** The court found Mecum mailed the processed title 13 days after the sale, to a third party’s business rather than the buyer, and held the 14-working-day clause required only processing. On 31 March 2017 it granted summary judgment: “Judgment is granted in Mecum’s favor and this case is terminated.” Our search surfaced no appeal. This is one case about a 2011 agreement, and today’s may be worded differently. But it shows the agreement working as written: whatever a catalog or a conversation says, a buyer who signs it bids on his own inspection. The same opinion quotes Mecum testimony that its entry process checks “that the serial number matches the title,” but not the car’s history “back indefinitely” or its originality. A matching VIN and title is where your checking starts, not where it ends; our guide on [how to check if a car is stolen](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-if-a-car-is-stolen/) covers re-tagged VIN plates. ### Before you bid at a Mecum auction - **Read the bidder’s agreement on the registration form**, including the fee for your bid method and package, before you pay it. - **Arrange funds first** if you may spend over $50,000: ACH ceiling, bank letter, deposit or financing approval, set at your all-in maximum. - **Inspect the car yourself, or hire someone**, before it crosses the block. Mecum does not inspect it and sells it as-is, where-is. - **Match the VIN plate, the title and the catalog** and photograph all three. - **Bid net of the premium:** 10% in person or 12% remote, at least $1,000 a vehicle, plus any sales tax the state collects at the sale. - **Be ready to pay within one hour** on site, or within one day of the auction’s end if bidding remotely. - **Insure the car from the hammer** and book transport before the auction’s removal deadline. - **Check the title paperwork** at the auction office before you leave. ## Where Mecum’s own documents disagree - **How long Bid Goes On runs.** The FAQ says Mecum works to sell an unsold car “for at least 21 days after the auction”; the Bid Goes On page says buyers can bid “for up to 21 days.” One is a floor, the other a ceiling. - **Ticket refunds.** The FAQ says “All ticket sales are final and are not refundable,” and, in another answer on the same page, that if you register to bid during the event, “the cost of your daily spectator ticket will be refunded.” - **The company’s name.** The Terms say “Mecum Auctions Inc.”; the blank-check payee, the trademark notice and the ACH form say “Mecum Auction, Inc.” Pay exactly the name on your invoice. - **Auctioneer or seller.** The FAQ says Mecum “simply coordinates the auctioning of vehicles on behalf of the sellers”; the 2017 court record shows a Mecum company as the undisclosed seller of the 2011 car. - **Arbitration or court.** The Terms require “final and binding arbitration” and, a few paragraphs later, give Wisconsin courts “exclusive jurisdiction and venue” over site disputes. - **Old headings.** The Dallas/Fort Worth 2026 page is headed “Dallas 2023” and the Kissimmee 2027 page “KISSIMMEE 2024.” Confirm dates, office hours and removal deadlines on site. ## Common questions ### How much is the buyer’s premium at a Mecum auction? For collector cars and motorcycles, 10% of the hammer price in person and 12% by telephone or internet, at least $1,000 per vehicle and $500 per motorcycle. No maximum is printed: on a $250,000 car that is $25,000 in person, by our arithmetic. ### Can anyone bid at Mecum, or do you need a dealer license? Anyone who registers: the FAQ says bidding “is open to the public, and none of them require a dealer license.” A spectator ticket alone does not let you bid, and bidders planning to spend over $50,000 must verify funds first. ### How much does it cost to register to bid at Mecum? No page we read prints the amount. The FAQ says fees “vary by bidding method and package options”; the amounts appear on the registration form. ### Does Mecum inspect cars or give a warranty? No to both, by its own FAQ: Mecum does not inspect auction cars and “does not offer warranties on any vehicle or item sold at auction.” All vehicles sell as-is, where-is. You can view every car before bidding, ask staff to look at one if bidding remotely, or hire an inspector. ### How long do you have to pay after winning at Mecum? Under the bidder rule Mecum quotes on its Proof of Funds form, on-site winners pay “within one hour of placing the winning bid,” including premium, taxes and fees; phone and internet winners pay “within one (1) day” after the auction ends. Cards are accepted only for Road Art. ### Who owns Mecum Auctions? Mecum Auctions Inc. of Walworth, Wisconsin, which calls itself “Family-run” and dates itself to 1988. A 2017 federal court opinion names Dana and Frank Mecum as its principals; we read no record of a sale or outside owner. ## Sources and further reading - [NHTSA VIN decoder](https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/) - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mecum-auction/ --- title: "Summit Racing: Return Policy, Shipping, Emissions Rules and Owner" description: "Summit Racing takes unused parts back for 90 days, charges 15% up to 180 days and ships free from $125. Its terms, warranty, CARB rules and owner." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/summit-racing/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Summit Racing: Return Policy, Shipping, Emissions Rules and Owner > Summit Racing takes unused parts back for 90 days, charges 15% up to 180 days and ships free from $125. Its terms, warranty, CARB rules and owner. *Detailing & Maintenance · 20 min read · 4,442 words* ## The short version - Summit Racing Equipment is the trade name of Autosales, Incorporated, a private Ohio corporation; Summit dates the business to 1968. It sells performance and replacement parts online and from four stores, and owns the Summit Racing, Trick Flow and TFS names. - New, unused parts go back within 90 days for the purchase price. From 90 to 180 days there is a 15% restocking fee, after 180 days no returns, and installed or used parts cannot go back without a warranty issue. - Return shipping is yours: $13.99 comes off the refund on Summit’s label, unless Summit was at fault or the part did not fit as listed. Ground shipping is free from $125.00 to the 48 contiguous states. - Warranties are the maker’s. Summit says racing parts are covered for manufacturing defects only, and its paid Protection Plan starts 31 days after purchase and is not sold in California or Florida. - In California, Summit refuses emissions-related parts without a CARB Executive Order unless the car is 1965 or older or race-only. It settled with CARB for $599,040 in 2014 and agreed to a $600,000 EPA penalty in 2022. - The Terms require individual arbitration and give you one year to bring a claim. Summit’s own pages disagree in 10 places. Summit Racing Equipment sells performance, racing and replacement auto parts online, by phone and from four stores, and is owned by Autosales, Incorporated of Tallmadge, Ohio. On 16 October 2026 we read its Terms of Use, Trademarks page, corporate history, Beat-A-Price and Protection Plan pages and 25 Help Center articles on returns, shipping, warranties and California emissions rules, plus the California Air Resources Board’s 2014 settlement with Autosales and the EPA’s 2022 consent agreement. Summit’s Terms allow links only to its homepage, so we name its documents rather than link them. This site has no commercial relationship with Summit Racing or any parts seller. **Figure: What happens when you send a Summit Racing part back** A two-column table of eight return situations from Summit Racing's own Help Center: a new, unused part within 90 days earns the purchase price back less a $13.99 label fee; a part that does not fit as listed goes back with return shipping covered; from 90 to 180 days a 15% restocking fee applies; after 180 days (6 months) there are no returns without a valid warranty issue; installed or used parts that work cannot be returned; defective parts under a maker's warranty return online within 6 months, with racing parts covered for defects only; mounted wheels and tires, opened software, hazardous and custom items cannot be returned; and Scratch and Dent or Outlet Center items are sold as-is. Read from Summit Racing's Return Policy, restocking-fee, return-shipping, Guaranteed Fitment, start-a-return, warranty, ticket and Outlet Center articles on 16 October 2026. ## What Summit Racing sells, the brands it owns and who owns it Summit’s history says it was “founded as a part-time parts business in Stow, Ohio” in 1968 and grew “from a little 1,500 square foot building to today’s four huge facilities with millions of parts in stock”: Tallmadge, Ohio (headquarters since 1992), Sparks, Nevada (1998), McDonough, Georgia (2006) and Arlington, Texas (2017). The Help Center lists a retail store in each, plus an Outlet Center in the Arlington building that sells scratch-and-dent stock in person only. The range reached “over 1,600 manufacturers” in 2017, and “OEM replacement parts” were added in 2011, so the catalog runs from racing hardware to ordinary replacement parts. **The brands it owns.** The Trademarks page lists 30 marks as “trademarks of Autosales, Incorporated,” by our count: Summit, Summit Racing and Summit Racing Equipment, the SPEED CARD, Summit Bucks and Protection Plan names, and Trick Flow, Trick Flow Specialties and TFS with product names such as PowerPort and Twisted Wedge. The history adds that “The Summit Racing-branded product line” grew in 2010 to “paint, carburetors, intake manifolds, ignition systems, and Pro Packs,” and that a Pro LS line for GM LS engines arrived in 2019. Everything else belongs to other makers: “Except for those brands listed above, Autosales, Incorporated (d/b/a Summit Racing Equipment) is not affiliated with, connected to, or endorsed by any Manufacturer or Supplier.” **Who owns Summit Racing.** Autosales, Incorporated. The Terms are “entered into by and between You and Autosales, Incorporated,” the footer reads “Copyright 2026 by AUTOSALES, INCORPORATED” then “dba Summit Racing Equipment,” and CARB’s 2014 agreement says “AUTOSALES is an Ohio corporation doing business in interstate commerce.” No page we read names its shareholders; the history credits “a young engineer” without naming him, and the Help Center article tagged “Owner” names the chief executive, not an owner. It is private: EDGAR has no entity for “autosales” or “summit racing.” ## Summit Racing’s return policy, as printed The Return Policy opens with the Handshake Guarantee: “If you’re not satisfied with our products or our service, we’ll refund your money. Just return any new or unused part within 90 days and we’ll refund the purchase price.” Five kinds of item “cannot be returned, unless there is a Valid Warranty Issue”: a part showing “evidence of being used, installed, handled, packaged, or shipped improperly”; “Custom-ordered or personalized products”; “Hazardous materials (i.e. batteries, paint, etc.)”; opened videos and software; and “Wheels and/or tires, after they have been mounted.” There is no rule for electrical parts and no “special order” category. Scratch-and-dent and Outlet Center items are “sold as-is and cannot be returned,” and any “free parts” must come back “or the value may be deducted from your refund.” **What Summit Racing’s return articles say happens to a part you send back (read 16 October 2026)** | Situation | What Summit prints | | --- | --- | | New or unused, within 90 days | Purchase price refunded; “Shipping and handling fees are non-refundable” | | Doesn’t fit as listed | “We’ll cover the return shipping”; no restocking fee within 90 days | | New or unused, 90 to 180 days | Restocking fee of “15% of the purchase price” | | More than 180 days | “No returns accepted,” unless a valid warranty issue | | Shows evidence of use | “cannot be returned” in one list; a restocking fee in the notes below it | | Most cores; defective parts under a maker’s warranty | Returnable “for up to 6 months” | **Fees.** The restocking table sets 15% for 90 to 180 days, and Summit may “adjust the fee amount based on the condition of the product and its packaging.” Return shipping: “if you use our return shipping label or QR code, a $13.99 return shipping fee plus any applicable oversize charges will be deducted from your refund,” waived if Summit “caused the return.” If the wrong part arrives “after verifying your year/make/model,” choose “Doesn’t Fit As Listed” and “We’ll cover the return shipping.” By our arithmetic, a hypothetical $200 part returned unused on day 100 loses $30 to the restocking fee and $13.99 to the label, leaving $156.01; inside 90 days it would bring back $186.01. **How.** “We are no longer accepting returns without either completing the online process or contacting us first.” The online process, open to guest and phone orders, produces “a UPS return shipping label”; seven item types cannot use it, including hazardous materials, oversize items and truck freight. Stores take returns “even if you bought it online or over the phone,” but not curbside. Over-box the item, because a damaged maker’s box can make it “non-resalable and therefore non-returnable.” Refunds take “7-10 days” in most cases, in business days from arrival, and core and warranty returns “10 days or more.” **Installed means it is yours.** Summit’s article on traffic tickets says: “We will not accept a return for any part that has been installed and/or used.” Check fit, legality and any E.O. number with the part on the bench, keep the box undamaged, and only then fit it. ## Shipping, the $125 threshold, truck freight and free mounting **Summit Racing’s standing shipping terms inside the 48 contiguous states (read 16 October 2026)** | Option | Cost as printed | Time as printed | | --- | --- | --- | | Standard ground, subtotal $0.01 to $124.99 | $13.99 | 1-5 business days in most areas | | Standard ground, subtotal $125.00 and up | Free | 1-5 business days in most areas | | 2nd Day Air / Next Day Air | Provided at checkout | 2 / 1 business days, guaranteed | | Truck freight | By size, weight and destination | Varies; the carrier schedules delivery | This is a standing table, not a promotion, and “Domestic” means “any delivery address in the 48 contiguous United States.” A second article calls the same $13.99 a “handling fee” that is “non-refundable,” excludes Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, territories and other countries, and says “Taxes, expedited shipping, and other fees are not included as part of the order subtotal.” Truck freight is for items “too big and/or heavy for the parcel carriers”; delivery to your door rather than a terminal costs extra, and two freight items “may be shipped from different sites, resulting in separate shipping charges.” **Risk in transit.** The Terms call every purchase “a shipment contract,” so “the risk of loss and title” pass to you “upon delivery to the carrier.” Summit still runs a claims process for missing or damaged parts that promises “we will do what it takes to make it right,” opened from your order page once the order “has shipped completely”; “Pictures are very helpful.” **Free mounting.** Summit “will mount and balance your new wheels and tires for FREE!” when both come from it, delivered in the 50 states, but it is “Not available for online orders”: you call or visit a store. Sizes run to 26-inch wheels and 37-inch by 21-inch tires, and a mounted set “may not be returned, unless there is a valid warranty issue.” ## Beat-A-Price: Summit’s price-match terms The Help Center version: “Upon verification, we’ll BEAT any domestic competitor’s final price on an identical in-stock product by one dollar.” The part “must be in-stock at the advertised location,” you need proof, and “Final price includes the price of the item plus all shipping, handling, or any other fees.” It lists 11 exclusions, among them closeouts, open-box, clearance, auction listings, used goods from second-hand sellers, “Wholesale, membership, or club pricing” and “Extended warranties or protection plans,” and Summit may “refuse to Beat-a-Price for any reason.” The store’s own Beat-A-Price page says only “We’ll BEAT a domestic competitor’s final price,” with no amount and 10 exclusions, and notes a promotion can sometimes give a better price. It also claims “the lowest prices anywhere”; we compare no prices. ## Warranty: the maker’s, Summit’s limits and the paid Protection Plan For most parts the warranty comes from the brand, not Summit: “Most parts we sell carry a manufacturers warranty. The warranty paperwork will be included with your order.” Defective parts under a maker’s warranty can go back through Summit’s online process “for up to 6 months”; no article we read says what Summit does after that, so the maker’s warranty sheet is the document to keep. Summit’s own notes narrow things: - A part that, “in our opinion, was used, installed, handled, packaged, or shipped improperly” is not eligible “for exchange, refund, or warranty.” - “Parts used for racing or competition are warranted against manufacturing defects only. They are not warranted for wear or breakage under any circumstance.” - The Liability Statement limits Autosales to “full refund of the purchase price, or at our option, repair or replacement of the part(s),” with no “consequential or incidental damages,” while noting some states do not allow that exclusion. **The Protection Plan.** Offered since 2024, it is “additional coverage that you can purchase in one-, two-, or three-year terms,” covering “mechanical and electrical failures,” and it is “primary” where it overlaps the maker’s warranty. The store page names the provider as “Federal Warranty Service Corporation in all states except in Oklahoma, where the provider is Assurant Service Protection, Inc.” Coverage “starts 31 days after your purchase or ship date, whichever one is later.” Six failure types are excluded, starting with “Commercial Use and Racing Applications”; claims of “$499 and under” are paid as a gift card and claims of “$500 and over” may be replaced. It must be bought with the item, cancels for a full refund within 30 days, and “is not available in CA, FL, US Territories (including APO/FPO addresses), or outside of the United States.” We did not read the plan’s own terms, which decide claims. ## California, CARB Executive Orders and emissions parts Summit’s emissions policy is written for one state: “CARB restricts the sale of certain parts to California residents. The CARB laws apply to any part that affects the vehicle emissions.” Summit says it is “required to refuse the sale” unless one condition is met: - “The part has been granted an Executive Order (E.O.) from CARB.” - “The part is used on a 1965 or older vehicle.” - “The part is only used on a closed-course competition vehicle. (One that is not registered for use on public roads.)” “The CARB laws apply, whether your vehicle requires an emissions test or not.” Approved parts list their E.O. number on the part page, the store’s search can be filtered to “show ONLY CARB-approved parts,” and Summit tells buyers to “read the E.O. to confirm that it applies to your specific year/make/model.” We found no rule for any other state in the Help Center, and no policy page using the phrase “not legal for sale or use on pollution controlled vehicles”; we did not open product pages, where a per-part statement may appear. Our [catalytic converter cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost/#aftermarket) explains the trap for states that follow California’s rules. **What CARB says.** On its [aftermarket parts page](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/aftermarket-performance-and-add-parts), an exemption “is called an Executive Order (EO) and allows the modification to be installed on specific emission controlled vehicles,” and “Every Executive Order part or modification has an assigned number that can be verified by Smog Check stations, BAR Referee stations, or by CARB.” On race cars: “California bars racing vehicles from DMV registration and from operation on a California highway,” and “It is illegal to sell a performance after-market part for a certified vehicle or modify a vehicle’s emission system with a performance after-market part unless the vehicle will only be used for racing and never driven on a public highway.” A car with plates is not a closed-course competition vehicle. Nationally, [42 U.S.C. 7522(a)(3)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title42/html/USCODE-2024-title42-chap85-subchapII-partA-sec7522.htm) prohibits “for any person knowingly to remove or render inoperative” an emissions device after sale, or to sell or install a part whose “principal effect” is to “bypass, defeat, or render inoperative” one. **Tickets are the owner’s problem.** “We will not reimburse you for any fines or penalties due to modifications you made to your vehicle,” Summit says, because “It is your responsibility to ensure your vehicle and any modifications made to it are in compliance with any local laws and/or regulations.” A buyer who inherits someone else’s parts inherits that responsibility. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the air cleaner, the carburettor and a valve cover, each with one fact from Summit Racing’s help center and CARB’s aftermarket-parts pages. Summit Racing’s help center and CARB’s aftermarket-parts pages, read on 16 October 2026: California: no CARB E.O., no sale, unless the car is 1965 or older or race-only (callout 1); CARB says Smog Check stations can verify an E.O. number; ask the seller which one (callout 2); Installed parts can't go back; unused ones get 90 days, then a 15% restocking fee (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What CARB and the EPA settled with Summit Racing Two regulators have settled emissions-parts cases with Autosales. Both were resolved by agreement, without a trial or hearing, and they record what was admitted differently. **Regulator records naming Autosales, Incorporated, as read on 16 October 2026** | Record | What it says | Resolution | | --- | --- | --- | | CARB settlement agreement, signed 18 and 24 July 2014 | “ARB alleges” Autosales sold, offered or advertised non-exempted aftermarket performance parts and catalytic converters in California between January 2013 and November 2013 | $599,040: a $449,280 penalty and $149,760 to a school bus and diesel emissions project; facts admitted, liability denied | | EPA Region 9 Consent Agreement and Final Order, CAA-09-2022-0042, stamped 10 August 2022 | EPA alleges 2,390 violations: “exhaust emission control delete hardware parts” for diesel trucks sold or offered between January 1, 2018 and October 2, 2019 | $600,000 civil penalty; allegations neither admitted nor denied | **CARB, 2014.** The [settlement agreement](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/autosales_sa.pdf), posted on [CARB’s case page](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/autosales-inc-settlement), says “AUTOSALES admits the facts in recital paragraphs 1 through 14, but denies any liability arising thereunder and makes no admission of liability whatsoever.” It records that Autosales “promptly and fully cooperated,” had “no prior enforcement record with ARB,” and was “implementing a compliance plan” so vendors and customers would know which parts are lawful. The penalty was “$360 per unit for 1,664 units,” against a $500 maximum, for “an unintentional, first time violation.” By our arithmetic $360 times 1,664 is exactly the $599,040 total, so the per-unit figure covers both payments: $270 to the penalty and $90 to the project. **EPA, 2022.** According to the [consent agreement and final order](https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-08/autosalesincdbasummitracingequipment.pdf), after an information request on October 2, 2019, Autosales’s answers showed it “sold and/or offered for sale at least two thousand, three hundred ninety (2,390) parts or components,” which EPA calls delete hardware “(sometimes referred to as ‘straight’ or ‘delete’ pipes) for diesel trucks,” for vehicles including General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler diesel trucks. Autosales “neither admits nor denies the specific factual allegations,” agreed to “a civil penalty in the amount of six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000),” and certified that it is “complying fully” with section 203(a)(3) of the Clean Air Act. By our arithmetic that is about $251 a part, against the $5,179 per-violation ceiling the order cites. The order “resolves only Respondent’s liability for federal civil penalties.” We read no FTC, attorney-general or court record naming Autosales or Summit Racing, which does not prove none exists. The Better Business Bureau’s site answered with a security block we did not get around, so we cite no BBB rating. ## Buying a used car built with these parts: what is street-legal A modified car may be full of parts like the ones Summit sells, and the seller may not know which carry an Executive Order. The VIN will not tell you: it decodes the car the factory built, as our pages on [parts by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/parts-by-vin/#no-part-numbers) and [buying a modified car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#history) explain. The paper trail has to come from the seller: 1. **Get the invoices with part numbers.** Summit says approved parts “will list the applicable E.O. number” on the part page; a list of brand names is not enough to check anything. 2. **Match each emissions-related part to an E.O. that names the car.** Intakes, headers, exhausts, catalytic converters and tuners are the usual ones. An E.O. for another engine or model year does not cover this car. 3. **In California, have the number verified** by a Smog Check or BAR Referee station or CARB, before you pay rather than at the first smog test. CARB’s site also has a parts lookup. 4. **Treat race-only parts on a registered car as a problem.** Summit sells them to Californians only for a car “not registered for use on public roads.” 5. **On a diesel truck, look for the factory hardware.** EPA’s order names the devices delete pipes defeat, including “diesel particulate filters,” “exhaust gas recirculation” and “selective catalytic reduction.” A straight pipe where the filter should be is the part the $600,000 case was about. 6. **Read the emissions test history;** a car that passed for years and then stopped may be telling you when it was modified. See [smog check history](https://baronauto1.com/guides/smog-check-history/#tampering) and [emissions checks by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/emissions-check-by-vin/#california). 7. **Price the insurance with the full parts list** (our [modified car guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#insurance) explains why), and book a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) with a shop that knows modified cars. In California, Summit’s “1965 or older” exception means it will sell emissions-related parts for a classic that it would refuse for a newer car. No exception helps a track build that is now registered for the road. If a part must come off, Summit will not take it back once “installed and/or used,” and putting legal parts back is the new owner’s cost, since federal law bars knowingly removing emissions equipment after sale. Our checklist for [inspecting a modified car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#inspect) covers the mechanical side. ## What aftermarket parts can do to a car’s warranty A used car still under its factory or emissions warranty does not lose that cover just because it carries Summit parts. Under [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2302.htm), “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name.” The limit is damage. The Federal Trade Commission’s guide, as this site read it on 8 October 2026: “if someone installs a defective aftermarket or recycled part, or doesn’t install a part correctly, it could damage a part that the warranty covers. If that happens, the manufacturer or dealer can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part and charge you for repairs.” The maker or dealer “must prove the aftermarket or recycled part caused the damage.” Wheels touch little; a tune, turbocharger or camshaft touches the engine and emissions system the warranty covers. Ask for the installer’s invoice and tuning records, and check what cover is left with our [warranty check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-warranty-check/#emissions) and [used-car warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/does-a-used-car-come-with-a-warranty/#factory). A service contract is different: the FTC says it “is not a warranty as defined by federal law, because you buy it separately,” so its own exclusions decide whether a modified car is covered (see [is an extended warranty worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty)). The parts carry their makers’ warranties, which often belong to the first buyer: most accessory warranties we read for our [RealTruck review](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/realtruck-review/#used-truck) did not pass to the next owner. Treat inherited parts as uncovered unless the seller hands over a warranty sheet that says otherwise. ## The Terms of Use, and where Summit’s documents disagree The Terms were “Last Updated on: April 30, 2026,” and changes take effect “immediately when we post them.” For a buyer, the dispute terms matter most: - **Arbitration.** Any dispute about the site “or to any other aspect of your relationship with us will be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court,” before the American Arbitration Association under its consumer procedures, in Summit County, Ohio. Summit may still go to court over its intellectual property. We found no opt-out procedure. - **No jury, no class.** Both sides waive “A JUDGE OR JURY TRIAL,” and claims proceed “ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT ON A CLASS BASIS.” If the class waiver fails, “neither You nor us is entitled to arbitration.” - **One year.** Any claim “MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES.” - **Ohio.** Ohio law governs, and anything not arbitrated goes to courts “located in the County of Summit.” - **What you post.** Reviews, photos and questions you submit “become the property of Autosales, Incorporated,” says the Trademarks page. Summit’s pages disagree with each other in 10 places: - **Used parts:** “cannot be returned” in the restrictions; a restocking fee in the notes and the restocking article. - **The cut-off:** “over 180 days” in the table, “past 6 months” in its note. - **The $13.99:** a “Shipping & Handling Fee” in one article, a “handling fee” in another. - **Beat-A-Price:** “by one dollar” and 11 exclusions in the Help Center; no amount and 10 exclusions on the store page. - **Arbitration or court:** the Trademarks page sends disputes “REGARDING THIS WEB SITE” to the courts in Summit County or the Northern District of Ohio. - **Terms of Sale:** part of “the sole and entire agreement,” but linked nowhere we looked. - **Fit:** parts “promised to fit your car just right,” yet “We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of this information.” - **Where to return:** online process or contact first, yet stores say “Just bring your item(s)” in. - **Shipping damage:** your risk “upon delivery to the carrier,” yet Summit will “do what it takes to make it right.” - **Plan claims:** gift card for “$499 and under,” replacement possible for “$500 and over,” nothing for a claim in between. Where they conflict, plan around the stricter wording and get Summit’s answer in writing. ## Before you order, and before you buy a car built with these parts - **Check the subtotal against $125.00;** below it the $13.99 is not refunded. - **In California, find the E.O. number** and read it for your year, make and model. - **Photograph the carton** before opening, and claim damage from your order page. - **Check the part on the bench;** installed or used parts cannot go back. - **Return inside 90 days,** over-boxed, to avoid the 15% fee; nothing goes back after 180 days without a warranty issue. - **Pick “Doesn’t Fit As Listed”** when that is the reason, so Summit pays the return shipping. - **Keep the maker’s warranty sheet and invoice;** racing parts are covered for defects only. - **Buying a modified car:** get invoices with part numbers and have each E.O. verified before paying; on a diesel, confirm the filter, EGR and SCR hardware are fitted. - **Raise any dispute fast:** one year, individual arbitration. ## Common questions ### Who owns Summit Racing? Autosales, Incorporated, a privately held Ohio corporation in Tallmadge, Ohio, which does business as Summit Racing Equipment and is the party to its Terms of Use. It files nothing with the SEC, and no page we read names its shareholders. Its history dates the business to 1968 in Stow, Ohio. ### What is Summit Racing’s return policy? New or unused parts can be returned within 90 days for the purchase price, less $13.99 if you use Summit’s label. Installed or used parts, custom items, hazardous materials, opened software and mounted wheels or tires cannot be returned without a warranty issue, and Outlet Center items are sold as-is. ### Does Summit Racing charge a restocking fee? Yes: 15% of the purchase price on returns 90 to 180 days after purchase or on parts showing wear or use, adjustable for condition. After 180 days it accepts no returns without a valid warranty issue. A new or unused part that does not fit as listed carries no restocking fee within 90 days. ### Does Summit Racing have free shipping? Standard ground is free on subtotals of $125.00 and up to the 48 contiguous states, and $13.99 below, usually in 1-5 business days. Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other countries fall outside that table, and truck freight is priced separately. ### Does Summit Racing price match? Its Beat-A-Price Guarantee beats a domestic competitor’s verified final price, shipping and fees included, on an identical in-stock product, by one dollar according to the Help Center. Closeouts, clearance, open-box, used, auction and club prices are excluded, and Summit may refuse any request. ### Is Summit Racing legit? By its own account it has sold parts since 1968 and runs four stores, and it publishes its return, shipping, warranty and emissions policies. It has also settled two emissions cases, with CARB in 2014 and EPA in 2022. Its pages disagree in places, so rely on the specific terms above. We cite no BBB rating because its site blocked us. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/summit-racing/ --- title: "Brake Check (Now Brake and Tire Check): Lifetime Pads, Owner" description: "Brake Check is now Brake and Tire Check. Its lifetime warranty covers Opteve pads while you own the car, but you pay labor per axle. Terms, prices, owner." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-check/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Brake Check (Now Brake and Tire Check): Lifetime Pads, Owner > Brake Check is now Brake and Tire Check. Its lifetime warranty covers Opteve pads while you own the car, but you pay labor per axle. Terms, prices, owner. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,818 words* ## The short version - Brake Check now calls itself Brake and Tire Check. Its About page says it “Rebranded to Brake and Tire Check” in 2025-26 after adding tires in 2023, under “Same ownership,” and brakecheck.com now forwards to the new site. - Its Terms of Use name the owner as Peveto Companies, Ltd., and a Texas state record lists that company as owner of one of its shops. Its own store list shows 58 open stores, all in Texas. - The Lifetime Brakes Warranty covers Opteve brand pads or shoes “for as long as you own your vehicle,” but you pay “a labor charge per axle” each time. Commercial vehicles, 1-ton trucks and high-performance vehicles are excluded. - Other new parts get 90 days or 4,000 miles, whichever comes first, in full only if you had all the recommended work done; otherwise you pay the labor on a warranty replacement. - The brake inspection is free and takes about 30 minutes. Printed standing prices: pads from $79.88 for cars and $99.88 for trucks or SUVs, labor at $120 an hour. It installs only parts it sells. - Financing is a Synchrony Car Care card with deferred interest (34.99% purchase APR for new accounts as of 7/31/25) or Synchrony Pay Later. No page lists a Texas state inspection. If you searched for Brake Check, the Texas chain has a new name, Brake and Tire Check, and every page still says “Formerly Brake Check.” Its brake pad warranty is a lifetime one with conditions: it covers its own Opteve pads, it charges labor for each replacement, and it excludes some vehicles. On 16 October 2026 we read the [brake warranty page](https://brakeandtirecheck.com/brakes/brake-warranty/), the brakes, financing, parts policy, tire, alignment, oil change, About and contact pages, four store pages, its Terms of Use and privacy policy, three Texas state building records and the TxDMV registration page. This site has no commercial relationship with Brake and Tire Check or any repair chain. If you meant checking your own brakes, see our guides to [worn brake pad symptoms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-pads/) and [brake pad replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/). **Figure: What Brake and Tire Check's pages say, by situation** Nine situations a Brake and Tire Check (formerly Brake Check) customer meets, each matched to the wording of its brake warranty, brakes, parts, financing and store pages, plus TxDMV's inspection rule. Read from brakeandtirecheck.com (brake warranty, brakes, Parts & Installation Policy, financing and store pages) on 16 October 2026; Texas rule from TxDMV, re-checked the same day. ## Who owns Brake Check, and why it became Brake and Tire Check The About page says founder John Peveto Jr. “got his start in the restaurant business,” and “In 1968, he took over a struggling brake shop in San Antonio,” offering “free inspections (long before it was common).” That was 58 years ago by our arithmetic. Its timeline runs from the 1970s, when it “Acquired and rebranded multiple locations under the name Brake Check,” through expansion into Austin, Corpus Christi and Houston, oil changes in 2007, its own Opteve parts line in the 2010s and digital inspections in 2020, to “2023: Added tires as a core service” and “2025-26: Rebranded to Brake and Tire Check.” Asked “Why the Name Change?”, the page answers with tires: it has always done alignments, and “Now, we can also help you choose and replace them.” It adds “Same ownership. Same commitment to doing it right.” On 16 October 2026 brakecheck.com answered with a permanent redirect to brakeandtirecheck.com, while the www version of the old address showed an expired security certificate, so type the new address if your browser warns you. **The owner on paper.** The Terms of Use govern sites “owned and/or operated by Peveto Companies, Ltd. and Brake and Tire Check,” and every footer reads “© 2026 Peveto Companies Ltd.” A public record agrees. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation’s accessibility register holds project TABS2024001944, registered 9/28/2023, for “Brake Check Palm Valley” in Round Rock, a building with 6 service bays, owner “Peveto Companies, LTD”; that shop is on the company’s store list. The About page calls the business “Family-owned and Texas-operated” and “a store-director-led organization.” No page mentions franchising; we did not open the state’s entity filings, which sit behind search forms. Two more state records show growth under the old name: a Culebra Rd shop in San Antonio, registered 12/23/2024 with a completion date of 3/2/2026, whose store page still read “Opening Summer of 2026” in October, and “Marbach Brake Check” on W Loop 1604 S, registered 6/30/2025 for completion on 12/29/2026 and not yet on the company’s site. **Brake and Tire Check store counts by source (read 16 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 55+ | “55+ stores statewide, all family-owned and operated” | AutoFAIRency page | | over 58 | “over 58 locations across Central and South Texas” | Road hazard warranty page | | over 60 | “over 60 shops across Texas” | Blog post published in May 2026 | | 60 store pages | All in Texas; 2 read “Opening Summer of 2026” | HTML sitemap (our count) | | 58 stores in 29 cities | San Antonio 11, Houston 8, Austin 6, the rest one to three each | Contact form store list (our count) | Take the 2 unopened stores off the sitemap’s 60 and 58 remain, matching the contact list. The stores cluster around San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Corpus Christi, with none in Dallas-Fort Worth, and the footer says they open 7 days a week: 7:30am to 6:00pm Monday to Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm Sunday. Outside Texas there is no store to honor a warranty. ## The free brake inspection, as Brake and Tire Check describes it The free inspection is a standing offer: the home page promises “Always free inspections.” The brakes page says “Start with a Free Brake Inspection (about 30 minutes),” in which “A certified technician documents the system front to back, then provides a digital, itemized report so the next steps are clear.” Its list of what gets checked has 8 items: pads and shoes (thickness, wear pattern); rotors and drums (runout, scoring, minimum thickness); hardware; calipers (slides, piston operation, leaks); brake fluid (condition, moisture); lines and hoses; master cylinder and power booster; and ABS/ESC warning lights with basic diagnostics. Store pages promise “a transparent, digital estimate before commencing any work.” Under its Open Shop Policy you may “Step into the bay and see what the techs see,” and the AutoFAIRency page grades findings with photos and videos: “Red = urgent, yellow = keep an eye on it, green = you’re good to go.” Expect the report to raise rotors. The brakes page says “With every pad install, you should replace or resurface your rotors,” and its FAQ adds “We typically recommend replacing rotors as part of a complete brake repair,” though it will measure them and say whether they are “within manufacturer specifications and safe to resurface.” Ask for the measured thickness against the minimum; our guides to [when rotors go with the pads](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) and [bad rotor symptoms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-rotor/) explain those numbers. The FAQ’s warning signs are the usual ones, “Squeaking or grinding, steering wheel shake while braking, longer stops, a soft pedal, or warning lights”; our pages on [checking pad wear](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-brake-pads-last/#inspect) and [sticking calipers](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-caliper/) help you read a red or yellow item. ## The Lifetime Brakes Warranty, word for word The warranty page says its terms are meant to be “as up front and easy to understand as possible.” The lifetime promise is one paragraph, and each clause matters: - **Which parts.** “Our OPTEVE brand lifetime pad warranty means that once you pay for a set of Opteve brake pads or shoes, you never pay for Opteve pads again”. Shoes count, so drum brakes are included, but the promise is tied to the Opteve brand. - **How long.** “for as long as you own your vehicle.” The life is your ownership of that car. - **What you still pay.** “You only pay a labor charge per axle for as long as you own that vehicle.” Pads are free each time; labor is not. - **Hardware.** Opteve hardware or spring kits are covered “(for Free, no labor charge).” - **Who is out.** “Our Lifetime Brakes Warranty excludes Commerical vehicles, Heavy-Duty Trucks (1-ton), and High-Performance vehicles.” High-performance is not defined. The brakes page puts it more broadly: “All our brake pads come with a Lifetime Warranty,” and “Every set also comes with our Lifetime Brake Pad Warranty. No upgrade required.” It names no brand and no exclusions. The two agree only if every pad it fits is an Opteve pad, which no page says. Ask the store to write on the repair order that your pads are Opteve and your vehicle is not excluded. **Find out what “a labor charge per axle” costs before you need it.** No page prints it. The brakes FAQ gives a labor rate of $120 per hour on all mechanical services, but not how long a pad job takes, and a store page calls it “a small labor fee.” Ask for the per-axle figure in writing when you buy the pads, and keep the repair order for as long as you own the car. **Brake and Tire Check brake warranties, from its brake warranty page (read 16 October 2026)** | Warranty | Covers | How long | What you pay | Excluded | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lifetime Brakes Warranty | Opteve brake pads or shoes | “for as long as you own your vehicle” | “a labor charge per axle” | Commercial vehicles, 1-ton heavy-duty trucks, high-performance vehicles | | Same, hardware | Opteve hardware or spring kits | Same | “for Free, no labor charge” | Same | | Limited warranty | Any new, remanufactured or rebuilt part installed | 4,000 miles or 90 days after installation, whichever comes first | Nothing if all recommended work was done; otherwise the labor | High-performance brake parts, rack and pinions, ABS electronics | | Manufacturer’s warranty | Non-stocking parts and the excluded parts | The manufacturer’s terms | Not stated | Not stated | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the caliper, the rotor face and the brake line, each with one fact from Brake and Tire Check’s warranty and brakes pages. Brake and Tire Check’s warranty and brakes pages, read on 16 October 2026: Pads: Opteve lifetime warranty while you own the car; labor charged per axle (callout 1); Rotors and other new parts: 90 days or 4,000 miles, whichever comes first (callout 2); Free check, about 30 minutes: calipers, lines, hoses, fluid and ABS lights (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The 90-day or 4,000-mile warranty, and the conditions on every warranty The rest of a brake job, from rotors to calipers and hoses, falls under the second paragraph: “Any new, remanufactured or rebuilt part installed by Brake and Tire Check is covered by our limited warranty, for the first 4,000 miles or 90 days after installation (whichever comes first).” By our arithmetic, a car driven more than 44.4 miles a day reaches 4,000 miles before the 90 days are up. The key condition is in the same sentence: that cover applies “when all recommended work is completed at the time of sale.” If you decline part of what was recommended, the company “will cover the replacement of all Brake and Tire Check stocking parts as long as (labor) cost is paid.” Say no to a recommended item, and a later claim on what you did buy comes with a labor bill. Know that before you leave a yellow item for later. Non-stocking parts fall to the manufacturer’s warranty, as do high-performance brake parts, rack and pinions, and ABS electronics. Under the heading “Need to use Brake and Tire Check,” conditions follow that apply to all its warranties: - **Nobody else may touch the work.** “All warranties are void if repairs are made on Brake and Tire Check warranted parts or labor by anyone other than an authorized Brake and Tire Check center.” A roadside fix on a trip could end your lifetime cover. - **Pay in full first.** “Payment by customer of all monies for work performed” comes before any warranty is honored. - **Watch it yourself.** It is “the customer’s responsibility to inspect and become accustomed to any new system and to constantly monitor such and report any dissatisfaction to any Brake and Tire Check center.” Report a noise or pull early, and note when you did. - **What a claim can pay.** The “exclusive and sole remedy” is repair or replacement of defective parts “returned to an authorized Brake and Tire Check center at the customer’s expense”; liability may not “exceed the charges previously paid,” and “incidental, indirect, special, or consequential damages” are excluded. - **No implied warranties.** “Any and all implied warranties are expressly disclaimed,” including work done “in a good and workmanlike manner.” See the [warranty law section](#warranty-law) on whether that works. **Where, and for whom.** The 90-day warranty is honored “at any Brake and Tire Check center.” The lifetime paragraph names no place, but the conditions require an authorized center, so in practice one of the 58 Texas stores; the brake warranty offers no reimbursement for work elsewhere. It has no transfer clause either, and since its lifetime is your ownership, a buyer of your car should not expect it to carry over. There is no claim procedure beyond reporting the problem to a center, and the warranty says its provisions apply to what is “listed on the Repair Order,” so that is the document to keep. ## How these printed terms sit beside other chains’ printed terms This table compares printed brake terms only, not prices or service, copied from the records our [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/#brake-pads), [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#lifetime-parts-guarantee) and [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#the-warranty) pages made when they read those chains’ pages. **Printed brake pad terms at four chains (Brake and Tire Check read 16 October 2026; the others read 9 October 2026 and copied from this site’s pages)** | Printed term | Brake and Tire Check | Brakes Plus | Midas | Meineke | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Brake pad part term | Opteve pads or shoes: “for as long as you own your vehicle” | “See Invoice Detail” | “for as long as you own your car” | As long as you own the car if the invoice says lifetime; otherwise 180 days | | Labor when a pad is replaced later | “a labor charge per axle” | Labor covered 12 months or 12,000 miles | “only charge for installation” | Labor covered 12 months or 12,000 miles | | Other new brake parts | 90 days or 4,000 miles, whichever comes first | Rotors and drums 12 months or 12,000 miles | Guarantee names pads, shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts only | 12 months or 12,000 miles | | Who can claim | No transfer clause; the pad term runs while you own the vehicle | Original purchaser; “may not be assigned” | “for as long as you own your car” | Original purchaser and vehicle; “non-transferable” | Brake and Tire Check prints its pad term on the page and ties it to a brand, where Brakes Plus and Meineke send you to the invoice. Its cover for the rest of a brake job is 90 days or 4,000 miles, where Brakes Plus and Meineke print 12 months or 12,000 miles, and it adds the all-recommended-work condition, which the records we copied for the other three do not show. At any chain, the repair order or invoice decides a claim. ## Printed prices, the estimate and approving the work Brake and Tire Check prints standing brake prices and says they are not a promotion. The brakes page offers “Lifetime Brake Pads starting at $79.88 Installed” and adds: “That’s our everyday starting price for Passenger Cars, not a limited-time discount.” The FAQ fills in the rest: “Pads for Trucks or SUVs are $99.88,” and “Our labor rate is $120 per hour on all mechanical services.” Those are starting prices for pads. The company keeps services separate, “so you can see exactly what you’re paying for,” so rotors, hardware, fluid or caliper work are extra lines, and its rotor advice means most estimates will carry a rotor line. A “Shop fee” appears in its alignment warranty, and its text-message coupon terms say “Shop fees and taxes not included,” but no page prints the amount. Our [guide to what a brake job includes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#the-job) explains why the lines vary by car. **The estimate.** Online, the Brake Repair Estimator asks for your vehicle and promises “a starting estimate for a standard brake repair, with parts and labor broken out”; we entered no vehicle, so we have no estimate to show. In the store, the free inspection ends in the itemized report, and the company says “A full, in-person inspection will reveal exactly what your brake system needs.” **Approving the work.** The pages describe a choice, not a package: “You see clear pricing before work begins, online and in-store,” and “A lower-cost fix? A premium option? Waiting a bit? It’s your vehicle, your call.” The financing page offers a “service plan,” defined as “a customized plan between you and your Brake and Tire Check store to complete recommended work over multiple visits.” Two limits come with that freedom: waiting on a recommended item changes your 90-day warranty, and you cannot bring parts, because “We do not install customer-supplied parts, tires, oil, or filters.” **Coupons.** The coupons page says “fair pricing isn’t a promotion. It’s how we do business,” with “No inflated rates just to mark them down later,” though it does post deals. A text-message coupon “must be presented at time of estimate,” one per transaction per vehicle. We record no coupon amounts, because they are limited-time offers. ## Financing: Synchrony Car Care and Synchrony Pay Later The [financing page](https://brakeandtirecheck.com/financing/) offers “Two Ways to Pay,” both from Synchrony Bank, which “provides the financing and handles account servicing.” Both are subject to credit approval. **Synchrony Car Care** is “A reusable credit card designed specifically for automotive expenses.” Its standing promotion is in the footnote: “No Interest if Paid in Full within 6 Months on purchases of $199 or more,” and “Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 6 Months.” The page calls it “a Deferred Interest Promotion”; gas station purchases do not qualify. The standing account terms: “New Accounts as of 7/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2.” The brakes FAQ describes three tiers instead: under $199, “Standard credit card terms (pay in full within 25 days to avoid interest)”; $199 to $749.99, 6 months; and $750 or more, 12 months, each “no interest if paid in full.” The financing page prints no 12-month tier, so ask which promotion applies before you sign. **Synchrony Pay Later** “offers installment loans for a specific purchase.” Its Pay in 4 option will “Split your purchase into four equal payments over six weeks with no interest or fees”; for Pay Monthly, “Terms and APR are determined at approval.” The page adds that “Synchrony states that Pay Later loans have no prepayment penalty.” A limited-time card reward was also advertised; we do not quote promotions. **Deferred interest is not the same as zero interest.** On the Car Care card, if any promotional balance is left when the 6 months end, interest is charged back to the purchase date, at a purchase APR printed as 34.99% for new accounts. Divide the bill by the months and pay at least that each month, or spread the work with a service plan instead. ## Tires, road hazard, alignments and oil changes **Tires** are the reason for the new name. Every tire purchase includes “Free flat tire repair,” “Free Lifetime rotations,” “Free Lifetime balancing” and “Free alignment quick checks,” per the road hazard page. The company will not “mount, balance, or install tires purchased elsewhere, whether new or used,” and once tires “have been installed or driven on, they are not eligible for return or refund.” The optional [Road Hazard Warranty](https://brakeandtirecheck.com/tires/road-hazard-warranty-2/) (Last Modified 7.9.2026) must be bought with the tires. If a covered tire cannot be repaired, it is replaced “up to the original purchase price with applicable sales tax” if it has 3/32” of tread and “is within three (3) years of age,” with “up to one (1) tire replacement for each tire covered” and “no prorating based on mileage.” You pay to mount and balance the replacement; there is “up to $75 in towing assistance”; and the warranty is “non-transferable.” Collision, vandalism and trailer tires are among the exclusions, and “we do not repair tires more than 6 years old.” Our [Discount Tire warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#maker-warranty) explains how road hazard cover differs from a tire maker’s warranty. **Alignments and oil.** The free alignment quick check takes “under 2 minutes,” and the 3-Year Alignment Warranty promises “unlimited alignments on your vehicle for three years as needed,” with “a Shop fee applied at each service appointment.” Oil changes are priced by the quart, with “no 5-quart minimum,” and “Most of our oil changes are done in about 30 minutes.” The Slick Deal is printed as a standing program with no end date: a $20 introductory discount, then “the 2nd and 4th oil changes are 50% off and the 6th is free,” after which “the Slick Deal cycle starts over.” Your carmaker’s schedule should set the interval; see our guides to [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) and [wheel alignments](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/). ## Texas state inspections: what Brake and Tire Check offers, and what the law requires None of the Brake and Tire Check pages we read offers a Texas state inspection or an emissions test. The two open store pages we read, in San Antonio and Houston, each list four “Services at this Location” (brake repair, wheel alignments, oil change and tire shop) and nothing else. We did not use the Texas DPS station locator, so we cannot rule out that a store holds an inspection licence; the company does not advertise one. It knows the rules changed. A blog post published in May 2026 says “As of January 1, 2025, House Bill 3297 eliminated safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles in Texas,” so “drivers are now a little more responsible for keeping an eye on things like tire condition, alignment wear, and overall vehicle safety between service visits.” That includes brakes: no state inspection now looks at them on a private car. **Texas inspection rules before registration (TxDMV, re-checked 16 October 2026; DPS maximum charges copied from this site’s Kwik Kar page, read 10 October 2026)** | Your vehicle | Inspection needed | Most a station may charge (DPS) | Paid at registration (TxDMV) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Non-commercial, registered in one of 17 emissions counties | Emissions test only | $18.50 in the DFW/Houston group; $11.50 in El Paso, Travis and Williamson | $2.75 Emissions Inspection Fee | | Non-commercial, any other county | None | Not applicable | No emissions fee | | Commercial, any county | Annual commercial inspection | $40.00 | The state’s portion of the fee | TxDMV’s 17 counties include Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery and Brazoria around Houston and Travis and Williamson around Austin and Round Rock, where many of the chain’s stores sit; Bexar County, home to its San Antonio stores, is not on the list. By our arithmetic the most a Houston-area driver pays for the test is $21.25, the $18.50 station ceiling plus the $2.75 registration fee: a legal ceiling, not a price at any shop. Our [Kwik Kar page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/#inspections) explains the emissions test, our [inspection cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-much-does-a-car-inspection-cost/#state-test) compares states, and our [readiness monitor guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/emissions-check-by-vin/#readiness) explains why a fresh battery or a cleared code can make a car fail. ## What federal warranty rules say about this wording Four federal texts, read on govinfo, bear on the brake warranty. None of this is legal advice, and whether these rules for written warranties on consumer products reach brake parts installed in a repair is itself a legal question. - **Disclaiming implied warranties.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2308(a)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm), “No supplier may disclaim or modify” an implied warranty on a consumer product if it “makes any written warranty to the consumer” on it, and under 2308(c) a disclaimer in violation “shall be ineffective for purposes of this chapter and State law.” Brake and Tire Check gives written warranties and, in the same document, says “Any and all implied warranties are expressly disclaimed.” Where the federal rule applies, that sentence would not remove your implied-warranty rights. - **The state-law sentence.** The FTC’s rule, 16 CFR 701.3, covers a written warranty on a product “actually costing the consumer more than $15.00” and says an exclusion of incidental or consequential damages should come with the statement “Some States do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.” The brake warranty excludes those damages and prints no such statement. - **Full or limited.** Under 15 U.S.C. 2303, a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards must be “conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” The 90-day promise calls itself “our limited warranty”; the lifetime one uses neither word. - **“Lifetime” names its life.** The FTC’s guide, 16 CFR 239.4, says a “lifetime” claim should disclose “the life to which the representation refers,” with the example “Good for as long as you own the car!” Brake and Tire Check’s “for as long as you own your vehicle” does that. If a store will not honor a claim, the pages give no route beyond reporting it to a center; the website Terms of Use have no arbitration clause. You can also complain to the Texas attorney general’s consumer protection division. We found no attorney-general, FTC or court action about the chain’s repairs, warranty or advertising in an official source, and the Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader. ## Where Brake and Tire Check’s own pages disagree We recorded 8 places where the company’s documents disagree or point to something missing: - **Store counts:** “55+,” “over 58” and “over 60” on three pages; 58 on the contact list, as the sitemap shows once its 2 unopened stores are removed. Two of those store pages still said “Opening Summer of 2026” in mid-October. - **Which pads are lifetime:** Opteve only, with exclusions, on the warranty page; “All our brake pads” on the brakes page. The labor bill is “a labor charge per axle” on one page and “a small labor fee” on another, with no amount on either. - **Financing:** a 12-month tier at $750 or more in the brakes FAQ; only the 6-month promotion on the financing page. - **Dates and addresses:** the Terms of Use say “Last Modified: January 14, 2021” yet use the 2025-26 name and a privacy address that differs from the footer’s; the privacy policy says its revision date “is identified at the top of the page,” but none is printed. - **Tire cover:** “Full coverage for the life of your tires, up to 3 years” in the road hazard table, but the policy ends at 3/32” of tread or three years, whichever comes first, and links to an address that is not the page’s own. - **Before brake work,** ask whether your pads are Opteve, whether your vehicle is excluded (commercial, 1-ton, high-performance), and what the per-axle labor charge will be for a warranty replacement. - **Read the itemized estimate** line by line: which items are red or yellow, the rotor measurements against the minimum, the shop fee and tax. - **Know what declining costs:** skip recommended work, and a 90-day warranty claim on the rest comes with a labor bill. - **Keep the repair order** for as long as you own the car, and report any noise, pull or soft pedal to a center promptly. - **Keep other shops off** the warranted brakes; all warranties are void if anyone else repairs them. - **On the Car Care card,** clear the promotional balance within the 6 months, or interest runs from the purchase date. ## Common questions ### Is Brake Check now Brake and Tire Check? Yes. Its About page says it “Rebranded to Brake and Tire Check” in 2025-26, after adding tires in 2023, with “Same ownership.” brakecheck.com forwards to brakeandtirecheck.com. ### Does Brake Check have a lifetime warranty on brakes? On pads and shoes, with conditions. Opteve brand pads or shoes are covered “for as long as you own your vehicle,” but you pay “a labor charge per axle” for each replacement, and commercial vehicles, 1-ton trucks and high-performance vehicles are excluded. Other new parts get 90 days or 4,000 miles, whichever comes first. ### Is the Brake Check warranty transferable? The brake warranty has no transfer clause, but its lifetime is your ownership of the vehicle, so do not expect it to pass to a buyer. The road hazard tire warranty is “non-transferable.” ### How much does Brake Check charge for brake pads? Its brakes page prints standing starting prices: $79.88 installed for passenger cars, $99.88 for trucks or SUVs, and labor at $120 per hour. Rotors, hardware and a shop fee are separate lines, so get the itemized estimate after the free inspection. ### Who owns Brake Check? Peveto Companies, Ltd., per the website Terms of Use and footer, and a Texas TDLR record lists Peveto Companies, LTD as owner of its Round Rock Palm Valley shop. The About page says founder John Peveto Jr. started in 1968 and calls the business family-owned. ### Does Brake and Tire Check do Texas state inspections? None of its pages offers one; its stores list brakes, alignments, oil changes and tires. Since January 1, 2025, private cars in Texas need no safety inspection, and in 17 counties they still need an emissions test before registration. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [TxDMV register your vehicle](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/register-your-vehicle) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-check/ --- title: "Car Keys Express: Programming, Returns, Warranty and Owner" description: "What Car Keys Express needs to cut and pair a key, why its DIY options all require a working key, what its returns and warranty pages say, and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-keys-express/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Car Keys Express: Programming, Returns, Warranty and Owner > What Car Keys Express needs to cut and pair a key, why its DIY options all require a working key, what its returns and warranty pages say, and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,917 words* ## The short version - Car Keys Express is a trading name of iKeyless, LLC of Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 2002 by Mark Lanwehr, who still runs it and whom its releases call “Owner and Founder.” It is privately held; we found no outside owner or investor. - It sells transponder keys, remotes, smart keys and its own universal keys: shipped, cut from a photo, fitted by a technician at your car, at Costco and Sam’s Club parking-lot events, or through parts stores and key machines. - Every do-it-yourself route needs at least one working key. Its app FAQ says “Only the dealer and qualified locksmiths can pair a new transponder key without an original key.” If your used car came with one key, add the second before you lose the first. - Returns need an RMA number. The window is 30 days, counted from purchase on the Returns page but from the ship date in the Terms, and an 18% charge may apply. BMW and Mercedes special-order keys are final sale. - Product pages advertise a “3-year better-than-OEM warranty,” but the store’s written warranty is 30 days plus an optional paid three- or four-year plan whose start date is printed two ways. - The store’s terms have no dispute clause; the app agreement and the Keys NOW! machine terms send disputes to individual JAMS arbitration, with a 30-day opt-out. If you searched for Car Keys Express, you probably need a spare or replacement key and want to know whether this company can make one for your car, how it gets programmed, and what happens if it does not work. The short answer: it sells and fits keys through several channels with different rules, and the condition running through all its do-it-yourself options is that you still have a working key. On 16 October 2026 we read the store’s [Terms & Conditions](https://store.carkeysexpress.com/terms), [Returns](https://store.carkeysexpress.com/returns) and [Extended Warranties](https://store.carkeysexpress.com/extended-warranties) pages, its Keys NOW! terms and product pages, the company’s app, dealer and product pages and eight news releases, the iKeyless agreements it links, and public records on the company. We entered no VIN, plate, ZIP code or vehicle and started no order. This site has no commercial relationship with Car Keys Express or any key seller. **Figure: What Car Keys Express's documents say, by situation** Ten situations a buyer of a replacement key meets, each matched to the wording of Car Keys Express's own store terms, returns and warranty pages, app pages and agreements. Read from carkeysexpress.com, store.carkeysexpress.com and the iKeyless agreements it links, 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Car Keys Express The company behind the brand is iKeyless, LLC. Its newest agreement, the Keys NOW! Consumer Terms of Sale and Use (effective August 30, 2026), is “between you and iKeyless LLC, dba Car Keys Express.” The Legal Entity Identifier record kept by GLEIF lists IKEYLESS, LLC as an active Kentucky company, registration 0685166, created on 8 February 2008, at the Sycamore Station Place address in Louisville that its current pages print, and reports no parent company that consolidates it. The identifier itself lapsed when its renewal fell due on 1 September 2023, so that record has not been refreshed since. The company tells a founder story. Its About page says Mark Lanwehr started it in 2002 on his dining table, and that “iKeyless.com” was the first website to sell replacement car keys and remotes. In 2008 it bought a second-hand van to test key service for fleets and dealers, in 2009 it rebranded as Car Keys Express, and in 2011 it began making its own aftermarket keys. Its 2017 and 2018 releases call Lanwehr “Owner and Founder” and “Founder and Owner”; later ones call him Founder and CEO. Its September 15, 2026 release says it ranks No. 3,038 on this year’s Inc. 5000, a list of “independent, privately held” companies, and that it grew “organically rather than through acquisitions,” although its About page says that in 2018 “The company acquires Indiana-based mobile automotive reconditioning company.” Two other Kentucky entities carry related names. The Secretary of State lists Car Keys Express International Inc., filed on 6/8/2015 with its principal office at Sycamore Station Place, as inactive and in bad standing, and an iKeyless Canada Operations, Inc. as inactive. The store’s terms refer to “Car Keys Express, LLC,” a name we found in no public record; the company you contract with is iKeyless. ## What Car Keys Express sells, and the ways to buy The store sells keys by vehicle: transponder keys, remote and flip keys, smart keys, FOBIKs, cases and batteries. Its terms say it sells “a combination of new and refurbished remotes” and may substitute “similar, compatible OEM remotes made by the same company that built your car.” Its key buyback program buys used and surplus keys from businesses, which it says it refurbishes. Its own aftermarket line includes Universal Car Keys (21 universal keys that it says replace 608 factory keys), a Universal Car Remote and a Universal Smart Key. The route you choose decides who cuts the blade, who pairs the electronics and what you must bring. **How each Car Keys Express channel works, in its own words (read 16 October 2026)** | Channel | Who cuts and pairs | What you need | | --- | --- | --- | | Online store, key shipped | You arrange cutting; pairing by its EZ Installer, an onboard procedure, a dealer or a locksmith | Make, model and year (or a plate) and a ZIP code; for DIY pairing, one working key | | SnapKey (key cut from a photo) | Shipped already cut, with a Key Genius programmer | Three photos of your key, proof of ownership and a working key | | On-Site Installation | A technician cuts and pairs: Economy, Standard or Priority (within 24 hours) | Some keys are sold only this way | | Costco and Sam’s Club roadshows | Cut and programmed in the parking lot while you shop | A membership; you pay at the store’s cashier | | Retail partners | “Retailers may not be able to cut and program a key” | “Retailer pricing may vary” | | Keys NOW! machine | The machine cuts; you complete programming | Year, make, model, trim and ignition type; one working key, not a valet key | | Universal Smart Key | You activate it with a code and pair it by app; the blade is cut through a SnapKey voucher | Push-button start, one working key and a 2018 or newer phone | Some keys are sold only with a technician visit (Economy at a regular stop, Standard at a set time, or Priority). Both Acura product pages we read, a smart key for a 2014 MDX and a transponder key for a 2012 MDX, print “Shipping Not available for this product,” and the BMW special-order key is sold only with a mobile visit. The roadshows run in Costco and Sam’s Club parking lots, typically Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm, with appointments on Monday and Tuesday. A membership is required: you collect a barcode from the representative inside, pay at the cashier and take the receipt to the technician. Its February 10, 2025 release said it could serve over 500 Costco warehouses. In stores, it supplies AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts (all 4,200-plus Advance locations, by its November 13, 2025 release), and the Universal Smart Key page also lists Home Depot, Target and Best Buy. Costco’s car-buying service is a separate program ([Costco Auto Program](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/costco-auto-program/)). ## How cutting and programming work, as Car Keys Express explains them A modern key has two jobs: the blade turns the lock, and the chip talks to the car’s immobilizer. Car Keys Express’s transponder key page says the car “won’t start unless the key with the correctly paired transponder chip is present,” and its smart keys “require programming before use” too. So a replacement means cutting and pairing, and product pages say which apply (“Cutting required,” “Pairing required”). The store’s terms add that customers “assume all responsibility” for any loss from using its products or pairing instructions. It describes three ways to pair. On some cars the owner needs no equipment: its app FAQ says that “In some cases” you follow a few steps, “like turning their existing key in the ignition several times,” while “Newer vehicles often require specialized computer equipment used by dealerships and locksmiths.” Its answer to that equipment is a plug-in programmer, first sold as the EZ Installer and now called Key Genius, which connects to the car’s diagnostic (OBD) port and runs from a phone app over Bluetooth; its About page dates the consumer version to 2022. The third way is a person: its own technician, a dealer or a locksmith. Its transponder key page says “most automotive locksmiths can cut and program compatible transponder keys.” The programmer has limits. The store prints the EZ Installer at $69.95 (16 October 2026). It is “NOT compatible if you have an aftermarket installed security system or remote starter,” needs a Bluetooth phone, and “is designed for single vehicle use”: reusable, but only on the same car. Its compatibility list names 31 makes; Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi are not among them. The Keys NOW! terms add that “Aftermarket alarms, keyless entry, or remote start may be impacted by the addition of a new key.” The Universal Smart Key, printed at $99.99 (16 October 2026), lists four requirements: a car on its compatibility list (“20+ million vehicles”), a 2018 or newer phone, factory push-to-start ignition, and “At least one working key.” You enter a code to tell the key which vehicle it is for, plug in the programmer and follow the app; “Pairing typically takes less than 30 minutes.” The emergency blade is cut and shipped through an included SnapKey voucher. One warning on that page matters to anyone with a spare already: “Some vehicles clear previously paired keys during programming,” so keep every key with you and re-pair the old ones straight after. For keys cut from a photo, SnapKey asks for “three high-quality photos taken from a specific orientation with the key ring removed”; the app FAQ says keys are “typically cut within 2-3 business days” and that it can cut keys “for approximately 90% of vehicles.” Only the vehicle lookup, which we did not use, can tell you whether your car is covered. ## How it checks that a key fits, and what it asks of you The store’s search asks for make, model and year, or a licence plate, and then a ZIP code “to receive accurate product and service offerings.” Product pages say compatibility “depends on your vehicle’s year, make, model, FCC ID, and part number,” and the transponder key page suggests double-checking the FCC ID, which the product pages list for each remote. They also ask “How many working keys do you have?” (None, One, Two or more) and define a working key as one with a cut blade that is “currently programmed to your vehicle” and starts the ignition. A key that opens the door but will not start the car does not count. Photo orders require proof of ownership, described two ways. The app page asks for “proof of ownership (such as registration, insurance, or title)” and ships only to “the address listed in the ownership documents”; the app FAQ asks for the “vehicle registration” and ships “only to the name and address listed in the registration.” For a used-car buyer that has a timing consequence: until the registration is in your name at your address, a photo-cut key may not ship to you. Our page on [title versus registration](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-vs-registration/#buying) explains that paperwork. The Keys NOW! terms make you confirm you own, or are authorized to copy, every key involved. A VIN appears once in what we read: the Universal Smart Key page asks you to have “your VIN” ready when calling support. We entered none. The Keys NOW! terms tell you to compare a new blade with your working key before programming and never to force one. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the buttons, the edge of the case and the folded key blade, each with one fact from Car Keys Express’s app FAQ and product pages. Car Keys Express’s app FAQ and product pages, read on 16 October 2026: DIY pairing needs one working key: order the spare while you still have one (callout 1); Fit depends on the FCC ID and part number as well as the year, make and model (callout 2); Smart keys ship with an uncut emergency blade that still has to be cut (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## You bought a used car with one key: why the second matters Car Keys Express’s pages make the case for a spare by returning to one condition. The app FAQ: “pairing a key requires at least one working key.” The Universal Smart Key FAQ: it “can’t create your first one.” The Keys NOW! terms: “at least one working key (not a valet key).” With none, the app FAQ is blunt: “Only the dealer and qualified locksmiths can pair a new transponder key without an original key.” So a car with one key sits one loss away from the expensive case: with a working key you have every channel above; with none, its FAQ points to a dealer or locksmith. We did not read how Car Keys Express handles a car with no working key, because that program sits on a path its robots.txt asks crawlers to avoid. Missing keys are common, if the company’s own figures are a guide. Its auctions page says “About 40% of cars at auctions are missing at least one key,” and its February 2025 release quotes Lanwehr: “about 40% of consumers would purchase an additional key if given a convenient and affordable option.” Neither figure comes with a method; treat both as its claims. Our pages on [IAA](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/) and [Copart](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) explain how two big auctions work. - **Count and test the keys before you agree a price.** Start the car with each. A spare that unlocks the door but will not start the engine is not programmed. Our [no-start guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-wont-start/#immobiliser) explains the immobilizer light that gives this away, and our [test-drive guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-test-drive-a-used-car/#before-key) covers what to check first. - **If a dealer is short a key, get the promise on paper.** Car Keys Express sells dealer services with the line “No more due bills or ‘we owes’ over keys and remotes,” which suggests buyers are often sent away with a written promise instead of a key. See our guides to [buying from a dealer](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-used-car-from-a-dealer/#back-office) and the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#before). - **From a private seller, ask where the other key is**, and treat its absence as a point in the price; our [questions to ask](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/questions-to-ask-when-buying-a-used-car/#the-sale) and [private-sale guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#paperwork) cover the conversation. - **Look for aftermarket remote start or alarms.** The EZ Installer does not work with them; our page on [buying a modified car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#inspect) covers spotting add-ons. - **Bring every key to the programming**, because some cars erase keys already paired. A second key matters when you sell, too (see our [CarMax appraisal page](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carmax-appraisal/)), and it is not the only loose end a previous owner leaves: some Hondas want a radio code after a battery change, covered on our [Honda radio code page](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/honda-radio-code-by-vin/#used-car-angle). ## Car Keys Express at dealerships, auctions and rental companies Most of its business has been with other businesses; Lanwehr said in November 2025 that when it entered retail in 2015, “nearly all our revenue came from commercial accounts.” There is no program called “Car Keys Express at dealerships,” but there are three dealer services. CKE 360 is a weekly route service that promises to “maintain your entire pre-owned inventory with complete sets of keys for what you’d normally pay for two keys.” Where it has no van service it offers ROKS, a scanner a dealer uses to order cut keys, pitched for replacing “missing keys on your used inventory.” In-house dealers can buy its stock and sell it their surplus keys. For a buyer there are two sides to this. A dealer on these programs has an easy way to hand you two keys; the ROKS page promises customers can “leave the lot with a complete set of keys.” But a key from a dealer may be one of its aftermarket, universal or refurbished keys rather than a factory one, so ask. The company says it became the “sole source” of keys for Avis, Hertz and Enterprise in 2025 and signed with “the world’s largest auto auction” in 2024. All three rental companies also sell used cars; see our reviews of [Enterprise Car Sales](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/enterprise-car-sales-review/), [Hertz Car Sales](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hertz-car-sales-review/) and [Avis Car Sales](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/avis-car-sales-review/). Store landing pages say Enterprise Car Sales and CarShop have “partnered with Car Keys Express,” each with a discount we do not quote. Its robots.txt asks crawlers to keep out of pages named for CarMax and AAA, so we did not read them. ## Returns and refunds, exactly as printed The Returns page opens in capitals: “YOU MUST HAVE A RMA NUMBER IN ORDER FOR US TO ACCEPT A RETURN OF ANY KIND.” Its RMA address is still at the ikeyless.com domain. The rules then depend on why the key goes back. **Car Keys Express return rules by situation (store Returns page, Terms & Conditions and Keys NOW! terms, read 16 October 2026)** | Situation | What the documents say | | --- | --- | | You change your mind | RMA first; within 30 days of purchase (the Terms say of the original ship date); the item must arrive within 14 days of the RMA; an 18% charge may apply; shipping is not refunded | | You ordered the wrong key | Tell it within 15 days of purchase; if the right key costs more, you pay the difference | | It arrives damaged or lost | Report within 3 working days; it files a USPS claim and replaces the order once USPS reimburses it | | It sent the wrong item | A prepaid label by email; the replacement ships once your return is scanned | | It fails under warranty | Exchange only, no refund; describe the defect and return every component | | BMW or Mercedes special-order key | Final sale: no returns or refunds | | You gave the wrong address | Not its responsibility once shown delivered; no replacement | | Bought from a Keys NOW! machine | Unopened and unused within “[30]” days; return to Car Keys Express, not the host store | Three details matter. The clock: the Returns page counts 30 days “of purchase,” the Terms “of the original ship date”; work to the earlier. The charge: the Terms call it “a 18% restocking fee” on any return, the Returns page “An 18% handling charge” on returns “that does not include a replacement,” and neither says when it is waived. By our arithmetic, on the two prices the store prints, it would be $12.59 on a $69.95 EZ Installer, leaving $57.36, and $18.00 on a $99.99 Universal Smart Key, leaving $81.99, before the shipping you do not get back. And the special orders: BMW and Mercedes keys are final sale because the company has them “cut and programmed to a specific vehicle,” and its Costco release notes “some limitations on very recent model years and German-made automobiles.” Confirm a German-car key is right before paying. The app FAQ is more generous than the Returns page: if a key “isn’t cut right” it will send a replacement, and “If your key still doesn’t work, we’ll refund your money.” The Returns page says warranty items are “exchanges only.” If a photo-cut key fails, cite the FAQ in writing when you ask for the RMA. Cancelling is narrow: an order “begins processing immediately,” cannot be cancelled once it moves into shipping, and ships the same or next business day by First Class mail, usually arriving in 2-5 days. ## The warranty, the extended plans and the three-year claim The store’s written warranty is short: under “Warranty,” the Terms say the company reserves the right to replace or refund within 30 days of the ship date, and “may deny refund if damaged by the customer.” The Extended Warranties page calls this a “30-day replacement guarantee.” Beyond that, cover is bought. Three- and four-year plans will “replace the key or remote if it’s damaged from” wear and tear, breakage, drops, spills or manufacturer’s defects, including blades, emergency inserts and shells. The plan “must be bought at the time of product purchase,” covers “The exact product/part number bought from Car Keys Express,” and “is non-refundable and cannot be cancelled or transferred.” Loss and theft are excluded, and no price is printed. Because it cannot be transferred, a used-car buyer cannot inherit a previous owner’s plan. Its start date is printed two ways. The Terms: “The warranty period begins as soon as the purchase is made.” The plan page: cover begins “on the 31st day after the product purchase date.” Federal rules require a warrantor offering a written warranty on a product costing more than $15.00 to state, in a single document, “The point in time or event on which the warranty term commences, if different from the purchase date” (16 CFR 701.3, as this site recorded it on 8 October 2026). A paid plan may instead be a service contract, which federal law defines as “a contract in writing to perform, over a fixed period of time or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair” of a product; our [extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains why the label matters. **The “3-year better-than-OEM warranty” has no terms we could find.** The EZ Installer, Universal Smart Key, Simple Key and Universal Car Remote pages, and a 2018 release, all advertise it. The store’s Terms describe only the 30-day replacement and the paid plans. The one three-year warranty text we found, in the Keys NOW! terms, covers “only” products dispensed from a Keys NOW! machine. Federal rules say the seller of a product with a written warranty must make its text available before the sale, including “upon request prior to sale” (16 CFR 702.3). Ask for the text, and keep it with your receipt, before you rely on three years. The Keys NOW! warranty is the clearest of its documents. It lasts “three years from the date of the original consumer purchase”; after confirming a defect the company “will repair or replace the product without charge,” or refund the price if it cannot. It excludes batteries, cosmetic wear, loss or theft, impact, water and heat damage, inaccurate vehicle information, an incompatible vehicle system and a customer’s “inability or decision not to complete a disclosed programming procedure.” ## Terms of use and what happens in a dispute Four documents could govern a dispute, depending on how you bought. **Dispute terms in Car Keys Express’s documents (read 16 October 2026)** | Document | Law and forum | Arbitration | Opt-out | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Store Terms & Conditions (no date) | Not stated | None | Not applicable | | iKeyless Terms of Use (August 1, 2019) | Kentucky law; Jefferson County courts or the Western District of Kentucky; jury trial waived | Referred to, but no arbitration section follows; class actions waived | None | | iKeyless app End User License Agreement (August 1, 2019) | Kentucky law; small claims allowed | Individual JAMS arbitration in Jefferson County; start within two years | By mail within 30 days, to a former address | | Keys NOW! Consumer Terms (August 30, 2026) | Federal Arbitration Act; small claims allowed | Individual JAMS arbitration after a 30-day notice period | Within 30 days after purchase | The store’s Terms & Conditions have ten headings, and none covers law, courts or arbitration. The site-wide Terms of Use, a PDF linked from the app terms page, cover “www.carkeysexpress.com,” choose Kentucky law and courts, waive jury trials and class actions, and send some disputes to “binding individual arbitration, as provided in the section immediately below,” though the section below is the class-action waiver; there is no arbitration section. The arbitration terms are in the app agreement. After at least 30 days of good-faith negotiation, disputes go to individual JAMS arbitration in Jefferson County, or to small claims court in your own county. You pay the JAMS filing fee, but for a dispute of $10,000 or less iKeyless says it will pay all JAMS costs, and claims must start within two (2) years. The opt-out is a letter postmarked within 30 days of first accepting the agreement, addressed to 828 E. Market Street, Louisville, the company’s former address; current pages give 12101 Sycamore Station Place. Send it where the agreement says and keep proof of posting. The 2026 Keys NOW! terms are the most consumer-facing: written notice and 30 days to settle, small claims allowed, JAMS arbitration with the consumer paying no more than its consumer filing fee and hearings held virtually or somewhere “reasonably convenient to the consumer,” and an opt-out within 30 days after purchase that “will not affect your purchase, warranty, or access to support.” Liability is capped at “the greater of (a) the amount paid for the product or service giving rise to the claim or (b) $100,” except for injury, fraud and consumer-protection rights. Its terms of use bar “data mining or an extraction tool,” so we read each page once, by hand. Searches on 16 October 2026 found no regulator action or lawsuit naming Car Keys Express or iKeyless; we did not search court dockets. ## Where Car Keys Express’s own documents disagree We found 16 places where its pages or agreements say different things. The ones that matter most to a buyer: - **The return clock:** 30 days “of purchase” on the Returns page, “of the original ship date” in the Terms. - **The 18% charge:** a “restocking fee” on any return, or a “handling charge” only on returns without a replacement. - **The extended plan’s start:** at purchase in the Terms, “the 31st day” on the plan page. - **The three-year warranty:** advertised on product pages, written down only for Keys NOW! purchases. - **Proof of ownership:** “registration, insurance, or title” on the app page, registration only in the FAQ. - **A key that will not work:** a refund in the app FAQ, exchanges only on the Returns page. - **The programmer:** “disposable” on two pages, one of which also says it “can be re-used.” - **Reach:** technicians in “over 2,000,” “over 3,000” or “over 8,000” cities; “approximately 90%” or “95%” of vehicles; the same Universal Car Remote fits 62 million or 68 million vehicles. - **The paperwork:** a Keys NOW! return window printed as “[30]”, an opt-out address the company has left, and a seller named “Car Keys Express, LLC” that no record we read lists. ## Before you order a key from Car Keys Express - **Count your working keys.** One that unlocks but will not start the car does not count; with none, its pages point to a dealer or locksmith. - **Check the exact fit:** year, make and model, then the FCC ID and part number against your current key. - **Look for aftermarket remote start or alarms**, which the EZ Installer does not support. - **Have the registration in your name** before a photo-cut order. - **Know the return rules:** RMA first, 30 days from the earlier of purchase and shipping, 15 days for a wrong order, 3 working days for transit damage, 14 days to send it back, a possible 18% charge. - **Buy German-car keys carefully**: BMW and Mercedes special orders are final sale. - **Ask for the warranty text** behind any three-year claim, and an extended plan’s start date, before paying. - **Bring every key to the programming**, and keep the receipt and order number. Once the keys are sorted, our checklist of [what to do after buying a used car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/what-to-do-after-buying-a-used-car/) covers insurance, title and registration. ## Common questions ### Who owns Car Keys Express? iKeyless, LLC of Louisville, Kentucky. Its Keys NOW! terms are between the buyer and “iKeyless LLC, dba Car Keys Express,” and GLEIF lists IKEYLESS, LLC as an active Kentucky company created in 2008 with no consolidating parent. Founder and CEO Mark Lanwehr started the business in 2002; its releases call him the owner, and its Inc. 5000 release places it among privately held companies. ### Does Car Keys Express program the key, or do I? Either. Its technicians cut and pair keys at your car, at Costco and Sam’s Club events and at its Louisville store. Shipped and photo-cut keys you pair with its plug-in programmer and a phone app, by an onboard procedure on some cars, or through a dealer or locksmith. Every do-it-yourself option needs one working key. ### What is the Car Keys Express return policy? An RMA number first; 30 days (from purchase, or from shipping in the Terms); the item back within 14 days of the RMA; a possible 18% charge; no refund of shipping. Report a wrong order within 15 days and transit damage within 3 working days. Warranty items are exchanged, and BMW and Mercedes special-order keys are final sale. ### Does Car Keys Express need proof of ownership or a VIN? For keys cut from a photo, proof of ownership: the registration (or, on its app page, registration, insurance or title), with keys shipped only to the address on it. The store finds keys by make, model and year or by plate, with a ZIP code; a VIN is mentioned only for Universal Smart Key support calls. ### Can Car Keys Express make a key if I have no working key? Its do-it-yourself products cannot: the Universal Smart Key “can’t create your first one,” and its app FAQ says only a dealer or qualified locksmith can pair a transponder key without an original. We did not read the program it runs for that case. With one key, make the second now. ### Is Car Keys Express at Costco? Yes, as parking-lot events at participating Costco and Sam’s Club locations, typically Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm, with appointments on Monday and Tuesday. A membership is required, you pay at the cashier, and the technician cuts and programs the key while you shop. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [FTC: a businessperson’s guide to federal warranty law](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-keys-express/ --- title: "Crew Carwash Unlimited Club: Prices, Cancelling and the Fine Print" description: "Crew Carwash prints $32 to $48 a month for unlimited washes. Its 24-hour cancel rule, three versions of its terms, the cars it won't wash, and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crew-carwash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Crew Carwash Unlimited Club: Prices, Cancelling and the Fine Print > Crew Carwash prints $32 to $48 a month for unlimited washes. Its 24-hour cancel rule, three versions of its terms, the cars it won't wash, and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,964 words* ## The short version - Crew Carwash prints three packages. Single washes are $12 (Basic), $24 (Ultimate) and $29 (Ultimate 360°); Unlimited Club plans are $32, $43 and $48 a month in the plan image on its Unlimited Club page, while its Ultimate 360° page lists that plan at “REG. $48.99.” - To cancel, Crew wants your request at least 24 hours before your monthly billing date. Its terms also say the charge can run a day early, so by our arithmetic a request 48 hours ahead is the safe margin. There are no refunds for mid-month cancellations or for months you never washed. - Crew publishes its Unlimited Club terms in three places, and they differ: on how long introductory pricing lasts, how a declined card is retried, whether you can join online, and how much notice you get of a price rise. - Each plan covers one vehicle. Commercial rates apply if your main business is carrying passengers, dealership-owned cars can’t join, and business fleets buy prepaid washes instead, with a minimum of 50. - Crew lists 20 kinds of vehicle it won’t wash and 8 conditions under which it says it “cannot be responsible for damage,” including any vehicle 15 years or older. It publishes no claims procedure, and none of its terms contains an arbitration, governing-law or venue clause. - Crew says it is family owned and has been since 1948. It took the Crew name in 2014, when the Dahm brothers split Mike’s Carwash into two companies, and by its June 2026 release it runs 60 locations in Indiana, Minnesota and Illinois. Crew Carwash is an Indianapolis-based express tunnel chain that sells single washes, wash books and an Unlimited Club monthly membership. For anyone deciding whether to join, the most useful fact is how thin and scattered its terms are: one bulleted list, printed in three versions that do not quite agree, and silent on arbitration, courts and damage claims. On 16 October 2026 we read Crew’s [Unlimited Club Terms and Conditions](https://crewcarwash.com/unlimited-club/terms-and-conditions/), the terms printed in its Unlimited Club FAQs, its “membership is continued” page, its SMS terms and Privacy Policy, its [Vehicle Restrictions](https://crewcarwash.com/vehicle-restrictions/), its package, fleet and history pages and seven of its own news releases, plus Minnesota’s automatic-renewal statute. We did not sign up, log in or use the location finder, and this site has no commercial relationship with Crew Carwash or any car wash. **Figure: Crew Carwash’s Unlimited Club terms, situation by situation** A two-column table of eleven situations at Crew Carwash: cancel at least 24 hours before the billing date, and because the charge can run a day early, allow 48 hours by our margin; no refund for a mid-month cancellation, though the plan stays active to the next billing date; introductory pricing is guaranteed for 3 months under the FAQ terms but has no stated length on the terms page; rises in the regular price are posted at locations 30 days or more ahead rather than sent to each member; a declined card may be retried daily for up to 14 days or the plan ended; monthly plans take no cash or gift cards, but cash payers can buy a 6-month pass; one vehicle per plan with the pass on the lower driver's side of the windshield; commercial rates for passenger transport and no dealership-owned cars; cars 15 years or older and non-factory parts are on Crew's list of damage it can't be responsible for; Crew promises a free re-wash if you aren't satisfied; and no arbitration, governing-law or venue clause appears in any Crew document read. Read from Crew Carwash’s Unlimited Club Terms and Conditions page, the terms in its Unlimited Club FAQs, its Unlimited Club, Vehicle Restrictions and Crew Difference pages, on 16 October 2026. ## Crew’s three wash packages and the prices it prints Crew sells three exterior packages: Basic, Ultimate and Ultimate 360°. It prints its prices in two images rather than in text, and we read both on 16 October 2026. The single-wash prices sit in an image on the Wash Packages page, with the note “Plus Tax in MN.” The monthly prices sit in an image on the Unlimited Club page, under the heading “Choose Your Unlimited Club Plan.” Neither names a location or an end date. **Crew Carwash’s three packages and the prices in its two price images (read 16 October 2026)** | Package | What the images list | Single wash | Unlimited Club | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Basic | “Clean & Dry” | $12 | $32 a month | | Ultimate | Ceramic, Tire Shine, Wheel Bright, Underbody Wash | $24 | $43 a month | | Ultimate 360° | Premium Ceramic, Graphene Shield, Underbody Rust Protect, Tire Shine, Wheel Bright, Underbody Wash | $29 | $48 a month (“REG. $48.99” on the Ultimate 360° page) | The single-wash image’s file is stored under October 2025 and its name refers to a fundraiser; the plan image’s file is stored under August 2026 and its name includes “Increase.” Crew’s launch release of August 12, 2025 priced Ultimate 360° at $29 a wash or $44.99 a month, so the $48.99 on its page today is $4 a month, or 8.9%, more, by our arithmetic. Whether a new member pays $48 or $48.99 is shown only in the online sign-up, which we did not open. The difference between the packages is mostly what happens underneath the car. Basic lists only “Clean & Dry.” Ultimate adds an underbody wash, which Crew says “removes damaging dirt and salt from underneath your vehicle,” and Ultimate 360° adds Underbody Rust Protect, which it says “helps prevent corrosion.” If road salt is why you wash in winter, our guide to [protecting a car from rust](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) explains why the underside matters; on Crew’s own lists, Basic does not include it. ### When a membership costs less than single washes Comparing Crew’s own single and monthly prices, a membership costs less than paying per wash from the second wash in a month on Ultimate (two washes are $48 against $43) and on Ultimate 360° (two are $58 against $48, or $48.99). On Basic it takes a third wash: three are $36 against $32, while two are $24. That is our arithmetic, for one car, before any tax. A car washed once a month is cheaper on single washes at every level. Over 12 months at today’s plan-image prices, one car comes to $384 on Basic, $516 on Ultimate and $576 on Ultimate 360° ($587.88 at $48.99), by our arithmetic. Crew’s Unlimited Club page lists four membership benefits: “Wash as often as you want,” “Wash at any Crew location,” “Exclusive VIP lanes for faster service” and “No contracts.” For “special promotional pricing” it sends you to a location; we do not print promotional prices, which change. ## How the Unlimited Club bills The Terms and Conditions page opens with the basic arrangement: “All unlimited packages and plans are a monthly automatic recharge subscription.” Your card is charged monthly, “typically on the enrollment date, but occasionally, it may process a day earlier or later.” The membership runs “until you submit a cancelation request,” and the “membership is continued” page adds that the “Billing Cycle begins the day of enrollment.” Crew says an agreement to its terms “must be signed at the time the account is opened,” but also that enrolling counts as accepting them. Several rules decide what a month of membership costs you over time: - **Introductory prices end.** “Promotional offers are applicable once per account,” and re-enrolling at a promotional rate “does not guarantee the lower rate.” After your last payment at an introductory rate, the fee moves to “our standard, publicly advertised price for the plan you have chosen.” How long the introductory period lasts depends on which version of the terms you read, as the section on the three versions below shows. - **Price rises are posted, not sent.** Crew says promotional or introductory rates “may increase without individual member notification.” For its regular prices it promises “passive notification,” posted “at all locations 30 days or more in advance of the price increase taking effect.” - **A declined card can end the plan.** Crew “may terminate plan anytime if the reoccurring charge is declined,” and it “reserves the right to attempt the charge daily for up to 14 days.” Its Privacy Policy says you may get “up to two SMS messages per week” about updating an expired card. - **No cash, no gift cards.** “Cash or Crew Gift Cards cannot be accepted for automatic recharge plans.” The terms page offers cash payers a different product: “Frequent washers who want to pay cash can purchase a 6-month Unlimited pass.” No price for it is printed on any page we read. - **Joining online starts the clock.** “Memberships purchased online begin at the time of purchase and require a pass to be installed on the vehicle prior to use.” Read with the rule that the billing cycle begins on the day of enrollment, a plan bought online on a Monday and fitted on a Saturday bills from the Monday. - **Crew can close or end things.** It may close locations for weather, holidays, maintenance and upgrades, end accounts for “pass abuse, conduct, and/or safety concerns” with or without notice, and change or cancel the program “at any time for any reason.” The terms offer no credit for a closed site, though the FAQs say “We rarely close.” Giving Crew your email or phone number means you “agree to be contacted” about your account and about “services and promotions.” The Privacy Policy says Crew “does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties.” ## Cancelling, refunds and changing your mind All three versions of Crew’s terms agree on the deadline: a cancellation request must be made “at least 24 hours before your monthly billing date.” The Terms and Conditions page sends you to crewcarwash.com/manage, the Customer Portal, which it says is available “24/7”; the General FAQs confirm you can cancel your plan there. Phone support keeps office hours (8 am to 5 pm Eastern on weekdays, 8 am to 4 pm on Saturday), so a late-night cancellation goes through the portal. You may need a number you have never looked at. The Unlimited Club FAQs say you need your Unlimited Club tag number to cancel or update your card, and that it “can be found under the barcode located on the windshield of your vehicle,” or retrieved in the portal. Members signed up at the Champaign, Illinois site use their license plate number instead. Every version says the same about refunds: “No refunds will be given for mid-month cancellations or for billing cycles with no wash usage.” After you cancel, Crew says, “your plan will continue to be active until your next billing date. You may continue to wash your car during this time.” If you change your mind, you can reactivate at any location or online. And if you need the charges for an employer’s expense claim, past receipts are in the portal. **Cancel two days ahead, not one, and keep the confirmation.** Crew’s deadline is 24 hours before the billing date, but its own terms say the charge “may process a day earlier.” A request made 24 hours before the usual date can land after an early charge, and Crew gives no refund for that month. By our arithmetic, a request 48 hours before your enrollment-date charge clears both. Have the tag number ready, use the portal, and save the confirmation screen or email. ## Three versions of the same terms Crew prints its Unlimited Club rules three times: on the Terms and Conditions page (which the site’s /terms/ address leads to; its embedded publishing record shows a last change on February 25, 2025), in an FAQ item headed “Unlimited Terms & Conditions” on both FAQ pages (last changed January 16, 2026), and on a page headed “Your Unlimited Club Membership is continued!” (last changed July 15, 2024). They share most of their wording, but not all of it. **Where Crew Carwash’s three published versions of its Unlimited Club terms differ (read 16 October 2026)** | Rule | Terms and Conditions page | “Unlimited Terms & Conditions” FAQ item | “Membership is continued” page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Introductory price | “locked in for the duration of the specified promotional period”; no length given | “guaranteed for 3 months”; regular price “After your 3rd charge” | Rises “After the trial period” | | Price rises | Promotional rates may rise without individual notice; regular-price rises posted at locations 30 days or more ahead | “Monthly rate may increase without individual member notification”; same posted notice | “my monthly rate may increase without notice”; no posted notice mentioned | | Declined card | Retried “daily for up to 14 days” | Retried “periodically over the course of your billing cycle” | Crew may terminate the plan | | How to cancel | At crewcarwash.com/manage | “by submitting a request online” | By telephone | | Joining | At a location or online; online plans start at purchase | “available only through Crew Carwash location(s)” | Not addressed | | Cash payers | No cash for monthly plans; a 6-month Unlimited pass instead | No cash for monthly plans; no pass mentioned | Not mentioned | All three keep the same core: the 24-hour cancellation deadline, no refunds for mid-month cancellations, one vehicle per pass, and the pass fixed to the lower driver’s side of the windshield. Which version governs is not obvious. Crew’s SMS terms say the Unlimited Club terms “are expressly incorporated herein” and point to the Unlimited Club page’s “FAQ Section,” where the FAQ item lives, not to the Terms and Conditions page. Crew also says an agreement is signed when the account is opened, which we could not read. Ask for that agreement, keep a copy, and save a dated screenshot of the web version you relied on. ### Other places Crew’s own pages disagree - **The Ultimate 360° price.** “REG. $48.99” on its own page, $48 in the plan image, $44.99 in the August 2025 launch release. - **Vacuums.** “Free” in a December 2021 release about St. Cloud; not called free on the standing Self-Service page (see below). - **The founding.** The Crew Story says Joe Dahm opened Mike’s Minit Man in 1948 and his brother Ed joined “A few years later.” Crew’s 2014 release says Joe founded the company in Fort Wayne in 1948 “with his brother, Ed Dahm.” - **Where Crew operates.** The Employment FAQ still says “Indiana and Minnesota”; The Crew Story and the 2026 releases add Illinois. - **Water.** The FAQs say 55 gallons a wash against 150 in a driveway; The Crew Difference says an average Crew Carwash “uses only 35 gallons of water,” 51% recycled; the Minnesota and Illinois location pages say “40% recycled water.” - **Harm.** The FAQs promise “the peace of mind that their vehicle will not be harmed in any way,” while the Vehicle Restrictions page lists 8 conditions under which Crew “cannot be responsible for damage that might occur.” ## One car per plan, and the cars that can’t join The Unlimited Club page says “*One vehicle per plan,” and the terms say each pass must stay on “the interior bottom of the front windshield on the driver’s side.” We found no family plan or second-car discount on any page we read. Crew’s SMS terms expect some people to hold several accounts: they ask anyone who enrolls “more than one Unlimited account to the same mobile phone number” to finish registering the first before starting the next. Replacing the car is simpler than adding one. “If you know your pass number, please visit any Crew Carwash location to transfer your old Unlimited Club membership to a different vehicle.” Crew does not say whether a new pass costs anything. If you sell the car, cancel or transfer the plan first; nothing in the terms ends it when the car changes hands. Three kinds of vehicle are treated differently: - **Passenger-carrying work cars.** “Commercial rates apply if your primary business is transporting passengers.” Crew does not print those rates, and it does not define “primary business,” so a part-time rideshare driver should ask before joining. - **Dealer cars.** “Unlimited Club Memberships are not for use on dealership owned vehicles.” A loaner or a car still titled to a dealer does not qualify. - **Fleets.** Businesses use a Business Fleet Account: prepaid washes on any of the three packages, a minimum of 50, a barcode sticker per vehicle, prices on request. There is “no contract to sign,” but “We do not refund unused prepaid washes,” and fleet pass holders “may not use the Unlimited Club lanes.” Joining does not settle whether Crew will wash your car. The terms say the “Vehicle must meet Crew safety guidelines. Enrollment does not guarantee that these guidelines have been satisfied.” Check the next section before you pay. ## The vehicles Crew won’t wash Crew’s Vehicle Restrictions page opens with a list headed “Vehicles we can’t wash.” It has 21 entries: 20 descriptions of vehicles and a closing line that “Managers reserve the right to turn away any vehicle for any safety concern.” We have grouped them below, in Crew’s words. **What Crew Carwash’s Vehicle Restrictions page says it can’t wash (read 16 October 2026)** | Group | Crew’s wording | | --- | --- | | Size | Height “greater than 83″” (6 ft 11 in, by our arithmetic); wider than 71″ “from inside driver tire to outside passenger tire”; sitting “5″ or lower to the ground”; tires “wider than 12.5″” | | Wheels | “donut tires on the driver’s side”; “Trucks with dual rear tires” | | Named models | “Ford Raptor, Ram TRX, Nissan NV, Full Size Hummer”; “Corvette C8”; “2010 and newer Ford SHO’s” | | Truck beds | Beds with aftermarket fuel tanks; beds “not completely empty and free of any kind of debris”; items “not bolted into the frame” | | Things attached | Ladders on trucks or vans; large ladder racks or roll cages; roof-mounted tents or canopies; “bike racks or any rear-mounted rack/attachment”; brush guards that reach the headlights; permanent tripod-style mirrors; “Any accessory attached by magnet that can’t be removed” | | Condition | “Vehicles with excessive mud or rust” | Two lines are easy to miss. A temporary spare on the driver’s side puts the car on the list until the full-size tire is back on, and so does a bike rack or hitch carrier left on after a trip: “any rear-mounted rack/attachment.” The named models matter because a stock vehicle can be excluded, and Crew does not say why each is listed. If you drive anything large, lifted or lowered, measure it and ask the manager before you pull onto the conveyor. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the lower corner of the windshield, a front wheel and the roof, each with one fact from Crew Carwash’s Unlimited Club terms and vehicle restrictions. Crew Carwash’s Unlimited Club terms and vehicle restrictions, read on 16 October 2026: One car per plan: the pass stays on the lower driver’s side of the windshield (callout 1); Tires wider than 12.5 in, or a donut spare on the driver’s side: Crew won’t wash it (callout 2); Power antennas and non-factory parts are on Crew’s ‘can’t be responsible’ list (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Damage: what Crew says it can’t be responsible for The second list on the Vehicle Restrictions page is headed “Your vehicle’s safety is our number one concern,” and it is the closest thing Crew publishes to a damage policy. “If you have any of the following, we cannot be responsible for damage that might occur and caution against going through Crew Carwash.” It names 8 conditions: - Parts of the vehicle that are loose or previously damaged - Non-factory parts or modifications - Power antennas - Spare tire covers - Power running boards - Cracked windshields - Vehicles 15 years or older - Damage caused by driver error or vehicle safety systems Two entries reach further than they look. “Vehicles 15 years or older” covers the whole car, and the page does not say whether age counts from the model year or the date of sale. “Damage caused by driver error or vehicle safety systems” covers a driver’s mistake or the car’s own safety systems, without saying which systems. Follow the staff’s instructions on the conveyor. If your windshield is already chipped or cracked, our guide to [windshield replacement costs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/) covers repair or replacement. What Crew does not publish matters as much: no damage-claim form, no reporting deadline, no statement of what it pays if it accepts a claim, and no response time, on any page we read. Its one standing promise is about the wash itself: “You must be satisfied or we’ll re-wash your vehicle for FREE.” **Photograph the car before its first Crew wash, and report anything before you drive away.** Take dated pictures of the antenna, any aftermarket parts, the windshield, the running boards and the wheels. If something looks wrong after the tunnel, stop, show the manager while you are still on the lot, photograph it there, and ask for the outcome in writing. Because Crew publishes no claims process, your own records and your own auto insurer may be what you rely on. ## Vacuums, Interior Clean, wash books and self-serve bays - **Vacuums.** The Self-Service page says self-service vacuums “are available at most Crew locations” and are “Always a great value,” but not that they are free, and the Unlimited Club benefits list does not mention them. Only a 2021 release about the St. Cloud, Minnesota site called them “free.” The 2026 releases say customers “have access to self-serve vacuums.” Check at your site. - **Interior Clean.** An express interior service, “not a detailing service,” that Crew says takes “10 minutes or less.” An exterior wash is required first, and you can add it to “any wash purchase, book ticket or Unlimited Club wash.” Crew lists 5 Interior Clean sites: Whitestown, two in Noblesville and Avon in Indiana, and Eden Prairie in Minnesota, open every day from 8am to 7pm. While you wait, Crew says, you can “grab a free coffee.” No Interior Clean price is printed on the pages we read. - **Wash books and gift cards.** Crew describes its wash books as “Buy 4 Washes, Get 1 FREE,” which by our arithmetic makes 1 wash in 5, or 20%, free; no book price is printed. Gift cards “can be used on any exterior or interior wash” and can be reloaded, but the Unlimited Club terms say they cannot pay for a monthly plan. - **Self-serve bays.** “Select Crew locations” have self-service bays “open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” - **Tips.** Crew’s FAQs say its staff decline tips: “anything we do for you at Crew Carwash is included in the price you pay.” ## What Crew’s terms leave out, and the laws that still apply Read side by side, Crew’s terms are notable for what they do not contain. In the Terms and Conditions page, the FAQ terms, the “continued” page, the SMS terms and the Privacy Policy we found: - no arbitration clause and no class-action waiver; - no governing-law or venue clause naming a state or a court; - no cap on what Crew will pay, and no damage-claim procedure; - no website terms of use at all: the site’s /terms-of-use/ address returned an HTTP 404 error, and /terms/ leads to the Unlimited Club Terms and Conditions. As published, the terms neither send disputes to arbitration nor waive a jury; they say nothing about disputes at all. Nothing we read limits ordinary routes such as a written complaint to the site manager, your state attorney general’s consumer office or small claims court, but nothing sets out what Crew owes you either. The agreement signed at sign-up may say more; ask to see it. Two laws are worth knowing about. A federal statute, 15 U.S.C. 8403, bars charging a consumer online through a “negative option feature” unless the seller discloses the material terms before taking billing information, gets “express informed consent,” and provides “simple mechanisms for a consumer to stop recurring charges.” Minnesota, where Crew runs sites including St. Cloud and Eden Prairie, has an automatic-renewal law, Minnesota Statutes 325G.56 to 325G.62, added in 2024. For agreements “between a seller and a consumer in Minnesota,” it requires, among other things: - after you accept, a confirmation you can keep that includes the “offer terms,” which the statute defines to include the cancellation policy and, if so, that “the amount of the charge may change” (sections 325G.56 and 325G.57, subdivision 2); - before any “material change” in the terms, “a clear and conspicuous notice” to the consumer; the statute says a change made without it “is void and unenforceable” (subdivision 3); - for continuous service, written notice “at least once per calendar year via mail or email” (subdivision 5); - a website with subscription management to include a “termination election,” and termination of continuous service to take effect “no later than 31 days” after a verified notice (sections 325G.60 and 325G.59). Crew’s terms describe notice of a regular-price rise as a sign posted at its locations 30 days ahead. Whether that, or any other part of Crew’s process, meets the Minnesota statute is for a lawyer or the Minnesota attorney general to say, not this page; if a price change surprises a Minnesota member, the statute is the text to read. Our pages on [Quick Quack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/), [Club Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/), [Flagship Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/) and [Whistle Express](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/) read those chains’ own terms; each sets its own rules, and none of theirs is stated here. ## Who owns Crew Carwash: the Dahm family and the 2014 split Asked whether it sells franchises or is publicly held, Crew’s FAQs say: “The short answer to both is no. We are a family owned company, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... We have no plans to franchise or go public.” The Crew Story says the company is “Still owned by the Dahm Family” and names three people under “Family Owned”: founder Joe Dahm, CEO Bill Dahm and Executive Vice President Sally Dahm Grant. Crew’s 2026 releases call Bill Dahm “CEO and 2nd Generation Owner,” and its 2023 release calls Sally Dahm Grant a “third generation Crew Carwash owner.” The legal entity in its SMS terms is Crew Carwash, Inc. The name is newer than the business. Crew’s release of August 29, 2014 announced that the two brothers who owned Mike’s Carwash, Bill and Mike Dahm, would split the business their father started in 1948 into two independent companies. Bill took 26 carwashes in Central Indiana, which became Crew Carwash; Mike kept 15, in Cincinnati, Dayton, Evansville, Fort Wayne and Mishawaka. Together they had 41 sites and 750 team members. No Crew document we read says the company is employee-owned, and none names an outside owner or investor; our searches found none either. Ownership shares are not published, and we did not search state business registries, so the family’s ownership is reported here as Crew’s own statement. **Crew Carwash’s size by its own releases** | Release date | Locations Crew gave | Employees Crew gave | | --- | --- | --- | | August 29, 2014 | 26 (Bill Dahm’s share of 41 Mike’s Carwashes) | 750 across both companies | | December 20, 2021 | 40 in the Midwest; first Minnesota site | Nearly 900 | | September 5, 2023 | 45 across Indiana and Minnesota | Over 1,000 (body) or nearly 950 (boilerplate) | | December 6, 2024 | 50th location announced | Over 1,000 | | March 5, 2026 | More than 55 across three states; first Illinois site | Over 1,500 | | June 16, 2026 | 60 across three states | Over 1,500 | By our arithmetic, that is 34 more sites than the 26 Crew started with in 2014, and 10 more, or 20%, in the roughly 18 months between the 50th and 60th locations. Crew’s Growth page says it is “on target to grow 10%+ each year.” A thank-you page dated October 2026 refers to a Fitchburg site opening soon but names no state, so we do not count it. ## Before you join the Unlimited Club - **Count your washes.** By our arithmetic a plan beats single washes from the second wash a month on Ultimate or Ultimate 360° and from the third on Basic. - **Check the car against the restrictions.** Height over 83″, width over 71″, 5″ or less of clearance, tires over 12.5″, duals, racks, a donut spare on the driver’s side, or one of the named models. - **Check the damage list.** A car 15 years or older, non-factory parts, a power antenna or a cracked windshield are all things Crew says it can’t be responsible for. - **Ask which price you will pay, and keep the terms.** Note the regular price and when any introductory price ends, ask for the signed agreement, and screenshot the web terms with the date. - **Note your billing date and tag number.** Cancel through the portal at least 48 hours before the billing date to allow for an early charge, and keep the confirmation. - **Say if it is a work car.** Passenger-carrying businesses pay commercial rates and dealership-owned cars can’t join; fleets use prepaid Business Fleet Accounts. - **Photograph the car first.** Crew publishes no claims process, so dated pictures are your record. ## Common questions ### How much is a Crew Carwash Unlimited Club membership? Crew’s plan image showed $32 a month for Basic, $43 for Ultimate and $48 for Ultimate 360° on 16 October 2026, and its Ultimate 360° page lists that plan at “REG. $48.99.” Single washes are $12, $24 and $29. Promotional prices are offered at locations and end; Crew says rises in regular prices are posted at its locations 30 days or more ahead. ### How do I cancel my Crew Carwash membership? Through the Customer Portal at crewcarwash.com/manage, at least 24 hours before your billing date, with the tag number under the barcode on your windshield. Because the charge can run a day early, allow 48 hours, by our arithmetic. The plan stays active until the next billing date. ### Does Crew Carwash give refunds? No. Its terms say “No refunds will be given for mid-month cancellations or for billing cycles with no wash usage,” and its FAQ answers the question with “No, you will not receive a refund.” Business Fleet Accounts do not refund unused prepaid washes either. ### Can I use one Crew membership on two cars? No. Crew says “One vehicle per plan,” and we found no family plan or second-car discount. You can move a plan to a replacement car at any Crew location with your pass number. ### What happens if Crew Carwash damages my car? Crew publishes no claims process. Its Vehicle Restrictions page lists 8 conditions under which it says it “cannot be responsible for damage that might occur,” including vehicles 15 years or older and non-factory parts. Report damage to the manager before you leave, photograph it on site, and ask for the outcome in writing. ### Is Crew Carwash family owned? Crew says so: “We are a family owned company, based in Indianapolis, Indiana,” with “no plans to franchise or go public.” It traces the business to 1948 and to the 2014 split of Mike’s Carwash between brothers Bill and Mike Dahm. Bill Dahm is CEO. We found no outside owner named anywhere, but ownership shares are not published. ## Sources and further reading - [Minnesota Statutes 325G.56 to 325G.62 (automatic renewal and continuous service)](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/325G.57) - [15 U.S.C. 8403: Negative option marketing on the Internet](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap110-sec8403.htm) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crew-carwash/ --- title: "Car Toys: Who Owns It Now, Install Warranty, Returns and Tint" description: "Car Toys sold 35 of its 47 stores in its 2025 bankruptcy. What its lifetime install warranty, protection plans, returns and tint pages say, and who owns it now." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-toys/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Car Toys: Who Owns It Now, Install Warranty, Returns and Tint > Car Toys sold 35 of its 47 stores in its 2025 bankruptcy. What its lifetime install warranty, protection plans, returns and tint pages say, and who owns it now. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,920 words* ## The short version - Car Toys is no longer one company. Car Toys, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 on August 18, 2025 with 47 stores and agreed to sell 35 of them to five buyers; the court signed the order confirming its plan on March 12, 2026. - cartoys.com now speaks of 18 locations in Washington and Colorado. The Oregon stores trade as Car Toys Oregon under separate owners, with an “ALL SALES FINAL, NO REFUNDS” policy, and a Colorado Springs shop trades as Car Toys Audio. - The lifetime installation warranty covers workmanship, mounting and wiring “for the lifetime of the vehicle,” but it “can only be Redeemed by the original purchaser” and ends if another shop touches the install. - Most products can be returned within 30 days, new and complete with the receipt. Labor and installation are never refunded, and an item with cut wires is not eligible. - The protection plan is a service contract run by Bankers Warranty Group. It passes to a buyer of the car only if the administrator is told by mail within 15 days. - No Car Toys page we read says how remote start or an alarm affects a factory warranty. Federal law bars a carmaker from requiring its own parts, but damage an install causes is not covered. If you searched for Car Toys, you probably want a stereo, remote starter, camera or window tint fitted, or you are looking at a car that already has Car Toys work in it. The short answer: the name now covers several separately owned businesses, and which one you deal with decides your warranty and your return rights. On 16 October 2026 we read cartoys.com’s terms, its [Lifetime Installation Guarantee](https://www.cartoys.com/pages/lifetime-installation-guarantee), its [Return Promise](https://www.cartoys.com/pages/return-promise), its price-match, protection-plan, tint, shipping and restructure pages; the filings in In re Car Toys, Inc., No. 25-12288-TWD in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington; Washington’s tint statute; and the pages of Car Toys Oregon and Car Toys Audio. This site has no commercial relationship with any Car Toys business or with any installer. **Figure: What Car Toys' documents say, by situation** Nine situations a car owner or used-car buyer meets with Car Toys work, each matched to the wording of Car Toys' warranty, return, price-match and restructure pages, its protection-plan contract, or its bankruptcy filings. Read from cartoys.com and the filings in In re Car Toys, Inc., No. 25-12288-TWD (Bankr. W.D. Wash.), 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Car Toys after the 2025 bankruptcy Car Toys started in Bellevue, Washington. Its About page says the first store opened on April 1, 1987 and that the company was founded by “current Chairman and CEO, Dan Brettler”; it is 39 years old in 2026, by our arithmetic. In a sworn declaration filed with the bankruptcy court, Daniel E. Brettler describes himself as “the founder, chairman and majority shareholder of Car Toys, Inc.” and also “the company’s senior secured lender,” with a loan balance of $20,645,081.89 when the case began. Car Toys, Inc. filed its voluntary Chapter 11 petition on August 18, 2025, when it ran 47 stores in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Texas, plus a distribution center and an Oregon upfitting annex. Brettler’s declaration gives the business reason: “Modern vehicles now typically come with complex, factory-installed infotainment systems that require specialized knowledge and tools to interface with or upgrade,” and revenues “remained unable to keep pace with its expenses.” Net losses were $2,687,474 in 2022, $6,271,445 in 2023 and $16,281,715 in 2024, about $25.2 million over the three years by our arithmetic. The company’s own FAQ for the case puts it differently, blaming “debt issues unrelated to company performance or operations.” The declaration says Car Toys aimed to sell 35 stores in four states to five purchasers “for a combined purchase price of approximately $13.95M,” and that “Each Purchaser holds no interest in Car Toys.” The FAQ says the remaining stores, the distribution center and corporate headquarters would close: 12 stores, by our arithmetic. The buyers, as the filings and Car Toys’ restructure page name them: **Who bought Car Toys stores in the 2025 Chapter 11 sale (Car Toys FAQ, Brettler declaration and cartoys.com restructure page, read 16 October 2026)** | Buyer | What it took | | --- | --- | | Sound Distribution, which cartoys.com calls “Foss Audio and Tint” | Northern Colorado, Western Washington and the Portland upfitting annex: six Colorado stores and “12 locations in the puget sound,” per the restructure page | | Troy Parcels and Chris Pritts, longtime Car Toys staff | Eight of twelve Dallas-Fort Worth stores and all four in Houston | | Don Longworth and Raul Shakarov, longtime Car Toys staff | Five of six Oregon stores, now trading as Car Toys Oregon | | Drive In Autosound | The Colorado Springs North store, plus assets from the South Springs store | | Selway Sound dba Aspen Sound | Both Spokane stores, into which it is moving its own two Spokane shops | The declaration links the Washington buyer to Foss: “Led by Ed Weber, Foss Car Audio has five locations in Western Washington.” The restructure page’s per-buyer figures add to 38 stores by our arithmetic, against the filing’s 35; its Puget Sound count may include Foss’s own shops, but it does not say. The court’s notice of March 12, 2026 states that “an Order Confirming the Plan was signed” by Judge Timothy W. Dore, and the case website lists Bush Kornfeld LLP as plan administrator. We did not read the sale orders or the plan itself. **The sister company.** Brettler founded Wireless Advocates, LLC in 2004 “as a subsidiary of Car Toys”; it ran “private-label wireless kiosks” in “over 600 retail locations,” principally Costco stores and military exchanges, until Costco gave notice in 2022 that it was terminating its contract; the business closed that December. An involuntary Chapter 7 petition against it was granted on February 27, 2023. Former employees allege in Karroll v. Wireless Advocates, LLC (Adv. No. 23-01005-TWD) that about 1,800 kiosk staff were let go without notice; the documents we read describe a $3,625,000 settlement, $125,000 of it from Car Toys (3.4 percent, by our arithmetic), preliminarily approved, with a final hearing set for August 22, 2025. We did not read a final order. Our searches on 16 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or Federal Trade Commission action against Car Toys. ## Which Car Toys are you dealing with? Brettler’s declaration expected the buyers to provide “extension of the Car Toys brand,” so a Car Toys sign no longer tells you who owns the shop. Three websites use the name, each with its own terms: - **cartoys.com.** The tint page says “18 locations” and names Washington and Colorado; the dealer page says “some (18) stores.” That matches the six Colorado stores and 12 Puget Sound locations given to Foss Audio and Tint, 18 by our arithmetic, but no page names the business now running the site; the terms still say it is “provided by Car Toys.” The store list built into the Store Locator page still holds 45 stores in four states, both Spokane stores included, with 2024 holiday hours. - **Car Toys Oregon** (cartoysoregon.com) serves Portland and the Willamette Valley “from five Oregon locations.” Its About page says that in 2025 “the Oregon locations stayed open under local, independent ownership, led by longtime Car Toys veterans.” - **Car Toys Audio** (cartoysaudio.com) calls itself a car audio and stereo store “in Colorado Springs” with “over 39 years in business.” The pages we read do not say who owns it. We found no website for the Texas buyers. The three sites we read disagree on returns and warranties: **Three businesses using the Car Toys name: printed terms (each site read 16 October 2026)** | Business | Where | Returns | Installation warranty | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | cartoys.com | “18 locations,” Washington and Colorado | 30 days for most products, with exceptions | Lifetime of the vehicle, original purchaser only | | Car Toys Oregon | Five Oregon stores | “ALL SALES FINAL, NO REFUNDS”; exchange or store credit “at our discretion within 14 days” | “lifetime labor warranty” for “as long as you own your vehicle” | | Car Toys Audio | Colorado Springs | “return or exchange your purchase within 30 days” | None found on the pages read | Read the name on your receipt, and ask whose warranty you are getting and whether the store honors work done before the sale. ## What Car Toys installs, in its own words cartoys.com’s service pages describe these lines: - **Stereos and phone integration.** “Yes, you can have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in your vehicle, no matter what you drive,” with a replacement receiver, or a “Factory Sound Upgrade” in three tiers that keeps the stock head unit. An integration harness, Car Toys says, “is imperative to retaining factory features and safety alerts.” - **Remote start and security.** The installation page offers to fit remote start, and the shop sells car alarms, remotes and keyless entry. Car Toys Oregon lists remote start and security “from Compustar.” - **Safety electronics.** Backup cameras, dash cameras, radar detectors and an Intoxalock ignition interlock device are in the shop’s menus. - **Tint, film and coatings.** Window tint (covered below), paint protection film that “Protects up to 10 Years,” a paint coating that “can last one to two years,” and a ceramic glass treatment whose “Standard pricing for the service is $99.99.” - **Beyond cars.** Marine and powersports audio; fleet upfitting such as “shelving, ladder racks, partitions”; and a dealer program selling entertainment, safety and security products for dealers to add to vehicle sales. So a remote starter or tint on a dealer’s car may be an installer’s add-on: ask for its invoice, and see our guide to [dealer fees and add-ons](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#junk). Car Toys says its installers are “professionally trained and MECP Certified” (Mobile Electronics Certified Professional) and that “We currently have about 180 Skilled or higher certified installers.” Install prices are not printed: “Contact a store for details about installation pricing and availability.” Free installation offers cover “standard installation, but additional custom labor and parts, if needed, are extra.” ## The lifetime installation warranty, clause by clause cartoys.com promises installs “guaranteed for life.” The Lifetime Installation Guarantee covers “installation workmanship performed by Car Toys Technicians for the lifetime of the vehicle, including all mounting and wiring,” on conditions. Taken apart, as printed: - **What it covers:** the labor, mounting and wiring Car Toys did. It “is not a product warranty”; if covered equipment that Car Toys sold and installed fails, Car Toys says it will “remove, repair or replace the covered equipment in the original vehicle at no charge.” - **How long:** “for the lifetime of the vehicle.” The tint page words it as “as long as you own the vehicle,” and only “On ceramic tint.” - **Who can use it:** “This Service can only be Redeemed by the original purchaser.” A later owner of the car cannot. - **What ends it:** any further installation work on the product by anyone other than “an authorized Car Toys Installation Center.” - **What to bring:** “the original installation and product purchase receipts.” Both, not one. - **Where:** “any Car Toys,” according to the guarantee page; “any Car Toys across Washington and Colorado,” according to the tint page. - **What costs extra:** Car Toys pre-checks equipment that was already in the car, and “Equipment that is non-functional will be assessed with a bench test fee,” waived if you buy a replacement. Curing engine noise in a radio or amplifier install carries “an additional charge.” Products carry their makers’ warranties. The terms say “All manufacturers require product registration for warranty purposes,” that registering is the buyer’s job, and that “The customer/buyer is responsible for any costs involved in obtaining warranty coverage.” **After the sale.** The restructure page tells customers: “Enjoy peace of mind knowing that your Car Toys coverage warranty has not changed and will be fully honored.” It does not say by whom. The “Customer Programs” Brettler’s declaration asked to keep honoring for a limited time were gift cards, Groupon vouchers and short-term deposits, not the installation warranty, and we did not read the sale agreements. If your install predates the sale, ask the store now at that location whether it will honor it, in writing. **A used car’s Car Toys install comes without the Car Toys warranty.** The guarantee “can only be Redeemed by the original purchaser,” ends if any other shop has worked on the install, and needs both original receipts. Price aftermarket electronics in a used car as if they carry no workmanship cover at all. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the centre screen, an add-on gauge pod and the instrument cluster, each with one fact from Car Toys’ warranty and installation pages. Car Toys’ warranty and installation pages, read on 16 October 2026: Ask the seller for both receipts: a warranty claim needs the install and product receipts (callout 1); Bought used? Car Toys' lifetime install warranty is for the original purchaser only (callout 2); Check chimes and warning lights: the harness is what keeps factory safety alerts (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Extended Service Protection and Customer Care Protection Car Toys sells two kinds of add-on cover, and its pages describe them more generously than the contract does. **Extended Service Protection.** The ESP page promises “up to 5 years of coverage,” “No additional fees for diagnostics, repair, removal or reinstallation. No deductible,” and “Transferable (if you sell your car, the Protection Plan can be transferred to the new owner at no additional cost).” Eligible items include decks, speakers, amplifiers, multimedia systems, “Alarms and Radar Detectors,” and the agreements are “Administered by Bankers Warranty Group, Inc.” and related Bankers Warranty companies. The bankruptcy schedules list $196,883.77 paid to “Bankers Warranty - Centricity” in the 90 days before the filing, each payment described as “Remit Customer Warranty Purchases.” The contract, posted as the Mobile Electronics Protection Plan, reads differently: - “This is not a contract of insurance.” Bankers Warranty Group, Inc. is the obligor unless your state disclosure names another entity, so the promise is the administrator’s, not the store’s. - “You must call prior to receiving service; all repairs must be authorized in advance.” - It does not pay for failures that the maker’s warranty covers during the maker’s warranty period. - Removal and reinstallation is paid only if the retailer installed the product, and then only “up to sixteen dollars ($16.00)” while the maker’s warranty runs and “up to forty two dollars and fifty cents ($42.50)” after it. Bought online, the benefit “may not be available.” - Excluded: “Damage resulting from unauthorized repair or product modifications or alterations” and “Conditions, which existed prior to Your purchase.” - Transfer works “only if You notify the Administrator by mail with the name and address of the new owner within fifteen (15) days of the change of ownership.” - Cancel within 30 days for a full refund less claims paid; later, a pro rata refund less a fee of up to 10 percent of the price or $25, whichever is less. **Customer Care Protection.** A newer page offers “up to 5 years of extended coverage on products and installation” for electronics “purchased and installed at Car Toys locations,” with one unusual term: keep the plan for its full term without a claim and Car Toys will “issue a store credit for 100% of the plan’s value.” That credit “has no cash value,” must be used before its stated expiry (“up to 1 year after expiration”), and any claim cancels it. “The covered product must remain in your possession and installed in the original vehicle unless the plan explicitly allows transfer.” Printed prices run from $15 for one year on a product under $300 to $1,750 for five years on one costing $5,001 to $10,000; in every band, three years cost three times one year and five years five times, by our arithmetic. No administrator is named, only “A-rated insurance carriers.” **Car Toys protection plans: what each document says (cartoys.com, read 16 October 2026)** | Term | ESP page | Service contract | Customer Care Protection | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Length | “up to 5 years” (the guarantee page says ESP extends the maker’s warranty “up to 4 years”) | No length in the posted terms | Up to 5 years | | Removal and reinstallation | “No additional fees” | Up to $16.00, or $42.50 after the maker’s warranty; retailer-installed products only | “all covered with NO DEDUCTIBLE” | | Selling the car | Transfers “at no additional cost” | Only if the administrator is told by mail within 15 days | Product must stay with you, in the original vehicle, unless the plan allows transfer | | Never used | Not stated | Pro rata refund if cancelled, less up to 10% or $25 | Store credit for 100% of the plan price | The Federal Trade Commission makes the same point about auto service contracts: one “is not a warranty as defined by federal law, because you buy it separately,” as this site recorded on 9 October 2026. Our [extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains what that changes. ## Returns, exchanges and the price match cartoys.com’s Return Promise opens with “All eligible products can be returned within 30 days of purchase,” new, complete and with the receipt, at “any Car Toys retail location.” The terms add that “Car Toys reserves the right to deny any return or exchange.” The windows and exclusions, as printed: **cartoys.com return windows and exclusions (Return Promise, Terms and Conditions and refund policy, read 16 October 2026)** | Item or situation | Rule | | --- | --- | | Most car audio and video products | 30 days, “brand new condition and 100% complete” with the receipt | | Portable GPS units, radar detectors, portable video | 5 days in a store; online, 14 days (terms) or the “day of delivery” (Return Promise) | | Damaged in shipping | Report within 2 days of delivery | | Labor, delivery or installation | Not refundable | | Special orders, insurance replacement parts, gift cards, damaged or incomplete items | Not returnable; deposits on special orders Car Toys cannot cancel are not refunded | | Items with cut wires | Listed as not eligible | | Missing packaging or parts | Restocking fee of “at least 25%” (terms) or “20% or more” (refund policy) | Once a product is wired into your car, treat it as kept. Refunds go back the way you paid: cash over $150 as a check “within 14 business days,” financed purchases to the finance company within 7 to 10 days, and gift-card purchases as store credit “redeemable up to 90 days after issue.” Online, mailed returns need a return authorization number first. The terms make the buyer “responsible for all return costs,” with a $15.00 fee on an item that shipped free, while the Return Promise offers “the free postage label provided by the Car Toys Customer Care Team.” Cancelling before shipment costs “a minimum 5% cancellation fee.” Ground shipping is free on orders over $100. **The price match.** “If you find a lower price from an authorized dealer, including qualified online retailers, within 14 days of your purchase, we will gladly refund 100% of the difference,” including Car Toys’ own later sale prices. You must show the ad or online offer, the product must be “identical to the make, model, color and in stock,” and the guarantee “does not apply to services,” promotional periods including Thanksgiving weekend, unauthorized dealers, loyalty rebates, financing or bundle offers. **Elsewhere under the name.** Car Toys Oregon’s sales are final, with exchange or credit within 14 days, 16 days less than cartoys.com’s return window by our arithmetic; it says “We’ll match any authorized dealer’s price.” Old Car Toys, Inc. gift cards are another matter: the restructure page says cards “Purchased prior to Oct. 1 2025 will only be honored thru December 31 2025,” and that Car Toys stopped honoring Groupon vouchers from December 31, 2025. At filing, the declaration put unredeemed gift card balances going back five years at $1,145,625. ## Remote start, alarms and your car’s factory warranty Car Toys does not say in writing whether remote start affects a factory warranty; its “Remote Start Buying Guide” link sent us to the homepage on 16 October 2026. What its pages do say: - On tint: “Professionally installed aftermarket window tint does not void your vehicle’s factory warranty.” - On audio, in the terms: “Some car audio modifications can adversely affect the electrical and/or Engine Control Modules of a vehicle,” Car Toys recommends professional installation, and “Car Toys is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from car audio modifications.” - Car Toys Oregon says its remote start installs are done “to maintain safety, factory function, and long-term durability.” The federal rules fill the gap. Under 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using” a branded article or service unless it is free under the warranty or the Federal Trade Commission grants a waiver (this site’s reading of 16 October 2026). The FTC’s interpretation at 16 CFR 700.10 adds that no warrantor may make a warranty depend on “authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance” (read for this site on 8 October 2026). On those rules, fitting a remote starter or stereo somewhere other than the dealer does not by itself end a carmaker’s warranty. Damage is different. The FTC’s guide to auto warranties, as this site read it on 8 October 2026: “if someone installs a defective aftermarket or recycled part, or doesn’t install a part correctly, it could damage a part that the warranty covers,” and the maker or dealer can then deny cover for that part, though it “must prove the aftermarket or recycled part caused the damage.” Remote starters and alarms connect to the car’s wiring, so keep the installer’s invoice. Shops have a duty too. Under 49 U.S.C. 30122, a “motor vehicle repair business,” meaning one that holds itself out to repair vehicles for pay, may not knowingly make inoperative equipment fitted to meet a federal safety standard. A paid installer falls within that definition; our [RealTruck page](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/realtruck-review/#truck-warranty) applies the same rules to truck accessories. ## Car Toys window tint: films, price ranges and Washington’s rule The tint page calls Car Toys a “3M Authorized Dealer” and “Protint Certified Installer,” says installers are trained in-house, “not subcontracted, not seasonal,” that patterns are computer-cut so “No blade ever touches your glass,” and that older metallic films are not installed. It offers three film tiers and, unusually, prints estimated prices: **Car Toys’ printed tint price ranges, “confirm exact pricing” in store (cartoys.com, read 16 October 2026)** | Vehicle | Dyed / standard | Carbon | Ceramic | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sedan or coupe (4 windows + rear) | $199 to $279 | $299 to $429 | $449 to $699 | | SUV or truck (4 windows + rear) | $249 to $329 | $349 to $499 | $499 to $799 | | Full coverage, including windshield | $299 to $429 | $449 to $649 | $649 to $999 | Most sedans take 2 to 3 hours, and the windows stay up for 3 to 5 days while the film cures, the page says. Car Toys’ Washington figures match the statute. [RCW 46.37.430](https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.37.430) allows film on any window except the windshield with “a light transmission of twenty-four percent or more” and reflectance of 35 percent or less, if the car has mirrors on both sides; behind the driver of a truck, motor home or multipurpose vehicle it may be darker. On the windshield, tint may not reach into the AS-1 area or run more than six inches from the top. Mirror finishes and red, gold, yellow or black film are banned, as is more than one sheet of film on a window. A paid tinter “shall supply a sticker to be affixed to the driver’s door post,” certifying the job meets the standards, and driving with film that does not comply is a traffic infraction. Colorado is less clear on Car Toys’ own page: its table says “24% VLT or more,” and its text says “Colorado (27% VLT minimum).” We did not read Colorado’s statute, so check it before you choose a shade there. Tint World, which also sells tint, has its own page on this site: [Tint World](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tint-world/). ## Buying a used car with Car Toys work in it Aftermarket electronics are a modification, so start with our guide to [buying a modified used car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/): a history report cannot see them, and your insurer may want to know about them. Then work through what Car Toys’ documents mean for you as the second owner: - **The workmanship warranty stays behind.** Only the original purchaser can redeem it, so wiring faults are yours to fix. - **A protection plan may follow the car, if the seller acts.** The Bankers Warranty contract moves to a new owner only if the administrator is told by mail within 15 days of the sale. Customer Care Protection is tied to its buyer and the original vehicle. - **Product warranties are the makers’.** Ask whether the product was registered, and read the maker’s terms on resale. - **Inherited gear gets a pre-check.** Car Toys checks equipment already in a car before new work and charges a bench test fee if it does not work. On the [test drive](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-test-drive-a-used-car/#switches), work every added function and watch the dash: Car Toys says its harness keeps “all displays, warning lights, and system sounds” working. Car Toys Oregon lists pre-purchase inspections that cover “electronics” among other systems; ask any inspector to include the add-ons, and see what an inspection covers in our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#covers). In Washington, look for the tinter’s sticker on the driver’s door post. - **Ask for the installation and product receipts,** and note which Car Toys store and which owner did the work. - **Ask whether a protection plan exists,** and have the seller mail the transfer to Bankers Warranty within 15 days of the sale. - **Test every added function:** CarPlay or Android Auto, steering-wheel controls, the backup camera, remote start from each remote, the alarm and keyless entry. - **Check chimes, warning lights and the cluster** with the engine running; Car Toys says the harness keeps the factory alerts. - **Check the tint** against your state’s rule and, in Washington, find the door-post sticker. - **Tell your insurer** about the add-ons before you agree a price. ## Website terms and disputes cartoys.com’s [Terms and Conditions](https://www.cartoys.com/pages/terms-and-conditions) carry no date and can be “modified by Car Toys without notice at any time.” They choose Washington law and send any legal action “exclusively” to a federal or state court in Washington, and a claim about the site “must be commenced within one (1) year” or it is barred. We found no arbitration clause and no jury waiver. The site is provided “AS IS,” Car Toys excludes incidental and consequential damages where the law allows, “is not obligated to honor any price or product misprint,” may cancel any order “for any reason,” and may assign its rights “to any party at any time without notice.” Use is licensed for “personal use” and “noncommercial purposes only,” and robots and scraping are barred, which is why this page quotes only short passages. Linking is not barred. ## Where Car Toys’ own documents disagree - **Restocking fee:** “at least 25%” in the terms, “20% or more” in the refund policy. - **Return postage:** buyer pays all return costs (terms); a free label (Return Promise). - **Portable electronics online:** 14 days (terms); day of delivery (Return Promise). - **Warranty length and reach:** “lifetime of the vehicle” but “original purchaser” only; “any Car Toys” or only Washington and Colorado. - **ESP:** “up to 4 years” or “up to 5 years”; “No additional fees” against the contract’s $16.00 and $42.50 caps; transferable “at no additional cost” against the 15-day mail notice. - **Colorado tint:** 24% in the table, 27% in the text. - **Size:** “some 1,000 employees” in four states (About), 45 stores (locator data), 18 (tint and dealer pages). - **The sale:** 38 stores by the restructure page’s numbers, 35 in the filing; “Foss Audio and Tint” on the site, “Sound Distribution” in the FAQ. - **Why it filed:** debt “unrelated to company performance” (FAQ); losses every year from 2022 (declaration). - **Return address:** a Tukwila distribution center the FAQ said would close. - **Price bands:** a $1,000 product fits two Customer Care Protection rows. ## Common questions ### Is Car Toys going out of business? Car Toys, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 on August 18, 2025, sold 35 of its 47 stores to five buyers and closed the rest; its plan was confirmed on March 12, 2026. The sold stores stay open under new owners, several still using the Car Toys name. ### Who owns Car Toys now? It depends on the store. Sound Distribution (Foss) bought Western Washington, Northern Colorado and the Portland annex; Troy Parcels and Chris Pritts the Texas stores; Don Longworth and Raul Shakarov five Oregon stores; Drive In Autosound and Aspen Sound one Colorado Springs and both Spokane stores. ### Does the Car Toys lifetime installation warranty transfer to a new owner? No. It “can only be Redeemed by the original purchaser,” needs the original installation and product receipts, and ends if another shop works on the install. A Bankers Warranty protection plan can transfer if the administrator is told by mail within 15 days. ### What is the Car Toys return policy? On cartoys.com, most products within 30 days, new and complete with the receipt; portable GPS units and radar detectors within 5 days in store. Labor and installation are not refunded, and cut-wire items are not eligible. Car Toys Oregon’s sales are final, with exchange or credit within 14 days. ### Does a remote start void my car’s warranty? Not by itself: 15 U.S.C. 2302(c) bars a carmaker from requiring its own brand of parts or service. If the install damages something, the maker can refuse that repair and, the FTC says, must prove the cause. Car Toys publishes no remote-start warranty statement. ### Does Car Toys price match? Yes, within 14 days: it refunds 100% of the difference if an authorized dealer advertises the identical in-stock product for less. Services, promotional periods, bundles and financing offers are excluded. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [FMVSS No. 205 — glazing materials](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subject-group-ECFR6a1805396c88fd7/section-571.205) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-toys/ --- title: "Autolist Review: Who Owns It, What It Shares, What Its Terms Say" description: "Autolist sells no cars, and CarGurus has run it since 2020. What its terms say about listing accuracy and arbitration, and what contacting a seller shares." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autolist-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Autolist Review: Who Owns It, What It Shares, What Its Terms Say > Autolist sells no cars, and CarGurus has run it since 2020. What its terms say about listing accuracy and arbitration, and what contacting a seller shares. *Used Car Buying · 21 min read · 4,805 words* ## The short version - Autolist is a search site and app for car listings, not a seller. Its help page says “Autolist does not sell cars,” and its Terms of Use call it “only a listing service” that is “not a party to any transaction.” - CarGurus owns and runs it. CarGurus completed the purchase on January 16, 2020 for net consideration of $21.1 million, and Autolist’s terms (last updated 09/10/2026) make CarGurus, Inc. the company you contract with. - Contacting a seller hands over your name, email, ZIP code and phone number, and the privacy notice says you then “agree to being contacted by the seller,” including by “automatic telephone dialing system and/or an artificial or pre-recorded voice.” - Autolist shows a price comparison, price history and a “Listimate value”, but no page we read explains how they are worked out. Its terms do not promise any listing is “a good deal for you” and say listed prices “often exclude taxes, finance charges, title, license, and other fees.” - The terms require individual arbitration, bar class actions, give you one year to bring a claim, release Autolist from your disputes with sellers, and cap its liability at the greater of $100 or fees paid in the preceding 12 months. - Autolist names advertising as a source of money. CarGurus said in 2020 that its premium dealers would get “connections from Autolist shoppers,” and its 2020 and 2021 annual reports described paid listings packages for Autolist; its 2025 report says nothing on how Autolist earns. Yes, Autolist is a legitimate car search site and app, owned since January 2020 by CarGurus, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company that reports to the SEC. It does not sell cars, and none of its documents says it inspects or vouches for them: it shows listings from dealers and private sellers and leaves every check to you. On 16 October 2026 we read Autolist’s Terms of Use (last updated 09/10/2026), its privacy notice (effective September 13, 2024), its help, home, News & Analysis and guides pages, its guide “Best Used Car Websites in 2025”, its Google Play description, and CarGurus’ SEC filings about Autolist from 2020 to 2026. Autolist’s terms bar automated access and deep links, so we opened each Autolist page once by hand and name its documents without linking them. We ran no search and typed no ZIP code, make, model or contact detail. This site has no commercial relationship with Autolist, CarGurus or any seller. **Figure: What each thing you see on Autolist means, by Autolist’s own documents** A seven-row table reading what a shopper sees on Autolist against Autolist’s Terms of Use, privacy notice, home page and app description: a listed price is set by the seller and often excludes taxes, finance charges, title, license and other fees; a price comparison or Listimate value is meant to help you negotiate, but the terms do not warrant any listing is a good deal; a contact form or call or text button sends your name, email, ZIP code and phone number to the seller and records your agreement to its calls and texts, including autodialed ones; a car for sale is not an offer to sell, because Autolist is only a listing service and not a party to the sale; the Sell My Car link opens a page on CarGurus’ site, the company that runs Autolist; saved searches and price-drop alerts are among the privacy notice’s tracking purposes; and the privacy notice’s My Privacy Rights form lets you opt out of sale and ad sharing, which its California table marks Yes for 5 of 8 categories. Read from Autolist’s Terms of Use (last updated 09/10/2026), privacy notice (effective September 13, 2024), home page and Google Play description on 16 October 2026. No search was run and nothing was entered. ## Is Autolist legit? What it is and what it claims Autolist’s footer invites you to “analyze car prices, read reviews, research pricing history, and search over 5,000,000 listings.” Its home page puts the idea in one line: “Search all major used car apps and websites, so you can see the most listings in one place.” And its help page opens with the point most buyers miss: “Autolist does not sell cars - we find existing listings and help you find the best deal.” So Autolist is a search tool. You find a car there and buy it from the dealer or private seller who placed the ad. CarGurus’ annual report for 2025 calls Autolist “a U.S. automotive marketplace accessible via mobile application and website,” with “real-time alerts of newly available inventory and changes that occur on vehicles and saved searches.” The home page claims “Over 7 million downloads” of its app, with no date or source. Two things a shopper might look for are missing. Autolist’s sitemap lists an “about us” page, but that address answered “Oops! We can’t find that page.” And the help page has no FAQ: one note, a chat button and the line “Support is offered in English only.” Most of what follows therefore comes from Autolist’s legal documents and its owner’s filings. A real site can still carry a false listing, and Autolist’s terms make no promise otherwise. Our guide to [finding a used car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-find-a-used-car/#cast-wide) explains why searching several channels helps, and our [AutoTempest review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autotempest-review/) covers another site that gathers listings from elsewhere. ## Who owns Autolist: CarGurus, since January 2020 CarGurus’ Form 8-K of January 16, 2020 says it “has completed its acquisition of Autolist, a car shopping website based in San Francisco, CA.” The [press release filed with it](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1494259/000119312520009016/d872710dex991.htm) says Autolist was “founded in 2014” and had more than 1.3M unique monthly website visitors and nearly 400K unique monthly app visitors in December 2019. It promised that “CarGurus will operate Autolist as a standalone brand and website,” led by its founder, Corey Lydstone. “Terms of the deal were not disclosed,” it said; CarGurus’ [annual report for 2020](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1494259/000156459021005612/carg-10k_20201231.htm) later gave the price: “net consideration of $21.1 million.” Six years on, by our arithmetic, CarGurus still runs Autolist under its own name. Its [annual report for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1494259/000119312526059435/carg-20251231.htm) says it “operates the Autolist online marketplace as an independent brand,” and its quarterly report for June 2026 says the same. A CarGurus release of September 3, 2026 lists Autolist in its “network of brands” as “a U.S.- based online marketplace.” Each Autolist document names the company in its own way. Both the terms and the privacy notice give the same Boston address, 1001 Boylston Street, and a formal dispute notice goes to “CarGurus, Inc. ... Attention: Legal.” **Who is behind Autolist, by each document (read 16 October 2026)** | Document | Who it names | Its words | | --- | --- | --- | | Terms of Use (09/10/2026) | CarGurus, Inc. | The site is “operated by CarGurus, Inc. (Company)”, which “operates the Site as AutoList” | | Privacy notice (September 13, 2024) | Autolist, Inc. | “Autolist, Inc. operated by CarGurus” | | Page footer | CarGurus, Inc. | “© 2026 CarGurus, Inc. - All Rights Reserved” | | Google Play listing | CarGurus, Inc. | Named as the developer, with a Boston address | | CarGurus 10-K for 2020 | Auto List, Inc. | Acquired “for net consideration of $21.1 million” | Autolist’s guide “Best Used Car Websites in 2025” lists 14 sites (our count), and the last two are its owner and itself: CarGurus comes in with “Tooting our own horn” as “the parent company of Autolist”, then Autolist with “Now to us.” The guide discloses the ownership; read its advice about CarGurus as an owner’s advice. Our [CarGurus review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cargurus-review/) reads CarGurus’ own terms and filings. ## Where Autolist’s listings come from Autolist names no source. It and its owner describe where its listings come from in five ways, and they do not agree on the scale: **How Autolist and its owner describe the source of its listings (read 16 October 2026)** | Where | What it says | | --- | --- | | Home page | “Search all major used car apps and websites” | | News & Analysis page | “By aggregating listings from 100s of websites”, with “over 4.5 million cars in active inventory” | | Google Play description | “We receive listings from thousands of sources and collect them all into one place” | | Terms of Use | “LISTINGS INFORMATION THAT COMPANY AGGREGATES FROM THIRD PARTIES”; car details are “SUPPLIED BY THE SELLER” | | CarGurus 10-K for 2025 | “The platform includes inventory from top automotive dealers across the U.S.” | Read together: a search engine fed by other websites and by dealers’ inventory, with private sellers in the mix, since the app tells you to “Call, text or email Dealers or Private Sellers right from the app.” CarGurus said in 2020 it would drive “shopper connections for dealers across both sites,” which suggests its paying dealers reach Autolist shoppers, but no document says how many Autolist listings they supply. Freshness is the weak point of any copied listing, and Autolist’s terms say so: “The Service may be out of date, and Company makes no commitment to update materials on the Service.” No page says how quickly a sold car disappears. Selling through Autolist is not on offer in any page we read either: the menu’s “Sell My Car” link opens a page on CarGurus’ own site, which we did not follow. ## What Autolist does not do: sell, inspect or take your money Autolist’s documents say plainly that it does not sell cars. On inspection they are silent, and on payment they contradict each other. **What Autolist’s own documents say about selling, inspecting and payment (read 16 October 2026)** | Question | What its documents say | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Does it sell cars? | No: “Autolist does not sell cars”; it is “ONLY A LISTING SERVICE” and “NOT A PARTY TO ANY TRANSACTION” | Help page; Terms | | Is a listing an offer to sell? | No: listings “DO NOT CONSTITUTE OFFERS FOR THE SALE OF VEHICLES” | Terms | | Does it inspect or vet cars or sellers? | Not stated in words. No page describes any inspection; the company has no “obligation to pre-screen or monitor” third-party content | Terms | | Does it take deposits or payments? | No page offers it, but the privacy notice says that if you use “our services to buy or sell a vehicle”, it may collect bank details “to process payment” | Terms; privacy notice | | Does it arrange financing? | No page offers it; the privacy notice lists what it collects “When you request vehicle financing through our website” | Privacy notice | For private purchases and sales, the privacy notice lists data up to “the last four digits of your social security number, bank name, and bank account and routing numbers.” No Autolist page we read offers a service that would need them. If a page or message that claims to be Autolist asks for bank details or a deposit, stop and check who is asking. **Autolist has not seen the car.** Its terms disclaim the “CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY OF THE LISTINGS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, APPEARANCE, ACCESSORIES, PRICE, OR AVAILABILITY OF ANY GIVEN VEHICLE)”. A price far below the market, a seller who will only text, or a request for a deposit before you see the car are reasons to stop. Our list of [seller red flags](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-red-flags/#seller) covers the common patterns. ## Price comparisons, price history and the “Listimate value” Autolist’s home page promises: “Know how long a car’s been for sale, how its price compares to similar vehicles, if its price drops (or rises), and its Carfax report.” Its Google Play description adds a named figure: “Complete price history for each car and our Listimate value help you know when to buy and negotiate a fair price.” That is all Autolist says. No page we read explains how the Listimate value is calculated, what counts as a “similar” vehicle, or what labels a comparison carries, and we opened no listing to see one. Its owner publishes how CarGurus Deal Ratings work, as our [CarGurus review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cargurus-review/#deal-ratings) explains, but no Autolist document says Autolist uses them. Autolist’s terms set the limits of any price tool. “COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THE LISTINGS ON THIS SITE ARE AFFORDABLE OR A GOOD DEAL FOR YOU,” they say, and “THE PRICE AND OTHER TERMS OF ANY SALE REMAIN SUBJECT TO NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE BUYER AND THE SELLER.” Listed prices “OFTEN EXCLUDE TAXES, FINANCE CHARGES, TITLE, LICENSE, AND OTHER FEES”. Used that way, the tools are a starting point: price history and days for sale tell you whether a seller has already cut the price. An asking price is not a selling price, as our guide to [used car prices](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-prices/#asking-vs-transaction) explains. Compare cars on the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/), and see our guides to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) and [negotiating with evidence](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-negotiate-used-car-price/#evidence). Autolist does not say whether every listing shows a Carfax report; a report records what was reported, as our page on [how accurate Carfax is](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-accurate-is-carfax/) explains. ## How Autolist makes money, as far as its documents say None of Autolist’s pages charges shoppers. The terms mention “premium services, products, and features offered through the Service” without naming any. Two sources of money are described. **Advertising.** The privacy notice uses tracking to “Make advertising more relevant to users and more valuable to our advertisers,” says “We also partner with Amazon to deliver advertisements,” and may show you interest-based ads on Facebook. The Google Play listing carries the “Contains ads” label. Dealings with advertisers, the terms add, “are solely between you and such advertiser or third party.” **Dealers.** CarGurus said in 2020 that the purchase would help it “further enhance its unique value proposition for subscribing dealers,” and that dealers on its “premium-level listings packages ... will now gain access to connections from Autolist shoppers.” Its annual report for 2020 described “paid listings subscriptions for dealers through the Autolist website” and said its paying-dealer count “Includes paying dealers from the Autolist website.” Whether that still holds is not in the filings. EDGAR’s full-text search finds the phrase about paid “Listings packages for the Autolist website” in CarGurus’ annual reports for 2020 and 2021 only, and the report for 2025 names Autolist 5 times in 4 passages (our count) without saying how it earns money. The privacy notice gives the clearest current hint: the paragraph in which you agree to be contacted by sellers is headed “Lead generation”. The “Sell My Car” link also carries a tag, “pid=AutoList”, of the kind sites use to count the visitors they send. For how CarGurus charges dealers, see [how CarGurus makes money](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cargurus-review/#how-cargurus-makes-money). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a rear side window, the driver’s window and the windshield, each with one fact from Autolist’s Terms of Use and privacy notice. Autolist’s Terms of Use and privacy notice, read on 16 October 2026: Autolist’s terms: listed prices often exclude taxes, title, license and other fees (callout 1); Send a seller your number and you agree to calls and texts, autodialed ones included (callout 2); Its terms do not warrant a listing’s accuracy: match this VIN to the ad yourself (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What happens when you contact a seller through Autolist Autolist sends every question about a car to the seller: “please contact the seller by filling out the form you see when viewing the listing details,” its help page says. The privacy notice says what that shares. “If you request to be contacted by a car seller, both Autolist and the seller may collect personal information provided by you,” through its text and chat tools and contact forms, “which may include your name, email address, postal code, and telephone number, so that the seller can contact you to consider a car purchase or request that you submit a dealer review.” The next paragraph, headed “Lead generation”, is the one to read before you press send: “When you submit your e-mail address and/or phone number to a particular seller through the site, you agree to being contacted by the seller, including by phone at the number provided, text message, email, automatic telephone dialing system and/or an artificial or pre-recorded voice.” The notice treats your message as consent to that seller’s calls and texts, automated ones included. It draws one line: “We do not share personal information collected on our platform with third parties for their own marketing purposes via SMS or other channels, unless you have separately and explicitly opted in.” The seller you contacted is a different case, because it has your consent through the paragraph above. Use an email address you can abandon, and give a phone number only when you are ready to talk. If you would rather deal with one dealer directly, find its own website from a source you choose and contact it there. And if a seller keeps calling, the terms will not help you against Autolist: you release it from claims arising from disputes with “any third party that contacts you as a result of your use of the Service.” Our [TrueCar review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/truecar-review/#your-contact-details) describes the same trade on another site that passes shoppers to dealers. ## What Autolist’s privacy notice collects, “sells” and shares The privacy notice in force on our read date was “Effective as of September 13, 2024”, almost two years older than the terms’ latest update, by our arithmetic. Its 14 sections reach well beyond the contact form. **What it collects without asking.** Your “Internet protocol (IP) address, user settings, MAC address, cookie identifiers, mobile carrier, mobile advertising and other unique identifiers”, your location, and the “pages that you visit before, during and after using the services”. It may use “session recording tools such as heat maps, click maps, scroll maps, session replay software”, and says “Your browsing activity may be tracked across different websites and different devices or apps.” It stores your browsing “to customize your experience and better understand your vehicle shopping interests.” **What it calls a sale.** The notice says “Autolist does not generally sell information as the term ‘sell’ is traditionally understood,” but that “to the extent a ‘sale’ under the CCPA is interpreted to include advertising technology activities”, it complies with the law. Its California table then answers its own question, “Do we sell?”: **Autolist’s California “Information We Collect” table, as printed in its privacy notice (effective September 13, 2024)** | Category | Examples it gives (shortened) | “Do we sell?” | | --- | --- | --- | | Identifiers | Name, postal address, IP address, email address, social security number, driver’s license number | Yes | | Customer records information | Name, signature, social security number, address, telephone number, bank account number, card number | Yes | | Characteristics of protected classifications | Race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age | No | | Commercial information | Products or services purchased, obtained, or considered | No | | Internet or other electronic network activity | Browsing history, search history, interaction with a website, app or ad | Yes | | Geolocation data | Physical location | Yes | | Professional or employment-related information | Current or past job history | No | | Inferences | “Profile reflecting a person’s preferences, characteristics, aptitudes” | Yes | That is “Yes” for 5 of 8 categories (our count). The table pairs categories with examples, so it does not show that a social security number ever reaches an ad partner; read with the notice’s own explanation, the “Yes” column appears to reflect advertising-technology sharing. Still, the summary and the table read very differently, and the table is the more specific. **How to opt out.** The notice gives a right “to direct Autolist to not ‘sell’ your personal information” or “share” it for targeted advertising, through a “My Privacy Rights” form linked in the notice; the footer’s “Your Privacy Choices” button is labelled in the page code as cookie settings. Using your rights “may result in a different price, rate, or quality/level of product or service” where the law allows, and “you cannot opt out of non-promotional emails.” A changed notice takes effect “immediately upon posting”. Our note on [what free car tools ask for](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/#privacy) covers the same trade elsewhere. ## What Autolist’s terms say about accuracy, liability and disputes The Terms of Use bind you by use alone, and their first lines warn that they require “INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION OF ANY POTENTIAL LEGAL DISPUTES” and waive “ANY RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT.” Five clauses matter most to a buyer. **Listings are not Autolist’s responsibility.** The company is “NEITHER RESPONSIBLE NOR LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR THE ACCURACY” of listings it gathers, nor for “ANY SALE OR PURCHASE OF A VEHICLE”. The terms add that listings “ARE THEREFORE NOT SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAWS RELATING THERETO.” That is Autolist’s view of its own position, not the seller’s: a dealer selling a used car must still display the FTC’s Buyers Guide, which says whether the car has a warranty or is sold as is, as our guide to [used-car warranties](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/does-a-used-car-come-with-a-warranty/) explains. **You release Autolist from your disputes with sellers.** If you have a dispute with “any provider of any listing” or anyone who contacts you through the service, “YOU RELEASE US ... FROM CLAIMS, DEMANDS AND DAMAGES (ACTUAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL) OF EVERY KIND AND NATURE, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN”. California residents waive Civil Code section 1542, which says a general release does not reach claims the person did not know or suspect existed when signing it. **Liability is capped.** Autolist accepts no “SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES”, and its total liability cannot “EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR FEES PAID IN THE PRECEDING TWELVE MONTHS.” For a shopper who paid nothing, that reads as $100. **Disputes go to individual arbitration.** Claims go to “BINDING ARBITRATION OR SMALL CLAIMS COURT”, “administered by the AAA” under Massachusetts law, with no class or representative actions. You must first send a Notice of Dispute by certified mail to CarGurus, Inc. in Boston, and any court case must be filed in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. We found no way to opt out of arbitration. **You have one year.** “ANY CAUSE OF ACTION BROUGHT BY YOU ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE MUST COMMENCE WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES.” Whether each clause would hold up in your state is a legal question we cannot answer. The terms also bar “any robot, spider, scraper ... or other automated means” without consent, and list “deep-link to the Service” among things you agree not to do, which is why this page does not link Autolist’s documents. They are close to its owner’s terms and far from AutoTempest’s. The table copies what this site recorded when it read each set; it is not a ranking. **Autolist’s terms beside those of its owner, CarGurus, and of AutoTempest, as this site read them** | Term | Autolist (09/10/2026; read 16 October 2026) | CarGurus (April 10, 2026; read 6 October 2026) | AutoTempest (May 25, 2026; read 16 October 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sells the car? | No: “ONLY A LISTING SERVICE” | No: “NOT AN AUTOMOBILE BROKER OR DEALER” | No: “We do not sell any vehicles ourselves” | | Accuracy of listings | No warranty of “ACCURACY OF THE LISTINGS” | “We cannot verify the information/photos that third parties supply” | “no control over, and take no responsibility for” it | | Disputes | Individual arbitration (AAA) or small claims | Individual arbitration; small claims allowed | No arbitration clause | | Limit on liability | Greater of $100 or fees paid in the preceding 12 months | Greater of fees paid in 12 months or $100 | No dollar limit; you agree “not to hold” it responsible | | Deep links | Barred | Barred (“deep link” among prohibited uses) | Not compared here | All three agree on what matters most: none sells the car or stands behind the listing. If something goes wrong with the car, your rights run against whoever sold it. ## Before you buy a car you found on Autolist Autolist’s own guide gives the right first advice: “Before you decide a car is right for you, it’s essential to get some pre-purchase inspections done,” and “Vehicle history reports from Carfax, AutoCheck, or other companies are incredibly important, especially when buying a vehicle online.” Here is that advice in the order that saves wasted trips. **Find the ad at its source.** Look the car up on the dealer’s own website, or ask the seller to confirm it is still for sale at the same price and mileage. If the two differ, believe the seller’s own listing and ask why. **Get the VIN before you travel.** Decode it and hold it against the advert, then run the free checks: NICB’s VINCheck for theft and total-loss records, NMVTIS for title brands such as salvage and flood, and NHTSA’s recall lookup. Our guides to [matching the VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/#vin), [stolen cars](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-if-a-car-is-stolen/), [NMVTIS reports](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/) and [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/) show how. **Have it inspected.** Nothing in Autolist’s documents says anyone has looked at the car. Book an independent [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote); for a car in another city, a [mobile inspector](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#out-of-state) can go for you. **Price the whole deal, and plan the distance.** Get the out-the-door price in writing and line up your own [loan preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/). Autolist’s guide notes that unless you buy locally, “you’ll need to coordinate vehicle pickup or transport with the seller.” Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#sequence), [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) and [paying a private seller safely](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#payment) cover the rest. - **Remember who sells the car.** Autolist is “only a listing service”; the dealer or private seller is the other party. - **Read the “Lead generation” consent** before you send a phone number: you agree to the seller’s calls and texts, autodialed and pre-recorded ones included. - **Confirm the listing with the seller**: price, mileage, photos, VIN and that it is still for sale. - **Treat a price comparison or Listimate value as a hint,** not a verdict; Autolist does not warrant that any listing is a good deal. - **Get the out-the-door price in writing,** because listed prices often exclude taxes, title, license and other fees. - **Run the free VIN checks** and book an independent inspection before any long trip or payment. - **Send no deposit, wire or gift card** to a seller you have not met for a car you have not seen. - **Use the “My Privacy Rights” form** if you want to opt out of “sale” and ad “sharing”. - **Mind the one-year clock:** the terms bar any claim about the service not brought within a year. ## Where Autolist’s own documents disagree Read side by side, Autolist’s documents disagree in seven places. **Points where Autolist’s own documents say different things, read on 16 October 2026** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Does it help you find a good deal? | Help page: it helps “you find the best deal” | Terms: no warranty that any listing is “AFFORDABLE OR A GOOD DEAL FOR YOU” | | How many sources? | News & Analysis: “100s of websites” | Google Play: “thousands of sources”; CarGurus’ 10-K: “inventory from top automotive dealers” | | How many cars? | News & Analysis: “over 4.5 million cars in active inventory” | Every footer: “search over 5,000,000 listings” | | Does it profile you for ads? | Privacy notice: it “does not create consumer profiles” for targeted advertising | Same notice: “Inferences” (“Profile reflecting a person’s preferences”) marked “Yes” under “Do we sell?” | | Does it sell your information? | Privacy notice: it “does not generally sell information” | Same notice: “Yes” for 5 of 8 California categories, including Identifiers and Customer records | | Does it handle payment? | Terms: “NOT A PARTY TO ANY TRANSACTION”; no page offers payment | Privacy notice: may collect bank details “to process payment” when you buy or sell | | Is there an about page? | Autolist’s sitemap lists one | The address answered “Oops! We can’t find that page.” | The privacy rows matter most: when a notice’s summary and its own table disagree, trust the table and use the opt-out. The payment row reads like wording written for more services than the Autolist pages we read offer; either way, send no money through a route you did not expect. And the deal row is worth remembering at the dealership: only the terms bind Autolist. ## Common questions ### Is Autolist legit? Yes. Autolist is a car-listings search site and app owned since January 2020 by CarGurus, Inc., a public company that reports to the SEC. Its terms call it “only a listing service” and disclaim the accuracy of the listings it shows. The site is real; each listing still needs checking on its own. ### How does Autolist work? Autolist gathers listings from other websites and dealers’ inventory into one search. Its home page says each car shows how long it has been for sale, how its price compares with similar cars, price changes and a Carfax report; its app adds a “Listimate value”. You contact the seller through Autolist and buy from the seller. ### Who owns Autolist? CarGurus, Inc. completed its acquisition of Autolist on January 16, 2020; its annual report for 2020 gives the net consideration as $21.1 million. Autolist’s terms name CarGurus, Inc. as the company you contract with, and its privacy notice is issued by Autolist, Inc., “operated by CarGurus”. Autolist was founded in 2014. ### Can you buy a car on Autolist? Not from Autolist. Its help page says “Autolist does not sell cars,” and its terms say listings “DO NOT CONSTITUTE OFFERS FOR THE SALE OF VEHICLES.” You buy from the dealer or private seller, under that seller’s terms and your state’s law. ### Is Autolist free, and how does it make money? None of its pages charges shoppers. It names advertising, including a partnership with Amazon, and its app is labelled “Contains ads”. CarGurus said in 2020 that its premium dealers would get “connections from Autolist shoppers,” and its 2020 and 2021 annual reports described paid listings packages for Autolist; its 2025 report does not say how Autolist earns. ### Will dealers call or text me if I contact them through Autolist? They may. The privacy notice says that when you send your email or phone number to a seller, “you agree to being contacted by the seller,” including by text, email and “automatic telephone dialing system and/or an artificial or pre-recorded voice.” Use an email address you can drop, and give a phone number only when you are ready to talk. ## Sources and further reading - [SEC EDGAR filings: CarGurus, Inc.](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1494259) - [FTC Used Car Rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/dealers-guide-used-car-rule) - [NICB VINCheck](https://www.nicb.org/vincheck) - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autolist-review/ --- title: "RefiJet Review: Who Lends, Who Gets Paid and the Fine Print" description: "RefiJet arranges refinance loans that lenders make and pay it for. Its soft and hard pulls, 24 to 96 month terms, $150 claim, Texas licence and CFPB record." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/refijet-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # RefiJet Review: Who Lends, Who Gets Paid and the Fine Print > RefiJet arranges refinance loans that lenders make and pay it for. Its soft and hard pulls, 24 to 96 month terms, $150 claim, Texas licence and CFPB record. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,947 words* ## The short version - RefiJet is the trade name of Yield Solutions Group, LLC, of Centennial, Colorado. Its Terms say “RefiJet is not a lender”: a lender it does not name approves, funds and services the loan, and pays RefiJet’s owner for funded loans. - The Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner lists the business name “refijet.com” under Yield Solutions Group, LLC, Regulated Lender licence 159709, now “Transitioned to NMLS.” RefiJet’s pages print no NMLS number and no other state licence. - RefiJet’s own check is a soft pull. Its FAQ says a hard inquiry “only occurs when you formally apply,” and its Terms say the lender then “will obtain a credit report on you.” - Its home page prints standing terms: 24 to 96 months, a minimum credit score of 560, loans of $5,000 to $150,000, a minimum income of $1,900 single or $2,200 joint, and an existing auto loan on your credit file. - The “$150/month” average counts only borrowers who chose a lower payment; a 2025 post says $134, and its own $727 and $596 averages differ by $131. Stretched to 96 months, RefiJet’s worked example costs $4,552.02 more interest than the original loan (our arithmetic). - RefiJet’s Terms contain no arbitration clause and cap its liability at $200. The CFPB lists 22 complaints against Yield Solutions Group, LLC received through 15 October 2026, all answered on time. RefiJet is a Colorado auto refinance company that takes your application, mostly by phone, matches it to a participating lender and prepares the paperwork; the lender approves, funds and services the loan. On 16 October 2026 we read RefiJet’s Terms and Conditions (effective 1 January 2026), Website Privacy Policy (updated 5 October 2026), GLBA notice, consent, FAQ, eligibility, GAP, service contract and lease buyout pages, 22 of its blog posts and press releases, and its owner’s site. We also searched the Texas regulator’s licensee database, the CFPB’s complaint and enforcement records and EDGAR. RefiJet’s Terms bar automated reading, so we read each page once by hand. We started no rate check or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with RefiJet or any lender. **Figure: RefiJet’s headline numbers, read against its own fine print** A seven-row table setting RefiJet’s up-front claims against its own documents: no fee to apply, but the lender pays RefiJet’s owner for funded loans and title fees and add-ons go into the loan; a $150 monthly average that counts only borrowers who chose a lower payment, beside a 2025 post’s $134 and its own $727 and $596 averages, which differ by $131; no impact to your credit score from RefiJet’s soft pull, but a hard inquiry by the lender when you formally apply; no payments for up to 3 months, against a February 2026 post’s usual gap of 30 to 45 days; terms of 24 to 96 months, where 96 months on RefiJet’s own worked example costs $4,552 more interest than the original loan by our arithmetic; a company that says it is not a lender, holding Texas Regulated Lender licence 159709 under Yield Solutions Group, LLC; and Terms with no arbitration clause that cap RefiJet’s liability at $200. Read from RefiJet’s home, Auto Refinancing, GAP and Terms pages, two of its blog posts, its owner’s site and the Texas OCCC licensee search on 16 October 2026. ## What RefiJet is, and who actually lends RefiJet’s Terms describe a matchmaker: “We connect individuals like you interested in credit with third party entities,” its “Participating Lenders.” Then, plainly: “RefiJet is not a lender and does not make credit decisions.” It “does not provide an offer of credit,” “plays no role in ... establishing the rates and/or terms,” does not guarantee “THE BEST TERMS OR LOWEST RATES AVAILABLE,” and “is not acting and does not act as an agent for you.” No refijet.com page names a lender. Its Electronic Consent refers to “participating banks, finance companies, and credit unions,” and a 25 June 2020 release announced a partnership that “connects auto refinance brokers with credit unions through Origence’s CUDL network.” The owner’s site, written for lenders, cites “credit unions, regional banks, finance companies, and an OEM finance company” and names one: Premier Members Credit Union, in a testimonial saying it took applications “from a total of 12 states.” The legal name on your loan contract is the first thing to check. The owner’s lender page sets out who does what. Yield Solutions Group markets, screens applications against each lender’s criteria and “offers back-end product options as approved by the Lender”; the lender underwrites; “The Lender reviews the loan package and provides the funds to YSG”; Yield Solutions Group pays off the old loan and handles the title; and “The Lender books and services its new loan.” After closing, you pay the lender. How RefiJet is paid is stated on the owner’s site, not on refijet.com: “Fees are only due to YSG from the Lender for funded loans.” No page gives the amount. RefiJet in turn “pays a set commission for each referred, funded application” to affiliates, keeps landing pages for LendingTree and NerdWallet referrals, and offers customers “a $250 gift card when the loan is completed” for a referral. Everyone is paid when a loan funds. The owner also tells lenders whom it targets: consumers “with strong auto loan payment histories,” the “best-performing assets from other lender’s portfolios.” ## Who owns RefiJet, and the licence behind it Yield Solutions Group describes itself as “a Colorado LLC established February 3, 2016,” trading “under the dba RefiJet”; RefiJet’s About page dates its launch to October 2016. The Electronic Consent says “Yield Solutions Group, LLC,” as do the Texas regulator and the CFPB, but the Website Privacy Policy opens with “Yield Services Group” and calls its GLBA notice the one from “Yield Solutions Group, Inc.” Who owns the LLC is not public in anything we could read. The About page says RefiJet “was started by a group of experienced entrepreneurs,” its releases describe a co-founder and managing partner, and no page names a parent or investor. The Colorado Secretary of State’s site answered with a Cloudflare challenge, which we did not try to get past, and EDGAR has nothing under either name. The GLBA notice names one affiliate, “related by common ownership or control”: Trusted American Mortgage, LLC, where RefiJet’s “Mortgage” menu item leads. On licensing, the GLBA notice says: “RefiJet is licensed and examined under the laws of the State of Texas and by state law is subject to regulatory oversight by the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner.” On 16 October 2026 the OCCC’s public licensee search returned, for “refijet,” Regulated Lender licence 159709, business name “refijet.com,” owner/entity **Yield Solutions Group, LLC**, at an older Greenwood Village, Colorado address, status “Transitioned to NMLS.” The other two matches for “Yield” belong to BlueYield, a different company; no registration was found. A non-lender holding a Regulated Lender licence is less odd than it sounds: the OCCC’s rule, as our [Gravity Lending review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gravity-lending-review/) read it on 16 October 2026, covers companies “making, transacting, or collecting loans with a rate of interest greater than 10%.” The licence is now administered through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, but NMLS Consumer Access answered with a Cloudflare challenge, so we could not read that record. RefiJet prints no NMLS number and lists no other state licence. Its owner says it serves “all 50 states” and that “Lenders can define the states from which they will originate loans,” so where you live decides which lenders you see. ## What RefiJet offers, and who it says qualifies RefiJet’s process page sums up the menu: options for “lowering your payment, changing the term of the loan, or getting cash out.” In detail: - **Refinancing** of cars, trucks and SUVs for personal use; the FAQ adds “most motorcycles and recreational vehicles.” - **Lease buyout loans**, with “No down payment required for qualified buyers” and “There’s No Pre-payment Penalty!” Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) explains how to read your contract’s purchase option. - **Cash-out refinancing**: a new loan “for more than you owe” with “the difference in cash,” says an October 2025 post. No page gives a limit or separate terms. - **Co-borrower changes**, the **add-ons** below, a **Partner Marketplace** of eight other companies’ offers, and the mortgage affiliate. RefiJet prints its qualifications as standing numbers, in a panel on its home page. **RefiJet’s printed qualifications, read 16 October 2026** | Item | What RefiJet prints | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Loan terms | 24 to 96 months | Home page | | Minimum credit score | 560 | Home page | | Loan amount | $5,000 to $150,000 | Home page | | Minimum income | “$1,900 Single / $2,200 Joint”; the panel does not say per month or per year | Home page | | Credit history | “Must have auto tradeline” | Home page | | Vehicle | Personal use, “less than 10 years old (based on the model year)” and “150,000 or less miles” | FAQ | | Insurance | “Full coverage auto insurance” | Documents Needed & Eligibility | | Payment history | On time “for at least the last 6 months” puts you “in a strong position” | FAQ | | Debt-to-income | Under 50%, “you are more likely to qualify” | Blog, 12 March 2024 | The same panel prints an estimated rate range footnoted “Rates are current as of June 2026, and subject to change.” We do not repeat advertised rates, which go stale; the FAQ is blunter: “While we can’t tell you in advance what they could be,” terms vary with “your credit situation, your vehicle, and other criteria.” To apply you need your Social Security number, work and residence details, your driver’s license, registration, proof of insurance and an odometer photo, often proof of income and residence, and the title in states where you hold it, all “usually within 30 or 60 days of the contract date.” Our pages on [credit scores and car loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) explain how lenders weigh both. ## What it costs, and how RefiJet words its rates RefiJet’s fee claims are about its own service: “No fee to apply” (home page) and “It doesn’t cost anything to evaluate your options” (FAQ). Neither says the new loan is free. The process page says RefiJet explains “any associated costs, such as state title fees,” the documents page says the loan agreement sets out costs “such as the cost of GAP and/or ESC, state fees or taxes,” and the Terms say the lender’s fees “may be higher or lower depending on your credit profile.” No page gives an amount. **What RefiJet prints about money, read 16 October 2026** | Item | What RefiJet says | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | RefiJet’s fee to you | “No fee to apply” | Home page | | Who pays RefiJet | The lender, “for funded loans” | Owner’s About page | | The lender’s fees | “may be higher or lower depending on your credit profile” | Terms | | Added to the new loan | State title fees, GAP or ESC if chosen, state fees or taxes; no amounts | Process and documents pages | | Prepayment penalty | “Auto refinance loans through RefiJet never have a pre-payment penalty” | Blog, 17 March 2026 | | Who sets your rate | The participating lender; RefiJet “plays no role” | Terms | On rates, the Terms warn that the lender’s offer “may be different than the information and estimate we provided.” The rates page itself carries one line of body text, “Rich Textbox for additional information,” and the Advertising Disclosure in the footer (updated 21 January 2026) concerns rates “from companies which Credible receives compensation,” though no rate table appeared on any page we read. Here is how the printed terms of other refinance services this site has read compare, each copied from that page’s records with its read date. It is not a ranking. **Printed terms of five refinance services, in their own words** | Service (read) | What it says it is | Fees it mentions | Credit check it describes | Terms | Arbitration in its own terms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | RefiJet (16 Oct 2026) | “not a lender” | “No fee to apply”; lender, title and add-on costs in the loan | Soft pull first; hard inquiry “when you formally apply” | 24 to 96 months | None found | | [Gravity Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gravity-lending-review/) (16 Oct 2026) | “a refinance brokerage” | No service fee; title, state and add-on costs on the loan | “a hard pull” | 25 to 84 months | Yes, no opt-out | | [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/) (6 Oct 2026) | “not a lender” | No application fees; the loan may include processing, title and state fees | Soft pull to check rates; hard pull if you continue | 24 to 84 months | Yes, opt-out within 30 days | | [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/) (6 Oct 2026) | “In most cases, we are not the lender” | Title and lien fees; an origination fee “may apply,” up to $595 for most borrowers | Soft inquiry to pre-qualify; hard pull on application | Not compared here | Yes, rejection within 30 days | | [Autopay](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/) (6 Oct 2026) | Part of The Savings Group, Inc. | No application fee; title and lien fees; an origination fee “may apply” | “You authorize us to pull your credit report” | 24 to 96 months | Yes, rejection within 30 days | ## The $150 a month claim, and what 96 months does RefiJet’s home page says “Lower car payment by an average of $150/month,” with a footnote: the average “reflects loans where the borrower chose to lower their monthly payment,” “Not every auto refinance is intended to lower monthly payment,” and “These savings are not guaranteed.” The Auto Refinancing page adds that RefiJet “has funded more than $54.5M in auto loan refinances,” with customers “lowering their average payment from $727 to $596/month,” under an asterisk with no footnote. A September 2025 post calls the same change “a real-world savings of $134/month.” By our arithmetic, $727 minus $596 is $131: three figures for one claim, none saying how much came from a longer loan. (Both pages also cite average rates, which we do not repeat.) RefiJet’s own posts say where part of the saving comes from. A March 2026 post calls a longer-term loan “One of the best ways to lower your monthly payment” and “one of the ways we help our clients who want a lower monthly payment, save an average of $150/month.” The September 2025 post warns that “Extending your loan term could cost you more in interest” and works an example: $40,000 at 8% over five years, $811.06 a month and $8,663.35 of interest. After a year, with $2,955.07 of interest paid and $33,222.40 left, a refinance at 7% that keeps the same payoff date saves $744.20; a new five-year loan at 7% lowers the payment to $657.84 but would “increase the amount of interest you pay by more than $500.” Our arithmetic reproduces RefiJet’s figures to the cent. We then stretched the same refinance to the longer terms RefiJet prints. **RefiJet’s own $40,000 example, stretched to its longest term (RefiJet’s rows, then our arithmetic; fees, taxes and add-ons ignored)** | Loan | Term | Monthly payment | Total interest on the car | Against the original loan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Original loan, 8% (RefiJet) | 60 months, 48 left | $811.06 | $8,663.35 | The baseline | | 7%, same payoff date (RefiJet) | 48 months | $795.55 | $7,919.15 | $744.20 less | | 7%, new five-year loan (RefiJet) | 60 months | $657.84 | $9,203.27 | $539.92 more | | 7%, stretched (our arithmetic) | 72 months | $566.41 | $10,514.11 | $1,850.76 more | | 7%, stretched (our arithmetic) | 84 months | $501.42 | $11,851.53 | $3,188.18 more | | 7%, RefiJet’s longest term (our arithmetic) | 96 months | $452.94 | $13,215.37 | $4,552.02 more | At 96 months the payment falls by $358.12, which would count toward a payment-savings average, but the car is paid off 108 months after purchase instead of 60, at $4,552.02 more interest than the original loan despite a rate a point lower. Ask for the same-payoff-date option as well as any longer one; our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it) sets out the test that matters, the total you will pay. **A lower payment is not the same as a cheaper loan.** RefiJet’s averages count payment cuts, and its own March 2026 post ties them to longer terms. On RefiJet’s own example, 96 months cuts the payment by $358.12 but adds $4,552.02 of interest, by our arithmetic. Compare totals, not payments. ## From application to payoff: two credit checks and the payment break RefiJet describes two credit checks. Its Auto Refinancing page says “RefiJet does an initial review with just a soft pull to your credit”; the sentence promising a soft pull still carries two editing marks, “[SG3] [RR4],” in the live text. Its FAQ: “A hard credit inquiry only occurs when you formally apply.” The Terms set out the order: RefiJet gets your consumer report “with your permission”; if you proceed, the participating lender “will obtain a credit report on you.” The Legal Consents authorize “RefiJet and, in some cases, our lender partner(s)” to pull your report, without saying soft or hard. Gravity Lending’s FAQ, by contrast, describes a hard pull before any offer. Plan on a hard inquiry once you choose a lender. A June 2026 RefiJet post says offers based on a soft check “may change once the lender verifies your income and runs a hard credit check,” and suggests keeping hard-pull applications “to a tight 14-day window”; our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#shopping) explains why bunching applications limits the damage. The process runs largely by phone: the Terms say your information is used “to contact you by telephone,” and a Financial Services Representative takes the application. Once you pick an option, RefiJet submits it to that lender, explains the decision and costs, puts the documents in a secure portal and sends “a pre-paid UPS label” for the originals, then handles the title and the payoff. The documents include a Power of Attorney, which “authorizes a third-party to facilitate the transfer of title.” Signed PDFs stay in the portal “for thirty (30) days,” so save copies. A Spanish notice atop the Terms says contracts are signed in English and translations are only a courtesy. On timing the pages disagree: “between a few days to two weeks” (Auto Refinancing FAQ) or “between 15 and 30 days,” up to 45 for some lenders (calculator page). Keep paying the old loan until its lender confirms the payoff; our list of [what lenders ask for](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#what-you-need) covers the paperwork. Then the payment break. The home page says “No payments for up to 3 months.” A February 2026 post is more modest: “a month when you do not have to make a loan payment,” since “Most often, there’s a gap of 30-to- 45 days” between the two lenders’ payments. A 2020 release said “sometimes up to 90 days.” The February post also says “Your refinance loan is a simple interest loan,” but no RefiJet page says whether interest builds during the wait. Caribou prints it for its own loans: “Interest on the loan begins to accrue on the loan closing date.” If your lender works the same way, three months on RefiJet’s own $33,222.40 balance at 7% adds about $581.39 of interest, by our arithmetic. Ask the lender, in writing, before you take the later date. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the document being signed, the fanned papers and the last page, each with one fact from RefiJet’s Terms, FAQ and home page. RefiJet’s Terms, FAQ and home page, read on 16 October 2026: RefiJet arranges the loan; a lender it does not name approves, funds and services it (callout 1); RefiJet’s own check is a soft pull; the lender pulls credit when you formally apply (callout 2); Up to 3 months to the first payment, its home page says; ask when interest starts (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## GAP and service contracts, and what RefiJet does not print RefiJet sells two optional products with the loan; its Terms say “RefiJet does not require the purchase of any product or service” to apply. The FAQ: “GAP and ESC are optional ancillary products that can be included in your refinance loan. That means that the cost is spread out over the term of your new loan.” The owner’s site says they are “lender-provided or through other product administrators approved by Lender.” No page names the provider. **RefiJet’s add-on products, as its own pages describe them (read 16 October 2026)** | Product | What RefiJet says it does | Terms it prints | Price | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) | Pays the difference between the insurer’s payout and your loan balance after a total loss or theft | Up to 150% of retail value; pays “your deductible up to $1,000 (or applicable state limit)”; “does not cover late fees or extensions”; suggested when loan-to-value is over 70% | “only adds a few dollars to your monthly payment” (FAQ); “typically costs less than $100 a year” (GAP page); no RefiJet price | | Extended Service Contract (ESC) | Repairs including engine, transmission and electronics; towing and lodging “may” be covered | “any ASE certified mechanic”; an old contract may bring “a pro-rated refund from the provider” | “competitive pricing” and “raising your payment slightly” (FAQ); “Some plans cost a few hundred dollars per year, while others can be more” (ESC page); no RefiJet price | Each product page contradicts itself once. The GAP page says the coverage “even pays your deductible up to $1,000”; its FAQ says GAP “doesn’t cover repairs, deductibles or missed payments.” The ESC page promises “any ASE certified mechanic”; its FAQ says most contracts use “a network of approved repair shops.” Only the contract you sign settles either point. RefiJet’s GAP example does add up: a $15,000 car with $17,000 owed leaves the $2,000 the coverage pays. The FAQ’s “a few dollars” a month hides the total: by our arithmetic, each $1,000 rolled into a loan at the 7% of RefiJet’s example over 96 months adds $13.63 a month and $308.84 of interest. Existing GAP “will not transfer to your new loan,” RefiJet notes, though “you might be entitled to a pro-rated refund.” Ask for each product’s full price, provider and cancellation terms; our guides to [whether GAP is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/) (and [GAP refunds](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/#refunds)), [extended warranties](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/) and [service contract costs](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/) help with the answers. ## What you agree to: calls, data and no arbitration clause The contact consent is broad: giving a phone number means you “consent to be contacted for marketing and business purposes,” including by “prerecorded/artificial voice messages” and “automatic telephone dialing systems, even if the contact results in a charge to you,” though it is not “a condition of purchasing.” On data, the FAQ says “We do not share or sell your data for use by other companies,” but the GLBA notice says RefiJet shares “For joint marketing with other financial companies” and for its affiliate to market to you (you can limit the second), though not for non-affiliates. The Website Privacy Policy (updated 5 October 2026) says RefiJet uses Wingify to record visits, “including our online loan application,” with form fields masked, keeps personal data for 2 years after last use, and says both that its site “responds to ‘Do Not Track’ signals” and that it “currently does not respond” to them. The dispute terms are where RefiJet differs most from the other refinance services this site has read. Its Terms contain no arbitration clause, no class-action or jury waiver and no governing-law clause; nor do its consent or privacy pages. Gravity Lending’s terms provide for binding arbitration with no opt-out; Caribou’s, RateGenius’s and Autopay’s provide for it but let you reject it within 30 days. The Terms do limit RefiJet: it accepts no liability to you that “IN THE AGGREGATE IS MORE THAN $200,” your “sole and exclusive remedy” if unhappy is to stop using the service, and continued use counts as accepting changed Terms. They also say “Your loan documents will contain the terms that are specific to that finance transaction”: the lender’s contract is separate, and it may have an arbitration clause of its own, so read it. ## Complaints and the public record The CFPB’s [consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) files RefiJet under its owner: its own company-name search returns “Yield Solutions Group, LLC” for “yield solutions” and nothing for “refijet.” It lists 22 complaints against that company received through 15 October 2026: 6 in 2023, 2 in 2024, 10 in 2025 and 4 so far in 2026, with none before 2023. By product, 15 concern vehicle loans or leases (14 loans, 1 lease) and 7 credit reports. Of the 22, 18 were “Closed with explanation,” 3 with non-monetary relief and 1 with monetary relief, and all 22 were answered on time. These are unverified consumer reports, counts grow with a company’s size, and the CFPB has published no narratives since 30 September 2026. **CFPB complaints against Yield Solutions Group, LLC, received through 15 October 2026, by issue** | Issue (CFPB category) | Complaints | Sub-issues | | --- | --- | --- | | Improper use of your report | 7 | Report used improperly (6); report provided to an employer without written authorization (1) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 6 | Problem related to refinancing (6) | | Getting a loan or lease | 6 | Changes in terms mid-deal or after closing (2); confusing or misleading advertising or marketing (2); loan opened without the consumer’s consent or knowledge (2) | | Managing the loan or lease | 2 | Billing problem (1); problem with fees charged (1) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 1 | Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle (1) | We read no complaint text, so those are labels, not findings. CFPB enforcement searches for both names returned nothing, the Texas OCCC’s [enforcement table](https://occc.texas.gov/publications/legal/enforcement-actions/) lists no action naming Yield Solutions Group or RefiJet, and EDGAR has no filing by either. Two web searches found no state attorney-general action or lawsuit naming either, and we read no court filing, so this page describes none; a search is not a clearance. BBB’s site blocked our requests. A 2021 RefiJet release says it “holds a BBB A+ Rating,” and its home page claims a “4.8 star rating from 1000+ reviews on Google”; we could not check either. ## Where RefiJet’s own pages disagree Read side by side, RefiJet’s documents disagree in eleven places. **RefiJet’s documents, read 16 October 2026, set against each other and the record** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | The average saving | “an average of $150/month” (home page, FAQ, 2026 posts) | “$134/month” (September 2025 post); its own $727 and $596 differ by $131 (our arithmetic) | | The payment break | “No payments for up to 3 months” (home page) | “a month” and a “gap of 30-to- 45 days” (February 2026 post); “sometimes up to 90 days” (2020 release) | | Time taken | “between a few days to two weeks” (Auto Refinancing FAQ) | “between 15 and 30 days,” up to 45 for some lenders (calculator page) | | GAP and your deductible | “even pays your deductible up to $1,000” (GAP page) | “doesn’t cover repairs, deductibles or missed payments” (same page) | | Where you repair under an ESC | “any ASE certified mechanic” (ESC page) | “a network of approved repair shops” (same page) | | Motorcycle age | “regardless of age or mileage” (FAQ) | “typically 10 years old or newer” (motorcycle page) | | Sharing with other companies | “We do not share or sell your data for use by other companies” (FAQ) | Shares “For joint marketing with other financial companies” and with its affiliate (GLBA notice) | | Do Not Track | “Our Site responds to ‘Do Not Track’ signals” | “currently does not respond to ‘do not track’ browser headers” (same policy) | | The owner’s name | Yield Solutions Group, LLC (Electronic Consent, OCCC, CFPB) | “Yield Services Group” and “Yield Solutions Group, Inc.” (Website Privacy Policy) | | Lender or not | “RefiJet is not a lender” (Terms) | A Texas Regulated Lender licence, 159709, held by Yield Solutions Group, LLC (OCCC) | | Unfinished copy | Pages written for borrowers | Placeholder text on the rates page; “[SG3] [RR4]” in the soft-pull sentence; a lease paragraph inside a service-contract answer | ## Before you apply with RefiJet - **Get your own numbers first.** A payoff quote and the payments you have left, so you compare totals. - **Expect two credit checks.** RefiJet’s is soft; the lender’s is a hard inquiry. Shop within a short window. - **Get the lender’s name and contract.** Read its note, itemized fees and any arbitration clause before you sign. - **Ask for the same-payoff-date option.** On RefiJet’s own example, a longer term costs more than the original loan. - **Ask when interest starts.** Get in writing how the first-payment date works and whether interest runs during the wait. - **Price each add-on separately.** Total cost, provider and refund terms. - **Save your documents.** The portal keeps signed PDFs for thirty days. - **Check the licence.** Texas lists it under Yield Solutions Group, LLC; ask RefiJet for its NMLS number and your state’s licence. A credit union or a direct lender may quote you without the middle layer; see our guides to [credit union auto rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/), [used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/) and [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/). We have read other refinance services the same way: [Gravity Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gravity-lending-review/), [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/), [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/) and [Autopay](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/). Whichever you use, our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#traps) lists the traps to check before you sign. RefiJet’s own site is at [refijet.com](https://www.refijet.com/); its Terms bar deep linking, so we link only its home page. ## Common questions ### Is RefiJet a lender or a broker? It arranges loans that participating lenders make. Its Terms say “RefiJet is not a lender and does not make credit decisions,” and its owner’s site says the lender funds, books and services the loan. It does hold a Texas Regulated Lender licence, under the name Yield Solutions Group, LLC. ### Is RefiJet legit? The Texas OCCC lists refijet.com under Yield Solutions Group, LLC, licence 159709, now transitioned to NMLS. The CFPB lists 22 complaints against that company through 15 October 2026, all answered on time, and no enforcement action. Whether an offer suits you depends on the lender’s terms and total cost. ### Does RefiJet do a hard credit pull? RefiJet’s own first check is a soft pull, its pages say. Its FAQ says a hard inquiry “only occurs when you formally apply,” when the lender “will obtain a credit report on you,” in the words of its Terms. ### What credit score do you need for RefiJet? Its home page prints a minimum credit score of 560, along with an existing auto loan on your credit file and a minimum income of $1,900 single or $2,200 joint. The participating lender decides. ### Does RefiJet charge fees? RefiJet says there is “No fee to apply”; its owner says the lender pays it for funded loans. The new loan can include the lender’s fees, state title fees, taxes, and GAP or a service contract if you add them; no amounts are printed. ### Does RefiJet do lease buyouts and cash-out refinancing? Yes, by its own pages: lease buyout loans with “No down payment required for qualified buyers,” and cash-out loans “for more than you owe.” Neither has limits beyond the general 24 to 96 months and $5,000 to $150,000. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/refijet-review/ --- title: "Quick Quack Car Wash: Plans, Cancelling, Damage Terms and Owners" description: "Quick Quack's wash packages and prices, how its unlimited membership bills and cancels, what its terms say about damage and arbitration, and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Quick Quack Car Wash: Plans, Cancelling, Damage Terms and Owners > Quick Quack's wash packages and prices, how its unlimited membership bills and cancels, what its terms say about damage and arbitration, and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,822 words* ## The short version - Quick Quack is an exterior-only express tunnel wash. Its Locations page listed 395 sites in 9 states on 16 October 2026, 16 of them marked “COMING SOON.” It sells three packages (Ceramic Duck, Lucky Duck and Good) as single washes or monthly unlimited memberships. - The FAQ says you can cancel “at any time” in the app. The Terms of Service ask for notice “at least ten (10) days prior to the renewal date” by email or phone, allow a $5.00 fee if you cancel within 45 days of joining, and call every payment non-refundable. - A membership is “per vehicle” and stays with the car named when you bought it. One “Flock” plan per household covers up to 5 active vehicles, on Autopay only. The terms exclude cars used “for hire, compensation or profit,” which reads on rideshare and delivery driving. - No Quick Quack page we could read sets out a damage-claim process. The terms provide the service “AS IS,” put the risk on you and cap Quick Quack’s liability at three times your most recent payment or $100, whichever is greater. - Disputes go to private arbitration with a class-action waiver. You can opt out only by mailing a letter within 30 days of your first wash or sign-up. - Ownership: KKR made “a significant minority investment” on June 11, 2024. The founders and Seidler Equity Partners kept “meaningful stakes,” and no document we read names a majority owner. Quick Quack runs drive-through tunnel washes: a conveyor pulls the car past soft cloth strips, foams and dryers, and you are out in a few minutes. Most of what it sells is a monthly unlimited membership, so the questions that matter are what each package includes, how billing and cancelling work, and what happens if the tunnel damages your car. On 16 October 2026 we read Quick Quack’s Terms of Service Agreement, its Website Terms of Use, its FAQ, plan, membership, About, Locations and contact pages, two store pages, three September 2026 blog posts and its license plate reader notices, plus KKR’s 2024 release, Seidler Equity Partners’ pages and a lender’s SEC filing. Quick Quack’s terms allow a link to its [homepage](https://www.quickquack.com/) and no deeper, so we name its other documents without linking them. As with our pages on [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) and [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/), this site has no commercial relationship with the company or its investors. **Figure: Quick Quack's terms, situation by situation** What Quick Quack's Terms of Service, FAQ and plan pages say happens when you cancel, add cars, bring a modified vehicle, are unhappy with a wash, have damage or want to sue. Read from quickquack.com's Terms of Service, Terms of Use, FAQ and plan pages, 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Quick Quack Car Wash The company you contract with is Quick Quack Car Wash Holdings, LLC, “a Delaware limited liability company,” according to the Terms of Service. Its About page says Quick Quack was “Developed in 2004” and is “headquartered in Rocklin, California.” It grew “from a local car wash in Sacramento, CA” and, in 2008, bought “a small chain of car washes in northwest Texas,” taking the Quick Quack name “across all 13 locations.” It now calls itself “the fourth largest car wash in the nation,” a claim it does not source. Ownership has three layers, and none of the documents we read gives percentages: - **The founders and Seidler.** Seidler Equity Partners tags its Quick Quack founder story “Minority partnership.” In it, co-founder and chief executive Jason Johnson says Seidler “structured an investment that helped us achieve three critical objectives: maintain our control of the business, provide liquidity to early investors, and provide growth capital.” [Read the founder story](https://sepfunds.com/founder-story/quick-quack-car-wash/); Seidler notes that founders “hold securities in partner companies.” - **KKR, since June 2024.** KKR’s [release of June 11, 2024](https://media.kkr.com/rss-feed/news-release?news_id=eb966bf9-7758-4c39-91c8-f6ca38cb7dc3) says “investment funds managed by KKR have made a significant minority investment in the Company,” and that “Quick Quack’s founders and its longtime equity partner, Seidler Equity Partners (‘Seidler’), will continue to hold meaningful stakes.” It prints no price; news reports of one cite unnamed sources, so we leave it out. - **Lenders.** Golub Capital BDC, a Nasdaq-listed lender, filed a [10-Q covering the three months to June 30, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1476765/000147676526000048/gbdc-20260630.htm) on August 3, 2026. It lists “one stop” loans to Quick Quack Car Wash Holdings, LLC maturing in June 2031, and two small equity interests acquired in June 2024, the month of the KKR deal. So the idea that a private-equity firm owns Quick Quack is narrower in the primary documents: two investment firms hold minority stakes, the founders hold stakes, and lenders hold debt. We found no SEC filing by Quick Quack itself: an EDGAR full-text search on 16 October 2026 returned 359 filings mentioning it, and the 100 we checked were all filed by lenders and funds. For a member, the clause that matters is section 9.7: Quick Quack “may assign this Agreement, in whole or in part, to any person or entity at any time with or without your consent.” ## How many locations, and where Quick Quack’s About and Locations pages say “more than 365” locations. The full list on the Locations page carried 395 entries on 16 October 2026, of which 16 were marked “COMING SOON,” leaving 379, by our arithmetic. KKR counted “over 230 locations” in five states in June 2024; Seidler’s undated company page still says “nearly 200.” The membership page says “Join more than 1 million members,” which we could not check. **Quick Quack locations by state (Locations page, read 16 October 2026)** | State | Entries listed | Of which marked “COMING SOON” | | --- | --- | --- | | California | 149 | 7 | | Texas | 115 | 3 | | Utah | 70 | 0 | | Arizona | 21 | 0 | | Oklahoma | 13 | 3 | | Colorado | 12 | 1 | | Washington | 9 | 1 | | Nevada | 5 | 1 | | Hawaii | 1 | 0 | | **Total** | **395** | **16** | The New & Coming page listed 30 sites “opening soon” the same day while the Locations list flagged 16, so confirm a store’s status on its own page. Thirteen entries say “Cashless Location: Card and tap only.” Hours are per store: the FAQ says “most location open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” but we counted 346 of the 395 entries showing 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 20 showing 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Terms of Service warn that “The types of car wash Services may vary at each Quick Quack location.” ## The three wash packages: what each includes and costs The FAQ says you can buy an unlimited membership “for any of our three wash packages.” On the plans page the cards are headed Ceramic Duck (badged “LONGEST PROTECTION”), Lucky Duck and Good; a September 2026 blog post calls the third “Good Duck.” Each card lists the same eleven treatments and ticks the ones it includes: 11 for Ceramic Duck, 10 for Lucky Duck and 3 for Good, by our count. **What each Quick Quack package includes, as ticked on its plans page (read 16 October 2026)** | Treatment (Quick Quack’s name) | Ceramic Duck | Lucky Duck | Good | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ceramic Coating | Yes | No | No | | 3-Step Paint Sealant | Yes | Yes | No | | Duck Bath | Yes | Yes | No | | Ultra Shine | Yes | Yes | No | | Wax to Seal | Yes | Yes | No | | Triple Foam Wash | Yes | Yes | No | | Rain Repellent | Yes | Yes | No | | Wheel Bright & Tire Shine | Yes | Yes | No | | Bug Breakdown | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Foam Wash | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Power Blow Dry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Quick Quack’s “Why Quick Quack” page says the paint sealant “Combines silicone and carnauba waxes” and the Ceramic Duck coating “Provides durable, bonded protection from rain, dirt, pollen, UV rays and more.” None of the pages we read says how long that protection lasts or how it compares with a ceramic coating applied by hand in a detail shop, so read “LONGEST PROTECTION” as a ranking within Quick Quack’s own menu. Two things no package does. Quick Quack calls itself a chain of “exterior-only express car washes,” so the inside is yours to clean with the “free dash wipes and vacuums” the FAQ offers “at nearly every location.” And the plans list has no underbody rinse. Both store pages we read list “Undercarriage Wash” among their features, while Quick Quack’s blog says an undercarriage clean “typically isn’t part of a standard soft-touch cycle.” If road salt is your reason for washing, ask which package includes it; our [rust prevention routine](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) explains why the underside matters most. What do they cost? There is no national price. The plans page shows prices only after you enter a ZIP code (“Please enter your zip code for accurate pricing”), and section 3.1 of the Terms of Service says fees “may be updated from time to time.” We entered no ZIP code. Two store pages, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Sacramento, California, print their prices, and both showed the same monthly prices on 16 October 2026. Neither page labels them as promotions. **Prices printed on two Quick Quack store pages, 16 October 2026 (two single washes: our arithmetic)** | Package | Unlimited, per month (Tulsa and Sacramento) | Single wash (Tulsa) | Two single washes (Tulsa) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ceramic Duck | $39.99 | $27.99 | $55.98 | | Lucky Duck | $34.99 | $22.99 | $45.98 | | Good | $24.99 | $12.99 | $25.98 | At the Tulsa prices, by our arithmetic, a membership beats single washes from the second wash of the month on every package: two Ceramic Duck washes cost $15.99 more than a month of Ceramic Duck, two Lucky Duck washes $10.99 more, two Good washes $0.99 more. Wash once a month or less and single washes cost less. Extra cars are cheaper: “Add up to four additional cars from your household to your membership for just $22.00 per vehicle/per month.” The line does not say which packages that covers. The Ceramic Duck card promises “40% or more off the regular price,” and $22.00 is about 45% below $39.99, by our arithmetic. ## How the tunnel works, and what Quick Quack says about your paint From the FAQ: a Team Member guides you onto the conveyor, “you’ll put your car in neutral, take your foot off the brake and hands off the wheel,” and the car comes out “cleaned, shined and dried in 3 minutes or less.” Members are recognized by the plate or VIN on their account. Is Quick Quack touchless? No. Its blog says “Quick Quack is a soft-touch car wash. We use Ultra Soft-Touch Cloth Strips rather than stiff brushes or a touchless-only process.” The FAQ calls this “a brushless system” with “hand-cut cloth strips that are gentle on your cars surface.” On risk, the documents part ways. The FAQ asks “Will the wash damage my vehicle?” and answers “No.” Its September 22, 2026 post on soft-touch and touchless washes is more careful: with soft-touch, “Direct contact means there’s always some small risk of fine swirl marks, particularly if the wash uses older equipment or doesn’t clean its materials often.” It suggests touchless for “vehicles with delicate finishes, vinyl wraps, or aftermarket parts where any contact feels risky,” and a companion post tells new-car owners to “ask about the specific materials used.” That is sound advice, and it comes from Quick Quack. ## Vehicles and accessories Quick Quack will not take The FAQ sets two hard limits: vehicles go through “as long as they don’t exceed 7’2” or have a tire width wider than 13.5”.” By our arithmetic that is 86 inches (about 218 cm) of height, roof load included, and about 343 mm of tire width. Tire sizes print the width first, in millimeters, so compare that number with 343; the size is on the [door-jamb placard](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard). The FAQ also lists “Things that cannot go through the wash”: - Dually trucks - Vehicles with bike racks attached - Non-standard hitches (“some locations cannot accept any hitches”) - Trucks with beds that are not completely empty - Vehicles covered in hardened mud “that breaks off in chunks” - Storage pods on top of the vehicle, and ladder racks “This list is not all-inclusive,” it adds; “a Team Member can inspect your vehicle before going into the wash.” The Terms of Service go wider: memberships cannot be used for “Non-Compatible Vehicles,” including ones “incompatible by size, design or modification” or with “accessories, trailers or other items attached,” and section 2.3 lets Quick Quack “refuse to permit any person to use the Services for any reason at any time.” Notice what is missing. Neither the FAQ nor the terms mention aftermarket antennas, light bars, cracked mirrors, loose trim, wraps or tired paint. These lists say what fits the tunnel; no page we read says which parts Quick Quack takes responsibility for. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the wash brush, a front tire and the roofline, each with one fact from Quick Quack’s FAQ, blog and Terms of Service. Quick Quack’s FAQ, blog and Terms of Service, read on 16 October 2026: Soft-touch cloth strips, not touchless: Quick Quack's blog notes a small swirl-mark risk (callout 1); Over 7'2" tall or tires wider than 13.5"? Quick Quack's FAQ says it won't wash it (callout 2); Bike racks, dually rears and non-standard hitches cannot go through (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## How the unlimited membership works The FAQ’s version: “An unlimited membership lets you wash your car as often as you like at any Quick Quack location.” The Terms of Service fill in the rules: - **Two kinds.** A “Day Pass” has “a defined end date” and “does not automatically renew.” “Autopay” “automatically renews each month” and keeps renewing until you stop it. - **Billing date.** You are charged on sign-up, then each month “within one business day before or after the calendar day on which you began.” The terms’ own example: start on the 5th and you are billed around the 5th. A declined card lets Quick Quack “immediately suspend or cancel your membership,” and it “may also update your Payment Method using information provided by payment service providers.” - **One car each.** “Each membership is per vehicle” and “applies to the vehicle identified at the initial purchase.” “Services are not transferrable between vehicles.” - **Household plans.** “Only one Flock Pricing plan is available per household and each Flock Pricing plan may only have five (5) active vehicles,” on Autopay only. Swapping cars on a Flock plan is decided “on a case-by-case basis.” - **Changing package.** An upgrade is charged “immediately”; a downgrade starts “at the beginning of the next billing period.” - **Personal use only.** Memberships exclude “Commercial Use,” which covers vehicles used “for the transportation of persons or property for hire, compensation or profit” or “by a business.” Read literally, a car you also drive for a rideshare or delivery app falls outside it. - **Changes.** Quick Quack may change “the Services, fees, costs and pricing, and this Agreement,” effective “on posting,” and will only “endeavor to provide at least seven (7) days’ advance notice” of a material cut in service. Your plate is part of your login. “Access Credentials” include a “license plate or license plate number,” which you “will not sell or transfer.” On the lot, Automated License Plate Readers capture “images of vehicles and their license plates, along with date, time and general location” to “verify membership status” and “prevent fraud or unauthorized use of memberships.” Quick Quack keeps that data “for as long as we have a business need or are legally required.” ## How to cancel a Quick Quack membership, and the refund rule The friendly pages make it sound simple. Plans: “Cancel Anytime.” Membership page: “cancel anytime through the app or customer support.” The FAQ points to the myQQ app (“Account,” then “Settings,” then “Cancel Your Membership”) or a phone call, and says your membership “will stay active through the end of the current period. No further payments will be drawn.” The Terms of Service, which the FAQ itself defers to (“Refer to Terms of Service for details and limitations”), are stricter. Section 5.2 says “you are solely responsible for properly canceling” and “You may cancel the Services by giving notice at least ten (10) days prior to the renewal date of your Services by email” or by phone. The app is not one of the methods it names. The same section adds: - **An early-exit fee.** “Cancellation of a membership within forty-five (45) days of the initial purchase will be subject to a five dollar ($5.00) cancellation fee applied in Quick Quack’s sole discretion.” No FAQ answer mentions it. - **Two ways to end.** Choose not to renew and access ends “at the end of the applicable billing period.” Cancel “immediately” and it ends at once, with “no refunds” except at Quick Quack’s discretion. Pick the first: you have paid for those days. - **Only you.** The terms say “no third-party has any authority to cancel the Services on your behalf,” and Quick Quack “may require reasonable verification.” A cancellation service or a relative does not count. **Count back ten days from your billing date.** Section 5.2 wants notice at least ten days before renewal. If you renew on the 20th, give notice by the 10th (our arithmetic). Cancel by email so you have a dated copy, keep the reply, and check your next statement. If you use the app instead, screenshot the confirmation. On refunds, section 3.2(c) says “All payments made to Quick Quack in connection with the Services are non-refundable” and “There is no circumstance in which you will be entitled to, or Quick Quack is required to provide, a refund or credit.” It then allows that Quick Quack “may provide a refund” at its discretion, for example if it ends a paid-up membership “without cause.” The terms provide for no prorating. Cancelling deactivates your account but “does not, by itself, constitute a request to delete your personal information”; ask for that separately. Quick Quack’s own blog tells shoppers to ask “How much notice do you need to give before cancelling?” and whether a plan is prorated. For Quick Quack the answers are ten days, and no. ## If the wash damages your car This is the part of the paperwork that matters most and says least. No page we could read publishes a damage-claim process: no form, no reporting deadline, no list of excluded parts. (Quick Quack’s robots.txt shuts automated readers out of the account and membership areas, and we did not open them or visit a location to read posted signs.) The Terms of Service handle damage like this: - Section 6.1: “THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN ‘AS IS’ AND ‘AS AVAILABLE’ BASIS, WITH NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER.” - Section 6.2: your use is “AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK” and “YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LIABILITY, CLAIM, DAMAGES, LOSS, COST OR EXPENSE” that results. - Section 7: no liability for “ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES IN EXCESS OF THREE TIMES THE MOST RECENT PAYMENT IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES, IF ANY, OR $100, WHICHEVER AMOUNT IS GREATER.” **Quick Quack’s liability cap (Terms of Service section 7) applied to printed Tulsa prices, 16 October 2026 (our arithmetic)** | Your most recent payment | Three times that payment | Cap under section 7 (the greater) | | --- | --- | --- | | Ceramic Duck month, $39.99 | $119.97 | $119.97 | | Lucky Duck month, $34.99 | $104.97 | $104.97 | | Good month, $24.99 | $74.97 | $100 | | Ceramic Duck single wash, $27.99 | $83.97 | $100 | | Good single wash, $12.99 | $38.97 | $100 | Any last payment above $33.33 lifts the cap above $100. If a repair costs more than the cap and Quick Quack holds to it, the terms leave the difference with you. Whether a court or arbitrator would enforce the cap where the equipment itself caused the damage is a legal question; this site is not a law firm. Your own auto policy may be the other route, so check its comprehensive and collision cover and deductible. The guarantees Quick Quack does print are about cleanliness. The “100% Clean Car Guarantee” offers a re-wash “only while you’re still on-site or within 30 minutes of your original wash,” and the rain check a free wash “If it rains within 48 hours.” Neither mentions scratches or parts. Quick Quack’s blog gives the best advice here: “Ask what happens if something on your car is damaged during a wash, specifically what the claims process looks like and what, if anything, is excluded from coverage.” Ask the site manager for the policy in writing before you join. If something goes wrong, report it before you leave the lot, photograph the damage with the time showing, and ask for the incident to be recorded. Other chains word their damage terms differently; we read them on our pages about [Club Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/), [Flagship Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/) and [Whistle Express](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/). ## Arbitration, the class waiver and how to opt out The Terms of Service open with a warning that you agree to “THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER DESCRIBED IN SECTION 9.3.” Any dispute except a small-claims case goes to “A SINGLE ARBITRATOR UNDER THE THEN CURRENT RULES OF THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION RATHER THAN LITIGATE THE DISPUTE IN COURT,” under California law, and you agree “NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION.” Quick Quack keeps the right to seek equitable relief “in any jurisdiction.” The agreement “TAKES EFFECT ON THE EARLIER OF WHEN YOU CLICK THE ACCEPT BUTTON OR FIRST ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES,” so by its wording a single wash counts. To opt out, “YOU MUST NOTIFY QUICK QUACK IN WRITING, BY MAIL TO QUICK QUACK AT 1380 LEAD HILL BLVD #260 ROSEVILLE, CA 95661, WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE.” The clause names mail only. If you want to keep your right to go to court, send a short signed letter within 30 days of your first wash or sign-up and keep proof of posting. Small claims court stays open either way. The separate Website Terms of Use (Last Modified July 10, 2026) cover the website, not the wash, and add that claims about the site “MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR.” The Terms of Service print no date; the version quoted is the one we read on 16 October 2026. ## Bought a used car? What a tunnel wash can and cannot be trusted with A newly bought used car is the car a tunnel wash knows least about. You may not know whether a panel was resprayed, whether the trim clips are tired, or what the last owner bolted on. Quick Quack’s own advice to choose touchless for “a delicate finish, a wrap, or aftermarket trim” applies with extra force here; our guides to [inspecting a modified used car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#inspect) and to [why a repaint may not match the factory code](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-paint-code/#variants) cover the clues. Put Quick Quack’s limits and its own blog advice together and they describe the car its soft-touch tunnel suits: original paint and trim in good order, nothing on the roof or hitch, tires under 13.5 inches wide and a height under 7’2”. Anything else is your call, and under the terms it is your risk. Three rules matter more to a second owner than to anyone else: - **The seller’s membership.** A membership “applies to the vehicle identified at the initial purchase,” and the plate is one of the account’s “Access Credentials.” If the car keeps the seller’s plate, or the seller registered its VIN, it may still be linked to their account, and you cannot take over their plan. Ask the seller to remove the car from it at the sale. Quick Quack’s vehicle pages are closed to automated readers, so we cannot describe that screen. - **Commercial use.** Bought the car to drive for a rideshare or delivery app? Read the personal-use rule before you sign up. - **The opt-out clock.** The 30 days for an arbitration opt-out run from your first wash, not from the day you bought the car. - **Measure first.** Roof height with racks fitted against 7’2”; the first number of the tire size against 343. Remove bike racks, ladder racks and roof pods; empty a truck bed. - **Walk round the car.** Look for loose trim, cracked mirror housings, lifting wraps or film, peeling clear coat, aftermarket antennas and light bars, and point them out to the Team Member before the tunnel. - **Take dated photos.** Photograph every panel before the first wash so you can show the car’s condition later. - **Get the damage policy in writing.** Ask what is excluded and how to report a problem. - **Check the underbody option.** Where roads are salted, ask which package at that store includes the undercarriage wash. - **Mark your billing day.** Set a reminder ten days before it, and one at day 45 if you might cancel early. - **Clear the seller’s link.** Ask the seller to remove the car from any Quick Quack account, and file the bill of sale with your [ownership records](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/what-to-do-after-buying-a-used-car/#records). - **Decide on arbitration.** To keep court as an option, mail the opt-out letter within 30 days of your first visit. None of this makes a tunnel wash a bad idea; Quick Quack’s FAQ is right that washing helps “remove harmful sap, pollen and prevent rust corrosion.” The point is to know which risks the paperwork leaves with you. If the car already has dents, our [Dent Wizard page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/#what-pdr-fixes) covers what paintless repair can and cannot fix. ## Where Quick Quack’s own documents disagree Read side by side, Quick Quack’s pages say different things in at least nine places. Where they conflict on money or your rights, the Terms of Service are the contract; the FAQ itself defers to them. **Quick Quack’s documents compared (all read 16 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Cancelling | FAQ and plans: cancel “at any time” in the app | Terms 5.2: at least ten days’ notice before renewal, by email or phone | | Early-exit fee | FAQ: none mentioned | Terms 5.2: $5.00 within 45 days of joining | | Damage | FAQ: the wash will not damage your vehicle | Blog: soft-touch has “some small risk of fine swirl marks”; terms: your own risk, capped liability | | Damage claims | Blog: ask what the claims process is and what is excluded | No claims process published on any page we could read | | Hours | FAQ: most open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Locations list: 346 of 395 open 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. | | Size | About, Locations: “more than 365” | Locations list: 395 entries, 16 coming soon; Seidler: “nearly 200” | | Cross-reference | Terms of Use: equitable remedies in “SECTION 9.5 OF THE TERMS OF SERVICE” | Terms of Service: 9.5 is “Entire Agreement”; equitable remedies are 9.6 | | Fee schedule | Terms 3.1: fees in a schedule at a “locationsandpricing” address | That address redirects to the Locations list, which prints no prices | | Refunds | Terms 3.2(c): “no circumstance” entitles you to a refund | Same section: Quick Quack “may provide a refund” at its discretion | Smaller differences: the About page puts headquarters in Rocklin while the terms send opt-out mail to Roseville and Seidler’s page says Sacramento, and where the About page traces the business to “a local car wash in Sacramento, CA,” Seidler’s founder story names “our first location in Carmichael, California in 2004.” The cancellation and damage rows are the ones that matter, because there the friendly pages and the contract point in different directions. Quick Quack’s robots.txt also says “AI / LLM crawlers are explicitly welcome” while its Terms of Use bar “any robot, spider, or other automatic device”; we followed the stricter rule and read each page once by hand. ## Common questions ### Is Quick Quack a touchless car wash? No. Its blog says “Quick Quack is a soft-touch car wash” using “Ultra Soft-Touch Cloth Strips.” The same post suggests touchless washes for “vinyl wraps, or aftermarket parts where any contact feels risky.” ### How do I cancel my Quick Quack membership? The FAQ points to the myQQ app or a call to customer care. The Terms of Service ask for notice “at least ten (10) days prior to the renewal date” by email or phone, and a $5.00 fee may apply within 45 days of joining. Email at least ten days before your billing date and keep the reply. ### Does Quick Quack give refunds? Not as a rule. Section 3.2(c) calls payments “non-refundable” and allows refunds only at Quick Quack’s discretion. If you choose not to renew, you keep access until the end of the period you paid for. ### How many cars can I put on one Quick Quack membership? One per membership. A household can have one “Flock” plan with “five (5) active vehicles” on Autopay; the two store pages we read priced each extra car at $22.00 a month on 16 October 2026. ### Who owns Quick Quack Car Wash? Quick Quack Car Wash Holdings, LLC is privately held. Its founders and Seidler Equity Partners hold stakes, and KKR announced “a significant minority investment” on June 11, 2024. No document we read gives percentages or names a majority owner. ### Will Quick Quack pay if the wash damages my car? It publishes no claims process on the pages we could read. Its terms provide the wash “AS IS” and cap liability at three times your most recent payment or $100, whichever is greater. Report damage before you leave, photograph it, ask for the policy in writing, and check your own auto policy. ## Sources and further reading - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/ --- title: "Club Car Wash Membership: The Terms for a Home With More Than One Car" description: "Each Club Car Wash membership covers one car, with no family plan we could find. Its printed prices, cancelling and refunds, damage exclusions and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Club Car Wash Membership: The Terms for a Home With More Than One Car > Each Club Car Wash membership covers one car, with no family plan we could find. Its printed prices, cancelling and refunds, damage exclusions and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,883 words* ## The short version - Every Club Car Wash membership covers one vehicle and “cannot be shared,” so a household with three cars runs three memberships, each billed on its own date. - On 16 October 2026 the Washes page printed monthly memberships of $42 (MVP), $36 (Elite), $30 (VIP) and $24 (Rookie), plus tax, and single washes of $26, $21, $16 and $11. We found no family or second-car discount; business prices are $5 lower per car but need at least 6 vehicles. - You can cancel at any time with one day’s notice through the web portal, the app, email or the support line. Washes continue to the next Recharge Date, and there are no refunds or credits for part of a month. - Club Car Wash lists 12 things it is not responsible for damage to, including vehicles 7 years or older, “Any Kia Trim,” antennas, aftermarket wheels and chipped windshields. It tells you to report damage to the on-site team immediately and publishes no claims procedure. - Disputes go to the Boone County Circuit Court in Missouri under Missouri law, with jury trial waived. Neither of its terms documents contains an arbitration clause. - Club Car Wash Operating, LLC runs the washes. Wildcat Capital Management, a New York family office, lists it as an investment since 2019, and the company’s Acquisitions page claims over 260 locations in 14 states. Club Car Wash is an express tunnel car wash chain from Columbia, Missouri, that sells four wash packages either one wash at a time or as an “Unlimited Club” monthly membership. For a household with more than one car, the rule that matters most is printed in its terms: a membership belongs to one vehicle, cannot be shared, and renews every month on the date that car signed up. On 16 October 2026 we read Club Car Wash’s [Washes page](https://clubcarwash.com/csp?id=washes), its [Terms of Use](https://clubcarwash.com/csp?id=terms_of_use) (revised May 8, 2026), the Terms and Conditions article those terms point to (last modified June 3, 2026), the [Vehicle Restrictions](https://clubcarwash.com/csp?id=vehicle_restrictions) page, the FAQ, and its business, rewards, referral, history and acquisitions pages. We also read its investor’s portfolio entry, a 2023 press release and a lender’s SEC filing. We did not sign up or log in, and this site has no commercial relationship with Club Car Wash or any car wash. **Figure: Club Car Wash for a household with more than one car** A two-column table of ten household situations at Club Car Wash: each car needs its own membership because memberships cover one vehicle and cannot be shared; no family discount is printed and business pricing needs at least 6 vehicles; each membership recharges monthly on its own sign-up date, with sign-ups on the 29th to 31st recharging on the 28th; a membership can be moved to a new car with notice and permission, but each FastPass sticker stays with one vehicle; cancelling needs one day's notice, washes continue to the next Recharge Date and there are no refunds; points cannot be combined across accounts and a referral reward covers one vehicle; vehicles 7 years or older are on the list Club Car Wash says it is not responsible for; pickup beds must be empty and hitches removed; by our arithmetic a second wash a month makes MVP, Elite or VIP membership cheaper than single washes and Rookie needs a third; and disputes go to Boone County Circuit Court under Missouri law with the jury waived. Read from Club Car Wash’s Terms of Use, Terms and Conditions, Vehicle Restrictions, Washes, FAQ, Business Accounts and Refer A Friend pages on 16 October 2026. ## What each Club Car Wash package includes, and the prices it prints The Washes page compares four packages. Each is sold as a single wash or as a monthly membership. The page names no location and carries no fine print; the prices below are the ones it showed on 16 October 2026. **Club Car Wash’s four packages as its Washes page printed them (read 16 October 2026, before tax)** | Package | Single wash | Monthly membership | What it adds to the package below it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Rookie | $11 | $24 | The base wash: bug prep, pre-soak, spot-free rinse, blowers, microfiber towels, vacuums and compressed air (the page also lists “Trained Preps” and “Customer Support”) | | VIP | $16 | $30 | Wheel Bright, Side Blaster and Tri-Foam | | Elite | $21 | $36 | Lava Hot Wax, tire shine, scented soap, Foaminator Bath and underbody | | MVP | $26 | $42 | Graphene Protection and Ceramic X³ Shine in place of Lava Hot Wax; everything else in Elite | Under every package the page prints the same three membership perks: unlimited washes, “Wash Anywhere” and the Express Member Lane. The Unlimited Club page adds free vacuums and “Self-Grab Towels,” and says a membership bought at one location works “at ANY location.” The FAQ says every location has free self-service vacuums and detailing tools, that the packages include “high-powered dryers,” and that there is no touchless option: “our washes have friction.” Two details are worth checking against how you use your cars. Underbody washing appears only in the MVP and Elite packages, 2 of the 4. If the point of washing in winter is to get road salt off the underside, as our guide to [protecting a car from rust](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) explains, the VIP and Rookie washes do not list it. And Graphene Protection, which the FAQ describes as “exclusively available to MVP Members,” is listed in the MVP package, which is also sold as a single wash. The page does not say whether a single MVP wash includes it. Club Car Wash attaches two caveats to its prices. Members are charged “an agreed upon amount plus tax,” and “Rates and plans are subject to change at any time without notice.” Section 5 of the Terms of Use adds that it does not warrant its pricing is “accurate, complete, or current.” The price at sign-up, plus tax, is the one that counts. ## How the Unlimited Club membership is billed Section 2 of the Terms of Use, headed “AUTO-RENEWAL,” sets out the deal. “The Membership for each vehicle” starts when you hand over a valid debit or credit card and accept the terms, and it “will automatically renew monthly until canceled by you or Club Car Wash.” You must be 18 to create an account or buy a membership. The same section says, in capitals, that you keep the right to end the membership at any time “WITHOUT ADDITIONAL COST OR PENALTY.” Section 3 defines the date that drives everything else: “Your Recharge Date is the date you signed up for car wash services and is the date that you make a monthly payment.” There is one exception for short months. A membership started on the 29th, 30th or 31st recharges on the 28th of the following month “and continue[s] recharging thereafter on the 28th.” At the wash, members use a FastPass, an RFID sticker on the windshield that the FAQ says lets members “drive through quickly without stopping for payment.” Three more terms shape what a month of membership is worth: - **Club Car Wash can end it too.** The Terms and Conditions say it “may cancel my plan at any time at its discretion, but plan shall be cancelled for failure to pay.” - **A closed wash is not a paused membership.** Club Car Wash says it “typically” stays open at zero degrees or above but may close locations in extreme weather, and that a membership is not paused when that happens. The Terms and Conditions add that services “may be unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances.” - **Promotions come with it.** The Terms and Conditions say customers “agree to opt in to receive email and SMS promotions” and may unsubscribe at any time. The Privacy Policy (revised February 13, 2026) says mobile opt-in data “will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing.” ## One car, one membership: what a household pays The Terms and Conditions put it in one line: “All memberships are for one vehicle only and cannot be shared.” Section 2 of the Terms of Use opens with “The Membership for each vehicle,” and the FAQ says FastPasses “are assigned to a single vehicle.” Club Car Wash’s own Unlimited Club page shows what that looks like in practice: one of the testimonials it chose is from a customer with “the Elite wash for all three of my vehicles,” which under these terms means three memberships. We looked for a family plan, a second-car discount or a multi-vehicle membership on every page we read and found none. The only multi-vehicle pricing Club Car Wash prints is on its Business Accounts page: memberships at $37, $31, $25 and $19 a month (against regular prices of $42, $36, $30 and $24, so $5 less per car by our arithmetic), with a “MINIMUM OF 6 VEHICLES,” and prepaid bulk plans of 50 or 100 washes at $10 to $16 a wash that “NEVER EXPIRE.” The page is written for company vehicles and does not say whether a household could qualify; with six or more cars, ask first. For everyone else the arithmetic is simple, because each car pays the full monthly price for the package chosen for it: **What one to four cars cost a month at Club Car Wash’s printed prices (our arithmetic, before tax, 16 October 2026)** | Cars | MVP | Elite | VIP | Rookie | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | $42 | $36 | $30 | $24 | | 2 | $84 | $72 | $60 | $48 | | 3 | $126 | $108 | $90 | $72 | | 4 | $168 | $144 | $120 | $96 | Over 12 months, one car on today’s prices comes to $504 on MVP, $432 on Elite, $360 on VIP and $288 on Rookie before tax, by our arithmetic. The cars do not have to be on the same package: each membership is charged “pursuant to the plan chosen by the Member,” so one car on MVP and another on Rookie would be $66 a month. ### Which cars are worth a membership Because membership is per car, the useful question is per car too: how often does each one actually go through the wash? Comparing Club Car Wash’s own single-wash and monthly prices, a membership costs less than paying per wash once a car is washed twice in a month on MVP ($52 in single washes against $42), Elite ($42 against $36) or VIP ($32 against $30). On Rookie it takes a third wash ($33 against $24; two washes are $22). A car washed once a month costs less on single washes at every level. In a household where one car is washed weekly and another rarely, nothing in the terms requires you to enrol both. ### Several cars, several billing dates Each membership recharges on its own sign-up date, so cars that joined on different days are charged on different days of the month. We found nothing in the terms or the FAQ about moving a Recharge Date once it is set. If you want the charges together, sign the cars up on the same day; if that day is the 29th, 30th or 31st, the terms move it to the 28th. ## Replacing a car, the FastPass and a new driver Households change cars, and the membership can follow, with permission. The Terms and Conditions say “Transfer to a different or new motor vehicle is allowed with notice to and permission from Club Car Wash.” The FAQ is more relaxed: “if you get a new car, we can transfer your Membership online or on-site.” The FastPass does not move with it, because each sticker is assigned to one vehicle. Neither page says whether a replacement sticker costs anything, so ask when you transfer. If you sell a car with a FastPass on the windshield, its membership keeps renewing until you transfer or cancel it, so do one or the other before the car leaves. A newly licensed driver’s car follows the same per-vehicle rule, but section 2 requires you to be 18 to create an account or buy a membership, so a younger driver’s car goes on an adult’s account. ## Cancelling, pausing and the no-refund rule Section 3 of the Terms of Use is headed “Cancellation By You.” It says you “may cancel your Membership at any time by giving one day notice,” and that cancellations must go through one of four routes: the online web portal, the app, an email to Club Car Wash’s contact address, or its support line. The Terms and Conditions repeat the same four routes and the same “1 day notice.” What happens next is also in section 3. Washes on a cancelled membership “continue through the end of the current billing period up to the next Recharge Date,” and “Paid Membership fees are non-refundable and there are no refunds or credits for partially used Membership periods.” (That sentence appears twice in a row in the published terms.) The FAQ says the same in plain words: “Memberships are non-refundable, but you can cancel anytime.” So the time to cancel is before a car’s Recharge Date, not after it. With several memberships, that is several dates to track. **Cancel each car separately, and keep proof.** Name the vehicle, use a route that leaves a record (the portal, the app or email), do it at least a day before that car’s Recharge Date, and keep the confirmation. The Contact Us form is not a cancellation route: it says “You’re not able to cancel your membership through this form.” Pausing is a different matter. Club Car Wash’s home page tells members to “Pause, change or cancel anytime through the Club Car Wash Mobile App or online portal,” and the site has a pause page. But that page sits behind a log-in, and neither the Terms of Use nor the Terms and Conditions mentions pausing at all. We could not read how long a pause lasts, whether it is billed, or how it affects the Recharge Date. If a car will be off the road for a while, get those answers in writing first. Federal law sets a floor here. [15 U.S.C. 8403](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap110-sec8403.htm), headed “Negative option marketing on the Internet,” says a business that charges for goods or services sold online through a negative option feature must disclose all material terms before taking billing information, get the consumer’s “express informed consent,” and provide “simple mechanisms for a consumer to stop recurring charges.” We do not assess whether any company meets it. Because an unpaid plan is cancelled under the Terms and Conditions, update an expired card before the Recharge Date; the FAQ says you can do that online, in the app or at a location. ## Rewards points and referrals don’t stretch across a household Club Car Wash runs a points scheme through its app called Platinum Rewards. Its page offers members “$5 off your Membership when you earn 250 points.” The FAQ says points can go toward upgrades, discounts, gifts, donations, events, gift cards and raffle entries, that redemption is subject to “tier-based limits” it does not describe, and that points expire 365 days after they are earned and cannot be turned into cash. For a family, two FAQ answers matter: points “cannot be combined across different accounts” and are “non-transferable.” Two adults with their own accounts keep separate points. The Refer A Friend page works the same way, one vehicle at a time. Its FAQ says the reward is applied “at your next membership recharge date,” that only new customers count (not current members, nor anyone who has been a member “within the past 60 days”), that plan changes are not allowed while the promotional discount runs, and that the membership then “will automatically return to the regular monthly price.” On households it is explicit: “The promotion is limited to one vehicle per membership,” and the referred friend’s discount also “applies to one vehicle only per new member.” The page does not print how long the promotional period lasts. ## Damage: what Club Car Wash says it is not responsible for Club Car Wash’s FAQ answers the damage question in two sentences: “We take every precaution to protect your vehicle, but if an issue arises, please report it to our on-site team immediately.” Everything else is in its exclusions, printed on the Vehicle Restrictions page under the heading “Vehicle Restrictions and Limits of Liability” and again, with small differences, in the Terms and Conditions article. **Club Car Wash’s Vehicle Restrictions page, as printed (read 16 October 2026; no date on the page)** | Club Car Wash “is not responsible for damages caused by” | Club Car Wash “is not responsible for damages to any of the following” | | --- | --- | | Vehicles taller than 86″ | Vehicles 7 years or older | | Vehicles wider than 73″, measured from the inside of the driver’s tire to the outside of the passenger’s | Any Kia trim | | Trucks with uncovered beds that are not completely empty and free of debris | Bug shields or rain guards of any kind; any style of antenna | | Full-size Hummers | Aftermarket wheels or extended valve stems; power running boards in the down position | | “Select” trucks with ladder racks | Windshields with prior chips or cracks; non-factory parts and accessories; all externally attached items | | Vehicles with tires wider than 12.5″ or dual tires | Pre-existing paint imperfections; any prior vehicle damage; accidents due to driver negligence | That is 18 items by our count. In a household, the older car may be the one under “Vehicles 7 Years or Older,” and the page does not say whether age runs from the model year or the date of sale. “Any Kia Trim” is listed without explanation. Roof racks, bike carriers and tow balls sit on the outside of a car, and the list excludes “All Externally Attached Items.” If a windshield has a chip, our page on [windshield repair and replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#repair-or-replace) covers when a chip can still be repaired. The Terms and Conditions add rules for drivers and for trucks. Every customer agrees to “the following Four Rules”: car in neutral, foot off brake, hands off wheel, wipers off. Breaking them, the article says, makes the customer “responsible for all damages to themselves, others and property,” and the rules “are posted at every Club Car Wash location.” For trucks it goes further than the restrictions page: “All pickup beds must be empty. No exceptions,” you must remove a hitch or “be responsible for all damages as a result of failing to remove hitches,” and trucks with external fuel pump hoses “MUST BE SECURED.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the roof, a front corner by the wheel and the windshield, each with one fact from Club Car Wash’s Terms and Conditions and FAQ. Club Car Wash’s Terms and Conditions and FAQ, read on 16 October 2026: Any style antenna is on Club Car Wash’s list of parts it is not responsible for (callout 1); Aftermarket wheels and extended valve stems are excluded from damage responsibility (callout 2); Chipped or cracked windshield? Excluded. Report any new damage on site at once (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. The Terms of Use set the outer limit. Section 12 says that “UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL CLUB BE LIABLE OR RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL” or other damages relating to its car wash services. The same section then concedes that “You may have additional rights under certain laws (including consumer laws)” and that exclusions which directly conflict with such laws “may not apply to you.” Section 11 makes stopping use of the service your “SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY.” The Terms and Conditions article ends: “I agree that liability is limited pursuant to the terms stated at Vehicle Restrictions which may change without notice.” Club Car Wash publishes no claims process: no form, deadline or response time beyond telling the on-site team at once. Its Contact Us form has a “Complaint” category and accepts attachments. Because “Pre-Existing Paint Imperfections” and “Any Prior Vehicle Damage” are excluded, a dispute will turn on whether a mark was there before the wash. For small dents, our page on [paintless dent repair](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/#what-pdr-fixes) explains what that can and cannot fix. **Photograph every car before its first wash.** Take dated pictures of each panel, the wheels, the windshield and anything attached, for every car you enrol. If something happens in the tunnel, stop and report it on site before you leave, photograph it there, and follow up through the Contact Us form with the pictures attached. ## The terms: Missouri law, one county court, no jury The Terms of Use (revised May 8, 2026) bind you through the website and app and through “IN-PERSON USE OF OUR CAR WASH SERVICES,” so driving through a tunnel counts as agreeing. Club Car Wash may change them “AT ANY TIME AND WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU,” with changes effective “immediately upon posting.” Section 14 decides where a dispute goes. Missouri law applies, and disputes “shall be taken up exclusively in the Boone County Circuit Court.” It adds that “all parties hereto waive their right to a jury trial” and ends: “The law of forum and the law of non conveniens is expressly waived by both parties.” We read the Terms of Use and the Terms and Conditions in full and found no arbitration clause and no class-action waiver in either. For a household in Texas, Colorado or Minnesota, the practical point is that the terms name one county court in Missouri. Three other clauses are worth knowing: - **Indemnity (section 10).** You agree to indemnify Club Car Wash for claims and costs, including “reasonable attorney’s fees,” related to your breach of the agreement or your use of its services. - **As-is service (sections 5 and 11).** The site, app and car wash services are provided “as is,” use is “AT YOUR SOLE RISK,” and Club Car Wash disclaims all warranties, express, statutory and implied, adding that where a jurisdiction does not allow such limits, “THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.” - **Personal use (section 7).** The license to use the site, app and washes is “solely for your own personal use,” and the site and app are for “personal and non-commercial use, unless otherwise specified.” Company vehicles have their own route, the business accounts described above. The Privacy Policy says Club Car Wash may share information “with any of our parent companies, subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control with us.” The next section covers who stands behind the company. ## Who owns Club Car Wash, and how big it is The company you contract with is Club Car Wash Operating, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; the Privacy Policy says the car washes, app and website are “owned and operated” by it. Club Car Wash’s Our Story page traces it to 2006, when it was “Founded in Columbia, MO, as a family-owned business, Tiger Express Car Wash.” It rebranded as Club Car Wash in 2019, the same year the page says it “Partnered with Wildcat Capital.” It lists Travis Kelce joining “as an investor” in 2020. Is Club Car Wash owned by private equity? The investor named in the primary sources is Wildcat Capital Management. Wildcat’s own website lists Club Car Wash in its portfolio with “Status: Active” and “Initial Investment Year: 2019,” headquartered in Columbia, Missouri. A press release Sculptor Capital Management published on October 16, 2023 describes Wildcat as “a New York-based family office” that was “established in 2011 as a single-family investment office,” and announces that Wildcat’s car-wash platform, “which includes Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts,” had received “a significant growth investment from Sculptor Real Estate.” So the backer is a family office, joined in 2023 by a real-estate investor in the wider platform. None of these documents says who holds what share of Club Car Wash. The company also borrows. MidCap Financial Investment Corporation’s 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, filed with the SEC on August 6, 2026, lists Club Car Wash Operating, LLC in its schedule of investments with three first-lien secured facilities (a term loan, a delayed-draw loan and a revolver), each maturing on June 16, 2027. That is a lender’s record, not an ownership stake, and it says nothing about how the washes are run. We found no SEC filing by Club Car Wash itself; it is a private company, and it appears on EDGAR only in other companies’ filings. On size, Sculptor’s 2023 release counted “140+ locations” in 10 states. A Club Car Wash news item counted “199 locations across 11 states” before its 200th opening, which Our Story places in 2024, and the 250th opened on December 4, 2025. Today the Acquisitions page claims “over 260 locations across the Midwest and Southeast” and lists 14 current market states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. We could not add an independent view of complaints: the Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our request, and we found no regulator action naming Club Car Wash in the searches we ran. ## Where Club Car Wash’s own pages disagree, and what they leave out - **Trucks.** The Vehicle Restrictions page says “Select Trucks with Ladder Racks” and uncovered beds; the Terms and Conditions say all ladder-rack trucks, all beds empty with “No exceptions,” and add hitch and fuel-hose rules the page omits. - **Pausing.** The home page offers “Pause, change or cancel anytime”; neither terms document mentions a pause, and the pause page needs a log-in. - **Ways to cancel and Graphene.** The terms list four ways to cancel, the home page two. Graphene is “exclusively available to MVP Members” but listed in a package also sold as a single wash. - **State counts.** Our Story says operations reached 13 states in 2025 and never mentions Alabama; the Acquisitions page lists 14 current markets, Alabama included. Wildcat describes the footprint as “the Midwest, Mountain West, and South”; Club Car Wash says “the Midwest and Southeast.” - **The terms themselves.** Section 3 prints its no-refund sentence twice, the numbering jumps from 15 to 17, and the terms say the current version can be reviewed at the home page address rather than the terms page. Not published anywhere we looked: a family or multi-car plan, a damage-claim procedure, how pausing works, whether a Recharge Date can be moved, what a replacement FastPass costs, how long a referral promotion lasts, and what the rewards “tier-based limits” are. ## Before you sign up a second car: a checklist - **Decide car by car.** Count how often each car really goes through. By our arithmetic a membership beats single washes from the second wash a month on MVP, Elite or VIP and from the third on Rookie; a car washed once a month is cheaper paying per wash. - **Pick the package per car.** Each membership is billed on the plan chosen for it. If winter salt is the reason you wash, note that only MVP and Elite list an underbody wash. - **Choose the sign-up day.** It becomes that car’s Recharge Date. Cars enrolled on the same day are charged on the same day; the 29th to 31st become the 28th. - **Check each car against the restrictions.** Age (7 years or older), any Kia trim, height over 86″, width over 73″, tires wider than 12.5″ or duals, aftermarket wheels, racks and anything attached. - **Photograph each car.** Dated pictures of every panel, the wheels and the windshield, before the first wash. - **Brief every driver.** Neutral, foot off the brake, hands off the wheel, wipers off. Pickup beds empty, hitches removed, external fuel hoses secured. - **Decide whose account each car goes on.** Account holders must be 18, and points cannot be combined or transferred between accounts. - **Write down every Recharge Date.** To cancel one car, give at least a day’s notice before its date, through the portal, app or email, and keep the confirmation. There are no refunds for part of a month. - **When a car leaves the household,** transfer or cancel its membership before it goes; the FastPass stays on that windshield. We read the published terms of other service chains the same way on our pages about [Take 5 oil changes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) and [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/), and of other car wash chains on our pages about [Quick Quack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/), [Flagship Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/) and [Whistle Express](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/). ## Common questions ### How much is a Club Car Wash membership? On 16 October 2026 Club Car Wash’s Washes page printed $42 a month for MVP, $36 for Elite, $30 for VIP and $24 for Rookie, per car, and its Terms and Conditions add tax. Single washes were $26, $21, $16 and $11. The terms say rates and plans can change without notice, so check the price at sign-up. ### How do I cancel a Club Car Wash membership? Through the online portal, the app, by email or through the support line, with one day’s notice, according to section 3 of the Terms of Use. Washes continue until the next Recharge Date, and paid fees are not refunded, so cancel at least a day before that date. The Contact Us form cannot cancel a membership. With more than one car, cancel each membership and keep each confirmation. ### Does Club Car Wash have a family plan? We found none on any Club Car Wash page we read, and no second-car discount. Each car needs its own membership at the full monthly price for its package. Lower per-car prices are printed only for business accounts, with a minimum of 6 vehicles. ### Can I use one Club Car Wash membership on two cars? No. The Terms and Conditions say “All memberships are for one vehicle only and cannot be shared,” and each FastPass is assigned to one vehicle. You can move a membership to a new or different car with notice to, and permission from, Club Car Wash. ### What happens if Club Car Wash damages my car? Club Car Wash says to report it to the on-site team immediately. Its Vehicle Restrictions page lists vehicles and parts it says it is not responsible for, including vehicles 7 years or older, any Kia trim and chipped windshields, and its Terms of Use limit its liability. It publishes no claims form or deadline, so photograph the damage on site and follow up in writing. ### Who owns Club Car Wash? Club Car Wash Operating, LLC runs the washes. Wildcat Capital Management, which describes itself as a single-family investment office based in New York, lists Club Car Wash as an active investment since 2019, and Sculptor Real Estate made a growth investment in Wildcat’s car-wash platform in 2023. No published source we read gives ownership shares. ## Sources and further reading - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/ --- title: "Flagship Carwash: Full-Service vs Express, Unlimited Plans, Fine Print" description: "Flagship Carwash runs full-service, express and flex tunnels. Its unlimited plan terms, two cancel deadlines, no-refund rules, damage exclusions and owner." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Flagship Carwash: Full-Service vs Express, Unlimited Plans, Fine Print > Flagship Carwash runs full-service, express and flex tunnels. Its unlimited plan terms, two cancel deadlines, no-refund rules, damage exclusions and owner. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,674 words* ## The short version - Flagship Carwash is a tunnel car wash chain run by Flagship Opco, LLC and owned by Spotless Brands, which calls itself “a portfolio company of Access Holdings.” Spotless says Flagship joined it in August 2021. - Flagship has three kinds of site: Full-Service (its crew cleans the inside “in under 20 minutes”), Express (free vacuums and towels, and you do the inside) and Flex (both). On 16 October 2026 its two interior packages were listed at 29 sites, all in DC, Maryland, Virginia or the Philadelphia area. - Unlimited plans cover one car, run month to month and bill on the day you joined. The Membership Terms say cancel “at least 7 days prior to the billing date”; the FAQ and the cancellation form say 5. Cancel 7 days ahead and you meet both. - No refunds for partial months, site closures or single washes. After cancelling you can keep washing until the billing cycle ends. - The FAQ lists 17 things Flagship “is not responsible for” once a car enters the tunnel, including mirrors, wipers, antennas and “VEHICLES OVER 10 YEARS OLD,” and it excludes claims made after the car “HAS LEFT THE PROPERTY.” - The Terms of Use send disputes to binding individual arbitration (small claims court excepted) and give you one year to bring a claim. Flagship Carwash runs tunnel washes in and around Washington, DC, with newer sites near Philadelphia and one in Bay Shore, New York. Its own pages answer the questions people usually have: full-service or express, pay per wash or join the unlimited plan, how to cancel, and what happens if the wash damages your car. They do not always give the same answer. On 16 October 2026 we read Flagship’s [unlimited-plan page](https://www.flagshipcarwash.com/unlimited-car-washes/) with its Membership Terms, its three regional services pages, its [FAQ](https://www.flagshipcarwash.com/faqs/), the cancellation form, its locations, detailing, ceramic, about, contact and privacy pages and its [Terms of Use](https://www.flagshipcarwash.com/terms-of-use/), plus the parent company’s home page, its investor’s portfolio page and Virginia’s automatic-renewal law. This site has no commercial relationship with Flagship, Spotless Brands or any car wash. **Figure: Full-service, express and the membership fine print at Flagship** Nine situations a Flagship Carwash customer meets, each matched to the wording of Flagship's own unlimited, services, about, FAQ and cancellation pages. Read from flagshipcarwash.com, 16 October 2026. Counts are this site's tallies of Flagship's own lists. ## Full-service, express or flex: how Flagship sorts its sites Flagship describes its washes as “high-tech soft-cloth automated tunnels.” What differs from site to site is who cleans the inside. Flagship’s About page describes three kinds of site: - **Full-Service.** “Our team completes your interior cleaning in under 20 minutes, so you can sit back and relax.” - **Express.** “Enjoy free vacuums, microfiber towels, compressed air, and glass cleaner with every wash,” which suits you “if you prefer to do it yourself.” - **Flex.** “Get the best of both worlds with a mix of Full-Service and Express options in one convenient location.” The same page lists the free extras at Flex and Express sites as towels, vacuums and mat cleaner, with glass cleaner and compressed air at “Select locations.” The FAQ asks that “All customers using vacuums should wash their vehicles prior to vacuuming.” The split also decides what you can buy. Two of Flagship’s five packages are labeled “exterior & interior” (Flagship and Ultimate), and they are sold only where a crew works. Each regional services page lists, under every package, the sites that sell it. By our count of those lists on 16 October 2026: - The DC, Maryland and Virginia page lists the interior packages at 27 sites. One of them, Owings Mills, is still marked “Coming Soon” on the Locations page. - The Philadelphia page lists them at 2 sites: Vineland, New Jersey, and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. - The New York page shows “Flagship Package exterior & interior COMING SOON.” Its one site, Bay Shore, sells exterior washes only. That is 29 sites listed for interior cleaning, 28 of them open. Everywhere else you vacuum the car yourself. If you want the crew to do the inside, check that your site appears under the Flagship or Ultimate package before you join a plan built around it. The car matters too. Flagship says “select locations feature flat-belt, drive-on conveyor tunnels that are safe for exotics, dual tires & lowered vehicles,” but the pages we read do not say which. Its parent points to two unusual sites: the 65,000-square-foot One Loudoun wash in Ashburn, Virginia, which it calls “the nation’s largest indoor car wash,” and “a unique second-floor car wash above a Chick-fil-A in Vienna, VA.” ## The five wash packages and what Flagship charges The packages build on each other, with one twist: - **Basic** (exterior): “Spot-Free Rinse” and “Soft Cloth & Foam Wash.” - **Super** (exterior): Basic plus wheel cleaner, Rain Repel, tire shine, an “Undercarriage Flush,” clearcoat protectant and foam polish. - **Deluxe** (exterior): Super plus “Hot Wax” and “Ceramic Shield.” - **Ultimate** (exterior and interior): Super plus “Interior Vacuum,” “Windows Cleaned” and “Air Purge Dash, Console & Cupholders.” The twist: no Hot Wax or Ceramic Shield. - **Flagship** (exterior and interior): all 15 items, adding “Wipe Door Panels & Seats (2 rows)” and “Clean Rubber Mats (2 rows).” A third row is “+$5.” Every package except Basic includes the undercarriage flush. If you drive on salted winter roads, that is the part of a wash that protects the car, as our [rust-prevention guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) explains. Flagship prints regular prices region by region, with the warning that “Single wash and Unlimited Prices subject to change without notice.” Coupon, introductory and founding-member prices are left out here because they expire. **Flagship’s printed prices: single wash / unlimited per month (services pages, read 16 October 2026)** | Package | DC, Maryland, Virginia | Philadelphia metro | New York metro (Bay Shore) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Flagship (exterior and interior) | $44 / $74.99 | $48 / $74.99 | Coming soon | | Ultimate (exterior and interior) | $36 / $59.99 | $39 / $59.99 | Coming soon | | Deluxe (exterior) | $25 / $42.99 | $27 / $42.99 | $27 / $42.99 | | Super (exterior) | $20 / $34.99 | $22 / $34.99 | $22 / $36.99 | | Basic (exterior) | $15 / $29.99 | $15 / $27.99 | $16 / $31.99 | On the Philadelphia and New York pages the single price “(includes tax)” and the monthly price is “*Plus applicable tax”; the DC, Maryland and Virginia page says neither. Flagship’s headline claim is that a plan “pays for itself in just 2 washes.” Before tax, our arithmetic bears that out for all 13 priced plans: divide the monthly price by the single price, round up, and the answer is 2 every time. The margin can be thin. In DC, Maryland and Virginia, two Basic washes cost $30 against $29.99 for Basic Unlimited. In Bay Shore, two Basic washes cost $32 with tax, and Basic Unlimited is $31.99 before tax, so any tax over one cent makes the plan the more expensive option. A plan saves money only if you wash more often than twice a month. Flagship does not sell oil changes: none of the services, detailing, ceramic, fleet or FAQ pages we read mentions one. For that, see what [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) and [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) include. ## How the unlimited plan works: one car, once a day, billed on your start date Flagship calls its plans the Unlimited Wash Club. The Terms of Use say “Subscriptions for a membership plan are subject to the applicable membership terms of use,” and the only version we found is a short block headed Membership Terms on the unlimited page. What it says: - **One car per plan.** “Membership is per vehicle for an indefinite duration and for personal use only; taxis, limos, and other professional vehicles are prohibited.” Each car gets “a unique membership identification barcode or our attendant will capture your license plate details for future identification through our license plate readers,” the FAQ adds. - **Once a day.** “Unlimited plans are valid at any participating Flagship locations, once per day that Flagship facilities are open.” The home page says “every day at any location,” but the terms say “participating.” - **The car must fit.** “Membership is not valid for vehicles that cannot fit on the conveyor or ride through the tunnel.” - **Billing.** “Membership fees will be automatically billed to your credit card on the day corresponding to the commencement date for the agreed plan.” - **No contract.** “The Unlimited Wash Plans are month-to-month, there are no long-term commitments and no hidden cancellation charges.” The plan “cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.” - **Closures.** Sites “may be closed occasionally due to maintenance service or inclement weather,” and “No full or partial refunds will be issued for site closures.” - **Marketing.** Signing up means agreeing to “automated text messages and email alerts,” though “Consent not required for purchase.” **Introductory prices end on their own.** “At the expiration of any discounted introductory or promotional offer period, we will charge the then-current regular price for your chosen membership plan on your next billing cycle,” unless you cancel first. If Flagship decides you were not eligible for the discount, it may charge the regular price and “put your membership plan on hold or inactive status.” Note the date any discount stops. **Two or more cars.** The FAQ offers “a $5 discount per vehicle with an unlimited membership plan that is charged to the same credit card.” Its own example pairs Flagship Unlimited with Deluxe, “MINUS $10 ($5 for each car on the family plan).” At DC, Maryland and Virginia prices that is $107.98 a month, by our arithmetic. **Selling or replacing the car.** The plan follows you, not the car: “You can transfer your Unlimited Wash Plan to another vehicle by stopping by any Flagship Carwash location. An attendant will deactivate the old barcode and provide a new barcode sticker.” Do it when you hand the car over. **What the plan records.** The privacy notice says “we scan and collect data from the membership RFID tag (or from your license plate, as applicable) affixed to your vehicle each time you obtain services at any location,” and that Spotless does “not sell personally identifying information” to third parties “in exchange for monetary compensation.” Businesses have a separate route: the Fleet Preferred Member Program offers “2 washes (exterior only & inside and out)” and “savings of up to 30% off retail prices,” for fleets starting at 10 vehicles. ## Cancelling: two deadlines and three ways to count them This is the part of Flagship’s paperwork most likely to cost you a month. Its pages give two deadlines, measured from three differently named dates: **How Flagship’s own pages say to cancel an unlimited plan (read 16 October 2026)** | Where | Deadline | Counted from | | --- | --- | --- | | Membership Terms (unlimited page) | “at least 7 days prior” | “the billing date” | | FAQ on the unlimited page | “at least 5 days prior” | “your plan’s next recharge date” | | FAQ page | “at least 5 days prior” | “your plan anniversary date” | | Cancellation form and contact page | “at least 5 days prior” / “5 days prior” | “your plan’s next recharge date” / “monthly recharge date” | **Use the longer deadline.** The Membership Terms are the only part labeled as terms, and they say 7 days. Cancel at least 7 days before your card is charged and you satisfy every version. Flagship also says “Please allow 2-3 business days for your cancellation to be processed,” so earlier still costs you nothing. There are two ways to cancel. Online, “You can also cancel via the Online Portal by clicking MANAGE MY PLAN”; the portal sits on a separate site (portalv2.wash.me) that also handles sign-ups, and we did not open it. Or use the [Membership Cancellation Request Form](https://www.flagshipcarwash.com/membership-cancellation/), which asks for your contact details, vehicle, plate, “Membership Barcode ID #,” site and a reason. Its reasons include “Rate Adjustment (Price),” “Vehicle Damage” and “Promotional Offer End.” To find your charge date, the form says to “Check with your financial institution to verify your recurring membership’s recharge day of the month.” One gap: the cancellation form’s site menu lists 47 sites, the contact form’s 57. The 10 missing from the cancellation menu are Germantown and the newer Pennsylvania and New Jersey sites (Horsham, Strafford, West Chester, Warrington, North Wales, East Norriton, Chalfont, Brick Township and Philadelphia). Members there should cancel in the portal and keep the confirmation. **After you cancel.** “No full or partial month(s) refunds will be issued for membership cancellations,” but “You may continue to use your cancelled membership until the last day of your billing cycle.” Cancel the day after a charge and you keep that month’s washes but get none of the money back. **What Virginia law adds.** 25 of the 62 sites on Flagship’s Locations page are in Virginia, and Virginia regulates automatic renewals. [Section 59.1-207.46 of the Code of Virginia](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title59.1/chapter17.8/section59.1-207.46/), as amended through 2026, says “The cancellation mechanism shall be at least as easy to use as the mechanism the consumer used to initiate” the plan. For plans started in person, the seller must offer cancellation “through an interactive electronic medium, such as a website or mobile application, or by telephone call.” Before a “material change” to a plan you have accepted, the seller must give “clear and conspicuous notice.” Flagship’s pages say unlimited prices are “subject to change without notice.” Whether a price rise is a material change is a legal question we do not answer. If you are a Virginia member and your charge goes up unannounced, that section is the text to cite. We did not read other states’ rules. We cover other chains’ membership terms on their own pages: [Quick Quack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/), [Club Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/) and [Whistle Express](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/). ## What Flagship won’t pay for after a tunnel wash Asked in its FAQ whether the wash will damage your vehicle, Flagship answers “No,” citing “high-quality microfiber soft cloth and foam material.” Directly below comes a list headed “Flagship Carwash is not responsible for the following once your vehicle has entered the tunnel.” It has 17 lines: **What Flagship’s FAQ says it is not responsible for once a car enters the tunnel (read 16 October 2026; grouping ours, wording Flagship’s)** | Group | Lines on Flagship’s list | | --- | --- | | Parts that stick out | “ANTENNAS, INCLUDING TELESCOPING, SATELLITE, ON-STAR OR MOBILE PHONE”; “WIPER BLADES OR MIRRORS”; “HOOD EMBLEMS/ORNAMENTS”; “LUGGAGE RACKS OR RUNNING BOARDS”; “MAGNETS OR HITCH COVERS”; “LICENSE PLATES, COVERS OR FRAMES” | | Aftermarket or non-standard parts | “NON-FACTORY INSTALLED PARTS, INCLUDING WINDGUARDS, BUG SHIELDS, LIGHT BARS, SPOILERS/FINS, LOW PROFILE WHEELS & TIRES”; “OVERSIZED TIRES, RIMS OR HUBCAPS”; “VINYL OR LOOSE SPARE TIRE COVERS”; “INTERIOR/EXTERIOR NON-FACTORY STICKERS OR DECALS” | | The car’s age and condition | “VEHICLES OVER 10 YEARS OLD”; “LOOSE/BROKEN PARTS OR PREVIOUS/EXISTING DAMAGE”; “SPECIFIC MANUFACTURER TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSB)” | | How you drove through | “DAMAGE CAUSED BY VEHICLES NOT IN NEUTRAL OR WITH BRAKES DEPRESSED”; “DAMAGE CAUSED BY DRIVER ERROR” | | Contents and timing | “ANY VALUABLES LEFT IN THE VEHICLE”; “CLAIMS OF DAMAGES OR MISSING ITEMS ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS LEFT THE PROPERTY” | Below it, in capitals: “*TRUCK BEDS MUST BE EMPTY*.” Three lines matter most to ordinary drivers. The age line is not tied to the car’s condition: any car more than 10 years old is on the list. Mirrors and wipers are excluded too. And timing: anything claimed after you leave the property is out. The refund policy says the same in other words: “Please see a car wash manager if you have questions with the satisfaction of your wash prior to leaving.” Other rules sit elsewhere in the FAQ. Trailers, RVs and bike racks are not allowed through. Convertibles may go, “however we are not responsible for any damage caused by rips or tears or improper sealing.” Some sites “may accommodate factory-width dual rear-wheel trucks,” but not stake body trucks. And “Most Flagship wash tunnels average between 7 feet and 7 feet 5 inches, however all tunnels are different sizes,” which is 84 to 89 inches by our arithmetic, worth knowing with a roof box or a tall van. If in doubt, Flagship says to ask the attendant. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the side mirror, the tunnel exit and the overhead frame, each with one fact from Flagship Carwash’s FAQ. Flagship Carwash’s FAQ, read on 16 October 2026: Mirrors, wipers and antennas are all on Flagship's not-responsible list (callout 1); Check for damage before you drive off: claims after leaving are excluded (callout 2); Tunnels average 7 ft to 7 ft 5 in high, Flagship says; ask the attendant if unsure (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **If something is damaged.** Flagship publishes no claim form, deadline or decision process on the pages we read. It prints the instruction to see a manager before you leave, and its contact form offers “Incidents/Vehicle Damage” as a reason. So walk around the car at the exit, checking mirrors, wipers, antenna, plate and roofline; if you find damage, tell the manager there, take dated photos and ask for a written report; then follow up through the contact form and keep copies. A spoken promise does not bind Flagship: the Terms of Use say “Our employees are not authorized to modify these Terms of Use, either verbally or in writing.” Get any offer to pay in an email. For a small dent with the paint unbroken, our [Dent Wizard page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/#what-pdr-fixes) explains what paintless repair can fix. ## Detailing and ceramic coatings Flagship’s detailing runs “from 30-minute Speed Detailing services, to Full Interior & Exterior detailing.” Speed detailing is “Walk-ins welcome”; full detailing is “Appointments recommended,” and after a request “A Flagship representative will reach out within 24-48 hours.” Printed prices on 16 October 2026: **Flagship detailing prices by vehicle size, and time per service (detailing page, read 16 October 2026)** | Service | Car | Small SUV | Large SUV | Time | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Speed Exterior (Ultimate Wash plus express wax applied with a random orbital buffer) | $70 | $75 | $80 | 30 minutes | | Speed Interior | $75 | $80 | $85 | 30 minutes | | Speed Carpets | $60 | $65 | $70 | 30 minutes | | Speed Seats | $80 | $85 | $90 | 30 minutes | | Full Exterior (bug and tar removal, light compound, polish, wax) | $170 | $185 | $200 | 2-3 hours | | Full Interior (shampoo, “no headliners”) | $225 | $245 | $265 | 2-3 hours | | Complete Detail (full exterior and interior) | $385 | $410 | $445 | 4-6 hours | The estimates are “based off of average condition of vehicle. May require additional services.” Members get “20% off Speed Detailing services and 10% off Full Detailing services,” which by our arithmetic makes a car’s Speed Exterior $56 and its Complete Detail $346.50. Detailing is sold at far fewer sites than washing: the detailing page lists 13 for full detailing (plus Glen Burnie for some speed services), and the FAQ names only five. Ask before you drive over. **Ceramic coatings.** The Ceramic Protection Program is a separate, hand-applied service, not the “Ceramic Shield” item in the Deluxe and Flagship tunnel packages; the pages we read do not explain how the two differ. Flagship calls its coating “a semi-permanent layer” and sells three tiers: - **Premium:** “2-3 step hand-applied paint correction compound and ceramic finish,” “Protects up to 3 years,” about 4-5 hours. $1,599 for coupes and sedans, $1,799 for small and mid-size SUVs, $1,999 for full-size SUVs and trucks. - **Advanced:** “1-step, hand-applied ceramic polish & coating,” “Protects up to 1 year,” 2-3 hours. $799, $999 or $1,299. - **Basic:** “1-step, spray-on ceramic detail polish,” “Protects up to 6 months,” about 30 minutes. $149, $199 or $249. Extra paint correction is “$100/hour,” and the small print hedges the durations: “Ceramic protection periods based on national wash averages.” Spread over the full period, a sedan pays about $44.42 a month of claimed protection for Premium, $66.58 for Advanced and $24.83 for Basic, by our arithmetic, so the middle tier costs most per month. The appointment form lists five sites for ceramic work, four in Virginia and one in Maryland, and the detailing page offers a basic ceramic application as a $125 upgrade to a full detail. ## Where Flagship operates Flagship’s pages give four sizes for the chain: “over 30 locations in the Virginia, Maryland and DC regions” (home and unlimited pages), “over 40 locations” (home page again), “over 50 locations” in six jurisdictions (About Us) and “50+” (Locations page). The Locations page’s own list on 16 October 2026 had 62 entries, four of them marked Coming Soon, leaving 58 by our count. **Entries on Flagship’s Locations page by state (read 16 October 2026)** | Where | Listed | Marked Coming Soon | | --- | --- | --- | | Virginia | 25 | 1 (Bristow) | | Maryland | 20 | 1 (Owings Mills) | | Pennsylvania | 10 | 0 | | New Jersey | 4 | 2 (Hamilton Township, Williamstown) | | Washington, DC | 2 | 0 | | New York | 1 (Bay Shore) | 0 | The services pages and the Locations page do not match exactly. The Philadelphia services page prices washes at Brick Township and Burlington, New Jersey, neither of which is on the Locations page, while Severn and Germantown, Maryland, are on the Locations page but on no services page. Before buying a plan for a particular site, check that it appears on both. For hours, the FAQ points you to “the location hours on Google Local Listings.” Flagship takes “Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and cash at most locations.” Gift cards “can be purchased at any Flagship Carwash location for any denomination,” but we found no gift-card terms, so ask at the counter whether a card expires and whether it can pay for a plan. ## Who owns Flagship Carwash The Terms of Use say Flagship Opco, LLC “is the owner and operator of the website.” They then cover the services of “Spotless, or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates” and name seven brands, Flagship among them. The privacy notice gives the parent’s full name, Spotless Brands, LLC, with an address in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. [Spotless Brands’ home page](https://www.spotlessbrands.com/) supplies the history: “Flagship Carwash joined Spotless Brands in August 2021, building on a legacy that began in 1982.” Flagship then had “10 locations across Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland”; it now has “more than 50,” five times as many by our arithmetic, “while more than tripling its membership base.” Spotless says it was “Founded in 2020,” “is a portfolio company of Access Holdings,” and spans “more than 220 locations” across 13 states and DC. Around Philadelphia, Spotless says Pete’s Express Car Wash, with “six existing locations,” joined it in November 2025, and that it is expanding there with those sites and “additional de novo Flagship Carwash developments already underway.” Access Holdings’ investments page lists Spotless Brands under “CURRENT PORTFOLIO” as a “Fast-growing express and flex car wash platform.” Flagship’s own 2022 posts already called it “a portfolio company of Access Holdings’ Spotless Brands”; one, on buying five Embassy Autowash sites in Northern Virginia, quoted Guy Paolozzi as “Flagship’s President.” We found no SEC filings by Flagship Opco or Spotless Brands; Spotless’s name appears in hundreds of private-credit funds’ holdings reports, which we did not read. Two founding dates circulate: “Founded in Washington D.C. in 1986” on Flagship’s About page, a legacy that “began in 1982” on Spotless’s. That makes the business 40 or 44 years old in 2026. ## The Terms of Use: arbitration, a one-year limit and a stray name Flagship’s Terms of Use, “Effective Date: January 14, 2025,” apply when you “use any of the products or services” of Spotless or its brands, not only the website. Their dispute rules: - **Arbitration.** They “require you to submit claims you have against us to binding arbitration,” except “(i) individual claims brought in small claims court.” - **No class actions, no jury.** Claims go individually, and if one reaches court, “each party knowingly and irrevocably waives any right to trial by jury.” - **One year.** A claim “must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arises.” - **Law and court.** Delaware law; if arbitration fails, “the state and federal courts located in Illinois.” The class waiver contains an error: “YOU AND ADEPT ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER.” “ADEPT” is defined nowhere in terms that otherwise name Spotless and its affiliates; it looks like wording left from another template. We do not say what effect it has. If you ever need to rely on or challenge the clause, ask a lawyer. **Public records.** On 16 October 2026 a govinfo.gov search of published federal court opinions found none naming “Flagship Opco,” “Spotless Brands” or “Flagship Car Wash,” and a web search limited to the sites of the Virginia, Maryland, DC, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania attorneys general and the FTC found no action naming either company. That is what we found, not proof that none exists; state trial-court dockets were not searched. Flagship calls itself “A+ BBB-rated”; the Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our request, so we could not check. ## Where Flagship’s own pages disagree Read side by side, Flagship’s pages and its parent’s contradict each other in ten places. Where it affects money or cancelling, take the stricter reading or ask in writing. - **Cancellation deadline:** 7 days in the Membership Terms, 5 everywhere else. - **Locations:** “over 30,” “over 40,” “over 50” and “50+,” against a list of 62 entries. - **Founding year:** 1986 (Flagship) or 1982 (Spotless). - **Detailing bookings:** the FAQ says reservations are “Not currently” taken; the detailing page says “Appointments recommended.” - **Detailing sites:** five in the FAQ, 13 on the detailing page. - **Cheapest plan:** “starting at just $29.99” on the home page; $27.99 plus tax on the Philadelphia page. - **Class waiver:** it names “ADEPT.” - **Site lists:** services pages list New Jersey sites the Locations page marks Coming Soon or omits. - **Cancellation menu:** 47 sites against 57 on the contact form. - **Spotless’s states:** one list on its home page includes New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania; a second omits them. - **Pick the format first.** Want the crew to clean the inside? Confirm your site is listed under the Flagship or Ultimate package. - **Count your washes.** From the second wash in a month, a plan costs no more than paying per wash at Flagship’s printed prices, before tax; one wash a month costs less without a plan. - **Note your billing day and any discount’s end.** You are billed on the day you joined, and introductory prices roll to the regular price automatically. - **Cancel 7 days before the charge,** in the portal or on the form, and keep the confirmation. - **Move the plan when you change cars.** Any site can swap the barcode sticker. - **Check the car before you leave.** Mirrors, wipers, antennas, plates and cars over 10 years old are excluded, and so is anything claimed after you drive off. ## Common questions ### Is Flagship Carwash full-service or express? Both. Full-Service sites clean the interior “in under 20 minutes”; Express sites give you free vacuums and towels to do it yourself; Flex sites offer both. On 16 October 2026 the interior packages were listed at 29 sites. ### How do I cancel my Flagship unlimited membership? Click “MANAGE MY PLAN” to cancel online, or send the Membership Cancellation Request Form. Do it at least 7 days before your monthly charge: the Membership Terms say 7 days, the FAQ and form say 5, and processing takes “2-3 business days.” ### Does Flagship Carwash give refunds? No. “No full or partial month(s) refunds will be issued for membership cancellations or site closures,” and “No refunds will be issued for wash purchases.” You can keep washing until your billing cycle ends. If a wash disappoints, see the manager before you leave. ### Can I use one Flagship membership on two cars? No. Each plan covers one vehicle, identified by a barcode sticker or your plate. Plans billed to the same credit card get “a $5 discount per vehicle,” and you can move a plan to a new car at any site. ### Will Flagship pay if the car wash damages my car? Its FAQ lists 17 things it is “not responsible for” in the tunnel, including mirrors, wiper blades, antennas, non-factory parts, existing damage and any vehicle over 10 years old, and it excludes claims made after you leave. Report damage to the manager before driving away, then follow up through the contact form. ### Who owns Flagship Carwash? Spotless Brands, LLC, of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, a portfolio company of Access Holdings. Spotless says Flagship joined it in August 2021. The website is operated by Flagship Opco, LLC. ## Sources and further reading - [Code of Virginia § 59.1-207.46 (automatic renewal and continuous service offers)](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title59.1/chapter17.8/section59.1-207.46/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/ --- title: "Whistle Express Car Wash: Prices, Membership and the Take 5 Deal" description: "Whistle Express lists $23 to $39 a month for unlimited washes. How its billing, 7-day cancel rule and damage claims work, and what the Take 5 deal changed." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Whistle Express Car Wash: Prices, Membership and the Take 5 Deal > Whistle Express lists $23 to $39 a month for unlimited washes. How its billing, 7-day cancel rule and damage claims work, and what the Take 5 deal changed. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,872 words* ## The short version - Whistle Express is a Charlotte-based chain of soft-touch express tunnel washes. In April 2025 it bought Take 5 Car Wash from Driven Brands for $385 million and has been putting its own name on every Take 5 Car Wash site since. - Its website lists four washes (Clean, Shine, Protect, Fortify) at $13 to $29 a wash, or $23 to $39 a month for unlimited washing. Whistle says prices vary by location and exclude tax. - Memberships renew monthly on the day you joined. Whistle’s terms say you must cancel at least 7 days before renewal, in the app or at a location, and paid fees are not refunded for the unused part of a month. - A plan covers one personal car. Ride-sharing cars, taxis and limousines can’t join, and the tunnel takes no vehicle with dual wheels. - Damage claims go in writing to the site manager within 30 days. Whistle’s terms disclaim damage involving 17 listed items, from mirrors and antennas to “Body damage or scratches” and “Vehicles over 5 years old,” and decides claims at its sole discretion. - No document we read says what happened to Take 5 Car Wash members’ plans when the business changed hands. Disputes go to individual arbitration in North Carolina unless you opt out by mail within 30 days of joining. Whistle Express Car Wash is an express exterior car wash chain: you stay in the car while a conveyor pulls it through a soft-touch tunnel, then clean the inside yourself at free vacuums. It became one of the largest chains in the country by buying Driven Brands’ Take 5 Car Wash in April 2025. On 16 October 2026 we read Whistle’s [Membership Terms and Conditions of Service](https://whistleexpresscarwash.com/terms-and-conditions/), its [Unlimited Plans](https://whistleexpresscarwash.com/unlimited-plans/) page, its wash, app, rewards, fleet and contact pages and its releases on the deal; Driven Brands’ 8-Ks, its 10-Ks for fiscal 2024 and 2025 and its 10-Q for the quarter ended June 27, 2026; and two federal court rulings in a case about Whistle’s membership sign-ups. Whistle’s terms bar automated access to its website, so we read each page once, by hand. This site has no commercial relationship with Whistle, Driven Brands or any car wash. **Figure: Whistle Express membership terms, by situation** Nine situations a Whistle Express customer may be in, each with what Whistle’s Membership Terms, FAQ pages or Driven Brands’ filings say: cancel at least 7 days before renewal, no refunds, $20 extra cars on one page and one car per membership on another, no rideshare cars, tunnel limits, a 30-day written damage claim, cars over 5 years old disclaimed, arbitration with a 30-day opt-out, and no word on former Take 5 Car Wash plans. Read from Whistle Express’s Membership Terms and Conditions of Service, plan, wash and contact pages, and Driven Brands’ 8-K filings, on 16 October 2026. ## Why Whistle Express is suddenly everywhere: the Take 5 Car Wash deal On February 24, 2025, Driven Brands, which also owns Take 5 Oil Change, agreed to sell its U.S. car wash business to “Express Wash Operations, LLC dba Whistle Express Car Wash.” Driven’s 8-K describes the purchase of “all of the outstanding equity interests of Boing US Holdco, Inc.,” the subsidiary that “owns and operates” the business: Whistle bought the companies that ran the washes, not a list of sites. The price was $385 million, made up of $255 million in cash and a $130 million seller note from Whistle’s parent, Express Wash Topco, LLC, at 13% interest in the first year, 15% in the second and 17% after that. About 20% of the price was to be funded by a sale-leaseback of some of the sites. The deal closed on April 10, 2025. Driven did not keep the note: its 10-K for fiscal 2025 says that in July 2025 it “sold the Seller Note for $113 million” and records a $17 million loss on it, which by our arithmetic is the whole gap between the note’s face value and its sale price. Driven’s 10-K for fiscal 2024 counts “382 company-operated locations across the U.S. as of December 28, 2024, predominately under the Take 5 Car Wash brand,” and says memberships “accounted for approximately 69% of our domestic car wash revenue” in 2024, up from about 60% the year before. (These are the figures as first filed; Driven later restated its 2023 and 2024 accounts, as our [Take 5 Oil Change page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) explains.) Whistle’s release of February 25, 2025 gave Whistle “147 locations in 10 states” and the combined company 530 in 23 states. By our arithmetic, 382 plus 147 is 529, so about 72.2% of the combined chain came from Driven. Whistle promised to rebrand “all Take 5 Car Wash locations as Whistle Express,” and its closing release said that would happen “in phases over the coming quarters.” Driven’s filings describe the support behind the changeover: transition services “for up to 12 months or less,” a transitional trademark license, and an agreement under which some car wash staff could be leased from Driven “through December 31, 2025,” at Whistle’s cost. Two ties to Driven remain. It still guarantees some of the car wash leases, about $39 million a year in rent with about 15 years left as of June 27, 2026, and calls the chance of paying all of it “remote.” And its customer privacy policy, last updated November 19, 2025, still listed “Take 5 Car Wash” among its brands when our Take 5 page read it on 9 October 2026. The address Whistle’s release gave for Take 5 Car Wash, take5.com/car-wash, now leads to the Take 5 Oil Change home page. ## If you had a Take 5 Car Wash membership This is the question the documents leave open. We found no statement of what happened to Take 5 Car Wash members’ plans: whether they kept their price, moved onto Whistle’s terms or were ended. Whistle’s terms, its plan, app and contact pages and its two releases on the deal don’t say; nor do Driven’s 8-Ks, 10-Ks and 10-Q. The purchase agreement, as far as our text search of it goes, mentions memberships only in a monthly report (a “site-level membership waterfall”). Driven’s chief executive said only that he expected “a smooth transition for all stakeholders.” Three things are on the record. The companies that sold those memberships still exist, now “owned by a third party not controlled by us,” in the words of Driven’s 10-K. When Whistle put its name on earlier local chains in December 2023, its release said “all 200,000” Unlimited Wash Club members could use any location, without a word on prices or terms. And Whistle’s app page explains how to move “a membership not associated with the app” into it: choose “Migrate My Plan to the APP,” find the account by the RFID number on your windshield sticker or by license plate, and re-enter your card. If a monthly car wash charge is still on your card, Whistle’s terms say it appears with “the respective store number where you purchased your membership plan and your membership plan number,” and the account can be changed in the app or at any location. Fee increases take effect 30 days after they are posted at the site and on the website. **Check which plan you are paying for.** No Whistle or Driven document says what a former Take 5 Car Wash membership became. If a monthly car wash charge is still on your card, find the plan number on the statement, check the price and plan in the Whistle app or at a site, and cancel at least 7 days before the next renewal if you don’t want it. ## The four washes, as Whistle describes them Whistle sells four washes, each adding to the one below. Its FAQ: “Clean covers the basic wash with tri-foam conditioner and tire clean. Shine adds carnauba wax, polish, seal, and tire shine. Protect adds a ceramic shield, paint protection, and an underbody wash. Fortify adds graphene armor, UV protection, and water repellency.” The prices below carry the note “*Price Varies By Location; Does Not Include Tax.” We left out a time-limited first-month offer. **Whistle Express washes and the prices its website listed (read 16 October 2026; Whistle says prices vary by location and exclude tax)** | Wash | What Whistle says it includes | Single wash | Unlimited, per month | Two single washes (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Clean | Bug prep, Quickdry agent, tire clean, tri-foam conditioner | $13 | $23 | $26 | | Shine | Clean, plus carnauba wax, polish and seal, tire shine | $19 | $29 | $38 | | Protect | Shine, plus ceramic shield, paint protect, underbody wash | $24 | $34 | $48 | | Fortify | Protect, plus graphene armor, UV protection, water repellent | $29 | $39 | $58 | Each monthly plan is listed at $10 more than one wash of the same tier, which matches Whistle’s line that a membership is “only $10 more than a single wash, so the plan pays for itself on your second wash each month.” By our arithmetic, two single washes cost $3 more than a month of Clean and $19 more than a month of Fortify, so a plan pays only if you really wash twice a month. In salt country, our page on [protecting a car from rust](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) suggests an underbody wash about every two weeks, and on Whistle’s menu the underbody wash starts at Protect. The tunnels are not touchless: “Whistle Express uses a soft-touch wash system rather than a touchless car wash,” and most washes take “about three minutes or so.” Every site has free vacuums and a detail center with cleaners and microfiber towels, but no full detailing. The tunnel takes vehicles up to 7 feet 2 inches high and 85 inches wide, on tires up to 13.5 inches wide, and Whistle “cannot wash vehicles with dual wheels,” so ask an attendant first if you drive a dually, a lifted truck or a wide van. A separate “value” page sells cheaper plans at seven named sites in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia, which Whistle says “are only able to be used at your sign-up location.” We have not printed those prices, because only a few sites offer them. ## How the Unlimited Wash Club works and bills you A membership is a monthly subscription to unlimited washes at one tier, held in the app (you scan a barcode at the pay station) or on “an RFID tag sticker placed on your windshield” that opens the gate. The contract is the Membership Terms and Conditions of Service. Its main billing rules: - **Renewal.** “Recurring monthly membership plans will automatically renew monthly” until you cancel or Whistle ends them. You are charged “on the day of the month on which you signed up for the plan,” and the date can shift if a payment fails or you joined on a day some months don’t have, such as the 31st. - **Fees are earned when paid.** The terms say “Fees are fully earned upon payment,” and taxes and “possible transaction fees” are charged on top. - **Price changes.** Whistle may change plans or fees “at any time,” but material plan changes and fee increases take effect 30 days after being posted at the affected locations and on its website. - **Failed payments.** If a charge fails and you don’t cancel, Whistle “may suspend your access” until a valid card goes through, and you “remain responsible for any uncollected amounts.” - **Card only.** Memberships “cannot be paid for in cash,” and notices come “in electronic form only.” - **Changing tier.** The app page says upgrades “take effect immediately, with a pro-rated charge,” while downgrades apply at the end of the billing period. - **Prepaid plans.** Whistle “may offer” plans paid up front for a fixed term, “for example, six (6) or twelve (12) months.” They do not renew, unused time is “forfeited,” and they are “non-refundable once purchased.” **Which vehicles can join.** The terms say “The membership plan is for a single, personal, non-commercial vehicle only,” it can’t be resold or moved to another vehicle or person, and “Commercial vehicles, including ride-sharing vehicles, taxis and limousines, are not eligible for membership plans.” Account holders must be at least 18. Businesses have a separate fleet program with a 15-vehicle minimum and one wash per vehicle per day. **More than one car.** The plans FAQ says that after your first full-price membership, “vehicles 2-5 are only $20/month per vehicle,” on one payment method. The Contact page, asked about a family plan, says Whistle is “only able to offer Fast Passes for one vehicle per membership.” Neither says which tier the $20 buys, so get the price of each added car in writing. **Rewards and discounts.** Whistle Rewards, in the app only, gives members 1 point per dollar “every time their membership renews.” Points buy credits from 100 points for $5 up to 1,000 points for $75, and “Points will expire if not redeemed after 6 months.” By our arithmetic, a member paying the listed $23 for Clean needs five renewals to pass 100 points. Whistle’s AAA page offers AAA members “up to $4 per month” off memberships or 10% off single washes in five Southeastern states. ## Cancelling and refunds Whistle’s plans page promises “No contract or commitment” and no cancellation fee. The timing rule is in the terms: “you must cancel a membership plan at least 7 days before it renews” to avoid the next month’s charge. The car keeps washing until the paid period ends. By our arithmetic, if you joined on the 15th, your plan renews on the 15th of each month and the last safe day to cancel is the 8th. Where to cancel depends on which Whistle page you read: - The terms: “To cancel, use the Whistle App, or visit any of our locations.” - The plans FAQ: through the app “or the membership portal here on our website,” with help from on-site attendants, or by support ticket, sent “7 days before your scheduled auto-renewal.” - The Contact page: tickets for cancellations should arrive “a week before your next scheduled renewal date,” and “due to a heavy volume, there can be a delay before receiving a response.” Refunds are narrow. The terms say “Paid membership fees are nonrefundable and there are no refunds or credits for partially used membership plan periods except as required by applicable law,” and the same goes for unused prepaid time. Any refund or discount is “at our sole and absolute discretion.” Whistle can also “refuse, suspend, deactivate, or terminate” a membership “for any reason” and says it is not obliged to refund you if it does. **Cancel in a way you can prove.** Cancel in the app or at the site, at least 7 days before the renewal date, and keep the confirmation. A support ticket is the slowest route by Whistle’s own account. Then check your next statement: the terms say a charge shows the store number and your plan number, which is what you need if you have to dispute it. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the side mirror, a front wheel and the hood, each with one fact from Whistle Express’s Terms and Conditions and plans page. Whistle Express’s Terms and Conditions and plans page, read on 16 October 2026: Mirrors, antennas, badges and racks are on the list of damage Whistle disclaims (callout 1); Tunnel limits Whistle prints: tires up to 13.5 in wide, no dual rear wheels (callout 2); A membership covers one personal car and can’t be moved to another vehicle (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## If the wash damages your car Whistle’s contact page answers “Do your machines scratch vehicles?” with a firm no: its “closed-foam” wraps “are unable to scratch your vehicle.” Its terms are written very differently. Section 8 says the service is provided “AS IS” and “WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND,” adds “WE DO NOT REPRESENT THAT THE SERVICES ARE SUITABLE FOR YOUR VEHICLE(S),” and then lists 17 items for which Whistle “SPECIFICALLY” disclaims liability for damage: **The damage Whistle Express’s terms (Section 8) disclaim, grouped by us (read 16 October 2026)** | Group | Items as Whistle lists them | | --- | --- | | Parts that stick out or come loose | Antennas or side mirrors; vehicle badging or emblems; loose or broken parts; molding, racks, etc.; wheel covers or center caps | | Anything not fitted at the factory | Non-factory installed parts or accessories, such as after-market wheels; all unsecured personal items | | Glass and wipers | Moonroofs, sunroofs, glass or bug shields; windshields; rear windshield wipers; automatic windshield wipers left on | | Driver actions | Driver or operator failure to follow instructions; driver or operator negligence, including collisions from braking or driving in the tunnel; electronic running boards left down | | The car itself | Body damage or scratches; vehicles over 5 years old; pre-existing conditions | Two items are wider than they look. “Body damage or scratches” is the damage most people worry about in a soft-touch tunnel. “Vehicles over 5 years old” is not a kind of damage but a kind of car: read literally, Whistle disclaims liability for any damage to an older vehicle. The disclaimers apply “TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW,” and the terms concede that some states don’t allow limits of this kind, but they tell you how Whistle intends to handle a claim. The claims process is in Section 9. If you think Whistle is responsible, you “must submit a written claim to the onsite manager of the location” where it happened, “within 30 days of its alleged occurrence.” The manager reviews it, “including review of available video evidence,” and Whistle “endeavor[s] to complete investigations within 48 hours” but may take longer. If Whistle decides, “in our absolute and sole discretion,” that it is responsible, it may refund “the lesser of” your insurance deductible (if you claimed on insurance) or the cost of the repair (if you didn’t), once you send whatever documents it asks for. It may pay that refund “in any form of our choosing,” including “free, discounted or upgraded membership plans.” The terms add that Whistle has “no obligation to provide any refund or to repair any damages,” and that if it pays, the payment is your “SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY” and you release other claims. Section 10 caps Whistle’s total liability at “THE GREATER OF” what you paid in the prior three months or $100. By our arithmetic, at the listed prices that is $100 for a Clean member (three months come to $69) and $117 for a Fortify member. In practice: look the car over before you leave the vacuums, photograph any damage, give the manager a written report the same day and keep a copy. Whistle’s terms bar “Recording, whether audio, visual or otherwise, any activity occurring at our locations” without written consent, so ask before filming the tunnel. For a dent, our [Dent Wizard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/) page reads one repair company’s terms; for glass, see [what a windshield replacement costs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/). Other chains word their damage terms differently; we read them on our pages about [Quick Quack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/quick-quack-car-wash/), [Club Car Wash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/club-car-wash/) and [Flagship Carwash](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/flagship-carwash/). ## Arbitration, the class-action waiver and the one-year deadline The first lines of Whistle’s terms flag the dispute rules: “These Terms include a mandatory agreement to arbitrate in Section 12,” with “a 30 day opt-out right,” and a class action waiver. Section 12 says: - **Arbitration instead of court.** Disputes “relating to the Services, these Terms ... or otherwise” go to binding arbitration under the American Arbitration Association’s commercial rules, including its consumer procedures. The place is “Mecklenburg County, North Carolina,” and North Carolina law applies where state law is relevant. - **One at a time.** “You must proceed with any dispute individually and not as part of a group or class action.” - **Confidential.** “All aspects of the arbitration proceeding” and any award are “strictly confidential.” - **Exceptions.** Intellectual property disputes, claims about “theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use,” and claims for injunctive relief are carved out. A fourth item, “any claims over which a small claims court has jurisdiction,” is printed in a list of restrictions without saying what happens to those claims. - **One year.** You “must initiate arbitration within one (1) year after any Dispute arose; otherwise, the Dispute is permanently barred.” - **The opt-out.** You can opt out by “sending written notice of your decision to opt-out” to 5821 Fairview Drive, Charlotte, NC 28209, “within thirty (30) days of your purchase of a membership plan or agreeing to these Terms.” If you opt out, Whistle is not bound by arbitration either. The terms can change at any time, effective “immediately upon posting,” and Whistle says it signals changes by “listing of a later effective date than the one set forth at the top of these Terms.” The page we read on 16 October 2026 prints no effective date anywhere; the site’s sitemap says it was last modified June 17, 2026. Save a copy on the day you join. ## What a federal court has said about Wash Club sign-ups One court case on the public record concerns Whistle’s memberships: Curry v. Express Wash Operations, LLC, d/b/a Whistle Express Car Wash, No. 1:24-cv-00178 in the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. We read the court’s own rulings on govinfo, not the complaint, so what follows is the claim as the court summarised it. The case was filed on June 24, 2024 as a proposed class action, and an amended complaint followed on June 3, 2025. It brought claims under North Carolina law, including the state’s Automatic Renewal Statute (N.C.G.S. § 75-41). The court’s memorandum of January 28, 2026 describes the allegation: that Whistle’s self-service kiosks were “programmed to save a customer’s payment information and enroll the customer, without the customer’s knowledge, in an automatically renewing ‘Wash Club’ membership,” and that Whistle did not make the disclosures North Carolina law requires at enrollment. Whistle replied, as the court quotes it, that the plaintiff’s count of North Carolina Wash Club members was “overstated because it includes non-class-members who were not mistaken, purchased exactly what they intended, and have used their memberships.” The court never ruled on whether the allegation was true. The plaintiff relied on a federal law that lets a court hear a class action when, among other things, the class has more than 100 members and more than five million dollars is at stake. The magistrate judge found the plaintiff had not shown how many people actually fell within his proposed class, and expressly did “not reach the merits.” On March 9, 2026 the district judge accepted that recommendation, with no objections filed, and ordered that “The Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint is hereby DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.” A dismissal without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction is not a finding on the facts for either side. Whatever the outcome, the lesson for a buyer is the same: read every kiosk screen before you pay for a single wash, and check next month’s card statement for a recurring charge. ## Who owns Whistle Express, and how big it is Whistle’s About page says the company, “formerly known as Magnolia Wash Holdings, was founded in 2014” by Frank Bennett and Brooks Moye, who combined Camel Premium Express Car Wash and The Wave Car Wash in the Southeast. Magnolia took the Whistle Express name across its sites in December 2023. Whistle’s 2025 releases say instead that it was “Founded in 2020,” and a trade-magazine profile Whistle reposts on its news page says 2016. The releases and the profile place it in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is privately owned. Whistle says it “received a majority investment from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.” in 2023, and Driven’s 8-K names funds affiliated with Oaktree and Alvarez & Marsal Capital as the deal’s sponsors. The operating company is named three ways. Whistle’s membership terms say you contract with “Whistle Express Wash Operations LLC”; its privacy policy (last updated October 10, 2025) and Driven’s filings say “Express Wash Operations, LLC dba Whistle Express Car Wash”; its website disclaimer (last updated in 2022) says “Express Wash Operations LLC.” The 8-K names Express Wash Topco, LLC as the parent. Leadership changed after the deal: Jose Costa, who the About page says came from Driven Brands and Bojangles, became chief executive in 2022, and on December 1, 2025 Whistle announced that Luke Byerly, most recently “President & CEO of Jiffy Lube International, Inc.,” had replaced him, with Costa staying on the board. (Our [Jiffy Lube page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) covers that company’s own terms.) How many sites Whistle has depends on which page you read: **Whistle Express location counts, in its own documents, by date** | Where Whistle says it | Date | Count | | --- | --- | --- | | Release on the rename from Magnolia Wash Holdings | December 11, 2023 | More than 100 locations, nine states | | Release announcing the Take 5 Car Wash deal | February 25, 2025 | 147 locations in 10 states (530 in 23 states after closing) | | Release announcing the closing | Undated (closing was April 10, 2025) | 530 locations across 23 states | | Release naming the new chief executive | December 1, 2025 | Approximately 470 locations in more than 20 states | | Location finder | Read 16 October 2026 | “303 results found” | | Unlimited Plans page and app page | Read 16 October 2026 | 240+ locations | | Unlimited Plans FAQ | Read 16 October 2026 | 200+ locations | | Fleet page | Read 16 October 2026 | 150+ locations | No Whistle document we read explains the drop from 530, or says whether sites were closed, sold or not yet listed. Before you pay for “Nationwide” reach, check the finder for sites on the routes you drive. ## Where Whistle’s own pages disagree Read side by side on 16 October 2026, Whistle’s pages conflict on these points. Where one matters to you, get the answer in writing. - **Extra cars.** $20 a month each for cars 2 to 5 (plans FAQ, app page), or one vehicle per membership and no family plan (Contact page). - **Scratches.** The wraps “are unable to scratch your vehicle” (Contact page), but “Body damage or scratches” are disclaimed (terms). - **How to cancel.** App or any location (terms); app, web portal, attendants or a ticket (plans FAQ); a ticket a week ahead, with delays (Contact page). - **Who you contract with.** Three spellings of the company name across the terms, privacy policy and disclaimer. - **Size.** Four location counts on current pages (303, 240+, 200+, 150+). - **Where a plan works.** “At any of our locations,” except the cheaper plans that work only where you bought them. The locations page title names six states (FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, OH) while its list includes Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama. - **Founding year.** 2014, 2016 or 2020, depending on the page. - **Promises.** A December 2023 release says “Whistle’s Sparkle Assurance means all customers drive away satisfied”; no current page defines it, and the terms provide the service “AS IS.” ## Before you join, and before you leave the lot - **Check the price at your site.** Whistle says prices vary by location; the website figures are a guide. - **Pick the tier you need.** Underbody wash starts at Protect; Clean and Shine don’t include it. - **Read every kiosk screen.** Pay for a single wash without ticking a membership you don’t want. - **Check the vehicle rules.** One personal car per plan; no rideshare cars; no dual wheels; 7 feet 2 inches of clearance. - **Save the terms and note your renewal day.** Cancel at least 7 days before it. - **Decide on arbitration within 30 days.** To keep your right to go to court, mail the opt-out notice within 30 days of joining. - **Look the car over before you drive off.** Photograph any damage and give the manager a written claim; you have 30 days. - **Former Take 5 Car Wash member?** Find your plan number on your card statement and confirm what you are paying for. ## Common questions ### Did Whistle Express buy Take 5 Car Wash? Yes. Driven Brands agreed on February 24, 2025 to sell its U.S. car wash business, Take 5 Car Wash, to Express Wash Operations, LLC dba Whistle Express Car Wash for $385 million, and the sale closed on April 10, 2025. Take 5 Oil Change was not part of the sale and still belongs to Driven Brands. ### How much is a Whistle Express membership? Whistle’s website listed $23 a month for Clean, $29 for Shine, $34 for Protect and $39 for Fortify on 16 October 2026, plus tax, and says prices vary by location. Its plans FAQ says added cars cost $20 a month each, though its Contact page says it offers one vehicle per membership. ### How do I cancel my Whistle Express membership? In the Whistle app or at any Whistle location, at least 7 days before the renewal date, according to its terms. Its FAQ also mentions the online portal and a support ticket. You keep washing until the paid month ends, and Whistle does not refund the unused part. ### Is Whistle Express touchless? No. Whistle says it “uses a soft-touch wash system rather than a touchless car wash.” ### Will Whistle Express pay if the wash damages my car? Only if it decides it is responsible. You must give the site manager a written claim within 30 days; Whistle may then pay the lesser of your insurance deductible or the repair cost, possibly as free, discounted or upgraded membership plans. Its terms disclaim liability for damage involving 17 listed items, including scratches and cars over 5 years old. ### Can I use my membership at any Whistle Express location? Standard plans, yes: the terms say a paid plan covers the vehicle “at any of our locations.” The cheaper plans sold at a few sites work only at the location where you bought them. ## Sources and further reading - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/whistle-express-car-wash/ --- title: "Tint World: Who Owns It, What Its Warranties Cover, Tint Laws" description: "Every Tint World store is a franchise. What its window film and ceramic coating warranties say, who owns it now, how quotes work, and state tint limits." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tint-world/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tint World: Who Owns It, What Its Warranties Cover, Tint Laws > Every Tint World store is a franchise. What its window film and ceramic coating warranties say, who owns it now, how quotes work, and state tint limits. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,929 words* ## The short version - Tint World is a franchise. Its 2026 franchise disclosure document says “We do not operate any company stores”: at the end of 2025 there were 142 franchised stores in the United States, 5 in Canada and 2 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, each independently owned. - Since September 25, 2025, a company controlled by Susquehanna Growth Equity has held a majority interest. Founder Charles J. Bonfiglio is still chief executive. - The window film warranty is made jointly by the film maker and the store, covers only the original purchaser and “is not transferable.” Premium, Supreme and Ultimate films are covered as long as you own the car; Economy film for three years, though the package table calls it lifetime. - A film claim needs the invoice with its warranty number, film type, VLT percent and roll number. Without the receipt you pay, with no refund if it turns up later. - The ceramic coating warranty is stricter: registration within 30 days, a paid inspection every year, a monthly detail, a cash settlement capped at $1,000 or the coating’s cost, and no cover for automatic car wash damage. - No service prices are printed; the franchisor may set maximum, minimum and promotional prices. How dark your tint may be is your state’s rule, and Florida, Texas and North Carolina differ. If you searched for Tint World, you are probably pricing tint, protection film or a ceramic coating, or holding a Tint World invoice. The short answer: you are dealing with an independently owned franchise under a national warranty whose written terms are narrower than the marketing. On 16 October 2026 we read Tint World’s [In-Store Warranty](https://www.tintworld.com/terms-policies/tint-world-warranty/), its [nano ceramic coating warranty](https://www.tintworld.com/terms-policies/nano-ceramic-coating-warranty/), its terms, policy, service and About pages and three press releases; Tint World, LLC’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) as filed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce; and the tint statutes of Florida, Texas and North Carolina. This site has no commercial relationship with Tint World, any franchisee or any film maker. **Figure: What Tint World's documents say, by situation** Nine situations a car owner meets at a Tint World store, each matched to the wording of Tint World's own warranty, policy and service pages or its 2026 franchise disclosure document. Read from tintworld.com and Tint World, LLC's 2026 FDD (Minnesota filing), 16 October 2026. ## Who owns Tint World The franchisor is Tint World, LLC of Boca Raton, Florida. Its FDD, issued April 17, 2026, says it was “established on September 22, 2006,” that the concept “originally started in Florida, in 1982, by our predecessor, Tint World, Inc.,” and that franchising began in September 2007: 44 years since the first store in Tamarac, Florida, and 19 years of franchising, by our arithmetic. Ownership changed in 2025. Item 1 of the FDD traces a chain of holding companies, from the direct parent TW Midco, LLC through TW GuaranteeCo and TW Holdco to TW Invest Co, Inc., “which purchased a majority ownership interest in us through an investment in TW Holdco, LLC, effective as of September 25, 2025.” And “TW InvestCo is controlled by Susquehanna Growth Equity Fund VII, LLLP.” Tint World’s own announcement of October 13, 2025 calls it “a strategic investment” and its “first institutional capital,” without the word majority. Susquehanna people have served as Tint World’s treasurer and secretary since September 2025. The founder still runs the business. Charles J. Bonfiglio “has been the Founder and Chief Executive Officer since the company’s inception in September 2006,” the FDD says; Tint World’s leadership page adds that he “previously served as CEO and Franchise Developer of Meineke Car Care Centers (1983-2014),” a chain covered on our [Meineke page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/). He and the compliance officer also control Auto Parts Network, the platform behind the TintWorld.com online store. ## Every store is a franchise, and that shapes everything else Tint World says so three ways. Its website terms: “Each Tint World Franchise location is independently owned and operated.” Its customer-service page: the centers “are individually owned and operated franchises.” Its FDD: “We do not operate any company stores.” Whoever quotes your job and handles your complaint works for a local owner, not for Tint World, LLC. The FDD’s Item 20 is the most detailed count we found. At the end of 2025 there were 142 franchised U.S. outlets and none company-owned, up from 138; with 5 in Canada and 2 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, 149 in all, by our arithmetic. U.S. stores sat in 35 states, but the top five held 82 of the 142, or 57.7 percent by our arithmetic. **Where Tint World’s U.S. stores were, and what changed in 2025 (FDD Item 20, as of December 31, 2025)** | State | Stores at end of 2025 | Opened in 2025 | Closed in 2025 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Texas | 28 | 3 | 0 | | Florida | 23 | 1 | 0 | | California | 12 | 2 | 0 | | Georgia | 10 | 0 | 0 | | North Carolina | 9 | 1 | 0 | | New York, Tennessee | 4 and 5 | 0 | 1 each | | Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin | 2, 2, 3 and 1 | 0 | 1 each | | Kansas | 0 | 0 | 1 | | All U.S. states | 142 | 11 | 7 | Two figures matter more to a customer than the totals. In 2025, 7 stores closed (1 termination and 6 that ceased operating for other reasons) and 24 were transferred to new owners. The store that tinted your windows may be gone, or have a new owner, when you come back with a claim; how the warranty survives that is covered below. Tint World’s own pages count differently: “Over 150+ Stores” on the About page, and “over 250 locations open or in development” on the Our Story page. The FDD supports 149 open plus 56 U.S. agreements signed but unopened: 205, or 45 short of 250, by our arithmetic. ## What Tint World sells, in its own words The FDD’s list is the cleanest summary: “automotive window tinting, vehicle wraps, paint protection films, mobile electronics, audio and security systems, wheels and tires, detailing and ceramic coating services, and other automotive aftermarket products and services.” The service pages describe the main lines this way: - **Window tint.** Four packages (Economy, Premium, Supreme, Ultimate) on films the table calls “Prime” two-ply films, from a metalized-dyed hybrid to a nano-ceramic, cut by a “PRO-CUT” computer system. Shade is chosen at the store: every package says “See Your Local Center.” The FAQ says films may include “XPEL products at participating locations.” - **Paint protection film.** A “Clear Bra” film “8mil thick,” in four coverage packages. Installation “commonly takes between 3-5 hours”; the film “takes 30 days to fully cure,” and you should not wash it for a week. Good film “generally lasts 5-10 years,” the FAQ says. - **Ceramic coating.** Sold as “Nano Ceramic” in four packages with “9H Hardness” and the promise that “you will never have to wax again.” The FAQ is more careful: a coating “does not normally remove scratches or paint defects,” and the car “still needs to be properly washed and maintained.” - **Wraps, audio and security.** “Tint World can Stripe it, Letter it, Flame it, or Wrap it”; audio from “a basic upgrade to your factory system or a full-blown competition system”; alarms and remote starters. - **The rest.** Wheels and tires, lighting, accessories, detailing, cosmetic reconditioning (“We repair most damages in an hour”) and “Auto Repair and Maintenance Services.” Ceramic services “may vary at locations,” and film “availability can vary by location.” The About page says: “We also support ASE and MECP certified installers.” The FDD’s rule is narrower: at least one employee per center must obtain ASE and MECP (Mobile Electronics Certified Professional) certification “within a reasonable time, not to exceed one year” after the franchise starts or a new center opens. By that wording a new store may work for up to a year without a certified installer, so ask, especially before wiring work such as a remote starter. ## The window film warranty, tier by tier The In-Store Warranty says your film “is warranted through Tint World as an Authorized Dealer of the Film Manufacturer to the original purchaser,” and each tier names its promisor the same way: “The Film Manufacture and the Authorized Automotive Window Film Dealer (collectively referred to as ‘Seller’ herein) warrant” the film. So the answer to who backs it is both: the film maker and the store. Every tier promises two things: the film will “Maintain Solar Reflective properties without cracking, fading, or demetalizing” and “Maintain Adhesion without blistering, bubbling, or delaminating from the glass.” Supreme and Ultimate add that it will “never fade to purple.” The remedy is spelled out under the Economy tier: if film proves defective, “Seller will replace film with a comparable quality film” and “provide reapplication labor free of charge during the warranty period.” **Tint World’s four window film packages: printed specifications and warranty terms (read 16 October 2026)** | Package | Solar rejection | Infrared rejection | In-Store Warranty page | Tint page’s package table | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Economy | 59% | 32% | “Limited 3-Year Warranty”: three years after installation | “Lifetime Limited Warranty” | | Premium | 45% | 35% | “Limited Lifetime Warranty”: as long as you own your vehicle | “Lifetime Warranty” | | Supreme | 66% | 85% | Limited lifetime, plus no fading to purple | “Lifetime Warranty” | | Ultimate | 71% | 96% | Limited lifetime, plus no fading to purple | “Lifetime Warranty” | The specifications are Tint World’s own; every package also lists 99% UV rejection. We did not test them, and the table prints more solar rejection for Economy than for Premium. The two warranty columns disagree on Economy film, so if you buy it, have the term written on the invoice. The conditions are where the warranty narrows: - **Only you, only this car.** It “extends only to the original purchaser and motor vehicle identified on the original invoice. It is not transferable.” - **Bring the paperwork.** “It is required by the Film Manufacture to provide the Film Type, VLT Percent and Roll Number,” plus the warranty number, all on the invoice or a separate document. Without the receipt “you will be charged for any parts and/or service,” and “no refund will be issued if the receipt is located at a later date.” - **Care.** The warranty is “VOID IF THE PRODUCT HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO ABUSE OR IMPROPER CARE.” A haze after installation is moisture and clears; wait “thirty (30) days” before washing; “Do not operate windows until your Film is dry”; no abrasive cleaners or bristle brushes. - **Nobody else touches it.** It does not apply when anyone other than an authorized Tint World center takes “corrective action” or removes the part. - **Exclusions.** “Vehicles used for commercial purposes are excluded,” “Lifetime warranty may not apply to certain vehicles or systems,” implied warranties last only as long as the written one, and car washing and detailing are “SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED.” - **State law and counter talk.** Warranty service “WILL VARY FROM STATE TO STATE” with each state’s tint law, and any change to the terms, “WHETHER ORAL OR IN WRITING,” is void. The tint FAQ adds that coverage “depends on the window film manufacturer, specific product installed, and applicable Tint World workmanship warranty,” so ask for the film maker’s warranty card as well as the invoice. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the rear side glass, the door handle and the front side window, each with one fact from Tint World’s warranty and window-care pages and state tint law. Tint World’s warranty and window-care pages and state tint law, read on 16 October 2026: Keep the invoice: a film claim needs its film type, VLT percent and roll number (callout 1); Leave new film unwashed for 30 days, and keep the windows up until it dries (callout 2); How dark the front side glass may be is set by your state, not by the shop (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Alarms, electronics, paint protection film and everything else The same In-Store Warranty sets shorter terms for everything else on the invoice: - **Alarms and remote functions:** parts and labor for “as long as you, the original purchaser, own the vehicle serviced, except for remotes and sirens,” which fall back to the general term. - **Audio, video and other electronics:** parts and labor for “365-days from the original date of service.” - **All other parts and labor:** “90-days from the original date of sale and/or service.” A covered part is replaced or repaired “without charge for the part,” but “Other parts and services may be required at an additional charge,” the warranty fails if you refuse the work the store says the car needs, and towing, lost time and loss of use are excluded. Paint protection film is the gap. The PPF page advertises a “Nationwide Limited Manufacturer’s Warranty” and says to “Ask about our Nationwide Warranty during your scheduled service”; a colored film carries a “10-Year Warranty.” But the In-Store Warranty has no PPF tier and says its film terms cover “the application of Window Films only.” Read literally, the store’s written promise on PPF work is the 90-day catch-all, and anything longer comes from the maker “on a separate Manufacture and/or Extended Warranty policy documentation.” Ask for the maker’s written warranty, and who does the labor on a claim, before you pay. An extended warranty sold for a fee is a service contract; our [extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the difference. Parts bought on TintWorld.com are separate again: most carry “a manufacturer’s 1-Year Warranty,” returns run 30 days, and “Tint World locations are not responsible for any products warranty or returns that consumers purchase from TintWorld.com.” ## The ceramic coating warranty and its upkeep rules The nano ceramic warranty promises that if the coating fails to protect factory paint from “water spots, bird droppings, bug splatter, acid rain, UV damage or oxidation,” Tint World or its agents “will at no cost to the owner repair and retreat the affected area.” **Nano ceramic paint coating: warranty terms in the warranty document and on the service page (read 16 October 2026)** | Package | Warranty document, if annual service is kept | If an annual inspection is missed | Service page’s package table | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Economy | 2 years | 1 year from the last service | 1 year | | Premium | 5 years | 2 years from the last service | 4 years | | Supreme | Lifetime of vehicle ownership | 5 years from the last service | 8 years | | Ultimate | Lifetime of vehicle ownership | 5 years from the last service | 8 years | Wheel and caliper, glass, and fabric and leather coatings carry 5 years each. Both columns are Tint World’s, and the service page’s own text says “a two-year, five-year or lifetime warranty.” The warranty document attaches the conditions: - **Registration** of the warranty card “within 30 days of application.” - **A paid inspection every year,** “within 30 days before or after the anniversary date of the last service”; “A fee determined by the approved applicator will be charged.” Miss one and the term drops, a change that “cannot be reversed.” - **A maintenance package:** an “Economy Detail Package once a month,” a top coat “4-times a year” and leather treatment 4 times a year. That is 12 detail packages and 4 top coats a year, by our arithmetic. - **Claims within 30 days** of the failure, with repairs only by an authorized agent after approval. - **A cap:** Tint World may arrange the repair or pay “a maximum amount of $1,000 or the original cost of coating application (whichever is less).” - **Exclusions:** “automatic car washes,” brushes and poor hand washing; “Swirl marks, marring, scratches, scuffs, scrapes, chips”; hard-water spots; collision, hail and stones; commercial vehicles; cars not kept registered in the United States and Canada. After an accident “you or your insurer are liable” for reapplication. - **No transfer:** it “is in the name of the vehicle owner and is non-transferrable.” **“Never wax again” is not the deal on paper.** The ceramic page calls the coating “a one-time application,” and Tint World lists “Never Wax Again” among its trademarks. Its own warranty keeps the long term alive only with a fee-based yearly inspection and a monthly detail package. Price the upkeep, not just the coating, and do not expect the warranty to cover what an automatic car wash does. ## Who stands behind the work when every store is independent The warranty answers in one paragraph: “The warranty is made by Tint World and/or the product Manufacturer. It will be honored by all authorized Tint World Centers that offer the warranted service. Tint World Centers are independently operated.” Go first to the center that did the work; if that is not convenient, any center offering the service. “This warranty is only valid at Tint World.” The FDD explains the mechanics. Franchisees “must promptly fulfil all the terms and conditions of all such customer warranties,” “including performing warranty service on customer warranties issued by other Tint World Centers,” and the franchisor charges the store that sold the job and credits the one that fixes it. If a store is sold, the FDD tells its buyer: “you are responsible for performing warranty work for vehicles serviced by the prior owner.” That is the protection against the 7 closures and 24 transfers of 2025. The brand’s own promise is limited. The website terms say Tint World, LLC “shall not be responsible for any labor, service or installations performed by any Tint World location.” The franchise agreement says the franchisor “MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS” on what franchisees sell or do. If a store does not resolve a complaint within “thirty (30) days,” the franchisor “may, but is not obligated to,” step in with refunds, credits or repairs; Tint World’s customer-service form takes complaints about a specific center. If your car is damaged at a store, the FDD requires each store to carry garage keepers liability insurance of at least $350,000, or $50,000 per service bay if that is more. **Printed warranty terms compared: Tint World and three other national chains (Tint World read 16 October 2026; others from this site’s records of 9 and 10 October 2026)** | Term | Tint World | Safelite | Gerber | Dent Wizard | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How long | Premium, Supreme, Ultimate film: as long as you own the vehicle; Economy: three years | “for as long as you own or lease the vehicle” (glass replacement) | “for as long as you own your vehicle” (collision repairs) | “limited lifetime warranties”; terms not published | | Passes to a later owner | No, for film and for ceramic coating | No: “not transferrable to another owner/lessor” | Not stated; worded to your ownership | Not stated | | Deadline to report a problem | Film: none printed; ceramic coating: 30 days | “within 30 days of discovering the defect” | None printed | None printed | Full terms are on our [Safelite](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#lifetime-warranty), [Gerber](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/#lifetime-guarantee) and [Dent Wizard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/#warranty) pages. [Ziebart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ziebart/), which also sells window film, has its own page; nothing about its terms is stated here. ## Prices, quotes and coupons at a franchised store Tint World prints no service prices, and we asked for no quote. Its standing terms explain how a price is reached: - **Window tint** “pricing varies based on vehicle size and configuration, number of windows, film type, performance level, windshield coverage, existing film removal, and other installation requirements”; you “request a quote from your local Tint World Center.” - **Ceramic coating** is chosen “in store when you arrive for your service appointment.” Paint correction or chip repair costs extra, classic and exotic cars are custom quoted with the car present, and “Taxes and shop supplies fees not included.” - **Coupons**: “Coupon must be presented at time of estimate. Only one coupon code per transaction. Not valid with any other offers, special order parts or warranty work.” Offers apply only at participating stores. - **The low price guarantee** belongs to the online store, which will “match or beat” a competitor’s advertised price on the same product; it “does not apply to auction sites or mail-in rebates.” - **Financing** in stores comes through “Snap! Finance, Synchrony, and Progressive Leasing,” and you should “Contact your local Tint World to see if they are a participating dealer”; online orders use Affirm. The FDD shows who sets the numbers. The franchisor may “designate the maximum, minimum, promotional, and other prices you may charge,” and its price lists count as “a maximum retail price list unless otherwise required by law.” Stores must join its discount programs and buy from approved suppliers, and Tint World, LLC receives “up to 15 % rebates, commissions, royalty fees, or other consideration” on some products. Two stores can quote differently, but within whatever limits the franchisor sets, and the brands on offer are the approved ones. Use the “free consultation” the About page promises to get the film or coating, and its warranty, named on paper. If a dealer is selling tint or paint sealant as an add-on instead, see our guide to [dealer fees and add-ons](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#junk); our [rust guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention) explains why a paint sealant does nothing for rust. ## How dark is legal: what Tint World says, and three states’ rules Tint World’s regulations page says its “films are rated so that they are within window tint regulations when applied to the factory tinted glass,” that it “adheres strictly to local state window tint regulations,” and that “you can receive a certificate of compliance with local window tint regulations along with your warranty card.” Ask for that certificate. Its state chart is released only for an email address and calls itself “not a legal document.” The FDD tells franchisees: “You are responsible for determining and complying with all applicable laws.” Darkness is measured as visible light transmission (VLT): “The higher the percentage, the lighter the tint.” We read the statutes of three of the five biggest Tint World states: Florida (23 stores), Texas (28) and North Carolina (9), 60 of the 142 U.S. stores by our arithmetic. California (12) publishes its codes on a site whose robots file bars all automated readers, so we used nothing from it, and we did not read Georgia’s (10). Check your own state’s rule. **Window tint limits in the statutes of Florida, Texas and North Carolina (read 16 October 2026; percentages are light transmission unless marked reflectance)** | Window | [Florida](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/316.2953) (Fla. Stat. 316.2952 to 316.2956) | [Texas](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.547.htm) (Transp. Code 547.609, 547.613) | [North Carolina](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-127.html) (G.S. 20-127) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Windshield | A transparent strip at the top only, above the AS/1 line | Top strip only, to the AS-1 line or five inches, whichever is closer to the top; 25% or more, reflectance 25% or less; not red, blue or amber | Top strip only, to five inches or the AS1 line, whichever is longer; a clear film that cuts ultraviolet is allowed | | Front side windows | At least 28%; reflectance no more than 25% | 25% or more; reflectance 25% or less | At least 35% (a meter reading over 32% is presumed to comply); reflectance 20% or less | | Rear side windows | At least 15% (6% on multipurpose passenger vehicles); reflectance no more than 35% | Not limited by section 547.613 | At least 35%, except windows behind the driver of a multipurpose vehicle such as a minivan or pickup | | Rear window | Same limits as the rear side windows | Not limited if the car has an outside mirror on each side | At least 35%, with exceptions including multipurpose vehicles and property-hauling vehicles | | Label | Installer puts a compliance label on the inside left door jamb | A label between film and glass; an installer who skips it risks a fine of up to $1,000 | None in G.S. 20-127 | | Margin | Plus or minus 3 percent on every measurement | May be exempted within three percent | Meter reading over 32% presumed to meet 35% | | Who is liable | Driver: noncriminal infraction; seller or installer: second-degree misdemeanor | Driver and installer: misdemeanor; selling a car with noncompliant tint is not an offense | Applying noncompliant tint to a car subject to inspection, or driving one: Class 3 misdemeanor | In all three states, putting on film darker than the law allows is an offense in itself; in Florida, look for the label in the left door jamb before you leave. Texas says selling a car with noncompliant windows is not an offense, so a used car can arrive already illegal, and North Carolina exempts a car registered in another state only if it meets that state’s rule; our [out-of-state buying guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#inspection) covers registering such a car. Texas treats a medical need as a defense, and North Carolina issues medical exception permits. Tint World also sells a tint inspection and a removal package if you are unsure about film already on a car. ## Website terms, the FDD’s litigation item and other records Tint World’s [Terms and Conditions](https://www.tintworld.com/terms-policies/terms-conditions/) (last modified January 1, 2021) are written for the website and online store. They choose Florida law, send disputes to Florida courts or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, ask you to waive a jury trial and cap the company’s liability “IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE” at $50. Site material may be used only “for personal, non-commercial purposes,” which is why this page quotes only short passages. For a customer at a store, the documents that matter are the invoice, the warranty and the film maker’s card. Item 3 of the 2026 FDD lists no pending litigation and one concluded case: a 2014 Broward County suit against Bonfiglio over “a membership dispute involving ownership interest in Tint World, LLC,” settled confidentially in 2017 with Bonfiglio buying out the other member’s interest. It concerned ownership, not customers; the other Item 3 matters involve Susquehanna’s other franchisors. Item 4 discloses no bankruptcy. Our searches on 16 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or Federal Trade Commission action against Tint World and no consumer lawsuit. The Better Business Bureau blocked our request, so no rating is reported. ## Where Tint World’s own documents disagree - **Economy film’s warranty:** three years on the In-Store Warranty, “Lifetime Limited Warranty” in the package table. - **Ceramic terms:** 2 years, 5 years or lifetime in the warranty; 1, 4, 8 and 8 years in the service page’s table. - **Ceramic upkeep:** “a one-time application” on the service page; a paid yearly inspection and monthly detail in the warranty. - **Paint protection film:** a “Nationwide Warranty” on the PPF page; no PPF terms in the published warranty. - **Who stands behind the work:** warranty “made by Tint World and/or the product Manufacturer”; terms and FDD say Tint World, LLC answers neither for store labor nor for what franchisees sell. - **Store count:** “Over 150+ Stores” and “over 250 locations open or in development”; 149 open and 56 signed in the FDD. - **Company stores and parent:** “We do not operate any company stores,” yet one is projected for Florida; “We have no parent corporation,” then “Our direct parent is TW Midco, LLC.” - **Arithmetic:** the FDD’s franchised row goes from 138 to 142 and prints “+3”; its total row prints “+4.” A January 2026 release counts “ten stores” opened in 2025; the FDD counts 11. - **History and staff:** the franchise began in September 2006 from “a group of six” centers (leadership page) or with “a six-store chain” bought in 2007 (founder letter), when “All 9 Stores became Franchised Stores” (timeline). Jonathan Norman’s presidency starts in January 2023, March 2025 or April 2025, depending on the document. - **Get the film named on the invoice:** film type, VLT percent, roll number and warranty number, plus the film maker’s warranty card. - **Get the warranty term in writing,** especially for Economy film, ceramic coatings and paint protection film. - **Ask for the certificate of compliance** with your state’s tint rules, and in Florida check the door-jamb label. - **Keep the invoice for as long as you own the car.** Without it, warranty work is charged and not refunded later. - **Before a ceramic coating, price the upkeep:** the yearly inspection fee, the monthly detail, and your car wash habits. - **Bring coupons to the estimate,** one per job; they do not apply to warranty work. - **If a store stalls for 30 days, write to Tint World’s customer service;** the franchisor may step in but does not have to. ## Common questions ### Who owns Tint World? Tint World, LLC is majority-owned through TW Invest Co, Inc., controlled by Susquehanna Growth Equity Fund VII, LLLP, since September 25, 2025, according to its FDD. Founder Charles J. Bonfiglio remains chief executive. Each store is owned by an independent franchisee. ### Are Tint World stores franchises or company owned? All franchised. The 2026 FDD says “We do not operate any company stores” and counts 142 U.S. franchised stores at the end of 2025, plus 5 in Canada and 2 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It projects one company-owned store in Florida in 2026. ### Does the Tint World window tint warranty transfer to a new owner? No. It “extends only to the original purchaser and motor vehicle identified on the original invoice. It is not transferable.” The lifetime tiers last as long as you own the car, and the ceramic coating warranty is also “non-transferrable.” ### What does the Tint World ceramic coating warranty require? Registration within 30 days, a fee-based inspection within 30 days of each anniversary, a monthly detail and top coats 4 times a year, and notice of any claim within 30 days. Miss an inspection and the term drops for good. A cash settlement is capped at $1,000 or the coating’s cost, whichever is less. ### How much does Tint World charge for window tint? It prints no prices. The price depends on the vehicle, number of windows, film, windshield coverage and any old film to remove, so you need a quote from a local store. The franchisor may set maximum, minimum and promotional prices, and coupons must be shown at the estimate. ### Will Tint World install tint darker than my state allows? Tint World says it “adheres strictly to local state window tint regulations” and offers a certificate of compliance. The limits are your state’s: on front side windows, at least 28% in Florida, 25% in Texas and 35% in North Carolina, and installers can be liable in all three. ## Sources and further reading - [FMVSS No. 205 — glazing materials](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subject-group-ECFR6a1805396c88fd7/section-571.205) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tint-world/ --- title: "Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change: Price, Warranty, Owner" description: "Strickland Brothers prints no oil-change price or warranty. What its coupon terms, oil menu, fleet discounts and disclosure document say, and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/strickland-brothers/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change: Price, Warranty, Owner > Strickland Brothers prints no oil-change price or warranty. What its coupon terms, oil menu, fleet discounts and disclosure document say, and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,944 words* ## The short version - Strickland Brothers prints no oil-change price. Its FAQ says the price depends on your engine’s oil capacity, the oil type and “local market rates,” and promises “a full quote upfront before we begin any work.” Ask for it, and check that it covers tax and shop fees. - Coupons cover “up to 5 quarts of oil,” with an “Additional charge for oil over 5 quarts,” possible fees for specialty filters, and tax and shop fees excluded. They are not valid with fleet discounts. - No page on the company’s site states a warranty on the work. The only guarantee we found is in its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document: an “absolute satisfaction guarantee program” franchisees must join, with no customer terms published. - If your owner’s manual calls for a dexos-approved oil, note that Strickland Brothers’ own FAQ says its Valvoline Restore & Protect oil is not dexos certified. - Fleet accounts start at three vehicles, with printed discounts of 10% for 3 to 14 vehicles up to 25% for 50 or more. - Most shops are company-run, not franchised: 159 of 226 at the end of 2023, according to the disclosure document. Princeton Equity Group has controlled the company since May 13, 2021. A Strickland Brothers oil change is a stay-in-your-car, no-appointment service in a drive-thru bay, and what you pay, which oil goes in and what happens if something goes wrong are set by fine print spread across several documents. On 16 October 2026 we read the company’s site, sboilchange.com (its service, coupon, fleet, terms, privacy, About and franchise pages and four news releases), its investors’ January 22, 2026 releases, and the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) of SB Oil Change Franchising, LLC issued May 14, 2024, with Minnesota’s 2025 order cancelling its registration there. The look-alike stricklandbrothers.com showed a domain-parking page when we checked. This site has no commercial relationship with Strickland Brothers, its owners or any oil brand. **Figure: What Strickland Brothers’ own documents say, by situation** Nine situations a Strickland Brothers customer meets, each answered from sboilchange.com's oil-change, Restore & Protect, inspection, tire-rotation and fleet pages, its coupon terms, or its May 14, 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. Read from sboilchange.com and the Franchise Disclosure Document filed in Minnesota, on 16 October 2026. ## What a Strickland Brothers oil change costs, and what the paperwork says about price No page we read gives a price, a starting price or a range. The oil-change FAQ answers its own question, “How much does an oil change cost at Strickland Brothers?”, this way: “Oil change pricing at Strickland Brothers varies depending on your vehicle’s oil capacity, the type of oil required (Conventional, High-Mileage, or Full Synthetic), and local market rates.” It tells you to “call for local pricing and available coupons” and adds a promise worth holding the shop to: “We provide a full quote upfront before we begin any work–no hidden fees, no surprises.” The coupon disclaimer in the Terms and Conditions (effective June 18, 2026) shows how a bill grows beyond the headline. Unless a coupon says otherwise, it applies “to full-service oil changes only, up to 5 quarts of oil. Additional charge for oil over 5 quarts. Additional fees for specialty oil filters may apply. Excludes tax and shop fees.” So four things can be added: extra quarts for a larger engine, a specialty filter, tax, and a shop fee, none of which is priced anywhere we looked. Who sets the price? Item 16 of the FDD lets the franchisor “prohibit you from charging prices lower than our published prices for any service or item” and “periodically suggest pricing.” No prices are published on the public site, and the FAQ’s “local market rates” points the same way: two shops can quote different totals for the same car. **Ask for the full quote before the technician starts, and read it line by line.** Strickland Brothers says it gives one “upfront before we begin any work.” Check that it names the oil, the number of quarts your engine takes, the filter, any coupon, the tax and any shop fee. ### The only dated figures on spending: the 2023 “ticket” The FDD’s Item 19 is the one document with a number on what customers spent. For 81 company-run shops that had operated for at least 12 full months, it prints an “AVG Ticket” of $86.86 for 2023 (by shop, $61.81 to $109.26); for 39 franchised shops, a “Ticket Avg.” of $88.78 ($66.78 to $122.55). It defines the word: “‘Ticket’ means the total sale price per customer.” Three limits apply: “These results are unaudited”; they describe 2023; and a ticket includes add-ons and whatever oil each customer chose, so it is not the price of any one service. The same tables print a “Discount %” of 7% and 9% (promotions and other marketing discounts) without saying what it is measured against. ## What the 10-minute drive-thru oil change includes The oil-change page describes four steps. A team member greets you “with a bottle of water,” guides you into a bay and confirms the mileage. The technicians help you pick an oil that “aligns with your manufacturer’s recommendations,” drain the old oil and refill. Then comes a “complimentary multi-point courtesy check,” and finally a “final safety check,” a review of the service, a reset of your oil light and an air freshener. You stay in the car the whole time: “you can stay in your car for the entire service,” the FAQ says. Payment is by “all major credit and debit cards,” and “Cash is also welcome.” On time, the site says “Most of our oil changes are completed in about 10 minutes”; the FDD describes oil changes “taking no more than 10 minutes.” Neither comes with a remedy, and a queue or an add-on adds time. The four steps never mention the oil filter; the coupon terms’ line on “specialty oil filters” implies one is fitted, so check that the invoice lists a new filter. The courtesy check is the one list printed the same way on nearly every page: **What Strickland Brothers’ pages say is checked and what is sold on top (read 16 October 2026)** | Page | What it lists | Free or paid | | --- | --- | --- | | Home and services pages, “Courtesy Checks” | Front and rear exterior lights, engine air filter, windshield washer fluid, power steering fluid, tire pressure, wiper blades, cabin air filter (7 items) | Free: “Stop by any of our locations and we will perform any of our courtesy checks for FREE” | | Oil-change FAQ, “What’s included” | The same 7 items | Included with every oil change | | Oil-change page, step 3 | “We’ll top off your fluids and check your vehicle’s lights, cabin and engine air filters, windshield wipers, and tire pressure” | Included | | Services page, “Additional Services and Products” | Air filter, cabin air filter, wiper blades, tire rotation (select locations), additives | “available for purchase” | | Fleet page, add-ons | Wiper blades, cabin or engine air filters, tire rotation (select locations), “premium fuel and oil additives” | Paid add-ons | The home page offers the courtesy checks free to anyone who stops by, not only to oil-change customers. And every item on the check is something the shop also sells. The FAQ says staff will “walk you through anything that needs attention – with zero pressure.” Before saying yes to a filter or blades, ask to see the old part and check your manual’s replacement interval. ## The oil menu: Economy, high mileage, full synthetic, diesel and Restore & Protect The oil-change page lists six oils: Valvoline™ Restore & Protect, Premium Full Synthetic High Mileage, Premium Full Synthetic, Premium High Mileage, Economy and Diesel; apart from Restore & Protect, no brand is named. Economy is “Not recommended for over 75,000 miles”; both high-mileage oils are “Great for over 75,000 miles.” Those lines are marketing, not a specification: your engine needs the viscosity and approval in your owner’s manual, and the FAQ says technicians help “based on your manufacturer’s recommendations.” The pages do not agree on what is offered. The price FAQ speaks of “Conventional, High-Mileage, or Full Synthetic”; the synthetic-oil page says of synthetic blend and full synthetic “We carry both options,” yet no blend is on the menu; the fleet page lists yet another set. Ask which oil, by name and viscosity, will go in, and have it written on the invoice. Diesel engines and European cars need a call first. “Service availability for diesel engines and select European vehicles may vary by location,” the FAQ says, recommending “calling your nearest location ahead of time to confirm compatibility with your specific vehicle.” If your manual lists a carmaker’s own oil approval, that is the thing to confirm on the phone. ### Restore & Protect, and the dexos question Strickland Brothers gives Valvoline’s Restore & Protect its own page. It comes in three grades: SAE 0W-20, SAE 5W-20 and SAE 5W-30. Its deposit claim (“Up to 100% piston deposit removal”) holds “when used as directed for four or more consecutive oil changes at standard maintenance intervals, based on adapted sequence IIIH testing.” The oil-change page says it is “Not recommended for European vehicles.” Then this: “Is Restore & Protect DEXOS certified? No. If you are looking for a DEXOS-certified product, the Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic and Extended Protection items are DEXOS certified.” Neither of those two products appears on Strickland Brothers’ oil menu, which lists an unbranded “Premium Full Synthetic.” If your manual specifies a dexos-approved oil, ask the shop to show you the approval on the oil it will use, and decline Restore & Protect. The page’s own warranty answer is conditional too: there are “no warranty concerns” if you use the grade and “oil specification your manufacturer recommends.” The same page still says Restore & Protect “will be available here beginning Winter 2023.” For what sets an oil-change interval, see our guide to [synthetic oil intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#synthetic) and the [severe-service schedule](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#severe). ## Is there a warranty or guarantee? What the site leaves out and the FDD adds None of the 22 sboilchange.com documents we read (every service page, the coupons, fleet, terms, privacy, contact, About and franchise pages, and four news releases) states a warranty or guarantee on Strickland Brothers’ own work: no time or mileage limit, no list of what is covered, no damage-claim procedure. The Terms and Conditions have four sections (SMS opt-in, SMS opt-out, the coupon disclaimer, and policy updates) and say nothing on the subject. The franchise documents say more. The FDD issued May 14, 2024 tells prospective franchisees: “We have an absolute satisfaction guarantee program for your customers that you must participate in at your cost. As part of the 100% satisfaction guarantee program, you must notify us of any customer complaints which you have not satisfied within 48 hours of the complaint.” The franchisor may act “to satisfy the customer’s complaint and invoice you for the costs.” The franchise agreement requires answers to complaints “within 48 hours” and compliance with the franchisor’s decision, “including, but not limited to, the issuance of refunds and/or offering of free services to customers,” plus a “video and/or security system” the franchisor can view “at any time.” Those clauses describe a complaint process with a head office behind it, at least at franchised shops. They do not say what a customer is entitled to or how a claim is decided, and the FDD does not say whether the program covers company-run shops, which are not franchisees. One more line in the FDD shows that damage claims are a regular cost. Item 19’s 2023 expense table for the 81 company-run shops includes “Damage Claims” averaging $4,818.92 a shop, with a median of $3,950.66 and a range from $0 to $19,685.50 (unaudited). The FDD does not say what kind of damage or how many claims. **With no written warranty, your evidence is the invoice and your own record of the visit.** Before you drive off, check the invoice for the oil name and viscosity, quarts, filter and mileage. If a leak, a warning light or a noise appears afterwards, go back to the same shop first, in writing if you can, and do not let another shop repair it before Strickland Brothers has seen it. The franchise agreement requires franchised shops to run a video system; ask that the footage of your visit be kept. For complaints, the contact page lists five routes: calling the shop, the site’s contact form, a text line, a customer service phone line (“available Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm ET”) and a customer-relations email address. Use a written route so the date is on record. Other oil-change chains print their promise in different ways. From this site’s readings of their own pages (written terms only, not prices or service): **What six oil-change chains print about their own work (each read from the chain’s pages on the date shown)** | Chain | Written promise on oil-change work | Read on | | --- | --- | --- | | Strickland Brothers | None on sboilchange.com; the 2024 FDD describes an “absolute satisfaction guarantee program,” with no customer terms published | 16 October 2026 | | [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/) | 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, on services and products on the invoice; claimed at the center that did the work | 9 October 2026 | | [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) | “warranted for 3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first” | 9 October 2026 | | [SpeeDee](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/speedee-oil-change/) | No time or mileage limit; its guarantee says “Your next oil change is on us” | 10 October 2026 | | [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) | None found in writing | 9 October 2026 | | [Valvoline Instant Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) | None found on oil-change work | 9 October 2026 | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the engine, the dipstick handle and the air intake, each with one fact from Strickland Brothers’ coupon terms and FAQ. Strickland Brothers’ coupon terms and FAQ, read on 16 October 2026: Coupons cover up to 5 quarts; oil over 5 quarts and specialty filters cost extra (callout 1); Restore & Protect is not dexos certified, Strickland’s own FAQ says: check your manual (callout 2); Free courtesy check: air and cabin filters, lights, wipers, fluids, tire pressure (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Will a Strickland Brothers oil change affect your car’s factory warranty? Not by itself, and Strickland Brothers says so: “Getting your oil changed at Strickland Brothers should not affect your vehicle’s warranty. We recommend following your manufacturer’s recommended service intervals and oil specifications.” The FTC’s guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) agrees: “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” Behind it are 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), which bars tying a warranty to a service “identified by brand, trade, or corporate name” unless it is provided without charge, and 16 CFR 700.10(c), which bars requiring “the use of only authorized repair service.” The second sentence is the condition that matters. If your warranty includes free maintenance, the FTC says the maker “can make you use repair facilities it chooses.” And if work is done wrong and damages a covered part, the maker “can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part,” though it “must prove” the cause. An oil that does not meet your manual’s specification is the obvious route into that limit, which is why the dexos answer above matters. The FTC’s practical advice is to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes.” At a drive-thru with no written warranty, the invoice is that record. Our page on [oil-change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) shows what a usable one contains, and our guide to whether an [extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) explains how a service contract tests them. ## Coupons, their fine print, and the text and privacy terms Strickland Brothers’ coupons change, and the coupons page runs them under a “For A Limited Time:” countdown, so we quote no amounts. On 16 October 2026 there were two, one for the Economy oil change and one for any premium oil change. What does not change is the fine print: - **Quarts and extras.** Coupons cover “up to 5 quarts of oil,” with an “Additional charge for oil over 5 quarts,” possible “Additional fees for specialty oil filters,” and tax and shop fees excluded. - **One at a time.** “Limit one per vehicle,” and coupons “may not be combined with other oil change coupons, discounts, or promotions.” The coupons FAQ: “Generally, we only allow one coupon or discount per visit.” - **Not with fleet pricing.** “Not valid with fleet discounts.” - **Show it at service.** A coupon “must be presented at time of service”; the FAQ says to show it on your phone or bring a printed copy. - **Dates.** “Yes, most coupons have a specific expiration date listed on the coupon,” and the company reserves “the right to discontinue any promotion at any time.” Where a coupon works is the one point on which the two documents disagree. The terms’ disclaimer says “Valid only at this location for a limited time.” The coupons FAQ says “unless explicity stated on the voucher, our coupons are valid at all locations!” Read the voucher itself, and if it names a shop, ask any other shop before you rely on it. Getting a coupon means handing over an email address or mobile number. The text option’s fine print consents to “automated promotional text messages” and says “This consent is not required to purchase goods or services.” Messages may include reminders and “customer experience surveys,” you opt out “by replying STOP,” and SMS consent data “are not shared, sold, or disclosed to third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes.” The privacy policy says “We do not sell your personal information,” and lists the site’s trackers: Google Analytics, the Meta Pixel, HubSpot, and Microsoft Clarity, used for “session recordings, heatmaps, and usage analytics.” We found no loyalty program, membership plan, financing offer or price match on the pages we read. ## Fleet accounts: the printed discount tiers Strickland Brothers prints its fleet discounts as a standing table rather than leaving them to a sales call. The fleet page says accounts “can be initiated with a minimum of three vehicles and may qualify for the following discounts”: **Strickland Brothers fleet discount packages, as printed on its fleet page (read 16 October 2026)** | Vehicles in the fleet | Discount printed | | --- | --- | | 3 to 14 | 10% | | 15 to 29 | 15% | | 30 to 49 | 20% | | 50 or more | 25% | Three caveats. The wording is “may qualify,” and the page does not say what the percentage comes off, since no regular price is published. Fleet pricing does not stack with coupons: the terms say coupons are “Not valid with fleet discounts.” And the application asks whether the account is “Billed centrally” or “Drivers pay at the shop at the time of service,” which also decides who holds each vehicle’s service records. The fleet page lists the same courtesy check and sells the same add-ons, from wiper blades to “premium fuel and oil additives.” Get the per-vehicle oil, quart and filter terms in writing, since the discount alone does not say what it applies to. ## State inspections, emissions tests and tire rotations Some Strickland Brothers shops do state vehicle inspections and emissions tests. The inspection page lists state inspections in Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia, and emissions inspections in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, “At select locations” in each case; that is 5 states in all, by our count. Emissions tests use the car’s on-board diagnostic system, which the page says has been installed “on all new vehicles since 1996.” To find out whether your shop does inspections, the page says to check the “Available Services” list on the shop’s page. On time and fees, the page gives a range and a caution. Most inspections take “approximately 15 to 30 minutes,” and “Inspection fees are generally set by the state government. Pricing typically starts around $13.60 for safety-only and up to $30.00 for full emissions and safety, depending on your vehicle’s year and your county’s regulations.” The page does not say which state those figures belong to; treat them as an example and check your own state’s fee. Our page on [what a car inspection costs](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-much-does-a-car-inspection-cost/#state-price) explains how states set them, and our [Kwik Kar page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/#inspections) covers what Texas still inspects. What to bring depends on which part of the page you read: “Bring your vehicle registration and ID,” says the summary; “your vehicle registration and proof of insurance,” says the FAQ. Bring all three. If the car fails, the shop gives you “a report detailing the issues,” and “Many states offer a free or discounted re-inspection” within a set period (“e.g., 30-60 days”). ### Tire rotations Tire rotations are “offered at select Strickland Brothers locations,” and they are the one service where you leave the car: “our team will ask you to step out of your vehicle before we begin your tire rotation service.” The page puts the interval at “every 5,000 to 10,000 miles” for most vehicles, with the owner’s manual as the authority, and the time at “approximately less than 10 to 15 minutes.” No price is printed. Our page on [tire rotation cost and intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains what a rotation can and cannot fix. ## Who owns Strickland Brothers, and who runs your shop Justin Strickland founded the chain, opening the first shop in Thomasville, North Carolina, in 2016; the company is headquartered in Winston-Salem. Three entities sit behind the sign, according to the FDD’s Item 1. Strickland’s Enterprises, LLC (formed May 15, 2012) has run Strickland Brothers shops “since December 2016” and operates the company-owned ones. SB Oil Change Franchising, LLC has sold franchises since October 2019 and does “not own or operate any” shops itself. And both belong to SB PEP Holdco, LLC, which “acquired 100% of the membership interests” of the two on May 13, 2021 and “is controlled by Princeton Equity Group,” a private equity firm in Princeton, New Jersey. Two newer investors appear in January 2026 releases. Audax Strategic Capital announced “a structured equity investment” in Strickland Brothers, which it calls “a portfolio company of Princeton Equity Group”; the transaction “closed on January 2, 2026” and its terms “are not disclosed” ([Audax’s release](https://audaxprivateequity.com/news/audax-strategic-capital-invests-in-princeton-equity-group-backed-strickland-brothers)). Audax describes its fund’s investments as “non-control.” Princeton’s release of the same day announces “Strickland Brothers Closes $360 Million Committed Financing,” provided by Golub Capital and Audax Strategic Capital, “designed to support the Company’s acquisition activity.” Neither release splits the $360 million between debt and equity. On what we read, Princeton Equity Group remains the controlling owner. The FDD’s Item 20 gives the only dated count of shops, and it contradicts the idea of a mostly franchised chain: **Strickland Brothers outlets, from the Franchise Disclosure Document issued May 14, 2024 (Item 20, Table 1)** | At year end | Franchised | Company-owned | Total | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 21 | 58 | 79 | | 2022 | 47 | 85 | 132 | | 2023 | 67 | 159 | 226 | By our arithmetic, 70.4% of shops were company-owned at the end of 2023 and 29.6% franchised, and the chain added 147 shops in two years, 101 of them company-owned. North Carolina alone had 67 (60 company-owned); Texas had 20. The franchisor projected 40 new franchised and 44 new company-owned shops for 2024. The FDD has a flaw of its own: Table 3, which counts franchised shops state by state, adds up to 66 at the end of 2023, not 67. Since then, only rounded figures exist: “more than 250 locations” (July 2025), “270+” (Princeton’s portfolio page), “over 280” and “285+” (both on the About page), “290+ locations in 27 states” (September 21, 2026) and “nearly 300 locations across 27 states, as of January 2026” (the investors). None splits company-owned from franchised, but the company’s own words point one way: it has “helped owners successfully transition 180+ locations” into the chain, and a July 28, 2026 release expects “nearly 80 corporate locations” to be “acquired or opened” in 2026. Its 2025 purchase of Iowa’s LOF Xpress (three shops) is one example. For a customer, ownership matters in two places: prices are local, and the FDD’s satisfaction program is written for franchisees. The site does not say which shops are franchised. If you plan to rely on a promise made at the counter, ask who owns the shop and get the promise on the invoice. ### What the public record shows The FDD’s Item 3, where a franchisor must disclose material litigation, says “No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item,” and Item 4 reports no bankruptcy, as of May 14, 2024. Web searches on 16 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or FTC action naming Strickland Brothers, and we did not search court dockets. One administrative record stands out. Minnesota’s Department of Commerce issued an Order of Cancellation on 19 August 2025 because the franchisor “has failed to file an annual report and fee” under Minnesota’s franchise law; the order cancels the registration and alleges nothing about customers or service. Yet the franchise page, dated July 2026 in its page data, still lists Minnesota among “available territories.” Nothing we read says whether the franchisor has registered again. ## Where Strickland Brothers’ own documents disagree Besides the points covered above (where coupons work, the oil menu, inspection paperwork, the time promise and the location counts), we found these: - **The FDD’s own counts.** Item 19 says the operating affiliate “operates 58 businesses,” the number Table 1 gives for the end of 2021; the same Item counts 81 company-run representative shops, and Item 20 counts 159 company-owned shops at the end of 2023. Table 3’s 2021 total row prints 11 franchised shops at year end where Table 1 shows 21. - **The About page against the FDD.** The About page says the chain had “over 150 locations open by the end of” 2022; the FDD counts 132, 18 fewer by our arithmetic. The About page may be counting the car washes it says were acquired in June 2022 (Trademark Car Wash and Quick Shine Car Wash); it does not say. - **Published prices.** The FDD lets the franchisor stop franchisees charging less than “our published prices”; the public site publishes none. - **Stale and misspelled text.** Restore & Protect “will be available here beginning Winter 2023,” and the oil-change page names “a Stickland Brothers near you.” - **The domain.** stricklandbrothers.com served a parking page on 16 October 2026; the brand’s site is sboilchange.com. Not published at all: a price for any service, the charge per extra quart, the specialty-filter and shop fees, any warranty or claim procedure, which shops are franchised, which shops do inspections or tire rotations (except through the location finder), and whether a shop will take a customer’s own oil. ## Before and after a Strickland Brothers visit - **Check the manual first.** Note the oil specification and any approval (dexos, a carmaker’s own code), the capacity with filter, and the interval. - **Diesel or European car? Call ahead.** The FAQ says availability “may vary by location.” - **Bring the coupon, and read where it is valid.** One per vehicle, not with fleet discounts, up to 5 quarts. - **Ask for the full quote before work starts.** Oil name and viscosity, quarts, filter, coupon, tax and shop fee. - **Weigh each recommendation.** Ask to see the old filter or blade, and check your manual’s interval. - **Read the invoice before you drive off.** It is your only record: oil, quantity, filter, mileage, the shop’s name. - **Check afterwards.** Look at the dipstick and for drips after the first drive. If something is wrong, go back to the same shop in writing and ask that the visit’s video be kept. Our pages on [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/), [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/), [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/), [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/), [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/), [SpeeDee](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/speedee-oil-change/) and [Kwik Kar](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/) read those companies’ published terms the same way. ## Common questions ### How much is an oil change at Strickland Brothers? Strickland Brothers does not publish a price. Its FAQ says the price depends on your engine’s oil capacity, the oil type and “local market rates,” and that the shop gives “a full quote upfront.” Coupons cover up to 5 quarts, with extra oil, specialty filters, tax and shop fees on top. The FDD’s unaudited 2023 average ticket, $86.86 at company-run shops, includes add-ons and is not a price. ### Does Strickland Brothers have a warranty or guarantee on oil changes? None is printed on sboilchange.com. The 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document describes an “absolute satisfaction guarantee program” franchisees must join, with complaints answered within 48 hours and possible refunds or free services, but no customer terms are published. Keep the invoice and raise any problem with the same shop in writing. ### How long does it take, and do I stay in the car? The company says “Most of our oil changes are completed in about 10 minutes,” with no appointment, and you stay in the car for the whole oil change. For a tire rotation you step out. Inspections take about 15 to 30 minutes, the inspection page says. ### Do Strickland Brothers coupons work at every location? The documents disagree. The coupons FAQ says coupons “are valid at all locations” unless the voucher says otherwise; the Terms and Conditions say “Valid only at this location for a limited time.” Read the voucher, and expect one coupon per visit and none with fleet discounts. ### Who owns Strickland Brothers, and is it a franchise? Princeton Equity Group has controlled the company since May 13, 2021, through SB PEP Holdco, LLC; Audax Strategic Capital made a structured equity investment that closed on January 2, 2026. It franchises, but most shops are company-run: 159 of 226 at the end of 2023, according to the FDD. Later counts (“nearly 300” in January 2026) do not give the split. ### Does Strickland Brothers do state inspections? At select shops: state inspections in Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia, and emissions tests in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Check the shop’s “Available Services” list, and bring your registration, ID and proof of insurance. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/strickland-brothers/ --- title: "RealTruck Review: Returns, Freight, Warranties and Who Owns It" description: "RealTruck ships free over $100, takes unused returns for 30 days and leaves warranties to its brands. What its terms say, and what parts do to a used pickup." url: "https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/realtruck-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # RealTruck Review: Returns, Freight, Warranties and Who Owns It > RealTruck ships free over $100, takes unused returns for 30 days and leaves warranties to its brands. What its terms say, and what parts do to a used pickup. *Trucks · 22 min read · 4,937 words* ## The short version - RealTruck makes accessories as well as selling them: its Our Brands page lists 30 brand names, among them BAK, TruXedo, Extang, UnderCover, Husky Liners, AMP Research and Superlift, and the site sells other makers’ parts too. L Catterton lists RealTruck as a current investment, made in 2021. - Parcel shipping is free on orders over $100 to the lower 48 states; under $100 before tax there is a $9.98 flat fee. Freight ships free but cannot be returned unless RealTruck was at fault, so refuse damaged freight and sign nothing. - Returns are free within 30 days, except anything installed, drilled or cut, custom, special-ordered or sent by freight. Shipping charges are not refunded. Report damage within 72 hours. - The warranty is the brand’s: RealTruck’s Terms say it is “not responsible for providing warranty.” Nine of the 10 warranty pages we read cover only the original buyer, so parts that came with a used truck are usually uncovered for you. - A truck maker cannot void a warranty just because you used another brand’s part, but damage the part causes is not covered. The door-jamb weight ratings do not change when you bolt things on; the added weight comes out of payload. - The Terms choose North Dakota law and courts, have no arbitration clause and point to Terms of Sale we could not find. RealTruck’s pages disagree in 12 places. RealTruck sells truck, Jeep and off-road accessories online and makes many of them, through brands it has bought since it was formed in November 2007. On 16 October 2026 we read its Terms and Conditions, its Returns, Shipping Information, Order Information and Guaranteed Fit pages, ten warranty pages it hosts, its company, investor and press pages, and its RealPro, Extend and store pages; L Catterton’s own pages on ownership; and the federal texts on what an accessory does to a truck. RealTruck’s Terms allow links only to its homepage, so we name its documents rather than link them. This site has no commercial relationship with RealTruck or any accessory seller. **Figure: What happens next when a RealTruck order goes wrong** A two-column table of seven situations: a damaged parcel is reported within 72 hours and replaced; damaged freight is refused unsigned because freight is otherwise not returnable; a Guaranteed Fit part that does not fit goes back free within 30 days of delivery; an unwanted, uninstalled part goes back free within 30 days without a shipping refund; an installed, drilled or cut part cannot be returned; a later defect goes to the brand's warranty with labor and shipping usually excluded; and an accessory that came with a used truck is usually not covered, because 9 of the 10 warranty pages read cover only the original buyer. Read from RealTruck's Shipping Information, Returns, Guaranteed Fit and Terms pages and ten warranty pages it hosts on 16 October 2026. ## What RealTruck sells, which brands it owns and who owns it RealTruck’s About page describes a manufacturer headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with “6,000+ associates,” “35+ facilities across four continents” and a “12,000+ dealer network.” The website “is operated by RealTruck, Inc.,” at an address in Ocala, Florida, according to the Terms. The investor page says the company was “formed in November 2007 with the merger of two leading manufacturers of pickup truck accessories, Extang Corporation and TruXedo, Inc.” The catalog runs from bed covers, caps, steps and liners to bumpers, winches, lighting, lift kits, wheels and performance parts. **The brands it owns.** Under “The RealTruck Family of Brands,” Our Brands lists 31 shop entries: Alloy, AMP Research, A.R.E., AVS, Backrack, BAK, BedRug, Belmor, Bushwacker, Extang, Gator, Go Rhino and its Public Safety line, Havoc, Husky Liners, Ionic, Lund, N-FAB, Omix, Pace Edwards, Rampage, Retrax, RoadWorks, Roll-N-Lock, Rugged Liner, Rugged Ridge, Superlift, Stampede, Tonno Pro, TruXedo and UnderCover: 30 brand names by our count. RealTruck’s releases record two recent additions: IDDEA, which “goes to market under the well-known Go Rhino brand” (Aug. 22, 2023), and Vehicle Accessories Group (March 5, 2025). The site also sells brands it does not claim; its sitemap has filter pages for Dee Zee, Smittybilt, Westin and Fox. That is why the Terms speak of “a manufacturer’s warranty”: what backs a part depends on who made it. **Who owns RealTruck.** No RealTruck page names an owner; the owner’s pages do. L Catterton’s release dated December 8, 2020 announced that “a consortium led by L Catterton and its affiliates will acquire a controlling interest in Truck Hero®, Inc.,” which sold “directly to consumers through RealTruck.com.” The consortium included a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Company and StepStone Group, with CCMP Capital and the founding chief executive to remain “meaningful investors.” L Catterton’s investments page now lists RealTruck, selling “through RealTruck.com or the Truck Hero Pro Channel,” with “Year of Investment 2021,” “Investment Status Current” and “Strategy Flagship Buyout.” RealTruck is private: EDGAR’s company search returns no RealTruck entity, and its investor page offers financial information only to holders of its “6.25% Senior Notes due 2029” and eligible investors. ## How RealTruck confirms fitment: Guaranteed Fit The Guaranteed Fit page promises “Made for your truck or your money back.” You enter “the year/make/model” in the Select Your Vehicle tool; RealTruck says “We will verify your make and model and show you parts that fit,” marked “Guaranteed Fit” with a green check-mark. “If the eligible parts or accessories you purchased do not fit your vehicle, you can return it free within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.” The FAQ sets the clock: the return request must start “within 30 days from the delivery date.” Two other routes exist. Phone and chat staff can take your order, and the Returns page treats a fit promised that way as RealTruck’s problem: “if we guaranteed fitment over the phone or chat and the product does not fit your truck, give us a call.” For freight items the Shipping page says “To ensure it fits, call us before you order to take advantage of our guaranteed fit program,” because freight cannot otherwise be returned. Read the guarantee beside two other sentences. The FAQ sends you to the Return Policy “for more information on product return eligibility and exclusions,” which exclude anything installed, drilled or cut. And the Terms say “RealTruck does not warrant the accuracy of product information on RealTruck.com.” Guaranteed Fit protects a part you test-fit and send back unused. Year, make and model also leave out what matters on a pickup: bed length and cab style decide covers, liners, racks and steps, and our [used pickup buying guide](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/used-pickup-truck-buying-guide/#census) found the federal VIN record rarely carries bed length. Measure the bed and check the cab before trusting any selector. ## Shipping, RapidShip and freight for large items **Parcels.** “RealTruck offers FREE SHIPPING on orders over $100,” and “After shipment, allow an additional 2-3 business days for delivery.” The exclusions add: “We only ship to the lower 48 states across the US,” and “Orders under $100 (pre-tax) will incur a $9.98 flat rate shipping fee.” Custom, out-of-stock and drop-shipped items take longer; RapidShip items “will ship out the same day if ordered by 3pm EST.” Expedited shipping must be requested by phone, costs extra, “Does not reduce the processing time,” and is non-refundable. **Freight.** When an item “exceeds the shipment limits for parcel carriers,” a freight carrier brings it, and “most freight items arrive to you within 3-5 days.” RealTruck says “We offer free shipping on freight items.” Before ordering a bumper, snow plow, wheel-to-wheel running boards or a wheel and tire package, note the rest: - The driver sets an appointment and arrives “via semi or liftgate truck”; a liftgate is guaranteed only if you “contact us before placing your order.” - “Driver will only help get the order to the first covered area. Customer is responsible for moving to desired location.” - Someone 18 or older must accept it. “Freight shipments are not eligible for return”; the Returns page allows three exceptions: a phone order where RealTruck sent the wrong item, a manufacturer’s defect, or the maker sending a different product. **Refuse damaged freight at the door.** RealTruck says: “If damage is present, DO NOT accept delivery and do not sign the delivery receipt,” and not to sign “the bill of lading and/or delivery receipt” if the packaging is damaged. Freight is otherwise not returnable, so a signature on a damaged crate can cost you the item. **Parcel damage.** “Call us within 72 hours of receiving damaged items,” photograph them and “Keep all packaging and packing material.” The Terms add: “If you receive a damaged or defective product, give us a call. We’ll send you a replacement.” ## RealTruck’s return policy, as printed The Returns page: “You can return all or part of your purchase for free within 30 days.” You start online with your order number and billing email, and RealTruck sends a Return Authorization “along with a return shipping label”; “Return Authorization (RA) numbers are good for 30-days from the date of issue.” Refunds follow inspection, and a shipment that differs in “content, weight, or dimensions” from what was approved may see refunds “further delayed or rejected.” Your bank may then take “1-10 business days to release the funds.” Changing your mind counts: the listed reasons include “Don’t Like It.” **What RealTruck’s Returns, Shipping and Guaranteed Fit pages say you can send back (read 16 October 2026)** | Situation | What RealTruck prints | | --- | --- | | Unused parcel item, any reason | Free return within 30 days, “in new condition” | | Marked Guaranteed Fit and does not fit | Free return, full refund; request within 30 days of delivery | | Installed, modified, drilled or cut; visible wear | “not eligible for return” | | Custom-made, custom-painted or special order | Not returnable unless RealTruck is at fault | | Shipped by freight, including wheel and tire packages | Not returnable unless RealTruck was at fault | | Marked with the “non-returnable” logo | “not eligible for return” | | The shipping you paid | “Shipping charges and flat rate shipping charges are non-refundable” | BAK, TruXedo, AMP Research and Superlift repeat the installation rule on their own pages: “Return requests will not be accepted for non-defective products once installation has taken place.” Test-fit with the packaging kept, and drill last. **Changing or cancelling.** “We require payment upon order,” and “Orders are unable to be modified once placed”; RealTruck cancels and refunds “eligible items so that a new order may be placed.” Cancellations go through the Order Status page or by call or chat, and RealTruck then checks with “the warehouse or manufacturer” before refunding. The Terms advise that an error “is much easier to correct before any product is shipped,” so read the confirmation email at once. ## Who backs the warranty: RealTruck or the brand The Terms are direct: “Each product on our site is backed by a manufacturer’s warranty,” and “RealTruck is not responsible for providing warranty or returns, but we will assist with this process as needed.” They also exclude “loss of use or time, rental or labor costs.” For orders placed on the site or by phone or chat, “RealTruck.com handles damages, returns, and lost package claims within 30 days of receipt of your order”; after that, “please contact the manufacturer warranty department directly.” Bring the year, make and model, photos and “Proof of Purchase (copy of your original sales receipt).” Expect a part, not money for your time: “Installation and labor costs, shipping charges, cost incurred due to down time of vehicle” are excluded, and “Most warranty terms will be repair/replace.” **RealTruck’s own products.** RealTruck’s warranty page says “RealTruck, Inc. warrants your RealTruck-branded product” for “the term listed below,” and lists no term; it links two product warranties instead, both naming “RealTruck Enterprise, Inc.” as Warrantor. Elevate TS Rails are covered “for as long as the Consumer owns the vehicle onto which the Product is installed”; the Ascend Rack “for five years.” Both start at purchase or, online, “on the date Product is delivered,” and the sheet in the box “controls over any additional, different, or inconsistent terms” on the website. Keep it. **The brands.** The Warranty Policies page is a grid of 26 logos linking 23 distinct warranty pages. We read 10: RealTruck’s and nine brands that make bed covers, liners, steps, bumpers and lift kits. We did not read the other 13 (AVS, BedRug, Big Country, Bushwacker, Gator, Lund, N-Fab, Rampage, RoadWorks, Roll-N-Lock, Rugged Liner, Stampede, TonnoPro). **Warranty terms on brand pages RealTruck hosts, as printed (read 16 October 2026)** | Brand | Length | Who it covers | Terms to know | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BAK bed covers | 1 to 5 years by model, from purchase | Original purchaser; “nontransferable” | Registration or a dated receipt required | | UnderCover bed covers | 5 years (Ultra Flex); 3 years, struts 1 year (SE) | Original purchaser; SE only on “the original truck or original installation” | “Paint damage to your truck is not covered” | | Extang bed covers | 90 days to lifetime by model | “the original consumer/purchaser” | “Shipping charges will apply for any repair or replacement” | | TruXedo bed covers | 2 years to lifetime by model | Original purchaser; “no Warranties for used products” | Parts returned “transportation prepaid” | | Retrax bed covers | Lifetime; prorated after 1 or 3 years on some models | “the original owner (nontransferable)” | Void unless registered within 30 days of delivery | | Husky Liners | Limited lifetime or 1 year by product | Ends if the truck “is transferred to another owner” | “You must pay any labor charges” | | AMP Research steps | Not printed; “refer to that product page” | “the original consumer” | Labor to remove or refit is yours | | Superlift lift kits | Limited lifetime while you own the truck | Ends if the truck changes owner | Excludes electronic stability system damage | | Go Rhino steps and bumpers | Product lifetime; finish 5 years; electronics 1 year | Finish and electronics: original owner | Clearance is “FINAL SALE” with a 30-day warranty | | RealTruck Elevate and Ascend | While you own the truck; 5 years | Original purchaser only | Repair, replacement or refund | Three terms catch people out. Among its “Conditions That Will Void All Warranty,” Retrax lists “Failure to register this warranty with the manufacturer within thirty (30) days from the date of delivery.” UnderCover says paint wear in the bed “is the sole responsibility of the truck owner,” and Retrax excludes “loss or damage to the vehicle the products are installed on”: these warranties cover the accessory, never the truck. And Go Rhino’s lifetime is the product’s, “as opposed to your lifetime or the lifetime of your vehicle,” unlike the Terms’ suggestion that “many of these products are warranted for the life of the vehicle.” **Extend.** At checkout RealTruck offers Extend Product Protection, which it says “extends the manufacturer’s warranty, and offers accidental damage protection for most products,” for “Up to 3 years.” Return the product and “you may receive a prorated refund, less any paid claims.” We did not read Extend’s own terms, which decide claims. ## Accessories that came with a used pickup If your used truck came with a bed cover, steps, liners or a lift, that warranty almost certainly did not pass to you. Of the 10 warranty pages we read, 9 tie the main cover to the original buyer or end it when the truck changes hands, by our count; Go Rhino’s lifetime section is the one that does not say. Husky Liners and Superlift are the plainest: the warranty “expires if the product is removed from the original vehicle or if the original vehicle is transferred to another owner.” RealTruck’s Elevate warranty “does not extend to any subsequent owner.” Treat inherited parts as uncovered and inspect them like any used part: - **Bed covers:** work the hinges and seals and look for paint rub on the rails; UnderCover tells owners to “Inspect your truck periodically for rubbing.” - **Powered steps and lights:** these are wired in, so test every circuit and look for clipped, protected wiring rather than tape. - **Lift and leveling kits:** Superlift excludes damage “to, or resulting from, the vehicle’s electronic stability system,” and RealTruck’s rail warranties exclude “vibrations from worn or altered suspension systems.” See our guide to [what a work truck has been through](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/used-pickup-truck-buying-guide/#work-truck). - **Hitches:** read the rating stamped on the receiver and ball mount, not the seller’s description (see [towing](#towing)). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a side step, the driver’s door and the bed rail, each with one fact from RealTruck’s warranty and returns pages and federal rules. RealTruck’s warranty and returns pages and federal rules, read on 16 October 2026: 9 of 10 warranty pages we read cover only the first buyer, not whoever buys the truck next (callout 1); Added weight comes out of payload; the door-jamb GVWR and axle ratings stay as printed (callout 2); Installed, drilled or cut parts can't go back to RealTruck; test-fit before drilling (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. For cover, buy new in your own name from an authorized seller. TruXedo warns that buying “through eBay or other unauthorized internet sites” may mean products that “may not be covered under warranty,” and RealTruck’s Online Retailer Policy says “As of April 17, 2023, only Authorized RealTruck retailers may sell RealTruck products online” for the 18 brands it names. ## What an accessory can do to your truck’s own warranty A used pickup may still carry the maker’s warranty, an emissions warranty or a service contract. Whether a bed cover, lift kit or tuner voids that warranty has a two-part federal answer. **The maker cannot insist on its own brand.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2302.htm), “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name,” unless the Federal Trade Commission grants a waiver. Fitting a RealTruck brand instead of the truck maker’s accessory does not, by itself, end the truck’s warranty. **Damage the accessory causes is yours.** The FTC’s guide to auto warranties, as this site read it on 8 October 2026: “if someone installs a defective aftermarket or recycled part, or doesn’t install a part correctly, it could damage a part that the warranty covers. If that happens, the manufacturer or dealer can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part and charge you for repairs.” The maker or dealer “must prove the aftermarket or recycled part caused the damage.” The FTC’s interpretation at 16 CFR 700.10 likewise lets a warrantor exclude “defects or damage caused by ‘unauthorized’ articles or service” and deny liability “where the warrantor can demonstrate that the defect or damage was so caused.” In practice, liners, bed covers and racks touch little that the truck’s warranty covers. Wired parts (powered steps, lighting, cameras) and suspension or wheel changes touch electrical systems, steering, brakes and stability control, so keep the installer’s invoice. A service contract is different again: the FTC says it “is not a warranty as defined by federal law, because you buy it separately,” and it can exclude modifications on its own terms. Our [truck extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/truck-extended-warranty/#exclusions) page covers those clauses. **Emissions parts are their own question.** RealTruck’s menus list “Programmers & Tuners,” “Catalytic Converters” and “Turbo Downpipes.” Under [42 U.S.C. 7522(a)(3)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title42/html/USCODE-2024-title42-chap85-subchapII-partA-sec7522.htm), it is prohibited “for any person knowingly to remove or render inoperative” an emissions device after sale, or to “sell, or offer to sell, or install” a part where “a principal effect of the part or component is to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative” one. We did not open product pages, so we cannot say how RealTruck labels any part; read each product’s legality statement, and see what the federal emissions warranty covers on our [truck extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/truck-extended-warranty/#already-covered) page. **Installers have a duty too.** Under [49 U.S.C. 30122](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleVI-partA-chap301-subchapII-sec30122.htm), a “motor vehicle repair business,” one “holding itself out to the public to repair for compensation a motor vehicle,” along with makers, dealers and rental companies, “may not knowingly make inoperative any part of a device or element of design” fitted to meet a federal safety standard. A shop paid to fit a bumper, light bar or lift kit falls within that definition; an owner working on their own truck is not named. ## Accessories, payload and the truck’s towing ratings The other thing an accessory changes is weight. Under [49 CFR 567.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol6/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol6-sec567-4.xml), the certification label sits on “the hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the door edge that meets the door-latch post, next to the driver’s seating position.” Its Gross Vehicle Weight Rating “shall not be less than the sum of the unloaded vehicle weight, rated cargo load, and 150 pounds times the number of the vehicle’s designated seating positions,” with a Gross Axle Weight Rating “for each axle.” For five seats, that occupant allowance is 750 pounds by our arithmetic. Those ratings belong to the truck as built. A steel bumper, winch, cap, toolbox or rack does not change them; it makes the truck heavier, leaving less for people, cargo and a trailer’s tongue weight. The alteration rules in Part 567 reach changes made before the first retail sale: [49 CFR 567.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol6/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol6-sec567-3.xml) defines an altered vehicle as one changed “before the first purchase of the vehicle other than for resale,” excluding “readily attachable components, such as mirrors or tire and rim assemblies,” and [49 CFR 567.7](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol6/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol6-sec567-7.xml) makes such an alterer label any changed ratings. Nothing there lets an owner’s later accessory raise the label, and RealTruck’s “Towing Suspension” category does not either. Our [towing capacity guide](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/towing-capacity/#ratings) explains why payload usually binds first and why the lowest-rated part of the hitch chain governs. Hitches, ball mounts and wiring adapters each carry their own rating; read the stamp. Once the heavy parts are on, weigh the truck loaded as you use it and compare it with the label. Bed accessories can limit towing too. Extang says “Interference of this product with other installed accessories or trailers is not covered” and “Do NOT tow your vehicle from the rear with any Extang tonneau cover on your truck.” Retrax voids its warranty for any accessory “that comes in contact with, or may interfere with, the Retrax cover without the written approval of the manufacturer.” Check the cover maker’s terms before adding a bed-mounted hitch or rack. Wide trailers also raise the question of what you can see, covered in our page on [towing mirrors](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/towing-mirrors/#routes). ## Installation: your own hands, RealPro, the store or a dealer **Yourself.** RealTruck’s installation page finds “the installation guide and videos available for your product,” and its staff say “give our experts a call and we’ll walk you through it.” Read the guide before ordering: if the job needs drilling, the part cannot go back. **RealPro.** Installation can be added at checkout, though it is “not available in all areas or for all products.” You choose a local installer after the part ships, and fitting follows “Typically, within five business days.” RealTruck calls the installers “qualified and authorized local dealer partners” and promises “a lifetime installation warranty, customer support, and a 30-day money back guarantee,” with “a one time flat fee.” Its FAQ then says extra parts or labor “may result in extra charges requested by the Installer.” Installer problems go to an installer-network support service, not RealTruck. Ask what the fee covers, and keep the invoice. **The store and dealers.** RealTruck’s store in Rochester Hills, Michigan, installs parts bought there or online; “Installation fees vary by product type and category,” and none is printed. Through its dealers, where you buy decides where a claim goes: RealTruck’s warranty sheets send purchases made “in-store or through an authorized RealTruck dealer” back to that dealer, and online purchases to RealTruck’s “SUBMIT WARRANTY CLAIM” link. Either way, labor is rarely paid: Husky Liners and AMP Research say “You must pay any labor charges associated with removing or reinstalling the product,” and Go Rhino excludes “labor, installation labor.” ## Prices, terms of use, and where RealTruck’s documents disagree **Prices.** We found no price-match, price-adjustment or low-price guarantee terms in any RealTruck policy page; Guaranteed Fit is about fit, not price. A product-description template in the site’s code mentions “a low price guarantee,” but no page says what it is. If a product is “mistakenly listed at an incorrect price,” the Terms let RealTruck refuse or cancel the order. Payment can be made through Affirm, Apple Pay, cards, Google Pay or PayPal; sales tax is collected under “federal, state and local tax codes,” with no rate printed. Financing offers on RealTruck’s pages are promotions that change, so we leave them out. **The Terms of Use.** No effective date is printed, and changes “are effective immediately when we post them.” Use is “personal, non-commercial use only.” Implied warranties are disclaimed “To the full extent of the law” and liability excluded “for damages of any kind,” each subject to whatever “cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.” Disputes fall under “the internal laws of the State of North Dakota” and go “exclusively” to federal courts or “the state or county courts that govern the State of North Dakota,” though RealTruck may sue you where you live. There is no arbitration clause or class-action waiver. Chats may be kept: RealTruck “may record and retain a transcript.” Since a phone or chat promise about fit can decide a return, get it in writing as well. The Terms also say purchases “are governed by our Terms of Sale, which are hereby incorporated.” No page links such a document, the sitemap does not list it, and the obvious address returned “404. Page Not Found.” That is one of 12 places where RealTruck’s documents disagree: - **Returns:** the Terms say RealTruck “is not responsible for providing warranty or returns”; the Returns page runs free returns itself. - **The 30-day clock:** no start date on the Returns page; “from the delivery date” for Guaranteed Fit; “of receipt of your order” for damage claims. - **Damage:** “within 72 hours” on the Shipping page, “within 30 days of receipt” on the Returns page. - **Exactly $100:** free under the banner’s “Orders $100+,” but neither “over $100” nor “under $100” on the Shipping page. - **Guaranteed Fit:** “return it free, every time,” against the exclusions and the phone call required for freight. - **Fit and data:** “we guarantee our products will fit,” yet RealTruck “does not warrant the accuracy of product information.” - **Terms of Sale:** incorporated, not found. - **Own warranty:** “the term listed below,” with none listed; two different warrantor names. - **“Life of the vehicle”:** the Terms’ phrase, against Go Rhino’s product lifetime and Husky Liners’ and Superlift’s cover ending on resale. - **RealPro:** “no hidden or extra costs,” against “extra charges requested by the Installer.” - **Superlift:** lists three-year and one-year warranties and “What Superlift Will Do” in its contents, prints none, and requires “prior authorization from Rampage.” - **Size:** “6,000+ associates” and “35+ facilities” on the About page; “5,000+ associates” and “72 facilities” in the March 5, 2025 release. The Better Business Bureau’s site answered with a security block we did not try to get around, so we cite no BBB rating. A search for Federal Trade Commission or state attorney-general actions naming RealTruck or Truck Hero found none; that does not prove none exists. ## Before you order, and when the box arrives - **Check bed length and cab style,** not only year, make and model; look for the Guaranteed Fit mark, and call first for freight items. - **Read the brand’s warranty page:** length, who it covers, whether registration is required. - **Check the total against $100** before tax; the flat shipping fee is not refunded. - **Read the confirmation email at once;** orders cannot be modified. - **Inspect freight before signing** and refuse damage. - **Within 72 hours,** open every parcel, photograph damage and keep all packaging. - **Test-fit before drilling;** installed, drilled or cut parts cannot go back. - **Register the warranty** the day it arrives and keep the receipt and the sheet in the box. - **Weigh the loaded truck** against the door-jamb GVWR and axle ratings. - **Keep installers’ invoices** for anything wired in or touching suspension or emissions. ## Common questions ### Who owns RealTruck? RealTruck’s pages do not say. L Catterton’s investments page lists RealTruck as a current investment made in 2021, after L Catterton announced on December 8, 2020 that a consortium it led would acquire a controlling interest in Truck Hero, Inc., the company behind RealTruck.com. RealTruck is private and files nothing with the SEC. ### Is RealTruck legit? RealTruck, Inc. is an established manufacturer and seller that owns brands such as BAK, TruXedo, Extang, UnderCover and Husky Liners, and publishes its shipping, return and warranty policies. Its pages disagree with each other in places, so rely on the specific terms above. We cite no BBB rating because its site blocked us. ### What is RealTruck’s return policy? Free returns within 30 days for items not installed, drilled or cut, with a Return Authorization good for 30 days. Freight, custom and special-order items go back only if RealTruck was at fault, and shipping charges are not refunded. A Guaranteed Fit part that does not fit returns free if you start within 30 days of delivery. ### Does RealTruck have free shipping? On orders over $100 to the lower 48 states; under $100 before tax there is a $9.98 flat fee. Freight items ship free by appointment, most within 3-5 days. RealTruck does not ship outside the lower 48. ### Who handles the warranty on a RealTruck purchase? The brand that made it. RealTruck handles damage, returns and lost packages within 30 days of receipt; after that you claim with the manufacturer. Most warranty pages we read cover only the original buyer, repair or replace the part, and leave labor and shipping to you. ### Will a bed cover or lift kit void my truck’s warranty? Not by itself: 15 U.S.C. 2302(c) bars a warrantor from requiring its own brand of parts. If the accessory or its installation damages something, though, the maker can refuse to pay for that damage, and the FTC says it must prove the cause. Lift kits, wiring and tuners carry the most risk, and parts that defeat emissions controls are prohibited under the Clean Air Act. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 567 — Certification](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-567) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/realtruck-review/ --- title: "Gravity Lending Review: Who Lends, the Hard Pull and the Fine Print" description: "Gravity Lending arranges refinance loans that partner lenders make. Its hard credit pull, fees, $128 savings claim, Texas licence, arbitration and CFPB record." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/gravity-lending-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Gravity Lending Review: Who Lends, the Hard Pull and the Fine Print > Gravity Lending arranges refinance loans that partner lenders make. Its hard credit pull, fees, $128 savings claim, Texas licence, arbitration and CFPB record. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,837 words* ## The short version - Gravity Lending arranges car refinance and lease-buyout loans; a partner lender approves and funds them. Its own posts call it “a refinance brokerage” and “a broker,” and no page we read names a lender. - The Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner lists Gravity Lending as the business name of Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC, holder of Regulated Lender licence 162084, now “Transitioned to NMLS.” Gravity’s site prints no NMLS number and no other state licence. - Gravity’s FAQ says it “will ‘pull your credit’ with a hard pull” before presenting offers, although its application page is titled “Pre-Qualify.” - Gravity charges no service fee, but the same FAQ answer says the new loan includes title transfer fees, any state fee, and GAP or a service contract if you add them. No add-on price is printed anywhere. - Its “$128 a month” average covers loans funded 1 June to 31 August 2026, and the payment depends on the term you pick. Gravity’s FAQ offers terms of 25 to 84 months. - The CFPB database holds 37 complaints against Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC received through 15 October 2026; 20 are about credit reports, 12 of them about inquiries the consumer did not recognize. Disputes go to arbitration, with no opt-out. Gravity Lending is an Austin, Texas, auto refinance company that takes your application, matches it to one of its partner lenders and handles the paperwork; the lender, not Gravity, approves and funds the loan. On 16 October 2026 we read Gravity’s [Terms and Conditions](https://gravitylending.com/terms-and-conditions/) (updated 28 August 2025), [Privacy Policy](https://gravitylending.com/privacy-policy/) (effective 22 July 2025), [FAQ](https://gravitylending.com/faq/), process, glossary, lender, partner and add-on pages, its footer disclosures and 17 of its blog posts. We also searched the Texas regulator’s licensee database, read an order it issued, and ran CFPB complaint and enforcement searches and an EDGAR search. We started no rate check or application, so this page contains no Gravity offer, and this site has no commercial relationship with Gravity Lending or any lender. **Figure: Gravity Lending’s headline promises, read against its own fine print** A seven-row table setting Gravity Lending’s up-front promises against its own documents: its application page is titled Pre-Qualify but its FAQ says it runs a hard credit pull; its no-cost promise sits beside the FAQ’s list of title, state and add-on costs on the new loan; its $128 monthly average covers loans funded 1 June to 31 August 2026 and depends on the term selected; no page says whether interest runs during its 90-day first-payment deferral; a partner lender it does not name approves the loan; the Texas OCCC lists its licence, 162084, under Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC; and its arbitration clause has no opt-out. Read from Gravity Lending’s application page, FAQ, home page footer, Terms and Privacy Policy and the Texas OCCC licensee search on 16 October 2026. ## What Gravity Lending is, and who actually lends Gravity’s Terms describe a go-between. Submitting “a refinancing inquiry through Gravity Lending” lets Gravity “and its trusted partners” pull your consumer report, and you “consent to the sharing of your inquiry or application information with our lender network.” Then: “Gravity Lending does not guarantee that you will receive a loan offer from any lender. Loan availability is subject to lender approval.” After you apply, the confirmation screen says your Loan Consultant “will match you with one of our preferred lenders.” The company has described itself both ways. A December 2021 post says it “started with the goal of being a digital-first auto lending company,” and a March 2022 post is headed “Launching a Digital-first Auto Lender.” By 2025 the wording had settled: “Working with a refinance brokerage like Gravity Lending gives you access to multiple lenders” (November 2025) and “Working with a broker like Gravity Lending offers key advantages” (July 2025). Its [partner page](https://gravitylending.com/become-a-partner/) says Gravity works “with a network of credit unions, banks, and financial institutions,” operates “in all 50 states” and originates “for both prime and subprime,” using “lender guidelines to decide where we place loans.” The Privacy Policy adds: “All lenders in the Gravity Lending network are FDIC-insured banks or licensed lenders (if applicable).” Its page for prospective lenders is written to credit unions, which “maintain full control over rates & guidelines.” No page names a lender, so the legal name on your contract is the first thing to check. How Gravity earns its money is not stated either: it charges borrowers no service fee, and its lender page says it is “NOT charging your members for our services.” ## Who owns Gravity Lending, and the licence behind it Gravity’s Privacy Policy says it “is licensed as a registered lender with the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner.” On 16 October 2026 we checked the regulator’s public licensee search, the one its [Regulated Lenders page](https://occc.texas.gov/industry/regulated-lenders/) links to. A search for “Gravity” returned Regulated Lender licence 162084, business name “Gravity Lending,” Austin. Its owner/entity name is **Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC**, and its status reads “Transitioned to NMLS.” A search for “Wildhorse” returned that licence alone; the registration search found nothing under either name. So the licence exists under a different label: the OCCC calls it a Regulated Lender licence, which Texas requires of non-depository lenders making loans “with a rate of interest greater than 10%.” Its status means it is now administered through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, but we could not read that record: NMLS Consumer Access answered with a Cloudflare challenge, which we did not try to get past. Gravity prints no NMLS number, and although its partner page claims all 50 states, no page lists a licence outside Texas. Its Terms limit loans to residents of states where Gravity “or its lender network, is licensed (if required) or otherwise authorized.” The search also found **Gravity Financial Services LLC**, an Austin property tax lender with licence 164888, also transitioned to NMLS. Gravity Lending’s Privacy Policy pairs the two names, offering an opt-out of “Gravity Lending & Gravity Financial Services’ sale of your personal information,” and a July 2022 post said “Gravity Lending offers tax lien loans for help paying your property taxes.” Nothing we read says whether the two share owners. A third match, AutoGravity Corporation of California, holds a cancelled licence and is unrelated as far as we found. Who owns Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC is not public in anything we could read. Gravity’s 2021 and 2022 posts describe its chief executive as its founder, and no page names a parent or investor. EDGAR has no filing by either company: “Gravity Lending” returned no hits, and the four for “Wildhorse Financial” are 2018 filings about an unrelated oil and gas company. Texas’s open-data portal refused our request, so we read no franchise-tax or Secretary of State record. A February 2026 Gravity post, quoting Auto Finance News, says its “originations rose 78% year over year in 2025”; we could not check that. ## What Gravity offers, and who it says qualifies Gravity’s contact page sums up the menu: “We specialize in custom, no-fee auto refinancing, lease buyouts, and cash-out loans nationwide.” How much of that is documented varies. - **Refinancing** is the core product, described on the FAQ, the [Our Process page](https://gravitylending.com/our-process/) and the home page. - **Lease buyouts** get one paragraph on Our Process: “You can buy out your lease at any time during the lease period.” The dedicated Lease Buyout page was served with an empty content area when we read it. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) covers how to read your contract’s purchase option. - **Cash-out loans** appear in that one contact-page sentence and nowhere else; no page gives terms or limits. - **Adding or removing a co-borrower** is covered on Our Process: refinancing “creates a new loan in your name.” That dedicated page was empty too, as was the Products page. The eligibility rules Gravity prints are thin. The Terms require you to be “at least 18 years old.” The FAQ says “Gravity Lending offers 25-84 month terms,” varying with “your credit situation, your vehicle, and other factors.” A July 2023 post says “Gravity Lending requires a minimum loan balance of $10k to refinance,” a rule the FAQ does not repeat. Gravity prints no minimum credit score, income, loan amount, vehicle age or mileage. A May 2026 post says “Most lenders set a minimum FICO score of 600”: general advice, not a stated Gravity minimum. Our pages on [credit scores and car loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) explain how lenders weigh both. To finish a refinance, Our Process says “lenders will require a valid driver’s license” and “Income verification may also be requested,” plus the VIN, odometer reading, title or registration, and your payoff amount and lender name. The [application](https://gravitylending.com/apply-now/) asks, in four steps, for your loan balance, vehicle and mileage, employment and monthly income, housing payment and address, date of birth, phone, email and a Social Security number marked “Optional.” Its state list has 51 entries: the 50 states and the District of Columbia. ## What it costs, and how Gravity words its rates Gravity’s fee answer is in its FAQ: “It costs you nothing to refinance with Gravity Lending – we do not charge you any fees for our service. Your new auto loan will only include the loan amount, any fees associated with title transfer, any fee your state charges, and the cost of GAP – VSC if you choose to obtain them.” The first sentence is about Gravity’s fee; the second says the loan you sign can be larger than your payoff. No page gives an amount for title or state fees, and none prices GAP or a service contract. **What Gravity Lending prints about money, read 16 October 2026** | Item | What Gravity says | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Gravity’s own fee | “we do not charge you any fees for our service” | FAQ | | Documentation fee | “At Gravity Lending, we do not charge documentation fees” | Glossary | | Added to the new loan | Title transfer fees, any state fee, GAP or VSC if chosen; no amounts | FAQ | | Prepayment penalty | “Gravity Lending does not offer loans with early payment penalties” | Blog, 11 July 2023 | | Who sets your rate | A partner lender, with “full control over rates & guidelines” | Lender page | The rate wording sits in the footer of every page: “The APR you qualify for may differ based on a number of factors including your credit profile, the year model of the vehicle, your debt ratio, the loan length, and the loan to vehicle value ratio.” The home page also advertises a rate “as low as” a set figure, footnoted to “a representative example of refinancing with a FICO score of 740 or higher for 36 months.” We do not repeat advertised rates, which change. The conditions are the useful part: your offer will come from the lender, priced on your own score, car and term. Here is how the printed terms of other refinance services this site has read compare, each copied from that page’s records with its read date. It is not a ranking. **Printed terms of six refinance services, in their own words** | Service (read) | What it says it is | Fees it mentions | Credit check it describes | Lease buyouts | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Gravity Lending (16 Oct 2026) | “a refinance brokerage” | No service fee; title, state and add-on costs on the loan | “a hard pull” | Yes | | [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/) (6 Oct 2026) | “not a lender” | No application fee; lender may add processing, title and state fees | Soft pull to check rates; hard pull if you continue | “we do not currently offer auto lease buyouts” | | [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/) (6 Oct 2026) | “In most cases, we are not the lender” | Title and lien fees; an origination fee “may apply,” up to $595 for most borrowers | Soft inquiry to pre-qualify; hard pull on application | Helps you apply | | [Autopay](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/) (6 Oct 2026) | Part of The Savings Group, Inc. | No application fee; title and lien fees; an origination fee “may apply” | “You authorize us to pull your credit report” | Offers a lease buyout loan | | [OpenRoad Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/) (7 Oct 2026) | Not compared here | No application fees; the state title fee is added to the loan | Not compared here | “you may be able to buy out your lease” | | [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/) (6 Oct 2026) | “a lending product offered by Truist Bank” | “LightStream loans do not have any fees” | “a hard inquiry” | Pays you as a “cash buyer” | ## The $128 a month claim, and what a longer term does Gravity’s home page says: “Our customers save an average of $128 on their monthly car payment after refinancing,” or “over $1,500 back in your pocket every year.” The footnote says the average “was calculated from all funded loans from June 1, 2026, through August 31, 2026,” and that “Payment is a calculation of the approved interest rate, selected term, and amount financed.” By our arithmetic, $128 times 12 is $1,536: twelve months of a lower payment, not interest saved. The second figure, “Save 18% on your car payment,” counts only funded applications “where our clients paid less monthly over the life of the loan.” Neither footnote says how much of the saving came from a longer term. Gravity’s own pages pull in two directions here. Our Process lists “Longer loan term” first under “How refinancing saves you money.” A November 2025 post says extending “increases the total interest paid over time,” and gives an example: $20,000 left, 48 months to go at 9%, a payment of “around $498,” refinanced at 6% for 48 months to “about $470,” saving “$28 per month.” Our arithmetic confirms those figures and puts the total at $1,344. We then stretched the same loan to the longer terms Gravity offers. **Gravity’s own $20,000 example, stretched (our arithmetic; fees, taxes and add-ons ignored)** | Loan | Rate and term | Monthly payment | Interest still to pay | Against keeping the old loan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Current loan | 9%, 48 months left | $498 | $3,890 | The baseline | | Gravity’s example | 6%, 48 months | $470 | $2,546 | $28 a month lower; $1,344 less interest | | Same rate, stretched | 6%, 72 months | $331 | $3,865 | About $25 less interest; 24 more payments | | Same rate, longest term | 6%, 84 months | $292 | $4,542 | $206 a month lower; $653 more interest; 36 more payments | Even at a rate three points lower, the 84-month version costs more than keeping the old loan, and both stretched versions would lift a monthly-savings average. Gravity’s loan officer, its process page says, lets you “shorten your term to save on interest, or stretch it out to lower your monthly payment.” Ask for the same-term offer as well as any longer one. Our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it) sets out the test: the total you will pay. **A lower payment is not the same as a cheaper loan.** Gravity’s averages measure payment cuts, and its footnote says the payment depends on the term you select. On Gravity’s own example, stretching to 84 months cuts the payment by $206 but adds $653 of interest. Compare totals, not payments. ## From application to payoff: the credit check and the first payment The credit check is the point most likely to surprise. Gravity’s application page is titled “Pre-Qualify to Refinance Your Auto Loan at Gravity Lending,” Our Process invites you to “See what you could save with no risk and no commitment,” and a 2021 Gravity post says prequalifying “will not hurt your credit score because the lender uses a ‘soft pull’.” But the FAQ is direct: “Gravity Lending will ‘pull your credit’ with a hard pull,” because “in order to present legitimate, credit based offers the credit pull is necessary.” Its own glossary says a hard inquiry “will typically impact your credit score.” The FAQ says “The notice for the hard pull is listed in the form.” The form we read says only that you “authorize Gravity Lending to obtain my credit report,” with no mention of hard or soft. Plan on a hard inquiry. A May 2026 Gravity post says rate shopping “within a 14-day window typically counts as just one hard inquiry”; our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#shopping) explains why bunching applications limits the damage. The application also opens with “Were you mailed a pre-qualified offer?” and a promo-code box, so Gravity markets by mail. Of the CFPB complaints against Wildhorse Financial Services, 12 concern credit inquiries the consumer did not recognize. After the inquiry, Our Process lists 5 steps ending with electronic signing, after which “Gravity Lending handles the rest”; Gravity says it gets “your new lender” added to the title “through your state’s DMV.” The Terms say “You may withdraw your inquiry or application at any time.” On timing, the home page says “Most customers complete the entire process in under 10 minutes,” while a July 2026 Gravity post says the full process “typically takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks.” Keep paying your old loan until its lender confirms payoff; our list of [what lenders ask for](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#what-you-need) covers the paperwork. Then the deferral. The home page says you “may qualify to defer your first payment for up to 90 days” with “no fees, no penalties.” No Gravity page says whether interest builds during those days. Other services print it: Caribou says “Interest on the loan begins to accrue on the loan closing date,” and OpenRoad Lending says “Actual payment is not skipped but deferred.” If your lender works the same way, 90 days on Gravity’s $20,000 example at 6% adds about $296 of interest, by our arithmetic. Ask the lender, in writing, before you take the later date. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the laptop, its keyboard and the car keys, each with one fact from Gravity Lending’s FAQ and loan pages. Gravity Lending’s FAQ and loan pages, read on 16 October 2026: Gravity arranges the loan; a partner lender it does not name approves and funds it (callout 1); Its FAQ says seeing offers means a hard credit pull, not a soft one (callout 2); First payment can wait up to 90 days; no Gravity page says if interest runs meanwhile (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The add-on products, and what Gravity does not print Gravity sells optional protection products with the loan; its glossary lists each one as something it offers when you refinance, and the FAQ folds GAP and service contracts into its fee answer. Here is what each product page says. **Gravity Lending’s add-on products, as its own pages describe them (read 16 October 2026)** | Product | What Gravity says it does | Terms it prints | Price | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) | Waives “all or a portion of the deficiency” between your payoff and the car’s actual cash value after a total loss or theft | “subject to a loan-to-value maximum” (not stated); suggested for terms over 60 months or down payments under 20% | “very affordable”; no figure | | Vehicle Debt Protection | “death protection” that cancels the remaining balance | Up to $50,000; loans of 120 months or less; fees refunded if cancelled within 30 days | No figure | | Vehicle Protection Plan (“MembersCare Edge”) | Tires, wheels, keys, dents, windshield chips, roadside help | Dents up to 4 inches; “transferable to a new owner” | No figure | | Vehicle Service Contract | Repairs after the factory warranty ends | A 30-day “Free-Look” period with money back | “Low Monthly Cost”; no figure | | Depreciation protection | Described two ways (below); its page redirects to the home page | None printed | No figure | Two descriptions do not match. A July 2025 post calls depreciation protection “GAP-style coverage” for “the difference between your car’s actual cash value and your remaining loan balance.” A November 2025 post says that “Unlike GAP insurance,” it pays the difference between the car’s “MSRP or retail value” at purchase or refinance and the loan balance at the total loss. Those are different products. Debt protection is similar: the product page’s plan details describe death cover only, the same page says it makes “your auto payments for you in the event you cannot make your payment,” and the July 2025 post lists job loss, disability, illness and death. Only the contract you sign settles it. That July post says these products often cost “just a few extra dollars per month.” A monthly figure hides the total. By our arithmetic, each $1,000 rolled into a loan at the 6% of Gravity’s own example over 84 months adds about $15 a month and $227 of interest. Ask for each product’s full price, provider and cancellation terms; our guides to [whether GAP is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/) (and [GAP refunds](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/#refunds)), [extended warranties](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/) and [service contract costs](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/) help with the answers. ## What you agree to: sharing, calls and arbitration The Privacy Policy says “We do not sell your personal information to third parties,” and the application promises “We will not share your info without your approval.” The same policy gives residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia a “Do Not Sell or Share” right, and the Terms you accept by applying include consent to share your “inquiry or application information with our lender network.” Gravity says it aims to answer a verified privacy request within 45 days, and that “our System operates no differently” when your browser sends a Do Not Track signal. The contact consent is broad: Gravity, “our agents, representatives, partners, or anyone calling on our behalf” may reach you “at any telephone number” you give, including with “prerecorded calls and messages delivered using an auto telephone dialing system.” On the application, clicking Next after your phone number, a step before the credit authorization, already means agreeing to the Terms. You can revoke consent by email or by unsubscribing. Gravity’s offer wall sends visitors to other companies’ insurance, loan, credit, repair and retirement offers; its partner page says the wall exists “to send our trusted partners web traffic.” The dispute terms are printed, oddly, as item 2 under a “Credit Monitoring Service” heading, but they cover “any claim or dispute” with Gravity. Either side can send a claim to binding individual arbitration under the American Arbitration Association’s consumer rules, with jury trial and class action waivers; small claims court stays open; Texas law governs. Three features differ from other refinance services this site has read: - **No opt-out.** We found no way to reject arbitration. Caribou, RateGenius and Autopay each allow a rejection within 30 days. - **Costs.** “We will pay all costs of arbitration, no matter who wins, so long as your claim is not frivolous.” - **Credit-report claims are excluded.** Disputes that “relate to your credit report” or arise under the Fair Credit Reporting Act “are not subject to or governed by this agreement to arbitrate.” These are Gravity’s terms; the lender’s loan contract is a separate document, so read its dispute clause too. ## Complaints and the public record The CFPB’s [consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) files Gravity under its licensed entity: the database’s own company-name search returns “Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC” for “wildhorse” and nothing for “gravity.” It lists 37 complaints against that company received through 15 October 2026: 1 in 2023, 9 in 2024, 13 in 2025 and 14 so far in 2026. By product, 20 concern credit reporting and 17 vehicle loans. All 37 were “Closed with explanation,” none with relief, and 4 were not answered on time. These are unverified consumer reports, counts grow with a company’s size, and the CFPB has published no narratives since 30 September 2026. **CFPB complaints against Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC, received through 15 October 2026, by issue** | Issue (CFPB category) | Complaints | Largest sub-issues | | --- | --- | --- | | Improper use of your report | 20 | Credit inquiries the consumer did not recognize (12); report used improperly (6) | | Getting a loan or lease | 10 | Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing (6); loan opened without the consumer’s consent or knowledge (2) | | Managing the loan or lease | 3 | Fees charged (2); add-on products bought with the loan (1) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 2 | Problem related to refinancing (2) | | Other credit reporting issues | 2 | Incorrect information on a report (1); the company’s investigation (1) | More than half are about how a credit report was used, which fits a hard pull behind a “Pre-Qualify” page and offers sent by mail; six are labelled misleading advertising. We read no complaint text, so that is a match of labels, not a finding. CFPB enforcement searches for “gravity” and “wildhorse” returned nothing, and the Texas OCCC’s [enforcement table](https://occc.texas.gov/publications/legal/enforcement-actions/) lists no action against Wildhorse Financial Services. It does list case L23-00063 against Gravity Financial Services LLC, the property tax lender, closed 28 July 2023 as a “Final Order - Injunction.” The [order](https://occc.texas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/l23-00063_finalorder.pdf), signed 12 June 2023, says that company “did not file its 2022 annual report by March 31, 2023” and orders it to file within 30 days, warning of penalties of up to $1,000 a day for violating the order. It is a reporting order; it does not mention Gravity Lending, Wildhorse Financial Services or any borrower. We found no state attorney-general action or lawsuit naming Gravity Lending or Wildhorse Financial Services and read no court filing, so this page describes none; a search is not a clearance. BBB’s site blocked our requests. Gravity’s home page claims “4.9 stars across 6,000+ reviews” without naming a platform, and its contact page says “We’re the highest-rated auto refinance company on the BBB and Google Reviews.” We could not check either claim. ## Where Gravity’s own pages disagree Read side by side, Gravity’s documents disagree in ten places, several of them on exactly what a borrower needs to know. **Gravity Lending’s documents, read 16 October 2026, set against each other and the record** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Lender or broker | “a digital-first auto lending company” (2021); “Auto Lender” (2022) | “a refinance brokerage” and “a broker” (2025); a partner lender approves (Terms) | | The Texas licence | “licensed as a registered lender” (Privacy Policy) | OCCC: Regulated Lender licence 162084, Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC, “Transitioned to NMLS” | | Credit check | “Pre-Qualify”; “no risk and no commitment”; a soft pull (2021 post) | “Gravity Lending will ‘pull your credit’ with a hard pull” (FAQ) | | Cost | “It costs you nothing to refinance” | The loan includes title and state fees, plus GAP or VSC if chosen (same answer) | | A longer term | Listed under “How refinancing saves you money” | Extending “increases the total interest paid over time” (2025 post) | | Depreciation protection | “GAP-style coverage” (July 2025) | “Unlike GAP insurance” (November 2025) | | Debt protection | Death cover up to $50,000 (plan details) | Job loss, disability, illness and death (July 2025 post) | | Selling data | “We do not sell your personal information to third parties” | An opt-out of Gravity’s “sale of your personal information” (same policy) | | Time taken | “under 10 minutes” (home page) | “a few days to several weeks” (July 2026 post) | | Missing pages | Menu and sitemap list Products, Lease Buyout, co-borrower and titles pages | Three are served empty; the titles page answers 404 | ## Before you apply with Gravity Lending - **Get your own numbers first.** Ask your current lender for a payoff quote and add up the payments you have left, so you compare totals, not monthly payments. - **Expect a hard inquiry.** Gravity’s FAQ says so; do your other refinance shopping within a short window. - **Get the lender’s name and contract.** Gravity names no lender; read the lender’s agreement and its itemized fees before you sign. - **Ask for a same-term offer.** Gravity’s own example costs more at 84 months than the old loan. - **Ask how the deferred first payment works.** Get in writing whether interest runs during the wait. - **Price each add-on separately.** Get the total cost, the provider, whether it is financed and how a refund is paid. - **Check the licence.** Texas lists it under Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC; ask Gravity for its NMLS number and your state’s licence. A broker is one way to shop. A credit union or a direct lender may quote you without the middle layer; see our guides to [credit union auto rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/), [used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/) and [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/). We have read other refinance services the same way: [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/), [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/), [Autopay](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/), [OpenRoad Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/) and [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/). Whichever you use, our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#traps) lists the traps to check before you sign. ## Common questions ### Is Gravity Lending a lender or a broker? It arranges loans that partner lenders make. Its 2025 posts call it “a refinance brokerage” and “a broker,” and its Terms say availability “is subject to lender approval.” It also holds a Texas Regulated Lender licence under the name Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC. ### Is Gravity Lending legit? The Texas OCCC lists Gravity Lending as the business name of Wildhorse Financial Services, LLC, licence 162084, now transitioned to NMLS. The CFPB lists 37 complaints against that company through 15 October 2026 and no enforcement action naming it. Whether an offer suits you depends on the lender’s terms and total cost. ### Does Gravity Lending do a hard credit pull? Yes, by its own FAQ: “Gravity Lending will ‘pull your credit’ with a hard pull,” even though the application page is titled “Pre-Qualify.” ### What credit score do you need for Gravity Lending? Gravity prints no minimum. It says it originates “for both prime and subprime,” and a May 2026 post says most lenders want a FICO score of 600. The partner lender decides. ### Does Gravity Lending charge fees? Gravity says it charges no service fee and no documentation fee. Your new loan can include title transfer fees, a state fee, and GAP or a service contract if you add them; Gravity prints no amounts. ### Does Gravity Lending do lease buyouts and cash-out loans? Its Our Process page says you can buy out a lease “at any time during the lease period,” and its contact page mentions “cash-out loans.” Its lease buyout page was empty when we read it and no page gives cash-out terms, so ask for them in writing. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/gravity-lending-review/ --- title: "AAMCO Transmission: Warranty, Diagnostics and Who Owns It" description: "AAMCO’s warranty runs 90 days to 36 months by job, and the franchisee, not AAMCO, gives it. What its pages, franchise filing and owner Icahn say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/aamco-transmission/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # AAMCO Transmission: Warranty, Diagnostics and Who Owns It > AAMCO’s warranty runs 90 days to 36 months by job, and the franchisee, not AAMCO, gives it. What its pages, franchise filing and owner Icahn say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,839 words* ## The short version - AAMCO is a franchise chain: 551 centers in the United States and Canada at the end of 2023, all but 11 run by independent franchisees, says its April 2024 franchise disclosure document. Icahn Enterprises has owned it since October 2, 2017 and kept it when it sold Pep Boys on August 20, 2026. - The franchisee, not AAMCO, gives your warranty: the franchise agreement says warranties “are made by Franchisee to the customer.” Every other center must still honor them. - Warranties run from 90 days to 36 months by job; a rebuilt or remanufactured automatic gets 12 months/12,000 miles or 36 months with 50,000 or 100,000 miles, “whichever occurs first.” Lifetime cover “may be available,” with no printed terms. - A used (“pre-owned”) transmission gets 90 days at the issuing center only, and an electronic part that fails after its 90 days can void the transmission warranty. - A Vehicle Check comes before any transmission repair, but no national page prices it or calls it free; each center sets its own prices. - The store card is a Synchrony Car Care card with deferred interest; new accounts since 7/31/25 carry a 34.99% purchase APR. AAMCO is the transmission and general repair chain that began in Philadelphia, and the center you visit is almost always an independently owned franchise using the AAMCO name, forms and warranty program. That decides who diagnoses the car, who sets the price and who stands behind the work. On 16 October 2026 we read AAMCO’s warranty, Vehicle Check, rebuild, fluid, financing, contact and history pages on aamco.com and its franchise site; the franchise disclosure document (FDD) of AAMCO Transmissions, LLC issued April 30, 2024, from Minnesota’s registry; and Icahn Enterprises’ SEC filings. The site’s terms allow personal, non-commercial use, so we quote only short passages. This site has no commercial relationship with AAMCO or any repair chain. **Figure: What AAMCO's own documents say, by situation** Eight situations an AAMCO customer can meet, each answered from AAMCO's warranty pages, its franchise disclosure document issued April 30, 2024 or Icahn Enterprises' August 20, 2026 8-K. Every number is in data/aamco-transmission.json. Read from aamco.com, the AAMCO Transmissions, LLC franchise disclosure document issued April 30, 2024 (Minnesota registry) and Icahn Enterprises' SEC filings on 16 October 2026. ## Who owns AAMCO Icahn Enterprises L.P., the Nasdaq-listed holding company. The franchisor is AAMCO Transmissions, LLC of Horsham, Pennsylvania, formed “as a Pennsylvania corporation on November 6, 1963,” which makes it 63 years old in 2026 by our arithmetic. Item 1 of the FDD traces the owners: “On March 7, 2006, AAMCO became a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Driveline Systems, Inc.” Then, “On October 2, 2017, Holdco’s then parent company, Transom ADS Holdings LLC, sold all stock and interests in Holdco to Icahn Automotive Service LLC.” After a restructuring that December, an Icahn company became “100% owner of AAMCO,” and AAMCO turned into a limited liability company on December 29, 2017. The audited notes put it simply: “AAMCO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Icahn.” The 2024 FDD still lists Pep Boys as an affiliate. That ended this summer. Icahn’s Form 8-K says that on August 20, 2026 its automotive arm “completed the previously announced sale of Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC,” and that “the Company will retain ... the AAMCO Transmissions and Precision Tune Auto Care businesses in the Company’s Automotive segment.” Icahn’s EDGAR filing list, checked on 16 October 2026, shows only a Form 4 and a Schedule 13D/A since then, dated 2026-09-25, neither about the repair chains. So AAMCO stayed with Icahn beside Precision Tune Auto Care, while Pep Boys joined Mavis, which also owns Midas (see our [Precision Tune](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/#who-owns), [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/#who-owns) and [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) pages). Icahn’s 2025 annual report does not name AAMCO; it counts “727 franchise locations” across its whole Automotive segment without splitting them by brand. ## Franchised or company-owned: who runs your center Almost certainly a local franchisee. The FDD says that at the end of 2023 “there were 551 total AAMCO Centers operating in the United States and Canada, all but 11 of which were franchised,” so 540, or 98%, were franchised by our arithmetic. The other 11 belonged to an affiliate, AAMCO Retail: 3 in Connecticut, 6 in Illinois, 1 in Indiana and 1 in Missouri. **How many AAMCO centers there are, by source (read 16 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | 551 | Centers in the United States and Canada, all but 11 franchised | FDD Item 1 and Table 1, as of December 31, 2023 | | 545 | U.S. centers: 534 franchised, 11 affiliate-owned (plus 6 franchised in Canada) | FDD Table 1, as of December 31, 2023 | | 525 + | “Locations Nationwide” | Franchise site, read 16 October 2026 | | 523 | Center pages in aamco.com’s sitemap, 6 in Canada (our count; a sitemap can list closed centers) | aamco.com, read 16 October 2026 | | 727 | Franchise locations in Icahn’s whole Automotive segment, all brands | Icahn Enterprises 2025 Form 10-K | The network is shrinking slowly: 553 franchised U.S. centers at the start of 2021, 534 at the end of 2023. In 2023, 11 opened while 1 was terminated, 3 were not renewed and 14 ceased operating. Anyone hoping to ask former owners about the chain should note Item 20: “In some instances, current or former franchisees sign provisions restricting their ability to speak ... openly about their experiences with us or the AAMCO network.” By the sitemap, AAMCO is largest in California (59 center pages), Florida (55) and Texas (44). The franchise agreement makes each owner say who they are. Section 12.3 calls the franchisee “an independent contractor and not an agent, employee, partner or joint venturer of AAMCO,” and requires a notice “both inside and outside the Center” that it “is independently owned and operated.” The business on your invoice is the one you contract with. Our [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#who-stands-behind) and [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#who-you-deal-with) pages read those franchise chains the same way. ## What AAMCO does: transmissions first, then “Total Car Care” The name is the founder’s. The history page says Anthony A. Martino opened his first shop in 1957, that “the AAMCO acronym stood for Anthony A. Martino Company,” and that AAMCO “could celebrate its origin on any one of three important dates; 1957, 1962 or 1963.” After decades as a transmission specialist it made, in the mid-2000s, its “entrée back into total car care.” Today the FDD has franchisees sell “transmission repair services, as well as additional automotive maintenance and repair services,” such as oil changes, brakes, heating and cooling, tune-ups, steering and suspension and factory-recommended maintenance. Transmission work comes in several forms. One center page offers either a rebuild by “an AAMCO master builder” on site or “a premier replacement transmission from our state-of-the-art AAMCO remanufacturing facility.” AAMCO also sells a “Pre-Owned Transmission” (a used unit) and services manual gearboxes and CVTs. Our [guide to the four repair routes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/transmission-repair-cost/#four-routes) explains what each renews; this page covers what AAMCO promises on each. Fluid service is sold as maintenance. AAMCO’s Power Purge is a machine exchange it says replaces “virtually all of the old transmission fluid - including the torque converter and cooler,” adding that “Other basic transmission fluid changes can leave about 30% of old fluid in the torque converter and cooler.” The Plus version also changes the filter, though “The cost of the filter and gasket is extra,” and the service is “Not available for vehicles with internal transmission problems.” Our page on [drain-and-fill versus flush](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-transmission-fluid/#drain-vs-flush) weighs the methods. ## The Vehicle Check: how AAMCO says it diagnoses AAMCO’s central promise is about diagnosis: “we will perform our exclusive Vehicle Check service on every car before we do any transmission repair,” and “Many times, we’ll discover your transmission only requires a minor repair.” As the page describes it, the check has five parts: - **Fluids:** the transmission fluid’s level and condition, plus transfer case and differential fluid “where applicable.” - **A road test** of fourteen listed items, from engagements and each drive range through shift timing and quality, passing gear, torque converter clutch engagement, noises, vibrations, 4x4 performance and park-hold. - **A lift inspection** of thirteen items “external to the transmission,” such as linkage, vacuum and wiring connections, engine idle, mounts, axles, CV joints and leaks. - **A code scan:** “Scan the computer for trouble codes.” - **Computer diagnostics if needed:** a scanner to find codes “and to determine the probable cause,” then checks of electronic components, “the solenoids and sensors” and the transmission wiring. That is 27 road-test and under-car items by our count. The page then adds: “Even if an initial check doesn’t diagnose your problem, we still won’t recommend a transmission service until we know EXACTLY what is causing your problem.” It does not say what that next step involves, whether the transmission comes out, or what it costs. No national page we read prices the Vehicle Check or calls it free, although people search for an AAMCO free diagnostic; prices are each center’s decision. Ask before the car goes on the lift what the check and any computer diagnostics cost, and whether further diagnosis means removing the transmission. Centers must use “AAMCO diagnostic forms,” so ask for a copy of the completed one with your estimate. If a warning light brought you in, our pages on the [check engine light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/), [signs of a failing transmission](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-transmission/) and [torque converter faults](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-torque-converter/#vs-transmission) help you describe the symptoms. ## Prices, estimates and your authorization AAMCO prints no national price for any job and publishes nothing about estimates, teardown charges or how you approve work. Item 16 of the FDD explains the prices: unless the Operator’s Manual says otherwise, each franchisee is “free to offer the Center’s products and services to your customers at any prices you wish.” Coupons are local too: “Coupons and Offers vary, depending on location.” AAMCO’s repair-or-buy page says only that major engine or transmission repairs “are often in the few thousand dollar range,” a sales argument rather than a quote; our [transmission repair cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/transmission-repair-cost/) explains why no honest national figure exists. The paperwork is standard. Each center must use “AAMCO diagnostic forms, AAMCO warranty cards, AAMCO reporting forms and consecutively numbered AAMCO repair orders.” Whatever you approve should be on a numbered AAMCO repair order, and your warranty on an AAMCO card. Estimate rules come from your state. Florida, with 55 AAMCO center pages, has a detailed law, which we read for our [Tire Kingdom page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-kingdom/#florida-law) on 9 October 2026. A shop must give a written estimate when work will exceed $150, “including diagnostic work, before effecting any diagnostic work or repair,” and may not charge more than the estimate “plus $10 or 10 percent, whichever is greater, but not to exceed $50,” without your authorization. The invoice must identify “any replacement part as being used, rebuilt, or reconditioned” and state the guarantee’s “time and mileage period.” Removed parts can be inspected, or returned “if the shop has no warranty arrangement or exchange parts program”; AAMCO’s pre-owned page talks of a transmission being “exchanged,” so ask first whether you may see or keep the old unit. Other states differ. Wherever you are, ask for an estimate that separates the diagnosis or teardown cost, the route proposed (repair, rebuild, remanufactured or pre-owned unit) and the warranty tier for each option. As the next section shows, the route sets the warranty. ## AAMCO’s warranties, tier by tier The warranty page promises “When you become an AAMCO customer, you’re entitled to a warranty that matches the quality of the service that you receive,” then lists seven tiers, each with its own page on [aamco.com](https://www.aamco.com/Warranties/AAMCO-Warranties). The job decides the tier: “The term of months and miles of your AAMCO Automatic Transmission Warranty will vary depending on the specific Transmission Service you choose.” **AAMCO’s warranty tiers as its pages print them (read 16 October 2026)** | Tier | What it covers | How long | Where, and can it pass to a buyer? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Minor transmission services | The serviced component on the invoice, against defective workmanship or materials | 90 days | Not stated; not transferable | | Electronic components | Only the electronic component the center serviced | 90 days | Not stated; not transferable | | Manual transmissions | The manual transmission, parts and labor | “a full 90 days,” any mileage | Not stated; not transferable | | Pre-owned (used) transmissions | The exchanged unit | 90 days | “at the AAMCO center issuing the warranty”; transfer not stated | | Total Car Care services | Specific assemblies, parts and labor | 12 months or 12,000 miles (20,000 km), whichever first | Not stated; not transferable | | Rebuilt or remanufactured automatics | “your transmission and torque converter” | 12 months/12,000 miles, or 36 months with 50,000 or 100,000 miles, as on your invoice, whichever first | Not stated on these pages | | Lifetime coverage for automatics | Not described | “may be available” | “See your local AAMCO Dealer for details” | For a rebuilt or remanufactured automatic the key sentence is: “your transmission and torque converter are covered for the term of months or miles described on your invoice, whichever occurs first.” The invoice decides whether you have 12 months, 36 months with 50,000 miles or 36 months with 100,000, and the 36-month page adds “You may be able to opt for additional coverage.” “Whichever occurs first” means each tier ends at its earlier limit. Take a car driven 20,000 miles a year, a figure we picked only to illustrate. By our arithmetic a 12/12 warranty ends at month 7.2, a 36-month, 50,000-mile warranty at month 30, and a 36-month, 100,000-mile warranty runs the full 36 months, by which time the car has covered 60,000 miles. No car gets the months of one limit and the miles of the other. **Get the tier written on the invoice before you approve the job.** The warranty is “described on your invoice,” and the route sets it: a used transmission gets 90 days at one center, a rebuilt or remanufactured unit 12 or 36 months. Ask which tier comes with each option, whether a longer one costs extra, and what lifetime coverage would cost and cover, since no page prints its terms. Other chains print their end points differently: **How repair chains print warranty end points (AAMCO read 16 October 2026; the others copied from our pages read 9 and 10 October 2026)** | Chain | Printed term | Which limit ends it | | --- | --- | --- | | AAMCO (rebuilt or remanufactured automatic) | “the term of months or miles described on your invoice, whichever occurs first” | The first | | Meineke (other parts and services) | “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first” | The first | | Christian Brothers Automotive | “3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever limit occurs last” | The last | | Precision Tune Auto Care | “National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile warranty, which is valid at most of our centers” | Not stated | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the gear selector, the electronic drive-mode buttons and the selector’s base, each with one fact from AAMCO’s warranty pages. AAMCO’s warranty pages, read on 16 October 2026: Rebuilt or remanufactured automatic: transmission and torque converter, to invoice limits (callout 1); Electronic parts get 90 days; a later failure can void the transmission warranty (callout 2); A pre-owned transmission swap gets 90 days of cover, only at the AAMCO center issuing it (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What voids or limits an AAMCO warranty Every tier page repeats the same exclusions: “failure caused by customer abuse, accident or alterations, or reimbursement of consequential damages are some of the circumstances that are not covered by the warranty. Your AAMCO Warranty is null and void if the covered vehicle is converted from a passenger vehicle to a commercial vehicle.” Each page also tells you to read your AAMCO warranty “so you fully understand all of your rights and any other restrictions that apply,” so the card, not the website, is the full contract. Three more limits stand out. - **Electronic parts can end the transmission warranty.** A center “stands behind only the electronic component it services, and covers that component for a 90-day period.” After that, “If the repaired component fails or leads to damage to the transmission after the warranty period has ended, the transmission warranty or extended coverage is null and void.” Read literally, a sensor or solenoid the center replaced can take a 36-month transmission warranty down with it. - **Used units are local.** A pre-owned transmission’s cover “is available for 90 days at the AAMCO center issuing the warranty.” - **Most tiers stay with you, not the car.** The Total Car Care, electronic, manual and minor-service pages each say the warranty “is not transferable.” The automatic pages do not say either way, so a buyer of your car should not count on it. Federal warranty law adds three questions; the texts were read on govinfo for our Precision Tune page and re-checked for this one. First, under the FTC’s pre-sale rule, [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), for consumer products costing more than $15.00 “the seller of a consumer product with a written warranty shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” Whether that reaches a repair is a question for a lawyer, but asking for the card before you pay costs nothing. Second, the FTC’s advertising guide, [16 CFR 239.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec239-4.xml), says an ad using “lifetime” should disclose “the life to which the representation refers”; AAMCO’s rebuild page says “up to the life of your car,” so ask what that means on paper. Third, a carmaker cannot insist on its own dealers for maintenance it does not pay for: 15 U.S.C. 2302(c) bars conditioning a warranty on a branded service unless it is free, and 16 CFR 700.10(c) bars requiring “the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” Keep the invoices as proof. ## Who stands behind the warranty, and where it is honored Here AAMCO’s marketing and its contracts read differently. The site says “Every AAMCO center is ready, willing and able to honor your warranty... with no problems or delays.” The franchise agreement says who makes the promise. Under section 14.3 the franchisee may give no warranties beyond “the printed forms of warranty issued or approved by AAMCO,” and “such warranties and guarantees are made by Franchisee to the customer and that there are no warranties expressed or implied made by AAMCO to the customer.” The site’s own policy adds that AAMCO “does not endorse, warrant or guarantee any product or any service offered by or through this Web Site.” Your warranty is a promise from the center that did the work, on an AAMCO form. A reciprocity system makes it travel. Section 14.1 requires every franchisee “to honor each warranty presented by an AAMCO customer in accordance with its terms, regardless of whether the service was rendered at the Center or at some other authorized AAMCO center,” including work by “previous AAMCO franchisees at the Center.” Under section 14.2 the original center pays the repairing one for parts “plus a sum of money based on either an hourly rate for labor or a flat fee,” at a rate AAMCO sets. The fleet page says the warranties “are honored at AAMCO locations across the United States and Canada.” The exception is the pre-owned unit, covered only at the issuing center. If your center closes, there is a backstop. Each franchisee pays a $5,000 “Security Deposit,” and after a franchise ends AAMCO keeps it “for up to 3 years” for “customer warranty work that we or any AAMCO Center incurs arising from prior work performed by your AAMCO Center.” The FDD does not say how claims are paid once a deposit runs out. If a repair fails away from home, take the invoice and warranty card to the nearest center. The contact page offers a warranty form for anyone “Unsure about your vehicle’s warranty status or other records” and a feedback form; we did not open either. AAMCO also holds levers over its franchisees: each must “deal fairly and honestly with AAMCO and with each customer” and handle complaints “whether they arise from the Center or from any other AAMCO center,” and AAMCO may end a franchise at once if the owner “otherwise fails to deal honestly and fairly with AAMCO or with any customer of the Center.” AAMCO prints no step-by-step claim procedure; our [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#claims) page shows a chain that does. ## The AAMCO credit card The only financing the site advertises is the AAMCO Synchrony Car Care card, subject to credit approval. Its standing features, as printed on 16 October 2026: “6 months promotional financing on purchases of $199+” and “12 months promotional financing on purchases of $750+,” each “available at participating AAMCO locations”; account terms of “New Accounts as of 7/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2,” the same line Meineke printed for its card when we read it on 9 October 2026; and acceptance at “over 500,000 auto parts and service businesses.” The same page runs a dated rebate offer, which we do not record because promotions change. The promotions are deferred interest: “No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date.” The page warns that “The required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off the promo balance before the end of the promo period.” Divide the bill by the promo months and pay at least that each month. See our [Meineke page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#coupons-rewards-financing) for how the same card works at another chain. ## What regulators and courts have recorded Most of AAMCO’s public legal history comes from Item 3 of its own FDD. We state each item as the FDD does, as of April 30, 2024. **A pending consumer case.** In *Chambers v. Montileone Industries, Inc. and AAMCO Transmissions, Inc.* (Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri, Case No. 16SL-CC03885), the plaintiff, individually and for a purported class, added AAMCO on October 15, 2019 to a suit first filed against a former franchisee. The FDD says the “Plaintiff alleges that defendants, now including AAMCO, misrepresented auto repair services performed on customer vehicles at the former franchisee’s center by replacing original transmissions with salvaged transmissions.” A motion for class certification filed October 27, 2023 was one “that AAMCO opposed,” and AAMCO expected trial in 2024 “as solely related to the Plaintiff.” These are allegations, not findings. We could not check what happened next: Missouri’s courts post a notice that scraping any Missouri judicial website, including Case.net, “is expressly prohibited,” so we did not read the docket. It is a reason to make sure your invoice says whether a unit is used, rebuilt or reconditioned. **Older orders and judgments the FDD lists.** - **New York, 1967:** a final judgment “entered by consent” that “governs the advertising, servicing and repair of transmissions by AAMCO in the State of New York and requires AAMCO to maintain a compliance program; no findings were entered.” - **Minnesota, 1967:** a “permanent order entered by consent without findings” on advertising, servicing and repair that “requires AAMCO to maintain a compliance program for its franchisees.” - **Illinois, 1979:** a “finding by stipulation that AAMCO failed to provide a prospective franchisee with a copy of the required disclosure statement within the required time,” a consent judgment and a $2,000 civil penalty. - **California, 1981:** a final judgment in an agreed case, entered December 14, 1981, “concerning advertising procedures in the State of California.” - **Fourteen states, 1987:** AAMCO “agreed to undertake a defined standard for monitoring its franchisees in those states through categorizing and tabulating complaints received from customers of franchisees.” Judgments were entered on February 18, 1987; “No findings of any violations of law were entered.” **Franchise-law matters.** AAMCO entered consent orders with Washington’s securities regulator in October 2012 and Virginia’s Corporation Commission on June 11, 2013 over omissions from its franchise disclosure documents, both “Without admitting fault or the Securities Division’s conclusions”; in Virginia it agreed “to pay $10,000 in monetary penalties.” In a 2019 release, read for our Meineke page, Washington’s Attorney General said that “in order to avoid a lawsuit” AAMCO and four other chains “signed legally binding commitments to stop adding no-poach clauses to franchise contracts.” Item 3 also lists franchisee disputes, including a 2017 group settlement that “did not include admission of liability by AAMCO” and 8 actions AAMCO started on or after January 1, 2023 to collect money or enforce non-competes. None concerns a repair. **The registry.** AAMCO’s Minnesota file (number 8318) holds nothing received after 04/30/2024; on 11/26/2024 Minnesota withdrew that renewal application because “there has been no activity with respect to the above-captioned application for registration” for 120 days. The order makes no finding about AAMCO, but the 2024 document is the newest we could read. **What we did not find.** Searches on 16 October 2026 found no FTC record naming AAMCO and no state attorney general action after April 2024. Law-firm pages describe a 2025 data incident at AAMCO’s parent, but we found no official notice, including on California’s breach list, so we say nothing more. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, and we used no review sites or news reports about single centers. ## Where AAMCO’s own documents disagree We recorded 10 places where AAMCO’s pages and filings disagree or leave a gap. Those that matter to a customer: - **Lifetime coverage:** “may be available” on the warranty page, “up to the life of your car” on the rebuild page and “our available iron-clad lifetime warranty” on the expert page; no page prints its terms. - **Where a warranty is honored:** “Every AAMCO center is ready, willing and able to honor your warranty,” yet pre-owned cover is “at the AAMCO center issuing the warranty,” on a page that opens with the general sentence about “the term of months or miles described on your invoice.” - **Who gives the warranty:** the site sells “AAMCO Warranties”; the franchise agreement says they “are made by Franchisee to the customer.” - **How tiers interact:** a 36-month automatic warranty can be voided by an electronic part failing after its own 90 days. - **Size, age and name:** 551 centers in the FDD, “525 +” on the franchise site and 523 sitemap pages; “over 60 years,” “Since 1957” and three possible founding years; a footer that still says “AAMCO Transmissions Inc.” though the company became an LLC in 2017. For franchise buyers, the franchise site’s $45,000 fee and $276,600 to $407,200 investment exceed the 2024 FDD’s $39,500 and $236,800 to $361,200, which suggests a newer FDD we could not find. None of this changes what your center writes on the invoice and warranty card, which is why those are the documents to check. - **Ask what the Vehicle Check costs at this center**, and whether further diagnosis means removing the transmission. - **Get a written, itemized estimate** that names the route: repair, rebuild, remanufactured or pre-owned unit. - **Ask which warranty tier comes with each option** and get it on the invoice; each ends at whichever limit comes first. - **Ask to see the warranty card before you pay**, including any lifetime terms and whether it transfers if you sell. - **Treat electronic repairs separately**: 90 days, and a later failure can void the transmission warranty. - **Keep the invoice and card**; other AAMCO centers must honor most warranties, and you will need both. - **Clear a card promotion within its 6 or 12 months**, or interest runs from the purchase date. Our [Ziebart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ziebart/) page reads another franchised car-care chain’s terms the same way. ## Common questions ### Who owns AAMCO? Icahn Enterprises L.P., through Icahn Automotive, since October 2, 2017. The franchisor is AAMCO Transmissions, LLC of Horsham, Pennsylvania. When Icahn sold Pep Boys to Mavis on August 20, 2026, its 8-K said it would keep the AAMCO business. ### Are AAMCO centers franchises? Nearly all. At the end of 2023 the FDD counted 551 centers in the United States and Canada, all but 11 franchised. Each center must post a notice that it is independently owned and operated, and the franchisee makes your warranty. ### What is AAMCO’s transmission warranty? It depends on the job. A rebuilt or remanufactured automatic is covered for the months or miles on your invoice, whichever occurs first: 12 months or 12,000 miles, or 36 months with 50,000 or 100,000 miles. Manual transmissions, pre-owned units, electronic parts and minor services get 90 days. Lifetime coverage “may be available,” with no printed terms. ### Is an AAMCO warranty good at any AAMCO? For most tiers, yes. Every franchisee must honor warranties “regardless of whether the service was rendered at the Center or at some other authorized AAMCO center,” and the original center pays the one that repairs it. A pre-owned transmission is the exception: 90 days, only at the issuing center. ### Is the AAMCO diagnostic check free? AAMCO’s national pages do not say. They describe a Vehicle Check done before any transmission repair but give no price, and each center sets its own prices. Ask before the check starts. ### How much does an AAMCO transmission rebuild cost? AAMCO publishes no price; franchisees may charge “any prices you wish.” Get a written estimate that names the route and the warranty tier; our [transmission repair cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/transmission-repair-cost/) explains what drives the bill. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/aamco-transmission/ --- title: "Byrider Review: CNAC Loans, Warranty Terms and the Public Record" description: "Byrider stores are franchises, and your loan goes to CNAC. What its pages print on approval, payments and warranty, plus a 2020 Massachusetts judgment." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/byrider-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Byrider Review: CNAC Loans, Warranty Terms and the Public Record > Byrider stores are franchises, and your loan goes to CNAC. What its pages print on approval, payments and warranty, plus a 2020 Massachusetts judgment. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,788 words* ## The short version - Byrider, founded as J.D. Byrider in 1989, is a buy here pay here chain run as a franchise: its footer says “Each Byrider dealership is independently owned and operated.” Its franchise site says six franchisees bought the brand in 2024. - The store sells you the car; then, in CNAC’s words, “the contract is promptly transferred to CNAC,” which takes your payments. CNAC is a trade name of Byrider Finance, LLC, whose SEC filings show CNAC loans backing notes sold to investors. - Byrider and CNAC print no standing rate range, payment fee, late fee or grace period on the pages we read. CNAC says your APR depends on your state, the car, the contract’s length and your creditworthiness, so your own contract is the only place to find it. - Every car comes with “a limited warranty or optional service agreement,” but no page we read gives its length, and a disclaimer page says “At participating dealers.” - In 2020 a Massachusetts court entered a consent judgment against a Byrider franchisee: $1.5 million and debt relief for repossessed buyers, after the court granted the Attorney General summary judgment. We found no CFPB enforcement action. - The CFPB database holds 1,596 complaints filed under “Byrider Franchising, LLC,” 330 of them in 2025, up from 175 in 2024. Byrider is a real buy here pay here dealer network, and what it prints about its loans is spread across three websites and a few public records. On 16 October 2026 we read byrider.com’s financing, payment, credit-reporting, warranty, inspection and policy pages and its application disclosures; CNAC’s site; the franchise site’s history and fees; Byrider Finance, LLC’s filings on SEC EDGAR; Indiana’s licence records; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s 2020 release; and the CFPB’s enforcement list and complaint database. We started no application and entered no details. This site has no commercial relationship with Byrider, CNAC or any lender. **Figure: What Byrider’s pages say, and what its disclosures and records add** Byrider’s own claims set beside its application disclosures, CNAC’s pages, its SEC securitization filings and its sitemap: in-house financing against a contract transferred to CNAC and 9,030 loans pooled in a 2023 trust; a warranty with every car against “At participating dealers”; $0 down with an unprinted footnote; more than 150 locations against 98 dealership pages; credit reporting; and six ways to pay with no rate range, fee, late fee or grace period printed. Read from byrider.com, cnac.com, byriderfranchise.com and SEC EDGAR on 16 October 2026. No application was submitted and no rate is quoted. ## Who Byrider is, who owns it, and why your store matters Byrider’s [About Us page](https://www.byrider.com/why-byrider/about-us) traces it to a car dealer who “began financing customers at his own car lot” in 1979, taught other dealers “how to do on-site financing in 1986 and founded J.D. Byrider a few years later in 1989.” It relaunched in 2019 and, a 2020 release says, “recently rebranded and changed its name to Byrider.” The model is the same: the store sells the car and arranges the credit. Our [buy here pay here guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/) explains that model in general; this page is about one company. The owner has changed twice in fifteen years. The franchise site’s timeline lists Altamont Capital Partners acquiring Byrider in 2011, “$1 billion in outstanding retail installment contracts” in 2012 and the “1 millionth vehicle sold” in 2013. Then: “In 2024, Byrider entered a new chapter when a group of six long-tenured franchisees acquired the brand,” and “Today, Byrider is owned and governed by franchisees.” The legal entity changed with it. Byrider.com’s privacy policy, revised August 2026, speaks for “Byrider Franchising Partners, LLC and its independent franchises doing business as Byrider and CNAC.” CNAC’s own policy, last revised 26 May 2023, still names Byrider Sales of Indiana S, LLC, Byrider Finance, LLC and “franchisees of Byrider Franchising, LLC.” The franchise point is the one to hold on to. Every page footer says “Each Byrider dealership is independently owned and operated,” and the warranty disclaimer adds “Programs, pricing, and services may vary.” Stores change hands too: a July 2025 post announced five Wisconsin locations passing to new owners. You sign with the local franchisee, so the terms that matter are on your own contract. The store count is harder to pin down than it should be. The About Us page says Byrider “has sold more than 1.2 million cars at more than 150 locations across the country.” A November 2020 release says “more than 1.33 million cars at more than 140 locations,” and the franchise timeline says Byrider was “in 30 states” in 2023. On 16 October 2026 byrider.com’s own dealership sitemap listed 98 dealership pages in 25 states, by our count. A sitemap can lag openings and closings, but it is the company’s own current list, and it is well short of 150. **Byrider dealership pages by state in byrider.com’s locations sitemap, our count on 16 October 2026** | State | Pages | State | Pages | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ohio | 12 | North Carolina | 3 | | Indiana | 11 | South Carolina | 3 | | Wisconsin | 7 | Alabama | 2 | | Kentucky | 6 | Arizona | 2 | | Texas | 6 | Idaho | 2 | | Florida | 5 | Mississippi | 2 | | Illinois | 5 | Tennessee | 2 | | Michigan | 5 | Colorado | 1 | | Missouri | 5 | Connecticut | 1 | | Iowa | 4 | Georgia | 1 | | Pennsylvania | 4 | Massachusetts | 1 | | West Virginia | 4 | Virginia | 1 | | Arkansas | 3 | **Total** | **98** | Byrider’s [franchise FAQ](https://byriderfranchise.com/faqs/) shows how the system is paid: “The initial franchise fee is $60,000 for the first location and $35,000 for each additional location,” and “royalty fees are 2.5% of gross vehicle sales and 1% of collections.” By our arithmetic that is $25 for every $1,000 of car sales and $10 for every $1,000 a store collects from buyers. The franchise disclosure document is sent only on request, so we have not read it. ## How approval and the down payment work, in Byrider’s words The home page offers to “Get Pre-Approved In Under 3 Minutes!” What happens behind that button is described in pieces. Byrider says it looks past the score: “You can trust that we won’t make a decision on credit score alone,” and its buy here pay here FAQ says “there is no specific minimum credit score needed to qualify for financing from us.” Instead, “Our approval process depends on your budget and what you can afford after you pay your other living expenses,” and staff “look at your income, your monthly budget, and more.” It also says plainly: “While financing isn’t guaranteed, you can be sure we will do our best to make it happen.” Past problems are not a bar. The financing page offers credit “to people who have a history of repossession or other serious credit issues.” An open bankruptcy is different: the [application disclosures](https://www.byrider.com/application-disclosures) have you certify “that you are not currently in any bankruptcy proceedings or other legal proceedings that would adversely affect your ability to repay the credit requested.” If your score is the worry, our page on [the credit score behind a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) explains which numbers lenders pull. Read those disclosures before you click. They let the dealer and CNAC investigate your “credit, income, and employment history,” get information from your “references, employers, creditors, and landlords,” and “obtain consumer reports about you from credit reporting agencies.” The dealer “may submit your application to the finance company conducting business as CNAC for consideration and to other potential creditors.” The pages we read do not say whether the first check is a soft or a hard inquiry, so ask before you apply. Giving a phone number also consents to calls and texts “using an automatic telephone dialing system” about the account. Bring a driver’s license, a recent pay stub, a utility bill as proof of residence, an “Initial payment,” references’ contact details and any trade title. On the down payment, Byrider’s pages pull two ways. One page says “down payments can be as low as $0 †,” and the financing page offers same-day approvals “with no money† down!” but neither page prints anything the dagger points to; the only footnote on them is a sitewide promotion note marked with an asterisk. The older FAQ says “The down payment depends on the vehicle,” and an October 2026 blog post says only that “some buyers can qualify for financing with as little as $0 down.” One more clue sits in an SEC filing covered below: the accountants checking a 2023 pool of CNAC loans “Inspected the deferred down payment receivable listing.” A deferred down payment is part of the down payment paid after you drive away. If a store offers one, get its amount and due dates on the contract. Byrider also says “We can also customize your payment schedule around your paydays,” and refers to “bi-weekly payments”; whatever the schedule, the contract should state the number of payments and the total. ## Who holds your loan: CNAC, and the trusts behind it Byrider’s marketing says the dealer is the lender. The [financing page](https://www.byrider.com/financing-and-credit) says “no outside institutions can tell us who we can and can’t lend to” and that “Byrider doesn’t rely on outside banks,” and a May 2026 release says “Instead of sending customers to outside lenders, our dealerships provide financing directly through the business.” The finance company’s own site describes a second step. CNAC’s [“What to bring” page](https://cnac.com/whatwebring/) says: “After a customer signs a credit contract to purchase their vehicle from Byrider, the contract is promptly transferred to CNAC so that it can accept the customer’s payments and service the contract.” So who is CNAC? Indiana’s Department of Financial Institutions lists the trade names CARNOW Acceptance Company and CNAC under Byrider Finance, LLC. That company held an Indiana consumer loan licence from 14 January 1982 until it was surrendered on 1 March 2023, 41 years by our arithmetic, and has held a “Non-Lender (General Finance)” licence since 6 March 2023. CNAC’s 2023 privacy policy also has franchisees “doing business as Byrider and CarNow Acceptance Company,” so the CNAC on your paperwork may be your franchisee’s own finance company using the shared name. The franchise FAQ adds that Byrider gives owners “centralized underwriting through CNAC,” and CNAC says “we only work with Byrider dealerships.” The licence name on your contract tells you which company you owe. Where the loan goes next is in the SEC record. Byrider Finance, LLC has filed 23 Form ABS-15G reports as a securitizer since 2012. An [accountants’ report filed 8 September 2023](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1651996/000089457923000244/cnart23-1_ex991.htm) concerns “automobile finance receivables-backed notes issued by CarNow Auto Receivables Trust 2023-2,” built from a loan file “containing 9030 individual customer loans.” Among its checks: that “the lien holder on the vehicle title is CarNow Acceptance corp., CNAC Byrider Finance or related affiliates,” and “the presence of the agreement to provide insurance.” Byrider Finance’s latest [annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1555601/000094562126000385/byriderabs15g02252026.htm), for 2025, says “The securitizer has no activity to report”; the form reports “demands for repurchase or replacement of pool assets” over breached representations, and there were none. None of this changes what you owe or to whom you pay. It does mean the “in-house” loan can end up in a trust funded by investors who buy its notes, with CNAC still collecting. Keep the contract, note the lienholder on your title, and keep every payment receipt. ## No published rate, and how simple interest works Byrider publishes no standing rate range, no average rate and no table of terms. On the byrider.com and cnac.com pages we read on 16 October 2026 there is also no fee for any way of paying, no late fee and no grace period. CNAC’s FAQ says only that “Your APR depends on the state in which you reside, the vehicle you are purchasing, the length of your contract and your creditworthiness.” The Byrider Finance SEC filings we read are securitization reports and print no rate ranges either. The rate, the payment and the total for your car appear in one place: the Truth in Lending box on your own contract. **Read your own Truth in Lending box.** Before you sign, write down the APR, the finance charge, the number and timing of payments, the total of payments and the cash price from your contract, and get the late fee and grace period in writing. Then compare it with a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from a bank or [credit union](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/), even if you expect a no. CNAC’s contracts use simple interest. Its FAQ: “interest will continue to accrue daily on the unpaid balance of your contract until you pay it in full. Accordingly, the amount of finance charge will vary more or less depending on when payments are made and when the account is finally paid in full.” Paying early lowers the interest; paying late adds days of interest, even before any late fee. CNAC also notes that “the longer the term, the lower your payment will be, but you will be paying more interest.” Our guide to [how used-car rates are set](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/) covers the rest. ## Paying CNAC: six ways, no fee table, and the credit bureaus Byrider’s [“6 Ways to Pay” page](https://www.byrider.com/why-byrider/multiple-payment-options) lists text, phone, the website, MoneyGram, Western Union and automatic withdrawal, with a footnote: “Payment options vary per location. Please refer to your CNAC representative.” CNAC’s FAQ lists “check, MoneyGram, online and electronic payments (ACH), cash or payment card,” and both sites point to the MyByrider app for paying a CNAC account. Neither site prints a fee for any of them, though other chains do: our [America’s Car-Mart review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/americas-car-mart-review/) found fees on some methods and none on others. Ask which methods are free at your store, because a small fee on every bi-weekly payment adds up. Two CNAC promises are worth knowing. If CNAC makes a processing mistake and your bank charges you an overdraft fee, “we will refund those overdraft charges to you,” once you supply the documents it asks for, though “No refunds will be due to you if the payment made is one you authorized.” And when you pay off the loan: “Payoff address may differ – please verify before sending in payoff checks.” Get the payoff figure and address in writing first. On credit reporting, Byrider says “We report all of your payments to the three major credit bureaus,” and CNAC says the same. That matters, as our guide on [whether these loans reach your credit file](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#credit) explains. The pages differ on what to expect, though: on-time payments “can only reflect positively on your credit!” says one; “financing a vehicle does not guarantee a particular change to your credit score,” says an October 2026 post. The application adds: “Late payments, missed payments, or other defaults on your account may be reflected in your credit report.” Pull your own reports a few months in and check that the account is there. ## The warranty or service agreement, and the inspection Byrider sets itself against “as-is” lots. Its Why Byrider page warns that many buy here pay here dealers “will sell you an ‘as-is’ used vehicle, and once you drive off the lot, your relationship with that dealership is over,” and its About Us page says “we don’t do ‘as-is’ transactions.” Instead, the Service & Repair page promises: “We include a warranty or optional service agreement with each and every vehicle we sell.” What that coverage is, the pages do not say. No byrider.com page we read prints a warranty length, a mileage limit, a deductible or a list of covered parts. Three other lines narrow the promise: - The warranty disclaimer page: “Limited warranty. At participating dealers. Programs, pricing, and services may vary. See dealer for details.” - The My Byrider page: “every vehicle purchase comes with a competitively priced limited warranty or optional service agreement.” A priced agreement is something you pay for, so ask whether it is in the car’s price or added to the amount financed. - One Northeast Ohio store’s vehicle listing: “Every vehicle comes with up to a 3-Year / 36,000-Mile Service Agreement, plus $20 oil changes.” “Up to” means some cars get less. The same listing showed no price and added: “The dealer does not guarantee all factory options listed are operational.” Service is tied to the store. The warranty page says that if you have problems “you can take it to the dealership where you bought it to receive exclusive service,” and Byrider says “Many of our locations offer oil changes for less than $20” for its customers. Ask what the agreement pays if the car breaks down far from that store, or if the store changes hands or closes. The Massachusetts complaint covered below alleged service contracts that “stipulated they could only get their cars repaired by JD Byrider.” Our guide to [whether an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/) explains what to look for in the contract. On inspection, Byrider says “We only sell clean titled cars that go through a rigorous 83-point inspection before they hit the lot.” Its inspection page describes a computer diagnostic test and a “20-minute test drive,” and its reconditioning page lists seven areas it “may repair or replace,” from the A/C and heater to brakes and the ignition system. None of the pages we read mentions recalls. Check the VIN for [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/#how), read the window [Buyers Guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#buyers-guide), and get an independent [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) if the store allows one. We found no return or exchange policy on any Byrider page, so assume there is none unless your store puts one in writing. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the calculator, the folder of documents and the papers beside it, each with one fact from CNAC’s and Byrider’s own pages. CNAC’s and Byrider’s own pages, read on 16 October 2026: CNAC says interest “will continue to accrue daily on the unpaid balance” of the contract (callout 1); After signing, the contract “is promptly transferred to CNAC”, which takes the payments (callout 2); No late fee, GPS or repossession policy is printed on the Byrider pages we read (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Late payments, GPS devices and repossession: what is and is not printed This is the thinnest part of Byrider’s published record. No byrider.com or cnac.com page we read prints a late fee, a grace period, a repossession policy, or anything about GPS trackers or devices that can stop a car from starting. Many buy here pay here cars carry such devices; our guide explains [how starter interrupts and GPS trackers work](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#devices) and what to ask before one is fitted. At Byrider, the contract is the only place the answer will be, so ask to see that clause before you sign. What is printed is about contact and credit. CNAC says “CNAC collection calls may be placed Monday-Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time,” and late or missed payments “may be reflected in your credit report.” Byrider’s e-signing consent lists “extension and modification agreements” among its records, so extensions exist; if you fall behind, ask early and get the new schedule and total in writing. The CFPB complaints filed under Byrider’s name show where trouble tends to land. Of 611 vehicle-loan complaints, 124 carry the issue “Repossession,” 62 the sub-issue “Loan balance remaining after the vehicle is repossessed and sold,” and 43 “Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle.” Those are consumers’ unverified accounts, but the middle one is a common surprise: losing the car does not end the debt. Our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale) explains the sale and the balance that can follow, and our page on [late fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#late-fees) covers what states allow. ## The Massachusetts case: alleged, decided, then settled The most serious public record we found concerns one franchisee. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s [release of 9 March 2020](https://www.mass.gov/news/jd-byrider-to-pay-15-million-and-cancel-debts-of-thousands-of-consumers-who-received-predatory-car-loans) explains that “The AG’s lawsuit was filed against the local Massachusetts franchise Venturcap Investment Group,” which ran JD Byrider stores in Brockton, Dartmouth, Springfield and formerly Dorchester. It describes the case in three stages, and they are worth keeping apart. **Alleged (September 2017).** The complaint “alleged that JD Byrider sold its cars at more than twice their actual value, forced consumers into loans with high interest rates without regard for the consumers’ credit qualifications, and sold consumers expensive extended service contracts that stipulated they could only get their cars repaired by JD Byrider.” Those were allegations. **Decided (January 2020).** The release says the consent judgment “follows a court decision awarding summary judgment in favor of the AG’s Office in January 2020. The court determined that JD Byrider issued loans to vulnerable consumers that the dealership knew or should have known the consumers could not afford.” That is a court finding as the Attorney General describes it; we could not find the decision itself. **Settled (March 2020).** “In a consent judgment entered last week in Suffolk Superior Court,” the franchisee agreed to resolve the whole lawsuit. The release lists the terms: - “Pay $1.5 million, of which half will be used to reduce ongoing payments for consumers with active loans who purchased their cars prior to 2018,” $750,000 by our arithmetic. - “Provide eligible consumers whose cars were repossessed the option to cancel outstanding debts and repair their credit from the repossession.” - “Change its business practices to provide fair disclosures and enhanced repair services, including by posting prices on its cars and providing rental cars in certain repair circumstances.” - “Develop a structured response process for consumer complaints received by the AG’s Office.” Relief covered buyers at those four stores “between 2013 and 2017.” The release calls JD Byrider “a franchise of Byrider Franchising LLC”; the case was against the franchisee, not the franchisor. It still shows what the franchise model means: practices depend on the owner of your store. **No federal action found.** Title searches of the [CFPB’s enforcement actions](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/) on 16 October 2026 for “byrider,” “cnac” and “carnow” each returned “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” We found no other state action we could confirm from an official release, complaint or judgment. A search is not a clearance. ## What the CFPB complaint database shows The [CFPB complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) files Byrider under a single name, “Byrider Franchising, LLC.” Searches for “cnac,” “carnow,” “car now acceptance” and “jd byrider” returned none, so complaints about CNAC loans sit under the franchisor’s name. The CFPB publishes what consumers file without verifying it, bigger lenders draw more complaints, and since 30 September 2026 it no longer publishes narratives, so only counts are used here. **CFPB complaints filed under “Byrider Franchising, LLC,” pulled 16 October 2026** | Measure | Count | | --- | --- | | All complaints, first received 29 November 2012, latest 13 October 2026 | 1,596 | | Received in 2024 / 2025 / 2026 to 13 October | 175 / 330 / 249 | | Vehicle loan or lease | 611 | | Consumer Loan (the CFPB’s product name before April 2017) | 153 | | Credit reporting, under three product names | 515 (244 “Incorrect information on your report”) | | Debt collection | 306 (99 “Attempts to collect debt not owed”) | | Closed with explanation / non-monetary relief / monetary relief | 1,592 / 2 / 2 | | Tagged as from servicemembers | 122 | The file is growing faster than the market. By our arithmetic, complaints rose 89% from 2024 to 2025, and vehicle-loan complaints went from 70 to 137, up 96%, while all CFPB “Vehicle loan or lease” complaints grew 55%, from 13,360 to 20,769. Within the vehicle-loan file, the most common issues are “Managing the loan or lease” (182), “Repossession” (124) and “Struggling to pay your loan” (109); the most common sub-issue is “Billing problem” (76). Byrider closed 99.7% of all complaints “with explanation.” The counts cover a whole franchise system. ## Byrider beside DriveTime and America’s Car-Mart, on printed terms DriveTime and America’s Car-Mart also sell and finance their own cars; our [DriveTime review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/drivetime-review/) and [Car-Mart review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/americas-car-mart-review/) read their documents on 6 October 2026. This table sets out only what each company prints, copied from those pages’ records. It compares terms, not prices, and is not a ranking. **What each buy here pay here chain prints, from its own documents (Byrider read 16 October 2026; DriveTime and Car-Mart 6 October 2026)** | Point | Byrider | DriveTime | America’s Car-Mart | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Stores | 98 dealership pages in 25 states (our sitemap count); each “independently owned and operated” | 146 dealerships (home page) | 94 dealerships in 12 states (10-Q) | | Who collects | CNAC, after the contract “is promptly transferred” | Bridgecrest, an affiliate | Car-Mart and its finance subsidiary, Colonial | | After you buy | No return or exchange policy found | “5 Day Return Guarantee” | One exchange within 7 days or 500 miles; no money returned | | Coverage with the car | “a limited warranty or optional service agreement”; no term printed | 30-day/1,500-mile limited warranty | Sold “as is”; optional service contract | | Ways to pay with no fee, as printed | None stated; no fee table | AutoPay; one-time bank account payment | Auto Pay; in person at a dealership | | CFPB complaints | 1,596 (“Byrider Franchising, LLC”) | 1,123; Bridgecrest 7,720, including Carvana buyers | 634 | The clearest difference is what is written down: DriveTime and Car-Mart each publish a return or exchange window and payment fees; Byrider leaves both to the store. Complaint counts say little alone, since each reflects a different number of borrowers. Our [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/) and [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/) reviews cover lenders that buy dealers’ contracts instead. ## Where Byrider’s own pages disagree, and what to get in writing None of these is a finding against the company. Each is a reason to read your own contract rather than the website. **Places where Byrider’s own documents disagree, read 16 October 2026** | One page says | Another document says | | --- | --- | | “no outside institutions can tell us who we can and can’t lend to” (financing page) | The application may go “to other potential creditors”; CNAC loans back notes sold through CarNow Auto Receivables Trust (SEC filings) | | A warranty or service agreement “with each and every vehicle we sell” (Service & Repair) | “At participating dealers” (disclaimer); “competitively priced” (My Byrider); “up to” 3 years/36,000 miles (one listing) | | Down payments “as low as $0 †” | No dagger footnote is printed on either page | | “more than 150 locations” (About Us) | “more than 140 locations” (2020 release); 98 dealership pages (sitemap, our count) | | On-time payments “can only reflect positively on your credit!” | “does not guarantee a particular change to your credit score” (October 2026 post) | | CNAC “affiliated with Byrider for over 25 years” | CNAC financing people “for nearly 20 years” (CNAC FAQ) | | “Over 100,000 vehicles to choose” (home page) | “Over 1 Million Listings” (same home page) | - **Find out who owns your store.** Every Byrider is independently owned; the name on the contract and the lienholder on the title tell you who you are dealing with. - **Get the warranty in writing.** Its length, mileage, deductible, covered parts, whether it is included or priced, and where repairs can be done. - **Read the Truth in Lending box.** APR, finance charge, amount financed, number and timing of payments, and total of payments. - **Ask about any deferred down payment.** If part of the down payment is due later, get the amount and dates on the contract. - **Ask about devices.** Whether the car has GPS or a device that can disable it, and what triggers it. - **Get the late fee and grace period.** Neither is printed on Byrider’s or CNAC’s sites. - **Pick a free way to pay.** Ask which of the six methods cost nothing at your store. - **Check the car yourself.** Run a recall check, read the Buyers Guide and get an independent inspection if the store allows one. - **Bring an outside offer.** A bank or credit union pre-approval gives you a number to compare. ## Common questions ### Is Byrider a buy here pay here dealer? Yes, by its own description: its financing page says “Buy Here Pay Here dealerships, like Byrider, offer our customers in-house financing.” After the sale, CNAC says, the contract “is promptly transferred to CNAC,” which collects the payments. Each store is an independently owned franchise. ### What is CNAC, and why do I pay them instead of Byrider? CNAC, or CarNow Acceptance Company, is the finance name Byrider stores use. Indiana’s records list it as a trade name of Byrider Finance, LLC, and CNAC’s 2023 policy has franchisees using it too. After the sale the contract passes to CNAC, which accepts payments and services it. ### What credit score do you need for Byrider? Byrider says “there is no specific minimum credit score needed to qualify for financing from us.” It looks at income and budget, and the application asks you to certify you are not in a current bankruptcy. “Financing isn’t guaranteed,” it adds. ### Does Byrider report to the credit bureaus? Byrider and CNAC both say they report all payments to the three major credit bureaus, and late or missed payments “may be reflected in your credit report.” Check your own reports a few months in. ### Does a Byrider car come with a warranty? Byrider says every car comes with “a limited warranty or optional service agreement,” but no page we read prints the terms, and a disclaimer says “At participating dealers.” One Ohio store’s listing says “up to” 3 years or 36,000 miles. Get your car’s terms in writing. ### Can you return a car to Byrider? We found no return or exchange policy on any Byrider page we read. If your store offers one, get it in writing; otherwise treat the sale as final. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [FTC Used Car Rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/dealers-guide-used-car-rule) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [12 CFR §1026.4 (Regulation Z, finance charge)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1026/subpart-A/section-1026.4) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/byrider-review/ --- title: "Bring a Trailer Review: Fees, Bidding Rules and Who Does What" description: "Bring a Trailer’s own terms, read: a 5% buyer’s fee ($250 to $7,500), a card hold on every bid, a 2-minute clock reset, and a sale between you and the seller." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Bring a Trailer Review: Fees, Bidding Rules and Who Does What > Bring a Trailer’s own terms, read: a 5% buyer’s fee ($250 to $7,500), a card hold on every bid, a 2-minute clock reset, and a sale between you and the seller. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,987 words* ## The short version - BaT’s Terms of Use say it is not a broker, dealer or traditional auctioneer and has never held title to, inspected or possessed a listed vehicle. The sale is between you and the seller. - The buyer’s fee is 5% of the winning bid on top of the price, minimum $250, capped at $7,500. Motorcycles, minibikes and scooters, parts, wheels, ATVs, go-karts and tractors carry 10%, capped at $4,000. Sellers pay $99 to list, or $429 with Plus photography. - Every bid puts a hold for the fee on your card, BaT does not cancel bids, and in an auction’s last 2 minutes each new bid resets the clock to 2 minutes. - You pay the seller yourself (BaT recommends a wire within three business days) or through Verified Checkout: $99, or $149 with title and registration, run by Caramel, a licensed dealer that buys the car and resells it to you. - No BaT document we read says what happens to a winner who does not pay, beyond calling a bid “a commitment to purchase.” The Terms themselves call a bid “the first non-binding step.” - Disputes with BaT: a 60-day informal process, then individual arbitration under New York law, one year to bring a claim, no opt-out printed. BaT is part of Hearst’s network. Bring a Trailer (BaT) runs week-long online auctions for collector and enthusiast vehicles, and what a buyer pays, and who is responsible for the title, the inspection and the money, is written in its own Terms of Use and FAQ rather than in its marketing. On 16 October 2026 we read BaT’s U.S. [Terms of Use](https://bringatrailer.com/terms-of-use/) (last revised 22 July 2026), every answer in its [FAQ](https://bringatrailer.com/faq/), its [How BaT Works](https://bringatrailer.com/how-bat-works/) page, its seller, Verified Checkout and About pages, and its own 25 June 2020 announcement about Hearst. We did not register, bid, comment or request a shipping quote, and this site has no relationship with Bring a Trailer, its partners or any seller. **Figure: What Bring a Trailer's own terms say happens at each step** Seven steps of a Bring a Trailer purchase, from registering to a dispute, with what BaT's Terms of Use (revised 22 July 2026), FAQ and How BaT Works say at each, read on 16 October 2026. Source: Bring a Trailer Terms of Use, FAQ and How BaT Works, read 16 October 2026. Fee caps are BaT's printed US-dollar figures. ## What Bring a Trailer is, what it says it is not, and who owns it BaT describes itself as “an online vehicle auction platform and enthusiast community.” Its Terms are narrower. In capital letters they say BaT is “NOT AN AUTOMOBILE BROKER, DEALER OR TRADITIONAL AUCTIONEER” and does not sell, buy or negotiate the sale of any listed vehicle, and that it has never “(1) HELD TITLE FOR ANY VEHICLE,” “(2) INSPECTED ANY VEHICLE” or “(3) HAD ANY VEHICLE” listed on the site in its legal possession. Everything about the car comes from the seller. BaT “RELIES ON THE SELLER TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT A VEHICLE, INCLUDING THE TITLE,” and says it “DOES NOT AND CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY ALL INFORMATION THAT MAY AFFECT TITLE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CERTAIN LIENS.” Any title status shown on a listing “REFLECTS INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE SELLER” and is not a warranty. BaT staff help write listings, but accuracy stays “EACH SELLER’S RESPONSIBILITY,” and if a listing carries a typing error, mileage included, BaT “IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH ERROR OR ITS CORRECTION” though it will try to fix it. Your agreement with BaT “expressly does not govern any sale” between users, and BaT “CANNOT ENSURE THAT A BUYER OR SELLER YOU ARE DEALING WITH WILL ACTUALLY COMPLETE THE TRANSACTION.” BaT runs the listing, the bidding and the buyer’s fee; the car, the title and the money pass between you and the seller. **Who owns it.** The Terms say the site is operated by Bring a Trailer Media, LLC, “which is part of the Hearst affiliated network of media companies.” BaT’s own announcement of 25 June 2020, signed by co-founder and president Randy Nonnenberg, says “BaT has joined the brands of Hearst Autos,” that it “decided to partner with” Hearst Communications, and that it would keep “our same team, our same leadership, and our same HQ in San Francisco.” The same post dates the blog to 2007 and the auctions to 2014. Neither BaT document uses the word “acquired” or gives a price or stake, and Hearst’s own site refused our requests, so its press release was not read and the terms of the 2020 deal are not stated here. **Public records.** Two Google searches for lawsuits, complaints or settlements naming Bring a Trailer Media returned no court docket and no regulator release. That is not proof of a clean record: dockets were not searched, and the Better Business Bureau blocked our requests, so no BBB rating appears here. **Its own numbers.** The About page claims “over 1,000 listings per week, more than 750,000 registered bidders”; in 2020 BaT said “300+ listings every week.” These are unchecked claims, and its seller page gives different ones (see the disagreements below). The Terms also disclose affiliate marketing: BaT “may earn a commission” on some third-party links. Two other enthusiast marketplaces run on different rules; our [Cars & Bids review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/) and [Hemmings review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/) read each one’s own terms. For live, in-person collector-car auctions, our [Mecum review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mecum-auction/) reads that company’s bidder rules. ## How a car gets accepted and listed A seller submits photos and answers about the vehicle and requests a reserve. BaT says it chooses on “condition, quality of information, quality of photos, requested reserve price, and similar vehicles currently for sale,” and avoids “vehicles with reserves that are not realistic.” An Auction Manager replies “typically within 2 business days.” Only an accepted seller pays. An Auction Specialist writes the listing from the seller’s information, gathering “videos, maintenance records, vehicle history, and service documentation,” and a Classic submission “usually takes a few weeks” to go live. Classic costs $99; Plus costs $429 (the $99 listing plus $330 of professional photography); White Glove is priced on inquiry; parts list for $99. Rules that matter to a bidder: - **Reserve or no reserve.** Every seller must pick one before BaT approves the listing, and may lower or waive the reserve during the auction. Reserve figures are never shown; a yellow No Reserve tag marks auctions without one, and BaT does not “announce when reserves have been met.” - **Exclusive and final.** While live, the car may not be offered “ON ANY OTHER AUCTION, DEALERSHIP, OR LISTING SERVICE.” BaT says “We do not cancel auctions,” though its Terms let it remove a listing “IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.” There is no Buy It Now. - **Length.** Regular listings run 7 days; Premium listings between 7 and 21 days. - **No seller bidding.** Sellers and “anyone associated with them or the vehicle” may not bid. BaT says it has “tools in place that monitor bidding” and makes each user’s account history public. - **Liens.** Cars with liens are listed “very frequently,” with the lien disclosed in the listing text. ## Registering, the card hold and the two-minute clock A BaT account is free. To bid you add contact details and a credit card: “There is no charge to register, we will only authorize that your card is valid.” Bidders must also validate billing details, use two-factor authentication (2FA) and verify their email, and the Terms bar anyone under 18. With a valid card “you can bid from anywhere.” **The hold.** “When bidding, we place a hold on your card for the amount of the buyer’s fee.” The FAQ puts the hold at “5% or 10% of your initial bid amount (based on the auction category), minimum $250.” If you win, the hold becomes the charge; if not, it is “released immediately at auction end,” though banks can take a few days. Repeat bids add no new holds; BaT takes a second charge at the end for the difference. BaT’s own example: a first bid of $10,000 brings a $500 hold; a win at $25,000 adds a $750 charge, a total of $1,250, which we checked is 5% of $25,000. By our arithmetic a first bid of $3,000 brings the $250 minimum, and a first bid of $8,000 on a motorcycle an $800 hold. You cannot change the card on file while you hold an active bid. **How a bid works.** You type an amount and “Bidding advances immediately to your entered amount.” There is no hidden maximum working for you: the figure you type becomes the high bid and “the amount you will be responsible for paying should you win.” The bid box sets the minimum step: **Bring a Trailer minimum bid increments (FAQ, read 16 October 2026)** | Current bid | Minimum increment | | --- | --- | | $0 to $10,000 | $100 | | $10,001 to $50,000 | $250 | | $50,001 to $100,000 | $500 | | $100,000 or more | $1,000 | **The end of an auction.** “During the last 2 minutes of BaT Auctions, the clock resets to 2 minutes after every bid. This happens until no more bids are placed and the auction ends.” How BaT Works says the same: “The auction isn’t over until two full minutes have elapsed since the highest bid was placed.” A last-second bid therefore buys everyone else 2 more minutes; plan your limit before the final stretch, not during it. **No take-backs.** “A bid is a commitment to purchase, and we do not cancel bids on the site.” Bids, and payment, are in the currency of the car’s location: pounds in the UK, euros in the EU, dollars elsewhere. ## When the reserve is not met, and what “sold” can mean If bidding ends below a hidden reserve, there is no deal and no Buy It Now, but there is one more round. “You and the high bidder will have the opportunity to make one offer and one counteroffer,” with “24 hours per round.” Only the high bidder takes part: BaT does “not share user contact info or broker deals with any other parties after the close of auction.” If an offer is accepted, the buyer pays “the normal buyer’s fee” and the result is “marked sold” at the offer amount. If not, the auction closes unsold and the bidder does not receive the seller’s contact details. BaT’s answers disagree on the limits: seller answers say an offer must be “more than the final bid but not more than the reserve amount,” while the bidder answer allows one “equal to or higher than the final bid” and adds “There is no maximum offer for the high bidder.” **The Make-Whole program.** At its discretion BaT “may elect to make up the difference between the high bid and the reserve amount,” paying the seller by check, and then “the vehicle is considered sold and will be displayed as such on the site.” So a “sold” result can be a car whose reserve was never reached; the documents we read do not say such results are marked. ## The buyer’s fee and seller fees, as printed The FAQ: “If you win an auction we charge 5% of the final bid price on top of the winning bid,” except in seven categories (Motorcycles, Minibikes & Scooters, Parts and Automobilia, Wheels, ATVs, Go-Karts and Tractors), where “the fee is 10% of the winning bid amount, with a minimum fee of $250 and a maximum fee of $4,000.” For everything else “the minimum fee is $250 and the maximum fee is capped at $7,500.” Listings in the EU are capped at €7,500 and €4,000, and in the UK at £6,000 and £3,200. Buyers and sellers in the EU or UK also pay VAT on BaT’s fees; “Buyers located in the US will not have to pay VAT.” Fees are charged to “all major credit and debit cards,” with payments to BaT handled by Stripe. By our arithmetic the $250 minimum decides the fee on any 5% car up to $5,000 and any 10% item up to $2,500, and the caps take over from $150,000 and $40,000. **BaT buyer’s fee at sample winning bids (our arithmetic from the printed schedule, read 16 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Category | Buyer’s fee | Fee as share of bid | Bid plus fee | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $3,000 | 5% | $250 (minimum) | 8.3% | $3,250 | | $20,000 | 5% | $1,000 | 5% | $21,000 | | $60,000 | 5% | $3,000 | 5% | $63,000 | | $150,000 | 5% | $7,500 (cap) | 5% | $157,500 | | $400,000 | 5% | $7,500 (cap) | 1.9% | $407,500 | | $1,500 | 10% | $250 (minimum) | 16.7% | $1,750 | | $12,000 | 10% | $1,200 | 10% | $13,200 | | $80,000 | 10% | $4,000 (cap) | 5% | $84,000 | “Bid plus fee” is not the final price. The Terms say “A Seller may add any or all of the foregoing or any other taxes and fees to the listed price when calculating the final sale price,” so ask a dealer seller about added fees before you bid; our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) lists the usual ones. **Sellers** pay $99 for Classic or $429 for Plus, and BaT says “that is the only fee a seller pays, period.” Its Verified Checkout answers add two payout charges that sentence leaves out: “a flat fee of $25.00” for a wire, or 0.5% “up to $100” for a Real-Time Payment, which by our arithmetic reaches its cap at $20,000. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the engine bay, the front bumper and the windshield, each with one fact from Bring a Trailer’s Terms of Use and FAQ. Bring a Trailer’s Terms of Use and FAQ, read on 16 October 2026: BaT has never inspected a listed car: arrange your own inspection before you bid (callout 1); Buyer's fee: 5% of the winning bid, minimum $250, capped at $7,500 (callout 2); Ask for photos of both sides of the title and a bill of sale before you wire money (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## After you win: who handles payment, title and inspection “At the close of auction, if the reserve has been met, the buyer’s fee is paid automatically via the credit card on file.” If the charge fails, BaT emails instructions for the balance. Then “We will send you the seller’s contact information via email, and they will receive yours,” and the two of you finish the deal. Without Verified Checkout the purchase money never touches BaT. Its advice for a direct deal: “request photos of both sides of the title and a bill of sale before making payment, and make payment within three business days or a mutually agreeable timeframe,” and “we recommend a wire transfer.” Bidders “must ensure they have funds available prior to bidding.” If the car has a lien, “you will work with the seller’s bank directly”; see [how a lien payoff works](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#payoff). If something goes wrong, the Terms send you back to the seller: “in the event you seek a refund related to a Purchase or have any questions, you must directly contact the applicable Seller.” **Who does what in a Bring a Trailer sale, according to BaT’s Terms and FAQ (read 16 October 2026)** | Task | BaT | Seller | Buyer | Caramel (Verified Checkout, if chosen) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Describing the car | Writes the listing; does not verify it | Responsible for accuracy, title included | Reads listing and comments | Checks seller’s title and vehicle information | | Inspection | None; has never inspected a listed car | Arranges access through Contact Seller | Arranges it before bidding | None described | | Buyer’s fee | Charges your card when you win | None | Pays 5% or 10% | None | | Purchase money | Does not handle it | Receives it, usually by wire | Pays the seller | Holds it in escrow until title and car are released | | Title | Has never held one | Signs it over | Transfers and registers it | Handles both in the $149 tier | | Shipping | Optional BaT Shipping, lower 48 states | Releases the car after payment | Arranges and pays | Can be added in checkout | | Taxes and registration fees | None | None | Pays them | Collects them up front | **Inspection is on you, and it comes first.** “Bids are not contingent upon post-auction inspections.” Use Contact Seller “to ask the seller questions, schedule a viewing, or set up a test drive.” For a distant car, see our guides to a [remote pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote), [mobile inspectors](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#out-of-state) and [out-of-state paperwork](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#paperwork). If you cannot see the car yourself, our [Lemon Squad review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/) reads one remote inspection company’s terms and limits. ## Verified Checkout: what Caramel does and what it costs Verified Checkout is BaT’s optional closing service for private-party sales where buyer and seller are both in the United States. The buyer chooses it, and the seller is then “required to complete the transaction using Bring a Trailer Verified Checkout.” It is run by Caramel, and the structure matters: “Caramel purchases the vehicle from the seller, then sells it to you,” as a licensed dealer. Your money goes to Caramel, “who holds the funds in escrow,” and the seller releases title and car only after it clears. - **Price.** $99 for the escrow-only Lite tier, $149 with title transfer and registration done for you. Shipping, financing and service plans cost extra; online notarization, where needed, is $25. - **Sales tax can rise.** Because Caramel is a dealer, “sales tax will be collected even though the seller of the BaT auction is a private party,” and BaT names Arizona, Illinois and Nevada as states that tax dealer sales but not private ones. Title fees are passed on “with no markup.” - **Paying.** At $40,000 or more the buyer must wire. On most payments up to $25,000 the buyer may use Clerq: an Instant Payment at 0.75% of the amount or a Quick Transfer (ACH) at 0.4%, clearing within three business days. - **Timing.** Start “within three business days”; payment “should typically be completed within seven business days.” - **Paperwork.** You verify your identity with an ID and a selfie and sign a [power of attorney](https://baronauto1.com/guides/power-of-attorney-car-title/) so Caramel can sign title documents for you. - **Registration gaps.** Temporary registration, often issued from Montana, “is valid for 40 days,” while the title “typically takes anywhere from 45-60 business days” to arrive. By our arithmetic that is 63 to 84 calendar days, so expect to ask Caramel for a second temporary registration, as the FAQ invites when fewer than five days remain. Classic or vintage registration “is not available through Verified Checkout,” and Pennsylvania and New Jersey buyers get secure payment only. - **Cancelling.** You can cancel before pickup and get a refund in 7-10 business days, but “you will still be required to complete the transaction for the vehicle by arranging payment details with the seller.” **What a 5% category win costs at BaT before tax, registration and shipping (our arithmetic from BaT’s printed fees, read 16 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Buyer’s fee | With Lite ($99) | With title and registration ($149) | How you may pay | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $20,000 | $1,000 | $21,099 | $21,149 | Wire, or Clerq: $150 Instant or $80 Quick ACH on the $20,000 | | $60,000 | $3,000 | $63,099 | $63,149 | Wire required (over $40,000) | Financing through checkout does not change the bid: “An auction win is not contingent on financing.” If you plan to borrow, line up the loan before you bid; our [private-party auto loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/) explains how lenders treat a car bought from an individual. ## Shipping: the buyer’s job, with an optional BaT service “Shipping is the responsibility of the buyer to arrange and pay for.” BaT sells its own option, BaT Shipping, quoted on eligible listings “right above the bid box.” Its printed limits: - Pickup and drop-off must both be in the contiguous 48 states. Parts, memorabilia, minibikes, go-karts, boats and planes are not shipped. - “The Seller must also confirm that your payment for the vehicle has been received in full before we can find a transporter.” - Transporters carry cargo insurance, but “coverage for all losses is not guaranteed,” and BaT “strongly” recommends your own policy before the car moves. - Report damage within 72 hours of delivery; after that you are given the transporter’s insurer to claim against directly. You then have 2 weeks to get a repair estimate. Chips, dents, scratches and road-hazard damage do not count “unless evidence of negligence is present.” - Spare parts and belongings inside the car “are not insured”; mail the title separately. Vehicles over 79 in. high, 83 in. wide, 225 in. long or 5,500 lbs. may cost more. Either way, our [car shipping guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains brokers versus carriers and how to [document damage at delivery](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage). ## If a winning bidder does not pay This is where BaT’s documents say least. What they do say: the buyer’s fee is charged automatically at the close, and the Terms call buyer fees “binding and thus due and payable to BaTMedia.” The FAQ says “A bid is a commitment to purchase,” and the Verified Checkout page adds that buyers must pay in full “whether or not they qualify for financing.” The FAQ is part of the “Agreement,” and BaT may close an account “for any reason or no reason,” including “any violation of this Agreement.” After a sale BaT connects only the seller and the high bidder, so there is no published second-chance offer to the next bidder. What they do not say: none of the documents we read names a penalty for a winner who walks away, or says whether the buyer’s fee comes back if the sale collapses. The Terms point the other way, calling a bid “the first non-binding step in expressing your interest to a Seller” that “does not in and of itself create a formal contract.” Any claim between buyer and seller is theirs to pursue, not BaT’s. **Treat the bid as final even though the Terms hedge.** BaT will not cancel it, the fee is charged to your card, and BaT can shut your account. Bid only after the inspection, the title check and the money are settled, because none of them is a condition of the sale. ## Checking a listed car’s history before you bid A BaT listing is the seller’s account of the car, and its title status is the seller’s claim, not BaT’s finding. Use the 7 days the auction runs for your own checks: 1. **Get the VIN and decode it.** If the listing lacks it, ask the seller. Our guide to [reading a VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-read-a-vin/) covers modern cars; “The 17-character VIN became mandatory in the United States for the 1981 model year,” so for older cars use our [classic-car VIN guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/classic-car-vin-decoder/#no-standard), including [restamped numbers](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/classic-car-vin-decoder/#restamp). 2. **Check the title record.** An [NMVTIS report](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/) shows title brands states have reported; our [free VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/) lists what costs nothing. BaT says a history report comes free on 1981 and later vehicles; treat it as one source among several. 3. **Look for liens and theft.** BaT cannot verify all liens, so [check for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) and [whether the car is stolen](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-if-a-car-is-stolen/). 4. **Test the mileage claim** with our [odometer check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/), which explains the [disclosure exemption](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/#exemption) older cars fall under. 5. **Look for earlier sales.** BaT marks “Alumni” listings, so you can “view any previous listings to see what’s changed,” and each user’s activity, the seller’s included, is on a public member page. An [auction history search](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions) shows whether the car went through a salvage auction. 6. **Check open recalls** with our [recall guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/), and for a modified car, [whether the changes are legal](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#legal) where you live; BaT itself says to check “rules for vintage, imported, and modified vehicles before placing a bid.” - **Know your fee.** 5% (minimum $250, cap $7,500) or 10% in the seven listed categories (cap $4,000), on top of the bid. - **Inspect first.** Bids are not contingent on an inspection after the auction. - **Run the VIN.** Title record, liens, theft, recalls and earlier sales, before you bid. - **Have the money ready.** BaT expects payment within three business days or agreed timing, and over $40,000 checkout requires a wire. - **Set your limit early.** The 2-minute reset rewards bidders who decided their top number before the end. - **Price the delivery.** Shipping, sales tax and registration are yours. ## Terms of use, arbitration and where BaT’s pages disagree The U.S. Terms of Use (last revised 22 July 2026) cover anyone who visits, bids or sells; Canadian users have a separate version dated 16 May 2025. The parts a buyer should know: - **Release.** If you have a dispute with another user, “you release BaTMedia” from the claims that arise from it. - **Liability cap.** BaT’s liability to you is limited to “THE GREATER OF (A) FIFTY US DOLLARS ($50) OR (B) AMOUNTS YOU’VE PAID BATMEDIA IN THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS,” which for most buyers means the buyer’s fee. - **Informal step first.** Before any arbitration or suit, you must send a written Notice of Dispute with your facts, the relief you want and “a personally signed statement” (not one from your lawyer), then try for 60 days to settle it. - **Arbitration.** Disputes then go to the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Rules “as modified by this section”: you must “personally appear” at hearings, may be asked to sit for a deposition, and hearings take place in San Francisco or New York (or where AAA rules require), with New York as the seat. Class actions and “MASS ARBITRATION” are excluded, and you waive a jury. - **Time limit and law.** A claim must start “WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR” or it is barred. New York law governs, and any court case goes to New York County. We found no opt-out procedure in the dispute section. For bidders who know salvage auctions, one comparison of printed terms. Copart’s side is copied from the documents behind our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/), read 7 October 2026; no prices are compared. **Printed terms at Bring a Trailer (read 16 October 2026) and Copart (read 7 October 2026)** | Topic | Bring a Trailer | Copart | | --- | --- | --- | | Who may bid | Anyone registered with a valid credit card, from anywhere | “Only registered and active Basic and Premier Members” | | Withdrawing a bid | “we do not cancel bids on the site” | A bid “cannot be retracted, deleted, or cancelled” | | Seeing the vehicle | BaT never inspects; arrange a viewing or inspection with the seller | Preview “either online or in person at the Copart facility” | | Paying for the car | To the seller, ideally by wire within three business days or agreed timing | Within 3 business days of purchase, including the day of sale, or a late fee applies | | Where disputes go | 60-day notice, then AAA arbitration under New York law | Any action is conducted in the state and county where the vehicle was located | **Where BaT’s own documents disagree.** We found these on 16 October 2026: - **Is a bid binding?** The FAQ and checkout page: “a bid is a commitment to purchase.” The Terms: a bid is “the first non-binding step.” - **Who pays shipping?** The FAQ puts it on the buyer; the Terms leave it to “the formal agreement between the applicable Seller and Buyer.” - **Reserve-not-met offers.** Floors of “more than” versus “equal to or higher than” the final bid, 24 hours in total versus 24 hours a round, and a fee “capped at $7,500” though 10% categories cap at $4,000. - **Euro and pound caps.** The FAQ ties them to where the listing is; How BaT Works to where the bidder is. - **Seller fees.** BaT calls the listing fee “the only fee a seller pays, period,” yet checkout payouts cost $25 by wire or 0.5% up to $100, and EU and UK sellers pay VAT on BaT’s fees. - **Timing.** Pay “immediately after the auction closes” in one answer, within three business days in others; submissions answered in 2 business days or 48 hours. - **The new title.** One version of the checkout page says Caramel mails it, the other that the DMV does. - **Make-Whole.** The Terms describe a payment the seller returns if the car is not sold within 30 days; the FAQ describes a check sent after the buyer pays. - **Volume claims.** Half a million bidders on one page, more than 750,000 on another; 900 sales a week under a title of 2,500 a month. ## Common questions ### Can you back out of a Bring a Trailer auction? Not under BaT’s rules: “A bid is a commitment to purchase, and we do not cancel bids on the site.” Cancelling Verified Checkout does not undo a win; you “will still be required to complete the transaction” with the seller. The Terms call a bid non-binding between buyer and seller, but the fee is still charged and BaT can close your account. ### How much does Bring a Trailer charge buyers? 5% of the winning bid on top of it, minimum $250, capped at $7,500; 10%, capped at $4,000, in the seven categories listed above. It is charged to your card when you win. Verified Checkout, if chosen, adds $99 or $149; taxes, registration and shipping are extra. ### Who owns Bring a Trailer? Bring a Trailer Media, LLC, which its Terms call “part of the Hearst affiliated network of media companies.” BaT announced on 25 June 2020 that it “has joined the brands of Hearst Autos.” Hearst’s own release could not be read, so the deal’s terms are not stated here. ### Is there shill bidding on Bring a Trailer? BaT bars sellers and “anyone associated with them or the vehicle” from bidding and says it has “tools in place that monitor bidding.” It publishes no enforcement figures, so we cannot say how common shill bids are. Bidding histories are public, so you can look at the accounts bidding against you. ### Is Bring a Trailer legit? We make no recommendation. BaT is a Hearst-affiliated company with published Terms and a detailed FAQ, and our searches found no court docket or regulator action naming it, which is not proof of a clean record. Its Terms limit its role: it never inspects or holds title to the cars, caps its liability and sends disputes to arbitration. ### How do you pay for a car on Bring a Trailer? The buyer’s fee goes to BaT by card automatically. The car is paid for separately: to the seller, BaT recommends by wire within three business days after you see the title and a bill of sale, or through Verified Checkout, where Caramel holds the money in escrow and requires a wire at $40,000 or more. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NICB VINCheck](https://www.nicb.org/vincheck) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [NHTSA odometer fraud](https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud) - [NHTSA VIN decoder](https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/ --- title: "Cars & Bids Review: Fees, Bidding Rules and the Fine Print" description: "Cars & Bids’ own terms, read: a 5% buyer’s fee ($250 to $7,500) held on your card, binding bids, pay the seller within a week, a shipping broker, arbitration." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Cars & Bids Review: Fees, Bidding Rules and the Fine Print > Cars & Bids’ own terms, read: a 5% buyer’s fee ($250 to $7,500) held on your card, binding bids, pay the seller within a week, a shipping broker, arbitration. *Used Car Buying · 20 min read · 4,590 words* ## The short version - Cars & Bids is a marketplace, not a dealer. Its Terms of Use say the sale contract is formed directly between the seller and the winning bidder, and that Cars & Bids does not inspect the cars or verify what sellers tell it. - Buyers pay a 5% buyer’s fee with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum. A hold for it goes on your credit card when you bid and is charged, non-refundably, when the auction closes: $1,000 on a $20,000 car, by our arithmetic. - Bids are binding, there is no proxy bidding, and any bid in the final minute resets the clock to one minute. Reserve prices are hidden. - You pay the seller directly within a week of the close, or through SafePay, run by KeySavvy: $198 in total, plus $99 if the seller has a loan, for US buyers and sellers only. - A winner who does not pay forfeits the buyer’s fee and, per the FAQ, is banned for good; the Terms also allow a claim for damages. - Disputes go through 60 days of talks, mediation and binding arbitration in San Diego unless you opt out in writing within 30 days of first accepting the Terms. Cars & Bids is an online auction site for enthusiast cars, mostly from the 1980s on, and its costs are in its own fine print: a 5% buyer’s fee between $250 and $7,500, held on your card when you bid, with the car paid to the seller within a week. On 16 October 2026 we read its Terms of Use (effective 14 August 2026), its FAQ, its “What’s Cars & Bids?” page and its SafePay, Shipping, Shipping Terms, Support, Financing, Photos and Privacy pages, plus The Chernin Group’s portfolio page and FMCSA’s record for the company that ships its cars. We did not register, bid or ask for a quote, and this site has no relationship with Cars & Bids or anyone named here. Its Terms bar reproducing site content and allow links only to the top page, [carsandbids.com](https://carsandbids.com/), so we name its documents rather than link them and quote short passages only. **Figure: What happens at each step of a Cars & Bids auction, by its own terms** A two-column table of eight situations from Cars & Bids' Terms of Use and FAQ, read 16 October 2026: registering takes a card and phone number and each bid holds the buyer's fee; a $10,000 first bid holds $500 and a $2,000 bid $250; a bid in the final minute resets the clock to one minute; a $20,000 win costs a $1,000 non-refundable fee, with the $20,000 paid to the seller within a week; at $250,000 the fee stops at $7,500, 3%; an unmet reserve means no sale unless a post-auction deal is agreed; a winner who does not pay forfeits the fee and is banned; disputes go through 60 days of talks, mediation and arbitration unless you opt out within 30 days. Cars & Bids' Terms of Use (effective 14 August 2026), FAQ and What's Cars & Bids? page, read 16 October 2026. Fee and hold amounts are our arithmetic on the printed 5%, $250 minimum and $7,500 maximum. ## What Cars & Bids is, who started it and who owns it Cars & Bids explains itself through a trend: enthusiasts turning to “cars from the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond.” The description Google shows for the site says auctions of enthusiast vehicles “from the 1980s to the 2020s.” No document sets a hard model-year cut-off; what gets listed is a judgement call. The same page names the founder: automotive reviewer Doug DeMuro, who “and a team created Cars & Bids,” and who it says periodically reviews cars offered there. The Chernin Group, an investment firm, lists Cars & Bids on its portfolio page with DeMuro and Blake Machado as co-founders and Ro Choy as chief executive, without the “exited” label it gives former holdings. How much TCG owns is not something we can state. Its page prints no stake, amount or date, and Cars & Bids’ documents name no parent. Press coverage of TCG’s 2023 investment sits on two news sites whose robots.txt files bar our crawler, so we have not used it. California’s register could not be searched within our rules, and the SEC’s full-text search shows no filing by the company. Your contract is with Cars and Bids, LLC, which gives a San Diego mailing address, and bidders must be at least 18. Its size claims are its own and undated: more than 36,000 auctions completed, over $800 million in cars sold, a sell-through rate above 80% and more than 1.1 million registered members on its SafePay and Shipping pages, against “40,000+ auctions” in the FAQ. Neither says how it counts. We found no regulator action. A search for Cars and Bids with “lawsuit,” “attorney general” and “court” showed no regulator or court record on its first page. That is not proof of a clean record: court dockets could not be searched, and the Better Business Bureau blocked our requests. ## What it accepts and how a listing is put together Cars & Bids says it is “focused on cool cars, trucks, and SUVs for the modern enthusiast” and does not list every car it is offered. It lists only vehicles located in the US and Canada, none in Puerto Rico, and every bid is in US dollars. A seller submits the make, model, year, VIN, some photos and a few details, and Cars & Bids aims to answer within a business day. An accepted seller then supplies detailed photos and the car’s history. A seller who wants a reserve suggests one, and Cars & Bids may ask for a lower, “market-aligned” figure before listing the car. Cars & Bids writes the listing and the seller approves it. Under the Terms, approving means confirming it is accurate and complete and adopting it “as your own statement concerning the Seller Car.” Listing content comes solely from what the seller supplies or confirms, and any “editorial characterization” in it is expressly not a representation or certification by Cars & Bids. Sellers also promise not to omit or misrepresent any material fact, not to use AI-edited images that misrepresent the car, to list it only on Cars & Bids while the auction runs, not to withdraw it, and to sell to the winner and deliver “good and marketable title.” A seller with a loan must cover any shortfall if the winning bid is below the balance, and anyone who tries to deal outside the auction is banned. Photography is the main paid extra: a Basic Photo Shoot at $199 or a Full-Service Photo Shoot at $329. The Photos page claims professionally photographed listings get 30% more views, without saying how that was measured. Closed auctions stay online “perpetually,” per the FAQ. ## The history report, the inspection report and your own checks Cars & Bids says “every vehicle should come with a vehicle history report,” so it provides one free. Its FAQ tells bidders to review the known flaws, that report, “the vehicle inspection report (if applicable),” recent maintenance, comments and photos, and to put questions to the seller in the comments or privately. None of that is an inspection by Cars & Bids. The Terms say it “does not inspect Seller Cars” or independently verify what sellers supply, and the FAQ says “the information provided comes from the seller.” Bidders must verify condition and flaws, and confirm they can register the car where they live. The inspection is yours to arrange and pay for: in person, at a shop near the seller, or through a mobile inspector, which the FAQ illustrates with Lemon Squad (see our [Lemon Squad review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/)). Our guides cover [inspecting a car you cannot see](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote) and [mobile inspections out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#out-of-state). Do it before you bid, because a winning bid cannot be taken back. ### Check the car’s history yourself before bidding The Privacy Policy says a listing shares the VIN with the public, so you can run your own checks: 1. **Decode the VIN** and match it to the listed year, engine and trim: [VIN lookup](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-lookup/). 2. **Check title brands** such as salvage, rebuilt or flood: [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) and [what an NMVTIS report shows](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/). 3. **Compare odometer readings:** [odometer check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/). 4. **Look for crashes and water damage:** [accident check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-accident-check/) and [flood damage check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/flood-damage-check-by-vin/). 5. **Find earlier sales and photos,** salvage auctions included: [auction history by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions) and [VIN checks with photos](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-check-with-photos/). 6. **Check open recalls:** [how to check for open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/). 7. **Ask about liens:** [how to check for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/). Our [guide to checking a used car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) explains what each source can and cannot show. For cars with aftermarket parts, see [what a history report misses on a modified car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-modified-used-car/#history); for high-end models, [the running costs to expect](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-used-luxury-car/#the-real-cost). ## Registering, the card hold and how bidding works Registration is free; bidding needs a verified email address, a valid credit card and a phone number. There is no deposit. Instead, each bid puts a hold on your card. The Terms set it “in an amount equal to the Buyer’s Fee”; the FAQ puts it at 5% of your initial bid, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum. By our arithmetic, a $10,000 opening bid holds $500 and a $2,000 bid holds $250. Losing bidders’ holds are cancelled at the close, though the FAQ warns a bank may take up to 7 business days to show it. The winner’s hold is charged as the buyer’s fee straight after the auction. The account holder answers for all activity on the account, “including bids made on vehicles,” whoever typed them. There is no proxy bidding. When you are outbid, “you will need to manually input your next bid,” and the price jumps straight to whatever you enter. The minimum step depends on the current price. **Cars & Bids bid increments as printed in its FAQ (read 16 October 2026)** | Current bid | Minimum increase | | --- | --- | | Opening bid | At least $100 | | Up to $14,999 | $100 | | $15,000 to $49,999 | $250 | | $50,000 to $199,999 | $500 | | $200,000 and above | $1,000 | Auctions are scheduled for seven days, but any bid in the final minute resets the clock to one minute, which the FAQ says simulates “a traditional auction, where bidding continues until bidders stop.” An auction closes only after a full minute passes with no new bid, so a last-second bid cannot win it outright. ### Reserve, no reserve, and an unmet reserve Sellers choose a hidden reserve or no reserve. A no-reserve car sells to the high bidder at any price, and the seller cannot refuse. Bidders are asked not to ask sellers about reserves and learn one was met only if the car sells at the close. Sellers may lower a reserve during the auction but cannot add one once a no-reserve auction starts. If bidding stops short of the reserve, there is no sale at the close, but there may be a deal. The FAQ says Cars & Bids will work with the high bidder and the seller and that “only the high bidder is eligible.” The Terms say it may present the car to “one or more other Bidders” in a “Post-Auction Sale” that neither side must accept. Accept one, and you owe the buyer’s fee on that price and are bound as if you had won. Sellers are asked to keep the car off other sites for 7 days meanwhile, and Cars & Bids may, “at its sole discretion,” pay a seller the difference between the highest bid and the reserve. ## The buyer’s fee and what sellers pay, as printed Three Cars & Bids pages, the FAQ, “What’s Cars & Bids?” and Support, print the same buyer’s fee: 5% of the winning bid, minimum $250, maximum $7,500, paid to Cars & Bids on top of the price you pay the seller. The Terms call it a “connection fee” and make it non-refundable. We saw no promotion on any page we read. By our arithmetic the minimum applies below $5,000, and the fee stops rising at $150,000. **The Cars & Bids buyer’s fee at sample winning bids (our arithmetic on the printed 5%, $250 minimum and $7,500 maximum, read 16 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Buyer’s fee | Fee as a share of the bid | Bid plus fee | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $3,000 | $250 (minimum) | 8.3% | $3,250 | | $5,000 | $250 | 5% | $5,250 | | $12,000 | $600 | 5% | $12,600 | | $20,000 | $1,000 | 5% | $21,000 | | $35,000 | $1,750 | 5% | $36,750 | | $60,000 | $3,000 | 5% | $63,000 | | $150,000 | $7,500 | 5% | $157,500 | | $250,000 | $7,500 (maximum) | 3% | $257,500 | Bid plus fee is not your total. The winner owes “all applicable government fees and taxes,” transport is the buyer’s cost, and SafePay has its own fee. A $20,000 car bought through SafePay, with the buyer paying all $198, comes to $21,198 before tax, registration and shipping, by our arithmetic. See our guides to [the out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) and [tax on a car bought in another state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#tax). For sellers, the documents point two ways. The FAQ says listing is “completely free” and sellers receive 100% of the final sale price. The Terms of Use say a seller “will pay Cars & Bids a Listing fee consistent with the fee structure shown upon submission.” The submission pages sit under a path Cars & Bids’ robots.txt closes to crawlers, so we could not see whether a fee appears there. Ask before you submit. **What a Cars & Bids seller may pay, from its FAQ, Terms of Use and Photos page (read 16 October 2026)** | Item | As printed | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Listing | Free; seller keeps 100% of the sale price | FAQ; What’s Cars & Bids? | | Listing fee | “consistent with the fee structure shown upon submission” | Terms of Use | | Basic Photo Shoot | $199 | Photos page | | Full-Service Photo Shoot | $329 | Photos page | | SafePay | $198 in total, plus $99 for a loan payoff; split with the buyer or paid by one side | FAQ; SafePay page | | Cancellation by the seller | The buyer’s fee at the reserve, or at fair market value if there is no reserve; $2,000 on a $40,000 reserve by our arithmetic | Terms of Use | The cancellation fee applies when a sale fails through the seller’s fault. It is not charged when a buyer walks away unless Cars & Bids decides the seller contributed, for example by misrepresenting the car or failing to deliver good title. Sellers must also send payment details, including a current IRS Form W-9, within ninety days of the close, or waive any payment Cars & Bids owes them. ## After the auction: paying the seller, the title and SafePay At the close, Cars & Bids gives buyer and seller each other’s contact details and steps back. The buyer pays the seller directly: “Buyers are expected to pay for the vehicle in-full within a week of the auction closing.” The Terms print no deadline but bind the seller to complete the sale “promptly.” If you are financing, Cars & Bids says to get approval before you bid, and notes that some lenders set year and mileage limits. For direct payment, Cars & Bids recommends wire transfers, cashier’s checks or USDC, a stablecoin it promotes with Coinbase, and tells sellers to release the car and title only with full payment in hand. It recommends a [bill of sale](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/) and warns that some states take several weeks to reissue a title after a loan payoff, and some require the seller’s signature to be notarized. See [paying a private seller safely](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#payment) and [lien payoffs](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#payoff). SafePay is the optional middle route. KeySavvy acts as a dealer between the two sides, collecting the buyer’s money and the seller’s title, paying off any loan, reassigning the title and paying the seller once the car is picked up; the SafePay page calls it “a licensed Minnesota car dealer.” As printed: - **Price:** $198 in total, plus $99 if the seller has a loan, split evenly or paid by one side, with no cancellation fee. - **Who can use it:** only sales where buyer and seller are both in the United States, and not every sale is offered it. - **Payment:** usually verified at once, but up to one business day; above $50,000 the buyer must wire the money. - **Title:** a seller without the title in hand signs a [power of attorney](https://baronauto1.com/guides/power-of-attorney-car-title/) so KeySavvy can sign once the lender releases it. KeySavvy can also issue [temporary permits](https://baronauto1.com/guides/temporary-tag/). - **Tax:** still due to your DMV; Minnesota residents pay through KeySavvy, which says it will warn you if a dealer-handled sale would cost more tax than a private one. - **Condition:** no warranty from Cars & Bids or KeySavvy, and the bill of sale says the car is sold “as is.” For loans, Cars & Bids points bidders to LightStream and says “We may be compensated through links on this site.” LightStream’s FAQ, read on 6 October 2026, places no restrictions on the vehicle’s year, make, model or mileage; see our [LightStream review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/) and [private-party auto loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/). ## Shipping: who actually moves the car Getting the car home is the buyer’s job and cost, and Cars & Bids suggests pricing it before you bid; buyers abroad handle import and export themselves. The Shipping page gives an instant quote once you enter a ZIP code, valid for 14 days, and winners choose open or fully enclosed transport and book it from their winner’s page. Modified or unusual cars and moves outside the contiguous 48 states get no instant quote, though the FAQ says they can still be shipped. See [the paperwork for a car bought in another state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#paperwork). “Cars & Bids Shipping” is not Cars & Bids. Its Shipping Terms say the service “is fulfilled in its entirety by Preowned Auto Logistics Inc” (PAL), that your contract is with PAL, and that Cars and Bids, LLC is not a party and disclaims liability for PAL’s services. PAL’s terms, pasted in full on that page, call it a Massachusetts transportation broker, USDOT 1056402 and MC-442478, that “never takes custody or possession of” your car. FMCSA’s SAFER record, as of 14 October 2026, shows that USDOT number active for a Peabody, Massachusetts company authorized as both a carrier and a broker of property, with 1 power unit and 1 driver. See [broker versus carrier](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) and [how to look one up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the windshield, a front wheel and the road ahead, each with one fact from Cars & Bids’ Terms of Use, FAQ and shipping terms. Cars & Bids’ Terms of Use, FAQ and shipping terms, read on 16 October 2026: Each listing has a free history report, but the facts in it come from the seller (callout 1); Cars & Bids inspects nothing: book a pre-purchase inspection, at your cost (callout 2); Shipping is booked through PAL, a broker: note new damage on the bill of lading (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. PAL’s terms hold the details the marketing pages leave out: - **Dates are estimates.** PAL “cannot and does not guarantee delivery dates or times”; carriers are generally dispatched within 48 hours of the order confirmation. - **Cancelling costs money after dispatch:** in writing by email only, with a $100 minimum fee once a carrier is dispatched, possibly much more from rural or uncommon pickup points. - **The price can change** if the order details are wrong, and unpaid invoices accrue 1.5% a month. - **The car must run** and carry no more than a quarter tank of fuel. - **Damage claims go to the carrier.** PAL “is not and will not be liable for any cargo loss and damage claims,” must hear of a claim within 24 hours of delivery, and needs at least two repair estimates. Small scratches, scuffs and dents are excluded. - **A clean signature ends it.** Signing the bill of lading at delivery without noting damage, whatever the light or weather, confirms the car arrived in satisfactory condition. - **Disputes** with PAL go to binding JAMS arbitration under Massachusetts law. The Cars & Bids pages read more warmly: a “fully-insured and modern fleet,” “the price you see is the price you pay,” and, if new damage is found, “we will open a claim and work with you.” PAL’s terms are the contract, so be there at delivery, photograph the car, and note every new mark on the bill of lading before signing. Our guide covers [shipping damage claims](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage). ## When a winner does not pay A winning bid is a contract to buy. The FAQ calls non-payment “very uncommon” and says a winner who does not follow through “forfeits their 5% buyer’s fee” and is permanently banned. The fee is charged at the close, so this is money already taken: $250 on a $3,000 car or $1,000 on a $20,000 car, by our arithmetic. The Terms allow more: termination of the account and a claim for damages, including reputational harm and “damages equal to the lost Buyer’s Fee.” Fees charged to a non-paying bidder are neither refunded nor credited against a later sale. The seller’s obligation to that bidder “is discharged”; Cars & Bids says it will try the next-highest bidders, may relist the car free, and charges the seller nothing unless the seller contributed to the failure. **A bid cannot be taken back.** Cars & Bids’ FAQ says bids “are binding and cannot be retracted.” Bid only after the inspection, your own history checks, a loan approval if you need one, a shipping quote and a plan to get the full price to the seller within a week. Walking away costs at least the $250 minimum fee and your account. ## The Terms of Use: as is, a $100 cap and arbitration The Terms of Use, effective 14 August 2026, call Cars & Bids “a marketplace only,” with the sale contract formed between the seller and the winning bidder. It does not supervise their transaction, its site comes “as-is” and “as available,” and amended terms take effect as soon as they are posted. Its total liability is capped at the greater of $100 or what you paid or owe it in the 12 months before the claim. In a dispute with another user you release Cars & Bids, which is “under no obligation to become involved,” and a bidder cannot enforce the Terms against a seller directly. Any claim must begin within one year. Disputes with Cars & Bids run in sequence: written notice and 60 days of negotiation, then JAMS mediation in San Diego, then, if mediation has not settled it within 90 days, binding arbitration before a single JAMS arbitrator in San Diego, under the Federal Arbitration Act and California law. Each side bears its own costs and lawyers’ fees, though Cars & Bids pays fees where the law requires it. Class actions and jury trials are waived, and if 10 or more similar demands come from the same lawyers, some may go first as bellwether cases while the rest wait. You can opt out by written notice “within thirty (30) days of your first acceptance of these Terms.” If you want to keep the right to go to court, send it when you register. Separately, the Privacy Policy, also effective 14 August 2026, says bid amounts and bidder identification are shared with the public, and lists driver’s license photos among the identifiers it may collect. ## Where Cars & Bids’ own documents disagree Where these differ, the Terms of Use and PAL’s terms are the contracts; the rest is description. **Points where Cars & Bids’ documents differ (all read 16 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Listing fee for sellers | FAQ: listing is “completely free” | Terms of Use: a Listing fee “consistent with the fee structure shown upon submission” | | Deals after an unmet reserve | FAQ: “Only the high bidder is eligible” | Terms of Use: the car may go to “one or more other Bidders” | | How many auctions | FAQ: “40,000+ auctions” | SafePay and Shipping pages: 36K+ auctions completed | | Size of the card hold | FAQ: 5% of “your bid amount”; elsewhere 5% of your initial bid, $250 to $7,500 | Terms of Use: equal to the buyer’s fee; whether it grows with later bids is not said | | Shipping damage | Shipping page: “fully-insured”; FAQ: “we will open a claim” | PAL’s terms: PAL is not liable; claim against the carrier, reported within 24 hours | | Shipping price | Shipping page: “the price you see is the price you pay” | PAL’s terms: extra fees if order details are wrong; 1.5% a month on unpaid invoices | | Cancelling a shipment | FAQ: allowed until a driver is en route, by phone or email | PAL’s terms: by email only; at least $100 once a carrier is dispatched | | Where bidding starts | What’s Cars & Bids?: auctions “start from $0” | FAQ: a minimum bid of $100 to start | ## Before you bid: a checklist Cars & Bids is one of several enthusiast marketplaces we read in the same week, each against its own terms: see [Bring a Trailer](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/), [Hemmings](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/) and the [AutoTempest](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autotempest-review/) listing search. Salvage and dealer auctions work differently; see our [Copart](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/), [IAA](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/), [AutoBidMaster](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/) and [CarMax auction](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/) guides. Selling instead? Start with [where to sell a car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/where-to-sell-a-car/). - **Read the listing and its free history report,** then check the VIN yourself: [title brands](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/), [mileage](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/), [accidents](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-accident-check/), NICB’s free theft and total-loss lookup, and [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/). - **Get the car inspected before you bid,** at your cost. Cars & Bids inspects nothing. - **Ask the seller** what the listing does not cover, including liens, whether the title is in hand, and when the car can be collected. - **Work out the fee:** 5% of your top bid, never under $250 or over $7,500, held on your card from your first bid. - **Line up the money** to pay in full within a week: loan approval before bidding, a wire or cashier’s check, or SafePay if both of you are in the US. - **Price the shipping first,** and note any damage on the bill of lading before you sign for the car. - **Check you can register the car** where you live, and budget for tax and DMV fees. - **Decide on arbitration** when you sign up: the opt-out window is 30 days. - **Set your limit and keep it.** No proxy bidding, a late bid adds a minute, and a winning bid cannot be withdrawn. ## Common questions ### How much does Cars & Bids charge buyers? A buyer’s fee of 5% of the winning bid, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum, paid to Cars & Bids on top of the price you pay the seller. It is charged to your card when the auction closes and is non-refundable: $1,000 on a $20,000 car, by our arithmetic. Taxes, registration, shipping and any SafePay fee are extra. ### How much does Cars & Bids charge the seller? Its FAQ says listing is free and sellers keep 100% of the sale price. Optional photo shoots cost $199 or $329, and SafePay is $198 in total, plus $99 with a loan, which buyer and seller can split. The Terms also allow a listing fee shown at submission and a cancellation fee if a seller backs out, so confirm costs in writing before you submit. ### Who owns Cars & Bids, and does Doug DeMuro still own it? Cars & Bids credits Doug DeMuro and a team with creating it; the company you contract with is Cars and Bids, LLC of San Diego. The Chernin Group lists it as a current portfolio company and names DeMuro and Blake Machado as co-founders. Neither company publishes who holds what share, so we cannot say how much DeMuro still owns. ### Is Cars & Bids legit? It trades under published terms through a named company, with named partners for payment (KeySavvy) and shipping (Preowned Auto Logistics, an active FMCSA-registered broker). We found no regulator or court action in a first-page search, though dockets were not searched and the BBB blocked our requests. Whether a given car is sound is a separate question: Cars & Bids does not inspect or verify what sellers say, so your own checks decide that. ### What happens if you win a Cars & Bids auction and don’t pay? You lose the buyer’s fee already charged to your card, and the FAQ says you are permanently banned. The Terms also let Cars & Bids terminate your account and claim damages, including an amount equal to the lost buyer’s fee. ### How long do Cars & Bids auctions last? Seven days, but every bid in the final minute resets the clock to one minute, so an auction closes only after a full minute with no new bid. Reserve prices stay hidden until the close. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [NICB VINCheck](https://www.nicb.org/vincheck) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/ --- title: "Hemmings: How Its Auctions, Make Offer and Classifieds Work" description: "Hemmings is a listing marketplace, not a dealer. Its 5% buyer fee ($500 to $10,000), 7-day auction rules, Pay + Title, shipping and terms, read 16 Oct 2026." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Hemmings: How Its Auctions, Make Offer and Classifieds Work > Hemmings is a listing marketplace, not a dealer. Its 5% buyer fee ($500 to $10,000), 7-day auction rules, Pay + Title, shipping and terms, read 16 Oct 2026. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,912 words* ## The short version - Hemmings is a listing marketplace, not the seller. Its Terms say it “IS NOT A BROKER OR DEALER,” holds no title and does not transfer ownership; the sale, and any dispute, is between buyer and seller. - Its own listings come three ways: Hemmings Auctions (7-day online auctions), Make Offer listings (offers lapse after 48 hours) and classified ads (you call or email the seller). Dealers list there too. - Buyers pay Hemmings 5% on an auction win or accepted offer, at least $500 and at most $10,000. Bids and offers cannot be withdrawn. No buyer fee is printed for classified ads. - Sellers pay $99.95 for an accepted auction or a Make Offer listing and $179.95 for a classified ad; an auction seller who cancels after agreeing the reserve owes $1,000 ($500 with no reserve). - Payment, title and shipping are left to buyer and seller. Optional partner services: Pay + Title at a flat $299, run through KeySavvy as a dealer, and shipping by National Transport Services. - American City Business Journals has owned Hemmings since April 2002. Claims against Hemmings go to individual arbitration unless you opt out in writing within 30 days. Hemmings is the collector-car marketplace and publisher that grew out of Hemmings Motor News, a classified sheet first printed in 1954. Today hemmings.com runs its own online auctions, Make Offer listings, classified ads and dealer listings, alongside the monthly magazine. On 16 October 2026 we read its [Marketplace Terms of Service](https://www.hemmings.com/auctions/user-agreement) (updated 18 April 2024), the ACBJ User Agreement those terms fold in (revised 13 August 2024), its auction, Make Offer and classified FAQs, the seller package page, its fraud page, the Pay + Title, shipping and financing pages and its About page. We bid on nothing, listed nothing and have no commercial relationship with Hemmings or any company named here. **Figure: What happens at each step of buying on Hemmings** A two-column table of seven buyer actions on Hemmings and what Hemmings’ own pages say follows: a 5% card hold with each auction bid and no cancelling, a two-minute reset for late bids, a buyer’s fee of 5% with a $500 minimum and $10,000 maximum on a win, Make Offer offers that cannot be withdrawn and lapse after 48 hours, classified ads with no printed buyer fee, an optional $299 Pay + Title service with wires required above $50k, and Terms that leave buyer-seller disputes to the two parties. Read from Hemmings’ auction and Make Offer FAQs, seller package page, Pay + Title page and Marketplace Terms of Service on 16 October 2026. ## What Hemmings is, what its terms say it is not, and who owns it The Terms call Hemmings Marketplace “an information and listing marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers of classic automobiles and other motor vehicles, parts, and services.” The company you contract with is “Hemmings Motor News, a d/b/a of American City Business Journals, Inc.” The paragraph a buyer most needs is printed in capitals. The marketplace “ACTS ONLY AS A WAY FOR BUYERS AND SELLERS TO MEET,” and “THE ACTUAL CONTRACT FOR SALE IS DIRECTLY BETWEEN THE SELLER AND BUYER.” Hemmings “IS NOT A BROKER OR DEALER,” does not “CALL BIDS AT A LIVE AUCTION,” “DOES NOT TRANSFER TITLE OR LEGAL OWNERSHIP” and “HOLDS NO INVENTORY.” It does not guarantee “the existence, quality, representations of seller, safety or legality of Items advertised,” nor “that a buyer or seller will actually complete a transaction.” Any price or condition guidance on the site “is solely informational.” In practice a Hemmings purchase is a private or dealer sale that Hemmings introduced. The protections are the ones you build in yourself. ### Who owns Hemmings By its About page, Ernest Hemmings founded Hemmings Motor News in 1954 in Quincy, Illinois. In the late 1960s publisher Terry Ehrich and partners bought it and moved it to Vermont; it is still based in Bennington. Then: “Hemmings was acquired in April 2002 by American City Business Journals Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, following the death of Terry Ehrich.” Nothing we read records a later sale. Every hemmings.com page carries “© 2026 American City Business Journals,” the Terms name ACBJ as the contracting company, and ACBJ’s own site lists Hemmings among its brands. By our arithmetic that is 24 years of ACBJ ownership. We name no parent above ACBJ: none of the ACBJ pages we read states one. The current print title, by the About page, is Hemmings Motor News & Marketplace, and the package page says classified ads reach “more than 165,000 Hemmings Motor News subscribers.” For the online auction sites built around enthusiast cars, see our [Bring a Trailer review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/) and [Cars & Bids review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/), each read from that company’s own terms. Live auction houses work differently again; our [Mecum review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mecum-auction/) reads one of them. ## The ways a car is sold on Hemmings Which route a car is listed under decides who you deal with, what you pay Hemmings and how fast you must commit. **How each Hemmings sale route works for the buyer, from Hemmings’ package page, FAQs and dealer and calendar pages, read 16 October 2026** | Route | How the buyer engages | Hemmings fee to the buyer | How long it runs | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Hemmings Auctions | Online bidding with a credit card on file | 5% of the winning bid, minimum $500, maximum $10,000 | 7 days, plus two-minute extensions | | Make Offer listing | Offers and counteroffers online | 5% of the accepted offer, same minimum and maximum | Up to 6 months, or until sold | | Classified ad | Phone or email to the seller | None printed | Online up to 6 months; in the magazine for 1 month | | Dealer listing | Directly with the dealer, on the dealer’s terms | None printed on the pages we read | Not printed on the pages we read | | Partner live auction | On the auction house’s own site | Not Hemmings’; each house sets its own | The auction house’s schedule | **Hemmings Auctions** is the curated route, which the package page calls “our premier, highly selective online auction house.” Hemmings picks the cars, writes the listings and helps set a reserve; if bids miss it, the car becomes a Make Offer listing. **Make Offer** listings belong to the seller, who controls “photos, description, and asking price,” and “Multiple buyers can make offers and try to out-raise each other.” **Classified ads**, sold “since 1954,” run online and in the magazine, and “Interested buyers will have to email or call you”; Hemmings is out of the deal from the first call. **Dealer listings** sit in a Dealer Showroom that invites dealers to “Checkout with the premium package selected” to be featured, so placement there is paid. A dealer sale runs on the dealer’s paperwork and your state’s dealer rules; our guide to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/) covers what crosses a state line. **Partner live auctions** appear on an “Upcoming Live Auctions” calendar that links each sale to the auction house’s own site and terms, which we did not read. Nothing below about Hemmings’ fees applies to them. ## Buyer and seller fees, exactly as printed Hemmings puts most of the cost on the buyer. “For every Auction and Make Offer vehicle sold, the vehicle’s buyer pays Hemmings a 5% fee,” the package page says, and “This fee enables us to charge you less,” meaning the seller. These are the standing fees printed on 16 October 2026; nothing shown as a promotion is included. **Hemmings marketplace fees as printed on its FAQ, package page, Pay + Title page and Terms of Service, read 16 October 2026** | Who pays | Fee | Amount as printed | When | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Buyer | Buyer’s fee, Auctions and Make Offer | 5% of the price, minimum $500, maximum $10,000 (reached at a $200,000 sale) | Charged to the card on file when you win or your offer is accepted | | Buyer | Card hold while bidding or offering | 5% of the bid or offer, minimum $500, maximum $10,000 | Released if you do not win | | Buyer, by default | Pay + Title (optional) | Flat $299, can be split with the seller | Refunded if the deal is cancelled before pickup | | Seller | Auction listing | $99.95 | Only if Hemmings accepts the car | | Seller | Make Offer listing | $99.95, or free for Hemmings Motor Club members | Per listing | | Seller | Classified ad | $179.95 | Per listing | | Seller | Auction cancellation | $1,000 with a reserve, $500 with no reserve | If the seller cancels after agreeing, even before the car is listed | **What 5% costs.** By our arithmetic, with example prices we chose: on an $8,000 car, 5% is $400, so the $500 minimum applies, 6.25% of the price. A $20,000 car pays $1,000 and a $60,000 car $3,000. On a $300,000 car, 5% would be $15,000, so the $10,000 cap applies, 3.33% of the price. The minimum sets the fee on any sale under $10,000. Add the whole $299 Pay + Title fee to a $20,000 purchase and Hemmings-side charges reach $1,299, 6.5% of the price, before tax, title, registration and shipping. **The fee survives a collapsed deal.** The Terms have you agree “to pay Hemmings the buyers fee of 5% if your bid or offer is accepted, regardless of whether you ultimately complete the purchase of the vehicle in question.” Do your checks before you bid. **No seller add-ons.** Listed prices exclude “government fees and taxes, registration and titling fees,” which the buyer pays. But sellers “shall not charge the buyer additional fees over and above the bid or listing price such as ‘dealer fees’, ‘document fees’, etc.” Hemmings may change buyer fees “by posting the changes,” and the bidding screen shows “your full cost, including Hemmings fees, before you confirm your bid.” That screen outranks any figure here. ## How a Hemmings auction runs **Registering.** Free. Hemmings asks for “first name, last name, and a unique username” and “a valid credit card on file,” which it says “helps minimize fraudulent activity.” Each bid places “a hold of 5% of that bid (minimum $500 to maximum $10,000),” released when the auction ends if you lose; a $20,000 bid ties up $1,000 of your card limit, by our arithmetic. Bidders outside the US are welcome if Hemmings can process their card. No dealer license is involved, unlike dealer-only wholesale sales such as [CarMax’s auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/). **Getting in.** Sellers submit for free. Hemmings weighs “the description, the photos, and also at our existing inventory and auction history,” and steers cars it declines to a Make Offer or classified listing. An accepted car gets a listing specialist in Vermont and one of Hemmings’ writers, and the seller approves the final text. Hemmings asks sellers to “share any and all known flaws” and reminds them that “the vast majority of bidders won’t see your car in person before they bid.” **The reserve.** “A reserve is the lowest price you will take for your vehicle.” Hemmings researches each car and “relays a specific Reserve recommendation or recommends No Reserve”; the seller may lower or waive it during the auction. Under the Terms, a bid “at or over the reserve price” means the car “is sold to that bidder for that bid amount.” **Seven days and the two-minute rule.** An auction “will begin on a weekday and conclude 7 days later,” a week chosen partly “to allow ample time for an inspection.” “Any bids within the final two minutes of an auction will reset the time remaining in that auction to two minutes,” which Hemmings says “prevents auction ‘sniping.’” The Terms warn that bid updates “may not occur in real time,” another reason not to wait for the last seconds. **No take-backs.** “Can I cancel my bid? ... Nope, bidding is serious business.” A live auction “lasts for the entire scheduled duration, save for a significant change to the vehicle, such as damage or theft,” and the car may not be offered elsewhere from two weeks before the auction to its end. Sellers answer questions in the listing’s comments, and changes to the description are added at the bottom. **After the hammer.** If bidding clears the reserve, Hemmings charges the buyer’s fee, emails both sides “next steps” and shares contact details “following a successful sale.” From then on, the Terms say, buyer and seller must “arrange for payment of the winning bid/sale price and delivery or pick up,” and “It is the buyer’s responsibility to arrange for pick-up.” A car that misses its reserve becomes a Make Offer listing for up to 6 months. ## Make Offer listings and classified ads **Make Offer.** Listings go live within 24 hours and run up to 6 months. Buyers keep a card on file and pay the same 5% fee. The difference is the clock: offers “can’t be canceled but they will expire in 48 hours automatically if not accepted by the seller,” and the seller has the same 48 hours to accept or counter. An offer is a two-day commitment you cannot take back, so inspect first. You can message the seller privately or ask in the public comments; use the private channel for the VIN and paperwork. **Classified ads.** The package table lists “Calls and emails to you from potential buyer” as the buying method and no buyer success fee. The seller pays $179.95; a print Silver listing is limited to 35 words and one photo, while the online ad can carry up to 35 photos. Everything after the first call happens between you and the seller, with no card hold or Hemmings fee in the way, which makes the checks later on this page more important here, not less. ## Payment and title after the sale Once Hemmings has its fee and has swapped contact details, money and paperwork are yours to arrange: “We do not transfer legal ownership of Items from the seller to the buyer.” Hemmings points both sides to an optional service, Hemmings Pay + Title, and says you may instead “arrange payment and transfer of ownership directly with the other party.” **How Pay + Title works.** Hemmings runs it with a partner: “Our partner, KeySavvy, processes transactions as a dealer by buying the vehicle from the seller and selling it to the buyer,” which Hemmings says lets it “verify titles, issue temporary permits, and access DMV data.” By Hemmings’ page: - **Cost:** “a flat $299 fee that is paid by buyers by default,” which the two sides may split, refunded in full if the deal is cancelled “for any reason before the vehicle is picked up.” - **Payment:** most payments are verified “immediately, even on nights and weekends,” but can take “up to one business day.” Above $50k, “the buyer will be required to pay using a wire transfer.” - **Checks:** third-party identity verification of the seller, then “public records, seller-provided information, and DMV records to verify that the seller is the legal owner.” - **Title:** the seller or lienholder sends the title to KeySavvy, which reassigns it to the buyer and ships it “with tracking.” If the seller still has a loan, Pay + Title pays the lienholder and any positive equity to the seller. - **Paperwork and limits:** an e-signed bill of sale stating the car is sold “as-is”; the car needs “a US-based title” and the buyer “a US address”; international SWIFT wires are not accepted. Pay + Title protects the money and the title transfer, not the car: the same page says Hemmings “does not make any guarantees regarding the condition of the vehicle, and third-party inspections are highly recommended.” KeySavvy’s own terms were not part of our reading. If you pay the seller directly, our guides to a [bill of sale](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/) and a [car title transfer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/) cover the paperwork, and the rule is simple: no full payment until you have seen the original title in the seller’s name with the VIN matching the car. **Financing.** The menu also offers financing, but the page says “Hemmings Financing is not a lender” and shares what you enter “with Travelers Financial Solutions, which will manage all financing activity.” A pre-approval can be used “within 60 days of approval,” financed cars need full-coverage insurance, and no rates are printed. For borrowing to buy from a private seller generally, see [private party auto loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the speedometer, the steering wheel and the dash beside the door pillar, each with one fact from Hemmings’ FAQ and Marketplace Terms. Hemmings’ FAQ and Marketplace Terms, read on 16 October 2026: Hemmings’ free CARFAX report on auction cars covers only 1981 and later models (callout 1); Hemmings’ terms: buyer and seller settle disputes directly, without Hemmings (callout 2); Before paying, match the car’s VIN to the title and ask for proof of ownership (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Shipping a car bought on Hemmings The Terms make delivery the buyer’s job: “It is the buyer’s responsibility to arrange for pick-up of the Item,” and “Sellers are not responsible for any shipping or delivery fee.” Hemmings’ own option is Hemmings Shipping, provided by National Transport Services, “Hemmings’ preferred shipping provider.” Its rules, as the page states them: - **The quote is an estimate** “for a standard sized vehicle”; a representative then calls to confirm details and may “adjust any pricing or timing.” - **The bill of lading is the record.** Condition is noted in detail at pickup and the same document is presented at delivery. “Any damage claims not reported to National Transport Services within 48 hours of delivery will not be covered by insurance.” - **Someone “18 years or older”** must be present at both ends to inspect and sign. - **Dates are estimates.** Haulers “typically travel 400-500 miles per day”; by our arithmetic a 2,000-mile haul is four to five days on the road once loaded, not counting the wait for a truck. - **Coverage:** “within the continental US only (49 states including Alaska)”; enclosed transport is offered. - **With Pay + Title**, the seller will not release the car until your payment is verified and the bill of sale e-signed, and the seller is paid when the shipper picks the car up, provided KeySavvy already has the title. Whatever carrier you use, look it up on the federal motor-carrier records before paying a deposit; our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) shows how, and explains brokers versus carriers. ## Hemmings’ fraud rules, as it publishes them Hemmings’ fraud page starts from the market it serves (“A lot of money changes hands in the collector car world”) and admits there is “no surefire way” for Hemmings to stop fraudsters answering ads. It says 99% of the frauds it describes take one of four forms: a price “too good to be true”; “a sense of urgency”; a buyer who sends a seller “a forged cashier’s check for more than the agreed amount”; and a seller who “instructs buyer to wire, credit or mail a deposit to hold the car.” **A deposit to “hold the car” is the pattern Hemmings names for buyers.** Its page tells buyers to “VERIFY the car or parts exist prior to purchase” and to “Ask for documentation of ownership.” In Hemmings’ own auction and Make Offer flows, the only money Hemmings takes before a sale is a 5% card hold (the package page calls it a deposit); the car’s price goes to the seller, directly or through Pay + Title, after the sale. Do not send money for the car to a seller whose ownership you have not checked. The rest of the page, in brief: - **Checks are not cash.** If a forged cashier’s check bounces after you wire part of it onward, “you are still responsible for that money.” - **Verify:** inspect “in person or send a representative,” and ask for photos showing a recent date and the seller’s contact details. - **Avoid** offers that “Involve a 3rd party” or move money through your account. - **Secure the payment** through Pay + Title or “an escrow service like Escrow.com.” - **Guard your details:** “Hemmings will never email you to ask for your password.” - **If it happens:** file a complaint with the FBI (the link goes to the Internet Crime Complaint Center) and tell the site where the listing ran. The card-on-file rule screens bidders and offer-makers, not sellers, and a classified sale has no Hemmings payment step at all. That is why the VIN and ownership checks below matter most there. ## Terms of use, disputes and arbitration Two documents bind a Hemmings user: the Marketplace Terms of Service and ACBJ’s general User Agreement, which the Terms fold in. The site footer says using or registering “constitutes acceptance” of both, and Hemmings “may amend the ToS at any time” by posting a new version. **Disputes with the other party.** “All disputes between buyers and sellers are to be resolved directly by such parties, without the involvement of Hemmings,” and “Hemmings has no obligation to intervene.” It may choose to help. A separate release clause goes further: in a dispute with another user, “you release us” from claims “of every kind and nature, known and unknown.” Hemmings also disclaims losses from other users’ listings, including “allegedly fake Items.” If a car arrives with problems its listing hid, your claim is against the seller, which is why your written messages about the car, its VIN and its title matter. **Rules that help buyers.** Users may not “manipulate the price of any Item or interfere with any other user’s listings” (on our reading, that reaches shill bidding) or post “false, inaccurate, misleading, deceptive” content, and Hemmings may “limit, suspend, or terminate” abusers’ accounts. An auction seller who swaps contact details to sell outside Hemmings Auctions “may be liable to pay the buyer fee,” so a seller proposing a private deal mid-auction is breaking the rules you are relying on. **Disputes with Hemmings itself** run through the ACBJ User Agreement: - **Informal step first:** a written description of the claim by email; if it is not resolved within 60 days, formal resolution follows. - **Individual arbitration** before National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM), under the Federal Arbitration Act and New York law, held in your county or in New York, New York. Either side may use small claims court instead. - **Under $10,000:** ACBJ will “reimburse you for filing fees you pay to NAM,” and the case is decided on documents unless the arbitrator wants a hearing. - **Limits:** claims must be filed “WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR”; class actions and punitive or consequential damages are waived; billing errors must be raised within 30 days; unpaid fees can draw a 1.5 percent late charge. - **Opt-out:** write to ACBJ “WITHIN 30 DAYS” of first use with your name, address, the service and a clear statement that you reject arbitration. The User Agreement adds that ACBJ “MAY RECEIVE A COMMISSION, FEE, AND/OR OTHER COMPENSATION ON SOME PURCHASES MADE ON, THROUGH, OR LINKED FROM THE SERVICE.” Hemmings’ Services menu links shipping, Pay + Title, financing, insurance and, under “Inspections,” the Lemon Squad site with a “Hemmings Partnership” tracking tag. Treat those as partners and compare them like any other provider; our [Lemon Squad review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/) reads that company’s own terms. The same agreement bars “any bots, cheats, macros, scripts” and scraping for any purpose but search indexing, and hemmings.com’s robots.txt blocks several AI crawlers by name and disallows paths such as /search/ and the auction index. So we read each Hemmings and ACBJ page once by hand, requested no disallowed path and quote only short passages. ## Checking an older car’s VIN and history before you pay The Terms put the homework on you: you are responsible for “performing all due diligence of the physical condition and title of the Item,” and Hemmings recommends you “physically inspect the Item before purchasing.” The report Hemmings supplies will not reach most classics. Its free CARFAX report comes only with cars “accepted for auction,” and only for “1981 and later vehicles”; cars listed directly as classified, dealer or Make Offer listings get none from Hemmings. The 1981 cut-off is the model year the modern standardized VIN began, as our classic VIN guide explains, and NHTSA’s own decoder answers an earlier year with “Invalid Year Submitted – Pre-1981 Year Decode Attempt.” For an older car, you check the car against its paperwork: 1. **Get the VIN and documents before you bid.** Ask through Contact Seller or the comments for a clear photo of the VIN plate or tag, the front of the title and any trim or data tag. Hemmings’ own advice: “Ask for documentation of ownership.” 2. **Decode it the classic way.** Older VINs follow each maker’s own pattern, so a modern decoder rejects or misreads them. Our [classic car VIN decoder guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/classic-car-vin-decoder/) covers where the number sits, what the trim tag adds and what “numbers matching” proves; for trucks, see [buying a classic pickup](https://baronauto1.com/truck-buying-tips/buying-a-classic-pickup/). 3. **Match title, car and seller.** The title’s VIN should match the plate character for character and carry the seller’s name. A [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) searches NMVTIS, the federal title database, for brands; see [branded titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-branded-title/). 4. **Rule out theft and re-tagging.** A replaced or re-riveted VIN plate on a valuable classic is a reason to stop and ask. See [how to check if a car is stolen](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-if-a-car-is-stolen/). 5. **For 1981 and later cars, run the history:** [how to check a used car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/), our [free VIN check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/) and the [odometer check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/). 6. **Inspect, or send someone.** Hemmings says buyers “should inspect vehicles before bidding.” Our guides to a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) and a [mobile inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/) cover what to ask for from a distance. ### Before you bid, offer or send money on Hemmings - **Know the route.** Auction or Make Offer: 5% buyer’s fee ($500 minimum, $10,000 maximum) and no withdrawals. Classified ad: no buyer fee printed and no Hemmings process. - **Get the VIN, a title photo and proof of ownership** in writing before you commit. - **Match plate, title and seller**, and check the title for brands. - **Inspect inside the auction week**, or before you make an offer you cannot withdraw for 48 hours. - **Price in the extras:** buyer’s fee, any Pay + Title fee, tax, title, registration and shipping. - **Never send a deposit to “hold the car”** to a seller you have not verified. - **Record the car’s condition on the bill of lading** and report shipping damage within 48 hours of delivery. ## Where Hemmings’ own documents disagree - **Is a bid binding?** The Terms say twice that “A bid or offer initiates a non-binding transaction” and “does not create a formal contract,” yet also that a bid at or over the reserve means the car “is sold to that bidder,” that an accepted bid or offer is “a binding sale,” and that the fee is owed even if you never complete the purchase. Treat every bid as final. - **Fee limits.** The Terms print a flat “buyers fee of 5%” with no minimum or maximum; the FAQ and package notes add the $500 minimum and $10,000 maximum. - **Financing, titling and escrow.** The Terms say Hemmings does not offer financing, “REGISTRATION/TITLING, OR TRANSFER ESCROW SERVICES,” while the menu sells “Financing” and “Pay + Title Assistance.” Partners do that work: KeySavvy as a dealer, Travelers Financial Solutions for loans. - **“No-risk” for sellers.** The FAQ calls Hemmings Auctions “the only ‘No-Risk’ auction in the business”; the Terms charge a seller who cancels after agreeing the reserve $1,000, about ten times the listing fee by our arithmetic. - **Auction house or venue.** Marketing says “online auction house”; the Terms say Hemmings “IS ALSO NOT A TRADITIONAL AUCTIONEER.” The contract governs. - **The Make Offer hold.** One FAQ answer bases it on “5% of the vehicle asking price,” the next on “5% of that offer.” - **Help when things go wrong.** The FAQ promises “We will stick around to support you”; the Terms say Hemmings “has no obligation to intervene.” - **Audience.** ACBJ’s undated brand page claims print publications “reaching 410,000 subscribers” and names Hemmings Muscle Machines and Hemmings Classic Car; Hemmings’ own pages say “more than 165,000” subscribers and name one title. We use Hemmings’ current figures. ## Common questions ### Is Hemmings a real company, and does it stand behind the cars? It is a long-running publisher and marketplace, founded in 1954 and owned by American City Business Journals since April 2002. It does not stand behind the cars: its Terms say it does not guarantee “the existence, quality, representations of seller, safety or legality” of listings and that buyer-seller disputes are settled “without the involvement of Hemmings.” ### How much does Hemmings charge a buyer? On auctions and Make Offer sales, 5% of the price, minimum $500, maximum $10,000 (reached at a $200,000 sale), charged when you win or your offer is accepted. Classified ads carry no printed buyer fee. Pay + Title, if used, is a flat $299 that buyers pay by default. Taxes and title fees are extra; seller dealer or document fees are barred. ### Can I back out of a Hemmings bid or offer? No. The FAQ answers “Can I cancel my bid?” with “Nope,” and offers “can’t be canceled,” though they lapse after 48 hours if not accepted. Once you win or an offer is accepted, the 5% fee is due “regardless of whether you ultimately complete the purchase.” ### How do Hemmings auctions end? Each runs 7 days from a weekday start, and any bid in the final two minutes resets the clock to two minutes. At or over the reserve, the car sells to the top bidder; below it, the car becomes a Make Offer listing for up to 6 months. ### Who owns Hemmings? American City Business Journals, Inc., of Charlotte, North Carolina, which acquired it in April 2002 after the death of publisher Terry Ehrich. The Terms name the contracting company as “Hemmings Motor News, a d/b/a of American City Business Journals, Inc.” ### Does Hemmings handle payment, title and shipping? Not itself. Buyer and seller arrange payment and pickup. Hemmings offers optional partner services: Pay + Title, where KeySavvy buys the car from the seller and sells it to you as a dealer, and shipping by National Transport Services, which requires damage to be reported within 48 hours of delivery. ## Sources and further reading - [NHTSA VIN decoder](https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/) - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/ --- title: "AutoTempest Review: What It Searches and What It Leaves to You" description: "AutoTempest searches 19 partner sites and links to craigslist and Facebook, but sells no cars. What its terms, privacy policy and help center say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autotempest-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # AutoTempest Review: What It Searches and What It Leaves to You > AutoTempest searches 19 partner sites and links to craigslist and Facebook, but sells no cars. What its terms, privacy policy and help center say. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,931 words* ## The short version - AutoTempest is a search engine for car listings, not a seller. Its terms say “We do not sell any vehicles ourselves,” so you buy from the dealer or private seller who placed the ad, under the terms of the site that carries it. - Its privacy policy names 19 listing partners, among them eBay, Cars.com, Carvana, CarGurus and TrueCar. For craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Autotrader it only builds search links, and it says it “can’t actually ‘see’ those pages.” - Its terms take “no responsibility for” the accuracy of any listing and say anything you find through it is “at your own risk.” They contain no arbitration clause and no dollar cap, only your agreement not to hold its owners responsible. - Advertising is the only revenue source its pages name in words. Its selling, insurance and trade-in pages send you to named partners, and no page says whether those partners pay it. - Searching shares your IP address with ad and listing partners, and the page address they receive can include your ZIP code and filters. A contact form sends your name, email and phone to the partner. A separate version, donotshare.autotempest.com, loads no tracking ads or images. - Use it to find a car, then check everything yourself: open the listing on the site that carries it, match the VIN, check the title and the seller, and get an inspection before you travel or pay. AutoTempest’s own terms say “we strongly recommend you do due diligence on any vehicle before purchasing.” Yes, AutoTempest is a legitimate car search engine. Its About page says it has been running since 2008. It does not sell, list or vouch for cars: it gathers listings from other sites, and its own terms leave every check on the car and the seller to you. On 16 October 2026 we read its Legal & Privacy page (last updated May 25, 2026), its About, How AutoTempest Works, Partners, Sell Your Car, Contact, insurance and trade-in pages, all 10 articles in its help center and two of its 2015 blog guides: 21 pages in all. Its terms bar automated access, so we opened each page once by hand, and as its robots.txt asks, we used nothing from the one page marked noindex. We ran no search and typed no ZIP code, make, model or contact detail. This site has no commercial relationship with AutoTempest or any site it searches. **Figure: What each thing you see on AutoTempest means, by AutoTempest’s own pages** A seven-row table reading what a shopper sees on AutoTempest against AutoTempest’s own pages: a car shown on AutoTempest with a contact form came from a listing partner, and the form sends your name, email and phone to that partner for the seller; a result that opens another site hands you to that site and its privacy policy; links to craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Autotrader are searches on sites it has no partnership with and cannot see; filters those sites lack are mapped, dropped or turned into keywords; listing details come from other sources and AutoTempest takes no responsibility for their accuracy; ad partners such as Google and Amazon receive your IP address and may set cookies; and donotshare.autotempest.com loads no tracking ads or images but cannot contact sellers for you. Read from AutoTempest’s Legal & Privacy page (last updated May 25, 2026), How AutoTempest Works page and help center on 16 October 2026. No search was run and nothing was entered. ## Is AutoTempest legit? What it is and who runs it AutoTempest describes itself in one line of its [Legal section](https://www.autotempest.com/legal): “AutoTempest.com is a search engine for vehicle for-sale listings. We do not sell any vehicles ourselves; we only provide a service to help users find vehicles for sale from other sources.” Its [About page](https://www.autotempest.com/about) says it was built to save shoppers time “by gathering results from all the top used car websites such as eBay Motors, Cars.com, TrueCar, Carvana, Cars & Bids and more.” It adds that it is “NOT affiliated with craigslist or AutoTrader,” and every page footer adds Kijiji to that list. The About page says “We’ve been around since 2008,” 18 years by our arithmetic. Its founder and CEO, Nathan Stretch, started the site “solo back in 2008.” The page lists 12 people (our count), from the founder to junior web developers. It describes one developer’s job as “organizing and coordinating listings that are imported from all partner shopping sites,” which is a fair summary of what the business does. Searchers often ask who owns AutoTempest. None of the pages we read names a company, a legal entity, a street address or a country. The Legal section refers only to “the owner(s) or affiliate(s) of AutoTempest.com.” The [Contact page](https://www.autotempest.com/contact) offers a feedback page, the help center, a support form and an email address, and prints no phone number or postal address. We did not search company registries, so we name only the founder and CEO the About page names. The About page also claims: “Nowhere else will you find more listings in one place.” AutoTempest publishes no count to check it against, only “millions of listings from dealers and private sellers.” Treat it as marketing. A legitimate search engine can still show you a false listing, and AutoTempest’s terms make no promise otherwise. Our guide to [finding a used car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-find-a-used-car/#cast-wide) explains why searching several channels at once helps; this page covers what changes when one site does that searching for you. ## What websites does AutoTempest search? The fullest list is in the privacy policy, not on the page called How AutoTempest Works: “We have partnered with the following sites to provide you with vehicle listings: SearchTempest.com, eBay, Detroit Trading, Cars.com, CarsDirect, Lotlinx, CarSoup, AutoWeb, Carvana, VAST, Hemmings, PrivateAuto, Sotheby’s Motorsport, Rythmic, Cars & Bids, BuyTheCar, Speed Shift Media, CarGurus, and TrueCar.” That is 19 names. The Legal section explains the mix: it partners with “companies that aggregate vehicle for sale listings from dealers and private sellers, such as Cars.com, eBay, Detroit Trading, and others, as well as companies that sell their own inventory, such as Carvana.” A second group is linked, not searched. How AutoTempest Works says: “We’re not partnered with craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or Autotrader, but to save you time, we also link to their results matching your search.” The help center adds CarGurus to the sites it links to without showing their cars. That conflicts with the privacy policy’s partner list, as the table further down shows. **Where AutoTempest’s results come from, by its own pages (read 16 October 2026)** | Source group | Named by AutoTempest | How it reaches you | | --- | --- | --- | | Listing partners (privacy policy) | 19 sites, from SearchTempest.com and eBay to CarGurus and TrueCar | Some display on AutoTempest; others send you to their own site | | Aggregators of dealer and private listings (Legal) | Cars.com, eBay, Detroit Trading “and others” | Listings pass through the aggregator before AutoTempest | | Sellers of their own stock (Legal) | Carvana | The company is the seller | | Linked, no partnership (How AutoTempest Works) | craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Autotrader | Search links only; AutoTempest cannot see the results | | Comparison links only (help center) | Autotrader, CarGurus, Facebook Marketplace, craigslist | “their listings are not shown directly in our results” | Nobody can list a car on AutoTempest itself. A help article for dealers says: “To list dealer inventory on AutoTempest, please contact one of our partner sites, such as Cars.com or Truecar.” Private sellers are told AutoTempest does not “offer direct listing services”, and that a car listed with a partner may take up to 24 hours to appear. So every car you see was placed on another site first. For the partners this site has reviewed, see our pages on [CarGurus](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cargurus-review/), [TrueCar](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/truecar-review/), [Carvana](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carvana-review/), [Hemmings](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/) and [Cars & Bids](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/). Each sets its own rules for the cars it carries. ## How a listing reaches AutoTempest: three kinds of result AutoTempest’s pages describe three kinds of result, and each sends your details somewhere different. **Cars shown on AutoTempest.** The privacy policy says “Some of these partners provide us with vehicle details to display entirely on AutoTempest.com.” When such a car opens on an autotempest.com page, AutoTempest offers a contact form. It collects “your name, phone number, and email address” and sends them “to the partner who provided the vehicle listing, in order to forward it to the seller.” Your message passes through two companies before the seller reads it. The same policy says AutoTempest shows the dealer’s details on these pages, so “you can use the dealer’s information to contact them directly” instead. **Cars that open on a partner’s site.** “Other partners prefer that we link from our search results to vehicle detail pages on their websites,” the policy says, giving cars.com and ebay.com as examples. Once you click, you are on that site, under its terms and its privacy policy: “AutoTempest’s privacy policy does not apply to any interactions that occur on third party websites.” **Comparison links.** For sites it has no deal with, AutoTempest builds links that run your search there. The help center explains the catch: “we don’t have any way to know whether each link actually has results matching your search. (AutoTempest can’t actually ‘see’ those pages.)” For craigslist it generates a link for each region in your search area. It warns that craigslist “only deals in keywords”, so a search for “a 1998-2002 car” can match “an ad where someone has listed their ride for $2000.” Filters do not always carry across. AutoTempest says it does its “best to map your AutoTempest search parameters to compatible filters” on linked sites, which it does not control. On Facebook Marketplace, “when searching with keywords, filters other than price can’t be used (such as make, model, transmission, body style, etc.),” and “On mobile you are essentially limited to searching by keywords only.” That is why a comparison link can show cars outside your price or mileage range. Of the help center’s 3 advanced keyword tools, one excludes words with a minus sign, and its own example excludes “salvage title”. That removes only ads that use the phrase, so check the title yourself; our guide to [salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) explains the brand. Timing cuts both ways. A help article says a car listed with a partner “may take up to 24 hours to appear in our results.” No page we read says how quickly a car that has sold, or been pulled, disappears. Treat every AutoTempest result as a copy of someone else’s advert that may be a day or more behind the original. ## What AutoTempest does not do: sell, inspect or handle the money Its pages confirm in words that it does not sell or list cars; on inspection and payment they are silent. **What AutoTempest’s own pages say about selling, inspecting and payment (read 16 October 2026)** | Question | What its pages say | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Does it sell cars? | No: “We do not sell any vehicles ourselves” | Legal section | | Can you list a car with it? | No: it does not “offer direct listing services”; dealers and private sellers go through partners | Help center | | Does it inspect or vet cars or sellers? | Not stated either way. No page describes any inspection, verification or vetting; the terms take “no responsibility for” listing accuracy | Legal section | | Does it take deposits or payments? | Not stated either way. No page describes AutoTempest holding money; the escrow and identity checks on its Sell page are other companies’ services | Legal section; Sell page | The terms cover everything after the click in one sentence: AutoTempest “has no control over, and takes no responsibility for, anything that happens during the process of purchasing or attempting to purchase a vehicle.” Its pages make no claim that anyone at AutoTempest has seen the car, checked the seller or held your money. **A listing found through a search engine carries no checks of its own.** AutoTempest says all its listings “come from other sources” and that it has “no control over” their accuracy. A price far below the market, a seller who will only text, or a request for a deposit before you see the car are reasons to stop, wherever the ad first appeared. Our list of [seller red flags](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-red-flags/#seller) covers the common patterns. Another listings search, owned by CarGurus, is covered in our [Autolist review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autolist-review/). ## How AutoTempest makes money, as far as its pages say None of the pages we read mentions a fee for shoppers. They describe several commercial relationships, but name only one, advertising, as a source of money. **Advertising.** “We have also partnered with several companies to provide advertisements. These include Google, Amazon, IndexExchange, Improve Digital, and AppNexus,” the privacy policy says: 5 named ad partners. Its ads.txt file, which it cites for the full list, was empty when we requested it. The policy says third-party ad networks may use cookies and web beacons “to build a profile in order to provide relevant advertisements to you across multiple websites,” and that AutoTempest “has no access to or control over these cookies.” **Partner tools.** AutoTempest’s insurance page offers quotes from “our car insurance partners”, naming Liberty Mutual and Kanetix. Its trade-in page says “Our partner Carvana will give you an actual quote in minutes.” Its [Sell Your Car page](https://www.autotempest.com/sell) lists 7 services: PrivateAuto, Cars.com, Carvana, Hemmings, Cars & Bids, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. It gives a code, AUTOTEMPEST, that waives PrivateAuto’s listing fee, and says “In our experience, Carvana is one of the most hassle-free options for selling your car.” **Links that pass through AutoTempest.** In the Sell page’s HTML, all 8 “Learn more” links point to addresses on autotempest.com under /external/, not straight to the other company. So do the links to AutoCheck and CarFax in its 2015 guide to avoiding lemons. Routing links this way usually lets a site count the clicks it sends. AutoTempest does not say whether any of these companies pays it, and we did not follow the links. **Creators.** The Partners page lists 17 YouTube creators and channels, introduced as “the creators we support, and who help AutoTempest grow.” The blog’s menu puts the same link more plainly: “the talented creators we work with to promote our brand.” If a car channel you watch recommends AutoTempest, it may be one of them. **New-car quotes.** The site menu offers “Build your ideal new car, then find matches at a dealership near you.” A Google result for “is autotempest legit” on 16 October 2026 listed a page titled “AutoTempest New Car Quote Service” at autotempest.truecar.com. We did not open it: TrueCar’s sites refused our requests when we built our [TrueCar review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/truecar-review/). That review explains, from TrueCar’s own 10-K, how TrueCar runs co-branded car-buying sites for more than 250 partners and shares user information with them. Read any page’s terms before you type your phone number into it. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the phone, the car’s glass and the car’s side, each with one fact from AutoTempest’s Legal & Privacy page. AutoTempest’s Legal & Privacy page, read on 16 October 2026: AutoTempest only finds the car; a dealer or private seller elsewhere sells it (callout 1); AutoTempest urges due diligence: match this VIN to the listing before you travel or pay (callout 2); Its terms take no responsibility for a listing’s accuracy: confirm it on the source site (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What AutoTempest’s terms say about listing accuracy and liability AutoTempest’s terms are short: the “Legal” section at the bottom of its Legal & Privacy page, last updated May 25, 2026. They bind you without a click: “In order to use this website in any way, you must agree to these terms. Use of the website implies agreement to these terms.” They also bar “automated means (including but not limited to bots, scrapers, crawlers, or scripts)” from copying data from its sites without written permission, which is why we read every page by hand. On listings, the key sentence is: “Because all the vehicle listings found on AutoTempest come from other sources, we have no control over, and take no responsibility for, the accuracy or any other aspect of the information contained in those listings, nor the pages we link to.” On the purchase, it disclaims “any interaction between our site’s visitors and our partners or other sites that we link to.” And it sums up: “Basically, anything you find through AutoTempest is your own responsibility and at your own risk. You agree not to hold the owner(s) or affiliate(s) of AutoTempest.com responsible for any damages that may occur, whether directly or indirectly, through your use of this service.” What the section leaves out matters too. We read it in full and found no arbitration clause, no class-action waiver, no governing-law clause, no dollar limit on liability and no fee for shoppers. It names no company you are agreeing with. Whether a promise “not to hold” a site responsible would survive in your state is a legal question we cannot answer; in practice there is no named company and no stated process for a claim. Two of AutoTempest’s listing partners have been reviewed on this site, and their printed terms make a useful comparison. The table below copies what we recorded when we read them; it is not a ranking. **AutoTempest’s Legal section beside the printed terms of two of its listing partners, as this site read them** | Term | AutoTempest (May 25, 2026; read 16 October 2026) | CarGurus (April 10, 2026; read 6 October 2026) | TrueCar (January 23, 2025, archived copy; read 9 October 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sells the car? | No: “We do not sell any vehicles ourselves” | No: “NOT AN AUTOMOBILE BROKER OR DEALER” | No: “does not broker, sell, or lease motor vehicles” (FAQ) | | Accuracy of listings | “no control over, and take no responsibility for” it | “We cannot verify the information/photos that third parties supply” | Neither its information nor the cars “is guaranteed or controlled by TrueCar” | | Disputes | No arbitration clause | “final and binding individual arbitration”; small claims allowed | “final and binding arbitration” before the American Arbitration Association | | Limit on liability | No dollar limit; you agree “not to hold” it responsible | The greater of fees you paid in the prior 12 months or $100 | Not compared here | The three agree on what matters to a buyer: none of them is the seller, and none stands behind the listing. If something goes wrong with the car, your rights run against whoever sold it. A dealer selling a used car must display the FTC’s Buyers Guide, which says whether the car comes with a warranty or is sold as is. Most private sales carry no warranty at all. Our guides to [used-car warranties](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/does-a-used-car-come-with-a-warranty/) and to [what changes when the seller is an individual](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#protections) explain both. ## What AutoTempest collects when you search, and who else sees it The privacy policy is unusually plain. In normal browsing, “the only data we receive about you are your IP address and any information you enter into our search forms”, such as your ZIP code and the cars you are looking for. Its log files hold “your IP address, type of browser, date/time stamp, referring pages, and pages viewed.” The partners whose images and ads load on its pages see more than that line suggests: **What leaves your browser on AutoTempest, and who receives it, per its privacy policy (last updated May 25, 2026)** | What you do | What AutoTempest receives | Who else may receive it | | --- | --- | --- | | Browse and search | IP address, browser type, date and time, pages viewed; the ZIP code and filters you type | Listing and ad partners whose images or ads load: your IP address and possibly the page address, which “could include” your ZIP code and filters; they may set cookies | | Send a contact form on a car shown on AutoTempest | A stored copy of your name, email, phone, physical address and message | The partner that supplied the listing, which passes it to the seller | | Click through to another site | Nothing further described | That site, under its own privacy policy | | Use donotshare.autotempest.com | Your IP address and search details | No tracking ads, images or web beacons; AutoTempest cannot contact sellers for you there | | Use the Android or iOS app | Not described | “Anonymous search filter details and other usage data” stay on your device | The policy says “We have no interest in selling anyone’s private information,” then states the exception: your IP address “and potentially the page you are visiting” go to partners so that images and ads can load. AutoTempest offers two ways out: the donotshare.autotempest.com version, which it suggests you bookmark, or “an ad blocker such as uBlock Origin.” The contact form is the one place your identity enters AutoTempest. The policy says that if you have sent a form “within the past 12 months, upon proof of identity” it will hand over “all log files, search history, and contact history” linked to you, and that “You may also request that the information be deleted.” If you only searched, it says it has “no way of associating your identity with any stored information.” The site “is not intended for use by children (people under the age of 13),” and the policy may change “from time to time, with or without any advance notice.” Our note on [what free tools ask for](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/#privacy) covers the same trade-off on vehicle-history sites. ## Using AutoTempest safely: confirm the listing and the car before you travel An aggregator saves time finding a car and adds nothing to checking one. AutoTempest’s own 2015 guide to avoiding lemons names two steps, a vehicle history report and an inspection, and says “We consider the first two steps absolutely critical for all car buyers.” Here is that advice, 11 years on, in the order that saves wasted trips. **Open the listing where it lives.** Click through to the partner or linked site and check the advert is still there, with the same price, mileage, photos and VIN. For a car shown on AutoTempest itself, the privacy policy says the car’s page carries “all the details we have regarding the dealers”: use them to find the dealer’s own website and its copy of the listing. If the source ad has gone, or differs from what AutoTempest showed, believe the source. AutoTempest’s results can lag by a day or more. **Find the seller yourself.** For a dealer, look up the business’s own website and phone number from a source you choose, not from the advert, and ask whether the car is in stock. For a private seller, ask whose name is on the title. A “private” seller with several cars for sale may be an unlicensed dealer; our guide explains [curbstoning](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#curbstoning) and how to spot it. **Get the VIN before you set off.** A seller who will not give you the vehicle identification number (VIN) before you travel is a seller to drop. Decode it free and hold the result against the advert: year, make, model, body and engine should all match. Our guides to [VIN lookups](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-lookup/) and to [matching the VIN in three places](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/#vin) show how. **Run the free checks.** NICB’s VINCheck looks for theft and insurance total-loss records; NHTSA’s recall lookup shows open safety recalls; NMVTIS holds the state title brands, such as salvage, flood and rebuilt. Our guides cover [stolen cars](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-if-a-car-is-stolen/), [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/), [NMVTIS reports](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/) and [free VIN checks](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/). AutoTempest’s own guide raises the question many buyers forget: “How would you like to have your new car repossessed to cover the previous owner’s bad debts?” Our [lien check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) explains how to rule that out. ## Before you pay: inspect the car, check the paperwork, then move money **Inspect before you travel or pay.** Nothing on AutoTempest’s pages says anyone has seen the car. Book an independent [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote), ideally before you make a long trip. For a car in another city, a [mobile inspector](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#out-of-state) can go for you; our [Lemon Squad review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/) covers one such service. A seller who refuses an inspection has told you something. **Read the title, not just the advert.** The name on the title should match the seller’s ID, and the VIN on the title should match the car. A brand such as salvage or rebuilt should be on the title even if the advert never mentions it. Get a [bill of sale](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/) with the odometer reading on it. **Move money last, and traceably.** No AutoTempest page describes it holding a deposit, and its terms take no responsibility for “anything that happens during the process of purchasing.” Do not send a deposit, gift card or wire to someone you have not met for a car you have not seen. Our guide to [paying a private seller](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/#payment) sets out which payment methods can be reversed and which cannot; for a loan on a private sale, see [private-party auto loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/). With a dealer, get the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) in writing before you go. **Plan the trip home.** AutoTempest lets you search “whether you cast your net locally or across the country,” so the car may be in another state. Tax, registration and inspection rules then follow your home state, as our guide to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#sequence) explains. AutoTempest’s “Get Shipping Quotes” link opens a 2015 blog guide that names shipping firms “that we at AutoTempest have worked with in the past.” Our page on [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) shows how to look any carrier up in the federal FMCSA records first. ## Where AutoTempest’s own pages disagree Read side by side, AutoTempest’s pages disagree in five places. None changes the basic picture, but two affect what you can expect to find. **Points where AutoTempest’s own pages say different things, read on 16 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Are CarGurus cars shown? | Privacy policy: CarGurus is one of the sites that “provide you with vehicle listings” | Two help articles: CarGurus listings “are not shown directly in our results”; comparison links only | | Do Cars.com private listings appear? | Sell page: a free Cars.com listing is “of course appearing for Autotempest users too” | Selling help article: “We currently don’t have access to cars.com private listings.” | | Where is the partner list? | Dealer help article: “You can find a full list here”, linking How AutoTempest Works | How AutoTempest Works names no listing partner; the list is in the privacy policy | | Is your location shared? | Privacy policy: your “physical location” is not “received by us or shared with anyone else” | Same policy: partners “may also receive” the page address, which “could include” your ZIP code | | Where does a trade-in value come from? | Trade-in page: “Our partner Carvana will give you an actual quote” | Blog menu: “getting its Black Book trade-in value” | The CarGurus row matters most: if a car you saw on CarGurus is missing from AutoTempest, search CarGurus directly (our [CarGurus review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cargurus-review/) explains its deal ratings). On location, the policy counts your ZIP code as “search information”, but a ZIP code is still a location, and it can reach ad partners. The trade-in row looks like a blog menu left over from the 2015 guides. ## Before you contact a seller you found on AutoTempest - **Open the ad at its source** and confirm the price, mileage, photos and VIN match what AutoTempest showed. - **Remember who you are dealing with.** AutoTempest does not sell the car; the seller and the site carrying the ad do. - **Prefer contacting a dealer directly** with the details on the car’s page, if you do not want your name and phone passed through a partner. - **Get the VIN before you travel,** decode it, and run the free theft, title-brand and recall checks. - **Check the seller independently:** a dealer’s own website and phone number; a private seller’s name on the title. - **Do not trust a comparison link to be filtered.** craigslist and Facebook Marketplace results may ignore your price, mileage or model filters. - **Book an inspection** before a long trip or any payment; a mobile inspector can go for you. - **Send no deposit, wire or gift card** to a seller you have not met for a car you have not seen. - **Use donotshare.autotempest.com** if you would rather ad partners did not receive your IP address and search details. - **Read the partner site’s terms** before you use a selling, insurance or new-car quote tool reached from AutoTempest. ## Common questions ### Is AutoTempest legit? Yes. AutoTempest is a car search engine that its About page says has run since 2008, and its founder is still its CEO. It is open about what it is: its terms say it does not sell cars and takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the listings it shows. The site is real; each listing still needs checking on its own. ### What websites does AutoTempest search? Its privacy policy names 19 listing partners, including eBay, Cars.com, Carvana, Hemmings, Cars & Bids, CarGurus and TrueCar. It also builds search links to craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Autotrader, which it is not partnered with. Its help center says CarGurus cars appear only through links. ### Does AutoTempest sell cars? No. Its Legal section says “We do not sell any vehicles ourselves.” Every car is sold by a dealer, a private seller or a company such as Carvana, through the site that carries the ad. AutoTempest does not take direct listings either: dealers and private sellers list with its partners. ### Who owns AutoTempest? Its About page names Nathan Stretch as founder and CEO and says he started the site “solo back in 2008.” None of the pages we read, including the Legal and Privacy page and the Contact page, names a company, legal entity or address behind it. ### Is AutoTempest free, and how does it make money? None of its pages mentions a fee for shoppers. The only revenue source it names is advertising, through partners including Google and Amazon. It also sends visitors to named partners for selling, insurance and trade-in quotes through its own /external/ links. It does not say whether those partners pay it. ### Is it safe to buy a car you found on AutoTempest? Treat it like any advert from a stranger. AutoTempest has not seen the car or checked the seller, and its terms put everything you find through it “at your own risk.” Confirm the ad on its source site, check the VIN and the title, have the car inspected, and pay only once you have the car and the papers. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC Used Car Rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/dealers-guide-used-car-rule) - [NICB VINCheck](https://www.nicb.org/vincheck) - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autotempest-review/ --- title: "Lemon Squad Review: What the Inspection Covers and Its Terms" description: "Lemon Squad inspections read against its own Terms: prices from $209.99, no lift, no refund once ordered, a 30-day claim rule, and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Lemon Squad Review: What the Inspection Covers and Its Terms > Lemon Squad inspections read against its own Terms: prices from $209.99, no lift, no refund once ordered, a 30-day claim rule, and who owns it. *Used Car Buying · 20 min read · 4,562 words* ## The short version - Lemon Squad is a brand of Wrench, Inc., which wrote in 2020 that it had acquired the business. Your inspector is an independent contractor, and the FAQ says you can neither attend nor phone them. - Printed prices on 16 October 2026: Standard $219.99, Exotic $285.99, Vintage & Classic $329.99, Commercial $364.99, Motorcycle $209.99, Electric Vehicle $249, RV from $449. A guided video call, Lemon Squad Live, is $59.99. - It is a visual check at the seller’s location: no lift, no wheels off, no disassembly. The report does not address value, title, VIN authenticity, history, odometer accuracy, open recalls or emissions. - All sales are final. If the car sells before an inspector is sent, the money moves to another car; if the seller has already shown it, it does not. - Liability is capped at the amount invoiced, disputes go to individual arbitration (small claims excepted), and claims must be made in writing within 30 days. - Its sales pages disagree with its Terms on code readouts, VIN checks and vehicle value, and the Terms say they supersede the website. We found no regulator or court action naming Lemon Squad or Wrench. Lemon Squad sells mobile pre-purchase inspections. You pay online, it dispatches an inspector to the seller, and the inspector looks the vehicle over without a lift, drives it if conditions allow, and uploads a photo report that Lemon Squad reviews before you can read it. On 16 October 2026 we read its inspection pages, FAQ, two sample reports, its Terms of Use (Last Updated: May 2023), Privacy Policy and Contractor Terms, the newer copy of the Terms on its owner Wrench, Inc.’s site, Wrench’s 2020 post on the acquisition and Wrench’s SEC filings. Both companies’ Terms forbid linking to their sites, so documents are named, not linked. We placed no order and have no commercial relationship with Lemon Squad. For inspections in general, see our guides to the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) and the [mobile inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/); this page covers Lemon Squad’s own service and terms. **Figure: Lemon Squad's promises, read against its own Terms** A two-column table setting seven things Lemon Squad's own pages promise or describe beside what its Terms of Use (May 2023) and its sample report disclosures say about the same thing: the code readout, VIN checks, vehicle value, the road test, what happens if the car sells before the inspector is sent, refunds, and the 30-day written-claim rule with liability capped at the invoice. Read from Lemon Squad's inspection pages, FAQ, Terms of Use and Standard sample report on 16 October 2026. The Terms say they supersede what the website says. ## Who owns Lemon Squad, and who inspects the car **You contract with Wrench, Inc.** Lemon Squad’s Terms are an agreement with “WRENCH INC. including its subsidies Lemon Squad, YourMechanic, Mobile Battery Solutions, and SouthWest Inspections Services.” The Privacy Policy (11 May 2023) and Contractor Terms of Service (24 August 2024) name the same company. A post on Wrench’s blog dated 2 October 2020 says “we have acquired a used car inspection company,” and its press page lists coverage dated 15 September 2020 headlined as Wrench acquiring Lemon Squad. Legal notices go to Wrench in Seattle; Lemon Squad’s coverage page says “we’re headquartered in Minnesota.” **Delaware or Washington?** The Terms, Privacy Policy and Contractor Terms call Wrench a Delaware corporation. Both Form D notices Wrench filed with the SEC on 7 August 2023 give Washington as its jurisdiction of incorporation. We did not check either state’s register. Wrench’s EDGAR record holds 5 Form D notices of private offerings and nothing else; the 2023 pair report a $40,000,000 debt offering, fully sold, first sold on 15 June 2022, and a $21,000,006 equity offering first sold on 21 July 2023, $14,253,374 of it sold to 7 investors. A Form D does not say who controls the company. **The inspector is an independent contractor.** The Become an Inspector page says “All inspectors are independent contractors” under Wrench’s Contractor Terms, “including licensing and mandatory commercial insurance.” Those terms say the inspector is “not an Employee of Wrench for any purpose,” may decline any job, supplies their own tools, must carry auto, general and professional liability insurance, and is “SOLELY RESPONSIBLE” for damage to the owner’s vehicle. Wrench may obtain their criminal and driving records. **Certification is claimed, not promised.** The Corporate page claims “the largest network of ASE-certified inspectors,” and the coverage page “over 3000 technicians on file.” The application form asks for “ASE# & Other Certifications” without saying it is required, and the customer Terms say “THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS MAY NOT BE PROFESSIONALLY LICENSED OR PERMITTED.” What Lemon Squad does say is that a review team it calls “ASE Master Technicians” checks each report before release. ## Lemon Squad’s inspection types and printed prices Lemon Squad prints a price for 7 in-person inspection types, each on its own page, plus the video call. The FAQ says the order form “will automatically pick the correct inspection for you based on the year, make, and model.” Five type pages print a price one cent below a round dollar figure, which the Compare and home pages round up. These are list prices, not quotes: the Terms reserve the right to change “items and/or price at any time prior to billing you,” and some locations carry a mileage fee shown only when you order. See [what sets an inspection’s price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-much-does-a-car-inspection-cost/#ppi-price). **Lemon Squad inspection types as its own pages describe them, read 16 October 2026** | Type | Price printed | Meant for | Photos | Road test | Code readout listed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Standard | $219.99 | Cars newer than 2006 | More than 25 | If street legal and the weather is safe | Engine, transmission, ABS, airbag | | Exotic | $285.99 | Exotic and high-performance | More than 40 | Listed | Yes | | Vintage & Classic | $329.99 | Year 2006 or older | More than 40 | Listed | No | | Commercial | $364.99 | Commercial vehicles | More than 25 | Seller drives, inspector rides | No | | Motorcycle | $209.99 | Motorcycles | More than 25 | None | No | | Electric Vehicle | $249 | Full electric vehicles | More than 40 | Listed | Yes | | RV | From $449; Class A $549, Class C $499; 6 towable types $449 | Motorhomes and towables | More than 40 (towables: 15 or more) | Listed | No | | Lemon Squad Live | $59.99 | You at the car, on video | You hold the camera | No | No | **Electric Vehicle.** The EV page lists charge level and estimated range, which it calls “a snapshot, not a battery health test,” plus EV electronics, the charging cable, and tires, brakes, cooling, suspension and steering. The home page promises more: checks for “battery-related red flags a standard mechanic (and a standard test drive) will miss.” Go by the EV page; our guide to [EV battery degradation](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ev-battery-degradation/) explains why range is not capacity. **RV.** The RV page describes “a standard 150-point inspection” with generator, LP gas, appliance and slide-out checks, and says inspectors “do not go on the roof.” The seller must have the unit hooked up to water, power, propane and generator fuel, or some items cannot be tested. **Add-ons and Live.** The home page prices a CARFAX history report at $34.99 and a Verbal Vehicle Assessment, a staff call explaining your finished report, at $49.99; the FAQ prices the history report at $24.99 (see [where the documents disagree](#contradictions), and our guide to [CARFAX and AutoCheck](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-vs-autocheck/)). Lemon Squad Live is not an inspection: a “certified inspection specialist” guides you over video for “Up to 20 minutes” while you stand at the car, and “the decision stays yours.” ## What the Standard checklist and sample report cover, item by item The Standard page prints a 15-line list, repeated on the Classic and Exotic pages: the body and paint; scratches, cracks, dents or rust; an underbody check for rust or damage; tires and wheels; glass; previous accident and flood damage; lights, A/C, gauges and “operation of all other electrical items”; the interior, including upholstery, mats, headliner and seat belts; “Comprehensive inspection of the motor and transmission”; all drive-line components, including four- and all-wheel drive; steering, suspension, brakes and exhaust; a “Visual inspection of engine and all other items under the hood”; fluid levels, oil leaks and missing parts; “any additional areas of concern that you identify”; and a road test “If possible.” The Commercial page adds “Examine all specific commercial/industrial components.” The sample report is more specific. Lemon Squad’s Standard sample, dated 13 November 2019 on a car from 2013, prints 78 labelled rows in four sections, each with a check mark or a comment, then a tire grid: **Rows on Lemon Squad’s Standard sample report (row counts are our count)** | Section | Rows | What the rows name | | --- | --- | --- | | Exterior | 17 | Back-up camera, wipers and washer, body alignment, scratches, dings, dents, paint, rust, lights, sunroof, mirrors, bumpers, side moldings, frame damage, glass, body seals | | Interior | 28 | Steering wheel, horn, cruise control, seats, heated seats, seat belts, clock, radio/nav, door panels, locks, windows, console, dash, visors, dash lights and gauges, A/C, heater, rear defroster, carpet, mats, cigarette use, odors, cup holders, headliner, blower motor, trim | | Visual Mechanical Inspection | 23 | Air filter, battery, charging system, cooling fan, radiator and cap, hoses, coolant and leaks, belts, power steering, engine oil, engine, transmission, transfer case and differential leaks, brake system and fluid, muffler, CV joints and axles, shocks and bushings, ball joints and tie rods, key fob | | Road Test | 10 | Engine, transmission, differential, transfer case, wheel bearing, braking, suspension and steering performance, engine starting, dash warning lights | | Tires | Grid | Make, size, tire and wheel condition and tread depth at each wheel, plus a spare | The rows change with the vehicle. The Classic sample, dated 26 October 2019 on a car from 1967, drops 18 rows such as the sunroof and cruise control and adds 11: “Body Filler?” with hood, doors, floors, rockers and quarter panels under it, plus chrome, inner trunk, steering fluid, transmission fluid and modifications, 71 rows in all by our count. Two details matter. The tread key calls 4/32 or less “Tires need replacement!” and 5/32 to 7/32 due soon. And a green check mark “does NOT indicate that the specific components or systems are in good and operating condition under all circumstances”; it means the inspector saw the item and “noted no visible issue with it.” Both samples are 7 years old, so the current form may differ. ## What a Lemon Squad inspection does not do The Terms call the service “a visual inspection of all reasonably accessible items only” and say “Each inspection is limited to the items expressly stated in the inspection report”: anything missing from the report, “you should assume that the item was not inspected.” The FAQ lists the limits: - **No lift.** “the inspector will look under the vehicle using their camera and mirrors.” At a dealership, you can ask whether a lift is available. - **No wheels off, no brake lights.** “We do not take the wheels off to inspect the brake pads,” and lights are checked “except for the brake lights.” - **No compression test**, “due to a liability issue”, and no timing belt: “you need to assume that it has not been done.” - **The frame is a look, not a measurement.** “Just because we do not see any damage does not mean that the frame is not bent.” - **Some faults can be hidden.** Sellers may power-wash oil leaks, top up a leaking A/C system or mask smoke, and accident or flood damage is “not always possible to see.” - **No state or emissions test**, and no cleaning: the car “must be clean, dry and well-lit,” or repainting and bodywork are harder to spot. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the ground line under the front, a front wheel and the driver’s door, each with one fact from Lemon Squad’s FAQ, Terms of Use and sample report. Lemon Squad’s FAQ, Terms of Use and sample report, read on 16 October 2026: No lift: the inspector looks underneath with a camera and mirrors, Lemon Squad's FAQ says (callout 1); Wheels stay on: brake pads are not inspected, and brake lights are not checked (callout 2); A road test happens only if the report says one was done; motorcycles never get one (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **The road test is conditional.** The Terms: “Unless the inspection report specifically states that a test drive was conducted, no such test drive was conducted.” The seller must allow it, the inspector “may decline or stop a test drive at any time,” motorcycles never get one, and on commercial vehicles the seller drives. See [how to test-drive a used car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-test-drive-a-used-car/). **Records are your job.** The report “does not address value, title, VIN authenticity, vehicle history, odometer accuracy, open recalls, or emissions or smog compliance, and does not determine eligibility under any lemon law.” Check [the history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/), [open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/) and the [odometer record](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/) yourself. Our [mobile inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#jack-stands) explains what a missing lift costs. ## The code readout: promised on the pages, disclaimed in the Terms The Standard, Exotic and EV cards promise a “Computer code readout: engine, transmission, ABS, and airbag,” and the FAQ says Lemon Squad hooks up “the OBD2 computer to the vehicle if it is 1996 or newer and we will report on any codes found.” The documents that bind the sale say otherwise. The Terms: “Diagnostic equipment is not typically used in a pre-purchase inspection.” The sample report: “no diagnostic testing or teardown was performed.” Neither sample has a fault-code section; the nearest row is “Dash Warning Lights”. The Contractor Terms point the other way: among “Examples of an incomplete Job Request” they list a “Missing photo of OBD scan tool showing fault codes, if any,” with an incomplete road test and missing photos of the VIN plate. So inspectors are expected to plug in a scan tool, but the customer Terms promise nothing, and they supersede “content or information you read or have access to at other places, such as our website.” If a scan matters, ask for it in Additional Notes and look for the scan-tool photo in the gallery; the FAQ says it will not confirm special requests in advance. Our [booking questions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#booking) explain why an engine-only code reader is not a full scan. ## The report: how fast it comes and how long it stays online **The steps.** After you pay, “Our team of dispatchers will contact our nearest technician and brief them” on the car and your notes. The inspector contacts the seller, inspects, and uploads findings and photos “At the end of his day”; Lemon Squad’s reviewers check them and you get an email when the report is ready. **How fast, as stated.** “Inspections are typically completed within two business days, depending on the inspector’s schedule, the seller’s schedule, and the weather,” with reports usually uploaded the next morning. Reviews start “at 8:00 am central time”, and hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:00 Central. Friday inspections are reviewed on Saturday, but “We do not schedule inspections on weekends. Reports can not be expedited.” The RV page promises a towable report “within 1 business day.” None of it is guaranteed: “we cannot guarantee a date of an inspection,” and the FAQ asks you not to book travel until the report is in hand. **What you get.** An online report: “We do not provide hard copies of reports.” It holds a written summary, the rows above and a photo gallery. The inspector may leave notes on photos, but “If you use the ‘download all images’ button, those notes will not be there.” **Save your report.** Lemon Squad’s FAQ says “The report is viewable for 60 days. After 60 days our system will delete the inspection report including the pictures.” Any claim must be made within 30 days of finding the problem, so keep your own copy of the summary, rows and annotated photos (a screenshot keeps the notes). **Who may rely on it.** The report is “for the sole and exclusive use of the Customer,” not the seller or a later buyer, and is “intended as a buying guide, not a mechanical warranty,” nor “a recommendation for or against the purchase.” If a lender is involved, the FAQ says to send it the sample report first. There is no verbal report from the inspector; the paid Verbal Vehicle Assessment is a staff member explaining the finished report. ## Scheduling: the seller, the surprise visit and the rules for you **The seller is the contact.** Lemon Squad needs “the seller’s name and phone number,” and the report makes it “the customer’s responsibility to obtain the consent of the vehicle’s owner or seller to the inspection and any test drive.” The Terms make you responsible for a suitable location with access and permission. **A visit timed to catch the seller out.** The home page says the inspector will “set up an appointment.” The FAQ says that because sellers may warm the car up or erase check-engine lights, “we do try to take them by surprise”: a call to confirm the car is available, “and then he will show up unexpectedly,” which “may not be possible with private sellers.” Inspectors are “trained to make the seller think that everything is going well,” and the report is not shared with the seller. Why a cold start helps is covered in our [mobile inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/#what-mobile-does-better). **You stay away.** “we do not allow customers to be present during this inspection,” and “inspectors are not able to place calls from the field”; concerns go in Additional Notes. If the seller books a time and does not show, you get a report with a photo of the location. **Coverage.** Lemon Squad says it covers the entire USA, “even” Alaska and Hawaii, but “only operates within the United States.” It inspects eBay cars with “2 to 3 business day lead time” and auction cars where the auction allows it, but inspectors “will not register to gain entry to an auction.” Buying on [Bring a Trailer](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bring-a-trailer-review/), [Cars & Bids](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cars-and-bids-review/) or [Hemmings](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hemmings-review/)? Confirm the seller will allow a visit before bidding closes. See also [buying from a private seller](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-from-a-private-seller/) and [buying out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#inspection). ## Cancellation, refunds and rescheduling **No refund once you order.** Lemon Squad is “a pre-pay service.” The Terms: “All sales are final for inspection Jobs ordered on the LemonSquad website.” The FAQ: “PLEASE BE SURE OF YOUR VEHICLE BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER,” and if you buy the car before the inspector arrives, “we will not offer a cancellation for a refund.” The only refund the Terms spell out is for a job Lemon Squad declines. **If the car sells first.** If it sells “before we are able to dispatch a technician,” Lemon Squad “will honor the amount paid towards a future order.” But “If the seller shows us the vehicle and then sells it to somebody else, we are not able to put your order on hold.” You cannot otherwise switch cars: “Can I change the vehicle I ordered an inspection on? No.” **Rescheduling.** The Terms say rescheduling “may be subject to additional fees” but no Lemon Squad document we read gives an amount. Wrench’s own copy of the Terms (November 2023) prints a $150 fee for changes within 48 hours, but under a heading for Wrench jobs; the lemonsquad.com copy does not contain it. Ask before you move a date. **Live is the exception, mostly.** The Live page calls the $59.99 link “Always refundable” and promises to “refund the full amount paid” if you are unhappy or never use it, yet the cancellation policy in the same page’s footer says “we cannot offer a refund.” Keep a copy of the promise. **An undefined policy.** The FAQ says “Our 7 day policy does not apply to salvage title vehicles. Buyer beware.” Nothing we read says what the 7 day policy is. On salvage cars, see [inspecting a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/#inspect). ## Liability limits, the 30-day claim rule and arbitration **An opinion, not a guarantee.** “Pre-purchase inspection reports are not guaranteed or warranted,” because the vehicle can change before you buy and the inspector “cannot see inside an engine or transmission.” In the FAQ’s words: “if it is not failing at the time of the inspection, we will not know that it is failing.” **Not a warranty on the car.** “An inspection does not act as a warranty or as an insurance policy for any vehicle,” and your right to recover for defects is “limited to any warranty the seller may offer.” The Terms incorporate a Wrench Limited Warranty, but the report says it “does not apply to inspections.” Repair cover is a separate product; see [whether an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/), and note that service contracts usually exclude faults present before cover began, as the samples in our [CARCHEX review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carchex-review/#not-covered) do. **The cap.** The service is “AS IS,” “AS AVAILABLE,” and “WITH ALL FAULTS”; Wrench calls its platform “ONLY A VENUE FOR CONNECTING USERS” and puts the quality of the work on “THE THIRD PARTY PROVIDER.” If Wrench is liable anyway, its total liability will not “EXCEED THE AMOUNT INVOICED FOR THE ASSOCIATED JOB”: for a Standard order at today’s price, $219.99 plus any tax or mileage fee. The report also disclaims “any hidden wreck, flood damage or tampered components not readily apparent upon visual inspection,” while promising “reasonable care within the scope stated in this report.” **The 30-day claim rule.** “Any claim relating to an inspection must be submitted to Wrench in writing within thirty (30) days after the customer discovers the basis for the claim and, where practicable, before the vehicle is repaired or altered, so that Wrench may re-inspect the vehicle.” Write before the repair, and keep the old parts and your copy of the report. **Disputes.** Disputes go to “binding arbitration, rather than in court,” except small claims, run by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, with fees set by those rules. The seat is Seattle, but you may choose arbitration “by telephone, based on written submissions, or in person in the county where you live.” Claims are “only on an individual basis and not in a class,” with a jury waiver if a case reaches court. Delaware law governs, and California residents waive Civil Code Section 1542 where the law allows. Wrench may amend the Terms by posting new ones. ## Where Lemon Squad’s own documents disagree On 11 topics, by our count, two of Lemon Squad’s or Wrench’s own documents say different things. Because the Terms supersede the website, the Terms and the report are the safer reading where they conflict with a sales page. **Contradictions in Lemon Squad’s and Wrench’s own documents, read 16 October 2026** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Fault codes | Cards: “Computer code readout”; FAQ: codes reported on 1996 and newer | Terms: diagnostic equipment “is not typically used”; report: “no diagnostic testing” | | VIN | Classic page: “Verify VIN (restrictions apply)” | Terms: technicians “do not check the authenticity of the VIN” | | Vehicle value | Car Value page: relied on “when determining an accurate car value”; FAQ: a “True Market Value” add-on | Terms: no one “advises on the value of any vehicle”; the sitemap’s automobile-appraisal page answered 404 | | History report | Home: CARFAX at $34.99; Add-Ons: “Provided by CARFAX” | FAQ: $24.99, and elsewhere “Auto Check History Reports by Experian” | | Live refunds | “Always refundable” | Same page’s footer: “we cannot offer a refund” | | Seller contact | Home: inspector will “set up an appointment” | FAQ: “we do try to take them by surprise” | | Towable photos | Card: “More than 40 pictures” | RV page: “15 or more photographs” | | Size and base | Coverage page: “a small company” in Minnesota | Home: “Largest company in the industry”; notices go to Seattle | | Incorporation | Terms and policies: Delaware | Form D notices, 7 August 2023: Washington | | Limited Warranty | Terms incorporate it | Report: it “does not apply to inspections” | | Jacks | Terms: “may use floor jacks” | Same Terms: “do not use hoists or tools” | The Live page also says “since 2005”; no document we read dates the founding. The FAQ invites customers to give an AI assistant their vehicle and contact details to build a pre-filled order link, as does the site’s llms.txt file; we treated both as marketing text. ## Is Lemon Squad legit? The public record, and what to settle first Lemon Squad is a trading brand of a company that files with the SEC, names its owner in its Terms and prints its limits in unusual detail. Searches on 16 October 2026, including ones limited to the FTC, CFPB, Justice Department and the Washington, Minnesota and California attorneys general, found no enforcement action, settlement or court case naming Lemon Squad or Wrench. That is a search result, not a clearance. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our request, and review sites and complaint aggregators are left out because their reports are unverified. A Lemon Squad report is an informed visual opinion with photos from someone who travels to the car; it is not a lift inspection, a guaranteed scan or a records check. If the seller refuses any inspection, see [when the seller says no](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#refusal); for acting on findings, [what to do with the report](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#using). - **Be sure of the car before you pay.** Orders are final, and you cannot switch cars unless the first sells before dispatch. - **Ask the seller to hold the car** until the report arrives; if the seller shows it and then sells it, you still pay. - **Confirm the seller allows an inspection and a test drive**, and give Lemon Squad the seller’s name and number. - **Put concerns in Additional Notes**, including a code scan, and check the sample report for whether the item is covered. - **Look for the road test line.** If the report does not say a test drive was done, none was. - **Run the records yourself:** title, history, odometer and recalls are outside the report. - **Save the report and annotated photos** before day 60, when it is deleted. - **Write to Lemon Squad within 30 days** of finding a missed problem, before any repair. ## Common questions ### How much does a Lemon Squad inspection cost? On 16 October 2026 its pages printed $219.99 Standard, $285.99 Exotic, $329.99 Vintage & Classic, $364.99 Commercial, $209.99 Motorcycle and $249 Electric Vehicle; RV inspections start at $449, with a Class A motorhome at $549. The Live video call is $59.99. Some locations add a mileage fee, shown when you order. ### How long does a Lemon Squad inspection take? Lemon Squad says inspections are “typically completed within two business days,” with reports usually uploaded the next morning and reviewed from 8:00 am Central. It does not inspect on weekends, cannot expedite reports and does not guarantee a date. Reports stay online for 60 days. ### Can I get a refund from Lemon Squad? Not for an inspection once ordered: the Terms make all sales final. If the car sells before an inspector is dispatched, the money moves to another car; if the seller has already shown the car, it does not. The Live video call is sold as always refundable. ### Are Lemon Squad inspectors certified mechanics? They are independent contractors under Wrench’s Contractor Terms, which require legally needed licences, commercial insurance and records checks. Lemon Squad claims a network of ASE-certified inspectors, but its Terms say providers “MAY NOT BE PROFESSIONALLY LICENSED OR PERMITTED,” and nothing we read guarantees your inspector’s certification. ### Does Lemon Squad put the car on a lift? No. Inspectors look underneath “using their camera and mirrors,” do not take the wheels off and do not disassemble anything. At a dealership you can ask whether a lift is available. ### Who owns Lemon Squad? Wrench, Inc., a mobile vehicle-service company in Seattle, which wrote in October 2020 that it had acquired Lemon Squad. Lemon Squad’s Terms and Privacy Policy name Wrench as the contracting company; its other brands include YourMechanic. ## Sources and further reading - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [NHTSA odometer fraud](https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud) - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lemon-squad-review/ --- title: "Ziebart: Rust Protection Warranty, Yearly Inspection and Who Owns It" description: "Ziebart’s rust warranty needs a yearly inspection and transfers on new-vehicle jobs. What each service is, who owns the stores, and how to check a used car." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ziebart/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-16" modified: "2026-10-16" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Ziebart: Rust Protection Warranty, Yearly Inspection and Who Owns It > Ziebart’s rust warranty needs a yearly inspection and transfers on new-vehicle jobs. What each service is, who owns the stores, and how to check a used car. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,896 words* ## The short version - Ziebart is a Michigan franchise chain that began as a Detroit rustproofing shop in 1959. It sells rust protection, undercoating, a ceramic coating (Z-Gloss), paint film (Z-Shield), window tint and detailing, through its stores and through car dealers. - The rust warranty is printed only in phrases: a “national limited full-repair warranty” with “unlimited mileage,” issued on vehicles “less than 3 years old or 36,000 miles.” No warranty document is published. - Keeping it takes a yearly inspection “within 60 days (+/-) of the anniversary.” Reprocessing is free, Ziebart says, but the store charges labor for preparation and cleaning. - For a used-car buyer, the FAQ says the rust warranty “is transferable on new vehicle applications.” Get the original contract and every inspection record before you count on it. - Most stores belong to independent owners responsible for “warranties issued, fees charged” and records; Ziebart lists 11 company-owned stores. No prices are printed. - We found no state attorney-general or FTC action against Ziebart. The one court record we read is a 2012 judgment for Ziebart against a former licensee. If you searched for Ziebart, you are probably weighing its rustproofing, pricing paint film or tint, or buying a used car whose paperwork mentions a Ziebart warranty. What matters is what each service is, what the warranty promises, what keeps it alive, and whether it passes to you. On 16 October 2026 we read Ziebart’s [warranty program page](https://www.ziebart.com/warranty-program), its [FAQ](https://www.ziebart.com/about/faq), its [help-center page on rust protection and undercoating](https://knowledge.ziebart.com/knowledge-base/new-or-used-rust-protection-undercoating), its service, dealer, fleet, history, corporate, franchise and terms pages, eight of its own posts, and one federal court judgment. This site has no commercial relationship with Ziebart, any Ziebart store or any car dealer. **Figure: What Ziebart's own pages say, by situation** Nine situations a car owner or used-car buyer meets with Ziebart, each matched to the wording of Ziebart's website, help center or posts. Read from ziebart.com and knowledge.ziebart.com, 16 October 2026. ## What Ziebart sells, in its own words Ziebart describes itself on its History page as “the worldwide leader in detailing, films and structural protection services.” Its About page lists twelve lines of business, from detailing to auto glass and lease turn-in work. The protection products carry the warranties: - **Rust protection.** A coating “designed to penetrate all upper body seams, joints and areas most vulnerable to corrosion such as doors, hood, and trunk,” in the help center’s words; it includes undercoating. - **Undercoating.** An underbody sealant, sold alone or with rust protection. Ziebart says it uses “an asphalt-based undercoating”; a wax-based one is “Available at select locations.” - **Sound deadener.** “Thicker than undercoating,” an underbody layer meant to cut road noise. - **Rust Eliminator.** For older cars: a product “which converts existing rust to an inert state,” applied before sealing. - **Z-Gloss ceramic coating and Diamond Gloss.** Two paint coatings. Z-Gloss is the ceramic one, described in a 2019 post as “a three-layer coating”; Diamond Gloss is “resin-based.” - **Z-Shield paint protection film.** A clear film against “stone chips, car wash scratches, bug splats, acid rain and bird droppings,” sold in three packages of panels. - **Window tint.** Three film series (dyed, metalized and nano-ceramic). The help center adds that “Available film series varies by location.” Which rust treatments help in general is covered in our guide to [protecting a car from rust](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#prevention). This page sticks to what Ziebart says about its own products and paperwork. **Ziebart’s protection products and the warranty wording on each (ziebart.com and its help center, read 16 October 2026)** | Product | Warranty wording Ziebart prints | Upkeep Ziebart describes | | --- | --- | --- | | Rust protection | “national limited full-repair warranty”; “unlimited mileage” | Yearly inspection within 60 days of the anniversary to keep the warranty | | Wax-based undercoating (select stores) | “comes with a nationwide warranty” | “includes an annual maintenance program” | | Z-Gloss ceramic coating | “ten-year limited warranty” | Inspected “once a year”; renewal with a rejuvenator “at a discounted price” | | Z-Shield paint film | “industry-leading warranty”; “No staining, no fading” | Wait at least 3 days to wash; no pressure washer near the film’s edges | | Window tint and other films | “nationwide replacement warranty” for peeling, bubbling or discoloration | Windows up and uncleaned for the first days (see below) | | Diamond Gloss | No warranty wording found | Annual renewal “at a discounted price” | | Rhino Linings bed liner | “Limited Nationwide Lifetime” | None described | The warranty page puts one footnote under its whole program: “*Limited Warranty. See Store for Details.” The rest of this page is about what that means in practice. ## Rust protection and undercoating: how Ziebart applies them Ziebart’s rust protection is not only a spray under the car. The FAQ says it covers “the hood, all body panels and the trunk,” with “a thick, abrasive-resistant undercoating solution” on the underside. To reach the inside of closed panels, the help center is direct: “The Ziebart process does require the opening of access holes in some body panels.” The access is needed, it says, “to assure proper coating of critical welds and hidden areas.” A 2015 post, warning against doing it yourself, asks where to “drill the holes in your rocker panels” and how to “plug those holes when you’re done.” Small plugs in door jambs or rocker panels can be a sign that a car was rustproofed this way. If you are paying, Ziebart’s August 2025 post says it offers “the opportunity to inspect the work”; take it, and ask where the holes are. Underneath, Ziebart says its technicians treat the exposed areas “while carefully avoiding areas like the brakes, and the exhaust and drive shafts.” A 2015 post adds a warning that applies to any spray job: some parts “(Sensors, electronics, etc.)” may be damaged if they are sprayed. Ziebart’s aftercare advice for undercoating, in its words: - The coating will “skin over” in a few hours and be “dry to the touch in about 24 hours.” - Keep the car out of a garage, “especially if your garage is attached to your home,” for “the first 1 to 2 nights,” because the solvents give off an odor as they dry. - Avoid automatic car washes “until the undercoating material is completely dry. This could take up to 7 days.” The wax-based undercoating, Ziebart says, is “safe for electric vehicles” and comes with “a nationwide warranty” and an annual maintenance program. Its May 2025 post reports salt-spray tests against “two of the industry’s leading competitor products”: the coating “originally passed the test at the standard 1200 hours,” and Ziebart says the test ran to 2700 hours with “a score of 9 (representing up to 0.03% corrosion found),” against a score of 6 for the next competitor. The post names no laboratory, links no report and does not name the competitors; read the figures as Ziebart’s claims. For a car that already has rust, Ziebart draws a line. A 2018 post says that for rust protection, “if you have a hole in your door or side panel that was brought on from rust, or, the paint is starting to bubble, it’s already too late.” No coating restores metal that is gone. Our [rust guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/#repair) covers when rust is worth repairing. ## The rust warranty: what is printed, and what is left to the store Ziebart publishes no rust warranty document. What it publishes are descriptions, spread across pages written years apart: - **The name.** The Rust Protection page and the September 2026 post call it “a national limited full-repair warranty.” The services page says the car “will be completely protected from rust with a full repair warranty to support it.” - **What it covers.** The FAQ: “Our rust warranty includes unlimited mileage and coverage against road salt, sand, and (normal) road debris.” - **Which cars get it.** The help center: “Any vehicle that is less than 3 years old or 36,000 miles will receive the Rust Protection warranty.” That is the wording; it does not say whether both limits must be met. A 2015 post said Ziebart warranted rust protection “on new, personal-use vehicles for 10 years” and had “warranties for used and commercial vehicles.” No current page states a length. - **How to keep it.** “To keep your warranty, you must have your vehicle inspected within 60 days (+/-) of the anniversary of the original application.” By our arithmetic that is a window of about 120 days each year, centered on the anniversary. Ziebart says it mails a reminder card around that date. - **Where to read your terms.** The FAQ: “Warranties are specific to the Ziebart service in terms of what is covered, length of warranty, transferability, etc.” Details are in “your original contract,” or from your store or Ziebart’s customer service. What the yearly visit involves, from the FAQ: the underside is power washed, worn undercoating is touched up, “access plugs are removed and each panel is inspected,” and Ziebart’s Z-Gard is sprayed on the door seams. Ziebart’s help center adds the money side: “Although there is no charge for reprocessing, the owners labor rate will be charged for preparation and cleaning.” A store “may offer you a guaranteed yearly pre-cleaning fee,” but “the guaranteed fee is for that location only. Other Ziebart locations are not obligated to honor those guaranteed prices.” Ziebart prints no figure for that fee. If rust appears, the FAQ says to bring it to your Ziebart store “as soon as possible,” and that “Your dealer will determine if the rust is in an area that has already been treated.” Ziebart calls its stores dealers; the store, not head office, makes that first call. What can end the warranty? Nothing we read lists exclusions. The only condition Ziebart prints is the yearly inspection, so treat a missed inspection as the main risk, and ask for the store’s written terms on anything else (accident repairs, rust that was there before treatment, a car that moves to another state). **The yearly inspection is the condition that matters.** Ziebart’s help center says that if you received a warranty, “you must have the inspection performed on your vehicle every year, +/- 60 days of your anniversary date, to maintain your warranty.” Keep every inspection receipt. The FTC’s advice on car warranties, as this site recorded it, is the same in general terms: “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations, belt replacement, new brake pads, and inspections.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a body fixing, the exhaust and a frame rail, each with one fact from Ziebart’s FAQ, Rust Protection page and help center. Ziebart’s FAQ, Rust Protection page and help center, read on 16 October 2026: Ziebart says its process opens access holes in some body panels (callout 1); Undercoating should avoid the brakes, exhaust and drive shafts, Ziebart says (callout 2); To keep the rust warranty: an inspection within 60 days of each anniversary (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Ziebart’s rust warranty next to a carmaker’s Ziebart sells its warranty partly against the one that comes with a new car. Its help center says: “many OEM warranties exclude corrosion that is the result of contact with road salt or other chemicals. Ziebart’s warranty has no such exclusions.” Its May 2025 post puts it shorter: “Most factory warranties do not cover rust caused by road salt, Ziebart does.” A 2015 post said “a typical OEM anti-corrosion warranty lasts about five years,” and the September 2026 post says “Your factory warranty already covers perforation for 5 to 12 years anyway.” Those are Ziebart’s descriptions of other companies’ documents. Here is what three carmakers’ booklets print, as this site transcribed them for its warranty pages, beside Ziebart’s own wording: **Printed rust-through warranty terms (Ziebart read 16 October 2026; the carmakers’ booklets read 11 September 2026)** | Term | Ziebart | Honda (2025 booklet) | Nissan (2026 booklet) | Subaru (2024 booklet) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Name | “national limited full-repair warranty” | Rust Perforation Limited Warranty | Corrosion coverage (perforation) | Rust Perforation Limited Warranty | | How long | Not stated on current pages; a 2015 post said 10 years on new, personal-use vehicles | 5 years | “60 months” | 5 years | | Mileage | “unlimited mileage” | No mileage limit | “regardless of mileage” | Regardless of mileage | | Later owners | “transferable on new vehicle applications” | Not stated in the booklet, in this site’s reading | “generally transferable” to later owners | “Every owner of the vehicle during the warranty period” | The carmaker coverage is for rust that goes all the way through a panel; our pages on the [Honda](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-extended-warranty/#used-honda), [Nissan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-extended-warranty/#factory) and [Subaru](https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-extended-warranty/#factory) warranties quote each booklet. Ziebart’s wording (“full-repair,” road salt and sand) sounds broader, but without the contract you cannot see what it excludes, and it comes with the yearly visit. **Will Ziebart void the factory warranty?** Ziebart’s FAQ answers flatly: “No. Our process will NOT void your manufacturer’s warranty.” Its help center is more careful: “Our coatings will not typically void your new car (factory) warranty.” The document that decides is your carmaker’s warranty booklet, not Ziebart’s FAQ; read what it says about aftermarket products before you book. ## Paint coating, paint film and window tint: the warranty wording **Z-Gloss ceramic coating.** The Z-Gloss page says it “comes with an industry-leading ten-year limited warranty. We’ll inspect it once a year.” The help center says “a 10-year warranty and a rejuvenator service,” and invites you back each year to “Rejuvenate your protection at a discounted price.” Neither says whether the yearly visit is a condition of the warranty, as it is for rust protection, or what “limited” excludes. Ziebart says the finish resists “light scratches,” among other things; that is not a promise against deeper ones. **Z-Shield paint protection film.** The film page promises: “No staining, no fading - guaranteed!” and calls the warranty “industry-leading” without giving a length. The 2020 warranty post says the same: “We guarantee no staining or fading.” Expect some haze or “moisture bubbles for up to ten days after installation,” the help center says; wait “at least 3 days” to wash and keep a pressure washer away from the film’s edges. **Window tint and other films.** The warranty page: tint and other films “come with a nationwide replacement warranty. We will replace any tint or film that shows signs of peeling, bubbling, or discoloration - no questions asked.” The 2020 post adds the length: “For as long as you own the vehicle.” That ties it to you, not the car, the same way Gerber words its repair guarantee (see [what happens to that one when you sell](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/#selling-and-claims)). A used-car buyer should not assume the tint warranty came with the car. Care after tinting depends on which Ziebart page you read. The FAQ says windows “should not be rolled down or cleaned for 3 days.” The help center says not to roll them down for three days and “Please do not clean inside your windows for 10 days.” Follow the longer one. Ziebart’s tint pages do not discuss state limits on how dark tint can be; check your state’s rule before you choose a shade. **Diamond Gloss and interior products.** We found no warranty wording for Diamond Gloss, only an annual renewal “at a discounted price.” Germ Defender is described as working “for up to 90 days.” For a lease, Ziebart’s lease page pitches film on “bumpers, fenders, door edges and hood” and says damage a standard credit card can cover “could be considered normal wear and tear (although this is at the discretion of the dealership).” Your lease contract’s wear standard is what counts; see [how lease wear is judged](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear). ## Buying a used car with a Ziebart warranty: how to check it A car that was rustproofed and a car with a Ziebart warranty still running are not the same thing, and only paperwork shows the second. Start with the FAQ’s one sentence on transfer: “our warranty is transferable on new vehicle applications.” Read as written, that covers rust protection applied when the car was new; it says nothing about a treatment applied to a used car. Ziebart does not say whether a transfer needs a form, a fee or an inspection. Then remember who holds the records. Ziebart’s help center says each store’s owner “is responsible for the workmanship from that location, warranties issued, fees charged, and for the maintenance of customer records,” and that you may “have inspections performed at any authorized Ziebart service center.” The selling store has the file; any authorized store can inspect. Two other sources can help. Ziebart’s May 2025 post lists “Now Reported to CARFAX” among the benefits of its wax-based undercoating, so a recent Ziebart visit may show on a history report; an older one, or one at a store that does not report, may not, which is why [a report is only as complete as what gets reported](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-accurate-is-carfax/#ceiling). And a mechanic can look underneath: our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#covers) explains why fresh, thick undercoating on an older car deserves a closer look rather than reassurance. - **Get the original contract.** Ziebart says the coverage details are in “your original contract.” No contract, no way to know what was promised. - **Check when it was applied.** The transfer sentence covers “new vehicle applications.” Compare the application date with the car’s in-service date. - **Collect every yearly inspection record.** The warranty needs an inspection “within 60 days (+/-) of the anniversary.” A gap may mean the warranty has lapsed; ask the store. - **Call the issuing store, or any Ziebart store.** Ask, with the seller’s paperwork in hand, whether the warranty is active, whether it transfers to you and what the transfer requires. Get the answer in writing. - **Look for access plugs.** Ziebart’s process opens “access holes in some body panels.” Plugs in door jambs or rocker panels support the seller’s story; their absence is a question. - **Do not pay extra for a warranty you cannot verify.** Treat an unconfirmed Ziebart warranty as worth nothing in the price, and the rustproofing itself as something an inspection should judge. If the car was treated after it was sold new, or the inspections stopped, Ziebart’s warranty page says some owners keep coming back anyway: “Even if the warranty period is up, our customers still bring their vehicle in so we can inspect and reapply our services as needed.” That is paid upkeep, not a warranty. ## Ziebart at the dealership, and on ex-fleet cars You can meet Ziebart without visiting a Ziebart store. Its dealer page is written for dealerships, under the headline “Turn Vehicle Protection into a Revenue Boosting Profit Center.” It says: “Since 1959, Ziebart has been partnering with car dealers to offer high quality, exclusive products and services at affordable and anchored prices. With more than 1,000 active car dealer partners.” The newest program changes who does the work. The Gold Shield Program “helps dealerships add trusted in-house protection products, strengthen F&I, and grow revenue without major upfront investment,” and “Your existing prep staff will receive hands-on training from the experts at Ziebart to deliver protection services professionally and efficiently.” In other words, at a Gold Shield dealer the coating may be applied by the dealer’s own staff, not a Ziebart store. Ziebart’s February 2026 post says it will also “introduce a new in-house car dealer program.” None of these pages says whose warranty applies to dealer-applied products, or who does the yearly inspection. If a Ziebart package appears on your buyer’s order, it is an add-on with a price you can question; our guide to [dealer add-on lines](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#junk) explains where these sit. Before you agree, ask three things in writing: who applied it, which warranty comes with it, and where the yearly inspection happens. Dent Wizard’s dealer program raises the same question for dent repair; see [how that one works](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/#who-it-works-for). Some states also require an advertised car price to include charges such as undercoating or rustproofing; our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#the-rule) quotes the rules. Fleet vehicles are the other route. Ziebart’s fleet page says its services can mean “increased resale value at auction,” and its fleet brochure says fleet rust protection is “Backed by up to a 10 year warranty*,” with the footnote “*See dealer for details,” and that the yearly respray “may be performed at your facility by an authorized Ziebart technician.” If you buy an ex-fleet car with a Ziebart history, its terms were set by the fleet’s own agreement, which you are unlikely to see; ask the seller for it. ## Who owns Ziebart, and who owns your store The company is Ziebart International Corporation of Troy, Michigan. Its corporate-information page says simply: “Ownership: Privately owned corporation.” Its History page traces the line: the first rustproofing shop opened in Detroit in 1959, the first franchise was sold in 1962 in Perrysburg, Ohio, the businesses merged into Ziebart International Corporation in 1973, and in 1994 the company “is bought by its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).” A March 8, 2022 release says Thomas E. Wolfe, “After 28 years at the helm,” handed the company to “his son and successor, Thomas A. Wolfe,” who became President and Chief Executive Officer; the father stayed on as chairman. A February 2026 post still names Thomas A. Wolfe as chief executive. Nothing we read says whether the employee plan still owns the company, 32 years on by our arithmetic. Your local store is another matter. Ziebart’s help center says “Most Ziebart facilities are owned and operated by an independent businessperson licensed to use our trademark,” responsible for “all aspects of his business including the workmanship from that facility, warranties issued, fees charged.” Its corporate page counts “11 company owned stores in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Poland.” The rest, by Ziebart’s description, are run by independent licensees. Ziebart’s franchise pages show how that relationship works: a franchise fee of $45,000, “Weekly Royalties 8%” (the pricing page shows a range, “8%-5%”), an initial term of “ten years,” and an “eight-week training program.” The franchise page claims “26 Years Avg. Length of Ownership.” The full Franchise Disclosure Document is sent only to people who submit their details, so we have not read it. For you, the practical point is the help center’s: fees “can vary from store to store, state to state,” and the store you buy from issues your warranty. A company-run chain works differently; compare [Pep Boys’ printed repair warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/#repair-warranty). The same franchise question comes up at [AAMCO](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/aamco-transmission/). ## How many Ziebart stores there are Ziebart’s pages give several answers, and they do not match: **Ziebart’s size, page by page (ziebart.com, read 16 October 2026)** | Page | Locations | Service centers | Countries | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | History page, top | “over 400 franchise locations” | 1,300 | 37 | | History page, “Today” | Not given | “over 1,200” | 36 | | Release, March 8, 2022 | “over 400 locations” | 1,300 | 36 | | Store finder | Not given; “1000+ car dealer partners” | “more than 1,300” | 37 | | Post, February 5, 2026 | “over 400 locations”; “more than 1,000 car dealer partners” | Not given | 37 | | Franchise page | 400 licensed worldwide; “nearly 100” in the U.S. | Not given | 32 “Available Markets” | Ziebart does not define a “service center”; the figure is larger than every count of locations. For the United States, the most concrete number we could find is in its sitemap, which lists 86 distinct location pages (89 entries, three of them repeated). One of the 86 is in Puerto Rico; the others are in 20 states. Michigan and Ohio have 15 each, New York 13 and Indiana 12: 55 of the 86, by our arithmetic, in four Great Lakes states. Illinois and Pennsylvania have five each, Wisconsin four, Minnesota three, West Virginia two, and twelve states and territories one each, from Florida to Hawaii. We opened one location page and it was live; we did not check the rest, so these are pages listed, not stores confirmed open. The franchise page’s “nearly 100” is 14 more than the pages listed. Canada is handled elsewhere: the store finder says “For locations in Canada, please visit www.uniglassplus.com.” Abroad, Ziebart sells country rights as master franchises, and its International Locations page lists 36 names, the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and Saipan among them. The February 2026 post reports three new franchise agreements and four new locations in 2025. ## Courts, regulators and the website’s terms Web searches on 16 October 2026 of the FTC’s site and state attorney-general releases found no enforcement action against Ziebart International Corporation. The BBB’s site blocked our request, so no rating is reported here. The one court record we read shows the franchise system from the inside. In *Ziebart International Corporation v. Waggoner Enterprises, Inc.* (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Case No. 2:12-cv-12001), the court entered a default judgment and permanent injunction on July 12, 2012, after the defendants “failed to plead or otherwise defend in this case.” It declared the Ziebart license agreement dated July 15, 1997 “terminated, effective September 1, 2011,” barred the former licensee from using the Ziebart name for its vehicle care business in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and ordered it to remove from the internet anything suggesting it “ever had any relationship with Ziebart.” A default judgment means the other side did not contest the case; it is not a finding after a trial. The lesson for a car owner is narrow: a shop can stop being a Ziebart. If your paperwork names a store, check that it is still on Ziebart’s store finder before you rely on it for a yearly inspection. Ziebart’s Terms and Conditions govern the website, not your service. They say the site “is provided solely for the use of current and future customers and franchisees of Ziebart,” choose Michigan law and the courts of Oakland County, Michigan, for disputes about the site, and allow Ziebart to change “the products, programs, services, or prices (if any) described in this website at any time without notice.” The document that binds you and the store is the contract you sign there. ## Where Ziebart’s own pages disagree, and what to ask We found ten places where Ziebart’s documents do not line up: - **Size.** 1,300 service centers in 37 countries, or “over 1,200” in 36, both on the History page (table above). - **U.S. stores.** “Nearly 100,” against 86 location pages in the sitemap. - **Sales.** “$194 million worldwide dealer sales” (corporate page) or “$170 million” (History page, in a paragraph from about 2019 by our arithmetic). Neither is dated. - **Age.** “65 years” on the About and Rust Protection pages, 67 years in the September 2026 post and on the franchise page. 2026 less 1959 is 67. - **The factory warranty.** The FAQ says Ziebart will “NOT void” it; the help center says “not typically.” - **Paid yearly inspections.** The September 2026 post faults dealer rust warranties whose “‘Lifetime’ coverage usually requires paid annual inspections.” Ziebart’s own requires a yearly inspection with labor charged for preparation and cleaning. - **Where products are made.** “Almost all” made in the United States (FAQ), or “All Ziebart products and services are made and sourced in the United States” (February 2026 post). - **Washing after Diamond Gloss.** “The first 24 hours” (FAQ) or “3 days” (help center). - **Cleaning tinted windows.** 3 days (FAQ) or 10 days for the inside (help center). - **The yearly visit.** The FAQ includes removing “access plugs” and checking the hood and trunk seams; the Rust Protection page’s version leaves both out. None of these changes what to do: get the store’s written terms. Ask what the warranty covers and excludes, how long it runs, what the yearly visit costs, whether and how it transfers, and, if a dealer sold it, who applied the product. ## Common questions ### Is Ziebart rust protection worth it? We do not rate it. The answer depends on where the car lives, how long you keep it and whether you will make the yearly inspection that keeps the warranty alive. Ziebart’s claims about its coatings are its own; its 2025 test figures cite no named laboratory. Three carmakers’ booklets this site has read already cover rust-through for five years with no mileage limit. Our [rust guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rust/) explains what any treatment can and cannot do. ### How much does Ziebart cost? Ziebart prints no prices. Its FAQ says your local store will “give you an accurate quote specifically for your vehicle,” and its help center says independent owners’ fees “can vary from store to store, state to state.” For rust protection, ask for the yearly preparation and cleaning charge too, since that is part of the cost of keeping the warranty. ### Is the Ziebart warranty transferable? For rust protection, the FAQ says the warranty “is transferable on new vehicle applications.” Tint and film are warranted “For as long as you own the vehicle,” per Ziebart’s 2020 post. Ziebart does not publish the transfer steps; ask the store that issued the warranty. ### What if I miss the yearly Ziebart inspection? The help center says the inspection must be done “every year, +/- 60 days of your anniversary date, to maintain your warranty.” It does not say what happens after a miss. Assume the warranty may have lapsed and ask the store in writing. ### Does Ziebart void a new car’s warranty? Ziebart’s FAQ says “No. Our process will NOT void your manufacturer’s warranty,” while its help center says its coatings “will not typically void” it. Your carmaker’s warranty booklet is the document that decides. ### Who owns Ziebart? Ziebart International Corporation, a “Privately owned corporation” in Troy, Michigan, bought by its employees through an ESOP in 1994 and run since 2022 by Thomas A. Wolfe. Most stores belong to independent franchise owners; Ziebart lists 11 company-owned stores. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ziebart/ --- title: "Kwik Kar: Oil Change, Texas Inspections, Warranty and Owner" description: "Kwik Kar prints no oil-change price or written warranty. What its oil change includes, Texas emissions tests since 2025, coupon fine print and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Kwik Kar: Oil Change, Texas Inspections, Warranty and Owner > Kwik Kar prints no oil-change price or written warranty. What its oil change includes, Texas emissions tests since 2025, coupon fine print and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,928 words* ## The short version - Kwik Kar prints no price for an oil change, an inspection or a repair. Its store FAQ says costs “vary” and to ask for an estimate; coupons are a “Discount off regular price” on “Up to 5 quarts,” with taxes and disposal fees extra where permitted. - Texas dropped safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025. In 17 counties an emissions test is still required before registration, and Texas DPS caps the station’s charge at $18.50 in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. - Kwik Kar publishes no written warranty: no months, no miles, no claim rules. Its sister brand Grease Monkey prints 3 months or 3,000 miles. Ask for the terms on your invoice. - Kwik Kar belongs to MidOcean Partners through FullSpeed Automotive. Its franchisor’s disclosure document counts 26 outlets run by an affiliate and 89 licensed outlets, all in Texas, and no franchises; a 2026 filing says none had opened by the end of 2025. - The kwikkar.com locator lists 26 Texas stores; no document says whether the licensed shops honor the website’s coupons, vouchers or Rewards. - Kwik Kar’s pages disagree on the basics: a “16-Point” or “20-Point” oil change, and free top-offs of “½ pint,” “½ quart” or “for up to 3,000 miles.” Kwik Kar is a Texas oil-change and auto-repair brand: drive-in oil changes, Texas emissions tests and repairs such as brakes, batteries and alignments. What you get and pay depends on which shop you visit, because the 26 stores on kwikkar.com sit beside a larger group of licensed Kwik Kar shops the website does not list. On 10 October 2026 we read kwikkar.com’s service, coupon, store, fleet and terms pages; FullSpeed Automotive’s Kwik Kar page; the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) of Kwik Kar Franchising, LLC issued April 3, 2025, and Minnesota’s May 18, 2026 order cancelling its registration there; and the Texas DPS and TxDMV pages on inspections. This site has no commercial relationship with Kwik Kar, FullSpeed or any oil brand. **Figure: What Kwik Kar’s documents and the Texas agencies say, by situation** Ten situations a Kwik Kar customer in Texas meets, each answered from kwikkar.com’s pages and terms, the April 3, 2025 Kwik Kar Franchise Disclosure Document, or the Texas DPS and TxDMV pages. Read from kwikkar.com, the Minnesota franchise registry, dps.texas.gov and txdmv.gov on 10 October 2026. ## Which Kwik Kar is this? The 26 on kwikkar.com and the licensed shops There are two kinds of Kwik Kar. The [kwikkar.com locator](https://kwikkar.com/locations/) shows “26 locations,” all in Texas, in 20 cities, most of them Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs (Irving and Plano have three stores each). The FDD counts more. Grease Monkey International, LLC (GMI), an affiliate of the franchisor, bought the Kwik Kar trademarks from Kwik Industries, Inc. in 2022 and “also acquired from KII 56 license agreements under which licensees operate automotive service centers under the Kwik Kar trademarks.” It “currently has 89 Kwik Kar licensed outlets, all located in Texas.” Separately, GMI itself ran 26 Kwik Kar outlets at the end of 2024. By our arithmetic that is 115 Kwik Kar outlets in the April 2025 FDD, against 26 on the locator. The locator’s 26 equals the FDD’s count of GMI-run outlets. No document says they are the same 26 stores, but the match suggests the website lists the shops the owner runs and leaves the licensed ones off; the FDD names no licensee and does not describe the licenses. It matters because each kwikkar.com coupon lists the stores that take it, and the website terms say vouchers and gift certificates are “redeemable at all Kwik Kar Auto Repair locations” without saying whether a licensed shop counts. Our reading: if your Kwik Kar is not on the locator, treat its prices, coupons and any guarantee as that shop’s own, and ask before relying on anything printed on kwikkar.com. ## What a Kwik Kar oil change includes The [oil-change page](https://kwikkar.com/services/oil-change/) has Kwik Kar’s longest list: change oil “(up to 5 quarts),” install a new filter, lubricate the chassis, check the air and cabin air filters, “Visually Check Brake Fluid,” check and fill power steering, battery, differential, transmission and washer fluid, check the coolant level and wipers, set tire pressure, check the exterior lights and clean the front windshield. That is 16 items. How many “points” the visit has depends on the page: **How Kwik Kar’s own pages count the oil change (read 10 October 2026)** | Page | What it calls the oil change | Items it lists | | --- | --- | --- | | Home page, services page, every service page | “16-Point Oil Change” | None | | Oil-change page | “our signature 16-point inspection” | 16 | | About page; FullSpeed’s Kwik Kar page | “Our signature 20-Point Inspection is included with every oil change” | None | | Store locator | “a fast 20-point oil change” | None | | Store FAQ (Plano and Sulphur Springs pages) | “A Kwik Kar multi-point oil change” | 15 | The store FAQ’s 15 drop the cabin air filter, say “Check/test battery” instead of checking battery fluid, and “Wash exterior windows” instead of cleaning the windshield. No page lists 20 items. Use the 16 as your checklist. The oil-change page offers full synthetic, synthetic blend, high-mileage (for “vehicles with 75,000+ miles”) and conventional oil, and the store FAQ says Kwik Kar “uses motor oils that match your owner’s manual recommendations.” No page names an oil brand; have the specification written on the invoice. The page’s interval advice, full synthetic “5,000 to 7,500 miles” and a synthetic blend “every 3,000 to 5,000 miles,” yields to your owner’s manual; our page on [what sets the oil change interval](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#what-sets-it) explains why. The fleet page says an oil change takes “about 15 minutes”; the store FAQ says “between 15-20 minutes.” ### Free top-offs: three different promises - **Oil-change page:** “We check and top off all your vehicle’s vital fluids (up to ½ pint).” - **Store FAQ:** steering, washer and transmission fluid, “up to ½ quart of these fluids between oil changes,” with tire pressure “(at participating locations).” - **About page:** “a fluid top-off, like washer fluid or coolant, free for up to 3,000 miles after a qualifying service.” Half a quart is twice half a pint, by our arithmetic. No page says what a “qualifying service” is or how many top-offs you may claim. A car that keeps needing fluid between visits has a leak or a consumption problem; our guide to [finding fluid leaks](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/#cardboard) starts with cardboard under the car overnight. ## How Kwik Kar shows prices, and why there is no menu No Kwik Kar page we read gives a price, a starting price or a range for any service. The store FAQ says: “Oil change costs vary depending on the quantity of oil needed, the type of oil filter used, and the oil type recommended for your vehicle’s make and model. Call or drop by your local Kwik Kar for an estimate from one of our certified technicians.” The fine print shows how a bill is built. The oil-change coupon reads: “Discount off regular price. Up to 5 quarts. Not Valid with other oil change offers. Charge for additional parts/services, if needed. No cash value. Taxes and/or disposal fees extra, where permitted.” The voucher terms add that a promotional oil change “does not include sales tax and shop supply fee” and that “Additional charges will also apply for premium oil and premium oil filters.” So five things can sit on top of a quoted oil change: extra quarts, a premium oil or filter, other parts, tax, and a disposal or shop supply fee. No page says what any of them costs. **Ask for the out-the-door total before the work starts.** Give the oil type your manual calls for and the quarts your engine takes, ask whether the filter is standard or premium, and ask whether a shop supply or disposal fee will be added. A coupon is a discount off a regular price that is not printed anywhere. The FDD lets the franchisor set “minimum and maximum resale prices” only for multi-area marketing programs and special promotions, and no franchised center had opened by the end of 2025. Expect two Kwik Kars to quote different totals for the same car. ### The one dated figure on spending: the FDD’s 2024 tickets Item 19 of the FDD groups the 24 affiliate-owned centers that ran all of 2024 by sales and prints an “Average Ticket” for each group, from $97.78 to $110.83, and a “Median Ticket” from $101.15 to $110.07. The widest “Ticket Range” runs from $59.82 to $147.48. What separated busy centers from quiet ones was mainly traffic: the “Average Daily Vehicle Count” ran from 14 in the smallest group to 42 in the largest. Four limits apply. The figures come from GMI’s own statements and “have not been audited or reviewed by an independent certified public accountant.” They leave out two outlets converted from another brand during 2024. The FDD does not define “ticket”; we read it as one bill per vehicle, add-ons included. And they describe 2024: they are not a price for any service today. ## Coupons, discounts, vouchers and Rewards: the standing rules Every coupon we saw on 10 October 2026 carried a “Redeem By” date, so we quote no amounts. The [coupons page](https://kwikkar.com/coupons/) showed six: full-service oil change, preventive maintenance, military, rideshare, brakes and mechanical services. The amounts change; the rules below do not. **Where a coupon is good.** Each coupon box says “Valid at participating locations nationwide” under its date, while several disclaimers in the same boxes say “Valid at listed location only,” and each box lists the stores that take it. On 10 October 2026 the lists ran from 2 stores to 28. The 28 include two stores, in Pearland and Webster, that have no page on kwikkar.com. Read the list, not the word “nationwide.” **The conditions.** - **Oil-change coupons:** “Up to 5 quarts,” “Not Valid with other oil change offers,” taxes and disposal fees extra. - **Military and rideshare:** the fine print opens “With ID,” and other boxes say “ID required at time of purchase.” - **Seniors:** the store-page coupon says “55+ only” and “Valid at listed location only.” - **Preventive maintenance:** covers add-ons such as oil system cleaner, wipers, bulbs, filters, fluid exchanges and fuel system cleaning, and “Excludes: Oil changes, Batteries, Tire Services, Brakes, Engine Repair, Mechanical Services, Emissions Testing, State Inspections.” - **Mechanical services:** “Excludes: Oil Changes, Radiator Service, Batteries, Tires, and Emissions.” - **By text:** a texted coupon “must be presented at time of estimate,” with “Only one coupon code per transaction,” and none is valid with “warranty work.” Both store pages we opened list four discount groups under “Our Discounts”: Military, Lyft Driver, Uber Driver and Fleets, with no amounts; the amounts exist only on dated coupons. ### Vouchers, gift certificates and Rewards The [kwikkar.com Terms & Conditions](https://kwikkar.com/terms-conditions/) cover only these three programs: **Kwik Kar’s voucher, gift certificate and Rewards terms (Terms & Conditions page, read 10 October 2026)** | Program | What the terms say | | --- | --- | | Vouchers bought online for more than one oil change | “will not be available for use for 7 days from date of purchase”; photo ID “may be required” | | A voucher’s promotional value | Expires 12 months from purchase; after that the price paid can go “toward any Kwik Kar Auto Repair goods and services” | | The voucher itself | Expires “five calendar years after the date of purchase”; “Lost or stolen voucher is non-refundable”; a reprinted e-voucher fails if someone redeems the original first | | A promotional oil change | Five quarts; premium oil and filters extra; not for diesel; excludes sales tax and the shop supply fee; not combinable | | Gift certificates | Expire five calendar years after purchase; no cash value; may be invalidated after a chargeback or returned check | | Rewards | “Earn 1 Reward Point per dollar spent,” not on buying gift certificates or pre-purchased oil changes; only toward “a future purchase”; not transferable; “Employees and fleet accounts are not eligible”; may be revised or cancelled “at any time without prior notice” | The terms give a point no stated value, and “The decision of Kwik Kar management in the interpretation of this program is final.” Photograph any voucher code when you get it. ## Texas state inspections at Kwik Kar since January 1, 2025 The Texas state inspection rules changed. TxDMV’s [registration page](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/register-your-vehicle) says: “As of January 1, 2025, non-commercial vehicles are no longer required to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration.” Texas DPS says the change came from House Bill 3297, signed in 2023, “abolishing the Vehicle Safety Inspection Program for non-commercial vehicles.” What remains is an emissions test in 17 counties: Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Commercial vehicles still need an annual commercial inspection in every county. **What Texas requires before registration, and the most a station may charge (TxDMV and Texas DPS, read 10 October 2026)** | Your vehicle | Inspection needed | Most the station may charge (DPS) | State fee at registration (TxDMV) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Non-commercial, registered in El Paso, Travis or Williamson county | Emissions test (gasoline vehicles two through 24 years old) | $11.50 | $2.75 Emissions Inspection Fee | | Non-commercial, registered in the other 14 emissions counties (DPS’s “DFW/Houston” group, by our reading) | Emissions test (same age rule) | $18.50 | $2.75 Emissions Inspection Fee | | Non-commercial, registered anywhere else in Texas | None | Not applicable | None for an emissions test | | Commercial, any county | Annual commercial inspection | $40.00 | The state’s portion, collected at registration | DPS’s [cost of inspection page](https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/vehicle-inspection/cost-inspection) calls its amounts “the maximum charge for each inspection type”; at the station, TxDMV says, you pay “only the inspection station’s portion of the fee.” By our arithmetic, a Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston driver pays at most $21.25 for the emissions test, $18.50 at the station plus $2.75 at registration. That is a legal ceiling, not a Kwik Kar price; Kwik Kar prints none. Our page on [what a car inspection costs](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-much-does-a-car-inspection-cost/#state-test) compares other states. The store FAQ says “Kwik Kar performs state inspections at participating service centers, including vehicle checks and emission tests,” and both store pages list “TX State Inspections” as an amenity and carry a panel headed “Vehicle Inspections Are Gone, But Emissions Live On.” The [inspection service page](https://kwikkar.com/services/inspections/) has not caught up: it offers an inspection for “your annual check” and a safety check of “Brakes, horn, seatbelts, mirrors, and windshield wipers,” without mentioning the change. For registration, a private car needs at most the emissions test. ### How the emissions test works, and how to avoid a pointless fail For 1996 and newer vehicles the Texas test is an OBDII computer scan. DPS’s [emissions testing FAQ](https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/vehicle-inspection/faq/emissions-testing) describes three checks: the check engine lamp must light when the ignition is turned on and go off when the engine starts; if the computer is commanding the lamp on with a stored trouble code, “the vehicle will fail”; and the readiness monitors must have run. A 2001 or newer car may have one monitor “Not Ready” and pass, but two or more fail it (for 1996 to 2000 models, two pass and three fail). The catch is how monitors reset. DPS says they go back to Not Ready when codes “have been cleared with a scan tool or if battery power has been disconnected,” and only a “drive cycle” of city and highway driving sets them Ready again. Kwik Kar sells battery replacement and check-engine scans at the same counter as the emissions test; if either was just done, drive normally for a while before the test. Our page on [readiness monitors](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/emissions-check-by-vin/#readiness) goes deeper; DPS’s list of common fail causes starts with catalytic converter failure and a faulty gas cap (see [catalytic converter symptoms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-catalytic-converter/#check-engine)). Keep the Vehicle Inspection Report; TxDMV accepts it at renewal if the state’s system cannot verify a pass. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a warning lamp, the odometer display and a hazard lamp, each with one fact from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s emissions rules. The Texas Department of Public Safety’s emissions-testing pages, read on 9 October 2026: Emissions test fails if this lamp stays lit with a stored trouble code (Texas DPS) (callout 1); Battery disconnected or codes cleared? Monitors reset; 2 Not Ready fail a 2001+ car (callout 2); No safety inspection since January 1, 2025; 17 counties still test emissions (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Is there a Kwik Kar warranty? Not one you can read. We found no written warranty terms on kwikkar.com: no months, no miles, nothing on what is covered or where to claim. The address kwikkar.com/warranty/ returned “Page not found” on 10 October 2026, and /guarantee/, where sister brand Grease Monkey keeps its promise, redirected to the home page. The About page speaks of “doing the job right, guaranteeing our work,” and the fleet page’s “Satisfaction Guarantee” says “If something’s not right, we’ll make it right.” Some warranty exists on paper. The SMS terms exclude “warranty work” from texted coupons, and the FDD tells franchisees that for “Alternative Automotive Services,” those “not performed in at least 85 percent of Kwik Kar Centers,” invoices must state that the customer “can only return to your Kwik Kar Center to exercise the warranty.” Neither says what the warranty is. Here is Kwik Kar beside three brands this site has read: **Printed warranty and top-off terms of four oil-change brands (Kwik Kar read 10 October 2026; the others 9 October 2026, each from the brand’s own pages)** | Brand | Written warranty on oil-change work | Where you claim | Top-offs between visits | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Kwik Kar | None found in writing | Not stated | “up to ½ pint,” “up to ½ quart” or “free for up to 3,000 miles,” by page | | [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/) (same parent company) | 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first | The original center, with the original invoice | Free: motor oil up to 1 quart and other fluids; not antifreeze | | [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) | “3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first” | “See back of invoice for details” | Within 3,000 miles, “up to 2 quarts per fluid” | | [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) | Three months or 3,000 miles on parts and labor | Any location, once the original location approves | None printed for between visits; washer fluid is topped off during the oil change | **Get the warranty written on the invoice.** Before you pay, ask how long the work is covered in months and miles, whether another Kwik Kar will honor it, and what voids it. If the shop will not write it down, assume you have no written promise from the shop. Your car’s factory warranty is a separate question. The FTC’s guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) says “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else,” backed by 15 U.S.C. 2302(c) and 16 CFR 700.10(c). Keep every invoice: the FTC says to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes.” Our page on [oil-change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) shows what a usable one contains. ## Brakes, batteries and other repairs: estimates and approval Kwik Kar also sells brakes, batteries, alignments, tires, filters, fluid exchanges and engine diagnostics. Its pages promise the two things that matter before a repair: the brake page says “We’ll explain what needs fixing, give you a clear estimate, and only move forward with your go-ahead,” and the engine page “With your approval, we’ll get busy fixing things up.” Ask for the estimate in writing, parts and labor separated. Not every shop does every job. Each service page ends “Services may vary by location,” and the store FAQ says that at non-participating centers “We do not offer brake services at this time,” and likewise for alignments, although the FDD says Kwik Kar Centers “must offer brake services.” Call ahead for anything beyond an oil change. The intervals Kwik Kar prints are general: brakes checked “every six months or between 20,000 to 60,000 miles,” a tune-up “every 30,000 to 50,000 miles (or as your manual suggests),” fluids at “30,000 miles or every two years.” Check them against your manual and our pages on [how long brake pads last](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-brake-pads-last/), [brake fluid intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-fluid-change/#interval) and [what decides a battery’s price](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#what-decides). The battery page says nothing about a battery warranty, so ask whose warranty covers the one you buy; see [how battery warranties work](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#how-battery-warranties-work). ## Who owns Kwik Kar, and who runs your shop The About page dates the first Texas shop to 1984 and says Kwik Kar “joined the FullSpeed Automotive® family” in 2022. In the FDD’s terms, GMI, which “also operates under the name FullSpeed Automotive,” bought the trademarks, the system and 56 license agreements from Kwik Industries, Inc. in 2022 and runs the company’s own shops. The franchisor, Kwik Kar Franchising, LLC, is “a Delaware limited liability company formed on January 22, 2024,” based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and “does not currently operate any Kwik Kar Centers, our affiliates do.” The FDD traces the franchisor through seven holding companies to MidOcean Partners V, L.P.: “MidOcean is our ultimate parent company. It is a private investment group that owns multiple other business concepts.” The same direct parent owns GMI and the franchisors of Grease Monkey and SpeeDee. FullSpeed’s [release of November 30, 2020](https://fullspeedautomotive.com/news/midocean-partners-acquires-fullspeed-automotive-a-leading-platform-in-auto-aftermarket-services/) says MidOcean acquired FullSpeed Automotive from CenterOak Partners; our pages on [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/) and [SpeeDee](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/speedee-oil-change/) read the sister brands the same way. Item 20 counts the Kwik Kar outlets GMI runs; licensed outlets are not in it: **Kwik Kar outlets in the Franchise Disclosure Document issued April 3, 2025 (Item 20, Tables 1 and 4; all in Texas)** | At year end | Franchised | Run by the affiliate GMI | What changed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2022 | 0 | 36 | “Acquired and operated by our affiliate, GMI, in 2022” | | 2023 | 0 | 24 | 12 closed | | 2024 | 0 | 26 | 2 shops of another brand converted to Kwik Kar | Franchise sales began on February 12, 2024. The FDD’s list of franchisees as of December 31, 2024 reads “NONE,” and it projected 3 franchised openings in Texas for 2025. The Grease Monkey FDD issued April 7, 2026 says “As of December 31, 2025, no KKF franchises had opened.” Minnesota’s registry holds Kwik Kar filings for 2024 and 2025 under file number 11196, then an Order of Cancellation dated 05/18/2026 because “the franchisor has failed to file an annual report and fee.” We found no Kwik Kar FDD issued in 2026. Item 3 discloses no litigation, Item 4 no bankruptcy, and a web search on 10 October 2026 found no attorney-general or FTC action naming Kwik Kar. The About page says “every Kwik Kar shop is locally owned and operated by folks who live right in your neighborhood.” On the FDD’s numbers, the shops the owner runs belong to a Colorado-based affiliate of an investment group, and the rest are licensees. Neither store page we opened says which kind it is, so ask, and get any promise on an invoice that names the shop. ## Terms, privacy and disputes Four documents set the rules: **Which Kwik Kar document governs what (read 10 October 2026)** | Document | What it covers | Law or forum it names | | --- | --- | --- | | kwikkar.com Terms & Conditions | Vouchers, gift certificates and Rewards only | None | | SMS Mobile Message Marketing Program Terms | The coupon and reminder text program | Binding individual arbitration in Denver, Colorado, under the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial Rules | | Privacy policy (“Last Updated: October 14, 2025”) | The website, store visits and communications | “The laws of Michigan and the United States” | | kwikkarfranchise.com Terms of Use | The franchise sales website | The State of Illinois | The SMS terms carry the strongest clauses. Joining the text program means resolving disputes “through binding, individual-only arbitration” before one arbitrator in Denver, under the law of the federal circuit where Grease Monkey International, LLC has its principal place of business. Class claims and punitive damages are barred, the result is confidential, and in court both sides “waive any right to a jury trial.” The terms also say “This Agreement is limited to the Program”; our reading is that they reach disputes about the texts, not about a repair. Asking an employee to stop the texts “is not a reasonable means of opting out” (text STOP), and the terms still name the sender “BRAND NAME.” The privacy policy says that at a store Kwik Kar collects “information about your vehicle, such as VIN, mileage, year, make and model, and the services we perform,” and “we may share your vehicle information with CARFAX.” By our reading, Kwik Kar visits may then appear on your car’s history report; our guide to [reading a vehicle history report](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/#report) explains how service records show up. The policy says Kwik Kar does “not sell or share your personal information” outside Kwik Kar and its affiliates except as described, and reserves the right to “license or sell aggregate information” that is not individually identifiable. For a problem with a visit, the contact page says “Your neighborhood Kwik Kar is always the best place to start”; the Texas DPS vehicle-inspection pages carry their own “Submit a Complaint” link for inspection stations. ## Where Kwik Kar’s own pages disagree, and what they leave out Besides the conflicts above (the point counts, the top-off limits, “nationwide” coupons, the inspection page, brakes at every center, local ownership), we found these: - **Where Kwik Kar is.** The About page says “With locations across the country”; the locator says “communities across Texas,” and the FDD places every outlet in Texas. - **Headquarters.** kwikkar.com gives “Kwik Kar Headquarters” at a Plano address that is also store #8146; the FDD and FullSpeed put the franchisor and FullSpeed in Greenwood Village, Colorado. - **Template text.** The Plano and Sulphur Springs store pages both say “Kwik Kar Dallas is here to help you stay compliant,” and the locator’s search description, in its code, speaks of “343 oil change locations” and “an experienced Grease Monkey technician.” - **Company-owned or not.** Item 19 says “We also do not have company-owned Centers,” while Table 1 lists the 26 shops under “Company Owned.” The franchisor owns none; its affiliate does. Not published at all: a price for any service, the cost of a quart beyond five, the shop supply or disposal fee, any warranty term, how many top-offs you may claim, what a Rewards point is worth, which stores perform inspections, and whether licensed Kwik Kar shops honor kwikkar.com’s coupons, vouchers, gift certificates or Rewards. ## Before and after a Kwik Kar visit - **Check the shop against the locator.** If it is not among the 26 on kwikkar.com, its coupons, prices and promises are its own. - **Know what Texas requires.** A non-commercial car needs only an emissions test, and only if it is registered in one of the 17 counties. - **Do not test right after a battery job or a cleared code.** The readiness monitors reset; drive a while first. - **Read the coupon’s store list.** Show it at the estimate, one per visit, with ID for military or rideshare coupons. - **Ask for the total before work starts.** Oil type, quarts beyond five, standard or premium filter, coupon, tax and any shop supply or disposal fee. - **Get the warranty in writing.** Months, miles, which shops honor it and what voids it, on the invoice. - **Approve repairs from a written estimate.** Kwik Kar’s brake and engine pages promise an estimate and your go-ahead. - **Keep the invoice and the Vehicle Inspection Report.** One is your maintenance record for the factory warranty; the other proves an emissions pass at renewal. Our pages on [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/), [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/), [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/), [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) and [Precision Tune Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/) read those companies’ published terms the same way. ## Common questions ### How much is an oil change at Kwik Kar? Kwik Kar publishes no price. Its store FAQ says costs vary with the quantity of oil, the filter and the oil your car needs, and to ask for an estimate. Coupons are a discount “off regular price” on up to 5 quarts, with taxes and disposal fees extra where permitted. The only dated figure is the FDD’s: in 2024, average tickets at the affiliate-run centers ran from $97.78 to $110.83 by sales group, which is not a price. ### Does Kwik Kar do state inspections? Kwik Kar says it “performs state inspections at participating service centers, including vehicle checks and emission tests.” Since January 1, 2025 Texas requires no safety inspection for non-commercial vehicles; 17 counties still require an emissions test before registration. DPS caps the station’s charge at $18.50 in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston and $11.50 in El Paso, Travis and Williamson counties, plus a $2.75 state fee at registration. ### Does Kwik Kar have a warranty? None is published: no warranty page and no months-or-miles terms on kwikkar.com, only the About page’s “guaranteeing our work.” Sister brand Grease Monkey prints 3 months or 3,000 miles. Ask the shop to write its warranty on your invoice before you pay. ### Who owns Kwik Kar? Is it a franchise? Kwik Kar is owned through FullSpeed Automotive by MidOcean Partners V, L.P. Grease Monkey International, LLC owns the trademarks and runs the company’s shops; Kwik Kar Franchising, LLC sells franchises. The April 3, 2025 FDD counts 26 affiliate-run and 89 licensed outlets, all in Texas, and no franchises; a 2026 filing says none had opened by December 31, 2025. ### Do I need an appointment, and how long does it take? No. The home page says “No appointments, no delays,” though the store FAQ says you can schedule one. An oil change takes “about 15 minutes” (fleet page) or “between 15-20 minutes” (store FAQ). ### Do Kwik Kar coupons and military discounts work at every location? Not necessarily. Each coupon lists the stores that take it, and several disclaimers say “Valid at listed location only”; on 10 October 2026 the lists ran from 2 to 28 Texas stores. Store pages list military, Lyft, Uber and fleet discounts without amounts, and the military and rideshare coupons require ID. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [TxDMV register your vehicle](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/register-your-vehicle) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/ --- title: "NTB Tires: Warranty, Road Hazard, Free Services and Owner" description: "NTB prints no warranty terms of its own; Mavis’s apply. What its road hazard cover, free checks, card, price match and a tire-registration settlement say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ntb-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # NTB Tires: Warranty, Road Hazard, Free Services and Owner > NTB prints no warranty terms of its own; Mavis’s apply. What its road hazard cover, free checks, card, price match and a tire-registration settlement say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 5,005 words* ## The short version - NTB (National Tire & Battery) is a Mavis brand. Sears formed it in 1997, TBC bought it in 2003, and Mavis took it over in 2020 and 2023. Mavis’s store list shows 219 NTB stores in 15 states. - NTB prints no warranty terms of its own. Its warranty page links to Mavis’s, whose terms are honored “at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” a company no NTB page names. - Road hazard cover, where it exists, is Mavis’s: bought separately at a price nobody prints, ending at 3 years or 2/32 inch of tread, and priced by how much tread is worn. - NTB has no price match page, though its banners promise one; Mavis’s 30-day guarantee refunds the difference plus 5%, with exclusions. - In 2020 a federal court approved a class settlement over claims that NTB failed to register customers’ tires for recalls; NTB and TBC agreed to a receipt notice telling buyers they can ask for a registration card. - Free things at NTB are checks and dated coupons. Military members, reservists and veterans get 10% off in store. The NTB card is issued by Synchrony; new accounts since 07/31/25 carry a 34.99% purchase APR. NTB is a chain of tire and repair shops, mostly in Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Texas, that Mavis bought from TBC Corporation in 2020 and 2023. Its pages on mavis.com print almost no terms; the warranty, road hazard and price-match terms that apply are Mavis’s. On 10 October 2026 we read NTB’s pages and three of its store pages, Mavis’s store list, TBC’s 2003 annual report and the federal court’s 2020 order in a tire-registration class action against NTB. This site has no commercial relationship with NTB, Mavis or any tire seller. **Figure: What NTB’s pages, Mavis’s terms and the 2020 settlement say, situation by situation** Eight situations an NTB customer meets, set against what NTB’s pages, Mavis’s warranty and price-match terms, the federal tire-registration rule and the 2020 court-approved settlement print. Warn rows mark a gap, a cost or a contradiction. Read from NTB’s pages on mavis.com, Mavis’s warranty and price-match terms, 49 CFR 574.8 and the court’s order of 1 September 2020 in Exum v. National Tire and Battery, on 10 October 2026. ## Who owns NTB: Sears, then TBC, now Mavis Mavis does. NTB’s [page on mavis.com](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/) says: “NTB began its transition into the Mavis Tire family in 2020, with full brand acquisition completed in 2023. Originally operated by TBC Corporation, NTB, which totals over 350 locations nationwide, is now fully owned and operated by Mavis Tire.” It dates the chain to 1997, “formed from the merger of two Sears-owned chains: National Tire Warehouse and Tire America.” The 2003 sale is in TBC Corp’s [annual report for 2003](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/718449/000095014404002566/g87803e10vk.htm), filed with the SEC: “On November 29, 2003, the Company acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of NTW Incorporated from Sears, Roebuck and Co.” NTW ran as a Sears division “under the name National Tire & Battery (NTB), with 225 retail tire and automotive centers in 20 states generating annual revenues in excess of $425 million.” TBC paid “total consideration of $225 million financed through debt and sale/leaseback arrangements,” and at closing sold and leased back 86 of the stores, 38.2% of them by our arithmetic, for about $132 million. Mavis bought NTB in two steps. TBC’s release of 22 May 2023, recorded on our [Mavis Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#ntb-tire-kingdom), announced a sale “through which Mavis will acquire 392 NTB Tire and Service Centers (NTB) and 203 Tire Kingdom Service Centers,” and mentioned “the 112 NTB stores acquired by Mavis from TBC in 2020.” Michelin, which runs TBC jointly with Sumitomo Corporation, dates the agreement 18 April 2023. TBC expected it “to close in the coming weeks”; no document we read gives a closing date or a price for either step. Mavis itself is privately owned. A group led by BayPine, with TSG Consumer Partners and the Sorbaro family’s holding company, agreed to buy it on 5 March 2021; after buying [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) on 20 August 2026 it counted “more than 4,400 service center locations” (see our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#who-owns-mavis)). Sister brands have their own pages: [Tire Kingdom](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-kingdom/), [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/), [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) and [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/). Which company stands behind which promise: **Who is on the other side of each NTB document (read 10 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | | --- | --- | | The NTB pages and their Terms of Use | “Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire and Mavis Tires & Brakes” | | Online orders (Terms of Sale, linked in the footer) | “Mavis Tire Supply LLC d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire” | | Mavis’s tire warranties | Honored “at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC” | | The NTB company in 2003 | NTW Incorporated, bought from Sears, Roebuck and Co. by TBC | | The NTB company in the 2019 lawsuit | “National Tire and Battery,” incorporated in Delaware with its main office in Florida, “a wholly-owned subsidiary” of TBC, the court says | | The NTB credit card | Offered “through Synchrony” | | The tire itself | The tire maker, under its own warranty; Mavis links 14 makers’ warranty pages | No NTB page says which Mavis company owns the stores today, or what became of NTW Incorporated, which matters because Mavis’s warranty terms name the locations Mavis Tire Supply LLC owns. Every NTB page ends “© 2026 Mavis Tires and Brakes,” and ntb.com’s robots file now redirects to mavis.com/ntb/. ## Where the 219 NTB stores are NTB’s locations page lists no stores; it offers to “Find your local Mavis.” The count comes from Mavis’s [all-stores page](https://www.mavis.com/locations/all-stores/), which labels each store with its brand. On 10 October 2026 it carried 1,636 entries, and 219 were labelled “NTB Tire & Service Centers,” the same figure this site’s Tire Kingdom research counted on the same list the day before. They sit in 15 states: **NTB stores by state on Mavis’s store list, and whether NTB’s inspection page names the state (read 10 October 2026)** | State | NTB stores | On the inspection page’s list of seven states? | | --- | --- | --- | | Virginia | 60 | No | | Maryland | 39 | No | | Ohio | 33 | No | | Texas | 28 | Yes | | Pennsylvania | 17 | Yes | | Tennessee | 10 | No | | West Virginia | 9 | No | | Louisiana | 6 | Yes | | North Carolina | 5 | Yes | | Missouri | 4 | No | | Illinois, Mississippi, South Carolina | 2 each | No | | Alabama, Georgia | 1 each | No | By our arithmetic, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Texas hold 160 of the 219 stores, 73.1%, and Virginia alone 27.4%. NTB is 13.4% of the list and a little under 5% of the “more than 4,400” locations Mavis claimed after buying Pep Boys. The list shows no NTB store in New York, New Jersey or New England. NTB’s own line that its stores “can be found across the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast” leaves out Texas, and in the Northeast the list shows only Pennsylvania’s 17. Some changed name: Mavis’s Tire Kingdom page says a 2015 realignment “rebranded many out-of-state Tire Kingdom stores under the NTB name.” The printed counts disagree: **NTB store counts in the records we read (read 10 October 2026)** | When | Stores | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 29 November 2003 | 225, in 20 states | TBC’s 10-K for 2003, when TBC bought NTW from Sears | | 29 January 2019 | “more than 1200 locations in 41 states” (alleged) | The class-action complaint, as the court summarized it | | 2020 | 112 bought by Mavis | TBC’s 2023 release | | 22 May 2023 | 392 in the sale agreement | TBC’s release on the sale to Mavis | | Undated | “over 350 locations nationwide” | NTB’s page on mavis.com | | 10 October 2026 | 219, in 15 states | Store labels on Mavis’s all-stores page | By our arithmetic, Mavis bought 504 NTB stores from TBC across the two steps, 285 more than the list now labels NTB, and the list falls 131 short of NTB’s “over 350.” Neither Mavis nor TBC says how many closed or now trade as Mavis. The complaint’s figure is close to the “over 1,200” locations Big O’s 2019 warranty sheet gives for Big O, Tire Kingdom and NTB together. ## NTB’s tire warranty: a page with no terms NTB’s [warranty page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/tire-warranty/) is headed “NTB TIRE WARRANTY,” and its whole text is: “Learn More NTB now joins Mavis Tire to provide you with dependable customer service for everything auto-care! Learn more about tire warranty today!” The button opens Mavis’s warranty page, which links Mavis’s [warranty terms](https://www.mavis.com/tire-parts-warranty/) and 14 tire makers’ pages. No NTB page names an NTB warranty or certificate. Mavis’s terms cover “the New Tire Limited Warranty, the Limited Mileage Warranty, and the Road Hazard Limited Warranty”; our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#tire-warranties) reads them in full. The parts an NTB buyer needs: - **Where.** “The Warranties will be honored at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” and you must bring the invoice or receipt, the service record and the tire. - **Who.** “The Warranties apply to the original purchaser (‘you’) and may not be assigned,” so they don’t pass to the next owner of the car. - **Defects.** Covered until the tread “measures less than 2/32nd of an inch.” A replacement costs “the percentage of wear” times what you paid, installed free; balancing and taxes are extra. - **Mileage.** A tire short of “the mileage specified on your purchase receipt” earns a credit for the miles not reached. - **Your part.** Correct inflation, balance and alignment, and rotation, where “every 5,000 miles is recommended.” The catch is the first line: no NTB page says its stores are owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC. Ask for the terms in writing and check that your invoice names them. Federal rules back that request: a seller of a warranted product costing more than $15.00 must “make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer” (16 CFR 702.3). Mavis’s terms cap implied warranties at the written ones’ length, which federal law allows only for a warranty “of reasonable duration” (15 U.S.C. 2308(b)). The tire maker’s warranty comes on top; see [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) and [how to read tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth). ## Road hazard cover at NTB: Mavis’s terms, bought separately No NTB page mentions road hazard cover. The only terms are Mavis’s Road Hazard Limited Warranty, which begins “If you have purchased this warranty,” and Mavis’s Terms of Sale say only “Some tires” sold online come with the option. No page gives a price. Once bought: - **What it covers.** A tire that “becomes unserviceable as a result of road hazards (e.g., cuts, snags, bruises, impact breaks, or other un-repairable punctures).” - **How long.** “The duration of this warranty is the shorter of (i) 3 years from the purchase date or (ii) until the given tire retains less than 2/32nds of an inch of tread depth.” Whichever comes first ends it. - **What you pay.** A replacement is “calculated by multiplying the percentage of wear by the original purchase price.” Mavis’s own example: a tire that started at 10/32 inch and is down to 7/32 is 38% worn, so on a $69.99 tire you pay $26.60. Our Mavis page has the [full wear table](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#percentage-of-wear). - **What it leaves out.** Tires that can be repaired, cosmetic damage, overloading or abuse, “Road service, towing costs, and other incidental damage,” mounting, balancing and taxes, and tires moved to another vehicle. **Without road hazard cover, a pothole is not covered by Mavis’s tire warranties.** Mavis’s New Tire Limited Warranty excludes tires that fail from “road hazards, such as cuts, snags, punctures, or impact breaks.” If you want road hazard cover at an NTB store, ask for it by name, ask the price, and get the terms printed on the invoice before you pay. Older NTB paperwork may point elsewhere. TBC’s 2003 annual report says its stores offered “extended service programs and warranties,” and Big O Tires’ 2019 warranty sheet, read for our [Big O Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/), says its policies are “honored at over 1,200 Big O Tires, Tire Kingdom and NTB locations across America,” from when TBC owned all three. Nothing we read says Mavis honors a certificate sold under TBC. Compare the terms at [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) and [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/#road-hazard). ## Tire registration, and the 2020 settlement over it A tire maker can write to you about a recall only if it knows you bought its tires. Federal rule [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml) makes independent tire dealers handle that at the sale: give the buyer “a paper tire registration form” with “The entire tire identification number” and the dealer’s name and address filled in, send the form to the maker “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days of the date of sale,” or, in the summary of the court that heard the NTB case below, transmit the form electronically. Dealers must also “immediately stop selling any group of tires” when a recall notice tells them to. NTB was sued over that rule. In Exum v. National Tire and Battery, No. 9:19-cv-80121, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 29 January 2019, two Virginia buyers sued National Tire and Battery and TBC Corp. The court’s summary of the complaint: they “allegedly purchased tires from NTB in January, 2019,” and “according to the Complaint, NTB failed to provide either of them with a tire registration form or transmit their registration forms to the tire manufacturers.” Those were allegations. On 28 January 2020 the court “granted in part and denied in part” the defendants’ motion to dismiss, and on 7 February 2020 the parties told the court “the matter has been fully compromised and settled this day.” No court decided whether NTB broke the rule. The court gave the settlement [final approval on 1 September 2020](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-flsd-9_19-cv-80121/pdf/USCOURTS-flsd-9_19-cv-80121-2.pdf), finding it “fair, adequate, and reasonable.” Its main term is a notice on the receipt: > “In accordance with Federal Regulations, TBC retains information related to tire sales, including the consumer’s name and address, the tire identification number, and the dealer’s name and address. In the event of a tire recall, TBC will provide such information to the tire manufacturer so that the tire manufacturer can send you notice of a recall. If you would prefer to register your tires directly with the manufacturer, please ask the store representative for a tire-registration card.” The other terms, as the order describes them: - **Records check.** When a customer returns for tire work, the associate “will be instructed to check available records” and update the registration “to the extent necessary.” - **Who was covered.** U.S. buyers of tires for personal use whose tires the defendants did not register, from 29 January 2014: “more than one thousand customers each year,” the court says. - **Money.** The defendants agreed to pay $645,000 in fees and costs to class counsel and $7,500 to each of the two named buyers, $660,000 in all by our arithmetic. The order lists no payment to other class members, who “are not releasing their claims, if any, for monetary damages.” - **Objection.** One objection, from “a purported class member,” was overruled. The court noted that in a similar case against [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/), a federal court in Pennsylvania had found “an individual tire purchaser lacked standing to sue.” The order bound NTB and TBC in 2020, before Mavis took over; we saw no current NTB receipt and don’t know whether the notice still appears. Ask for a registration card, keep the tire identification numbers, and check them in [NHTSA’s recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls); see [tire age and recalls](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the sidewall’s fine print, the tire’s outer edge and its size lettering, each with one fact from the federal tire-registration rule, Mavis’s road hazard terms and NTB’s 2020 settlement. The federal tire-registration rule, Mavis’s road hazard terms and NTB’s 2020 settlement order, read on 9 October 2026: Federal rule: the dealer records this tire ID on a registration form, or sends it in (callout 1); Mavis road hazard cover ends at 3 years or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first (callout 2); NTB’s 2020 settlement: you can ask the store for a tire-registration card (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What’s free at NTB, and what the coupons leave out NTB’s pages list nothing free with a set of tires. What is free sits inside coupons, most with an expiry date, and the [coupons page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/coupons/) says “Store coupons should be printed and brought to the in-store appointment for redemption.” Set beside Mavis’s own wording: **Free checks and services on NTB’s pages, with Mavis’s terms beside them (read 10 October 2026)** | Service | NTB’s pages | Mavis’s pages | | --- | --- | --- | | Tire rotation | “Free Tire Rotation” coupon, a “Limited Time Offer” with an expiry date; the oil change coupon “Includes Tire Rotation and Visual Brake Inspection” | “If you previously bought your tires at Mavis, we offer free tire rotations on those tires.” | | Alignment | “Free Alignment Check” and “90 Day Warranty Included” under a coupon | Parts table: wheel alignment 3 months or 3,000 miles | | Brakes | “Free Visual Brake Inspection” under a dated special | Brake pads: lifetime part, 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor | | Balancing | “Warranty Included” with no terms | Not in the parts table; “All other items not listed” get 3/3,000 | | Battery | “Free Battery Check” and “Warranty Included” | A free replacement period, then a prorated credit through month 60 | | Shocks and struts | “Free Visual Suspension Inspection”; “Valid on Parts” and “Excludes Labor” | Struts and shocks: lifetime part, 12/12,000 labor | | Muffler and exhaust | “Free Visual Muffler and Exhaust Inspection” | Muffler assembly: lifetime part, 12/12,000 labor | | Oil change | “Fluid checks and basic inspections are included” (store pages) | No separate term | | Tire and alignment checks | Not printed | “Any Mavis location will check and inspect tire condition, wheel alignment, and vehicle condition at any time without charge.” | Mavis ties free rotation to tires bought at Mavis; NTB’s pages offer a coupon instead, so ask whether NTB tires rotate free for life or only while a coupon runs. The [rotation page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/tire-rotation/) adds that a matching full-size spare gets “a five-tire rotation” and that “we’ll reset the tire pressure sensors.” See [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval). The brake page is written for the sister chain: “How much does brake service cost at Tire Kingdom?” It promises “free inspections with oil changes or tire rotations” at “any Tire Kingdom location,” and never says the same of NTB. The maintenance advice is NTB’s view, not a rule: oil “every 3,000 miles, or every 3 months,” about 5,000 on synthetic; an alignment check “every six months or 6,000 miles”; balancing at each rotation, “usually every 5,000 miles.” Your owner’s manual governs; see our pages on [alignment](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/) and [brake pads](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/). ## Repair warranties: “Warranty Included” and Mavis’s parts table NTB’s coupons for balancing, batteries, shocks and exhaust end with “Warranty Included” and nothing more; the alignment coupon says “90 Day Warranty Included.” The only written repair warranty on the site is Mavis’s mechanical labor and parts table ([read in full here](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#parts-labor-warranty)). Some of its rows, part warranty first and labor second: - **Brake pads and shoes:** lifetime part, 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor. - **Struts and shocks:** lifetime part, 12/12,000 labor. - **Muffler assembly:** lifetime part, 12/12,000 labor; a catalytic converter gets 60 months or 50,000 miles on the part. - **Wheel alignment:** 3 months or 3,000 miles. - **Batteries:** a free replacement period, then “a prorated credit period from the end of the free replacement period through month 60”; see our [battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/). - **Everything else:** “All other items not listed (excluding tires and batteries)” get 3 months or 3,000 miles. Mavis spells out what the shorthand means: “12/12,000” lasts “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first,” and with a “lifetime” part, once the labor term ends “you will be charged at the then-current labor rate” to fit the free replacement. The table covers “the original purchaser (‘you’) of Mavis services,” and NTB’s pages don’t say it applies to their work. Mavis’s own FAQ says only that “Mavis offers additional service warranties depending on the work performed.” Get the warranty for the job written on the invoice. ## Price match, the military discount and the missing senior discount NTB has no price match page. The address /ntb/pricematch/ serves Mavis’s “404 Page Not Found” page, and Mavis’s sitemap lists no NTB price match page among the 42 NTB addresses it carries. Yet NTB’s pages carry a “Price Match Guarantee” banner and the line “We will beat any price,” and its store pages show a “30-Day Price Guarantee.” The [tire deals page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/tire-deals/) says: “just submit the ad, tire size, and brand to our Price Buster Squad. You will receive a call from our team to redeem the lower price,” and links to Mavis’s page. The rules are on [Mavis’s price match page](https://www.mavis.com/tire-price-match-guarantee/): a “30-day price guarantee. If you find the same tire for a lower price 30 days after your purchase, we’ll refund the difference plus 5%.” Matches need “verifiable competitor price quotes on new, in-stock tires with the same brand, model, size, and construction”; closeouts, member and sale pricing, promotional codes, instant rebates and third-party sellers are out, and “a price match cannot be combined with any warranty transaction.” See our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#price-match-card). The military discount is NTB’s own and is the clearest standing offer on its pages. The [military discount page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/coupons/military-discount/) says “all service members save 10% on their order pre-tax”: - **Who.** “All active duty military personnel, reservists, or veterans are eligible for a 10% discount,” with military ID. - **What.** “Yes, our Military discounts are applied to all products and services,” taken “before the addition of sales tax.” - **Where.** In store only: “the military discount is not applicable for online purchases.” - **Not with.** “any other coupons, vouchers, or special offers,” and “price-match and warranty transactions are excluded.” NTB has no veteran or first-responder page; the matching addresses serve the 404 page. Seniors are a loose end: the military page asks for “a valid state I.D. for senior citizens,” but no NTB page offers a senior discount. Mavis’s FAQ does: “Anyone who is 65 or older (confirm with valid state ID) gets 5% off.” Ask whether an NTB store applies it. ## The NTB credit card, and ways to pay The [NTB card page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/credit-card/) says: “NTB offers customers a credit card through Synchrony with a revolving credit line to use again and again at NTB locations and over 1 million automotive locations nationwide.” It is part of the Synchrony Car Care network, so it also pays for fuel, car washes, parking and tolls. Its printed standing terms: - **Rates.** “New Accounts as of 07/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Minimum Interest Charge $2.” - **Promotional financing.** “We offer 6 months Promotional Financing on purchases of $199 or more.” It is deferred interest: if the promo balance isn’t paid in full in time, “interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” “Gas station purchases are not eligible for Promotional Financing.” - **Fees and extras.** “The card has no annual fee and $0 fraud liability,” and you can schedule up to 12 future payments. - **Applying.** Prequalification has “no impact to your credit score,” but the full application “will result in an inquiry on your credit report.” You apply at mavis.com/card or with an associate in an NTB store. A dated per-tire statement credit also runs; we don’t record promotional amounts. With a 34.99% purchase APR behind it, the six-month offer is free only if the whole promotional balance is cleared in time. The card FAQ says “the NTB Credit Card is accepted across ALL Mavis brands,” under a question that asks about “other NTB owned brands.” Neither of the page’s two brand lists, of 15 and 8 names, includes [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) or [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/), both of which Mavis lists among the brands it “owns and operates.” NTB’s own store pages advertise the Mavis card instead (“Already a Mavis Credit Cardholder?”). The two Synchrony payment numbers on the card page differ in their last two digits; use the number on your statement. Payment methods are listed three ways. The [payment options page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/payment-options/) shows six: Discover, Mastercard, American Express, Visa, cash and the NTB card. Its FAQ adds: “Yes, Mavis accepts checks and cash for in-store purchases.” The three store pages we read list nine methods, adding Goodyear, CFNA Bridgestone, “Store” and Flex Shopper cards but not checks or the NTB card. Call ahead before relying on a check. ## Where NTB’s own pages disagree Read side by side on 10 October 2026, NTB’s pages contradict each other, or leave a promise without terms, in fourteen places: - **Store count.** NTB’s page claims “over 350 locations nationwide”; Mavis’s own list shows 219. - **Location banners.** “3,500+ Locations” and “over 2,100 locations in 36 states” are Mavis-wide; the NTB locations page lists no NTB store. - **Regions.** Stores are “across the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast”; the list has 28 in Texas and, in the Northeast, only Pennsylvania’s 17. - **State inspections.** Store pages in Fairfax, Akron and Houston each say “We perform certified state vehicle inspections”; the [inspection page](https://www.mavis.com/ntb/inspection-service/) lists “New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, and Louisiana,” four states holding 56 of the 219 stores by our arithmetic. Virginia, Maryland and Ohio are not on it. - **The warranty page.** “NTB TIRE WARRANTY,” with no terms. - **The brake page.** Its answers are written for Tire Kingdom. - **Price match.** Promised in banners and store tiles; the NTB price match address is a 404 page. - **Payment methods.** Six on the payment page, nine on store pages, and checks only in the FAQ. - **Contact pages.** The contact page reads only “Mavis Discount Tire”; corporate and customer-service addresses are 404 pages. - **Seniors.** The military page asks seniors for state ID; no NTB page offers them anything. - **“ALL Mavis brands.”** The card’s brand lists omit Midas and Pep Boys. - **Phone numbers.** The card page’s two Synchrony numbers differ in their last two digits. - **Which card.** NTB pages sell the NTB card; NTB store pages advertise the Mavis card. - **Free rotation.** A “Limited Time Offer” coupon on NTB’s pages; a perk for Mavis tire buyers on Mavis’s. Each is a question to settle at the counter. Separately, Mavis Tire Supply, LLC settled state allegations about its sales practices in Georgia in 2022 and in Pennsylvania in 2026, whose release says a settlement is not “an admission of a violation of the law”; our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#settlements-arbitration) reads both. Neither names NTB. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at NTB - **Ask which warranty applies.** Get the tire and repair warranty terms in writing and check that the invoice names them; NTB’s own warranty page has none. - **Decide on road hazard cover at the counter.** Ask whether it is offered on your tires, what it costs and how a replacement is priced. Mavis’s version ends at 3 years or 2/32 inch and charges you for tread worn. - **Register the tires.** Ask for a tire-registration card, or check that the receipt says the store will register them, and note the tire identification numbers. - **Bring old certificates.** If you bought road hazard cover under TBC, ask before a tire fails whether Mavis honors it. - **Ask about rotation.** Find out whether tires bought at NTB rotate free, and for how long. - **Bring ID for discounts.** Military ID for the 10% military discount; ask whether the Mavis 5% senior discount applies if you are 65 or older. - **Read the card terms first.** A six-month promotion is deferred interest at a 34.99% purchase APR for new accounts; clear it in time or pay interest from the purchase date. - **Confirm an inspection before you go.** If you need a state inspection, call the store; NTB’s inspection page doesn’t list Virginia, Maryland or Ohio. ## Common questions ### Who owns NTB? Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. Mavis bought 112 NTB stores from TBC Corporation in 2020 and agreed in 2023 to buy 392 more; NTB is “now fully owned and operated by Mavis Tire,” its page says. TBC had bought NTB from Sears in 2003. Mavis is privately held, backed since 2021 by a BayPine-led group. ### How many NTB stores are there? Mavis’s store list labels 219 stores NTB, in 15 states, as of 10 October 2026; the largest groups are in Virginia (60), Maryland (39), Ohio (33) and Texas (28). NTB’s own page says “over 350 locations nationwide,” and neither Mavis nor TBC says how many former NTB stores closed or now trade as Mavis. ### Does NTB have a tire warranty or road hazard warranty? Not one of its own. NTB’s warranty page has no terms and links to Mavis’s. Mavis sells a Road Hazard Limited Warranty, at a price it doesn’t publish, that lasts 3 years or until the tread is below 2/32 inch, whichever comes first, and charges the percentage of tread worn times the original price for a replacement, plus mounting, balancing and taxes. ### Does NTB price match? Its pages promise a “Price Match Guarantee” but NTB has no price match page; its tire deals page sends you to Mavis’s Price Buster Squad. Mavis’s terms give a 30-day guarantee, the difference plus 5% if you find the same tire for less, with exclusions for sale pricing, instant rebates, closeouts and third-party sellers. ### Who issues the NTB credit card? Synchrony, as a Synchrony Car Care card. New accounts as of 07/31/25 carry a 34.99% purchase APR and a 39.99% penalty APR; six-month promotional financing on $199 or more is deferred interest, charged from the purchase date if the balance isn’t paid in full in time. ### Does NTB register my tires for recalls? It should: federal rule 49 CFR 574.8 requires independent dealers to give you a registration form or send it to the tire maker within 30 days. In a 2020 class settlement over claims that it hadn’t, NTB and TBC agreed to put a notice on receipts telling buyers they can ask for a registration card. That was before Mavis took over, so ask for the card and check NHTSA’s recall lookup yourself. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ntb-tires/ --- title: "Dent Wizard: Who Owns It, Where It Fixes Cars, Its Warranty and Plans" description: "Dent Wizard fixes retail cars only at its listed shops, prints no prices and calls its warranty limited lifetime. Who owns it, hail claims and its Sonsio plans." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Dent Wizard: Who Owns It, Where It Fixes Cars, Its Warranty and Plans > Dent Wizard fixes retail cars only at its listed shops, prints no prices and calls its warranty limited lifetime. Who owns it, hail claims and its Sonsio plans. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,963 words* ## The short version - Dent Wizard is a paintless dent repair and reconditioning company that mostly works for dealers, rental fleets, auctions, body shops and insurers. Its own pages call Dealer Tire LLC its “parent company”; the purchase was announced on January 6, 2020. - A car owner can use it, but only at the shops on its Locations page: “Dent Wizard only provides estimates and repairs to retail consumers at the locations listed below.” On 10 October 2026 that list had 32 entries in 18 states and 3 Canadian provinces, four of them wheel remanufacturing sites. - No prices are printed. Location pages offer a free estimate in person or by phone, and Dent Wizard says the cost of a dent repair depends on “the size and location of the dent.” - Its test for paintless repair is simple: “If there is not any paint damage, it is likely repairable.” Cracked or chipped paint makes that less likely. - The FAQ mentions “limited lifetime warranties,” but no page we read publishes the warranty’s terms: what is limited, for whom, or how to claim. - Bought a Dent Wizard plan with a car? Claims and cancellations go to Sonsio. Its DW transfer form allows one transfer, within 30 days, to a private buyer only; on a financed car, a cancellation refund goes to your lender unless you prove the loan is paid off. If you searched for Dent Wizard, you probably have a door ding, hail damage or a scuffed wheel, or a Dent Wizard plan from a dealership. Dent Wizard is mostly a supplier to businesses, so the useful questions are whether it will work on your car at all, how it quotes, what its warranty is, and what to do with a plan when you claim, cancel or sell. On 10 October 2026 we read Dent Wizard’s [FAQ](https://www.dentwizard.com/about-us/faqs/), its [Locations page](https://www.dentwizard.com/locations/), its [hail steps](https://www.dentwizard.com/hail-repair/ive-been-hit-with-hail-now-what/), its service, insurer, dealer, history, executive and terms pages, Dealer Tire’s 2020 release on the purchase, the Sonsio pages and forms that Dent Wizard’s site links for its F&I plans, and one federal court order. This site has no commercial relationship with Dent Wizard, Dealer Tire, Sonsio or any repair shop. **Figure: What Dent Wizard’s documents say, by situation** Nine situations a car owner meets with Dent Wizard, each matched to the wording of Dent Wizard’s own pages or the Sonsio forms its site links for its F&I plans. Read from dentwizard.com, sonsio.com and Sonsio’s DW cancellation and transfer forms, 10 October 2026. ## Who owns Dent Wizard Dent Wizard International is a subsidiary of Dealer Tire, a Cleveland company that distributes tires and parts to car dealerships. Dent Wizard’s executive-team page says its chief executive previously worked at Bain Capital, where “he partnered closely with Dealer Tire LLC, Dent Wizard’s parent company.” Its History page dates the change: “Dent Wizard officially joined DealerTire in 2020 to create a reliable aftersales dealer services platform for replacement tires.” By our arithmetic, that is six years under Dealer Tire. Dealer Tire’s own release, dated January 6, 2020, said it had “entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dent Wizard, the largest national provider of automotive reconditioning services and vehicle protection products,” and that “Dealer Tire, backed by majority shareholder Bain Capital, is acquiring Dent Wizard from Gridiron Capital.” The deal was “expected to close in Q1 2020,” and “Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.” It also said “Dent Wizard will continue to operate independently.” Both companies are privately held, so there is no SEC filing to read. One wrinkle: Dealer Tire’s current “Who we are” page says it has been “owned and operated by the Mueller family since 1918,” while its 2020 release called Bain Capital its “majority shareholder.” Neither page dates a change, and Dealer Tire’s current pages do not mention Dent Wizard. Dent Wizard’s own pages are clear that the parent is Dealer Tire. Its History page says Dent Wizard was “incorporated in Miami, FL in 1983” and “began franchising across the United States in 1989.” In 2003, “Manheim acquired and integrated approximately 34 Dent Wizard franchises nationwide.” Later posts describe it as “headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri”; its terms give its corporate headquarters as Bridgeton, MO. Recent changes, all from its own posts: - **Leadership.** Bryan Wynn became chief executive “effective January 1, 2026,” succeeding Mike Black, “who has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2018.” Wynn “joined Dent Wizard in 2022 as Chief Financial Officer.” - **Purchases.** Philips Repair Services in Florida (“In August of 2024”), Armani Wheels in New York and New Jersey, and High Tech Locksmiths, bought “from OPENLANE effective December 16, 2024.” ## Who Dent Wizard works for, and where you meet it Dent Wizard’s home page lists the businesses it serves: “dealerships, body shops, rental fleets, and automotive auctions across North America,” plus insurers on a page of their own. It works “On-site in dealerships throughout the United States and Canada.” In 2020, Dealer Tire’s release said Dent Wizard served “over 7,000 customers” including “over 5,000 car dealership accounts” in “97 of the top 100 U.S. markets.” Those figures date from the sale. So a car owner can meet Dent Wizard in four ways without ever walking into one of its shops: - **In a dealer’s service lane.** Its Service Drive program trains a dealer’s advisers to spot damage you “never mentioned,” and Dent Wizard’s technicians “complete our cosmetic reconditioning repairs on-site while the customer waits.” The page is plain about the money: “Your dealership earns incremental income on every repair sold.” It does not say who stands behind the repair. - **On a used car you buy.** Dealers hire Dent Wizard to recondition trade-ins. Its interior packages for dealers include a “Customized Dealer ‘120 Day Guarantee’ Sticker.” The page does not say what that guarantee covers or who honors it, so ask the dealer for it in writing. - **After a hailstorm, through your insurer.** Dent Wizard sells insurers a “Direct Repair Program” and a “Claim Service Drive Program” (more below). - **Through a plan bought with a car.** The 2020 release says Dent Wizard sold “related F&I products,” and the “File F&I Claims” link on every Dent Wizard page goes to Sonsio Vehicle Protection. ## Getting your own car fixed: the listed locations The rule is on the Locations page itself: “Please note Dent Wizard only provides estimates and repairs to retail consumers at the locations listed below.” The contact form says the same thing in another way. Pick “Individual Car Owner” and it tells you: “To find the Retail Location closest to you, please go to our Locations page and select the location you are interested in.” There is no booking form for car owners. The page heads its list “Over 40 locations across North America,” and the home page says “40+ Locations.” The list underneath, on 10 October 2026, had 32 entries: 28 in the United States and 4 in Canada, matching the page’s own filter counts. That is eight fewer than the 40 it says it exceeds, by our arithmetic. Four of the 32 are named “Wheel Remanufacturing” sites, which leaves 28 others, 24 of them in the United States. **Dent Wizard’s listed locations by state and province (Locations page, read 10 October 2026)** | Where | Listed | Locations named on the list | | --- | --- | --- | | North Carolina | 6 | Arden, Belmont, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington | | Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina | 2 each | Atlanta, Roswell; Des Plaines, Naperville; Eagan, Mendota Heights; Columbus, Dublin; Columbia, North Charleston | | California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas | 1 each | San Leandro, Hartford, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Danvers, Henderson, Oklahoma City, Dallas | | Colorado, Missouri, New Jersey, New York | 1 each | Wheel Remanufacturing sites: Commerce City, Overland, Cream Ridge, New Windsor | | Alberta | 2 | Calgary, Sherwood Park | | Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia | 1 each | St. John’s, Dartmouth | Three things follow from that list. First, whole regions have nothing: there is no listing in Florida, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest or the Plains states north of Kansas, even though Dent Wizard bought a Florida business in 2024 and its technicians work at dealers across the country. Second, the wheel sites are not wheel-only: the Overland page says “Our St. Louis location also provides: Paintless Dent Repair (PDR).” Third, not everything Dent Wizard does is sold at retail. Its detailing page answers its own question plainly: “No, currently Dent Wizard does not offer detail services at their retail locations. These services are offered to dealers only.” Each location page lists its hours, a phone line and its services; Raleigh’s says its staff are “trained to return it to factory condition within 48 hours.” The Locations sitemap holds 36 location pages, four more than the list, and the one sitemap-only page we opened “has moved or no longer exists.” Treat the Locations page, not a search result, as the list of shops that will take your car. ## What paintless dent repair can and cannot fix, in Dent Wizard’s words Paintless dent repair, in Dent Wizard’s description, means technicians work “from behind the panel to carefully massage and reshape the metal back to its original form,” with no filler and no new paint. The FAQ defines it as “repairing dents and dings on vehicles without affecting the original factory condition” and adds that Dent Wizard “offers a no-drill policy on all repairs.” It says it can remove “a variety of dents, dings and body creases,” puts the share of dents fixable this way at “80-90% of all dents,” and works on “most types of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles.” What limits it, still in its words: - **Paint.** “If there is not any paint damage, it is likely repairable.” Unbroken paint makes a dent a candidate; a crack or chip is a reason to expect another repair. One of Dent Wizard’s own articles adds that a dent which breaks the “paint sealant” is a rust risk: “If so, repairing the dents is the first step you should take for rust prevention.” - **Size and location.** “there are limitations based on the size and location of the dent.” No page prints a size limit for a retail repair; the only printed limits we found are for plans. - **Severity.** PDR “is a permanent solution for many types of dents, but some repairs may require additional work if the dent is too severe.” - **Skill.** “When performed by a skilled technician, Paintless Dent Repair should not damage the paint on your vehicle.” That “should” is the company’s word, not a promise. On timing: “most repairs can be completed in a few hours,” though “hail repairs may take a few days.” Its other repairs have printed limits too. Interior “Hole repairs are limited to those that are less than 1” in diameter and carpet rips and tears are not to exceed 3” in length.” Windshield chips: the windshield page repairs bullseyes “up to 1” in diameter” and small cracks of the same length (the FAQ says “up to the length of a U.S. quarter”), and warns that “no windshield repairs completely disappear.” For larger glass damage, see our [windshield guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#repair-or-replace). One claim deserves care. The PDR page says that because the repair does not alter “the vehicle’s structure or title status, it generally isn’t recorded on Carfax reports.” That is Dent Wizard’s statement about another company’s database. Whether any repair shows up depends on whether someone reports it; see [what Carfax says its reports can miss](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-minor-damage/#what-it-misses). If you sell, keep the invoice. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the door panel, its body line and the lower door, each with one fact from Dent Wizard’s FAQ and hail pages. Dent Wizard’s FAQ, paintless dent repair and hail pages, read on 9 October 2026: No paint damage? Dent Wizard says the dent is then likely repairable (callout 1); Size and location of the dent set the limits and the cost, Dent Wizard says (callout 2); Hail? Call your insurer first, then wash the car so the estimate is accurate (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Estimates and prices Dent Wizard prints no retail prices anywhere we looked. What it prints is how pricing works and how to get an estimate: - “The cost of Paintless Dent Repair depends on the size and location of the dent, but it is generally more affordable than traditional dent repair methods.” - The Raleigh page: “Our experts can provide a free estimate of your repair costs in person at our Westgate Road shop” or “over the phone.” - The wheel page: “All Dent Wizard repairs come with a free, no-obligation quote.” The windshield page promises “a free, no-commitment estimate.” A phone estimate for a dent is a rough guide; the factors Dent Wizard names (size, location, severity) are the ones a technician has to see. Ask whether the figure is a firm quote and how long it holds. If you bring the car in, the hail page’s advice applies to any dent: “Clean the exterior of your vehicle to ensure an accurate estimate is given.” Pages written for businesses make claims that are not prices, such as paint defect correction that can “Save up to 75% compared to standard body shop pricing.” They tell you nothing about what your dent will cost. **At a dealership, ask who is doing the work and who stands behind it.** Dent Wizard’s Service Drive page says its technicians do the repair on site and “Your dealership earns incremental income on every repair sold.” The price you are quoted at service is the dealer’s, and nothing we read says whether Dent Wizard’s warranty, the dealer’s, or neither applies. Get the answer, and the warranty, on the repair order before you agree. ## The warranty: “limited lifetime,” and nothing more in writing Searches for a Dent Wizard warranty find a phrase, not a document. The FAQ says Dent Wizard is “offering limited lifetime warranties and making ourselves available for follow-up inquiries regarding the repair.” The Raleigh page promises bumper repairs with “a limited lifetime warranty.” Other pages use other words: - the catastrophe page, written for fleets and dealers: “every repair is backed by a lifetime warranty”; - the wheel remanufacturing page: “Lifetime warranty on durable powder coating”; - the interior page, on leather: the products are meant to “ensure that the craftsmanship of the repair will last the lifetime of ownership of the vehicle”; - location and bumper pages: “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” and “We stand behind our work.” None of the pages we read says what “limited” means, whose lifetime counts (yours as owner, or the car’s), what is excluded, whether it passes to a buyer, or how to make a claim. There is no warranty page in Dent Wizard’s sitemaps. Its website terms disclaim warranties for the website’s content (“provided to you ‘AS IS’”), which is about the site, not the repair. Federal law defines a “written warranty” as starting with “any written affirmation of fact or written promise” (15 U.S.C. 2301(6), as this site read it for its CARSTAR page); whether a cosmetic repair falls under that law is a question for a lawyer. The practical point: ask for the warranty terms in writing, with the invoice, before you pay. For context, here is how other repair chains this site has read print theirs (printed terms only): **Printed repair-warranty terms (Dent Wizard read 10 October 2026; the others read 9 October 2026)** | Term | Dent Wizard | Gerber Collision | Crash Champions | Safelite (glass) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How long | “limited lifetime” (FAQ, bumper repairs) | “for as long as you own your vehicle” | “for as long as you own the vehicle” | “for as long as you own or lease the vehicle” | | Exclusions printed | None published | Yes: rust, abuse, a later collision or theft, stone chips, scratches, improper care | None printed on the pages read | Yes, on its warranty page | | Passes to a buyer | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | “not transferrable to another owner/lessor” | | Deadline to report a defect | None printed | None printed | None printed | “within 30 days of discovering the defect” | | Warranty text published | No | Yes, on its guarantee page | No | Yes, on its warranty page | Our pages on [Gerber](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/#lifetime-guarantee), [Crash Champions](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crash-champions/#lifetime-guarantee) and [Safelite](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#lifetime-warranty) quote each one in full. For Dent Wizard the table shows a gap, not a bad term: the terms are whatever the shop puts on your invoice. ## Hail damage and insurance claims Hail is the one retail situation Dent Wizard’s site walks through step by step. In its words: 1. **Insurer first.** “contact your auto insurance provider to see if the hail damage repair is covered. If the repairs are covered, file an insurance claim and get your vehicle’s damages appraised, whether through your insurance provider or field inspection.” 2. **The estimate.** “Clean the exterior of your vehicle to ensure an accurate estimate is given, as repair costs will vary depending on the extent of the hail damage. Dent Wizard can write your estimate.” 3. **Schedule.** At “your nearest Dent Wizard shop” or through its hail customer-care line. 4. **Repair.** Then back on the road. The Locations page repeats the order of operations: “If you have hail damage, contact your insurance provider to complete an estimate before contacting us.” Two things the hail pages leave to you. First, coverage: Dent Wizard says only that “Some insurance policies may cover Paintless Dent Repair” and tells you to check with your insurer. Find out which part of your policy covers hail and what its deductible is before you schedule. Second, the shop: Dent Wizard’s steps assume you have chosen it. If your insurer points you somewhere else, check your state’s rules on choosing a shop; our [CARSTAR page shows how Minnesota words that right](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/#right-to-choose). Insurers are also Dent Wizard’s customers. Its insurer page says “Our experts handle the initial claim, processing, and execution of the repairs,” and its two insurer programs are “designed to reduce Loss Adjustment Expenses and Loss Severity significantly,” meaning the insurer’s cost of handling and paying claims. If your insurer sends you to Dent Wizard, the estimate may be written by a repairer working under the insurer’s program. Read it line by line, and ask your insurer what happens if more damage turns up during the repair. After a big storm, its catastrophe teams work for dealer lots and fleets, from “ten damaged vehicles or 10,000,” mobilized “within 48 hours or less.” If you buy a car from a lot that was hit, ask the dealer how the hail damage was repaired. One exception to insurance: windshield chips. Dent Wizard’s windshield page says: “Currently Dent Wizard’s windshield chip services are not covered by auto insurances.” Expect to pay for a chip repair there yourself, unless a plan covers it. ## If you bought a Dent Wizard plan at the dealership Some people who search for Dent Wizard have never been to one of its shops. They bought a dent, ding, windshield or key plan in a dealership’s finance office, and the paperwork says Dent Wizard, or Ding Shield, the plan name Dent Wizard’s FAQ still uses. Dent Wizard’s history page mentions “the successful launch of the Ding Shield Program,” and its FAQ notes: “There are limitations on the size of dents covered by Ding Shield Service plans.” Claims do not start at dentwizard.com. The “File F&I Claims” link on every page goes to [Sonsio Vehicle Protection’s claims page](https://www.sonsio.com/claims), and the “Cancellation Forms” link goes to Sonsio’s forms. Dent Wizard’s contact page lists a “Finance & Insurance Claims” line that is the same number Sonsio prints for appearance claims. No page we read explains the corporate tie between the two, but Sonsio’s own forms carry “DW” in their file names. What Sonsio says about itself and these plans: - “Sonsio does not sell products directly to consumers.” Its plans are “offered at the time of purchase at more than 82,000 car dealerships, tire distributors, repair facilities, auto parts stores, and other companies.” The contract you signed at the dealer is the document that counts. - Its F&I programs include “Appearance Protection for Dents, Windshield, Tire & Wheel, Surface Protection (Interior, Exterior & Windshield), Bumper Repair, Key Replacement, Headlight Brightening, and Interior Damage.” - The dent benefit, as its passenger-vehicle page describes it: “Paintless Dent Repairs (PDR) of dents and creases up to the size of a credit card. Hail damage benefit covers hail or acorn damage up to the comprehensive insurance deductible or the amount of the repair.” Read as written, the hail benefit reaches no further than your comprehensive deductible or the cost of the repair; it is not written as a substitute for an insurance claim. Those are summaries of a product range, not your contract. Your plan may be older, carry a different name, or exclude things the summary lists. To claim, Sonsio’s claims page has an owner path for “Appearance Protection received while Purchasing a Passenger Vehicle” with an online claim option or a phone line, and for roadside help it says to “Call the phone number listed on your program materials (brochure, terms & conditions, repair invoice) received at the time of purchase.” Keep that paperwork with the car. Whether a plan is worth buying depends on a price nothing we read prints. Our [service-contract guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains why these are contracts, not warranties, and our [buyer’s-order guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#reading) shows where they appear on the paperwork. ## Cancelling or transferring a Dent Wizard plan Sonsio’s [resources page for drivers](https://www.sonsio.com/resources-for-drivers) links two forms whose file names end in “DW”: a Service Contract Cancellation Request Form and a Contract Transfer Form. We read both on 10 October 2026 and did not fill either in. Their rules matter most when you sell, trade in or pay off the car. **What Sonsio’s DW forms say about cancelling and transferring a plan (read 10 October 2026)** | Situation | What the form says | | --- | --- | | You sell the car to a private buyer | “You, the original Purchaser, may transfer this Contract when you sell the Covered Vehicle to a subsequent individual buyer.” | | You trade the car in at a dealer | The transfer “CANNOT be made” if the title passed through a dealership, leasing agency or anyone “in the business of selling automobiles,” or after a repossession | | How long you have | “within 30 days after the date of the sale or transfer of the Covered Vehicle” | | How often | “The Contract may only be transferred once,” and only for “the remaining months of the original Contract term” | | The fee | “specified on your original Contract (see also the state disclosures)”; checks are payable to “Sonsio International, Inc.” | | When the buyer is covered | Not until the seller signs and the buyer “receives a notification letter from the Administrator” | | You cancel | Send the form “to the selling Dealer identified on your Contract” or to Sonsio; the contract’s own cancellation section and any state addendum govern | | You ask to backdate the cancellation | If the date is “60 days or more prior to today’s date,” include an odometer statement, total-loss or repossession letter | | The car is financed | If the loan is not paid off, the refund goes “directly to the lender”; “without proof of payoff, the cancellation refund will be issued to the lender” | The trade-in rule is the one to plan around: the plan cannot follow a traded-in car, so the alternative the forms offer is to cancel. The cancellation form prints no refund amount or method; it sends you to “the Cancellation section within your service contract,” and says that where a state has its own cancellation law, “the specific laws of that state will apply as outlined in the State Changes and Disclosures Addendum.” Our [service-contract guide covers cancelling](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cancel) in general. On a financed car that is not paid off, the refund goes to the lender, which passes on any excess. If you have paid the loan off, attach the payoff letter or title, or the money goes to a lender you no longer owe. ## Website terms, disputes and the public record Dent Wizard’s Terms of Use govern the website, not your repair. They say the site “WILL ONLY BE CONSTRUED AND EVALUATED ACCORDING TO UNITED STATES LAW,” that its content is “AS IS,” that “accuracy cannot be guaranteed,” and that anything you send “will not be treated as confidential or proprietary.” There is no arbitration clause, no class-action waiver and no named state court. The terms also carry an old date: information is “current as of the date indicated thereon or, if no date is indicated, as of October 2, 2006.” For a repair dispute, the documents that matter are the estimate, the invoice and any written warranty; for a plan, the service contract and its state addendum, which we did not read. Public records: we found no state attorney-general, FTC or court action against Dent Wizard over repairs, warranties or plans. One federal order concerns its employees. In *Sullivan v. Dent Wizard International, LLC* (E.D. Mo., No. 4:25-cv-00097-AGF), a technician alleged that Dent Wizard “failed to pay its automotive repair / reconditioning services (‘ARS’) technicians that worked outside of its retail locations overtime wages.” On May 22, 2025, the court granted conditional certification of a collective of technicians in part, which allows notice to be sent, and the approved notice says the court “HAS NOT CONSIDERED OR MADE ANY DECISION REGARDING THE MERITS.” The order describes the work as cosmetic repairs “for Dent Wizard’s non-retail clients, such as automobile dealerships”; it says nothing about customers. Search results describe a later settlement; we did not read a settlement document, so we do not describe one. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our request, so no rating is reported. ## Where Dent Wizard’s own documents disagree, and what to ask Read side by side, Dent Wizard’s pages, and its parent’s, say different things in nine places. Each is a reason to get the answer that matters to you from the shop, in writing. - **How many technicians.** The About page says “our 2,000 technicians nationwide”; the History page says “our 3,000+ technicians”; Dealer Tire’s 2020 release said 2,300. - **How many locations.** “Over 40 locations” heads a list of 32. - **How old it is.** “41 Years and Counting,” says the About page, for a company incorporated in 1983: 43 years in 2026, by our arithmetic. - **How big it is.** “The World Leader in Automotive Reconditioning” (home page) or “North America’s undisputed leader” (About page); every listed location is in the United States or Canada. - **What the warranty is.** “limited lifetime” in the FAQ and on bumper repairs; plain “lifetime” on the catastrophe page. Neither is defined. - **Where wheels are remanufactured.** The FAQ names “Phoenix and St. Louis”; the Locations page lists wheel remanufacturing sites in New Windsor, Commerce City, Overland and Cream Ridge, and nothing in Arizona. - **Detailing for retail customers.** The detailing page: “offered to dealers only.” The Raleigh page: services “ranging from Paintless Dent Repair to car detailing in Raleigh.” - **Key turnaround.** “most key services within three business days” and, on the same page, “same-day turnaround on keys for 90% of makes and models.” - **Who owns the owner.** Dealer Tire: “owned and operated by the Mueller family since 1918”; its 2020 release: “backed by majority shareholder Bain Capital.” - **Look at the paint.** If the paint is cracked or chipped, ask whether paintless repair is possible at all or whether you need a body shop. - **Ask for the warranty terms on paper.** “Limited lifetime” is all the website says; ask what is limited, whether it covers you or the car, and how to claim. - **For hail, call your insurer first.** File, get the damage appraised, wash the car, then book; keep a copy of the estimate, whoever writes it. - **At a dealer’s service lane, ask who stands behind the repair.** Dent Wizard does the work; the dealer sells it. - **Selling privately?** Transfer the plan within 30 days of the sale. Trading in? A transfer is not allowed, so consider cancelling, and attach proof of payoff if the loan is cleared. ## Common questions ### Who owns Dent Wizard? Dealer Tire LLC, which Dent Wizard’s executive-team page calls “Dent Wizard’s parent company.” Dealer Tire announced the purchase from Gridiron Capital on January 6, 2020, saying it was then “backed by majority shareholder Bain Capital.” Bryan Wynn has been Dent Wizard’s chief executive since January 1, 2026. ### Can I take my own car to Dent Wizard? Yes, but only at the retail locations on its Locations page: 32 on 10 October 2026, in 18 states and 3 Canadian provinces. Elsewhere you may meet it through a dealer’s service lane, an insurer after hail, or a plan. ### How much does Dent Wizard charge? It prints no prices. The cost “depends on the size and location of the dent,” and location pages offer a free estimate in person or by phone. At a dealership, the price is the dealer’s. ### Does Dent Wizard have a warranty? Its FAQ says it offers “limited lifetime warranties,” but no page we read publishes the terms: what is limited, whether it ends when you sell, or how to claim. Ask for them in writing with your invoice. ### Can paintless dent repair fix my dent? Dent Wizard’s test is whether the paint is intact: “If there is not any paint damage, it is likely repairable,” within “limitations based on the size and location of the dent.” A technician has to see it to say. ### How do I file a Dent Wizard or Ding Shield claim, or cancel the plan? Dent Wizard’s site sends F&I claims to Sonsio’s claims page and cancellations to Sonsio’s forms. The cancellation form goes to the selling dealer or Sonsio; on a financed car, the refund goes to your lender unless you prove the loan is paid off. A private buyer can take over the plan once, within 30 days of the sale; a trade-in buyer cannot. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/ --- title: "SpeeDee Oil Change: What’s Included, the Guarantee and Who Owns It" description: "SpeeDee prints no oil-change price. What its 17-point oil change includes, the Total Trust Guarantee, free top-offs for 3 months or 3,000 miles, and its owner." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/speedee-oil-change/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # SpeeDee Oil Change: What’s Included, the Guarantee and Who Owns It > SpeeDee prints no oil-change price. What its 17-point oil change includes, the Total Trust Guarantee, free top-offs for 3 months or 3,000 miles, and its owner. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,905 words* ## The short version - SpeeDee prints no oil-change price. Its coupons are a “Discount off regular price,” include “National Brand Engine Oil (up to 5 Quarts),” and leave “Taxes and/or disposal fees extra, where permitted.” Ask for the total first. - We found no written warranty on SpeeDee’s work with a time or mileage limit. The Total Trust Guarantee promises open bays and upfront quotes; its one stated remedy is “Your next oil change is on us.” - Free top-offs are promised “for three months or 3,000 miles after any qualifying service”; the oil-change page says fluids are topped off “up to a ½ pint.” - The “17-point” oil change is described by two lists: 19 items on the oil-change page, 15 lines behind each coupon. - SpeeDee is franchised by SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC, ultimately owned by MidOcean Partners, with Grease Monkey and Kwik Kar as sister brands. At the end of 2025, 69 of 78 U.S. shops were franchised and 9 were run by an affiliate, its disclosure document says. - The store card’s “no interest” offer is deferred interest: miss the 6-month payoff on a $199-plus purchase and interest runs from the purchase date at a 29.99% purchase APR for new accounts. A SpeeDee oil change is a walk-in, full-service oil change with what SpeeDee calls a 17-point inspection, done at shops that are mostly independently owned franchises (78 in the U.S. at the end of 2025). SpeeDee publishes no price and no time-limited warranty on the work, so what matters is the coupon fine print, the guarantee page and your invoice. On 10 October 2026 we read SpeeDee’s pages on the oil change, the Total Trust Guarantee, coupons, financing and fleets, its About, services and maintenance pages, website terms, SMS terms, privacy policy and two store pages; FullSpeed Automotive’s SpeeDee page; and the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) of SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC issued April 7, 2026, as filed in Minnesota. This site has no commercial relationship with SpeeDee, its owners or any oil brand. **Figure: What SpeeDee’s own documents say, by situation** Nine situations a SpeeDee customer meets, each answered from SpeeDee’s guarantee, oil-change, coupon, financing, fleet and store pages, or from the April 7, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document of SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC. Read from speedeeoil.com and the Franchise Disclosure Document filed in Minnesota, on 10 October 2026. ## What a SpeeDee oil change costs, and how prices are shown No SpeeDee page we read gives a price, a starting price or a range for an oil change, and neither store page lists prices. The pages show coupons instead, each with an amount off and a “Redeem By” date, most of them two weeks out. We leave the amounts out because they expire; the fine print stays. Behind each national oil-change coupon it reads: “Discount off regular price. Not valid with other offers. Charge for additional parts/services, if needed. Valid at participating locations only. No cash value. Taxes and/or disposal fees extra, where permitted.” That is how a SpeeDee bill is built: a “regular price” the page does not state, minus the coupon, plus oil beyond five quarts, any extra part or service, tax and a disposal fee, none of them priced. Store coupons are narrower still: the Stone Mountain, Georgia ones say “Valid at listed location only,” and the Kenner, Louisiana synthetic coupon is “Only valid on Full Synthetic oil.” Who sets the regular price? The FDD, written for people buying a franchise, gives the franchisor one pricing power in Item 16: “We reserve the right to establish minimum and maximum resale prices for use with multi-area marketing programs and special price promotions.” Otherwise franchisees are not restricted. Our reading: each shop sets its own regular price, so two SpeeDee shops can quote different totals for the same car. SpeeDee’s maintenance page promises to explain “how much it’ll cost. No surprise charges, ever.” **Treat any SpeeDee price you see quoted as one shop’s price.** SpeeDee publishes none. Before the work starts, ask for the total for your car: the oil grade, the quarts your engine takes, the filter, any coupon, tax and any disposal fee. ### The one dated figure on spending: what franchisees reported for 2025 The FDD’s Item 19 is the only document with a number on what a visit added up to. It groups 45 franchised shops by 2025 sales and prints an “Average Ticket” for each group, from $114.33 to $155.07, with a “Ticket Range” from $85.60 to $291.01 at its widest. Four limits apply. The figures come from franchisees’ own statements, which “have not been audited or reviewed by an independent certified public accountant.” They cover 45 of 69 franchised shops (65.2%, by our arithmetic) and no affiliate-owned or co-branded ones. “Ticket” is not defined; we read it as the bill per vehicle, add-ons included. And they describe 2025, not a price for any service. ## What the SpeeDee 17-point oil change includes SpeeDee says “every oil change includes our signature 17-point inspection, designed to catch small issues before they become big problems,” and the service is “walk-in ready. No appointment needed.” The shop will “safely remove and recycle your used oil and remove the old oil filter,” refill, and inspect, and “Certain fluids are checked and topped off up to a ½ pint.” What the 17 points are depends on where you look: **What SpeeDee’s own pages say an oil change covers (read 10 October 2026)** | Where it is printed | What it lists | Count | | --- | --- | --- | | Oil-change page, “What We Check & Top Off” | Oil levels; transmission, differential, coolant, power steering and washer fluid; battery; brake fluid level; chassis lube; exterior lights; air and cabin filters; wipers; belts and hoses; tire pressure; windshields cleaned; floorboards vacuumed (“featured at specific locations”); free top-offs between oil changes; oil light reset | 19 items | | “Includes” list behind each national coupon | National-brand oil (up to 5 quarts); new filter; chassis lube; check and top off transmission and differential, coolant, power steering and washer fluid; battery test; brake fluid; filters, wipers, belts and hoses inspected; tire pressure set; windshields cleaned; oil light reset and exterior lights checked | 15 lines | | Store-page FAQ (Stone Mountain and Kenner) | Topped off during the oil change: power steering, washer and transmission fluid | 3 fluids | | Services page, “Perks You Don’t Pay For” | Fluid top-offs, tire pressure, multi-point inspection, wiper and battery checks | 5 items | The oil-change list runs 2 items past the name and the coupon list 2 lines short of it, by our arithmetic; neither is numbered 1 to 17. The FDD adds a view of the shop side: its Exhibit K reproduces only the table of contents of the 311-page Brand Standards Manual, whose “17-Point Oil Change” chapter lists 24 procedure headings, from “Drive Vehicle Into Bay” and “Light Check” to a “Pressure and Leak Check,” a “Double Safety Check” and a “Courtesy Check.” The inspection checks and tops off; it does not diagnose. A warning light needs its own diagnosis (see [what the check engine light means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/)). A Stone Mountain “Preventive Maintenance” coupon shows what SpeeDee sells as add-ons: oil system cleaner, wipers, bulbs, filters, fluid exchanges (radiator, transmission, differential, transfer case, gear box), fuel system cleaning and engine treatments. The FDD says “SpeeDee Centers must offer brake services.” Our pages on [brake pad replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) and [how often to change transmission fluid](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-transmission-fluid/) help you judge those suggestions. ## Which oil, how much, and how often The oil-change page rates three oils: full synthetic (“Best”), synthetic blend and high mileage (both “Better”), with high-mileage oil meant for vehicles “over 75,000 miles.” Full synthetic “should be used if your manufacturer requires it.” Conventional oil gets no card, yet the refill step names it (“conventional, high-mileage, synthetic blend, or full synthetic”). The national coupons cover synthetic blend and full synthetic only, and the Kenner coupon is “Not valid on conventional, high mileage or synthetic blend oils.” If your car takes conventional oil, ask whether the shop stocks it and whether any coupon applies. No page names the oil brand; the coupon says “National Brand Engine Oil.” The FDD says franchisees “must purchase 90% of all products from approved vendors,” that the franchisor has purchase arrangements for “bulk motor oil and certain other petroleum products,” and that a franchise buyer “should not rely on” the availability of “any particular product or brand.” If the brand, grade or specification matters to you, have it written on the invoice. On intervals, the page says “Most modern vehicles using full synthetic oil can go 5,000 to 7,500 miles between oil changes,” and a synthetic blend “every 3,000 to 5,000 miles,” sooner for older cars, stop-and-go traffic, towing or extreme heat or cold. It adds: “At SpeeDee, we always suggest following manufacturer’s recommendations.” Our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) explains what sets your interval, including the [severe-service schedule](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#severe). A reminder text from the shop (up to 2 a week under the SMS terms) is not your car’s schedule. ## The Total Trust Guarantee and the courtesy top-offs SpeeDee calls the Total Trust Guarantee “Our promise to deliver clear, confident car care at every visit.” It is a promise about seeing the work, in four parts: “Open Bay Doors,” “Bay Monitoring” (“Watch your service live from the lobby”), “Know Our Service Team,” and “Transparent Pricing” (“No surprises. Just clear, upfront quotes”). The home page adds “lobby monitors, bay windows, or a photo confirmation.” The page gives one remedy: “Guarantee not met? Your next oil change is on us.” It does not say what counts as a failure, whom to ask, whether you need the invoice, or whether the free oil change has a grade or quart limit. The FDD uses the word differently: in Item 1, “the SpeeDee guarantee” is a commitment to oil and lubrication service “within a specified period of time,” a period kept in the confidential manual, and in Item 11 the Total Trust Guarantee is one of the “Certification Programs” for franchisees’ staff. Neither is a warranty on parts or workmanship. **We found no written SpeeDee warranty on the work with a time or mileage limit.** Not on the guarantee, oil-change, coupon or store pages, and not in the FDD. If a problem appears after a visit, go back to the same shop with the invoice before anyone else touches the car, and ask for the shop’s answer in writing. ### Courtesy top-offs: three months or 3,000 miles, up to a ½ pint The clearest standing benefit is free top-offs, described three ways. The About page and FullSpeed’s SpeeDee page: “Fluid top-offs included for three months or 3,000 miles after any qualifying service.” The oil-change page: “Free top-off service between oil change services,” with fluids “filled up to a ½ pint,” which is 8 fluid ounces, by our arithmetic. The store FAQ: power steering, washer and transmission fluid topped off during the oil change. No page says which services qualify, which fluids are covered between visits, or whether motor oil is one of them, and none prints a “whichever comes first” rule. Read it as ending at three months or at 3,000 miles, and ask your shop which it applies. A car that keeps needing oil or coolant between changes has a leak or is burning oil. If the same fluid is topped up twice, ask for the reading in writing and have the cause found. ## If something goes wrong after the visit Without a written warranty, a claim rests on your invoice and the shop’s response. The FDD shows two things about warranties inside the system. Item 19 lists “customer warranties” among franchisees’ operating expenses. And for “Alternative Automotive Services,” services “typically” not performed in at least 85 percent of SpeeDee Centers, franchisees “must state in your work orders and invoices that your customer can only return to your SpeeDee Center to exercise the warranty.” If your invoice carries that line, only the shop that did the work will honor it. The FDD says nothing about warranties on the oil change itself. For repairs under a service contract, the Kenner store page says its technicians “work with most extended warranty providers to take care of covered repairs.” That is the shop dealing with your contract company, not SpeeDee backing the repair; see [is an extended warranty worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/). Here is how SpeeDee’s printed terms sit beside three other chains’, including its sister brand Grease Monkey. Written terms only, not prices or service: **Printed warranty and top-off terms (SpeeDee read 10 October 2026; the others from this site’s readings of 9 October 2026)** | Chain | Written warranty on the oil change | Top-offs between visits | | --- | --- | --- | | SpeeDee | None printed with a time or mileage limit; the guarantee’s remedy is a free next oil change | “three months or 3,000 miles after any qualifying service”; “up to a ½ pint” | | [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/) | 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, on services and products on the invoice; claimed at the original center | Motor oil up to 1 quart plus four other fluids; not antifreeze | | [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) | “warranted for 3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first” | Within 3,000 miles, “up to 2 quarts per fluid” | | [Valvoline Instant Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) | None found on oil-change work | “There may be a fee for top-offs of certain fluids” | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the car’s underside, the mechanic’s hand and the shop floor, each with one fact from SpeeDee’s coupons, oil-change page and Total Trust Guarantee. SpeeDee’s coupons, oil-change page and Total Trust Guarantee, read on 9 October 2026: SpeeDee oil-change coupons include up to 5 quarts; taxes and disposal fees can be extra (callout 1); Courtesy top-offs for 3 months or 3,000 miles after a qualifying service, SpeeDee says (callout 2); No written warranty term is printed; the guarantee’s remedy is a free next oil change (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Will a SpeeDee oil change affect your car’s factory warranty? SpeeDee’s maintenance page says it follows “your manufacturer’s maintenance schedule to keep your vehicle in top shape, protect your warranty, and avoid expensive surprises,” using “trusted parts that meet or exceed manufacturer specs.” The services page has a heading, “Owners Manual and Warranty Services,” with nothing under it. The law is on the side of an independent shop. The FTC’s guidance, as this site recorded it on 9 October 2026: “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” Federal law, 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), bars conditioning a warranty on a branded article or service unless it is provided free. What protects you is proof: the FTC says to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes.” See our page on [keeping oil-change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records). Check that the SpeeDee invoice shows the date, mileage, oil grade and specification, quantity and filter. On schedules, SpeeDee’s pages disagree: service cards say “30k, 60k and 90k miles”; the maintenance page says “every 30,000, 60,000, or 100,000 miles, depending on the part or system.” Your owner’s manual is the schedule a carmaker will check. ## SpeeDee coupons and discounts: what stands and what rotates On 10 October 2026 SpeeDee’s coupons page showed two national oil-change coupons, synthetic blend and full synthetic, each with an amount, a code and a “Redeem By” date. Store pages carry their own: Stone Mountain had coupons for any full-service oil change, preventive maintenance, military, rideshare and seniors; Kenner had ten, including free checks of the A/C, alignment, brakes and warning lights. All were dated. What stays the same: - **Shop by shop.** Each Stone Mountain coupon was good at five listed locations in Georgia, Illinois and Texas; others say “Valid at listed location only.” - **Discount groups.** Stone Mountain lists military, Lyft driver, Uber driver and fleets under “Our Discounts”; Kenner lists Lyft driver, military, senior and Uber driver. The seniors coupon was “55+ only.” No standing national percentage is printed. - **ID.** At Stone Mountain, “ID Required at time of purchase” is printed on the rideshare coupon, not the military one, although the SMS terms say “Some coupons (e.g., for veterans) require provision of proper identification.” Bring ID either way. - **Texted coupons** “must be presented at time of estimate,” “Only one coupon code per transaction,” and are “Not valid with any other offers, special order parts or warranty work.” Signing up means up to 2 texts a week, and “consent is not required to make any purchase.” ## Paying for it: the SpeeDee credit card, EasyPay and fleet accounts The financing page offers two products through one application, taken “at select SpeeDee locations.” If you are approved for the SpeeDee credit card, issued through Synchrony, you can spend before the card arrives. If not, “your application will automatically be submitted to EasyPay Finance,” so a declined card application becomes a loan application with a different lender. Ask which one you are signing. The card’s headline is “No interest if paid in full within 6 months!” The fine print makes it deferred interest: “On purchase of $199 or more made with your SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service credit card. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within 6 months.” Then: “For new accounts: Purchase APR is 29.99%; Minimum interest Charge is $2.” Those are standing card terms as printed on the page we read, not a dated offer; the card agreement governs. The page lists no annual fee and acceptance at all U.S. Exxon and Mobil stations. **Deferred interest is not 0% interest.** If any part of a $199-plus purchase is unpaid when the 6 months end, interest is charged back to the purchase date. Pay at least a sixth of the bill each month; the page warns the minimum payments “may or may not pay off purchase by the end of promotional period.” EasyPay Finance is the fallback for “Good to no credit.” Approvals “range from $500 up to $5,000, with a minimum amount financed of $350,” with “No down payment required,” a “90-day no interest promotion” and “up to a $40 processing fee.” The loans are “made by Transportation Alliance Bank, Inc., dba TAB Bank.” The page prints no rate for an EasyPay loan after the promotion, so get the rate and the total you will repay in writing first. We started neither application. ### Fleet accounts The fleet page promises “no appointments needed,” “Quick oil changes in about 15 minutes,” and “digital maintenance records for every vehicle in your fleet,” but no fleet price; fleets apply. Both store pages say “WEX Accepted Here” and “Voyager Fleet Card Accepted” and promise “monthly invoices” for “a fleet of 3 or 3,000.” The FDD binds franchisees: they “must service all national fleet accounts” under SpeeDee’s policies, a national account being “any business entity which, in the course of conducting day-to-day activities, operates vehicles in more than one state.” By our reading, a business with vehicles in two or more states can ask any franchised shop to honor its national terms; a one-state fleet arranges terms with the shop. ## Who owns SpeeDee, and who runs your shop The website terms open with it: “The franchisor of SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service® is SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC.” The FDD gives the rest. SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC, of Greenwood Village, Colorado, was converted on January 30, 2017 from SpeeDee Worldwide Corporation, incorporated in 2008. Its direct parent, MOP GM Holding, LLC, also owns Grease Monkey International, LLC (GMI), Grease Monkey Franchising, LLC and Kwik Kar Franchising, LLC. Above it sit six more holding companies and, at the top, MidOcean Partners V, L.P., “our ultimate parent company,” described as “a private investment group that owns multiple other business concepts.” GMI “also operates under the name FullSpeed Automotive,” and FullSpeed’s release of November 30, 2020, as this site recorded it, says MidOcean bought FullSpeed “from CenterOak Partners.” Midas International, LLC is a “former parent.” SpeeDee’s About page dates the first shop to Metairie, Louisiana in 1980 and franchising to 1982; the FDD gives the same year for franchising. Under a management agreement dated September 15, 2017, GMI can carry out certain of the franchisor’s duties to franchisees; it is also the website’s “owner and operator,” owns the privacy policy, and runs the company-owned shops. The franchisor itself runs none: “We do not operate any SpeeDee Centers.” **SpeeDee-branded U.S. outlets at December 31, 2025, by state (FDD Item 20, Tables 3 and 4)** | State | Franchised | Company-owned (run by GMI) | | --- | --- | --- | | California | 19 | 0 | | Massachusetts | 11 | 0 | | North Carolina | 11 | 0 | | Louisiana | 9 | 0 | | Texas | 8 | 3 | | South Carolina | 7 | 0 | | Rhode Island | 2 | 0 | | Colorado | 1 | 0 | | Virginia | 1 | 0 | | Georgia | 0 | 2 | | Oklahoma | 0 | 2 | | Illinois | 0 | 1 | | Nebraska | 0 | 1 | | **Total** | **69** | **9** | That is 78 shops in 13 states, 88.5% franchised, by our arithmetic; California alone has 19, or 24.4%. The system was 78 at the start of 2023 and 78 at the end of 2025. It fell to 68 at the end of 2023, when eight franchised shops left (all five in Georgia stopped operating, two were terminated, one was not renewed) and two company-owned shops closed. In 2024 GMI converted two of its own shops from another brand to SpeeDee, one each in Illinois and Texas. Which kind of shop are you at? No store page says. The FDD requires each franchisee to “identify yourself as the independent owner of your Center,” so look for that notice at the counter or on the invoice. And where the FDD lists no franchised shop, a SpeeDee is company-owned: by our reading of its tables, the two Georgia shops, including the Stone Mountain store whose page we read, are run by GMI. It matters because a franchisee sets its own regular prices and, with no written warranty, its own response when something goes wrong. ### Midas/SpeeDee shops The FDD says that “Until January 2017” SpeeDee and Midas sold co-branding franchises “for a Midas/SpeeDee co-branding shop,” a concept “established in 2008.” No new ones are sold, but “we and Midas may enter into franchise agreements for renewals or transfers of co-branded franchisees.” Midas’s FDD, as [our Midas page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) recorded it on 9 October 2026, says: “As of December 31, 2025, there were 54 Co-Branding Shops franchised by us.” By our reading they are not among SpeeDee’s 78, and they are left out of its Item 19 figures. One converted to a plain SpeeDee in Louisiana in 2024. At a co-branded shop, ask whose terms apply to the job. ## Terms, texts, disputes and the public record We found no customer terms for the repair work itself, and we did not see an invoice. Two sets of terms cover the edges. **The website terms** bind anyone “accessing or using this website.” They say GMI was “engaged by SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC to provide support services,” and that neither company warrants the materials “are accurate, complete, or current,” so a coupon or service list online is not a promise from your shop. Website disputes go to Colorado: the terms are “governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado and you irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in that State or location.” **The SMS terms** bring an arbitration clause. Joining the texts means “your agreement to resolve any disputes with us through binding, individual-only arbitration,” “determined by arbitration in Denver, Colorado before one arbitrator.” Claims proceed “solely on an individual basis”; “The arbitrator shall have no authority to award punitive damages”; and in court “the parties hereby waive any right to a jury trial.” The terms limit themselves: “This Agreement is limited to the Program and is not intended to modify other Terms and Conditions or Privacy Policy that may govern the relationship between you and Us in other contexts.” Read plainly, the clause covers the texting program, not the repair, and joining is optional. The page still shows an unfilled placeholder: texts come “from BRAND NAME.” **Your data.** The privacy policy is GMI’s. It lists sharing “To our subsidiaries, affiliates and franchisees” and says “We currently DO NOT sell Personal Information that we have collected.” ### What the public record shows The April 7, 2026 FDD reports nothing: “No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item,” and likewise for bankruptcy. A web search on 10 October 2026 found no attorney-general or FTC action naming SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC. The court record we read is old: in [People ex rel. Dept. of Corporations v. SpeeDee Oil Change Systems, Inc.](https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/people-ex-rel-dept-corporations-v-speedee-oil-change-systems-inc-31912) (1999) 20 Cal.4th 1135, the California Supreme Court described a case that “began when the Attorney General sued SpeeDee Oil and others on behalf of the Department of Corporations, alleging violations of the Franchise Investment Law.” Franchisees intervened. The opinion decided only whether a law firm had to be disqualified; it does not say how the franchise claims were resolved, and we did not read the trial docket. The FDD names no predecessors, so we cannot say how that company relates to today’s franchisor. Separately, Midas’s FDD discloses a 2018 Napa County judgment, entered by stipulation, over allegations against one franchisee doing business as Midas/SpeeDee; [our Midas page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#public-records) sets out what it says. ## Where SpeeDee’s documents disagree, and a checklist for your visit Beyond the point counts and top-off terms above, four contradictions matter at the counter: - **How long.** “about 15 minutes” (fleet page) versus “between 15-30 minutes” once the car is in the bay (store FAQ). - **Appointments.** “no appointment needed” on the national pages; the Kenner store page also offers “Schedule an Appointment”; Stone Mountain does not. - **How many shops.** “nearly 100 locations nationwide” (About page) versus 78 U.S. outlets at the end of 2025 (FDD) versus 99 store pages in SpeeDee’s location sitemap on 10 October 2026, 21 more than the FDD, by our arithmetic. The sitemap may include co-branded or newer shops: it has a Minnesota store, where the FDD shows only a signed franchise, and no Colorado store, where the FDD counts one. - **The FDD’s own sums.** A footnote adds 13 international franchisees to 69 domestic ones “for a system-wide total of 23”; 69 plus 13 is 82. Item 19’s Chart II heading says “(41 CENTERS)”; its quartiles hold 45, a gap of 4. - **Get the total before the work starts.** Oil grade, quarts, filter, coupon, tax and disposal fee, from the shop you are at. - **Show coupons at the estimate.** One per transaction; check your shop is listed and bring ID for military or rideshare coupons. - **Check the oil against your owner’s manual.** Grade and specification on the invoice. - **Ask for the 17-point results on paper.** What was checked, what was topped off and how much. - **Decline add-ons you have not looked up.** Compare any fluid exchange or filter with your manual’s schedule. - **Keep the invoice.** It is your factory-warranty evidence and the only record of what the shop promised. - **Ask what the shop will do if something goes wrong.** There is no written national warranty; get its answer in writing. - **Use the courtesy top-offs, and notice how often.** A fluid that keeps dropping is a symptom to diagnose. Our pages on [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/), [Kwik Kar](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/), [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/), [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/), [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) and [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) read those companies’ published terms the same way. ## Common questions ### How much is an oil change at SpeeDee? SpeeDee does not publish a price. Its coupons are a discount “off regular price,” include national-brand oil up to 5 quarts and a new filter, and leave taxes and disposal fees extra where permitted. The FDD lets the franchisor set prices only for multi-area promotions, so, by our reading, each shop sets its own. Ask for the total for your car before work starts. ### Does SpeeDee have a warranty on oil changes? We found no written warranty with a time or mileage limit. The Total Trust Guarantee promises open bays, lobby monitoring and upfront quotes, and its only stated remedy is “Your next oil change is on us.” Keep the invoice and take any problem back to the same shop first. ### Does SpeeDee top off fluids for free? Yes. The About page says top-offs are included “for three months or 3,000 miles after any qualifying service,” and the oil-change page says fluids are topped off “up to a ½ pint.” No page says which services qualify or which fluids are covered between visits, so ask your shop. ### What is included in the SpeeDee 17-point oil change? The coupon list includes national-brand oil up to 5 quarts, a new filter, chassis lube, top-offs of transmission, differential, coolant, power steering and washer fluid, a battery test, brake fluid, filter, wiper, belt, hose and tire-pressure checks, cleaned windshields and an oil-light reset. The oil-change page’s longer list adds vacuuming at some shops. ### Who owns SpeeDee, and is it the same as Midas/SpeeDee? SpeeDee is franchised by SpeeDee Worldwide, LLC, part of the FullSpeed Automotive group with Grease Monkey and Kwik Kar; its ultimate parent is MidOcean Partners V, L.P. At the end of 2025, 69 of 78 U.S. shops were franchised and 9 were run by the affiliate GMI. Midas/SpeeDee shops are a co-brand franchised by Midas, whose FDD counted 54 at the end of 2025. ### Do I need an appointment, and how long does it take? No: the national pages say “no appointment needed,” and store pages say “We welcome walk-ins,” though some stores, such as Kenner, Louisiana, also take appointments. Store pages say “between 15-30 minutes” once the car is in the bay; the fleet page says “about 15 minutes.” ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/speedee-oil-change/ --- title: "Precision Tune Auto Care: Warranty, Prices and Who Owns It" description: "Precision Tune’s warranty runs 12 or 24 months by center, and no page says which limit ends it. What its terms, card, franchise filing and owner say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Precision Tune Auto Care: Warranty, Prices and Who Owns It > Precision Tune’s warranty runs 12 or 24 months by center, and no page says which limit ends it. What its terms, card, franchise filing and owner say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,897 words* ## The short version - Precision Tune Auto Care is a repair and maintenance chain with 224 U.S. centers at the end of 2025, 204 franchised and 20 company-owned, says its March 2026 franchise disclosure document. Precision Auto Care, Inc. is a parent company, not the shop you deal with. - Icahn Enterprises owns it. When Icahn sold Pep Boys to Mavis on August 20, 2026, its filing said it would keep the Precision Tune Auto Care business. - The warranty is a range: “National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile,” valid “at most of our centers.” One center page shows a 12/12 badge, another a 24/24. No page says whether it ends at the first limit or the last. - Brake pads and shoes “may be covered under warranty for as long as you own the car,” at participating centers. Rotors and drums cost extra. - No national prices. The franchise agreement leaves prices to each center, and a center can refuse national coupons if it posts a sign saying so. - The store card is a Synchrony Car Care card with deferred interest: no interest for 6 months on $199 or more only if the balance is paid in full; new accounts as of 7/16/24 carry a 34.99% purchase APR. If you searched for Precision Auto Care, you may mean Precision Tune Auto Care, the national repair and maintenance chain that started as a tune-up shop in 1976; many independent garages also use the name Precision Auto, and this page covers only the chain. Its written promise is a nationwide warranty whose length depends on the center, and nearly everything else (prices, coupons, even whether the brake warranty applies) is set locally. On 10 October 2026 we read the chain’s warranty, brake, tune-up, oil change, financing, franchising and terms pages on precisiontune.com; the franchise disclosure document (FDD) of Precision Franchising LLC issued March 31, 2026, from Minnesota’s registry; Icahn Enterprises’ SEC filings on the Pep Boys sale; and a 2024 data breach notice filed with California’s Attorney General. The site’s terms bar linking to it without written permission, so we name its pages without linking them. This site has no commercial relationship with Precision Tune Auto Care or any repair chain. **Figure: What Precision Tune’s own documents say, by situation** Eight situations a Precision Tune Auto Care customer can meet, each answered from the company’s web pages, its March 31, 2026 franchise disclosure document or Icahn Enterprises’ August 20, 2026 8-K. Every number is in data/precision-tune-auto-care.json. Read from precisiontune.com, the Precision Franchising LLC franchise disclosure document issued March 31, 2026 (Minnesota registry) and Icahn Enterprises’ SEC filings on 10 October 2026. ## Who owns Precision Tune Auto Care The short answer is Icahn Enterprises L.P., the Nasdaq-listed holding company. The longer answer runs through several companies, and the documents disagree about one link in the chain. The business you see is run by a franchisor, Precision Franchising LLC, “a Virginia limited liability company formed on August 15, 2001,” which says “We do business as Precision Franchising LLC and Precision Tune Auto Care.” It is based in Ashburn, Virginia, where the history page says headquarters moved in 2023. Above it, the FDD lists Precision Tune Auto Care, Inc., WE JAC Corporation and Precision Auto Care, Inc. (PACI), which the history page says was born in a 1997 public offering. Company-owned centers belong to a sister company, PTAC Operating Centers LLC. Above PACI, the documents split. The history page says that in 2017 “Icahn Automotive buys PTAC, but PTAC continues to operate as a standalone entity.” The FDD says “PACI was acquired by Pep Boys in July 2017” and lists The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack Holding Corp. as a parent between PACI and Icahn Automotive Group LLC. The audited notes in the same FDD skip Pep Boys: Precision Tune Auto Care, Inc. “is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Icahn Automotive Group LLC (Icahn Automotive), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Icahn Enterprises L.P.” That difference mattered this summer. On July 19, 2026 Icahn agreed to sell Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC, and its quarterly report said “Certain excluded entities and businesses of Pep Boys will not be transferred to Buyer.” The Form 8-K filed on completion is plain: “On August 20, 2026, Icahn Automotive Group LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, completed the previously announced sale of Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC, a subsidiary of Mavis, for approximately $700 million in cash,” and “the Company will retain the owned real estate previously transferred to the Company from Pep Boys, as well as the AAMCO Transmissions and Precision Tune Auto Care businesses in the Company’s Automotive segment.” So Precision Tune stayed with Icahn, beside AAMCO, while Pep Boys joined Mavis, which also owns Midas (see our [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/#who-owns) and [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) pages). No document we read shows the new chain of companies between Icahn and PACI after the sale. The FDD on file in Minnesota predates it, and the registry search on 10 October 2026 showed no filing for this franchisor after its renewal took effect on 07/02/2026. Icahn’s later filings, through 10 October 2026, say nothing more about the automotive businesses. ## Franchised or company-owned: who runs your center Usually a local franchisee. The FDD’s outlet table counts 204 franchised and 20 company-owned centers in the United States on December 31, 2025, so 91.1% were franchised by our arithmetic. The system shrank in 2025: it started the year with 231 centers and ended with 224. Among franchised centers, 1 opened, 3 were not renewed and 3 ceased operating; 2 company centers were sold to franchisees. **How many Precision Tune Auto Care centers there are, by source (read 10 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | 224 | U.S. centers: 204 franchised, 20 company-owned | FDD Item 20, as of December 31, 2025 | | 204 | “centers open and in operation in the United States” | FDD Item 19, December 29, 2025 | | 225 | Center pages in the website’s location sitemap (our count; a sitemap can list closed centers) | precisiontune.com, read 10 October 2026 | | more than 40 and 220 | “more than 40 corporate owned and operated centers and 220 franchisees” | Franchising FAQ | | more than 275 | “more than 275 service centers operating in six countries” | Franchising page | | 299 | “our 299 service centers across four countries” | About page | Use the FDD’s count. The two larger figures include centers abroad, which the history page traces to Taiwan, Portugal, Oman and other markets; the franchisor’s audited notes say it “had no franchises in Canada” at the end of 2025 or 2024. The FAQ’s corporate figure is 20 more than the FDD’s by our arithmetic. The chain is concentrated in the Southeast. Georgia and North Carolina each had 35 franchised centers at the end of 2025, 34.3% of the franchised total between them by our arithmetic, followed by South Carolina (20), Texas (17) and Maryland (15). Of the company-owned centers, 7 are in Virginia. The FDD lists military bases as a “Reserved Area” in its territory rules, and the history page counts its 8th center on a base, opened in 2025 at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, the same year the FDD records one new company-owned center there. The franchising page says “66% of Precision Tune Auto Care locations are owned by multiple unit owners,” so one owner often runs several centers. The franchise agreement tells you how to know: each franchisee must hold itself out “as an independent contractor” and “exhibit a notice of that fact in a conspicuous place on the Center premises and on stationery, invoices, order forms, receipts and contracts” (section 20.1). Section 20.2 adds that nothing in it “authorizes Franchisee to make any contract, agreement, warranty, or representation on Franchisor’s behalf.” The center that writes your invoice is the business you contract with. The franchisor still sets the frame. Every center must offer twelve required service groups, must “use only service order, warranty, and other forms we approve,” and can lose its franchise, without a chance to cure, if “a significant number of valid customer complaints have been made about the Franchised Business, which Franchisee has failed to reasonably resolve” (section 15.1.13). Our [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#who-stands-behind), [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#who-you-deal-with) and [Christian Brothers Automotive](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/#who-you-deal-with) pages read those franchise chains’ filings the same way. ## What Precision Tune does: from tune-ups to factory maintenance The name dates from the founding idea. The About page says the chain’s “legacy began in 1976 when our founder, Bill Childs, set out to offer convenient engine tune-ups,” and that it rebranded in 1996 “reflecting our expanded service offerings beyond engine tune-ups.” That makes the chain 50 years old in 2026 by our arithmetic. Today the FDD requires every center to offer twelve service groups, among them brakes and traction control, cooling, “diagnostic discovery services,” heating and air conditioning, maintenance, powertrain management, steering and suspension, and tire rotation and balance. Twelve more are optional, including exhaust systems, tires, transmission and drivetrain, alignment and state inspections, so not every center does every job. Ask before you book. **Tune-ups.** The tune-up page lists what “a complete tune-up service includes”: tune-up verification, replacement of spark plugs, analysis of emission levels, “Timing/idle speed adjustment (if adjustable)” and a complete maintenance inspection. Fixing a specific drivability problem is separate and “requires diagnosis, see manager for details.” Our guides to [spark plug replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/spark-plug-replacement/) and [the check engine light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/) explain what a misfire or a stored code can mean before you agree to a diagnosis. **Oil changes.** “Every oil change includes fresh, high-quality motor oil, a new oil filter, fluid top-offs, and a comprehensive multi-point inspection,” with conventional, synthetic blend, full synthetic and diesel oils on offer. Unlike some oil-change chains, the national site prints no separate oil-change warranty; compare our [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/#warranty) page, where the chain prints one. Keep each invoice; our guide to [oil-change intervals and records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) explains why. **Factory maintenance.** The maintenance page says “Factory scheduled maintenance must be completed in order to keep your warranty valid, and Precision Tune Auto Care is authorized to perform most of the services recommended by each manufacturer’s car maintenance schedule.” The center pages we read go further: one says its technicians work “all while preserving your factory warranties,” another that “our work does not affect factory warranties.” What the law says on that point is in the federal rules section below. It adds that “Additional services may also be recommended based on our inspection”; ask which items are in the carmaker’s schedule. ## How prices and coupons are set Precision Tune prints no national price for any service, and its franchise agreement explains why. Every local advertising plan must go to the franchisor for approval “(except with respect to prices to be charged)” (section 13.4.3). Prices are the center’s decision. The brake page shows how a quote grows: “At an additional cost, drums and rotors may be replaced if they are out of specifications. Based on our inspection, other components may also need replacement. Specialty brake pads cost extra.” Get the estimate in writing, part by part, before work starts. Coupons are local too. Each center has its own coupons page, and the one we read for Fort Belvoir, Virginia, describes “Frequent promotions, such as discounts on major repairs and seasonal service deals” without a single amount in the page text; we entered no ZIP code and record no offer. National coupons are not guaranteed either. Section 13.5 says a franchisee must honor “coupons and price promotions issued or authorized by Franchisor unless Franchisee has posted a conspicuous sign on its premises and includes in its local advertising a statement that Franchisee will not honor such coupons or price promotions.” Show any coupon before the estimate is written and ask whether this center takes it. Two more lines on the brake and tune-up pages are worth using: “If you wish, we’ll return your old brake parts to you,” and on a tune-up “we can return all of your old parts to you if desired.” Asking for the old parts is the simplest check that they were replaced. Our guide to [brake jobs and rotors](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) covers when rotors can be resurfaced instead. ## The nationwide warranty: 12/12 or 24/24, depending on the center The warranty page is three sentences long. Its promise: “we stand behind that work with our National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile warranty, which is valid at most of our centers from coast to coast.” Its instruction: “Ask about the Precision Tune auto care warranty when you contact your local center.” Nothing else is printed: no list of covered work, no exclusions, no claim steps. The range exists because the term differs by center. The About page advertises a “12/12 Nationwide Warranty” that “protects your auto repair for 12 months or 12,000 miles.” The two center pages we read each carry a warranty badge: Lawrenceville, Georgia shows “12/12,” Fort Belvoir, Virginia “24/24.” The history page dates the two numbers: in 1987 the chain introduced “a precedent-setting 12 month/12,000 mile nationwide warranty,” and in 2011 it says it became the “first service provider in the automotive aftermarket to offer 24/24 warranty.” We read two center pages, so we cannot say how many offer each. **Ask which warranty your center gives, and get it on the estimate.** The national page offers 12 to 24 months and 12,000 to 24,000 miles “at most of our centers,” and no page we read says whether the warranty ends when you reach the first limit or the last. Before you pay, ask for the center’s written warranty terms, the months and miles, which limit ends it, and whether labor is included. That last point matters more than it looks. Other chains state their end points outright, which shows how much the missing words change: **How chains print their repair-warranty end points (Precision Tune read 10 October 2026; the others copied from our pages read 9 October 2026)** | Chain | Printed term | Which limit ends it | | --- | --- | --- | | Precision Tune Auto Care | “National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile warranty, which is valid at most of our centers” | Not stated | | Meineke | All other parts and services: “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first” | The first | | Pep Boys | “90 days or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless different warranty terms are specified on your Invoice” | The first | | Christian Brothers Automotive | “3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever limit occurs last” | The last | For example, under a 12/12 warranty that ends at the first limit, a driver who covers 12,000 miles in eight months is out of warranty at eight months; one that ends at the last limit would still cover a low-mileage car past the first year. Only the written terms settle which applies. Where are those terms? The franchise agreement answers in section 11.2.14: each franchisee “agrees to be bound by the warranty terms and conditions established, and from time to time revised, by Franchisor for all Precision Tune Auto Care franchisees” and “to participate in the warranty reciprocity program and to accept and abide by requirements and limits on warranty compensation.” So the terms are the franchisor’s, revised from time to time, with a reciprocity program among centers and limits on what a center is paid for warranty work. Those rules sit in the confidential Policies and Procedures Manual, 223 pages with a 36-page Customer Service chapter, which the FDD summarizes but does not reproduce. The reciprocity rules are not public, so if a repair fails away from home, call the center that did the work first and bring the original invoice to the next one. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the spark-plug wires, the oil filler cap and the air cleaner, each with one fact from Precision Tune’s service and warranty pages. Precision Tune Auto Care’s tune-up, oil change and warranty pages, read on 9 October 2026: Tune-up: new spark plugs, an emissions check and timing or idle set if adjustable (callout 1); Oil change: oil, a new filter, top-offs and a multi-point check; no national price (callout 2); Warranty is 12 months/12,000 miles or 24/24 by center; ask for it in writing first (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The brake warranty: pads and shoes while you own the car Precision Tune’s history page says a “Lifetime Brake Warranty” was introduced in 1996. Today’s Brakes Warranty page is more careful: “Pads and shoes are replaced and may be covered under warranty for as long as you own the car,” and “The brakes warranty is offered at participating centers, so please check with your local shop for full details and coverage information.” Three conditions follow from the page itself: - **Only pads and shoes.** The standard brake service repacks wheel bearings “as needed,” lubricates hardware, tops off fluid, bleeds the hydraulic system and refinishes drums and rotors “if required.” Replacing rotors or drums is “At an additional cost.” - **Only while you own the car.** “For as long as you own the car” ends when you sell it; the page says nothing about transfer. - **Possibly yearly inspections.** Brakes “should be inspected at least once a year to determine the condition of the hydraulic system and operating hardware, and to ensure your brakes warranty remains valid and effective.” If your center’s terms make an annual inspection a condition, keep the record of each one. The page does not say whether labor is free on a later pad claim. On the two chains we read that print it, labor is the limit: Meineke covers brake pad labor for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, and Midas says it will “only charge for installation” (see our [Meineke brakes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#brakes) and [Midas brakes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#midas-brakes) sections). Ask your center the same question, and see [how long brake pads last](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-brake-pads-last/) for what a realistic claim interval looks like. ## What federal warranty rules add Because the full warranty is not online, four federal texts, read on govinfo, give you questions to ask at the counter: - **You can ask to see the warranty before you buy.** Under the FTC’s pre-sale rule, [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), for consumer products costing more than $15.00, “the seller of a consumer product with a written warranty shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” Whether that reaches a repair that mixes parts with labor is a question for a lawyer; asking for the text costs nothing. - **“Full” or “limited” should be on it.** Under 15 U.S.C. 2303, a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” The web page calls it only a “National” warranty; check the label on the printed form. - **“Lifetime” should name the life.** The FTC’s advertising guide, [16 CFR 239.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec239-4.xml), says an ad using “lifetime” should disclose “the life to which the representation refers.” Precision Tune’s brake page does: “for as long as you own the car.” - **Independent service does not void a factory warranty.** Under 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using” a branded article or service unless it is free, and the FTC’s rule at 16 CFR 700.10(c) says no warrantor may require “the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” Precision Tune’s page does not say who authorizes it; under these rules a carmaker cannot insist on its own authorized shops for maintenance it does not pay for. Keep the invoices as proof the work was done on time. ## The Precision Tune credit card and fleet credit The financing page and a separate credit card page print the same terms for the Precision Tune Auto Care Synchrony Car Care credit card. Its standing offer, labelled “Everyday,” is “6 Months Promotional Financing on purchases of $199 or more.” It is deferred interest, not zero interest: “No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date.” The page warns that “The required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off the promo balance before the end of the promo period.” A qualifying purchase “must be on one receipt,” and gas station purchases do not qualify. The account terms are dated: “New Accounts as of 7/16/24: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2.” A 2% promo fee applies only to equal-payment promotions of 18 months or more, which the page does not offer. There is “no annual fee,” though “Other account terms, fees, and interest rates may apply.” Our [Meineke page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#coupons-rewards-financing), read on 9 October 2026, shows the same Synchrony Car Care network dating its new-account terms 7/31/25, so the date on Precision Tune’s page may be stale: read Synchrony’s own disclosure before you apply. The card is “valid at participating Precision Tune Auto Care locations,” so ask before you rely on it. For businesses, the fleet page lists “Service Now, Pay Later (for approved customers)” with no printed terms. ## Website terms, complaints and disputes The site has no page called terms of use: those addresses return HTTP 404 errors. Its terms sit behind the footer link labelled “Privacy Policy,” on a page headed “Terms and Conditions” and issued by Precision Franchising LLC (“PFL”). Its privacy content is one sentence: “We do not sell your personal information.” The rest governs the website, not your repair: - **Don’t rely on the pages.** “Information provided on this site is intended to be general in nature and, therefore, you should not rely on such information in connection with making any decisions,” and PFL “does not guarantee the accuracy of the information at all times.” Your center’s written estimate and invoice are what count. - **A cap for the website.** PFL’s total liability for the site is capped at “THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, FOR ACCESSING THIS SITE.” - **Virginia law, no arbitration.** The terms are governed by Virginia law, and “the Virginia courts will have non-exclusive jurisdiction” over disputes about them. We found no arbitration clause and no class-action waiver. - **No linking.** “You may not provide a hypertext link or other link to this site without PFL’s written permission,” which is why this page names Precision Tune’s pages rather than linking them. For a dispute about a repair, no published procedure exists. The contact page lists a corporate office in Ashburn, Virginia, with departments including Customer Service and Legal, and points feedback about a service visit to a “Share Your Feedback” form. That form asks for the center’s address, “Would you like to be contacted?” and “Can we include your comments in PTAC marketing materials?”, so answer the last one deliberately. The history page dates its “We Care” card program, “a customer service measurement tool,” to 1980. Behind it sits a lever in the franchise agreement: the right to terminate a franchise over valid complaints the center fails to resolve. Put your complaint in writing to the center first, keep copies, and then write to corporate customer service with the invoice number. Texts are covered separately. The national site’s SMS Privacy Policy, effective 5/1/2025, explains opt-in and “STOP,” but its contact block gives a free webmail address and the street address of a center in Nashville, Tennessee, rather than the Ashburn office; send privacy requests to corporate instead. ## What filings and regulators show **The franchise disclosure document.** Item 3 says that apart from one concluded case, litigation involving area developers and orders involving its affiliate AAMCO, “there is no litigation that needs to be disclosed.” The concluded case is a franchisee dispute: *John Scaiano and Giovanni’s Auto and Tire, Inc. v. Precision Franchising, LLC*, Case No. 18CV327021 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, filed April 23, 2018 over a center whose real estate was sold; “The parties settled this matter on October 8, 2018, and the case was dismissed on October 16, 2018.” The AAMCO orders were entered “prior to AAMCO becoming an affiliate of ours.” Item 4 discloses one bankruptcy, at an affiliate: the Auto Plus parts business filed in January of 2023, and on October 6, 2023 “the Auto Plus Entities ceased doing business.” None of this concerns repairs at a Precision Tune center. Item 20 adds a line for anyone who asks franchisees about the chain: “In some instances, current and former franchisees sign provisions restricting their ability to speak openly about their experience with Precision Tune Auto Care, Inc.” **Minnesota’s registry.** Precision Franchising LLC is registered under file number 4307; its 2026 renewal took effect on 07/02/2026 with the next annual report due 07/02/2027. **A 2024 data breach.** A notice filed with California’s Attorney General names Precision Tune Auto Care, Inc. and a breach date of January 7, 2024. The sample letter says “On January 8, 2024, we identified unusual activity in our network,” that “an unauthorized actor viewed and obtained files stored on certain servers in our network,” and that for the people notified “The file(s) contained your name, address, and Social Security number.” The company offered one year of Equifax credit monitoring. The notice does not say whether those affected were customers, employees or others. **What we did not find.** Searches on 10 October 2026 turned up no action by the FTC or a state attorney general naming Precision Tune Auto Care, Precision Franchising or Precision Auto Care. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is reported. We did not read any court file for private suits, so none is described here. ## Where Precision Tune’s own documents disagree We recorded 13 places where the company’s documents disagree. Those that matter to a customer: - **Warranty length.** “National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile” on the warranty page; a flat “12/12 Nationwide Warranty” on the About page; 12/12 and 24/24 badges on two center pages. - **Warranty reach.** “Every service is backed by a nationwide warranty” on the home page; “valid at most of our centers” on the warranty page. - **Lifetime brakes.** A “Lifetime Brake Warranty” in the history; pads and shoes that “may be covered” at “participating centers” on the brake page. - **Size.** 299 centers in four countries (About), more than 275 in six (franchising), more than 40 corporate and 220 franchisees (FAQ), 224 U.S. centers (FDD). - **Age.** “over 45 years,” “nearly 50 years” and “over 50 years” on different pages. - **Ownership.** “Icahn Automotive buys PTAC” in 2017 (history) against “PACI was acquired by Pep Boys in July 2017” (FDD), and a parent list running through Pep Boys against audited notes that do not. The FDD also has two arithmetic slips: its 2023 franchised row prints a net change of +1 for a fall from 202 to 201 centers, and its 2025 company-owned state rows add up to 21 against a printed total of 20, by our arithmetic. None of this changes what your center writes on the invoice, which is why the invoice is the document to check. - **Ask which warranty this center gives** (12/12 or 24/24), which limit ends it, and whether labor is covered. Get it written on the estimate. - **Ask to see the written warranty** before you pay, and check whether it says full or limited. - **Check the brake warranty applies here:** it is offered at participating centers, covers pads and shoes, and ends when you sell the car. - **Get an itemized estimate**, since each center sets its own prices; ask for your old parts back. - **Show coupons before the estimate** and ask whether this center honors national promotions. - **Keep every invoice**, for warranty claims at another center and for your carmaker’s warranty. - **Pay off a card promotion in full within 6 months**, or interest runs from the purchase date. Our [Kwik Kar](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/) page reads another franchised repair chain’s terms the same way. ## Common questions ### Who owns Precision Tune Auto Care? Icahn Enterprises L.P. The franchisor is Precision Franchising LLC, under Precision Tune Auto Care, Inc. and Precision Auto Care, Inc. When Icahn sold Pep Boys to Mavis on August 20, 2026, its 8-K said it would keep the Precision Tune Auto Care business. ### Is Precision Auto Care the same as Precision Tune Auto Care? Precision Auto Care, Inc. is a parent company of the Precision Tune Auto Care chain. Many independent repair shops also trade as Precision Auto or Precision Auto Care and have no link to the chain; check for the Precision Tune Auto Care name and the franchise notice the agreement requires on the premises and invoices. ### What is the Precision Tune warranty? A “National 12-24 month/12,000-24,000 mile warranty, which is valid at most of our centers.” Some centers advertise 12 months or 12,000 miles, others 24/24. The full terms are not published; ask your center for them in writing, including which limit ends the warranty. ### Does Precision Tune have a lifetime brake warranty? Its brake page says pads and shoes “may be covered under warranty for as long as you own the car” and that the brakes warranty “is offered at participating centers.” Rotors and drums are replaced at extra cost, and the page does not say whether labor is covered on a later claim. ### How much is an oil change at Precision Tune? No national price is printed; each center sets its own prices and coupons. Every oil change, the company says, includes the oil, a new filter, fluid top-offs and a multi-point inspection. ### Are Precision Tune centers franchises? Mostly. At the end of 2025 the FDD counts 204 franchised and 20 company-owned centers in the United States. Each franchisee must post a notice that it is an independent contractor operating under a franchise. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/ --- title: "Lendbuzz Review: No-Credit Car Loans, Rates, Terms and Record" description: "Lendbuzz lends through dealers to people with thin or no US credit. Its IPO filing puts 66.8% of 2025 lending at 18% APR or more. Fees, terms and state orders." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/lendbuzz-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Lendbuzz Review: No-Credit Car Loans, Rates, Terms and Record > Lendbuzz lends through dealers to people with thin or no US credit. Its IPO filing puts 66.8% of 2025 lending at 18% APR or more. Fees, terms and state orders. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,871 words* ## The short version - Lendbuzz lends to people with thin or no US credit, including borrowers without a Social Security number. You apply at a dealer, but the loan is Lendbuzz’s: “All loans are made by Lendbuzz Funding, LLC” (NMLS 1636296), and its SEC filing says they “are directly originated by the Company.” - At 31 December 2025, about 57% of its borrowers had a credit score (averaging between 640 and 650) and about 30% had no credit file. Lendbuzz says it does “not verify the immigration status” of borrowers. - Its website prints no rates. Its March 2026 IPO filing claims “an average of 18%”; by our arithmetic, 66.8% of the money it lent in 2025 carried an APR of 18% or more, and 67.3% went out on 72-month terms. - Interest accrues daily and there is “no early termination fee.” A late fee can apply after 15 days, the credit bureaus hear after 30, and repossession typically starts “around 60 days past due.” - Its Terms of Use send disputes to binding individual arbitration with a class-action waiver; you can opt out in writing within 30 days of first accepting them. - Washington (2018) and Connecticut (2024) entered consent orders against Lendbuzz Funding over lending without a state licence, without admission. The CFPB database holds 338 complaints naming Lendbuzz Inc. Lendbuzz is a licensed auto lender: Lendbuzz Funding, LLC makes car loans through dealers to people the credit bureaus barely know, and Lendbuzz Inc. services them. On 10 October 2026 we read its [borrower FAQ](https://www.lendbuzz.com/faq), application and refinance pages, Terms of Use, privacy policy, credit consent, state disclosures, rate schedules and borrower Service Level Agreement; Lendbuzz Inc.’s [Form S-1/A](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1736734/000119312526096942/d715014ds1a.htm), the IPO registration statement filed 6 March 2026; its 2026 securitization filings; two state consent orders; and its CFPB complaint counts. We entered no application, login or bank link, and this site has no commercial relationship with Lendbuzz or any lender. **Figure: Lendbuzz’s website next to its own IPO filing** A two-column table setting six lines from Lendbuzz’s borrower pages against its March 2026 Form S-1/A and state schedules: fair rates on the website versus 66.8% of 2025 loan dollars at an APR of 18% or more by our arithmetic; FAQ advice on 3-year and 5-year loans versus 67.3% of 2025 originations at 72 months; an origination fee charged in certain cases versus one charged to each borrower, about $700 on average; a late fee after 15 days and credit reporting after 30 versus repossession around 60 days past due and GPS units on a large portion of loans; no early termination fee with simple daily interest at 1/365 of the rate; and two document requirements versus up to 18 months of bank transactions read and no check of immigration status. Read from Lendbuzz’s FAQ, borrower and dealer pages and its Form S-1/A (filed 6 March 2026) on 10 October 2026. No application, login or bank link was entered. ## How a Lendbuzz loan works: you shop at a dealer, but Lendbuzz is your lender The dealer sends your application through Lendbuzz’s portal or through Dealertrack or RouteOne. Then come two texts. “An initial text message introduces Lendbuzz as an auto lender and asks the consumer to link their bank account via a third-party API,” the S-1/A says; after approval, “a second text message notifies the consumer of the approval and provides a link to DocuSign their contract.” That contract is with Lendbuzz, not the dealer. Lendbuzz’s borrower SLA calls its business “direct consumer automotive financing to individuals,” and an accountants’ report filed with its July 2026 securitization names the loan documents as a “Consumer Loan and Security Agreement” and a “Truth-in-Lending Disclosure Statement,” with Lendbuzz Funding’s security interest on the title. You pay the down payment to the dealer, and Lendbuzz pays the dealer the rest. Approval is conditional until your bank data checks out: a borrower must “pass a credit score cutoff,” “have their income verified,” “have their identity verified,” and “pass a fraud screen.” Once the paperwork is complete, “we typically fund over 74% of loans within eight hours,” the filing says. The FAQ promises less: “A loan can get approved within 2 business days, start to finish.” Dealers are paid in some cases. “For loans from franchise dealerships, we typically pay a commission, as a percentage of the loan amount,” while independent dealers typically get none; the average is “approximately $540 per loan.” Some dealers share the risk instead: under a recourse relationship, “the dealership agrees to pay a fixed reserve amount for each loan originated,” which Lendbuzz draws on when a repossession sale falls short ($37.6 million held at the end of 2025). Lendbuzz also pays dealers whose stock it finances “a small incentive fee of approximately $100” when a Lendbuzz borrower buys one of those cars. The person arranging your loan may have a reason to choose Lendbuzz, so get a second quote. **Printed terms side by side: Lendbuzz (read 10 October 2026) and two lenders this site read on 6 October 2026** | Term | Lendbuzz (S-1/A) | Credit Acceptance | Exeter Finance | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who the loan is with | “directly originated by the Company” | “originated by the Dealer and assigned to us” (2025 10-K) | Contracts “indirectly originated by dealers for assignment to Exeter” (2026-4 prospectus) | | Does the dealer share losses? | Recourse with “certain dealerships”: a reserve per loan | Not compared here | “generally without recourse to the dealers” | | Tracking or disabling devices | “a requirement that a large portion of our loans have GPS systems installed” | Proposed New York consent order and judgment (filed 17 September 2026): continue “not disabling defaulted borrowers’ vehicles through a starter interruption device” | Not compared here | We read [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works), [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#how-it-works), [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#dealer-tiers), [United Auto Credit](https://baronauto1.com/financing/united-auto-credit-review/) and [First Investors](https://baronauto1.com/financing/first-investors-review/) the same way. ## Who Lendbuzz lends to: no Social Security number, thin files and near prime The FAQ says Lendbuzz lends to “deserving borrowers, including those without a social security number, no credit history or thin credit,” and its prequalification page names “ITIN Holders & Visa Workers.” The founders’ story explains why: they “immigrated to the U.S. for graduate school,” could not get a car loan without a US credit history, and “launched Lendbuzz in 2015.” The S-1/A defines its market as “credit invisibles” and people “traditionally called near prime (consumers with VantageScores® of 601-719).” At 31 December 2025, “approximately 57% of our customers had a credit score,” averaging “between 640 and 650,” and “approximately 30% of our consumers have no credit file.” Toyotas were 18% of 2025 loans and Chevrolets 11%. Lendbuzz accepts photo IDs “that may be issued by non-U.S. governments ... but we do not verify the immigration status of our consumers,” and it warns investors that immigration enforcement “could in the future, also result in increased delinquencies and losses on our loans.” What score do you need? One page gives two answers: “If you have a credit score of 580 or above, you can pre-qualify,” and Lendbuzz “does not have a strict minimum credit score requirement.” The S-1/A says the cutoff that matters is “our internal AIRA® cutoff,” Lendbuzz’s own score. Our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders rarely publish a floor. Location limits who can borrow. The FAQ says Lendbuzz does “not currently offer loans in” 14 states: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming. That leaves 36 by our arithmetic; the S-1/A counted “35 states plus the District of Columbia” at the end of 2025, and said it “operated primarily in six states: California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Texas.” Florida held 29.1% of its balances. The car must be “less than 10 years old” in one FAQ answer and from “the last 9 years” in another, with no more than 120,000 miles and no [salvage title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/). ## What documents Lendbuzz asks for, page by page Lendbuzz tells dealers it needs “two simple requirements: a government-issued ID, and bank account.” The bank account replaces pay stubs: “We typically require consumers to link their bank accounts via a third-party API allowing us to acquire up to 18 months of a consumer’s bank account transactions,” the S-1/A says, and the privacy policy names Plaid. It then matches the name and address on your application, ID and bank account, so mismatches will slow you down. Its borrower pages list more. **What each Lendbuzz page says to have ready, read 10 October 2026** | Page | What it lists | | --- | --- | | Buying from a dealer | VIN, sale price, down payment amount, bank account information, dealership contact information | | Private seller, title in hand | VIN, sale price, bank account information | | Private seller, car still financed or leased | VIN, sale price, GVW from the door sticker, odometer photo, colour, bank account information | | Refinancing | VIN, a 10- or 15-day payoff letter, GVW, odometer photo, colour, bank account; its questions add “a government-issued ID” and say “No paper pay stubs, W-2s, or tax returns are required” | | ITIN article (19 February 2026) | “A valid ITIN issued by the IRS,” “Proof of income (pay stubs, bank statements, or tax returns),” “Proof of residence in the United States,” a driver’s licence or state ID, and a down payment | The ITIN article contradicts the dealer pitch and itself: a few paragraphs above that list, it promises “No need to gather pay stubs, utility bills, or track down personal references.” Bring proof of income and address anyway. The credit consent says Lendbuzz “may also ask to see your driver’s license, passport or other identifying or supporting documents at any time” and may check your application with “your college and any prior employers”; the Terms let it “scan the license” and keep the image. Two rules apply before funding. “We will not be able to finalize and fund your loan unless there is an active insurance policy for the vehicle,” and the application “requires a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).” The prequalification page says you need no car to prequalify; “Final approval happens when you select a vehicle and the dealer submits the full deal,” and a prequalification offer “is typically valid for 30 days.” ## What Lendbuzz charges: rates, terms and fees in its own filings Lendbuzz publishes no rate, and the S-1/A gives two averages that do not match. It says competitors charge thin-file borrowers state maximums of “17% to 36%” and that Lendbuzz charges “an average of 18%.” Elsewhere: “Our interest rates have averaged 16.42%.” Neither states a period. Its table of originations by APR band is clearer, and it shows rates rising. **Share of Lendbuzz’s originations (by dollar amount) in each APR band, from its S-1/A filed 6 March 2026** | APR band | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Less than 9.0% | 3.5% | 1.7% | 1.4% | | 9.0% to 11.9% | 10.3% | 6.2% | 5.4% | | 12.0% to 13.9% | 7.8% | 8.5% | 5.9% | | 14.0% to 15.9% | 6.8% | 5.2% | 3.9% | | 16.0% to 17.9% | 43.3% | 27.6% | 16.6% | | 18.0% to 19.9% | 27.3% | 46.0% | 51.0% | | 20.0% or more | 1.0% | 4.8% | 15.8% | By our arithmetic, 66.8% of 2025 lending carried an APR of 18% or more, up from 28.3% in 2023. The weighted average APR of its securitized loans rose from 14.0% in the 2023-1 deal to 16.6% in the 2025-2 deal. “After the Federal Reserve stopped increasing interest rates in 2023, we continued to increase pricing which has expanded margins,” the filing says, while the average AIRA score of new loans “has been declining throughout 2024 and into 2025.” Terms are long: 67.3% of 2025 originations ran 72 months, the longest band listed, and 28.3% ran 60. The FAQ still frames the choice as “3-year loans” against “5-year loans,” which describes few of the loans Lendbuzz now makes. See [how term length affects the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#term-structure). On fees the documents disagree most. The S-1/A says “we charge each borrower an origination fee that is capitalized into the loan amount,” averaging “approximately $700.” The FAQ calls it “a fee charged in certain cases,” and the refinance page says Lendbuzz charges no “origination fees ... on refinanced loans.” Because the fee is financed, it counts in the APR, not the interest rate. Add-ons are financed too: “The price of GAP waivers, VSCs, and GPS units, if Lendbuzz charges for one, are included in the loan amount,” and they earned Lendbuzz $560 a loan on average. **The maximums Lendbuzz posts for two states, read 10 October 2026** | Item | Missouri schedule (undated) | South Carolina schedule (issued 02/25/2026, expires 01/31/2027) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maximum APR | 21% | 27% (secured loans of $5,000 to $115,000) | | Maximum origination fee | $100 | Not on the schedule | | Maximum GAP waiver fee | $995 | Not on the schedule | | Maximum late fee | $50 | Not on the schedule | | Lien perfection fee | $6.00 | Not on the schedule | These are state ceilings, not prices; the South Carolina form says a creditor may charge less “depending on the amount, terms, collateral and your creditworthiness.” In dollars: by our arithmetic, Lendbuzz lent an average of $29,156 per loan in 2025 (total originations divided by loans made). At 18% over 72 months that costs $664.98 a month and $18,723 in interest; at 16.42%, $639.21 a month and $16,867, a $1,856 gap that shows how much hangs on which average is right. These are illustrations, not offers, so bring a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union to compare. ## Payments, late fees, payoff and your title Interest “accrues on the principal balance of your loan (and only the principal balance, not on any previously accrued interest), at a daily amount equal to 1/365 times your annual interest rate,” the FAQ says. On the $29,156 average loan at 18%, that is $14.38 a day at the start, by our arithmetic, so a late payment costs interest as well as any fee, and an early one saves it. Many borrowers pay by automatic debit, and the S-1/A says “early-stage delinquencies are often due to consumers switching bank accounts,” so update the account before closing an old one. Allow “3-5 business days” for a payment to post; Lendbuzz reports to all three credit bureaus monthly. “If you are more than 15 days late, we may charge you a late fee, and if you are more than 30 days late we will report your delinquency to a credit reporting agency,” the FAQ says, without a fee amount (Missouri’s posted cap is $50). If you cannot pay, it says to call, and “An account representative will review any available assistance options with you.” The borrower SLA (February 2024) promises an “initial result not later than 20 business days” on a debt-restructuring request once it has your documents, so ask early and in writing. Paying off early is free: “No, we have no early termination fee.” Pay a payoff letter’s amount “within 10 days” by wire or cashier’s check; for a trade-in, Lendbuzz needs “a signed Payoff Authorization form.” The SLA says Lendbuzz “shall release its security interest in Collateral not later than 10 days, or as required by applicable law,” after payment in full. Even then, “A lien remains attached to the VIN in the state’s system of record until you, the registered owner, request that it be removed,” so take the released title to your motor vehicle office. If you move, Lendbuzz releases the title to the new state “within 7 business days” of that agency’s request. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the form’s upper section, its lower section and the pen, each with one fact from Lendbuzz’s SEC filing and its Terms. Lendbuzz’s registration statement and Terms, read on 9 October 2026: By our arithmetic, 66.8% of Lendbuzz’s 2025 loan dollars carried an APR of 18% or more (callout 1); Lendbuzz says it typically starts repossession around 60 days past due (callout 2); Its Terms send disputes to individual arbitration; opt out in writing within 30 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Repossession, GPS units and how often Lendbuzz loans fall behind “If consumers are unable to pay, since our loans are secured by vehicles, we typically begin repossession proceedings around 60 days past due,” the S-1/A says. Loans are charged off “when they reach 120 days past due,” and repossession, done by “a nationwide network of licensed providers,” does not wait for that. Lendbuzz says recoveries “have historically averaged over 70%,” partly because of “a requirement that a large portion of our loans have GPS systems installed to locate the vehicle.” Neither the filing nor the pages we read say whether the devices can disable a car, so ask the dealer what is fitted, what it does and who pays. Our guide to [GPS trackers and starter interrupters](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#devices) covers state rules. **Sixty days is not much room.** On Lendbuzz’s own timeline, a late fee can apply after 15 days, the credit bureaus hear after 30, and repossession typically begins around 60, roughly two missed monthly payments. Ask for help before the second payment is due: the SLA gives Lendbuzz up to 20 business days to answer a restructuring request. Keep your own insurance in force too; a South Carolina notice on Lendbuzz’s disclosures page says of one kind of coverage, “THE INSURANCE COVERAGE YOU ARE PURCHASING IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CREDITOR. IT WILL NOT REIMBURSE YOU FOR DAMAGES TO YOUR VEHICLE.” **Lendbuzz’s lending and delinquency (loans it holds), from its S-1/A filed 6 March 2026** | Year ended 31 December | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Loans originated | 40,062 | 56,026 | 76,464 | | Amount originated | $1.1 billion | $1.5 billion | $2.2 billion | | Active dealerships (fourth quarter) | 1,366 | 1,788 | 2,344 | | 31+ day delinquency rate | 3.22% | 4.13% | 7.17% | | Annualized net charge-off rate | 1.59% | 2.54% | 3.05% | By our arithmetic, the delinquency rate at the end of 2025 was 2.23 times its 2023 level. At 31 December 2025, 92.8% of balances were current, 5.0% were 31 to 60 days late, 1.0% were 61 to 90 days late and 1.2% were more than 90 days late. Lendbuzz says it tightened underwriting in 2023, “marginally unwound that tightening” in early 2025, and has since “adjusted pricing” in response to higher delinquencies. If a repossession happens, see our guides to [getting the car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [what you owe after the sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale); our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works) covers the waiver Lendbuzz sells. ## Lendbuzz’s terms: arbitration, calls and your data The Terms of Use (effective 18 August 2026) say “all Covered Claims will be resolved exclusively by binding individual arbitration, rather than in court.” The main points: - **Notice first.** Either side must try to settle a claim informally “for at least thirty (30) days.” - **Who decides.** The American Arbitration Association “or any other organization subject to Lendbuzz’s approval,” “on a documents-only basis, without live testimony or oral argument” where the law allows. Lendbuzz will not seek its fees from you unless your claim is found frivolous or the law allows it, and awards are confidential. - **No class actions or juries.** Claims go “only in an individual capacity.” Small-claims court stays open, and 25 or more similar demands brought with the same law firm are “treated as related” for administration and fees. - **Opt-out.** Send written notice to Lendbuzz’s legal department “within thirty (30) days after you first accept these Terms of Use,” with your name, mailing address, email and a clear statement. It does not affect “any other agreement to arbitrate” you have with Lendbuzz. The loan contract may say something else: where the Terms conflict with “any loan documents, the other terms will control.” Lendbuzz publishes no sample loan agreement, so read yours for its own arbitration clause and any opt-out. Giving Lendbuzz a phone number lets it call you “even if your telephone number is on the ‘Do Not Call’ list,” including by “autodialed technology,” about servicing and collections, though marketing consent “is not required as a condition of obtaining credit.” If Lendbuzz finds an error in your “interest rate, APR or origination fee,” it says it will “notify you and provide you with the correct rate.” The privacy policy (updated 30 May 2026) says chatbot conversations are “Recorded, Used, and Shared” and names Google, Meta, Microsoft, StackAdapt, Zolve and Heap as the third parties running advertising trackers on the site. The credit consent lets Lendbuzz pull your credit report “For a period of up to 12 months following your initial request,” including for “follow-up Lendbuzz loan offers.” ## State regulators: Washington in 2018, Connecticut in 2024 We could read two state consent orders. Both concern lending before Lendbuzz Funding held the state’s licence, not how loans were disclosed or collected. **Washington.** The Department of Financial Institutions’ [consent order](https://dfi.wa.gov/sites/default/files/consumer-services/enforcement-actions/C-18-2365-18-CO01.pdf) C-18-2365-18-CO01, entered 27 September 2018, finds that Lendbuzz “has never obtained a consumer loan license” there and, “From at least April 24, 2017, through November 20, 2017,” lent “to at least 14 Washington State residents.” Its conclusions of law state that Lendbuzz violated the Consumer Loan Act. Lendbuzz agreed to a $15,000 fine and a $2,042.69 investigation fee and “neither admits nor denies any wrongdoing”; the order let the department keep processing its licence application. **Connecticut.** The Banking Commissioner’s [consent order](https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dob/enforcement/consumer-credit/2024-cc-orders/lendbuzz-funding-llc-dba-lendbuzz---consent-order.pdf) of 6 December 2024 rests on allegations that “from May 2018 to the present, Lendbuzz engaged in small loan activities by making six small loans to Connecticut borrowers” without a licence, and that “from March 2017 to the present” it collected payments as an unlicensed sales finance company. Lendbuzz consented “without admitting or denying the allegations” and agreed to cease and desist, pay a $10,000 civil penalty and $5,200 in back licensing fees, and refund borrowers amounts paid “in excess of an annual percentage rate of 12%” while unlicensed. The exhibit listing those refunds is not in the public copy, and the order bars Lendbuzz from publicly “denying, directly or indirectly, any allegation” in it. **The public record on Lendbuzz, from the documents read on 10 October 2026** | Date | What happened | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 27 September 2018 | Washington consent order: unlicensed loans to at least 14 residents in 2017; $15,000 fine and $2,042.69 fee; neither admits nor denies | Washington DFI | | Not read | New Hampshire lists a consent order with Lendbuzz Funding, case 19-224 | NH Banking Department listing | | 6 December 2024 | Connecticut consent order on alleged unlicensed lending: $10,000 penalty, $5,200 fees, refunds above 12% APR; without admitting or denying | Connecticut Department of Banking | | 6 March 2026 | S-1/A: Lendbuzz is “not presently a party to any legal proceedings” it considers material | SEC EDGAR | | 10 October 2026 | The CFPB’s enforcement index shows no action under the title “lendbuzz” | CFPB | New Hampshire’s Banking Department [lists](https://www.banking.nh.gov/documents/lendbuzz-funding-llc-19-224-consent-order) a third order, case 19-224, naming “Lendbuzz Funding LLC (a/k/a Lendbuzz Funding, LLC).” The file returned no readable text to us, so we do not describe it. The S-1/A says actions by state enforcement authorities and other agencies “have in the past” brought “civil money penalties, consumer remediation, and increased compliance costs,” without naming them. We read no court docket and describe no lawsuit. ## Who owns Lendbuzz, and where its IPO stands Lendbuzz Inc., a Delaware company based in Boston, is run by co-founders Amitay Kalmar (chief executive) and Dan Raviv (chief technology officer). Lendbuzz Funding, LLC is the lender, and Lendbuzz Inc. acts “as servicer and administrator to Lendbuzz Funding LLC,” the privacy policy says. The S-1/A names four holders of 5% or more: Nir Arkin (with Arkin Communications Ltd.), Mivtach Shamir Technologies (2000) Ltd., entities affiliated with the venture firm 83North, and OG Tech Ventures International Ltd. EDGAR shows a confidential draft registration on 6 February 2024 and eight amendments, a public Form S-1 on 12 September 2025, and Amendment No. 1 on 6 March 2026, which says Lendbuzz has “applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ‘LBZZ’,” with Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, RBC Capital Markets and Mizuho leading. The shares “may not be sold until the registration statement ... is effective,” and as of 10 October 2026 EDGAR lists no later amendment, no notice of effectiveness and no final prospectus. For 2025 the filing reports net income of $23.7 million on total revenue of $372.8 million, and 444 employees in the US and Israel. Your loan may not stay on Lendbuzz’s books. It has issued “approximately $2.2 billion of bonds ... in ten transactions,” its latest senior notes rated AAA by Kroll, and it sold $1,285.6 million of loans to outside buyers in 2025 “on a servicing retained basis,” so you keep paying Lendbuzz. Its 2026 SEC filings add Lendbuzz Securitization Trust 2026-1 in January and, in July, a new Lendbuzz Nonprime Finance Securitization Trust 2026-1, with 8,641 loans in its data file as of 19 July 2026. For 2025, Lendbuzz Funding checked the box for no repurchase activity under Rule 15Ga-1. Lendbuzz also appears on at least one refinance marketplace: when we read [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/)’s credit authorization on 6 October 2026, it named “Lendbuzz Funding, LLC” as a lending partner. ## CFPB complaints: what 338 reports show The CFPB’s public database held 338 complaints naming Lendbuzz Inc., received from 10 November 2021 to 26 September 2026 (pulled 10 October 2026 for complaints received through 9 October). They are unverified reports that consumers submit and the company answers, and they grow with a lender’s size, so they show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026; only counts are used here. Most concern the loan itself: 188 (55.6%) are filed under vehicle loan or lease, 115 (34%) under credit reporting and 30 (8.9%) under debt collection. Within the vehicle-loan complaints, the largest issues are managing the loan (64, including 21 about add-on products bought with the loan and 20 billing problems), repossession (45, or 23.9%), getting the loan (43, including 11 tagged “Loan opened without my consent or knowledge”) and struggling to pay (11, of which 10 concern a denied request to lower payments). Lendbuzz closed 337 “with explanation” and 1 with monetary relief. Florida, with 29.1% of Lendbuzz’s balances, accounts for 108. **Complaints naming Lendbuzz Inc. in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 10 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | All complaints | Vehicle loan or lease | | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 2 | 1 | | 2022 | 7 | 4 | | 2023 | 9 | 5 | | 2024 | 36 | 16 | | 2025 | 119 | 65 | | 2026 to 9 October | 165 | 97 | Complaints in 2025 were 3.31 times the 2024 count, by our arithmetic, while lending grew 1.45 times and the loan count 1.36 times; the 165 received in 2026 through 9 October already exceed all of 2025. So the rise is not only a bigger book. Lendbuzz advertises “a 4.9 star review average” from a reviews widget we did not read; BBB blocked our requests, so no BBB figure is used. ## Before you sign a Lendbuzz loan at the dealer - **Get a second quote first.** Lendbuzz prints no rates, and 66.8% of its 2025 lending was at 18% APR or more. A credit union or bank [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a number to compare; our [first-time buyer guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/first-time-car-buyer/) covers the rest. - **Read the APR, term and total of payments.** Most 2025 loans ran 72 months; a shorter term costs more each month and less overall. - **Find the origination fee.** The filing says each borrower pays one, about $700 on average, added to the balance. - **Price every add-on separately.** Ask for the payment with and without GAP, a service contract or a GPS unit, and get the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) in writing; compare it with our list of [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/). - **Link the bank account you will keep,** with the same name and address as your ID and application. - **Keep your own insurance in force.** Lendbuzz will not fund without “an active insurance policy.” - **Decide on arbitration.** Opt out of the website Terms in writing within 30 days if you want to keep court open, and read the loan agreement’s own clause. - **Have the car checked** with a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/); the loan says nothing about its condition. ## Common questions ### What is Lendbuzz Funding LLC? The company that makes Lendbuzz loans: “All loans are made by Lendbuzz Funding, LLC,” licensed under NMLS ID 1636296, and it is the lien holder on your title. Lendbuzz Inc., its Boston parent, services the loans. If a Lendbuzz Funding loan you do not recognise appears, raise it in writing; 11 CFPB complaints are tagged “Loan opened without my consent or knowledge.” ### Can I get a Lendbuzz loan without a Social Security number? Lendbuzz says yes. Its FAQ includes borrowers “without a social security number,” its prequalification and refinance pages name ITIN holders, and its S-1/A says it does “not verify the immigration status” of borrowers. Expect to link a bank account and bring proof of income and address. ### What credit score do you need for Lendbuzz? There is no single answer: one line says “580 or above,” another says no “strict minimum.” Approval rests on Lendbuzz’s own AIRA score, built largely from bank transactions. At the end of 2025, about 30% of its borrowers had no credit file, and those with a score averaged between 640 and 650. ### How do I log in to Lendbuzz or reach customer service? Click “My Account” on lendbuzz.com, then “Need help signing in?” and enter the email you applied with; Lendbuzz emails a link to set a password. The FAQ says email replies come “within two business hours” and lists support hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern; the SLA promises to acknowledge a written complaint within 10 business days. ### Is Lendbuzz going public? It has filed to: a Form S-1 on 12 September 2025 and an amendment on 6 March 2026, applying to list on Nasdaq as “LBZZ.” As of 10 October 2026, EDGAR lists no later filing and no notice that the registration is effective. An IPO would not change your loan; Lendbuzz services it either way. ### Has Lendbuzz been fined or sued? It has settled with state regulators over licensing. Washington’s 2018 consent order carried a $15,000 fine and a $2,042.69 investigation fee; Connecticut’s 2024 order a $10,000 penalty, $5,200 in back licensing fees and refunds above 12% APR, both without admission. New Hampshire lists a third, case 19-224, that we could not read. The CFPB listed no enforcement action, and the S-1/A reports no material lawsuit. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [12 CFR §1026.4 (Regulation Z, finance charge)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1026/subpart-A/section-1026.4) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/lendbuzz-review/ --- title: "United Auto Credit Review: Fees, Grace Period, Vroom and Record" description: "United Auto Credit lends via dealers; Vroom owns it. Payment fees, no grace period, title release, a 2021 Massachusetts settlement and 1,695 CFPB complaints." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/united-auto-credit-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # United Auto Credit Review: Fees, Grace Period, Vroom and Record > United Auto Credit lends via dealers; Vroom owns it. Payment fees, no grace period, title release, a 2021 Massachusetts settlement and 1,695 CFPB complaints. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,941 words* ## The short version - United Auto Credit Corporation (UACC) is a non-prime auto lender that buys loan contracts from dealers and collects the payments. Vroom, Inc. has owned it since 1 February 2022. Vroom went through a prepackaged Chapter 11 case from 13 November 2024 to 14 January 2025, and its filings say UACC was not part of it. - Paying from a bank account (ACH) is free. UACC lists $6.95 for debit card, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo payments and $13.99 for MoneyGram. A debit-card AutoPay every two weeks comes to $180.70 a year, by our arithmetic. - There is no grace period: UACC’s FAQ says a payment is “delinquent at one day past due,” and interest accrues daily on the full principal. Payments cover accrued interest first, and you can change your due date once over the life of the contract. - UACC publishes no rates. Vroom’s filings show about 75,000 contracts and $925.0 million of principal on 30 June 2026, and an average FICO score of 577 in UACC’s 2026-1 loan pool. - In a 2021 Massachusetts assurance of discontinuance, UACC settled the Attorney General’s allegations about two dealers and a surrender-form release, while denying wrongdoing; the itemised relief adds up to about $793,423, by our arithmetic. A Division of Banks examination begun on 14 November 2024 had no public outcome by 10 October 2026. - The CFPB database has no company named United Auto Credit. There are 1,695 complaints under United PanAm Financial Corp., the former name of a Vroom subsidiary, and 2025’s 484 were 2.1 times the 2024 count. United Auto Credit is a licensed lender (NMLS ID 2001) that finances people with weak or thin credit, only through dealers. Its parent, Vroom, came out of bankruptcy in January 2025; UACC was never in it. On 10 October 2026 we read UACC’s own pages, terms and privacy notices; Vroom’s 10-K, 10-Q, earnings presentation and 8-Ks on EDGAR; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s 2021 assurance; the FTC’s 2024 release on Vroom; and CFPB complaint counts. UACC’s Terms of Use bar linking to its site without permission, so we name its pages without linking them. We entered no login, payment or application, we print no phone numbers, and this site has no commercial relationship with UACC or any lender. **Figure: UACC’s website next to Vroom’s filings and the public record** A two-column table setting seven lines from United Auto Credit’s website against Vroom’s SEC filings and the public record: 80,000+ customers on the homepage versus about 75,000 contracts in the 10-Q; 10k dealers versus a 9,500+ dealer network; ‘says yes’ marketing versus a 577 average FICO in the 2026-1 pool and a 600 Near-Prime minimum; no grace period, with a payment delinquent at one day past due; free bank payments versus $6.95 card and wallet fees and $13.99 MoneyGram; a California-based lender owned by Vroom since 1 February 2022 and outside Vroom’s Chapter 11 case; and the 2021 Massachusetts settlement of allegations UACC denied. Read from UACC’s homepage, About, dealer, FAQ and payment pages, Vroom’s 10-K, 10-Q and August 2026 presentation, and the Massachusetts assurance, on 10 October 2026. No login, payment or application was entered. ## How United Auto Credit works: a lender you meet through the dealer UACC lends only through dealers. Vroom calls it “an indirect lender that offers vehicle financing under the UACC brand to consumers through a network of motor vehicle dealers, focusing primarily on the non-prime market.” You sign a retail installment contract at the dealership, the dealer sends your application to UACC, and if UACC buys the contract you pay UACC from then on. The dealer stays on the hook for a while: Vroom’s 10-K says “UACC’s dealer agreement typically requires the selling dealership to buy back a motor vehicle retail installment contract if the consumer fails to timely make the first scheduled payment.” UACC grades each dealer, a grade “which impacts the pricing and availability of consumer loans for a dealer,” and the 10-Q says UACC charges dealers fees when it buys their contracts. So the price you are offered depends partly on the lot you are standing on. The 10-K lists four programs. The Preferred Program is “the standard program for most non-prime applicants,” leaning on “ability-to-pay requirements, asset quality, cash down payments, number of open vehicle loans, restricted term lengths, and limited amount financed.” The Bankruptcy Program takes applicants with open bankruptcies or one discharged within one year (Chapters 7 and 13, says the dealer page). The Commercial Program covers non-passenger vehicles up to 14,500 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating. The Near-Prime Program, started in mid-2024, needs “a minimum FICO of 600” and is “a small percentage of our portfolio.” The dealer FAQ says UACC lends in 49 states, “up to $35,000.” Vroom is open about the cost: UACC “may charge higher interest rates than most traditional motor vehicle financing sources.” Neither UACC’s website nor Vroom’s filings print a contract APR. The only rate in the record is from the 2021 Massachusetts release, which says UACC financed loans there “at the statutory maximum 21 percent interest rate”; other states set other caps. Your APR, term and late charge are in the contract the dealer writes. Our guide to [reading the APR](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#apr) explains the disclosure box, and a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union gives you a rate to compare. We have also reviewed [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works), [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#dealer-tiers), [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#how-it-works) and [American Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works), which also buy dealer contracts. ## Who owns United Auto Credit: Vroom, the 2024 wind-down and Chapter 11 UACC has lent “since 1996,” it says. Vroom’s 10-K records that on 1 February 2022 Vroom bought Unitas Holdings Corp. (now Vroom Finance Corporation), “including its wholly owned subsidiaries United PanAm Financial Corp. (now known as Vroom Automotive Financial Corporation) and United Auto Credit Corporation.” Two years later Vroom stopped selling cars. On 22 January 2024 it announced a “value maximization plan” and stopped trading through vroom.com, and by 29 March 2024 the used-car business was substantially wound down. Its 8-K said UACC and CarStory, Vroom’s data business, “will continue to serve their third-party customers, with their operations unaffected.” The bankruptcy belonged to the parent. On 13 November 2024 Vroom, Inc. filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, In re Vroom, Inc., Case No. 24-90571 (CML), to restructure “$290 million of unsecured convertible notes due in 2026.” The court confirmed the plan on 8 January 2025 and Vroom emerged on 14 January 2025, 62 days after filing, by our arithmetic. Vroom’s 8-K said “None of Vroom, Inc.’s subsidiaries are expected to commence Chapter 11 proceedings,” and the 10-K confirms “Neither UACC nor CarStory were party to the Company’s Prepackaged Chapter 11 Case.” Nothing in these filings changes your contract or whom you pay. The plan changed who owns Vroom. About $290 million of debt was discharged, former noteholders received 92.94% of the new stock and old shareholders 7.06%, and the shares began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market as VRM on 20 February 2025. The 10-K says Mudrick Capital Management, L.P. and its affiliates owned 76.5% of the stock, enough to “control the outcome of all actions requiring stockholder approval.” Mudrick is also a lender: the 10-Q says Vroom, UACC and a UACC subsidiary borrow from it under a facility secured by “asset backed residual certificates in certain UACC securitization trusts.” UACC’s Terms of Use still name it “United Auto Credit Corporation d/b/a Vroom Financial Services.” UACC funds its loans by pledging contracts to warehouse lines and then selling them in “private securitization transactions targeted to institutional investors.” It has done 17 since 2012, “with over $3 billion in issued securities,” and its three warehouse lines had $600 million of capacity on 30 June 2026. An August 2026 amendment extended one line’s commitment “from August 28, 2026 to September 30, 2026,” and no later filing on it had appeared on EDGAR by 10 October 2026. A securitized contract stays with UACC for collection: the 10-K says “UACC continues to service each pool.” ## UACC’s loan book, as filed with the SEC UACC publishes no loan data, so Vroom’s filings are the closest public record. The 10-K counted “approximately 76,000 retail installment sales contracts with an aggregate principal outstanding balance of approximately $950 million” at 31 December 2025; the 10-Q gives about 75,000 contracts and $925.0 million at 30 June 2026, roughly $12,333 per contract by our arithmetic. The August 2026 presentation shows the gross serviced portfolio falling from $998 million to $923 million over the year to June 2026, down 7.5% by our arithmetic, while UACC originated $120 million of contracts through dealers in the second quarter of 2026 and $481 million in 2025. A slide in that presentation, filed with the SEC, gives the weighted-average credit score of each securitized pool. Every pool from 2020-1 to 2026-1 averaged below 600, the Near-Prime minimum. The contracts eligible for UACC’s next deal as of 31 July 2026 averaged 616, which the slide calls a “39 point increase.” **Weighted-average FICO (non-zero) by UACC securitization pool, from Vroom’s August 2026 earnings presentation (read 10 October 2026)** | Pool | WA FICO | | --- | --- | | 2020-1 | 580 | | 2021-1 | 585 | | 2022-1 | 579 | | 2022-2 | 569 | | 2023-1 | 571 | | 2024-1 | 576 | | 2025-1 | 576 | | 2026-1 | 577 | | Current eligible pool, 31 July 2026 | 616 | Losses have been heavy. The 10-K says “UACC is currently experiencing increasing credit losses on its finance receivables.” Realized and unrealized losses, net of recoveries, were $104.5 million in 2025, up from $98.6 million in 2024, “driven by an increase in the number and severity of delinquencies as well as lower recoveries.” The 10-Q reports $10.8 million for the second quarter of 2026 against $20.9 million a year earlier, crediting “lower loss assumptions on finance receivables originated since September 2025.” That quarter Vroom reported $0.6 million of net income from continuing operations, a first for the company, its presentation says. Two cautions. Unpaid principal on nonaccrual status, “90 days or more past due,” was $10.4 million of $898.5 million in fair-value principal at 30 June 2026 (1.16%, by our arithmetic). That counts only the oldest arrears, and the 10-Q gives no figure for shorter ones, so it is not a delinquency rate. And UACC’s deals are private: its depositor files only Forms ABS-15G, the latest for United Auto Credit Securitization Trust 2026-2 on 28 September 2026, so no public filing gives a pool APR or term. Lenders that register their deals publish those tables, as our [Exeter Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#rates-and-terms) shows. ## Paying United Auto Credit: methods, fees and cut-off times UACC’s payment page prints a dollar fee for each method. You can pay with just your account number, or through the website or app, which need your “seventeen (17) digit” account number. On 10 October 2026 UACC printed: **Ways to pay United Auto Credit and the fee UACC prints for each, read 10 October 2026** | Method | Fee, per UACC | Credited the same day if made by | | --- | --- | --- | | Checking or savings account (ACH), one-time | “FREE” | 7 p.m. Pacific | | AutoPay, bi-weekly or monthly | ACH free; debit $6.95 per transaction | Scheduled date | | Debit card, PayPal, Cash App or Venmo | $6.95 | 7 p.m. Pacific | | Automated phone line | ACH free; debit $6.95 | 7 p.m. Pacific | | Phone payment with a representative | ACH free; debit $8.95 | 7 p.m. Pacific | | PayNearMe (cash at a store) | $4.99 | 7 p.m. Pacific | | CheckFreePay (at a store) | $3.95, “prices vary by agent” | 6 p.m. Pacific | | Western Union Quick Collect | $12.99 | 4 p.m. Pacific | | MoneyGram | $13.99 | 4 p.m. Pacific | | Mail, with the statement stub, to a Dallas PO box | Postage | Allow five days | Fees “are subject to applicable law,” the page adds, and they add up: by our arithmetic, a monthly debit-card payment costs $83.40 a year, a monthly phone payment through a representative $107.40, and MoneyGram $167.88. Debit-card AutoPay every two weeks means 26 withdrawals and $180.70 a year; bank-account AutoPay costs nothing. UACC says an ACH withdrawal “may take three to five business days” to leave your bank, though your account shows it on the scheduled date, and asks for cancellations “at least 48 hours before the withdrawal date.” Statements arrive “approximately two weeks prior to their scheduled due date.” The customer FAQ’s phone hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central, Monday to Thursday) are longer than those the dealer FAQ prints for the same department. One customer-FAQ answer, about billing statements, prints a number one digit off from the customer-service number used everywhere else, so take numbers from your statement or the app. ## No grace period: late charges, payment order and hardship UACC’s FAQ answers in one word: “Is there a grace period for late payments? No. All payments are due on or before the scheduled due date, and are considered delinquent at one day past due. Finance charges will accrue on the full outstanding principal balance until the date your payment is received and posted to your account. Late charges are assessed to your account after a certain number of days past due, according to state law or your contract.” UACC prints no late-charge amount, so check your contract and your state’s limits; our guide to [late fees on car loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#late-fees) explains where caps come from. “Interest on interest is not charged.” Vroom’s 10-K says UACC’s servicing income includes “late and other fees.” Each payment goes first to “accrued interest due,” then to principal for any past-due, current and next scheduled payment, then to “outstanding unpaid fees (i.e., late payment charges),” then to principal. Because interest comes first, every late day shifts more of the payment to interest. Other lenders that buy dealer contracts word these terms differently: **Printed customer terms at four lenders that buy dealer contracts, in each lender’s own words (UACC read 10 October 2026; the others read 6 October 2026 for our earlier reviews)** | Lender | Grace period | A payment goes first to | Changing the due date | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | United Auto Credit | “No.” Delinquent “at one day past due” | “accrued interest due” | “once during the life of your contract” | | American Credit Acceptance | Late fees and grace periods “vary from state to state” | “Miscellaneous fees (e.g., repossession fee)” | “Depending on the status of your account” | | Exeter Finance | Late means “Paid after the due date but before the billing cycle ends (may incur a late fee)” | “the interest that has accrued since the last payment” | “if your account qualifies” | | Credit Acceptance | “No.” | Not in our Credit Acceptance record | The due date is “set by the dealer” | On hardship, UACC’s FAQ offers only “Communication is the key. The sooner you let us know, the more options we have to offer.” The 10-K is more concrete: for borrowers with “temporary disruptions in their ability to make payments, collection representatives may offer solutions ... such as extensions and due date changes.” Servicemembers whose active duty began after the contract “may qualify for SCRA relief,” the FAQ says. **An extension can cost you twice.** Interest keeps accruing on the full principal while you are behind, and UACC’s FAQ says the GAP benefit, which reduces what you owe if the car is totaled, “depends on various factors such as delinquent payments, whether you have received extensions, and more.” Ask UACC in writing how any extension changes your payoff and GAP coverage. UACC’s pages say nothing about refinancing; to lower your rate another lender must pay UACC off, and our guide to [refinancing and loan-to-value](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value) explains why that is hard when you owe more than the car is worth. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the keys, the card and the holder, each with one fact from United Auto Credit’s FAQ and payment pages. United Auto Credit’s FAQ and payment pages, read on 9 October 2026: No grace period: UACC counts a payment delinquent at one day past due (callout 1); A debit-card payment costs $6.95, UACC says; paying from a bank account is free (callout 2); Pay off with certified funds and UACC says title release takes 3 business days, not 10 (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Insurance, GAP and service contracts UACC’s FAQ says “You are required to have full coverage on the vehicle with a maximum Comprehensive and Collision deductible of $1,000” for the whole contract, with every buyer listed as a driver and UACC as “lien holder/loss payee.” After an accident, it asks you to contact your insurer “and us right after.” UACC also earns money on add-ons sold at the dealership. The 10-K says a vehicle service contract’s price “is included in the total amount financed and is itemized on the retail installment contract,” that “Dealers earn a commission on the sale of each VSC,” and that “UACC earns a fee on the sale of each VSC.” “UACC sells, administers and services its own GAP product,” a “debt waiver product,” and dealers earn a commission on that too. Each is “cancellable by the customer.” UACC’s warranty and GAP income rose 72.8% to $13.5 million in 2025, partly from “charging higher fees.” So ask the dealer to remove any add-on you did not choose; our [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) guide shows how to read the itemization. GAP “does not cover repair costs or required maintenance,” and a claim starts once UACC has the insurance settlement and “can take up to 30 days.” If you pay off early, ask for the unearned part of each add-on back; see our guides to [cancelling GAP](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) and [cancelling a service contract](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cancel). ## Repossession, impound and the balance after the sale UACC’s customer pages say little beyond telling you to call its reinstatement team. The 10-K describes the process: UACC uses “national and regional third-party suppliers to recover vehicles,” “some accountholders demonstrate a sufficient level of commitment to reinstate their account,” and other cars are sold “through a network of third-party auto auctions.” Any shortfall is charged off, and “Charged-off UACC accounts are transferred to UACC’s recovery department for additional collections work.” A repossession does not end the debt; our guides to [getting the car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [what you owe after the sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale) cover the general rules. The 2021 Massachusetts assurance adds detail, but as allegations. Its “Statement of Allegations by the Attorney General” says that once an account is “more than 91 days past due, UACC seeks to repossess,” and that UACC “employs legal counsel to file lawsuits against consumers who fail to pay deficiency balances” and seeks wage garnishment on unpaid judgments. UACC stated in the same document that these practices “are not always employed for every such consumer,” and it denied wrongdoing. Treat 91 days as Massachusetts history, not a promise: under UACC’s FAQ you are delinquent from the first day late. The assurance also exposed a form. From about August 2017 until June 2020, UACC’s Voluntary Surrender Agreement offered repossession fees “at least $100 less” than an involuntary repossession, in return for releasing UACC from “any and all claims,” including about “the origination and terms of the Customer’s Contract.” UACC said it stopped using it on or about 15 June 2020. Read any surrender agreement for a release of claims. If your car is impounded, call UACC at once; the FAQ says acting quickly can mean “potentially saving yourself hundreds of dollars.” ## Payoff, title release and moving states Your payoff balance is in the online account or app. How you pay it changes how fast the title comes: UACC says certified funds (“cashier’s check/cash payment at a designated payment site”) allow “a quicker release of your title after 3 business days,” while a personal check or ACH means “10 business days,” plus mail. If 20 business days pass with no title, contact UACC. In electronic-title states UACC removes its lien with the state, and in Florida and Ohio “you must go to your local DMV to obtain the paper title.” UACC recommends applying for a lien-free title afterwards; our page on [checking for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) shows how to confirm it is gone. One gap: UACC’s FAQ says owners in seven states (KY, MD, MN, MT, MO, NY and SD) hold their title and get only a lien release from UACC, but its list of 27 electronic-title states also includes Maryland, New York and South Dakota. If you live in one of those three, ask which applies. UACC releases a title “only after the contract has been satisfied in full,” and releasing it to anyone but the registered owner needs a request “in writing at the time of final payment.” On a trade-in, “you will remain contractually obligated for payments, interest, and late fees until a payoff is received,” so keep paying until UACC confirms it. When you move, your new state’s DMV asks UACC for the title, and UACC says to “allow a minimum of three (3) weeks” for it to be received and processed. ## The regulator record: Massachusetts, the CFPB, and Vroom’s own cases The one enforcement action we found against UACC itself is from Massachusetts. On 27 May 2021 the [Attorney General announced](https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-healey-secures-nearly-800000-in-relief-for-consumers-from-auto-lender-that-facilitated-sale-of-defective-and-unsafe-vehicles) that UACC would provide “nearly $800,000 in debt relief and refunds to Massachusetts consumers to settle allegations that it facilitated the sale of defective and unsafe vehicles by two used car dealerships in Westport and Fall River.” The assurance of discontinuance, signed on 24 May 2021 and filed in Suffolk Superior Court, followed a civil investigative demand sent on 5 October 2018. The release says the investigation “found” that UACC financed the dealers “despite knowing of hundreds of consumer complaints,” but the assurance calls those points a “Statement of Allegations,” and in it UACC “denies the Attorney General’s factual allegations of wrongdoing.” UACC paid $250,000 to the Attorney General, waived about $336,414.77 of deficiencies owed by borrowers who signed its 2017 surrender form and about $162,024.36 owed by the two dealers’ customers, released those customers’ liens, forgave about eight judgments totalling about $31,050.56, and paid restitution of about $5,097.52, $4,972.44 and $3,863.28: about $793,423 in all, by our arithmetic. It also committed to state rules on collection calls and wage garnishment. The assurance also quotes UACC’s contracts as carrying the federal Holder notice, “Any holder of this consumer credit contract is subject to all claims and defenses which the debtor could assert against the seller,” with recovery capped at “amounts paid by the debtor hereunder,” so a claim against the dealer can be raised against UACC. A second Massachusetts matter is unresolved in public. Vroom’s FY2025 10-K says the Division of Banks “commenced a routine compliance examination of UACC” on 14 November 2024 and “intends to issue findings of compliance violations and impose penalties, but the extent and scope are still unknown.” The Q2 2026 10-Q does not mention it, and the Division’s enforcement index (page dated 9 October 2026) lists no UACC action, so its outcome is unknown. Federally, the 10-K says UACC “is subject to supervision and examination by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” and on 10 October 2026 the CFPB’s enforcement index returned nothing for “united auto credit,” “vroom” or “united panam” (the same filter does return Credit Acceptance Corporation). Two other cases involve Vroom’s former online used-car business, not UACC’s loans. On 2 July 2024 the [FTC announced](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-takes-action-against-online-used-car-dealer-vroom-deceiving-customers-failing-deliver-time) a complaint and proposed order requiring Vroom to pay $1 million for refunds, alleging it misrepresented that it “thoroughly examined all vehicles” and failed to get consent to shipping delays. And the Texas Attorney General’s April 2022 petition against Vroom, Inc. and Vroom Automotive, LLC ended in an agreement approved on 13 December 2023: $2 million in civil penalties and $1 million in attorneys’ fees, “without any admission of wrongdoing,” Vroom’s 10-K says. Vroom’s 10-K also says “The Company has incurred fines in certain states,” naming none. We found no other official action naming UACC and read no court docket, so we describe no private lawsuit. ## CFPB complaints: 1,695 reports, filed under another name The CFPB’s [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) has no company called United Auto Credit; company searches for “united auto credit,” “UACC” and “vroom” return 0. The complaints sit under “United PanAm Financial Corp.,” the former name of the Vroom subsidiary now called Vroom Automotive Financial Corporation, and the CFPB does not record which subsidiary each concerns. We pulled 1,695, received from 13 September 2013 to 9 October 2026, on 10 October 2026. They are unverified consumer reports that grow with a lender’s size, so they show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026; we use counts only. By product, 799 (47.1%) fall under credit-reporting labels, 489 (28.8%) concern the vehicle loan and 324 (19.1%) debt collection. Within the car-loan complaints, managing the loan leads (121, including 37 about add-on products), then repossession (120, or 24.5%, with 56 about the balance left after the sale), getting a loan (71, including 34 about a fraudulent loan or one opened without consent), struggling to pay (69, including 19 “Denied request to lower payments”) and the end of the loan (41, including 18 about the title after payoff). The company closed 1,586 (93.6%) “with explanation” and 20 with monetary relief; the CFPB marks 61 (3.6%) as answered late. **CFPB complaints filed under United PanAm Financial Corp., by year received (pulled 10 October 2026)** | Year | All complaints | Vehicle loan or lease | Credit reporting | Debt collection | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2022 | 99 | 22 | 61 | 15 | | 2023 | 142 | 49 | 71 | 19 | | 2024 | 230 | 76 | 122 | 30 | | 2025 | 484 | 134 | 246 | 100 | | 2026 (to 10 October) | 397 | 113 | 197 | 84 | By our arithmetic, 2025’s count was 2.1 times 2024’s, and 2026 had reached 82% of the 2025 total by 10 October, while the gross serviced portfolio shrank 7.5% over the year to June 2026, so the rise did not come from a bigger loan book. Trustpilot, Reddit and BBB are not used here. ## The fine print, and a checklist before you sign UACC’s Terms of Use (last updated 29 April 2022) govern its website and apps, not your loan. They choose California law, cap UACC’s liability for the site at the greater of what you paid in the previous “TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD” or “US $1,000.00,” and can change “at any time without prior notice.” We read them in full and found no arbitration clause, jury waiver or class-action waiver. Your loan contract is a separate document on the dealer’s form, and UACC publishes no sample, so read it for an arbitration clause and any opt-out deadline. UACC’s e-sign consent (last revised 28 December 2021) says “You are not obligated to use or accept electronic records or electronic signatures for the financial transaction” and that you have “the right to receive Documents in paper form.” The privacy notice (Rev. 12/2025) says UACC shares your information for its own marketing and “joint marketing with other financial companies,” which you cannot limit; you can limit sharing with affiliates and non-affiliates for their marketing, and sharing can start “thirty (30) days” after a new customer gets the notice. Its online privacy policy (updated 17 July 2026) says the site records “keystrokes, mouse movements, form field entries, recordings of chat sessions.” - **Bring your own financing quote.** UACC publishes no rates and “may charge higher interest rates than most traditional” lenders, Vroom says. A bank or credit-union offer is the simplest way to judge the dealer’s APR. - **Read the APR, term, late charge and any arbitration clause before signing.** UACC’s website gives none of them; the contract does. - **Strike add-ons you did not choose.** Dealers earn a commission on each service contract and GAP product UACC finances. Each is itemized and cancellable. - **Pay from a bank account, on or before the due date.** ACH is free, a debit card costs $6.95 a time, and a payment is delinquent at one day past due. - **Keep insurance at a deductible of $1,000 or less,** with UACC as lienholder and loss payee, for the whole contract. - **Pay off with certified funds and track the title.** UACC says release starts after 3 business days for certified funds and 10 for a personal check or ACH; call if 20 business days pass. ## Common questions ### Who owns United Auto Credit? Vroom, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company that bought UACC’s parent on 1 February 2022. Vroom’s FY2025 10-K says Mudrick Capital Management, L.P. and its affiliates own 76.5% of Vroom’s stock. ### Did United Auto Credit go bankrupt? No. Vroom, Inc., the parent, filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 case on 13 November 2024 to restructure about $290 million of notes and emerged on 14 January 2025. Its filings say “Neither UACC nor CarStory were party to” the case, and UACC kept servicing its loans. ### How do I pay United Auto Credit, and does it charge fees? Online or in the app with your 17-digit account number, by phone, at a store, or by mail with your statement stub. Bank-account (ACH) payments, including AutoPay, are free. UACC lists $6.95 for debit card, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo, $8.95 for a debit payment through a representative, $4.99 for PayNearMe, $3.95 for CheckFreePay, $12.99 for Western Union and $13.99 for MoneyGram. ### Does United Auto Credit have a grace period? No. Payments “are considered delinquent at one day past due,” and finance charges accrue on the full principal until your payment posts. Late charges follow “state law or your contract”; UACC prints no amount. ### Is United Auto Credit legit, and has it been sued or fined? It is a licensed lender (NMLS ID 2001), lending through dealers since 1996 by its own account and supervised by the CFPB, per Vroom’s 10-K. In 2021 it settled the Massachusetts Attorney General’s allegations about two dealers and a surrender-form release while denying wrongdoing. A Division of Banks examination begun in November 2024 had no public outcome by 10 October 2026. The FTC and Texas cases were against Vroom’s former used-car business. ### How long does United Auto Credit take to release the title after payoff? UACC says 3 business days if the final payment is certified funds and 10 business days for a personal check or ACH, plus mailing time. In electronic-title states it removes its lien with the state. If 20 business days pass with no title or release, contact UACC’s title department. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB Supervisory Highlights: Auto Finance (October 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_supervisory-highlights-special-ed-auto-finance_2024-10.pdf) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/united-auto-credit-review/ --- title: "First Investors Financial Services Review: Payments, Owner, Record" description: "First Investors Financial Services, owned by Stellantis since 2021: free ACH vs a $3.75 debit fee, due-date and extension rules, and a 2014 $2.75M CFPB order." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/first-investors-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-10" modified: "2026-10-10" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # First Investors Financial Services Review: Payments, Owner, Record > First Investors Financial Services, owned by Stellantis since 2021: free ACH vs a $3.75 debit fee, due-date and extension rules, and a 2014 $2.75M CFPB order. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,900 words* ## The short version - First Investors Financial Services is a Houston auto lender for borrowers with damaged credit. Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Ram and Dodge, has owned it since 1 November 2021, and it now trades as “Stellantis Financial Services, Inc. d/b/a First Investors Financial Services.” Its website is fifsg.com; firstinvestors.com redirects to an unrelated hotel company. - Its own pages disagree about refinancing: About Us describes mailed offers to refinance an existing car loan, while the FAQ says “First Investors does not refinance loans.” - Paying from a bank account online or by phone is free. A debit card costs $3.75 a payment, and credit cards are not accepted. - There is no grace period for the payment itself, only for the late fee your contract sets. A due date can move up to 20 days in total, and paying ahead moves it 3 months at most. - In 2014 the CFPB fined First Investors $2.75 million for years of known errors in what it sent to the credit bureaus; the company neither admitted nor denied the findings. - EDGAR shows 19 First Investors Auto Owner Trust bond deals from 2015 to September 2026, and Stellantis lists the 2025 deal as its only subprime one in two years. First Investors Financial Services is a licensed auto lender, owned by Stellantis, that buys car-loan contracts from franchised dealers for buyers with weak credit, including people coming out of bankruptcy. On 10 October 2026 we read its [FAQ](https://www.fifsg.com/Customers/FAQs), payment, disclosure, dealer and about pages, its simple-interest letter and privacy notices; its parent’s Important Disclosures; its SEC filings from a 2007 annual report to a September 2026 bond report; Stellantis’ 2021 purchase releases and annual reports; the CFPB’s 2014 consent order; and its CFPB complaint counts. We entered no login, payment or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with First Investors or any lender. **Figure: What First Investors’ own pages say happens when you…** A two-column table of eight situations and what First Investors Financial Services’ own FAQ, payment and disclosure pages say about each: a mailed refinance offer its FAQ disowns; a $3.75 Paymentus fee on debit-card payments while bank-account payments are free; its own $415.17 example, where paying 14 days later sends $67.17 more to interest; due-date moves of up to 20 days with the 27th to the 2nd barred unless on auto debit; paying ahead capped at 3 months; extensions that turn a 60-month loan into 62 months; no past-due reporting from 0 to 29 days; and the right to redeem a repossessed car. Read from First Investors’ FAQ, Payment Options and Important Disclosures pages and its simple-interest letter at fifsg.com on 10 October 2026. No login, payment or application was entered. ## What First Investors is, and the website that is not it About Us now opens: “Stellantis Financial Services, Inc. d/b/a First Investors Financial Services, is an automobile finance company founded in 1988 to serve the special finance needs of automobile dealers and consumers.” A related company, First Investors Servicing Corporation, collects the loans; its NMLS number, 219045, is in the footer of every page, and the lending company carries NMLS 128351 on its parent’s licensing list. The 2007 annual report put the headquarters in Houston and the loan servicing center in Atlanta. Search for the company and you may land on the wrong site. On 10 October 2026 every request to firstinvestors.com answered with a permanent redirect to firsthospitality.com, a hotel business. The lender’s address, named in its 2008 shareholder release and on the South Carolina licence it posts, is [fifsg.com](https://www.fifsg.com/). Before you pay anyone, check that the page shows First Investors Servicing Corporation and NMLS 219045. Its dealer programs “generally target consumers with credit scores of 510 and greater, including a strong emphasis on consumers who have gone through a bankruptcy process,” and the dealer page lists 36 states where it finances dealers. The CFPB’s 2014 order put it this way: “Many of the consumers who obtain credit through Respondent have impaired credit profiles.” Our guides to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) and [buy here pay here lots](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/) cover the same market from the buyer’s side. ## Dealer loans versus direct refinancing: its pages disagree Most First Investors borrowers never apply to it directly. The dealer writes the retail installment contract, sends the application to lenders, and assigns the contract to the one that approves it; dealers submit to First Investors through DealerTrack: “Just enter the application, select First Investors Financial Services, and click Submit.” From then on you pay First Investors, and the contract the dealer wrote sets your rate, term, late fee and any arbitration clause. First Investors publishes no sample contract; our guide to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) lists what else goes into one. The second channel is where the company contradicts itself. About Us says its “Direct Lending business, established in 1996, targets qualifying consumers with pre-approved offers of credit using a direct mail platform,” giving “selected consumers” the chance “to refinance their existing auto loan.” The FAQ asks “Does First Investors refinance existing customers?” and answers “No. First Investors does not refinance loans.” Its filings show refinancing was once the bigger business. The 2007 annual report says the direct program “contributed 63.8% of origination volume for the year ended April 30, 2007,” and Stellantis’ 2021 release still described “refinancing transactions with the vehicle owners.” The newest filing points the other way: the accountants’ report on the September 2026 bond deal describes its pool only as “motor vehicle retail installment sale contracts,” the form dealers use. No page gives a date for any change, so if you hold a mailed refinance offer in First Investors’ name, confirm it through the contact details on fifsg.com, not the letter. **Offers in its name.** First Investors’ fraud page says “it appears that some callers may be using our name,” and that it “does not guarantee loan approval and will never ask for or require an up-front fee. Any fees charged by us will be disclosed to you and only paid at the time of funding after the loan application is approved.” It says it has no relationships with loan modification companies. A caller who wants money before a loan funds is not following First Investors’ own stated rules. For a lower rate on an existing loan, see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and our reviews of [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/) and [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/), which read two refinance brokers’ terms. For other lenders that buy dealer contracts from borrowers with weak credit, see [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/) and [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/). ## How to pay First Investors, and what each way costs The cheapest way to pay is from a checking or savings account. The [Payment Options page](https://www.fifsg.com/Customers/PaymentOptions) repeats under almost every method: “You may always make an ACH payment via telephone or our web site from your checking or savings account without a service fee.” The login and guest-payment buttons hand you to Paymentus, the company that processes its debit-card payments; we did not open that portal. **Ways to pay First Investors and what its pages say about cost, read 10 October 2026** | Method | What First Investors says | Cost it prints | | --- | --- | --- | | Online or phone, from a bank account (ACH) | “This is a free service” | None | | Debit card, online or by phone | Through Paymentus; “Not available in all states”; after 8pm ET it credits the next day | $3.75 a payment | | Credit card | “First Investors does not accept payments via credit card” | Not accepted | | Walmart Money Center | Cash or PIN debit; “Payment will be received in 3 days” | “There may be a fee” | | Western Union Quick Collect | Code City & State: FLAG, GA | “There may be a fee” | | MoneyGram Express Payment | Receive Code: 1779 | “There may be a fee” | | Check or money order by mail | A check may be turned into a one-time electronic transfer | None, “other than late fee, NSF fee, if applicable” | By our arithmetic, the $3.75 debit-card fee every month adds $45 a year, or $225 over a 60-month loan. The FAQ says it has no tie to bill-payment services such as DOXO or to “payment accelerator programs offered by AutoPayPlus or other companies.” A few mechanics matter. There is no coupon book; “The statement prints 21 days before your current due date.” To cancel a pending phone payment you “must call 48 hours (Monday – Friday) in advance”; a web payment must be cancelled “at least 1 business day prior.” A bounced payment may be tried again, and “Resubmission may occur up to 7 days after the original payment date.” The online portal “shows only the payments that were made via the First Investors Servicing Corporation (FISC) portal,” so keep your own record of anything paid another way. Auto debit “normally takes 20 days” to set up, and a cancellation “must be received no later than 3 business days before the next due date.” ## Due dates, grace periods, late fees and simple interest The most useful line in First Investors’ disclosures is about grace periods: “payments are considered past due if not received by the due date, even if your contract contains a ‘grace period.’ If your contract permits a late fee, a ‘grace period’ only pertains to when a late fee will be assessed.” The FAQ is blunter: “Is there a grace period for making payments? No.” Its example: with a payment due on the first and “a 15-day grace period, a late fee will be assessed if the payment is received on or after the 16th of the month.” First Investors prints no late-fee amount for most states. The one schedule we found is on its parent’s [Important Disclosures page](https://www.stellantis-fs.com/Legal/ImportantDisclosures), under “Delaware Residents,” listing charges that “may be assessed as of 6/24/2020”: interest rates that “range from 8.25% to 24.95% APR and are based on creditworthiness”; a $55 title fee; a late charge of “5% of the installment payment or portion thereof in default” after “a 10 day grace period”; post-default costs including “retaking, holding, preparing for disposition” a car; and $40 per returned payment. On the $415.17 example payment in First Investors’ own letter, that 5% would be $20.76, by our arithmetic. It is a Delaware schedule from 2020; your contract binds you. “You are allowed to move your due date up to 20 days from your original due date,” in one change or several, but never more than 20 days in total. The account must be current, the first payment made, and a signed form returned, and “no due dates are allowed between the 27th of the month to the 2nd of the following month (inclusive) unless you’re set up on the auto debit payment program.” A move is not free: on the letter’s example loan, where a day’s interest is $4.8668, using all 20 days at once adds about $97.34 of interest before the next payment, by our arithmetic. Paying extra buys limited time: twice the amount due moves the next due date 2 months, three times moves it 3, and “the most we will move your next due date is 3 months regardless of the amount paid.” Extra money reaches principal only after interest and any fees due, “principal only payments” are refused, and if you skip a month after paying ahead, “interest is still accruing” and “most or all of the next payment may be applied to interest.” ### What paying late costs, in First Investors’ own numbers These are simple-interest loans: interest builds daily on the unpaid principal and is paid first. The FAQ shows the method, “($10,000 x 18%) / 365 = $4.93” a day, and the [simple-interest letter](https://www.fifsg.com/Content/pdf/Simple%20Interest%20Letter.pdf) works an example: a $19,737.71 balance at 9% APR with a $415.17 payment. **How First Investors’ own simple-interest example splits a $415.17 payment by days since the last one** | Days since last payment | Interest | Principal | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 28 (first payment, $19,737.71 balance) | $136.27 | $278.90 | First Investors’ letter | | 31 (next payment, $19,458.81 balance) | $148.74 | $266.43 | First Investors’ letter | | 45 (the same payment, 14 days later) | $215.91 | $199.26 | First Investors’ letter | | Difference, 31 versus 45 days | $67.17 more | $67.17 less | Our arithmetic | That is why lateness costs more than any late fee: each late month leaves more principal for next month’s interest. If you reach the end of the term with money still owed, the FAQ says “the final balance may be significant (i.e., much more than the regular monthly payment amount),” though you may keep paying the regular amount until it is cleared. Paying early works the other way, and “There is no penalty for early payoff.” ## Hardship, payment extensions and repossession First Investors publishes no skip-a-payment program. Its FAQ says “Timing is critical and we encourage our customers to contact us as soon as they identify the onset of financial hardship.” For an extension, “you will need to submit a payment extension application and receive approval,” and “Approval is not guaranteed, so please continue to make timely payments until you are notified that the extension application has been approved.” An extension moves payments to the end of the loan; it does not pause interest. The FAQ’s example: “if your contract has a 60 month term and you receive a two month extension, your term will now be scheduled to expire at the end of the 62nd month.” Interest keeps accruing, and “your payments following the extension period will be disproportionately allocated to the unpaid interest.” **Extensions can shrink a GAP payout.** The FAQ says “GAP and debt cancellation waivers may be impacted by payment extension(s) and a claim may not pay the entire remaining deficiency balance.” Its parent’s disclosures add that the GAP it sells “will not cover a deficiency balance resulting from a repossession or voluntary surrender.” Read your GAP addendum before signing an extension; our pages on [GAP insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) explain what it is meant to cover. If the car is repossessed, the FAQ says: “You always have the right to redeem the vehicle by paying the full amount owed prior to the sale of the vehicle. In some states, you have the legal right to reinstate the contract by paying the delinquent amount (including fees) prior to the sale of the vehicle.” Elsewhere, “you may be eligible to reinstate,” and the amounts arrive in a notification letter. State rules show through the documents it posts. Its South Carolina pamphlet, naming “Stellantis Financial Services, Inc. d/ba First Investors Financial Services” as lender, says the lender “must send you a ‘Notice of Right to Cure’ before repossessing the property. After the lender sends the notice you have twenty (20) days to make the missed payment(s),” and warns “You could be responsible for paying any amount not repaid by selling the collateral.” That leftover debt is the deficiency, which our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) explains. How fast First Investors repossesses today, it does not say; its 2007 annual report said repossession “Generally this occurs at 60 to 90 days after the loan becomes past due.” For servicemembers whose loan predates service, “the SCRA requires your lender to obtain a court order before it can repossess,” and interest is capped at “6 percent per year during the time of military service.” First Investors says it goes further, honouring rate cuts for those “deployed outside the USA” and for “National Guard active duty orders even if not covered by the SCRA or state law,” with requests accepted “up to 180 days after the date active duty terminates.” But an account covered only by company policy “may not be entitled to all of the benefits of the SCRA, such as prohibition of self-help repossession.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the phone, the hand and the lap below it, each with one fact from First Investors’ FAQ. First Investors’ FAQ, read on 9 October 2026: A mailed refinance offer? First Investors’ FAQ says it ‘does not refinance loans’ (callout 1); Pay ahead and the due date moves 3 months at most; interest keeps accruing daily (callout 2); No title 20 days after your final payment is processed? Its FAQ says to contact it (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Credit reporting, disputes and the 2014 CFPB order First Investors reports to “Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis.” Its FAQ draws a clear line: “Accounts that are 0-29 days past due will not report to the credit bureaus as past due. However, once an account becomes 30 or more days past due, it is at risk of reporting as past due.” It reports “the payoff amount as the current balance,” so the balance on your report can rise between payments. Disputes go in writing, and “A response will be sent within 30 days of receiving the dispute; however, responses are typically sent within 14 business days.” Accurate late payments stay: “We are unable to modify information that is reporting accurately.” Those answers read differently against the company’s record. On August 20, 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a [consent order](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201408_cfpb_consent-order_first-investors.pdf) against First Investors Financial Services Group, Inc. (File No. 2014-CFPB-0012). The company consented “without admitting or denying any of the below findings of fact or conclusions of law,” and was ordered to pay “a civil money penalty of $2.75 million.” The CFPB’s release said the errors “potentially harmed tens of thousands of its customers.” The case is listed as “Post Order/Post Judgment.” **What the CFPB’s 2014 consent order found First Investors reporting wrongly (findings the company neither admitted nor denied)** | Error | When the order says it knew, and until when | Accounts misreported each month | | --- | --- | --- | | Payment history profile (up to 24 months of activity), to one bureau | No later than March 2011; workaround in about November 2011 | 11,804 to 14,622 | | Date of first delinquency, which sets the 7-year reporting clock | No later than April 2011; until at least December 2013 | 1,620 to 7,950 | | Amount past due, overstated | No later than April 2011; until at least June 2013 | 1,326 to 2,747 | | Monthly payment amount, understated | No later than December 2012; until at least June 2013 | 4,151 to 9,920 | | Voluntary surrenders reported as involuntary repossessions | No later than August 2012 | No count given | The order covers “as many as 118,855 unique accounts,” gives an example of “eleven historical delinquencies when in fact the consumer had only been delinquent twice,” and says that on two of the errors First Investors “took no further action to address the problem until December 2012, after Respondent received from the Bureau a Civil Investigative Demand.” It quotes the FAQ of the time, which promised “we only furnish accurate information relating to a consumer to the consumer reporting agencies,” and found that promise deceptive. Today’s answer to the same question drops it and asks you to send a dispute. The order required corrections or deletions within 120 days, a notice to affected customers that “Since 2011, Respondent has been providing inaccurate information about some of its customers to the CRAs,” and free credit reports for 180 days. If an old First Investors delinquency still shows, check its date of first delinquency. ## Payoff, title release and add-on products “First Investors does not charge any prepayment fees.” A payoff “includes the principal balance, any outstanding fees (if applicable), and the interest accrued from the last payment received,” and the letter adds that you “will not receive a refund of finance charges if you pay off the contract early”; you simply stop paying future interest. Overpayments must be refunded “no later than 30 calendar days after the account has been paid in full.” The lien is released “within a reasonable time following payment in full,” and “The timing of the release is determined by form of the final payment (e.g., bank check, dealership check, certified funds, or personal check).” In the 21 states it lists as electronic, from Arizona to Wisconsin, First Investors notifies the state, which issues the title on its own timetable; where it holds a paper title, it mails it to the address on your account. “If you have not received your released title by the 20 th day following the processing of the final payment,” contact it. Two account rules surprise people. Adding or removing a borrower “is generally not permitted”; our guide to [co-signing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/cosigning-a-car-loan/) covers what that means. And add-ons can come off: “First Investors does not require the purchase of any ancillary products in order to be approved for financing. Ancillary products are optional.” The FAQ lists credit life and disability cover, service contracts, GAP, maintenance and tire-and-wheel plans; a cancellation refund is credited to the loan if a balance remains, and otherwise “refunds take up to 60 days.” ## Who owns First Investors: from Nasdaq to Stellantis Between 2008 and 2021 First Investors filed no annual reports; the only owner named for that time is the seller in Stellantis’ 2021 release. **First Investors’ ownership from its filings and releases, read 10 October 2026** | Date | Event | Document | | --- | --- | --- | | 1988 or 1989 | About Us says “founded in 1988”; the 2007 annual report says “organized in 1989” | fifsg.com; Form 10-K | | October 4, 1995 | Public offering; traded on Nasdaq as “FIFS” until December 1, 2004 | Form 10-K | | October 2, 1998 | Bought its servicer, then Auto Lenders Acceptance Corporation, from Fortis, Inc. | Form 10-K | | June 18, 2008 | Form 15 ends SEC reporting, with 15 holders of record; savings put at about $500,000 a year | Form 15; June 2008 release | | September 1, 2021 | Stellantis agrees to buy F1 Holdings Corp., First Investors’ parent, for about $285 million from “an investor group led by Gallatin Point Capital LLC” | Stellantis Form 6-K | | November 1, 2021 | Closing; First Investors “has been renamed Stellantis Financial Services US Corp.” | Stellantis Form 6-K | | 2022 | Stellantis puts the consideration at €255 million ($289 million); EDGAR changes the name on February 14, 2022 | Form 20-F for 2021; EDGAR | | Today | Lends as Stellantis Financial Services, Inc. d/b/a First Investors; Stellantis owns 100% of Stellantis Financial Services US Corp. | fifsg.com; Form 20-F for 2025 | Stellantis wanted a U.S. finance company of its own; its 2021 release said “Stellantis is the only major OEM currently operating in the U.S. without a captive auto finance company.” Its [annual report for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1605484/000160548426000021/stellantis-20251231.htm) describes Stellantis Financial Services U.S. as “playing a predominant role in retail and leasing financing with a market share of approximately 18 percent and 90 percent respectively,” and says “in 2025 Stellantis terminated the agreement with Santander Consumer USA Inc.,” which had lent “under the Chrysler Capital brand name” since 2013; our [Chrysler Capital review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chrysler-capital-review/) covers that side. The privacy notice on fifsg.com (revised February 2026) covers the Stellantis and First Investors companies together, names “FCA US, LLC, Mobilisights” among affiliates, and lets you limit marketing by affiliates and outsiders but not joint marketing; for a new customer, “we can begin sharing your information 30 days from the date we sent this notice.” ## Its loan book and bond deals, as filed The last full picture of First Investors’ loans is its [2007 annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/948034/000110465907055546/a07-19882_110k.htm). At April 30, 2007, it held about $458.6 million of receivables across 27,767 loans, 31.5% of them owed by Texas residents. By value, 79% financed used vehicles; the average used-car loan started at $19,838 over 65 months at 14.0% APR with a $437 payment, and the average new-car loan at $24,474 over 70 months at 14.3% with a $512 payment. It had 435 dealer agreements. The 2008 release reported 30-day delinquencies of 0.72% at April 30, 2008, against 0.50% a year earlier, and net charge-offs of 3.0% against 2.5%. All of that is history, not today’s terms. From 2012 its bond filings fill part of the gap. Under SEC Rule 15Ga-1, securitizers report demands that they repurchase loans sold into their deals, and First Investors’ quarterly reports from 2012 to 2014 tabled the loans in each of its funding vehicles. **Loans in First Investors’ securitization vehicles at each quarter end, from its Form ABS-15G filings (no repurchase demands reported)** | Quarter end | Loans | Dollars | | --- | --- | --- | | June 30, 2012 | 29,898 | $452,147,104.28 | | September 30, 2012 | 32,648 | $516,605,687.80 | | December 31, 2012 | 35,836 | $588,312,129.02 | | March 31, 2013 | 37,985 | $633,773,610.15 | | June 30, 2013 | 41,121 | $701,566,041.90 | | September 30, 2013 | 45,386 | $788,142,894.81 | | March 31, 2014 | 49,768 | $893,909,050.11 | | June 30, 2014 | 54,734 | $975,896,028.61 | | September 30, 2014 | 58,798 | $1,059,534,096.46 | | December 31, 2014 | 62,653 | $1,132,867,702.29 | By our arithmetic, loans in those vehicles rose 109.6% in two and a half years and dollars 150.6%, as the average balance grew from $15,122.99 to $18,081.62. All 24 Rule 15Ga-1 reports filed from 2012 to February 2026, 20 under First Investors’ own SEC number and 4 by Stellantis Financial Services, Inc., report no repurchase demands. EDGAR also holds the accountants’ pre-sale check, a Rule 15Ga-2 report, for 19 First Investors Auto Owner Trust deals from 2015-2 to 2026-2: 15 under First Investors’ own SEC number through 2022-2, and 4 (2023-1, 2025-1, 2026-1 and 2026-2) filed by Stellantis Financial Services, Inc. No 2024 First Investors deal appears. None has a prospectus on EDGAR, so pool rates and losses are not public. Stellantis’ 2025 annual report sizes one deal, “First Investors Auto Owner Trust 2025-1 €565m / $664m Subprime retail assets,” the only subprime line among ten term deals it lists for 2024 and 2025. The [accountants’ report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1980666/000119312526396568/d188868dex991.htm) on the newest deal, dated 18 September 2026, describes contracts “substantially all of which are obligations of non-prime (including sub-prime) credit quality obligors”; Ernst & Young checked a random sample of 150 against First Investors’ systems, on fields including interest rate, FICO and loan-to-value, and found one difference, a remaining term of 55 months in the data file against 58 in the servicing system. ## First Investors complaints: what the CFPB database holds The CFPB’s complaint database files First Investors under two names. “First Investors Servicing Corporation, Atlanta, GA Branch” holds 300 complaints received from 13 August 2013 to 1 January 2022. “Stellantis Financial Services US Corp.” begins on 14 December 2021, weeks after the purchase, and held 1,110 to 8 October 2026; it covers all of Stellantis’ U.S. captive lending and leasing, so it is not a First Investors count, and we never add the two. Complaints are consumers’ own unverified accounts, and counts grow with a lender’s size. The CFPB has published no narratives since 30 September 2026, and none are counted. **CFPB complaints by year received, under the two names, as of 10 October 2026** | Year | First Investors Servicing Corporation | Stellantis Financial Services US Corp. | | --- | --- | --- | | 2013 to 2016 | 3, 13, 32, 20 | – | | 2017 to 2020 | 35, 33, 58, 51 | – | | 2021 | 54 | 3 | | 2022 | 1 | 87 | | 2023 | – | 123 | | 2024 | – | 223 | | 2025 | – | 337 | | 2026 (to 8 October) | – | 337 | | Total | 300 | 1,110 | The subjects echo the 2014 findings. Under the First Investors name, 113 complaints were filed as credit reporting and 5 under the older “Credit reporting” label, against 75 under vehicle loans; 28 closed with monetary relief and all 300 were answered on time. Under the Stellantis name, 459 and 105 sit in the two credit-reporting products and 399 under vehicle loans, 87 of them about repossession; 37 closed with monetary relief. The CFPB’s enforcement index lists one action, the 2014 order. Searches on 10 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or regulator action naming First Investors or Stellantis Financial Services, Inc., though without a state-by-state docket search that is not proof there is none. Its Texas disclosure says it is “licensed and examined under the laws of the State of Texas.” BBB’s site answered with a block page, so no BBB figure is used. ## Before you sign, or if you already pay First Investors - **Confirm who you owe.** Look for First Investors Servicing Corporation and NMLS 219045, on fifsg.com, not firstinvestors.com. - **Read your contract’s late-fee, grace and arbitration terms.** First Investors prints no general fee schedule or arbitration clause; the contract is where they live. - **Pay from a bank account.** ACH is free; a debit card costs $3.75 a time; credit cards are refused. - **Pay by the due date, not the end of the grace period.** Interest runs daily either way. - **Keep your own payment records.** The portal shows only payments made through it. - **Refuse up-front fees.** First Investors says it “will never ask for or require an up-front fee.” - **Read your GAP addendum before an extension.** An extension can leave GAP short. - **Chase the title by day 20.** That is when the FAQ says to contact it if the title has not arrived. - **Check all four bureaus.** Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and Innovis; dispute in writing. ## Common questions ### Is First Investors Financial Services a legitimate lender? Yes. It is a licensed lender and servicer owned by Stellantis: the servicer carries NMLS 219045 and the lending company NMLS 128351. Its record includes the 2014 CFPB consent order and $2.75 million penalty for credit-reporting errors, settled without admitting or denying the findings. ### Who owns First Investors Financial Services? Stellantis N.V., the carmaker behind Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler, which bought its parent, F1 Holdings Corp., from an investor group led by Gallatin Point Capital LLC for about $285 million, closing on 1 November 2021. ### Does First Investors refinance car loans? Its pages disagree. About Us describes mailed, pre-approved refinance offers; the FAQ says “First Investors does not refinance loans.” Confirm any offer in its name through fifsg.com before sharing anything. ### How do I make a First Investors payment without a fee? Pay from a checking or savings account, online or by phone. Debit cards cost $3.75 through Paymentus; Walmart, Western Union Quick Collect and MoneyGram may add a third-party fee; a mailed check carries none beyond any late or NSF fee. ### Can I change my First Investors due date or get an extension? You can move the due date up to 20 days in total, with a signed form, if the account is current; the 27th to the 2nd are allowed only on auto debit. Extensions need an application, approval is not guaranteed, and interest keeps accruing. ### How long does First Investors take to release a car title? It promises release “within a reasonable time following payment in full,” timed by how you make the final payment. If nothing arrives by the 20th day after the final payment is processed, its FAQ says to contact it. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB, Repossession in Auto Finance (January 2025)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_report-repossession-in-auto-finance_2025-01.pdf) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/first-investors-review/ --- title: "bid.cars Review: Who Runs It, What It Shows and What It Costs" description: "bid.cars (BidCars), read from its own terms: who runs it, what its Copart and IAAI archive hides, the 450 USD + VAT fee, deposit plans and claim rules." url: "https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bid-cars-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # bid.cars Review: Who Runs It, What It Shows and What It Costs > bid.cars (BidCars), read from its own terms: who runs it, what its Copart and IAAI archive hides, the 450 USD + VAT fee, deposit plans and claim rules. *VIN & Vehicle History · 22 min read · 4,970 words* ## The short version - bid.cars is run by BidCars, an individual’s registered business in Poznań, Poland. Its terms are under Polish law, and Poland’s VAT register lists its tax number as an active VAT payer. - Its archive copies Copart and IAAI lot pages, with the full 17-character VIN. It skips lots with no sale date and IAAI lots from five named sellers, and an archived lot’s final bid was hidden from us without an account. - No page we were allowed to read offers removal of a car’s record. Third-party sellers list bid.cars among sites they remove records from, so a missing record proves nothing. - To bid, you pay a refundable deposit of $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 (bid limits $10,000, $50,000 or $200,000). BidCars bids in its own name for you and charges a flat 450 USD plus VAT per car won. You pay Copart or IAAI directly, in dollars. - The service is built for export: 95% of cars go through Rotterdam, and nothing we read describes delivery inside the US. - Its own documents disagree in at least 11 places, including the payment deadline, the late fee, what a deposit buys and who pays for transit damage. bid.cars (BidCars) is a Polish import business that lists Copart and IAAI salvage auctions, keeps an archive of finished sales, and bids on those auctions for clients before shipping the cars to Europe. The archive is free to browse; bidding needs a refundable deposit and costs a flat 450 USD plus VAT for each car won. We read BidCars’s own documents on 9 October 2026: its Terms of Service and General Terms of Order (both dated 8 June 2019), its Claim Procedure, help center, purchase-process pages, calculator, privacy policy and two lot pages. We also checked Poland’s VAT register and this site’s copy of the federal NMVTIS provider list. We have no relationship with BidCars or any auction site named here. **Figure: Where your money goes when bid.cars buys a car for you** Each step of buying a Copart or IAAI car through bid.cars, from deposit to delivery, with what its terms, order terms, claim procedure and help pages say happens to your money. Source: bid.cars Terms of Service and General Terms of Order (both dated 8 June 2019), Claim Procedure, Help Center, Pre- and Post-Purchase pages. Read on 9 October 2026. ## Who runs bid.cars, and where it is based bid.cars is not a corporation. Its [Terms of Service](https://bid.cars/terms_en.pdf) define “BIDCARS” as a named individual running a business under the name BidCars, with a permanent place of business in Poznań, and print a Polish tax number (NIP) and business ID number (REGON). The privacy policy names the same person as owner and data controller. We leave the name out. Poland’s Ministry of Finance VAT register, checked on 9 October 2026, lists that tax number as an active VAT payer (“Czynny”) in Poznań, with the same REGON and no KRS number, the register Poland uses for companies. Its VAT registration date is 1 April 2023. The About page says the business has sourced and shipped US vehicles since 2015 and has imported over five thousand; the register date is the current VAT registration, not proof of when trading began. The contact page lists the owner, 7 office staff and 9 drivers by first name, 17 people in all (our count). Support runs Monday to Friday, 10:00-22:00 CET, and only for “active platform users who have a paid deposit or bid history”. The name is shared. In Google’s US results for “bidcars” on 9 October 2026, the first result was bidcars.lt, a different site, and the sixth was BidCars Boston, a used-car dealer in Walpole, Massachusetts; bid.cars held 3 of the 10. Google’s panel for the Poznań business showed 4.8 stars from 579 Google reviews, the same figure bid.cars shows in its footer; we did not check the reviews. A Google Poland search for the company and UOKiK, Poland’s consumer protection office, returned no decision naming BidCars in its first 10 results, which is not proof that none exists. ## What the bid.cars archive shows bid.cars’s BidFax page says its Copart and IAAI archive is free and “downloaded automatically”, and lists sales history, last recorded mileage, condition and equipment, and photos. You can search by VIN or by the auction’s lot or stock number without an account. Lot numbers on bid.cars start with 0- for IAAI and 1- for Copart, so the prefix tells you where a record came from. The two lot pages we opened showed the location and US shipping port, seller, sale document, loss type, primary and secondary damage, odometer, start code, keys, the auction’s value and repair estimate (“ACV / ERC”) and basic specifications, marked “Data fetched from the platform IAAI” or “Copart”. Each also had a “Sales History” table (auction, date, lot number, final bid, odometer, status, seller), so earlier sales of the same VIN can sit on one page. Two features are bid.cars’s own. Its sale-document compendium claims “over 1,000” document names; the table we opened reported 1,264. Each name carries a green, yellow or red dot, and the legend shows what the dot means: whether the car can be exported and registered in Poland with its current documents, not what brand its title carries in any US state. Some documents need extra export processing at $200-$800. Beside the sale document sits a title image, which the page warns “is a template. The original title may contain different details, including branding.” bid.cars also prints the whole VIN: all 17 characters, in the page title, heading and photo file names, to a signed-out reader. Copart’s and IAAI’s own lot pages, opened for our [BidFax guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/) on 3 October 2026, showed 11 characters and 6 asterisks. So a VIN typed into a search engine can lead to bid.cars rather than to the auction. **What a bid.cars lot page shows, in its own labels, and what that line cannot tell a buyer. From two lot pages and the help center, read on 9 October 2026.** | Line on the page | What bid.cars shows | What it cannot tell you | | --- | --- | --- | | Lot number (0- or 1-) | Which auction: IAAI or Copart | Sales at any other auction | | Damage and loss | The auction’s labels | The full damage, or any repair since | | Odometer | The reading the auction listed | Miles since; its terms disclaim wrong mileage, including adjustments | | Sale document and dot | The document name; whether export and Polish registration look possible | The brand after the car is retitled in a US state | | Title image | A template of that state’s document | The real title, which may carry a brand | | Sales History table | Earlier sales of the VIN that bid.cars holds | Sales it never copied; final bids are hidden without an account | | Photos | The auction’s photos, kept after the sale | Anything that happened after they were taken | Our [Copart VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/) explains each auction line in Copart’s own words. ## What the archive leaves out, and the NMVTIS question bid.cars is open about the gaps. Its help center says it shows every Copart and IAAI vehicle with a set sale date and none without one, and that for technical reasons it skips IAAI vehicles from sellers such as Ally Financial, Title Max, Avis, Enterprise Vehicle Exchange or Enterprise Fleet Management Exchange. A repossessed or ex-rental car can be missing even though it went through an auction. Final prices are the second gap. The Pre-Purchase page lists “the ability to view final prices of archived offers” among the benefits of a free account. On the archived Copart lot we opened signed out, the bidding box read “Final bid Hidden” and the Sales History row showed asterisks, yet the same lot’s final bid was printed in a “Similar archival offers” strip on another lot page the same day. We did not create an account. The third gap is everything after the sale. The help center says the site holds “all the data we have on a given vehicle”, and its terms disclaim responsibility for auction data, naming incorrect mileage “including its adjustments or changes”, condition, appearance, and whether the car can be registered or used abroad. A front-end damage record says nothing about who repaired the car or what title it carries now; California’s DMV notes that brand wording “varies from state to state”, and our [title check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) shows how to trace it. Depositors also get 5, 10 or 20 free vehicle history reports a month, depending on the deposit, which bid.cars says can show previous owners, collisions and service history. It does not say who supplies them, and their addresses are closed to crawlers in its robots.txt, so we did not see one. bid.cars is not on the Justice Department’s list of approved NMVTIS data providers in the copy this site keeps (read 31 August 2026: 14 providers selling to consumers, 3 to dealers only), and it does not claim to be. NMVTIS is the system to which insurers, auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards must report under federal law, and it keeps the brands any state has applied. A car bought from a bid.cars listing still deserves that check; see our [NMVTIS report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/) and [auction history by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/). ## Can you remove a car from bid.cars? Not through anything bid.cars publishes on pages we could read. None of the 25 documents we read on bid.cars on 9 October 2026 offers to take down a vehicle’s listing, and neither lot page showed a removal link. Its robots.txt tells crawlers to avoid any address ending in “remove”, “history” or “report”; we did not open such pages. The privacy policy does not reach vehicle records. It lists the personal data it collects as “Trackers; Usage Data” and gives users the right to have their own data erased, with requests answered “always within one month”. An auction listing is not a user’s data in that sense. Removal is sold by others. When this site read that market on 3 October 2026, removevin.com named bid.cars among the sites it removes car history from, with prices “from $40” up to $150 per site across its list, and cleanautohistory.com listed bid.cars among 39 sites. Neither printed a price for bid.cars on its own, and bid.cars says nothing about them. AutoBidCar, an archive that sells removal of its own pages, states the limit: the history stays “on Carfax, AutoCheck, NMVTIS, DMV and title records and with the auction houses”. **A missing bid.cars record is not a clean history.** A car can be missing because it never went to auction, had no sale date when the lists were copied, came from an IAAI seller bid.cars skips, was searched with a mistyped VIN, or was taken down for a fee. An empty search proves none of those. The title history and an inspection cannot be bought away. ## How bidding through bid.cars works You never bid in the auction yourself. The help center says you “do not bid in real-time personally”: you enter a confidential maximum on the car’s page, and BidCars bids for you at the live sale up to that limit, after a multi-day preliminary round that usually starts at $0. You can raise the maximum until 10 minutes before the final live auction. Under the General Terms of Order (version 1/2019), BidCars buys “in its own name, but on behalf and for the account of” the client, who carries every cost, and “does not guarantee the achievement of the intended result”. Your bid must first pass a “website preliminary bidding”, a simulation on bid.cars that checks your buying power; winning it “is not equivalent to winning” at the auction. Clicking “Order the bidding!” and confirming makes a binding order. - **The seller may still say no.** On lots sold “on approval” or with a minimum bid, the seller usually answers within 24 hours but can take up to 3 days, and a live win “does not guarantee the purchase”. - **First order wins.** If two clients order the same car, the earlier order is executed. - **Two auctions at once can mean two cars.** bid.cars cannot cancel your second bid after you win the first. - **BidCars can withdraw** if the auction later discloses flooding or substantial damage, if the car probably cannot be registered in your country and you cannot be reached, if an order arrives too close to the end of the preliminary round at night (11:00 PM to 8:00 AM, Central European time), or if it is not licensed in the car’s state. - **You choose alone.** It does not search for cars, advise or estimate repairs, and in the order terms you declare that you know the car’s condition and history and will not ask for a price reduction if it disappoints. The help center calls BidCars’s “main area of operation” acting as a broker, and its Copart page speaks of Copart and BidCars “joining forces”. Nothing we read says it is a Copart registered broker, and Copart’s broker directory is closed to crawlers, so we could not check. Copart’s member terms, read for our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/), say brokers are independent of Copart; our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/) explains what a Copart broker is. The order terms say BidCars’s licence “may not, in some cases, include the states of Alabama, Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah, or Nevada”, while a lot-page fee note names Michigan, Alabama, Wisconsin and “Washington state”. Copart’s own licensing grid shows how those states treat business buyers: **States bid.cars names as restricted, against Copart’s State Licensing Overview for general businesses and exporters (Copart calls it “a general guideline”). bid.cars read on 9 October 2026; Copart’s grid read on 7 October 2026.** | State | bid.cars order terms | bid.cars lot-page note | Copart, titled | Copart, salvage | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Alabama | Yes | Yes | YES | BROKER | | Michigan | Yes | Yes | YES | BID CARD | | Wisconsin | Yes | Yes | BID CARD | BID CARD | | Utah | Yes | No | YES | YES | | Nevada | Yes | No | BROKER | BROKER | | Washington | No | Yes | BROKER | YES | The two lists agree on three states and differ on three, and Utah reads YES in both Copart columns, so the grid does not explain every entry; IAAI’s rules may differ. The rule that matters is in the terms: if a car turns out to be in a state BidCars cannot bid in, it may drop your order. For US readers, nothing in the terms or help pages describes delivery inside the United States. The order terms define the service as buying the car and arranging freight “from the USA to a seaport selected by” the client, and the help center says its export services cover only cars bought through BidCars. Clients also need a bank account that can send dollars to a US recipient within 24 hours. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the dashboard gauges, the rusted door edge and the centre console, each with one fact from bid.cars’s terms, claim procedure and lot pages. bid.cars’s Terms of Service, Claim Procedure and lot pages, read on 9 October 2026: Its terms disclaim wrong mileage, including adjustments, on every listing it shows (callout 1); Transit damage claims: over $500 and more than two parts to repaint, within 5 days (callout 2); Title images on its lot pages are templates; the real title may carry a brand (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The deposit: what it buys and how you get it back bid.cars calls the deposit “a requirement of the auction houses Copart and IAAI” and says it charges no fee for taking part. It prints three plans: **bid.cars deposit plans as printed in its help center and Pre-Purchase page, read on 9 October 2026. The multiple is our arithmetic (bid limit divided by the dollar deposit).** | Plan | Deposit | Bid up to | Cars at once | Multiple | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Basic | $1,000 (4,000 PLN / 900 EUR) | $10,000 | 5 | 10x | | Professional | $2,500 (10,000 PLN / 2,250 EUR) | $50,000 | 10 | 20x | | Enterprise | $5,000 (20,000 PLN / 4,500 EUR) | $200,000 | 20 | 40x | The plans do not match the contract. Section 7 of the Terms of Service says purchasing power “is ten times the amount of the deposit paid”; at ten times, the Professional and Enterprise deposits would buy $25,000 and $50,000 (our arithmetic). The undated plans are probably current practice, but the 2019 terms you accept still say ten times. The other rules: - **Bank transfer only, from your own account.** Payments from someone else’s account are returned, and the account may be deleted. A transfer can take up to three working days to show; the help center says deposits are recorded every 15 minutes in working hours. - **Fixed rates.** Zloty and euros count at USD 1 = PLN 4 and USD 1 = EUR 0.9, and refunds go back in the same currency to the same account. - **10% held per bid.** Bidding blocks 10% of the car’s current value until you lose, BidCars loses, or you pay for the car. - **Refund within up to 72 hours** of a request, in full whether or not you win; the deposit cannot pay any fee. If you do not bid within 30 days, BidCars may send it back unasked. - **Forfeit if you do not pay.** Non-payment or late payment of anything under an order forfeits the deposit, and BidCars may claim more. The terms also say BidCars “is not the holder of the funds” paid as a deposit, without saying who is. Ask before you send money if that matters to you. ## Fees, as bid.cars prints them The commission is the fee people ask about. The help center says it is “set at a fixed rate, regardless of the value of the purchased vehicle, and amounts to 450 USD plus VAT”, converted at the National Bank of Poland’s rate and paid in euros a few days before the car reaches Europe; the lot-page calculator shows “BidCars Fee (+ VAT/Tax) $450”. Because it is flat, it is about 22.5% of a $2,000 winning bid, 9% of a $5,000 bid and 4.5% of a $10,000 bid, before VAT (our arithmetic). It is due only if BidCars wins. Copart’s and IAAI’s own fees are paid straight to the auction; our [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) and [IAAI](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/) guides set them out. **Charges bid.cars prints on its own pages, read on 9 October 2026. Standing terms only; no promotions. US dollars unless stated.** | Charge | Amount as printed | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | BidCars commission | 450 USD plus VAT per car won, flat | Help center; lot-page calculator | | Late payment to the auction | Copart $50; IAAI $50 or 2% of the purchase value, whichever is higher | Help center (2019 order terms: 2% of the car’s value) | | Underpaid wire | Usually $10-$30 | Help center | | Your bank’s wire fee | 10 USD to 50 USD, not in the calculator | Help center | | Document courier (FedEx) | $20 | Help center | | Auction storage | You pay 100% for up to 2 business days after paying the auction; from the 3rd day, 50% each with BidCars | Help center | | Restricted state / hazardous cargo | $100 each | Calculator page | | Oversized vehicle | $250-$600 | Calculator page | | Extra export paperwork | $200-$800 | Sale-document compendium | | West Coast re-routing | About +$650 against the calculator, plus 100% of storage | Help center | | Premium account | 300 US dollars a year, not refunded on early closing | Terms of Service (2019); absent from current help pages | At IAAI, the 2% late fee overtakes the $50 floor on any purchase above $2,500 (our arithmetic). On the West Coast, the help center says port congestion can send a car by truck from the Los Angeles area to Houston, raising land transport from $400 to $1400 while cutting freight by $350; our arithmetic agrees with its +$650. The three calculator extras add up to at most $800 for one car. Is the calculator a promise? The calculator page says “BidCars guarantee rates, the final price will be exactly the same which you calculated for your shipping”. The Terms of Service say it “is for information purposes only and does not constitute a commercial offer”, and the help center lists what it leaves out: bank fees, the late and storage charges above, extra paperwork and exchange-rate differences. ## After a win: who you pay, and when the car arrives Most of the money moves in transfers you make yourself. The Post-Purchase page and order terms set the order: 1. **The car.** Within a few hours you get a text and e-mail with the amount (bid plus auction fees) and the auction’s bank details. You pay Copart or IAAI directly in dollars, within 48 hours under the order terms, and payment counts only when credited. Then the pickup request goes to the shipping company. 2. **Trucking and sea freight.** A statement follows a few days after shipping, payable in dollars to a US account; the sample message asks for payment within 72 hours. 3. **The commission.** A link to pay the 450 USD plus VAT arrives a few days before the car reaches Europe (the order terms instead say invoiced at the win, due within 7 days). 4. **Customs.** A form to complete within 3 days, then an invoice in euros paid to the customs agency, within 72 hours in the sample message. The customs value declaration is “the sole responsibility of the client”. The help center says 95% of cars go through Rotterdam, where BidCars handles customs; the About page says clearance is completed within 72 hours after the container is unloaded. Bremerhaven, Klaipeda or Gdynia are possible on request, but customs and collection are then the client’s job. Home delivery covers Poland, with pickups from Rotterdam 2-3 times a week, and countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and the Czech Republic. The help center says the original documents typically take 14 to 30 days after the car reaches Poland to reach BidCars’s office and be forwarded; the order terms promise customs papers within 5 days of arrival at the port, or 14 in special cases. Easy to miss: BidCars takes no extra photos or inspections at the port on request, you carry the risk of parking penalties “even if it is due to circumstances beyond its control”, and penalties charged to BidCars because you paid late are passed to you. ## Damage claims, terms of use and disputes Cars are sold “AS-IS”. The [Claim Procedure](https://bid.cars/damages_en.pdf) (a PDF the server dates 25 August 2025) says neither BidCars nor the auction warrants condition, equipment or description, and excludes claims on those. It allows two kinds of claim, both only for damage worth more than USD 500 (“client’s deductible”) that needs more than two parts repainted: - **New damage in the loading-terminal photos** on parts that looked undamaged in the auction photos. Copart and IAAI pay nothing for yard damage, so the only remedy is returning the car to the auction, if the yard manager approves, with you paying transport both ways. Claim within 5 days of the photos and before loading; refunds follow within 30 days of a valid claim. - **New damage found after delivery** on parts undamaged in the terminal photos, claimed within 5 days of receiving the car, with comparable photos. The 2019 order terms, still linked in the same footer, say BidCars “is not responsible for any damage to the VEHICLE incurred during its transport”. Disputes are governed by Polish law, and a business buyer’s disputes go to the court for BidCars’s registered office. Website complaints go in within 30 days and get an answer within 14 working days, and rejected consumers can use out-of-court procedures, “in particular the right to turn to a consumer ombudsman”. A consumer may withdraw from an order within 14 days, but not once BidCars has won. Users must be at least 18. BidCars may refuse orders whose authenticity or legality it doubts, block accounts for security reasons, and amend the terms at any time. **Printed terms side by side: bid.cars (read 9 October 2026), Copart direct (read 7 October 2026) and AutoBidMaster (read 9 October 2026), the last two copied from our Copart and AutoBidMaster pages. Terms only; no prices compared.** | Term | bid.cars | Copart direct | AutoBidMaster | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who sells you the car | BidCars buys in its own name for you; you pay Copart or IAAI directly | Copart, Inc., to its own Basic or Premier Members | An unnamed affiliated Dealer; AutoBidMaster, LLC sells only the membership | | Payment deadline | 48 hours (order terms); late fee after 2 business days at Copart, 4 at IAAI (FAQ) | 3 business days, sale day included | 5:00 pm Pacific, next business day (second for international buyers) | | If you never pay | Deposit forfeited; more may be claimed; penalties passed on | Relisted after 8 calendar days; 10% of the sale price, minimum $600 | Relisted; Copart’s $600 or 10% plus your transaction fee; help center says the deposit is forfeited | | Disputes | Polish law; complaints within 30 days; consumer ombudsman | Not part of our Copart reading | Binding arbitration (AAA, or Arbitration Service of Portland); opt out by mail within 30 days | ## Where bid.cars’s own documents disagree bid.cars publishes a 2019 contract and undated help pages, and they do not always agree. The 11 places we found on 9 October 2026: - **Buying power:** ten times the deposit in the terms; 10x, 20x and 40x in the plans. - **Payment deadline:** 48 hours in the order terms; late fees after 2 business days at Copart and 4 at IAAI in the help center. - **Late penalty:** 2% of the car’s value, against $50 at Copart and $50 or 2% at IAAI. - **Commission:** invoiced at the win and due within 7 days, or paid in euros before the car reaches Europe. - **Transit damage:** not BidCars’s responsibility in the order terms; compensated above a $500 deductible in the Claim Procedure. - **Calculator:** “information purposes only” in the terms; “exactly the same which you calculated” on the calculator page. - **Restricted states:** Utah and Nevada in the order terms only; Washington in the lot-page note only. - **US loading points:** five in the help center; six on the lot-page calculator. - **Intermediary:** “without intermediaries” on one page; “acting as a broker” on another. - **Archived final prices:** hidden on the lot’s own page for a signed-out reader, printed for the same lot elsewhere. - **Copart:** “joining forces” on the Copart page, with no registered-broker statement anywhere we read; the BidFax page also calls Copart and IAAI “the biggest American insurance companies”, though both are auction companies whose sellers include insurers. Quote the document and its date when you deal with BidCars, and ask in writing which rule applies before you pay a deposit. ## Before you bid through bid.cars or rely on its archive - **Know who you are contracting with:** an individual’s business in Poznań, under Polish law. Read both 2019 terms documents and the Claim Procedure. - **Check the route.** Every route bid.cars describes ends at a European port. - **Price the whole car:** bid, auction fees, the 450 USD plus VAT commission, trucking, freight, customs and extras. Treat the calculator as an estimate; the terms do. - **Line up a dollar wire before you bid.** The order terms allow 48 hours and count payment only when the auction receives it. - **Bid on one car at a time** unless you want both. - **Read the dot and the title image for what they are:** export and Polish registration, and a template. - **Save the terminal photos the day they arrive.** Claims run 5 days, above $500, with more than two parts to repaint. - **Vetting a US car with the archive?** Match all 17 VIN characters, then run a [title check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/), an [odometer check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/) and an [independent inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/). The FTC says a history report “is not a substitute for an independent vehicle inspection”. - **Do not trust an empty search.** bid.cars skips some lots, and others sell removal. If a record shows a salvage sale, see our guides to [salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/), [buying a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/should-i-buy-a-salvage-title-car/) and [using old auction photos](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-check-with-photos/). ## Common questions ### Is bid.cars legit? It is a registered business: its terms name the proprietor, a Poznań address and Polish tax and business ID numbers, and Poland’s VAT register listed that tax number as an active VAT payer on 9 October 2026. Whether it suits you depends on its published terms: a deposit, bidding in BidCars’s name, payment straight to the auction, shipping to Europe and Polish law. ### What are the fees on BidCars? A flat 450 USD plus VAT for each car won, plus the auction’s own fees, trucking, sea freight and customs. Its pages also print charges for late payment, wire underpayment, document courier, storage, restricted states, hazardous cargo, oversized vehicles and extra export paperwork. Registration is free and the deposit is refundable. ### Is the bid.cars archive free? Browsing is free and needs no account. Seeing archived final prices needs a free account, according to the Pre-Purchase page; on the archived lot we opened signed out, the final bid was hidden. Lots without a sale date and IAAI lots from some sellers, including Ally Financial and Avis, are not shown. ### Can I use bid.cars if I live in the US? Anyone can read the archive. The bidding service, as its documents describe it, imports US cars into Europe: freight to a European port, customs in Rotterdam and delivery in Poland and some EU countries, with no US delivery described. For buying from inside the US, see our [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/), [IAAI](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/) and [AutoBidMaster](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/) pages. ### Can I remove my car from bid.cars? bid.cars publishes no removal service on any page we could read, and its privacy policy covers users’ personal data, not vehicle listings. Third-party sellers list bid.cars among the sites they remove records from, without a price for it. Removal from an archive does not change the title record, NMVTIS or the auction’s files. ### Is bid.cars the same as BidFax? No. bid.cars runs a page titled “BidFax” for its own archive, but bidfax.info is a separate site, and other look-alikes copy the same Copart and IAAI data. Our [BidFax guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/) compares them and explains each line of an auction record. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_understandingvhr) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) - [California DMV branded titles](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/titles/branded-titles/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bid-cars-review/ --- title: "FaxVIN Review: Who Runs It, NMVTIS Status and Refund Terms" description: "FaxVIN review: who runs it, why it is not on the NMVTIS register, its one-time billing terms, 14-day refund policy, CarRank score and sample reports." url: "https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/faxvin-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # FaxVIN Review: Who Runs It, NMVTIS Status and Refund Terms > FaxVIN review: who runs it, why it is not on the NMVTIS register, its one-time billing terms, 14-day refund policy, CarRank score and sample reports. *VIN & Vehicle History · 22 min read · 4,877 words* ## The short version - FaxVIN has sold vehicle history reports since 2010, first as VINCarHistory. Its terms name the operator only as “FAXVIN”, with a legal address in Edinburgh, United Kingdom; a Companies House search on 9 October 2026 found no company under either name. - FaxVIN is not on the Department of Justice’s NMVTIS approved-provider register. It says it gets federal title data “through an approved NMVTIS data provider”, which it does not name. - There is no subscription: FaxVIN’s terms rule out recurring billing and its FAQ describes a one-time fee per report or package. None of the 20 FaxVIN pages we read printed that fee; the price appears only after you enter a VIN or plate. - Refund requests must arrive within 14 days. The refund policy lists four cases, including a report with no history records at all, and pays out as a report credit or a refund to your card. - A purchased report stays in your account for 180 days. Liability is capped at what you paid, the terms follow Scots law, US consumers can sue where they live, and there is no arbitration clause. - FaxVIN’s four sample reports were run between 2016 and 2020. Three score between 82 and 89 on its 0–100 CarRank; a salvage-branded, rebuilt and exported 2012 Nissan scores 34. Is FaxVIN legit? It is a long-running seller of one-time vehicle history reports, operated from the United Kingdom, that buys its federal title data from an approved provider rather than being one. Everything below was read on 9 October 2026 from the documents that print it: FaxVIN’s [Terms and Conditions](https://www.faxvin.com/company/terms) (effective 25 February 2026), its [Refund Policy](https://www.faxvin.com/company/refund-policy), FAQ, About and Contact pages, NMVTIS disclaimer, CarRank page, four sample reports and its VIN check, decoder, plate and recall pages; the [NMVTIS provider register](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory); and the UK Companies House register. We have no commercial relationship with FaxVIN or any report seller, and we entered no VIN or plate anywhere. **Figure: FaxVIN on one page: its documents against two public registers** A two-column table of what FaxVIN’s own documents and two public registers showed on 9 October 2026. FaxVIN is not on the DOJ NMVTIS approved-provider register and says it gets NMVTIS data through an approved provider it does not name. Its terms name the operator only as FAXVIN of Edinburgh, and a Companies House name search found no company. None of the 20 FaxVIN pages read printed a report price. Its terms rule out subscriptions. Refund requests must be made within 14 days, in four listed cases; reports stay in the account for 180 days. Disputes start with a written notice and up to 44 days of talks, with no arbitration clause. Its four sample reports were run between 2016 and 2020 and score 82 to 89, and 34 for a salvage-branded Nissan. FaxVIN’s Terms, Refund Policy, FAQ, About, Contact, NMVTIS, CarRank, sample, VIN check, decoder, plate and recall pages, read once on 9 October 2026; the NMVTIS register (this site’s records of 31 August and 3 October 2026, verified 9 October 2026); Companies House searches of 9 October 2026. No VIN was entered, so FaxVIN’s checkout and price were not seen. ## Who runs FaxVIN FaxVIN’s About page gives its history in a fact box: VINCarHistory from 2010 to 2017, the FaxVIN logo since 2017, founded March 26, 2010, type “Limited Partnership”, serving the United States, Canada and Europe. It lists a legal address in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and a US mailing address in Covina, California. The terms say the site is operated by FAXVIN at the Edinburgh address and targets the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union. What the pages do not give is a registered name. None of the 20 FaxVIN pages we read names a registered company or partnership or prints a registration number; the terms call the operator “FAXVIN” and say payments go through “our United Kingdom entity” without naming it. Our Companies House searches for “faxvin” and “vincarhistory” on 9 October 2026 both returned no company. That is a limited finding: a name search only finds registered names, and a partnership can trade under a different one, so it is not evidence that no registered business exists. It does mean a buyer cannot name, from FaxVIN’s own pages, the legal body on the other side of the contract. The UK base has one practical effect: the terms warn that “your bank or card issuer may charge a foreign transaction fee”. Card payments go through Stripe and usually appear on a statement as “FAXVIN.com” followed by a transaction code beginning ST-. The About page adds that FaxVIN is not operated or endorsed by any government agency, and section 12 of the terms says it may receive referral fees from certain third parties. Do not confuse it with vinfax.com, a different site that this site’s record of 1 September 2026 lists among sellers of discounted Carfax and AutoCheck reports (see our [cheap Carfax report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/cheap-carfax-report/)). FaxVIN’s pages do not mention Carfax or AutoCheck; it sells its own report. ## Is FaxVIN an approved NMVTIS provider? No. The Department of Justice keeps a public list of businesses approved to sell reports from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), the federal database of title brands, insurance total losses and junk and salvage reports. This site’s record of that register from 31 August 2026 lists 14 consumer-facing providers, and our record of 3 October 2026 lists 12 primary entries in the section for commercial and public customers. FaxVIN is in neither. We read the register once more on 9 October 2026 and searched it for FaxVIN and VINCarHistory: no match anywhere, including the paragraphs listing additional websites that approved providers own. FaxVIN does not claim otherwise. Its About page says it “accesses NMVTIS data through an approved NMVTIS data provider”, its NMVTIS page says any NMVTIS fields in its reports come from data delivered via that provider, and its FAQ gives title history, brands, total-loss indicators and the latest title-based odometer reading as examples of those fields. The terms add that coverage and update frequency are controlled by NMVTIS and may be “incomplete, delayed, or unavailable”. No page names the provider. Buying federal data through an approved provider is common, and our [Carfax alternatives guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/#resellers) explains why the same data turns up under many brands. What the buyer gives up is traceability: on a listed provider’s report, the register names the business answerable for the NMVTIS fields; on FaxVIN’s, they come from a supplier you cannot identify. If the federal title record is what you mainly want, the register lists the businesses approved to sell it to the public, and our [NMVTIS report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/) explains what it holds. One homepage detail deserves a second look. Under “Our Sources” FaxVIN shows four logos: NMVTIS, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Copart. The standard NMVTIS disclaimer printed in FaxVIN’s own sample report tells readers that approved providers can be recognised by the NMVTIS logo. On FaxVIN’s homepage the logo marks a data source, not an approval; our [two-minute provider check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/#check-provider) shows how to confirm any seller on the register. ## What a FaxVIN report contains, and where the data comes from FaxVIN’s FAQ says that when you enter a VIN it queries licensed data providers and official databases and compiles the matches into “a single, time-stamped report”, without generating or altering data. It names its sources as NMVTIS (via approved providers), state motor vehicle agencies, insurers, salvage and auction platforms, manufacturer and recall databases, and service and inspection partners, with theft indicators from national theft databases via approved providers. The FAQ’s list of what a report typically includes is the most specific one FaxVIN publishes: title history and brands such as salvage, junk or rebuilt; the latest title-based odometer reading; total-loss and theft indicators; lien, impound and export flags; prior registration states or provinces; open recalls; and service, inspection or auction entries from partner sources. The homepage markets the same report as eight checks, from accident and title status to service records and lien status. Both lists carry the FAQ’s condition that availability “varies by state, vehicle class, and data partner”, so they describe what a report can contain, not what yours will. On coverage, the homepage claims all 50 US states plus the District of Columbia, Canada and “many international markets”; the FAQ calls Canadian coverage limited. FaxVIN says it can process many pre-1981 classics, with records that may be sparse, as well as motorcycles, RVs and heavy vehicles titled in covered places. FaxVIN is direct about the limits. Asked whether reports include accidents never reported to insurance, the FAQ answers no: such collisions and repairs “will not appear”, and a clean report “doesn’t guarantee a damage-free vehicle”. Previous owners’ names and addresses are not shown, under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. The terms add that a report is a snapshot, that FaxVIN has no duty to tell you if records change, and that odometer figures “may include reading errors or estimates.” Pair any history report with a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/); FaxVIN’s help page says the same. Two account details matter after you pay. FaxVIN creates your account after the first purchase and emails a link and password. Purchased reports then stay in the account for 180 days, after which the terms say FaxVIN may remove them “without notice”, so save a copy the day you buy. Report credits last 1 year from purchase. ## FaxVIN’s sample reports, read line by line FaxVIN publishes four full sample reports, with the VIN partly masked, at a public address its robots.txt allows. They are the best preview of the product, as long as you read their dates. **FaxVIN’s four sample reports as printed, read 9 October 2026. The band column is our reading of FaxVIN’s own CarRank bands.** | Sample vehicle | Report run date | Headline flag | Last odometer reading | CarRank | CarRank band | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2012 Nissan Pathfinder | April 7, 2020 | Have Accidents | 114,107 miles | 34 | 0–49, High-Risk History | | 2013 Honda Civic | December 26, 2016 | No Accidents | 122,118 miles | 83 | 70–89, Above-Average History | | 2010 Ford F-150 | December 5, 2016 | No Accidents | 72,712 miles | 89 | 70–89, Above-Average History | | 2007 BMW 3-Series | August 30, 2016 | Have Accident | 95,359 miles | 82 | 70–89, Above-Average History | The Nissan sample shows a FaxVIN report when something is wrong. In September 2015 the SUV was reported at an auto auction and listed for sale by a New Jersey dealer at 51,973 miles. In December 2017 comes a junk-and-salvage record from Copart, sourced to NMVTIS, with a 2017 salvage auction listing showing front-end damage estimated at $11,430. On 01/04/2018 Pennsylvania branded the title “Salvage: Damage or Not Specified” and the odometer “Not Actual”, against a registration at 89,000 miles marked “Not Actual Miles”. New Jersey added a salvage brand on 04/10/2018 and a “Rebuilt” brand on 04/26/2018, 16 days later and 112 days after the Pennsylvania brand (our arithmetic). An insurer’s total-loss record follows on 01/22/2019, 271 days after the rebuilt brand, and on 06/03/2019 the vehicle was exported to the Dominican Republic at 114,107 miles, 62,134 miles after the 2015 auction reading (both our arithmetic). Three habits from that sample apply to any FaxVIN report. The sections carrying federal data say so: Title Records, Junk / Salvage / Insurance Records and Title Checks are each marked “Source: NMVTIS”, while Sale Records and Salvage Auction Records carry no source line. The Title Checks section is a long list of brands with “No” beside most, so scan for the few without it. And a salvage auction entry is a listing, not a repair record; our [guide to auction history sites](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/) explains primary and estimated damage. For the brands themselves, see [salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/), [rebuilt titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-rebuilt-title/) and our [odometer check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/). Now the dates. The three clean samples were run in 2016 and the Nissan in 2020, so when we read them they were between 6 and 10 years old (our arithmetic), and the Nissan’s footer reads “Copyright © 2020”. A report bought today may look different and draw on different partners. Treat the samples as a guide to format, not a current specimen; our [sample report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/sample-vehicle-history-report/) compares other sellers’ formats. ## CarRank: what FaxVIN’s 0–100 score is built from Every FaxVIN report carries a CarRank from 0 to 100, which FaxVIN calls a decision aid, “not a mechanical inspection, warranty, or guarantee.” Its CarRank page lists eight inputs: title brands, accident and damage severity, odometer consistency, ownership and usage type, open recalls, service and registration activity, data completeness, and benchmarking against similar vehicles by age, class and mileage. Branded titles and total losses cap the maximum score, and the score can change as new records arrive. **CarRank bands as FaxVIN’s CarRank page describes them (last updated October 25, 2025), shortened** | Score | FaxVIN’s label | What FaxVIN says puts a car there | | --- | --- | --- | | 90–100 | Exceptional History | Clean title, no accidents or only minor cosmetic events, consistent odometer, 1–2 owners, documented service, no open recalls | | 70–89 | Above-Average History | Minor accidents with limited damage, average or slightly high mileage, normal owner transfers, small service gaps, possibly one open recall | | 50–69 | Mixed/Needs Attention | Moderate accidents such as airbag deployment or structural repairs, fleet or rental use, mileage jumps or gaps | | 0–49 | High-Risk History | Branded title (salvage, rebuilt, flood, buyback or total loss), major odometer inconsistency, repeated severe accidents | The samples fit those bands. The Nissan, with salvage and rebuilt brands, a “Not Actual” odometer brand and a total-loss record, sits at 34. The other three land in the 70–89 band, close together: the 2007 BMW, whose 2010 accident the sample records as minimum damage with no airbag deployment, scores 82, one point below the accident-free Honda at 83. FaxVIN publishes no weights, so a CarRank cannot be checked against the records beside it. Use it as FaxVIN suggests, to decide which records to read first, then read them. It is FaxVIN’s own scale and not comparable number for number with the AutoCheck score. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the odometer reading, the speedometer and the centre display, each with one fact from FaxVIN’s sample report, its pricing flow and its Refund Policy. FaxVIN’s sample report, tools pages and Refund Policy, read on 9 October 2026: FaxVIN’s sample: a state branded this car’s odometer reading “Not Actual” (callout 1); Free decode first: FaxVIN shows a price only after a VIN or plate is entered (callout 2); Refunds: ask within 14 days; a report with no history records is a listed case (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The free decode, plate lookup and recall check FaxVIN’s homepage lays out the purchase in three steps: enter a VIN or plate, get a free VIN decode, then pay to unlock the full report. FaxVIN says the free decode confirms year, make, model, trim and engine and shows “whether a full history report is available”. We entered nothing, so this is how FaxVIN describes each tool, not a test of it. - **Free VIN decoder.** FaxVIN says it returns up to 120 attributes from manufacturer data, from trim and engine to weights and safety equipment, and checks the VIN’s check digit. By FaxVIN’s own comparison table, recalls, accidents, title brands, odometer records, theft and liens are paid-report items. - **License plate lookup.** The free plate search matches the plate to a VIN and returns factory specs, a “listing match” and a “record preview” showing whether history records exist. FaxVIN warns that paper transit tags and dealer plates are often not linked to a VIN, and that after a plate moves to another vehicle, state databases can take 30-90 days to update, so the result may be the previous car. Always match the returned VIN to the car in front of you; our [license plate to VIN guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/license-plate-to-vin/) explains why. - **No owner details.** FaxVIN’s plate page says it is illegal for an ordinary member of the public to get personal information from a plate, citing the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and that the owner and DMV are not notified of a search. See our [VIN owner lookup guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-owner-lookup/) for the narrow legal routes. - **Recall check.** FaxVIN’s recall page takes a VIN and shows open safety recalls; the page itself points out that NHTSA offers a free VIN recall lookup, which our [recall guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/) walks through. FaxVIN’s VIN check page also says it is not the same thing as NICB VINCheck, the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s free theft and total-loss check, which allows five searches in 24 hours per IP address (this site’s record of 1 September 2026). Running it first costs nothing; our [free VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/) lists the other free routes. ## What FaxVIN costs, and the number we could not print We cannot tell you what a FaxVIN report costs, because FaxVIN does not say on any page you can read without starting a search. None of the 20 FaxVIN pages we read on 9 October 2026 printed a price for a report or package, and its site map lists no pricing page. The only dollar figures on those pages are statutory penalties on the DPPA page, a marketing claim on the decoder page and figures inside a sample report. The price sits behind the free decode, after a VIN or plate is entered, and we will not repeat a figure from a third party or a coupon site as if FaxVIN had printed it. What FaxVIN does print are the terms of how it charges: - **One-time fees.** The FAQ says FaxVIN “charges a one-time fee per report (or discounted multi-report packages)”, with no subscriptions, auto-renewals or hidden fees. The terms put it in capitals: “We do NOT offer subscriptions or recurring billing.” - **The checkout price governs.** Prices are shown in a display currency, sales tax or VAT is worked out at checkout, and FaxVIN “may change prices at any time before acceptance of your Order.” - **Offers do not stack.** Promotional prices, coupons and bundles “may not be combined”. Coupon codes on third-party sites are not FaxVIN’s documents; whether one works is decided at its checkout under these terms. - **A possible card fee.** Payments go through a UK entity, so your card issuer may add a foreign transaction fee. With no subscription, there is no renewal date to beat, unlike the trial-and-renewal sellers in our [GoodCar review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/) and [EpicVIN review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/epicvin-review/). You can close a FaxVIN account at any time through support, but the terms say closing it “does not entitle you to refunds”, and unused package credits expire 1 year after purchase. ## FaxVIN refunds: 14 days, four cases FaxVIN’s [Refund Policy](https://www.faxvin.com/company/refund-policy), effective February 25, 2026, matches section 10 of its terms and says the terms win in a conflict. The deadline comes first: a request must be made within 14 days of purchase, and later requests “are not eligible.” If a request is approved, you choose an unused report credit or a refund to the original payment method. **When FaxVIN says a refund or remedy may be approved, from its Refund Policy, read 9 October 2026** | Case | What FaxVIN’s policy says | What it means for you | | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Report not provided | A technical problem stopped access and FaxVIN cannot restore it within 24 hours after you contact support | Report the problem at once; the 24 hours run from your message | | 2. No historical records | The report has not a single history event, only VIN decoding, specifications or other descriptive data; FaxVIN reviews it “to provide a fair remedy” | If a report shows only specifications, this is the case to cite | | 3. Duplicate | Charged twice, or the same report bought twice for the same VIN and product | FaxVIN says it will correct the duplicate | | 4. Everything else | Reviewed case by case “at our discretion” | A review, not a right | The policy cannot help with a request made after 14 days, or with a transaction your bank has already refunded through a chargeback. If you open a chargeback first, FaxVIN says it generally pauses its own process until the dispute closes, and the terms ask you to contact FaxVIN first about billing. FaxVIN says it decides within 48 hours of receiving the request and details, excluding weekends and holidays; a credit is issued on approval, and a card refund may take up to 10 business days. Requests go through the contact form or support@faxvin.com, with the transaction ID, VIN and product, purchase date, payment method, a short description and any screenshots. **The report stays for 180 days; the refund window closes after 14.** That leaves 166 days (our arithmetic) in which you can open a report you are unhappy with but can no longer ask for your money back. Read a FaxVIN report the day you buy it, and if it shows nothing but specifications, write to support inside the 14 days. Case 2 deserves a note. FaxVIN’s homepage says that if records are not available for a VIN, “the system will notify you before purchase”; the refund case covers what that check misses. It is narrow: read literally, a report with even one history entry falls outside it, and FaxVIN decides the remedy. A written 14-day policy with listed cases is clearer than terms that simply rule refunds out, but it is still a review, not an automatic refund. ## FaxVIN’s terms of use, and how a dispute would run The [Terms and Conditions](https://www.faxvin.com/company/terms) we read took effect on February 25, 2026. If documents conflict, the order confirmation at checkout comes first, then the terms, then FaxVIN’s policies, and “FAQs/help never override these Terms.” - **Personal use only.** A consumer may use a report for personal records about the vehicle, with no redistribution or publication. Each login is for one person. - **Not a consumer report.** FaxVIN says it is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so its reports may not be used for credit, employment, insurance or tenant decisions. - **A snapshot, with no guarantee.** FaxVIN does not guarantee completeness, accuracy or timeliness, and tells you to use a report “as one input only” and verify with the DMV, the manufacturer or dealer and a professional inspection before committing. - **Liability capped at what you paid** for the report or service behind the claim. - **No automated use.** Bots, scripts and scraping are barred without written consent, and FaxVIN reserves rights against text and data mining and AI training. That is why we read each FaxVIN page once, by hand, and do not re-check them by script. The dispute section differs from GoodCar’s, which sends disputes to binding arbitration. Before going to court you send a written notice to support@faxvin.com headed “Legal Notice”; FaxVIN says it will try to respond within 14 days, and both sides then have 30 days to negotiate, up to 44 days in all (our arithmetic), with urgent relief excepted. Either side may then propose voluntary, non-binding mediation. Small-claims court is open to either party, including, for consumers, the one where they live. The terms follow the laws of Scotland, but consumers in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU may sue in the courts where they live and keep their local consumer protections. The word “arbitration” does not appear in the terms. The class-action waiver applies to business users, and the terms say it does not apply to consumers where mandatory law forbids it. **Next to two sellers this site has read.** The table below compares printed terms only, not prices or quality. FaxVIN’s column was read on 9 October 2026; GoodCar’s and Carfax’s are copied from this site’s records of 3 October 2026. **Printed terms side by side: FaxVIN (read 9 October 2026), GoodCar and Carfax (this site’s records of 3 October 2026)** | | FaxVIN | GoodCar | Carfax | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How you pay | One-time fee per report or package; terms rule out subscriptions | Paid trial, then a monthly subscription until cancelled | One-time packages of 1, 2 or 4 reports | | Refund wording | Request within 14 days; four listed cases | Will not refund the unused part of a month | A representative reviews each request and decides eligibility | | Liability cap | What you paid for the report | $100 | Not in this site’s records | | Disputes | Written notice, optional mediation, small claims or your home courts; no arbitration | Binding individual arbitration after a 30-day notice period; class-action waiver | Not in this site’s records | | NMVTIS register | Not listed; buys NMVTIS data through an unnamed approved provider | Listed for commercial and public customers | Listed for commercial customers in California only; consumers cannot get NMVTIS reports from Carfax | The table shows FaxVIN’s trade-off: billing and dispute terms that are simpler for a one-car buyer than a trial that renews, and federal data that comes second-hand from a provider it does not name. Our [GoodCar review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/) and [VinAudit review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vinaudit-review/) read two listed providers the same way. ## Where FaxVIN’s own pages disagree - **Support hours.** The homepage promises “24/7” availability and a “4h” average response. The Contact page gives hours of Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific time, and a response “Under 4 hours”. Plan on the Contact page’s hours if you are near the 14-day refund deadline. - **The first model year covered.** The help page says records for “vehicles sold after 1982”; the About page says data collected “since 1981”; the FAQ accepts many pre-1981 classics. - **The sample’s name.** The site footer labels the Nissan sample “2007 Nissan Pathfinder”; the report it opens is a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder. - **The decoder’s count.** A badge says “120+ Data Points”; the text below says “up to 120”. - **NMVTIS participation.** FaxVIN’s NMVTIS page says that as of FY2023, 50 states and DC participate “and one state is still in development”, which read literally counts more than 50 states. Check the [NMVTIS site](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) for current participation. FaxVIN also publishes figures about itself that no outsider can check. Its About page, updated October 2026, claims 3,000,000+ reports, 350,000+ monthly unique visitors “According to Similarweb data”, 14 billion records and 820M+ vehicles; the homepage claims a 98% satisfaction rate. The decoder page cites an internal analysis of 375,000+ FaxVIN reports from 2024–2025: 1 in 5 vehicles with a hidden accident history, 1 in 5 reports with an open recall, 1 in 80 cars with hidden flood damage, and 1 in every 106 reports showing a rolled-back odometer at an average cost of $3,300. FaxVIN gives no method beyond that line. These are a seller’s marketing figures, repeated here so you can recognise them as such. ## Before you pay FaxVIN, or any report seller We do not recommend any paid provider, FaxVIN included. Its shape suits a buyer who wants one report on one car with nothing that renews, and who accepts that the federal title fields come through a supplier FaxVIN does not name. A buyer who wants the federal record from a business named on the register, or who wants to know exactly which company holds their card details, has reason to start with the register. - **Run the free checks first:** NICB VINCheck for theft and total-loss flags, NHTSA for recalls, and FaxVIN’s free decode to confirm the VIN matches the car. - **Read the price and currency at checkout,** since FaxVIN prints none before it, and allow for a foreign transaction fee. - **Check the register yourself** if federal title data is why you are buying. - **Open and save the report the day you buy it:** refund requests close after 14 days and the report leaves your account after 180. - **If it shows only specifications,** write to support@faxvin.com inside the 14 days with the transaction ID, VIN and a screenshot. - **Contact FaxVIN before your bank** about a billing problem; its policy pauses refunds while a chargeback is open. - **Treat a blank section as unknown,** not clean, and book an independent inspection. ## Common questions ### Is FaxVIN legit? FaxVIN is a real business that has sold vehicle history reports since 2010, first as VINCarHistory, and publishes full terms, a refund policy and sample reports. Two limits: it is not on the DOJ’s NMVTIS approved-provider register (it buys that data through an approved provider), and its pages name the operator only as “FAXVIN” with an Edinburgh address. ### Is FaxVIN an approved NMVTIS data provider? No. It is absent from this site’s register records of 31 August and 3 October 2026 and from the register page as we read it on 9 October 2026. FaxVIN says it accesses NMVTIS data through an approved provider, without naming which. ### How much does a FaxVIN report cost? FaxVIN prints no price on its public pages; it shows one after you enter a VIN or plate. Its FAQ describes a one-time fee per report with discounted multi-report packages, and its terms say prices may change before your order is accepted, so the checkout figure is the one that counts. ### Does FaxVIN charge a monthly subscription? Not according to its own documents. The terms say it does not offer subscriptions or recurring billing, and the FAQ rules out auto-renewals. Charges usually show as FAXVIN.com followed by a code beginning ST-. ### Can I get a refund from FaxVIN? You can ask within 14 days of purchase. The Refund Policy lists four cases: a report not delivered within 24 hours of your support request, a report with no history records, a duplicate charge, and anything else at FaxVIN’s discretion. Approved requests get a report credit or a card refund, which may take up to 10 business days. ### Will FaxVIN’s license plate lookup tell me who owns a car? No. FaxVIN’s FAQ says owner names and addresses are not shown, and its plate page says getting personal information from a plate is illegal for an ordinary member of the public under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. The lookup matches a plate to a VIN and the vehicle’s history. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_understandingvhr) - [18 U.S.C. § 2721, Driver’s Privacy Protection Act](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2721) - [NICB VINCheck](https://www.nicb.org/vincheck) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/faxvin-review/ --- title: "carVertical Review: What a US Buyer Gets, Pays and Can Get Back" description: "carVertical is run from Lithuania and sits on the NMVTIS public list, but names no US data source. Prices from $34.99, its refund rules, and vs Carfax." url: "https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carvertical-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # carVertical Review: What a US Buyer Gets, Pays and Can Get Back > carVertical is run from Lithuania and sits on the NMVTIS public list, but names no US data source. Prices from $34.99, its refund rules, and vs Carfax. *VIN & Vehicle History · 22 min read · 4,979 words* ## The short version - carVertical is run by cV Group, UAB, a company registered in Vilnius, Lithuania (company code 303134915), with carVertical OÜ of Tallinn, Estonia, named as joint controller of its vehicle data. The Department of Justice’s NMVTIS register listed Carvertical.com among approved providers that sell to the public in all three readings this site has taken: 31 August, 3 September and 3 October 2026. - Its own pages never name a US data source. They list categories such as state registries, law enforcement, repair shops and connected vehicle fleets, and none of the 27 carVertical pages we read mentions NMVTIS in its visible text. - For a US car the report adds a Title check, which carVertical says works only for vehicles used or registered in the US. Its features page and blog frame that check around cars imported from the US, and other sections (emissions classes, technical inspections) read as written for European buyers. - On 9 October 2026 the US pricing page sold 1 report for $34.99, 2 for $49.98 ($24.99 each) or 3 for $59.97 ($19.99 each), paid once. Unused reports expire after 6 months. There is no consumer subscription; carVertical’s subscription terms are for business users. - “Report return guarantee” is narrower than it sounds. An empty report earns a report credit, not cash; errors can be raised within 30 days for a returned report; the 14-day right of withdrawal covers unused reports only. - The terms have no arbitration clause. A complaint goes to carVertical first (answer within 30 days), then to a consumer authority, an alternative dispute resolution body or the courts of your own country; business users go to Lithuanian courts. Is carVertical legit, and is it worth buying for a US car? It is a real, registered European company on the US government’s list of approved title-data providers. What it sells a US buyer is a report built for European markets first, with a US title section added. Everything below was read on 9 October 2026 from carVertical’s own pages: its [Terms & Conditions](https://www.carvertical.com/terms-and-conditions) (in force since 30 January 2026), [Report Return Policy](https://www.carvertical.com/refund-policy), subscription terms, two privacy documents, US pricing page, homepage, features page, US transparency-index page and more than a dozen help articles. We add the Estonian company register and this site’s own readings of the [NMVTIS provider register](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory). carVertical’s terms bar automated access, so each page was read once, by hand. We have no commercial relationship with carVertical or any report seller. Where its pages disagree, we print both versions. **Figure: What a US buyer gets from carVertical, document by document** A two-column table of what carVertical’s documents say for a US buyer. The Department of Justice’s NMVTIS register listed Carvertical.com among providers for public customers in all 3 of this site’s readings, but none of the 27 carVertical pages read on 9 October 2026 names a US data source or mentions NMVTIS. Its title check works only for vehicles used or registered in the US. The US pricing page sold 1 report for $34.99, 2 for $49.98 and 3 for $59.97, paid once, and unused reports expire after 6 months. An empty report earns a report credit, not money; errors can be raised within 30 days; money back requires withdrawing within 14 days, for unused reports only. The terms have no arbitration clause. carVertical’s Terms (in force 30 January 2026), Report Return Policy, pricing page and help pages, read by hand 9 October 2026; NMVTIS register readings of 31 August, 3 September and 3 October 2026 from this site’s own records. The checkout was not opened and may show a different price for a given car. ## Who runs carVertical, and where it is registered The terms answer this in their second clause: carvertical.com “is managed and administered by cV Group, UAB, company code 303134915”, with an address in Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania. The privacy policy calls the same company “a private limited liability company incorporated in the Republic of Lithuania”, and the contact page lists offices in Vilnius and Kaunas. A second company appears in carVertical’s privacy notice on vehicle data, which names UAB “cV Group” “and/or carVertical OÜ, legal entity code 14416655”, of Tallinn, Estonia, and says “Both companies are joint controllers” under the GDPR. We checked that one against a public record. Estonia’s e-Business Register, read by hand on 9 October 2026, lists carVertical OÜ (registry code 14416655) as a private limited company, registered on 26 January 2018, with “Other information technology and computer service activities” as its principal activity. Lithuania’s company register put a bot check in front of every page, so we could not read cV Group’s entry there; its Lithuanian registration rests on carVertical’s own documents. The same two names sell carVertical’s iPhone apps: when this site recorded vehicle-history apps on 2 September 2026, “carVertical: Check Car History” was sold by CV Group, UAB (4.39 stars from 210 US ratings) and “Car History Check: VIN Decoder” by carVertical OU. carVertical’s about page lists four founders, with Rokas Medonis as CEO, and gives the company’s own figures: more than 12,400,000 cars checked, more than 2,000,000 unique users a year, “€75,000,000 Revenue”, 37 markets and 150+ employees. It says carVertical launched “the first global car history register” in 2019 and now covers markets “across Europe, North America, and beyond”. These are carVertical’s claims about itself; we did not check them against filed accounts. The narrow answer to “is carVertical legit” is yes. The rest of this review is about what that company sells to someone buying a car in the United States. ## Is carVertical an approved NMVTIS provider? Yes, on the federal list. The Department of Justice publishes the businesses approved to sell reports from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), the US title database. This site has read that register three times. On 31 August 2026 it listed “CarVertical” among consumer-facing providers. On 3 September and 3 October 2026 it listed “Carvertical.com” in the section headed “Approved NMVTIS Data Provider’s Links for both Commercial & Public Customers”, one of 12 primary entries there in October. We did not re-read it for this page. The listing is a qualification, not an endorsement: the register says providers “are listed in alphabetical order with no preference indicated of one provider over another”. It also does not say which parts of a provider’s report come from NMVTIS. For what the federal record holds, see [our guide to the NMVTIS report](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/). Here carVertical differs from [GoodCar](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/), which states its NMVTIS approval in its own footer. We searched the visible text of all 27 carVertical pages we read, including the rendered US homepage and pricing page, for “NMVTIS”. It does not appear. The word exists only inside the site’s embedded translation data, as a label reading “approved data provider” that none of those pages displayed. A US buyer reading carVertical’s site would not learn that it holds the approval, or whether its title section draws on that system. ## Which US data sources carVertical names None by name. Its help page on where the data comes from lists the kinds of places it checks: “State registries Law enforcement databases Auto repair shops Technical inspection centers Financial institutions Connected vehicle fleets Various third-parties”. Its vehicle-data privacy notice adds “vehicle dealers, insurance claims administrators, and information publicly available on the internet.” No page names a US state agency, an insurer, an auction house, a police database or NMVTIS. carVertical is plain that the records are not its own: “No, carVertical does not own or create the data in our reports.” How many sources? That depends on the page. We recorded every count carVertical printed on 9 October 2026. **Data-source and country counts on carVertical’s own pages, read 9 October 2026** | carVertical page | Sources claimed | Countries claimed | | --- | --- | --- | | US homepage | 1000+ | 45+ | | US homepage, mileage panel | 1000+ | 45 | | Pricing page | 1000+ | not stated | | Help: How does the service work? | over 1000 | 45+ | | Help: What makes a report different? | over 1000 | 45+ | | Help: Where does the data come from? | over 900 | 40+ | | Features page, mileage section | 900+ | 35 | Five claims say 1000+ and two say 900+; the country counts run from 35 to 45+. Some lines may describe a subset, such as mileage sources only. Either way, the count describes carVertical’s whole network, not what it can reach for a car registered in Ohio. Its terms say so: “Data availability may depend on the country of registration of the vehicle, the manufacturer, the model, or other factors.” ## What a carVertical report holds for a US car carVertical’s help page lists 13 sections that may appear in a report: accident and damage history, odometer readings, theft records, ownership history, title check, specifications and equipment, market value, safety and recalls, photos, financial and legal status, purpose (taxi, rental or fleet use), emissions and a timeline. Theft is checked against “various databases worldwide”; safety means crash-test ratings “from top agencies” and recalls. The section that is specifically American is the Title check. carVertical defines it as “a carVertical report feature that allows you to check the title of a vehicle that was used or previously registered in the United States”, and says “this feature only works for vehicles used or previously registered in the US”. If a brand such as salvage, rebuilt or junk is on record, “a yellow ‘Record found’ warning will appear next to the specific brand, showing the date it was issued.” If you suspect a cleaned title, the same page suggests “requesting a title search from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)”. For what each brand means, see [our guide to salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/). Two features carry their own caveats. carVertical says that if its “AI detects damage in recorded photos, that information will also appear in your report, even without an official record.” That is an inference from a picture, not a claim file: a prompt to inspect that part of the car. And its natural-disaster data flags whether the car “was in a region impacted by floods or storms at the time”. Being in a flooded region is not the same as being flooded; a [flood-damage check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/flood-damage-check-by-vin/) explains which records exist. The homepage says a report takes “just 40 seconds”, a help page says “within a minute” and the terms say “within a few minutes”. Then a clock starts: clause 4.7 keeps the report in your browser “for a period of 30 calendar days”, after which you “will not be able to save it in PDF format.” Save the PDF the day you buy it. ## What the report leaves out, or was built for elsewhere carVertical is candid that a report shows what its sources hold and nothing more. Its damage page says “not all accidents and repairs are reported to insurance companies or authorities. If that is the case, this information will not appear in the carVertical report.” Its mileage page says “Odometer data may not be available in your country.” And clause 4.4 says the list of categories you see after entering a VIN shows “what areas of information will be checked”, but a category without data “will remain empty in the final Report.” That free list is a menu, not a preview. For a US car, three things stand out in carVertical’s own wording. **The title check is pitched at Europeans importing US cars.** The features page says its title data helps “especially for vehicles imported from the US”, because “A branded title doesn’t travel with the car.” The blog post introducing the feature opens: “Used car buyers can find great deals in the United States, but since most vehicles imported from there are damaged, it’s essential to know how severe the damage is.” That tells you whom the feature was designed for. **Some sections read as European by design.** The emissions panel “places your vehicle in a class from ‘A’ to ‘G’” and mentions “any taxes tied to those emissions”. The legal-status section covers “the last technical inspection (and its result)”, and the no-findings definition counts “technical inspections (MOT)”, a British term, as history. On a car from a US state without periodic inspections, those sections may have little to show. **No US service-history source is named.** carVertical lists “Auto repair shops & service logs” among the categories it checks but names no US repair network, and its section list has no separate service-record section. Whether a US car’s maintenance shows up depends on sources carVertical does not identify. None of this means a report on a US car will be empty. It means carVertical’s pages do not tell you in advance what it will hold, and the company does not claim otherwise. Its help page says carVertical “neither evaluates vehicles, nor provides suggestions for whether you should or shouldn’t purchase a particular vehicle”, and clause 5.6 recommends checking with “the relevant state authorities, the vehicle owner, a technical inspection centre, an authorised car service centre, or an auto appraiser” even when a report looks clear. In US terms, that is a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) and, for a doubtful title, the state DMV. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the car’s bonnet, the phone and the kerb, each with one fact from carVertical’s own pages and terms. carVertical’s homepage, US transparency index, help pages and terms, read on 9 October 2026: carVertical’s US rollback figure: about 35,000 miles on its homepage, 52,533 in its index (callout 1); Title brands appear only for cars used or registered in the US, its help page says (callout 2); Run a report and it counts as used: the 14-day money-back right covers unused reports only (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## carVertical’s own US numbers do not agree with each other carVertical publishes statistics about the American cars its customers check, on two kinds of page, and they tell different stories. **carVertical’s figures for cars checked in the US, as printed on its own pages, read 9 October 2026** | What is measured | US homepage and features page | US transparency-index page (2025 view) | | --- | --- | --- | | Share of US cars checked with a damage record | “Around 1 in 4” | 45.27% | | Size of an odometer rollback | “around 35,000 miles” | 52,533 miles on average | | Cost of damage | “around $3,000 per record” | €3,832 average damage value | By our arithmetic, 1 in 4 is 25%, which is 20.27 percentage points below the index figure, and the index rollback is 17,533 miles larger than the homepage’s. The index page explains part of the gap: it uses reports “bought by our customers over a period of 12 months, from October to September each year”, and only those meeting carVertical’s quality standard of “at least three odometer reading records”. Cars with more recorded history have more places for damage to show. Either way, these are statistics about cars carVertical’s customers chose to check, from records carVertical could reach. They say nothing about the car in front of you. ## carVertical prices and plans, as printed on 9 October 2026 carVertical sells reports, paid once, in three package sizes. These are the prices its US pricing page showed on 9 October 2026, before any VIN was entered. The cards load in the browser rather than in the page’s HTML, so we read them in a browser. **carVertical’s US pricing page, read 9 October 2026 (prices in US dollars)** | Package | Price per report | Total | Struck-through figure shown | Badge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Check 1 car | $34.99 | $34.99 | none (“Full price”) | -0% | | Check 2 cars (“Most popular”) | $24.99 | $49.98 | $69.98 | -29% | | Check 3 cars | $19.99 | $59.97 | $104.97 | -43% | The struck-through figures are not old prices. By our arithmetic they are the single-report price times the number of reports: 2 × $34.99 = $69.98 and 3 × $34.99 = $104.97. The 2-report package saves $20.00 ($10.00 a report, 28.58%) and the 3-report package $45.00 ($15.00 a report, 42.87%). The homepage advertises “Bundle deal: save up to 40%”; the pricing page’s -43% and our arithmetic both put the 3-report saving slightly above that. Every card carries the label “Report return guarantee”, which the refunds section unpacks. Three standing terms shape what you pay and get: - **The price can depend on the car.** Clause 7.5: “Report prices may vary depending on the country in which the vehicle being checked is registered or used”. Clause 4.2: “The price charged is the one displayed on the carvertical.com website at the time of ordering, before the final payment is made.” carVertical’s robots file asks automated tools to stay out of its precheck and checkout, and we entered no VIN, so we did not see whether a US-registered car is priced differently. The figure on your own checkout binds. - **Unused reports expire.** Clause 4.3: unused reports “are valid for six (6) months from the date of purchase.” A help page adds there is “no option to extend” that, and that “reports are tied to specific locales”. - **Payment and tax.** The terms accept card, bank transfer, PayPal or cryptocurrency, with options that “may vary depending on your region”, and apply VAT under Lithuanian law. Discount codes must be entered at checkout; one “cannot be applied after the purchase is finalised.” Is there a carVertical subscription? Not for consumers. carVertical’s [Subscription Terms](https://www.carvertical.com/subscription-terms) (last updated 11/12/2024) say “The Subscription service is intended for Commercial Users (B2B).” Those business plans renew automatically every 30 days, and “Money paid for the current Subscription period is non-refundable.” A consumer buying one report signs up to none of that, which is the main difference in shape between carVertical and subscription sellers such as [GoodCar](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/) or [EpicVIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/epicvin-review/). Is carVertical free? The reports are not: the pricing page says “Each data request to all of our sources carries a cost, which is why our reports aren’t provided for free.” Only the category list shown after you enter a VIN is free. For checks that cost nothing, see [our free VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/). ## Refunds: a credit, a return request and a 14-day withdrawal carVertical has a refund page, but most of what it describes is not money back. There are three routes, for different situations. **carVertical’s three routes when a report disappoints, from its Report Return Policy, help pages and Terms, read 9 October 2026** | Route | When it applies | Deadline | What you get | How | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No-findings report | No records in the Mileage, Damage or Timeline sections | Automatic | An unused report credit, valid 6 months; not money | Nothing to do | | Report return request | “errors or discrepancies”, report not received, “Other legitimate circumstances” | Within 30 days of generating the report | A returned report, if carVertical agrees | Email support@carvertical.com (policy) or the contact form (help page) | | Right of withdrawal, Terms clause 8 | Any reason, unused reports only | Within 14 days of purchase | Money back within 14 days of your notice | Email info@carvertical.com with order number, date, contact details and a clear request | **No findings.** A help page defines historical data as mileage records, damage records and events such as “sales records, registrations, ownership changes, insurance records, technical inspections (MOT)”. If none turns up, “an unused report will automatically be added to your account”: a credit to check another car, not money on your card. **Return request.** If the report has findings you think are wrong, or never arrived, the policy lets you request “a return of your spent report” within 30 days. The outcome it describes is a report back in your account, decided by carVertical’s support team. Clause 5.4 separately lets you flag inaccuracies on a notification form, after which carVertical “will take reasonable steps to verify the information”. **Withdrawal.** This is the only route the documents describe as cash. Clause 8.1 gives a consumer “the right to withdraw from such a purchase within 14 days without giving any reason”. Clause 8.2 limits it: “Once the report is generated, the service is considered to have been provided immediately, and the Report is considered used”, and “the right of withdrawal does not apply to used Reports”. Cancelling part of a package returns a proportional amount, “minus the discount applied and reasonable administrative costs not exceeding the limits set by law.” **Once you run a paid report against a VIN, the cash route closes for that report.** carVertical’s terms treat a generated report as fully provided. After that, the remedies are a credit for an empty report or a return request for a faulty one, and both put a report back in your account rather than money on your card. If you bought 3 reports and need only one, withdraw from the other two within 14 days of purchase. Two details do not line up. The Report Return Policy says returned credits stay active “for 6 months from the purchase date”; the help page on applying for a return says, in one paragraph, 6 months “from the date they’re added to your account”, and in the next, “from the date they were purchased”. Check the expiry date in your account. And if you delete your account, the terms say unused reports become unavailable and “no compensation or refund will be provided for them.” ## The terms of use, governing law and disputes carVertical’s terms, titled “Rules for the Provision of Services”, took effect on 30 January 2026. They are written for an EU consumer-law setting, which helps a US buyer in one important way. **No arbitration clause.** We searched the full text for “arbitration”, “class action” and “governing law”; none appears. Section 13, “Applicable Law and Dispute Resolution”, sets out a sequence. First, “submit a complaint to carVertical in writing by email to info@carvertical.com”; carVertical “will respond to the complaint as soon as possible, but no later than within 30 days.” Next, “The State Consumer Rights Protection Authority in their country, or other national alternative dispute resolution (ADR) institutions.” Then the courts: a consumer may “rely on the mandatory consumer protection laws of their country of residence and/or refer the matter to the courts of that country.” Only business users are sent to “a competent court of the Republic of Lithuania”. For a US consumer that reads as room to use US consumer law and a US court, small claims included, with no arbitration step. The terms name no US agency; the nearest counterparts are your state attorney general’s consumer office and the FTC. How easily a US judgment could be enforced against a Lithuanian company is a question the terms do not answer. **Liability.** Clause 11.2 says that if a report “does not correspond to reality”, carVertical’s liability “shall be assessed in accordance with applicable law”. Clause 11.3 says carVertical “is not liable to the maximum extent permitted by law for the inaccuracy of the information provided in the Report and its content”. There is no dollar cap of the kind GoodCar prints. A help page adds that a report “cannot be used as legal evidence in court”. **Other clauses a buyer should know.** - **A reason to buy.** Clause 5.8: carVertical sells a report “only if they have a relevant connection to the specific vehicle”, and asks your purpose before selling it. Clause 6.1.6 obliges you to pick only criteria that match your real circumstances. - **Share, don’t resell.** You may show a report to the other side of a deal, but you are “prohibited from reselling the Report”. - **Changes.** You accept the terms “by using carvertical.com”, and consumers get at least five calendar days’ notice of material changes. - **No scraping.** Clause 6.1.1 bars “any automated devices, programs, algorithms or methodologies” used to access or copy the site, which is why every page cited here was read by hand. **Privacy, written for European law.** carVertical’s privacy policy (last updated 04/07/2025) cites “the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (EU)” and “the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania”, and points complaints to “the supervisory authority of the EU Member State” where you live or work. We searched it for “California”, “CCPA”, “United States” and “Do Not Sell”: none appears. Its vehicle-data notice (last updated 02/06/2024) says carVertical does “not collect information on its owners or holders” for reports, keeps vehicle data, “as a rule of thumb”, “for 30 years”, and uses some of it “to train artificial intelligence tools”. If you sell a car, its record at carVertical outlasts your ownership. ## carVertical vs Carfax: what each one sells People searching “carVertical vs Carfax” usually want to know whether the European report can stand in for the American one on a US car. The two companies’ own documents answer a narrower question: what each sells, and on what terms. We do not compare prices; Carfax’s are in [our Carfax cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-much-does-carfax-cost/). **Sources.** Carfax says its reports cover “vehicles manufactured since 1981” and draw on “billions of records from more than 151,000 domestic and international sources” (Carfax’s report page, read by this site on 3 October 2026). carVertical claims 900+ or 1000+ sources, depending on the page, and names no US source. Each count is the company’s own and they measure different things, so neither proves more coverage of a given car. **The federal register.** carVertical is in the register’s public section. The register says “Consumers CANNOT receive NMVTIS Vehicle History Reports from Carfax, DMVDesk, or Experian; these entities provide information only to car dealerships”. That does not make either report better or worse; it does mean nothing on either company’s pages shows the two draw on the same records. **Terms.** This table copies terms this site has already recorded from each company’s own pages, with GoodCar added as a US-based seller for reference. **Printed terms compared: carVertical (read 9 October 2026), GoodCar (read 3 October 2026), Carfax (read 2 and 3 October 2026)** | | carVertical | GoodCar | Carfax | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Run from | cV Group, UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania | InfoPay, Inc. | CARFAX, Inc. | | NMVTIS register | Public section | Public section | Consumers cannot get NMVTIS reports from Carfax | | How you pay | 1, 2 or 3 reports, paid once | Paid trial, then a monthly subscription | Report packages, paid once | | Money back | 14-day withdrawal for unused reports; a used report earns a credit, not money | No refund of the unused part of a month (Terms section 8) | Refund requests reviewed; 3-5 business days to post once authorized | | Disputes | Complaint first, then a consumer authority, ADR or the courts of your own country; no arbitration clause | Confidential binding arbitration (Terms section 21) | Arbitration or small claims after a 60-day notice period; opt-out within 30 days of purchase (Consumer Terms of Use, October 2017) | On disputes, carVertical’s terms are the most open of the three to a claim in your home courts. On money back all three are tight in different ways. For US-focused options, see [our guide to Carfax alternatives](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/) and [Carfax vs AutoCheck](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-vs-autocheck/). ## Who carVertical suits, and how to use it well We do not recommend any paid provider, carVertical included, but its own documents point to who it fits: a buyer whose car may have history outside the US, or a European buyer checking an American import, the case its features page and title-check blog were written for. It may also suit a US buyer who wants a second report and accepts that the US sources are unnamed. It fits less well someone who wants to know before paying that a report draws on NMVTIS or a named US data network, because carVertical’s pages do not say. - **Read the price on your own checkout,** not the pricing cards; the terms say it can vary with the car’s country. - **Buy only the reports you will use within 6 months,** and withdraw from unused ones within 14 days if plans change. - **Treat the free category list as a menu.** Clause 4.4 says any category can come back empty. - **Save the PDF the day you run the report.** Browser access ends after 30 calendar days. - **If the report is empty, check your account for the credit;** if it is wrong, ask for a return within 30 days and keep the reply. - **Check a doubtful title with the state DMV** and the mileage with an [odometer check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/). - **Treat an empty section as unknown, not clean,** and pair any report with a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/). ## Common questions ### Is carVertical legit? Yes, in the sense that it is a registered company with published terms. It is run by cV Group, UAB of Vilnius, Lithuania, with carVertical OÜ, registered in Estonia on 26 January 2018, as joint data controller. The NMVTIS register listed Carvertical.com among approved providers for the public in this site’s readings on 31 August, 3 September and 3 October 2026. ### Does carVertical work in the USA? It sells to US buyers in US dollars, and its reports include a Title check that it says works only for vehicles used or registered in the US. Its pages name no US data source, and its terms say data availability depends on the country of registration, so its site does not tell you in advance how much a report will hold for a US car. ### Is carVertical free? No. On 9 October 2026 one report cost $34.99 on the US pricing page, 2 cost $49.98 and 3 cost $59.97. The free part is the category list shown after you enter a VIN, which its terms say may come back empty. ### carVertical vs Carfax: which should I use? They are different products. carVertical is a Lithuanian company in the NMVTIS public section that names no US sources; the register says consumers cannot get NMVTIS reports from Carfax, which describes its own network of more than 151,000 sources. Their terms differ most on disputes: carVertical has no arbitration clause, Carfax’s consumer terms do. We do not rank them. ### Can I get a refund from carVertical? For money back, use the 14-day right of withdrawal by emailing info@carvertical.com; it covers unused reports only. A report you have run counts as used: an empty one earns a report credit automatically, and a wrong one can be put up for a return within 30 days, which restores a report if carVertical agrees. ### Can a carVertical report be used in court? carVertical’s help page says no: “a carVertical report cannot be used as legal evidence in court.” Its terms add that a report should not be the sole basis for deciding whether to buy a car. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_understandingvhr) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carvertical-review/ --- title: "VinCheckUp Review: Is It Legit, What It Costs and Who Runs It" description: "VinCheckUp charges once, with no subscription, but prints $19.95 and $14.95 for one report, is not a listed NMVTIS provider and limits refunds to four weeks." url: "https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vincheckup-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # VinCheckUp Review: Is It Legit, What It Costs and Who Runs It > VinCheckUp charges once, with no subscription, but prints $19.95 and $14.95 for one report, is not a listed NMVTIS provider and limits refunds to four weeks. *VIN & Vehicle History · 22 min read · 5,020 words* ## The short version - VinCheckUp is a long-running VIN report site: its domain was registered in 2012 and its iPhone app dates from 2018. Its own pages name no company. Apple lists the app’s seller as Cartrest LLC, and Google Play lists the developer as Cartrest Labs. - It is not on the federal NMVTIS approved-provider list as this site has recorded it. VinCheckUp’s terms say its title data comes through “Vin, Inc.”, which they call “the authorized provider of NMVTIS data”. - You pay once. VinCheckUp’s FAQ, terms and support page say there is no recurring billing or automatic renewal, and the FAQ says there is no trial. Packs come in 1, 3 or 10 reports. - Its own pages disagree on the price of one report: $19.95 on the pricing page, $14.95 on the register page that carries the card form, both read on 9 October 2026. - Access runs out. Saved reports can be downloaded for 30 days from purchase, and the privacy policy says search history is deleted after that, so save each report the day you run it. - Refunds are case by case, for first-time buyers, within four weeks. The terms also say you are charged for every report you order, even one that finds nothing. Is VinCheckUp legit? It is a real, long-running seller of VIN reports that charges once rather than by subscription, but it is not a federally approved NMVTIS provider in its own name, it says little about who owns it, and its pages print two prices for the same report. Everything below was read on 9 October 2026 from the documents that state it: VinCheckUp’s [terms and conditions](https://www.vincheckup.com/terms), [FAQ](https://www.vincheckup.com/faq), [pricing page](https://www.vincheckup.com/pricing), [register page](https://www.vincheckup.com/register), [sample report](https://www.vincheckup.com/sample-report) and a dozen other VinCheckUp pages; its App Store, Google Play and BBB listings; and this site’s own records of the NMVTIS provider register. We did not enter a VIN or buy a report, and we have no commercial relationship with VinCheckUp or any report seller. **Figure: VinCheckUp’s prices and promises, page by page** A two-column table of what VinCheckUp’s own pages printed on 9 October 2026. One report is $19.95 on its pricing page and $14.95 on the register page that carries the card form. The 3-report pack is $29.95, printed as $9.72 a report, which works out at $9.98 by division. The 10-report pack is $49.95, printed as $4.99 a report. VinCheckUp’s FAQ, terms, support and register pages say there is no recurring billing or automatic renewal, and the FAQ says there is no trial, but saved reports can be downloaded for 30 days only. Refunds are for first-time buyers, case by case, within four weeks. VinCheckUp is not on the NMVTIS provider register as this site recorded it; its terms name Vin, Inc. as its NMVTIS provider. VinCheckUp’s pricing page, register page, FAQ, terms, support page and privacy policy, read 9 October 2026; NMVTIS register as recorded by this site on 31 August and 3 October 2026. The checkout reached after a VIN search was not read and may differ. ## Is VinCheckUp legit? Who is behind it VinCheckUp says little about who it is. Its terms, privacy policy, about page and support page call the business “VinCheckUp”, the footer reads “© 2026 VinCheckUp. All Rights Reserved.”, and the contact details are a support email, a phone line and a Las Vegas, Nevada mailing address. No company name with LLC or Inc. after it appears on those pages. The names turn up elsewhere. Apple’s [App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vincheckup/id1400170275) for the VinCheckUp app gives Cartrest LLC as seller, developer and copyright holder, and its privacy link points back to vincheckup.com. The [Google Play listing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vincheckupapp) names the developer as Cartrest Labs, and its support address carries a third name, Previlon. That name also appears on VinCheckUp’s own used-car checklist page, inside the referral tag (“Previlon Corp.”) on its links to Edmunds listings. And the terms name a fourth business, Vin, Inc., as the source of their federal title data. VinCheckUp does not explain how these names relate, and we did not search state company registries, so we report only the names and where each appears. Age is easier to establish. The WHOIS record for vincheckup.com shows the domain was registered on 1 October 2012 (registrant not shown), so it has existed for 14 years (our arithmetic). Apple’s version history starts with version 1.0 on 27 August 2018, and records a “Switch to In-App Purchases” in 2019. The BBB opened a file on VinCheckUp.com in June 2024, rates it A for “Length of time business has been operating”, and shows it is not BBB accredited. The street address BBB lists is in Las Vegas but is not the one on VinCheckUp’s own pages. So “legit” gets a narrow yes: an established site that sells reports and puts its terms in writing, but without a named company standing behind those terms, which send any dispute to arbitration in Nevada. ## Is VinCheckUp an approved NMVTIS provider? The Department of Justice keeps a public list of businesses approved to sell reports from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), the federal title-history database. This site recorded that list on 31 August 2026, when it named 14 consumer-facing providers and 3 that sell only to dealers, and again on 3 October 2026, when its public section held 12 entries. VinCheckUp is not among the provider names on either reading, and neither is “Vin, Inc.”. VinCheckUp does not claim to be on that list. Its terms say the title, junk, salvage, insurance and brand records in a report’s “Problem Check” section are “compiled from data in NMVTIS”, that “the process of compiling the report through our connection with NMVTIS has been tested and approved by AAMVA”, and that “Vin, Inc. is the authorized provider of NMVTIS data.” Read together, that describes a reseller buying NMVTIS records through another company. Its FAQ agrees: “We pay for each record, but since we buy data in bulk, we can pass on the savings to our subscribers.” Reselling is common and not improper in itself; our [guide to Carfax alternatives](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/#resellers) explains why the same records turn up on many storefronts. Two cautions apply. First, the register lists providers by website name, and under some providers it also lists other sites they own; this site’s records do not transcribe every one of those sub-lists, so a mention of VinCheckUp inside one cannot be ruled out. Second, a listing is not an endorsement; the register says providers appear “in alphabetical order with no preference indicated of one provider over another.” If the federal title record is what you mainly want, our [NMVTIS report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/) explains what it holds and how to buy it from a listed provider. ## What the free VinCheckUp check shows, and what needs payment VinCheckUp’s homepage calls its search box an “Instant free VIN Check USA”. The free part is a first step, not a report. Its [how-it-works page](https://www.vincheckup.com/how-it-works) says it searches “our preliminary database”, shows a page with your vehicle’s information, and sends you to the register page if you choose any history details: “To view full results you will need to register by providing your personal information.” Registering is where you pay. The terms set the limits of the free stage in one paragraph headed “Preliminary searches”. The free preliminary and VIN decoder searches “may provide some basic information”, are “intended only to verify basic vehicle information”, and you agree that their results “may not fully match the results obtained from the paid Vehicle History Reports”. We did not run a search (it needs a VIN, which we do not enter, and VinCheckUp’s robots.txt closes its /results/ and /loading/ paths to automated tools), so we describe the free check only in VinCheckUp’s words. Some things are free without a search: a used-car buying checklist VinCheckUp calls “This free resource”, and loan, lease and depreciation calculators. The window-sticker tool is less clear: its steps end with “View Results Free”, but its FAQ points you to “current pricing and availability details for the Window Sticker Lookup feature”. Our guides to [window stickers by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/window-sticker-by-vin/) and [free VIN checks](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/) cover the routes that cost nothing. One phrase needs care. The terms mention an “Unlimited VIN Search Access” and say it “applies to VIN decoder searches only.” Full reports are separate: “Depending on the type of membership purchased our full Vehicle History Report/s may require additional per report payment.” A Google Play review from 4 December 2019 complained that “unlimited searches for 30 days” still meant paying more. One customer’s account proves nothing, but the terms say the same in VinCheckUp’s own words. ## How much VinCheckUp costs: two prices for one report VinCheckUp sells packs of reports, not a plan. Its terms say the price chosen “is always clearly displayed on the checkout page.” Two pages print packs without a VIN being entered: the [pricing page](https://www.vincheckup.com/pricing), and the [register page](https://www.vincheckup.com/register) that the site’s “Register” link opens, which carries the card form. Apple lists the app’s own items. Every figure, as printed on 9 October 2026: **VinCheckUp’s report packs as each page printed them, read 9 October 2026. Labels in quotes are VinCheckUp’s.** | Pack | Pricing page | Register page (card form) | iPhone app (in-app purchase) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 report | $19.95 | $14.95 | “Full Vehicle History Report” $19.99; “Vehicle History Report” $9.99 | | 3 reports | $29.95, shown as $9.72 a report, “instead of $44.85”, “Save 35%” | Full amount $29.95, shown as $9.72 a report, “35% OFF” | none listed | | 5 reports | none listed | none listed | $39.99 | | 10 reports | $49.95, shown as $4.99 a report, “instead of $149.50”, “Save 66%” | Full amount $49.95, shown as $4.99 a report | $49.99 | **One report has two prices.** The pricing page says $19.95; the register page, where the card details go, says $14.95, a $5.00 difference (our arithmetic). We did not see the checkout reached after a VIN search (VinCheckUp’s robots.txt closes its /vin-register/ path, and we enter no VINs), so it may show either figure or another one. The figure that binds you is the one beside the card form at the moment you pay. **The per-report figure on the 3-pack is not what the pack costs per report.** Both pages print $9.72 a report, but the full amount charged is $29.95, which is $9.98 a report when divided by 3 (our arithmetic). The $9.72 appears to be 35% off $14.95, the register page’s single price. Likewise the “instead of” figures on the pricing page, $44.85 and $149.50, are exactly 3 and 10 times $14.95, not the $19.95 that same page prints for one report. Against its own “instead of” figure, “Save 35%” works out at a 33.2% saving and “Save 66%” at 66.6% (all our arithmetic). The gaps are small: read the full amount, not the per-report line. **The app is priced separately.** Apple lists four in-app items that match none of the website’s packs and does not say what each contains. VinCheckUp’s “how we are different” page says competitors “charge as much as $44.95 per report” while its reports cost “as low as $4.99 each”, naming no competitor, date or source. State sales tax may be added, and the terms say prices can change “at any time without notice.” We do not compare other companies’ prices here; for Carfax’s, see [how much a Carfax report costs](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-much-does-carfax-cost/). ## No subscription, no trial, but a 30-day clock On billing, VinCheckUp’s pages agree with each other. Its FAQ answers “Will my VinCheckUp subscription automatically renew?” with “VinCheckUp.com does not support the practice of monthly billing or automatic membership renewal.” It answers “Do you offer a trial subscription?” with “VinCheckUp.com does not offer any trial subscriptions.” The terms put it most plainly: “you pay only once. You will never be automatically billed on monthly basis.” The support, pricing and register pages repeat it, and no page we read says otherwise. The terms still use the word “subscription” (“Membership is on a non-recurring subscription basis”), but under its own wording there is nothing to cancel: the register page says “Your membership will automatically deactivate when your 30-day access pass expires.” That 30-day pass is the catch. The pricing page and the terms say saved reports are “available for download for 30 days from your original purchase date” and that “You must be an active member in order to access your search history.” The privacy policy says search history “is stored for 30 days ... after which time it is deleted.” **Download every report the day you run it.** VinCheckUp does not bill you again, but it does not keep your reports either. Its pages tie membership and saved reports to the same 30 days from purchase and do not say that unused report credits outlast them, so plan to use a pack inside that window. Two more lines in the terms decide what you get for your money. You are charged for each report “regardless of whether such Vehicle History Report yields any results, and regardless of whether such Vehicle History Report or record therein contains incorrect information or no information at all.” And payments go “through a third-party bill processor”; VinCheckUp says it stores no card details itself. ## What a VinCheckUp report contains, and where VinCheckUp says the data comes from VinCheckUp’s FAQ answers “What will my vehicle history report include?” with 34 items: title state and brands, mileage readings and odometer rollback, theft, possible bank liens, sale dates and amounts, number of previous owners, taxi, police, rental and government use, lemon, rebuilt, junk, flood, fire and vandalism checks, repair history, recalls, gray-market and VIN-replacement records and “TMU record Check” (true mileage unknown), “and more...”. The homepage adds that title records cover “over 60 title brands” and that “Vehicle sale listing and auction images may be available”. The key words are “may include”: this is a menu of record types VinCheckUp can show when a source holds one, not what your report will contain. Its title-check page adds that a title check “cannot reveal unreported accidents or mechanical issues.” On sources, VinCheckUp names more categories than companies. Gathered from its own pages, it says its data comes from: - **NMVTIS, first.** The FAQ says “primarily most of the records and data we obtain from NMVTS” (sic), and the terms say the Problem Check title and brand records are “compiled from data in NMVTIS”, supplied through Vin, Inc. - **Insurance data.** The pricing page says title event and accident data is “gathered from NMVTIS and National Insurance registered across all 50 states”; the about page speaks of events “reported by all insurance companies in all 50 US states”. - **Auctions and dealers.** The “how we are different” page claims access to “data sourced from dealer-only insurance auctions and broker services”, and images sourced “from popular online car sale websites, insurance, and wholesale auctions”. - **State records.** The lien page mentions “DMV records, insurance companies, and salvage yards”, and the history-check page “dozens of private and government data sources” and “live data feeds”. None of these pages names an insurer, an auction house or a data vendor other than NMVTIS and Vin, Inc. The terms then set the limit on all of it: VinCheckUp “neither enters nor validates the data in NMVTIS”, does not “guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the data presented”, and says “Data availability is largely dependent on sources from which the information is aggregated.” Its lien page advises contacting “your local DMV or relevant governing body to verify this information.” Read a blank section as “no record reached this seller’s sources”, not “nothing happened”, and check a lien with the state, as our [lien-check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) explains. The FAQ and terms also promise that reports “will not contain the vehicle owners name or address”; previous-owner data is limited to the number of owners, how long each kept the car and other “non-owner identifying” details. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the phone, the hand and the ignition, each with one fact from VinCheckUp’s pricing, register, FAQ and terms pages. VinCheckUp’s pricing, register, FAQ and terms pages, read on 9 October 2026: One report: $19.95 on VinCheckUp’s pricing page, $14.95 on its payment page (callout 1); Paid once, no renewal; saved reports can be downloaded for 30 days (callout 2); Refunds: case by case, first-time buyers only, within four weeks (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The sample report, read line by line VinCheckUp publishes a full [sample report](https://www.vincheckup.com/sample-report) on an open page. It shows a 2019 Hyundai Sonata SE in 16 sections, from specifications and market pricing through ownership, title, accident, total-loss, recall, theft, lien, sale and odometer records to a problem checklist and a warranty check. The summary at the top reports 2 accidents, a salvage title brand, 3 owners, 4 problems and 1 recall. Read it as a layout, not as a real car’s history. The warranty section shows a different VIN from the one in the header and a “Today’s date” of 15 November 2023. Its total-loss section lists a “Vehicle written off as a Total loss”, while the checklist row “Record of Totaled” reads “No problems found!”. And its bank-lien section prints a debtor’s name and a license-plate number, despite the promise in the terms and FAQ that reports never carry owner-identifying information. These are made-up values, so they prove nothing about real reports, but they reward slow reading. The sample also teaches four things: - **Owner counts are estimates.** The ownership section is headed “The number of owners is estimated”. - **Accidents come from “available sources”.** That is the accident section’s own caption. A car can be damaged without any source reporting it; see our [guide to accident checks by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-accident-check/). - **Sale records are listings.** The sale section “lists historical sale listing from available independent sources”, with listing prices and mileage. An asking price in an advert is not a recorded sale. - **The checklist is mostly empty by design.** The problem checklist has 60 rows; in the sample, 5 flag something and 55 read “No problems found!” (our count). A long run of green rows means those record types were not found, not that the car is clean. Two smaller signs of an unfinished page: the homepage and the sample both carry the line “Placeholder content for Commercial User History.”, and the checklist lists “Record of Hall damage”. Our [walk-through of a sample vehicle history report](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/sample-vehicle-history-report/) reads Carfax and AutoCheck samples the same way. ## Refunds, the guarantee and the ClickBank route VinCheckUp’s general sitemap lists no refund page; its refund terms sit in one section of the terms, headed “Satisfaction guarantee”, which opens: “Our service comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee for first-time subscribers.” A few lines later: refunds “are handled on a case-by-case basis”, and “Our refund policy is limited to four weeks. We will not be able to issue a refund after the 4-week period”. Four weeks is 28 days, 2 fewer than the 30 in the opening sentence (our arithmetic). Ask inside 28 days and both readings agree. The same section narrows who can ask. The guarantee “is only applicable to customers subscribing for the first time”, and is “not applicable to any and all users/customers that have declines or are in violation of any of our legal disclosures or policies.” So the register page’s “100% RISK FREE Test Drive” is marketing; the terms decide. They also charge for reports that find nothing, and their opening paragraph says your “remedy for dissatisfaction” is “to stop using the site”. Nothing in the documents makes a refund a right. To ask, use the contact form on VinCheckUp’s [support page](https://www.vincheckup.com/support), which says it will reply “within 24 business hours”. Include your order number and the search in question, as the support page asks, and write from your account’s email address, which the privacy policy says is how support confirms who you are. The documents disagree on opening hours. The terms say “We’re open every day 9am - 6pm and 11am - 2pm EST on weekends”; the support page lists Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 11am to 2pm, and “Sunday: Closed”. **If ClickBank charged you, a different policy may apply.** VinCheckUp’s sitemap lists a second landing page, vincheckup.com/cb/, where ClickBank’s badge reads “ClickBank is the trusted retailer for www.vincheckup.com” and promises “We’ll make it right.” ClickBank’s [return policy](https://support.clickbank.com/en/articles/10535349-clickbank-s-return-and-subscription-cancellation-policy), dated 26 August 2026, says ClickBank “will, at its discretion, allow for the return or replacement of any product within 60 days from the date of purchase”, that sellers may offer other windows, and that buyers should “refer to a seller’s return policy before purchasing”. We did not reach a ClickBank order form for VinCheckUp, so we cannot say which window applies. Your receipt names the company that charged you; quote that company’s policy. If you bought inside the iPhone app, the item was an Apple in-app purchase, and VinCheckUp’s terms do not say how app purchases are refunded. ## The terms of use, and how disputes are settled VinCheckUp’s terms carry no effective date, and they reserve “the right to change these Terms and Conditions from time to time without any notice”; continued use counts as acceptance. The clauses that matter if something goes wrong: - **Arbitration in Las Vegas.** “Any dispute concerning the Services, the Data, or this Agreement will be settled by binding arbitration in Las Vegas, Nevada, in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association.” You waive a jury trial. The clause then calls itself “voluntary and not legally required”, wording VinCheckUp does not explain. - **Fees for fee disputes.** If either side starts arbitration or a legal action “concerning the payment of our fees or costs advanced hereunder, the prevailing party will be entitled to collect its reasonable attorneys’ fees”. A formal dispute over a charge risks paying the other side’s lawyers. - **As is.** Everything is provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” without warranty, and the data disclaimer says reports “may not substitute an actual vehicle inspection.” The NMVTIS section of the terms puts it more strongly: a vehicle history report “is NOT a substitute for an independent vehicle inspection.” - **Personal use, one account.** You must be 18 or older; you “may not transfer or share your account with anyone”; and apart from “a single copy made for personal use only”, you may not copy or republish anything from the site without permission. The version we read has no clause capping VinCheckUp’s liability at a fixed sum, no class-action waiver (GoodCar’s terms include one) and nothing about chargebacks. For a small charge, the practical route is the support form inside the four-week window. ## VinCheckUp reviews: BBB, the app stores and the affiliate question These are each platform’s public figures on 9 October 2026: counts and averages, not verified findings. **VinCheckUp’s public reputation figures, read 9 October 2026** | Platform | What it shows | What to know before reading it | | --- | --- | --- | | BBB rating | A; not BBB accredited | BBB’s only listed reason: “Length of time business has been operating”. File opened June 2024 | | BBB complaints | 1 in the last 3 years; 0 in the last 12 months | Type “Service or Repair Issues”, status “Answered” | | BBB customer reviews | Not read | The page served a bot check, which we do not get around | | Apple App Store | 4.2 from 41 ratings | This site recorded 4.21 from 39 ratings on 2 September 2026 | | Google Play | 3.7 from 35 reviews; 1K+ downloads | Listing last updated 24 September 2025 | **The one BBB complaint.** Filed on 25 June 2024, it says a purchased report listed the wrong engine type, had no service history and showed a truck as accident free, while another company’s report showed a damage record; the customer asked for a full refund. VinCheckUp answered the next day by quoting its disclaimer that reports “may not substitute an actual vehicle inspection”, describing itself as “an information broker”, and saying the order was a bundle of several report credits that the account had gone on using. BBB’s status “Answered” means the business replied but the customer did not accept the response or did not confirm satisfaction. It is one person’s account, not a finding, and BBB says the nature of complaints and responses “are often more important than the number of complaints.” **The app stores.** Both ratings rest on a few dozen reviews gathered over years, so they say little either way. **Reading other VinCheckUp reviews.** VinCheckUp’s [partner page](https://www.vincheckup.com/affiliate/) offers “Massive 65% Commissions” to sites that send it buyers: “you will earn 65% commission on the selected purchase price.” It describes a referred buyer’s route: search box, “preliminary/teaser results”, then the register page for payment. When you read a VinCheckUp review elsewhere, check whether its links are referral links. This site is not a VinCheckUp affiliate, and none of our links pay us. ## VinCheckUp vs Carfax and GoodCar: the printed terms side by side We do not rank report sellers or compare their prices. What we can compare is what each company’s own documents say about paying, renewal, refunds, disputes and the federal register, from this site’s records with their read dates. GoodCar is included because it uses the other common model, a subscription. **Printed terms only, from each company’s documents and the NMVTIS register. VinCheckUp read 9 October 2026; GoodCar and Carfax read 3 October 2026 (this site’s GoodCar review records); register as recorded 31 August and 3 October 2026.** | | VinCheckUp | GoodCar | Carfax | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How you pay | Once, for a pack of 1, 3 or 10 reports | A paid trial, then billing “on a recurring monthly basis unless and until you cancel” | Once, for a package of 1, 2 or 4 reports | | Renewal | “You will never be automatically billed on monthly basis” | Renews from the “NEXT BILLING DATE”, then “EVERY THIRTY (30) DAYS” | Order page did not use the words subscription, per month, unlimited or trial | | Refunds | “30-day” guarantee for first-time buyers; case by case; limited to four weeks | Terms: no refund of a month’s unused portion. FAQ: “not guaranteed”, case by case | A representative “will review your request and determine eligibility” | | Disputes | Binding arbitration in Las Vegas, Nevada; no class-action waiver in the text | Binding individual arbitration with a class-action waiver | Not in this site’s records | | NMVTIS register | Not a listed provider name; terms name Vin, Inc. as its NMVTIS provider | Listed for “both Commercial & Public Customers” | Listed for commercial customers “in California only”; consumers “CANNOT” get NMVTIS reports from Carfax | On billing, VinCheckUp is closer to Carfax than to GoodCar: you pay once and nothing renews, though VinCheckUp adds its 30-day download limit. On data, the three are not interchangeable. VinCheckUp says its title records come mainly from NMVTIS through another company; the register says consumers cannot get NMVTIS reports from Carfax at all, which does not mean Carfax lacks title records of its own. Nothing in any of these documents shows two of them return the same records for the same car, so “Is VinCheckUp as good as Carfax?” has no general answer: each will find records the other misses. Our [GoodCar](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/) and [EpicVIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/epicvin-review/) reviews and [whether Carfax is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/is-carfax-worth-it/) cover other sellers, and the [two-minute provider check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/#check-provider) works for any seller. ## Before you pay VinCheckUp: a checklist We do not recommend any paid provider, VinCheckUp included. If you decide to use it, these habits follow from its own documents. - **Run the free federal checks first.** The VIN decode, recalls and complaints cost nothing anywhere; see our [free VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-vin-check/). - **Read the price beside the card form,** not the pricing page. On 9 October 2026 one report was $19.95 on one VinCheckUp page and $14.95 on the other. - **Judge a pack by its full amount.** The 3-pack is $29.95, whatever per-report figure is printed beside it. - **Buy only what you will use within 30 days,** and download each report as soon as it is ready. Access and saved reports end 30 days after purchase. - **Expect to pay for empty reports.** The terms charge for each report whether or not it finds anything. - **If you want a refund, ask within 28 days,** through the support form, from your account email, with your order number. Check who charged you: VinCheckUp or ClickBank. - **Treat a blank section as unknown,** confirm any lien with the state, and get the car inspected; our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) explains how. ## Common questions ### Is VinCheckUp legit? It is a real, established site: the domain dates from 2012, the iPhone app from 2018, and BBB rates it A for time in business. But its pages name no company (the app stores list Cartrest LLC and Cartrest Labs), it is not a listed NMVTIS provider in this site’s records, and its own pages print two prices for one report. Read its terms before you pay. ### Is VinCheckUp free? The first search is free, but its terms say the free results only “verify basic vehicle information” and may not match the paid report. The history details need a paid pack. Its used-car checklist and calculators are free. ### Does VinCheckUp charge monthly or renew automatically? No. Its FAQ, terms, support page and register page all say there is no monthly billing or automatic renewal (“you pay only once”), and the FAQ says there is no trial. Membership simply lapses after 30 days, and with it access to your saved reports. ### How much does a VinCheckUp report cost? On 9 October 2026 the pricing page listed 1 report at $19.95, 3 for $29.95 and 10 for $49.95; the register page with the card form listed 1 report at $14.95 and the same two packs. The iPhone app sells its own items, from $9.99 to $49.99. VinCheckUp says prices can change without notice, and sales tax may be added. ### Is VinCheckUp as good as Carfax? There is no general answer, and we do not rank sellers. VinCheckUp says its title records come mainly from NMVTIS through Vin, Inc.; the federal register says consumers cannot get NMVTIS reports from Carfax. They draw on different sources, so each can show records the other lacks. Neither replaces an inspection. ### Can I get a refund from VinCheckUp? Possibly, but not as a right. The terms offer a satisfaction guarantee to first-time buyers only, handle refunds case by case, and limit them to four weeks from purchase. Ask through the support form within 28 days, with your order number. If ClickBank charged you, its own return policy may also apply. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_understandingvhr) - [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vincheckup-review/ --- title: "ClearVin Review: What a $17.99 Report Shows and the Fine Print" description: "ClearVin is on the federal NMVTIS register and sells one-time reports from $17.99. What its refund wording, terms, sample report and AutoBidMaster link show." url: "https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/clearvin-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # ClearVin Review: What a $17.99 Report Shows and the Fine Print > ClearVin is on the federal NMVTIS register and sells one-time reports from $17.99. What its refund wording, terms, sample report and AutoBidMaster link show. *VIN & Vehicle History · 21 min read · 4,718 words* ## The short version - ClearVin is on the federal register of approved NMVTIS data providers: on 3 October 2026 Clearvin.com was one of 12 entries listed for public customers, which the register shows “with no preference indicated.” - Reports are sold once, not by subscription: $17.99 for one, $23.98 for 2 and $28.99 for 5 on 9 October 2026. In the page as served, the 2-report package was already selected. - ClearVin’s pages never mention AutoBidMaster, but Oregon’s registry puts CLEARVIN LLC at AutoBidMaster’s Portland address, and AutoBidMaster’s site sells ClearVin reports as “our reports.” Who owns ClearVin is on no record we read. - The refund promise depends on the page. The terms make payments non-refundable unless a representative approves an exception; the home page offers “a 100% refund if you’re not completely satisfied.” - ClearVin’s own sample, a 2021 sedan sold at a salvage auction after a flood and later branded rebuilt, carries a C (“Average”) rating, and its Title History tile says “No Issues Found.” - Disputes go to binding arbitration in Dover, Delaware, with a one-year deadline. To opt out, you must mail a signed notice postmarked within 30 days of first viewing the website. Is ClearVin legit? It is a real seller on the Justice Department’s list of approved NMVTIS data providers, it charges per report rather than by subscription, and its own contract says not to rely on what it sells. On 9 October 2026 we read ClearVin’s [Terms and Conditions](https://www.clearvin.com/en/terms-and-conditions/) (no date is printed on them), its Privacy Policy (effective 23 March 2023), its FAQ, its published [sample report](https://www.clearvin.com/en/sample-report/), its package page and its Data Sources, About, Copart VIN Check, Dealer, API and Affiliate pages, plus the AutoBidMaster page that sells ClearVin reports. The NMVTIS register and Oregon’s registry rows come from this site’s own records, with their read dates. ClearVin’s terms bar robots and automated copying, so each page was read once, by hand, and only short passages are quoted. We did not open an account, enter a VIN or buy a report, and we have no commercial relationship with ClearVin or any report seller. **Figure: Reading ClearVin’s own sample report, section by section** ClearVin’s published sample report for a 2021 sedan, generated on 2 April 2026 and read on 9 October 2026: what six of its sections show and how to read the same sections in a report you buy. Source: ClearVin sample report (US Vehicle Report), read 9 October 2026. Photo split and brand count are our arithmetic. ## Is ClearVin legit? What the federal register shows The test a report seller cannot write for itself is the federal register. The Department of Justice lists the businesses approved to sell reports from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), the federal title database. When this site read it on 3 October 2026, Clearvin.com was one of 12 primary entries in the section headed “Approved NMVTIS Data Provider’s Links for both Commercial & Public Customers.” Our earlier record, from 31 August 2026, also lists ClearVin as selling to consumers. ClearVin describes the listing in bigger terms. Its home page says “ClearVin is one of few approved NMVTIS providers,” and its FAQ calls it “a first-level approved NMVTIS provider.” The register lists 12 providers in that section, “in alphabetical order with no preference indicated of one provider over another,” and nothing in the register text this site has recorded sorts providers into levels. The listing means ClearVin may sell NMVTIS title data to the public. It says nothing about the rest of the report, the price or refunds; see [our guide to the NMVTIS report](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/#what-it-is) for what the federal record holds. Two other providers in the same section have their own reviews here: [GoodCar](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/#legit) and [EpicVIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/epicvin-review/#register). A Google search for ClearVin LLC with “lawsuit,” “complaint” or “attorney general” returned ClearVin’s own pages, its blog, AutoBidMaster’s ClearVin page, a review site, a forum thread and a video, but no court record and no action by the Federal Trade Commission or a state attorney general. That is not proof of a clean record: we could not search court dockets, and the Better Business Bureau blocked this site’s requests. ## Who runs ClearVin, and how it connects to AutoBidMaster ClearVin’s documents name one company: ClearVin, LLC, with a mailing address in Dover, Delaware, where its terms send legal notices, arbitration filings and opt-outs. The Privacy Policy defines “ClearVin” as ClearVin, LLC “and its affiliates, related entities, subsidiaries, investors, owners, members,” without naming any of them. None of the ClearVin pages we read mentions AutoBidMaster. The connection shows up in three other places. - **Oregon’s business registry.** CLEARVIN LLC (registry number 126803691) was registered as a domestic Oregon limited liability company on 18 November 2016. Its registered agent, mailing address and principal place of business are at the Portland building address of AUTOBIDMASTER LLC (49495096, registered 13 May 2008). These rows were read on 9 October 2026 for our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/#who-sells). By our arithmetic CLEARVIN LLC had been registered for 9 years and 10 months that day. - **AutoBidMaster’s website.** Its About page says “ClearVin is a web-based provider of Vehicle History Reports,” beside its shipping brand, EasyHaul. A “Vehicle history” item in AutoBidMaster’s main menu opens a page selling ClearVin reports “By VIN or Lot Number,” which says “our reports can provide vital vehicle information.” AutoBidMaster’s paid memberships include free history reports; its records we hold do not say whose. - **The contracts.** ClearVin’s class-action waiver is the sentence in AutoBidMaster’s Member Terms, word for word, with the company name changed. It even keeps “DEALERS,” AutoBidMaster’s word for the companies that buy cars at auction and resell them to its members. The records stop there. Oregon’s rows name a registered agent and addresses, not members or managers, so they do not show who owns either company, and Delaware’s business search uses a CAPTCHA we did not attempt. Matching wording shows shared drafting, not who controls whom. ClearVin’s terms also say: “ClearVin may be recommended to you by other companies, but ClearVin is a third party to those other companies.” If an auction-broker site sent you to ClearVin, the broker is not answerable for the report. ## What a ClearVin report contains, and where the data comes from The terms describe the product narrowly. ClearVin reports “include Title and Brand data from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) as well as some theft and lien information” that NMVTIS does not supply. They cover “automobiles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles (RV’s) and pre 1981 classic cars,” and are “limited in scope.” The FAQ’s list is longer: title states and registration dates, title brands, junk and salvage records, insurance total losses, liens and impounds, odometer events, sales history and prices, vehicle photos, a stolen summary, recalls and emission tests. The home page names what is missing: “Please note that ClearVin does not include maintenance records.” Ownership history is “an estimate of the number of owners generated from DMV title records,” with no names: the FAQ says owners’ personal information “is protected under federal law,” the [Driver’s Privacy Protection Act](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2721). The source lists differ by page. The FAQ says ClearVin uses NMVTIS records (from state DMVs, insurers, auto recyclers and junk and salvage yards) and “Additionally, ClearVin obtains information from salvage auctions, government agencies, and other proprietary sources.” The [Data Sources page](https://www.clearvin.com/en/data-sources/) names six: NMVTIS; the National Vehicle Service (NVS), for impound, export and theft-and-recovery data; NHTSA; “Proprietary data”; MonroneyLabels.com, for window stickers; and Black Book, for values. It does not mention an auction, although the sample report credits “Salvage Auction” in two sections. The home page says ClearVin’s title check “is powered by NMVTIS data that covers 99% of the U.S. DMV records.” The NMVTIS disclaimer in ClearVin’s own terms adds that NMVTIS “does not contain information on all motor vehicles in the United States,” and that serious damage “may not be included” unless an insurer declared a total loss or a state branded the title. Of liens it says: “Some lien holders and jurisdictions do not report to NVS.” Our [lien guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#state) covers the state check. One practical point: a PDF copy of each report is emailed to you, and “access to U.S. vehicle history reports ordered more than 60 days ago may be limited,” so save it on the day. **The sections of ClearVin’s sample report, the source each names, and the badge it showed (read 9 October 2026)** | Section | Source printed | Sample shows | Badge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ownership History | ClearVin | 2 previous owners | Attention | | Sale History | ClearVin, Salvage Auction | 4 records | Attention | | Odometer Information | ClearVin, USDOT | 8,632 mi | No Issues Found | | Title History | NMVTIS | 6 records | No Issues Found | | Title Brands | NMVTIS | 3 records | Warning | | Insurance & Junk/Salvage | NMVTIS | 3 records | Warning | | Accident & Damage | Salvage Auction | 1 record | Warning | | Lien & Impound | ClearVin | 3 records | No Issues Found | | Theft Records | NVS | 0 records | No Issues Found | | Market Values | Black Book | Trade-in and retail values | none | | Recalls | NHTSA | 1 record | Attention | ## What ClearVin’s own sample report shows The best preview of a ClearVin report is the one ClearVin publishes: a 2021 Toyota Corolla sedan, generated on 2 April 2026, with a history worth reading. Here it is as the sample prints it. - **16 October 2021:** the damage section, sourced to “Salvage Auction,” records “Major Impact: Water/Flood” and a repair cost of $25,137. - **17 October 2021:** State Farm Insurance lists the car at Copart, document type “NJ Cert Of Title-Salvage Flood,” condition “Run & Drive,” ACV (actual cash value) $25,137. - **20 October 2021:** New Jersey applies Flood Damage and Salvage brands. - **3 November 2021:** the Copart record shows a sale price of $11,700 at 2,699 miles, 46.5% of the ACV (our arithmetic). - **24 July 2022:** Georgia applies a Rebuilt brand, 263 days after the auction (our arithmetic). - **1 September 2022:** a dealer-classifieds sale at $25,900 with 2,707 miles, 302 days and $14,200 after the Copart sale (our arithmetic). - **29 August 2025:** it appears again in dealer classifieds at $19,499 with 8,632 miles, 5,933 more than at the auction (our arithmetic). Over all of it sits the grade: “C,” Average, with the text “The vehicle has some minor defects and needs servicing, but generally, its condition is satisfactory.” ClearVin’s rating page runs from A (Excellent) to F (Irreparable) and builds the grade from 14 criteria (our count), including title brand, past salvage auctions, primary and secondary damage, a repair-cost index and the number of owners. For a flood car with a salvage sale behind its rebuilt title, “minor defects” is not the summary most buyers would write. **A grade is a formula, not an inspection.** ClearVin’s own sample gives a C to a car a salvage auction sold as a flood car and Georgia later branded Rebuilt. Read the Title Brands and Insurance sections yourself, whatever the letter says. The terms call a report “only to be used as a starting point for further research regarding a vehicle.” The tiles at the top need the same care. Title History shows 6 records and a green “No Issues Found”; the brands sit in a separate tile, Title Brands, with 3 records and a “Warning.” That section checks 62 brands and marks the 3 it found. The FAQ says a “Warning” badge means “a high-risk issue or a confirmed problem” and orange “Attention” means “a potential risk.” A buyer who skims the green tiles could miss the red one. Three more details matter. - **The repair cost is the ACV.** The $25,137 repair cost is the same figure as the auction’s ACV. ClearVin’s FAQ says repair cost “is typically calculated by an insurance carrier when evaluating whether a vehicle should be declared a total loss or sent to auction.” It is an estimate, not a repair bill. - **Most photos are from dealer listings.** The galleries hold 58, 61 and 10 photos; only the 10 come from the Copart sale, about 7.8% of 129 (our arithmetic). This site’s record of the sample from 1 September 2026 found the same split. - **Values are by condition, not brand.** Black Book trade-in values run from $12,825 (Rough) to $18,465 (Clean) and retail from $16,475 to $21,950, “based on the vehicle’s condition,” with no line on the brands. The warranty note adds that with a salvage title “the manufacturer’s warranty may be voided.” The sample also shows what an auction record adds to a title record: who sold the car, what it fetched as a write-off, and that a dealer sold it ten months later for more than twice that (our arithmetic). See our guides to [damage title brands](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-branded-title/#damage) and the [two records a flood check needs](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/flood-damage-check-by-vin/#two-records). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the dashboard, the door panel and the windscreen, each with one fact from ClearVin’s FAQ, sample report and terms. ClearVin’s FAQ, sample report and Terms of Use, read on 9 October 2026: Mileage rows come from title and listing records, not the car; rollback is only a flag (callout 1); Read Title Brands, not just Title History: the sample’s history said No Issues Found (callout 2); ClearVin’s terms call a report a starting point and say not to rely on it (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Auction lot search, sale photos and the rating ClearVin courts auction buyers. Its home page says you can search “an auction lot number from Copart or IAA,” its Copart VIN Check page opens with “Enter VIN# or Lot#,” and the free preview is partial: “Get more real photos from previous sales in the full paid report version.” Its FAQ contrasts itself with Carfax on this point: Carfax “often includes maintenance records, while ClearVin provides detailed sales history with real auction photos.” Auction data also feeds the grade: the “Past auctions” criterion checks “whether the vehicle has been ever sold through salvage auctions,” and primary-damage data is “obtained directly from auctions.” For businesses, ClearVin sells an Auction History API that it says “covers all instances of used vehicles going up for sale through the largest American salvage auctions,” a claim we could not test; the example record in its documentation names salvagebid.com as the “vendor” (see our [SalvageBid review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagebid-review/)). What each line of an auction record means is covered in our [BidFax guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#fields), which explains why [“Run and Drive” is no promise](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive) and why [primary damage is the auction’s label](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#damage). If you want to bid at Copart without a dealer licence, our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/#copart-broker) explains brokers, and the [Copart VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#disclaimer) covers what the lot page disclaims. ## How much ClearVin costs: packages, credits and dealer plans ClearVin’s FAQ says pricing “is shown on the report preview page,” which appears only after you enter a VIN. The package page linked from its About page printed these prices on 9 October 2026, before tax: **ClearVin report packages as printed on its package page, read 9 October 2026; price per report is our arithmetic** | Package | Price printed | Per report (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 report | $17.99 | $17.99 | | 2 reports | $23.98 | $11.99 | | 5 reports | $28.99 | $5.80 | Two settings were made for you. In the page as served, the 2-report package was selected, so the “Total amount” read $23.98, and the “Sign me up for newsletter” box was ticked. Choose one report if one is all you need. The terms add that “An applicable sales tax may be assessed based on the Customer’s billing zip code” and that prices “are subject to change at any time.” A report purchase does not renew: the home page says “One time fee. No recurring charges.” Extra reports in a package become Report Credits, which the FAQ says “never expire” while your account is active, though “some promo codes may have expiration dates.” One clause limits that promise. Section 6(b) of the terms lets ClearVin close an account “for any reason or no reason” with “no refund or exchange” for fees, data “or for anything else.” Credits are not named, and nothing there protects them, so buy only what you will use soon. Subscriptions are for dealers. The terms set out monthly and annual dealer plans that renew “at the then-current” rate, with an email before each renewal; you can cancel at any time, but “Past subscription fees will not be refunded.” The Dealer Pricing page’s plan cards printed no figures in the copy we read. Its table of “monthly costs” gives ClearVin’s own figures as $70 for 20 reports, $145 for 50 and $270 for 100, or $3.50, $2.90 and $2.70 a report (our arithmetic). The same table prints two competitors’ prices, which we have not checked and do not repeat. The FAQ also says the $17.99 report is “60% less than Carfax.” This site does not compare report prices; Carfax’s own figures are in our guide to [what a Carfax report costs](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-much-does-carfax-cost/). And ClearVin pays for referrals: its [affiliate page](https://www.clearvin.com/en/affiliates/) offers “up to 45% commissions that start from 5 USD per sale,” with a 60-day cookie. Many ClearVin reviews carry an affiliate link. This one does not. ## Refunds: nine wordings and one contract We found no separate refund page (its /en/refund-policy/ address returned a 404 error); the Contact page points to the FAQ “including refunds.” We found nine refund statements on seven of its pages (our count), from a full guarantee to almost nothing. **Every refund statement we found on ClearVin’s pages, read 9 October 2026** | Where | What it says | | --- | --- | | Terms, section 6(e)(iii) | “Payments are non-refundable, except when an exception is approved by a representative of www.ClearVin.com.” | | Terms, section 6(b) | If ClearVin closes your account, “no refund or exchange” for fees, data “or for anything else” | | Home page (and Dealer page) | “a 100% refund if you’re not completely satisfied” | | Copart VIN Check page, badge | “If the report doesn’t meet your expectations, you can ask for a full refund.” | | Copart VIN Check page, FAQ | A “100% money-back guarantee if we’re unable to provide a report for your VIN or if the report contains any inconsistencies” | | Package page | A full refund if a report “doesn’t reflect the exact NMVTIS information as of the date you ran it,” “no questions asked” | | FAQ | Refunds for “internal errors or technical issues” such as “empty reports, duplicate charges, or data discrepancies caused by database errors” | | FAQ, same answer | None for “accidents not reported to insurance companies, or title events from states that do not participate in the NMVTIS program” | | Window Sticker page | If no sticker exists, ClearVin will “cancel the operation, refund your payment” | These are not one policy. The home page covers dissatisfaction of any kind; the FAQ covers errors only and rules out the commonest disappointment, an accident nobody reported. The contract decides: section 16 says the Terms “constitute the entire agreement between you and ClearVin,” and the Terms make every refund an exception. Quote the marketing promise in a request, but do not expect it as of right. To ask, the FAQ says to email customer service with your email address, name, the VIN and “proof of the issue”; for a data discrepancy, “documentation such as a state title document or other official records.” The package page’s promise is judged against NMVTIS on the day you ran the report, so keep the PDF and the date. A state title history settles a disagreement, though the FAQ notes most states charge for one. ## The terms of use: what you agree to when you click Order Now The package page says: “By clicking Order Now you agree to ClearVin Terms and Conditions and NMVTIS disclaimer.” The clauses that matter most: - **Do not rely on the report.** Section 5(b): “The content may be incomplete or inaccurate. The content is only to be used as a starting point for further research regarding a vehicle. You should not rely on the information in the reports.” Section 12(b) adds that it may miss flood, salvage or buyback history. The home page, meanwhile, says “We guarantee accurate vehicle information.” - **Your remedy is to stop using it.** “YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SITE AND/OR SITE-RELATED SERVICES IS TO STOP USING THE SITE AND/OR THOSE SERVICES.” If that is struck down, liability is capped at $100. - **The account is yours.** The Services “require an account registration,” one per person or business, and the holder “remains responsible for all charges incurred” even if someone else uses it. You must be 18 or older. - **Telephone contact.** If you enter “self-reported information,” ClearVin may forward it “to third parties and call centers,” and you consent to contact “BY TELEPHONE.” Give only what the purchase needs. - **No date.** The Terms print no “last updated” date. Changes to the arbitration clause are announced “by a message when you log into the Website.” None of this is unusual for an online data seller, and it is why the next step matters. A [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#what) looks at the car; a report looks at paperwork about it. ClearVin’s own NMVTIS disclaimer says so: “A vehicle history report is NOT a substitute for an independent vehicle inspection.” ## Disputes: certified mail, arbitration in Dover and a 30-day opt-out Section 15 of the terms sets the order. - **Notice first.** Send a completed Notice of Dispute form by Certified Mail to ClearVin’s Dover, Delaware address. If it is not resolved “within thirty (30) days,” either side may start arbitration. - **Arbitration, not court.** Claims are “resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration, rather than in any court,” with a jury waiver, before the American Arbitration Association, “held in Dover, Delaware.” Claims of $10,000 or less are decided on documents unless the arbitrator calls a hearing; above that, each party must appear in person. The hearing is due within 120 days, ClearVin’s representatives “may attend by telephone,” and an appeal on legal errors is open where $100,000 or more is requested. - **No small claims, no class action.** You agree not to bring legal action “including arbitration or small claims actions” outside this process, and to pay ClearVin’s costs of getting it dismissed if you do. Claims go “ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS.” - **One year, Delaware law.** “ANY CLAIM MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE YEAR” under Delaware law. Where arbitration does not apply, the courts “located in and or for Dover, Delaware” decide, small claims court excluded. Where ClearVin may recover attorney fees, in-house lawyers count “at a rate no less than Three Hundred Dollars per hour.” The only way out of arbitration is a signed opt-out notice by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, giving your name, address, account login and email. It “MUST BE POSTMARKED NOT LATER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH YOU ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT BY VIEWING OUR WEBSITE OR USING OUR SERVICES FOR THE FIRST TIME,” so the window can close before you buy anything. One drafting oddity: section 15 points to “Section 9.4 (Agreement to Arbitrate)” and “all other provisions of Section 9,” but section 9 is about enforcing the terms. AutoBidMaster’s Website Terms of Service send disputes to section 9 of its Member Terms. Here are the same printed terms beside two contracts this site has read for its [GoodCar](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/goodcar-review/#terms) and [AutoBidMaster](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/#terms-disputes) reviews, terms only, not prices or quality. **Printed dispute and liability terms: ClearVin (read 9 October 2026), GoodCar’s Terms of Service (read 3 October 2026) and AutoBidMaster’s Member Terms (read 9 October 2026), from this site’s records** | Term | ClearVin | GoodCar | AutoBidMaster | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Liability limit | Sole remedy is to stop using the site; if that fails, $100 | “ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS ($100.00)” | Fees paid to AutoBidMaster for that car, or $500 if none | | Arbitration | American Arbitration Association, in Dover, Delaware | “confidential binding arbitration, rather than in court” after a 30-day notice | Remote for membership claims; Portland, Oregon for others | | Class actions | Individual claims only | Class actions waived | Individual claims only (the same sentence) | | Opt-out | Mailed within 30 days of first viewing the website | Not in this site’s record | Mailed within 30 days of first accepting the terms | | In-house attorney time | At least $300 an hour | Not in this site’s record | At least $500 an hour | ## Where ClearVin’s own pages disagree Besides refunds and accuracy, covered above, ClearVin’s documents contradict each other in seven places. When it matters, the Terms are the document that binds. - **Accounts.** The Terms “require an account registration”; the FAQ recommends one only for more than one report; How it works says a buyer without one is emailed “a temporary password to access your account.” - **Report storage.** One FAQ answer says reports are available “without time limits” and, a sentence later, that US reports over 60 days old “may be limited.” - **Model years.** The Terms cover “pre 1981 classic cars”; the FAQ says “vehicles from 1981 to present”; AutoBidMaster’s ClearVin page excludes “antique vehicles.” - **Data points.** “40+ data points” in the FAQ; “70+ critical data points” on the Copart VIN Check page. - **Size.** “Hundreds of people use ClearVin” (About); “Thousands of used cars buyers” (Copart page); “over 500 car dealers and importers” (Dealer page); “over a decade of experience delivering billions of accurate reports” (plate page). Oregon registered CLEARVIN LLC on 18 November 2016. - **Sources.** The FAQ names “salvage auctions”; the Data Sources page does not. - **Cross-references.** The dispute section, numbered 15, refers to sections 9 and 9.4, and its waiver mentions “DEALERS,” a word the Terms otherwise use only for dealer subscriptions. ## Before you buy a ClearVin report: a checklist We do not recommend any paid report seller. ClearVin’s shape suits a buyer who wants NMVTIS title data plus salvage-auction sale records and photos, and does not need service records, which it says it does not carry. - **Read the sample first,** including its C grade on a flood-branded, rebuilt car. - **Pick the package you mean to buy.** The 2-report package ($23.98) was preselected and the newsletter box ticked. - **Read Title Brands and Insurance, not just the tiles.** In the sample, Title History said “No Issues Found” while Title Brands showed a Warning. - **Save the PDF on the day.** Older US reports “may be limited,” and the NMVTIS refund promise is judged “as of the date you ran it.” - **Treat an empty section as unknown.** The FAQ refunds nothing for accidents never reported to an insurer. - **Check liens with the state,** as ClearVin’s own sample advises. - **Decide on arbitration early:** the opt-out must be mailed within 30 days of your first visit. - **Have the car inspected** before you pay for it. ## Common questions ### Is ClearVin legit? It is a real business on the Justice Department’s register of approved NMVTIS data providers, listed for public customers when this site read it on 3 October 2026, and Oregon registered CLEARVIN LLC on 18 November 2016. Being listed is not the same as being accurate: its terms say the content “may be incomplete or inaccurate.” One search found no court or regulator record, but court dockets were not searched. ### How much does ClearVin cost? On 9 October 2026 its package page printed $17.99 for one report, $23.98 for 2 and $28.99 for 5, paid once, plus any sales tax. Dealers can buy monthly or annual subscriptions under separate terms. ### What is a ClearVin report? A vehicle history report built on NMVTIS title and brand data, with theft and lien records, sales history and photos, odometer events, Black Book values, recalls and a letter grade. It has no maintenance records or owners’ names, and the terms call it a “starting point for further research.” ### Is ClearVin owned by AutoBidMaster? No record we read says who owns either company. They show a close link: CLEARVIN LLC is registered at AutoBidMaster’s Portland address, AutoBidMaster’s About page lists ClearVin, and its site sells ClearVin reports as “our reports.” ClearVin’s own pages do not mention AutoBidMaster. ### Does ClearVin give refunds? Its pages promise more than its contract. The home page offers a full refund if you are not satisfied; the Terms, which say they are the entire agreement, make payments non-refundable unless a representative approves an exception. The FAQ covers errors such as empty reports and duplicate charges. Ask in writing with the VIN and proof. ### ClearVin vs Carfax: what is the difference? By ClearVin’s account, Carfax “often includes maintenance records” while ClearVin offers sales history with auction photos. The federal register adds that ClearVin sells NMVTIS reports to the public, while consumers “CANNOT receive NMVTIS Vehicle History Reports from Carfax.” Nothing we read shows the two use the same records; our [guide to checking any provider](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/#check-provider) explains how to compare sources. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_understandingvhr) - [18 U.S.C. § 2721, Driver’s Privacy Protection Act](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2721) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/clearvin-review/ --- title: "AutoHelperBot Review: What It Shows, Sells and Leaves Out" description: "AutoHelperBot’s own pages, read: an unnamed Ukrainian sole proprietor, $3 CarHistory and $2 AutoCheck reports, $20 Premium, no returns, not on the NMVTIS list." url: "https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/autohelperbot-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # AutoHelperBot Review: What It Shows, Sells and Leaves Out > AutoHelperBot’s own pages, read: an unnamed Ukrainian sole proprietor, $3 CarHistory and $2 AutoCheck reports, $20 Premium, no returns, not on the NMVTIS list. *VIN & Vehicle History · 22 min read · 5,001 words* ## The short version - AutoHelperBot is a Copart and IAAI auction-data service (website, Telegram and Viber bots, a Chrome extension, Android and iPhone apps). Its own contract says it is run by an unnamed Ukrainian sole proprietor in Kyiv, under Ukrainian law. - Its free lot pages and sales list print all 17 VIN characters, the damage lines, the final bid, a repair cost and a “market value”. Who is selling is shown only to registered users; the seller’s reserve figure only to Premium subscribers at $20 a month. - Standing prices on its pages: a “CarHistory” report $3, an AutoCheck report $2 and a window sticker $4, each half price with Premium. The CarHistory page never prints the Carfax name; the Premium page spells it with two Cyrillic letters. - Its contract says the data come from public sources, are not official data from the original sources, and that a missing record does not mean a car had no accident. The Premium page says the reports come “directly from official sources”. - Carfax’s and AutoCheck’s own consumer terms forbid reselling their reports, and AutoHelperBot is not on the Justice Department’s NMVTIS list of approved data providers. - Removal is for sale: on 9 October 2026, 4 of 9 Google results for “remove car from autohelperbot” sold it. An empty search there proves nothing about a car. AutoHelperBot is a research service for buyers at the Copart and IAAI salvage auctions, built largely for importers, and its fine print matters more than its home page. On 9 October 2026 we read its Public Offer Agreement (served in Ukrainian on its English page; translations here are ours), privacy policy, About, Premium, report-order, Contacts and help pages, its sales list and two lot pages, and its three app-store listings. Copart, IAAI, Carfax, AutoCheck and NMVTIS records come from the files behind our other guides, with their own read dates. We opened no account, bought no report and entered no VIN, and we have no relationship with AutoHelperBot or any report seller. **Figure: Reading an AutoHelperBot lot page against its own terms** What a visitor sees or is offered on AutoHelperBot, what AutoHelperBot’s offer and the auctions’ own terms say about it, and what to do. Source: AutoHelperBot’s lot pages, sales list, Premium Benefits, report pages and Public Offer Agreement (our translation), read on 9 October 2026; Copart and IAAI terms and masking copied from this site’s Copart, IAAI and BidFax pages; Carfax and AutoCheck terms from our provider files. ## Who runs AutoHelperBot, and from where The contract is the only document on the site that names a party, and it does not name a person. Its opening sentence describes the seller as a Ukrainian individual entrepreneur (фізична особа-підприємець in Ukrainian law, a sole proprietor usually shortened to FOP), registered in Ukraine’s unified state register, located in Kyiv and paying Ukraine’s single tax. It calls that person the Contractor and says the agreement is binding under Articles 633, 641 and 642 of the Civil Code of Ukraine. Neither the contract nor any page on the site gives a company name, a registration code or a US entity. The app stores add a little. Google Play lists the Android app under a developer account called REDNES, and its “About the developer” panel gives one individual’s name and Ukraine as the country. Apple’s US App Store lists the same individual as the iPhone app’s seller. We do not print the name: the contract does not give one, so we cannot confirm that the person in the stores is the entrepreneur in the contract. Domain records show autohelperbot.com was registered on 2 January 2020, which fits the About page’s account that development began in 2019 and the service launched officially in 2020. **AutoHelperBot at a glance, from its own pages and its app-store listings. Read on 9 October 2026; claims are AutoHelperBot’s own.** | Question | What the documents show | | --- | --- | | Who you contract with | An unnamed Ukrainian sole proprietor in Kyiv (Public Offer Agreement) | | Which law | Ukrainian: the Civil Code and “current legislation of Ukraine”; no court or arbitration clause | | Where it runs | Website in 7 languages (English, Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, Georgian, Russian, Armenian), Telegram and Viber bots, a Chrome extension, Android and iPhone apps | | Since when | Development from 2019, official launch in 2020; domain registered 2 January 2020 | | How big, as claimed | “Over 60 million lots and 600 million official photos”, “more than 250 TB of data as of 2026”, lots from 2007 | | Who it is built for | Importers: its lot-page calculator ships to Rotterdam, Gdynia, Bremerhaven, Klaipeda, Odessa and Poti and works out customs for the EU, Ukraine and Georgia, with no US option | | How to reach it | An on-site chat and an e-mail address it promises to answer “within one business day” | The About page calls AutoHelperBot “the leading car analytics service for Copart and IAAI auctions”; we have no way to measure that. The calculator is plainer: the service is built around a car leaving the United States by ship, and for a US buyer it is a research tool. Nothing on the pages we read offers to bid for you; our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/) explains what a Copart broker does, and our [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) and [IAA auction](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/) guides cover the auctions. ## What the free auction archive shows Like BidFax and its look-alikes, AutoHelperBot keeps a page for each Copart or IAAI lot, searchable by VIN or lot number, and it keeps it after the sale. Our [BidFax guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/) covers this whole kind of site and what each copied field means in the auctions’ own words; this section is about what AutoHelperBot’s version shows and to whom. We opened two lot pages from its home page without signing in, one Copart and one IAAI. The Copart page had 14 open lines in its Characteristics box (Buy It Now price, VIN, auction, mileage, auction date, color, transmission, fuel, drive, key, cost of repair, market value, primary and secondary damage) and 2 locked ones: “Who sells”, for registered users only, and “Seller Reserve Price”, for premium subscribers. The IAAI page had 12 open lines and the same 2 locked. Below the box sat a VIN decoder, a “Vehicle Valuation (USA)” block of history flags (owners, accidents, salvage, title brand) with a report date, and market panels. Trade history was locked on the Copart page and read “Sales history unknown” on the IAAI one. The sales-history list is more open. Its first page, with no filters, held 20 records on 9 October 2026: all Copart, all marked Sold, each with a final bid, 19 with a market value, 13 with a cost of repair and 19 with an odometer status word such as Actual. The seller was locked on all 20. The VIN is where AutoHelperBot differs most from the auctions. On the Copart and IAAI lot pages we opened for the BidFax guide on 3 October 2026, a signed-out visitor saw 11 of the 17 VIN characters, then 6 asterisks. AutoHelperBot puts the whole number in the page address: 30 of the 40 cars linked from its English home page carried a complete 17-character VIN (the other 10 were pre-1980 classics), and all 20 VINs on the sales list were complete and passed the check-digit test. Its About page sells this: “you’ll always know the hidden VIN”. **The main lines on an AutoHelperBot lot page, who can see them, and what they cannot tell a used-car buyer. From two lot pages and the sales list read on 9 October 2026; Copart’s definitions copied from our BidFax guide (read 3 October 2026).** | Line | Who sees it | What it is | What it does not tell you | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Full VIN | Anyone | All 17 characters, also in the page address | Whether the car in front of you carries the same number | | Final bid / Buy It Now | Anyone | The auction price for the car as it stood | What it is worth repaired, or what was done to it | | Primary and secondary damage | Anyone | The auction’s damage labels; Copart says they may not reflect the type or extent of damage | The full damage, or any repair | | Cost of repair, market value | Anyone | Figures AutoHelperBot does not source on the page | The value of this car today | | Who sells | Registered users | Insurer or not, per AutoHelperBot’s help page | Why the seller had the car, or what a claim paid for | | Seller Reserve Price | Premium subscribers | AutoHelperBot’s figure for the seller’s minimum | Where the figure comes from (not stated) | | Trade history | Registered users | Earlier listings and bids for the same car | Anything after the last auction | None of AutoHelperBot’s pages says it has permission from Copart or IAAI to republish their listings, and we draw no conclusion about that. IAAI’s [Terms of Use](https://www.iaai.com/TermsOfUse) (revised 4 December 2025) bar any robot, spider or data-extraction tool used to copy information about vehicles offered at auction or the results of any auction. AutoHelperBot’s own contract bars its customers from parsing or scraping its copy. ## What the archive leaves out, and where its own figures disagree Three lines a buyer would look for were missing from both lot pages we opened: the title or sale document the car was sold on, the auction’s start code (Copart’s and IAAI’s Run and Drive and similar checks), and the odometer’s status word. Copart’s own signed-out lot page showed 27 labels when we read one for the BidFax guide, title code and the engine-start and transmission checks among them. The sales list does print the odometer status. For what those auction lines mean, see our guides to [Run and Drive at Copart and IAAI](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive) and to [Copart’s damage codes](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#damage-codes). Both pages also gave two different mileages for the same car. On the Copart page the Characteristics box said 14,703 miles while the Vehicle Valuation block, and a machine-written history summary on the same page, said 17,000. On the IAAI page the box said 56,315 and the valuation block 38,109. The gaps are 2,297 and 18,206 miles (our arithmetic). Neither page says where its second figure comes from or when it was recorded, beyond a report date on the valuation block. Values disagree too. The Copart page printed a “Market value” of $104,431 and, lower down, a “Typical Listing Price” adjusted average of $87,000 for the same car, $17,431 apart (our arithmetic). AutoHelperBot does not say where either figure comes from. Copart’s own glossary defines the estimated retail value on its lot pages as a number “submitted to Copart by the Seller”, for the car before it was damaged, “presented for informational purposes only”. Neither AutoHelperBot figure says whether it describes the car damaged or repaired. AutoHelperBot’s contract is candid about all of this. Section 9 says, in our translation, that the site’s information comes from public sources and its accuracy is not the operator’s responsibility; that it must not be the sole basis for a decision; that calculations are “indicative and approximate”; that it may be out-of-date historical data; that the absence of information about a car or its accidents does not mean those events did not happen; and that data on the site, its bots, apps and plug-ins “are not official data from the original sources”. Keep that last line beside every number on a lot page. ## “Who sells” and the seller’s reserve AutoHelperBot’s pitch rests on two things the auctions do not put in front of a casual visitor. The first is the seller. Its help page warns that resellers “often try to pass off a heavily damaged car with a ‘glued-on’ bumper and headlights as nearly undamaged”. Its About page gives an example: a car sold by a non-insurance company on its third resale attempt, listed 14 times, whose first sale by an insurer, at $16,500, came with photos of the car after the accident. One caution: “non-insurance” does not mean “flipper”. Copart’s latest annual report says 79% of the vehicles it processed in fiscal 2026 came from insurance company sellers, and IAA’s parent lists its other suppliers as used-car dealers, rental and fleet companies, auto lenders and charities. The useful signal is the pattern in AutoHelperBot’s own example: the same VIN coming back again and again after an insurance sale. The second is the seller’s reserve. The Premium Benefits page says sellers set a hidden reserve, “a threshold below which the car will not be sold”, and that Premium reveals it. The auctions describe something looser. Copart’s member terms say that when the high bid is below a seller’s Minimum Bid, the car is held until the seller accepts that bid, by 7:45 p.m. Pacific the next business day. IAA’s rules say every sale is “with reserve”, subject to the consignor’s approval, with a reserve that “must be met before a consignor will approve the sale”, and its system can accept a consignor’s counter-offer within a buyer’s maximum bid. At Copart, at least, a car can sell below the seller’s minimum if the seller agrees. AutoHelperBot does not say where its reserve number comes from, and its contract calls every calculation on the site indicative and approximate. Treat the figure as its estimate, not the seller’s instruction to the auction. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the speedometer, the odometer and the gear indicator, each with one fact from AutoHelperBot’s pages and its Public Offer Agreement. AutoHelperBot’s home and lot pages and its Public Offer Agreement, read on 9 October 2026: AutoHelperBot shows all 17 VIN characters; Copart and IAAI show visitors 11 (callout 1); Both lot pages we opened printed two mileages, such as 14,703 and 17,000 (callout 2); Its own contract: site data come from public sources and are not official data (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What AutoHelperBot sells, and the standing prices Three reports and one subscription are priced on AutoHelperBot’s own pages. The contract adds that a price is shown after you choose a service, that the Contractor may change it until you pay, and that payment is a non-cash payment to the Contractor’s account, with the details given after the service is chosen. **AutoHelperBot’s report prices as printed on its own order and Premium pages, in US dollars. Read on 9 October 2026; prices change.** | Product | Standard price | With Premium | What the page says it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | “CarHistory” report | $3 | $1.50 | “full history of an American car by VIN code”; the page never names whose report it is | | AutoCheck report | $2 | $1 | “full Autocheck history”, 4 check categories, vehicles in America and Canada | | Window sticker | $4 | $2 | A trim breakdown: specifications, standard and optional equipment with pricing | | Premium subscription | $20 a month | Reserve figure, report discounts, sales history, unlimited Buy It Now tracking, high-resolution photos, import calculators, AI photo analysis | | Premium halves each of the three prices, 50% in every case (our arithmetic). Counting the report discounts alone, the $20 a month pays for itself only after 13.33 CarHistory reports, so 14 in practice, or 20 AutoCheck reports or 10 window stickers in the month (our arithmetic). The rest of what Premium buys has no separate price. Its renewal and cancellation terms sit behind a sign-in page that robots.txt closes to crawlers, so we could not read them. The naming is careful. The menu calls the main report “CarHistory”, and its order page shows a fox emoji instead of a brand. Only the Premium Benefits page names it, as “Саrfax”, and in all 4 places the first two letters are Cyrillic (С and а), so the word looks like Carfax but does not match it in a text search. The CarHistory page makes claims for the report without saying whose report it is: “25+ years of data”, “collecting data for over 30 years”, “more than 14 billion records”. The Premium page says the data “comes directly from official sources”. For Carfax’s own prices, see [how much Carfax costs](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-much-does-carfax-cost/). We did not buy a report, so we cannot say what one contains, whether it is the provider’s own document or a copy, or how current it is. AutoHelperBot’s contract describes what it sells as “services delivering data from other cloud services to the Customer” (our translation), information that “cannot be treated as definitive when buying a car”. ## What Carfax’s and AutoCheck’s own terms say about resold reports A few-dollar report from a third party raises the question of whose terms it was bought under. Carfax’s consumer terms, dated October 2017 and read from an archive copy captured on 26 August 2026, contain one block that bans reselling reports, letting other people access them, and copying or redistributing them without written permission. Sharing is allowed only through Carfax’s own share feature. AutoCheck’s consumer terms, read on 3 October 2026, say that “in no event shall you directly or through any third party” sell, publish or transfer any report. They count “the resale, sublicense, or distribution of any Reports” as commercial use and make any report accessed by a commercial user ineligible for Buyback Protection. On our reading, a copy bought from a reseller fits none of the people AutoCheck’s buyback terms say can claim; ask Experian before relying on it. Our [AutoCheck guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-autocheck-report/#buyback) sets out who can. AutoHelperBot’s contract applies the same rule to its own customers: no selling, reselling or publishing paid information without the administration’s consent, and no passing site information to third parties. Our [Carfax alternatives guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-alternatives/#resellers) covers report resellers, and the [cheap Carfax report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/cheap-carfax-report/) covers the cheaper routes Carfax itself publishes. AutoHelperBot is also absent from the federal list. The Justice Department’s [list of approved NMVTIS data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory), as recorded on 31 August 2026, named 14 consumer-facing providers and 3 that serve dealers only, Carfax among the 3. AutoHelperBot does not appear under any name we could link to it. NMVTIS is the federal title database insurers and salvage yards must report to; see our [NMVTIS report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/). ## The contract: Ukrainian law, no returns and no dispute clause AutoHelperBot’s [Public Offer Agreement](https://autohelperbot.com/en/offer) is a “public offer”: you accept it by acting, not by signing. Registering and ordering, paying, joining its Telegram bot or pressing the bot’s Start button, and installing any of its apps or plug-ins all count as acceptance. The English page serves it in Ukrainian only, in 9 numbered sections with no date; the privacy policy is in Ukrainian too. The points a buyer should know, in our translation: - **No returns.** “All services provided on the site are digital goods and are not returnable.” If an order cannot technically be completed, the service may be cut back with no refund for the period paid. - **Refunds go to the site balance.** The Contacts page says an order not completed “for any reason” is refunded automatically to your balance “within 24 hours”. It does not mention refunds to a card. - **Service can stop.** Service may be suspended without refunding prepayment if you breach the agreement, or refused “at any time and without any explanation”. - **Prices can move** until you pay. - **One account, one person.** No sharing your account, no passing site information to third parties. - **No dispute clause.** No court, no arbitration body, no complaints procedure; only the Civil Code of Ukraine and “current legislation of Ukraine”. The privacy policy cites Article 8 of Ukraine’s personal data law, says server logs may record your IP address, and says data may be processed in Ukraine and other countries; it offers deletion on request. The Chrome Web Store adds that the developer has not identified itself as a trader, and warns EU consumers that consumer rights do not apply to contracts with it. For comparison, here is what the auction-history sites in our BidFax guide print about who runs them and how they handle removal (our [bid.cars review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bid-cars-review/) covers that site in full). These are printed terms, not a ranking. **Who runs four auction-history sites, under which law, and how each handles a request to take a car down, as each states it. AutoHelperBot read on 9 October 2026; the others copied from our BidFax guide, read on 3 October 2026.** | Site | Who runs it, as stated | Law, as stated | Removal route, as stated | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | AutoHelperBot | An unnamed sole proprietor in Kyiv | Ukrainian | An individual request to hide the VIN, after sign-in; “does not mean automatic deletion” | | AutoBidCar | No company named; “the Services are hosted in Ukraine” | Ukrainian | Sells removal of its own page, for owners or people authorized to act for them; “AutoBidCar’s copy of the listing and nothing else” | | Stat.vin | PAR Soft, Inc., with a Dover, Delaware address | Not recorded | A free-form e-mail; it may anonymize, and does not generally remove history just because it is commercially inconvenient to an owner | | bid.cars | A business trading as BidCars in Poznań, Poland | Polish | Not recorded | ## Removing a car from AutoHelperBot Each lot page carries a “GDPR Protection” box. It says the information comes from “open sources related to the history of its sale and insurance events” and is published to “protect the interests of potential buyers”, on the legal basis of legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) where Europe’s data law applies, and that the VIN identifies the vehicle, not its owner. Then: “Deletion requests are considered individually. Submitting a request does not mean automatic deletion of materials.” The hide request is for people who believe a page identifies them personally. Its page redirected to sign-in, a path robots.txt closes, so we did not see the form, any fee or any timescale. Others sell removal openly. In a Google US reading on 9 October 2026, the first organic result for “autohelperbot” was a third-party page titled “Remove car Auto Helper Bot”. For “remove car from autohelperbot”, 4 of the 9 organic results sold removal of AutoHelperBot records (44%, our arithmetic) and 6 of the 9 sold removal from some auction-history site. Google showed $55 on one AutoHelperBot offer and 200 Polish zloty on another, and the results promised removal in 3 to 5 days or in 12 hours. We could not open those pages; two of the sellers block automated readers. Our [BidFax guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#removal) shows the same trade for other archives. **“Not on AutoHelperBot” is not a clean history.** A car can be missing because it never went through Copart or IAAI, because the site never copied it, because the VIN was mistyped, or because someone paid to hide it. AutoHelperBot’s own contract says the absence of information about a car or its accidents does not mean those events did not happen. A title check and an inspection are the checks a removal fee cannot reach. ## What the app stores and public records show The three listings show the audiences and scores below. They also disagree with each other, and with the site, about data collection. **AutoHelperBot’s app-store listings: rating, audience and what each says about your data. Read on 9 October 2026; ratings change daily.** | Store | Rating | Audience shown | Data declaration | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chrome Web Store (extension) | 3.8 from 28 ratings | 20,000 users; updated 29 June 2026 | Developer “will not collect or use your data”; listed as a non-trader | | Google Play (Android) | 4.8 from 49 reviews | 10K+ downloads; updated 27 July 2026 | May collect personal info; none shared with third parties; deletion on request | | App Store (iPhone, US) | 4.1 from 9 ratings | Not shown | “Data Not Collected” | The site’s own privacy policy, which covers the website and bot, describes collecting registration details, cookies and server logs. Reviews are thin. One Google Play review from 20 December 2023 says that “whenever you try to pay for a Carfax report and finalize, there’s no reaction”. That is one person’s account, not a finding; the term that would apply is the Contacts page’s automatic refund to the site balance. We found no court or regulator record. A Google reading for an AutoHelperBot lawsuit or court record returned 7 organic results, none of them a court or regulator page. That is not proof of a clean record: we could not search court dockets, the Better Business Bureau blocked our requests, and this site leaves Trustpilot and Reddit out. ## How to use AutoHelperBot data when you buy An AutoHelperBot page is most useful as a set of questions for the seller and the inspector. The FTC’s [used-car advice](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) says a vehicle history report is not a substitute for an independent inspection and typically will not list mechanical problems, and AutoHelperBot’s contract tells you not to use its information as the sole basis for a decision. - **Match the VIN on the car.** Compare all 17 characters on the page with the number on the car, at [every place it is stamped](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/where-is-the-vin-number-on-a-car/). One wrong character means another car. - **Read the damage and the date together.** Note the primary and secondary damage, the sale date and the final bid. Then ask the seller who repaired that damage, and when. - **Ask for repair invoices and photos.** A car that went through a salvage auction should come with paperwork for the repair. None is itself an answer. - **Check the title history yourself.** The lot pages we read showed no title line. Look for salvage, rebuilt or flood brands and for a clean title issued in another state after the auction date; see our [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) and [salvage title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) guides. - **Compare the mileage with the dashboard.** If a page gives two figures, write down both and compare them with the odometer and with the readings in an [odometer check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/). - **Treat the reserve and the values as estimates.** The contract calls its calculations indicative and approximate; Copart’s own retail value is the seller’s figure. - **Buy reports where the terms protect you.** Carfax’s and AutoCheck’s own terms bar resale, and AutoCheck ties Buyback Protection to who bought the report. See [Carfax vs AutoCheck](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-vs-autocheck/) for what each covers. - **Send the photos to the inspector.** Ask for a close look where the auction photos show damage: frame rails, pillars, welds, panel gaps and paint. Our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) covers the cost. Old auction photos are the strongest part of any of these archives, for the reason our [VIN check with photos](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-check-with-photos/) guide gives: they show damage that a good repair hides. For where auction records sit among the other sources of a car’s history, see [auction history by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions). ## Where AutoHelperBot’s own pages disagree Read side by side, AutoHelperBot’s documents contradict each other, or the auctions, in several places a buyer should know about: - **Official or not:** the Premium page says report data “comes directly from official sources”; the contract says the site’s data are not official data from the original sources. - **Full history or no guarantee:** “the full vehicle history without restrictions” on the home page; no guarantee that a missing record means no accident, in the contract. - **Years of data:** “25+ years of data” and “over 30 years” on the same CarHistory page. - **The reserve:** “a threshold below which the car will not be sold”, against Copart’s terms, which let a seller accept a bid below its Minimum Bid. - **Your data:** “Data Not Collected” on the App Store and no data collected on the Chrome Web Store, against a Google Play listing that says the app may collect personal info and a privacy policy that logs IP addresses. - **Mileage:** two figures on each of the 2 lot pages we opened. None of this makes the archive’s photos and sale records useless. It is a reason to quote any AutoHelperBot page with its date, and to check anything that matters against the title record and the car. ## Common questions ### Is AutoHelperBot free? Partly. Lot pages with the full VIN, damage lines, final bids and the sales list are free to browse; who is selling and the trade history need registration; the reserve figure, report discounts and the other Premium tools cost $20 a month. Reports cost $3 (CarHistory), $2 (AutoCheck) and $4 (window sticker) at standard prices, as printed on 9 October 2026. ### Are AutoHelperBot’s “Carfax” reports real Carfax reports? We cannot say: we did not buy one, and the order page never names the provider. AutoHelperBot’s Premium page says the data comes “directly from official sources”; its own contract says the site’s data are not official data from the original sources. If what it sells is a Carfax report, Carfax’s consumer terms ban reselling or redistributing it. ### Is AutoHelperBot on the NMVTIS approved provider list? No. The Justice Department’s list as recorded on 31 August 2026 named 14 consumer-facing providers and 3 dealer-only ones, and AutoHelperBot is not among them under any name we could connect to it. ### Who owns AutoHelperBot? The contract describes the operator as a Ukrainian sole proprietor based in Kyiv and gives no name. The Google Play developer account is REDNES, and Google Play and the App Store list the same individual in Ukraine as developer and seller. None of the pages we read gives a registered company, a US address or a registration code. ### What are the limitations of AutoHelperBot? By its own contract, its data come from public sources and are not warranted, calculations are approximate, records may be out of date, and a missing record proves nothing. On the pages we read, lot pages showed no title or start-code line, each gave two mileages, the reserve and value figures are unsourced, and disputes fall under Ukrainian law with no stated forum. ### Can I remove my car from AutoHelperBot? Its lot pages accept individual requests to hide a VIN from people who believe a page identifies them personally, after sign-in, and say a request “does not mean automatic deletion”. Third parties advertise paid removal in Google’s results. Removal from AutoHelperBot does not change a car’s title record; if the car carries a brand, a title check will still show it. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_understandingvhr) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/autohelperbot-review/ --- title: "SalvageBid Review: What It Adds on Top of IAA’s Fees and Rules" description: "SalvageBid’s terms, read: a $600-or-10% deposit, its own per-car fee plus a documentation fee from $150 on top of IAA’s, payment by 5 pm next day, arbitration." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagebid-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # SalvageBid Review: What It Adds on Top of IAA’s Fees and Rules > SalvageBid’s terms, read: a $600-or-10% deposit, its own per-car fee plus a documentation fee from $150 on top of IAA’s, payment by 5 pm next day, arbitration. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,955 words* ## The short version - SalvageBid is a broker for Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA), and IAA’s broker directory lists it. Its Terms name no seller: Salvagebid, Inc. invoices you and may use an “affiliated dealer and or dismantler.” - Four tiers: Guest (free, one car up to $1,000), Starter ($35 a year, one car up to $2,000), Premium ($199) and VIP ($349), both unlimited. Every bid needs a refundable deposit of $600 or 10% of your maximum bid, whichever is greater, for each car. - SalvageBid’s fees sit on top of IAA’s: a $299 transaction fee (Guest and Starter), 5% with a $250 minimum (Premium) or 3% with a $200 minimum (VIP), plus a documentation fee “starting at $150.” On a $1,000 Guest win that is at least $449, by our arithmetic. - Payment is due by 5 pm Pacific the next business day. The FAQ then charges $100 or 2% of the price for every day late, whichever is greater. - A win left unpaid for 7 business days can be relisted, and the relist fee is $1,000 or 15% plus $299 or 10%: at least $1,299 by our arithmetic, more than twice the $600 deposit. - Disputes go to binding arbitration in Portland, Oregon, with a one-year limit on claims, unless you mail an opt-out within 30 days of first accepting the Terms. SalvageBid is a Portland, Oregon company that lets people without a dealer license bid on Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) cars, and its contract, not its marketing, sets what you pay. On 9 October 2026 we read its [Terms and Conditions](https://www.salvagebid.com/terms) (which print no date), its six FAQ sections and its other public pages, IAA’s broker directory and Oregon’s business registry. IAA’s own fees and rules come from the documents behind our [IAA auction guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/), read the same day. We did not register, bid or request a quote, and this site has no relationship with SalvageBid, IAA or any broker. Its About Us page sat behind a bot check we did not try to pass. **Figure: What SalvageBid’s terms add when you buy an IAA car through it** A two-column table of seven situations from SalvageBid’s Terms and FAQ, read 9 October 2026: no bid until a photo ID and a $600 deposit; a $1,000 Guest win adds at least $449 of SalvageBid’s own fees before IAA’s; a $10,000 VIP win adds at least $450; $100 or 2% a day after the 5 pm Pacific next-business-day deadline; never paying costs at least $1,299; storage after 3 business days and possible abandonment after 7 days; disputes go to arbitration unless you opt out within 30 days. Our arithmetic from SalvageBid’s FAQ fee list and Terms, read 9 October 2026. The documentation fee is taken at its printed floor of $150. IAA’s own buyer fees, tax, storage and shipping are not included. ## What SalvageBid is, and which auction it buys at SalvageBid calls itself “an online platform that facilitates access to insurance auto auctions,” and its FAQ says which one: “Why do I have to join Salvagebid to buy at IAA?” Its answer: “Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) typically require a dealer’s license to participate,” and SalvageBid offers access “without needing a dealer’s license.” Its contact page is titled “Insurance Auto Auction Broker,” and IAA agrees: its [Find a Broker](https://help.iaai.com/s/broker-search?language=en_US) page, read once on 9 October 2026, lists “Salvagebid Inc” among its United States brokers (“Bid LIVE online on IAA vehicles”). No SalvageBid page we read mentions Copart. The Terms never name IAA; they speak of “the auction,” the “auction facility” and “our vendor.” Why a broker at all: IAA decides by state who may bid on what. By our count of its eligibility grid, a public buyer can bid directly on both clear and salvage titles in 16 of 50 states and needs a broker for both in 24 (see [which states let the public bid](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/#state-rules)). Our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/#copart-broker) explains how an auction broker works; this page covers only what SalvageBid’s documents add. Being able to bid is not the same as being able to buy every car. The Terms warn that “not all vehicles listed on our Website are available for purchase by all members” and that “you must verify with your DMV what your limitations are” before bidding; Guest and Starter members may buy only where SalvageBid’s “purchasing eligibility is not restricted.” The FAQ promises “Dealer Only” vehicles to “the general public.” The Terms are what bind you. ## Who you deal with, and who owns SalvageBid Your contract is with “Salvagebid, Inc.,” but the cars are not its own: “The items listed on our Website are not owned by us.” After a win “you will be invoiced by Salvagebid,” IAA sends the purchase documents to SalvageBid’s office, and SalvageBid “will cause the ownership document to be reassigned to you.” The Terms also allow a third party in the chain: “You expressly authorize Company to engage one or more affiliated dealer and or dismantler as needed to facilitate your purchase,” and you release “any affiliated dealer or broker” from claims. So who is the legal seller? The Terms do not say. The documents that would (the invoice, bill of sale, statement of facts, damage disclosure statement and power of attorney the arbitration clause lists) are signed during a purchase, and we did not see them. Ask in writing before you bid. AutoBidMaster’s contract, by contrast, says an unnamed Dealer sells you the car (see [who sells you the car there](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/#who-sells)). Oregon’s business registry lists SALVAGEBID, INC. as a domestic business corporation, registry number 159875591, registered on 25 September 2019, at the Portland building and suite the Terms give for its Buyer Services Center. The rows name a registered agent and addresses, not owners, and the Privacy Policy mentions “owners” and “affiliated brands” without naming any. Some threads lead to AutoBidMaster. Registry rows recorded for our AutoBidMaster review put AUTOBIDMASTER LLC (registered 13 May 2008) and CLEARVIN LLC in the same building. SalvageBid’s Terms name EasyHaul.com, LLC as its recommended transport company and give paid members free reports “through ClearVin, LLC”; AutoBidMaster names EasyHaul as its preferred vendor and lists EasyHaul and ClearVin on its About page; and the two arbitration clauses share a structure. But that building query returned 93 rows for an office building with many unrelated tenants, and no document we read says who owns SalvageBid or that it is related to AutoBidMaster. We found no regulator action. A Google search for “salvagebid” lawsuit returned no ordinary results, and one limited to the Federal Trade Commission, Justice Department, Oregon and Washington attorney general and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sites returned no page from any of them. That is not proof of a clean record: court dockets were not searched, and the Better Business Bureau, which blocked this site’s requests the same day, was not used. SalvageBid sells no history reports and is not on the Justice Department’s approved NMVTIS provider list; ClearVin is on its consumer-facing list (read 31 August 2026; see our [ClearVin review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/clearvin-review/)). ## Registration and the four membership tiers To bid you must be a member “in good standing,” at least 18, and hold one account only (“An individual or entity may have no more than one account”). You upload “a valid US driver’s license, state-issued ID or a passport” and place the deposit described below. The account details must match your license “per DMV regulations on transferring ownership,” or SalvageBid says it cannot send you the title. **SalvageBid membership tiers as printed (Terms and Conditions and FAQ, read 9 October 2026)** | Tier | Annual fee | Highest price | Cars you may buy | Bidding | Transaction fee per car | Free ClearVin reports | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Guest | Free | $1,000 | 1 in total | Preliminary only | $299 | None | | Starter | $35 | $2,000 | 1 in total | Preliminary only | $299 | Not stated | | Premium | $199 | None (set by deposit) | Unlimited | Preliminary and live | 5%, minimum $250 | 5 (one FAQ answer says 10) | | VIP | $349 | None (set by deposit) | Unlimited | Preliminary and live | 3%, minimum $200 | 10 | Guest is limited to “one (1) item (total, not per year).” Starter’s $35 “may be applied to the purchase of a PREMIUM or VIP membership.” Only Premium and VIP members can bid live or on more than one car at once, and the FAQ gives VIP “a 5% shipping discount” and an extra business day to pay. Paid tiers renew automatically “at the then current Member rates,” and “membership fees are non-refundable.” Arithmetic, not advice: VIP costs $150 a year more than Premium. Its transaction fee is $50 lower on any car up to $5,000, $200 lower at $10,000 and $400 lower at $20,000, so the $150 is recovered on one $7,500 car or on three cars under $5,000. ## The $600 deposit, and getting it back “Before bidding, you must place a refundable Security Deposit of $600.00 USD or 10.0% of intended maximum bid, whichever is greater,” on every tier. The minimum covers bids up to $6,000; by our arithmetic a $10,000 bid needs $1,000 and a $20,000 bid $2,000. Each car needs its own deposit: “a $1,200 deposit permits up to $12,000 across two cars.” A card deposit is usually a hold, which the FAQ says lasts 30 days before it expires and must be set again, and which SalvageBid may turn into a charge “if there are any outstanding bids or purchases.” Getting the money back takes conditions: “no active bids, no active purchases, no outstanding offers, no balances due, no items awaiting pickup, no outstanding paperwork,” and a written request. Even then SalvageBid “may refund the Security Deposit at its discretion” and may withhold it “for any reason it sees fit.” The documents disagree on the details: - **How a US refund is paid.** The Terms: “by ACH transfer,” once you give your routing and account numbers. The FAQ: “by company check.” - **How long it takes.** The Terms: “up to thirty (30) business days.” The FAQ: “within 2-3 business days.” Refunds abroad go by wire, less a $30 fee. - **Toward the car.** The Terms say card deposits cannot be applied, but a deposit “made by wire transfer” can be deducted. The FAQ says the deposit “cannot be used to pay for the vehicle.” On one point both agree: win and walk away, and the deposit is gone. The FAQ says it “will not be refunded,” and the Terms let SalvageBid apply “up to and including the full amount (even if it is greater than the balance owed).” ## SalvageBid’s fees on top of IAA’s Your invoice, the Terms say, includes the winning bid, “the Salvagebid fees which are outlined in our FAQ, the fees that the auction charges, and a documentation transfer fee.” IAA’s side is set out in our IAA guide, which lists [how the schedule is built](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/#fee-schedule) and [adds it up for real bids](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/#worked-totals); it is not repeated here. SalvageBid’s own standing charges are: - **Transaction fee** per car: $299 for Guest and Starter, 5% with a $250 minimum for Premium, 3% with a $200 minimum for VIP. By our arithmetic the Premium percentage takes over above $5,000 and the VIP one above $6,666.67. - **Documentation fee** “starting at $150 to cover the ownership document transfer and mailing.” No table says what it rises to; the Terms say only that the fee and timeline “vary depending on the state and type of title.” - **Wire fees** in the Terms: $25 for incoming wires and $30 for outgoing ones. International buyers also lose intermediary bank charges. - **Sales tax**, which the Terms single out for “Florida residents purchasing an item located in Florida.” **SalvageBid’s own fees on a winning bid, before IAA’s fees (our arithmetic from its FAQ fee list, read 9 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Tier | Transaction fee | With the documentation fee (from $150) | Share of the bid | If paid by wire (+$25) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $1,000 | Guest | $299 | $449 | 44.9% | $474 | | $1,000 | Premium | $250 | $400 | 40% | $425 | | $1,000 | VIP | $200 | $350 | 35% | $375 | | $2,000 | Starter | $299 | $449 | 22.5% | $474 | | $5,000 | Premium | $250 | $400 | 8% | $425 | | $5,000 | VIP | $200 | $350 | 7% | $375 | | $10,000 | Premium | $500 | $650 | 6.5% | $675 | | $10,000 | VIP | $300 | $450 | 4.5% | $475 | | $20,000 | VIP | $600 | $750 | 3.8% | $775 | We treated the sale price as the bid, took the documentation fee at its printed floor and left out the membership fee. IAA’s buyer fees, tax, storage and shipping come on top of every row, so on a $1,000 Guest win SalvageBid’s layer alone is close to half the bid. The FAQ points to a fee calculator on each listing; listings sit under paths SalvageBid’s robots.txt closes to our reader, so we did not see one. Our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#what-it-is) explains why the all-in figure is the one to compare. ## Bidding, paying, and what happens if you win and don’t pay Every tier can place a preliminary bid: you set a maximum and SalvageBid “will bid on your behalf” up to it. Premium and VIP members can also bid live. Three rules matter before you click. “Once a bid or a Buy It Now has been submitted, it cannot be retracted, deleted, or canceled.” SalvageBid may “reject or void bids for any reason,” with “no guarantee that all bids will be placed.” And a top bid below the seller’s minimum goes to the seller, who has “up to two business days to accept, reject, or negotiate.” Then the clock is short: “Payment for won vehicles must be received by 5pm Pacific Standard Time the following business day from the sale.” Win on Monday and the money must arrive by 5 pm on Tuesday; VIP members get one more business day and international members two. Methods differ by document: the FAQ and How It Works accept wire transfer, Zelle or MoneyGram, while the Terms say payments “shall be made via wire only” and “We do not accept credit cards for purchases.” Your first purchase locks the account “until the balance due on the first invoice is paid in full,” payments go to “past-due invoices first,” and a card on file may be charged for any amount due. Pay late and the FAQ adds “a $100 or 2% of the sale price (whichever is greater) late payment fee” for “every day the payment is late.” That is $100 a day on any car up to $5,000 and $200 a day at $10,000, so three days late on a $10,000 car costs $600, by our arithmetic. IAA’s Auction Rules, for its own buyers, print a late fee of “$50 or 2% of the selling price” without saying it repeats daily (see [IAA’s deadlines](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/#deadlines)). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a pickup’s crushed front corner, its wheel and its windscreen, each with one fact from SalvageBid’s Terms and FAQ. SalvageBid’s Terms and Conditions and FAQ, read on 9 October 2026: Sold as is: SalvageBid relays IAA’s listing, and neither it nor its vendors inspect cars (callout 1); It can’t be driven out: collect within 3 business days, then at least $50 a day (callout 2); Walk away unpaid and the relist fee is at least $1,299, over twice the $600 deposit (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Never pay, and the Terms take over. If a car “is not paid for within seven (7) business days from the date of the sale,” SalvageBid may cancel and relist it, and you owe a Relist Fee that “is the sum of two fees”: an Auction Fee of “the greater of $1,000.00 USD or 15.0% of the sale price” and SalvageBid’s Transaction Fee of “the greater of $299 or 10% of the sale price.” The first is the same formula as the Renege Fee in IAA’s Auction Rules. The second is not your tier’s fee: a VIP member who would have paid 3% owes 10%. **What an unpaid win costs under SalvageBid’s relist rule (our arithmetic from its Terms, read 9 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Auction Fee ($1,000 or 15%) | Transaction Fee ($299 or 10%) | Relist Fee | Deposit for that bid | Above the deposit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $1,000 | $1,000 | $299 | $1,299 | $600 | $699 | | $5,000 | $1,000 | $500 | $1,500 | $600 | $900 | | $10,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $2,500 | $1,000 | $1,500 | | $20,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $5,000 | $2,000 | $3,000 | The smallest possible Relist Fee is $1,299, which is 129.9% of a $1,000 bid and 2.17 times the minimum deposit; above $6,666.67 the two percentages add up to 25% of the price. If you do not wire it in time it comes out of the deposit, and “you are still responsible for the balance of the Relist Fee, plus any collection costs.” Unpaid balances may go to collections “with the addition of a One Hundred Dollar ($100) collections fee,” attorney fees include SalvageBid’s in-house lawyers at “no less than Three Hundred Fifty Dollars ($350) per hour,” and SalvageBid may “offset any amount owed to you.” **A bid is a promise you cannot take back.** Bid only when you can get money to SalvageBid by 5 pm Pacific the next business day, by a method its Terms accept (a wire is the only one both documents name), and have pickup arranged. Walking away costs at least $1,299 by our arithmetic, and the $600 deposit does not cover it. ## Pickup, storage, condition and the title The car leaves on a truck: “items may not be driven from the auction lot.” Before pickup you must e-sign “the bill of sale and other sales documents” and have “a zero balance with Salvagebid.” Then the FAQ’s deadline applies: the car “must be picked up within 3 business days including the sale date,” after which storage runs at “a minimum fee of $50 per day,” or the yard’s rate if higher. Win on Monday and storage starts on Thursday; five days of it at the minimum is $250, by our arithmetic. The Terms set a harder line. If the car is “not timely transported from the auction within seven (7) days of the sale date,” SalvageBid may “consider the item abandoned, to take over ownership, resell it,” and bill you “up to and including the full purchase price.” Until it leaves, the yard holds the car as “bailee,” neither SalvageBid nor the yard answers for damage there, and any problem “must be addressed to us prior to the item leaving the auction location.” Nobody checks the car for you: “We do not verify the listing information, which is provided by the auction,” and “Neither Salvagebid nor our vendors inspect any vehicles.” The FAQ says SalvageBid usually cannot tell whether a car starts, “Most vehicles that come from auto auctions come without keys,” a damage report costs extra, and “Runs and Drives” describes the car on arrival at the yard, with “no guarantee” it will move at pickup (see [what a Run and Drive label means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive)). Even “a catalytic converter” is not guaranteed. See [inspecting a car you cannot drive](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote) and [what IAA says about condition](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/#condition). The title comes later, by FedEx, after you sign and send “a valid copy of a government issued ID,” and the documents disagree on when: the FAQ says “within 3-4 weeks after the end of the auction,” one section of the Terms “four to seven weeks, or more,” another “5-7 weeks.” Plan on the longest. It may not be the title you saw: a car listed “clean” or “clear” “may become a salvage, reconstructed, or an otherwise branded title” when you register it (see [salvage and clean titles compared](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/#compare)). Cars sold on non-repairable or junk certificates come with “Purchase Agreement Documents for the parts or scrap purchase and not a physical title,” and the sale may be reported to NMVTIS, the federal title database (see our [NMVTIS report guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/)). One FAQ answer says a reconstructed title is “treated the same way as a clean title for insurance purposes”; that is SalvageBid’s statement, not an insurer’s (see [insuring a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/salvage-title-insurance/) and [when a salvage car makes sense](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/should-i-buy-a-salvage-title-car/#defensible)). ## Shipping and export SalvageBid does not move cars. The FAQ says “Salvagebid is not able to provide shipping, but we suggest working with EasyHaul.com,” and the Terms call EasyHaul.com, LLC its “recommended transportation facilitation company”; you may also hire your own transporter. VIP members get a 5% shipping discount. Whoever you use, the Terms release SalvageBid from claims over “Your use of any third party service providers, even when recommended by Salvagebid.” Our [car shipping guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains how to check a broker or carrier. SalvageBid “offers international sales for overseas buyers,” under separate rules where EasyHaul ships abroad: - **Ownership moves at the port.** It “does not transfer until arrival of your item at the international port of delivery,” and you collect the car there. - **A 48-hour exemption.** The abandonment and storage charge does not apply if the car and EasyHaul shipping are paid in full “within forty-eight (48) hours of the end of the auction.” - **Ocean limits.** Sea transport falls under the US Carriage of Goods by Sea Act “and all limitations of damages set forth therein.” - **Cars that cannot be retitled** need notice “prior to sale,” “an additional processing fee” no page prices, and “generally two to six weeks.” ## The terms of use and the arbitration clause The Terms print no revision date, SalvageBid may change them “at any time without prior notice to you,” and your next bid counts as accepting the change. They also pull in documents we could not find on the site, “the Purchase Order Agreement and Deposit Agreement, and our vendor’s terms and conditions.” The copyright clause bars copying, mirroring and framing the site but not linking to it. Everything is sold “AS-IS, WHERE- IS,” and you answer for any bid made with your login, “up to and including the full purchase price.” Two different liability caps sit in the same document. Section 8A limits SalvageBid’s liability to the fees you paid it for the transaction, “excluding any auction fees, the purchase price of any vehicle,” or $500 if you paid none. Section 8E limits it to “THE AMOUNT OF THE PURCHASE PRICE AND RELATED FEES FOR ANY ITEM(S) IN DISPUTE.” A long release list covers even SalvageBid’s “own sole and or partial negligence.” The dispute rules: - **One year** to bring any claim, and the only proper way to start one is a filing with the arbitration body. Oregon law governs every claim, wherever you live. - **Notice first:** a Notice of Dispute on SalvageBid’s form, “via Certified Mail,” then 30 days to resolve it. - **Arbitration only,** before the Arbitration Services of Portland, with no jury and no court action “including any action in small claims”; filing one is called a breach, and the filer pays SalvageBid’s costs of getting it dismissed. - **Modified rules:** a hearing within 120 days; claims of $10,000 or less decided on documents; above that, each side must appear in person; an award can be made against a party who does not appear; legal errors can be appealed only where $100,000 or more is claimed. - **No class actions** against SalvageBid “OR DEALERS.” - **A 30-day opt-out:** a signed notice by certified or registered mail, postmarked “NOT LATER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH YOU ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME.” Opt out and disputes go to the courts for Multnomah County, Oregon, “not to include small claims court.” Each side normally pays its own lawyers, except when SalvageBid is collecting from you or enforcing the release and dispute sections. The opt-out is the one choice the contract leaves you. ## Where SalvageBid’s own documents disagree All of these were live on 9 October 2026. The Terms are the contract and say “There have been no representations, warranties, or promises outside of this Agreement,” so get anything that differs from them in writing. **SalvageBid documents that say different things about the same rule (read 9 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Paying for the car | Terms: by wire only | FAQ and How It Works: wire, Zelle or MoneyGram | | Paying the deposit | Terms: card or wire | FAQ: card, wire, MoneyGram or Zelle | | Deposit toward the car | Terms: a wired deposit can be deducted | FAQ: it “cannot be used to pay for the vehicle” | | US deposit refunds | Terms: by ACH, up to 30 business days | FAQ: by company check, within 2-3 business days | | Free reports with Premium | Terms and plans answer: 5 | “How much does it cost to join?”: 10 | | VIP renewal fee | Figures: $349 | Words: “Three Hundred Ninet- Nine Dollar” | | Time to receive the title | FAQ: 3-4 weeks | Terms: four to seven weeks or more; elsewhere 5-7 weeks | | Shipping | FAQ: SalvageBid “is not able to provide shipping” | Home page: “Easy global shipping is also available!” | | Liability cap | Section 8A: fees paid to SalvageBid, or $500 | Section 8E: the purchase price and related fees | | Who is between you and IAA | Registration page: “direct access to IAAI auction vehicles” | Terms: an “affiliated dealer and or dismantler” may be used | | How many vehicles | Home page: “Over 350,000 cars” | Same page: “200,000+” on sale every day | Against IAA’s own Auction Rules, read the same day, the relist Auction Fee matches IAA’s Renege Fee, but the trigger differs: 7 business days from the sale at SalvageBid, seven calendar days at IAA. SalvageBid’s next-business-day deadline is shorter than the three business days IAA gives its own buyers. The deposit rule, the fees, the deadline, the relist formula and the arbitration clause were stated the same way wherever they appeared. ## Before you bid: printed terms side by side, and a checklist People searching for SalvageBid often also look at AutoBidMaster, a broker for Copart cars whose July 2026 terms add IAA. The table sets the two companies’ printed terms side by side, both read on 9 October 2026. It holds no prices and is not a ranking. For buying from IAA directly where your state allows it, see [who can buy at IAA](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/#can-the-public-buy); for Copart, our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#brokers). **Printed terms side by side: SalvageBid and AutoBidMaster (both read 9 October 2026; no prices, not a ranking)** | Term | SalvageBid | AutoBidMaster | | --- | --- | --- | | Auction it buys at | IAA, on its own pages; IAA’s broker directory lists Salvagebid Inc | Copart; its July 2026 Member Terms add IAA | | Who sells you the car | Not named; SalvageBid invoices you and may use an affiliated dealer or dismantler | An unnamed affiliated Dealer | | Company in Oregon’s registry | SALVAGEBID, INC., a corporation registered in 2019 | AUTOBIDMASTER LLC, registered in 2008 | | Payment deadline | 5 pm Pacific, next business day | 5:00 pm Pacific, next business day | | Uncollected car may be treated as abandoned | 7 days after the sale date | 10 days after bid acceptance | | Transport company named | EasyHaul.com, LLC (recommended) | EasyHaul.com, LLC (preferred vendor) | | Arbitration body and law | Arbitration Services of Portland for all claims; Oregon law | AAA for membership claims (Delaware law); Arbitration Service of Portland for the rest (Oregon law) | | Time limit and opt-out | One year to bring a claim; opt out by certified or registered mail within 30 days | One year; opt out by certified or registered mail within 30 days | - **Check the car before the bid:** [what an auction label means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive), a history report, and an inspection where one is possible. - **Match the tier to the car.** Guest stops at $1,000 and Starter at $2,000, one car each; above that you need Premium or VIP and a deposit of 10% of your maximum bid. - **Ask in writing** for the documentation fee on your state and title type, and for the name of the seller on the bill of sale. - **Add both layers:** SalvageBid’s fees, IAA’s buyer fees, then tax. - **Line up a wire in your own name** that can arrive by 5 pm Pacific the next business day. - **Book transport the day you win:** storage can start on the fourth business day counting the sale day, and the 7-day abandonment rule runs regardless. - **Raise any problem before the car leaves the yard,** and plan for the title to take seven weeks or more. - **Decide on the arbitration opt-out within 30 days** of first accepting the Terms. ## Common questions ### How does SalvageBid work? You register with a photo ID, pick a tier and place a refundable deposit of $600 or 10% of your maximum bid. SalvageBid bids on IAA cars for you, invoices you if you win, and has the title reassigned to you after you pay and sign. You pay by 5 pm Pacific the next business day and arrange transport, for which it recommends EasyHaul. ### Is SalvageBid the same as IAA? No. Salvagebid, Inc. is an Oregon corporation that IAA lists in its broker directory. Its Terms say the cars “are not owned by us” and that it may use an affiliated dealer or dismantler, and IAA’s fees apply on top of SalvageBid’s. ### How much does SalvageBid charge? Membership is free, $35, $199 or $349 a year. Each car adds a transaction fee ($299, or 5% or 3% with minimums of $250 and $200) and a documentation fee from $150, before IAA’s fees. By our arithmetic SalvageBid’s part is at least $449 on a $1,000 Guest win and $450 on a $10,000 VIP win. ### Is the SalvageBid deposit refundable? Yes, on written request once nothing is outstanding, though the Terms let SalvageBid withhold it “for any reason it sees fit.” Card deposits are holds that are released; other US refunds come by ACH (Terms) or company check (FAQ). Win and do not pay, and it is not refunded. ### What happens if you don’t pay SalvageBid? A late fee of $100 or 2% of the price for every day past the deadline. After 7 business days the car can be relisted and you owe $1,000 or 15% plus $299 or 10%, at least $1,299 by our arithmetic. The deposit is applied first; the rest can go to collections with a $100 fee. ### Can I trust SalvageBid? We make no recommendation. IAA lists it as a broker, Oregon’s registry shows a corporation registered in 2019, and our searches of federal, Oregon and Washington enforcement sites found nothing naming it, though court dockets were not searched. Its terms are strict: no inspection by anyone, a one-year claim limit, arbitration in Portland unless you opt out within 30 days, and FAQ answers that sometimes contradict the contract. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagebid-review/ --- title: "SalvageReseller Review: Who Sells the Car and What You Pay" description: "SalvageReseller’s own terms, read: Inloher Corp sells you the car, a $600 deposit, broker fees from $249 or 5%, wire payment in 3 business days, arbitration." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagereseller-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # SalvageReseller Review: Who Sells the Car and What You Pay > SalvageReseller’s own terms, read: Inloher Corp sells you the car, a $600 deposit, broker fees from $249 or 5%, wire payment in 3 business days, arbitration. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,910 words* ## The short version - SalvageReseller is the trading name of Inloher Corp, a Florida company. Its terms say you are “purchasing vehicles from Inloher Corp, not from Copart,” and it covers Copart auctions only, not IAA. - Three memberships: Free, Monthly ($34.99) and Yearly ($189.99). The broker fee per car, whichever is greater, is $299 or 10% (Free), $249 or 7% (Monthly) or $249 or 5% (Yearly), before Copart’s fees. - Every bid needs a deposit: $600 covers bids up to $6,000, plus $100 for each extra $1,000. It is refundable, but it cannot pay for the car. - Pay by bank wire within three business days, auction day counted. A $50 late fee follows; on day 7 the sale is cancelled, and the relist and cancellation fees come to at least $900 by our arithmetic. - Each win also carries a $145 document fee and a $55 mailing fee. The title is issued in Florida in your name, about 30 business days after the auction. - Disputes go to binding AAA arbitration in Broward County, Florida, within 12 months. We found no opt-out clause. SalvageReseller.com lets people without a dealer license bid on Copart’s salvage and clean-title cars, and the company behind it, Inloher Corp of Coconut Creek, Florida, is the one that sells you the car. What it charges and what it can do to you are in its contract, not its marketing. On 9 October 2026 we read its Terms & Conditions (last updated 27 February 2026), its fees page and calculator, its 46-question FAQ and other help pages, Inloher’s corporate site, Florida’s corporate registry and the Better Business Bureau profile. Copart’s side comes from the documents behind our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/), read 7 October 2026. We did not register, bid or ask for a quote, and this site has no relationship with SalvageReseller, Copart or any broker. **Figure: What SalvageReseller’s terms add when you buy a Copart car through it** Seven steps from opening a SalvageReseller account to a dispute, each with the term SalvageReseller’s own documents attach to it, read 9 October 2026. Source: SalvageReseller Terms & Conditions (Last Updated 27.02.2026), fees page and FAQ, read 9 October 2026. Dollar totals are our arithmetic from its printed fees; Copart’s own fees are extra. ## Who sells you the car, and who is behind SalvageReseller Copart lets only its members bid, so in many states the public needs a broker that lends its license; our [AutoBidMaster review explains how Copart brokers work](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/#copart-broker). Copart’s warning applies: “When using a Broker, you are buying vehicles through the Broker and not Copart.” SalvageReseller’s terms say exactly who that is. Section 5.1: “the Buyer is purchasing vehicles from Inloher Corp, not from Copart. All invoices, ownership documents, and contractual communications are issued exclusively by Inloher. Copart acts solely as the auctioneer and platform operator.” The terms describe Inloher as “an independent licensed dealer in the State of Florida and an authorized broker of Copart” that owns and operates the site. The seller is a named company, not an unnamed affiliate. Only Copart is covered: “We provide access to Copart specifically, not IAA.” For Insurance Auto Auctions, see our [IAA auction guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/). Florida’s corporate registry lists INLOHER CORP. as a Florida profit corporation, document number P04000155139, filed on 12 November 2004 (effective 9 November 2004) and active, with its principal address in Coconut Creek since 1 May 2008 and its latest annual report filed on 24 February 2026. It names three officers or directors (we leave out their names) but no shareholders, so who owns the company is not established from public records. The Better Business Bureau profile shows Inloher Corp. as accredited since 23 July 2009 with an A+ rating on the day we read it, and adds that the BBB “does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties.” The marketing figures are claims and do not all agree: “35,000+” vehicles sold and broker status since 2004 on the About page, “250k+ Registered Users” on the home page, but “45000+ Sold Vehicles” and “18+ Years of experience” on Inloher’s corporate site. The 2004 filing date fits “since 2004,” 22 years by our arithmetic. We did not test its claim to be the only Copart broker rated A+ by the BBB. Two claims we could not check: Florida’s dealer list refused our browser access, and Copart’s broker directory is closed to automated readers, so the dealer license and the broker registration rest on SalvageReseller’s word. Google searches for Inloher with court terms, and on the Florida Attorney General, FTC, Justice Department and CFPB sites, found no court record or regulator page. That is not proof of a clean record: we did not search court dockets, and no BBB complaint count appears here. SalvageReseller sells VIN history reports but is not itself on the Justice Department’s list of approved consumer NMVTIS data providers as we recorded it on 31 August 2026. Its terms say reports come from “third parties, including ClearVIN,” and ClearVin is on that list; see our [ClearVin review](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/clearvin-review/). ## Registration and the three memberships The terms accept “Any individual over 18 years of age or legal entity,” and Inloher “reserves the right to request documentation and reject applications at its discretion.” The FAQ says registration “is free and takes about a minute” with a name, email and government ID (a passport for international buyers); its compliance policy adds date of birth and home address, and for businesses the owners of 25% or more. **SalvageReseller memberships as printed (Terms section 4.2 and FAQ, read 9 October 2026)** | Plan | Price | Broker fee per car (whichever is greater) | Free VIN reports | Percentage takes over above (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Free (Basic) | No fee | $299 or 10% | None listed | $2,990 | | Monthly | $34.99 a month | $249 or 7% | 2 a month | $3,557 | | Yearly | $189.99 a year | $249 or 5% | 10 a year | $4,980 | | Cars located in Canada | Any plan | $350 or 5% | n/a | $7,000 | The terms say “All broker fees are exclusive of Copart fees.” Paid plans “renew automatically unless canceled prior to renewal,” and “Fees are non-refundable”: we found no first-month or first-year refund window. Inloher may suspend or close accounts “for non-payment, violations, abusive conduct, or failure to maintain deposits.” What the free plan includes depends on which page you read. The FAQ says “The free membership has no purchase or bidding limits,” and How to Buy says every plan includes “Online live bidding.” The home page says the opposite about live auctions: “When ready to bid on live auctions, upgrade to Premium for $34.99/month.” Inloher’s corporate site gives the free Basic plan a “2 Vehicle Purchase Limit.” Ask in writing before you rely on the free plan for a live auction. Arithmetic, not advice: on a $1,000 car the paid plans save $50 of broker fee; at $4,000 the Monthly plan saves $120 and the Yearly plan $151; at $10,000 the Yearly plan saves $500. The FAQ says the Yearly plan “costs less than two months of the monthly plan”; at the printed prices two months cost $69.98, and $189.99 is about 5.4 months, by our arithmetic. Its claim that on “a single $4,000 vehicle the fee savings versus the free plan roughly covers the membership” leaves you $38.99 short. ## The $600 deposit and getting it back Section 4.3: “A minimum USD $600 deposit is required to bid, allowing bids up to USD $6,000. Additional USD $100 is required per additional USD $1,000. Multiple simultaneous bids require separate deposits.” By our arithmetic a $10,000 maximum bid takes $1,000 and a $20,000 bid $2,000, and two high bids at once need at least $1,200. The deposit is security, not a down payment. Section 6.9 lets Inloher apply it first “toward all outstanding amounts,” charge any card on file via Stripe if it falls short, and otherwise invoice you, and it ends: “Security deposits cannot be used toward the payment of a vehicle.” A company blog post says the opposite, that after you pay “the deposit is applied or released accordingly.” The contract is the one to rely on. Getting it back: “Deposits are refundable only if no outstanding obligations exist,” and “Refunds are processed within three (3) business days, subject to clearance.” The FAQ adds that a leading preliminary bid counts as pending, so “the deposit has to stay on file until that lot sells.” A card deposit costs extra: “Stripe convenience fee of 2.9% applies to card payments and is non-refundable,” or $17.40 on $600 by our arithmetic. And a chargeback can mean “forfeiture of deposits”: “Buyers waive the right to dispute valid charges.” ## SalvageReseller’s fees on top of Copart’s Every win carries two layers: Copart’s buyer, internet-bid and gate fees, and SalvageReseller’s own. Copart’s layer is set out in our [Copart fee schedule](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#fee-schedule) and [worked totals](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#worked-totals), so it is not repeated here. One check is worth reporting: SalvageReseller reprints Copart’s light-vehicle buyer fees and internet-bid fees in section 6.4 and 6.5 of its terms, and we compared every row with Copart’s own secured-payment tables read on 7 October 2026. All 114 rows give the same fees. Section 8.4 adds that where Copart’s rules require it, “Copart’s provisions prevail.” SalvageReseller’s own charges per car: - **The broker fee** for your plan, from the table above. - **A $145 document fee.** “A $145 USD fee is charged for every vehicle purchased, to process the vehicle documents.” Its fee table lists it among “Other Copart Charges,” but its own calculator counts it as one of the “SalvageReseller fees,” and Copart’s public fee pages, as we read them on 7 October 2026, print no such fee. - **A $55 mailing fee** ($70 to Canada), which the terms split into “Copart Postal Shipping: USD $20” and “Inloher Certified Mailing: USD $35.” - **A $50 “Copart Registered Broker Fee,”** filed under Copart’s charges on the fees page and in the FAQ. Copart’s public fee pages print no broker fee, and section 6.6 of SalvageReseller’s own terms, which lists the extra fees, does not include it. - **Occasional extras:** a $35 administrative fee on California cars, the 2.9% card fee on card payments, and for cars located in Canada a broker fee of $350 or 5%. **SalvageReseller’s own fees on a winning bid, before Copart’s fees and tax (our arithmetic from its terms and fees page, read 9 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Plan | Broker fee | With the $145 document and $55 mailing fees | With the $50 fee it files under Copart | Share of the bid | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $1,000 | Free | $299 | $499 | $549 | 54.9% | | $1,000 | Monthly or Yearly | $249 | $449 | $499 | 49.9% | | $3,000 | Free | $300 | $500 | $550 | 18.3% | | $3,000 | Monthly or Yearly | $249 | $449 | $499 | 16.6% | | $6,000 | Free | $600 | $800 | $850 | 14.2% | | $6,000 | Monthly | $420 | $620 | $670 | 11.2% | | $10,000 | Yearly | $500 | $700 | $750 | 7.5% | | $20,000 | Free | $2,000 | $2,200 | $2,250 | 11.3% | | $20,000 | Yearly | $1,000 | $1,200 | $1,250 | 6.3% | We took the sale price to be the winning bid and left out the membership price. On a $1,000 car the broker’s own layer is about half the bid. The fees page’s calculator shows a $6,000 win with $1,048 of Copart fees and $800 of SalvageReseller fees, “Estimated total $7,848”; we rebuilt it from the tables in its terms and it adds up, excluding storage, tax and shipping. The FAQ also offers a shortcut: “A $3,000 win commonly lands around $4,200 out the door.” Using only SalvageReseller’s own printed tables, a $3,000 win costs $4,267 to $4,425 before tax and storage, depending on plan, title type and bid type, by our arithmetic; every combination is above the figure it quotes. The broker fee can also move: the terms say “Fees may be updated with prior publication,” the fees page that Inloher may change it “at any time without notice.” Our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#what-it-is) explains why the all-in figure is the one to compare. ## Paying, and what happens if you win and don’t pay Section 6.1 makes the whole amount, “Auction closing price ... Sales tax ... Inloher broker fees ... Copart fees and applicable charges,” due together: “Payment must be received within three (3) business days, including auction day.” The fees page gives an example: “If the auction is on Monday, payment is due by 5:00pm EST on Wednesday.” Buy It Now is stricter: “Payment is required the same day of purchase,” or a $50 late fee applies. Only a bank wire pays for the car, to Inloher’s Bank of America account: “Vehicle payments by credit card, PayPal, cash, checks, Zelle, Western Union, or direct Copart payments are not accepted.” The clock runs on cleared money: “Payment is deemed received only upon cleared funds confirmation,” and bank transfers, the terms warn, can take 1 to 4 business days to clear. Never pay at the yard; the FAQ says it “carries a $200 penalty.” Within three calendar days you must also return signed purchase documents, a government ID and, “when required,” a notarized power of attorney. Miss the deadline and “Late payments incur a USD $50 late fee per vehicle.” Section 6.1 continues: “Failure to pay within seven (7) calendar days results in cancellation, forfeiture of deposit, and possible relisting.” Two charges follow. The relist fee is “$600 or 10% of the sale price, whichever is greater,” “taken from the security deposit paid in advance, and any remaining balance is billed to the card on file,” plus “all collection costs, including attorney fees and court costs.” On top comes a cancellation fee the fees page sets at “$300 ... for $10,000 or less, $500 for any vehicle from $10,001 to $20,000, and $1,000 for any vehicle more than $20,001.” If the card is declined, “the buyer has two business days to pay by bank wire transfer while the membership is suspended.” **What an unpaid win costs under SalvageReseller’s relist and cancellation fees (our arithmetic from its terms and fees page, read 9 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Relist fee ($600 or 10%) | Cancellation fee | Total owed | Deposit that bid needed | Owed beyond that deposit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $1,000 | $600 | $300 | $900 | $600 | $300 | | $5,000 | $600 | $300 | $900 | $600 | $300 | | $10,000 | $1,000 | $300 | $1,300 | $1,000 | $300 | | $15,000 | $1,500 | $500 | $2,000 | $1,500 | $500 | | $25,000 | $2,500 | $1,000 | $3,500 | $2,500 | $1,000 | The smallest possible bill is $900, more than the deposit, with the late fee and collection costs on top. Copart relists its own members’ unpaid lots after 8 calendar days; SalvageReseller cancels a day sooner. **A bid cannot be taken back.** Section 9.7: “All bids are binding and irrevocable once placed, regardless of whether the auction has concluded or the vehicle has been awarded.” Some lots need the seller’s approval, and “Sales are not final until approved,” but you cannot withdraw while you wait. Bid only when a bank wire can clear within three business days and you have a way to move the car: by our arithmetic, walking away costs at least $900. ## Release, storage, abandonment and the Florida title “Vehicles may only be removed after issuance of a Vehicle Release Authorization,” which the FAQ says is emailed “After your payment clears”; that document and a photo ID let you or your transporter collect the car. The home page and FAQ say you can pick it up yourself, but section 7.3 says it “must be removed by tow truck with proper equipment.” Ask before you plan to collect it yourself. The free period is short and counts calendar days: “Vehicles must be removed within three (3) calendar days including auction day.” After that Copart’s storage applies, passed on to you. The terms print this schedule, and add that “Storage rates may vary by location”: - **Online bids:** days 1 to 3 free, days 4 and 5 at $5, days 6 to 9 at $30, then $40 from day 10. Day 1 is the day of purchase. - **Buy It Now:** days 1 and 2 free, days 3 and 4 at $5, days 5 to 8 at $30, then $40. - **Weekends:** “Storage will be charged on weekends and holidays unless the weekend or holiday occurs within the first three days.” By our arithmetic, an online-bid car collected on day 7 has run up $70, and $170 by day 10; a Buy It Now car $210 by day 10. The free period counts calendar days while payment counts business days, and a wire may take days to clear, so on a Friday sale the free days end on Sunday, before the Tuesday payment deadline. After that, “Vehicles not removed within thirty (30) days may be deemed abandoned and disposed of to recover costs. The buyer remains liable for unpaid balances.” Every car is sold “AS-IS, WHERE-IS” with “all faults, visible or hidden,” and the FAQ says pickup “is the last chance to review the vehicle.” See the [Copart damage codes](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#damage-codes). The title is a Florida one. Section 8.1: cars with transferable documents “will be titled in the State of Florida under the name of the Buyer registered with Inloher,” never in a third party’s name, and “Titles may be clean, salvage, destruction, or other classifications as applicable.” Section 8.2: “Title processing is estimated at thirty (30) business days from the auction date,” about 6 weeks by our arithmetic. Inloher may withhold the title while any balance or dispute is open, and “does not guarantee registration eligibility in any jurisdiction.” You then retitle the car in your own state; see [salvage and clean titles compared](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/#compare), [rebuilt titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-rebuilt-title/) and [when a salvage car makes sense](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/should-i-buy-a-salvage-title-car/#defensible). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a sedan’s door, its windscreen and its front wheel, each with one fact from SalvageReseller’s Terms and Conditions. SalvageReseller’s Terms and Conditions and FAQ, read on 9 October 2026: Inloher Corp sells you the car, not Copart; the title is issued in Florida in your name (callout 1); No release until your bank wire clears; pay within 3 business days, auction day counted (callout 2); Collect within 3 days or Copart storage starts; after 30 days it may be deemed abandoned (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## State limits, California and sales tax Copart warns that “Not all Brokers are able to purchase vehicles in every state or every type of vehicle,” and section 8.3 of SalvageReseller’s terms lists its limits; How to Buy adds that “Junk and parts only titles also take preliminary offers only.” The table sets them beside Copart’s own State Licensing Overview, which shows where a private individual can buy with no broker at all. **SalvageReseller’s state limits (read 9 October 2026) beside Copart’s grid for private individuals (read 7 October 2026)** | Where the car is | SalvageReseller’s rule | Copart grid: titled cars | Copart grid: salvage | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Kansas | No purchases | Broker needed | Open to private buyers | | Missouri | No purchases | Open to private buyers | Broker needed | | Michigan | Clean-title cars only | Open to private buyers | Broker needed | | Colorado | Preliminary bids only | Broker needed | Open for certain document types | | Wisconsin | Preliminary bids only | Broker needed | Broker needed | | California | Not for California residents; car must leave the state | Broker needed | Broker needed | In Michigan and Missouri, then, the lots that need a broker under Copart’s grid are the ones SalvageReseller does not sell. Check the grid for your state in our [Copart state-by-state breakdown](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#state-rules) before paying for a broker you may not need. California has its own agreement (section 10.2): residents may not buy California cars, every California car “must be transported out of California” at your expense, a $35 fee applies, and “Non-compliance results in cancellation, forfeiture, and account termination.” Sales tax is collected by Inloher as a Florida dealer. Section 5.4 bases it on “Florida sales tax when applicable” or the “Buyer’s state of residence, capped at 7%.” The FAQ says “many states credit that tax when you register,” but the fees page’s state table is headed “as of 11/30/2011,” 15 years old by our arithmetic, so confirm your own state’s rate and credit with your DMV. ## Transport, inspections and VIN reports **Transport.** Section 7.5: “Inloher does not perform transportation services and assumes no liability for carrier actions,” and your details go to its partners. National quotes come from an unnamed “transport partner,” international ones from West Coast Shipping, and the shipment “is arranged directly between you and the transporter.” Our [car shipping guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains brokers, carriers and how to look them up. **Inspections.** SalvageReseller says it cannot inspect: “we cannot examine vehicles for you, and we cannot verify or guarantee the condition, mileage, keys or history of any lot.” To walk the yard yourself you need a separate Copart membership, which its inspections page prices at “around $99 a year” for Basic and “around $249” for Premier; Copart’s own pages, read 7 October 2026, give the same $99 and $249. Code readers are banned in the yard and “test drives are not permitted.” For a remote check it points members to CarInspector.US, “Around $250, set by the provider,” with a report “within about 24 hours”; it says that firm’s fee is “non refundable once ordered” and to order “with at least two full business days left before the auction.” We did not read the inspector’s own terms. It also warns that a Run and Drive badge “only means that when Copart checked the vehicle in, it started” and moved; see [what Run and Drive means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive) and our guide to [inspecting a car you cannot drive](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote). **VIN reports.** Paid plans include reports, “Yearly members get 10 free VIN reports and Monthly members get 2 every month,” and the page says they “draw on NMVTIS backed data.” The terms name the source and limit it: reports “are provided by third parties, including ClearVIN,” Inloher “does not verify, guarantee, or modify such data,” and “Reports are informational only.” ClearVin LLC is registered in Oregon (18 November 2016) at the same Portland address as AutoBidMaster LLC, as recorded for our AutoBidMaster review. Cross-check earlier sales with [auction records by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions). **Financing.** “SalvageReseller and Inloher Corp are not lenders,” and the outside lenders it lists, such as [Westlake](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/)’s LoanCenter and [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/), must fund by wire inside the three-business-day window. ## The terms of use and the arbitration clause The [Terms & Conditions](https://www.salvagereseller.com/terms-and-conditions) are “a legally binding contract between the buyer ... and Inloher,” and Inloher may change them “at any time,” effective on posting, with email or site notice for significant changes. The English text prevails over the Spanish. The dispute rules come first in the document: - **Arbitration only.** Any dispute about the terms, the site or a purchase goes to “binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules,” held “in Broward County, Florida.” “Each party shall bear its own legal fees and costs” unless the law or the arbitrator says otherwise. - **No jury, no class.** Both sides waive a jury, and class, collective and consolidated claims “are expressly waived.” - **Notice and a 12-month limit.** Written notice, then “thirty (30) days” to settle informally. Claims must start “within twelve (12) months from the event giving rise to the claim.” - **A one-sided exception.** Inloher keeps the right to sue to collect balances, enforce liens and recover deposits. - **Limited liability.** Inloher’s liability is “the lesser of” $500 or the broker fees paid on the deal, with no indirect damages; you indemnify Inloher and Copart and waive protections like California Civil Code §1542. - **Florida law** applies, and anything outside arbitration goes to courts in Broward County. We found no opt-out from arbitration and no small-claims exception in the terms. Registering also gives consent to “marketing and service communications via email, SMS, phone, or mail”; promotional messages can be refused, transactional ones cannot. ## Where SalvageReseller’s own documents disagree All were live on 9 October 2026. The terms are the contract; get anything else in writing. **SalvageReseller and Inloher documents that say different things about the same rule (read 9 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Live bidding on the free plan | FAQ, How to Buy: no limits; every plan has live bidding | Home page: upgrade for $34.99 a month to bid live | | Free-plan purchases | FAQ: no purchase limit | Inloher’s site: 2 vehicle purchase limit | | Monthly broker fee | Terms: $249 or 7% | Inloher’s site: $249 or 5% | | Registration | FAQ: free | Home page: pay the registration fee | | $145 document fee | Fee table: a Copart charge | Calculator: a SalvageReseller fee | | $50 broker fee | Fees page and FAQ: charged on every win | Terms 6.6 fee list: not included | | Changing the broker fee | Terms: with prior publication | Fees page: at any time without notice | | Paying at a Copart yard | FAQ: a $200 penalty | Terms 6.7 non-compliance penalties: $300, $500 or $1,000 | | Deposit toward the car | Terms 6.9: cannot be used | Blog: applied or released | | Collecting it yourself | Home page and FAQ: pick up at the yard | Terms 7.3: removal by tow truck | | Who you pay | Terms: Inloher, never Copart | Transport page: “Pay your Copart invoice in full” | | Title time | Terms: 30 business days | FAQ: about 30 days; home: up to 30 days | Two more sit against Copart’s documents. SalvageReseller applies the $15 environmental fee only to non-clean titles, where Copart’s fee page says “each item sold”; and its heavy-vehicle table prints two different rows for a $5,000.00 sale. The deposit rule, the plan fees, the three-business-day payment window, the relist and cancellation fees and the arbitration clause read the same wherever they appear on SalvageReseller.com. ## Before you bid: the printed terms side by side, and a checklist Buyers often weigh SalvageReseller against AutoBidMaster, another Copart broker, and against buying from Copart directly. The table sets printed terms side by side, with no prices; it is not a ranking. Copart’s column comes from documents read on 7 October 2026, AutoBidMaster’s from its July 2026 Member Terms read on 9 October 2026. **Printed terms: Copart direct (read 7 October 2026), AutoBidMaster and SalvageReseller (read 9 October 2026)** | Term | Copart, buying directly | AutoBidMaster | SalvageReseller | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who sells you the car | Copart, to its own Basic and Premier Members | An unnamed affiliated Dealer | Inloher Corp, a Florida dealer | | Auctions covered | Copart’s own | Copart and IAA | Copart only | | Payment deadline | 3 business days, sale day included | 5:00 pm Pacific, next business day | 3 business days, auction day included | | How you pay for the car | Not part of this comparison | Wire, MoneyGram or Zelle | Bank wire only | | If you never pay | Relisted after 8 calendar days | Relisted; relist fee plus the transaction fee | Cancelled after 7 calendar days; relist plus cancellation fee | | Car left in the yard | Locked storage after the third business day | May be declared abandoned after 10 days | Storage from day 4 (day 3 for Buy It Now); may be deemed abandoned after 30 days | | First-membership refund | Within 7 days if you have not bid or bought | Within 14 days if no benefits used | None; fees non-refundable | | Disputes | Not part of our Copart reading | Arbitration; opt out by mail within 30 days | AAA arbitration in Broward County; no opt-out clause | - **Check the lot first:** [what Copart disclaims](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#disclaimer) and [earlier auction records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions). - **Check the state rule** where the car sits, and whether you need a broker at all. - **Add every layer:** Copart’s fees, the broker fee, $145, $55 and $50, then tax. - **Ask in writing** whether your plan allows live bidding and how many purchases. - **Have the wire ready** in your own name before you bid; it must clear within three business days. - **Book transport the day you win:** storage starts on day 4, and the car goes by tow truck. - **Inspect before it leaves the yard;** after pickup, claims are hard. - **Plan for a Florida title** and your own state’s retitling, and price [insurance for a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/salvage-title-insurance/). ## Common questions ### Is SalvageReseller legit? We make no recommendation. Inloher Corp is an active Florida corporation filed in 2004, BBB-accredited with an A+ rating on 9 October 2026, and our searches of federal and Florida enforcement sites found no action naming it, though court dockets were not searched. Its terms are strict: wire-only payment in three business days, cancellation fees, binding arbitration with no opt-out, and documents that sometimes disagree. ### Who owns SalvageReseller? Inloher Corp of Coconut Creek, Florida, which does business as Salvage Reseller and sells you the car. Florida’s registry names its officers but no shareholders. Copart is not the seller; the terms call it only “the auctioneer and platform operator.” ### How much does SalvageReseller charge? Membership is free, $34.99 a month or $189.99 a year. Each car adds a broker fee of $299 or 10% (Free), $249 or 7% (Monthly) or $249 or 5% (Yearly), a $145 document fee, $55 mailing and a $50 fee it files under Copart, on top of Copart’s own fees and tax. ### Is the SalvageReseller deposit refundable? Yes, once nothing is pending, processed within three business days. It is at least $600, covers bids up to $6,000, cannot be used to pay for the car, and the 2.9% card fee on a card deposit is not returned. ### What happens if you win and don’t pay? A $50 late fee after three business days. On day 7 the sale is cancelled and you owe a relist fee of $600 or 10% plus a cancellation fee of $300 to $1,000, at least $900 by our arithmetic, taken from your deposit and then your card. ### Can SalvageReseller buy IAA cars or ship my car? No to IAA: it says it provides “access to Copart specifically, not IAA.” It does not ship either; it passes your request to transport partners, and the contract for the move is with the carrier. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS approved data providers](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory) - [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagereseller-review/ --- title: "IAA Auction (IAAI) Fees: What a Public Buyer Pays and Who Can Buy" description: "IAA’s own fee tables, added up: a $1,000 win by live online bid costs $585 in fees. Plus who can buy in each state, deadlines, the renege fee and arbitration." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # IAA Auction (IAAI) Fees: What a Public Buyer Pays and Who Can Buy > IAA’s own fee tables, added up: a $1,000 win by live online bid costs $585 in fees. Plus who can buy in each state, deadlines, the renege fee and arbitration. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 5,003 words* ## The short version - IAA sells to the public, but the state decides which cars. IAA’s own grid lets a public buyer bid without a broker on clear and salvage titles in 16 states, on one of the two or under a yearly cap in 10 more, and on neither in 24. - Bidding needs a $225 registration fee that renews automatically each year and, the Auction Rules say, is not refunded even if you are not approved. Registering only for government fleet (GSA) cars is free. - Every win carries at least four IAA charges: a buyer fee set by the price, an internet or proxy bid fee, a $105 service fee and a $20 title-handling fee. By our arithmetic a $1,000 car won with a live online bid costs $585 in fees, before a surcharge IAA lists without an amount. - Pay by 5 p.m. on the second business day after the award or owe $50 or 2% of the price, whichever is greater. Unpaid after 7 calendar days, the renege fee is $1,000 or 15%: on a $1,000 car, as much as the car. - Storage is set by branch. Phoenix and Dallas both give free storage through the day of the award plus four days, then charge $50 a day. - Every car is sold as is, with no warranty; disputes go to binding individual arbitration unless you opt out within 30 days of registering; and IAA has belonged to RB Global since 20 March 2023. IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) is a salvage and total-loss auction that sells online to licensed businesses and, in about half the states, to the public. What it costs and who can buy are set out in its own documents, which do not always agree. On 9 October 2026 we read IAA’s [Buyer Agreement and Auction Rules](https://www.iaai.com/AuctionRules), its Terms of Use (revised 4 December 2025), its [non-licensed](https://www.iaai.com/marketing/standard-iaa-non-licensed-buyer-fees) and licensed fee pages with the fee tables they show as images, its public-buyer, registration and payment pages, two branch pages, ten help-center articles, and RB Global’s 2025 [Form 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046102/000162828026011682/rba-20251231.htm), filed 25 February 2026. We did not register, sign in or bid, and this site has no relationship with IAA or any broker. **Figure: What IAA adds to a winning bid, and what each missed deadline costs** A two-column table of seven situations from IAA’s non-licensed fee schedule and Auction Rules: a $1,000 win by live online bid adds $585 in fees; by proxy bid, $575; at $15,000 the buyer fee switches to 7.5%; a late fee of $50 or 2%; a renege fee of $1,000 or 15% after 7 calendar days; a cancellation fee if a paid car is not collected within 30 days; and in 24 of 50 states a public buyer needs a broker for both title types. Our arithmetic from IAA’s Non-Licensed Buyer Fees (effective November 4, 2024), its list of other fees (effective October 1, 2026), the Auction Rules and the Buyer Eligibility by State article, read 9 October 2026. Excludes the EH&S and Fuel Surcharge, for which IAA prints no amount, plus tax, storage and transport. ## Can the public buy at IAA? Yes, with an active registration and a state that allows it. The Auction Rules require individuals to be “18 years of age or older,” and “Only registered Buyers in good standing may bid on vehicles.” A free guest account can watch sales, but the glossary says “you cannot bid.” Public buyers, IAA’s public-buyer page says, are “those without a qualifying business license,” and, its registration page adds, they bid “at auctions that are open to the public (varies by state).” Registering from a state that bars public buying, you are told you “cannot bid in your state” and offered a broker or a business account. Each car’s page has a “Who Can Bid” list, which IAA says is where to confirm a car “is available for public purchase.” One group is open everywhere: “GSA inventory is open to all public buyers in all states.” RB Global’s 10-K lists IAA’s buyers as body shops, rebuilders, dealers, wholesalers, exporters, dismantlers, recyclers, brokers “and the general public,” and its list of vehicle suppliers starts with “insurance companies.” For lender repossessions, see our [repossessed car auctions guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/repossessed-car-auctions/#channels); title lender TitleMax, for one, has its own fee page on IAA’s site (see our [TitleMax review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/titlemax-review/)). SalvageBid, a broker that buys at IAA for the public, is read on our [SalvageBid review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagebid-review/). ## Which states let a public buyer bid without a broker IAA’s help center has two state guides. “Buyer Eligibility by State” (dated 8 August 2025) is a 50-row grid with columns for dealers and for “PUBLIC/ NON-AUTO LICENSE BUSINESS,” each split into clear and salvage titles. “Public Buyer State by State Eligibility” (7 August 2025) lists the 27 states whose branches sell something to the public, and both send buyers to their DMV. We grouped the grid’s public columns: **What IAA’s Buyer Eligibility grid lets a public buyer bid on without a broker (read 9 October 2026; our grouping)** | Public buyer may bid directly on | States | Count | | --- | --- | --- | | Clear and salvage titles | Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington | 16 | | Clear titles; salvage “Limited per year” | Ohio | 1 | | Clear titles only | Michigan, Utah | 2 | | Salvage titles only | Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, West Virginia; Tennessee and Texas “limited per year for in-state buyers” | 7 | | Neither (broker for both) | Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin (recreational vehicles excepted), Wyoming | 24 | That is 26 of 50 states open to a public buyer for at least one title type. The caps are specific: Texas buyers “have a limit of purchasing 5 salvage vehicles per calendar year,” Tennessee buyers “a purchase limit of 5 vehicles over 365 days” plus a disclosure form per car, and in Utah a non-auto business may buy up to 5 salvage vehicles “per any 12-month period” while the public needs a broker. Five states (Alabama, Michigan, Nevada, Utah and Wisconsin) also require a state buyer card or license for some purchases. On Texas, check the law: section 2302.204 of the Texas Occupations Code, as our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#state-rules) quoted it on 7 October 2026, exempts a person who buys “fewer than five” salvage vehicles in a casual sale at auction, one fewer than IAA’s wording suggests. We did not read the Texas DMV rules that implement it. ### The same state, two auction houses, two answers Our Copart guide also read Copart’s grid for private individuals. Set against IAA’s public columns, the two agree in 35 of 50 states and differ in 15: **The 15 states where IAA’s and Copart’s own grids differ for a public buyer (IAA read 9 October 2026; Copart read 7 October 2026; terms only)** | State | IAA: clear / salvage | Copart: titled / salvage | | --- | --- | --- | | Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota | Yes / Yes | Broker / Broker | | Hawaii, Washington | Yes / Yes | Broker / Yes | | Ohio | Yes / Limited per year | Broker / Yes | | Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wyoming | Broker / Broker | Yes / Yes | | Missouri | Broker / Broker | Yes / Broker | | Mississippi | Broker / Yes | Yes / Yes | | Tennessee | Broker / Yes, limited per year | Broker / Broker | | West Virginia | Broker / Yes | Broker / Broker | Neither grid is the law; Copart calls its own “a general guideline.” The comparison shows that each auction applies its own reading of state rules, which RB Global’s 10-K says “limit who can purchase damaged and total loss vehicles.” The vehicle page decides. ### Brokers Where the grid says Broker, IAA points to its broker list and, abroad, to “Market Alliances.” Its glossary defines brokers as “registered buyers who purchase vehicles on behalf of other people” who “charge a fee for their services and have their terms and conditions.” The public-buyer page promises you can “Buy without needing to register or have a license” but prints no broker fee. We did not open the directory and name no broker. A broker’s charges sit on top of IAA’s fees, under the broker’s contract; our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/) shows how one broker’s terms read, though we have not checked whether it buys at IAA. ## Registering: the $225 fee and the renewal “A $225 registration fee is required to bid on all IAA inventory,” IAA’s registration page says, payable by credit card or PayPal; “debit cards are not accepted.” Registering only for government fleet cars is “completely free.” An individual needs a driver’s license, state ID or passport, plus proof of address if the ID lacks one, and “A mobile phone will be required to complete the identity verification step.” Business buyers add a license and, to buy tax-free, resale certificates. Read the renewal terms first. The Auction Rules say membership “WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW ANNUALLY,” can be cancelled “UPON 30 DAYS’ NOTICE PRIOR TO THE END” of the period, and that fees “CANNOT BE REFUNDED, EVEN IF A PROSPECTIVE BUYER IS NOT APPROVED.” IAA may also “deny or cancel Buyer’s account at any time for any reason or for no reason at all.” The registration page says IAA “offers three membership tiers” and points to “the chart below,” but no chart was on the page, and the Terms of Use mention a “Premium Guest” registration billed “EACH MONTH” with no amount. We did not open the sign-up form, so check the checkout screen before entering a card. ## How IAA’s buyer fee schedule is built IAA sets fees by “final sale price, license type, and volume of inventory purchased,” in four segments: licensed, non-licensed, heavy vehicle (a weight rating of “10,001 lbs. and higher”) and Rec Rides (powersports). A member of the public pays from the “Standard IAA Non-Licensed Buyer Fees” page, whose tables are dated “Effective November 4, 2024” and are images, so we transcribed them from the files. The buyer fee has 39 bands: $25.00 under $50, $375.00 at $1,000, $775.00 at $5,000, a flat $1,000.00 from $10,000 to $14,999.99, and “7.5% of sale price” from $15,000. Unlike Copart’s, it has one fee column, with no separate rate for card payment. - **A license alone changes nothing.** The licensed “Standard Volume” table, for licensed buyers with “24 or fewer units purchased” or under $75,000 of purchases in 12 months, matches the non-licensed one in all 39 rows. Only the 41-row “High-Volume” table, which needs “25+ units purchased AND a total sale price of $75,000+” and fewer than 5 bidder accounts, is lower: $250 instead of $375 at $1,000, and 6.0% instead of 7.5% from $15,000. - **Band edges cost real money.** By our arithmetic a $9,999.99 sale carries a $945 buyer fee and $10,000 carries $1,000, a $55 step for one cent. At $14,999.99 the flat $1,000 is 6.7% of the price; at $15,000 the fee is $1,125, a $125 step. The schedule pays. RB Global’s 10-K says “Transactional buyer revenue increased 8%, while total GTV increased 2%, primarily due to changes to our buyer fee structures, which were implemented in late-2024 and early-2025.” IAA says its fees “are on par with those charged in the salvage industry”; we compare no prices (our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#fee-schedule) reads Copart’s schedule). ## The fees on every win, and what they add up to The buyer fee is only the first line. The fee pages add an internet bid table and, under a heading dated “Effective October 1, 2026,” five more charges; the Auction Rules name others without prices. **IAA’s fees for a public (non-licensed) buyer, as printed (read 9 October 2026)** | Fee | Amount | When it applies | | --- | --- | --- | | Buyer fee | $25.00 to $1,000.00 in 39 bands; 7.5% from $15,000 | Every vehicle sold | | Live Online Bid fee | $0 under $100; then $50.00 to $160.00 | Won with a live internet bid | | Proxy Bid fee | $0 under $100; then $40.00 to $140.00 | Won with a pre-set maximum bid | | Service fee | $105 per unit | “imaging, pull-out, and/or loading” | | Title-handling fee | $20 | “all purchases” | | Premium Imagery Set fee | $10 per unit | Eligible vehicles only | | EH&S and Fuel Surcharge | No amount printed | Listed with the other fees | | Storage | By branch ($50 a day at Phoenix and Dallas) | After the free period | | Late fee | $50 or 2% of the price, whichever is greater | Missed payment deadline | | Renege fee | $1,000 or 15% of the price, whichever is greater | Unpaid after 7 calendar days | | Card fee, NSF fee, additional bidder fee | No amount printed | Named in the Auction Rules or How to Pay | The internet fee has 9 bands, and the live fee is $10 to $20 higher than the proxy fee in every paid band, so a pre-set maximum is the cheaper way to win the same car. “Buy Now” sales at a set price carry “All standard buyer fees,” the glossary says. Four lines (buyer fee, internet or proxy fee, $105 service fee, $20 title fee) give what a public buyer pays IAA on top of the bid. The totals below are our arithmetic on the printed tables. They exclude the EH&S and Fuel Surcharge, which has no printed amount, so each is a floor; they also exclude tax, storage, card fees and transport. **IAA’s fees on a winning bid, and their share of the bid (our arithmetic from the tables effective 4 November 2024 and the fees effective 1 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Buyer fee | Live online bid: total fees | Proxy bid: total fees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $500 | $205 | $395 (79%) | $385 (77%) | | $1,000 | $375 | $585 (58.5%) | $575 (57.5%) | | $2,500 | $610 | $845 (33.8%) | $835 (33.4%) | | $5,000 | $775 | $1,025 (20.5%) | $1,010 (20.2%) | | $10,000 | $1,000 | $1,285 (12.9%) | $1,265 (12.7%) | | $20,000 | $1,500 | $1,785 (8.9%) | $1,765 (8.8%) | One cell, step by step: a $1,000 car sits in the “$1,000 – $1,199.99” band, a $375 buyer fee; the live online bid fee for “$1,000 – $1,499.99” is $85; add $105 and $20. That is $585, so the car costs $1,585 before tax, the surcharge and getting it home. Fees weigh most on cheap cars: the $105 service fee alone is 21% of a $500 bid. IAA’s own Cost Calculator, the Auction Rules warn, “should not be relied upon as the final calculation or verification of total fees.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the open engine bay, the second car’s headlight and the crumpled fender, each with one fact from IAA’s fee schedules and Auction Rules. IAA’s buyer fee schedules and Auction Rules, read on 9 October 2026: Added to the bid: buyer fee, internet or proxy bid fee, $105 service fee, $20 title fee (callout 1); Pay by 5 p.m. two business days after the award, or a $50 or 2% late fee (callout 2); Unpaid 7 calendar days after award: renege fee of $1,000 or 15%, whichever is more (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. A dealer must show you an all-in price (see our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#what-it-is)); at an auction, adding it up is your job, and for a damaged car the repair estimate belongs in the sum. Our guide to [when a salvage car is defensible](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/should-i-buy-a-salvage-title-car/#defensible) covers that side. ## Deadlines: late, renege, cancellation and storage fees The clocks start at the award. The Auction Rules say payment is due “within three business days” (“auction day plus two business days”), so a Monday win is due by close of business Wednesday; the help center and branch pages put the cut-off at 5 p.m. local time. Buyers outside the US get longer: “four business days after” on the public-buyer page, “auction day plus four days” in the help center. - **Late fee:** “$50 or 2% of the selling price of the vehicle, whichever is greater.” The 2% only exceeds $50 above a $2,500 sale, so a late $1,000 car costs $50 and a late $10,000 car $200 (our arithmetic). - **Renege fee:** unpaid “within seven (7) calendar days inclusive of the day the vehicle is awarded,” and you owe “$1,000 or 15% of sale price, whichever is greater,” plus IAA’s collection costs. Bidding is suspended until it is paid, and a second renege “may have bidding privileges revoked.” The 15% only exceeds $1,000 above $6,666.67, so walking away from a $1,000 win costs $1,000, 100% of the price, and from a $10,000 win $1,500. - **Cancellation fee:** pay but leave the car more than 30 calendar days, and the fee is “the Renege Fee plus IAA’s reasonable and customary daily storage fee” until IAA can resell, plus retitling costs if you already hold the title. - **Storage:** set by “the time allowed by the branch”; “Every branch location page lists the rates,” the help center says. We read two branch pages, Phoenix and Dallas, and both print the same terms: payment by 5 p.m. on the day of award plus two days, the same late fee, “Number of free storage days: Day vehicle was awarded + 4 day(s),” then “Storage Fee: $50/day.” A week of storage is $350 by our arithmetic; neither page says whether weekends count. Both say purchases “must be secured within 5 business days,” after which IAA may move the car to its nearest facility at your cost. Under the Auction Rules’ set-off clause, IAA may apply a payment meant for a car to an outstanding renege, cancellation, late or NSF fee first. How you pay matters as much as when. Cards are capped online at “$2,500 for Public Accounts” a day ($20,000 for licensed businesses), exclude American Express, need “One year of established purchase history,” must be in the buyer’s name, and carry “a processing fee” IAA does not quantify. Cash is capped at $500 a day per branch; cashier’s and certified checks have no limit; wires are accepted only from the buyer, owner or an additional bidder. A first-time public buyer of anything but a cheap car is therefore likely to pay by wire or cashier’s check, so set that up before the auction. ## Pickup, transport and the title The car is your risk from the award: “Risk of loss on a purchased vehicle passes to Buyer once the vehicle has been awarded,” and cars left after the sale are “at the sole risk of Buyer.” “Vehicles can be picked up on sale day,” and yards close earlier than offices “to allow extra time for pullout/loading.” The facility rules ban anyone under 18, cameras, bags and any work on a car beyond preparing it for transport. IAA’s loaders lift cars onto your transporter (part of the $105 service fee), but the buyer directs and secures the load, and the Phoenix and Dallas pages say loaders will not lift anything over 11,000 lbs. IAA Transport can be booked at checkout under “separate terms and conditions,” which we did not read; our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) covers hiring your own carrier. The title travels separately. Beyond the $20 title-handling fee, IAA charges “a small fee,” unpriced, to send a title by FedEx. The help center mentions a “30-day pickup window,” after which a missing title becomes a case for buyer services, and says documents without a valid US address are held “for 1 year from the sale date,” then “securely shredded,” with any duplicate at the owner’s cost. The Auction Rules require you to “promptly title vehicles” in your name, with no “title skipping.” Government fleet cars differ. For GSA Fleet sales through IAA, buyers “shall not be charged buyer fees by IAA,” must pay within 2 days and remove the car within 10, and receive a Standard Form 97-1 (SF-97-1) certificate instead of a state title, because they are “not contracting with IAA but rather GSA.” RB Global’s 10-K says the GSA contract was expanded in November 2025. Our [GSA Auctions guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/gsa-auctions/) covers the government’s own sales site and our [GovDeals guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/govdeals/) state and local sellers. ## What IAA says, and does not say, about a car’s condition The Auction Rules carry 17 numbered disclaimers, and the first governs: every vehicle is sold “AS IS, WHERE IS,” with no warranty. Item 4 has the buyer agree “NOT TO BASE A BID OR OTHERWISE RELY ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED BY IAA,” from year and make through mileage, title, airbags, keys and “WHETHER OR NOT A CAR STARTS OR RUNS,” and tells buyers who care about mileage to get a history report first (see our guide to [checking a used car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/)). The listing’s labels describe the car on arrival, not at sale: - **Run & Drive**: the engine started “(EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT A JUMP),” both gears engaged and the wheel turned a full rotation each way, “AT THE TIME OF ARRIVAL.” **Starts**: it started and idled. **Stationary**: it “will not start, has engine damage, or was not tested upon arrival.” Our [guide to auction records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive) shows how these labels spread to other sites. - **Airbags “INTACT”** is IAA’s judgment that they looked undeployed; IAA “DOES NOT INSPECT OR CONDUCT TESTING ON THE AIRBAGS.” - **Keys “present”** means noted at check-in; “IAA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MISSING PARTS.” - **Damage** labels are not exhaustive, photos do not show the whole condition, and cars may hide frame, water or “BIOHAZARD DAMAGE.” - **Actual Cash Value** comes from the seller and IAA “does not represent the accuracy or validity of this value”; the IAA Vehicle Score is “a subjective estimate.” The title disclaimers matter most. Item 12: “VEHICLES SOLD WITH A CLEAR TITLE MAY HAVE A SALVAGE HISTORY.” Item 16: a clear-title car may later appear as “JUNK/SALVAGE” in NMVTIS reports. Item 14: IAA does not promise any car can be registered, and a car bought on a clear document in one state may have to be sold on a salvage document in another. See our guides to [salvage, rebuilt and clean titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/#compare), [the NMVTIS report](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/nmvtis-report/#what-it-is) and [insuring a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/salvage-title-insurance/). Item 17 warns of open safety recalls; check [NHTSA’s recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). Inspect before you bid. The Phoenix and Dallas branches open for preview from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the day before an auction, and IAA’s glossary recommends a third-party inspection while saying IAA does not “endorse or warrant” it; our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote) covers cars you cannot drive. A visitor not signed in sees 11 characters of a lot’s VIN with the last 6 masked, as our BidFax guide recorded on 3 October 2026. And once an online bid is accepted, “it cannot be deleted,” only reduced to the current high bid; if the seller counters within your proxy maximum, the system accepts for you. ## Disputes: no condition arbitration, but binding legal arbitration Some wholesale auctions let a buyer return a car over an undisclosed defect within a set window; our [CarMax auctions guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/#arbitration) describes one. IAA’s Auction Rules have no such window. Their “arbitration” is how a legal claim against IAA is heard: - **Notice first:** written notice “at least thirty (30) days in advance,” with complaints “to IAA and not to its sellers.” - **Binding arbitration** under the American Arbitration Association in Cook County, Illinois, though a single-vehicle dispute “may be heard in the county in which the IAA Facility involved with the claim is located.” Claims over $100,000 may go to three arbitrators; Illinois law applies; small claims court remains open. - **Costs:** IAA pays as much of the fees as the arbitrator deems necessary “to prevent the arbitration from being cost-prohibitive,” and the prevailing party recovers reasonable attorneys’ fees. - **Individual only**, no class actions. **Opt out** with a signed written notice “within thirty (30) days of when you first register,” and disputes go to a Cook County court instead. - **One year** to file any claim, “or be forever barred.” - **The ceiling:** “BUYER’S SOLE REMEDY FOR CLAIMS SHALL BE FOR RESCISSION OF THE SALE,” liability cannot exceed what you paid for the car, and repair, transport, storage, DMV and inspection costs are excluded. IAA keeps an exit. Every award is “subject to approval by the vehicle’s consignor,” and IAA may “rescind, postpone or cancel a sale or withdraw an awarded vehicle at any time before Buyer receives the assigned title,” including over pricing errors, with the buyer releasing any claim. A buyer who “contacts or tracks down a vehicle owner or seller in any manner will immediately be banned.” ## Who owns IAA IAA belongs to RB Global, Inc., formerly Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (EDGAR records the name change in May 2023). Its 10-K says: “On March 20, 2023, the Company completed its acquisition of IAA, Inc.” for about $6.6 billion. IAA had been spun off from KAR Auction Services, which distributed 100% of its shares on 28 June 2019. IAA’s About page calls itself “IAA Holdings, LLC (IAA), an RB Global company,” with buyers in “over 170 countries.” Your contract, though, is with “Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.,” the party named in the Terms of Use and Auction Rules; Exhibit 21.1 to the 10-K lists both it and IAA Holdings, LLC as 100%-owned RB Global subsidiaries. Describing the salvage segment, the 10-K says: “We primarily compete with Copart, Inc.” The 10-K and the 10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 2026 both report “no material legal proceedings pending, other than ordinary routine litigation.” RB Global’s 8-Ks of 15 September and 8 October 2026 concern a buyback and a new chief financial officer, not any sale of IAA. A web search on 9 October 2026 found no enforcement release naming Insurance Auto Auctions, so this page cites none. ## Where IAA’s own documents disagree **IAA documents that say different things about the same rule (read 9 October 2026)** | Topic | One IAA document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | What a clear title means | Blog (26 October 2023): clear-title vehicles “have never been deemed a total loss by an insurance company” | Auction Rules: a clear-title vehicle “MAY HAVE A SALVAGE HISTORY” | | Traveler’s checks | Auction Rules: accepted | How to Pay: not accepted since 7 July 2025 (its cash paragraph still lists them) | | Card limit | How to Pay: $2,500 a day online for public accounts | Phoenix and Dallas, in person: “less than $250” | | Does a license lower fees? | Registration page: a non-auto licensed business “benefits from a Licensed Business Buyer fee structure” | Fee tables: Standard Volume equals the non-licensed table in all 39 rows | | Membership | “three membership tiers” in “the chart below” | No chart; $225 is the only price; the Terms of Use mention a monthly Premium Guest fee | | Number of schedules | Help center: “four different fee schedules,” then six names | Fee index: four segments, five tables, plus a TitleMax page | | When storage starts | Public-buyer page: daily storage “once the time limit is reached” for payment | Phoenix and Dallas: free through the day of award plus four days | | Arbitration | Terms of Use: costs shared “equally,” held “only in Cook County” | Auction Rules: IAA pays to avoid cost-prohibitive arbitration; single-vehicle disputes may be heard near the branch | On arbitration the Terms of Use settle it: nothing in them may “override any Auction Rules” for a registered buyer. Elsewhere, treat the Auction Rules as the contract and the branch page holding the car as the local schedule. The clear-title disagreement can cost most: a clear title from IAA does not prove the car was never a total loss. Our guides to [what a clean title proves](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-clean-title/#washing) and [total-loss checks by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/total-loss-check-by-vin/) explain how to look behind it. ### Before you bid **A bid is a commitment.** Once IAA’s system accepts an online bid, it “cannot be deleted.” Win and leave it unpaid for 7 calendar days, award day included, and the renege fee is $1,000 or 15% of the price, whichever is greater, with bidding suspended until you pay. - **Check eligibility on the car.** The “Who Can Bid” list decides; IAA’s and Copart’s state grids disagree in 15 states. - **Add four fees to your maximum:** buyer fee, live or proxy fee, $105 service fee, $20 title fee, then the unpriced surcharge, tax and transport. Watch the band edges at $10,000 and $15,000. - **Bid by proxy** if you can set a maximum in advance: the fee is $10 to $20 lower. - **Arrange payment before the sale:** public card payments are capped at $2,500 a day and need a year of history. - **Read the branch page** for free storage and the daily rate, and book transport early. - **Decide on arbitration within 30 days of registering,** and run the history checks: our [guide to auction damage codes](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#damage-codes), [earlier auction records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions) and [the rebuilt-title inspection](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-rebuilt-title/#inspection). ## Common questions ### Can anyone buy from IAA? Anyone 18 or older who registers and pays $225 can bid, but only on cars open to the public where they sit. By our count of IAA’s grid, the public can bid directly on clear and salvage titles in 16 states, on one of the two or under a yearly cap in 10 more, and needs a broker for both in 24. GSA fleet cars are open to the public everywhere, and that registration is free. ### What are IAA’s buyer fees? For a public buyer, a buyer fee from $25 to $1,000 by price band (7.5% from $15,000), a live online bid fee of up to $160 or a proxy bid fee of up to $140, a $105 service fee and a $20 title-handling fee. By our arithmetic that is $585 on a $1,000 live-bid win and $1,025 on a $5,000 one, before the unpriced EH&S and Fuel Surcharge. ### How long do I have to pay at IAA? Until 5 p.m. local time on the second business day after the award, “auction day plus two business days” in the Auction Rules. Late payment costs $50 or 2%, whichever is greater; after 7 calendar days the renege fee is $1,000 or 15%. ### What happens if I win and do not pay? You owe the renege fee plus collection costs, and bidding is suspended until it is paid; a second renege may cost your account. Paying but not collecting within 30 days brings a cancellation fee: the renege fee plus daily storage. ### Can I return a car bought at IAA? The Auction Rules have no return window. Cars are sold “AS IS, WHERE IS,” and the “SOLE REMEDY” for a claim is rescission, through binding arbitration or small claims court within one year. IAA itself may cancel a sale before you receive the title. ### Who owns IAA? RB Global, Inc., formerly Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, which completed its purchase of IAA, Inc. on 20 March 2023 for about $6.6 billion, according to its 10-K. The company named in IAA’s terms is Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., an RB Global subsidiary. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/ --- title: "GovDeals Cars: Fees, Deadlines and Titles in Its Own Terms" description: "GovDeals’ own terms, read 9 October 2026: premium set per listing, pay within 5 days, remove in 10 business days, a 10% or $50 fee if you don’t pay." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/govdeals/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # GovDeals Cars: Fees, Deadlines and Titles in Its Own Terms > GovDeals’ own terms, read 9 October 2026: premium set per listing, pay within 5 days, remove in 10 business days, a 10% or $50 fee if you don’t pay. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,862 words* ## The short version - GovDeals is run by Liquidity Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: LQDT). Its fiscal 2025 10-K lists govdeals.com among the company’s domains and reports a GovDeals segment that sold $903.5 million of goods in the year, for agencies from cities to federal departments and for some commercial sellers. - GovDeals is not the seller. Its User Agreement says the sale contract “is directly between the Seller and the Buyer,” and each seller’s own Terms and Conditions, linked in the listing’s bid box, override GovDeals’ defaults. - The buyer’s premium is set listing by listing. No GovDeals document we read prints a standing rate. - Default clocks: pay by the listing’s deadline, or within 5 days of notice that the seller accepted your bid, with “No extensions”; then remove the car within 10 business days of the emailed Buyer’s Certificate. You load and haul it. - Miss a payment and GovDeals’ copy of the agreement allows a fee of 10% of the price or $50, whichever is greater, with your account locked until it is paid: $400 on a $4,000 car, by our arithmetic. - Cars are sold “AS IS, WHERE IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS,” a description complaint must come before removal starts, and a car sold as salvage can come with no title at all. GovDeals is an online auction marketplace where public agencies, and some commercial and nonprofit sellers, sell surplus property, including cars, pickups, police cruisers and fire trucks. It is owned by Liquidity Services, Inc., listed on Nasdaq as LQDT. On 9 October 2026 we read GovDeals’ [User Agreement](https://www.govdeals.com/en/content/site-terms) (effective 1 April 2021) and the copy on liquidityservices.com, GovDeals’ buyer pages and FAQ, the Terms and Conditions of two sellers (a North Carolina school district and the State of Ohio), four GovDeals blog posts, and Liquidity Services’ [fiscal 2025 Form 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1235468/000119312525289159/lqdt-20250930.htm), its [10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1235468/000119312526337292/lqdt-20260630.htm) and the fiscal 2008 10-K that records the purchase of GovDeals. We did not register, bid or open a listing. This site has no relationship with GovDeals, Liquidity Services or any seller. **Figure: From winning bid to title: the GovDeals clock** A two-column table of seven steps after a GovDeals bid, from the User Agreement and two sellers’ terms read 9 October 2026: a high bid is an offer the selling agency may revoke until payment and removal; with no listing deadline, payment is due within 5 days with no extensions and 18% a year on overdue sums; non-payment brings a fee of 10% of the price or $50, whichever is greater; after the Buyer’s Certificate, removal within 10 business days, buyer loads and hauls; late removal lets GovDeals keep the buyer’s premium; misdescription must be raised before removal; the title comes at removal by default and a salvage sale may carry none. GovDeals User Agreement (govdeals.com copy, effective April 1, 2021) and the Terms and Conditions of two sellers, read 9 October 2026. A listing’s own terms override these defaults. ## Who runs GovDeals, and who sells on it Liquidity Services’ 10-K for the year to 30 September 2025 lists GovDeals first among its three reportable segments. The segment “provides solutions that enable government entities including city, county, state and federal agencies located in the United States and Canada and related commercial businesses to sell surplus property and real estate assets through its GovDeals, Bid4Assets and Sierra marketplaces.” Another segment “enables commercial businesses to sell surplus assets on our AllSurplus and GovDeals marketplace.” So the seller of a GovDeals car is usually a public body, but not always. GovDeals’ blog, in a post dated 15 July 2026, lists cities, counties, state agencies, school districts and universities, public utilities, transit authorities, airports, fire and police departments, fleet organizations, and “Nonprofits and other commercial organizations.” The Why Buy page counts “more than 15,000 government and commercial sellers in over 200 asset categories.” Federal surplus also moves through the government’s own auction site, covered in our [GSA Auctions guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/gsa-auctions/). GovDeals predates its owner. Liquidity Services’ fiscal 2008 10-K says that “On January 1, 2008, we completed the acquisition” of GovDeals’ parent for about $9.4 million net of cash, adding “approximately 1,400 new government agency clients, approximately 80,000 new registered buyers.” On 1 January 2024 it added Sierra Auction Management, “a full-service auction company specializing in the sale of vehicles, equipment and surplus assets,” now reported inside the GovDeals segment. GovDeals listings are “automatically cross listed to AllSurplus.com.” The User Agreement is offered by Liquidity Services Operations LLC. The blog says “GovDeals does not own or sell the items listed on the marketplace,” but the agreement allows one exception: a Seller can be “Liquidity Services, when we are reselling an Asset purchased by us to which we hold title.” It also warns that “a Seller may be identified with a user ID rather than its actual legal entity name.” The seller’s name appears on its Terms and Conditions page. ## How a GovDeals vehicle sale works Registration is free, and the agreement requires users to be “at least eighteen (18) years old.” The 10-K says each new buyer “must accept our User Agreement (Terms and Conditions) to proceed” and is screened against restricted-party lists, with flagged registrations reviewed by hand, “typically within 24 hours.” New buyers start on probation. A blog post of 24 July 2025 says the old “multi-level 90-day probation period” is gone. A buyer on probation “can participate in up to 3 (three) active auctions or sales at a time” and “can only make credit card payments up to $1,000.” Probation ends once you spend a total of $5,000, pay for and pick up 3 transactions, or submit a $1,000 bid deposit; then “Your credit card limit increases to $5,000.” The How To Buy page describes four formats: an online auction, where the “Highest bid at or above the reserve wins the lot” and the reserve can be “Hidden or open”; Buy Now, at a fixed price; Make an Offer, where “Offers are binding for seven days”; and sealed bids, where “Seller can select the winning bid.” It adds: “No matter who places bids from your account, you are the party responsible.” The agreement’s Listing Contract Policy sets the mechanics. A listing is only an invitation; your bid is “an unconditional offer to enter into a Listing Contract with the Seller,” and the seller must accept it. The State of Ohio’s terms say “Some Auctions/Sales are subject to Seller approval prior to award to the high bidder.” Until you have paid and started removal, a seller may revoke its acceptance, and you get “a full refund of the purchase price and any Buyer’s Premium paid but shall not be entitled to any other remedy.” Liquidity Services also reserves the right to “delay or rescind the sale of any Asset for any reason.” Three more rules shape a bid. If a seller corrects a material error, you may withdraw, and a change within 48 hours of closing can extend bidding. “Oral statements by either Seller or Buyer are non-binding unless such statements are reduced to writing in a revised Listing.” And restricted sales exist: a listing open only to law enforcement agencies is void for a buyer who cannot prove at pickup that it is one, and that buyer is “liable to Seller for all reasonable costs and expenses.” ## The buyer’s premium and the other charges in GovDeals’ terms The User Agreement defines the Buyer’s Premium as “the Service fees charged by Liquidity Services to a Buyer as expressly stated in a Seller’s Listing,” and adds: “Generally, a Buyer’s Premium is required and is typically expressed as a percentage of the sale price.” Both sellers’ terms say a premium shown in the listing’s bid box is added to the final price “in addition to any taxes imposed,” and Ohio’s also allows “Additional Fees” as a percentage “or a specified amount.” The rate is a property of each listing, not of GovDeals. No standing document we read prints one, so this page quotes none; unofficial guides that do are not GovDeals documents. Read the bid box, and add the premium and sales tax to your ceiling before you bid. The charges the standing documents do print: **Charges printed in GovDeals’ standing documents, read 9 October 2026 (a listing or seller’s terms can change them)** | Charge | What the document says | Document | | --- | --- | --- | | Buyer’s premium | Set in the listing; “typically expressed as a percentage of the sale price” | User Agreement; both sellers’ terms | | Sales or use tax | Buyer pays unless exempt; exemption papers due within 24 hours of notice; no refund for late papers | User Agreement | | Rejected credit card | “a $25.00 fee for any rejected credit card transaction” may be charged | User Agreement | | Late payment | Interest at “18% per annum or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law,” plus collection costs | User Agreement | | Default for non-payment | Greater of 10% of the purchase price or $50 | User Agreement (govdeals.com copy) | | Storage after the removal deadline | “storage fees may apply”; $10.00 a day (school district) or $25.00 a day (Ohio) | User Agreement; sellers’ terms | | Unwanted items left behind | Disposal cost “plus a fee equal to 10% of the cost” | User Agreement | | Registration | Free | Why Buy and How To Buy pages | The 10-K says Liquidity Services’ consignment revenue is “composed of buyer’s premiums” and/or sales commissions: “In addition to seller commissions, we also collect buyer premiums.” When it acts as the seller’s agent, the agreement caps its liability to you at “the total Buyer’s Premium paid to us by the Buyer.” ## Paying and picking up: the two clocks The agreement’s default payment rule: pay “by the deadline set by the Listing or if no deadline is set in the Listing, within five (5) days after Buyer is notified that Seller has accepted Buyer’s offer to purchase. No extensions of the payment period will be granted.” Its default method is a bank wire; “Cash payments are not permitted,” cards are allowed below a limit set on the site, and Liquidity Services “will not accept third-party funds of any kind” other than a cashier’s check or money order. The How To Buy page says checkout passes to the processor Flywire, where options “can include” direct debit, credit card and bank wire. A card chargeback can get the account “immediately and permanently” deactivated. Once you have paid, GovDeals emails a Buyer’s Certificate, released “only upon receipt of payment” and only if your account is in good standing, and the removal clock starts: “All Assets must be removed by Buyer within ten (10) Business Days from the time and date of the delivery of Buyer’s Certificate by e-mail,” unless the listing says otherwise. Sellers’ terms decide the details, and the two we read do not start their clocks at the same moment: **Payment, removal and title under GovDeals’ default terms and two sellers’ Terms and Conditions, read 9 October 2026** | Term | User Agreement default | Elizabeth City - Pasquotank Public Schools (N.C.) | State of Ohio | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Payment due | Listing deadline, or 5 days after notice of acceptance | 5 business days from the Buyer’s Certificate | 5 business days from the close of the auction | | Methods named | Bank wire; card below the site limit | PayPal, wire, four card brands; PayPal and cards only below $5,000.00 | See the listing’s payment instructions | | Removal | 10 business days from the emailed Buyer’s Certificate | 10 business days from issue of the Buyer’s Certificate | 10 business days from the close of the auction | | Storage after that | “may apply” | $10.00 a day may be charged | $25.00 a day may be charged | | Title handed over | At removal | On receipt of payment; no open titles, no replacements | On removal of the vehicle | Getting the car home is your job: “Absent the express written agreement of Seller, Seller will not perform the role of shipper or exporter,” and the same goes for Liquidity Services. You may need to book a pickup appointment. Whoever collects must carry insurance, since “a Buyer and its agents must maintain adequate automobile and commercial general liability insurance.” Once you have paid and begun removal, “all risk of loss shifts to Buyer.” If you hire a carrier, our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) explains the federal rules; book it before the clock runs, not after. For perspective, here is GovDeals’ default clock beside the printed terms of two auctions this site has already read. These are terms, not prices, and nobody is ranked. **Printed payment and pickup terms, from each auction’s own documents (GovDeals and CarMax read 9 October 2026, Copart read 7 October 2026)** | Auction | Who may buy | Payment | If unpaid or not collected | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | GovDeals (User Agreement default) | Registered buyers 18 or older | Within 5 days of notice of acceptance, unless the listing says otherwise | Greater of 10% or $50; 10 business days to remove | | [Copart](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) (U.S. non-licensed fees) | Members, subject to state rules | Within 3 business days, sale day included, or a $50 late fee | Relisted after 8 calendar days; fee of 10% of the price, at least $600 | | [CarMax Auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/) | Licensed dealers only | By close of business on the day after the sale | Removal also by close of business the day after the sale; left beyond 48 hours, removed at the dealer’s expense | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the key ring, the key blade and the seat, each with one fact from the GovDeals User Agreement. The GovDeals User Agreement, read on 9 October 2026: Title comes at removal by default; a salvage sale may come with no title at all (callout 1); Unpaid by the deadline: a fee of 10% of the price or $50, whichever is greater (callout 2); Pick up within 10 business days; you load and haul, and the seller will not ship (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Inspection and as-is: what the description is worth The agreement’s default is blunt: “BUYER AGREES TO ACCEPT SUCH ASSETS AS IS, WHERE IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS,” and the seller and Liquidity Services disclaim “ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.” The buyer even agrees “TO REPAIR, AT BUYER’S COST, ANY ASSET PURCHASED TO A SAFE OPERATING CONDITION.” Photos and text “ARE NOT INTENDED AS REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES.” And the agreement says who it was written for: buyers “are expected to be sophisticated,” and the services “are not suitable for personal, family or household use.” There is one narrow promise: by posting a listing, a seller gives “a limited representation and warranty of description.” You can lose even that. If the seller offered an inspection, bidding waives it, and the waiver “applies even if Buyer does not avail itself of the opportunity for inspection.” If the seller only shows the car at pickup, the waiver bites when removal starts: “No disputes will be processed after commencement of removal of the Assets.” The school district’s terms say the same in plain words: “Any claim for misdescription must be made prior to removal of the property,” and if the seller agrees, it “will keep the property and refund any money paid.” They also warn that “Most items offered for sale are used and may contain defects not immediately detectable.” GovDeals’ marketing is warmer. A blog post of 18 February 2025 says government cars “are often in better condition than typical used cars” and that “Many government vehicles come with detailed maintenance records.” Those are blog claims, not terms of sale. If a listing mentions records, ask for them and get the answer into the listing. Then inspect: our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) covers what a mechanic should check, and a [vehicle history check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) and [odometer check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/) cover the car’s past. ## Titles from public agencies The seller promises to “deliver good and marketable title to its Assets, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances” once the sale is complete, which happens when you have paid in full and begun removal. The default rule for cars reads: “Seller will provide a certificate of title or ownership to Buyer at the time of Buyer’s removal of any vehicle the title to which is evidenced by a certificate of title. Titles may be subject to such restrictions as may indicated in the Asset description on the Site. In certain instances, a vehicle may be sold without title as salvage, in which case no title will transfer, caveat emptor applies, and a Buyer must satisfy for itself whether it can obtain a certificate of title from a governmental agency without Seller’s support if it desires a certificate of title.” The two sellers differ. The school district “will issue a title or certificate upon receipt of payment,” says “Open titles cannot be issued,” and “will not issue replacement titles.” Ohio issues the title “upon removal of the vehicle.” Both point to the asset description for restrictions, so that is where a salvage brand or a missing title will show up. What follows: - **No title means a project.** You would apply to your own state alone; see [registering a car without a title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/register-car-without-title/) and [bonded titles](https://baronauto1.com/guides/bonded-title/), before you bid. - **Salvage carries a brand.** See [what a salvage title means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/). - **“Open titles cannot be issued” matters for resale.** The title is assigned to you; our page on [title jumping](https://baronauto1.com/guides/title-jumping/) explains why, and GovDeals’ blog notes that “selling a certain number of vehicles per year may require a dealer’s license.” - **Do not lose it.** At least one seller will not replace a title. Our [title transfer guide](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/) and [bill of sale guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bill-of-sale-for-a-car/) cover the paperwork, and a [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) shows brands from other states. ## If you do not pay, or do not pick up GovDeals’ copy of the agreement defines a “Buyer Default” broadly, as failing any “payment, removal, bidding, registration, Seller Required Documents (‘SRDs’), or other terms and conditions.” For any default, the seller may “cancel the applicable sale, reclaim the Asset, and relist, remarket, or resell the Asset without further notice or liability to Buyer.” Then the money: - **Not paying.** “Liquidity Services may assess a default administration fee equal to the greater of (i) ten percent (10%) of the purchase price of the affected Asset, or (ii) $50,” and the account “shall remain suspended or locked until the default administration fee has been paid in full.” - **Paying but not collecting.** Liquidity Services “may retain the applicable Buyer’s Premium and refund any remaining amounts paid by Buyer.” - **Per car.** Fees and premiums are assessed “on a per-Asset (or per-lot) basis.” - **Deposits.** A bid or registration deposit “may be retained and shall not be refundable” if a purchase is not completed. - **Harsher listings.** Some listings may carry other default rules, “including the forfeiture of all amounts paid by Buyer.” Both sellers’ terms add that a default “may result in termination of the contract and suspension from participation in all future sales until the default has been cured.” The same agreement sets a stiffer fee on Liquidity Services’ retail site, Liquidation.com: the greater of 15% or $200. **The GovDeals default administration fee at sample prices: the greater of 10% of the price or $50 (our arithmetic from the User Agreement, read 9 October 2026)** | Purchase price | 10% of price | Fee charged | | --- | --- | --- | | $300 | $30 | $50 (the minimum) | | $500 | $50 | $50 (the two arms meet) | | $1,500 | $150 | $150 | | $4,000 | $400 | $400 | | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | **Two versions of the default rule carry the same date.** The User Agreement on govdeals.com and the copy on liquidityservices.com both say “Effective as of April 1, 2021” and matched paragraph for paragraph when we compared them on 9 October 2026, except for the buyer-default section. The liquidityservices.com copy still says an unpaying buyer owes “the Buyer’s Premium that would have been paid” and that an uncollected car can incur “a $50 daily storage fee” or be declared abandoned, with “the greater of $200 or the amount of its Buyer’s Premium” deducted. This page follows the copy GovDeals links in its own footer. Save a copy of the terms on the day you bid. ## Disputes: who you can pursue, and where Liquidity Services writes that its support team “may help facilitate the resolution of disputes,” but that “we have no control over and do not guarantee” the quality or legality of items, the accuracy of listings, or “that a Buyer or Seller will actually complete a Transaction.” Between buyer and seller, “Each User is solely responsible for its direct interactions with other Users,” and Liquidity Services “reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor disputes between Users.” If the seller is at fault, the agreement gives you a procedure: send written notice; if the seller does not cure the breach within 5 business days, you may “Terminate the Listing Contract, in which case Buyer will be refunded all amounts paid to Seller or Liquidity Services.” For disputes with the seller, governing law and venue “will be in accordance with the Listing Contract.” For disputes with Liquidity Services, the agreement picks “the laws of the State of Maryland” and courts “located in Montgomery County, Maryland,” with a “MANDATORY CLASS ACTION/JURY TRIAL WAIVER” that commits users to a bench trial on an individual basis. California residents may report complaints, under Cal. Civ. Code §1789.3, to the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs. The agreement can change on posted notice of “no less than thirty (30) days.” The 10-K’s legal-proceedings note lists two lawsuits by former employees and no case brought by buyers, and says no pending claim would, in management’s judgment, have a material adverse effect. ## What Liquidity Services’ filings say about GovDeals The 10-K reports GovDeals’ gross merchandise volume (GMV), “the total sales value of all transactions for which we earned compensation,” and its revenue. The figures are the 10-K’s, converted from thousands; the last column is our arithmetic. **GovDeals segment results from Liquidity Services, Inc.’s 10-K filed 20 November 2025 (fiscal years end 30 September)** | Fiscal year | GMV | Segment revenue | Revenue as a share of GMV (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025 | $903.5 million | $87.4 million | 9.7% | | 2024 | $836.3 million | $76.6 million | 9.2% | | 2023 | $726.1 million | $62 million | 8.5% | That revenue share mixes buyer’s premiums, seller commissions and other fees across every category, real estate included, so it is not a premium rate. In fiscal 2025 the 10-K says GovDeals revenue rose 14.2% on “a $67.2 million, or 8.0%, increase in GMV,” “partially offset by lower market prices for vehicles sold.” A year earlier growth came “particularly in the vehicle and heavy equipment categories.” By our arithmetic GovDeals was 57.5% of the company’s GMV in fiscal 2025 but 18.3% of its revenue, because the company books the whole sale price as revenue only when it owns what it sells. The 10-Q shows quarterly GovDeals GMV of $274 million to 30 June 2026, up 8.6%, and $714.6 million for nine months against $667.8 million a year earlier, about 7% more by our arithmetic. Across all its marketplaces the company counted 6.0 million registered buyers at 30 September 2025 and 6.4 million at 30 June 2026. The 10-K’s risk factors warn that lower “market values of surplus assets, including used vehicles” could harm the business and that vehicle supply “may be impacted by ongoing tariffs.” The latest filing, an 8-K of 1 October 2026, reports the purchase of Auction Holdings for a base price of $80 million; it does not mention GovDeals. ## Where GovDeals’ own documents disagree When documents conflict, the agreement ranks them: the listing controls the seller’s terms, which control GovDeals’ defaults. The disagreements we found: - **Two agreements, one date.** As above, the govdeals.com and liquidityservices.com copies share “Effective as of April 1, 2021” but print different default remedies. - **A FAQ with one answer.** On 9 October 2026 all 36 FAQ questions, including Title, Payment, Refunds, Shipping and Bid Deposit Refund Process, opened onto the same default-fee paragraph; through a text reader every answer read “undefined.” We could use none of them. - **Personal use.** The agreement says the services “are not suitable for personal, family or household use”; the blog addresses readers “shopping for a personal car,” and the Transportation page says “Buy personal and commercial vehicles for competitive prices on GovDeals.” - **Condition.** The blog says “government sales are transparent, so buyers can be more confident in what they’re getting”; the agreement sells with all faults and says descriptions are not representations. - **When GovDeals was bought.** The blog post of 15 July 2026 says “In 2012, GovDeals was aquired by Liquidity Services”; the fiscal 2008 10-K puts it on 1 January 2008, 4 years earlier. - **How many buyers.** The About page claims “more than 1 million registered buyers” and “over 4.8 million potential buyers” across the network; Why Buy, “5M+”; the blog, “More than 6 million”; the 10-Q, 6.4 million. They count different things, and the About and Why Buy pages date none of them. - **Who sells.** The About page calls GovDeals “specifically created for, and dedicated to, government agencies”; Why Buy, the blog and the 10-K describe commercial sellers too. - **PayPal.** The school district’s terms list PayPal; the How To Buy page lists direct debit, card and wire through Flywire, and no PayPal. - **When the payment clock starts.** Notice of acceptance (agreement), the Buyer’s Certificate (school district) or the close of the auction (Ohio). The agreement defines that certificate as the document that “confirms that the Assets have been paid in full,” so a payment deadline counted from it is hard to read. - **Two probation policies.** A post of 2 May 2023, still online, describes three probation levels of at least 30 days and a $1,000 deposit held 60 days and returned less a $25 fee; the 2025 post says the levels are gone. - **A missing section.** The new default text cites “this Section 20”; the agreement’s numbered sections run from 1 to 12. ## Before you bid on a GovDeals car GovDeals’ documents put nearly every risk on the buyer, so the work comes first. If you are weighing other channels, our page on [repossessed car auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/repossessed-car-auctions/#channels) sorts out which sales are repossessions. - **Open the seller’s Terms and Conditions.** Linked in the bid box, they override GovDeals’ defaults on payment, pickup, storage and titles. Save a dated copy. - **Read the bid box for the premium and fees.** Add them and your sales tax to your ceiling. GovDeals prints no standing rate. - **Check for seller approval.** Some sales need it, and a seller can back out until you have paid and started removal. - **Inspect, or accept that you waived it.** Bidding waives the description warranty when an inspection was offered. Book a mechanic for the inspection window. - **Get answers in writing.** Oral answers bind nobody unless they appear in a revised listing. - **Read the title line.** No title, salvage or bill of sale only each change what you are buying. - **Arrange payment that fits.** On probation, card payments stop at $1,000; afterwards at $5,000. Wires must come from your own account. - **Book pickup before you win.** Ten business days pass fast, nobody ships for you, and the collector needs automobile and general liability insurance. - **Check the VIN.** Run an [open recall check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/) and a [title check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/); nothing in the terms says either was done. ## Common questions ### Is GovDeals legit, and who owns it? GovDeals is operated by Liquidity Services, Inc., listed on Nasdaq as LQDT, which reports to the SEC. Its fiscal 2025 10-K lists www.govdeals.com among its domains and reports GovDeals as a segment with $903.5 million of goods sold that year. The cars belong to the selling agencies, except where Liquidity Services resells assets it bought itself. Whether a given car is a good buy depends on its listing and the seller’s terms. ### Can anyone buy a car on GovDeals? Registration is free for anyone 18 or older who passes restricted-party screening, and new buyers start on probation: 3 active auctions and card payments up to $1,000. Some listings are restricted, such as law-enforcement-only sales, and some need seller approval. The agreement says the services are “designed to serve business and governmental Buyers,” although GovDeals’ blog invites personal buyers. ### How much is the buyer’s premium on GovDeals? It depends on the listing. The agreement defines the premium as the fee “as expressly stated in a Seller’s Listing,” typically a percentage of the sale price, and some sellers add other fees. The rate is in each listing’s bid box; no standing rate appears in any GovDeals document we read on 9 October 2026, so we quote none. ### What happens if you win on GovDeals and don’t pay? Under the govdeals.com copy of the agreement, Liquidity Services may charge a default fee of 10% of the price or $50, whichever is greater, and lock your account until it is paid. The seller may cancel and relist, and may bar you from its future sales. Overdue sums can carry 18% a year in interest. By our arithmetic, walking away from a $1,500 car costs $150; from a $300 car, $50. ### Do GovDeals cars come with a title? Usually, but read the listing. By default the seller hands over the title at removal, and some sellers issue it on payment. A vehicle “may be sold without title as salvage, in which case no title will transfer,” leaving you to apply for one yourself, and one seller we read will not replace a lost title. ### Does GovDeals ship cars, or take returns? No to both, by default. Neither the seller nor Liquidity Services acts as shipper without a written agreement, and you have 10 business days from the emailed Buyer’s Certificate to collect. A claim that the car does not match its description must be made before removal starts; if the seller agrees, the remedy is a refund, not a repair. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [UCC § 2-314 (Implied warranty: merchantability)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-314) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/govdeals/ --- title: "GSA Auctions: How to Buy a Government Car, Rules and Fees" description: "GSA sells federal surplus and its old fleet cars to anyone 18 or older. Online fleet wins: 2 business days to pay, 10 to collect, up to $875 if you walk away." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/gsa-auctions/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # GSA Auctions: How to Buy a Government Car, Rules and Fees > GSA sells federal surplus and its old fleet cars to anyone 18 or older. Online fleet wins: 2 business days to pay, 10 to collect, up to $875 if you walk away. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,972 words* ## The short version - Yes, the public can buy. The federal sale rule lets GSA sell to “anyone of legal age,” and GSA’s sale terms set that at 18. GSA sells vehicles through two channels: GSA Auctions, for other agencies’ surplus and forfeited property, and GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales, for the cars and trucks GSA leased to agencies. - You register first, with a Social Security or taxpayer ID number. GSA Fleet checks identity through Experian and screens bidders against the federal debarment list; a bidder with an unpaid default cannot bid. - Everything is sold as is. GSA Fleet warrants only that a vehicle matches its written description, with 15 calendar days after the removal date to claim. At inspection you may start the engine, but the vehicle “cannot be driven.” - An online GSA Fleet win must be paid within 2 business days and collected within 10 calendar days. Credit cards are capped at $24,999.99 a transaction, and the government offers no financing. - You leave with a federal certificate, the SF-97-1, not a state title; your state titles and registers the vehicle. - Walking away costs money: GSA Fleet keeps the award amount, up to $875 a lot, and its terms say “Defaults never expire.” GSA auctions are how the federal government’s General Services Administration sells property it no longer needs, cars and trucks included, to anyone 18 or older. On 9 October 2026 we read GSA’s buying pages on gsa.gov, the [Standard Form 114C general sale terms](https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/SF_114C.pdf) GSA says it sells under, the current and 2025 texts of the federal sale rule (41 CFR part 102-38) and the [16 December 2025 rule that rewrote it](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-12-16/html/2025-22915.htm), two GSA privacy impact assessments, the [GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales](https://marketplace.gsafleet.gov/sales/landing) site with its Internet and Live sale terms dated 10 March 2025, and USA.gov’s vehicle auction page. GSA Auctions’ own site, gsaauctions.gov, refused every request we made, so its online terms are not quoted here. We registered for nothing, bid on nothing, and have no relationship with any seller. **Figure: The clock on a GSA Fleet Internet sale** A two-column table of eight moments after winning a GSA Fleet online auction and what GSA Fleet’s Internet sale terms require: pay within 2 business days of the award e-mail with no financing wait; credit cards capped at $24,999.99 per transaction and no more than two cards per vehicle; remove the vehicle within 10 calendar days with no government transport; a written mis-description claim within 15 calendar days of the removal date, refund capped at the price; no claim for undescribed defects because condition is not guaranteed; an automatic default with damages equal to the award amount up to $875 per lot; no bidding until a default is cured, since defaults never expire; and an SF-97-1 certificate and receipt to take to the state for title and registration. From GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales Terms and Conditions for GSAFleet.gov Internet Sales (dated 10 March 2025), read 9 October 2026. Live sales set their own payment and removal dates in each sale’s catalog. ## Can anyone buy at a GSA auction? Yes, with a short list of exceptions. The federal rule, 41 CFR § 102-38.80, says an agency “may sell Federal personal property to anyone of legal age” but “must not enter into a contract with persons or entities debarred or suspended from purchasing Federal property” without “a compelling reason to do so.” Standard Form 114C makes legal age a number: each bidder warrants they are not “under 18 years of age.” The GSA Fleet sales site puts it plainly, “GSA vehicle sales are open to the public,” and tells buyers to ignore signs at auction houses barring the public: “they do not apply to GSA Fleet auctions.” Attending is free. Who is excluded: - **GSA staff and their families.** “A GSA employee, or a spouse or minor child of a GSA employee, or their agents, may not bid on federal personal property.” GSA Fleet adds “auction contractors, subcontractors, and members of their immediate households.” - **Some other federal employees.** They may bid unless their own agency forbids it, but not on property they have “nonpublic information” about (§ 102-38.85). - **Debarred and sanctioned bidders.** GSA Fleet checks registrants “against the bidders debarred list” and follows the Treasury’s sanctions list. - **Anyone who owes GSA.** “Indebted bidders will be ineligible for contract awards.” Foreign buyers are not excluded (“Bidding is not limited to U.S. citizens exclusively”), though they register with two forms of identification and “All payments shall be made in U.S. currency.” Nor do you need a dealer license; the only dealer rule we found is that a licensed dealer buying for a customer needs no power of attorney, “although the requirement to provide a TIN remains.” ## GSA Auctions and GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales are two different sellers **GSA Auctions** sells for other agencies: “GSA can sell agency surplus, exchange/sale, and forfeited personal property through GSA Auctions or offline sales,” from office furniture to “heavy machinery, airplanes, vehicles, etc.” Property reaches the public last: “If this property cannot be donated to a state or public agency, or nonprofit organization, the general public can buy it.” **GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales** sells GSA’s own vehicles. “GSA Fleet lease non-tactical vehicles to other federal agencies. When we determine that a vehicle meets replacement criteria we offer it to the public for sale.” The sales site says it sells “more than 30,000 vehicles through online and live auctions” a year and that “None of the vehicles are tactical military or repossessed vehicles.” GSA’s privacy assessment for its sales systems explains the live sales: “The GSA Office of Fleet Management contracts with vehicle auction houses to auction GSA Fleet vehicles.” The same document says those auction houses can “select GSA Fleet Vehicles for sale on GSA Auctions,” so a fleet vehicle can appear on either site. USA.gov sums them up: fleet sales are “auctions of government-owned vehicles that are in good condition and ready to drive,” GSA Auctions sells “vehicles and other types of government-owned excess property.” Seized cars are neither: “Seized vehicles are sold by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of the Treasury.” State and local governments sell on their own platforms, covered in our [GovDeals guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/govdeals/); lender sales are in our guide to [repossessed car auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/repossessed-car-auctions/). **GSA Auctions and GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales side by side, from GSA’s documents read 9 October 2026** | Question | GSA Auctions | GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales | | --- | --- | --- | | What is sold | Agency surplus, exchange/sale and forfeited property, vehicles among it | GSA’s own leased vehicles once they meet replacement criteria | | Where you bid | gsaauctions.gov, plus offline live, sealed-bid, spot-bid, drop-by, fixed-price and negotiated sales | GSAFleet.gov online, and live auctions at auction houses GSA contracts | | Sale terms we read | SF 114C plus each sale’s invitation; the site’s own terms were unreachable | Internet and Live terms dated 10 March 2025, which incorporate SF 114C | | Pay and collect by | “within the time prescribed for each sale” | Online: 2 business days to pay, 10 calendar days to collect; live: the catalog dates | | If you do not pay or collect | gsa.gov: up to $325 (5% above $100,000); SF 114C: the greater of 20% or $25 | The award amount, capped at $875 per lot | | Title document | SF 114C: “Standard Form 97” | An SF-97-1 certificate and a purchaser’s receipt | | Buyer’s fee | None mentioned on the gsa.gov pages we read | “no buyer’s fees,” says GSA Fleet’s FAQ | ## Which vehicles GSA Fleet sells, and how old they are “GSA Fleet adheres to minimum replacement criteria,” and a vehicle is offered for sale once it “meets replacement criteria.” They are what GSA publishes about the age and mileage of what it sells. Each is a pair of end points, and a vehicle qualifies at whichever it reaches first: a car sold at 5 years may show far fewer than 60,000 miles, and one sold at 60,000 miles may be younger than 5 years. **GSA Fleet minimum replacement criteria, from gsa.gov’s Vehicle leasing page (last updated 31 December 2024), read 9 October 2026** | Vehicle class | Fuel | Eligible for replacement at | | --- | --- | --- | | Passenger vehicles | Gas or alternative fuel | 5 years or 60,000 miles | | Passenger vehicles | Hybrid or electric | 5 years and 60,000 miles, or 7 years, or 85,000 miles | | Light trucks | Non-diesel | 7 years or 65,000 miles | | Light trucks | Diesel | 8 years or 150,000 miles | | Light trucks | Hybrid or electric | 7 years or 90,000 miles | | Medium trucks | Diesel | 10 years or 150,000 miles | | Medium trucks | Non-diesel | 10 years or 100,000 miles | | Heavy trucks | Non-diesel | 12 years or 100,000 miles | | Heavy trucks | Diesel | 12 years or 250,000 miles | | Ambulances | Non-diesel | 7 years or 70,000 miles | | Ambulances | Diesel | 7 years or 100,000 miles | | School and adult work buses | Any | 10 years or 250,000 miles | | Light-duty shuttle buses | Any | 7 years or 100,000 miles | | Medium-duty buses | Any | 8 years or 150,000 miles | | Heavy-duty shuttle buses | Any | 20 years or 1,000,000 miles | | Intercity coaches | Any | 15 years or 1,000,000 miles | The hybrid and electric car row needs care: GSA prints “5 years and 60,000 miles, OR 7 years and any miles, OR any years and 85,000 miles.” The sales FAQ gives a shorter version, “At the conclusion of its lease (typically 3-5 years), GSA Fleet will sell a vehicle,” and describes the result as “cars, trucks and other vehicles with low miles and only one previous owner.” That is GSA’s claim; each listing’s odometer reading is the figure to check. Medium and heavy trucks are sold “exclusively online on a monthly basis.” GSA Auctions publishes no such criteria, because its vehicles come from many agencies on their own schedules, and GSA Fleet’s FAQ is candid about those: “We cannot attest to the condition of vehicles we sell for other Federal agencies, however known deficiencies will be listed.” ## Registering: an ID number, an identity check and one account “In order to participate in any GSA Fleet sale (online or live auction), you must be a registered bidder with GSAFleet.gov,” and GSA Auctions likewise lets only “registered participants” bid. Registration asks for: - **Your Social Security or taxpayer ID number.** Citing the federal Debt Collection Improvement Act, the Fleet terms say “Bids will not be considered for award from anyone not providing this information.” GSA’s privacy assessment for its sales system (approved 22 February 2024) says of GSA Auctions: “Registration will not be considered if your TIN is not provided.” - **Your birth date**, which GSA Fleet says “will be used only to verify bidder’s eligibility.” - **An Experian identity check.** GSA Fleet uses Experian’s Precise ID “with credit card verification and knowledge based questions” for individuals and BizID for companies. A GSA “soft inquiry” may appear on your Experian file; the terms say “Soft inquiries do not affect credit scores” and the entry “will generally be removed from the credit report after 25 months.” For GSA Auctions, “A user’s SSN is sent to the Experian PreciseID service for identity proofing / verification during account creation.” - **One account each.** GSA Fleet may limit individuals “to one for each individual,” the GSA Auctions system uses the SSN “to prevent users from registering more than one account with the same SSN,” and GSA Fleet deactivates accounts unused for one year. To buy for someone else, “you must furnish their Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number” and a power-of-attorney letter; our [power of attorney guide](https://baronauto1.com/guides/power-of-attorney-car-title/) explains how such letters work at the DMV. You agree to the terms “by marking the required box,” and your login is yours to guard: a bidder who lets someone else use it “will be responsible for any contracts awarded to their account.” At live sales, “Registration with the auction facility prior to sale is required.” ## How bidding works The rule leaves the format open: sales may be “sealed bid sales, spot bid sales, auctions, or negotiated sales” held in person or “through any electronic media that is publicly accessible” (§ 102-38.35(b)). gsa.gov lists seven methods: online sales, where you “browse, bid for, and pay for awarded items online,” and six offline ones (live auctions, drop-by sales, fixed-price sales, negotiated sales, sealed-bid sales by post, and spot-bid sales, “a silent auction, with bids written down rather than voiced”). For sealed bids, “Late bids are not accepted under any circumstances.” GSA Fleet’s Internet terms set out the online mechanics: - **Proxy or flat bids.** A proxy lets the system “incrementally bid on the bidders behalf up to the maximum amount entered”; if proxies tie, “The Proxy bid that is entered into the system first will be the winning bid.” - **Whole dollars, Central time.** “Bids are only accepted in whole U.S. Dollar amounts,” times are “in Central time,” and “certain auctions are designed to extend the closing time if there is bidding activity.” - **No take-backs.** “Bidders cannot cancel bids,” and “Bidding on the incorrect vehicle does not constitute grounds to be released from the award of that vehicle.” - **A hidden reserve.** “Auctions may have a reserve price which is not disclosed to the general public,” though the sales contracting officer “may accept a submitted bid that is lower than the reserve price.” - **Money ready in advance.** “GSA is not obligated to wait for bidders to arrange for financing.” The award goes “to the bidder with the highest responsive bid” (§ 102-38.90), and the terms bind you “once a bid is accepted” (§ 102-38.75). Ignore anything said at the lot that the paperwork does not say: under SF 114C, an oral statement changing the terms “is unauthorized and shall confer no right upon the Bidder or Purchaser.” ## Inspection, as-is terms and the one promise GSA Fleet makes SF 114C puts the burden on you: “The Bidder is invited, urged, and cautioned to inspect the property prior to submitting a bid.” Property is sold “as is” and “where is,” and the government “makes no warranty, express or implied, as to quantity, kind, character, quality, weight, size, or description of any of the property, or its fitness for any use or purpose.” gsa.gov repeats it (“GSA does not guarantee the condition of sale items”) and dismisses the folklore: “Stories about $100 yachts or exotic cars sold for little or nothing are pure fiction.” The rule says agencies “should provide at least 7 calendar days to ensure potential buyers can perform needed inspections,” normally (§ 102-38.65). At GSA Fleet sales “you can start a vehicle to check the performance of its engine, air conditioning, heater, and other accessories. However, the vehicle must stay parked and cannot be driven.” Photos “should not be relied upon in place of written item descriptions or as a substitute for physical inspection.” Our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) covers what to check in that window. GSA Fleet replaces the as-is clause with a narrower promise, which its terms call a limited description warranty: - **What it covers.** The vehicle “will conform to its description only. Condition of property is not guaranteed.” The promise covers the listing’s words, not the vehicle’s condition. - **What silence means.** “the absence of any indicated deficiencies does not mean there are none.” - **How to claim.** You must still own and possess the vehicle, give written notice “within 15 calendar days of the date specified for removal,” keep it in the condition you removed it in, and you “may be required to submit an independent estimate of repairs from a reputable repair facility.” - **What you can recover.** At most “the purchase price of the mis-described property,” and nothing for “loss of profit or any other monetary damages.” Two descriptions deserve a second look. Online, GSA may vary the stated mileage by up to 500 miles (and weight by 25%), with the price “adjusted upward or downward” to match. And “Vehicles with known open recalls have been identified, but additional outstanding recalls may be possible”; for heavy trucks, buses and ambulances, “There is no central source for recall information.” GSA’s recall page points buyers to [NHTSA’s recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls), and our guide to [checking for open recalls](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-car-for-open-recalls/) walks through it. A leftover fleet telematics device is dead: the devices “have been rendered permanently non-operational.” Where a factory warranty still runs, “manufacturer’s warranties are transferable.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the odometer, the gear indicator and the tachometer, each with one fact from GSA Fleet’s replacement criteria and sale terms. GSA Fleet’s vehicle replacement criteria and Internet sale terms, read on 9 October 2026: Passenger cars become eligible for replacement at 5 years or 60,000 miles (callout 1); Start the engine at inspection, but no test drive: the vehicle must stay parked (callout 2); You leave with an SF-97-1 title certificate, not a state title or registration (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Paying: two business days online, and no financing gsa.gov lists wire transfers, “U.S. federal, state, or local government checks,” and the major credit cards processed through the Treasury’s payment service: “Credit card purchases are restricted to a maximum of $24,999.99, and one card per transaction.” “Checks, bank drafts, and debit cards with dollar limitations and/or PIN Number requirements, are not acceptable,” and, most important for a car buyer, “The government does not provide any form of financing.” GSA Fleet’s Internet terms add the deadline: payment within “2 business days from the time and date of the award e-mail notification of sales results,” and “Bid results will not be furnished via telephone or fax.” A card payment over $24,999.99 cannot be split to get round the limit, and “no more than two credit cards may be used to render payment for any one vehicle.” At live sales the catalog sets the date, photo ID must be shown at payment, “Cash may not be accepted at all auction locations,” and “Personal or company checks will only be accepted when accompanied by a bank letter guaranteeing payment.” Sales tax, where it applies, “will be collected by the GSA Fleet contracted auction house, or the Department of Motor Vehicles”; our [registration cost by state guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-registration-cost-by-state/) covers what the DMV adds. On fees, GSA Fleet’s FAQ says “with no buyer’s fees, pre-owned vehicles from GSA usually sell for substantially less than from other sources”; the absence of a buyer’s fee is its stated policy, the price comparison is its claim. None of the gsa.gov pages we read mentions a buyer’s fee for GSA Auctions, but its own terms were out of reach, so we cannot confirm one is never charged. Either way GSA expects “a fair market price.” Do not use a card dispute as a shortcut. GSA “will make every effort to deny the chargeback” and may restrict the account, and an unpaid debt goes to the Treasury for collection “If the payment for the debt has not been received within 120 days.” **Printed payment and pickup terms at three auction sellers, read on the dates shown (no prices compared)** | Seller | Pay by | Collect by | If you do not pay | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales, online (read 9 October 2026) | 2 business days after the award e-mail | 10 calendar days after the award e-mail | The award amount, up to $875 per lot, and no bidding until cured | | [Copart](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) (read 7 October 2026) | “within 8 calendar days (including the day of sale)” | Daily storage after three business days, by its Phoenix yard page | Relisted; “10% of the final sale price with a minimum of $600” | | [CarMax Auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/), dealers only (read 9 October 2026) | “by close of business on the day after sale” | Same deadline | “may result in suspension of auction privileges” | ## Removal deadlines and storage Winning makes you the mover. Under SF 114C, “The Purchaser must make all arrangements necessary for packing, removal, and transportation of property,” at the buyer’s expense, and gsa.gov adds that buyers “cannot remove merchandise before paying.” For GSA Fleet’s online sales, “Property must be removed within ten (10) calendar days from the date and time of award e-mail notification”; at live sales, by the catalog date. “The Government does not provide nor arrange for the transportation of purchased vehicles,” so line up a carrier before you bid; our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) explains brokers and carriers. Whoever collects needs a driver’s license or other government photo ID (the terms warn that “Access to some Federal facilities is now impacted by the Real ID Act”), plus “a valid gate pass issued by the auction” at a contracted auction house. For a vehicle bought online, “the credit card used to make payment must be displayed at time of removal,” or a notarized letter from the cardholder must name “the individual or transport company authorized to remove the property.” Storage after the deadline is not GSA’s business: any extra time at an auction house “is between the buyer and the auction house and the buyer assumes all risk of damages and costs associated with storage.” Under SF 114C, an extension comes only if a contracting officer finds in writing that the delay “arose out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Purchaser,” and the government may still charge “a reasonable storage charge.” Until removal, the holding agency pays “the care and handling costs” (§ 102-38.20) and, under SF 114C, the government carries the risk of loss. ## The title paperwork: SF 97, SF-97-1 and your DMV A government vehicle has no state title to sign over, so GSA issues a federal certificate instead. SF 114C says title passes “as and when removal is effected,” and promises “a certificate of release, Standard Form 97” for each licensed vehicle. GSA Fleet’s terms describe what you actually receive: - **The documents.** “A United States Government Certificate to Obtain Title to a Vehicle, Standard Form 97-1 (SF-97-1) and a purchaser’s receipt.” - **What it is not.** “The SF-97-1 is not a motor vehicle registration. It is evidence of title only,” and it waives no registration fees or “county or State taxes.” - **Where it works.** “The SF-97-1 is accepted in all 50 states and U.S. territories”; GSA “makes no claims” for anywhere else. - **Whose name.** It “can only be made out to the registered bidder purchasing the vehicle,” and a duplicate request may carry a fee. - **Branded vehicles.** “A branded SF-97-1 will be issued for vehicles sold junk, salvage, or junk flood damage,” and “A subsequent SF-97-1 will not be issued regardless of repairs made.” See [what a salvage title means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) and [branded titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-branded-title/). There is no blank to download: GSA’s forms library lists form SF97-1 (revised April 2012) and says “U.S. Government Departments, Agencies, and Offices can place an order for this form.” You take the certificate and receipt to your state’s motor vehicle agency; our guides to [title versus registration](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-vs-registration/) and [title transfer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/) cover that visit. The rule behind the form changed recently. The 2025 edition required: “For sales of vehicles, you must issue to the purchaser a Standard Form (SF) 97, the United States Government Certificate to Obtain Title to a Vehicle, or a SF 97A, the United States Government Certificate to Obtain a Non-Repairable or Salvage Certificate, as appropriate.” GSA’s rule of 16 December 2025, which “Removed procedural instructions” from this part, replaced it with § 102-38.100: “No specific form or format is designated for transferring title,” only “a bill of sale or another document as evidence of transfer of title.” GSA Fleet’s terms still promise the SF-97-1; for a vehicle on GSA Auctions, check the invitation for the title document before you bid. ## If you do not pay or collect: damages, default and the bidding bar A winning bid is a contract. Asked “Can I refuse a vehicle after my bid was accepted?”, GSA’s FAQ answers “No, successful bidders are contractually bound to pay for and remove their vehicles.” GSA prints three schedules for what happens next: - **SF 114C, condition 9:** after “a 15-day written notice of default,” liquidated damages of “the greater of (a) 20 percent of the purchase price” or “(b) $25,” with interest on amounts unpaid 30 calendar days after a written demand. - **gsa.gov’s “How to purchase” page:** “the government can collect damages,” and the fee is the award amount below $325, “$325” for awards “between $325 and $100,000,” and “5% of the award amount” above that. The page does not say which sales this covers. - **GSA Fleet’s terms,** which say condition 9 “is deleted and replaced”: the award amount for awards under $875, and $875 for anything larger. “Purchaser will automatically be placed in default,” loses the vehicle, and pays “EACH and EVERY lot” in default. “GSA does not grant extensions of time for payment and removal.” **What walking away from an award could cost under each schedule GSA prints (our arithmetic; each sale’s own terms decide which applies)** | Award | GSA Fleet terms | gsa.gov page | SF 114C, condition 9 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $500 | $500 | $325 | $100 | | $5,000 | $875 | $325 | $1,000 | | $25,000 | $875 | $325 | $5,000 | | $150,000 | $875 | $7,500 | $30,000 | The bar on bidding outlasts the bill. “Purchasers in default are not eligible to bid on future sales until all defaults are cured,” and “Defaults never expire.” GSA Fleet may restrict an account for “Defaulting on a previously awarded GSA Fleet or GSA Auctions contract,” so a default on one site follows you to the other, and the GSA Auctions system uses the SSN “to prevent users from bidding if that SSN is defaulted.” **Read the award e-mail the day it arrives.** Online, GSA Fleet allows 2 business days to pay and 10 calendar days to collect, sends results only by e-mail, and grants no extensions. A missed deadline is an automatic default, costs up to $875 per lot, and blocks all bidding until it is paid. Debarment is a separate, heavier sanction: the rule bars sales to anyone “debarred or suspended from purchasing Federal property” (§ 102-38.80), and the 2025 edition sent agencies to “the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 9.4” for the procedure. GSA Fleet checks “the bidders debarred list” and points to SAM.gov for the government-wide list. ## Where GSA’s own documents disagree - **How many vehicles a year?** gsa.gov says “30,000+” and the sales site “more than 30,000”; the sales FAQ says “approximately 35,000 vehicles this coming year,” without saying which year. - **Three default schedules.** SF 114C, the gsa.gov page and GSA Fleet’s terms each print a different charge, and only the Fleet terms say which one they replace. - **SF 97 or SF-97-1?** SF 114C and GSA Fleet’s FAQ say “Standard Form 97”; the Fleet terms say “Standard Form 97-1” and, a sentence later, “SF-97”; the forms library lists SF97-1. The federal rule required an SF 97 or SF 97A until 16 December 2025 and now names no form. - **Citations to rules that moved.** The Fleet terms of 10 March 2025 send state and local buyers to “FMR 102.38.350”; the December 2025 rewrite removed that section, and its 30-day payment rule now sits in § 102-38.125. SF 114C still says it is “Prescribed by GSA FPMR (41 CFR) 101-45.3.” - **Identity check or credit check?** The Fleet terms describe an identity check whose soft inquiry does “not affect credit scores”; GSA’s privacy assessment for GSAFleet.gov (approved 13 February 2025) says SSNs go to Experian “to determine a user’s credit worthiness to purchase a vehicle.” - **Will GSA tell you about defects?** gsa.gov says “GSA will inform a customer of any deficiencies prior to sale”; the Fleet terms say “the absence of any indicated deficiencies does not mean there are none.” ### Before you bid on a government vehicle - **Know which seller and which terms.** “Each sale location may have Special Terms and Conditions” that override the general ones; read the invitation or catalog. - **Have the money ready.** No financing, 2 business days to pay online, $24,999.99 per card transaction, at most two cards per vehicle. - **Inspect in person.** Start it, run the heater and air conditioning, look underneath; you cannot drive it. - **Check recalls by VIN yourself** on [NHTSA’s lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls), or with the manufacturer for trucks, buses and ambulances. - **Read the history.** A branded SF-97-1 means junk or salvage; our guide to [checking a used car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) covers the rest. - **Book transport before you win.** You have 10 calendar days online, and GSA moves nothing. - **Plan the DMV visit.** Bring the SF-97-1 and receipt, and budget for tax and registration; see the [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/). ## Common questions ### Can anyone buy a car at a GSA auction? Anyone 18 or older can, except GSA employees and their households, GSA Fleet’s auction contractors, federal employees whose agency forbids it, debarred or suspended bidders, and anyone who owes GSA for an earlier purchase. You register first with a Social Security or taxpayer ID number. No dealer license is needed, and non-U.S. citizens can register with passport or visa details. ### What is the difference between GSA Auctions and GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales? GSA Auctions sells surplus and forfeited property for many federal agencies, vehicles among it. GSA Fleet Vehicle Sales sells GSA’s own leased vehicles once they meet its replacement criteria, online and at live auctions run by auction houses GSA contracts. Their deadlines and default charges differ, and a fleet vehicle can occasionally appear on GSA Auctions. ### Do GSA auctions charge a buyer’s fee? GSA Fleet’s FAQ says its sales have “no buyer’s fees,” and attending is free. The gsa.gov pages we read mention none for GSA Auctions, but its own terms were unreachable, so read them before bidding. Sales tax and registration fees still apply. ### How long do I have to pay for and pick up a GSA vehicle? For GSA Fleet’s online sales, 2 business days to pay and 10 calendar days to collect, both from the award e-mail. Live sales and GSA Auctions sales print their own dates in the catalog or invitation. GSA Fleet grants no extensions and arranges no transport. ### What title do you get from a GSA auction? Not a state title. GSA Fleet issues an SF-97-1 certificate and a purchaser’s receipt, “evidence of title only,” made out to the registered bidder and accepted in all 50 states and U.S. territories, where your motor vehicle agency issues the title and registration. Junk and salvage vehicles get a branded certificate that is never reissued. ### What happens if I win a GSA auction and do not pay? Under GSA Fleet’s terms you are placed in default automatically, lose the vehicle, owe the award amount up to $875 for each lot, and cannot bid again until the default is cured. Other GSA sales use SF 114C’s formula (the greater of 20% or $25) or the gsa.gov schedule, depending on their terms. ## Sources and further reading - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/gsa-auctions/ --- title: "AutoBidMaster Review: What You Pay and Who Sells You the Car" description: "AutoBidMaster’s own terms, read: a $600 deposit, a $150 to $369 processing fee on top of Copart’s fees, payment by 5 pm the next day, and arbitration." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # AutoBidMaster Review: What You Pay and Who Sells You the Car > AutoBidMaster’s own terms, read: a $600 deposit, a $150 to $369 processing fee on top of Copart’s fees, payment by 5 pm the next day, and arbitration. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,902 words* ## The short version - AutoBidMaster sells memberships; the car comes from one of its unnamed “Dealers,” which buys it at Copart and resells it to you. Its terms say you are “not registering with or purchasing vehicles from Copart.” - Four tiers: Guest (free, one car, bids up to $1,200), Basic ($35 a year, one car, up to $2,200), Advanced ($189, 10 cars) and Premium ($349, unlimited). Every tier needs a $600 refundable deposit before the first bid. - On top of Copart’s fees, each car carries AutoBidMaster’s transaction fee, a $150 to $369 processing fee and a $50 “broker fee.” On a $1,000 Basic win that is $499 to $718, by our arithmetic. - Payment must arrive by 5:00 pm Pacific the next business day, by wire, Zelle or MoneyGram only, or a $50 late fee runs for each day. - Never paying costs at least $750 by our arithmetic, more than the deposit, and a car not collected within 10 days of bid acceptance can be declared abandoned. - Disputes go to binding arbitration with a one-year time limit, unless you mail an opt-out within 30 days of first accepting the terms. AutoBidMaster is a Portland, Oregon company that lets people without a dealer license bid on Copart’s salvage and clean-title cars, and what it charges is in its contract, not its marketing. On 9 October 2026 we read its Member Terms and Conditions (last updated 1 July 2026), its Website Terms of Service, the “Rules and Policies” those terms make part of the contract, 29 other help-center articles, its About, Copart Broker and shipping pages, and Oregon’s business registry. Copart’s side comes from the documents behind our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/), read 7 October 2026. We did not register, bid or request a quote, and this site has no relationship with AutoBidMaster, Copart or any broker. **Figure: What AutoBidMaster’s terms add when you buy a Copart car through it** A two-column table of seven situations from AutoBidMaster’s Member Terms and Rules and Policies, read 9 October 2026: no bid until a $600 deposit and photo ID; a $1,000 Basic win adds $499 to $718 of AutoBidMaster’s own fees before Copart’s; a $10,000 Premium win adds $600 to $819; $50 a day after the 5:00 pm Pacific next-business-day deadline; never paying costs at least $750; a car left 10 days can be declared abandoned; disputes go to arbitration unless you opt out within 30 days. Our arithmetic from AutoBidMaster’s Member Fees list and terms, read 9 October 2026. Copart’s own buyer, virtual-bid and gate fees, tax, storage and shipping are not included. ## What a Copart broker is, and why the public needs one Copart lets only its own members bid: “Only registered and active Basic and Premier Members are permitted to bid on vehicles.” Even then, the state where the car sits decides who may buy it. Copart’s State Licensing Overview, which we counted for the Copart guide, lets a private individual bid without a broker on both titled and salvage lots in 15 of 50 states and requires a broker for both in 25; by our arithmetic the public needs a broker for at least one title type in 35 states. See the [state-by-state breakdown](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#state-rules). A broker lends its licenses. Copart’s help center says a broker “will let you borrow them for a fee,” and Copart is clear about who you deal with: “When using a Broker to purchase vehicles, you are buying vehicles through the Broker and not Copart.” Its annual report calls this “the Registered Broker program through which the public can purchase vehicles through a registered member.” See [what Copart says about brokers](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#brokers). SalvageReseller, another broker for Copart cars, names Inloher Corp as the seller; see our [SalvageReseller review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/salvagereseller-review/). AutoBidMaster says it is that broker: “AutoBidMaster is a licensed Copart broker,” and “At AutoBidMaster, we hold the license so you don’t need one.” A broker gets you the bid, not a car you can register, and the Member Terms still say “you must verify with your DMV what your limitations are regarding registration of any vehicle you wish to purchase.” AutoBidMaster also advertises access to Alabama, Michigan and Wisconsin, which it calls dealer-only. Copart’s own grid marks Michigan titled lots as open to private individuals and only its salvage lots as needing a broker. ## Who sells you the car, and who owns AutoBidMaster AutoBidMaster does not buy the car for you, and Copart does not sell it to you. The Rules and Policies explain: “our software places a corresponding bid directly with Copart on your behalf via one of our Dealers. If your bid is the winning bid, that Dealer is obligated to purchase the vehicle from the auction seller for the amount of your bid (plus applicable fees). More importantly, you are obligated to purchase that same vehicle from the Dealer for the amount of your bid (plus applicable fees).” The contracting companies “only sell Membership Services”; the Dealers sell everything else. No document we read names a Dealer. The Dealers “are not owned or controlled by Copart, IAAI or otherwise affiliated with or endorsed or recommended by Copart or IAAI,” and every page footer says AutoBidMaster “is not owned by or affiliated with Copart, Inc, or its subsidiaries.” Copart’s rules still reach you: the Member Terms make you “also subject to the Copart Member Terms and Conditions and Terms of Service.” The July 2026 terms cover Insurance Auto Auctions inventory as well; see our [IAA auction guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/). Your contract is with AutoBidMaster, LLC (a Dover, Delaware mailing address) if your account is in the USA, Canada, Mexico or Central America, and with AutoBidGlobal Limited of Limassol, Cyprus, anywhere else. Membership claims fall under Delaware law; claims about the car under Oregon law. Oregon’s business registry lists AUTOBIDMASTER LLC as a domestic Oregon limited liability company (registry number 49495096) registered on 13 May 2008, with its principal place of business at the Portland address of the Buyer Services Center. CLEARVIN LLC, the vehicle-history brand on AutoBidMaster’s About page, is registered at the same address (18 November 2016). The rows name a registered agent and addresses, not owners, and Delaware’s register uses a CAPTCHA we did not attempt, so whether the Delaware-addressed contracting party is the Oregon company is not established. The About page claims operation “Since 2009,” “over 1,000,000 members” and status as “a registered Copart broker and a global operator of Copart Lounges”; the shipping arm is EasyHaul. We found no regulator action. Google searches for AutoBidMaster limited to the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission sites returned no page from either, one limited to the Oregon Department of Justice site returned nothing, and the court opinion a search for “AutoBidMaster lawsuit” surfaced does not mention the company. That is not proof of a clean record: court dockets could not be searched, and the Better Business Bureau blocked our requests, so no BBB rating appears here. ## Registration and the four membership tiers Registering takes a name and an email. Bidding takes more: “a copy of your driver’s license, passport, or other government-issued form of identification,” the $600 deposit below, and an age of at least 18. “Each individual or organization may only have one membership,” and a spare Guest account costs the Basic annual fee “for each additional account.” **AutoBidMaster membership tiers as printed (Rules and Policies and help center, read 9 October 2026)** | Tier | Annual fee | Maximum bid | Cars you may buy | Transaction fee per car | Free VIN checks a year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Guest | Free | $1,200 | 1, preliminary bidding only | $349 | None listed | | Basic | $35 | $2,200 | 1, preliminary and live bidding | $299 | None listed | | Advanced | $189 | None (set by deposit) | 10 | $299 or 5%, whichever is greater | 5 | | Premium | $349 | None (set by deposit) | Unlimited | $150 or 4%, whichever is greater | 10 | A Guest may have “one active preliminary bid at a time” and “one vehicle purchase total.” Basic “only allows live auctions for the current vehicle lot.” Premium is “the only Membership level with a Dedicated Buyer Services Agent and Extra Payment Days (additional 1 day),” and gets “a five percent (5%) discount on all shipping services.” In-person inspections arranged with AutoBidMaster’s credentials require “Maintaining an Advanced or Premium Membership,” and most yards charge “approximately $25” to enter. Paid tiers renew automatically; you “must cancel the renewal at least one day prior.” Cancelled Basic and Advanced accounts revert to Guest, Premium to Basic. Refunds are narrow: cancellations “within fourteen (14) days from the date of a Member’s initial registration may be eligible to receive a full refund if the Member has not used any of the Membership allowed services and or benefits.” Otherwise “Membership fees are not refundable.” Arithmetic, not advice: Premium costs $160 a year more than Advanced, and its transaction fee is $149 lower on a $1,000 car, $99 lower at $5,000 and $200 lower at $20,000. ## The $600 deposit, Buyer Power and getting it back “Your initial Security Deposit of at least Six Hundred Dollars ($600) is required before you are able to bid on any vehicle,” on every tier. On Advanced and Premium the deposit is 10% of your maximum bid: “the minimum Security Deposit of Six Hundred Dollars ($600) enables you to bid up to Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000).” By our arithmetic a $10,000 bid takes $1,000 and a $20,000 bid $2,000. The minimum covers being high bidder “on a maximum of one (1) vehicle at any given time”; each extra car needs “a separate Security Deposit,” so two simultaneous high bids need at least $1,200. AutoBidMaster may change the deposit rules “at any time for any reason.” A card deposit is usually a hold, and “This hold lapses every 30 days and must be renewed to continue bidding.” A wired or MoneyGram deposit is real money that stays on the account. Either comes back on request if you have no unpaid balance, no pending bids and no breach of the terms, after which you cannot bid. The help center says card holds are released automatically “after 30 days provided a vehicle is paid for and picked up.” For wired deposits the documents disagree: the Rules say U.S. refunds are “made by ACH transfer” once you supply “routing and account numbers,” with “up to thirty (30) business days” to process; the help center says “wire transfers are refunded by a mailed check within the U.S. and Canada.” International wire refunds lose “a $30 outgoing wire fee.” They also disagree on paying for the car with it. The Rules: “You cannot use your Security Deposit to pay for any vehicle (or any portion thereof).” The help center: “Only Security Deposits paid by wire transfer or MoneyGram can be applied to the cost of a vehicle.” ## AutoBidMaster’s fees on top of Copart’s Every purchase carries fees “charged by AutoBidMaster” and fees “by Copart.” For Copart’s auction fees AutoBidMaster points to Copart’s schedule “under Standard Pricing”; our Copart guide sets out [that schedule](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#fee-schedule) and [adds it up for real bids](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/#worked-totals), so it is not repeated here. AutoBidMaster’s own charges per car: - **Transaction fee** by tier: $349, $299, $299 or 5%, or $150 or 4%. By our arithmetic the Advanced percentage takes over above $5,980 and the Premium one above $3,750. - **Website processing fee**, which “varies from One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150) to Three Hundred Sixty-Nine Dollars ($369)” with “the buyer’s location and the title or ownership document.” AutoBidMaster publishes no table for that $219 spread and says to ask “before bidding.” - **A $50 “Broker Fee”** and a $10 environmental fee “(when applicable),” both filed under Copart’s fees. Copart’s public fee pages print no broker fee and put the environmental fee at $15; we could not see Copart’s logged-in schedule. **AutoBidMaster’s own fees on a winning bid, before Copart’s fees (our arithmetic from its Member Fees list, read 9 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Tier | Transaction fee | With processing ($150 to $369) and the $50 fee | Share of the bid | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $1,000 | Guest | $349 | $549 to $768 | 54.9% to 76.8% | | $1,000 | Basic | $299 | $499 to $718 | 49.9% to 71.8% | | $2,000 | Premium | $150 | $350 to $569 | 17.5% to 28.4% | | $5,000 | Advanced | $299 | $499 to $718 | 10% to 14.4% | | $10,000 | Advanced | $500 | $700 to $919 | 7% to 9.2% | | $10,000 | Premium | $400 | $600 to $819 | 6% to 8.2% | | $20,000 | Premium | $800 | $1,000 to $1,219 | 5% to 6.1% | We treated the purchase price as the bid and left out the membership fee. Copart’s buyer, virtual-bid and gate fees, tax, storage and shipping come on top of every row; on a $1,000 Basic win, AutoBidMaster’s layer alone is about half the bid or more. The per-lot Fees Calculator is an estimate (“we cannot guarantee that the Fees Calculator is accurate or complete”), and “If you dispute the amount on your invoice, you must notify us before you pay.” You may also owe tax twice over, since you “must reimburse us for all sales, consumption, use, and other applicable taxes” on the Dealer’s own purchase. International buyers add a $25 incoming wire fee and intermediary bank charges of “$20 or more.” Our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#what-it-is) explains why the all-in figure is the one to compare. ## Paying, and what happens if you win and don’t pay The clock is short. Payment, fees included, “must be received before 5:00 pm (Pacific) on the next business day after the auction sale date”; international buyers get until the second business day and Premium members one extra day. AutoBidMaster takes “Wire Transfer, MoneyGram, or Zelle, only. No other payment methods are accepted.” Cards, PayPal, Venmo and trade-ins are refused for the car. Payment from someone else’s account “could delay payments and result in rejection of the payment,” and bank cut-offs are your risk: “It is your responsibility to ensure that we have timely received the payment.” Miss the deadline and the fee list charges “Late Fees = Fifty Dollars ($50), per day,” or $150 after three days by our arithmetic; one help article says “For every business day” instead. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the towed car, the tow hitch and the car’s rear wheel, each with one fact from AutoBidMaster’s Member Terms and Rules and Policies. AutoBidMaster’s Member Terms and Rules and Policies, read on 9 October 2026: You buy from an affiliated Dealer, not Copart or AutoBidMaster, and the car is sold as is (callout 1); No driving it out: an approved transporter must collect it within 10 days of acceptance (callout 2); Pay by 5:00 pm Pacific the next business day, by wire, Zelle or MoneyGram only (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. If you never pay, the Dealer cancels the sale, Copart relists the car, and you owe a relist fee that is “the sum of Copart’s Fee plus the Transaction Fee”: the greater of $600 or 10% of the price, plus your tier’s transaction fee, because “you still must pay your Transaction Fee.” The help center adds: “You will forfeit your deposit and be charged a relist penalty fee.” The Rules only say AutoBidMaster “may (in our sole discretion)” use the deposit. **What an unpaid win costs under AutoBidMaster’s relist rule (our arithmetic from its fee list, read 9 October 2026)** | Winning bid | Tier | Copart’s relist fee ($600 or 10%) | Transaction fee | Total owed | Above the $600 deposit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $1,000 | Guest | $600 | $349 | $949 | $349 | | $5,000 | Premium | $600 | $200 | $800 | $200 | | $10,000 | Advanced | $1,000 | $500 | $1,500 | $900 | | $20,000 | Premium | $2,000 | $800 | $2,800 | $2,200 | The smallest possible charge is $750 ($600 plus Premium’s $150 minimum), so the $600 deposit never covers it, and AutoBidMaster has other ways to collect. It may charge your card “even if it exceeds the amount of your existing Security Deposit,” add “the reasonable collections fee of at least One Hundred Dollars ($100),” suspend bidding and offset anything it owes you. Through the Limited Power of Attorney in your sale documents, a Dealer may also list itself “as a security interest holder” on the title, a lien it “may perfect in accordance with ORS 803.097” and that “may prevent you from selling or transferring the vehicle.” **A bid cannot be taken back.** “Once you submit a bid, it cannot be undone,” and the same goes for Buy It Now and Make an Offer. Bid only when you can get a wire, Zelle or MoneyGram payment in by 5:00 pm Pacific the next business day and have pickup arranged: walking away costs at least $750 by our arithmetic. Two rules apply even when you pay on time. A payment may go first “to any pre-existing unpaid account balance,” and AutoBidMaster has “no duty or obligation to release any vehicle or any vehicle title or ownership document, even if you have sent full payment,” while signed sale documents or any balance are outstanding. ## Pickup, storage, titles and the 10-day rule “No vehicle may be driven away from the Copart facility”; it must leave “by an approved transporter,” and the pickup point can move, with a car in Sacramento collected in a place that “may be Portland, OR.” Nobody inspects for you: “Copart, AutoBidMaster, and our Dealers do not inspect vehicles,” and for off-site and “Go App” listings “you will not be able to inspect the vehicle prior to its purchase.” See our [guide to inspecting a car you cannot drive](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote) and the [Copart damage codes](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#damage-codes). Storage is charged by the yard and passed to you, and the documents give three free periods: “3-5 days after the auction” at “up to forty dollars ($40) per day” (Rules); two days for Buy It Now and three for auctions at “up to thirty dollars $30 per day” (fees article); “2-3 days from auction end (day of the sale is included)” (storage article). Plan on the shortest. A driver is assigned only once car and shipping are paid, and “members are responsible for paying storage regardless” of who ships. Optional Unlimited Storage Coverage “must be ordered before bidding.” The hard deadline is ten days. A car not removed “within ten (10) days from the date bid acceptance (regardless of payment status and for whatever reason)” may be declared abandoned and sold, and “Buyers do not get any say in how, when, or for how much abandoned vehicles are sold.” Check the car before it leaves: claims that it does not match the listing “must be brought to the attention of Buyer Services before the vehicle leaves the Copart facility,” after which you accept it “AS IS” and “WITH ALL FAULTS.” Until then the yard holds it as bailee, and damage from theft, vandalism or weather is your loss. The title arrives later and may differ from the listing. A clean-titled car “may have a salvage, junk, or other history,” and an Idaho buyer of a Nevada car “may receive an Oregon salvage certificate of title,” which “may take five to seven weeks and result in additional fees.” A Californian buying in California gets “an Acquisition Bill of Sale” instead of the listed title. See [salvage and clean titles compared](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/#compare) and [when a salvage car makes sense](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/should-i-buy-a-salvage-title-car/#defensible). ## Shipping, damage coverage and export AutoBidMaster arranges transport through “our preferred vendor, EasyHaul.com, LLC,” but says “neither AutoBidMaster nor any of our Dealers ship vehicles or other items”; the shipping contract “is a contractual agreement between you and EasyHaul,” and we did not read it. You may use your own transporter, and either way AutoBidMaster is not liable for “any damage to or loss of your vehicle (or any part thereof) that occurs in transit.” Our [car shipping guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains brokers and carriers. Damage cover is sold separately as a share of the lot’s final price: Total Loss Coverage at 1.5% (minimum $75); Full Coverage Essential at 5% (minimum $250), paying on claims above $400; and Complete at 7% (minimum $350), paying above $100. AutoBidMaster’s example: “$600 in assessed damage pays $200 under Essential, or $500 under Complete.” On a $10,000 car the three cost $150, $500 and $700, by our arithmetic. Payouts are “AutoBidMaster account credit, not cash,” for used or aftermarket parts, and cover “can’t be added or changed after payment is complete.” Older articles give Full Coverage a “Deductible: $500” and require damage reports “within 24 hours of delivery”; the newer one allows “within 1 week of delivery.” Report within 24 hours to be safe. For export, the help center says its price covers pickup, delivery to port, loading, US customs clearance and ocean freight, but not destination duties or auction storage. Cars with documents that cannot be exported need extra paperwork “for extra cost ($50-$650 + depending on the vehicle documents available),” containers wait until “4 vehicles with valid docs” are ready (usually “1-3 weeks,” possibly “4-6 weeks or more”), and after “30 days of free storage” the warehouse charges “$10/day; $25/day for boats and oversized cargo”: $150 for a car that waits 45 days, by our arithmetic. Severely or flood-damaged electric and hybrid cars, cars marked “POLICE” and cars with internal cages are refused. For international buyers, ownership “does not transfer until arrival of your automobile at the international port of delivery.” One claim does not fit: the international page says “We are a licensed NVOCC” (an ocean carrier), while the Member Terms say AutoBidMaster does not ship and the About page gives that license to EasyHaul. ## The terms of use and the arbitration clause The Website Terms of Service (last updated 6 January 2025) give you “a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access the Website for your personal and non-commercial use,” bar scraping and “robots,” and send disputes to section 9 of the [Member Terms and Conditions](https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/terms-and-conditions/). Those terms incorporate the [Rules and Policies](https://helpcenter.autobidmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/360031300711-Rules-and-Policies), which call themselves “part of the binding, legal agreement.” Cars are sold “AS-IS,” “WHERE IS” and “WITH ALL FAULTS”; you agree “not to rely on any Vehicle Information” in deciding what to bid; and cars are not guaranteed “to have a catalytic converter” or keys. AutoBidMaster’s liability is capped at the fees you paid it for the car, or $500 if none, and the release covers its own “sole and/or partial negligence.” - **A one-year limit.** “ANY CLAIM MUST BE PROPERLY COMMENCED WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH SUCH CLAIM ACCRUED OR BE FOREVER BARRED.” - **Notice first.** A Notice of Dispute by certified mail, then 30 days to resolve it. - **Two arbitration bodies.** The American Arbitration Association for membership claims (remote, Delaware law); the Arbitration Service of Portland for everything else, including the car (Portland, Oregon law). Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act claims are expressly covered, and both sides waive a jury. - **Modified rules.** A hearing within 120 days; claims of $10,000 or less decided on documents; claims above $20,000 heard in person; legal-error challenges in court only where $100,000 or more was claimed. - **No court, no class.** No lawsuit in any court, “including small claims,” and claims “ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS.” Recoverable attorney fees include in-house lawyers at “no less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500) per hour.” - **A 30-day opt-out.** A signed notice by certified or registered mail, “NOT LATER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH YOU ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME.” Opt out and disputes go to the courts for Dover, Delaware (membership) or Multnomah County, Oregon (the rest), still excluding small claims court. The Rules call this “a more generous arbitration policy” than Copart’s, whose arbitration “does not apply to vehicles not purchased directly from Copart.” The opt-out is the one choice the contract leaves you. ## Where AutoBidMaster’s own documents disagree All were live on 9 October 2026. The Member Terms and Rules are the contract; ask in writing before relying on either. **AutoBidMaster documents that say different things about the same rule (read 9 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Seller’s deadline to accept your bid | Member Terms: 8 PM PST next business day | Rules: 7:45 PM PST (Copart’s terms also say 7:45 p.m.) | | Deposit toward the car | Rules: you “cannot” | Help center: wire and MoneyGram deposits can | | Refund of a wired deposit | Rules: ACH, up to 30 business days | Help center: mailed check | | Free storage and daily rate | Rules: 3-5 days, up to $40 | Help center: 2 or 3 days, up to $30 | | Late fee | Rules: $50 per day | Fees article: $50 per business day | | Deposit after non-payment | Rules: may be used | Help center: forfeited | | Full shipping coverage | Older articles: $500 deductible, report in 24 hours | Newer article: pays above $400 or $100, report in 1 week | | Average pickup after paying for shipping | Delivery article: 1-3 days | Shipping page preview: 3-5 days | | What you need to start | Copart Broker page: “just your email” | Rules: government ID and $600 deposit | | Free history reports | Copart Broker page: every listing | Rules: 5 a year (Advanced), 10 (Premium) | | Fees filed under Copart | Fee list: $10 environmental, $50 broker | Copart’s public page: $15 environmental, no broker fee | The marketing figures do not match either: the About page claims a “95% Customer satisfaction rate,” the registration page “96%.” The core terms (the deposit, the transaction and processing fees, the next-day deadline, the 10-day rule and the arbitration clause) were stated the same way wherever they appeared. ## Before you bid: the printed terms side by side, and a checklist Searchers often weigh AutoBidMaster against A Better Bid, another company that bids at Copart for the public, and against buying from Copart directly. The table sets their printed terms side by side; it is not a ranking. Copart’s column comes from documents read on 7 October 2026; A Better Bid’s from its Member Terms (updated 8 September 2026), read on 9 October 2026. **Printed terms: Copart direct (read 7 October 2026), AutoBidMaster and A Better Bid (read 9 October 2026)** | Term | Copart, buying directly | AutoBidMaster | A Better Bid | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who sells you the car | Copart, to its own members | An unnamed affiliated Dealer | Abetter.bid, LLC, a Delaware company | | Deposit to bid | Basic: none up to $2,000, then 10%; Premier: $400 | $600 minimum; 10% of the bid on Advanced and Premium | $600 or 10% of the bid, whichever is greater | | Payment deadline | 3 business days, sale day included | 5:00 pm Pacific, next business day | 2 business days | | Late fee | $50 per vehicle | $50 per day | $50 per item | | If you never pay | Relisted after 8 calendar days; 10%, minimum $600 | Relisted; $600 or 10% plus the transaction fee | Deposit forfeited after 5 calendar days; $600 or 10% relist fee plus a $600 or 10% cancelation fee | | First-membership refund | Within 7 days if you have not bid | Within 14 days if no benefits used | All fees non-refundable | | Disputes | Not part of our Copart reading | Binding arbitration; 30-day opt-out by mail | Binding AAA arbitration in Miami-Dade County; no opt-out clause found | Copart’s advice applies to any broker: read “the Broker’s additional terms, including payment terms and conditions.” - **Check the lot first:** [what Copart disclaims](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#disclaimer), [what a Run and Drive label means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive) and [earlier auction records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions). - **Match the tier to the bid.** Guest stops at $1,200, Basic at $2,200; above that you need a deposit of 10% of your maximum bid. - **Ask for the processing fee in writing** for your state and title type. - **Add both layers:** AutoBidMaster’s fees, Copart’s fees, then tax. - **Line up a wire, Zelle or MoneyGram payment** in your own name before you bid. - **Book transport the day you win;** storage can start after two days and the 10-day abandonment rule runs regardless. - **Inspect before the car leaves the yard,** and report shipping damage within 24 hours. - **Decide on the arbitration opt-out within 30 days** of first accepting the terms. - **Price the repair and the cover,** including [insurance for a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/salvage-title-insurance/). ## Common questions ### Are Copart and AutoBidMaster the same company? No. AutoBidMaster’s footer says it “is not owned by or affiliated with Copart, Inc, or its subsidiaries.” An affiliated Dealer that is a Copart member bids for you and resells you the car, though Copart’s own terms still apply to the sale. ### Can anyone buy from AutoBidMaster? Anyone 18 or older with a government ID and a $600 refundable deposit can bid, without a dealer license. Whether you can register the car depends on your state, so check with your DMV first. A free Guest account buys one car at up to $1,200. ### How much does AutoBidMaster charge? Membership is free, $35, $189 or $349 a year. Each car adds a transaction fee ($150 to $349, or 5% or 4% on bigger cars), a $150 to $369 processing fee and a $50 broker fee, on top of Copart’s fees. By our arithmetic AutoBidMaster’s part is $499 to $718 on a $1,000 Basic win and $600 to $819 on a $10,000 Premium win. ### Is the AutoBidMaster deposit refundable? Yes, on request, with no unpaid balance or pending bids. Card deposits are holds that are released; wired deposits come back by ACH or mailed check, depending on which document you read, and international wire refunds lose $30. ### What happens if you don’t pay AutoBidMaster? A $50 late fee per day after 5:00 pm Pacific the next business day. If you never pay, the car is relisted and you owe $600 or 10% of the price plus your transaction fee, at least $750 by our arithmetic, and the help center says the deposit is forfeited. AutoBidMaster may charge a card on file, add a collections fee of at least $100 and suspend your account. ### Can I trust AutoBidMaster? We make no recommendation. Oregon’s registry lists it as an Oregon company registered in 2008, and our searches of federal and Oregon enforcement sites found no action naming it, though court dockets could not be searched. Its terms are strict: a one-year claim limit, binding arbitration unless you opt out within 30 days, liability capped at the fees you paid it, and documents that sometimes disagree. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/ --- title: "TrueCar Review: Who Pays It, What Its Price Binds, Who Owns It" description: "TrueCar is a dealer-paid marketplace, and its prices are the dealer’s. What its terms say about fees, your phone number, arbitration and its 2026 owners." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/truecar-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # TrueCar Review: Who Pays It, What Its Price Binds, Who Owns It > TrueCar is a dealer-paid marketplace, and its prices are the dealer’s. What its terms say about fees, your phone number, arbitration and its 2026 owners. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,976 words* ## The short version - TrueCar is a real company, but it is a marketplace that dealers pay, not a car seller. Dealers supplied 90.0% of its 2024 revenue; its FAQ says shoppers pay nothing. - A TrueCar price is the dealer’s figure, not TrueCar’s promise. Its terms say savings figures, “Guaranteed Savings” included, are “not provided by TrueCar” and that “Each dealer sets and controls its own pricing.” You may still negotiate. - The TrueCar Price Estimate leaves out tax, title, licensing, documentation fees, dealer-installed accessories and dealer-locate fees. Ask for the out-the-door total in writing. - Giving dealers your phone number consents to automated calls and texts about pricing, even on a Do Not Call list. A “text only” option hides your number. - TrueCar’s 10-K names Sam’s Club, AAA and Navy Federal among more than 250 programs it runs. USAA ended its TrueCar partnership in 2020; the Costco Auto Program is a different company. - TrueCar went private on 21 January 2026, bought at $2.55 a share by a company led by founder Scott Painter. Its terms require confidential arbitration that dealers can also enforce; you have 30 days to opt out by email. Yes, TrueCar is legitimate, but it is a lead marketplace funded by dealers, and a TrueCar price is a dealer’s offer, not a promise from TrueCar. On 9 October 2026 every TrueCar web address refused our requests, so we read its documents from the Internet Archive: its FAQ (copy of 2 May 2026) and its Terms of Service (dated 23 January 2025), Arbitration Agreement and Privacy Notice (effective 30 January 2025), the newest copies with readable text; a newer version may now apply. We also read its SEC filings (the 10-K for 2024, its last 10-Q, the merger filings, its Form 15 and older 10-Ks for its litigation) and its BBB profile. We entered no ZIP code, phone number or VIN, and this site has no commercial relationship with TrueCar, any member program or any dealer. **Figure: What each step on TrueCar means, by TrueCar’s own documents** A seven-row table reading each step on TrueCar against TrueCar’s own documents: a TrueCar Price Estimate is market data for a virtual vehicle and does not reflect a dealer’s price; a dealer’s offer or ‘Guaranteed Savings’ comes from the dealer, not TrueCar, and can be negotiated; the estimate leaves out tax, title, licensing, documentation fees, dealer-installed accessories and dealer-locate fees; giving a dealer your phone number consents to automated calls and texts, while a ‘text only’ option hides it; member programs such as Sam’s Club and AAA are among 250-plus co-branded TrueCar sites that receive user information; disputes go to confidential individual arbitration that dealers can enforce, with 30 days to opt out; and the data-sale opt-out needs no account. Read from TrueCar’s FAQ (Internet Archive copy of 2 May 2026), its Terms of Service (January 23, 2025), Arbitration Agreement and Privacy Notice (January 30, 2025), and its 10-K for 2024, on 9 October 2026. TrueCar’s live site refused our requests; no price, ZIP code or contact detail was entered. ## Is TrueCar legit? What it is, in its own words TrueCar calls itself “an information and technology platform that enables its users to communicate with TrueCar Certified Dealers.” Its FAQ says it “does not sell any type of vehicle,” its page footer that it “does not broker, sell, or lease motor vehicles,” and its terms that it is “solely a research and communications platform,” not “a vehicle seller, dealer, broker or agent.” You buy from the dealer, under the dealer’s contract. Two qualifications come from its 10-K: a subsidiary, TrueCar Wholesale Solutions, holds a wholesale dealer’s license and can buy your car, and TrueCar+, in beta in California since July 2024, lets shoppers buy “entirely online”. Its BBB profile dates the business to 25 February 2005. The 10-K also says state regulators “could take and, on some occasions, have taken the position” that dealer rules apply to TrueCar. It names no regulator or date, and we found no regulator’s action in the filings, so we describe none. The lawsuits it reports are [below](#lawsuits). **TrueCar’s public record, as each source printed it (read 9 October 2026)** | Source | What it showed | What to keep in mind | | --- | --- | --- | | Terms of Service and FAQ | A research and communications platform; does not sell cars; free to shoppers | Read from Internet Archive copies | | 10-K for 2024 | Revenue of $175.6 million; 8,351 franchise and 3,054 independent dealers at 31 December 2024 | Franchise dealers counted per brand per rooftop | | 10-Q to 30 September 2025 | 8,225 franchise and 2,794 independent dealers; about 5.6 million monthly visitors | The last periodic report TrueCar filed | | Merger filings and Form 15 | Bought at $2.55 a share; private since 21 January 2026 | No public financial reports since | | Litigation in SEC filings | 7 matters since 2015 | All resolved except a landlord case set for trial in April 2027 | | BBB | A+, accredited since 7 July 2021; 15 complaints in 3 years; 7 reviews averaging 1 star | Unverified consumer reports | On [BBB](https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/santa-monica/profile/automobile-purchasing-consultant/truecarcom-1216-100107171), 1 of the 15 complaints came in the last 12 months; 12 are marked “Answered” and 3 “Resolved,” and 8 are sales and advertising issues. Of the 10 whose text BBB publishes, by our reading 4 say a dealer would not honor the TrueCar price or added items and 2 concern an unpaid bonus or benefit. These are unverified allegations, and counts grow with a company’s size. ## How TrueCar makes money: dealers pay, shoppers don’t TrueCar’s FAQ says: “We do not charge you any fees for using the services. We ordinarily receive fees from our Certified Dealers in connection with the services. In some instances, we also receive fees from automobile manufacturers and/or third-party service providers.” Its [10-K for 2024](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1327318/000132731825000006/true-20241231.htm), its last annual report, gives the split. **Who paid TrueCar in 2024, from its 10-K (millions of dollars, our rounding)** | Payer | What they pay for | 2024 revenue | Share, as printed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dealers | Monthly subscriptions or per-sale fees for leads, sponsored listings, and the Trade and Sell Your Car products | $157.9 | 90.0% | | Carmakers | A “per-vehicle fee” for promoting extra incentives to members of affinity programs | $16.9 | 9.6% | | Other | Not broken down | Under $1 | 0.4% | | Shoppers | Nothing, per the FAQ | None | None | Total revenue was $175.6 million in 2024 and about $135 million in the nine months to 30 September 2025, up 4.3% (our arithmetic). “Approximately 70% of franchise dealers and nearly all independent dealers are charged a fixed monthly subscription rate”; about 30% of franchise dealers pay by sales or lead volume. Dealers can also buy “Marketplace Sponsored Listings in packages of 5, 10, or 20 vehicles,” placed “near the top of a search results page,” so the first cars you see may be paid placements, as on [CarGurus](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/cargurus-review/#how-cargurus-makes-money). TrueCar earned $491 of transaction revenue per car sold to its users in 2024. To bill dealers, it matches sales to users: the 10-K says it receives “automobile purchase data” from dealers, data aggregators, “purveyors of registration data” and “our affinity group marketing partners” and uses it “to match purchases from TrueCar Certified Dealers so that we may collect transaction fees.” A purchase can be tied back to your TrueCar visit whether or not you report it. TrueCar credited dealers for 3,626 sales in 2024, about 1% of its 355,900 units (our arithmetic), most often when a dealer claimed “a pre-existing relationship” with the buyer. Money also flows to the member programs. The 10-K says its “revenue sharing arrangements with our affinity partners are typically tied to our average net monetization,” and that its costs include “loan subvention costs where we pay certain affinity group marketing partners a portion of consumers’ borrowing costs.” Navy Federal says it “receives compensation from TrueCar when members purchase vehicles.” None of these payments is published. ## What a TrueCar price or certificate does and does not bind TrueCar shows two kinds of number, and its terms treat them differently. Research figures on a car you configure (“dealer cost, factory invoice, market average, MSRP, TrueCar Average, TrueCar Estimate, or Estimated Savings off MSRP”) are “based on available data relevant to your virtual vehicle” and do “not reflect a dealer’s price for an actual vehicle.” On used cars, the Price Rating (Excellent, Great, Fair or High) is “based on recent listing prices for similar vehicles in your area” and “doesn’t include dealer documentation, administrative, or similar processing fees.” The dealer’s numbers come when you connect: “price offers from the dealer on in-stock vehicles with specified Vehicle Identification Numbers,” each with a savings summary. The terms say whose numbers these are: “Any savings information that you may receive from a selling dealer or user, such as Estimated Member Savings, Estimated Member Price, Guaranteed Savings, Member Savings, Certified Dealer MSRP Discount, Total Dealer Fees and Accessories, Total Before Tax, or Estimated TrueCar Dealer Price is provided directly to you by the selling dealer or user, and is not provided by TrueCar.” Carmaker incentives are likewise “provided directly to you by that vehicle manufacturer.” “Guaranteed” has a history. TrueCar’s [10-K for 2018](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1327318/000132731819000009/truecar201810-k.htm) described a “Guaranteed Savings Certificate” issued after a shopper released contact details to dealers, showing “the amount of guaranteed savings off MSRP.” The 2025 terms leave the deal with the dealer: “Each dealer sets and controls its own pricing. You may negotiate the purchase price directly with the dealer, and TrueCar plays no role in that negotiation.” Savings “may change” if the car you buy differs from the one you configured, and “Used vehicles are subject to prior sale.” TrueCar does not stand behind the figures either: neither the accuracy of its information “nor the availability, quality, or safety of vehicles” is “guaranteed or controlled by TrueCar,” and pricing mistakes “should be directed to the dealer.” What binds the dealer to you is the paperwork you both sign. What binds it to TrueCar is one line: “Certified Dealers are contractually obligated by TrueCar to meet certain customer service requirements.” We could not read that agreement. TrueCar’s FAQ claims “99.1% confidence” that its average price per new car sale is “within $20” nationally, but warns that for a specific, low-volume model the gap “can be substantially greater.” Use the market data as [evidence for negotiating](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-negotiate-used-car-price/#evidence), not as a quote. ## What the dealer can still add to a TrueCar price TrueCar’s FAQ says: “The TrueCar Price Estimate shown on the Certificate includes the destination fee and the regional advertising fee. The TrueCar Price Estimate does not include dealer installed accessories, applicable tax, title, licensing, and documentation fees, other state and governmental charges and/or fees, dealer-locate fees for out-of-stock vehicles, and any other charges and/or fees allowed by law.” **Lines on a new-car bill and whether TrueCar’s FAQ says its Price Estimate includes them (Internet Archive copy of 2 May 2026)** | Line on the bill | In the TrueCar Price Estimate? | Who sets it | | --- | --- | --- | | Destination fee | Included | The carmaker | | Regional advertising fee | Included | The carmaker, charged to the dealer | | Dealer-installed accessories | Not included | The dealer | | Documentation fee | Not included | The dealer, within any state limit | | Dealer-locate fee for a car not in stock | Not included | The dealer | | Tax, title, licensing and other government charges | Not included | Your state | | “any other charges and/or fees allowed by law” | Not included | The dealer or the state | The dealer’s side of TrueCar is built for those additions. The 10-K says the Dealer Portal’s pricing tools include “options for adding dealership-installed options and fees,” and the terms list “Total Dealer Fees and Accessories” among the figures the dealer, not TrueCar, provides. A discount off MSRP can sit next to fee and accessory lines the research estimate never showed. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the dashboard, the steering wheel and the phone, each with one fact from TrueCar’s FAQ and Terms of Service. TrueCar’s FAQ and Terms of Service, in Internet Archive copies, read on 9 October 2026: A TrueCar estimate leaves out tax, title, documentation fees and dealer-installed extras (callout 1); TrueCar’s terms: each dealer sets its own price, and you may negotiate with the dealer (callout 2); Giving dealers your number consents to automated calls and texts; ‘text only’ hides it (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **A member price is not an out-the-door price.** Four of the 10 public BBB complaints say a dealer would not honor a TrueCar or member-program price, or added items to it; those are allegations, but TrueCar’s terms leave pricing to each dealer. Ask the dealer to email the total with the documentation fee, add-ons, tax and registration, and compare totals, not discounts. See our guides to [asking for the out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#how-to-ask), [documentation fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#doc-fee) and [add-on fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#junk). The trade-in and the loan are separate negotiations. TrueCar’s trade estimate “is for informational purposes only,” and its pre-qualified financing terms “are not guaranteed and subject to change based on the lender’s evaluation of your credit application submitted at the dealer.” Bring your own [loan pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) and settle the car’s price [before the trade-in](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/how-does-a-car-trade-in-work/#one-number). ## What happens to your phone number and email To see real prices you hand over contact details. The terms say TrueCar “shares the information you enter on this website with participating dealers,” and the Privacy Notice that it will “connect you with a limited number of automobile dealers and vehicle manufacturers,” after which “your direct interactions with those dealers will not be controlled by this Notice.” Neither says how many dealers. Giving your number to “TrueCar Parties,” which include TrueCar Certified Dealers, lenders and partners, means you “expressly agree to receive prerecorded voice messages and/or automated calls or text messages related to pricing and offers,” which “may be sent ... even if your telephone number is registered on any state or federal Do Not Call list.” Calls “may be monitored and recorded.” TrueCar repeated this in a public BBB reply on 25 September 2026: connecting with dealers gives them “permission to contact you by phone, email, or SMS.” The quieter option: “If you select the ‘text only’ option when submitting your telephone number to a TrueCar Certified Dealer, your number will be hidden from the dealer,” though TrueCar “will have access to your text communications.” Stopping contact is piecemeal: texting STOP to one number does not stop the others, you must contact each dealer, lender or partner “directly,” an opt-out can take “up to thirty (30) days,” and “We are not responsible for unwanted contact from third parties.” The Privacy Notice also lets TrueCar share data with carmakers, service providers, advertising networks, “Partner Sites (and the owners of those sites)” and buyers “in connection with the sale or merger of our business.” It discloses “Identifiers and Inferences” to social media and advertising vendors “for monetary or other valuable consideration,” but says it does “not share mobile phone numbers” with third parties “for their marketing or promotional purposes.” An identity check can scan “your facial geometry,” and its sites “are currently unable to respond to Do Not Track Signals.” You can opt out of the selling and sharing without an account, and ask to see or delete your data; TrueCar promises a reply to access requests within 45 days. It reported these California requests for 2023: **California privacy requests TrueCar reported for 2023 (Privacy Notice effective 30 January 2025)** | Type of request | Received | Complied with | Denied | Mean days to respond | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Access | 92 | 92 | 0 | 6 | | Delete | 22 | 22 | 0 | 8 | | Opt out | 1,524 | 1,524 | 0 | 1 | | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | 1,962 | 1,962 | 0 | 1 | On a member program’s site, TrueCar’s notice “does not apply to Partner Sites, unless otherwise indicated,” and the 10-K says TrueCar shares “certain information of our users with our affinity partners.” Read the program’s privacy page too. ## Sam’s Club, AAA, USAA and the other member programs Much of TrueCar’s traffic arrives under another name. Its 10-K says it is “the exclusive auto-buying partner to over 250 membership organizations and consumer brands for whom TrueCar powers white-labeled and co-branded car-buying websites,” reaching “up to 7 million in-market car shoppers” a month, and names “Sam’s Club, AAA, and Navy Federal Credit Union” with Progressive Insurance, Car and Driver and NextJump as examples. We checked each program’s own documents where we could read them. **Which car-buying programs a document says run on TrueCar, as read from 2 to 9 October 2026** | Program | Runs on TrueCar? | What the documents show | | --- | --- | --- | | Sam’s Club Auto Buying Program | Yes, per TrueCar’s 10-K | samsclub.com/auto forwarded us to a samsclub.truecar.com page on 9 October 2026; Sam’s Club’s own pages sat behind a bot check | | AAA Auto Buying | Yes, per TrueCar’s 10-K | aaa.com/AutoBuying leads to a ZIP-code gate that sends members to their club; we entered no ZIP code | | Navy Federal Car Buying Service | Yes: “TrueCar operates the Navy Federal Car Buying Service” | Navy Federal is paid by TrueCar when members buy (read 6 October 2026) | | PenFed Car Buying Service | Yes: “PenFed teams up with TrueCar” | Up-front pricing “from a TrueCar dealer” (read 6 October 2026) | | Congressional Federal Car Buying Service | Yes: “powered by TrueCar” | The credit union’s Carfax page (read 2 October 2026) | | USAA Car Buying Service | No longer | TrueCar’s 10-K: “in 2020, USAA terminated its affinity marketing partnership with us” | | American Express auto purchasing program | No longer | Terminated in April 2025, per TrueCar’s 10-K | | Costco Auto Program | No | Run by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc.; TrueCar’s 10-K lists it among competitors | **Sam’s Club and AAA.** The documents we could read for these two are TrueCar’s: its 10-K names both, and Sam’s Club’s own address for the program forwards to a TrueCar server. Sam’s Club’s help center bars automated readers in its robots.txt and the AAA club pages we tried were behind bot checks, so we quote no Sam’s Club or AAA wording, member price or bonus. TrueCar’s terms say they “also apply to any co-branded or framed version of this website.” **USAA.** Search answers saying TrueCar powers USAA’s service are out of date; Google’s AI summary still said so on 9 October 2026. TrueCar’s 10-K says USAA ended the partnership in 2020, after 29% of TrueCar’s units in 2019 came from the USAA site. Our [USAA auto loan review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/usaa-auto-loan/#car-buying-service) found no USAA car buying service on its loan pages on 7 October 2026. American Express’s program, about 5% of units, ended in April 2025. **Credit unions and Costco.** [Navy Federal](https://baronauto1.com/financing/navy-federal-auto-loan/#discounts) says “Each dealer sets its own pricing” and that TrueCar pays it; [PenFed](https://baronauto1.com/financing/penfed-auto-loan/#car-buying-service) says to “Get up-front pricing from a TrueCar dealer and finance through PenFed”; our [Carfax discount page](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-discount/) found Congressional Federal’s service “powered by TrueCar.” The [Costco Auto Program](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/costco-auto-program/) is run by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., which TrueCar’s 10-K counts among “providers of offline, membership-based car-buying services.” Partners may add what the 10-K calls “buyer’s bonuses”; read their terms before you buy. ## TrueCar’s terms of use and arbitration agreement The Terms of Service we read, dated 23 January 2025, are governed by California law and may be “amended from time to time without notice.” TrueCar gives no warranty on cars (“TRUECAR DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST DEFECTS IN ANY VEHICLE”), excludes liability for “ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES,” and says “YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY” is “TO STOP USING THE SERVICE,” while conceding that some states’ laws mean these limits “MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.” Arbitration is “A CONDITION OF YOUR USE OF THE TRUECAR WEBSITE,” under a separate Arbitration Agreement: - **Talk first.** No case may start “for at least 60 days” after a written Notice of Dispute, sent by certified mail. - **Private and individual.** Claims go to “final, binding, and confidential Arbitration before the American Arbitration Association,” with class actions and juries waived, before “a retired state court or federal court judge of the state in which You reside.” Small claims court stays open. - **Costs.** TrueCar pays the filing, administration and arbitrator fees for a properly noticed case and will not seek its own attorneys’ fees. On claims of $75,000 or less it reimburses your filing fee, and if you win and it made no written offer, or you beat its last written offer, it pays the award or $7,500, “whichever is greater,” plus your lawyer’s reasonable fees. - **Dealers are covered.** “Participating Dealers and Affinity Partners are intended to be third party beneficiaries” and “will be able to enforce this Agreement,” and claims include “Your purchase of any vehicle in connection with the use of Your TrueCar account.” - **You can opt out.** Email arbitrationoptout@truecar.com with your name, address, phone number and “a clear statement that You wish to opt out,” “no later than 30 days after the date You become bound.” The dealer clause matters most: a dealer could push a dispute over a car you found on TrueCar into confidential arbitration under an agreement between you and TrueCar. If you want to keep your court options, send the opt-out within 30 days of first use and keep a copy; the dealer’s own contract may also have an arbitration clause. **Selling through TrueCar.** A True Cash Offer is “subject to inspection and verification of the vehicle,” you must deliver the car “within 72 hours,” and a dealer that finds differences may refuse or issue “a revised True Cash Offer.” TrueCar is “not a party to” the offer unless its own subsidiary buys, and you agree to “LOOK SOLELY TO THE PARTICIPATING DEALER FOR YOUR REMEDY.” Cars over seventeen model years old or worth under $1,000 are excluded. Compare it with [Kelley Blue Book’s Instant Cash Offer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/kbb-instant-cash-offer/) before you accept. ## Lawsuits: what was alleged and how each ended We describe these cases only as TrueCar’s SEC filings state them; we did not open the court dockets. **Lawsuits involving TrueCar, as described in its SEC filings (alleged, settled or decided, in the filings’ terms)** | Case | Court and filing date | What was alleged | How it ended | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dealers’ Lanham Act suit | U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; 9 March 2015 | Dealers not on TrueCar alleged its advertising violated the Lanham Act and state laws and diverted their customers; they sought over $250 million | Decided: summary judgment for TrueCar on the Lanham Act claim (12 July 2019); state claims dismissed without prejudice; no appeal | | California New Car Dealers Association | Los Angeles Superior Court; 20 May 2015 | That TrueCar operated in California “as an unlicensed automobile dealer and autobroker”; no money sought | Settled on 14 December 2017; dismissed with prejudice 21 December 2017; terms not stated | | Rose consumer class action | Los Angeles Superior Court; 23 December 2015 | For California buyers “who purchased an automobile by using TrueCar, Inc.’s price certificate”: unlicensed-broker and advertising claims | Class certification denied (27 July 2018), affirmed on appeal (16 December 2019); dropped by the plaintiff on 19 February 2020 | | Haas consumer class action | U.S. District Court, Central District of California; 30 June 2017 | False and misleading advertising, for consumers who “obtained a TrueCar ‘guaranteed’ price” | Settled with the individual plaintiff only, for “an immaterial amount”; dismissed with prejudice 1 December 2017 | | Milbeck securities class action | U.S. District Court, Central District of California; 30 March 2018 | False or misleading statements to investors from 16 February to 6 November 2017 | Settled for $28.25 million, paid by insurance; final approval 27 January 2020 | | Shareholder derivative suits | Delaware Court of Chancery; from August 2019 | Breach of fiduciary duty on the same facts; USAA among the defendants | Dismissed with prejudice (30 September 2020); a later suit dropped by its plaintiff (22 June 2022) | | Former landlord | Los Angeles Superior Court; filed by TrueCar 10 April 2024 | TrueCar seeks a ruling that it lawfully ended an office lease; the landlord’s cross-complaint alleges breach of contract | Pending: trial set for April 2027 (10-Q) | The dealer suit was decided for TrueCar on the federal claim; the dealers’ association and Haas cases were settled, which is not a finding either way; the Rose case was never certified and was dropped; the securities settlement concerned what TrueCar told investors. Both consumer cases concerned TrueCar price certificates or “guaranteed” prices. Separately, the 10-K says that around the end of 2011, “due to regulatory and publicity-related challenges, many dealers canceled their agreements,” cutting its franchise dealer count from 5,571 to 3,599. ## Who owns TrueCar now: the 2026 take-private, as filed TrueCar is no longer public. Six SEC filings, all re-checked by our script, set out the deal: - **14 October 2025.** TrueCar agreed to merge with Fair Holdings, Inc., which its [8-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1327318/000110465925099554/tm2528639d2_8k.htm) says “is led by TrueCar founder Scott Painter and backed by an equity commitment from Alpha Auto 2, LLC” of $164 million, at “$2.55 per share in cash.” The [proxy statement](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1327318/000110465925115451/tm2528639-6_defm14a.htm) says the buyer, formed on 3 October 2025, “is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fair, which is controlled by Painter,” and that TrueCar would be “indirectly owned by the Investor and Painter.” - **11 December 2025.** Auto Holdings, LLC, “an affiliate of AutoNation, Inc.,” holding 5,370,000 shares (about 6.0%), agreed to vote for the deal. - **22 December 2025.** Shareholders approved it, 69,723,284 shares to 84,731, with 311,685 abstaining: 78.4% of the 88,940,050 shares outstanding and 99.9% of votes cast (our arithmetic). - **21 January 2026.** The deal closed. The [closing 8-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1327318/000110465926005627/tm263811d1_8k.htm) puts the payout at “approximately $227 million,” says the AutoNation affiliate took “an equity interest in Parent” for its shares, and that the stock “ceased trading on Nasdaq.” Scott Painter, 57, became chief executive of TrueCar, “which will operate as a private company.” - **2 February 2026.** TrueCar filed Form 15 to end its SEC registration, with one holder of record. EDGAR shows no 10-K or 10-Q since. For buyers, the filings describe no change to the dealer-funded model or the member programs. But TrueCar no longer publishes audited results; its Privacy Notice already allowed sharing your data “in connection with the sale or merger of our business”; and an affiliate of [AutoNation](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/autonation-sell-my-car/), a dealership group, now holds equity in the parent of a marketplace that dealers pay for leads. The filings do not give the size of that stake. ## Where TrueCar’s own documents disagree **Points where TrueCar’s own documents say different things (read 9 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Size of the dealer network | FAQ: “more than 13,000 dealers (representing about 35% of all franchised dealers)” | 10-K: 11,405 dealers at 31 December 2024; 10-Q: 11,019 at 30 September 2025 (franchise plus independent, our arithmetic) | | What “guaranteed” means | 10-K for 2018: a certificate showing “the amount of guaranteed savings off MSRP” | Terms: “Guaranteed Savings” is “not provided by TrueCar”; “Each dealer sets and controls its own pricing” | | Whether TrueCar buys cars | FAQ: “TrueCar does not sell any type of vehicle” | 10-K: its subsidiary can “purchase vehicles from consumers and sell those vehicles to other licensed dealers” | | Research site or store | Terms: “solely a research and communications platform” | 10-K: TrueCar+ lets consumers buy “entirely online,” including “executing a retail installment contract” | | Your mobile number | Privacy Notice: not shared with third parties “for their marketing or promotional purposes” | Terms: giving it to dealers means automated calls or texts “related to pricing and offers,” even on a Do Not Call list | | Who backed the buyout | 8-K, October 2025: “an equity commitment from Alpha Auto 2, LLC” | 8-K, January 2026: “a consortium of strategic partners, investors and lenders” | The last row is a change over time. On dealers, TrueCar counts a franchise dealer once per brand per rooftop, so the number of dealerships is lower than either figure; the FAQ’s is 1,981 above the 10-Q’s (our arithmetic). Where documents differ, rely on what the dealer puts in writing. ## Before you use TrueCar or a member car-buying service - **Treat the TrueCar estimate as research.** TrueCar says it does “not reflect a dealer’s price for an actual vehicle.” - **Get the dealer’s offer for a specific VIN in writing,** with every fee, add-on, tax and registration line. - **Negotiate anyway.** TrueCar’s terms say you may. - **Choose “text only”** if you do not want dealers to have your phone number. - **Opt out of arbitration within 30 days** by email if you want to keep the right to go to court. - **Use the opt-out link** to stop TrueCar selling or sharing your data; no account needed. - **Check which program you are in.** USAA no longer uses TrueCar, and Costco’s program is a different company. - **Arrange financing first** and settle the price before discussing a trade-in. - **Inspect a used car and check its history.** TrueCar says history data comes from AutoCheck and it is “not responsible for any errors.” For a used car, read the FTC Buyers Guide in the window, book a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/), and see our guides to [checking a car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) and [AutoCheck reports](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/free-autocheck-report/). ## Common questions ### Is TrueCar legit? Yes. TrueCar, Inc. filed audited accounts with the SEC until it went private in January 2026, holds an A+ BBB rating, and runs car-buying sites for more than 250 organizations. It is a marketplace that dealers pay, not a dealer: you buy from the dealer. ### What does TrueCar do? It shows market price data and dealer inventory, and passes your details to “a limited number” of TrueCar Certified Dealers, who send price offers. Dealers pay it a subscription or a fee per sale; carmakers pay it to promote member incentives. ### Can you negotiate the price on TrueCar? Yes. Its terms say “Each dealer sets and controls its own pricing. You may negotiate the purchase price directly with the dealer, and TrueCar plays no role in that negotiation.” Negotiate on the out-the-door total. ### Does the dealer have to honor the TrueCar price? Not because of TrueCar. Its terms say dealer savings figures, “Guaranteed Savings” included, are “not provided by TrueCar” and may change if the car differs from the one you configured. Dealers must meet unpublished “customer service requirements.” Get the offer for a specific car in writing. ### Why do dealers call so much after using TrueCar? Because giving them your number is consent to automated calls and texts “related to pricing and offers,” even on a Do Not Call list. To stop them, contact each dealer and text STOP to each number; to avoid them, choose “text only.” ### Is the Sam’s Club, AAA or USAA car buying service TrueCar? TrueCar’s 10-K for 2024 names Sam’s Club and AAA as partners, and samsclub.com/auto forwards to a TrueCar address. USAA ended its TrueCar partnership in 2020, per the same 10-K. Navy Federal, PenFed and Congressional Federal say their services are TrueCar. ## Sources and further reading - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) - [FTC Used Car Rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/dealers-guide-used-car-rule) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/truecar-review/ --- title: "Tire Kingdom: Warranty, Road Hazard, Free Services and Owner" description: "Tire Kingdom prints no warranty terms of its own; Mavis’s apply. What its road hazard cover, free checks, card, discounts and Florida repair law say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-kingdom/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tire Kingdom: Warranty, Road Hazard, Free Services and Owner > Tire Kingdom prints no warranty terms of its own; Mavis’s apply. What its road hazard cover, free checks, card, discounts and Florida repair law say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,868 words* ## The short version - Tire Kingdom is a Florida tire and repair chain owned by Mavis since June 2023. Mavis’s store list shows 198 Tire Kingdom stores: 197 in Florida, 1 in Georgia. - Tire Kingdom prints no warranty terms of its own. Its warranty page links to Mavis’s, whose terms are honored “at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” a company no Tire Kingdom page names. - Road hazard cover, where it exists, is Mavis’s: bought separately at a price nobody prints, ending at 3 years or 2/32 inch of tread, and priced by how much tread is worn. - What’s free on Tire Kingdom’s pages is checks and coupons, including a free rotation coupon with an expiry date. No page lists services free with a tire purchase. - Military members, reservists and veterans get 10% off before tax in store. The Tire Kingdom card is issued through Synchrony; new accounts since 07/31/25 carry a 34.99% purchase APR. - Florida law gives a Tire Kingdom customer more than its pages do: a written estimate on repairs over $150, a cap on going over it, an invoice that states any guarantee, and a $1-a-tire fee on its own line. Tire Kingdom is a chain of about 200 tire and service centers, almost all in Florida, that Mavis bought from TBC Corporation in 2023. Its own pages print almost no terms: the tire warranty, road hazard cover and price-match terms that apply are Mavis’s, published elsewhere on mavis.com. On 9 October 2026 we read Tire Kingdom’s pages, Mavis’s store list and terms, TBC’s 2000 annual report, the Florida corporate register, a 2013 Florida Supreme Court order and Florida’s repair statutes. This site has no commercial relationship with Tire Kingdom, Mavis or any tire seller. **Figure: What Tire Kingdom’s pages, Mavis’s terms and Florida law say, situation by situation** Eight situations a Tire Kingdom customer meets, set against what Tire Kingdom’s pages, Mavis’s warranty terms and the Florida Statutes print. Warn rows mark a gap, a cost or a contradiction. Read from Tire Kingdom’s pages on mavis.com, Mavis’s warranty terms and Florida Statutes 559.905, 559.909 and 403.718 on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Tire Kingdom, and which company you deal with Mavis does. Mavis’s [Tire Kingdom page](https://www.mavis.com/tirekingdom/) says: “In June 2023, Mavis Tire acquired the Tire Kingdom brand from TBC Corporation, including over 200 company-operated locations. Today, Tire Kingdom is fully owned and operated by Mavis Tire.” The page says the chain was founded in West Palm Beach in 1972, “first acquired by Michelin in 1989, then sold to an investment group led by Goldman Sachs in 1993, before being purchased by TBC Corporation in 2000,” and that a 2015 realignment moved many out-of-state stores to the NTB name. TBC Corp’s [annual report for 2000](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/718449/000071844901000002/0000718449-01-000002.txt), filed with the SEC, says: “On June 5, 2000, the Company acquired Tire Kingdom, Inc.,” paying “a total purchase price of $45,000,000 less certain adjustments.” TBC then owned it for 23 years, by our arithmetic. In 2023 TBC agreed to sell its company-owned stores to Mavis: its release of 22 May 2023, recorded on our [Mavis Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#ntb-tire-kingdom), names “203 Tire Kingdom Service Centers” alongside 392 NTB stores. Michelin, which runs TBC jointly with Sumitomo Corporation, dates the agreement April 18, 2023. Florida’s corporate register lists “TIRE KINGDOM, INC.” as a former name of [document number 571088](https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=TIREKINGDOM%205710880&aggregateId=domp-571088-6e8bdfcc-63ae-43e0-972f-609ab8aeb7b3&searchTerm=TIRE%20KINGDOM&listNameOrder=TIREKINGDOM%205710880), a Florida corporation filed on 4 May 1978. Its current name is TBC RETAIL GROUP, INC. Its history lists a name change on 24 March 2009 and “Amended and Restated Articles” on 29 June 2023, the month Mavis gives for the purchase. Since 15 January 2025 its principal address has been in White Plains, New York, and its officers include David J. Sorbaro and Stephen Sorbaro as co-CEOs and directors, the same two men BayPine’s 2021 release named as Mavis’s Co-Chief Executive Officers. No document we read gives the 2023 price. Mavis itself is privately owned. A group led by BayPine, with TSG Consumer Partners and the Sorbaros’ holding company, agreed to buy it on 5 March 2021; our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#who-owns-mavis) reads that release and Mavis’s later purchases of Midas and Pep Boys. Sister brands have their own pages: [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/), [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/), [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/). NTB has a page of its own too: [NTB tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ntb-tires/). The names matter because different Mavis companies stand behind different promises: **Who is on the other side of each Tire Kingdom document (read 9 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | | --- | --- | | The Tire Kingdom pages and their Terms of Use | “Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire and Mavis Tires & Brakes” | | Online orders (Terms of Sale, linked in the footer) | “Mavis Tire Supply LLC d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire” | | Mavis’s tire warranties | Honored “at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC” | | The old Tire Kingdom corporation | TBC Retail Group, Inc. (formerly Tire Kingdom, Inc.), Florida document 571088, with Mavis’s co-CEOs as officers | | The Tire Kingdom credit card | Offered “through Synchrony” | | The tire itself | The tire maker, under its own warranty; Mavis links 14 makers’ warranty pages | No Tire Kingdom page says which Mavis company owns the stores, which matters for the warranty. Mavis trades as Mavis Discount Tire; the [Discount Tire chain](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) is a separate company with its own terms. ## Where the 198 Tire Kingdom stores are Tire Kingdom’s locations page lists no stores. The count comes from Mavis’s [all-stores page](https://www.mavis.com/locations/all-stores/), which labels each store with its brand. On 9 October 2026 it carried 1,636 entries, and 198 of them were labelled “Tire Kingdom Service Centers”: 197 in Florida and one in Kingsland, Georgia. That is 12.1% of the list and a little under 4.5% of the “more than 4,400” locations Mavis claimed after buying Pep Boys, by our arithmetic. In Florida, Tire Kingdom is most of what Mavis has. The list puts 341 Mavis-family stores in the state: 197 Tire Kingdom, 136 Mavis Tires & Brakes, 3 Tuffy, 2 Action Gator and 3 under other labels. Tire Kingdom is 57.8% of them, by our arithmetic. The list has no entries for Express Oil Change, Brakes Plus, Town Fair Tire or Pep Boys, so it is not a count of every Mavis store. The store count has moved over the years, and the printed figures don’t all agree: **Tire Kingdom store counts in the records we read (read 9 October 2026)** | When | Stores | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | June 2000 | 148 | TBC’s 10-K for 2000, when TBC bought Tire Kingdom, Inc. | | 31 December 2000 | 163, of which 145 in Florida | TBC’s 10-K for 2000 | | 22 May 2023 | 203 | TBC’s release on the sale to Mavis | | Undated | “over 200 company-operated locations” | Mavis’s Tire Kingdom page | | 9 October 2026 | 198: 197 in Florida, 1 in Georgia | Store labels on Mavis’s all-stores page | So the chain has 50 more stores than when TBC bought it and 5 fewer than TBC agreed to sell in 2023, by our arithmetic, and Mavis’s own list falls 2 short of the “over 200” its Tire Kingdom page claims. Tire Kingdom’s pages also repeat Mavis-wide figures, “3,500+ Locations” and “over 2,100 locations in 36 states,” that can mislead anyone looking for a nearby store. Outside Florida, a nearby Mavis-owned store will almost always carry another name. ## Tire Kingdom’s tire warranty: a page with no terms Tire Kingdom’s warranty page is headed “TIRE KINGDOM TIRE WARRANTY,” and its whole text is: “Learn More Tire Kingdom now joins Mavis Tire to provide you with dependable customer service for everything auto-care! Learn more about tire warranty today!” The button opens Mavis’s warranty page, which links Mavis’s [warranty terms](https://www.mavis.com/tire-parts-warranty/) and 14 tire makers’ pages. No Tire Kingdom page names a Tire Kingdom warranty or certificate. Mavis’s terms cover “the New Tire Limited Warranty, the Limited Mileage Warranty, and the Road Hazard Limited Warranty”; our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#tire-warranties) reads them in full. In short: - **Where.** “The Warranties will be honored at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” with your invoice, service record and the tire. - **Who is covered.** “The Warranties apply to the original purchaser (‘you’) and may not be assigned, including to a subsequent purchaser or owner of any applicable motor vehicle.” - **Defects.** Covered until tread “measures less than 2/32nd of an inch”; a replacement costs “the percentage of wear” times the original price, installed free, with balancing and taxes extra. - **Mileage.** A tire that falls short of the mileage on your receipt earns a credit for the share of miles not reached, taken off the current price. - **Your part.** Correct inflation, rotation “every 5,000 miles is recommended,” balance and alignment. The catch is the first line. No Tire Kingdom page says its stores are owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC, and the old Tire Kingdom corporation still exists as TBC Retail Group, Inc. Mavis may honor its terms at every Tire Kingdom store; the pages don’t say so. Ask for the terms in writing and check that your invoice names them. Federal rules back that request: a seller of a warranted product costing more than $15.00 must “make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer” (16 CFR 702.3). Mavis’s terms also cap implied warranties at the written ones’ length, which federal law allows only for a warranty “of reasonable duration” (15 U.S.C. 2308(b)). The tire maker’s warranty comes on top; see [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) and [how to read tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth). ## Road hazard cover at Tire Kingdom: Mavis’s terms, bought separately No Tire Kingdom page mentions road hazard cover. The only terms are Mavis’s Road Hazard Limited Warranty, which begins “If you have purchased this warranty”; no page gives its price. Once bought: - **What it covers.** A tire that “becomes unserviceable as a result of road hazards (e.g., cuts, snags, bruises, impact breaks, or other un-repairable punctures).” - **How long.** “The duration of this warranty is the shorter of (i) 3 years from the purchase date or (ii) until the given tire retains less than 2/32nds of an inch of tread depth.” Whichever comes first ends it. - **What you pay.** A replacement is “calculated by multiplying the percentage of wear by the original purchase price.” Mavis’s own example: a tire that started at 10/32 inch and is down to 7/32 is 38% worn, so on a $69.99 tire you pay $26.60. Our Mavis page has the [full wear table](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#percentage-of-wear). - **What it leaves out.** Tires that can be repaired, cosmetic damage, overloading or abuse, “Road service, towing costs, and other incidental damage,” mounting, balancing and taxes, and tires moved to another vehicle. **A nail without the warranty is not covered at all.** Mavis’s New Tire Limited Warranty excludes tires that fail from “road hazards, such as cuts, snags, punctures, or impact breaks.” If you want road hazard cover at a Tire Kingdom store, ask for it by name, ask the price, and get the terms on the invoice. Florida law requires a repair invoice to state “what, if anything, is guaranteed” and for what time and mileage. Older paperwork may point elsewhere. Big O Tires’ 2019 warranty sheet, read for our [Big O Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/), says its policies are “honored at over 1,200 Big O Tires, Tire Kingdom and NTB locations across America,” from when TBC owned all three. TBC’s 2023 sale covered its “company-owned retail portfolio (NTB and Tire Kingdom),” Michelin says, and nothing we read says Tire Kingdom still honors Big O paperwork. Compare [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) and [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/#road-hazard). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the wheel hub, the wrench and the tire, each with one fact from Florida’s motor vehicle repair statutes and its new-tire fee law. Florida’s motor vehicle repair statutes and its new-tire fee law, read on 9 October 2026: Florida: a written estimate is required over $150 unless you waive it in writing (callout 1); Over the estimate by more than $10 or 10% (capped at $50)? The shop needs your OK (callout 2); New tires in Florida carry a $1-a-tire state fee, listed separately (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What’s free at Tire Kingdom, and the “Warranty Included” line Tire Kingdom’s pages list nothing free with a set of tires. What is free sits inside coupons and specials, most with an expiry date: **Free checks and services on Tire Kingdom’s pages, with Mavis’s wording beside them (read 9 October 2026)** | Service | Tire Kingdom’s pages | Mavis’s pages | | --- | --- | --- | | Tire rotation | “Free Tire Rotation” coupon, “Valid on Most Cars,” shown with an expiry date | “If you previously bought your tires at Mavis, we offer free tire rotations on those tires.” | | Flat repair | “No Coupon Available”; no price and no free repair printed | “The price will depend on the rim size of your tires.” | | Alignment | “Free Alignment Check” and “90 Day Warranty Included” under a coupon | Parts table: wheel alignment 3 months or 3,000 miles | | Balancing | Diagnosis “for free”; “Warranty Included” with no terms | Not in the parts table; “All other items not listed” get 3/3,000 | | Brakes | “Free Visual Brake Inspection” under a dated special | Brake pads: lifetime part, 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor | | Battery | “Free Battery Check”; “Recycling services are included when we replace your battery.” | A battery table on the warranty page | | Tire and alignment checks | Not printed | “Any Mavis location will check and inspect tire condition, wheel alignment, and vehicle condition at any time without charge.” | Rotation is the one tire buyers ask about. Mavis ties free rotation to tires bought at Mavis; Tire Kingdom’s pages offer a coupon, so ask whether tires bought at a Tire Kingdom store rotate free. The rotation page adds that a matching full-size spare gets “a five-tire rotation,” and that “we’ll reset the tire pressure sensors.” See [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval). Several coupons end with “Warranty Included” and nothing more; the alignment coupon says “90 Day Warranty Included.” The only written repair warranty on the site is Mavis’s parts and labor table ([read here](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#parts-labor-warranty)): brake pads carry a lifetime part warranty with 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor, and alignments 3 months or 3,000 miles, “whichever comes first.” It covers “the original purchaser” of Mavis services, and Tire Kingdom’s pages don’t say it applies to their work. In Florida, the estimate and invoice must state any guarantee (see [Florida’s repair rules](#florida-law)). The pages’ maintenance advice is Tire Kingdom’s view, not a rule: oil “every 3,000 miles, or every 3 months,” about 5,000 on synthetic, alignment checks “every six months or 6,000 miles,” and a battery check once it “reaches 4 years or older.” Your owner’s manual governs; see our pages on [alignment](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/), [brake pads](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) and [battery warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/). ## Price match, the military discount and the missing senior discount Tire Kingdom’s [price match page](https://www.mavis.com/tirekingdom/pricematch/) makes a claim rather than a promise: “No other tire provider can compete with our discount tire prices.” Its instructions send you to Mavis: “go to the ‘beat a price’ page on the website and complete the Price Match Form,” after which “an agent from the Price Buster Squad will reach out to you.” Questions go to a Mavis number in New York, not to a Tire Kingdom store. The rules are on Mavis’s page: a “30-day price guarantee. If you find the same tire for a lower price 30 days after your purchase, we’ll refund the difference plus 5%.” Matches need “verifiable competitor price quotes on new, in-stock tires with the same brand, model, size, and construction”; closeouts, sale pricing, instant rebates and third-party sellers are out, and “a price match cannot be combined with any warranty transaction.” No Tire Kingdom page says these terms apply at its stores, though its store pages promise a “30-Day Price Guarantee.” See our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#price-match-card). The military discount is Tire Kingdom’s own and is the clearest standing offer on its pages. The [military discount page](https://www.mavis.com/tirekingdom/coupons/military-discount/) says “all service members save 10% on their order pre-tax,” and spells out who and how: - **Who.** “All active duty military personnel, reservists, or veterans are eligible for a 10% discount,” with military ID. - **What.** “Yes, our Military discounts are applied to all products and services,” taken “before the addition of sales tax.” - **Where.** In store only: “the military discount is not applicable for online purchases.” - **Not with.** “any other coupons, vouchers, or special offers,” and “price-match and warranty transactions are excluded.” The veteran page repeats the same text; there is no first-responder program. Seniors are a loose end: the military page asks for “a valid state I.D. for senior citizens,” but no Tire Kingdom page offers a senior discount. Mavis’s FAQ does: “Anyone who is 65 or older (confirm with valid state ID) gets 5% off.” Ask whether a Tire Kingdom store applies it. ## The Tire Kingdom credit card, and ways to pay The [Tire Kingdom card page](https://www.mavis.com/tirekingdom/credit-card/) says: “Tire Kingdom offers customers a credit card through Synchrony with a revolving credit line to use again and again at Mavis locations and over 1 million automotive locations nationwide.” It is part of the Synchrony Car Care network, usable for fuel, car washes, insurance, parking and tolls as well. Its printed standing terms: - **Rates.** “New Accounts as of 07/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Minimum Interest Charge $2.” Existing cardholders are told to see their agreement. - **Promotional financing.** “We offer 6 months Promotional Financing on purchases of $199 or more.” It is deferred interest: if the promo balance isn’t paid in full in time, “interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” “Gas station purchases are not eligible for Promotional Financing.” - **Fees and extras.** “The card has no annual fee and $0 fraud liability,” and you can schedule up to 12 future payments. - **Applying.** Prequalification has “no impact to your credit score,” but the full application “will result in an inquiry on your credit report.” A per-tire statement credit for card users also runs with an end date; we don’t record promotional amounts. With a 34.99% purchase APR behind it, the six-month offer costs nothing only if the whole promotional balance is cleared in time. The card is “accepted across ALL Mavis brands,” the FAQ says, yet neither of the page’s two brand lists names [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) or [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/), both of which Mavis lists among the brands it “owns and operates.” The two Synchrony payment numbers printed on the page differ in their last two digits; use the number on your statement. Payment methods are listed three ways. The [payment options page](https://www.mavis.com/tirekingdom/payment-options/) shows six: Discover, Mastercard, American Express, Visa, cash and the Tire Kingdom card. Its FAQ adds: “Yes, Mavis accepts checks and cash for in-store purchases.” Store pages list nine, adding Goodyear, CFNA Bridgestone, “Store” and Flex Shopper credit cards but not checks; a Mavis store page in Florida lists the same nine. Call the store before relying on a check or another brand’s card. ## Florida’s repair rules at a Tire Kingdom counter With 197 of 198 stores in Florida, most Tire Kingdom customers are covered by the Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act, which applies to “all maintenance of and modifications and repairs to motor vehicles,” including “warranty work” ([559.903](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/559.903)). It gives you more on paper than Tire Kingdom’s pages do: **What the Florida Statutes require of a repair shop and a tire seller (read 9 October 2026)** | Rule | What the statute says | Section | | --- | --- | --- | | Written estimate | Required before work if the repair will exceed $150; you may waive it in writing | [559.905](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/559.905) | | Shop supplies | Any shop-supplies or waste charge must be in the estimate, with a set statement | 559.905(1)(h) | | Going over the estimate | No more than $10 or 10 percent over, whichever is greater, capped at $50, without your authorization | [559.909](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/559.909)(3) | | Your car | The shop may not keep it because you refuse to pay for unauthorized work | 559.909(4) | | Old parts | Ask when you authorize the work to inspect them, or to have them back unless a warranty or exchange program applies | 559.909(5) | | The invoice | Itemized; marks used or rebuilt parts; states what is guaranteed and for what time and mileage; shows the shop’s state registration number | [559.911](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/559.911) | | New tires | A $1 state fee per new tire, stated separately on the invoice; not on recapped tires | [403.718](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/403.718) | Three of these matter most at a tire counter. First, the estimate form. On a job over $150 it must carry the line “I UNDERSTAND THAT, UNDER STATE LAW, I AM ENTITLED TO A WRITTEN ESTIMATE IF MY FINAL BILL WILL EXCEED $150,” with boxes to request an estimate, set a ceiling, or waive it. A written waiver means the shop need not give you the estimated cost, so if you skip the estimate, the ceiling box keeps a limit: “THE SHOP MAY NOT EXCEED THIS AMOUNT WITHOUT MY WRITTEN OR ORAL APPROVAL.” Any shop-supplies charge must appear in the estimate. Second, the overrun limit: no more than “$10 or 10 percent, whichever is greater, but not to exceed $50” over the estimate without your say-so. By our arithmetic, that allows $90 on an $80 estimate, $220 on $200 and $850 on $800. Beyond that the shop must contact you to “authorize, modify, or cancel” the work. Third, the paperwork. The invoice must say “what, if anything, is guaranteed in connection with the repair work and the time and mileage period for which the guarantee is effective”: the written warranty Tire Kingdom’s pages don’t print. The $1 tire fee “shall be stated separately on the invoice,” $4 on a set of four by our arithmetic; it is a state fee, not a store charge. Storage charges may not start until 3 working days after you are told the car is ready. The one Georgia store falls under Georgia law instead, which we did not read for this page. ## The shop-fee class action, and the settlements that name Mavis Tire Kingdom’s coupons have been in court before. In Soper v. Tire Kingdom, Inc., No. SC11-1462, the Florida Supreme Court on 24 January 2013 quashed a 2011 decision of the Third District Court of Appeal, Tire Kingdom, Inc. v. Dishkin, 81 So. 3d 437, and sent the case back to the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit “for further proceedings.” The vote was five to two. The dissent quotes the Third District’s description of the classes: Tire Kingdom repair customers, statewide and in Miami-Dade, who “used or benefited” from a discount coupon that “failed to disclose the store would add a ‘shop fee’ to the discounted price,” or were “overcharged” by a shop fee “based upon a percentage of the retail price of the service, rather than the advertised or charged price.” Those were the customers’ claims; the appeals concerned whether they could proceed as a class. We did not read the trial court’s later record, so we don’t say how it ended. The case predates Mavis. The lesson carries over to today’s coupon-heavy pages: ask before work starts whether a supplies or disposal fee will be added to a coupon price. Two state settlements name Mavis’s operating company, not Tire Kingdom. Pennsylvania’s Attorney General announced a settlement with Mavis Tire Supply, LLC on 28 September 2026 over “allegedly deceptive sales practices,” adding that “A settlement agreement shall not be considered an admission of a violation of the law”; Georgia’s Department of Law settled allegations with the same company on March 15, 2022. Our Mavis page reads both under [state settlements](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#settlements-arbitration). Neither record we have names Tire Kingdom. ## Where Tire Kingdom’s own pages disagree Read side by side on 9 October 2026, Tire Kingdom’s pages contradict each other, or leave a promise without terms, in eleven places: - **Store count.** “Over 200 company-operated locations” on the Tire Kingdom page; 198 on Mavis’s own store list. - **Location banners.** “3,500+ Locations” and “over 2,100 locations in 36 states” are Mavis-wide figures, and the Tire Kingdom locations page lists no Tire Kingdom store. - **State inspections.** Store pages say “We perform certified state vehicle inspections at our Zephyrhills, FL location”; the [inspection page](https://www.mavis.com/tirekingdom/inspection-service/) lists seven states, “New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, and Louisiana.” Florida and Georgia are not among them. A Mavis store page in Florida carries the same paragraph, so it reads as template text. - **Payment methods.** Six on the payment page, nine on store pages, and checks only in the FAQ. - **The warranty page.** Headed “TIRE KINGDOM TIRE WARRANTY,” with no terms; the button leads to terms honored at stores “owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” a company no Tire Kingdom page names. - **Contact pages.** The “Corporate Headquarters Office & Phone Number” and “Customer Service & Phone Number” pages print no address or number of their own. - **“Nationwide.”** The military discount is “promised at every Tire Kingdom location nationwide”; the stores are in Florida and one Georgia town. - **Seniors.** The military page asks seniors for state ID; no Tire Kingdom page offers them anything. - **“ALL Mavis brands.”** The card page says the card works at all of them, then lists brands without Midas or Pep Boys. - **Phone numbers.** Two Synchrony payment numbers on the card page differ in their last two digits. - **Free rotation.** A dated coupon on Tire Kingdom’s pages; a perk for Mavis tire buyers on Mavis’s. Each is a question to settle at the counter rather than assume. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Tire Kingdom - **Ask which warranty applies.** Get the tire and repair warranty terms in writing and check that the invoice names them; Tire Kingdom’s own warranty page has none. - **Decide on road hazard cover at the counter.** Ask whether it is offered, what it costs and how a replacement is priced. Mavis’s version ends at 3 years or 2/32 inch and charges you for tread worn. - **Use the Florida estimate form.** On a job over $150, request a written estimate or set a ceiling; don’t sign a blanket waiver you don’t mean. - **Ask about shop fees on coupons.** Any shop-supplies or disposal charge must be in a Florida estimate; ask before a coupon job starts. - **Check the invoice.** It should itemize parts and labor, say what is guaranteed for what time and mileage, show the state registration number, and list the $1-per-tire fee on its own line. - **Ask about rotation.** Find out whether tires bought at a Tire Kingdom store rotate free, and whether the five-tire rotation applies to your spare. - **Bring ID for discounts.** Military ID for the 10% military discount; ask whether the Mavis 5% senior discount applies if you are 65 or older. - **Read the card terms first.** A six-month promotion is deferred interest at a 34.99% purchase APR for new accounts; clear it in time or pay interest from the purchase date. - **Keep the tire numbers.** Note the tire identification numbers and check recalls with [NHTSA’s lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). ## Common questions ### Who owns Tire Kingdom? Mavis, which bought Tire Kingdom from TBC Corporation in June 2023, by its own account; TBC had owned it since 2000. Florida’s corporate register shows the old Tire Kingdom, Inc., renamed TBC Retail Group, Inc., with Mavis’s co-CEOs as officers. Mavis is privately held, backed since 2021 by an investor group led by BayPine. ### Is Tire Kingdom the same as Mavis? It is a Mavis brand. The stores keep their name and the pages sit on mavis.com, but the warranty, road hazard and price-match terms are Mavis’s. Mavis’s tire warranties are honored at locations “owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” and no Tire Kingdom page says whether its stores qualify, so confirm at the counter. ### Does Tire Kingdom have a road hazard warranty? No Tire Kingdom page mentions one. Mavis sells a Road Hazard Limited Warranty, at a price it doesn’t publish, that lasts 3 years or until the tread is below 2/32 inch, whichever comes first, and charges the percentage of tread worn times the original price for a replacement, plus mounting, balancing and taxes. ### What warranty does Tire Kingdom give on repairs? Its service coupons say “Warranty Included,” and the alignment coupon says “90 Day Warranty Included,” with no further terms. Mavis’s parts table gives brake pads a lifetime part warranty with 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor, and alignments 3 months or 3,000 miles. At a Florida store, the invoice must state what is guaranteed and for what time and mileage. ### Does Tire Kingdom price match? Its price match page claims no competitor can beat its prices and sends you to Mavis’s “beat a price” form. Mavis’s terms add a 30-day guarantee, the difference plus 5% if you find the same tire for less, with exclusions for sale pricing, instant rebates, closeouts and third-party sellers. ### Who issues the Tire Kingdom credit card? Synchrony. It is a Synchrony Car Care card accepted at Mavis brands and other automotive merchants. New accounts as of 07/31/25 carry a 34.99% purchase APR and a 39.99% penalty APR; six-month promotional financing on $199 or more is deferred interest, charged from the purchase date if the balance isn’t paid in full in time. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-kingdom/ --- title: "TitleMax Review: Who Owns It, What It Charges, What Regulators Found" description: "TitleMax's state pages list 860 stores in 13 states. Who owns it now, what its owner says it charges, what happens after default, and what the CFPB found." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/titlemax-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # TitleMax Review: Who Owns It, What It Charges, What Regulators Found > TitleMax's state pages list 860 stores in 13 states. Who owns it now, what its owner says it charges, what happens after default, and what the CFPB found. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,991 words* ## The short version - TitleMax lends against a car or motorcycle you own outright. On 9 October 2026 its 13 state pages listed 860 stores; what it sells depends on the state: title pawns in Georgia and Alabama, a title pledge in Tennessee, credit services for a third-party lender’s loan in Texas, title loans or title-secured loans elsewhere. - Since 2 October 2023 TitleMax has belonged to CCF Holdings, the group behind Speedy Ca$h and Check into Cash, which bought it for $189.3 million in cash. On 11 August 2026 CCF merged into Katapult Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed company. - TitleMax’s fee schedules sit on web paths its own robots.txt closes to crawlers, so we did not read them. Its owner’s SEC filing says fees on its direct secured loans “generally” run 10% to 15% a month, which is 120% to 180% over a year before any renewal (our arithmetic, not an APR). - The CFPB has ordered TitleMax’s parent twice: in 2016 over payback guides that did not explain the cost of renewing ($9 million penalty), and in 2023 over 2,670 prohibited loans to military families and an insurance fee charged on about 15,000 loans ($5,050,000 redress plus a $10,000,000 penalty). The company consented both times without admitting or denying the findings. - If you fall behind, TitleMax can repossess the car. Whether you get back any sale money above the debt depends on your state: the owner’s filing lists repaying “excess proceeds” as a rule only “in certain states.” - Its own pages disagree with each other on store counts (850+, over 900, 1,000+), on the number of states (13, 14, 16) and on whether it runs a credit check. TitleMax is one of the largest vehicle title lenders in the United States: you borrow against a car or motorcycle you own outright, TitleMax records a lien on the title, and you keep driving while you repay. This review is TitleMax’s own record; our [car title loans guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/) covers title loans in general. On 9 October 2026 we read TitleMax’s state pages, FAQ articles and payment guide, the SEC filings of its owners past and present, the CFPB’s case pages and orders, a federal appeals court opinion and records from regulators in Pennsylvania, Nevada and California. We have no relationship with any lender and applied for nothing. **Figure: TitleMax in the public record, 2012 to 2026** A two-column table reading six points in TitleMax’s record: 1,035 stores in 12 states at the end of 2012 under sole owner Tracy Young; about 1300 stores in 18 states in 2016 and a first CFPB order with a $9 million penalty, extended 6 times until 24 February 2023; a second CFPB order in 2023 over 2,670 prohibited loans to military families with $5,050,000 in redress and a $10,000,000 penalty; the October 2023 sale of 948 stores in 15 states to CCF for $189.3 million in cash; CCF’s August 2026 merger into Nasdaq-listed Katapult Holdings; and 860 store listings on 13 state pages in October 2026, with fees its owner puts at 10% to 15% a month. From TMX Finance LLC’s FY2012 10-K, the CFPB’s TMX Finance case pages and orders, Katapult Holdings’ July 2026 proxy statement/prospectus and August 2026 Form 8-K, and TitleMax’s state pages, read on 9 October 2026. Store counts on the last row are ours. ## Who owns TitleMax In 2012 TitleMax was one man’s company. TMX Finance LLC, its holding company, told the SEC in its annual report for that year that it had 1,035 company-owned stores in 12 states and about 470,000 customers. On 30 September 2012 Tracy Young moved his membership interests to a new parent, TMX Finance Holdings Inc., and the report says “Mr. Young is the sole beneficial owner” of it. That report, filed on 27 March 2013, is the last annual report in TMX Finance’s SEC file; its last filing of any kind is dated 10 July 2013. The sale came on 2 October 2023. According to the financial statement notes in Katapult’s July 2026 proxy statement/prospectus, Project Trident Purchaser, LLC, a subsidiary of CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC, bought the TitleMax, TitleBucks and InstaLoan businesses from TMX Finance Holdings Inc for $189.3 million in cash. On that day the business “operated in 16 states including 948 retail locations in 15 states and internet operations in 11 states.” CCF says the deal took its own retail footprint to “approximately 1,600 locations.” CCF Holdings, formed in 2018 to succeed Community Choice Financial Inc., says that as of 31 March 2026 it “owned and operated 1,593 retail locations in 25 states,” with online lending licenses in 29 states. Its 14 brands include TitleMax, TitleBucks and InstaLoan beside Speedy Ca$h, Check into Cash, Check$mart and Cash Central. The prospectus also confirms that TMX Finance, LLC is still one of CCF’s subsidiaries. The latest step closed on 11 August 2026, when Katapult Holdings, Inc. completed a business combination with CCF Holdings LLC and Aaron’s: a Katapult subsidiary merged into CCF, which survived, and the prospectus says CCF would become “a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Katapult.” Former CCF owners came out with about 79.8% of Katapult’s shares, which trade on Nasdaq as KPLT; Katapult’s Form 8-K gives its head office as Atlanta, Georgia. **Who has owned TitleMax, and how big it was at each point (from the documents named, read on 9 October 2026)** | Date | Owner | Size printed at the time | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 31 December 2012 | TMX Finance LLC, wholly owned (through TMX Finance Holdings Inc.) by Tracy Young | 1,035 stores in 12 states | TMX Finance LLC Form 10-K for 2012 | | 26 September 2016 | TMX Finance LLC | About 1300 storefronts in 18 states | CFPB case page | | 23 February 2023 | TMX Finance LLC | “more than 1,000 stores,” using its trade names in 20 states during the period the order covers | CFPB consent order | | 2 October 2023 | CCF Holdings (bought for $189.3 million in cash) | 948 retail locations in 15 states | Katapult proxy statement/prospectus | | 11 August 2026 | Katapult Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: KPLT), through CCF Holdings LLC | CCF overall: 1,593 stores in 25 states (31 March 2026) | Katapult Form 8-K and prospectus | | 9 October 2026 | Same | 860 store listings on 13 state pages (our count) | TitleMax state pages | Set side by side, the store counts fall from 1,035 in 2012 and about 1300 in 2016 to 860 listings today, 440 fewer than in 2016 (our arithmetic). One page has not caught up with the new owner: CCF’s investors page, read the same day, still introduces “CCF Holdings Inc.” and says, “As a private company, our financial statements are not posted publicly.” ## Title loan, title pawn or credit services: what TitleMax sells in each state TitleMax uses different words in different states because state law decides what the product is. Its title loans page explains that “The term title pawn is used due to state regulations,” and that in a pawn “The structure, fees, and terms are governed by state pawn laws instead of consumer loan laws.” The table below is what each state page printed on 9 October 2026, with our count of the stores it listed. We left out store addresses and phone numbers. **TitleMax’s products and store listings by state, as its state pages printed them on 9 October 2026 (store counts are ours)** | State | What the page offers | Stores listed | What the page says about its size, or other terms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Texas | Credit services for title loans and personal loans from an unaffiliated lender | 240 | “more than 200 Texas store locations”; proof of income in some stores | | Georgia | Car and motorcycle title pawns | 171 | “nearly 175 locations” | | Tennessee | Title pledge paid in installments; secured and unsecured lines of credit | 92 | Combined maximum $6,500: pledge up to $2,500 plus secured line up to $4,000; unsecured line $100 to $2,500 | | Alabama | Car and motorcycle title pawns | 87 | “nearly 100 stores”; borrower must be 19 | | South Carolina | Title-secured loans; personal loans | 79 | Minimum $601 in store, $610 for an online personal loan | | Arizona | Title loans; personal loans | 70 | “Nearly 100” locations; motorcycle maximum $2,500 | | Missouri | Title-secured loans; in-store personal loans | 58 | “Many Convenient Locations” | | Nevada | Title loans; in-store personal loans | 24 | Proof of income required for a title loan | | Utah | Title loans; personal loans | 12 | – | | Kansas | Title loans; unsecured personal lines of credit | 11 | Line of credit $100 to $4,000 | | Mississippi | Title loans; in-store personal loans | 7 | Maximum approval $3,250 | | Wisconsin | Title-secured loans; personal installment loans | 6 | – | | Delaware | Title loans; in-store personal loans | 3 | – | Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama account for 590 of the 860 listings, or 68.6% (our arithmetic). TitleMax’s sitemap lists 860 store pages too, but some state pages overstate: Alabama’s promises “nearly 100 stores” and lists 87, Arizona’s says “Nearly 100” and lists 70. Texas works differently. TitleMax’s footer says it is “registered as a Credit Service Organization and licensed as a Credit Access Business to assist customers in obtaining a loan through an unaffiliated third-party lender.” Its owner’s prospectus says the program arranges loans “with a maximum term of 180 days,” that CCF does “not originate the loans or act as a direct lender,” and that it provides “guaranties or other credit enhancements” to those lenders. So in Texas the loan contract is with another company and TitleMax’s services are fee-based. Our [car title loans guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/#texas) covers the Texas rules. The footer adds that amounts “may vary by state, store, product or based on the results of an ability to repay analysis (where applicable)” and that motorcycle loans top out at $3,000 outside Arizona and Tennessee. ### States TitleMax has left TitleMax still keeps payment pages for states where it no longer lends, and each says when it stopped: - **California:** “On October 10, 2019, Governor Newsom signed a new law” effective 1 January 2020, and TitleMax “is no longer offering new loans” there. California’s regulator settled with TitleMax on 16 December 2019, two weeks before the law took effect (see [state regulators](#state-regulators)). - **Virginia:** no new loans effective 1 January 2021. The page still says TitleMax of Virginia, Inc. is licensed by the State Corporation Commission, license VTL-11. - **Illinois:** no new loans effective 23 March 2021, the date Illinois’s 36% rate cap took effect, as our [state law section](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/#states) explains. - **Idaho:** the payment guide says TitleMax stopped new loans there on 20 September 2023; its Idaho heading refers to personal loans. - **New Mexico:** TitleMax’s New Mexico page now forwards to its home page. - **Pennsylvania residents:** TitleMax has no stores in Pennsylvania and, a federal appeals court noted, “is not licensed as a lender in the Commonwealth,” but it lent to Pennsylvanians who borrowed at its stores in other states. The court recorded in 2022 that TitleMax “stopped making loans to Pennsylvania residents after receiving the subpoena” from the state’s banking department. Each exit page adds that the change “doesn’t change the terms of any existing/outstanding loans,” so borrowers there still owe on the original contract; MoneyGram payments carry “A fee of $1.99 to $12.99.” ## How a TitleMax loan works, and whether it checks your credit TitleMax describes a title loan as “a short-term, secured loan where you use your lien-free vehicle title as collateral,” and says “you temporarily surrender your physical vehicle title to the lender.” You need a lien-free title in your own name, a government-issued ID and “some type of income (unemployment, disability, retirement income, etc),” though not a job. The amount depends on “your need, credit history and the appraised value of your vehicle.” You can start online, and in several states the appraisal can be done by phone through TitleMax’s Fast Track Appraiser app, for which the applicant “must share their location with the app, and allow the app to use the microphone and camera.” The state pages still describe a final store visit, with the car and title, to sign. When the debt is paid, TitleMax “will release its interest in your vehicle by removing its lien,” and the title returns “after it is processed by your state department of motor vehicles.” Until then the lien shows on the title; our guide to [checking a car for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) explains that record. **Does TitleMax run your credit?** Its current pages say yes: “While we do perform a credit check, your motor vehicle title helps secure your account, so we accept most credit types,” and the footer lists a “credit check” among its conditions. Two FAQ articles still on the site say the opposite (“There is usually no credit check required”), matching TMX Finance’s 2012 report: “We do not run a credit check on the customer when approving the loan application for our first lien title loan product.” Assume a check today. **Can you get more money on an existing title loan?** TitleMax’s FAQ says “in certain cases we can refinance the title loan you already have” with another lender, but “Refinances not available in all states or for all products.” ## What TitleMax says about rates and fees Very little, on the pages we could read. Every page says “Rates, terms and conditions apply,” and several state pages link fee schedules such as “Texas Schedule of All Fees.” Those links lead to a separate host whose robots.txt reads “Disallow: /” for every crawler, and TitleMax’s own robots.txt closes its /disclosures/ and /loans/ paths. We follow those rules, so we did not read the fee schedules or TitleMax’s Terms of Use, and no rate from them appears here. The readable pages say you can “always pay early without penalty,” that “late penalties will differ depending on the state,” that stores do not take personal checks or credit cards, and that a typical title-secured loan runs “between $1,000 and $10,000,” repaid “with a single payment, or on an installment plan,” depending on the state. The clearest statement of price comes from TitleMax’s owner. CCF’s July 2026 prospectus says its direct secured loans, where the customer pledges collateral “such as a motor vehicle title,” “typically range from $750 to $5,000 with a maturity of 90 days to 48 months,” and that “Fees charged vary from state to state, generally ranging from 10% to 15% per month.” Those loans stood at $546.4 million on 31 March 2026 and earned 39.5% of CCF’s first-quarter revenue, across all its brands. At those rates one month’s fee on $1,000 is $100 to $150, and twelve months is 120% to 180% (our arithmetic): a simple figure, not an APR, since installment balances fall and renewals add cost. Compare the APR in your contract. **Rates and loan sizes printed about TitleMax, by source and date (not current offers)** | Source | Date | What it says | | --- | --- | --- | | CCF (owner), proxy statement/prospectus | 31 March 2026 | Direct secured loans: $750 to $5,000, 90 days to 48 months, fees “generally ranging from 10% to 15% per month” | | TitleMax website | 9 October 2026 | Typical title-secured loan $1,000 to $10,000; “up to $25,000 in certain markets”; no prepayment penalty | | CFPB order (2023) | 23 February 2023 | Loans “typically range from $100 to $10,000 over terms that range from 30 days to 48 months” | | Third Circuit opinion | 24 January 2022 | Loans to Pennsylvanians: “an interest rate as high as 180%” | | Pennsylvania Order to Show Cause | 14 June 2024 | Alleged: loan agreements with rates “as high as 720 percent”; at least 5,270 loans to Pennsylvania residents, July 2008 to September 2017 | | CFPB order (2016) | 26 September 2016 | Alabama and Georgia: monthly pawnshop charge of 9.99% to 24.99% of principal; Tennessee: 2% a month interest plus a monthly fee of 10.99% to 21.99% | | TMX Finance 10-K | 31 December 2012 | Title loans of $100 to $5,000 | The older rows show how prices were structured, not what you would pay now; CCF notes that its states “generally regulate the maximum allowable fees and other charges.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the hand, the key fob and the tail light, each with one fact from the SEC filing of TitleMax’s owner and the Military Lending Act rule. The SEC filing of TitleMax’s owner and the Military Lending Act rule, read on 9 October 2026: Its owner’s SEC filing: secured-loan fees generally run 10% to 15% a month (callout 1); Federal law bars title loans to active-duty members and their spouses and dependents (callout 2); Sale money above the debt is paid back only in certain states, its owner’s filing says (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## If you fall behind: default, repossession and any surplus TitleMax’s customer pages say little about default. The payment guide says late penalties differ by state, that “paying on time avoids default and collection efforts,” and asks anyone who will miss a payment to contact their store. An FAQ article states the general rule: “If a borrower defaults on a secured loan, the lender can take possession of the asset to cover the loss of the loan.” No page we could read explains TitleMax’s own repossession notices or sale. Filings fill some of the gap. The CFPB’s 2016 order found that if a borrower “does not repay at least the accrued finance charge by the deadline set forth in the contract,” the company “may repossess the consumer’s car in accordance with state law requirements for repossession.” TMX Finance’s 2012 report called repossession “a last resort” and said it typically waited until an account was “at least 14 days past due,” a statement by the former owner, not a promise today. The current owner’s prospectus says that when recovery efforts fail, “with respect to secured loans, we may attempt repossession on the applicable collateral.” The scale is visible in CCF’s accounts. Across all its brands, CCF took in repossessed collateral carried at $123.4 million in 2025, up from $115 million in 2024, and sold repossessed assets carried at $129.2 million in 2025 (our conversion of figures its notes give in thousands). Those are carrying values, set at “the lower of the finance receivable balance prior to repossession or the estimated net realizable value,” not sale prices. **Whether you get any money back after a sale depends on your state and your product.** CCF lists among the state laws it must follow “prompt remittance of excess proceeds for the sale of repossessed automobiles in certain states in which CCFI operates as a secured lender.” Certain states, not all. The FTC warns that “In some states, lenders can keep all the money they get from selling the vehicle, even if they get more than you owe.” Pawn products such as Georgia’s and Alabama’s title pawns run under state pawn laws, which TitleMax says govern “The structure, fees, and terms” instead of consumer loan laws. Before you sign, ask TitleMax in writing which state’s law governs your contract and whether it pays a surplus after a sale. For an ordinary secured loan, Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code sends sale money to the lender’s costs, then the debt, and says the lender “shall account to and pay a debtor for any surplus,” while you owe any shortfall. Some of TitleMax’s states change that: Delaware requires a workout offer, with at least 10 business days to accept, before the car is taken and bars any deficiency after the sale, and Wisconsin requires 20 days’ notice and bars most deficiency claims. Our [car repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) covers notices, redemption and the sale. ## TitleMax and the Military Lending Act The Military Lending Act rule makes it unlawful for a nonbank creditor to lend to a covered borrower when it “uses the title of a vehicle as security for the obligation,” and caps the Military Annual Percentage Rate at 36 percent. A covered member is on active duty under a call or order that does not specify a period of 30 days or fewer, and spouses and dependents are covered too. TitleMax’s footer says: “Applicant cannot be an active-duty member of the Military, or that person’s spouse or dependent,” and its title loans page adds, “We do not accept military IDs.” The CFPB’s order of 23 February 2023 found the policy was not followed. Between 3 October 2016 and 17 September 2021, the order says, TitleMax “made 2,670 prohibited loans to Covered Borrowers,” 2,655 of them title loans, 2,569 with MAPRs above 36%, many with APRs “in excess of 100%.” It found that in some cases TitleMax “changed consumers’ personally identifiable information” to get answers from the MLA database saying borrowers were not covered, and that it “repossessed and sold the Covered Borrowers’ vehicles” in certain instances. It also found TitleMax’s contracts required arbitration unless the borrower opted out, generally within 60 days, and a 30-day written notice before any legal action. TitleMax consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings.” The owner’s prospectus says TMX Finance “paid $10.0 million in 2023” as the penalty, set aside $5.1 million for consumers and “has distributed all checks during 2025,” that it has policies and procedures in place to prevent lending to covered borrowers, and that TMX Finance stays bound by the order “for a period of five years from the effective date.” Veterans and retirees are outside the ban. Our [title loans guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/#military) explains the MLA in full. ## The CFPB’s two orders against TMX Finance The first order, of 26 September 2016 (docket 2016-CFPB-0022), covered TitleMax’s sales pitch for 30-day loans. The CFPB’s case page says staff offered a “monthly option” and a “Voluntary Payback Guide” showing smaller payments over a longer period, which “did not explain the true cost of the loan if the consumer renewed it multiple times,” and that staff revealed borrowers’ debts while “visiting their homes, references, or places of employment.” The order banned payback guides and in-person collection visits and imposed a $9 million penalty. Our [title loans guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/#enforcement) has the findings. What the CFPB’s file adds is how long that order lasted. Six later orders each moved its end date, the first one “to extend the termination date,” and the last set it to end the day after the CFPB issued its second order: **The six orders extending the CFPB’s 2016 consent order against TMX Finance LLC (each order’s own text, read on 9 October 2026)** | Modification | Signed | New end date | | --- | --- | --- | | First | 21 June 2021 | 25 March 2022 | | Second | 31 January 2022 | 25 September 2022 | | Third | 15 September 2022 | 23 December 2022 | | Fourth | 12 December 2022 | 27 January 2023 | | Fifth | 26 January 2023 | 10 February 2023 | | Sixth | 9 February 2023 | 24 February 2023 | Each modification kept a condition: if the CFPB sued over a violation before the end date, the order would run 5 more years from that suit. None says why the dates kept moving, and the case page now lists the 2016 matter as “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed.” The second order, of 23 February 2023 (2023-CFPB-0001), is covered above; it also found a non-file insurance fee, “typically $35,” charged on 15,386 loans whose liens were already recorded. Its case page reads “Post Order/Post Judgment,” and the owner says it stopped using non-file insurance in June 2021. ## State regulators: Nevada, California and Pennsylvania **Nevada (2016, order).** The Nevada Financial Institutions Division announced on 15 August 2016 that an order of 12 August, issued after an administrative hearing, required TitleMax of Nevada to stop offering its Grace Period Payments Deferment Agreement and “return all principal and interest collected under every GPPDA entered into after December 18, 2014.” The Division cited a Nevada statute that, it said, allows only a 30-day title loan, extendable up to six times, or a 210-day loan that cannot be extended; under the GPPDA, borrowers got another 210 days, with the first seven payments covering interest only. The order imposed a $307,000 fine with $257,000 held in abeyance “provided the company’s ongoing compliance with Nevada law,” leaving $50,000 outside it (our arithmetic). We could not read any later record of the case: Nevada’s court websites answered our reader with bot checks, so we do not say whether the order still stands. **California (2019, settlement).** On 16 December 2019 the Department of Business Oversight announced a settlement with TitleMax of California, Inc. delivering “nearly $700,000 in refunds to more than 21,000 TitleMax customers” and a $25,000 penalty “to resolve allegations that it routinely charged excessive and illegal interest rates and fees.” The department’s examination found TitleMax used fees, including fees owed to the DMV, to push loan amounts above $2,500, “the threshold at which state interest rate limits no longer apply.” TitleMax then had 64 California branches and told the department it would stop new loans there on 1 January 2020. **Pennsylvania (pending).** Pennsylvania’s Department of Banking and Securities subpoenaed TitleMax over loans to Pennsylvanians made at its stores in other states. On 24 January 2022 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (No. 21-1020) held that applying Pennsylvania’s usury laws to TitleMax does not violate the dormant Commerce Clause and directed judgment for the department. On 14 June 2024 the department’s Compliance Office filed an Order to Show Cause (docket 24-0032) against TitleMax companies, TMX Finance and CCFI Companies. It alleges at least 5,270 loans to Pennsylvania residents from July 2008 to September 2017 above the 6 percent cap in the state’s Loan Interest and Protection Law, says TitleMax “is not and has never been licensed by the Department,” and asks for a civil penalty of $10,000 per offense plus restitution. At that rate the request could reach $52.7 million (our arithmetic). These are allegations; the Order to Show Cause itself orders no payment. According to the owner’s July 2026 prospectus, the hearing examiner issued a proposed decision on 14 April 2026 “in favor of the Respondent Entities, and adverse to DOBS, as to all counts,” and the Banking and Securities Commission is deciding whether to accept it. We did not read a Pennsylvania record of that step. ## Complaints filed with the CFPB The CFPB’s database files TitleMax complaints under two company names. “TMX Finance LLC” has 1,229 complaints, received from 17 April 2013 to 7 January 2024; 823 of them (67%) sit under a title-loan label. Of those 823, fees or interest the consumer did not expect account for 308 (37.4%), struggling to pay for 185, and the vehicle being repossessed or sold for 137 (16.6%). 129 carry a Servicemember tag, and 6 closed with monetary relief. The busiest year was 2023, with 387 complaints, 305 of them about title loans. After the sale, title-loan complaints appear under “CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC,” the parent of the company that bought TitleMax: 9 in 2023, 205 in 2024, 274 in 2025 and 172 in 2026 to 26 September; of its 669 title-loan complaints since 2022, 132 concern repossession. That name also covers CCF’s other brands, so those counts are not TitleMax’s alone. Pulled on 9 October 2026, these are unverified consumer reports, they grow with a company’s size, and the CFPB has served no complaint narratives since 30 September 2026. ## Where TitleMax’s own pages disagree - **Size.** The About page says “over 900 locations spanning 14 states” and then names 13 states; the same page says “over 850”; the title loans page says “13 states with over 850+”; two FAQ articles say “more than 1,000 locations in 16 states” and “1,000+ locations.” Its state pages list 860 stores. - **Credit checks.** State pages and the footer say TitleMax checks credit; two FAQ articles say it usually does not. - **Alabama.** The Alabama page sells title pawns, then sets the minimum age “to be approved for a car title loan or a motorcycle title loan.” The About page says Georgia stores offer pawns “instead of the traditional title loan” and lists Alabama among motorcycle title loan states. - **Loan size.** “Up to $10,000*” on the title loans page, “up to $25,000 in certain markets” in the footer, “between $1,000 and $10,000” as typical on another page, and “$750 to $5,000” as typical in the owner’s SEC filing. - **Ownership.** CCF’s investors page still calls it “a private company” two months after its merger into a Nasdaq-listed company. ## Before you sign with TitleMax - **Read your state’s fee schedule.** Several state pages link one; ask the store for a printed copy. - **Find the APR and total cost in the contract,** not just the monthly payment, and whether it is a loan, a pawn, a pledge or (in Texas) a third-party loan plus TitleMax’s fee. - **Ask what happens after default:** how many days late before repossession, what notice you get, and whether any surplus from a sale is paid to you. - **Check the arbitration clause** and its opt-out window; the 2023 order found contracts allowing an opt-out “generally by written notice in the first 60 days.” - **Ask whether a GPS or starter-interrupt device comes with the loan.** TitleMax’s pages do not mention one; the FTC says some title lenders insist on them, and our [buy here pay here guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#devices) explains how they work. - **If you or your spouse is on active duty,** TitleMax says you cannot borrow; the law agrees. - **Confirm early payoff costs nothing extra,** as TitleMax says, and get the lien release in writing when you finish. ## Common questions ### Who owns TitleMax? CCF Holdings LLC, the Community Choice Financial group, bought the TitleMax, TitleBucks and InstaLoan businesses on 2 October 2023 from TMX Finance Holdings Inc, which TMX Finance’s 2012 report said was owned by Tracy Young. On 11 August 2026 CCF merged into Katapult Holdings, Inc., which trades on Nasdaq as KPLT. ### Does TitleMax run your credit? Its state pages say it does perform a credit check, while accepting “most credit types” because the vehicle secures the loan. Lines of credit in Kansas and Tennessee bring a credit inquiry at application. ### What is TitleMax in Texas? A credit services organization and credit access business. It arranges a loan from an unaffiliated lender for a fee and, its owner says, provides “guaranties or other credit enhancements” to that lender. Its owner puts the maximum term at 180 days. ### How much can you borrow from TitleMax? It advertises up to $10,000, and up to $25,000 “in certain markets.” State caps apply: $3,250 in Mississippi, and $6,500 combined in Tennessee. The amount depends on your car’s appraisal, your need and, in some states, your ability to repay. ### Can TitleMax take my car? Yes, if you default. Repossession follows state law, and whether you receive any money left over after the sale depends on the state. ### Does TitleMax lend to military members? Not to active-duty members or their spouses and dependents; federal law bars it. The CFPB found in 2023 that TitleMax made 2,670 such loans between 2016 and 2021 and ordered redress. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) - [12 CFR §1026.4 (Regulation Z, finance charge)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1026/subpart-A/section-1026.4) - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/titlemax-review/ --- title: "OneMain Financial Review: Car-Secured Loans, Add-Ons and Lawsuits" description: "OneMain often takes a first lien on your car. Its fees by state, the insurance it can add to your loan, its 2023 CFPB add-on order and the 2026 state lawsuit." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/onemain-financial-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # OneMain Financial Review: Car-Secured Loans, Add-Ons and Lawsuits > OneMain often takes a first lien on your car. Its fees by state, the insurance it can add to your loan, its 2023 CFPB add-on order and the 2026 state lawsuit. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,662 words* ## The short version - OneMain Financial lends $1,500 to $30,000 to borrowers its annual report calls “primarily considered nonprime,” and much of it rides on cars: at 30 June 2026, 56% of its $21.3 billion personal-loan book was secured by titled property, and its dealer car loans (the Foursight business it bought in 2024) added $2.7 billion. - A larger OneMain loan needs a first lien on a car no more than ten years old, titled in your name and insured. If the insurance lapses, OneMain says it may buy cover and add the cost to your monthly payment. - OneMain’s fee page prints origination fees of $25 to $500 flat or 1% to 10% of the loan, late fees of $5 to $30 or 1.5% to 15%, and returned-payment fees of $10 to $50, all by state. On 9 October 2026 its loan page printed APRs of 11.99% to 35.99%. - In 2023 the CFPB found OneMain misled borrowers about add-on products such as credit insurance. OneMain settled without admitting or denying the findings, and must now refund add-ons cancelled within 60 days in full, interest included. - In March 2026 New York and 12 other states sued OneMain in federal court over add-ons, including GAP sold on car-secured loans in Colorado. These are allegations; no court has decided them. - OneMain’s 7-day cancellation does not undo a car purchase, and its website terms bind visitors to arbitrate claims about any OneMain loan while leaving OneMain free to repossess first. OneMain Financial is a large installment lender to people with fair or poor credit, and for a car owner the useful review is what happens to the car. On 9 October 2026 we read OneMain’s fee, lending-process, personal loan, auto purchase and auto refinance pages, its Help Center answers on collateral and payments, its 7-Day Okay and military pages, its website Terms of Use and its Utah “title loan” disclosure; OneMain Holdings’ 2025 annual report and its report for the quarter to 30 June 2026; the CFPB’s 2023 consent order; the March 2026 complaint by 13 states; and the CFPB’s complaint counts. OneMain’s terms forbid linking to its site without written permission, so its pages are named here, not linked. We applied for nothing, and this site has no commercial relationship with OneMain or any lender. **Figure: Your car in a OneMain secured loan, step by step** What OneMain’s own pages and the 2023 CFPB order say happens to a car pledged for a OneMain loan. Source: OneMain Loan Amounts and Fees, Lending Process, Help Center and 7-Day Okay pages, read 9 October 2026; CFPB consent order 2023-CFPB-0003. No rates shown. ## What OneMain is, and how much of it rides on cars OneMain Holdings, Inc. is the listed parent; the loans are made by subsidiaries such as OneMain Financial Group, LLC. Its [2025 annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1584207/000158420726000008/omf-20251231.htm) describes two kinds of consumer loan: personal loans, made through branches and online, and “auto finance,” meaning car-purchase contracts written at dealerships. Its customers “are primarily considered nonprime and therefore a higher credit risk,” it says. “As a result, we generally charge these customers higher interest rates.” OneMain’s website says it lends in 44 states; it does not lend in Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont or the U.S. territories. The annual report says the personal loans “are secured by automobiles, other titled collateral, or are unsecured,” and the secured share has risen: **OneMain’s car-side lending, from its 2025 Form 10-K and its Form 10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 2026 (net finance receivables)** | Date | Personal loans | Share secured by titled property | Auto finance (dealer) loans | Auto finance receivables | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 31 December 2024 | $20.8 billion (about 2.4 million loans) | 50% | about 127 thousand | $2.1 billion | | 31 December 2025 | $21.4 billion (about 2.4 million loans) | 53% | about 148 thousand | $2.5 billion | | 30 June 2026 | $21.3 billion (about 2.4 million loans) | 56% | about 157 thousand | $2.7 billion | By our arithmetic, about $11.9 billion of personal loans were secured by titled property at 30 June 2026; with the dealer loans that is about $14.6 billion, roughly 61% of the $24 billion in the two books. “Titled property” also covers boats, campers, RVs and trailers, and the filings do not split it further. The dealer side is new. The annual report says that on 1 April 2024 OneMain bought Foursight Capital LLC from Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. “for $125 million in cash,” describing it as “an automobile finance company that purchases and services automobile retail installment contracts primarily made to near-prime borrowers across the country,” with contracts “sourced through an extensive network of dealers.” Auto finance receivables went from $745 million at the end of 2023 to $2,467 million at the end of 2025, 3.3 times as much by our arithmetic. Since 2023, the report adds, the CFPB has supervised OneMain’s whole consumer business because it is a “larger participant” in auto financing. ## Three ways a car ends up in a OneMain loan **At a participating dealer.** OneMain’s auto purchase page tells buyers to ask whether the dealer is “a OneMain participating dealership.” The dealer submits the application, and “once your loan is approved, money is sent directly to your dealer.” The FAQ says “you should also be prepared to secure your loan by using the vehicle you purchase as collateral,” and a car from a non-participating dealer cannot be the collateral. Residents of Hawaii, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia cannot apply or close at a dealership; their loans close at a OneMain branch and are paid by check. **From a private seller.** “If you’re buying a car from a private seller, a OneMain personal loan might work for you.” Checking for offers is a soft credit pull; applying means “consenting to a hard credit pull (this may affect your credit),” the lending-process page says. Money can arrive within 1 hour of closing on a bank-issued debit card, or in about 1-2 business days by ACH. See our guide to the [order of payment and title in a private sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#the-sequence). **Against a car you own.** OneMain sells auto refinance and “cash-out auto refinance” loans as personal loans. For cash-out, its FAQ says equity is judged from “make, model, year, mileage, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN),” that “your vehicle may also be inspected,” and that the loan “uses the borrower’s car as collateral.” OneMain’s own pages warn that “refinancing for a longer time could end up costing you more overall” and to count “any refinancing, application, origination and title transfer fees.” Our guides to [refinance traps](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#traps) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) apply. ## What pledging your car means: lien, insurance and title A secured OneMain loan puts OneMain on your title. Its lending-process page: “We require a first lien on the eligible vehicle which must be titled in your name, have valid insurance, and meet our valuation, also known as ‘loan-to-value,’ requirements.” Its fee page adds that “larger loan amounts require a first lien on a motor vehicle no more than ten years old.” Typical collateral is “cars, trucks, and motorcycles.” A first lien puts OneMain’s claim ahead of any other on the title; our guide to [what a lien on a car is](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#what) explains how it shows. Why pledge? OneMain says “APRs are generally higher on loans not secured by a vehicle,” and its Help Center states the trade: “You keep the use of your vehicle while repaying your loan, but if you stop paying, we have the right to take the collateral.” ### Insurance OneMain requires, and insurance it can buy for you “Vehicles used as collateral must be insured against physical damage for the term of the loan,” the Help Center says; it calls this full-coverage insurance. If you drop it: “OneMain may get insurance on your behalf. The cost will be added to your monthly loan payment.” The annual report says OneMain requires “collateral protection insurance, at the customer’s expense,” when borrowers fail to keep required cover, and OneMain’s own Triton Insurance Company is licensed to write “collateral protection insurance” in 50 states. The insurer behind cover added to your loan can belong to your lender’s group. Keep your own policy in force and send OneMain proof at each renewal; our guide to [a lapse in car insurance](https://baronauto1.com/guides/car-insurance-lapse/#title-side) covers the state penalties too. ### Lien fees, and getting the title back OneMain “charges fees associated with perfecting its lien on a motor vehicle’s certificate of title,” passed through “without mark-up.” After payoff, the Help Center says: “We do our best to release motor vehicle liens within approximately 15 business days. Timing may vary depending on your state’s laws.” If the release has not reached your title office after that, ask the branch for it in writing. ### Who cannot pledge a car “Active-duty military, spouses, and certain dependents covered by the Military Lending Act (MLA) may not pledge a vehicle as collateral. If covered by the MLA, you are not eligible for a secured loan.” Our [title loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/#military) explains that federal rule and its 36 percent cap. ## Rates, fees and late charges OneMain prints OneMain does not publish its loan agreement, and its fee page says the page “does not supersede the fee disclosures which are printed on your Loan Agreement and Disclosure Statement.” What it printed on 9 October 2026: loans of $1,500 to $30,000, terms of 24-60 months, fixed APRs of 11.99% to 35.99%, and one example: $6,000 at 24.99% APR over 60 months costs $176.07 a month, which is $10,564.20 in all, or $4,564.20 above the amount borrowed, by our arithmetic. Across the whole book, the annual report puts the 2025 consumer-loan yield (finance charges as a share of average receivables) at 22.61%. **OneMain’s standing fee disclosures, from its Loan Amounts and Fees page and Help Center (read 9 October 2026; every fee varies by state)** | Fee | What OneMain prints | Where it appears on your loan papers | | --- | --- | --- | | Origination | A flat $25 to $500, or 1% to 10% of the loan, “subject to certain state limits”; also called a loan processing, document preparation or credit investigation fee | First page of the Loan Agreement and Disclosure Statement, under “Prepaid Finance Charges” | | Late payment | After any state grace period: a flat $5 to $30, or 1.5% to 15% of the payment or of its unpaid part | First page, “Truth in Lending Disclosures,” row “Late Charge” | | Returned payment | $10 to $50 per returned check or ACH debit, where state law allows | Loan agreement | | Lien | What the state or county charges to record OneMain’s lien | Loan agreement | | Prepayment | None: “you can pay off your OneMain personal loan at any time without a prepayment fee” | Not charged | On a $5,000 loan the percentage range runs from $50 at 1% to $500 at 10% before any state cap, by our arithmetic; OneMain adds that “in some cases, OneMain limits these fees, even when state law allows us to charge more.” Ask for the fee in dollars before you sign, as you would the dealer’s own charges (see [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#doc-fee)). State law sets the edges. The fee page lists minimum loans of $2,100 in Alabama, $3,000 in California, $3,100 in Georgia, $2,000 in North Dakota and Ohio and $2,600 in Virginia, and maximums of $11,000 in North Carolina, $7,000 in Maine and $13,500 in West Virginia, with car and powersports loans from select dealerships exempt. The Help Center adds a Mississippi maximum of $12,000 that the fee page leaves out, so ask which applies. OneMain’s New Mexico sheet shows the detail state rules reach: a late fee of 5% of the installment with a maximum of $10.00, and a processing fee of 10% of the amount financed with a maximum of $200.00. Some OneMain loans use precomputed interest, “calculated up front when a loan is opened,” and others daily simple interest; on the latter, the Help Center says, “paying late can increase the amount of interest you owe.” Your agreement says which you have. ## One state’s full price list: OneMain’s Utah “title loan” disclosure OneMain’s Disclosures page links one document with a complete schedule for its car-secured loans: “Important Information about Utah Title Loans” (Rev. Aug. 2024), which covers “personal loans secured by a vehicle made in the state of Utah.” It prints APRs of 18.00% to 35.99%, loans of $1,500 to $20,000 over 24 to 60 months, a prepaid finance charge of 5% of the amount financed ($250 on $5,000, by our arithmetic), a $20 returned-payment fee, and a late fee of “the greater of $30 or 5% of the past due portion of the payment after 10-day grace period.” On a missed $197.86 payment, 5% is $9.89, so the $30 applies. **Selected loan-cost examples from OneMain’s Utah title-loan disclosure (Rev. Aug. 2024), as printed; OneMain calls them estimates** | Amount | Term | APR | Monthly payment | Finance charge | Total of payments | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $5,000 | 48 months | 18.00% | $146.87 | $2,049.76 | $7,049.76 | | $5,000 | 48 months | 35.99% | $197.86 | $4,497.28 | $9,497.28 | | $20,000 | 60 months | 18.00% | $507.87 | $10,472.20 | $30,472.20 | | $20,000 | 60 months | 35.99% | $722.46 | $23,347.60 | $43,347.60 | On $5,000 over 48 months the top of the range costs $50.99 a month and $2,447.52 more in finance charges than the bottom; on the largest row the finance charge is 117% of the amount borrowed (our arithmetic). One row does not add up: for $1,500 over 24 months at 18.00% the sheet prints a finance charge of $397.36 beside a total of payments of $1,797.36, but the total less the $1,500 borrowed is $297.36, a $100 gap. Every other row checks out. The label matters. A OneMain resources article dated 28 April 2026 calls a title loan “a short-term, high-interest loan that uses your car title to secure the loan” and offers secured personal loans among the “safer alternatives to title loans.” In Utah, OneMain’s own disclosure files that car-secured personal loan under the title-loan heading. Printed terms side by side, with no prices compared: **Printed terms: OneMain (read 9 October 2026), LightStream’s unsecured loan (from our LightStream review, read 6 October 2026) and car title loans as the FTC describes them (from our title loan guide, read 6 October 2026)** | Term | OneMain personal loan | OneMain in Utah | LightStream auto loan | Car title loan (FTC) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Amount | $1,500 to $30,000 | $1,500 to $20,000 | $5,000 to $100,000 | 25% to 50% of the car’s value | | Length | 24 to 60 months | 24 to 60 months | 36 to 84 months | Typically 15 or 30 days | | The car | First lien for larger loans, or unsecured | Secured by the vehicle | No lien: “yours from day one” | The vehicle is collateral | See our [car title loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/#how-it-works) and, for a car loan with no lien, our [LightStream review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/#secured-vs-unsecured). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the form, the pen and a second sheet, each with one fact from OneMain’s own pages, its annual report and the CFPB’s 2023 consent order. OneMain’s lending pages, its annual report and the CFPB’s 2023 consent order, read on 9 October 2026: Larger OneMain loans need a first lien on an insured car no more than 10 years old (callout 1); Let the insurance lapse and OneMain may buy cover and add it to your payment (callout 2); Add-ons are optional: the CFPB order gives 60 days to cancel with interest refunded (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Add-on products: credit insurance, GAP and membership plans OneMain’s annual report lists credit life, credit disability and credit involuntary unemployment insurance, which pay off the loan or make payments if the borrower dies, is disabled or loses a job; term life policies; “optional membership plans from an unaffiliated company”; and GAP, “to cover the shortfall between the customer’s auto loan balance and the payment amount made by the customer’s primary auto insurance.” The credit insurance comes from OneMain’s own insurers, American Health and Life Insurance Company and Triton. The CFPB’s order describes the non-insurance products as offering “roadside assistance, identity theft protection, and discounts on entertainment.” The cost runs past the sticker price. The CFPB order says premiums and fees “are added to Customers’ loans and are subject to a finance charge,” and that OneMain pays the providers “but keeps the interest.” In 2025 OneMain booked $445 million of insurance revenue and $198 million of insurance policy benefits and claims, 44.5% by our arithmetic; that is not a regulator’s loss ratio, since it mixes every line, but it shows how much went back out. For a car loan, GAP deserves the hardest look: our guides to [how GAP works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#what-it-is) and [when it is worth buying](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/#the-arithmetic) show how to judge it, and your own insurer may sell it. ### The 7-day cancellation, and what it does not undo OneMain’s 7-Day Okay promise lets you cancel the loan within 7 calendar days of the loan agreement’s date if you return the money. For a car buyer the catch is in the next line: “If you purchased a vehicle or other item with your loan, OneMain does not require the seller to cancel the sale or release the funds back to you.” Credit insurance “will be canceled with the loan,” but a membership plan or non-credit product you keep must still be paid for. ## What the CFPB found in 2023, and what the order requires On 31 May 2023 the CFPB issued a [consent order](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_onemain-financial-holdings-llc_consent-order_2023-05.pdf) (docket 2023-CFPB-0003) against OneMain Financial Holdings, LLC and four affiliates. Its [enforcement page](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/onemain-financial-holdings-llc-et-al/) says the Bureau found deceptive practices in “misleading consumers into believing they must purchase add-on products to receive loans and that they could cancel the add-on products within a prescribed time period without cost,” plus unfair and abusive practices. OneMain consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The order requires at least $10,000,000 in consumer redress and a $10,000,000 civil money penalty. Its findings include: - A “Full Refund Period,” “typically 30 or 45 days from purchase,” in which customers who cancelled non-insurance products got the fee back but not its interest: “more than 25,000 Customers collectively paid Respondent approximately $10 million in interest” that was never refunded. - For credit insurance on precomputed loans, an average refund of $827 between 20 May 2019 and 20 May 2021, “$337 of which was attributable to precomputed interest” (about 41%, our arithmetic). - A sales expectation of add-ons per loan: “In 2019, the CPL was 1.3 Optional Add-On Products with each loan.” Former employees described adding products “before showing the paperwork to the consumer.” OneMain’s customer FAQ about the order frames it more narrowly, as a review of refunds of interest on optional products “canceled within the first 30 days,” and says “less than one percent of our customers over the last four years will be eligible.” The order is the binding text. It runs 5 years from its effective date, so to 31 May 2028 at the earliest by our arithmetic, and requires OneMain to: - Give a written loan offer without add-ons, one you can keep, before selling any; never market a lower rate as a reason to buy one, or raise the rate because you cancel. - Refund an unused add-on cancelled within 60 days in full, “plus all interest attributable to” it; after 60 days, the unearned part plus its interest. - Send, within 72 hours of the sale, each product’s total cost with interest, the payment and payoff date without it and the cancellation deadline, then make a recorded call more than 48 hours after the sale. - Accept cancellation “verbally and directly with Respondent in-person, by phone, by letter, or by email,” processed within three business days. **Check the closing papers for add-ons before you sign.** The CFPB found that some OneMain customers learned a product was on their loan only from a letter after closing. Ask for the add-on-free written offer the order requires, compare its payment with the one in front of you, and cancel anything unwanted within 60 days, while the refund still includes the interest. ## The 2026 lawsuit by New York and 12 other states On 16 March 2026 New York and 12 other states (Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin) filed a [complaint](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/new-york-et-al-v-onemain-holdings-inc-complaint-2026.pdf) in the Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:26-cv-2117, against OneMain Holdings, Inc. and five affiliates. The [New York release](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-leads-bipartisan-coalition-suing-predatory-lender-onemain) says they “allege that OneMain exploits its vulnerable customers by loading their already high-cost loans with expensive and often useless additional products,” including “home and auto membership clubs.” Everything below is an allegation. We did not read the docket, so any ruling on a motion is not confirmed here, and OneMain’s report for the quarter to 30 June 2026 does not name the suit. The car-specific part is Colorado’s GAP claim. The complaint says OneMain sold GAP waivers “uniformly priced at $300 per policy” until 10 October 2021, then switched to GAP insurance written by its own Triton, after which “the average GAP premium rose from $300 to $1,149.72, with some premiums reaching as high as $6,326.08.” It says average loan-to-value rose from about 137% to about 177%; that Colorado’s statute, effective 1 January 2024, bars GAP above 150%; and that “in 2024, approximately 63% of OneMain’s loans exceeded” it. Its example: an $8,774.46 loan with a $1,128.01 GAP premium, refinanced nine months later on the same car to a $23,098.08 balance with a $4,342.46 premium. Among the relief sought: for vehicle-secured loans with add-ons, that OneMain release the liens and “convey proper and rightful vehicle title” within thirty days. ## Missed payments, repossession and the arbitration clause OneMain’s Help Center says late or missed payments “may stay on your credit report for up to seven years” and may bring late fees. Its annual report says OneMain may offer a deferment for a temporary hardship, or a re-age that brings a delinquent account current; get any such change in writing. On a secured loan the car is the backstop: the report lists “repossessing and re-marketing of titled collateral” among OneMain’s central operations, and it writes off loans “beyond seven payments (approximately 180 days) contractually past due,” which ends the accounting, not the debt. State law governs notices, the sale and any balance left; see our guide to [what happens in a repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-happens). OneMain’s military page lists a 6% interest-rate cap and protection from non-judicial repossession for servicemembers who entered active duty after the loan began. OneMain’s loan agreement is not published, but its website Terms of Use say that by “accessing or using the site” you agree to an arbitration clause that reaches well past the website: - **Scope:** claims about “any aspect of the relationship” with OneMain, including any loan, and about “any insurance product, service contract, membership plan, or warranty” bought with one. - **Precedence:** where it conflicts with the clause in a loan signed before you accepted the terms, the website clause “shall govern.” - **Repossession first:** OneMain need not arbitrate before using “self-help remedies” or court remedies such as repossession, while your damages claims about it must be arbitrated. - **What you keep:** a small-claims option, a $1,000 minimum recovery if the arbitrator awards more than OneMain’s last written offer, and 30 days to reject a later change by written notice. Jury trials and class actions are waived. Whether the website clause binds a given borrower is a legal question we cannot answer; your loan agreement will carry its own. ## CFPB complaints: what OneMain borrowers report The [CFPB complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) held 12,644 complaints naming OneMain Finance Corporation received from 16 May 2020 through 8 October 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, the CFPB says the database “is not a statistical sample of consumers,” and counts grow with a lender’s size; OneMain had about 2.4 million personal loans at 30 June 2026. The CFPB has served no narratives since 30 September 2026, so these are counts only. Consumers pick the product label, and many describe a OneMain car-secured loan as a title loan: 822 complaints carry a title-loan label and 504 sit under vehicle loan or lease, together 1,326, or 10.5% of the total (our arithmetic). Under the title-loan labels OneMain Finance Corporation had the second-largest count of 414 companies, one behind TMX Finance LLC (823). **Title-loan complaints naming OneMain Finance Corporation by issue, received through 8 October 2026 (CFPB database; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share of 822 | | --- | --- | --- | | Charged fees or interest you didn’t expect | 243 | 29.6% | | Struggling to pay your loan | 197 | 24.0% | | Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan | 89 | 10.8% | | Vehicle was repossessed or sold the vehicle | 64 | 7.8% | | Vehicle was damaged or destroyed the vehicle | 46 | 5.6% | Across all labels, 145 complaints raised a repossession issue and 332 were filed as a “Problem with additional add-on products or services.” Yearly counts rose from 2,625 in 2024 to 3,423 in 2025, up 30% by our arithmetic. OneMain closed 1,020 with monetary or non-monetary relief (8.1%), and 1,185 carried a Servicemember tag. Older complaints sit under two other OneMain names (2,646 and 300), for 15,590 across the three; Foursight Holding LLC had 181. ## Before you sign a OneMain loan secured by your car - **Ask for the offer without add-ons first.** The CFPB order requires a written one you can keep; compare its payment with any offer that includes insurance or a plan. - **Get every fee in dollars.** Origination, late, returned-payment and lien fees vary by state; they are on the first page of the Loan Agreement and Disclosure Statement. - **Check which interest method applies.** Precomputed and daily simple interest treat late and early payments differently. - **Keep your own full-coverage insurance in force.** Otherwise OneMain may buy cover and add it to your payment. - **Price GAP elsewhere before accepting it.** Your car insurer may sell it. - **Diary day 60.** Until then an unwanted add-on comes off with its interest refunded. - **Do not count on the 7-day cancellation to undo a car purchase.** OneMain says it does not require the seller to cancel the sale. - **After payoff, chase the lien release** if it has not reached your title office in about 15 business days. For other lenders read the same way, see our reviews of [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/) and [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/), and our [credit union car loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/). ## Common questions ### Does OneMain Financial do auto loans? Yes. At participating dealers OneMain makes auto purchase loans secured by the car, paid straight to the dealer, and its Foursight subsidiary buys car contracts from dealers. For a private sale it offers a personal loan. At 30 June 2026 its dealer auto finance book was $2.7 billion. ### Does OneMain put a lien on my car title? On a secured loan, yes: it requires “a first lien on the eligible vehicle,” titled in your name and insured, and passes the state’s lien fees on to you. After payoff it says it aims to release the lien within approximately 15 business days. ### Do I need full coverage insurance on a OneMain secured loan? Yes. OneMain says vehicles used as collateral “must be insured against physical damage for the term of the loan,” and that if you have no insurance it “may get insurance on your behalf” and add the cost to your payment. ### Can I cancel OneMain credit insurance or other add-ons? Yes. Under the 2023 CFPB consent order, an unused add-on cancelled within 60 days must be refunded in full with its interest, and you can cancel in person, by phone, by letter or by email. Later cancellations return the unearned part plus its interest. ### What is the OneMain lawsuit about? In March 2026 New York and 12 other states sued OneMain in federal court in New York, alleging it packed loans with add-on products such as credit insurance, membership plans and, in Colorado, GAP. The claims are allegations and have not been decided. ### What happens if I stop paying a OneMain car-secured loan? OneMain says it has the right to take the collateral, late payments may stay on your credit report for up to seven years, and late fees vary by state. Call before you miss a payment; its annual report says it may offer a deferment for a temporary hardship. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/onemain-financial-review/ --- title: "Dependable Auto Shippers Review: What Happened to DAS" description: "DAS once ran 63 trucks. Its website now forwards to a dead address and FMCSA shows every DAS authority revoked. What the record shows." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/dependable-auto-shippers-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Dependable Auto Shippers Review: What Happened to DAS > DAS once ran 63 trucks. Its website now forwards to a dead address and FMCSA shows every DAS authority revoked. What the record shows. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,947 words* ## The short version - There was no working Dependable Auto Shippers website to review on 9 October 2026. Every page we requested on dasautoshippers.com forwards to www.carsrelo.com, and that address does not resolve in the internet’s directory (DNS), checked from our machine or from a reader service on another network. - DAS really was a trucking company with its own fleet. Its last federal registration update, filed on 4 November 2015, listed 63 power units, 46 trailers and 56 drivers for Dependable Auto Shippers Inc of Mesquite, Texas (USDOT 517538). - That registration is now inactive, and FMCSA revoked its for-hire carrier authority (MC-249800) effective 19 December 2016, 9 days after its liability insurance filing was cancelled. - Both DAS broker registrations were revoked too: MC-191780 in December 2013 and MC-491106 (“DAS Specialized Logistics”) in November 2016. SAFER shows each as “NOT AUTHORIZED.” We found no DAS registration with active authority. - KAR Auction Services, now OPENLANE, bought DAS in May 2017. By December 2019 the DAS address forwarded to carsrelo.com, “CarsArrive Auto Relocation,” a KAR brand whose parent, CarsArrive Network, is licensed as a broker, not a carrier. - If anyone offers to ship your car as DAS today, get their USDOT and MC numbers and look them up before paying. FMCSA’s census holds 23 other active USDOT numbers whose names begin “Dependable Auto” or “Dependable Car.” Dependable Auto Shippers, the Texas car hauler better known as DAS, no longer has a working website or any active federal operating authority in its own name, so there is no current DAS contract to review. What remains is a public record, and it answers the questions people still search for. On 9 October 2026 we checked what the dasautoshippers.com address does today, read FMCSA’s SAFER snapshots (data as of 7 October 2026) for the three registrations in DAS’s name, queried FMCSA’s census, licensing, insurance and revocation datasets, read KAR Auction Services’ SEC filings on buying DAS and DAS’s own 2011 SEC notice, and read archived copies of two DAS pages from 2018 and of the contract on the site DAS’s address later led to. We requested no quote, entered no details, and have no commercial relationship with DAS, its former owner or any car shipper. **Figure: Dependable Auto Shippers in the public record** A two-column table reading six facts about Dependable Auto Shippers: its web address forwards to one that does not resolve; its carrier registration listed 63 power units and 56 drivers in November 2015; its carrier authority was revoked on 19 December 2016, 9 days after its liability filing was cancelled; both broker registrations were revoked, in 2016 and 2013; KAR Auction Services bought DAS in May 2017 and by December 2019 the DAS address led to KAR’s CarsArrive Auto Relocation site, whose parent is licensed as a broker; and 23 other active USDOT numbers begin with similar names. Read on 9 October 2026 from the dasautoshippers.com address itself, FMCSA’s SAFER snapshots (data as of 7 October 2026) and FMCSA’s census, licensing, insurance and revocation datasets, and KAR Auction Services’ SEC filings. ## Is Dependable Auto Shippers still in business? Not in any form we could find. A car-shipper review should start with the shipper’s own terms, and on 9 October 2026 there were none to read. Here is what we tried, in order: - **The robots.txt file.** We read a site’s crawler rules first. On dasautoshippers.com the request, over http and https, comes back as a permanent redirect (HTTP 301) to https://www.carsrelo.com, from a Microsoft Azure gateway. So did every other path we tried. - **The address it forwards to.** www.carsrelo.com points to an Azure host name that the internet’s directory reports as nonexistent (“NXDOMAIN”). A reader service on a different network, r.jina.ai, gave the same result: the domain “could not be resolved.” The bare address carsrelo.com answers with a server error (HTTP 502). - **The www address.** www.dasautoshippers.com points to the same nonexistent Azure host, so it does not load either. - **The security certificates.** The certificate dasautoshippers.com still presents was issued to “Adesa Inc.” of Indiana, valid from 6 January 2022 to 6 January 2023. It expired 3.8 years before our check, by our arithmetic, so a browser that visits the https address should show a security warning before the redirect. The certificate at carsrelo.com, also issued to Adesa Inc., in Carmel, Indiana, expired on 2 March 2022. - **Search results.** A Google results page for “dependable auto shippers”, read through a data provider on the same day, held 9 ordinary results and no result from dasautoshippers.com or carsrelo.com. Two of the local listings were businesses called “Dependable Auto Transport,” in Maine and California, which are not DAS. A failed address can be a bad afternoon rather than a closure, which is why we checked from a second network and set the address beside the federal record below. The two agree. Our data script re-checks the redirect, the DNS answers and both certificates on every run. The Internet Archive tells the same story over time. Its capture index lists a full DAS site in 2016. By December 2019 the DAS home page led to carsrelo.com (see [below](#kar-years)), captures from 2022 on record it as a redirect, and its capture of 16 March 2026 shows the www address as a bare directory listing (“Index of /”), not a car-shipping website. In 2024 it also logged requests for unrelated paths, such as Portuguese-language news headlines; we read nothing from them. ## What DAS was: a carrier with its own trucks DAS is remembered as a company that hauled cars on its own trucks rather than a broker, and the federal record bears that out for its working years. FMCSA’s census row for USDOT 517538, legal name DEPENDABLE AUTO SHIPPERS INC, records: - **A carrier, not a broker.** The record is classed “AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE,” first added to FMCSA’s census on 24 March 1993. - **Its own fleet.** 63 power units on the last update, which the census splits into 19 owned trucks, 42 owned tractors and 2 term-leased tractors (the same 63, by our arithmetic). It also listed 44 owned and 2 term-leased trailers, 46 in all. - **Its own drivers.** 56 of them. - **Real miles.** 9,017,409 miles reported for 2014. - **A safety rating.** Coded “S,” dated 18 April 2011, after a review on 15 April 2011. Of the three ratings federal rules define ([49 CFR 385.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-385.3)), only Satisfactory begins with S; it means “adequate safety management controls” were in place. - **What it carried.** General freight, household goods and motor vehicles. That last update was filed on 4 November 2015, 10.9 years before our check by our arithmetic. FMCSA’s census marks the record inactive, and SAFER answers a search for USDOT 517538 with “Record Inactive.” SAFER’s own legend says a USDOT number goes inactive when the “biennial update of MCS-150 data” is not completed. Other public documents fill in the picture. In August 2011, DAS filed a Form D notice with the SEC for a private offering: a Texas corporation in Mesquite, first sale on 1 August 2011, $5,400,000 offered and $5,400,000 sold to 2 investors. When KAR Auction Services bought DAS in 2017, its quarterly report described DAS as providing “vehicle transportation services for corporate and personal vehicle transportation needs.” DAS’s own archived pages, covered [below](#das-terms), describe terminal-to-terminal and door-to-door service. Why the model mattered: with a carrier, the company you book is the one whose driver, insurance and bill of lading cover your car. A broker, by federal definition, “arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier” ([49 CFR 371.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.2)), and someone else hauls. Our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains the difference, and our [Sherpa review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/) reads one broker’s federal record. ## DAS’s three FMCSA registrations Search FMCSA’s census for the legal name and three registrations come back as DEPENDABLE AUTO SHIPPERS INC: the carrier record and two broker records. A fourth result, THE DEPENDABLE AUTO SHIPPER LLC of Homestead, Florida, is a separate company with its own MC number, city and e-mail domain, and nothing in FMCSA’s files ties it to DAS. Of the three DAS records, only the carrier record lists a contact e-mail on the dasautoshippers.com domain. **The three FMCSA registrations named Dependable Auto Shippers Inc, read 9 October 2026 (SAFER data as of 7 October 2026)** | Field | USDOT 517538, MC-249800 | USDOT 2232484, MC-491106 | USDOT 2213481, MC-191780 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it was | Carrier: common, contract and household-goods authority | Broker, trade name “DAS Specialized Logistics” | Broker | | Location in the record | Mesquite, Texas | Mesquite, Texas | Linden, New Jersey | | Authority granted | Contract carrier 22 April 1992; household goods 14 April 2006 | 12 August 2004 | 18 May 1987 | | Authority revoked | Involuntary revocation effective 19 December 2016 | Revoked 17 November 2015, reinstated 14 December 2015, revoked again 15 November 2016 | Involuntary revocation effective 9 December 2013 | | SAFER today | “Record Inactive” | USDOT status ACTIVE; operating authority NOT AUTHORIZED | USDOT status ACTIVE; operating authority NOT AUTHORIZED | | Trucks (power units) | 63 on the last update, 4 November 2015 | 0 | 0 | | Contact e-mail in FMCSA’s files | On the dasautoshippers.com domain | None on that domain | None on that domain | The “ACTIVE” on two of those snapshots trips people up. SAFER keeps two statuses. The USDOT status only says “The entity’s US DOT number is active.” The operating-authority status decides whether a company may arrange or carry shipments for pay across state lines, and for both DAS broker records it reads “NOT AUTHORIZED,” which SAFER defines as an entity that “does not have any operating authority and/or is not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.” FMCSA moved registrations to a new system, Motus, in May 2026, and its published Motus tables hold no row for any DAS registration. The history below comes from FMCSA’s older licensing datasets, last refreshed on 14 May 2026, and the census file. ## How DAS lost its federal authority, 2013 to 2016 FMCSA’s datasets record what happened to each registration and when. They do not record why, beyond the type of order, so we set out the sequence and stop there. In date order: - **2005 and 2009:** “involuntary revocation” actions on the carrier record, served 5 October 2005 and 8 September 2009, were each marked “discontinued” within weeks. - **6 November 2013:** the same kind of action on broker record MC-491106, discontinued the next day. - **9 December 2013:** the New Jersey broker record, MC-191780, is revoked by involuntary revocation, after an order served on 4 November 2013. It had held broker authority since 1987, 26.6 years by our arithmetic. - **17 November 2015:** broker record MC-491106 is revoked (order served 15 October 2015). Its insurance history shows a trust fund cancelled on 11 November 2015 and new surety-bond filings from 10 November. - **14 December 2015:** MC-491106 is reinstated, 27 days after the revocation. - **9 November 2016:** the last surety bond on MC-491106, from United States Fire Insurance Co., effective 9 February 2016, is cancelled. - **15 November 2016:** MC-491106 is revoked again, 6 days after the bond was cancelled, by involuntary revocation (order served 13 October 2016). - **10 December 2016:** the carrier’s liability insurance filing, from Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and in force since 1 November 2008, is cancelled. - **19 December 2016:** the carrier record’s common, contract and household-goods authority is revoked by involuntary revocation, 9 days after the insurance filing was cancelled. The order had been served on 14 November 2016, 35 days earlier. The insurance link matters because it is the price of authority. FMCSA’s guide says a property carrier “must file proof of public liability” to hold interstate authority, and federal law says the Secretary of Transportation “shall immediately suspend” a broker whose $75,000 bond or trust fund falls below that amount. FMCSA’s records show DAS’s liability filing and broker bond ending days before each revocation. They do not say whether DAS stopped trading or moved its business to another registration, and we found no document that does. **A revoked registration cannot legally take your interstate shipment.** If a contract, invoice, website or driver gives you USDOT 517538, 2232484 or 2213481, or MC-249800, MC-491106 or MC-191780, every one of them leads to a record with no active operating authority. Do not pay a deposit against those numbers. Ask who will actually carry the car, under which USDOT number, and check that number on [FMCSA’s SAFER system](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx) first. It was a long run: contract-carrier authority from 22 April 1992 to its revocation, 24.7 years by our arithmetic. ## The KAR years: bought in 2017, gone from filings by 2020 Five months after the carrier authority was revoked, by our count of calendar months, DAS changed hands. KAR Auction Services, the wholesale car-auction group that then owned ADESA, reported in its quarterly filing for the period to 30 June 2017 (filed 9 August 2017): - **The deal.** “In May 2017, the Company acquired Dependable Auto Shippers (‘DAS’).” The filing describes DAS as providing transport “for corporate and personal vehicle transportation needs.” - **The price, but not separately.** KAR gives one figure for the two businesses it bought in the first half of 2017, DAS and a data company called DRIVIN: approximately $47.0 million, net of cash, with aggregate goodwill of $35.6 million recorded in its ADESA Auctions segment. It called the financial impact “immaterial.” No separate price for DAS is published. - **The size.** KAR’s 10-K for 2017 left DAS and three other 2017 acquisitions out of its internal-control assessment while it integrated them, and put their combined revenue at 0.4% of KAR’s total for the year. KAR’s 10-K for 2019, filed on 19 February 2020, is the last SEC filing that names DAS: a full-text search of EDGAR returns DAS’s 2011 Form D, KAR’s 2017 quarterly reports and its 10-Ks filed in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and nothing later. Searches for “CarsRelo” return nothing. That 10-K describes KAR’s transport business only in general terms, “utilizing our own equipment and personnel as well as licensed and insured third party carriers.” The Internet Archive shows where the DAS address went. Asked for DAS’s FAQ and home pages, it followed recorded redirects to carsrelo.com captures of 12 July and 16 December 2019. The December page was headed “CarsArrive Auto Relocation” and signed “A KAR Auction Services Company (NYSE:KAR),” with an office in Mesa, Arizona. It offered “Carrier Direct Service” plus service-center and door-to-door options, and claimed “98% On-time delivery” and a “14-day Delivery window.” So by then the DAS address pointed at a KAR relocation brand, and the brand kept DAS’s words: its 2022 FAQ answers “What is Door to Door service?” almost exactly as DAS’s 2018 service page did, down to “our larger car transport truck.” That brand’s parent is on the federal record. FMCSA lists CarsArrive Network Inc (USDOT 2228831, MC-425006, Mesa, Arizona) as “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” with a $75,000 BMC-84 bond from RLI Insurance Company effective 8 October 2013, broker authority active since its reinstatement on 9 April 2004, 0 power units, and a contact e-mail on the openlane.com domain. In other words, the business the DAS address led to by 2019 is a broker, not a carrier. Whether CarsArrive still offers the relocation service we cannot say: by 14 December 2024 the archive’s copy of www.carsrelo.com was an Indonesian-language page advertising online slot games, carsrelo.com was dead on 9 October 2026, and KAR’s 10-K for 2022, which says “the ADESA U.S. physical auction business was sold to Carvana” in May 2022, does not mention DAS or CarsRelo. KAR now files as OPENLANE, Inc. under the same SEC registration. ## Other companies with “Dependable” in the name Search results for DAS are full of similar names. On 9 October 2026, FMCSA’s census held 25 active USDOT numbers whose legal or trade names begin “Dependable Auto” or “Dependable Car.” Two are DAS’s own broker records, both “NOT AUTHORIZED” on SAFER. The other 23 are different businesses, from auto-parts, auto-care and auto-sales businesses to car shippers, and 9 of those 23 are registered as brokers or as broker-carriers. Among them: - **The Dependable Auto Shipper LLC** (USDOT 2372536, MC-810024), Homestead, Florida, trade name “A-Lot Lizards”; - **Dependable Car Shippers, LLC** (USDOT 2912380, MC-981407), Florida; - **Dependable Auto Move LLC** (USDOT 2930192, MC-989266), Utah; - **Dependable Auto Transport Inc** (USDOT 3568334), California. We name these only so you can tell them apart from DAS; nothing is implied about any of them, and an active USDOT number does not by itself mean a company holds operating authority. None of the 23 shares a USDOT or MC number with DAS or lists an e-mail on its domain. Federal rules work against blurred names: a broker may not offer its services “in any name other than that in which its registration is issued” ([49 CFR 371.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.7)). The legal name on your contract should match the registration you look up; our guide to [looking a shipper up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up) walks through the check. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the clipboard, the pen and the paper’s edge, each with one fact from FMCSA records and the federal cargo-claim rules. FMCSA’s registration records and the federal cargo-claim rules in 49 CFR part 370, read on 9 October 2026: Ask for the USDOT and MC numbers, then check SAFER: every DAS authority is revoked (callout 1); A similar name is not proof: 23 other active USDOT numbers begin Dependable Auto or Car (callout 2); Mark all damage on the bill of lading: the carrier must allow at least 9 months to claim (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What DAS and its successor site promised: the archived terms People ask a car-shipper review about the contract: payment, cancelling, dates, door or terminal service, damage cover and disputes. With both sites dead, the only documents left are Internet Archive copies. The archive refused most of our requests on 9 October 2026 (HTTP 429, “too many requests”), but five came through: DAS’s “Description of Services” page (captured 15 February 2018), a DAS article on brokers and carriers (captured 6 January 2018), and from carsrelo.com the “Contract Terms and Conditions” (“Ver. 18-08,” captured 13 August 2021) and the FAQ and options pages (captured 21 January 2022). Nobody can book under them today, but they show what the brand promised, and they matter to anyone holding an old booking. **What DAS’s 2018 service page and the CarsArrive Auto Relocation contract (Ver. 18-08) and FAQ say, as archived** | Point | DAS service page, February 2018 | carsrelo.com contract (August 2021) and FAQ (January 2022) | | --- | --- | --- | | Payment | Not stated | “All retail orders are to be prepaid”; the FAQ says by credit card, deferrable until three days before pickup or drop-off; no chargeback over delay or damage disputes | | Cancelling | Not stated | A cancellation fee, amount not given, once the car is dropped off or picked up, plus any transport or storage fees | | Dates | “A specific pickup date, which you can specify”; paid “Guaranteed Transit” | None in the contract; the FAQ says a typical shipment “takes up to approximately 14 calendar days” and pickup within 24 hours can be arranged | | Door or terminal | Door-to-door “often” by flatbed; terminal-to-terminal at “our nearest partner terminal” | Storage fees after day 3 at the destination terminal; a car unclaimed within 3 days may be titled and sold | | Damage cover | “Up to $50,000” of primary physical-damage coverage | Liability capped at the car’s actual cash value or $100,000, “whichever is less”; the FAQ adds “with no deductible” | | Damage notice | Not stated | Must be “noted on the condition report at the time of delivery,” with notice to CarsArrive | | Disputes | Not stated | 49 U.S.C. 14706 and Indiana law; federal or state court in Carmel, Indiana; no arbitration clause | Two clauses deserve a second read. The site’s options page (captured 21 January 2022) sold five tiers, from “Carrier Direct Service” with a 3- to 5-day pickup window to door-to-door, and framed the first days at a destination service center as “3 days of free storage.” The contract treats day 3 differently: if a car “is not claimed from one of the Carrier’s terminals within 3 days of its arrival,” the company “will seek legal title” and may sell it. And where the options page promised “if it comes back to you damaged, we’ll make it 100% right,” the contract caps liability and excludes undercarriage damage, fluid leaks, tires, rims, convertible tops, “diminished or loss of market value,” loss of use and rental costs. The DAS article on brokers is DAS describing others, not its own terms: it called a broker “a company that resells your job” whose deposit is “generally nonrefundable.” DAS’s own FAQ page could not be read: the archive answered with a redirect to carsrelo.com, so we make no claim about it. **Where the documents and the record do not line up.** Four more points, stated as the documents give them: - The February 2018 page spoke of “our larger car transport truck” and “our open or enclosed car transport trucks,” 14 months after FMCSA revoked the carrier authority on DAS’s own registration. No record we read says which registration carried DAS shipments in 2018. - The carsrelo.com contract defines “Carrier” as CarsArrive Network, Inc. together with “any third-party carriers,” and its FAQ speaks of “our larger car transport truck,” while FMCSA lists CarsArrive Network only as an authorized broker with 0 power units. Federal rules say a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier” (49 CFR 371.7). We make no finding. - The same DAS page calls open transport “our most economical service” and terminal-to-terminal “our most affordable service.” - The January 2018 article’s author note still called DAS “the largest privately owned auto transport company in the United States,” months after KAR, a company filing annual reports with the SEC, had bought it. For how today’s brokers answer the same questions, our reviews of [SGT](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/), [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) and [AmeriFreight](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/) read each contract, and our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/) covers a marketplace where carriers bid. If you want a company that hauls on its own trucks, check its SAFER snapshot for an “AUTHORIZED FOR” line that includes Property, and for power units. ## If your car was damaged in a DAS shipment Federal law puts transit damage on the carrier, and a dead website does not change that. Under [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), the carrier that receives or delivers a shipment is liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property,” and “failure to issue a receipt or bill of lading does not affect the liability of a carrier.” A carrier may not set “a period of less than 9 months for filing a claim” or less than 2 years for suing, counted from the date it gives written notice that it has turned the claim down. FMCSA’s claim rules say what a claim needs and how fast the carrier must answer: - **What to send.** A written claim, filed with the carrier within the time limits in the bill of lading or contract, with facts that identify the shipment, a statement that the carrier is liable for the loss or damage, and a specified or determinable amount of money ([49 CFR 370.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-370)). - **Acknowledgment.** The carrier must acknowledge the claim in writing within 30 days of receiving it, unless it has paid or declined it by then (49 CFR 370.5). - **Decision.** It must pay, decline or make a firm compromise offer in writing within 120 days, and if it cannot, write to you with the status and the reason every 60 days after that (49 CFR 370.9). The hard part with DAS is finding someone to claim against. Three practical leads: - **The bill of lading.** Federal rules require a carrier to issue one naming the shipper and receiver, origin and destination, and describing the freight ([49 CFR 373.101](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-373.101)). Whatever company and USDOT number it names is the carrier to write to, whether that is DAS or another hauler. - **The insurance on file for that date.** FMCSA’s insurance history lists which insurer held each DAS filing and for which dates: the carrier’s last liability filing ran from 1 November 2008 to 10 December 2016, and cargo-insurance filings run from 1 May 2005, with a 2011 cargo filing still listed in FMCSA’s frozen table. A shipment after December 2016 falls outside every liability filing on DAS’s carrier record. - **The owner of the business.** For a shipment after May 2017, KAR’s filings name it as DAS’s buyer. This is what the records say, not legal advice on a particular claim; for an old or large loss, a lawyer who handles freight claims can say which deadlines still apply. Our [car shipping guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage) covers damage claims with today’s brokers and carriers. ## Dependable Auto Shippers reviews: what we could and could not check **Review sites.** Pages that rank for the name hold old reviews, and the dates can mislead. Transport Rankings, a car-shipping review site whose terms allow fair dealing for research and review, lists 80 reviews for DAS. The one Google showed us first is dated 4 September 2025 on the page, but its text describes a pickup on 18 December 2013, 12 years earlier by our arithmetic, and mentions a “terminal to terminal” option. The page does not explain the gap. A recent date on a DAS review is not proof DAS was shipping cars that year. **BBB.** bbb.org’s robots.txt closes its search pages to crawlers and no DAS profile turned up in our search check, so we use no BBB figure. **Trustpilot and Reddit.** Left out of this review as a matter of policy. **Regulators and courts.** We read no regulator release, complaint or court docket naming Dependable Auto Shippers, so we describe none; FMCSA’s revocation records are set out above exactly as the datasets give them. To report a shipper, FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database covers brokers, carriers “and Auto Haulers.” ## Before you book anyone using the DAS name - **Get the numbers first.** Ask for the company’s legal name, USDOT number and MC number in writing. If they are USDOT 517538, 2232484 or 2213481, or MC-249800, MC-491106 or MC-191780, they belong to DAS registrations with no active authority. Stop there. - **Look the numbers up yourself.** On FMCSA’s SAFER system, check that the operating authority reads “AUTHORIZED FOR” (not “NOT AUTHORIZED”) and that the name and city match the company taking your money. A USDOT status of ACTIVE alone is not enough. - **Know whether it is a broker or a carrier.** A broker arranges the move; the carrier it assigns has its own USDOT number, insurance and bill of lading. Ask which carrier, then look that one up too. - **Do not rely on the name or web address.** dasautoshippers.com forwarded to a dead address on 9 October 2026, and no record we found ties any domain other than carsrelo.com to DAS. - **Read the terms and save a copy.** Find each point in the table above, from payment to disputes, and the damage-notice deadline. - **Pay safely.** The FTC’s warning on phony car sales is blunt about gift cards and wire transfers: “If anyone tells you to pay that way, it’s a scam.” A card leaves you a dispute route. - **Inspect and photograph at both ends.** Every existing mark on the bill of lading at pickup, every new one on the delivery receipt before you sign, and the odometer reading. - **Know your deadlines.** At least 9 months to file a written claim with the carrier, at least 2 years to sue after a written denial, plus any shorter notice period the broker’s terms set for telling it about damage. If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. See our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/), [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) and the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/); auction buyers should add [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) or [CarMax auction](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/) costs. For the dealer side, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies. ## Common questions ### Is Dependable Auto Shippers still in business? We found no sign of it. On 9 October 2026 its website address forwarded to www.carsrelo.com, which did not resolve, and FMCSA showed all three registrations in DAS’s name without operating authority: the carrier record inactive since its authority was revoked on 19 December 2016, and both broker records “NOT AUTHORIZED.” KAR Auction Services bought DAS in May 2017 and had folded the address into a CarsArrive relocation site by December 2019. ### Was DAS a broker or a carrier? Mainly a carrier. Its carrier registration, USDOT 517538 and MC-249800, listed 63 power units and 56 drivers on its last update in November 2015 and held common, contract and household-goods authority. DAS also held two broker registrations, MC-491106 (“DAS Specialized Logistics”) and MC-191780, both revoked. ### What is Dependable Auto Shippers’ MC number? The carrier’s was MC-249800, under USDOT 517538 in Mesquite, Texas. The broker records were MC-491106 (USDOT 2232484) and MC-191780 (USDOT 2213481, Linden, New Jersey). None has active authority, so none should appear on a booking today. ### Who bought Dependable Auto Shippers? KAR Auction Services, which reported acquiring DAS in May 2017 and now files with the SEC as OPENLANE, Inc. KAR gave one combined price, about $47.0 million, for DAS and a data company bought in the same half-year. By December 2019 the DAS web address forwarded to KAR’s CarsArrive Auto Relocation site, which is now dead too. ### Is The Dependable Auto Shipper LLC the same company as DAS? Not according to FMCSA’s files. The Dependable Auto Shipper LLC (USDOT 2372536, MC-810024) is registered in Homestead, Florida, with its own MC number and no e-mail on DAS’s domain. Check the numbers, not the name. ### How do I file a damage claim for a car DAS shipped? In writing, against the carrier named on your bill of lading, with facts identifying the shipment and a specific amount. Federal law makes the carrier liable for actual loss or damage and bars it from allowing less than 9 months to claim. The carrier must acknowledge within 30 days and decide within 120. For where the records point, see [the damage section](#damage). ## Sources and further reading - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/dependable-auto-shippers-review/ --- title: "Sullivan Tire: Road Hazard Plan, Free Services and Who Owns It" description: "Sullivan Tire’s road hazard cover is a paid plan, and free flat repair comes only with it. What its warranty, free services, price match, cards and owners say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sullivan-tire/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Sullivan Tire: Road Hazard Plan, Free Services and Who Owns It > Sullivan Tire’s road hazard cover is a paid plan, and free flat repair comes only with it. What its warranty, free services, price match, cards and owners say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,962 words* ## The short version - Sullivan Tire and Auto Service has 83 stores: 49 in Massachusetts, 16 each in Maine and New Hampshire, 2 in Rhode Island and none in Connecticut. Since 2023 it has been 100% owned by its employees through a stock ownership plan, by its own account. - Road hazard cover is not free with tires. It is the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan, bought per tire at a cost that “depends on the price of the tire and the particular tire size.” Sullivan prints no figure. - With the plan, a tire that can’t be repaired is replaced free within the first 12 months or 25% of wear, whichever comes first, then prorated by the tread left. You pay for rebalancing, the valve and disposal, and an aerosol or liquid inflator voids the plan. - Free flat repair comes only with that plan. Tires installed at Sullivan get free lifetime rotation and rebalancing and a 30-Day Ride Guarantee: one exchange, winter tires and special orders excluded. - Repairs carry Sullivan’s own warranty schedule, honored by Goodyear Tire & Service Network shops: mostly 24 months or 24,000 miles, 6 months or 6,000 miles for alignments and the Front Brake Special, lifetime parts on a few items. No battery term is listed. - The price promise is a match on the tire price only, in stock, before you buy, with quotes good for 14 days. There is no Sullivan store card. Sullivan Tire is a New England tire and car-repair chain of 83 stores, based in Norwell, Massachusetts, and owned by its employees since 2023, according to the company. Tires installed there come with free rotation, rebalancing and a 30-day exchange, but road hazard cover and free flat repair come only with a separately priced Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan. On 9 October 2026 we read Sullivan’s plan, installation-package, warranty, guarantee, price-match, financing, FAQ and store pages, its 2023 ownership release and the terms sheet behind its Ride Guarantee, and set them beside Goodyear’s network warranty as this site recorded it. This site has no commercial relationship with Sullivan or any tire seller. **Figure: What Sullivan’s tire programs promise, situation by situation** A two-column table of eight situations: a flat is repaired free only for buyers of the paid Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan; an unrepairable tire is replaced free within 12 months or 25% wear for plan holders, who pay for rebalancing, valve and disposal; after that the replacement is prorated and the plan on that tire ends; aerosol or liquid inflators void the plan; rotation and rebalancing are free for life on tires installed at Sullivan; within 30 days a set can be exchanged once, winter tires and special orders excluded; a lower price is matched on the tire price only with a 14-day quote; and repairs are honored by Goodyear network shops on terms from 6 months to lifetime parts, with no battery line. Read from Sullivan Tire and Auto Service’s own pages and its 30-Day Ride Guarantee terms on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Sullivan Tire: its employees, through a 2023 ESOP Its employees do, by Sullivan’s own account. The [About page](https://www.sullivantire.com/about-us) says: “In 2023, the Sullivan family transferred ownership of the company to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan,” and adds that “Rather than sell to an outside buyer, the family chose a path designed to preserve Sullivan Tire’s independence.” The company’s release of 3 November 2023 said that “By converting to the ESOP, the company will be 100 percent owned by its nearly 1,500 employees,” with two Sullivan family members staying on as chairman and vice chair, and the chief executive continuing in that role. A year later Sullivan’s own blog quoted a news outlet calling it “a rare case in which a company turned down takeover offers from industry consolidators.” Under federal tax law, an employee stock ownership plan is “a defined contribution plan” that is “designed to invest primarily in qualifying employer securities,” in the words of [26 U.S.C. 4975](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title26/html/USCODE-2024-title26-subtitleD-chap43-sec4975.htm). The Labor Department’s Form 5500 search and the Massachusetts corporate database sit behind bot checks, so the ownership facts here are Sullivan’s own. That sets it apart from the other New England chain on this site, [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/#who-owns-town-fair), which Mavis owns. The company dates itself to 1955, when Bob and Mary Sullivan opened Bob Sullivan and Sons Tire in Rockland, Massachusetts, 71 years ago by our arithmetic. It has grown partly by taking in local businesses; in 2024 it announced “seven new business units that were formerly Stratham Tire locations” in Maine and New Hampshire. Two company names appear on the paperwork you are likely to see. The Privacy Policy speaks for “Sullivan Tire Co.”, and the website footer reads “Sullivan Tire and Auto Service, Inc.” We found no state attorney-general, Federal Trade Commission or court consumer-protection case naming Sullivan Tire. ## Where the 83 stores are, and what they do Sullivan’s location list runs to 83 stores, the same 83 its sitemap lists. We counted them by state. **Sullivan Tire stores by state, counted from its location list (read 9 October 2026)** | State | Stores | Marked “State Inspection Available” | | --- | --- | --- | | Massachusetts | 49 | 14 | | Maine | 16 | 16 | | New Hampshire | 16 | 0 | | Rhode Island | 2 | 1 | | Connecticut | 0 | 0 | | Total | 83 | 31 | Massachusetts holds 59% of the stores, by our arithmetic. Connecticut shows up in Sullivan’s state lists, and the Why Sullivan page says it has auto repair locations there, but the store list has none; the three Connecticut sites on the website (North Haven, South Windsor and Ellington) are commercial truck centers. Sullivan’s pages count themselves differently, too. The Why Sullivan page offers “70+” locations, a figure 13 below the list. The 2023 release said 79 retail locations and a 2024 post said 83, 4 more, by our arithmetic. Counting truck centers, wholesale outlets, retread plants and distribution centers, the About page claims “more than 125 locations and operating facilities”; the 2024 post’s list adds up to 127. The stores do full car repair, not just tires: oil changes, brakes, alignments, batteries, diagnostics and more, with a free local shuttle. A few house rules are worth knowing before you book: - **No used tires.** “No, Sullivan Tire does not sell used tires,” the FAQ says. - **Modified cars may be turned away.** Sullivan will “not sell or service tire and wheel assemblies with non-OEM spacers or wheel-fastening hardware,” and reserves the right to refuse cars with “lift or lowering kits, oversized tires and wheels, etc.” - **Inspections.** The FAQ says “All of our New Hampshire and Maine locations are state inspection stations,” plus Newport in Rhode Island and “several” in Massachusetts. The store list marks all 16 Maine stores but none in New Hampshire, so call ahead. Our guide to [what a car inspection costs](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-much-does-a-car-inspection-cost/) covers state rules. - **Free checks for anyone.** Air pressure, alignment (“FREE alignment checks at all retail locations”), the battery and a “free Visual Vehicle Check” on every visit. Sullivan also sells a Vehicle Health Report, a “160 point exam” priced at $49.95 on its service page, as “a great service to purchase before buying a used vehicle.” Our guide to a [used-car pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) explains what to ask. ## What comes free with tires: the Certified Tire Installation Package Tires bought and installed at Sullivan come with what it calls the [Certified Tire Installation Package](https://www.sullivantire.com/learn/tire-classroom/certified-tire-installation-package). The page prints no price for it. It lists five “Included Parts and Services”: mounting, “Road Force Balancing,” valve service, “Scrap Tire Recycling and Disposal” and TPMS sensor reprogramming. It adds hand torquing of the wheels and “Automatic Department of Transportation Tire Registration. You will be notified in case of a recall.” Then come eight “Additional Benefits”: - “FREE Lifetime Tire Rotations (recommended every 6 months/6,000 miles)” - “FREE Alignment Inspection with Report (recommended every 6 months/6,000 miles)” - “FREE Visual Vehicle Check” - “30-Day Ride Guarantee” - “FREE Local Courtesy Shuttle Service” - “FREE Shipping of your tires to the Sullivan Tire location of your choice” - “FREE Lifetime Rebalancing” - “Manufacturer Warranty Processing” The footnotes narrow four of them. Run-flat and other specialty tires “may have additional mounting charges.” If a TPMS sensor can’t be serviced and needs replacing, “additional charges would apply.” Free shipping is “For tires in stock at a Sullivan Tire location or warehouse only.” And lifetime rebalancing “Does not include dismounted tires.” The FAQ confirms that with the package, “the tire disposal fee is included.” What’s missing from the list matters as much. **Free flat repair is not on it.** Sullivan’s tire repair page ties free repairs to the paid plan in the next section: “Did you know if you have purchased the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan with Sullivan Tire & Auto Service you qualify for free flat tire repairs?” The repair page, which describes a patch-and-plug repair for punctures “at or less than 1/4 of an inch in diameter,” prints no price. **Rotation is free for the life of the tire.** The tire-care page says rotation “is FREE for the life of the tire(s) when you purchase and install your tire(s) at Sullivan Tire and Auto Service.” How often depends on which page you read: every 6 months or 6,000 miles in the package, every 6,000 miles on the plan page, “approximately every 5,000-7,000 miles, 6 months, or roughly every other oil change” on the tire-care page, and “every 6,000 - 8,000 miles” in the FAQ. Your car maker’s schedule comes first; our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why they differ. **Alignment checks are free; alignments are not.** The alignment page lists a free “Alignment Inspection” with a printout, then standing per-visit prices: $124.99 for a “Comprehensive Vehicle Alignment” on most cars, $154.99 for a “Performance” alignment on makes it lists, $164.99 for heavy-duty trucks and $244.99 for electric vehicles. The page prints no date; our [wheel alignment cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/) covers what decides the price. ## Road hazard and flat repair: the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan costs extra Sullivan’s road hazard cover is a plan you add when you buy tires. The [plan page](https://www.sullivantire.com/learn/tire-classroom/tire-maintenance-protection-plan) sets out why: “Manufacturers do not cover damage to a tire due to road conditions. Our Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan picks up where the manufacturer’s limited warranty leaves off. It covers road hazard damage such as potholes, nails, glass, jagged metals, or run flat conditions.” The installation page lists it under “Additional Charges Apply.” **What it costs.** “The cost of the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan depends on the price of the tire and the particular tire size you have,” and “The exact amount is calculated for you when you select a tire from our online tire search feature.” That is the whole published price basis: no figure, no percentage. We entered no vehicle or tire size, so we saw no plan price. **What it includes.** “The repairs are free for the life of the tires. Tire rotations are free for the life of the tires (non-transferable),” the page says, and it lists “FREE tire rotations,” “FREE flat repairs” and a “FREE alignment check every 6 months.” If the check finds a problem, “cost of the new alignment is not included in the program.” Rotation and alignment checks are free anyway, so what the plan adds is flat repair and replacement. **When a tire can’t be repaired.** The plan page states the rule twice. The first version: “If the tire is returned for adjustment within one year from the date of sale and is less than 25% worn, the tire will be replaced at no charge.” Past 25% wear, “the tire will be replaced with a similar or like tire on a pro-rated basis of the remaining tread.” The second: “Free Tire Replacement: Within the first 12 months or first 25% of wear, whichever comes first,” and after that “we’ll offset the cost of a new tire based on how much tread you have remaining.” So free replacement ends at the first anniversary of the sale or when the tire passes 25% wear, whichever arrives first. Either way, “Re-balance, valve, and tire disposal will be the responsibility of the customer.” No page gives the proration formula or the price it is applied to; our page on [how tire makers prorate a defect claim](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) shows how a share of tread worn is applied to a price, and how much the price used varies. **What it does not cover.** The page lists nine exclusions: theft, vandalism, accidents, abuse, improper maintenance, TPMS sensor replacement, misalignment, sidewall abrasions and the tires’ cosmetic appearance. Then: “Any tires installed on racing vehicles, off the road vehicles or vehicles with commercial plates are excluded in full from the program. The use of aerosol or liquid inflation products on any tire will void this program.” **One tire, one plan.** “When a tire is replaced, the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan on that individual tire is void and is not transferable to the replacement tire, another tire on the vehicle, or another person. A customer may purchase a new Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan for the replacement tire.” A replacement tire has no cover unless you pay again, and the plan doesn’t pass to a later owner. **How long, and where.** Sullivan says its plan “covers you for the entire useful life of the tires,” unlike plans that, in its words, “expire 2-4 years after the tire purchase date.” To claim, “Simply call or visit any of our convenient Sullivan Tire and Auto Service locations throughout New England. We can look up your history.” No page says how a plan holder claims outside New England; see the network section below. **Get the plan’s price and written terms before you add it.** Sullivan publishes its plan as a question-and-answer page, not as a contract, and the price appears only once a tire is chosen. Ask for the per-tire charge on the estimate and for the written terms. Federal warranty law keeps a separate category for paid cover: [15 U.S.C. 2301](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2301.htm) defines a “service contract” as “a contract in writing to perform, over a fixed period of time or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair” of a product. Our guide on [why a plan you buy is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the difference. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the tread blocks, a groove and the lower tread, each with one fact from Sullivan Tire’s protection plan and installation package pages. Sullivan Tire’s Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan and Certified Tire Installation Package pages, read on 9 October 2026: Free flat repair comes only with the paid Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan (callout 1); Plan replacement: free for 12 months or 25% wear, whichever first, then prorated (callout 2); Lifetime rebalancing is free with installation, except on dismounted tires (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Repair warranties: Sullivan’s schedule and the Goodyear network “Sullivan Tire is part of the Goodyear Nationwide Warranty Network. You can go to any participating dealer across the country for warranty work,” says Sullivan’s [Nationwide Warranty page](https://www.sullivantire.com/why-choose-sullivan-tire-auto-service/nationwide-warranty). Its schedule, headed “Sullivan Tire Nationwide Warranty Details,” opens with a limit: “These warranties apply only to parts and labor shown on your invoice,” and “there may be other components in a system that are not covered.” **Sullivan Tire’s repair warranty schedule, whichever comes first (read 9 October 2026)** | Service | Parts | Labor | | --- | --- | --- | | Air conditioning, cooling system | 24 months or 24,000 miles | 24 months or 24,000 miles | | Alignment (voided by steering or suspension parts installed afterwards) | 6 months or 6,000 miles | 6 months or 6,000 miles | | Belts and hoses (cooling system) | Lifetime, to the original purchaser | 24 months or 24,000 miles | | Brake services (not the Front Brake Special or an overhaul) | 24 months or 24,000 miles | 24 months or 24,000 miles | | Brake overhaul (pads and shoes “Warranted Lifetime”) | 24 months or 24,000 miles | 24 months or 24,000 miles | | Front Brake Special, 2-wheel disc | 6 months or 6,000 miles | 6 months or 6,000 miles | | Engine tune-up; exhaust, steering and suspension parts (not mufflers or drive train) | 24 months or 24,000 miles | 24 months or 24,000 miles | | Muffler; struts and shocks | 24 months or 24,000 miles, or lifetime to the original purchaser if a Lifetime Limited Warranty is on the invoice | 24 months or 24,000 miles | | Wheel balance (car tires) | 24 months or 24,000 miles, or for the usable tread to 2/32 inch if a Lifetime Limited Warranty is on the invoice; not if the tire is demounted | Not stated | | Batteries, tires, oil changes, diagnostics | No line in the schedule | | Each term ends at whichever limit you reach first. The lifetime terms depend on the paperwork: the footnotes say the lifetime parts warranty “must be listed on invoice,” and the wheel-balance line “Must be listed on invoice as ‘Limited Warranty.’” Check the invoice before you leave. **Batteries.** Sullivan’s battery page says “our battery, and a ll other services have a warranty and a Nationwide Warranty through the Goodyear Tire & Service Network,” but the schedule has no battery line, and Goodyear’s network warranty, as [this site recorded it on 9 October 2026](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/#repair-warranty), lists “TIRES, BATTERIES” among its exclusions. Ask for the battery’s warranty in writing; see our [car battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/). **What the network’s own document says.** Goodyear’s Tire & Service Network warranty, as this site recorded it, covers listed repair types “for 24 months or 24,000 miles of use, whichever comes first,” and is “extended only to you, the original purchaser.” Claims go back to the shop that did the work, but “If you are more than 25 miles from that location, you must go to the nearest Tire & Service Network outlet,” with the original repair order in hand. Two points don’t line up with Sullivan’s page. The network document covers “Brake system” repairs for 24 months or 24,000 miles, while Sullivan gives its Front Brake Special 6 months or 6,000 miles, and neither page says which term a shop elsewhere would apply. And Goodyear’s document adds 12 months of roadside assistance “at no additional charge” after a network repair, which Sullivan’s page doesn’t mention; ask. **Tires away from home.** Sullivan’s page adds a road hazard rule for other network shops: they “will honor optional road hazard warranty coverage purchased by a consumer and administered by Sonsio Administrative Services, Inc., only for Goodyear, Kelly, Cooper, and Starfire products,” and “All other optional warranty coverage” on those brands for 3 years: “YEAR 1: Free replacement YEAR 2: Consumer pays 50% of replacement cost YEAR 3: Consumer pays 75% of replacement cost.” So the cover pays 50% in year two and 25% in year three, by our arithmetic. Goodyear’s own version of that paragraph names “Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC,” lists “Goodyear, Dunlop, and Kelly products” and promises “Tire-based coverage for 3 years” with “Free Replacement.” No page says whether a network shop treats Sullivan’s own plan as “other optional warranty coverage,” and on any other brand of tire, the network rule doesn’t apply at all. Our [Goodyear Auto Service page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/#road-hazard) reads the rest of the network’s terms. ## The 30-Day Ride Guarantee, and the tire makers’ trials “If you’re not satisfied with your purchase and installation of 4 new tires from Sullivan Tire and Auto Service on or before 30 days of the original purchase, we guarantee an exchange for equal or lesser value tires,” says the [Ride Guarantee page](https://www.sullivantire.com/ride-guarantee). The one-page terms sheet it links adds the rules. On the plus side, the replacement “does not have to be the same brand,” and “Mounting and balancing costs are covered on the exchanged tires.” The limits: - “Excludes special order tires, commercial application, tires not installed at a Sullivan Tire location, winter tires, and damaged tires due to but not limited to road hazard, racing related activities, vehicle related mechanical problems, and misuse application.” - “Applies to light truck and passenger tires only.” - “Tires cannot have used more than 1/32nd of original tread.” - “One exchange limit per purchase. The exchange is not considered a purchase and the replacement tires are not covered by the 30-day guarantee.” - “Customer is responsible for payment of the total difference for a more expensive replacement.” If the new set costs less, “the customer will be reimbursed the difference and billed as a manufacturer warranty.” - “Rebates and promotions do not apply to the exchange.” The winter-tire exclusion matters in New England: a set of winter tires bought in the fall has no Sullivan trial at all. And the guarantee steps aside for the tire maker’s own: it “Cannot be combined with manufacturer guarantees or trials,” and “Manufacturer guarantees or trials supersede the Sullivan Tire 30 Ride Guarantee.” The page lists nine maker programs, from Bridgestone’s and Firestone’s 90-day Buy & Try to a Goodyear, Dunlop or Kelly “30-Day Pledge” and a Pirelli “30-Day Trial Offer.” Those last two are out of date against the makers’ own documents as this site recorded them: Goodyear’s pages describe a 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, and Pirelli’s warranty a 60-day trial period. Check the maker’s own terms; our [comparison of tire makers’ trials](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#trials) lists them. ## The Tire Price Match Guarantee: a match on the tire price The home page calls it a “Best Price Guarantee”; the [terms page](https://www.sullivantire.com/why-choose-sullivan-tire-auto-service/price-match-guarantee) describes a match. “If you find the same tire(s) (make, model, size, ply) for less with any legitimate big box stores, local or online competitors, Sullivan Tire will match the price of that tire.” The rules: - It “applies to the price of the tire(s) only, plus any applicable delivery or handling fees charged by the competitor.” Installation, alignment and other services “are not included.” - “In-stock tires only,” the tires “Must be installed at a Sullivan Tire location,” and “No carry-outs.” - It “can be combined with manufacturer rebate discounts” but not with promotions such as “Instant Discounts” or “Buy 3, Get 1 Free”; Sullivan says it will honor whichever saves you more. - “Tire Price Match Quotes are valid for 14 days from quote creation,” and the match “does not apply to past purchases.” - “Sullivan Tire reserves the right to decline a tire price match request at its own discretion.” You ask through the online appointment form, chat or phone. Because only the tire price is matched, compare installed totals yourself. There is no after-the-sale refund like the 30-day price protection on our [Town Fair Tire page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/#price-promises). ## Paying: two tire-brand cards, no Sullivan card Sullivan has no store card of its own. Its [Financing Options page](https://www.sullivantire.com/resources/financing-options) (“Drive now and pay later. Usable on all tire brands and all services.”) offers two cards made for tire brands: - **The Goodyear Credit Card**, which “can be used on all tire brands and services offered at Sullivan Tire,” with “6-month special financing* on purchases of $250 or more.” Goodyear’s own card page, read the same day for [our Goodyear page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/#credit-card), says “The Goodyear Credit Card is issued by Citibank, N.A.” Sullivan says it is accepted at “over 11,000” Exxon and Mobil stations; Goodyear now says over 11,500. - **The Continental Tire Synchrony Car Care credit card**, with “6-Month promotional financing,” “No Annual Fee” and “$0 Fraud Liability.” The promotional terms printed for the Continental card are deferred interest: “No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and the minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” The page also prints an undated purchase rate, which we don’t repeat; the binding figure is in the application disclosure. One privacy term goes with any purchase. The Privacy Policy says that by giving your email address at a purchase, “you have given Sullivan Tire permission to use your email address to create and use social media lookalike audiences” for its ad campaigns. To opt out, it says to ask for your address to be removed from its database. ## How Sullivan’s road hazard terms compare This table sets Sullivan’s plan beside three other sellers’ printed terms, copied from this site’s readings of [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/#road-hazard), [Belle Tire’s Tire Protection Plan](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/#tire-protection-plan) and [Goodyear Auto Service](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/#road-hazard), all on 9 October 2026. Documents, not prices; no ranking. **Road hazard and flat repair terms as each seller prints them (all read 9 October 2026)** | Term | Sullivan Tire | Town Fair Tire | Belle Tire | Goodyear Auto Service | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Road hazard cover on a new tire | Sold separately; cost “depends on the price of the tire and the particular tire size” | Customers are “entitled” to it, but only on “select tire models” | Optional Tire Protection Plan | Road Hazard Protection add-on | | How long it lasts | “the entire useful life of the tires” | “For As Long As You Own The Tires” | 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years, whichever comes first | “3 years” | | A tire that can’t be repaired | Free in the first 12 months or 25% of wear, whichever comes first; then prorated; you pay rebalance, valve and disposal | “we will simply replace it, no exclusions”; cost basis not printed | “we’ll help with replacement under your plan” | “tire replacement coverage for 3 years”; basis not published | | Free flat repair | With the plan only | For tire buyers, “on any vehicle that you own” | Included with installation | Part of Road Hazard Protection | | After a replacement, or a sale of the car | Plan on that tire is void; not transferable to the new tire, another tire or another person | Not stated | Stays with the original purchaser, tire and vehicle | Not published | Sullivan’s plan page is the only one of the four to print a free-replacement window and a proration rule; what it doesn’t print is the plan’s price. Our pages on [BJ’s tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/bjs-tires/) and [Monro](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/monro/) read two more sellers’ terms; [Les Schwab](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/#road-hazard) includes road hazard cover with tires. ## Where Sullivan’s own pages disagree We recorded 19 places where Sullivan’s pages differ from each other or from the Goodyear and tire-maker documents they cite. The ones that matter most: - **Who owns it.** The Why Sullivan page still says “family-owned and operated”; the home and About pages say 100% employee-owned since 2023. The 2023 release calls the plan an “Employee Stock Option Plan,” later pages an “Employee Stock Ownership Plan.” - **How many stores, and where.** “70+” on one page, 83 on the list; Connecticut named, with no store there. - **Battery cover.** Promised through the Goodyear network on the battery page, missing from the schedule, and excluded by the network document. - **Brake terms.** 6 months or 6,000 miles for the Front Brake Special at Sullivan; 24 months or 24,000 miles for brake repairs in the network document. - **Away-from-home tire cover.** Sullivan and Goodyear name different brands, different company forms for Sonsio and different payouts. - **Maker trials.** Goodyear and Pirelli trials listed at 30 days; the makers’ documents say 60. - **Intervals.** Four rotation intervals and five alignment-check intervals across Sullivan’s pages; the plan offers a free alignment check “every 6 months” and then recommends one every 12. The invoice and any written plan terms you are handed, not the website, decide what you can claim. ## Before you buy tires at Sullivan Tire Sullivan says it registers your tires with their maker automatically. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), an independent dealer can either hand you “a paper tire registration form” or send it to the maker “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days,” so ask for confirmation that yours was sent. NHTSA’s [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) covers tires; our page on [tire recalls and age](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) explains why registration matters. And for any product “actually costing the consumer more than $15.00,” [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml) requires the seller to make a written warranty’s text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” - **Ask the plan’s price per tire** and get the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan’s written terms before you add it. - **Ask about the plan at the counter** if you want free flat repair; it isn’t in the installation package. - **Keep sealant cans out of it:** an aerosol or liquid inflator voids the plan. - **Check the invoice** for any lifetime parts or wheel-balance warranty; the schedule says it must be listed there. - **Ask for the battery warranty in writing;** the schedule has no battery line. - **Keep every repair order** if you may need a Goodyear network shop elsewhere. - **Don’t count on the Ride Guarantee** for winter tires or special orders, and check the tire maker’s own trial first. - **For a price match,** bring a quote for the same in-stock tire before you buy; it covers the tire price only and lasts 14 days. - **On a promotional card balance,** clear it before the six months end. ## Common questions ### Who owns Sullivan Tire? Its employees. Sullivan says the Sullivan family transferred ownership to an employee stock ownership plan in 2023, making it 100% employee-owned; its 2023 release put the owners at nearly 1,500 employees. Sullivan describes itself as independent. ### Does Sullivan Tire have free road hazard protection? No. Road hazard cover is the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan, sold per tire at a cost that depends on the tire’s price and size. With it, an unrepairable tire is replaced free within 12 months or 25% of wear, whichever comes first, then on a prorated basis. ### Does Sullivan Tire fix flats for free? Only for buyers of the Tire Maintenance and Protection Plan, whose repairs “are free for the life of the tires.” Free flat repair is not among the benefits of the standard installation package. ### Does Sullivan Tire price match? Yes, on the tire price only: the same tire (make, model, size, ply), in stock, from a legitimate store or online seller, before you buy and installed at Sullivan. Quotes last 14 days, and it doesn’t combine with instant discounts. ### What is the Sullivan Tire Nationwide Warranty? Sullivan’s repair warranty schedule, honored by Goodyear Tire & Service Network shops. Most repairs carry 24 months or 24,000 miles on parts and labor, whichever comes first; alignments and the Front Brake Special carry 6 months or 6,000 miles; a few parts carry lifetime cover if it is on the invoice. ### Does Sullivan Tire have a credit card? Not its own. It takes the Goodyear Credit Card, with 6-month special financing on purchases of $250 or more, and the Continental Tire Synchrony Car Care card, whose promotional financing charges interest from the purchase date if the balance isn’t cleared in time. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sullivan-tire/ --- title: "BJ’s Tires: Road Hazard Warranty, Installation and Tire Centers" description: "BJ’s puts a road hazard warranty on every tire: free for 9 months up to $200, then prorated to 36 months. What installation includes, returns and tire centers." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/bjs-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # BJ’s Tires: Road Hazard Warranty, Installation and Tire Centers > BJ’s puts a road hazard warranty on every tire: free for 9 months up to $200, then prorated to 36 months. What installation includes, returns and tire centers. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,962 words* ## The short version - Every tire BJ’s sells carries its Road Hazard Limited Warranty. BJ’s 10-K says the warranty is part of the tire’s sale price and “cannot be declined.” It runs 36 months or 36,000 miles, or until any part of the tread is down to 2/32 inch, whichever comes first. - In the first nine months, BJ’s replaces a tire with covered road damage “at no charge, not to exceed $200 per tire.” After that the allowance is pro-rated by months in service, and BJ’s does not print what the proration is based on. - Each installation includes rotation, rebalancing, flat repairs and inflation checks for the life of the tire, “subject to appointment availability and blackout periods.” Alignment costs extra. BJ’s prints no standing installation price; it refunds $20.00 a tire if it does not install the tires. - BJ’s installs only tires bought from BJ’s. Fewer than four go on the rear axle, and an all-wheel-drive owner buying fewer than four is asked to sign an acknowledgment. - You need a membership; BJ’s 10-K puts Club at “generally $60” and Club+ at “generally $120.” Unlike Sam’s Club’s terms, BJ’s warranty terms do not say the cover ends with your membership. - BJ’s tire locator listed 225 tire centers in 22 states on 9 October 2026, against 267 clubs in its latest quarterly filing. For tires, BJ’s offers a possible replacement within 30 days, decided case by case, not the 365 days its return policy headlines. BJ’s Wholesale Club fits only tires it sold, includes lifetime rotation, balancing and flat repair with each installation, and puts a Road Hazard Limited Warranty on every tire: free replacement for covered damage in the first nine months (up to $200 a tire), then a pro-rated allowance, ending at 36 months, 36,000 miles or 2/32 inch of tread. On 9 October 2026 we read BJ’s [Road Hazard Warranty page](https://tires.bjs.com/road-hazard/) and [Tire Installation and Service rules](https://tires.bjs.com/installation/), the tire site’s other pages and its Tire Center Locator, four Help Center answers, BJ’s Terms of Use, Membership Terms and [Return Policy](https://www.bjs.com/info/returns/), and the [10-K filed on March 12, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1531152/000153115226000007/bj-20260131.htm) and latest 10-Q of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings. Costco and Sam’s Club terms come from our readings of 6 and 7 October 2026. This site has no commercial relationship with BJ’s or any tire seller or maker. **Figure: What BJ’s road hazard warranty says, by situation** A two-column table of seven situations under BJ’s Road Hazard Limited Warranty: a cut or puncture over 1/4 inch that cannot be repaired in the first 9 months is replaced at no charge up to $200 per tire; after month 9 the replacement allowance is pro-rated by months in service; a sidewall bubble from a pothole is covered as an impact break; cover ends at 2/32 inch of tread, 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first; accidents, vandalism, misalignment and low pressure are not covered; nor are commercial vehicles, off-road use or wheels over 24 inches; and BJ’s will not install tires bought elsewhere. Read from BJ’s Road Hazard Warranty and Tire Installation pages on tires.bjs.com on 9 October 2026. BJ’s does not print the base the proration uses. ## What comes with a BJ’s tire installation, and the fitting rules BJ’s sells its tires under a “3-Point Tire Promise” of brands, value and service. The value point is the one with terms attached. The tire site’s home page says: “Each installation* includes: Tire Rotation, Wheel Rebalancing, Flat Repairs, Inflation Check plus Full Road Hazard Warranty.” The asterisk leads to: “Only valid on tires purchased at and installed by BJ’s. Maintenance for Life of Tire services are subject to appointment availability and blackout periods.” BJ’s does not call this a package and prints no standing price for it. The one fixed figure is a refund: “If the BJ’s Tire Center does not install your tires, you will be refunded $20.00 per tire plus any applicable sales tax for your city and state.” For a set of four that is $80, by our arithmetic. The home page also ran several dated offers on tires and installation when we read it; we do not quote them, because they change within days. It names 9 brands, from Michelin and Goodyear to Nexen and Hankook, and orders “can be placed online or in Club. Sorry, no phone orders.” The installation page sets the fitting rules: - **Only BJ’s tires.** “Only tires purchased from BJ’s Wholesale Club will be installed by a BJ’s Certified Tire Center Associate. Tires purchased elsewhere will not be installed.” - **Only tires authorized for your vehicle,** with a speed rating and load-carrying capacity “the same or higher” than the vehicle maker fitted at the factory. Our guide to [the door placard](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) shows where those figures sit. - **Fewer than four go on the back.** “When purchasing fewer than four tires, the new tires will be installed on the rear of your vehicle regardless of the drive axle,” except on dual-wheel vehicles and those with different sizes front and rear. - **All-wheel and four-wheel drive.** Buy fewer than four and “Members will be asked for a signature indicating that they understand the potential for such damage” to the differentials. The new tires must match the old in size and tread design, with less than 1 inch of difference in overall circumference. - **Snow tires** go on in sets of four on front-wheel, four-wheel and all-wheel drive; “Two snow tires can be installed on the rear of a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.” The same page names two different deciders. Near the top, “The final decision to install a tire on a vehicle will be made by the BJ’s Tire Center Manager or Supervisor”; in the notes at its foot, “the BJ’s Certified Tire Center Associates.” If BJ’s declines to fit a tire, the $20.00-a-tire refund is what the page promises. Pressure sensors are not mentioned on the installation pages. The tire care page advises that rubber valves “can deteriorate over time. Replace them when you buy new tires,” but no page says whether the installation includes them. Ask; our page on [pressure sensors when tires are changed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/#tyres-changed) explains why parts can be needed. ## Lifetime maintenance: rotation, balancing, flat repair, and the blackout periods The Tire Promise page lists “Lifetime Maintenance” as tire rotation, tire balancing, flat repair and inflation check; BJ’s services page calls it “FREE maintenance for the life of the tires.” No page defines the life of a tire or sets a tread depth at which the services stop. The limits printed are practical: the services “are subject to appointment availability and blackout periods. Contact your local BJ’s Tire Center for applicable blackout dates.” Free, then, but not on demand; call before a seasonal rush. The FAQ says to rotate “following the schedule in your vehicle owners manual or as required by the tire manufacturer’s warranty,” and the tire care page gives a default: “If no period is specified in your vehicle owners manual, tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles.” Our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers the makers’ schedules. Alignment is extra: “It is not included in your tire purchase and installation price.” BJ’s aligns wheels “at select BJ’s Tire Center locations,” also without a tire purchase, and says most vehicle makers recommend a check “every 10,000 miles or 12 months; whichever comes first.” Both of BJ’s warranties exclude wear from misalignment; our page on [reading tire wear](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#reading-wear) shows the patterns. BJ’s prints no flat-repair rules of its own: no puncture-size limit, no word on plugs. Its warranty page does say internal damage “requires dismounting the tire from its rim and examination by trained tire personnel,” so ask for the tire to come off the wheel before a repair. Run-flats have tighter limits; see [why shops often refuse to repair them](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). ## The Road Hazard Limited Warranty: what it covers and when it ends BJ’s road hazard cover is not an add-on you choose. “The Road Hazard Limited Warranty is included on all tires purchased at BJ’s on non-commercial vehicles with a wheel diameter of 24” or less.” If BJ’s staff find the tire “damaged beyond repair, and that its continued use would compromise your safety,” BJ’s will “effect a replacement allowance under the terms and conditions herein.” The end point is one sentence: “Road Hazard Warranties are good until any portion of the tire has worn to a depth of 2/32” or less, or for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.” The first limit reached ends the cover. By our arithmetic, anyone driving more than 12,000 miles a year reaches 36,000 miles before 36 months (3 years), and a tire that wears unevenly can hit 2/32 inch at one spot before either. Our guide to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows where 2/32 inch sits. The page covers two kinds of damage: “Tires that have large punctures, slices, cuts or any other damage in excess of 1/4” in diameter that might compromise the structural integrity of the tire,” and “A tire with a bubble in its sidewall. This is called an impact break and typically occurs when the tire has hit a pothole or other object, pinching the sidewall between the rim and the object.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the tread edge, the sidewall and the lower part of the tire, each with one fact from BJ’s Road Hazard Limited Warranty. BJ’s Road Hazard Limited Warranty page on tires.bjs.com, read on 9 October 2026: A cut or puncture over 1/4 inch that can’t be repaired is road hazard damage (callout 1); A sidewall bubble from a pothole is an impact break, and BJ’s covers it (callout 2); Cover ends at 2/32 inch of tread, 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. It lists 10 exclusions: irregular wear from misalignment, vehicle defects or “lack of maintenance”; “Improper inflation, overloading or driving on the tire with little or no air pressure”; “Accident, fire, vandalism, or purposeful abuse”; damage from obstructions or vehicle modifications; “Improper installation”; ozone or weather checking; recapped or retread tires; cosmetic damage and sidewall abrasions; “Off-road or commercial use of tires”; and tires bought before 10/29/2007, which “have different warranty terms.” Two of those deserve a second look. Driving on a tire “with little or no air pressure” is how a slow leak often ends, so pulling over early protects the claim as well as the tire. And “Improper installation” is excluded although BJ’s does the installing; the page does not say how a claim is handled when the fitting was its own. Nothing on the warranty page mentions membership. The cover is tied to the tire, the original purchaser and proof of purchase. Sam’s Club, by contrast, says its package benefits last “for as long as they remain an active member of Sam’s Club,” as our [Sam’s Club tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#road-hazard) sets out. ## What a road hazard claim pays, and how to make one The payout has two stages. “If the failure occurs within the first nine (9) months of service, we will replace the tire at no charge, not to exceed $200 per tire. Thereafter, this warranty is pro-rated based on the number of months the tire has been in service.” The free stage is 9 of the 36 months, a quarter of the term (25%, by our arithmetic). On that wording, a replacement costing more than $200 in those months would leave you the difference. After month nine the page gives the measure, months in service, but not the base. It does not say whether the proration runs over the 36-month term, or what price it applies to: what you paid, today’s price for the same tire, or something else. If it did run over 36 months, a tire ruined after 18 months would have used 18 of 36 months, half, and BJ’s allowance would cover the other half. That is our illustration, on an assumption BJ’s does not state. The measure is months, not tread, so a tire that has worn little in 18 months still counts as half used on that reading. Our page on [how prorated replacements are priced](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) shows how tire makers word the same sum. **BJ’s does not print how its pro-rated allowance is worked out.** Before you pay for a road hazard replacement after the first nine months, ask the tire center what price the allowance is taken from, over how many months it is spread, and whether you also pay for mounting and balancing. The warranty page answers none of the three directly. The third question comes from the page itself. Under BJ’s mileage warranty, “Member must pay the adjusted price of the replacement tire, local taxes and all charges for mounting and balancing.” That list sits under the mileage heading; the road hazard section has none of its own. To claim, “Bring the tire(s) in question and original receipt to any BJ’s Club location with a Tire Center,” not only the one that sold the tires. The warranty is “not transferable and is available only to the original purchaser,” and “No claims will be considered without proof of purchase.” ## BJ’s Limited Mileage Warranty and the tire maker’s warranty The same page carries a second warranty in BJ’s name. A tire bought from BJ’s with a mileage warranty “is warranted to deliver a tread life of the specified mileage under normal driving conditions and maintenance when properly installed on your vehicle.” The mileage figure is the maker’s; BJ’s sets the claim rules. If a tire “wears evenly across the tread down to the tread-wear indicators (2/32” tread depth) before delivering the specified mileage, BJ’s will give credit toward the purchase of a comparable new tire based on the mileage unit price, upon presentation of and exchange for the worn tire.” “Mileage will be determined by the odometer reading of your car,” and there is no cash refund unless BJ’s, “in its sole discretion, so elects.” The member has 3 duties: pay the adjusted price, local taxes and “all charges for mounting and balancing”; pay the difference if the original construction is unavailable and a dearer tire replaces it; and “fill out and sign a standard claim form.” There are 5 exclusions, including racing, off-road, camper and trailer use, cars normally driven outside the U.S.A., and claims by anyone but “the first retail purchaser.” The one most likely to bite is the first: no adjustment where “proper inflation pressures, wheel balance and wheel alignment have not been maintained, or if the tires have not been rotated when needed as indicated by irregular tread wear pattern.” BJ’s judges rotation by the wear on the tire. A maker’s own warranty can be stricter. The Michelin booklet we read for our [Costco tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#maker-warranty) on 6 October 2026 requires rotation “every 6,000 - 8,000 miles (10,000 -12,000 km), or as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, whichever rotation period is less.” Michelin is one of BJ’s 9 brands. Since free rotations depend on appointments, keep an invoice with the odometer reading for every visit. Defects are the maker’s. BJ’s 10-K says the company “passes on any manufacturers’ warranties to members.” The Michelin booklet covers defects for the life of the original usable tread “or six (6) years from date of purchase (whichever comes first),” and replaces a covered tire free of charge within 12 months of purchase if 2/32 inch or less of the original tread is worn (or 25% or less, whichever is more beneficial to you). Other makers differ; our [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#mileage) page compares them. BJ’s pages link no maker’s booklet, so ask for yours: under 16 CFR 702.3 a seller must make warranty text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” for example by “Furnishing it upon request prior to sale.” BJ’s calls these limited warranties, designed that way “In accordance with federal law,” and says no implied warranties “are extended beyond the time when the tire has delivered its original tread life as shown by wear to one or more tread wear indicator bars.” ## What BJ’s tells investors about its tire warranty BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. is a public company, and its annual report says three things about tires. We read the 10-K for fiscal 2025 (the year to January 31, 2026) and the one before it; the tire passages are the same in both. The first, under “Warranty Programs,” is the one that matters to a buyer: “The Company passes on any manufacturers’ warranties to members. In addition, the Company includes an extended warranty on tires sold at the clubs, under which the Company customers receive tire repair services or tire replacement in certain circumstances. This warranty is included in the sale price of the tire and it cannot be declined by the customers. The Company is fully liable for claims under the tire warranty program.” So the road hazard cover is part of what you pay for the tire, not a fee you can skip; the company liable for a claim is BJ’s itself; and the maker’s warranty is the maker’s. The 10-K adds that “The liability for future claims under this program is not material to the financial statements,” which means only that the program is small in BJ’s accounts. The second passage lists tires in “General merchandise and services,” beside electronics, apparel and furniture, a category which “constituted approximately 13% of our merchandise sales for fiscal year 2025”; there is no separate tire figure. The third lists “tire installation services” among BJ’s specialty services, beside optical centers and propane filling. The filings also size the chain: 263 clubs on January 31, 2026, up from 250 a year earlier, and 199 gas stations. The 10-Q for the quarter to August 1, 2026 says BJ’s “operated 267 warehouse clubs and 206 gas stations in 22 states,” and says nothing about tires. Searches on 9 October 2026 found no attorney-general, FTC or court record about BJ’s tire centers, so none is described here. ## Which BJ’s clubs have a tire center Not all of them. BJ’s help answer says: “We have Tire Centers in many of our clubs!” It points to the bjs.com Club Locator, whose “Refine by service” filter shows clubs with a tire center within 10 or up to 100 miles of a ZIP code. The tire site has its own Tire Center Locator. We counted that list on 9 October 2026: 225 entries in 22 states. Against the 267 clubs in BJ’s August 2026 filing, that is about 84% of clubs, or 42 short, by our arithmetic; the dates differ, so treat the gap as approximate. Every entry printed the same hours, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Setting the 10-K’s clubs by state beside the locator shows where the gaps are: **BJ’s clubs by state (10-K, January 31, 2026) and tire-center entries on BJ’s tire locator (9 October 2026)** | State | Clubs (10-K) | Tire-center entries (locator) | | --- | --- | --- | | New York | 50 | 34 | | Florida | 43 | 34 | | Massachusetts | 26 | 20 | | New Jersey | 24 | 22 | | Pennsylvania | 19 | 17 | | Virginia | 14 | 12 | | Connecticut | 13 | 11 | | Maryland | 12 | 11 | | North Carolina | 11 | 11 | | Ohio | 8 | 8 | | Georgia | 7 | 7 | | New Hampshire | 7 | 6 | | Tennessee | 6 | 6 | | Michigan | 5 | 5 | | Delaware | 4 | 3 | | Rhode Island | 4 | 3 | | Maine | 3 | 3 | | South Carolina | 3 | 3 | | Indiana | 2 | 2 | | Alabama | 1 | 2 | | Kentucky | 1 | 1 | | Texas | Not in the 10-K table | 4 | In 9 states the counts match. In 11 the locator lists fewer tire centers than the state had clubs, with the largest gaps in New York (16 fewer) and Florida (9 fewer). Alabama and Texas run the other way: BJ’s added clubs after January, and its own counts went from 21 states in the 10-K table to 22 in the 10-Q. A gap does not tell you which club lacks a tire center, so check yours before you drive there with a flat. The help answer suggests calling “your local club’s Tire Bay to save time”; you can ask about stock by phone, but not order. ## Membership, ordering online and returns “A BJ’s membership is required to shop on BJs.com, in the BJ’s mobile app, and in our clubs,” the Membership Terms say, and members must be 18 or older. Online, “You must be signed into a BJs.com account linked with your BJ’s Membership to purchase tires on BJs.com.” The tire pages make no distinction between Club and Club+ members. BJ’s 10-K puts Club membership at “generally $60” a year and Club+ at “generally $120,” up from $55 and $110 before January 1, 2025. Club+ earns “2% cash back, up to a maximum of $500 per year, on qualified purchases.” Whether tires earn it, the Membership Terms do not say: eligible purchases are those “in-club at BJ’s front-end registers, on BJs.com, or in the BJ’s mobile app,” and the exclusion list (optical, propane, gas, gift cards, “third-party services (e.g., BJ’s Travel®, warranties)” and more) does not name tires. Ask if it matters to you; we make no recommendation on either tier. A lapse costs money: after expiry, “a non-member surcharge equal to 20% of your total purchase will apply to all of your post-expiration BJ’s purchases in-club,” though it can go toward a renewal “within seven (7) days.” A renewal within two months of expiry runs 12 months from the old date. No page says whether a lapsed member keeps free rotations or road hazard claims, so ask before booking near your renewal date. Returns are where BJ’s documents pull apart. The Return Policy headline is “365 days to make returns,” but tires are handled separately: “For tire returns, please visit your local club or call our tire support team.” The help answer is narrower: “If you are dissatisfied with your tires within 30 days of purchase, under certain circumstances, you may be able to replace your tires with another set purchased from BJ’s,” and “All return requests due to ‘buyer’s remorse’ are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.” That is a replacement at the club’s discretion, not a promised refund. Some makers run their own trial; the Michelin booklet promises a 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, exchanged at the place you bought the tires. BJ’s pages do not mention any maker’s trial, so ask how your club handles one. ## BJ’s, Sam’s Club and Costco: road hazard terms side by side The three warehouse clubs word their road hazard cover differently. This table compares what each prints, not prices, and does not rank them. The Sam’s Club and Costco cells come from our readings on 7 and 6 October 2026; our [Sam’s Club tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#road-hazard) and [Costco tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) pages give their full terms. **Road hazard terms as each warehouse club prints them (BJ’s read 9 October 2026; Sam’s Club 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Term | BJ’s | Sam’s Club | Costco | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How long it lasts | 36 months or 36,000 miles, or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | 5 years from purchase, as long as you remain a member | 60 months from purchase, or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | | What a replacement costs you | Nothing in the first 9 months, up to $200 a tire; then pro-rated by months in service | You are charged for the tread you used; installation package charges apply | A credit for the usable tread left, times the price you paid net of discounts | | How you get it | Included on all tires bought at BJ’s; the 10-K says it cannot be declined | Comes with the Premium Tire Installation Package | Covers most passenger, performance and light truck tires bought from Costco | | Membership | Its warranty terms do not mention membership | Package benefits last while you remain an active member | Costco will not service tires bought by non-members | | Tires bought elsewhere | Will not be installed; BJ’s pages do not mention flat repair on them | Free tire repair for members, wherever the tire was bought | Not addressed on the pages read | The structures differ more than the headline numbers. BJ’s is the only one of the three with a fixed free period and the only one that prorates by months rather than tread. Its term is the shortest, but a tire ruined early costs nothing up to the cap, where Sam’s Club charges for any tread used and Costco credits only the tread left. Walmart’s road hazard cover is optional and bought separately; our [Walmart tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#road-hazard) page reads it. Our pages on [Sullivan Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sullivan-tire/) and [Monro](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/monro/) read those chains’ own documents. ## Where BJ’s documents disagree, and what they leave out BJ’s tire terms are spread over a tire site, a help center, a returns page and an annual report. We recorded 8 places where they disagree or pull apart: - **Defects under road hazard.** The help answer says that if your tires “are defective or you experience covered damage,” you may get a replacement or prorated credit under the road hazard warranty. The warranty’s own list of what is covered names only road damage, and the 10-K says the makers’ warranties are passed on. - **Who decides on fitting.** The Tire Center Manager or Supervisor at the top of the installation page; the Certified Tire Center Associates at its foot. - **What the warranty comes with.** “included on all tires purchased at BJ’s” on the warranty page and part of the sale price in the 10-K, but listed in what “Each installation” includes on the home page, “Only valid on tires purchased at and installed by BJ’s.” - **Returns.** 365 days in the Return Policy headline; 30 days, a replacement set and case-by-case review in the tire answer. - **Whose mileage warranty.** The tire site presents a “BJ’s Limited Mileage Warranty”; the 10-K names road hazard as the program BJ’s is “fully liable” for and says makers’ warranties are passed on. - **The Membership Terms link.** The Terms of Use incorporate BJ’s Membership Terms, but their link served the Terms of Use itself on 9 October 2026. - **A deli in the tire answer.** “Does my local club have a Tire Center?” tells you to check “Club Features” “to see if your local club has a Deli.” - **A Michelin retailer in BJ’s FAQ.** The tire FAQ twice sends readers to “your local authorized Michelin retailer.” No BJ’s page we read gives the months and price the proration uses, whether a road hazard replacement is charged for mounting and balancing, whether the free services and warranty need an active membership, the blackout dates, a standing installation price, whether tires earn Club+ rewards, full tire return terms, or how BJ’s registers tires with their makers. ## Before you buy tires at BJ’s Register the tires. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574/section-574.8) an independent tire dealer either hands you a paper form recording “The entire tire identification number” and the dealer’s name and address, or registers the tires with the maker, on paper or electronically, “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” BJ’s pages do not mention registration, so ask; it is how a maker reaches you in a recall. Check the tire’s age too: BJ’s FAQ explains the 4-digit date code (week, then year) on tires made after January 1, 2000, and our guide to [reading the date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) shows where it is. - **Confirm your club has a tire center** and call about stock; you can ask by phone but not order. - **Ask how the road hazard allowance is prorated** after nine months, and from what price. - **Ask whether a road hazard replacement is charged** for mounting and balancing. - **Ask about pressure sensors and valves** before the work starts. - **Buy four for all-wheel or four-wheel drive,** or expect to sign BJ’s acknowledgment. - **Get the tire maker’s warranty booklet** and note its mileage figure and rotation rule. - **Keep the original receipt** and an invoice with the odometer reading for each free rotation. - **Book free services early,** ask about blackout dates, and keep the membership current. ## Common questions ### What does BJ’s tire installation include? BJ’s says each installation includes rotation, wheel rebalancing, flat repairs and inflation checks for the life of the tire, plus its Road Hazard Limited Warranty, with the free services “subject to appointment availability and blackout periods.” Alignment is not included. BJ’s prints no standing installation price; if it does not install your tires, it refunds $20.00 a tire. ### How does BJ’s road hazard warranty work? It comes on every tire bought at BJ’s for a non-commercial vehicle with wheels of 24 inches or less. Unrepairable damage over 1/4 inch, or a sidewall bubble from an impact, is covered: free replacement up to $200 in the first 9 months, then an allowance pro-rated by months in service. Cover ends at 2/32 inch of tread, 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. ### Do you need a BJ’s membership to buy tires? Yes, in clubs and online; online tire orders need a BJs.com account linked to a membership. BJ’s 10-K puts Club at generally $60 a year and Club+ at generally $120, and a lapsed member pays a 20% surcharge in clubs. ### Will BJ’s install tires I bought somewhere else? No: “Tires purchased elsewhere will not be installed.” BJ’s pages do not say whether it repairs flats on outside tires. Clubs that offer alignment will align wheels without a tire purchase. ### Can you return tires to BJ’s? Sometimes. Within 30 days you may be able to swap them for another set, decided case by case. The 365-day return headline does not set the tire terms; the Return Policy sends tire returns to the club. ### Does every BJ’s have a tire center? No. BJ’s tire locator listed 225 tire centers in 22 states on 9 October 2026, against 267 clubs reported on August 1, 2026, with the largest gaps in New York and Florida. Check the locator, then call the club. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/bjs-tires/ --- title: "Monro Auto Service: Lifetime Brakes, Price Match and Who Owns It" description: "Monro's lifetime pad warranty covers manufacturer defects only, and its price guarantee covers tires only. What its pages, filings and public records say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/monro/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Monro Auto Service: Lifetime Brakes, Price Match and Who Owns It > Monro's lifetime pad warranty covers manufacturer defects only, and its price guarantee covers tires only. What its pages, filings and public records say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,955 words* ## The short version - Monro, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNRO), known until 2017 as Monro Muffler Brake, ran 1,115 company-operated shops in 32 states on 28 March 2026, plus 46 franchised Car-X shops. Only 296 of them trade under the Monro name; Tire Choice and Mr. Tire have 297 each. - Monro’s “LIMITED LIFETIME pad warranty” is, in its own footnote, “for manufacturer defects only.” Brake labor is warranted for “12-month/12,000-Mile,” or 24 months and 24,000 miles on two of the three packages; the page does not say whether cover ends at whichever comes first. - The 30-Day Price Guarantee covers “the invoice price of the tire ONLY,” matched against a local store’s advertised, in-stock price; online sellers are excluded. Monro says it refunds the difference. - Monro sells tire road hazard agreements, its 10-K says, typically lasting 21 to 36 months, but none of the 19 pages of its website we read prints their terms or price. Ask for them in writing. - The board approved closing 145 underperforming stores on 23 May 2025, and they closed that quarter. Some Monro pages still say “1300+ STORES.” - Icahn Enterprises, whose subsidiary sold Pep Boys to Mavis in August 2026, owned 16.3% of Monro on 22 June 2026. Our searches found no attorney-general or FTC action about Monro’s repair or sales practices. Monro is a publicly traded chain of tire and repair shops based in Fairport, New York, that runs stores primarily under eight brand names, Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers among them. Its pads carry a “limited lifetime” warranty that covers manufacturer defects, not wear, and its price guarantee applies to tires alone. On 9 October 2026 we read 19 pages of Monro’s website, the Car-X guarantee and terms, Monro’s fiscal 2026 annual report (10-K), its latest quarterly report (10-Q) and proxy statement on EDGAR, and two public records. This site has no commercial relationship with Monro or any repair chain. **Figure: What Monro’s printed terms give you, situation by situation** A two-column table of eight situations: a brake pad that fails from a manufacturer defect is covered by the Limited Lifetime pad warranty, which Monro limits to defects; pads that simply wear out are not in that promise as worded; brake labor is warranted for 12 months/12,000 miles, or 24 months/24,000 miles on two packages; a new Duracell battery gets free replacement for up to 36 months and free installation; a lower local advertised price on the same tire within 30 days is refunded, tire price only; lower prices on brakes, shocks or alignments are not in the printed terms; road hazard agreements are sold, typically 21 to 36 months by the 10-K, with no posted terms; and an oil change can carry a shop-supplies charge of up to 13%, no more than $49.95. Read from Monro’s brake, battery, price guarantee and oil change pages and its fiscal 2026 10-K on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Monro, and what happened to Monro Muffler Brake If you searched for Monro Muffler, you have the right company. EDGAR, the SEC’s filing system, lists “MONRO MUFFLER BRAKE INC” as the company’s former name, used on its filings until 18 August 2017; it files today as Monro, Inc., ticker MNRO on Nasdaq. The [10-K for the fiscal year to 28 March 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/876427/000087642726000007/mnro-20260328x10k.htm) says “Monro incorporated in New York in 1959” and keeps its headquarters in Fairport, New York. Because the shares trade publicly, nobody owns Monro outright, but three investors hold large blocks. The [2026 proxy statement](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/876427/000119312526293555/d129459ddef14a.htm) lists them as of 22 June 2026: - **Icahn Enterprises L.P.**: 16.3% of the common stock. - **BlackRock, Inc.**: 13.3%. - **Gamco Asset Management Inc. et al**: 10.2%. The Icahn stake led Monro to adopt a shareholder rights plan on 9 November 2025; its proxy says the plan answered “the rapid accumulation of a significant beneficial ownership of the Company totaling nearly 17% by Icahn Enterprises L.P.,” plus a further 16.5% held through cash-settled swaps, for “a total economic exposure of approximately 33.4%.” The rights would become exercisable if anyone acquires “17.5% or more,” and the plan runs until 6 November 2026, Monro’s [November 2025 release](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/876427/000119312525274495/d39452dex991.htm) says. Icahn Enterprises is also the parent whose subsidiary, Icahn Automotive Group, sold Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC on 20 August 2026, its filing reported; our [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) and [Mavis Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) pages cover that sale. Nothing we read says what Icahn Enterprises plans for Monro. For a customer, the practical point is simpler: the store you visit is run by Monro itself unless it is one of the franchised Car-X shops. ## How many Monro stores there are, and the brands they trade under The 10-K says: “As of March 28, 2026, Monro had two retread facilities, 46 Car-X franchised locations and 1,115 Company-operated stores in 32 states.” The [10-Q for the quarter to 27 June 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/876427/000087642726000010/mnro-20260627x10q.htm) repeats the same 1,115 and 46. Counting both, 1,161 locations carry a Monro brand, by our arithmetic. The company says it serviced “approximately 3.8 million vehicles in fiscal 2026.” **Monro’s company-operated stores by brand, 28 March 2026 (10-K, read 9 October 2026)** | Brand | Stores | | --- | --- | | Tire Choice Auto Service Centers | 297 | | Mr. Tire Auto Service Centers | 297 | | Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers | 296 | | Tire Warehouse Tires for Less | 51 | | Car-X Tire & Auto (company-run; 46 more are franchised) | 49 | | Ken Towery’s Tire & Auto Care | 30 | | Mountain View Tire & Auto Service | 29 | | Tire Barn Warehouse | 26 | | Other | 40 | | **Total** | **1,115** | So about one store in four trades as Monro (296 of 1,115, or 26.5%, by our arithmetic), and the three largest brands together make up 890 stores, 79.8%. If your nearest shop is a Mr. Tire or a Tire Choice, it belongs to the same company. Five states hold close to half of the stores: New York 134, Ohio 107, Pennsylvania 106, Florida 101 and California 94, together 542, or 48.6%. The chain is smaller than it was. “As of March 29, 2025, Monro had 1,260 Company-operated stores. On May 23, 2025,” the 10-K goes on, the board “approved a plan to close 145 underperforming Company-operated retail stores,” and they closed in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. The store table reconciles: 1,260, plus 1 reopened, less 146 closed, is 1,115. The closures took out 11.5% of the stores, by our arithmetic. Nothing we read lists them; if the shop that did your work has closed, ask which store now handles a warranty claim. Monro’s home page matches the 10-K with “1,115 SERVICE LOCATIONS,” but its courtesy inspection page still says “1300+ STORES” and a history post “more than 1,290 locations.” ## Monro brakes: the three packages and the lifetime pad warranty Monro’s brake page offers three packages. Each one includes the pads, a “FREE Brake System Inspection” and the same pad promise; what changes is the labor warranty and the parts replaced: - **Brake Service 12K.** “Labor Warranty: 12-month/12,000-Mile.” New pads or shoes, “Vehicle-specific friction formulated pads,” and the “LIMITED LIFETIME pad warranty*.” - **Brake Service 24K.** The same items with “Labor Warranty:24-Month/24,000 Mile,” and the note “May qualify for special financing.” - **Total Brake Package.** 24 months or 24,000 miles of labor, with pad, rotor and caliper replacement and a brake fluid exchange. The asterisk leads to one line at the foot of the page: “*Limited Lifetime pad warranty for manufacturer defects only. See store for details.” That is the key fact about Monro brakes: as printed, the lifetime promise covers pads that were made badly, not pads that simply wear out, which is what many drivers picture when they hear of lifetime brakes. Our guide to the [signs of worn brake pads](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-pads/) covers what wear looks like, and [brake pad replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) covers what a new set runs. The labor warranty is the part that pays for a redo. Monro prints it as “12-month/12,000-Mile” without saying whether the cover ends at whichever limit comes first; Mavis, for comparison, defines the same notation as “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.” Ask Monro which reading applies and get it on the invoice. The 24K and Total packages add 12 months and 12,000 miles of labor cover over the 12K package, by our arithmetic. No package price is printed. The page does not say who may claim (the buyer only, or a later owner), whether a defect claim includes labor after the labor period ends, or whether another Monro brand’s store will honor it. “See store for details” means the full terms are at the counter. For products costing more than $15 that come with a written warranty, federal rules require the seller to make the warranty’s text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer” (16 CFR 702.3), so ask to read it before you approve the job. Monro lists eight items in its brake inspection, from brake fluid, pads and rotors to the master cylinder and parking brake cables, and says that “Every time you visit, our technicians carefully measure your vehicle’s brake pads, rotors, and tire tread.” Ask for the measurements in writing; they are your evidence if a pad later fails early. ## What “lifetime” brake pads mean at Monro and at other chains The FTC’s guides on advertising guarantees say that an advertisement using “lifetime” “should disclose, with such clarity and prominence as will be noticed and understood by prospective purchasers, the life to which the representation refers” (16 CFR 239.4). Federal law also requires a written warranty that falls short of the federal minimum standards to be “conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’” (15 U.S.C. 2303); Monro’s label reads “LIMITED LIFETIME.” The table sets Monro’s printed pad terms beside other chains’ wording; it compares words, not prices or quality. **“Lifetime” brake pads in each chain’s printed words (all read 9 October 2026)** | Chain | What the pad promise covers, as printed | Labor | | --- | --- | --- | | Monro | “Limited Lifetime pad warranty for manufacturer defects only. See store for details.” | 12 months/12,000 miles (Brake Service 12K) or 24 months/24,000 miles (24K, Total Brake Package) | | Car-X (Monro’s franchised brand) | “Lifetime-guaranteed premium brake pads and shoes”; “See store manager for limited guarantee terms.” | 12 months and 12,000 miles | | [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) | Brake pads carry a “Lifetime” part warranty: “you are always entitled to a free replacement part” | 12/12,000; after that, “the then-current labor rate” | | [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) | “if the part ever breaks before the end of its useful life, we’ll cover the cost of a new one, and only charge for installation” | Installation charged; “Valid at participating locations” | | [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) | Pads “will be replaced if they should wear out” during the period on the work order | No labor charge for fitting the replacement during that period | | [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/) | “Lifetime Limited Nationwide Service Warranty on Parts,” valid while the original purchaser owns the vehicle | 12,000 miles/12 months on standard brake service | Read side by side, Monro’s wording is the only one in the table that limits the pad promise to manufacturer defects in so many words. Pep Boys says pads are replaced if they wear out; Midas, if the part breaks before the end of its useful life; Mavis promises a free replacement part; Firestone and Car-X call theirs lifetime limited or lifetime-guaranteed without, on the pages read, a defects-only line. Each chain’s full terms may say more than its web page. Our [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/) page reads one more chain’s brake table line by line. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the exhaust pipe, the gasket and the mechanic’s hand, each with one fact from Monro’s exhaust, muffler and price guarantee pages. Monro’s exhaust services, muffler and 30-Day Price Guarantee pages, read on 9 October 2026: Mufflers: a lifetime warranty “on parts”; neither page says how long labor is covered (callout 1); Free exhaust check with a written estimate of any repairs, Monro’s exhaust page says (callout 2); The 30-day price guarantee is offered on exhaust work, but its terms cover tires only (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Mufflers, shocks and struts: lifetime wording without written terms The exhaust page says: “Our mufflers come with a LIFETIME warranty on parts and our 30-Day Price Guarantee.” The muffler page repeats that mufflers “come with a lifetime warranty on parts.” “On parts” leaves labor out of the lifetime wording, and neither page says how long labor is covered. Both pages offer a free exhaust check with “a written estimate of any required repairs.” See also [catalytic converter replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost/). The shocks and struts page is more emphatic and less specific. Under the heading “Your shocks may wear out, but your warranty won’t!” it says that when the work is done at Monro “you get a LIFETIME warranty, and our 30-Day Price Guarantee.” It does not say whether that lifetime is the car’s, the owner’s or the part’s, whether wear is covered, or what labor costs on a claim. Beside the brake footnote, the shock heading reads like a promise about wear, but no printed term confirms it. Our page on [symptoms of bad struts](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-struts/) covers what to look for. Car-X, the brand Monro franchises, words its promise differently. Its guarantee page says “At Car-X, we guarantee our work, including labor.*” and that “Labor is guaranteed for 12 months and 12,000 miles on the following parts, at no additional charge”: its “Lifetime-guaranteed” brake pads and shoes, mufflers, and shocks and struts. The asterisk points to “*See store manager for limited guarantee terms.” A franchised Car-X shop is run by its owner, and nothing we read says a Monro-store warranty is honored there, or the reverse. ## Tires at Monro: what installation includes, and the road hazard gap Monro’s tire page lists what “Tire installation includes”: - “Mounting and balancing (includes standard valve stem)” - “TPMS inspection/reset” - “Alignment check” - “Precision wheel torque” - “Lifetime rotations” - “Lifetime rebalance” Its tire services page adds that “When you purchase your tires from us, tire installation includes free lifetime tire rotations. For maximum wear we recommend rotating your tires at least every 6,000 miles.” Keep the rotation invoices; tire makers set their own upkeep conditions, compared on our [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) page, and [tire rotation cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/) covers tires bought elsewhere. The alignment page suggests having the alignment “checked at least once a year and at every tire change”; the check is free, the page prints no price for the alignment itself, and our [wheel alignment cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/) page covers what one runs. Road hazard cover is where Monro’s website goes quiet. The 10-K says the company earns “revenue from the sale of tire road hazard warranty agreements,” and that this revenue “is initially deferred and is recognized over the contract period as costs are expected to be incurred, typically 21 to 36 months.” In fiscal 2026 Monro deferred about $18.2 million of such sales, against $21.1 million the year before, by our arithmetic from the 10-K’s table. Yet none of the 19 Monro pages we read prints a road hazard agreement’s price, length, payout or exclusions; the tire pricing page says only that “Availability and pricing may change at any time without prior notice.” A road hazard plan sold for a separate charge is, under federal warranty rules, usually a service contract rather than a warranty: an agreement “which calls for some consideration in addition to the purchase price of the consumer product” is a service contract (16 CFR 700.11). That makes the agreement’s own document the thing to read. Two more tire sellers’ terms are read on our [Sullivan Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sullivan-tire/) and [BJ’s Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/bjs-tires/) pages. **Get the road hazard terms in writing before you pay for them.** Monro’s website publishes no road hazard agreement. Ask the store for the document and check four things: how many months or how much tread it lasts, whether a ruined tire is replaced free or at a prorated share of the price, whether mounting, balancing and taxes are extra on a claim, and whether another Monro brand’s stores (Mr. Tire, Tire Choice, Car-X) will honor it if you are away from home. ## The 30-Day Price Guarantee covers tires only Monro’s home page advertises a “30-DAY PRICE GUARANTEE”: “Spotted a lower tire price? We’ve got you covered with a price match!” The guarantee’s own page sets five numbered terms, “effective for purchases made on or after November 1, 2023, at any retail location operated by Monro, Inc.”: - **Window and proof.** “Within 30 days following the date of your tire purchase,” you may provide “a local competitor’s advertised price for the same brand, size, and model tire. The advertised tire must be in stock at the local competitor.” - **Who counts as a competitor.** “‘Local competitor’ excludes online retailers, such as Amazon, Tire Rack, etc.” and “‘Local’ means within a reasonable driving distance from the Location.” - **How.** By calling Monro’s Guest Services Department; the terms name no form or in-store route. - **What it covers.** “This price protection applies to the invoice price of the tire ONLY and excludes the price of labor or services related to the installation of the tire.” - **Limits.** It “may not be used in combination with any other offer or promotion that further reduces the tire’s retail price,” and “Monro’s Director of Guest Services will have the final decision-making.” Two things are missing from the five terms. They do not say what you receive; Monro’s courtesy inspection page fills that in: “If you find a lower advertised price at a local competitor, we’ll refund the difference.” And they do not reach anything but tires, even though Monro’s shocks, exhaust, muffler and alignment pages each mention the 30-Day Price Guarantee next to those services. As printed, a cheaper brake job or alignment elsewhere is outside it; if that matters, ask before the work starts and get the answer on the estimate. ## Free inspections, scans and battery installation, and the oil change fine print Monro advertises several free services as standing offers, not dated promotions. Each comes with a condition worth knowing: **What Monro’s pages call free, and the condition attached (read 9 October 2026)** | Free service | What Monro says | Worth knowing | | --- | --- | --- | | ConfiDrive Performance Review | A “32-point checklist” with “a written copy of our inspection form” and “a written estimate” | Done on every visit, whatever you came in for; it is also where repair suggestions come from | | Brake inspection | “FREE Brake System Inspection” in each brake package; a “FREE courtesy inspection” by appointment | Monro calls the courtesy inspection “optional” | | Check engine light scan | “FREE Check Engine Scans” | The page offers the scan free and says mechanics “can diagnose the issue”; it does not say whether diagnosis is charged | | Battery test and installation | “FREE BATTERY TESTING” and “Free Battery Installation” of Duracell batteries | Free replacement “up to 36 months”; no prorated period or exclusions printed | | Exhaust and alignment checks | “FREE exhaust system check” with a written estimate; “FREE alignment check” | No price is printed for the repair or the alignment itself | | Rotation and rebalancing | “Lifetime rotations” and “Lifetime rebalance” | Only for tires bought and installed at Monro | The ConfiDrive review is the inspection Monro does “each time you stop by.” Its 32 items run from “Dashboard Lights” to “Rack & Pinion,” and Monro says it will “only recommend work when needed and based on Motorist Assurance Program industry standards.” A free inspection that ends in a list of repairs is still a sales conversation. The page says Monro suggests work based on “whether parts have failed, are scheduled for service or are near the end of useful life, or will improve performance.” Ask which of those four reasons applies to each item on your estimate; only the first means something has failed. For a warning light, see [what the check engine light means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/). On batteries, the page promises “up to 36 months of a free replacement warranty period” on a newly installed Duracell battery. “Up to” means some batteries get less; the page does not say which, and prints no prorated credit, so ask for the battery’s warranty card. Our [car battery warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) page explains free and prorated periods. Oil changes use Valvoline oil in four tiers, and the home page says you can now “just stop in” without an appointment. The fine print is specific: the service “Includes up to five quarts of oil, multi-point vehicle inspection, 4-tire rotation, and chassis lube (where specified by manufacturer). Additional oil over 5 quarts costs extra.” Then: “An additional service charge of up to 13% no greater than $49.95 may be added for shop supplies and equipment cost,” along with possible disposal or recycling fees, “Participating stores only.” Ask whether your store adds the shop-supplies charge before the work starts. Our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) covers intervals, and [Valvoline oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) covers the oil maker’s own shops. One more service is listed but not described as free: towing. Monro’s towing page routes you to its “towing and roadside assistance partner,” which can take the car “to the nearest Store or the closest repair facility,” and also offers jump-starts, lockouts, fuel delivery and winching. It names no partner and prints no price, so ask what a tow will cost first. ## Paying over time: PayTomorrow, and an out-of-date offer page We found no Monro store credit card on the pages we read. The financing page linked from Monro’s home-page banner is a set of images for PayTomorrow with a button to “Select Store to Continue”; it prints no rate, term or lender in text. A second page, “Pay over time with Pay Tomorrow,” describes the service: “One application will be considered by multiple lenders,” and “applying won’t impact your credit score.” Its footnote adds: “Availability of terms may vary based on purchase price, product, and state of residence. Down payment may be required. Subject to approval of credit application.” That second page is out of date. On 9 October 2026 it still headlined an offer for checkouts between 18 November and 31 December 2024, and its footnote ends: “Bread Pay® loans are made by Comenity Capital Bank, a Bread Financial® company.” The lender, rate and term depend on which lender accepts your application, and Monro’s page speaks only about applying, not about the loan itself, so read the lender’s own agreement before you sign. The brake page’s “May qualify for special financing” is a prompt to ask, not a term. The only credit Monro itself describes extending is in the 10-K: “credit on account” for “certain customers,” with payment terms that “generally are 30 days.” It does not say who those customers are. ## What public records and Monro’s own terms say about disputes Monro’s 10-K acknowledges the industry’s record: “National automotive repair chains have also been the subject of investigations and reports by consumer protection agencies and the Attorneys General of various states,” and “We are sometimes the subject of complaints or litigation from customers, employees or other third parties for various actions.” It does “not believe that such claims or lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect” on its finances. Searches on 9 October 2026 found no state attorney-general settlement and no FTC case about Monro’s repair or sales practices. Private lawsuits surfaced, but we did not read their filings, so we do not describe them. Two official records did turn up, and neither is about how Monro repairs cars: - **A data breach notice.** The Vermont Attorney General’s office lists security breach notices on its website, and its [posting of Monro’s notice](https://ago.vermont.gov/document/2025-03-25-monro-data-breach-notice-consumers) carries a sample letter dated 21 March 2025. In it Monro says “an unknown and unauthorized actor accessed the employee’s mailbox and selected files for a limited period of time in late November of last year,” meaning 2024. A review that ran to about 28 January 2025 found that names and Social Security numbers “could have been affected,” along with address, date of birth, ID number “and certain health information collected from employees, like accident history.” Monro offered 12 months of Experian IdentityWorks. The letter does not say how many people were notified or whether customers were among them; the 10-K says Monro has “been subject to cyber-attacks in the past.” - **A workplace safety settlement.** The Department of Labor said on 13 July 2026 that it had “entered into a settlement agreement with auto service provider Monro Inc. requiring it to pay $174,000 in penalties to resolve seven safety violations found at its Norwich facility in July 2025.” One was a repeat violation involving “a four-post rotary lift with a broken safety latch cable that had been held in place with a pair of vice grips.” Monro had contested the citations, agreed to fix the hazards and agreed to set up an anonymous safety hotline for employees “across its 1,100 locations.” ([Department of Labor release](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260713-0).) If you end up in a dispute, Monro’s website Terms of Use set the rules for the website and its apps, including a mobile service app, Monro Mobile. They apply New York law, require you to sue “in a federal or state court located in Monroe County, New York, within one year of the time in which the events giving rise to such claim began,” and say “you will not join any purported class action involving the Services.” The “Services” are defined as the website and apps; we saw no store invoice, so we cannot say what terms one carries. There is no arbitration clause. The terms print no date and Monro may change them “at any time without prior notice,” so keep the warranty and invoice terms from any large repair. ## Where Monro’s own pages disagree, and what to ask before you pay Nine places where Monro’s documents part ways: - **Store count.** 1,115 on the home page and in the 10-K; “1300+” on the inspection page; “more than 1,290” in the history post, 185 and 175 above the 10-K, by our arithmetic. - **Age.** “60 YEARS EXPERIENCE” on the home page; “Since opening its doors in 1957” in the history post; “over 65 years” in a road-trip post; incorporated “in 1959” per the 10-K, 67 years ago by our arithmetic. - **Price guarantee scope.** The terms cover “the invoice price of the tire ONLY,” yet four service pages for shocks, exhaust, mufflers and alignment offer the guarantee alongside those services. - **Price guarantee remedy and name.** The five terms never say what you get; only the inspection page says “we’ll refund the difference.” The muffler page calls it a “30-day Best Price Guarantee,” the home page a “price match,” the terms “price protection.” - **What “lifetime” covers.** Pads: “manufacturer defects only.” Shocks: “Your shocks may wear out, but your warranty won’t!” with no terms. Mufflers: lifetime “on parts.” - **Road hazard.** Sold, says the 10-K, “typically 21 to 36 months”; not described on any page we read. - **Financing.** A PayTomorrow page still advertising an offer limited to checkouts by 31 December 2024, with a footnote naming a Bread Pay lender, beside a current financing page with no printed terms. - **Brand template.** Monro’s own oil change FAQ says “Your Ken Towery technician can provide you with the right recommendations,” naming a different Monro brand. - **Terms date.** The monro.com Terms of Use are undated; Car-X’s copy of the same Monro terms says it was “last updated on May 1, 2024.” - **Ask for the written warranty** for every part on the estimate, especially anything called “lifetime,” and read whether it covers wear or only defects. - **Note the labor period** on brake work, 12 months/12,000 miles or 24 months/24,000 miles by package, and ask whether it ends at whichever comes first. - **Get the road hazard agreement on paper** before paying for it: length, proration, what a claim costs and which brands’ stores honor it. - **Bring a local, in-stock advertised price** for the same tire within 30 days if you want the price guarantee; online prices do not count. - **Ask whether a shop-supplies charge applies** to an oil change; Monro allows up to 13%, capped at $49.95. - **Ask which reason applies** to each recommended repair: failed, scheduled, near the end of its life, or performance. - **Keep every invoice and inspection sheet,** and if your store is among those closed, ask which store now handles your warranty. - **For financing, read the lender’s agreement,** not the store banner, and check which bank actually makes the loan. ## Common questions ### Who owns Monro Auto Service? Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers is one of the eight store brands named by Monro, Inc., a public company listed on Nasdaq as MNRO and based in Fairport, New York. Its largest shareholders on 22 June 2026 were Icahn Enterprises L.P. with 16.3%, BlackRock with 13.3% and Gamco with 10.2%, according to its 2026 proxy statement. ### Is Monro the same company as Monro Muffler Brake, Mr. Tire and Tire Choice? Yes. EDGAR lists Monro Muffler Brake as the company’s former name, used until 2017. Mr. Tire and Tire Choice are Monro brands with 297 company-operated stores each, slightly more than the 296 under the Monro name. Tire Warehouse, Car-X, Ken Towery’s, Mountain View Tire and Tire Barn Warehouse are Monro brands too. ### Does Monro have a lifetime brake warranty? Monro’s brake packages carry a “LIMITED LIFETIME pad warranty,” and the brake page’s footnote says it is “for manufacturer defects only. See store for details.” Pads that simply wear out are not covered as that line is worded. Labor is warranted for 12 months/12,000 miles, or 24 months/24,000 miles on two packages; ask whether that ends at whichever limit comes first. ### Does Monro have a road hazard warranty for tires? Monro sells tire road hazard warranty agreements; its 10-K says their revenue is recognized over a contract period of “typically 21 to 36 months.” Its website publishes neither the terms nor the price, so ask for the agreement in writing before buying it. ### Does Monro price match tires? Yes, for tires only. Within 30 days of buying, you can bring a local competitor’s advertised price for the same brand, size and model, in stock at that competitor; online retailers such as Amazon and Tire Rack are excluded. It covers the tire’s invoice price only, and Monro says it refunds the difference. ### Did Monro close stores, and how many are left? Yes. Monro’s board approved closing 145 underperforming stores on 23 May 2025, and they closed in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Monro had 1,260 company-operated stores in March 2025 and 1,115 in 32 states on 28 March 2026, unchanged on 27 June 2026, plus 46 franchised Car-X shops. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/monro/ --- title: "We Buy Any Car Review: How the US Offer, Inspection and Pay Work" description: "We Buy Any Car's US online valuation is not an offer. What its terms say on the 7 Day Offer, the Three Circle Inspection, fees, payment, loans and owners." url: "https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/we-buy-any-car-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # We Buy Any Car Review: How the US Offer, Inspection and Pay Work > We Buy Any Car's US online valuation is not an offer. What its terms say on the 7 Day Offer, the Three Circle Inspection, fees, payment, loans and owners. *Selling & Trade-In · 22 min read · 4,924 words* ## The short version - In the US, We Buy Any Car is a branch-based car buyer at webuyanycarusa.com, run by CarGroup Holdings, LLC. Its own FAQ says it is “a completely separate legal entity” from the UK company of the same name, with different owners. - The online number is not an offer. The Terms of Use call it “for information purposes only.” A 7 Day Offer is made only when your VIN or plate pins down the exact trim, and it holds only if, among other things, the odometer reads less than 1,000 miles above what you entered. - The price is set at a “Three Circle Inspection” of 11 listed checks, including a paint-depth reading on every panel, an OBD-II scan and a CARFAX or AutoCheck report. You can decline at no cost. - Getting a valuation and an inspection is free. If you sell, it “may charge a documentation fee (e.g. titling)” with no amount printed, and a 2.5% fee applies if you pay negative equity by credit card. - You are paid at the appointment by corporate check, ACH, wire or Zelle, and any lender is paid directly. The website Terms set Pennsylvania law and courts with no arbitration clause; the purchase agreement you sign is not published. - Prosus reported owning “our WeBuyAnyCar business in the US” and said the last of its OLX Autos businesses was sold in August 2025, without naming a buyer. We Buy Any Car is a real US car buyer with 86 branch locations in 12 states, but the figure you get online is an estimate, and the price that counts is the one its staff set after inspecting the car. On 9 October 2026 we read the US company’s [Terms of Use](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/termsofuse) (last updated April 2024), its privacy policy, 32 answers in its [FAQ](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/faq) and 14 other pages on its site, five federal court opinions and orders about the company that runs it, three Prosus annual-report extracts and that company’s wholesale website. We entered no car, VIN or ZIP code into its valuation tool, so this page contains no offer amounts, and this site has no commercial relationship with We Buy Any Car or any other buyer. **Figure: When We Buy Any Car’s 7 Day Offer holds, and when it does not** A two-column table setting seven situations against what We Buy Any Car’s Terms of Use and FAQ say happens: a standard online valuation is not a binding offer; a 7 Day Offer is made only when the VIN or plate identifies the trim and runs to midnight of the seventh calendar day; the odometer must read less than 1,000 miles above what was entered; the offer is redeemable within 100 miles; and five conditions in the Terms, plus a sixth in the FAQ, make it void. Read from We Buy Any Car USA’s Terms of Use (last updated April 2024), its FAQ and its offer-calculation page on 9 October 2026. No VIN or ZIP was entered and no offer amount is shown. ## Which We Buy Any Car this is, and who owns it Search for “we buy any car” in the US and you can land on two different companies. webuyanycar.com is the British business. The American one trades at [webuyanycarusa.com](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/), and its FAQ is blunt about the difference: “the U.S. business is a completely separate legal entity from the UK business. The two operate under different ownership and management structures.” It places the UK company in “the Constellation Automotive Group” and says UK policies and valuations “do not apply to our customers in the United States.” This page is about the US business. Its Terms of Use are “a contract between you the Website visitor and CarGroup Holdings LLC, doing business as webuyanycar.com.” CarGroup is a Delaware limited liability company with offices in Springfield, Pennsylvania. The About page traces the brand to a UK family car business it dates to 1951, the UK launch of webuyanycar.com in 2006, the American expansion in 2011 and mobile buying in 2020. The company’s Values page tells the story differently: it dates its “founding father” starting to buy and sell cars to 1964, yet still calls the firm “a family owned business established in 1951.” That “family owned” line does not match the public record. Prosus’s 2024 summary financial statements said it had exited OLX Autos, “our automobile transaction business,” in several countries, and added: “We continue to explore options for our WeBuyAnyCar business in the US.” Its FY2025 statements booked “impairment losses of US$84m relating to our US operation classified as held for sale.” Its FY2026 annual-report summary, published in June 2026, says: “In August 2025, the last operation of the OLX Autos business was sold.” By our reading, that was the US business, but no document we read names the buyer or says who owns CarGroup Holdings today. (Prosus’s terms allow links only to its home page, so the reports are not linked.) **We Buy Any Car USA’s public record, as each source printed it (read 9 October 2026)** | Source | What it showed | What to keep in mind | | --- | --- | --- | | Terms of Use | Operated by CarGroup Holdings LLC, a Delaware company based in Springfield, Pennsylvania | The website Terms, last updated April 2024 | | US FAQ | Separate legal entity from the UK business, with different owners | UK policies, valuations and service “do not apply” in the US | | Locations page | 86 branch locations in 12 states: DE, FL, GA, MD, MN, NJ, NC, OH, PA, SC, UT, VA | Mobile buyers also cover some areas without branches, such as Denver | | Prosus reports | US business held for sale by FY2025; last OLX Autos operation sold August 2025 | Buyer not named in what we read | | Company claims | “450K+ Cars purchased”; “Over 100,000 5-star reviews and BBB A+ accreditation”; “a presence in over 185 areas” | Not checked: BBB blocked our request, and this site does not use Trustpilot | | Federal courts | A 2015 odometer-fraud suit by CarGroup against a seller; a 2024 overtime class action by its branch staff | Described below from the opinions, as alleged or as decided | | FTC and state attorneys general | No action naming We Buy Any Car USA or CarGroup Holdings found in a web search | A search result, not a clearance | The footprint depends on the document. Beside the 86 branches, the About page claims “a presence in over 185 areas,” CarGroup Holdings’ [wholesale site](https://www.cargroupholdings.com/) says “Now Operating in 20 States,” and an overtime settlement class of its branch staff spans 22 states. Outside the branch states it advertises mobile buyers in some metro areas; its Denver page says “your zip code will confirm coverage.” ## The online valuation, and the 7 Day Offer You describe the car, leave contact details and get a figure by email. The Terms of Use say what it is: “an initial online vehicle valuation that is for information purposes only and is not a binding offer. Only after an in-person inspection of your vehicle and related documentation at an official WBAC location might WBAC, in its sole discretion, make a purchase offer for your vehicle.” The footnote on every page adds that the valuation “may be adjusted at our discretion at any time, including prior to or during our in-branch vehicle inspection,” and that “Additional fees (e.g. titling) may also apply.” Some cars get something firmer. The company’s page on [how it calculates offers](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/how-we-calculate-your-car-offer) says that when you give a VIN or plate and it can “positively identify your vehicle’s trim and have sufficient market data for that specific configuration, we may upgrade your valuation to a 7-Day Offer.” The FAQ sets the clock: the offer is “valid until midnight of the seventh calendar day following the day you are presented with the conditional offer in writing.” It is redeemable only “within one hundred (100) miles of the ZIP code provided,” while the offer-calculation page says within 100 miles “of the issuing location.” If you are near the edge of that radius, ask which one applies. The 7 Day Offer is conditional on everything you entered being “accurate, up-to-date, and complete” and on the odometer reading at inspection “being less than one thousand miles (1,000) higher than disclosed online.” The Terms then list five conditions that make it “null and void”: a replaced odometer or engine; a reported accident; a car not in its factory configuration or with aftermarket modifications; a flooded, theft-recovered, rebuilt, salvage or lemon-branded car; and past use as a taxi, driving-school or police vehicle. The FAQ repeats the list and adds a sixth: a car “not registered to you” or one you lack “a valid and marketable title” to. Even a valid offer can move: if there are “undisclosed items,” the company “may adjust or rescind the conditional 7 Day Offer, at our discretion, at any time.” An old valuation is stale (“Used car valuations change on a daily basis”), so get a fresh one before you go. The database covers US-market cars “since 1981”; if yours is not listed exactly, the FAQ says to request a custom quote rather than pick the nearest model. Our guide to [how trim affects value](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/how-trim-level-options-affect-trade-in-value/) explains why. ## The Three Circle Inspection at the branch The appointment is where the price is set. The [inspection page](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/how-we-buy-any-car-inspection-works) describes a “standardized Three Circle Inspection” that sellers are invited to watch. The FAQ adds: “You should always join the Vehicle Acquisition Specialist for a short test drive of your car.” **What We Buy Any Car says it checks, circle by circle (inspection page, read 9 October 2026)** | Circle | Checks listed | | --- | --- | | 1. Exterior | Body panels for dents, scratches and rust; tire tread depth and pressure; lights and signals; a paint depth meter reading on all panels | | 2. Engine and frame | Engine bay for fluid leaks and unusual noise; frame for rust, jack damage and accident indicators; an OBD-II diagnostic scan for active codes | | 3. Interior and history | Seatbelts, brakes, horn and steering; dashboard warning lights and gauges; infotainment and controls; a CARFAX or Experian AutoCheck report | Three of those 11 checks catch things a seller may not know about. A paint reading that differs on one panel is, the company says, “a strong indicator that the panel was repainted,” even when the history report shows no repair. The OBD-II scan reads stored codes with no warning light lit (see [what the check engine light means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/)). And the history report can surface an accident you never knew about; our comparison of [CARFAX and AutoCheck](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-vs-autocheck/) shows how the two differ. The inspection itself takes “15 to 30 minutes,” the company says, and the whole selling process “usually takes 60 minutes,” longer with a loan or when someone sells for the owner. Walk-ins are allowed, but “you may need to wait for a scheduled appointment to be completed.” How the number is produced matters too. In an overtime lawsuit filed by branch staff in 2024, the federal judge summarised the employees’ amended complaint this way: staff “input data about the vehicles into a software that generates a purchase offer,” they “do not negotiate with customers beyond presenting the software-generated purchase offer,” and if a customer rejects it, they ask “the pricing department to reassess and potentially generate a new purchase offer.” Those are the employees’ allegations, not findings, in a case about their pay. They fit the company’s own account of pricing from “live market data” plus the inspection: the person at the branch may not be the one who sets the figure. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the odometer, the engine warning light and the steering wheel, each with one fact from We Buy Any Car USA’s Terms of Use, inspection page and FAQ. We Buy Any Car USA’s Terms of Use, Three Circle Inspection page and FAQ, read on 9 October 2026: A 7 Day Offer holds only if the odometer is under 1,000 miles above what you entered (callout 1); An OBD-II scan reads stored fault codes, even with no warning light lit (callout 2); You are invited to join the inspection and a short test drive before the final offer (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What can lower the offer at the appointment The inspection page lists the six most common reasons the final offer differs from the online valuation: exterior damage “not captured in self-assessment”; tire condition “below threshold”; a paint depth reading “indicating prior repair”; “Active OBD codes or warning lights”; “Accident history and title issues” from the CARFAX or AutoCheck report; and “Market movement” between your valuation and your appointment. The company says “The adjustment reflects the real cost to recondition the vehicle, not a negotiating tactic.” The last item is easy to overlook: a car exactly as described can still come in lower if prices moved. Only a 7 Day Offer is a number the company says it will “stand behind at the appointment, provided the vehicle matches what was disclosed.” **The number that counts is the one after the inspection.** Before you drive over, check the car the way the inspector will: note warning lights, check tread depth, look for rust underneath and be honest about past repairs, because a repainted panel will show on the paint gauge. Bring the email with your valuation or 7 Day Offer, and if the figure drops, ask which of the six listed reasons applies. The company says “You can decline at any point at no cost to you.” Walking away may take a few minutes. The same 2024 complaint, as the court summarised it, alleged that when a customer decides not to sell, branch staff “are required to contact an Area Manager or Regional Vice President for permission to end the appointment.” That is an allegation, not a published rule, but expect a second call to pricing before you leave. Nothing in the documents we read obliges you to accept a revised figure. ## Fees, and how and when you are paid Getting a figure costs nothing. The FAQ on fees says “There are no fees for your online valuation*, a 7 Day Offer*, when available, or our on-site inspection if you choose not to sell your car,” and that coming in or booking a home visit “does not obligate you to sell.” Selling can cost something, in three places the company prints: - **A documentation fee.** “We may charge a documentation fee (e.g. titling) if you sell your car to us.” No amount is printed on any page we read, and its how-it-works FAQ says loan proceeds are figured “less any fees.” Ask for the figure in writing before you accept. - **A card fee on negative equity.** “There is a 2.5% credit card processing fee” when you owe the lender more than the car is worth and pay the gap by card. By our arithmetic, that is $25 on every $1,000 of negative equity put on a credit card. - **A fee on electronic transfers.** One FAQ answer lists “Electronic Transfer – funds sent right away (a small fee applies).” The amount is not printed, and the other payment pages list ACH, wire and Zelle without mentioning a fee. It will not cover towing (“We Buy Any Car® will not pay for or reimburse a tow”), some branches cannot take a tow truck, and it says “we are not a junk car towing business”; see our guide to [selling a junk car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/sell-a-junk-car/). **How We Buy Any Car says it pays (FAQ and payment pages, read 9 October 2026)** | Method | What the company says | Conditions printed | | --- | --- | --- | | Corporate check | “drawn on Truist Bank,” to deposit at your bank or cash at a Truist branch | Branch count printed as “almost 3,000,” “nearly 3,000” and “over 3,000”; one page adds “with no holds” | | ACH or wire | “funds sent right away” | “a small fee applies” (one FAQ answer); amount not printed | | Zelle | “instant secure transfer to your bank account” | None printed | | Cash | “we don’t pay physical cash for cars” | Not offered | | At home (mobile buying) | “we can print you a check right in your driveway or arrange to transfer the money directly to your bank” | Car collected later by a transport partner | Timing is the company’s strongest promise: “Every seller who accepts their offer is paid the same day,” and “100% of accepted offers result in same-day payment.” Money goes only to the owner (“we can only pay money to the legal owner of the vehicle”). And you leave without the car: there is no “drop-off service,” though on request it offers “a voucher to pay for your ride up to the value of $20.” ## Loans, liens, leases and the documents to bring A loan does not stop a sale. The company pays your lender directly from the price and pays you any equity. To do that it needs a 10-day payoff: the documents FAQ says “we prefer lenders to fax a 10 day pay-off letter before the appointment. Otherwise, bring the lender’s name, phone number and your account number,” while the [loan page](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/sell-car-with-loan-or-lien) says to get it in writing and bring it. Do both. Our guide to [getting a payoff quote](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/trading-in-a-financed-car/#payoff-quote) explains why it differs from your balance. The payoff is not instant. The FAQ says “payment from us will be received by your finance company within 3 to 4 business days, however it may take your finance company anywhere from 5 to 10 business days before crediting the funds to your account,” and the loan page warns that “The lien release itself may take days or weeks depending on your lender.” It says “do not cancel” automatic loan payments before the appointment. Confirm with the lender that the loan shows paid; our guide on [checking for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) shows how. If you owe more than the offer, you pay the gap at the appointment. The documents disagree on how: one FAQ says “by credit card or certified check,” another “by cashier’s check or credit / debit card payment,” and the [negative-equity page](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/sell-car-negative-equity) says “a debit card, credit card, or cashier’s check.” A credit card adds the 2.5% fee. Our guide to [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) covers the other ways out. Leased cars depend on the leasing company: “Some permit third-party dealer purchases; others don’t,” and if yours does not, “the alternative is to exercise your lease buyout option first”; see our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/). **What We Buy Any Car says to bring (documents FAQ and related answers, read 9 October 2026)** | Your situation | Documents the company lists | | --- | --- | | You own the car outright and every owner on the title is there | Current registration; the title (with an electronic title, “we’ll work with the DMV to obtain a physical title”); valid photo ID for each owner on the title | | The car is financed or leased | Current registration; the title if you received one; ID for each person on the registration; the lender’s payoff information | | Your state leaves the title with you during the loan | Bring the title, lien and all. The loan page names 8 such states: Arizona, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin | | Selling for a relative or friend | A letter of authorization such as a power of attorney, plus 2 forms of ID from the owner and 2 from you, each including a proof of address “dated within the last three months” | | No registration card | Usually fine “if you have the title and don’t have a loan”; otherwise bring it | The registration must normally be in your name, except where you act for a company or an estate, and “Payment and transaction details must match the owner’s name on the vehicle’s title.” The FAQ lists 8 harder cases branches handle, from a divorce to a deceased owner. Our guides to [power of attorney for a car title](https://baronauto1.com/guides/power-of-attorney-car-title/) and [signing a title over](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#signing) cover the paperwork in more detail. ## Selling from home Since 2020 the company has offered “mobile buying”: a buyer comes to your home or office, runs the same inspection and completes the sale there. It is not guaranteed: “Mobile buying is offered at webuyanycar.com’s discretion and may not be available to all customers, or in all areas.” The [home pickup page](https://www.webuyanycarusa.com/we-come-to-you) calls the company “licensed and insured.” The difference from a branch sale is what happens to the car afterwards. You are paid on the spot, but the mobile buyer does not drive it away: “We utilize a third-party transport service to collect your vehicle,” and “Pick up will be completed by our transportation partner within 5 business days.” No document we read says who is responsible for the car in those days. Ask before you sign, and keep it insured until it has gone. Then deal with the plates and file your notice of sale; our guide to [release of liability](https://baronauto1.com/guides/release-of-liability/#how-to-file) explains both. ## The terms you agree to, and the contract you sign Asking for a valuation means agreeing to the website Terms of Use. They are governed by “the laws of the State of Pennsylvania,” and you agree to “the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located within the State of Pennsylvania.” We found no arbitration clause and no class-action waiver in them, unlike the terms this site recorded for Peddle and Kelley Blue Book (see the comparison below). The company’s liability for use of the website is capped: “IN NO EVENT SHALL WBAC’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES AND CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED $100.00.” The company can change the Terms “at any time, for any reason,” effective on posting; the version we read was last updated in April 2024. The Terms govern the website, not the sale. The sale is made under a vehicle purchase agreement you sign at the appointment, and that document is not published online. The only description we found is in a 2015 court opinion, which says a 2014 version had the seller “deliver an executed copy of an odometer disclosure statement,” verify it was correct, and “indemnify Cargroup from any losses, costs, damages, liabilities and expenses arising out of any failure” of the seller’s representations to be correct. Today’s agreement may differ. Read it before signing, and ask whether it contains an arbitration clause. The privacy policy has two lines worth knowing. It covers the website only, not “information WBAC collects from you offline at its office locations to consummate a purchase transaction.” And “We may share any information we collect, including personally identifiable information, with carefully selected partners who may provide you with offers.” Expect marketing emails, which carry an unsubscribe link. ## What two federal court cases show Two cases involving CarGroup Holdings appear among the federal opinions on [govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/). Neither is a consumer complaint, and both are described only as the opinions describe them. **The odometer case (Eastern District of Pennsylvania, No. 15-4041).** CarGroup Holdings, “d/b/a WEBUYANYCAR.COM,” sued a seller who had sold it a pickup truck in 2014. According to its complaint, as the court summarised it, CarGroup resold the truck at auction to a dealer, and in 2015 the dealer found a 2012 service report showing “almost 20,000 more miles” than the seller had reported. CarGroup bought the truck back and sued under the Federal Odometer Act, for fraud and for breach of the sales agreement. On 13 November 2015 the court refused to dismiss the federal claim, noting that CarGroup would still have to prove the seller “acted with intent to deceive.” We did not read the final outcome. The point for sellers: the odometer statement you sign is a legal representation, and the company has gone to court over one. Our guide to [odometer records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/) shows how mileage history is checked. **The overtime case (Eastern District of Pennsylvania, No. 24-1447).** A senior branch manager sued CarGroup Holdings in 2024 on behalf of branch staff, alleging unpaid overtime. The court denied the company’s motion to dismiss on 21 August 2024. After the court declined to approve an earlier version on 25 November 2025, the court preliminarily approved a revised one on 7 January 2026: a $8,500,000 fund for a class of “786 unique employees, covering 22 states.” We found no final approval among the opinions published by 9 October 2026. The case is about pay, not about sellers. That same 2024 complaint, as the court summarised it, alleged the company “does not engage in retail sale of vehicles” and resold cars through “an exclusive contract with national auction house Adesa.” The FAQ says only that it can “place cars back into the market.” The wholesale site, read on 9 October 2026, says CarGroup Holdings has worked in “the automotive remarketing industry since March 2011” and sells to licensed dealers through “dealer-only auctions and direct online sales,” listing 11 weekly sale lanes, all at Manheim auctions. By our reading, either way the car you sell is most likely resold wholesale to dealers rather than kept or sold to the public; the FAQ confirms the company “does not have vehicles for sale at any our locations.” ## Its terms beside other instant buyers The other rows are copied unchanged from this site’s earlier readings, with their dates. This compares printed terms, not prices. **Instant-offer routes on their own published terms** | Route (date read) | How long the offer lasts | What can change it | Disputes, per the terms read | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | We Buy Any Car USA (9 October 2026) | Online valuation not binding; a 7 Day Offer, when made, runs to midnight of the seventh calendar day | Three Circle Inspection; odometer must be under 1,000 miles above what you entered | Pennsylvania law and courts; no arbitration clause in the website Terms | | Peddle (5 October 2026) | Up to 7 days to accept; “subject to change until accepted” | 13 conditions checked by the tow driver | New York law; individual JAMS arbitration | | Wheelzy (6 October 2026) | “Guaranteed offer so the amount you receive will not decrease” | Guaranteed offers are “subject to vehicle inspection” | Florida law; courts in Orange County, Florida; no arbitration clause | | Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer (2 October 2026; terms 5 October 2026) | “good for 7 days” | “Dealer inspection required” | Arbitration agreement; opt out in writing within 30 days | | CarMax (2 October 2026) | “valid 7 days” | “Some we’ll ask to verify in-person” | Not recorded | | Carvana (2 October 2026) | “valid for 7 days” | “a final confirmation at the pickup appointment” | Not recorded | On paper, the difference that matters most is the 7 Day Offer: without one, there is no figure to hold the company to, and the price is made at the appointment. Our reviews of [Peddle](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/peddle-review/) and [Wheelzy](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/wheelzy-review/), and our guides to the [CarMax appraisal](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carmax-appraisal/), [KBB’s Instant Cash Offer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/kbb-instant-cash-offer/), [selling to Carvana](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/how-to-sell-a-car-to-carvana/) and [CarBrain](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carbrain-review/), read each route against its own terms. For a dealer trade-in, see [selling to a dealer](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/sell-car-to-dealer/) and [where to sell a car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/where-to-sell-a-car/). ## Before your appointment - **Use the US site,** webuyanycarusa.com, not the UK one. - **Enter the VIN or plate and the exact trim.** Only then can you get a 7 Day Offer; if your model is missing, ask for a custom quote instead of picking the nearest one. - **Describe the condition as the inspector will find it.** Warning lights, tire tread, rust underneath and any repainted panel all feed the final offer. - **Get a fresh valuation close to the day** and check the odometer against what you entered: a 7 Day Offer needs it under 1,000 miles above your figure. - **Bring the title, registration and photo ID for every owner,** plus a written 10-day payoff letter and your account number if there is a loan. - **Ask for the documentation fee in writing** before you accept, and ask whether electronic payment carries a fee. - **Plan how you will pay any negative equity.** A credit card adds 2.5%. - **Join the inspection and the test drive,** and if the figure drops, ask which listed reason applies. You can decline at no cost. - **Read the purchase agreement before signing,** especially the odometer statement and any arbitration clause. - **Keep paying the loan until the lender confirms the payoff,** remove your plates and file your release of liability. ## Common questions ### Is We Buy Any Car legit in the US? Yes. The US business is run by CarGroup Holdings, LLC, has bought cars in the US since 2011 and lists 86 branch locations in 12 states. It claims “BBB A+ accreditation,” which we could not check. The risk its own documents point to is a lower price after the inspection, since the online figure is not an offer. ### Does We Buy Any Car charge a fee? Not to value or inspect your car. If you sell, it “may charge a documentation fee (e.g. titling)” with no amount printed, a 2.5% card fee applies to negative equity paid by credit card, and one FAQ answer says electronic transfers carry “a small fee.” ### Why was my We Buy Any Car offer lower than the online valuation? Because the valuation is “for information purposes only and is not a binding offer.” The company lists six common reasons for a lower final offer: undisclosed exterior damage, worn tires, a paint reading that suggests a repair, OBD codes or warning lights, history-report findings, and market movement since your valuation. ### How long is a We Buy Any Car offer good for? A standard online valuation has no guaranteed period; the FAQ says values change daily. A 7 Day Offer is “valid until midnight of the seventh calendar day following the day you are presented with the conditional offer in writing,” at a location within 100 miles, and only if the car matches what you disclosed. ### How does We Buy Any Car pay you? At the appointment, by corporate check drawn on Truist Bank, ACH, wire or Zelle, never cash. It pays any lender directly; the FAQ says the lender receives the money within 3 to 4 business days. ### Is We Buy Any Car USA the same company as We Buy Any Car UK? No. The US FAQ says the two share a brand name but the US business “is a completely separate legal entity,” owned by CarGroup Holdings, LLC, while the UK business “is part of the Constellation Automotive Group.” UK policies and valuations do not apply in the US. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 580 (odometer disclosure requirements)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-580) - [49 U.S.C. §32710 (odometer fraud: civil actions by private persons)](https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2023-title49/USCODE-2023-title49-subtitleVI-partC-chap327-sec32710) - [CFPB, Negative Equity in Auto Lending (June 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_negative-equity-in-auto-lending-report_2024-06.pdf) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/we-buy-any-car-review/ --- title: "CarBrain Review: What Its Terms Say About Offers, Pickup and Pay" description: "CarBrain holds offers for 7 days, but its dealers’ Terms allow a counter-offer if your description was wrong. What it says on towing, payment, title and loans." url: "https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carbrain-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # CarBrain Review: What Its Terms Say About Offers, Pickup and Pay > CarBrain holds offers for 7 days, but its dealers’ Terms allow a counter-offer if your description was wrong. What it says on towing, payment, title and loans. *Selling & Trade-In · 21 min read · 4,796 words* ## The short version - CarBrain is a Miami Lakes, Florida, marketplace for damaged, junk and used cars, part of the CAS Automotive group. Partner dealers “view and bid on vehicles,” and a partner whose offer you accept handles pickup, payment and the title with you. - CarBrain says you have up to 7 days to accept and the offer “will not be subject to change,” but another page adds: “as long as we can verify that the information you entered is correct.” - Its partner dealers’ Terms of Service set the pickup rule: “Counter offers are unacceptable” unless the seller “substantially misrepresented vehicle condition, location, title status.” - Towing is free because its cost is “included in the offer price.” Storage fees run up before the sale are yours. Payment is by check at pickup, or by mail if you choose. - The FAQ says CarBrain “cannot buy your vehicle without a valid, signed title”; its title guide accepts substitutes in California and Washington. It pays a lender directly only on offers of $1,000 or more that cover the loan. - The consumer Terms, which name CAS Auto, LLC and print no date, send disputes to individual arbitration under JAMS International rules in Miami, with a class-action waiver. CarBrain is a real online buyer of damaged and unwanted cars, but it works as a marketplace: the offer you accept may come from one of more than 140 partner dealers, and if it does, that dealer is the one who inspects the car, pays you and takes the title. On 9 October 2026 we read 22 CarBrain documents, including its Terms and Conditions, the separate Terms of Service for its partner dealers, its FAQ, offer form, title-problems guide and privacy policy, plus 5 pages from its parent group, CAS Automotive. CarBrain’s Terms bar “back & direct-links,” so we name its documents rather than link them. No ZIP code, VIN or car was entered and no call was made, so no offer amount appears here; this site has no commercial relationship with CarBrain or any other buyer. **Figure: CarBrain’s promises next to its partner dealers’ rules** A two-column table setting six lines from CarBrain’s seller pages (7 days to accept with no change, no haggling, payment before the tow, pickup and payment 24 to 48 hours after you accept, free towing, keeping the car until paid) against the Terms of Service its partner dealers accept: accepted offers honored within 7 days, counter-offers allowed only if the seller substantially misrepresented condition, location or title status, the partner handling payment and title after you accept, inspection and towing within 48 hours or as agreed, towing costs included in the offer price, and removal only with the seller’s consent and payment. Read from CarBrain’s how-it-works, FAQ, selling pages and privacy policy, and the Terms of Service its partner dealers accept, on 9 October 2026. No ZIP code or vehicle was entered and no offer amount is shown. ## Who actually buys your car: CarBrain or a partner dealer CarBrain’s marketing speaks as a buyer: “When you sell your car to CarBrain, we pay you, not the other way around.” The FAQ is more exact: “Offers to purchase are made by Us or by our network of Service Providers across the continental United States.” The privacy policy says: “We operate as a marketplace where partner dealers can view and bid on vehicles,” and puts the network at “140+ partner dealers in buyer network.” Once you accept a partner’s offer, CarBrain passes that dealer your phone number, address and vehicle details, and then “the partner handles the transaction directly with you, including pickup logistics, payment, and title exchange.” Photos of your title and ID stay with CarBrain. The Terms of Service that partner dealers accept (CarBrain calls them Service Providers) describe “an online marketplace for damaged and end of life vehicles.” Partners set their own prices; the recruitment page tells them to “choose the type(s) of cars you want to buy, the prices you want to pay, and the distance you want to travel.” Section 3.1 makes each partner “solely responsible for their pre-configured offers and completing a transaction,” and section 20 calls CarBrain and its partners “independent contractors.” CarBrain is paid by the dealer, not by you. Section 6.1: “CarBrain shall be compensated by Service Provider for each offer made by Service Provider and accepted by a vehicle seller at the rates set forth by CarBrain from time to time.” The rates are not published. A dealer must meet 8 minimum requirements to join, among them a “Required business license in your state,” “own tow trucks or sublet towing,” being “in business 3 or more years” and the “Ability to pay by check.” For a seller, two things follow. Ask when you accept whether the offer is CarBrain’s or a partner’s, and get the dealer’s business name: that company hands you the check. And your description carries the deal, because section 11.1 tells dealers that CarBrain “DOES NOT INVESTIGATE OR WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR TRUTHFULNESS OF INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY POTENTIAL VEHICLE SELLERS.” ## Who owns CarBrain, and is it legit? CarBrain belongs to the CAS Automotive group of Miami Lakes, Florida, but its documents use three legal names. The consumer Terms say the site is “owned and operated by CAS Auto, LLC., a Delaware limited liability company, doing business as CarBrain.com.” The partner Terms name “CarBrain, LLC; a Delaware limited liability company; doing business as CarBrain.com.” The privacy policy “applies to CAS Automotive Group, LLC and its affiliated companies.” The footer adds a fourth spelling: “Carbrain is a registered trademark of Carbrain LLC.” For a dispute under the consumer Terms, the company to name is CAS Auto, LLC. The start date varies too. CarBrain’s FAQ says it “is an evolution of DamagedCars.com, which was founded in 2007,” and “In 2017, CarBrain was born.” CAS Automotive’s [history page](https://casautomotive.com/history/) dates CarBrain to 2016, and its brand page says “Since 2008.” The group began as College Auto Sales in 1985, “a small family-run business based in Miami, Florida,” and its privacy policy covers 11 websites, including damagedcars.com and junkcarmasters.com. **What we could and could not check about CarBrain, read 9 October 2026** | Question | What we found | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Who runs the site | CAS Auto, LLC, a Delaware LLC doing business as CarBrain.com | CarBrain Terms and Conditions | | Who runs the dealer network | CarBrain, LLC, a Delaware LLC doing business as CarBrain.com | Partner Terms of Service | | Parent group | CAS Automotive Group, LLC, Miami Lakes, Florida | Privacy policy; CAS Automotive site | | BBB rating | CarBrain claims “an A+ BBB rating” | Not checked: BBB blocked our browser | | State company filings | Not read | Florida’s registry showed a bot check; Delaware’s was not tried | | FTC or state attorney-general action | None found in web searches | A search result, not a clearance | | Lawsuits | No complaint or docket found or read | Nothing to report either way | | Licensing | “fully accredited, licensed, bonded and insured” | CarBrain’s claim; no state record looked up | On what we could read, CarBrain is an established business with detailed dealer rules and no public enforcement action we could find. We could not confirm its BBB standing or its state filings, because both sites blocked access; those claims are its own. The harder question for a seller is what happens between the online number and the check. ## How the offer is made, and how long it holds The online form opens with one question, the ZIP code where the car sits, because “We need to know the ZIP where your car is located to make sure we give you the right offer and the most efficient service.” We stopped there, so the later questions were not seen. The FAQ lists what sets the number: “your location, the wholesale value of your car pre-accident, the extent of damage or mechanical and electrical problems, the current market demand for your vehicle and its parts, its make, model, mileage and age.” CarBrain says it uses its own “price engine technology” and asks for the VIN and photos of the “Front, Left Side, Right Side, Rear, Interior, VIN and other views of any damage.” Is the offer instant? Sometimes. The home page promises “Instant Offer on Most Cars!” in “just 90 seconds,” and CAS Automotive’s brand page says “less than 60 seconds.” How-it-works is more careful: “an instant offer on some vehicles,” or a guaranteed offer “shortly after you finish entering your car’s details.” When more details are needed, the FAQ says, “you will receive a call from one of our car buyers.” Expect calls and texts: the TCPA notice treats using the site as consent to them, including “prerecorded/artificial voice messages,” though “Consent may be revoked at any time and by any reasonable means.” Once you have a number, how-it-works says: “you have up to seven days to accept it. It will not be subject to change.” The partner Terms carry the same 7 days: in section 3.2, dealers agree to “honor offers made by Service Provider that are accepted by vehicle sellers within 7 days.” If you need longer, expect a new number. ## What can change the offer at pickup CarBrain’s marketing is firm. The junk-car page says “we guarantee no haggling and no last-minute negotiating with all our offers,” and criticizes buyers that “settle on a final price when they arrive to pick up the car.” The same page adds a condition: “The offer you accept is the payment you’ll get when you describe your car accurately.” The damaged-car page spells it out: the offer “will not change, as long as we can verify that the information you entered is correct,” and payment comes “After a quick inspection and transferring of your title.” The consumer Terms say nothing about inspections. The rule is in section 6.4 of the partner Terms, on deals that fall through. A dealer whose offer you accepted “will be responsible for full payment of the vehicle based on the accepted offer to the seller” unless one of 3 things happened: it “was unable to reach the seller,” “the vehicle was sold to a different party,” or “the seller substantially misrepresented vehicle condition, location, title status and a counteroffer by Service Provider was rejected by seller.” Then: “Counter offers are unacceptable unless one of the previous conditions was met.” **What CarBrain’s own documents say can change or end a deal at pickup (read 9 October 2026)** | What the buyer finds | Where CarBrain says it | What follows | | --- | --- | --- | | Condition substantially different from your description | Partner Terms, section 6.4; damaged-car page | A counter-offer; if you reject it, the dealer may walk away | | The car is somewhere other than you said | Partner Terms, section 6.4 | Same | | Title status differs (not in your name, a lien, no title) | Partner Terms, section 6.4; FAQ | A counter-offer, or no sale | | Engine or transmission missing | FAQ: below “our minimum standards for purchase” | Not bought | | Fewer than two tires | Junk-car page | Cannot be towed, so not bought | | Information CarBrain cannot verify | Consumer Terms, “Breach” | CarBrain may “refuse to provide our services” | Read together, a fair description should hold its price, and a materially wrong one opens the door to a lower offer you are free to refuse. “Substantially” is not defined, and the partner Terms are a contract between CarBrain and its dealer, not with you. Still, they are the rule CarBrain sets, and worth having on your phone if a driver starts to renegotiate over something you disclosed. **Describe the car the way the tow driver will see it.** The grounds for a counter-offer are condition, location and title status, so a car that will not start on the day, a car moved to a shop, or a title still in a late relative’s name can each reopen the price. Photograph the odometer, every side and any damage the day before pickup, and mention anything missing before you accept. ## Towing, fees, and what CarBrain will not take “Free Tow and No Hidden Fees” is on the FAQ’s list of what CarBrain offers. The partner Terms explain how. Section 3.1: “Service Provider agrees that towing services will not be charged to CarBrain or the seller of the vehicle and all such costs are included in the offer price submitted by Service Provider.” Nobody bills you for the tow; its cost is inside the number you see. Partners also choose how far they will travel, so by our reading a car far from the nearest partner may draw fewer offers. One cost is clearly yours: “You are responsible for any storage fees or repair expenses incurred prior to selling the vehicle to CarBrain.” If the car sits at a body shop or tow yard after a crash, those charges run until it is collected, and CarBrain’s blog asks sellers whose car is “at a shop, accruing fees” to tell it “ASAP.” Settle who pays the release bill before you book the pickup. On timing, the FAQ says “On average, we can have your vehicle picked up 24 to 48 hours after you accept our offer,” the junk-car page says “under 48 business hours,” and the partner Terms give dealers “48 hours or otherwise with what was agreed with the seller” for the inspection, closing and tow. “Your driver will contact you an hour before arrival.” Where CarBrain works: “CarBrain buys cars in cities across 48 states,” and its list has exactly 48 names. Alaska and Hawaii are not on it, and nor is the District of Columbia, though all 3 appear among the 51 jurisdictions on CarBrain’s title-signing page (our count). What it will not buy: “Most common cars missing major mechanical components such as Engine or Transmission do not meet our minimum standards for purchase,” and “all cars must have at least two tires for us to tow it.” Branded titles are welcome; the About page lists “previously damaged and repaired cars with salvage history / rebuilt titles.” After a total loss, CarBrain’s pitch is that you keep the car and receive “two payments, one from the insurance company for the damage settlement and a second from CarBrain.” Our guide to [salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) explains the brand that usually follows. ## How and when you are paid The FAQ answers “How quickly can CarBrain pay for my vehicle?” with a method, not a time: “Payment is made by check when we or a member of our Service Provider Network picks up your vehicle, or by mail if you choose this option.” The junk-car page names the kind of check: “CarBrain pays with certified checks in order to protect both our drivers and our sellers.” The partner Terms are looser: dealers pay “in the manner agreed to in the offer.” No page we read mentions cash or a bank transfer. **The 5 ways CarBrain’s documents describe when you get paid (our count, read 9 October 2026)** | Document | What it says | | --- | --- | | How it works | “On average, we can pay you and have your vehicle picked up 24 to 48 hours after you accept our offer” | | Areas served | “we’ll send you payment typically within 24 to 48 hours” | | Home page | “payment in under 48 business hours” | | FAQ | By check at pickup, “or by mail if you choose this option” | | Partner Terms, section 3.2 | Inspection, closing and towing “within 48 hours or otherwise with what was agreed with the seller” | The protection CarBrain stresses is the order of events: “When we purchase your car we deliver payment before we tow your car. We don’t get your car until you get your check.” The partner Terms back that with a duty to “only remove the vehicle from seller’s possession with seller’s consent and payment unless agreed upon by the seller.” That closing clause matters: agree to be paid by mail and you have agreed to let the car go first. At a normal pickup you “hand over the keys & title” and “The driver will hand over the check,” with “a bill of sale” to follow. CarBrain does not say how long a check takes to clear or how to confirm one; Peddle, for comparison, says its check is active within 30 minutes of a confirmed pickup. A certified check is drawn on a bank, so confirm it with that bank before you sign, using a number you look up yourself, and check the payee name matches your title. The check may come from a partner dealer rather than from CarBrain. ## The title, and selling without one CarBrain’s FAQ is blunt: “CarBrain requires a title in the seller’s name. We cannot buy your vehicle without a valid, signed title from the registered vehicle owner.” On pickup day, “we require the properly signed original title to your car.” For some cars CarBrain first asks for “a signed photocopy or scan of your title” and a copy of your driver’s license, to match names and signatures; for “generally older vehicles,” the network member who collects the car checks the title on the spot. The name on the title decides who can be paid: “Payment can only be issued to the listed owner on the title,” says the offer form. A title still in a previous owner’s name must be transferred into yours at the DMV first; selling on someone else’s signed title is what our guide to [title jumping](https://baronauto1.com/guides/title-jumping/) warns against. The one printed exception is for dealers: “If the title belongs to a licensed dealer we may purchase the vehicle on the title that was reassigned.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the truck’s bed, its cab and the toolbox under the bed, each with one fact from CarBrain’s FAQ and offer pages. CarBrain’s FAQ, offer form and partner Terms of Service, read on 9 October 2026: Signed original title in the seller’s name is required at pickup, CarBrain’s FAQ says (callout 1); Payment can only be issued to the owner listed on the title, CarBrain says (callout 2); Lender paid directly only on offers of $1,000 or more that cover the loan balance (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Without a title, CarBrain’s documents disagree. The offer form’s answer to “I do not have a title for this vehicle” is a duplicate from the DMV; see our guide to [replacing a lost title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/replace-lost-car-title/). The title-problems guide names two state substitutes: in California, for a car “registered and titled” in your name, “the Reg 262 and Reg 227 will be accepted in place of the title,” and in Washington, “the Affidavit in Lieu of title with an original Odometer Disclosure will be accepted in place of the title,” both only once “Any liens must be satisfied.” An undated CarBrain blog post goes further: “CarBrain buys all types of vehicles including those without a title,” though it still needs “some form of documentation” of ownership. Treat the FAQ and the offer form as the rule: outside California and Washington, plan on a title in your name. A [bonded title](https://baronauto1.com/guides/bonded-title/) is the usual state route when you cannot get one, and our guide to [selling a junk car without a title](https://baronauto1.com/guides/junk-car-without-title/) covers what yards accept. Signing matters too. CarBrain’s title-signing page warns that in states requiring notarization “you must wait to sign your title in front of a public Notary”; our guide to [signing a title over](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#signing) covers the common mistakes. The privacy policy lists the extra papers CarBrain collects for harder cases, 12 by our count, from a divorce decree for a name change to a death certificate or will when the owner has died. After the sale, keep the bill of sale and file your state’s [release of liability](https://baronauto1.com/guides/release-of-liability/#how-to-file) yourself. ## Selling a car you still owe money on CarBrain will pay a lender directly, within limits. The offer form says: “On offers above $1000, we are able to pay your finance company directly if your loan balance is equal or less than the offer amount.” The title-problems guide sets 3 conditions: “The confirmed offer is $1,000.00 or higher,” “Loan balance must be equal or less than the confirmed offer amount,” and “The finance company must provide a Letter of Guarantee or a Payoff Letter.” Note the gap between “above $1000” and “$1,000.00 or higher”: an offer of exactly $1,000 qualifies on one wording and not the other, so ask. The damaged-car page gives CarBrain’s own example: with $1,000 still owed and an offer of $1,200, the seller keeps $200 once the loan is paid (the subtraction checks out, by our arithmetic). The reverse case is plain: “Our offers may not always exceed what is still owed on the vehicle. In this instance, we aren’t able to purchase the vehicle from you.” The FAQ mentions one other route, to “transfer the loan to your new vehicle (sometimes called a collateral swap)”; otherwise, by our reading, the gap has to be paid off before CarBrain can buy. Our guide to [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) covers the options. Before you accept, get a written payoff letter from your lender and check that the confirmed offer clears both the payoff and the threshold. CarBrain may ask for a “Lienholder authorization letter,” your registration and a “Payoff letter.” See our guides to [getting a payoff quote](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/trading-in-a-financed-car/#payoff-quote) and [checking for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/). For leases, the FAQ says only that “CarBrain can guide you through the title release process.” ## The Terms: arbitration, the class waiver and what they leave out CarBrain’s consumer Terms and Conditions print no date and describe a different business. They speak of a site that “lists a vast inventory of new and used vehicles,” call everything on it “advertising only,” and say nothing about offers, inspections, towing, payment, titles, liens or cancelling. Those rules live in the FAQ, the selling pages, the partner Terms and a “legal purchase agreement” the FAQ says you receive when you sell; we did not see one, because we did not start a sale. What the Terms do settle is how you can bring a claim: “any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Terms and/or your use of the Website” goes to “binding arbitration in accordance with JAMS International Arbitration Rules,” on “an individual basis,” held “exclusively in Miami, Florida.” You “waive any right you may have to initiate and/or join any putative class-action,” and must “notify Us in writing of any claim or dispute” and allow “reasonable time to address it” first. Florida law governs, and the Terms can change “at any time.” Read the purchase agreement before you sign; it may have its own clause. **CarBrain’s two contracts side by side (read 9 October 2026)** | Point | Consumer Terms and Conditions | Partner dealers’ Terms of Service | | --- | --- | --- | | Company named | CAS Auto, LLC, a Delaware LLC | CarBrain, LLC, a Delaware LLC | | Offers | Not mentioned | Honored within 7 days; counter-offers only on the grounds in section 6.4 | | Towing | Not mentioned | Not charged to the seller; cost included in the offer price | | Payment | Not mentioned | “in the manner agreed to in the offer”; car removed only with consent and payment | | Disputes | Individual JAMS arbitration in Miami; class-action waiver | Mediation, then the courts in Miami | | Changes | “at any time,” on posting | Dealers have 10 days to leave after a material change | The privacy policy, issued for CAS Automotive Group, LLC, says “We DO NOT sell your personal information,” but shares hashed contact details with Google and Meta to measure advertising, which it says “may constitute ‘sharing’ under California law.” Data on a car not bought is “archived after 90 days”; for a completed sale it is “retained indefinitely.” The Do Not Call registry “does NOT apply” to calls about a pending sale; you can stop them, but then “your transaction will not be possible.” The Terms add that what you submit “becomes and remains the property of CAS Auto.” Backing out is not covered. No CarBrain page we read explains how to cancel an accepted offer or a booked pickup, or mentions a fee for doing so; the partner Terms simply excuse a dealer when “the vehicle was sold to a different party.” If you change your mind, tell your account manager and the dealer in writing before the truck is dispatched. ## CarBrain vs Peddle and Wheelzy, on their own terms Searchers often set CarBrain against Peddle, and Wheelzy works the same way: a network of buyers behind the online offer and a tow driver who checks the car. The Peddle column was read for our [Peddle review](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/peddle-review/) on 5 October 2026 and the Wheelzy column for our [Wheelzy review](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/wheelzy-review/) on 6 October 2026, and both are repeated unchanged. We compare printed terms, never prices. **CarBrain, Peddle and Wheelzy on their own published terms** | Point | CarBrain (read 9 October 2026) | Peddle (read 5 October 2026) | Wheelzy (read 6 October 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How long the offer holds | Up to 7 days; dealers must honor accepted offers | Up to 7 days to accept; can change until accepted | Kept “as long as we’re able to” before acceptance | | Change at pickup | Dealer counter-offer only if condition, location or title status was substantially misrepresented | May “recalculate the Offer or refuse pick up” | Recalculation if parts are missing or the car differs (Terms, section 4) | | How you are paid | Check at pickup, or by mail if you choose | Mainly a company check, active within 30 minutes of a confirmed pickup | 4 methods: cash, physical, electronic or mailed check | | Car with a loan | Lender paid directly on offers of $1,000 or more that cover the balance | “all liens and loans must be paid in full” first | Not addressed on the pages read | | No title | No sale without a valid, signed title; California and Washington substitutes | Has “many buyers that buy cars without a title” | “may be able to buy your car without a title” | | Disputes | Florida law; individual JAMS arbitration in Miami; class waiver | New York law; individual JAMS arbitration | Florida law; negotiation, then Orange County courts | All three make the online number depend on your description. CarBrain is the only one whose dealer contract we read, and it limits counter-offers more tightly than Peddle’s or Wheelzy’s consumer terms do; but CarBrain prints the least about when its checks clear and the most conditions on selling without a title. For other routes, see [where to sell a car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/where-to-sell-a-car/), [selling a junk car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/sell-a-junk-car/) and our [We Buy Any Car review](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/we-buy-any-car-review/). ## A checklist before you accept a CarBrain offer - **Describe the car as the driver will find it:** whether it starts and drives, every area of damage, anything missing. - **Give the address where the car will be on pickup day,** and say if it is at a shop or yard running up storage fees, which are yours. - **Photograph the car the day before pickup:** the odometer, each side, the interior and any damage. - **Ask who is buying,** CarBrain or a partner dealer, and get the dealer’s business name. - **Accept within 7 days,** or expect a new number. - **Check the title is in your name,** and sign it as your state requires, before a notary where required. - **If you owe money, get a payoff letter first** and make sure the confirmed offer is at least $1,000 and covers the balance. - **Confirm a certified check with the issuing bank** before you sign anything. - **Do not hand over the title or keys until you hold the payment.** - **Keep the bill of sale and purchase agreement,** and file your release of liability. ## Common questions ### Is CarBrain a legitimate company? It is an established Miami Lakes, Florida, business that traces itself to DamagedCars.com, founded in 2007, inside a group that began in 1985, and it publishes detailed rules for its partner dealers. We found no FTC or state attorney-general action naming it. BBB and the Florida registry blocked our access on 9 October 2026, so its “A+ BBB rating” is CarBrain’s own claim. ### How does CarBrain pay you? By check: at pickup, “or by mail if you choose this option,” and the junk-car page says “CarBrain pays with certified checks.” Its pages say you are paid and the car collected 24 to 48 hours after you accept, on average. If a partner dealer bought the car, that dealer handles payment. ### Can CarBrain lower the offer at pickup? Only in limited cases. CarBrain says an accurate, verifiable offer “will not change.” Its partner dealers’ Terms allow a counter-offer only if the seller “substantially misrepresented vehicle condition, location, title status,” and you can refuse it. ### Does CarBrain buy cars without a title? Mostly no. The FAQ says it cannot buy without “a valid, signed title from the registered vehicle owner.” Its title guide accepts California’s Reg 262 and Reg 227 and Washington’s Affidavit in Lieu of title, with liens cleared, and a blog post claims more. Ask before you accept. ### What does CarBrain do with your car? Often it goes to a partner dealer: the privacy policy describes a marketplace where “partner dealers can view and bid on vehicles” and lists auction services among its providers. Its recruitment page speaks of “junk and rebuildable cars,” and in the same group, CAS Auto “specializes in global export,” the privacy policy says. ### Is Peddle or CarBrain better? We do not rank buyers. On printed terms, both hold offers for up to 7 days and both tie the number to your description. Peddle says many of its buyers take cars without titles; CarBrain generally needs a title in your name and pays lenders directly from $1,000. Getting both offers costs nothing. ## Sources and further reading - [California DMV, notice of transfer and release of liability](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/notice-of-transfer-and-release-of-liability/) - [TxDMV, buying or selling a vehicle](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle) - [TxDMV add or remove a lien](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/add-remove-lien) - [NHTSA odometer fraud](https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carbrain-review/ --- title: "INFINITI Financial Services Review: Payoff, Lease End, Who Holds It" description: "Who stands behind INFINITI Financial Services, how to pay and pay off, the disposition fee, loyalty waiver and SignatureFLEX miles, and where IFS’s pages clash." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/infiniti-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # INFINITI Financial Services Review: Payoff, Lease End, Who Holds It > Who stands behind INFINITI Financial Services, how to pay and pay off, the disposition fee, loyalty waiver and SignatureFLEX miles, and where IFS’s pages clash. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,885 words* ## The short version - INFINITI Financial Services (IFS) is a division of Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC (NMAC), and leased INFINITIs are titled to Nissan-Infiniti LT LLC. IFS says it cannot refinance your car. - Paying online or by Recurring Payments from a bank account is free. Paymentus charges $3.90 a payment, and lease accounts may pay by credit card for 3.0% where state law allows. IFS prints no late-fee amount. - A payoff quote is valid for 10 days and includes 10 days of interest, with no prepayment penalty. The title or lien release is mailed within 10 business days of the final payment clearing; electronic-title states can take up to 6 weeks. - Returning a lease costs a disposition fee of up to $395. IFS’s Replace It page waives it, with up to $500 of wear, if your next new INFINITI is financed through IFS within 90 days; two other IFS pages say 30. - SignatureFLEX leases (model year 2020 on) pay $0.25 a mile over the allowance at return, or $0.10 for miles bought up to 30 days before maturity. Nissan’s version has two overage rates; INFINITI’s has one. - NMAC’s lease filing shows 53.82% of INFINITI leases ending in the year to 31 March 2026 were handed back, with contract residuals averaging 61.90% of MSRP against ALG’s 47.14%. Check the buyout against the market. Most people who search “INFINITI Financial Services” want to pay, pay off, hand a lease back or find out who holds the contract. On 9 October 2026 we read what IFS publishes on those questions: its [Payment Options page](https://www.infinitifinance.com/s/paymentoptions?language=en_US) with every panel opened, its End of Lease, [Replace It](https://www.infinitifinance.com/s/content-detail/replace-it-MCUIDX2AXHCJEWJPKTHW72Z3CUSI?language=en_US), [Return It](https://www.infinitifinance.com/s/content-detail/return-it-MC5Q7ZSF2SSBCSPBQIVJWTCXVUDE?language=en_US) and Purchase It pages, 63 help articles, its privacy page, its website terms and the INFINITI Guide to Chargeable Wear and Use. We also read the INFINITI rows of the [Nissan Auto Lease Trust 2026-B prospectus](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2141529/000119312526313766/d131968d424b5.htm) (dated 21 July 2026). NMAC’s shared record comes from our [Nissan Motor Acceptance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/), read on 7 October 2026. We entered no login, VIN or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with INFINITI, NMAC or any lender. **Figure: INFINITI Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of six questions set against INFINITI Financial Services’ own pages: the account is held by Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC, with leased cars titled to Nissan-Infiniti LT LLC; paying online or by Recurring Payments from a bank account is free, while Paymentus charges $3.90 a payment and 3.0% by credit card on leases; a payoff quote is valid for 10 days with 10 days of interest and no prepayment penalty, and the title is mailed within 10 business days; the disposition fee of up to $395 and up to $500 of wear are waived with a new INFINITI financed through IFS, within 90 days on one IFS page and 30 on two others; SignatureFLEX leases pay $0.25 a mile over at return or $0.10 for miles bought up to 30 days before maturity; and 53.82% of INFINITI leases ending in the year to March 2026 were returned, with contract residuals averaging 61.90% of MSRP against ALG’s 47.14%. Read from INFINITI Financial Services’ Payment Options, End of Lease, Replace It and Return It pages and help articles on 9 October 2026, and the Nissan Auto Lease Trust 2026-B prospectus dated 21 July 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who INFINITI Financial Services is, and who holds your contract The footer of every infinitifinance.com page reads only “© INFINITI 2026.” The legal name is on the privacy page: “Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC (NMAC, Nissan, or ‘we’) and its division Infiniti Financial Services (IFS or Infiniti).” The website terms are “between you and Infiniti Financial Services (IFS) and its affiliates,” and say its materials may not be reproduced “without written permission from Nissan North America, Inc. and Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC.” NMAC’s loan prospectus describes contracts sold “to NMAC, including its Infiniti Financial Services division”; the lease prospectus calls IFS “a dba of NMAC” and adds: “In 1995, the operations of IFS were assumed by NMAC.” NMAC was incorporated in 1981, became an LLC on 1 April 2021 and is wholly owned by Nissan North America, so older records say Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation. - **Loans.** IFS’s answer to who holds the lien is one line: “INFINITI Financial Services (IFS) is the Lienholder.” - **Leases.** Dealers assign INFINITI leases “to Nissan-Infiniti LT LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the ‘titling company’),” the lease prospectus says, created in 1998 and converted in 2021. IFS’s insurance article agrees: “Nissan-Infiniti LT (Nissan Infiniti Lease Trust) must be listed as Loss Payee and Additional Insured.” Yet its registration article says “INFINITI Financial Services is the owner of the vehicle.” Use the titling company’s name wherever a form asks for the lessor. IFS is an indirect lender: the INFINITI retailer writes the contract, then IFS buys it, so a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from another lender is the way to test the rate you are offered. Afterwards IFS will not refinance: “since IFS is an indirect lender, we are unable to refinance your vehicle.” Our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers that route. The account site is IFS Online Account Manager. Its terms warn that account information “may not always be accurate or current because of processing delays,” promise that “IFS will never ask for your account number or social security number by email,” and apply your contract’s arbitration clause, if any, to the website. IFS may discuss your account with “IFS affiliates (such as INFINITI Retailers) and the people who signed the contract”; anyone else needs your permission. Phone and chat run Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central. We do not print phone numbers, and IFS’s own pages give three different ones for customer service, so use the number on your statement. ## How to pay INFINITI Financial Services, and what each way costs The Payment Options page shows each method only after you pick an account type and a payment type from its own menus; we opened every combination. The routes IFS runs itself draw on a checking or savings account and cost nothing. **Ways to pay an INFINITI Financial Services account and the fees IFS prints, read 9 October 2026** | Method | Fee | What IFS adds | | --- | --- | --- | | Online, one-time (website or app) | Free: “offered FREE of charge” | Checking or savings; edit or cancel before 6 p.m. CT on the draft date | | Recurring Payments (autopay) | Free: “IFS does not charge a fee” | Your bank “may assess a fee” | | Paymentus, online or phone | $3.90 a payment | Debit card, check card or electronic check; not for Maryland customers; same-day posting before 4 p.m. CT | | Credit card through Paymentus | 3.0% of the payment | Lease accounts only, “Where not prohibited by state law” | | MoneyGram | A convenience fee; no amount printed | Same-day posting before 2 p.m. CT | | Mail | None printed | Check or money order payable to IFS, account number in the memo line | The lease mail panel has no payoff address, only this: “In most states, IFS cannot accept a payoff from a lease customer.” Timing is where IFS’s pages wobble. Online payments are applied “within 2 business days of the date you choose” (Payment Options) or “within 2-3 business days of the date you selected” (help article), though they are “effective dated to the date the payment is scheduled to draft.” Autopay can draft “eight days before or eight days after your contracted due date,” the same panel says, then that it “can be scheduled eight days before or on your contractual due date.” Schedule on or before the due date and both readings agree. The check-payment article’s loan address also differs from the Payment Options page’s, so mail to the address on your statement. **Paying extra.** A principal-only payment applies “directly to your principal balance and not toward future payments,” only with nothing past due, and “Principal only payments cannot be made using the mobile app.” Extra money added in the app goes first to fees and interest and “will appear as a credit toward future payments.” Loan customers can add a fixed extra principal amount to autopay, which “will continue to draft until the account is paid off.” Interest accrues daily: in IFS’s example, $20,000 at 5% costs $2.74 a day, so 30 days between payments sends $82.20 to interest, and “the final payment may be more if you pay late or less if you pay early.” **Property tax on a lease.** Where leased cars are taxed, IFS in most cases pays the bill and charges it to your account once a year. Pay it together with your monthly payment: a separate property-tax payment “may be applied to future payments due,” and an amount added to autopay must be removed once paid “or it will continue to be drafted.” ## Due dates, extensions, late charges and accidents You can ask to move your due date “for qualified accounts” through a form in the logged-in site; IFS does not say who qualifies. Change your autopay date too, or “payments will continue to be debited on the current draft date.” Before a payment extension, “including FEMA” relief, you “must cancel your Recurring Payment schedule prior to submitting your signed form,” and reactivate it when the extension ends. IFS prints no late-fee amount or grace period: “A late charge may be assessed according to the state laws where your contract originated.” Your contract has the figure, and late payments “may be reflected on your credit report.” A bounced payment is sent to your bank “one more time”; if it fails again it is reversed “and you may be charged a fee,” with no amount printed. NMAC’s loan prospectus describes what follows, for INFINITI and Nissan loans alike. Under its “current customary servicing practices,” an account is delinquent when 20% or more of a payment is 15 days late, moves to late-stage collections after 60 days, and at about 70 days NMAC “generally attempts to repossess the vehicle”; at 120 days it is charged off. Term extensions do not exceed six months, and NMAC may stretch a loan by up to twelve months case by case, so ask early (see [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back)). NMAC also moved its loan servicing to “an updated servicing platform hosted on a third-party system in June 2025” and says it “experienced delays and disruptions in certain processes”; if a payment has not posted, raise it in writing. **Accidents and insurance.** After damage, ask your insurer to call IFS’s insurance department and call it yourself. To endorse an insurance check IFS wants “a copy of the insurance estimate and a copy of the body shop repair bill showing repairs have been completed,” and “The processing time for the endorsement of all physical damage checks is 5 business days.” A lease requires comprehensive and collision with deductibles of no more than $1,000 and liability of at least 100/300/50 or a $300,000 combined single limit ($500,000 in Florida, with Florida leases dated after 4.20.17 aligned to the state minimum). “Lease vehicles do not have GAP Insurance, however, IFS does provide a GAP Waiver at no additional cost”; see our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing). ## Payoff quotes, the title and moving states The payoff figure is under Payoff Quote in the logged-in site. IFS’s [payoff article](https://www.infinitifinance.com/ifshelp/s/article/Where-Can-I-Find-My-Payoff-Amount-and-Instructions-Infiniti?language=en_US), updated 17 August 2026, says: “All payoffs generated are valid for 10 days and include 10 days of interest.” It is “an estimate,” and “IFS will not release the title or issue a lien release until all payments made toward the payoff have fully cleared.” There is no prepayment penalty: “Your account can be paid off at any time with no penalties.” Loan customers can pay off online; on a lease, “you do not have this option.” A mailed payoff must use the payoff address exactly, and “sending a certified check will expedite the release of your title or lien release” in some states. - **Paper-title states:** the title or lien release “will be mailed within 10 business days upon clearance of your final payment.” - **Electronic-title states:** the state mails the title, which “can take up to 6 weeks.” In Florida, contact your county tax assessor’s office. - **Still nothing:** contact IFS if “it has been more than 20 business days since you paid off your account.” A paper title still showing IFS’s lien goes to “your local DMV, MVA, or Local Tax Assessors Office”; see [clearing a lien from a title](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#lien). Cancel autopay yourself when you pay off: one IFS article says drafts stop “In most cases,” another that “you should cancel your Recurring Payments to prevent future debits.” **Moving states.** “In most cases, the state requires the vehicle to be titled in the state where the vehicle is garaged,” and IFS asks you to update your address first. A leased INFINITI needs a limited Power of Attorney from IFS to register; copies download from the account site, “Connecticut clients will need to contact Customer Service by phone or chat to request a Power of Attorney,” and states that want an original also mean a call. ## Ending an INFINITI lease: replace, return or purchase IFS offers “3 options”: replace the car with a new INFINITI, buy it “for the amount agreed to in the lease agreement,” or return it. NMAC’s lease filing says its Lease Customer Network starts writing about 180 days before maturity. IFS’s steps for a return: 1. **Book the free inspection**, done by an outside company at your home or workplace. “INFINITI Retailers are not authorized to perform this inspection, any requests sent, written or verbal, will not be accepted in the termination process.” 2. **Decide on repairs.** The inspector leaves a Condition Report and a “Notice of Option to make repairs prior to return”; your retailer or insurer may help, “with your only expense being the deductible.” 3. **Call the retailer** “30 days prior to your maturity date.” Only an authorized INFINITI retailer takes the car: “No. You need to return your lease to your local authorized INFINITI retailer.” 4. **Sign the odometer statement,** which “will serve as your receipt for the return of the vehicle.” Keep a copy. 5. **Cancel autopay,** then settle the liability statement online “free of charge.” Later bills for “property tax, parking tickets; toll violations” can still follow. **The inspection.** Someone you authorise can stand in (“The authorized party must be above the age of 18”), and it “can take up to 30 minutes.” IFS calls it “complimentary, but required.” Skip it and “an inspection will take place at a later date,” and “You will not have the opportunity to make repairs or consult with your insurance company”; the same applies if it is done at the retailer at turn-in. IFS’s pages give three booking windows (see [contradictions](#contradictions)); 15 to 60 days before maturity meets all of them. **Buying it.** The price is the purchase option price in your lease, on the payoff letter. Your lease “may require you to pay incidental charges such as: sales tax, vehicle registration fees, a purchase option fee of up to $300,” but a buyer pays no excess-mileage or wear charges and needs no inspection. Buying through an INFINITI retailer is “mandatory for Ohio and Illinois residents,” one article says; the Purchase It page says only “Depending on your state”; no page lists the states. Ask before arranging a loan, and see [tax and fees on a lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#tax). **Return or buy?** In the year to 31 March 2026, the average INFINITI contract residual, which sets the buyout price, was 61.90% of adjusted MSRP, against 47.14% for ALG’s initial residual estimate: a printed gap of 14.76 points, 4.27 points wider than Nissan’s, by our arithmetic. NMAC says the difference between a contract residual and the initial base residual “represents marketing incentives offered to customers,” and that the gap between contract residual and actual value at maturity “may affect consumer behavior concerning purchasing or returning a vehicle.” That year 53.82% of INFINITI leases scheduled to end came back to NMAC (8,809 of 16,368). If the buyout price is above the car’s market value, returning it is the cheaper exit; see [the residual and the buyout price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual). ## Miles, wear and the disposition fee, as IFS prints them The end-of-lease liability statement can include “Excess wear and use,” “Excess mileage fees,” the disposition fee, unpaid payments and “Any other amounts that remain owing (i.e. unpaid late charges, taxes, etc.).” Disputes go to the INFINITI Lease Customer Network. **End-of-lease charges on an INFINITI lease as IFS’s own pages state them, read 9 October 2026** | Charge | What IFS says | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Disposition fee | “up to $395” if you do not buy the car | Lease-return steps, Return It page | | Excess miles, SignatureFLEX leases | $0.25 a mile over the original allowance | SignatureFLEX footnote | | Miles bought during the lease | $0.10 a mile plus sales tax, up to 30 days before maturity; non-refundable | SignatureFLEX article | | Excess miles, other leases | “Please refer to your agreement” | Mileage article | | Excess wear and use | From the inspection, against the INFINITI Guide to Chargeable Wear and Use | Wear guide, Return It page | | Purchase option fee (if you buy) | “up to $300” | Lease-purchase article | | Loyalty waiver | Up to $500 of wear and the $395 fee with a new INFINITI financed through IFS; miles not covered | Replace It page, steps article | **Miles.** Your per-mile charge is under Contract Details in the account site; the help article says only “Please refer to your agreement for miles allowed and excess mileage charges,” and the charge applies only if you return the car. SignatureFLEX covers INFINITIs from model year 2020 with a lease maturity of 2/1/2025 or later. Miles bought through the IFS portal or app cost “just $0.10 a mile,” against “$0.25 per mile (for mileage over the original lease)” at return. IFS’s headline, “You could save up to 60% with SignatureFLEX,” holds on every SignatureFLEX lease because INFINITI has one overage rate: $0.15 saved on $0.25 is 60%, by our arithmetic. Miles are sold “in 5-mile increments,” with “a minimum $20 purchase and a maximum $2,000 purchase” (200 to 20,000 miles before tax, by our arithmetic). Purchases carry sales tax, take up to 7 business days to post by bank transfer or 2 by card, and are not sold “during your final month of leasing.” “No refund will be issued for unused miles.” IFS tracks mileage through INFINITI InTouch data sharing, if you turn it on. On a hypothetical lease heading 2,000 miles over, buying ahead costs $200 against $500 at return, $300 less before tax, by our arithmetic. See [how lease mileage limits work](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the ignition lock, the keyring charm and the key, each with one fact from INFINITI Financial Services’ lease-end pages. INFINITI Financial Services’ Payment Options, End of Lease, Replace It and Return It pages, read on 9 October 2026: SignatureFLEX: $0.10 a mile if bought 30+ days early, $0.25 a mile over at return (callout 1); Up to $395 disposition fee, waived with a new INFINITI via IFS in 90 or 30 days (callout 2); Return it only to an authorized INFINITI retailer; the odometer statement is your receipt (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Wear and use.** The INFINITI Guide to Chargeable Wear and Use charges a scratch that “exceeds 3 inches, single or accumulative,” any panel with 4 or more dents or a dent over 3 inches, “Any dent on panels that have been previously repainted,” 10 or more chips on one panel, tyre tread under 1/8 inch and wheel scuffs past 6 inches. INFINITI-specific lines: “Runflats must be replaced with Runflats,” “Non-INFINITI wheels or wheel covers” are chargeable, and “SIMS card, spare tire, etc must be returned.” Warning lights and engine noises carry “Diagnostic fee & other charges may apply,” and “IFS reserves the right to maintain a claim for engine damage caused by sludge, subsequent to the lease termination,” so keep oil-change records until the lease is closed. If you repair damage, before or after the inspection, fax the itemised repair order, a paid receipt and a cover sheet with your name, the 17-digit VIN and the lease account number to the Lease Customer Network before the return, or “the chargeable excess wear and use amount may appear on your end of lease statement.” See [normal versus excess wear](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear). ## The loyalty waiver: 90 days or 30? IFS’s Replace It page carries this standing offer: “We’ll waive up to $500 in excess wear-and-use charges and your $395 disposition fee, if applicable, on your current IFS lease when you purchase or lease a new INFINITI.” That is up to $895, by our arithmetic. The new car must be “new, unused, and unregistered” and “financed with INFINITI Financial Services,” and the offer covers “individuals residing in the same household with proof of residency.” Miles are never covered: “The excess wear-and-use waiver does not apply to excess mileage fees.” The deadline depends on which IFS page you read: - **90 days:** “Loyalty waiver applies up to 90 days after lease termination” (Replace It page), and “within 90 days of returning your vehicle” (liability-statement article, updated May 2022). - **30 days:** “Loyalty waiver applies up to 30 days after lease termination” (Return It page and lease-return steps). Nissan’s Replace It page, read for our NMAC review, says 30 days, so INFINITI’s 90 is either a real difference or an error; nothing we read says which. Sign for the next INFINITI within 30 days of turn-in and get the waiver written into the deal. And because the waiver needs IFS financing, compare it with any better loan rate you hold before you sign. ## INFINITI Financial Services versus Nissan’s pages: what differs The two sites share a platform, most help-article wording and a servicer. Set against the Nissan pages our NMAC review read on 7 October 2026, IFS’s pages differ in a handful of places, most of them in the lease. **Printed terms on infinitifinance.com and nissanfinance.com compared (Nissan column from our Nissan Motor Acceptance review)** | Item | INFINITI Financial Services | Nissan (NMAC) | | --- | --- | --- | | Loyalty waiver window, Replace It page | “up to 90 days after lease termination” | “up to 30 days after lease termination” | | Who may take the new car | Lessee or household member; no owner-name rule on Return It | New car’s registered owner must match the lease, or joint ownership | | SignatureFLEX charge at return | $0.25 a mile on every SignatureFLEX lease | $0.15 (15,000 or 12,000 miles a year) or $0.25 (10,000 or 5,000) | | Mileage tracking | INFINITI InTouch | NissanConnect | | Lienholder in the help article | “INFINITI Financial Services (IFS)” | “Nissan Motor Company LLC (NMAC)” | | Payee on the retail mail panel | INFINITI Financial Services | Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation | | Printed the same on both | Paymentus $3.90; lease credit card 3.0%; disposition fee up to $395; purchase option fee up to $300; payoff quote valid 10 days; title within 10 business days | | On a 12,000- or 15,000-mile allowance, an INFINITI lessee pays $0.25 a mile over at return where a Nissan lessee pays $0.15, so buying miles ahead saves more on an INFINITI. For Nissan’s side in full, see our [NMAC review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/#lease-charges). ## Where IFS’s own documents disagree Of the 63 IFS help articles we read, 34 were last updated in 2021 and 6 in 2026, and older and newer pages do not always match. Confirm these points in writing: - **The loyalty waiver deadline:** 90 days on two pages, 30 on two others. - **Who inspects the car:** four articles and the wear guide name Alliance Inspection Management (AIM); two articles updated 24 September 2026 and the Return It page name Manheim Mobile Inspection, and one article uses both. - **When to book it:** “within the last 60 days of your lease,” “15 – 60 days before your maturity date” under a “30 - 90 Days Until Maturity” heading, and “Up to 60 days prior to the end of your lease.” - **Posting and autopay:** 2 or 2 to 3 business days for an online payment; drafts eight days either side of the due date, or only up to it. - **Who owns a leased INFINITI:** IFS, says the registration article; Nissan-Infiniti LT, say the insurance article and the lease prospectus. - **Contact details:** three different customer-service numbers, and two different P.O. boxes for loan payments. - **Where to buy out a lease:** through a retailer in Ohio and Illinois, “Depending on your state” elsewhere, and “In most states, IFS cannot accept a payoff from a lease customer.” **Use the real site, and get dates in writing.** IFS’s account site is infinitifinance.com, and its terms say “IFS will never ask for your account number or social security number by email.” Type the address yourself rather than following an ad, use the phone number and payment address on your current statement, and ask the Lease Customer Network to confirm your waiver deadline and buyout route in writing before the lease ends. ## The lender’s record: INFINITI’s lease book, regulators and complaints NMAC files no annual report with the SEC, but its lease prospectus breaks INFINITI out. The book has shrunk: 59,078 INFINITI leases were outstanding at 31 March 2026, down 45% from 107,469 in 2022 and 14.9% of NMAC’s 396,081 leases, by our arithmetic. Of those, 1.15% were delinquent, against 1.26% a year earlier and 1.89% the year before (a lease counts as delinquent “if 5% or more of the scheduled monthly payment is past due”), and NMAC repossessed 743 leased INFINITIs, 1.26% of the average number of contracts. It reports an average gain of $5,424 on each INFINITI returned to it that year, net of the contract-to-ALG residual difference, against $97 per returned Nissan. In the 2026-B lease pool, leases written through INFINITI dealers are 17.49% of the securitization value, and INFINITI models are 5,955 of 47,185 leases (12.6%, by our arithmetic), led by the QX60 and QX50; loans through INFINITI dealers are 13.23% of the 2026-B loan pool. Pool averages describe the contracts in that deal, not what any buyer is offered. **Regulators.** On 13 October 2020 the CFPB issued consent order 2020-BCFP-0017 against Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation, which it described as servicing “auto loans and leases originated by Nissan and Infiniti dealerships nationwide.” NMAC consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The CFPB found that NMAC and its agents “wrongfully repossessed vehicles,” held belongings in repossessed cars until a storage fee was paid, kept phone payers from cheaper payment options and used a deceptive bankruptcy statement in extension letters. The order required up to $1 million in redress and a $4 million penalty, ran for 5 years, and its CFPB page lists the status as Expired/Terminated/Dismissed. In 2019 the Justice Department announced that NMAC “has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations” that it repossessed 113 servicemembers’ vehicles without court orders and failed to refund up-front lease payments (capitalized cost reductions) to servicemembers who ended leases early under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, covering cases since 2008. Those were allegations settled, not findings; our [NMAC review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/#regulators) has the detail. **Complaints.** The CFPB complaint database has no company name for IFS: on 9 October 2026 a company search for “infiniti” returned nothing, and “nissan” returned one company, NISSAN MOTOR ACCEPTANCE COMPANY LLC, under which INFINITI complaints are filed with Nissan’s. Our NMAC review counted 5,473 complaints on 7 October 2026, received from 1 March 2012 to 21 September 2026, 2,106 of them (38.5%) about a vehicle loan or lease. Complaints are unverified, and a lender of NMAC’s size draws more than a small one; the [NMAC review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/#complaints) breaks them down. ## If you have an INFINITI Financial Services loan or lease - **Pay free** online, in the app or by Recurring Payments from a bank account; Paymentus costs $3.90 a payment. - **Fix autopay after any change:** a new due date, an extension, a payoff or a lease return. - **Pay extra principal on the website,** not the app. - **Time the payoff.** A quote lasts 10 days; the title follows within 10 business days of clearing, or up to 6 weeks electronically. - **Book the free inspection** 15 to 60 days before maturity, and fax repair paperwork before the return. - **Buy SignatureFLEX miles early:** $0.10 a mile until 30 days out, against $0.25 at return. - **Compare the buyout with the market;** returning can be the cheaper exit. - **Get the loyalty waiver in writing** and sign for the new INFINITI within 30 days. - **Keep the odometer statement** and oil-change records until the final bill is paid. ## Common questions ### Is INFINITI Financial Services the same as Nissan Motor Acceptance? Yes. IFS is a division of Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC, Nissan North America’s finance company; the lease prospectus calls it “a dba of NMAC.” Leased INFINITIs are titled to Nissan-Infiniti LT LLC. ### Who is the lienholder on an INFINITI Financial Services loan? IFS says: “INFINITI Financial Services (IFS) is the Lienholder.” On a lease, the loss payee your insurer should list is Nissan-Infiniti LT. ### Does INFINITI Financial Services charge a fee to pay? Not online, by Recurring Payments from a bank account, or by mail. Paymentus charges $3.90, lease accounts paying by credit card pay 3.0% where allowed, and MoneyGram charges a fee IFS does not print. Paymentus is not available in Maryland. ### How long does INFINITI Financial Services take to send the title? Within 10 business days after the final payment clears, IFS says, or up to 6 weeks in electronic-title states; Florida owners go through their county tax office. Contact IFS if nothing arrives after 20 business days. ### What is the INFINITI lease disposition fee, and can it be waived? Up to $395 if you return the car. IFS waives it, with up to $500 of wear, if you buy or lease a new INFINITI financed through IFS: within 90 days on the Replace It page, 30 on two other IFS pages. Excess miles are never waived. ### Can I return my INFINITI lease to any dealer? No: “You need to return your lease to your local authorized INFINITI retailer.” Other carmaker lenders’ rules are in our reviews of [Lexus Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lexus-financial-services-review/), [Acura Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/), [Audi Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/) and [Genesis Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-finance-review/); our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) covers transfers, which IFS allows without releasing the original lessee. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [TxDMV add or remove a lien](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/add-remove-lien) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/infiniti-financial-services-review/ --- title: "CARCHEX Review: Who Owes the Repair and What Its Contracts Say" description: "We read all 24 CARCHEX sample contracts: who owes the repair, which name an insurer, the waiting period, the $75 cancel fee and a 2020 court ruling." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/carchex-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # CARCHEX Review: Who Owes the Repair and What Its Contracts Say > We read all 24 CARCHEX sample contracts: who owes the repair, which name an insurer, the waiting period, the $75 cancel fee and a 2020 court ruling. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,958 words* ## The short version - CARCHEX sells the contract; it does not owe you the repair. On its 24 sample contracts, the obligor is American Auto Shield, Ltd outside Florida, and American Auto Shield, Inc or Liberty STF, Inc in Florida. - Whether an insurer stands behind the contract depends on how you pay. All 12 term samples name American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida; none of the 12 monthly samples names any insurer. - Cover does not start on day one. Term samples outside Florida print a wait of 90 days and 200 miles, with the first option left blank; monthly samples print 40 days and 250 miles. - CARCHEX advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee. The contracts refund in full within 30 days only if no claim has been made; after that, pro rata less claims paid and a $75 cancel fee outside Florida. - CARCHEX calls its plans “fully transferable.” The contracts say a transfer needs the administrator’s approval, which “may be declined for any reason.” - In 2020 a federal court in Maryland let parts of a 2019 class action against CARCHEX go forward at the motion-to-dismiss stage. We found no FTC or state attorney-general action naming CARCHEX, and no CFPB complaints under its name. CARCHEX is a Maryland company that sells vehicle service contracts, often called extended car warranties, by phone and online. It is a seller, not the company that pays for your repair, and what matters is printed on the contract. On 9 October 2026 we read all 24 sample contracts linked from CARCHEX’s Plan Coverages page, its benefits, FAQ, claims and about pages, and its Website Terms of Use (last updated 11/2/2023). We also read an older sample agreement on CARCHEX’s content domain, the two published opinions in a 2019 federal class action against the company, and the CFPB’s complaint database. CARCHEX’s terms prohibit “unauthorized hypertext links” to its site, so its documents are named here, not linked. We requested no quote, and this site has no commercial relationship with CARCHEX or any seller of service contracts. **Figure: Who owes the repair on a CARCHEX contract** A two-column table showing, for each group of CARCHEX’s 24 published sample contracts, which company the contract names as obligor and whether an insurer stands behind it: American Auto Shield, Ltd on the 12 samples outside Florida, insured on the 6 term samples and not on the 6 monthly ones; American Auto Shield, Inc on the 6 Florida term samples, insured; Liberty STF, Inc on the 6 Florida monthly samples, not insured; the 8 administrators CARCHEX lists for older contracts; and the website footer that names Liberty STF as provider under a code found on no sample. CARCHEX sells every contract; the company that owes the repair depends on your state and how you pay. Read from the 24 sample contracts linked on carchex.com on 9 October 2026. Only the 12 term samples name an insurer. ## Who owes you the repair on a CARCHEX contract A service contract has a seller, an obligor and an administrator, and sometimes an insurer behind the obligor. The obligor is the party “responsible for meeting the obligations” under the contract: the company that owes you the repair. The administrator handles claims and cancellations. Our guide to [who owes you the repair](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#who-owes-you) explains why the obligor matters most. On all 24 CARCHEX samples the seller is CARCHEX; the obligor changes with your state and how you pay: **Who CARCHEX’s 24 sample contracts name, read 9 October 2026** | Sample contracts | How many | Obligor and claims administrator | Insurer named behind it | Labor rate paid | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Term, outside Florida | 6 | American Auto Shield, Ltd | American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida | Up to the shop’s posted rate | | Monthly, outside Florida | 6 | American Auto Shield, Ltd | None | Up to the shop’s posted rate | | Term, Florida | 6 | American Auto Shield, Inc (FL Company Code: 14044) | American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida | Up to a regional average | | Monthly, Florida | 6 | Liberty STF, Inc (FL Company Code: 11947) | None | Up to a regional average | **CARCHEX is not the party you would claim against.** The administrator is “who YOU contact for all BREAKDOWNS” and cancellations, and every sample points to Lakewood, Colorado, not to CARCHEX in Maryland. A federal court said the same in 2020: “the ‘obligor’ in the VSC is AAS, not CarChex.” **The insurer depends on how you pay.** On the 12 term samples, if the obligor fails to pay “within sixty (60) days” of your request, you may apply directly to American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida. The 12 monthly samples name no insurer, although CARCHEX’s older FAQ page calls the claims reserve accounts “fully insured by highly rated carriers.” Look the obligor up on your state’s [service contract register](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#check-the-register) and ask what backs a monthly plan. **The website footer names a different company.** The footer on every carchex.com page we read says vehicle service contracts are “provided by Liberty STF, Inc,” with a Florida Company Code of W469753. Liberty STF appears on only 6 of the 24 samples, the Florida monthly ones, and there under code 11947. The code W469753 appears on none of the 24. The other 18 name American Auto Shield. The name that counts is the one on your own declarations page. **The administrator is the one CarShield calls its own.** The American Auto Shield samples use the same declarations codes as the samples CarShield publishes, which we read on 6 October 2026 for our [CarShield review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carshield/), and CarShield’s FAQ says it administers its contracts “through American Auto Shield, a CarShield company.” So a CARCHEX buyer outside Florida holds a contract owed by a company another seller calls part of its group. The printed terms still differ in places; see the comparison near the end. ## If you already have a CARCHEX contract: check the prefix CARCHEX says it has sold service contracts since 2004, and not all of them were written by American Auto Shield. Its How to File a Claim page lists 8 claims administrators, each matched to the first characters of a contract number: **Claims administrators listed on CARCHEX’s How to File a Claim page, read 9 October 2026** | If your contract number starts with | The claims administrator CARCHEX lists | | --- | --- | | ABC | American Auto Shield | | SDR1 | American Guardian Warranty Services | | 801 or 802 | Assurant Solution | | 9005 | Enterprise Financial Group | | BAA | National Administration Services Co. | | 137, 491, 611, 642, 734, 820, RAD or SAD | Royal Administration Services | | CX | The Warranty Group | | PV | Zurich | The phone numbers are on CARCHEX’s page and your contract. Terms change with the administrator, and two older samples on CARCHEX’s content domain show how much. A sample agreement on form UC1387-1012, a file dated 2013 to 2015, names United Service Protection Corp., “an Assurant Solutions Company,” as administrator and obligor. A Zurich specimen, form M46640KV (10/20), which this site coded on 7 September 2026 for our [Zurich extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/zurich-extended-warranty/#two-forms) page, names Universal Underwriters Service Corporation, with a 10-day waiting period, no cancellation fee and no transfer to a new owner. If you hold an older contract, read that contract, not this page’s summary of the current samples. ## The six CARCHEX plans and what each one covers CARCHEX’s Plan Coverages page lists six plans, each in four editions: Term, Monthly, Term (Florida) and Monthly (Florida). Titanium is *exclusionary*: it covers everything except a list. The other five are *listed-component* contracts that cover only the parts they name, group by group, each group with its own exclusions. Several plans carry a different name in the contract than on the page. **CARCHEX’s plans: the name on its page, the name in the contract, and how the contract defines cover** | Name on CARCHEX’s page | Name printed in the contract | How the contract defines cover | | --- | --- | --- | | Titanium | CARCHEX CARE TITANIUM | All components except 52 listed entries and a catch-all, by our count | | Platinum | CARCHEX CARE PLATINUM | 15 named system groups | | Powertrain Plus | GOLD SELECT (CARCHEX CARE GOLD SELECT in Florida) | 8 groups: engine, transmission, turbocharger, cooling, transfer unit, drive axle, air conditioning, electrical | | Powertrain | CARCHEX CARE POWERTRAIN (POWERTRAIN SILVER in Florida) | 6 groups: engine, transmission, turbocharger, cooling, transfer unit, drive axle | | Extra Care | CARCHEX CARE EXTRA | 10 groups, none of them the engine or transmission | | EV | CARCHEX CARE ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND BATTERY PACK | 10 groups plus a separately capped high-voltage battery section | **Titanium.** CARCHEX’s page calls it the plan most similar to factory coverage, with “only a short list of excluded items.” The contract’s list has 52 entries by our count, including the battery and cables, the exhaust system, brake pads and rotors, struts and shocks, glass, spark plugs, hoses and belts and the clutch disc. A catch-all then excludes any part the carmaker gives a replacement, maintenance or limited-service interval, which can reach parts a buyer would not call wear items. **Platinum** names 15 groups, from engine and transmission to brakes, suspension, fuel system, audio and emissions; its cooling group covers the radiator and water pump but not coolant hoses. **Powertrain Plus** is printed GOLD SELECT in the contract. Its electrical group is short (alternator, starter, ignition switch, coil packs, wiper, window and door lock motors, a few switches) and excludes anything related to “Body Control, Audio/Entertainment Systems, Engine Fuel Control.” A plan sold as “Powertrain Plus (Gold)” is the one in the 2019 lawsuit described below. **Powertrain** covers six powertrain groups. Its cooling group covers only the water pump, its gasket and housing; the radiator, thermostat and cooling fan are listed as not covered. **Extra Care** covers 10 groups such as electrical, steering, suspension and brakes, but not the engine or transmission. **EV** covers the electric drive unit and nine other groups, plus a high-voltage battery section capped at $6,000.00 a year from the contract’s effective date. That section covers “Excessive Voltage Loss if Battery Capacity falls below 70% of its original charge capacity.” Titanium and Platinum add an emissions package, which excludes the catalytic converter, and a Luxury Electronics Package for screens and cameras; Extra Care and the EV term contract add the electronics package only, limited to one replacement or one repair per component for the life of the contract. Not every car qualifies. The contracts exclude any vehicle missing from the administrator’s “Rate and Class Guide,” naming motorhomes, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and exotic vehicles, and promise a full refund if one was sold by mistake. ## What every CARCHEX contract excludes These general exclusions apply to every plan, Titanium included: - **Anything that broke before cover started.** Pre-existing conditions are defined as breakdowns that happened before the purchase date “or during the WAITING PERIOD.” - **Maintenance and wear items**, whenever they occur. The non-EV contracts name 11, including brake pads and rotors, shocks and struts, timing belts, tune-ups and lithium-ion or hybrid batteries. - **Missing maintenance records.** Without records, logs or receipts, the administrator “may deny COVERAGE.” Do-it-yourself servicing needs a dated log and receipts. - **Gradual wear.** Loss of performance from normal use is excluded unless a part is worn beyond the maker’s tolerance, naming valve guides, valves, piston rings and transmission clutch packs. - **Driving after a breakdown** can leave the additional damage uncovered. - **Anything the carmaker should fix.** Breakdowns covered by a recall, technical service bulletin or special policy are excluded, and a factory warranty or other contract pays first. - **Parts that have not failed**, even if a shop recommends replacing them, plus shop supplies, storage and labor hours a labor guide cannot verify. - **Uses and equipment that need a surcharge.** Commercial, agricultural, rideshare and delivery use, branded titles, lift kits, diesel and turbo engines and four-wheel drive are excluded unless the surcharge is paid and printed on your declarations page. See our guide to [salvage and branded titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/). - **Odometer problems, airbags and seat belts.** A car whose true mileage cannot be determined is excluded, and so are failures of airbags, seat belts and restraint systems on every plan. **A teardown can become your bill.** The contract says a teardown the administrator requires is “at OUR expense.” It also excludes “the cost of diagnosis, disassembly or assembly” of a breakdown the contract does not cover. Before a shop opens an engine, ask the administrator in writing who pays if the claim is refused. ## When cover starts: the waiting period Every CARCHEX sample prints a waiting period on its declarations page. Breakdown cover starts only after the car has passed both a number of days and a number of miles from the contract’s effective date, and any breakdown in that window is excluded as pre-existing. Roadside assistance has “No Waiting Period.” What the samples print: - **Term, outside Florida:** the first days-and-miles pair is printed blank (“days AND miles”); the second is 90 days and 200 miles. - **Monthly, outside Florida and in Florida:** the first pair is blank; the second is 40 days and 250 miles. - **Term, Florida:** 30 days and 1,000 miles, or 90 days and 200 miles. Both conditions in a pair must be met. On the Florida term samples, a car driven a lot is covered from day 30 once it has done 1,000 miles; a car barely driven waits until day 90 and 200 miles. Outside Florida the first pair is blank, so ask what yours will print. The wait is waived if a factory warranty or another service contract is in force on the day you buy, so buying before a factory warranty expires gives you more. On monthly contracts, later months carry no new waiting period if each payment arrives within 30 days of expiry outside Florida, or within 35 days in Florida. ## What CARCHEX costs, and why no page says CARCHEX prints no price. Every sample reads “Contract Price: $0.00” or “Monthly Contract Price: $0.00,” with blank deductibles, including a separate one for engine or transmission replacement. The FAQ says each covered repair visit requires a deductible and offers payment plans “with no credit check.” Getting a figure means filling in the quote form, and the Terms of Use say that submitting it gives “EXPRESS CONSENT TO RECEIVE TELEPHONE CALLS” from CARCHEX, call centers and third parties. Our guide to [why service contracts have no sticker price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#no-sticker) explains what drives the number you are quoted. CARCHEX promotes a “No Haggle, Low Price, Every Day Guarantee.” Its own Terms of Use say it does not guarantee that terms or rates offered through the site “will be the best or lowest terms or rates available in the market.” The FAQ says CARCHEX sells “the very same” plans dealerships sell, so compare a dealer quote line by line. See [how the price splits between seller and administrator](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#markup). The other half of cost is the cap on what the contract pays. On the term samples, all claims together are capped at the car’s “Average Retail Value” from a guide the administrator uses, or a defined amount printed as $0.00, “whichever is greater.” On the monthly samples the cap applies to “each one-month contract term” and is a defined amount printed as $0.00. On an older car that cap can be smaller than one large repair; see [how the cap changes the arithmetic](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cap-arithmetic). On monthly contracts, paying for a new month “constitutes consent to the most up to date contract terms and conditions,” and the administrator can decline to renew on written notice. Keep your first declarations page. ## How a claim works, and where the repair can be done Every page of every sample carries the line “NO CLAIMS WILL BE PAID WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION.” The contract’s sequence: 1. **Stop driving and get the car to a shop.** Damage from continued operation can go uncovered. Roadside assistance tows the car, up to $125 per occurrence, with no deductible. 2. **The shop sends a written estimate** to the administrator, which may ask for maintenance records and may require a teardown or a third-party inspection, at its own expense. 3. **The administrator confirms cover and issues a claim number.** If the administrator and the shop disagree, the contract reserves the right, “after consulting with YOU,” to move your car to a different shop. 4. **Parts:** the administrator may approve new, re-manufactured or used parts “of like kind and quality” and may ship them in. If you choose the shop’s parts instead, the approved amount is credited and any difference is yours. 5. **You pay the deductible to the shop.** CARCHEX’s claims page says the shop is paid by credit card once the repair is done. **Where you can take the car.** CARCHEX’s claims page says its plans are accepted “at any licensed repair facility nationwide”; its benefits page mentions over 30,000. The contract is narrower: a facility “chosen by YOU and is authorized by US.” **What the shop gets paid for labor** depends on your edition. The 12 samples outside Florida authorize labor “up to the REPAIR FACILITY’S posted labor rate,” with hours from a national labor guide. The 12 Florida samples pay “up to the regional average labor rate” and let the administrator cut a rate it considers excessive, which can leave you paying the difference. After hours, if you cannot reach the administrator or drive safely, covered repairs without prior approval are reimbursed up to $500 per occurrence, claimed within 5 business days. A shop’s own parts must carry a warranty of at least 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever is less. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the gauges, the center console and the steering wheel, each with one fact from CARCHEX’s published sample contracts. The sample contracts linked from CARCHEX’s Plan Coverages page, read on 9 October 2026: Term samples outside Florida: cover waits 90 days and 200 miles; the other pair is blank (callout 1); Cancel after 30 days: pro rata refund, less claims paid and a $75 cancel fee (callout 2); No claim paid without prior authorization; after-hours emergencies up to $500 (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Rental and trip benefits** have limits the benefits page does not spell out. Rental is limited to $60 a day. Titanium and Platinum allow 14 days for an engine or transmission replacement and 7 for anything else; the other plans allow 7. By our arithmetic the most the benefit can pay is $840 for one engine or transmission job and $420 for any other repair. It excludes days lost to “REPAIR FACILITY scheduling conflicts or delays.” Two editions of the rental clause circulate in the same set. On 4 of the 24 samples (the Titanium, Platinum, Powertrain and Extra Care term contracts outside Florida), rental starts only when the repair takes 4 or more hours of authorized labor. The other 20 allow rental “on a case-by-case basis” even during the initial assessment, if a covered breakdown looks more likely than not. Trip interruption pays up to $125 a day for 4 days of lodging and meals, $500 per breakdown, if the car is stuck more than 100 miles from home. ## Cancelling, refunds, the 30-day guarantee and selling the car CARCHEX’s benefits page offers a “risk-free, 30-day Money Back Guarantee”: a full refund if you contact CARCHEX within 30 days, “for any reason.” A footnote says refund methods vary by state. The contracts are tighter: **Cancellation refunds as CARCHEX’s sample contracts print them, read 9 October 2026** | Contract | Cancel early | Cancel later | | --- | --- | --- | | Term, outside Florida | Within 30 days and no claim made: full refund | Pro rata by the greater of time or miles used, less claims paid, less the $75 cancel fee | | Monthly, outside Florida | Within the first month and no claim made: that month’s payment back | Pro rata for the days left in the current month, less claims paid, less the $75 cancel fee | | Term, Florida | Within 60 days and no claim made: full refund less a 5% administrative fee | 90% of the pro rata amount, less claims paid | | Monthly, Florida | Within 60 days and no claim made: the monthly price paid, less 5% | 90% of the unearned pro rata monthly price, less claims paid | Three differences matter. The full refund depends on no claim having been made. The contract says to cancel by writing to the *administrator*, not CARCHEX; Florida contracts also accept a phone call. And in Florida an early cancellation still costs 5%, and a later one keeps 10% of the pro rata amount by our arithmetic. Florida declarations pages still print a $75.00 cancel fee “unless otherwise specified” in a state endorsement, while the Florida cancellation endorsement uses the 5% and 90% terms and mentions no $75. Ask which applies before you sign. A monthly contract also ends if a renewal payment is 45 days late outside Florida, or 35 days in Florida. Write anyway, with the date and odometer reading. One unusual clause outside Florida: a refund you do not accept or cash within 90 days is applied to extend your coverage instead. The administrator can also cancel immediately for misrepresentation, modifications the carmaker does not recommend or, on term contracts, non-payment. See [cancellation rights](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#cancellation) and [how to cancel an extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cancel). **Selling the car.** CARCHEX’s FAQ answers “Absolutely” to whether its plans transfer, calling them “fully transferable for a fee (usually $50),” or $40 for Florida residents. The contract makes the transfer conditional: “Approval of transfers is at OUR discretion and may be declined for any reason.” Outside Florida the request must come within 30 days of the sale and be completed within 45, with the odometer reading and your last maintenance receipts. In Florida the fee is $40 and a notarized bill of sale signed by both parties is required. A contract cannot move to a dealer, a dealer’s customer or another car. ## Disputes, arbitration and the 2020 court opinions If a claim is refused, the contract offers a review by American Auto Shield: an online form within 90 days, with contact “no later than three (3) business days” after. Then disputes go to binding arbitration through the Better Business Bureau in Denver, Colorado; any lawsuit belongs in Jefferson County, Colorado. You waive class actions and jury trials, the companies will not pay your attorney’s fees, and CARCHEX is a third-party beneficiary of that clause. CARCHEX’s website terms have their own arbitration clause, in Maryland, but say a separate agreement such as your contract controls where they conflict. The one court record we found and read is *Rosedale v. CarChex, LLC, et al.*, No. 1:19-cv-02780-SAG, in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, against CARCHEX and National Auto Inspections, LLC. A Pennsylvania buyer who bought a “Powertrain Plus (Gold)” contract from CARCHEX in 2018 filed a class action alleging consumer protection violations, fraud, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment after an engine claim was denied. Both published opinions rule on motions to dismiss: they take the allegations as true for that purpose and make no findings. - **2 March 2020 (Document 21):** the court granted the motion in part and denied it in part. The consumer protection claim went forward; the class allegations and the other claims were dismissed without prejudice, and the plaintiff could seek leave to amend. Among the allegations the court summarised: that CARCHEX “falsely assures consumers” its obligations are insured by American Bankers Insurance. - **19 November 2020 (Document 37):** on the amended complaint, the court held that statements such as having “an A plus rating with the Better Business Bureau” were puffery, but that one statement was pleaded with enough particularity: a sales representative’s alleged statement that the contract “protects big ticket items, like your internally lubricated parts in the engine.” It noted the defendants’ point that the contract text does cover internally lubricated engine parts, and that “the ‘obligor’ in the VSC is AAS, not CarChex.” It dismissed the proposed Maryland class and the negligent misrepresentation claim, and let the Pennsylvania class allegations and the remaining claims proceed. The court added that the defendants “may ultimately be able to establish” that CARCHEX could not know which claims American Auto Shield, LLC would deny. We did not read the docket after November 2020, so its later history is not described here. ## CARCHEX complaints, regulators and the FTC **CFPB.** On 9 October 2026 we queried the CFPB’s public complaint database for complaints whose company is CARCHEX, American Auto Shield or Liberty STF. All four searches returned 0, while a control search on a lender returned results. That says little on its own: the database covers financial products, service contract sellers are rarely the company named, complaints are unverified consumer reports, and counts scale with size. **BBB.** CARCHEX says on its about page that it has “an A+ Rating and Accreditation with the Better Business Bureau.” BBB’s site blocked our request on 9 October 2026, so we have not checked that claim or counted complaints there. **Regulators.** Searches of the FTC’s, CFPB’s and Justice Department’s sites and for state attorney-general releases on 9 October 2026 found no action naming CARCHEX; that is a search result, not a clearance. The closest FTC case names a different seller. In *FTC v. NRRM, LLC (CarShield) and American Auto Shield, LLC*, No. 4:24-cv-01055-HEA (E.D. Mo.), the defendants agreed in 2024 to a $10 million judgment while they “neither admit nor deny” the FTC’s allegations, as recorded on our [CarShield page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carshield/#enforcement) from the order read on 6 October 2026. The order requires American Auto Shield to give a copy, within 7 days, to each seller of any contract for which it is the administrator or obligor, and the FTC said it must monitor third-party marketers’ advertising. CARCHEX’s samples print American Auto Shield, Ltd, not LLC, and the documents we read do not say whether the order reaches CARCHEX. See [what regulators have done](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#enforcement). ## Is CARCHEX worth it, and how to compare it with another contract Whether any service contract is worth buying depends on the car, the cap and the price; see [when an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#worth-it). Below, CARCHEX’s printed terms sit beside those of another seller using the same administrator outside Florida. Terms only, not prices. **Printed terms on CARCHEX and CarShield sample contracts outside Florida (CARCHEX read 9 October 2026; CarShield read 6 October 2026)** | Term | CARCHEX samples | CarShield samples | | --- | --- | --- | | Waiting period, term contracts | First pair blank; or 90 days and 200 miles | 30 days and 1,000 miles; or 90 days and 200 miles | | Insurer named, term contracts | American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida | None | | Labor rate paid | Up to the shop’s posted rate | Up to a regional average rate | | Monthly: no new wait if renewal paid within | 30 days | 35 days | | Monthly: contract ends if payment missed by | 45 days | 35 days | | Full refund window, term contracts | 30 days, no claim made | 1 month, no claim made | | Cancel fee and transfer fee | $75 and $50 | $75 and $50 | On term contracts the CARCHEX samples name an insurer and pay labor up to the shop’s posted rate; the CarShield samples do neither. The blank waiting-period pair cannot be compared until you see your own declarations page. Run the same exercise on any quote, and on other contracts we have read, such as [Endurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/endurance-extended-warranty/). CARCHEX does not operate in California and says it may refer buyers to a licensed insurer; see [mechanical breakdown insurance in California](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mechanical-breakdown-insurance/#california). Buying a used car? A [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) comes first. - **Get the obligor’s name in writing** and check it against your state’s register. - **Ask whether an insurer is named.** On the samples, term contracts name one and monthly contracts do not. - **Ask what the first waiting-period pair will say.** The samples outside Florida leave it blank. - **Get the deductible, the price and the limit of liability.** All three are blank or $0.00 on the samples. - **Read the plan’s own coverage list** under the name the contract prints. - **Get the shop and repair authorized** before any teardown. - **Cancel in writing to the administrator** and keep a copy with the date and odometer reading; cash any refund within 90 days. - **Request a transfer early** when selling: it needs approval and has a 30-day deadline. ## Common questions ### Who is the administrator for CARCHEX warranties? On the 24 sample contracts CARCHEX links today, American Auto Shield, Ltd is the obligor and claims administrator outside Florida. In Florida it is American Auto Shield, Inc on term contracts and Liberty STF, Inc on monthly ones. Older contracts may differ: CARCHEX’s claims page lists 8 administrators by contract-number prefix. ### Is CARCHEX legit? CARCHEX is a real Maryland seller that says it has offered service contracts since 2004; its samples name an administrator and, on term contracts, an insurer. We found no FTC or state attorney-general action naming it and no CFPB complaints under its name. A 2019 class action over how a powertrain contract was sold partly survived motions to dismiss in 2020; we did not read its later history. Judge the contract you are offered. ### How do I cancel a CARCHEX extended warranty? The contracts say to cancel by contacting the administrator in writing at its Lakewood, Colorado address; Florida contracts also allow a phone call. Outside Florida, a term contract cancelled within 30 days with no claim is refunded in full; later, pro rata less claims paid and a $75 fee. ### Is a CARCHEX plan transferable when I sell my car? CARCHEX’s FAQ says yes, for a fee of usually $50, or $40 in Florida. The contract says a transfer needs the administrator’s approval, which may be declined for any reason, must be requested within 30 days of the sale, and can go only to a private buyer of the same car, never to a dealer. ### Does CARCHEX have a waiting period? Yes. Term samples outside Florida print 90 days and 200 miles, with the first option left blank; monthly samples print 40 days and 250 miles; Florida term samples print 30 days and 1,000 miles, or 90 days and 200 miles. The wait is waived if a factory warranty or another service contract is in force when you buy. ### What does CARCHEX Titanium cover? Titanium is the exclusionary plan: the contract covers all components except a list of 52 entries, by our count, plus any part the carmaker gives a replacement or maintenance interval. Excluded items include brake pads and rotors, the battery, the exhaust system, struts and shocks, glass, spark plugs, hoses and belts. The general exclusions apply too. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [FTC consumer alert — auto service contracts and extended warranty scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/03/what-know-about-auto-service-contracts-extended-warranty-scams) - [FTC: a businessperson’s guide to federal warranty law](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — service contract providers, Occupations Code Chapter 1304](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/scp/scpfaq.htm) - [Florida CFO — motor vehicle service agreements, Chapter 634](https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/understanding-insurance/motor-vehicle-service-agreement-overview) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/carchex-review/ --- title: "Express Oil Change: What’s Included, Warranty and Owner" description: "Express Oil Change prints no price online. What an oil change includes, the 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, tire road hazard terms and who owns it." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Express Oil Change: What’s Included, Warranty and Owner > Express Oil Change prints no price online. What an oil change includes, the 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, tire road hazard terms and who owns it. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,831 words* ## The short version - Express Oil prints no oil-change price outside coupons that expire. The fine print says the price covers up to 5 quarts, a standard filter and a free 20-point inspection; extra quarts, a premium filter, tax and a disposal fee “if applicable” cost more. - The Service Warranty covers an oil change for three months or 3,000 miles on parts and labor, and brakes, transmission service and most other repairs for twelve months or 12,000 miles. Let Express check a problem before anyone else repairs it, or the warranty is void. - The Tire Protection Plan covers road hazards for 4 years or until 2/32 inch of tread, whichever occurs first, with free replacement in the first 25% of treadwear. Its price and the cost of a later claim are not printed. - Standing discounts: $5 off oil changes on Tuesdays (Ladies Day), and $5 off oil changes plus 10% off mechanical work for active and retired military. - Mavis has owned Express Oil since a 2018 merger; its release filed with the SEC on 20 August 2026 says Mavis “owns and operates” the brand. Shops are franchised or corporate, but no document we reached gives the split, and store pages do not say which. - Express Oil’s store list had 455 locations in 21 states on 9 October 2026; its own pages also say “over 200 Stores,” “400+ locations” and “19 states.” An Express Oil Change is a stay-in-your-car oil change at Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, an Alabama chain founded in 1979 and part of Mavis since 2018. The company says it takes 10 minutes, and the work carries a written warranty of three months or 3,000 miles. On 9 October 2026 we read Express Oil’s own pages (the [Service Warranty](https://www.expressoil.com/service-warranty/), the [Tire Protection Plan](https://www.expressoil.com/tire-protection-plan-warranty/), the oil change, coupon, military, card, contact and real estate pages, its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy), Golden Gate Capital’s 2017 and 2018 releases, Mavis’s August 2026 release on EDGAR and two federal appeals opinions. Express Oil’s terms bar scripted crawling, so we read each page once by hand and quote short passages. This site has no commercial relationship with Express Oil, Mavis or any oil or tire brand. (Valvoline’s Express Care shops are a different network, covered on our [Valvoline oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/#who-runs) page.) **Figure: What Express Oil’s own pages say, by situation** A two-column table of nine situations at Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers: up to 5 quarts are included and extra quarts cost more; a standard filter is included and a premium one is extra; the oil change is warranted for three months or 3,000 miles on parts and labor if Express checks the problem first; the original location must approve warranty work done elsewhere; parts brought in by the customer carry no warranty; the Tire Protection Plan covers road hazards for 4 years or to 2/32 inch with free replacement in the first 25% of treadwear; military customers get $5 off oil changes and 10% off mechanical work and Tuesdays bring $5 off for Ladies Day; stores are franchised or corporate with no label saying which, under Mavis ownership; and the website terms require individual arbitration with a 30-day opt-out. Read from Express Oil’s service warranty, tire protection, coupon, military, contact, real estate and terms pages and Mavis’s August 2026 release on 9 October 2026. ## What an Express Oil oil change includes The oil change page says “Our signature 10-minute oil change keeps your vehicle running smoothly while saving you time”: no appointment, you stay in the car, and technicians “perform a complimentary 20-point courtesy inspection.” The contact page credits the speed to “specially-designed bays with pits underneath which allow multiple technicians to service your vehicle at once.” What the price covers is clearest in the fine print under every oil-change coupon: it “Includes up to 5 quarts of conventional oil (diesel/european quarts may vary; see stores for details), standard filter (prem. extra), and a free 20-point inspection,” “plus tax and disposal fee, if applicable. Additional qts extra.” The high-mileage and synthetic coupons repeat it with their own oil. Coupon amounts change monthly; this description of the package is the standing part. The oil change page lists the 20 points. Three are done only “Upon request,” leaving 17 by default, by our count: **The “complimentary (FREE) 20-point courtesy inspection” as Express Oil’s oil change page lists it (read 9 October 2026)** | Group | Items as printed | Done | | --- | --- | --- | | Fluids | Brake fluid, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid, coolant reservoir, clutch fluid, transmission fluid | Checked | | Under the hood | Battery, belts, hoses, cabin air filter, engine air filter | Checked | | Outside | Wiper blades, lights, horn; “Visually Check Tire Wear” | Checked | | Service | “Lubricate Chassis”; “Reset Oil Monitor/Light” | Done | | Driveline | Rear differential, front differential, transfer case | “Upon request” | Two things are missing. There is no tire-pressure item, only a visual check of wear. And every fluid line says “Check,” not fill. A store page we opened describes the visit differently: “We’ll change your oil, replace the filter, top off your washer fluid, and complete a free multi-point courtesy inspection.” Washer fluid is the one top-off any Express page promises; ask for anything else. The contact FAQ says the shops work on “all makes and models – whether you drive a Ford or Ferrari,” while the coupon fine print warns that “diesel/european quarts may vary.” The rotation page suggests a rotation “every other oil change”: every 6,000 miles at a 3,000-mile oil change, by our arithmetic, inside its own “every 5,000-7,000 miles.” Our [tire rotation cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/) page covers what that involves. ## What costs extra, and why there is no price online Express Oil publishes no oil-change price. The oil change page says the cost “varies based on the type of oil (conventional, synthetic blend, full synthetic, diesel) as well as the amount of oil your vehicle requires” and suggests calling the store for a quote. The only dollar figures we found sit inside coupons with an end-of-month expiry, including a landing page that prints “reg.” prices; those are promotions, so we do not repeat them. The fine print does say what raises the bill: - **Extra oil.** “Additional qts extra,” with no price per quart. Your owner’s manual gives the capacity with a filter change. - **The filter.** A “standard filter” is included; “prem. extra.” No page says what makes one premium. - **Synthetic oil.** The contact FAQ explains a synthetic charge on an invoice: some vehicles “require synthetic oil , which is a different cost than conventional oil .” - **Tax and a disposal fee**, “if applicable,” with no amount printed. - **Your own oil.** Coupons are “Not valid with ... customer-supplied oil,” and “No warranty is available for used parts or parts brought in by the customer.” **Get the total before the technician starts.** The base package stops at 5 quarts and a standard filter, and the disposal fee and tax come on top. Ask for the out-the-door figure for your engine: oil type, quarts, filter, fee and any discount. A home-page badge promises a “Low Price Guarantee,” but no page we read states its terms. Ask what it covers before you rely on it. ## Which oil goes in, and the 3,000-mile advice Express Oil names Valvoline, but not consistently. The synthetic page says “we use premium Valvoline synthetic oils for every oil change,” and the synthetic-versus-conventional page “only premium Valvoline products.” Lower on the synthetic page it becomes “for most oil change services,” with other brands “upon request,” and the oil change page says “we’ll often use top-quality oil.” The invoice is what tells you which oil went in. The interval advice also splits. The oil change page says changing oil “every 3,000 miles is the best way to protect your car,” cites an unnamed, undated ASE survey in which “90% of mechanics” called it “the single most important service a driver can do,” and adds: “Regardless of your vehicle’s age or oil type, keeping this schedule is essential.” Both synthetic pages instead recommend “every 3,000 to 5,000 miles,” and one says synthetic “Requires fewer oil changes.” Neither is your car’s schedule. The synthetic page itself defers to “manufacturer guidelines,” and your manual may set a longer interval or tell you to follow an oil-life monitor. If it allows more than 3,000 miles, following Express’s page means paying for oil changes the carmaker does not ask for. Our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) explains what sets the interval, including [severe service](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#severe) and [synthetic oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#synthetic). Express’s other pages suggest a cabin filter “every 12,000-15,000 miles (or once a year),” an engine air filter “every 30,000 miles” and wipers “every 6-12 months,” with no prices; check each against the manual. ## The Service Warranty: three months or 3,000 miles on an oil change Unlike some quick-lube chains, Express Oil publishes a written warranty on its own work, “on parts and labor”: **Express Oil’s Service Warranty, by service, as printed on expressoil.com (read 9 October 2026)** | Service | Warranty as printed | Conditions on the same line | | --- | --- | --- | | Oil changes | Three months or 3,000 miles on parts and labor | None | | Tire rotation and balance | Six months or 6,000 miles on parts and labor | None | | Transmission service | Twelve months or 12,000 miles on parts and labor | None | | Brake service | Twelve months or 12,000 miles on parts and labor | Commercial and off-road vehicles excluded; after “extraordinary wear,” “future warranty may not be offered” | | Air conditioner service | “Limited warranty” | “Ask service manager for details” | | All other mechanical services | Twelve months or 12,000 miles on parts and labor | “includes labor and installed parts only” | Within the period, Express says it “will – at no charge – perform all labor and replace all parts found defective from the original service.” No line says “whichever comes first,” so the page does not say whether cover ends at the earlier or the later limit; if you are past one and not the other, ask before you assume you are covered. The notes underneath decide most claims: - **Let Express look first.** “In the event of a problem after a service, Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers must be notified and allowed to check the vehicle before any repairs are made. Any other action shall void any warranties.” - **Bring the receipt.** You “return your vehicle within your receipt” (printed that way) to any location during business hours, but “The location that originally performed the work must approve warranty service before a different location can proceed.” - **Exclusions.** Parts “may be excluded from the warranty based on your engine’s mechanical condition,” and you are to be told at the time of service. Nothing covers “a pre-existing condition,” parts you bring in, or work Express did not do. - **Technician discretion.** “A warranty may be denied or adjusted at the time of service at the behest of the technician.” If yours is, ask for it in writing on the invoice. How the oil-change terms compare, copied from the other chains’ pages this site has read: **Printed warranty terms on an oil change and on repairs at five chains (each chain’s own pages, read 9 October 2026)** | Chain | The oil change | Repairs | | --- | --- | --- | | Express Oil | Three months or 3,000 miles on parts and labor | Twelve months or 12,000 miles for brakes, transmission service and other mechanical work | | [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/#warranty) | 3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first | At participating Brakes & Services centers, a minimum of 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first | | [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/) | A 90-day warranty against installation related leaks | 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first | | [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/#warranty) | No warranty printed on any page read | Not offered on the pages read | | [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#parts-labor-warranty) (same owner) | No oil-change row in its parts table; items not listed get 3 months or 3,000 miles | Part by part: a water pump 12/12,000; brake pads a lifetime part with 12/12,000 labor; alignment 3/3,000 | Express and Mavis share an owner but not a warranty format. Our [brake pad replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) page explains what a brake job includes, and [car battery warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) covers battery terms, which Express’s page does not list. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the engine, the oil filter and the mechanic's hands, each with one fact from Express Oil Change’s oil change, coupon and Service Warranty pages. Express Oil Change’s oil change, coupon and Service Warranty pages, read on 9 October 2026: Up to 5 quarts are in the oil-change price; Express Oil says additional quarts are extra (callout 1); A standard filter is included; the fine print says a premium filter costs extra (callout 2); A leak after the visit? Warranty: 3 months or 3,000 miles; let Express check it first (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Will an Express Oil change affect your factory warranty? Express Oil’s scheduled maintenance page says: “No. That’s a common misconception. Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers are authorized to perform scheduled maintenance, and these services will not void your manufacturer’s warranty.” The word “authorized” is Express’s; the rule comes from federal law. The FTC’s guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) says “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” The same page adds two limits. If the warranty provides the work free, “the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses.” And if a shop “doesn’t install a part correctly” and damages a covered part, coverage for that part can be denied, though the manufacturer or dealer “must prove” the cause. The FTC’s advice is to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes,” because “Otherwise, your claim might be denied.” Express’s Privacy Policy says it “may exchange information with third parties regarding vehicle details and service history,” without naming them, so keep your own receipt (see our guide to [oil-change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records), and how claims are tested on our page asking whether an [extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works)). ## Tires: the Tire Protection Plan, road hazards and the Michelin page The tires page lists “11 feature brands” (Goodyear, Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Continental, Cooper, Hankook, Yokohama, Bridgestone, Firestone and Falken). Road hazard cover is the Tire Protection Plan, “available at participating locations,” which “covers your tires against road hazard damage for a period of 4 years” or until the tread is worn to 2/32 inch, “whichever occurs first.” A road hazard is a failure from “a puncture, bruise or break incurred under normal driving conditions (nails, glass and potholes are the most common examples).” Bought with new tires, it brings free road hazard replacement “Within 1st 25% of treadwear” and free flat repairs “For damages due to a road hazard.” Claims go to “the store where you purchased your tires.” Not on the page: the plan’s price, what a replacement costs after the first 25% of treadwear (the free replacement covers only the first quarter of the tread the plan protects), and whether the plan transfers. Ask for the price and the written rule for later claims before you add it. Mavis, the owner, prints different terms for its own [road hazard warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#road-hazard): the shorter of 3 years or 2/32 inch, bought separately, with a replacement charged as “the percentage of wear” times the original price (copied from our Mavis page). Express’s plan runs 1 year longer, by our arithmetic. Our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) explains proration. On repairs, Express uses “industry-standard patch-plug methods” and says “Damage on or near the sidewall, large punctures, or multiple overlapping repairs make a tire unsafe to fix.” Its Michelin Promise page reprints Michelin’s own programs (roadside help “For 3 years after you purchase,” towing “up to 150 miles” when no spare is available) and contradicts itself: the heading says “60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee,” the sentence under it “within 30 days.” Check Michelin’s own documents before relying on either. ## Ladies Day, the military discount, coupons and the Express Card Two standing discounts are printed. **Ladies Day:** “stop by on any Tuesday for Ladies Day and receive $5 off any oil change!” **Military:** Express “extends an extra $5 off oil changes and 10% off mechanical services to all active and retired military personnel,” with a military ID and the coupon. The military terms shift on the same page: a headline of “GET 10% OFF EVERY VISIT TO OUR STORE” and “any Express Oil location,” then an FAQ that says “participating locations” and “This offer excludes tires”; the contact FAQ adds “$50 max value.” A separate, dated military coupon also sat on the coupons page; we do not repeat promotions. Other savings are coupons with an end-of-month expiry, which can be texted to you after an opt-in (“Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”). Oil-change coupons are “Not valid with same service offers / discounts (including fleet),” so expect one discount per service. Fleets get a separate program; the fleet page says Express serves “more than 7,000 fleet operators” and promises “many permanent discounts” without printing them. **The Express Card** offers “6 or 12 months special financing on purchases of $199-$749.99 (6 months) or $750+ (12 months),” no annual fee, and prequalification “with no impact on your credit score”; gas purchases “are not eligible for Promotional Financing.” What the page does not show in visible text is what happens if the promotional balance is not paid in time: the asterisk on the financing line leads to a rebate footnote, and the “***” after “Pay no annual fee” leads nowhere. Mavis’s card page, which says its card is “Accepted Across All Mavis Brands” including Express Oil, prints the rule: “If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date.” That is deferred interest. Ask whether the Express Card works the same way, and pay the balance off within the promotional months. The card page’s headline offer on 9 October 2026 had a purchase window of 25 August to 14 September 2026, already over. ## Who owns Express Oil Change, and who runs your shop Express Oil’s About page says Jim Lunceford opened “the first Express Oil Change & Service Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama” in 1979; the first franchise store opened in 1984; in 1996 “Franchise partners Joe Watson and Ricky Brooks acquire the corporation”; and in 2013, “After acquiring seven Tire Engineers locations,” it took its current name. The owners since then, from their own documents: - **June 15, 2017.** Golden Gate Capital’s [release](https://goldengatecap.com/golden-gate-capital-acquires-express-oil-change-tire-engineers/) says it “has acquired Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers” from Carousel Capital, then “approximately 300 company-owned and franchise locations across 15 states.” - **September 2017.** Brakes Plus’s About page says “Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers acquires Brakes Plus” (copied from our [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/) page). Express Oil’s own timeline does not mention it. - **February 23, 2018.** In a [release](https://goldengatecap.com/mavis-discount-tire-and-express-oil-change-tire-engineers-to-merge/) posted by Golden Gate, Mavis Discount Tire agreed “to merge with Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers,” with the Sorbaro family leading the combined company and Golden Gate and the Sorbaros as “significant shareholders.” Express then had “approximately 400” locations in 19 states, just under half (48.2%) of the combined “more than 830,” by our arithmetic. Mavis’s About page calls the result “Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., known as Mavis.” - **2021.** A BayPine-led investor group agreed to acquire Mavis, with Golden Gate keeping “a minority interest” (BayPine’s release, copied from our [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#who-owns-mavis) page). - **August 20, 2026.** Mavis’s release on buying Pep Boys, filed as an [SEC exhibit](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/813762/000110465926099264/tm2623713d1_ex99-1.htm) by the seller, says “Mavis owns and operates a portfolio of auto service center brands” including Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, Brakes Plus, Midas and Pep Boys. Express Oil’s site puts it differently. Its About page says the company “merges with Mavis Discount Tire” and is “part of a family of brands which includes Brakes Plus , Mavis , Town Fair Tire , and Tuffy,” naming Mavis as a sister brand rather than the owner and leaving out [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) and [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/). The link shows in the small print: every page footer reads “Powered by Mavis Tire at Discount Prices,” the Terms send dispute notices to Millwood, New York, and the privacy contact is a mavis.com email address. The contracting party is “Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers d/b/a Express Oil Change.” Our sibling page on [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/) covers another Mavis brand. **Franchised or corporate?** Both. The real estate page says Express grows “either with a franchise or corporate location,” and the Privacy Policy mentions “franchisees.” A 2023 federal appeals opinion describes the trend: in March 2021 “Express sought to buy out” two franchisees “to convert their franchised stores into corporate-owned ones,” and they “planned to sell 29 stores” to Express. No document we could reach gives today’s split: the Wisconsin and California franchise registries answered with bot checks we did not try to get past, Minnesota’s had no filing, Express’s franchise page returns “Page Not Found,” and the store page we opened does not say who runs it. Nor does the Service Warranty say whether a franchised shop or the company stands behind it. Ask before the work starts if it matters to you. **Express Oil store and state counts in the documents we read (read 9 October 2026)** | Where | Date | What it says | | --- | --- | --- | | Golden Gate release | June 15, 2017 | “approximately 300 company-owned and franchise locations across 15 states” | | Merger release | February 23, 2018 | “approximately 400 company-owned and franchise locations in 19 states” | | About page timeline | For 2021 | “The 300th location launches July 2, 2021” | | About page | Undated | “locations across 19 states” | | Oil change and synthetic pages | Undated | “over 200 Stores and Growing” | | One store page | Undated | “all our 400+ locations” | | Store list (our count) | 9 October 2026 | 455 entries in 21 states, 14 marked Coming Soon, so 441 not marked; 131 (28.8%) in Alabama | The store list, which matches the 455 store pages in Express Oil’s sitemap, is the current figure; “19 states” is the 2018 number, and the 2021 “300th location” cannot be squared with 2018’s “approximately 400” on the documents alone. ## Arbitration, appointments and the court record **The Terms of Use** (last updated May 18, 2026) “require the use of arbitration on an individual basis to resolve disputes,” with a waiver of jury trials and class actions, for claims “arising from or relating in any way to your purchase of products or services through the site or to your relationship with us.” You send a written notice to the company in Millwood, New York; if it is not resolved in 45 days, either side may go to the American Arbitration Association or small claims court, and small claims is open with written notice “within sixty (60) calendar days of your purchase.” You can opt out of arbitration by mail “within thirty (30) calendar days after the date that you agree to these Terms of Use.” New York law governs. Whether website terms reach a car serviced in a shop is not something the Terms settle, and we take no view. **Appointments.** The contact FAQ says “we do not accept appointments for our signature 10 minute oil change or state inspections,” which are first-come, first-served; appointments are encouraged for mechanical work. For online bookings the Terms allow a booking fee and a deposit, for example on special order tires, refundable if you cancel at least 72 hours ahead and forfeitable if you are more than 10 minutes late. **The “Tire Engineers” name.** In 2015 Mississippi’s engineering licensing board decided the name violated state law and asked Express to stop using it. Express sued; the district court granted the board summary judgment; and on February 19, 2019 the Fifth Circuit ([No. 18-60144](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ca5-18-60144/pdf/USCOURTS-ca5-18-60144-0.pdf)) held that the board’s decision violated the First Amendment’s commercial speech protections and rendered judgment for Express. The court said the name, “first trademarked in 1948,” refers to mechanics’ skills “not usu[ally] considered to fall within the scope of engineering,” while finding the record “more than sufficient” to show it is “potentially misleading.” Express itself proposed a disclaimer that “Tire Engineers does not employ professionally-licensed engineers or provide engineering services.” The people working on your car are technicians. **The franchise case** quoted above is the Eleventh Circuit’s opinion of December 6, 2023 ([No. 22-10611](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ca11-22-10611/pdf/USCOURTS-ca11-22-10611-0.pdf)), about a non-compete signed by a manager who had worked for Express franchisees for more than 20 years; the court affirmed in part, vacated in part and sent the case back. It is not a consumer case. **Regulators.** We found no state attorney-general or FTC action naming Express Oil. Pennsylvania’s Attorney General settled on 28 September 2026 with Mavis Tire Supply, LLC over allegations of unnecessary or unperformed repairs; the release says a settlement “shall not be considered an admission of a violation of the law” (copied from our Mavis page). It names the Mavis subsidiary, not Express Oil, and Express Oil’s store list has no Pennsylvania location. ## Where Express Oil’s own pages disagree Besides the store counts, the oil brand, the interval, the inspection list and the Michelin page covered above, we found these conflicts: - **Who owns whom.** Express’s About page calls Mavis a family member; Mavis’s SEC-filed release says Mavis “owns and operates” Express Oil. Express’s timeline skips the 2017 Brakes Plus purchase that Brakes Plus records. - **Where Mavis is based.** Golden Gate’s portfolio page says “Millwood, NY,” where Express’s Terms send notices; the August 2026 release says “Headquartered in White Plains, New York,” where the Privacy Policy gives its postal contact. - **Where to claim.** The Service Warranty says return the car “to any” location, then that the original location “must approve” the work. - **The military discount.** “10% OFF EVERY VISIT” in the headline, $5 off oil changes in the text; “any” location and “participating locations” on one page; a $50 cap only on the contact page. - **The card page.** Footnote marks that point to the wrong footnote or to none, under a headline offer that had already closed. - **The Terms.** A drafting placeholder in the published text: “the Testimonial Release [INSERT LINK].” None of these changes the terms printed on the Service Warranty and Tire Protection Plan pages, but they make a page’s wording a starting point for a question at the counter, not the last word. ## Before and after an Express Oil visit - **Read the manual first.** Note the oil specification, the capacity with a filter and the interval, so you know whether you need more than 5 quarts, whether synthetic is required, and whether 3,000 miles is what your carmaker asks for. - **Ask for the total.** Oil type and brand, quarts, standard or premium filter, disposal fee, tax and one discount. - **Say what you want topped off.** The 20-point list says “Check.” Ask if you want tire pressures set or fluids filled. - **Weigh each recommendation** against the manual’s schedule before you agree; the service pages print intervals but no prices. - **Read the invoice.** It should show oil type and viscosity, quantity, filter and odometer reading. That is your warranty record. - **Check the car afterwards.** The dipstick should read within its marks; watch for drips (see [car fluid leaks](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/)) and stop if a warning light comes on (see [what the check engine light means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/)). - **If something is wrong, call Express first,** with the receipt. Another shop’s repair before Express checks the car voids the warranty. - **Buying tires?** Get the Tire Protection Plan’s price and its written rule for claims after the first 25% of treadwear before you add it. Our pages on the [Take 5 oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/), [Jiffy Lube oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) and [Walmart oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/) read those companies’ published terms the same way. ## Common questions ### How much is an Express Oil Change? Express Oil publishes no price outside coupons that expire monthly; its pages say the price depends on the type and amount of oil and send you to the store. The base oil change covers up to 5 quarts, a standard filter and a free 20-point inspection, with extra quarts, a premium filter, tax and a disposal fee “if applicable” on top. ### What does the Express Oil Change warranty cover? “Three months or 3,000 miles on parts and labor” for an oil change. Express says it will fix defects from the original service at no charge, if you let it check the car before any other repair, bring the receipt, and get the original location’s approval for work done elsewhere. Pre-existing conditions and parts you bring in are not covered. ### Who owns Express Oil Change? Mavis. The two agreed to merge in February 2018, and Mavis’s release filed with the SEC on 20 August 2026 says Mavis “owns and operates” Express Oil alongside Brakes Plus, Midas, Pep Boys and others. A BayPine-led group agreed to acquire Mavis in 2021, with Golden Gate Capital, which bought Express in 2017, keeping a minority interest. ### Is Express Oil Change a franchise? Partly. Its first franchise store opened in 1984, and it also runs corporate stores. A 2023 appeals court opinion describes Express buying 29 franchised stores in 2021 to make them corporate-owned. No document we reached gives today’s split, and store pages do not say which kind a shop is. ### Do I need an appointment at Express Oil Change? Not for an oil change: the contact FAQ says Express does not take appointments for its 10-minute oil change or state inspections. Appointments are encouraged for mechanical work, and the Terms allow a booking fee or deposit for some online bookings, refundable with at least 72 hours’ notice. ### Does Express Oil Change have a military discount or Ladies Day? Yes. Active and retired military get $5 off oil changes and 10% off mechanical services with ID and the coupon, excluding tires; the contact page caps it at $50, and it “Cannot be combined with any similar offer.” On Tuesdays, Ladies Day takes $5 off an oil change. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/ --- title: "Grease Monkey Oil Change: Warranty, Coupons and Who Runs It" description: "Grease Monkey prints no oil-change price. Its 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, the Free Refill Program, coupon fine print, and who owns its 408 U.S. centers." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Grease Monkey Oil Change: Warranty, Coupons and Who Runs It > Grease Monkey prints no oil-change price. Its 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, the Free Refill Program, coupon fine print, and who owns its 408 U.S. centers. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,864 words* ## The short version - Grease Monkey prints no price for an oil change. Its coupons are a “Discount off regular price” without saying what the regular price is, cover “Up to 5 quarts,” and add that “Taxes and/or disposal fees” are extra where permitted. Ask for the total before work starts. - The work carries a written limited warranty: services and products on the invoice are covered for 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, if the car gets the maker’s recommended maintenance in that time. - Claims go back to the same center, with the original invoice. Grease Monkey’s warranty page says the center on the invoice makes the warranty, and it may inspect the car first. - Between visits, the Free Refill Program tops up motor oil (up to 1 quart), power steering, battery, washer and transmission fluid at no charge. Antifreeze is not included. - Grease Monkey is owned by MidOcean Partners through FullSpeed Automotive. At the end of 2025 there were 408 Grease Monkey centers in the U.S.: 233 franchised and 175 company-owned, according to its Franchise Disclosure Document. - The disclosure document reports one lawsuit: a proposed California class action over “Ladies’ Day” discounts, which the franchisor and its affiliate settled in August 2025 by paying $200,000, the FDD says. A Grease Monkey oil change is a no-appointment, drive-in service at a center run either by a local franchisee or by the company, and the document that matters most is the invoice: it starts the 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, it is what you bring back to claim, and it names the center that made the promise. On 9 October 2026 we read Grease Monkey’s pages on the oil change, its services, the No Monkey Business Guarantee and the Limited Warranty, its coupons and their fine print, its SMS terms, privacy policy and two store pages; FullSpeed Automotive’s pages on the brand; and the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) of Grease Monkey Franchising, LLC issued April 7, 2026, as filed in Minnesota. This site has no commercial relationship with Grease Monkey, FullSpeed or any oil brand. **Figure: What Grease Monkey’s own documents say, by situation** Nine situations a Grease Monkey customer meets, each answered from Grease Monkey’s guarantee, warranty, coupon and store pages, its SMS terms, or its April 7, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Read from greasemonkey.com and the Franchise Disclosure Document filed in Minnesota, on 9 October 2026. ## What a Grease Monkey oil change costs, and what the paperwork says about price No Grease Monkey page we read gives a price, a starting price or a range for an oil change, and neither store page lists prices. What the pages print is coupon fine print, which shows how a bill is built. Behind each national oil-change coupon it reads: “Discount off regular price. Up to 5 quarts. Not Valid with other offers. Charge for additional parts/services, if needed. No cash value. Taxes and/or disposal fees extra, where permitted.” So three things can go on top: quarts beyond five (no page prices an extra quart), any additional parts or services, and taxes and disposal fees, for which no amount is stated. Who sets the regular price? The FDD, written for people buying a Grease Monkey franchise, gives the franchisor one pricing power in Item 16: “We reserve the right to establish minimum and maximum resale prices for use with multi-area marketing programs and special price promotions.” It says nothing else about what a center charges. Our reading: outside those promotions, the price is the center’s own, which is why two Grease Monkey centers can quote different totals for the same car. **Treat any Grease Monkey price you see quoted as one center’s price.** Grease Monkey publishes none. Before the technician starts, ask for the total for your car: the oil type, the quarts your engine takes, the filter, any coupon, tax and any disposal fee. ### The one dated figure on spending: what franchisees reported in 2025 The FDD’s Item 19 is the only document we found with a number on what a visit has added up to. It groups 174 franchised centers by 2025 sales and prints an “Average Ticket” for each group, from $114.42 to $139.09, with a “Ticket Range” running from $63.11 to $360.34 at its widest. Four limits apply. The figures come from franchisees’ own statements and “have not been audited.” They cover 174 of 233 franchised centers (74.7%, by our arithmetic) and no company-owned ones. The FDD does not define “ticket”; we read it as a bill per vehicle, add-ons included, but the document does not say so. And they describe 2025: they are not a price for any service. ## What a Grease Monkey full-service oil change includes Grease Monkey’s oil-change page promises “fresh oil, a new filter, and a complete health check” in three steps: the old oil and filter come out, the center refills “with the correct oil based on your vehicle’s needs” with a new filter, and then comes a “Wellness Check.” No appointment is needed; the FDD says most centers are freestanding with “drive-through capability” and can have three to six bays. How many things are checked depends on which page you read: **The checks as Grease Monkey’s own pages describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Page | What it says is checked | Count printed | | --- | --- | --- | | Oil-change page, “Wellness Check” | Air filters, battery condition, brake fluid, cabin air filter, chassis lube (if needed), exterior lights, differential fluid, engine coolant, power steering fluid, tire pressure, transmission fluid, washer fluid, wiper blades | 13 items listed | | Services page, “Complimentary Services” | Check/fill tire pressure, check/fill washer fluid, check wipers, engine air filter, cabin air filter and exterior lights | 6 items listed | | Services page, introduction | “16 key checkpoints” | 16, not listed | | Two store pages (Marietta, Georgia; Monument, Colorado) | “a thorough 16-point inspection with every oil change” | 16, not listed | | Coupons page | “a free tire check, fluid top-off, battery test, and engine light scan” | None | The 13 listed items are 3 short of the 16 promised elsewhere, by our arithmetic; no page names the other three. Use the longest list as your checklist when the invoice is silent. And know what the checks are not: the guarantee page calls them “just quick inspections,” “not full diagnostics or repairs,” and the warranty page gives no warranty “that all safety repairs needed or defective parts will be identified.” A warning light needs its own diagnosis; see our guide to [what the check engine light means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/#what-it-says). Everything else is extra, and the menu “may vary by location.” A store’s preventive-maintenance coupon lists what Grease Monkey treats as add-ons: oil system cleaner, wipers, bulbs, air and cabin filters, radiator, transmission, differential, transfer case and gear box fluid exchanges, fuel system cleaning, fuel filters and engine treatments. The FDD says every center “must offer brake services”; our page on [brake pad replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) explains that bill. Grease Monkey’s home page says manufacturer-recommended fluid exchanges keep “your warranty intact”; the test for any of them is whether your owner’s manual calls for it at your mileage. ## Which oil: full synthetic, synthetic blend, high mileage, and conventional The oil-change page ranks four oils: full synthetic (“Best”), synthetic blend and high mileage (“Better”), and conventional blend (“Good”), with high-mileage oil meant for vehicles “over 75,000 miles.” On conventional oil the pages disagree: the oil-change page says “Most Grease Monkey locations no longer carry conventional oil” and that it “will not meet your manufacturer’s warranty,” while both store pages’ FAQ offers “a full range of oil options, including conventional.” Your owner’s manual, not a quick-lube page, decides whether conventional oil meets your car’s specification. No page names the oil brand; the store FAQ says “from top brands.” The FDD says franchisees must buy “90% of all products from approved vendors” and that the franchisor has purchase arrangements for bulk motor oil and filters; it names no brand. If the brand or certification matters to you, have it written on the invoice. On intervals, one page gives three answers for synthetic oil: “Every 7,500-10,000 miles” (with an extended-life filter, since “many regular oil filters only go for about 5,000 miles”), “Often lasts 5,000–10,000 miles,” and “5,000 to 7,500 miles” in severe conditions. Conventional oil gets 3,000 to 5,000 miles, and every oil “At least once a year.” The same page says: “Always check your owner’s manual or oil-life monitor.” Our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) explains what actually sets the interval, including the [severe-service schedule](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#severe). Many centers send “reminder emails or texts for your next service,” store pages say. A reminder is not your car’s schedule; the manual’s interval is the one Grease Monkey’s own warranty depends on. ## The No Monkey Business Guarantee: 3 months or 3,000 miles Grease Monkey describes its promise on two pages. The newer one, the No Monkey Business Guarantee, says it “covers all services and products listed on your invoice” against “a problem with the materials or the way a service was performed.” The older Limited Warranty page covers “defects in materials or workmanship.” Both run 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, counted from the invoice: cover ends at whichever of those two points the car reaches first. The cover has a condition. The guarantee holds only if the car “gets regular, manufacturer-recommended maintenance during that time”; the warranty page says “reasonable and manufacturer’s recommended maintenance during the warranty period.” If your owner’s manual calls for any service inside those 3 months, keep that receipt with the Grease Monkey invoice. Both pages list the same three kinds of exclusion, in different words: **Grease Monkey’s two versions of the same promise (guarantee page dated August 2025, warranty page October 2025 in their page data; both read 9 October 2026)** | Term | No Monkey Business Guarantee page | Limited Warranty page | | --- | --- | --- | | What is covered | “all services and products listed on your invoice” | “the services and products shown on the invoice,” against “defects in materials or workmanship” | | How long | 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first | Three months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first | | Clock starts | “the date and mileage noted on your receipt” | “the date of service or mileage shown on the original invoice” | | Work you turned down | No cover if “You declined recommended labor, parts, or services listed on the original invoice” | No cover if the invoice shows you declined work “required for satisfactory performance” | | Someone else’s fix | No cover if someone “attempts to fix the issue without written approval from the original Grease Monkey Service Center” | No cover if corrective action is taken “without prior written approval” from the center that did the work | | Your time and the car’s downtime | “lost time, vehicle downtime, or inconvenience” excluded | “loss of time, inconvenience, loss of use of the vehicle or other incidental or consequential damages” excluded | | Where to claim | “the same Grease Monkey Service Center where you received the service” | “the original Service Center with the original invoice” | Two rows matter in practice. The declined-work exclusion is wider on the guarantee page, since “recommended” covers more than “required for satisfactory performance”; if you decline something, ask that the invoice say plainly what and why. And if a drain plug weeps or a filter leaks, call the center that did the work before anyone else touches the car: a repair elsewhere without written approval is excluded on both pages. ### The Free Refill Program between visits The same two pages carry a standing perk. The guarantee page says that if you run low between your “regular 3-month/3,000-mile visits,” a center will “check and top off your fluids for free”: - Motor oil, “up to 1 quart” - Power steering fluid - Battery fluid - Windshield washer fluid - Transmission or transaxle fluid - A tire pressure check and set “Antifreeze/coolant not included,” the page adds, and the warranty page ties the program to “normal usage of your vehicle.” Neither says how many refills are allowed or whether your last oil change must have been at the same center; ask. A car that keeps needing oil between changes has a leak or a consumption problem worth diagnosing; our guide to [finding fluid leaks](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/#cardboard) starts with cardboard under the car overnight. ## Making a claim: the same center, the original invoice Both pages send you back to the center that did the work. The warranty page is firmer: “you must return to the original Service Center with the original invoice,” which “reserves the right to inspect the vehicle involved in the claim before any corrective action can be taken.” The reason is in one sentence: the Limited Warranty “is made by the independently owned and operated Grease Monkey® Service Center shown on the invoice.” The promise is the center’s, not the brand’s, and no page we read offers a way to claim at another Grease Monkey if you have moved or are traveling. The FDD says the same for services few centers offer (those “not performed in at least 85 percent” of centers): the invoice must say the customer “can only return to your Grease Monkey Center to exercise the warranty.” That sentence also calls every center “independently owned and operated.” The FDD counts 175 of the 408 U.S. centers at the end of 2025 as company-owned, “operated by GMI,” Grease Monkey International, LLC (see [who runs the centers](#who-runs-it)). The practical rule is the same either way: keep the invoice, go back to that center, and get anything agreed in writing. **The invoice is the warranty.** It sets the start date and mileage, lists what is covered, records anything you declined, and names the center that owes you the repair. Photograph it before you leave, and do not let another shop fix a problem with Grease Monkey’s work before that center has seen it and given written approval. The same three terms as other chains print them, from this site’s readings of their own pages (written terms only, not prices or service): **Printed warranty and top-off terms of four oil-change chains (each read on 9 October 2026 from the chain’s own pages)** | Chain | Written warranty on oil-change work | Where you claim | Top-offs between visits | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Grease Monkey | 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first | The original center, with the original invoice | Free: motor oil up to 1 quart and four other fluids; not antifreeze | | [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) | “3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first” | “See back of invoice for details” | Within 3,000 miles, “up to 2 quarts per fluid,” motor oil included | | [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) | None found in writing | Not stated | “We’ll also top off your fluids in between oil changes”; no limits printed | | [Valvoline Instant Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) | None found on oil-change work (a 30-day warranty on air conditioning service) | Not stated | “There may be a fee for top-offs of certain fluids” | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the bottle, the oil stream and the filler neck, each with one fact from Grease Monkey’s coupon, Free Refill and warranty pages. Grease Monkey’s coupon, Free Refill and warranty pages, read on 9 October 2026: Grease Monkey coupons cover up to 5 quarts; taxes and disposal fees can be extra (callout 1); Low between visits? The Free Refill Program tops up to 1 quart of motor oil free (callout 2); Covered 3 months or 3,000 miles; claims go to the center that did the work (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Grease Monkey coupons and discounts: what stands and what rotates Grease Monkey’s coupons change, and every one we saw on 9 October 2026 carried a “Redeem By” date, so we quote no amounts. What does not change is how they work. ### National coupons The coupons, home, oil-change and services pages showed the same two national coupons, for a full-service synthetic blend and a full-service full synthetic oil change, with the fine print quoted in [the price section](#price). Where they work depends on the page: the coupons page says “Available at Participating Locations,” while the services page shows the same coupons under “Valid at Locations Nationwide.” Rely on the narrower wording and ask before the work starts. ### Store coupons and the standing discount groups Each store page has its own coupon strip and a box headed “Our Discounts.” Both store pages we opened, in Marietta, Georgia, and Monument, Colorado, listed the same four groups there: Military, Lyft Driver, Uber Driver and Fleets. Neither box gives an amount. The amounts appear only on dated coupons in the strip above it, which on both pages were the same five: seniors (“55+ only”), any full-service oil change, preventive maintenance, military and rideshare. Their fine print adds conditions the national coupons lack: - **Rideshare:** “ID Required at time of purchase,” “Up to 5 quarts,” and “Valid at participating locations only.” - **Military, seniors and the general store coupon:** “Valid at listed location only.” The military coupon’s fine print does not mention ID, although the SMS terms below say some coupons “(e.g., for veterans) require provision of proper identification.” Bring proof of service anyway. - **Preventive maintenance:** applies to the add-on list described above and “Excludes: Oil changes, Batteries, Tire Services, Brakes,” engine and mechanical repair, emissions testing and state inspections. So a military discount, a rideshare discount and a seniors coupon exist as categories at these centers, but none is printed as a fixed national percentage. Grease Monkey’s store FAQ says to “Check your local Grease Monkey’s webpage or sign up for email/text alerts.” Because coupons are “Not Valid with other offers,” expect to use one discount per visit and ask which one saves more. ### Coupons by text: the SMS terms The SMS terms say a texted coupon “must be presented at time of estimate,” that there is “Only one coupon code per transaction,” and that coupons are not valid with “other offers, special order parts or warranty work.” Messages may come “up to 2 texts/week,” and “consent is not required to make any purchase.” Two points to know before you sign up: joining means agreeing to “binding, individual-only arbitration” of disputes about the program, and the published terms still contain unfilled template text, naming the sender as “BRAND NAME” and the opt-out number as “short code __.” The terms say you opt out by texting STOP. The privacy policy says Grease Monkey may collect your “vehicle identification number or license plate number” and share personal information with “franchisees” and with third parties “to market their products or services to you if you have not opted out.” Text-message opt-in data, it says, “will not be shared with any third parties.” ### Fleets, and what we did not find The fleet page offers service tracking, reminders and “consolidated billing,” with no discount printed. The FDD requires franchised centers to service “all national fleet accounts” under the franchisor’s policies and its agreements with fleet account vendors. We found no Grease Monkey credit card, financing offer, price match, membership plan or loyalty points on the pages we read. ## Who owns Grease Monkey, and who runs your center Three companies sit behind the sign. Grease Monkey Franchising, LLC, a Colorado company formed on January 3, 2006, sells and manages the franchises; the FDD says it “does not currently operate any Grease Monkey Centers, our affiliates and franchisees do.” Its affiliate Grease Monkey International, LLC (GMI) was the franchisor “from approximately September 1978 through March 2006,” still owns the trademarks, and runs the company-owned centers along with other quick-lube brands. Both belong to the group that calls itself FullSpeed Automotive (“Part of the FullSpeed Family,” the greasemonkey.com footer says), which also franchises SpeeDee and Kwik Kar. Both sister brands have pages of their own: [SpeeDee Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/speedee-oil-change/) and [Kwik Kar](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/kwik-kar/). The owner at the top is a private equity firm. The FDD traces the franchisor through seven holding companies to MidOcean Partners V, L.P.: “MidOcean is our ultimate parent company. It is a private investment group that owns multiple other business concepts.” FullSpeed’s own release of November 30, 2020 says MidOcean Partners “has acquired FullSpeed Automotive” from CenterOak Partners, with financial terms not disclosed ([FullSpeed’s release](https://fullspeedautomotive.com/news/midocean-partners-acquires-fullspeed-automotive-a-leading-platform-in-auto-aftermarket-services/)). The FDD’s Item 20 gives the only dated count of Grease Monkey centers, U.S. only: **Grease Monkey outlets in the United States, from the Franchise Disclosure Document issued April 7, 2026 (Item 20, Table 1)** | At year end | Franchised | Company-owned (run by GMI) | Total | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2023 | 201 | 151 | 352 | | 2024 | 209 | 163 | 372 | | 2025 | 233 | 175 | 408 | By our arithmetic, 42.9% of U.S. centers were company-owned at the end of 2025 and 57.1% franchised, and the system grew by 56 centers in two years. In 2025, 29 franchised centers opened, against 2 terminations, 1 non-renewal and 2 that ceased operating for other reasons; on the company side, 14 opened and 2 closed, and the FDD notes that 10 of the Texas openings were existing GMI shops “converted to Grease Monkey Centers in 2025.” Franchisees had signed agreements for 35 more centers not yet open, and the franchisor projected 31 new franchised openings in 2026. Colorado (86 centers), Texas (60) and Georgia (45) together hold 46.8% of the total, by our arithmetic, and the mix differs by state: Colorado’s are mostly franchised, Georgia’s mostly company-owned. Grease Monkey’s pages size it differently: “Almost 600 Grease Monkey locations” (home page), a FullSpeed “network of over 700+ locations” (store pages), “900+” across FullSpeed’s brands, and “hundreds of locations” (FullSpeed’s brand page). The About page adds centers in Mexico, China, Colombia and Saudi Arabia, which the FDD’s U.S. count leaves out, but gives no dated figure. Use the 408. Why it matters to a customer: the brand page says “Most of our shops are locally owned and operated,” and the warranty page makes each center the issuer of its own warranty. Neither store page we opened says whether it is franchised or company-owned. If you plan to rely on the warranty, ask at the counter who owns the center, and keep the invoice that names it. ## What the public record shows: the Ladies’ Day case The FDD’s Item 3, where a franchisor must disclose material litigation, lists one case, and we describe it only as the FDD does; we did not read the court file. Two men who had used two franchised Grease Monkey centers in California filed a proposed class action on August 13, 2024 in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange (case no. 30-2024-01418497-CU-CR-CXC). They asserted that two franchisees, GMI and the franchisor “committed negligence and violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits gender-based discrimination, by marketing Ladies’ Day promotions providing associated discounts,” and sought an injunction, statutory damages and attorneys’ fees. According to the FDD, “In August 2025, the plaintiffs and defendants entered into a settlement agreement whereby GMI and we paid the plaintiffs $200,000 on behalf of all of the defendants,” and the plaintiffs released all claims against all defendants. The FDD does not say that any defendant admitted the claims. GMI and the franchisor then pursued crossclaims against franchisee defendants; after a mediation on March 4, 2026 they “agreed to pay GK Oil $50,000,” with the crossclaims to be dismissed once payments are made. Otherwise, the FDD says, “no litigation is required to be disclosed,” and Item 4 reports no bankruptcy. A web search on 9 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or FTC action naming Grease Monkey. For customers the case is a footnote with one practical point: the promotions at issue were marketed at franchised centers, yet GMI and the franchisor paid the settlement “on behalf of all of the defendants.” None of the coupons we read on 9 October 2026 was limited by gender. ## Will a Grease Monkey oil change affect your car’s factory warranty? Not by itself. The FTC’s guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) says “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” Behind it are 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), which bars conditioning a warranty on a service “identified by brand, trade, or corporate name” unless it is free, and 16 CFR 700.10(c), which bars conditioning one on “the use of only authorized repair service.” The same FTC page sets two limits. If your warranty provides maintenance free, the maker “can make you use repair facilities it chooses,” so paying Grease Monkey for a free scheduled service wastes it. And if work is done wrong and damages a covered part, the maker “can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part,” though it “must prove” the cause. That makes the invoice doubly useful: it is your Grease Monkey warranty and your maintenance record. The FTC’s advice is to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes”; our page on [oil-change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) shows what a usable one contains, and our guide to whether an [extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) explains how a service contract tests them. ## Where Grease Monkey’s own documents disagree, and what they leave out Besides the conflicts covered above (who makes the warranty, declined work, the check counts, conventional oil, intervals, where coupons work, ID for military coupons and the store counts), we found these: - **Time.** “Under 15 minutes” on the home page, “about 15 minutes” on store and fleet pages. The FDD says centers commit to a time limit under the Pit Crew Guarantee but does not state it. - **The company’s name.** The website terms open with “Grease Monkey International, LLC” and close with “Grease Monkey International, Inc.” - **Unfinished terms.** The SMS terms still say “BRAND NAME” and “short code __.” Not published at all: a price for any service, the cost of a quart beyond five, the disposal fee, how many free refills you may claim, whether you can claim the warranty at another center, whether a center accepts your own oil or used oil from home oil changes, and which centers are franchised. ## Before and after a Grease Monkey visit - **Check the manual first.** Note the oil specification, the capacity with filter, and the interval. They decide what you need and what you can decline. - **Bring the coupon and any proof.** Have the texted or emailed coupon ready at the estimate, with ID if the coupon asks for it (the rideshare coupon does) and proof of age for the seniors coupon. - **Ask for the total before work starts.** Oil type, quarts, filter, coupon, tax and disposal fee. - **Weigh each recommendation.** Ask what was seen and whether your manual calls for it now. If you decline, ask that the invoice say so plainly. - **Read the invoice before you drive off.** It should show the oil type and viscosity, quantity, filter, mileage and the center’s name and number. - **Check afterwards.** Look at the dipstick once the engine has rested, and for drips after the first drive. If something is wrong, go back to the same center with the invoice before anyone else works on it. - **Use the Free Refill Program, and notice how often.** A regular quart of oil between visits is a symptom to diagnose. Our pages on the [Jiffy Lube](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/), [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/), [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/), [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/) and [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) oil changes, and on [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/), read those companies’ published terms the same way. ## Common questions ### How much is an oil change at Grease Monkey? Grease Monkey does not publish a price. Its coupons are a discount “off regular price,” cover up to 5 quarts, and leave taxes and disposal fees extra where permitted. The FDD reserves price-setting to the franchisor only for multi-area promotions; otherwise, by our reading, each center sets its own. Ask the center for the total for your car before work starts. ### Does Grease Monkey have a warranty on oil changes? Yes. Services and products on the invoice are covered for 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, against problems with materials or workmanship, if the car gets the maker’s recommended maintenance. You claim at the center that did the work, with the original invoice; declined work, repairs by others without written approval and lost time are excluded. ### Does Grease Monkey top off fluids for free? Yes, under its Free Refill Program: between your regular visits a center will top up motor oil (up to 1 quart), power steering, battery, washer and transmission fluid and set tire pressure at no charge. Antifreeze and coolant are not included. ### Does Grease Monkey have a military or senior discount? The store pages we read list military, Lyft driver, Uber driver and fleet discounts, and show a seniors coupon for drivers 55 and over. The amounts are on dated coupons that cannot be combined with other offers. No national, standing percentage is printed, so check your center’s page. ### Who owns Grease Monkey, and is it a franchise? Grease Monkey belongs to the FullSpeed Automotive group, whose ultimate parent is the private equity firm MidOcean Partners. At the end of 2025 there were 408 U.S. centers: 233 franchised and 175 company-owned, run by Grease Monkey International, LLC, according to the FDD issued April 7, 2026. ### Do I need an appointment, and how long does it take? No appointment: store pages say “We do not currently take appointments.” Grease Monkey says an oil change is “done in under 15 minutes” on its home page and takes “about 15 minutes” on its store pages; add-ons and a queue add time. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/ --- title: "Belle Tire: Tire Protection Plan, Free Maintenance and Who Owns It" description: "Belle Tire sells road hazard cover as an optional plan with no printed price, includes free tire maintenance, and has agreed to be sold to Big Brand." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Belle Tire: Tire Protection Plan, Free Maintenance and Who Owns It > Belle Tire sells road hazard cover as an optional plan with no printed price, includes free tire maintenance, and has agreed to be sold to Big Brand. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,857 words* ## The short version - Belle Tire is Belle Tire Distributors, Inc., a Michigan company that opened its first store in Detroit in 1922. Its history page says the Barnes family bought out the founder’s shares around 1984, and its FAQ says no store is franchised. Its sitemap lists 185 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. - Belle Tire is being sold. Big Brand Tire & Service, backed by Percheron Capital, announced a definitive agreement to buy it on 16 July 2026, expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. We found no notice that it had closed by 9 October 2026. - Belle Tire prints no tire warranty of its own. Its FAQ points you to the tire makers’ warranties, and a brand page links 155 of them. - Road hazard cover is the optional Tire Protection Plan. It ends at 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years, whichever comes first, and stays with the original buyer, tire and car. No page prints its price, and its replacement terms are in an agreement that is not posted online. - Free Lifetime Tire Maintenance covers flat repairs, rotations, alignment checks, balancing and 24/7 air for tires bought there. An alignment adjustment and any parts cost extra. - The brake, battery and suspension pages promise a “Comprehensive warranty on parts and labor” but print no length or mileage, so get the terms on your invoice. Auto glass is the one repair with a printed warranty. Belle Tire is a tire and auto service chain with 185 stores in Michigan, northern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Belle Tire Distributors, Inc. owns it and in July 2026 agreed to sell it to Big Brand Tire & Service. What it offers tire buyers is free lifetime maintenance and an optional Tire Protection Plan; it prints no tire warranty of its own. On 9 October 2026 we read Belle Tire’s plan, maintenance, price match, card, storage, warranty and history pages, its privacy policy and storage terms, Big Brand’s release on the sale, and the settlement website of a 2024 data-breach case. This site has no commercial relationship with Belle Tire or any tire seller. **Figure: What Belle Tire’s plans and free services cover, situation by situation** A two-column table of seven situations: a safely repairable nail is fixed free under Free Lifetime Tire Maintenance; a tire that can’t be repaired, with the Tire Protection Plan, gets Belle Tire’s help with replacement under an agreement not posted online; without the plan no Belle Tire cover is printed; the plan ends at 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years, whichever comes first; it can be added up to one week after purchase in some cases; the Alignment Protection Plan gives unlimited alignments for 12 months with parts and related labor extra; and the plan stays with the original buyer, tire and car. Read from Belle Tire’s Tire Protection Plan, Free Lifetime Tire Maintenance and Alignment Protection Plan pages on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Belle Tire, and the pending sale to Big Brand Belle Tire’s [history page](https://www.belletire.com/our-company/history) says the company “was founded in 1922 by Sam Waze with the first location on Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Sam named his business after his wife, Belle.” Don Barnes Sr., a Kelly Tire salesman, became Waze’s partner; the page dates the Barnes family’s start in the business to 1 April 1970, and says that around 1984 the family “bought Waze’s shares.” An older history page, still online, calls Belle Tire “family-owned” and says Don Barnes III became president in 2015. The legal name is Belle Tire Distributors, Inc. Its [privacy policy](https://www.belletire.com/our-company/privacy), effective 1 January 2026, says it “owns and operates the Belle Tire network of stores,” and the FAQ says: “No. Belle Tire’s locations are not franchised.” So the store you visit is run by the company that writes the plans, and both plans say they are honored at any Belle Tire. Franchise chains such as [Big O Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) work differently. **The sale.** Big Brand Tire & Service, a chain based in Moorpark, California, posted a release dated 16 July 2026 saying it “has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Belle Tire.” The deal “remains subject to customary closing conditions” and “is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.” Big Brand says the purchase takes it past $1.5 billion in revenue, that it has partnered with Percheron Capital since 2021, and that Percheron is a private equity firm with over $8 billion in assets under management. Don Barnes III is quoted as President of Belle Tire. The release gives no price and does not say who will own what; press reports on stakes are not used here because we could not read a primary document confirming them. Big Brand’s website terms forbid linking without written permission, so we name the release instead of linking it. The third quarter ended on 30 September 2026. On 9 October, Big Brand’s About page still linked only the July announcement, Percheron’s “Recent News” list still had it at the top, and no Belle Tire page we read mentioned the deal. As far as these documents show, the sale was announced but not yet confirmed as closed. No document says the plans or free services will change; keep your invoices, because your plan is tied to them. **How many stores.** Belle Tire’s pages give five counts: 185 (home page), “180+” (Tire Protection Plan page), 143 (FAQ), and “more than 127” and 126 (older history page). We counted the store pages in Belle Tire’s own sitemap by the state in each address: **Belle Tire store pages by state, counted from belletire.com’s sitemap (9 October 2026)** | State | Store pages | When the history page says Belle Tire arrived | | --- | --- | --- | | Michigan | 91 | 1922, Detroit | | Indiana | 39 | 2015, South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart | | Illinois | 39 | 2021, four stores in the Chicago suburbs | | Ohio | 16 | 2003 (current page) or “the late 1980s” (older page) | | Total | 185 | Matches the home page | The footer and privacy policy give a Southfield, Michigan address, while the FAQ puts the headquarters in Allen Park. Either way, Belle Tire covers four states and nowhere else, so a plan “honored at any Belle Tire” helps only inside that area. ## Whose warranty covers a tire you buy at Belle Tire Belle Tire does not print a warranty of its own for the tires it sells. Its FAQ says: “Some tire manufacturers offer warranties for your tire purchases. Please, inquire with store sales associate for more information.” Its [Brand Warranties page](https://www.belletire.com/tires-and-wheels/tire-brands/warranty) links warranty pages for 155 brands by our count, though some links lead to a distributor’s home page rather than a warranty. So for a defect or early wear-out, your claim is normally under the tire maker’s booklet, started at the store. Our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) explains how those booklets prorate. Belle Tire’s own tire-care page warns that “regular tire rotation may even be a condition for keeping your tires covered under warranty,” one more reason to keep the paperwork from every free rotation. Returns are left to the store too: “Our return policy is contingent upon store policy and procedures.” Under [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), a seller of products costing “more than $15.00” that carry a written warranty must make its text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” Ask to see the maker’s warranty, and the Tire Protection Plan agreement if you are buying one, before you pay. ## The Tire Protection Plan: Belle Tire’s road hazard cover Nails, potholes and debris are the job of the [Tire Protection Plan](https://www.belletire.com/offers-and-savings/tire-protection-plan), labelled “Tire Protection Plan (Optional)” on the price match page. The plan page says it “helps cover eligible road hazard damage to the tire it was purchased for, including damage from nails, potholes, and debris. If the covered tire can be safely repaired, we’ll repair it at no charge. If it can’t be safely repaired and the damage is covered, we’ll help with replacement under the plan.” The terms it prints: - **When it ends.** The plan “lasts until the covered tire reaches” 3/32 inch of tread “or 3 years from the original tire purchase date, whichever comes first.” Belle Tire’s tire repair page treats tread below 2/32 inch as the legal limit, so the plan ends 1/32 inch earlier, by our arithmetic. See [how to read tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth). - **Who is covered.** “The plan stays with the original purchaser, covered tire, and original vehicle. If that tire is replaced later, the new tire will need its own Tire Protection Plan to stay covered.” - **Exclusions.** “Exclusions include damage from collision, vandalism, fire, improper inflation, mechanical defects, misalignment, towing, off-road use, racing, or willful abuse.” - **Buying it late.** “In some cases, yes. Tire Protection Plan may be added up to one week after your original tire purchase.” A guide tile says instead: “Just pay for it when you purchase the tire.” - **The price.** Not printed. Prices on the site appear only after you set a store or ZIP code, and we entered neither. The bigger gap is what “help with replacement” means. The plan page does not say whether a ruined tire is replaced free, at a share of its price, or at today’s price less a credit. Its fine print says coverage “is subject to the terms of the Tire Protection Plan agreement. See your agreement or visit your local Belle Tire for complete details.” That agreement is not posted online. Other Belle Tire pages describe the plan more generously. The [price match page](https://www.belletire.com/offers-and-savings/price-match) promises “unlimited repairs and replacements at any Belle Tire location until the last mile of safe tread depth” and says Belle Tire “will repair or replace the covered tire in the event that it fails due to workmanship or materials or a non-repairable road hazard.” The plan page itself speaks only of road hazards, and its exclusions include damage from “mechanical defects.” The installation page goes further: “Many of Belle Tire’s tires come with a road hazard warranty.” These cannot all be right for the same invoice. **Read the Tire Protection Plan agreement before you pay for it.** Belle Tire’s web pages promise only to “help with replacement,” print no price, and disagree about whether defects are covered. Ask for the agreement and the per-tire price in writing, ask what a replacement costs you at half tread, and check that the plan appears on your invoice next to each tire. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a tread groove, the nail and a tread block, each with one fact from Belle Tire’s protection-plan, flat-repair and rotation pages. Belle Tire’s protection-plan, flat-repair and rotation pages, read on 9 October 2026: The Tire Protection Plan ends at 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years, whichever comes first (callout 1); A repairable nail in the tread: flat repair is free on tires bought at Belle Tire (callout 2); Belle Tire’s pages advise rotating every 5,000 to 8,000 miles; rotations are free (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. The table compares documents, not prices, and ranks no one. The other columns come from this site’s readings of [Mavis’s road hazard warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#road-hazard) and [Les Schwab’s Tire Warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/#road-hazard) on 9 October 2026, and [Discount Tire’s Certificates](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) on 7 October 2026. **Road hazard cover as each chain prints it (Belle Tire, Mavis and Les Schwab read 9 October 2026; Discount Tire 7 October 2026)** | Term | Belle Tire | Mavis | Discount Tire | Les Schwab | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Road hazard cover on a new tire | Optional Tire Protection Plan; no price printed | Sold separately (“If you have purchased this warranty”); no price printed | Optional Certificates; cost depends on tire size, tire value and vehicle type | Included “at no additional cost” | | Cover ends | 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years, whichever comes first | 3 years or below 2/32 inch, the shorter | Three years, while the tire has more than 3/32 inch | Tread worn to 2/32 inch | | A tire that can’t be repaired | “help with replacement under your plan”; terms in an agreement not posted online | Percentage of wear times the original purchase price | “a full refund or replacement” | “repair or replace 100%” | | Adding cover after the sale | “up to one week after,” in some cases | No window in the terms this site recorded | 30 days | Not needed; included | | Selling the car | Stays with the original purchaser, tire and vehicle | “may not be assigned” | Certificate: non-transferable except in North Carolina; a blog page says transferable | “valid for the original purchaser” | Belle Tire’s plan and Discount Tire’s Certificates end at the same tread depth and age. Of the four, only Belle Tire does not post its replacement terms. ## Free Lifetime Tire Maintenance: what’s free, and on what conditions This is the promise Belle Tire puts first: “every tire purchase includes free lifetime tire maintenance,” free “for the life of the tires.” The installation page says the services run “From the moment your tires are installed until the very last mile of safe tread depth.” **What Belle Tire’s Free Lifetime Tire Maintenance includes, and the limits its pages print (read 9 October 2026)** | Free service | What Belle Tire says it does | Limits and the interval it recommends | | --- | --- | --- | | Flat repairs | “We’ll patch, repair, and rebalance your flat tire”; a “full repair,” not a plug | Only if the tire can be safely repaired; punctures near the sidewall or shoulder usually can’t | | Rotations | Regular rotations to even out wear | Every 6 months or 6,000 miles on the maintenance page; other pages say 5,000 to 8,000 miles | | Alignment checks | An inspection to catch alignment problems early | The check is free; “If an alignment adjustment or replacement parts are recommended, additional services or parts are not included” | | Balancing | “Advanced Road Force tire balancing” on one page, “Spin Balancing” on another | When you feel vibration at speed; elsewhere, every 5,000 to 6,000 miles | | Air | “Free self-service air is available at every Belle Tire location, 24/7” | At every store, around the clock | **Who qualifies.** The maintenance page says “Included with every tire purchase.” The FAQ ties the services to buying “the tire installation package” and also offers “cash and carry” tires you fit elsewhere, without saying whether those get free maintenance. It also says “Belle Tire offers free flat repairs” without saying the tire must have been bought there. If either case is yours, ask the store first. **Installation and fees.** Belle Tire says installation covers “tire removal, environmental disposal, mounting, balancing, and hand torquing of each lug nut,” plus new valve stems. The FAQ says “The price we quote is the price you pay. There are no hidden fees,” while the price match page notes “Fees and taxes apply and will be calculated at checkout.” Ask for the total per tire before you agree. **Free checks for everyone.** Belle Tire says “We offer free safety brake checks for everyone,” and offers free battery load testing, a free suspension evaluation and a free alignment check at any store. A check is not a repair: the FAQ says a team member may tell you about “another pending issue,” and you decide. For timing that fits your car, see our guides to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) and [when an alignment is due](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align). ## The Alignment Protection Plan: a year of alignments The [Alignment Protection Plan page](https://www.belletire.com/offers-and-savings/alignment-protection-plan) says “Coverage lasts 12 months from the date of purchase and includes unlimited wheel alignments during that time,” to manufacturer specifications, at any Belle Tire. The limit: “Parts and related labor needed to restore your car’s alignment to manufacturer specifications are not included and may cost extra.” If a pothole bends a steering part, the alignment is covered but the part is not. The plan page prints no price. One guide tile says “For a flat fee and the purchase of a wheel alignment”; another says “an additional $35 gets you unlimited wheel alignments for the next 12 months,” “saving you up to $144 during the year.” Neither tile is dated, so confirm the price at your store. Belle Tire recommends “a wheel alignment at least twice a year or every 6,000 miles.” Whether the plan pays depends on your store’s price for one alignment and how many you would really need; alignment checks are already free with tires bought there. Our [wheel alignment cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/) covers what decides the price. ## Brakes, batteries, suspension and glass: the repair warranties Belle Tire’s [brake](https://www.belletire.com/auto-service/brakes), battery and suspension pages each carry the same box, headed “Warranty Protection”: “Comprehensive warranty on parts and labor for peace of mind.” None says how long it lasts, how many miles it covers, what it excludes or how to claim, and no other page we read fills the gap. The battery page also shows five headings reading only “Empty heading.” Chains such as [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#parts-labor-warranty) and [Firestone](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#repair-warranty) publish their part-and-labor terms; at Belle Tire, ask for the warranty in months and miles on the estimate and the invoice. Our guides to [brake pad replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) and [car battery warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) show what other sellers print. **Auto glass is the exception.** Its [warranty page](https://www.belletire.com/auto-glass-warranty) offers “a limited lifetime warranty that all service work performed will be free from defects including parts, labor and recalibration of the front camera,” “for the life of the windshield or as long as you own the vehicle.” Belle Tire “will, at its discretion” repair or replace defective parts or redo the work. You must contact it “within 30 days of discovering any defects,” and “This warranty is not transferrable.” Rock and road-debris damage is excluded. One line conflicts: the exclusions also cover “failure to report any defects within 30 days of the original date the work was performed,” a window that closes a month after the work. Report any problem with new glass quickly. Our [windshield replacement guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/) covers camera recalibration. ## Price match and the appreciation discount Belle Tire’s slogan is “Lowest Tire Price, Period!” and its price match page opens: “We will beat any competitor’s price for the same product and match any coupons and offers to get you the best deal possible on tires.” In a store or by phone, “bring proof or provide details of the lower price from any competitor, and we’ll match it on the spot”; online, a “Found it Lower?” option on the tire listings leads to Belle Tire contacting you “with an offer.” The page prints seven rules: - “Belle Tire will beat online non-auction retailers and local retailers within a reasonable driving distance.” - “Belle Tire accounts for all costs and fees when price matching, including shipping, handling, installation and taxes.” - “Tires must be the same brand, size and model and in stock at our competitors’ location.” - “Price matches may not be combined with other Belle Tire sales, promotions or coupons.” - “We reserve the right to decline any price match request under our discretion.” - “We will not price match typographical errors at our competitors.” - “All price quotes are valid for fourteen (14) business days, unless otherwise noted.” The second rule compares totals, so a cheaper tire online may lose its edge once shipping and fitting are added; compare totals yourself. The fourth rule sits awkwardly under a headline promising to “match any coupons and offers”: expect the store to apply either the match or a Belle Tire promotion, not both. The page says “beat” without saying by how much, and we found no promise to refund the difference if the price drops after you buy. The [Appreciation Discount](https://www.belletire.com/military-discount) is a standing one: “Active-duty service members, military retirees, and veterans receive 5% off purchases in store,” with a valid ID. It “cannot be combined with other sales, coupons, discounts, or promotions,” and “When more than one offer is available, we’ll apply the one that saves you the most.” Manufacturer rebates carry end dates, and the FAQ and the site menu give different amounts for the same e-mail sign-up coupon, so we leave both out. ## Paying: the card, Affirm, fitting other tires, and storage **The Belle Tire Credit Card.** Belle Tire’s financing FAQ calls it “the Belle Tire Synchrony Credit Card,” and the card page says it is “Valid everywhere Synchrony Car Care is accepted in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.” Its standing terms carry a date: “New Accounts as of 7/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2.” Belle Tire says there is no annual fee. The page offers promotional financing on purchases of $199 to $999.99 (6 months) or $1,000 and up (12 months), with no end date printed. It is deferred interest: “If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” By our arithmetic, $199 needs $33.17 a month to clear in 6 months, and $1,000 needs $83.34 a month to clear in 12. Gas station purchases do not qualify. The footnotes also contain what looks like a stray editing note about a disclosure that “will also need to update that disclosure as of 7/31/25.” **Affirm and other payments.** Affirm is offered at checkout. Belle Tire says “there are no hidden fees” but prints no rates, and says it “is not responsible for the content, products or services on Affirm’s website,” so read Affirm’s terms before choosing it. In store, Belle Tire takes “all major credit cards, cash and checks,” and “All payments are due at the time of purchase.” Gift card terms are governed by Michigan law, and the cards cannot be “redeemed for cash.” **Fitting tires bought elsewhere.** Belle Tire will do it, but the installation page gives two starting prices, one under the other: “starting at $30 per tire” and “fees start at $25.99 per tire,” a $4.01 gap by our arithmetic. Ask your store for its figure. **Seasonal storage.** The Belle Tire Valet Service keeps your off-season tires and wheels at its distribution center. The [storage page](https://www.belletire.com/tires-and-wheels/off-season-storage) says it “starts at $124.99,” mounting and balancing not included. The [Terms and Conditions](https://cdn.belletire.com/downloads/Valet-Terms-Conditions-V04%20final.pdf) it links, a PDF its server dates to October 2023, say “$109.99 for storage until the end of the term,” $15.00 less. What the terms say: - **Six-month terms.** Winter runs from November to April and summer from May to October. Belle Tire “will attempt to contact” you at least 15 days before a term ends. - **Automatic renewal.** If you don’t book a swap or collect the tires, the agreement “will automatically renew” for “a $80.00 fee.” At the PDF’s prices, a term plus one renewal is $189.99, by our arithmetic. - **A lien on your tires.** You grant “a security interest in the Property,” and after a fee is 60 days unpaid Belle Tire may use its rights under the Uniform Commercial Code, “including its right to sell the Property in a commercially reasonable sale.” - **Ending early** brings your tires to a store “within 48 hours,” with no refund of any part of the fee. If stored tires are damaged or lost, Belle Tire says it “will repair or replace the Property.” ## What public records show: the 2024 data-breach settlement We found no state attorney-general or Federal Trade Commission action naming Belle Tire. The public record we read is a class action over a cyberattack. Its [settlement website](https://belletiredataincident.com/) says the notice was authorized by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, in *In Re: Belle Tire Distributors, Inc. Data Breach Litigation*, Case No. 2:24-cv-12966. The lawsuit “alleges that during the cyberattack on Belle Tire’s computer systems discovered by Defendant on or before June 11, 2024, certain files that contained private information were accessed,” files that “may have contained” names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. “Belle Tire denies that it did anything wrong, and the Court has not decided who is right.” The proposed settlement, as the website describes it: - **Documented losses:** “150% of what you spent, up to $1,000.00” for losses from 11 June 2024 to 27 July 2026. The cap is reached at $666.67 of losses, by our arithmetic. - **Or an equal share** of a $75,000.00 fund: “You do not have to provide any proof or explanation to claim this payment.” - **Lawyers’ fees:** class counsel would ask for $300,000.00, “paid by Belle Tire.” - **Deadlines:** claims, opt-outs and objections were due by 27 July 2026, now passed. The Final Approval Hearing was set for 2 September 2026. On 9 October 2026 the website still said “The Court in charge of this case still has to decide whether to approve the Settlement,” and we read no order on final approval. If you received a breach notice from Belle Tire, watch that website for payment news. CourtListener dockets are closed to AI agents by that site’s robots.txt, so we did not use them, and workplace cases that turn up in searches are not covered here. ## Where Belle Tire’s own pages disagree We recorded 20 places where Belle Tire’s pages contradict each other or leave a promise unfinished. The ones a buyer should know: - **What the plan covers.** Road hazards only (plan page), or failures “due to workmanship or materials” too (price match page); “help with replacement” or “unlimited repairs and replacements”; “(Optional)” or a road hazard warranty that “Many of Belle Tire’s tires come with.” - **Who gets free maintenance.** “Included with every tire purchase,” or tied to “the tire installation package.” - **Service details.** Road Force or spin balancing; rotation every 5,000, 6,000 or 6,000 to 8,000 miles. - **Beat or match.** A headline that promises to “match any coupons and offers” above a rule that matches “may not be combined with other Belle Tire sales, promotions or coupons.” - **Two prices for one thing.** Fitting other tires from $30 or from $25.99; storage from $124.99 or $109.99. - **Repair warranties without terms,** and five “Empty heading” lines on the battery page. - **The company itself.** Store counts from 126 to 185; two headquarters towns; Ohio entered in 2003 or “the late 1980s”; a history page still announcing plans for 2022; gift cards sold in “Michigan, northern Ohio and Indiana” but not Illinois; a privacy policy relying on a Terms of Use we could not find; and no page mentioning the July 2026 sale. In a dispute, what counts is the paperwork you sign, so get the plan agreement and any repair warranty in writing. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Belle Tire Register your tires so the maker can reach you about a recall. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), an independent dealer must either give you “a paper tire registration form” with “The entire tire identification number” filled in, or send the form to the maker itself “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” No Belle Tire page we read says which it does, so ask. NHTSA says makers notify registered owners “within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision”; its [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) covers tires, and our page on [tire recalls and tire age](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) explains more. Other regional chains are read the same way on our [Tire Discounters](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/) and [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/) pages. - **Ask whose warranty covers the tire** and take a copy of the maker’s terms. - **Before buying the Tire Protection Plan, get the agreement and the per-tire price,** and ask what a replacement costs at half tread. You may have a week to decide. - **Check the invoice** lists the plan against each tire, and the installation package if free maintenance depends on it. - **Keep every rotation and alignment-check invoice**; makers’ warranties can depend on regular rotation. - **For a repair, get the part and labor warranty in months and miles** on the estimate. - **For a price match, bring a quote for the same tire, in stock,** and compare totals with fitting and tax. - **On promotional card financing,** divide the balance by the months and clear it in time. - **For valet storage, note each term’s end date;** renewals cost extra and unpaid fees can lead to a sale of the tires. ## Common questions ### Who owns Belle Tire? Belle Tire Distributors, Inc., a Michigan company whose history page says the Barnes family bought out the founding Waze family around 1984. Its stores are not franchised. On 16 July 2026 Big Brand Tire & Service, backed by Percheron Capital, announced a definitive agreement to buy Belle Tire. ### Did Big Brand buy Belle Tire? It agreed to. Big Brand’s release said the deal was expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to closing conditions. As of 9 October 2026 we found no notice that it had closed. ### Does Belle Tire have a road hazard warranty? It sells an optional Tire Protection Plan. A covered tire that can be safely repaired is repaired at no charge; otherwise Belle Tire will “help with replacement under the plan.” The plan lasts until 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years from purchase, whichever comes first. Belle Tire prints no price for it. ### What does Belle Tire’s free lifetime maintenance include? Free flat repairs, rotations, alignment checks, balancing and 24/7 air, for tires bought at Belle Tire, “for the life of the tires.” An alignment adjustment and parts are not included. ### Does Belle Tire price match? Yes. It says it will beat local retailers within a reasonable driving distance and online non-auction retailers on the same tire in stock, counting shipping, installation and taxes. A match can’t be combined with Belle Tire’s own sales or coupons, and quotes are valid for 14 business days. ### What is the Belle Tire credit card APR? For new accounts as of 31 July 2025, Belle Tire printed a purchase APR of 34.99% and a penalty APR of 39.99% on the Synchrony card. Its 6- and 12-month promotional financing is deferred interest: a balance not paid in full is charged interest from the purchase date. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/ --- title: "Tire Discounters: Road Hazard Plan, Free Services and Who Owns It" description: "Tire Discounters sells its Worry-Free road hazard plan separately and adds free rotation with one tire, alignment with four. What its terms and records say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tire Discounters: Road Hazard Plan, Free Services and Who Owns It > Tire Discounters sells its Worry-Free road hazard plan separately and adds free rotation with one tire, alignment with four. What its terms and records say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,840 words* ## The short version - Tire Discounters is a Cincinnati tire and repair chain that Chip Wood founded in 1976. A store-page FAQ says it is “100% family-owned, not franchised,” and its store list linked 194 stores in eight states on 9 October 2026, though the same page says “200+.” - Road hazard cover does not come with the tires. The Worry-Free Tire Guarantee is bought separately, repairs or replaces a tire for 36 months or down to 3/32 inch, and still leaves you paying for a new certificate, installation, disposal fees and taxes. No price is printed. - Buy even one tire and all four get free rotation and balancing for the tire’s life, plus free flat repair on repairable punctures and 12 months of roadside reimbursement, up to $75 a call, after a $25 service invoice. - Four tires add a free alignment, standard since 1997 by the company’s account. The free oil change is “standard” on some pages and a dated deal ending 19 October 2026 on another. - Repairs carry 6 months or 6,000 miles; listed brake, suspension and shock parts 12 months or 12,000 miles; Premium Brake Service 36 months or 36,000 miles. Brake pads bought there are replaced free for life, with labor charged after the first 12 months or 12,000 miles. - No price-match program is printed, all sales are final, the store card is issued by Citibank, N.A., and we found no attorney-general or FTC action naming the company. Tire Discounters is a family-owned chain of tire and auto service stores in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama. What it gives you depends on how many tires you buy and on one add-on it sells separately: the Worry-Free Tire Guarantee, its own road hazard plan. On 9 October 2026 we read its warranty page, service and benefit pages, roadside, coupon, pricing and return policies, Terms of Use, card and payment pages, store list and store pages, company blog posts, and the federal court records that name it. This site has no commercial relationship with Tire Discounters or any tire seller. **Figure: What Tire Discounters’ terms give you, situation by situation** A two-column table of seven situations: a non-repairable nail with the Worry-Free plan bought gets a repair or a new tire for 36 months or down to 3/32 inch, with a new certificate, installation, disposal fees and taxes paid by you; without the plan, road hazard is not covered and Tire Discounters’ own comparison leaves it out of what four tires include; a puncture under 1/4 inch in the tread of a tire bought there is repaired free for the tire’s life; buying one tire brings free rotation and balancing on all four; buying four brings a free alignment as standard, while the free oil change needs a texted coupon and one deal page ends it on 19 October 2026; a tow within 12 months of a $25 invoice is paid by you first and reimbursed up to $75 if claimed within 60 days; and a repair failing more than 50 miles from a store needs a call to the warranty center before work starts. Read from Tire Discounters’ warranty, tire-services, alignment, roadside, deal and home pages on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Tire Discounters, and is it a franchise? Chip Wood opened a single one-bay store in Cincinnati in 1976, and the About page still lists “Still led by founder Chip Wood” among its facts; his children, it says, are carrying on his traditions in “our family-owned and operated business.” Its 50-year page calls it “the largest independent, family-owned and operated tire retailer in the United States,” a claim we have not tested. Is it a franchise? A store page answers: “No. Tire Discounters is 100% family-owned, not franchised,” with “over 200 company-operated locations across eight states.” Two loose ends remain. Sixteen stores carry another business’s name before “Tire Discounters” (Bulldog, Leete, Shadden and others), and the three such pages we read say the local shop “joined forces with” Tire Discounters without saying on what terms. And search results mention a franchise program from 2021: we could not read those trade-press reports (both sites refused our requests), the company’s franchise address answers with a 404 error, and we found no franchise disclosure document. The company’s own statement is the only ownership record we have. The Terms of Use name only “Tire Discounters” and carry no date; the warranty page ends with “Tire Discounters Inc.” of Cincinnati, the company behind the Worry-Free plan. The About page lists six sister businesses: TD/EV, Chip’s Auto Glass, Carriage House Car Wash, Butler Tires & Wheels, TD Commercial and Performance Discounters. Two name clashes trip people up. Tire Discounters is not Discount Tire: the Discount Tire and America’s Tire stores belong to The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation, as our [Discount Tire warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) sets out. And the home-page FAQ says Tire Discounters is “not affiliated with Tire Discounters of Florida Inc.” **Tire Discounters stores by state: links on its store list, read 9 October 2026 (our count)** | State | Store links | Of which carry another name before “Tire Discounters” | | --- | --- | --- | | Ohio | 62 | 0 | | Kentucky | 36 | 0 | | Tennessee | 31 | 2 (Shadden) | | Georgia | 22 | 6 (Bulldog, Hometown, Arne’s, North Georgia) | | Virginia | 18 | 7 (Bobby’s, Dellinger’s, Leete, Eavers, Thompson, Tire Outfitters) | | Indiana | 14 | 0 | | Alabama | 9 | 0 | | North Carolina | 2 | 1 (Monroe) | | **Total** | **194** | **16** | That is 6 short of the “200+” printed above the list. The company’s history says it grew “from a 43-store company into a regional organization with 140 locations” in the 2010s. ## What comes free with one tire, and with four Tire Discounters calls its package “Out the Door with More.” One tire is enough for most of it, and a company post adds the detail most shoppers miss: the rotation and balancing benefit “covers your entire set of tires, not just the tire or tires you purchased from us.” **Free services Tire Discounters attaches to tire purchases, and the conditions it prints (read 9 October 2026)** | Benefit | What triggers it | Conditions printed | | --- | --- | --- | | Rotation and balancing of all four tires, for the life of the tire | Buying one tire or more | Recommended every 5,000 miles. The oil change page prints a $60 fee for rotation, dismounting and mounting on dual-rear-wheel heavy-duty pickups. | | Flat repair for the life of the tire | Tires bought at Tire Discounters | A puncture in the tread, not on or near the sidewall; a hole “less than 1/4 inch wide”; a tire not driven flat or damaged inside. A store FAQ says it is honored at any Tire Discounters store. | | TPMS service kit and recalibration | Tire purchase; recalibration offered free | None printed beyond “Terms & conditions apply.” | | Air pressure checks and top-ups | Anyone | “No matter where you bought your tires.” | | Inspection | Anyone; “No purchase necessary” | Checks only the area of your concern; does not include state inspections. | | Roadside assistance reimbursement for 12 months | An invoice with at least $25 of service | Up to $75 per occurrence, paid back after you pay; claim within 60 days (see [roadside](#roadside)). | | Four-wheel alignment | Four tires with installation | Fine print under the paid alignment plans limits “the offer” to new tires Tire Discounters installs, with no carry-outs, trailer tires, used tires or national accounts. | | Full synthetic oil change on your next visit | Four tires | Coupon sent by text to a mobile number you give at purchase, valid 3 months after issue; one deal page sets an end date of 19 October 2026. | Two things are missing: road hazard cover, which comes below, and the fitting charge. The About page promises “All-inclusive pricing - what we quote is what you pay,” but the company’s deals guide of 28 September 2026 says “Installation charges still apply unless specifically identified as part of a current offer” and tells you to ask about “disposal fees, shop fees” and taxes. Ask for one installed, out-the-door figure. The home page carries a chart scoring Tire Discounters and other retailers on what comes with four tires. We record only its own row: 15 of the chart’s 17 items marked as included. The 2 left out are “Road Hazard Protection” and “Tire Disposal.” For other chains’ terms in their own words, see our [Les Schwab](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/), [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) and [Big O Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) pages. ## The free alignment, the alignment warranty and the paid plans The company says that “back in 1997, Chip Wood made free alignment standard with every 4-tire installation,” 29 years ago by our arithmetic, and claims, untested by us: “We’re still the only major tire retailer who includes it.” The alignment page says “when you buy four tires, alignment is always free,” and its FAQ: “That’s not a special,” it is the standard. Fine print printed under the paid alignment plans, and apparently covering the free alignment too, reads like an offer’s rules: “The offer applies only to new tires installed by Tire Discounters. No carry-outs. Not applicable on trailer tires or used tires. National accounts are not eligible.” Lowered, lifted and altered-suspension vehicles “may have an additional charge.” And the same pages carry a deal card: “For a limited time, buy any 4 tires and get a FREE Alignment and FREE Full Synthetic Oil Change.” The alignment looks standing and the oil change time-limited, but no page says so. A single alignment carries a warranty that “extends for 1 year from the date of service,” during which re-alignments for pulling, an off-center wheel or irregular wear are free “to correct issues caused by normal driving conditions.” It covers only original suspension; lift kits, drop kits and geometry-changing parts void it. Longer cover costs money: 3-year and 5-year Alignment Policies “may be purchased separately,” and after a free or paid alignment “You can upgrade to a multi-year plan within 30 days and get full credit towards it.” No plan price is printed. Whether one pays off depends on how often your car needs aligning; our [guide to when an alignment is due](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align) explains the signs. One gap matters on newer cars. The alignment page says “Many vehicle manufacturers now require ADAS recalibration anytime a 4-wheel alignment is performed” (the cameras and sensors behind lane-keeping and emergency braking), but no page says whether that is part of the free alignment. Ask before work starts. ## The Worry-Free Tire Guarantee: road hazard cover you buy Tire Discounters’ own protection has two names on one page, the “Worry-Free Tire Guarantee” and the “Nationwide Replacement Plan,” and is “issued and serviced by Tire Discounters,” separate from the tire maker’s warranty. If a covered tire “becomes unserviceable due to workmanship and materials or a non-repairable road hazard for the service of the original tread down to 3/32nd of an inch,” Tire Discounters “will either repair it or replace it with a new same brand tire or comparable tire if it fails within 36 months of the purchase of this warranty.” So the failure must come within 36 months (three years) of buying the plan and before the tread reaches 3/32 inch. Tire Discounters chooses repair or replacement. The printed terms describe no proration: the remedy is a repair or a new tire, not a credit for tread used. A “comparable” tire may differ in sidewall or tread design, and if you take a pricier one, “the difference in price will be at an additional charge to you.” You also pay for “a new certificate in order to continue coverage under the warranty, installation, disposal fees and any applicable taxes,” and possibly extra labor on cars with tire pressure sensors. The tire-services page’s summary, “You only cover the install, we handle the rest,” leaves out the certificate, disposal and tax. A claim needs the original invoice, “A copy of the certificate received at the time of purchase” and a maintenance record; without them “the warranty shall be void.” With no store within 50 miles, you must call the company’s Nationwide Warranty Center “prior to the start of any repairs for authorization,” or the bill moves to you. The plan is not sold for wheels over 22 inches, tires with an aspect ratio under 40, mud tires or track tires. It excludes tires sold “As Is” or used commercially, and failures from under-inflation, overloading, misalignment, worn parts, a collision, vandalism, fire, neglect or “highway conditions,” an undefined phrase that sits oddly in a road hazard plan; ask what it means. **Tire Discounters prints no price for the plan, and its pages disagree on whether you already have it.** The warranty page sells it (“the purchase of this warranty”), the tire-services page says “When you say yes,” and the company’s own comparison chart leaves road hazard out of what four tires include. Yet the home-page FAQ says “Tire purchases typically include manufacturer warranties along with coverage through our WorryFree Tire Guarantee.” A product page named “road-hazard” is closed to automated readers by the site’s robots file, so we did not read it. At the counter, ask whether the plan is on your estimate and what it costs per tire. Federal rules require a seller to make a written warranty’s text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer” (16 CFR 702.3), so ask to read the certificate before you pay, and keep it with the invoice. Mind the end point. The plan stops at 3/32 inch, while Tire Discounters’ warranty page says makers’ mileage warranties typically run to 2/32 inch, and its deals guide says it “recommends replacing tires once they reach 4/32 inch of tread depth.” On a tire worn to the 4/32 inch at which Tire Discounters suggests replacing it, the plan has only 1/32 inch left to cover. Our guide to [tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows how to measure it. Road hazard terms vary a great deal between chains. The table sets the printed terms side by side, copied from our pages on each chain with the date each was read; it compares terms only, not prices, and ranks no one. **Road hazard cover as each chain prints it (terms only; read on the dates shown)** | Chain (read on) | Comes with the tire, or bought | Where cover ends | What a covered replacement costs you, as printed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tire Discounters (9 October 2026) | Bought: “the purchase of this warranty”; no price printed | 36 months, or tread down to 3/32 inch | Repair, or a new same-brand or comparable tire; you pay a new certificate, installation, disposal fees and taxes | | [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) (9 October 2026) | Bought: “If you have purchased this warranty” | 3 years from purchase, or under 2/32 inch, whichever is shorter | “the percentage of wear” times “the original purchase price” | | [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/) (9 October 2026) | Bought: “optional protection that can be purchased” | Before wearing down to 2/32 inch | “the percent of used treadwear” times the store’s “current selling price” | | [Les Schwab](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/) (9 October 2026) | Comes with the tire: “at no additional cost” | Tread worn to 2/32 inch | “repair or replace 100%” | | [Big O](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/), own-brand tires (9 October 2026) | Comes with Big O brand tires | The first 3 years of service | Replaced “at no charge” | | [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) (7 October 2026) | Comes with the tire: “FREE prorated road hazard coverage” | Not stated in the passage we hold | Credit “based on your tire’s remaining treadwear” | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the tire, its tread and the wheel hub, each with one fact from Tire Discounters’ alignment, Worry-Free and free-services pages. Tire Discounters’ alignment, Worry-Free and free-services pages, read on 9 October 2026: Four tires bring a free alignment; a single alignment carries a 1-year warranty (callout 1); Worry-Free plan, bought separately: repair or replace for 36 months or to 3/32 inch (callout 2); Buy even one tire and all four get free rotation and balancing for the tire’s life (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Tire makers’ warranties, and the Goodyear network The tire maker’s warranty sits on top of anything Tire Discounters sells. Its warranty page says most makers replace a defective tire “for free or on a pro rata basis,” that mileage warranties apply when a tire “wears evenly down to a specified tread depth,” typically 2/32 inch, and that you “may be required to provide written evidence of maintenance.” It links 13 makers’ warranty pages; our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) reads those booklets side by side. Tire Discounters says it “works with all major brands to help satisfy any warranty obligations,” though “Additional charges for installation/labor may apply,” and that the maker decides: “Final eligibility for a manufacturer tire warranty claim is determined according to the tire manufacturer’s warranty terms.” It also “keeps all service records on file and reports them to CARFAX,” useful when a maker asks for rotation records; keep your own copies too. Our [rotation guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers intervals. Since 1 May 2026 Tire Discounters has been an authorized retailer in Goodyear’s Tire & Service Network. Customers with a network warranty can now “Get service performed at any Tire Discounters location across the country,” but “Tire Discounters does not issue or sell TSN warranties directly.” Goodyear’s network terms, read for our [Goodyear Auto Service page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/#repair-warranty) on 9 October 2026, say that warranty “is made by the Independent Repair Facility” named on your repair order and lasts “24 months or 24,000 miles of use,” ending at whichever comes first. It helps people who bought a repair elsewhere in the network; it is not a warranty on work Tire Discounters sells you. One federal duty is worth checking at the counter. Under 49 CFR 574.8, a dealer must either give you, “At the time of sale,” a paper tire registration form with “The entire tire identification number” filled in, or fill in the form and return it to the tire maker for you “at no charge.” Registration is how a maker reaches you in a recall. No Tire Discounters page we read mentions it, so ask which route the store uses, and check open recalls on [NHTSA’s recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). ## Repairs and brakes: 6 months or 6,000 miles, and the longer list Tire Discounters “warrants that the performed repairs will be free from defects in material (parts) or workmanship (labor) for a period of 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever is to the customer’s advantage.” That phrase reads as the later of the two limits, but the page does not define it; ask for the end point on your invoice. Listed parts get more: **Tire Discounters’ repair warranties by part (warranty and brakes pages, read 9 October 2026)** | Part or service | Months | Miles | | --- | --- | --- | | Any other repair (the general warranty) | 6 | 6,000 | | Suspension: premium parts | 12 | 12,000 | | Brakes: premium pads and shoes | 12 | 12,000 | | Brake calipers (friction ready) | 12 | 12,000 | | Shocks and struts | 12 | 12,000 | | Brake calipers (loaded, or supplied with brake pads) | 36 | 36,000 | | Premium Brake Service (brakes page) | 36 | 36,000 | The extended list excludes “tires, batteries, & alignments.” Standard Brake Service “Includes lifetime brake pads for the life of your vehicle and a parts & labor warranty of 12 months/12,000 miles”; Premium adds a brake fluid exchange and 36 months or 36,000 miles, “triple the protection.” Standard service resurfaces rotors that can still be machined. Our [brake pad guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) explains the job. Read the lifetime pad promise closely: “free brake pad replacement for the life of the vehicle for brake pads purchased from Tire Discounters. Labor charges still apply.” A footnote puts labor “under the 12 months, 12,000 miles warranty,” so fitting is free only in that window. Another page says “for as long as you own your vehicle,” so expect it to end when you sell. Commercial and fleet vehicles get no lifetime warranty. Claims go to the store that did the work, or the nearest one; more than 50 miles from any store you may use an ASE-certified shop, but only after calling the Nationwide Warranty Center, since skipping that “voids the warranty and transfers payment liability” to you. Batteries carry DieHard’s Battery Assurance, which Tire Discounters “works with DieHard to satisfy” (see our [battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/)), and Valvoline oil changes carry Valvoline’s Service Plus Program; we did not read those programs’ own terms. The same warranty page contradicts itself on implied warranties, the basic legal promise that what you buy is fit to use. Under the repair warranty it says “IMPLIED WARRANTIES SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE DURATION OF THIS WARRANTY.” Under General Terms it says “WE EXPRESSELY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.” Federal law allows the first and limits the second. Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), “No supplier may disclaim or modify” an implied warranty if it “makes any written warranty” on the product; it may limit implied warranties “in duration to the duration of a written warranty of reasonable duration” if that is conscionable and clearly shown; and a disclaimer that breaks the rule “shall be ineffective for purposes of this chapter and State law.” The page also says it gives “SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS THAT VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.” ## Roadside assistance: up to $75 back after a $25 invoice The roadside benefit is reimbursement, not a free tow. It starts on the date of your invoice and “continues for a period of 12 months,” for “the original purchaser” and the vehicle on that invoice only. “You must purchase a minimum of $25 of service to be eligible,” and the service and amount must be on the invoice. When you need help, you call the program’s own line, pay the provider yourself, and are “reimbursed for covered services up to a maximum of $75.00 per occurrence.” Help found any other way “will not be reimbursed.” Covered: towing, lockouts, fitting your spare, a jump start, and fuel, oil or water delivery (you pay for the fluid). The driver must be with the car, it works in the United States and Canada, and the claim, with a copy of the original invoice “identifying the participating tire dealer and tires purchased,” must be submitted within 60 days of the service; a tow on 9 October 2026 would have to be claimed by 8 December 2026. Not covered: parts, keys and fluids, any tire repair or mounting, a car in an accident, a second tow for the same breakdown, non-emergencies, off-road service, trailers, motorcycles, RVs, commercial vehicles and anything rated above one ton. The pages describe this benefit three ways: “With any annual $25 purchase,” “24/7 Nationwide Roadside Assistance” in the tire package, and “FREE 24-hour Roadside Assistance just for signing up” to the Worry-Free plan. The roadside page’s rules are the ones a claim is judged by. ## Paying: the Citibank card, coupons and the missing price match “The Tire Discounters Credit Card is issued by Citibank, N.A.” Two financing lines appear without dates: “12-Months Special Financing on purchases of $1,000+” and “6-Months Special Financing on purchases of $250+,” both “Subject to credit approval.” No interest rate, and no word on what happens if the balance is not cleared in time, is printed on the pages we read; read Citibank’s terms before you sign. The card pages also list rebates and an emailed coupon with set purchase windows; we do not repeat their amounts because they expire. Stores take cash, the major cards, WEX and Voyager fleet cards, gift cards, the store card and national fleet accounts. No lease-to-own option is listed. Coupons follow a written policy: one per transaction and one per 24 hours, none on carry-out tires, no manufacturer coupons, and the store manager may “accept, decline, or limit” any of them. Shop fees and taxes are worked out after the discount; the policy’s example is a $10 coupon on a $30 invoice, with fees charged on the $20 you pay. Competitor coupons are accepted if they are current and name “a specific item at a specific price,” but not online ones, and “Each Tire Discounters store manager decides who their competitors are.” That is the nearest thing to a price match. The home-page FAQ asks “Does Tire Discounters match competitors’ tire prices?” and answers with the Pricing Policy, which says nothing about matching; another FAQ says the company “frequently matches or beats national competitors.” We found no price-match page. The Pricing Policy itself warns that a price seen online may be corrected “at the time of the transaction.” Military and student-and-faculty discounts are posted as deals with an end date of 31 December 2026. ## Returns, the Terms of Use, and public records All sales, online and in store, “are considered final at the time of purchase. Once a product has left our facility or been installed, it cannot be returned or exchanged.” The Terms of Use apply Ohio law and send disputes to binding individual arbitration with the American Arbitration Association, small-claims court excepted. You must first send a written Notice of Dispute and allow 60 days of negotiation; arbitration happens in your county or in Hamilton County, Ohio; claims of $10,000 or less are heard by phone unless the arbitrator decides otherwise; and a dispute not filed “within one year” is barred. The Terms do not define the “Services” they cover, so whether this reaches a store repair is unclear. The Terms also permit links to the site only if the linking site notifies Tire Discounters, which is why this page names its documents rather than linking them. On the record: web searches found no state attorney-general or Federal Trade Commission action naming Tire Discounters. The federal court records on govinfo that name it as a defendant, six in the Southern District of Ohio, are five wage-and-hour cases under the Fair Labor Standards Act and one civil-rights case, brought by individuals; none concerns a customer’s warranty or bill, and we read only the courts’ case records. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so it is not used. ## Where Tire Discounters’ own documents disagree - **Is road hazard cover included?** The warranty page sells it and the company’s comparison chart leaves it out of what four tires include; the home-page FAQ says tire purchases “typically include” it. - **What a Worry-Free claim costs.** “You only cover the install” against a new certificate, installation, disposal fees and taxes. - **The free oil change.** “every 4-tire purchase comes with” one, and “All customers receive” one, on some pages; “For a limited time” and “select 4 tire purchases” on others; a deal page ends it on 19 October 2026, 10 days after we read it. - **The free alignment.** “always free” and “not a special,” yet shown in a limited-time deal and fenced by offer-style exclusions. - **Roadside help.** “just for signing up” to the Worry-Free plan, “24/7” in the tire package, but a $25 service minimum and 12 months on the roadside page. - **All-inclusive pricing** against installation charges that “still apply” and shop and disposal fees. - **Implied warranties** limited to the warranty’s length in one paragraph and disclaimed in another, on the same page. - **Price matching.** An FAQ asks the question and does not answer it; another says the company “frequently matches or beats national competitors.” - **Store count.** “200+” against 194 store links; and the network post’s “any Tire Discounters location across the country” for stores in eight states. - **Repairs away from home.** Skipping the warranty center’s authorization “transfers payment liability” in the plan’s text but “voids the warranty” as well in the General Terms. - **The flat repair.** “vulcanized patch repairs” on one page, “patch-and-plug” in its FAQ, “plug and patch combo” elsewhere. ## Before you buy tires at Tire Discounters - **Ask for one installed, out-the-door price** that includes installation, disposal, shop fees and tax. - **Check the estimate for a Worry-Free line,** get its per-tire price in writing, and keep the certificate with the invoice. - **Buying four tires?** Confirm the alignment is on the invoice, ask whether ADAS recalibration is included, and give a mobile number if you want the oil-change coupon. - **Get rotations every 5,000 miles** and keep the receipts; makers’ mileage warranties ask for them. - **Ask how the store registers your tires** with the maker. - **For brake work,** ask whether it is Standard or Premium and write down when labor stops being free. - **Away from home,** call the warranty center before any repair, and use only the roadside program’s own line. - **Remember all sales are final** once tires leave the store or are fitted. ## Common questions ### Is Tire Discounters the same company as Discount Tire? No. Tire Discounters is a family-owned Cincinnati company; Discount Tire and America’s Tire belong to The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation. Tire Discounters also says it is “not affiliated with Tire Discounters of Florida Inc.” ### Who owns Tire Discounters, and is it a franchise? Founder Chip Wood and his family, by the company’s account. A store-page FAQ says it is “100% family-owned, not franchised” and its stores are company-operated. We found no franchise disclosure document or other ownership record to test that. ### Does Tire Discounters have a road hazard warranty, and what does it cost? Yes, the Worry-Free Tire Guarantee, bought separately. It repairs or replaces a tire for 36 months or until 3/32 inch of tread, and you still pay for a new certificate, installation, disposal fees and taxes. No price is published; ask for it per tire. ### Is the alignment really free with four tires? Tire Discounters says so, as its standard since 1997, for four tires it installs. Fine print on the alignment page excludes carry-outs, trailer and used tires and national accounts. A single alignment carries a 1-year warranty. ### What do I get if I buy just one tire? Free rotation and balancing on all four tires for the life of the tire, free repair of repairable punctures, TPMS service, free checks, and 12 months of roadside reimbursement, up to $75 a call, once your invoice shows $25 of service. ### Does Tire Discounters price match, and who issues its credit card? No price-match program is printed; it accepts current competitor coupons for a specific item at a specific price, at the store manager’s discretion. The store card is issued by Citibank, N.A., with special financing for 6 months on $250 or more and 12 months on $1,000 or more. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/ --- title: "Town Fair Tire: Road Hazard, Free Services and Who Owns It" description: "Town Fair Tire’s free road hazard cover is only for select tire models. What its warranty, free services, price promises, card terms and owner records say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Town Fair Tire: Road Hazard, Free Services and Who Owns It > Town Fair Tire’s free road hazard cover is only for select tire models. What its warranty, free services, price promises, card terms and owner records say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,976 words* ## The short version - Town Fair Tire has 128 tire and wheel stores: 124 in the six New England states and 4 in upstate New York. Mavis, the national tire chain, lists it among its brands and dates the purchase to 2020; Town Fair’s own website never mentions Mavis. - Town Fair says tire buyers get a free “Lifetime Road Hazard Guarantee”: a flat is repaired at no cost, and a tire that can’t be repaired is replaced, “no exclusions.” The same page says it is “only available for select tire models,” and no list, price basis or written terms are published. - Its “Free Nationwide Warranty” promises workmanship cover with no time or mileage limit, road hazards on select tires, and mileage cover “up to 80,000 miles.” - Flat repair and rotation are free for life for tire buyers on any vehicle they own; the winter change-over is free unless the tires or wheels were bought elsewhere. Town Fair recommends against servicing any tire more than 10 years old. - Town Fair promises to beat a competitor’s price, “money back” for 30 days after the sale, and a 30-day tire swap that excludes special orders. - No consumer-protection action naming Town Fair turned up. Two Massachusetts records did: a 2009 tax decision Town Fair won, which still leaves Massachusetts buyers at its New Hampshire stores owing use tax, and a 2018 asbestos settlement. Town Fair Tire is a chain of 128 tire and wheel stores based in East Haven, Connecticut, and owned since 2020 by Mavis, according to Mavis. Its website presents road hazard cover, flat repair, rotation and a winter change-over as free with tires, but publishes one-line promises rather than written terms, and limits road hazard cover to “select tire models.” On 9 October 2026 we read Town Fair’s perk pages, Credit Center, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Mavis’s brand records, an August 2026 SEC filing and two Massachusetts state records. This site has no commercial relationship with Town Fair, Mavis or any tire seller. **Figure: What Town Fair’s free perks promise, situation by situation** A two-column table of eight situations: a ruined tire is repaired or replaced with no exclusions but only on select tire models and with no terms published; a flat on any car a tire buyer owns is repaired free, with an optional $7.95 valve stem and rebalance; rotation is free for life on any vehicle a tire buyer owns, every 5,000 miles on the home page; winter change-over is free except for tires or wheels not bought there; within 30 days tires can be exchanged for the price difference, special orders excluded; within 30 days a lower price brings money back with no printed refund rule; tires over 10 years old should not be serviced; and a Massachusetts resident buying in New Hampshire still owes Massachusetts use tax. Read from Town Fair Tire’s own pages on 9 October 2026, and Massachusetts DOR TIR 10-2. ## Who owns Town Fair Tire, and which company you deal with Mavis owns it, by Mavis’s own account. Mavis’s FAQ lists “Town Fair Tire in 2020” among its acquisitions, and its About page names Town Fair Tire in its “family of brands,” as our [Mavis Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#who-owns-mavis) recorded on 9 October 2026. The clearest public filing is the joint release Icahn Enterprises filed with the SEC when it sold Pep Boys to Mavis. The [exhibit, dated 20 August 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/813762/000110465926099264/tm2623713d1_ex99-1.htm), says: “Mavis owns and operates a portfolio of auto service center brands including Mavis Discount Tire, Mavis Tires & Brakes, Pep Boys, Midas, Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, Brakes Plus, Tire Kingdom, NTB (National Tire & Battery), Town Fair Tire, and Tuffy.” The same release puts the Mavis network at “more than 4,400 service center locations,” so Town Fair’s 128 stores are a little under 2.9% of it, by our arithmetic. Mavis itself is owned by private investors: on 5 March 2021 a group led by BayPine announced an agreement to buy it. We found no 2020 release from either company on the Town Fair deal, so what Mavis paid is not on the record we read. Town Fair’s own pages never name Mavis. Its [website](https://www.townfairtire.com/), Terms of Use and Privacy Policy speak for “Town Fair Tire Centers, Inc. and its affiliates,” and the Terms say “The owner of the Website is based in the State of Connecticut.” Its careers page says Town Fair Tire Centers “started in Fairfield Connecticut and has grown to be the largest tire dealer in New England,” and the home page claims “More Than 55 Years” of selling tires. State records add the legal detail: the Massachusetts Department of Revenue describes Town Fair Tire as “a Connecticut corporation engaged in the retail sale and installation of automobile tires,” and a 2018 Attorney General release names Town Fair Tire Centers of Massachusetts LLC as the company behind its Springfield, Massachusetts store. **Who is on the other side of each Town Fair document (read 9 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | | --- | --- | | The website, its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | “Town Fair Tire Centers, Inc. and its affiliates” | | The perks, guarantees and Nationwide Warranty | “Town Fair Tire”; no legal company is named on those pages | | The Springfield, Massachusetts store | Town Fair Tire Centers of Massachusetts LLC (Massachusetts Attorney General, 2018) | | The Town Fair Tire credit card | Credit First National Association, says the Privacy Policy; the Credit Center also shows a card on the Synchrony Car Care network | | The parent company | Mavis, which lists Town Fair Tire among the brands it “owns and operates” | | The tire itself | The tire maker, under its own warranty booklet | No Town Fair page mentions franchising, and Mavis’s network figures mix owned and franchised locations without breaking Town Fair out. Your invoice is the paperwork to keep. ## Where the 128 stores are, and what they do The home page title says “128 Tire Stores Located in CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI & VT,” and its footer store links add up to 128. **Town Fair Tire stores by state, counted from the store links on its home page (read 9 October 2026)** | State | Stores | | --- | --- | | Massachusetts | 46 | | Connecticut | 38 | | New Hampshire | 16 | | Maine | 10 | | Rhode Island | 9 | | Vermont | 5 | | New York (Clifton Park, Colonie, Plattsburgh, Queensbury) | 4 | | Total | 128 | Massachusetts and Connecticut hold 84 of the 128, or 65.6%, by our arithmetic. Older pages haven’t caught up: the “Why Town Fair Tire?” page offers “any of our 100 store locations,” and several pages name only the six New England states. The chain has more than doubled since a 2003 state tax audit, when, the Department of Revenue says, Town Fair “operated eighteen of its sixty stores in Massachusetts and three in New Hampshire”: that is 68 more stores, 28 of them in Massachusetts and 13 in New Hampshire, by our arithmetic. Town Fair is a tire and wheel shop, not a general repair shop. The appointment menu offers six jobs: tire purchase, tire change-over, tire rotation, tire repair, wheel alignment and wheel purchase. The alignment page says so plainly: “Since, we do not sell parts, if we inspect your vehicle and determine that you need replacement parts, you can have those parts replaced, and come back to us to have the alignment done.” So there is no brake or battery warranty to compare here; our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) covers Mavis’s parts table. ## The Lifetime Road Hazard Guarantee: free, but only on select tire models Town Fair’s road hazard page reads: “As a valued customer you are entitled to the Town Fair Tire Road Hazard Guarantee. In other words, we will repair your deflated or flat tire at no cost to you. If your tire can not be repaired we will simply replace it, no exclusions.” The home page adds the length: “For As Long As You Own The Tires, If A Tire Loses Air or Goes Flat, We’ll Fix It.” The page lists six kinds of damage it protects against: - Run flats - Sidewall punctures - Glass cuts - Curb damage - Stone damage - Potholes That list reaches past what a patch can fix. Town Fair’s own repair guidelines allow a repair only when “The puncture injury is 1/4 inch (6 mm) or less and must be within the tread repairable area,” so a sidewall puncture or a bad curb strike means a replacement. But the sentence that introduces the list carries the limit: “The Road Hazard Guarantee is only available for select tire models, but if you are covered you will be protected against” those six. No page we read says which models are covered. The tire page we opened showed no road hazard label before a size is picked, and we entered no size, vehicle or ZIP code. What the site does not print: - **The price basis.** No page shows a separate charge for the guarantee, and none says whether it is built into the installed price of covered tires. - **What a replacement costs you.** “We will simply replace it” doesn’t say whether the new tire is free, prorated by the tread worn, or charged for mounting and balancing. Mavis, Town Fair’s owner, charges by the share of tread worn under its own, separately sold road hazard warranty. - **A tread limit.** “Lifetime” sets no tread depth at which cover ends. - **Transfer.** Nothing says whether a later owner of the car is covered. **Get the road hazard terms on your invoice before you pay.** Town Fair’s website gives the guarantee as a slogan, says it covers only “select tire models,” and its Terms of Use say the site’s information is offered “solely for general information purposes.” Ask the store to write on the invoice that your tires carry the Road Hazard Guarantee, and to give you the written terms: what a replacement costs, when cover ends, and whether it moves with the car. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the top tire, a lower tire and the second stack, each with one fact from Town Fair Tire’s road hazard, tire-age and rotation pages. Town Fair Tire’s road hazard, tire-age and rotation pages, read on 9 October 2026: Road hazard repair or replacement is free, but only on select tire models (callout 1); Over 10 years old? Town Fair recommends it not install, repair or rotate the tire (callout 2); Tire buyers get free rotation for life; the home page says every 5,000 miles (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The Free Nationwide Warranty: workmanship, road hazards and mileage The home page calls this the “Free Nationwide Warranty” and sums it up as “Exclusive Triple Protection Iron Clad - No Hassle Guarantee.” The warranty page names the three protections: > “With no time or mileage restrictions on workmanship, you can drive your tires anywhere in the United States and our warranty will cover you. We will also cover road hazards (on select tires), as well as mileage. With proper vehicle care (as stated in your owner’s manual), and up to 80,000 miles, you’re covered.” Then comes the most unusual line on the site: “we will cover your tires(on select tires) even if you do not tend to them with proper care (lack of rotations, alignment, and uneven wear), which is unique to Town Fair Tire.” Every tire maker’s mileage warranty in our [comparison of tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#conditions) requires regular rotation and most want the records; Town Fair’s own rotation article says “The majority of tire mileage warranties require you to get your tires rotated.” So for some tires the page promises cover that makers’ booklets exclude. The two sentences pull against each other: mileage cover comes “With proper vehicle care,” and the next paragraph waives proper care. The page doesn’t say which tires are “select,” whether “up to 80,000 miles” means the mileage printed for each tire or a single ceiling, how a mileage shortfall is credited, or where a claim is handled “anywhere in the United States” when the stores are in seven states. The maker’s own warranty still sits underneath; see [how makers prorate a mileage claim](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration). Two federal rules help here. A written warranty on a consumer product must be labelled either a “full” warranty or a “limited warranty” under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2303.htm); the website uses neither label, so look for one on the paperwork. And for products “actually costing the consumer more than $15.00,” [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml) says the seller “shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” ## What’s free with tires: flat repair, rotation, change-over and shipping The home page lists 11 perks under the banner “NOBODY BEATS TOWN FAIR TIRE.” Four of them are free services, and a fifth, a safety inspection, is offered in an information article. Each has its own condition: **Town Fair Tire’s free services and the conditions its pages print (read 9 October 2026)** | Service | Who gets it, in Town Fair’s words | Conditions and catches | | --- | --- | --- | | Flat repair, for life | “If you decide to purchase your next set of tires from Town Fair Tire,” on “any vehicle that you own” | The home page says “Our Tire Or Not!”; an optional new valve stem and rebalance is $7.95 in an undated article | | Rotation, for life | “Any customer who purchases tires from us,” on “any vehicle that they own” | The home page says “Every 5,000 Miles”; the rotation article says every 5,000 to 7,000 miles | | Winter change-over, for life | “As a valued customer”; the home page adds “On Any Car You Own” | “excludes New Tires and / or Wheels not purchased from us”; balancing advised if the winter tires are not on their own wheels | | Shipping a tire to a store | Anyone after “a specific tire model” a store doesn’t stock | Shipped to “the Town Fair Tire store of your choice, free of charge” | | Safety inspection | Anyone unsure “whether or not the tires on your vehicle are safe to use” | “a free safety inspection” at any store | **Flat repair.** Town Fair says it has offered free flat repair “for over 40 years,” dismounting each tire to inspect the inside and using “a patch/plug combination” in a 7 step process. One add-on can be declined: “For an optional charge we will replace the valve stem and rebalance the tire for $7.95. The normal charge for this service is $19.95 to $29.95.” The article is undated, so ask whether that still applies. If your tires came from somewhere else, ask before the job starts; the home page and the flat repair page disagree on whether you qualify. **Rotation.** The free rotation “includes a complete four tire safety inspection, adjusting the tire pressure to match the manufacturer’s recommendation, and measuring your tires,” the rotation article says, though it “CAN NOT correct wear problems that are caused by faulty mechanical parts, a misalignment, or incorrect tire inflation.” A maker’s mileage warranty will ask for rotation records, so keep every invoice. Our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why the vehicle maker’s figure may differ. **Winter change-over.** If your winter tires are not on their own wheels, “it is recommended to balance the tire and wheel,” and no page says that balancing is free. **The 10-year rule.** Every “lifetime” perk runs into this line in the tire-aging article: “Town Fair Tire recommends not to install, repair, balance or rotate a tire if it exceeds 10 years of age.” Our page on [how old is too old for a tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#how-old-is-too-old) sets out what NHTSA and the tire makers say about age. **Not on the free list.** Wheel alignment isn’t. Its alignment page, headed “Specials,” prices packages only “for a wheel alignment without a tire purchase” (we leave those promotional figures out) and never says what tire buyers pay. The picture on the Nationwide Warranty page is labelled “Town Fair Tire Free Front Wheel Alignment,” but no page offers one. For what alignments cost and when a car needs one, see our [wheel alignment cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/). If you are buying only two tires, Town Fair’s advice, which it credits to the RMA and “every major tire manufacturer,” is to mount the new pair “on the rear axle for your safety.” ## Beat the price, money back for 30 days, and the 30-day test ride **Found It Lower.** “No matter the size, brand or competitor we will beat the price and offer the lowest installed price!” the home page says. The Found It Lower page sets the rules: “We will beat the internet online tire price when you include shipping to your door, installation and wheel balance charges,” and the fine print says “*In-stock inventory only. Excludes auction sites. See store for details.” So an online seller’s price is counted with shipping, installation and balancing added, against Town Fair’s installed price, and the page doesn’t say by how much it beats it. **After Purchase Price Protection.** The price match page says the program “allows you to save money up to 30 days after the purchase of your new tires,” with “a money back guarantee,” and that Town Fair will pay “money back if you do find your newly purchased tires (with like services) for less somewhere else.” It doesn’t say how the refund is figured, what proof is needed, or what “like services” covers. These are Town Fair’s claims; we compare no prices here. **The 30-day test ride.** The home page says “Try Them For 30 Days - If You Are Not Happy For Any Reason Bring Them Back.” The test ride page describes an exchange, not a return: “you can bring them back to any Town Fair Tire store and we will replace them. If the tires you wish to replace the tested tires with cost more, you will only have to pay the difference in price. If the replacement tires cost less then we refund you the difference.” And: “*This does not include special order tires.” ## Paying with a Town Fair Tire credit card Town Fair “accepts the following major credit cards at all of our locations,” and its Credit Center page shows three store cards, stacked one above the other: - **A Town Fair Tire card on the Synchrony Car Care network.** It is “Valid everywhere Synchrony Car Care is accepted in the U.S., including Puerto Rico,” at “auto parts and service businesses nationwide” and gas stations, with “No annual fee.” Its offer: “6 Months Promotional Financing on purchases of $199 or more,” and “Gas station purchases are not eligible for promotional financing.” You can “SEE IF YOU PREQUALIFY” with “no impact to your credit score.” - **A Town Fair Tire card from CFNA.** “CFNA is the bank behind your automotive credit card,” the page says, offering “DEFERRED INTEREST IF PAID IN FULL WITHIN 6 MONTHS” with a “$149 Minimum purchase required.” Firestone’s credit page, read the same day for our [Firestone Complete Auto Care page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/), says “CFNA is operated and funded by the credit division of Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC.” - **The Goodyear Credit Card.** Cardholders’ tire purchases “during special promotional periods at select locations are eligible for an increase in the amount of the online or mail-in rebate.” Which one is “the” Town Fair Tire card? The Privacy Policy, updated 14 July 2026, says applications for “a Town Fair Tire credit card, which is issued and administered by Credit First National Association” are outside it. The Credit Center shows both a Synchrony Car Care version and a CFNA version, with minimum purchases $50 apart for the six-month offer, by our arithmetic. And Mavis’s own card page, which offers its card “through Synchrony,” lists Town Fair Tire under “Accepted Across All Mavis Brands.” Ask which card the store will open for you. Each section prints a purchase APR for new accounts, and the two differ. Neither is dated, so we don’t repeat them; the binding figure is in the application disclosure. The CFNA offer is deferred interest: “Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within 6 months.” The Synchrony section calls its offer only “Promotional Financing,” so ask whether it works the same way. Divide the balance by six and pay at least that each month. ## How Town Fair’s printed terms compare with other chains’ This table sets Town Fair’s wording beside three other chains’ printed terms, copied from this site’s readings of [Mavis’s warranty terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#road-hazard) and [Les Schwab’s Tire Warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/) on 9 October 2026 and [Discount Tire’s pages and Certificate terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) on 7 October 2026. It compares documents, not prices, and ranks no one. Mavis is included because it owns Town Fair. **Road hazard, flat repair and transfer terms as each chain prints them (Town Fair, Mavis and Les Schwab read 9 October 2026; Discount Tire 7 October 2026)** | Term | Town Fair Tire | Mavis (same owner) | Les Schwab | Discount Tire | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Road hazard cover on a new tire | Customers are “entitled” to it, but it is “only available for select tire models” | Only “If you have purchased this warranty” | Included “at no additional cost” | “FREE prorated road hazard warranty”; Certificates sold as an option | | How long it lasts | “Lifetime”; “For As Long As You Own The Tires” | The shorter of 3 years or until tread is below 2/32 inch | While the tread is not worn to 2/32 inch or less | Certificates: 3 years from purchase | | A tire that can’t be repaired | “we will simply replace it, no exclusions”; what you pay is not printed | The percentage of wear times the original purchase price | “repair or replace 100%” | Free warranty: credit based on the tread left | | Free flat repair | For tire buyers, “on any vehicle that you own” | Not listed as free; “The price will depend on the rim size of your tires” | Free on covered tires for their life | “most flats,” “even if you didn’t buy from us” | | A later owner of the car | Not stated on any page we read | “may not be assigned” | Not transferable | Certificates “can be transferred” when you sell the car | On paper, Town Fair’s road hazard promise has no time limit, no stated exclusions and no charge. What it lacks is the written detail the others print: which tires, what a replacement costs, and when cover ends. Our [Costco tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/) reads one more chain’s road hazard terms, and our pages on [Belle Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/) and [Tire Discounters](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/) read two other regional chains’. Sullivan Tire sells its road hazard cover as a paid plan and prints no price for it online; see our [Sullivan Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sullivan-tire/) page. ## State records: a tax case Town Fair won, and a 2018 settlement We found no state attorney-general, FTC or court consumer-protection case naming Town Fair Tire. Two Massachusetts records did turn up. **Massachusetts residents buying in New Hampshire.** Town Fair has 16 stores in New Hampshire. In the 2003 audit described by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s [Technical Information Release TIR 10-2](https://www.mass.gov/technical-information-release/tir-10-2-decision-of-the-massachusetts-supreme-judicial-court-in-town-fair-tire-centers-inc-v-commissioner-of-revenue), records from Town Fair’s “three New Hampshire stores identified invoices listing Massachusetts addresses,” and the Commissioner of Revenue “assessed use tax and related penalties against Town Fair Tire for failing to collect the Massachusetts use tax on those sales.” The Appellate Tax Board sided with the Commissioner; Town Fair appealed again and won: in *Town Fair Tire Centers, Inc. v. Commissioner of Revenue*, 454 Mass. 601 (2009), “The SJC reversed the ruling of the ATB,” reasoning that a vendor owes the tax “only if the tires ‘were actually stored, used or consumed in Massachusetts.’” The release, dated 11 February 2010, then spells out what the decision does not do. Absent evidence of use in Massachusetts, the state will not assess an out-of-state store when a resident “purchases and takes possession” entirely outside the state, but “the purchaser using such property in Massachusetts owes use tax” and “Massachusetts residents must file an Individual Use Tax Return, Form ST-11, and pay the tax due on such purchases on an annual basis,” or report it on Form 1, the resident income tax return. And “Where a sale is consummated at a Massachusetts location, the vendor must collect Massachusetts tax.” So buying across the state line does not by itself settle the Massachusetts tax: it moves the job of paying it from the store to you, “subject to a credit for sales tax validly due the jurisdiction where the sale took place.” Check the current rate and rules with the Department of Revenue; the release is from 2010. **The 2018 asbestos settlement.** On 1 August 2018 the [Massachusetts Attorney General announced](https://www.mass.gov/news/town-fair-tire-settles-allegations-of-illegal-asbestos-work-during-expansion-of-springfield-store) that “Town Fair Tire Centers of Massachusetts LLC (Town Fair Tire) will pay $81,000 in penalties to settle allegations that its employees illegally removed and disposed of asbestos-containing material during the expansion of the company’s Springfield store.” The complaint alleged the work happened during a 2016 expansion; the case was settled by “complaint and consent judgment” in Suffolk Superior Court. It is an environmental matter, not a customer one; we read the release, not the judgment. **The website’s legal terms.** Town Fair’s Terms of Use, last modified 12 January 2026, apply Connecticut law, allow Town Fair to require arbitration “At Town Fair Tire’s sole discretion,” and give a claim about the website one year. They govern the website; we did not see store invoice terms. ## Where Town Fair’s own pages disagree We recorded 14 places where Town Fair’s pages differ from each other or from other records. The ones a buyer should know: - **How many stores, and where.** 128 stores in seven states on the home page; “any of our 100 store locations” in six states on the Why Town Fair Tire page, a gap of 28. Several pages leave out New York. - **Who gets free flat repair.** “Our Tire Or Not! On Any Car You Own” on the home page; tied to buying “your next set of tires” there on the flat repair page. - **Who gets a free change-over.** “On Any Car You Own” on the home page; “excludes New Tires and / or Wheels not purchased from us” on the change-over page. - **Road hazard for everyone, or for some.** Customers are “entitled,” with “no exclusions,” yet it is “only available for select tire models,” and no list is given. - **Care, or no care.** Mileage cover comes “With proper vehicle care,” and the next paragraph covers select tires “even if you do not tend to them with proper care.” - **Which card.** The Privacy Policy names CFNA as the card’s issuer; the Credit Center also shows a Synchrony Car Care card, with a different minimum and a different APR. - **Lifetime, up to a point.** The perks are “lifetime,” but Town Fair recommends against servicing tires over 10 years old. The paperwork you get at the counter, not the website, decides what you can claim. ## Before you buy tires at Town Fair Tire Register your tires so the maker can reach you in a recall. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), an independent dealer may hand you “a paper tire registration form” with “The entire tire identification number” filled in, or send the form to the maker itself “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” No Town Fair page we read says which it does, so ask. NHTSA’s [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) covers tires, and our page on [tire recalls and age](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) explains why registration matters. - **Ask whether your tire model carries the Road Hazard Guarantee**, and get that written on the invoice; the website says it covers only “select tire models.” - **Ask what a road hazard replacement costs you**: free, prorated by tread, or plus mounting and balancing. The website doesn’t say. - **Ask for the written warranty terms** before you pay; a seller must make them available to read. - **Check the mileage figure** for your tires and keep every rotation invoice. - **Check the date code** on any tire you bring in for service; Town Fair recommends against servicing tires over 10 years old. - **For a lower price elsewhere,** bring a quote for the same tire, in stock, not from an auction site, and ask how the 30-day refund is worked out. - **Don’t special-order** if you want the 30-day test ride; special-order tires are excluded. - **On a store card,** ask which card you are getting and clear a deferred-interest balance before the six months end. - **If you live in Massachusetts** and buy at a New Hampshire store, expect to report Massachusetts use tax yourself. ## Common questions ### Who owns Town Fair Tire? Mavis. Mavis’s FAQ lists “Town Fair Tire in 2020” among its acquisitions, and an August 2026 SEC filing names Town Fair Tire among the brands Mavis “owns and operates.” The stores still trade as Town Fair Tire. ### Is Town Fair Tire’s road hazard warranty free? Town Fair presents its Lifetime Road Hazard Guarantee as free for customers: it repairs a flat at no cost and replaces a tire that can’t be repaired, “no exclusions.” But it is “only available for select tire models,” and the website prints no model list, cost basis or written terms. Ask whether your tires qualify and get it on the invoice. ### What does the Town Fair Tire Nationwide Warranty cover? Workmanship “with no time or mileage restrictions,” road hazards on select tires, and mileage “up to 80,000 miles,” anywhere in the United States, Town Fair says. On select tires it also promises cover “even if you do not tend to them with proper care.” ### Does Town Fair Tire fix flats for free? Yes, for life, if you bought your tires there, on any vehicle you own, says the flat repair page; the home page goes further with “Our Tire Or Not!” A new valve stem and rebalance during the repair is optional at $7.95, according to an undated article. ### Does Town Fair Tire price match? It promises more than a match: to beat a competitor’s price on the same in-stock tire, with online prices counted including shipping, installation and balancing, and auction sites excluded. For 30 days after the sale, its After Purchase Price Protection promises money back if you find the same tires, “with like services,” for less. ### Who issues the Town Fair Tire credit card? The Privacy Policy says Credit First National Association (CFNA). The Credit Center also shows a Town Fair Tire card on the Synchrony Car Care network, and the Goodyear Credit Card. The promotional offers run six months, with minimum purchases of $199 or $149 depending on the section; the CFNA offer is deferred interest, charged from the purchase date if the balance isn’t cleared in time. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/ --- title: "Brakes Plus: What Its Brake Warranty Really Covers" description: "Brakes Plus prints no lifetime term for brake pads; its warranty says “See Invoice Detail.” What its parts and labor table, free inspection and card say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Brakes Plus: What Its Brake Warranty Really Covers > Brakes Plus prints no lifetime term for brake pads; its warranty says “See Invoice Detail.” What its parts and labor table, free inspection and card say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,885 words* ## The short version - Brakes Plus is a brake and general repair chain that started in Englewood, Colorado, in 1990. It has belonged to the Mavis family since a 2018 merger, and its About page counts 202 locations. - Its written warranty does not print a lifetime term for brake pads. The pad part warranty reads “See Invoice Detail”; labor on pads is 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. - Rotors and drums get 12 months or 12,000 miles on parts and labor. Brake hydraulics get 24 months or 24,000 miles on the part and 12 months or 12,000 miles on labor. - “Lifetime” appears only on shocks and struts, steering and front-end linkages, and CV axles, boots and U-joints. Labor on those is still limited to 12 months or 12,000 miles. - The warranty belongs to the original purchaser and “may not be assigned.” It is honored at stores owned by Brakes Plus, and a claim needs the invoice, the service record and the part. - The brake inspection is free and needs no appointment; Brakes Plus says it takes the wheels off and gives a written estimate before any work. Coupons all carry expiry dates, and the card page prints no interest rate. If you searched for Brakes Plus, you probably want to know whether its brake work comes with a lifetime warranty and whether the brake check is free. On the first, not in writing: Brakes Plus’s own warranty table sends you to your invoice for the brake pad term. On 9 October 2026 we read the [Brakes Plus warranty page](https://www.brakesplus.com/warranty/), its brake, oil change, tire rotation, battery and inspection pages, the Brakes Plus Card page, its About, Careers and privacy pages and its website Terms of Use, plus an August 2026 SEC filing that lists Brakes Plus as a Mavis brand. This site has no commercial relationship with Brakes Plus, Mavis or any repair chain. **Figure: What Brakes Plus’s documents say, by situation** Nine situations a Brakes Plus customer meets, each matched to the wording of Brakes Plus’s warranty, brake, card and website-terms pages. Read from brakesplus.com (warranty, brake service, Brakes Plus Card and Terms of Use pages) on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Brakes Plus, and where its stores are Its About page says founder Larry Pisciotta opened “the first Brakes Plus location in Englewood, CO” in May 1990, 36 years ago by our arithmetic. The timeline adds 15 Western Auto stores bought and rebranded in 1998, Arizona in 2000, Texas in 2007 and a 50th store in 2008. Then the owners changed twice. In September 2017, the timeline says, [Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) acquired Brakes Plus, and in 2018 the two merged with Mavis Discount Tire. Mavis’s FAQ, read the same day for our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#who-owns-mavis), lists “Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, and Brakes Plus in 2018” among its acquisitions, and an exhibit to Icahn Enterprises’ Form 8-K of August 20, 2026, announcing Mavis’s purchase of Pep Boys, names Brakes Plus in Mavis’s “portfolio of auto service center brands.” Mavis itself is privately held: in 2021 an investor group led by BayPine, with TSG Consumer Partners and the Sorbaro family’s holding company, agreed to acquire it, according to BayPine’s release, with Golden Gate Capital keeping a minority stake. The website’s fine print shows the link. The Terms of Use name the company as “Brakes Plus LLC d/b/a Brakes Plus” and send legal notices to the same Millwood, New York address that Mavis uses in its own terms. Privacy requests go to a mavis.com email address, and every page’s footer reads “POWERED BY MAVIS TIRE.” Sister brands include [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/) and [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/#who-owns). Are the stores franchised? No Brakes Plus document we read says so. The About page says “Brakes Plus operates 202 locations,” and the warranty is honored “at all locations owned by Brakes Plus”; the privacy policy mentions franchisees only “where applicable.” We did not search state franchise registries. **Brakes Plus store counts by source (read 9 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 202 in 6 states | “Brakes Plus operates 202 locations across 6 states” | About page | | 202, and 750+ team members | 202 locations and growing; jobs listed in Colorado, Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming | Careers page | | over 200 | “over 200 Stores and Growing” | Battery service page | | 208 entries in 7 states | Store drop-down list: Texas 78, Colorado 56, Arizona 32, Iowa 16, Nebraska 15, Oklahoma 9, Wyoming 2 (our count); 6 marked “Coming Soon!” | Military discount and contact pages; stores sitemap | Take the 6 coming-soon entries (5 in Texas, 1 in Arizona) off the list and 202 open stores remain, which matches the About page. The state count does not match: the list includes 9 stores in Oklahoma, a state neither the About page’s “6 states” nor the Careers page’s list of six names. By our arithmetic, Colorado (56) and Texas (73 open) hold 129 of the 202 stores, or 63.9%. Outside those seven states there is no Brakes Plus to honor a warranty. ## The Mechanical Labor and Parts Warranty, row by row Brakes Plus publishes one warranty for its repair work, the Mechanical Labor and Parts Warranty. Every part in its table has two terms: a “part warranty” for a free replacement part and a “labor warranty” for free labor to fit it. The two often end at different times. The page explains that “12 months/12,000 miles” means 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, so a car driven more than 12,000 miles a year reaches the mileage end first. The whole table as printed: **Brakes Plus Mechanical Labor and Parts Warranty, from Brakes Plus’s warranty page (read 9 October 2026)** | Part | Part warranty | Labor warranty | | --- | --- | --- | | Brake pads | See Invoice Detail | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Rotors / drums | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Brake hydraulics | 24 months / 24,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Alignment / wheel balance | 3 months / 3,000 miles | 3 months / 3,000 miles | | Shocks / struts | Lifetime Warranty | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Steering / front end linkages | Lifetime Warranty | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | CV axles / CV boots / U-joints | Lifetime Warranty | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Fluids | N/A | N/A | | A/C parts | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | A/C freon and recharge | 3 months / 3,000 miles | 3 months / 3,000 miles | | Belts / hoses | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Wiper blades / headlights / bulbs | 3 months / 3,000 miles | 3 months / 3,000 miles | | Batteries | See Invoice Detail | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Starters / alternators | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Exhaust | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Water pumps and radiators | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | Counting the 16 rows: 3 carry a lifetime part term, 2 send you to the invoice, 3 last only 3 months or 3,000 miles, and 12 give labor 12 months or 12,000 miles. Two rules sit under the table. Parts not listed, and original-equipment parts, get 12 months or 12,000 miles. And the table applies to parts Brakes Plus itself provides while doing the work; the page says nothing about a part you bring in yourself. Commercial vehicles get terms that “are shorter due to extreme usage and are not summarized in the table”; we found them printed nowhere, so ask for them in writing if you drive for work. Fluids show “N/A” on both sides. That row matters for two services Brakes Plus sells: an oil change and a brake fluid flush are mostly fluid, and the table gives fluid itself no warranty term. The page does not say how the rule for unlisted parts treats an oil filter; ask the store before you rely on it. ## Brake pads: what “See Invoice Detail” means for you For a chain named after brakes, the key line in its warranty says least. Brake pads get “See Invoice Detail” as their part warranty, and the page never says what the invoice might say: lifetime, some months, or nothing. The brake pages are silent too; the coupons name “Economy” and “Premium” brake packages, but no page we read says which pad warranty either carries. Two things are certain. Labor on brake pads is covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. And if the invoice does say lifetime, the general rule on lifetime parts applies: a free part, but once the labor term has run out, Brakes Plus charges “the then-current labor rate” to fit it. The warranty also warns that “additional repairs at standard pricing may be necessary when performing warranty work.” On a brake job, that can mean rotors. **Get the pad term in writing before work starts.** Brakes Plus prints no brake pad part warranty; its table points to your invoice. Ask the store to write the pad warranty on the estimate (lifetime, months, or none), and check that the invoice repeats it before you pay. Keep that invoice for as long as you own the car. Rotors, drums and the hydraulic side are spelled out. Rotors and drums get 12 months or 12,000 miles on the part and the labor. Brake hydraulics (the table does not say which parts count) get 24 months or 24,000 miles on the part but only 12 months or 12,000 miles on labor: 12 months and 12,000 miles of part-only cover by our arithmetic. Our guides to [brake jobs and rotors](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) and [failing calipers](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-caliper/) explain those parts. This short table compares printed brake terms only (not prices or service), copied from the records our Mavis, Meineke and Midas pages made the same day. **Printed brake warranty terms at four chains (each read 9 October 2026; Mavis, Meineke and Midas copied from this site’s pages on those chains)** | Term | Brakes Plus | Mavis | Meineke | Midas | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Brake pad part warranty | “See Invoice Detail” | Lifetime | As long as you own the car if the invoice says lifetime; otherwise 180 days | “for as long as you own your car” | | Labor on brake pads | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | 12 months or 12,000 miles | “only charge for installation” | | Rotors | 12 months / 12,000 miles, parts and labor | 12 months / 12,000 miles, parts and labor | 12 months or 12,000 miles | Not among the lifetime parts | | Who can claim | Original purchaser; “may not be assigned” | Original purchaser; “may not be assigned” | Original purchaser and vehicle; “non-transferable” | “for as long as you own your car” | The Mavis column is the telling one. Mavis and Brakes Plus use almost the same warranty wording (the same “may not be assigned” clause, the same “then-current labor rate” sentence), yet Mavis’s table prints “Lifetime” for brake pads and Brakes Plus’s prints “See Invoice Detail.” Same family, different promise on the page. Our [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#parts-labor-warranty), [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#the-warranty) and [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#lifetime-parts-guarantee) pages read those warranties in full. ## The free brake inspection: what Brakes Plus says it includes The free brake check is a standing offer, not a coupon: it appears on the brake service, brake pad, brake rotor and same-day brake pages and in a “Free Brake Check” panel on most pages of the site, with no expiry date. Brakes Plus describes it this way: - **Wheels off.** “We remove all four tires to be sure that we’re able to fully inspect each component,” and the check “only takes 20-30 minutes.” - **More than pads.** The inspection “also includes the master cylinder, brake lines, hoses, and fluid condition,” and the rotor page says its experts will inspect rotors “(for FREE).” - **No appointment.** The brake service page invites you to come in for a free inspection with “no appointment needed, no pressure.” - **A written estimate first.** If work is needed, you are invited into the bay to see the problem, and “You’ll also receive an estimate in writing before we begin any work on your vehicle.” Brakes Plus also offers same-day brake pad replacement (“Because who has time to wait days or weeks for an auto appointment?”) and says a typical brake service “lasts about an hour and a half.” It prints no brake price outside its coupons, and every coupon we saw carried an expiry date, so we record none. Its contact page sends pricing questions to the nearest store. On how long brakes last, Brakes Plus’s pages give three different ranges, each about a different thing. Pads: “between 30,000-35,000 miles.” Rotors: they “can wear out after as little as 30,000 miles, or can last up to 70,000 miles.” Brakes in general: attention “after about 30,000 miles, and then every 25,000 to 30,000 miles after that.” The pad page’s home test is to look through the wheel spokes; if the pad is “less than 1/4 inch thick, it might be time to change.” Our guide to [how long brake pads last](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-brake-pads-last/#inspect) explains why such ranges vary so much, and the [brake pad symptoms page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-pads/) covers the squeal, the grind and the pulse that Brakes Plus lists as warning signs. The written estimate is your protection: ask which items are needed now, which can wait, and what pad warranty each option carries. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the rotor's edge, its braking surface and the hub, each with one fact from Brakes Plus’s warranty table. Brakes Plus’s warranty table, read on 9 October 2026: Brake pads: part warranty ‘See Invoice Detail’; labor 12 months or 12,000 miles (callout 1); rotors: parts and labor 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first (callout 2); Brake hydraulics: parts 24 months or 24,000 miles; labor 12 months or 12,000 (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## How to make a warranty claim, and who can The warranty page sets out the route in a few lines. In order: - **Call the store that did the work.** If the car is not working right, “please call the manager at the store where the repairs were performed,” who will try to schedule the car “within 24 hours.” Stores, the page says, are staffed with a manager “who has the authority to resolve the situation.” - **Bring three things.** A claim needs “a legible physical or digital copy of your sales invoice/receipt and service record, along with the part covered by the warranty.” Keep the paperwork, and do not let another garage throw away a failed part you may need to show. - **Away from home, any company store.** The warranty “will be honored at all locations owned by Brakes Plus,” and in an emergency on the road the page asks you to contact any Brakes Plus to find the nearest one. With stores in only 7 states, a breakdown elsewhere has no Brakes Plus to go to; the page does not say whether it reimburses another shop. - **If the manager cannot fix it, email head office.** The page asks you to write to Brakes Plus management at feedback@brakesplus.com with the store, your contact details and what happened, and says a corporate representative will reply “within 24 business hours.” Who can claim is narrow. The warranty “applies to the original purchaser” and “may not be assigned, including to a subsequent purchaser or owner” of the car. Sell the car and the cover stays with you, and the next owner gets none. That holds for the lifetime parts too: the table says “Lifetime Warranty” without saying whose lifetime, and the only clue is this original-purchaser clause. The conditions are the usual ones. You must give the car “reasonable necessary maintenance,” and the warranty “will not apply” if the car “has been damaged by abnormal use, misuse, neglect, accident, or alteration.” Consequential damages are disclaimed (a failed part that damages another part, for example), and implied warranties are limited to the express terms, both “to the extent permitted by law.” We look at what that last phrase means in the [warranty law section](#warranty-law). ## Suspension, steering, batteries and the rest of the table The three lifetime rows are all chassis parts: shocks and struts, steering and front-end linkages, and CV axles, CV boots and U-joints. Each gets a lifetime part term and 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor. So a strut that fails three years on would be a free part with a labor bill. Our [shock absorber replacement guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/shock-absorber-replacement/) explains why dampers are replaced in axle pairs. The short-term rows deserve a look before you pay: alignment and wheel balancing, A/C freon and recharge, and wiper blades, headlights and bulbs all get just 3 months or 3,000 miles. If an alignment drifts after a pothole in month four, the warranty no longer helps; our [wheel alignment guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/) covers what an alignment can and cannot fix. Batteries are the second “See Invoice Detail” row, with 12 months or 12,000 miles on the labor to fit one. Brakes Plus puts the battery’s own terms on the invoice; many battery warranties split cover into a free-replacement period and a prorated one, as our [battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#how-battery-warranties-work) explains. Brakes Plus does offer a standing free battery check: “Stop by Brakes Plus for a free test,” its battery page says, adding that it can load-test a battery and that testing every two years is smart. Everything else in the table gets 12 months or 12,000 miles on part and labor, the same as anything not listed. ## Oil changes and tire rotation Brakes Plus sells two standing oil change packages, described on its [oil change page](https://www.brakesplus.com/auto-service/oil-change/): - **Oil Change.** Conventional or full synthetic oil, a vehicle inspection, a washer fluid top-off, a battery check and, “upon your request,” a brake inspection. - **Oil Change Plus.** The same, with the brake inspection included, plus a tire rotation, an exterior light check and a review of factory-scheduled maintenance. Every oil change, the page says, includes draining and refilling the oil, a new filter, checks of belts, hoses, air filters and tire pressure, and a visual inspection. The oils named are Valvoline Daily Protection (conventional) and Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic. Prices appear only in coupons with expiry dates, which we do not record. Remember that the warranty table gives fluids no term at all. On timing, the page says “Most experts recommend every 5,000 miles or five months, whichever comes first.” That is Brakes Plus’s general advice, not your carmaker’s schedule, which may call for a different interval. Your owner’s manual or oil-life monitor decides; our guide to [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#what-sets-it) explains why, and our [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) page reads another chain’s oil change terms. On tires, Brakes Plus rotates them but, on the pages we read, does not sell them: its services list has no tire sales page. Its tire rotation page gives two intervals a few lines apart, “every 5,000 to 7,000 miles” in its FAQ and “every 5,000 to 7,500 miles” in its main text, either way “or during an oil change.” Our [tire rotation guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why rotation rides along with the oil change and why your handbook’s interval wins. Brakes Plus also sells a pre-purchase inspection on a used car, which it calls “a detailed assessment of the condition of a vehicle” covering error codes, signs of frame damage, and fire or flood. It prints no price. It says you can arrange one by calling the Brakes Plus in another city when the car is far away. Our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#who) covers what to ask any shop doing one. ## The Brakes Plus Card, coupons and the military discount The [Brakes Plus Card page](https://www.brakesplus.com/credit-card/) sends applications and prequalification to Synchrony and lists the card’s benefits. The one that matters is the financing: “6 or 12 months special financing” on card purchases, 6 months on $199 to $749.99 and 12 months on $750 or more. It also lists no annual fee, a credit decision “within minutes,” and acceptance at auto parts and service businesses and gas stations, though gas station purchases do not get the promotional financing. What the page leaves out is what decides the cost. It prints no purchase APR. It does not say whether the special financing is deferred interest, where interest from the purchase date is charged if the balance is not cleared in time. The asterisk on the financing line leads to a footnote about a rebate, and the triple asterisk on “No annual fee” leads to no footnote at all. On the day we read it, the banner at the top advertised a statement-credit offer for Tire Kingdom cardholders at Tire Kingdom stores, dated to end on 9/14/2026, weeks before our visit. The home page, meanwhile, advertises “6 MONTHS SPECIAL FINANCING” only. For context only: Mavis’s card page, read the same day for our [Mavis page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#price-match-card), says its Synchrony card is accepted at Brakes Plus, prints standing terms for new accounts as of 07/31/25 (purchase APR 34.99%) and explains its promotional financing as deferred interest. Nothing on the Brakes Plus page says the Brakes Plus Card shares those terms; read Synchrony’s disclosure before you sign. **Coupons.** Brakes Plus posts coupons for brake packages, oil changes, alignments, A/C service, batteries, wipers, shocks and brake fluid flushes. Every one we saw on 9 October 2026 read “Expires: 10/31/2026,” so we quote none. Most say they must be shown at the time of service and cannot be combined with other offers on the same service. **Military discount.** A standing page offers active and retired military personnel “an extra $5 off of all purchases” made on any Monday, with the coupon and a valid military ID, at “a participating Brakes Plus location.” Ask your store whether it takes part. ## Disputes: the website terms and the public record The warranty page itself says nothing about how disputes are settled. The website Terms of Use (last updated May 18, 2026) do, in broad terms. They “require the use of arbitration on an individual basis,” and the arbitration clause covers claims about “your purchase of products or services through the site” and, more broadly, claims relating “to your relationship with us.” The main steps, as written: - **Notice first.** A written notice of the dispute must be sent to the company’s New York address; if it is not resolved within 45 days, either side may start an arbitration or a small claims case. - **Small claims is an option,** if you give written notice of that choice within 60 days of your purchase. - **You can opt out of arbitration** by mailing an opt-out notice within 30 days after you agree to the terms. - **New York law** governs the terms, and the arbitration runs under the American Arbitration Association’s consumer rules, on an individual basis only. Whether website terms bind a customer who only walked into a store is a question for a lawyer. If a repair dispute is heading toward money, read Section 14 of the terms first and note the 60-day small claims window. The same terms say Brakes Plus “may charge a booking fee” or a deposit for appointments made online; both become non-refundable 72 hours before the appointment and can be kept if you are more than 10 minutes late. We booked nothing, so we cannot say whether any store charges them today. **Public records.** We found no state attorney-general, Federal Trade Commission or court action about Brakes Plus’s repairs, warranty or advertising in an official source. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is reported, and we do not use review sites. If a store will not honor the warranty and head office does not resolve it, you can also complain to your state attorney general’s consumer protection office. ## What federal warranty rules say about this wording Four federal texts, read on govinfo, bear on Brakes Plus’s warranty. None of this is legal advice, and whether the rules for written warranties on consumer products reach a repair that mixes parts with labor is itself a legal question. - **The required state-law sentence is there.** The FTC’s disclosure rule, [16 CFR 701.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec701-3.xml), says a warranty that limits how long implied warranties last must add that “Some States do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts,” and the same for limits on consequential damages. Brakes Plus’s page carries both, combined in one sentence, as the rule allows. Our [Meineke page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#warranty-law) did not find the first sentence on Meineke’s web warranty. - **Implied warranties are shortened, not removed.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2308(b)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm), implied warranties may be limited to the length of a written warranty “of reasonable duration” if the limit is conscionable and prominently displayed. Brakes Plus limits them to its express terms, so in practice your implied-warranty rights may end when the table’s term ends, unless your state says otherwise. - **“Lifetime” should name a life.** The FTC’s advertising guide, 16 CFR 239.4, says an ad using “lifetime” should disclose “the life to which the representation refers,” contrasting a guarantee good “even if you sell it” with one good “for as long as you own the car.” Brakes Plus’s table says “Lifetime Warranty” without naming the life; its non-assignment clause suggests the second kind. - **Full or limited.** Under 15 U.S.C. 2303, a written warranty on a consumer product that does not meet the federal minimum standards must be “conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” The Brakes Plus page titles its warranty the “Mechanical Labor and Parts Warranty,” with neither word. Our [Midas page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#lifetime-law) discusses the same rules for a chain that calls its promise a guarantee. ## Where Brakes Plus’s own pages disagree We recorded 8 places where Brakes Plus’s documents disagree or point to something missing. The ones a customer will notice: - **States.** “202 locations across 6 states,” says the About page; the Careers page names six states without Oklahoma; the store list has 9 Oklahoma stores, 7 states in all. - **Tire rotation.** “every 5,000 to 7,000 miles” and “every 5,000 to 7,500 miles” on the same page. - **Card financing.** “6 MONTHS SPECIAL FINANCING” on the home page; 6 or 12 months by purchase size on the card page, whose footnotes do not explain either, and whose banner advertised another brand’s expired offer. - **Missing documents.** The Terms of Use incorporate “our Terms of Sale,” but that page reads “Page Not Found,” and they refer to a “Testimonial Release [INSERT LINK],” a placeholder never filled in. The services sitemap lists an inspection page that also reads “Page Not Found.” - **Tires.** The terms mention deposits for “special order tires,” though no page we read offers tire sales. None of this changes what your own invoice says, which is why it is the document to keep. - **Before brake work,** ask what part warranty your pads carry (lifetime, months, or none) and have it written on the estimate; the warranty page only says “See Invoice Detail.” - **Read the written estimate** line by line after the free inspection; ask which items are needed now and what each option’s warranty is. - **Check the invoice** repeats the pad and battery terms, then keep it with the service record for as long as you own the car. - **Keep failed parts available** if a covered part fails; a claim needs the invoice, the service record and the part. - **Know the labor clock:** most labor cover ends at 12 months or 12,000 miles; after that, even a lifetime part comes with a labor bill. - **On the card,** find the APR and the promotional-financing rules in Synchrony’s disclosure before you sign, and clear any promotional balance before the period ends. ## Common questions ### Does Brakes Plus have a lifetime warranty on brakes? Not in its published terms. The warranty table gives brake pads “See Invoice Detail” as the part warranty, so any lifetime promise would have to be on your invoice. Labor on pads is 12 months or 12,000 miles, rotors and drums get 12 months or 12,000 miles, and brake hydraulics get 24 months or 24,000 miles on the part. Ask for the pad term in writing before the work. ### Is the Brakes Plus warranty transferable? No. It applies to the original purchaser and “may not be assigned, including to a subsequent purchaser or owner” of the car. It ends for practical purposes when you sell the car. ### Is the Brakes Plus brake inspection really free? Brakes Plus says so on several pages, with no expiry date: all four wheels off, pads, rotors, master cylinder, lines, hoses and fluid checked, 20 to 30 minutes, no appointment, and a written estimate before any work. ### Who owns Brakes Plus? Brakes Plus LLC is part of the Mavis family of brands. Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers bought it in September 2017, and in 2018 the two merged with Mavis Discount Tire. A Mavis release filed with the SEC in August 2026 lists Brakes Plus among its brands; Mavis itself is privately held. ### Can I use my Brakes Plus warranty at another location? Yes, at any store owned by Brakes Plus. Bring a copy of the invoice, the service record and the part covered by the warranty. With 202 stores in 7 states, there may be none where you break down, and the warranty page does not say whether another shop’s bill is reimbursed. ### Does Brakes Plus have financing? Yes, the Brakes Plus Card through Synchrony: 6 months special financing on $199 to $749.99 and 12 months on $750 or more, per its card page, which prints no APR and does not say whether the financing is deferred interest. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/ --- title: "Gerber Collision & Glass: Lifetime Guarantee, Owner and Insurers" description: "Gerber Collision’s Lifetime Guarantee covers workmanship while you own the car, with six exclusions. Who owns it, how it handles insurers, rentals and glass." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Gerber Collision & Glass: Lifetime Guarantee, Owner and Insurers > Gerber Collision’s Lifetime Guarantee covers workmanship while you own the car, with six exclusions. Who owns it, how it handles insurers, rentals and glass. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,966 words* ## The short version - Gerber Collision & Glass is the U.S. brand of Boyd Group Services, a Canadian company listed in Toronto and, since November 2025, New York. Boyd says its shops are “non-franchised”: Gerber runs them itself. - Gerber’s Lifetime Guarantee covers “defects of workmanship” in the repairs listed on your final estimate “for as long as you own your vehicle.” Rust, stone chips, scratches, abuse, a later collision or theft, and improper care are excluded by name. - No page we read says a later owner can use the guarantee, gives a deadline for reporting a defect, or explains how to claim at another shop. The guarantee page ends: “Please see in store for additional details.” - Glass work is guaranteed too: a replaced windshield against leaks and defects while you own the car; a failed chip repair earns a credit toward a new windshield, not a free one. - Gerber is built around insurance work. Boyd’s 2025 filing says five insurers accounted for about 54% of its sales, yet owners “still have the freedom of choice of repair provider.” - Boyd bought Joe Hudson’s Collision Center (258 shops) in January 2026 and converted them to Gerber by mid-year. Its filings count 1,189 Gerber locations in 37 states as at August 11, 2026. If you searched for Gerber Collision, you probably need a body shop or a windshield after a crash, a hailstorm or a rock on the highway. Gerber is one company, not a franchise network: its shops belong to Boyd Group Services, which files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Its main written promise is a Lifetime Guarantee; the useful questions are what it covers, what it leaves out and whether it outlasts a sale of the car. On 9 October 2026 we read Gerber’s [guarantee page](https://www.gerbercollision.com/why-choose-gerber/our-guarantee), its [FAQ](https://www.gerbercollision.com/faq), its [insurance claims page](https://www.gerbercollision.com/why-choose-gerber/insurance-claims-deductibles), its glass, financing and About pages and five of its articles, plus Boyd’s 2025 annual filing (Form 40-F, with its Annual Information Form and management’s discussion) and its second-quarter 2026 report on EDGAR. This site has no commercial relationship with Gerber, Boyd or any repair shop. **Figure: What Gerber’s documents say, by situation** Nine situations a Gerber Collision & Glass customer meets, each matched to the wording of Gerber’s own pages or its parent’s filings with the SEC. Read from gerbercollision.com and Boyd Group Services’ Form 40-F (2025) and second-quarter 2026 report on EDGAR, 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Gerber Collision & Glass Gerber started as one shop. Its About page says it was “Founded in 1937 by Phil Gerber” and began as “a single auto glass and trim shop in Chicago.” That makes the name 89 years old in 2026, by our arithmetic. Gerber’s pages say “more than 80 years”; one of its own articles still says “more than seventy years.” The owner is Boyd Group Services Inc. (BGSI), which Boyd’s Annual Information Form, dated March 17, 2026, describes as “a Canadian federal corporation.” Through its operating company, The Boyd Group Inc., it runs collision shops in Canada as Boyd Autobody & Glass and Assured Automotive, “as well as in the U.S. under the trade name Gerber Collision & Glass.” Gerber’s own footer names the same family: “The Boyd Group | Boyd Autobody & Glass | Gerber Collision & Glass.” Most of the money is American: the U.S. accounted for 92.2% of Boyd’s sales in 2025. Boyd is a recent SEC filer. On November 4, 2025 it completed what it calls its “initial public offering in the United States,” and its shares now trade on the New York Stock Exchange as BGSI as well as in Toronto. As a Canadian company it files a yearly Form 40-F, prepared “in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements,” and quarterly reports on Form 6-K. The ownership fact that matters most for a customer is that Gerber is not franchised. Boyd calls itself “one of the largest operators of non-franchised collision repair centers in North America in terms of number of locations and sales.” The company that fixes your car, writes the estimate and issues the guarantee is the same company that owns the brand. That is the opposite of CARSTAR, whose shops are independently owned franchises (see our [CARSTAR page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/#who-owns-carstar)). Gerber grows partly by buying shops: “Part of our growth is attributed to acquiring existing repair facilities that meet our criteria,” its acquisitions page says. On October 29, 2025, BGSI agreed to buy Joe Hudson’s Collision Center from TSG Consumer Partners LP for “US$1.3 billion in cash,” a deal that “expanded BGSI’s footprint by 258 locations” in the Southeast. It closed on January 9, 2026, after Boyd announced on January 7 that “the regulatory requirements have been satisfied.” Boyd’s August 12, 2026 results release says it “completed the conversion of Joe Hudson’s 258 locations” during the second quarter. By our arithmetic, about 21.7% of Gerber’s August 2026 locations came from that one deal. ## The Lifetime Guarantee: what it covers Gerber’s headline promise sits in the footer of every page we read: “We proudly stand behind our repair work for as long as you own your vehicle.” The full wording is on its guarantee page, under the heading “Collision Repair Lifetime Guarantee.” Gerber says it “guarantees the repairs made to your vehicle, as reflected in your final estimate, against any defects of workmanship for as long as you own your vehicle.” Each piece of that sentence limits the promise: - **“the repairs made to your vehicle, as reflected in your final estimate”**: the guarantee follows the paperwork. Work that is not on the final estimate is not described as covered, so the final estimate is the document to keep. - **“defects of workmanship”**: the promise is about how the work was done. Another Gerber page puts the remedy this way: if the car “has not been properly repaired, Gerber will replace any faulty parts and make appropriate repairs.” - **“for as long as you own your vehicle”**: the length is your ownership, not a number of years. The next sentence lists what is left out: “Our warranty does not cover defects or damages related to rust, abuse, a subsequent collision or theft, stone chips, scratches, or improper care and/or maintenance.” That is six exclusions, printed on the page itself. Two are worth reading closely: stone chips and scratches are excluded however they arose, and “rust” is not limited on the page to rust the repair did not cause. Other pages describe the same guarantee more broadly. The guarantee page opens by offering “a Lifetime Guarantee on all of our work,” and the auto body page says “Everything we offer, from dent and scratch repair to automotive painting to fender and bumper repair, is covered by our guarantee.” Gerber calls it a “written National Lifetime Guarantee” there, and its insurance page calls it a “Nationwide Lifetime Guarantee.” The guarantee page itself closes with “Please see in store for additional details,” so the store may hand you more terms than the website shows. **How Gerber’s pages describe its guarantee (read 9 October 2026)** | Page | What it says | Scope stated | | --- | --- | --- | | Guarantee page (collision) | “as reflected in your final estimate, against any defects of workmanship”; six exclusions | Repairs on the final estimate, while you own the car | | Guarantee page (opening) | “a Lifetime Guarantee on all of our work” | All work | | Auto body repair page | “a written National Lifetime Guarantee on all of our collision auto body repair services” | All body work | | Gerber for Collision Repair | Gerber “will replace any faulty parts and make appropriate repairs” | Improperly repaired cars | | Guarantee page (glass) | Windshield replacement covered against “air and water leaks, defective materials and/or workmanship” | While you own the car | | Footer of every page read | “for as long as you own your vehicle” | Repair work | The FTC’s advertising guides address the word “lifetime.” Its guide at 16 CFR 239.4, as this site read it for its Safelite page, says an ad that calls a guarantee “lifetime” “should disclose, with such clarity and prominence as will be noticed and understood by prospective purchasers, the life to which the representation refers.” Gerber’s guarantee page and footer do that: they name the life as your ownership of the car. The section’s own example is a battery guarantee that is “Good for as long as you own the car!” Federal law defines a written warranty as a written promise about “material or workmanship” (15 U.S.C. 2301(6)); whether a body repair falls under that law is a question for a lawyer. ## If you sell the car, move, or need to claim Three questions a buyer would ask are not answered on Gerber’s site. **Does it pass to the next owner?** No page we read uses the word “transfer.” Every version that states a length is worded to the current owner: “for as long as you own your vehicle,” or, on the page written for insurers, “For as long as your client owns the vehicle.” Read as written, the guarantee ends when you sell. Safelite, by contrast, says outright that its glass warranty “is not transferrable to another owner/lessor”; Gerber simply does not say. If you are buying a used car that Gerber repaired, do not count on the seller’s guarantee. **Is it honored at any Gerber?** The names “National” and “Nationwide” suggest so, and every shop belongs to the same company. But no page we read says in so many words that another location will take the claim. The FAQ’s answer to “Who do I contact for a warranty issue?” is to call customer service or use the online contact form. Gerber also has a Customer Care page with a contact form for complaints. **Is there a deadline or an inspection?** Gerber prints none. Safelite’s glass warranty requires notice “within 30 days of discovering the defect”; Gerber’s pages set no such limit, but “see in store” leaves room for one. Report a problem as soon as you see it and keep a copy of what you sent. **Keep the final estimate and invoice for as long as you own the car.** Gerber’s guarantee covers the repairs “as reflected in your final estimate,” so that document defines what is covered. Before you authorize the work, ask the shop for the in-store guarantee terms its page refers to, and ask whether they add a claim deadline, an inspection step or anything on transfer. If your shop used to be a Joe Hudson’s and did work on your car before the 2026 conversion, ask in writing whether Gerber honors that earlier warranty; nothing we read says. Here is how Gerber’s printed terms line up with two chains this site has already read. This is a comparison of wording only, not of price or quality. **Printed repair-guarantee terms: Gerber, CARSTAR and Safelite (each read 9 October 2026)** | Term | Gerber Collision & Glass | CARSTAR (collision) | Safelite (glass) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How long | “for as long as you own your vehicle” | Web pages: five years on “qualifying repairs”; franchise document: “Limited Lifetime” | “for as long as you own or lease the vehicle” | | Passes to a buyer | Not stated; worded to your ownership | Not stated | “not transferrable to another owner/lessor” | | Exclusions printed | Yes, six on the guarantee page | Only in a document handed over “if provided” | Yes, on its warranty page | | Deadline to report | None printed | None printed | Within 30 days of discovering the defect | | Failed chip repair | Chip repair’s cost credited toward a new windshield | Not applicable | Repair’s cost credited toward a Safelite replacement | | Who stands behind it | Gerber itself (company-operated) | The franchisee; other shops honor claims after written authorization | Safelite itself | Our [CARSTAR page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/#the-warranty) and [Safelite page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#lifetime-warranty) quote those terms in full, and another collision chain, [Crash Champions](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crash-champions/), has its own page. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the paint, the damaged area and the grille, each with one fact from Gerber Collision’s guarantee page and its article on choosing a shop. Gerber Collision’s guarantee page and its article on choosing a shop, read on 9 October 2026: Workmanship guaranteed for as long as you own the car, per Gerber’s guarantee page (callout 1); Not covered: rust, stone chips, scratches, abuse, a later collision or theft (callout 2); Your insurer may suggest a shop; Gerber’s own article says the choice is yours (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Windshields and other glass The “Glass” in the name is a real second business. Gerber says it offers “same-day / next-day windshield auto glass repair and replacement service - including free on-site mobile service, direct billing to insurance, and a National Lifetime Guarantee.” Mobile service “is offered within a 30-mile radius of our locations,” and the FAQ says “There is no charge for mobile / onsite auto glass service.” Boyd’s filing calls the company “a major retail auto glass operator in the U.S.” under the Gerber name and four other glass brands. The glass guarantee has two parts, and they are not alike: - **Replacement.** “Your windshield replacement is warranted against air and water leaks, defective materials and/or workmanship for as long as you own your vehicle.” That is a true lifetime-of-ownership promise on the installation and the glass. - **Chip repair.** Gerber says it “guarantees windshield chip repairs for as long as you own your vehicle,” but the remedy is specific: if you are not satisfied, or “the chip repair fails to stop the break,” Gerber “will credit the cost of the chip repair towards a new windshield and we will install it for you.” The repair page adds that “sometimes the repair process will cause a crack to spread necessitating a full windshield replacement,” and the FAQ says that in that case, too, you get the credit. In plain terms, a failed chip repair gets you a discount on a new windshield, not a free one. Which damage can be repaired? The FAQ says a chip “smaller than a quarter in diameter” may be, and so may a crack under 6 inches long, “the size of a dollar bill.” A quote, it says, covers “labor (installation) and the cost of the glass chosen,” with sales tax and any extra materials on top. Technicians follow the National Glass Association and AGRSS installation standards, according to the FAQ. Two things to ask about. First, the glass itself: asked “Do you use OEM quality glass?”, the FAQ answers that Gerber uses “only the highest quality glass and adhesives.” “OEM quality” is not the same claim as glass made for the carmaker; our [windshield page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#glass-variants) explains the difference. Second, the camera: none of Gerber’s glass pages mentions recalibrating the driver-assistance camera behind the windshield. Boyd’s MD&A does: scanning and calibration made up 6% of its revenue in 2025, and 75% of that work in the U.S. was done in-house in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from 53% a year earlier. Ask whether your car needs recalibration after the job and who will do it; our [windshield replacement guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#calibration) covers why it matters. On paying, Gerber’s FAQ says glass work “is covered under your automobile’s comprehensive policy,” that the deductible is “collected at the time of service,” and that “Many insurers will waive your deductible for a windshield repair.” Your policy decides, not the shop. One more Boyd business sits behind some glass claims: Gerber National Claims Services, a third-party administrator that Boyd says “offers glass, emergency roadside and first notice of loss services.” Boyd does not say which insurers use it. If a claims line steers you to a shop, say which shop you want and ask whether your policy limits that; our [Safelite page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#insurance) covers how glass claims are routed. ## How Gerber works with insurance companies Gerber’s pages put insurance first. It says it will “process your insurance claim in-house,” bill the insurer directly and work “with your insurance company on your behalf, managing the claim and direct billing process.” It says its shops are DRP (Direct Repair Program) partners, part of what Boyd calls insurers’ “customer referral arrangements.” How many insurers that covers depends on the page: “many well-known insurance companies” on the insurance and glass pages, “most insurance companies” on the collision page, and “all major insurance companies” on the windshield replacement page. The insurance page’s practical advice: “contact any Gerber Collision & Glass to verify” whether it is in your insurer’s program. Insurers get their own service menu, Gerber Platinum Solutions, which lists a “Dedicated Toll-Free Number,” “Centralized Scheduling of Repair or Estimate,” “Vehicle Rental & Tow Coordination” and customer-satisfaction measurement for its “insurance partners.” Boyd’s filings show how much of the business that is. The Annual Information Form says “the highest percentage of the Company’s revenue is derived from insurance-paid collision repair services,” and that the top five insurers it deals with accounted for “approximately 54%” of total sales in 2025 (51% in 2024), with the largest at about 19% and the second at about 12%. By our arithmetic, two insurance companies accounted for roughly 31% of Boyd’s 2025 sales. The same document warns that DRP agreements are “usually cancellable upon short notice,” and that insurers choose shops on criteria including “average cost of repair, cycle time, customer service, high quality repair and integrity in every interaction.” Two lines in Boyd’s MD&A are worth knowing before you sign an estimate. In 2025 Boyd aligned “regional and field management compensation” with “each carrier’s performance expectations.” And among the initiatives it says lower repair costs for its customers is a “focus on the use of cost effective alternative parts.” Neither line says anything about repair quality. Both are reasons to read the estimate closely: ask which parts are new original-equipment parts and which are alternatives, and which items your insurer will and will not pay for. ## Your right to choose the shop Gerber’s FAQ and insurance page do not raise the question; one of its articles does. Under the heading “Choosing a Collision Repair Shop Is up to You,” it says insurers “usually recommend several vehicle repair shops,” that those shops “often have contracts or agreements with the insurance companies to carry out the repair work at a lower cost to the insurance company,” and that “it is up to the owner to decide which shop should work on their vehicle.” Gerber is itself one of those contracted shops for many insurers, so the advice cuts both ways: you may pick a Gerber your insurer did not suggest, or go elsewhere when it did. Boyd’s Annual Information Form says the same thing from the company’s side: “Although automobile owners still have the freedom of choice of repair provider, insurance companies may educate the owner on the benefits of choosing a repairer in their DRP network.” Another Gerber article advises getting “at least three written estimates” with “a detailed breakdown of the repairs included.” The right itself comes from state law. This site read one state’s statute in full for its CARSTAR page on 9 October 2026: Minnesota Statutes section 72A.201, subdivision 6, which governs insurers handling claims in Minnesota, where Gerber had 16 locations as at August 11, 2026. It makes it an unfair settlement practice for an insurer to require, as a condition of paying a claim, that repairs be made “by a particular contractor or repair shop,” or that parts, “other than window glass, must be replaced with parts other than original equipment parts.” When you report a claim, a Minnesota insurer must tell you: “You have the legal right to choose a repair shop to fix your vehicle.” Once you say you have chosen, it “must cease all efforts to influence” your choice. Gerber operates in 37 states, and we did not read any other state’s rules; your state insurance department can tell you yours. Our [CARSTAR page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/#right-to-choose) reads the Minnesota text more closely. ## Rental cars, towing and updates On rentals, Gerber is direct: “When you bring your vehicle for repair, we’ll arrange for a rental vehicle.” Another page says it will “coordinate a rental vehicle,” and the insurance page says it will “help arrange alternate transportation while your vehicle is undergoing repairs.” Arranging is not paying. Gerber’s own article on rental fees puts it plainly: “if your insurance doesn’t cover car rentals, you may be responsible for the rental car bill.” Whether you pay depends on your policy’s rental coverage or, if another driver caused the crash, on that driver’s insurer. Its menu for insurers lists “Schedule Rental Delivery w/ ERAC,” an abbreviation the page does not spell out, so ask which rental company you will be sent to. Minnesota’s statute again spells out the customer’s side. An insurer that recommends a rental company must say: “Minnesota law gives you the right to choose any rental vehicle company, and prohibits me from requiring you to choose a particular vendor.” In a claim against another driver’s insurer where liability is reasonably clear, it must tell you that you “may have a claim for loss of use of the vehicle.” Towing gets less space. No Gerber page for customers says it will arrange or pay for a tow; the phrase “Vehicle Rental & Tow Coordination” appears on the page written for insurers. Gerber’s article on when to tow advises that if “body panels or mechanical parts” are “hanging loose, then you should not attempt to drive the vehicle.” Ask your insurer who arranges the tow and who pays before the truck arrives. Among the ways Minnesota’s statute lets an insurer settle a damage claim is “to assume all costs, including reasonable towing costs, for the satisfactory repair of the motor vehicle.” While the car is in the shop, Gerber promises “twice-weekly update phone calls or text messages.” If the other driver’s insurer is paying, ask about the value your car loses from now having an accident history; our [diminished value guide](https://baronauto1.com/guides/diminished-value/#first-vs-third) explains who owes it. ## The estimate, the deductible and paying for it Gerber prints no repair prices. Its collision page says “We’ll review the damages and provide you with an accurate written repair estimate,” and the FAQ says it will help you file the insurance claim: “We will assist you every step of the way.” For payment, the FAQ lists “debit cards and most major credit cards (select locations may accept checks).” The glass page lists Visa, MasterCard, Amex, debit and cash for mobile service. The site also posts glass offers; the conditions we read limited one to “Non-Insurance Repairs only.” For a deductible or a bill your insurer will not pay, Gerber advertises interest-free financing. The financing page says “Up to 6 Months Interest FREE Financing,” available at “*select Gerber Collision & Glass locations,” and “Once approved you can arrange for repairs and have up to 6 months to pay.” An article says “0% financing for up to six months at select locations.” The insurance page says financing is “available at most locations.” None of these pages names the lender or says what happens to a balance still owed after six months. Before you sign, ask the shop for the credit agreement and read the part about the end of the interest-free period. If the insurer decides the car is not worth fixing, Gerber’s pages say nothing about total losses. Our [total loss page](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/total-loss-check-by-vin/) explains what the title record will show, and our [gap insurance page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) covers a payout that falls short of the loan. For a dent with no paint damage, paintless repair is a different service; our [Dent Wizard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/dent-wizard/) page reads one company’s terms for it. ## How many Gerber shops there are Gerber’s own pages give older or rounder numbers than its parent’s filings. The FAQ and the Locations page say “over 1,000 repair center locations”; the insurance page still says “over 600 locations” and “Hundreds of Convenient Locations.” Boyd’s filings count by brand and by state. **Gerber and Boyd location counts by source (read 9 October 2026)** | Count | What it counts | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | over 600 | “over 600 locations” | Gerber insurance page, read 9 October 2026 | | over 1,000 | “over 1,000 repair center locations” | Gerber FAQ and Locations page, read 9 October 2026 | | 1,000th | Boyd’s 1,000th location, all brands, at a Gerber shop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Boyd 2025 MD&A, milestone of August 28, 2025 | | 1,174 | Gerber locations in 37 states | Boyd 2025 MD&A table, as at March 17, 2026 | | 1,189 | Gerber locations in 37 states, including three intake and two fleet locations | Boyd second-quarter report, as at August 11, 2026 | | 1,321 | Boyd collision locations, all brands | Boyd results release, at June 30, 2026 | | 1,323 | Boyd collision locations, all brands (Gerber, Boyd Autobody & Glass 46, Assured 88) | Boyd second-quarter report, as at August 11, 2026 | By our arithmetic, Gerber made up 89.9% of Boyd’s collision locations in August 2026 and added 15 locations between the March and August tables. The largest state counts in August were Florida (123), Texas (98), Michigan (78) and Illinois (73). Boyd’s MD&A calls the company “the second largest independent collision repair operator” after the Joe Hudson’s purchase. ## What regulators and courts have recorded Web searches on 9 October 2026 found no state attorney-general, FTC or court action against Gerber Collision & Glass or Boyd over repairs, warranties or advertising. Boyd’s Annual Information Form, under “Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Actions,” says: “Neither BGSI, Boyd nor any of its subsidiaries are involved in any legal proceedings which are material in any respect.” The one regulatory step in the filings concerns the Joe Hudson’s deal: on January 7, 2026, Boyd announced “that the regulatory requirements have been satisfied” and closed two days later. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our request and this site does not use review sites, so this page gives no rating. ## Where Gerber’s own documents disagree, and what to ask We recorded 7 places where Gerber’s pages disagree with each other or with Boyd’s filings. Those that matter to a customer: - **How much of the work the guarantee covers.** “a Lifetime Guarantee on all of our work” in one place; the repairs “as reflected in your final estimate,” against “defects of workmanship,” with six exclusions, in the guarantee’s actual terms. - **What a chip-repair guarantee pays.** “All repairs are covered by our lifetime guarantee,” says the glass page; the guarantee page’s remedy for a failed chip repair is a credit toward a new windshield. - **Where financing is offered.** “available at most locations” on the insurance page; “*select” locations on the financing page and in an article. - **Which insurers Gerber works with.** DRP partner for “many well-known insurance companies,” for “most insurance companies,” or “Approved by all major insurance companies,” depending on the page. - **Size.** “America’s leading collision repairer” on one page, against Boyd’s “second largest independent collision repair operator”; “over 600” and “over 1,000” locations against 1,189 in the filings. Your own paperwork outranks all of it: the estimate, the final invoice and any guarantee terms the store gives you. - **At the estimate,** ask for the in-store guarantee terms (“Please see in store for additional details”) and check them for a claim deadline, an inspection step and anything on selling the car. - **Read the parts lines.** Ask which parts are new original-equipment parts and which are alternatives, and which items your insurer will not pay for. - **If your insurer steers you,** remember Gerber’s own article: “it is up to the owner to decide which shop should work on their vehicle.” Ask your insurer what your state’s law says. - **Before the rental and the tow,** ask who is paying and which rental company you will be sent to. - **Before financing,** ask who the lender is and what happens if the balance is not paid within six months. - **After a windshield,** ask whether the camera needs recalibration and who did it. - **At pickup,** check the work, then keep the final estimate and invoice for as long as you own the car. If you sell, tell the buyer the guarantee is worded to you. ## Common questions ### Who owns Gerber Collision & Glass? Boyd Group Services Inc., a Canadian company whose shares trade in Toronto and, since its U.S. offering on November 4, 2025, on the New York Stock Exchange as BGSI. Boyd runs Gerber’s shops itself; they are not franchises. ### Does Gerber Collision have a lifetime warranty? Yes. Gerber calls it a Lifetime Guarantee: the repairs on your final estimate are guaranteed “against any defects of workmanship for as long as you own your vehicle.” Rust, abuse, a later collision or theft, stone chips, scratches and improper care are excluded. ### Does the Gerber guarantee transfer if I sell the car? Gerber’s pages do not say it does. Every version that states a length is worded “for as long as you own” the vehicle, and none mentions a transfer. Ask the shop for its in-store terms if a sale is coming. ### Do I have to use the body shop my insurance company recommends? Gerber’s own article says no: “it is up to the owner to decide which shop should work on their vehicle.” Boyd’s filing agrees that owners “still have the freedom of choice of repair provider.” The legal right comes from state law; Minnesota’s, for example, requires insurers to tell you so. ### Does Gerber give you a rental car? It arranges one: “When you bring your vehicle for repair, we’ll arrange for a rental vehicle.” Who pays is up to your policy or the other driver’s insurer; Gerber’s own article warns that without rental coverage “you may be responsible for the rental car bill.” ### Is Joe Hudson’s Collision Center now Gerber? Yes. Boyd bought Joe Hudson’s 258 locations for US$1.3 billion, closed on January 9, 2026, and says it completed their conversion during the second quarter of 2026. Nothing we read says how warranties issued before the conversion are handled; ask the shop in writing. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/ --- title: "Crash Champions: Its Lifetime Guarantee, Insurers and Owners" description: "Crash Champions promises a written lifetime guarantee while you own the car. What its pages say on insurers, your choice of shop, rentals and Service King." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crash-champions/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Crash Champions: Its Lifetime Guarantee, Insurers and Owners > Crash Champions promises a written lifetime guarantee while you own the car. What its pages say on insurers, your choice of shop, rentals and Service King. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,842 words* ## The short version - Crash Champions is a collision repair chain founded in 1999 by Matt Ebert, still its chief executive. Since August 1, 2022 it has been owned by Clearlake Capital Group, with a minority investment from an A&M Capital fund, after a deal that folded Service King into it. - Its pages promise a “written lifetime guarantee” on its workmanship “for as long as you own the vehicle,” valid at any Crash Champions location. The guarantee’s text, its exclusions and its claim steps are not published. - No page says the guarantee passes to the next owner. By its own wording, it ends when you sell the car. - Its shops are “pre-approved by insurance carriers” in most cases and write the estimate your insurer pays on. Its Washington and Illinois pages say plainly that the choice of shop is yours, not the insurer’s. - Rental cars are offered on site “at most locations” and arranged with your insurer; towing is offered on request. No price is printed for either, so your policy decides what you pay. - The court record we use is about job applicants, not repairs: a Washington class settlement notice. We found no consumer action by a state attorney general or the FTC. If you searched for Crash Champions, you probably have a damaged car and an insurance claim to match. Crash Champions is a collision repair chain that says it runs more than 650 shops in 38 states under one name, including the former Service King shops, and its main written promise is a lifetime guarantee that lasts while you own the car. On 9 October 2026 we read Crash Champions’ warranty, repair process, insurance, rental, towing, history and leadership pages, its July 14, 2022 release on the Service King deal, A&M Capital’s August 1, 2022 release on the sale, Clearlake’s portfolio page, Illinois’ auto claims rule, and a Washington settlement notice. Its website terms bar automated access, so we read its pages by hand, without scripts, and quote them briefly. This site has no commercial relationship with Crash Champions or any repair shop. **Figure: What Crash Champions’ pages say, by situation** Nine situations a Crash Champions customer meets, each matched to the wording of Crash Champions’ own web pages and releases. Read from crashchampions.com, Crash Champions’ July 14, 2022 release, A&M Capital’s August 1, 2022 release and 50 Ill. Adm. Code 919.80 on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Crash Champions The company started as one body shop. Its history page says the story “dates back to 1999 as a single body shop in New Lenox, IL,” founded by Matt Ebert, whom the page calls the “present-day founder and CEO.” The leadership page lists him as “Founder & Chief Executive Officer.” The shop traded as New Lenox Auto Body until 2014, when it “officially rebranded” as The Crash Champions Collision Repair Team. That makes the business 27 years old in 2026, by our arithmetic. In 2019 a fund of Alvarez & Marsal Capital, which calls itself “a multi-strategy private equity investment firm,” took control. A&M Capital’s release says its A&M Capital Opportunities fund “acquired a majority interest in Crash Champions on July 31, 2019,” and that during its “three-year ownership” the chain grew “from 8 original shops to over 200 shops across 20 states.” The current owner arrived in 2022. On July 14, 2022, Crash Champions announced it would receive “a growth investment from Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.” and at the same time carry out “a strategic transaction with Service King Collision.” A&M Capital’s release fills in what that meant: on August 1, 2022, Crash Champions “successfully completed a sale of the business to Clearlake,” and the company would be led by its management and operating partners “alongside Clearlake, with a minority investment from A&M Capital Strategic Investments Fund.” Clearlake’s portfolio page, read on 9 October 2026, lists Crash Champions as “Current,” investment year 2022. No price was published: the terms “were not disclosed.” Are the shops franchised? Nothing we read describes a franchise. Crash Champions grows by buying shops: its “Sell Your Shop” page says it has “integrated hundreds of independent collision repair teams” into the company, and the 2022 release says every location operates “under the Crash Champions name and banner.” Compare [CARSTAR](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/#who-owns-carstar), where each shop is a local franchise. Here the guarantee is presented as one company’s promise, valid at any of its locations. ## What happened to Service King Service King was the bigger of the two chains when they combined. The July 14, 2022 release says Service King “traces its roots to Dallas, Texas and founder Eddie Lennox, who opened the first Service King in 1976,” and that it then operated 334 locations in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Crash Champions, by the same release, was operating 218 centers across 20 states. Added together that is 552 locations, by our arithmetic; the release rounds it to “over 550 total locations across 35 states and the District of Columbia,” with a workforce that would “exceed 9,200 team members.” Clearlake was already involved with Service King: the release mentions its “capital infusion and debt recapitalization of Service King.” Both chains were to keep “operating at all service centers nationwide without interruption” during the integration. Today serviceking.com answers with a permanent redirect to crashchampions.com (our check, 9 October 2026). No document we read says what happened to warranties Service King wrote before 2022. If you have a Service King invoice and warranty, take both to a Crash Champions shop and ask, in writing, whether the work is still covered. **How Crash Champions grew, by its own documents and its owners’ (read 9 October 2026)** | When | Locations | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 1999 | 1 body shop in New Lenox, Illinois | History page | | July 31, 2019 | 8 original shops when A&M Capital bought a majority stake | A&M Capital release | | 2020 | More than 40, including Pacific Elite’s 20 Southern California shops | History page | | End of 2021 | 175 in 18 states and Washington DC, after buying Signature Collision Centers’ 24 East Coast shops | History page | | July 14, 2022 | 218 Crash Champions centers plus 334 Service King locations | Crash Champions release | | August 1, 2022 | Over 550 in 35 states and the District of Columbia | A&M Capital release; Clearlake portfolio page (unchanged on 9 October 2026) | | 2025 and 2026 | “more than 650” in 38 states | Releases and current pages | | 9 October 2026 | “661+”; 661 store pages in the locations sitemap | Washington and Illinois pages; our count | The sitemap reported “Number of URLs in this sitemap: 661,” each a store page; a sitemap can list shops just opened or closed, so treat it as a snapshot. The market pages count 31 locations in Washington and 59 in Illinois. ## The lifetime guarantee, in Crash Champions’ words Crash Champions uses “lifetime warranty” and “lifetime guarantee” interchangeably, and its pages agree on the main terms. Its [lifetime warranty page](https://www.crashchampions.com/crash-champions-lifetime-warranty) says it backs “all repair work performed by our technicians at any Crash Champions repair center nationwide with a written lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the vehicle.” The repair process FAQ narrows the subject to the labor: “our workmanship is backed by a written lifetime warranty,” honored “at all 650+ Crash Champions locations nationwide for as long as you own the vehicle.” So the guarantee is written, which means there is a document; it runs for your ownership, not a set number of years; and any Crash Champions shop honors it. A store FAQ in New Lenox, Illinois, puts it this way: “The coverage lasts as long as you own the vehicle and travels with you to any Crash Champions location in our 38-state network.” **How Crash Champions’ pages word the guarantee (read 9 October 2026)** | Page | What it says | Covers | Where honored | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lifetime warranty page | “a written lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the vehicle” | “all repair work performed by our technicians” | Not stated | | Repair process FAQ | “a written lifetime warranty” | “our workmanship” | “all 650+ Crash Champions locations” | | Washington and Illinois pages | “Written Lifetime Warranty” | Not stated | “Honored at 661+ locations nationwide” | | New Lenox store FAQ | “a written lifetime guarantee on the workmanship” | Workmanship | “any Crash Champions location in our 38-state network” | | Promise page | “a written lifetime guarantee on each and every Crash Champions repair” | Every repair | Not stated | | Difference page | “Our lifetime guarantee is valid at any Crash Champions location nationwide” | Not stated | Any location | The word “lifetime” carries a federal expectation. The FTC’s advertising guide for warranties, 16 CFR 239.4, says an ad that calls a guarantee “lifetime” should disclose “the life to which the representation refers,” and its own example of a clear disclosure is “Good for as long as you own the car!” Crash Champions’ wording does name the life: yours, as owner. That is plainer than at [CARSTAR](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/#the-warranty), whose web pages promise five years while its franchise papers call the same program lifetime. The guarantee also comes with a service promise: if you are “not completely satisfied with your repair, reach out and we’ll set up a time to make it right,” or “simply return to any Crash Champions location.” ## What the guarantee leaves unsaid: exclusions, paint and the next owner Crash Champions does not publish the guarantee itself. No page we read lists an exclusion, a claim procedure or a deadline for reporting a problem. So it is open whether parts are covered or only labor (several pages say “workmanship”), whether paint that fades years later counts, and whether you must bring the car in for inspection first. Federal law defines a written warranty as a promise about “the nature of the material or workmanship” (15 U.S.C. 2301(6)); whether a collision repair falls under that Act is a question for a lawyer. Crash Champions words its promise around workmanship, and only the written guarantee says whether materials are covered too. The website itself does not stand in for that document. Crash Champions’ Terms of Use say that no information “obtained by you from Crash Champions Collision Repair Centers or through any Resources we provide shall create any warranty, guarantee, or conditions of any kind, except for those expressly outlined in this User Agreement.” Read literally, the web pages describe the guarantee, and the paper you are handed is the guarantee. **Get the written guarantee before you authorize the repair.** Crash Champions calls its guarantee “written,” but publishes no copy. Ask the shop for it at the estimate, read what it excludes and how to make a claim, and keep it with the final invoice for as long as you own the car. If the shop will not show it to you in advance, ask for the coverage and the exclusions to be written on the estimate. **Paint.** The auto painting page says Crash Champions will “back our work with a written lifetime guarantee.” Its after-care page asks you to protect new paint: for the first 30 days, “Don’t use commercial car washes,” and “Don’t scrape ice or snow off of freshly painted surfaces”; for the first 90 days, “Don’t polish or wax your car.” It does not say whether ignoring that advice affects the guarantee; ask. **The “Paint Warranty” link is something else.** A link with that name in the site’s footer opens a login page titled “Crash Champions - Hyundai Warranty,” not a warranty document. A May 29, 2025 release explains it: Hyundai Motor America selected Crash Champions as its “authorized repair partner” to help provide “Hyundai customers with comprehensive paint repair service,” and “Crash Champions will honor its lifetime warranty on all vehicles serviced.” Whether a Hyundai qualifies is Hyundai’s decision; start with a dealer. **The next owner.** No page says whether the guarantee can be transferred. Every version of the wording ties it to your ownership (“for as long as you own the vehicle”), so a buyer should not count on it. Safelite says outright that its glass warranty “is not transferrable to another owner/lessor”; Crash Champions is silent. **Printed warranty terms of three chains (each company’s own wording; CARSTAR and Safelite read 9 October 2026)** | Chain | How long | Next owner | Where honored | Full text published? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Crash Champions | Lifetime: “for as long as you own the vehicle” | Not stated | “any Crash Champions location nationwide” | No | | [CARSTAR](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/) | “5-year” on its web pages; “Limited Lifetime” in its franchise document | Not stated | Participating locations; another shop acts “after receiving written authorization” | No; a document “if provided” by the shop | | [Safelite](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#lifetime-warranty) (glass) | “for as long as you own or lease the vehicle” | “not transferrable to another owner/lessor” | “any location across the United States” | Yes | The table compares printed terms only. It says nothing about repair quality or price. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the phone's screen, the hand and the cracked corner, each with one fact from Crash Champions’ guarantee and state pages. Crash Champions’ guarantee and state pages, read on 9 October 2026: Body and paint work: a written lifetime guarantee on workmanship, Crash Champions says (callout 1); Sell the car and, by its own wording, the guarantee ends: it runs while you own it (callout 2); Your insurer may name a shop; its state pages say the choice of shop is yours (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## How Crash Champions works with your insurer Crash Champions’ pages describe a chain built around insurance claims. The insurance page says: “In most cases, our repair centers are pre-approved by insurance carriers,” which means Crash Champions “will work directly with your insurance carrier to complete all repair paperwork, write an approved estimate, and complete the repair work assigned by the claim.” The repair process FAQ adds: “We can file supplements and work directly with your adjuster.” Clearlake’s portfolio page puts it in industry terms: Crash Champions “maintains direct repair program relationships with the nation’s leading insurance carriers.” The repair process page shows four names under “Insurance Partners”: Allstate, GEICO, Progressive and Liberty Mutual. A direct repair program is an insurer’s list of approved shops. For you, it means the shop writes the estimate the insurer pays on, then asks the insurer for more (a supplement) if it finds hidden damage once the car is apart. Crash Champions’ own process is described that way: the parts are ordered after “A complete repair plan is finalized alongside your insurance carrier,” and its checklist includes “Supplement filed with insurance.” Which insurers that covers varies by page, from “all insurance companies” to “most major insurance carriers.” Working with an insurer is not the same as being in its program, so ask whether the shop is in yours. The estimate is where disagreements start, and state rules help there. Illinois, where Crash Champions has its head office and 59 shops, requires insurers that settle a partial loss on their own written estimate to give you “a copy of the estimate upon which the settlement is based” if you ask ([50 Ill. Adm. Code 919.80](https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/illinois/Ill-Admin-Code-tit-50-SS-919.80)). If your own shop’s estimate is higher, the insurer must “review and respond promptly” and give you “the name of a repair shop that will make the repairs in a workmanlike manner” for its figure; if it does not, it must tell you in writing that it will reimburse reasonable costs above its estimate. If the other driver was at fault, you may also have a claim for the value your car loses because it now has a crash history; our [diminished value guide](https://baronauto1.com/guides/diminished-value/#first-vs-third) explains whose insurer owes it. ## Your right to choose the shop We found no national page on this question, but two of Crash Champions’ state pages answer it directly. The Washington page: “You choose the shop, not the insurer, whichever facility gets suggested first.” The Illinois page: “The choice of repair shop is yours to make, whichever shop your insurer mentions first.” Both tell you to bring your claim number to the free estimate if you have already filed. The right itself comes from state law, and the wording differs from state to state. Illinois’ rule does not state a right to choose in so many words; it says an insurer “shall not require the insured or claimant to travel unreasonably either to obtain a repair estimate or to have the vehicle repaired at a specific repair shop that is recommended by the company,” and that the state insurance department will weigh “availability and cost” in deciding what is reasonable. The copy we read carries the history note “Amended at 26 Ill. Reg. 11915, effective July 22, 2002.” Minnesota’s statute, which we read for our CARSTAR page on 9 October 2026, goes further: an insurer may not require “as a condition of payment of a claim that repairs to any damaged vehicle must be made by a particular contractor or repair shop,” and when you report a claim it must tell you, “You have the legal right to choose a repair shop to fix your vehicle” ([Minn. Stat. 72A.201](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/72A.201), subdivision 6). We did not read other states’ texts; your state insurance department can tell you yours. The right runs both ways: you can pick Crash Champions over the insurer’s shop, or decline Crash Champions when the insurer names it. Our [Safelite page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#insurance) covers glass-only claims. ## The estimate, the repair and the safety-system calibration Crash Champions says its estimates are free (“Estimates are always free”) and that a service advisor coordinates the estimate “while also working directly with your insurance carrier to update your claim.” Its repair process page lays out “four phases, ten disciplined steps,” from a diagnostic pre-scan at intake to a post-scan, a detail and pickup. It says every repair gets a pre-scan and a post-scan and that all driver assistance features “impacted by the damage are recalibrated to original condition by certified technicians.” That calibration step matters on any car with a camera behind the windshield or radar in the bumper. Crash Champions’ ADAS page says a feature “must be calibrated if a sensor or camera is disrupted in any way,” including after “windshield or mirror repairs, suspension repairs, and even minor fender benders.” The page says Crash Champions teams up with Automotive Technology Experts (ATE), which specializes “in advanced diagnostics and scanning,” and the leadership page lists a “Chief Operations Officer (ATE).” Its Washington page says a windshield replacement “triggers a camera recalibration on most newer vehicles, which is handled as part of the job.” Our [windshield replacement guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#calibration) explains static and dynamic calibration and what a proper one needs. On parts, Crash Champions says it uses “the parts your vehicle’s certification calls for, not generic substitutes.” Who pays for which parts is settled with your insurer. Illinois lets an insurer specify non-original crash parts only if they are “at least equal in like kind and quality to the original part in terms of fit, quality and performance.” Read the estimate’s parts lines, and ask which are original equipment. Manufacturer certification is per shop, not per chain. The Difference page lists 20 brand entries, from Alfa Romeo to VW, under “Our Collision Centers are Certified Repair Facilities.” The Washington page is more precise: “A manufacturer program is earned by one Washington location at a time, so the honest answer is per shop rather than per state.” If your carmaker requires a certified shop for some repairs, check the specific shop’s page. How long it takes depends on the page. The company FAQ says “Most repairs take between 5-15 business days”; the New Lenox store FAQ says to expect “three to ten business days for a typical repair” and adds that “The written estimate includes the timeline.” At pickup, the process page calls the walk-around “your opportunity to review the vehicle alongside our service advisor to ensure the authorized repairs were completed to your satisfaction.” Do that before you sign or pay. ## Rental cars, towing and storage **Rental.** Crash Champions’ rental page says it goes “a step further by ensuring that you have access to a rental service on-site,” with its staff working “directly with you, your insurance carrier, and our rental partners.” The partners are not named. Other pages hedge: the state pages say on-site rentals are “Available at most locations,” and the FAQ ends its rental answer with “Details vary by location.” Ask the specific shop at the estimate. Who pays depends on your policy’s rental coverage and on fault. When another driver is at fault and liability is “reasonably clear,” Illinois’ rule says that driver’s insurer “shall pay for the reasonable and necessary costs, in direct proportion to the extent of its liability, incurred in the rental of another automobile.” **Towing.** The towing page says Crash Champions offers “towing services to our local repair centers” and asks you to call its team to check availability in your area. The Washington page lists “24/7 towing coordination and secure storage.” Neither page prints a tow or storage price or says who pays. Storage is the charge that can creep. Illinois requires an insurer to give “reasonable notice to an insured prior to termination of payment for automobile storage charges,” and, unless it named a towing company before you used another one, to pay “any and all reasonable towing charges irrespective of the towing company used by the insured.” Wherever you live, ask the shop and the adjuster who is paying for the tow and the storage, and from what date. If the insurer declares the car a total loss, our [total loss page](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/total-loss-check-by-vin/) explains the title record, and our [gap insurance page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) covers what happens when the payout is less than the loan. ## Paying, picking up and getting help afterward Crash Champions does not print prices, and none of the pages we read says when the deductible is collected. A store page we read (New Lenox) lists the payments it accepts: “All Major Credit Cards,” “Debit Cards,” “Insurance Direct Pay” and “Cashier Checks.” Ask your shop when your share is due and how it can be paid. For bills you pay yourself, Crash Champions offers financing through Sunbit, which it calls “Fix Now Pay Later.” Its knowledge center article says the program “is now available across our network,” covers “out-of-pocket repairs not covered by insurance,” and that “there’s no hard credit check, no fees, and over 90% of customers get approved.” Those are Crash Champions’ claims, not Sunbit’s terms, which we did not read. The article is undated and describes an interest-free option, which we do not repeat because offers change; read Sunbit’s own terms before you sign. If something is wrong after pickup, the contact page sends repair questions to “your local collision repair center,” and its contact form includes the option “Resolve an issue with my repair experience.” The customer experience team, its drop-off page says, is available “Monday-Friday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. (CST).” Since the company says any location honors the guarantee, a shop near a new address should look at another shop’s work; bring the invoice and the written guarantee. ## What courts and regulators have on record We found no consumer-protection action by a state attorney general or the FTC naming Crash Champions or Service King. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our requests that day and we do not use review sites, so we give no rating. The court record we use concerns job applicants, not repairs. **Washington, job postings (settlement).** A court-authorized notice in Douglas Hein v. Crash Champions, LLC, et al., Snohomish County Superior Court Case No. 24-2-05012-31, describes a class claim that Crash Champions’ job postings in Washington “did not disclose the wage scale or salary range being offered as required by Washington law.” The notice says Crash Champions “disputes Plaintiff’s claims and contends it has not violated any law,” and that “The Court has not made any determinations regarding the merit or lack of merit of the Plaintiff’s claims.” The proposed settlement runs from a minimum of $1,215,678.10 to a maximum of $2,065,300 depending on claims; the court preliminarily approved it on May 30, 2025 and set a final approval hearing for October 16, 2025. We did not read the final order. **Ownership and court records on Crash Champions that we read (9 October 2026)** | Date | Record | What it was about | What it says happened | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | July 31, 2019 | A&M Capital release | Ownership | A&M Capital Opportunities acquired a majority interest | | August 1, 2022 | A&M Capital release | Ownership | Sale to Clearlake completed, together with the Service King transaction | | May 30, 2025 | Hein v. Crash Champions, LLC (Wash. Super. Ct., Snohomish County) | Job postings without a wage scale or salary range | Proposed class settlement preliminarily approved; Crash Champions disputes the claims | ## Where Crash Champions’ own pages disagree, and what to ask We recorded 10 places where Crash Champions’ documents, or its owners’, disagree with each other. The ones that matter to a customer: - **How many shops.** Most pages and releases say “650+”; the state pages say “661+,” matching the 661 store pages in its sitemap. Clearlake’s portfolio page, marked “Current,” still says “over 550 facilities in 35 states.” - **Which insurers.** “all insurance companies” on the home page; “nearly all major automotive insurance providers” on the history page. - **Whether a rental is on site.** The rental page promises “access to a rental service on-site”; the state pages say “Available at most locations.” - **How long a repair takes.** “5-15 business days” in the company FAQ; “three to ten business days” at New Lenox. - **What the guarantee covers.** “each and every Crash Champions repair” on one page; “our workmanship” on others. - **Its age.** Founded in 1999, 27 years ago by our arithmetic, but the promise page says “nearly a quarter century of experience.” - **Its review figures.** “4.5 Rating 158,153+ Reviews” on one page; “4.8★ Average 1164 Reviews” on both state pages. These are its own tallies; we do not rate shops. - **Who runs the website.** The Terms of Use say the site is controlled from offices “in the state of Texas” and give a Westmont, Illinois address; they took effect August 7, 2013, a year before the 2014 rebrand on the history page. None of this changes the guarantee’s core terms, which every page states the same way. Your own paperwork still outranks the website. - **At the estimate,** ask for a copy of the written lifetime guarantee and read what it excludes, how to claim, and whether it covers parts as well as workmanship. - **Ask whether this shop is in your insurer’s program,** and get the parts list in writing, including which parts are original equipment. - **If your insurer names another shop,** remember the company’s own words, “The choice of repair shop is yours to make,” and ask your state insurance department what your state’s rule says. - **Before the tow, the storage and the rental,** ask the shop and the adjuster who pays and from what date. Crash Champions prints no prices for any of them. - **If the car has driver assistance cameras or radar,** ask for the post-repair scan and calibration records with the invoice. - **At pickup,** walk around the car with the service advisor before you pay, then take the invoice and the written guarantee home. - **If the repair fails later,** any Crash Champions location is supposed to honor the guarantee. If you have sold the car, the new owner should not count on it. - **If you have a pre-2022 Service King repair,** bring that shop’s invoice and warranty and ask Crash Champions in writing whether it still stands. ## Common questions ### Who owns Crash Champions? The investment firm Clearlake Capital Group, which completed its purchase on August 1, 2022, with a minority investment from an A&M Capital fund, according to A&M Capital’s release. Founder Matt Ebert is still chief executive, and Clearlake listed the investment as “Current” on 9 October 2026. ### Does Crash Champions have a lifetime warranty? Yes. Its pages promise “a written lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the vehicle” on its work, valid at any Crash Champions location nationwide. The full terms, including exclusions, are in the written guarantee the shop gives you, which is not published online. ### Is the Crash Champions warranty transferable? No page says it is. Every version of the wording ties the guarantee to your ownership, so a buyer should not count on it. ### Is Crash Champions the same company as Service King? They combined in 2022: the deal was announced July 14 and closed August 1, and all locations now operate under the Crash Champions name. Service King’s website redirects to Crash Champions. ### Do I have to use the repair shop my insurance company recommends? Crash Champions’ Washington page says “You choose the shop, not the insurer,” and its Illinois page says the choice “is yours to make.” The right comes from state law, which varies; Illinois bars insurers from requiring unreasonable travel to a shop they recommend. ### Does Crash Champions provide a rental car or a tow? It offers on-site rentals at most locations, arranged with your insurer, and towing to its shops on request. It prints no prices; your policy and fault decide what you pay. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crash-champions/ --- title: "Lexus Financial Services Review: Pay, Payoff, Lease End, Who Holds It" description: "Who stands behind Lexus Financial Services, how to pay and pay off, the Lexus lease-end wear and disposition-fee waivers, and where LFS’s own pages disagree." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/lexus-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Lexus Financial Services Review: Pay, Payoff, Lease End, Who Holds It > Who stands behind Lexus Financial Services, how to pay and pay off, the Lexus lease-end wear and disposition-fee waivers, and where LFS’s own pages disagree. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,845 words* ## The short version - Lexus Financial Services (LFS) is a service mark used by Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC), the company behind Toyota Financial Services. TMCC services every LFS loan and lease, and Toyota Lease Trust owns the leases. - Newer Lexus contracts do not appear to come from Toyota Financial Savings Bank. TMCC’s 10-K moved only new Mazda contracts to that bank, and no LFS page ties it to Lexus. - Paying from a bank account is free. LFS “can’t process cash, credit, or debit card payments,” and its current online terms put the same-day cut-off at 6 p.m. Central. - A payoff quote is good for 10 days. A paper title should arrive 25 to 40 business days after the payoff posts; an electronic one within 7.5 to 9.5 weeks. - Return a lease only to a Lexus or Toyota dealer. Leases signed after 27 January 2026 get up to $500 of wear waived, LFS’s Excess Wear & Use Protection covers up to $7,500 against Toyota’s $5,000, and returning customers can have the disposition fee waived up to $350. - The CFPB’s 2016 and 2023 consent orders were issued against TMCC, the company that services every Lexus account. Lexus complaints are filed under TMCC; a separate “LEXUS FINANCIAL SERVICES” name holds 1. Most people who search “Lexus Financial Services” want to pay, pay off a loan, end a lease or find out who holds the contract. On 9 October 2026 we read what LFS publishes on those questions: its payment, payoff, title and lease-end pages and FAQs, its glossary, two editions of its Lease-End Guide, its lease-programs and wear PDFs, and the [Online Policies and Agreements](https://www.lexusfinancial.com/us/en/online_policies_and_agreements.html) on its site. We also read the passages of TMCC’s [10-K for the year to 31 March 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/834071/000119312526252796/ck0000834071-20260331.htm) and 10-Q to 30 June 2026 that say who holds Lexus contracts. TMCC’s regulator record is shared with Toyota, so we summarise it from our [Toyota Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), read on 6 October 2026. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Lexus, TMCC or any lender. **Figure: Lexus Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of eight questions set against Lexus Financial Services’ own pages: Toyota Motor Credit Corporation services the account and Toyota Lease Trust owns leases, with no LFS page or TMCC filing naming Toyota Financial Savings Bank as a Lexus lender; paying from a bank account is free, cards are not accepted, and Western Union and CheckFreePay charge their own fees; online payments made after 6 p.m. Central may post the next business day; a payoff quote is good for 10 days, with a paper title in 25 to 40 business days and an electronic one in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks; leases after 27 January 2026 get up to $500 of wear waived and Excess Wear & Use Protection covers up to $7,500; LFS prints no per-mile rate on its FAQs and contradicts itself on buying miles; the disposition fee is waived up to $350 for returning customers; and the car must go back to a Lexus or Toyota dealer. Read from Lexus Financial Services’ payment, payoff, lease-end and wear pages, FAQs, glossary and online terms on 9 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Lexus Financial Services is, and who holds your contract The footer of every LFS page answers it: “Lexus Financial Services is a service mark used by Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Motor Insurance Services, Inc. (TMIS) and its subsidiaries.” Loans “may be owned by TMCC or its securitization affiliates,” leases by Toyota Lease Trust (TLT), and “TMCC is the servicer for accounts owned by TMCC, TLT, and their securitization affiliates.” TMCC’s 10-K agrees: “TMCC is marketed under the brands of Toyota Financial Services, Lexus Financial Services, and Bass Pro Shops Financial Services.” It adds that Toyota Lease Trust “acts as lessor and holds title to leased vehicles in the U.S.” Even the terms you accept online are TMCC’s: in the Online Policies and Agreements, effective October 10, 2025, “we” means Toyota Motor Credit Corporation. **The companies behind a Lexus Financial Services loan or lease, as LFS’s pages and TMCC’s filings describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Company | Role on an LFS account | | --- | --- | | Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) | Buys contracts from Lexus dealers, may own the loans, services every account | | Toyota Lease Trust (TLT) | Owns leases and holds title to the leased car | | Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS) | Shares the LFS name; administers GAP and other protection products | | Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. | Offers the college-graduate and military rewards, says the 2021 lease-programs brochure | | Toyota Financial Savings Bank | Named on LFS’s site only as an affiliate; TMCC’s 10-K ties it to Mazda, not Lexus | The Toyota plumbing shows in ordinary tasks. Pay a Lexus account through Western Union and LFS tells you to give the company name “based on account type”: “Retail Toyota Motor Credit” or “Lease Toyota Lease.” Move state with a leased Lexus and “Lexus Financial Services (LFS) or Toyota Lease Trust (TLT) must be listed as the legal owner or lessor on all title and registration documentation.” LFS’s documents describe the link four ways: a “service mark used by” TMCC and TMIS (footer), “a service mark of both TMCC and TMIS” (FAQ), “Toyota Motor Credit Corporation d/b/a Lexus Financial Services” (December 2025 Lease-End Guide) and “a division of Toyota Motor Credit Corporation” (2021 brochure). All four put TMCC behind the money. **Does Toyota Financial Savings Bank now write Lexus contracts?** Our [Mazda Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/#who-mfs-is) found that new Mazda contracts come from that bank. We found no such shift at Lexus. TMCC’s 10-K says “In fiscal 2025, TMCC transitioned the origination and financing of new automotive finance and lease contracts under the Mazda Financial Services (“MFS”) Agreement to Toyota Financial Savings Bank (“TFSB”).” Every other passage naming the bank concerns contracts “originated under the MFS Agreement by TFSB” or shared services; none mentions Lexus, and the 10-Q to 30 June 2026 does not mention the bank at all. On lexusfinancial.com it appears once, in TMCC’s privacy policy (revised May 8, 2025), as an example of the “other financial service companies” that may receive shared information. Your contract’s assignment section and your title name the holder for certain. The dealer writes the contract and sets the rate. LFS’s glossary says the contract “is later assigned to a secondary finance source, such as LFS,” and its FAQ says “Your Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is agreed upon by you and your dealer.” TMCC never reports Lexus on its own: its volume was “approximately 97 percent Toyota/Lexus and 3 percent private label/non-Toyota/Lexus.” A [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from another lender gives you a rate to hold the dealer to; our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains the dealer’s margin. ## How to pay Lexus Financial Services, and what each way costs LFS’s [Ways to Pay page](https://www.lexusfinancial.com/us/en/planning_tools/ways_to_pay.html) and payments FAQ list these routes. Every route LFS runs itself draws on a bank account. **Ways to pay a Lexus Financial Services account, as LFS’s pages and online terms describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Method | What LFS says it needs | Fee, as LFS prints it | | --- | --- | --- | | Pay Online (website) | Bank account and routing number; one-time or recurring | “Right now, we will not charge you any monthly or payment transaction fees” | | myLFS app or Lexus App | The Lexus App needs a web-registered account, a matching VIN and affiliate sharing on | None printed | | AutoCheque (automatic debit) | A paper form; “generally completed within 14 business days” | None printed | | Phone or mail | A checking account, or a check to the address on your statement | None printed | | Western Union Quick Collect | Cash or debit card; company name Toyota Motor Credit or Toyota Lease | “Western Union will collect a fee”; no amount | | CheckFreePay | Cash at a retail location | “CheckFreePay collects a fee”; no amount | The payments FAQ says “Unfortunately, we can’t process cash, credit, or debit card payments,” and LFS may “return the cash to the sender by regular mail.” Western Union and CheckFreePay take cash or a debit card and pass the payment on, for a fee LFS does not print. The Lexus App carries a privacy condition: to link your account you must “Have affiliate sharing enabled for LFS privacy choices,” and if you turned it off, “they will need to re-select and enable affiliate sharing in order to link LFS account on Lexus App.” If you would rather keep that sharing off, pay on the website or in the myLFS app. **Timing matters more than method.** The Online Policies and Agreements, effective October 10, 2025, say that “if you enter a payment post date after our cut off hour of 6 p.m. Central Time, we may change the payment post date of our payment to the date of our next business day.” That is 7 p.m. Eastern or 4 p.m. Pacific, by our arithmetic. Our Toyota review quoted TMCC’s older terms PDF, effective July 1, 2020, which said 5 p.m. Pacific, an hour later. The glossary adds “There are two days from the submit date to the credit date,” and once a payment is “in process” on its post date you cannot change or revoke it online. Pay a couple of days early. Recurring payments cover the scheduled amount only: “late fees, tolls, and parking tickets” are not debited with them. Weekly and bi-weekly schedules are “only available for Other Fixed Amount.” LFS cancels recurring payments itself after the final lease payment and “If your bank has returned NSF payments four or more times within the last 12 months.” Extra money is applied to principal but “will be applied towards your next scheduled payment,” so choose “Make A Principal Only Payment” if you want the balance cut; “Your account must be current.” LFS prints no late fee: “Late fees are subject to state laws.” Refunds come by check; “allow approximately 7-10 business days from the date the refund check is mailed.” You can ask to move your due date, but not if the account is past due, a lease is “near maturity,” or you have not made the first payment. A lease change requested “within 17 days” of the current due date waits a month, the total move over the contract is “no more than 29 days,” and loans cannot move to the 31st or leases to the 29th, 30th or 31st. ## Extensions, deferrals and falling behind LFS offers loan extensions and lease deferrals. An extension moves a payment to the end of the loan, but “your interest will still be calculated daily in accordance with the terms of your loan agreement and may result in additional finance charges.” Deferrals “require evaluation and approval on a case-by-case basis and could result in additional charges.” Get the new maturity date and extra charge in writing. If a car is repossessed, LFS says you can get it back “by either redeeming or reinstating your contract” and that it will send “a notice of intent to sell.” After a sale you owe any shortfall, and “if the proceeds are more than the amount owed, we will send you the excess.” Our Toyota review sets out [TMCC’s collection timeline](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#due-dates), and our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) the state rules. TMCC’s privacy policy adds that it “may direct Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) to find your vehicle” for alleged fraud or a breach of your contract. Keep insurance current. A loan needs physical damage cover for the car’s full value, with “no deductible limitations”; on a lease, “Physical damage insurance is required for the full value of the vehicle, with a maximum deductible of $1,000.” ## Payoff quotes and getting your title The payoff quote sits under Remaining Balance in your account. LFS says “A Payoff Quote is good for 10 days from the date it is provided,” though the amount can change if “returned payments or other charges or fees post to the account.” To send the title to a dealer or new lender, “Written or verbal authorization is required for the title/lien release to be sent to a third party.” **When LFS says a title or lien release arrives after a loan payoff posts (FAQ read 9 October 2026)** | Title type | What LFS does | Then | Total LFS expects | When to chase | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper title or lien release | Sends it within 10 business days | 15 to 30 business days in the post | 25 to 40 business days | After 40 business days, contact LFS | | Electronic title | Notifies the state within 10 business days | The state takes 6 to 8 weeks | 7.5 to 9.5 weeks | After 9.5 weeks, contact your state titling agency | These are the same figures Toyota prints, with the same exception: “Florida and Arizona generally require the title to remain electronic unless the owner requests a paper title.” Title problems after payoff are a recurring complaint about TMCC, as the counts [below](#the-lender) show, so diary the chase date the day you pay. ## Ending a Lexus lease: returning it, buying it or leaving early LFS gives three roads at lease end: turn the car in and buy or lease a new Lexus, buy the car you have, or hand it back. The return has one firm rule: “Ensure you return your vehicle back to a Toyota or Lexus dealer by lease-end.” “Your originating Dealer is required to process the vehicle return”; other Toyota and Lexus dealers usually will, “while not required,” so book the turn-in “approximately 30 days prior to your lease maturity date.” **Do not drop a Lexus lease at an independent dealer or car buyer.** LFS’s [Return Your Vehicle page](https://www.lexusfinancial.com/us/en/end_of_lease_options/return_your_vehicle.html) calls that “an unauthorized third-party vehicle return.” If you assign your purchase option to such a dealer, “you remain responsible for all obligations under the lease agreement” until LFS has the payoff and paperwork, and if you leave the car there, “we deem the vehicle to remain in your possession until the vehicle is delivered to us.” Bring “Your LFS Odometer Disclosure Statement,” the tool kit and spare, every key and remote, the manuals and any original equipment; missing items can bring “additional charges.” Sign the odometer statement and keep a copy, tell LFS the car is back through your account or app, and cancel automatic payments (“Yes, and this is one people forget”). TMCC’s privacy policy says it will have Toyota Motor North America locate a returned lease car “To ensure that your lease return is accurately recorded.” That matters: as the [2023 order below](#the-lender) shows, late-logged returns once got lessees reported as delinquent. The Lease End Invoice may list unpaid payments, late fees, “property taxes and parking/traffic citations,” wear, mileage and the disposition fee, and “These items may be taxable.” The December 2025 Lease-End Guide says it comes “60 to 120 days after your vehicle is returned.” A security deposit comes back by check but “will be used to first pay any Lease End Invoice charges.” **Buying the car.** Get a payoff quote in your LFS account; for a loan, “you can head straight to your dealer for help,” and “Some states require that you purchase your lease vehicle through your dealer.” TMCC’s 10-K says the lessee may buy “at the contractual residual value”; if you return the car, the dealer may buy it at that price or “a market-based price.” See our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual). **Leaving early.** “You can return your vehicle at any time. However, early termination charges may apply, which can be substantial.” LFS prints no formula. For a return 31 days or more early, the Early Lease Return page says “TFS will calculate your early return balance” using “the lowest calculation of this balance based on your lease agreement,” with the invoice “60-120 days after return.” It lists four exits that may cost less: the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act, under which eligible service members may end a lease “without early lease termination charges”; a Gold Star Military Program; a Deceased Customer Transfer of Lease; and Probate Lease Cancellation when all parties on the lease have died. “Cancellation or forgiveness of lease obligations may be taxable as income.” Our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares other lessors. ## Mileage, wear and Lexus’s protection limits Your allowance is in your lease. LFS’s formula is the term in months, divided by 12, times “15,000 (standard lease) or 12,000 (low mileage lease)”, so 45,000 miles on a standard 36-month lease. Low-mileage leases come at “5,000 miles (33- to 60-month terms only), 7,500 miles, 10,000 miles or 12,000 miles”; on a hypothetical 36-month lease at 5,000 miles, that is 15,000 miles, 30,000 fewer than standard, by our arithmetic. What going over costs is not on LFS’s FAQs: “you will be charged for the additional mileage,” so call your dealer. Only the glossary gives a figure, as an example: “(e.g., $0.15 per mile).” Toyota’s FAQ says “typically $0.15 per mile.” Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers allowances. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the speedometer, the fuel gauge and a neighbouring dial, each with one fact from Lexus Financial Services’ glossary, lease-end pages and FAQ. Lexus Financial Services’ glossary, lease-end pages and FAQ, read on 9 October 2026: LFS’s FAQs print no per-mile rate; its glossary’s example is $0.15 a mile (callout 1); leases after 27 January 2026: LFS waives up to $500 of wear, missing keys excluded (callout 2); return only to a Lexus or Toyota dealer; a third-party drop-off leaves the lease yours (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Can you buy miles up front? The FAQ: “Unfortunately, we’re not currently offering that as an option.” The glossary: you “can add the anticipated excess mileage (at $.10 per mile) to your lease.” The 2021 brochure: “Purchase additional miles up front (standard lease only).” On a hypothetical 1,000 extra miles, that is $150 at the example overage against $100 bought up front, $50 apart, by our arithmetic. Ask the dealer before you sign. Wear rules changed this year. LFS’s [Wear & Use page](https://www.lexusfinancial.com/us/en/end_of_lease_options/wear_and_use.html) says that “FOR LEASES AFTER JANUARY 27, 2026” it will “waive excess wear and use charges (excluding missing equipment, parts, and accessories, like missing keys and remote entry devices) up to a maximum of $500.” For earlier leases, charges “may be waived if the customer has an EWU product.” Neither heading covers a lease signed on 27 January itself. That product, Excess Wear & Use Protection, is optional, and Lexus’s version has higher limits than Toyota’s: “Each eligible event valued at $2,000 or less Each eligible missing part or equipment valued at $250 or less Up to $7,500 in excess wear and use charges.” Toyota prints $1,000, $200 and $5,000, so Lexus allows $1,000 more per event, $50 more per part and a $2,500 higher total, by our arithmetic. LFS prints no price. **Examples of excess wear and use on LFS’s Wear & Use page (read 9 October 2026; LFS says the examples may not include every chargeable item)** | Area | Excess, as LFS describes it | | --- | --- | | Paint and body | A single dent greater than a credit card; poor or missing collision repairs; holes in panels | | Glass and lights | Windshield cracks, stars or bullseye; damaged or non-factory tinted glass; broken or missing lights and mirrors | | Tires and wheels | Exposed cords or sidewall damage; missing or damaged wheel covers; wheel damage greater than a credit card | | Seats and trim | A single cut, tear, burn or stain greater than a credit card | | Equipment | Missing keys, remotes or parts; broken equipment; modifications not on the car at lease inception | For the free courtesy pre-inspection, by your originating or any Lexus dealer, LFS recommends “completing 60 days before your return”; it is not offered to lessees in Hawaii or with leases from New Hampshire or Wisconsin. “Detailed condition reports, itemizing any estimated excess wear and use fees, are available immediately after your inspection.” Repair before turn-in, keep the receipts, and remember “All charges may be subject to sales tax.” ## The disposition fee, returning-customer waivers and lease programs LFS says the disposition fee is applied “to help cover the costs to sell or dispose of your vehicle,” and prints no amount; your lease has it. The Return page says “we will waive the Disposition Fee (up to $350)” if you replace the car with a new or certified Lexus or Toyota through LFS or TFS “within 30 days before or after return,” or “have had three or more Toyota Financial Services or Lexus Financial Services accounts.” Delays “may prevent LFS/TFS from applying the waiver prior to billing,” and “customers who originated in NJ may receive a bill for a disposition fee prior to the application of the waiver.” The December 2025 guide’s footnote is wider: from “31 days prior to” until “90 days following” maturity or return. If the fee appears and you qualify, ask for the credit in writing. The Repeat Customers page is narrower: a “New or qualifying L/Certified Lexus” through LFS, and “For every new qualifying leased or financed vehicle, Lexus Financial Services will waive the disposition fee on one terminating lease.” The offer is “subject to change without notice.” LFS also runs standing lease programs, described here without offer amounts: lease terms of 24 to 60 months on new and qualified L/Certified cars (see our [Lexus Certified Pre-Owned guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lexus-certified-pre-owned/)); the 1Pay Lease, which prepays the lease “in a single payment at lease signing”; the Multiple Security Deposit Program, “up to nine additional security deposits,” “not available in New York”; and College Rebate and Military Rebate programs whose amounts LFS leaves to “Lexus.com/offers.” GAP is sold only “in the dealership when you purchase or lease your vehicle” and administered by Toyota Motor Insurance Services; LFS’s GAP brochure says “GAP not available for lease customers with a deficiency balance waiver.” Our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) and [Lexus extended warranty review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lexus-extended-warranty/#lender) cover the add-ons. ## Lexus Financial Services versus Toyota Financial Services: what differs The two brands share a servicer, online terms and most page wording. Comparing each brand’s own pages (LFS’s read on 9 October 2026, TFS’s as our [Toyota review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/) read them on 6 October 2026), the differences are in lease protection and in what each FAQ prints. **Lexus Financial Services versus Toyota Financial Services, as each brand’s own pages print them** | Item | Lexus Financial Services | Toyota Financial Services | | --- | --- | --- | | Excess Wear & Use Protection | $2,000 per event, $250 per missing part, up to $7,500 | $1,000 per event, $200 per missing part, up to $5,000 | | Per-mile overage on the FAQs | No rate printed; glossary example $0.15 | “typically $0.15 per mile” | | Low-mileage lease | 5,000 (33 to 60 months only), 7,500, 10,000 or 12,000 miles a year | “less than 10,000 miles per year” on 33 to 60-month terms | | Payment refunds | A check, about 7 to 10 business days after mailing | “typically process it within a week” once approved | | Final lease bill | 60 to 120 days (guide and Early Lease Return page) | 30-90 days (FAQ) or 60 to 120 days (guide) | | Wear waiver after 27 January 2026, disposition-fee waiver, payoff quote, title timing, due-date rules, where to return | The same terms on both brands’ pages | | Lexus lessees get the higher protection limits and a bill timeline that does not contradict itself. Toyota lessees get a typical overage rate on the FAQ; Lexus lessees must find theirs in the lease. The disposition-fee waiver crosses brands: on the Return page’s wording, a Lexus lessee moving to a new or certified Toyota through TFS qualifies. ## Where LFS’s own documents disagree Where it matters to you, get the answer in writing. - **Buying extra miles:** “not currently offering that” (FAQ), “at $.10 per mile” (glossary), “Purchase additional miles up front (standard lease only)” (2021 brochure). - **Low-mileage allowance:** the Lease a Lexus page computes it at 12,000 miles a year, then offers low-mileage leases from 5,000 miles up. - **The disposition waiver:** a new or certified Lexus or Toyota through LFS or TFS (Return page) or a “New or qualifying L/Certified Lexus” through LFS (Repeat Customers page); “within 30 days before or after” on both, “within 30 days of lease return” in a Lease a Lexus footnote, and 31 days before to 90 days after in the guide, a 121-day span by our arithmetic. - **Where to return:** “an authorized Toyota or Lexus Dealer” on the end-of-lease pages, “your originating Lexus dealer” in one FAQ answer. The end-of-lease FAQs page says “bring your vehicle back to your Toyota dealer” to get a new Lexus; the stand-alone answer says “your Lexus dealer.” - **Toyota’s name on Lexus pages:** “TFS will calculate your early return balance”; “log into Toyota Financial Services website” to find your title type. - **Two lease-end guides:** the end-of-lease FAQs page links the March 2025 edition, with no section on the $500 wear waiver; other pages link the December 2025 edition, which has it. - **Security deposits:** “up to nine additional” on the Lease a Lexus page, “maximum 9 security deposits allowed” in the brochure. - **Phone lines:** LFS’s pages give two different numbers for the same lease-end questions; use the one on your statement. ## The lender behind both brands: TMCC’s record in brief What TMCC’s filings and regulators say about the lender applies to Lexus accounts too. Our [Toyota review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#the-lender) read those documents on 6 October 2026: - **Who it lends to.** An average origination FICO score of 753 in the year to 31 March 2026, net charge-offs of 0.80%, and 53.3% of new Toyota and Lexus sales financed (52.5% in the quarter to 30 June 2026). None of it is split by brand. - **The 2016 dealer-markup orders.** On February 2, 2016 the CFPB (2016-CFPB-0002) and the Justice Department resolved a fair-lending case over dealer markups on TMCC’s rates. Caps fell from 250, 200 and 175 basis points, by term, to 125 and 100, and TMCC paid up to $21.9 million to affected borrowers ([details](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#orders-2016)). - **The 2023 order.** On November 20, 2023 the CFPB (2023-CFPB-0015) found TMCC made add-ons hard to cancel, failed to make sure unearned GAP and credit-life premiums were refunded after early payoffs, and reported customers who had returned leased cars as delinquent, affecting at least 27,507 accounts. It ordered $48 million in redress and a $12 million penalty, and terminated the order on May 12, 2025 ([details](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#order-2023)). Both orders were issued against TMCC, which consented “without admitting or denying” the findings; we did not re-read them, so we do not say whether either names Lexus. The lessons carry over: get add-on refunds in writing, and check your credit report after a lease return. On 9 October 2026 a CFPB company-name search for “lexus” returned one name, LEXUS FINANCIAL SERVICES, holding 1 complaint from 2017 about managing a loan or lease. Lexus complaints are otherwise filed under TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORPORATION, which held 9,411 when our Toyota review counted on 6 October 2026, 3,659 (38.9%) about vehicle loans or leases, including 223 about getting a title after payoff (6.1%), 90 about mileage, damage or wear fees and 64 about early-termination fees. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and grow with a lender’s size; the CFPB has published no narratives since 30 September 2026. See the [Toyota review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#complaints) for the breakdown. ## If you have a Lexus Financial Services loan or lease - **Pay from a bank account before 6 p.m. Central,** a couple of days before the due date. - **Use “Make A Principal Only Payment”** for extra money you want off the balance. - **Pay off within the quote’s 10 days,** and authorize LFS in writing if the title should go elsewhere. - **Chase a missing title** after 40 business days (paper, ask LFS) or 9.5 weeks (electronic, ask your state). - **Check your lease date against 27 January 2026** for the $500 wear waiver, and whether you bought Excess Wear & Use Protection. - **Book the free pre-inspection about 60 days out** and keep repair receipts. - **Return the car only to a Lexus or Toyota dealer,** keep the signed odometer statement, notify LFS and cancel automatic payments. - **Time your next car inside the waiver window** and ask for the disposition-fee credit in writing if it appears. ## Common questions ### Is Lexus Financial Services the same as Toyota Financial Services? Both are names Toyota Motor Credit Corporation uses, and TMCC’s 10-K lists both as its brands. They share a servicer, online terms and most page wording; the differences are in lease protection limits and what each FAQ prints. ### Who owns my Lexus lease? Toyota Lease Trust or one of its securitization affiliates, according to LFS’s footer, with TMCC as servicer. That is why Western Union lease payments go to “Toyota Lease.” Nothing LFS or TMCC publishes puts Toyota Financial Savings Bank behind Lexus contracts. ### Can I pay Lexus Financial Services with a credit card? No. LFS says it “can’t process cash, credit, or debit card payments.” Western Union takes cash or a debit card and CheckFreePay takes cash, each for its own fee. Bank-account payments carry no LFS fee. ### How long does Lexus Financial Services take to send the title after payoff? A paper title or lien release should arrive within 25 to 40 business days after the payoff posts. With an electronic title, LFS notifies the state within 10 business days and expects the title in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks. ### Does Lexus waive the disposition fee? Often, if you come back. LFS waives it, up to $350, if your next new or certified Lexus or Toyota goes through LFS or TFS within 30 days before or after the return, or if you have had three or more LFS or TFS accounts. The fee itself is in your lease, not on LFS’s site. ### What does Lexus Financial Services charge for extra miles? Whatever your lease says; LFS’s FAQs print no rate and its glossary gives “$0.15 per mile” as an example. The charge comes on the Lease End Invoice; to keep the car instead, see our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) and [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). Our reviews of [Acura Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/), [Audi Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/), [Genesis Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-finance-review/) and [Porsche Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-financial-services-review/) read other luxury lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/lexus-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Genesis Finance Review: Paying, Payoff, Title and Lease End" description: "Genesis Finance is Hyundai Capital America. What its own pages say about paying, lease buyouts, title timing, the turn-in fee and damage charges at lease end." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Genesis Finance Review: Paying, Payoff, Title and Lease End > Genesis Finance is Hyundai Capital America. What its own pages say about paying, lease buyouts, title timing, the turn-in fee and damage charges at lease end. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,985 words* ## The short version - Genesis Finance is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America (HCA), which also runs Hyundai Motor Finance and Kia Finance America. Its privacy notice comes from “Hyundai Capital America dba Genesis Finance”, and its lease odometer form names Hyundai Lease Titling Trust and HCA Exchange, Inc. - No Genesis Finance page we read prints a fee for any way of paying. Loans carry 14-digit account numbers and leases 10-digit ones, and each is mailed to its own address. - For a lease buyout, one Genesis page says pay HCA Exchange, Inc. in Illinois and another says Genesis Finance in Texas. The second promises a title release within 15 business days. - Return a lease without taking a new Genesis and the lease-end site says “you will be charged a $400 disposition fee”, plus $0.25 a mile over your allowance. A new Genesis through Genesis Finance within 60 days brings up to $1,525 of cover. - The lease-end self-assessment prices damage item by item: $300 for a 4-inch dent on the hood, roof or rear bumper, $900 for a bent wheel, $575 for a cracked windshield, $350 for a missing smart key. - Genesis leases list scheduled maintenance for the first 36 months, an “excess wear forgiveness policy” and a built-in GAP waiver; Hyundai Motor Finance’s leasing page lists none of them. On 9 October 2026 we read what Genesis Finance publishes without a login: its home, FAQ, site map, purchasing and leasing pages, Privacy Policy and privacy notice; its separate lease-end site’s options, resources, self-assessment, FAQ and contact pages; a 2019 lease-end kit and two odometer forms; and genesis.com’s finance page. We checked them against Hyundai Capital America’s SEC filings, including the [Form ABS-15G it filed on 20 January 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1541028/000110465926004919/tm263349d1_abs15g.htm). Genesis Finance’s terms require written consent before another site links to it, so we name its pages without links. We entered no login, VIN or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Genesis, HCA or any lender. **Figure: Genesis Finance: what its own documents say** A two-column table of seven points on a Genesis Finance account, set against Genesis Finance’s own pages, lease-end site and forms: the account is held by Hyundai Capital America, whose trade name Genesis Finance is, and the lease odometer form also names Hyundai Lease Titling Trust and HCA Exchange, Inc.; the lease-end FAQ says to mail a buyout check to HCA Exchange, Inc. in Illinois while the resources page says to make it payable to Genesis Finance in Texas; a title release follows within 15 business days of processing; the options page and the 2019 kit print a $400 turn-in fee while the FAQ says the lease contract sets it; the self-assessment estimates $300 for each dent of 4 inches or more on the hood, roof or rear bumper and $275 elsewhere, $900 for a bent wheel and $575 for a windshield crack of 2 inches or more; and a new Genesis through Genesis Finance within 60 days brings up to $1,525 of cover: the turn-in fee up to $400, wear up to $500 and 2,500 miles up to $625. Read from Genesis Finance’s lease-end site (options, resources, FAQ and self-assessment pages), its 2019 kit and odometer form, and its Privacy Policy and privacy notice on 9 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Genesis Finance is, and who holds your loan or lease Genesis Finance’s Privacy Policy, effective 17 December 2025, says its website and apps “are owned or controlled by Genesis Finance (the trade name of Hyundai Capital America, a California corporation)”. Its privacy notice, revised April 2025, answers “Who is providing this notice?” with “Hyundai Capital America dba Genesis Finance (Genesis Finance USA in Utah)”. Its Terms and Conditions, effective 1 August 2023 and read for our [Hyundai Motor Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/) on 7 October 2026, say “Genesis Finance is a trademark of Hyundai Capital America”. The page footer adds licences from Connecticut’s Department of Banking and Illinois’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and “Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Financing Law license.” So the company that holds a Genesis loan, sends the statements and reports to the credit bureaus is HCA, incorporated in California on 6 September 1989. Its September 2026 bond prospectus says Hyundai Motor America owns “approximately 80%” of it and Kia America about 20%, and that HCA “provides indirect retail automobile, light-duty truck and other types of motor vehicle loan and lease financing by purchasing retail installment sale contracts and leases from Dealers.” Genesis Finance’s terms say it “is not a direct lender or seller of motor vehicles” and that “The price and final terms of any vehicle purchase or lease are set by you and your Genesis dealer.” We quote none of Genesis Finance’s offers, which change. **Leases carry two more names.** Genesis Finance’s odometer disclosure form ends with a notice that “the rights, but not the obligations, of Hyundai Lease Titling Trust” under the sale agreement “have been assigned to HCA Exchange, Inc.” It is the only Genesis Finance document we found that names the trust. If lease or buyout papers show either name, they belong to the same lender. **The SEC record.** All 15 of HCA’s own EDGAR filings, from 13 February 2012 to 20 January 2026, are Form ABS-15G, the yearly securitizer report. The latest covers “the auto loan, auto lease and floorplan finance asset classes”, names Hyundai ABS Funding, LLC as “the depositor and registrant” and Hyundai HK Lease, LLC as a depositor, and reports no repurchase activity for 2025. The loan bonds are registered: EDGAR’s name index lists 55 Hyundai Auto Receivables Trusts. The lease bonds are not. Only 3 Hyundai Auto Lease Securitization Trusts appear, with one filing each, and Hyundai HK Lease, LLC has filed nothing but 30 ABS-15G forms since 12 January 2016, so there is no public figure on Genesis lease returns. The carmaker’s side is in our guides to [Genesis certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/genesis-certified-pre-owned/) and [the Genesis Protection Plan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-extended-warranty/). ## Paying Genesis Finance: what its pages say Genesis Finance’s home page leads with “PAY THE SIMPLE WAY.” and an app offering “One-tap payments”. Genesis’s finance page on genesis.com lists what the online account does: “viewing your account balance, enrolling in AutoPay, making payments, accessing paperless statements, setting up email alerts, obtaining payoff or buyout quotes, and exploring available lease-end option.” The FAQ asks “What are my payment options?”, “Can I post-date a payment?” and “Can another party make a payment on my account?”, but its answers open only inside the site’s app, which our reading tools could not open. So we cannot say what Genesis Finance tells customers about fees, cut-off times or grace periods, and we state none. The public documents say this: **Ways to pay a Genesis Finance account, as its public documents describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Method | What the documents say | Fee printed? | | --- | --- | --- | | Online account or app | Payments, AutoPay, paperless statements and payoff or buyout quotes (genesis.com); “One-tap payments” in the app | None on the pages read | | Debit card | Payment “is processed by a trusted third-party payment processor on our behalf”, and Genesis Finance is “not responsible for payment failures, errors, or unauthorized charges” from those services (Privacy Policy) | None on the pages read | | Phone | An automated line gives “account status, date of last payment received, and pay-off information” | None printed | | Mail, loan | “FINANCE PAYMENTS (14-DIGIT ACCOUNT NUMBER)” go to a P.O. box in Dallas, Texas | None printed | | Mail, lease | “LEASE PAYMENTS (10-DIGIT ACCOUNT NUMBER)” go to a second Dallas box, which also takes letters and credit disputes | None printed | The account-number length tells you which box is yours: 14 digits is a loan, 10 a lease. Customer service and the lease-end team are listed as open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern. HCA’s prospectus says each loan payment “is first applied to interest accrued and then the remaining payment is applied to the unpaid outstanding principal balance”, so paying early puts more toward principal. **Type the address yourself.** On 9 October 2026 the first page of Google results for “genesis finance login” included a dealer log-on portal, an unrelated bank called Genesis Bank, a third-party login video and an auction company’s test site, and the AI summary above them printed a phone number that does not match the spelled-out number in Genesis Finance’s own Privacy Policy. Genesis Finance’s site is genesisfinanceusa.com; take phone numbers from your statement. ## Paying off a Genesis loan and getting the title For a financed Genesis, Genesis Finance publishes little. The FAQ lists “Finance Payoff Process” and “How can I obtain a payoff/buyout quote?”, again with answers we could not open. The automated phone line gives “pay-off information”, genesis.com says the online account produces payoff quotes, and the home page says: “Our title tracker tool can help you stay informed about where you are in the title/lien release process.” Title Services questions include “How do I remove a name from a Certificate of Title?” and “Can I transport my vehicle outside the continental United States?”; ask before doing either while money is owed. No Genesis Finance page we read gives a title timeline for a paid-off loan. Its one printed timeline, 15 business days, is tied to lease payoff checks (next section). Title trouble is common in HCA’s complaint file, which covers all three brands: of its 4,091 vehicle loan or lease complaints to the CFPB, counted for our Hyundai review on 7 October 2026, 749, or 18.3%, concern “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off”, against 7.2% across all lenders. Keep the payoff confirmation, watch the tracker, and ask your state’s titling office whether HCA’s lien is gone; our guide to [clearing a lien from a title](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#lien) covers what to ask. Nothing in the public documents stops you refinancing elsewhere; the new lender pays HCA off. Our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) explains the steps, and our reviews of [Huntington](https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/), [Fifth Third](https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/) and [Truist](https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/) auto loans read banks’ own terms the same way. ## Buying your leased Genesis: two payees and a 15-day title The lease-end options page says: “Get a buyout quote by contacting your Genesis retailer, visiting GenesisFinanceUSA.com or speaking with a Lease-End Concierge.” The FAQ adds a rule the Hyundai Motor Finance pages we have read do not print: “If your vehicle is garaged/registered in CO, DC, FL, HI, IN, PA, SD, SC, or KS, you will need to contact a Dealership to purchase the vehicle.” The odometer form offers direct purchase only “If state allows direct purchase.” In those 9 places, by our count, the buyout runs through a dealer. After the quote, the instructions split. The FAQ, repeated on the options page, says to fax the signed odometer form and “mail your payoff check with your full account number or VIN to: REGULAR MAIL: HCA Exchange, Inc.”, at an address in Palatine, Illinois, or overnight to HCA Exchange, Inc. in Chicago; the odometer form gives the Palatine address too. The resources page says: “Lease payoff checks must be made payable to Genesis Finance”, mailed to a P.O. box in Dallas or overnight to an office in Richardson, Texas, with the odometer form attached to the check. **Make the check out to the payee on your quote.** Genesis Finance’s own pages name two payees in two states for a lease buyout, and the Dallas box on the resources page is the one its contact page labels for finance payments on 14-digit accounts, not lease payments. The same panel says both “Mail a check or money order” and “Payment must be made via personal or certified check”. Before you mail the check, confirm payee, address and form of payment with Genesis Finance, send it trackable and keep a copy. **The title.** The resources page is the only Genesis Finance document with a timeline: “Once your payment is processed, you will receive a title release within 15 business days, or earlier if required by state law.” The clock starts at processing, not mailing, one more reason to send the check where Genesis Finance confirms it will be processed. The Hyundai Motor Finance pages we have read print no such timeline. Genesis Finance prints no buyout formula and no purchase-option fee; your lease contract sets both. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains how a residual-based price works, and its section on [sales tax on a buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#tax) covers the bill a quote can leave out. No Genesis lease-end page mentions a lease transfer; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares what lessors allow. ## Returning a Genesis lease: the steps Genesis Finance prints Genesis Finance runs lease end through its own site, GenesisLeaseEnd.com. Its start page says Genesis Finance will “mail you a Lease-End Kit four months before your contract maturity date”; the resources page says “approximately 120 days”. Returns go to one place: “No, your vehicle must be returned to an authorized Genesis dealer.” The steps the site prints: 1. **Self-assess** online (“Set aside 5 - 10 minutes to complete”); its prices are in the self-assessment section below. 2. **Book the free inspection in time.** It “can be scheduled online, but must be performed within 60 days of when returning your vehicle.” 3. **Repair, if it pays.** “You can make repairs through your Genesis retailer or an independent repair shop”, and “All repairs must be made using original equipment manufacturer’s parts or those of equal value.” The resources page asks for receipts by fax, and “If your contract includes protection for excess wear and use damages, please contact a Lease-End Concierge for assistance.” Our [CARSTAR review](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/) shows how one collision chain’s own terms read. 4. **Book a turn-in appointment** with your Genesis dealer: “Not scheduling an appointment may result in delayed assistance and longer processing times.” 5. **Prepare the car.** Clean it, remove remotes and toll tags, wipe your personal data and HomeLink® settings, and bring every key and keyless remote, the owner’s manual, headrests and cargo covers or nets. 6. **Complete the odometer statement** online through “Document Request” or on paper at the dealer. 7. **Deal with the plates:** “If required to send your license plate(s) to your state, do so after turning in your vehicle.” 8. **Stop AutoPay** once the final payment is made, “to avoid ongoing charges.” An early return is allowed, but “may be considered an early termination under your lease agreement.” The 2024 kit, read for our Hyundai review, says it “is considered an early termination and may result in significant charges.” No formula is published, so get the figure in writing first. ## The turn-in fee, mileage and the loyalty reward The lease-end FAQ lists what can be billed after you hand the car back: “Excess mileage”, “Excess wear and use”, the “Disposition (turn-in) fee”, “Any past due or unpaid monthly payments” and “Any other fees (e.g. unpaid late payment fees, taxes, tolls, parking violations)”. Three have numbers on Genesis Finance’s pages. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the fob's buttons, its body and its edge, each with one fact from Genesis Finance’s lease-end site, FAQ and resources page. Genesis Finance’s lease-end site, FAQ and resources page, read on 9 October 2026: over your miles? Genesis Finance charges $0.25 a mile; loyalty covers 2,500 miles (callout 1); buyout check: the FAQ says HCA Exchange, Inc.; the resources page says Genesis Finance (callout 2); missing smart key: $350 each in Genesis Finance’s self-assessment estimate (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **The turn-in fee.** The FAQ calls it “a fixed fee, specified in the lease contract, payable at lease-end if the lessee does not purchase the vehicle”, and the 2024 kit prints no amount. The Returning tab of the options page does: “If you decide to return your vehicle without purchasing or leasing a new vehicle through Genesis Finance, you will be charged a $400 disposition fee.” The 2019 kit, still linked from the same site, adds “unless otherwise limited by state law.” Your contract governs. Our Hyundai review found that neither lessor’s 2024 kit prints the amount, which still holds; the $400 sits on these other Genesis pages. **Mileage.** The 2024 kit charges “$0.25 per mile over the mileage option you’ve chosen”. As hypotheticals, by our arithmetic, 1,000 miles over costs $250 and 3,000 miles $750. The kit adds that Genesis Finance “will not prorate your leased vehicle mileage allowance based on your vehicle turn-in date”, so an early return is measured against the full-term allowance. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers sizing an allowance. **Property tax and plates.** The lease-end FAQ lists 13 states that tax the car’s use, including “Louisiana (New Orleans Only)”; the 2024 kit lists 9. If you live in one of the 4 that only the FAQ names (Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina), ask whether a tax bill can follow you. On plates the FAQ says only “It varies by state”. **The loyalty reward.** If you “lease or finance a new Genesis with Genesis Finance within 60 days of returning your lease”, the FAQ says, the turn-in fee is covered up to $400, “any Excess Wear and Use charges will also be covered up to $500, and any excess mileage below 2,500 miles is covered up to $625.” That is “a total reward of up to $1,525”, the same figure the 2019 kit printed. It is a standing program, not a dated offer, and its wording sets the conditions: a new Genesis, leased or financed through Genesis Finance, within 60 days. Otherwise, the options page says, “you’ll be responsible for all charges.” Put together, by our arithmetic: a lessee 3,000 miles over, with the $820 of damage worked through below, who walks away faces $400 + $750 + $820, or $1,970. Taking a new Genesis through Genesis Finance within 60 days would cover the fee, $500 of the damage ($320 left) and 2,500 of the miles ($125 left): $445 in all. The $1,525 gap is the whole reward, the most it can do. ## What Genesis Finance’s self-assessment charges for damage The lease-end self-assessment asks you to pick a model and count damage, then shows “an estimate of charges you may incur at lease-end.” Unlike the kits, which print only the acceptable limits, it prices each item. The per-model table embedded in the page lists 10 Genesis models, from the G70 to the GV80 Coupe, and every one carries the same amounts. **Per-item amounts in Genesis Finance’s lease-end self-assessment (read 9 October 2026; the tool calls them estimates, not binding)** | Item | What counts | Estimate | | --- | --- | --- | | Dents, dings, scratches: hood, roof, rear bumper | 4 inches or more long or across, each | $300 | | Dents, dings, scratches: all other areas | 4 inches or more, each | $275 | | Chips in paint | Each body panel with chips of 1/2 inch or more | $75 | | Punctures in body panels | Panel replaced “at 100% cost of replacement” | $500 | | Tire tread depth | Each tire with any area under 1/8 inch | $275 | | Missing, cut, torn or non-standard tires | Each tire; non-standard means size or speed rating not matching the originals | $275 | | Wheel or wheel cover scratches | Each scratch 4 inches or longer, all 4 wheels combined | $85 | | Bent, broken, cracked or warped wheels | Each wheel | $900 | | Spare tire | Missing tire or wheel; no charge if an original inflation kit is present | $250 | | Windshield chips, spiders, bulls-eyes | Each 1/2 inch or more; 3 or more means a replacement | $125 | | Cracked windshield | A crack 2 inches or longer; windshield replaced | $575 | | Substandard window tint | Peeling, bubbling, scratched or non-matching | $100 | | Holes, cuts, burns or stains in upholstery or carpet | Each area | $125 | | Missing smart key / standard key | Each key originally issued | $350 / $75 | | Missing EV charging cable / storage case | Each | $1,000 / $500 | | Missing manufacturer parts | “such as the stereo, any knobs, and third-row seats” | “100% of the cost of a genuine manufacturer part” | On the windshield, “If three or greater, you will be charged what it costs to replace the windshield.” And the tool warns that its estimate “is not binding. Final wear and use charges will be determined through a formal inspection performed at your Genesis retailer after vehicle turn-in. Estimates do not reflect state sales tax.” A worked example, by our arithmetic: one 4-inch dent on the hood ($300), two wheel scratches ($170) and one lost smart key ($350) come to $820. With the loyalty reward, $500 is covered and $320 remains. Below the limits, wear is acceptable: the options page lists “Scratches less than 4"”, dents under 4 inches, “Windshield cracks less than 2"”, window and paint chips under half an inch and tread of at least 1/8 inch. After a missing EV charging cable ($1,000), the largest estimates, a bent wheel at $900, a punctured panel and a cracked windshield at $575, are the ones to price with a repair shop before the inspection. Our [guide to lease wear standards](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear) explains how lessors apply them. ## How Genesis Finance differs from Hyundai Motor Finance The two brands are one company sharing P.O. boxes and phone hours, so the differences sit in what each prints. Our [Hyundai Motor Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/) read HMF’s pages and kit on 7 October 2026; we re-read HMF’s leasing page on 9 October 2026 to compare it line by line. **Genesis Finance against Hyundai Motor Finance, from each brand’s own pages and lease-end kits (read 7 and 9 October 2026)** | Point | Genesis Finance | Hyundai Motor Finance | | --- | --- | --- | | Excess mileage | $0.25 a mile; allowance not prorated on an early return | $.20 a mile; the kit is silent on proration | | Loyalty reward | Up to $1,525: turn-in fee $400, wear $500, mileage $625 | Up to $900: turn-in fee $400, wear $500; no mileage cover | | Disposition fee amount | $400 on the options page and in the 2019 kit | Not printed on the pages read | | Lease benefits listed | 5, including maintenance for 36 months, wear forgiveness and a GAP waiver | 3, none of those | | Title after a lease buyout | Release within 15 business days of processing | No timeline printed | | Places where you must buy through a dealer | 9 listed | None listed | | Damage price list | Per-item amounts in the self-assessment | None read on HMF’s pages | | Where to return the car | An authorized Genesis dealer or retailer | An authorized Hyundai dealer | On mileage the trade-off is plain, by our arithmetic. At 3,000 miles over, a Genesis lessee owes $750 against $600 on a Hyundai, $150 more, but the Genesis reward is $625 larger because it covers miles. A Genesis lessee who comes back for another Genesis would owe $125 of that mileage against the Hyundai lessee’s $600; one who leaves pays more. **The lease benefits.** Genesis Finance’s leasing page lists “Complimentary scheduled maintenance services for the first 36 months”, “an excess wear forgiveness policy” and a “built-in Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) waiver” covering the gap between an insurance settlement and the remaining lease obligation after a total loss: “You only pay your deductible”. Each has a footnote behind a disclaimers button we could not open, so we do not know the limits of the wear policy, which is separate from the loyalty reward. Genesis.com says leasing “includes GAP waiver benefits ... at no additional cost”, footnoted, in full, “GAP waiver not available in CT or NY after vehicle turn-in.” Check your contract; our [GAP insurance guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) explains lease GAP. HMF’s “Benefits of Hyundai Motor Finance Lease” list has three lines: lease terms with a choice of mileage, “A simple vehicle inspection process” and flexible end-of-lease options. ## Where Genesis Finance’s own documents disagree We set Genesis Finance’s documents against each other. These conflicts could cost a customer time or money: **Conflicts inside Genesis Finance’s own pages, kits and forms (read 7 and 9 October 2026)** | Topic | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Lease buyout payee | HCA Exchange, Inc., Illinois (lease-end FAQ, options page, odometer form) | “payable to Genesis Finance”, Texas (resources page) | | Form of payment | “Mail a check or money order” | “Payment must be made via personal or certified check” (same panel) | | Which box | Lease payoff checks to the resources page’s Dallas box | The contact page labels that box for finance payments on 14-digit accounts | | Turn-in fee | “you will be charged a $400 disposition fee” (options page; 2019 kit) | “a fixed fee, specified in the lease contract”, no amount (FAQ, 2024 kit) | | Odometer form when buying | Fax it (FAQ, 2019 kit) | Attach it to the payoff check, or complete it online (resources page) | | Early return | “may be considered an early termination” (FAQ) | “is considered an early termination” (2024 kit) | | Property tax states | 13 (lease-end FAQ) | 9 (2024 kit) | | Who to call | “Lease-End Concierge” (FAQ, options page, kits) | “Lease-End Advisor” on another number (self-assessment); “Lease-End Servicing Team” (contact page) | | Affiliates | “financial companies such as Hyundai Capital America” (Privacy Policy) | “financial companies such as Hyundai Capital Services” (privacy notice) | Some of this is age. The FAQ and options page still link the 2019 kit, whose licence line reads “Expiration date: December 31, 2019.”, and a 2018 odometer form, while the resources page links the 2024 kit and a newer form. The old kit does explain the two odometer fax numbers the newer pages print: one for returns, one for purchases. None of this changes your contract, but no single Genesis page is safe to rely on for an address, a payee or a fee. Get each answer in writing and keep it with the lease. ## The record Genesis Finance shares with Hyundai and Kia Because Genesis Finance is HCA, it carries HCA’s record. On 26 July 2022 the CFPB issued a [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/hyundai-capital-america/) against HCA, docket 2022-CFPB-0005, covering contracts “originated by Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis dealerships”. The Bureau found HCA had violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including by “failing to modify or delete information disputed by consumers that it found to be inaccurate”, and ordered $13,200,000 in redress and a $6,000,000 civil money penalty, $19.2 million in all by our arithmetic. HCA’s prospectus says that in May 2024 it agreed to a Justice Department consent order over its Servicemembers Civil Relief Act practices, approved on 26 November 2024, covering “alleged violations of the SCRA with respect to 26 motor vehicle repossessions” and a $74,941 payment to the Treasury. Our [Kia Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/#regulators) reads both orders. The CFPB files Genesis Finance complaints under HYUNDAI CAPITAL AMERICA: 8,314 from 19 March 2012 to 1 October 2026, counted for our Hyundai review. Companies filed under names containing “Genesis” are unrelated. The file mixes three brands, grows with the lender’s size and holds unverified reports, so it shows what people complain about, not how likely a problem is; our Hyundai review [breaks it down](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/#shared-record). We found no Genesis Finance credit-dispute page (the path where HMF publishes three returned an error), but its lease-end contact page gives a “DIRECT CREDIT DISPUTES” address, and our Hyundai review sets out [what HMF asks a dispute letter to include](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/#credit-reporting). On loans, HCA’s prospectus folds Genesis into its “Hyundai” tables: at 30 June 2026, 1.88% of balances on 1,099,255 Hyundai and Genesis loan accounts were 30 or more days late, and Genesis cars were 5.36% of the Hyundai Auto Receivables Trust 2026-C pool by balance. Our Hyundai review reads [those tables](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/#the-loans). On falling behind, the Privacy Policy says that after a material breach Genesis Finance may use “geolocation features, where available” to locate the car, and the prospectus says HCA “generally attempts to repossess the vehicle” at around 80 days delinquent. Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers what follows. ## If you have a Genesis Finance account - **Know who you owe.** Your contract is with Hyundai Capital America; lease papers may say Hyundai Lease Titling Trust or HCA Exchange, Inc. - **Log in only at genesisfinanceusa.com,** typed yourself, and take phone numbers from your statement. - **Check the account number.** 14 digits is a loan, 10 a lease; each has its own mailing address. - **Read your contract for fees.** Genesis Finance prints no late fee, grace period, payment fee or purchase-option fee. - **Buying out a lease?** Confirm payee and address from the quote, send the check trackable, and expect the title release within 15 business days of processing. - **Returning a lease?** Run the self-assessment, book the free inspection inside its 60-day window, price any $900 wheel or $575 windshield item, book a turn-in at an authorized Genesis dealer and wipe your data. - **Planning another Genesis?** Lease or finance it through Genesis Finance within 60 days of the return to claim up to $1,525, and get the cover in writing. - **Check your credit reports** after payoff or turn-in, and dispute errors in writing. ## Common questions ### Who owns Genesis Finance? Hyundai Capital America. Genesis Finance’s Privacy Policy calls it “the trade name of Hyundai Capital America, a California corporation”, and its privacy notice comes from “Hyundai Capital America dba Genesis Finance”. Hyundai Motor America owns about 80% of HCA and Kia America about 20%, HCA’s prospectus says. HCA also runs Hyundai Motor Finance and Kia Finance America. ### How do I pay Genesis Finance, and is there a fee? Through the online account or app, including AutoPay; by debit card through a third-party processor; or by mail, with loans (14-digit account numbers) and leases (10-digit) going to different Dallas boxes. None of the pages we read prints a fee; the FAQ’s payment answers open only inside the app. ### What is the Genesis Finance payoff address for a lease buyout? Its pages give two. The lease-end FAQ and odometer form say mail the check to HCA Exchange, Inc. in Illinois; the resources page says make it payable to Genesis Finance and mail it to Texas. Use the payee and address on your buyout quote and confirm them before mailing. ### How long does Genesis Finance take to send the title? After a lease buyout, the resources page says “you will receive a title release within 15 business days, or earlier if required by state law”, counted from processing. For a paid-off loan no Genesis Finance page we read gives a timeline; the online account has a title tracker. ### How much is the Genesis disposition fee? The options page says $400 if you return the car without leasing or financing a new one through Genesis Finance; the 2019 kit adds “unless otherwise limited by state law”. The FAQ says it is “specified in the lease contract”, so the contract is the final word. A new Genesis through Genesis Finance within 60 days covers it up to $400. ### Can I return my Genesis lease to a Hyundai dealer? No. The lease-end FAQ says “your vehicle must be returned to an authorized Genesis dealer”. Our reviews of [Acura Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/), [Audi Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/), [Lexus Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lexus-financial-services-review/) and [Porsche Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-financial-services-review/) read other luxury brands’ lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [TxDMV add or remove a lien](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/add-remove-lien) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-finance-review/ --- title: "Porsche Financial Services Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease" description: "Porsche Financial Services is Porsche AG’s own US lender, not VW Credit. How to pay, pay off, end or extend a lease, and what its filings and CFPB file show." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Porsche Financial Services Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease > Porsche Financial Services is Porsche AG’s own US lender, not VW Credit. How to pay, pay off, end or extend a lease, and what its filings and CFPB file show. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,975 words* ## The short version - Porsche Financial Services, Inc. (PFS) is Porsche’s own US lender, not a VW Credit brand. Its 2026 SEC prospectuses call PFS and Porsche Cars North America “indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries” of Porsche AG. - You pay in the My Porsche app or at PFSMyAccount.com, once or by Auto Pay. No fee is printed for any method, and lease-end bills cannot go on a credit card. - Loans are simple interest, so you pay finance charges “only to, but not including, the date of prepayment.” To buy a leased Porsche you get the payoff from a Porsche Center and return an odometer statement so PFS can release the title. No title turnaround time is printed. - At lease end PFS writes from at least 210 days out, offers a free AutoVIN pre-inspection around 60 days out and wants the return booked 30 days ahead. It prints no disposition fee or mileage rate. - The filings add rules the website leaves out: a lease extension of up to 24 months if you are waiting for another Porsche, collection calls from one day after the due date, and deferrals for which “a deferral fee may be charged.” - Retail repossessions rose from 47 in 2021 to 220 in 2025, and the share of ending leases PFS took back and resold rose from 1.15 per cent in 2022 to 44 per cent in 2025. The CFPB holds 107 vehicle loan or lease complaints under PFS’s name and lists no enforcement action. Most people searching for Porsche Financial Services want to pay, pay off, hand back a lease or learn who holds the contract. On 9 October 2026 we read what PFS publishes on those questions on [porsche.com](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/) (payments, leasing, the lease-end FAQ, wear and loyalty terms, GAP), its two 2026 securitization prospectuses on the SEC’s EDGAR system, Porsche AG’s 2025 annual report, an FTC court order that names PFS, and the CFPB’s enforcement and complaint records. We used no login or form, and this site has no commercial relationship with Porsche, PFS or any lender. **Figure: Porsche Financial Services: what its own pages and filings say** Nine things Porsche Financial Services customers search for, each answered from PFS’s porsche.com pages or its 2026 SEC prospectuses, read on 9 October 2026. Sources: PFS’s bill-payment, lease-end FAQ and lease-end return pages and loyalty terms on porsche.com; the PFAST 2026-1 and PILOT 2026-1 prospectuses; the FTC’s 2017 order. Read 9 October 2026. Waivers are standing programs PFS can change; the contract governs. ## Who owns Porsche Financial Services, and is it VW Credit? The prospectus for Porsche Financial Auto Securitization Trust 2026-1, filed on 25 September 2026, says: “Porsche Financial Services, Inc. (‘PFS’) was incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1991 and is an affiliate of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.” and “Both PFS and PCNA are indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft (‘Porsche AG’).” It calls Porsche AG “the sponsor’s ultimate parent” but notes that “Porsche AG is not guaranteeing the obligations” of the trust. Note 50 of Porsche AG’s [2025 annual report](https://investorrelations.porsche.com/en/financial-information/reports-and-presentations), its list of shareholdings, shows “Porsche Financial Services, Inc.” in Atlanta with Porsche AG’s interest at 100.00 per cent, held indirectly. **Not VW Credit.** Neither 2026 prospectus contains “Volkswagen,” “VW Credit” or “Porsche Holding”; our script counts them on every run. The FTC’s 2017 diesel order (below) defines “Covered Lessor” as “VW Credit, Inc., Audi Financial Services, Inc., and Porsche Financial Services, Inc.,” three separate names. Audi is different: its finance arm is a name used by VW Credit, as our [Audi Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/) found. Volkswagen sits one level up. Porsche AG’s report says Volkswagen AG “indirectly holds 75.0 % minus one of the ordinary shares through Porsche Holding Stuttgart GmbH,” and Porsche Automobil Holding SE “25.0 % plus one.” That “Porsche Holding” is Volkswagen’s vehicle for Porsche AG shares, not PFS’s parent. **The companies behind a PFS loan or lease, as PFS’s prospectuses and Porsche AG’s 2025 report describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Company | Role, in the documents’ words | | --- | --- | | Porsche Financial Services, Inc. | Lender and servicer: “PFS is the servicer for all of the loans and leases that it finances” | | Porsche Leasing Ltd. | A Delaware statutory trust PFS “began titling leased vehicles into” in December 1996 | | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. | Sister company; “sub-servicer for Porsche vehicle remarketing,” so it resells returned and repossessed cars | | Porsche AG | Indirect owner of PFS and PCNA (100.00 per cent) | | Dealertrack Inc. and defi AUTO, LLC | Vendors: PFS holds titles “through Dealertrack Inc.”; its servicing systems are hosted by defi | PFS also finances other Volkswagen Group luxury brands. The September prospectus counts “approximately 202 Centers in the United States that sell Porsche vehicles, 48 dealers in the United States that sell Bentley vehicles, 41 dealers in the United States that sell Lamborghini vehicles and 12 dealers in the United States that sell Bugatti Vehicles” (the June prospectus said 11 Bugatti dealers). ## How to pay PFS, and what each way costs PFS’s [Make a payment page](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/makeanonlinebillpayment/) gives two routes, both behind a Porsche ID. In the My Porsche app you open the Account menu, “select Porsche Financial Services,” confirm your identity, then “Select Manage Payment.” On the web you go to PFSMyAccount.com, “Enter the six-digit security code from your authenticator app,” open Payments and “Choose One-Time Payment to pay now, or Auto Pay Enrollment to set up automatic payments.” The prospectuses add that statements go out “twenty-one days before a payment is due,” and that besides direct debit the main methods are “self-service online banking (scheduled or one-time ACH), paper check, wires, and phone pay.” **Ways to pay a Porsche Financial Services account and what PFS prints about cost (read 9 October 2026)** | Method | Cost as printed | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | My Porsche app, one-time | No fee printed | Make a payment page | | PFSMyAccount.com, one-time or Auto Pay | No fee printed | Make a payment page | | Direct debit, phone, paper check, wire | No fee printed | Prospectuses only; no mailing or wire details on public pages | | Credit card, for a lease-end bill | Not accepted | Lease-end FAQ: “Credit cards are not accepted at this time” | “No fee printed” means PFS’s public pages neither charge nor waive a convenience fee; we did not see screens after sign-in. Complaints go through your account: the [contact page](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/contact/) says to “send a message using our secure message portal (Help>Contact>Ask Us),” and PFS’s whistleblower page says “the whistleblower system cannot accept, process, or forward any customer questions.” ## Late payments, deferrals and repossession PFS’s public pages say nothing about falling behind; its prospectuses do. “PFS considers an account delinquent if any amount of a scheduled monthly payment is delinquent starting on the first day after such payment was due,” and “Telephone collection intervention can begin as early as one day after the due date.” No late-charge amount or grace period is printed; the lease-end FAQ only lists “late fees” among possible final charges. Your contract sets both. **Deferrals.** “Deferrals may be granted, and a deferral fee may be charged, to a delinquent consumer to cure a short-term cash flow problem. The deferral process allows for the deferral of payments by adding the deferred amount to the end of the contract.” The fee is not printed, so ask for it, and for the new final payment date, in writing. **Repossession.** It comes “after all collection efforts have been unable to bring the account current, or the customer is deemed a high risk to become a skip account.” A supervisor or manager must approve it, “Any required legal notices are sent prior to and after repossession,” and “Unless the obligor cures the past due obligation or reinstates their contract (provided that is an option), the vehicle is transported to an auction for disposal.” Sale proceeds, net of auction and reconditioning costs, are applied under the contract’s default terms to work out what you still owe, and PFS charges off the remaining deficiency no later than the month a contract reaches “its 120th day of delinquency.” Our [car repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) covers your rights to reinstate or redeem. ## Paying off a loan, buying out a lease, and getting the title **Loans.** “All of the receivables are Simple Interest Receivables” in the 2026 loan pool, and the prospectus explains the payoff rule: “If an obligor elects to prepay a Simple Interest Receivable in full, the obligor will not receive a rebate attributable to unearned finance charges. Instead, the obligor is required to pay finance charges only to, but not including, the date of prepayment.” Interest stops the day PFS is paid, so paying early saves money, and a late payment sends more of that payment to interest. PFS’s public pages do not say how to request a loan payoff quote or mention any prepayment penalty; ask through your account. If a lower rate is the aim, see [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). **Leases.** The lease-end FAQ answers under “Retain”: “If you choose to purchase your vehicle, you may obtain a payoff by contacting an authorized Porsche Center. The payoff documents will include an odometer statement which will need to be filled out and emailed to” PFS. “This will ensure that we are able to release your title.” The price is set in advance: “The residual value is contractual and non-negotiable,” and the lease prospectus puts the buyout at “the purchase option amount specified in the lease” plus “the purchase option fee specified in the lease, if any,” taxes and anything unpaid. PFS’s leasing page says that if the car “is worth more than the residual value” you may buy it “or potentially use the equity toward a new transaction,” and if it is worth less, “you may choose to simply turn it in with no financial penalty.” Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) covers the arithmetic and sales tax. **The title.** No public PFS page says how long a title or lien release takes after payoff; the prospectus says only that PFS holds titles “through Dealertrack Inc.” Selling privately, ask PFS in writing how the title will reach the buyer, and afterwards use our [title check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/title-check-by-vin/) to confirm the lien is gone. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the open door, a parked truck and the front wheel, each with one fact from Porsche Financial Services’ pages and its 2026 SEC prospectuses. Porsche Financial Services’ pages and its 2026 SEC prospectuses, read on 9 October 2026: PFS’s public pages print no APR, late fee, disposition fee or mileage rate (callout 1); behind on a payment? PFS’s collection calls can begin one day after the due date (callout 2); lease end: free AutoVIN pre-inspection; the dealer cannot assess excess wear (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Ending a PFS lease: timeline, inspection and the bill The [lease-end FAQ](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/lease-end/faq/) offers four choices: Restart (a new PFS lease), Re-lease (“not all vehicles are eligible for re-lease”), Retain (buy it) and Return. Its timetable, with the lease prospectus: **A PFS lease end, step by step, from the lease-end FAQ and return page and the PILOT 2026-1 prospectus (read 9 October 2026)** | When | What happens, in PFS’s words | | --- | --- | | At least 210 days before | “several communications from Porsche Financial Services ... explaining all your options” | | 90 days before | Prospectus: calls go to “the remarketing department 90 days prior to lease maturity”; the inspection “normally occurs in the final 90 days” | | Around 60 days before | “a Lease-end Specialist will assist you with scheduling the recommended complimentary pre-inspection” | | 30 days before | “Contact your authorized Porsche Center 30 days prior to your lease maturity date to schedule your lease-end vehicle return” | | On or before maturity | Return to a Porsche Center; “all contractual payments will need to be satisfied upon return” | | After turn-in | “a final invoice detailing billable excess wear, mileage overage, vehicle disposition fees, and other charges” | **The pre-inspection** “is not required, but we do recommend” it. The [return page](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/lease-end/return/) says AutoVIN does it at “your home, office, or at an authorized Porsche Center,” and “Later, an itemized description and photos will be available for you to review.” Two rules matter: “repairs must be performed by an authorized Porsche Center,” and “The dealer cannot determine any excess wear on your vehicle. All inspections are completed by AutoVIN.” Send PFS your repair receipts before you return the car. One page disagrees: the [Excess Wear Guidelines](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/lease-end/excess-wear/) say “Visit OpenLane.com” to arrange the pre-inspection, while the FAQ and return page name AutoVIN. Ask the specialist who calls which firm will inspect. **At the return** bring “both key fobs, the owner’s manual, and all removable options and accessories.” Aftermarket changes “will need to be removed or reversed”; “Scheduled maintenance must be up to date”; and electric and hybrid charging components must come back with the car. In New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts PFS “will require a plate return receipt.” **The final bill** “will include charges for any excess wear that was not repaired prior to return, any excess mileage charge, any property tax charge, any fees remaining on the account at the time of return (e.g. late fees, citations, etc.), and any disposition fee.” The disposition fee “covers reconditioning the vehicle, transportation costs, any associated auction fees, and fees to inspect the vehicle,” but “New York Motor Vehicle Lease agreements executed on or after January 1, 2025 do not include a Disposition Fee.” **PFS’s public pages print no lease-end prices.** We found no disposition fee amount, per-mile rate, purchase-option fee or late-charge amount on any PFS page or brochure. For mileage charges the FAQ points you to “your lease agreement,” and the prospectus describes each fee as “specified in the lease.” Before the inspection, find four numbers in your agreement: the mileage allowance, the per-mile charge, the disposition fee and the purchase option price. These are closed-end leases: “the lessees will not be responsible for any amount by which the contractual residual value of the leased vehicle exceeds the sales proceeds.” If your Porsche is worth less than its residual, that loss is PFS’s. ## Excess wear and mileage: what PFS counts **What PFS treats as excess wear, from its Excess Wear Guidelines and the lease terms quoted in the PILOT 2026-1 prospectus (read 9 October 2026)** | Area | Billable, as PFS words it | | --- | --- | | Tires | “remaining tread of less than 1/8-inch or with structural damage”; mismatched and snow tires; the contract wants “a matching set of five tires” (or four with a “doughnut”) | | Wheels | “cracking, structural bends, scratches, and gouges larger than a credit card” | | Body and paint | Dents or scratches “larger than a credit card”; paint removal “regardless of size or number of occurrences” | | Glass and interior | “cracks, stars, chips, pits, and non-OEM glass”; “cracks, tears, burns, cuts, holes, stains, and water damage to any surface” | | Equipment | “two master keys, owner’s manuals”; no warning lights; “Torn or damaged convertible soft tops must be replaced” | | Mileage | “You will be charged any mileage in excess of the total mileage agreed to at lease signing” | The credit-card yardstick is the website’s. The contract’s own list, quoted in the prospectus, covers “any and all dents, dings, scratches, chips or rusted areas on any body or trim part,” so the pre-inspection report, not the guide, is what to rely on. **Lease-end Protection** is PFS’s optional add-on against these charges, sold “at the time of vehicle lease only.” It offers a “Waiver of covered excess wear charges up to $7,500,” “No deductible,” missing parts “up to $150 total” and tire charges “in the aggregate waived up to $1,000.” It excludes “Any itemized excess wear charge that exceeds $1,000,” “Excess mileage charges,” missed maintenance and alterations, applies “up to 12 months after the original scheduled termination date,” is “not available in New York,” and per the 2020 brochure is “Cancelable at any time; after 30 days, subject to a fee.” No price is printed. ## Extensions, early termination, transfers and loyalty waivers **Extensions.** PFS’s public pages mention only re-leasing. The lease prospectus says lessees “who intend to lease another Porsche vehicle but cannot do so at lease maturity, for reasons such as awaiting delivery of a new vehicle, preference for the next model year, or other timing circumstances, may qualify for a lease term extension of up to a maximum of twenty-four months.” That is a ceiling tied to a next Porsche lease, and the residual can be revised in an extension, so get the new terms in writing. **Ending early.** “As long as the lessee is not in default, a lessee has the right to cause an early termination by returning the leased vehicle.” You then owe the lower of two sums: roughly, the disposition fee, unpaid and remaining payments and the residual, less unearned rent charges and the car’s wholesale value; or the turn-in fee plus every unpaid and remaining payment, wear and mileage, less certain insurance or product refunds. “The lesser of the early termination liability amount and the remaining payment liability amount will be the amount due by the lessee.” Ask PFS for both figures first. **Transfers.** PFS prints no lease-transfer process or fee, but its Lease-end Protection page says that product “is transferable for a $50 fee if your lease agreement is assumed by a private party,” so PFS’s own paperwork allows for a private party taking over a lease. Ask PFS whether yours qualifies; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/) explains how such transfers usually work. **Loyalty waivers.** PFS’s [lease-end page](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/lease-end/) posts two standing programs with no end date. Both apply only when your next Porsche is leased or financed with PFS. - **End of Term Lease Loyalty:** “a waiver of up to 6 remaining payments,” with a “Maximum amount of each individual monthly payment waiver” of $2,500, so at most $15,000 by our arithmetic. The next car must be “a new and untitled Porsche vehicle”; leases with “an original term of less than 24 months” and single-pay leases are excluded; and you must return your current car “concurrently” with the new contract, when “PFS will waive the Disposition Fee, if any.” - **Loyalty Waiver:** “PFS will waive up to $1,000 of billed excess wear on existing PFS leases for customers who lease or finance their next Porsche vehicle with PFS.” “Excess mileage charges are not eligible,” and “PFS reserves the right to change or terminate the waiver at its sole discretion.” The leasing page runs the two together (“waive up to $1,000 of any billed excess wear charges and the disposition fee”), but the terms put the disposition-fee waiver only in the payment program. The prospectus says such programs exist partly “to help mitigate residual value losses and increase sales of such selected models.” Price the next car on its own before counting a waiver; our [lease or buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/) sets out the comparison. ## GAP, the lease total-loss waiver and insurance **Leases include a total-loss waiver.** PFS’s leasing page: “If your vehicle is deemed a total loss resulting from an accident or theft, the amount between any insurance settlement and remaining balance owed on your lease will be waived,” subject “to compliance with all terms and conditions of the lease agreement.” Porsche GAP excludes “Leased vehicles or balloon loans.” **GAP on a loan.** [Porsche GAP](https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservice/porschefinancialservices/protectionplan/gap/) is sold on PFS retail contracts “at the time of vehicle purchase only.” It “Waives covered losses up to $50,000,” covers the deductible “up to $1,500,” covers balances “up to 150% of the vehicle’s MSRP/NADA value” and terms “up to 84 months,” and is “Transferable for a $50 fee” within 30 days if a private buyer assumes the contract. GAP Plus adds a $1,000 replacement-car credit but “is not available for purchase in AK, FL, GA, KS, NY, TN, TX, or WV.” PFS’s example: a $75,000 balance, an insurer’s value of $66,500, $8,500 owed plus a $1,500 deductible, so GAP waives $10,000. The 2020 brochure says it is “Cancelable at any time; after 30 days, subject to a fee.” No price is printed; see our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) and [is GAP worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/). **Required insurance.** “Each contract requires the purchaser to obtain and maintain physical damage insurance,” and “PFS requires the policy to name PFS as loss payee.” PFS “does not require purchasers to carry credit disability, credit life, credit health or other similar insurance coverage,” and its finance page says it “enables higher standard insurance deductibles than are commonly required with other retail finance programs.” **Porsche Auto Insurance** policies come from Mile Premier LLC, “a managing general insurance agency,” for cars “from model year 1981 or newer that are garaged in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, or Utah.” That page, copyright Porsche Financial Services, says PFS, PCNA and Porsche AG “are not insurance companies or licensed insurance agents,” while PFS’s prospectuses say “PFS offers ... automotive insurance.” Treat any policy as Mile Premier’s. PFS also sells the Porsche Protection Plan products, which can be added to “your financing contract”; we read those contracts in our [Porsche extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-extended-warranty/). ## What PFS’s 2026 securitizations show PFS sells pools of loans and leases to trusts that issue bonds, and two are registered with the SEC: [Porsche Financial Auto Securitization Trust 2026-1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2149768/000110465926110795/tm2625528d10_424b5.htm) (loans, “the seventh term securitization of motor vehicle retail installment sale contracts sponsored by PFS”) and [Porsche Innovative Lease Owner Trust 2026-1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2126256/000110465926071245/tm2615407d12_424b5.htm) (leases, the ninth). The SEC’s registrant list names these two trusts, the depositor Porsche Auto Funding LLC and Porsche Leasing Ltd.; the earlier pools have no entries of their own. **The loan pool** (cut-off 31 August 2026): 7,935 contracts, $960,680,871.23 in all, $121,068.79 on average. Their APRs average 7.355 per cent, from 2.490 to 12.490; these describe loans already written, not rates on offer, and PFS says it “uses risk-based pricing” and “Special rates may apply as a result of promotional activities.” Terms average 71 months, up to 84. By balance, 60.11 per cent finance new cars, 36.38 per cent certified and 3.51 per cent other used cars; the average FICO score is 786 and the lowest 650. **The lease pool** (cut-off 30 April 2026): 12,617 leases, 87.61 per cent on new cars, terms averaging 37.59 months, an average FICO of about 804, residuals averaging 42.09 per cent of MSRP, and 2.47 per cent single-pay leases. At the end of 2025 PFS serviced 55,510 leases and 34,859 retail contracts, so leases were 61.4 per cent of the two by our arithmetic. The prospectus also defines what PFS’s consumer pages do not: “A CPO vehicle is a Porsche vehicle that is fewer than thirteen model years old, has fewer than 125,000 miles.” Our [Porsche certified pre-owned guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/porsche-certified-pre-owned/) found no Porsche-published page with any limit, and a Porsche Center page saying “less than 124,000 miles,” 1,000 miles lower by our arithmetic. **PFS’s managed portfolios by year, as printed in the PFAST 2026-1 and PILOT 2026-1 prospectuses (Porsche contracts only; excludes loaners, employee and fleet contracts)** | Year | Retail contracts | Retail 31+ days late (by $) | Retail repossessions | Lease contracts | Lease repossessions | Ending leases returned and resold by PFS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 29,989 | 0.36% | 47 | 47,329 | 107 | 17.65% | | 2022 | 35,589 | 0.76% | 55 | 42,856 | 68 | 1.15% | | 2023 | 38,392 | 1.21% | 125 | 44,919 | 113 | 7.89% | | 2024 | 38,063 | 1.28% | 206 | 49,662 | 193 | 25.40% | | 2025 | 34,859 | 1.79% | 220 | 55,510 | 224 | 44.00% | Retail repossessions rose about 4.7-fold from 2021 to 2025, by our arithmetic; balances more than 30 days late rose from 0.36 to 1.79 per cent; for the seven months to 31 July 2026 the late share was 1.10 per cent against 1.11 a year earlier. Net losses stayed small, 0.46 per cent of retail balances and 0.31 per cent on leases in 2025. The return column moved most: in 2022 PFS took back and resold 193 of 16,770 leases due to end, in 2025 7,078 of 16,088, and in the first quarter of 2026 the ratio was 60.10 per cent. PFS says return rates “may decline as actual values are in line with or exceed contractual residual value”; read the other way, more Porsches are now reaching lease end worth less than their buyout price, which is when the closed-end terms protect you. The filings also report what is absent. The lease trust’s August 2026 report lists no repurchase demands and, under Legal Proceedings, “None”; the depositor had “no activity to report” for 2025; and both prospectuses say there are “no legal or governmental proceedings pending, or to the knowledge of the sponsor, threatened” that are material to investors, while noting as a standard risk that PFS and Porsche AG are “periodically otherwise involved in, reviews, investigations and proceedings,” including by “the U.S. Department of Justice.” PFS “is subject to regulation and supervision by the CFPB.” ## CFPB complaints, regulators and privacy The CFPB lists PFS under one name, “Porsche Financial Services, Inc.”; searches for “bentley” and “lamborghini” find no finance company. Counting complaints received up to 8 October 2026, the file holds 107 about vehicle loans or leases, dated from 20 October 2017 to 28 September 2026: 61 on loans and 46 on leases, the same total our [extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-extended-warranty/) counted on 30 September. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, the CFPB no longer publishes their text, and counts grow with a lender’s size. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints at the CFPB against Porsche Financial Services, Inc., by issue (received to 8 October 2026; pulled 9 October 2026)** | Issue (CFPB label) | Complaints | Largest sub-issues | | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 38 | Billing problem 28; fees charged 5 | | Getting a loan or lease | 24 | Credit denial 12 | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 14 | Wear or mileage fees 4; early-termination fees 4; title after payoff 3 | | Incorrect information on your report | 12 | Account information incorrect 6 | | Repossession | 8 | Notice to repossess 3 | | Struggling to pay your loan | 6 | Denied request to lower payments 3 | | Three other credit-report issues | 2, 2 and 1 | Improper use of a report; two kinds of investigation problem | Billing problems are 26.2 per cent of the file by our arithmetic. PFS answered all 107 on time; by its own labels 104 closed “with explanation,” 2 with relief (1.9 per cent by our arithmetic, against 9.4 per cent for all lenders’ vehicle loan or lease complaints in the window) and 1 is in progress. There were 20 complaints in 2024, 18 in 2025 and 21 so far in 2026. **Enforcement.** The CFPB’s enforcement search for “porsche” returns “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” The one court record we read that names PFS is the FTC’s 2017 [stipulated order](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/3227_ftc_30l_order_executed.pdf) on 3.0-liter diesel cars (MDL No. 2672, Document 3227, filed 17 May 2017). Its defendants were Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. and Porsche Cars North America, Inc., which “neither admit nor deny any of the allegations”; PFS appears only as a “Covered Lessor,” whose early-termination fees “are not part of the Loan Obligation” and could not reduce owners’ payments. We read no state or court action naming PFS. **Privacy.** PCNA’s [privacy notice](https://www.porsche.com/usa/legal/privacy-policy/) “does not describe the privacy practices of any of our affiliates” and links a “Porsche Financial Services Privacy Notice” on PFS’s account site. Our one request for it returned an error (“Sorry, but we are having trouble signing you in”), so we cannot say what PFS shares or how to opt out; ask PFS for its notice through the secure message portal. ## Checklist for PFS customers - **Link your PFS account in My Porsche** and set up Auto Pay; check the payment screen for any fee before you confirm. - **Do not count on a grace period.** PFS treats a payment as late the day after it is due; your contract sets any late charge. - **Get any deferral in writing,** with its fee and the new final payment date. - **Pay off early to save interest,** and ask in writing how the title will be released. - **Find four numbers in your lease agreement:** mileage allowance, per-mile charge, disposition fee and purchase option price. - **Book the free pre-inspection** about 60 days out, repair at a Porsche Center, send PFS the receipts, and book the return 30 days ahead. - **Waiting for your next Porsche?** Ask about an extension of up to 24 months. ## Common questions ### Who owns Porsche Financial Services? Porsche AG. PFS’s prospectuses call PFS and Porsche Cars North America “indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries” of Porsche AG, whose 2025 list of shareholdings shows PFS at 100.00 per cent. Volkswagen AG holds 75.0 per cent minus one of Porsche AG’s ordinary shares. ### Is Porsche Financial Services part of VW Credit? No, on every document we read. Neither prospectus mentions VW Credit, and the FTC’s 2017 order lists VW Credit, Audi Financial Services and Porsche Financial Services as separate lessors. ### How do I pay my Porsche Financial Services bill? In the My Porsche app (Account, Porsche Financial Services, Manage Payment) or at PFSMyAccount.com with your Porsche ID and a six-digit authenticator code, once or by Auto Pay. No fee is printed for any method; lease-end bills cannot go on a credit card. ### How do I pay off my Porsche loan or buy out my lease? For a loan, ask PFS for a payoff through your account; interest runs only to the payoff date. For a lease, PFS says you “may obtain a payoff by contacting an authorized Porsche Center” and must return the odometer statement so it can release the title. The residual “is contractual and non-negotiable.” ### Can I extend my Porsche lease? Possibly. The lease prospectus says lessees waiting to lease another Porsche “may qualify for a lease term extension of up to a maximum of twenty-four months,” and the website offers re-leasing for eligible cars. Ask your lease-end specialist. ### What does Porsche Financial Services charge at lease end? Unrepaired excess wear, excess mileage, property tax, leftover fees and a disposition fee, at amounts set in your lease agreement. New York leases signed from 1 January 2025 have no disposition fee, and PFS may waive it if your next new Porsche is also with PFS. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/porsche-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Huntington Auto Loan: Rates, Refinancing, Payoff and Title" description: "Huntington auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: a rate table dated 25 Sep, the 22 eligible states, a costlier refinance for its own loans, payoff, title and CFPB data." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Huntington Auto Loan: Rates, Refinancing, Payoff and Title > Huntington auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: a rate table dated 25 Sep, the 22 eligible states, a costlier refinance for its own loans, payoff, title and CFPB data. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,969 words* ## The short version - Huntington takes direct auto applications only to refinance, buy out a lease or buy from a private seller, and only from residents of 22 states. It prints no dealer-purchase loan: its 10-K says its auto loans are “primarily indirect loans made through automotive dealerships.” - Its rate table is dated “Rates effective as of September 25, 2026.” Refinancing a loan from another lender starts at “As low as” 5.92% APR for a 2025 to 2027 model and 9.18% for a 2018. Private-party purchases, lease buyouts and refinancing a loan Huntington already holds sit in a second column, 9.43% to 12.68%. - Those rates assume a $30,000 loan, a $170 loan processing fee and “our highest qualified applicants,” with no term printed. Limits: $3,000 to $200,000, up to 72 months for newer cars and 60 for older ones, first payment up to 60 days after closing. No autopay or relationship discount is printed. - When a dealer pays a Huntington loan off, Huntington says the title, electronic lien release or release letter comes “within 10 business days.” If the car is totaled, the insurer gets a Letter of Guarantee within 48 hours, and its check “may or may not fully pay off” the loan. - Huntington Bancshares held $15.5 billion of automobile loans on 30 June 2026, down from $16.2 billion at the end of 2025. Net charge-offs rose from $6 million (0.05%) in 2022 to $44 million (0.29%) in 2025. - The CFPB’s enforcement index returned no action titled “Huntington”; the OCC’s one action against the bank itself is a 2005 agreement on management, audit and accounting, not car loans. The CFPB holds 470 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming “HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, THE,” 113 of them in 2026 through 8 October. Can you get a Huntington auto loan, and on what terms? Directly from Huntington, only to refinance, buy out a lease or buy from a private seller, and only if you live in one of 22 states. At a dealership, Huntington is one of the lenders the dealer can arrange, and its filings say that is where most of its car loans come from. We read Huntington’s [auto loans page](https://www.huntington.com/Personal/auto-loans-overview), its refinance, lease buyout, payment, payment assistance, disaster and dealer pages on 9 October 2026, Huntington Bancshares’ [June 2026 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/49196/000004919626000066/hban-20260630.htm) and its 10-K reports for 2024 and 2025, the CFPB’s and OCC’s enforcement records, and CFPB complaint counts. We applied for nothing and ran no rate check, and this site has no commercial relationship with Huntington or any lender. **Figure: A Huntington auto loan in Huntington’s own words, read 9 October 2026** What Huntington’s auto pages, its dealer FAQ and its filings said for each way of borrowing, from the rate column that applies to getting the title back. Source: Huntington’s auto loans overview, refinance, lease buyout, payment assistance, vehicle disaster and dealer services pages (huntington.com), read 9 October 2026; rates "effective as of September 25, 2026" for "our highest qualified applicants" on $30,000 with a $170 fee, and they change. Huntington Bancshares’ 2025 Form 10-K. ## How Huntington auto financing works: three direct routes and the dealer Huntington’s auto page lists four “Auto loan financing options”: auto loan refinancing, auto lease buyout loans, “Buy from a private seller” and specialty vehicle loans for RVs, boats, power sports, travel trailers and classic cars. “Apply Now” and “Get Personalized Rates” buttons lead to an application and a rate check; we opened neither. The page opens with “Whether you’re buying or refinancing,” but none of the four routes is a loan for buying from a dealer, and the rate table has no dealer-purchase column. That is because Huntington’s car lending mostly happens at the dealership. Huntington Bancshares’ 2025 10-K says “Automobile loans are comprised primarily of indirect loans made through automotive dealerships,” and that its indirect loans “are originated through deep relationships with dealerships.” Huntington’s dealer FAQ tells dealers that funding status is “displayed within DealerTrack and RouteOne.” On that route the dealer submits your application and arranges the financing; you do not apply on huntington.com. **Huntington’s auto financing routes as its pages described them on 9 October 2026 (rates “effective as of September 25, 2026”)** | Route | How you get it | “As low as” APR printed | Printed limits | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Buying from a dealer | Through the dealer (indirect) | Not printed | Not printed | | Refinancing a loan from another lender | Online application | 5.92% (2025 to 2027 models) to 9.18% (2018) | $3,000 to $200,000; up to 72 months for newer cars, 60 for older ones | | Refinancing a Huntington auto loan | Online application | 9.43% to 12.68% | Same | | Lease buyout | Online application | 9.43% to 12.68% | Same | | Private-party purchase | Online application | 9.43% to 12.68% | Same | | RV, boat, power sports, travel trailer, classic car | Specialty vehicle application | Not printed on the page read | Not printed | Residency decides eligibility for the direct routes: “Vehicle loans are only available for Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin residents.” If you are being offered Huntington financing at a dealer, read our guide to [what happens at the finance desk](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk) before you sign. ## Huntington auto loan rates, as of 25 September 2026 Huntington prints a full rate table with a date: “Rates effective as of September 25, 2026,” 14 days before our reading on 9 October. Every figure is an “As low as” APR, and the footnote sets the terms: “Annual Percentage Rates displayed assume a $30,000 loan amount with a $170 loan processing fee and for our highest qualified applicants.” It adds that your actual rate, term and payment “may be different depending on your credit history and the amount financed.” No term is attached to the rates, and no rate is printed for a car older than a 2018 model. Treat the table as Huntington’s floor on that date, not a quote; it changes. **Huntington’s auto loan rate table, “Rates effective as of September 25, 2026” (read 9 October 2026; the gap column is our arithmetic)** | Model year | Refinance a non-Huntington auto loan | Private-party purchase, lease buyout, refinance a Huntington auto loan | Gap (points) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2027 to 2025 | 5.92% | 9.43% | 3.51 | | 2024 | 6.12% | 9.63% | 3.51 | | 2023 | 6.37% | 9.88% | 3.51 | | 2022 | 6.52% | 10.03% | 3.51 | | 2021 | 6.82% | 10.33% | 3.51 | | 2020 | 7.17% | 10.68% | 3.51 | | 2019 | 7.32% | 10.83% | 3.51 | | 2018 | 9.18% | 12.68% | 3.50 | Two patterns stand out. The second column sits a flat 3.51 points above the first in every row but the last (3.50). And age costs money in both columns: a 2018 model is 3.26 points above a 2025 to 2027 model to refinance, with the largest single step, 1.86 points, between 2019 and 2018. The refinance page shows only the first column; the lease buyout page shows only the second. **Refinancing a loan Huntington already holds is priced in the expensive column.** The table puts “Refinance Huntington Bank Auto Loan” alongside private-party purchases and lease buyouts, 3.51 points above refinancing a loan from another lender for 2025 to 2027 models (9.43% against 5.92%). If your loan is with Huntington and you want a lower rate, compare other lenders too. What does the column gap mean in dollars? Huntington prints no payment example, so the figures below are our arithmetic: the payment on Huntington’s assumed $30,000 at each printed APR over 60 months, a term we chose. Because the APR already counts the $170 fee, a payment worked out this way is an approximation, not an offer. **$30,000 over 60 months at Huntington’s printed “As low as” APRs of 25 September 2026 (our arithmetic; Huntington prints no term or payment)** | Model year and column | APR | Monthly payment | Total interest | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025 to 2027, refinance from another lender | 5.92% | $578.87 | $4,732.20 | | 2025 to 2027, second column | 9.43% | $629.03 | $7,741.80 | | 2018, refinance from another lender | 9.18% | $625.37 | $7,522.20 | | 2018, second column | 12.68% | $677.69 | $10,661.40 | On the newest cars the second column costs $50.16 a month more, or $3,009.60 over 60 months; on a 2018 it is $52.32 a month and $3,139.20 in total. For context, Huntington’s 10-Q shows it earned an average yield of 5.87% on its automobile loans in the second quarter of 2026, against 5.82% a year earlier. Huntington prints no minimum credit score. Its 10-K says its auto strategy focuses “on high quality borrowers as measured by both FICO and internal custom scores, combined with appropriate LTVs, terms, and profitability,” and that applications go through “an automated underwriting system.” See [why lenders rarely print a minimum score](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) and [how term and car age move the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term). ## Loan amounts, terms, fees and the 22 states Huntington’s printed limits: - **Amount:** “Loan amounts from $3,000 to $200,000.” - **Term:** “up to 72 months for newer cars, 60 for older ones,” on both the refinance and lease buyout pages. No page we read says which model years count as newer. - **First payment:** you can “choose your first payment date, up to 60 days after closing.” Ask how interest builds before that first payment; see [how car-loan interest accrues](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#accrual). **Fees.** The only auto fee Huntington prints is the “$170 loan processing fee” its rates assume, 0.57% of a $30,000 loan by our arithmetic. Its autopay disclosure says that if a payment bounces, “fees will be automatically assessed on your loan for insufficient funds, as permitted by law,” with no amount. No auto page we read prints a late-fee amount, a grace period, a prepayment rule, a mileage cap or a minimum score; those terms sit in the contract you sign. Nor did we find any rate discount for autopay or for banking with Huntington; its autopay disclosure says the service “is optional and is not required in order to obtain credit from us.” **Where.** The 22 states above are listed on the overview, refinance and lease buyout pages. On the lease buyout page the sentence reads “Auto loan refinancing is only available for” the same states, a line carried over from the refinance page. The list is not the same as Huntington’s branch map: its 10-K says it operated “more than 1,000 branches in 14 states” at the end of 2025 and, after merging with Cadence Bank on 1 February 2026, “nearly 1,400 branches in 21 states.” You need to live in a listed state, not near a branch. ## Refinancing a car loan with Huntington Huntington’s refinance page describes the switch plainly: “The new loan pays off your existing balance, and you begin making payments to the new lender. It also involves transferring the vehicle title to the new lender.” It says refinancing “could be a smart move if” your credit score has improved, you want a lower payment or rate, or “Your car’s value is close to what you still owe.” Huntington says you will typically need: - your vehicle registration or title, your driver’s license and proof of insurance; - the car’s make, model, year and VIN; - “A payoff letter from your current lender.” The pages print no minimum age for the loan you are replacing and no minimum number of months left on it. The rate depends on who holds your loan now. Bring a loan from another lender and the first column applies (5.92% to 9.18% on 25 September); refinance a loan Huntington already holds and the second column applies (9.43% to 12.68%). A refinance pays only if the new APR, the $170 fee included, beats your current one over the months you have left, and stretching a short remaining term back out to 72 months can cost more interest even at a lower rate. See [when refinancing is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it) and [how to shop refinance offers](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#shopping). ## Lease buyouts, private-party purchases and specialty vehicles **Lease buyouts.** “If you love your leased car, we’ll help you make it yours.” The buyout page’s own FAQ explains the price: “The residual value is the estimated value of your vehicle at the end of its lease. This amount should be outlined in your lease agreement.” It warns that on top of the residual “you might have to pay a processing fee and purchase option fee,” that buying early can bring “an early termination fee,” and that turning in an over-mileage car means the leasing company will likely charge you, “typically $0.25 per mile.” Huntington says it is “a proud member of the Association of Consumer Vehicle Lessors.” Buyout loans use the second rate column, from 9.43% on 2025 to 2027 models. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#financing) covers judging a residual against the car’s market value. **Private-party purchases.** “Found the right car from a friend, family member, or online? We’ll help you finance it.” Huntington lists this as one of its auto loan routes and prices it in the second column. The pages we read do not explain how Huntington pays the seller, clears a seller’s existing lien or records its own lien on the title, so ask before you hand over money. Our [private-party loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#lien) walks through the title and lien steps, and [where else to borrow](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#where-to-borrow). **Specialty vehicles.** A separate page offers loans for RVs, boats, power sports, travel trailers and classic cars, with its own application and no rate printed. The 10-K says Huntington’s dealer-made loans also finance “recreational vehicles, marine craft, and powersports.” ## If Huntington finances your car at a dealership Most Huntington car loans start at a dealer’s finance desk, and Huntington publishes no rate for them; your rate is the one in the contract you sign. Huntington’s FAQ for dealers shows what happens to the paperwork after you drive away: - **Funding.** Dealers track a deal’s funding “within DealerTrack and RouteOne” or through Huntington’s Indirect Funding Department. The most common errors that delay funding, it says, are “Not including the Bookout sheet or Risk Based Pricing Notification.” A risk-based pricing notice is a disclosure meant for you; if your rate is based on your credit report, ask for your copy. - **Welcome Letter.** “It can take up to 14 days to receive their Welcome Letter after Huntington documents the details of their agreement.” If a payment falls due before it arrives, the dealer is told to send the first payment to a separate address; after the letter, borrowers use the regular payment address. - **Out-of-state buyers.** “The dealership should send the paperwork to the BMV where the customer lives to ensure the lien is properly recorded.” - **Trade-ins and payoffs.** With your authorization, a dealer can get a payoff figure from an automated line “24 hours a day, 7 days a week” using the account number or Social Security number. After the payoff: “You will receive the title, notification of the lien being released electronically, or lien release letter within 10 business days.” On any dealer-arranged loan the contract rate can include a dealer markup over the lender’s rate; our guide to [buy rates and dealer markup](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#buy-rate) explains how that works and how to compare it with an outside approval. The dealer FAQ also lists Huntington’s electronic-title codes for 31 states, 15 of them outside the 22 where it takes direct applications; it does not say in which states Huntington lends through dealers. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the letter, the mug and the table, each with one fact from Huntington’s auto, refinance and dealer pages. Huntington’s auto, refinance and dealer pages, read on 9 October 2026: Huntington’s printed APRs assume a $30,000 loan with a $170 loan processing fee (callout 1); refinancing a loan already at Huntington is priced 3.51 points above one from elsewhere (callout 2); after a dealer payoff, Huntington says the title or lien release comes in 10 business days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Payments, payoff, title and falling behind **Paying.** Huntington’s customer service FAQ lists four ways to pay a Huntington auto loan: in online banking or the mobile app (select the loan and “make a payment”), by mail, “at huntington.com/payment,” or at a branch. From an account at another bank, use Transfers and “Make a Payment From an Account at Another Bank.” Two timing rules from the payment disclosures: a scheduled one-time payment must be cancelled before 9 p.m. ET on its date, and an autopay cancellation “must be received at least five business days before” the debit. **Payoff.** No consumer page we read explains how to request a payoff quote. The dealer FAQ says Huntington’s automated payoff line needs the account number: “You must have the customer’s account number to obtain a payoff quote through our automated telephone service.” Get a written payoff figure good through a specific date before you send money. **The title.** For dealer payoffs Huntington promises the title, electronic lien release or release letter “within 10 business days.” If Huntington’s lien is still on a title after the loan is gone, the FAQ says to ask its loan and lease customer service line for a “lien satisfaction letter.” In the CFPB’s file, trouble getting the title after payoff is the second most common complaint sub-issue about Huntington’s car loans (89, or 18.9%), after billing problems, so check that the lien has cleared once the window passes; see [checking a lien after payoff](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#payoff). **If the car is totaled.** Huntington’s vehicle disaster page says your insurer requests a Letter of Guarantee, which Huntington will process “within 48 hours.” The insurer pays Huntington, Huntington releases the title or lien to the insurer, and: “Please be advised that this may or may not fully pay off your loan with Huntington.” Any shortfall is yours unless you carry gap coverage; see [how gap insurance works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works). If the car is repairable, the insurance check is payable to you and to “Huntington Bank as the lienholder”; once Huntington has the endorsed check and documents, “we’ll review them within 24 hours.” **Falling behind.** Huntington’s Payment Assistance page opens: “Missed a payment? Let’s find a way forward.” It lists four options: - **Hardship program:** “Special programs that may reduce your interest rate and monthly payment.” - **Re-age program:** “Bring your account current without paying the full past-due amount.” - **Settlement:** resolving the balance “for less than what’s owed.” - **Fee waivers:** “If you call and show a willingness to work with us, we may be able to waive a late fee.” “We cannot ensure that all borrowers will qualify for a loan work out option.” The page gives its team’s hours as Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET; the vehicle disaster page points struggling borrowers to a Customer Assistance Team on a different line, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET. Huntington Bancshares’ 10-K says automobile loans “are generally fully charged-off at 120-days past due,” and that its customer assistance team also collects on “all sold and securitized consumer loans and leases.” Our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-happens) covers what can happen before and after that point. ## What Huntington Bancshares’ 10-K and 10-Q say about its auto loans Huntington Bancshares, the bank’s parent, prints “Automobile” as its own line of the loan book and breaks it out in its credit tables. **Huntington Bancshares’ automobile loans, as printed in its 10-K and 10-Q reports ($ billions)** | Date | Automobile loans | Share of all loans (printed) | All loans and leases | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | End of 2023 | $12.5 | 10% | $122.0 | | End of 2024 | $14.6 | 11% | $130.0 | | End of 2025 | $16.2 | 11% | $149.6 | | 30 June 2026 | $15.5 | 8% | $189.4 | By our arithmetic, automobile loans grew 29.5% from the end of 2023 to the end of 2025, then fell $0.7 billion (4.4%) in the first half of 2026. The share dropped to 8% mainly because the rest of the book grew: the Cadence merger brought $36.9 billion of loans, and the 10-Q’s list of them names no automobile loans. Huntington is still lending: $2.8 billion of the June 2026 auto book was originated in 2026 and $6.1 billion in 2025, together 57.9% of it. The filings print no annual auto originations and no split between dealer-made and direct loans. **Where the loans are.** The 2025 10-K says automobile loans “include exposure in selected states outside of our primary banking markets. The exposure outside of our core footprint states represents 23% of the total exposure, with no individual state representing more than 5% of the total exposure,” up from 19% (no state above 6%) a year earlier. That 23% is about $3.7 billion of the end-2025 book, by our arithmetic. Separately, the 10-Q counts $5.8 billion of “auto dealer services loans” in its commercial book; the 10-K describes “dealer finance loans (including floorplan loans)” made to dealerships and their owners, which are not car buyers’ loans. **Credit quality.** Net charge-offs on automobile loans were $6 million (0.05% of average loans) in 2022, $21 million (0.16%) in 2023, $35 million (0.26%) in 2024 and $44 million (0.29%) in 2025, 7.3 times the 2022 figure. They ran at an annualized 0.35% in the first half of 2026 ($27 million), against 0.27% a year earlier, and 0.32% in the second quarter. On 30 June 2026, $174 million of auto loans were 30 or more days past due, 1.13% of the book by our arithmetic (the same share as at the end of 2025); 0.32% were 60 or more days late and 0.10% 90 or more. Nonaccrual auto loans were $7 million, and the allowance for auto loan losses was $169 million, down from $181 million at the end of 2025. **Who borrows.** Huntington says it uses “the most recent FICO scores, which are obtained from the national credit bureaus and refreshed at least quarterly.” On 30 June 2026, by our arithmetic on its table, 55.7% of auto loans were to borrowers scoring 750 or more, 34.6% to 650 to 749 and 9.8% below 650. Loans made in 2026 lean higher: 59.4% at 750 or more and 4.7% below 650, against 9.5% below 650 for the 2025 loans. **Securitizations and credit linked notes.** In the first quarter of 2024 Huntington “transferred $1.6 billion in aggregate automobile loans” to a securitization vehicle that issued about $1.6 billion of notes, about $128 million of which Huntington kept. It “retained servicing rights for the underlying loans,” so borrowers in that pool still deal with Huntington; $428 million of the trust’s borrowings remained on 30 June 2026, at a weighted average rate of 5.21% due through 2029. Since 2024 it has also issued credit linked notes, which “effectively transfer the risk of first losses on certain reference pools of the Company’s auto-secured loans” to investors. Four deals (2024-1, 2024-2, 2025-1, 2025-2) covered reference pools of $9.5 billion at the end of 2025, equal to 58.9% of its automobile loans by our arithmetic, with $1.15 billion of notes outstanding; a fifth in the first quarter of 2026 issued $410 million against an initial $3.5 billion pool, maturing in February 2034. Compare how other banks report their auto books: [U.S. Bank](https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/#filings), [PNC](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/#filings), [Wells Fargo](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/#filings), [Fifth Third](https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/) and [Truist](https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/). ## Regulators: what the CFPB and OCC records show “Why is Huntington Bank being sued?” is a common follow-up search. We describe only records we read: - **CFPB.** A title search of the CFPB’s [enforcement actions](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/) for “Huntington” on 9 October 2026 returned “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” The same search for another large bank returned its actions, so the filter works. A title search would miss an action whose title leaves out the name. - **OCC.** The OCC’s [Enforcement Action Search](https://apps.occ.gov/EASearch/) listed 14 records for “Huntington.” One is against The Huntington National Bank itself: Formal Agreement 2005-15, started 28 February 2005 and terminated 6 October 2005 (2005-150), with $0 listed as the amount. The agreement followed a Report of Examination dated 31 August 2004 and covers management, internal audit, “Accounting Policy and Procedures” and the “Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses,” including results presented under accounting rules “without regard to the resulting net income or earnings per share.” It does not concern auto lending to consumers. Six more rows under the bank’s charter are orders or notices against individuals; the remaining seven concern other banks or individuals elsewhere. - **The company’s own filings.** The June 2026 10-Q describes one named legal proceeding, a Louisiana case over a 2020 Main Street Lending Program loan made by Cadence Bank before the merger; no auto lending matter is named. The 2025 10-K names no specific proceeding. - **States.** We found and read no state attorney-general action over Huntington’s car loans. A private class action over repossession notices appears on a law firm’s website; we read no complaint, docket or court release for it, so we say nothing about it. ## CFPB complaints about Huntington auto loans The CFPB’s [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) files Huntington as “HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, THE.” Through 8 October 2026 it held 470 “Vehicle loan or lease” complaints naming that company, received from 27 April 2017 to 6 October 2026: 463 about loans and 7 about leases. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and counts grow with a lender’s size. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints naming HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, THE, CFPB database, received through 8 October 2026 (shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 172 | 36.6% | Billing problem (109) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 141 | 30.0% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (89) | | Getting a loan or lease | 50 | 10.6% | Credit denial (16) | | Repossession | 41 | 8.7% | Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle (8) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 29 | 6.2% | Denied request to lower payments (17) | | Incorrect information on your report | 25 | 5.3% | Account status incorrect (12) | | Four smaller credit-reporting issues | 12 | 2.6% | Various | | **Total** | **470** | 100% | | The yearly counts have climbed. There were 37 in 2023, 46 in 2024, 84 in 2025 and 113 in 2026 through 8 October, already more than any full year in the file; 2025 and 2026 together hold 197, or 41.9% of the total. Between 2023 and 2025 complaints rose 127.0% while the auto book grew 29.5%, by our arithmetic. The CFPB data do not say why. Problems paying off the loan account for 35 more complaints (7.4%), and add-on products bought with the loan for 21 (4.5%). Huntington’s responses were marked timely in all 470; 136 (28.9%) were closed with relief, 65 of them monetary. Forty-four (9.4%) carry a servicemember tag and 46 (9.8%) an older-American tag. Vehicle complaints are 5.2% of the 9,072 naming the company; 154 more sit under the CFPB’s older “Consumer Loan” product, which we did not split out, and 97 vehicle complaints are filed under “TCF NATIONAL BANK,” a bank Huntington acquired, which we did not count. Huntington ranks 42nd of 1,152 companies with vehicle loan or lease complaints. The CFPB no longer serves narratives, so we counted none. ## Before you sign anything involving Huntington - **Check your state.** Direct auto loans are only for residents of the 22 listed states. - **Know your column.** Refinancing another lender’s loan is priced 3.51 points below private-party, lease buyout and Huntington-to-Huntington refinance loans on the newest cars. - **Read the footnote.** Printed rates assume $30,000, a $170 processing fee and “our highest qualified applicants,” and were dated 25 September 2026. - **Ask the term.** Up to 72 months for newer cars and 60 for older ones; Huntington does not define newer. - **At a dealer, compare.** Bring an outside approval and compare it with the contract rate; see our [rate-shopping guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping). - **Cover the gap.** After a total loss the insurer’s check “may or may not fully pay off” the loan. - **Keep your account number** for payoff quotes, and check the lien has cleared after 10 business days. - **Call early if money is tight.** Payment Assistance lists hardship, re-age, settlement and fee-waiver options; auto loans are generally charged off at 120 days past due. ## Common questions ### What are Huntington auto loan rates right now? As of 25 September 2026: “As low as” 5.92% APR (2025 to 2027 models) to 9.18% (2018) to refinance another lender’s loan, and 9.43% to 12.68% for private-party purchases, lease buyouts and Huntington-to-Huntington refinances, for its highest qualified applicants on $30,000 with a $170 fee. ### What credit score do you need for a Huntington auto loan? Huntington prints no minimum. Its 10-K says it focuses on “high quality borrowers as measured by both FICO and internal custom scores.” On 30 June 2026, 55.7% of its auto loans were to borrowers scoring 750 or more and 9.8% below 650, by our arithmetic on its table. See [how lenders set score cutoffs](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#the-cutoff). ### Can I get Huntington financing at a car dealership? Not by applying on huntington.com: its direct routes are refinancing, lease buyouts and private-party purchases. Huntington’s auto loans are “primarily indirect loans made through automotive dealerships,” so ask the dealer whether Huntington is among its lenders. Your rate is the one in the dealer’s contract, and no dealer rate is published. ### Can I refinance my Huntington auto loan with Huntington? Yes, but the rate table prices “Refinance Huntington Bank Auto Loan” in its higher column: 9.43% for 2025 to 2027 models on 25 September 2026, against 5.92% for a loan coming from another lender. By our arithmetic that is $50.16 a month more on $30,000 over 60 months. ### How do I pay my Huntington auto loan? Huntington lists four ways: online banking or the mobile app (“make a payment”), mail, huntington.com/payment, or a branch; from another bank, use Transfers in online banking. We do not reprint phone numbers; Huntington lists its loan customer service line on its customer service and vehicle disaster pages. ### How long does it take to get my title after paying off a Huntington auto loan? For payoffs sent by a dealer, Huntington says the title, electronic lien release or release letter comes “within 10 business days.” No consumer page we read gives a separate timeline. If Huntington’s lien is still on the title after the loan is paid, ask its loan and lease customer service for a lien satisfaction letter. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/ --- title: "Fifth Third Auto Loan: Dealer Loans, Discounts, Payoff and Title" description: "Fifth Third auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: dealer-arranged, no printed rate, two 0.25% discounts, lien release in 10 business days, and the CFPB's 2024 order." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Fifth Third Auto Loan: Dealer Loans, Discounts, Payoff and Title > Fifth Third auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: dealer-arranged, no printed rate, two 0.25% discounts, lien release in 10 business days, and the CFPB's 2024 order. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,968 words* ## The short version - Fifth Third’s car lending is built around dealers. Its auto page, read on 9 October 2026, tells buyers to “ask your dealership if they participate in our lending program,” and its filings call the $15.4 billion auto book (30 June 2026) indirect lending. - No auto rate, loan amount, term limit or fee is printed on Fifth Third’s auto pages, and there is no online application link. Refinancing goes through a branch or an appointment. - Two standing discounts are printed: 0.25% off for paying from a Fifth Third checking account with Automatic Payments, and 0.25% off for refinancing a loan from another lender. Clients with $100,000 at the bank are promised unquantified “Preferred rates on Direct Auto Loans.” - The loans use daily simple interest, so paying after the due date costs you. After payoff, Fifth Third says it releases the lien within 10 business days. - In July 2024 the CFPB ordered a $5 million penalty and redress over Fifth Third’s former force-placed car insurance program, finding 1,005 repossessions tied to duplicative coverage. A 2015 order capped how far dealers could mark up its rates. - The CFPB database holds 730 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming “FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION” through 8 October 2026; 120 arrived in 2025 and 116 in 2026 to that date. Can you get a Fifth Third auto loan, and on what terms? Usually at a car dealership that sends your application to Fifth Third, or through a branch if you want to refinance. Fifth Third’s [Auto Loans and Financing page](https://www.53.com/content/fifth-third/en/personal-banking/borrowing-basics/auto-loans.html), read on 9 October 2026, prints two 0.25% discounts but no rate. We read that page, the bank’s loan FAQ, payment assistance, calculator and Preferred Checking pages, Fifth Third Bancorp’s [June 2026 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/35527/000003552726000202/fitb-20260630.htm) and 10-K reports for 2023 to 2025, the CFPB’s enforcement records naming the bank, and CFPB complaint counts. We applied for nothing, and this site has no commercial relationship with Fifth Third or any lender. **Figure: A Fifth Third auto loan in Fifth Third’s own words, 9 October 2026** What Fifth Third’s auto pages, FAQ and the CFPB’s 2024 order say at each step, from finding the loan to getting the title back. Source: Fifth Third’s Auto Loans and Financing page, auto loan FAQ, Payment Assistance page, car loan calculator page and Preferred Checking footnotes (53.com), read 9 October 2026; CFPB Consent Order 2024-CFPB-0006. Fifth Third prints no auto rate. ## How Fifth Third auto financing works Fifth Third’s auto page opens with a sales line, “Apply for a Fifth Third auto loan today,” but offers no place to do it. On 9 October 2026 the page showed no apply button, no rate and no loan limits. What it did show was one instruction for buyers and one for refinancers: - **Buying from a dealer.** “Simply ask your dealership if they participate in our lending program.” The page covers new and used cars alike, and the contract is written at the dealership. - **Refinancing.** “Refinancing options are also available to lower your interest rates and reduce current payments.” Fifth Third’s car loan calculator page adds the route: “Questions about refinancing your existing vehicle loan? Visit a branch or schedule an appointment.” Our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it) covers when that pays. - **Direct loans.** The only page we found naming them is Fifth Third’s Preferred Checking page, whose footnotes offer “Exclusive Preferred rates on Direct Auto Loans” to clients who keep $100,000 with the bank. The CFPB’s 2024 consent order also says Fifth Third “extends automobile loans directly to consumers, including through its more than 1,000 full-service branches”. The filings put the weight on the dealer side. Fifth Third Bancorp’s 2025 10-K says “Indirect lending activities include extending loans to consumers through automobile dealers,” along with motorcycle, powersport, RV and boat dealers, and its June 2026 10-Q counts the $15.4 billion of automobile loans in that indirect portfolio. **Fifth Third’s auto financing routes as its pages described them on 9 October 2026** | Route | How you get it | Rate printed | Limits printed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dealer purchase, new or used | Ask the dealership whether it takes part in Fifth Third’s lending program | None | None | | Refinance a loan from another lender | Visit a branch or schedule an appointment; no online application linked | None; 0.25% discount for a non-Fifth Third loan | None | | “Direct Auto Loans” for Preferred clients | Named only in Preferred Checking footnotes; $100,000 across deposit and investment accounts | “Preferred rates”, no figure | None | | Private seller, lease buyout or auto lease | Not mentioned on any Fifth Third auto page we read | Not applicable | Not applicable | Fifth Third’s sitemap lists a single personal auto loan page, with no separate refinance, rates or application page. The only condition printed for borrowers is the footer note: “All loans are subject to credit review and approval.” So the dealer’s finance office, not Fifth Third’s website, is where you will see a rate. To have a number to compare, bring a pre-approval from elsewhere; our [pre-approval guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk) covers what happens at the desk, and [credit scores and the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains how a dealer-arranged rate is set. ## Fifth Third auto loan rates: none printed, two discounts Fifth Third publishes no auto loan rate. None of its auto pages, calculators or FAQs read on 9 October 2026 showed an APR, a range or a rate table, and the page rendered in a browser showed the same. Fifth Third keeps a rates folder on its site, but its robots.txt file disallows that folder for all automated readers, so we did not request it and quote nothing from it. Its calculators, it says, are “provided by a third-party.” What the auto page does print are two standing discounts: - “Receive a 0.25% rate discount when your payment is deducted from a Fifth Third checking account, using Automatic Payments.” - “Receive a 0.25% rate discount when you refinance a non-Fifth Third auto loan.” The calculator page repeats it: “Non-Fifth Third auto loans receive a 0.25% rate discount.” It adds that “you may be eligible for additional discounts based on your checking relationship,” and that Preferred Checking customers “may be eligible for additional loan benefits.” Fifth Third does not say whether the two can be combined, and prints no base rate to apply them to. Our pages on [PNC](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/#rates), [U.S. Bank](https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/#rates), [Huntington](https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/) and [Truist](https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/) read other banks’ rate pages the same way. To show what a quarter point is worth we need a starting rate, and Fifth Third gives none. The nearest grounded figure is the 5.53% average yield its June 2026 10-Q reports for the whole indirect book (cars, RVs and boats) in the second quarter of 2026. That is a portfolio average, not an APR or anyone’s quote; we use it only as a reference point for a $30,000 loan over 60 months. **What the printed 0.25% discounts are worth on $30,000 over 60 months (our arithmetic; 5.53% is a 10-Q portfolio yield used as a reference, not a Fifth Third rate)** | Rate used | Monthly payment | Total of payments | Interest | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 5.53% (Q2 2026 average yield on the indirect book) | $573.45 | $34,407.00 | $4,407.00 | | 5.28% (one 0.25-point discount) | $569.99 | $34,199.40 | $4,199.40 | | 5.03% (both discounts, if they combined) | $566.55 | $33,993.00 | $3,993.00 | By our arithmetic one discount saves $3.46 a month, or $207.60 over the loan; two would save $6.90 a month and $414.00. Small, but the autopay discount costs nothing if you already bank there. The rate itself matters far more; see [how the term moves the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term). **Preferred rates.** Fifth Third’s Preferred Checking footnotes promise “Exclusive Preferred rates on Direct Auto Loans” and other loans. To get them a customer “must be eligible for premium tier benefits at the time of loan account opening,” which means holding $100,000 across deposit and investment accounts; below that, the account carries a $25 monthly fee. Neither page says how large the Preferred rate advantage is. ## Where Fifth Third lends, and what the Comerica merger changed Fifth Third’s auto pages print no list of states, and its dealer network is not mapped anywhere we read. The filings describe the branch footprint: - **End of 2025.** The 2025 10-K: 1,130 full-service banking centers “in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama.” - **The merger.** The June 2026 10-Q: “On February 1, 2026, Fifth Third Bancorp closed the merger with Comerica Incorporated in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $12.7 billion.” Comerica had 351 banking centers “primarily located in Michigan, Texas and California,” and its two banks were merged into Fifth Third Bank, National Association the same day. - **Mid-2026.** The same 10-Q: 1,500 full-service banking centers “in fifteen states throughout its retail footprint,” 370 more than at the end of 2025 by our count. It does not name the fifteen states. What does the merger mean for car loans? The filings do not say. The 10-Q reports $4.1 billion of consumer loans acquired with Comerica without breaking them out, and the indirect book moved only from $17,964 million to $18,186 million between December and June. Fifth Third’s Comerica Welcome Center answers no auto loan questions. ## Paying a Fifth Third auto loan: daily simple interest and autopay Fifth Third’s auto FAQ lists four ways to pay: the mobile app, online banking, by phone, and by mail with a check or money order “made out to Fifth Third Bank, National Association.” Take the mailing address from your statement; Fifth Third uses separate addresses for payments and third-party payoffs. Automatic payments are set up in the app or online banking under the loan account, and paying that way from a Fifth Third checking account is what earns the 0.25% discount. The interest method matters more. Fifth Third calls it “daily simple interest”: “It is calculated by multiplying the outstanding principal balance of your loan each day by the daily interest rate (the annual rate divided by the number of days in the year).” Its own example is a $500 payment due on the 5th of every month for 48 months: - Pay $500 on the 5th every month and the last payment is $500. - “If you pay later than the 5th of the month for any payment, the additional interest accrued will be collected first from your monthly payment,” so less goes to principal, and the final payment can be larger than expected. - Pay more than the amount due and you cut the total interest, because each day’s interest runs on a lower balance. To put a number on it: on a $30,000 balance at the 5.53% reference rate, one day’s interest is about $4.55, so paying 10 days late shifts about $45.45 from principal to interest (our arithmetic). The auto page makes the same point in reverse: “Or, pay the same car loan payment amount and pay off your loan sooner.” Our guide to [how interest accrues on a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#accrual) walks through the mechanics. ## Behind on payments: what Fifth Third offers Fifth Third’s Payment Assistance page has an “Auto Loan Assistance” panel: “We understand that life can impact your ability to make auto loan payments.” It lists five options: - Repayment plans - Short-term customer assistance - Long-term customer assistance - FEMA Disaster Assistance - Settlements None is described further; the page says to call the Payment Assistance Team to find out what you may qualify for. Online, the customer service FAQ gives a self-serve route: log in, “Select your auto loan, personal loan or credit card. Click ‘Hardship Assistance’ and follow the prompts.” The auto FAQ adds that you can message the bank around the clock through online banking or the app. **Fifth Third’s pages disagree on when its people answer.** The auto FAQ gives the hardship line Saturday morning hours; the Payment Assistance page says the team is available Monday through Friday only. The customer service page prints two different sets of hours for the same main line, one in its Call Us panel and another in its FAQ. If a deadline is close, use the secure message in online banking, which Fifth Third says is open 24/7, and keep a copy. Fifth Third’s 10-K says these loans are “generally placed on nonaccrual status” at 90 days past due. That is an accounting rule, not a repossession timetable. Our guide to [what to do before a repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#before) covers the rights that apply whoever holds the loan. ## Fifth Third auto loan payoff, lien release and the title **Getting a payoff.** The auto FAQ says payoff details are “available in your account summary” in the mobile app or online banking, or by phone. The customer service page adds that “You may request a payoff letter by using the messaging function within online and mobile banking.” With daily interest, a payoff figure holds only for its stated date. **The lien release.** “Fifth Third releases all vehicle liens within 10 business days of payoff.” What you receive depends on how the title is held: - If Fifth Third held a paper title, you get the title back with the lien released. - If you hold the title yourself, Fifth Third sends a release of lien to keep with it. - If the lien is electronic with your state, you get “a letter with further instructions specific to your state’s process.” - If you moved to another state and never transferred the car with Fifth Third, “your title and release is processed based on your prior state’s titling requirements.” Two warnings follow. Updating your address with Fifth Third “does not update your address with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV),” and a stale DMV address can stop the title reaching you. And converting an electronic title to paper “may take 30 days or longer for your DMV to process the change.” Lost the paperwork? To reissue a lien release Fifth Third asks for the VIN, the year, make and model, the state where the car was last titled, and the name on the title. Our [guide to liens](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#lien) explains what a later buyer will want to see. **Refunds after payoff.** Fifth Third’s FAQ says paying off early may entitle you to a full or partial refund of Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) coverage and of optional service or maintenance contracts “if you have transferred ownership or experienced a total loss on the vehicle.” It sends you to “the seller (most often, the dealer who sold you the vehicle)” to claim it. See [cancelling GAP and getting the unused premium back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel). **Total loss.** The auto page carries a Vehicle Loss Claims form for owners and insurers; owners also email the settlement breakdown and vehicle valuation to an address on the page. “A Fifth Third representative will reach out to you in 2 to 3 business days.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the phone's screen, its lower edge and the wrist, each with one fact from Fifth Third’s auto loan FAQ and Preferred Checking pages. Fifth Third’s auto loan FAQ and Preferred Checking pages, read on 9 October 2026: Fifth Third says it releases vehicle liens within 10 business days of payoff (callout 1); 0.25% off with Automatic Payments from a Fifth Third checking account, its page says (callout 2); daily simple interest: pay after the due date and more of the payment goes to interest (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Keep your insurance on file: the 2024 force-placed insurance order “Typically, when borrowers obtained a Loan from Fifth Third, borrowers signed agreements that required them to maintain insurance” against physical damage to the car, the CFPB found. If that coverage lapsed, the bank could buy a policy and add the cost to the loan. On 9 July 2024 the CFPB issued a consent order, File No. 2024-CFPB-0006, against Fifth Third Bank, N.A. over how it did that. Fifth Third agreed to it “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law,” except those establishing jurisdiction. The order’s findings, in its own figures: - **Cost.** “Under Fifth Third’s FPI program, the cost of an FPI policy was between 13% and 14% of the outstanding balance of the Loan,” an average annual premium of $1,703 to $1,847, adding “an average of nearly $200” to monthly payments. The cover protected only the car up to the loan balance; “it does not include liability or no-fault insurance.” - **Duplicates.** Fifth Third placed 32,283 policies on cars whose owners “had always maintained the requisite insurance” and 5,493 where the owner got insurance within 30 days of a lapse; “over 37,000 times” in all from 2011 through 2019. - **Repossessions.** Despite delinquencies “being caused by Fifth Third’s charging for duplicative and unnecessary FPI premiums, Fifth Third repossessed consumers’ vehicles in 1,005 cases.” Borrowers paid over $12.7 million in premiums and fees for policies later cancelled, and instead of refunding that money directly, Fifth Third applied it to their loan balances. - **Notices and timelines.** Updated coupon books showing the higher payment sometimes arrived too late, and about 8,500 of those borrowers were reported delinquent and charged late fees. Staff told borrowers to “allow 30 days for resolution,” when cancellation “could be done in two to four days.” About 2,000 borrowers who paid the amount in an incorrect right-to-cure letter “did not cure their defaults.” - **Proof.** One vendor’s system cut notice addresses to 25 characters, leaving out details “such as apartment numbers.” For another, which accepted a declarations page, the policy or a letter from the insurer, “insurance cards and binders were not acceptable forms of proof”; it wanted the insured’s name, the car, the VIN, carrier, policy number, comprehensive and collision coverage, dates, and the lienholder’s name and address. The order required Fifth Third to pay redress and a $5 million penalty, and it runs for 5 years from its effective date. The CFPB lists its status as “Post Order/Post Judgment.” The order says Fifth Third “ended its FPI program in January 2019,” and Fifth Third’s 8-K calls it “a since-discontinued program”. The CFPB’s press release counted about 35,000 harmed consumers, “including about 1,000 who had their cars repossessed,” and $20 million in penalties across this order and a separate fake-accounts settlement. The lesson outlasts the program: whenever you change insurers, send the lender the full declarations page listing the lienholder, not just an insurance card, and keep proof you sent it. ## At the dealer: the 2015 markup order and other records When a dealer arranges a loan, two rates can exist: the lender’s buy rate and the rate on your contract. On 28 September 2015 the CFPB, after a joint investigation with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, entered a consent order against Fifth Third Bank over the gap between them (File No. 2015-CFPB-0024). It said Fifth Third had a policy that “provides dealers discretion to mark up a consumer’s interest rate above Respondent’s established risk-based buy rate,” and that it “compensates dealers from the increased interest revenue.” Fifth Third consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The order found: - “During the Relevant Period, Respondent limited the dealer markup to 175-250 basis points with variation based on term, geography, and time period.” The CFPB’s release put it as markups of “as much as 2.5 percent.” - African-American borrowers paid about 35 basis points, and Hispanic borrowers about 36 basis points, more in dealer markup than similarly situated non-Hispanic white borrowers. The release said thousands of minority borrowers were charged, on average, “over $200 more for their auto loans.” - At the time Fifth Third was “the ninth largest depository auto loan lender in the United States,” with a 1.3 percent share of originations. The order required $18 million in redress and a new dealer pay policy. Under one option, dealer discretion was capped at 125 basis points for contracts of 60 months or less and 100 basis points for longer ones; the order also allowed a move to non-discretionary compensation. The CFPB “did not assess penalties against Fifth Third because of the proactive steps the company is taking.” The order ran for 3 years and the CFPB lists it as “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed.” Its action page now opens with a note that on 22 April 2026 the Bureau amended Regulation B to state that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act “does not authorize disparate-impact liability.” A markup is negotiable; an outside pre-approval helps you spot one. The CFPB’s page on [dealer-arranged and bank financing](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) explains the mechanism. **The other records.** The CFPB’s enforcement index lists 4 actions with Fifth Third in the title; two concern auto loans (the 2015 and 2024 orders above). The others are a 2015 order over credit card add-on products (2015-CFPB-0025) and a lawsuit the CFPB filed on 9 March 2020 over accounts opened without consent. The court entered the settlement on 18 July 2024; Fifth Third’s 8-K says it agreed to a $15 million penalty and redress for checking, savings and credit card accounts opened from 2010 to 2016. Neither concerns car loans. Fifth Third’s 10-Q also says it “has been cooperating with investigations by a number of state attorneys general regarding consumer solar lending,” not auto lending. We could not reach the OCC’s enforcement search and read no state attorney-general action over Fifth Third’s car loans, so we say nothing about either. ## What Fifth Third Bancorp’s 10-K and 10-Q say about its auto loans Fifth Third reports car loans inside a broader class it calls “indirect secured consumer loans”, which also holds RV, boat, motorcycle and powersport loans made through dealers. The narrative paragraphs give the car-only balance; the credit tables cover the whole class. **Fifth Third Bancorp’s auto and indirect secured consumer lines, as printed in its 10-K and 10-Q reports (shares are our arithmetic)** | Date | Automobile loans | Whole indirect book | Lent above the car’s value (LTV over 100%) | 30 to 89 days past due | Net charge-offs | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 31 Dec 2023 | $11.9 billion | Not transcribed | Not transcribed | Not transcribed | $72 million (0.45%), 2023 | | 31 Dec 2024 | $13.3 billion | $16,313 million | 27.5% | 0.80% | $90 million (0.57%), 2024 | | 31 Dec 2025 | $15.1 billion | $17,964 million | 27.9% | 0.72% | $82 million (0.47%), 2025 | | 30 Jun 2026 | $15.4 billion | $18,186 million | 28.8% | 0.59% | $42 million (0.47% annualized), first half | **Growth.** Automobile loans rose from $11.9 billion at the end of 2023 to $15.4 billion at 30 June 2026, up $3.5 billion or 29.4% by our arithmetic, and made up 84.6% of the indirect book by mid-2026. The 2025 10-K credits “higher indirect automobile loan production due to strong industry sales volume.” **Who borrows.** At 30 June 2026, 82% of the indirect book had a FICO score of 720 or higher at origination and 1% had 659 or lower. That describes who got loans, not the score you need, which Fifth Third does not publish. **Lending more than the car is worth.** This is the line buyers should read. The 10-Q says “It is a common industry practice to advance on these types of loans an amount in excess of the collateral value due to the inclusion of negative equity trade-in, maintenance/warranty products, taxes, title and other fees paid at closing.” At 30 June 2026, $5,230 million of the $18,186 million book, 28.8% by our arithmetic, started with a loan-to-value above 100%, averaging 110.2%. Those loans produced $20 million of net charge-offs in the first half of 2026. If a dealer offers to roll an old balance or add-ons into your loan, our guide to [rolling over negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#rolling-over) shows what it costs. **Credit quality.** At 30 June 2026, $108 million was 30 to 89 days past due and $62 million was nonperforming (0.34% of the book). Net charge-offs on the class were $42 million in the first half of 2026, 0.47% annualized; recoveries covered 44.7% of gross charge-offs by our arithmetic. The allowance for losses was $321 million, 1.77% of the class. **Yield.** The class earned an average 5.53% in the second quarter of 2026 and 5.62% across 2025, up from 4.31% in 2023. These are portfolio averages, not offers. **Securitization.** In August 2023 Fifth Third “transferred $1.74 billion in aggregate automobile loans to a bankruptcy remote trust which subsequently issued approximately $1.58 billion of asset-backed notes, of which approximately $79 million were retained by the Bancorp.” Fifth Third still consolidates the trust; the loans left in it had run down to $358 million by 30 June 2026, 2.0% of the book. ## CFPB complaints about Fifth Third auto loans The CFPB’s complaint database spells the company “FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION.” Through 8 October 2026 it held 730 vehicle loan or lease complaints under that name, the earliest received on 25 April 2017: 720 about loans, 9 about leases and 1 about a title loan. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and a lender with a bigger book draws more of them. The CFPB no longer publishes complaint narratives, so we counted only. - **Managing the loan:** 307 complaints (42.1%). The largest single sub-issue is “Billing problem” with 205 (28.1%), which fits the daily-interest and payment questions above. - **End of the loan:** 162 (22.2%), including 75 (10.3%) about being unable to get the title or another problem after payoff. - **Repossession:** 64 (8.8%). **Getting a loan:** 62 (8.5%). **Struggling to pay:** 61 (8.4%). **Incorrect information on a credit report:** 40 (5.5%). The yearly count has risen: 46 in 2023, 77 in 2024 and 120 in 2025, a 55.8% jump in a year by our arithmetic, then 116 in 2026 up to 8 October, 4 short of all of 2025. The data do not say why; Fifth Third’s auto book also grew over the same years. Fifth Third closed 34 vehicle complaints with monetary relief (4.7%) and 85 with non-monetary relief, and the CFPB marks 728 (99.7%) as answered on time. Vehicle loans and leases are 4.7% of the 15,663 complaints naming the company across all products. Comerica, now part of Fifth Third, still appears separately with 3 vehicle complaints. The CFPB’s [auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) cover your options if a problem is not resolved. ## Before you sign anything involving Fifth Third - **Ask the dealer who the lender is.** Fifth Third’s dealer route depends on the dealership taking part in its program; the contract, not the website, sets your rate. - **Bring an outside quote.** Fifth Third prints no rate, so a pre-approval from a credit union or another bank is your only benchmark against the dealer’s offer. - **Ask for the two discounts by name.** 0.25% for Automatic Payments from a Fifth Third checking account; 0.25% for refinancing a loan from another lender. Ask whether they combine and get the answer in writing. - **Watch the amount financed.** Fifth Third’s own filing says lenders commonly lend above the car’s value to cover negative equity, warranties, taxes and fees; 28.8% of its indirect book started that way. - **Pay on or before the due date.** With daily simple interest, late payments go to interest first and can enlarge the final payment. - **Keep insurance proof on file.** Send the full declarations page listing the lienholder each time you change insurers, and keep a copy of what you sent. - **Use secure messages for anything with a deadline.** Fifth Third’s pages give conflicting phone hours; a message in online banking leaves a record. - **After payoff, check the title.** Fifth Third says liens are released within 10 business days; update your address with the DMV too, or the title may not reach you. ## Common questions ### Does Fifth Third Bank do auto loans? Yes, mostly through dealers. Its auto page tells buyers to ask a dealership whether it takes part in Fifth Third’s lending program, and its 10-Q shows $15.4 billion of automobile loans made that way at 30 June 2026. Refinancing a loan from another lender goes through a branch or an appointment, with a 0.25% rate discount. The page links no online application. ### What are Fifth Third auto loan rates? Fifth Third does not publish them. Its auto pages, read on 9 October 2026, show no APR or range; the rate comes from the dealer’s contract or a branch quote. The only printed figures are the two 0.25% discounts. For context only, the indirect book earned an average 5.53% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the 10-Q; that is not an offer. ### How do I pay my Fifth Third auto loan? Fifth Third lists the mobile app, online banking, phone, and mail by check or money order made out to Fifth Third Bank, National Association, with your account number on it. Set up Automatic Payments under the loan account online or in the app; paying from a Fifth Third checking account that way earns the 0.25% discount. Use the payment address on your statement. ### How long does Fifth Third take to release the lien after payoff? Fifth Third says it “releases all vehicle liens within 10 business days of payoff.” If it held a paper title, it mails the title back; if you hold the title, it sends a lien release; if the lien is electronic, you get a letter with your state’s steps. A switch from an electronic to a paper title can take your DMV 30 days or longer. ### Is Fifth Third Bank a good bank for auto loans? We do not rank lenders. What the records show: a large, mostly prime dealer-arranged book (82% of the indirect book had a FICO of 720 or higher at origination), no published rates, two small standing discounts, a 2024 CFPB order over its former force-placed insurance program, a 2015 order over dealer markups, and 730 CFPB vehicle complaints. Compare its offer with an outside pre-approval. ### How much would I pay monthly for a $30,000 car loan for 60 months? It depends on the rate, which Fifth Third does not print. At 5.53%, the average yield on Fifth Third’s indirect book in the second quarter of 2026, the payment works out to $573.45 a month and $4,407.00 of interest over the loan; at 5.03%, $566.55 (our arithmetic, not a Fifth Third quote). Every point higher adds to both. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/ --- title: "Truist Auto Loan: Rates, Who Can Apply, Payoff and the RAC Sale" description: "Truist auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: a 5.65% to 14.27% secured range, who can apply where, limits, payoff, the Regional Acceptance sale and CFPB records." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Truist Auto Loan: Rates, Who Can Apply, Payoff and the RAC Sale > Truist auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: a 5.65% to 14.27% secured range, who can apply where, limits, payoff, the Regional Acceptance sale and CFPB records. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,935 words* ## The short version - “Truist auto loan” means two products. The secured loan (the car is collateral) is sold in branches in 17 states and DC, by phone if you already have a Truist account, and through “eligible dealerships nationwide.” Online and nationwide, Truist sells LightStream, an unsecured loan. - On 9 October 2026 Truist printed a secured range of 5.65% to 14.27% APR, with no “as of” date, the same range it showed on 6 October. “Excellent credit” is needed for the bottom, and “Less than a majority of applicants qualified for lowest rate.” - Printed limits: $3,500 to $400,000, up to 84 months, cars up to 20 prior model years and 120,000 miles. No origination fee or prepayment penalty; late fees “vary by state.” - Truist’s page for car dealers offers them a “rate spread up to 2%” on the loans they arrange. Bring your own approval to the finance office. - On 15 September 2026 Truist told the SEC it had agreed to sell $5.5 billion of auto loans, “substantially all assets” of its near-prime lender Regional Acceptance, with closing expected in late 3Q26 or early 4Q26. No buyer is named. - Truist’s indirect auto book fell from $25.7 billion to $23.8 billion in the first half of 2026. The CFPB lists no enforcement action titled Truist and holds 1,668 vehicle complaints naming “TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION”. Can you get a Truist auto loan, and on what terms? Yes, but which loan depends on where you live and how you buy. Truist’s [auto loans page](https://www.truist.com/loans/auto-loans), read on 9 October 2026, offers a secured loan through branches, phone and dealers, and LightStream’s unsecured loan online. We read Truist’s eight auto pages, its payment-relief guide and two pages for car dealers; Truist Financial Corporation’s [September 2026 8-K exhibit](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92230/000009223026000105/ex991slide.htm), its [June 2026 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92230/000009223026000099/tfc-20260630.htm) and its 2025 10-K; the CFPB enforcement index; and CFPB complaint counts. We applied for nothing, entered no ZIP code, and this site has no commercial relationship with Truist or any lender. **Figure: A Truist car loan in Truist’s own words, 9 October 2026** What Truist’s auto, dealer and payment-relief pages and its September 2026 8-K said at each step, from applying to paying off. Source: Truist’s auto loan, new car, used car, private party, refinance, lease buyout and calculator pages, its payment-relief guide and two dealer-facing pages (truist.com), read 9 October 2026; Truist Financial Corporation’s Form 8-K of 15 September 2026. The rate range carries no "as of" date and changes. ## Two car loans under one name Truist’s overview page says: “Depending on your location, you can choose between a secured car loan (with collateral) or an unsecured car loan (no collateral).” The two are different products with different rules. - **The Truist secured loan.** The car secures the debt and Truist holds the title until it is paid. Truist says this loan’s “interest rates tend to be lower.” Where it is sold: “Secured auto loans are available at eligible dealerships nationwide, and in branches in the following states: AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, IN, KY, MD, MS, NJ, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.” That is 17 states plus DC (our count). - **How you apply for it.** “You can apply for a secured auto loan in person or, if you have a Truist account, apply by phone.” The product pages repeat it: “Apply in person, or by phone if you have a Truist account.” No online application for the secured loan appears on any page we read. - **LightStream.** “Unsecured auto loans are available nationwide. You can apply for an unsecured auto loan online.” It is a personal loan with no lien on the car, and Truist warns it “may have a higher interest rate compared to a secured loan.” Our [LightStream review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/#secured-vs-unsecured) covers its rates, its Rate Beat Program and its fees. So a buyer outside those states who does not bank with Truist has two routes to Truist money: LightStream online, or a secured contract a dealer arranges. Each product page also has a ZIP-code box to show “loans available in your area”; we did not use it. **Truist’s car-loan routes as its pages described them on 9 October 2026** | What you are financing | Truist secured loan | LightStream unsecured loan | | --- | --- | --- | | New car from a dealer | Yes | Yes | | Used car from a dealer | Yes, up to 20 prior model years and 120,000 miles | Yes, no age or mileage limit | | Used car from a private seller | Yes, same limits | Yes | | Refinance | Yes; a Truist secured loan needs 6 contractual payments first | Yes, but not to refinance a LightStream loan or take cash out | | Lease buyout | Yes; the new lender holds the title until paid in full | Yes | | Classic car | No page | Yes, $5,000 to $100,000 | | How to apply | In a branch, or by phone with a Truist account; or through an eligible dealer | Online | What you need: “income and employment information, driver’s license, and verification of the personal information you’ve provided (such as your address).” A purchase needs “a copy of the bill of sale or buyer’s order”; a refinance needs your current registration. Truist says “There is no set credit score requirement for auto loan approval,” may suggest “a cosigner or joint applicant,” and does not require pre-approval. Our [pre-approval guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) explains why arriving with one still helps. Our readings of [U.S. Bank](https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/), [PNC](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/), [Wells Fargo](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/), [Huntington](https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/) and [Fifth Third](https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/) use the same method. ## Truist auto loan rates on 9 October 2026 Truist prints one range for its secured car loan and repeats it on the new car, used car, private-party, refinance and lease buyout pages: “Fixed rates from 5.65% to 14.27% APR.” Its calculator page gives the same range. No page puts an “as of” date beside it, so the date that matters is the day you read it. Our LightStream review read the same 5.65% to 14.27% on 6 October 2026, so the range did not move that week. The disclosure says “Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice.” The footnote under the range sets the conditions in Truist’s words: - “Your loan terms, including APR, may differ based on amount, term length, and your credit profile.” - “Excellent credit is required to qualify for lowest rates.” - “Less than a majority of applicants qualified for lowest rate.” - Offers are “subject to credit approval under Truist underwriting guidelines including qualifying loans with certain debt to income, FICO® scores and other underwriting credit criteria.” Truist prints no score, amount, term or vehicle age that earns 5.65%, and no rates by term; its calculator page says only that “Shorter loan terms (36-48 months) typically come with lower interest rates.” No autopay or relationship discount is printed for the secured loan. LightStream’s rates are quoted with an AutoPay discount, and its disclosure gives a number the secured one does not: “At least 33.00% of approved applicants applying for the lowest rate qualified” between 1 April and 30 June 2026. **A range is not a quote.** 5.65% to 14.27% is 8.62 percentage points wide (our arithmetic), and Truist says less than a majority of applicants reach the bottom. Your rate is the one on your own approval, and Truist says it holds for 30 days once you are approved “as long as there are no changes to your application or loan terms.” Truist prints one payment example, undated: “a consumer who finances a new car for $25,000 at a term of 84 months and at an annual percentage rate (APR) of 6.18% would remit 84 payments of $366.00.” The same new-car example appears on the used car, private-party, refinance and lease buyout pages. When we rerun it with the standard loan formula, $25,000 over 84 months at 6.18% comes to $367.37 a month, or $115.08 more over the loan than Truist’s figure; $366.00 matches an APR of about 6.07% (our arithmetic). Truist prints no assumption that would explain the gap, so the example cannot check a quote to the cent. The two ends of the range on Truist’s own example amount (our arithmetic, not offers): **$25,000 at the ends of Truist’s printed secured range, read 9 October 2026 (our arithmetic)** | Term | At 5.65% APR | At 14.27% APR | Difference a month | Difference over the loan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 60 months | $479.26 a month; $3,755.60 interest | $585.21 a month; $10,112.60 interest | $105.95 | $6,357.00 | | 84 months | $361.03 a month; $5,326.52 interest | $472.24 a month; $14,668.16 interest | $111.21 | $9,341.64 | Where you land in the range moves the cost by thousands of dollars, and 84 months instead of 60 adds $1,570.92 of interest at the low rate, $4,555.56 at the high end. Our guide to [used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term) explains why the longer term costs more even when the payment is smaller. ## Limits, fees, rate lock and funding Truist’s comparison tables print the same secured-loan terms on each product page: - **Amount:** “$3,500 to $400,000,” with a footnote that the “Minimum loan amount may vary in some states to comply with applicable law.” - **Term:** “Up to 84 months.” - **The car:** “Up to 20 prior model years” and “Up to 120,000 miles” on the used car, private-party, refinance and lease buyout pages. The private-party FAQ says “a car up to 20 years old,” which can differ by a model year, so check the cutoff before you shop. - **Fees:** “No pre-payment penalties. Late payment and returned payment fees vary by state.” Both loans have “no origination fee.” No late-fee amount or grace period is printed; look in your contract. - **Rate lock:** 30 days from approval, if nothing in the application or terms changes. - **Funding:** “As soon as today” for both loans. The conditions printed for same-day money (a wire, a banking day, e-signing before 2:30 pm ET) belong to LightStream; for the secured loan the footnote only says “Your loan officer will provide you with guidance on what documentation is needed.” - **Paying:** the secured loan takes “Digital, Autopay, mail, phone, in-branch”; for LightStream the table lists “Digital”, by AutoPay or invoice. Dealer charges are separate; see our guide to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/). ## Buying through a dealer: Truist’s indirect loans Truist’s 10-K describes its “indirect auto” portfolio as “secured indirect installment loans to consumers for the purchase of new and used automobiles,” originated “through approved franchised and independent dealers throughout the Truist market area and nationally through Regional Acceptance Corporation.” The CFPB calls this indirect auto financing “because the dealer is between you and the lender”: a lender that agrees to finance the loan quotes the dealer a “buy rate.” Truist’s pages for dealers, read the same day, show what the dealer is offered. “We’re an indirect prime auto finance company with dealer relationship managers across the United States.” Among the benefits it lists: - “Competitive compensation program allowing rate spread up to 2%” - “100% flat paid upfront for contracts at retention” - “Financing terms up to 84 months” - “Enhanced vehicle values through our certified pre-owned program” Its broader dealer page lists “Flat fee service paid at 100%,” same-day funding and eContracting through Dealertrack and RouteOne. A rate spread is the room a dealer has to add to the rate the lender approves. The [CFPB explains](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) that a dealer’s rate is generally the buy rate “plus additional interest that compensates them for handling your financing.” Truist’s page gives the ceiling, not what any dealer charges. On a dealer-arranged Truist contract, the APR you are shown may sit above the rate Truist approved. **Know your number before the finance office.** If you live in a branch state, apply for the secured loan yourself first, or get a quote from another lender, then compare it with the dealer’s APR line by line. Our guide on [credit scores and the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains what to ask for, and the [pre-approval guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk) covers what happens at the desk. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the phone, the hole punch and the stapler, each with one fact from Truist’s auto loan and dealer pages. Truist’s auto loan and dealer pages, read on 9 October 2026: Truist’s secured car loan: apply in a branch, or by phone if you hold a Truist account (callout 1); Truist’s dealer page offers dealers a rate spread of up to 2%: bring your own approval (callout 2); paying a Truist secured loan off early carries no prepayment penalty, Truist says (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Refinancing, lease buyouts and private-party cars **Refinance.** Truist says that if you refinance with it, “you’ll use funds from your new Truist loan to pay off the remaining balance on your existing auto loan.” Three rules from the overview FAQ: - “If you have an existing Truist secured auto loan, you’ll need to make 6 contractual payments before you can refinance.” - “the vehicle title must be in your name, and you’ll need a copy of your current registration.” - On owing more than the car is worth: “Most lenders, including Truist, have limits on how much negative equity they’re willing to refinance.” You may need to pay down the difference or roll it into the new loan. Our [negative equity guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#refinancing) walks through both. Truist says its refinance loans carry “no origination fees and no pre-payment penalties,” and adds: “You can check your current auto loan to see if there is a pre-payment penalty.” Our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) shows whether a lower rate saves money once the term resets. **Lease buyout.** Same range and limits. “With a secured lease buyout loan, the new lender holds the car title until the loan is paid in full. The title is transferred from your leasing company to the new lender.” A buyout price can include “a purchase option fee, state sales tax, title and registration fees, and potential dealer documentation fees”; our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) explains the residual. **Private seller.** Truist’s secured loan covers private-party purchases within the same 20-year, 120,000-mile limits, and the application includes a hard credit inquiry. Truist’s own advice for the handover: “ensure the title is transferred to your name before paying the seller, and consider using a check or money order rather than cash so there is a record of payment.” With a secured loan the lender also needs its lien recorded on that title; our [private-party loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#title) shows the order of steps. ## Payments, payoff and your title “Payments for a Truist secured auto loan can be accepted by mail, phone, through your online or mobile banking, or in a branch.” Truist’s overview page prints a customer line and a payment address; loan details are “in your monthly statement” and online banking. To pay off a secured loan, Truist lists four steps in online banking: 1. Sign in to online banking. 2. Select your auto loan from the Dashboard. 3. Select Account details in the top right corner “to view your loan balance (payoff amount) as of today.” 4. Select the Make payment button and follow the prompts. “There are no pre-payment penalties for paying off your loan early.” The payoff shown is “as of today,” so pay it the day you look it up, or ask Truist for the amount good through the date your money will arrive. Truist’s pages do not say how long it takes to release its lien or send the title after payoff, and we found no lien-release page on truist.com. That gap matters: the most common end-of-loan complaint about Truist in the CFPB database is “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off,” with 163 complaints (see [the complaint counts below](#records)). If the title has not arrived within your state’s usual window, ask Truist in writing for the lien-release date and how it was sent. For the vehicle-loan interest deduction, Truist says “Your January 2026 statement will include the total amount of interest you paid in 2025.” ## If you fall behind Truist’s payment-relief guide says relief “allows you to temporarily suspend your payments on your auto loan”: - **Who qualifies:** “you need to have a strong payment history and generally, your account should be open for at least 9 months before applying.” Causes it names include a temporary drop in income and natural disasters. - **How long:** “Generally, short-term payment relief is for no more than 90 days.” - **What happens to the loan:** relief may “Extend the maturity date of your loan by the number of payments you suspended for installment loan accounts like auto loans.” - **What it does not do:** it does not “Stop interest from accruing on your account”, so you pay more interest over the life of the loan, and it does not extend optional insurance or coverage. - **If you are already behind:** you can still ask, but “penalties for missed payments prior to providing payment relief will still apply.” - **After relief:** if you still cannot pay, an auto loan modification may involve “a reduction in the interest rate, an extension of the length of time for repayment, a different type of loan, or any combination of the three.” A modification’s new terms are reported to the credit bureaus. Requests go through online banking (the loan’s “More” menu, then Payment Relief) or by phone on weekdays. Ask early. Truist’s 10-K says it places indirect auto loans on nonperforming status at 90 days past due and evaluates them for charge-off at 120 days; branch-made loans in its “other consumer” line run 90 to 120 days for both. Those are accounting thresholds; repossession follows your contract and state law. Our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) explains the notices and the right to get the car back. ## The Regional Acceptance sale Regional Acceptance Corporation is the Greenville, North Carolina lender that Truist’s 10-K says makes its “nonprime and near-prime automobile finance” loans nationally. On 15 September 2026, before a conference talk, Truist furnished a [Form 8-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92230/000009223026000105/tfc-20260915.htm) saying it was disclosing “a recently signed transaction related to its strategic decision to exit the near-prime auto lending business.” The one-slide exhibit, titled “Strategic exit of near-prime auto lending and illustrative AFS repositioning,” says Truist: - “Entered into an agreement to sell $5.5B of auto loans representing substantially all assets of Regional Acceptance Corporation (RAC)”; - expects “Closing anticipated in late 3Q26 or early 4Q26, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions”; - says “RAC pre-tax earnings were approximately breakeven through the six months ended June 30, 2026”; - expects the sale to generate “$5.2B of net proceeds and a $535MM loan loss reserve recapture”; - is exiting “non-core, less profitable near prime auto lending,” consistent with discontinuing marine and RV loans, and that a “Broader strategic review is ongoing.” The slide adds that “All financial metrics are preliminary estimates.” It does not name the buyer, give a price beyond those two figures, or say who will service the loans after closing. Truist’s filing index, read on 9 October 2026, listed no later 8-K. Against the $23.8 billion indirect auto book of 30 June 2026, $5.5 billion is about 23.1% (our arithmetic; the slide gives no as-of date, so treat it as scale). Regional Acceptance’s own SEC filing, read for our review on 7 October 2026, records a March 1996 agreement to become a subsidiary of Southern National Corporation, which EDGAR shows was renamed BB&T Corp in 1997 and became Truist Financial Corp in December 2019. On 9 October 2026 its home page still described it as “an affiliate of Truist” and carried no notice of the sale. **If your loan is with Regional Acceptance.** Keep paying through the channels on your statement. If a letter arrives naming a new owner or servicer, check it against Regional Acceptance’s own site or statement before you change where you send money, and keep proof of every payment made around the switch. The CFPB already holds 48 Truist vehicle complaints filed under “Loan sold or transferred to another company.” Our [Regional Acceptance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/regional-acceptance-review/#payoff-and-title) covers its payment, payoff and title steps. ## What Truist’s filings say about its car loans Truist reports one “indirect auto” line: dealer loans in its market area plus Regional Acceptance’s national book. Branch-made car loans are not broken out; the 10-K puts “secured and unsecured loans originated through the Truist branch network” and LightStream in “other consumer” with boat, RV and point-of-sale loans. **Truist’s indirect auto portfolio by quarter, from its 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 ($ millions unless stated)** | Quarter ended | Average loans | Nonperforming loans | 30 to 89 days past due | Net charge-offs (annualized) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 30 June 2026 | 24,430 | 569 | 521 | 1.73% | | 31 March 2026 | 25,342 | 455 | 508 | 2.14% | | 31 December 2025 | 25,639 | 267 | 679 | 2.10% | | 30 September 2025 | 24,964 | 247 | 620 | 1.99% | | 30 June 2025 | 24,158 | 240 | 582 | 1.63% | Five things in the filings matter to a borrower: - **The book grew, then shrank.** Indirect auto loans stood at $23,089 million at the end of 2024 and $25,659 million at the end of 2025, “a $2.6 billion increase in indirect auto portfolio primarily due to higher production.” By 30 June 2026 the balance was $23,840 million, down $1,819 million or 7.1% in six months (our arithmetic). - **Truist is pulling back.** The June 10-Q says that in the second quarter Truist “further reduced originations in less strategic and less profitable consumer lending units such as prime and non-prime auto.” Yet the same report credits “higher indirect lending in the Service Finance and prime auto portfolios” for six-month growth in average loans. It does not mention Regional Acceptance. - **Nonperforming loans more than doubled, partly by definition.** Indirect auto nonperforming loans rose from $267 million to $569 million in six months, 2.1 times as much (our arithmetic). Truist explains that the increase “was driven by an enhancement to nonaccrual criteria for certain loans in that portfolio effective January 1, 2026 to prospectively include accounts in which cumulative payment extensions are at or above 12 months.” In plain terms: loans with a year or more of payment extensions now count as nonperforming. - **Extensions are common.** In the second quarter of 2026 Truist modified $618 million of indirect auto loans for borrowers in financial difficulty, 2.59% of the class; $595 million of that was payment delays averaging 9 months. Over the first half the total was $991 million, 4.16% of the class. - **Reserves are heavy.** On 30 June 2026 indirect auto held 20.8% of Truist’s loan-loss allowance ($1,034 million) while making up 7.2% of its loans, about 2.9 times its share (our arithmetic). Annual net charge-offs were 2.00% of average indirect auto loans in 2025, 2.11% in 2024 and 1.66% in 2023. Truist’s average yield on the whole indirect auto book was 7.06% in the second quarter of 2026, against 7.32% a year earlier. That blends prime and near-prime contracts and is what Truist earned, not a rate offered to anyone. Truist says the Regional Acceptance sale will reduce its nonperforming loans “by >10 bps” and net charge-offs “by ~10 bps annually.” ## Regulators, court records and CFPB complaints **Who supervises Truist Bank.** The 10-K says Truist Bank is “a North Carolina state-chartered commercial bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System,” supervised by the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks and the FDIC, with the CFPB covering federal consumer financial law. The parent answers to the Federal Reserve. The OCC, which oversees national banks, is not Truist Bank’s regulator; we did not search its records, or FDIC or North Carolina orders. **The CFPB.** On 9 October 2026 the CFPB’s [enforcement-action index](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/?title=truist) returned no results for the titles “truist,” “bb&t” and “branch banking.” Our Regional Acceptance review found none for “regional acceptance” on 7 October. The title “suntrust” returned one record, SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.: a federal court action filed 17 June 2014 (docket 1:14-cv-01028) over mortgage servicing, listed as expired, terminated or dismissed. It does not concern car loans. **Court cases.** The 2025 10-K describes one legal proceeding in detail, Bickerstaff v. SunTrust Bank, a Georgia class action over overdraft fees. We found no auto-lending case described in the filings we read, and we read no state attorney-general action about Truist car loans. **Complaint counts.** The CFPB database files Truist’s car-loan complaints under “TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION”: 1,668 vehicle loan or lease complaints received through 8 October 2026, the first on 27 February 2020 (1,626 about loans, 41 about leases). That ranks 17th among 1,152 companies named in the product. Older complaints sit under the pre-merger names, “BB&T CORPORATION” (231, the last received in February 2020) and “SUNTRUST BANKS, INC.” (105, the last in January 2020); with them the total is 2,004. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and counts grow with a lender’s size. The database does not say whether a complaint concerns a branch loan, a dealer contract, LightStream or Regional Acceptance. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints naming TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION, received through 8 October 2026 (CFPB; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 615 | 36.9% | Billing problem (354) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 308 | 18.5% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (163) | | Repossession | 204 | 12.2% | Loan balance remaining after the vehicle is repossessed and sold (63) | | Getting a loan or lease | 202 | 12.1% | Credit denial (59) | | Incorrect information on your report | 128 | 7.7% | Account information incorrect (54) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 123 | 7.4% | Denied request to lower payments (62) | | Four smaller issues | 88 | 5.3% | Credit reporting, investigations and monitoring | Yearly counts ran from 94 in 2020 (from late February) to 368 in 2025, the highest year, with 316 in 2026 up to 8 October. Truist closed 156 complaints (9.4%) with monetary or non-monetary relief and answered 98.4% on time; 221 (13.2%) carry a Servicemember tag. On payoff, 107 complaints concern “Problem with paying off the loan” on top of the 163 about titles. The CFPB has served no complaint narratives since 30 September 2026, so we report counts only. You can [search the database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) yourself. ## Before you sign a Truist car loan - **Know which loan you are getting.** Secured (Truist holds the title, 5.65% to 14.27% APR printed on 9 October 2026) or LightStream (unsecured, online). Truist says the secured rate tends to be lower. - **Check where you can apply.** Branches in 17 states and DC, by phone only with a Truist account, otherwise through an eligible dealer or LightStream. - **Check the car.** Secured loans stop at 20 prior model years and 120,000 miles; amounts run $3,500 to $400,000 and terms up to 84 months. - **Get your own approval first.** It locks for 30 days. At a dealer, compare it with the contract APR: Truist’s dealer page allows a rate spread of up to 2%. - **Read the fee lines.** No origination fee and no prepayment penalty are printed; late and returned-payment fees vary by state, so find them in your contract. - **Price the term, not just the payment.** On $25,000, 84 months instead of 60 costs $1,570.92 more interest at 5.65% (our arithmetic). - **Plan the payoff.** Take the payoff amount “as of today” from online banking, then follow up in writing until your state shows the lien released and the title reaches you. - **Regional Acceptance borrowers:** keep paying as your statement says and verify any notice of a new owner or servicer before redirecting payments. ## Common questions ### Can I get a Truist auto loan if I don’t live near a branch? Not directly as a secured loan. Truist sells its secured loan in branches in 17 states and DC and by phone to people who already have a Truist account; elsewhere it reaches buyers through “eligible dealerships nationwide.” Anyone in the country can apply online for LightStream, Truist’s unsecured loan, which Truist says may carry a higher rate. ### What credit score do you need for a Truist auto loan? Truist says “There is no set credit score requirement” for its secured loan, and that it also weighs income, payment history and debt-to-income. Its lowest rate needs “Excellent credit,” and “Less than a majority of applicants qualified” for it. LightStream “requires good-to-excellent credit profiles.” See our guide to [credit scores for buying a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/). ### What are Truist auto loan rates right now? On 9 October 2026 Truist printed “Fixed rates from 5.65% to 14.27% APR” for its secured car loan, undated and “subject to change without notice,” the same range it showed on 6 October. Its only payment example, $25,000 over 84 months at 6.18% for $366.00 a month, is undated, and our rerun gives $367.37. ### How do I find and pay off my Truist car loan? Truist says loan details are in “your monthly statement” and in online or mobile banking, and you can also call or visit a branch. To pay off, sign in, pick the auto loan from the Dashboard, open Account details for the payoff amount “as of today,” and use Make payment. There is no prepayment penalty. Truist’s pages give no lien-release timeline, so follow up until the title arrives. ### Can I refinance my car loan with Truist? Yes, with a secured refinance (same range and limits) or a LightStream refinance. The title must be in your name and you need your registration. If your current loan is already a Truist secured loan, you must make 6 contractual payments first, and LightStream cannot refinance a LightStream loan. ### Is Truist selling its auto loans? Part of them. Truist’s 8-K of 15 September 2026 says it agreed to sell $5.5 billion of auto loans, “substantially all assets” of Regional Acceptance, to exit near-prime auto lending, with closing expected in late 3Q26 or early 4Q26. It names no buyer. The slide describes Regional Acceptance’s loans only and says nothing about Truist’s prime dealer loans, branch loans or LightStream, though the June 10-Q says Truist has cut prime and non-prime auto originations too. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB, Negative Equity in Auto Lending (June 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_negative-equity-in-auto-lending-report_2024-06.pdf) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/ --- title: "CARSTAR: Its Nationwide Warranty, Insurers and Your Rights" description: "CARSTAR’s web pages promise a 5-year repair warranty; its franchise papers say lifetime. What its documents say on insurers, rentals and your choice of shop." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # CARSTAR: Its Nationwide Warranty, Insurers and Your Rights > CARSTAR’s web pages promise a 5-year repair warranty; its franchise papers say lifetime. What its documents say on insurers, rentals and your choice of shop. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,996 words* ## The short version - CARSTAR is a network of locally owned collision repair franchises belonging to Driven Brands, the parent of Meineke and Take 5. Driven counts 1,077 collision locations across CARSTAR, ABRA and Fix Auto, with no CARSTAR-only figure. - CARSTAR’s web pages promise “a 5-year national warranty on qualifying repairs.” Its franchise disclosure document calls the same program the “Limited Lifetime Nationwide Warranty.” The warranty text itself is not published. - Coverage and exclusions are in a warranty document the shop hands over “if provided by the CARSTAR location at the completion of the repair.” Ask for it before you authorize the work. - CARSTAR’s own FAQ says you do not have to use the shop your insurer recommends: “you have the right to choose your own collision repair shop.” Minnesota law makes insurers tell you so. - CARSTAR’s business “focuses on insurance-related collision repair work,” its franchise document says. It claims partnerships with more than 80 insurers and runs programs that give its shops preferred access to insurers’ direct repair programs. - Rentals are arranged “through your insurance company with one of our preferred providers.” The deductible is due at pickup; Sunbit and Zip financing is offered at participating shops. If you searched for CARSTAR, you most likely want a body shop after a crash or a hailstorm. CARSTAR is a franchise network: the shop is owned locally, the name, systems and insurer contracts come from CARSTAR, and CARSTAR belongs to Driven Brands. Its key written promise, a nationwide repair warranty, is described two ways in its own documents. On 9 October 2026 we read CARSTAR’s [FAQ](https://www.carstar.com/faq/), its [collision repair](https://www.carstar.com/auto-body-repair/auto-collision-repair/), accident assistance, insurance, financing and About pages; Driven Brands’ 2025 annual report at the SEC; the first 59 pages of CARSTAR’s franchise disclosure document, issued June 13, 2025, as amended December 29, 2025; Minnesota’s insurance claims statute; and a 2019 Washington Attorney General release. This site has no commercial relationship with CARSTAR, Driven Brands or any repair shop. **Figure: What CARSTAR’s documents say, by situation** Nine situations a CARSTAR customer meets, each matched to the wording of CARSTAR’s web pages, its franchise disclosure document or Minnesota law. Read from carstar.com, CARSTAR’s Franchise Disclosure Document (issued June 13, 2025, as amended December 29, 2025) and Minnesota Statutes 72A.201 on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns CARSTAR, and who runs your shop CARSTAR started in 1989. Its franchise disclosure document (FDD) says it and its predecessors “first offered franchises to existing automobile collision repair facilities as conversion franchises in August 1989 and began offering franchises for new automobile repair facilities in October 1995.” That makes the network 37 years old in 2026, by our arithmetic, and it began by signing up body shops that already existed. Driven Brands acquired CARSTAR in October 2015, according to the FDD; CARSTAR’s About page timeline says it “Unites under Driven Brands to become CARSTAR North America” that year. The franchisor today is CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, “a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Driven Systems LLC” and “an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Driven Brands, Inc.” The FDD adds that funds managed by Roark Capital Management “owned and continue to own a majority of the outstanding stock of Driven Brands Holdings.” Our [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/#who-owns-meineke) and [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/#who-runs-it) pages read the same parent’s filings. Driven’s annual report (Form 10-K) for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2025 puts CARSTAR in its Franchise Brands segment with Meineke, Maaco, ABRA, Fix Auto and others, 2,699 locations in all, and describes the collision brands together: “Our collision repair services are offered through CARSTAR, ABRA, and Fix Auto, which were founded in 1989, 1984, and 1997, respectively, and together comprise the largest franchised collision repair network in North America. Our 1,077 collision locations, as of December 27, 2025, are almost exclusively franchised.” By our arithmetic, 99.5% of the whole segment’s locations are franchised. What franchising means for you is spelled out in the same report: “Our franchises are independently owned and operated businesses,” and outside its standards and policies Driven does “not control the day-to-day operations, such as hiring and training of employees, of the franchisees.” CARSTAR puts it as “Each CARSTAR location is independently owned.” The shop that fixes your car writes your estimate, does the work and issues your warranty. The shop pays CARSTAR for the name and the programs. Under the FDD, a franchisee pays a monthly base fee of “the greater of $1,000 or 1.5% of the Monthly Base Volume” (a monthly average of the shop’s sales in the year before it signed), 4% of monthly sales above that level, and an Insurance and Marketing Fund fee of the “Greater of $500 or 1% of monthly Gross Sales.” Those are payments between the shop and CARSTAR, not charges on your bill. ## The nationwide warranty: five years, or lifetime? CARSTAR’s About page timeline lists “Introduces first National Warranty” in 1995. What the warranty promises today depends on which CARSTAR document you read. Two company-run collision chains are read on our [Gerber Collision](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/) and [Crash Champions](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/crash-champions/) pages. The consumer pages say five years. The auto collision repair page tells customers: “You’ll also benefit from a 5-year national warranty on qualifying repairs, so if you move or you’re travelling, you can rest assured that you’re still covered.” Further down the same page: “We offer five year nationwide warranty on qualifying repairs.” The FAQ is more guarded: “CARSTAR stores may offer a limited five-year nationwide warranty as an added benefit.” Most pages give no length. A callout on four of its pages reads: “We stand behind our work with a CARSTAR Limited Nationwide Warranty* on qualifying repairs.” The asterisk leads to this: “Please refer to the official CARSTAR Warranty Document (if provided by the CARSTAR location at the completion of the repair) for specific coverage and excluded items.” The franchise document says lifetime. Among the things CARSTAR promises its franchisees in Item 11 of the FDD is to “Administer the Limited Lifetime Nationwide Warranty program and maintain a telephone number available to the Facility for use by your customers in connection with customer referrals, questions, comments and complaints.” Item 12 uses the same name, and Item 3 records a 2025 Canadian settlement in which former franchisees agreed to “uphold the lifetime warranty for any work they performed prior to the termination date.” Item 1 lists the “national warranty program” among the parts of the CARSTAR system, “all of which we may change and continue to develop at our discretion.” **How CARSTAR’s documents describe its warranty (read 9 October 2026)** | Document | What it says | Length stated | | --- | --- | --- | | Auto collision repair page | “a 5-year national warranty on qualifying repairs”; “five year nationwide warranty” | Five years | | FAQ (“Your Consumer Rights”) | “CARSTAR stores may offer a limited five-year nationwide warranty as an added benefit” | Five years, if offered | | Callout on several service pages | “CARSTAR Limited Nationwide Warranty* on qualifying repairs”; terms in a document “if provided” | None stated | | About page | “a national warranty on qualified repairs and a service guarantee” | None stated | | FDD Items 11 and 12 | “Limited Lifetime Nationwide Warranty” program, honored by other franchisees | Lifetime, in the name | | FDD Item 3 (Canada, 2025) | Former franchisees agreed to “uphold the lifetime warranty” | Lifetime | We could not settle which length applies, because CARSTAR does not publish the warranty. Nothing we read says what it covers, what it excludes, whether it ends when you sell the car, or how to claim. Only the shop’s warranty document answers that. **Ask for the warranty document before you authorize the repair.** CARSTAR’s pages say coverage and exclusions are in “the official CARSTAR Warranty Document (if provided by the CARSTAR location at the completion of the repair).” Ask the shop for a copy at the estimate, check whether it says five years or lifetime, and read what it excludes. If the shop will not show it to you before the work, ask for the length and the exclusions in writing on the estimate. Federal rules put weight on those words. The FTC’s advertising guide, [16 CFR 239.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec239-4.xml), says an advertisement that calls a warranty “lifetime” “should disclose, with such clarity and prominence as will be noticed and understood by prospective purchasers, the life to which the representation refers.” The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act calls a written warranty that falls short of the federal minimum standards a “limited warranty” (15 U.S.C. 2303), the word CARSTAR uses, and defines a written warranty as a written promise about “material or workmanship” (15 U.S.C. 2301(6)). Whether a collision repair falls under that Act is a question for a lawyer. The practical point stands: CARSTAR’s program name and its web wording disagree, so get the paper. ## Using the warranty at another CARSTAR The part of the promise that is written down plainly is the network. The callout says: “If you move to a new city or happen to be traveling, you are covered and if there is not a CARSTAR nearby, we will find a convenient location to honor the warranty.” The “Why Choose CARSTAR” FAQ describes “a warranty that applies across participating locations, not just the shop where the repair was completed,” so that “customers can seek support from another CARSTAR location if needed.” The FDD makes that a duty for every franchisee, with a condition. Item 12 says: “You must honor valid customer claims presented under any Limited Lifetime Nationwide Warranty issued by other franchisees or our affiliate and perform the warranty work without charge to the customer after receiving written authorization.” Three things follow from that sentence. The warranty is issued by the franchisee that did the work. A second shop will fix a valid claim at no charge to you. And it does so only once someone has authorized the claim in writing; the part of the franchise agreement that says who gives that authorization was not in the pages we could read. If a shop will not take a claim on another shop’s work, CARSTAR’s customer telephone line (the one the FDD says it keeps for “questions, comments and complaints”) or 1-800-CARSTAR is the next call, with the original invoice and warranty document in hand. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the dent, a rust mark and the front corner, each with one fact from CARSTAR’s web pages, FAQ and franchise disclosure document. CARSTAR’s web pages, FAQ and franchise disclosure document, read on 9 October 2026: dent and panel repair: 5-year warranty on qualifying work, per CARSTAR’s web pages (callout 1); its franchise papers say lifetime: get the written warranty before you pay (callout 2); Your insurer may suggest a shop; CARSTAR’s FAQ says the choice is yours (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Two cautions. The consumer pages say “participating locations,” and the warranty covers “qualifying repairs,” a phrase no page defines. And because the franchisee that did the work issues the warranty, keep that shop’s invoice with the warranty document for as long as you own the car. ## How CARSTAR works with insurance companies CARSTAR is built around insurance work, and the company says so. The FDD puts it plainly: “CARSTAR’s business model focuses on insurance-related collision repair work arising out of relationships it has established with insurance company providers.” The home page, under “Insurance / DRP Services,” tells customers: “We maintain partnerships with more than 80 insurance providers across the country.” Its page for insurers offers “a single point of contact for insurance carriers” and a team “with a collective 70 years of direct insurance company experience.” The FDD explains the machinery. “CARSTAR has entered into agreements with certain insurance companies (‘Corporately Managed Insurance Programs’ or ‘CMIPs’) under the terms of which CMIP partners may provide preferred access to participation in their direct repair programs (‘DRPs’) or performance-based agreements (‘PBAs’).” A direct repair program is an insurer’s program of preferred shops. To join, a franchisee signs CARSTAR’s Service Level Agreement and pays a Central Review Fee, currently 0.5% of its sales from those programs and up to 2%, which goes toward “managing and administering DRPs, and negotiating and administering contracts, with auto insurance companies.” To join other referral programs, a shop may have to use specified “paint, parts and customer satisfaction tracking, and computer estimating software.” Those programs come with price pressure. The FDD warns franchisees that “CARSTAR Facilities may be subject to a bottom-line discount on the chargeable price of repair assignments,” and that the discount may be higher if the shop, or the CARSTAR shops in the program as a group, miss “certain key performance indicators established by the CMIP.” Driven’s 10-K describes the same pressure from the parent’s side: “Many insurance companies have systems, agreements, and minimum service levels that they use to allocate services and repairs. If we or enough of our franchisees fail to perform services for an insurance provider in accordance with the insurance provider’s systems or minimum service levels, we may not receive work from the insurance provider.” None of that is hidden; a CARSTAR blog post says your insurer “will likely recommend or work with collision repair shops that meet specific performance standards.” It does tell you who the shop answers to: on a DRP claim, the insurer’s standards and CARSTAR’s at once. Ask the shop, in writing, which items your insurer will not pay. ## Your right to choose the shop CARSTAR’s own answer to “Do I have to use the repair shop my insurance recommends?” is short: “No - you have the right to choose your own collision repair shop, even if your insurance company suggests a preferred provider. ... While insurance companies may recommend certain repair facilities, the decision is ultimately yours.” Its FAQ adds that after an accident “you have the right to determine where you want your vehicle towed” as well as where it is repaired. Its pitch is that a network shop makes the choice easier, since “many locations are already familiar with insurance requirements and workflows.” The right itself comes from state law, and we read one state’s statute in full. [Minnesota Statutes section 72A.201](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/72A.201), subdivision 6, makes it an unfair settlement practice for an insurer to require, “as a condition of payment of a claim that repairs to any damaged vehicle must be made by a particular contractor or repair shop,” or to use “intimidation, coercion, threat, incentive, or inducement for or against an insured to use a particular contractor or repair shop.” When you report a claim, a Minnesota insurer must read you this advisory: “You have the legal right to choose a repair shop to fix your vehicle. Your policy will cover the reasonable costs of repairing your vehicle to its pre-accident condition no matter where you have repairs made. Have you selected a repair shop or would you like a referral?” Once you say you have chosen, the insurer “must cease all efforts to influence” your choice. The same clause says “Consumer benefits included within preferred vendor programs must not be considered an incentive or inducement,” so perks offered through an insurer’s preferred-shop program do not count as an inducement under that clause. California’s and New York’s statute sites showed us a bot check, so we describe neither; ask your state insurance department. The right runs both ways: you can pick a CARSTAR your insurer did not suggest, or skip one it did. And if you call CARSTAR first, it may choose the shop for you: the FDD describes an optional call-center program in which CARSTAR will “engage customers at first notice of loss and schedule a repair or estimate appointment at the applicable (as CARSTAR determines) participating CARSTAR Facility.” If you want a particular CARSTAR, say so by name. Our [Safelite page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/#insurance) covers the same question for windshield claims, where Minnesota has a separate advisory for glass. ## After a crash: the 24/7 line, towing and a rental car The FAQ starts: “First, stay calm. If there are injuries, call 911 immediately. Do not move your vehicle, unless you are in immediate danger and it would be safer to get your vehicle in a different location.” Its accident page adds: “Call us toll-free at 1-800-CARSTAR to speak with our trained representatives. We are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week to offer help when you need it most. We can call your insurance company, get your vehicle towed for repairs and contact a friend or family member for you.” The page lays out “Our Insurance Process” in four steps: assist (“Arrange for a tow service Work with insurance company Review damage and facts of loss”), assess (“Prewash and disassemble vehicle for additional damage assessment Create a detailed repair plan”), repair, and deliver, which ends with “Finalize paperwork and national warranty Vehicle delivery.” That last step is when to ask for the warranty document. On towing, CARSTAR says it can help “if your car is not in driving condition” but prints no tow price or policy on who pays. The FDD suggests shops may bill tows and rentals: the sales on which a shop owes royalties leave out “(2) tow charges; or (3) rental car sales.” Ask who is paying before the truck is hooked up. (Minnesota requires insurers settling a partial loss to cover repair “including reasonable towing costs.”) On rentals: “We’ll coordinate a rental car for you through your insurance company with one of our preferred providers.” In a 2015 release CARSTAR named Enterprise Rent-A-Car “its preferred car rental partner throughout the United States.” Whether the rental costs you anything is a question for your policy’s rental coverage or, if another driver is at fault, for that driver’s insurer. Minnesota again spells it out: an insurer must tell you of “the insured’s right to select any rental vehicle company,” and in a claim against another driver’s insurer, that you “may have a claim for loss of use of the vehicle.” ## The estimate, the deductible and paying for it CARSTAR prints no prices. Its collision repair page says “The cost of the repairs depends greatly on the type of damage your vehicle suffered, the parts needed for the repairs, and the processes involved,” and the FAQ describes the order of events: “The repair process begins with you bringing your vehicle in for an estimate with a trained estimator. If you choose that shop, they will work with your insurance agent to process the repair claim.” Then, the collision page says, “You will be presented with a detailed repair plan and if you give the go ahead, we will order the needed parts.” Two estimates for the same damage can differ; CARSTAR’s explanation is “thoroughness of the appraisal process.” Compare the lines CARSTAR itself says an estimate should carry: “a description of the repair parts to be used, what items your insurance will and will not cover and the expected amount of the repair.” The deductible is due at the end: “Your deductible is due when you pick up the vehicle after repairs are complete.” The collision page adds: “The guilty party’s insurance usually covers the cost of the repairs. If that’s your insurance company, then you might have a deductible that you’ll have to cover.” When the other driver’s insurer pays, there may also be a claim for the value your car loses because it now has an accident history; our [diminished value guide](https://baronauto1.com/guides/diminished-value/#first-vs-third) explains who owes it. For the deductible or anything insurance does not pay, CARSTAR’s [financing page](https://www.carstar.com/about/financing-options/) says: “We offer flexible financing options through Sunbit and Zip.” Uses include “Finance insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket repair costs.” Sunbit, it says, has “no late fees, origination fees, account opening fees, or prepayment penalties”; Zip splits a bill into “four interest-free payments,” though “Customers may be charged finance charges, late fees, and convenience fees if applicable.” Approval is not automatic (“All loans are subject to credit approval”), and the page lists participating shops under 18 state headings, so ask before you count on it. Two other pages still advertise a Driven Brands credit card, one calling it the “Synchrony Car Care credit card” and the other the “CarCareOne credit card”; the financing page itself mentions neither. ## If the car may be a total loss Driven’s 10-K ties total losses to used-car prices: “As the price of used cars decreases, the number of cars being deemed a total loss increases, resulting in less demand for repairs and maintenance.” CARSTAR has a central desk for those cases. The FDD describes “an optional centralized program, under the terms of which CARSTAR will complete the total loss estimate for applicable total loss claims submitted by participating CARSTAR franchisees.” The shop pays CARSTAR for each request, “regardless of whether CARSTAR determines that the claim is a total loss”: currently “$50 per total loss estimate request,” and up to $100. That fee is between the shop and CARSTAR, not on your bill. For you it means the total-loss estimate on your car may be completed by CARSTAR’s central program rather than by the shop you chose; ask the shop who prepared it. If your car is declared a total loss, our [total loss page](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/total-loss-check-by-vin/) explains what the federal title record will show, and our [gap insurance page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) covers the case where the payout is less than the loan. ## How many CARSTAR shops there are CARSTAR publishes several counts, from different years and for different areas, and Driven’s filings do not break the brand out. **CARSTAR store counts by source (read 9 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | over 430 | “independently owned and operated stores across the United States and Canada” | CARSTAR release, June 15, 2015 | | 600th | “Celebrates 600th store opening” | About page timeline, 2018 | | 700th | 700th North American location; “locations in 35 states and 10 Canadian provinces” | CARSTAR release, 2019 | | 333 | Estimated U.S. locations, 30 of them in Washington | Washington Attorney General release, 2019 | | 317 and 1 | Franchised and company-owned CARSTAR Facilities in Canada | FDD, as of December 28, 2024 | | 1,077 | Collision locations of CARSTAR, ABRA and Fix Auto together | Driven Brands 10-K, as of December 27, 2025 | | over 400 | “more than 400 locations across the U.S.” | “Why Choose CARSTAR” page, read 9 October 2026 | | 464 | Store pages in CARSTAR’s locations sitemap, in 40 state folders | Our count, 9 October 2026 | The U.S. figures run from 333 to 464; the North American ones are higher because CARSTAR had 317 franchised shops in Canada at the end of 2024. The FDD’s U.S. outlet table (Item 20) was in the part of the file that did not download. The 10-K’s 1,077 cannot be split either: the FDD counts 55 ABRA and 212 Fix Auto shops in the U.S. a year earlier, but the 10-K does not say how many collision locations are in Canada. A sitemap can also list closed or unopened shops. ## What regulators and courts have recorded We found no consumer-protection action by a state attorney general or the FTC naming CARSTAR. The one government record we found concerns workers. **Washington, 2019.** The Washington Attorney General’s office announced that, “To avoid a lawsuit, the following corporate chains entered into legally binding commitments to eliminate no-poach clauses nationwide,” and listed CARSTAR with 30 Washington locations and an estimated 333 U.S. locations. Such clauses, the release explains, “prohibit employees from moving among stores in the same corporate chain.” The chains agreed “to stop enforcing no-poach clauses, and to stop adding no-poach clauses to new franchise contracts,” in agreements “filed in King County Superior Court.” Driven’s 10-K says the clauses “were removed from our franchise agreements in the U.S. in 2019.” We read the release, not CARSTAR’s assurance itself. **The FDD’s litigation item.** Item 3 lists suits CARSTAR brought against former franchisees, such as a breach-of-contract case filed October 16, 2024 over “the early closure and abandonment of its CARSTAR Facility,” two settled disputes (summarized in the table below) and suits against the parent, including a securities class action filed December 22, 2023 in which “Driven Brands Holdings disputes the allegations of wrongdoing.” Those are allegations in a pending case, not findings. The item ends: “Other than as described above, no litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.” No customer’s suit over a repair appears in it. **Minnesota, 2026.** Minnesota’s Department of Commerce cancelled CARSTAR’s franchise registration (file number 10909) by an order dated 07/27/2026, because “the franchisor has failed to file an annual report and fee pursuant to Minn. Stat. 80C.08, subd. 1.” The registration covers selling franchises there, not repair work. **Government and court records on CARSTAR that we read (9 October 2026)** | Date | Record | What it was about | What it says happened | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2019 | Washington Attorney General release | No-poach clauses in franchise agreements | CARSTAR among chains that made “legally binding commitments” to drop them, to avoid a lawsuit | | February 9, 2022 | FDD Item 3 (Texas cases) | Former franchisee’s wrongful-termination claim; CARSTAR’s trademark claim | Settled “without admitting any wrongdoing”; federal case dismissed | | December 22, 2023 | FDD Item 3 (parent) | Securities class action against Driven Brands Holdings | Pending; motion to dismiss denied February 20, 2025 | | May 26, 2025 | FDD Item 3 (Quebec) | Former Canadian franchisees’ claim that CARSTAR Canada “retained monies owed” to them | Settled; they agreed to “uphold the lifetime warranty” on past work | | 07/27/2026 | Minnesota order of cancellation | Franchise registration | Cancelled for a missed annual report and fee | The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our request and we do not use review sites, so this page gives no rating. ## Where CARSTAR’s own documents disagree, and what to ask We recorded 8 places where CARSTAR’s documents disagree. Those that matter to a customer: - **How long the warranty lasts.** “a 5-year national warranty on qualifying repairs” on the collision repair page; a “Limited Lifetime Nationwide Warranty” in the franchise document. - **Whether you get it at all.** “We stand behind our work with a CARSTAR Limited Nationwide Warranty” in one place; “CARSTAR stores may offer” it, and the document comes “if provided by the CARSTAR location,” in others. - **Where it is honored.** The FAQ tells you to look for a warranty “that will be honored at any of their locations”; another page says “participating locations,” and the FDD has the second shop act “after receiving written authorization.” - **How to pay.** The About page offers a “Synchrony Car Care credit card,” the collision page a “CarCareOne credit card,” and the financing page only Sunbit and Zip. - **Age, size and owner.** The About page is headed “Celebrating 30 Years of CARSTAR Momentum” though the brand dates to 1989 (37 years, by our arithmetic); CARSTAR has published 4 different store counts; and “Each CARSTAR location is independently owned” sits beside the FDD’s 1 company-owned CARSTAR in Canada and three different CARSTAR company names (“CARSTAR Franchising, Inc.” in the footer, “CARSTAR Franchise Systems, Inc.” on the accessibility page, CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC in the FDD). Your own paperwork outranks all of it: collect and keep the estimate, the final invoice and the warranty document. - **At the estimate,** ask for the CARSTAR warranty document and read the length (five years or lifetime), what it excludes and whether it stays with the car if you sell it. - **Get the insurance split in writing:** which items your insurer will and will not pay, and what, if anything, you owe besides the deductible. - **If your insurer pushes another shop,** remember CARSTAR’s own words, “the decision is ultimately yours,” and ask the insurer what your state’s law says. In Minnesota the insurer must read you a right-to-choose advisory. - **If you call 1-800-CARSTAR,** name the shop you want; otherwise the call center may book one for you. - **Before the tow and the rental,** ask who pays. CARSTAR arranges rentals through your insurer with a preferred company; your policy decides the cost. - **At pickup,** check the work before you pay the deductible. CARSTAR’s FAQ says a car should get “a thorough interior and exterior inspection, a test drive and a complete detail” before it is returned. Take the final invoice and the warranty document with you. - **If the repair fails later,** take both papers to any CARSTAR; franchisees must honor valid claims on other shops’ work once authorized in writing. ## Common questions ### Who owns CARSTAR? Driven Brands, which also owns Meineke, Maaco and Take 5 Oil Change, through CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC; Driven acquired the brand in October 2015. Each shop is owned and run by a local franchisee. ### Does CARSTAR have a lifetime warranty? Its franchise document names a “Limited Lifetime Nationwide Warranty,” but its web pages promise “a 5-year national warranty on qualifying repairs” and say stores “may offer” it. The terms are in the shop’s warranty document; ask for it before the repair. ### Is the CARSTAR warranty good at any CARSTAR? CARSTAR says it “applies across participating locations,” and its franchise document requires every franchisee to honor valid claims on warranties other shops issued, at no charge to you, “after receiving written authorization.” Bring the original invoice and the warranty document. ### Do I have to use the repair shop my insurance company recommends? CARSTAR’s answer is “No - you have the right to choose your own collision repair shop, even if your insurance company suggests a preferred provider.” Where that right comes from is state law; Minnesota’s, for example, bars insurers from making payment depend on using a particular shop. ### Does CARSTAR work directly with my insurance company? CARSTAR says it has partnerships with more than 80 insurers and that its shops can get preferred access to insurers’ direct repair programs. Whether your local shop is in your insurer’s program is a question for the shop and the insurer. ### Does CARSTAR give you a rental car or a tow? It arranges them: “We’ll coordinate a rental car for you through your insurance company with one of our preferred providers,” and its 24/7 line at 1-800-CARSTAR can “get your vehicle towed for repairs.” Who pays depends on your policy and on fault. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/ --- title: "SGT Auto Transport Review: Its Terms, Fees and FMCSA Record" description: "SGT Auto Transport is a licensed broker (MC-873392). Its Terms charge $199 to cancel before the pickup window ends and give 24 hours to report hidden damage." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # SGT Auto Transport Review: Its Terms, Fees and FMCSA Record > SGT Auto Transport is a licensed broker (MC-873392). Its Terms charge $199 to cancel before the pickup window ends and give 24 hours to report hidden damage. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,937 words* ## The short version - SGT Auto Transport is a licensed broker, not a trucking company. FMCSA lists it (USDOT 2521690, MC-873392, Bohemia, New York) only as a “Broker of Property,” and its Terms call it “a broker only.” An independent carrier hauls your car. - Cancelling can cost $199. The Terms let SGT charge that to your card if you cancel before the estimated pickup window expires; refunds come only if the window passes with no pickup or the price goes up. - “Nothing in advance” means nothing at booking. A deposit is due when a carrier is dispatched, and above $4,500 the Terms take no cards. - For damage, you claim against the carrier. Note every mark on the bill of lading before signing, and tell SGT about hidden damage within 24 hours. Federal law gives you at least 9 months to file with the carrier. - Dates are estimates: only a paid Guaranteed Pickup Service fixes a pickup day, and no delivery date is guaranteed. Disputes go to New York courts, with no arbitration clause. - FMCSA’s record shows broker authority since 10 July 2014, never revoked, though three involuntary-revocation cases were opened and dropped. Its complaint database holds 57 unverified complaints since 2021, 29 of them in 2026. SGT Auto Transport is a real, federally licensed car-shipping broker, and what decides how your shipment goes is its contract: what cancelling costs, when your card is charged, which dates are promised and how damage claims work. On 9 October 2026 we read SGT’s Terms and Conditions (29 sections, no date printed), its FAQ, deals, guaranteed-pickup, about and cost pages and 30 help-center answers, and set them against FMCSA’s record, its complaint database and the federal rules for brokers. SGT’s Terms limit use of its site to customers, so we read each page once and quote only short passages. We requested no quote, entered no details, and have no commercial relationship with SGT or any other shipper. **Figure: An SGT order under its Terms, step by step** A two-column table reading six points from SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and Conditions: the estimated pickup window of 1-3 business days after the first available date; a $199 fee for cancelling before that window expires; refunds only if the window passes without pickup or the price rises; a deposit due at dispatch; a clean bill of lading treated as good condition; and a 24-hour notice for hidden damage, beside the 9-month federal floor for claims against carriers. Read from SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and Conditions and help center on 9 October 2026. The Terms print no date. This site has no commercial relationship with SGT. ## Is SGT Auto Transport a broker or a carrier? A broker. The [Terms and Conditions](https://sgtautotransport.com/terms-and-conditions) are headed as the terms of “SGT Auto Transport Corp. (Freight Broker),” say SGT is “bonded and duly authorized as a property broker” under MC-873392, and state that SGT “will not perform transportation of freight.” The carrier is whoever SGT selects to move the car “under its own motor carrier authority.” Not every SGT page says it so plainly. The help center’s answer to “Is SGT Auto Transport a Broker or a Carrier?” calls SGT “an auto transport management company” and stops there, without the word broker. The guaranteed-pickup page promises that “a transport driver from SGT Auto Transport” will arrive. Under [49 CFR 371.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.7), a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier,” and its advertising “shall show the broker status of the operation.” We make no finding; the driver who turns up works for the carrier, not SGT. Nor does SGT hold carrier authority on the side. FMCSA’s licensing data shows no common or contract carrier authority for MC-873392, and its census holds one registration whose legal name begins “SGT AUTO” and none with that trading name. For how brokers and carriers differ, see our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier); for a listing marketplace instead of a broker, see our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/). ## Is SGT Auto Transport legit? What FMCSA’s record shows Yes, in the sense the federal record can answer: SGT holds active broker authority and the security a broker must file. Its footer numbers, “FMCSA MC: 873392 USDOT: 2521690,” match FMCSA’s [SAFER company snapshot](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=2521690) (data as of 7 October 2026). FMCSA records the legal name as SGT AUTO TRANSPORT; the Terms say SGT Auto Transport Corp. FMCSA’s licensing datasets, which we also read, say they were last refreshed on 14 May 2026. **SGT Auto Transport in FMCSA’s public record, read 9 October 2026** | Field | What the record shows | What it means for you | | --- | --- | --- | | Operating authority | “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” MC-873392; 0 power units | No carrier authority: SGT cannot haul your car itself | | Authority history | USDOT number added 7 July 2014; broker authority granted 10 July 2014; no revocation order on file | 12 years of continuous authority by our arithmetic | | Revocation cases | Involuntary revocation served 23 February 2015, 14 July 2023 and 28 May 2024; each discontinued, after 16, 25 and 17 days | Opened and dropped each time; FMCSA gives no reason | | Financial security | Trust fund from 19 June 2014; surety bonds since 1 March 2016; current bond with Merchants National Bonding, Inc. from 21 June 2024 | Meets the broker-security rule; it is not insurance on your car | | Cargo insurance | None required or on file for the broker | Cover for the car comes from the carrier | | Inspections and crashes | 0 and 0 in the 24 months to 7 October 2026; no safety rating | Expected for a broker; check the carrier instead | | Registration data | MCS-150 form date blank; operation box marked “Intrastate Only (Non-HM)” | FMCSA explains neither; the authority still shows as active | Each revocation case sits beside a change of security. In 2015 SGT’s first trust fund, with Pacific Financial Association, Inc., was replaced on 10 March by one with Liberty National Financial Corp., 15 days after the case was served. In 2023 the Gray Casualty & Surety Company bond ran to 10 August, 27 days after service, when Hudson Insurance Company’s took over. In 2024 the Hudson bond ran to 21 June, 24 days after service, when the current Merchants National Bonding bond took over. By FMCSA’s dates there was no gap in cover. The records give no reason for any case; the pattern fits a bond being cancelled and replaced, which matters because a broker’s registration lasts “only as long as a surety bond or trust fund remains in effect.” Over 12 years SGT has used 7 providers. The rule, [49 CFR 387.307](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.307) (effective 16 January 2026), requires “a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000” and lets a provider cancel only on 30 days’ written notice to FMCSA. The bond pays shippers or carriers if a broker fails to carry out its arrangements, not for a scratched car. FMCSA’s dataset leaves its amount field at 0, which we do not take as its size, and the newer Motus tables hold no rows for this registration, as with [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) and [AmeriFreight](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/). Our guide explains [the broker bond](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-bond). **Look up the carrier, not just SGT.** SGT’s clean inspection record says nothing about the truck that will carry your car. Before pickup, get the carrier’s name and USDOT number, check its authority, insurance and crashes on SAFER, and ask SGT for its certificate of insurance. Our guide shows [how to look a shipper up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up). ## Quotes, the Best Price Guarantee and SGT’s printed estimates An SGT quote is an estimate with a short life. Section 3 of the Terms makes quotes valid for 7 calendar days and “subject to change” with the car’s weight, size, condition and “motor carrier/trucker availability.” If carriers will not take the job at the first price, SGT may offer a new one, which the Terms leave to you to “accept or decline.” Section 9 lets SGT “amend or adjust the original quoted amount” if the car turns out inoperable, customized or not as described, and section 4 adds charges for oversized vehicles, payable to the carrier in cash or money order before loading if SGT was not told. Describe the car exactly, modifications included. The help center sounds firmer: “The price you get from us is the price you will pay.” The Terms, which override any oral promise, keep the right to reprice. **The Best Price Guarantee is a review, not a promise.** Section 24 says that if you find a lower price “from a reputable competitor for an identical auto transport service within 24 hours of booking,” SGT will “review and confirm if we can match or beat that price.” It excludes promotions, third-party-site rates, pricing errors and double-booked or misrepresented orders, and SGT may drop it “at any time without prior notice.” A help-center answer claims SGT will “price-match every shipment to the lowest bid out there.” Oddly, section 20 calls the pricing in any quote “confidential information” not to be shared with third parties without permission. SGT does print sample prices, which AmeriFreight, for one, does not. Its cost page carries the table below, with no date, and calls the figures “only generalized estimates.” **SGT’s printed sample prices for one car (cost page, undated, read 9 October 2026)** | Distance band (miles) | Sample trip | Open carrier | Enclosed carrier | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 0 - 500 | 385 miles | $549 - $649 | $759 - $859 | | 500 - 1000 | 722 miles | $699 - $799 | $989 - $1,089 | | 1000 - 1500 | 1,387 miles | $869 - $969 | $1,229 - $1,329 | | 1500 - 2000 | 1,647 miles | $979 - $1,079 | $1,419 - $1,519 | | 2000 - 2500 | 2,030 miles | $949 - $1,049 | $1,429 - $1,529 | | 2500 - 3000 | 2,811 miles | $1,149 - $1,249 | $1,729 - $1,829 | | 3000+ | 3,227 miles | $1,439 - $1,539 | $1,909 - $2,009 | Read them as SGT’s ballpark, not a quote: the open-carrier sample for 2,030 miles is printed $30 cheaper than the one for 1,647 miles, by our arithmetic. The same page says enclosed transport can cost “as much as 30% to 40% higher” than open, and shows a 94% “On-Time Delivery” counter with no method behind it. Our guide covers [what moves a car-shipping price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#price). ## When you pay: the deposit, the driver and the card limits SGT’s FAQ says “you pay nothing in advance.” That is true at booking only. Once you sign the Customer Shipping Contract, SGT runs “a verification check” on your card, and section 9 makes a deposit due “when the Carrier is dispatched.” The help center describes two ways to pay: - **Discounted Cash Price:** “a small partial payment” from your card once a carrier is assigned, then the balance to the driver at delivery in cash, cashier’s check or money order. - **Regular Price:** “everything is paid in full when we assign a carrier,” with nothing due at delivery. No page we read gives the deposit in dollars, so ask before you sign. A cashier’s check or money order for the driver must be made out to the carrier, “not SGT”; personal checks and cards are refused. Withhold the driver’s money and the carrier “can legally hold the vehicle,” the help center warns; the Terms also give SGT a lien on the car for anything you owe it. **Cards have limits the help center leaves out.** “We accept all major US cards,” it says. The Terms accept cards between $2,299 and $4,500 only with a completed authorization form, and above $4,500 require ACH, bank debit or Zelle. Hawaii orders are paid in full when placed, and international orders need an ACH or wire deposit, though SGT’s guaranteed-pickup page lists “payment via gift cards or wire transfer” as a red flag. **A card dispute costs $200 more under the Terms.** A chargeback is treated as “payment abuse” that “may result in an additional $200 bank administration fee,” and section 23 repeats the $200 as a “fraudulent chargeback fee,” on top of collection costs and attorney’s fees. You may not hold back money against a damage claim, past-due bills carry up to 2% a month, and card payments can carry unpriced “convenience fees.” Raise any dispute with SGT in writing first. ### Discounts: SGT’s standing programs **Discounts on SGT’s deals page (read 9 October 2026)** | Discount | As printed | Condition the pages give | | --- | --- | --- | | Military | Up to 10% | “active duty and reserve” (help center); “military and veteran” (deal page) | | Student | Up to 10% | None printed | | Sunday Savings | Up to 10% | Book on a Sunday, Eastern Time | | Multi Vehicles | $50 | “The more vehicles you ship, the lower your cost per unit” | | Online Checkout | $50 | Book online | | EV, Healthcare, First Responders, Senior Citizens, Celebrity | $50 each | None printed | “Up to” is a ceiling, and SGT prints no rule on stacking. We leave out a snowbird offer its own page calls “time-sensitive.” The Best Price Guarantee excludes promotions, so get any discount written into your contract. ## Cancelling: the $199 fee and the two ways to a refund This is the clause most likely to cost you money. Signing the Customer Shipping Contract authorizes SGT “to charge a $199 cancellation fee to the payment method on file,” which section 8 says is “not a penalty.” SGT may charge it in 6 situations: - you cancel “before the estimated pickup window expires”; - the order is double-booked, meaning you are also working with another broker; - you gave materially wrong or misleading details about the car or the shipment; - restrictions you set, payment problems or a late contract stop pickup within the window; - you do not answer SGT within 48 hours of its first attempt, after at least two tries, before dispatch; - an order you put on hold stays unresolved for 30 days. The first item covers most changes of plan: as written, cancelling at any point before the window runs out, even before it starts, can be charged, carrier found or not, and before any deposit has been taken. **Cancel in writing.** Cancellations must go to SGT’s cancellation e-mail address with your name, order number and vehicle, and “Phone and Live Chat cancellations are not accepted.” The time SGT receives the e-mail is what counts. **The two refund exits.** Section 9 promises a refund in two cases: a written cancellation, before pickup, after the estimated pickup window has expired (unless restrictions you imposed caused the delay), or a written cancellation, before pickup, after the price rose above the one in your contract. In other words, you can walk away free if SGT misses its own window or asks for more money. The help center says refunds are processed within 2 business days. When SGT cancels, the documents disagree. Two help-center answers say SGT then refunds “all payments.” The Terms let SGT cancel for reasons including abusive conduct, “unreasonable demands” or threatening a chargeback, then “withhold or offset refunds.” SGT may also amend the policy “at any time,” so save a copy the day you sign. ## Pickup windows, guaranteed pickup and delivery estimates Everything runs off your First Available Date, the day the car is ready. The contract must be signed before it, and the pickup window is estimated dates “typically spanning 1-3 business days” after it. Late paperwork or changed details let SGT recalculate the window, and restrictions you add, from fixed times to a demand for “more than a 2 hours notice,” count against you if they block pickup. Section 19 is blunt: “SGT does not guarantee any pickup or delivery times or dates,” and neither SGT nor the carrier pays for a rental car or a hotel if the car is late. The exception is a paid add-on in section 25. - **Guaranteed Pickup Service** is “a premium service that adds an additional cost,” for “select routes and vehicle types,” and you must opt in. SGT then guarantees pickup on a confirmed date. - **Its limits:** if severe weather, road closures or mechanical failures intervene, SGT reschedules “at the earliest available opportunity,” and the contract price “remains the same.” The Terms promise no refund of the premium. Any change from you needs 48 hours’ notice. - **What the other pages add:** guaranteed dates fall Monday to Friday, mainly on open carriers (help center), and the guarantee covers “your pickup date only” (service page). Delivery estimates do not agree. The help center gives 4 to 5 calendar days for 2,001 to 2,500 miles; the guaranteed-pickup page calls 2,000 miles “an 8 to 9 day turnaround.” Plan on the longer figure. ## Damage claims and insurance: the carrier, the bill of lading and 24 hours The Terms take SGT out of the damage chain. Section 14 cites the Carmack Amendment, [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), says brokers “are not liable for freight/cargo claims,” and makes the carrier your “sole remedy.” SGT will “attempt to assist,” but the carrier pays. Federal law makes carriers liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” and bars them from allowing less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue. Everything turns on the bill of lading. Before loading, you and the driver record existing damage on it; at delivery you inspect again, and signing “without notation of any damage” is, under the Terms, “affirming” good condition. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a sedan, a car's bonnet and a van, each with one fact from SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and federal law. SGT Auto Transport’s Terms and federal law, read on 9 October 2026: write every new mark on the bill of lading: signing it clean affirms good condition (callout 1); hidden damage? SGT’s Terms ask you to tell it within 24 hours of delivery (callout 2); the carrier, not SGT, answers for transit damage: get its insurance certificate first (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Hidden damage has a 24-hour clock.** Visible damage goes on the bill of lading. Damage you find later must be reported to SGT “within 24 hours after taking delivery,” and SGT, the carrier or its insurer may inspect the car where it was delivered. The Terms call a missed notice or a refused inspection “an absolute bar to recovery,” but only “unless otherwise provided in an applicable statute.” The 9-month federal floor applies to claims against the carrier, so a late find is not necessarily lost; meet the 24 hours anyway and file a written claim with the carrier. The help center’s 5-step damage checklist gives no deadline at all. **Pay the driver, then claim.** The Terms say freight charges must be paid for the carrier “to process a claim,” and you may not deduct damage from the balance or reverse a card payment. So write every new mark on the bill of lading, photograph it, pay as agreed, and pursue the claim in writing. Never sign a clean form in the dark or rain. **What the included insurance is.** SGT’s FAQ says its prices “already encompass insurance coverage.” The cover is the carrier’s cargo policy. SGT says carriers usually carry $100,000 to $150,000 on open trailers and $250,000 to $3,000,000 on enclosed ones, and that it checks each meets “the insurance requirements” of DOT rules, which says less than it sounds: FMCSA’s chart, as our guide records, sets the cargo requirement for a for-hire carrier of property at $0. The Terms say SGT “is not obligated to provide cargo insurance,” have you warrant that you are insured or self-insured, and let SGT agree carrier contracts that “limit the carrier’s liability.” Get the carrier’s certificate of insurance and tell your own insurer. - **Exclusions.** The Terms warn that cargo policies may exclude mechanical or electrical faults, uninspected undercarriage areas, pre-existing loose or broken parts, the interior, personal items and “Acts of God.” - **The deductible.** It “does not apply to you,” the help center says, but damage must be at least the deductible “for a claim to be processed” by the insurer. It does not say who pays for smaller damage. - **Personal items.** The FAQ allows up to 100 lbs in the trunk; the Terms require everything removed unless SGT agrees, and ban laptops, batteries and electronics. Cargo cover excludes them either way. - **No loss of use.** Neither SGT nor the carrier pays for a rental car after damage or delay. Our guide covers [insurance minimums](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#insurance), [the bill of lading](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#paperwork) and [claim deadlines](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage). ## New York courts, a lien and the rest of the fine print Unlike Montway and AmeriFreight, SGT has no arbitration clause. Section 15 applies New York law and sends “all suits to recover a claim” exclusively to a state or federal court for Suffolk County, New York; claims not brought that way “shall be deemed waived.” If you live elsewhere, that is still where you would have to sue. - **Only the written terms count.** They “supersede any alleged or asserted oral agreement,” so get an agent’s promises into your contract. - **They change on posting** and print no date. Save a copy the day you sign. - **Booking the trucker directly later** can cost you: if you hire a carrier you met through SGT, section 7 gives SGT 15% of what you pay that carrier for 15 months. - **Your details travel.** Section 28 lets SGT pass your inquiry to “affiliated sister companies under common ownership”; you can opt out by e-mail. - **Preparing the car:** a quarter to a half tank, alarm disarmed, racks and loose parts off, toll transponder out (its tolls are yours). - **The broker’s record.** Under [49 CFR 371.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.3), a broker keeps a record of each transaction, including the carrier’s registration number and its own compensation, for three years, and “each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record.” The table sets SGT’s printed terms beside Montway’s and AmeriFreight’s, each from its own documents. It compares wording, not service, and ranks none of them. **Printed terms: SGT (read 9 October 2026), Montway (read 7 October 2026) and AmeriFreight (read 9 October 2026)** | Point | SGT’s documents | Montway’s documents | AmeriFreight’s Terms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | When you are charged | Deposit at dispatch; Regular Price paid in full then | At dispatch; cash-price orders pay $199 or less up front | “Immediately” when you accept a carrier’s offer | | Cancelling | $199 if before the estimated pickup window expires; in writing only | Free until a carrier accepts; then a minimum of $249 | Free until dispatch; then the “full deposit amount” | | Price promise | Quotes valid 7 calendar days; competitor prices within 24 hours of booking reviewed for a match | Booked price locked for 30 calendar days | First Class Rate “GUARANTEED” | | Damage notice | Visible damage on the bill of lading; hidden damage to SGT within 24 hours | Tell Montway within 48 hours of delivery | Paperwork within 10 days of delivery | | Delivery dates | Not guaranteed (pickup can be, for a premium) | “Cannot and does not guarantee” | “Estimated and NOT guaranteed” | | Disputes | No arbitration; New York law; Suffolk County courts | Individual arbitration, small claims excepted | AAA arbitration; Georgia law; Fayette County courts | ## SGT Auto Transport reviews and complaints: what we could check **FMCSA’s complaint database.** FMCSA’s [National Consumer Complaint Database](https://complaint.fmcsa.dot.gov/company/001SJ000018KBp2YAG/sgt-auto-transport) lists complaints against USDOT 2521690 in each of the last six years: 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 9 in 2023, 10 in 2024, 6 in 2025 and 29 in 2026 up to our 9 October reading, 57 in all by our arithmetic. This year’s count already exceeds 2023 to 2025 combined (25). FMCSA files 48 under “Moving Company,” 8 under “Truck Company” and 1 under “Property Broker.” FMCSA warns that the complaints “have not necessarily been verified or substantiated,” and counts grow with volume, so treat them as a prompt for questions, not a verdict. Our guide explains [how to file a complaint](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#fraud-and-complaints). **The ratings SGT shows.** SGT’s pages show star ratings beside review-platform badges, and the about page claims over 12,000 Google reviews averaging 4.7 in 2025. We verified none of them. SGT says it is “fully accredited with the BBB”; BBB’s site showed us a “You have been blocked” page, which we did not work around, so we report no BBB figure. **The uShip claims.** SGT’s FAQ says uShip rates it “one of the most trusted” car shippers, the guaranteed-pickup page says “the most trusted,” and the about page says it reached “the top spot” on uShip in 2021. But uShip says it “does not verify provider authority or insurance,” as our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/) records, so a uShip ranking is not a licensing check. **Other records.** Web searches on 9 October 2026 for the company with attorney general, FTC, consent order and settlement found no regulator action naming SGT; that is a search result, not a clearance. Trustpilot and Reddit are left out under this site’s policy. ## Where SGT’s own pages disagree Read side by side, SGT’s documents disagree in at least 17 places, 15 of them below. Where they touch money, dates or damage, the Terms are what you sign, and they say they override everything else. **Conflicts between SGT’s own documents, read 9 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Broker or not | “An auto transport management company” (help center) | “A broker only and not a Motor Carrier” (Terms) | | Who picks up | “A transport driver from SGT Auto Transport” (guaranteed-pickup page) | SGT “will not perform transportation” (Terms) | | Paying in advance | “You pay nothing in advance” (FAQ) | Deposit due at dispatch, before pickup (Terms) | | Final price | “The price you will pay” (help center) | Quotes “subject to change”; SGT may adjust them (Terms) | | Insurance | Prices “encompass insurance coverage” (FAQ) | SGT “is not obligated to provide cargo insurance” (Terms) | | Cards | “All major US cards” (help center) | No cards above $4,500 (Terms) | | Wire transfers | A red flag (guaranteed-pickup page) | “ACH/wire transfer” required for international deposits (Terms) | | If SGT cancels | It refunds “all payments” (help center) | It may “withhold or offset refunds” (Terms) | | Price matching | “Every shipment” matched (help center) | Reviewed if found within 24 hours; can be withdrawn (Terms) | | Automation | “We do not use an automated system” (help center) | An “AI-powered rate engine” (cost page) | | Pickup window | 1-3 business days (Terms) | 1-4 business days (guaranteed-pickup page) | | Transit time | 2,001 to 2,500 miles: 4 to 5 days (help center) | 2,000 miles: 8 to 9 days (guaranteed-pickup page) | | Customers | “Over 76,000” (about page text) | “120,000+” (about page tile); “128 940+” (footer) | | Military discount | Active duty and reserve (help center) | Military and veterans (deal page) | | Cross-references | Section 14(a) cites “Section 13(a)”; section 17 cites “Section 16” | Those sections cover indemnity and changes to the Terms | The counts wander too: “well over 100,000 vehicles” and “150,000+” on the same about page, a 164,518 “Successful Shipments” counter on the cost page, and a network of “more than 25k” carriers or 30,000, depending on the page. None of this proves a shipment will go badly; it shows why only the signed contract should be relied on. ## Before you book with SGT Auto Transport - **Match the numbers.** Confirm USDOT 2521690 and MC-873392 on SAFER and on your contract, then look up the assigned carrier’s own authority, insurance and crash record. - **Be sure of your dates** before you sign the contract: cancelling before the window runs out can cost $199. - **Ask for the deposit in dollars** and how the driver is paid; above $4,500 cards are not accepted. - **Book with one broker only.** Double-booking voids the price guarantee and can trigger the fee. - **Describe the car exactly,** including lifts, oversized wheels and whether it runs, or expect a higher price in cash at pickup. - **Inspect before you sign** at pickup and delivery, write every mark on the bill of lading and keep your copies and photos. - **Keep the deadlines:** 24 hours to tell SGT about hidden damage, and a written claim to the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months. - **Cancel only in writing,** by e-mail, and save a copy of the Terms the day you sign. If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/), [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) and the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) cover the other steps. For other brokers’ records, see our [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/), [AmeriFreight](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/) and [Sherpa Auto Transport](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/) reviews. For the dealer side of a purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies. ## Common questions ### Is SGT Auto Transport legit? It is a registered broker in good standing on the federal record: USDOT 2521690 and MC-873392, broker authority since 10 July 2014, never revoked, and a surety bond on file. FMCSA opened and dropped three involuntary-revocation cases, and its complaint database lists 57 unverified complaints since 2021. Check the assigned carrier too. ### Is SGT Auto Transport a broker or a carrier? A broker. Its Terms call it “a broker only and not a Motor Carrier,” and FMCSA authorizes it only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods)” with no trucks. An independent carrier with its own USDOT number hauls the car. ### Does SGT Auto Transport charge a deposit? Not at booking. The Terms make a deposit due when a carrier is dispatched; on the Regular Price you pay everything then, and on the Discounted Cash Price the rest goes to the driver. SGT does not print the deposit’s size. ### Can I cancel an SGT order and get a refund? You can cancel, in writing only, but SGT may charge $199 if you do so before the estimated pickup window expires. The Terms promise a refund if the window passes with no pickup or the price rises above your contract, unless restrictions you imposed caused the delay. ### Who pays if my car is damaged shipping with SGT? The carrier, under SGT’s Terms and 49 U.S.C. 14706. Note damage on the bill of lading before signing, tell SGT about hidden damage within 24 hours, and file a written claim with the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months. ### Does SGT Auto Transport guarantee pickup or delivery dates? Not as standard: the Terms say SGT “does not guarantee any pickup or delivery times or dates.” Its paid Guaranteed Pickup Service fixes a pickup date on some routes, Monday to Friday, but no SGT service guarantees delivery. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/ --- title: "Tires Plus: Warranty, Road Hazard, Buy & Try and Who Owns It" description: "Tires Plus repairs carry 12 months or 12,000 miles, but its own pages give 30 or 90 days to return tires and two versions of road hazard cover." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tires-plus/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tires Plus: Warranty, Road Hazard, Buy & Try and Who Owns It > Tires Plus repairs carry 12 months or 12,000 miles, but its own pages give 30 or 90 days to return tires and two versions of road hazard cover. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,931 words* ## The short version - Tires Plus is a company-owned chain run by Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which also runs Firestone Complete Auto Care. It claims “400+ stores in 23 states”; Bridgestone Americas’ own page on the chain says 20 states. - The repair warranty is Firestone’s, line for line: 12 months or 12,000 miles on most work, lifetime parts on some jobs while you own the car. The Tires Plus text names only Tires Plus stores as places to claim. - Two Tires Plus pages give different Buy & Try windows: 30 days for “a full refund or exchange” on one, 90 days for a credit toward another set on the other. - The tires page says road hazard cover lasts “for as long as you own the tires.” The certificate it links prorates the replacement and stops at 2/32 inch of tread. - The price match pays 200% of the difference within 30 days; a late car earns 10% off the next visit, up to $25. Only Tires Plus’s pages offer a 10% veterans discount and a pay-as-you-go roadside service. - We found 14 places where Tires Plus’s pages disagree with each other or with Firestone’s, including three different caps on the shop supply fee. Tires Plus is Bridgestone’s second company-owned tire and repair chain, a sister of Firestone Complete Auto Care, and most of its written promises are the same Bridgestone Retail Operations documents with a different name at the top. Repairs carry 12 months or 12,000 miles; tires carry their maker’s warranty; road hazard cover is an extra you pay for. Where Tires Plus differs is in its own pages, and several contradict each other. On 9 October 2026 we read Tires Plus’s service warranty page (Effective Date 12/18/24), its tire guarantees, tire warranty and warranty-options pages, its tires, rotation, alignment, brake, inspection, battery, roadside, veterans and credit-card pages, its About page, its Terms of Use and its sitemaps. This site has no commercial relationship with Tires Plus, Bridgestone or any tire maker. Tires Plus’s Terms of Use, the same Bridgestone Americas text Firestone uses, say “You cannot and shall not mirror, scrape, or deep link any content,” so we name its pages without linking them; most are linked from its website footer. Where a document is shared with Firestone, we say so and point to our [Firestone Complete Auto Care page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/), which read it the same day. **Figure: What Tires Plus promises, and where its pages differ** A two-column table of eight situations: a failed repair carries 12 months or 12,000 miles, the same BSRO terms as Firestone, claimed at Tires Plus stores; returning a set of tires is allowed for 30 days with a refund on one page and 90 days for a credit on another; road hazard cover lasts as long as you own the tires on one page, while the certificate prorates and ends at 2/32 inch; rotations are free for the life of tires bought at company-owned stores, but one page adds a coupon condition; a cheaper qualifying price within 30 days earns 200% of the difference; a late car earns 10% off the next purchase, up to $25; veterans and active duty get 10% off tires and service; and roadside help tows to a Tires Plus store, with other services paid at the time. Read from Tires Plus’s service warranty (Effective Date 12/18/24), tire guarantees, warranty-options, tires, rotation, veterans and roadside pages on 9 October 2026; certificate terms from this site’s Firestone reading of the same day. ## Who owns Tires Plus, and where its stores are The About page tells the history in two sentences: “In 1976, Tom Gegax and Donald Gullet, two Shell Oil colleagues, launched Tires Plus with three former Shell service stations in the Burnsville, Minnesota area. In 2001, Tires Plus was acquired by BSRO; today, Tires Plus has more than 5,000 teammates working in 400+ stores in 23 states.” That is 50 years since the first stations and 25 under Bridgestone, by our arithmetic. BSRO is Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC; the service warranty ends “GIVEN BY: Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, ... doing business as Tires Plus.” Bridgestone Americas’ release of 4 June 2026, read for our Firestone page, calls BSRO “a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas” running “more than 2,200 tire and vehicle service centers” as Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works. Our [Firestone ownership section](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#who-owns-firestone) traces the chain up to Bridgestone Corporation. ### Which states The About page names no states, so we read the store sitemap Tires Plus publishes for search engines. We opened no store pages. The sitemap has store pages in exactly 23 states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and Wisconsin. Two cautions. The sitemap lists only 260 store addresses, 140 short of “400+” by our arithmetic, and Florida, Georgia and Minnesota each stop at exactly 30, so it is no store count and we give none of our own. And Bridgestone Americas’ page on the chain says “Tires Plus stores in neighborhoods across 20 states,” 3 fewer. Check the store finder before you count on a Tires Plus where you are moving, because the written repair warranty names Tires Plus stores, not Firestone ones. We searched for attorney-general, Federal Trade Commission and court records naming Tires Plus and found no enforcement action. The two releases on our Firestone page concern Firestone stores; see its [public records section](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#public-records). The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is given. ## What Tires Plus shares with Firestone, and what it does not Because one company writes both chains’ terms, most answers about Tires Plus are the answers on our Firestone page. The table compares wording, not prices, and ranks neither. **Tires Plus’s pages beside Firestone Complete Auto Care’s, as each prints its promises (both read 9 October 2026)** | Promise | Tires Plus says | Firestone says | Same or different | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Repair warranty | 12 months or 12,000 miles; Effective Date 12/18/24 | 12 months or 12,000 miles; Effective Date 11/13/2024 | Same terms | | Where a repair claim is honored | Any Tires Plus store owned by BSRO | Any Firestone Complete Auto Care store owned by BSRO | Each names only its own stores | | Tire price match | “Best Tire Price” Guarantee: 200% of the difference within 30 days | “Priced Right”: 200% of the difference within 30 days | Same footnote, different name | | Car not ready on time | 10% off the next purchase, up to $25, within one year | The same | Same | | Returning a set of tires | 30 days, refund or exchange (guarantees page); 90 days, credit (warranty page) | The maker’s 90-day Buy & Try, a credit toward another set | Tires Plus’s guarantees page differs | | Road hazard cover | “a one-time fee,” cover “for as long as you own the tires”; links the same certificate | “the first year after purchase” on an explainer page; the same certificate | Same certificate, different summaries | | Lifetime rotations | For the life of the tire at company-owned stores; one page adds a coupon condition | At “participating” stores on one page, “for the lifetime of the tire” on another | Both hedge | | Batteries | DieHard or Duralast maker warranty | DieHard or Duralast maker warranty | Same | | Store credit card | Tires Plus Credit Card or a Firestone Mastercard | Firestone Credit Card or a Firestone Mastercard | Same issuer and printed rates | | Roadside help | A Tires Plus service, paid at the time | Not on the Firestone pages we read | Tires Plus page only | | Veterans | 10% off tires and service | Not on the Firestone pages we read | Tires Plus page only | ## The repair warranty: Firestone’s terms, Tires Plus’s stores Tires Plus calls it the Limited Nationwide Service Warranty: “Parts and services purchased at Tires Plus are covered by a limited warranty of twelve (12) months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless otherwise described below.” A failed covered part “will be replaced free of any additional charge for parts or labor.” It “does not apply to (1) tires; (2) wheels; (3) batteries; or (4) damage caused by abuse or accident.” Firestone’s version has 5 exclusions; the extra one is its Off-Road Shop parts. The job-by-job table matches Firestone’s: **Tires Plus service warranty terms by job (service warranty page, Effective Date 12/18/24, read 9 October 2026)** | Job | Parts | Labor | | --- | --- | --- | | Oil change and oil filter | 3 months / 3,000 miles | 3 months / 3,000 miles | | Air, fuel, cabin air and transmission filters | 6 months / 6,000 miles | 6 months / 6,000 miles | | New or remanufactured starters and alternators | 24 months / 24,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Standard brake service (shoes, disc pads) | Lifetime | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Standard brake service with brake fluid exchange | Lifetime | 24 months / 24,000 miles | | “Lifetime Brake Service” (shoes, pads, calipers, wheel cylinders, hardware) | Lifetime | Lifetime (see the warning below) | | Shocks and struts; steering and suspension parts | Lifetime | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Lifetime alignment service | N/A | Lifetime | | Lifetime wheel balance | Lifetime | Lifetime | The conditions are Firestone’s too. The warranty “covers only the original purchaser,” the original invoice must be presented, and a car without a working odometer at the time of the job or the claim is ineligible. Commercial and racing use, “all electronic components of any part(s)” and air-conditioning refrigerant are excluded. The Tires Plus page also “excludes parts and accessories that are intended to modify vehicle height.” ### Where you can claim “Take your vehicle to the Tires Plus Store which sold the eligible parts and/or services, or any other Tires Plus Store in the United States (subject to availability, qualifications, and equipment) owned by Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC.” Firestone’s text says the same of Firestone stores. Neither document says the other chain will honor it, though one company owns both. If you move to a town with a Firestone and no Tires Plus, ask before relying on it, and keep the invoice. Disputes can go to arbitration: “either you or we can choose to have any Claim resolved by binding arbitration,” with no class actions, and BSRO will “advance the first $250 of the filing and hearing fees” on request. The warranty disclaims implied warranties “TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW”; federal law says a seller that gives a written warranty may not disclaim them, only limit their length ([15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308)). The Fixed Right Guarantee restates the warranty: a job “performed improperly” is redone “at no additional charge to you, during the established warranty period.” Our pages on [Goodyear Auto Service](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/), [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/) and [Christian Brothers Automotive](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/) read other chains’ repair warranties. ## “Lifetime” brakes, alignment and balance Every lifetime line carries one footnote: “All lifetime limited warranties are only valid for as long as the original lifetime service purchaser owns the vehicle.” Sell or trade the car and the cover ends. ### Lifetime brakes The lifetime part of a standard brake job is the pads or shoes. “Costs of additional brake system components, including master cylinders, rotors, drums and all additional labor, are warrantied for a period of twelve (12) months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.” Labor runs 12 months or 12,000 miles, or 24 months or 24,000 miles with a brake fluid exchange, which doubles it by our arithmetic. If lifetime pads wear out in year three, the pads are covered; fitting them, and any rotor the job needs, are not. Our [brake pad cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) explains why rotors often join the bill. Tires Plus’s brakes page, unlike Firestone’s, prints no warranty terms beside its services. **The lifetime-labor brake package in this table was withdrawn in 2022, according to the company that writes it.** Tires Plus’s table still lists a “Lifetime Brake Service” with lifetime parts and lifetime labor. Firestone’s noindexed copy of the same BSRO warranty says: “Effective June 1, 2022, Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC discontinued and removed from sale the Lifetime Brake Labor Warranty package.” That is more than 4 years ago. We found no Tires Plus notice either way, and its brakes page offers no lifetime package. If a store offers lifetime brake labor, get it on the invoice in those words. ### Lifetime alignment The alignment page sells the “LIFETIME TIRES PLUS WHEEL ALIGNMENT” as the “Best overall value package,” with “Complimentary alignment services for vehicle lifetime.” The warranty is narrower in two ways. It lasts while the original buyer owns the car, not for the car’s life. And it covers labor only: “If parts are required to restore vehicle to manufacturer’s alignment specifications, then those parts and the labor required to install them are not covered.” It also holds only while the suspension or body height “has not been modified or damaged to be outside of OEM specifications.” Tires Plus says it provides “a printout containing your vehicle’s” before-and-after alignment readings, and that most alignments take “around an hour.” It suggests a check “every 6,000 miles or annually.” Prices appear only after you enter a vehicle and ZIP code, which we did not do. Keep every printout; it is your evidence if a lifetime alignment is refused. See our [guide to when an alignment is needed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align). Lifetime balance lasts only “so long as originally balanced tires remains on wheel.” ## The Best Tire Price and On-Time guarantees The guarantees page: “We will match any current, locally advertised price on tires. If you find a better price within 30 days of purchase, we’ll refund you 200% of the price difference.” On a hypothetical $10 gap per tire, that is $20 back per tire, by our arithmetic. The footnote is word for word the one under Firestone’s [Priced Right promise](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#triple-promise): a competitor’s “current, delivered non-sale price” for “the same tire,” shown in “a current, local advertisement,” from “an authorized reseller of the product,” excluding “wholesale, clearances, closeouts, catalogs and rebate prices.” The About page prints a shorter footnote with an exclusion the others lack: “This guarantee excludes clearances, closeouts, catalogs and internet quotes.” A competitor’s web price may be refused, though Tires Plus’s own tires page says you can “Buy tires online or pay in person, with prices backed by our Best Tire Price Guarantee.” Bring a printed local ad and the receipt within 30 days. The On-Time Guarantee: “If your vehicle is not ready at the time we promised, we will offer a 10% discount on your next purchase (discount cannot exceed $25.00),” valid at any company-owned Tires Plus store “within one year of the original service.” The 10% reaches its $25 cap on a $250 purchase, by our arithmetic. The About and Why Tires Plus pages describe the 10% without the cap. The About page also says “we’ll service your vehicle in about an hour” with an appointment; the guarantee runs from the time the store promises, so ask for it on the work order. ## The tire warranty, and Buy & Try: 30 days or 90? Tires Plus does not warrant the tires it sells; their makers do. Its “Tire & Wheel Warranty Options” page restates the Bridgestone warranty on “new BRIDGESTONE, FIRESTONE, SUREDRIVE, FUZION, and PRIMEWELL brand passenger and light truck tires” and sends buyers of other brands to those makers. Bridgestone’s Gold Pledge and Platinum Pact terms, from its 2024 manual, are on our [Firestone page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#tire-warranty) and in our [comparison of tire makers’ warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/); they apply at Tires Plus the same way. Three details from the Tires Plus pages: - **Some tires get no free period.** The Basic Limited Warranty for Primewell tires says “There is no free replacement period”: it prorates for up to 4 years from purchase, or 5 years from manufacture without proof of the purchase date. The Supplemental Mileage Limited Warranty, for tread that wears out early, also has no free period and runs up to 5 years from purchase. See [how prorating works](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration). - **Old tires are out.** The warranty applies only if “The tire is less than 10 (ten) years from the date of tire manufacture.” Our [tire life guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) shows how to read the date code. - **One line is stale.** The page covers tires “purchased and primarily used in the US after December 31, 2018,” while the 2024 manual covers tires bought after December 31, 2023. The page links manuals by purchase date, starting “For tires purchased after January 1, 2024”; use the one that matches your invoice. Firestone’s page has the same stale line. ### The Buy & Try conflict This is the clearest case of Tires Plus’s pages contradicting each other. The tire guarantees page covers certain Bridgestone and Firestone tires bought as a set of 4 or more: they “can be returned to the location where they were originally purchased within 30 days of purchase for a full refund or exchange.” The tires page agrees: “Visit your local Tires Plus and enjoy our 30-Day Buy & Try Guarantee.” The warranty-options page, restating the maker, says the same tires can be returned “within 90 days of purchase to exchange for a credit towards a new set of Bridgestone or Firestone brand tires.” Bridgestone’s 2024 manual agrees with 90 days and a credit, limited to “one set of tires per vehicle within any 12-month period.” The versions differ by 60 days, on our arithmetic, and in what you get back: a refund on one page, a credit toward other Bridgestone or Firestone tires on the other. The guarantees page excludes winter tires, run-flats (one Potenza run-flat excepted), two other Potenza models, original-equipment tires on new cars and temporary spares. If a refund matters, return within 30 days; after that, ask for the maker’s 90-day exchange. See [how tire trial periods compare](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#trials). ### Tire registration Federal rules define an independent dealer as “one whose business is not owned or controlled by a tire manufacturer or brand name owner.” Other dealers must, under [49 CFR 574.8(b)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), send buyers’ registrations to the tire maker “not less often than every 30 days.” Our reading: a store owned by a Bridgestone subsidiary should register every new tire it sells. Tires Plus’s pages do not mention it, so check your name and address on the invoice. ## Road hazard cover: “as long as you own the tires” against the certificate The maker’s warranty covers defects, not nails and potholes. For those, the tires page offers this: “Pothole damage got you down? For a one-time fee you can protect your new tires from road hazards for as long as you own the tires.” No page prints the fee or how it is set, and we opened no checkout or quote. The warranty-options page tells a narrower story. A qualifying tire “will be replaced with an equivalent new tire”; “Mounting and balancing of a repaired or replaced tire will be free of charge”; no tire is eligible “for replacement more than once or repair more than twice during the coverage period”; and “When the tire is worn down to 2/32nds of an inch, this Tire Replacement or Repair Certificate coverage ends.” Its “Learn more” link opens the certificate our Firestone page read on 9 October 2026 (“Effective Date 01/01/2025”). We did not request it again. That certificate is written in Firestone’s name: “Firestone Complete Auto Care will prorate any tire covered by this certificate if it should become unusable prior to wearing down to 2/32nds of an inch,” and Tires Plus appears as one of six chains where a claim “will be rnade” (the typo is the certificate’s). It is “optional protection that can be purchased.” It prorates from the first mile: “the percent of used treadwear is multiplied by the retail store’s current selling price for the replacement tire(s).” On a hypothetical tire half worn when a pothole ruins it, you pay half the store’s current price for the new one, plus taxes and fees. Repairs are free, up to twice per tire. And it “only applies to the original purchaser of the tires covered by this warranty and is not transferable.” **“As long as you own the tires” is not what the certificate says.** The certificate ends at 2/32 inch of tread, allows one replacement, and charges you for the tread already used. Firestone’s explainer page gives a third version, “the first year after purchase.” Before paying the one-time fee, ask for the certificate, get the per-tire charge in writing, and check that any road hazard line on the estimate is one you asked for. Our [Firestone road hazard section](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#road-hazard) lists the certificate’s exclusions. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a worn tire on its wheel mark the tread, the wheel and the sidewall, with where Tires Plus road hazard cover ends, its free rotation promise, and its two return windows. Tires Plus’s tire, warranty and guarantee pages, read on 9 October 2026, end road hazard cover at 2/32 inch of tread with a prorated replacement (callout 1), promise free rotations for the life of tires bought at company-owned stores (callout 2), and give its Buy & Try window as 30 days on one page and 90 on another (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. The certificate calls itself a limited warranty, but it is a separate purchase; federal law defines a [service contract](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) as “a contract in writing to perform, over a fixed period of time or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair (or both) of a consumer product.” Our guide to [why a paid plan is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the difference. For other chains’ road damage terms, see our pages on [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#prorated-road-hazard), [Les Schwab](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/#road-hazard), [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#road-hazard) and [Big O](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/#pro-tec-plus). ## What comes free, and two promises only Tires Plus makes The tires page lists what comes “included when you buy new tires from Tires Plus”: the price guarantee, road hazard cover for a fee, “free lifetime tire rotations” and a “free alignment check.” Each free item has a footnote. **Rotations.** The tires page footnote is the firmer promise: “Tires purchased at Tires Plus include tire rotation services for the lifetime of the tire. Non-transferable.” It “Applies to tires installed on private passenger vehicles” and is “Valid at company-owned Tires Plus locations,” and Bridgestone and Firestone tires bought elsewhere are rotated too. The rotation page repeats the promise under “FREE TIRE ROTATIONS FOR LIFE*,” and the asterisk leads to “*With an eligible coupon.” No page says what coupon a lifetime promise needs. Keep the tire invoice in the car, and if a store asks for a coupon, point to the tires page footnote. The rotation page suggests rotating “about every 5,000 to 7,500 miles or every 6 months” (our [rotation guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why your manual may differ) and offers a free tire air check, “no appointment needed.” **Checks and inspections.** The free alignment check comes “With purchase of tires. Repair services cost extra. Participating stores only,” in a footnote dated © 2021. A courtesy check comes with paid work: “Enjoy a free car inspection with any expert repair or maintenance service you receive at Tires Plus.” The brakes page’s “GET A FREE CAR BRAKE INSPECTION*” ends in “*With an eligible coupon,” the same condition Firestone prints. **Flat repair.** It is not on the list of what comes with tires, and the tire-repair page prints no price. It draws one line: “If your tires have a hole over a quarter inch in size or you have a puncture or cut in a key area like your tire’s sidewall, it will always be safer to replace.” **Batteries.** The battery warranty page says “Battery limited warranty is provided by the battery manufacturer (DieHard or Duralast),” and that both brands “may not be available at all Tires Plus stores.” The tire-repair page says something else: “We offer a complete line of Interstate Batteries, and we sell more of their battery products than any other retailer.” Ask which brand goes in, because the brand decides whose warranty you hold. Our [battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) covers [Duralast](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#autozone-battery-warranty), [DieHard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#advance-auto-parts-diehard-battery-warranty) and [Interstate](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#interstate-battery-warranty). ### Two Tires Plus-only promises: roadside help and a veterans discount **Roadside and towing.** Tires Plus runs a roadside line it says answers “24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” “The Tires Plus Roadside Assistance Program offers wrecker and towing services to the Tires Plus store of your choice, as well as the following services at preferred rates”: tire change, jump start, fluid delivery and lockout. Then: “All services are provided by Tires Plus and must be paid in full (by credit card) at the time of service.” It is a call-out service you pay for, not a membership, and the page prints no rates; ask the price before a truck is sent. Our [Big O Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/#roadside) reads another chain’s roadside terms. **Veterans.** The veterans page offers “a 10% discount and tax-free advantages on both tire and service purchases at Tires Plus” to veterans and active-duty service members. It prints no end date, cap or proof requirement, says nothing about coupons, and does not explain “tax-free advantages.” Ask about all four before work starts, and have the discount written on the estimate. ## The shop supply fee and the Tires Plus Credit Card Tires Plus prints no fee list, but its offer fine print sets a shop supply fee, in three versions, each on invoices over $35: - **“8-10% of labor cost (up to $40)”** on the credit-card page and in most fine print. The cap is reached at $400 of labor at 10%, by our arithmetic. - **“8%-10% of labor costs (up to $35)”** under coupons on the alignment, rotation and brakes pages: $350 of labor at 10%. - **“7% of labor cost (up to $30)”** in the 2021 footnote under the free alignment check: about $429 of labor. All three say the fee “includes cost and profit, and is not charged if prohibited.” Ask which version your store applies, and get an [out-the-door figure](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) that includes the fee, installation and tire disposal. The financing link redirects to the credit-card page, and the card is the only standing financing we found; a page called Second Look serves a title and no text. The issuer, Credit First National Association, “is operated and funded by the credit division of Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC,” and the terms match Firestone’s card on our [Firestone page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#fees-and-credit-card): - **Deferred interest:** “$149 Minimum purchase required. If the purchase balance is not paid in full within 6 months, interest will be imposed from the purchase date.” The minimum finance charge is $2.00. Pay at least a sixth of the balance each month. - **Rates:** a store-card rate of 34.990% and a variable Mastercard rate of 33.240%, “effective as of January 31, 2026,” the same figures Firestone prints. - **Which card:** “you may be eligible for either a Tires Plus Credit Card or a Firestone Mastercard,” yet the boxes above advertise a “TIRES PLUS MASTERCARD” with “Up to 4% back in rewards at Tires Plus locations.” We did not read the rewards terms, which sit on the issuer’s site. - **Where it works:** “at Tires Plus locations nationwide,” says one answer; “Accepted at participating automotive locations,” says the footnote. ## Where Tires Plus’s own pages disagree We found 14 places where Tires Plus’s pages disagree with each other or with the Bridgestone and Firestone documents behind them. Twelve are covered in the sections above. The other two: - **Who gives the tire warranty:** “Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC” on the tire-warranty page, “Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC” on the warranty-options page, the same split as on Firestone’s pages. - **Whose name is on the page:** the tire-warranty page sends claims to “your nearest Tires Plus, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus, Michel Tires Plus, or Wheel Works location”; Tires Plus’s local landing page says “Visit your local Firestone Complete Auto Care for high-quality auto repair, maintenance, and tires”; and the road hazard certificate speaks for Firestone throughout. When a page and your paperwork differ, the store applies the paperwork, so ask for it. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Tires Plus - **Ask for an out-the-door figure** with installation, disposal and the shop supply fee, and which fee version applies. - **Read each estimate line** and remove road hazard cover or any lifetime package you did not ask for. - **For road hazard cover,** get the certificate and the per-tire charge in writing; it is prorated and ends at 2/32 inch. - **To return tires,** act within 30 days if you want a refund, and get the Buy & Try terms on the slip. - **For lifetime alignment or brakes,** keep each printout and invoice; cover ends when you sell, and lifetime labor must be in writing. - **For the price match,** bring a current local ad, not an internet quote, within 30 days. - **Ask which battery brand** goes in, and, if you served, ask for the veterans discount first. - **Keep every invoice and rotation receipt;** repair claims are made at Tires Plus stores. ## Common questions ### Who owns Tires Plus? Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which bought the chain in 2001 and which Bridgestone calls “a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas.” It also runs Firestone Complete Auto Care, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works. Tires Plus began in 1976 near Burnsville, Minnesota. ### Is Tires Plus the same as Firestone? Same owner, repair warranty terms, price match, card issuer and road hazard certificate. But each chain’s warranty names only its own stores for claims, and Tires Plus’s pages differ on Buy & Try, road hazard wording, roadside help and a veterans discount. ### What is the Tires Plus warranty on repairs? 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, on most parts and labor, claimed at any Tires Plus store the company owns. Oil changes get 3 months or 3,000 miles; some brake, suspension, alignment and balance work is lifetime while the original buyer owns the car. Tires, wheels and batteries are excluded. ### What does Tires Plus lifetime alignment cover? Alignment labor while you own the car, despite the “vehicle lifetime” wording. Parts needed to reach factory specifications, and fitting them, are not covered, and modified or damaged suspension ends the cover. ### What does the Tires Plus road hazard warranty cover? It costs a one-time fee. The certificate replaces a tire ruined by a road hazard on a prorated basis until 2/32 inch of tread, repairs it free up to twice, allows one replacement and is not transferable. ### Does Tires Plus have a military discount? Its veterans page offers veterans and active-duty members 10% off tire and service purchases, with no end date, cap or proof requirement printed. Ask the store how it applies before work starts. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tires-plus/ --- title: "Goodyear Auto Service: Warranty, Road Hazard, Price Match, Owner" description: "Goodyear owns Goodyear Auto Service and Just Tires. Repairs get a 24-month or 24,000-mile network warranty, and road hazard terms are not published online." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Goodyear Auto Service: Warranty, Road Hazard, Price Match, Owner > Goodyear owns Goodyear Auto Service and Just Tires. Repairs get a 24-month or 24,000-mile network warranty, and road hazard terms are not published online. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,941 words* ## The short version - Goodyear Auto Service stores are “wholly owned and operated by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.” Goodyear’s 2025 10-K counts about 505 company-owned outlets “primarily under the Goodyear or Just Tires names.” Just Tires is Goodyear’s own, not a franchise. - The only repair warranty Goodyear publishes is the Tire & Service Network warranty: 24 months or 24,000 miles on 13 kinds of repair. It is “made by the Independent Repair Facility” on your repair order, and it excludes oil changes, filters, tires and batteries. - Road Hazard Protection is an add-on worded as “3 years” of repair and replacement. Goodyear publishes no certificate, terms or price for it, so get the paper before you pay. - The price match refunds 100% of the difference within 14 days, but the written policy covers goodyear.com orders against online retailers and “cannot be completed in our stores.” - The Goodyear Credit Card, issued by Citibank, N.A., has no interest on $250 or more only if you pay in full in 6 months. Otherwise interest runs from the purchase date. - Goodyear’s filings show no sale of the stores in 2025 or 2026. Its documents disagree in nine places we found. Goodyear Auto Service is the chain of tire and repair shops that The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company owns and runs itself, alongside its Just Tires stores. Repairs carry a dealer-network warranty of 24 months or 24,000 miles on listed systems, tires carry Goodyear’s maker warranty, road hazard cover is an extra whose terms are not online, and the detailed price match is written for online orders. On 9 October 2026 we read Goodyear’s Goodyear Auto Service page, the Tire & Service Network Nationwide Limited Warranty, the price match policy (Policy Effective Date August 1, 2024), the credit card, financing, returns, installation and Free Car Care Check pages, the Terms of Use and Conditions of Sale (“Revised May 16, 2024”), three Just Tires pages, and Goodyear’s 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filings. This site has no commercial relationship with Goodyear or any chain named here. Goodyear’s Terms of Use bar “any use of data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools,” so we read each page once by hand and quote only short passages. The old goodyearautoservice.com address now forwards to goodyear.com, where the stores are “now powered through Goodyear.com.” **Figure: Which Goodyear promise applies at a Goodyear Auto Service store** Eight situations at a Goodyear Auto Service store and the Goodyear document that answers each: the network repair warranty (24 months or 24,000 miles on 13 repair types, excluding maintenance), roadside help (2 claims a year up to $100 each), the maker’s tire warranty, the separately bought road hazard plan, the 14-day price match, returns and the card’s deferred interest. Read from goodyear.com’s Tire & Service Network warranty, store page, price match policy (Policy Effective Date August 1, 2024), returns and card pages on 9 October 2026; tire warranty terms from Goodyear’s booklet as read on 7 October 2026. ## Who owns Goodyear Auto Service, and which stores are Goodyear’s own Goodyear’s store page is plain about ownership: “Goodyear Auto Service locations across the US are wholly owned and operated by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.” It adds that the stores have been owned that way “since 1924,” which is 102 years by our arithmetic, and that there are “hundreds of locations nationwide.” Bridgestone runs [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/) the same way. Not every shop with a Goodyear sign is Goodyear’s. Its 2025 10-K says “The principal channel for the sale of Goodyear and Cooper brand tires in Americas is a large network of independent dealers,” and that the tires are also sold “in Goodyear Company-owned stores in the United States.” Goodyear’s Terms of Use call the independents “Goodyear independent dealers (the ‘Dealers’)” and say Goodyear “is not responsible for any of the actions, services, or omissions of the Dealers.” The store finder tags their listings as an “Independent Goodyear Dealer” and offers a filter labelled “Goodyear Owned Stores Only.” Just Tires is often taken for a franchise or a dealer brand. It is neither: the 10-K counts “approximately 505 Company-owned retail outlets primarily under the Goodyear or Just Tires names.” Goodyear’s store page runs the same offers “at any Goodyear Auto Service or Just Tires location,” and the Just Tires website ends with “© 2026 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.” The 10-K describes “licensed and franchised retail stores” only in its Asia Pacific section. **Who stands behind each promise at a Goodyear Auto Service store, in Goodyear’s own documents (read 9 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | Where it is honored | | --- | --- | --- | | Repair warranty (Tire & Service Network) | “the Independent Repair Facility (‘Dealer’)” named on the repair order; “not a warranty by Goodyear” | Any participating network outlet, or other authorized repair facility in the United States and Canada | | Road Hazard Protection | Plans “administered by Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC” | “All Tire & Service Network locations,” for Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly tires | | Tire defects and tread life | The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, as tire maker | An “authorized Goodyear or Kelly service facility” | | Price match | Goodyear, for purchases on www.goodyear.com | By chat or phone only; not in stores | | Goodyear Credit Card | Citibank, N.A., the issuer | “more than 17,100 Goodyear locations nationwide” | | Online orders and installation | The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Conditions of Sale) | Ohio law; the installer is “responsible” for installation | When you book, check whether the listing is company-owned; the rest of this page assumes a Goodyear-owned store. ## What Goodyear’s SEC filings say about the stores in 2025 and 2026 Goodyear spent 2025 selling businesses. The 10-K for 2025, filed on 10 February 2026, says its “Goodyear Forward” plan “was completed in 2025” after “gross proceeds of approximately $2.2 billion” from selling “our off-the-road (‘OTR’) tire business, the Dunlop brand and our polymer chemicals business.” The stores were not on that list. We read every 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K Goodyear filed from 1 January 2025 to 9 October 2026 that could bear on them, and found no sale, spin-off or plan to exit the US stores. The filings do show a slow trim. The same 10-K says the Goodyear Forward plan “resulted in the closure of certain retail and warehouse locations, primarily in Americas,” under plans begun in 2023, and that 2024 charges included “the exit of our retail operations in Australia and New Zealand.” The printed counts moved like this: **Goodyear’s store counts as its last two 10-Ks print them (all “approximately”; read 9 October 2026)** | What is counted | 2024 10-K (filed 14 February 2025) | 2025 10-K (filed 10 February 2026) | Change, our arithmetic | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Company-owned retail outlets in Americas, “primarily under the Goodyear or Just Tires names” | 510 | 505 | 5 fewer | | Company-owned commercial truck locations, “primarily Goodyear Commercial Tire & Service Centers” | 230 | 180 | 50 fewer | | Retail outlets worldwide | 800 | 750 | 50 fewer | Because both years say “approximately,” the change of 5 consumer stores is approximate too. The 10-K describes “Retail services and service related sales” as “automotive services performed for customers through our Company-owned retail channels.” In Americas these were $756 million in 2025 against $742 million in 2024, up $14 million or 1.9%, and about 7% of Americas net sales of $10,768 million, by our arithmetic. The United States “accounted for 85%” of Americas net sales in 2025. The latest quarterly report, the 10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 2026 (filed 6 August 2026), shows Americas retail service sales of $191 million against $196 million a year earlier, and $366 million against $377 million for the half year: $11 million or 2.9% lower, by our arithmetic. It has no “held for sale” or “strategic alternatives” passage. The five 8-Ks filed since January 2025 under Item 2.05, the item for exit and closure costs, cover job cuts at the Danville, Virginia tire plant; a tire plant in Kariega, South Africa; a rationalization plan in Europe, Middle East and Africa; the Fayetteville, North Carolina tire plant; and chemical plants in Niagara Falls, New York and Bayport, Texas. None concerns the stores. Read the [2025 10-K on EDGAR](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/42582/000162828026006708/gt-20251231.htm). ### Regulators and courts We looked for state attorney-general and Federal Trade Commission actions involving Goodyear Auto Service or Just Tires and found none. The 10-K’s legal proceedings name asbestos claims, a federal environmental notice about a former chemical plant in Beaumont, Texas, and a European antitrust investigation of tire makers; none concerns the stores. Searches turned up only matters about Goodyear as a tire maker or employer, and a 1996 private class action we know only from trade-press summaries, so we do not describe it. The FTC’s and the Better Business Bureau’s websites blocked our reader. ## The repair warranty: 24 months or 24,000 miles, made by “the Independent Repair Facility” Goodyear publishes no repair warranty in Goodyear Auto Service’s own name. Its warranty index points repair customers to one document, the [Goodyear Tire & Service Network Nationwide Limited Warranty](https://www.goodyear.com/en-us/support/tire-warranty/tire-service-network), introduced with “When our expert technicians take care of all of your vehicle’s service needs, we’ve got you covered with an extensive list of service warranties.” The Just Tires website links the same text as its “Service Warranty.” The core promise: covered repairs “will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for 24 months or 24,000 miles of use, whichever comes first, measured from the date of the first repair and the odometer reading shown on the original repair order.” Cover ends at the second anniversary of the repair or 24,000 miles later, whichever arrives first. If a covered repair fails, the shop “shall have the option” to redo the work free, replace the part free, or refund what you paid, and “Warranty repair costs shall in no case exceed the costs of the original related repair or service.” **What the Tire & Service Network warranty covers for 24 months or 24,000 miles, and what it excludes (read 9 October 2026)** | Covered: 13 repair types | Excluded: 6 groups | | --- | --- | | Air conditioning, heating and climate control | Internal engine repairs, turbochargers and superchargers | | Brake system; clutches | Internal transmission repairs, automatic or manual | | Engine computers and other on-board computers; cruise control | Body, paint, molding and glass | | Emission control; engine cooling (belts, hoses) | “TIRES, BATTERIES” | | Engine performance and drivability; electrical; exhaust | Preventive maintenance: “Oil changes, fluid changes and flushes, wiper blades, filters” | | Fuel; ignition; starting and charging | Vehicles over 17,500 lbs gross weight (heavier and commercial vehicles get 90 days or 4,000 miles) | | Steering and suspension, struts, shocks, wheel bearings, CV joints, half shafts, U-joints, driveshafts | Also out: used or salvaged parts, customer-supplied parts, normal wear and tear, abuse and accidents | The warranty “does not cover replacement or repairs due to normal wear and tear,” so pads that simply wear out are a new purchase; we found no lifetime pad or lifetime alignment offer from Goodyear. For pad and rotor costs see our [brake pad cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors), and for service intervals, [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/). The conditions are strict about paper. The warranty “is extended only to you, the original purchaser,” and you “must keep a legible physical or digital copy of the original repair order (a service history is not an acceptable alternative).” Claims go back to the shop that did the work; “If you are more than 25 miles from that location, you must go to the nearest Tire & Service Network outlet.” California buyers get extra time, including 60 days to report a failed warranty repair. **The warranty says it is not Goodyear’s.** It is “made by the Independent Repair Facility (‘Dealer’) who is so named on the original repair order,” and “This Warranty is not a warranty by Goodyear, its employees, member companies, or the administrator,” Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC. It also says “Not all Network providers are owned and operated by Goodyear.” Yet Goodyear Auto Service stores are “wholly owned and operated” by Goodyear. Before paying for a repair, ask the store to name the warrantor and the warranty term on the repair order, and keep the brochure it hands you. ### ToYourRescue roadside help after a repair The same document adds roadside help “at no additional charge when you repair your vehicle with us.” It runs 12 months from the invoice date and pays “two (2) claims per 12-month period for covered roadside assistance service, up to $100.00 per covered vehicle, anywhere in North America,” at most $200 a year by our arithmetic. Covered calls are towing, lock-outs, flat tire help, jump-starts, emergency fuel “(where permitted)” and fluid delivery, where you pay for the fluids. The benefit is worded as reimbursement, so ask whether you pay the provider first, and “The driver of the Covered Vehicle must be with the Covered Vehicle” when help arrives. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a brake rotor on a lathe mark the rotor, the hub where the wheel mounts and the suspension above, with Goodyear's network repair warranty on brakes, the road hazard cover sold at checkout, and the services the warranty leaves out. Goodyear’s Tire & Service Network warranty and checkout pages, read on 9 October 2026, cover brakes, steering and A/C for 24 months or 24,000 miles (callout 1), leave nail and pothole damage to Road Hazard Protection bought at checkout (callout 2), and exclude oil changes, filters and fluid flushes (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Road Hazard Protection: “3 years,” but no terms or price online Goodyear’s maker warranty excludes “Road hazards (includes, but is not limited to, punctures, cuts, snags, impact breaks, etc.).” For those, Goodyear sells Road Hazard Protection as an add-on, and everything it publishes about it fits in two lines. The checkout tooltip says: “Our Road Hazard Protection includes free flat tire repair and tire replacement coverage for 3 years.” The network warranty says all network locations “will honor optional road hazard coverage purchased by a consumer and administered by Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC, only for Goodyear, Dunlop, and Kelly products,” that it is “administered according to the terms as set forth in those purchased programs,” and, for other optional cover, “Tire-based coverage for 3 years” followed by “Free Replacement; See stores for more details.” We found no certificate, no terms page and no price basis on goodyear.com or justtires.com. The add-on is priced in the cart, which needs a vehicle, and we entered none. So the questions that decide what the cover is worth have no published answer: whether replacement is free for the whole 3 years or prorated by tread, whether it ends at a tread depth, how many claims a tire gets, whether other brands are covered, and whether it moves with the car. Our [Discount Tire page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#prorated-road-hazard) shows how much those details vary between sellers. **Read the certificate before you pay for the add-on.** Ask the store for the Road Hazard Protection certificate, the per-tire charge and the claim rules in writing, and check that the line on your estimate is one you asked for. The network warranty’s own words, “See stores for more details,” put the terms at the counter, not online. Our guide explains [why a plan you buy separately is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty). ### Goodyear’s terms beside three other chains Copied from this site’s own pages; terms only, no prices, no ranking. **Repair warranty, road hazard and tire price match as each chain prints them (all read 9 October 2026)** | Chain | Default repair warranty | Road hazard | Tire price match | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Goodyear Auto Service | 24 months or 24,000 miles on 13 listed repair types; the shop on the repair order is the warrantor | Add-on worded as “3 years”; no terms published | 14 days, 100% of the difference; written for goodyear.com orders | | [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#repair-warranty) | 12 months or 12,000 miles on most parts and services | Bought: “optional protection that can be purchased” | 30 days, 200% of the difference, with a local ad | | [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/#repair-warranty) | 90 days or 3,000 miles “unless different warranty terms are specified on your Invoice” | Optional plan: free repair, prorated replacement, to 2/32 inch | At purchase or within 30 days, against a local competitor, in-store sales only | | [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/#parts-labor-warranty) | Set part by part; items not listed (excluding tires and batteries) 3 months or 3,000 miles | Bought: the shorter of 3 years or 2/32 inch | Within 30 days: the difference plus 5% | Our pages on [Tires Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tires-plus/), [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/) and [Christian Brothers Automotive](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/) read more chains’ terms. ## What comes with tires, and the free 29-point check Installation is not free; it is bundled. Goodyear’s checkout says “you pay up front for your tires, standard installation, disposal fees and taxes,” and “Standard installation includes mounting, balancing, and valve systems. Additional fees may apply at checkout for vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems or Run On Flat tires.” The Conditions of Sale add that installation prices “cover most vehicles with standard equipment,” and that customized vehicles or conditions such as “severe misalignment, damaged lug bolts” may bring extra fees at the store. On top of that, Goodyear lists free extras in three places, each worded differently: - **Its tire-installation article** says “your purchase also includes these additional complimentary services”: “Lifetime wheel balances,” “Valve stem or TPMS kits” and “Wheel alignment checks.” An alignment check is an inspection, not an alignment; see [when an alignment is needed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align). - **A site-wide message** promises “Free Tire Rotation, Brake Check and Courtesy Tire & Maintenance Inspection with Purchase.” It does not say how many rotations or for how long. Goodyear’s rotation page suggests rotating “every 3,000 to 6,000 miles”; our [rotation guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers why your manual may differ. Another message says “Tire rotation is already included with your oil change.” - **The Free Car Care Check** is a “detailed 29-point” inspection that is “always free, with or without another service.” We counted the items it names, from wipers to horn, and there are 29. The Free Car Care Check answer carries a promise worth holding the store to: “If we find anything that needs attention, we’ll send a quote with photos, and you approve or decline the work right in your report. We won’t start anything until you say go.” Some work is priced only after a look; checkout labels it “Price Requires Inspection.” Two things are missing. No free flat repair is promised with a tire purchase; the only free repair in Goodyear’s wording comes with the paid road hazard add-on. And Goodyear names no battery brand or battery warranty on the pages we read; the network warranty excludes batteries, so ask whose warranty a new battery carries and compare it with our [battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#how-battery-warranties-work). ## The tire warranty is Goodyear the maker’s, not the store’s When a Goodyear tire fails from a defect, the promise comes from the tire maker, which here owns the store too. Our [comparison of tire makers’ warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#workmanship) read Goodyear’s booklet for Goodyear and Kelly tires (“Printed in U.S.A. 10/01/2026”) on 7 October 2026. The terms that matter at a Goodyear Auto Service counter, copied from that reading: - **Who qualifies:** tires “purchased on or after June 1, 2026” under this booklet, used only on the vehicle they were first fitted to; older purchases fall under earlier booklets. - **Free replacement** for a covered condition “during the first 2/32” of usable tread or twelve months from date of purchase, whichever comes first,” “including mounting and balancing.” - **After that, prorated** “for up to six (6) years from the date of original new tire purchase or when the treadwear indicators become visible (worn to 2/32”), whichever occurs first.” You pay the share of tread used times “the tire’s advertised retail selling price at the time of adjustment,” plus mounting and balancing. Goodyear’s own example: a tire worn from 8/32 to 4/32 inch has used 50%, so you pay 50%. See [how prorating works](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration). - **Not covered:** road hazards, and tires failed by added sealants or by “improper repairs.” - **Keep records:** rotate at “maximum intervals of 6,000 miles” and keep the original invoice. - **The 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee** lets you exchange eligible Goodyear tires within 60 days for another Goodyear, Cooper, Kelly or Mastercraft set; tires “worn beyond the first 2/32nds tread” are excluded, and you “must return to the location that sold the tires.” ### Tire registration at a company-owned store Federal tire registration rules depend on who owns the shop. 49 CFR 574.3 defines an independent dealer as “one whose business is not owned or controlled by a tire manufacturer or brand name owner.” An independent dealer can hand you a registration form. A dealer that is not independent must, under [49 CFR 574.8(b)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), submit the buyer’s details “to the manufacturer of the tires sold” at least “every 30 days.” Goodyear’s registration page assumes the first case: it asks for “The Goodyear tire registration form that you received from the dealer.” Our reading: a store Goodyear owns should register the tires it sells for you, whatever the brand. Check your name and address on the invoice and ask. Registration is how a maker reaches you in a recall; see our [tire life guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls). ## The price match: 14 days and 100%, written for goodyear.com orders Goodyear’s store page promises: “If you see a lower current price for an identical tire prior to your purchase or within 14 days after purchasing an eligible tire, Goodyear Auto Service will match the price or refund 100% of the difference.” On a hypothetical $20 gap per tire on a set of 4, that is $80 back, by our arithmetic. The detailed rules sit in the [Price Match Guarantee policy](https://www.goodyear.com/en-us/offers/price-match-guarantee) (“Policy Effective Date: August 1, 2024”), and they describe something narrower. The headline covers a purchase “on www.goodyear.com” matched against “an authorized online retailer.” Requests go through goodyear.com chat or phone with the competitor’s web address. The rules: - **Final prices:** comparisons use “final in-cart prices after all discounts and promotions have been applied,” without shipping charges. - **In stock online:** the item “must be in-stock and available for online purchase on www.goodyear.com.” - **No services or fees:** the match “does not apply to service or parts charges, shipping charges and fees (i.e. tire installation services, Tire Pressure Monitoring System Kits, valve stems, disposal fees, etc.).” - **Many prices excluded:** financing and card offers, coupons, clearance, open-box, limited-quantity items, email offers and digital flyers, and third-party sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart marketplace, eBay and Google. - **Goodyear’s own cuts:** “If we lower our online price within 14 days of purchase, we will match our lower price, upon request.” - **Not at the counter:** “Goodyear.com price match requests cannot be completed in our stores or via e-mail.” If you buy at a store, the store page’s sentence is the only written promise, and it does not say whether a local shop’s advertised price counts or how to claim. Ask the store to confirm the match on the invoice before you pay, or buy online and claim under the written policy. ## The Goodyear Credit Card: Citibank, six months, deferred interest “The Goodyear Credit Card is issued by Citibank, N.A.” Its standing feature is “6-month special financing” on purchases of $250 or more, and the checkout wording shows what kind: “No interest if paid in full within 6 months,” and “Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within 6 months.” That is deferred interest. Leave any of that purchase unpaid at the deadline and interest is charged back to the purchase date. On a hypothetical $900 purchase, paying $150 a month clears it in time, by our arithmetic; a smaller minimum payment may not. The card page prints purchase rates “As of September 22, 2026”: “Variable 17.24% - 33.74% or non- variable 22.36% - 26.99%,” with a “Minimum interest charge: up to $2.00.” The rate you get depends on Citibank’s decision and your card agreement. Goodyear says the card works at “more than 17,100 Goodyear locations nationwide” and “over 11,500 Exxon and Mobil stations.” We did not record the new-cardmember rebate, which carries an end date. Other ways to pay are listed unevenly: the Conditions of Sale name only cards, the financing page adds Zip and PayPal, and the order FAQ adds “an instant loan” through Affirm, which the financing page omits. ## Returns, installation and the Terms of Sale Once tires are on the car, they stay yours. The returns page says “we cannot accept returns for products that have been installed, used, mounted, or driven on,” and points instead to the “Goodyear 60 Day Guarantee,” “Kelly 45 Day Guarantee” and “Cooper 45-Day Satisfaction” programs. Before installation, an online order can be cancelled “with one quick phone call or live chat.” Goodyear’s Conditions of Sale govern purchases “ON THE WWW.GOODYEAR.COM WEBSITE” and contain four clauses to know before you book online: - **Extra charges:** advertised prices exclude “disposal fees or state tire fees,” and tire pressure sensors may need service, with “an additional charge at the installer” if the cost was not included. Checkout adds that its estimate leaves out “any required in-store shop supply fees.” - **Who answers for the fitting:** “CUSTOMER EXPRESSLY AGREES THAT THE INSTALLER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ACTS AND/OR OMISSIONS RELATED TO THE INSTALLATION” and “GOODYEAR HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY” for them. At a Goodyear Auto Service store, the installer is a Goodyear company-owned outlet. - **A cap and a waiver:** Goodyear’s liability is capped at “THE AMOUNT CUSTOMER HAS PAID,” products and services are provided “AS-IS,” and the terms waive class actions “TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW.” Ohio law governs. - **Warranties still apply:** “Goodyear’s standard limited warranties govern all purchases of products and/or services.” The “AS-IS” wording meets federal law. Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), “No supplier may disclaim or modify ... any implied warranty to a consumer” if it gives a written warranty on the product, and a disclaimer that breaks the rule “shall be ineffective.” Since Goodyear gives a written tire warranty, our reading is that the “AS-IS” line cannot strip implied warranties from the tires you buy. ## Where Goodyear’s own documents disagree We found nine places where Goodyear’s documents disagree or pull against each other. Six are covered above: who makes the repair warranty, the price match, the road hazard wording, the ways to pay, the store count and who answers for installation. The other three: - **TPMS kits:** the tire-installation article lists “Valve stem or TPMS kits” among “complimentary services,” while checkout and the FAQ say “Additional fees may apply” for vehicles with tire pressure monitoring systems. - **The checkout total:** the FAQ says “The amount you see at checkout is the amount that you will be charged for tires and standard installation,” while the checkout estimate excludes in-store shop supply fees and the Conditions of Sale allow extra installation fees at the store. - **Returns:** the Conditions of Sale say Goodyear “cannot accept any returns or refunds for any purchase,” while checkout grants exceptions “for conditions covered by the Goodyear manufacturer’s limited warranty and the Goodyear Satisfaction Guarantee.” ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Goodyear Auto Service - **Check the store is Goodyear’s own** (the store finder’s “Goodyear Owned Stores Only” filter) if that matters to you; independent dealers set their own terms. - **Ask who the warrantor is** and get the repair warranty term written on the repair order; keep the warranty brochure. - **Keep the original repair order,** paper or digital. A service history is not accepted for warranty claims. - **Do not expect warranty cover on maintenance:** oil changes, filters, flushes, wiper blades, tires and batteries are excluded. - **For Road Hazard Protection,** get the certificate, the per-tire charge and the claim rules in writing before paying, and remove it from the estimate if you did not ask for it. - **Ask for an out-the-door total** that includes installation, tire pressure sensor service, disposal and state tire fees and any shop supply fee. - **For a price match,** confirm on the invoice how the store will honor it; the written policy is for goodyear.com orders. - **On the Goodyear Credit Card,** divide the balance by six and pay at least that each month. - **Check your name and address** on the tire invoice and ask whether the tires were registered. ## Common questions ### Who owns Goodyear Auto Service? The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Its store page says the locations are “wholly owned and operated” by Goodyear, and its 2025 10-K counts about 505 company-owned outlets “primarily under the Goodyear or Just Tires names.” Its filings for 2025 and 2026 show no sale of the stores. ### Is Just Tires owned by Goodyear? Yes. Goodyear’s 10-K counts Just Tires stores among its company-owned retail outlets, and the Just Tires website is published by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. It is not a franchise. ### What is the Goodyear Auto Service warranty on repairs? Goodyear points repair customers to the Tire & Service Network Nationwide Limited Warranty: 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, on 13 listed repair types such as brakes, steering, suspension, electrical and air conditioning. It excludes oil changes, filters, tires, batteries and normal wear, and names the shop on the repair order, not Goodyear, as the warrantor. ### What does Goodyear’s road hazard warranty cover? Goodyear describes its Road Hazard Protection add-on as “free flat tire repair and tire replacement coverage for 3 years” and says plans are administered by Sonsio Administrative Services, LLC. It publishes no certificate or price, so ask the store for the terms before buying. The maker’s tire warranty does not cover road hazards. ### Does Goodyear Auto Service price match? Goodyear promises to match a lower current price on an identical tire, or refund 100% of the difference, within 14 days. Its written policy covers goodyear.com orders against authorized online retailers and says requests “cannot be completed in our stores,” so confirm in-store terms before you pay. ### Who issues the Goodyear Credit Card, and is the financing interest-free? Citibank, N.A. Purchases of $250 or more get 6 months with no interest only if paid in full in that time; otherwise interest is charged from the purchase date. For the tire maker’s own trial and warranty terms, see our [tire maker warranty comparison](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#trials). ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/ --- title: "Meineke: What Its Lifetime Warranty Covers and Who Owns It" description: "Meineke's lifetime cover on brake pads and mufflers depends on what the invoice says; labor gets 12 months or 12,000 miles. What its warranty and filings say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Meineke: What Its Lifetime Warranty Covers and Who Owns It > Meineke's lifetime cover on brake pads and mufflers depends on what the invoice says; labor gets 12 months or 12,000 miles. What its warranty and filings say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,959 words* ## The short version - Meineke is a car repair chain owned by Driven Brands, the parent of Take 5 Oil Change. Its annual report counts 780 franchised Meineke locations at the end of 2025. - Its one written promise is the Meineke Limited Warranty. Brake pads, brake shoes and mufflers are covered for as long as you own the car only if your invoice marks them “lifetime”; otherwise pads get 180 days and mufflers one year. - Shocks, struts and coil springs are lifetime parts. Labor and every other part get 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first; oil changes get 90 days against leaks. - A claim needs the original receipt and the same car. Without the receipt you pay for the parts, and no refund follows if it turns up. The warranty ends when you sell the car. - Any authorized Meineke center offering the service must honor the warranty; the shop that sold the part pays it back. The franchise agreement makes that shop solely responsible for the warranties it issues. - Coupons are set by each shop; no national price is printed. Standing programs: a Synchrony Car Care credit card, gift cards, and rewards worth 2% of qualifying spending by our arithmetic. If you searched for Meineke, you most likely mean the car repair chain: brakes, exhaust, suspension, oil changes and general repairs at shops that are almost all locally owned franchises. Its written promise is a single warranty, and the key word in it is “invoice”: lifetime cover on brake pads and mufflers depends on what your receipt says. On 9 October 2026 we read the [Meineke Limited Warranty](https://www.meineke.com/about/customer-service/warranty/), Meineke’s service, coupon, financing and rewards pages; Driven Brands’ 2025 annual report at the SEC; Meineke’s franchise disclosure document, issued June 20, 2025, as amended December 29, 2025; a 2019 Washington Attorney General settlement and a 1996 FTC letter. This site has no commercial relationship with Meineke, Driven Brands or any repair chain. **Figure: What the Meineke Limited Warranty says, by situation** A two-column table of nine situations: brake pads are free for life only if the invoice marked them lifetime, otherwise for 180 days, with labor covered 12 months or 12,000 miles; a muffler is covered for life only if the invoice says so, otherwise one year; pipes and resonators get one year and catalytic converters are left to the maker’s warranty; shocks, struts and coil springs are covered while you own the car, labor 12 months or 12,000 miles; other repairs get 12 months or 12,000 miles and oil changes 90 days against leaks; any Meineke center offering the service honors the warranty and bills the shop that issued it; without the receipt you pay for parts with no later refund; declining other needed work voids the warranty; and it does not pass to a new owner. Read from Meineke’s Limited Warranty page and its Franchise Disclosure Document (issued June 20, 2025, as amended December 29, 2025) on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Meineke, and who runs your shop Meineke started in Houston in 1972; its About page says “Since our first Houston, TX, location got up and running in 1972,” which makes the brand 54 years old in 2026 by our arithmetic. Today it belongs to Driven Brands Holdings Inc., the Charlotte company that also owns Take 5 Oil Change, Maaco and CARSTAR. Our [Take 5 page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/#who-runs-it) reads the same parent’s filings for the oil-change chain. Driven Brands also franchises the CARSTAR collision chain; see our [CARSTAR](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/carstar/) page. Driven’s annual report (Form 10-K) for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2025 describes the brand in one paragraph: “Our maintenance and repair services are predominantly offered under the Meineke brand, which was founded in 1972. As of December 27, 2025, we had 780 franchised locations.” Meineke sits in Driven’s Franchise Brands segment with Maaco, CARSTAR, ABRA, Fix Auto, 1-800 Radiator, Uniban and a training business, 2,699 locations in all. By our arithmetic Meineke is 28.9% of that segment, and 99.5% of the segment’s locations are franchised. Before Driven reorganized its reporting in 2025, Meineke sat in “the previous Maintenance Segment, which included Take 5 Oil and Meineke.” The franchise disclosure document (FDD) names the franchisor: Meineke Franchisor SPV LLC, “an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Driven Brands, Inc.” It adds that funds managed by Roark Capital Management “owned and continue to own a majority of the outstanding stock of Driven Brands Holdings.” **How many Meineke shops there are, by source (read 9 October 2026)** | Count | What it says | Source and date | | --- | --- | --- | | 716 | Franchised Meineke Centers in the U.S., none company-owned, plus 17 co-branded Meineke/Econo Lube centers and 14 in Canada | FDD, as of December 28, 2024 | | 780 | “franchised locations” | Driven Brands 10-K, as of December 27, 2025 | | over 700 | “700+ franchise centers nationwide” | llms.txt, a summary Meineke publishes for AI systems | | over 750 | “Meineke has over 750 centers” | Meineke rewards release, October 5, 2026 | | over 900 | “With over 900 locations” and “900+ Meineke centers” | About and Fleet Services pages | | over 1,000 | “With over 1,000 centers nationwide” | Brake Repair page | The two filings are a year apart and may count differently: the 10-K’s 780 is 64 more than the FDD’s 716 by our arithmetic, and the 10-K does not say whether co-branded or Canadian centers are included. Use the filings. The FDD shows no company-owned Meineke Centers in the U.S. at the end of 2024; that year 36 opened, 8 were terminated, 8 were not renewed and 6 closed for other reasons. Driven’s 10-K says “employees of our franchisees are not employees of Driven Brands” and “we do not control the day-to-day operations” of franchisees. Franchisees pay Driven royalties on sales; the FDD sets them at 3% to 7% by type of work (7% on exhaust, 3% on tires), with a minimum of $20,800 a year. ## The Meineke Limited Warranty, part by part Meineke publishes one warranty, on its customer service pages. It reads like the back of a repair invoice (“If a lifetime warranty is indicated on the face of this invoice”), and its closing line says it “CONSTITUTES THE ONLY WARRANTY OFFERED BY OR THROUGH MEINEKE,” with any oral or written changes “VOID.” Here is what it covers, as written: **What the Meineke Limited Warranty covers, from Meineke’s warranty page (read 9 October 2026)** | Part or service | The part | Labor | | --- | --- | --- | | Brake pads and brake shoes | As long as you, the original purchaser, own the car, if the invoice marks lifetime; otherwise 180 days | 12 months or 12,000 miles | | Other brake parts and services, such as rotors, calipers and fluid | 12 months or 12,000 miles | 12 months or 12,000 miles | | Muffler | As long as you own the car, if the invoice marks lifetime; otherwise one year | Exhaust labor: one year | | Resonators, exhaust pipes, other exhaust parts | One year | One year | | Catalytic converter | Not covered: the maker’s warranty applies | Not stated | | Shocks and struts; coil springs | As long as you own the car | 12 months or 12,000 miles | | All other parts and services on the receipt | 12 months or 12,000 miles | 12 months or 12,000 miles | | Oil change | 90 days “against installation related leaks” | Same | | Tires | Excluded; the tire maker may warrant them | Excluded | Every limit runs “from the original date of service,” and the 12-month terms end at 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first: a car driven more than 12,000 miles a year hits the mileage limit first. The lifetime promise has two conditions. It belongs to “the original purchaser and motor vehicle identified on this original invoice. It is non-transferable,” so it ends when you sell the car. And for pads, shoes and mufflers it exists only if the shop chose it: “Your newly installed brake pads and brake shoes are warranted for either as long as you, the original purchaser, own the vehicle serviced or 180 days from the original date of service.” The muffler wording is the same with “one year” in place of 180 days. One more line narrows it: “Lifetime warranty may not apply to certain vehicles or systems. Check with your authorized Meineke Dealer at the time of purchase.” **Read the invoice before you pay.** Meineke’s lifetime cover on brake pads, brake shoes and mufflers applies only “If a lifetime warranty is indicated on the face of this invoice.” If the estimate or invoice does not say lifetime, ask why, and ask the shop to write which warranty applies to each part before the work starts. Even a lifetime part brings labor charges after 12 months or 12,000 miles. The remedy is narrow: Meineke “will replace or repair any warranted part without charge for the part to the customer. Other parts and services may be required at an additional charge to restore the vehicle for safe operation.” It excludes damage the failed part causes to other parts, and “LOSS OF TIME, INCONVENIENCE, LOSS OF USE OF VEHICLE, TOWING CHARGES.” ## Meineke brakes: the inspection, the estimate and what a claim pays for Meineke’s [brake page](https://www.meineke.com/services/brake-repair/) offers “a full, 23-point brake inspection” and a “free brake check.” Its general rule: “Inspect your brakes every 12,000 miles or once a year,” “Replace brake pads between 30,000 and 70,000 miles,” and “Exchange brake fluid every 24 months or 24,000 miles.” It prints no prices: “Brake repair costs vary by vehicle and condition. A full inspection will identify what needs to be serviced and provide an accurate estimate.” Most brake services, it says, “take between 45 minutes to 2 hours.” The warranty treats the parts of a brake job differently. Pads and shoes can be lifetime parts; rotors, calipers, hoses and fluid fall under “All additional brake parts and services,” covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles. So a lifetime pad claim three years on can still come with a bill for new or resurfaced rotors and for the labor. Meineke says resurfacing is possible when rotors “aren’t too thin or warped”; our guide to [brake jobs and rotors](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) explains when they must be replaced instead, and [how long brake pads last](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-brake-pads-last/) covers why the 30,000 to 70,000 mile range is so wide. One clause matters more on brakes than anywhere else. The warranty “shall not be valid if the customer does not permit Meineke to install all necessary parts and/or perform all necessary services needed to restore the vehicle for safe operation.” If you return for free pads and the shop says the rotors must be replaced, declining that work can void the claim. It also “will not apply if the original invoice indicates the customer declined to authorize specific labor, parts, or service.” On brake fluid the page says “every 24 months or 24,000 miles” in one place and “whenever your brake pads are replaced” in another; your owner’s manual decides (see our [brake fluid guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-fluid-change/#interval)). ## Mufflers, pipes and catalytic converters Meineke’s name in a 1996 FTC letter was Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, and the exhaust section of its warranty is still the most layered. The muffler can be a lifetime part or a one-year part, depending on the invoice. Everything else in the system gets one year: “Resonators, resonator pipes, exhaust pipes, exhaust labor and all additional exhaust system parts itemized on your Meineke receipt are warranted for a period of one year from the original date of service.” The same paragraph adds that “This warranty does not cover mufflers damaged due to backfire or road hazard.” Catalytic converters are carved out in a footnote: “This Warranty does not cover catalytic converters, which are expressly warranted by the manufacturer, under the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines.” Those warranties, it says, “typically assume no liability for damage to or failure of a catalytic converter due to an improperly operating or maintained engine,” and “A manufacturer’s warranty card for the catalytic converter will be presented to you at the time of purchase.” Keep that card with the invoice. Our guide to [catalytic converter replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost/) explains why a new converter can fail again if the engine fault behind it is not fixed. Meineke’s exhaust page says today’s steel exhausts “will typically hold up for about five years,” so most exhaust parts outlast their one-year cover; only a lifetime-marked muffler is covered longer. Monro’s muffler pages promise a lifetime warranty “on parts” and do not say how long labor is covered; see our [Monro](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/monro/) page. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over hands working under a car mark a pipe run, a mounting bolt and an upper pipe, with Meineke's muffler warranty, its cover on shocks, struts and springs, and its catalytic converter exclusion. Meineke’s warranty page, read on 9 October 2026, gives mufflers lifetime cover only if the invoice says so and pipes one year (callout 1), covers shocks, struts and coil springs for as long as you own the car with 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor (callout 2), and excludes catalytic converters (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Shocks, struts, springs, oil changes and everything else Shocks, struts and coil springs are the only parts the warranty makes lifetime parts without an invoice condition: each is “warranted for as long as you, the original purchaser, own the vehicle serviced,” with labor for 12 months or 12,000 miles. Meineke’s suspension page says most technicians recommend an inspection “at the first sign of potential wear or every 50,000 to 60,000 miles.” Our [shock absorber guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/shock-absorber-replacement/#axle-pairs) explains why dampers are replaced in axle pairs, and the [coil spring symptoms page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-coil-spring/) covers broken springs. Everything else is in one sentence: “All other parts and services** itemized on your receipt are warranted for a period of 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, from the original date of service, excluding oil change services, which have a 90-day warranty against installation related leaks.” By its wording, that reaches repairs such as air conditioning, cooling, belts and batteries, which the FDD lists among Meineke services, if they are itemized on the receipt. Oil changes are the exception, and the page contradicts itself about them. The sentence above gives them 90 days against leaks; the double-asterisk footnote it points to says “Oil changes and tires are specifically excluded from this warranty.” Count on the 90-day leak cover at most, and ask the shop to write it on the invoice. Meineke’s [oil change page](https://www.meineke.com/services/oil-change/) prints no national price: “Every Meineke location has unique offers for the oil change your car needs.” Our guide to [oil-change intervals and records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) covers what to keep. Tires are excluded too: “In some cases, tires may be warranted by the manufacturer.” Our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) sets out what the makers promise. Commercial vehicles are excluded unless in a fleet program Meineke services. ## How to make a warranty claim The warranty sets out the steps: - **Bring the receipt and the car.** “To obtain warranty service you must have this receipt and present it, along with the vehicle originally serviced.” If you cannot, “you will be charged for any parts that may have been covered under warranty and no refunds will be issued if the receipt is located at a later date.” - **Start with the shop that did the work.** “You should first return to or contact the Meineke facility that performed the service on your vehicle.” - **Or go to another Meineke.** “If the Meineke facility that performed the original service is not convenient, then contact or visit the closest Meineke Car Care Center offering the warranted service.” The warranty “is only valid at Meineke Car Care Centers.” - **Do not let another garage touch the part first.** The warranty “does not apply when corrective action is taken and/ or the warranted part is removed by any facility or person other than an authorized Meineke Car Care Center.” - **If the shop says no, call Meineke.** The warranty page lists a line for warranty questions, (800) 447-3070, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM Eastern. Behind the counter, the shops settle up. Each franchisee must perform “warranty service on customer warranties issued by other Meineke Car Care Centers,” and Meineke charges the issuing shop, which reimburses the other center “only over a certain monetary threshold” (not printed) and pays a $20 late fee after 30 days, says FDD Item 6. ## Who actually stands behind the warranty The warranty page answers the question in three sentences: “This warranty is made by Meineke. It will be honored by all authorized Meineke Car Care Centers offering the warranted service. Most Meineke Car Care Centers are independently owned and operated.” The franchise agreement that Meineke signs with each shop owner, attached to the FDD, divides the job more sharply. - **Meineke sets the terms.** Shops must “deliver warranties to your customers with respect to Authorized Products or Services on terms and conditions we determine from time to time,” and Meineke agrees “to establish and maintain a national customer warranty program.” - **The shop carries them.** “You will have sole responsibility for all such warranties that you issue,” and “all warranty services are performed by you as an independent contractor and not as our agent.” - **Meineke disclaims the work itself.** “WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE MERCHANTABILITY OR SUITABILITY OF ANY PRODUCTS SOLD OR SERVICES PERFORMED BY YOU.” - **The duty outlives the franchise.** The shop’s obligations under the warranty clause “shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement,” and FDD Item 16 says a new owner who buys an existing center is “responsible for performing warranty work for vehicles serviced by the prior owner.” - **Meineke can step in on complaints.** If a shop is “unable or unwilling to resolve a customer complaint within 30 days and it becomes necessary for us to reimburse a customer,” the shop must pay Meineke back. So the page’s “made by Meineke” and the contract’s “sole responsibility” fit together: Meineke writes the promise and runs the program that lets you claim anywhere, and the shop that sold the part pays. The documents do not say what happens if the issuing shop closed and nobody bought it. Our [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/), [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) and [Christian Brothers Automotive](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/) pages read those chains’ written warranties the same way. One court record shows the question is not academic. Meineke’s own FDD describes *Micah Cane v. Meineke Car Care Center of Dundalk #2342*, Case No. 03C16009625 in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Maryland, filed November 20, 2017. The customer “alleged that he was invoiced for original equipment but instead received after-market, modified parts.” Meineke Car Care Centers, LLC (MCC), the Driven Brands company that was Meineke’s franchisor until 2015, “was named in the first amended complaint in 2018 in connection with the warranty and customer service offered,” and, the FDD says, the court found MCC liable for breach of contract, breach of express and implied warranty and “unfair and deceptive trade practices in violation of Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act.” MCC did not appeal; the franchisee paid, and satisfaction was filed on November 27, 2018. We read this account in the FDD only, not the court file. ## What federal warranty rules say about Meineke’s wording Four federal texts, read on govinfo, bear on Meineke’s wording: - **“Lifetime” has to name a life.** The FTC’s advertising guide, [16 CFR 239.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec239-4.xml), says an ad using “lifetime” should disclose “the life to which the representation refers.” Its examples contrast a muffler guarantee good “even if you sell it, trade it, or give it away” with one good “for as long as you own the car.” Meineke’s is the second kind. - **“Limited” is a legal label.** Under 15 U.S.C. 2303, a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” Meineke’s is titled the Meineke Limited Warranty. - **Implied warranties can be shortened, not erased.** [15 U.S.C. 2308(b)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm) lets a warrantor limit implied warranties “to the duration of a written warranty of reasonable duration,” if the limit is conscionable and “prominently displayed on the face of the warranty.” Meineke’s page does this in one sentence: “The duraction of all implied warranties is limited to the duration of the express warranties as stated above” (the typo is Meineke’s). - **Two required sentences, one not on the page.** The FTC’s disclosure rule, [16 CFR 701.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec701-3.xml), applies to written warranties on consumer products costing more than $15.00. A warranty that limits incidental or consequential damages must add that some states do not allow it, and Meineke’s page does. A warranty that limits how long implied warranties last must add: “Some States do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.” We did not find that sentence on Meineke’s web page. The printed invoice may carry wording the web copy lacks, and whether the rule reaches a repair that mixes parts with labor is a question for a lawyer. The practical point: in some states your implied-warranty rights may outlast Meineke’s terms, and the page itself says “you may also have other rights that vary from state to state.” ## Meineke coupons, rewards, gift cards and the credit card **Coupons are local.** The [coupons page](https://www.meineke.com/coupons-and-deals/) says “Every Meineke location has unique offers - simply enter your location and find yours now!” and that brake coupons “are valid based on location and our promos change often.” We entered no location, so we saw and record no offer. Coupons sent by text carry their own fine print in Meineke’s Mobile Text Terms: “Any coupon received via text must be presented at time of estimate. Only one coupon code per transaction. Not valid on basic oil changes. Not valid with any other offers, special order parts or warranty work.” Show the coupon before the estimate is written, not at the register. **Rewards are a points discount.** In a release datelined October 5, 2026, Meineke says it refreshed the program and that customers “will now earn 10 points for every $1 spent on services and can redeem points for direct discounts.” The [Rewards Terms](https://www.meineke.com/rewards/terms-and-conditions/), offered by Meineke Franchisor SPV LLC, set the values: **Meineke Rewards: points needed for each discount, from the Rewards Terms (read 9 October 2026)** | Points | Discount | Qualifying spending needed (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | | 2,500 | $5 off | $250 | | 5,000 | $10 off | $500 | | 10,000 | $20 off | $1,000 | | 25,000 | $50 off | $2,500 | | 50,000 (the most per transaction) | $100 off | $5,000 | Every tier works out to 2% of qualifying spending by our arithmetic. Points can be used only in the listed amounts, on one transaction a day. Taxes, discounts and “Shop Supply Fees, Disposal Fees, and Environmental Fees” earn nothing, and shops can opt out: “Meineke locations are given the option to participate in the Program and may choose to not to participate.” Members get free towing to a participating Meineke “from locations within 5 miles,” limited “to 5 tows per Account,” not for business vehicles. Watch the expiry rule. The rewards page says “Bank your rewards for up to 12 months from the day they’re earned,” but the terms say all points are forfeited once a member goes “three hundred sixty-five (365) days” without a qualifying purchase, and Meineke may change “the Point expiration policy, at any time.” Cancel your membership and “any unused Points accrued in your account will be forfeited.” **Gift cards** range from $20 to $500, are “issued by MetaBank®, N.A., Member FDIC,” and “Funds don’t expire.” The terms say “Not reloadable”; the same page offers to “load it online.” **The Meineke credit card** is a Synchrony Car Care card: the [financing page](https://www.meineke.com/financing/) sends applications to Synchrony and says the card is “Valid everywhere Synchrony Car Care is accepted in the U.S., including Puerto Rico.” Its headline offer is deferred interest, explained in the footnote: “No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date.” The standing terms are dated: “New Accounts as of 7/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Min Interest Charge $2.” One panel on the page claims a “100% approval rate” above the same Synchrony application link, while the footnotes say “Subject to credit approval” and the page adds “Alternate credit options available when you apply in-store,” without naming them. Pay a promotional balance off in time, and ask what any in-store alternative costs. **Your data.** Meineke uses Driven Brands’ Privacy Policy (last updated November 19, 2025), which collects details such as your “license plate number, vehicle identification number” and may share data “With our Franchisees in order to provide our Services or for their own use, including for marketing purposes.” ## What regulators and courts have recorded We found and read two government actions involving Meineke. Neither concerns repairs or the warranty. **Washington Attorney General, 2019.** In an Assurance of Discontinuance filed in King County Superior Court, the Attorney General says that “In January 2019, the Attorney General initiated an investigation into Meineke Franchisor SPV LLC” over a clause in its franchise agreements that barred shops from hiring each other’s staff. The Attorney General “asserts” the clause restrained trade in violation of the state Consumer Protection Act; Meineke and its franchisees “expressly deny” it, and the document says it shall not “be construed as an admission of law, fact, liability, misconduct, or wrongdoing.” Meineke agreed it “will no longer include the No-Hire/No-Solicitation Provision” in new U.S. agreements and will not enforce it in existing ones. The release counted 21 Meineke locations in Washington and an “estimated 799 locations nationwide.” Driven’s 10-K confirms the clauses “were removed from our franchise agreements in the U.S. in 2019.” **Federal Trade Commission, 1996.** A closing letter dated November 27, 1996 says the Commission investigated Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Inc. for alleged violations of the FTC Act or its Franchise Rule “in the offering for saie and sale of franchises and the use of advertising funds” (the scan’s spelling). It concluded that “no further action is warranted by the Commission at this time. Accordingly, the investigation has been closed,” adding that closing it is not a determination that no violation occurred. **The franchise disclosure document.** Item 3 lists the Maryland customer case described above, which ended with the satisfaction of judgment filed November 27, 2018. The rest are franchisee disputes, such as a pending appeal over a franchisee that, Meineke alleges, “abandoned its Meineke Center,” and shareholder suits against the parent. We found no consumer-protection action by a state attorney general or the FTC naming Meineke. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is reported. The FDD itself has a dated status. Minnesota’s registry served the version issued June 20, 2025, as amended December 29, 2025, whose outlet counts run to the end of 2024. On 27 July 2026 Minnesota cancelled Meineke’s franchise registration because “the franchisor has failed to file an annual report and fee.” That concerns franchise sales, not service. ## Where Meineke’s own documents disagree, and what to ask We recorded 13 places where Meineke’s documents disagree. Those that matter to a customer: - **Oil changes.** “a 90-day warranty against installation related leaks” in the text; “Oil changes and tires are specifically excluded from this warranty” in the footnote. - **Catalytic converters.** “all additional exhaust system parts itemized on your Meineke receipt” get one year; the footnote excludes converters, though no asterisk in the text points to it. - **Who owns the shops.** “Most” are independently owned, says the warranty; “All Meineke Car Care Centers are independently owned and operated franchises,” say the gift card terms. - **Rewards expiry.** 12 months from the day earned on the rewards page; 365 days without a purchase in the terms. - **Terms of use.** The Mobile Text Terms bind you to “the Company’s overall TERMS OF USE”; no such page exists, and the text-coupon fine print still reads “participating [Driven Company] locations,” a template left unfilled. None of this changes what your own invoice says, which is why the invoice is the document to check and keep. - **Before work starts,** ask which warranty each part gets: lifetime or 180 days for pads and shoes, lifetime or one year for a muffler. Get it written on the estimate. - **Read the invoice** for the word lifetime and for every part and service itemized; only itemized work is covered. - **Keep the original receipt** for as long as you own the car, with any catalytic converter warranty card. Without the receipt you pay for the parts. - **Go back to a Meineke first** when a covered part fails. A repair or removal by another garage voids the claim. - **Before you decline extra work** on a warranty visit, get the shop’s reason in writing and a second opinion; declining needed work can void the warranty. - **Show a coupon before the estimate,** check the rewards terms for fees that earn nothing, and pay off a deferred-interest card balance before the promotion ends. ## Common questions ### Does Meineke have a lifetime warranty on brakes? On brake pads and brake shoes, yes, but only “If a lifetime warranty is indicated on the face of this invoice”; otherwise they are covered for 180 days. Labor and other brake parts such as rotors get 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. ### What does the Meineke warranty cover? Brake pads and shoes and mufflers (lifetime if the invoice says so), shocks, struts and coil springs (lifetime), other exhaust parts (one year), and all other parts and services itemized on the receipt (12 months or 12,000 miles). Oil changes get at most 90 days against leaks; tires and catalytic converters are left to their makers’ warranties. ### Is the Meineke lifetime warranty transferable? No. It “extends only to the original purchaser and motor vehicle identified on this original invoice. It is non-transferable.” It ends when you sell the car. ### Can I use my Meineke warranty at a different Meineke? Yes. The warranty says to return to the original shop first, but if that “is not convenient,” go to “the closest Meineke Car Care Center offering the warranted service.” Bring the original receipt and the same car. ### Who owns Meineke? Driven Brands, which also owns Take 5 Oil Change. The franchisor is Meineke Franchisor SPV LLC, a Driven subsidiary; the 10-K counts 780 franchised Meineke locations at December 27, 2025, each run by a local owner. ### How much is a Meineke oil change? Meineke prints no national price: “Every Meineke location has unique offers for the oil change your car needs.” Every package, Meineke says, includes a tire rotation, a visual brake check, a standard oil filter and a 23-point inspection. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/ --- title: "Christian Brothers Automotive: Warranty, Care+ and Who Owns It" description: "Christian Brothers Automotive repairs carry 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs last. What the warranty excludes, what Care+ is, and who owns the chain." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Christian Brothers Automotive: Warranty, Care+ and Who Owns It > Christian Brothers Automotive repairs carry 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs last. What the warranty excludes, what Care+ is, and who owns the chain. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,914 words* ## The short version - Christian Brothers Automotive is a chain of 326 franchised repair shops in 30 states at the end of 2025, with no company-owned outlets, says its April 2026 franchise disclosure document. The franchisor has been 100% owned by its employee stock ownership plan since 2 April 2026. - The Nice Difference Warranty covers parts and labor for 3 years or 36,000 miles, “whichever occurs last,” not first. It covers defects in new parts and their installation, for the original purchaser only. - Its exclusions are long: internal engine and transmission repairs, clutches, batteries, tires, preventive maintenance and normal wear and tear are all outside it, though several service pages say it covers “all the work that we do.” - Within 25 miles of the shop that did the work, a claim goes back to that shop. Farther away, another Christian Brothers shop within 25 miles, or the Warranty Administrator before any work starts. - Nice Difference Care+ is a separate monthly vehicle service contract. Its obligor is Northcoast Warranty Services, Inc.; it has a 30-day, 300-mile waiting period and a deductible that falls from $400 to $0 at Christian Brothers shops. - The courtesy inspection is free and visual. Prices, diagnostic fees and coupons are set by each shop. Before you hand your keys to a Christian Brothers Automotive shop, it helps to know three things: what the Nice Difference Warranty really covers, who you are dealing with at a franchised shop, and what Care+, the company’s monthly plan, is. On 9 October 2026 we read the company’s warranty page and its limitations and exclusions, its FAQ, service, shuttle and inspection pages, its Terms of Use, the Care+ page and sample contract, the franchise disclosure document (FDD) Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation filed in Minnesota, issued 17 April 2026, and a Fifth Circuit opinion from 30 September 2026. This site has no commercial relationship with Christian Brothers Automotive or any repair chain. **Figure: Which Christian Brothers promise applies, by situation** A two-column table of seven situations. A driver who covers 50,000 miles in two years stays covered to the end of the third year, because the Nice Difference Warranty ends at whichever limit occurs last; a low-mileage driver who reaches 36,000 miles in the fourth year is still covered that year; coverage is for the original purchaser only; internal engine, transmission and clutch repairs are not covered, and remanufactured units carry only their maker’s warranty; batteries, tires and normal wear are excluded; away from home you must use a Christian Brothers shop within 25 miles or call the Warranty Administrator before any work; and under Care+ the deductible at a Christian Brothers shop is $400 in month 3, falling to $0 from month 25, while other shops charge $400. Read from Christian Brothers Automotive’s warranty page, its limitations and exclusions page, the Care+ page and the Care+ sample contract on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Christian Brothers Automotive The franchisor is Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation, or CBAC, of Houston. Item 1 of its FDD says it was “incorporated in the state of Texas on March 25, 1982” and that “CBAC does not have any parent entity.” Its About page tells the founding story: in August 1982 Mark Carr and a partner opened a repair shop in Mission Bend, a Houston suburb. The company began franchising in 1996, and Don Carr has been its CEO since July 2021, per Item 2. The ownership news is not on the company’s website, whose newest press release dates from November 2018. It is in the audited notes inside the FDD. CBAC set up an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in July 2021. Then: > “On April 2, 2026, the Company completed a transaction to transition ownership of the Company to 100% employee ownership through its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the ESOP).” The notes say CBAC redeemed “all outstanding shares held by existing shareholders” for “approximately $286.1 million,” paid with seller notes, and issued shares to the ESOP trust. They also describe CBAC as “a Texas subchapter S corporation.” **Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation, from its 2026 FDD, its About page and a court opinion (read 9 October 2026)** | When | What happened | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 25 March 1982 | Incorporated in Texas | FDD, Item 1 | | August 1982 | First shop opens in Mission Bend, near Houston | About page; FDD, Item 1 | | January 1996 | Franchising begins, in Texas | About page; FDD, Item 1 | | 1 October 2019 | Earliest effective date of the current Nice Difference Warranty | Limitations and exclusions page | | July 2021 | ESOP established; Don Carr becomes CEO | FDD notes; Item 2 | | March 2024 | CBAC forms Nice Difference Care+ | FDD notes | | August 2024 | CBAC takes a 44% controlling stake in Foedus Sui, LLC, which buys franchise shops | FDD notes | | 2 April 2026 | The ESOP becomes the 100% owner | FDD notes | | 30 September 2026 | Fifth Circuit affirms judgment for CBAC in a would-be franchisee’s suit | Court opinion | By our arithmetic the company is 44 years old in 2026 and has franchised for 30 of them, which squares with the “more than 40 years” on its pages. ## Franchisees, the on-site owner and who you contract with The shop you visit is a franchise. Item 20 of the FDD counts 265 franchised outlets at the start of 2023, 302 at the end of 2024 and 326 at the end of 2025, with zero company-owned outlets in every year: growth of 61 shops in three years, by our arithmetic. In 2025, 24 opened and none were terminated, not renewed or reacquired. Texas had 101 of the 326, or 31%, by our arithmetic, and 30 states had at least one, matching the About page’s “30 states.” The FDD also lists 97 franchises sold but not yet open and projects 28 openings in 2026. Three documents say who your contract is with: - **The website’s Terms of Use.** Repairs happen “at one of our franchisee locations under the standard terms and conditions of that franchisee location.” - **The franchise agreement.** Section 12.01: “Franchisee is an independent contractor. Franchisor and Franchisee are completely separate entities.” Section 10.27 requires each shop to exhibit a notice “in a conspicuous place at the Premises” that it operates under a franchise. - **Each store page.** The footer reads: “All Christian Brothers Automotive franchise locations are independently owned and operated.” The brand promises an owner you can talk to. The shuttle page says “We have an owner/operator on site at all times.” Item 15 of the FDD is narrower: the “Principal Operator” must “personally supervise the Franchised Business,” which “must also be supervised by your Service Manager,” and the shop must be open from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday. Not every franchised shop is a separate business in the plain sense. The audited notes say CBAC holds a 44% stake in Foedus Sui, LLC, controls it and consolidates it, and that Foedus subsidiaries bought the assets of franchise shops in 2024 and 2025, transactions that “included reacquiring the Company’s franchise rights.” We count 13 such deals in the notes, 4 in 2024 and 9 in 2025, one of them the Mission Bend shop on 30 June 2025. Item 20 still lists no company-owned or reacquired outlets. Franchisees are also chosen by faith: the Fifth Circuit wrote on 30 September 2026 that the company “is a faith-based auto-repair business that franchises only to Christians” (see public records below). ## The Nice Difference Warranty: 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs last The [warranty page](https://www.cbac.com/about-us/nice-difference-warranty/) leads with its headline term: “3 YEARS / 36,000 MILES - WHICHEVER OCCURS LAST.” Most repair warranties end at the first limit reached; Christian Brothers says its warranty “is the opposite” and “doesn’t expire until the later of the two limits.” The page gives two examples: > “if it takes you four years to put 36,000 miles on your car, your warranty will still be valid that fourth year, up until you’ve hit 36,000 miles. On the other hand, if you put 50,000 miles on your car in two years, your warranty will still be valid until the end of the third year.” So the end point is the later of two dates: three years after the repair, or the day the car has covered 36,000 more miles. A high-mileage driver gets the full three years whatever the odometer says. A low-mileage driver keeps coverage past three years: at 6,000 miles a year, the page’s reading would keep a repair covered for 6 years, by our arithmetic. Whatever the end point, the limitations page caps what a claim can pay: “Warranty coverage will not exceed the dollar amount of the original repair.” What it promises is narrower than its headline. The [limitations and exclusions page](https://www.cbac.com/about-us/nice-difference-warranty/limitations-and-exclusions/) defines it as “a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty on new components and their installation against defects in manufacturer workmanship and materials.” It protects against a part that was faulty or badly fitted, not against a part wearing out. The same paragraph excludes “Normal operational wear, excessive, abusive or abnormal use, misuse, neglect, accident, performance modifications, and commercial use,” and “Incidental or consequential damages” except where the law requires them. Four more terms on that page matter at the counter: - **Original purchaser only.** “Warranty coverage is extended only to the original purchaser and is not transferable if the vehicle is sold.” A used car with recent Christian Brothers repairs brings no warranty to its next owner. - **Your invoice wins.** “Any limitations and exclusions detailed in your specific repair invoice are in addition to the following and take precedence over the general Terms, Limitations, and Exclusions.” Read the invoice, not just the website. - **Repairs from 1 October 2019 on.** “The earliest effective date of the Warranty is 10/1/2019.” - **A reimbursement ceiling.** “Warranty coverage will be paid at $165/hour max at Posted Labor Times and 50% parts margin (Excluding heavy line repairs).” That caps what the warranty pays a shop for warranty work. It is not a price you are charged, and the company prints no labor rate for customers. “Limited” is also a legal label: under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2303.htm), a written warranty that falls short of the federal minimum standards “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” ## What the warranty covers, and what it leaves out The limitations page lists 16 kinds of eligible repairs and a longer list of exclusions. Side by side: **The Nice Difference Warranty’s eligible repairs and its exclusions, from Christian Brothers Automotive’s limitations and exclusions page (read 9 October 2026)** | Area | Eligible | Not covered | | --- | --- | --- | | Engine | Engine performance and drivability repairs, cooling system, fuel system, ignition, emission controls, engine computers | “Any internal repairs or replacement of internal components, or replacement of engine assembly” | | Transmission and driveline | Wheel bearings; CV joints, half-shafts and drive shafts | Internal transmission or transaxle repairs needing removal or disassembly; clutches; internal drive axle and differential repairs; pinion seals | | Brakes, steering, suspension | “Brake System(s)”; “Steering/Suspension Systems” | “Normal Wear & Tear” | | Electrical | Starting and charging systems; electrical systems; cruise control; body and other on-board computers | “Batteries” | | Comfort and exhaust | Air conditioning, heating and climate control; exhaust systems | Body, paint and molding repair | | Routine work | “Other Minor Repairs” | “Preventive Maintenance Services”; “Tires” | | Parts and use | New parts fitted by the shop | Used or salvaged parts; performance parts and accessories; commercial vehicles | The two lists sit together uneasily. Brakes are eligible, but brake pads are friction parts that wear, and normal wear is excluded; the warranty helps if a new caliper leaks or a pad was fitted wrongly, not when pads wear thin on schedule. Our guide to [brake jobs and rotors](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) explains which parts of a brake job wear out. Oil changes are preventive maintenance, which is excluded, though the oil-change page’s FAQ answers “Do you offer a warranty?” with a warranty “on all the work that we do.” Three groups get less than the headline. On ten kinds of vehicle, among them motor homes, ambulances, tow trucks, taxis, police vehicles, snow plows and “Any vehicle over a one (1) ton capacity,” the warranty is limited to the part maker’s own written warranty and “Labor reimbursement is not eligible.” Rebuilt engines and transmissions are different too: “Remanufactured engines, transmissions, differentials, and transfer cases are warrantied only by the remanufacturer.” And if you bring your own part, “Customer-supplied parts are void of all written, promised, and implied warranties,” may be fitted “as-is” at “a higher published installation labor rate,” and are accepted only at some shops. ## Making a warranty claim, at home or on the road The warranty page’s first rule is paperwork: “To seek service under warranty, You MUST keep and present a copy of the original repair invoice.” After that, where you go depends on distance: - **Within 25 miles of the shop that did the work:** “you must return your vehicle to that location and present your copy of the invoice.” - **Farther away, but within 25 miles of another Christian Brothers shop:** “you will need to go to that closest Christian Brothers location.” The page’s example is a repair done in Amarillo that fails on a road trip through Atlanta. - **No Christian Brothers shop within 25 miles:** call the Warranty Administrator “prior to any Warranty work being performed,” from 8am to 8pm Eastern Time on weekdays. The administrator directs you to a participating shop or, if there is none, lets you use another one; if that shop will not bill the administrator, you pay and submit both invoices. Far from any shop, Christian Brothers “may utilize a third-party warranty provider.” Either way, in capitals: “ALL WARRANTY SERVICE MUST BE AUTHORIZED BY THE ORIGINATING CHRISTIAN BROTHERS FACILITY IN ADVANCE.” **Get the authorization before the repair, not after.** The limitations page says “REPAIRS PERFORMED WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR COVERAGE OR REIMBURSEMENT.” If a repaired part fails away from home, call the original shop or the Warranty Administrator first, keep the original invoice with you, and write down who approved the work and when. The FAQ is looser than this. It says the warranty “will be honored at any location, regardless of which branch did the initial work.” Any shop can be the right shop, but only in the order the warranty page sets, and only with the originating shop’s advance approval. ## The free courtesy inspection, diagnostics and the shuttle Christian Brothers’ standing free services are an inspection, a digital report and a ride. The [courtesy inspection page](https://www.cbac.com/our-services/courtesy-inspections/) says technicians “will visually inspect” a list of 25 items, from gauges and warning lights to belts, fluids, hoses, the battery and its cables, lights and wipers, tires, axle boots, shocks and struts, the exhaust, steering and suspension parts, and “Brakes and rotors for normal wear.” It is optional: “We give a free courtesy inspection to every visitor who wants it. You do not have to get the inspection.” Results arrive as a Digital Vehicle Inspection, or DVI. The shop says it “will text you a digital vehicle inspection report, containing pictures and videos,” tells you “how urgent each service/repair recommendation is,” and leaves each one to you: “you have the ability to approve or decline each recommended service.” Asked whether you must pay for every issue found, the page answers: “No ... We never will perform a service without your approval.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car in a workshop mark the headlamp, the lift post and the front wheel area, with what Christian Brothers' free courtesy inspection covers, how long its repair warranty runs, and what that warranty leaves out. Christian Brothers Automotive’s service and warranty pages, read on 9 October 2026, describe its free courtesy inspection as visual with deeper diagnostics priced by complexity (callout 1), warrant repairs for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs last (callout 2), and exclude batteries, tires and internal engine repairs (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. A visual check is not a diagnosis, and the brake page draws that line. Christian Brothers “offers free visual brake inspections on most vehicles,” but a soft pedal, grinding, vibration or a warning light calls for “a comprehensive diagnostic” that “may involve component removal or road tests and is priced based on the complexity of the diagnostic required.” No diagnostic fee is printed anywhere; ask the price before you approve one. Our guide to [steady and flashing check engine lights](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/#steady-flashing) covers what the light can and cannot tell you, and the company’s own page agrees that a flashing light means coming in “immediately.” The shuttle is the other standing perk, with two conditions in its own wording. “If your car requires repairs that will take longer than a day, we are happy to transport you to your destination,” and “If the location is within the designated distance, we will be glad to provide alternate transportation.” The distance is not published. The FDD shows these are system rules, not local favors: the confidential Operations Manual’s contents list “Courtesy Shuttle,” “Courtesy Inspections” and “Nice Difference Warranty” among what every shop provides. ## Prices, coupons and paying: set by each shop Christian Brothers prints no national prices. The contact page sends anyone “looking for pricing information” to the local shop, and the oil-change, brake, check-engine and pre-purchase inspection pages each offer “Call For a Quote.” The oil-change page does describe the service: conventional, blend or full-synthetic oil to your owner’s manual, and “every oil change will include a new oil filter.” How often to change it is a question for the manual; see our guide to [oil-change intervals and keeping records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records). Coupons are per store. The Mission Bend shop’s special-offers page carried four printable coupons when we read it, each marked “Offer only valid at the Mission Bend location.” We record no amounts, because store offers change. We found no standing financing program on the national site: no store card, no named lender. Store pages list “Special Financing” among their amenities, and one store’s coupon advertises payment plans without naming who provides them. If you need to spread a repair bill, ask the shop who the lender is and read that lender’s terms before you sign. ## Nice Difference Care+: a monthly service contract, not the repair warranty Care+ is not the Nice Difference Warranty. The [Care+ page](https://careplus.cbac.com/) calls it “a subscription-based vehicle care plan,” and its FAQ is precise: “In order to enroll in Nice Difference Care+®, you will sign a vehicle service contract.” Federal rules at [16 CFR 700.11](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec700-11.xml) say an agreement that “calls for some consideration in addition to the purchase price” is a service contract, and the FTC’s [consumer guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) adds that such a contract “is not a warranty as defined by federal law.” The FDD’s notes say CBAC formed Care+ in March 2024 and owns it outright. The contract names who carries the risk. Its obligor, the company that owes you the benefits, is “Northcoast Warranty Services, Inc.”; its administrator, which approves claims, is “CBA Warranty Admin, LLC”; and Northcoast’s obligations are insured by “ARI Insurance Company,” or Wesco Insurance Company in Idaho and Minnesota, with a right to claim from the insurer if a covered claim goes unpaid for 60 days. The FAQ names a different word for the backing, “the A-rated carrier, AmTrust”; we did not check how these companies are related. Care+ “is not available to residents of Alaska, California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, & Utah.” We read the 18-page sample contract the Care+ site links to, form “M2MVSCXXX - NRF,” which warns that “final agreements may differ depending on your state.” Its main terms, beside the web page: **Nice Difference Care+ on its web page and in its sample contract (read 9 October 2026); no prices are published** | Question | Care+ web page and FAQ | Sample contract | | --- | --- | --- | | Which cars | “up to 15 years old and up to 165,000 miles,” after a free inspection valid 30 days | You must cancel when the car reaches 200,000 miles or 20 years of age, or is sold | | When cover starts | “30 days after enrollment and once you’ve driven 300 miles”; elsewhere, “instant coverage” | A 30-day, 300-mile waiting period; failures during it count as pre-existing | | Deductible at a Christian Brothers shop | $400 in months 0 to 6, $200 in months 7 to 12, $100 in months 13 to 24, $0 from month 25 | The same schedule, by the number of monthly payments made | | Deductible elsewhere | “The standard $400 deductible” | $400 at any non-Christian Brothers shop; no repair without pre-authorization | | What is never covered | Batteries, collisions, branded titles, aftermarket alterations, unrepaired pre-existing conditions | Also shocks, struts, springs, brake rotors and drums, exhaust systems, catalytic converters, tires, wheels, and maintenance items such as brake pads, belts and hoses | | Most it will pay | Not stated | All benefits together capped at the car’s average trade-in value or $10,000, “whichever is greater” | | Extras | Roadside help and rental reimbursement after a covered breakdown; a $50 oil change credit every four months | Rental $50 a day for up to 5 days ($250); trip costs $150 a day for up to 3 days ($450) more than 100 miles from home; roadside up to $125 a time; no oil change credit in the text | | Cancelling | “cancel at any time for any reason, free of charge” | Full refund within 30 days if no claim; after that no refund, unless your state’s disclosure in the contract gives a pro rata one; cancel 7 days before the next payment | | Selling the car | Not stated | Transferable to a private buyer for $75, at the administrator’s discretion | Parts are replaced with new, non-original, remanufactured “or used parts at the ADMINISTRATOR’S sole discretion,” and labor is paid by “a Nationally Published estimating guide.” If a claim needs the engine taken apart to find the cause, “YOU will be responsible for these charges if the failure is not covered.” Maintenance has to be proven: if you service the car yourself you must keep a log and receipts, and without records “the ADMINISTRATOR may deny coverage.” Problems flagged at the inspection are covered only once fixed, and “ALL PRE-EXISTING repairs MUST be completed at a Christian Brothers Automotive SERVICE CENTER.” The oil change credit deserves a question before you sign. If the web page’s promise holds, $50 every four months is 3 credits and $150 a year, by our arithmetic, but we found no oil change credit anywhere in the sample contract, and the contract says it is the “entire VEHICLE SERVICE CONTRACT.” Ask for the credit in writing. Care+ prices are quoted per car; we entered no vehicle, so we print none. Whether any service contract is worth buying is covered in our guide to [whether an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty). ## Bringing an extended warranty, or a car still under its factory warranty Many customers arrive with a service contract bought elsewhere. Christian Brothers’ FAQ says “we work with all major extended warranty providers”; its extended-warranty page says “most” and offers a list of 14 lines, “just a few of the providers some of our stores have worked with,” with Warranty Direct named twice, so 13 companies. “Some of our stores” is the operative phrase: your contract’s administrator, not the shop, decides whether a repair is paid. The FTC’s guide puts it plainly: “Administrators make the decisions about authorizing the payment of claims under the contract.” Before work starts, check whether your contract needs the administrator’s pre-approval, as the FTC suggests asking, and have the shop get it. If your car is still under its maker’s warranty, using an independent shop for maintenance does not by itself void that warranty. Under [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2302.htm), no warrantor may condition its warranty on your using a service “identified by brand, trade, or corporate name” unless that service is free under the warranty, and the FTC’s interpretation at 16 CFR 700.10 adds that “No warrantor may condition the continued validity of a warranty on the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” The FTC’s consumer advice is to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations, belt replacement, new brake pads, and inspections.” Repairs the maker’s warranty pays for are different: if the warranty says the work is free, the FTC notes, “the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses.” Shopping for a used car? Christian Brothers sells pre-purchase inspections too; our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) explains what one can find. ## What courts and regulators have recorded Item 3 of the 2026 FDD, the litigation item, lists two matters, neither about a customer’s repair: - **Domanic v. Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation.** Filed on or about 7 February 2022 in the Southern District of Texas (No. 4:22-cv-00386), it alleged that CBAC violated 42 U.S.C. 1981 and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act “by declining to extend him the opportunity to purchase a CBAC franchise.” On 26 September 2025 the court granted CBAC summary judgment and dismissed the case with prejudice; Mr. Domanic appealed on 1 November 2025. The FDD, issued in April, calls the appeal “ongoing.” It has since been decided. In its [opinion of 30 September 2026](https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/25/25-20486-CV0.pdf) (No. 25-20486), the Fifth Circuit described the district court’s ruling that the company’s franchise policy “constituted not racial but religious discrimination, which is not cognizable under § 1981,” and concluded: “We therefore AFFIRM.” - **Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation v. Seek 1st LLC.** An American Arbitration Association case (No. 01-22-00005109) against a former franchisee; on 17 January 2023 the panel found “that CBAC properly terminated the franchise agreement.” Item 3 ends: “Except as described above, no litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.” We found no Federal Trade Commission case: the FTC’s Cases and Proceedings list, filtered on “Christian Brothers,” returned “No results found for these filters.” Web searches turned up no state attorney-general action naming the company. The Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is reported here. One more line in Item 20 is worth knowing if you read franchisee reviews: “In some instances, current and former franchisees sign provisions restricting their ability to speak openly about their experience with CBAC.” ## Where Christian Brothers’ own documents disagree We recorded 14 places where the company’s pages, its Care+ contract and its FDD say different things. The ones that matter to a customer: - **“All the work that we do.”** The FAQ and service pages say the 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty covers all work; the brake page says “Every service is backed by” it. The limitations page excludes preventive maintenance, normal wear, batteries, tires and major internal repairs. - **Any shop, or yours.** The FAQ says any location honors the warranty “regardless of which branch did the initial work”; the warranty page sends you back to the original shop if you are within 25 miles of it, and the limitations page requires that shop’s advance approval. - **How many shops.** “More than 310” on the home page, “over 310” as of 2019 on the About page, “more than 315” on the Care+ page, and 326 at the end of 2025 in the FDD. - **Independently owned.** Store pages say every franchise location is independently owned; the FDD’s audited notes describe a CBAC-controlled company buying franchise shops, including Mission Bend. - **Care+ start date.** “Instant coverage” in one FAQ answer; a 30-day, 300-mile waiting period in another and in the contract. - **Care+ extras.** A $50 oil change credit every four months on the web page, absent from the sample contract; a $0 deductible for service members “and their spouses” on the web page, while the contract’s $0 deductible names veterans, active-duty military and first responders only. - **Ask for a written estimate** and the price of any diagnostic before you approve it; the courtesy inspection is the only free check. - **Read the warranty lines on your invoice.** They take precedence over the website, and the invoice is your claim document for as long as the warranty runs. - **Know your end point:** three years from the repair, or 36,000 more miles if that comes later, for parts that fail through a defect or bad fitting, while you own the car. - **Away from home,** find the nearest Christian Brothers shop within 25 miles, or call the Warranty Administrator, before anyone touches the car. - **Skip customer-supplied parts** if you want the warranty; they carry none. - **Before buying Care+,** get the actual contract for your state, check the 30-day, 300-mile wait, the excluded parts list, the $10,000-or-trade-in cap, and whether the oil change credit is written in. For how other chains word their repair promises, see our pages on [Midas’s lifetime parts guarantee](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/#lifetime-parts-guarantee) and [Firestone Complete Auto Care’s repair warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/#repair-warranty), and in the same series [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/), [Goodyear Auto Service](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/) and [Tires Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tires-plus/). ## Common questions ### What is the Christian Brothers Automotive warranty? The Nice Difference Warranty: 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs last, on new parts and their installation against defects in workmanship and materials. It covers the original purchaser only, cannot exceed the cost of the original repair, and excludes wear, maintenance, batteries, tires and major internal engine and transmission work. ### Is the Christian Brothers warranty nationwide? Yes, with an order of steps. Within 25 miles of the original shop you return there; otherwise you go to the nearest Christian Brothers shop within 25 miles, or call the Warranty Administrator before any work if there is none. All warranty service must be authorized in advance by the originating shop. ### Who owns Christian Brothers Automotive? Its employees, through an employee stock ownership plan that became the 100% owner of Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation on 2 April 2026, according to the audited notes in its April 2026 FDD. All 326 shops counted in the FDD are franchised. ### Is Christian Brothers Automotive expensive? The company publishes no prices; each franchised shop quotes its own, and its pages say “Call For a Quote.” Ask for a written estimate and the diagnostic price before approving work. The warranty’s length is a separate part of what you are buying. ### What is Nice Difference Care+? A monthly vehicle service contract sold through Christian Brothers, with Northcoast Warranty Services, Inc. as obligor and CBA Warranty Admin, LLC as administrator. It takes cars up to 15 years old and 165,000 miles, starts after 30 days and 300 miles, and has a deductible that falls from $400 to $0 at Christian Brothers shops. It is not sold in nine states, including California and New York. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/christian-brothers-automotive/ --- title: "uShip Review: What Its Terms Say About Shipping a Car" description: "uShip is a marketplace, not a shipper: it doesn’t vet transporters, payment release is final and its Protection Plan isn’t insurance. Its terms, read." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # uShip Review: What Its Terms Say About Shipping a Car > uShip is a marketplace, not a shipper: it doesn’t vet transporters, payment release is final and its Protection Plan isn’t insurance. Its terms, read. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,891 words* ## The short version - uShip is an online marketplace, not a car shipper. Its User Agreement says uShip “is not a party to any shipping agreement”: you list the car, transporters bid, and your contract is with the carrier or broker you book. - uShip says it “does not verify provider authority or insurance.” Looking up the transporter’s USDOT and MC numbers is your job. - Paying through uShip Payments means paying the full price at booking and releasing a code at delivery. The agreement calls that code “a non-reversible cash payment” and has you release it “regardless of damages, delays.” - The help center says uShip charges no cancellation fee and refunds in full. The User Agreement keeps the deposit and service charge on cancelled Booking Deposit orders and limits uShip Payments refunds to 120 days after booking. - Damage claims go to the transporter, up to its own published limits. The optional Protection Plan is “not insurance,” pays up to $100,000 a car less a processing fee, and needs damage reported within 7 days; the free guarantee tops out at $500, less a $50 fee. - Disputes with uShip go to individual arbitration in Austin, Texas. Read side by side, uShip’s own documents disagree in 14 places. uShip is a listing marketplace where transporters bid to move your car, and its contract makes three things plain: uShip is not the shipper, it does not check the company you pick, and a damage claim is between you and that company. On 9 October 2026 we read 24 pages in uShip’s help center, including its User Agreement (last revised 8 April 2025) and Protection Plan Terms of Service, plus the Ship with Confidence Guarantee terms and the car-shipping page, alongside FMCSA’s records and the federal rules for brokers and carriers. We created no listing and entered no details, and this site has no commercial relationship with uShip or any transporter. uShip’s User Agreement bars linking to its services without written permission, so we name its documents rather than link them. **Figure: What stands between your car and a loss on uShip** A two-column table reading six points from uShip’s User Agreement, Protection Plan Terms and help center: uShip is not a party to the shipping agreement and does not verify a transporter’s authority or insurance; cargo claims go to the transporter up to its published limits; the optional Protection Plan pays up to $100,000 a car less a $500 processing fee for a car worth $1,001 to $10,000 and needs damage reported within 7 days; the Ship with Confidence Guarantee pays up to $500 less a $50 fee; payment is to be released regardless of damage; and Booking Deposit cancellations lose the deposit while uShip Payments refunds run up to 120 days after booking. From uShip’s User Agreement (last revised 8 April 2025), Protection Plan Terms of Service, guarantee terms and help-center pages, read 9 October 2026. Not a ranking. ## How uShip works for a car: a marketplace, not a shipper Section 3 of the User Agreement calls uShip “a Neutral Venue and Digital Clearinghouse” that “is not a Transportation Service Provider or Shipper” and “is not a party to any shipping agreement made between uShip users.” It adds: “we are not in any way arranging transportation or shipping or logistics services on your behalf.” In uShip’s own description, a car shipment runs like this: - **You list the car.** The car page says you can then “receive quotes from feedback-rated auto transporters or book instant rates on eligible routes.” - **Transporters bid.** uShip’s term for them covers “Carriers, Brokers, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics providers,” so the winner may own the truck or may hand the job to someone else. - **The contract is with them.** By booking you are “entering into a legally binding agreement with the TSP,” whose rates and terms “are solely provided by the TSPs and not by uShip.” - **Dates are estimates.** Unless the transporter says otherwise, pickup and delivery dates “are estimates only and are not guaranteed.” The help center lists three service types for vehicles: enclosed, open, and Tow Away, where “the service provider will tow your vehicle to the destination.” Keep that last one in mind for the Protection Plan section. Choosing the transporter has one exception. Section 15 describes Book It Now, an instant price that “bypasses the quote-and-offer decision-making” of the marketplace; with it you “will not have the option to select the specific Carrier,” and your card is charged “when the shipment matches with a Carrier.” The Book It Now help page says it is available “on furniture shipments” between 6 states, yet the car page offers instant rates. If an instant price appears for your car, ask whether you will see and choose the carrier before you pay. uShip also has a transporter in the family. Its guarantee page says “uShip Logistics (‘UL’), an affiliate of uShip, participates on uShip.com as one of many service providers and receives no preferential treatment.” Our guide to [brokers, carriers and lead sites](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains how those roles differ. ## Who checks the transporter, and uShip’s own FMCSA status Not uShip. Its Role page says “uShip does not verify provider authority or insurance. We don’t prequalify or validate the claims of service providers, including with respect to their licensure, insurance and registration.” Section 5 of the User Agreement says uShip “does not actively screen or qualify TSPs for compliance with federal, state or local laws and regulations” and recommends that you confirm compliance “directly with the TSP.” Its cargo-insurance answer adds: “we don’t verify insurance credentials.” uShip offers signals instead. A provider that “has submitted an MC number” shows it on its profile, and some carriers carry a Trustd badge, whose page lists identity verification as standard and “Insurance and Compliance (optional).” Neither is a check of the federal record. Check the bidder’s legal name, USDOT and MC number on FMCSA’s SAFER system yourself; our guide to [looking a shipper up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up) walks through it. ### Does uShip itself hold FMCSA authority? Not under its own name. We searched FMCSA’s census file on 9 October 2026 for every legal or trade name beginning “USHIP” and every legal name beginning “U SHIP”; no row carries the legal name uShip, Inc. One registration matches the affiliate the guarantee page names: USDOT 2895862, USHIP CONCIERGE LLC, trade name USHIP LOGISTICS LLC, in Austin, Texas. Its [SAFER snapshot](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=2895862) (data as of 7 October 2026) and FMCSA’s licensing datasets show: - **Broker authority only:** “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” MC-973139, with no carrier authority and 0 power units. - **Granted 27 July 2016,** about 10.2 years ago by our arithmetic. An “INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION” served on 16 August 2016 was discontinued 3 days later; the dataset gives no reason, and there is no revocation row. - **A BMC-84 surety bond** with Merchants National Bonding, effective 27 July 2016. The dataset’s amount field reads 0, which we do not take as its size; the rule requires $75,000. - **Dated paperwork:** the last MCS-150 update was 10 October 2022, and SAFER prints “Carrier Registration Information Outdated.” USDOT status reads ACTIVE. FMCSA’s file gives a contact e-mail on the ushiplogistics.com domain but does not state how the company relates to uShip, Inc., and no uShip page we read prints its MC number. The name is not unique either: 7 other active registrations have business names beginning USHIP or U SHIP, including USHIP LOGISTICS INC in Seaford, New York (a broker, MC-1614161) and USHIP LOGISTICS LLC in Windermere, Florida (a carrier). FMCSA’s records connect neither to uShip, and we make no claim about them. A name on a phone call proves nothing; the USDOT number identifies the company. Whether a marketplace like uShip needs broker authority is for FMCSA to say, and we found no FMCSA statement about uShip. FMCSA’s 2023 guidance on the definition of a broker ([88 FR 39368](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-06-16/html/2023-13080.htm)) says sharing information about shippers does not require authority “as long as the entity making the leads available is not otherwise involved in any transaction between the shipper and a motor carrier,” and that “handling money exchanged between shippers and motor carriers is one factor that strongly suggests the need for broker authority, but it is not an essential requirement.” uShip Payments takes your money and passes it on; uShip’s agreement says that service “is not an escrow service.” We set these side by side and draw no conclusion. ## Paying through uShip: the code, the deposit and price changes uShip’s help center describes two ways to pay, and which one you get depends on the shipment. **uShip’s two payment methods, from its help center and User Agreement, read 9 October 2026** | Point | uShip Payments | Booking Deposit | | --- | --- | --- | | When it applies | “Available, and often required, for shipments $10,000 or less”; US only | “Available in select categories”; the only option above $10,000 | | Paid at booking | The full shipping price | Provider fees (part of the bid), uShip’s service charge and any Protection Plan | | How the transporter is paid | You release a payment code after delivery | You pay the balance directly, on the terms in its quote | | If you cancel | Full refund of price and service charge up to 120 days after booking, if the code is unreleased | Deposit and service charge kept by uShip “as our cancellation fee” | The release code is where most of the risk sits. The help center has you confirm you understand “the payment release cannot be reversed” and warns: “Do not release your uShip Payment Code to your service provider before your shipment is delivered.” The User Agreement goes further. Giving the code to the transporter “is the equivalent of making a non-reversible cash payment,” and “the Shipper agrees that they will release the payment to the TSP upon delivery of the shipment regardless of damages, delays, or any other service level issue.” Disputes over money or damage are to be settled “outside of uShip.” **Holding back the code is not a long-term lever.** If payment sits unreleased, the User Agreement lets uShip charge a dormancy fee “on a monthly basis of 12.5%,” starting 120 days after the money was deposited and capped at the payment due, a cap reached in 8 months by our arithmetic. Funds still undisbursed 365 days after booking “shall become property of uShip.” Inspect the car and note damage on the bill of lading before you release anything, and raise any dispute with uShip early. On a Booking Deposit the balance goes straight to the transporter. uShip “typically” recommends waiting until delivery to pay it, says it “does not recommend paying offsite in full before delivery,” and calls a request for MoneyGram or Western Union “typically an indicator of fraud.” The agreement bars a transporter from charging more than the price agreed on uShip, “provided that the shipment was as described.” That proviso is how the price can rise. Section 8 says quotes “are required to be all-inclusive based on the information Shippers provide,” but if the shipment is “materially different” the transporter may invoice more, and “uShip will charge the Shipper’s payment method on file within 48 hours.” A lower re-rating becomes an account credit that expires after one year. For a car, uShip’s vehicle guide names the usual trigger: whether it runs, and whether it has been modified or damaged. “Discrepancies will often lead to cancellations or additional fees at pickup.” Section 9 adds a $50 fee for a failed bank payment and, on unpaid balances, a penalty of 5% or $10, whichever is greater, plus interest of 1.5% a month. ## Cancelling: three pages, three answers Ask uShip’s help center whether there is a fee for cancelling and the answer is one line: “We don’t charge a fee, but your hired service provider may.” Its cancellation page ends: “Once the cancellation is completed, you’ll receive a full refund.” A third page says customers “can cancel the transaction prior to pickup for a full refund.” Section 11 of the User Agreement, which is the contract, is narrower: - **Booking Deposit orders:** “the Shipper deposit and/or the Shipper Service Charge will be collected by uShip as our cancellation fee.” uShip may offer it back as a discount on a booking within 365 days, with “no cash value.” - **uShip Payments orders:** a full refund of the price and service charge “up to 120 days after the booking date,” and only if the payment code “has not been released.” - **Either side can object.** Cancellation can be requested only before services are performed; the other party may dispute it, and uShip staff then decide. The help center allows cancellations “up to 1 year after the date of booking,” matching the agreement’s 365-day window for requests, but the refund window is 120 days, which leaves 245 days, by our arithmetic, in which a cancellation can be requested with no refund promised. Why Book Through uShip says “there’s no charge for cancelling a listing,” which is before anything is booked. A chargeback is no way round this: the agreement bars one filed “as a replacement, or an addition to, a cancellation.” ## If the car arrives damaged: the transporter’s claim, not uShip’s Section 17 of the User Agreement settles who answers. “As a neutral venue, uShip does not set terms specific to Carrier cargo liability.” Claims “should be submitted immediately by the Shipper to the selected TSP,” and uShip “shall have no liability or responsibility for same.” The same section limits what you can recover: - **The carrier’s limits cap the claim:** the most you may recover is what is “recoverable under the Carrier’s published liability limits and/or tariffs.” - **You are taken to have chosen those limits:** by booking, you have “voluntarily chosen the released rates and limits published by Carriers.” - **No offsetting:** you “may not offset freight or other charges against claims.” So the order of events is: pay or release the full price, then pursue the transporter, up to whatever limit its terms set. Its liability limit and insurance are worth knowing before you accept a bid. Federal law sets a floor for carriers: the Carmack Amendment, [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), makes them liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” and bars them from allowing less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue. If you booked a broker, the claim still runs against the carrier that hauled the car; the broker’s $75,000 bond under [49 CFR 387.307](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.307) pays “if the broker fails to carry out its contracts,” not for damage. Our guide covers [claim deadlines](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage) and [what federal insurance minimums cover](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#insurance). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a scratched car panel mark the chip, the panel and the scratch line, with checking a transporter's USDOT number, photographing every panel before loading, and the deadline for reporting damage. uShip’s User Agreement and Protection Plan terms, read on 9 October 2026, say uShip does not verify transporters’ authority (callout 1), ask for pre-shipping photos (callout 2), and require Protection Plan cases to be filed within 7 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. uShip’s damage page gives the steps: photograph the damage, record it on the bill of lading with both parties signing “after the delivery inspection is complete,” get a repair estimate, then open a Protection Plan case or send the evidence to the transporter, which “may choose to pay you directly or file an insurance claim.” uShip’s own bill of lading is, under section 13, “deemed, conclusively, to have been prepared by You, the Shipper,” so read it before you sign. Our guide lists what to record on [the bill of lading at pickup and delivery](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#paperwork). ## The uShip Protection Plan and the $500 guarantee uShip sells one product and gives away another, and its help center calls the Protection Plan “your best defense” when damage occurs. Both carry conditions worth reading first. ### The Protection Plan: optional, “not insurance” The plan is offered at checkout on most shipments by US customers. Its Terms of Service say it “is not insurance and is secondary to any other asset protection or insurance coverage you may carry.” It covers repair or replacement after events such as “drops, scratches, dents,” collision, “Service Provider negligence,” non-delivery and theft in transit. The fee depends on the item type and the value you enter and is shown at checkout; uShip prints no rate. For a car the limits are $100,000 per automobile and $200,000 per conveyance, never more than its “true item value (as determined by us),” and every paid claim loses a processing fee: **Protection Plan processing fees for a car, with our arithmetic on a total loss (Terms of Service, read 9 October 2026)** | Declared car value | Processing fee | Our arithmetic: payout on a total loss | | --- | --- | --- | | Up to $1,000 | $100 | $1,000 car: $900 | | $1,001 to $10,000 (automobiles) | $500 | $8,000 car: $7,500 | | $10,001 or more | $750 | $25,000 car: $24,250 | | Above the $100,000 car limit | $750 | $150,000 car: $99,250 | The examples assume a car declared at full value and no recovery elsewhere; other cover can reduce the payout. The conditions that matter most for a car: - **Seven days.** Damage must be reported “within 7 calendar days from the delivery date.” - **Photos from before.** You must submit “photos of the undamaged item(s) prior to shipping.” - **Not on its own wheels.** No cover for “any accident occurring while cargo is being driven under its own power or being towed on its own wheels,” except during loading. That rules out a driveaway and can rule out an accident on a Tow Away shipment. - **Exclusions.** Acts of God, “normal wear and tear, pre-existing conditions,” damage before or after transit, and, among excluded commodities, “other vehicle machinery,” meaning any component “used to propel an automobile.” Ask uShip in writing how that applies to a whole car’s drivetrain. - **Time.** Review “can take up to sixty (60) days”; payment follows within 7 business days of approval, and the fee “is nonrefundable.” uShip’s protection page calls the plan “all-risk protection.” The list of exclusions in the Terms is what decides a claim. ### The Ship with Confidence Guarantee: up to $500 uShip says every shipment includes this guarantee “at no extra cost.” Its help page says uShip “may” refund payments for services not rendered, “may compensate you up to $500 USD” for damage or theft not recovered from the Protection Plan or the transporter’s insurance, and may cover an overcharge, with “a single combined maximum per shipment,” for US customers only. Another page says compensation is “up to $500 less a $50 guarantee processing fee,” so $450 at most, by our arithmetic. You must report the issue “within 15 days of delivery or within 30 days of booking,” and the guarantee’s terms require a written contract with the transporter and exclude delays, work done “without a written contract or bill of lading signed by both parties” and shipments “materially different” from the listing. On a car, it is a backstop for small losses at uShip’s discretion. ## Arbitration, the release and the rest of the fine print Because uShip is “a neutral venue,” section 23 says it is “not responsible for successfully resolving any disputes,” which “must be resolved directly between You and the other party.” Its staff act “as an intermediary,” according to its Dispute Resolution page. Disputes with uShip itself work like this: - **Arbitration:** section 38 sends claims to “binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association,” held “in Austin, Texas”; uShip’s own fee-collection and intellectual-property actions are carved out. - **No class actions:** claims proceed “ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS.” We found no opt-out in the clause. - **A release:** under section 28, in a dispute with another user, “You release uShip, Inc.” from “all claims, demands, and damages.” - **Limited liability and Texas law:** section 35 says “uShip’s liability is extremely limited”; section 42 applies Texas law. These clauses govern your relationship with uShip; your claim against the transporter runs under its own terms and federal law. If a broker was involved, [49 CFR 371.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.3) gives “each party to a brokered transaction” the right to review the broker’s record, including the carrier’s registration and the broker’s compensation, kept for three years. ## uShip’s printed terms beside two brokers’ uShip is a marketplace and the other two are brokers, so these rows answer the same questions for different kinds of business. The Montway and AmeriFreight columns are copied from our [Montway review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) and [AmeriFreight review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/). It shows what to look for, not a ranking. For a broker’s terms read the same way, see our [SGT Auto Transport review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/). **Printed terms on six points: uShip (read 9 October 2026), Montway (read 7 October 2026), AmeriFreight (read 9 October 2026)** | Point | uShip | Montway | AmeriFreight | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | When you are charged | uShip Payments: the full price at booking, released by you at delivery; Booking Deposit: a deposit at checkout, the balance to the transporter | At dispatch to a carrier (Terms); cash-price orders pay $199 or less up front (help center) | “Immediately” when the contract is formed, which is when you accept a carrier’s offer | | Free cancellation ends | Booking Deposit: at booking, since a cancelled deposit order loses the deposit; uShip Payments: 120 days after booking, or once you release the code | When a carrier accepts the order | At dispatch, which AmeriFreight does “immediately” after you accept the offer | | Cancelling after that | Booking Deposit: deposit and service charge kept as uShip’s cancellation fee; uShip Payments: no refund promised; either side can dispute a cancellation request | A minimum of $249 | The “full deposit amount” is forfeited (amount not printed); optional Cancellation Protection covers up to $350 | | Damage claims | Claim with the transporter, up to its published limits; the optional Protection Plan needs notice within 7 days | The carrier is liable, not Montway; tell Montway within 48 hours of delivery | Claim against the carrier; mail bills of lading, 2 repair estimates and photos to the carrier and AmeriFreight within 10 days of delivery | | Delivery dates | “Estimates only and are not guaranteed,” unless the transporter says otherwise | Montway “cannot and does not guarantee delivery dates or times” | “Estimated and NOT guaranteed”; limited rental-car reimbursement in two clauses | | Disputes | AAA commercial arbitration in Austin, Texas; class waiver; you release uShip from disputes with other users | Binding individual arbitration (National Arbitration Mediation), small claims excepted; liability capped at fees paid to Montway | American Arbitration Association rules; Georgia law; Fayette County courts; prevailing party’s attorney’s fees | With a broker, the broker is your counterparty. On uShip, the counterparty is whoever wins your listing, and its terms fill most of the gaps uShip’s agreement leaves. Read them on its profile before you accept a bid; our [guide to reading a shipper’s terms](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/#terms-to-read) lists six clauses to find. ## Where uShip’s own documents disagree Reading the User Agreement, the plan and guarantee terms, the help center and the car page side by side turned up 14 conflicts. Where they touch money or liability, the User Agreement and the plan terms are the contract. **Conflicts between uShip’s own documents, read 9 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Who checks the transporter | Car page: “Car Shipping Quotes From Trusted Auto Transporters” | uShip’s Role: uShip “does not verify provider authority or insurance” | | Choosing your carrier | Car page FAQ: can you choose your transporter? “Yes.” | Section 15: with Book It Now you “will not have the option to select the specific Carrier” | | Instant prices for cars | Car page: “book instant rates on eligible routes” | Book It Now page: available “on furniture shipments” between 6 states | | Releasing payment | Why Book Through uShip: funds released “once you’ve confirmed safe delivery” | Section 7: release “regardless of damages, delays” | | Cancellation fee | Help center: “We don’t charge a fee” | Section 11: deposit and service charge “collected by uShip as our cancellation fee” | | Refund on cancelling | Help center: “you’ll receive a full refund” | Section 11: refunds only “up to 120 days after the booking date” | | Guarantee amount | 5 Steps page: “automatically covered up to $500” | “Up to $500 less a $50 guarantee processing fee”; uShip “may” pay | | Guarantee conditions | Filing page: report within 15 days of delivery or 30 days of booking | Guarantee terms print neither that window nor the $50 fee | | What the plan is | Protection page: “all-risk protection”; guarantee terms: “uShip Cargo Insurance” | Plan Terms: “not insurance”; excludes acts of God, wear and pre-existing damage | | Plan refunds | Section 18: non-refundable “except in the case of a completed shipment cancellation” | Plan Terms: “Our Protection Plan fee is nonrefundable” | | Carrier insurance | Car page: extra protection “isn’t required” as DOT mandates liability insurance; “Most carriers maintain cargo insurance” | Help center: providers need not carry full-value cover “and we don’t verify insurance credentials” | | Brokers on uShip | Car page: “Direct carrier communication,” unlike a traditional broker | Section 2: transporters include “Brokers”; help center: “work with both carriers and brokers” | | Trustd badge | Insurance and compliance check is “(optional)” | Same page: Trustd verified carriers “are compliant and in good standing” | | Cross-references | Sections 10 and 11 cite “Section 9.d.3” and “section 9.d.1” | Section 9 has no part d; the penalties sit under 9 c) | Three of these change what you should do: treat the release code as cash, assume a cancelled deposit order costs the deposit, and do not read “trusted” or a badge as a check of the transporter’s authority or insurance. ## uShip reviews: what we could and could not check On a marketplace, how a car shipment goes depends mostly on the transporter you book, and no rating of uShip can tell you about that company. uShip says feedback “can only be left by shipping customers who’ve booked and completed shipments through uShip.” We did not read transporter profiles, because uShip’s robots.txt closes profile and listing paths to all crawlers; read them yourself, including cancellation comments. **BBB:** its robots.txt lets Anthropic’s crawlers read profiles, but uShip’s profile showed BBB’s “You have been blocked” page on 9 October 2026, and we did not work around it, so this page has no BBB grade or complaint count. **Trustpilot and Reddit:** left out as a matter of policy. **Regulators:** web searches on 9 October 2026 found no FTC, state attorney-general or FMCSA enforcement action naming uShip; that is a search result, not a clearance. ## Before you book a car on uShip - **Describe the car exactly.** Running or not, modified, damaged. A “materially different” car can be re-priced and charged within 48 hours. - **Look up the bidder, not the badge.** Check its legal name, USDOT and MC number on SAFER, and whether it is a carrier or a broker. If a broker, ask which carrier will collect the car. - **Read the transporter’s terms on its profile.** Its liability limit caps your claim under section 17. Ask for its certificate of insurance and cargo limit in writing. - **Know your payment method.** uShip Payments takes the full price at booking; a cancelled Booking Deposit order loses the deposit. Never pay off-site in full before delivery. - **Decide on the Protection Plan at checkout,** knowing the processing fee and the exclusion for a car on its own wheels. - **Sign a written contract** with the transporter; the guarantee needs one, or a bill of lading signed by both parties. - **Photograph the car before pickup:** every panel, the wheels and the odometer. - **Inspect before you release anything.** Note new damage on the bill of lading, then release the code. Report damage to uShip within 7 days for the Protection Plan and 15 days for the guarantee, and claim in writing from the transporter. Shipping a car you have just bought is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/) and [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) cover title and handover, the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) guide covers checking the car before it is loaded, and auction buyers should add [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) to the bill. For the dealer side of the purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies. ## Common questions ### Is uShip legit? uShip is an established marketplace whose contract is clear about its role: it is not a party to your shipping agreement and says it does not verify a transporter’s authority or insurance. How a booking goes depends on the transporter you choose, so check that company on FMCSA’s SAFER system first. ### Is uShip a broker or a carrier? Neither, by its own account: “a Neutral Venue and Digital Clearinghouse” that “is not a Transportation Service Provider.” FMCSA’s census file has no registration under the name uShip, Inc. Its affiliate uShip Logistics matches a registered broker, USDOT 2895862, MC-973139, in Austin, Texas. ### Does uShip check carriers’ insurance? No. uShip says it “does not verify provider authority or insurance” and “we don’t verify insurance credentials.” Ask the transporter for its certificate of insurance and look up its record on SAFER. ### How does payment work when shipping a car on uShip? With uShip Payments, used for shipments of $10,000 or less, you pay the full price at booking and release a code after delivery, which the agreement treats as “a non-reversible cash payment.” With a Booking Deposit you pay a deposit through uShip and the balance to the transporter. ### Can I get a refund if I cancel a uShip car shipment? On uShip Payments, yes, in full up to 120 days after booking if the code is unreleased. On a Booking Deposit order, section 11 lets uShip keep the deposit and service charge as its cancellation fee, though a help page says uShip charges none. ### What does the uShip Protection Plan cover on a car? Damage, theft and non-delivery in transit, up to $100,000 for one car and never above its value, less a processing fee of $500 for a car worth $1,001 to $10,000 or $750 above that. It is “not insurance,” needs damage reported within 7 days with photos from before shipping, and excludes accidents while the car is driven or towed on its own wheels. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/ --- title: "Southeast Toyota Finance Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease" description: "Southeast Toyota Finance is World Omni Financial Corp. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end fees, and what World Omni’s filings and CFPB records show." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/southeast-toyota-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Southeast Toyota Finance Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease > Southeast Toyota Finance is World Omni Financial Corp. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end fees, and what World Omni’s filings and CFPB records show. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,927 words* ## The short version - Southeast Toyota Finance (SETF) is not Toyota Motor Credit. It is a trade name of World Omni Financial Corp., a JM Family Enterprises company financing Toyotas sold in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina since 1981, as SETF since 1996. - World Omni is the lienholder on a financed car. A leased car is titled to its trust, World Omni LT, with a first lien for AL Holding Corp. - Auto Pay and online bank payments carry no SETF fee; debit cards stopped after March 2026 and credit cards are not taken. A late charge applies if payment is not received in full within 10 days of the due date. - Payoffs go by mail, not online. With a personal check the title is mailed up to 14 business days after the account closes; Florida lease buyouts carry a $500 title add-on, any unused part refunded. - Returning a lease costs a $350 disposition fee, waived if you finance or lease a new Toyota through SETF within 30 days. Only 807 of 23,693 leases scheduled to end in 2025 came back to World Omni (3%). - The CFPB lists no enforcement action against World Omni, SETF or JM Family. Its database holds 1,755 complaints under World Omni Financial Corp., 686 about vehicle loans or leases. If Southeast Toyota Finance holds your car loan or lease, the answers on paying, payoff and lease end are on SETF’s own help pages, and the company behind them is World Omni Financial Corp., not Toyota’s national lender. On 9 October 2026 we read SETF’s help center, payment, payoff and lease-end pages, [terms](https://www.setf.com/terms-conditions/terms), licenses page and privacy notice; World Omni’s site; JM Family’s release of 12 March 2026; World Omni’s prospectuses for its [2026-C retail](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2146760/000110465926099204/tm2622477d8_424b5.htm) and 2026-A lease securitizations; and CFPB records. We entered no login or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with SETF, World Omni, Toyota or any lender. SETF’s terms bar scripted scraping, so its pages were read once by hand and are quoted briefly. **Figure: Southeast Toyota Finance: what its own pages say** A two-column table of nine account tasks set against Southeast Toyota Finance’s pages and World Omni’s securitization filings: SETF is World Omni Financial Corp., which holds retail contracts while leases are titled to a trust; Auto Pay and online bank payments carry no SETF fee; debit cards stopped after March 2026; late charges apply after 10 days; one- or two-month deferrals are possible; payoffs must be mailed; Florida lease buyouts carry a $500 title add-on; the $350 disposition fee is waived for repeat customers; and only 3% of 2025 lease ends came back to World Omni. Read from setf.com (help center, payment, payoff and lease-end pages, terms), worldomni.com and World Omni’s prospectuses for its 2026-C retail and 2026-A lease securitizations, on 9 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who is behind Southeast Toyota Finance, and who holds your loan Every SETF page’s copyright line names Southeast Toyota Finance “a d/b/a of World Omni Financial Corp.” SETF’s terms say the site is “owned and operated by World Omni Financial Corp.,” and its licenses page calls SETF “a trade name of World Omni Financial Corp.,” licensed in Maryland under NMLS ID 1073. World Omni’s 2026-C prospectus, filed on 20 August 2026, calls it a Florida corporation and “an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, Inc.” that “has operated under the ‘Southeast Toyota Finance’ name since 1996.” The Toyota link runs through a sister company, Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, the exclusive Toyota distributor in the five states under an agreement with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. dating from 1968 and renewed through October 2029. World Omni buys contracts from participating Toyota dealers there, and SETF’s terms say its programs are available “only” through them, so a Toyota bought in Atlanta or Orlando may be financed by SETF while one bought elsewhere is not. Toyota Motor Credit Corporation’s 10-K, read for our [Toyota Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), leaves “sales of a private Toyota distributor” out of its market share. **The companies behind an SETF retail contract or lease, as SETF’s pages and World Omni’s prospectuses name them (read 9 October 2026)** | Company | Role | | --- | --- | | World Omni Financial Corp. | Buys retail contracts from dealers, is the lienholder on financed cars, services every SETF account and does business as Southeast Toyota Finance | | World Omni LT (trustee: VT Inc.) | Titling trust that owns leased cars; SETF tells lessees who move to list “VT Inc. as Trustee World Omni LT” as owner | | AL Holding Corp. | Holds the first lien recorded on leased cars’ titles, as collateral agent | | WOFC QI Exchange LLC | The payee SETF names for lease payoff checks | | World Omni Auto Receivables Trusts | Securitization trusts that buy pools of retail contracts; World Omni keeps servicing them | | JM Family Enterprises, Inc. | World Omni’s parent; also owns Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC | | Toyota dealers in AL, FL, GA, NC and SC | Write the contract and sell it to World Omni; SETF’s terms say the deal’s terms “are set by you and the dealership” | So who holds your loan? If you financed, World Omni is the lienholder; SETF’s moving-states page says SETF itself “is not the lienholder” and retail accounts must list World Omni Financial Corp. The dealer “thereafter sells the contract to World Omni Financial Corp.,” the prospectus says. Your contract may later go into a securitization trust, but World Omni stays the servicer, so everything still runs through SETF. If you leased, the car belongs to the trust: titles are issued to “World Omni LT” or “VT Inc. as Trustee of World Omni LT” with “a first lien recorded in favor of AL Holding Corp.,” per the 2026-A lease prospectus, and SETF acts as “servicer.” The group’s pages describe all this inconsistently. World Omni’s home page calls it “a division of JM Family Enterprises,” its investor FAQ a “wholly owned subsidiary.” SETF’s About page says “we changed our name to Southeast Toyota Finance in 1996,” yet the legal name on its terms and licenses is still World Omni Financial Corp., and JM Family’s 2026 release calls SETF both “part of World Omni Financial Corp.” and “a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises.” World Omni’s home page counts 178 Toyota dealerships, its FAQ 177. For a borrower, the name on the title settles it. By our arithmetic, 2026 is World Omni’s 45th year and SETF’s 30th. ## How to pay SETF, and what each way costs SETF’s [How to Pay page](https://www.setf.com/payments/how-to-pay) and help center list five routes. Every route SETF runs itself draws on a bank account: the page ends by saying SETF “cannot accept payments via debit or credit card, only through your bank account.” Its debit-card answer explains that debit cards stopped after March 2026 because of “the rising costs” of processing them. **Ways to pay a Southeast Toyota Finance account and what SETF says each costs (read 9 October 2026)** | Method | Cost as printed | What to know | | --- | --- | --- | | Auto Pay (checking or savings) | No fee: “we do not charge a fee” | You pick the draft day; keep paying until SETF confirms enrollment | | Online at setf.com | No fee | Schedule up to 30 days ahead or split a payment between 3 different sources; shows in your history within 3 business days, credited as of the day you submitted it | | Phone (check by phone, ACH) | No fee printed | Customer Care takes payments Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET; pay before 4 p.m. ET for same-day credit | | Mail (check, cashier’s check or money order) | No fee printed | Allow up to 3 business days; retail and lease accounts use different addresses | | MoneyGram, at an agent location | “Additional service fees may apply”; SETF prints no amount | Bring your account number; payee is World Omni Financial Corp. | | Debit or credit card | Not accepted | Debit cards ended after March 2026 | SETF’s terms say it “does not currently charge” for online payments but may start, with notice, and that an online payment that bounces earns no credit. Weekend and holiday payments post the next business day. Extra money goes to principal only if you say so: SETF offers a one-time principal payment online, an add-on amount in Auto Pay, or a check marked “Principal Only,” and regular payments stay due. Ordinary payments go to accrued interest first, then principal, then late charges and fees. ## Due dates, late charges, extensions and falling behind SETF retail contracts are simple interest: its explainer says “Interest will accrue every day,” so paying early shrinks the interest share of a payment and paying late grows it. In SETF’s own worked example, a $20,000 balance accrues $2.74 a day, and paying five days early saves $13.70 in interest while paying five days late costs $13.70 more. SETF’s help center says paying before each due date means paying “a smaller amount in interest” than the contract discloses. On late charges, SETF’s grace-period answer points to your contract and says the payment must be *posted* within the grace window. Its retail and lease help pages both say a late charge is assessed if payment “is not received in full within 10 days after the contract due date.” SETF prints no amount. Unpaid late charges from earlier months stay on later statements. You can move your due date to any day from the 1st to the 28th if the account is current and your first payment is made; it can take one billing cycle. For a tight month, SETF says “approved customers” may defer one or two payments to the end of the contract, extending the term, and may have to make an “online extension payment” of an amount the page does not give. World Omni’s 2026-C prospectus adds that extensions are “generally” granted if they bring the account current and the borrower “has made 6 or more scheduled monthly payments,” and refers to “extension fees.” Since interest accrues daily, ask what the longer term adds before you accept. World Omni counts an account as delinquent once more than 10% of a scheduled payment is unpaid by the due date (the threshold in its reported figures was $40 until January 2026). After repossession, which independent contractors carry out, cars are generally sold at auction and any deficiency “may be pursued” by World Omni or a collection agency; see our [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) guide. Servicemembers can ask about Servicemembers Civil Relief Act benefits: a rate reduction on retail accounts, early termination on leases and repossession protection on both. ## Paying off an SETF loan and getting your title You cannot pay off an SETF account with the online payment button. Asked whether a vehicle can be paid off online, SETF’s answer is “No,” and payoff funds “must be mailed” to its Payoff Processing Center. The [Payoff options page](https://www.setf.com/payments/payoff-options) sets out the steps: sign in, open “View Vehicle Payoff” from the vehicle dashboard, print the payoff form, which shows the amount and a good-through date, then mail a check or money order with the form. Your monthly statement also prints a payoff amount. SETF accepts personal, certified and cashier’s checks, and says certified funds are processed faster. The statement’s “must be received by” date applies only to a full payoff; your regular due date does not move, so keep paying until the payoff posts. On the title, SETF’s [payoff-title answer](https://www.setf.com/help-center/payoff/payoff-title) separates two cases. Payoffs by certified check, cashier’s check, official bank check or from a dealer are generally mailed “within a few days after receipt.” With a personal check, the title is mailed “up to fourteen (14) business days after the account closes,” to let the check clear, and SETF adds that this “may vary in some states.” All required documents must come with the payoff check to avoid delays. Many owners will not get paper at all. SETF lists 28 states that issue electronic titles; there, or where the owner already holds the title, you receive a Release of Lien or a letter saying the lien is released, and you deal with the state for the title. Four of SETF’s five states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina) are on that list; Alabama is not, by our count. If you have moved, SETF’s moving page says the DMV request must name World Omni Financial Corp. as lienholder on retail accounts, not SETF. SETF prints no prepayment penalty. World Omni’s prospectus says its contracts are prepayable “at any time without charge,” “subject to certain exceptions,” yet lists “prepayment charges” among fees the servicer may keep where law allows, so read your contract. To [refinance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/), the new lender pays SETF the payoff amount. ## Ending an SETF lease: buy it, extend it or hand it back SETF’s lease-end pages offer three paths: buy the car, extend for a few months, or return it, ideally into a new Toyota. World Omni’s lease prospectus puts it in contract terms: buy “AS IS” for the Contract Residual Value plus a purchase option fee and taxes, or return the car and pay the disposition fee and any mileage and wear charges, and “Both the purchase option fee and the disposition fee may be waived in whole or in part by the Servicer.” SETF prints no purchase option fee; check your lease. **Buying the car.** SETF says you can buy “by contacting us directly and paying the Payoff Amount” without a dealer, who may charge for its services. Lease payoffs are payable to WOFC QI Exchange LLC. The quote does not deduct your security deposit; apply it with the Security Deposit and Titling form, or it is returned once the payoff is processed, which “could take up to 14 business days.” If a third party pays the lease off and its payment bounces, you stay liable. Our [lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) guide walks through the numbers. **Florida lessees: the payoff includes a $500 title add-on.** SETF says it uses an outside agency for the title on Florida lease purchases and has added $500.00 to the payoff to cover titling, licensing, registration and the agency’s processing fee. If those costs come to less than $500, the agency refunds the difference by check. Ask for the actual costs if you are comparing SETF’s payoff with a dealer’s offer. **Selling to someone else.** SETF’s help center answers “Yes” to whether someone else can buy your leased car and tells you to call Customer Care. The lease prospectus says World Omni “may permit or deny such purchase within its sole discretion,” so get the answer before you agree a sale. Our guide to a [car lease takeover](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/) covers the other route out. **Extending.** SETF’s lease-end page says you “may be able to extend” and links a Lease Extension Request Form under its account-settings path, which we did not open; no public page prints the extension terms. **Returning early.** Per the lease prospectus, an early return costs the remaining base payments, other lease charges, the disposition fee, taxes, excess mileage and World Omni’s “reasonable estimate” of wear repairs; some lease forms instead use the car’s realized value, which you may have set by an independent appraiser at your own expense. World Omni also offers selected lessees early-termination programs that waive some payments if they take a new Toyota financed through World Omni. SETF’s remaining-payments quote includes every remaining payment plus the $350 disposition fee and taxes, but not wear or mileage charges. **Coming back for another Toyota.** SETF’s loyalty page prints $500 in Loyalty Cash plus a $350 disposition fee waiver, $850 in all, if the new Toyota is financed or leased through SETF at a participating dealer in the five states within 30 days of maturity; the cash goes toward the down payment, one offer per account. No end date is printed, but SETF’s terms say all programs “are subject to change or termination at any time,” so get the voucher in writing. See our [lease or buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/). ## Returning the car: inspection, wear standards and the final bill SETF’s [vehicle return timeline](https://www.setf.com/end-of-lease/vehicle-return-timeline) counts down from 90 days (choose to buy, extend or move to a new Toyota) to 60 (a free inspection “at your home, office or other convenient location”) to 30 (book the turn-in with your Toyota dealer); about 45 days out SETF mails an odometer statement. OPENLANE Inspections calls between 45 and 60 days before the end if you have not booked, and the inspection should be no more than two months before turn-in. In Maryland, SETF says, the inspection happens at the dealership after return. At turn-in, hand over every key and key fob, the owner’s manual, the spare tire, head rests and any third-row seats. If you repaired anything after the inspection, mail SETF the receipts with your name, VIN and account number. SETF’s wear page lets you turn the car in “as is” and be billed, or buy it instead of paying for damage. It warns that improper repairs still count as excess wear. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over hands signing a contract mark the phone, the signature and the pen, with how Southeast Toyota Finance takes payoffs, how long a title takes after a personal-check payoff, and the Florida lease-buyout add-on. Southeast Toyota Finance’s payoff and lease-end pages, read on 9 October 2026, say payoffs cannot be made online (callout 1), mail the title up to 14 business days after a personal-check payoff closes the account (callout 2), and add $500 to Florida lease buyouts for title and agency costs (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Normal versus excess wear on an SETF lease, as SETF’s excess wear and use page prints it (read 9 October 2026; not an exhaustive list)** | Area | Normal wear | Excess wear (billed) | | --- | --- | --- | | Dents and dings | 1 inch across or smaller; six or fewer per panel | Larger than 1 inch; seven or more per panel | | Paint | Chips or scratches 2 inches long or less; ten or fewer chips | Longer than 2 inches; eleven or more chips | | Windshield | Repairable chip, star or light scratch under half an inch; three or fewer pits or scratches | Non-repairable damage over half an inch; four or more pits or scratches | | Tires | Tread ⅛ inch or deeper | Tread under ⅛ inch; wrong size or speed rating; cut, torn or plugged sidewalls; missing spare, jack or tools | | Wheels | Scratched wheel covers | Missing or broken covers; gouges of one inch or more; alloy wheels over 50% oxidized | | Interior | Scratches; stains that clean out easily | Tears, burns or singes; heavy stains that cannot be removed | | Everything else | No damage, Toyota-approved accessories only | Frame damage, aftermarket modifications, truck bed or tailgate damage, and any other damage costing $50 or more to repair, insured or not | Mileage works the usual way, and the rate is in your lease, not on the website. SETF’s own example assumes a 36-month lease with 36,000 miles allowed and an excess charge of $0.18 a mile: return it at 37,000 miles and the 1,000 extra miles cost $180. That rate is an illustration; yours may differ. SETF’s wear page stresses scheduled maintenance and notes that ToyotaCare covers regular maintenance for the first 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first. Then the bill: excess wear, excess mileage, past-due payments and charges “such as disposition fee and property tax,” per the wear page. SETF prints the disposition fee as $350, waivable if you lease or finance again with SETF. Its two lease-end pages disagree on timing: the invoice may arrive “Within one to two weeks” after turn-in (return timeline) or “within two to three weeks” after SETF is notified (wear page). Keep your inspection report and receipts until the balance is zero. ## SETF versus Toyota Financial Services: not the same lender Because both finance Toyotas, people often search one name for the other. They are separate companies with separate websites, contracts and terms; World Omni’s investor FAQ sends anyone with a World Omni contract to setf.com, and Toyota Financial Services is the brand of Toyota Motor Credit Corporation. The table sets SETF’s printed terms against those our [Toyota Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/) read on TFS’s pages on 6 October 2026. **What Southeast Toyota Finance (read 9 October 2026) and Toyota Financial Services (read 6 October 2026) each print on the same questions** | Question | Southeast Toyota Finance | Toyota Financial Services | | --- | --- | --- | | Company | World Omni Financial Corp. (JM Family) | Toyota Motor Credit Corporation | | How long a payoff quote is good | A good-through date on the payoff form; no fixed number printed | 10 days | | Title after payoff | Within a few days for certified funds; up to 14 business days after closing for a personal check | Paper title or lien release in 25 to 40 business days | | Excess mileage rate | In your lease; SETF’s example uses $0.18 | Typically $0.15 a mile | | Disposition fee | $350; waived if you finance or lease a new Toyota through SETF within 30 days | Waived (up to $350) for returning customers who meet TFS’s conditions | | Final lease invoice | One to two weeks, or two to three weeks, depending on the page | 60 to 120 days after return, per TFS’s lease-end guide | The practical rule: if your title or statement says World Omni or Southeast Toyota Finance, use only SETF’s site, phone line and payoff instructions. If it names Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, our TFS review applies; TMCC also services the accounts in our [Mazda Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/). ## GAP, insurance, add-ons and your data Whether you have GAP depends on the contract: for a loan, SETF says to check the “Other Charges” section; a lease has “a limited Guaranteed Auto Protection provision.” After a total loss SETF files the GAP claim, may ask for a police report, buyer’s order and affidavit of loss, and warns that GAP may not cover past-due payments, extensions, deductibles or earlier damage. It also cancels service contracts and other add-ons and applies the refunds to your balance. Our [GAP insurance guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) explains the product. Physical damage coverage is required, and World Omni’s prospectus says it performs “no ongoing verification of insurance coverage,” so keeping it in force is up to you. World Omni’s privacy notice (revised March 2024) says it shares customer information for all seven standard purposes and lets you limit three: affiliates’ use of your creditworthiness, affiliates’ marketing and nonaffiliates’ marketing; nonaffiliates “can include motor vehicle dealers” in the five states. Affiliates named include Southeast Toyota Distributors and CenterOne Financial Services LLC, a third-party servicer our [Volvo Car Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/volvo-car-financial-services-review/) found on Volvo’s licenses page. SETF’s terms treat use of its website as consent to calls and texts, including by automated dialing. ## What World Omni’s filings show about its loans and leases World Omni files prospectuses and monthly reports with the SEC for the trusts that fund its loans and leases, which gives a rare look at a privately owned lender. Its 2026-C prospectus says the retail book it services held 587,017 contracts and about $14.9 billion at 30 June 2026, and that World Omni has securitized about $70.4 billion of retail contracts since 1994 without any of its securitizations defaulting. The same document prints five years of portfolio performance: **World Omni’s fixed-rate retail portfolio, as its 2026-C prospectus prints it (filed 20 August 2026; percentages of contracts and of average balances)** | Period | Contracts | 31+ days delinquent | Repossessions | Net charge-offs | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 602,402 | 1.76% | 6,757 | 0.24% | | 2022 | 596,766 | 2.21% | 6,137 | 0.29% | | 2023 | 610,440 | 2.38% | 6,180 | 0.38% | | 2024 | 613,932 | 2.45% | 7,469 | 0.58% | | 2025 | 600,879 | 2.72% | 9,016 | 0.69% | | First half of 2026 | 587,017 | 2.60% | 4,873 | 0.81% (annualized) | By our arithmetic, the delinquency rate rose 0.96 points from 2021 to 2025, repossessions rose 33.4% and the net charge-off rate was 2.9 times its 2021 level, though still below 1%. The securitized pools are prime: the 2026-C pool of 34,343 contracts, which excludes FICO scores from 1 to 649, has a weighted average score of 758; 98.48% of its balance is on new Toyotas, 82.23% on terms over 60 months, and 97.56% in the five states (Florida 46.21%). In August 2026 the seasoned World Omni Auto Receivables Trust 2024-A reported 3.14% of its balance 31 or more days delinquent and cumulative net losses of 0.85%, with no delinquency trigger hit. Leases have shrunk: 95,935 outstanding at the end of 2025, down 34.9% from 147,367 at the end of 2021 by our arithmetic, per the 2026-A lease prospectus, with 1.67% 31 or more days delinquent. Its most striking table is turn-ins: of 23,693 leases scheduled to end in 2025, only 807 came back to World Omni (3%), against 22% in 2021. The prospectus says used-car values above the contract residual “may incentivize lessees to purchase or trade in the vehicle in lieu of turning it in.” World Omni’s investor page reports 2025 financing revenue of $1,711.7 million and long-term ratings of BBB+ (Fitch) and BBB (S&P). ## Regulators and CFPB complaints The CFPB’s enforcement-action search returns “no results” for “world omni,” “southeast toyota” and “jm family” (checked 9 October 2026). Searching “toyota” returns two listings for Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, a different company whose 2016 and 2023 orders our TFS review covers. Searching “omni” returns a consent order of 30 December 2020 (docket 2020-BCFP-0028) against Omni Financial of Nevada, Inc., a Las Vegas military-loan lender fined $2.175 million; it is not World Omni. World Omni’s prospectus says it has been under CFPB supervision since 31 August 2015 and that no legal or governmental proceedings material to noteholders are pending, and its ABS-15G for 2025 reports no repurchase demands. Web searches found no state attorney-general action naming World Omni or SETF; we did not search each state’s site, and the NMLS database blocked our reading. The CFPB’s complaint database has no Southeast Toyota Finance name; its company search returns only “World Omni Financial Corp.” Through 8 October 2026 that name has 1,755 complaints since February 2013, 686 of them (39.1%) about vehicle loans or leases since April 2017, plus 105 filed under the older “Consumer Loan” product. Another 687 concern credit reporting. Complaints are unverified, they scale with a lender’s size, and the name may also cover World Omni’s other servicing work. Even so, 87.7% came from the five SETF states, Florida alone 51.7%. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints filed with the CFPB against World Omni Financial Corp., by issue (received through 8 October 2026; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share of 686 | | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 215 | 31.3% | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 124 | 18.1% | | Repossession | 99 | 14.4% | | Getting a loan or lease | 94 | 13.7% | | Struggling to pay your loan | 66 | 9.6% | Billing problems lead with 89, fees 54 and add-on products 50; 43 (6.3%) are about not receiving the title after payoff. Loans account for 534 and leases 152. World Omni closed 21 vehicle complaints (3.1%) with relief, the rest with an explanation, and answered all but 2 on time. Complaints are rising: 397 arrived in 2025, up 52.7% on 2024 and 3.2 times the 2021 count, and the 137 vehicle complaints of 2026 to 8 October are already 93.8% of 2025’s 146. For scale, the database held 3,659 vehicle complaints against Toyota Motor Credit Corporation when our TFS review read it. ## If you have an SETF loan or lease - **Check the lienholder line** on your title or registration: World Omni Financial Corp. for a loan, World Omni LT and AL Holding Corp. for a lease. - **Pay from a bank account** through Auto Pay or setf.com; cards are not accepted, and MoneyGram may add a fee. - **Get each payment in within 10 days** of the due date to avoid a late charge, and ask before a deferral what it adds in interest. - **Pay off by mail with certified funds** and the printed payoff form, before its good-through date, and keep paying until it posts. - **Expect a lien release, not a paper title,** in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. - **In Florida, ask what the $500 title add-on covers** before buying out a lease, and send the Security Deposit and Titling form with the payoff. - **Book the lease inspection** 45 to 60 days out, fix what it finds with receipts, and return every key, the spare and the manual. - **Get loyalty cash and the disposition waiver in writing** if your next Toyota goes through SETF within 30 days. ## Common questions ### Is Southeast Toyota Finance the same as Toyota Financial Services? No. SETF is a trade name of World Omni Financial Corp., a JM Family company serving Toyota dealers in five southeastern states. Toyota Financial Services is Toyota Motor Credit Corporation. Their payment sites, payoff rules and lease terms differ. ### Who is World Omni Financial Corp.? The legal name behind SETF. Founded in 1981 and now owned by JM Family Enterprises, it buys contracts from Toyota dealers in the five states, owns leased cars through its World Omni LT trust, and has traded as Southeast Toyota Finance since 1996. Its own FAQ sends World Omni customers to setf.com. ### How do I pay Southeast Toyota Finance? Through Auto Pay or setf.com from a bank account, with no SETF fee; by phone, before 4 p.m. ET for same-day credit; by mail; or at a MoneyGram agent, which may charge a fee. No debit or credit cards. ### How long does SETF take to send the title after payoff? Within a few days for certified funds or a dealer payoff; up to 14 business days after the account closes for a personal check. In electronic-title states, including Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, you get a lien release instead of a paper title. ### What does SETF charge at the end of a lease? A $350 disposition fee unless you finance or lease a new Toyota through SETF within 30 days, plus excess mileage at your lease’s rate, excess wear, unpaid payments and property tax. ### Can I refinance or sell a car financed by SETF? Yes: the new lender or buyer’s dealer pays SETF the payoff amount, and SETF prints no prepayment penalty. For a lease, ask SETF first, because World Omni may refuse a third-party purchase. Shopping again? See our [Toyota certified pre-owned guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/toyota-certified-pre-owned/). ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/southeast-toyota-finance-review/ --- title: "Audi Financial Services Review: Paying, Payoff and Lease End" description: "Audi Financial Services is VW Credit, and newer Audi loans go to Wells Fargo. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end fees and the waiver catch." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Audi Financial Services Review: Paying, Payoff and Lease End > Audi Financial Services is VW Credit, and newer Audi loans go to Wells Fargo. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end fees and the waiver catch. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,732 words* ## The short version - Audi Financial Services is a name used by VW Credit, Inc., Volkswagen’s US lender. It keeps every Audi lease and the loans begun before 1 May 2025; newer loans are Audi Retail Finance, “owned and serviced by Wells Fargo.” - Payments come from a checking account only, online, by AutoPay or by automated phone; “Credit cards are not accepted.” A payment scheduled by 11:59 p.m. CT, Monday to Saturday, is credited for the date you pick. - After payoff, the title or lien release goes out in about 10 business days, plus DMV time; after a lease buyout, allow 2 to 4 weeks. Buying the leased car cancels the turn-in fee, wear and mileage charges. - At lease end only an AiM inspection counts, its report is valid for 90 days, and repairs must be done at an Audi Authorized Collision Repair Facility. The turn-in fee and per-mile rate are only in your lease; the fee is waived if your next Audi goes through Audi Financial Services within 90 days (FAQ) or 120 days (footnote). - Audi’s wear rules require matching tires on quattro cars and more than 1/8 inch of tread on every tire, the spare included. Optional Lease-End Protection waives up to $10,000 but excludes any single itemized charge over $1,000. - Audis were 51.63% by value of VW Credit’s newest public lease pool. The CFPB lists no Audi company name, so Audi complaints sit in VW Credit’s file, and we found no enforcement action against either name. Audi Financial Services is not a separate lender: it is the name VW Credit, Inc. uses with Audi customers, and since 1 May 2025 new Audi loans go to Wells Fargo instead. Most people searching for it want to pay, pay off a car, end a lease or find out who holds the contract. On 9 October 2026 we read what Audi publishes on those questions: the Current customers, Lease transition options, Turn-in process and Balloon contracts pages on audiusa.com, the [Audi Financial Services FAQ](https://www.audiusa.com/en/shopping-tools/financial-services-hub/faqs/), its Lease-End Protection and GAP pages, the footnote text behind their asterisks, and VW Credit’s Audi-branded online terms. We also read the Audi passages of VW Credit’s [prospectus for Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1182534/000110465926108497/tm2624876d11_424b5.htm). Facts Audi shares with Volkswagen are summarized from our [VW Credit review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/), read on 7 October 2026. We entered no login, payment or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Audi, VW Credit, Wells Fargo or any lender. **Figure: Audi Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of eight account tasks set against Audi Financial Services’ own pages: leases and loans begun before 1 May 2025 stay with Audi Financial Services, which is VW Credit, while newer loans belong to Wells Fargo; payments go online, by AutoPay or by automated phone from a checking account, with no online fees in VW Credit’s terms; credit cards are not accepted; a title follows about 10 business days after payoff, or 2 to 4 weeks after a lease buyout; lease returns need a free AiM inspection whose report is valid 90 days, with repairs only at an Audi Authorized Collision Repair Facility; the turn-in fee is waived if the next new or Certified Pre-owned Audi goes through Audi Financial Services within 90 days according to the FAQ or 120 days according to a footnote; Lease-End Protection waives up to $10,000 but excludes any single charge over $1,000; and extensions run three months, or up to six for select models. Read from Audi Financial Services’ pages, FAQ and footnotes on audiusa.com on 9 October 2026. No login, payment or credit application was entered. ## Who Audi Financial Services is The Audi Financial Services pages we read never print the words “VW Credit, Inc.” The legal entity appears one step away. VW Credit’s Online Access and Usage Agreement, the terms behind myAudi’s finance section, says “VW Credit, Inc. and its current and future affiliates is referred to as ‘we,’ ‘us,’ ‘our,’ ‘Audi Financial Services,’ and ‘Volkswagen Financial Services.’” A footnote in the library Audi’s pages load, though no page we read prints it, is plainer: “VW Credit, Inc. (dba Audi Financial Services) is a servicer for VW Credit Leasing, Ltd. And VCI Loan Services, LLC.” The FTC’s 2016 diesel order (FTC Matter 162 3006) likewise described “VW Credit Inc. d/b/a Volkswagen Credit and Audi Financial Services.” VW Credit’s prospectus adds that it was incorporated in Delaware in April 1981, is owned through Volkswagen US-Holding, Inc. by Volkswagen AG, and buys loans and leases from about 931 Volkswagen and Audi dealers. The dealer writes your contract; VW Credit buys and services it. **The company names on an Audi Financial Services account, as Audi’s pages and VW Credit’s terms and filings use them (read 9 October 2026)** | Name you may see | What it is | | --- | --- | | Audi Financial Services | The name on audiusa.com, myAudi and your statements; VW Credit’s terms say VW Credit and its affiliates go by it | | VW Credit, Inc. | The lender and servicer, owned by Volkswagen AG through Volkswagen US-Holding | | VW Credit Leasing, Ltd. | The trust that owns leased Audis; the FAQ says to list it as “the additionally insured and loss payee” | | VCI Account Services, LLC | The payee the FAQ names for a check that buys out a lease | | Audi Retail Finance | Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.’s name for Audi loans begun on or after 1 May 2025 | | VWFS Protection Services, Inc. | The obligor on Audi Pure Protection plans, administered by Safe-Guard Products International, LLC | ## Audi Financial Services or Wells Fargo: who holds your loan For loans, one date decides. Audi’s Current customers page says “For auto financing on or after May 1, 2025, your account is powered by Wells Fargo,” and “If you are a lease customer or started financing your Audi before May 1, 2025, you’re with Audi Financial Services.” The FAQ splits customers the same way and says its answers “apply to Audi Financial Services customers, only.” VW Credit’s prospectus traces the change to a deal announced on 16 September 2024 making Wells Fargo the “preferred purchase financing provider” for Volkswagen, Audi and Ducati, across more than 300 Audi dealerships. Even the page titled Finance an Audi now opens with “Audi Retail Finance powered by Wells Fargo,” so its terms “from 12 to 72 months” are Wells Fargo’s. For those newer loans, see our [Wells Fargo auto loan page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/#volkswagen-audi). Audi Financial Services customers get a welcome booklet with the account number “A few weeks after you leave the dealership”; you link the account in myAudi with that number, your Social Security number and email address. Linked, you can pay, cancel a pending payment, ask for a due-date change or payoff quote, and send secure messages. We have left phone numbers off this page; the FAQ lists them, and VW Credit’s terms give customer-service hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. ## How to pay Audi Financial Services, and when a payment counts The FAQ says “We only accept checking accounts as a form of monthly payment” and repeats “Credit cards are not accepted” throughout its payment answers. Your first invoice comes by mail; because the first due date can come first, Audi suggests paying through the automated phone line before your account details arrive. **Ways to pay an Audi Financial Services account, per Audi’s FAQ and VW Credit’s terms, read 9 October 2026** | Method | Fee printed | What the pages add | | --- | --- | --- | | AutoPay in myAudi | None; “no monthly or transaction fees for Online Service(s)” | One enrollment per vehicle; closed to accounts with a past-due payment | | One-time payment online | None | Can be cancelled while “Pending,” not once “Posted” | | Automated phone line | None printed | Account number or Social Security number; checking account only | | Check | None printed | Named only for a lease buyout, payable to VCI Account Services, LLC | | Credit or debit card | Not accepted | “Credit cards are not accepted” | Every payment answer uses the same rule: “If you scheduled your payment by 11:59 p.m. CT, Monday through Saturday, it will be credited to your account for the date you selected.” Sunday and bank-holiday payments are credited “on the second business day,” and the FAQ asks you to “allow up to 6 business days for the payment to withdraw from your account.” VW Credit’s ACH authorization, read for our VW Credit page, says payments are processed at 5 p.m. CT on the chosen date, so near a due date, schedule a day early. If your AutoPay date falls after your next due date or “within 12 calendar days before” it, Audi says to make a one-time payment that month. Lessees in 11 states, from Alaska and Connecticut to Texas and Virginia, may also face personal property tax: local offices bill Audi Financial Services, which adds the tax to your balance, and AutoPay collects it with the payment. An invoice showing two payments due, the FAQ says, “reflects past due payments + late fees + your standard monthly payment.” Save statements as they arrive: the FAQ promises “the last 12 months” online, VW Credit’s terms “up to a maximum of 90 days.” And the FAQ prints its email addresses at audifs.com while the links behind them open vwcredit.com addresses, so for anything you need a record of, use the secure Message Center in myAudi. ## Falling behind, deferrals and accidents If money is short, the FAQ says “you may be eligible to receive payment assistance” and asks for a secure message. For leases the usual tool is a deferral, and Audi is clear about the cost: “if you deferred two months of payments, instead of having one monthly payment due on your final payment date, you would have three monthly payments due,” with late charges and “credit reporting impacts” if that bill is not paid in full. The Turn-in process page says that if you lease or buy a new Audi through Audi Financial Services, you “may be able to roll over your remaining payments, including any deferred payments,” subject to credit approval. That moves the debt into the next contract rather than clearing it. Audi’s pages say nothing on repossession; our [VW Credit review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/#falling-behind) reads VW Credit’s collection steps, and our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers your rights. After an accident, keep paying: the FAQ says to “Continue to make timely payments on your account until you are notified that the account is closed.” If you bought GAP from an outside insurer, “you must file a claim with that GAP carrier.” A lease must carry the coverage printed “on the back of your contract,” with VW Credit Leasing, Ltd. as loss payee. ## Paying off, buying out a lease and getting the title A payoff starts with “Request payoff quote” in myAudi. Audi does not print how long a quote stays good, so check the date on it. Then: “Paper titles are generally mailed and electronic titles and/or liens are released to the DMV approximately 10 business days after the account is paid in full,” with possible “additional processing time at the DMV.” Two versions of the payoff answer sit on the same FAQ page: one sends the title once the car is paid off “and you have completed and returned the Bill of Sale and Odometer Statement”; the other drops that condition. If a title is late, ask whether Audi is waiting for paperwork. Audi Financial Services “does not refinance vehicles at this time,” so refinancing means another lender pays it off; see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). You can buy a leased Audi “at any time during your lease.” “Get a payoff quote” produces a package with a bill of sale, odometer statement, titling page and checklist. Pay online or by check to VCI Account Services, LLC, and “allow 2-4 weeks to receive your title and final purchase documents”; Audi says a cashier’s check speeds things up. A security deposit lowers the price, and Audi “cannot release the title in the name of a third party.” In Colorado, Florida and South Dakota, “Any off-lease purchase must be made at your local or preferred Audi dealership.” Buying clears the lease-end bill: “You do not have to pay a turn-in fee, excess wear and use, or excess mileage if you purchase your vehicle.” Whether buying pays depends on the price in your lease against market value. VW Credit’s prospectus shows stated residuals on Volkswagen and Audi leases scheduled to end in the first half of 2026 averaged 56.84% of sticker price, against 49.73% from the independent publisher ALG, so compare your quote with what the car would fetch; our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) shows how. If you do not buy, the prospectus says the car is offered to the dealer where it was returned “for 48 hours via AudiDirect.com and VolkswagenDirect.com,” then to other dealers and auctions. Balloon contracts work differently: Audi says “you automatically became the owner of your vehicle.” At the end you either sell the car back, signing a Power of Attorney form and Motor Vehicle Sales Agreement before a notary (both mailed “approximately 90 days before your term ends”), or pay the balance in one sum. Here Audi’s pages conflict: the Balloon contracts page says “You may also have the opportunity to refinance your vehicle,” while the FAQ says Audi Financial Services does not refinance. The FAQ points to your Balloon Addendum for the details, so read it first. ## Ending an Audi lease: inspection, repairs and the turn-in Audi’s calendar: explore options with 6 months left, assess wear at 3 months, book the complimentary inspection at 45 days, make the final payment at 30 days, and turn in or buy the car at 0 days. The FAQ says to contact “AiM, a third-party inspection company,” which inspects “at your home, office, or dealership,” and that “Audi Financial Services only accepts inspections done by AiM.” The Turn-in process page says “This inspection is free” and the report “will be valid for 90 days, provided no additional damage occurs.” Skip it and, per VW Credit’s prospectus, the inspection happens at the dealership where you return the car. Repairs may be made “at an Audi Authorized Collision Repair Facility prior to turn-in,” but “You cannot repair the items on the inspection report yourself,” and anything unrepaired goes on the final invoice. Send the repair order, VIN or account number and proof of payment before the return; if you are billed anyway, the FAQ says the receipts “will be reviewed, charges will be adjusted accordingly.” “The dealer where you leased your vehicle is required to take your vehicle back”; any other Audi dealer may refuse, so call first. The FAQ says the dealer gives you the Lessee Vehicle Return Receipt and the Odometer Disclosure Statement to upload in myAudi; the Turn-in process page calls the paper a “Vehicle Turn-In Form.” Keep whatever you are handed, and cancel insurance only after Audi receives the documents “and confirm this with you.” California lessees must file a release of liability, with $0.00 as the selling price, as our [release of liability guide](https://baronauto1.com/guides/release-of-liability/#how-to-file) explains. The final invoice comes “within six weeks” of Audi receiving the odometer statement, says the FAQ, or “in about four to six weeks,” says the Turn-in process page; your security deposit is applied and any remainder returned. ## The turn-in fee, extra miles and Audi’s wear rules The FAQ lists what a final invoice may include: unpaid payments or taxes, personal property tax, parking tickets, excess wear and use, excess mileage, the turn-in fee, late payment fees, “Late vehicle return fees” and other contractual charges. The turn-in fee is Audi’s disposition fee and “goes toward cleaning and reconditioning the vehicle for its next owner.” No Audi page we read prints its amount, the late-return fee or the per-mile rate; VW Credit’s prospectus calls it “the turn-in fee, if any, specified in the lease.” **The waiver window depends on which Audi page you read.** The FAQ waives the turn-in fee “if you lease or purchase a new or Certified Pre-owned Audi through Audi Financial Services within 90 days of returning your leased vehicle.” The footnote on the Lease transition options page says “within 120 days,” 30 days longer by our arithmetic, and “Offer not valid in Puerto Rico.” The Turn-in process page charges the fee “If you didn’t lease a new vehicle,” leaving buyers out. Volkswagen’s pages carry the same conflict. Replace the car within 90 days through Audi Financial Services and get the waiver in writing; since new Audi loans now go to Wells Fargo, ask before you replace the car with a financed purchase. Standard leases allow “typically 15,000 or fewer per year,” and for miles over the allowance the Turn-in process page says to “Refer to your lease agreement for the per-mile rate.” “Eligible customers will have the option to purchase additional miles at the halfway point,” subject to “eligibility, availability, and applicable fees”; no price is printed. Our [lease or buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) explains allowances. Audi’s wear examples include rules particular to the brand. Every tire on a quattro car must match “brand, size, and rating,” while Audis without quattro may mix tire types of the same size, rating and quality as the originals. Snow tires and retreads count as excess wear, and so does “Damage to convertible top.” The FAQ also warns against accessories that stop the car going back in its original condition. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a scuffed alloy wheel mark the tire, its sidewall and the scuffed spoke, with Audi Financial Services' tread rule at lease end, its matching-tire rule for quattro cars, and how it treats wheel damage. Audi Financial Services’ lease-end pages and FAQ, read on 9 October 2026, bill tread under 1/8 inch on any tire as excess wear (callout 1), require every tire on a quattro to match in brand, size and rating (callout 2), and treat minor wheel scuffs as normal wear but bill gouged or bent wheels (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Examples of normal and excess wear on Audi Financial Services’ Turn-in process page, read 9 October 2026 (examples, not a complete list)** | Area | Normal wear and use | Excess wear and use | | --- | --- | --- | | Body | Scratches, dents or gouges smaller than 2 inches; three or fewer quarter-sized dings per panel | Damage larger than 2 inches; more than three dings per panel; improperly completed body repairs; missing badges or trim | | Glass | A single windshield chip without spidering | Multiple chips, cracks or pits over 1/8 of an inch; improperly tinted windows | | Interior | Minor staining or carpet wear; keys, manuals, headrests and cargo cover present | Holes, tears, burns or singes; excessive staining; damage to a convertible top | | Mechanical | All equipment working | Service lights on; uncompleted warranty repairs or scheduled maintenance | | Tires and wheels | Every tire, the spare included, with more than 1/8 of an inch of tread; minor wheel scuffs | Any tire under 1/8 of an inch; mismatched tires on a quattro car; retreads or snow tires; heavily gouged, bent or broken wheels | | Modifications | None listed | Aftermarket changes not removed; color changes or non-OEM paint | Even the measuring guide’s timing differs: the FAQ says a booklet with “a small measuring tool” arrives “90 days prior to the end of your lease,” the Turn-in process page “A few months prior.” Measure dents and tread yourself before the inspection. ## Extending, leaving early, transferring, and returning-customer programs The footnote on the Lease transition options page sets the extension terms: lessees “can extend their current lease for an additional three months, or up to six months for select models,” the mileage allowance rises “by a prorated amount,” and Lease-End Protection runs “for 180 days beyond the contract lease maturity date.” The lease must have “no past due payments, taxes, fines, late fees, government fees or other amounts,” you “may also have to pay a turn-in fee,” and “Not all lessees will qualify.” A second version in the same footnote library, attached to no page we read, offers “up to six months, or twelve months for select models”; VW Credit’s prospectus says “up to a maximum of six months.” Rely on what Audi confirms in writing. Leaving early costs money, and Audi prints only the warning: “The earlier you end the lease, the greater this charge is likely to be.” VW Credit’s prospectus describes “Lease Pull Ahead incentives” that “may include waiver of one or more monthly payments” for select lessees who lease a new car early, so ask the dealer whether one applies. On transfers the FAQ gives two answers: “Eligibility is based upon state laws and account details,” and Audi Financial Services “does not allow transfers or additions of parties to assume liability under normal circumstances,” except after an account holder’s death. Yet the Lease-End Protection page calls that plan “Transferable for a fee if another private party assumes your lease agreement.” Ask by secure message before you plan a hand-off; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares lessors. Returning customers are offered the fee waiver, a possible security-deposit waiver, a loyalty bonus and pre-approval. The loyalty bonus is a standing program with no printed amount: “Audi of America may pay a bonus toward the lease or purchase of select new, unused Audi models.” It is “not available for Audi e-tron,” is “paid to dealer,” and is “subject to change or termination at any time.” Pre-approval goes to customers “not being delinquent for more than 10 days”; for loan customers that test covers “the previous 30 payments,” while the lease sentence says “the previous payments” with no number. A credit application is still required, and the new car “must be financed through Audi Financial Services.” Audi also lists five standing special programs: College Graduate, First-time Buyer, Foreign Business Professional, Expatriate and Military. The First-time Buyer program is “Available for leasing only,” for people who “have never had automotive credit,” with a payment of no more than 18% of gross monthly income; the College Graduate and Foreign Business Professional programs cover leases or loans, approved “by Audi Financial Services or Wells Fargo.” We quote no monthly offers, which change often. ## Lease-End Protection, GAP and the other add-ons Audi Pure Protection is a family of nine optional products from VWFS Protection Services, Inc., which Audi says “is optional and is not insurance” and “not required for you to obtain financing.” Our [Audi extended warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-extended-warranty/) reads the repair plans; two matter here. Lease-End Protection, sold only to VW Credit Leasing, Ltd. customers and not in New York, “Waives covered excess wear and tear charges up to $10,000,” waives “up to 500 excess miles,” covers missing parts “up to $150” and has no deductible; cancelling costs a fee after 30 days. But it excludes “Any itemized excess wear and use charge that exceeds $1,000.” By our arithmetic it takes at least 10 separate charges at that limit to reach the $10,000 maximum, so the plan helps most with many small charges, and one large repair is excluded. GAP is for loans only: “GAP is not available for purchase on a lease vehicle.” On a loan it waives some or all of the shortfall after a total loss, with “No maximum dollar amount on covered losses waived,” plus up to $1,000 of the insurance deductible where states allow; GAP Plus adds a $2,000 credit toward a replacement car at the selling dealer. It excludes late fees, missed payments, ride-share use and loans you have refinanced. See our [GAP insurance guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing). ## What VW Credit’s filings and the regulators show VW Credit reports no figures for Audi alone, but its bond prospectuses show how much of its lease book is Audi. Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B holds 35,178 leases cut off on 31 July 2026, and Audis are 51.63% of it by value. By our count of the model rows that is 15,135 Audi leases, 43.02% of the total: Audis carry larger balances. Across seven lease pools from VALT 2022-A to VALT 2026-B, the Audi share ran from 45.77% to 54.75%. **Audi models in the Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B pool, cut off 31 July 2026 (share of Audi leases is our arithmetic)** | Model | Leases | Share of the pool’s value | Share of Audi leases | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Q5 | 4,892 | 16.54% | 32.3% | | Q6 e-tron | 2,265 | 7.63% | 15% | | Q4 e-tron | 1,560 | 4.04% | 10.3% | | A5 | 1,541 | 5.09% | 10.2% | | Q3 | 1,454 | 4.32% | 9.6% | | A6 | 818 | 3.30% | 5.4% | | Q7 | 686 | 3.12% | 4.5% | | Q8 e-tron | 580 | 1.86% | 3.8% | | A3 | 453 | 1.26% | 3% | | Q8 | 299 | 1.72% | 2% | | 13 other Audi models | 587 | 2.75% | 3.9% | Electric models account for 4,608 of the Audi leases, 30.4% by our arithmetic, which matters because the loyalty bonus excludes e-tron models. For the whole Volkswagen and Audi book, our [VW Credit review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/#the-filings) reads the same prospectus: 464,079 leases at 30 June 2026, 0.89% of them 31 or more days late, with 47.2% of the leases due in the first half of 2026 handed back. The last public loan pool, filed in November 2025, was 36.51% Audi, and none has followed. We found no enforcement action against Audi Financial Services or VW Credit. On 9 October 2026 the CFPB’s enforcement list returned nothing for “vw credit,” and a title search for “audi” returned three unrelated actions (VyStar Credit Union, Freedom Mortgage Corporation and a loan-audit firm). VW Credit has been under CFPB supervision since 31 August 2015. The diesel case touched Audi leases without making VW Credit a defendant: the FTC’s court-approved order, filed 10/25/16, defined eligible lessees by a lease from VW Credit. The CFPB’s complaint database has no Audi Financial Services name; its company lookup returned only audit firms for “audi.” Audi complaints therefore sit under “VW Credit,” which held 2,622 complaints from 7 May 2012 to 24 September 2026, 1,080 about vehicle loans or leases. Of those, 120 concerned getting a title after payoff, 53 mileage, damage or wear fees, and 52 ending a lease early; VW Credit closed 28.9% of them with relief, against 9.4% across the product. Complaints are unverified consumer reports that grow with a lender’s size, and since 30 September 2026 the CFPB publishes no narratives. Our [VW Credit review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/#complaints) breaks the file down. ## If you have an Audi Financial Services loan or lease - **Check who holds the account.** A loan begun on or after 1 May 2025 is with Wells Fargo; leases and older loans are with Audi Financial Services. - **Pay from a checking account a day early.** The FAQ says 11:59 p.m. CT; VW Credit’s ACH terms say 5 p.m. CT. - **Chase a late title.** About 10 business days after payoff, plus DMV time; ask whether Audi is waiting for your Bill of Sale and Odometer Statement. - **Find the turn-in fee and per-mile rate in your lease.** Audi’s pages print neither. - **Book the free AiM inspection about 45 days out.** The report lasts 90 days; repair only at an Audi Authorized Collision Repair Facility. - **Check every tire.** Matching brand, size and rating on a quattro car, and more than 1/8 inch of tread on each, the spare included. - **Keep the return paperwork and your insurance** until Audi confirms the return. - **Replace the car within 90 days for the waiver**, not 120, and get it in writing. ## Common questions ### Is Audi Financial Services the same as VW Credit? Yes. VW Credit, Inc.’s online terms say VW Credit and its affiliates are referred to as Audi Financial Services, and the FTC’s 2016 order describes “VW Credit Inc. d/b/a Volkswagen Credit and Audi Financial Services.” The exception is newer loans: Audi loans begun on or after 1 May 2025 are Audi Retail Finance, owned and serviced by Wells Fargo. ### Who services my Audi loan if I financed after May 2025? Wells Fargo, through Wells Fargo Online or its mobile app. Leases of any date, and loans begun before 1 May 2025, stay with Audi Financial Services in myAudi. Our [Wells Fargo auto loan page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/#volkswagen-audi) covers the newer loans. ### Can I pay Audi Financial Services with a credit card? No. “Credit cards are not accepted,” and only checking accounts are. Pay by AutoPay, online in myAudi or by automated phone; a payment scheduled by 11:59 p.m. CT, Monday to Saturday, is credited for the date you choose. ### How long does Audi Financial Services take to send the title after payoff? About 10 business days after the account is paid in full, plus DMV processing. After a lease buyout, allow 2 to 4 weeks. One FAQ answer makes the title wait for your signed Bill of Sale and Odometer Statement, so return them promptly. ### How much is the Audi turn-in fee, and how do I avoid it? The amount is in your lease, not on Audi’s pages. It is waived if you lease or buy a new or Certified Pre-owned Audi through Audi Financial Services within 90 days, says the FAQ, or 120 days, says a footnote; buying your leased car also avoids it. Our [Audi Certified Pre-owned guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/audi-certified-pre-owned/) explains that program. ### Can I extend, transfer or refinance an Audi lease or loan? Extensions run three months, or up to six for select models, if the lease is fully current. Transfers get two conflicting FAQ answers, so ask by secure message. Audi Financial Services “does not refinance vehicles at this time”; see our [preapproval guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/). Our reviews of [Acura Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/), [Southeast Toyota Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/southeast-toyota-finance-review/), [Mazda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/) and [BMW Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/) read other carmakers’ lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [California DMV, notice of transfer and release of liability](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/notice-of-transfer-and-release-of-liability/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Acura Financial Services Review: Payoff, Lease End and Who Holds It" description: "Who stands behind Acura Financial Services, how to pay and pay off, the Acura Loyalty Advantage mileage and wear waivers, and where AFS’s own pages disagree." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Acura Financial Services Review: Payoff, Lease End and Who Holds It > Who stands behind Acura Financial Services, how to pay and pay off, the Acura Loyalty Advantage mileage and wear waivers, and where AFS’s own pages disagree. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,947 words* ## The short version - Acura Financial Services (AFS) is a trade name of American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC), Honda’s US lender, and Acura leases are titled to Honda Lease Trust or its trustee, HVT, Inc. The old acurafinancialservices.com address forwards to acura.americanhondafinance.com. - One-Time Payment and EasyPay from a bank account are free; AFS takes no credit cards, and ACI Pay, Western Union and MoneyGram charge their own fees. A payment made after 2:00 p.m. Pacific counts the next business day. - The payoff quote is on your statement, by phone or in your account, with no printed expiry. A lien release or lease title takes about 2 to 3 weeks on average, AFS says, but a lease buyout title waits until AFS has your signed odometer form. - Every Acura Luxury Lease includes a $750 wear-and-use waiver, up to $1,500 if you buy or lease another new Acura or Honda within 30 days of turn-in. Honda’s figures are $500 and $1,000. - The Acura Loyalty Advantage is what sets AFS apart: half your excess miles waived and up to 15,000 unused miles carried forward, but only if your next new Acura goes through AFS. AFS words the 7,500-mile limit two different ways. - Only you or an authorized Honda or Acura dealer can buy the car at lease end, at a price that is not negotiable. AFS prints no turn-in fee amount and no per-mile charge; both are in your lease. Most people who search “Acura Financial Services” want to pay, pay off a loan, end a lease or find out who actually holds their contract. On 9 October 2026 we read what AFS publishes on those questions on its own site: its [Acura Loyalty Advantage](https://acura.americanhondafinance.com/s/acura-loyalty-advantage-pre-login) page, its [End of Lease](https://acura.americanhondafinance.com/s/end-of-lease-pre-login) and Payment Options pages, 31 help articles, its privacy notice, its odometer and title form and the Legal Terms and Conditions the site links. We checked the passages of AHFC’s 10-K for the year to 31 March 2026 that name AFS or describe how leases are held. AHFC’s regulator record is shared with Honda, so we summarise it from our [Honda Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/), read on 6 October 2026. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Acura, AHFC or any lender. **Figure: Acura Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of seven questions set against Acura Financial Services’ own pages: the account is held by American Honda Finance Corporation, with leased cars titled to Honda Lease Trust or HVT, Inc.; paying from a bank account by One-Time Payment or EasyPay is free, credit cards are not accepted, and ACI Pay, Western Union and MoneyGram charge their own fees; returning lessees who lease or finance a new Acura through AFS get half their excess miles waived, with a 7,500-mile limit AFS words two ways; up to 15,000 unused miles, rounded up to the next 1,000, carry to the next Acura Luxury Lease; every Acura Luxury Lease waives $750 of wear, up to $1,500 for clients who buy or lease again within 30 days of turn-in; the turn-in fee is set by state and contract; and only the lessee or an authorized Honda or Acura dealer may buy the leased car. Read from Acura Financial Services’ Acura Loyalty Advantage, End of Lease and Payment Options pages and help articles on 9 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Acura Financial Services is Three of AHFC’s own documents answer this the same way. The Legal Terms and Conditions page on the Acura site says: “Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services are DBAs of American Honda Finance Corporation.” The AFS privacy notice (form AFS-50PP2-26) names who is providing it as “Acura Financial Services a dba of American Honda Finance Corporation and its affiliates, which include financial and insurance companies,” and ends: “Acura Financial Services is a DBA of American Honda Finance Corporation.” And AHFC’s 10-K says: “In the United States and Canada, we provide our financing products under the brand names Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services.” So your contract is with AHFC, a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. A lease adds one more name. The 10-K explains that when AHFC buys a US lease from the dealer, the dealer assigns its rights “to either our wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Lease Trust (HLT) or its trustee, HVT, Inc., depending on the applicable state,” and that HLT is “a trust established to take assignments of and serve as holder of legal title to leased automobiles.” That is why the odometer form an Acura lessee signs at buyout lists the lessor as “Honda Lease Trust or HVT, Inc. or HVT, Inc., Trustee for Honda Lease Trust.” The website has moved. Both www.acurafinancialservices.com and its robots file redirected to acura.americanhondafinance.com when we checked on 9 October 2026. That site greets you with “Welcome to Acura Financial Services,” yet it is the same account system Honda customers use: a help article on the Acura site says “The Honda Financial Services site is for anyone who has financed or leased any Honda or Acura products,” and the header logo’s alt text on the Acura pages we read is “Honda Financial Services.” Of the 124 help articles in the Acura site’s sitemap, only two are about Acura alone, both on the Acura Loyalty Advantage. AHFC’s About Us page says it began retail financing for Honda and Acura cars in California “in May 1986” and retail leasing in “April 1990.” Like HFS, AFS is an indirect lender: the dealer writes the contract and sets the rate you see, and AHFC buys it. If you are still shopping, a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from another lender gives you a rate to hold the dealer to; AFS’s own pre-approval page says its credit decision “typically takes one business day after you apply.” ## How to pay Acura Financial Services, and what each way costs AFS’s payments article opens “You have six payment options,” and its Payment Options page lists a few more. The routes AFS runs itself all draw on a checking or savings account; the card and cash routes go through outside companies that set their own fees. **Ways to pay an Acura Financial Services account, as AFS’s Payment Options page and payments article describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Method | What AFS says it needs | Fee, as AFS prints it | | --- | --- | --- | | One-Time Payment, online | A checking or savings account, in your AFS login | “provided free of charge” (shared help article) | | EasyPay automatic payments | A recurring monthly draft from checking or savings | “provided free of charge” (shared help article) | | Automated phone line | “a bank account saved to your online payment profile” | “our free automated system” | | Customer Service by phone | Bank account or debit card, per the payments article | None printed | | Mail, or your bank’s bill pay | The payment address on your statement | None printed | | Debit card through ACI Pay | A third-party vendor | “ACI Pay assesses a processing fee”; no amount | | Western Union Quick Collect | Account number and the code ACURAFINANCE, CA | “Western Union fees and terms apply” | | MoneyGram | Account number and the receive code AFS prints | “MoneyGram fees and terms apply” | | Credit card | Not accepted | “We are unable to accept credit cards” | The one detail that is genuinely Acura’s own is the Western Union code. AFS tells you to give “your finance account number and city and state code: ACURAFINANCE, CA.” Use the code and payment address printed for Acura, not ones you find on a Honda page or a forum, or the payment can sit unmatched while the due date passes. Timing matters more than method. The terms on the Acura site say “any payment transacted electronically after 2:00 p.m. PT (Pacific Time) or on a non-business day will be processed the following business day,” and “Payments will be posted to your account within 1-2 business days.” On the East Coast that is 5:00 p.m., by our arithmetic. A shared help article, read for our Honda review, adds that “The date of payment will be honored by Honda and Acura Financial Services, regardless of the date that the payment is deducted from your bank account.” Late fees are not printed anywhere AFS publishes: “a late charge may be assessed to your account and interest will continue to accrue. Refer to your contract for specific information regarding late charges.” AFS’s articles on EasyPay, extra principal, returned payments and due dates are the same ones Honda customers get; our Honda review covers them under [paying](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#paying) and [extra payments](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#extra-payments), including the trap that an EasyPay draft still goes out if you have already paid by another route that month. Looking for a phone number? AFS’s Contact Us page asks for your product and the state where the car was acquired before showing one, and your statement prints yours. Lease-end questions go to the Lease Maturity Center, which has its own Acura line, the same in each of the three AFS articles that give it. ## Payoff quotes, title and the security deposit AFS says “Payoff quotes are located on your monthly statement. You can also call the toll-free number printed on your statement or log into your finance account.” No AFS page we read says how many days a quote stays good, so get a fresh one on the day you pay. On a lease, the estimated payoff falls more slowly than you might expect: “Your payment consists of depreciation and a rent charge (which is the cost of having a lease) and possibly taxes. Only the depreciation amount is applied to your payoff.” **What AFS says you receive after a payoff, and when (help articles read 9 October 2026)** | Situation | What you receive | AFS’s stated timing | | --- | --- | --- | | Retail loan paid off | A lien release, to take to your state agency | 2 to 3 weeks on average, after the final payment clears | | Lease paid off by a bank, credit union or dealer | The title goes to whoever paid | 2 to 3 weeks on average | | You buy your lease and mail the odometer form with the check | Title | 3 to 4 weeks by standard mail | | You pay online and email or fax the odometer form | Title | 2 to 3 business days to process the form, then 3 to 4 weeks | | You paid but never sent the odometer form | Title, once the form arrives by one of three routes | 2 to 3 business days, then 3 to 4 weeks | | Lease garaged in Ohio | Title, under Ohio’s own form | “up to 4-6 weeks” | | Leadership Purchase Plan paid off | No odometer form needed | Not stated | The odometer form is where lease buyouts stall. AFS says “Your vehicle title cannot be released until we receive the Odometer Disclosure Statement form,” because “federal law requires disclosure of the vehicle mileage in connection with the transfer of ownership.” The form served from the Acura site is Honda-branded: you fill everything “up to the ‘Lessor Information’ section which will be completed by Honda Financial Services,” and it warns: “Select a checkbox (Selecting 2 or 3 will invalidate the odometer form.)” Box 1 certifies the reading is the actual mileage. If you already paid without it, AFS has a separate article for that case: “You have three options to send in your missing documents,” by email, fax or mail. Confirm your address on file before you pay. If your Acura lease began with a security deposit, AFS says it “is generally released upon receipt of payoff if there is no outstanding auto lease balance or pending property taxes due on your account.” AFS gives no number of days, and it names pending property taxes as one thing that can hold the deposit back. ## Ending an Acura lease: buy it, hand it back or extend AHFC’s 10-K says lease accounts move to its Lease Maturity Center “six months prior to the end of the given lease term,” and AFS’s End of Lease page picks up the same point: “When you reach the final six months of your lease, we invite you to explore these three options.” They are return the car and lease a new Honda or Acura, buy it, or return it. Two to three months before the end, AFS tells you to call the Lease Maturity Center and “ask if you qualify for Honda Loyalty Benefits or the Acura Loyalty Advantage,” and to book the free inspection. **No outside dealer or buyer can purchase the car from AFS.** AFS says: “We are unable to conduct third-party sales. In accordance with the HFS and AFS lease agreement, lease purchases are only available to the lessee or authorized Honda and Acura dealers. Leased vehicles not purchased must be returned to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer.” An offer from an independent dealer or an online buyer can only work if you buy the car yourself first. Our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares what other lessors allow. The buyout price is fixed. Asked whether it can be negotiated, AFS answers: “No, this amount is determined at the beginning of your lease or Leadership Purchase Plan, is included in your contract, and is used to determine your monthly payments.” You get a purchase quote online or from the automated line, though “If you live in IL or OH, certain conditions require that you speak with a Lease-End Specialist.” You then pay “the full purchase amount (including state sales tax, if any),” and “If you would prefer to finance your lease purchase through HFS or AFS, please contact your Honda or Acura dealer to determine eligibility for financing.” Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains how the residual in that price was set. If you hand the car back, AHFC’s 10-K says “the grounding dealer initially has the exclusive right to purchase the vehicle at the contractual residual value,” then Honda and Acura dealers bid through its VIPS online auction, and only then “the auction is opened to any dealer.” Few cars get that far: our Honda review found that in the year to 31 March 2026, 272 thousand of AHFC’s 279 thousand US lease terminations were bought by the lessee or the dealer, 97.5% by our arithmetic. If the lease has ended and you still have the car, call: AFS offers a lease extension, “which adds additional time to your existing lease,” through a “Request Lease Extension” link “if available on your account dashboard” or by phone, and adds “Conditions apply.” AFS prints none of the conditions. Bring all keys, the owner’s manual, maintenance records, the Vehicle Return Receipt, the inspection report and repair receipts to the Honda or Acura dealer, and if the dealer has promised to cover your last payments, AFS says to “follow up with your dealer to ensure they are made on time.” Want to keep your plates? Call the Lease Maturity Center “for a letter advising that you may keep the license plates.” ## The turn-in fee, wear and mileage, as AFS prints them AFS lists what can land on the final bill: “Wear-and-use or damage, outstanding payments, excessive mileage, turn-in fee, and any other outstanding obligations specified in your vehicle lease agreement.” It prints no dollar figure for any of them. The turn-in fee, which other lessors call a disposition fee, “depends on your state. See your lease contract for details.” Excess miles are the same: “If you go over your mileage allowance, charges may apply. Please review your lease agreement for details.” One line on the End of Lease page is easy to miss: “The turn-in fee, outstanding wear-and-use or damage charges, and excess mileage may be subject to applicable sales tax.” And the bill comes later: “If any end-of-term liabilities apply, these items will be billed at a later time.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a key fob passing between two hands mark the fob, the giving hand and the receiving hand, with Acura Financial Services' excess-mile waiver, its wear waiver, and who may buy the car at lease end. Acura Financial Services’ lease-end and loyalty pages, read on 9 October 2026, waive half of excess miles up to 7,500 if your next Acura goes through AFS (callout 1), waive $750 of wear, or up to $1,500 if you buy or lease again (callout 2), and let only you or an authorized Honda or Acura dealer buy the car at lease end (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Your mileage allowance is on your lease agreement, and AFS says that once it is signed “you cannot change your mileage allowance.” The Acura Loyalty Advantage page lists the allowances an Acura Luxury Lease offers: “Choose from 7,500, 10,000, 12,000 or 15,000 miles per year, and additional miles can be purchased at signing.” AFS says miles bought up front cost less than paying for them at the end, but “If you do not use all the miles you purchase, no refund is made.” Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers how to size an allowance. The inspection is free, and AFS says you can book it online with your account number and VIN. When to do it depends on which AFS page you read: the inspection article says “in the last two scheduled months of your lease contract,” the End of Lease page “Two to three months before.” Either way, leave time to fix things. AFS says you can return the car unrepaired and “receive a bill for the cost of excess wear and use,” and asks you to call the Lease Maturity Center first, “as some damages may be covered by your Excessive Wear-and-Use or Damage Waiver.” If you do repair, one clause matters: “the use of Honda and Acura Genuine parts is a requirement of lease agreements.” The Acura site links the same inspection guide PDF as the Honda site, byte for byte: scratches longer than 3 inches, dents over 1.5 inches and tires under 4/32 inch of tread are among its chargeable examples ([full table](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#lease-charges)). ## The Acura Luxury Lease and the Acura Loyalty Advantage, line by line This is where AFS differs from Honda Financial Services. AFS calls its standard lease the Acura Luxury Lease, and says it “comes with the exclusive benefits of the Acura Loyalty Advantage,” a standing program, not a monthly offer. Its page lists six features. Three apply to every Acura Luxury Lease: “term choices from 24 to 60 months,” the four mileage allowances above, and GAP, which AFS says “generally covers the difference between insurance payments and the outstanding lease if your vehicle is stolen or deemed a total loss” and “is standard on all Acura Luxury Leases.” That built-in lease GAP is not the same product as the Acura Care GAP a dealer may sell you; see our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) and our [Acura extended warranty review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-extended-warranty/#lender). The other three features depend on what you do next. **Acura Loyalty Advantage benefits as AFS’s page, footnotes and help articles state them (read 9 October 2026)** | Benefit | What AFS says you get | The condition, in AFS’s words | | --- | --- | --- | | Wear-and-use waiver | $750 on every Acura Luxury Lease | None: “The Acura Luxury Lease includes a $750 Excessive Wear-and-Use or Damage Waiver” | | Loyalty wear waiver | “An additional $750”; total “not to exceed $1,500” | Buy or lease “another new Acura or Honda automobile within 30 days prior to or after the turn-in date” | | Turn-in fee waiver | The state-set turn-in fee | Loyal clients “may be eligible” | | Mileage Forgiveness | Half your excess miles; 7,500-mile limit | “finance a lease or retail purchase of a new Acura from a participating Acura dealer through Acura Financial Services” | | Excess Miles Waiver | “1,000 additional miles applied to your next lease” | You were over your miles and lease again from AFS | | Rollover Miles | Up to 15,000 unused miles, “rounded up to the nearest 1,000” | Added “to your next Acura Luxury Lease” | The footnotes add the rules that govern all of it. “To obtain ALA benefits, clients must lease a new vehicle from AFS and undergo standard AFS verification and credit approval requirements. ALA benefits are only available within 180 days of the scheduled maturity date and 180 days after lease termination. AFS may terminate ALA benefits at any time, without notice.” Notice the brand difference between benefits. The wear waiver counts a new Honda as loyalty; Mileage Forgiveness and Rollover Miles need a new Acura through AFS. Two worked examples, both hypothetical and both our arithmetic. A lessee 5,000 miles over the allowance who leases a new Acura through AFS would have 2,500 miles waived and 2,500 billed at the rate in the lease, which AFS does not print. A lessee 2,300 miles under would carry 3,000 miles into the next Acura Luxury Lease, because AFS rounds up to the nearest 1,000. Above 7,500 miles over, AFS’s own wording splits. Its loyalty article says “If you have driven more than your contracted lease miles (up to 7,500), we will waive half of your excess mileage,” which ties the limit to the miles you are over. The page footnote says “one-half of all your excess miles, up to 7,500 miles, are eligible for waiver,” which ties it to the miles waived. On a hypothetical lease 12,000 miles over, the first reading waives 3,750 miles and the second 6,000, by our arithmetic. AFS does not say which applies, so ask the Lease Maturity Center to put the figure in writing before you sign the next lease. The One-Pay Lease, paid in one sum up front, carries the same waivers, “$500 for Honda and $750 for Acura,” and its lessees get an end-of-term packet “90 days before the lease maturity date.” ## Acura versus Honda Financial Services: what actually differs Both brands share one lender, one account site, one set of help articles and one set of terms. Comparing each brand’s own lease page (both read on 9 October 2026), the differences are in lease benefits, not in paying or paying off. **Acura Financial Services versus Honda Financial Services, as each brand’s own pages print them** | Item | Acura Financial Services | Honda Financial Services | | --- | --- | --- | | Wear-and-use waiver included | $750 (Acura Luxury Lease) | $500 (Honda Leadership Leasing) | | Total waiver for loyal customers | Up to $1,500 | Up to $1,000 | | Turn-in fee waiver | Loyal clients who buy or lease “their next Acura or Honda” | Loyal customers who buy or lease “their next Honda vehicle” | | Over your lease miles | Half waived, 7,500-mile limit, plus 1,000 miles on the next lease | None listed on the Honda Loyalty Benefits page | | Under your lease miles | Up to 15,000 miles rolled to the next Acura Luxury Lease | None listed | | Privacy notice | Form AFS-50PP2-26, issued as Acura Financial Services | Form HFS-50PP2-26 | | Payments, cut-off, payoff, title, third-party rule, inspection guide, terms | The same pages and articles for both brands | | By our arithmetic, the Acura base waiver is $250 larger than Honda’s and the loyalty cap $500 larger. The mileage programs exist only on the Acura side: the Honda Loyalty Benefits page lists GAP, the waiver and the turn-in fee waiver, and no mileage forgiveness or rollover. One quirk cuts the other way. A loyal Acura client can qualify for the turn-in fee waiver by moving to a new Honda, while Honda’s page asks its customers to move to “their next Honda vehicle.” ## Where AFS’s own documents disagree In these places two AFS or AHFC documents say different things. Where it matters to you, get the answer in writing from the Lease Maturity Center. - **Which terms are current.** The Terms & Conditions page on the Acura site reads “LAST UPDATED: March 12, 2026.” The terms PDF the same site still serves reads “LAST UPDATED: July 24, 2025.” - **The 7,500-mile limit.** Tied to the miles you are over in the help articles, to the miles waived in the page footnote (see the example above). - **What Mileage Forgiveness requires.** The page panel says it applies “when you lease or finance through Acura Financial Services (AFS)”; its footnote requires “a new Acura from a participating Acura dealer.” - **The turn-in fee waiver.** Both Acura articles list “A waiver on the turn-in fee” as a benefit; the page and the articles’ own footnotes say loyal clients only “may be eligible.” - **The loyalty window.** “within 30 days prior to or after the turn-in date” on the page and in the articles; “within 30 days of your maturity date” in the lease-ended article; benefits “within 180 days of the scheduled maturity date and 180 days after lease termination” in the program footnote. - **Lease length.** The Acura page offers “term choices from 24 to 60 months.” AHFC’s 10-K says US leases “generally range from 24 to 48 months,” 12 months shorter at the top, by our arithmetic. - **When to inspect.** “the last two scheduled months” in the inspection article, “Two to three months before” on the End of Lease page. - **Whose name is on the paperwork.** The site welcomes you to “Acura Financial Services” and the privacy notice is issued as AFS, but the header logo’s alt text says “Honda Financial Services,” and the odometer form names Honda Financial Services and Honda Lease Trust. ## The lender behind both brands: AHFC’s record in brief Because Acura Financial Services is a trade name, everything regulators and AHFC’s own filings say about the lender applies to Acura accounts too. Our [Honda Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#the-lender) read those documents on 6 October 2026; the essentials, with that read date: - **Who it lends to.** AHFC was incorporated on February 6, 1980. By our arithmetic from its 10-K, 81.5% of its US and Canadian retail loans were graded A or B at origination. Its US charge-off ratio rose to 0.65% in the year to 31 March 2026, from 0.50% two years earlier. The filings do not split any of this by brand. - **The 2015 dealer-markup order.** On July 14, 2015 the CFPB (2015-CFPB-0014) and the Justice Department resolved a fair-lending investigation of dealer markups on AHFC loans. AHFC had to fund $24 million for affected borrowers and cap dealer markups. Details are in [our Honda review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#orders-2015). - **The 2025 credit-reporting order.** On January 17, 2025 the CFPB (2025-CFPB-0003) ordered AHFC to pay $10,300,000 in redress and a $2,500,000 penalty, $12.8 million in all, over inaccurate credit reporting, including deferred COVID-era accounts reported as late. AHFC consented without admitting or denying the findings. See [the order summary](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#order-2025). - **The 2021 servicemember case.** On October 6, 2021 a federal court entered a consent order in the Justice Department’s case alleging AHFC failed to refund pre-paid lease amounts to servicemembers who ended leases on military orders: $1,585,803.89 to 714 servicemembers and a $64,715 civil penalty. - **An add-on settlement.** AHFC’s 10-K says that in October 2025 it “settled a legal action for approximately $130 million related to the financing of add-on products,” without naming the action. If you bought add-ons with an Acura loan or lease, ask for a written list of each one and how to cancel it. Complaints work the same way. The CFPB’s database has no company name for Acura Financial Services: on 9 October 2026 a search of its company field for “acura” returned no complaints, and a search for “honda” returned a single company, AMERICAN HONDA FINANCE CORP. When our Honda review counted on 6 October 2026, that file held 5,080 complaints, 2,125 of them (41.8%) about vehicle loans or leases, for Honda and Acura together. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, and the count grows with a lender’s size; the [Honda review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/#complaints) breaks them down by issue and year. ## If you have an Acura Financial Services loan or lease - **Pay from a bank account by 2:00 p.m. Pacific** on a business day; use the ACURAFINANCE, CA code only if you pay through Western Union, and expect its fee. - **Get a fresh payoff quote on the day you pay,** since AFS prints no expiry, and confirm your mailing address for the title or lien release. - **Send the signed odometer form with a lease buyout,** ticking box 1 only, or the title waits. - **Call the Lease Maturity Center two to three months out** and ask, in writing, whether you qualify for the Acura Loyalty Advantage and how many excess miles would be waived. - **Book the free inspection,** ask whether the $750 waiver covers a repair before paying for it, and use Genuine parts. - **Time your next car inside the 30-day loyalty window** if you want the extra $750 waiver, and check the 180-day window for mileage benefits. - **Return the car only to a Honda or Acura dealer,** keep the Vehicle Return Receipt, and call the Lease Maturity Center afterwards. - **Keep the final bill in view:** wear, miles and the turn-in fee arrive later and may carry sales tax. ## Common questions ### Is Acura Financial Services the same as Honda Financial Services? They are two trade names of one company: “Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services are DBAs of American Honda Finance Corporation,” AHFC’s terms say. They share one account site and one set of help articles; the differences are in the lease benefits. ### Who owns my Acura lease? AHFC buys the lease from your dealer, and the dealer assigns the lease and the car to Honda Lease Trust or its trustee, HVT, Inc., depending on your state, AHFC’s 10-K says. That is the lessor named on the odometer form you sign at buyout. ### Can I pay Acura Financial Services with a credit card? No. AFS says “We are unable to accept credit cards.” Debit goes through ACI Pay, which “assesses a processing fee,” and cash through Western Union or MoneyGram for their fees. ### How long does Acura Financial Services take to send the title? AFS says a lien release or lease title takes 2 to 3 weeks on average after the final payment clears, depending on the state. A lease buyout title by mail takes 3 to 4 weeks once AFS has the odometer form, and in Ohio “up to 4-6 weeks.” ### Does Acura forgive excess miles at lease end? Only if you come back. Under the Acura Loyalty Advantage, AFS waives half your excess miles, with a 7,500-mile limit, if you lease or finance a new Acura through AFS, and adds 1,000 miles to your next lease. AFS words the limit two ways, so get the waived figure in writing. If you walk away, the full excess is billed at the rate in your lease. ### Can a dealer other than Acura buy out my lease? No. AFS says “lease purchases are only available to the lessee or authorized Honda and Acura dealers.” You can buy it yourself at the lease price and then sell it, or [finance the buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) elsewhere. Our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [Mazda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/), [Subaru Motors Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-motors-finance-review/), [Audi Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/) and [Southeast Toyota Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/southeast-toyota-finance-review/) read other captive lenders the same way, and our [Acura Certified Pre-Owned guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/acura-certified-pre-owned/) covers buying a used Acura. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Jiffy Lube Oil Change: Price, What’s Included and the Warranty" description: "Jiffy Lube prints no national oil-change price. What the Signature Service includes, its 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, free top-offs, and who owns it now." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Jiffy Lube Oil Change: Price, What’s Included and the Warranty > Jiffy Lube prints no national oil-change price. What the Signature Service includes, its 3-month or 3,000-mile warranty, free top-offs, and who owns it now. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,771 words* ## The short version - Jiffy Lube prints no national price for an oil change. It says the cost depends on the oil, how much your engine takes and “the difficulty of performing the oil change,” and sends you to the local store or to an estimate for one store and one vehicle. - The Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change includes up to five quarts of oil, a new filter and a list of checks and top-ups. Jiffy Lube says more oil can mean “additional charges.” Tire rotation is not included. - “15 minutes or less” runs from hood up to hood down; Jiffy Lube’s footnote says it “does not include wait time or additional services.” - Free top-offs of oil and four other fluids, up to 2 quarts per fluid, run for 3,000 miles after the oil change. The oil change itself is warranted for 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, with the details on the back of the invoice. - Shell no longer owns Jiffy Lube. It sold Jiffy Lube International to an affiliate of Monomoy Capital Partners for $1.3 billion, a sale Shell says it completed on June 30, 2026. Most stores are franchises. - An oil change at Jiffy Lube rather than a dealer does not by itself void a factory warranty, the FTC says. Keep every invoice. A Jiffy Lube oil change means the Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change: up to five quarts of oil, a new filter and a set of checks, sold at more than 2,000 mostly franchised stores. Its price is the one thing Jiffy Lube does not print. On 9 October 2026 we read Jiffy Lube’s own pages once each, by hand, because its Terms of Use bar automated access: the oil change, oil-type, estimate, top-off and warranty pages, three resource articles, the coupon, credit card, gift card and fleet pages, its privacy notices and two 2026 releases about its sale. We also read Shell plc’s SEC filings on that sale, three public records, the FTC’s warranty guidance and EPA’s used-oil page. The Terms allow links to the Jiffy Lube [homepage](https://www.jiffylube.com/) only, so other pages are named, not linked, and its robots.txt bars AI readers from the paths that serve its FAQ answers, coupons and estimates, so none of that is used. This site has no commercial relationship with Jiffy Lube, Shell, Monomoy or any oil brand. **Figure: What Jiffy Lube’s own pages say, by situation** Nine situations a driver meets at a Jiffy Lube, each read against Jiffy Lube’s service, estimate, top-off and warranty pages and Shell’s SEC filings. One row is our arithmetic. Read from jiffylube.com and Shell plc’s Form 6-K on 9 October 2026. ’Our arithmetic’ marks this site’s calculation. ## What a Jiffy Lube oil change costs, and why no price is printed Jiffy Lube’s Oil Change page asks “How Much Should an Oil Change Cost?” and answers with three factors: “the type of oil used, the amount of oil required, and the difficulty of performing the oil change.” Then: “Contact your local Jiffy Lube for pricing based on your vehicle and the type of oil that’s right for you.” Its estimate page adds “where you live, as rates can differ by location.” We found no Jiffy Lube page with a national price, a starting price or a range for an oil change. Prices exist store by store. Before it shows what it calls “‘starting from’ prices,” the oil-types page asks you to “Confirm your preferred store” and “Confirm your vehicle information.” An online estimate needs “your email address and your vehicle information (year/make/model/engine or VIN),” gives “a ballpark price,” and Jiffy Lube warns “your final price may vary slightly once we see your vehicle.” We built no estimate: it asks for personal details and a VIN, and the prices come from a path the robots.txt closes to AI readers. A store’s quote is that store’s price, not a national one. Two lines of fine print can raise the bill. “There might be additional charges due to amount of oil required,” and if the oil chosen online does not suit your car, “you may need to change the selection at the time of visit, which could increase the amount estimated.” The Signature Service includes “up to five quarts,” while Jiffy Lube’s own cost article says engines take “from four quarts to 10 quarts or more.” No price per extra quart is printed; your owner’s manual tells you whether you are over five. The site also showed a dollar-off coupon marked “Available Nationwide” and “Valid at participating stores”; it is a promotion, so we quote no amount (coupons are covered [below](#paying)). **Get the total for your car before the hood goes up.** There is no national price and most stores are independently owned. Ask for the price with your oil type, the quarts your engine takes, the filter, any coupon and tax, and ask whether that store honors your coupon. ## What the Signature Service Oil Change includes Jiffy Lube sells the Signature Service as a way “to check, change, inspect, and fill essential systems and components of your vehicle,” with “conventional, high mileage, synthetic blend, or full synthetic oil.” Two of its pages print the checklist, and they almost match: **The Signature Service Oil Change checklist as two Jiffy Lube pages print it (read 9 October 2026)** | Group | Oil Change service page | “How Long Does an Oil Change Take?” guide | | --- | --- | --- | | Change | “Oil with up to five quarts of quality motor oil (your vehicle may require additional quarts of oil)”; oil filter | Oil “with the type, weight, and volume recommended by the manufacturer”; oil filter | | Inspect | Antifreeze/coolant reservoir levels, engine air filtration system, brake fluid level (in transparent reservoirs), wiper blades, exterior lights, chassis (“lubricate when applicable”) | The same six, plus belts; chassis “lubricate where available” | | Check and fill | Tire pressures, transmission/transaxle fluid, differential/transfer case fluid, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid, battery water (excluding sealed batteries) | The same six | | Clean | Exterior windshield | Exterior windshield | | Afterwards | Not listed | A reminder sticker on the windshield, or the oil-life monitor reset | | Items listed (our count) | 15 | 16 | The service page’s prose adds “serpentine belts” to the inspection and makes the promise that matters at the counter: “If any of these components need to be serviced, we’ll ask for your permission before proceeding with any repairs or maintenance.” The inspection is a look; anything replaced is a separate sale you can decline. Tire rotation is not in the package: “A tire rotation is not part of the Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change, but you can ask to include it along with your oil change.” Jiffy Lube says most tire makers recommend rotations “between 5,000 and 8,000 miles”; your car’s schedule may differ, as our page on [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains. Every service page also warns: “Not all services are offered at all Jiffy Lube service centers.” ### What “15 minutes or less” measures Service time, not visit time. Jiffy Lube’s guide says the clock runs “from the time we start your service, and the hood of your vehicle goes up, to when we’ve completed the service, and the hood goes down!” The footnote on every page adds: “Time is based on national averages from independent store audits of oil changes services only, does not include wait time or additional services.” Add-ons “could add additional time,” and “wait times can vary depending on the time of your visit and location of your service.” Jiffy Lube says its bays “have see-through windows so you can see the work as it’s being done on your vehicle.” ## Choosing the oil: Pennzoil, four types and your owner’s manual “Jiffy Lube proudly pours Pennzoil,” the Oil Change page says; the service guide is more careful, promising “Pennzoil products, where available, that meet or exceed manufacturer recommendations.” The link survived the sale: Shell’s second-quarter report says “we retain a long-term lubricants supply agreement with Monomoy.” The brand matters less than the specification, and Jiffy Lube says so: “it’s okay to use a different brand than you’ve used in the past, as long as the oil meets the viscosity grade and specifications listed in your owner manual.” The oil-types page lists full synthetic, synthetic blend, high mileage and conventional. “Synthetic oil costs more than conventional oil,” Jiffy Lube says, and synthetic blend’s “price and protection levels are in between conventional and full synthetic oil.” High-mileage oils “are generally recommended for use on any ride with over 75,000 miles on the odometer,” but Jiffy Lube also tells you to “Check a Jiffy Lube service center near you to see what type of high mileage oil options are available,” so stores differ. One line on its synthetic pages outweighs any coupon. If your engine calls for synthetic, “You may risk engine damage if you don’t use synthetic oil, and you may void your new-vehicle warranty.” Jiffy Lube says it “accesses the same manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance, service and inspections as your dealer,” but the deciding document is your owner’s manual. Arrive knowing its grade and specification, and check that the invoice records what went in. On timing, Jiffy Lube calls the old “every three months or 3,000 miles” advice a “one-size-fits-all rule” made “outdated” by modern vehicles and improved oils, and tells readers to “Refer to the vehicle owner’s manual.” The windshield sticker is a reminder, not a schedule. Our guide to [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) explains what sets the interval, including [severe-service driving](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#severe). ## Free top-offs between oil changes, and where they stop The Fluid Top Off page makes an offer that outlasts the visit: “With every Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change, we provide complimentary fluid top off service on vital fluids including motor oil (the same type of oil purchased originally), transmission, power steering, differential/transfer case and washer fluid. Just stop by within 3,000 miles of your service mileage and we will top off up to 2 quarts per fluid, as needed.” The offer follows a Signature Service Oil Change, the limit is in miles from the service mileage on your invoice, and no time limit is printed. The page says both “Just pull into any Jiffy Lube service center” and “Not all services are offered at each Jiffy Lube location,” so call ahead when you are away from your usual store. The 3,000-mile limit matches the oil-change warranty below, and it is shorter than many intervals. Jiffy Lube’s conventional-oil page uses “a set mileage interval, like 5,000 miles” as its example of a manufacturer’s schedule. On that interval, by our arithmetic, the free top-off and the warranty both end 2,000 miles before the next oil change is due. A car that keeps needing top-ups is telling you something; our guide to [finding a leak with a sheet of cardboard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/#cardboard) shows how to read the drips. ## Jiffy Lube’s own warranty: 3 months or 3,000 miles on the oil change Jiffy Lube puts a warranty on its oil changes in writing, though not in full online. Its Nationwide Limited Warranty page says: “Jiffy Lube Signature Certified Quality Service for oil changes and fluid preventive maintenance services are warranted for 3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first. See back of invoice for details.” Coverage ends 3 months after the service, or at 3,000 miles of use if you reach that first. What it covers, what it excludes and how to claim are on the invoice, which we could not read in advance. Ask to see the back before you pay, and keep the copy. For comparison, see the warranties printed by [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/) and [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/). Repairs carry a separate, longer warranty. The Nationwide Limited Warranty Program “provides participating Jiffy Lube Brakes & Services customers with a written, limited nationwide parts and labor warranty,” with a minimum of “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first,” counted from “the date and odometer reading recorded on the original invoice.” “Not all Jiffy Lube Service Centers offer brakes and tire services.” **Warranty terms on Jiffy Lube’s Nationwide Limited Warranty page (read 9 October 2026)** | Work | Term as printed | | --- | --- | | Oil changes and fluid preventive maintenance | 3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first; details on the back of the invoice | | Engine performance and drivability; emission control systems; on-board computers | 12 months/12,000 miles | | Brake systems, excluding overhaul | Parts 24 months/24,000 miles; labor 12 months/12,000 miles | | Brake overhaul (calipers or wheel cylinders) | Pads and shoes lifetime; labor 12 months/12,000 miles | | Shocks and struts | Parts lifetime; labor 12 months/12,000 miles | | Alignment (“Does not include parts”) | 12 months/12,000 miles | | CV joints, half-shafts and drive shafts; heating and air conditioning | 12 months/12,000 miles | | Commercial vehicles | Alignment 3 months or 3,000 miles; other covered work 12 months or 12,000 miles; whichever comes first in each case | Read the repair warranty’s rules twice. “The Jiffy Lube Brakes & Services location performing the repairs is the issuer of the warranty,” so the store that did the work, usually a franchisee, stands behind it. It is “extended only to the original purchaser” and “is not transferable”; it assumes “normal, non-commercial use”; you “must keep a copy of your original repair invoice”; within 25 miles you must return to the original store, and beyond 25 miles “the Warranty Administrator must be contacted prior to any warranty repair work being performed” (Jiffy Lube prints 1-866-330-9183). “Incidental or consequential damages are excluded, except where prohibited by law.” The page mentions “a network of 35,000 participating facilities” without saying who they are. **Read the invoice, front and back.** The oil-change warranty lives there, and in 2022 a Maryland county consumer office said receipts from at least two franchised Jiffy Lube stores carried a clause sending disputes to a mediation and arbitration service that, it said, was owned and operated by the merchant’s attorney (details [below](#record)). Look for any dispute or arbitration clause before you pay. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over mechanics at an open engine bay mark the oil bottle, a fluid cap and the mechanic at work, with Jiffy Lube's 5-quart limit, its free top-offs, and its warranty on the oil change itself. Jiffy Lube’s oil change pages, read on 9 October 2026, include up to five quarts and say extra oil can mean additional charges (callout 1), offer free top-offs within 3,000 miles, up to 2 quarts per fluid (callout 2), and warrant the oil change for 3 months or 3,000 miles (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Will a Jiffy Lube oil change affect your car’s warranty? Not by itself. The FTC’s [guidance on auto warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) says: “You don’t have to use the dealer for repairs or maintenance to keep your warranty in effect. In fact, it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” Behind that sit 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), under which “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty” on a branded service unless it is free, and 16 CFR 700.10(c): “No warrantor may condition the continued validity of a warranty on the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” The FTC notes the exception: “if the warranty says that the work will be done for free, the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses.” Where an outside oil change can still cost you is proof and specification. The FTC warns that “The warranty company could ask for your maintenance records” and that without them “your claim might be denied”; a service contract “might require you to follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations for routine maintenance, like oil changes.” Our page on [how an extended-warranty claim works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) shows what an administrator asks for. Jiffy Lube’s recommendations page says following the manufacturer’s recommendations “protects your new-vehicle warranty”; read that as its claim about its process. What protects a warranty is the maintenance the manual requires, with oil that meets its specification, and invoices that prove it. Jiffy Lube keeps “a nationwide database that keeps your service records on file,” but that database is the company’s; keep your own copies, and see [what a buyer looks for in service records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records). ## Coupons, the Jiffy Lube credit card, gift cards and fleet discounts **Coupons.** “Jiffy Lube service centers provide both local and nationwide coupons, most commonly for oil changes and other routine vehicle maintenance,” the coupon page says, in three steps: “Use your zip code to see all local coupons,” “Set your preferred store for easy access to your favorite coupons,” and “Present the digital coupon in store during your visit.” On savings it says only “Savings vary by offer.” Coupons are promotions, local ones vary by store, and the coupon list is closed to automated readers by robots.txt, so we record no amounts. Show the coupon before the work starts. **No standing national discount.** We found no military, senior or student discount on Jiffy Lube’s national pages. One franchise group’s page on jiffylube.com advertises its own discounts for healthcare workers, first responders and school staff in Tupelo, Mississippi, which shows such programs are set locally. Ask your store. **The Jiffy Lube Credit Card.** Jiffy Lube’s service centers “offer customers six months special financing” on “purchases of $199 or more through the Jiffy Lube Credit Card.” The fine print: “Subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required. See store for details. We reserve the right to discontinue or alter the terms of this offer any time.” And “select Jiffy Lube service centers may not be enrolled in this program.” The apply link leads to a Synchrony application site, which we did not open; the page prints no interest rate. Read the card’s own terms for what happens to interest if the balance is not paid within the six months; Jiffy Lube’s page does not say. **Gift cards and fleets.** The gift card “Never expires and is not subject to fees,” comes in amounts “between $10-$300” and works only “at participating Jiffy Lube service centers in the U.S.” For businesses, “Shell Card Business holders receive an additional 15-20% off fleet maintenance at participating locations,” and national billing is for “large fleets with over 50 vehicles.” The fleet page still promotes the Shell card after the sale, so confirm the discount with the store. ## Who owns Jiffy Lube now, and who runs your store Until mid-2026, Shell. The subsidiary list filed with Shell plc’s 2025 Form 20-F shows Jiffy Lube International, Inc. and Premium Velocity Auto LLC each at a Shell percentage of 100 at December 31, 2025. A Shell release of March 9, 2026, posted on jiffylube.com, said Shell’s U.S. lubricants arm “has entered an agreement to sell Jiffy Lube International (JLI) and its subsidiary Premium Velocity Auto (PVA) LLC business to an affiliate of Monomoy Capital Partners (Monomoy) for $1.3 billion.” Shell’s second-quarter report, filed on Form 6-K, says: “On June 30, 2026, we completed the previously announced sale of Jiffy Lube International to an affiliate of Monomoy Capital Partners (Monomoy) for $1.3 billion.” Monomoy’s release, dated July 1, 2026, “announced today it has completed its acquisition” and describes the buyer as “a private investment firm.” We found no SEC filing that reports on Jiffy Lube after the sale. Your store is most likely a franchise. Every page carries the line “Most Jiffy Lube locations, with the exception of those owned and operated by one of our subsidiaries, are owned and operated by independent franchisees.” That subsidiary is PVA, “the second-largest Jiffy Lube franchisee, with over 360 locations across 20 states,” sold to Monomoy with the brand. Store pages name the operating company under the words “Part of,” so you can see who runs yours. That matters more than the sign. Jiffy Lube says rates differ by location, coupons are partly local, some stores do not take its credit card or offer every service, and the store that did a repair issues its warranty. Jiffy Lube’s Privacy Policy (last updated May 2026) says franchisees “may independently access and use customer information for service center operations and local marketing.” If something goes wrong, Jiffy Lube’s feedback form asks for the store number so “we can get in contact with the local franchisee,” and the invoice number, found “in the top right corner of your invoice.” Customer service is (800) 344-6933. ## What regulators have said about Jiffy Lube We read three public records involving Jiffy Lube. None is about the price of an oil change; each says something about how stores are run. A search of the FTC’s site found no FTC action against Jiffy Lube, and we mention no private lawsuit because we read no court filing in one. **California, 2008: oil and antifreeze storage.** On May 7, 2008, California’s Attorney General and eleven counties announced “the statewide agreement with Jiffy Lube International, resolving allegations that some of its oil change centers did not follow precautions to protect the environment from oil and antifreeze spills.” The [release](https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/brown-announces-jiffy-lube-effort-protect-environment-spills) says local compliance officers found that “employees were not properly inspecting containers.” Under the agreement Jiffy Lube was to train all employees, have a third-party consultant audit compliance, stop collecting used motor oil at any Jiffy Lube-operated facility without a suitable container, and “revoke any franchise agreement if there are three uncorrected violations of environmental regulations.” The agreement covered “more than 300 Jiffy Lube locations across California,” and the company “agreed to pay $500,000 as civil penalties, costs and attorneys’ fees.” We did not read the attached judgment. **Washington, 2018: hiring between franchisees.** An Assurance of Discontinuance published by the Washington Attorney General’s office says that “In January 2018, the Attorney General initiated an investigation into Jiffy Lube International, Inc.” over franchise terms that barred franchisees from hiring workers from other franchisees or from company-owned stores, and that “JLI has 108 stores in Washington, all of which stores are owned and operated by franchisees.” The Attorney General “asserts” this broke the state’s Consumer Protection Act; “JLI expressly denies” it, and says it had “voluntarily removed the ‘no-poach’ provisions from its franchise agreements before being informed of any investigation.” JLI agreed it “will no longer include no-poach provisions in any of its future franchise agreements.” The published copy leaves the court-approval date blank. **Montgomery County, Maryland, 2022: arbitration on receipts.** On March 8, 2022 the county’s Office of Consumer Protection said it was “alerting consumers about potentially deceptive and misleading information in the receipts that some Jiffy Lube locations provide.” Its investigation “has shown that at least two Jiffy Lube locations in Montgomery County provide a sales receipt and written satisfaction guaranty that includes a clause requiring consumers to submit any controversy or claim to mediation and arbitration,” and that the clause “fails to disclose that the mediation and arbitration service is actually owned and operated by the merchant’s attorney.” The office learned of the clause while investigating “complaints from two consumers alleging that their vehicles were damaged as a result of improper oil changes,” and noted that “The Jiffy Lube locations in the County are individually owned franchisees.” This was a consumer alert, not a court ruling; the [release](https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=40160) does not report an outcome. ## Where Jiffy Lube’s own pages disagree, and what they leave out - **Its age.** About: “more than 35 years ago.” History: “For almost 50 years” and a first drive-through bay in 1979. The Monomoy release: “Founded over 45 years ago” and “nearly 50 years.” Four wordings; by our arithmetic 1979 was 47 years ago. - **Its customers.** About says “more than 20 million customers every year”; History, “more than 19 million”; Monomoy, “approximately 19 million.” - **Its stores.** About calls them “more than 2,000 franchisee owned service centers,” while the footer excepts those of “one of our subsidiaries,” which Shell put at over 360. - **Its name.** The Terms, Privacy Policy and footer name Jiffy Lube, LLC; the Monomoy release names Jiffy Lube International, Inc.; the PVA privacy notice, still online, gives the parent as “ultimately, Shell plc,” more than three months after Shell says the sale closed. Shell’s 20-F calls the business “Jiffy Lubricants International.” - **Small print that pulls both ways.** The top-off works at “any Jiffy Lube service center,” yet “Not all services are offered at each Jiffy Lube location.” Centers “also collect used motor oil brought in by people who change their oil themselves,” yet “Not all Jiffy Lube service centers offer Oil Recycling.” A coupon is “Available Nationwide” and “Valid at participating stores.” - **Left out.** A national price; the oil-change warranty’s terms; who the “35,000 participating facilities” are; what the “Jiffy Lube Pledge” on the technicians page promises; and the FAQ page’s answers, which load from a path its robots.txt closes to AI readers. ## Before and after a Jiffy Lube oil change - **Look up your oil capacity and specification.** Your owner’s manual gives both; Jiffy Lube includes up to five quarts and says the wrong oil in an engine that needs synthetic “may void your new-vehicle warranty.” - **See who runs the store.** The store page names the company under “Part of.” Price, coupons, the credit card and the repair warranty sit with that store. - **Get the total before work starts.** Oil type, quarts, filter, coupon, tax. - **Ask to see the back of the invoice.** The oil-change warranty is printed there. Look for any dispute or arbitration clause. - **Decide on extras with the manual open.** Jiffy Lube says it asks permission before any repair or maintenance; what the manual does not call for yet can wait. Ask for a tire rotation if you want one. - **Check the invoice before you leave.** Oil type and grade, quarts, mileage, store number and invoice number: your proof of maintenance and your warranty claim. - **Note the mileage limits.** Free top-offs end 3,000 miles after the service; the oil-change warranty ends at 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. Look under the car the next morning for fresh drips. If you change your own oil, Jiffy Lube says some locations are “designated oil recycling collection centers,” but not all, so call ahead. EPA’s [used-oil page](https://www.epa.gov/recycle/managing-reusing-and-recycling-used-oil) (last updated June 25, 2026) warns that “used oil from one oil change can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water” and says to check with local maintenance shops, waste collectors and officials for drop-off points, filters included. We have read other chains’ own published terms the same way: [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/), [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/), [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/), [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/), [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) and [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/). Each page reports one company’s documents; none ranks one against another. ## Common questions ### How much is an oil change at Jiffy Lube? Jiffy Lube publishes no national price. It says the cost depends on the oil, how much your engine takes, how hard the job is and “where you live, as rates can differ by location.” Prices come from your store or an online estimate for one store and one vehicle, which Jiffy Lube calls “a ballpark price.” Ask for the total for your car before work starts. ### What is included in a Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change? Up to five quarts of oil and a new filter; a look at coolant, engine air filter, brake fluid, wipers, lights, chassis and belts; a check and fill of tire pressure, transmission, differential or transfer case, power steering and washer fluid and battery water; and a cleaned windshield. Tire rotation is not included. ### Does Jiffy Lube guarantee its oil changes? Yes, in writing but not in full online. Oil changes and fluid services “are warranted for 3 months or 3,000 miles of use, whichever comes first,” with the details on the back of the invoice. Repairs at participating Brakes & Services stores carry a separate warranty with a 12 month or 12,000 mile minimum, issued by the store that did the work. ### How long does a Jiffy Lube oil change take? Jiffy Lube says 15 minutes or less, from hood up to hood down. Its footnote says the figure “does not include wait time or additional services.” ### Does Jiffy Lube have coupons or a military discount? Jiffy Lube says its stores offer “both local and nationwide coupons” and that “Savings vary by offer.” We found no national military, senior or student discount; some franchise groups run local programs, so ask. A Jiffy Lube credit card offers six months of special financing on purchases of $199 or more, subject to credit approval, at stores that accept it. ### Is Jiffy Lube still owned by Shell? No. Shell agreed on March 9, 2026 to sell Jiffy Lube International to an affiliate of Monomoy Capital Partners for $1.3 billion and says it completed the sale on June 30, 2026. Shell keeps a long-term lubricants supply agreement with Monomoy, and most stores remain franchises. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/ --- title: "Firestone Complete Auto Care: Warranties, Road Hazard and Owner" description: "Firestone repairs carry 12 months or 12,000 miles; lifetime brakes and alignment end when you sell. What its road hazard, price match and card terms say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Firestone Complete Auto Care: Warranties, Road Hazard and Owner > Firestone repairs carry 12 months or 12,000 miles; lifetime brakes and alignment end when you sell. What its road hazard, price match and card terms say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,963 words* ## The short version - Firestone Complete Auto Care is run by Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, “a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas,” which also runs Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works. The Firestone credit card comes from its own bank, Credit First National Association. - Most repairs and parts carry a 12-month or 12,000-mile limited warranty, honored at Firestone stores the company owns. Oil changes get 3 months or 3,000 miles. - “Lifetime” brake pads, alignments and balancing last only while the original buyer owns the car. Lifetime pads come with 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor, and rotors are never lifetime. - Road Hazard Protection is bought separately and is prorated from the first mile: you pay for the share of tread already used. Repairs are free, with one replacement and two repairs per tire. - The Priced Right guarantee refunds 200% of the difference if you find the same tire cheaper within 30 days with a current local ad. Tires carry their maker’s warranty, and batteries DieHard’s or Duralast’s. - Firestone’s documents disagree in 11 places we found. The main one: the warranty page still lists lifetime brake labor that a second copy of the page says was discontinued on 1 June 2022. Firestone Complete Auto Care is Bridgestone’s chain of company-owned tire and repair shops, and its written promises come in three layers. The store’s repair warranty covers most parts and labor for 12 months or 12,000 miles, and some brake, suspension, alignment and balance work for life, with conditions. The Triple Promise adds a re-do of faulty work, a tire price match and a discount if your car is late. Tires carry their maker’s warranty, and road hazard cover is an extra you buy. On 9 October 2026 we read Firestone’s service warranty page (Effective Date 11/13/2024) and a second copy of it, the Triple Promise and Priced Right pages, the Road Hazard Protection certificate (Effective Date 01/01/2025), its tire, battery, brake, alignment, rotation and credit-card pages and its Terms of Use, plus Bridgestone Americas’ pages and its release of 4 June 2026. This site has no commercial relationship with Firestone, Bridgestone or any tire maker. Firestone’s Terms of Use say “You cannot and shall not mirror, scrape, or deep link any content,” so we name its documents without linking them. Most sit under the “Warranties” or “Firestone” menu in the footer of Firestone’s website. **Figure: Which Firestone promise applies, and where it stops** A two-column table of eight situations: most repairs and parts carry 12 months or 12,000 miles; an oil change 3 months or 3,000 miles; brake pads and shoes lifetime parts cover but 12-month or 12,000-mile labor, 24 and 24,000 with a fluid exchange, and rotors and drums 12 and 12,000; a lifetime alignment covers labor while the first buyer owns the car but not parts; tires fall under the maker’s warranty, not the store’s; road hazard protection is bought separately and replaces on a prorated basis from the first mile, with free repairs, one replacement and two repairs; a cheaper qualifying tire price within 30 days earns 200% of the difference; and a late car earns 10% off the next purchase, up to $25. Read from Firestone Complete Auto Care’s service warranty page (Effective Date 11/13/2024), Triple Promise page and Road Hazard Protection certificate (Effective Date 01/01/2025) on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Firestone Complete Auto Care, and who stands behind each promise The service warranty ends with “GIVEN BY: Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, ... doing business as Firestone Complete Auto Care.” Bridgestone Americas’ release of 4 June 2026 calls that company “a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas and operator of the largest network of company-owned automotive service providers in the world,” and says “Bridgestone Americas, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tires and rubber.” The stores, the Bridgestone and Firestone tire brands and the warranty on those tires sit in one corporate family. Its sister chain is read on our [Tires Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tires-plus/) page. Bridgestone Retail Operations, or BSRO, runs “more than 2,200 tire and vehicle service centers,” the release says, including “Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works store locations,” and “Credit First National Association and Firestone Complete Fleet Care operations are also part of BSRO.” The Firestone network “comprises more than 1,800 stores across 48 states.” Bridgestone Americas’ own page on the chain still says “over 1,700 neighborhood locations.” Both trace the business to 1926. Because the stores are company-owned rather than franchised, ownership shapes three things below: who honors the warranty, how the price match is worded, and who registers your tires. **Who stands behind each Firestone promise, in Firestone’s and Bridgestone’s own documents (read 9 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | Where it is honored | | --- | --- | --- | | Repair and parts warranty | Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC | The selling store or “any other Firestone Complete Auto Care Store in the United States” owned by that company | | Road Hazard Protection | Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC and Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC (in its disclaimer) | Firestone Complete Auto Care, Expert Tire, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus, Michel Tires Plus or Wheel Works | | Price match and late-car discount | “a Bridgestone company-owned store” | “any company-owned store” | | Bridgestone and Firestone tire warranty | Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC, the tire maker | Any authorized Bridgestone or Firestone retailer | | Batteries | “the battery manufacturer (DieHard or Duralast)” | Under the battery maker’s terms | | Firestone Credit Card | Credit First National Association, “operated and funded by the credit division of Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC” | Firestone, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works stores | | The website | Bridgestone Americas, Inc. “or its affiliated companies” | Arbitration and Tennessee law under the Terms of Use | ## The repair warranty: 12 months or 12,000 miles, and what changes it Firestone calls it the Limited Nationwide Service Warranty: “Parts and services purchased at Firestone Complete Auto Care are covered by a limited warranty of twelve (12) months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless otherwise described below.” Cover stops at the first anniversary of the work or 12,000 miles later, whichever arrives first. A failed covered part “will be replaced free of any additional charge for parts or labor.” The warranty “does not apply to” parts bought through the Firestone Off-Road Shop (their installation is covered), “tires,” “wheels,” “batteries,” or “damage caused by abuse or accident.” The “unless otherwise described below” is a table of shorter and longer terms by job, read on the page Firestone links from its menus: **Firestone Complete Auto Care service warranty terms by job (service warranty page, Effective Date 11/13/2024, read 9 October 2026)** | Job | Parts | Labor | | --- | --- | --- | | Oil change and oil filter | 3 months / 3,000 miles | 3 months / 3,000 miles | | Air, fuel, cabin air and transmission filters | 6 months / 6,000 miles | 6 months / 6,000 miles | | New or remanufactured starters and alternators | 24 months / 24,000 miles | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Standard brake service (shoes, disc pads) | Lifetime | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Standard brake service with brake fluid exchange | Lifetime | 24 months / 24,000 miles | | “Lifetime Brake Service” (shoes, pads, calipers, wheel cylinders, hardware) | Lifetime | Lifetime (see the warning below) | | Shocks and struts; steering and suspension parts | Lifetime | 12 months / 12,000 miles | | Lifetime alignment service | N/A | Lifetime | | Lifetime wheel balance | Lifetime | Lifetime | For oil-change intervals, see our guide on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/). Conditions apply to every line. The warranty “covers only the original purchaser,” and “The original invoice” must be presented. If the odometer did not work when the job was done, or does not work when you claim, “that vehicle is ineligible for coverage.” Commercial and racing use, “all electronic components of any part(s)” and air-conditioning refrigerant are excluded. Claims go to the selling store “or any other Firestone Complete Auto Care Store in the United States (subject to availability, qualifications, and equipment) owned by Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC.” Disputes can go to arbitration: “either you or we can choose to have any Claim resolved by binding arbitration,” with no class actions, though injury and property-damage claims are carved out, and Firestone will “advance the first $250 of the filing and hearing fees” on request. The warranty also disclaims implied warranties “TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW”; federal law says a seller that gives a written warranty on a consumer product may not disclaim them, only limit their length ([15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308)). The Triple Promise’s Fixed Right leg restates this warranty: a job “performed improperly” is redone “at no additional charge to you, during the established warranty period.” ## “Lifetime” brakes, alignment and balance: what lifetime means here Every lifetime line carries the same footnote: “All lifetime limited warranties are only valid for as long as the original lifetime service purchaser owns the vehicle.” Lifetime means your ownership of that car. Sell or trade it and the cover ends; the next owner gets nothing. ### Lifetime brakes Firestone’s brakes page offers a standard brake service with a “12,000-Mile/12-Month Service Warranty on Labor” and a “Lifetime Limited Nationwide Service Warranty on Parts,” and a brake service with fluid exchange that carries a “24,000-Mile/24-Month Service Warranty on Labor” with the same parts cover. The fluid exchange doubles the labor cover, by our arithmetic. The lifetime part is narrow: it covers the pads or shoes. A footnote says “Costs of additional brake system components, including master cylinders, rotors, drums and all additional labor, are warrantied for a period of twelve (12) months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.” If lifetime pads need replacing in year three, the pads fall under the lifetime line, but by the table’s terms the labor to fit them, and any rotor the job needs, is outside the cover. Our [brake pad cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) explains why rotors often join the bill. **Two versions of the same warranty page disagree on lifetime brake labor.** The page Firestone links from its menus still lists a “Lifetime Brake Service” with lifetime parts and lifetime labor. A second copy, listed in Firestone’s sitemap but marked not to be indexed by search engines, says: “Effective June 1, 2022, Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC discontinued and removed from sale the Lifetime Brake Labor Warranty package.” Lifetime labor bought before that date is still honored, it says. If a store offers lifetime labor today, get it on the invoice in those words. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a brake caliper and rotor mark the caliper, the rotor and the hub, with what Firestone's lifetime brake cover includes, the parts it covers for 12 months only, and when lifetime cover ends. Firestone Complete Auto Care’s service warranty, read on 9 October 2026, gives brake pads and shoes lifetime parts cover with 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor (callout 1), covers rotors, drums and master cylinders for 12 months or 12,000 miles (callout 2), and ends lifetime cover when the first buyer sells the car (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ### Lifetime alignment “Firestone lifetime alignment” is one of the chain’s most searched services. In the warranty table it is labor only; the parts column reads “N/A.” Its footnote sets three limits: “If parts are required to restore vehicle to manufacturer’s alignment specifications, then those parts and the labor required to install them are not covered”; it is “Subject to in-store equipment availability and employee qualifications to align vehicle”; and it holds only while the suspension or body height “has not been modified or damaged to be outside of OEM specifications.” The alignment page suggests checks “every 6,000 miles or at least once a year” and shows prices only after you enter a vehicle, which we did not do. Whether lifetime alignment pays depends on how often you would otherwise align and how long you keep the car; our [guide to when an alignment is needed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align) helps with the first half. Lifetime balance “is only warrantied so long as originally balanced tires remains on wheel,” so new tires end it. Lifetime shocks and struts exclude “air shocks and air springs.” ## The Triple Promise: the price match and the late-car discount The Triple Promise page heads itself “Fixed Right, Priced Right, Right on Time” and closes with “Restrictions and limitations apply.” Fixed Right is the repair warranty above. The other two have their own small print. ### Priced Right: 200% of the difference on tires The headline says Firestone “will match any current, locally advertised price on tires. If you find a better price within 30 days of purchase, we’ll refund you 200% of the price difference.” The footnote, printed on the Priced Right page, under the Triple Promise and on the service warranty page, extends “within thirty (30) days after the date of purchase, a refund of 200% of the difference between a competitor’s current, delivered non-sale price and the price of the same tire purchased from a Bridgestone company-owned store.” On a hypothetical $10 gap per tire, that is $20 back per tire, by our arithmetic. The conditions: - **A current, local advertisement** for the same tire, at a “non-sale price.” The guarantee “excludes wholesale, clearances, closeouts, catalogs and rebate prices.” - **Buy 3, Get 1 offers:** Firestone’s own is compared only with a competitor’s “Buy 3, Get 1 offer,” not a single-tire price. - **A real retailer:** “an authorized reseller of the product and selling it through their own, non-auction channel.” - **Nothing stacked:** the refund is “not to be combined with any other offer or used to reduce outstanding debt.” The buy-online page prints a shorter footnote that mentions only “a current local advertisement” and “wholesale, clearance and closeout prices.” Rely on the longer version, which appears in three places, and keep the receipt and the ad together. ### Right on Time: 10% off the next visit “If your vehicle isn’t ready at the time we promised, we will offer a 10% discount on your next purchase (discount cannot exceed $25.00).” The 10% reaches its $25 cap on a $250 purchase, by our arithmetic. It is valid “at any company-owned store,” the second visit must be “within one year of the original service,” and it cannot reduce outstanding debt. Ask the store to write the promised time on the work order. ## The tire warranty is Bridgestone’s, not the store’s People searching “Firestone tires warranty” usually mean the maker’s promise, and the store’s service warranty excludes tires. Firestone’s tire-warranty page restates the maker’s terms and says “This Limited Warranty is given by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC.” Our [comparison of tire makers’ warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) read Bridgestone’s 2024 manual (Effective Date 01/01/2024) on 7 October 2026. The terms that matter at the counter, copied from that reading: - **Firestone brand tires (the Gold Pledge):** replacement “either free of charge or for a prorated amount” for defects “within 5 years from the date of purchase (proof of purchase required) or 6 years from the date of manufacture,” free for “up to (a) 3 years from the date of purchase.” Bridgestone brand tires (the Platinum Pact) have the same periods. - **After the free period,** “the percent worn, based on used tread wear, is multiplied by DEALER’S current selling price,” and mounting, balancing and disposal fees “may still apply.” See [how prorating works](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration). - **The 90-Day Buy & Try Guarantee** exchanges a full set “within 90 days of purchase” for credit toward another Bridgestone or Firestone set, “one set of tires per vehicle within any 12-month period.” - **Keep rotation receipts:** you must have tires “regularly inspected and rotated” and “furnish proof of same.” Firestone’s page has fallen behind the manual: it says the warranty applies if “The tire was purchased and primarily used in the US after December 31, 2018,” while the 2024 manual covers tires “purchased ... after December 31, 2023.” The page links separate manuals by purchase date; use the one for the date on your invoice. Tires of other brands carry their own makers’ warranties. ### Tire registration: the store should do it for you Federal tire registration rules depend on who owns the dealer. 49 CFR 574.3 defines an independent dealer as “one whose business is not owned or controlled by a tire manufacturer or brand name owner.” An independent dealer can hand you a registration card. A dealer that is not independent must, under [49 CFR 574.8(b)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), “submit ... the information specified in § 574.7(a)(4) to the manufacturer of the tires sold” at least “every 30 days” (a seller of fewer than 40 tires may wait, but not beyond six months): your name and address, the tire identification number and the seller. Our reading: a store run by a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas is owned by a tire maker’s group, so it should register every new tire it sells, whatever the brand. Firestone’s pages do not mention registration, so check your name and address on the invoice and ask the store to confirm. Registration is how a maker reaches you in a recall; our [tire life guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) explains recall checks. ## Road Hazard Protection: bought separately and prorated from the first mile Bridgestone’s tire warranty covers defects, not nails and potholes. For those, Firestone sells Road Hazard Protection. The certificate, headed “Road Hazard Protection” with “Effective Date 01/01/2025,” opens: “This TIRE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT is optional protection that can be purchased and is ONLY EFFECTIVE WHEN THE ORIGINAL INVOICE IS PRESENTED WITH THIS WARRANTY FORM.” A sourcing note: Firestone’s robots.txt, the file that tells automated readers what they may fetch, bars a road hazard PDF on Firestone’s own site, and we did not request it. We read the copy on Adobe’s Scene7 service that Firestone’s tire-warranty page links to; that page repeats the key replacement terms. This is not free replacement. Firestone “will prorate any tire covered by this certificate if it should become unusable prior to wearing down to 2/32nds of an inch of remaining original usable tread for any reason resulting from road hazard (e.g. cut, snag, bruise, impact or puncture).” The price you pay is “the percent of used treadwear ... multiplied by the retail store’s current selling price for the replacement tire(s).” On hypothetical figures, our arithmetic: a tire 40% worn when a pothole ruins it costs you 40% of the store’s current price for the replacement, with the other 60% credited. Mounting and balancing are free, but “appropriate taxes, disposal fees and other service charges may be added.” The share is measured from the first mile. The formula uses the store’s current price, yet the next sentence says “your purchase price is credited for the unused amount of tread”; ask which figure the store applies. Repairs are free: “If the tire is repairable, the tire will be repaired free of charge at the discretion of Firestone Complete Auto Care in compliance with the auto manufacturer’s policy.” The limits: - **Once and twice:** no tire is eligible “for replacement more than one time or repair more than twice during the coverage period.” Cover on the replacement tire is a new purchase. - **Ends at 2/32 inch** of tread ([how to check tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth)). - **First buyer, first car:** it “only applies to the original purchaser,” “is not transferable,” and covers “the original vehicle identified on the original invoice.” - **Exclusions:** tires branded “NA” or “NO ADJ” and tires in commercial service are out, and five listed examples of causes not covered include “Continued use while flat,” collision or vandalism, and ignored maintenance advice. “Repair of a speed-rated tire voids the tire’s speed rating,” it warns. No page or document we read prints a price or price basis for Road Hazard Protection. The buy-online page says checkout offers “additional protections like a Road Hazard Warranty or Lifetime Wheel Warranty,” and we found no terms for the wheel product. The certificate calls itself a “Limited Warranty” designated “In accordance with Federal Law,” but it is a separate purchase; federal law defines a [service contract](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) as “a contract in writing to perform, over a fixed period of time or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair (or both) of a consumer product.” Our guide to [why a paid plan is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the difference. **Firestone’s own explainer describes different cover.** Its “Understanding Your Tire Warranty” page says “A limited road hazard warranty covers you for the first year after purchase” and “If the tire can be repaired, the warranty won’t cover it.” The certificate runs to 2/32 inch and repairs free. The explainer agrees on one thing: the cover “doesn’t automatically come with your tires.” Ask for the certificate at the counter, get the per-tire charge in writing, and check that any road hazard line on your estimate is one you asked for. ### Firestone’s road hazard terms beside other sellers The table copies other sellers’ wording from this site’s own pages, with read dates. It compares terms, not prices, and ranks no one. **Road hazard cover as each seller prints it (Firestone read 9 October 2026; Tire Rack 8 October 2026; Discount Tire and Walmart 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Seller | Included or bought | How a ruined tire is paid for | | --- | --- | --- | | Firestone Complete Auto Care | Bought: “optional protection that can be purchased” | Prorated from the first mile on the store’s current price; repairs free | | [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#prorated-road-hazard) | Included: “Every tire we sell comes with a FREE prorated road hazard warranty”; optional Certificates on top | Prorated; Certificates are “optional coverage” added at purchase or up to 30 days after | | [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#road-hazard) | Bought: the “OPTIONAL Road Hazard Warranty” | Free for the first year or 25% of tread life, then prorated; free flat repair | | [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) | Included for members: “5 year road hazard warranty” | Credit “by multiplying the usable remaining tread by the price you paid” | | [Tire Rack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/#road-hazard) | Included: “2 years of free road hazard protection” | “No proration” for 24 months; not transferable | Our pages on [Mavis](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) and [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) read two more chains’ terms. ## What comes free with tires, inspections and batteries Firestone’s tires page promises “free tire repair and maintenance services with every tire purchase,” then lists three items: tire mounting; “free tire rotations for life when you need them at participating Firestone Complete Auto Care locations. *Check stores for conditions and terms”; and an alignment check of “suspension, steering, tire conditions, and alignment settings.” The rotation page is firmer: “Tires purchased at Firestone Complete Auto Care include tire rotation services for the lifetime of the tire,” and rotations “will also be performed on any Bridgestone or Firestone tire regardless of purchase location.” It suggests rotating “around every 5,000 miles, but no more than 7,500 miles”; our [rotation guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers why your manual may differ. Flat repair is not on the list. The tire-repair page says “A simple plug or patch on basic touring tires can be as low as $30” and repairs only “Single punctures in the tread, ≤ 1/4″ (6 mm).” On the documents we read, free repairs come with Road Hazard Protection, not with the tire. Two inspections are free with conditions. Firestone offers “a free vehicle inspection with each and every repair and maintenance service,” starting “with a free battery test.” The brakes page offers “a free brake inspection,” with an asterisk: “*With an eligible coupon.” Batteries carry the battery maker’s warranty. Firestone says “Battery limited warranty is provided by the battery manufacturer (DieHard or Duralast). Claims and guarantees are those of the battery manufacturer, and not Firestone Complete Auto Care.” Ask which brand you are getting; our [battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) covers [Duralast](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#autozone-battery-warranty) and [DieHard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#advance-auto-parts-diehard-battery-warranty). ## Fees, “no hidden fees” and the Firestone credit card The buy-online page promises: “No hidden fees ... the price you see is the price you pay.” Fine print elsewhere adds charges to expect. Tire offers say “In-store installation required and costs extra,” and the same fine print, repeated on the credit-card page, sets a “Shop supply fee of 8-10% of labor costs (up to $40) added to invoices over $35, includes cost and profit, and is not charged if prohibited.” By our arithmetic the fee hits its $40 cap at $400 of labor at 10%, or $500 at 8%. Ask for an out-the-door figure that includes installation, this fee and tire disposal. The only standing financing route Firestone lists is its own card; its financing link redirects to the card page, and no other lender or pay-later option appeared on the pages we read. Approval decides the product: “you may be eligible for either a Firestone Credit Card or a Firestone Mastercard.” The issuer, Credit First National Association, is “operated and funded by the credit division of Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC.” The store card works at “participating automotive retail locations”; the Mastercard works anywhere Mastercard is accepted. The card’s standing feature is deferred interest, not zero interest: “$149 Minimum purchase required. If the purchase balance is not paid in full within 6 months, interest will be imposed from the purchase date.” The minimum finance charge is $2.00. The card page, read 9 October 2026, prints a store-card rate of 34.990% and a variable Mastercard rate of 33.240% “effective as of January 31, 2026” that “will not exceed 34.990%.” On the 6-month plan, divide the balance by six and pay at least that each month; the minimum payment may not clear it. ## What public records say about these stores We looked for attorney-general, Federal Trade Commission and other enforcement records involving Firestone’s stores and read two official releases. Both describe settled cases; we state them as the releases do. **Washington, 2005.** On 1 December 2005 the [Washington Attorney General announced](https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/firestone-tire-centers-ordered-reimburse-customers-road-hazard-warranties) “a settlement with Firestone Tire & Service Centers, resolving allegations that the company sold road hazard warranties with its tires without informing consumers that the warranties were optional.” The agreement, filed in King County Superior Court, required “BFS Retail and Commercial Operations, which owns and operates Firestone Tire & Service Centers,” to refund customers who asked, for warranties bought from 1 January 2003 to 1 December 2005, and to pay $10,000 in civil penalties ($5,000 suspended) plus $20,000 in costs and fees. The release says the state’s complaint alleged the company “automatically included the cost of the warranty or certificate in its tire estimates” and that “Consumers were sold certificates at a cost typically equal to 12 percent of the tire price.” “The settlement does not include an admission or finding of wrongdoing.” We found no Bridgestone document linking that company name to today’s, but the lesson fits the current certificate, which calls itself optional: read the estimate line by line. **California, 2022.** On 7 February 2022 the [Alameda County District Attorney](https://www.acgov.org/news/pressreleases/PressRelease-Firestone2022.pdf) announced that “a judge ordered $2.865 million in civil penalties to be paid by Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, the company that does business as Firestone Complete Auto Care at more than 150 locations in California.” In the case, which the district attorney brought with 28 other prosecutors, the complaint “alleged that the automotive repair company did not properly manage hazardous waste,” and the settlement “also resolves allegations that the company failed to redact or shred confidential customer information before throwing the paperwork in the trash.” With $350,000 for the investigation and $725,000 for compliance and training, the total is $3.94 million by our arithmetic, the release’s “nearly $4 million.” The release says Firestone “cooperated with prosecutors.” We found no FTC action about these stores’ current promises. The FTC’s and the Better Business Bureau’s websites blocked our reader, so neither is used. ## Where Firestone’s own documents disagree We found 11 places where Firestone’s or Bridgestone’s documents disagree. Beyond the six covered in the sections above: - **Who gives the tire warranty:** Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC on one page; Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC on the warranty supplement page. - **Store counts:** more than 1,800 stores and 9,500 technicians in 2026, against over 1,700 locations and 4,000 ASE certified technicians on Bridgestone Americas’ page. - **Which chains honor what:** company-owned Firestone stores (service warranty), 6 chains (road hazard certificate), 4 chains (2026 release). - **Price match:** a long footnote in three places, a shorter one online. - **Rotations:** “at participating” stores on one page, included “for the lifetime of the tire” on another. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Firestone - **Ask for an out-the-door figure** that includes installation, the shop supply fee and tire disposal. - **Read each estimate line** and remove Road Hazard Protection or any lifetime product you did not ask for. - **For road hazard cover,** get the per-tire charge in writing and keep the certificate with the original invoice. - **For lifetime brakes or alignment,** check which parts are lifetime, how long labor is covered, and that cover ends when you sell. - **For the price match,** bring a current local ad for the identical tire within 30 days. - **Have the promised time written** on the work order. - **Check your name and address** on the invoice and ask whether the tires were registered. - **Keep every invoice and rotation receipt;** all three warranties ask for them. ## Common questions ### Who owns Firestone Complete Auto Care? Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which Bridgestone calls “a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas,” itself a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation. It also runs Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works, and the stores are company-owned. ### What is the Firestone Complete Auto Care warranty on repairs? 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, on most parts and labor, at Firestone stores Bridgestone Retail Operations owns. Oil changes get 3 months or 3,000 miles; some brake, suspension, alignment and balance work is lifetime while the original buyer owns the car. Tires, wheels and batteries are excluded. ### What does Firestone’s lifetime alignment cover? Alignment labor while the buyer owns the car. Parts needed to reach factory specifications, and fitting them, are not covered, and modified or damaged suspension can end the cover. ### What is the Firestone tire warranty? The maker’s Gold Pledge from Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC: defects covered for 5 years from purchase, free replacement for the first 3, then prorated. It does not cover nails or potholes. See our [tire maker warranty comparison](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#workmanship). ### What does Firestone’s road hazard warranty cover? It is an optional purchase that replaces a tire ruined by a road hazard on a prorated basis, from the first mile to 2/32 inch of tread, and repairs it free up to twice. One replacement per tire; not transferable. ### Who issues the Firestone credit card? Credit First National Association, part of Bridgestone Retail Operations. Its 6-month plan on purchases of $149 or more is deferred interest, charged from the purchase date if the balance is not cleared in time. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/ --- title: "Mavis Tires: Warranty, Road Hazard, NTB and Who Owns the Chain" description: "Mavis prices a warranty replacement by tread worn and sells road hazard cover separately. It owns NTB and Tire Kingdom. What its terms and records say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Mavis Tires: Warranty, Road Hazard, NTB and Who Owns the Chain > Mavis prices a warranty replacement by tread worn and sells road hazard cover separately. It owns NTB and Tire Kingdom. What its terms and records say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,983 words* ## The short version - Mavis is Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. of White Plains, New York, run by the Sorbaro family and, since a 2021 deal, backed by an investor group led by BayPine. Its tire warranties and store sales run through a subsidiary, Mavis Tire Supply LLC. - NTB and Tire Kingdom now belong to Mavis. TBC agreed on 22 May 2023 to sell Mavis 392 NTB and 203 Tire Kingdom stores, and ntb.com and tirekingdom.com redirect to mavis.com. Mavis also bought Midas in 2025 and Pep Boys on 20 August 2026. - Mavis’s tire warranties are prorated from the first 32nd of an inch. A defect or a covered road hazard gets you a replacement at “the percentage of wear” times the price you paid; Mavis’s own example has you paying 38% for a tire worn from 10/32 to 7/32 inch. - Road hazard cover is not included. The Road Hazard Limited Warranty is sold separately, at a price Mavis does not publish, ends at 3 years or 2/32 inch, whichever comes first, and leaves mounting, balancing and taxes to you. - Repairs carry a part-and-labor table: brake pads, shoes, struts, shocks and mufflers get free parts for life and 12 months or 12,000 miles of labor; most other parts 12/12,000; alignments 3 months or 3,000 miles. - Pennsylvania’s Attorney General settled with Mavis Tire Supply LLC on 28 September 2026 over allegations of unnecessary or unperformed repairs, which Mavis denied. Pennsylvania customers can file a complaint until 26 January 2027. Mavis is a chain of tire and repair shops owned by Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., which since 2023 also owns NTB and Tire Kingdom. Its warranty terms price a replacement tire as a share of what you paid, rising with each 32nd of an inch worn, and they sell road hazard cover separately. On 9 October 2026 we read Mavis’s warranty terms and tables, its legal terms and company pages, the owners’ and sellers’ releases and filings, and two state settlement records. This site has no commercial relationship with Mavis or any tire seller. **Figure: What Mavis’s warranty terms pay, situation by situation** A two-column table of seven situations: a defect before any wear is replaced at 0% of the original price with installation included but balancing and taxes extra; a defect at 7/32 inch on a tire that started at 10/32 costs 38% of the original price in Mavis’s own example; a non-repairable road hazard with the road hazard warranty costs the percentage of wear times the original price plus mounting, balancing and taxes, and that cover ends at 3 years or 2/32 inch; without the warranty a road hazard is not covered; a mileage shortfall earns a credit equal to the share of miles not reached times the original price, taken off today’s price; brake pads and struts get free parts for life and free labor for 12 months or 12,000 miles; and no warranty passes to a new owner or another car. Read from Mavis’s warranty terms, Percentage of Wear Graphic and parts warranty table on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Mavis Tires, and which company you deal with Mavis’s About page traces the business to “Vic’s Cycle Shop in 1949” in Westchester County, New York, renamed Mavis Tire Supply in 1972. “In 2018, Mavis Tire Supply merged with Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers and Brakes Plus,” and “The resulting company, Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., known as Mavis” is the parent today. Mavis-owned brands are read separately on our [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/), [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) and [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/) pages. The money behind it is private equity. A [BayPine release](https://baypine.com/news/investor-group-led-by-baypine-in-partnership-with-tsg-consumer-partners) of 5 March 2021 announced that an investor group led by BayPine LP, with TSG Consumer Partners and West First Management, “a holding company controlled by David and Stephen Sorbaro,” had agreed to buy Mavis; Golden Gate Capital kept a minority interest and StepStone Group joined the group. BayPine’s portfolio page still lists Mavis, year 2021, status “Unrealized,” which in private-equity usage means the stake has not been sold. No document we read gives each owner’s share. David and Stephen Sorbaro run the company as Co-Chief Executive Officers. Mavis keeps buying chains. Its release of 16 June 2025 says the Midas purchase took Mavis past 3,500 locations, “including nearly 1,300 franchised locations.” Then came Pep Boys: Icahn Enterprises’ [8-K of 20 August 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/813762/000110465926099264/tm2623713d1_8k.htm) reports the “sale of Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC, a subsidiary of Mavis, for approximately $700 million in cash,” and the joint release says “Pep Boys will retain its brand identity.” Our sibling pages on [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) and [Pep Boys](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/) read those chains’ own terms. Mavis’s documents name several companies: **Who is on the other side of each Mavis document (read 9 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | | --- | --- | | The website and its Terms of Use | “Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire and Mavis Tires & Brakes” | | Online orders (Terms of Sale) | “Mavis Tire Supply LLC d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire” | | The three tire warranties | Honored “at all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC” | | The warranty information page | “Mavis Tires and Brakes (‘Mavis’)”, “a sub brand of Mavis Discount Tire” | | The Mavis credit card | Offered “through Synchrony” | | Makers’ tire warranties | The tire maker; Mavis links 14 makers’ warranty pages | The names matter in one place above all: the warranties are honored at stores “owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC.” The Midas purchase added franchised shops, and no page we read says whether Midas or Pep Boys stores honor a Mavis tire warranty, so ask before relying on one there. Mavis Discount Tire is a Mavis trade name; the [Discount Tire chain](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) is a separate company with its own terms. ## NTB tires and Tire Kingdom: what changed in 2023 If you searched for NTB tires, the stores still trade as NTB, but they are Mavis stores now. TBC Corporation’s [release of 22 May 2023](https://www.tbccorp.com/news/tbc-corporation-to-divest-ntb-and-tire-kingdom-businesses-to-mavis/) announced a sale “through which Mavis will acquire 392 NTB Tire and Service Centers (NTB) and 203 Tire Kingdom Service Centers (Tire Kingdom),” 595 stores, and mentioned “the 112 NTB stores acquired by Mavis from TBC in 2020.” TBC expected the deal “to close in the coming weeks” and agreed to supply Mavis stores with tires. Michelin, which jointly operates TBC with Sumitomo Corporation, dated the agreement 18 April 2023 in its own release. Mavis’s own pages agree. NTB “began its transition into the Mavis Tire family in 2020, with full brand acquisition completed in 2023,” and “totals over 350 locations nationwide.” Tire Kingdom: “In June 2023, Mavis Tire acquired the Tire Kingdom brand from TBC Corporation, including over 200 company-operated locations,” and the brand stays “focused primarily on its Florida roots.” On 9 October 2026 the robots files of ntb.com and tirekingdom.com answered with a permanent redirect to mavis.com/ntb/ and mavis.com/tirekingdom/; the home pages answered with an access block, which we did not try to get past. Mavis’s old domain, mavistire.com, redirects to mavis.com too. What Tire Kingdom’s own pages print is set out on our [Tire Kingdom](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-kingdom/) page. One loose end: TBC’s figures add up to 504 NTB stores sold to Mavis across 2020 and 2023, by our arithmetic, while Mavis now says “over 350.” Neither says how many closed or were renamed. Mavis’s own store list shows 219 NTB stores in 15 states, as our [NTB tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/ntb-tires/) page counts. For NTB and Tire Kingdom customers, two practical points. The brands’ warranty pages on mavis.com, headed “NTB TIRE WARRANTY” and “TIRE KINGDOM TIRE WARRANTY,” carry no terms, only “Learn more about tire warranty today!”; the terms that exist are Mavis’s, below, so ask the store to confirm they apply to your invoice. And old paperwork from other chains may be stale: Big O’s 2019 warranty sheet still says it is honored at “Tire Kingdom and NTB locations,” as our [Big O Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) notes. ## Mavis’s three tire warranties: who, where and on what conditions Mavis’s [warranty terms](https://www.mavis.com/tire-parts-warranty/) sit under a heading that suggests a tire maker’s promise, “MANUFACTURER WARRANTY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” and then set out Mavis’s own promises: “the New Tire Limited Warranty, the Limited Mileage Warranty, and the Road Hazard Limited Warranty.” The tire maker’s warranty comes on top; Mavis links 14 makers’ warranty pages, and our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) compares those booklets. The ground rules for all three Mavis warranties: Two other national chains are read the same way on our [Goodyear Auto Service](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/goodyear-auto-service/) and [Tires Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tires-plus/) pages. - **Who.** “The Warranties apply to the original purchaser (‘you’) and may not be assigned, including to a subsequent purchaser or owner of any applicable motor vehicle.” Each also excludes tires moved to another vehicle. - **Where.** At “all locations owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC,” with “a legible physical or digital copy of your sales invoice/receipt and service record, along with the unserviceable tire(s).” - **Your duties.** “Proper Tire Care” means correct cold inflation, rotation “on a regular basis (every 5,000 miles is recommended),” balanced wheels, maintained steering and suspension, and proper alignment. Keep the invoices; see our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval). - **The end point.** Tread is usable “until the depth measures less than 2/32nd of an inch”; see [how to read tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth). - **Free checks.** “Any Mavis location will check and inspect tire condition, wheel alignment, and vehicle condition at any time without charge.” The New Tire Limited Warranty covers defects, and “expires when the tire no longer has usable tread depth.” It excludes road hazards, damage from poor installation, misalignment or imbalance, abuse, accidents, commercial use, and vibration complaints after the first 2/32 inch of wear. The terms also limit “the durations of implied warranties (if any)” to the written ones. Federal law allows that for a written warranty “of reasonable duration, if such limitation is conscionable and is set forth in clear and unmistakable language and prominently displayed on the face of the warranty” ([15 U.S.C. 2308(b)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm)). ## How Mavis prices a replacement tire: the percentage of wear For a defect, “The amount you will pay for a replacement tire, including free installation, is calculated by multiplying the percentage of wear by the original purchase price.” The road hazard warranty uses the same rule. Mavis publishes the percentages as a picture, the “Percentage of Wear Graphic,” a grid of original tread depths from 9/32 to 15/32 inch against the tread left, with one worked example: > “Original Tread Depth: 10/32, Remaining Tread Depth: 7/32 = 38% Original Tire Price: $69.99 x 38% = $26.60” The $69.99 is Mavis’s illustration, not a price we found. The rule behind the grid is the share of usable tread that is gone, with usable tread ending at 2/32 inch. A 10/32 tire has 8/32 to use; at 7/32 it has lost 3/32, and 3 divided by 8 is 37.5%, printed as 38%. That rule matches all 77 printed cells of the grid, by our arithmetic. For a tire that starts at 10/32 inch, each 32nd worn adds 12.5 points to the share you pay; for one that starts at 12/32, it adds 10. **What Mavis’s graphic charges for a covered replacement of a tire that started at 10/32 inch (read 9 October 2026)** | Tread left | Share of the original price you pay | | --- | --- | | 10/32 (new) | 0% | | 9/32 | 13% | | 8/32 | 25% | | 7/32 | 38% | | 6/32 | 50% | | 5/32 | 63% | | 4/32 | 75% | | 3/32 | 88% | | 2/32 | 100% | So a defect found before any wear costs nothing, installation included, and a tire half worn is replaced at half its original price. Even the free case has a catch: “Tire balancing services and any other applicable taxes and government-mandated charges are not included in the price of the replacement tire,” though Mavis’s installation page describes balancing as part of fitting “any new tire.” Tire makers’ booklets prorate too, on their own terms, as our [comparison of makers’ prorating terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) sets out. When a tire fails early, ask which warranty the store is applying, the maker’s or Mavis’s. The Limited Mileage Warranty promises that “your tire(s) will attain the mileage specified on your purchase receipt.” If not, “The pro-rata credit is calculated by multiplying the percentage of mileage not attained by the original purchase price. This credit will be deducted from the current selling price of the replacement tire.” So check that the receipt shows a mileage before you leave, and expect the credit at your old price against a new tire at today’s. Its 10 exclusions include “Repairable punctures or tires run flat” and “Dealer services, such as mounting and balancing, and applicable state and federal (FET) taxes.” ## Mavis’s road hazard warranty: bought separately, and still prorated Nails, potholes and glass are outside the new tire warranty, which excludes “road hazards, such as cuts, snags, punctures, or impact breaks.” For those you need the Road Hazard Limited Warranty, whose terms begin “If you have purchased this warranty.” No page we read prints its price. It covers a tire ruined by “cuts, snags, bruises, impact breaks, or other un-repairable punctures” for “the shorter of (i) 3 years from the purchase date or (ii) until the given tire retains less than 2/32nds of an inch of tread depth,” so cover ends at whichever comes first. You pay the same percentage of wear times the original purchase price: a nail in a tire worn from 10/32 to 6/32 inch means paying 50% of what you paid, plus the extras below. Three of its 7 exclusions matter most: “Tires that can safely be fixed/repaired”; “Road service, towing costs, and other incidental damage,” and Mavis’s mobile service FAQ adds “we do not provide towing or road-side assistance”; and “Dealer services, such as mounting and balancing, and applicable state and federal (FET) taxes,” so a road hazard replacement, unlike a defect replacement, does not include fitting. **Mavis’s road hazard warranty is not free replacement.** Even after you buy it, a ruined tire is replaced at the percentage of wear times the price you paid, plus mounting, balancing and taxes, and only for 3 years or until 2/32 inch. Ask for the per-tire price of the warranty in writing and work out what a claim would cost at half wear before you decide. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a tire's tread and wheel mark a tread groove, the tread face and the wheel, with how Mavis prices a covered replacement by wear, how long its road hazard cover lasts, and its rotation rule. Mavis’s tire warranty pages, read on 9 October 2026, price a covered replacement by tread worn, 38% for a tire worn from 10/32 to 7/32 inch (callout 1), sell road hazard cover separately for 3 years or until 2/32 inch (callout 2), and recommend rotation every 5,000 miles, free for tires bought at Mavis (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Other sellers print different terms for the same situations. This table compares documents, not prices, and ranks no one. The other columns come from this site’s readings of [Big O’s warranty documents](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) and [Les Schwab’s Tire Warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/) on 9 October 2026 and [Walmart’s tire warranty terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#road-hazard) on 7 October 2026. **Road hazard, mileage and transfer terms as each seller prints them (Mavis, Big O and Les Schwab read 9 October 2026; Walmart 7 October 2026)** | Term | Mavis | Big O Tires | Les Schwab | Walmart | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Road hazard cover on a new tire | Only “If you have purchased this warranty”; no price printed | Big O brand tires: replaced “at no charge” in the first 3 years | Included: “repair or replace 100%” until 2/32 inch | “OPTIONAL Road Hazard Warranty” | | What a non-repairable road-hazard replacement costs you | Percentage of wear times the original purchase price, plus mounting, balancing and taxes | Installation charges apply “at the time of tire replacement” | 100% of the covered tire | Free in the first 25% of usable tread or one year, whichever comes first, then pro-rata; installation and taxes extra | | Mileage shortfall credit is figured on | The original purchase price, deducted from the current selling price | Mileage left blank for the store to fill in; terms on the back of the invoice | The original purchase price, excluding Federal Excise Tax | “the then current actual selling price at Walmart” | | Who can claim | “the original purchaser”; “may not be assigned” | “nontransferable”; original purchaser and vehicle | “valid for the original purchaser” | “protects the original purchaser” | All four keep cover with the first buyer. They part ways on the first two rows: Mavis’s bought road hazard cover charges by tread worn from the first 32nd; the other three start with full replacement or a free period. ## What’s free at Mavis, and what isn’t printed Mavis’s pages name one free service tied to buying tires there, plus free checks: - **Rotation, for tires bought there.** “If you previously bought your tires at Mavis, we offer free tire rotations on those tires,” the rotation cost page says. - **Checks.** The warranty terms promise free checks of tire condition, alignment and vehicle condition, the cost pages start from “a free car inspection,” and the FAQ says a customer “can come in for any of our free services only.” - **Flat repair is not listed as free.** “The price will depend on the rim size of your tires,” says the flat repair page. No page we read promises free flat repair or free rebalancing for a tire’s life. - **Installation prices are not printed.** They “can vary by geographic region, tire size, and vehicle.” Mavis will also mount tires bought elsewhere. The Terms of Use let Mavis charge “a deposit fee (‘Deposit’) for certain appointments, including those involving special order tires,” refundable on a call to the store “at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the scheduled appointment time.” Mavis accepts “the return or exchange of original-condition, uninstalled tires purchased from Mavis Discount Tire within 30 days of purchase, no questions asked.” Website orders get 30 days from delivery, refunded “less the original shipping and handling costs.” ## Brakes, alignment, batteries: Mavis’s parts and labor warranty Repairs carry a separate “Mechanical Labor and Parts Warranty,” again for the original purchaser at stores owned by Mavis Tire Supply LLC. Each part has two clocks, one for the part and one for the labor. “12/12,000” means “12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first,” so cover ends at whichever limit you reach first. A lifetime part is not a lifetime job: once the labor warranty has expired, “you will be charged at the then-current labor rate.” The durations are in a table Mavis publishes as an image, with 64 parts and services in 10 groups. A selection: **Selected rows of Mavis’s parts and labor warranty table (months/miles; read 9 October 2026)** | Part or service | Part warranty | Labor warranty | | --- | --- | --- | | Brake pads, front or rear; brake shoes | Lifetime | 12/12,000 | | Brake disc rotor; rebuilt caliper | 12/12,000 | 12/12,000 | | Brake line, metal and rubber | 12/12,000 | 3/3,000 | | Struts, shocks and air shocks | Lifetime | 12/12,000 | | Muffler assembly | Lifetime | 12/12,000 | | Catalytic converter | 60/50,000 | 12/12,000 | | Wheel alignment | 3/3,000 | 3/3,000 | | TPMS sensor | 12/12,000 | 3/3,000 | | A/C system recharge | 3/3,000 | 3/3,000 | | All other items not listed (excluding tires and batteries) | 3/3,000 | 3/3,000 | Six parts carry a lifetime part warranty, by our count: brake pads, brake shoes, struts, shocks, air shocks and the muffler. Most others, from master cylinders to alternators, get 12/12,000 on both clocks. The short ones: an alignment, and anything the table does not name, get 3 months or 3,000 miles. A dated alignment special on the home page says “90 Day Warranty Included,” with no mileage; the table is the fuller statement. Our guides to [brake pad replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/), [when an alignment is due](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align) and [catalytic converter replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost/) cover the jobs. Batteries have their own table: a free replacement period, a credit through month 60, and 12 months of labor for fitting the replacement. AGM batteries get 48 months free, Sprinter Max 36, Sprinter and Marathon AUX Euro Fit 24, and Classic 20. The credit is “(60 - month of battery’s life) ÷ 60 × original battery cost”; Mavis’s example is a $200 battery replaced in month 35, which earns $83.33. The drop after the free period is steep: a Sprinter that fails in month 25 is credited 58.3% of its cost and an AGM in month 49 gets 18.3%, by our arithmetic. Our [car battery warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) compares other sellers’ terms. ## Price match, the 30-day guarantee, discounts and the Mavis credit card Mavis describes its two price programs loosely. The slogan on most pages is “We will beat any price,” while the [price match page](https://www.mavis.com/tire-price-match-guarantee/) says its “price busters will get a hold of available matching tires at the same price.” The fine print: > “Mavis Discount Tire can beat verifiable competitor price quotes on new, in-stock tires with the same brand, model, size, and construction. We cannot match the price on closeouts or clearance items, member pricing, sale pricing, promotional codes, instant rebates or purchases made through national accounts. We also cannot match the price offered by a third-party seller.” Competitors’ shipping counts in the comparison, and “a price match cannot be combined with any warranty transaction.” The 30-day price guarantee says: “If you find the same tire for a lower price 30 days after your purchase, we’ll refund the difference plus 5%.” The installation page says “within 30 days after your purchase” instead, and neither says 5% of what, so ask for the rule on the invoice. The FAQ lists two standing discounts: “Anyone who is 65 or older (confirm with valid state ID) gets 5% off,” and active duty, reservists and veterans “get 10% off.” Neither combines with coupons or offers, and “Both price-match and warranty transactions are excluded.” **The Mavis credit card** is a store card “through Synchrony,” usable, Mavis says, at “over 1 million automotive locations nationwide.” The [card page](https://www.mavis.com/card/) prints standing terms with a date: “New Accounts as of 07/31/25: Purchase APR 34.99%. Penalty APR 39.99%. Minimum Interest Charge $2.” There is no annual fee, Mavis says; prequalifying has “no impact to your credit score,” while the full application “will result in an inquiry on your credit report.” The FAQ offers “6 months Promotional Financing on purchases of $199 or more,” and the footnote shows it is deferred interest: “If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date.” Divide the balance by the months and pay at least that each month. The card page also prints two Synchrony phone numbers that differ only in their last two digits, swapped, so use the number on your statement. ## State settlements, and the arbitration clause in Mavis’s terms Two state attorneys general have settled with Mavis Tire Supply LLC over repair sales practices. In both, the conduct is alleged, not proven. **Pennsylvania, 2026.** On 28 September 2026 Attorney General Dave Sunday [announced a settlement](https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/attorney-general-sundays-bureau-of-consumer-protection-secures-settlement-with-mavis-discount-tire-regarding-billing-for-unnecessary-services/) “regarding the vehicle-repair company’s allegedly deceptive sales practices,” an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (September Term 2026, No. 03390). It “resolves an investigation which involved allegations that Mavis recommended and charged consumers for vehicle repair and maintenance services that were unnecessary or that Mavis did not actually perform, and that Mavis failed to perform vehicle repairs and maintenance in a skilled or workmanlike manner.” In the filing Mavis “denies entirely the contentions of the Commonwealth,” says any such conduct “was carried out by employees who failed to follow Mavis’s established policies,” and signs “without admission of liability or wrongdoing.” - **Money.** $215,000, which is $190,000 in restitution and $25,000 for costs, plus $100,000 payable only if a court finds Mavis breached the agreement. - **Who can claim.** Consumers who had complained, or who file within 120 days, which the release puts at “no later than Tuesday, January 26, 2027.” Mavis has “more than 130 branch locations in Pennsylvania.” - **Conduct.** Training and oversight of staff, and “for the next two (2) calendar years beginning on October 1, 2026,” annual compliance assessments sent to the state. The agreement does not “waive or limit any right of action by any individual.” The filing also quotes a Pennsylvania rule worth knowing there: a shop may not fail “to remedy promptly, at no charge to the customer, a repair or maintenance service performed by it on the consumer’s vehicle which was not performed in a skilled and workmanlike manner, provided that the consumer promptly complains.” **Georgia, 2022.** The [Georgia Department of Law](https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2022-03-23/mavis-tire-supply-enters-settlement) said Mavis Tire Supply, LLC settled on 15 March 2022 over allegations that representatives told consumers “their vehicles needed expensive repairs and/or parts when such was not the case” and passed used parts off as new. Mavis agreed to pay $15,804.63 to identified consumers and $80,000.00 into a claim fund, plus $200,000.00 in civil penalties, of which $150,000.00 was due and the rest payable only on a violation. Claims closed on 13 June 2022. We found no Federal Trade Commission action naming Mavis. **The arbitration clause.** Mavis’s [Terms of Use](https://www.mavis.com/terms-of-use/) and Terms of Sale require “ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS” under the American Arbitration Association’s Consumer Arbitration Rules and New York law, and their wording reaches past the website to any claim “RELATING IN ANY WAY TO YOUR PURCHASE OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES THROUGH THE SITE OR TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH US.” A written notice and 45 days’ wait come first. You can choose small claims court with notice “within sixty (60) calendar days of your purchase,” or opt out of arbitration by mail “within thirty (30) calendar days after the date that you agree to these Terms of Use,” to the Millwood, New York address the terms print. We did not see whether store paperwork carries the same clause. ## Where Mavis’s own documents disagree We recorded 15 places where Mavis’s pages, terms and releases differ. The ones a buyer should know: - **Three company names.** The Terms of Use are with Mavis Tire Express Services Corp.; the Terms of Sale, the warranties and the Pennsylvania settlement name Mavis Tire Supply LLC; the warranty page calls itself “Mavis Tires and Brakes.” - **Unfinished terms.** The Terms of Use name the old www.mavistire.com and print “[INSERT LINK]” twice; the Terms of Sale refer to a “Last Updated Date” they never print and skip from section 9 to 11. - **“Manufacturer” warranties that are Mavis’s.** Mavis’s own warranties sit under “MANUFACTURER WARRANTY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” and the Terms of Sale say Mavis gives no additional warranties on website products while selling its road hazard warranty online. - **“Full” or limited.** The price match page says every tire comes “with a full manufacturer’s warranty.” Under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2303.htm), “full” is a defined label and a warranty that misses the federal standards must be called a “limited warranty”; Mavis’s own three are labelled limited. Check the maker’s booklet for its label. - **Beat or match.** “We will beat any price” beside “matching tires at the same price,” and a guarantee that runs “30 days after” or “within 30 days after” your purchase. - **Size and brands.** “more than 2,100” stores in 36 states, “over 3,500” across brands, “more than 3,600” in Mavis’s July 2026 release and “more than 4,400” after Pep Boys; “49 U.S. states” in the FAQ, “50 U.S. states” in the Midas release. No Mavis brand list we read includes Pep Boys, and the Mavis Family page leaves out Midas. A claim will turn on the paperwork you sign, so get the warranty terms in writing at the counter. ## Before you buy tires or a repair at Mavis, NTB or Tire Kingdom Register your tires so the maker can reach you in a recall. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), an independent dealer may hand you “a paper tire registration form” with “The entire tire identification number” filled in, or send the form itself “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” No Mavis page we read says which it does, so ask. NHTSA says makers notify registered owners “within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision,” and its [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) covers tires; see our page on [tire recalls and age](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls). You can also ask to read a warranty before you pay: under [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), for products costing “more than $15.00” the seller must make the text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” - **Ask whose warranty applies**, the maker’s or Mavis’s, and take the terms with the invoice. - **Check the receipt for a mileage figure**; the mileage warranty covers only the number printed there. - **Get the road hazard price per tire in writing**, and work out a claim at half wear plus mounting and balancing. - **Keep every rotation invoice**; the terms recommend rotation every 5,000 miles, and tires bought at Mavis rotate free. - **For repairs, ask for the part and labor warranty** on each line; anything unlisted gets 3 months or 3,000 miles. - **For a price match, bring a verifiable quote** for the same tire, and ask how the 30-day refund is worked out. - **For deferred-interest financing,** clear the balance before the promotion ends. - **Note the date 30 days after your first purchase** if you want to opt out of arbitration by mail. ## Common questions ### Who owns Mavis Tires? Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., based in White Plains, New York. An investor group led by BayPine, with TSG Consumer Partners and the Sorbaros’ West First Management, agreed to buy it in 2021, with Golden Gate Capital keeping a minority stake; BayPine still lists it as a holding. ### Is NTB owned by Mavis? Yes. TBC agreed in May 2023 to sell Mavis its NTB and Tire Kingdom stores, and Mavis says NTB is “now fully owned and operated by Mavis Tire.” ntb.com redirects to mavis.com. ### What does the Mavis tire warranty cover? The New Tire Limited Warranty covers defects until the tread is below 2/32 inch, with the replacement priced at the percentage of wear times what you paid. A mileage warranty covers the mileage printed on your receipt. Road hazards need the separately sold Road Hazard Limited Warranty. ### Does Mavis have a road hazard warranty? Yes, for purchase. It lasts 3 years or until 2/32 inch, whichever comes first, and you still pay the percentage of wear times the original price, plus mounting, balancing and taxes. Repairable punctures and towing are excluded. ### Is Mavis Discount Tire the same company as Discount Tire? No. Mavis’s terms use “d/b/a Mavis Discount Tire” as a Mavis trade name. Discount Tire is a separate chain; our Discount Tire warranty page reads its terms. ### Who issues the Mavis credit card? Synchrony. As of 31 July 2025 the printed purchase APR for new accounts was 34.99%, with a penalty APR of 39.99%. Its promotional financing is deferred interest: an unpaid promotional balance is charged interest from the purchase date. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/ --- title: "Pep Boys: Warranties, Road Hazard, Brakes and Who Owns It Now" description: "Pep Boys repairs carry 90 days or 3,000 miles. What its road hazard plan, lifetime brake pads, battery warranty and price match promise, and who owns it now." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Pep Boys: Warranties, Road Hazard, Brakes and Who Owns It Now > Pep Boys repairs carry 90 days or 3,000 miles. What its road hazard plan, lifetime brake pads, battery warranty and price match promise, and who owns it now. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,893 words* ## The short version - Pep Boys has a new owner. Icahn Enterprises reports that its subsidiary Icahn Automotive Group LLC completed the sale of Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC on August 20, 2026, for about $700 million in cash. Pep Boys’ own history page still names Icahn Enterprises. - Repairs and installed parts carry 90 days or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless the invoice says otherwise. The warranty is a repair at a Pep Boys; it “does not include a refund.” - The Road Hazard Protection Plan is optional and its price is not printed. It repairs a damaged tire free if it can, or gives a prorated credit or refund, until 2/32 inch of tread. The FAQ describes a different end point. - “Lifetime” brake pads are free replacement pads for as long as you own the car. The brake warranty does not cover rotors, calipers or the labor to restore the brake system. - Batteries carry Interstate’s warranty, not Pep Boys’: 18 to 36 months of free replacement on the lines shown, from the purchase date, with no reset. - In 2018 New Jersey settled pricing and repair allegations with Pep Boys for $80,000, without any admission of wrongdoing. Pep Boys says it runs nearly 800 auto service and tire centers in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its promises are written in a few of its own documents, and on 9 October 2026 we read them: the Policies page with its Limited Warranties, return and price match rules; the Terms of Use (last updated 7/11/2025); the road hazard page, an April 10, 2026 article on the plan and the Customer Care FAQ; and the tire, oil change, PepCheck, brake, battery and credit card pages. We also read Icahn Enterprises’ 10-K for 2025, its June 2026 10-Q and two 8-Ks on the sale of Pep Boys, plus two regulators’ settlements. This page sets out what those documents say, not how good the service is. This site has no commercial relationship with Pep Boys, Mavis or anyone else named here. **Figure: What Pep Boys’ written terms say, by what went wrong** A two-column table of eight situations: a repair that fails inside 90 days or 3,000 miles is redone free at any Pep Boys, with no refund; a replacement part that fails later but inside its maker’s warranty is replaced free while the labor is yours; worn brake pads are replaced free for as long as you own the car, but rotors, calipers and the labor to restore the brake system are not covered; a tire with the optional road hazard plan gets a free repair or a prorated credit down to 2/32 inch; without the plan, only defects and tread wear-out are warranted; an Interstate battery is replaced free inside its line’s period, which does not restart; a lower local price within 30 days gets the difference back; and disputes over repairs go to binding individual arbitration. Read from Pep Boys’ Policies page, road hazard pages, brake and battery pages on 9 October 2026. Not a ranking. ## Who owns Pep Boys now Mavis does. Icahn Enterprises L.P.’s [8-K of August 20, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/813762/000110465926099264/tm2623713d1_8k.htm) states: “On August 20, 2026, Icahn Automotive Group LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, completed the previously announced sale of Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC, a subsidiary of Mavis, for approximately $700 million in cash.” The same filing identifies Mavis as Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., which issued the announcement jointly with Icahn Enterprises. So the seller was Icahn Automotive Group LLC, the buyer was Mavis Tire Supply, LLC, and the sale was completed on August 20, 2026. The agreement had been signed on July 19, 2026 at “a base purchase price of $700.0 million,” 32 days before completion by our arithmetic, and Mavis’s own release of July 21, 2026 announced that “a subsidiary of Mavis will acquire The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack Holding Corp.” from Icahn Automotive Group LLC. The joint release on completion says “Pep Boys will retain its brand identity as part of the Mavis family of brands,” which it lists as including Mavis Discount Tire, [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/), NTB, Tire Kingdom and Brakes Plus. Our page on [Mavis tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) covers the new parent. Icahn Enterprises kept “the owned real estate previously transferred from Pep Boys, as well as the AAMCO Transmissions and Precision Tune Auto Care Businesses,” and its [June 2026 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/813762/000110465926090605/tmb-20260630x10q.htm) says it will “lease the properties to Mavis.” Precision Tune’s own terms are read on our [Precision Tune page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/precision-tune-auto-care/). For a customer, two points follow. Pep Boys’ own pages had not caught up when we read them: the history page ends with Pep Boys “acquired in 2016 by Icahn Enterprises,” and neither the newsroom nor an October 6, 2026 release mentions Mavis. And nothing we read says the sale changes any warranty. The Limited Warranty still names “The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack LLC” as warrantor, so keep your invoice and Service Work Order: the warranty runs from them, whoever owns the chain. Icahn Enterprises’ filings also describe Pep Boys before the sale, as part of its Automotive segment. The [10-K for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/813762/000110465926019821/tmb-20251231x10k.htm) says the Automotive segment “exited the Aftermarket Parts business in the first quarter of 2025,” and Pep Boys’ site now says “Pep Boys no longer sells auto parts.” In 2025 Automotive Services brought in $1,399 million and parts sales $2 million, so services were more than 99% of revenue from customers, by our arithmetic; parts had been $137 million in 2023. The 10-K puts the segment’s 2025 revenue fall of $44 million (3%) down to “the strategic closure of underperforming locations of $40 million” and the parts exit, partly offset by “increased product pricing of $20 million.” Closures continued: in the quarter to June 30, 2026 they “reduced revenues by $12 million.” How many stores is that? Pep Boys’ own documents disagree, and the 10-K counts the whole Automotive segment, which also held franchise businesses. **How many Pep Boys? What each document printed (read 9 October 2026)** | Document | What it says | | --- | --- | | Customer Care FAQ (undated) | “over 800 locations” | | Pep Boys release on a transformation role (2025) | “more than 850 locations” | | Icahn Enterprises 10-K, end of 2025, before the sale (whole Automotive segment) | “approximately 820 company operated store locations,” plus 727 franchise locations | | Pep Boys road hazard article, April 10, 2026 | 750+ locations, 7500 service bays, 5000+ technicians | | Pep Boys parts transition page (undated) | 750+ locations, 8000 service bays, 4500+ technicians | | Mavis and Icahn Enterprises release, August 20, 2026 | “nearly 800 Pep Boys locations” | | Fleet answer in the Customer Care FAQ (undated) | “more than 2,000 service locations, 10,000 service bays, and more than 22,000 skilled technicians” | With the sale, the Mavis network “now includes more than 4,400 service center locations,” so Pep Boys is about 18% of it by count, our arithmetic on two rounded figures. ## The Pep Boys warranty on repairs and parts The headline promise is on the [Policies page](https://www.pepboys.com/customer-care/policies): “Automotive service and installed parts are warranted for 90 days or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless different warranty terms are specified on your Invoice.” The full Limited Warranties text lower on that page is the version printed on a Service Work Order. Its main points: - **Parts can outlast labor.** A failed part is replaced free within “the longer of (i) six months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first, from the date of service or (ii) the manufacturer’s warranty period,” but installed free only if it fails “within six months or 6,000 miles.” - **Nine groups of parts are excluded** from that parts warranty, including batteries, tires, brake pads and shoes, wiper blades, “Fluids and Filters” and customer-supplied parts. Most have their own terms, below. - **A repair, not money.** “This warranty does not include a refund.” Towing, a rental car and time off work are excluded, and liability is capped at “THE RETAIL PRICE OF THE SERVICE, PRODUCT OR PART.” - **Only at Pep Boys.** Pep Boys “will not honor or pay for warranty service performed at any other facility or store.” The warranty “covers only the original purchaser” and excludes vehicles “used commercially, for racing or for off-road purposes.” - **Staff cannot add to it.** “No employee of Pep Boys is authorized to extend or enlarge these Limited Warranties,” so get any extra promise written on the invoice. Two clauses help you. If a defect appears inside the period, “the warranty will not expire until the defect has been fixed,” and the period is extended by the days the product is out of your hands for warranty repairs. The text also limits, rather than disclaims, implied warranties: their duration “IS LIMITED TO THE DURATION OF THIS EXPRESS WARRANTY,” and some states do not allow even that. Federal law bars a supplier that gives a written warranty from disclaiming implied warranties “(except as provided in subsection (b))” ([15 U.S.C. 2308(a)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308)). **The Extended Labor Warranty** is the paid add-on, sold “with select services.” It “extends the limited warranty to 12 months with unlimited mileage” and “can be canceled within 30 days of purchase” for a store refund. Pep Boys prints neither its price nor the qualifying services, so ask both. Icahn Enterprises’ 10-K gives a sense of scale: the Automotive segment held $28 million of deferred revenue on “extended warranty plans” at the end of 2025. Our guide to [how a paid plan differs from a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the distinction. **Pep Boys’ printed warranty periods, by what was done (read 9 October 2026)** | What was done | Period Pep Boys prints | | --- | --- | | Repairs and installed parts, unless the invoice says otherwise | 90 days or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first | | A replacement part that fails | Part: the longer of 6 months or 6,000 miles, or the maker’s warranty. Labor: 6 months or 6,000 miles | | Extended Labor Warranty (optional, paid) | 12 months, unlimited mileage; cancel within 30 days | | 30-day or 1-year wheel alignment | 30 days; or 12 months or 12,000 miles | | Wheel balancing; Lifetime Wheel Balancing | 90 days or 3,000 miles; “as long as you own the tire” | | Standard or Premium brake service | 12 months/12,000 miles or 24 months/24,000 miles, plus lifetime replacement pads | | New passenger or light truck tires | Free replacement for defects in the first 90 days, prorated after | | Interstate battery (Interstate’s warranty) | 18 to 36 months of free replacement on the lines shown | ## Buying tires at Pep Boys: what comes with them Pep Boys says “Standard tire installation includes mounting and balancing and valve stem or TPMS rebuild kit,” with “Complimentary balancing,” a pressure check and a “Wheel alignment check.” A check is not an alignment, which is a separate service with its own warranty. Three extras are printed, each with conditions: - **Lifetime rotations** come “With purchase and installation of a set of 4 tires at Pep Boys,” last for “the usable life of the tires” (down to 2/32 inch of tread), are “Non-transferable” and need proof of purchase; “Additional services may incur a fee.” Our [rotation guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why your car’s schedule, not the shop’s, sets the interval. - **Lifetime Wheel Balancing,** where sold, is warranted “for as long as you own the tire.” - **A free lug nut re-check** on new custom or alloy wheels, which “may become loose during the first 25 miles of driving.” **The Ride Happiness Guarantee** is “a 30-days or 1,000-mile satisfaction guarantee on Pep Boys installed tires,” with the original price credited to a different set. It “requires purchase of 4 tires,” you pay installation again, road hazard damage is excluded, and it is “limited to one set of tires per vehicle within any 12-month period.” **Pep Boys’ own tire warranty** replaces a defective tire free for the first 90 days. After that, defects and early wear-out get a “prorated adjustment” off “the current selling price of the replacement tire.” For a defect, the credit is that price times “the percentage of the usable tread remaining,” and “Usable tread is the original tread depth less 2/32nds of an inch.” A tire that was 10/32 inch new and is 6/32 inch at the defect had 8/32 usable and 4/32 left, so the credit is 50%, by our arithmetic on assumed depths. For wear-out it is the share of “warranted mileage not run”: a 60,000-mile tire worn out at 45,000 gets 25%, also our arithmetic. The warranty excludes ten causes, from “improper mounting or inflation” to “collision or upset,” and any tire used for “commercial, delivery, or rental purposes.” Our page on [tire warranty proration](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) compares the makers’ versions. Road damage is the gap: Pep Boys calls potholes, nails and debris “damage not covered by manufacturers.” ## The Pep Boys Road Hazard Protection Plan Pep Boys’ [road hazard page](https://www.pepboys.com/tires/road-hazard-protection) offers “Optional protection available with purchase for potholes, nails, and road debris”: “Free Repair - if safely repairable,” and if not, “a prorated credit or refund based on the tire’s remaining tread depth.” Cover runs until the tire has 2/32 inch of tread left, and it “stays with the tire’s original owner and ends if the tire is put on a different vehicle.” Any Pep Boys can take a claim, “subject to plan eligibility and verification.” The FAQ lists what counts, from “unrepairable tread punctures” to “impact breaks, bruises, and rim cuts.” Three things the pages leave less clear: - **The price.** None is printed on the landing page, the article, the FAQ or the Policies page. Icahn Enterprises’ 10-K calls these “lifetime warranties for road hazard assistance,” paid “upfront.” Ask for the per-tire charge and check it on the invoice. - **Extra charges.** The FAQ says “While the repair cost is free – there may be a charge for re-balancing a repaired tire,” and the same for a replacement. - **When it ends.** The landing page says 2/32 inch of tread; the FAQ says cover “extends for the full period of the mileage warranty of the tire.” Those can be different dates, so ask which your paperwork uses. For comparison, here is how two sellers whose terms this site has read print theirs, copied from our pages on [Discount Tire’s Certificates](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#certificates) and [Costco’s road hazard warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty). Terms only: no prices, no ranking. **Road hazard terms as each seller prints them (Pep Boys read 9 October 2026; Discount Tire 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Term | Pep Boys plan | Discount Tire Certificate | Costco Road Hazard Warranty | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Optional, bought with the tires; no price printed | Optional service contract bought per tire | Comes with every tire: “all of our tires are backed” by it | | How long | Until 2/32 inch of tread (FAQ: the tire’s mileage warranty period) | 3 years from purchase, while tread is above 3/32 inch | 60 months or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | | What a claim pays | Free repair if safe; otherwise a prorated credit or refund on remaining tread | Refund or credit of the price paid plus sales tax, no proration; one per tire | Credit of usable remaining tread times the price paid, net of discounts | | Selling the car | Original owner and vehicle only | Non-transferable, except in North Carolina | Not addressed in the terms we copied | | The maker’s warranty | A separate layer; no page says a claim affects it | Redeeming gives it up for that tire | Does not replace or modify it | Pep Boys’ plan and Costco’s both pay a share tied to remaining tread; Discount Tire’s pays the price back but stops at 3 years. Discount Tire also publishes its contract; for Pep Boys’ plan we found the landing page, the article and the FAQ, and no contract document. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a wheel and tire mark the tire face, a lug nut and the sidewall, with Pep Boys' road hazard plan, its free lug-nut recheck, and the damage that means a new tire. Pep Boys’ tire and service pages, read on 9 October 2026, describe its road hazard plan as a free repair if safe or a prorated credit to 2/32 inch (callout 1), recheck lug nuts free after the first 25 miles on new custom or alloy wheels (callout 2), and replace a tire with sidewall or shoulder damage or a puncture over a quarter inch (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Brakes: what “lifetime” pads cover Pep Boys’ [brake page](https://www.pepboys.com/auto-service-repair/brake-services) lists Standard Brake Service, with “Lifetime* FREE Replacement Brake Pads” and a “12-month/12,000-Mile Brake Service Limited Warranty,” and Premium, with a “24-month/24,000-Mile” warranty and a brake fluid exchange. The asterisk reads: “Lifetime replacement valid for as long as you own the vehicle.” Both include rotor resurfacing, which “will not be performed if rotor does not meet minimum specifications.” The Limited Warranty for Brake Service on the Policies page sets the limits. Pads are replaced if they wear out “under normal non-commercial passenger car use during the period set forth” on the Service Work Order, with free labor “during the period set forth” there. Then: > “This warranty does not cover the cost of additional brake parts, such as rotors or calipers, or the labor to restore the brake system to a safe and proper operation. If such costs are required and are not authorized by you, we will furnish you a replacement set of uninstalled non-warranted brake shoes or disc pads.” **Free pads are not a free brake job.** If rotors or calipers also need work when the pads wear out again, then on Pep Boys’ own wording those parts and that labor are yours to pay, and if you decline them you can be handed a set of pads rather than an installed repair. Check the period printed on your Service Work Order and ask for rotor work to be priced separately. Pep Boys also offers a “Free Brake Check” of pad wear, rotors, drums and fluid. Our [brake pad cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) explains when rotors really need replacing. ## Oil changes and the free PepCheck The [oil change page](https://www.pepboys.com/auto-service-repair/oil-changes) names four packages (Platinum Full Synthetic, High Mileage Synthetic Blend, High Mileage Full Synthetic and Conventional) plus a Shell Rotella diesel service. It printed no prices when we read it, though a footnote mentions “Advertised starting prices” that “may vary based on location, applicable fees, taxes, and parts selected.” Coupon prices are time-limited and not used here. Inclusions are printed thinly: Conventional “Includes a new oil filter,” and the PepCheck page describes Platinum as “Up to 5 Quarts of Oil New Oil Filter Free PepCheck Car Inspection.” No page says what an engine needing more oil pays. The FAQ adds that “walk-ins are always welcome” and “Pep Boys will check your tires’ tread depth and pressure for free with every oil change.” The page leans on Pennzoil’s engine warranty, “Up to 15 years or 500,000 miles, whichever comes first,” and its own footnote lists the catch: you must “exclusively use” three named Pennzoil oils, “Your engine must have less than 125,000 miles and been manufactured in the past 72 months,” and “Enrollment required. Keep your receipts.” It also says “Claims and guarantees are those of Pennzoil and Shell and not Pep Boys.” Keep every receipt either way; our guide to [oil change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) explains why. **PepCheck** is the free inspection that “any service comes with.” It lists six areas, from lights and wipers to brakes, but introduces them with “Depending on the service scheduled, your Pep Boys store may inspect,” so not every visit covers all six. Pep Boys says it will “provide a written report”; ask for it, and treat its findings as a list to price rather than an order. ## Pep Boys battery warranty: it is Interstate’s Pep Boys sells Interstate batteries, a partnership announced on September 16, 2025. The [battery page](https://www.pepboys.com/batteries/battery-replacement) shows MTX batteries with a “36-Month Free Replacement Warranty,” MTP with 30 months, MT with 24 and M with 18. Its footnote is the key text: “Coverage begins on the purchase date and does not reset after replacement. Pep Boys facilitates warranty service in-store, but the underlying warranty is provided by Interstate.” Pep Boys prints only the free months. Interstate’s own warranty, as this site read it on 8 October 2026, adds discounts after them on two lines: MT batteries get “25 to 36 Months, 45% off Suggested Retail Price (SRP); 37 to 48 Months, 25% off SRP; 49 to 60 Months, 10% off SRP,” and MTP batteries get discounts through “61 to 72 Months.” That is 36 more months on MT and 42 on MTP, by our arithmetic. Interstate also says you “do not need to take the battery back to the original location.” Our [guide to Interstate’s warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/#interstate-battery-warranty) has the full chart. At Pep Boys, batteries are “eligible for exchange if verified defective via Pep Boys’ in-store testing within warranty period,” and they are excluded from Pep Boys’ own installed-parts warranty. The battery test itself is free, except for “hybrids, electric vehicles, and difficult-to-reach batteries.” ## Price match and the Pep Boys Credit Card **Price match.** The policy (“Updated 4/1/2023”) “only applies to in-store sales made at Pep Boys service locations.” Pep Boys “will match any local competitor’s currently advertised or everyday price on comparable tires” or services “at the time of purchase or within 30 days of purchase with the original receipt,” and may refund the difference “via store credit.” Comparable tires must match on brand or tier, size, speed rating, load index and mileage warranty “(within 5,000 miles).” Eight exclusions follow, including competitors’ rebates and “free with purchase” offers, “online-only pricing,” fleet sales, clearance and “Disposal fees.” Bring the competitor’s ad or estimate, “either on paper or via a smartphone or tablet.” **The credit card** is issued “through Synchrony Bank with a revolving credit line.” Its page, read on 9 October 2026, prints these standing terms: - “Always-On Financing: 6 months promotional financing” on purchases of $199 or more. It is deferred interest: if the balance is not paid in full, “interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date,” and minimum payments “may or may not pay off the promo balance.” Gas station purchases do not qualify, and the offer is “not available with the Pep Boys Fortiva credit card,” a second card the page does not describe. - “New Accounts as of 7/31/25: Purchase APR is 34.99%. Penalty APR is 39.99%. Min Interest Charge is $2.” At 34.99%, interest on a carried balance runs at about 2.92% a month before compounding, by our arithmetic, and on a missed promotion it is charged back to the purchase date. - The Policies page says something else: “Special Financing Available for 6 months on purchases of $199-$749.99 and for 12 months on purchases of $750 or more.” The card page offers nothing beyond 6 months, so ask before counting on 12. Active and retired military customers can get a 5% discount “at their local store,” in store only and not on “service installations including product installations.” ## Returns and disputes Purchases can be returned “with the original receipt within 30 days of the purchase date for a refund or replacement,” subject to the warranties; without a receipt you get store credit “at our lowest selling price during the previous 30 days.” Special orders and uninstalled tires carry “a 20% restocking fee,” and opened products and clearance goods cannot be returned. Disputes over work on your car go to arbitration. By accepting a Service Work Order, the Policies page says, “you agree that such dispute or disagreement will be resolved through binding arbitration,” waiving a jury trial, and “ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY.” The Arbitration Process (January 2012) lets the person filing choose AAA or JAMS. The filer pays the filing fee up to what a court would charge, and “For all non-frivolous complaints,” Pep Boys pays the rest of the fees, including “the fees of the Arbitrator.” Each side pays its own lawyer. The website’s Terms add Pennsylvania law and say online and in-store purchases get “the same warranty.” ## Pep Boys and regulators: what the records say **New Jersey, 2018.** On January 12, 2018 the [New Jersey Attorney General and Division of Consumer Affairs announced](https://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases18/pr20180112c.html) that Pep Boys “has agreed to revise its business practices and pay $80,000 in order to resolve a lawsuit alleging” pricing violations and other unfair or deceptive practices. The pricing allegations were that merchandise “scanned at the cash register for higher prices than were posted” or was not plainly marked. One concerned repairs: the release says an inspection of the Piscataway store “revealed that the store performed and overcharged some consumers for unnecessary automotive repairs; and made misleading or deceptive statements concerning the need for certain repairs.” Under the Final Consent Judgment (Docket No. ESX-C-277-15), Pep Boys would reimburse six consumers $2,561.72 in total, about $426.95 each on average by our arithmetic, pay a $60,000 civil penalty and cover $14,462.42 in fees and $2,975.86 in costs. The judgment says the parties consented “without trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and without an admission of any liability or wrongdoing of any kind.” **California, 2019.** On September 30, 2019 the San Diego County District Attorney announced, with district attorneys in eight other counties, that The Pep Boys Manny Moe & Jack of California would pay $3.7 million “to resolve allegations” under state hazardous waste laws. The release says inspections of waste bins from 19 Pep Boys facilities found automotive fluids, batteries and other regulated waste in dumpsters bound for landfills not authorized to take it, and that from April 2014 through November 2017 Pep Boys “failed to shred customer records, which contained confidential information.” It says Pep Boys “fully cooperated” once notified. This was a county prosecutors’ settlement, not a state attorney general’s. We found no FTC enforcement action against Pep Boys; searches of ftc.gov returned only routine merger-review notices. A New York Attorney General release from 2000 exists, but that site’s robots.txt bars automated readers from its older releases, so we did not read it. The Better Business Bureau blocked our requests and this site does not use Trustpilot, so this page carries no ratings. Both settlements long predate the Mavis sale. ## Where Pep Boys’ own documents disagree We recorded 11 places where Pep Boys’ documents, or its documents and the filings, say different things. Beyond the road hazard end point and the store counts above: - **Owner:** Pep Boys’ history page still ends with its purchase “in 2016 by Icahn Enterprises,” and its newsroom and October 6, 2026 release do not mention Mavis, while Icahn Enterprises’ 8-K reports the sale to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC completed on August 20, 2026. Our Mavis page found, on 9 October 2026, that Mavis’s own news page carried the agreement but not the completion. - **Match or beat:** the price match policy matches a local price; the Customer Care FAQ promises to “beat” it. - **Card financing:** 6 or 12 months on the Policies page; 6 months only on the card and tires pages. - **Where the card works:** “over 500,000 automotive locations” in the card FAQ; “over 1 million auto merchant locations” in its benefits list. - **Parts:** “Pep Boys no longer sells auto parts,” yet the FAQ still sends tool borrowers to a “Parts counter associate.” - **Rotation:** “every 5,000-7,000 miles” on the rotation page; “after 5,000 miles of driving or during every oil change” in its FAQ. - **Alignment plans:** 30-day and 1-year in the warranty text; “1-year, 3-year and lifetime plans for alignments” in the 10-K. Where a marketing page and the Limited Warranties differ, the warranty printed with your Service Work Order is what a claim will be judged on. Get any promise that matters written on the invoice. - **Read the warranty period on your invoice** before you pay; it can differ from the 90-day, 3,000-mile default. - **Ask the road hazard price per tire,** and whether yours ends at 2/32 inch or at the tire’s mileage warranty. - **Buy a set of 4** if you want lifetime rotations or the Ride Happiness Guarantee. - **Ask what an Extended Labor Warranty costs** and which services it covers; you have 30 days to cancel. - **On brakes, check the period on your Service Work Order** and get rotor or caliper work priced separately. - **Keep the battery receipt;** Interstate’s period runs from the purchase date and does not restart. - **Bring a competitor’s written quote** for a price match, in store, within 30 days. - **Keep every Service Work Order;** warranty work happens only at a Pep Boys. ## Common questions ### Who owns Pep Boys now? Mavis. Icahn Enterprises’ 8-K says its subsidiary Icahn Automotive Group LLC completed the sale of Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Supply, LLC, a subsidiary of Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., on August 20, 2026, for approximately $700 million in cash, and the joint release says Pep Boys keeps its brand. Icahn Enterprises had owned Pep Boys since 2016. ### What is the Pep Boys warranty on repairs? Repairs and installed parts are warranted for 90 days or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, unless the invoice states other terms. A replacement part is covered for the longer of 6 months or 6,000 miles or its maker’s warranty, with free labor only inside 6 months or 6,000 miles. Warranty work is done only at a Pep Boys, and there is no refund. ### Is Pep Boys road hazard protection worth it? We make no recommendation. The optional plan repairs a damaged tire free if it can be safely repaired, or gives a prorated credit or refund on remaining tread until 2/32 inch, for the original owner and vehicle only. Pep Boys prints no price, re-balancing may cost extra, and its FAQ describes a different end point. ### Does Pep Boys rotate tires for free? Yes, if you bought and had installed a set of 4 tires there. The rotations last down to 2/32 inch of tread, are non-transferable and need proof of purchase, and “Additional services may incur a fee.” ### What is the Pep Boys battery warranty? Interstate’s. Pep Boys shows 36 months of free replacement on MTX batteries, 30 on MTP, 24 on MT and 18 on M, from the purchase date and not reset after a replacement. Interstate’s own warranty adds discount periods on MT and MTP batteries. ### Does Pep Boys price match? In store, yes: it matches a local competitor’s advertised or everyday price on comparable tires or services, at purchase or within 30 days with the receipt. Online-only prices, competitors’ special offers, fleet sales, clearance prices and fees are excluded. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/pep-boys/ --- title: "Midas: Lifetime Brake Guarantee, Tire Plan and Who Owns It" description: "Midas guarantees brake pads, shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts while you own the car; labor, shop fees and rotors are extra. What its pages and filings say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Midas: Lifetime Brake Guarantee, Tire Plan and Who Owns It > Midas guarantees brake pads, shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts while you own the car; labor, shop fees and rotors are extra. What its pages and filings say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,973 words* ## The short version - Midas is an auto repair chain with 1,000 U.S. shops at the end of 2025, 889 of them franchised and 111 company-owned, says its April 2026 franchise disclosure document. Mavis Tire Express Services bought Midas from TBC Corporation in June 2025. - The Limited Lifetime Parts Guarantee covers brake pads, brake shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts “for as long as you own your car.” Midas covers the new part; you pay installation, shop fees and “additional parts and services if needed.” - Rotors, calipers, brake fluid, exhaust pipes and catalytic converters are not on the guarantee list. - The Limited Lifetime Tire Guarantee is, in Midas’s filing, a road hazard plan from ABS Risk, LLC: up to $30 for a repair, or the same tire up to 100% of what you paid, until the tread reaches 3/32 inch. Mounting, balancing and taxes are extra. - Every Midas franchisee must honor a guarantee issued by any other Midas shop, even after that shop leaves the system, though the web footnotes say “Valid at participating locations.” - Coupons depend on the store. The standing programs are the guarantees, email offers and a store card issued by Comenity Capital Bank whose special financing is deferred interest. If you searched for Midas, you most likely mean the auto repair chain: about 1,000 shops in the United States that do brakes, exhaust, suspension, tires, oil changes and general repairs, most of them owned by local franchisees. The 2025 releases on its sale say Midas “is known for its industry-leading guarantee,” a lifetime promise on brake pads, mufflers, shocks and struts; the useful questions are what it leaves you paying and who stands behind it. On 9 October 2026 we read Midas’s guarantee, service, credit-card and terms pages; Midas, Inc.’s 2011 annual report and 2012 merger filing at the SEC; the franchise disclosure document Midas filed in Minnesota, issued 16 April 2026, with its franchise agreement and tire road hazard plan; the 2025 ownership releases; and a 2010 California Attorney General settlement. This site has no commercial relationship with Midas, Mavis or any repair chain. **Figure: Which Midas promise applies, by situation** A two-column table of seven situations: Midas brake pads that wear out are replaced under the Limited Lifetime Parts Guarantee, but labor, shop fees and other parts are charged; the guarantee lasts as long as you own the car, and Midas’s 2011 annual report said it is voided when the car is sold; rotors, calipers and exhaust pipes are not on the guaranteed list of pads, shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts; a tire ruined by a road hazard is replaced by ABS Risk, LLC’s road hazard plan up to 100% of the price paid, with mounting, balancing and taxes extra; a repairable tire is patched for up to $30.00; tire cover ends at 3/32 inch of tread; and if the shop closes or leaves Midas, the franchise agreement says guarantees will be honored by Midas or another authorized Midas franchisee. Read from Midas’s guarantee page and footnotes, its April 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (franchise agreement and road hazard plan) and its 2011 Form 10-K on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Midas: from Whitman to TBC to Mavis Midas has had four sets of owners since 1972, and its lifetime guarantee appears both in its 2011 annual report and on its pages today. Its history comes from its own filings: the annual report Midas, Inc. filed with the SEC for 2011, the merger report it filed in May 2012, and Item 1 of the franchise disclosure document (FDD) it filed in 2026. **Who has owned Midas, from its filings and the 2025 releases (read 9 October 2026)** | When | What happened | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 1956 | Midas shops start out doing only exhaust work, through 1959; shocks are added in 1960, brakes in 1979 and alignment in 1988 | 2011 Form 10-K | | 1972 to 1998 | Owned by Whitman Corporation, then spun off as a public company on 30 January 1998 | 2011 Form 10-K | | 30 April 2012 | TBC Corporation, then “a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation of America,” completes its purchase at $11.50 a share | Form 8-K, May 2012 | | 2023 to 2025 | Michelin says it “jointly operates” TBC with Sumitomo Corporation and lists a 50% interest | Michelin release and 2025 registration document | | 16 June 2025 | TBC completes the sale of Midas to Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. | TBC and Mavis releases | | 18 December 2025 | Midas buys Max Auto Supply Company, its largest dealer, with 111 shops in six states | Midas release on mavis.com | | 16 April 2026 | The FDD names Metis HoldCo, Inc. as ultimate parent, through a chain of Mavis companies | FDD, Item 1 | TBC owned Midas for 13 years by our arithmetic. On 16 June 2025 TBC said it had “completed the divestment of its Midas franchise portfolio” to Mavis, and Mavis said it “completed the purchase of Midas from TBC Corporation,” that “Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed,” and that “Midas will continue to operate as a standalone brand under the Mavis platform and maintain its headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.” The franchisor is Midas International, LLC, a Delaware corporation from 1959 converted to a limited liability company in 2019. The FDD says “Our ultimate parent company is Metis HoldCo, Inc.,” above a chain of Mavis companies. Readers of our [Big O Tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/#who-owns-big-o) will find TBC there; TBC kept Big O and sold Midas. Our [Mavis tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) reads the new parent’s own terms. ## Franchisees, company shops and who stands behind the work The shop you walk into is usually a separate business. Midas’s contact page refers to “Our independently owned and operated franchises” and sends complaints the store cannot settle to a “Consumer Solutions Team.” The FDD gives the count. Its Table No. 1 shows 975 franchised Midas Shops at the start of 2025 and 889 at the end, with 111 company-owned outlets appearing during the year, for a total of 1,000. The 111 match Max Auto. Midas’s release of 18 December 2025 says Max Auto “operates 111 Midas franchise locations” in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky and Georgia and will “continue to operate as a standalone business.” In the FDD’s state table, 111 outlets were “Reacquired By Franchisor” in 2025, all in those six states. By our arithmetic, 88.9% of U.S. Midas Shops were franchised at the end of 2025 and 11.1% company-owned. Add the 54 franchised Midas/SpeeDee Co-Branding Shops and 137 franchised shops in Canada and the count is 1,191, close to the “1200 locations across the United States and Canada” on Midas’s About page. Four clauses of the franchise agreement in the FDD (Exhibit D-1, Article Five) set out the guarantee’s backing: - **Only Midas’s promises.** Section 5.1 says there are no warranties or guarantees from Midas to customers “except as expressly set forth in Sections 5.2 and 5.3,” the defect warranty and the Midas Guarantees. - **Any shop must honor it.** Under section 5.3(c), a franchisee “will honor each Midas Guarantee presented to Franchisee by the holder thereof … irrespective of whether such Guarantee was furnished by Franchisee or by any other Midas franchisee.” - **It survives the shop.** Section 5.7: “Midas agrees that every warranty or Guarantee properly issued to Franchisee’s customers during the Term pursuant to Section 5.2 or 5.3 will be honored by Midas or by an authorized Midas franchisee.” - **No sales talk beyond the paper.** Section 5.5 bars “untrue or misleading representations to customers” about them. Franchisees fund the program. Since 2008, the 2011 Form 10-K says, they are “charged a fee for each warranted product sold to customers” when the guarantee is registered; the 2026 FDD puts the fee the shop pays Midas at $2.43 per axle for brake pads or shoes, $4.80 for a muffler and $1.04 for a shock or strut. A shop that honors a guarantee is reimbursed “for replacement parts provided to customers under properly registered warranties,” that is, for the part. ## The Limited Lifetime Parts Guarantee: what is covered and what you still pay Midas’s [guarantee page](https://www.midas.com/about-midas/our-midas-guarantees) puts the promise simply: “Our parts are guaranteed for as long as you own your vehicle.” It goes on: “if the part ever breaks before the end of its useful life, we’ll cover the cost of a new one, and only charge for installation.” The footnote under the page sets the limits: Meineke, another franchised chain with a conditional lifetime warranty, is read on our [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/) page. > “Limited Lifetime Parts Guarantee valid for as long as you own your car. Valid on brake pads, shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts. Shop fees additional, see store for details and applicability. No cash value. Charge for additional parts and services if needed. Valid at participating locations.” So the part is free and the rest of the job is not. Midas, Inc.’s annual report for 2011 said the same: “most warranty replacement work is profitable at the shop level as, in accordance with the terms of the warranty, customers are charged for labor plus other non-warranted parts necessary for the warranty replacement.” **What the Limited Lifetime Parts Guarantee names, and nearby parts it does not, from Midas’s guarantee footnote and service pages (read 9 October 2026)** | System | On the guarantee list | Not on the list | | --- | --- | --- | | Disc brakes | Brake pads | Rotors, calipers, brake fluid, hoses and lines | | Drum brakes | Brake shoes | Drums, wheel cylinders | | Exhaust | Mufflers | Exhaust manifold, catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, tailpipe | | Suspension | Shocks and struts | Springs, steering parts, alignment | | Any guaranteed job | The replacement part | Installation, shop fees, “additional parts and services if needed” | The franchise agreement puts one limit on what the shop can charge. Section 5.3(d) says a franchisee “will make no charge to the customer for honoring any such Guarantee, except to the extent permitted by the express terms of the Guarantee,” and where an installation charge is allowed, it “shall not exceed an amount which is reasonable for the labor involved in installing the part.” Midas prints no labor rate; ask the shop for it. **“Lifetime” covers the part, not the job.** On a guarantee claim you pay for installation, shop fees and any parts that are not on the list, which on a brake job can include rotors. Ask the shop to write the guaranteed part, the labor and every other part as separate lines on the estimate, and keep the original invoice with the guarantee document. The guarantee also ends with your ownership. The web footnote says “as long as you own your car.” The 2011 Form 10-K was blunter: the warranty “is valid for the lifetime of the vehicle, but is voided if the vehicle is sold.” A used car with Midas pads on it brings no guarantee to its next owner. Midas may also change the program “on a prospective basis,” the FDD says, while section 5.3(g) of the franchise agreement keeps shops honoring guarantees “delivered to customers prior to the date of such discontinuance or modification.” ## Midas brakes: the inspection, the estimate and what the guarantee covers Midas’s brake page describes its process: “our Midas Auto Service Experts® conduct a 55-point inspection of your brakes,” explain “which problems are urgent (and which can wait),” and “provide a written estimate before making any repairs.” A brake service can include pads or shoes, rotor resurfacing or replacement, a fluid exchange and line repairs, and “some brake services need to be duplicated on both wheels of the same axle.” Brakes Plus, which prints no lifetime pad warranty at all, is read on our [Brakes Plus](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brakes-plus/) page. Only the pads or shoes carry the lifetime guarantee. Rotors are where the bill grows. Midas’s rotor page says “you don’t necessarily need new rotors with each brake pad replacement. Most rotors can be resurfaced one or more times to extend their life,” but “each resurfacing makes the rotors thinner,” and “Mechanics are required to replace any rotor that’s worn to a level below its manufacturer-required minimum thickness.” A guarantee claim on pads may therefore come with a rotor charge you pay in full. Our guide to [brake jobs and rotors](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/#rotors) explains when rotors are replaced rather than resurfaced, and the [brake rotor symptoms page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-rotor/) covers the vibration and grinding that point to them. How long pads last decides how often you use the guarantee. Midas’s own range is wide: “your brake pads or shoes may last anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 miles. Brake fluid can last 2-5 years,” and “every 10,000-12,000 miles or every year are common recommendations” for an inspection. See [how long brake pads last](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-brake-pads-last/) and [the signs of worn brake pads](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-brake-pads/). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a wheel and brake mark the caliper, the drilled disc and the tire, with what Midas's lifetime brake guarantee covers, the parts it leaves out, and the limits of its tire road hazard plan. Midas’s guarantee pages and its franchise disclosure document, read on 9 October 2026, cover brake pads and shoes for life with labor, shop fees and other parts extra (callout 1), leave rotors and calipers off the lifetime list (callout 2), and pay up to $30 for a tire repair, ending cover at 3/32 inch (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Midas prints no brake prices, and its [Terms and Conditions of Use](https://www.midas.com/about-midas/terms-conditions) let it “change specifications and prices” without notice, so compare written estimates, and check that the estimate names Midas pads or shoes. Under the franchise agreement a Midas Guarantee goes only with “the Approved Product to which such Guarantee is made applicable,” and a guaranteed part is replaced “only with another approved Midas part.” ## Mufflers, the rest of the exhaust, shocks and struts Mufflers are where Midas began: its 2011 Form 10-K says the shops did only exhaust work from 1956 through 1959, and exhaust was still 35% of shop revenue in 1997. Then, once carmakers moved to “non-corrosive stainless steel exhaust systems in the mid 1980’s, the average life of an original equipment exhaust system began to increase from three years to over 10 years.” Midas’s exhaust page today says a muffler’s life “is traditionally estimated at 40,000-80,000 miles,” shorter with road salt, cold and potholes. Of the exhaust parts Midas lists (manifold, catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, muffler, tailpipe), only the muffler is guaranteed, and the page warns that a muffler job can grow: “The simplest muffler replacement takes 30-60 minutes depending on your vehicle. Allow another hour or two if the mid-pipe or downpipe also needs service.” Pipes replaced alongside a guaranteed muffler are charged parts. A failed catalytic converter is a separate and usually larger repair; see our guide to [catalytic converter replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost/). Shocks and struts are on the list, and Midas’s suspension page gives the home test for them: “Lean your body weight on the front of your parked vehicle and then move away quickly. If the vehicle bounces more than twice, suspect a problem with your shocks and struts.” Our [shock absorber replacement guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/shock-absorber-replacement/#bounce-test) explains what that test can and cannot tell you, and why dampers are usually replaced in axle pairs. The retail guarantee’s exclusions are not online. For national fleet accounts, the FDD’s Fleet Amendment lets a shop refuse the lifetime guarantee on a vehicle “used primarily off-road,” “abused or neglected” or not in “normal use”; read your own guarantee document for the retail terms. ## What a “lifetime” guarantee has to tell you The FTC’s guides on advertising guarantees, at [16 CFR 239.4](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec239-4.xml), deal directly with the word. If an ad uses “lifetime” for a guarantee, it “should disclose, with such clarity and prominence as will be noticed and understood by prospective purchasers, the life to which the representation refers.” The guide’s first example is a muffler guarantee measured by the life of the car, good “even if you sell it, trade it, or give it away”; its second is a battery guarantee “Good for as long as you own the car!” Midas’s “for as long as you own your car” is the second kind: the life is your ownership. Three other federal texts help you read the paperwork: - **“Limited.”** Under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2303.htm), a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” Both Midas guarantees carry the word Limited in their names. - **See it first.** The FTC guide at 16 CFR 239.2 says an ad that mentions a guarantee should tell buyers that “prior to sale, at the place where the product is sold, prospective purchasers can see the written warranty or guarantee for complete details.” Midas’s footnotes say “see store for details,” and its policy manual, per the FDD’s contents list, has a section on “Issuing a Limited Lifetime Guarantee Document.” Ask for it before you pay. - **Keep the promise.** Under 16 CFR 239.5, a seller “should advertise that a product is warranted or guaranteed only if the seller … promptly and fully performs its obligations under the warranty or guarantee.” Whether a claim was handled fairly is a question for the FTC, your state attorney general or a lawyer. The practical point: the web page summarizes a document you only see at the counter, and that document decides the claim. ## The Limited Lifetime Tire Guarantee is a road hazard plan Midas’s web page sells the tire promise in one line: “if the tire is ever unrepairable due to road hazards, we’ll fix it or replace it for free,” plus rotation and rebalancing every 5,000 miles. The footnote narrows it: tires must be “purchased with paid installation from a participating Midas location,” cover lasts “as long as you own your car or down to 3/32nd remaining tread,” and “Taxes, mounting, balancing, and any other miscellaneous fees are an extra charge.” The FDD shows what sits behind it. Every Midas shop “must offer the Midas ‘Limited Lifetime Tire Guarantee’ on all qualifying tires” and “may not sell a separate road hazard warranty for tires.” The program “is administered by a third party supplier,” and the consumer terms are attached to the FDD as the “MIDAS LIMITED ROAD HAZARD PLAN,” under which the plan is “provided by ABS Risk, LLC” as obligor and administered by Automotive Business Solutions. Its key terms, beside the web page: **Midas’s tire guarantee on its web page and in the road hazard plan attached to its April 2026 FDD (read 9 October 2026)** | Question | Midas web page and footnote | Road hazard plan in the FDD | | --- | --- | --- | | Who stands behind it | “We proudly stand behind our guarantees” | ABS Risk, LLC (obligor), insured by Lyndon Southern Insurance Company, or Response Indemnity Company of California in California | | A repairable puncture | “Free flat repair” | “This Plan will cover up to $30.00 to have the tire repaired” | | A tire that cannot be repaired | “we’ll fix it or replace it for free” | The same tire “up to 100% of the original retail price paid for the tire, as stated on the original retail sales invoice” | | What you pay on a replacement | Taxes, mounting, balancing and miscellaneous fees | “any taxes, mounting, balancing, and any other miscellaneous fees” | | When it ends | “as long as you own your car or down to 3/32nd remaining tread” | When “any portion of the tire treadwear is worn to 3/32 of an inch or less” | | Claims away from home | Not described | Call the administrator; prior authorization for a replacement; original invoice; claim within 60 days; no deductible | | Selling the car | “as long as you own your car” | Only tires on the vehicle on the original receipt; “This Plan is non-transferable” | | Disputes | Not described | Individual arbitration with a class action waiver, small claims court allowed; opt out in writing within 30 days | The plan excludes “manufacturer’s defects,” along with damage from off-road use, collision, vandalism, improper inflation, misalignment and “cosmetic damage, sidewall abrasions or other appearance items.” A defect is a matter for the tire maker’s own warranty; our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) sets out what the makers promise. If the obligor “FAILS TO PAY AN AUTHORIZED CLAIM WITHIN SIXTY (60) DAYS” or becomes insolvent, the plan lets you claim directly from the insurer. The franchise paperwork calls this a “Road Hazard Service Contract Program,” yet the plan comes “at no additional cost with the purchase of Your eligible tire(s),” and [16 CFR 700.11](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec700-11.xml) treats an agreement as a service contract when it “calls for some consideration in addition to the purchase price.” The label is for lawyers; the plan text and your invoice set the cover, and the FDD says tire program terms “may vary by location, including due to variations in state warranty laws.” ## Oil changes and other repairs: what Midas promises and what it leaves to the shop Midas’s oil-change page describes the service, not a price: “A Midas oil change takes about 60 minutes and includes oil and filter change as well as our complimentary Midas Closer Look Vehicle Check™. Oil Change Plus customers should allow another 15 minutes for tire rotation.” It promises the right oil: “we’ll never put any oil in your vehicle that fails to meet its manual specifications.” We found no standing oil-change price or offer on Midas’s pages; coupons are by store. Our guide to [oil-change intervals and records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) covers what to keep. Using Midas instead of a dealer does not by itself void a factory warranty. Federal law, [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2302.htm), says no warrantor “may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name.” The free Closer Look Vehicle Check gives customers “a digital report straight to their phone, which includes pictures and videos,” Midas says. Treat what it finds as a quote to check, not a verdict. For other repairs, such as air conditioning, cooling or batteries, Midas’s pages print no warranty. The FDD gives only an outline: - **A defect warranty.** Section 5.2 of the franchise agreement says certain approved parts are “warranted by Midas to the ultimate consumer from the date of such consumer’s purchase against defects in materials and workmanship,” and within the period Midas sets the shop “shall make no charge whatever to the customer either for the product or for installation.” The policy manual’s contents list a “Limited 90-Day Defect Warranty”; its text is not public. - **Store warranties.** The contents also list “In-Shop Warranties” and “Warranty Statements on All Invoices and Estimates”: the warranty on other work is what your invoice says. - **Fleets get more in writing.** The Fleet Amendment gives national fleet customers “a 12 month/12,000 mile limited warranty covering replacement of the warranted part and the labor involved in installing the part” for most other parts. That term is for fleet accounts, not retail customers. ## Midas coupons, rebates and the Midas Credit Card Midas coupons are local. The [coupon page](https://www.midas.com/coupons.aspx) says “Tell us your location to find coupons and offers at a Midas store near you.” We did not enter a location, so we saw no offers and record none. The rebates page lists tire makers’ mail-in rebates, each with its own offer dates and postmark deadline, and Midas offers “exclusive email offers from your preferred Midas location” to people who sign up. Check each offer’s end date and whether your store takes it. The Midas Credit Card is the standing financing option. Midas’s [credit page](https://www.midas.com/about-midas/midas-credit-card-service-financing) says “Midas® Credit Card Accounts are issued by Comenity Capital Bank” and the card “is valid at participating Midas locations.” Prequalifying uses “A soft inquiry,” Midas says. Cardholder perks include “free tire repair and free tire rotation at participating Midas locations” and a one-time offer that arrives “with your Welcome Kit.” Its headline financing is deferred interest, and the footnote explains what that means: > “Interest will be charged to your Account from the purchase date if the promotional plan balance is not paid in full within the promotional period. … Minimum payments are NOT guaranteed to pay the promotional plan balance within the promotional period.” The standing account terms are printed with a date: “As of 04/2025, terms for new Accounts: Purchase APR of 35.99%. Variable Penalty APR up to 39.99%,” a minimum interest charge of $3, a promotional plan transaction fee of 2% and $2.99 a month for paper statements. That date predates the sale to Mavis, so check the terms when you apply, and on a deferred-interest plan pay the balance off before the promotion ends. ## What regulators and courts have recorded Item 3 of Midas’s 2026 FDD, the litigation item, says “Pending: None.” It lists three concluded matters. Two are disputes brought by former franchisees, one in Hawaii and one in Ontario. The third involved customers: **Napa County, California, 2018.** The FDD describes *The People of the State of California v. CRC Luxury Motors, LLC, Soscol Auto Repair d/b/a Midas/SpeeDee, Curtis Correll, and Midas International Corporation*, Case No. 18CV001526 in Napa County Superior Court, as “a Final Judgment Pursuant to Stipulation” filed on 13 November 2018. The county, also acting for Sonoma and Solano, “alleged that a Midas franchisee” was “overcharging its customers for repairs, misleading its customers as to repair work needed” and more. The FDD says “Midas disagreed with the Deputy District Attorney factually and legally” but settled: it agreed to oversee the franchisee’s complaints and audit its shops, and to pay $150,000 into a fund for customers, a $50,000 civil penalty and $10,000 in investigative costs, $210,000 in all by our arithmetic. A full satisfaction of judgment was filed on 11 June 2024. Napa County’s website blocked our reader, so this account is Midas’s own. **California Attorney General, 2010.** On 25 January 2010 the Attorney General [announced](https://www.oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/brown-reaches-18-million-settlement-owner-22-midas-auto-shops-over-massive-bai-0) “a $1.8 million settlement preventing Maurice Irving Glad, owner of 22 Midas auto shops throughout California, from owning or operating an auto repair shop in the state.” The lawsuit “contended” false advertising, unfair business practices and breach of a 1989 injunction. The stipulated judgment, Case No. RG09460505 in Alameda County Superior Court, binds the franchisee’s companies and Mr. Glad; Midas was not a party. The release adds that Midas International Corporation acquired the 22 shops and “has agreed to honor any and all guarantees or warranties previously made or given to customers.” Both cases concerned franchisees. We found no Federal Trade Commission action naming Midas in what we could read, though ftc.gov did not answer our requests, and the Better Business Bureau’s site blocked our reader, so no rating is reported here. ## Where Midas’s own documents disagree, and what to ask before you pay We recorded 10 places where Midas’s web pages, its FDD and its older filings say different things. The ones that matter at the counter: - **Every location, or participating ones.** The home page says Midas stands behind its guarantees “at every location nationwide”; both guarantee footnotes end “Valid at participating locations.” The franchise agreement’s duty on every franchisee is the stronger promise. - **“For free” tires.** “we’ll fix it or replace it for free” on the page; on paper, fees are extra, a repair is covered “up to $30.00” and a replacement “up to 100% of the original retail price paid.” - **“Only charge for installation.”** The guarantee page says so; its footnote adds shop fees and “additional parts and services if needed.” - **How long the tire promise lasts.** “as long as you own your vehicle, or for the useful life of your tires” on the page; to 3/32 inch of tread on the vehicle on the original receipt, “non-transferable,” in the plan. - **Names and numbers.** The About page calls the tire promise the “Tire Care Promise” and gives Midas’s age as “70 years” and “over 65 years.” - **Company shops.** Item 1 of the FDD says “Midas does not currently operate any Midas Shops of the type being franchised”; Item 20 counts 111 company-owned outlets at the end of 2025, the Max Auto shops. None of this changes what your own paperwork says, which is why the paperwork is what to collect. - **Ask for the guarantee document** before you pay for brake pads, shoes, a muffler, shocks or struts, and read what a later claim will cost. - **Get the estimate in separate lines:** the guaranteed part, labor, shop fees, rotors or pipes and any other part, so you know which pieces a future claim covers. - **Check that the invoice names Midas parts** and that the guarantee is registered; the shop is reimbursed only for “properly registered” guarantees. - **Keep the original invoice** for as long as you own the car; the tire plan requires it, and the parts guarantee ends when you sell. - **For tires,** ask for the road hazard plan, claim within 60 days, get prior authorization before a replacement away from the selling shop, and opt out of arbitration within 30 days if you want to. - **On the store card,** pay off a deferred-interest balance before the promotion ends, and check the current APR when you apply. ## Common questions ### Does Midas have a lifetime warranty on brakes? Yes, on brake pads and brake shoes, “for as long as you own your car,” under the Limited Lifetime Parts Guarantee. Midas covers the replacement pads or shoes; installation, shop fees and other parts such as rotors are charged, and the guarantee is valid at participating locations. ### What does the Midas lifetime guarantee cover? Brake pads, brake shoes, mufflers, shocks and struts, per the footnote on Midas’s guarantee page; rotors, calipers, exhaust pipes and catalytic converters are not on the list. Tires bought with paid installation carry a separate road hazard guarantee until the tread reaches 3/32 inch. ### Is the Midas lifetime guarantee transferable? No. The parts guarantee lasts “as long as you own your car,” and Midas’s 2011 annual report said it “is voided if the vehicle is sold.” The tire road hazard plan says “This Plan is non-transferable.” ### Who owns Midas now? Mavis Tire Express Services Corp., which completed its purchase from TBC Corporation on 16 June 2025. Midas International, LLC remains the franchisor, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; most shops are run by independent franchisees. ### Are there Midas coupons? Yes, set by each store: the coupon page asks for your location before showing offers. Rebates are dated tire-maker offers, and email sign-up brings offers from your chosen store. No standing coupon is printed. ### Who issues the Midas credit card? Comenity Capital Bank. The terms printed as of April 2025 show a purchase APR of 35.99% and a penalty APR up to 39.99% for new accounts. Its special financing is deferred interest: if the promotional balance is not paid in full in time, interest is charged from the purchase date. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/ --- title: "Safelite Windshield Replacement: What Its Own Terms Promise" description: "Safelite’s lifetime warranty needs a defect reported within 30 days, recalibration is guaranteed for 30 days, and its own pages disagree on refunds." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Safelite Windshield Replacement: What Its Own Terms Promise > Safelite’s lifetime warranty needs a defect reported within 30 days, recalibration is guaranteed for 30 days, and its own pages disagree on refunds. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,877 words* ## The short version - Safelite’s nationwide lifetime warranty covers a replacement against defects in material and workmanship “for as long as you own or lease the vehicle,” if you report a defect within 30 days of discovering it. It does not pass to the next owner. - A repair is covered against “continued cracking” with a credit toward a Safelite replacement. A chip that spreads while it is being repaired is not covered. - Camera recalibration is guaranteed for 30 days or until the next recalibration event, whichever comes first. - Safelite says it can usually repair damage under 6 inches with a point of impact smaller than a dime and no more than 3 chips, away from any camera or sensor. - Its pages disagree on a cancelled prepaid booking (a fee “may be charged” versus “refunded the full amount”), on drive-away time and on how many carmakers require recalibration. - Its affiliate Safelite Solutions handles glass claims for many insurers. Federal courts in 2014 and 2017 sided with Safelite against state limits on what those calls may say. Safelite’s lifetime warranty is real, but the lifetime is your ownership of the car, the window to report a problem is 30 days from finding it, and the camera recalibration that often comes with new glass has a much shorter guarantee. On 9 October 2026 we read Safelite’s [nationwide lifetime warranty](https://www.safelite.com/national-lifetime-warranty), [cancellation policy](https://www.safelite.com/cancellation-refund-policy) and [Terms of Service](https://www.safelite.com/terms-of-service), its repair, replacement, recalibration and mobile pages, and its help-center answers; Belron’s shareholder page and two D’Ieteren Group releases on ownership; and the federal court opinions on Safelite’s claim calls. Safelite’s Terms bar automated access and copying without consent, so each page was read once by hand and only short passages are quoted. This site has no commercial relationship with Safelite or any glass company. For what a windshield job involves in general, see our page on [windshield replacement cost and recalibration](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/). **Figure: Safelite’s warranty and terms, by situation** A two-column table of ten situations with Safelite: damage with a point of impact smaller than a dime, under 6 inches and 3 chips or fewer can usually be repaired; damage blocking the driver’s view or the camera’s line of sight likely needs a replacement; a chip that spreads during the repair is not covered; a repair that cracks further later earns a credit toward a Safelite replacement, with a deductible possibly still due; a defect in a replacement is covered while you own or lease the car if reported within 30 days; the warranty does not transfer to a buyer; recalibration is guaranteed for 30 days or until the next recalibration event; rust or pinch-weld damage found under the old glass is the owner’s cost; a full cancellation of a prepaid booking may carry a fee under the policy while two help pages promise a full refund; and rescheduling carries no fee. Read from Safelite’s warranty, cancellation, repair and help-center pages on 9 October 2026. ## Who Safelite is, and who owns it Two Safelite companies matter to a customer. Its [companies page](https://www.safelite.com/about-safelite/safelite-autoglass-companies) describes Safelite Fulfillment, Inc. as “operating under the trade name Safelite AutoGlass”: the business that fits the glass. Safelite Solutions LLC is the group’s “claims management operation,” handling glass claims for insurers and fleets. The page says the group employs 13,500 people and that its “6,000 technicians serve 6.2 million customers each year.” The mobile page counts “more than 7,100 Mobile Glass Shops” reaching “97 percent of U.S. drivers in all 50 states.” “Safelite is part of Belron,” the same page says, a glass group “with operations in over 40 countries.” Belron’s shareholder page (its terms require permission to link, so we name it) lists D’Ieteren Group, CD&R, Hellman & Friedman, GIC and BlackRock Private Equity Partners, and says D’Ieteren, “a Belgian family-controlled listed investment firm,” has been majority shareholder since 1999. D’Ieteren’s half-year results release of 9 September 2026 puts its holding at “50.30% in fully diluted economic rights.” Its release of 17 December 2021 gave the last full split we read: D’Ieteren 50.01%, CD&R 20.3%, the three 2021 investors 16.8%, management, employees and founding family 12.9%. D’Ieteren’s website was not answering, so its annual report was not read. The 2026 release adds one figure that bears on this page. Across Belron worldwide, recalibration jobs equalled 52.1% of windscreen replacement jobs in the first half of 2026, against 45.9% a year earlier (up 6.2 points, our arithmetic). That is a group figure, not Safelite’s, but it shows how routine a recalibration has become alongside new glass. ## The nationwide lifetime warranty, line by line Safelite calls it “the industry’s only nationwide lifetime warranty”; that is its claim, and we did not survey other glass companies. The warranty page itself is short and carries more conditions than the headline. For a replacement it “covers its glass replacement service against defects in material and/or workmanship for as long as you own or lease the vehicle.” The lifetime is your ownership, not the car’s, and the page says so, which is the disclosure the FTC’s advertising guide asks for: under 16 CFR 239.4 an advertiser using “lifetime” should disclose “the life to which the representation refers.” Collision chains that also repair glass are read on our [Gerber Collision](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/gerber-collision/) page. - **Thirty days to report.** “You must notify us within 30 days of discovering the defect,” and Safelite is not responsible for damage caused by a delay past that. A slow leak tolerated for two months is the case this clause is written for. - **Inspection, then approval.** “Safelite must be given the opportunity to inspect the vehicle damage prior to the approval of any warranty claim.” - **Receipt required.** “All nationwide lifetime warranty claims require a copy of your receipt.” Safelite says the receipt is in your confirmation email and at mysafelite.com, where you can also “Report an Issue.” - **It stops with you.** “This warranty is not transferrable to another owner/lessor.” It applies “at any location across the United States.” Two exclusions sit lower down. Technicians record visible damage on “a pre-inspection form” before they start, and Safelite is not responsible for damage that existed before the service. If removing the old glass exposes “rust or other damage to the pinch weld or frame that prevent a safe installation,” then “you are responsible for all costs to repair the damage or rust including the cost to transport your vehicle to and from a qualified body shop if necessary.” On an older car a glass job can become a body-shop job; [our windshield page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#not-a-window) explains why the bonded edge matters. Safelite also excludes incidental and consequential damages, noting that some states do not allow that. **What each Safelite warranty covers, from its warranty page and help center, read 9 October 2026** | Service | What is covered | How long | Main conditions | Passes to a new owner? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Glass replacement | Defects in material and/or workmanship | As long as you own or lease the vehicle | Report within 30 days of discovering the defect; inspection before approval; receipt | No | | Windshield repair | The repaired portion, against continued cracking; passes any state vehicle inspection | As long as you own or lease the vehicle | Remedy is a credit toward a Safelite replacement; not covered if the damage grows during the repair | No | | Camera recalibration | The recalibration | 30 days, or until the next recalibration event, whichever comes first | Events defined by the carmaker, including a collision, a windshield replacement, disconnecting or removing the camera, and a vehicle re-alignment | Not stated | | Safelite wiper blades | Defects in material or workmanship, replaced at Safelite’s option | Six months from purchase | Not misuse, abuse or gradual wear-and-tear | No (original consumer only) | We read other service chains’ promises the same way; see our pages on [Discount Tire’s warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/), [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) and [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/). ## What the repair guarantee covers, and the case it leaves out For a chip repair, the warranty “covers the repaired portion of the windshield against continued cracking, and warrants that the repair will pass any state vehicle inspection.” If more damage spreads from the repair, “or if you are dissatisfied with the repair for any reason,” Safelite will “credit the cost of your repair toward a replacement performed by Safelite.” The remedy is a credit, usable only on a Safelite replacement. If insurance paid for the repair, “the insurance company may receive credit and you may still be responsible for any deductible,” so a free repair that later fails can still cost you a replacement deductible. **A chip that spreads during the repair is your cost.** Safelite says that “through no fault of the repair technician” the damage may grow during a repair and need a replacement, and “These instances are not covered by the warranty and Safelite is not responsible for the cost of the windshield replacement or any additional damage.” Before a repair on a chip near a crack or the edge, ask what you would pay if it runs. On appearance, the help center says Safelite cannot guarantee a repair will be invisible: “a slight blemish or imperfection where the impact occurred is normal.” The repair page promises “a durable and crystal-clear repair.” The repair page also says repairs will pass “lease turn-back and state vehicle inspections,” while the warranty page mentions only state inspections; if you are fixing a chip before handing back a leased car, the warranty page does not mention lease returns. Results are better, the warranty page says, when the damage is recent, small and free of moisture or other foreign matter, which matches the general advice on our windshield page: book soon. ## Safelite’s repair-or-replace rules Safelite says it has “a repair first mindset.” Its [repair page](https://www.safelite.com/windshield-repair) says it can “usually” repair when “The damage is under 6 inches in length,” “The point of impact is smaller than a dime,” “There are no more than 3 chips” and “The damage doesn’t block a camera or sensor.” (The first line carries an asterisk with no footnote in the text we read.) The help center puts it the other way: with “more than three chips or cracks,” or damage that “blocks your field of vision” or “sits in the forward facing camera’s line of sight, you’ll likely need a replacement.” These are Safelite’s rules, not a standard; [our windshield page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#repair-or-replace) explains why size limits differ between shops and why position matters as much as size. The technician decides at the car. If a booked repair needs a replacement, Safelite will “update your service order and determine if we have your vehicle’s specific glass part on hand,” and rebook if not. Safelite will not seal a leak in glass another shop fitted (“Our technicians are not able to seal glass installed by a non Safelite shop”), so a leak there means new glass, and it does not work on sunroofs or tint windows. Its timings: a repair often “30 minutes or less,” two or three chips on a mobile visit up to 90 minutes, a replacement “60 minutes or less,” and recalibration “an additional hour.” ## Recalibration as Safelite describes it Safelite’s help center explains why the camera matters: features such as “automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and forward collision warning use data from a camera connected to your front windshield.” Its [recalibration page](https://www.safelite.com/windshield-camera-recalibration) says you will be alerted when booking if the car needs it, and a technician “will complete the recalibration required by your vehicle manufacturer,” static, dynamic or both. Static uses “a specific target image mounted on a fixture in front of the vehicle”; dynamic means “driving the vehicle at a set speed on well-marked roads.” Our windshield page covers [what each involves](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#calibration). Safelite says it can do both “in either a mobile or in-shop environment,” with mobile recalibration for “many vehicles that require dynamic calibration.” A footnote adds: “Recalibration may not be available for all vehicles or at all locations.” Confirm before the day that whoever comes can do your car. The guarantee afterwards is short: “guaranteed for 30 days after recalibration or until the next recalibration event, whichever occurs first,” and a recalibration event “includes things such as a vehicle collision, windshield replacement, disconnection or removal of the camera, and vehicle re-alignment.” A re-alignment the week after new glass ends it. Safelite also warns that modifications from original specifications “may cause your advanced safety systems not to function as intended,” which matters on a lifted or lowered car. Its page says the process typically ends with “documentation of completed calibration”; ask for it and keep it with the receipt. For a recalibration, Safelite asks you to “remove any heavy cargo from the vehicle and ensure all tires are properly inflated,” with the tank “at least three-fourths full” (an electric car “at least a 60% charge”). On how often it is needed, the pages disagree. The help center says “all vehicle manufacturers require camera recalibration after a windshield replacement” and, on the same page, “Most vehicle manufacturers require” it. The recalibration page says “nearly all” and “often necessary.” The cost page says it is needed “After a cracked windshield repair or replacement,” though every other page ties it to replacement. Safelite’s own ADAS page gives the practical answer: check with the carmaker “for which ADAS systems are tied to the windshield.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over shattered glass mark the impact point, the upper glass where a camera would sit and the edge, with Safelite's repair-or-replace rule, its recalibration guarantee, and the conditions of its lifetime warranty. Safelite’s repair, recalibration and warranty pages, read on 9 October 2026, usually repair damage smaller than a dime, under 6 inches, with 3 chips or fewer (callout 1), guarantee recalibration for 30 days or until the next recalibration event (callout 2), and require defects in a fitting to be reported within 30 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Insurance claims, and Safelite Solutions on the other end of the phone Safelite offers to deal with your insurer for you: “We’re experts at verifying coverage, filing the claim and handling all the paperwork.” Its help center says that with comprehensive coverage “you’ll only be responsible for your deductible,” that liability-only cover does not include glass, that “Many insurance companies cover windshield repair at 100% coverage with no deductible,” and that “In many cases, insurance companies will not count auto glass damage as a claim.” Those are Safelite’s statements about other companies’ policies; ask your own insurer, and see [our windshield page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#insurance) for how glass coverage varies by state. On recalibration, “Most insurance carriers cover the full cost” under comprehensive coverage, but “optional self-selected services associated with recalibration” may not be included; Safelite says it will show “the total cost and coverage breakdown before you book.” Its group discount (10% off for members of the military, AAA, AARP and first responders) excludes recalibration and “cannot be applied to insurance claims or deductibles.” We leave out the promo code: Safelite’s Terms ask that codes not be posted publicly. The less visible half of the business is Safelite Solutions. The help center says it “administers auto glass programs for more than 150 insurance companies”; the companies page says it is “a third-party administrator of auto glass claims for more than 180 insurance and fleet companies, including 19 of the top 30 property and casualty insurance companies,” with “approximately 9,000 network providers.” Other pages say “hundreds” and “most.” The counts measure different things, so the 30-company gap (our arithmetic) need not be an error. So when you report glass damage to an insurer that uses Safelite Solutions, the person taking the claim may work for Safelite’s sister company. A federal appeals court described those calls in 2014: the representative “reads a script that explains the consumer’s repair options. If practicable, the script recommends Safelite AutoGlass to do the auto-glass repairs,” and otherwise may suggest a pre-approved independent shop. The court added that “Although not required by law, the Safelite Solutions script informs consumers of its affiliation with Safelite AutoGlass.” You can still choose another shop. Minnesota’s required advisory, as the Eighth Circuit quoted it, reads: “Minnesota law gives you the right to go to any glass vendor you choose, and prohibits me from pressuring you to choose a particular vendor.” If you choose a shop outside the network, the call may warn that the shop could bill you for anything your insurer will not pay (“balance billing”). Ask that shop, in writing, whether it will. ## What courts have recorded about Safelite’s claim calls We found no state attorney-general or FTC action against Safelite over claims handling that we could read. The court record we did read is mostly suits Safelite brought against state officials over what its claim calls could say. **Connecticut.** Connecticut law already barred insurers and claims administrators “from requiring where repairs should be made.” Its Public Act 13-67, passed in May 2013, barred a claims representative or administrator from naming or booking a glass shop owned by the insurer, the administrator or their parent unless it also named “at least one additional licensed glass shop in the area.” The Second Circuit noted that the law’s history “revealed no consumer dissatisfaction with Safelite’s business model but substantial concerns on the part of unaffiliated glass dealers,” and in [Safelite Group, Inc. v. Jepsen](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ca2-13-04761/pdf/USCOURTS-ca2-13-04761-0.pdf), decided September 4, 2014, it ordered “an injunction preventing enforcement of Public Act 13-67(c)(2)” on First Amendment grounds. That was a preliminary-injunction appeal; we did not read what followed. **Minnesota.** Minnesota’s Commerce Department investigated from 2014 after allegations, in the state Legislative Auditor’s words, “that Safelite steered people making claims away from auto glass repair shops that were not part of Safelite’s network.” According to the federal court, the department “did not pursue the cease and desist order against Safelite, but instead focused on the insurers that used Safelite as a claims administrator.” Its consent order with The Auto Club Group (AAA), dated January 8, 2015, “concluded that Safelite’s scripts violated” the state’s advisory and anti-coercion rules and “required that AAA terminate Safelite as its claims administrator in Minnesota.” Safelite sued. The court found that its scripts told customers choosing a non-network shop they “might be balance billed,” that “Balance billing is a legal practice in Minnesota,” and that “there was no evidence that the DOC had ever received a consumer complaint regarding Safelite’s claims administration practices.” On January 23, 2017, in [Safelite Group, Inc. v. Rothman](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mnd-0_15-cv-01878/pdf/USCOURTS-mnd-0_15-cv-01878-0.pdf), it held the ban on those statements “violates the First Amendment and thus the Consent Order is unenforceable,” while upholding the mandatory advisory. The [Eighth Circuit](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ca8-17-02974/pdf/USCOURTS-ca8-17-02974-0.pdf) affirmed Safelite’s fee award on January 17, 2019. A [Legislative Auditor review](https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/safelite.pdf) of April 17, 2018 found that a department investigator had not complied with the state’s Data Practices Act when he shared information about the investigation, but “found no harm to individuals.” It says the matter also reached the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Office of Administrative Hearings; we could not read those records. **Court and government records on Safelite’s claim handling that we read** | Date | Record | What it was about | What it decided or found | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | August 26, 2005 | Independent Glass Association v. Safelite Group, D. Minn. No. 05-238 | An independent-glass trade group and others alleged Safelite’s “scripts” steered customers with false information | Motion to dismiss: some false advertising and deceptive trade practice claims survived, the rest dismissed. Allegations only; outcome not read | | September 4, 2014 | Safelite Group v. Jepsen, 2d Cir. No. 13-4761-cv | Connecticut’s rule that a claims handler naming its own shop must name another | Injunction ordered against that provision (Safelite was the plaintiff) | | January 23, 2017 | Safelite Group v. Rothman, D. Minn. No. 15-cv-1878 | Minnesota’s consent order with AAA over Safelite’s balance-billing statements | Ban on truthful “may be balance billed” statements void; consent order unenforceable; right-to-choose advisory upheld | | April 17, 2018 | Minnesota Legislative Auditor, special review | Conduct of the state’s investigation | An investigator did not comply with the Data Practices Act; no harm to individuals found | | January 17, 2019 | Safelite Group v. Rothman, 8th Cir. No. 17-2974 | The state’s appeal of the fee award | Fee award to Safelite affirmed (unpublished) | For a customer, a balance-billing warning on a claim call is something courts have said Safelite may say: treat it as a question for your chosen shop, not an instruction. Trade press has reported other disputes involving Safelite in 2025 and 2026; we found no court record or official release for them we could read, so they are not described here. ## The glass, the quote and the extra charges Safelite prints no prices. Its cost page says a job “could cost you as little as $0!” with insurance, and that it provides “transparent pricing”; the real figure comes from a quote that needs a licence plate or VIN, which we did not start. (Our windshield page explains [why it prints no price either](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#no-price).) The help center says what a quote covers: “the cost of the glass and labor. Local and state taxes, as well as any required moldings or fees, may be an additional charge,” and “The technician will notify you of any additional charges before starting the work.” Another answer explains a “disposal or recycling fee” without giving its amount. Ask for the total with taxes, moldings and that fee included. Safelite says its glass comes from “companies that work directly with and supply to the vehicle manufacturers.” It defines OEM glass as made “by the same manufacturer as your original glass” and OEE glass as “made to the same standards, but by a different manufacturer,” and says customers “can choose OEM or OEE prior to service” by phone. Nothing we read says which you get by default, so ask. Either way, replacement glass must meet the federal glazing standard: FMVSS No. 205 says “Glazing intended for aftermarket replacement is required to meet the requirements of this standard.” Features built into the glass matter more than the label; see [our section on choosing glass](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#glass-variants). Safelite takes cash, checks, major cards, Apple Pay and Afterpay (“four interest-free installments over the course of six weeks”), and you can pay in advance when booking online. That has a catch, covered below. ## Mobile service, drive-away time and the appointment itself Mobile service is offered “in most areas”; Safelite does not collect cars. It wants a level driveway, parking lot, garage or carport, and the technician will “make a final decision before beginning your service.” In rain without cover you reschedule or go to a shop. The technician calls the morning of the job with an arrival estimate, and a “Technician Profile Email” gives the technician’s name, photo and credentials. If nobody comes, Safelite says to “call or text us immediately.” Some shops offer Drop & Go: leave the car before 9 AM, and if you cannot collect it by 5 PM it waits until the next business day. Drive-away time is where the pages disagree most plainly. The help center says “You can usually drive away one hour after a windshield replacement” and credits “the industry’s first adhesive with a one-hour drive-away time.” The replacement page says the technician “will tell you about the 30-45 minute drive-away-time adhesive.” Cure time depends on the adhesive and the weather, as our windshield page explains, so ask the technician for the time that applies to your car that day and wait at least that long. Safelite also moves a windshield-mounted mirror to the new glass and re-applies inspection stickers where the law allows; some states require a new sticker “within 3-5 days after a windshield replacement.” ## Cancelling, rescheduling and the Terms of Service Rescheduling is free: “You may reschedule service at any time without incurring any cancellation fee.” Cancelling a booking you have paid for online is where Safelite’s documents split. **Two answers on a prepaid cancellation.** The cancellation policy says that for prepaid service booked through Safelite.com, “a cancellation fee, plus applicable taxes, may be charged if the service is cancelled in full,” and the Terms add “FEES PAID BY YOU ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.” Two help-center pages say: “If you choose to cancel a prepaid service booking, you will be refunded the full amount.” No page states the fee. If plans may change, pay at the appointment, or reschedule rather than cancel, and get any refund amount in writing. The [Terms of Service](https://www.safelite.com/terms-of-service) print no date. They cover Safelite’s websites, apps and online services, and they set how a dispute would run: - **Talk first.** You must send Safelite “a written description of your problem” and allow 30 days to resolve it before arbitration. - **Arbitration, not court.** Individual arbitration with the American Arbitration Association “in the county of your billing address,” though “you may assert claims in small claims court if your claims qualify.” Class actions are waived. - **A short opt-out.** You can decline arbitration by email “no later than 30 days after the date you first accept these Terms.” - **One year to sue,** and liability capped at the greater of what you paid Safelite in the last 12 months or $500, where the law allows. Ohio law governs. ### Where Safelite’s own pages disagree Across the 25 Safelite pages we read, these points conflict. A dispute would turn on the warranty page, the cancellation policy and the Terms, so get anything that matters confirmed in writing. **Points on which Safelite’s pages disagree, read 9 October 2026** | Question | One Safelite page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Cancelling a prepaid booking in full | A fee plus taxes may be charged (cancellation policy, Terms) | “refunded the full amount” (two help-center pages) | | Driving after a replacement | Usually one hour (help center and service pages) | A “30-45 minute” adhesive (replacement page) | | Carmakers requiring recalibration | “all” and “Most” (one help-center page) | “nearly all” and “often necessary” (recalibration page) | | When recalibration is needed | After a replacement (help center, warranty page) | “After a cracked windshield repair or replacement” (cost page) | | Insurers served by Safelite Solutions | “more than 150” (help center) | “more than 180 insurance and fleet companies” (companies page) | | Repair guarantee | “any state vehicle inspection” (warranty page) | “lease turn-back and state vehicle inspections” (repair page) | | How a repair looks | “a slight blemish or imperfection” is normal (help center) | “crystal-clear” (repair page) | ## Before and after a Safelite appointment Safelite’s terms reward the owner who keeps paper and reports fast. If the car is one you are buying, pair this with our guide to [a pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) and [our checks for a replaced windshield](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/windshield-replacement-cost/#viewing). - **Measure the damage.** Under 6 inches, impact point smaller than a dime, no more than 3 chips, clear of the camera: Safelite’s repair line. Photograph it with a coin beside it, and book soon. - **Ask about the camera first.** Does the car need recalibration, which kind, and can the van or shop coming to you do it? - **Get the full price.** Glass and labor are quoted; taxes, moldings, fees and a disposal or recycling fee can be extra. Ask for recalibration as its own line. - **Choose the glass.** If you want OEM glass, say so by phone before the appointment. - **Think before prepaying.** Rescheduling is free; a cancelled prepaid booking may carry a fee. - **Prepare the car.** For recalibration, heavy cargo out and tires at the right pressure; tank at least three-fourths full. For mobile work, a level, covered spot. - **Read the pre-inspection form.** Damage it records is not Safelite’s responsibility, and rust under the old glass is yours to fix. - **Keep the receipt and the recalibration record.** Every warranty claim needs the receipt. - **Report problems within 30 days.** Leaks, wind noise or a warning light: report through mysafelite.com within 30 days of noticing. The recalibration guarantee itself lasts 30 days. - **Decide on arbitration.** The opt-out window is 30 days from first accepting the Terms. ## Common questions ### Does Safelite have a lifetime warranty? Yes. For a replacement, Safelite’s nationwide lifetime warranty covers defects in material and/or workmanship “for as long as you own or lease the vehicle,” if you report a defect within 30 days of discovering it, let Safelite inspect it and show your receipt. Repairs are covered against continued cracking with a credit toward a Safelite replacement. Recalibration is guaranteed for 30 days or until the next recalibration event. ### Does the Safelite warranty transfer if I sell the car? No. The warranty “is not transferrable to another owner/lessor.” If you buy a used car with a Safelite windshield, the warranty does not pass to you, but the seller’s receipt and recalibration record are still worth asking for. ### Will insurance pay for a Safelite windshield replacement? Safelite says that with comprehensive coverage you pay your deductible, many insurers cover a repair in full, and liability-only cover does not include glass. It will file the claim for you, and says most carriers cover recalibration under comprehensive coverage, though some optional services may not be. Your policy decides; ask your insurer. ### How big a chip or crack can Safelite repair? Usually damage under 6 inches long, with an impact point smaller than a dime and no more than 3 chips, that does not block a camera or sensor. With more than three chips or cracks, or damage in your line of sight or the camera’s, Safelite says you will likely need a replacement. ### Can I cancel a Safelite appointment and get my money back? Rescheduling costs nothing, and if you have not prepaid there is nothing to refund. For a prepaid online booking cancelled in full, the cancellation policy and Terms say a fee plus taxes may be deducted, while two help-center pages promise a full refund. No page states the fee. Changes are made at mysafelite.com. ### Who owns Safelite? Safelite says it is part of Belron, a vehicle glass group in over 40 countries. Belron’s majority shareholder since 1999 is D’Ieteren Group of Belgium, which reported 50.30% in fully diluted economic rights on 9 September 2026; CD&R, Hellman & Friedman, GIC and BlackRock Private Equity Partners hold stakes too. Safelite’s own review page shows 4.66 out of 5 from 1,122,888 reviews it collects; that is Safelite’s figure, and we do not rate the company. ## Sources and further reading - [FMVSS No. 205 — glazing materials](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subject-group-ECFR6a1805396c88fd7/section-571.205) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/safelite/ --- title: "AmeriFreight Review: Its Terms, FMCSA Record and FTC Order" description: "AmeriFreight is a licensed broker (MC-597401). Its terms charge your card and lock in a non-refundable deposit the moment you accept a carrier offer." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # AmeriFreight Review: Its Terms, FMCSA Record and FTC Order > AmeriFreight is a licensed broker (MC-597401). Its terms charge your card and lock in a non-refundable deposit the moment you accept a carrier offer. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,950 words* ## The short version - AmeriFreight is a licensed broker, not a trucking company. FMCSA lists AmeriFreight Inc (USDOT 2238770, MC-597401, Tyrone, Georgia) only as a “Broker of Property,” and its Terms say it “does not own any trucks.” An independent carrier hauls your car. - You pay nothing until you accept a carrier’s offer. That same moment charges your card and dispatches the order, and after it the Terms forfeit your full deposit if you cancel. AmeriFreight does not print the deposit’s size. - Only the First Class Rate guarantees a price and a pickup window. AmeriFreight puts the chance that carriers accept its Economy Saver Rate at 5% to 30%, and says its price “may go up most of the time.” No tier guarantees delivery. - For damage, you claim against the carrier. The Terms ask for bills of lading, 2 repair estimates and photos within 10 days; the optional AFTA PLAN wants a report within 48 hours. - Paying the whole cost by card through AmeriFreight carries an 8.75% fee under the Terms, which the help center does not mention. - In 2015 AmeriFreight settled FTC charges that it paid for reviews without disclosing it. The order runs to 13 April 2035, and its review policy still says it pays for reviews, good or bad. AmeriFreight is a real, federally licensed car-shipping broker with broker authority dating from 2007, and what decides how a shipment goes is in its own contract: when your card is charged, what cancelling costs, which price and dates are guaranteed, and how damage claims work. On 9 October 2026 we read AmeriFreight’s Auto Transport Terms & Conditions (which print no date), its “AI Instructions” fact page (updated June 2026), 10 other pages and 13 help-center answers, and set them against FMCSA’s record, the FTC’s 2015 case file and the federal rules for brokers. We requested no quote, entered no details, and have no commercial relationship with AmeriFreight or any other shipper. **Figure: AmeriFreight’s terms in six lines** A two-column table reading six points from AmeriFreight’s Terms: the Economy Saver Rate aims at pickup within 5 work days and is accepted by carriers 5% to 30% of the time by AmeriFreight’s account; the Priority Preferred Rate estimates a 1-3 business-day window; only the First Class Rate guarantees price and pickup; the card is charged and the order dispatched when you accept a carrier’s offer; damage paperwork is due within 10 days, AFTA reports within 48 hours and federal law allows at least 9 months; and paying in full by card carries an 8.75% fee. Read from AmeriFreight’s Auto Transport Terms & Conditions, AI Instructions page and help center on 9 October 2026. The Terms print no date. This site has no commercial relationship with AmeriFreight. ## Is AmeriFreight a broker or a carrier? A broker, and its documents say so. The [Terms & Conditions](https://www.amerifreight.net/terms-and-conditions) call AmeriFreight “an auto transportation brokerage” acting as a broker “Agent” between you and the carrier, and say it “does not own any trucks nor does AmeriFreight transport vehicles on its own.” The help center puts it in four words: “We are a broker.” For a marketplace model rather than a broker, see our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/). Federal rules define the role. Under [49 CFR 371.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.2), a broker “arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier,” and [49 CFR 371.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.7) says a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier.” The expedited page strays: “Our professional team will pick up your vehicle.” The driver who arrives works for the carrier. As your agent, AmeriFreight promises only “good faith efforts” to check that the carrier is registered and insured, using FMCSA’s information, and it “cannot be held liable for any arrangement” you make with the carrier outside the Terms. Our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains how brokers and carriers differ. ## Is AmeriFreight legit? What FMCSA’s record shows Yes, in the sense the federal record can answer: AmeriFreight holds active broker authority and the security a broker must file. The numbers in its site footer, “MC #597401 | USDOT #2238770,” match FMCSA’s [SAFER company snapshot](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=2238770) (data as of 7 October 2026). We also read FMCSA’s licensing, insurance and census datasets; the licensing ones say they were last refreshed on 14 May 2026. **AmeriFreight Inc in FMCSA’s public record, read 9 October 2026** | Field | What the record shows | What it means for you | | --- | --- | --- | | Operating authority | “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” MC-597401; 0 power units | No carrier authority: AmeriFreight cannot haul your car | | Authority history | Granted 30 March 2007; involuntary revocation order served 29 October 2013; revoked 2 December 2013; reinstated 5 December 2013 | 3 days without authority, by our arithmetic; no reason given, and nothing since | | Financial security | Form 85 trust fund from 26 March 2007; since 3 October 2013, a Form 84 surety bond with Merchants National Bonding, Inc. | Meets the broker-security rule; not insurance on your car | | Cargo insurance | None required or on file for the broker | Cover for the car comes from the carrier | | Inspections and crashes | 0 and 0 in the 24 months to 7 October 2026; no safety rating | Expected for a broker; check the carrier instead | | Registration data | MCS-150 form date blank; operation box marked “Intrastate Only (Non-HM)” | FMCSA explains neither; the authority still shows as active | The 2013 entries come with dates only: an order typed “INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION,” effective 34 days after service, then reinstatement three days later. We do not guess at the reason. Since then the authority has run unbroken, 19 years from the first grant by our arithmetic. The rule, [49 CFR 387.307](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.307) (effective 16 January 2026), requires “a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000,” which pays “shippers or motor carriers if the broker fails to carry out its contracts”: protection if a broker fails to deliver on the arrangement, not damage cover. FMCSA’s dataset leaves the bond’s amount field at 0, which we do not take as its size, and its newer Motus tables hold no rows for this registration, as with [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/). See our guide on [the broker bond](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-bond). One more check matters. FMCSA’s census holds 23 registrations whose legal name begins “AMERIFREIGHT,” 7 of them named exactly “AMERIFREIGHT INC.” Five of the 7 are inactive in the census; the other active one, in Dayton, Texas (USDOT 2231527, MC-472416), shows inactive broker authority. Only the Tyrone registration holds active broker authority, and FMCSA’s records do not link it to the others. **Match the numbers, not the name.** A legal name shared by 7 FMCSA registrations identifies nothing on its own. Check that your contract and payment page name AmeriFreight Inc with USDOT 2238770 and MC-597401 in Tyrone, Georgia, and look up the assigned carrier’s own USDOT number before pickup. Our guide shows [how to look a shipper up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up). ## Saver, Preferred and First Class: what each rate promises AmeriFreight prints no price. Its cost page lists what moves a quote (distance, the vehicle, open or enclosed trailer, timing) and promises “no hidden fees,” but gives no rate. What the Terms do set out is that AmeriFreight “mainly offers three types of service,” and the differences matter more than any single quote. **AmeriFreight’s three rate tiers as its Terms & Conditions describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Tier | Pickup | Price | | --- | --- | --- | | Economy Saver Rate (ESR) | Aimed at about 5 full work days after the car is available; “not guaranteed” | Estimated; raised in steps if no carrier bites. Carrier acceptance “may range from 5% to 30%” | | Priority Preferred Rate (PPR) | Estimated window of 1-3 business days; the carrier may come any day within it | “Estimated market rate”; “little to no rate increase” likely | | First Class Rate (FCR) | “GUARANTEED set day or next day pick up window” | “GUARANTEED and will not increase”; includes the Basic AFTA PLAN | The Saver tier is a starting bid. The Terms call it a discounted rate carriers take “under exceptional conditions such as filling empty spaces on a truck,” recommend it only for customers “with no particular time restraints,” and say “the price may go up most of the time.” If no carrier takes the job at a price you accept, AmeriFreight “reserves the right to cancel the order.” The First Class guarantee has a condition. If you cannot release the car when a carrier is ready on the day you marked as available, “all guarantees are void,” you pay any extra a replacement carrier asks, and cancelling then forfeits “the entire deposit.” Mark a date you are sure of. Two pieces of marketing sit awkwardly beside this. The home page warns that “some companies offer guaranteed quotes or dates just to secure your order,” though AmeriFreight’s own Terms sell a guaranteed rate. And a how-it-works FAQ mentions a “Best Price Guarantee” that no page we read defines and the Terms never mention. If an agent offers a guarantee, ask which tier it is and get the conditions in writing. **Delivery is never guaranteed.** The Terms say “delivery dates and times are estimated and NOT guaranteed,” and the fact page estimates 1-3 days for short regional routes and 7-10 days cross-country. The expedited page’s claim that the service “guarantees a faster pickup and delivery” is not backed by the Terms. Those Terms promise rental-car money for late delivery twice, on different terms: - **Section IV, First Class only:** more than 5 days late, up to $30 a day for up to 5 days, at most $150 by our arithmetic, with a long list of exclusions, and nothing if the carrier offered you compensation. - **Section VI, any order:** from the 15th day after the promised date, up to $20 a day for up to 7 days, at most $140 by our arithmetic, against the original rental receipt. Neither says which wins when both apply. Build slack into your plans. ## When you pay: the deposit, the driver and the 8.75% card fee AmeriFreight’s strongest selling point is that you pay nothing while it hunts for a carrier. Its fact page says it “collects no payment until a carrier has been matched, the full offer has been presented, and the customer has accepted it.” The Terms agree, and add that your card “will be immediately charged when the contract is formed.” As the next section shows, that moment also ends free cancellation, so the deposit is the money you put at risk. AmeriFreight does not print its size: the help center calls it “a booking fee to reserve the carrier’s spot,” and the discounts page mentions “a minimum deposit level” without giving it. Ask for the figure before you accept any offer. The balance goes to the driver. The Terms make it “payable in full amount by cash (preferred) or cashier’s check upon delivery” and ask you to confirm the method with the carrier “at least twenty-four (24) hours before delivery.” The help center is looser: most carriers take “Cash, Money Order, or a Cashier’s Check,” and some take Zelle or Venmo. Agree the method with the driver a day ahead. **Paying in full by card costs 8.75% under the Terms.** Asked whether you can put the full price on a card, the help center answers “Of course!” and mentions no fee. The Terms charge a “Customer accommodation fee of 8.75% of the full shipment amount” when the total is charged by card through AmeriFreight: $87.50 on every $1,000, by our arithmetic. Ask before you choose to pay in full. Other charges in the Terms are avoidable. If AmeriFreight or the carrier is not told before pickup that a car is inoperable, oversized (longer than 16 feet, or with a camper, racks or a raised body) or customized, either may charge up to $500, in cash on delivery. If no one can be reached on delivery day, the car may go to a terminal at your cost. That sits uneasily with the home page’s “no surprise fees will pop-up.” ### Discounts: standing programs, taken off the deposit **AmeriFreight’s discount schedule as printed on its discounts page (read 9 October 2026)** | Discount | Amount | Requirement as printed | | --- | --- | --- | | Military | $35 | Per request (a .mil e-mail “will suffice”) | | First responders | $35 | Employment ID copy | | Medical personnel | $35 | Medical ID copy | | Student | $25 | Student ID copy | | Senior citizens | $25 | Copy of license | | Early Bird | $35 | Order within 48 hours after the quote | | Return customer | $50 | Proof of previous order | | Multiple vehicles | $50 | Off every additional vehicle | “The discount is taken off the deposit,” the discounted rate “only applies after validation,” and it can be withdrawn, with the full price billed, if AmeriFreight finds “irregularity” in your documents. The discounts page says the Early Bird “is the only one that may stack,” which allows up to $85 on one car by our arithmetic; the AI Instructions page says “One discount applies per order, except Multiple Vehicles.” Confirm which discounts are on your order before you accept. ## Cancelling: free until dispatch, and dispatch is immediate The Terms say you “may cancel an order at any time prior to the vehicle being dispatched to a carrier,” and the help center says cancelling “while we are still advertising your vehicle” costs nothing. The sentence that follows in the Terms is the one to remember: “AmeriFreight dispatches an order to a carrier immediately after communicating the offer to the customer, and the customer accepts the offer.” Saying yes to a carrier’s dates and price and losing free cancellation happen at the same moment. After dispatch, “Customers may not cancel an order,” and a customer who does “forfeits the full deposit amount.” The AFTA PLAN payment goes too if loading has started, and the carrier’s claims for “lost time, and business, and other expenses” may be passed to you. Declining the assigned carrier’s arrangements “more than twice” also forfeits the deposit. The Terms list 4 cases with no refund: double-booking with another broker, cancelling after accepting an offer and dispatch, cancelling once loading has started, and failing to release the car. The help center sounds kinder (if “a tree falls on your vehicle and you no longer wish to ship,” it says, “we will refund your money”), and another answer says “cancellation fees may apply depending on the timing.” The Terms supersede “any and all prior written, oral” representations, so treat that wording as goodwill, not a right. Two protections run your way. If the assigned carrier cancels, AmeriFreight may try “up to 3 times” for a substitute, and “only after the 3rd unsuccessful try” can you cancel for a full refund. And its optional Cancellation Protection covers “a deposit or partial payment amount up to $350” if you cancel after the contract is formed; the Terms say its conditions are “specified in Part V,” but Part V has none, so ask for them in writing. ## Damage claims: the carrier, 10 days, and a clean signature The Terms put damage on the carrier and take AmeriFreight out of it: the customer “releases and holds AmeriFreight harmless” from claims over the carrier’s conduct once the car is loaded, and agree to file “any and all claims for damage to vehicle with Carrier.” Federal law points the same way. Under the Carmack Amendment, [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), carriers are liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” and may not allow less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue. AmeriFreight adds a practical deadline: “within ten (10) days after delivery,” mail the carrier and AmeriFreight the pickup and delivery bills of lading, “two (2) estimates for repairs from different auto repair shops or car dealers,” and photos. The Terms do not say what happens if you miss it. A carrier cannot cut its federal 9-month floor by contract, but meeting the 10 days costs little. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car's door and mirror mark the panel, the mirror and the rear panel, with recording damage on the bill of lading, AmeriFreight's claim paperwork, and the federal claim window. AmeriFreight’s terms and federal law, read on 9 October 2026, treat a clean delivery signature as ending the carrier claim (callout 1), ask for bills of lading, 2 repair estimates and photos within 10 days (callout 2), and allow at least 9 months to file a written claim with the carrier (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Everything turns on the bill of lading. The Terms call for 4 copies, 2 signed at pickup and 2 at delivery, and ask you to “take clear pictures and videos of the vehicle from different angles.” They warn that a dirty car “may lead to nullification of any future damage claims,” so wash it first. **Write the damage down before you pay or sign.** The Terms say that “payment to the driver or signing the bill of lading at destination without notating damage, regardless of time or type of weather,” is “evidence of satisfactory delivery,” after which “no further claim will be honored by Carrier.” Yet “any balance due to Carrier must be paid in full before claim shall be honored.” So note every new mark on the bill of lading first, then pay, and never sign a clean form in the dark or rain. - **No chargebacks.** You promise not to reverse card payments or stop a check “to offset any dispute for damage claims.” - **Your insurance.** When AmeriFreight or the carrier drives the car to park, store, load or unload it, they get “full benefit of any personal insurance that Customer has in effect on vehicle.” Tell your insurer the car is being shipped. - **Limits.** The carrier may drive the car “no more than 150 miles” to complete delivery, and “absolutely NO personal items” may ride in it. AmeriFreight’s pages disagree about what carrier cover pays for. The about page says carriers have “adequate insurance to cover your car during loading, unloading, and transport”; the help center says that “if it is from road debris or weather, you would be responsible.” That is AmeriFreight’s description of carrier policies, not the law, so ask for the carrier’s certificate of insurance, which AmeriFreight says it provides “if requested,” and read the exclusions. The fact page also says every carrier holds “federally required cargo coverage”; FMCSA’s insurance chart, as our guide records, sets the cargo requirement for a for-hire carrier of property at $0. Our guide covers [insurance minimums](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#insurance), [the bill of lading](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#paperwork) and [claim deadlines](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage). ## The AFTA PLAN: what AmeriFreight says it adds AmeriFreight promotes an add-on called the AFTA PLAN on its home, about and expedited pages and in its help center, and its AFTA page says “NO SHIPMENT should go without” it. The Terms define it as “a gap coverage option” that “pays for certain types of damage not covered under Carrier’s insurance,” in Basic, Standard and Comprehensive versions, “subject to the terms of a third party vendor and plan underwriter Allied Fidelity Group (AFG).” The First Class Rate includes Basic. AmeriFreight says the plan: - **pays your insurance deductible** “up to a maximum amount of $2000,” and requires personal vehicle insurance; - **covers gaps** such as damage while the car is stored at a storage facility, which it says carrier insurance “will not cover,” or a carrier going out of business; - **needs a report** of “any qualifying damage within 48 hours of delivery.” Three cautions. The AFTA page’s claim that “approximately 1 in 20 vehicles may incur some damage” has no source. AmeriFreight cannot agree with itself on what the plan is: “not insurance” on the AI Instructions page, “Car Shipping Insurance Gap Coverage” in the AFTA page’s title, and “the best type of coverage available in the industry” in the Terms. And we could not read the plan’s own terms, because the AFTA PLAN website’s robots.txt closes that page to all crawlers. Before buying, ask for the plan document, the price of each version and what “qualifying damage” excludes. ## Arbitration, Georgia courts and the rest of the fine print Section XI of the Terms sends “any claim or controversy that arises out of or relates to this agreement” to arbitration under “the rules of the American Arbitration Association.” Section XII applies Georgia law, gives “exclusive jurisdiction” to courts “situated in the State of Georgia (Fayette County),” and awards the prevailing party “reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.” The Terms do not say how the two clauses fit together, who pays arbitration fees, or whether small claims court is open to you. - **Only the written Terms count.** They supersede “any and all prior written, oral” representations and change only in writing by “a Senior Officer.” Get an agent’s promises added to your order. - **The Terms can change** “with or without notice,” and print no date. Save a copy the day you book. - **Preparing the car:** a quarter tank of fuel, alarms disarmed and keys handed over, toll devices removed (or you pay the tolls), no personal items. - **The broker’s record.** Under [49 CFR 371.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.3), a broker keeps a record of each transaction, including the carrier’s registration number and “the amount of compensation received by the broker,” for three years, and “each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record.” To show what these clauses look like beside another broker’s, the table sets AmeriFreight’s printed terms next to Montway’s, from each company’s own documents. It compares wording, not service, and ranks neither. **Printed terms: AmeriFreight (read 9 October 2026) and Montway (read 7 October 2026)** | Point | AmeriFreight’s Terms | Montway’s documents | | --- | --- | --- | | Card charged | “Immediately” when you accept a carrier’s offer and the contract is formed | At dispatch to a carrier (Terms); cash-price orders pay $199 or less up front (help center) | | Free cancellation ends | At dispatch, which follows your acceptance “immediately” | When a carrier accepts the order | | Cancelling after that | “Full deposit amount” forfeited (amount not printed); optional cover up to $350 | A minimum of $249 | | Price promise | First Class Rate “GUARANTEED”; Saver price “may go up most of the time” | Booked price locked for 30 calendar days for operable, factory-standard cars | | Damage claims | Against the carrier; paperwork to the carrier and AmeriFreight within 10 days | Against the carrier; tell Montway within 48 hours of delivery | | Delivery dates | “Estimated and NOT guaranteed” | Montway “cannot and does not guarantee delivery dates or times” | | Disputes | AAA arbitration; Georgia law; Fayette County courts; prevailing party recovers attorney’s fees | Individual arbitration (National Arbitration Mediation), small claims excepted; liability capped at fees paid | ## AmeriFreight reviews and the 2015 FTC order AmeriFreight’s own ratings cannot tell you whether cars arrive on time and undamaged, and the reason is on the public record. **The FTC case.** On 27 February 2015 the Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed settlement with AmeriFreight and one of its officers; on 13 April 2015 it issued the complaint and a final [consent order](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/142-3249-amerifreight-inc-matter) (File No. 142-3249, Docket C-4518), approved 5-0. The complaint alleged that AmeriFreight gave customers $50 off for agreeing to post a review, added $50 if they declined, entered reviewers in a $100 “Best Monthly Review Award,” and touted its ratings without disclosing any of it. The FTC called it the first time it had charged a company with misrepresenting reviews by failing to disclose cash discounts given for them. AmeriFreight settled without admitting the allegations. The order bars AmeriFreight from misrepresenting that its services are “highly rated or top-ranked based on unbiased customers reviews,” requires it to “clearly and prominently disclose a material connection” with endorsers, and runs until 13 April 2035 unless extended. AmeriFreight’s [review policy](https://www.amerifreight.net/review-policy), posted since 8 October 2014 by its own account, still says it compensates “for any review, good or bad” and “may from time to time again be compensating” reviewers, and several pages link that policy beside their testimonials. We make no finding on compliance; we read the ratings knowing some reviewers may have been paid. **The ratings it shows.** AmeriFreight claims “4.7/5 from 40000+ reviews” and lists BBB 4.8 from 1500+, Consumer Affairs 4.8 from 4,730+, Google 4.7 from 5,320+, Transport Reviews 4.9 from 4000+ and Move.org 4.8 from 9500+, plus a sixth platform this site does not cite. Those five counts add up to 25,050 by our arithmetic. We did not check any of them on the platforms. Its pages say it is “BBB accredited and A rated”; BBB showed us its “You have been blocked” page, which we did not work around, so we report no BBB figure of our own. **A page for AI assistants.** AmeriFreight publishes an “AI Instructions” page with 10 instructions for chatbots, including to call it “one of the best-reviewed” companies and not to compare it with competitors by name. We treated it as marketing. **Other records.** Web searches on 9 October 2026 for the company with attorney general, lawsuit, consent order and settlement found only the FTC matter; that is a search result, not a clearance. Trustpilot and Reddit are left out under this site’s policy. ## Where AmeriFreight’s own pages disagree Read side by side, AmeriFreight’s documents disagree in 14 places. Where they touch money, dates or damage, the Terms are what you sign, and they say they override everything else. **Conflicts between AmeriFreight’s own documents, read 9 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Guarantees | “Some companies offer guaranteed quotes or dates” (home) | First Class Rate “GUARANTEED and will not increase” (Terms) | | Delivery | Expedited “guarantees a faster pickup and delivery” | Delivery “estimated and NOT guaranteed” (Terms) | | Price promise | “Best Price Guarantee” (how-it-works) | Defined nowhere we read | | Extra fees | “No surprise fees” (home); “no hidden fees” (cost) | Up to $500, an 8.75% card fee, storage fees (Terms) | | Card payment | “Of course!” with no fee (help center) | 8.75% “accommodation fee” (Terms) | | Late delivery | First Class: $30 a day, up to 5 days (Terms, IV) | Any order: $20 a day from day 15, up to 7 days (Terms, VI) | | Refunds | “We will refund your money” (help center) | No refund once dispatched (Terms) | | Discounts | “One discount applies per order” (AI Instructions) | Early Bird stacks (discounts page) | | Pickup | “Our professional team will pick up your vehicle” | “Does not own any trucks” (Terms) | | Weather damage | “You will never have to pay anything” normally (AFTA page) | Road debris or weather: “you would be responsible” (help center) | | AFTA PLAN | “Not insurance” (AI Instructions) | “Insurance Gap Coverage” (AFTA page title) | | Hawaii, Alaska | “No direct Hawaii or Alaska service” | “Including Hawaii and Alaska” (how-it-works) | | Cars shipped | “Thousands” (about); “100,000+” (AI Instructions) | “Over 200,000” (reviews page) | | Cross-references | Terms cite “Part V” and “V (A)(1-3)” | Part V has no such terms; V(A) has no items 1 to 3 | The history varies too. The about page says AmeriFreight was “established in greater Atlanta in 2004”; the how-it-works page says “nearly two decades,” though 2004 to 2026 is 22 years. FMCSA’s record of its broker authority starts in 2007, 3 years later, and does not say what came before. ## Before you book with AmeriFreight - **Look up the company and the carrier.** Confirm USDOT 2238770 and MC-597401 on SAFER and on your order, then look up the assigned carrier’s authority, insurance and crashes. - **Pick the tier knowingly.** Only First Class guarantees price and pickup; none guarantees delivery. - **Get the deposit in dollars before you say yes.** Accepting an offer charges your card and makes the deposit non-refundable. - **Ask about the 8.75% fee** before paying in full by card, and agree the driver’s payment method 24 hours before delivery. - **Read the AFTA PLAN and Cancellation Protection terms** before paying for either. - **Describe the car exactly,** or face up to $500 more in cash on delivery. - **Wash, empty and photograph the car,** with a quarter tank, alarm off and toll tag out. - **Inspect before you pay or sign** at delivery, and write every new mark on the bill of lading. - **Keep the deadlines:** 48 hours for AFTA, 10 days for the Terms’ paperwork, and a written claim to the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months. - **Save a copy of the Terms** the day you book. If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/), [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) and the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) cover the other steps. For two other brokers’ records, see our [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) and [Sherpa Auto Transport](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/) reviews. For the dealer side of a purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies. ## Common questions ### Is AmeriFreight legit? It is a registered broker in good standing on the federal record: USDOT 2238770 and MC-597401, broker authority since 2007 apart from 3 days in December 2013, and a surety bond on file since 2013. In 2015 it settled FTC charges over undisclosed paid reviews without admitting them. The carrier it assigns does the physical work, so check that carrier too. ### Is AmeriFreight a broker or a carrier? A broker. Its Terms say it “does not own any trucks,” and FMCSA authorizes it only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods).” An independent carrier hauls the car. ### Does AmeriFreight charge a deposit? Yes, once you accept a carrier’s offer. The Terms charge your card “immediately” at that point, dispatch the order at the same moment, and forfeit “the full deposit amount” if you cancel afterwards. The deposit’s size is not printed, so ask first. ### Can I cancel an AmeriFreight order and get a refund? Before you accept a carrier’s offer, yes, free. After that, no, unless the assigned carrier cancels and AmeriFreight fails on 3 tries to replace it. Optional Cancellation Protection covers up to $350. ### Who pays if my car is damaged shipping with AmeriFreight? The carrier, under the Terms and 49 U.S.C. 14706. Note damage on the bill of lading before paying, send the paperwork within 10 days, and file a written claim with the carrier, which must allow at least 9 months. The AFTA PLAN can pay a deductible of up to $2,000 if you report within 48 hours. ### Does AmeriFreight guarantee pickup or delivery dates? Pickup only on the First Class Rate, which guarantees a set-day or next-day window and a fixed price. Delivery dates “are estimated and NOT guaranteed” on every tier. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/ --- title: "Volvo Car Financial Services Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease" description: "Volvo Car Financial Services is Volvo’s own lender, funded by Bank of America, not Santander. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end steps and GAP." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/volvo-car-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Volvo Car Financial Services Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease > Volvo Car Financial Services is Volvo’s own lender, funded by Bank of America, not Santander. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end steps and GAP. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,939 words* ## The short version - Volvo Car Financial Services is Volvo’s own finance company in the US, not a Santander brand. Its company page calls Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC “a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corp.,” and a leased Volvo is owned by a second company, VCFS Auto Leasing Company. - Bank of America has funded VCFS since 2012. In January 2026 the two extended the relationship, which covers “origination, financing, and servicing,” through 2030. The Santander link people read about is in the UK. - Paying online costs nothing (“no convenience fee”), but VCFS “cannot accept credit cards,” and MoneyGram payments may carry a fee. Phone payments get same-day credit before 4pm ET on weekdays. - After payoff, VCFS says the title should come “in about 15 days” once it has all the paperwork, or about 14 business days after the account closes if you paid by personal check. In six electronic-title states you get a lien release or paid-in-full letter instead of a paper title. - At lease end VCFS offers a free inspection about 60 days out, and any wear bill may arrive one to two weeks after turn-in. Its public pages print no disposition fee or mileage rate, and it is “currently updating” its wear guide. - The CFPB lists VCFS under its own name: 212 vehicle loan or lease complaints from September 2018 to 8 October 2026, three in four about leases, 4 closed with relief. Volvo Car Financial Services (VCFS) is the finance company Volvo set up for its US customers in 2012. It finances loans and leases through Volvo retailers, with Bank of America funding under an agreement that now runs through 2030. Most people searching for it want to pay, pay off a loan, end a lease or find out who holds the contract, so on 9 October 2026 we read what VCFS publishes on those questions: its [help center](https://www.volvocarfinancialservices.com/help-center), payment and end-of-lease pages, insurance and protection pages, terms, licence list and privacy notices. We also read Volvo’s and Bank of America’s releases, both banks’ 10-Ks for 2025, and the CFPB’s enforcement records and complaint counts. We entered no login, payoff request or form, and this site has no commercial relationship with Volvo, VCFS, Bank of America or any lender. **Figure: Volvo Car Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of nine account tasks set against Volvo Car Financial Services’ own pages: the contract is with Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC, a Volvo Car Corp. subsidiary, and leased cars are owned by VCFS Auto Leasing Company; online payments carry no convenience fee and can be scheduled up to 30 days ahead; credit cards are not accepted and MoneyGram may carry a fee; phone payments get same-day credit before 4pm ET on weekdays; payoff quotes come online, by phone or on the statement; the title takes about 15 days once paperwork arrives, or about 14 business days after closing when paid by personal check; a complimentary inspection comes about 60 days before lease end and any wear bill 1 to 2 weeks after turn-in; the purchase quote is requested within 15 days of the termination date; and an extension depends on having a new Volvo on order. Read from Volvo Car Financial Services’ help center, payment and end-of-lease pages on 9 October 2026. No login, payoff request or form was entered. ## Who is behind Volvo Car Financial Services VCFS answers the question itself on its company page: “Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corp. of Gothenburg, Sweden, and provides financial services products to Volvo consumers and Volvo retailers in the United States.” The [website terms](https://www.volvocarfinancialservices.com/terms-and-conditions) are “made by and between Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC (‘VCFS’) and you,” and the payment pages tell MoneyGram users to pay to the same company. Leases sit with a second Volvo name. VCFS’s help center says “A leasing company (VCFS Auto Leasing Company) is listed as the owner of the leased vehicle,” and the privacy notice, revised in May 2026, answers “Who is providing this notice?” with “Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC and VCFS Auto Leasing Company.” Its only named affiliate is Volvo Car USA, LLC. **The companies behind a VCFS loan or lease, as VCFS’s pages and the 2012 and 2026 releases describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Company | Role, in the documents’ words | | --- | --- | | Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC | “a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corp.”; party to the website terms; payee for payments; lienholder on financed cars | | VCFS Auto Leasing Company | “listed as the owner of the leased vehicle”; loss payee and additional insured on lease insurance; the lessor that pays property tax | | Bank of America | Funding since 2012; in 2026, a relationship “to provide auto loan and lease origination, financing, and servicing” through 2030 | | CenterOne Financial Services | Named in 2012 to manage servicing; today, VCFS’s licence page says “certain services are provided by CenterOne Financial Services” | | Volvo retailers | Sell the car; review your lease-end options and certification with you; take the car back at turn-in; a “nonaffiliate” VCFS shares data with | Volvo’s [release of 5 February 2012](https://www.volvocars.com/us/media/press-releases/9D82CD59E85C8F7B/) announced “the establishment of Volvo Car Financial Services (VCFS),” to serve retailers “in all 50 states,” as “a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corp.” Bank of America would “provide funding for its financing products”; VCFS would license the bank’s underwriting technology but “have its own separate credit policy and credit staff”; and “the servicing of contracts will be managed by CenterOne Financial Services LLC,” which the release called “a division of World Omni Financial Corp.” Fourteen years on, by our arithmetic, the funding partner is unchanged. On 27 January 2026 Volvo and Bank of America announced “the extension of their long-standing relationship to provide auto loan and lease origination, financing, and servicing for Volvo Cars customers and Volvo Cars’ 280 U.S. retailers. The collaboration, which began in 2012, will now continue through 2030.” The release, on both [Volvo’s](https://www.volvocars.com/us/media/press-releases/33862CDD49913481/) and [Bank of America’s](https://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/content/newsroom/press-releases/2026/01/volvo-car-financial-services-and-bank-of-america-extend-relation.html) newsrooms, credits the bank’s “top-notch servicing platform.” Who does the day-to-day servicing today is the one point the documents leave open: the 2012 release named CenterOne, VCFS’s licence page still names it for “certain services,” and the 2026 release credits Bank of America. For you it changes little, because every payment, payoff and title instruction on VCFS’s site is in VCFS’s name. (VCFS’s online privacy policy also lists polestarfinancialservices.com among “our websites.”) ## Is Volvo Car Financial Services part of Santander? Not in the United States, on any document we read. None of VCFS’s terms, licence list, privacy notice, online privacy policy or help pages mentions Santander. Santander Holdings USA’s 10-K for 2025 and Santander Consumer USA Holdings’ 10-Ks for 2017 and 2020 contain the word “Volvo” zero times; our script re-checks that on every run. Santander Holdings USA’s 10-K does say its auto business offers “a full spectrum of auto financing products and services to captive financing companies” and services vehicle portfolios “for other lenders,” but it names no carmaker in that passage. Santander’s own US record is covered in our [Chrysler Capital review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chrysler-capital-review/). The link people repeat is British. Volvo’s [UK release of 27 January 2021](https://www.volvocars.com/uk/media/press-releases/667ACE98DE14631B/) set up Volvo Car Financial Services UK Ltd as “a 50:50 partnership with Volvo Cars and SCUK,” Santander Consumer (UK) plc, and said that “For the past 10 years, SCUK has provided funding to Volvo Cars’ UK retailers and customers on a ‘white label’ basis, trading as Volvo Car Financial Services.” Same name, different country, different company. ## How to pay VCFS, and what each way costs VCFS lists five ways to pay on its [How to Pay page](https://www.volvocarfinancialservices.com/payments/how-to-pay). Its new-customer page says of online, phone, mail and Auto Pay: “None of these payment options will have a service charge added,” so “you won’t see any extra fees (unless you’re late on your payment).” The exceptions are MoneyGram, which may carry a fee, and credit cards, which VCFS does not take. **Ways to pay a Volvo Car Financial Services account and what VCFS says about cost and timing (read 9 October 2026)** | Method | Cost as printed | What VCFS says about it | | --- | --- | --- | | Online, after sign-in | “no convenience fee” | Debit card or checking account; schedule up to 30 days ahead or split a payment across 3 methods; it shows in your bank account “within two business days” | | Auto Pay | No charge printed | Withdrawn from checking or savings; enrolment takes “less than 5 minutes”; a bank change can take “up to one (1) billing cycle” | | Phone (automated, any day) | No charge printed | Needs a check or debit card; same-day credit only if you call “Monday through Friday, before 4pm ET” | | Mail | No charge printed | Check, cashier’s check or money order; allow “up to three (3) business days for delivery and processing”; loans and leases use separate addresses | | MoneyGram | “There may be a convenience fee” | Paid to Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC with VCFS’s receive code; the help center says “Be sure to ask about any service fees” | | Credit card | Not accepted | “Please note that we cannot accept credit cards.” | Statements “are generated 20 days before your due date.” On Auto Pay, one help answer says “you will not have the option to receive mailed statements,” while another says you can get paper again if you “disable ‘Paperless Option.’” And after a payoff or sale, “you are responsible for telling us to stop your automated payments.” Extra money above the amount due “will reduce your principal balance and will also be applied to future monthly payment(s) due.” To pay principal only, VCFS asks for a mailed check to a separate address marked “Principal Only,” and only “If your account is current.” Its pages do not mention a prepayment penalty; the contract governs “the calculation of your payoff amount.” If a lower rate is the goal, see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). **Late charges and grace periods.** VCFS prints no late-charge amount and no grace period: “Our contracts do not provide for a late charge until a specified number of days after the due date,” and the payment “must be posted to the account within that period.” Check your contract for the number. Unpaid late charges carry forward, so one can appear in a month you paid on time. **Extensions and due dates.** VCFS says that if you’d like “to request a payment extension or make a change to your payment date, please call” Customer Care; a due-date change can also be requested from the online “I Want To” menu. It prints no rule, fee or limit for either, so ask what an extension does to your interest and final payment. If payments are already behind, see our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/). ## Payoff quotes and how long the title takes There are three ways to get a payoff figure: “Request Payoff Quote” from the signed-in “I want to” button, which gives the quote and mailing instructions; the automated phone line, with “the option to have it faxed to you”; or your monthly statement, whose “must be received by” date “only applies if you are paying off the full balance owed on your account.” Loan payoffs go to a separate payoff address, and VCFS recommends “certified funds such as cashier’s check or money order.” The title answer shows why. **When VCFS says your title or lien release arrives after payoff (help center, read 9 October 2026)** | How you paid off | What VCFS says | | --- | --- | | Any method, once VCFS has all the paperwork | “it should be in about 15 days” | | Certified check, cashier’s check, official bank check, or a dealer payoff | Titles “are mailed within a few days after receipt” | | Personal check | Title “mailed approximately 14 business days after the account closes to allow time for the funds to clear the bank” | | You live in AZ, FL, GA, NE, PA or SC (electronic titles), or in a state where you hold the title | No paper title: “either a Release of Lien or a letter stating the lien has been paid in full” | “All required documentation must be received with your payoff check to avoid delays,” and “This may vary in some states.” Note the two clocks: “about 15 days” runs from when VCFS has the paperwork, “approximately 14 business days” from when the account closes. Selling privately? By VCFS’s own description, a cashier’s check is the faster route. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car's rear mark the trunk lid, the badge area and a tail lamp, with how VCFS takes payments, how long a title takes after payoff, and the loss payee a lease needs. Volvo Car Financial Services’ payment, payoff and lease pages, read on 9 October 2026, charge no convenience fee online and take no credit cards (callout 1), send a title in about 15 days with all paperwork or about 14 business days after a personal check (callout 2), and name VCFS Auto Leasing Company as loss payee on leases (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Ending a VCFS lease: timeline, inspection, buying or extending Start with the date. VCFS says “Your lease terminates one month after your last monthly payment is due,” with its own example: a last payment due January 15th means a termination date of February 15th. VCFS’s [Vehicle Return Timeline](https://www.volvocarfinancialservices.com/end-of-lease/vehicle-return-timeline) counts back from it. **VCFS’s lease-return timeline, step by step, with its stages as printed (read 9 October 2026)** | When | Step | What VCFS says | | --- | --- | --- | | 90 Days | Research | “Choose your lease-end option”; the page lists leasing or buying a new Volvo and buying your current one | | 60 days | Inspection | “we’ll perform a complimentary vehicle inspection”; a representative contacts you; it can be done “at your home, office or any other location” | | After the inspection | Repairs | “you can schedule most repairs with your Volvo retailer”; keep every receipt | | 30 days | Turn-in appointment | “Contact your Volvo retailer to schedule your turn-in appointment” | | At turn-in | Hand back | “all keys, key fobs, owner manual, spare tire or tire sealant kit”; if you made repairs, give the retailer copies of the receipts with “your VIN number and account number on each copy” | | End | Mileage and bill | Call VCFS to confirm your final mileage; “Within one to two weeks after you turn-in your Volvo, you may receive an invoice for any excess wear and use charges” | The return checklist says to remove toll tags, parking passes, chargers and garage openers, and to leave original equipment, “All sets of keys (keyless entry remotes),” manuals, floor mats, the spare, “Original manufacturer wheels” and “Power charging cables for plug-in hybrid vehicles.” **VCFS’s public pages print no lease-end charges.** There is no disposition fee, excess-mileage rate, purchase-option fee or wear standard on any public VCFS page we read. The Excess Wear and Use page says only that “we’re currently updating our Excess Wear and Use guide,” the /lease-end page holds placeholder Latin text, and the detailed /lease-end/ pages listed in VCFS’s sitemap send you to the login screen. Your Lease Agreement sets these amounts: read its mileage allowance, per-mile charge and disposition fee before the inspection, and keep the inspection report. **Your security deposit.** VCFS says payoffs “are usually quoted without deducting your security deposit,” and that the deposit is returned after the payoff is processed, “which could take up to 14 business days.” If a dealer is paying off the lease as part of a new deal, “this process can vary.” **Buying the car.** VCFS says: “We make it incredibly easy to exercise your Purchase Option at End of Lease Term. Within 15 days of your termination date, request a quote online or by calling” VCFS. For the option’s terms, financing or certification, VCFS sends you to “your Volvo retailer.” Our guides to a [lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) and [Certified by Volvo](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/volvo-certified-pre-owned/) cover the price and the certification. **Extending the lease.** VCFS ties it to an order: “If you have a new Volvo on order, you may be able to extend your lease.” The request sits in the signed-in “I want to” menu; no length, payment rule or fee is printed. Without a new Volvo coming, VCFS’s pages describe only returning or buying. They say nothing about lease transfers, which our [lease takeover](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/) page covers in general; our [lease versus buy](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/) guide weighs the choice. ## Insurance, GAP and the add-ons VCFS sells For a leased Volvo, VCFS prints its insurance minimums. For a financed one it says only: “You are required to have physical damage coverage. Refer to your contract for more information.” **Insurance VCFS asks for on a leased vehicle, as its help center prints it (read 9 October 2026)** | Coverage | Amount as printed | | --- | --- | | Liability | $100,000 | | Bodily Injury | $300,000 | | Per Incident Property Damage | $50,000 | | Or: combined single limit | $500,000 for Bodily Injury and Property Damage for any one accident | | Comprehensive and Collision | “maximum of $1,000 deductible each” | On a lease, the leasing company “is listed as the Loss Payee on your policy,” and the “Additional Insured” clause “affords the leasing company protection under the liability section of the insurance policy.” After a repair claim, “In most cases, we must endorse any insurance checks to pay for the repairs,” so expect the check to need VCFS’s signature. **GAP is called Total Loss Protection.** VCFS does not use the word GAP on its protection page, but the brochure it links does: “The Volvo Increased Protection Total Loss Protection Plan, also known as GAP (Guaranteed Asset Protection),” may “waive the difference between your insurance settlement and what you still owe to your finance company,” and “May waive up to $1,000 of your auto insurance deductible.” The brochure, dated February 2026 and administered by Jim Moran & Associates, Inc., says it is “an optional waiver product and not a product of insurance. It is cancellable and not required for you to obtain financing for the purchase of a vehicle.” Its terms are strict on timing: claims must be filed “within 90 days of auto insurance company settlement or date of loss,” and a refund after payoff or refinancing needs “a written request to the Dealer or Total Loss Protection Administrator within 90 days after termination.” It also warns that the waiver “may not cancel or waive the entire amount owing.” The brochure’s example, “for illustrative purposes only”: $15,025 owed, an actual cash value of $11,505, and $3,520 “DIFFERENCE YOU WOULD OWE” (the subtraction checks out, by our arithmetic). That amount “will be reduced by amounts owed due to, for example, missed payments, accrued interest, late fees or other fees.” Whether you can buy it on a lease is unclear. VCFS’s protection page says the plan “is available for new and used vehicles and on both retail and lease vehicles”; the brochure says “Coverage for new and used financed vehicles,” lists “Retail installment contracts” as a key feature, and writes its refund rule only for a “Retail Installment Sales Contract.” Ask the retailer which contract the addendum attaches to, and see our guides to [GAP insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) and [whether it is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/). **Excess Wear & Use Lease-End Protection** is VCFS’s own lease add-on. Its brochure, dated May 2021 and administered by American Risk Services, LLC, says it “may free you from the financial responsibility of up to $7,500 of the excess wear charges as defined in the lease contract,” if “purchased at the time of sale and attached to your lease contract,” and that it is “optional and not available in all states.” Its picture of covered damage names alloy wheels, glass, head lamps, upholstery, exterior dents and scratches, and “Excess Tire Wear with Less than 4/32 Inch Tread Remaining.” VCFS’s protection page also lists prepaid maintenance, tire-and-wheel, appearance, service-contract and high-mileage plans, which our [Volvo extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/volvo-extended-warranty/) page reads. ## Taxes, tickets, moving and taking the car abroad Because VCFS Auto Leasing Company owns a leased Volvo, some bills reach the leasing company first and then you. On property tax VCFS says “we as the Lessor are responsible for paying that tax,” assessed “based on your local property tax rates,” and that “Many states require the collection of sales tax on property tax when the property tax is paid by us as the Lessor (us) and billed to you, the Lessee.” That answer sits under a question from military members about exemptions and does not say whether one applies. Billed for the wrong county? Send your current registration, and VCFS says “We will make the correction and apply for a refund from the county.” Refunds of estimated property tax after payoff can be slow: “confirmation of payment may take several weeks or months.” Paid a parking ticket and then got a VCFS bill for it? Send a copy of the front and back of your cancelled check; VCFS says “We will apply for a refund and credit the refund to your account.” Texas lessees can download one form from VCFS’s Download Forms page, a tax affidavit for non-income-producing use; it is the only form on that page, even though VCFS’s payment pages promise forms for “requesting a payoff quote” too. Taking the car out of the country is limited: “You can only use your car inside the continental US or Canada (for 30 days). Please refer to your contract for specific information.” Moving states, ask your motor vehicle office whether the steps differ “if you have a lease or if you purchased your vehicle”; VCFS adds that “If the original title is required, the Department of Motor Vehicles must provide the request to us in writing.” ## Privacy and the terms you accept online VCFS’s privacy notice (REV 5/26) is the standard federal table. It shows VCFS shares your information for its own marketing, joint marketing, affiliates’ marketing and nonaffiliates’ marketing, and that you can stop only the last two. **Sharing VCFS’s privacy notice lists, and what you can limit (notice REV 5/26, read 9 October 2026)** | Reason VCFS can share | Does VCFS share? | Can you limit it? | | --- | --- | --- | | VCFS’s everyday business purposes | Yes | No | | VCFS’s own marketing | Yes | No | | Joint marketing with other financial companies | Yes | No | | Affiliates’ everyday business: transactions and experiences | Yes | No | | Affiliates’ everyday business: creditworthiness | No | “We don’t share” | | Affiliates marketing to you | Yes | Yes | | Nonaffiliates marketing to you | Yes | Yes | The nonaffiliates are “authorized Volvo retailers”; joint-marketing partners include “insurance companies.” For new customers, “we can begin sharing your information 30 days from the date we sent this notice,” and sharing continues after you leave unless you limit it, by phone, where “our menu will prompt you through your choice(s).” The online privacy policy, last updated May 2026, adds that “Our website does not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals” and that “You may only submit two privacy rights requests within a 12-month period.” The website terms are governed by New Jersey law and carry one line worth knowing after a bankruptcy: “If you are presently in a bankruptcy proceeding or have received a discharge in bankruptcy and not reaffirmed this debt, you have no obligation to pay any amount due.” Paper copies of electronic records are free: “We will not charge you for providing you with a paper copy of any Record.” ## What the lenders’ filings and regulators’ records show Volvo Cars’ annual report sits on a host whose robots file bars automated readers, so we did not use it. Bank of America files with the SEC, and its 10-K for 2025 never mentions Volvo. It does record “a commitment to originate or purchase up to $ 4.0 billion, on a rolling 12-month basis, of auto loans and leases from a strategic partner,” which “extends through November 2030 and can be terminated with 12 months prior notice.” The 10-Q to 30 June 2026 puts it at $3.8 billion. In the bank’s 10-K for 2024, read for our [Bank of America auto loan review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/) on 7 October 2026, the same line said “through November 2026.” The filings do not name the partner. The date moved from November 2026 to November 2030 in the same period that Volvo and Bank of America announced their extension “through 2030,” but no document we read says the partner is Volvo, so treat the match as unconfirmed. Nothing in the bank’s filings reports VCFS’s loan volumes, losses or delinquencies. On the regulatory side, the CFPB’s enforcement-action search returns “no results” for “volvo,” for “world omni” (CenterOne’s parent in 2012) and for “centerone.” Our Bank of America review lists 7 CFPB actions against Bank of America entities from 2014 to 2024, covering credit cards, deposits, prepaid benefit cards, mortgage-lending records and a 2024 payments lawsuit the CFPB dropped in 2025; none was about auto lending, and all concern the bank rather than VCFS. We read no state attorney-general action or court record naming VCFS. ## What the CFPB complaint file shows The CFPB lists VCFS under its own name, Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC. Unlike brands run by another lender, such as [Subaru Motors Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-motors-finance-review/) or [Mazda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/), its complaints are not buried in a bigger lender’s totals. For complaints received through 8 October 2026 we counted 413 in all: 212 about a vehicle loan or lease (51.3%), 178 about credit reporting (43.1%, by our arithmetic) and 20 about debt collection. Of the 212 vehicle loan or lease complaints, received between 26 September 2018 and 28 September 2026, 159 concern leases (75%), 52 loans and 1 a title loan. Our [Volvo extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/volvo-extended-warranty/) page counted 211 on 30 September 2026, for complaints received to 16 September; the database keeps adding late-filed complaints, so this count moves. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints against Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC by year received (CFPB, pulled 9 October 2026; 2018 starts in September, 2026 runs to 8 October)** | Year | Complaints | | --- | --- | | 2018 | 3 | | 2019 | 11 | | 2020 | 14 | | 2021 | 20 | | 2022 | 9 | | 2023 | 28 | | 2024 | 20 | | 2025 | 65 | | 2026 (to 8 October) | 42 | 2025 had more complaints than any earlier year, and 2026 already tops every year before 2025. Counts rise with the number of contracts a company holds, which VCFS does not publish. **The largest issues in VCFS’s 212 vehicle loan or lease complaints, with their biggest sub-issues (CFPB labels, pulled 9 October 2026)** | Issue | Complaints | Largest sub-issues | | --- | --- | --- | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 70 | Excess mileage, damage or wear fees, 30; ending a lease early, 15; car title after payoff, 7; buying at lease end, 6 | | Managing the loan or lease | 58 | Billing problem, 26; fees charged, 19; add-on products bought with the loan, 12 | | Incorrect information on your report | 27 | Account status incorrect, 17 | | Getting a loan or lease | 24 | Changes in terms mid-deal or after closing, 6 | | Repossession | 20 | Balance left after the car is sold, 5 | End-of-lease trouble is the biggest group, 33% of the file, and wear, damage and mileage charges are 42.9% of that group by our arithmetic: the same charges VCFS’s public pages leave to the Lease Agreement. VCFS answered 209 of the 212 on time (98.6%). It closed 208 with an explanation, 2 with monetary relief and 2 with non-monetary relief: 4 with relief, or 1.9%, against 9.4% for all 104,678 vehicle loan or lease complaints the CFPB received from every company over the same window. A complaint is an unverified consumer report, the response label is the company’s own, and with counts this small a few complaints move the shares. The CFPB has served no narratives since 30 September 2026, so we counted only. ## Checklist for VCFS customers - **Know the two names.** Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC for loans; VCFS Auto Leasing Company owns leased cars. - **Pay online or by Auto Pay** (“no convenience fee”); no credit cards, and ask before using MoneyGram. - **Call before 4pm ET on a weekday** if a phone payment must count the same day. - **Turn off Auto Pay yourself** after a payoff or sale; VCFS says that is your job. - **Pay off with certified funds** if you need the title fast; after a personal check VCFS mails it about 14 business days after the account closes. - **Read your Lease Agreement** for the disposition fee, mileage charge and purchase price, because VCFS’s public pages print none of them. - **Book the free inspection** about 60 days out; keep repair receipts; return every key, cable and the spare. - **Ask for a purchase quote within 15 days** of your termination date if you want to keep the car. - **Read the addendum** before buying Total Loss Protection or Excess Wear & Use protection, and note the 90-day claim and refund windows. ## Common questions ### Who owns Volvo Car Financial Services? Volvo. VCFS says Volvo Car Financial Services U.S., LLC “is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corp.” Leased cars are owned by VCFS Auto Leasing Company, and Bank of America funds the contracts through 2030. ### Is Volvo Car Financial Services the same as Santander? Not in the US. No VCFS document we read mentions Santander, and Santander Holdings USA’s 10-K for 2025 never mentions Volvo. In the UK, Volvo Car Financial Services UK Ltd is a 50:50 joint venture with Santander Consumer (UK) plc, announced in 2021, which may explain the mix-up. ### How do I pay off my Volvo Car Financial Services loan? Get a quote online, by phone or from your statement, then send it to VCFS’s payoff address before the “must be received by” date, ideally in “certified funds such as cashier’s check or money order.” Its pages mention no prepayment penalty. ### How long does Volvo Car Financial Services take to send the title? VCFS says “about 15 days” once it has all the paperwork, “within a few days” for certified funds or dealer payoffs, and about 14 business days after the account closes if you paid by personal check. In Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and South Carolina you get a lien release or paid-in-full letter instead of a paper title. ### What does VCFS charge at the end of a lease? Its public pages do not say: no disposition fee, mileage rate or purchase-option fee is printed, and the wear guide is being updated. The amounts are in your Lease Agreement; any wear bill may come one to two weeks after turn-in. ### Can I extend my Volvo lease? Possibly, if you are getting another Volvo: VCFS says “If you have a new Volvo on order, you may be able to extend your lease.” VCFS prints no length or fee, so get the terms in writing. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/volvo-car-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Take 5 Oil Change: Prices, Coupons and What’s Included" description: "Take 5 prints no oil-change price online. What each oil change includes, the add-on prices it does print, how coupons work and the 25% military discount." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Take 5 Oil Change: Prices, Coupons and What’s Included > Take 5 prints no oil-change price online. What each oil change includes, the add-on prices it does print, how coupons work and the 25% military discount. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,969 words* ## The short version - Take 5 prints no price for an oil change. Its pricing page says it doesn’t “list a set price online because pricing varies based on vehicle type, oil selection, and location”; you get the price at the shop. - Every Take 5 oil change includes draining and refilling the oil to the manufacturer’s requirements, a new filter, fluid top-offs and a tire pressure check, with the air filter and wipers looked at. You stay in the car; Take 5 says most visits take “about 10 minutes.” - Take 5 does print ranges for some add-ons: $40 to $90 for a cabin air filter, $20 to $45 per wiper blade, $90 to $160 for a coolant exchange. Its parent company tells investors that add-ons and premium oil drive Take 5’s sales growth. - Coupons come only by text or email after you enroll, must be shown live (not as a screenshot) and are one per oil change. They rotate, so we quote no amount. - The standing discounts are printed: 25% off any oil change for veterans and military with ID or proof of service, 15% off for rideshare drivers with their sticker, and 10% to 25% for fleets. - No Take 5 page we read offers a warranty on its own work. Using Take 5 instead of a dealer does not by itself void a factory warranty, the FTC says, but keep the receipt. A Take 5 oil change is a drive-through service: you pull into a bay, stay in the driver’s seat, and technicians drain the oil, fit a new filter and top up the fluids while you watch. What it costs is the one thing Take 5 will not put in writing online. On 9 October 2026 we read Take 5’s own pages on the service (the [Oil Changes page](https://www.take5.com/services/oil-change/), its page on [what an oil change costs](https://www.take5.com/services/how-much-does-an-oil-change-cost/), the [coupons page](https://www.take5.com/oil-change-coupons/), the Mobile Text Terms of Use, the add-on, pay-later and fleet pages and several of its guides), and what its owner, Driven Brands Holdings Inc., told the SEC in its 10-K for fiscal 2025 and its 10-Q for the quarter ended June 27, 2026. We also read the FTC’s guidance on warranties and EPA’s page on used oil. This site has no commercial relationship with Take 5, Driven Brands or any oil brand. **Figure: What Take 5’s own pages say, by situation** A two-column table of nine situations at Take 5: no oil-change price is printed online; more oil raises the total with no per-quart price printed; coupons must arrive by text or email, be shown live and are limited to one per oil change; veterans and military get 25% off any oil change with ID; rideshare drivers get 15% off with their sticker; add-ons carry printed ranges of $40 to $90 for a cabin filter, $20 to $45 a wiper blade and $90 to $160 for a coolant exchange; drivers stay seated, can watch and pay contactless, with most oil changes taking about 10 minutes; no warranty on the work is printed; and 530 of 1,342 stores were franchised at the end of 2025. Read from Take 5’s service, coupon and FAQ pages, its Mobile Text Terms of Use and Driven Brands’ 10-K on 9 October 2026. ## How much a Take 5 oil change costs, and why Take 5 prints no price Take 5’s page “How Much Does an Oil Change Cost at Take 5 Oil Change?” (published March 27, 2026, last reviewed August 12, 2026) names two things that set the price. One is the oil: Take 5 offers “Conventional oil,” “Synthetic blend,” “Full synthetic oil” and “High mileage oil,” and says full synthetic “is the most expensive option.” The other is quantity: “Different vehicles require different amounts of oil.” Then, under the heading “Why We Don’t List One Set Price Online,” it says pricing “varies based on vehicle type, oil selection, and location. Publishing one flat price wouldn’t give you an accurate number. For the most accurate pricing, simply visit your nearest Take 5 location or give them a quick call.” The FAQ adds “your local shop’s rates.” We found no Take 5 page with a national price, a “starting at” figure or a range for an oil change, and the three store pages we opened print hours, services and the rotating coupon but no service prices. Two things are settled in writing. The filter is in the price: “the oil filter is included in the cost of the oil change.” And the name is history, not a promise: “We’re called Take 5 because when we were founded, most cars took 5 quarts of oil but today that can vary based on the type of car.” A newer Take 5 guide says “a V8 truck holding seven quarts costs more to fill than a compact sedan holding four.” No price per quart is printed. Take 5 says technicians walk you through the manufacturer’s oil recommendation, the oil types and “Any applicable discounts,” and its FAQ says they do so “before any work begins.” Hold them to that and get the total first. **Treat any Take 5 price you see quoted as one shop’s price.** Take 5 publishes none. A figure seen elsewhere may come from one location, one vehicle, an old menu or a coupon. Before the technician starts, ask for the total for your car: oil type, quarts, filter, any discount and tax. Where Take 5 does print prices is on its add-on pages, each a range with a condition attached: **The add-on prices and times Take 5 prints on its own service pages (read 9 October 2026)** | Service | Price range Take 5 prints | Depends on | Time Take 5 gives | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cabin air filter replacement | $40 to $90 | “your vehicle make, model, and the type of filter required” | About 5 to 10 minutes | | Windshield wiper replacement | $20 to $45 per blade | “blade size and style required for your vehicle” | “less than 10 minutes” | | Coolant exchange | $90 to $160 | “your vehicle type and the amount and type of coolant needed” | “under an hour” | | State inspection (select locations) | $15 to $40 | “your state’s regulations and whether emissions testing is required” | About 15 to 30 minutes | | Engine air filter, differential fluid, fuel injection cleaning, diesel fuel filter | Not printed | Not stated | Not stated | | The oil change itself | Not printed | “vehicle type, oil selection, and location” | “about 10 minutes” | By our arithmetic, from those ranges only: a pair of front wiper blades would add $40 to $90, and a cabin filter plus two blades $80 to $180, on top of the oil change and before tax. ## What every Take 5 oil change includes Take 5’s FAQ, printed on several pages, says: “A Take 5 oil change includes draining your oil and refilling it based on manufacturer’s requirements as well as replacing your oil filter. It also includes topping off your fluids and checking your tire pressure. We will check your air filters and wipers and recommend replacement if needed.” A guide published October 8, 2026 adds: “Take 5 replaces your oil filter with every oil change.” Its full-service guide says “We’ll also top off your fluids in between oil changes,” and a 2024 release describes top-offs “during and between services,” without saying how often you can return. Beyond that core, Take 5’s pages describe the free checks in seven different ways: **The free checks as seven take5.com pages describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Page | Fluids | Filters and wipers | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home page check-and-fill list | Antifreeze coolant, washer fluid, power steering | Not listed | Tire pressure | | Oil Changes FAQ | “topping off your fluids” | Checked; replacement recommended if needed | Tire pressure | | Full-service guide (2024) | Coolant, power steering, washer fluid | Engine and cabin air filters, wiper blades inspected | “Watch for Any Additional Concerns” | | How Long guide (2023) | “the coolant, transmission fluid, and brake fluid” | Engine air and oil filters replaced “if necessary” | Engine and under-the-hood review | | CARFAX award article (2025) | “top off your fluids” | Air filter, windshield wipers | Tires, belts | | Fleet FAQ | Washer, coolant, power steering, automatic transmission (if applicable) | Air filter, wiper blades | “Wash Windshield,” tire inflation | | One store’s page (Warren, Michigan) | “complimentary fluid top-offs when needed” | Replacement offered | Tire pressure monitoring system | They agree on the oil, filter, top-offs, tire pressure and a look at the air filter and wipers; only the 2023 guide mentions brake fluid, and only the 2025 article mentions belts. What was checked on your car is what the technician and invoice tell you. Driven Brands’ 10-K warns that some cars “may require more specialized service and maintenance than we offer at our locations,” and Take 5’s coupon terms cover “most cars and light trucks.” No Take 5 page lists vehicles a shop will not service or says whether you may bring your own oil or filter. If your vehicle is unusual, call first. ## Choosing the oil: what Take 5 offers and what decides it Take 5’s pricing page names four oils: conventional, synthetic blend, full synthetic and high mileage. No page we read names the brand a shop uses, and the store page we opened listed a narrower choice: “Choose from Conventional, Synthetic or a Synthetic blend.” Take 5 says a technician “will confirm your vehicle’s specifications”; the deciding document is your owner’s manual, so arrive knowing what it specifies. On high-mileage oil, a Take 5 guide of October 6, 2026 says it “isn’t automatically the right call just because your odometer crossed 75,000. Your owner’s manual is the first place to check.” The coupons add a layer no service page explains: “Core, Complete, and Ultimate synthetic oil change deals.” We found no page that says what each tier includes or which oil it uses. If you are offered one, ask which oil it is and whether it meets your manual’s specification. On intervals, Take 5’s FAQ says conventional oil “typically calls for a change every 3,000–5,000 miles, while full synthetic oil can last 7,500–10,000 miles or more,” and to check the manual. Those are general figures, not your car’s schedule; our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/) explains what actually sets it, including [severe service](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#severe). For diesels, Take 5 recommends “every 5,000 to 7,000 miles” while telling you to “always refer to your vehicle manufacturer’s oil change interval recommendation,” and diesel fuel filters “every other oil change, or every 10,000 to 15,000 miles, unless specified by the vehicle manufacturer.” Neither diesel service has a printed price. ## The stay-in-your-car visit, step by step Every Take 5 service page prints the visit as “Four Easy Steps”: - **Pull Right In.** “Drive up to an open lane. No appointment, no booking, no waiting room.” - **Stay In Your Car.** “Keep the kids and pets buckled in while our team gets to work around you.” - **We Handle It.** “Watch the service happen and see your oil. We recommend, you decide. No pressure.” - **Drive Off.** “Most visits wrap up in about 10 minutes, and you are back on the road.” Take 5’s guide to the format adds that a technician “will review your service needs and recommend any necessary maintenance” before the oil change, that “There’s no key handoff,” and that you can “watch the work being done, keep an eye on your belongings, and ask questions in real time.” You pay from the seat, “with contactless options available.” Hours vary by shop; the store pages we opened print their own. How long it takes depends on which Take 5 page you read: “about 10 minutes” in the FAQs, “less than 10 minutes” on the 2026 pricing page, “10 to 15 minutes” in a 2023 guide, “10 minutes on average” in a 2024 release. That is 4 wordings of one promise by our count, none counting a wait in line. Take 5 says the oil type “does not significantly change service time,” while “your vehicle’s make and condition” can. Add-ons take longer, up to “under an hour” for a coolant exchange, on pages that carry the same “10 Minute” badge. The format has one practical consequence: because you stay in the seat, any recommendation reaches you mid-service, with the car in the bay. Knowing your manual’s schedule beforehand is the easiest way to answer calmly. ## The add-on menu, and why it matters to Take 5 Take 5’s customer pages are emphatic about pressure. The home page FAQ says technicians “may make a friendly suggestion for additional, necessary upkeep” and that “It is against our policy to pressure customers into services not needed.” A guide of October 6, 2026 says “No pressure or upsells from our team.” Driven Brands’ 10-K describes the same menu from the investor’s side: “Take 5 Oil’s same store sales growth is achieved primarily through continued ramp-up of new stores, increased sales of premium offerings, and expansion of add-on products.” It says Take 5 “has continued to expand add-on offerings such as differential fluid exchanges, coolant services, and diesel fuel filters,” mentions “a pipeline of new add-on offerings,” and says Driven uses its data to “improve menu design, and optimize pricing structure across our brands.” None of that says any shop pressures anyone. It does say premium oil and add-ons are where the company expects growth, which is a good reason to judge each recommendation against your car’s schedule rather than the menu. The menu varies by shop. The Services FAQ says “wiper replacement and filter replacement are offered at all locations” and “Select locations offer state inspections, coolant exchanges, and emissions checks.” The home page also mentions “rotating tires,” which no national service page describes (our page on [tire rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers when it is due). The store page we opened listed “Fuel Injection Cleaning” and “Differential Fluid,” which have no national page or printed price. Take 5 prints intervals for two add-ons, each pointing back to the manual. Cabin air filter: “Most vehicles need a replacement every 12,000–15,000 miles or once a year.” Coolant: “Most manufacturers recommend every 30,000 to 50,000 miles, but your owner’s manual will provide exact guidance.” Act on that last clause. If the manual says a fluid is not yet due, “We recommend, you decide” means you can decline. **Before you say yes to an add-on, ask three things.** What did you see (a dirty filter, low or dark fluid)? What does my owner’s manual say about the interval? And what is the price for my car? A worn wiper or a dirty cabin filter you can see is a quick decision. A fluid exchange the manual does not yet call for can wait. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over oil being poured into an engine mark the bottle, the engine block and the air cleaner, with how the quarts an engine takes change Take 5's bill, the filter included in its oil change, and the free checks that can turn into add-ons. Take 5’s Oil Changes, pricing and add-on pages, read on 9 October 2026, say the quarts your engine takes change the total (callout 1), include a new oil filter in every oil change (callout 2), and check filters and wipers free while selling replacements as add-ons (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Take 5 coupons and standing discounts: how they work Take 5 runs two kinds of discount: coupons, which rotate and arrive on your phone, and a short list of what it calls “anytime offers” for particular groups. ### Coupons: enroll, then show the live message The fine print under every coupon tile reads: “Coupons have no cash value. Coupons valid only if emailed or texted - requires enrollment in marketing emails or texts from Take 5.” You enroll (“Enter your info to enroll in text or email offers”), pick an offer, drive in, and show it on your phone so “Your technician will apply the discount before you pay.” Its FAQ sets the rules: - **One at a time.** “One coupon per oil change. Oil change coupons cannot be combined with other offers.” - **Live, not a screenshot.** “Just pull up the text or email on your phone and show the live coupon (not a screenshot) to your technician at checkout.” - **Not every shop.** “Most offers are valid at participating locations.” - **Its own end date.** “Each coupon includes its terms and expiration date when you receive it.” The Mobile Text Terms of Use, the only terms page on take5.com, add that coupons are “Not valid with any other offers, special order parts or warranty work. Valid on most cars and light trucks at participating Take 5 U.S. locations only.” To join by text you “text JOIN to 82535”; “Message and data rates apply,” “Consent is not required as a condition of purchasing any goods or services,” and replying STOP ends the messages. The coupon’s value changes: Take 5 says “We keep coupons rotating throughout the year,” and on 9 October 2026 the page showed one dollar-off coupon for a Core, Complete or Ultimate oil change. We do not repeat the amount; it is a limited-time promotion. Driven’s 10-K suggests offers differ by customer: its “proprietary data algorithms optimize lead generation and conversion through personalized, targeted, and timely marketing promotions.” And one page disagrees on paper coupons: a 2025 Take 5 guide says coupons can be “presented digitally or printed,” while the coupons page says “No printing required” and the fine print says “only if emailed or texted.” If you want to print one, ask your shop first. Enrolling has a privacy side. The Mobile Terms say text-program information “will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes.” Driven’s general Privacy Policy (last updated November 19, 2025) says it collects vehicle information such as “your license plate number, vehicle identification number” and may share personal data “With our Franchisees in order to provide our Services or for their own use, including for marketing purposes.” ### The standing offers: veterans and military, rideshare drivers, fleets **Veterans and military, 25% off.** The coupons page says “Veterans and military get 25% off any oil change. Visit your local shop for discount.” Take 5’s release of October 30, 2024 calls it a “year-round discount” for “all military personnel who are active, reserve, or retired, with proof of service or a valid, government-issued military ID card.” Bring the ID: the Mobile Terms say “Some coupons (i.e. for veterans) require provision of proper identification.” The coupons FAQ is headed “veterans, military, or first responders,” but its answer names no first-responder discount, and we found none. **Rideshare drivers, 15% off.** “Rideshare drivers get 15% off any oil change. Just show your rideshare sticker at the time of service.” Because coupons “cannot be combined with other offers,” expect to use either a coupon or a standing discount, and ask which saves more. **Fleets, 10% to 25%.** The fleet page’s tiers: 3 to 10 vehicles get 10% off oil changes and 15% off ancillary products; 11 to 20 get 15% and 20%; 21 to 49 get 20% and 25%; 50 or more get custom pricing. Take 5 says the “Discount tier is validated using your Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) at account setup.” So the printed oil-change discount tops out at 20%. We found no membership, subscription or points program. ## Paying: contactless, and Zip’s pay-later terms You pay from the driver’s seat, with contactless options. Take 5 also offers Zip, a buy now, pay later service: “The first 25% of your invoice total will be charged at the time of purchase,” and the rest is split “into 3 easy payments spread over 6 weeks,” for “purchases of $35 or more.” The financing disclosure on Take 5’s page shows what a fee does to a small bill: “for a $335 purchase, you’d make four $85.25 payments every two weeks starting today for a 31.11% annual percentage rate and a total of payments of $341,” because of “A $6 installment fee.” Fees “can range from $0 to $7.50,” and “All loans are subject to credit approval.” On an oil-change bill, check the fee Zip shows before you choose it. ## Who runs your Take 5: company shops, franchises and the numbers Driven Brands’ filings are the only dated source for Take 5’s size. Its 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2025 counts “530 franchised and 812 company-operated locations,” 1,342 in all: 39.5% franchised by our arithmetic. The 10-Q for the quarter ended June 27, 2026 counts 1,421 stores, 569 franchised and 852 company-operated, which is 79 more than at the end of 2025 by our arithmetic and 40% franchised. Driven Brands also franchises Meineke; see our [Meineke](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/meineke/) page. The split matters for one reason the 10-K states plainly: “The employees of franchisees are not our employees. We provide training and support to franchisees, but the quality of franchised store operations may be diminished by factors beyond our control.” The store page we opened did not say who operates it; if something goes wrong, ask. Take 5’s same store sales (sales at stores open in both periods) rose 6.2% in fiscal 2025, 6.7% in 2024 and 14.0% in 2023, then 3.6% in the quarter ended June 27, 2026, against 6.6% a year earlier. Driven’s explanation: “which we believe primarily reflects the effect of inflationary pressures on lower-income consumers. We expect softness in demand from these consumers to continue through the remainder of 2026.” Its second-quarter release still counts “24 consecutive quarters of positive same store sales growth.” System-wide sales, including franchised shops, were about $1.6 billion in fiscal 2025 by our rounding. No filing we read gives an average ticket for Take 5. The 10-K was filed in May 2026, after Driven’s Audit Committee “concluded there were material errors in our previously issued consolidated financial statements” for 2023 and 2024; the 2024 figures above are the restated ones. That concerns Driven’s accounts, not what a shop does to your car. Take 5’s own pages are looser about size: “over 1,000” and “almost 1,300” centers in two paragraphs of one 2024 release, “1400+” and “900-plus” on one fleet page. With the filings, that is 6 different store counts by our count. Use the dated ones. ## Will a Take 5 oil change affect your car’s warranty, and does Take 5 guarantee its work? Using Take 5 instead of a dealer does not by itself put a factory warranty at risk. The FTC’s guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) says “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” The law behind it, 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), bars conditioning a warranty on a service “identified by brand, trade, or corporate name” unless it is provided free, and the FTC’s rule at 16 CFR 700.10(c) bars conditioning one “on the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” Jiffy Lube, which does print a warranty on its oil changes, is read on our [Jiffy Lube oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) page. Two more quick-lube chains are read the same way on our [Grease Monkey](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/grease-monkey/) and [Express Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/express-oil-change/) pages. Two qualifications come from the same FTC page. If the warranty provides the work free, “the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses,” so free scheduled maintenance is money left behind if you pay Take 5 instead. And the work has to be right: if a part is installed incorrectly and damages a covered part, “the manufacturer or dealer can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part,” though it “must prove” the cause. For an oil change, that means the right oil specification and quantity, both on the invoice. The FTC’s practical advice is to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes,” because “Otherwise, your claim might be denied,” and it warns that a service contract “might require you to follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations for routine maintenance, like oil changes.” Our page on whether an [extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) explains how such claims are tested. Take 5’s service pages carry a “CARFAX Partner” badge, but no page we read explains what it does, so keep your own receipt; our guide to [oil-change records](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) shows why. As for Take 5’s own promise on its work, we found none in writing: no page states a warranty, a guarantee or a claims procedure, and the closest its consumer pages come is the coupon terms’ exclusion of “warranty work.” The contact page lists customer service at (980) 365-5166 and says “we’ll get back to you within three business days.” Go back to the shop first, with the invoice. ## Where Take 5’s own pages disagree, and what they leave out Take 5’s site mixes 2026 service pages with guides from as early as 2023. Besides the check lists, times, store counts and coupon printing covered above, we found these conflicts: - **When the stay-in-your-car oil change began.** The 2024 release says Take 5 “revolutionized the industry in 1984 by introducing the stay-in-your-car oil change.” The About page says it “was founded as Rapid Oil Change” in 1984 and dates “the first stay-in-your-car oil change” to 1996, 12 years later by our arithmetic. The About page also still says the company “has opted to limit franchising the brand”; the 10-K counts 530 franchised shops. - **How much oil goes in.** A 2024 guide lists “Add five quarts of high-quality new oil” as a step; the 2026 pricing page says “Different vehicles require different amounts of oil.” - **The terms.** The Mobile Terms bind texters to “the Company’s overall TERMS OF USE,” but that link leads back to the Mobile Terms, and we found no other terms page on take5.com or drivenbrands.com. - **Prices.** A March 2023 guide on the same site prints general dollar figures for each oil type without saying whether they are Take 5’s. We do not repeat them; the 2026 page says Take 5 lists no set price. - **A question with no answer.** The coolant page asks “Do I need an appointment for a coolant exchange at Take 5 locations?” and answers with a description of the service. Not published at all: a price for the oil change or an extra quart, a warranty on the work, a list of vehicles a shop will not service, a bring-your-own-oil rule, and whether a shop takes used oil from people who change their own. If you do your own, EPA’s page on [managing and recycling used oil](https://www.epa.gov/recycle/managing-reusing-and-recycling-used-oil) (last updated June 25, 2026) says the used oil from one oil change “can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water,” a year’s supply for 50 people, and tells you to use “a leak-proof can or container,” ask local maintenance facilities and waste officials where to drop it off, and “drain and recycle used oil filters as well.” ## Before and after a Take 5 oil change - **Read the manual first.** Note the oil specification, the capacity with the filter, and the schedule for the cabin filter and coolant. Those decide what you need and what you can decline. - **Get the coupon before you go.** Enroll by text or email and keep the live message on your phone. If you qualify for the veterans or rideshare discount, bring the ID or sticker and ask which saving is larger. - **Ask for the total before work begins.** Oil type, quarts, filter, discount and tax: with no published price, it is the only number that counts. - **Weigh each recommendation.** Ask what the technician saw, compare it with the manual, and ask the price. Take 5’s own words are “We recommend, you decide.” - **Read the invoice.** It should show the oil type and viscosity, the quantity, the filter and the odometer reading. That is your warranty record. - **Check afterwards.** After the engine has sat for a few minutes, the dipstick should read within its marks; after the first drive, look for drips (our page on [finding fluid leaks](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/#cardboard) shows how). A warning light after the visit means stop and call the shop; our guide to [what the check engine light means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/#what-it-says) explains the lamps. - **Keep the paperwork.** File the receipt or a photo of it. The FTC says a missing record can get a warranty claim denied. Our pages on the [Walmart oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/) and the [Valvoline oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/) read those companies’ own published terms the same way. ## Common questions ### How much is a Take 5 oil change? Take 5 does not publish a price. Its pricing page says pricing “varies based on vehicle type, oil selection, and location” and tells you to visit or call your nearest shop. The filter is included, full synthetic costs the most, and an engine that takes more oil costs more. Take 5 does print add-on ranges, such as $40 to $90 for a cabin air filter. ### How do Take 5 oil change coupons work? Enroll in Take 5’s text or email offers and coupons arrive on your phone. Show the live message, not a screenshot, before you pay. It is one coupon per oil change, not combinable with other offers, valid at participating shops, with its own expiration date. Take 5 says coupons rotate through the year. ### Does Take 5 give a military discount? Yes: 25% off any oil change for veterans and military, which Take 5’s October 2024 release calls year-round for personnel “who are active, reserve, or retired, with proof of service or a valid, government-issued military ID card.” Rideshare drivers get 15% off with their sticker. We found no first-responder discount. ### How long does a Take 5 oil change take? Take 5’s FAQs say most oil changes take “about 10 minutes”; other Take 5 pages say “less than 10 minutes” or “10 to 15 minutes,” varying with the vehicle and its condition. Add-ons take longer, and none of these figures counts time in line. ### Is Take 5 oil change good? We do not rate services. Take 5 publishes a fixed routine (oil to the manufacturer’s requirements, a new filter, top-offs, tire pressure), a format where you can watch the work, and a policy against pressuring customers. It does not publish a price or a warranty on its work. Whether a visit is good comes down to the right oil and quantity, add-ons you needed and an accurate invoice, all of which you can check. ### Do I need an appointment, and do I have to get out of the car? Neither. Take 5 says “No appointment needed”: drive into an open bay during business hours, stay in the driver’s seat, and pay from the car with contactless options available. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/ --- title: "Valvoline Oil Change: Prices, Coupons and What’s Included" description: "Valvoline prints no national oil change price. What its full-service oil change includes, how its coupons and military discount work, and the fine print." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Valvoline Oil Change: Prices, Coupons and What’s Included > Valvoline prints no national oil change price. What its full-service oil change includes, how its coupons and military discount work, and the fine print. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,940 words* ## The short version - Valvoline prints no national oil-change price. Its price FAQ says the cost depends on “the type of motor oil you choose, the number of quarts required, and any discounts or special offers you have,” and that pricing “varies by store location.” Ask the store for a quote for your car. - A full-service oil change at Valvoline Instant Oil Change includes up to 5 quarts of Valvoline oil, a new filter, chassis lubrication and an 18-point maintenance check, in “about 15 minutes” while you stay in the car. “Additional charge for extra quarts.” - The website coupons are short-lived: both shown to us on 9 October 2026 printed “EXPIRES 10/24/2026,” 15 days later. The standing rules under them do not change: a premium filter is extra, and coupons are not valid with customer-supplied oil or other same-service offers. - Valvoline’s own pages offer 15% off with a military ID, 10% for teachers and 20% for college students, at participating locations, excluding battery replacement and state inspections, and not combined with other offers. - About half the stores are franchised: 1,224 of 2,456 at June 30, 2026, by Valvoline’s 10-Q. Its 10-K says Valvoline has “limited influence over its franchisees’ operations,” which is one reason prices and offers differ from store to store. - An oil change at Valvoline rather than a dealer does not by itself put a factory warranty at risk; the FTC says it is illegal for a dealer to deny coverage for that reason. Keep the invoice: Valvoline says copies can take up to 24 hours. A Valvoline oil change is a fixed service with a variable price: every store sells the same full-service oil change, but the price is set store by store, and about half the stores belong to franchisees. On 9 October 2026 we read the Valvoline Instant Oil Change website’s own pages: the Drive-Thru Oil Change page, its FAQs, the coupon page and the rules under each coupon, the military, teacher and student discount pages, and the Terms of Use. We also read Valvoline Inc.’s latest [annual report (10-K)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1674910/000167491025000135/vvv-20250930.htm) and [quarterly report (10-Q)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1674910/000167491026000066/vvv-20260630.htm) for who runs the stores, the FTC’s guidance on warranties and outside maintenance, and EPA’s page on used oil. Valvoline’s Terms of Use require its written permission “Before you frame or create any kind of hyperlink to this web site,” so its pages are named here, not linked. This site has no commercial relationship with Valvoline or any oil-change business. **Figure: What a Valvoline oil change covers, by situation** A two-column table of eight situations at a Valvoline Instant Oil Change: an engine that takes more than 5 quarts costs extra at a price Valvoline does not print; offers include a standard filter and a premium one costs extra; coupons are not valid with customer-supplied oil; a coupon and an ID discount cannot be combined; you can stay in the car for an oil change but not a tire rotation; the 18-point check covers tire pressure, not tread depth; there is no national price, so ask the store; and for a car under warranty, keep the invoice, which Valvoline can email or post within 24 hours of a request. Read from Valvoline Instant Oil Change’s oil-change, FAQ, coupon and discount pages on 9 October 2026. ## What a Valvoline oil change costs, and why no price is printed Whatever Valvoline oil change prices you find quoted, none comes from Valvoline’s own service pages, because they print none. Valvoline’s FAQ “What is the price for an oil change?” names three things that set it: “the type of motor oil you choose, the number of quarts required, and any discounts or special offers you have.” Then it sends you to the store: “For specific pricing, please visit or contact your local service center.” A footnote adds that prices “may vary by the make and model of the vehicle, region of the country, product availability, and/or local economic factors.” A second FAQ says it more plainly: “Pricing for our vehicle services varies by store location,” with a quote available through the website’s chat or by calling the store. On full synthetic, the Drive-Thru Oil Change page says only that the price “can vary slightly depending on your location and your vehicle’s specific oil capacity” and that synthetic “costs more upfront than conventional oil.” ### What the company tells investors about its prices Valvoline’s SEC filings are more direct about the direction of prices than its website is about their level. The 10-K for the fiscal year to September 30, 2025 says its customer value proposition gives it the ability to “raise prices while maintaining customer loyalty,” and that the company deals with inflation “by passing along price increases to its customers.” Same-store sales across the system grew 6.1% in fiscal 2025, “reflecting growth in average ticket from premiumization, pricing, and non-oil change service penetration.” In the quarter to June 30, 2026 they grew 8.0%, “supported by higher average ticket from pricing actions, ongoing premiumization, and non-oil change service penetration.” Neither filing prints the average ticket in dollars, so neither tells you what you will pay. They do show where the growth comes from: pricing, “premiumization” and services beyond the oil change itself. In fiscal 2025, oil changes and related fees brought in $1,247.3 million of Valvoline’s $1,710.3 million in net revenues, and non-oil-change services $368.4 million. By our arithmetic that is 72.9% and 21.5%. (Net revenues count sales at company-operated stores plus royalties and fees from franchisees, not franchisees’ own sales.) Expect to be offered more than the oil change, and decide each extra against your owner’s manual. **Get the total for your car before the work starts.** Valvoline’s price depends on your oil, your engine’s capacity, your store and any offer you hold. Ask for the price with your oil grade, any extra quarts, the filter and tax included, and ask whether your coupon or ID discount applies at that location. ## What the full-service oil change includes The Drive-Thru Oil Change page lists three things under “FULL-SERVICE OIL CHANGE INCLUDES”: - “Up to 5 quarts of top-tier Valvoline oil tailored to your vehicle’s specifications.” - “A new, high-quality Valvoline oil filter.” - Chassis lubrication, described as “Greasing your vehicle’s chassis components according to your manufacturer’s recommendations.” The 5-quart limit carries a footnote: “Quarts vary by vehicle model and location. Additional charge for extra quarts.” Valvoline prints no price per extra quart. As a worked example (our arithmetic, for a hypothetical engine, not any particular car): an engine that takes 7 quarts would need 2 quarts beyond the 5 the offer terms include, and those 2 are the ones charged extra. Your owner’s manual lists the capacity with the filter. The limit can also move the other way: an FAQ footnote says “Some service centers may include more than 5 quarts of oil and may not perform the complete list of service checks.” The home page’s summary says “5 quarts of quality Valvoline oil”; every other page says “Up to 5 quarts.” The filter can also add to the bill. The rules under every website coupon include a filter with “(prem. extra)”, and the teacher discount’s terms spell it out as “std. oil filter (prem. extra).” Valvoline does not say what makes a filter premium or what it costs. As for the oil, Valvoline’s oil FAQ says “we exclusively offer Valvoline” motor oil, but the coupon terms say the offer covers “Valvoline™ motor oil or suitable alternative.” Neither page says when an alternative would be used. If your manual names an oil specification, ask what will go in and keep it on the invoice. ## The 18-point maintenance check, item by item Valvoline sells the check as part of every full-service oil change: “We perform 18 ADDITIONAL VEHICLE MAINTENANCE CHECKS with every oil change.” The list on the Drive-Thru Oil Change page has exactly 18 items, but several carry a condition in brackets, and a footnote adds two conditions for the whole list: “Applies only to accessible/applicable items. At participating locations.” Here is the list as printed, with the condition beside each item. **The 18-point maintenance check as Valvoline’s Drive-Thru Oil Change page lists it, read 9 October 2026** | Item as printed | Condition printed beside it | | --- | --- | | Air filter | None | | Automatic transmission fluid | “where applicable” | | Battery test | “at participating locations” | | Brake fluid | None | | Cabin air filter | “if requested” | | Differential fluids | “if requested” | | Headlights | None | | Lubricate chassis | “where applicable” | | Power steering fluid | None | | Radiator fluid | None | | Reset oil change light | None | | Taillights | None | | Tire pressure | None (tread depth is not measured) | | Transfer case fluid | “if requested” | | Under chassis visual inspection | None | | Under hood visual inspection | None | | Windshield washer fluid | None | | Wiper blades | None | By our count, 12 of the 18 items carry no condition, 3 happen only “if requested,” 2 only “where applicable,” and 1, the battery test, only “at participating locations.” If you want the cabin filter, differential or transfer case looked at, say so. Chassis lubrication appears both in this list and in the oil change itself. The tire line is narrower than it may sound. The footnote says the 18-Point Maintenance Check “does not measure or capture any information related to your tires’ tread depth,” and that the results “should not be understood to warrant or represent the tread depth” of your tires. Pressure is checked; wear is not. Valvoline’s pages also disagree about the list. The FAQ “What is included in an oil change?” gives 11 checks, with no brake fluid, differential, transfer case, or under-hood and under-chassis inspection, and says some service centers “may not perform the complete list of service checks.” The road-ready page says “up to18” checks where the oil-change page says “every oil change.” The invoice is the record of what was checked on your car. “Reset oil change light” refers to the car’s own service reminder; our page on [oil life monitors](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#monitors) explains what it measures. It is not the [check engine light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/#what-it-says). The check also feeds Valvoline’s sales. The 10-K says technicians use the company’s proprietary SuperPro system to “make timely service recommendations based upon visual inspection, vehicle service history,” and the carmaker’s own recommendations, in both company-operated and franchised stores. A recommendation is an offer, not a finding that the car needs work today. Compare it with the maintenance schedule in your manual before you agree. ## Stay in your car: how the service runs The Drive-Thru Oil Change page opens with “Stay-in-your-car oil change in about 15 minutes” and lays the visit out in four steps: - **Pull up to the bay.** “No appointment required.” A technician guides the car onto the service ramps and invites you to stay inside. - **Select your service.** Staff “look up your vehicle’s exact manufacturer recommendations,” and you choose the oil. - **The 18-point check.** While a customer service representative “reviews your car’s needs,” a technician does “a thorough visual safety inspection.” - **Review and drive away.** “Ready in about 15 minutes.” Valvoline says it will “show you your fresh oil level on the dipstick, reset your oil monitoring system, provide your invoice.” The FAQ on timing adds a range for anything beyond the oil change: some services, like an air filter, “can be performed at the same time,” while “Other preventive maintenance services may require an additional 10 to 20 minutes or more.” For the oil change, “No appointment is ever necessary at Valvoline Instant Oil Change. We operate entirely on a first-come, first-served basis.” The exception is state inspections, where “Some locations do ask you make an appointment.” Valvoline’s app says it shows “live estimated wait times” for nearby stores. Staying in the car is the rule for the oil change, not for every service. The FAQ says you do not need to get out “for an oil change or most other services,” then names the exception: “Because we have to lift up your vehicle to rotate your tires, we ask that you wait in the waiting room while we perform tire rotation services.” The oil-change page says there are “no waiting rooms,” but the waiting-room FAQ says “Most stores have a waiting room” and “Waiting rooms vary by location.” Use the dipstick step: look at the level yourself before you drive off, and check under the car after the first drive or two; our guide to [finding a leak with a sheet of cardboard](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/#cardboard) shows how to read fresh drips. Between visits, Valvoline says you can come in “if you need a top-off,” though “There may be a fee for top-offs of certain fluids.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over oil bottles and an oil filter mark a bottle, its cap and the filter, with Valvoline's 5-quart limit, its dipstick check before you leave, and the filter its coupons cover. Valvoline’s oil change pages and coupon terms, read on 9 October 2026, include up to 5 quarts and charge for more (callout 1), describe showing you the fresh oil level on the dipstick (callout 2), and limit coupons to a standard filter (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Valvoline oil change coupons: how the website offers work Valvoline publishes coupons on its own coupon page, which says you can “Text or email any of these great offers, print on your desktop or save to your mobile wallet.” On 9 October 2026 the page showed two: one for any full-service synthetic or synthetic blend oil change, one for any full-service conventional oil change. We do not print the amounts, because they do not last. Both read “EXPIRES 10/24/2026,” 15 days after the day we read them by our arithmetic, and the page’s own code sets each coupon to expire 15 days after it is shown. These are rolling two-week offers. What stays the same is the “Offer details” printed under each coupon on the coupon, home and Drive-Thru Oil Change pages: - **What the coupon covers.** “Includes up to 5 quarts of Valvoline™ motor oil or suitable alternative, filter (prem. extra), lube & maintenance check.” Extra quarts and a premium filter are outside it. - **What is added.** “plus tax and other charges, if applicable.” Valvoline does not list the other charges. - **What it cannot be combined with.** “Not valid with same service offers / discounts (including fleet), or customer-supplied oil.” One oil-change offer per oil change, and none if you bring your own oil. - **Where it works.** “Good only at participating locations.” The terms also say to “see store for additional details or restrictions.” - **What it is worth in cash.** “No cash or credit back; cash value $0.001.” Variants exist. Another Valvoline coupon page adds “diesel quarts may vary; see stores for details,” and a campaign page Valvoline marks as not for search listing limits its offers to “participating Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma locations.” Some offers are regional, so a coupon found elsewhere may not be accepted at your store. Valvoline’s app is the other channel: it says you can “Receive special offers and Valvoline mobile coupons stored right in the app.” We did not install it. **One offer per oil change, and only where the store takes it.** Every coupon and ID discount we read excludes combining with other offers, and every one is “Good only at participating locations.” Before the work starts, show the coupon or ID and ask the store to confirm it applies and what the total will be. ## Military, teacher and student discounts Alongside the rotating coupons, Valvoline keeps three pages for discounts tied to who you are. They print a percentage and no end date. The terms below are quoted as printed on 9 October 2026. **Valvoline Instant Oil Change’s ID discount pages as printed on 9 October 2026** | Program | Discount as printed | Proof | Excluded | Combining | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Military | “get 15% off” | “Must show military ID” | “battery replacement or state inspection” | “Cannot be combined with any other offer/discount (including fleet)” | | Teachers | “get 10% off” | “A valid form of identification”; “With this coupon” | “batteries, customer-supplied products, state inspections / emissions” | “May not be combined with other same-service offers/discounts (incl. fleet)” | | College students | “20% Off your total invoice” | “Must show student ID” | “battery replacement or state inspection” | “Cannot be combined with any other offer/discount (including fleet)” | All three are “Good only at participating locations.” The military page’s summary for search engines calls its discount “15% off your invoice.” The teacher page is worded locally, “Teachers from our neighboring schools get 10% off,” and its terms describe the oil change it applies to the same way the coupons do, with “std. oil filter (prem. extra).” The college page carries a tag asking search engines not to list it, so treat it as a campaign that may not run at every store and ask before you rely on it. Because none of the three can be combined with a coupon, the choice at the counter is one or the other. Which saves more depends on the size of the bill, so ask the store to price both before you choose. The site’s map also lists partner and campaign pages, for example for AARP, Allstate and GasBuddy. We did not read them and carry nothing from them. ## Which oil goes in, and who makes it The Drive-Thru Oil Change page offers three oils, each described as meeting or exceeding “vehicle manufacturer specifications”: Advanced Protection Full Synthetic Motor Oil, Additional Protection Synthetic Blend MaxLife Motor Oil, and Premium Conventional Motor Oil “For Everyday Driving.” The step-by-step section on the same page says “You can choose from a conventional or a full synthetic oil change,” leaving out the blend, but the blend is on the menu and on the coupon. Which one your car should get is set by the carmaker, and Valvoline says so: “Oil type depends on vehicle make, model and the manufacturer’s recommendation.” Its hybrid page says Valvoline “uses the exact oil specification your car manufacturer recommends” and that it does “not service or replace hybrid battery packs at this time.” On intervals, the oil-change page says they “depend on your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations and your driving conditions rather than the type of oil alone.” Valvoline prints no mileage interval of its own. Our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#synthetic) covers what sets the interval and what separates synthetic from conventional. The oil carries Valvoline’s name, but the company running the store no longer makes it. Valvoline Inc.’s 10-K says that on March 1, 2023 it completed the sale of its Global Products business, “now doing business as Valvoline Global Operations,” or VGO, to Aramco Overseas Company B.V. Its [8-K of that date](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1674910/000119312523056426/d430550d8k.htm) gives the price as “$2.65 billion in cash, subject to certain customary adjustments.” Since then, the 10-K says, Valvoline Inc. owns the Valvoline brand for retail services while “VGO owns the Valvoline brand for all product uses globally,” and the stores buy “substantially all lubricant and certain ancillary products” from VGO under a long-term supply agreement. That is why the oil-change page’s footnote says “Valvoline™ is a trademark of Valvoline Global Operations.” For you, it changes nothing at the bay; it explains why the store and the bottle answer to different companies. ## Will a Valvoline oil change affect your warranty? Not by itself. Valvoline’s own answer, on the Drive-Thru Oil Change page, is “Not at all,” citing the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: “you are free to have your vehicle serviced at any professional facility.” The FTC’s consumer guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) (read 8 October 2026) puts it from the buyer’s side: “it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” For comparison, our [Jiffy Lube oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/jiffy-lube-oil-change/) page reads the warranty Jiffy Lube prints on its oil changes. The law behind both is 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), which bars a warrantor from tying a warranty to a service “identified by brand, trade, or corporate name” unless that service is free, and the FTC’s rule at 16 CFR 700.10(c), which bars conditioning a warranty on “authorized repair service” for “non-warranty service and maintenance.” Valvoline’s answer leaves out the two qualifications the FTC adds. First, “if the warranty says that the work will be done for free, the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses.” If your car came with free scheduled maintenance, a Valvoline oil change does not void the warranty, but you pay for something you could have had free. Second, the work has to be right: if a part is installed incorrectly and damages a covered part, “the manufacturer or dealer can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part,” though it “must prove” the cause first. For an oil change, that means the oil meets the manual’s specification and the quantity is correct. The paperwork is your part. The FTC says to “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes,” because “Otherwise, your claim might be denied,” and that a service contract “might require you to follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations for routine maintenance, like oil changes.” Valvoline says “we document your service history” and hands over an invoice at the bay; a lost one can be requested by email, chat or the store, and “Invoice requests may take up to 24 hours to process.” Our pages on [how warranty claims are checked](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) and on [reading an oil-change history](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) show why that record matters. What Valvoline does not publish is a guarantee on its own oil-change work, or what happens if something goes wrong afterwards. The only service warranty on the pages we read is for air conditioning: “Air conditioning service comes with a 30-day warranty.” For a problem after an oil change, the published routes are the store and customer service at 800-327-8242 (weekdays 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Saturdays 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Eastern Time). ## Who runs the store: company-operated, franchised, Oil Changers and Express Care The sign says Valvoline Instant Oil Change either way, but about half the stores belong to someone else. Valvoline’s 10-Q counts the network at the end of each quarter: **Valvoline’s store count from its 10-Q filed August 5, 2026 (U.S. and Canada, all retail brands)** | Stores | September 30, 2025 | June 30, 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | | Company-operated | 1,016 | 1,232 | | Franchised | 1,164 | 1,224 | | Total system-wide | 2,180 | 2,456 | | Franchised share (our arithmetic) | 53.4% | 49.8% | The 10-K is plain about what franchising means: “Valvoline has limited influence over its franchisees’ operations,” and franchisees “manage their businesses independently and are responsible for the day-to-day operations” of 53% of the stores as of September 30, 2025. Company-operated stores now slightly outnumber franchised ones, 1,232 to 1,224, mainly because of one purchase. On December 1, 2025, Valvoline bought Breeze Autocare for $637.4 million; the 10-Q says Breeze operates “predominantly under the Oil Changers” brand “with stores in California, Texas, and the Midwest,” and that the deal “initially included 204” stores. It also says 45 of them were sold immediately under the FTC’s “Decision and Order that required the disposal of certain acquired locations,” which leaves 159 by our arithmetic. Across the system, the count grew by 332 stores in the year to June 30, 2026. The Valvoline Instant Oil Change website does not mention Oil Changers, so whether those stores follow the same menu, check list and coupons is something to ask at the store. The 10-Q now describes the network as “approximately 2,500 service center locations” under VIOC, Valvoline Great Canadian Oil Change (the Canadian brand) and Oil Changers. Valvoline also “supports over 240 locations through its Express Care” platform, which the 10-K describes as “an independent quick lube platform with a professional signage program and limited business model support.” By that description, an Express Care shop is an independent operator under Valvoline signage rather than a Valvoline Instant Oil Change store, and the website coupons say nothing about it. Training is another place where the type of store matters. The website says “Our friendly certified technicians complete 270 HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING.” The 10-K describes the program more narrowly: Valvoline provides “new VIOC and GCOC employees 270 hours of training that is generally completed within the first 60 days of employment leading to their first certification and another 240 hours of training in the next 140 days.” That is 510 hours over the first 200 days, by our arithmetic, for Valvoline’s own employees. Neither document says what a franchisee’s staff receive, and the certification described is Valvoline’s own. Two website figures are Valvoline’s claims about itself, which we cannot check: a 4.7 out of 5 rating from its own survey of “over 1,000,000” customers a year, and savings of “up to 30% to 50% on non-oil change services” against dealerships, from its 2024 survey of seven carmakers’ dealer pricing. The second does not cover oil changes. ## Where Valvoline’s own pages disagree, and what they leave out Several disagreements between Valvoline’s pages appear above: the waiting rooms, the 18-item and 11-item check lists, “exclusively” Valvoline oil against “or suitable alternative,” two oils in the step-by-step text against three on the menu, and the training hours. Three more are worth knowing: - **How many stores.** “More than 2,100” on the home, About and coupon pages; “more than 2,000” in one FAQ; “more than 1,500” on the FAQ index. The 10-Q counts 2,456 stores in the U.S. and Canada at June 30, 2026, including Oil Changers. - **Appointments.** “No appointment is ever necessary” for the oil change, while some locations ask for one for state inspections. - **Tire rotation time.** “About 15 minutes” and “about 20 minutes” on the same FAQ page. Some things are on no page we read: an oil-change price, a price per extra quart or for a premium filter, a guarantee on the work, which offers each franchised or Oil Changers store accepts, and whether stores take used oil from people who change their own. For that last one, EPA’s page on [managing and recycling used oil](https://www.epa.gov/recycle/managing-reusing-and-recycling-used-oil) (last updated June 25, 2026) says the used oil from one oil change “can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water,” a year’s supply for 50 people. It tells do-it-yourselfers to use “a leak-proof can or container,” to ask local maintenance shops and waste officials where to drop it off, and “to drain and recycle used oil filters as well.” Ask your Valvoline store before you carry used oil in. If you are weighing another chain, our pages on the [Walmart oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/) and the [Take 5 oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) read those companies’ own terms the same way. We do not rank them. ## Before and after a Valvoline oil change - **Read the manual first.** Note the oil viscosity, any specification it names, the capacity with the filter and the service interval. Those decide which oil you need and whether the 5-quart limit applies. - **Get a quote.** Valvoline says pricing “varies by store location” and offers quotes by website chat or phone. Ask for the total with your oil, any extra quarts, the filter and tax. - **Pick one offer.** A website coupon or an ID discount, not both. Check the coupon’s expiry date and ask whether your store accepts it. - **Bring your own oil only if you will pay full price.** Coupons are not valid with customer-supplied oil. - **Ask for the checks you want.** The cabin filter, differential and transfer case are checked only “if requested.” Tread depth is not measured at all. - **Treat recommendations as offers.** Compare any extra service with the schedule in your manual before you say yes. - **Look at the dipstick before you leave.** Valvoline says it will show you the fresh oil level. Check for drips under the car after the first drive. - **Keep the invoice.** It should show the oil type and grade, the quantity, the filter and the mileage. That is your warranty record; a copy can take up to 24 hours to arrive. ## Common questions ### How much is a Valvoline oil change? Valvoline does not print a national price. Its FAQ says the price depends on “the type of motor oil you choose, the number of quarts required, and any discounts or special offers you have,” that pricing “varies by store location,” and that a store can quote you by phone or website chat. The full-service oil change includes up to 5 quarts, a new filter, chassis lubrication and the 18-point check; extra quarts and a premium filter cost more. ### How much is a full synthetic oil change at Valvoline? Valvoline answers without a figure: the price “can vary slightly depending on your location and your vehicle’s specific oil capacity,” and synthetic oil “costs more upfront than conventional oil.” Any synthetic price you see quoted is a local or dated figure. Ask your store for the total with your engine’s capacity. ### Are there Valvoline oil change coupons? Yes, on Valvoline’s own coupon page and in its app, but they are short-lived: on 9 October 2026 both coupons shown expired 15 days later. Under every coupon the rules are the same: up to 5 quarts, “filter (prem. extra),” plus tax, not valid with other same-service offers or customer-supplied oil, and only at participating locations. ### Does Valvoline have a military discount? Valvoline’s military page says “Show your military ID and get 15% off,” excluding battery replacement and state inspections, not combined with any other offer, at participating locations. Its pages also offer teachers 10% and college students 20% on the same kind of terms; the college page is marked not for search listing, so confirm it with your store. ### How long does a Valvoline oil change take, and do I need an appointment? Valvoline says “about 15 minutes,” while you stay in the car, with other services adding “10 to 20 minutes or more.” No appointment is needed for an oil change; stores work “first-come, first-served,” and the app shows estimated wait times. Some locations ask for appointments for state inspections. ### Will a Valvoline oil change void my car’s warranty? No, not by itself. The FTC says it is illegal for a dealer to deny warranty coverage because routine maintenance was done somewhere else. Two limits apply: if your warranty provides the maintenance free, you lose that benefit by paying elsewhere, and damage from faulty work can be refused once the warrantor proves the cause. Keep every Valvoline invoice with the car’s records. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/ --- title: "Big O Tires: Warranty, Pro-tec+, Coupons and Who Owns the Chain" description: "Big O brand tires get 3 years of free road hazard and defect replacement, then prorated cover. What Big O's warranty sheet, price match and card terms say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Big O Tires: Warranty, Pro-tec+, Coupons and Who Owns the Chain > Big O brand tires get 3 years of free road hazard and defect replacement, then prorated cover. What Big O's warranty sheet, price match and card terms say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,974 words* ## The short version - Every Big O Tires store is owned and run by a franchisee. The brand belongs to Big O Tires, LLC, a TBC Corporation subsidiary, and Michelin’s 2025 annual filing lists a 50% interest in TBC, which Michelin says it runs jointly with Sumitomo Corporation. - Big O brand tires come with 3 years of free replacement for road-hazard punctures and defects, then “limited prorated” cover until the tread reaches 2/32 inch or the tire is 6 years old. The prorating formula is printed on the back of the store invoice, not online. - “At no charge” does not include fitting. Installation charges apply again when a tire is replaced, plus a 10% shop fee of up to $35, a new-tire fee and a disposal fee. - Other brands carry their maker’s warranty plus free rotation every 5,000 miles and free flat repairs. Pro-tec+ adds road hazard cover to them, at a price Big O does not publish. - The roadside benefit runs 36 months from the invoice: a spare fitted at no charge up to $75, other help paid by you and reimbursed up to $75. The 12-month, 12,000-mile repair warranty is made by the store that did the work, not by Big O Tires, LLC. - Coupons are dated promotions that vary by store. The standing programs are a price match against a local competitor’s written quote and a store card from Comenity Capital Bank whose special financing is deferred interest. Big O Tires is a chain of franchised tire and repair shops. Each store is owned by a local franchisee, under a brand owned by TBC Corporation. What warranty you get depends on the tire. Big O’s own-brand tires come with 3 years of free road hazard and defect replacement and a roadside benefit; other brands carry their maker’s warranty plus free rotation and flat repair, and Pro-tec+ can be bought on top. On 9 October 2026 we read Big O’s warranty page, its tire warranty sheet (revision 04/2019), its roadside statement and its repair-warranty certificate, its price guarantee, credit, about and contact pages and its Terms of Use, along with TBC’s releases and Michelin’s 2025 Universal Registration Document. This site has no commercial relationship with Big O Tires, TBC or any tire maker. **Figure: Which Big O promise applies, by tire and situation** A two-column table of seven situations: a road-hazard puncture in a Big O brand tire in its first 3 years is replaced at no charge, but installation charges and a 10% shop fee of up to $35 apply; after 3 years, while the tire has more than 2/32 inch of tread and is under 6 years old, cover is limited and prorated by a formula printed only on the invoice; a non-Big O tire without Pro-tec+ gets the maker’s warranty, free rotation every 5,000 miles and free flat repairs; Pro-tec+ on such a tire is road hazard cover sold as a service contract with no published price; a flat on the road within 36 months gets a spare fitted at no charge up to $75, other help reimbursed up to $75; a failed brake or air-conditioning repair is covered 12 months or 12,000 miles by the store that did it, tires excluded; and no Big O warranty transfers to another owner or vehicle. Read from Big O’s warranty page, tire warranty sheet (Rev.04/2019), roadside statement and repair-warranty certificate on 9 October 2026. ## Who owns Big O Tires, and who you deal with at the counter Big O began as a buying group. Its About page says the story “begins back in 1962,” when independent tire dealers “came together to form a tire-buying cooperative,” and that “in 1996, Big O Tires joined forces with TBC Corporation.” TBC’s release of 14 January 2026 describes the company today: “Big O Tires, LLC, a subsidiary of TBC Corporation, has nearly 470 franchise stores in the United States.” TBC has since sold other chains to Mavis, NTB and Tire Kingdom (agreed in 2023) and Midas (2025); see our [Mavis Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) and [Midas](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/midas/) pages. TBC itself has two owners. Michelin’s 2025 Universal Registration Document lists TBC Corporation at a 50% interest. A Michelin [press release](https://www.michelin.com/en/publications/finance/tbc-corporation-to-divest-its-retail-network-and-to-focus-on-wholesale-distribution-and-franchise-businesses) of 23 May 2023 names the partner: Michelin “jointly operates TBC Corporation” with “Sumitomo Corporation.” We did not read Sumitomo’s own announcements: its robots.txt, the file that tells automated readers what they may read, bars AI readers such as ClaudeBot from its news pages. TBC has sold the stores it owned outright. Its release of 22 May 2023 announced an agreement for Mavis Tire Express Services to buy 595 NTB and Tire Kingdom stores, and on 16 June 2025 TBC said it had “completed the divestment of its Midas franchise portfolio to Mavis” and would keep “expanding its Big O Tires franchise business.” On 9 October 2026, requests to ntb.com and tirekingdom.com were redirected to mavis.com, which matters for Big O’s older warranty sheet below. None of that is who you buy from. Big O’s page footer says “Big O stores are independently owned and operated by Big O franchisees,” and its documents spread the other side of each promise across several parties: **Who stands on the other side of each Big O promise, in Big O’s own documents (read 9 October 2026)** | What you are relying on | Who the document names | | --- | --- | | The sale, the fitting and the store’s prices | The franchise store: “independently owned and operated by Big O franchisees” | | The tire warranty sheet | No legal entity; it sends you to “the back of your Big O Tires invoice for complete warranty details” | | The 12-month, 12,000-mile repair warranty | “the Independent Repair Facility” named on the invoice; “not a warranty of Big O Tires, LLC” | | Roadside assistance | An Auto Knight Motor Club benefit “provided to You by the Big O Tires facility from which You purchased Your tires” | | The Big O credit card | “issued by Comenity Capital Bank” and “valid at participating Big O locations” | | The website and its terms | TBC Corporation: binding arbitration before JAMS and Florida law | The [Terms of Use](https://www.bigotires.com/terms-of-use) (“Last Updated: 2.5.2026”) cover the website, sending claims about it to individual arbitration under Florida law. A tire you buy is governed by the paperwork the store hands you, so keep the invoice and read both sides. ## The warranty on Big O brand tires: 3 years free, then prorated Big O’s own-brand tires are the ones with the most cover. The two-page sheet behind the warranty page’s “Download complete tire warranty PDF” link (marked WarrantyPad/Rev.04/2019) says “Every new Big O brand tire (with the Big O name on the sidewall)” comes with this package: - **Road hazards, 3 years.** “If your Big O brand tire suffers a non-repairable puncture due to a road hazard during the first 3 years of service, we’ll replace it at no charge.*” - **Defects, 3 years.** The same wording for “a non-repairable defect in workmanship or materials.” - **After 3 years.** “Limited prorated repair or replacement” cover “for road hazards or workmanship and materials for the useful life** of the tire.” - **Rotation and balancing.** “We’ll rotate and rebalance your tires every 5,000 miles for the useful life** of the tire.” - **Flat repair.** “If we sold it, we’ll repair it!” to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association’s puncture repair procedures. - **Roadside help, 3 years**, covered in its own section below. - **A mileage warranty** with the number left blank: “covered by a limited mileage warranty for __________miles.” The store fills it in. The two asterisks lead to the definition that sets the end of the cover: “Useful life of the tire means more than 2/32 of an inch of remaining tread groove depth or six years from the date of the original purchase of the tire, whichever comes first.” Read by its end points, cover stops when the tread reaches 2/32 inch or when the tire turns 6 years old from purchase, whichever happens first. A tire that keeps its tread could get at most 3 years of prorated cover after the free 3, by our arithmetic; one that wears fast gets less. Our guide to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows how to check where a tire stands. What the prorated phase pays is not on any page we read. The sheet says “Please refer to the back of your Big O Tires invoice for complete warranty details,” and that invoice back is not published. Tire makers that prorate charge you for the share of tread used, but they apply it to different prices, as our [comparison of makers’ prorating terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) shows. Ask the store which price Big O’s formula uses before you rely on it. The current [warranty page](https://www.bigotires.com/warranty-info) describes the Big O brand cover under the Pro-tec+ name. It says Big O “proudly offers Pro-tec+ for free on all Big O branded tires” and lists what comes with it: free flat repairs, “Up to $75 Free Roadside Assistance,” free rotations and balancing, a 3-year road hazard repair or replacement warranty and a 3-year workmanship defect warranty. It does not mention the prorated years or the mileage warranty, which only the sheet covers. ## What “at no charge” leaves out: fitting, shop fee and disposal The single asterisk after “we’ll replace it at no charge” leads to a footnote that appears on the sheet and again on the warranty page: > “Installation charges (mounting, initial balance and valve stems) apply at the time of purchase and at the time of tire replacement, and may vary by location. Local or state new tire fee extra. Tire disposal fees extra. Plus 10% shop fee based on pre-invoiced retail price, not to exceed $35 on installation charges.” So a free replacement tire still comes with a bill for fitting it. Big O prints no installation price, and charges “may vary by location,” as you would expect of separately owned stores. The shop fee is the one printed figure; by our arithmetic it stops rising at $350 of installation charges. **A free Big O replacement is free for the tire, not the job.** Big O’s own footnote says mounting, balancing, valve stems, the shop fee, new-tire fees and disposal fees apply “at the time of tire replacement.” Get the per-tire installation charge in writing at purchase, and ask whether it applies again to a warranty replacement. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a mounted tire mark the tread, a groove and the wheel, with Big O's free replacement for a non-repairable puncture, where a tire's useful life ends, and who its warranties stay with. Big O’s tire warranty sheet, read on 9 October 2026, replaces a Big O brand tire with a non-repairable puncture in its first 3 years, with installation extra (callout 1), ends a tire’s useful life at 2/32 inch of tread or 6 years from purchase (callout 2), and limits its warranties to the first buyer and vehicle (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. The sheet also calls both 3-year promises “FULL”: a “3-YEAR FULL REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY” and a “3-YEAR FULL REPLACEMENT WORKMANSHIP & MATERIALS WARRANTY.” That word has a meaning in federal law: under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2303.htm), only a written warranty that meets the federal minimum standards is designated “full”; others are a “limited warranty.” The standards in [15 U.S.C. 2304](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2304.htm) include three that touch Big O’s footnotes: - **Without charge.** The warrantor “may not assess the consumer for any costs the warrantor or his representatives incur in connection with the required remedy.” - **Later owners.** The duties “extend from the warrantor to each person who is a consumer,” which section 2301(3) defines to include “any person to whom such product is transferred during the duration” of the warranty. Big O’s warranties “apply to the original purchaser only.” - **The label sticks.** If a supplier designates a warranty “full,” it is “deemed to incorporate at least the minimum requirements of this section” in any lawsuit under the Act or state law. Whether the footnotes and the “full” label fit together, and whether a road hazard promise is a written warranty under [15 U.S.C. 2301](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) at all, are questions for the Federal Trade Commission, your state attorney general or a lawyer. For a buyer the point is simpler: the sheet uses the word “full,” so keep it with the invoice. ## Other brands: the maker’s warranty plus free rotation and flat repair Most tires Big O sells are not its own brand, and for those the warranty is the tire maker’s. The warranty page lists four things for “Other new tires (non-Big O brand)”: the maker’s limited workmanship and materials warranty, a limited mileage warranty, “Free Rotation Every 5,000 Miles” and “Free Flat Repairs for Useful Life of the Tire.” Our page on [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) sets out what twelve makers’ booklets promise and require. Three things are missing next to the Big O brand package: balancing is not on the list, there is no road hazard cover unless you buy Pro-tec+, and there is no roadside benefit. **What comes with a new tire at Big O, by brand, as Big O’s warranty page and 2019 sheet print it (read 9 October 2026)** | Promise | Big O brand tire | Other brand, no add-on | Other brand with Pro-tec+ | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Defects | 3 years free replacement, then prorated | The maker’s limited warranty | Web page lists a 3-year workmanship defect warranty | | Road hazards | 3 years free replacement, then prorated | None | Repair, or 100% of the “reasonable cost” of a replacement (2019 sheet) | | Rotation | Rotation and rebalance every 5,000 miles | Rotation every 5,000 miles | “Free Rotations & Balancing” (web page) | | Flat repair | Free for the useful life | Free for the useful life | Free | | Roadside help | 36 months, $75 caps | None | Included (“the Tire Protection Package”) | | Mileage warranty | Big O’s, number written in by the store | The maker’s | The maker’s | Rotation records matter for a mileage claim, and Big O gives two intervals. The sheet and the warranty page say every 5,000 miles; the tire services page advises rotation every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. The maker’s booklet decides what its mileage warranty needs, so follow the shorter schedule and keep every invoice; our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) has more. You can see the maker’s terms first: under [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), for products “actually costing the consumer more than $15.00,” the seller must make the warranty text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” Some services are free whatever you drive on: a tire pressure check (“for free!”), a “free alignment check” that is a visual inspection, and a “Multi-Point inspection” the About page calls “Free of charge.” Big O also fits tires bought elsewhere, at a price it does not print. A free check is not an alignment; see [when an alignment is due](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#when-to-align). ## Pro-tec+ and the Tire Protection Package: road hazard cover you pay for For other brands, road hazard cover is an add-on. The warranty page calls it Pro-tec+, “Automatically included with a set of Big O brand tires or available for purchase with any other set of brand new tires.” The 2019 sheet and the About page use an older name, the Tire Protection Package (TPP), and the sheet describes what it pays: > “Tire Repair: If the tire(s) is/are repairable, you are covered for the reasonable cost of repairing the tire. … Tire Replacement Benefit: If the tire(s) is/are unrepairable, you are covered for one hundred percent (100%) of the reasonable cost of the replacement tire(s). There are restrictions and limitations. Please see the full service contract for all details.” That last sentence is the key one. The sheet sells the package under a service contract, which federal law defines in 15 U.S.C. 2301(8) as “a contract in writing to perform, over a fixed period of time or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair (or both) of a consumer product.” Our page on [why a service contract is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the difference. The current warranty page still uses the old name in its roadside paragraph, so treat Pro-tec+ as the same kind of contract until the store shows you otherwise. Big O publishes neither the contract nor a price, so its term, exclusions, who pays a claim and what “reasonable cost” means stay unknown until you ask for the paperwork. ## Roadside assistance: what the $75 covers, and what you pay first The roadside benefit comes with Big O brand tires and with the add-on. Its one-page statement calls it an “Auto Knight Motor Club, Inc. Roadside Assistance Benefit” provided by the store that sold the tires. The rules: - **How long.** “thirty-six (36) months” from the invoice date, for the original purchaser and the vehicle on the invoice, which must show a purchase of at least $25. - **A flat.** Fitting your spare is “at no charge to You, up to a maximum of $75. You are responsible for any and all charges over $75.” - **Everything else.** For the 4 other services (towing, lockout, fuel, oil, fluid or water delivery, and a jump start) “You must pay for the services,” then “You will be reimbursed for covered services up to a maximum of $75.00 per occurrence.” - **Only through the program.** “Service secured through any other source will not be reimbursed,” and the driver must be with the car. - **Claim in time.** Within “ninety (90) days of the date of service,” with both invoices. - **Not covered.** Tire repair or replacement at the roadside, “A second tow or service for the same disablement,” and trailers, motorcycles, recreational and commercial vehicles. The warranty page sums this up as “Up to $75 Free Roadside Assistance” and 24/7 help “as a free bonus.” Only the spare-tire fitting is free at the roadside; the rest is a reimbursement after you pay, and anything above $75 a call is yours. Ask the dispatcher for the price before agreeing to a long tow. **Don’t go to the roadside website printed on the sheet.** The 2019 warranty sheet says to “Visit www.bigoroadside.com for details.” On 9 October 2026 that address served a copy of Big O’s roadside text ending “This is a free demo result from the Wayback Machine Downloader.” We could not tell who runs it. Use the phone number on your Big O statement or invoice. ## The 12-month, 12,000-mile repair warranty, and who stands behind it Big O’s About page says “we back every tire and service with” its “12-month/12,000-mile Nationwide Limited Repair Warranty.” The certificate, dated “Service Warranty 10/2012,” says who actually makes it: > “This Limited Warranty is made by the Independent Repair Facility (‘Facility’) that is so named on the original repair invoice and performed the service/repairs on your vehicle. … This limited warranty is not a warranty of Big O Tires, LLC or Automotive Business Solutions, Inc. (‘ABS’) … In addition, ABS. serves as the administrator only.” So the promise is the store’s. It covers 14 kinds of work, among them air conditioning, cooling, brakes, starting and charging, exhaust, steering and suspension, “for 12 months or 12,000 miles of use, whichever comes first,” so cover ends at whichever limit you reach first. Other services carry “a 3-month or 4000 mile warranty” at the store that did them and are not covered nationwide; the nationwide cover is 4 times as long and 3 times the mileage, by our arithmetic. Excluded outright: “ANY ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, CLUTCH, OR DIFFERENTIAL REPAIRS,” and “AUTO BODY PAINT, MOLDING, TIRES, GLASS REPAIRS AND USED PARTS.” For brake work, our [brake pad replacement cost guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) covers what the job involves. Where you claim depends on distance: - **Within 25 miles** of the store that did the work, you “must return your vehicle” there with the repair order. - **More than 25 miles away,** you “must call the Warranty Administrator prior to any repair work being performed.” Big O’s warranty page says that besides its 460+ locations you can use “the nearest of 35,000 participating facilities that honor our warranty.” - **At a shop outside the program,** you may pay and claim “within 90 days of the date of repair.” - **If the car will not move** and you are more than 25 miles out, towing benefits run “to a maximum of $75.00,” and a rental car for up to “2 days at a maximum of $40.00 per day,” or $80 in all by our arithmetic. The certificate is for “the original purchaser, and not to anyone who may purchase your vehicle,” and it warns that store staff “do not have authority to modify the terms of this limited warranty nor to make any promises in addition.” If a warranty repair does not cure the fault, the period is extended when you tell the administrator about it “within 60 days after they were completed.” ## Big O coupons, the price guarantee and the Big O credit card Big O’s deals page, “Tire Coupons, Specials & Promotions,” listed on 9 October 2026 tire makers’ mail-in or online rebates, instant savings on two makers’ tires, a buy-three-get-one offer on one brand, a credit-card rebate and special financing. Each has its own end date, and the home page adds “To see more offers for your location,” so offers depend on the store. We leave out the amounts because they change fast. Ask which offers the store takes, and have any discount written on the quote. Two programs are standing rather than dated. **The [Lowest Tire Price Guarantee](https://www.bigotires.com/lowest-tire-price-guarantee)** is a price match: bring “a current, local advertisement or written estimate” and “We’ll match the total price.” The terms narrow that: - **Same tire, local rival, before you buy.** “identical tires that have the same brand, style and speed, load index & mileage rating,” quoted by “a local competitor prior to purchasing the tires.” - **Tire price only.** “Installation cost not included in the comparison,” despite step two’s “total price.” - **Not every seller or store.** It “does not apply to online retailers, commercial or fleet accounts, or Big O stores that do not offer the Lowest Tire Price Guarantee.” - **Not every price.** “Financing or store card offers, warranties, bundle offers, free items, pricing errors, blemished tires, rebates, clearance, or out of stock or other similar discounts not eligible.” Because installation is outside the match, compare full quotes yourself: tire, installation, shop fee, state fee and disposal. **The Big O Tires and Service Credit Card** is a store card “issued by Comenity Capital Bank” and “valid at participating Big O locations,” says the [credit page](https://www.bigotires.com/credit). Prequalifying uses “A soft inquiry,” Big O says. Its special financing is deferred interest: > “Interest will be charged to your Account from the purchase date if the promotional plan balance is not paid in full within the promotional period. … Minimum payments are NOT guaranteed to pay the promotional plan balance within the promotional period.” The standing account terms are printed with a date: “As of 09/2026, terms for new Accounts: Purchase APR of 35.99%. Variable Penalty APR up to 39.99%,” a minimum interest charge of $3, a promotional plan fee of 2% and $2.99 a month for paper statements. Miss the promotional deadline and interest is charged from the purchase date. If you are not approved, “Other financing options are available,” at the store and “not available in all markets”; the page does not name them. ## Big O’s terms beside Discount Tire, Walmart and Tire Rack This table compares what each seller prints, not prices, and does not rank them. The other columns come from this site’s readings of [Discount Tire’s Certificate contract](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) and [Walmart’s tire warranty terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#road-hazard) on 7 October 2026 and [Tire Rack’s road hazard terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/#road-hazard) on 8 October 2026. Our [Les Schwab tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/) page reads another chain’s terms. **Who makes the promise, whether it passes to the next owner, and who pays to fit a replacement, as each seller prints it (Big O read 9 October 2026; Tire Rack 8 October 2026; Discount Tire and Walmart 7 October 2026)** | Term | Big O Tires | Discount Tire | Walmart | Tire Rack | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Whose promise it is | Repair warranty “made by the Independent Repair Facility”; roadside provided by the store that sold the tires | The Certificate’s provider, Discount Tire Certificate, LLC | “This warranty is backed by Walmart” | Road hazard obligor: Nation Motor Club, LLC in most states | | If you sell the car | “All Big O Tires warranties are nontransferable” | “non-transferable, except in North Carolina” | Protects “the original purchaser” | No transfer; selling the car ends cover | | Fitting a replacement tire | Installation charges apply “at the time of tire replacement,” plus a 10% shop fee of up to $35 | Contract prices the replacement at the original price paid plus sales tax; labor not mentioned | Free replacement “except for installation cost and applicable taxes” | Pays “the cost of the tire only,” not mounting or balancing | On transfer the four line up: each limits cover to the first buyer in the text we read, with Discount Tire’s North Carolina exception. Where Big O differs is the first row. Its written repair warranty is made by the store, a separately owned business, rather than by a national company, and its tire warranty sheet names no company at all. The certificate says it “may be honored by other facilities participating in this program”; it does not say what happens if the store that made it closes, so ask before you buy. ## Where Big O’s own documents disagree We recorded 9 places where Big O’s pages, its 2019 sheet, its 2012 certificate and TBC’s releases differ; the roadside website above is one. The others: - **Where the warranty is honored.** The sheet says “over 1,200 Big O Tires, Tire Kingdom and NTB locations.” TBC agreed in 2023 to sell NTB and Tire Kingdom to Mavis. Don’t count on those stores honoring a Big O warranty without asking. - **How many stores.** “over 450 locations in 25 states” on the About page, “460+ locations” on the warranty page, “nearly 470” in TBC’s January 2026 release and “nearly 500” on TBC’s history page and in its June 2025 release, a spread of 50 stores by our arithmetic. - **The add-on.** Pro-tec+ on the web page bundles five items; the 2019 sheet’s Tire Protection Package is “road hazard protection” under a service contract. - **Who backs the repair warranty.** “we back every tire and service” on the About page; “not a warranty of Big O Tires, LLC” on the certificate. - **Free roadside help.** “Up to $75 Free Roadside Assistance” on the warranty page; on the roadside statement only the spare-tire fitting is free, and for the rest “You must pay.” - **“Full” and “at no charge.”** The footnotes add installation charges at replacement and limit cover to “the original purchaser only.” - **Rotation.** Every 5,000 miles on the sheet and warranty page; every 5,000 to 7,000 miles on the services page. - **Price match.** “We’ll match the total price”; “Installation cost not included in the comparison.” The repair certificate dates from October 2012 and the tire sheet from April 2019. Where a page and the printed paperwork disagree, the paper you are handed at the store is what a claim will be argued over, so ask for it. ## Before you buy tires at a Big O store Register the tires. Big O says “you’ll receive a mail-in registration card,” which you can mail or replace with online registration, so the maker can reach you in a recall. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), one of the options an independent dealer has is to hand you a paper form on which it “has recorded” “The entire tire identification number of the tire(s)” and its own name and address; another is for the dealer to send the form itself “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” With a card, sending it is up to you. NHTSA says manufacturers “will notify registered owners by first class mail within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision,” and its [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) covers tires as well as vehicles. See also our guides to [tire recalls and age](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) and [your car’s tire placard](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard). - **Ask for the back of the invoice** before you pay; Big O says the complete tire warranty terms are printed there. - **Get the installation charge per tire in writing,** and ask whether it applies again to a warranty replacement, plus the 10% shop fee and disposal fee. - **Check the mileage warranty number** written on the Big O sheet for a Big O brand tire. - **For Pro-tec+ on another brand,** ask for the service contract, the per-tire price and when cover ends. - **Bring a written local quote** for the identical tire if you want the price match, and confirm the store takes part. - **For special financing on the card,** divide the balance by the months in the promotion and pay at least that each month; the minimum payment may not clear it. - **Save the roadside number** from your statement or invoice, not the website on the 2019 sheet, and claim within 90 days. - **Send the tire registration card,** and keep every rotation invoice for a mileage claim. ## Common questions ### Who owns Big O Tires? Big O Tires, LLC is “a subsidiary of TBC Corporation,” TBC said in January 2026. Michelin’s 2025 Universal Registration Document lists a 50% interest in TBC, and Michelin says it jointly operates TBC with Sumitomo Corporation. Each Big O store, though, is “independently owned and operated” by a franchisee. ### What does the Big O Tires warranty cover? Big O brand tires: free replacement for a non-repairable road-hazard puncture or defect for 3 years, then prorated cover to 2/32 inch of tread or 6 years, plus rotation, flat repair and roadside help. Other brands: the maker’s warranty, free rotation and flat repairs. Installation charges apply on any replacement. ### Is the Big O Tires warranty transferable? No. Big O says “All Big O Tires warranties are nontransferable and apply to the original purchaser only and only if the tire is on the vehicle on which it was originally installed.” The roadside benefit and repair warranty follow the same rule. ### Are there Big O Tires coupons? Big O’s deals page lists dated promotions, mostly makers’ rebates, instant savings and card offers, which vary by location. There is no standing coupon; the standing programs are the price guarantee and the store card. ### Does Big O Tires price match? Yes, at participating stores, against a local competitor’s current ad or written estimate for an identical tire, shown before you buy. Installation is not part of the match, and online retailers, rebates and clearance prices are excluded. ### Who issues the Big O Tires credit card? Comenity Capital Bank. As of September 2026 the printed purchase APR for new accounts was 35.99%, with a penalty APR up to 39.99%. Its special financing is deferred interest: if the promotional balance is not paid in full in time, interest is charged from the purchase date. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/ --- title: "Les Schwab Tires: The Warranty, Free Services and Credit Terms" description: "Les Schwab Tires replaces a covered tire free after road damage until 2/32 inch of tread. What its warranty form, free services and 18% credit plan say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Les Schwab Tires: The Warranty, Free Services and Credit Terms > Les Schwab Tires replaces a covered tire free after road damage until 2/32 inch of tread. What its warranty form, free services and 18% credit plan say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,925 words* ## The short version - Every new tire Les Schwab sells comes with the Les Schwab Tire Warranty at no extra cost. Its two-page form calls it a “Limited Warranty”; it covers the original buyer only and is not transferable. - If a road hazard or a defect ruins a covered tire before any part of the tread is worn to 2/32 inch, Les Schwab “will replace it free of charge”: no certificate, no proration, no time limit. At 2/32 inch the promise ends. - Flat repairs, rotations, rebalancing, air checks and visual brake and alignment checks are free for the life of covered tires. Rotate every 5,000 miles: tires “not regularly rotated will void this Limited Warranty.” - Many tires also carry a Les Schwab mileage warranty of 30,000 to 80,000 miles, paid pro rata. The 60-day satisfaction guarantee gives credit toward a new set, not cash back. - Les Schwab Credit is an in-house plan at a fixed 18.0% APR. Les Schwab keeps a security interest in what you buy, and on default “ALL PROVISIONS OF SELLER’S WARRANTIES BECOME NULL AND VOID.” - Les Schwab lists stores in 15 states. Its 2020 sale to Meritage Group was reported in the news; we could not confirm it from a Les Schwab, Meritage or government document. Les Schwab Tires sells tires through stores in 15 western and Upper Midwest states, and its main promise is a warranty that comes with every tire: free replacement after road damage, free flat repairs and rotations, a mileage warranty on many tires and a 60-day exchange. On 9 October 2026 we read the documents behind it: the two-page Les Schwab Tire Warranty form (FM 702, revised 7/24), the warranty, service and repair pages, the General FAQ, the credit page and its Retail Credit Plan and Security Agreement, five press releases and the Terms of Use, plus federal rules on warranties and tire registration. Les Schwab’s Terms bar automated reading and using its content for AI tools, so we read each document once by hand and quote short passages. This site has no commercial relationship with Les Schwab or any tire seller. **Figure: What the Les Schwab Tire Warranty pays, by what happened to the tire** A two-column table of seven situations: a repairable flat in the tread is fixed free for the life of the tire, through a 12.00-inch cross-section, except lock ring and tube-type wheels; a non-repairable road hazard or a defect is replaced free of charge while the tread is above 2/32 inch, with no time limit and no certificate; a tire worn to 2/32 inch before its warranted mileage gets a pro-rata adjustment of 100% less miles driven over warranted miles, applied to the price paid less Federal Excise Tax, in cash or credit; early wear from misalignment, wrong pressure, curbs, off-road or commercial use is excluded; within 60 days, with no more than 2/32 inch worn, tires can be exchanged for full credit toward a new set; skipped rotations void the warranty, and a default on Les Schwab Credit voids Les Schwab’s warranties. Read from Les Schwab’s Tire Warranty form FM 702 (revised 7/24) and its Retail Credit Plan and Security Agreement on 9 October 2026. ## The Les Schwab Tire Warranty: what you get, who gets it, what voids it Les Schwab markets the program as “America’s Best Tire Warranty.” Its press release of July 15, 2024 says that “as of July 1, the company has launched America’s Best Tire Warranty as a default part of every tire purchase at no extra charge.” The contract has a plainer name. The form linked from the [Warranty Details page](https://www.lesschwab.com/warranty-details) begins: “The Les Schwab Tire Warranty (Limited Warranty) is provided with your tire purchase at no additional cost.” It is form FM 702, “Revised Date: 7/24 Print Date: 8/24,” and it bundles “no-hassle road hazard protection, free tire maintenance, 60-day satisfaction guarantee and a Limited Warranty for Tread Life (if applicable).” Who is covered is narrower than the marketing: - **The original buyer only.** The warranty is “valid for the original purchaser of the new passenger, tubeless light truck, trailer and/or camper tires listed on the attached original invoice (Covered Tires).” Asked whether it is transferable, the General FAQ answers “No.” - **New tires.** The FAQ says stores “sometimes have used tires available for purchase”; the form speaks only of new ones, so ask what comes with a used tire. - **Some vehicles excepted.** On installation the FAQ adds “Some restrictions apply, such as dually trucks.” - **Only with the paperwork.** “This Limited Warranty is not valid unless accompanied by the Covered Tires and the attached original invoice.” **Rotation and air are conditions, not just perks.** The form offers free rotation “every 5,000 miles or as needed” and then says tires “not regularly rotated will void this Limited Warranty.” It also says “Proper inflation must be maintained.” Neither sentence says how Les Schwab judges “regularly.” Have rotations done at a Les Schwab, or keep the receipt from whoever does them. Claims are informal. The FAQ says: “Just stop by any Les Schwab location or make an appointment online, tell us what is going on, and we’ll do what we can to make it right.” We found no claim form or deductible. There is no night service: “Les Schwab does not offer emergency or after-hours services for retail customers.” Tires bought before July 1, 2024 may carry earlier terms that we did not find published; the invoice they came with sets them. ## Road hazards and defects: free replacement until 2/32 inch The form defines the risk: “Normal road hazards are unexpected contact of a Covered Tire with objects on the road that are not a normal part of the road surface, such as rocks, nails, potholes, unexpected debris, or glass.” Les Schwab then chooses, “at its election,” among “exclusive remedies”: 1. **Road hazard.** “If a Covered Tire eligible for Tire Protection incurs non-repairable damage before any portion of the Covered Tire is worn to 2/32” or less, Les Schwab will replace it free of charge.” 2. **Defect.** “If a Covered Tire fails due to defects in its manufacture or materials before any portion of the tire is worn to 2/32” or less, Les Schwab will replace it free of charge.” So a tire ruined by a pothole at half its tread is replaced, not credited for the half that was left, and there is no certificate to buy. There is no time limit either, but there is a tread floor. The pages say “100% Road Hazard Damage Replacement with No Expiration”; the form adds that “a tire worn down to 2/32” tread depth is not a Covered Tire.” “Any portion” matters: a shoulder worn to 2/32 inch by misalignment puts the whole tire past the line. Our guide to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows where the wear bars sit. Workmanship is “100% guaranteed for the life of your Covered Tires,” and a Les Schwab article puts the defect promise simply: “If your tires are defective, we’ll replace them.” Les Schwab handles the defect itself; the maker’s own warranty, explained in our page on [tire makers’ workmanship warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#workmanship), may sit alongside it. Three things the form does not settle are worth asking about: - **Curbs.** A curb strike is not named in the road hazard definition; “tire contact with curbs, poles, garbage bins” appears only in the mileage warranty’s exclusions. - **Labour on the replacement.** The new tire is free, but the form does not say whether mounting or balancing it is, and elsewhere it says “Les Schwab charges for the original balancing.” - **Your other costs.** Les Schwab accepts no liability “for any claimed incidental or consequential damages,” so a tow or a rental is yours, though “Some states do not allow the exclusion” of those damages. ## Free flat tire repair at Les Schwab, and where it stops The form’s promise is one sentence: “All repairable flats on Covered Tires are fixed free of charge for the life of the Covered Tire through 12.00-inch size cross-section. Lock ring and tube-type wheels are not included.” The Free Services page calls it “free and unlimited flat repairs for the life of tires purchased at our stores” and values each at “a $20 savings.” Les Schwab judges repairability by industry rules it quotes on its repair page: “According to the Tire Industry Association guidelines, all repairs on any tire are limited to the tread area. If the damage is on the shoulder or sidewall, it is likely not repairable and should be replaced.” For a covered tire, an unrepairable flat moves you to the free replacement above while the tread is above 2/32 inch. Les Schwab says it dunks the wheel and tire in “a water tank to locate and mark the cause of the leak,” then works from inside the tire: “buff and clean the inside, cement it, then apply a plug/patch combination and sealer,” with “a 2-piece patch” for some punctures, before checking “the pressure and TPMS on all four tires.” If a warning light stays on, see our page on the [tire pressure warning light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/). It adds: “We guarantee that each repair will last the life of the tire.” How many it fixes depends on the page: “More than 4 Million Flats a Year” on the repair page, “almost 2-million flats a year” in a tech tip published December 20, 2022. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a tire lying on a garage floor mark its tread band and sidewall, with Les Schwab's free flat repair, where its free road hazard replacement ends, and how it treats sidewall damage. Les Schwab’s Tire Warranty form and repair pages, read on 9 October 2026, repair a nail in the tread free for the life of a tire it sold (callout 1), end free road hazard replacement once any part of the tread reaches 2/32 inch (callout 2), and replace a covered tire whose sidewall or shoulder is damaged (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Tires bought elsewhere are not covered by the free repair, and the pages we read print no price for fixing them. Ask before the work starts. ## Free rotation, rebalancing, air and alignment checks: the conditions The form lists the free care in one line: “free flat repairs, tire rotations, rebalancing, air pressure checks, brake checks, alignment checks, and seasonal tire changeovers for the life of your Covered Tires.” Les Schwab’s pages describe the same services more loosely and put a dollar value on some. This table sets the two side by side. **Les Schwab’s free tire services: the warranty form beside Les Schwab’s pages (read 9 October 2026)** | Service | What the warranty form says | What Les Schwab’s pages add | | --- | --- | --- | | Flat repair | Covered Tires, for life, through a 12.00-inch cross-section; not lock ring or tube-type wheels | “free and unlimited”; valued at $20 a repair | | Rotation | “every 5,000 miles or as needed”; no dismounting or mounting; skipping it voids the warranty | Free “on most vehicles”; a wait of about 30 minutes; valued at up to $27 (cars) or $35 (light trucks) | | Rebalancing | Free if “needed for vibration reasons”; “Les Schwab charges for the original balancing” | “for any reason”; valued at up to $67 or $75, or $72 or $80 on the balancing page | | Air checks | “free air checks on Covered Tires anytime” | “free tire pressure checks at every location” | | Tire checks | Checked “for cuts, snags and nail holes at any time upon request” | A visual tire inspection is part of the free pre-trip check | | Brake check | Visual check of “brake friction, rotors or drums, and hoses” | “a free, no-pressure estimate” if work is needed | | Alignment check | “a visual alignment by inspecting the condition of your Covered Tires” | Looks for wear “on one shoulder of the tire” | | Seasonal changeover | “valid on premounted Covered Tires only” | Charged “based on your vehicle” if tires are not on their own wheels | | Pre-trip safety check | Not in the form | “Anyone can schedule” one; “a $60 value” | **Rotation.** Les Schwab values free rotations at “up to $324” for a car’s tires and “up to $350” for a light truck. Its footnotes show the working: 12 rotations at $27 on a tire with a 65,000-mile warranty, and 10 at $35 on one with a 55,000-mile warranty. By our arithmetic, 12 rotations at 5,000 miles cover 60,000 miles and 10 cover 50,000, each 5,000 short of the warranty in the example, so treat the totals as Les Schwab’s estimate. For tires bought elsewhere, “there may be a charge for a rotation”; our page on [tire rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why the interval is usually tied to the oil change. **Rebalancing.** Here the form and the pages part most. The form makes rebalancing free when “needed for vibration reasons” and not for tires “that must be dismounted and mounted on wheels or to winter tire installation and removal.” The pages say “for any reason” and “anytime you feel the service may be needed.” If you want a rebalance without a vibration complaint, ask first. **Checks anyone can get.** The FAQ says “Anyone can schedule a free pre-trip safety check,” which includes a pressure check, a “Visual Wheel Alignment Inspection as Indicated by Tire Wear” and a “Visual Battery Inspection and Load Test.” The alignment check is a look at tread wear, not a measurement on a rack. Les Schwab suggests checking alignment and brakes “once a year or every 12,000 miles.” Our pages on [reading alignment wear](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#reading-wear), [brake pad replacement](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/brake-pad-replacement-cost/) and [car battery warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) cover what usually follows. If a free service goes wrong, the form says Les Schwab’s “sole obligation, and your exclusive remedy, will be for Les Schwab to re-perform or correct the Care Service at issue.” Some stores also do oil changes (“Select Les Schwab locations do offer oil changes”); for chains built around them, see our pages on [Take 5 Oil Change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) and [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/). ## The mileage warranty and the 60-day satisfaction guarantee The tread life warranty applies “(if applicable),” and the FAQ says “many tires come with a mileage warranty,” not all. The form makes Les Schwab itself the warrantor: “Les Schwab warrants the tread life of the Covered Tires for the mileage indicated below,” followed by tick boxes from 30,000 to 80,000 miles and one marked “Staggered.” Check which box is ticked on your invoice before you leave. If a tire wears out early, the remedy is pro rata: “The pro-rata adjustment is 100% less miles of service divided by the mileage indicated in the limited warranty for tread life,” applied to “the original purchase price, excluding Federal Excise Tax.” By our arithmetic, a tire on the 60,000-mile box that reaches 2/32 inch at 45,000 miles earns 25% of what you paid for it, less excise tax, taken “in the form of cash or a credit.” Our page on [how prorated tire warranties are priced](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#proration) walks through the same sum. Mixed sizes halve the promise: “For staggered fitments (different size tires on front & rear axle), the mileage warranty will be 50% of the standard mileage warranty,” so a 60,000-mile tire fitted staggered carries 30,000 miles. The [door-jamb tire placard](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) shows whether your car uses different sizes front and rear. The form lists 9 causes the mileage warranty does not cover, and several are what the free services are meant to catch: misuse or abuse, “misalignment or tires out of balance,” “over or underinflation,” repairs, “off-road use or use on unpaved roads,” “use on commercial vehicles,” excessive loading, vehicle accidents, and “tire contact with curbs, poles, garbage bins or other similar items.” Use the free air and alignment checks and keep the receipts. **The 60-day satisfaction guarantee.** The pages say “Exchange Your Tires if You’re Not Completely Satisfied.” The form sets the terms: “If you are unsatisfied with your tires within 60 days of purchase and you have worn no more than 2/32” of tread, bring them back and Les Schwab will provide a full credit of the purchase price towards a new set of tires.” It is an exchange, not a refund. ## Les Schwab’s comparison with Discount Tire and Costco, checked Les Schwab’s Warranty Details page carries a table headed “GET MORE FROM LES” that marks itself, Discount Tire and Costco on five points, with Les Schwab ticked on all five. We have read both retailers’ tire terms for this site, so here are Les Schwab’s marks beside what each printed. Terms only, no prices, no ranking. We leave out the row “Extended Warranty Included,” which the page does not define. Other regional chains read the same way: [Belle Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/), [Tire Discounters](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/) and [Town Fair Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/town-fair-tire/). **Les Schwab’s warranty-page marks beside what each retailer prints (Les Schwab read 9 October 2026; Discount Tire 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Les Schwab’s row | Les Schwab’s own terms | Discount Tire: mark, then its terms | Costco: mark, then its terms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No Certificate Required | Comes “at no additional cost” | Marked no. Certificates are “optional coverage,” added within 30 days; every tire also gets a “FREE prorated road hazard warranty” | Marked yes. “all of our tires are backed with the Costco Road Hazard Warranty” | | No Expiration | No time limit; ends at 2/32 inch of tread | Marked no. A Certificate expires 3 years from purchase | Marked no. 60 months or 2/32 inch, whichever occurs first | | No Cost 100% Road Hazard Replacement | Replaced “free of charge” | Marked no. A Certificate refunds or credits the price paid plus sales tax; otherwise a prorated credit | Marked no. Credit is remaining usable tread times the price paid | | 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee | Within 60 days, no more than 2/32 inch worn: credit toward a new set | Marked no. Prints “a 90-day satisfaction guarantee” for online orders and “no time limits for returns or exchanges” | Marked no. Prints a “risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee”; “Limited exceptions apply” | Three of the four marks match the other retailers’ documents. The fourth needs a footnote: neither offers a 60-day guarantee by that name, but both print satisfaction promises of their own on other terms. The tread floors also differ: Discount Tire’s Certificate needs more than 3/32 inch; Les Schwab’s free replacement runs to 2/32 inch, 1/32 inch further by our arithmetic. Our pages on [Discount Tire’s Certificates](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#certificates), [Costco’s Road Hazard Warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) and [Big O Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) give each chain’s own terms. A similar table on Les Schwab’s credit page stays Les Schwab’s claim; we did not read those retailers’ credit terms. ## Les Schwab Credit: the rate, the plans and the fine print Les Schwab Credit is not a bank card: “When you apply for Les Schwab credit, you’re working directly with us.” You apply online or in a store, then “You’ll sign a few documents to open your account” at the store. The contract is the Retail Credit Plan and Security Agreement on the [credit terms page](https://www.lesschwab.com/credit-terms-conditions.html), “Last Updated: October 1, 2025.” **Rate and approval.** This is a standing rate, not a promotion: the plan “has an 18.0% APR (0.04931% daily periodic rate) and a minimum finance charge of $0.50,” and Les Schwab may change it by notice. No interest is charged “if you pay the total new balance on your monthly statement by the next statement closing date.” Statements issue after the 25th and payment is due before the 15th, or the 20th in California. Les Schwab says pre-qualification “may require a credit score of at least 560,” and “A full credit check is necessary to apply.” **Three ways to pay.** Les Schwab illustrates with “a set of tires with a total installed price of $1,100.” Equal Pay is “$55 per month (5% of your original purchase amount)”; the Agreement makes it 5% of the original price or highest statement balance, “whichever is greater,” plus interest. The Retail plan starts at $75 in the example and shrinks with the balance: **Les Schwab Credit Retail plan: minimum monthly payment by ending balance (Retail Credit Plan and Security Agreement, read 9 October 2026)** | Ending balance | Minimum payment | | --- | --- | | $0.01 to $10.00 | The balance | | $10.01 to $50.00 | $10.00 | | $50.01 to $100.00 | $15.00 | | $100.01 to $250.00 | $25.00 | | $250.01 to $500.00 | $50.00 | | $500.01 to $1,500.00 | $75.00 | | $1,500.01 to $2,500.00 | $150.00 | | Over $2,500.00 | 1/3 of the balance | Small minimums keep the 18% working longer: by our arithmetic, the $1,100 example left unpaid for a 30-day cycle gathers about $16 of interest at the printed daily rate. **“90 Days Same As Cash” is deferred interest.** If you pay within 90 days, “interest charges added to the unpaid balance will be reversed.” If not, interest runs “beginning as of the billing date shown on the monthly statement for the month in which buyer made the oldest purchase.” By our arithmetic, the $1,100 example untouched for 90 days carries about $50 of interest that comes back if the balance is not cleared in time. **Fees.** The page promises “No annual fees or hidden charges.” There is no annual fee, but the disclosures list a late fee of “Up to $15” that “varies by state” (from $5 in Nebraska and New Mexico to $15 in most states) after “10 days of the due date,” a returned payment fee of up to $20.00, and “administrative costs (postage and handling fees, telephone expense, correspondence fees, photocopy expense or other costs).” **Your tires secure the debt, and default voids the warranty.** You grant Les Schwab “a purchase money security interest in all goods” bought on the account. After a default, “Except where prohibited by law,” Les Schwab “may enter Buyer’s driveway, garage or any other property” to take them back. And: “IN THE EVENT OF BUYER’S DEFAULT, ALL PROVISIONS OF SELLER’S WARRANTIES BECOME NULL AND VOID.” Disputes go to arbitration “IN PORTLAND, OREGON, USA” before JAMS, except for borrowers covered by the Military Lending Act. Billing errors must be reported “Within 60 days after the error appeared on your statement.” Les Schwab also takes “cash, checks (in some locations), and credit cards,” so its credit plan is optional. ## Where Les Schwab operates, who owns it, and its Terms of Use **States.** A February 18, 2025 release calls Les Schwab “one of the leading independent tire dealers in the United States” and lists 15 states: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Alaska, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and New Mexico. The same 15 appear in its credit agreement’s late-fee table. The store count varies: more than 550 in a December 2024 release, more than 610 in February 2025 and on the repair page, “more than 600 locations across 15 states” in September 2025. The company says it began “in 1952 with one little tire shop.” **Who you deal with.** The Terms of Use name “Les Schwab Warehouse Center, LLC DBA Les Schwab Tire Centers.” The credit contract is the “Les Schwab Tire Centers/Affiliated Dealers Retail Credit Plan And Security Agreement,” and its privacy notice says “Independent Les Schwab dealers are nonaffiliated businesses.” So some stores under the sign may be independently owned. The form lets you take a mileage adjustment “at any Les Schwab Tire Center,” but at an affiliated dealer, ask who stands behind the warranty. **Who owns it.** Oregon Public Broadcasting [reported on September 30, 2020](https://www.opb.org/article/2020/09/30/les-schwab-announces-sale-to-out-of-state-investment-firm/) that Les Schwab had announced “an agreement to sell the company to an out-of-state investment firm called Meritage Group,” with the price undisclosed. We looked for a primary record and found none. Les Schwab’s newsroom lists releases back to June 3, 2024 only, and no Les Schwab page we read names an owner. Meritage Group’s website calls it “an investment advisor” and names no holdings. A Federal Register search found no merger notice, and a law firm’s page on the deal sits on a site whose robots.txt bars AI crawlers, so we did not open it. Treat the sale as reported, not confirmed by us. **Prices.** Les Schwab prints no price-match terms. A teaser calls it the “home of the Best Tire Value Promise,” but no page we read defines one, and a “Better Value” page says it is “lowering prices on hundreds of tires” without amounts. The FAQ sends price questions to the local store. **The Terms of Use** (“Last Updated: September 12, 2025”) govern the website and app, and say “Other terms and conditions may apply to Les Schwab financing, credit, promotions, or other offers.” They warn that “Information on the Services may not always be up to date.” Disputes about the site go to individual arbitration with JAMS after “at least 60 days” of informal talks, under Oregon law; you can opt out by writing within 30 days of your first use or of the latest update, “whichever is later.” They also bar “any robot, spider, or other automatic device” and use of the content “for the development of any model, algorithm, or generative AI tool.” ## Your rights under federal law: warranty labels, implied warranties, registration, recalls **“Limited” is a legal label.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2303.htm), a written warranty below the federal minimum standards must be “conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’” on products costing more than $10. The form does that each time it names itself; “America’s Best Tire Warranty” is the marketing name. **Implied warranties.** The form says that, “To the full extent permitted by law,” Les Schwab “excludes and disclaims all other warranties concerning the Covered Tires.” [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm) says “No supplier may disclaim or modify” an implied warranty if “such supplier makes any written warranty to the consumer,” though it may limit their length to that of a written warranty “of reasonable duration,” and a disclaimer made in violation “shall be ineffective.” How that applies in a dispute is a question for a lawyer or your state attorney general; the form itself says “you may have other rights which vary from state to state.” **Seeing the terms first.** [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml) requires a seller of a warranted product costing more than $15.00 to make “a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” Ask for form FM 702 at the counter. **Registration.** None of the Les Schwab pages we read mentions registering tires. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), an independent dealer must give you a filled-in registration form or register the tires “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days of the date of sale or lease,” noting electronic registration on the invoice; other dealers send the details to the maker. 49 CFR 574.3 defines independent as “not owned or controlled by a tire manufacturer or brand name owner”; we did not establish which applies to Les Schwab. Look for a registration note on the invoice. **Recalls.** NHTSA says makers “will notify registered owners by first class mail within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision” (read for our Tire Rack page on 8 October 2026). Its [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) gives only “general results” for tires, so registration is what brings the letter. See our guide to [tire recalls](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) and [the sidewall date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code). ## Where Les Schwab’s own documents disagree Where the pages and the form differ, the form and the credit Agreement decide a claim or a bill. - **First balance:** “Les Schwab charges for the original balancing” (form) against “we mount them for free at the initial purchase” (FAQ) and a balancing page that says it balances “with every new set.” - **Free rebalancing:** “needed for vibration reasons” (form) against “for any reason” (pages). - **Rebalance value:** up to $67 or $75 on one page, $72 or $80 on another. - **Flats a year:** “More than 4 Million” against “almost 2-million.” - **Rotation timing:** “every 5,000 miles or as needed” (form), “every 5,000 miles or six months” and “about every 5 months” (rotation page). - **Changeovers:** “premounted Covered Tires only” (form) against a changeover page that asks only that tires be on their own wheels. - **Expiry:** “No Expiration” on the pages; the form ends free replacement at 2/32 inch. - **Size:** more than 550, 600 or 610 locations, and more than 8,600, 8,500 or “7,000+” employees, by document. - **“No annual fees or hidden charges”:** the Agreement still lists late, returned payment and administrative charges. ## Before you buy tires at Les Schwab - **Ask for form FM 702** and check which mileage box is ticked, or that none applies. - **Keep the original invoice**; the warranty is “not valid unless accompanied by” it. - **Ask what balancing costs**, and whether a road hazard replacement carries any mounting or balancing charge. - **Book rotations every 5,000 miles** and keep each receipt. - **Use the free air and alignment checks**; misalignment and wrong pressure are excluded from the mileage warranty. - **Look for a registration note** on the invoice, or ask for the registration form. - **On Les Schwab Credit,** diary day 90 for Same As Cash, and remember that default voids the warranties. - **Bought before July 1, 2024?** Ask which terms your invoice carries. ## Common questions ### What does the Les Schwab tire warranty cover? New tires bought at Les Schwab, for the original buyer: free replacement if a road hazard or defect ruins a tire before any part of the tread reaches 2/32 inch; free flat repairs, rotations, rebalancing for vibration, air checks and visual brake and alignment checks for the life of the tires; a 60-day exchange; and, on many tires, a pro-rata mileage warranty. ### Does Les Schwab fix flat tires for free? Yes, for tires bought there, for the life of the tire, through a 12.00-inch cross-section and except lock ring and tube-type wheels. Repairs are limited to the tread area; an unrepairable covered tire is replaced free while its tread is above 2/32 inch. ### Does Les Schwab rotate tires for free? For tires bought there, every 5,000 miles, “on most vehicles,” and rotation is a condition of the warranty. For tires bought elsewhere, “there may be a charge.” ### Is the Les Schwab tire warranty transferable? No. The FAQ says so, and the form limits it to “the original purchaser” of the tires on the invoice. ### What credit score do you need for Les Schwab Credit? Les Schwab says pre-qualification “may require a credit score of at least 560” but weighs other factors, and applying means a full credit check. The plan has a fixed 18.0% APR and no annual fee. ### What states is Les Schwab in, and who owns it? The 15 states listed above, from Alaska to New Mexico. The company is Les Schwab Warehouse Center, LLC. OPB reported its 2020 sale to Meritage Group; we found no Les Schwab, Meritage or government document confirming it. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/ --- title: "CarMax Auctions: Dealer-Only Rules, Fees and Arbitration" description: "CarMax auctions are dealer-only: its own policies bar retail buyers. How dealers register, the fee rules, the 7-day claim window and 538,203 cars a year." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # CarMax Auctions: Dealer-Only Rules, Fees and Arbitration > CarMax auctions are dealer-only: its own policies bar retail buyers. How dealers register, the fee rules, the 7-day claim window and 538,203 cars a year. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,843 words* ## The short version - No, the public cannot buy at a CarMax auction. CarMax’s Auction Policies say “This is a DEALER-ONLY auction” and “Retail customers are not allowed,” and a dealer who brings one loses their privileges. - To bid, a dealer needs an AuctionACCESS membership, which AuctionACCESS restricts to licensed dealers and their staff at $103 a year per person, plus the tax and resale documents of each state it buys in. - The cars are the ones CarMax chose not to retail. Its 10-K says about half of its appraisal buys meet its retail standards and the rest go to its auctions; the typical one is more than 11 years old with more than 100,000 miles. It sold 538,203 that way in fiscal 2026, at an average of $7,942. - Every car is sold as-is, with announcements. A dealer has 7 calendar days to claim for an unannounced major engine or transmission defect and 20 other listed problems; warning lights, wear items and hybrid batteries never qualify. - The Buyer’s Fee varies by location and sale price, and CarMax publishes no amounts outside its logged-in bidding platform. Payment and pickup are due by close of business the day after the sale. - Non-dealers can buy from CarMax’s retail lots or at sales that admit the public; sellers deal with CarMax’s appraisal, not its auction. CarMax Auctions is CarMax’s wholesale arm: weekly or bi-weekly online sales of the cars CarMax bought but chose not to retail, open only to licensed dealers. On 9 October 2026 we read the [CarMax Auction Policies](https://www.carmaxauctions.com/policy) (dated 12 May 2026), the [CarMax Auctions FAQ](https://www.carmaxauctions.com/faq) and its home and locations pages, the Simulcast Terms and Conditions the FAQ links, the ArbX flyer, two carmax.com articles and its Terms of Use, the app’s App Store listing, AuctionACCESS’s FAQ and terms, and CarMax, Inc.’s [10-K for the year to 28 February 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1170010/000117001026000021/kmx-20260228.htm) and [10-Q to 31 August 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1170010/000117001026000104/kmx-20260831.htm). We registered for nothing, saw no fee schedule, and have no commercial relationship with CarMax or any auction. **Figure: CarMax’s arbitration clock, problem by problem** A two-column table of seven problems a dealer can find after buying at a CarMax auction and what CarMax’s Auction Policies allow: 7 calendar days for unannounced major engine, transmission, transfer-case or differential defects (10 with ArbX Plus), the same window for unannounced flood, structural damage, missing airbags or catalytic converters, a 30-day title guarantee on Title Absent cars with $0.50 a mile deducted past 300 miles, 90 days for unannounced salvage, total-loss or theft history, a 48-month guarantee against brands on clean-title cars with the refund cut by 2% a month, no refund ever for warning lights, hybrid or EV batteries, wear items or a non-runner’s faults, and free arbitration limited to one claim per car. Read from the CarMax Auction Policies (as of 12 May 2026) and the CarMax Auctions FAQ on 9 October 2026. Dealer-only; deadlines run from the sale unless stated. ## Can the public buy at a CarMax auction? No, and CarMax says so three times. The Auction Policies, the rulebook every bidder accepts, open with it: “This is a DEALER-ONLY auction. Dealer must be registered and approved by CarMax to attend.” Dealers “must be properly licensed with the state or country ... in which they do business,” and then: “All purchases from CarMax are for re-sale only. Retail customers are not allowed. Any Dealer who attends with a retail customer will have his/her/its privileges revoked.” The FAQ asks the question as people type it, “Can anyone buy a vehicle at a CarMax auction? Is it open to the public?”, and answers: “CarMax auctions are DEALER ONLY auctions. All individuals attending a CarMax auction must be signed up as a representative of a licensed dealership.” The App Store listing for the CarMax Auctions app reads “For Registered Dealers.” That closes the usual workarounds: - **You cannot go along with a dealer friend.** The policy names that case and revokes the dealer’s privileges. - **A dealer cannot buy “for” you.** Purchases are “for re-sale only.” A dealer who resells you a car bought here is doing ordinary retail business at its own price. - **The registration gate is dealer-only too.** CarMax requires AuctionACCESS membership, and AuctionACCESS says “Membership is restricted to licensed, credentialed vehicle dealers and their authorized representatives,” meaning “bona fide employees or contractors with a licensed dealership.” Two more doors are shut. You cannot sell your own car there, because “all of the vehicles sold at CarMax auctions are owned by CarMax and its affiliates,” and a dealer cannot buy before the sale: “No, all units are sold through the auction.” ## What CarMax Auctions is, by CarMax’s own description CarMax’s 10-K calls the company “also one of the nation’s largest operators of wholesale vehicle auctions, with 538,203 vehicles sold during fiscal 2026.” CarMax’s fiscal year ends on the last day of February, so fiscal 2026 is the year to 28 February 2026; every year on this page is a CarMax fiscal year. - **Online bidding.** “Our auctions are 100% online, allowing you to bid from your computer or on the go using our mobile app,” and “all bidding is conducted through our simulcast partner, Velocicast.” The App Store names Auction Frontier LLC as the app’s seller. - **Live, open bidding.** “We do not accept sealed or silent bidding.” Where early (proxy) bidding is offered, it opens four days before a sale, and under the Simulcast Terms “An Early Bid is binding once submitted.” - **Licensed auctioneers.** The 10-K says “Professional, licensed auctioneers conduct our auctions.” - **CarMax owns every car.** The home page says “We own all the cars we sell,” so “there are never any ifs or calls”: no outside seller deciding whether to accept the top bid. - **Physical sites still matter.** CarMax offers “in-person previews the day(s) before the auction,” and “the vehicle must be picked up from the winning location.” The locations page listed 54 auction locations in 29 states when we read it, the most in California (9), Florida (6) and Texas (5). Five match stand-alone centers CarMax’s filings say it opened recently: El Mirage, Arizona; New Kent, Virginia; and Frederick, Maryland, in fiscal 2026, and Locust Grove, Georgia, and the Conroe Auction Center in Texas in the first half of fiscal 2027. The 10-Q plans one more stand-alone auction facility and one more reconditioning and auction center this fiscal year. ## Which cars go to auction instead of the retail lot, and why CarMax buys far more cars than it retails, and its annual report says where the rest go: “Based on age, mileage or condition, approximately half of the vehicles acquired through our appraisal processes meet our retail standards. Those vehicles that do not meet our retail standards are sold to licensed dealers through our wholesale auctions.” The appraisal is the one any seller gets, a “written, guaranteed offer” that “is good for seven days” whether or not the owner buys from CarMax. Dealers sell to CarMax too, through MaxOffer, which “gives licensed dealers an instant offer good for seven days”; the 10-K says CarMax uses the sales team of Edmunds, the car-research site it bought in 2021, to sign dealers up. In fiscal 2026 CarMax bought 1,137,810 vehicles: 987,191 from consumers and 150,619 from dealers. The 10-K treats appraisal and auction as one machine. The appraisal volume “provides the scale that enables us to conduct our own wholesale auctions to dispose of vehicles that do not meet our retail standards,” and wholesale profit depends on CarMax’s “ability to adjust appraisal offers and quickly move vehicles to our standalone auctions.” The result is an older car than CarMax retails. “The typical vehicle sold at our wholesale auctions is more than 11 years old and has more than 100,000 miles,” and CarMax’s auctions “predominantly sell older, higher mileage vehicles” where rival auctions sell all ages. On the retail side CarMax focuses on cars 0 to 10 years old, which generally sold for $15,000 to $47,000 over the past three fiscal years. Two other groups land in the same sales: - **Cars CarMax will not retail at all.** Its article on how cars reach the lot says “we never sell cars with flood damage, frame damage, or salvage history” and that “Cars that don’t meet our quality standards are sold to other dealers at CarMax hosted vehicle auctions.” At auction those histories are announced, not hidden. - **Repossessions.** The FAQ says “Other vehicles may be CarMax Auto Finance repossessions,” and the 10-K describes repossessed cars being “liquidated, generally at our wholesale auctions,” with annual recovery rates of 45% to 71% of the loan balance over the past 10 fiscal years. Those cars never reach a public sale; our guide to [repossessed car auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/repossessed-car-auctions/) covers the ones that do. By our arithmetic, CarMax’s 538,203 wholesale sales in fiscal 2026 equal 47.3% of the 1,137,810 vehicles it bought that year. They are not the same cars, and the auction count includes repossessions, but the figures sit where the 10-K’s “approximately half” says they should. ## The auction business in CarMax’s filings CarMax reports its wholesale auctions as a line of their own. The table carries the 10-K’s figures as printed. **CarMax wholesale auction results, fiscal years to February 2024, 2025 and 2026, from CarMax, Inc.’s 10-K filed 15 April 2026** | Measure | Fiscal 2024 | Fiscal 2025 | Fiscal 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Wholesale vehicles sold | 546,331 | 544,312 | 538,203 | | Wholesale vehicle sales (revenue) | $4,975.8 million | $4,587.5 million | $4,504.6 million | | Average wholesale selling price | $8,707 | $8,019 | $7,942 | | Wholesale gross profit | $556.8 million | $557.6 million | $524.1 million | | Wholesale gross profit per car | $1,019 | $1,024 | $974 | | Gross profit as % of wholesale sales | 11.2% | 12.2% | 11.6% | | Wholesale share of total net sales | 18.8% | 17.4% | 17.4% | **Volume is large and steady.** Fiscal 2026 was 8,128 cars, or 1.5%, below fiscal 2024 by our arithmetic. Spread over the year, 538,203 cars is roughly 10,300 a week, which fits the home page’s “We sell thousands of cars each week.” Wholesale was 40.8% of all the vehicles CarMax sold in fiscal 2026 (538,203 of 1,318,887). **The cars are cheap by CarMax’s standards.** The $7,942 average wholesale price is 30.4% of the $26,121 average retail used price, by our arithmetic. The 10-K says the fiscal 2026 fall, about $80, “primarily reflected shifts in the mix of our sales by vehicle age.” **Profit per car is small in dollars, healthy in percent.** CarMax made $974 of gross profit per wholesale car against $2,253 per retail used car, but that is 11.6% of wholesale sales against 8.5% of retail. Wholesale supplied $524.1 million of CarMax’s $2,806.6 million gross profit, 18.7% by our arithmetic; that total is the one behind the 10.84% gross margin in our [CarMax appraisal guide](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carmax-appraisal/). The 10-K credits “strong dealer attendance and resulting high dealer-to-car ratios at our auctions.” **The latest quarter moved sharply.** The 10-Q for the quarter to 31 August 2026 shows 160,344 wholesale cars sold, up 15.9% from 138,302 (22,042 more), and wholesale revenue up 18.2% to $1,358.5 million. Gross profit per car fell from $993 to $858, the $135 drop the 10-Q prints, so wholesale gross profit barely moved: $137.6 million against $137.3 million. Over six months, 322,408 cars earned $953 each, against $1,021 a year earlier. CarMax also bought 47,537 cars from dealers in the quarter, up 53.7%; the 10-Q does not link the two trends, and neither do we. **Almost everything sells.** Because CarMax owns every car, the 10-K says, it can “maintain a high auction sales rate”: “For fiscal 2026, our average auction sales rate was approximately 99%.” The website gives a different figure, covered below. ## How a dealer registers 1. **AuctionACCESS first.** “CarMax Auctions requires an active AuctionACCESS membership for any user prior to their registration.” AuctionACCESS is a separate dealer-credentialing service covering “over 400 auction marketplaces and online channels across North America.” Its FAQ says “The annual membership fee is $103 USD per individual in AuctionACCESS (plus applicable sales tax),” with no charge to the dealership itself. 2. **Register with CarMax online** using the AuctionACCESS credentials. The dealer names its owners, officers and buyers and “guarantees all transactions made by each Authorized Agent.” 3. **File each state’s paperwork.** “You’ll need to submit any tax/resale documents required by the states where you will attend auctions as well as provide necessary documentation related to the payment options you select.” One registration covers every location. 4. **Wait for approval.** CarMax replies “usually within 30 minutes during normal business hours,” and “Registration can be completed in one business day, as long as all required forms and documents are submitted. Check writing authorization may take additional time.” From then on two documents bind the dealer. By “registering, attending, bidding, and/or purchasing,” or even visiting carmaxauctions.com, a dealer “accepts all terms and conditions contained in the Policies, including any subsequent amendments,” and CarMax may “interpret, apply, modify, or waive” them at its sole discretion. The second is the Simulcast Terms and Conditions for online bidding. The version the FAQ links, dated 9 October 2023, has each bidder sign “a limited power of attorney that authorizes CarMax and its associates to complete and sign the bill of sale,” makes each click on “Bid” “a legally binding offer,” and waives claims for damages “arising from or related to their use of simulcast.” The auction website sits under carmax.com’s Terms of Use, last updated 28 March 2025: it tells visitors they “agree to our Terms of Use” and links CarMax’s, which also cover CarMax’s “mobile applications” and exclude Edmunds, whose sites “are governed by separate terms and policies.” We did not install the app, whose App Store seller is Auction Frontier LLC, so we have seen no separate app terms. At a physical site the Policies also require identification and a “state-issued salesperson or buyer’s license (as required by law)” at check-in, and ban cameras and recording on CarMax property. ## Fees, payment and pickup deadlines CarMax’s fee policy contains no number: “For each vehicle sale CarMax assesses a Buyer’s Fee in addition to the sale price. The Buyer’s Fee varies depending upon the CarMax auction location and the individual vehicle’s sale price. CarMax also assesses an Administrative Fee for certain pay types (not applicable in Connecticut).” The 10-K agrees that “Dealers pay a fee to us based on the sales price of the vehicles they purchase.” The schedule sits behind the login: the FAQ tells dealers to check in to an auction, open the help icon in the Simulcast platform and select “Buy Fees.” We have no account, so this page gives no fee amount, and any figure quoted elsewhere is not one CarMax publishes. The blank bill of sale attached to the Simulcast Terms shows how a purchase is totalled: “SELLING PRICE,” “BUYER’S FEE,” “ADMIN. FEE” and “TOTAL.” A replacement title adds “a CarMax administrative fee and all governmental fees.” Arbitration, by contrast, is free: “None, there is no cost to arbitrate.” **What a winning dealer must do, and by when, under CarMax’s Auction Policies (as of 12 May 2026) and FAQ, read 9 October 2026** | Step | Deadline | If it is missed | | --- | --- | --- | | Sign the Wholesale Bill of Sale | “at the time of bid”; online, CarMax signs under the power of attorney | Price disputes must be raised “at the drop of the Auctioneer’s hammer” | | Pay in full (cash, check, floorplan, wire or ACH) | Close of business on the day after the sale | Possible “suspension of auction privileges”; credit and debit cards are not accepted | | Remove the car | Close of business on the day after the sale | Possible suspension; after 48 hours without consent, removal “at Dealer’s expense” | | Leave a bought car on the lot | Any time | Claims about its “maintenance and condition” after purchase “are waived” | | Return the title after an approved refund | 5 days | “No refund will be issued until CarMax receives the title” | Two payment rules surprise outsiders. The dealer “waives any right it may have to order or request a stop payment on any check or ACH authorization” and must use arbitration instead, and each returned check draws “The maximum service charge allowable under applicable state law.” Checks need an approved check-writing limit, and ACH needs check-writing approval first. CarMax lends nothing to auction buyers (“We do not offer financing to dealers purchasing vehicles at our wholesale auctions,” the 10-K says), but it has arranged third-party floorplan lenders, and it sells delivery of won cars. ## What CarMax announces, and what it does not check Asked “Do you have a light system?”, CarMax answers “No. We are a modified as-is auction.” Every car is “SOLD AS-IS” with announcements, and the dealer “is obligated to listen/watch for condition announcements and to understand those condition announcements.” CarMax announces cars “that we know to have evidence of a bad motor, transmission, 4x4, front and rear differential, etc.,” known title brands, and structural and flood damage “as outlined by the NAAA,” the National Auto Auction Association. The labels are “structural damage” or “structural alterations” (including “handicapped accessibility alterations”), “structural damage-perforated rust” for frame rust, and “flood” or “possible flood.” Known salvage, total-loss or theft-recovery history without a title brand “will be announced as such,” and the 10-K adds disclosures of “unknown true mileage.” The checking behind those announcements is light, and CarMax says so. “We run an AutoCheck on every vehicle we purchase,” the FAQ says. “Also, we briefly drive the vehicles to determine any major mechanical issues. We do not perform any kind of in-depth diagnostic evaluation.” There are no test drives and no post-sale inspections. The Policies add: - Announcements “are based on CarMax’s actual knowledge of the vehicle. CarMax assumes no duty to inspect or investigate the condition of any vehicle.” - “CarMax assumes no responsibility to investigate, disclose, or implement manufacturer recalls,” and “Certain vehicles may have unrepaired safety recalls,” with a pointer to [NHTSA’s recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). - History reports settle nothing: “EVDH (e.g., Carfax, AutoCheck, NMVTIS, NICB, etc.) will not be considered as the sole means of resolution.” - Buyers must “remove all non-manufacturer logos, insignias, and advertising before re-selling any vehicle,” so a resold car carries no CarMax badge. ## The arbitration windows: what a dealer can claim, and for how long “Arbitration” at a car auction is the auction’s own claims desk, not a court process. At CarMax it is “the sole and exclusive remedy,” refunds are “limited to the total purchase price shown on the Bill of Sale,” and decisions by CarMax’s Arbitration Manager or Auction Manager are made “in his/her sole and absolute discretion and will be final.” Each car can be arbitrated “one time only,” and only if it is “in the same condition as when it was sold.” The home page advertises a “7-day arbitration window”; the Policies show several clocks. **CarMax Auction Policies (as of 12 May 2026): claim windows by problem, read 9 October 2026** | Problem found | Window | Conditions in the Policies | | --- | --- | --- | | Unannounced major engine, transmission, transfer-case or differential defect, and 18 other listed items (flood or structural damage, missing airbags or catalytic converters, hail, a color change, a vinyl wrap, fleet or rental history and more) | 7 calendar days; day 1 is the day after the sale | 10 days if the Bill of Sale shows ArbX Plus; with CarMax delivery, at least 48 hours after delivery (4 days with ArbX Plus) | | Odometer or VIN that disagrees with the Bill of Sale, or a broken odometer | Before the car leaves the premises | A replacement odometer found later: documents within 30 days; no claim on cars marked “Exempt,” “NAM” or similar | | Car bought “Title Absent”; title never arrives | 30 days | Refund of the purchase price only; $0.50 a mile deducted past 300 miles | | Unannounced state or DMV taxes or fees of $100 or more | 30 days | Under $100: no claim | | Unannounced salvage, total-loss or theft history without a brand | 90 days from the sale | “Supporting documentation must be provided” | | Unannounced title brand or title error | 7 days after receiving the title | Clean-title cars guaranteed against prior brands for 48 months; refund “reduced by 2% per month” | | VIN plates disagree with the OBD system, or the car was reported stolen | 7 days of discovery, within 4 years of the sale | Only if law enforcement has impounded the car | Two rows carry formulas worth running once. For a “Title Absent” car driven 1,000 miles before it is returned, our arithmetic is (1,000 − 300) × $0.50 = $350 off the refund. The title-brand guarantee is starker: read literally, a refund “reduced by 2% per month from the purchase price” is cut by 24% for a brand found 12 months after the sale, 48% at 24 months and 96% at 48 months, leaving 4% at the end of the guarantee. CarMax prints no worked example, so that is our reading, not CarMax’s. The clocks keep running after a claim. The car must reach a CarMax auction location “within 48 hours of the end of the applicable arbitration window or the arbitration will be void,” and the longer window for delivered cars needs CarMax’s logistics booked “by close of business on the day after sale.” ArbX Plus, offered “on certain vehicles” and noted on the Bill of Sale, also repays “reasonable shipping costs for accepted arbitration returns” and “unannounced defective mechanical parts that singularly cost $800 or more,” except wear-and-tear parts, electric or hybrid batteries and aftermarket equipment. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a row of parked cars mark a bumper, a neighbouring car and a tail lamp, with the typical age and mileage of a CarMax auction car, its dealer-only rule, and the faults it never refunds. CarMax’s 10-K and Auction Policies, read on 9 October 2026, describe the typical auction car as more than 11 years old with over 100,000 miles (callout 1), bar retail customers from its dealer-only sales (callout 2), and exclude warning lights, wear items and hybrid batteries from refunds (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **What CarMax will never refund.** The Policies list “Dash warning lights of any kind; Battery failure on hybrid and/or electric vehicles; Visible defects, including suspension defects;” noises and wear items (tires, brake parts, belts, timing belts and chains, shocks and struts among them); any mechanical problem not specifically listed; and anything announced. A car that “does not run, is disclosed as a non-runner, or is pushed through the auction” gets no refund for mechanical defects or missing keys, and CarMax guarantees only “one set of keys for each vehicle.” Hail counts only at 10 or more dents to a single panel, except in Colorado. ## Where CarMax’s own documents disagree CarMax’s pages and filings mostly agree. Where they do not, the gap is worth knowing before relying on one sentence. - **95% or 99%?** The FAQ says “we sell on average 95% of our vehicles the first time,” and a home-page badge reads “95% sell-thru rate.” The 10-K says “our average auction sales rate was approximately 99%.” They may measure different things, first-time sales against an annual rate that counts re-runs, but neither defines its figure. - **Weekly, or weekly or bi-weekly?** The FAQ says “We hold weekly auctions” and the app listing “every week”; the 10-K says “generally held on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.” - **100% online, or mostly?** The home page says “100% online”; the 10-K says auctions “have primarily been conducted virtually” since fiscal 2021, and the Policies still govern auction lanes and check-in. - **Which Simulcast Terms?** The Policies bind dealers to Simulcast Terms at a PDF on image.email-carmax.com. The FAQ links a different PDF, dated 9 October 2023, which says bidders “can request access to simulcast by contacting CarMax Auction Services,” though the site now registers dealers online. The host the Policies cite has a robots.txt that disallows every automated agent, so we did not read that version by any route and cannot say whether the texts match. - **Every vehicle covered?** Asked about age or mileage limits, the FAQ says “No, our Auction Policies cover every vehicle we sell.” True for age and mileage, but non-runners and pushed cars lose the mechanical and key remedies, and ArbX Plus applies only “on certain vehicles.” - **Three floorplan lenders or four?** The FAQ answer names Kinetic Advantage, AFC and NextGear; the links under it add Westlake Flooring. - **Third largest?** CarMax’s article on how cars reach the lot, dated 3 October 2023, calls its auctions “the 3 rd largest vehicle auction house in the U.S.” and counts “240+ stores.” The 10-K gives no rank, only “one of the nation’s largest,” and counts 256 stores at 28 February 2026 (258 by 31 August 2026). We treat the rank as a dated claim. ## If you are not a dealer: what to do instead This is not a recommendation of one seller over another, only a map of where the doors CarMax closes lead. **Buy from CarMax’s retail side.** The cars that pass CarMax’s standards are on its lots, about 61,000 saleable vehicles at 28 February 2026 by the 10-K, each reconditioned and inspected before sale and backed by “our 10-day money-back guarantee and a 30-day limited warranty.” You pay a retail price for those promises; an auction car comes as-is, and its announcements and claim window belong to the dealer who bought it. Our guides cover the [CarMax warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carmax-warranty/), [CarMax financing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carmax-auto-finance/) and [Carvana against CarMax](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carvana-vs-carmax/). **Use a sale that admits the public.** Our guide to [repossessed car auctions](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/repossessed-car-auctions/) reads the credit-union and government sales open to the public. Copart’s annual report, as our [Copart fees guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) quotes it, says Copart may sell to the general public directly or through a registered broker. Read each seller’s terms and fees before bidding. **If you are selling, use the appraisal.** The auction takes no outside cars. CarMax buys through its appraisal whether or not you buy from it, and the offer “is good for seven days.” Our [CarMax appraisal guide](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/carmax-appraisal/) explains what the offer has to cover, and [where to sell a car](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/where-to-sell-a-car/) compares the routes. If your car is old and high-mileage, CarMax’s filing suggests where it may go next. ## Buying a car that went through a CarMax auction A retail buyer meets CarMax Auctions second-hand, when an independent dealer resells a car bought in CarMax’s sales. That is ordinary. It does mean the car is one CarMax chose not to retail, sold to the dealer as-is with announcements you will probably never see, and the dealer’s claim window has likely closed. Since the Policies make dealers strip CarMax’s logos, the car will not tell you where it came from; our guide to [auction history by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/) explains what auction records can show. ### Before you buy a car a dealer sourced at auction - **Ask where the dealer bought it.** CarMax’s bill of sale has an “ANNOUNCEMENTS” line. Ask what it said, in writing. - **Check open recalls yourself.** CarMax takes no responsibility for recalls on auction cars. Look the VIN up on [NHTSA’s recall site](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). - **Read the title history.** CarMax says it never retails cars with “flood damage, frame damage, or salvage history,” so rule those out. See [salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) and the [flood damage check by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/flood-damage-check-by-vin/). - **Check the mileage record.** CarMax discloses “unknown true mileage” when it knows of it; a [VIN odometer check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/odometer-check-by-vin/) compares readings over time. - **Pay for an independent inspection.** CarMax only drives auction cars briefly. Our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) covers what a mechanic should check. - **Read the dealer’s own terms.** Its fees and warranty bind you, not CarMax’s. See [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) and the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/). ## Common questions ### Can the public buy cars at a CarMax auction? No. The Auction Policies say “This is a DEALER-ONLY auction” and “Retail customers are not allowed,” and the FAQ says everyone attending “must be signed up as a representative of a licensed dealership.” Purchases are “for re-sale only,” so a dealer cannot buy on your behalf. The public can buy CarMax cars at its retail stores. ### Do you need a dealer license for CarMax Auctions? Yes. Dealers must be “properly licensed” where they do business, and CarMax registers no one without an active AuctionACCESS membership, which is restricted to licensed, credentialed dealers and their staff and costs $103 a year per person. CarMax also asks for each state’s tax and resale documents. ### How much are CarMax auction fees? CarMax does not publish them. The Buyer’s Fee “varies depending upon the CarMax auction location and the individual vehicle’s sale price,” an Administrative Fee applies to certain pay types (not in Connecticut), and the schedule is shown only inside the Simulcast platform. Arbitration is free. Payment is due by close of business the day after the sale. ### Are CarMax auctions online, and where are they held? Bidding is online, through Velocicast’s simulcast or the CarMax Auctions app; the 10-K says the auctions have been primarily virtual since fiscal 2021. The cars sit at physical sites, where dealers can preview them and must collect them. The locations page listed 54 sites in 29 states on 9 October 2026. ### What kind of cars are sold at CarMax auctions? Mostly appraisal buys that missed CarMax’s retail standards, about half of them by its 10-K, plus CarMax Auto Finance repossessions. The typical car is more than 11 years old with more than 100,000 miles, and the average sold for $7,942 in fiscal 2026. Every car is sold as-is, with known major mechanical problems, title brands and structural or flood damage announced. ### Can I sell my car at a CarMax auction? No. Every car sold there is “owned by CarMax and its affiliates.” To sell to CarMax you get an appraisal, a written offer the 10-K says is good for seven days whether or not you buy; a car that misses CarMax’s retail standards is likely to be sold on at the auction. ## Sources and further reading - [SEC EDGAR filings: CarMax, Inc.](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1170010) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/carmax-auction/ --- title: "Sherpa Auto Transport Review: What FMCSA’s Records Show" description: "Sherpa Auto Transport is a licensed broker (MC-1555035) with a $75,000 bond. FMCSA also lists an older Sherpa registration, revoked in 2023." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Sherpa Auto Transport Review: What FMCSA’s Records Show > Sherpa Auto Transport is a licensed broker (MC-1555035) with a $75,000 bond. FMCSA also lists an older Sherpa registration, revoked in 2023. *Used Car Buying · 20 min read · 4,612 words* ## The short version - Sherpa Auto Transport is a licensed broker, not a trucking company. FMCSA lists Sherpa Auto Transport LLC (USDOT 4085166, MC-1555035, Tucker, Georgia) as authorized only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” active since 23 June 2023, with 0 power units. An independent carrier hauls your car. - It has the $75,000 surety bond every broker must file (Form BMC-84, effective 7 June 2023). The bond pays if a broker fails to carry out its contracts. It is not insurance on your car, and the broker has no cargo insurance on file. - FMCSA holds a second, older registration under the same legal name: USDOT 3053476, MC-51106, in Charlotte, North Carolina, granted in 2017 and revoked on 27 September 2023. If your paperwork shows those numbers, ask why before you pay. - We did not read Sherpa’s own terms. Its robots.txt bars ClaudeBot, Anthropic’s crawler, from the whole site, and we follow that rule, so this review says nothing about Sherpa’s price promise, deposits, cancellation fees, claims process or arbitration clause. We list what to look for instead. - Under federal law, damage in transit is the carrier’s liability, and a carrier may not give you less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue. - BBB’s profile page blocked us, and searches found no regulator action or lawsuit naming the company. That is a search result, not a clearance. Sherpa Auto Transport is a federally registered car-shipping broker with active authority and the bond the law requires, and FMCSA’s records hold something every customer should check: two registrations under the same name, one active and one revoked. On 9 October 2026 we read FMCSA’s SAFER company snapshots (data as of 7 October 2026), the Motus account page and FMCSA’s licensing, insurance and census datasets for both registrations, along with the federal rules for brokers and carriers. We did not read Sherpa’s website: its robots.txt closes every page to ClaudeBot, and this site follows the rules a website sets for that crawler, so the contract that governs a Sherpa booking is not quoted here. We requested no quote, entered no details, and have no commercial relationship with Sherpa or any other shipper. **Figure: Sherpa Auto Transport in FMCSA’s records** A two-column table reading six fields from FMCSA’s records for Sherpa Auto Transport LLC: broker-only authority under MC-1555035 with 0 power units, active since 23 June 2023 with no revocation, a $75,000 BMC-84 surety bond effective 7 June 2023 that is not insurance on the car, no cargo insurance on file for the broker, an older registration MC-51106 in Charlotte revoked on 27 September 2023, and 0 inspections and 0 crashes in the 24 months to 7 October 2026. Read from FMCSA’s SAFER snapshots (data as of 7 October 2026), the Motus account page and FMCSA’s licensing, insurance and census datasets on 9 October 2026. Sherpa’s own website was not read: its robots.txt bars Anthropic’s crawler. ## Why this review does not quote Sherpa’s own pages A review of a car shipper should start with the shipper’s own contract, and for most companies we do exactly that. Sherpa is the exception. The file at sherpaautotransport.com/robots.txt, which we read first on 9 October 2026, carries a block headed “Block AI Training Crawlers.” It names five crawlers, ClaudeBot among them, and gives each the rule “Disallow: /”, which covers every page on the site. The server dates that version of the file to 24 July 2026. The same file says some search crawlers are “intentionally NOT blocked,” so the rule is aimed at the crawlers the file lists under AI training, not at search engines. Our research follows the rules a site writes for ClaudeBot, and a rule covering “/” leaves nothing to read. We did not get around it through a proxy, a reader service or a browser, and we did not use other websites that repeat Sherpa’s wording, because that would be the same text at one remove. The only file we requested from Sherpa’s server is robots.txt itself, the one file a crawler is expected to read, and our data script re-reads it on each run in case the rule changes. That leaves out what a shipper most wants to know from the company itself: - how Sherpa describes itself, and which USDOT and MC numbers it prints; - any price promise, how long it lasts and what voids it; - when your card is charged, how much up front and how the driver is paid; - what cancelling costs, and when; - how damage claims work and whether Sherpa adds a deadline of its own; - what its pickup and delivery wording promises, and what “guaranteed” covers; - arbitration, class-action waivers and any cap on its liability. What remains is the part of the story a company cannot write for itself: its federal registration, its bond, its history with the regulator, and the rules that apply to every broker whatever its terms say. Those are below, followed by [a guide to reading Sherpa’s terms yourself](#terms-to-read). ## Is Sherpa a broker or a carrier? A broker. FMCSA’s SAFER snapshot for USDOT 4085166 gives the entity type as BROKER and the operating authority as “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods).” FMCSA’s licensing dataset shows no common or contract carrier authority on the same registration, the snapshot lists 0 power units and 0 non-CMV units, and the cargo box ticked is “Motor Vehicles.” SAFER’s own legend explains that the authority line lists “the specific operating authorities the carrier (or broker) is allowed to operate.” For Sherpa that is brokering, and nothing else. Our [AmeriFreight review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/amerifreight-review/) reads another broker’s record and terms. Federal rules define the job. Under [49 CFR 371.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.2), a broker “arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier,” and brokerage includes “the arranging of transportation or the physical movement of a motor vehicle.” [49 CFR 371.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.7) adds that a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier,” that “any advertising shall show the broker status of the operation,” and that it may not offer brokerage “in any name other than that in which its registration is issued.” We could not check how Sherpa’s pages describe the service, so check that your order or contract calls Sherpa a broker and names the registration you are dealing with. In practice, booking with a broker means dealing with two companies: - **Sherpa takes the order** and finds a trucking company to move the car. - **The carrier collects, hauls and delivers it.** The driver who arrives works for the carrier, under the carrier’s own USDOT number, insurance and bill of lading. - **Federal law makes the carrier liable for damage in transit** (see [damage](#damage) below). Anything Sherpa adds to that is a matter for its terms. Our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-or-carrier) explains how brokers, carriers and lead sites differ across the industry. ## Two FMCSA registrations carry the Sherpa name Search FMCSA’s datasets for the legal name and two registrations come back, both “SHERPA AUTO TRANSPORT LLC.” Only one is active. Which one you are dealing with matters, because a broker’s authority and bond belong to a registration, not to a brand name. **The two FMCSA registrations named Sherpa Auto Transport LLC, read 9 October 2026** | Field | USDOT 4085166, MC-1555035 | USDOT 3053476, MC-51106 | | --- | --- | --- | | Location in the record | Tucker, Georgia | Charlotte, North Carolina (trade name “Sherpa Auto Transport”) | | USDOT number added | 2 June 2023 | 28 September 2017 | | Broker authority | Granted 23 June 2023; active | Granted 30 October 2017; revoked 27 September 2023 | | Security on file | BMC-84 surety bond, $75,000, effective 7 June 2023 | Surety bonds from 19 October 2017; the last cancelled 19 October 2023 | | SAFER today | USDOT status ACTIVE, data as of 7 October 2026 | “Record Inactive” | | Last registration update (MCS-150) | 20 February 2026 | 26 September 2023 | | Contact e-mail in FMCSA’s files | On the sherpaautotransport.com domain | On a different domain | The dates overlap. The Georgia registration got its broker authority on 23 June 2023; the North Carolina one was revoked on 27 September 2023, 96 days later by our arithmetic. FMCSA’s records do not explain the change or say whether the two registrations belong to the same business, and we do not guess. What they do show is which registration is tied to the website’s domain: FMCSA’s census file and the Motus account page list a business e-mail on the sherpaautotransport.com domain for USDOT 4085166, and the older record’s e-mail is on another domain. We made that match from FMCSA’s files, not from Sherpa’s site. **Check the numbers on your contract.** A broker may not offer its services “in any name other than that in which its registration is issued” (49 CFR 371.7), and the bond on file belongs to the registration. If an order, invoice, payment page or review gives you USDOT 3053476 or MC-51106, it points to a registration FMCSA shows as inactive and revoked. Ask Sherpa to confirm in writing that your order is with MC-1555035 before you pay anything. The same check protects against a wider problem. Our [guide to looking a shipper up](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#look-it-up) covers FMCSA’s warning about copied and hijacked registration numbers: the name and location on the federal record should match the company on your contract and the one taking your money. ## Is Sherpa Auto Transport legit? The active registration Yes, in the sense the federal record can answer. On 9 October 2026 the registration for USDOT 4085166 showed every sign of a broker in good standing: - **Active status.** SAFER gives the USDOT status as ACTIVE and the out-of-service date as “None”; the Motus account page reads “Active” for both the USDOT number and MC1555035. - **Authority since 2023.** FMCSA’s authority history records the property-broker authority as granted on 23 June 2023, with no later action. Neither the Motus revocation table nor the older revocation dataset has a row for it. - **Bond on file.** A BMC-84 surety bond from Great American Insurance Company, effective 7 June 2023 and posted the next day, for $75,000 in FMCSA’s Motus insurance table. It took effect 16 days before the authority was granted, by our arithmetic, which fits the rule that FMCSA will not register a broker until its security is in place. - **Current registration data.** The MCS-150, the form a registrant uses to update its details, was last filed on 20 February 2026. The snapshot also shows 0 inspections and 0 crashes in the 24 months to 7 October 2026, in the United States and Canada, and no safety rating. For a broker that owns no trucks that is expected rather than reassuring: the inspections and crashes that bear on your car are the carrier’s. FMCSA’s own note on crash counts applies when you read the carrier’s snapshot: they record involvement in reportable crashes “without any determination as to responsibility.” You can check all of this yourself on FMCSA’s [SAFER company snapshot for USDOT 4085166](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=4085166). A registration in good standing is a floor, not a verdict on service: how your shipment goes depends heavily on the carrier Sherpa assigns. ## The older registration: MC-51106, revoked in 2023 The North Carolina registration has a longer history, and FMCSA’s datasets record it in some detail. In date order: - **28 September 2017:** USDOT 3053476 added to FMCSA’s census, with “Sherpa Auto Transport” as the trade name. - **19 October 2017:** the first broker surety bond takes effect, from Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company, 11 days before the authority is granted. - **30 October 2017:** property-broker authority granted under MC-51106. - **23 September 2019:** FMCSA serves an “INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION” action; it is marked “DISCONTINUED REVOCATION” on 25 September 2019, 2 days later. The dataset gives no reason. - **2018 to 2023:** the bond passes from Philadelphia Indemnity to Hudson Insurance Company (from 19 October 2018) and then to SureTec Insurance Company (from 19 October 2021). The 5 bond rows show no gap between one bond and the next. - **22 September 2023:** an order recorded as a “VOLUNTARY REVOCATION” is served. - **26 September 2023:** the last MCS-150 update on the registration. - **27 September 2023:** the broker authority is recorded as “REVOKED,” 5 days after the order. - **19 October 2023:** the last bond, SureTec’s, is cancelled on Form BMC-36, 22 days after the revocation. Read plainly, the registration held broker authority for nearly six years (5.9 by our arithmetic), kept a bond in force throughout, survived one revocation action that was discontinued within days, and closed with a revocation the record labels voluntary. FMCSA’s SAFER system now answers a search for USDOT 3053476 with “Record Inactive.” None of that history attaches to the Georgia registration in FMCSA’s files, and none of it tells you how either handled customers. ## What the $75,000 bond covers, and what it does not Every property broker must carry the same security. [49 CFR 387.307](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.307) (effective 16 January 2026) says “a broker must have a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000 in effect,” filed on Form BMC-84 for a bond or BMC-85 for a trust fund, and that “the broker registration shall remain in effect only as long as a surety bond or trust fund remains in effect.” Sherpa’s active registration uses the bond route, with Great American Insurance Company as surety. FMCSA’s Motus insurance table prints the amount as $75,000; the older licensing table leaves that field at 0 for the same bond, so we rely on the Motus figure. The rule says what the money is for: it “shall ensure the financial responsibility of the broker by providing for payments to shippers or motor carriers if the broker fails to carry out its contracts, agreements, or arrangements for the supplying of transportation by authorized motor carriers.” In plain terms, it protects you against a broker that takes your order and does not deliver on the arrangement. It is not cargo insurance, and $75,000 is the total security for all of a broker’s customers and carriers, not a sum per car. Two more parts of the rule matter to a shipper: - **A bond cannot vanish overnight.** It “may be cancelled only upon 30 days’ written notice to FMCSA, on prescribed Form BMC-36.” The older Sherpa registration’s bond cancellations are recorded on that form. - **If a broker fails financially,** FMCSA posts the cancellation in the FMCSA Register on its website, and the surety “must accept claims” against the bond for 60 calendar days after that notice. The broker has no cargo insurance on file, and FMCSA does not require it: FMCSA’s data for MC-1555035 reads “N” for cargo insurance required and on file, and 0 for liability insurance. Cover for your car in transit comes from the carrier. Our guide’s section on [the broker bond and the 2023 rule](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#broker-bond) explains how the security changed and how claims against it are paid. ## If your car is damaged: who answers under federal law The Carmack Amendment, [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), puts loss and damage in interstate transport on the carrier. A carrier “shall issue a receipt or bill of lading for property it receives,” and the receiving carrier, the delivering carrier and any carrier in between are liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property.” If no bill of lading is issued, that “does not affect the liability of a carrier.” A carrier also “may not provide by rule, contract, or otherwise, a period of less than 9 months for filing a claim” or less than 2 years for bringing a lawsuit. Sherpa, as a broker, is not the carrier in that statute. Whether its terms take on any responsibility for damage, offer cover of their own, or require you to tell Sherpa about damage within a set time is something only its terms can answer, and we did not read them. Montway’s terms, for comparison, name the carrier as the liable party and require notice to Montway within 48 hours of delivery; look for any clause like that in Sherpa’s before you book, because, as Montway’s shows, a broker’s deadline can be far shorter than the carrier’s. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car inside an open transporter mark the trailer door, the car's panel and the door handle, with checking the carrier's own USDOT number, marking damage on the bill of lading, and the federal claim window. FMCSA’s records and federal rules, read on 9 October 2026, list Sherpa with broker authority only (callout 1), put transit damage on the carrier (callout 2), and allow at least 9 months to file a written claim (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. What protects you most is paperwork done at the curb: - **Before pickup,** get the carrier’s name and USDOT number from Sherpa, look the carrier up on SAFER, and ask for its certificate of insurance. - **At pickup,** walk round the car with the driver, mark every existing scratch on the bill of lading, photograph every side, the roof, the wheels and the odometer, and keep your copy. - **At delivery,** repeat the walk before you sign, and write any new damage on the delivery receipt. If it is dark or raining, say so on the document. - **Then file a written claim with the carrier** that states an amount, with the bill of lading, photos and a repair estimate. A note on the delivery receipt alone is not a claim. Our car shipping guide covers [the bill of lading and condition report](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#paperwork) and [the claim deadlines](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/#damage) step by step, including the carrier’s duty to answer. ## Six things to find in Sherpa’s terms before you book Sherpa’s Terms of Service will be the contract for your shipment, and they are a click away for you even though they are closed to us. Read them before you pay anything, and save a copy (a PDF or screenshots) on the day you book so you can show later what you agreed to. These are the six points that decide how a shipment goes when something goes wrong. The right-hand column shows how one other broker’s printed terms answered each point when we read them for our [Montway review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/); it is there to show what such clauses look like, not to rank either company. **What to find in Sherpa’s terms, with Montway’s printed answers (read 7 October 2026) as an example** | Point | What to look for in Sherpa’s terms | How Montway’s terms answered it | | --- | --- | --- | | Price promise | How long a quoted or booked price holds, which cars qualify, and what voids it | Booked price locked for 30 calendar days, for operable, factory-standard cars; void if you work or post with another broker | | Deposit and when you are charged | When the card is first charged, how much, and how the driver must be paid | Charged at dispatch to a carrier (Terms); a partial payment of $199 or less on cash-price orders (help center) | | Cancelling and refunds | The point after which cancelling costs money, and how much | Free until a carrier accepts the order; after that, a minimum of $249 | | Damage claims | Who you claim against, and any notice deadline the broker adds | The carrier is liable, not Montway; tell Montway within 48 hours of delivery | | Pickup and delivery dates | Whether any date is guaranteed, and what the guarantee covers | Montway “cannot and does not guarantee delivery dates or times” | | Disputes | Arbitration, class-action waiver, any opt-out, and any cap on the broker’s liability | Binding individual arbitration, small-claims court excepted; liability capped at the fees paid to Montway | A few things to watch for as you read Sherpa’s version: - **Quote versus booked price.** Montway’s terms say plainly that a quote is not a confirmed booking; check whether Sherpa’s draw the same line. If Sherpa promises a fixed or locked price, find the conditions: how many days it lasts, whether it covers only running, unmodified cars, and what happens if the pickup date moves. - **The moment the money changes hands.** Money taken at booking, at dispatch or at delivery carries different risks if the job falls through. Find out how much goes to Sherpa and how much is paid to the driver, and in what form the driver must be paid. - **The cancellation trigger.** Montway’s terms tie the fee to the moment a carrier accepts the job. Find the trigger in Sherpa’s terms, know when it happens, and how Sherpa tells you it has happened. - **“Guaranteed” wording.** A guaranteed pickup date is not a guaranteed delivery date. Check which one any paid upgrade covers, and what you get back if it is missed. - **Precedence.** If the terms say they override the carrier’s bill of lading, or that the carrier’s own terms also apply, you may be bound by both documents. Ask for the carrier’s terms too. - **Where disputes go.** An arbitration clause decides where and how you can pursue a claim against the broker; it does not change the carrier’s duties under 49 U.S.C. 14706. ## Your right to see the broker’s record of your shipment One federal rule gives every customer of a broker a tool worth knowing about. Under [49 CFR 371.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.3), a broker “shall keep a record of each transaction” showing, among other things: - the name, address and registration number of the carrier that took the shipment; - the bill of lading or freight bill number; - “the amount of compensation received by the broker for the brokerage service performed and the name of the payer”; - “the amount of any freight charges collected by the broker and the date of payment to the carrier.” Brokers must keep these records “for a period of three years,” and “each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record of the transaction.” You are a party. If your car arrives damaged and you need the carrier’s details, or if you want to know how much of what you paid went to the trucker and how much the broker kept, ask Sherpa in writing to let you review the record for your order under 49 CFR 371.3, and keep a copy of your request. ## Sherpa Auto Transport reviews: what we could and could not check People searching for Sherpa Auto Transport reviews mostly want to know whether other customers’ cars arrived on time and undamaged. We could verify less than we would like, and we would rather say so than repeat ratings we have not seen. **BBB.** The Better Business Bureau’s robots.txt lets Anthropic’s crawlers read business profiles, but when we opened Sherpa’s profile on 9 October 2026 the site showed its “You have been blocked” security page. We did not try to get around it, so this page carries no BBB grade, accreditation date or complaint count. Read the profile yourself, and look at recent complaints and the company’s answers rather than the letter grade. **Trustpilot and Reddit.** Left out of this review as a matter of policy. **Ratings on Sherpa’s own site.** Not read, for the robots.txt reason above. Any testimonials a company chooses to show are a selection, not a sample. **Regulators and courts.** Web searches on 9 October 2026 for the company’s name with attorney general, lawsuit, consent order, settlement and court case found no regulator action or lawsuit naming Sherpa Auto Transport LLC. That is a search result, not a clearance, and we read no complaint or docket. FMCSA’s own tables are firmer ground: no revocation or suspension on the active registration, and the older registration’s history as set out above. **The carrier.** No rating of a broker tells you how the carrier it assigns to your car will perform. That carrier’s SAFER snapshot, with its inspections, out-of-service rate, crashes and insurance on file, is the record closest to your shipment. ## Before you book with Sherpa - **Look up the right registration.** Check USDOT 4085166 or MC-1555035 on FMCSA’s SAFER system and confirm that the name on your order is Sherpa Auto Transport LLC with those numbers. If anything you are sent shows USDOT 3053476 or MC-51106, ask why before paying. - **Read the Terms of Service yourself and save a copy.** Find the six points above: price promise, deposit and charge timing, cancellation, damage claims, delivery wording and disputes. - **Get the payment terms in writing.** How much up front, when the card is charged, how much the driver collects and in what form. - **Ask which carrier is assigned,** then look that carrier up on SAFER: its authority to carry property, insurance on file, inspections and crashes. - **Ask for the carrier’s certificate of insurance** before pickup, and ask whether Sherpa adds any cover or claim deadline of its own. - **Describe the car exactly.** Running or not, modified, lifted or lowered, oversized wheels. Montway’s terms, for one, let the carrier charge more or refuse a car that is modified, oversized or not running; check what Sherpa’s say. - **Inspect and photograph at both ends.** Every existing mark on the bill of lading at pickup, every new one on the delivery receipt before you sign, and the odometer reading. - **Know your deadlines.** At least 9 months to file a written claim with the carrier and at least 2 years to sue after a written denial, plus any notice period Sherpa’s terms set. - **Use the broker record if there is a dispute.** Ask in writing to review the record of your shipment under 49 CFR 371.3. If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/) and [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) cover the tax, title and handover steps, the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) guide covers checking the car before it is loaded, and auction buyers should add [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) to the shipping bill. For the dealer side of the purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies. ## Common questions ### Is Sherpa Auto Transport legit? It is a registered broker in good standing on the federal record. FMCSA lists Sherpa Auto Transport LLC under USDOT 4085166 and MC-1555035 with active broker authority since 23 June 2023, a $75,000 surety bond on file and no revocation or suspension. Registration does not guarantee a good shipment: the carrier Sherpa assigns does the physical work, so look that carrier up too. ### Is Sherpa Auto Transport a broker or a carrier? A broker. FMCSA authorizes the registration only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” with no carrier authority and 0 power units. An independent trucking company with its own USDOT number collects, hauls and delivers the car. ### What is Sherpa Auto Transport’s MC number? The active one is MC-1555035, under USDOT 4085166, in Tucker, Georgia. An older registration under the same legal name, MC-51106 and USDOT 3053476 in Charlotte, North Carolina, was revoked on 27 September 2023 and shows as inactive on SAFER. ### Why are there two USDOT numbers under the Sherpa Auto Transport name? FMCSA’s records show the older North Carolina registration from 2017 and the Georgia registration from 2023, with the new authority granted 96 days before the old one was revoked. The records do not explain the change or say whether the two belong to the same business. Only the newer record’s contact e-mail is on the sherpaautotransport.com domain. ### Who pays if my car is damaged shipping with Sherpa? Under 49 U.S.C. 14706 the carrier that hauled the car is liable for actual loss or damage, and it may not give you less than 9 months to file a claim. Whether Sherpa’s own terms add cover or a notice deadline is something we could not check; read them before booking, note any damage on the bill of lading at delivery, and file a written claim with the carrier. ### Does Sherpa Auto Transport have a price lock? We cannot say what Sherpa promises on price, because its website bars the crawler our research follows and we did not read its terms. If Sherpa quotes you a locked or guaranteed price, find the written conditions before you pay: how long it holds, which cars qualify, what voids it, and when your card is charged. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/ --- title: "Subaru Motors Finance Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease" description: "Subaru Motors Finance is run by JPMorgan Chase. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end charges, and what Subaru’s planned finance company means for you." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-motors-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Subaru Motors Finance Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease > Subaru Motors Finance is run by JPMorgan Chase. How to pay, payoff and title times, lease-end charges, and what Subaru’s planned finance company means for you. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,979 words* ## The short version - Subaru Motors Finance is the name under which JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. lends to Subaru buyers. Subaru of America owns the name and licenses it to Chase, and SMF’s footer says “Auto finance accounts are owned by Chase.” Chase has been Subaru’s finance partner since 2001. - On 5 August 2026 Subaru said it will start its own finance company, with a target date of 2030, and that customers “with existing loans and leases will not be affected by the changeover.” - You sign in and pay through chase.com, from a Chase or outside bank account. SMF prints no fee for paying online. - There is no prepayment penalty “even if your contract lists a fee.” SMF says the lien release usually goes out 2 to 10 business days after the payoff posts and to allow up to 30 days; Chase’s own title FAQ says 45. Chase says it does not refinance SMF loans. - At lease end the pre-inspection is optional, and SMF says the first $1,000 of wear and use charges comes off the bill (not tires, keys or mileage). Returning more than 30 days early can cost “several thousand dollars.” SMF prints no disposition fee or mileage rate. - The CFPB’s database has no Subaru Motors Finance company name, so SMF complaints sit inside the 2,665 vehicle loan and lease complaints filed against JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subaru Motors Finance (SMF) is not a separate lender: it is a program run by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., which owns every SMF loan and lease and services them through chase.com. Most people searching for SMF want to pay, pay off, end a lease or find out who holds the contract, so on 9 October 2026 we read what SMF publishes on those questions: its [FAQ](https://www.subarumotorsfinance.com/faq), loan-end and lease-end pages, wear and use guide and footer. We also read Subaru of America’s releases of [19 October 2020](https://media.subaru.com/pressrelease/1652/chase-subaru-renew-private-label-agreement) and [5 August 2026](https://media.subaru.com/pressrelease/2481/1/subaru-enter-captive-finance-business-u.s), JPMorgan Chase’s latest 10-K and 10-Q, CFPB records, and Chase’s auto pages, read on 7 October 2026 for our [Chase auto loan review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/). We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Subaru, Chase or any lender. **Figure: Subaru Motors Finance: what its own pages say** A two-column table of nine account tasks set against Subaru Motors Finance’s own pages: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. owns SMF accounts under a name Subaru of America licenses to it; payments are made on chase.com with a chase.com sign-in, from a Chase or outside bank account; there is no prepayment penalty even if the contract lists a fee; the lien release usually goes out 2 to 10 business days after payoff posts, with SMF saying allow up to 30 days and Chase’s general FAQ 45; Chase says it does not refinance SMF loans; the lease pre-inspection is optional and the first $1,000 of wear and use comes off the bill, excluding tires, keys and mileage; returning more than 30 days early can cost several thousand dollars; a lease can be extended once; and Subaru targets its own finance company by 2030, saying existing loans and leases will not be affected. Read from Subaru Motors Finance’s FAQ, loan-end and lease-end pages and footer, Chase’s auto pages (read 7 October 2026) and Subaru of America’s release of 5 August 2026, on 9 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who is behind Subaru Motors Finance The answer is in the footer of every SMF page: “The tradename Subaru Motors Finance (SMF) and the Subaru logo are owned by Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) or its affiliates and are licensed to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Chase).” It goes on: “Auto finance accounts are owned by Chase and are subject to credit approval, terms and conditions.” Asked “Is Subaru Motors Finance part of Chase?”, SMF’s FAQ says SMF “is the program under which JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (‘Chase’) provides auto financing to Subaru customers, through participating Subaru retailers,” that “Chase is not affiliated with Subaru or any Subaru retailer,” and that “Neither Subaru nor any Subaru retailer is an agent of Chase.” **The companies behind an SMF loan or lease, as SMF’s pages and Subaru of America’s releases describe them (read 9 October 2026)** | Company | Role | | --- | --- | | Subaru of America, Inc. | Owns the SMF name and logo and licenses them to Chase; “solely responsible for its products and services”; pays the Lease Loyalty Program’s first-payment money | | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Owns SMF loans and leases, approves credit and services the accounts through chase.com; “Member FDIC” | | Subaru retailers | Sell the car and write the contract; you negotiate the APR with them; not agents of Chase | Subaru of America’s release of 19 October 2020, announcing a renewed “private label agreement,” says “Since 2001, Chase Auto has been the private label finance partner for Subaru of America,” serving “more than 630 retailers,” and that “Through the brand Subaru Motors Finance, Chase has financed nearly four million Subaru drivers.” Chase Auto’s chief executive called it “a fully integrated captive-like partnership.” By 2026 that is 25 years, by our arithmetic. Subaru’s 2026 release calls SMF “its Subaru Motors Finance (SMF) division,” while SMF’s FAQ calls it Chase’s program. For your account the footer settles it: lender, owner and servicer are all Chase. Your sign-in and data follow the account: you use “the same username and password for Subaru Motors Finance and Chase,” which “isn’t connected to MySubaru,” and the footer’s Privacy, Security and Terms of Use links all open Chase’s own pages. ## What Subaru’s own finance company means for your account On 5 August 2026 Subaru Corporation and Subaru of America announced that “Subaru will enter the captive finance business to provide financing directly to Subaru of America customers and retailers.” The same release says Subaru of America extended “its partnership with long-term financial partner Chase to supply financial services for its Subaru Motors Finance (SMF) division through the transition,” and plans to offer “retail loans, leases, and floor plan financing, with a target date of 2030.” For anyone with an SMF contract, the key sentence is short: “Subaru customers with existing loans and leases will not be affected by the changeover.” The release does not name the new company, give a date for the end of Chase’s role, or say who will service today’s accounts after the switch. Until something changes in writing, your contract, payments, payoff and title all stay with Chase. A loan or lease signed through SMF today is still a Chase contract. SMF’s Lease Loyalty Program (below) requires your next Subaru to be financed or leased “through SMF,” and SMF says the program “may be discontinued by SMF at any time without notice.” Near the changeover, ask the retailer in writing which lender your next contract is with. ## How to pay SMF, and what each way costs Everything runs through Chase. SMF’s FAQ says “Chase manages your auto account” and that you create your username and password at chase.com, using the account number at the top of your statement and your Social Security or Tax ID number. Existing Chase customers are “automatically enrolled.” After signing in at subarumotorsfinance.com, “You’ll be transferred to chase.com to make one-time or automatic payments.” **Ways to pay a Subaru Motors Finance account and what SMF and Chase say about cost (SMF read 9 October 2026; Chase pages read 7 October 2026)** | Method | Cost as printed | What to know | | --- | --- | --- | | Online at chase.com (one-time or automatic) | No fee printed | You do not need a Chase checking account: “you can add a non-Chase or external account” | | Chase Mobile app | “Message and data rates may apply” | Same sign-in as chase.com | | Check by mail | No fee printed | Payable to Subaru Motors Finance, account number on the check; “Do not send cash.” Chase says mail gives no confirmation until your next statement | | Overnight delivery | No SMF fee printed | Posting “usually takes up to 3 business days,” but the payment is applied the date it was received | | Wire transfer | “You may be charged a fee by the wire transfer provider” | Allowed for payments and payoffs; verify the wire details first | | Western Union or MoneyGram | “Third party payment providers may charge a fee” (Chase) | Payable to Chase Auto with your full account number | SMF says payments are credited “as of the day they’re received by us, as long as they’re received during business hours or for online payments, prior to the processing cut-off time.” Its pages do not print that cut-off time, so pay a day early if the due date matters. On a loan, payments go “first applied to interest due, then to principal due, and then to outstanding fees”; on a lease, to the amount due and then to fees and charges. You can cancel a scheduled online payment unless it already shows “Sent”, “In Process” or “Complete”. ## Due dates, late payments and falling behind The due date can move, but not often. SMF’s FAQ says “You can only change your due date two times during the life of the loan” and “one time during a lease,” with “Additional restrictions apply” in both cases. SMF says billing statements are generated “about 2 weeks prior to the due date.” SMF loans are simple interest: “Interest accrues daily,” and payments go to interest before principal. Pay late and more of the payment goes to interest, late fees may be added, and “it is possible that your final payment will be more than your regular scheduled monthly payment.” SMF gives its own example: “If your daily interest amount is $2.00 and you pay 11 days late, you accrue approximately $22 in extra interest,” and about $22 less goes to principal than scheduled. SMF prints no late-fee amount; that is in your contract. Chase’s credit-reporting FAQ says a payment “may be reported as past due if it’s received 30 or more days after the due date,” and that it does not make “goodwill or courtesy adjustments.” If you cannot pay, SMF’s FAQ says only “we may be able to help you” and asks you to call. Chase’s general disaster page describes one tool for loans, a payment extension, “which adds the extended payment to the end of the loan and extends the maturity date”: “if you have a 36-month loan, and you extend one payment, we’ll extend your loan to 37 months.” Because SMF says interest “accrues daily,” expect it to keep running through an extension. Our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) covers what happens if it goes further. One rule catches people out: taking the car “outside of the U.S., including to Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories” is “not permitted by anyone without our written permission,” granted “at our sole discretion.” SMF asks you to contact it “at least three weeks prior to your scheduled departure date.” ## Paying off an SMF loan and getting your title Get the payoff amount from your account: sign in, choose “More”, then “See a payoff quote.” Chase says it is valid through the date on the quote. Do not pay off with the regular payment button: SMF says “Don’t use the one-time payment option to make a payoff. This will cause delays in posting the payoff.” Mailed payoffs go to separate addresses for personal checks and for cashier’s checks or money orders, and wires are accepted. Paying early costs nothing. SMF’s FAQ says “there’s no pre-payment penalty for doing so. We don’t charge pre-payment fees, even if your contract lists a fee.” The loan-end page also warns that SMF cannot stop your automatic payments for you: “If you don’t turn off your automatic payments, you may be overcharged.” The title is where SMF’s pages and Chase’s disagree. SMF’s loan-end page says the lien release goes to the address on your statements “generally in 2-10 business days from payment posting,” and to “please allow up to 30 days” for mail and DMV processing. For electronic titles, SMF notifies the state in the same 2 to 10 business days and the state sends you the title; “Florida requires the title to remain electronic unless the owner requests a paper title.” But for more detail SMF’s FAQ sends you to chase.com, and Chase’s title FAQ says to “please allow up to 45 days,” naming “Florida and Oklahoma” as states that keep titles electronic. That is a 15-day gap, by our arithmetic. Plan on the longer figure before you call, and update your address first: loan customers can do it under “Profile & settings” at chase.com, while lease customers must contact SMF. A refinance means a new lender pays SMF off, and it cannot be Chase: Chase’s refinance page says “we don’t offer refinancing for vehicles financed through JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (‘Chase’) or through” its private-label brands, Subaru Motors Finance among them. See our guides to [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [credit union rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/). ## Ending an SMF lease: buy it, extend it or hand it back SMF lists four lease-end options: get a new Subaru, return your Subaru, extend your lease, or buy the car. Its FAQ says the terms that decide the money are in “the Lease Agreement that you signed at the retailer,” and that you can ask SMF for a copy. SMF’s pages print none of the amounts; see our [lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) and [lease versus buy](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/) guides. **Buying the car.** “Yes, you can purchase your leased vehicle at any time during the lease,” SMF says, but “We can’t accept purchases from third parties (such as friends and family),” and the price is fixed: “We do not negotiate the purchase price as you are bound by your signed Lease Agreement.” At the end of the term you pay “the residual value provided in your Lease Agreement, plus any applicable purchase option fee”; before the end, “the adjusted lease balance, plus any past due monthly payments, unpaid late charges, or other amounts due.” Some states add sales tax. More than six months from maturity, the balance is on chase.com; inside six months, contact SMF. After a purchase, the title needs a $0 balance and a signed odometer disclosure statement, and SMF says to “allow up to 45 days.” **Financing the purchase.** Chase lends on lease buyouts through chase.com/leasebuyout, but only to “named lessees on the Lease Agreement.” SMF’s FAQ gives the terms: a minimum loan of $4,000, terms “from 12 to 84 months” depending on credit score, vehicle age and mileage, a decision “typically” within 1 to 3 business days, a hard credit inquiry, and a request that you accept within 30 days. A paydown can be held “for up to 10 business days,” and once the e-contract is signed the lease account closes “within 48 hours.” **Extending.** SMF says “you can only extend your lease one time, if you qualify,” and only if you are current and “not subject to any bankruptcy or repossession proceedings.” Mileage “is pro-rated for each month,” add-on products such as extended warranties “won’t extend with your lease,” and automatic payments “may not automatically continue.” The useful part: “If you want to turn your vehicle in before the extension is up, you can do so without incurring any early termination charge.” **Leaving early.** SMF’s FAQ warns that ending a lease early can mean “a substantial charge, which could be several thousand dollars,” higher the earlier you leave. Its return page puts the line at returning “more than 30 days before the end of the lease term without purchasing it.” You still owe past-due payments, late fees and taxes, and any personal property tax bills for the time you had the car. SMF’s pages describe no lease transfer and say “We can’t add or remove anyone from the lease,” so check before you count on a [lease takeover](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/). ## Returning the car: pre-inspection, wear and the lease-end bill SMF’s return page lays out a timeline: **Returning an SMF lease, step by step, from SMF’s return and wear and use pages (read 9 October 2026)** | When | What SMF says to do | | --- | --- | | 60 days before turn-in | Review the Subaru Wear and Use guide, schedule a pre-inspection, and tell SMF about any repairs (licensed repair facility, receipts) | | At least 45 days before turn-in | Book the pre-inspection appointment; it must be done no more than 60 days before turn-in, or within 15 days for leases from New Hampshire or Wisconsin | | 14 days before turn-in | Turn off automatic payments once the final payment clears, book the return with a Subaru retailer, check your DMV’s turn-in rules | | Turn-in day | Hand back keys, manuals and cargo covers; sign the odometer statement; clear your data and belongings | | Within 1 business day | Complete the Digital Lease Turn-in form or contact SMF so the bill uses the right date | | 30 to 60 days after return | The lease-end bill arrives, if there are charges | | 90 to 120 days after an early return | The bill arrives if you returned early or the car had to be sold | The pre-inspection is optional (“No, the pre-inspection is optional”). SMF says the condition report appears “about 24 hours after your appointment.” Without one, “we’ll still complete an inspection after you turn-in your vehicle, but you won’t have the ability to make repairs.” A pre-inspection expires if you return the car more than 60 days after it. For New Hampshire and Wisconsin leases, SMF’s own inspection after the lease ends is “conclusive” unless you get a counter-inspection. SMF’s wear and use guide lists what it charges for: dents, dings or scratches “larger than a credit card”; “More than three” smaller ones on a single panel; any glass or interior damage; tread under 1/8 of an inch at its lowest point, damaged or mismatched tires; and missing keys, manuals, cargo covers or other items that came with the car. The same page says: “We will subtract the first $1,000 of Wear and Use charges from your lease-end bill.” On the return page that sentence sits under “Schedule a pre-inspection”, with a footnote: “Excludes tire, key replacement and mileage charges.” Neither page says plainly whether the $1,000 depends on having a pre-inspection, so ask SMF before relying on it. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car's door mark the lower panel, the handle recess and the handle's end, with Subaru Motors Finance's no-prepayment-penalty rule, its lien-release timing, and the items it bills at lease end. Subaru Motors Finance’s payoff, loan-end and lease-end pages, read on 9 October 2026, charge no prepayment penalty even if a contract lists a fee (callout 1), release a lien usually 2 to 10 business days after payoff posts, allowing up to 30 (callout 2), and bill missing keys, manuals and cargo covers at lease end (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Use any tire, wheel or wear product before you hand the car back.** SMF’s FAQ says that if you bought “an extended warranty or other optional products from the retailer at time of lease, it is your responsibility to use the benefits before you return the vehicle,” because “we may be unable to determine which products you purchased.” SMF’s FAQ lists what a lease-end bill can include. It names each charge but prints no amounts; every figure is in your Lease Agreement. **What can appear on an SMF lease-end bill, from SMF’s FAQ and lease-end pages (read 9 October 2026)** | Charge | What SMF says | Where the amount is | | --- | --- | --- | | Early termination charge | “may apply, including remaining payments” | Early Termination section of your Lease Agreement | | Deferred or unpaid payments | Added to the final bill | Your account | | Excess wear and use | “the actual or estimated cost to repair or replace”; first $1,000 subtracted, excluding tires, keys and mileage | Excess Wear and Use section of your Lease Agreement | | Excess mileage | “multiplying your excess miles by the per mile charge in your Lease Agreement” | Your Lease Agreement | | Disposition (turn-in) fee | Listed, with no amount; not charged on leases from Wisconsin, or from New York signed on or after 1/1/25 | Your Lease Agreement | | Tickets, tolls and fines | SMF may pay unpaid fines for you, and “You must reimburse us” | The issuing agency | SMF’s Lease Loyalty Program removes some of these if your next Subaru also goes through SMF. Lease another Subaru through SMF and its loyalty page lists “Up to $550 for your first monthly payment from Subaru of America,” “No disposition fee,” “Up to $300 toward tire replacement” and “Up to $200 toward key replacement.” Finance a new Subaru through SMF instead and you get the same three, without the first-payment money. To qualify you must return the car no earlier than 180 days before and no later than 180 days after the original maturity date (or by an extended maturity date), and lease or finance the new car through SMF within 180 days of the return. SMF calls it “an ongoing offer, but the program may be discontinued by SMF at any time without notice.” Another SMF page says “Subaru of America will pay any disposition fee owed”; either way, get the benefits in writing from the retailer. ## Insurance, GAP and dealer add-ons SMF’s pages describe no protection products of their own. Service contracts, tire-and-wheel plans and similar products come from the retailer, and SMF’s FAQ points you back to it: the retailer “should have provided you with documentation about the products and services you purchased,” including “cancellation provisions” and how to file a claim. Subaru’s own service contract is covered in our [Subaru extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-extended-warranty/). For insurance and GAP, Chase’s general FAQ for its auto accounts applies. It says that “proper insurance coverage must be maintained throughout the loan or lease, even if the vehicle is not being driven,” that “We are not your insurance provider,” and that you keep paying after an accident or a denied claim. On a total loss it says to check whether your contract includes GAP, which “may waive all or part of the difference” between the insurer’s value and your balance, and to ask the dealer or administrator about refunds on other add-ons such as service contracts. Insurance checks of $10,000 or more must go with the adjuster’s estimate and an itemized repair estimate or bill. Our guides to [GAP insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) and [whether GAP is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/) go further. ## Applying for SMF financing SMF takes applications online or at a Subaru retailer. Its FAQ is direct about the credit check: “Subaru Motors Finance and the selected Subaru retailer will each obtain a consumer credit report for each applicant,” and “Each credit report inquiry by a potential creditor will appear on your credit report and may affect your credit score.” No co-applicant is required. During business hours SMF tries to decide “within sixty (60) minutes” and says you “should hear from us within 24 hours.” An approval is “valid for thirty (30) days” and only for the vehicle you chose, because the decision rests partly on its model, model year and features. The rate is set at the dealership: “You and the retailer will negotiate and agree upon the terms of your financing including the Annual Percentage Rate (APR),” and “Additional retailer fees, sales/use tax and other charges may apply.” If you use SMF’s inventory search to contact a dealer, SMF says the retailers “are not corporate affiliates of Chase” and that “Chase may receive compensation from Retailers as part of this service.” Getting a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) elsewhere first gives you a rate to compare, and our guides to [credit scores](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/), [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) and [Subaru certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/subaru-certified-pre-owned/) cover the rest of the deal. ## JPMorgan Chase’s filings, regulators and CFPB complaints SMF accounts, being Chase’s, fall within JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Auto business, which “originates and services auto loans and leases,” and its 10-K says the “auto and other” loan portfolio “generally consists of prime-quality scored auto and business banking loans” and some other consumer lending. On lease residual values, the risk of loss “is mitigated through arrangements with certain manufacturers or lessees,” without naming any. Neither the 10-K for 2025 nor the 10-Q to 30 June 2026 contains the word “Subaru”, and neither gives a figure for any single brand. The figures below cover all of Chase Auto. **Chase Auto in JPMorgan Chase’s filings, all brands together (10-K for 2025 and 10-Q to 30 June 2026, read 7 October 2026)** | Measure | 2025 | First half of 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | | Auto loans at period end | $70.6 billion | $72.2 billion | | Auto loan and lease originations | $44.8 billion | $22.7 billion | | Net charge-off rate | 0.47% | 0.41% (annualized) | | Loans 30 or more days delinquent | 1.33% | 1.03% | | Auto operating lease assets at period end | $20.0 billion | $21.5 billion | **Regulators.** The CFPB’s enforcement search returns nothing for “subaru”. For “jpmorgan” it lists seven entries covering five matters from 2013 to 2024; by their summaries they concern checking-account screening, credit card debt sales, a marketing-services kickback scheme, a 2013 refund order of an estimated $309 million and a 2024 lawsuit over the Zelle network, none of them auto lending. The one auto record we found is older: in 2011 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency imposed a $2 million civil money penalty on JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. over how Chase Auto Finance sold a credit protection product, Chase Payment Assurance, from January 2008 to May 2009 (order AA-EC-11-57). The bank consented “without admitting or denying any wrongdoing” and, the OCC said, distributed nearly $25 million to affected customers in Chase Auto and two other business lines. The order never mentions Subaru, and it does not say whether SMF customers were among the Chase Auto customers involved. **Complaints.** The CFPB’s database has no company name for Subaru Motors Finance; its company search for “subaru” returns only a dealership. SMF complaints are filed under “JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.” with every other Chase auto loan and lease, so they cannot be counted on their own. Through 6 October 2026 the database held 2,665 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming the company, received from 24 April 2017: 2,073 about loans (77.8%) and 592 about leases (22.2%), by our arithmetic. These are unverified consumer reports that grow with a lender’s size; the CFPB has published no complaint narratives since 30 September 2026. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints naming JPMORGAN CHASE & CO., all Chase auto brands, received 24 April 2017 to 6 October 2026 (CFPB, read 9 October 2026; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 786 | 29.5% | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 707 | 26.5% | | Getting a loan or lease | 344 | 12.9% | | Struggling to pay your loan | 228 | 8.6% | | Incorrect information on your report | 218 | 8.2% | | Repossession | 214 | 8.0% | The single largest sub-issue in the end-of-loan group is “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off”, with 298 complaints (11.2% of the total), which fits the title-timing gap above. Excess mileage, damage or wear fees account for 66. Complaints rose from 304 received in 2024 to 390 in 2025, up 28.3%, and 395 had already arrived in 2026 by 6 October. Chase closed 514 (19.3%) with monetary or non-monetary relief. When our Chase review read the same window on 7 October it counted 2,660; five more had been added by 9 October, as the database keeps adding complaints received earlier. ## If you have an SMF loan or lease - **Set up your chase.com sign-in** with the account number on your first statement; SMF and Chase use the same one. - **Pay from a bank account online**, a day early if the due date matters; SMF prints no cut-off time. - **Use the payoff quote, not the payment button,** to pay off a loan, and turn off automatic payments yourself. - **Check your mailing address** before payoff, and allow up to 45 days for the title before chasing it. - **Book the lease pre-inspection** at least 45 days before turn-in and no more than 60 days before it, and fix what it finds. - **Use dealer add-on products** such as tire or wear plans before you return the car. - **Return every key, manual and cargo cover**, sign the odometer statement, and file the turn-in form within 1 business day. - **Get loyalty benefits in writing** if your next Subaru goes through SMF, and ask which lender holds the new contract. ## Common questions ### Is Subaru Motors Finance owned by Chase? The accounts are. SMF’s footer says “Auto finance accounts are owned by Chase,” meaning JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and its FAQ calls SMF “the program under which JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (‘Chase’) provides auto financing to Subaru customers.” The name and logo belong to Subaru of America, which licenses them to Chase. ### Is Subaru starting its own finance company, and will my loan change? Subaru announced on 5 August 2026 that it will enter the captive finance business, with a target date of 2030, and extended Chase’s role through the transition. Its release says “Subaru customers with existing loans and leases will not be affected by the changeover.” For now your contract, payments and title stay with Chase. ### How do I pay Subaru Motors Finance? Sign in at subarumotorsfinance.com or chase.com with your chase.com username; payments are made on chase.com or in the Chase Mobile app, one-time or automatic. You do not need a Chase checking account. You can also mail a check or send a wire; SMF prints no fee for paying online. ### How long does Subaru Motors Finance take to send the title after payoff? SMF’s loan-end page says the lien release goes out “generally in 2-10 business days from payment posting” and to allow up to 30 days. Chase’s own title FAQ, which SMF’s FAQ points to, says to allow up to 45 days, and SMF says the same 45 days for a title after a lease purchase. ### What does Subaru Motors Finance charge when a lease ends? Possibly an early termination charge, unpaid payments, excess wear and use, excess mileage, a disposition fee, and fines. SMF prints no amounts; they are in your Lease Agreement. It subtracts the first $1,000 of wear and use charges, and its loyalty program waives the disposition fee if your next Subaru goes through SMF. ### Can I refinance a Subaru Motors Finance loan with Chase? No. Chase’s refinance page says it does not refinance vehicles financed through Chase or its private-label brands, Subaru Motors Finance included. Another lender can pay SMF off; SMF charges no prepayment penalty “even if your contract lists a fee.” Our guides to [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/), and our reviews of [U.S. Bank](https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/), [Mazda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/) and [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), show how other lenders handle the same questions. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-motors-finance-review/ --- title: "U.S. Bank Auto Loan: Rates, Dealer Pre-Approval, Payoff and Title" description: "U.S. Bank auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: dealer-only pre-approval, the conditions behind its \\"As low as\\" APRs, a $100 refi fee, payoff, title and CFPB records." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-09" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # U.S. Bank Auto Loan: Rates, Dealer Pre-Approval, Payoff and Title > U.S. Bank auto loans, read 9 Oct 2026: dealer-only pre-approval, the conditions behind its \"As low as\" APRs, a $100 refi fee, payoff, title and CFPB records. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,846 words* ## The short version - U.S. Bank is taking auto applications. On 9 October 2026 it offered a dealer-purchase pre-approval, refinancing and lease buyout loans, and sent private-party buyers to a personal loan. The pre-approval is “good for 30 days, only at our participating dealers.” - Its pages showed “As low as” 6.81% APR for a dealer purchase, 7.13% for a lease buyout and 7.21% for a refinance that day, undated. The purchase rate needs 60 months or less, a score of 800 or higher, a car under 1 year old, $40,000 or more, a loan-to-value of 111% to 115.99% and a Minnesota dealer. - Printed limits: $5,000 and 12 months minimum; dealer financing on cars up to 9 model years old; refinance and buyout terms of 12 to 72 months with a $100 origination fee, and none in Alaska, Hawaii or New Hampshire. No autopay or relationship discount on auto rates is printed. - After payoff, U.S. Bank says to allow seven to 10 business days for the lien release; in Florida and Ohio you collect the paper title in person. - U.S. Bancorp’s filings show its automobile loans falling from $17.9 billion at the end of 2022 to $3.2 billion on 30 June 2026, after loan sales in 2023 and 2025; retail leases ($4.1 billion) now outweigh them. - The CFPB’s July 2022 consent order ($37.5 million penalty) concerned credit cards, lines of credit and deposit accounts, not car loans, and was terminated in August 2025. The one auto action was a 2013 order over the MILES program for servicemembers. The CFPB holds 923 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming “U.S. BANCORP”. Can you get a U.S. Bank auto loan, and on what terms? Yes, mostly through a car dealer. U.S. Bank’s [auto loans page](https://www.usbank.com/vehicle-loans/auto-loans.html), read on 9 October 2026, offers a pre-approval you take to a participating dealer, a refinance and a lease buyout loan, with headline APRs from 6.81% for buyers who meet every condition in the small print. We read U.S. Bank’s auto, calculator, payoff, lease and personal-loan pages, U.S. Bancorp’s [June 2026 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/36104/000003610426000044/usb-20260630.htm) and 10-K reports for 2023 to 2025, the CFPB and OCC records naming the bank, and CFPB complaint counts. We applied for nothing, and this site has no commercial relationship with U.S. Bank or any lender. **Figure: A U.S. Bank auto loan in U.S. Bank’s own words, 9 October 2026** What U.S. Bank’s auto pages said at each step, from choosing a route to getting the title back. Source: U.S. Bank’s auto loans, pre-approval, refinance, lease buyout, payment and refinance calculator, car shopping, payoff and personal-loan pages and its knowledge base (usbank.com), read 9 October 2026. "As low as" rates were shown by script that day, carry no "as of" date and change. ## How U.S. Bank auto financing works For a purchase, U.S. Bank does not hand you a check. You apply online for an “auto financing pre-approval,” and the approval is tied to its dealer network: “Your U.S. Bank pre-approved rate is good for 30 days, only at our participating dealers.” The knowledge base is blunter: “Vehicles can only be purchased at U.S. Bank participating dealers.” For three regional banks read the same way, see our [Huntington](https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/), [Fifth Third](https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/) and [Truist](https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/) auto loan pages. - **Apply** online, or from a car listed in the U.S. Bank vehicle marketplace. It asks for income, employment, “address information for the past two years,” and whether a trade-in still has a loan on it. - **Rate lock.** “A pre-approval includes a credit check so if you’re approved, you’ll have a locked-in rate good for 30 days.” - **Approval letter.** An email “usually arrives within 15 minutes” in business hours; “The dealer will use the code on the letter to process the financing.” - **At the dealer.** “The dealer will work with you to finalize financing terms,” may ask to check your credit, and will ask for ID. U.S. Bank “reserves the right to withdraw an approval if your identity cannot be verified or if there have been changes in your credit status as of the date of sale.” New or used makes no difference at a participating dealer. U.S. Bank says it is “connecting with dealerships across the 48 contiguous states (excluding New Hampshire),” and that it “is not affiliated with these dealers.” Refinances and lease buyouts are direct with the bank; private-party cars go to a personal loan. U.S. Bank also leases cars through dealers, and its filings say it lends through “intermediary relationships including auto dealerships.” **U.S. Bank’s auto financing routes as its pages described them on 9 October 2026** | Route | How you get it | Rate shown 9 October 2026 | Printed limits | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dealer purchase (new or used) | Online pre-approval, used at a participating dealer within 30 days | As low as 6.81% APR, up to 60 months | $5,000 and 12 months minimum; cars up to 9 model years old | | Refinance | Online application; U.S. Bank pays off the old lender | As low as 7.21% APR, up to 60 months | $5,000 minimum; 12 to 72 months; old loan at least 120 days old; $100 fee; not in AK, HI or NH | | Lease buyout | Online application; any lessor | As low as 7.13% APR, up to 72 months | $5,000 minimum; 12 to 72 months; $100 fee; not in AK, HI or NH | | Private-party or other used car | Unsecured personal loan | 9.49% to 24.99% APR, “As of September 14, 2026” | $1,000 to $50,000 for clients ($25,000 for others); 12 to 84 months (60 for others) | | U.S. Bank auto lease | Through a dealer; lessor USB Leasing LT | Not printed | Not printed | A U.S. Bank pre-approval is a dealer-network product, so check the dealer locator before you fall for a car. Our [pre-approval guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk) covers what happens when you bring an approval to the finance desk. ## U.S. Bank auto loan rates on 9 October 2026 U.S. Bank prints no rate table. Each product page shows one “As low as” APR, filled in by the page’s script from the bank’s rate service each day, with no “as of” date; the raw HTML reads “As low as % % APR.” On 9 October 2026 the rendered pages showed 6.81% for a dealer purchase (“up to 60 months”), 7.13% for a lease buyout (“up to 72 months”) and 7.21% for a refinance (“up to 60 months”). U.S. Bank’s footnote says “Rates are subject to change.” Treat them as what the pages showed on our read date. Who gets the purchase rate? “The lowest APR in the range is available on loans with a term of 60 months or less, a credit score of 800 or higher, a vehicle less than 1 year old, a loan amount of $40,000 or more, a loan-to-value (LTV) percentage of 111% to 115.99%, and a purchase from a dealer in MN.” All at once: a buyer in another state, with a score below 800, or borrowing less than $40,000 is outside it. The page’s code requests the rate for exactly that profile (Minnesota, $40,000, a score of 800 to 850, a 2027 model, 60 months); the refinance and buyout figures are requested for Minnesota and 800 to 850 on $30,000 over 60 months. “Fees charged in OH and IN will increase the APR displayed above.” **The headline rate and the example disagree.** Under “As low as” 6.81% the same disclosure prints U.S. Bank’s payment example at 8.11%, and the refinance and buyout examples sit 1.34 and 1.21 points above their headline rates. None of these numbers is dated. Your rate is the one in your own pre-approval. U.S. Bank’s printed payment examples are the closest it comes to an ordinary borrower’s numbers. Each matches its stated APR, within a cent, when we rerun it. Below, each sits beside the same loan at the headline rate; the right-hand columns are our arithmetic, not an offer. **U.S. Bank’s printed payment examples against the same loans at the “As low as” APRs shown 9 October 2026 (last three columns are our arithmetic)** | Product | U.S. Bank’s example | At the headline APR | Difference a month | Over the loan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dealer purchase, $40,000, 60 months | $813.16 at 8.11% | $788.47 at 6.81% | $24.69 | $1,481.40 | | Refinance, $30,000, 60 months, 1-year-old car, $100 fee | $616.22 at 8.55% | $597.01 at 7.21% | $19.21 | $1,152.60 | | Lease buyout, $30,000, 60 months, 3-year-old car, $100 fee | $613.20 at 8.34% | $595.88 at 7.13% | $17.32 | $1,039.20 | U.S. Bank says APR “will vary based on the term, amount financed, model year, loan-to-value (LTV) percentage, down payment, credit history, location of dealer and applicable fees,” and prints no minimum credit score. See [credit scores for car loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) and [how the term changes the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term). ## Loan amounts, terms, car age, fees and where U.S. Bank lends The hard limits sit in U.S. Bank’s calculators, not its product pages: - **Dealer purchase:** “Auto financing has a 12-month minimum term and $5,000 minimum amount. It’s available on vehicles up to 9 model years old.” No maximum amount, longest term or mileage cap is printed. - **Refinance:** “a minimum of $5,000 over terms of 12 to 72 months,” with 12 or more months left on the old loan, which must have been taken out “at least 120 days prior to submitting your refinance application.” - **Lease buyout:** a $5,000 minimum and 12 to 72 months. **Fees.** Both the refinance and buyout calculators say “APR includes a $100 origination fee”; on U.S. Bank’s $30,000 examples that is 0.33% of the amount, by our arithmetic. “There may be title and/or registration fees which are determined by state.” For a dealer purchase no fee is printed beyond the Ohio and Indiana line, and no auto page we read prints a late fee, grace period or prepayment rule; those live in the contract you sign. **Where.** “Refinancing is available nationwide except for Alaska, Hawaii and New Hampshire,” and lease buyouts carry the same three exclusions. The dealer network covers the 48 contiguous states except New Hampshire. **No auto discount for banking with U.S. Bank.** Its Smart Rewards program lists a “0.50% discount on a Personal Loan with same day funding” and the same on home equity loans, each with autopay from a U.S. Bank account. For car buyers it lists only “Access to our U.S. Bank Vehicle Marketplace.” No auto loan, refinance or lease buyout page we read prints a rate discount. ## Refinancing a car loan with U.S. Bank The refinance page pitches speed: “It only takes 10 minutes to complete and submit our online application, and you’ll typically have our decision minutes later.” The refinance guide is more cautious: “In most cases, you’ll receive a decision on your application the same day.” You need the VIN, your current loan balance, lienholder and account number, insurance and registration. If approved, “we’ll ask you to upload a copy of your vehicle registration and insurance information,” you can sign electronically in most states, and “We’ll pay off your existing loan and update the title.” The headline 7.21% was requested for a 2027 model; U.S. Bank’s own example, on a 1-year-old car, used 8.55%. A refinance pays only if the new APR, fee included, beats the old one over the months you have left, and stretching a short remaining term back to 72 months can cost more interest even at a lower rate. See [when refinancing is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it) and [how to shop refinance offers](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#shopping). ## Lease buyouts and U.S. Bank’s own auto leases “You don’t need to have a U.S. Bank auto lease to apply for a lease buyout loan with us.” Have the lease agreement and latest statement, the car’s details, VIN and mileage, and “The total payoff amount from your Lessor”; if approved, you upload the registration and payoff letter and can sign online. U.S. Bank notes that “not all leases allow a lease buyout.” For its own leases, the payoff is “the residual value (the projected value of the vehicle at the end of the lease) plus a purchase option fee,” plus taxes, fees and anything outstanding. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#financing) covers judging that price against the car’s value. U.S. Bank also leases cars through dealers; the lessor is USB Leasing LT. Its lease servicing page and knowledge base say: - **Buying your leased car** is possible “at any time during the lease”: call 800-USBANKS (800-872-2657) with more than 12 months left, 866-250-3147 with less. “We’re unable to process third-party sales (i.e. family members, friends, or other individuals),” and a dealer taking the car in trade “must call us at 866-250-3148.” - **Totaled or stolen:** if the car was insured as the lease requires, “we’ll waive the gap amount”; without that insurance, the gap is yours. See [gap coverage on leases](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing). - **Ending it:** early return may bring “substantial penalties”; U.S. Bank schedules a free inspection a month before the end; the final bill “may include a termination fee, excess mileage and wear-and-use charges.” - **Taxes:** USB Leasing LT, as owner, pays personal property tax “and passes the cost on to you, the lessee.” U.S. Bancorp’s 10-K says its retail leases, “primarily automobiles, have terms up to 5 years,” with about $2.7 billion of residual values at the end of 2025, 53.2% of them on sport utility vehicles. See also [what happens at the end of a lease](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#the-end). ## Private-party and other used cars: the personal-loan route The fourth box on U.S. Bank’s auto page, “Used car financing,” is not an auto loan: “Finance your used car or truck with a personal loan. Can’t find your preferred dealer or seller among our participating dealerships? You could be able to use a personal loan for your financing needs.” It is unsecured, with no lien on the car. The personal-loan page is dated: “As of September 14, 2026 the fixed Annual Percentage Rate (APR) ranged from 9.49% APR to 24.99% APR.” The floor needs $10,000 or more, 12 to 36 months, a score of 800 or greater, “the purpose of auto purchase” and the 0.50% autopay discount from a U.S. Bank account. Clients can borrow $1,000 to $50,000 over 12 to 84 months; others up to $25,000 over up to 60 months; there are “no origination fees and there is no prepayment penalty.” U.S. Bank’s example is $335.02 a month for $10,000 at 12.60% over 36 months. By our arithmetic the same loan would be $320.28 at 9.49% and $397.55 at 24.99%; the floor sits 2.68 points above the dealer-purchase headline rate. One loose end: U.S. Bank’s approval-process page still asks for a lienholder and payoff “for auto refinancing or for private-party purchase with a lien,” which reads like a secured private-party loan that no other page offers. Ask U.S. Bank directly before counting on one; our [private-party loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#where-to-borrow) lists other places to borrow. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a person working out figures mark the notebook, the calculator and the keyboard, with U.S. Bank's dealer-only pre-approval, the fee inside its refinance and lease-buyout APRs, and its lien-release timing. U.S. Bank’s auto loan pages and knowledge base, read on 9 October 2026, limit its pre-approval to 30 days at participating dealers (callout 1), include a $100 origination fee in refinance and lease-buyout APRs (callout 2), and say to allow 7 to 10 business days for a lien release after payoff (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## U.S. Bank auto loan payoff, payments, hardship and the title **Payoff quote.** In online banking or the app, choose the loan, request a payoff quote and “Enter a date within the next 30 days”; the quote can be emailed or saved as a PDF. By phone: “All other loans and lines of credit: 800-USBANKS (872-2657).” Lease payoffs are by phone only. **After the last payment,** per U.S. Bank’s [auto loan after payoff page](https://www.usbank.com/vehicle-loans/auto-loans/auto-loan-payoff.html): you get an email on next steps and, “When everything is complete, we’ll send a final payoff letter.” The balance usually updates one business day after funds arrive, and “It may take up to 30 days to close the account.” U.S. Bank cancels its own autopay; “You’ll need to cancel any automatic payments set up with another financial institution.” And “We’ll handle getting the lien released from the state in which it was recorded.” **The title.** Depending on the state, “you may be holding title with our lien, U.S. Bank may be holding the title or your title may be held electronically with the state.” Timing: “Please allow seven to 10 business days for the lien release, after the vehicle loan is paid in full” (the knowledge base says “up to 10 business days”). Then: - **Electronic title:** the state is notified and “will mail a lien-free title to you,” so keep your address current with the state. - **Florida and Ohio:** “you must visit in person the local licensing agency to receive a paper title.” - **Paper title held by U.S. Bank:** it signs off the lien and mails the title to your address on file. - **No paper title on file:** “a notarized lien release notice is mailed to you” to take to the licensing agency. In the CFPB’s file, the title after payoff is the largest single complaint about U.S. Bancorp’s car loans and leases (174, or 18.9%), so keep the payoff letter and check the title after the stated window. See [checking that a lien has cleared](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#payoff) and [replacing a title with a lien on it](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/replace-lost-car-title/#lien). **Paying and falling behind.** Statements arrive “about 20 days before your payment due date,” and you may change the due date “once in the life of the loan, lease, or line of credit.” If you are struggling, U.S. Bank says to call 800-872-2625 (weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT). On a forbearance plan “there won’t be any late fees or penalties,” but “Interest will accrue normally on your account.” The only repossession answer U.S. Bank publishes is for Wisconsin, where a borrower sent a repossession notice has “the right to dispute it.” Our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-happens) covers the general rules. ## What U.S. Bancorp’s 10-K and 10-Q say about its auto loans U.S. Bancorp, U.S. Bank’s parent, prints “Automobile” and “Retail leasing” as separate lines of its loan book. Across its annual reports and the June 2026 10-Q, those lines tell a story the website does not. **U.S. Bancorp’s automobile loans and retail leases, as printed in its 10-K and 10-Q reports ($ billions; lease share is our arithmetic)** | Date | Automobile loans | Share of all loans | Retail leasing | Leases as share of the two | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | End of 2022 | $17.9 | 4.6% | $5.5 | 23.5% | | End of 2023 | $9.7 | 2.6% | $4.1 | 30.0% | | End of 2024 | $6.6 | 1.7% | $4.0 | 38.0% | | End of 2025 | $3.6 | 0.9% | $3.5 | 49.6% | | 30 June 2026 | $3.2 | 0.8% | $4.1 | 55.7% | By our arithmetic, automobile loans fell $14.7 billion, or 81.9%, from the end of 2022 to 30 June 2026. The filings’ reasons: in 2023, “a sale of indirect auto loans as part of balance sheet repositioning and capital management actions taken in the second quarter of 2023”; in 2024, simply “a decrease in automobile loans”; in 2025, “a decrease in automobile loans, including the impact of a portfolio sale during the second quarter of 2025.” In the first half of 2026, retail leasing grew $0.6 billion (16.0%) while auto loans slipped 9.1%. Two lines matter to borrowers. U.S. Bancorp says it “originated auto loans that were sold and securitized” and “is the servicer for the auto loans that were sold and securitized”, so a loan that has left its balance sheet can still be billed and collected by U.S. Bank. It also holds senior notes of third-party vehicles backed by indirect auto loans, which held $6.1 billion of such loans at the end of 2023 and $1.3 billion on 30 June 2026. The filings print no annual auto originations, so the shrinking book is not a measure of lending today. Compare [PNC](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/#filings), [Wells Fargo](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/#filings), [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/#filings) and [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/#filings). **Credit quality.** Losses and late payments are broken out for retail leases but not auto loans, which sit in “Other” with revolving credit and installment loans. Retail-lease net charge-offs rose from $6 million (0.13%) in 2023 to $21 million (0.51%) in 2024 and $57 million (1.51%) in 2025, and ran at an annualized 1.77% in the first half of 2026 against 1.18% a year earlier. Recoveries covered 66.7% of gross lease charge-offs in 2023 but 20.8% in 2025, by our arithmetic. On 30 June 2026, 0.49% of retail leases were 30 to 89 days past due, 0.05% 90 days or more and 0.17% nonperforming; the “Other” bucket showed 0.42%, 0.09% and 0.07%. ## Regulators: the 2013 MILES order, the July 2022 consent order and others A title search of the CFPB’s [enforcement actions](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/) for “U.S. Bank” on 9 October 2026 returned four actions naming U.S. Bank National Association, plus a companion action against Dealers’ Financial Services. Only one concerns car loans. Each is stated as the agency’s document states it. **CFPB and OCC actions naming U.S. Bank, as the agencies state them (read 9 October 2026)** | Filed | Agency and docket | What it concerned | Amounts as stated | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 26 June 2013 | CFPB, 2013-CFPB-0003, consent order | MILES auto loans for servicemembers (“Auto Finance Origination”) | With Dealers’ Financial Services, “about $6.5 million” to servicemembers | Terminated 21 November 2014 | | 25 September 2014 | CFPB, 2014-CFPB-0013 | Charges for identity protection and credit monitoring services not received | “an estimated $48 million in relief” | Expired/Terminated/Dismissed | | 28 July 2022 | CFPB, 2022-CFPB-0006, consent order | Credit cards, lines of credit and deposit accounts opened without consent; consumer reports used without a permissible purpose | $37.5 million penalty, plus redress | Terminated 21 August 2025 | | 19 December 2023 | CFPB, 2023-CFPB-0019 | ReliaCard prepaid unemployment-benefit cards | $5.7 million redress, $15 million penalty | Terminated 22 September 2025 | | 19 December 2023 | OCC, News Release 2023-141 | The same program; unfair practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act | $15 million civil money penalty | Assessed | **The July 2022 consent order is not about auto loans.** The CFPB found that U.S. Bank “issued credit cards and lines of credit and opened deposit accounts for certain consumers without their knowledge and consent,” and violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act “by using or obtaining consumer reports without a permissible purpose in connection with unauthorized applications for credit cards.” Its findings period ran from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2020. U.S. Bank consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” On August 21, 2025 the CFPB “terminated the order and waived any alleged non-compliance therewith,” noting the $37,500,000 penalty had been paid and redress issued. **The 2013 MILES order is the auto one.** MILES was “an automobile loan program that U.S. Bank … helped develop and for which it is the primary lender,” sold through a dealer network run by Dealers’ Financial Services; it had made “more than 110,000 automobile loans to servicemembers” since 2001. The order found a $3 monthly allotment fee left out of the Truth in Lending disclosures, understating the finance charge by up to $180 per borrower on a 60-month loan, and deceptive marketing of a service contract’s price and coverage. U.S. Bank consented without admitting or denying the findings. The CFPB ended the order in November 2014, saying U.S. Bank had provided “over $3.2 million in redress,” “terminated its participation in the MILES program and participates in no other auto loan programs directed to servicemembers.” U.S. Bancorp’s June 2026 10-Q names no auto lending matter. The OCC’s enforcement search timed out or did not render from our network, so we read only the release above, and we found and read no state attorney-general action over U.S. Bank’s car loans; this page makes no claim about records we did not read. ## CFPB complaints about U.S. Bank auto loans and leases The CFPB’s [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) files U.S. Bank under “U.S. BANCORP.” Through 8 October 2026 it held 923 “Vehicle loan or lease” complaints naming that company, received from 26 April 2017 to 25 September 2026: 581 about loans and 342 (37.1%) about leases. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and counts grow with a lender’s size; U.S. Bancorp’s auto book was far larger early in that window. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints naming U.S. BANCORP, CFPB database, received through 8 October 2026 (shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 382 | 41.4% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (174) | | Managing the loan or lease | 314 | 34.0% | Billing problem (197) | | Getting a loan or lease | 92 | 10.0% | Credit denial (31) | | Incorrect information on your report | 43 | 4.7% | Account status incorrect (19) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 29 | 3.1% | Denied request to lower payments (12) | | Repossession | 27 | 2.9% | Account reinstatement or redemption after repossession (6) | | Six smaller credit-reporting issues | 36 | 3.9% | Various | | **Total** | **923** | 100% | | Yearly counts peaked at 126 in 2020; there were 68 in 2024, 91 in 2025 and 69 in 2026 through 8 October. The data do not say why. U.S. Bank’s responses were marked timely in all 923, and 373 (40.4%) were closed with relief, 92 of them monetary. One hundred (10.8%) carry a servicemember tag. Vehicle complaints are 1.8% of the 50,257 naming U.S. Bancorp; 573 more sit under an older “Consumer Loan” product we did not split out, and one is filed under “U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION - SAN FRANCISCO MAIN BRANCH.” U.S. Bancorp ranks 28th of 1,152 companies with vehicle complaints. The CFPB stopped serving narratives on 30 September 2026, so we counted none. ## Before you sign anything involving U.S. Bank - **Find the dealer first.** The pre-approval works only at participating dealers and lasts 30 days. - **Read the headline rate’s conditions.** The purchase floor needs 60 months or less, a score of 800 or higher, a car under 1 year old, $40,000 or more, LTV of 111% to 115.99% and a Minnesota dealer. - **Compare at the desk.** The dealer finalizes the terms, and U.S. Bank’s dealer page refers dealers to a “Dealer Agreement Reserve Addendum.” Our guide to [buy rates and dealer markup](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#buy-rate) explains why that matters. - **Check the car’s age.** Dealer financing covers cars up to 9 model years old, from $5,000 and 12 months. - **Count the $100 fee on a refinance or buyout,** and refinance only a loan at least 120 days old with 12 or more months left. - **Private seller? Price the personal loan:** 9.49% to 24.99% as of 14 September 2026, with lower caps for non-clients. - **Update your address before payoff.** The payoff letter and any paper title go to the address on file. - **Call early if money is tight:** 800-872-2625. Forbearance stops late fees, not interest. ## Common questions ### What credit score do you need for a U.S. Bank auto loan? U.S. Bank prints no minimum. Its headline purchase rate requires “a credit score of 800 or higher” plus five other conditions, and its calculators offer bands starting at “699 and below” for purchases and “649 and below” for refinances and buyouts. Approval and rate depend on the application; see [credit scores and rate shopping](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping). ### What are U.S. Bank auto loan rates right now? On 9 October 2026 the pages showed “As low as” 6.81% APR for a dealer purchase (up to 60 months), 7.13% for a lease buyout (up to 72 months) and 7.21% for a refinance (up to 60 months), undated and only for borrowers meeting every printed condition. U.S. Bank’s own undated payment examples use 8.11%, 8.34% and 8.55%. ### Can I use a U.S. Bank auto loan at any dealer? No. The pre-approval is “good for 30 days, only at our participating dealers,” in the 48 contiguous states except New Hampshire. If your seller is not in the network, U.S. Bank points you to a personal loan. ### What is the U.S. Bank auto loan phone number? For an existing loan, payoff or title: 800-USBANKS (800-872-2657), weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT. Hardship: 800-872-2625. New applications: 800-342-4310 on the purchase and buyout pages, 800-473-6372 on the refinance and approval pages (800-685-5065 for TDD). Lease buyouts with less than 12 months left: 866-250-3147. ### How do I pay off a U.S. Bank auto loan and get my title? Request a payoff quote online or in the app for a date within the next 30 days, or call 800-USBANKS. After payment U.S. Bank releases its lien with the state; allow seven to 10 business days. The state mails an electronic title (in Florida and Ohio you pick it up in person); a paper title U.S. Bank holds is signed off and mailed; if it never had one, it mails a notarized lien release. A final payoff letter follows. ### Does U.S. Bank do private-party auto loans? Not as an auto loan on the pages we read. Its auto page says to “Finance your used car or truck with a personal loan” when the seller is not a participating dealer: unsecured, 9.49% to 24.99% APR as of 14 September 2026, up to $50,000 for clients and $25,000 for others. One approval page still mentions a “private-party purchase with a lien,” so ask U.S. Bank before counting on a secured loan. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/ --- title: "Walmart Oil Change: Packages, Prices and What Costs Extra" description: "Walmart’s oil change packages start at $28.88 with up to 5 quarts and a new filter. What each includes, what costs extra, and why prices vary by location." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Walmart Oil Change: Packages, Prices and What Costs Extra > Walmart’s oil change packages start at $28.88 with up to 5 quarts and a new filter. What each includes, what costs extra, and why prices vary by location. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,953 words* ## The short version - Walmart’s Oil Change Service page lists seven packages, from Pit Crew conventional oil at $28.88 to premium synthetic oil at $76.88, as it showed them on 8 October 2026 for a Sacramento, California store. “Prices may vary by location,” and 5 of the 7 prices came from page blocks labelled for California, Alaska and Hawaii. - Every package includes “Up to 5qts” of oil and a new oil filter. “Charges apply if additional oil is needed,” and Walmart prints no price per extra quart. - Six of the seven packages carry an asterisk: “Additional charge may apply for using non-featured oil.” If your owner’s manual calls for an oil the store does not feature, ask for the total before the work starts. - The free checks depend on the package. Pit Crew gets new oil and filter, chassis lubrication, a battery check and tire pressure; the conventional, high-mileage and synthetic packages get what Walmart calls a “15-point” service. “Walmart does not inspect tires for safety.” - No Walmart page we read prints an oil-change coupon or a Walmart+ oil-change discount. The Walmart+ auto benefits are free flat repair and a road hazard warranty on tires. - An oil change at Walmart rather than a dealer does not by itself put a factory warranty at risk: the FTC says it is “illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” Keep the receipt. A Walmart oil change is sold as a package: you pick the oil, Walmart supplies up to 5 quarts of it with a new filter, and the price on the tile is the starting point rather than the total. On 8 October 2026 we read Walmart’s own documents on the service: the [Oil Change Service page](https://www.walmart.com/cp/oil-change-service/3304723) with its seven packages, its asterisked footnote and its FAQ; the oil-change FAQ on the [Auto Services page](https://www.walmart.com/cp/auto-services/1087266); Walmart’s [October 2025 news release](https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2025/10/09/drive-into-the-future-the-evolution-of-auto-care) on booking through its app; and the Walmart.com Terms of Use. We also read the FTC’s consumer guidance on warranties and outside maintenance, and EPA’s page on recycling used oil. Walmart’s pages were served to us with a Sacramento, California store selected, which turns out to matter for the prices. This site has no commercial relationship with Walmart or any oil brand. **Figure: What a Walmart oil change covers, by situation** A two-column table of eight situations at a Walmart oil change: an engine taking 5 quarts or less of a featured oil is covered by the package price with a new filter and chassis lubrication; more than 5 quarts costs extra at a price Walmart does not print; a non-featured oil may cost extra on 6 of the 7 packages; Pit Crew conventional oil gets oil, filter, chassis lubrication, a battery check and tire pressure only; the other conventional, high-mileage and synthetic packages get Walmart’s 15-point checks; the high-mileage package is aimed at engines with over 75,000 miles; tires get a pressure check and fill but no safety inspection; and 5 of the 7 prices read were labelled for California, Alaska and Hawaii. Read from Walmart’s Oil Change Service and Auto Services pages on 8 October 2026, served for a Sacramento, California store. ## Walmart’s oil change packages and the prices it prints The Oil Change Service page opens with “Get your next oil change with us!” and the line “Service packages start at $28.88.” The Auto Services page repeats the figure on its own tile: “Oil Changes From $28.88.” Below the opening, the page groups seven packages under four headings. This is every package as the page showed it to us, with the words printed on each tile: **Walmart’s oil change packages as its Oil Change Service page showed them on 8 October 2026, served for a Sacramento, California store** | Package | Price on the page | What the tile says | Asterisk | “Courtesy services included” | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Premium synthetic oil | $76.88 | “Restore and protect” | Yes | Yes | | Full-synthetic oil | $72.88 | “Provides highest level of engine protection” | Yes | Yes | | Quaker State synthetic oil | $62.88 | “Provides better engine protection than standard (conventional) oil” | Yes | Yes | | High-mileage featured oil | $52.88 | “Helps extend engine life for vehicles with over 75,000 miles” | Yes | Yes | | Standard featured oil | $38.88 | “Basic level engine protection. Meets industry performance standards.” | Yes | Yes | | Pit Crew conventional oil | $28.88 | “Up to 5qts of conventional oil” and “Chassis lubrication (where applicable)” | No | Not shown | | Diesel conventional oil | $62.88 | “Helps control wear, deposits & oil breakdown” and “Triple Protections Heavy Duty Engine Oil” | Yes | Not shown | Read across the ladder, by our arithmetic: Standard featured oil is $10 more than Pit Crew, the high-mileage package $14 more than Standard, full synthetic $34 more than Standard, and premium synthetic $4 more than full synthetic. From the lowest package to the highest is $48. These are steps between Walmart’s own printed prices, not a judgment about which oil your engine needs; that comes from the owner’s manual (see [choosing the oil](#choosing-oil)). The footnote under the packages carries the conditions: “*Additional charge may apply for using non-featured oil. Prices may vary by location. Walmart does not inspect tires for safety. We only check and adjust tire pressure.” ### Why the price at your store may differ from the table “Prices may vary by location” is not a formality on this page. The browser we read it in had a Sacramento, California store selected, and the page’s own data names the blocks that supplied the synthetic, high-mileage and diesel prices “CA/AK/HI only,” dated 8.17.26 (August 17, 2026). By our count, 5 of the 7 prices in the table came from those blocks. The other 2, Standard featured oil at $38.88 and Pit Crew at $28.88, came from a standard-oil block with no state label, and the Auto Services tile that says “From $28.88” sits in a block marked “Evergreen.” So a reader in California, Alaska or Hawaii is likely looking at the figures we saw, and a reader elsewhere may be shown different synthetic, high-mileage and diesel prices. We did not change the store to find out: walmart.com pages are read once for this site and never re-requested, and changing the store means entering a ZIP code. Nothing visible on the page says which state’s version you are looking at, so check it with your own store selected. Walmart’s Terms of Use add a general caution of their own: “Pricing for products may be different on the Walmart Sites or from prices available in Walmart stores or on Walmart Apps.” And the starting price has moved before. Walmart’s news release of October 9, 2025 said its Auto Care Centers offer “oil changes starting at $27”; the pages we read a year later say $28.88, a difference of $1.88 by our arithmetic. The two documents were written for different purposes, so read that as a reason to check the date on any Walmart price you see quoted, not as a price history. **Treat every quoted Walmart oil-change price as local and dated, including ours.** The prices above are what Walmart’s page printed on 8 October 2026 for a California store. Before you go, open the Oil Change Service page with your own store selected, or ask the Auto Care Center for the package price, the oil it will use and the total for your car. ## What every package includes: the oil, a new filter and up to 5 quarts Under the packages, the page prints one list that applies to all of them, headed “All lube services include”: - “Up to 5qts. Charges apply if additional oil is needed.” - “New oil filter” - “Chassis lubrication (where applicable)” That is the core of the service: the drain, up to 5 quarts of the package’s oil, a new filter, and chassis lubrication. The words “where applicable” leave room for vehicles with nothing on the chassis to grease. The page’s FAQ describes the same service in looser terms. Its answer to “What’s included with a Walmart oil change?” says oil change services “often include” oil “matching your vehicle’s requirements,” “Installation of a new oil filter,” a “Top-off of fluids (like windshield washer or coolant) if offered” and a “Basic inspection of your vehicle’s key systems.” It then tells you to “check what’s included in each package and confirm whether your car needs specialty filters or extra oil quarts.” The word “often” and the phrase “if offered” are the FAQ’s own; the package list above is the firmer statement. Walmart says the work is done by “Certified technicians you can trust,” and its Auto Services FAQ says “Our technicians go through a detailed training & certification process.” It does not name the certifying body. The page also says “Our experts provide guidance in both English and Spanish.” ## What costs extra: more than 5 quarts, non-featured oil and specialty filters Three things can move the bill above the package price, and Walmart names all three without pricing any of them. **Oil beyond 5 quarts.** The cap is printed with its condition attached: “Up to 5qts. Charges apply if additional oil is needed.” How much oil your engine takes is set by the engine, not by the package. As a worked example (our arithmetic, for a hypothetical engine, not any particular car): an engine that takes 7 quarts would need 2 quarts beyond the 5 every package includes, and those 2 are charged at a rate Walmart’s pages do not print. Your owner’s manual lists the capacity; ask the counter what each extra quart of your chosen oil costs. **Oil the store does not feature.** Six of the seven packages, all but Pit Crew, carry the asterisk that leads to “Additional charge may apply for using non-featured oil.” The page does not say which oils are featured at a given store or how much the charge is. Its FAQ says Auto Care Centers stock “conventional, high mileage & synthetic oil in all viscosities from top brands, including Castrol, Mobil, Pennzoil, Quaker State & Valvoline.” Viscosity is only part of what a manual may require, though; if yours names a particular specification or approval, ask whether the featured oil meets it, or whether meeting it moves you onto a non-featured oil and an extra charge. **Specialty filters.** The FAQ tells customers to “confirm whether your car needs specialty filters or extra oil quarts,” and its answer on timing says that “if your vehicle needs extra quarts or specialty filters, it may take a bit longer.” It prints no price for a specialty filter. **Ask for the total, not the package price.** The tile price assumes 5 quarts or less of a featured oil and a standard filter. If your engine takes more oil, needs a particular specification or takes a specialty filter, the asterisk and the 5-quart line both apply. Ask for the out-the-door figure for your car before the drain plug comes out. The page does not say whether you may bring your own oil or filter, and we found no Walmart page that does. If that matters to you, ask the Auto Care Center before you book; there is no published rule to point to either way. ## The courtesy checks, and the three different lists of them Walmart sells the oil change with free checks attached, but its pages describe them three ways. The Oil Change Service page lists ten “Courtesy services” under “All lube services include.” The Auto Services FAQ answers “What checks are performed on my vehicle during an oil change?” with a “15-point” list. And a store’s Auto Care Center page, read on 7 October 2026 for this site’s [Walmart car battery page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/#testing), says “Every oil change at Walmart’s Auto Care Center includes a few added benefits at no extra cost.” Set side by side: **The courtesy checks as three Walmart pages list them (Oil Change Service and Auto Services pages read 8 October 2026; store page read 7 October 2026)** | Check | Oil Change Service page | Auto Services FAQ (“15-point”) | Store page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Battery | “Battery performance check” | “Battery check” | “battery inspection” | | Air filter | “Air filter check” | “Air filter” | “filters” when applicable | | Wipers | “Wiper blade check” | “Wiper blades” | “wiper blade check” | | Lights | “Lights check” | “Headlights,” “Signal” and “Tail lights” | “lights” and “signals” when applicable | | Brakes | Not listed | “Brake” | Not listed | | Fluids | Transmission, power steering and differential fluid checks; “Washer fluid check & fill” | “Check and fill (where applicable)” transmission, washer, power steering and differential fluid | “fluid level check” | | Tire pressure | “Tire pressure check & fill*” | Check and fill | “tire pressure adjustment” | | Windshield | “Windshield wash exterior” | Not listed | Not listed | The lists broadly agree on the battery, wipers, lights, fluids and tire pressure. They differ at the edges: only the Auto Services FAQ mentions a brake check, and only the Oil Change Service page mentions an exterior windshield wash. The FAQ’s “15-point” label is not a numbered list either; by our count it names 14 things if oil and filter are counted separately. None of this changes what you pay, but it does mean the way to know what was checked on your car is the invoice, not any one page. Two limits are printed plainly. The tire item carries the asterisk that leads to “Walmart does not inspect tires for safety. We only check and adjust tire pressure.” Tread depth, damage and wear patterns are outside the service; our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why tire work is often booked alongside the oil change anyway, and Walmart’s own tire services are covered on our [Walmart tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#installation). And a “check” is a check: the battery item is an inspection, not a replacement or a guarantee. If the battery is aging, the sibling page on [car battery warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) covers what a battery’s own warranty does and does not promise. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over an engine bay mark the oil filler cap, the valve cover and the engine block, with Walmart's 5-quart limit, the extra charge for non-featured oil, and the new filter included with every lube service. Walmart’s Oil Change Service and Auto Services pages, read on 8 October 2026, include up to 5 quarts in every package and charge if more oil is needed (callout 1), say an additional charge may apply for non-featured oil (callout 2), and include a new filter with every lube service (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Pit Crew: what the $28.88 package leaves out The $28.88 starting price on both service pages matches the Pit Crew conventional oil package, and Pit Crew is a narrower service than the rest. Its tile lists two things, “Up to 5qts of conventional oil” and “Chassis lubrication (where applicable),” with no “Courtesy services included” line. The Auto Services FAQ spells out the difference: “The Pit Crew oil change includes” new oil and filter, chassis lubrication where applicable, a battery check, and a tire pressure check and fill. That is 4 items against the “15-point” list for the conventional, high-mileage and synthetic packages. Pit Crew is also the only package without the non-featured-oil asterisk, and its tile names the oil outright: conventional. If your manual calls for a synthetic or a particular specification, it is not the package that matches your engine. The page sends a mixed signal here. Its general list puts “Courtesy services” under “All lube services include,” and the store page we cite says “Every oil change” includes the courtesy checks, yet the Pit Crew tile and the Auto Services FAQ describe the shorter list. We read the specific statements as the ones that apply: if you choose Pit Crew, expect the four items the FAQ lists and ask if you want more. Our arithmetic puts the step up to Standard featured oil, which carries the courtesy line, at $10 on the page we read. ## Choosing the oil: what Walmart says, and why the manual decides Every Walmart answer about which oil to use ends at the owner’s manual. The Oil Change Service FAQ says to “check the owner’s manual, to see what SAE viscosity type of motor oil is recommended for that specific vehicle,” and warns that “the wrong type can decrease engine performance & possibly damage your engine.” A second FAQ on the page says your manual will “list the oil type and viscosity your vehicle needs, like 5W-30 or 0W-20.” The Auto Services FAQ says “We recommend adhering to the guidelines set by your vehicle’s automaker.” On the grades, Walmart’s FAQ explains that “the ‘W’ stands for winter” and that “a 0W oil will be able to flow faster & get to critical engine components better than a 5W or a 10W oil.” On types, the page names four: “synthetic motor oil, synthetic blend motor oil, high-mileage motor oil & conventional motor oil.” It describes high-mileage oil as “specially formulated for older engines with 75,000 miles or more,” matching the high-mileage tile’s “For engines 75,000+ miles.” The Auto Services FAQ adds that “Synthetic oil tends to last the longest, gives you more time between oil changes & provides better engine protection.” Two things do not line up. The FAQ names synthetic blend, but no package is called synthetic blend; and the Standard featured oil tile never says what type of oil it is, only “Basic level engine protection. Meets industry performance standards.” If the type matters for your engine, ask what the featured standard oil is at your store. The diesel package is for “heavy duty diesel engines” and uses conventional diesel oil. Its tile, like Pit Crew’s, does not show the courtesy line, and the “15-point” list is written for “conventional, high mileage and synthetic oil changes,” so no Walmart page says which checks a diesel oil change gets. How often to change it is a question Walmart also hands back to the manual: its FAQ says “Following your vehicle’s owner’s manual on how often to change the oil is the most beneficial way to maintain & extend the life of your engine,” and the Auto Services answer says the timing “varies depending on the year, make & model of your vehicle.” We cover what actually sets the interval, severe service and oil life monitors on our page on [how often to change oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/), including [what separates synthetic, blend and conventional oil](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#synthetic). One FAQ line is worth reading with care. Walmart says “The most obvious & initial sign of low motor oil in your vehicle is the engine light that pops up on your vehicle’s dashboard.” Our oil interval page explains that the oil warning light reports pressure rather than quantity, which is why it advises [checking the level between services](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#what-to-do) rather than waiting for a light; a lit [check engine light](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/what-does-check-engine-light-mean/#what-it-says) is a different message altogether. ## Booking: appointments, walk-ins and the app Both service pages push toward an appointment. The Oil Change Service page has two “Schedule appointment” buttons and the Auto Services tile says “Schedule with our certified techs today.” Those buttons lead to Walmart’s booking flow, which we did not open; on this site’s other Walmart pages it asked for a vehicle and a store. Walmart also has a dedicated scheduling address for oil changes. When we opened it, it loaded “Schedule oil change” and “Choose a service location,” then answered with a “Robot or human?” check, which we did not attempt. Whether online booking is live at your store is something only that flow, or the store, can tell you. Walmart’s FAQ is cautious on the same point. Asked “Can I get my oil changed while shopping?”, it says “Yes, you can often get your oil changed at Walmart Auto Care Centers during your shopping trip” and that “Many locations offer convenient in-store appointments.” Before you go, it suggests you “Check store hours and book an appointment online if available” and “Confirm your local center’s capacity and wait times.” The page’s promise is “Shop while waiting. We’ll notify you when we’re done.” The app route is described in Walmart’s October 9, 2025 release: sign in, open Services, then Auto Services, and schedule. The same release announced contactless “Auto Care Centers (ACCs) of the Future,” with “the first of 10 locations now open in Fayetteville, Arkansas,” where customers check in on the app, leave keys in a locker, follow progress on the phone and pay at pickup. Its footnote limits all of that to “Where the experience is available.” The release also says Walmart had opened Auto Care Centers in “2,582 Supercenters across the U.S.” by then. How long the job takes is not printed. The FAQ says timing “typically depends on service demand and the package you select,” that “Most oil changes are designed to be quick,” and that extra quarts or specialty filters can make it “a bit longer.” It suggests you “Consider peak store hours or call ahead to plan.” You do not need to know your oil before booking. Walmart says it is “helpful to know your vehicle’s recommended oil type and viscosity before booking” but “not required,” and that “Walmart technicians can assist if you share your car’s make, model, and year.” Bringing the manual’s specification still helps. ## Coupons, specials and Walmart+ The Oil Change Service page has a panel headed “Oil Change Specials.” Opened, it is marketing copy that urges you not to “miss out on our limited-time offers designed to help you save big on essential car care.” It names no offer, coupon, code, amount or end date. None of the Walmart pages we read prints an oil-change coupon. Check any offer you find elsewhere against the store’s own total. For two quick-lube chains read the same way, see our pages on [Take 5](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/take-5-oil-change/) and [Valvoline](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/valvoline-oil-change/), neither of which prints a national oil change price. Walmart+ does not change the picture on the pages we read. The Walmart+ auto care help article, read on 7 October 2026 for our tires page, lists two benefits at Auto Care Centers: “Free flat repair” and a “Free road hazard warranty when you buy new tires with installation.” Section 2.7 of the Walmart+ Terms of Use defines the auto care benefits as a road hazard warranty and unlimited tire repair. Neither is an oil-change discount, and the Oil Change Service page does not mention Walmart+. The “Member prices on fuel” tile on the Auto Services page is about fuel, not motor oil. Our [Walmart tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#walmart-plus) covers what the membership does for tires. ## Will a Walmart oil change affect your car’s warranty? Not by itself. The FTC’s consumer guidance on [auto warranties and service contracts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) says: “You don’t have to use the dealer for repairs or maintenance to keep your warranty in effect. In fact, it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else.” The rule behind that is in federal law. 15 U.S.C. 2302(c) says no warrantor “may condition his written or implied warranty” on the consumer using an article or service “identified by brand, trade, or corporate name” unless it is provided free under the warranty. The FTC’s interpretation, 16 CFR 700.10(c), says a warrantor may not “condition the continued validity of a warranty on the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance.” There are two qualifications, both from the same FTC page. First, the free-service exception: “if the warranty says that the work will be done for free, the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses.” If your car came with free scheduled maintenance, using Walmart instead does not void the warranty, but it does mean paying for a service you could have had free. Second, the work itself has to be right. The FTC says that if someone installs a part incorrectly and it damages a covered part, “the manufacturer or dealer can deny warranty coverage for the damaged part,” though it “must prove” the cause first. With an oil change, that is a reason to make sure the oil meets the manual’s specification and the quantity is right. The FTC’s practical advice is about paper: “Keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations, belt replacement, new brake pads, and inspections,” because “Otherwise, your claim might be denied.” If you have bought a service contract, the FTC warns that it “might require you to follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations for routine maintenance, like oil changes,” and that missing them “might void the contract.” Our page on whether an [extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#how-a-claim-works) is worth it explains how those claims are tested, and a Walmart invoice is exactly the kind of record they ask for. Records also matter when the car is sold: our guide to [reading an oil-change history](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-often-to-change-oil/#records) shows what a buyer looks for in them. ## What Walmart’s pages leave out, and the old oil Walmart’s pages are clear on the packages and the 5-quart cap. They are silent or inconsistent on several things a customer might reasonably want in writing: - **Prices for the extras.** No price per extra quart, for a non-featured oil or for a specialty filter. - **Which state’s prices you are seeing.** Only “Prices may vary by location,” while the page’s data labels most of its prices for three states. - **Vehicles and oils it will not service.** No list on any page we read, and no rule on bringing your own oil or filter. - **The checks.** Three different courtesy lists; a brake check on one of them only; no list at all for the diesel package. - **The oil in Standard featured oil.** The tile does not name its type, though the FAQ names synthetic blend as one of four. - **Time.** No duration in minutes, only “designed to be quick.” - **Used oil from home.** Nothing on whether an Auto Care Center takes oil or filters from people who change their own. That last gap matters if you do some of your own maintenance. EPA’s page on [managing and recycling used oil](https://www.epa.gov/recycle/managing-reusing-and-recycling-used-oil) (last updated June 25, 2026) says the used oil from one oil change “can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water,” which it puts at a year’s supply for 50 people. It tells do-it-yourselfers to collect it in “a leak-proof can or container,” to “Check with local automobile maintenance facilities, waste collectors, and government waste officials” about where to drop it off, and not to forget “to drain and recycle used oil filters as well.” EPA also says re-refined oil “is equivalent to virgin oil” in laboratory and field testing, and that “One gallon of used motor oil provides the same 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil as 42 gallons of crude oil.” Ask your Auto Care Center whether it accepts used oil before you carry it in. ## Before and after a Walmart oil change - **Read the manual first.** Note the oil viscosity, any specification it names, and the capacity with the filter. Those three decide which package fits and whether the 5-quart cap or the asterisk will apply. - **Check the price with your own store selected.** The prices we read were served for a California store. Open the page for your store or call, and ask which oil is featured there. - **Ask for the total.** Package price, any extra quarts, any non-featured oil charge, any specialty filter, and tax. - **Know which checks you are buying.** Pit Crew gets four items; the other conventional, high-mileage and synthetic packages get the “15-point” list. Diesel is not described. - **Do not count on a tire inspection.** Walmart checks and fills tire pressure only. Look at tread and sidewalls yourself or book tire work separately. - **Read the invoice before you leave.** It should show the oil type and viscosity, the quantity, the filter and the odometer reading. That line is your warranty record. - **Check the level yourself.** Once the engine has stood for a few minutes, the dipstick should read within its marks. Look under the car for fresh drips after the first drive; our page on [finding fluid leaks](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-fluid-leaks/#cardboard) shows how. - **Keep the paperwork.** File the receipt with the car’s other records, or photograph it. The FTC says a missing record can get a warranty claim denied. ## Common questions ### How much does Walmart charge for an oil change? Walmart’s Oil Change Service page says “Service packages start at $28.88,” for Pit Crew conventional oil. On 8 October 2026, served for a California store, the other packages ran from $38.88 for Standard featured oil to $76.88 for premium synthetic. Prices vary by location, more than 5 quarts costs extra, and a non-featured oil may cost extra too. ### How much is a full synthetic oil change at Walmart? The page we read showed Full-synthetic oil at $72.88, Quaker State synthetic at $62.88 and Premium synthetic at $76.88, all from a block labelled for California, Alaska and Hawaii. Other states may show different figures. We do not survey other shops’ prices; the price that matters is your store’s total for your engine’s oil and capacity. ### What is included in a Walmart oil change? Every package includes up to 5 quarts of oil, a new oil filter and chassis lubrication where applicable. The conventional, high-mileage and synthetic packages add what Walmart calls a “15-point” set of checks, from the battery and lights to transmission, power steering and differential fluid. Pit Crew adds only a battery check and tire pressure. Tires are not inspected for safety. ### Are Walmart oil changes good? We do not rate services. What Walmart publishes is a defined package with brand-name oils (it names Castrol, Mobil, Pennzoil, Quaker State and Valvoline), a new filter every time, and technicians it says go through “a detailed training & certification process.” Whether a given visit is good comes down to the right oil, the right quantity and an accurate invoice, which you can check yourself. ### Can I book a Walmart oil change appointment online? Walmart’s pages link to a booking flow and say to “book an appointment online if available.” Its 2025 release describes scheduling in the Walmart app, “Where the experience is available.” We could not confirm availability: the scheduling page served us a bot check. Walk-ins are not ruled out; Walmart says you can “often” get the oil changed while you shop. ### Does Walmart have oil change coupons? Not on the pages we read. The “Oil Change Specials” panel mentions “limited-time offers” but names none, and the Walmart+ auto benefits cover tires, not oil changes. Ask your store whether it has a local special, and compare its total with the package price. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/ --- title: "Car Battery Warranty Compared: Interstate, O’Reilly, NAPA, OPTIMA" description: "Interstate, Super Start, NAPA and OPTIMA battery warranties read side by side: free-replacement periods, discount periods, claims and exclusions." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Car Battery Warranty Compared: Interstate, O’Reilly, NAPA, OPTIMA > Interstate, Super Start, NAPA and OPTIMA battery warranties read side by side: free-replacement periods, discount periods, claims and exclusions. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,857 words* ## The short version - Many battery warranties we read are a free-replacement promise and nothing more: OPTIMA, NAPA’s 2022 lines other than AAA and Interstate’s M, MTX and MTZ models print no prorated period. - Interstate is the exception. Its MT and MTP models add a “Discount Period”: 45%, then 25%, then 10% off Interstate’s suggested retail price on the day you return the battery, not off what you paid. - The free periods in our comparison run from 12 months (NAPA Proformer, 2022 terms) to 60 months (OPTIMA ORANGETOP bought direct). For a battery bought through a store or dealer the longest we found is 48 months: Interstate MTZ. - A warranty replacement keeps the old battery’s clock at Interstate, NAPA (free period) and OPTIMA. It does not start a new warranty. - Bring the receipt and expect a test on a charged battery. Interstate, O’Reilly, NAPA and Costco all treat a battery that is merely discharged as not defective, and commercial use cuts the term to 90 days at O’Reilly. - Two big sellers are missing: AutoZone’s website refused every request we made on 8 October 2026, and Advance Auto Parts (DieHard) bars AI readers in its robots.txt, so their terms are not on this page. NAPA’s newest document we could reach dates from 2022. A car battery warranty is a limited warranty that replaces a battery that fails from a defect, free for a set period from the purchase date and, in a few cases, at a discount after that. The terms depend on the seller and the line. On 8 October 2026 we read each company’s own warranty document: Interstate Batteries’ US limited warranty (the editions for 2025 and 2026 purchases), O’Reilly Auto Parts’ warranty page and Super Start battery page, NAPA’s battery warranty policy file (dated 2022) and OPTIMA’s warranty page and guide. We add what this site already read for [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-car-battery/) and [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/) on 7 October 2026, and the federal rules for written warranties. This site has no commercial relationship with any battery maker or seller, and nothing here is a ranking. **Figure: Free replacement, then what? How each warranty ends** For a car battery that fails from a defect, how long each seller’s or maker’s document promises a free replacement, and what (if anything) follows. Source: each company’s own warranty document, read 8 October 2026 (NAPA: its February 2022 file; Costco and Walmart: this site’s readings of 7 October 2026). Periods run from the purchase date. Not a ranking. ## Free replacement, a discount, or a refund: three shapes of battery warranty Every document we read warrants the battery against defects in material and workmanship from the date you bought it. What happens when it fails takes one of three shapes. - **Free replacement, then nothing.** OPTIMA, NAPA (all 2022 lines except AAA) and Interstate’s M, MTX and MTZ models. Inside the period you get a battery; after it, nothing. - **Free replacement, then a discount.** Interstate’s MT and MTP models and NAPA’s AAA batteries. After the free months you buy the replacement at a stated percentage off a retail price. - **A pro-rata refund.** Costco, which sells Interstate batteries under its own warranty, refunds “a pro-rata portion of the original purchase price and sales tax paid” and prints no free period and no formula. The FTC’s guide for businesses describes a pro rata warranty as “one which provides a refund or credit that decreases during the life of the product according to a formula.” Interstate and NAPA print their formula; Costco and O’Reilly do not. **Free-replacement period by battery line, as each document prints it (read 8 October 2026)** | Seller and line | Free replacement | After that | | --- | --- | --- | | Interstate, models beginning M | 18 months | No coverage | | Interstate, models beginning MT | 24 months | Months 25 to 36: 45% off SRP; 37 to 48: 25% off; 49 to 60: 10% off | | Interstate, models beginning MTP | 30 months | Months 31 to 48: 45% off SRP; 49 to 60: 25% off; 61 to 72: 10% off | | Interstate, models beginning MTX / MTZ | 36 / 48 months | No coverage | | Super Start Platinum / Extreme / Premium / Economy (O’Reilly) | “Warranty” of 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 years | No free or prorated split printed | | NAPA AAA (2022 file) | 3 years | Months 37 to 72: 40%, 25%, then 10% off NAPA’s retail price | | NAPA OPTIMA, Legend Premium AGM / Legend / Proformer (2022 file) | 3 / 2 / 1 year | “N/A” | | OPTIMA YELLOWTOP, REDTOP / BLUETOP / ORANGETOP (non-commercial) | 36 / 24 / 60 months | None; commercial use 12 months | | Costco (Interstate) | None printed | Pro-rata refund over the period on the battery’s label (36-month headline) | | Walmart (EverStart) | 90-day money back or exchange | Exchange “per the warranty terms”, not printed on its policy pages | SRP is Interstate’s suggested retail price. AutoZone and Advance (DieHard) are missing for the reasons in their sections. ## AutoZone battery warranty (Duralast): what we could and could not read We could not read AutoZone’s battery warranty. On 8 October 2026 autozone.com answered every request from us with “Access Denied” or an HTTP 403 error: plain requests, the browser we use for hand readings, and a second fetching service. A reading service got a bot-check page instead. We did not try to get around either, or use an archived copy, because this page should carry what AutoZone prints now. So there is no Duralast free-replacement period, credit formula or claim rule here. What we could read is AutoZone’s annual report. Its Form 10-K for the fiscal year to August 30, 2025 names “Duralast and the family of Duralast brands” among its in-house brands, and says: - “The Company or the vendors supplying its products provides the Company’s customers limited warranties on certain products that range from 30 days to lifetime.” - “In most cases, the Company’s vendors are primarily responsible for warranty claims.” That does not give the term on any Duralast battery. Until AutoZone’s terms can be read, use the receipt: the parts-store documents we did read (O’Reilly, NAPA) tie the period, or its start date, to the receipt or invoice, and federal rules require the seller to let you read the warranty text before you buy (see [what federal law requires](#federal-law)). Ask for it at the counter, and ask whether the period on the receipt is free replacement throughout or free for part of it. ## Interstate battery warranty: free months, then a discount off a list price Interstate publishes its US limited warranty as a two-page PDF, one edition per purchase-date range. The editions for batteries bought on or after July 15, 2026 and for March 15, 2025 to July 14, 2026 print the same automotive terms. The warranty covers “the original retail purchaser” of an Interstate-branded battery bought from “an IB Authorized Dealer or an All Battery Center Store” in the 50 states or the District of Columbia. **Interstate automotive batteries: periods by model prefix (US limited warranty, July 15, 2026 edition)** | Model begins with | Free replacement | Discount period (off Interstate’s SRP) | Coverage ends | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | M | 18 months | None | Month 18 | | MT | 24 months | 25 to 36: 45%; 37 to 48: 25%; 49 to 60: 10% | Month 60 | | MTP | 30 months | 31 to 48: 45%; 49 to 60: 25%; 61 to 72: 10% | Month 72 | | MTX | 36 months | None | Month 36 | | MTX-AUX | 12 months | None | Month 12 | | MTZ | 48 months | None | Month 48 | **The discount is off a list price, not your price.** In the discount period you buy a replacement at Interstate’s suggested retail price (SRP) “at the time you return your original battery, minus a percentage discount”. Interstate warns that this SRP “will not be the same price you paid for your original battery”; dealers may choose to charge less. By our arithmetic, the bands leave you paying 55%, then 75%, then 90% of that SRP, plus taxes, “legislatively imposed fees” and possibly labor and installation. **The same month can be free on one line and discounted on another.** Month 30 is the last free month for MTP but in MT’s first discount band: free on one, 55% of SRP on the other, by our arithmetic. The model prefix on the label decides it. In years, MT cover ends at 5 and MTP at 6. **Who takes the claim.** You present the battery to an authorized warranty dealer or All Battery Center Store “that has an appropriate replacement battery in stock,” which gets “a reasonable time to test your original battery.” Interstate’s warranty page adds: “the battery must be fully-charged at the time of testing.” Its FAQ says you do not need to go back to the store where you bought it. Batteries sold at Costco are different: Costco’s FAQ says they carry “a different warranty program,” serviced at Costco (see [Costco and Walmart](#costco-and-walmart)). **No receipt.** You can prove the purchase date with the receipt; otherwise “your dealer will estimate your date of purchase from the manufacturer code”. Interstate’s documents do not explain how to read that code. **What shortens or ends it.** In a vehicle used for commercial purposes, a truck over one ton, or a diesel vehicle (other than a personal car or pickup), cover drops to a one-year free period, two years for MTZ. Excluded: a battery that is “merely discharged,” or damaged by abuse, neglect, freezing, overcharging, improper installation, “use of special additives” or poor maintenance. Installation, towing, testing and rental cars are not paid. A replacement inherits what is left of the original warranty: it has no “new or separate warranty coverage.” **Disputes.** The warranty opens with a warning that it contains “mandatory and binding individual arbitration and class-action waiver provisions.” Claims must be brought within 2 years of the events behind them, Texas law applies, and small claims court remains open. It limits implied warranties to the length of the written one. **Two editions, one stamp.** Both PDFs Interstate links for 2025 and 2026 purchases carry the same footer code and the date “2026.07.15”, so the footer will not tell you which edition you hold. The purchase-date line under the title does. Interstate’s own folder for its October 2023 edition is labelled as running to “mar-14-2015”. ## Advance Auto Parts and DieHard battery warranty: why this page does not describe it Advance Auto Parts says in its annual report that it owns the right to sell batteries under the DieHard brand. This page does not describe the warranty on them. Advance’s robots.txt, the file a website uses to tell automated readers what they may read, bars AI readers from the whole site: it lists ClaudeBot, GPTBot, Google-Extended and other AI crawlers, each with “Disallow: /”. We read and check every document on this page with the help of an AI system, so we follow that file and use nothing from Advance’s pages: not its battery warranty, not the DieHard periods, not its core-charge page. What we can use is that annual report, filed with the SEC. Advance’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year to January 3, 2026 says: - “The risk of loss arising from warranty claims is typically the obligation of the Company’s suppliers; however, we have an obligation to provide customers replacement of certain merchandise at no cost if the merchandise is under a warranty and not covered by the manufacturer.” - From the third quarter of fiscal 2025 it began recording warranty liabilities for “certain battery products sold due to contractual changes with vendors”. That says who carries the cost behind the counter, not what your battery’s warranty promises. If you are buying a DieHard or any other battery at Advance, ask to see the printed warranty before you pay; federal rules require the seller to make it available (see [what federal law requires](#federal-law)). Then check it against the questions in [our checklist](#before-you-buy): how long the free-replacement period is and whether anything follows it, where claims are taken, whether a replacement starts a new warranty, and what commercial use does to the term. ## O’Reilly battery warranty (Super Start): free replacement, with a 25-mile rule O’Reilly’s Super Start chart gives a “Warranty” of 4 years (Platinum), 3 (Extreme), 2 (Premium) and 1 (Economy). Its warranty page sets out the battery terms: - **Term.** It runs from the purchase date and “expires at the end of the warranty period stated on the receipt,” and a battery that fails “during the free replacement period” is replaced “at no cost to the original purchaser”, with the same model or one of “like kind and quality”. - **A sentence without a formula.** The coverage section also says replacement is “based on the actual number of months of service delivered”, with part of a month counted as a whole month. No separate free period or charge method is printed. If your receipt shows anything other than free replacement for the whole term, ask how any charge is worked out. - **Who stands behind it.** The warranty is “extended by Super Start batteries exclusively,” with Automotive Business Solutions Inc. as administrator, and only to the original purchaser. - **Testing.** The Super Start page says exchanges “require the battery to be tested and confirmed defective” by store staff and “may require battery recharging to ensure accurate testing.” O’Reilly says it offers “free battery testing, as well as battery charging.” - **Exclusions.** Rechargeable discharged batteries; labor; batteries opened, frozen or abused; fire, wreck or explosion; additives; failure “as a result of a faulty electrical system”; a battery “of an electrical size smaller than the one specified by the vehicle manufacturer”; incorrect installation or charging; and failures outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico. - **Commercial vehicles.** O’Reilly’s general terms give any product used on a commercial vehicle a 90-day warranty. **Where to take it is the part to read twice.** The page’s general section says a defective product may be returned “to any O’Reilly Auto Parts store,” and the Super Start page says an exchange “can be completed at any O’Reilly Auto Parts.” The battery section says something narrower: within 25 miles of the original place of purchase “you must return the battery to that place of purchase,” and beyond 25 miles you must call the Warranty Administration Office first, which names a participating facility. If none exists, you may have to pay another shop and send the invoice to the administrator within 60 days. O’Reilly’s general policy also covers a replaced product for 90 days from the exchange “or for the remainder of the warranty period, whichever is greater.” The battery section does not say whether that applies to a battery. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car battery mark a terminal clamp, the label sticker and the hold-down bracket, with the test most warranties require before a claim, how Interstate dates a battery without a receipt, and how commercial use shortens cover. Interstate’s, O’Reilly’s and NAPA’s published battery warranties, read on 8 October 2026, charge and test a battery before treating it as defective (callout 1), let an Interstate dealer estimate the purchase date from the maker’s code when there is no receipt (callout 2), and shorten cover for commercial use (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## NAPA battery warranty: the 2022 policy, and what we could not confirm NAPA’s own site blocked us: napaonline.com returned a Cloudflare error saying the owner had “banned the country or region” of our connection, and a reading service got a security check, which we did not attempt. The newest NAPA warranty document we could reach is a policy file NAPA hosts on Adobe’s content network, dated February 2022, with editions for batteries bought before and on or after March 1, 2022. Treat it as NAPA’s terms as of 2022: today’s line names may differ, and your receipt governs. **NAPA battery warranty, batteries bought on or after March 1, 2022 (NAPA policy file, February 2022)** | Line | Free replacement | Pro rata period | | --- | --- | --- | | AAA | 3 years | Months 37 to 72: 40%, then 25%, then 10% off NAPA’s applicable AAA Member or non-AAA Member retail price | | OPTIMA, Legend Premium AGM | 3 years | N/A | | Legend, OPTIMA Marine, OPTIMA Commercial | 2 years | N/A | | Proformer (and listed model numbers) | 1 year | N/A | The consumer “MUST present original receipt” from a NAPA Auto Parts Store or Authorized Distributor, and the period starts on the purchase date on that receipt. Replacement is made only for a defect, “(NOT MERELY DISCHARGED)”. Not included: a discharged battery that can be recharged, poor maintenance such as “low water caused by overcharging”, broken cases and posts, frozen batteries, and explosion, fire or collision damage. Installation and lost time are not covered. The clock rule differs by line. A replacement in the free period “does not renew; it continues on from the purchase date of the original battery.” But a pro-rated replacement AAA battery “will be covered under a new limited warranty.” By our arithmetic, the AAA bands leave you paying 60%, 75% and 90% of the retail price. The pre-March 2022 edition still matters for older batteries. It gave Legend batteries 18 months free and pro rata cover to month 75 (six years and three months), and Proformer 18 months free and cover to month 65. Its method: a monthly fee found by dividing “the selling price by the number of months in the warranty,” multiplied by the months the battery was in service, is what you pay for the new battery. As a share only, by our arithmetic, a Proformer in service 19 months of a 65-month warranty pays about 29% of the selling price for its replacement. ## OPTIMA battery warranty: free replacement, and why the receipt matters [OPTIMA’s warranty page](https://www.optimabatteries.com/warranty) lists free-replacement periods by line and use, with no prorated period: - **YELLOWTOP** automotive and listed models (non-commercial): 36 months. Commercial: 12 months, or 24 months for D31A and D31T. - **REDTOP** passenger vehicle or light truck (non-commercial): 36 months; commercial 12 months; abusive service, deep-cycle use and car audio “Not covered”. - **BLUETOP** starting and dual-purpose (non-commercial): 24 months; commercial 12 months. - **ORANGETOP** (non-commercial): 60 months; commercial 12 months. OPTIMA says an ORANGETOP “must be purchased directly from OPTIMA, not another retailer,” and is serviced only by its HyperCare team. The page says the receipt “Establishes the beginning date of service,” identifies the original purchaser and shows “a consumer (not commercial) application.” “An OPTIMA battery does not have a lifetime warranty,” and “Warranty replacement batteries do not carry a new warranty.” Reconditioned OPTIMA batteries resold by third parties “would have absolutely no factory warranty coverage,” and the linked guide says used batteries, shipping-damaged ones and anything “sold through unapproved channels have no warranty whatsoever.” That linked “Warranty Guide Manual” is older than the page: OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.’s Limited Consumer Warranty of February 1, 2009, revised 10/11/2012. It has no ORANGETOP, and two of its terms are not on the page. A battery bought at a store goes back with the receipt “to the location where the battery was originally purchased,” and “Most retail locations will only support our warranty policy” for batteries bought from them. You pay labor, taxes and any shipping for evaluation. Before you claim, OPTIMA suggests measuring voltage: about 14.0V for a charged ORANGETOP, 12.6 to 12.8V for a REDTOP (and the 34M BLUETOP), and 13.0 to 13.2V for other YELLOWTOP and BLUETOP batteries, and a full charge if it reads low. OPTIMA also runs a promotion adding a year when a battery and a 1200+ series charger are bought together directly from OPTIMA; it says the promotion can change or end without notice. ## Costco and Walmart: the store’s terms, not the maker’s **Costco** sells Interstate batteries, but its FAQ says they carry “a different warranty program” from Interstate’s. Its terms, read on 7 October 2026, cover the battery for its designated period or “for as long as it remains in the vehicle in which it was originally installed,” whichever is shorter, with the period “indicated on the battery itself” and a 36-month headline. The remedy is a refund of “a pro-rata portion of the original purchase price and sales tax paid” at any US or Puerto Rico warehouse, with no free period or method printed; proof of purchase is required. See [the Costco battery warranty in detail](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-car-battery/#warranty). **Walmart** prints a “90-Day Automotive Battery Guarantee”: money back or an exchange for the original purchaser if the battery tests bad within 90 days, then exchange only “per the warranty terms.” When we read its pages on 7 October 2026, no Walmart policy, help or category page printed those terms for any EverStart line; its FAQ points to “the product page and the paperwork that comes with the battery.” See [where Walmart prints the EverStart length](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/#warranty). ## Making a claim: receipt, a charged battery, a test, and the core A battery that is only flat is not a warranty case: Interstate excludes one that is “merely discharged,” NAPA and O’Reilly say so in their coverage terms and exclusion lists, and Costco’s terms exclude “merely the battery being discharged”. Expect the store to charge and test it. If it keeps going flat after a good test, look at the car; see [a battery that keeps dying](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#keeps-dying) and [the signs of a failing alternator](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-alternator/). **What each document asks for at claim time, and what ends or shortens cover** | Seller | Proof | Where | Replacement’s warranty | Commercial use | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Interstate | Receipt, or the dealer’s estimate from the manufacturer code | Authorized warranty dealer or All Battery Center Store with stock | The rest of the original; nothing new | One-year free period (MTZ two years) | | O’Reilly (Super Start) | Original purchase invoice | Place of purchase if within 25 miles; otherwise call the administrator | Battery terms silent (general parts: 90 days or the remainder, whichever is greater) | 90 days | | NAPA (2022 file) | Original receipt | Not printed (the receipt must be from a NAPA store or authorized distributor) | Does not renew; AAA pro-rated replacement gets a new warranty | Not printed | | OPTIMA | Original receipt | Store where bought (2012 guide); ORANGETOP through OPTIMA only | Original purchase date; no new warranty | 12 months | | Costco | Proof of purchase; date code intact | Any US or Puerto Rico warehouse | Not applicable: a refund, not a replacement | Covered only “for its intended purpose in a personal automobile” | **No receipt.** Only Interstate’s document offers a fallback, the manufacturer code. Costco’s battery page, as we read it, explains the one on the batteries it sells: a letter for the month (A is January) and a digit for the year, so “B1” is February 2021. Costco says the code shows when the battery “was shipped from the manufacturing plant”, so a date taken from it cannot be later than your purchase date, and may be months earlier. **The core charge.** None of the warranty documents mentions it, but you will meet it at the counter. Costco’s FAQ, as we read it, calls it “a deposit paid when you purchase a battery” that you get back by recycling the old one, and some states set it by law. Two state laws we have read: Washington requires a core charge of “not less than five dollars” when no old battery is traded in, and Minnesota a surcharge “of at least $10”, refundable if you return a battery with the receipt within 30 days. More on both in [our Costco battery page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-car-battery/#core-charge). **Commercial use changes the warranty more than the line does.** Any O’Reilly product used on a commercial vehicle gets 90 days, whatever its line. Interstate cuts a commercial, diesel or over-one-ton truck to a one-year free period, and OPTIMA gives commercial use 12 months. Cover also stops at a sale: O’Reilly’s battery warranty does not pass to anyone who buys the vehicle from you, and Costco’s lasts only while the battery stays in its first vehicle. A used car’s battery rarely brings a warranty with it, as our page on [battery replacement cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#warranty) explains. ## What federal law requires of a written battery warranty The FTC’s guide says the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act “does not require any business to provide a written warranty,” but once one is offered on a consumer product, “it must comply with the Act”; the Act does not reach products sold “for commercial purposes”. What it requires: - **A title.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2303](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2303), a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards must be “conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’”. Every battery warranty document we read calls itself limited. A full warranty, under [section 2304](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2304), could not “impose any duty other than notification” on you without showing it is reasonable. - **One readable document.** [16 CFR 701.3](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/701.3) requires a warrantor, for products costing more than $15.00, to state in a single document who is covered if it is limited to the original purchaser, what the warrantor will do and pay for, when the term starts “if different from the purchase date,” and “A step-by-step explanation” of how to claim. - **Seeing it before you buy.** [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/702.3) requires the seller to make the warranty text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” displayed near the product or furnished on request before the sale. - **Implied warranties.** A supplier that gives a written warranty may not disclaim implied warranties, but under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) may limit their length to that of “a written warranty of reasonable duration”. Interstate does that; O’Reilly’s battery terms disclaim the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness, noting some states do not allow limits on them. - **No tie-ins.** [Section 2302(c)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2302) bars conditioning a warranty on using a branded article or service unless it is free, and [16 CFR 700.10](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/700.10) applies that to repair service. A warrantor may still exclude damage it can show unauthorized work caused. Two points touch Interstate’s dispute terms. The FTC’s guide notes that state limitation periods for breach of warranty are “generally four years from date of purchase”; Interstate’s warranty requires any claim within 2 years of the events behind it. And where a warrantor requires an informal dispute mechanism before a lawsuit, [16 CFR 703.5(j)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/703.5) says its decisions “shall not be legally binding on any person”; Interstate’s warranty instead provides for binding individual arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act. How these fit together for a given claim is a question for a lawyer, not this page; the [FTC’s guide](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law) is the plainest summary of the rules. ## Before you buy a battery: a checklist - **Read the receipt, not the shelf tag.** Check that it shows the free-replacement period, and whether anything follows it. - **Ask to see the warranty text** before the sale, and note its edition date. - **Know what any discount is taken from:** Interstate’s list price on the day of return, not what you paid. - **Ask where claims are taken.** The store you bought from if you are within 25 miles (O’Reilly’s battery terms), an authorized dealer with stock (Interstate), or the club warehouse (Costco). - **Say if the vehicle is used for work.** Commercial use cuts cover to 90 days at O’Reilly, a one-year free period at Interstate and 12 months at OPTIMA. - **Keep the receipt with the car.** Interstate’s warranty says to keep it in the glove compartment. Without it you depend on a date code, if the seller accepts one at all. - **Charge and test before you claim.** A battery that is only discharged is not defective under these terms. ## Common questions ### How long is a car battery warranty? It depends on the line: the free-replacement periods we compared run from 12 months (NAPA Proformer, 2022 terms) to 60 months (OPTIMA ORANGETOP bought direct), and 48 months (Interstate MTZ) is the longest for a battery bought through a store or dealer. The period runs from the purchase date. ### Is a car battery warranty prorated? Often not, among the documents we read. Interstate’s MT and MTP models add 45%, 25% and then 10% off its suggested retail price, NAPA’s 2022 terms give AAA batteries 40%, 25% and 10% off, and Costco refunds a pro-rata share without printing the method. The rest are free replacement only. ### What is the Interstate battery warranty? By model prefix: 18 months free (M), 24 months free then a discount to month 60 (MT), 30 months free then a discount to month 72 (MTP), 36 months (MTX) and 48 months (MTZ). Interstate batteries bought at Costco follow Costco’s terms. ### Do I need a receipt for a battery warranty claim? O’Reilly, NAPA, OPTIMA and Costco require proof of purchase. Only Interstate offers a fallback: the dealer estimates the purchase date from the manufacturer code. ### Does a warranty replacement battery get a new warranty? Not at Interstate, OPTIMA, or NAPA in its free period: the replacement keeps the original purchase date. NAPA’s 2022 terms give a pro-rated AAA replacement a new warranty; O’Reilly’s battery terms do not say. ### What voids a car battery warranty? Abuse, freezing, improper installation, accident or fire damage and additives appear in most lists. O’Reilly also excludes a battery smaller than the vehicle maker specifies and failures caused by a faulty electrical system, NAPA excludes broken cases and posts, OPTIMA excludes an opened case, and moving the battery to another car ends Costco’s cover. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC: a businessperson’s guide to federal warranty law](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/ --- title: "Tire Rack Review: Shipping, Installation and Road Hazard Terms" description: "Tire Rack ships free on orders over $50 and adds free road hazard cover for 24 months, up to $599 a tire. What its terms, installers and returns say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tire Rack Review: Shipping, Installation and Road Hazard Terms > Tire Rack ships free on orders over $50 and adds free road hazard cover for 24 months, up to $599 a tire. What its terms, installers and returns say. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,926 words* ## The short version - Tire Rack sells tires online and ships them to your home, to one of its 10,000+ independent Recommended Installers, or to its own mobile installation vans. It says it is “now a part of the Discount Tire family.” - Shipping is free on eligible orders of $50 or more before tax, in the 48 contiguous states and DC. A site-wide panel says “it’s always free”; the shipping page adds “Exclusions apply.” - Tires bought from Tire Rack, except competition and trailer tires, get free Road Hazard Protection run by Nation Safe Drivers: 24 months from the invoice, ending at 2/32 inch of tread, paying the tire’s current Tirerack.com price up to $599. - Get authorization before replacing a damaged tire: during the administrator’s business hours, a claim without it “WILL BE DENIED.” Labor, taxes, valve stems and disposal fees are never covered. - Defects go to the tire maker’s warranty. Tire Rack says it will assist and, “in most cases,” pay return shipping. - Unused tires can go back within 30 days of delivery, less all freight charges. If Tire Rack’s fit was wrong, its Perfect Fit Promise gives 60 days, a full refund and free return shipping. Tire Rack is a mail-order tire seller in South Bend, Indiana: you order online, it ships, and usually an independent shop mounts the tires. On 8 October 2026 we read its Terms of Use, FAQ, shipping, pick-up, installer and mobile installation pages, return policy, Perfect Fit Promise, warranty support page, the Tire Road Hazard Protection terms with two Nation Safe Drivers PDFs, and ten of its tech articles, plus 49 CFR 574, 16 CFR 702.3 and NHTSA’s recall page. Tire Rack’s Terms bar “deep-link” and “page-scrape” access, so we name its documents rather than link them. This site has no commercial relationship with Tire Rack or any tire seller. **Figure: Who pays when a Tire Rack tire fails, by what happened** A two-column table of seven situations: a repaired nail is reimbursed up to $40 with no pre-approval; a non-repairable pothole or curb hit within 24 months is reimbursed at up to 100% of the current Tirerack.com price, capped at $599, after pre-approval, with labor and fees left to you; after 24 months, at 2/32 inch of tread or after selling the car the program no longer applies; collisions, vandalism, off-road, racing and commercial use are excluded; defects go to the tire maker’s warranty with Tire Rack’s help; recalled tires are replaced at Tire Rack and reimbursed after the old tires come back; unused tires can be returned within 30 days of delivery less freight, or within 60 days with no freight under the Perfect Fit Promise. Read from Tire Rack’s road hazard terms and claim guide, return policy, Perfect Fit Promise, warranty support page and recall article on 8 October 2026. ## How buying from Tire Rack works The Terms say the site “is owned and operated by Tire Rack, Inc.,” a name that covers “its affiliates and parents.” The parent is Discount Tire: Tire Rack’s Discount Tire Direct page answers “Is Tire Rack owned by Discount Tire?” with “Yes, Tire Rack is now a part of the Discount Tire family.” Our page on the [Discount Tire warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) covers that chain’s own terms. You pick tires and one of four routes: ship to a Recommended Installer, ship to you, mobile installation, or pick-up at a distribution center for a discount. Tire Rack says every online order is checked “for proper vehicle fitments,” and that your card “will be charged at the time of shipment,” though the amount is held from the moment you order if everything is in stock. After delivery the shop mounts the tires and you pay it directly. Tire Rack says it then registers the tires with their makers, and the free road hazard cover runs from the invoice date. Two other parties stand behind the paperwork. The road hazard program is “Provided by Nation Safe Drivers”; its terms name Nation Motor Club, LLC as obligor in most states, NIU of Florida, Inc. in Arkansas, Maine, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin and Florida, and NIU of Florida, Inc. as administrator. If you choose an installer, the Terms let Tire Rack send it your name, contact details and vehicle information, and say the installer “may be an affiliate of ours or an independent contractor.” ## Shipping, delivery times and order pick-up The shipping page heads itself “Fast, Free Shipping On All Orders Over $50” and sets the conditions: “Eligible products purchased must total $50 or more (not including taxes),” and free standard ground shipping “is valid only for retail customers in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.” The home-shipping page adds “Exclusions apply” without listing them. No shipping charge for a specific order is printed. On speed, Tire Rack says three things: “98% of orders ship the same day, and most arrive the next day!” on a site-wide panel; “most orders are delivered in two days or less” on the shipping page; most customers are “within one to two business days” of a distribution center in the FAQ. The shipping page also warns that UPS, FedEx and OnTrac “are unable to meet normal delivery expectancy for some areas,” and the FAQ says boxes from different centers “may be delivered at different times.” Book the shop, but do not let it start until every tire has arrived and you have checked them (see [what to check on delivery](#before-you-buy)). **Pick-up.** Tire Rack lists twelve distribution centers and offers “an order pick-up discount on tire and wheel orders over $50,” with the amount shown only in the cart. Most in-stock items are ready “within an hour,” packages and studded or shaved tires “up to six hours,” and in-stock orders placed by 11 a.m. the same day. The cardholder must bring the card and photo ID; unclaimed orders are cancelled “After 14 days.” Pick-ups are “only eligible for immediate return or exchange on the same day they are picked up.” ## Sales tax, tire fees and what costs extra The FAQ says: “Where applicable in the United States, sales tax, federal excise tax and state waste tire fund fees are collected by Tire Rack,” and all of them appear in the cart before you order. No tax rate is printed. A tech article puts state waste tire fees at “approximately $.25/per tire to $2.50/per tire,” passed “directly to the state,” or about $1 to $10 for four tires by our arithmetic, and warns that “there may be associated tire disposal fees charged by dealers” on top. **What a Tire Rack order can cost beyond the tires, as Tire Rack prints it (read 8 October 2026)** | Item | Who charges it | What Tire Rack prints | | --- | --- | --- | | Shipping | Tire Rack | Free standard ground on eligible orders of $50 or more before tax, 48 contiguous states and DC; “Exclusions apply” | | Sales tax, federal excise tax | Tire Rack, where applicable | Itemized in the cart; no rates printed | | State waste tire fee | Tire Rack, passed to the state | About $.25 to $2.50 per tire | | Installation | The shop | Its Price Pledge quote, shown once you enter a ZIP code | | Old tire disposal | The shop | “there may be associated tire disposal fees” | | Tire Rack Mobile Installation | Tire Rack | “prices start at just $40 a tire” | | Returning unused tires | Deducted from your credit | “all freight charges incurred”; $60 more to dismount a wheel and tire package | | A road hazard replacement | You, to the shop | Labor, taxes, valve stems, wheel weights and disposal are not covered | No document we read prints a price-adjustment or price-match policy, so do not assume a later price drop will be refunded. ## Tire Rack installation: Recommended Installers, the Price Pledge and mobile vans **Recommended Installers** are independent shops, “from local ‘mom-and-pop’ tire shops to national tire store chains,” that Tire Rack says it “carefully” selects. Each must sign the Price Pledge: “an agreement promising to display an exact price quote for installation services based on the tire aspect ratio, including any optional or related fees,” so that “the installation price you see on our site is exactly what you’ll pay.” We report none: prices appear only after you enter a ZIP code. As printed, the pledge is about the installation quote for your tire size; Tire Rack’s pages do not say how other work a shop recommends (an alignment, a seized lug, a TPMS sensor) is priced. Ask what the quote includes, and keep the shop’s invoice: a road hazard claim needs it. “Top-Rated” shops are those Tire Rack says reach “a 4.5-star rating in our consumer survey results,” Tire Rack’s own surveys. Discount Tire and America’s Tire stores, in Tire Rack’s corporate family, “will gladly install your Tire Rack tires,” with “more than 1,100 stores.” Some Recommended Installers also work from trucks. **Tire Rack Mobile Installation** is Tire Rack’s own van service, offered only in select areas. It is the only route with a printed price: “On-site tire installation prices start at just $40 a tire,” so a set of four starts at $160 by our arithmetic. Its page and FAQ add: - Each tire takes “about 15 minutes,” about an hour for four by our arithmetic, and it will install “tires of your own” too. - The technician will “dispose of or clean” your old tires. - Free inspection and re-balancing “up to 30 days after your original installation date.” - You may cancel “at any time without penalty,” though Tire Rack asks for “at least 24 hours’ notice.” - It will refuse a job over missing lug nuts, “badly rusted mounting hardware” or an unsafe location, and “There is no charge to you if we refuse service.” - It excludes “dually trucks, tires with a 25-series and lower aspect ratio,” tires over 35 inches in diameter and wheels over 22 inches, needs “6 feet of clearance” around the car and 10 feet overhead, and “does not repair flat tires.” You can also mount the tires yourself; the home-shipping page says “Install on your own.” Read the claims section first, because a road hazard claim needs a receipt showing the tires were installed on your car. ## Tire Rack road hazard protection: what the free cover pays Tire Rack’s panel promises “2 years of free road hazard protection. No proration, just 24 months of tire repair or replacement reimbursement.” The program terms, a web page and a six-page PDF marked “REV 12/25,” decide claims. The program is free and so “cannot be cancelled and has no independent value.” **What is covered.** A tire that becomes “Unserviceable,” meaning unsafe or no longer able to “hold a seal with its wheel,” from “impact with a Road Hazard”: “potholes, nails, glass, other road debris,” and “This definition specifically includes curbs.” Any Tire Rack tire qualifies “with the exception of Competition Tires, or Trailer Tires,” if you are a private buyer named as owner or lessee. **How long.** Losses must fall “within twenty four (24) months of the date on Your Original Tire purchase invoice.” Cover ends at whichever comes first: 24 months, tread down to 2/32 inch, replacing the tire, selling the car, or moving the tire to another vehicle. The clock starts at the invoice, not at installation. **What it pays.** Up to “forty dollars ($40) per tire” for a repair. For a replacement, “one hundred percent (100%) of the current retail price of the damaged Covered Tire as listed on Tirerack.com,” capped at “five hundred ninety-nine dollars ($599) per tire.” That is today’s Tirerack.com price, not what you paid, and “the cost of the tire only”: not “mounting, balancing, wheel weights, shop supplies, taxes, disposal fees, environmental fees, tire pressure sensors, and/or valve stems.” Roadside help is a tire change onto your spare or a tow “up to a maximum of twenty five (25) miles,” with extra miles at your cost. **Other cover first.** Benefits “are secondary to any Primary Coverage,” such as insurance, and are reduced by what it pays; if another contract also says it is secondary, the program pays “fifty percent (50%).” **Exclusions.** The terms list 23, lettered (a) to (w). The likeliest to bite: “an accident, collision, impact with another vehicle or animal,” theft, snow chains, flood and vandalism; “manufacturer defect, or recall”; “improper inflation, run flat damage” and “lack of proper maintenance”; cosmetic damage; “Off Road Use”; commercial, racing or farm use; TPMS sensors; and damage outside the United States. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a pile of tires mark a sidewall, a tread groove and the stack, with how to read the date code on delivery, when Tire Rack's free road hazard cover ends, and the conditions for returning unused tires. Tire Rack’s road hazard terms and return policy, read on 8 October 2026, and the federal tire identification rule date a tire by its sidewall code (callout 1), end the free road hazard cover at 2/32 inch of tread or 24 months from the invoice (callout 2), and take back unused tires within 30 days of delivery, less freight (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. The table sets Tire Rack’s printed terms beside four other sellers’, with no prices and no ranking, copied from our pages on [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#certificates), [Sam’s Club](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#road-hazard), [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#road-hazard) and [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty). **Road hazard terms as each seller prints them (Tire Rack read 8 October 2026; Discount Tire, Sam’s Club and Walmart 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Term | Tire Rack | Discount Tire | Costco | Sam’s Club | Walmart | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | How you get it | Free with tires bought from Tire Rack, except competition and trailer tires | Optional Tire Protection Certificates, added at purchase or up to 30 days after | “all of our tires are backed” by its Road Hazard Warranty | Included “at no additional cost” with the Premium Tire Installation Package | Optional Road Hazard Warranty, bought with the tires | | When it ends | 24 months from the invoice, at 2/32 inch of tread, or when you sell the car | 3 years from purchase; needs more than 3/32 inch of tread | 60 months or 2/32 inch, whichever occurs first | 5 years from purchase, while you remain a member | At the last 2/32 inch of tread; no time limit printed | | What a ruined tire gets you | The current Tirerack.com price, up to $599; labor, taxes and disposal are yours | Refund or credit of the price paid plus sales tax | Credit of remaining usable tread times the price you paid | A new tire, charged for the tread you used | Free replacement in year 1 or the first 25% of tread, then a pro-rata credit; installation extra | Tire Rack’s cover is the only one in the table with neither proration nor a separate charge, and the one with the shortest time limit. Our reviews of [Priority Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/priority-tire-review/) and [SimpleTire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/simple-tire-review/) cover two other online sellers. ## Filing a road hazard claim without getting it denied Claims go to Nation Safe Drivers’ portal or claims line, not to Tire Rack, and order matters. **Get authorization before a replacement.** The terms say that for replacements during the administrator’s hours, “Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Eastern time,” without prior authorization “YOUR CLAIM WILL BE DENIED.” After hours you file through the portal; you may replace the tire first, but you are “solely responsible for all amounts owed” if the claim is denied, must report it “the next business day,” and the shop “must retain the damaged tire.” **A repair** needs no pre-approval: the claim guide (“REV 09/20”) says “Unlike tire replacements, no prior authorization is needed for repairs.” Upload a description of the hazard, the repair receipt and the receipt showing your Tire Rack tires were installed on the car. The guide’s repair rule: a puncture in the center of the tread is “usually repairable,” shoulder or sidewall damage means replacement, and “Punctures greater than a quarter inch in diameter are not repairable.” **A replacement** runs in order: 1. Get authorization on the portal “prior to the replacement of any tire”; photos or a signed claim form may be requested. 2. Use any tire shop, and ask it to write the old tire’s tread depth on the repair order: “You will need the tread depth of the damaged tire in order to complete your claim.” 3. Pay the shop yourself; the administrator reimburses you. 4. Upload the repair or replacement receipt “signed by You,” “Your original invoice showing the purchase of Your damaged tire(s) from Tire Rack,” and “the receipt showing the installation of Your damaged tires on the Covered Vehicle.” 5. The guide says claims are “reviewed within five (5) business days”; Tire Rack says the check is mailed “within 7-10 business days.” Two papers are easy to lose. The terms reserve the right to deny a claim “if You are unable to provide the original purchase invoice.” And if you mounted the tires yourself, the terms do not say what replaces an installation receipt, so ask the administrator before relying on the cover. The terms also say “No oral representations or statements may be relied upon by You”; get answers in writing. Tire Rack’s FAQ still has the shop call to “file a report”; follow the terms. An article for installers warns that “If a tire’s bead gets torn upon removal, the damage will mean the customer cannot get reimbursed,” so tell the shop about the claim before it starts. ## Defects, warranties and recalls: who you call The road hazard program excludes “manufacturer defect, or recall.” Those belong to the tire maker. Tire Rack’s warranty support page says “each manufacturer determines the final outcome of any warranty claims,” and that Tire Rack “will assist with all communications in order to obtain proper fulfillment, as well as in most cases, cover the return shipping costs for the item(s).” Its tech article says you can also work “with a local dealer that carries that brand of tire.” The same page disclaims everything else: beyond the makers’ warranties, “there are no warranties, express or implied, including any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.” Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap50-sec2308.htm), “No supplier may disclaim or modify” an implied warranty if it gives a written warranty or sells a service contract “at the time of sale, or within 90 days thereafter.” The road hazard terms call the program “a limited warranty,” with Nation Motor Club as obligor, while Tire Rack’s FAQ says it is not a warranty. Whether section 2308 reaches a Tire Rack sale is a question for a lawyer or your state attorney general. Tire Rack describes maker warranties as typically running “4 to 6 years from the date of purchase or until the tread wears out, whichever occurs first,” with a free exchange for defects usually “during the first year of ownership or 25% of the tire’s treadwear (whichever occurs first),” “not including freight.” Its age article explains why the invoice matters: most makers cover tires “for four years from the date of purchase or five years from the week the tires were manufactured,” so without a receipt, tires built two years before you buy them are covered “only three years from the date of purchase.” Our guide to [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#workmanship) compares the makers’ booklets. Under [16 CFR 702.3(c)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), a seller taking orders that “do not require a personal visit” must show the warranty text, or where to get it, beside the product description; Tire Rack says the brochure is “found on every tire’s detail page.” Download it before you order. **Recalls.** For tires it sold, Tire Rack says you buy approved replacements from it, “initially paying for tires, shipping and installation costs,” and after the recalled tires come back and are inspected you are “reimbursed for tire, all shipping and normal installation costs, resulting in a no cost replacement.” Or the maker’s dealers replace them “locally free of charge including mounting and balancing.” On Tire Rack’s route you pay first, so keep every receipt. ## Tire Rack return policy, refunds and cancellations The “No-Hassle Return Policy” says returns “are accepted within 30 days of delivery. Only unused product that has not been driven on and is not damaged is eligible for return.” Call for a return authorization number first; a tech article warns that tires sent without one “are subject to be disposed of with no credit issued.” The policy never uses the word “mounted” for tires on their own: the test is whether they were “driven on,” as judged by a returns specialist. **How Tire Rack figures a return credit, from its return policy and Perfect Fit Promise (read 8 October 2026)** | What you return | Condition | Credit | | --- | --- | --- | | Tires | Unused, not driven on, within 30 days of delivery | “Credit less all freight charges incurred” | | Wheels | “Wheels cannot have had tires mounted” | Credit less all freight charges | | Wheel and tire package | Not driven on | Credit “less $60 labor charge for dismount and less all freight charges incurred” | | Special order items | Any | “not returnable” | | Wrong fit, when you gave Tire Rack your vehicle | Not driven on or damaged; call within 60 days of purchase | “a full refund,” “no restock fee,” return shipping paid | “All freight charges incurred” is not defined, and the policy does not say whether it includes the original free shipping, so ask customer care for the deduction before you send tires back. Refused deliveries are “charged freight both ways.” No page we read says Tire Rack refunds a shop’s mounting charge, so check size and date codes before anything is mounted. The Perfect Fit Promise applies “when you share your vehicle information with us at time of purchase,” and its 60 days run from purchase, 30 more than the general policy by our arithmetic. Order by vehicle, and confirm the size against the door-jamb placard, which our guide to [finding your tire size](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) treats as the authority. The return policy says to allow “2-3 business days to process the credit”; the return instructions say “3-5 business days.” For damaged or wrong items, Tire Rack will “report the damage to the shipper and arrange for replacement or exchange,” and wants them “completely repackaged in the original packing,” so keep the packing until you have checked everything. **Cancelling.** The FAQ says only to call customer care “to cancel your order”; no fee is printed, and since the card is charged at shipment, call before it ships. Mobile installation appointments can be cancelled “at any time without penalty.” The road hazard program cannot be cancelled at all. ## Tire Rack reviews, tests and surveys: whose claims these are Tire Rack’s pages make claims about itself that we could not check independently: - **Testing.** “We test tires on the road and on our specially designed track to simulate real-world dry and wet conditions. Independent, unbiased results to help inform your choice.” Its test pages answered with an access-denied error, so we describe no result. Tire Rack sells the tires it tests and is part of the Discount Tire family; “independent” is its word. - **Reviews.** Its “verified customer reviews come backed by over 3.4 billion real-world miles,” and it claims “the largest collection of tire reviews and user survey ratings anywhere.” We did not read the review or survey results pages and report none of their ratings. - **Warranty ratings.** Its “Tire Warranty Rating” comes “after subjectively evaluating” each warranty, “on a scale of 0-5.” - **Service.** A “Net Promoter Score of 86.5*”; we found no footnote for the asterisk. For an outside view we tried the Better Business Bureau, whose site answered with a security block that we did not try to get around, so we cite no BBB rating. ## The fine print, and where Tire Rack’s documents disagree The Terms of Use print no effective date. They open with a warning that they “CONTAIN AN ARBITRATION PROVISION REQUIRING ALL CLAIMS TO BE RESOLVED BY WAY OF BINDING ARBITRATION, AND ALSO CONTAIN A CLASS ACTION WAIVER.” Disputes go to the American Arbitration Association, but “either party may elect to proceed in Small Claims Court,” and hearings sit “in the county (or parish) of your billing address.” Tire Rack says it will reimburse the filing fee, put at “$200 for claims under $10,000,” and “WILL PAY ALL COSTS OF ARBITRATION, NO MATTER WHO WINS, SO LONG AS YOUR CLAIM IS NOT FRIVOLOUS.” Liability is capped at “THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT THAT YOU PAID TO US FOR THE SERVICE OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS (US$100),” except where a state does not allow such limits. Indiana law applies. The Terms contradict themselves on the route to arbitration. One section requires a Notice of Dispute, then an “Informal Dispute Resolution Conference” within 45 days, then 30 more days; another lets either side file if a claim is unresolved “within 30 days after the Notice is received.” Send notices by certified mail and keep copies. It is one of twelve places where Tire Rack’s documents disagree: - **Free shipping:** “it’s always free” on a panel; $50 or more, 48 contiguous states and DC, “Exclusions apply” on the shipping pages. - **Speed:** “most arrive the next day”; “two days or less”; “one to two business days.” - **Distribution centers:** 12 on a panel and “twelve” in the FAQ; “eleven” on the support page, above a list of twelve; “Nine” in an installation article. - **Towing:** “50 miles” on the road hazard panel; 25 miles in the terms, road hazard page and FAQ. - **Who is covered:** “almost all tire purchases within the last year, valid for two years” on the road hazard page; all Tire Rack tires but competition and trailer tires, for 24 months from the invoice, in the terms. - **Warranty or not:** the FAQ says no; the terms say “a limited warranty.” - **Who files:** the FAQ has the shop call; the terms and claim guide have you get authorization on the portal. - **Repairs:** the road hazard page says to get them “pre-approved”; the FAQ and claim guide say no pre-approval is needed. - **The failed tire:** an installer article says it goes “back to Tire Rack for inspection”; the terms never say so. - **Return windows:** 30 days from delivery less freight; 60 days from purchase, full refund, under the Perfect Fit Promise. - **Credit time:** 2 to 3 business days, or 3 to 5. - **Arbitration:** two procedures in one document. Where they differ, plan on the terms, which “represent the entire agreement between the parties hereto.” ## Before you order, and when the tires arrive **The build date.** Under [49 CFR 574.5](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-5.xml), the date code on the sidewall is the final group of the tire number, “consisting of four numerical symbols”: week first, then “the last two digits of the year of manufacture.” No Tire Rack document we read promises how recently its stock was made, so read each code on delivery. Our guide to [the tire date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) explains why age matters. **Registration.** Tire Rack says “we register the Department of Transportation (DOT) Tire Identification Numbers (TIN) for you.” Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml), an independent dealer that registers electronically must do so “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days of the date of sale” and “shall include a statement to that effect on the invoice”; dealers owned or controlled by a tire maker or brand owner report “not less often than every 30 days.” We did not establish which applies to Tire Rack; either way, look for a registration note on the invoice. **Recalls.** NHTSA says makers “will notify registered owners by first class mail within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision.” Its [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) answers a VIN search for the vehicle, but a search “for car seats, tires or equipment” gives only “general results,” so a VIN check will not flag replacement tires. Registration is what brings the letter. - **Order by vehicle** so the Perfect Fit Promise applies, and check the size against the door-jamb placard. - **Download the maker’s warranty brochure** from the tire’s page. - **Read the cart** for sales tax, excise tax and the state tire fee; ask the shop about disposal. - **Book the shop for after delivery,** and ask what its Price Pledge quote includes. - **On delivery,** count the tires, read each date code, check for damage, and keep the packing. - **Keep three papers:** the Tire Rack invoice, the installation receipt and any repair orders. - **If a tire is damaged,** get authorization before any replacement and have the tread depth recorded. - **Note two dates:** 30 days from delivery for returns, 24 months from the invoice for road hazard cover. ## Common questions ### Is Tire Rack legit? Tire Rack, Inc. is an established South Bend seller that says it is part of the Discount Tire family. Its terms are mostly clear and its road hazard cover is free, but its marketing panels overstate towing and free shipping, so read the terms. The BBB site blocked us, so we cite no outside rating. ### Does Tire Rack install tires? Mostly through others: 10,000+ independent Recommended Installers bound by a Price Pledge, and Discount Tire and America’s Tire stores. In some areas its own Tire Rack Mobile Installation vans fit tires at home or work from $40 a tire, with free re-balancing for 30 days. ### What is Tire Rack’s return policy? Unused tires not driven on, within 30 days of delivery, with an authorization number, credited less all freight charges. Packages also lose a $60 dismount charge; special orders cannot be returned. If Tire Rack’s fit was wrong, the Perfect Fit Promise gives 60 days from purchase and a full refund. ### What does Tire Rack road hazard cover? Tires ruined by potholes, nails, glass, debris or curbs within 24 months of the invoice, until 2/32 inch of tread: up to $40 per repair, or the tire’s current Tirerack.com price up to $599 for a replacement, plus a tire change or a 25-mile tow. Not collisions, defects, recalls, off-road use or labor and fees. ### Is shipping free at Tire Rack? Standard ground shipping is free when eligible products total $50 or more before tax and go to the 48 contiguous states or DC; “Exclusions apply.” Taxes and the state tire fee are added in the cart. ### Who do I call if a Tire Rack tire fails? Road damage: Nation Safe Drivers’ claims portal, before any replacement. A defect: the tire maker, with Tire Rack assisting. A recall: Tire Rack or the maker’s dealers. A wrong or damaged delivery: Tire Rack’s customer care. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/ --- title: "Priority Tire Review: What Its Terms and Public Records Say" description: "Priority Tire LLC is a registered Florida company. It sells tires ‘as is’, with no warranty of its own, and takes back unmounted tires for 90 days." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/priority-tire-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Priority Tire Review: What Its Terms and Public Records Say > Priority Tire LLC is a registered Florida company. It sells tires ‘as is’, with no warranty of its own, and takes back unmounted tires for 90 days. *Detailing & Maintenance · 21 min read · 4,823 words* ## The short version - Priority Tire is run by Priority Tire LLC, which Florida lists as an active Florida company and which holds two live federal trademark registrations, the first granted in 2019. That settles who you are dealing with, not how an order will go. - It gives no warranty of its own. Its Terms of Sale say it “sells tires strictly ‘As Is’,” does not honor the makers’ treadlife warranties, and that buying from it “may void a manufacturer’s warranty.” - Unused, unmounted tires can go back within 90 days of delivery, but you pay the return shipping unless Priority Tire or the carrier got the order wrong. A mounted tire cannot go back, even in the wrong size. - Shipping is free to the 48 contiguous states, with delivery in 1 to 6 business days. Orders are often processed “within minutes,” so cancelling is not guaranteed. - Installation is a separate deal with a local shop that sets its own price, and Priority Tire’s terms disclaim installation costs and installer damage. - Its own pages disagree in 12 places, including whether it sells retreaded tires, how many warehouses it has, and who pays to send back an old tire. Priority Tire is an online tire seller run by Priority Tire LLC, a registered company with a federal trademark, so the useful question is what its terms promise. In short: it sells tires “as is,” leaves every warranty to the tire maker, and takes back unmounted tires for 90 days if you pay the return freight. On 8 October 2026 we read 22 of its pages, including the [Terms of Use](https://www.prioritytire.com/terms-of-use), [Terms of Sale](https://www.prioritytire.com/terms-of-sale), [Return Policy](https://www.prioritytire.com/return-policy), shipping, road-hazard, FAQ and installer pages, and checked the company against USPTO and Florida records and the federal tire-registration rule. We placed no order and entered no vehicle or ZIP code. This site has no commercial relationship with Priority Tire or any other tire seller. **Figure: What Priority Tire’s terms say, by what goes wrong** A two-column table of seven situations: an unmounted wrong-size tire can be returned within 90 days of delivery for a refund or exchange at the buyer’s shipping cost; damaged or wrong deliveries get a free return; old tires are returnable but the policy and FAQ disagree on who pays shipping; mounted tires cannot be returned; defects and early wear go to the tire maker, since Priority Tire sells ‘as is’ and says buying from it may void the maker’s warranty; road hazard damage has no Priority Tire cover, only 11 makers’ programs that need registration; and a price drop may be refunded by Norton, up to $100 within 30 days, for registered orders. Read from Priority Tire’s Terms of Sale, Return Policy, shipping page, FAQ, road-hazard page and Norton help article on 8 October 2026. ## Is Priority Tire legit? What the public records show “Legit” usually means two things: is this a real, registered business, and will it deliver what it sells? Public records answer the first: the company is registered and its trademark is live. The second depends on the terms you accept at checkout, which the rest of this review reads line by line. The Terms of Use name the seller as “Priority Tire LLC,” and the footer says “The trademark Priority Tire is registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office.” The USPTO’s [TSDR system](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=5682001&caseType=US_REGISTRATION_NO&searchType=statusSearch) bears that out. We read both registrations and Florida’s [Division of Corporations](https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName) records on 8 October 2026. **Priority Tire LLC in public records, read 8 October 2026** | Record | What it shows | What it means for you | | --- | --- | --- | | USPTO Reg. No. 5682001 | PRIORITY TIRE for “On-line retail store services featuring tires”; filed 15 February 2018, registered 19 February 2019, renewal filings accepted 9 September 2024 | The name has been registered to this business since 2019 and kept up | | USPTO Reg. No. 7512702 | The stylized mark, registered 24 September 2024; first use in commerce 1 April 2019 | By its own filing, the brand has traded since 2019 | | Owner on both | A Pennsylvania LLC at 1750 Airport Rd., Suite 102, Jacksonville, FL 32218 | Not one of its seven warehouse addresses | | Florida, L21000000021 | Florida Limited Liability Company, “ACTIVE”; filed 21 December 2020 by “CONVERSION,” effective date 14 June 2017; annual reports every year since | A current Florida company, about 9 years from that effective date by our arithmetic | | Florida, M19000008959 | The same name as a foreign (Pennsylvania) LLC, filed 9 September 2019, now “INACTIVE” | Both Florida records carry the same federal employer number: one company that moved its legal home to Florida | | Principal address | 4601 Bulls Bay Hwy, Jacksonville, FL 32219, changed 18 August 2026 | Its Jacksonville warehouse | Two loose ends. USPTO still lists a Pennsylvania company, while Florida shows a conversion in 2020; Pennsylvania’s business search blocked our browser, so we could not read that side. And the about page claims “over 20 years of specialized expertise,” against a 2017 effective date and a 2019 first use, a gap of about 11 years by our arithmetic. That is not a contradiction in itself: the Terms of Use describe people “with decades of field experience in the tire industry.” **Ratings.** The home page shows badges from Google, Shopper Approved, Smart Customer and PissedConsumer at 4.5 to 4.8 stars, plus a BBB rating badge, and claims “over 8 million satisfied customers.” We checked none of them. BBB’s site showed us a “You have been blocked” page, which we did not work around, so this review carries no BBB grade or complaint count. ## How Priority Tire sells: shipping, pickup and cancelling You order online, the tires ship from a warehouse, and they arrive at your door or at an installer you pick at checkout. The [shipping page](https://www.prioritytire.com/shipping-info) sets the rules: - **Free ground shipping** “to the 48 contiguous states”; none to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Canada. - **Same-day dispatch** for orders placed “before 1 PM EST” on a business day; others ship the next business day. - **Delivery in 1 to 6 business days.** “We do not offer expedited shipping on tires.” - **Street addresses only:** “We are unable to ship to a P.O. Box.” - **No signature by default,** unless you ask before shipping, though one FAQ answer says orders over $2,500 need one. You can collect from any of “seven main warehouses” (Allentown, Coppell, Jacksonville, Orlando, Naperville, Belmont and Rancho Cucamonga), Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM. You still pay online, there is no discount for collecting, and failing to tell customer service as soon as the order is placed “will result in the order being shipped instead.” **Cancelling.** Orders are usually processed “within minutes” once payment clears, and the shipping page says: “Order cancellation requests are not guaranteed.” If a shipment cannot be stopped, “the buyer is responsible for all return shipping costs and fees if they still wish to cancel and return the order.” Check the size, load and speed rating before you pay. ## Does Priority Tire offer a warranty on tires? No, not one of its own. The FAQ says: “All warranties are provided by the tire manufacturers. Priority Tire only offers a 90-day return policy for unused and unmounted tires.” The Terms of Sale, which apply to every purchase, go further: Priority Tire “does not honor, endorse, assume, or otherwise promote treadlife and/or mileage warranties provided by manufacturers,” it “sells tires strictly ‘As Is’,” and “purchasing merchandise from Priority Tire LLC may void a manufacturer’s warranty.” A paragraph in capitals trades any warranty for the return policy. The Return Policy softens this slightly. Tires with a maker’s warranty are “sold with the warranty by the manufacturer extended to the purchaser,” and Priority Tire “will be happy to assist in obtaining fulfillment of a manufacturer’s warranty.” If an installer finds a tire defective, the Installers Policy says to contact customer service “to file a Warranty Claim with the manufacturer.” For a defect, the path is the maker, with Priority Tire as go-between. The product pages read differently. A Michelin Defender 2 listing prints “Treadlife Warranty 80K mi” under the model name. That is Michelin’s promise, not Priority Tire’s, described only “as accurately as possible” from the maker’s information. For how mileage warranties pay out, see our guide to [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/). ### Why buying from Priority Tire “may void” a maker’s warranty Priority Tire does not explain the phrase. The makers’ documents suggest why: several tie cover to tires bought from an authorized dealer of the brand. As this site read them on 7 October 2026: **Tire makers that tie cover to an authorized dealer (makers’ documents, read 7 October 2026)** | Maker | What its document says | What it applies to | | --- | --- | --- | | Continental | Tires “Purchased from an authorized Continental brand tire dealer” | The Total Confidence Plan, on Priority Tire’s road hazard list | | General Tire | Tires “Purchased from an authorized General Tire brand dealer” | The Shield+ Advantage Plan, also on the list | | Michelin | “Unauthorized tire dealers cannot provide the Michelin Promise Plan” | The Promise Plan extras | | BFGoodrich | “Unauthorized tire dealers selling BFGoodrich tires cannot provide the Standard Manufacturer’s Limited Warranty” | The defect warranty itself | | Yokohama | “Only tires purchased from authorized Yokohama dealers are eligible for mileage warranties” | Mileage warranties | No Priority Tire page we read says which brands it is an authorized dealer for. If a maker’s warranty or plan matters, ask in writing and keep the answer with your invoice. **Get the warranty answer before you order.** The Terms of Sale have you “acknowledge” that buying from Priority Tire “may void a manufacturer’s warranty,” and the return window closes once a tire is mounted. If the maker later refuses a claim, Priority Tire’s documents offer no remedy of their own. **What the law says.** Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), a seller cannot disclaim implied warranties if it gives a written warranty or sells a service contract within 90 days of the sale. We found neither at Priority Tire, so that limit does not appear to apply; whether an “as is” sale holds in your state is state law, which we do not cover. The FTC’s [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/section-702.3) treats an order placed without “a personal visit to the seller’s establishment” like a catalog sale: for warranted products over $15, the seller must show the warranty text near the listing, or give the maker’s web address and say a copy is free on request, and then “shall promptly provide a copy of any written warranty requested by the consumer.” Ask for it before you buy. ## Road hazard cover: the makers’ programs Priority Tire lists Priority Tire sells no road hazard plan of its own in any document we read. Its [Manufacturer Free Road Hazard](https://www.prioritytire.com/manufacturer-free-road-hazard/) page defines the damage (“nails, curb damage, potholes or glass shards”) and lists 11 makers that cover it: Cosmo, Nexen, Radar, Armstrong, Venom Power, Falken, Atturo (a “Trail Hazard Warranty”), Predator, Kumho, General Tire and Continental. Three conditions apply: - **You register the tires yourself, on the maker’s website.** The tires “MUST be registered on the manufacturer’s website,” or the brand “will deem the damaged tire ineligible.” This is separate from recall registration. - **Two of the eleven plans,** General Tire’s and Continental’s, are for tires bought from an authorized dealer, by those makers’ own brochures. - **Most brands are not on the list.** The page says that, as a rule, makers “only offer treadwear and structural guarantees.” Your installer may sell its own plan: Priority Tire’s installer sign-up form has a field for an “Optional road hazard warranty price per tire.” That is a contract with the shop, on the shop’s terms. If built-in road hazard cover decides where you buy, the short table near the end sets out how [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/), [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/) and [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) print theirs. ## The 90-day return policy, line by line The [Return & Exchange Policy](https://www.prioritytire.com/return-policy) (last updated 9 June 2026) is what Priority Tire offers in place of a warranty: “Returns are accepted within 90 days of the delivery date for full refund or exchange.” The conditions decide what that is worth. **What Priority Tire’s Return Policy, shipping page and FAQ say for each situation, read 8 October 2026** | Situation | What the documents say | Who pays return shipping | | --- | --- | --- | | Unused, unmounted tires you no longer want | Refund or exchange within 90 days of delivery, with prior approval | You: “Buyer is responsible for all return shipping costs and fees” | | You ordered the wrong size or specification | Such returns “will be approved”; you were meant to check fit before ordering | You | | The tires are older than you wanted | Age returns “will be approved,” says the policy | You, says the policy; the FAQ promises “a free return” | | Wrong item sent, or not as advertised | Exchange or refund, if returned in original condition | Priority Tire: “a free return” | | Damaged in transit | “DO NOT unpack the tire(s)”; keep the label and packaging; call customer service | Priority Tire arranges a free return through the shipper | | Mounted, used or damaged by you | Return may be rejected; mounted tires are refused “regardless of whether they might be incorrect” | Not applicable | | Sent back without approval | May be rejected as an “unauthorized” return | Not applicable | To start a return, call Priority Tire and e-mail photos of what arrived, “including any manufacturer and shipping labels.” The refund comes “after the product has been returned and the return finalized internally,” to “the original form of payment,” with no timescale printed. We found no restocking fee anywhere. Free shipping does not run in reverse: in most cases the return freight on heavy tires is yours, at a cost the policy does not state. The 90 days count from delivery, not from fitting. And the mounting rule is absolute, so check brand, size and load and speed ratings on the sidewall against your order and the car’s placard before fitting; our [tire size by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/) guide covers finding the right size. ## How old the tires are, how to read the DOT code, and who registers them Priority Tire is unusually direct about age. Its FAQ says its tires vary “from one to four years old and there is no way to determine, pick, or choose the tire age you will receive.” The Terms of Sale say the year “is specified in each product description, if available”; where none is shown, the Return Policy says you accept “a tire in new condition regardless of its age.” Check it yourself on arrival, before anything is mounted. Under [49 CFR 574.5](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-574.5), a new tire’s identification number has 13 symbols, ending in a date code of “four numerical symbols” that “identify the week and year of manufacture.” As our illustration, a code ending 3624 means week 36 of 2024, which began on 8 September 2024, so the tire was about 2 years old on 8 October 2026. Our guide to [how long tires last](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) explains what age means for use. **New, retreaded or “take-off”?** The FAQ says the selection is “new tires mostly, however, retreaded and take-off tires can also be found on our website.” The FAQ on a Michelin model page says “We do not sell used, retreaded, or reconditioned tires.” Neither defines a take-off tire. The federal rule gives you a check: a retread must carry the symbol “R” and a seven-symbol identification number. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a tire's sidewall and tread mark where the DOT date code sits, the lower sidewall of a mounted tire and the tread, with how to read the week and year of manufacture, Priority Tire's rule against returning mounted tires and its lack of a store warranty. Priority Tire’s FAQ, Return Policy and Terms of Sale, read on 8 October 2026, and the federal tire identification rule date a tire by the last four digits of its DOT code (callout 1), refuse returns of mounted tires (callout 2), and leave treadlife and defect claims to the tire maker (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Registration for recalls.** The FAQ says “we register your tires with the Department of Transportation (DOT) for you,” with your name and address “passed on to the DOT.” The federal rule describes something different. Under [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-574.8), an independent dealer (one “not owned or controlled by a tire manufacturer or brand name owner”) must either hand you a registration form with the tire numbers and its own name filled in, or send your details “to the tire manufacturer or its designee” itself, “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days of the date of sale.” Under [574.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-574.7), the maker keeps those records for “not less than five years.” Registration goes to the tire maker, not to a federal database. The useful check is your invoice. A dealer that registers electronically “shall include a statement to that effect on the invoice.” If your invoice has none, register with the maker yourself using the sidewall numbers. NHTSA’s [recall search](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) takes a tire’s “Brand and tire line” and gives “general results”; NHTSA advises you to “check recalls twice a year.” ## Installation: who does the work, and who answers for it Priority Tire does not fit tires: “The price does not include installation, mounting and balancing.” At checkout you can pick the free “Ship to an Installer” option and request a date and time; Priority Tire then confirms with the shop, adding “We do not guarantee that the selected date and time will be free.” Checkout shows each installer’s “price ranges” (we did not see them; they need an order and a location), and whether you pay then “depends on the installer you choose.” Bring your invoice, because “the installer will need to confirm your purchase.” The home and about pages promise “over 5,000 certified local installers.” The [installer sign-up page](https://www.prioritytire.com/join-our-installer-program) shows what that means for a shop: a registration form to “Become a Priority Tire certified installer” and four listed requirements, with no test, inspection or visit described. Shops “set your own prices for tire installation,” are paid by you directly, and may price extras separately, including run-flat and low-profile surcharges, TPMS work, valve stems and a “Tire Disposal Fee.” The Installers Policy in the Terms of Sale draws a firm line: - “Priority Tire LLC is not responsible for installation costs nor any additional costs that might be incurred.” - “Priority Tire LLC is not responsible if the Item(s) are damaged during the installation process by the installer.” - Pricing, timing and extra work “should only be made between the installer and the Buyer.” - “Any applicable warranty is void in cases of damage caused by abuse or accident during services provided by an individual that is not directly employed by Priority Tire LLC.” It also “strongly advises” booking “at least one week from the day the Order is placed,” and says tires that arrive “damaged or in a questionable condition” must not be installed. Get the installer’s full price in writing and keep its invoice with the date and mileage; a mileage claim usually needs rotation records too, which our [tire rotation cost](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/) guide covers. ## Price promises, fees and the Norton guarantee We record no prices; the Terms of Sale say the one that counts is “shown at the checkout step before a purchase has been finalized,” and that promotional e-mails “may contain outdated pricing information.” The standing rules: “We do not accept offers. The current sale price is final.” There is no discount for collecting. A 5% discount goes to military, first responders, and educational and healthcare workers who verify “with ID.me during checkout.” A free membership advertises “discounts up to 50% off” on member deals, a marketing claim rather than a term. **The “Best Price Guarantee.”** A home-page tile promises “a best price guarantee on top-quality tires, for any vehicle you own” and links to Current Deals. We found no terms for it and no promise to match another seller’s price. The only written price promise belongs to a third party. **The Norton Shopping Guarantee.** The help center says every order “can be registered for the Norton Shopping Guarantee Program,” at no extra cost. As that article describes it, package protection “provided by EasyPost” refunds lost, damaged or stolen shipments “up to $1000”; a “Lowest Price Guarantee” pays the difference if the price drops “on the Priority Tire website within 30 days of purchase,” “up to $100,” excluding “specific promotions, coupons, or bundle offers”; and identity-theft help reimburses “up to $10,000” of listed costs. You must register the order with Norton, and “All claims must be filed within 30 (thirty) days from the Date of Purchase,” a clock that starts before the return window does. We did not read Norton’s own terms. **Taxes and state fees.** The Terms of Sale add sales tax for 44 places (43 states plus DC, by our count). A [State Tire Fees](https://www.prioritytire.com/state-tire-fees) page says Priority Tire “is required to charge state tire fees” and lists 23 states, for example $1.00 in Pennsylvania and Florida and $1.75 in California. As we read it, some rows run two amounts together, Washington’s is blank, and it does not say per tire. Check the fee line at checkout. **Financing.** Pay-later plans come from third parties (“PayPal, Klarna, Venmo or Affirm”), and “Approval, available credit, interest rates, and payment terms can vary by provider and applicant.” We quote no rates. ## The fine print: Florida law, a federal court and a liability cap - **Florida law** applies “regardless of where you may be located or to where the tires may be shipped” (Terms of Sale). - **Court, not arbitration.** Disputes “will be resolved in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida,” with a jury-trial waiver and fees to “the prevailing party.” We found no arbitration clause or class-action waiver. - **A liability cap** at “the lesser of the fees you paid for our services or the lowest amount permitted by applicable law” (capitals in the original), and no consequential damages “beyond its return policy.” - **Cancellation by Priority Tire** for “errors in the description or price,” or suspected fraud. - **Changes** with “reasonable notice.” The Terms of Use print “Last Updated: June 09, 2026” at the top and “last updated on August 05, 2024” further down. Whether a court would enforce a clause against a consumer is a question this review does not answer. In practice, the return policy is the main remedy the documents offer. ## Where Priority Tire’s own pages disagree Reading 22 of Priority Tire’s pages side by side turned up 12 conflicts, counting one with the federal registration rule and one between its addresses and public records. Most look like old text left in place. Where they touch your money, the Terms of Sale and Return Policy are the documents the contract names. **Conflicts in Priority Tire’s documents, read 8 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Retreaded tires | “retreaded and take-off tires can also be found on our website” (FAQ) | “We do not sell used, retreaded, or reconditioned tires” (FAQ on a model page) | | Warehouses | “three main warehouses” in Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida (Terms of Sale) | “seven main warehouses” in 6 states (shipping page, FAQ, warehouse list) | | Returning an old tire | “we’ll provide you with a free return!” (FAQ) | “not responsible for return shipping” (Return Policy) | | Signature on delivery | “no signature requirement upon delivery” (shipping page) | Orders over $2,500 need you home to sign (FAQ) | | Delivery address | “only able to ship to the billing address” of the card or PayPal account | Orders with “separate Billing and Shipping addresses” are accepted (same page) | | Treadlife warranty | “Treadlife Warranty 80K mi” on a listing | Priority Tire does not “honor, endorse, assume, or otherwise promote” such warranties (Terms of Sale) | | Recall registration | “we register your tires with the Department of Transportation (DOT)” (FAQ) | Dealers send details “to the tire manufacturer or its designee” (49 CFR 574.8) | | Installers | “certified local installers” (home page) | No test described; Priority Tire is not responsible for installer damage (Installers Policy) | | Price guarantee | “a best price guarantee” (home page) | The written promise is Norton’s: a price drop on Priority Tire’s own site, up to $100 | | Terms date | “Last Updated: June 09, 2026” | “last updated on August 05, 2024” (same Terms of Use) | | Financing length | “up to 24 months” | A provider plan of 3 to 48 months (same page) | | Company address | 1436 Eck Rd., Allentown, PA (Terms, Return Policy) | 1750 Airport Rd., Jacksonville (USPTO); 4601 Bulls Bay Hwy, Jacksonville (Florida) | Two of these change what you should do: ask before ordering whether a listing is new, retreaded or a take-off, and, if you are sending back an old tire, ask in writing who pays the freight before you ship it. ## Before you order: other sellers’ terms, and a checklist This site does not rank tire sellers, and the table below compares no prices. It sets Priority Tire’s printed terms beside three chains whose terms we have read for other pages, so you can see where its “as is” model differs. **Tire terms as each seller prints them (Priority Tire read 8 October 2026; Discount Tire and Walmart 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Term | Priority Tire | Discount Tire | Walmart | Costco | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Seller’s own warranty | None; tires sold “as is” | None: “No Seller Warranty” | Its own workmanship and materials warranty on tires installed at a Walmart Auto Care Center | Road hazard warranty that “does not replace or modify” the maker’s | | Road hazard cover | None of its own; a list of 11 makers’ programs | Optional Certificates: more than 3/32 inch of tread, within 3 years | Optional Road Hazard Warranty | 60 months or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | | Returning unused tires | 90 days from delivery, unmounted; buyer pays return shipping | “no time limits,” case by case | Unmounted new tires, at a store with an Auto Care Center | “100% satisfaction guarantee,” “Limited exceptions apply” | | Recall registration | FAQ: Priority Tire registers your tires | Hands you a registration card | Not in the pages we read | You “should receive” a registration card | The details are in our pages on [Discount Tire’s warranty and Certificates](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/), [Walmart tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/) and [Costco tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/), and in our reviews of the online sellers [Tire Rack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/) and [SimpleTire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/simple-tire-review/). - **Check the size and ratings before you pay.** A wrong-size return is yours to ship back, and a mounted tire cannot be returned at all. - **Ask about the maker’s warranty in writing.** Ask whether Priority Tire is an authorized dealer for the brand, and ask for a copy of the maker’s written warranty before you order. - **Read the listing for the tire’s age and type.** Look for a manufacture year, and for any sign the tire is retreaded or a take-off. - **Inspect on arrival, before any appointment.** If a box is damaged, do not unpack it; keep the labels and call. Read the last four digits of the DOT code on each tire, and look for an “R” that marks a retread. - **Register the order with Norton** when the e-mail arrives; claims close 30 days after purchase. - **Book the installer at least a week out,** get its full price in writing, including disposal and TPMS work, and bring your Priority Tire invoice. - **Register the tires.** Look on the invoice for a registration statement; if there is none, register with the maker yourself, and register again on the maker’s site if you want a listed road hazard plan. - **Keep every invoice.** A warranty or mileage claim goes to the maker and needs the purchase and installation records. ## Common questions ### Is Priority Tire legit? It is a real, registered business. Florida lists Priority Tire LLC as an active Florida company (document L21000000021), and USPTO shows two live PRIORITY TIRE registrations, the first granted on 19 February 2019. Registration says nothing about service; the terms you accept, above all the “as is” sale and the 90-day return with buyer-paid shipping, decide how a problem is handled. ### Does Priority Tire offer a warranty on tires? No. Its FAQ says “All warranties are provided by the tire manufacturers,” and its Terms of Sale sell tires “strictly ‘As Is’” and warn that buying from it “may void a manufacturer’s warranty.” It says it will help you claim on the maker’s warranty. It sells no road hazard plan of its own. ### What is Priority Tire’s return policy? Unused, unmounted tires can be returned within 90 days of delivery for a refund or exchange, after you contact customer service and get approval. You pay the return shipping unless Priority Tire or the carrier made a mistake or the tires arrived damaged. Mounted tires cannot be returned. No restocking fee is printed. ### Where is Priority Tire located? Florida records give its principal address as 4601 Bulls Bay Hwy, Jacksonville, which is also its Jacksonville warehouse; its Terms list 1436 Eck Rd., Allentown, Pennsylvania. It names seven warehouses, in Allentown, Coppell, Jacksonville, Orlando, Naperville, Belmont and Rancho Cucamonga, where you can collect an order, paid online in advance, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM. ### How long does Priority Tire take to ship? Orders placed before 1 PM EST on a business day ship the same day; later and weekend orders ship the next business day. Delivery takes 1 to 6 business days within the 48 contiguous states, ground shipping is free, and there is no expedited option. It does not ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Canada. ### Are Priority Tire’s tires new? Mostly, by its own account. One FAQ says “retreaded and take-off tires can also be found” on the site, labelled as such, while another says it does not sell them. Its FAQ also says new tires are one to four years old and you cannot choose the age. Check the listing and the DOT date code before mounting. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/priority-tire-review/ --- title: "SimpleTire Review: What Its Terms, Coverage and Returns Say" description: "Simple Tire review from SimpleTire’s own terms: returns cost $20 a tire, road hazard cover caps at $400 and falls each year, and its pages conflict 16 times." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/simple-tire-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # SimpleTire Review: What Its Terms, Coverage and Returns Say > Simple Tire review from SimpleTire’s own terms: returns cost $20 a tire, road hazard cover caps at $400 and falls each year, and its pages conflict 16 times. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,949 words* ## The short version - SimpleTire (SimpleTire LLC) sells tires online and ships them to an installer, your home or a FedEx location; installation is booked and paid for at checkout. It says it “currently operates as part of the Dealer Tire Family of Companies.” - Unused, unmounted tires can go back within 30 days of delivery, but the refund loses $20 a tire unless you reorder or SimpleTire shipped the wrong tire. Orders can be cancelled only in their first 30 minutes. - Tire Replacement Coverage is a road hazard program administered by Sonsio. The sample certificate caps a tire at $400, pays up to 100%, 50% or 25% of that in the first, second and third 12 months, and ends at 36 months or 2/32 inch of tread. - Replace a ruined tire before the administrator authorizes it and the claim can be denied. Repairs up to $25 need no call; mounting, balancing and taxes are yours either way. - Roadside assistance comes only with 4 or more tires bought with installation, lasts 12 months and works by reimbursement: you pay, then claim. - SimpleTire’s pages disagree on whether the coverage is free, what the $20 return charge is, and whether it gives a 30-day warranty. We found 16 such conflicts. SimpleTire sells tires online and hands the fitting to local shops: you pick the tires and an installer, pay for both at checkout, and the tires are delivered to the shop. This review reads the fine print. On 8 October 2026 we read SimpleTire’s Terms of Use (last updated September 1st, 2021) and Sales Terms (May 1, 2021), its returns, shipping, coverage and roadside pages, the sample coverage certificate and roadside benefit statement behind them, its financing, About and installer pages, and 20 help-center answers, plus USPTO trademark records, NHTSA’s recall lookup and federal rules on tire registration and warranties. We placed no order and use no customer ratings. This site has no commercial relationship with SimpleTire, Sonsio or any tire seller. **Figure: What SimpleTire’s documents say happens next, by situation** A two-column table of eight situations: cancelling within 30 minutes (one help answer promises a full refund, another a $20-a-tire fee); returning unmounted tires within 30 days (refund less $20 a tire unless you reorder or the wrong tire was shipped); a damaged or wrong delivery (SimpleTire reports it and sends a replacement); a defect within 30 days (an installer’s note to SimpleTire); a later defect or early wear (the maker’s warranty, through SimpleTire); a repairable nail with road hazard cover (up to $25, no call); a ruined tire with cover in the second year (up to 50% of the $400 Benefit Limit, after Sonsio authorizes it); and a roadside flat after buying 4 tires with installation (pay first, claim within 60 days, 2 claims per 12 months up to $100). Read from SimpleTire’s returns page, help center, sample Tire Replacement Coverage certificate and roadside benefit statement on 8 October 2026. ## How buying from SimpleTire works, and who is behind it SimpleTire’s About page calls it “a B2B technology enabled platform that connects all the participants in the tire industry,” selling to consumers through simpletire.com, to “national retailers and clubs,” and to fleets. For a buyer the path is: “Choose from one of our pre-certified service centers or ship to your home,” then “Pick a time and pay online. Tires will be delivered to the shop.” The help center says “The cost of installing your tires is paid at checkout”; at the appointment you bring the emailed receipt. Your own shop can receive the tires if you first “check with your installer to confirm whether or not they are able to accept tires at their facility on your behalf.” The installer sign-up page shows the money flow. The installation payment “is paid by SIMPLETIRE to the INSTALLER on behalf of the customer within 48 hours of completed service,” with “pricing specifics (Range: $15-$24 per tire).” That is what SimpleTire says it pays the shop, not your price, which the help center says “can vary by location and number of tires” and shows in the cart. Shops must handle rims from 12 to 22 inches and take the customer “within 15 min of appointment time.” Network size depends on the sentence: the About page claims “20,000+ installation partners” and, further down, “10,000+ installers and 3,000+ independent supply points.” SimpleTire also sells through “Walmart, Amazon, eBay and more”; those buyers are told to contact the marketplace for support. **Who owns it.** The About page says “Simple Tire partnered with Dealer Tire in 2018 and has grown more than 3x since then. SimpleTire currently operates as part of the Dealer Tire Family of Companies,” and that Bain Capital Private Equity made “a significant investment” in Dealer Tire in October 2018. We read no filing on the size of Dealer Tire’s interest. **The public record.** The USPTO lists two live registrations for “Online retail store services featuring tires”: [SIMPLETIRE.COM](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn87122718) (registration 5189600, April 25, 2017, first use November 1, 2010) and the [SIMPLETIRE logo](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn87172206) (registration 5211049, May 23, 2017). Both name “Simple Tire LLC,” a Pennsylvania limited liability company in Trevose. The Terms name “SimpleTire LLC” in Philadelphia; the sample certificate lists the dealer in Feasterville-Trevose. Pennsylvania’s business registry and the Better Business Bureau both blocked our browser, so this page reports neither. ## What the price includes, and what shipping costs The local-shops page promises “All-inclusive pricing. No hidden costs!” The [Sales Terms](https://simpletire.com/sales), which govern every order, say “prices shown in the Store exclude taxes or charges (‘Taxes’) that may apply to your purchase, as well as installation charges” and “may exclude delivery costs,” all “added to the amount of your purchase and shown on the check-out page.” Judge the checkout total, not the tire price. Your card “will be charged when the Product has shipped”; the confirmation email “is merely a confirmation that SimpleTire received your order,” and SimpleTire may still decline it and refund you. Shipping is free in most cases. The exceptions, from the help center and shipping page: - **Installer or FedEx location:** free in the contiguous United States, except oversized tires at “$94 per tire.” - **Your home or a business:** “a nominal handling fee,” amount not printed. Small orders may also pay a fee for “not reaching a minimum tire quantity.” - **Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico:** “a non-negotiable $600 per tire shipping fee.” The footer on every page still says “Fast, free shipping on all tires (excluding oversized tires).” Orders placed before 3pm eastern “typically are processed and shipped same day,” and arrive “between 1 and 8 business days from time of purchase”; the contact page says “It takes 24 hours to process and ship.” The estimated date “is not a guaranteed delivery date,” so confirm the tires reached the shop before you drive there. **Price matching.** SimpleTire will match a lower price sent through its chat on identical, new, in-stock tires, but not sale, member or clearance prices, and only from “pre-approved authorized resellers”: Tire Rack, Discount Tire Direct, Tire Buyer, BB Wheel, Tire Agent, Priority Tire, Tires Easy and SimpleTire’s own Walmart, Amazon and eBay listings. It adds: “We reserve the right to decline any price match.” We compare no prices; our reviews of [Tire Rack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/) and [Priority Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/priority-tire-review/) read two of those sellers’ terms. ## New tires, DOT dates, registration and recalls The help center says SimpleTire sells only “new, unused tires” and “We only ship tires that are within 4 years of their manufacturing date. If you somehow receive a tire that’s older than that, please contact our support team and we will exchange the tires right away.” You cannot pick a date: “Since we source our inventory from over 3,000 independent suppliers across the country we’re not able to check for specific DOTs.” Another answer says each tire “is shipped directly from the manufacturer,” which sits oddly with independent suppliers. Check the date before the tires are mounted, since mounted tires cannot be returned; our guide to [reading a tire’s date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) shows where it is. **Registration.** Registration is how a tire maker finds you if your tires are recalled. [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title49-vol7/xml/CFR-2025-title49-vol7-sec574-8.xml) gives independent tire dealers three ways: hand the buyer a registration form already filled in with “The entire tire identification number of the tire(s) sold,” or send the registration to the maker, on paper or electronically, “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days of the date of sale.” Electronic registration must be noted “on the invoice.” SimpleTire’s footer links a CIMS Tire Registration page set up for the dealer “Simple Tire,” but no page we read says whether SimpleTire or the installer registers each tire. Ask; if the invoice is silent, note the tire identification numbers at the shop and register them yourself. **Recalls.** NHTSA’s [recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) has a Tire tab searched by “Brand and tire line,” and NHTSA advises: “Register your vehicle, tires, car seats & equipment and check recalls twice a year.” SimpleTire’s road hazard program does not pay for a replacement “due to manufacturer recall, defect or warranty”; that is the tire maker’s job. Our [tire age guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#recalls) covers recalls on tires already fitted. ## Returns, cancellations and damaged deliveries SimpleTire’s [returns page](https://simpletire.com/returns-and-refunds) allows “a 30 minute cancellation window that starts as soon as an order is placed,” used through your SimpleTire account, and “we can’t cancel any orders after 30 minutes have passed.” After that, “Returns are accepted within 30-days of delivery. Only unused tires that have not been mounted or driven on are eligible for return.” The refund is “minus $20/tire for return shipping plus any handling fees on the original order,” and the $20 “will be waived if you need to place another order or in the unlikely event that we shipped the wrong tire.” On a set of four, that is $80 by our arithmetic, before any handling fee. Returns go by FedEx; for tires sent to a shop, SimpleTire says it will “have FedEx pick up the tires directly from the shop.” Other SimpleTire documents describe the same rules differently: **How SimpleTire’s documents describe cancelling and returning (read 8 October 2026)** | Document | Cancelling | Returning unmounted tires | | --- | --- | --- | | Returns page | “30 minute cancellation window,” none after | “minus $20/tire for return shipping plus any handling fees” | | Help: changing your mind | “within the 30 minute window, you will receive a full refund” | “Return shipping is free” but “A standard $20 restocking fee per tire also applies” | | Help: sending tires back | Not covered | “Return shipping is free if you place an order for replacement tires. Otherwise” less “a standard $20 restocking fee per tire” | | Help: cancelling an order | “order cancellations are subject to a $20 per tire restocking fee” | Return shipping “at no additional cost” if the tires arrive anyway | | Contact page | Not covered | “we’ll send prepaid return labels” | Two answers add that “any fees to ship the tires out to you are non-refundable.” If you cancel inside 30 minutes, screenshot the cancellation in case a $20-a-tire charge appears. If tires arrive “incorrect or damaged,” call Support “as soon as possible”; SimpleTire says it will “report the damage to the carrier, the shipper, and create a replacement order for you.” Damage found after mounting is another matter: SimpleTire will “ask for pictures and what the cause was,” and road hazard damage “usually isn’t” covered by the maker. So have the shop check sizes and dates before it mounts anything, and check the size against your door-jamb placard first, as our page on [finding your tire size](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) explains. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a tire tread mark a tread block, a main groove and the unworn tread face, with SimpleTire's road hazard cap and how it steps down, when the cover ends, and its return rule for unmounted tires. SimpleTire’s coverage certificate, coverage page and return policy, read on 8 October 2026, cap road hazard payouts at $400 a tire, stepping down by year (callout 1), end the cover at 2/32 inch of tread or 36 months (callout 2), and refund unmounted tires returned within 30 days, less $20 each (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Warranties: what SimpleTire promises, and what the tire maker does SimpleTire’s contract gives no warranty of its own. The Sales Terms say “SimpleTire doesn’t provide warranties for the Store” and “ALL PRODUCTS PURCHASED THROUGH THE STORE ARE PROVIDED ON AN ‘AS-IS’ BASIS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED IN THE MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY.” They cap SimpleTire’s liability at “THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID FOR THE PRODUCT BY YOU,” except for “STATUTORILY MANDATED LIABILITY” and personal injury, death or property damage. The returns page says “SimpleTire extends manufacturer’s warranty coverage to you, the customer, on anything that we sell,” for “defects from materials or workmanship,” and that it “is not transferable.” It lists what such warranties exclude, including wear from “a lack of maintenance,” accidents, driving on a flat, “improper inflation” and the wrong size. The warranty documents are “on the specific manufacturer’s website,” and claims go through SimpleTire or a local dealer for the brand. The help center goes further: “all our tires are covered by a 30 day warranty.” Within 30 days of delivery, “please provide a note from your tire installer stating the problem, and we’ll take care of you right away”; after that, “we will determine your level of coverage through the manufacturer.” A 30-day warranty in a help answer sits awkwardly beside “AS-IS” in the contract, so keep the installer’s note and SimpleTire’s reply in writing. Mileage promises are the maker’s; our guide to [tire makers’ mileage warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#mileage) and [their conditions](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/#conditions) applies to tires bought online too, so keep each [rotation](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) receipt. **Federal law.** The FTC’s [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2025-title16-vol1-sec702-3.xml), for products costing “more than $15.00,” treats sales that “do not require a personal visit to the seller’s establishment” as catalog or mail order sales, and requires the seller to show either “The full text of the written warranty” or the warrantor’s website address near the product description. We did not open product pages to see what each listing shows. Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), a supplier cannot disclaim implied warranties if it gives a written warranty or, “at the time of sale, or within 90 days thereafter,” enters into a [service contract](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) with the buyer. Whether SimpleTire’s 30-day promise or its road hazard program limits its “AS-IS” clause is a question for a lawyer or your state attorney general. SimpleTire’s own answer: “You maintain the same rights online as you would if you were to purchase items in-person.” ## Tire Replacement Coverage: what the certificate promises Makers’ warranties do not pay for nails and potholes; SimpleTire’s answer is Tire Replacement Coverage. Its [coverage page](https://simpletire.com/tire-replacement-coverage) links a sample certificate, a “36-MONTH TIRE ROAD HAZARD PROGRAM” that “is offered by SimpleTire and is administered by Sonsio Management, Inc.” and is marked “2022 © Sonsio, LLC.” It names no insurer and calls itself a “Program,” not insurance or a service contract. Sonsio’s About page says it “does not sell products directly to consumers” and runs road hazard programs that retailers either embed in tires or sell at the point of sale. The certificate says its terms “are the full and complete agreement between the parties” and “No oral representations should be relied upon,” so it, not the marketing, decides a claim. The certificate issued with an order may differ from this 2022 sample. **Free, or bought?** The badge on every page is headed “Free Tire Replacement Coverage”: “Purchase select tires and receive free Tire Replacement Coverage!” The help center says you can “add Tire Replacement Coverage at the time of purchase” and talks of customers who “purchased” it. The certificate covers tires “for which you purchased a Road Hazard Program from SimpleTire for each tire you desired covered” and says “YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PURCHASE THIS TIRE ROAD HAZARD PROGRAM.” No page prints a price. Look for a coverage line in the cart, and make sure you receive a Program Certificate with a Road Hazard Registration Number for each tire; without one there is nothing to claim on. **How long.** Each tire is covered “for a term of 36 months from the Road Hazard Registration Number(s) purchase date printed on your Program Certificate,” or until any part of the tread touching the road is at 2/32 inch or less, “whichever occurs first.” A set bought on 8 October 2026 would be covered until 8 October 2029 at the latest, by our arithmetic; worn tread ends it sooner (see [measuring tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth)), and so does replacement: “Once the Eligible Tire is replaced, for any reason, the Coverage Term for that tire ends.” **What a ruined tire gets.** The certificate pays replacement “up to the retail tire price on your original tire purchase invoice or the replacement tire price, whichever is less, not to exceed a maximum of $400.00” (the “Benefit Limit”), then steps it down by year. The coverage page applies the same percentages to “the original purchase price” and lists higher caps of $500 for commercial tires and $350 for ATV/UTV tires; the sample certificate shows only the $400 cap. **The most SimpleTire’s road hazard program pays toward one tire (sample certificate and badge, read 8 October 2026)** | When the tire fails | Share of the Benefit Limit | Most it pays (our arithmetic) | What the badge prints | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | First 12 months | Up to 100% | $400 | “up to $400/tire during the first year” | | Second 12 months | Up to 50% | $200 | “up to $200/tire on year two” | | Third 12 months | Up to 25% | $100 | “$100/tire on year three” | | After 36 months, or at 2/32 inch | Nothing | Nothing | Not stated | Those are ceilings. A tire that cost less than $400 starts from its invoice price, or the replacement price if that is lower, and you pay “mounting, balancing, valve stem, taxes, disposal, and miscellaneous fees.” The coverage page’s headline, “Replacement up to 100% of the tire cost,” describes the first year only. The new tire is not covered unless you buy it a number of its own: “YOU MUST PURCHASE A NEW ROAD HAZARD REGISTRATION NUMBER FOR THE REPLACEMENT TIRE.” A repairable puncture is simpler: the patch and labor are “reimbursed up to $25.00 per tire, per occurrence” at any shop, and “It is not necessary to contact the Administrator before having a flat tire repaired”; cover continues on the repaired tire. If no claim has been made, you can cancel “within 10 days of the purchase for a full refund.” The program “is extended only to you, the original purchaser,” so it does not pass to a buyer of the car, and its benefits “are secondary to any other coverage you may have purchased including motor club contracts and vehicle service contracts.” Our explainer on [why a protection plan is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) covers the general difference. The table below copies other retailers’ printed road hazard terms from this site’s pages on [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#certificates), [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) and [Walmart](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/#road-hazard), with no prices and no ranking. **Road hazard cover as each retailer prints it (SimpleTire read 8 October 2026; Discount Tire and Walmart 7 October 2026; Costco 6 October 2026)** | Term | SimpleTire | Discount Tire | Costco | Walmart | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | A program offered by SimpleTire, run by Sonsio; called free on select tires, bought elsewhere | An optional Tire Protection Certificate, a service contract | A Road Hazard Warranty that “all of our tires are backed” by | An optional warranty “that can be purchased” | | When it ends | 36 months or 2/32 inch, whichever comes first | 3 years; tread must be above 3/32 inch | 60 months or 2/32 inch, whichever comes first | At the last 2/32 inch of usable tread | | What a ruined tire gets | Up to $400, stepping to 50% and 25% by year; fitting and taxes extra | A refund or credit of the price paid plus sales tax | A credit of usable tread left times the price paid | Free replacement in the first year or 25% of tread, whichever comes first, then pro-rata | | The maker’s warranty | No payment where the maker will repair or replace | Redeeming gives it up | Not replaced or modified | Walmart backs its own workmanship warranty | ## Making a road hazard claim, and what the certificate leaves out Claims go to Sonsio. The badge says claims “would be submitted through SimpleTire.com,” but the help center says to “contact our coverage partner Sonsio directly,” and the certificate routes every step through the Administrator: 1. Return to the installing shop if you can; otherwise the Administrator helps find another “during normal business hours.” 2. The shop verifies the damage is a road hazard: a failure “during the course of driving in a legal manner on a road maintained by state or local authority.” 3. A repairable tire is repaired, up to $25, with no call needed. 4. For a tire that cannot be repaired, the shop “must contact the Administrator” for prior authorization and a claim number. 5. You sign the repair invoice and send it with the original SimpleTire invoice and the Program Certificate. The tire may be wanted for inspection. 6. Everything must arrive “WITHIN SIXTY (60) DAYS OF SERVICE, OR THE CLAIM MAY BE DENIED.” **Get a claim number before replacing a ruined tire.** The certificate says “Prior authorization and a claim number must be obtained before replacing the damaged tire or your claim may be denied,” and excludes “Replacements made without the Administrator’s prior authorization.” Outside business hours you may replace the tire, but “the damaged tire must be retained, AND ... the Administrator must be contacted within 2 business days. There is no guaranteed eligibility.” The original invoice must show your name, address and signature, “The brand, type, size and part number of each tire,” “The purchase price for each tire” and “The purchase of the Road Hazard Program.” The coverage page lists four things “not covered”; the certificate has 26 numbered exclusions. Those most likely to bite: - **Worn tread** at 2/32 inch (1.6 mm) or less anywhere the tire meets the road. - **Who and where:** work by anyone other than “a licensed service provider”; earlier repairs outside “industry approved methods”; “Damage incurred outside the United States and Canada”; off-road use, meaning anything but “a paved or gravel road maintained by the state or local authority.” - **Cause:** cosmetic damage; mechanical faults such as “failed shocks, struts, alignment”; “improper inflation”; dry rot; accidents, collision, theft, snow chains and vandalism. - **The maker’s job:** anything “the manufacturer will repair or replace the tire at its expense or at a reduced cost.” - **Uses and vehicles:** motorcycles, racing, police and emergency use, “carriage of passengers for hire,” commercial towing, farm vehicles, vehicles over 14,000 lbs gross weight rating, motor homes, and retreaded tires. - **Extras:** [TPMS sensor](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/#tyres-changed) parts, the cost of being without the car, “storage or freight charges” and fines. If you drive for a ride-hailing service, ask how the “carriage of passengers for hire” exclusion applies before you buy. ## Roadside assistance: a 12-month reimbursement plan The “24/7 roadside assistance” badge has conditions. The [roadside page](https://simpletire.com/roadside-assistance) says “12 months roadside assistance is included with your purchase 4 or more tires and installation”; the local-shops and mobile pages say only “included with installation.” The benefit statement is titled “24-Hour Roadside Assistance Reimbursement Program for Flat Tires”: you must call the program’s number (help “secured through any other source is not eligible for reimbursement”), “The service provider requires use of a credit card to arrange for dispatch,” and you claim the money back “within sixty (60) days of the disablement” with an invoice showing four tires and installation. The limit is “two (2) claims per 12-month period for covered roadside assistance service up to $100.00 per Covered Vehicle.” It does not say whether $100 is per claim or per vehicle for the period: $100 in all one way, up to $200 the other, by our arithmetic. Ask before relying on the higher figure. Only two services count: fitting a serviceable spare, and a tow if there is no spare or there are two or more flats. Jump-starts, fluid delivery, lock-outs, winching, tire repair and “Non-emergency service” are excluded; so are motor homes, vehicles over a one-ton load rating, “carriage of passengers for hire,” motorcycles and trailers. The cover stays with the invoiced vehicle and “is not transferable.” ## Paying later: the five options SimpleTire lists The financing page names “Klarna, Affirm, Katapult, PayPal Credit, and Synchrony Care Care” (later, the Continental Tire Synchrony Car Care credit card); the help center lists only “Affirm, Synchrony or Katapult” beside cards, PayPal, Google Pay and Venmo. We quote no rates: they depend on the lender’s credit check and change often. Compare the structures instead: - **Affirm:** “no gimmicks like deferred interest or hidden fees,” and “Affirm won’t charge you late fees or penalties of any kind, ever.” Repayments “may be reported to credit bureaus.” - **Klarna:** “direct payments, pay after delivery, and installment plans,” including a “Pay In 4 program.” - **Synchrony card:** deferred interest. If the promotional balance is not paid in full within the promotional period, “interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date.” - **PayPal Credit:** chosen inside PayPal at checkout; read PayPal’s terms for what follows a promotional period. - **Katapult:** lease-to-own, not a loan. “The path to ownership will cost more than the merchant’s cash price,” you do not own the tires until the full amount is paid, and it is “Not available in MN, NJ, WI, WY.” On 8 October the page still showed a Katapult promotion dated “from 9/15 until 10/6.” ## Where SimpleTire’s own documents disagree We counted 16 conflicts. Where money is at stake, the Sales Terms and the certificate are what SimpleTire and Sonsio would point to, so get any badge or help-answer promise in writing. - **Coverage:** “Free” on the badge, “purchased” in the help center and certificate; “up to 100% of the tire cost” on the page, a $400 cap stepping to 50% and 25% in the certificate; percentages of “the original purchase price” on the page, of “the Benefit Limit” in the certificate; claims “through SimpleTire.com” or “Sonsio directly”; 4 exclusions or 26. - **Warranty:** a “30 day warranty” in the help center, “AS-IS” in the Sales Terms. - **Returns:** the $20 is a “return shipping fee” on the returns page and a “restocking fee” with “Return shipping is free” in the help center; the contact page promises “prepaid return labels.” One answer gives “a full refund” for cancelling in 30 minutes; another applies the $20 fee to “order cancellations.” - **Shipping:** “free shipping on all tires (excluding oversized tires)” in the footer, handling and remote-area fees in the help center; “24 hours” to ship on one page, same day before 3pm on another. - **Sourcing and size:** tires “shipped directly from the manufacturer” or from “over 3,000 independent suppliers”; “20,000+” or “10,000+” installers on one About page. - **Roadside:** “included with installation” on two pages; four tires plus installation, by reimbursement, in the benefit statement. - **Price:** “All-inclusive pricing” against Sales Terms prices that exclude tax and installation. - **Identity:** “SimpleTire LLC” in Philadelphia (Terms), “Simple Tire LLC” in Trevose (USPTO), Feasterville-Trevose (sample certificate). - **Lenders:** five on the financing page, three in the help center, and a promotion past its printed end date. Both sets of terms date from 2021 and send disputes to binding arbitration with a class-action waiver unless you opt out in writing “within 30 days” of first accepting them; SimpleTire will reimburse arbitration fees “for claims totaling less than $1,000” unless frivolous, and small-claims court stays open. ## Before you order from SimpleTire - **Read the checkout total line by line:** tires, installation, delivery or handling, coverage and tax. - **Ship to an installer** to avoid the home-delivery handling fee, and confirm your own shop will accept tires first. - **Check size and DOT date at the shop before mounting;** mounted tires cannot be returned, and SimpleTire promises tires under 4 years old. - **Cancel inside 30 minutes or not at all,** and screenshot it; later returns cost $20 a tire unless you reorder. - **If you take the coverage,** make sure the invoice shows it and the certificate lists a registration number for each tire. - **Ruined tire? Get a claim number first,** keep the tire, and send the paperwork within 60 days. - **Ask who registers your tires** with the maker; if nobody does, register them yourself. - **For roadside help, call the program’s number** and keep the receipt for a claim within 60 days. - **With pay-later plans,** know whether interest is deferred or whether you are leasing. ## Common questions ### Is SimpleTire a real company, and who owns it? Yes. SimpleTire LLC runs simpletire.com, and USPTO records list Simple Tire LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company, as owner of the SIMPLETIRE.COM and SIMPLETIRE marks, both registered in 2017, with first use of SIMPLETIRE.COM in 2010. SimpleTire says it “currently operates as part of the Dealer Tire Family of Companies.” ### What is SimpleTire’s return policy? Unused, unmounted tires can be returned within 30 days of delivery, refunded “minus $20/tire” plus any handling fee, unless you reorder or SimpleTire shipped the wrong tire. Orders can be cancelled only within 30 minutes. ### Does SimpleTire’s price include installation? Not the listed tire price. The Sales Terms say installation charges and taxes are added at checkout, where you pay for both. SimpleTire then pays the shop; its installer page gives a range of $15 to $24 per tire for that payment, which is not your price. ### Is SimpleTire’s Tire Replacement Coverage free, and is it worth it? The badge calls it free on select tires; the help center and certificate describe buying it, and no page prints a price. We make no recommendation. The sample certificate pays up to $400 per tire in the first 12 months, 50% of that limit in the next 12 and 25% in the last 12, plus repairs up to $25, for 36 months or until 2/32 inch of tread, with 26 exclusions and fitting costs left to you. ### How do I file a SimpleTire road hazard claim? Contact Sonsio, the administrator. A repair up to $25 needs no call; for a tire that cannot be repaired, the shop must get prior authorization and a claim number first, and the paperwork must reach Sonsio within 60 days of service. ### Does SimpleTire ship old tires? It says it ships only tires “within 4 years of their manufacturing date” and will exchange older ones, but cannot pick DOT codes because it sources from “over 3,000 independent suppliers.” Check each date code before mounting. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/simple-tire-review/ --- title: "Mazda Financial Services Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease" description: "Mazda Financial Services is run by Toyota Motor Credit. How to pay and what it costs, payoff and title times, lease-end charges, and who owns your contract." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Mazda Financial Services Review: Who Holds Your Loan or Lease > Mazda Financial Services is run by Toyota Motor Credit. How to pay and what it costs, payoff and title times, lease-end charges, and who owns your contract. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,919 words* ## The short version - Mazda Financial Services is a trade name Mazda licenses to Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC), the company behind Toyota Financial Services. TMCC services every MFS account; since early 2025, new MFS loans come from Toyota Financial Savings Bank, trading as MobilityOne Financial. - Paying from a bank account costs nothing: Pay Online, the MFS app, a phone agent or mail. MFS says it “can’t process cash, credit or debit card payments,” and its pages give two different same-day cut-offs, 3:00 PM Eastern and 6 p.m. Central. - A payoff quote is good for 10 days, with no prepayment penalty. A paper title should arrive 25 to 40 business days after the payoff posts; an electronic one within 7.5 to 9.5 weeks. - A lease must go back to an authorized Mazda dealer. MFS prints no disposition-fee amount and no overage rate beyond a glossary example, but waives the disposition fee (up to $350) for returning customers and, on leases after 27 January 2026, wear charges up to $500. - MFS contracts were 11% of TMCC’s net earning assets at 31 March 2025 and 7% a year later. The bank that now writes them reported $4.85 billion of auto loans to the FDIC at 30 June 2026, up from none in September 2024. - The CFPB’s complaint database has no Mazda or MobilityOne company name, so MFS complaints cannot be split from TMCC’s 9,431. Neither CFPB consent order against TMCC, from 2016 and 2023, mentions Mazda. Mazda Financial Services is not a stand-alone lender: it is a name Mazda licenses to Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, which services every MFS loan and lease. Most people searching for MFS want to pay, pay off, end a lease or find out who holds the contract, so on 8 October 2026 we read what MFS publishes on those questions: its payment, payoff, title and lease-end pages, its FAQs, its Lease-End Guide and other PDFs, and its [Online Policies and Agreements](https://www.mazdafinancialservices.com/us/en/online-policies-and-agreements.html). We also read TMCC’s [8-K of 28 August 2019](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/834071/000095010319011340/dp111776_8k.htm) on the Mazda deal, its 10-Ks for fiscal 2020, 2025 and 2026, the FDIC’s records for Toyota Financial Savings Bank and the CFPB’s 2023 order against TMCC. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Mazda, TMCC or any lender. **Figure: Mazda Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of eight account tasks set against Mazda Financial Services’ own pages: TMCC services every MFS account while newer loans and leases belong to MobilityOne Financial and MobilityOne Lease Trust; paying from a bank account through Pay Online, the app, an agent or mail is free; MFS says it can’t process cash, credit or debit card payments; one FAQ puts the same-day cut-off at 3:00 PM Eastern and the terms at 6 p.m. Central; a payoff quote is good for 10 days with no prepayment penalty; a paper title arrives 25 to 40 business days after payoff posts and an electronic one in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks; a lease must go back to an authorized Mazda dealer; and the disposition fee is waived, up to $350, for customers whose next new or Certified Mazda goes through MFS or who have had three MFS accounts. Read from Mazda Financial Services’ payment, payoff, title and lease-end pages, FAQs and terms on 8 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who is behind Mazda Financial Services The answer sits in the footer of every MFS page: the name and logos “are owned by Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) or its affiliates and are licensed to Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC).” The footer adds that “TMCC is the servicer for accounts owned by TMCC, M1F, TLT, M1LT, and their respective securitization affiliates,” that “Mazda is not affiliated with” any of them, and that credit approval comes from TMCC or M1F. The Online Policies and Agreements, effective 12 September 2025, define “we” as Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, the same servicer behind [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/). **The companies behind an MFS loan or lease, as MFS’s pages and TMCC’s filings describe them (read 8 October 2026)** | Company | Role on an MFS account | | --- | --- | | Mazda Motor Corporation | Owns the name and logos and licenses them to TMCC; not affiliated with the finance companies | | Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) | Servicer of every MFS account; bought MFS contracts from dealers from April 2020 until early 2025 | | Toyota Financial Savings Bank d/b/a MobilityOne Financial (M1F) | A Nevada thrift owned by TMCC’s parent; has originated new MFS contracts since the 2025 transition | | Toyota Lease Trust (TLT) and MobilityOne Lease Trust (M1LT) | Own MFS leases, older and newer | | Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS) | Administers Mazda Protection Products such as GAP, itself or through a contractor | The dealer writes your contract first; MFS’s glossary says it “is later assigned to a secondary finance source, such as MFS.” Which company that is depends on when you signed. MFS gives no cut-over date, but TMCC says the switch to the bank “commenced and was substantially completed during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025,” January to March 2025 on its calendar. Earlier contracts most likely sit with TMCC or Toyota Lease Trust, later ones with MobilityOne; your contract’s assignment and your title show the name for certain. It matters for your insurance: MFS’s FAQs list the loss payee as “Mobility One Financial (retail accounts) or Mobility One Lease Trust (lease accounts),” while three older PDFs still linked from its pages, from 2020 and 2021, say accounts are owned by TMCC and Toyota Lease Trust only. The 2021 disposition-fee flyer prints TMCC’s licence number, “NMLS ID#8027”; NMLS’s own site refuses automated readers, so we could not open the record. Privacy runs through TMCC too. MFS’s privacy policy, revised 8 May 2025, is TMCC’s; it says TMCC does “not sell or share personal information in exchange for monetary consideration,” yet lists “nonaffiliate third parties who may sell your data in aggregate form for automotive marketing purposes” among recipients. The annual notice it links is headed “Toyota Financial Services/Lexus Financial Services” and names neither MFS nor MobilityOne. ## How Toyota’s lender came to run Mazda’s finance arm TMCC’s 8-K says that on 28 August 2019 it “entered into a Financial Services Agreement” with Mazda Motor of America to “offer exclusive private label automotive finance, lease, and wholesale dealer financing products and services” to Mazda customers and dealers. The initial term “extends five years from the date of the last product launch under the Program (currently estimated to be December 31, 2025), and is followed by automatic one-year renewals” unless either side gives notice. TMCC “will not be acquiring any existing Mazda assets or liabilities,” so accounts with Mazda’s earlier finance provider did not move; no document we read names that provider. The 10-K for fiscal 2020 dates the start: “As of April 1, 2020, we began providing private label financial services.” No filing we read reports a notice of non-renewal. The big change came in early 2025. TMCC’s board moved the writing of new MFS contracts to Toyota Financial Savings Bank, “a Nevada thrift company owned by TFSIC and an unconsolidated affiliate of TMCC,” because it was “deemed to be in the best interests of the Company and its sole shareholder, TFSIC.” TMCC “continues to service these contracts under the brand ‘Mazda Financial Services’” and still offers protection products to MFS customers. The fiscal 2025 10-K listed Mazda Financial Services among TMCC’s brands; the fiscal 2026 10-K lists only Toyota Financial Services, Lexus Financial Services and Bass Pro Shops Financial Services. **What TMCC’s filings say about Mazda’s weight in its business (fiscal years end 31 March; contracts in thousands)** | Measure | Fiscal 2024 | Fiscal 2025 | Fiscal 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | MFS share of TMCC’s net earning assets, at year end | Not printed | 11% | 7% | | That share in dollars, approximately (our arithmetic) | Not printed | $14.5 billion | $9.3 billion | | Private-label and other non-Toyota/Lexus share of contracts bought | About 20% | About 20% | About 3% | | All retail and lease contracts TMCC bought | 1,573 | 1,526 | 1,284 | | Lease contracts TMCC bought | 343 | 434 | 320 | TMCC says its volume “decreased 16 percent in fiscal 2026, compared to fiscal 2025, primarily due to the MFS Transition,” with leases down 26 percent, and that the revenue from servicing the bank’s contracts “has not and is not expected to offset the reduction in financing revenue.” It expects the effect to continue “as the MFS contracts that remain with TMCC mature.” The dollar row multiplies TMCC’s whole-number percentages by its net earning assets ($131,839 million and $132,210 million), so treat it as rough. TMCC prints no MFS-only delinquency, loss or credit-score figures. The bank files no 10-K, but its FDIC call reports are public. BankFind lists Toyota Financial Savings Bank in Henderson, Nevada, insured since 16 August 2004 (certificate 57542). Its auto-loan line was zero at 30 September 2024 and $19.6 million at 31 December 2024, then grew every quarter: **Toyota Financial Savings Bank in its FDIC call reports, in billions of dollars (FDIC BankFind, read 8 October 2026)** | Quarter end | Total assets | Auto loans | | --- | --- | --- | | 30 September 2024 | 6.9 | 0 | | 31 March 2025 | 9.2 | 0.65 | | 30 September 2025 | 13.9 | 2.67 | | 31 March 2026 | 16.1 | 4.05 | | 30 June 2026 | 16.8 | 4.85 | By mid-2026 the bank’s assets were 2.3 times their end-2024 level and auto loans were 52.9% of its net loans and leases, by our arithmetic. The FDIC does not label loans by brand, so the auto line is a close proxy for MFS lending, not a count of it. ## How to pay MFS, and what each way costs **Ways to pay a Mazda Financial Services account and the fees MFS prints, read 8 October 2026** | Method | Fee | What MFS adds | | --- | --- | --- | | Pay Online (website) | Free: “Pay Online is a free service for all of our customers” | One-time or recurring payments from a checking account or certain savings accounts; weekly or bi-weekly schedules available | | MFS mobile app | “There is no charge to download or use the mobile app” | Bank-account payments, including principal-only payments | | Phone, with an agent | None printed | From a checking or savings account | | Mail | None printed | Check and payment stub to the address on your statement | | Cash, credit or debit card | Not accepted | MFS reserves the right to return cash “by regular mail”; no cash network is listed | “Free” has a caveat in the online agreement: “Right now, we will not charge you any monthly or payment transaction fees to use the Payment Service,” and MFS “will notify you” if that changes. Your own bank may still charge for the transfer. The same-day deadline depends on which page you read. The one-time payment FAQ says “Payments made after 3:00 PM Eastern Time or outside of our normal operating hours will be applied on the following business day.” The Online Policies and Agreements set “our cut off hour of 6 p.m. Central Time,” and another FAQ says the deadline “has been extended to 6pm CST (previously 5pm CST).” That is a four-hour gap, by our arithmetic. Until MFS reconciles them, pay before 3:00 PM Eastern on the due date, or a day early. Extra money goes to principal but “will be applied towards your next scheduled payment,” so “your account may be considered paid ahead.” To cut principal without moving the next due date, choose “Make A Principal Only Payment”; “Your account must be current,” and the automated systems take one “every 24 hours.” MFS’s new payment system also shows seams: one answer says one-time payments set up “before August 22, 2025” cannot be edited and those set up “on or after September 15,2025” can, leaving the weeks between unexplained. To change any scheduled payment, the safe course is MFS’s own: “cancel the existing authorization and set up a new one-time scheduled payment.” MFS’s flyer on its simple-interest loans says “The later you make your payments after they are due, the greater the finance charges.” There is no prepayment penalty (“You can make payments at any time and as often as you wish”) and no refund of finance charges, though paying early means you “may pay less finance charges.” The website keeps 13 statements, two years of payment history, and access “for up to three (3) years” after a payoff or lease end. Loan customers with qualifying vehicles were to get a 2025 interest statement “by 1/31/26”; “Interest only accrues on retail loans (not lease accounts).” ## Due dates, extensions and falling behind A due-date change “cannot be processed if your account is past due, if you have a lease that is near maturity, or if you have not made the first payment,” and the date can move “by a total of no more than 29 days” over the contract. A lessee’s request made within 17 days of the current due date “will be considered for the following month.” Loans cannot move to the 31st; leases cannot move to the 29th, 30th or 31st. An extension moves a payment, “typically just one or two,” to the end of the loan, but “your interest will still be calculated daily” and finance charges can rise. Lease deferrals “require evaluation and approval on a case-by-case basis and could result in additional charges.” MFS’s FAQ page says it is “Lexus Financial Services” that offers them; the stand-alone page for the same question says Mazda Financial Services. Get any extension or deferral in writing, with the new maturity date. The repossession FAQ also still says “Lexus Financial Services may take back, or repossess, the vehicle.” You may get the car back “by either redeeming or reinstating your contract,” MFS “will provide you with a notice of intent to sell,” you owe any shortfall after a sale, and “if the proceeds are more than the amount owed, we will send you the excess.” Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers state rules, and our [Toyota Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#due-dates) gives the collection timeline in TMCC’s 10-K. MFS prints no late-fee amount or grace period; the contract sets them. To dispute a credit report entry, MFS says to write to it and “Identify the information and tell us why you believe it is incorrect or incomplete.” ## Payoff quotes and getting your title From your account dashboard, select “Payoff Quote” under Remaining Balance; you can then “submit your payoff payment online or send the payment via mail.” MFS says “A Payoff Quote is good for 10 days from the date it is provided,” though the amount can change if “returned payments or other charges or fees post to the account.” If the title should go to a new lender, a dealer or an insurer, “Written or verbal authorization is required for the title/lien release to be sent to a third party.” **When MFS says a title or lien release arrives after a loan payoff posts, read 8 October 2026** | Title type | What MFS does | Then | Total MFS expects | When to chase | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper title or lien release | Sends it within 10 business days | 15 to 30 business days in the post | 25 to 40 business days | After 40 business days, contact MFS | | Electronic title | Notifies the state within 10 business days | The state takes 6 to 8 weeks | 7.5 to 9.5 weeks | After 9.5 weeks, contact your state titling agency | Your account’s Title/Lien Release Status page shows which type you have, and “Florida and Arizona generally require the title to remain electronic unless the owner requests a paper title.” These match the windows TMCC prints for Toyota customers. If you are paying off to refinance, our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers the timing. ## Ending an MFS lease: returning, buying or leaving early MFS offers three lease-end options: trade into a new Mazda, buy the car, or hand it back to an authorized Mazda dealer. “Your originating Dealer is required to process the vehicle return”; most other Mazda dealers will, “while not required,” so call “approximately 30 days prior to your lease maturity date.” **Do not drop an MFS lease at an independent dealer.** MFS calls that “an unauthorized third-party vehicle return and you remain responsible for all obligations under the lease agreement until we receive the payoff funds and all required documentation, or the vehicle is delivered to a Mazda Dealer.” The same applies if an outside dealer buys the car or “agrees to return it to us on your behalf.” Until MFS has the money or the car, every lease payment is still yours. Bring the Odometer Disclosure Statement, every key and remote, the tool kit and spare, the manuals and any original equipment; missing items can be billed. Sign the odometer statement and keep a copy, note who took the car, and take photos. “If you did not complete an inspection prior to returning, one will be completed within a few days of your return.” Then tell MFS the car is back and cancel automatic payments: “Yes, and this is one people forget.” Plate rules vary by state. The lease-end invoice can list unpaid amounts and “Excessive Wear and Use charges, Excessive Mileage charges, and Disposition Fee if applicable,” and “These items may be taxable.” A security deposit comes back by check after paying any invoice charges. To keep the car, get a payoff quote from your account; MFS prints no purchase-option figure, which your lease sets. Our guide to [lease buyouts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains what to check. Leaving early can mean “an early termination charge, which could be substantial,” and MFS prints no formula. For a return 31 days or more before maturity, “MFS will use the lowest calculation of this balance based on your lease agreement,” with the invoice “60-120 days after return” because the balance may wait on the auction. Eligible service members can end a lease “without early lease termination charges”; a Gold Star programme and probate cancellation may release lessees after certain deaths, illnesses or injuries, and MFS warns that forgiven lease obligations “may be taxable as income.” A “Transfer of Lease” appears only under the heading for deceased customers; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares lessors. During the lease, “Leased vehicles are restricted to the United States,” apart from trips of “up to 30 days in Mexico and Canada” arranged with MFS, and a ticket MFS pays for you can carry an “administrative fee” whose amount MFS does not print. ## Mileage, wear and the disposition fee The allowance is the term in months, divided by 12, times “15,000 (standard lease) or 12,000 (low mileage lease)”: 45,000 or 36,000 miles on a 36-month lease, in MFS’s glossary example. The same Lease a Mazda page then offers low-mileage leases with “two options - 10,000 miles or 12,000 miles,” and the glossary describes a high-mileage option above 15,000 a year. What the overage costs is the gap in MFS’s pages. The mileage page says only: “You simply need to call your dealer and they can give you more information on any potential charges.” The only per-mile figures are in the glossary, which gives “e.g., $0.15 per mile” as an example and says that at signing “you can add the anticipated excess mileage (at $.10 per mile) to your lease.” The FAQ says the opposite about buying miles: “Unfortunately, we’re not currently offering that as an option.” As a hypothetical, 1,000 extra miles would cost $150 at the example rate and $100 at the signing figure, by our arithmetic; read your own lease for the real rate. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers allowances. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car's instrument cluster mark the odometer display, the speedometer needle and the dashboard trim, with Mazda Financial Services' lease mileage allowances, its unprinted per-mile overage rate, and its wear waiver for newer leases. Mazda Financial Services’ lease page, glossary and lease-end pages, read on 8 October 2026, set 15,000 miles a year as standard with 10,000 or 12,000 for low-mileage leases (callout 1), print no per-mile overage rate beyond a glossary example (callout 2), and waive wear charges up to $500 on leases after 27 January 2026 (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. “FOR LEASES AFTER JANUARY 27, 2026,” MFS waives excess wear-and-use charges, excluding missing equipment such as keys, “up to a maximum of $500.” For earlier leases, charges “may be waived if the customer has an EWU product.” Neither heading covers a lease signed on 27 January 2026 itself; if that is yours, ask MFS which rule applies. **Examples of excess wear and use on MFS’s Wear and Use page (read 8 October 2026; MFS says the list is not complete)** | Area | Excess, as MFS describes it | | --- | --- | | Paint and body | Scratches through the paint, or a single dent, larger than a credit card; poor repairs or unrepaired collision damage | | Glass and lights | Windshield cracks, stars or bull’s-eyes; non-factory tint; broken or missing lights, mirrors or lamps | | Tires and wheels | Exposed cords or sidewall damage; wheel gouges, scratches, dents or cracks larger than a credit card | | Seat and trim | Cuts, tears, burns or stains larger than a credit card, singly or added together | | Equipment | Missing keys, remotes or parts; broken equipment; modifications not on the car at lease inception | The free pre-inspection is the cheapest protection. MFS says to book it “15 to 60 days before your maturity date” through AutoVin’s website, which it names; the Lease-End Guide counts the same window back from the day “you return your vehicle.” It is not offered in Alaska or Hawaii or for leases from New Hampshire or Wisconsin. After repairs “another inspection may be requested,” and “Excess wear and use charges may be based solely on the optional inspection prior to maturity.” Skip it and the inspection happens after the return, when it is too late to repair anything. The disposition fee covers “the cost of reconditioning and remarketing” a returned car. MFS prints no amount, but it prints a waiver, described three ways: - The Return Your Vehicle page: “we will waive the Disposition Fee (up to $350)” if you replace the car with a new or [Certified Mazda](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mazda-certified-pre-owned/) through MFS “within 30 days before or after return,” or “have had three or more Mazda Financial Services accounts.” - The Your Options page and a 2021 flyer: a new or certified Mazda through MFS “within 30 days of your current lease ending,” with no cap printed. - The January 2026 Lease-End Guide: the next deal finalized “no earlier than 31 days prior to or no later than 90 days following” the earlier of maturity or return, and no cap printed. The programme “is subject to suspension of termination by MFS in its sole discretion without prior notice,” and New Jersey customers “may receive a bill for a disposition fee prior to the application of the waiver.” The safe reading is the narrowest: sign the next deal through MFS within 30 days of both the lease end and the return, then check the invoice. ## Mazda Protection Products, GAP and insurance Dealers sell MFS add-ons as Mazda Protection Products: “Vehicle Service Agreements, Prepaid Maintenance, Guaranteed Auto Protection, Tire & Wheel Protection, Key Replacement, and Excess Wear & Use Protection.” Each is “optional, cancelable (subject to specific agreement terms), and not required to obtain credit,” and they “are administered by TMIS or a third party contracted by TMIS.” Our [Mazda extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-extended-warranty/) reads the service agreements. MFS’s GAP page says GAP “will cover up to $1,000 of your auto insurance deductible (if applicable and permitted by state law)” and is “AVAILABLE ONLY AT TIME OF FINANCING.” Its brochure’s example: a $30,500 balance against a $26,000 settlement leaves $4,500; add a $1,000 deductible and the $5,500 deficiency is paid by GAP, leaving $0. GAP “is not available for lease customers with a deficiency balance waiver,” and “The provider of this product is your creditor and any assignee of your creditor.” If you pay off early, ask about a refund of the unused part; our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) explains cancellation. Service-agreement repairs need approval first, and reimbursements take time: “Please allow 30 days for reimbursements.” On insurance, MFS prints no minimums (“Please refer to your contract for insurance requirements”), and repair checks “should be jointly issued to the registered owner/lessee and Mazda Financial Services.” ## What regulators have on record A search of the CFPB’s enforcement actions for “mazda” returns “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” The CFPB has two consent orders against TMCC, which we read for our Toyota review on 6 October 2026; neither mentions Mazda. **The CFPB’s consent orders against Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and whether they touch MFS** | Order | Filed | What it was about | Money | Mazda or MFS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2016-CFPB-0002 | 2 February 2016 | Dealer markups on TMCC loans; the CFPB said African-American and Asian and Pacific Islander borrowers paid more | Up to $21.9 million in restitution | Predates MFS, which began on 1 April 2020 | | 2023-CFPB-0015 | 20 November 2023 | Add-ons that were hard to cancel, unrefunded GAP and other add-on premiums, wrong service-contract refunds, and accounts reported delinquent after leased cars were returned | $48 million redress and a $12 million penalty | Not mentioned in the order’s 53 pages; terminated 12 May 2025 | TMCC consented to the 2023 order “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law,” and the order defines the respondent as “Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, d/b/a Toyota Financial Services, and its successors and assigns.” Some redress groups cover contracts “originated after January 1, 2016,” a window that includes MFS contracts from April 2020, but no document we read says whether any MFS customer was paid. In terminating the order, the CFPB said “The Bureau also waives any alleged non-compliance therewith.” Our [Toyota Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/#order-2023) covers both orders. Toyota Financial Savings Bank has the FDIC as its federal regulator, and BankFind lists it as active; we did not search FDIC enforcement decisions or state records. ## CFPB complaints: why MFS cannot be counted on its own On 8 October 2026 the CFPB’s company lookup returned nothing for “mazda,” “mobilityone,” “mobility one” or “toyota financial savings.” Because TMCC services every MFS account, MFS complaints most likely sit under TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORPORATION, mixed with Toyota and Lexus accounts. Complaints are unverified reports, their number grows with a lender’s size, and the CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026, so only counts are used here. TMCC’s file holds 9,431 complaints, from March 2012 to 7 October 2026. Vehicle loans and leases account for 3,672 (38.9%), and 3,008 of those (81.9%) arrived on or after 1 April 2020, when MFS began; nothing marks which are Mazda accounts. TMCC closed 234 vehicle complaints (6.4%) with monetary or non-monetary relief, by our arithmetic. Its vehicle complaints rose from 230 in 2020 to 664 in 2025, 2.9 times as many, with 735 in 2026 up to 7 October. **The largest issues in TMCC’s vehicle loan or lease complaints, all brands, pulled 8 October 2026** | Issue | Complaints | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 1,257 | Billing problem (666) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 674 | Title or other problem after payoff (225); mileage or wear fees (90) | | Getting a loan or lease | 438 | Fraudulent loan (92) | | Repossession | 423 | Balance left after the car is sold (80) | | Incorrect information on your report | 390 | Account status incorrect (182) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 233 | Denied request to lower payments (122) | A count cannot say whether a rise reflects more problems or more customers. We did not read BBB’s profile for MFS: bbb.org blocked both scripts and our browser. ## If you have an MFS loan or lease - **Find out who owns your contract** from its assignment and your title, and make your insurer’s loss payee match. - **Pay from a bank account before 3:00 PM Eastern** on the due date, the earlier of MFS’s two cut-offs, or a day early. - **Use “Make A Principal Only Payment”** for extra money you want off the balance. - **Get extension or deferral terms in writing,** with the new maturity date. - **Pay off within the quote’s 10 days,** and authorize MFS in writing if the title should go elsewhere. - **Chase a missing title** after 40 business days (paper, ask MFS) or 9.5 weeks (electronic, ask your state). - **Book the free pre-inspection** 15 to 60 days before a lease ends, and fix what it finds. - **Return the lease only to an authorized Mazda dealer,** keep the odometer statement, cancel automatic payments, and check the invoice for a waived disposition fee. ## Common questions ### Is Mazda Financial Services owned by Toyota? The name belongs to Mazda, which licenses it to Toyota Motor Credit Corporation. TMCC’s 10-K traces its ownership through two holding companies to Toyota Motor Corporation. TMCC services every MFS account, and newer MFS loans are owned by Toyota Financial Savings Bank, owned by TMCC’s parent. MFS’s footer says “Mazda is not affiliated with TMCC, M1F, TLT, M1LT, or their affiliates.” ### What is MobilityOne Financial? The trade name of Toyota Financial Savings Bank, an FDIC-insured Nevada thrift. Since early 2025 it has originated new MFS contracts, with MobilityOne Lease Trust holding newer leases; TMCC services them under the MFS name. ### Can I pay Mazda Financial Services with a credit or debit card? No. MFS says it “can’t process cash, credit or debit card payments.” Pay Online, the app, a phone agent and mail all take bank-account payments, and MFS says Pay Online and the app are free. ### How long does Mazda Financial Services take to send the title after payoff? A paper title or lien release should arrive within 25 to 40 business days after the payoff posts. With an electronic title, MFS notifies the state within 10 business days and expects the title in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks. ### What will MFS charge when my lease ends? Possibly a disposition fee, excess-mileage and wear charges, and anything unpaid, all of which “may be taxable.” The disposition fee is waived, up to $350, if your next Mazda goes through MFS around the return or you have had three or more MFS accounts. The per-mile rate is in your lease; MFS’s glossary uses $0.15 as an example. ### Can I pay off or refinance an MFS loan early? Yes; MFS’s flyer says there is no prepayment penalty. Get a payoff quote and authorize MFS to send the title to the new lender. See our guides to [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [credit union rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/), our [PNC](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/), [DCU](https://baronauto1.com/financing/dcu-auto-loan/) and [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/) reviews, and our reviews of [Honda](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/), [Nissan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/) and [Mercedes-Benz](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mercedes-benz-financial-services-review/) lenders. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/ --- title: "PNC Auto Loan: Lending Paused, Dated Rates, Payoff and Title" description: "PNC says it is not currently offering auto loans. Its dated APR ranges, 2018-2027 model and 80,000-mile limits, payoff and title rules, 10-Q and CFPB records." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # PNC Auto Loan: Lending Paused, Dated Rates, Payoff and Title > PNC says it is not currently offering auto loans. Its dated APR ranges, 2018-2027 model and 80,000-mile limits, payoff and title rules, 10-Q and CFPB records. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 5,015 words* ## The short version - On 8 October 2026 PNC’s Browse Auto Loans page said: “PNC is not currently offering auto loans, as we are working to improve our suite of offerings.” Its dealer purchase, refinance, lease buyout and private party pages still exist, but none shows a rate, a loan amount or an apply button. - The only auto rates PNC prints are on a disclosure dated “as of 1/26/26”: purchase APRs from 5.34% to 20.69% and refinance APRs from 5.69% to 23.79%. That was 255 days before our reading, and the figures include a 0.25% discount for automatic payment from a PNC checking account. - PNC’s printed vehicle limits: a 2018 to 2027 model year, non-commercial vehicle with up to 80,000 miles, or up to 100,000 miles “based on credit qualifications.” No minimum or maximum loan amount, fee amount or longest term is printed on any page we read. - Most of PNC’s auto lending happens at the dealer. Its June 2026 10-Q puts the auto book at $15.9 billion, of which $15.0 billion is indirect (made through dealers) and $0.9 billion direct, with a weighted-average origination FICO score of 800 and a 72-month average term. - PNC’s own filings show low losses: 2025 net charge-offs of $36 million, 0.23% of average auto loans, and by our arithmetic 0.49% of the book 30 or more days past due on 30 June 2026. - The CFPB’s enforcement index returned no action with PNC in its title. Its complaint database holds 754 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming “PNC Bank N.A.”, received from 31 May 2017 to 3 October 2026; 104 of them concern getting the title after payoff. Can you get a PNC auto loan right now? PNC’s own answer, read on 8 October 2026, is no: its [Browse Auto Loans page](https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking/borrowing/auto-loans/browse-auto-loans.html) says it is “not currently offering auto loans” while it makes “enhancements to our auto lending experience.” We read PNC’s auto pages, its [auto rates disclosure](https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking/borrowing/important-information-about-rates-and-fees/auto-lending-rates-and-fees.html), its title, payment and hardship pages, the auto lines of The PNC Financial Services Group’s [June 2026 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/713676/000162828026053170/pnc-20260630.htm) and its 10-K reports, and the CFPB’s records. We applied for nothing and ran no rate check, and this site has no commercial relationship with PNC or any lender. **Figure: A PNC auto loan in PNC’s own words, 8 October 2026** What PNC’s auto pages and rates disclosure said at each step, from applying to getting the title back. Source: PNC’s Browse Auto Loans page, auto lending rates-and-fees disclosure (rates "as of 1/26/26"), auto customer service page, Lending Hardship page and Vehicle Title Information page (pnc.com), read 8 October 2026. Rates are dated and change; PNC said it was not currently offering auto loans. ## Is PNC making auto loans right now? Not through its website, on the day we looked. The Auto Loans hub’s “Get a New Vehicle Loan or Refinance” button leads to the Browse Auto Loans page, which opens with the notice: “PNC is not currently offering auto loans, as we are working to improve our suite of offerings.” Below it PNC adds, “We’re making enhancements to our auto lending experience to better serve our customers.” The notice gives no date it began and no date it will end. For a bank that is still taking applications, through participating dealers, see our [U.S. Bank auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/us-bank-auto-loan/) page. The same page still lists four routes under “Choose Your Loan”: buy from a dealer, refinance, buy out a lease, and buy from a private party. Each leads to general guidance, a calculator link and a phone line, with no rate, loan amount, term, fee or application button. PNC’s old “Check Ready” auto loan address now redirects to the dealer purchase page. What PNC’s pages and filings still show: - **Servicing.** The auto customer service page, title page and hardship page are live, with payment, payoff and lien instructions for existing borrowers. - **A sales line.** Each product page says to call 1-888-370-7344, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. The rates disclosure gives the same number to confirm whether a loan “is available in your area.” - **Dealer lending.** PNC’s June 2026 10-Q still says, “We offer both new and used auto financing to customers through our various channels,” and its credit tables show $3.1 billion of loans made in 2026 still on the books at 30 June. The filing does not split those 2026 loans between dealers and direct borrowers. **Read any “PNC auto loan rates” page with care.** Pages quoting PNC rates, minimum loan amounts or an online “Check Ready” approval describe terms PNC’s site does not show today. PNC’s own printed rates were dated 26 January 2026. ## The four loan routes PNC still describes PNC’s pages describe the same four kinds of car loan most banks offer. What each page says, and what it leaves out: **PNC’s auto loan pages, read 8 October 2026: what each says and what it does not print** | Route | What PNC’s page says | Rate, amount or term printed? | | --- | --- | --- | | Dealer purchase | For a “new or used car, truck, SUV, or van” from a dealer; budgeting advice (insurance, fuel, maintenance, registration fees and taxes) and a call line | No | | Refinance | “the replacement of your current auto loan with an entirely new one”; check whether you owe more than the car is worth, its age and mileage, fees and prepayment penalties | No (the disclosure prints a dated refinance APR range) | | Lease buyout | Paying the purchase price in your lease, “often called the residual value,” plus taxes and fees | No | | Private party | Financing a car bought from its owner “may require additional documentation related to the vehicle and seller” | No | | Through a dealer (indirect) | Not described on the consumer pages; PNC’s filings say indirect loans come “primarily through independent franchised dealers” | No consumer terms printed | PNC’s title page adds a fifth type. Its “Onboarding Steps for Each Loan Type” lists Dealer Purchase, Refinance, Private Party Purchase, Lease Buyout and “Cash Out.” PNC does not define Cash Out there; its only step is that if the title was not given to PNC at closing, you must send it. PNC’s “Finance a vehicle” calculator (run on a PNC subdomain by the software firm Leadfusion) defines “Purchase” as buying “a new vehicle as an original owner” from a franchised dealer, leaving no choice for a used car from a dealer, though used cars are 58% of PNC’s auto book. It says it “does not assure your eligibility for an auto loan product”; we entered nothing. If you are refinancing or buying out a lease while PNC’s direct lending is paused, the steps are the same at any lender; see [how to shop a refinance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#shopping), [how lease buyouts are financed](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#financing) and [where private-party car loans come from](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#where-to-borrow). ## PNC auto loan rates: the ranges it printed “as of 1/26/26” PNC’s auto rates disclosure is the only page we found with numbers on it. It says: “Rates, terms and conditions are as of 1/26/26 and subject to change at any time.” On our read date that was 255 days old, by our count, and the Browse Auto Loans page said PNC was not offering new auto loans. Treat the figures below as what PNC last printed, not as a rate anyone can get today. **PNC’s printed auto APR ranges and the conditions beside them (dated “as of 1/26/26”, read 8 October 2026; subject to change, not an offer)** | What the disclosure says | Auto purchase | Auto refinance | | --- | --- | --- | | APR range (“currently range from”) | 5.34% to 20.69% | 5.69% to 23.79% | | Width of the range (our arithmetic) | 15.35 percentage points | 18.10 percentage points | | Automatic-payment discount | 0.25% included in the APRs | 0.25% included in the APRs | | Lowest APR without that discount (our arithmetic) | 5.59% | Not computed | | Who gets the low end | “well-qualified applicants” | Same | | Vehicles | 2018 to 2027 model years, non-commercial, up to 80,000 miles (100,000 on credit) | Same | | Fees printed | None | None | PNC lists what moves your rate within those bands: “credit qualifications, loan amount, repayment term, model year, automated payment from a PNC checking account and number of days to first payment.” The last means the APR also depends on how soon your first payment falls due. The refinance range starts 0.35 points above the purchase range, by our arithmetic, and runs higher at the top. ### The one standing discount: 0.25% for automatic payment On the pages we read, PNC prints no relationship discount beyond this one: “APRs include a 0.25% discount for automated payment from a PNC checking account.” Three conditions come with it. The automatic payment “must be set up at loan closing”; it must come from a PNC checking account; and if it stops, “your rate will increase 0.25%.” Because the discount is already inside the printed APRs, the lowest purchase rate without a PNC checking account and autopay would have been 5.59%, not 5.34%. What that is worth, in our arithmetic on $30,000 over 72 months (PNC’s average term): **Our arithmetic on PNC’s printed purchase APRs (as of 1/26/26): $30,000 over 72 months, standard amortization, rounded to the cent. Illustration only; not a rate or payment for any borrower.** | APR | Monthly payment | Total of 72 payments | Interest | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 5.34% (lowest printed, with autopay discount) | $487.89 | $35,128.08 | $5,128.08 | | 5.59% (same, without the 0.25% discount) | $491.40 | $35,380.80 | $5,380.80 | | 20.69% (highest printed purchase APR) | $730.63 | $52,605.36 | $22,605.36 | The discount was worth $3.51 a month on that loan, or $252.72 over six years. The spread between the bottom and the top of PNC’s own range is far larger: $17,477.28 more interest on the same $30,000 at 20.69% than at 5.34%. Which end you land on depends on your credit; our guide to [rate shopping](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping) explains how to keep the credit checks inside one short window, and [how the loan term changes the price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term) shows what 72 months costs against shorter terms. ## Model year, mileage, term and where PNC lends The vehicle rule is printed twice, on the rates disclosure and in a footnote on the auto customer service page: “Auto Loans to be secured by a 2018-2027 model year non-commercial vehicle with up to 80,000 miles. Based on credit qualifications, the vehicle may have up to 100,000 miles.” Read by its end points: a 2017 model is out whatever its mileage, and a car with more than 80,000 but no more than 100,000 miles is in only if your credit qualifies for the higher cap. On terms, PNC says only: “Maximum available repayment term may vary by model year.” No page we read prints the longest term, a term table or a minimum or maximum loan amount. The calculator lets you pick 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 or 84 months, but those are calculator choices, not loan terms PNC promises. PNC’s filings report what it actually lent: a weighted-average term of 72 months for loans made in the twelve months to 30 June 2026, and 71 months in each of 2024 and 2025. Where PNC lends is also loosely drawn on the consumer side: “Auto Loan products are only available to applicants currently residing in an area in which PNC offers auto loans.” No consumer page lists those areas. PNC’s dealer-finance page is more specific about its retail (dealer) financing. It groups its footprint into seven regions (Pacific, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, South Central, Central and West) and names four “PNC Non-Lending States”: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. PNC’s 10-K calls its branch network “coast-to-coast.” ## PNC financing at the dealer: the indirect side Most of PNC’s auto lending runs through dealers. The 10-Q says that at 30 June 2026, “total auto loans of $15.9 billion were comprised of $15.0 billion in the indirect auto portfolio and $0.9 billion in the direct auto portfolio.” By our arithmetic that is 94.3% indirect, up from 92.6% at the end of 2022. PNC describes the indirect book this way: “The indirect auto portfolio consists of loans originated primarily through independent franchised dealers. This business is strategically aligned with our core retail banking business.” Huntington and Fifth Third also lend mainly through dealers; see our [Huntington](https://baronauto1.com/financing/huntington-auto-loan/) and [Fifth Third](https://baronauto1.com/financing/fifth-third-auto-loan/) auto loan pages. In an indirect loan you sign a retail installment contract with the dealer, and the dealer sells that contract to a lender such as PNC. The rate on your contract is set at the dealer. PNC’s dealer-finance page lists what it offers dealers for this business, including “Special rate promotions,” “Automated credit approval,” “Buy-down and flat programs,” “Extended term financing” and “Customized reserve programs.” Reserve and flat programs are the ways a lender pays a dealer for placing a loan, often as part of the gap between the lender’s rate and the rate on your contract. Our page on [the buy rate and dealer markup](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#buy-rate) explains how that works; PNC does not publish its dealer rate sheets. If a dealer assigns your contract to PNC, the payment, title and hardship pages below are the ones PNC publishes for its auto borrowers. To judge the dealer’s rate, arrive with your own approval from another lender; see [using a pre-approval at the finance desk](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk). ## Paying a PNC auto loan, and what happens if you cannot PNC’s auto customer service page lists six ways to pay: Online Banking, the PNC Mobile app, automated payments, Voice Banking by phone, a branch, and mail. Rules worth knowing: - **Branch payments are dated the day you pay,** but “it may take up to 2 business days for the payment to be reflected on your account.” - **Automated and recurring payments differ.** Automated payments run through PNC’s Automated Payment Program, a “free service” that can take “up to ten (10) business days” to set up; recurring payments are ones you schedule in Online Banking. PNC ties its 0.25% discount to “automated payment” and does not say whether recurring payments count. - **Skipping one automated draft needs notice.** You can suspend it for one month if you contact PNC at least three business days before the due date, and you remain “responsible for making your payment on time to avoid late fees.” - **Paying early can leave you without a statement.** “If the minimum payment due has already been made for the billing period, currently a statement is not generated.” PNC says it is looking at changing that. For questions, PNC’s customer care line is 1-888-PNC-BANK (1-888-762-2265), with automated account information around the clock and consultants Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. No page we read prints a late fee or a grace period; those are in your contract. ### Hardship: an extension of one or two months PNC’s Lending Hardship page describes one option for auto loans by name: “An extension moves the due date of an auto loan payment to the end of the loan and extends the loan term by one (1) or two (2) months.” The payment moved “can be past due, currently due, or a payment not yet billed.” Interest keeps running, but “you will not be charged fees related to the scheduled non-payment(s),” and your credit is reported “based on the status of your loan when you requested the extension.” That last line matters: ask before you fall behind, not after. PNC is direct about the stakes: “Not acting could result in the loss of your vehicle, a negative impact on your credit score, or keep you from obtaining financing in the future.” Hardship requests go through PNC’s online application or its line at 1-800-642-6323, and PNC says the options “may not be available” to borrowers in an active bankruptcy. PNC applies Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protections to eligible accounts “including: Auto loans.” For what a lender can do after a default, see our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-happens). PNC’s 10-K says it charges off secured consumer loans “no later than 180 days past due”; that is an accounting rule, not a repossession date. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a person writing beside a laptop mark the laptop screen, the pen and the paper, with PNC's notice that it is not taking new auto loans, its printed vehicle limits, and how soon its Paid in Full letter arrives. PNC’s auto loan pages, read on 8 October 2026, say it is “not currently offering auto loans” (callout 1), print model-year 2018 to 2027 and mileage limits of 80,000, or 100,000 based on credit (callout 2), and say a Paid in Full letter follows payoff within 7 to 10 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## PNC auto loan payoff, lien release and the title Payoff starts in Online Banking: PNC’s customer service page says to sign on, choose the loan and “Select View Loan Payoff Quote in the Account Actions section,” adding that “There are some circumstances where payoff information will not be displayed,” in which case you call 1-888-762-2265. Before you pay off, PNC’s [Vehicle Title Information page](https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking/borrowing/auto-loans/vehicle-title-information.html) asks you to make sure it has your current address, because the paperwork goes there. What arrives depends on who holds the title: - **PNC holds a paper title:** it “will be mailed with the Paid in Full letter.” - **You hold the title,** or PNC never received it: you get only the Paid in Full letter. - **Electronic title:** “only a Paid in Full letter will be received, and the PNC lien will be released,” with the final release depending on your state’s motor vehicle department. Timing, in PNC’s words: “Once the loan is paid off, you will receive a Paid in Full letter within 7 to 10 days at the account address.” If it does not come, PNC points to VehicleTitleMyWay.com, “a service provided by BerkOne,” which can supply a lien satisfaction letter “as soon as 7 business days after the loan is paid in full.” PNC says that letter can stand in for a duplicate title in seven situations, including trading in, selling or donating the car, an insurance claim and a warranty or GAP request. Otherwise, see [replacing a lost title when a lien is involved](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/replace-lost-car-title/#lien). The page contradicts itself on one detail. One answer says, “KY, MD, MI, MO and NY are title holding states where you as the customer hold the title document. In other states, PNC holds the title document.” Another, on refinancing, names “KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT and NY.” Minnesota and Montana appear only in the second list, and PNC’s dealer-finance page lists Montana among its “PNC Non-Lending States.” If you live in Minnesota or Montana, ask PNC who holds your title before you rely on either list. Getting PNC onto the title in the first place is the borrower’s job: “Because you are financing your vehicle loan with PNC, you are responsible for listing PNC as the lienholder.” For a dealer purchase, tell the dealer to list PNC, and if the dealer handed you the title, send it to PNC. To check a lien yourself, see [how a payoff clears a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#payoff). ### GAP refunds after an early payoff PNC’s title page sends GAP refund questions elsewhere: “You may be entitled to a refund of the unearned portion of GAP charges” if the GAP contract was cancelled or you paid off early, and you should “contact the dealership where you purchased your vehicle or the administrator listed on your GAP contract.” Our guides explain [how GAP cancellation works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) and [how refunds are figured](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/#refunds). ## What PNC’s 10-K and 10-Q say about its auto loans The PNC Financial Services Group reports “Automobile” as its own consumer loan class, so its filings give a clean picture of the book. We read the auto lines of the [10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/713676/000162828026053170/pnc-20260630.htm) (filed 5 August 2026), the [2025 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/713676/000071367626000020/pnc-20251231.htm) (filed 20 February 2026) and the [2023 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/713676/000071367624000028/pnc-20231231.htm). **PNC’s auto loan book, 2022 to June 2026, from its 10-K and 10-Q reports (balances in $ billions; charge-offs in $ millions; shares of the book are our arithmetic)** | Date | Auto loans | Indirect / direct | Net charge-offs (ratio) | 30+ days past due, accruing | Nonperforming | Allowance (% of loans) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | End of 2022 | $14.8 | $13.7 / $1.1 | $28 (0.18%) | 0.93% | $155 | 1.52% | | End of 2023 | $14.9 | $13.8 / $1.1 | $21 (0.14%) | 0.79% | $104 | 1.16% | | End of 2024 | $15.4 | $14.4 / $1.0 | $34 (0.23%) | 0.74% | $86 | 1.04% | | End of 2025 | $16.6 | $15.6 / $1.0 | $36 (0.23%) | 0.58% | $83 | 0.95% | | 30 June 2026 | $15.9 | $15.0 / $0.9 | $19 in six months (0.24%, annualized) | 0.49% | $82 | 1.01% | Three readings stand out. First, the book grew $1,755 million from the end of 2022 to the end of 2025 (11.8%, by our arithmetic), then fell $719 million in the first half of 2026 (4.3%); the 10-Q attributes the drop to “declines in the automobile portfolio as paydowns outpaced originations.” The filing does not mention a pause in lending, and PNC’s website notice gives no start date, so we cannot say whether the two are connected. Second, the direct book, the loans PNC made to borrowers who applied to it, shrank to $0.9 billion, 5.7% of the total. Third, losses are small against the size of the book, and recoveries are large next to charge-offs: in 2025 PNC charged off $130 million gross and recovered $94 million, so recoveries were 72.3% of gross charge-offs by our arithmetic, down from 81.6% in 2022. The past-due share (accruing loans 30 or more days late) fell at every date we read, from 0.93% to 0.49%; nonperforming loans, counted separately, were $82 million, 0.52% of the book, at 30 June 2026. Used cars were 58% of the book. For the same lines at other banks, see the filings sections of our [Wells Fargo](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/#filings), [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/#filings) and [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/#filings) auto loan pages. ## Who PNC lends to: an 800 average FICO and 72-month terms PNC reports the credit profile of the loans it makes. For the twelve months to 30 June 2026, the “weighted-average loan origination FICO score, calculated using the auto enhanced FICO scale, was 800 and the weighted-average term of loan originations was 72 months.” The 2025 figures were 799 and 71 months; 2024’s were 793 and 71 months. The 2023 10-K split them by channel: indirect loans averaged 788 with a 73-month term, direct loans 787 with a 65-month term. An average of 800 on FICO’s auto scale means PNC’s new loans lean heavily toward borrowers with very strong credit; it says nothing about the lowest score PNC accepts, which it does not publish. The filings also show the whole book by “updated” FICO score, the borrower’s current score rather than the score when the loan was made: **PNC auto loans by updated FICO score (shares of balances, our arithmetic on the $ millions in PNC’s 10-Q credit quality tables)** | Updated FICO | Whole book, end of 2025 ($16.6 billion) | Whole book, 30 June 2026 ($15.9 billion) | Loans made in 2026, at 30 June ($3.1 billion) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 780 or higher | 50.2% | 51.0% | 58.9% | | 720 to 779 | 28.8% | 28.4% | 29.2% | | 660 to 719 | 13.7% | 13.5% | 10.2% | | Below 660 | 7.3% | 7.1% | 1.6% | Loans made in 2026 are the most tightly drawn: 88.2% sat at 720 or higher and 1.6% below 660, by our arithmetic. Young loans tend to look cleaner as scores drift over time, so this shows a direction, not PNC’s cut-off. Loans made in 2026 were 19.5% of the book at 30 June. Of the $60 million PNC charged off gross in the first half of 2026, none came from 2026 loans; the 2025 and 2024 vintages accounted for $18 million and $17 million. What this means for a shopper: PNC says its displayed rates were “available to well-qualified applicants,” and its book leans heavily toward scores of 780 and up. If your score is lower, get quotes from several lenders before you judge any one. Our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders set no single minimum, and our [credit union rate guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/) shows another source of published rates. ## Regulators and CFPB complaints about PNC auto loans **Enforcement.** We searched the CFPB’s [enforcement actions index](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/?title=pnc) for “pnc” on 8 October 2026 and got “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” A control search for another bank returned results. PNC’s 2025 10-K legal note describes card-interchange antitrust litigation and patent cases brought by USAA; none concerns auto lending, and its paragraph on regulatory inquiries names no auto matter. We could not reach the OCC’s enforcement search from our network, and we read no state attorney-general record, so this page makes no statement about OCC or state actions. **Complaints.** The CFPB’s [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) names the company “PNC Bank N.A.” We pulled counts only, through 7 October 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and counts rise with a lender’s size; the CFPB itself says its database “is not a statistical sample of consumers’ experiences in the marketplace.” Since 30 September 2026 the CFPB no longer serves complaint narratives, so we counted none. **CFPB vehicle loan or lease complaints naming “PNC Bank N.A.”, received 31 May 2017 to 3 October 2026 (counts pulled 8 October 2026; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue (CFPB label) | Complaints | Share | Most common sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 289 | 38.3% | Billing problem (209) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 186 | 24.7% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (104) | | Getting a loan or lease | 107 | 14.2% | Credit denial (29) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 58 | 7.7% | Denied request to lower payments (25) | | Incorrect information on your report | 46 | 6.1% | Account status incorrect (20) | | Repossession | 40 | 5.3% | Notice to repossess (10) | | Four smaller issues (credit reporting and monitoring) | 28 | 3.7% | Various | | **Total** | **754** | 100% | | Vehicle loans are a small slice of what people complain to the CFPB about PNC: 754 of 32,711 complaints naming the bank, or 2.3%. Yearly counts were 105 in 2022, 63 in 2023, 80 in 2024 and 95 in 2025; 2026 had reached 100 by 7 October, already above the whole of 2025. The data do not say why. The CFPB marks PNC’s response as timely on all 754, and 82 (10.9%) were closed with monetary or non-monetary relief. The file also holds 334 complaints under an older “Consumer Loan” product name, which we did not split out. Across all companies, the CFPB file held 104,570 vehicle loan or lease complaints in the same window. ## Before you sign anything involving PNC - **Call before you count on a direct loan.** PNC’s page said it was “not currently offering auto loans”; its disclosure gives 1-888-370-7344 to confirm whether a product is available where you live. - **Ignore undated rates.** PNC’s own ranges were dated “as of 1/26/26.” A rate without a date, from any site, tells you nothing about today. - **Check the car against the printed limits.** A 2018 to 2027 model year, non-commercial, up to 80,000 miles (100,000 only on credit). - **Bring your own approval to the dealer.** If the dealer places your contract with PNC, the rate was set at the dealer; compare it with an approval from another lender. - **Ask whether the 0.25% autopay discount applies.** It needs a PNC checking account and automated payment set up at closing, and the rate rises 0.25% if autopay stops. - **Know who holds your title.** In KY, MD, MI, MO and NY PNC says you do; if you live in Minnesota or Montana, confirm it, because PNC’s two lists differ. - **Update your address before payoff.** The Paid in Full letter, and any paper title PNC holds, go to the address on file. - **Ask for an extension early.** PNC reports your credit based on the loan’s status when you ask. ## Common questions ### Is PNC still offering auto loans? Not on its website, on our read date. On 8 October 2026 PNC’s Browse Auto Loans page said it is “not currently offering auto loans,” with no end date. PNC still services existing loans, its dealer-finance page still offers retail financing to franchised dealers, and its June 2026 10-Q shows $15.0 billion of its $15.9 billion auto book was made through dealers. ### What are PNC auto loan rates? The only rates PNC printed were dated “as of 1/26/26”: auto purchase APRs from 5.34% to 20.69% and auto refinance APRs from 5.69% to 23.79%, including a 0.25% autopay discount. They were 255 days old when we read them, and PNC was not offering new auto loans, so they are history, not a quote. ### How old can the car be for a PNC auto loan? PNC’s disclosure says loans are “secured by a 2018-2027 model year non-commercial vehicle with up to 80,000 miles,” and that “Based on credit qualifications, the vehicle may have up to 100,000 miles.” It prints no term table and no loan amount limits. ### What is the PNC auto loan phone number? For an existing loan, PNC’s auto customer service page gives 1-888-PNC-BANK (1-888-762-2265), with consultants Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. For hardship help on an auto loan, PNC lists 1-800-642-6323. For new loans and availability, its product pages and disclosure give 1-888-370-7344. ### How do I get my title after paying off a PNC auto loan? PNC says a Paid in Full letter arrives “within 7 to 10 days at the account address.” If PNC held a paper title, it is mailed with that letter; if you hold the title or it is electronic, you get only the letter, and for an electronic title PNC releases its lien. If nothing comes, PNC points to VehicleTitleMyWay.com, run by BerkOne, for a lien satisfaction letter “as soon as 7 business days after the loan is paid in full.” ### Does PNC refinance car loans? PNC still has a refinance page and a refinance APR range dated “as of 1/26/26,” but on 8 October 2026 its Browse Auto Loans page said it was “not currently offering auto loans.” Its disclosure’s own example applies anywhere: refinance a “60-month loan that matures in 55 months” into another 60 months and “you will pay interest for an additional 5 months.” See [when refinancing is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it). ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/ --- title: "DCU Auto Loan: Rates, the 0.50% Discount, Title Rules and Membership" description: "DCU auto loans run 12 to 84 months at one rate for new and used cars that already includes a 0.50% discount. Membership, the 90-day title rule, fees and record." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/dcu-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-08" modified: "2026-10-08" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # DCU Auto Loan: Rates, the 0.50% Discount, Title Rules and Membership > DCU auto loans run 12 to 84 months at one rate for new and used cars that already includes a 0.50% discount. Membership, the 90-day title rule, fees and record. *Car Loans & Credit · 20 min read · 4,589 words* ## The short version - A DCU auto loan comes from Digital Federal Credit Union, which since 1 January 2026 has been a division of First Technology Federal Credit Union. DCU’s charter carries on under the First Tech name, and DCU says existing loan terms did not change. - On 8 October 2026 DCU printed one rate table for new and used cars: 4.99% APR for terms up to 65 months, 5.49% up to 72 and 6.99% up to 84. Those rates already include a 0.50% discount that needs $500 a month of direct deposit plus electronic payments. - Membership runs through family, an employer, a listed community or a listed organization you can join when you open the account. You keep $5 in Primary Savings to stay a member. - DCU lends up to 130% of book value or purchase price, whichever is less, for 12 to 84 months, and will not finance a car that is or was a Lemon Law buyback or salvage title. - Two terms matter after you sign: DCU must have the title with its lien within 90 days or the rate may rise to 18.00% APR, and “no payments for 60 days” still charges interest from the day the loan is funded. - We found no CFPB or NCUA enforcement action naming DCU. The CFPB database has no “Digital Federal Credit Union” entry; the entry that appears to hold DCU’s complaints lists 112 vehicle-loan complaints among 1,010. A DCU auto loan is a member loan from Digital Federal Credit Union, the Massachusetts credit union that merged with First Tech on 1 January 2026, and its printed rate is only the start. On 8 October 2026 we read DCU’s [auto loan](https://www.dcu.org/borrow/vehicle-loans/auto-loans.html) and [auto refinance](https://www.dcu.org/borrow/vehicle-loans/auto-refinance-loans.html) pages, the [vehicle title](https://www.dcu.org/services/additional-services/title-services.html) page and its title sheets, the Skip-A-Payment form, the GAP, fee and membership documents, the consumer Account Agreement and DCU’s audited 2025 statements, then set them beside NCUA call report data, the CFPB’s records, Massachusetts breach records and CFPB complaint counts. We applied for nothing, so no rate or payment here is ours unless labelled our arithmetic. This site has no commercial relationship with DCU, First Tech or any lender. **Figure: What changes a DCU auto loan after you apply, by DCU’s own pages** A seven-row table pairing events on a DCU auto loan with what DCU’s pages say follows: keeping $500 a month of direct deposit and electronic payments keeps the 0.50% discount already built into the printed rates; without it the printed rates do not apply as shown and DCU says the rate can change after signing; taking no payments for 60 days still accrues interest from funding; a title without DCU as lienholder after 90 days can move the rate to 18.00% APR until the corrected title arrives; lemon-law buybacks and salvage titles are not financed; GAP costs $850 and is sold only at signing; and Skip-A-Payment allows one skip per rolling 12 months, three per loan, with no fee, on loans open at least 6 months. Read from DCU’s auto, refinance, vehicle title, GAP and Skip-A-Payment pages and forms on 8 October 2026. DCU’s pages disagree on whether Skip-A-Payment is once per loan, and on whether the 18% rate “may” or “will” apply; DCU does not post its loan agreement. ## DCU is now a division of First Tech: what changed and what did not Every page on dcu.org now ends with the same notice: Digital Federal Credit Union and First Technology Federal Credit Union “have merged to form a single credit union named First Technology Federal Credit Union,” run for now as two divisions. DCU’s [merger page](https://www.dcu.org/dcu-and-first-tech.html) dates the legal combination to 1 January 2026 and expects full integration in 2027. The legal mechanics run the other way from the name. DCU’s audited 2025 statements say DCU “legally completed its acquisition” of First Tech, with NCUA approval, and that the combined credit union operates under DCU’s charter with the First Tech name. NCUA’s data agree: at 31 December 2025, charter 23521 is “DIGITAL” of Marlborough, Massachusetts, opened in 1979; at 30 June 2026 the same charter, with the same RSSD number (483386), is “FIRST TECHNOLOGY” of San Jose, California, with “DCU” listed as a trade name. First Tech’s old charter, 19976, is gone. For borrowers, the merger FAQ settles three points. Existing loans: “the terms of your loan will not change because of the merger.” Branches: DCU members cannot use First Tech branches “at this point.” Products: they “aren’t all the same just yet,” so this page covers the auto loan DCU prints on dcu.org, not First Tech’s. The page also says the returned loan payment fee fell from $33 to $15. ## Who can join DCU, and the $5 share DCU lends only to members. Its eligibility page lists the routes: relatives of members (spouses, domestic partners, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents and siblings, including in-law and step relationships); employees and retirees of companies on its employer list; members of partner organizations; people who live, work, worship or attend school in a listed community; and residents of 15 listed condominium associations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The communities are northern Chelmsford, Lowell, western Tewksbury and Worcester in Massachusetts, plus Lane County, Oregon and State of Oregon employees. For most people, the organization route is the practical one. DCU lists four groups that are “open to everyone,” that you can join when you open your DCU membership, and says that once you join DCU “you can remain a member for life.” **Organizations that open DCU membership, with the dues DCU prints (read 8 October 2026)** | Organization | What DCU prints about the cost | | --- | --- | | Computer History Museum | Memberships start at $15 | | Financial Fitness Association | Memberships start at $8 | | New England Chapter, PRRT&HS (a railroad historical society) | Annual dues are $15 | | Reach Out for Schools | Memberships start at $10 | The Account Agreement (effective May 2026) asks that members be US citizens or legal residents living in the US with a valid Tax Identification Number, and keep a Primary Savings balance of at least one share, currently $5.00. If it falls below that, DCU may move money from another of your accounts or close the account and end the membership. You can apply for the loan before joining; DCU sends joining instructions “after you receive your loan decision,” but the loan cannot fund until you are a member. Our guide to [credit union membership](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/#membership) explains fields of membership in general. ## Reading DCU’s rate table: one set of rates for new and used cars DCU prints a single auto table “for new or used cars, trucks, and vans,” and its refinance page prints the same five rows. That is not universal: the [PenFed auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/penfed-auto-loan/) table, for one, has separate used-car rows at higher rates. Each DCU row is the lowest rate for terms *up to* that length. **DCU auto and auto refinance rate table as printed on 8 October 2026 (rates change; the figures assume the 0.50% discount)** | Term | APR as printed | DCU’s estimated monthly payment per $1,000 | | --- | --- | --- | | Up to 36 months | 4.99% | $29.97 | | Up to 48 months | 4.99% | $23.02 | | Up to 65 months | 4.99% | $17.59 | | Up to 72 months | 5.49% | $16.33 | | Up to 84 months | 6.99% | $15.09 | Three details are easy to miss. The date first: the line “Rates are effective October 8, 2026” is filled in by the page’s script with the day you look, and is blank in the page source. It shows the table was live when we read it, not when DCU last changed it, and DCU says rates “are subject to change at any time.” Then the payment column, which DCU defines as principal and interest per $1,000 at each row’s longest term; the figures match the standard loan formula. On a $30,000 loan, by our arithmetic, the 65-month row comes to about $527.70 a month and $4,300.50 of interest, and the 84-month row to about $452.70 a month and $8,026.80 of interest: $75 a month less, but $3,726.30 more in total. Our guide to [used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/) explains why the term matters as much as the rate. Last, the footnote. Rates depend on “your personal credit history, loan term, Member Benefits Level, and payment method,” so the table is a floor, and it adds: “Rate is subject to change after consummation.” DCU does not say what would change the rate on a signed loan; the next section and the title section cover the two likeliest triggers. Classic and antique cars have their own table and may need an appraisal. ## The 0.50% discount is already inside the printed rates DCU’s footnote says the “Published rate includes a 0.50% discount,” given when you keep direct deposit of at least $500 per calendar month going into a DCU checking account (HSA checking excluded; Social Security exempt from the minimum) and pay the loan electronically. That makes you a Plus member; Relationship members, who also make at least 5 qualifying transactions a month, get the same discount. A borrower who does not move a paycheck to DCU, or who pays by hand, therefore starts half a point above every rate in the table. By our arithmetic, on $30,000 over 65 months, half a point is about $6.94 a month and $451.10 of interest over the loan. The open question is what happens if you stop qualifying after you sign. DCU’s benefit text says your level is “automatically adjusted without notice” and the benefits stop; the rate footnote says the rate can change after signing. Neither says outright that an existing auto loan’s rate rises when the direct deposit stops, and DCU does not post its Note and Loan Agreement. If you might change jobs or banks, ask before you sign and read the note’s rate clause. ## Loan limits, applying, and the four ways DCU pays for a car DCU lends up to 130% loan-to-value, “subject to DCU’s underwriting criteria”: up to 130% of the book value or 130% of the purchase price, “whichever is less.” Its FAQ says the limit depends on the car’s value, your credit, the vehicle’s age and mileage, and the term. Borrowing above the car’s value can roll in taxes and fees, but it leaves you owing more than the car is worth; our guide to [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) shows the cost. Terms run from 12 to 84 months, “subject to qualification.” DCU prints no maximum loan amount and no age or mileage cutoff. It prints one firm exclusion: it “does not finance vehicles that are or have been a ‘Lemon Law Buyback’ and/or ‘Salvage’ title vehicle.” Check a car’s history before you apply; our guides to [salvage titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) and [lemon titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-lemon-title/) explain how those brands appear. DCU takes applications online, in branches and, for members, in Digital Banking. You need not have picked a car: an approval is good “for up to the stated amount pending verification of all required documents,” which works as a pre-approval at a dealership (see our guide to [car loan pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/)). DCU uses hard and soft credit inquiries, reports monthly to TransUnion, Experian, Equifax, Innovis and ChexSystems, and prints no minimum credit score. To fund, you join, send the purchase agreement and any income proof, set the payment details and sign the Note and Loan Agreement; DCU says the check “is usually delivered by FedEx within 2-3 business days.” DCU’s title documents cover four kinds of purchase, and each puts the title work on you: - **Dealer purchase.** The dealer may file the paperwork, but “you are responsible for ensuring the title is issued to DCU.” Compare the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) and [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) before you hand over DCU’s check. - **Private sale.** A bill of sale may be needed, the seller must pay off any loan so the title is released, and taking the title to the DMV is your job. DCU posts an Intent to Sell form, and if both sides are members it can move the money and pay off the seller’s DCU loan. See our guide to [private-party auto loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/). - **Lease buyout.** There is no separate product, but DCU’s title page and a lease-buyout title sheet cover it: the leasing company supplies the title and bill of sale for the DMV. Our [lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) guide covers the price questions. - **Refinance.** DCU refinances other lenders’ loans and its own, with “no fees at this time,” though it counts as a new loan and there is no waiting period. Bring the lender’s name and payoff address, the account number, VIN, mileage, a 10-day payoff amount and the daily interest; our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) lists [what lenders ask for](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#what-you-need). ## “No payments for 60 days” and Skip-A-Payment: both still charge interest DCU prints two ways to delay payments, both as standing features with no end date. **No payments for 60 days** after closing applies to new auto loans and auto refinances. DCU’s fine print is plain: “Interest will begin to accrue on the date the loan is funded,” and the first payment goes to that interest before principal. By our arithmetic, on $30,000 at 4.99%, about $246.08 of interest builds up in those 60 days, money that then does nothing to reduce the balance. Use it only if your cash flow needs it. **Skip-A-Payment** moves a monthly payment to the end of the loan. The January 2026 form sets the rules: one skip every rolling 12 months, at most three per loan, no fee, the loan open at least 6 months and current, and the form in at least 5 days before the due date. Finance charges keep accruing “both during and after the deferral period,” so total interest rises and the loan may run longer. You must pause any autopay yourself, any Payment Protection premium is still charged for the skipped month, and DCU warns a skip “may adversely impact future GAP claims.” The program page also says the program is “available once per loan,” so confirm before counting on a second skip. If you are already behind, our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) explains what lenders can do. ## The 90-day title rule and the 18.00% APR DCU’s Vehicle Titles page says you must get the title to DCU “within 90 days of opening the loan,” showing you as owner and DCU as lienholder. In owner-retained states you keep the title but must still list DCU and send DCU an image of it. Missing the deadline is costly. DCU sends three reminder letters, and if the title is not received within 90 days of disbursement, “your interest rate may be increased to 18.00% APR.” DCU says it restores the contract rate once the correct title arrives and that this “will not affect your credit history.” Its title sheets (March 2026) are blunter: the rate “will increase to the default rate of 18% APR” if the requirement is not met. By our arithmetic, on a $30,000 balance the gap between 4.99% and 18% is about $325.25 of extra interest a month. **Treat day 90 as a hard deadline, even at a dealer.** DCU says that even when a dealership files the paperwork, you are responsible for getting the title issued to DCU. Ask the dealer for proof the application listed DCU as lienholder, and chase it if DCU has not confirmed receipt well before 90 days. In a refinance, DCU mails you a lienholder form within 2 weeks of getting the old title; return it promptly. **Title costs and timelines DCU prints (read 8 October 2026)** | Situation | What DCU says | | --- | --- | | Title with DCU’s lien not received | Three reminder letters; after 90 days the rate may rise to 18.00% APR until the corrected title arrives | | Title arrives without DCU as lienholder | DCU mails add-lienholder forms; the state’s lien recording fee is added to your loan balance | | Duplicate title while the loan is open | A $15.00 title application fee plus the state’s duplicate title fee | | Moving to another state | Request the title in Digital Banking before visiting the new DMV; DCU cannot do the state change | | Loan paid off, paper title | Lien released and title mailed within 3-10 business days; express mail $20.00, 3-5 business days | | Loan paid off, electronic title | DCU asks the DMV to release the lien; Florida and Ohio owners must request the paper title themselves | | No title on file at payoff | A paid loan letter with the lien termination statement, two business days after payoff | DCU warns that going to a new state’s DMV before filing its request means delays and “a higher chance of title loss.” Our guide on [how to check for a lien on a car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) shows how to confirm the lien is recorded, and later released. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over hands holding a phone mark the screen, the hand and the phone's edge, with DCU's 90-day title deadline and the rate it may charge if missed, its insurance deductible limits, and the price and timing of its GAP product. DCU’s auto loan, title and insurance pages, read on 8 October 2026, require the title to list DCU as lienholder within 90 days or the rate may rise to 18.00% APR (callout 1), cap comprehensive and collision deductibles at $1,000 with no excluded drivers (callout 2), and sell GAP Advantage for $850, only at signing (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Insurance rules, GAP and the other add-ons DCU’s title-and-insurance sheets list what your policy must show: the year, make, model and VIN; comprehensive and collision coverage with deductibles no higher than $1,000; no excluded drivers; and DCU as loss payee. Without proof, DCU says Collateral Protection Insurance can be “added to your loan balance,” raising the payment. DCU also sells three optional products, and only one has a printed price. **DCU’s vehicle-loan add-ons and their printed terms (read 8 October 2026)** | Product | Price DCU prints | Terms that matter | | --- | --- | --- | | GAP Advantage (through Allied Solutions) | $850 one-time, on loans financed directly with DCU | Pays the gap between the car’s actual cash value and the loan balance; may cover the deductible up to $1,000 (not in all states); a $1,000 credit toward a replacement financed with DCU within 90 days. Only at origination: “not available after a loan has been funded.” | | Mechanical Breakdown Insurance | None printed | 3 plans; no deductible on covered parts and labor; full refund if cancelled within 60 days. | | Payment Protection | None printed | Cancels payments for a time after covered events such as disability or involuntary unemployment; closed-end loans of 120 months or less. | DCU says your “credit approval cannot be conditioned” on buying GAP, but you have to decide at signing. A borrower putting little down or using the 130% limit is the one most likely to owe more than the car is worth. Our guides to [GAP insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/), [whether GAP is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/) and [mechanical breakdown insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mechanical-breakdown-insurance/) cover the trade-offs. DCU claims its MBI costs “about half” a typical dealer warranty but prints no price, so get a written quote. ## Payments, fees, paying off early, and the Account Agreement DCU takes payments in Digital Banking, by phone, by mail, at branches and through SpeedPay. Its January 2026 fee schedule lists “Expedited Payment/Deposit (Ex. Speed Pay)” at $10.00 and lists no fee for ordinary payments in Digital Banking, which also keep the discount. DCU prints no application fee and no refinance fee “at this time.” Its fee schedule has no loan late-charge line; that would be in the unposted loan note. Paying early is protected by federal rule. DCU is a federal credit union, and 12 CFR 701.21(c)(6) says a member may repay a loan early, in whole or in part, on any business day “without penalty.” Two clauses in the consumer Account Agreement, which every member accepts, bear on a car loan. DCU “has a lien upon the shares and dividends in your Account(s)” and, after a default, may apply your deposits to the debt, so pay landing at DCU is within reach if you fall behind. And disputes “having to do with your relationship with DCU” go to binding individual arbitration if either side chooses, with a class action waiver; you can opt out in writing within 30 days of receiving the clause, which does not stop DCU from using “repossession, or setoff.” ## DCU in the public record: call reports, regulators and complaints Every federally insured credit union files a quarterly 5300 call report with the NCUA. Charter 23521 filed its last report as DCU alone for 31 December 2025; the latest published cycle, 30 June 2026, covers the combined credit union. Adding DCU’s and First Tech’s December member counts gives 1,868,408 (our arithmetic), close to the 1,870,858 reported in June, so the June figures cover both divisions and cannot be split. **NCUA 5300 call report figures for charter 23521 (vehicle totals and shares are our arithmetic)** | Line | 31 December 2025 (DCU alone) | 30 June 2026 (combined credit union) | | --- | --- | --- | | Current members | 1,159,110 | 1,870,858 | | Total assets | $13.08 billion | $27.88 billion | | New vehicle loans | $773,067,961 (42,496 loans) | $1,323,106,071 (65,157 loans) | | Used vehicle loans | $2,562,743,742 (185,104 loans) | $3,127,284,728 (211,821 loans) | | All vehicle loans, share of all loans | $3.34 billion, 31% | $4.45 billion, 20.2% | | Indirect (dealer-arranged) vehicle loans | $395,330,830 | $1,501,208,697 | | Reportable delinquent vehicle loans | $79,504,191 (2.38%) | $98,867,524 (2.22%) | | Vehicle charge-offs less recoveries, year to date | $44,000,329 for 2025 | $38,292,387 for January to June 2026 | Before the merger, DCU was mostly a used-car, direct lender: used loans were 76.8% of its vehicle book at the end of 2025 and dealer-arranged loans 11.9%. Its audited 2025 statements, in thousands of dollars, show auto loans falling from $3,750,195 to $3,350,150 during 2025 (down 10.7%), with $60,677 (1.81%) on nonaccrual at 90 days or more past due, up from 1.29% a year earlier. The 2025 annual report puts the DCU division’s regulatory capital at $1.27 billion, 9.69% of assets. **Regulators.** The CFPB supervises credit unions with more than $10 billion in assets, and its supervision list names Digital Federal Credit Union with $12.86 billion at 31 December 2025 (below the call report’s $13.08 billion; the CFPB does not explain the difference). On 8 October 2026, searches of CFPB enforcement actions for “digital,” “first technology,” “first tech” and “dcu” found nothing about DCU or First Tech, and NCUA’s list of 1,443 administrative orders from 1991 to 2026 names neither. Those are search results, not clearances; we found no court record about DCU to read. **A breach notice.** Massachusetts posts breach notices filed with its Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. One is a DCU letter dated 23 August 2022 about “a data security incident that occurred on or around August 9, 2022,” which “involved some of your personal information”; DCU offered one year of Equifax Complete Premier, free. The state’s 2022 report lists it as number 28157, electronic, affecting 1 Massachusetts resident, with two paper incidents from DCU that year affecting 1 resident each. The 2023 to 2025 reports list no DCU entries; the 2026 report lists one First Technology Federal Credit Union incident on 23 September 2026 affecting 1 resident’s financial account. Nothing more is public in these records. **Complaints.** The CFPB’s complaint database has no company called Digital Federal Credit Union, only two First Technology entries. “FIRST TECHNOLOGY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION,” in capitals, holds 1,010 complaints received through 7 October 2026; they start in 2023, and Massachusetts is the most common state (232, or 23%). “First Technology Federal Credit Union,” in mixed case, holds 850 from 2018 on, mostly from California, Oregon and Washington. That suggests the capitalized entry holds DCU’s complaints, and in 2026 the combined credit union’s, though the CFPB does not say so. In it, 112 complaints (11.1%) concern a vehicle loan or lease: 23 in 2024, 36 in 2025 and 53 so far in 2026. The top issues are managing the loan (42), getting a loan (30), problems at the end of the loan (13) and repossession (13); 16 closed with monetary relief. Complaints are unverified reports, their number grows with a lender’s size, and the CFPB has published no narratives since 30 September 2026, so we read none. ## Where DCU’s documents disagree, and what to check before you sign **Where DCU’s own documents (and its call report) describe the same thing differently, read 8 October 2026** | Point | One document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | How often you can skip a payment | One skip “every rolling twelve months,” up to three per loan (program page and form) | “Program available once per loan” (same program page) | | A late title | Rate “may be increased to 18.00% APR” 90 days after disbursement (Vehicle Titles page) | Rate “will increase to the default rate of 18% APR,” 90 days from the loan date (title sheets) | | Cheapest way in through an organization | “a one-time donation (as low as $10)” (Become a Member) | Financial Fitness Association “Memberships start at $8” (Member Eligibility) | | Who merged into whom | “legally combined as one organization under the First Tech name” (merger page) | DCU “legally completed its acquisition” of First Tech and keeps its charter (audited statements) | | Members of the combined credit union | “more than 2,000,000 members worldwide” (2025 annual report) | 1,870,858 current members at 30 June 2026 (NCUA call report) | | Returned loan payment fee | Cut “from $33 to $15” (merger page) | No such line on the January 2026 fee schedule | - **Confirm your membership route** and keep $5 in Primary Savings. - **Read the rate as a floor** that assumes good credit and the 0.50% discount; get your actual APR in writing. - **Settle the direct deposit question,** including what happens to your rate if it stops after you sign. - **Pick the term on total cost;** 72 and 84 months carry higher rates. - **Check the car’s history:** no lemon buybacks or salvage titles. - **Skip “no payments for 60 days” unless you need it;** interest runs from funding. - **Diary the title deadline:** 90 days, whoever does the paperwork. - **Send proof of insurance at signing,** with deductibles of $1,000 or less and DCU as loss payee. - **Decide on GAP before you sign;** it is not sold after funding. - **Note the 30-day arbitration opt-out** if you want to keep the right to sue. For comparison, our guide to [credit union used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/) sets credit-union pricing against banks using NCUA figures, and our reviews of the [Navy Federal auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/navy-federal-auto-loan/), the [USAA auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/usaa-auto-loan/) and the [PNC auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/) read those lenders’ documents the same way. Our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) explains why a printed floor may not be your rate. ## Common questions ### What are DCU’s auto loan rates? On 8 October 2026 DCU printed 4.99% APR for terms up to 65 months, 5.49% up to 72 months and 6.99% up to 84 months, the same for new cars, used cars and refinances. They are “as low as” rates that include a 0.50% discount for members with $500 a month of direct deposit who pay electronically. Rates change; check DCU’s table when you apply. ### Can anyone get a DCU auto loan? Only members, but most people can qualify: besides family, employer and community routes, DCU lists four organizations open to everyone, with dues it lists from $8 to $15. You can apply first and join after the decision; the loan funds only once you are a member. ### Is DCU the same as First Tech now? Legally, yes. Since 1 January 2026 DCU has been a division of First Technology Federal Credit Union, which runs on DCU’s charter (23521) under the First Tech name. DCU keeps its own branches, website and products until integration, expected in 2027, and says existing loan terms did not change. ### Does DCU finance private-party sales and lease buyouts? Yes. DCU’s title documents cover dealer purchases, private sales, lease buyouts and refinances, and it posts an Intent to Sell form for private deals. In each case you must get DCU onto the title within 90 days. ### How long can a DCU auto loan be, and how much can I borrow? Terms run from 12 to 84 months. DCU lends up to 130% of the book value or the purchase price, whichever is less, depending on credit, the car’s age and mileage and the term, and prints no maximum dollar amount. ### Does DCU charge a prepayment penalty? No. As a federal credit union, DCU is bound by 12 CFR 701.21(c)(6), which lets a member repay early “without penalty.” DCU also prints no application fee and no refinance fee “at this time.” ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [NCUA: Quarterly Credit Union Data Summary](https://ncua.gov/analysis/credit-union-corporate-call-report-data/quarterly-data-summary-reports) - [12 CFR 701.21 — loans and lines of credit to members](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-VII/subchapter-A/part-701/section-701.21) - [NCUA MyCreditUnion.gov: what a credit union is](https://mycreditunion.gov/about/what-credit-union) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/dcu-auto-loan/ --- title: "Montway Auto Transport Review: What Its Own Terms Say" description: "Montway is a licensed broker, not a carrier: its Terms put damage claims on the trucker, charge $249 to cancel after dispatch and lock prices for 30 days." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Montway Auto Transport Review: What Its Own Terms Say > Montway is a licensed broker, not a carrier: its Terms put damage claims on the trucker, charge $249 to cancel after dispatch and lock prices for 30 days. *Used Car Buying · 20 min read · 4,544 words* ## The short version - Montway is a licensed broker, not a trucking company. FMCSA lists Montway LLC (USDOT 2239816, MC-611862) as authorized only as a “Broker of Property,” and its Terms say it “never takes custody or possession” of your car. An independent carrier hauls it. - If the car is damaged, the Terms make the carrier liable, not Montway, and you file the claim with the carrier. You must also tell Montway within 48 hours of delivery, and a bill of lading signed with no damage noted ends the matter. - The TruePrice Guarantee locks a booked price for 30 days, but only for operable, factory-standard cars, and it is void if you post the job with another broker. A quote is not a price. - Cancelling is free until a carrier accepts the order. After that the Terms set a minimum fee of $249, plus any carrier dry-run fee; the help center describes a gentler rule. - Montway’s own pages disagree on when money is first taken, how much insurance covers the car, how big its carrier network is and when it was founded. We list 12 such conflicts. - Disputes go to individual arbitration, and Montway’s total liability is capped at the fees you paid Montway. Montway Auto Transport is a real, federally registered car-shipping broker with a record going back to 2007, and the questions worth asking are the ones its own contract answers: who pays if your car arrives damaged, when you pay, and what it costs to back out. On 7 October 2026 we read Montway’s Terms of Service, its website Terms of Use (updated 10 October 2024), its TruePrice Guarantee, how-it-works, cost, expedited and carrier-network pages, and 20 help-center answers, and set them against FMCSA’s public record and the federal rules the Terms cite. We requested no quote and entered no personal details, and this site has no commercial relationship with Montway or any other shipper. Montway’s website terms put conditions on links to its site, so we name its documents rather than linking them; all are on montway.com. **Figure: Montway’s promises next to its fine print** A two-column table setting six lines from Montway’s marketing (we pick up your vehicle, a booked price you will pay, no payment until a carrier is assigned, contingent insurance up to $250,000, a guaranteed pickup date, free cancellation) against Montway’s own Terms of Service and help center: it is a broker that never takes custody of the car, the price lock lasts 30 days for operable factory-standard cars and is void if the job is posted elsewhere, cash-price orders take a deposit of $199 or less when placed, Montway is not liable for cargo damage, delivery dates are estimates after up to 2 to 3 days in storage, and cancelling after a carrier accepts costs at least $249. Read from Montway’s Terms of Service, Terms of Use (updated 10 October 2024), TruePrice, how-it-works, cost and expedited pages and 20 help-center answers on 7 October 2026. No quote was requested. ## Montway is a broker, not a carrier: what that changes The first definitions in Montway’s Terms of Service settle the question most reviews skip. Montway “is a transportation broker as defined at 49 U.S.C. § 13102(2), arranging for the transportation of freight through third party Carriers,” registered with FMCSA “under Docket No. MC-611862.” The sentence ends: “Montway is not a Carrier.” You accept that it “never takes custody or possession of, transports, or handles Customer’s Shipment, or assumes any liability for the Shipment,” and its services “are deemed completed when a Carrier has accepted Customer’s Order.” By the contract’s own terms, Montway’s job is done before the truck arrives. Federal rules draw the same line. Under [49 CFR 371.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.2), a broker “arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier,” and [49 CFR 371.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.7) says a broker “shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier.” Montway’s Terms and help center say broker; its how-it-works page heads step 2 “We pick up your vehicle,” while telling you to schedule the pickup “with your trucker.” The person who collects your car works for the carrier. Three consequences run through the rest of this review: - **Your damage claim is against the carrier.** The Terms name the carrier as “the party liable for all such claims.” - **The carrier’s paperwork binds you too.** Its bill of lading “may constitute a contract of transportation as between Customer and Carrier,” and you may be subject to the carrier’s own terms and tariffs. - **You can see the broker’s record of your job.** Under [49 CFR 371.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-371/subpart-A/section-371.3), a broker keeps a record of each transaction, including the carrier’s name and registration number and “the amount of compensation received by the broker,” for three years, and “each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record.” For how brokers, carriers and lead sites differ across the industry, see our guide to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/). ## Is Montway legit? What the FMCSA record shows Yes, in the sense that matters most for a car shipper: Montway holds active federal broker authority and has the financial security a broker must file. We read FMCSA’s [SAFER company snapshot](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=2239816) (data as of 5 October 2026), the Motus account page, and FMCSA’s licensing and insurance datasets, which say they were last refreshed on 14 May 2026. Our [Sherpa Auto Transport review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/) reads another broker’s FMCSA record. **Montway LLC in FMCSA’s public record, read 7 October 2026** | Field | What the record shows | What it means for you | | --- | --- | --- | | Operating authority | “AUTHORIZED FOR: Broker of Property (Except Household Goods),” MC-611862, active; entity type SHIPPER/BROKER | No carrier authority: Montway cannot haul your car itself | | Authority granted | Property broker authority served 27 July 2007 | About 19 years as a broker, by our arithmetic | | Financial security | Form 85 “TRUST FUND” with Pacific Financial Association, Inc., effective 24 October 2013 (another provider before that) | Meets the broker-security rule; it is not insurance on your car | | Cargo insurance | None required or on file for the broker | Cargo cover comes from the carrier | | Authority history | 4 “INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION” actions (2013, 2020 twice, 2023), each “DISCONTINUED REVOCATION” within 0 to 13 days | None led to a revocation; FMCSA’s revocation dataset has no Montway row | | Inspections and crashes | 0 and 0 in the 24 months to 5 October 2026 | Expected for a broker with no trucks; check the carrier instead | | Registration data | Last MCS-150 filed 22 February 2023; SAFER prints “Carrier Registration Information Outdated” | USDOT status still shows ACTIVE | Under [49 CFR 387.307](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.307) (effective 16 January 2026), “a broker must have a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000 in effect,” on Form BMC-84 for a bond or BMC-85 for a trust fund, and FMCSA will not register a broker until it is. The money pays “shippers or motor carriers if the broker fails to carry out its contracts”: protection against a broker that fails to arrange the move, not cover for damage. Montway’s help center calls it “fully licensed and bonded”; strictly it holds the trust-fund version, which the rule treats as equivalent. The dataset’s amount field reads 0, which we do not take as the fund’s size. The four revocation actions come with dates and nothing else: served 15 August 2013, discontinued 26 August 2013; served 11 December 2020, discontinued 18 December 2020; served and discontinued 24 December 2020; served 9 February 2023, discontinued 22 February 2023. FMCSA gives no reason, so we do not guess. A web search on 7 October 2026 found no FMCSA, FTC or state attorney-general action naming Montway LLC; that is a search result, not a clearance. ## Quotes, the 2026 per-mile estimates and the TruePrice Guarantee Montway prints no price for your shipment until you ask, and its pages say plainly that a quote “is an estimate” and “not a final price.” The how-it-works page recommends booking “within a few days of receiving your quote as the market and carrier availability changes quickly.” What Montway does print is a set of average per-mile estimates on its cost page, labelled “Car shipping costs in 2026” and qualified with “car shipping costs may vary.” **Montway’s printed 2026 per-mile estimates (cost page, read 7 October 2026), with our arithmetic** | Distance band | Open, per mile | Enclosed, per mile | Montway’s open example | Enclosed premium (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 to 500 miles | $1.85 | $2.53 | $555 for 300 miles | 37% more | | 501 to 1,500 miles | $.91 | $1.25 | $910 for 1,000 miles | 37% more | | 1,500+ miles | $.59 | $.84 | $1,180 for 2,000 miles | 42% more | Montway’s examples match its rates. As illustrations only, our arithmetic on the 2,000-mile row gives $1,680 enclosed, and Montway’s statement that expedited shipping is “generally 15-35% more than standard shipments” puts the open trip at roughly $1,357 to $1,593. Distance, car size, whether it runs, open or enclosed, rural or urban and season all move the quote; a car with four inches of ground clearance or less needs an enclosed trailer with a lift gate. The help center says “neither the original purchase price nor the current value of the vehicle” affects the rate. The TruePrice Guarantee answers a common complaint about car shipping, a low quote that rises after booking. Section 8 of the Terms says the booked price “will be locked-in for 30 calendar days,” that Montway “will not increase the price for any reason, including fluctuations in carrier costs, fuel prices, or market conditions,” and that it “will not request additional funds after booking.” The conditions sit in the same section: - **Operable, factory-standard cars only.** Modified or inoperable cars get “customized quotes” instead. Montway’s help center calls a car operable if it can “drive in forward and reverse under its own power and steer.” - **The locked price is the reviewed one.** “Confirmed booking price may differ from quote,” and after an online booking an agent calls to check the details; “if any details change during this review, it may affect the price.” - **A booking needs a payment method.** A confirmed booking is placed “with a validated payment including credit card or full PayPal payment,” and quotes do not qualify. - **Wrong details or changes reopen it,** and so does rescheduling “outside the 30-day window.” - **Exclusivity.** “The True Price Guarantee is void if you work, or post, with another broker.” The lock binds Montway, not the trucker. The Terms separately let the carrier “charge additional fees to transport such Shipment or refuse to transport the Shipment altogether” if the car is or becomes inoperable, is modified or is oversized. Describe the car exactly when you book. ## When you pay, and how the driver gets paid The help center offers a “Regular Price,” paid in full by card or PayPal with “no further funds” due at delivery, and a “Discounted Cash Price,” where you pay part up front and the rest to the driver because “truckers prefer cash and are willing to do the job for less.” On the cash option the Terms require payment to the carrier “on or before the delivery” in “cash, certified funds, cashier’s check or money order,” never a personal check or card, and “without any offsets, chargebacks or reductions” for damage. The help center is blunter: “the driver can legally hold the vehicle until all applicable fees are paid,” and “an insurance claim and payment of freight charges are two entirely different transactions.” Unpaid Montway invoices accrue 1.5% a month. When the first money leaves your account is where Montway’s pages disagree most. The TruePrice and cost pages say “no payment is required until a carrier has been assigned to your order”; the how-it-works page says “until your shipment is scheduled for pickup.” The help center’s landing page asks cash-price customers for “a small partial payment of $199 or less (depending on the distance of your shipment) when you place your order,” one answer says “a partial payment is due at booking,” and another says “a partial deposit at the time of dispatch.” The Terms, which control, say payment is due “when a Carrier accepts an Order” and “you will be charged at time of dispatch to a carrier.” Ask which applies to your order and get the answer in writing. ## Pickup windows, transit times and what “guaranteed” covers Montway’s Terms say it “cannot and does not guarantee delivery dates or times” and is not liable for losses “caused by delays of any kind.” Pickup is counted from your “first available shipping date,” which the help center says is “not necessarily the exact pick up date”: pickup “should be within our usual pick up window of 1 to 5 business days.” Then come Montway’s transit estimates, marked “times are estimated”: **Montway’s estimated calendar days in transit after pickup (help center, read 7 October 2026)** | Distance | 0 to 200 miles | 200 to 600 | 600 to 1,000 | 1,000 to 1,500 | 1,500 to 2,000 | 2,000 to 2,400 | 2,400 and up | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Days | 1 to 2 | 2 to 4 | 3 to 5 | 4 to 6 | 5 to 7 | 6 to 8 | 7 to 9 | A coast-to-coast move can therefore mean up to 5 business days waiting for pickup and then 7 to 9 calendar days on the road. Rural pickups “may take longer,” inoperable cars may wait because “not all transport trucks can accommodate inoperable vehicles,” and the driver may ask to meet at “a large parking lot nearby such as a grocery store.” “Guaranteed” covers pickup only. The paid expedited service lets you “arrange a guaranteed pickup date,” and the same page says “the auto transport industry cannot guarantee delivery dates.” The help center explains the mechanics: a local driver may collect the car on the date, then it “may be stored in a secured facility for 2-3 calendar days (on average) until a long-haul driver is available,” and only then does “your quoted transit time” begin. The cost page says expedited pickup can come “24 to 48 hours after placing an order”; the expedited page says “after the first available pickup date.” Ask which before paying the premium. ## Damage, insurance and who pays a claim This is where Montway’s marketing and its contract sound most different. The Terms say Montway, as “a property transportation broker,” “is not and will not be liable for any cargo loss and damage claims for any reason,” and that “it is Customer’s responsibility to file any claim directly with the Carrier who transported the Shipment.” The Terms point to the Carmack Amendment, [49 U.S.C. 14706](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title49/html/USCODE-2024-title49-subtitleIV-partB-chap147-sec14706.htm), which makes carriers liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” and bars them from allowing less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to sue. Montway’s own deadline is a notice to Montway, not the claim: you “must promptly report such claim to Montway, but in no event later than forty-eight (48) hours of the delivery,” so it can send you “relevant documents regarding the Carrier.” The marketing describes two layers of insurance: the car “will be covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance,” and Montway’s own “contingent cargo insurance” covers it “for up to $250,000 should the trucker’s policy fail to fully cover a valid claim.” The help center describes only the first: “an Inland Marine Cargo Insurance policy of up to $100,000 is provided by the motor carrier,” “subject to some exclusions and limitations.” We could not see the contingent policy; it is not a federal filing, and the Terms do not mention it. The cost page also says carriers are “legally required to carry liability insurance and a minimal level of cargo insurance,” but the federal cargo-filing rule we read, [49 CFR 387.301(b)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-387/subpart-C/section-387.301), is written for household-goods carriers. So follow the help center’s advice to “request trucker Certificate of Insurance,” and do it before pickup. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a man writing on a clipboard mark the pen on the form, the man filling it in and the form itself, with what Montway's Terms say about signing the bill of lading, who to tell about damage and where the claim goes, and what its help center says to record at pickup. Montway’s Terms of Service and help center, read on 7 October 2026, say a delivery signature without a damage note confirms the car arrived in satisfactory condition (callout 1), require a claim to be reported to Montway within 48 hours of delivery while the claim itself is filed with the carrier (callout 2), and recommend having the driver record the odometer at pickup (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Everything then turns on the bill of lading, the condition report the driver fills in at both ends. The Terms ask you to inspect with the driver, note “any pre-existing damage” at pickup and “any new damage as exception” at delivery, and keep copies. The help center adds: have the driver “record the current mileage of your vehicle’s odometer,” and “take several pictures of the vehicle at pickup and again at delivery.” **A clean signature can end your claim.** Montway’s Terms say that signing the carrier’s form at delivery “without any notation of any damage regardless of the lighting or weather conditions at the time of inspection” confirms the car arrived “in satisfactory condition and that Montway and the Carrier will have no further responsibility.” If it is dark, raining or the car is dirty, write that on the bill of lading before you sign. Some losses are excluded outright: damage from “hail, storm or other acts of God,” from “loose, worn, or broken parts,” and anything to do with “personal items in the Shipment.” You may leave “one suitcase OR one bag” of up to 100 lbs in the trunk at your own risk; personal items “are not covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance” and are “not inspected or inventoried.” Hand the car over “with no more than a quarter tank of fuel,” or for an electric car “between 45-65% charged battery,” with toll tags removed. ## Cancelling and refunds All of Montway’s documents agree that cancelling before a carrier takes the job is free: you “may cancel an Order at any time at no cost or cancellation fees as long as the Order has not yet been accepted by a Carrier.” Montway emails you when the order is dispatched, and from then on cancelling costs money. How much depends on which document you read: - **Terms, section 9:** “a minimum of two hundred and forty nine dollars ($249.00) in cancellation fees,” plus possibly “a dry run fee imposed by a Carrier.” This also applies if “the Carrier is denied pick up of the Shipment for any reason when the Carrier arrives.” - **Terms, section 8:** “the broker fee ($249 USD) is nonrefundable, but can be applied to a future order with Montway.” - **Help center:** refundable “less a $249 service fee or the amount of your partial payment, whichever is less.” For a cash-price customer whose deposit was the help center’s “$199 or less,” the help-center rule caps the loss at the deposit while the Terms set a floor of $249, a gap of at least $50 by our arithmetic. The Terms are the contract; the help center says so itself. Ask for the future-order credit if you cancel late. Cancellations must be “submitted in writing via email”; phone, text and chat “will not be accepted.” ## Arbitration, the liability cap and the rest of the fine print The Terms of Service send disputes to binding individual arbitration with National Arbitration Mediation, except claims that qualify for small claims court. You can choose a hearing “by telephone, based on written submissions, or in person in the county where Customer lives,” “all of the filing fees will be paid by the filing party,” and you must send Montway a signed letter at least 30 days before starting. Class actions are waived, and if a claim reaches court the parties “each waive any right to a jury trial.” Our [SGT Auto Transport review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sgt-auto-transport-review/) reads another broker’s terms and FMCSA record. The website Terms of Use (updated 10 October 2024) contain a different clause: JAMS rules, any in-person hearing in Chicago, and an opt-out “within 30 days of registering an account.” They say they apply to “all disputes with Montway,” but also that conflicting “Additional Terms” control, and for a shipment the Terms of Service are those. Both documents point to the wrong section for arbitration: section 12 instead of 13, and section 16 instead of 19. - **Liability cap.** Montway’s “total cumulative liability” cannot “exceed the total fees paid by Customer to Montway”: its fee, not your car’s value. - **Precedence.** If the Terms conflict with “a motor carrier bill of lading, tariff or service guide,” the Terms “will supersede and control as between you and Montway.” - **Carriers.** The Terms of Use disclaim warranties “concerning the performance of any of its carriers.” - **Presence.** You or an agent “over the age of 18” must be there at pickup and delivery. ## Montway reviews: what we could and could not check Most people searching for Montway reviews want to know whether other customers’ cars arrived on time and undamaged. Ratings cannot answer that, and we could verify less than review sites imply. **Montway’s own figures.** Its pages claim “over 1 million customers served,” “1,128,000+ Cars delivered nationwide” and “100,000+ customer reviews,” with “an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.” Rating badges show Google at 4.7 from 22,749 reviews, BBB at 4.5 from 4,440 and Transport Reviews at 4.8 from 11,838, beside a Trustpilot badge we leave out. The three counts add up to 39,027 by our arithmetic, so most of the claimed 100,000 reviews sit somewhere Montway does not name. None of these was checked on the platforms. **Testimonials.** The TruePrice, cost and expedited pages show 26 different testimonials, and all 26 are rated 5.0: a selection, not a sample. **BBB.** Our attempt to read Montway’s BBB profile met the BBB’s “You have been blocked” security page, and we did not work around it, so this page carries no BBB grade or complaint count of our own. Read the profile yourself, and look at recent complaints and Montway’s answers rather than the grade. **Government records.** These we could check, and they are in the FMCSA section: active broker authority since 2007, financial security on file, and four revocation proceedings, each discontinued. Montway is a long-registered broker with its paperwork in order; how your shipment goes depends largely on the carrier it assigns. ## Where Montway’s own documents disagree Reading 28 of Montway’s pages side by side turned up 12 contradictions. Most are drift any large website accumulates. Where they touch money or liability, the Terms of Service are what bind you. **Conflicts between Montway’s own documents, read 7 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Who picks up the car | “We pick up your vehicle” (how-it-works) | Montway “is not a Carrier” (Terms) | | First payment | None “until a carrier has been assigned” | “$199 or less ... when you place your order” (help center) | | Late cancellation | At least $249 plus any carrier dry-run fee (Terms) | $249 or your partial payment, “whichever is less” (help center) | | Insurance | Contingent cover “up to $250,000” | Carrier policy “up to $100,000”; Montway not liable “for any reason” | | Extra charges | “without hidden fees” | Carrier “may charge additional fees” for some cars (Terms) | | Expedited pickup | “24 to 48 hours after placing an order” | “24 to 48 hours after the first available pickup date” | | Pickup window | “1 to 5 business days” | “generally takes 1-5 days” | | Arbitration | NAM, hearing in your county (Terms of Service) | JAMS, Chicago, 30-day opt-out (Terms of Use) | | Broker number | “broker license number 2239816” (help center) | That is the USDOT number; the broker docket is MC-611862 | | Founded | “established in 2006” | “Since 2007”; FMCSA authority granted 2007 | | Carrier network | “over 30,000 carriers” | “15,000+” | | Cars shipped | “over 100,000 vehicles” | “1,128,000+ Cars delivered” | Two of these change what you should do: ask when your card will be charged, and ask for the carrier’s certificate of insurance and the terms of Montway’s contingent policy, both before pickup while cancelling is still free. ## Before you book with Montway - **Look up the company and the carrier.** Check Montway on FMCSA’s SAFER system under USDOT 2239816 or MC-611862, then ask which carrier was assigned and look that carrier up too. Its insurance, inspections and crashes are the record that matters for your car. - **Describe the car exactly.** Running or not, modified, lifted or lowered, oversized wheels. A wrong description can void the price lock and let the carrier charge more or refuse the car. - **Get the payment terms in writing.** Which price option, how much up front, when the card is charged, and how the driver must be paid. - **Ask for the certificate of insurance** before pickup, and ask how Montway’s contingent policy is claimed. - **Decide before dispatch.** Cancelling is free until a carrier accepts; after the dispatch email it costs at least $249 under the Terms. Cancel by email only. - **Prepare the car.** No more than a quarter tank, EV battery at 45 to 65%, toll tags out, nothing valuable inside, at most one bag of up to 100 lbs in the trunk. - **Photograph and note at pickup and delivery.** Mark every existing scratch on the bill of lading, have the odometer reading recorded, note new damage as an exception before signing, report it to Montway within 48 hours, then file with the carrier. - **Use your right to the broker’s record** if there is a dispute: it shows the carrier’s details and what Montway was paid. If you are shipping a car you have just bought, the shipment is a separate contract from the sale. Our guides to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/) and [buying a car online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) cover the tax, title and handover steps, the [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) guide covers checking the car before it is loaded, and auction buyers should add [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) to the shipping bill. For the dealer side of the purchase, the FTC’s used-car buying guide applies. ## Common questions ### Is Montway Auto Transport legit? Yes. FMCSA lists Montway LLC, trading as Montway Auto Transport, as an active property broker under USDOT 2239816 and MC-611862, with authority granted in 2007 and the trust-fund security federal rules require of every broker. Four revocation proceedings in its history were each discontinued. Registration does not guarantee a good shipment; the assigned carrier does most of the work. ### Is Montway a broker or a carrier? A broker. Its Terms say “Montway is not a Carrier,” and FMCSA authorizes it only as a “Broker of Property (Except Household Goods).” An independent carrier collects, hauls and delivers the car. ### Who pays if my car is damaged during shipping with Montway? The carrier, under Montway’s Terms. Note the damage on the bill of lading at delivery, tell Montway within 48 hours, and file the claim with the carrier, whose liability is set by 49 U.S.C. 14706. Montway also advertises contingent cover of up to $250,000 if the carrier’s policy falls short; ask how to claim on it before you book. ### How much does Montway charge to ship a car? Only a quote for your route and car can say. Montway’s cost page prints 2026 averages for open transport of $1.85 a mile up to 500 miles, $.91 for 501 to 1,500 miles and $.59 beyond, with enclosed higher, and says costs “may vary.” A booked price is then locked for 30 days for operable, factory-standard cars. ### Can I cancel a Montway order and get my money back? Before a carrier accepts the order, yes, at no cost. After dispatch the Terms charge at least $249 plus any carrier dry-run fee, though the help center describes keeping only $249 or your partial payment, whichever is less. Cancel by email. ### Does Montway guarantee delivery dates? No. The Terms say Montway “cannot and does not guarantee delivery dates or times.” Its paid expedited service can guarantee a pickup date, after which the car may wait 2 to 3 days in storage before transit begins. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/ --- title: "Tire Manufacturer Warranties Compared: 12 Makers’ Terms" description: "Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli and 7 more tire warranties read side by side: free-replacement windows, proration and mileage rules." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tire Manufacturer Warranties Compared: 12 Makers’ Terms > Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli and 7 more tire warranties read side by side: free-replacement windows, proration and mileage rules. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 5,002 words* ## The short version - All 12 tire makers sell replacement tires under a *limited* warranty for defects in workmanship and materials, not nails, potholes or ordinary wear. It ends at the 2/32-inch wear bars or a time limit, whichever comes first. - The time limit is 6 years (72 months) from purchase for Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Cooper, Continental, General, Pirelli and Hankook, and 5 years (60 months) for Bridgestone, Firestone, Yokohama and Toyo. - Free replacement usually stops at 12 months or the first 2/32 inch of wear. Bridgestone and Firestone print 3 years, Toyo prints 25% of usable tread within 60 months, and Yokohama prints the first 2/32 inch with no month limit. - After that you pay a prorated share: usually the share of tread worn times the dealer’s current price. Mileage warranties prorate by miles driven instead, and the price each booklet uses differs. - A mileage claim needs paperwork: the installation invoice with the odometer reading and, for most makers, rotation records (typically every 5,000 to 8,000 miles), plus evenly worn tread. - Trial periods run from 30 days (Hankook, Yokohama) to 90 days (Bridgestone, Firestone), and 100 days on Hankook’s iON line, mostly as exchanges for another set of the same brand. A tire warranty from the maker is a limited warranty with two parts: cover for defects in workmanship and materials for about five or six years, and, on many tire lines, a mileage promise that is paid as a prorated credit if the tread wears out early. On 7 October 2026 we read the current replacement-tire warranty document of 12 makers, straight from each maker’s own site: Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Cooper, Bridgestone, Firestone, Continental, General, Pirelli, Hankook, Yokohama and Toyo. That is 11 documents, because Bridgestone and Firestone share one manual. We also read the federal rules that frame them. The tables below put the terms side by side with each document’s edition date. This site has no commercial relationship with any tire maker or retailer, and nothing here is a ranking. **Figure: Free replacement first, then a prorated charge: where each booklet draws the lines** For a defect in workmanship or materials on a replacement passenger or light truck tire, the window in which each maker’s booklet replaces the tire free, and when prorated coverage ends. Source: each maker’s current replacement-tire warranty booklet (Yokohama: its warranty web page), read 7 October 2026. Coverage ends at the 2/32-inch wear bars in every booklet if that comes first. Not a ranking. ## What a tire maker’s warranty actually promises If a tire fails because of how it was built, the maker replaces it: free early on, then for a prorated charge. Michelin puts it in one sentence: if there is a defect “during the life of the original usable tread, or six (6) years from date of purchase (whichever comes first), your tire may be replaced on a pro rata basis under this warranty.” The “life of the usable tread” ends at “2/32nds of an inch (1.6 mm) of tread remaining,” the height of the wear bars molded into the grooves. Most makers add a treadwear or mileage warranty on some lines. That is a different promise: if the tread wears out evenly before a stated mileage, you get credit for the miles you did not get. It is never a free replacement. Bridgestone’s manual says of its mileage warranty, plainly, “There is no free replacement period.” Three things a maker’s warranty almost never covers: - **Road hazards.** Nails, cuts, potholes and curb strikes are excluded by Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Cooper, Bridgestone, Firestone, Pirelli (except Run Flat tires), Yokohama and Toyo. Continental, General and some Hankook lines add limited road hazard cover for the first year, covered below. Store programs, such as the ones we read for [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) and [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#certificates), exist to fill this gap. - **Uneven or fast wear from the car.** Misalignment, worn suspension, wrong pressure and missed rotations are excluded. - **Labor and taxes past the free period.** Once a claim is prorated, the booklets that spell it out put mounting, balancing and taxes on you; Bridgestone’s manual adds valve stems and disposal fees. Federal law explains the word “limited.” Under [15 U.S.C. 2303(a)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2303), a written warranty that does not meet the federal minimum standards in section 2304 “shall be conspicuously designated a ‘limited warranty’.” Section 2304 says a full warranty may not “impose any duty other than notification” on the buyer unless the warrantor shows the duty is reasonable. All 12 documents are limited warranties, and Bridgestone, Continental, General and Hankook say they were designated a “Limited Warranty” under federal law. ## The documents we read, maker by maker We took the document each maker’s own warranty page links for US replacement tires, not a retailer’s copy, and fingerprinted every PDF so a later change can be detected. Michelin’s (and BFGoodrich’s), Bridgestone’s, Firestone’s and Yokohama’s website terms forbid deep links, so those documents are named but not linked. **Warranty documents read on 7 October 2026, with the edition each one prints** | Maker | Document | Edition as printed | Warrantor | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Michelin | Owner’s Manual, Passenger and Light Truck Replacement Tire Limited Warranty | Copyright © 2025; MDW41156 Rev. 05/22 (file labelled February 2026) | Michelin North America, Inc. | | BFGoodrich | Owner’s Manual, Replacement Tire Limited Warranty | Copyright © 2025; BMW21078 Rev. 04/25 | MNA, Inc. | | Goodyear | [Limited Warranty, Tire Care and Maintenance Guide](https://www.goodyear.com/en-us/support/tire-warranty) (Goodyear and Kelly) | Printed 10/01/2026; tires bought on or after June 1, 2026 | The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company | | Cooper | [Limited Warranty, Tire Care and Maintenance Guide](https://www.goodyear.com/en-us/support/tire-warranty/cooper-standard-warranty) (Cooper, Mastercraft, Starfire) | Printed 08/26, ©2026 | Goodyear (owner of Cooper) | | Bridgestone, Firestone | Warranty Manual, Replacement Market Passenger and Light Truck Tires (one manual; Platinum Pact and Gold Pledge) | Effective Date 01/01/2024 | Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC | | Continental | [Total Confidence Plan brochure](https://continentaltire.com/warranty) | Cover dates 12/4/2024 and 09/2026 | Continental Tire the Americas, LLC | | General | [Limited Warranty & Adjustment Policy (Shield+ Advantage Plan)](https://generaltire.com/warranty) | 3/27/2025 (an edition dated 2/1/2025 is also linked) | Continental Tire the Americas, LLC | | Pirelli | [Limited Warranty, Original Equipment & Replacement Passenger & Light Truck Tires](https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/car/tire-use-guide-warranty/tire-warranty) | Effective 01-May-2026 | Pirelli Tire LLC | | Hankook | [2026 Warranty Booklet (SureTire Plan)](https://www.hankooktire.com/us/en/help-support/warranty/suretire-plan.html) | ©2026; cover says “Effective 1/25”; tires bought after January 1, 2026 | Hankook Tire America Corp. | | Yokohama | Warranty Information web page (Standard Limited Warranty and Limited Mileage Warranty) | Last Updated: February 2026 | Yokohama Tire Corporation | | Toyo | [Passenger and Light Truck Tire Limited Warranty & Owner’s Manual](https://www.toyotires.com/customer-care/warranty-information/) | Effective March 2015 | Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. | Yokohama prints its warranty on a web page, with proration tables in a separate manual. Cooper’s own site returned an error page to every request, so we read the Cooper booklet where Goodyear, which owns Cooper, publishes it. ## Workmanship and materials: how long, and how long it is free Two clocks run at once in every document, tread depth and time, and coverage ends when the first runs out. Store chains add their own promises on top; see [Big O Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) and [Les Schwab](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/). **Defects in workmanship and materials: free-replacement window and end of coverage, as each document prints them** | Maker | Free replacement | Prorated coverage ends (whichever comes first) | No receipt? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Michelin, BFGoodrich | Within 12 months, while 2/32 inch or 25% of tread or less is worn, “whichever is more beneficial to you”; mounted and balanced free | Wear bars or 6 years from purchase | Date of manufacture on the sidewall | | Goodyear, Cooper | First 2/32 inch or 12 months, whichever comes first; mounting and balancing included | Wear bars or 6 years from purchase | Date of manufacture | | Bridgestone, Firestone | 3 years from purchase (4 from manufacture without proof); mounting and balancing included. Winter tires and temporary spares: no free period | Wear bars, 5 years from purchase or 6 from manufacture; tire under 10 years old | Manufacture date, with the longer periods | | Continental, General | First 12 months or first 2/32 inch, whichever comes first; mounting and balancing included | Wear bars or 72 months from purchase | DOT date of manufacture | | Pirelli | First year or first 2/32 inch, whichever occurs first; mounting and balancing included | Wear bars or 6 years from purchase | Date of manufacture | | Hankook | First 2/32 inch and within one year; mounting and balancing included; not for winter tires | More than 2/32 inch left; 6 years from purchase | 6 years from manufacture | | Yokohama | While 2/32 inch or less of usable tread is worn (no month limit printed); mounting and balancing free | Wear bars, 60 months from purchase or 72 from manufacture | 72 months from manufacture | | Toyo | While 25% or less of usable tread is worn, within 60 months; uniformity complaints (out-of-round, pulling) within the first 1/32 inch | Wear bars or 60 months from purchase | DOT date of manufacture | Watch the “or” and “and.” Goodyear, Cooper, Continental, General and Pirelli end the free window at 12 months or 2/32 inch, whichever comes first. Hankook requires both: within the first 2/32 inch *and* within one year. Michelin and BFGoodrich add a second depth test, 25% of the tread, and let you have whichever is more generous for your tire. By our arithmetic, Bridgestone’s and Firestone’s 3 years is 36 months, 24 more than the 12 months most of the others print; 8 of the 12 makers stop at 12 months. Toyo’s 2015 booklet works differently again. A tire with “uniformity issues (e.g., out-of-round, ... or pulling)” is replaced free only “within the first 1/32” of tread use,” but other covered conditions get free replacement “when the original usable tread is worn by 25% or less, and within 60 months from the date of purchase.” Without a receipt, every document uses the earlier date of manufacture. See [how to read the DOT date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code). Bridgestone sets longer limits for that case: 4 years free and 6 in total from manufacture. ## How a prorated replacement is priced After the free window, every maker replaces a defective tire for a share of the price of a new one. The share is the part of the tread you used. What differs, and what decides the bill, is which price the share is applied to. **Prorated charge for a defect after the free window, in each document’s words** | Maker | What you pay | Price it is applied to | | --- | --- | --- | | Michelin, BFGoodrich | Percentage of the original usable tread worn | “the current selling price of the replacement tire at the adjustment location”; membership clubs may use “the actual price paid by the consumer” | | Goodyear, Cooper | Percentage of usable original tread worn off, plus an amount equal to Federal Excise Tax | “the tire’s advertised retail selling price at the time of adjustment” | | Bridgestone, Firestone | Percent worn, based on used tread wear | “DEALER’S current selling price for the replacement tire(s)” | | Continental, General | Percentage of the usable tread worn | “the Dealers Price (excluding all applicable taxes) at the time of the adjustment” | | Pirelli | Percentage of the original usable tread worn | “the current dealer selling price” | | Hankook | Framed as a credit: the percentage of tread remaining | “the Dealer’s current selling price for the same tire (excluding taxes)” | | Yokohama | Percentage of usable tread worn | “the dealer’s current retail selling price of that tire” | | Toyo | (Original usable tread worn) ÷ (Original usable tread) | “Actual current dealer selling price” | Goodyear prints its own example: a tire that started with 8/32 inch of usable tread and is worn to 4/32 inch remaining means “you have used 50% and therefore must pay 50% of the advertised retail selling price of the comparable tire.” Here is a second case, worked by our arithmetic, on a hypothetical tire with 10/32 inch of usable tread above the wear bars: - **Michelin and BFGoodrich’s 25% test.** 25% of 10/32 inch is 2.5/32 inch, more than the 2/32-inch alternative, so for this tire the 25% figure is the “more beneficial” one and the free window (inside 12 months) runs a little longer. - **A prorated claim after 6/32 inch of wear.** 6 of 10 thirty-seconds is 60% worn. Under the percent-worn formulas you pay 60% of the price the booklet names; Hankook expresses the same tire as a 40% credit for tread remaining. None of the formulas uses what you originally paid, apart from Michelin’s and BFGoodrich’s membership-club alternative, so if prices have risen you pay a share of the higher figure. Our pages on [Costco](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#maker-warranty), [Sam’s Club](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#maker-warranty) and [Discount Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#maker-warranty) cover what each store adds on top of the maker’s warranty. ## Mileage warranties: where the number is printed and how the credit works The mileage figure changes by tire line, size and sometimes speed rating, so no booklet gives one number. Goodyear, Cooper, Bridgestone and Firestone, Pirelli and Hankook print a table of covered lines; Yokohama lists them on its warranty page; Michelin keeps them in a separate two-page flyer; Continental, General and Toyo point to their websites, and BFGoodrich to its retailers and website. Continental and General print only a ceiling: “up to 80,000 miles” and “up to 75,000 miles” on select products. Get your tire’s figure on the invoice. **Treadwear (mileage) warranties as each document states them** | Maker | Where the miles are listed | How the replacement is priced | Different front and rear sizes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Michelin | Separate flyer; retailer or website | Percent of mileage received times the current selling price or the Michelin Base Price List price, “whichever is lower” | Half the miles on each tire | | BFGoodrich | Retailer or website | Same formula, with the BFGoodrich Base Price List | Half on each rear tire | | Goodyear | Table in the booklet | Share of miles delivered times the advertised selling price; up to 6 years | Rear-tire mileage printed for some lines | | Cooper | Table in the booklet | Same as Goodyear; up to 6 years | A rear-tire figure printed for one line | | Bridgestone, Firestone | Tables in the manual | Percent of warranted mileage times the dealer’s current price; up to 5 years; projection allowed at 3/32 or 4/32 inch | Rear tires get half | | Continental, General | Website (“up to 80,000” / “up to 75,000”) | Miles delivered divided by miles warranted, times the current price; 72 months | Rear axle gets 50% | | Pirelli | Table in the booklet | Current dealer price times the percentage of warranted mileage used | Rear tires get 50%; non-ELECT tires on electric vehicles “up to 80%” | | Hankook | Table in the booklet | Credit for the percentage of warranted miles not received; projection allowed up to 4/32 inch; 6 years | Half if the tires cannot be rotated every 7,500 miles | | Yokohama | List on the warranty page | Percentage of warranted miles received times the dealer’s current retail price; 60 months | Rear tires get half | | Toyo | Product pages | (Actual Miles Driven) ÷ (Amount of Warranted Miles) times the current dealer price; installed within 60 months | Rear tires up to 50% | Every mileage warranty requires the tread to have worn *evenly*. A tire that wore out on one shoulder is an alignment or rotation problem in the makers’ eyes and is excluded. Most describe the claim as a tire worn down to the bars. Bridgestone and Hankook spell out an exception: both accept a tire pulled early and project the miles it would have reached. Bridgestone’s manual turns away tires “with more than 4/32 inch (3.2 mm) remaining tread depth,” and Hankook those with “more that 4/32nds remaining.” Bridgestone’s own example takes a tire run 45,000 miles to 4/32 inch, projects 60,000 miles and charges 92% against a 65,000-mile warranty. By our arithmetic, take a hypothetical 60,000-mile tire that started with 10/32 inch of tread and was pulled at 3/32 inch after 42,000 miles. It used 7/32 inch, or 6,000 miles per 1/32. One more 1/32 to reach the bars gives 48,000 projected miles, which is 80% of the warranty. Bridgestone would charge 80% of its dealer’s current price for the replacement; Hankook would give a 20% credit. The other booklets describe a mileage claim on a tire worn to the bars, so ask the dealer before pulling a tire early. Staggered fitments (different front and rear sizes) cannot be rotated front to back, and most booklets cut their mileage; Goodyear and Cooper print rear-tire figures for some lines only. On a 50,000-mile warranty, half is 25,000 miles by our arithmetic. Michelin’s current booklet applies the cut to “each tire”; BFGoodrich, from the same company, to “each rear tire.” Bridgestone says the front tires keep “the full limited mileage warranty.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a stack of tire treads mark a groove, a moulded code on the sidewall edge and the tread face, with where every maker's warranty ends, how coverage is dated without a receipt, and the rotation rules behind mileage claims. The twelve tire makers’ warranty booklets and pages, read on 7 October 2026, end coverage at the 2/32-inch wear bars or at the time limit if sooner (callout 1), date coverage from the DOT manufacture date when there is no receipt (callout 2), and tie mileage claims to rotation, typically every 5,000 to 8,000 miles (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Conditions you have to keep: rotation, records and receipts Every mileage warranty we read requires regular rotation and proof of the mileage when the tires were fitted, and most want rotation records. Intervals run from every 5,000 miles to every 8,000. Our page on [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains why the vehicle maker’s figure can differ again. **Rotation and record-keeping conditions for a mileage claim** | Maker | Rotation | What to keep | | --- | --- | --- | | Michelin, BFGoodrich | Every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, or the vehicle maker’s interval if less; missing it “voids the treadwear warranty” | Mounting and Rotation Service Record, “fully completed and signed”; installation form; original invoice | | Goodyear, Cooper | The “prescribed rotation patterns” of the vehicle maker or Goodyear; the care guide says at most every 6,000 miles | Original invoice showing “the tire description, mileage and date the tire(s) were installed” | | Bridgestone, Firestone | Vehicle maker’s recommendation or every 5,000 miles (maintenance manual) | Proof showing “the date, mileage, and servicing location”; “A sales receipt containing this information will suffice.” | | Continental, General | At least every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, or sooner if uneven wear appears | Completed Rotation Schedule from the brochure; receipt with the odometer reading at purchase | | Pirelli | At least every 5,000 to 7,000 miles | Invoice with the odometer reading at installation; Tire Rotation Record completed by an authorized Pirelli dealer | | Hankook | Every 7,500 miles or fewer | Installation, rotation and removal records | | Yokohama | Every 5,000 miles | Proof of purchase stating the installation mileage; proof of rotation | | Toyo | The vehicle owner’s manual interval; Toyo recommends 3,500 miles or less for V-rated and faster tires, 7,500 or less for standard tires | The booklet’s Tire Service Record showing “the times and places” of rotations; original sales invoice | Michelin, BFGoodrich and Hankook want winter tires used only between September 1 and April 30, with records of each change. Pirelli honors non-ELECT tires on an electric vehicle “up to 80%” of the listed miles, and Yokohama says its mileage warranties “may be lower when mounted on EV’s” unless the tire carries the EV mark. Commercial use, ride-share included, voids mileage cover in the booklets that address it. ## How to make a claim Every maker handles claims through a dealer, who inspects the tire and fills in the maker’s claim form; Toyo also takes claims on tires bought online, through the merchant or Toyo itself. A tire accepted for a claim becomes the maker’s property in the booklets that address it. If you bought online, our reviews of [Tire Rack](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/), [Priority Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/priority-tire-review/) and [SimpleTire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/simple-tire-review/) read what each seller says it will and will not handle. - **Michelin and BFGoodrich:** “Take your tire to any Michelin tire retailer” (or BFGoodrich retailer), with the vehicle, ID, registration, service record and original invoice. - **Goodyear and Cooper:** an authorized Goodyear or Kelly (or Cooper, Mastercraft or Starfire) service facility, with the claim submitted “on an approved claim form supplied by an authorized” facility. - **Bridgestone and Firestone:** an authorized dealer; you “Complete and sign the customer section of the Bridgestone Limited Warranty adjustment form.” - **Continental and General:** “Please return tires to the authorized Continental brand tire dealer where purchased,” with the original sales receipt; General says the same of its dealers. - **Pirelli:** an authorized Pirelli dealer with proof of purchase; the dealer sends the tire on and “Pirelli’s Tire Inspection Personnel will then authorize the remedy.” - **Hankook and Yokohama:** an authorized dealer in the United States (Hankook adds Puerto Rico), with proof of purchase. - **Toyo:** an authorized dealer, with the vehicle, “the original copy of this Limited Warranty, and the original sales invoice”; for online purchases “You are responsible for all of the costs of dismounting and shipping.” **Where you buy can decide whether a claim is honored.** Michelin says “Unauthorized tire dealers cannot provide the Michelin Promise Plan,” and BFGoodrich says the same of its Standard Manufacturer’s Limited Warranty. Yokohama excludes “Mileage and 30-day trial warranties on tires purchased from unauthorized Yokohama dealers.” Bridgestone warns that wholesale clubs and online sellers “may not service your warranty unless you hold a current membership and/or have purchased your tires at their location,” and Pirelli that some dealers’ terms “differ from the terms of this Limited Warranty.” Before you buy from a marketplace seller, ask who will take the claim. ## Trial offers, road hazard and roadside extras Most offers are exchanges for the same brand, several cover only listed lines or full sets, and all exclude road hazard damage and misuse. **Trial and satisfaction offers printed by each maker** | Maker | Period | What you get, and the main limits | | --- | --- | --- | | Michelin | 60 days | Exchange at the place of purchase “for a new set of tires of equal or lesser value”; original receipt; up to 6 tires per customer | | BFGoodrich | 60 days | Same exchange, “on select BFGoodrich tire lines” | | Goodyear | 60 days | Exchange for Goodyear, Cooper, Kelly or Mastercraft tires on listed lines; not if worn past the first 2/32 inch; at the store that sold them | | Cooper | 45 days | Exchange for Goodyear, Cooper, Kelly or Mastercraft tires | | Bridgestone, Firestone | 90 days | Credit toward a new set of Bridgestone or Firestone tires; sets of 4 or more only; one set per vehicle in any 12-month period. Firestone’s page adds “In-store installation required and costs extra.” | | Continental | 60 days or the first 2/32 inch | Exchange one or more of a new set of four for Continental tires of equal or lesser value; mounting and balancing included | | General | 45 days or the first 2/32 inch | Same terms, for General tires | | Pirelli | 60 days or the first 2/32 inch | Select lines, set of four: exchange for another Pirelli set, or a refund “less taxes and fees” if no suitable line fits | | Hankook | 30 days | A new set of Hankook tires; 4 to 6 tires only; the iON trial is 100 days, “limited to 1,000 miles” | | Yokohama | 30 days | Set of four, no more than 1/32 inch worn: “a full refund,” including mounting, balancing and taxes | | Toyo | 500 miles or 45 days | Sets of four or more from a participating dealer: replacement or refund of the tire price; “Online purchases are not eligible.” Printed on Toyo’s web page, not in its booklet | A few makers add cover that has nothing to do with defects. Continental’s brochure replaces a tire with “an unrepairable road hazard condition during the first 2/32nds of an inch (1.6 mm) of treadwear or first 12 months from date of purchase,” and calls it goodwill, “not a warranty.” General prints the same cover for tires bought on or after 2/1/2025. Hankook replaces listed tire lines after a non-repairable road hazard within one year and the first 2/32 inch, once per tire, and not for run-flat or LT-metric tires. Pirelli covers road hazards only on its Run Flat and RunForward tires, for the first year or 2/32 inch. Michelin includes roadside assistance for 3 years, with towing “up to 150 miles” if no inflated spare is available. Continental offers 3 years of flat-tire roadside help (3 covered events) and trip interruption cover with a “Limit $200.00 per day maximum benefit, and a total annual maximum benefit of $500.00,” both only after you register the tires online. Repairs need care. Continental and General say that if a tire’s failure “is in any way associated with a repair, the manufacturer’s warranty is invalidated,” and Bridgestone that “Improper repair voids this Limited Warranty.” Sealants and balancing compounds added after the factory are excluded by Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone and Pirelli among others. See our page on [run-flat repairs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). Weather cracking has its own cutoff: 4 years from purchase at Goodyear and Cooper, 48 months from purchase at Continental, General and Yokohama, 4 years from manufacture at Bridgestone and Hankook, and 5 years from manufacture at Toyo; Michelin excludes “Minor cosmetic ozone or weather cracking.” ## What federal law adds **Tie-ins.** [15 U.S.C. 2302(c)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2302) bars a warrantor from conditioning a warranty on the buyer using a branded article or service unless it is provided free, and [16 CFR 700.10(c)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/700.10) says no warrantor may condition the warranty “on the use of only authorized repair service” for non-warranty maintenance. Most booklets ask for proof of rotation without saying who must do it. Pirelli’s treadwear conditions say “Your servicing tire dealer must be an authorized Pirelli dealer and must have completed the Tire Rotation Record.” How the rule applies to that condition is a question for the FTC or a lawyer. **Implied warranties.** Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), a supplier that gives a written warranty may not disclaim implied warranties, but may limit their duration “to the duration of a written warranty of reasonable duration, if such limitation is conscionable.” Pirelli and Yokohama use that kind of wording, and Michelin says its warranty “limits the length of all express and implied claims.” Goodyear’s booklet states that Goodyear “HEREBY DISCLAIMS” all other warranties, express or implied, and Toyo’s that it “DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.” **Seeing the terms first.** [16 CFR 702.3](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/702.3) requires the seller of a warranted product to make the warranty text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” on display or on request before the sale. Michelin’s booklet makes claims subject to binding arbitration at either party’s election, and Bridgestone’s offers to “advance the first $250 of the filing and hearing fees” for an arbitration you bring. **The treadwear grade is not a warranty.** The number after “TREADWEAR” on a passenger-car tire comes from NHTSA’s grading rule, [49 CFR 575.104](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/575.104). It is “a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test course” of about 400 miles: “a tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half (1 1/2 ) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.” It promises no mileage; only a maker’s mileage warranty does. ## Where the documents disagree with themselves - **Michelin changed its staggered-fitment rule.** The 2022 edition we read for our Costco page halved the mileage on “each rear tire” and its service record said “rotated every 7,500 miles”; the edition Michelin links now halves it on “each tire” and drops the 7,500 line. Its back cover prints “Rev. 05/22” beside “Copyright © 2025.” - **Michelin on registration.** The inside cover says registering makes you “eligible for the benefits of the Michelin Promise Plan”; a later page says “Tire registration is not required for warranty coverage.” - **Goodyear and Cooper dates.** Goodyear lists its booklet as “Effective 06/02/26” while the booklet covers tires bought “on or after June 1, 2026.” The Cooper booklet listed as effective 08/01/26 covers tires “purchased on or after June1, 2024.” - **Hankook.** The 2026 booklet’s cover says “Effective 1/25” and its pages carry “2025” headers. Its web page says mileage cover runs “up to 90,000 miles,” while the booklet’s table starts at “100,000 Optimo H727.” - **Toyo** still links a booklet “Effective March 2015.” ## Before you buy: a checklist - **Ask for the booklet.** The seller must show it before the sale; check its edition date against your purchase date. - **Get the mileage figure in writing.** The figure for your exact line, size and speed rating, with the odometer reading, belongs on the invoice. - **Buy from an authorized dealer,** or ask an online seller who takes warranty claims. - **Rotate at the shorter interval** of the booklet and your vehicle manual, and get every rotation dated, with mileage and the shop’s name. - **Expect half the miles on staggered fitments** (on the rear tires, or on all four under Michelin’s current wording). - **Register the tires** for recalls, and keep the receipt. - **Know the trial terms** before you rely on them: exchange or refund, full set or not, and the wear limit. ## Common questions ### How long is a tire warranty? For defects, 6 years from purchase at eight of the makers and 5 years at Bridgestone, Firestone, Yokohama and Toyo, or until the tread reaches the 2/32-inch wear bars if that comes first. Mileage warranties run for the miles listed for your tire line within those limits. ### Does a tire warranty cover a nail or a pothole? Not under most makers’ standard terms: road hazards are excluded. Continental and General replace a tire with an unrepairable road hazard in the first 12 months or 2/32 inch, Hankook does for listed lines in the first year, and Pirelli for Run Flat tires. For anything later, look at the store’s program, such as [Costco’s road hazard warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) or [Walmart’s tire terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/). ### How is a tire mileage warranty prorated? By the share of the warranted miles you used. Continental’s example: 45,000 miles on a 60,000-mile tire is 75%, so you pay 75% of the current price for the replacement. Michelin and BFGoodrich use the lower of the store’s price and their base price list; Hankook gives the unused share as a credit. ### Do I need receipts and rotation records? For a mileage claim, yes: every booklet asks for proof of the mileage at installation, and most for rotation records. For a defect claim, the receipt sets the start date. ### Is a tire warranty transferable if I sell the car? Generally not. The documents cover the original purchaser or original owner, and Cooper’s and Yokohama’s say the warranty is “not transferable.” Goodyear words its defect cover around “the owner or authorized agent of the owner,” but its Tread Life warranty “applies only if you are the original purchaser.” Moving the tires to another vehicle also ends most mileage cover. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/ --- title: "Car Shipping Companies: Broker or Carrier, and How to Check Either" description: "Most car shipping companies are brokers. What FMCSA requires of brokers and carriers, the $0 cargo minimum, the $75,000 bond, and how to file a damage claim." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Car Shipping Companies: Broker or Carrier, and How to Check Either > Most car shipping companies are brokers. What FMCSA requires of brokers and carriers, the $0 cargo minimum, the $75,000 bond, and how to file a damage claim. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,839 words* ## The short version - Most “car shipping companies” online are brokers: they arrange the move and hand your car to a separate motor carrier. FMCSA says brokers “don’t assume responsibility for the cargo being transported.” - Both must be registered with FMCSA to work across state lines. A broker must keep a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund; a carrier of property must file $750,000 in public liability cover for trucks of 10,001 pounds or more. - The federal cargo insurance minimum for a carrier of property is $0. Household goods movers must carry $5,000 per vehicle. A car shipped on its own travels as freight, so ask the carrier for its cargo policy in writing. - The 2023 broker financial responsibility rule took full effect on 16 January 2026 after a one-year delay. The bond answers for a broker’s failure to pay or perform, not for a dent in your car. - A damage note on the delivery receipt is not a claim. File a written claim with an amount: no carrier may allow less than 9 months for it, or less than 2 years to sue after a written denial. - No public body publishes car-shipping prices, and we print none. Each party to a brokered shipment may review the broker’s record of it, which shows the carrier and what the broker was paid. A car shipping company is either a broker, which sells and arranges the move, or a motor carrier, which owns the truck and hauls the car, and federal law treats them differently. On 7 October 2026 we read the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s consumer advisory on auto transporters and its registration, insurance and complaint pages; the federal rules on brokers, insurance, bills of lading and claims (49 CFR parts 366, 370, 371, 373, 375 and 387) and the statutes behind them; the 2023 broker financial responsibility rule and the documents that delayed and corrected it; three FTC consumer alerts; and the military’s rules for shipping a privately owned vehicle. This site has no relationship with any transport company and recommends none; this is an explainer, not legal advice. **Figure: What federal rules require of car shippers, and what they leave to you** A two-column table setting six federal requirements beside what they mean for someone shipping a car: every broker keeps a $75,000 bond, which answers for the broker’s own failures and is not insurance on the car; carriers of property file $750,000 in public liability, or $300,000 for fleets of vehicles under 10,001 pounds, with cargo a separate line; the federal cargo insurance minimum for a carrier of property is $0, against $5,000 for household goods movers; a carrier may limit its liability to a declared or agreed value; no carrier may allow less than 9 months for a claim or 2 years to sue, and a note on the delivery receipt is not a claim; and each party to a brokered shipment may review the broker’s record, which names the carrier and the broker’s pay. From 49 U.S.C. 13906 and 14706, 49 CFR 370.3, 371.3, 387.303T and 387.307, and FMCSA’s insurance filing chart and operating-authority descriptions, read on 7 October 2026. ## Broker or carrier: who is actually moving your car FMCSA’s consumer advisory on auto transporters starts here: “Auto brokers only arrange the transportation of your car. Be suspicious of any Web site where it is not clear whether the company is a broker or a transporter.” The agency wrote it after it “received a dramatic increase in complaints against auto transporters and auto transport brokers.” The page was last updated on 10 February 2015, and parts of it have aged, but the distinction has not. uShip works differently, as a marketplace where transporters bid; see our [uShip review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/uship-review/). A motor carrier, in FMCSA’s words, “operates commercial motor vehicles” and “could be a company with several power units, or it could be an owner-operator.” A broker is “the ‘middle person’ between a shipper and a motor carrier”; brokers “don’t transport the property, don’t operate motor vehicles or have drivers, and don’t assume responsibility for the cargo being transported,” and a broker “never takes possession” of it. The statute, 49 U.S.C. 13102, covers anyone other than a carrier who sells, negotiates or “holds itself out by solicitation, advertisement, or otherwise” as arranging transport by motor carrier for pay. The rules keep brokers honest about which they are. Under 49 CFR 371.7, a broker may not offer its services “in any name other than that in which its registration is issued,” may not “represent its operations to be that of a carrier,” and “Any advertising shall show the broker status of the operation.” Brokering without registration and the required security breaks 49 U.S.C. 14916, which exposes the company and its “individual officers, directors, and principals” to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation and to the injured party “for all valid claims incurred without regard to amount.” Neither kind of company is the better choice by law. What changes is who owes you what: a carrier is liable for loss or damage under the bill of lading, while a broker owes you the arrangement it sold, a record of it, and the bond behind it. Our review of [Montway Auto Transport](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) reads one company’s federal record this way. ## Your car ships as freight, not household goods The federal protections people associate with moving companies belong to household goods: “the personal effects or property used, or to be used, in a dwelling” (49 CFR 375.103), or in FMCSA’s plainer words, “personal items that will be used in a home.” A car shipped on its own by an auto transporter is not that. The carrier hauls it under the authority FMCSA calls Motor Carrier of Property (except Household Goods), and a broker arranges it as a Broker of Property. The two categories carry different duties. FMCSA says household goods carriers “must file proof of both public liability (BI & PD) and cargo insurance,” while for carriers of property, “Cargo insurance is not required.” We found no car-freight equivalent of the household goods rules below. **Household goods move compared with a car shipped by an auto transporter (federal rules read on 7 October 2026)** | Protection | Household goods move | Car shipped as freight | | --- | --- | --- | | What is covered | Personal effects or property used in a dwelling (49 CFR 375.103) | Property carried by a motor carrier of property | | Federal cargo insurance minimum | $5,000 per vehicle, $10,000 per occurrence | $0 | | Carrier’s liability | Replacement value up to the declared value, unless waived in writing (49 U.S.C. 14706(f)(2)) | May be limited to a value you declare or agree in writing (49 U.S.C. 14706(c)(1)(A)) | | Holding the shipment for payment | Not reasonable dispatch once 110 percent of a non-binding estimate is offered | No equivalent rule found | | Arbitration | Must be offered on collect-on-delivery shipments (49 U.S.C. 14708) | No equivalent rule found | Read the liability row twice. For household goods the statute sets “full value protection.” For other property, a carrier may set rates under which its liability “is limited to a value established by written or electronic declaration of the shipper or by written agreement,” if reasonable in the circumstances. The contract you sign can set the ceiling on what the carrier owes for your car. ## What the insurance minimums cover, and the line they leave at $0 FMCSA publishes one chart of what each kind of company must file before it gets interstate authority. The rule behind the carrier rows, 49 CFR 387.303T, is titled “Security for the protection of the public.” **What each party to a car shipment must file with FMCSA (49 CFR 387.303T and 387.307; FMCSA insurance filing chart, last updated 26 March 2026)** | Party | Public liability (BI&PD) | Cargo insurance | Surety bond or trust fund | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Broker of property (forms BMC-84 or BMC-85) | $0 | $0 | $75,000 | | Motor carrier of property, vehicles of 10,001 lb GVWR or more | $750,000 | $0 | $0 | | Motor carrier of property, fleet only of vehicles under 10,001 lb GVWR | $300,000 | $0 | $0 | | Household goods motor carrier, 10,001 lb GVWR or more | $750,000 | $5,000 per vehicle; $10,000 per occurrence | $0 | Public liability, “bodily injury and property damage” in FMCSA’s words, is what the federal minimums are built around. Cargo is a separate column, and for a carrier of property it reads $0. A broker files no insurance at all; its federal obligation is the bond. That does not mean carriers ship cars uninsured. It means the federal floor does not include your car, so what protects it is the actual carrier’s cargo policy and the liability limit in your contract. The FTC’s advice for movers applies: “Ask each mover what they charge to insure your goods and what they pay if things are damaged.” Get the carrier’s cargo coverage and limit in writing and compare it with what the car is worth. **The broker’s $75,000 bond is not insurance on your car.** The statute makes it available for claims “arising from its failure to pay freight charges,” and the regulation for payments “if the broker fails to carry out its contracts.” FMCSA describes the 2023 rule’s aim as funds “to satisfy unpaid freight charges.” Damage on the road is the carrier’s liability, and its cargo policy is what pays it. ## The $75,000 broker bond and the 2023 rule, as it stands The amount is set by statute. Since 1 October 2013, 49 U.S.C. 13906(b)(3) has required each broker to provide “financial security of $75,000,” “regardless of the number of branch offices or sales agents of the broker.” FMCSA’s 2013 rule (78 FR 60226) records that it had been $10,000 for general property brokers and $25,000 for household goods brokers, a 7.5-fold rise for property brokers by our arithmetic. The regulation in force today, 49 CFR 387.307, reads “A broker must have a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000 in effect.” A claim is payable if the broker consents, if it ignores adequate notice and the surety finds the claim valid, or once the claim “is reduced to a judgment against the broker”; the surety must answer within 30 days and give written grounds for any denial. The rule that changed how the money is held, “Broker and Freight Forwarder Financial Responsibility” (88 FR 78656), was published on 16 November 2023 and took effect on 16 January 2024. It covered “five separate areas”: readily available assets, immediate suspension of authority, the surety’s duties when a broker fails, enforcement, and who may hold trust funds. Compliance was due in two steps, on 16 January 2025 and 16 January 2026. On 31 December 2024 FMCSA moved everything to the second date (89 FR 107021), because “only its forthcoming online registration system will be used to accept filings and track notifications.” That date has passed and the rule stands. The annual Code of Federal Regulations, revised as of 1 October 2025, prints the new section with “This section is effective January 16, 2026,” and the old one as 387.307T, which “will remain in effect until January 16, 2026.” On 21 July 2026 FMCSA fixed two cross-references in it as a typographical error (91 FR 45653), and the Federal Register’s listing of documents amending part 387 shows nothing since. What it requires: - **Real money.** A trust fund must hold $75,000 in assets “that can be liquidated to cash within 7 calendar days,” limited to cash, irrevocable letters of credit from a federally insured depository institution, and Treasury bonds. Loan and finance companies may no longer act as trustees. - **Fast suspension.** When a payment or pending claims take the security below $75,000, the surety must tell FMCSA within 2 business days. FMCSA then gives the broker notice that its authority will be suspended “within 7 business days of service of the notice” unless it restores the $75,000, settles the claims another way or shows the notice was wrong. - **A claims window on failure.** If a broker fails financially, FMCSA posts the cancellation in the FMCSA Register on its website, and the surety “must accept claims” for 60 calendar days. A bankruptcy filing alone is not a failure under the rule. - **Penalties for sureties.** A surety that breaks the rules loses the right to file broker security for 3 years. Two loose ends. FMCSA’s overview page, last updated 30 April 2026, says suspension follows if the security “is not replenished within 7 calendar days”; the regulation counts 7 business days from FMCSA’s notice, and the regulation binds. And the delay tied compliance to the new registration system, Motus, whose release to all registrants the April 2026 notice planned for the second quarter of 2026, after the compliance date; nothing we read explains the interval. For a car owner the point is practical: if a broker collapses owing you money, watch the FMCSA Register, because the 60-day claim window runs from the notice. ## How to look a company up on FMCSA’s records The advisory’s rule of thumb still holds: “Avoid any auto transporter or broker that does not prominently display their MC Docket number on their website.” Its description of the numbers has dated. In 2015 it said auto transporters “are also issued a seven digit ‘USDOT’ number,” as if brokers were not; FMCSA’s registration FAQ now says that, to comply with MAP-21, it “began assigning USDOT Numbers to brokers” too. A USDOT number does not show that a company owns trucks. FMCSA has proposed to stop assigning MC numbers, but its April 2026 notice says the new system’s release “will not include” that change, so a company can show both. Our [Sherpa Auto Transport review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/sherpa-auto-transport-review/) reads another broker’s federal record the same way. Two free federal lookups answer different questions. For a company’s “interstate operating authority (active MC Number), insurance or process agent,” FMCSA says: “Please go to FMCSA’s Licensing and Insurance system and select ‘Carrier search’ from the pull-down menu.” The [L&I system](https://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/pkg_menu.prc_menu) shows whether the company holds broker authority, carrier authority or both, whether it is active, and what is on file. The [SAFER Company Snapshot](https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx) is the safety side: “identification, size, commodity information, and safety record, including the safety rating (if any), a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information,” searchable “by DOT Number, MC/MX Number or Company Name,” one company at a time, free. A broker operates no trucks, so the inspection and crash history that matters is the carrier’s. The systems are changing. FMCSA retired its legacy registration tools at 8:00 PM ET on 14 May 2026 and moved registration to Motus, whose first phase opened on 8 December 2025. Its FAQ says “Existing L&I and FMCSA Portal records will remain available for viewing and verification” and that the public may view public data “without an account.” If a link above moves, start from FMCSA’s registration pages, not a search result. A clean record is not the end of the check. The April 2026 notice (91 FR 23144) reports fraud including “identity theft, hijacking FMCSA motor carrier accounts, selling of motor carrier numbers.” A copied number can sit on a site that has nothing to do with the registered company, so the name and address on the federal record should match the company on your contract and the one taking your money. Dependable Auto Shippers shows why: every DAS registration is revoked, yet 23 other active USDOT numbers begin with similar names, as our [Dependable Auto Shippers review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/dependable-auto-shippers-review/) sets out. The record also names a process agent. Every carrier and broker must file a Form BOC-3 designating agents for service of process (49 CFR 366.2T): a broker “for each State in which its offices are located or in which contracts will be written,” a carrier for each state it operates in or crosses (49 CFR 366.4T). FMCSA defines a process agent as “a representative upon whom court papers may be served in a legal action.” It is what lets you sue an out-of-state company without chasing it home. Look up both the broker you pay and the carrier it assigns, and get the carrier’s name and USDOT number before pickup, not at the curb. ## Open or enclosed: what the federal record says Very little, and that is the finding. We found no federal rule that treats open and enclosed car transport differently; the insurance minimums above and the tie-down rule are the same for both. The clearest official description is in FMCSA’s training for crash-report coders, which defines an auto transporter as “a cargo body type specifically designed to transport multiple, fully assembled automobiles,” adds that “Single-unit flatbed tow-trucks hauling cars DO NOT qualify,” and illustrates the category with photographs captioned “Typical Auto Transporter” and “Covered Auto Transporter.” In federal crash data, open and covered car carriers are one kind of vehicle. The truck size rules, 23 CFR 658.5, define automobile transporters the same way, as combinations built “for the transport of assembled highway vehicles.” Whatever the trailer, 49 CFR 393.128 governs how a car of 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) or less is tied down: it “must be restrained at both the front and rear to prevent lateral, forward, rearward, and vertical movement using a minimum of two tiedowns,” and wheel straps “must provide restraint in the lateral, longitudinal and vertical directions.” So enclosed transport is a service you buy, not a status the law confers. An open deck leaves the car to weather and road grit; a covered trailer keeps them off. If you pay for enclosed, a single-car truck or a guaranteed date, get it written on the order and the bill of lading, because nothing in federal law will supply it later. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car on a trailer behind a tow car mark the two people, the trailered car and the tow car's wheel, with what a broker does and does not take responsibility for, the federal cargo-insurance minimum for carriers, and how a damage claim must be filed. FMCSA’s consumer advisory and insurance filing chart and 49 CFR 370.3, read on 7 October 2026, say a broker arranges transport but does not take responsibility for the cargo (callout 1), set no federal cargo-insurance minimum for carriers of property (callout 2), and treat a damage claim as a written demand for a specified amount, not a note on the delivery receipt (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The bill of lading and the condition report The bill of lading is the document your rights hang on. Under 49 U.S.C. 14706(a)(1), a carrier “shall issue a receipt or bill of lading for property it receives” and is liable “for the actual loss or injury to the property” caused by the receiving carrier, the delivering carrier or another carrier on the route. “Failure to issue a receipt or bill of lading does not affect the liability of a carrier.” Under 49 CFR 373.101 it must show the consignor and consignee, origin and destination, the number of packages, a description of the freight, and its weight or measurement if that sets the rate. For a car, it is where the condition at pickup, any declared value and the carrier’s name end up together. No federal rule for civilian car shipping prescribes a condition report. The clearest official statement of what one is for comes from the military, which ships service members’ vehicles under the Defense Transportation Regulation (chapter A-408, dated 5 May 2025). Its form DD 788 exists for “Inspecting and reporting the condition of the POV and detecting damage and pilferage during shipment” and for “Determining the validity of claims for loss or damage.” Because “the vehicle is re-inspected at each phase of the shipment, responsibility for loss or damage can be determined accurately.” The inspection is joint, with the inspector marking damage “on the vehicle illustrations” with the owner present. The same chapter has owners “verify any open recalls” first, a check anyone can run on [NHTSA’s recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). Copy the method. At pickup, walk the car with the driver, get every existing mark onto the inspection sheet or bill of lading, photograph every side, the roof, the wheels and the odometer, and keep your copy. At delivery, repeat the walk before you sign and write new damage on the delivery document. The FTC’s rule for movers fits: don’t sign paperwork “that has blank spaces where prices, dates, signatures, or other important information should be.” Our guide to [taking delivery of a car bought online](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-online/#delivery) covers the curbside handover. ## If the car arrives damaged: claims and deadlines The claim goes to the carrier, and it must be a real claim. Under 49 CFR 370.3(b), that is a written communication within the bill of lading’s time limits that identifies the shipment, asserts the carrier’s liability, and claims “a specified or determinable amount of money.” The next paragraph is the trap: “notations of shortage or damage” on “delivery receipts, or other documents, or inspection reports issued by carriers” do not, “standing alone,” count. A note on the receipt preserves evidence; it files nothing. **The claim clock for loss or damage in interstate transport (49 U.S.C. 14706(e); 49 CFR 370.5 and 370.9)** | Step | Time limit | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | You file a written claim with an amount | The carrier may not allow less than 9 months | 49 U.S.C. 14706(e)(1) | | Carrier acknowledges it in writing | Within 30 days, unless it has paid or declined | 49 CFR 370.5(a) | | Carrier pays, declines or makes a firm compromise offer | Within 120 days, then a written status every 60 days | 49 CFR 370.9(a) | | You sue | The carrier may not allow less than 2 years from its written disallowance | 49 U.S.C. 14706(e)(1) | Both statutory periods are floors: a carrier “may not provide by rule, contract, or otherwise” less. Your bill of lading may give you longer, never shorter. Send the claim in a way you can prove, with the bill of lading, photographs from both ends and a repair estimate. If a broker sold the move, it does not answer for the damage, but its record names the carrier and its registration number, you may review that record, and the carrier’s BOC-3 names who can be served if you sue. ## Quotes, deposits and what the broker keeps We looked for a public source of car-shipping prices and found none: no regulator or statistics agency we read publishes them, so this page prints no price, per-mile rate or range, and we requested no quotes. What the federal record shows is what a quote is made of and how to see inside it. A brokered price has two parts, and the broker must write both down. Under 49 CFR 371.3 its record of each shipment shows the originating carrier and its registration number, “The amount of compensation received by the broker for the brokerage service performed,” and “The amount of any freight charges collected by the broker and the date of payment to the carrier.” Brokers keep these records for three years, and “Each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record of the transaction.” As the shipper, you are a party. FMCSA proposed in November 2024 (89 FR 91648) to make brokers’ “obligation to provide transaction records to the transacting parties on request” explicit, noting that contracts “frequently contain waivers of this right”; comments were reopened to 20 March 2025 (90 FR 9702), and the Federal Register lists no final rule since. The existing right does not depend on it. A carrier owes you its terms too. One that files no tariff must provide, “on request of the shipper, a written or electronic copy of the rate, classification, rules, and practices upon which any rate applicable to a shipment” is based. The same section lets it set rates with liability limited to a declared or agreed value, so a low price and a low limit can come together. Beyond the route itself, the documents point to three things that change what you are buying: whether a broker’s compensation sits on top of the carrier’s charge, the liability limit attached to the rate, and the equipment promised (a multi-car transporter, a covered trailer, or a single-car flatbed, which FMCSA’s coders do not count as an auto transporter). Compare quotes on those terms, in writing. On payment, the FTC tells people hiring movers: “Don’t hire anyone who demands cash or a big deposit before the move.” FMCSA accepts complaints that a broker “did not disclose their cancellation, deposit or refunding policy,” and its advisory says to “closely monitor the transactions” on any card you pay with. Get the cancellation and refund terms in writing before you pay. ## Fraud that uses shipping as the hook, and where to complain Some fraud is not about the transporter at all. The FTC’s alert on phony online car sales, dated 5 July 2022, warns that “The sellers demand more money after the sale for ‘shipping’ or ‘transportation’ costs,” often by gift card or wire. Its 1 September 2026 alert describes cloned dealer websites built “to trick you into paying up front for a car you’ll never lay hands on,” and says to ask for “a mobile inspection service” when the car is far away and to walk away from wire-only payment. If a seller supplies the transporter, look it up yourself and pay it directly. Our guides to [mobile pre-purchase inspections](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mobile-pre-purchase-inspection/) and [inspecting a car bought remotely](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote) cover the check before money moves, and our page on [Copart fees](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/) covers costs after an auction win. For an interstate carrier or broker, the federal channel is FMCSA’s [National Consumer Complaint Database](https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/). Consumers may complain about “moving companies, moving brokers, or auto transporters,” alleging “failure to provide agreed upon services, engagement in deceptive practices or operation without proper authority or required insurance”; broker examples include posing as a carrier and trading under an unregistered name. A complaint is kept “as part of its permanent record” and used to decide “which companies to investigate.” It is not a refund route: the database is “intended only for investigation of past events,” and filing “does not affect your right to pursue a civil action.” You cannot use it to compare companies. We found no public count of complaints about auto transporters or their brokers. The only published volume, in FMCSA’s June 2025 paperwork notice (90 FR 24190), estimates 64,545 respondents a year across all 12 complaint categories, from truck safety to drug testing; it is not a car-shipping count. For a move within one state, the FTC says to contact your state enforcement agency; for fraud, it takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. ## A checklist for vetting a car transporter - **Ask whether it is a broker or a carrier,** and look for the broker status its advertising must show. - **Look up its USDOT and MC numbers yourself** on FMCSA’s L&I carrier search: authority type, active status, and insurance or the $75,000 bond on file. - **Match the name and address** on the federal record to the contract and the payee. - **Check for a BOC-3 process agent.** - **Get the carrier’s name and USDOT number before pickup** and look it up too, including its SAFER Company Snapshot. - **Get the carrier’s cargo insurance and limit in writing,** since the federal cargo minimum is $0. - **Read the liability and declared-value lines** before you sign. - **Put the service in writing:** open or enclosed, dates, cancellation, deposit and refund terms. - **Pay safely:** no cash, gift cards or wire transfers, no large deposit, and watch your card statement. - **Document the condition at both ends** on the inspection sheet, with photographs, and never sign a document with blanks. - **File damage as a written claim with an amount,** to the carrier, inside the bill of lading’s limit. - **Complain in the right place:** FMCSA for interstate carriers and brokers, your state for in-state moves, the FTC for fraud. For the paperwork that follows a car across a state line, see our guide to [buying a car out of state](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-out-of-state/#paperwork). ## Common questions ### How much does it cost to ship a car? No regulator or public dataset we found publishes car-shipping prices, so we print none. A quote reflects the carrier’s charge, any broker’s compensation, the liability limit and the equipment promised. A carrier must give you its rate terms on request, and a broker’s record shows what it was paid. ### Is it better to use an auto transport broker or a carrier? The law ranks neither, and neither do we. A broker arranges the move and must hold a $75,000 bond; a carrier hauls the car and is liable for damage under the bill of lading. With a broker, look up both companies. ### What is the difference between open and enclosed car transport? Open carriers leave the car exposed to weather and road debris; enclosed trailers cover it. Federal rules treat them alike, with the same insurance and tie-down requirements. If you pay for enclosed, get it written on the order and the bill of lading. ### How do I know if a car shipping company is legitimate? Look up its USDOT or MC number on FMCSA’s L&I system, confirm active authority of the right type with insurance or a bond on file, check for a BOC-3 process agent, and make sure the name and address match the company you pay. FMCSA warns that numbers are sometimes copied or hijacked. ### Does the shipping company’s insurance cover damage to my car? Only if the carrier carries cargo insurance, which federal rules do not require of a carrier of property, and only up to its policy and contract limits. The broker’s bond is not damage cover. Ask the carrier for its cargo policy before pickup. ### What should I do if my car is damaged during shipping? Note and photograph the damage on delivery, then file a written claim with the carrier stating an amount; a note on the receipt alone is not a claim. The carrier must acknowledge within 30 days and pay, decline or offer a compromise within 120 days. ## Sources and further reading - [NHTSA recall lookup](https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls) - [FTC used car buying guide](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-used-car-dealer) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/ --- title: "Copart Fees: What a Public Buyer Pays, and How to Buy" description: "Copart’s own fee schedule, added up: a $1,000 clean-title win paid by debit card costs $498 in fees. Plus membership, the $400 deposit, brokers and state rules." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Copart Fees: What a Public Buyer Pays, and How to Buy > Copart’s own fee schedule, added up: a $1,000 clean-title win paid by debit card costs $498 in fees. Plus membership, the $400 deposit, brokers and state rules. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 5,013 words* ## The short version - Anyone 18 or older can join Copart, but only paying Basic ($99) and Premier ($249) Members can bid, and what you may bid on depends on the state the car sits in. Copart’s own grid lets a private individual bid without a broker on both clean and salvage lots in 15 states, and on neither in 25. - Every win carries at least four Copart fees: a buyer fee set by the final bid, a virtual bid fee, a gate fee ($79 clean title, $95 non-clean) and a $15 environmental fee. - Paying by credit card or a wallet app counts as “unsecured” and raises the buyer fee; a debit card counts as secured. On a $5,000 clean-title car the difference is $250, by our arithmetic. - Our arithmetic from Copart’s printed schedule: a $1,000 clean-title win paid by debit card costs $498 in fees, 49.8% of the bid. A $500 salvage-title win paid by credit card costs $410, or 82%. - The clock starts on sale day: pay within 3 business days or a $50 late fee applies; unpaid after 8 calendar days, the car is relisted and you owe 10% of the price, at least $600. - The $400 is the Premier Member security deposit. A Basic Member bids up to $2,000 with no deposit and puts down 10% of anything above that. Copart’s buyer fees are a printed schedule, but it has four versions of every number (clean or non-clean title, secured or unsecured payment), no effective date, and a blog and help center that describe several fees differently. On 7 October 2026 we read Copart’s Member Terms and Conditions (last revised 9 July 2026), its Website Terms of Service, its public US fee pages, its deposit, payment and broker pages, its State Licensing Overview, a yard’s storage table, two blog posts and the relevant help-center articles, plus Copart’s [Form 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/900075/000119312526405731/cprt-20260731.htm) filed 29 September 2026 and the Texas salvage-dealer statute. We did not register, sign in or bid. Copart’s Terms of Service bar “linking” its content for any commercial purpose without consent, so this page names Copart’s documents instead of linking them. This site has no relationship with Copart or with any broker. **Figure: What Copart adds to a winning bid, and what late payment adds** A two-column table of seven situations, from Copart’s non-licensed US fee schedule: a $1,000 clean-title win paid by debit card adds $498 in fees ($325 buyer fee, $79 live-bid fee, $79 gate, $15 environmental); by credit card, $558; a non-clean title by debit card, $570; at $15,000 the clean-title unsecured buyer fee jumps from $1,200 to $1,837.50; Pre-Bid fees are $10 to $20 below Live Bid; unpaid after 3 business days, a $50 late fee; unpaid after 8 calendar days, relisting and a fee of 10% of the price, at least $600. Our arithmetic from Copart’s U.S. Non-Licensed Fees page and Member Terms, read 7 October 2026. Sales tax, storage, transport and title mailing not included. ## Can a normal person buy from Copart? Yes, with two conditions. The first is membership. Copart’s Member Terms say “Only registered and active Basic and Premier Members are permitted to bid on vehicles.” A free Registered Guest can search and keep a watchlist but “will not be able to bid on or purchase vehicles.” Members must be “at least 18 years of age” and pass Copart’s “onboarding and screening requirements,” including “a government-issued photo ID.” The terms also disclose that Copart collects “geometric facial patterns derived from photographs” to verify identity and keeps them no longer than three years. The second condition is the state the car is in. Copart’s help center says “what vehicles you can buy will be determined by the laws of where the vehicles you want to buy are located,” and that “Most states require a license to purchase vehicles of each type of title.” Paying for Premier does not change that: “your Membership type (Basic or Premier) doesn’t change your bidding eligibility.” Copart’s annual report confirms the public is part of its market. The 10-K says it sells “principally to licensed vehicle dismantlers, rebuilders, repair licensees, used vehicle dealers, exporters, and to the general public,” keeps “a database of approximately 1 million registered members,” and that “We may sell to the general public either directly or members may purchase a vehicle offered at Copart through a registered broker.” The same filing says 79% of the vehicles it processed in fiscal 2026 came from insurance company sellers, and the Member Terms sell every car “AS-IS WHERE-IS.” Our [Copart VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#disclaimer) covers what Copart disclaims about each lot; this page is about the cost and the mechanics. A member of the public who uses a broker signs that broker’s contract instead: our [AutoBidMaster review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/autobidmaster-review/) reads one, under which an affiliated dealer, not Copart, sells you the car. ## Membership, buying power and the $400 deposit Copart’s help article “Choosing a Membership” (updated 18 February 2025) prints three tiers: Guest, free; Basic, $99, “for someone who occasionally wants to buy cars, such as a rebuilder, hobbyist, or consumer”; and Premier, $249, for someone who “regularly buys cars and/or buys in high volume.” Both paid tiers renew yearly with “an annual nonrefundable Member renewal fee,” and Copart may change the fees “at any time without prior notice.” We opened no account, so we did not see the checkout price. - **Basic.** “A Basic Member may bid up to a maximum bid of $2,000 without payment of a security deposit,” and above that “A security deposit of 10% of the maximum amount” is required. Copart’s examples: $300 to bid up to $3,000; $2,000 for $20,000 of “Buying Power.” - **Premier.** “Make a one-time deposit of $400 to bid up to $100,000 at any given time.” Premier Members “may request approval to bid or win above $100,000.” So the $400 is the Premier Member security deposit. Copart returns it on request “if all invoices and charges have been paid in full; however, the Member’s account will then be downgraded to Basic Membership,” and if an invoice goes unpaid, “Copart will use the Premier Member’s security deposit to satisfy the debt.” Whether Premier is worth it depends on how much you bid; we make no recommendation, but the arithmetic is short. Premier costs $150 more a year than Basic. The same $400 on a Basic account buys $4,000 of buying power at the 10% rate, against Premier’s $100,000. Upgrading later costs a “$159 Member Upgrade fee,” $9 more than the gap between the two prices. The help center also caps activity: Basic without a deposit “Can bid on 1 vehicle per day, up to $2,000,” and Premier “Can place 10 preliminary bids per day and win up to 3 lots per day.” A first membership can be refunded “within 7 days if they don’t bid on or buy any vehicles”; renewals cannot. ## Which lots you can bid on depends on where the car sits Copart’s State Licensing Overview has one row per state and columns for dealers and dismantlers, for businesses and exporters, and for private individuals, each cell marked YES, BROKER, BID CARD or DISMANTLER. Copart calls it “a general guideline,” says it “is by no means a comprehensive or complete listing of eligibility rules,” and that its websites “will determine bid eligibility in real time.” We counted the 50 US rows by the two private-individual columns for cars: **Where Copart’s grid lets a private individual bid without a broker (US rows, read 7 October 2026; our grouping)** | Private individual may bid directly on | States | Count | | --- | --- | --- | | Both titled and salvage lots | Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wyoming | 15 | | Titled lots only | Michigan, Missouri, Utah | 3 | | Salvage lots only | Colorado (only the title documents Copart footnotes), Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, Washington | 7 | | Neither (broker for both) | Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin | 25 | “Titled” is not the easy column: in 7 states a private individual may bid on salvage but needs a broker for clean-titled cars. And the grid is keyed to “Vehicle Location,” the yard’s state, so the same buyer can meet a YES in one yard and a BROKER in the next. After the sale, Copart “does not guarantee that any vehicle sold can be legally registered in any state or country”; our guide to [salvage, rebuilt and clean titles](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/#compare) explains what each brand means once the car is home. Texas shows how the grid lines up with a statute. Copart’s Texas page says that for individuals “Titled Items” are “Broker Required” and “Salvage” is “No Broker Required.” The [Texas Occupations Code, chapter 2302](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/OC/htm/OC.2302.htm), requires a salvage vehicle dealer license to “act as a salvage vehicle dealer or rebuilder” (section 2302.101), but section 2302.204 says the chapter “does not apply to a person who purchases fewer than five nonrepairable motor vehicles or salvage motor vehicles from a salvage vehicle dealer, an insurance company or salvage pool operator in a casual sale at auction.” We read no other state’s statute, so for the other rows Copart’s grid is the only source here. The [Texas DMV’s salvage brand page](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/title-check-look-before-you-buy/salvage-brands) lists the brands a Texas salvage title carries. There is a third route: “All Basic and Premier Members can bid on our No License Required inventory,” which the help center describes as “vehicles that anyone can purchase without special credentials.” On any lot, Copart says the vehicle details page shows whether a broker is needed in its “Eligibility Status field.” IAA publishes its own state grid, and it gives a different answer from Copart’s for 15 of the 50 states, as our [IAA auction page](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/iaai-auction/) shows. ## Brokers: what Copart says, and what it does not Copart’s Member Terms call brokers “Copart’s independent third party registered brokers or Alliance Gateways” and spell out the legal position: those who use one “purchase the vehicles solely from the Broker, not from Copart, and are not parties to purchases made by Brokers on Copart’s Websites.” Copart’s own descriptions are blunt. A 2023 member-news item says brokers “have all the credentials to buy vehicles at auction and will lend them to you for a fee,” and the help center says a broker “will let you borrow them for a fee.” The 10-K calls it “the Registered Broker program through which the public can purchase vehicles through a registered member,” and lists “heightened regulation and litigation risk related to vehicle sales to the general public” among its risks. Copart prints no broker’s fee. Its terms tell buyers to read “the Broker’s terms and conditions, including payment terms and conditions, conditions of sale, and fees charged,” and its broker page warns that “Not all Brokers are able to purchase vehicles in every state or every type of vehicle.” Copart’s broker picker is disallowed to automated readers in its robots.txt and was not opened; we name no broker and recommend none. If you use one, the Copart fees below are the floor, with the broker’s charges on top under a contract Copart is not part of. ## How Copart’s fee schedule is built The page that applies to a member of the public is “Copart U.S. Non-Licensed Fees,” headed “Standard Pricing,” and it is the page Copart’s own fee blog links as its “Fees Page.” Licensed buyers pick between two others: one for those who “buy fewer than 25 vehicles OR spend less than $75K in vehicle sales per year OR have 5 or more bidder accounts,” and “Preferred Pricing” for those buying “25 or more vehicles AND” spending “$75K or more” with “less than 5 bidder accounts.” We compared every table on the non-licensed page with the smaller-buyer licensed page, string for string: all 12 were identical. A license alone does not lower the schedule; volume does. Each page is a set of tabs: Clean Title or Non-Clean Title (the title group is “shown in the Title Code tooltip on Lot Details pages”), then Standard or Heavy Vehicles (heavy means industrial equipment, “medium duty/box trucks, heavy duty trucks, RVs and trailers” and similar), each with a table for “Secured Payment Methods” and one for “Unsecured Payment Methods.” The fee is “Based on your final bid price and added to the total,” and mixing payment types costs you: “If any portion of the payment is applied with non-secure funds, non-secure funds fees apply for that unit.” Secured means the money is likely to arrive. The help center classes methods “based on the risk of the funds not reaching Copart,” lists “ePay, debit cards, wire transfers, and payments sent by MoneyGram and Western Union” as secure, and says “Non-secure payment methods include credit cards and wallet apps.” Card purchases are limited to “around $20,000 USD per day,” and Copart does not take personal checks. The standard tables have 45 bands, starting at $25.00 secured and $27.50 unsecured for a bid under $50 and switching to a percentage of the final bid at $15,000: 7.25% secured and 12.25% unsecured for clean titles, 7.50% and 12.50% for non-clean. Heavy vehicles switch much earlier, to 15.0% secured and 20.0% unsecured, from a $5,000 bid on a clean title and one band higher on a non-clean one. Because the fees are banded, a cent can matter. By our arithmetic, a clean-title unsecured bid of $9,999.99 carries a $1,090 buyer fee and $10,000 carries $1,200. The largest step is at the percentage line: $1,200 at $14,999.99, then 12.25% of $15,000, or $1,837.50, a $637.50 jump for one cent. Two caveats. The fee page prints no effective date; Copart’s content sitemap gives its last change as 11 April 2025, which dates the page file, not necessarily any fee. And the Member Terms say “All fees are subject to change without prior notice,” that registered Members see “current fee schedules” on their account page, and that the Member “is solely responsible for ascertaining applicable fees prior to bidding.” We could not read the logged-in schedule, so compare it with the public page before you bid. ## The fees added to every win, and the ones that can be **Copart’s US non-licensed fees, as printed on 7 October 2026 (Standard Vehicles)** | Fee | Clean title | Non-clean title | When it applies | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Bidding (buyer) fee | $25.00 to $850 secured, $27.50 to $1,200 unsecured; 7.25% / 12.25% from $15,000 | $25.00 to $1,000 secured, $27.50 to $1,400 unsecured; 7.50% / 12.50% from $15,000 | Every win, by final bid and payment type | | Virtual bid fee | Pre-bid $39 to $129; live bid $49 to $149 | Pre-bid $40 to $140; live bid $50 to $160 | Online bids; free under $100 | | Gate fee | $79 | $95 | “assessed to all Copart purchases” | | Environmental fee | $15 | $15 | “applied to each item sold” | | Title mailing | Up to 10 titles: $15 USPS, $20 FedEx | Up to 10 titles $15 USPS; up to 20 titles $20 FedEx | Optional; Limited Power of Attorney on file | | Title picked up in person | $20 per title | $20 per title | Optional | | Late payment fee | $50 per vehicle | $50 per vehicle | Not paid within 3 business days, sale day included | | Relist fee | 10% of the final sale price, minimum $600 | Same | Not paid in full within 8 calendar days | | Storage | By yard | By yard | Car left past the free period | | Third-party finance fee | $69 | $69 | Buying through a Copart-affiliated finance company | | Paying at a Copart yard | $20 per vehicle | $20 per vehicle | Payment page surcharge | The **gate fee** “covers administrative costs and the movement of the item from our storage location to the Buyer loading area.” The **virtual bid fee** applies to “All bids placed through terminals, Members’ computers, smartphones, tablets or other bidding devices.” Copart’s blog says the lower Pre-Bid maximum is for “vehicles sold outside of a live auction, like Buy It Now purchases,” and the higher one for “vehicles won during live online auctions”; the live table is $10 to $20 higher in every paid band, by our arithmetic. The **finance fee** is called a “flooring service fee” for non-licensed buyers and an “administrative fee” for licensed ones. The Member Terms add charges that are not on the fee page: a processing fee “of $75 per item” for parking tickets, tolls and other “Vehicle Fines” that arrive after a sale, plus up to 150% of the fine if Copart pays it, and a finance charge of “1.5% per month (18% per annum)” on balances unpaid 30 days after the sale. Sales tax depends on “vehicle type, title type, and Members address” and where the car is stored. ## What a win actually costs: our arithmetic To calculate Copart’s fees, add four lines from the tables above: the bidding fee for the final bid, the virtual bid fee, the gate fee for the title tab and the $15 environmental fee. The figures below are our arithmetic on Copart’s printed non-licensed schedule for standard vehicles, using live-bid fees. They leave out sales tax, storage, title mailing, transport and any broker’s charge. **Copart’s fees on a winning bid, and their share of the bid (our arithmetic from the schedule read 7 October 2026; live bid)** | Winning bid | Clean title, debit card (secured) | Clean title, credit card (unsecured) | Non-clean title, debit card | Non-clean title, credit card | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $500 | $338 (67.6%) | $365.50 (73.1%) | $380 (76%) | $410 (82%) | | $1,000 | $498 (49.8%) | $558 (55.8%) | $570 (57%) | $635 (63.5%) | | $2,500 | $693 (27.7%) | $843 (33.7%) | $830 (33.2%) | $995 (39.8%) | | $5,000 | $953 (19.1%) | $1,203 (24.1%) | $1,010 (20.2%) | $1,260 (25.2%) | | $10,000 | $1,093 (10.9%) | $1,443 (14.4%) | $1,270 (12.7%) | $1,660 (16.6%) | | $20,000 | $1,693 (8.5%) | $2,693 (13.5%) | $1,770 (8.9%) | $2,770 (13.9%) | One cell, built step by step: a $1,000 clean-title car paid by debit card falls in the “$1,000.00 - $1,199.99” band, where the secured fee is $325. The live-bid fee for “$1,000.00 - $1,499.99” is $79. Add the $79 gate fee and the $15 environmental fee: $498 on top of the bid, before tax. Three patterns follow. Fees weigh most on cheap cars: two thirds or more of a $500 bid, under 14% of a $20,000 one in every column. The payment method matters more as the price rises: the unsecured fee is $27.50 more on a $500 clean-title car and $1,000 more on a $20,000 one. And a non-clean title costs more on every win, from $42 at $500 to $177 at $10,000 when paying by debit card, because three of the four fees are higher. Volume buyers pay less: on the licensed “Preferred Pricing” page the secured clean-title fee is $200 at $1,000 against $325 here, and $625 at $5,000 against $750. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a crash-damaged sedan mark its crushed front, its windscreen and its front wing, with what Copart adds to a winning bid, its payment and relisting deadlines, and how it releases titles. Copart’s U.S. Non-Licensed Fees page and Member Terms, read on 7 October 2026, add a buyer fee, a virtual bid fee, a $79 or $95 gate fee and a $15 environmental fee to each winning bid (callout 1); charge $50 if a car is not paid for within 3 business days and relist it at 8 (callout 2); and mail titles only with a Limited Power of Attorney on file, or charge $20 a title in person (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. A $1,000 lot that costs about $1,500 to get out of the yard is not a $1,000 car, and that is before transport, title and registration. Our [out-the-door price guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#what-it-is) explains why a dealer must show you the all-in figure; at Copart, adding it up is your job. ## Deadlines: late fees, relisting, storage and interest Several clocks start on sale day, and the fee page counts that day in both of its deadlines: - **3 business days to pay.** “The vehicle amount and all applicable fees must be paid within 3 business days of purchase, including the day of sale, to avoid a fee of $50.00 per vehicle.” - **8 calendar days before relisting.** “If the lot is not paid in full within 8 calendar days (including the day of sale), the vehicle will be relisted. The Relist Fee will be 10% of the final sale price with a minimum of $600.” The 10% only exceeds $600 above a $6,000 sale, so an unpaid $1,000 win costs $600 and an $8,000 one $800 (our arithmetic). The fee “will be taken out of your existing deposit.” - **30 days to interest.** A finance charge of “1.5% per month (18% per annum)” may run on unpaid balances from 30 days after the sale: $15 a month on $1,000, by our arithmetic. - **A few days to collect.** Storage rates “may vary by location.” Copart describes the free storage window in three ways (see the contradictions below), so plan on the shortest. Its Phoenix, Arizona page says “Storage fees are charged daily if you leave your vehicle at a Copart location for longer than three business days” and prints this table, dated “Storage Rates as of: 1/7/2019”: **Storage at Copart’s Phoenix, Arizona yard, as printed (rates dated 7 January 2019, read 7 October 2026)** | Day | Online bids | Buy It Now | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 (day of sale) | Free | Free | | 2 | Free | Free | | 3 | Free | $5 | | 4 | $5 | $5 | | 5 | $10 | $10 | | 6 | $15 | $15 | | 7 | $20 | $20 | | 8 | $25 | $25 | | 9 | $25 | $25 | | 10 and later | $30 | $30 | The page does not say whether each figure is that day’s charge or a running total, so we have not added them up. Storage is also charged “on weekends and holidays unless the weekend or holiday occurs within the first three days for online bids or first two days for buy-it-now bids.” Other yards print their own tables; we read only this one. A car bought at an offsite sale and not collected “within six (6) calendar days of sale” may be moved to a Copart yard, with the towing charges on you. ## Getting the car and the title home The car becomes your risk when the bid is accepted: each Member “assumes all risk of loss for all vehicles purchased from the time Copart accepts the Member’s bid,” and Copart, holding it as bailee, answers only for damage from its own “direct willful or grossly negligent act or omission.” On a lot with a seller’s minimum or “On Approval,” the seller “has until 7:45 p.m. (Pacific Time) on the next business day” to accept your bid. You cannot drive the car away: the help center says “you can’t drive vehicles off Copart facilities for legal and liability reasons,” and the Member Terms bar repairs on site and tools “including diagnostic code readers and jump boxes.” From the Payments Due page you can order Copart Delivered, send your own transporter a gate PIN, or schedule a pickup yourself. Copart “is not responsible for any damage caused by third-party transporters, nor does it have any control over any additional fees such transporters may charge”; our guides to [car shipping companies](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/car-shipping-companies/) and [Montway](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/montway-auto-transport-review/) cover what a carrier’s contract usually says. The title travels separately. “Members must have Limited Power of Attorney on file to have titles mailed to them.” The help center prices single titles at “Fed-Ex ($20 per title) or the United States Postal Service ($10 per title)” and charges “a $20 per title handling fee” to send one with a driver or hand it over at the yard, where no power of attorney is needed. Payments go to fees first, and Copart “has no duty to release vehicles or vehicle titles until all fees are paid in full.” The Member Terms also say transaction data “may be reported” to NMVTIS and that “Members may be subject to independent NMVTIS reporting requirements when purchasing certain vehicles”; Copart sends buyers to the [NMVTIS site](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) for “reporting requirements, exemptions, and how to obtain an NMVTIS Reporting ID,” and the [federal reporting rules](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) are worth reading before you buy. Inspect before any of this. During preliminary bidding, Members “may preview the offered vehicles either online or in person”; our [pre-purchase inspection guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/#remote) covers inspecting a car you cannot drive. If the lot is a repossession rather than an insurance total loss, see our [repossessed car auctions guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/repossessed-car-auctions/#channels). ## Where Copart’s own documents disagree **Copart documents that say different things about the same fee or rule (read 7 October 2026)** | Topic | One Copart document says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Environmental fee | Fee pages: $15 per item sold | Fee blog (updated 21 August 2024): “a flat $10 fee” | | Late payment fee | Fee pages: $50 per vehicle | Fee blog: “$50 a day until payment is received” | | Relist fee | Fee pages: 10%, minimum $600 | Member Terms: “Relist fees may vary by facility” | | FedEx title bundle | Clean Title tab: up to 10 titles for $20 | Non-Clean Title tab and blog: up to 20 titles | | Free storage | Member Terms: remove by 5:00 p.m. on the third business day following the sale | Help center: three days “including the day on which you bought it”; Phoenix charges Buy It Now lots from day 3 | | Basic bidding limit | 10-K and 2024 blog: one vehicle at a time without a deposit, five with one | Help center (2025): 1 vehicle per day without a deposit, 5 per day with one | | Premier bidding limit | 10-K: “bid on multiple vehicles at the same time” | Help center: “win up to 3 lots per day” | | Deposits and invoices | Fee page: relist fee “taken out of your existing deposit” | Upgrades page: deposits “cannot be applied toward lot purchases or other invoices” | | Preferred Pricing line | Fee page: 25 or more vehicles and $75K or more, fewer than 5 bidder accounts | Payments FAQ: “more than 25 vehicles” and “more than $75,000” | The figures most often quoted in search answers ($79 and $95 gate fees, $15 environmental, $50 late, 10% or $600 relist) all match Copart’s fee pages, but the gate fee depends on the title tab, the late fee is per vehicle, and the relist fee “may vary by facility.” Copart’s blog also says clean-title fees “average around 7.25% of the final sales price”; on the schedule, 7.25% is the rate for bids of $15,000 and above, and with the other fees a $5,000 win costs 19.1% of the bid. Where documents differ, the fee page is the one Copart’s blog links, and the Member Terms are the contract. The 10-K also discloses that the US Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Branch “is conducting an ongoing investigation into potential violations by the Company of certain money laundering laws related to its practices and procedures for preventing and detecting money-laundering activity by its auction platform members,” following a letter in October 2023, and that Copart “is cooperating.” That is a disclosed investigation, not a charge or a finding. Buyers meet its practical side in rules such as payments coming “from an account belonging to the Member or authorized user.” ## Before you place a bid **A bid is a contract.** The Member Terms say a submitted bid “cannot be retracted, deleted, or cancelled,” and a Make an Offer bid stays valid for 2 business days. Win and fail to pay within 8 calendar days, and the relist fee is at least $600, taken from any deposit you hold. - **Check eligibility on the lot.** The “Eligibility Status” field decides; the state grid is “a general guideline.” - **Read the title group.** Clean or non-clean sets the buyer fee table, the virtual bid fee and a $79 or $95 gate fee. - **Choose how you will pay first.** Any credit card or wallet-app money on a car puts the unsecured fee on it. - **Add the four fees to your maximum bid,** then tax, transport and title mailing, and check you are not one cent over a band edge. - **Read the yard’s storage table and book transport early.** You cannot drive the car out. - **Put a Limited Power of Attorney on file** if you want the title mailed. - **Run the history checks first.** See our [Copart VIN check guide](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/copart-vin-check/#damage-codes), [what a Run and Drive label means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/bidfax-auction-history/#run-and-drive) and [earlier auction records](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/auction-history-by-vin/#salvage-auctions). - **Price the repair and the insurance.** See [when a salvage car is defensible](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/should-i-buy-a-salvage-title-car/#defensible), [the rebuilt-title inspection](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-rebuilt-title/#inspection) and [insuring a salvage-title car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/salvage-title-insurance/). ## Common questions ### Can a normal person buy off Copart? Yes. Anyone 18 or older can register, and Basic ($99) or Premier ($249) Members can bid. Which cars depends on the state where each sits: by our count of Copart’s grid, private individuals can bid directly on titled and salvage lots in 15 states, need a broker for both in 25, and can bid on one type but not the other in 10. Copart also lists “No License Required” inventory any member can bid on. ### What is the $400 deposit for on Copart? It is the Premier Member security deposit. It lets a Premier Member bid up to $100,000 at a time, is refundable once all invoices are paid (which downgrades the account to Basic), and is used to cover any past-due invoice. Basic Members bid up to $2,000 with no deposit and deposit 10% of their maximum above that. ### Is Copart membership worth it? We make no recommendation. Premier costs $150 a year more than Basic plus a refundable $400 deposit, and lifts the bid ceiling from $2,000 to $100,000; upgrading later costs $159. Copart refunds a first membership within 7 days if you have not bid. Neither tier changes which lots you are eligible for. ### How can I calculate the Copart fees? Add four amounts to the bid: the bidding fee for your bid from the right title and payment table, the virtual bid fee, the gate fee ($79 clean, $95 non-clean) and the $15 environmental fee. By our arithmetic a $1,000 clean-title win paid by debit card comes to $498 in fees, and a $5,000 non-clean win paid by credit card to $1,260, before tax, storage and transport. ### Does Copart charge more if you pay by credit card? Yes. Credit cards and wallet apps are “non-secure,” and the unsecured buyer fee is higher at every bid: $60 more on a $1,000 clean-title car, $250 on a $5,000 one and $1,000 on a $20,000 one, by our arithmetic. ### What happens if you win a Copart auction and do not pay? After 3 business days, counting sale day, a $50 late fee applies. After 8 calendar days the car is relisted and you owe 10% of the sale price, at least $600, taken from any deposit. Copart says members with “an excessive number of unpaid invoices, relist fees or NSF checks” face automatic account suspension. ## Sources and further reading - [NMVTIS (US Department of Justice)](https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/) - [28 CFR Part 25 Subpart B — NMVTIS reporting rules (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B) - [TxDMV salvage vehicles and title brands](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/title-check-look-before-you-buy/salvage-brands) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/copart-fees/ --- title: "Tesla Lease and Financing: Who Holds It and What It Costs" description: "Tesla lease and loan terms from Tesla's own pages: who holds your lease, the $0.25-a-mile overage, the up-to-$350 buyout fee, early exits and CFPB records." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/tesla-financing/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Tesla Lease and Financing: Who Holds It and What It Costs > Tesla lease and loan terms from Tesla's own pages: who holds your lease, the $0.25-a-mile overage, the up-to-$350 buyout fee, early exits and CFPB records. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,968 words* ## The short version - Your lease agreement names who holds your Tesla lease. Tesla’s pages name Tesla Lease Trust and four banks (U.S. Bank, Ally, Santander Consumer and Chase), and the lease-end rules differ between them. Chase says the Tesla accounts it holds “are owned by Chase.” - Tesla leases run 24 to 36 months and Tesla loans 36 to 84. Leasing is offered in 46 states plus DC, Tesla’s own loans in 33. Applying costs nothing but takes at least one hard credit pull, and an approval lasts up to 60 days. - Miles over your allowance cost $0.25 each under Tesla’s leasing FAQ. Tesla Lease Trust customers leasing a new car can buy up to 20,000 extra miles at a time, at least three months before the lease ends. - Since November 27, 2024 Tesla Lease Trust leases can be bought out, with a purchase fee of up to $350 (not in Iowa or Louisiana), and lease transfers have stopped. Chase charges the residual in your lease plus its purchase option fee and does not negotiate. - On 7 October 2026 Tesla’s Compare page printed estimated leases of $419 a month for a Model 3 and $499 for a Model Y (36 months, 10,000 miles, $3,000 down), before destination and order fees and taxes. They are estimates, not offers. - We found no CFPB enforcement action naming Tesla. The CFPB holds 710 complaints under “Tesla, Inc.,” 439 about vehicle loans or leases, and none was closed with relief. A Tesla lease or loan can come from Tesla itself or from a bank, and that one fact decides how you pay, what a lease return costs and whether you can buy the car. On 7 October 2026 we read Tesla’s own support pages on leasing, lease end, ending a lease early, wear and use, payments, property tax, financing and insurance, plus its Compare page and terms. We also read Tesla, Inc.’s 2025 annual report and June 2026 quarterly report, its lease-securitization filings, the CFPB’s records and Chase’s Tesla lease-end FAQ. We opened no account, order or credit application. This site has no commercial relationship with Tesla or any lender, and where Tesla’s own pages disagree, we say so. **Figure: Tesla lease: what the pages say, by question** A two-column table of eight lease tasks set against Tesla’s support pages and Chase’s Tesla lease-end FAQ, read 7 October 2026: the lease agreement names the lessor, Tesla Lease Trust or a bank such as U.S. Bank, Ally, Santander or Chase; extra miles cost $0.25 a mile under Tesla’s FAQ, and Tesla Lease Trust lessees of new cars can buy up to 20,000 extra miles at a time at least 3 months before maturity; lease transfers are not available after November 27, 2024; Tesla Lease Trust allows one extension of up to 6 months within 3 months of maturity; a Tesla Lease Trust buyout carries a purchase fee of up to $350 and is not available in Iowa or Louisiana, while Chase charges the residual plus its purchase option fee and does not negotiate; Tesla lets third-party dealerships buy Tesla Lease Trust cars while Chase does not accept purchases from third parties such as friends and family; ending early with 3 or more months left costs the adjusted lease balance less market value; and the lease requires $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property cover with a deductible up to $2,500, with gap protection included. Read from Tesla’s leasing, lease-end and early-termination support pages and Chase’s Tesla lease-end FAQ on 7 October 2026. Your lease agreement governs; no account screen was opened. ## Who actually holds a Tesla lease or loan Tesla’s leasing page opens with the caveat that matters most: “If your vehicle is leased with a third-party lessor, refer to your lessor for payment information.” To find out which you have, it says, “Find the name of your lessor on your lease agreement,” and it lists five: U.S. Bank, Ally Bank, Santander Consumer, Chase and Tesla Finance. The lease-end, early-termination and extra-mileage pages all describe leases held by Tesla Lease Trust, which Tesla’s pages call “the vehicle owner” and name as lienholder on your insurance. If a bank is your lessor, Tesla sends you to the bank, “as options may differ.” Tesla’s annual report explains why a car ordered from Tesla can end up with a bank. It says Tesla offers “leasing and/or loan financing arrangements for our vehicles in certain jurisdictions in North America, Europe and/or Asia ourselves and through various financial institutions.” For some lease programs, “we originate the lease with our end customer and immediately transfer the lease and the underlying vehicle to our commercial banking partner.” Tesla is paid up front, does not bear credit risk, and guarantees the bank part of the car’s value at lease end, “capped to a limit.” Chase’s Tesla lease-end page, as recorded on [our Chase auto loan review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/#leasing), says the Tesla name is licensed to Chase and “Auto finance accounts are owned by Chase and are subject to credit approval, terms and conditions.” Loans work the same way. Tesla’s financing page says you can finance “with a Tesla financier or customers can use a third-party financier,” and it lists 11 financiers to contact if you have trouble paying: Ally, BMO, Capital One, Chase, FI Connect, PNC Bank, Santander, TD Bank, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Tesla Finance. If your lender is Tesla Finance LLC you pay in the Tesla app; with “one of Tesla’s indirect partners,” you pay the lender named in your Retail Installment Contract. The app’s ‘Financing’ section works only if you deal “directly through Tesla.” So open the agreement in the app’s Documents section and read the lessor or lender line before relying on anything below. Our reviews of [BMW Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/) and [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/) read two other carmakers’ finance arms the same way. ## Tesla lease terms, and the payments Tesla printed Tesla’s financing-options page says: “You can lease a Tesla vehicle over the terms of 24 to 36 months.” Loans run “over the terms of 36 to 84 months.” Tesla’s annual report describes its direct leasing program in the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe as letting customers lease “for up to 48 months,” so older leases may run longer than today’s support page allows. Business-only, trust and commercial leases and loans are not offered. Leasing covers more of the map than Tesla’s own loans. The leasing list names 47 codes, 46 states plus DC, against 33 for Tesla Financing. Fourteen codes on the leasing list are missing from the financing list (AK, AL, DC, IA, KS, LA, ME, MT, ND, SC, SD, VT, WV and WY), by our count, and every financing state can also lease. Certified Pre-Owned cars can be leased in fewer places, and the page gives two lists: 19 states in one section and 17 in its FAQ, which leaves out Missouri and Tennessee. If you live in either, ask before you plan around a used-car lease. Carrier deliveries are not available on lease orders. Here is what Tesla printed on its Compare page on 7 October 2026, with every condition it printed. Tesla calls these estimates; its leasing page says they “are not guaranteed and are subject to our underwriting process,” and its legal notice says prices are “subject to change without notice.” They are not offers. **Payment estimates on Tesla’s Compare page, read 7 October 2026 (estimates, not offers; subject to change)** | Model | Printed estimate | Terms printed beside it | Our arithmetic | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive | $419 /mo, Est. Lease | 36 mo, 10,000 mi, $3,000 down | 36 payments total $15,084; $18,084 with the $3,000 | | Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive | $499 /mo, Est. Lease | 36 mo, 10,000 mi, $3,000 down | 36 payments total $17,964; $20,964 with the $3,000 | | Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive | $539 /mo, Finance | 6.79% APR, 84 mo, $2,500 down | Not calculated (taxes and fees unknown) | | Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive | $569 /mo, Finance | 1.99% APR, 72 mo, $2,850 down | Not calculated (taxes and fees unknown) | Tesla’s footnote says the prices “do not include Destination and Order Fees, taxes and other fees”; with those fees but before taxes, a Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive “starts at $38,630” and a Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive at $41,630, against cash prices of $36,990 and $39,990. The page does not say whether “10,000 mi” is per year, which credit tier the rates assume, or how long they apply. The Model 3 page added “Model 3 Performance: 1.99% APR Available” and “Model 3 Premium Lease From $429/mo,” with no terms or end date. Our guide to [the two numbers that decide a lease](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#two-numbers) explains the residual and the rate behind any payment; Tesla’s pages print neither. ## Applying: credit pulls, approvals and who has to sign You apply in the Tesla app after ordering, choosing ‘Tesla Lease’, ‘Tesla Loan’ or ‘Self-Arranged Loan’. You must be over 18 with a Social Security number, and Tesla charges no application fee. The credit check is the part to plan for. Both pages say: “At least one hard pull of your credit report is required; however, for some applicants, additional inquiries may be needed as we work to find you the best credit offer possible.” Tesla also offers pre-qualification, which “uses a soft inquiry on your personal credit report” and “is not an approval or denial of credit,” and it says plainly that “A credit application using a hard credit pull will still be required.” Tesla suggests lifting credit freezes “for at least seven days” first. Our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) covers how lenders read those pulls. Decisions are usually fast: “Many credit decisions are available within a few minutes, with most available within 48 hours.” Lease approvals “are valid for up to 60 days”; loan approvals are valid “for up to 60 days depending on the financier.” If your delivery slips past that, you may need to apply again, with another pull. At delivery: - “The name on the lease application must match the name of the vehicle registration and this person must take delivery of the vehicle.” - You sign the Lease Agreement or Retail Installment Contract in your Tesla Account before delivery, and “The credit applicant(s) must be present to take delivery of the vehicle.” - “Texas and Michigan customers are required to submit final payment prior to scheduling their delivery appointment due to state restrictions.” Tesla’s financing partners “do not offer financing options for vehicles that will be used for ridesharing or rental purposes.” If you bring your own loan, “Delivery cannot take place until we receive the funding in full.” A [car loan preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a rate to set against Tesla’s before you sign. ## Tesla financing: paying and paying off a Tesla loan The first bill can surprise people. Tesla says a welcome packet and first invoice arrive “around two to three weeks after taking delivery,” and warns that “The mailer may be undisclosed and may be easily mistaken as junk mail.” The first payment is “due 30 or 45 days from the delivery date depending on your financier,” and then on the same day each month. With Tesla Finance LLC, you pay in the app: autopay, one-time payments and paperless billing. “Check payments via bill pay or personal checks are not accepted.” With a partner bank, you pay the bank. Paying off early costs no penalty: “There are no prepayment penalties associated with Tesla financing and our partners.” Two details on Tesla Finance’s payments page are worth knowing before you request a payoff: - A payoff quote is “good for 10 days from the date of request,” and it includes “any finance charges incurred (minimum of $75) through the date of request.” By that wording, even a payoff soon after delivery includes at least $75 of finance charges. - Extra principal shortens the loan, not the bill: “Any amounts applied directly to your principal will shorten your term length; however, your monthly payment amounts will stay the same.” The principal-payment option disappears while any payment is overdue. For a partner loan, Tesla says to “Contact your financier directly for payoff details.” Our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers moving a loan elsewhere; Chase, for one, does not finance “Teslas older than 5 calendar years.” ## Insurance and gap cover A Tesla Lease Trust lease sets minimums “unless you’re subject to state-specific terms”: $100,000 for bodily injury to any one person, $300,000 for any one accident, $50,000 for property damage, “Physical damage insurance for full value of vehicle,” and a “Maximum deductible: $2,500.” You must list Tesla Lease Trust “as the lienholder and an additional insured party on the policy.” If a bank holds your lease, its requirements apply instead. On gap, the leasing page says one line: “Note: Your lease comes with gap protection.” It does not say what the protection covers or excludes, so read that section of your agreement. For loans, Tesla’s financing pages say nothing about gap. Tesla Insurance lists “Auto Loan/Lease Gap Coverage” as optional cover in each of the 15 states on its coverage page; it “applies to the difference between the financed amount owed and the actual cash value of your insured vehicle at the time of the covered loss.” Tesla’s annual report, filed in January 2026, said its insurance was “currently available in 13 states”; the coverage page listed 15 when we read it. Our [gap insurance guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) explains when that difference is real money. ## Mileage and wear: what a Tesla lease return can cost Tesla’s leasing FAQ prices extra miles directly: “Any miles driven beyond the annual amount specified in your lease agreement may incur fees at a rate of $0.25 per mile.” At that rate, 1,000 miles over costs $250 and 5,000 miles over costs $1,250, by our arithmetic. The Excess Wear and Use Guide words it differently, a “per-mile fee in accordance with your lease agreement,” so the figure in your contract is the one that counts. Our guide to [lease mileage allowances](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) explains why people underestimate them. If you can see the overage coming, Tesla Lease Trust lets some lessees buy miles in the app, “up to 20,000 miles per transaction,” with tax included in the total shown. The conditions are strict: you must be leasing a new car (“Certified Pre-Owned vehicles do not qualify”) directly from Tesla Lease Trust, have no outstanding payments, buy “at least three months prior to the original lease maturity date,” and not combine the purchase with a lease extension. For wear, Tesla says “a few small door dings, chips or scratches” are normal and free, while “dents, cracks in glass, tears in the upholstery or poor-quality repairs” may be charged. Its table sets measurable limits: **Selected rows of Tesla’s Excess Wear and Use Table, read 7 October 2026 (Tesla: “This chart is not all-inclusive”)** | Area | Normal (no charge) | Excessive (may be charged) | | --- | --- | --- | | Paint scratches | Break the paint but under 4 inches long, at most three per panel | Break the paint and are 4 inches or longer | | Dents and dings | Paint unbroken, under 2 inches across, at most two per panel | More than three on one panel, or any over 2 inches across | | Stone chips | 10 or fewer, each under 1/8 inch | 11 or more under 1/8 inch | | Glass | One chip up to 1/4 inch, outside the driver’s line of sight | Two or more chips, anything larger than 1/4 inch, or any damage in the driver’s line of sight | | Tires | Tread 4/32 inch or more, correct size and rating | Under 4/32 inch, mismatched tires, dry rot, cuts or sidewall plugs | | Wheels | Scratches, gouges or dents under 6 inches per wheel | Bent or broken parts, mismatched wheels, or three or more scratches, gouges or dents per wheel | | Window tint and add-ons | None allowed | “Any modifications to the original factory tint” or unauthorized modifications | Two rows do not quite agree with each other. Three small dents on one panel are neither “maximum of two per panel” nor “more than three times on one panel,” so the table does not say how they are treated. And the guide’s text calls wheel scratches “less than 6" cumulative on a wheel” normal, while the table counts “three or more scratches, gouges or dents per wheel” as excessive whatever their length. If your car falls in either gap, photograph it and ask before the inspection; our guide to [wear-and-use standards](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear) covers the federal disclosure rules. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car's centre touchscreen mark the screen's upper panel, the car graphic and the lower panel, with how Tesla Finance loan payments are made, Tesla's excess-mileage charge on its leases, and when lease-end charges appear. Tesla’s loan-payment, leasing and lease-end support pages, read on 7 October 2026, say Tesla Finance loans are paid by autopay or one-time payments in the Tesla app with checks not accepted (callout 1), that miles over a lease allowance cost $0.25 each (callout 2), and that end-of-term charges appear in the app within two business days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Repairing before the inspection can avoid charges, but keep receipts: you “may be required to send copies of your receipts and other proof of the repairs before we remove the excess wear charges.” The table also says earlier repairs “must have been facilitated by Tesla through a Tesla Service Center or authorized service provider.” If the tires are near the limit, see our guide to [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) before buying replacements. ## Returning, extending or ending a Tesla lease early For Tesla Lease Trust leases, Tesla says: “We will contact you 30-60 days prior to your maturity date to complete your final inspection and schedule your drop-off appointment.” Before you go, restore factory settings: “You are responsible for ensuring that your personal data is removed from your leased vehicle.” Remove all aftermarket parts, including “changes to the original factory window tint,” or face “additional fees.” At the appointment “you must bring” both key fobs and the mobile charging bundle. End-of-term charges show in the app “within two business days,” and “you will be billed for any remaining charges to meet your lease obligations.” None of the Tesla lease pages we read names a disposition (turn-in) fee or its amount. Chase’s Tesla FAQ lists what its lease-end bill may include: an early termination charge, deferred payments or payment balance, an excess wear and use charge, an excess mileage charge, a “Turn–in fee (Disposition fee)” and tickets and citations. Check your agreement for the fee either way. Trading up can bring “certain incentives,” which Tesla says “are subject to change at any time.” **Extending.** If your account is in good standing, you can extend “for up to six months beyond your original lease-end date,” and “Lease extensions can only be granted once.” You must be within three months of maturity and current on payments. You can return the car before the extension ends, but “You will be billed for the entire month in which you return the vehicle. We will not prorate the monthly payment to the day.” So returning on the first day of a month costs the same as returning on the last. **Ending early.** Tesla says an early termination “can be costly” and is allowed if you have one or more payments left. With less than three months to go, you pay the remaining lease balance and any end-of-term charges. With three or more months left, you pay “the difference between your adjusted lease balance and the current market value of your vehicle.” The app’s quote is good “up until the day prior to next payment due date” and can change after the inspection. **An early exit is priced against the car’s market value.** With three or more months left, Tesla Lease Trust charges the gap between what you still owe under the lease and what the car is worth, so the bill rises when used-Tesla prices fall. Tesla’s annual report says it has made “certain adjustments to our prices from time to time,” which “may impact the residual values of our vehicles.” Chase warns that ending a lease early can mean “a substantial charge, which could be several thousand dollars.” Lease transfers are no longer an exit: “Lease transfers are not available after November 27, 2024.” (Tesla’s 2021 Tesla Account page still lists “Request lease transfer”; rely on the newer FAQ.) Our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/) covers brands that still allow them. ## Buying your leased Tesla For years Tesla did not sell most leased cars to their drivers. Its lease-end page now says: “Starting November 27, 2024, you can purchase your leased vehicle.” For Tesla Lease Trust leases the rules are: - “Refer to your lease agreement for your purchase option.” If none is listed, “contact us at the end of your lease to see what options are available to you.” - “A purchase fee of up to $350 applies to all vehicles. Local taxes and fees apply.” - “Iowa and Louisiana are not eligible for lease purchase.” - You request an estimate in the app, give your registration address and title assignment, and receive a purchase packet with a “good through” date. Everyone on the lease signs it, you arrange any inspection your state requires, and the full amount must arrive by that date. Ownership documents are mailed afterwards. A dealer can buy the car too: “Third-party dealerships are eligible to purchase leased vehicles. Contact us to initiate a third-party dealership purchase.” A bank lessor sets its own rules, and Chase’s differ on several points: **Buying a leased Tesla: Tesla Lease Trust (Tesla’s pages) and Chase (its Tesla lease-end FAQ), read 7 October 2026** | Question | Tesla Lease Trust | Chase | | --- | --- | --- | | When can you buy? | “at the end of the lease” | “at any time during the lease” | | Price | Your agreement’s purchase option, plus local taxes and fees | “the residual value provided in your Lease Agreement” at term end | | Fee | Purchase fee “of up to $350” | “the purchase option fee specified in your lease agreement,” excluding tags, taxes and registration | | Negotiable? | Not stated | “We don’t negotiate the purchase price.” | | Can someone else buy it? | Third-party dealerships can | “We can’t accept purchases from third parties (such as friends and family).” | | Where it is excluded | Iowa and Louisiana | Not stated | | Title afterwards | Documents mailed on completion | Released “typically within 2-10 business days,” allow up to 30 days | Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains how to compare a fixed buyout price with the market, and its section on [purchase-option and disposition fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#fees) covers the fee lines. If you keep the car, see our [Tesla extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/tesla-extended-warranty/#eligibility) and [used Tesla buying guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-tesla-buying-guide/). ## What Tesla’s SEC filings show about its leases Tesla, Inc.’s [10-K for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm) (filed January 29, 2026) and [10-Q for the quarter to June 30, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026049270/tsla-20260630.htm) show the leasing business moving off Tesla’s own books and onto banks’: - **Tesla’s own lease income is falling.** Automotive leasing revenue was $2,120 million in 2023, $1,827 million in 2024 and $1,712 million in 2025, down 19.2% over two years by our arithmetic. In the first half of 2026 it was $745 million against $882 million a year earlier, a 15.5% drop. - **Fewer cars on its lease book.** The gross cost of Tesla’s operating lease vehicles fell from $7.03 billion at the end of 2024 to $6.12 billion at the end of 2025, a drop of $0.91 billion. - **More leases guaranteed to banks.** Tesla’s maximum exposure under the resale value guarantees it gives its “commercial banking partners” was $1.45 billion at the end of 2024, $3.45 billion at the end of 2025 (2.4 times as much, by our arithmetic) and $4.07 billion on June 30, 2026. Tesla calls the recorded liability “immaterial”; the figure is a cap, not an expected loss. - **Securitized leases and loans.** Unpaid principal on Tesla’s Automotive Asset-backed Notes, backed by leases and loans, fell from $4,329 million at the end of 2024 to $2,366 million on June 30, 2026, though it issued $1.41 billion in 2025. In early 2026 it also signed a $1.50 billion bank warehouse facility, undrawn at June 30. None of this changes your contract, but it is why a bank’s lease-end rules, not Tesla’s, may apply to you. Tesla’s lease securitizations are not registered offerings, so no prospectus is on EDGAR. What is there are Forms ABS-15G from TALT Holdings, LLC, the depositor. Its [September 4, 2026 filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1728167/000119312526383777/d111287dabs15g.htm) concerns a new deal, Tesla Lease EV Securitization 2026-A, and attaches an Ernst & Young report dated September 3, 2026, which names “Tesla Finance LLC (the “Sponsor”).” Ernst & Young compared 125 randomly chosen leases from a pool cut off on 31 July 2026 with their signed contracts. Every field it checked matched except one: for 33 of the 125 leases (26.4%, by our arithmetic), the lease rate in Tesla’s data file, a field named “Buy Rate (APR),” was lower than the rate Ernst & Young recalculated from the contract’s rent charge. In one, the file showed 0.192% and the contract worked out to 4.193%; across the 33, the contract rate was higher by between 1.08 and 4.248 percentage points. The report does not explain the differences, and it says its procedures made no findings on whether the leases “complied with federal, state or local laws or regulations.” We draw no conclusion from that table beyond the practical one: the rate you pay is the one built into your contract’s rent charge, not a figure in any advertisement or internal system. Regulation M’s required payment calculation includes the rent charge (see [what a lease must disclose](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#what-must-be-disclosed)), and our guide to [the gap between a buy rate and your contract rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains how that gap arises on dealer-arranged loans. ## Regulators and complaints We found no regulator action against Tesla’s lending or leasing. The CFPB’s enforcement list, filtered for “tesla” on 7 October 2026, returned “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” Web searches for state attorney-general settlements or consent orders naming Tesla Finance LLC or Tesla Lease Trust found none, though we did not search every state’s records one by one. Tesla’s annual report says “To our knowledge no government agency in any ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred.” The CFPB’s public complaint database files Tesla under one name, “Tesla, Inc.,” with 710 complaints received from June 2019 through 30 September 2026. Of those, 439 (61.8%) concern a vehicle loan or lease: 239 about leases and 200 about loans. Complaints about Tesla leases or loans held by a bank are filed under the bank’s name and cannot be separated out. These are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and their number grows with a lender’s size. - **Getting a loan or lease: 169.** The largest sub-issues are “Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing” (54) and “Changes in terms mid-deal or after closing” (45). - **Managing the loan or lease: 116,** led by billing problems (45) and fees charged (33). - **Problems at the end of the loan or lease: 96** (21.9% of the vehicle complaints): 25 about excess mileage, damage or wear fees, 25 about ending a lease early, and 13 about getting the title after payoff. - **Repossession: 37.** Tesla closed 679 of all 710 “with explanation”; 17 drew an untimely response and 14 were in progress. None was closed with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% across every vehicle loan or lease complaint in the database. The CFPB marks 81.5% of Tesla’s responses as timely. For a bank-held lease, file a [CFPB complaint](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) against the bank. One more term to know if you use Tesla’s ride services: its Robotaxi and rideshare terms say their arbitration agreement “overrides any different arbitration agreement between us, including any arbitration agreement in a lease or finance contract,” unless you opt out within 30 days of accepting them. ## Before you sign, and before you hand it back - **Find your lessor or lender.** Read the name in the agreement in the app’s Documents section. Tesla’s lease-end rules apply only to Tesla Lease Trust. - **Lift credit freezes for a week.** Expect at least one hard pull, and plan delivery inside the 60-day approval. - **Treat printed payments as examples.** Tesla’s estimates leave out destination and order fees and taxes; compare the contract’s rent charge, residual and fees instead. - **Set up insurance before delivery.** Meet the $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 minimums with a deductible of $2,500 or less, and list the lessor as lienholder and additional insured. - **Check your miles three months out.** That is the last point at which Tesla Lease Trust sells extra miles, and the window for asking about an extension. - **Repair and keep receipts.** Check the wear table and fix what you can before the inspection. - **Price the buyout before you return it.** Ask for the estimate and the purchase fee (up to $350 at Tesla Lease Trust), and check whether your state is excluded. ## Common questions ### What are Tesla’s financing rates? Tesla does not publish a rate sheet. On 7 October 2026 its Compare page printed two estimate examples: a Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive at 6.79% APR over 84 months with $2,500 down, and a Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive at 1.99% APR over 72 months with $2,850 down, and the Model 3 page said “1.99% APR Available” on the Model 3 Performance. None names a credit tier or end date. Your rate comes with your credit decision and is fixed in your Retail Installment Contract. ### Can you buy out a Tesla lease? Yes, for many leases. Tesla says that “Starting November 27, 2024, you can purchase your leased vehicle.” Tesla Lease Trust charges a purchase fee of up to $350 plus local taxes and fees, and excludes Iowa and Louisiana. If a bank holds the lease, its terms apply: Chase charges the residual and its purchase option fee and does not negotiate. ### How much does Tesla charge for extra miles on a lease? Tesla’s leasing FAQ says miles beyond your allowance “may incur fees at a rate of $0.25 per mile,” while the wear guide points to the rate “in accordance with your lease agreement.” Tesla Lease Trust lessees of new cars can prepay up to 20,000 miles at a time. ### Does Tesla do a hard credit pull? Yes. Tesla says “At least one hard pull of your credit report is required,” and some applicants get more than one. Pre-qualification uses only a soft inquiry. ### Can I transfer my Tesla lease to someone else? No. Tesla’s leasing FAQ says “Lease transfers are not available after November 27, 2024.” ### What does a Tesla lease return cost? Whatever your agreement and the inspection produce: excess miles, wear beyond Tesla’s table, missing items such as key fobs or the charging cable, and any remaining amounts owed. Tesla’s pages print no disposition fee; Chase’s lists a turn-in fee among possible lease-end charges, so check your contract. Tesla says end-of-term charges show in the app within two business days. ## Sources and further reading - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/tesla-financing/ --- title: "Walmart Tires: Installation, Walmart’s Own Warranty and Road Hazard" description: "Walmart backs its own tire warranty: free replacement in year 1 or the first 25% of tread, then prorated. What installation covers, road hazard and returns." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Walmart Tires: Installation, Walmart’s Own Warranty and Road Hazard > Walmart backs its own tire warranty: free replacement in year 1 or the first 25% of tread, then prorated. What installation covers, road hazard and returns. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,987 words* ## The short version - Walmart backs its own tire warranty on tires it sells and installs: “We do not send tires back to the manufacturer for warranty.” - A defective tire is replaced free during the first 25% of usable tread or the first year, whichever comes first, then as a pro-rata Walmart tire credit. Installation and taxes are always extra. - Walmart’s defect and mileage warranties require rotation “every 6,000-7,500 miles,” while its service FAQ says every 6,000 to 8,000. Rotate by the warranty’s number. - Road hazards need the Optional Road Hazard Warranty, which runs until the tread is down to 2/32 inch. Walmart+ members get it through the Value package at the Basic price, which “saves $10 per tire.” Not in New York. - With Walmart tires, mounting, inflation, a TPMS re-learn and a 50-mile re-torque are free; balancing, service packs and road hazard cover cost extra. No page we read prints a package price. - Walmart+ members get free flat repair on qualifying tires bought anywhere; non-members pay $15. Unmounted tires can go back within 90 days with a receipt, to a store with an Auto Care Center. Walmart installs the tires it sells at its Auto Care Centers, and unlike the other tire sellers this site has read, it puts its own name on the warranty: a defect is replaced free in the first year or first 25% of usable tread, then prorated, and a mileage shortfall is prorated too, if you rotate every 6,000-7,500 miles. Road hazard cover is a separate, optional warranty that Walmart+ members get through the Value package. On 7 October 2026 we read Walmart’s [Tire Warranty Terms and Conditions](https://www.walmart.com/help/article/tire-warranty-terms-and-conditions/367ebb18c6a346c5abf407b456a1c9a8) (last updated October 9, 2023), the tire FAQ on its [Auto Services page](https://www.walmart.com/cp/auto-services/1087266), its Walmart+ auto care pages and Terms, its Return Policy and its Terms of Use. This site has no commercial relationship with Walmart or any tire seller. **Figure: Which Walmart tire promise applies, by what happened to the tire** A two-column table of eight situations for a tire bought and installed at Walmart: a defect inside 1 year and the first 25% of usable tread is replaced free under Walmart’s own warranty, installation and taxes extra; a later defect gets a pro-rata Walmart tire credit; early wear-out against the invoice mileage gets a pro-rata store credit under Walmart’s Limited Treadwear Warranty; tires not rotated every 6,000-7,500 miles lose both warranties; Walmart+ members get free repair of a repairable nail on a qualifying tire bought anywhere, non-members pay $15; a ruined tire with the Optional Road Hazard Warranty is replaced free in year 1 or the first 25% of tread, then pro rata; without that warranty, and in New York, a road hazard is not covered; and at 2/32 inch of tread every Walmart promise ends. Read from Walmart’s Tire Warranty Terms and Conditions (last updated October 9, 2023), its Auto Services FAQ and its Walmart+ auto care pages and Terms on 7 October 2026. ## What Walmart tire installation includes, and what costs extra Walmart’s answer to its own question, “What does Walmart tire installation include?”, is short: “Walmart tire installation includes mounting, TPMS re-learn & free 50-mile re-torque. Additional charges for balancing, road hazard warranty & service packs.” The detail under it says the mounting itself costs nothing when the tires are Walmart’s: “Receive free tire installation with purchase of Walmart tires. Installation includes mounting & tire inflation.” So free installation means the tire goes onto the wheel and gets air; balancing is extra. Item by item: **Walmart tire installation, item by item, as its Auto Services FAQ and Walmart+ pages describe it (read 7 October 2026)** | Item | What Walmart says | Free or extra | | --- | --- | --- | | Mounting and inflation | “Receive free tire installation with purchase of Walmart tires” | Free with Walmart tires | | TPMS re-learn | Free “with the purchase of tires, or if light is on. Includes OE re-learn” | Free; sensors and service packs extra | | Lug nut re-torque | Free “within the first 50 miles after your tire installation” | Free | | Balancing | “Additional charge applies for tire balancing” | Extra | | Lifetime balance and rotation | “Once purchased,” balancing and rotation “every 6,000 to 8,000 miles” | Extra, bought once | | Service packs | “Additional charges apply for the sensors & service pack replacements” | Extra | | Road hazard warranty | “can be purchased separately for new Walmart tires at the time of purchase and installation” | Extra; free for Walmart+ members through the Value package | A TPMS re-learn is free, but a failed sensor or a sensor service pack is not; our guide to [what happens to pressure sensors when tires are changed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/#tyres-changed) explains why those parts can be needed. Walmart sells installation as packages. Its Walmart+ pages name a “Basic package” and a “Value package with road hazard protection.” None of the pages we read says what the Basic package contains or what either one costs. **We do not quote Walmart’s installation prices, on purpose.** The package prices appear on Walmart’s tire-installation listing and at checkout. Walmart’s Terms of Use say “Any collection and use of any product listings, descriptions, or prices” is “strictly prohibited,” so we did not read that listing. Check the per-tire total for each package, and what the Basic package includes, on your own order before you pay. ## Lifetime balance and rotation, and the rotation rule that matters Walmart’s ongoing tire service is the “lifetime balance”: “Once purchased the lifetime balance provides free tire balancing and rotation services every 6,000 to 8,000 miles for the eligible life of the qualified tires from the original purchase date of the service/tire(s), subject to terms and conditions.” It is bought, not part of free mounting, and we found its terms and conditions on no Walmart page. The interval is where buyers can trip. Walmart’s defect warranty excludes “Tires that were not rotated every 6,000-7,500 miles,” and its mileage warranty makes the same interval a condition. Yet Walmart’s FAQ tells you to rotate every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, and a general FAQ on the same page says “Most manuals suggest rotating tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.” By our arithmetic the FAQ’s upper figure overshoots the warranty’s by 500 miles each time. **Rotate by the warranty, not the FAQ.** Walmart’s defect and mileage warranties both require rotation “every 6,000-7,500 miles.” If you follow the FAQ’s 8,000-mile figure, you can fall outside the contract. Rotate by 7,500 miles at the latest, or sooner if your vehicle maker’s schedule says so, and keep each invoice with the odometer reading on it. The warranty does not say what proof of rotation it accepts, and in a dispute Walmart decides. Our guide to [tire rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers vehicle makers’ schedules, which can be shorter than either Walmart figure, and our page on [reading tire wear for alignment faults](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#reading-wear) matters because wear from misalignment is outside Walmart’s mileage warranty. ## Walmart’s own defect warranty: who backs it and what it pays Most tire sellers point you to the tire maker for defects. Walmart does not. Its Limited Workmanship and Materials Warranty “applies to all tires that are purchased from Walmart or Walmart.com and installed at a Walmart Auto Care Center (‘ACC’) within a Walmart store. This warranty is backed by Walmart and protects the original purchaser from defects in the raw materials or quality of workmanship that require a tire to be removed from service. Walmart stands behind the warranties of the tires that we sell. We do not send tires back to the manufacturer for warranty.” Walmart must have sold the tire and installed it; a tire bought at Walmart and fitted elsewhere, or the reverse, is outside the warranty. It lasts “for the life of the tire, as measured by the usable tread depth,” which stops at “the final 2/32nds of an inch,” and “Walmart will measure and determine the usable tread depth.” Our guide to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows where 2/32 inch sits. What a defective tire gets you depends on when it fails. Tires “deemed defective will be replaced free of charge (except for installation cost and applicable taxes and government-mandated charges) during the first 25% of usable tread or one (1) year, whichever comes first.” After that, they “will be replaced on a pro-rata basis with comparable new tires based on tread depth remaining, in the form of a Walmart tire credit.” The free window closes at the first anniversary of purchase or when a quarter of the usable tread is gone, whichever comes first. Walmart prints its own example: “if your tire is 1/2 worn at the time your tire is deemed defective, you would receive a credit of half the current price of that tire toward the current price of a new or replacement tire. If the price for a comparable tire is $120, you will pay $60 plus any additional charges such as tire installation cost and any other applicable taxes and fees.” The $120 is Walmart’s illustration. The credit is figured on the current price of a comparable tire, not on what you paid. It applies “IF AND ONLY IF” 4 conditions hold: you are the original purchaser and the tires stayed on that vehicle; you present “the original tire installation record and the original invoice”; the failure is not excluded; and the tires were rotated every 6,000-7,500 miles. The 12 exclusions (11 distinct, since “Racing” is printed twice) include “Road hazards,” “Rapid or irregular wear,” improper repair, accident, off-road use and “Worn mechanical components on the vehicle,” and commercial use such as taxi service and towing is out. To claim, you “must present your tires and the vehicle on which the tires were used to your local Walmart ACC for inspection,” with “your original invoice and your Walmart installation record.” Walmart decides “at its sole discretion” whether a tire is defective, “Tires accepted for the claim become Walmart’s property,” and nothing is paid for “loss of time, loss of use of vehicle, inconvenience, or incidental or consequential damages.” And “No Walmart representative or employee has the authority to make or imply any representation, promise or agreement that differs in any way from the terms of this Warranty,” so rely on the document, not on what is said at the counter. One catch links the warranties: if a defective tire had road hazard cover, “you will need to purchase new Optional Road Hazard Warranty coverage on the replacement tire.” ## The mileage warranty is Walmart’s too The same article carries a second promise, the Limited Treadwear Warranty. It “applies to all tires that have a posted limited treadwear warranty when purchased from Walmart or Walmart.com and installed at, and by, Walmart. This warranty is backed by Walmart.” It provides “a pro-rata replacement if the tread wears out before reaching the warranted mileage based on your Walmart invoice,” and a tire counts as worn out at 2/32 inch. Check that the warranted mileage is printed on your invoice; only tires with a posted treadwear warranty are covered. Its conditions mirror the defect warranty’s, rotation included. It excludes wear the tire did not cause, such as “Uneven or rapid wear caused by mechanical irregularity in the vehicle such as wheel misalignment,” “Road hazard injury,” abuse, “Flat spotting caused by improper storage, or brake lock” and “Cosmetic zone or weather cracking.” The payout is a store credit, and the formula needs a second look: “Walmart will determine the credit amount by multiplying the percent of mileage received by the then current actual selling price at Walmart.” Walmart’s example: “if a tire warranted for 40,000 miles wore out after 20,000 miles, you would receive a credit of half the current price of that tire,” so on a $120 comparable tire you would pay $60 plus charges. Read literally, “percent of mileage received” rewards the tire that lasted longer. By our arithmetic, a tire warranted for 40,000 miles that wears out at 30,000 received 75% of its mileage; the literal formula would credit 75% of the price, where the usual pro-rata reading credits the 25% not received. Walmart’s example sits at the halfway point, where both readings agree, so ask to see the calculation on any mileage claim. The claim route is the same, with the vehicle “on which the tires were originally installed.” Walmart’s pages do not say whether a tire maker’s own mileage warranty also applies; our page on [tire manufacturers’ warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) covers what the makers promise. ## The Optional Road Hazard Warranty “Road hazards” sit on the defect warranty’s excluded list. For those, Walmart sells a separate contract: “This document is your contract. This Road Hazard Warranty is OPTIONAL protection that can be purchased and is ONLY EFFECTIVE WHEN THE ORIGINAL INVOICE IS PRESENTED WITH THIS WARRANTY FORM.” It covers failures from “nails, glass, metal stones and other similar items that could damage or puncture a tire,” including impact breaks and non-repairable punctures. It has no time limit in years. It lasts “for the life of the tires, defined as the duration of usable tread depth,” to the same 2/32 inch. Within that life it does two things: - **Repairable damage.** “Walmart will repair a flat tire for free under the provisions of this Warranty (except for the tire installation cost and applicable taxes and government-mandated charges).” The contract does not say what installation cost a repair would carry. - **Non-repairable damage.** The same scale as the defect warranty: replaced free “during the first 25% of usable tread or one (1) year from the date of purchase, whichever comes first,” and after that “on a pro-rata basis with comparable new tires based on tread depth remaining, in the form of a Walmart tire credit.” Walmart’s example is the same half-worn tire on a $120 comparable tire: you pay $60 plus charges. By our arithmetic on shares alone, a ruined tire that had used 40% of its usable tread earns a credit of the remaining 60% of a comparable tire’s current price, and you pay the other 40% plus installation, taxes and charges. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a car wheel being worked on mark the tire, a lug nut and the wheel rim, with where Walmart's tire promises end, its flat-repair terms for Walmart+ members and others, and its own defect warranty. Walmart’s Tire Warranty Terms and Conditions and its auto service and Walmart+ pages, read on 7 October 2026, end every tire promise at 2/32 inch of tread (callout 1), give Walmart+ members a free repair on a qualifying tire bought anywhere while others pay $15 (callout 2), and replace a defective tire free in the first year or first 25% of tread under Walmart’s own warranty (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Its 4 conditions: you bought this warranty from Walmart; you present the installation record and the invoices “for purchase of the tires and for your purchase of this Optional Road Hazard Warranty”; Walmart installed the tires and they stayed on that vehicle; and the damage is not among the 11 exclusions, which include accident, vandalism, improper repair, abuse, “Off-road use” and “Rapid or irregular wear.” Unlike the other two warranties, it has no rotation condition. The contract ends with two lines: “Road hazard warranty not available in New York state,” and, under “REFUND,” that “Where applicable, you may have the right of a limited period of time in which you may cancel this Road Hazard Warranty and receive a refund.” It does not say where that applies or for how long, and it prints no price. **The road hazard warranty is bought at the counter or not at all.** Walmart’s FAQ says it “can be purchased separately for new Walmart tires at the time of purchase and installation.” After the first year or first 25% of tread, the payout is a credit toward a new tire, and installation is charged on the replacement every time. Walmart’s FAQ describes the plan differently: after the first year or 25% of tread life, “the tire will be pro-rated based on mileage driven of the eligible tire.” The contract, which Walmart calls “your contract,” prorates on tread depth remaining. Ask which measure the store uses. ## Walmart+ auto care: free flat repair and the road hazard warranty Walmart+ changes the tire math. Its [auto care article](https://www.walmart.com/help/article/walmart-benefits-auto-care/9b7deb0aa485427fa605fbcd05bd2e62) lists “Free flat repair” and a “Free road hazard warranty when you buy new tires with installation.” Membership fees are not printed in the Walmart+ Terms, which say they “are stated in the subscription sign up,” so we quote none. Oil changes at the same Auto Care Centers are covered on our [Walmart oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/) page. **Flat repair.** “Bring any tire with a puncture to the auto care center for repair. If we can repair the tire, we’ll do it for free. Non-members pay $15 for this service.” The tire need not come from Walmart, repairs are “for non-commercial use only,” and the Terms call it “unlimited tire repair,” adding that “The member is not required to own the tire or vehicle.” No appointment is needed; the membership is verified at the center with a QR scan. It covers tires on “passenger cars, light trucks, minivans, small RVs & crossovers.” Walmart will not repair a tire with less than 2/32 inch of usable tread, or “when the location or size of the damage doesn’t meet industry standards for tire repair,” a call left “solely at Walmart’s discretion.” Utility, specialty and commercial-vehicle tires are excluded. Run-flats have tighter limits of their own; see [why shops often refuse to repair run-flats](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). **The road hazard warranty.** “When you purchase a tire installation package, we’ll offer you the Value package with road hazard protection for the price of the Basic package. This saves $10 per tire.” By our arithmetic that is $40 on a set of four. Walmart’s perks page puts it the other way round: “Purchase new tires with the Value package installation and you’ll get the warranty included for free.” Free means the Value package at the Basic price. The benefit page adds: “Limited to tire(s) purchased & installed at Walmart Auto Care Centers. Active Walmart+ membership required at time of purchase & installation. Vehicle restrictions apply. Road hazard warranty not available in NY. Vehicle must be present at the time of installation to receive coverage.” The Terms promise “a receipt showing ‘proof of purchase’ of the tires and the warranty benefit, which must be retained and presented to make a claim.” On New York, the help article says members “aren’t eligible to receive the Walmart+ Auto Care Center Road Hazard Warranty benefit in New York state after February 28, 2025,” while earlier purchases are honoured. Walmart cites “a new law” without naming it. Once applied, the member warranty is the same contract: members “agree to be bound by any and all restrictions and terms of Walmart Auto Care Centers, including the terms and conditions of the Road Hazard Warranty.” Membership is checked at purchase and installation; the pages we read do not say the warranty ends if the membership later lapses. **What each Walmart tire promise needs from you, and where it ends (Walmart documents read 7 October 2026)** | Promise | What you must show or do | Ends at | Still yours to pay | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Limited Workmanship and Materials Warranty | Tires and vehicle, original invoice, Walmart installation record; rotation every 6,000-7,500 miles | 2/32 inch of tread | Installation, taxes, charges; the pro-rata share after year 1 or 25% of tread | | Limited Treadwear Warranty | The same, with a warranted mileage on the Walmart invoice | 2/32 inch, or the warranted mileage | Installation, taxes, charges; the difference after the store credit | | Optional Road Hazard Warranty | Tires and vehicle, invoices for the tires and for the warranty, installation record | 2/32 inch of tread | Installation, taxes, charges; the pro-rata share after year 1 or 25% of tread | | Walmart+ road hazard benefit | Active membership and QR scan at purchase; vehicle present; keep the proof-of-purchase receipt | 2/32 inch of tread | The Basic package price; then as the road hazard warranty | | Walmart+ flat repair | Membership check at the center; non-commercial use | Below 2/32 inch, or damage outside industry standards | Nothing, if repairable; non-members pay $15 | ## Buying tires online and having Walmart install them Walmart sells tires online for fitting at its centers, and its October 9, 2025 news post says bookings go through the Auto Services section of its app. The same post counts Auto Care Centers in 2,582 Supercenters; the Walmart+ page says “all 2500+.” Not every Walmart has one, which matters for returns. The same post says Walmart expanded “its installation-eligible digital tire assortment to include Walmart Marketplace tires,” so a tire from a third-party seller on Walmart.com can be shipped to a center for fitting. Walmart’s warranties cover tires “purchased from Walmart or Walmart.com and installed at a Walmart Auto Care Center”; no page we read says whether a Marketplace seller’s tire counts, and Marketplace items may be returned only “within 30 days.” If the seller is not Walmart, ask which warranty applies before you buy. Whoever sells the tire, check the size against the door-jamb placard, which our guide to [finding your tire size](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) treats as the authority, and read the build date on arrival with our guide to [the tire date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code). ## Returning tires to Walmart Walmart’s help article on returns does not mention tires; it points to the corporate [Return Policy](https://corporate.walmart.com/policies), updated August 17, 2026, for exceptions. There, tires sit in the list of “Receipt Required Items” under “90 Days,” and the note on them reads: “New tires that have not been mounted or installed are returnable to any store with an Auto Care Center. Stores without an Auto Care Center cannot accept tire returns.” Once a tire is on a wheel, it is no longer returnable. The policy’s final-sale list, things Walmart and Marketplace sellers “will not replace, accept returns, or provide refunds for,” includes “Tires, Wheels, Rims, Snow Tires (used or mounted).” If a tire turns out wrong after fitting, your remedies are the warranties above, not the return policy. Marketplace sellers’ items follow a 30-day window, and “Items purchased from dealers or resellers and not Walmart or Walmart.com directly aren’t eligible for return, refund, or exchange.” The holiday extension, under which “Most items purchased between October 01 through December 31 are returnable until January 31,” lists exceptions that do not include tires, but the policy does not say whether it stretches a tire’s window; ask at the store. ## Walmart beside Sam’s Club, Costco and Discount Tire: the printed terms Of the four national sellers whose tire terms this site has read, only Walmart puts its own warranty on defects and wear. The table compares printed terms only, not prices, and ranks no one; the other columns come from our pages on [Sam’s Club tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#road-hazard) and the [Discount Tire warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/#no-store-warranty) (read 7 October 2026) and [Costco tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) (read 6 October 2026). **Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco and Discount Tire tire terms as each prints them (Walmart, Sam’s Club and Discount Tire read 7 October 2026; Costco read 6 October 2026)** | Term | Walmart | Sam’s Club | Costco | Discount Tire | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who stands behind a defect | Walmart’s own Limited Workmanship and Materials Warranty; tires are not sent back to the maker | The tire maker’s warranty; Sam’s Club helps you claim it | The maker’s warranty; Costco’s road hazard warranty does not replace it | The maker’s; Discount Tire’s invoice terms say “No Seller Warranty” | | Road hazard cover | Optional Road Hazard Warranty; free for Walmart+ members through the Value package | Road Hazard Protection with the Premium Tire Installation Package | Road Hazard Warranty on most tires bought at Costco | Optional Tire Protection Certificates | | When road hazard cover ends | At 2/32 inch of usable tread; no time limit printed | 5 years from purchase, while you remain a member | 60 months or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | 3 years from purchase, or at 3/32 inch of tread | | What a ruined tire gets you | Free replacement in year 1 or the first 25% of tread, then a pro-rata credit; installation extra | A new tire, charged for the tread you used, plus package charges | Credit of remaining usable tread times the price you paid | Refund or credit of the price paid plus sales tax | Two differences stand out. Walmart’s road hazard cover has no time limit, only the tread. And Walmart figures its pro-rata credit on the current price of a comparable tire, where Costco uses “the price you paid for the tire net of all discounts received” and Discount Tire refunds “the original purchase price and sales tax.” ## Where Walmart’s documents disagree, and what they leave out Walmart’s tire terms are spread across a warranty article last updated almost three years before we read it, a service FAQ, and several Walmart+ pages. We recorded 8 places where they pull apart: - **Rotation interval.** The warranties require every 6,000-7,500 miles; the FAQ says 6,000 to 8,000, and a general FAQ cites manuals at 5,000 to 8,000. - **How road hazard credit is prorated.** The contract uses “tread depth remaining”; the FAQ says “based on mileage driven.” - **The mileage formula.** Its wording, “multiplying the percent of mileage received,” reads backwards against the usual pro-rata rule, and Walmart’s example cannot tell the two apart. - **New York.** Four documents say road hazard cover is not available in New York, with no date; the Walmart+ help article says members lost it there after February 28, 2025 and earlier purchases are honoured; the Walmart+ FAQs do not mention New York. - **“Free” road hazard cover.** The FAQs call it “complimentary”; the help article and perks page tie it to the Value package at the Basic price. - **“Free” installation.** The FAQ promises free installation, meaning mounting and inflation; the Walmart+ pages talk of buying an installation package. - **Proof for a member’s warranty.** The contract needs the invoice for “your purchase of this Optional Road Hazard Warranty”; a member’s warranty is not purchased, and the Terms offer a QR-scan receipt instead. - **Drafting.** The road hazard contract’s length clause speaks of “tires found to be defective,” it names “Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.” and then “Walmart Inc.,” and the defect warranty lists “Racing” twice. No Walmart page we read gives the price or contents of the Basic and Value packages, the price of the road hazard warranty without Walmart+, the lifetime balance terms, the length of the road hazard refund right, or the proof of rotation Walmart accepts. ## Before you buy tires at Walmart Read the warranty before you pay. Under the FTC’s pre-sale availability rule, 16 CFR 702.3, the seller of a consumer product with a written warranty “shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer.” And because Walmart gives a written warranty on these tires, 15 U.S.C. 2308(a) applies: “No supplier may disclaim or modify (except as provided in subsection (b)) any implied warranty to a consumer” when it makes one. Walmart’s terms do not try to; they limit only incidental and consequential damages. Register the tires. The federal rule, [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574/section-574.8), gives an independent tire dealer three options: hand you a paper form recording “The entire tire identification number” and the dealer’s name, or register the tires with the maker itself, on paper or electronically, “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” A dealer that registers electronically must say so on the invoice. None of the Walmart pages we read mentions registration, so ask which way your center does it; registration is how a tire maker reaches you in a recall. - **Check the seller on an online order.** Walmart’s warranties cover tires bought from Walmart or Walmart.com and installed at a Walmart Auto Care Center; ask about Marketplace tires. - **Get the per-tire total for each package** and what the Basic package includes before the work starts, including any TPMS sensors or service packs. - **Decide on road hazard cover at the counter.** It is sold “at the time of purchase and installation”; Walmart+ members get it through the Value package, except in New York. - **Make sure the invoice shows the warranted mileage** if the tire has one, and keep the invoice and the installation record together. - **Rotate by 7,500 miles at the latest,** not the FAQ’s 8,000, and keep each rotation invoice with the odometer reading. - **Ask how the tires are registered** with the maker, and keep any form you are given. - **Do not drive below 2/32 inch;** every Walmart tire promise, and the free Walmart+ repair, ends there. ## Common questions ### How much does Walmart charge to install tires? Walmart’s FAQ says installation is free with Walmart tires, meaning “mounting & tire inflation,” plus a free TPMS re-learn and 50-mile re-torque; balancing, service packs and road hazard cover cost extra. The Basic and Value package prices are not printed on any service or help page we read. Walmart+ members get the Value package at the Basic price, which Walmart says saves $10 per tire. ### What does the Walmart tire warranty cover? Walmart’s own Limited Workmanship and Materials Warranty covers defects in tires bought from Walmart or Walmart.com and installed at a Walmart Auto Care Center, free in the first year or first 25% of usable tread, whichever comes first, then as a pro-rata credit, to 2/32 inch. A separate Walmart treadwear warranty covers tires with a posted mileage. Both require rotation every 6,000-7,500 miles and exclude road hazards. ### Does Walmart’s road hazard warranty cover a nail in the tire? Yes, if you have it. The Optional Road Hazard Warranty covers failures from “nails, glass, metal stones and other similar items,” repairs a repairable flat free apart from installation cost and charges, and replaces a ruined tire free in the first year or first 25% of usable tread, then pro rata. It is added when the tires are bought and installed, and is not offered in New York. ### Does Walmart fix flat tires for free? For Walmart+ members, yes, on qualifying passenger car, light truck, minivan, small RV and crossover tires bought anywhere, if the tire can be repaired and has at least 2/32 inch of usable tread. Non-members pay $15. The road hazard warranty also repairs covered tires free, apart from installation cost and charges. ### Does Walmart rotate tires for free? Only with the lifetime balance, which Walmart says provides free balancing and rotation “every 6,000 to 8,000 miles for the eligible life of the qualified tires.” Its warranties require rotation every 6,000-7,500 miles, so time your visits to that number. ### Can I return tires to Walmart? New tires that have not been mounted or installed can be returned within 90 days with a receipt, but only to a store with an Auto Care Center. Used or mounted tires, wheels and rims are final sale. Tires from a Marketplace seller follow that seller’s 30-day window. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-tires/ --- title: "Walmart Car Battery: Warranty, Free Fitting and the Core Charge" description: "Walmart prints a 90-day battery guarantee, then exchange only under the warranty. Where the EverStart terms are, when fitting is free, and the core charge." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Walmart Car Battery: Warranty, Free Fitting and the Core Charge > Walmart prints a 90-day battery guarantee, then exchange only under the warranty. Where the EverStart terms are, when fitting is free, and the core charge. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,924 words* ## The short version - Walmart’s written battery promise is its 90-Day Automotive Battery Guarantee: if the battery “tests bad within 90 days,” the original purchaser gets money back or an exchange. After day 90 it is exchange only, “per the warranty terms.” - Those warranty terms, the free-replacement months and any prorated tail, are not printed on any Walmart policy, help or category page we could read. Walmart says to check “the product page and the paperwork that comes with the battery.” - Walmart sells EverStart batteries in four lines (Value, Plus, Maxx and Platinum AGM) beside other brands. It says EverStart batteries are made for it by “leading battery manufacturers” it does not name. - “Free installation with Walmart battery purchases” carries an asterisk with no footnote. The fine print is in the FAQ: it applies at participating Auto Care Centers and depends on the battery and on where your car keeps it. - Walmart prints no core charge amount and no refund deadline. Its pages say a core credit or refund “may” apply and that “some stores” refund it, so ask at the counter before you leave the old battery behind. - Keep the receipt or make sure the purchase is in your Walmart account. Warranty help runs through the store, the battery’s serial code and proof of purchase, and the 90-day guarantee is for the original purchaser only. A Walmart car battery comes with one guarantee Walmart prints in its own policy and one warranty it mostly leaves to the box. On 7 October 2026 we read Walmart’s documents on the subject: the [corporate Return Policy](https://corporate.walmart.com/policies#return-policy) (updated August 17, 2026), the [Battery Install page](https://www.walmart.com/cp/battery-install/6110703), the [EverStart page](https://www.walmart.com/cp/everstart/8517945) and the pages for its four battery lines, the Car Batteries category page, an Auto Care Center store page, the [Standard Return Policy help article](https://www.walmart.com/help/article/walmart-standard-return-policy/adc0dfb692954e67a4de206fb8d9e03a) and the Walmart.com Terms of Use. We also read EPA’s guidance on lead-acid batteries and Washington’s core-charge law as one state’s example. This site has no commercial relationship with Walmart or any battery maker. **Figure: What Walmart’s pages say happens, by situation** A two-column table of eight situations with a Walmart car battery: a battery that tests bad within 90 days gets the original purchaser money back or an exchange; after day 90 it is exchange only under the battery’s own warranty; the warranty length is on the product page and paperwork, not in Walmart’s policies; free fitting can apply at participating Auto Care Centers depending on battery and car; hard-to-reach batteries can change the terms and carry a fee; the old battery is recycled and a core credit or refund may apply; a lost receipt can sometimes be found by card, phone or email; and Marketplace sellers’ batteries mostly follow a 30-day return window. Read from Walmart’s corporate Return Policy (updated August 17, 2026), its Battery Install, EverStart and Car Batteries pages and its Standard Return Policy help article on 7 October 2026. ## What batteries Walmart sells, and who makes them Walmart’s own battery brand is EverStart. Its EverStart page sorts the range by vehicle (Auto, Marine & RV, Powersports, Lawn & Garden) and by type, where it lists four lines: Value, Plus, Maxx and Platinum AGM. Each line has a category page that describes it in general terms. The differences Walmart spells out are modest. The Value page says Value batteries “focus on affordability and basic reliability for standard vehicles” and that Maxx batteries “typically offer higher cold cranking amps (CCA) and may include longer warranty coverage.” Platinum AGM is the absorbent-glass-mat line; the EverStart page says you “may choose AGM when you want spill-resistant construction, vibration support, and maintenance-free convenience,” and the Battery Install page adds that “Vehicles with start‑stop features or added electronics may benefit from AGM.” If your car has start-stop, our page on [start-stop and AGM batteries](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#agm) explains why fitting a cheaper flooded battery in its place tends to end early. EverStart is not the only name on the shelf. The Car Batteries category page showed all four EverStart lines alongside an Interstate Batteries banner marked as sponsored, ACDelco and Motorcraft batteries, and a long run of other brands; its brand filter offered 23. Some listings are sold by Marketplace sellers, which matters for returns (see [buying online](#online-orders)). We recorded brand names only, never a listing or price. Who actually builds an EverStart battery is a question Walmart declines to answer. Its Plus page says the batteries “are produced specifically for Walmart by leading battery manufacturers” and that “Walmart doesn’t publicly disclose the exact manufacturer for every model.” So there is no maker’s warranty booklet to fall back on: the warranty is the one Walmart and the battery’s paperwork describe, and claims go through Walmart. Whatever the brand, the battery your car takes is not a free choice. Walmart’s installation FAQ tells you to use “your owner guidance and current battery label to confirm group size (e.g., Group 35, Group 24, Group 51R) and terminal position,” and to match the hold-down style and tray footprint. Our page on [battery group sizes](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#group-size) covers what happens when either is wrong. ## The EverStart warranty: where Walmart prints the length None of the Walmart pages we read prints a free-replacement period or a prorated period for any EverStart line. What they print is where to look and what kind of terms to expect. The EverStart page’s answer to “How do battery warranties and returns work?” makes four points: - “Battery warranty terms differ by product and retailer. Check the product page and the paperwork that comes with the battery for exact details.” - “Proof of purchase is usually required for warranty service or returns.” - “Some batteries let you register for warranty coverage,” which Walmart says can speed claims. - “Warranties sometimes include an initial full-replacement window followed by a pro-rated period; details vary by item.” That last line is the shape to keep in mind. A full-replacement window means a battery that fails inside it is swapped at no charge. A prorated period means you get credit toward a new battery that shrinks as the old one ages, so a failure late in the term is worth less. Our [battery warranty explainer](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#warranty) goes through why the long headline number is often the prorated tail. Walmart does not print how its proration is calculated on any page we read. The line pages hint at lengths without committing to them. The Platinum AGM page says “EverStart Platinum warranty information commonly includes a three-year free replacement period on qualifying batteries,” that “Some options may also list four-year limited coverage after the free replacement period,” and that “You should read the product page carefully so your expectations match the exact battery you select.” The Plus page says only that “Many shoppers look for a two-year free replacement warranty,” which is a remark about shoppers, not a statement that Plus batteries carry one. The Maxx page prints no length at all. The one product page we tried answered with a “Robot or human?” check, which we did not complete, so the months for each line are not here. Read them on the listing for your exact battery, or on its label and paperwork at the store. You are also entitled to see the terms before you pay. The federal rule on pre-sale availability of written warranties, 16 CFR 702.3, says the seller of a consumer product with a written warranty “shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer” by displaying it near the product or “Furnishing it upon request prior to sale.” At a Walmart counter, asking to read the warranty before the battery goes in is a request the rule anticipates. ## The 90-Day Automotive Battery Guarantee The battery promise Walmart does print sits in its corporate Return Policy, under the heading “Our Guarantees.” It reads: “90-Day Automotive Battery Guarantee: Money back refund or exchange to original purchaser if battery tests bad within 90 days. After 90 days, the original purchaser can only exchange the battery per the warranty terms.” Three conditions are packed in: the battery has to test bad, within 90 days, and the claim comes from the original purchaser. Inside those limits you choose money back or an exchange. After day 90 the policy allows an exchange only, on the warranty’s terms, which is where the free-replacement and prorated periods come in. The policy does not say who performs the test, what result counts as bad, or whether a battery killed by a charging fault qualifies. That last point matters more than it sounds. A battery that keeps going flat is often a symptom of an alternator or a drain rather than the battery itself, which is the pattern we found in owner complaints for our page on [a battery that keeps dying](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#keeps-dying). A new battery fitted to a car with a charging fault can test bad within weeks, and swapping it for another one fixes nothing. The walmart.com help article on returns does not mention batteries at all. It gives the general rule, “90 days after purchase or upon receipt to return most items unless noted in our exceptions,” and sends readers to the corporate policy for the exceptions. The battery line is one of them. These are the lines in Walmart’s return documents that touch a car battery: **Walmart’s return rules that apply to a car battery, as printed on 7 October 2026** | Rule | What Walmart prints | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Battery guarantee | Money back or exchange to the original purchaser “if battery tests bad within 90 days”; exchange only after that | Corporate Return Policy | | General window | “90 days after purchase or upon receipt” for most items, with the store receipt or order number | Corporate Return Policy and help article | | Marketplace sellers | “Items sold and shipped by a Marketplace seller may be returned within 30 days” | Help article | | Bought from a reseller | Items bought from “dealers or resellers” rather than Walmart “aren’t eligible for return, refund, or exchange” | Help article | | Hazardous materials | Returns “may be subject to specific requirements, such as mail-back or in-store returns only” | Corporate Return Policy | | No receipt | Walmart “can attempt to look up store purchases with a debit/credit card or online orders with a phone number or email” | Corporate Return Policy | | Private brand promises | Private brand items with “a satisfaction guarantee or promise on the package are not subject to the 90-day return or exchange period” | Corporate Return Policy | The private-brand row could matter for a battery whose package carries a printed promise, but Walmart’s pages do not say whether a battery warranty counts as one. Treat it as a question to ask, not a right to rely on. ## Making a claim: receipt, serial code and the original purchaser Walmart runs battery warranty claims through its stores. The EverStart page says that if you are making a claim you “should locate the battery label and any serial information,” and that you “can bring that information to a Walmart store, where associates can help review your next steps.” Its FAQ says to “contact customer service or visit your local store with the battery and purchase information.” Proof of purchase sits at the centre of every Walmart page on the subject. The EverStart FAQ says it “is usually required for warranty service or returns.” The page adds two ways to find it. Online, “you may begin with your Walmart account history when your purchase appears there.” On the battery, look for “the printed code on the battery case or label,” which Walmart says you can use “along with your receipt, when you ask for warranty support.” The Platinum page puts it plainly: “Keeping your receipt and product details accessible can make future service easier.” If the receipt is gone, the Return Policy offers a fallback: Walmart “can attempt to look up store purchases with a debit/credit card or online orders with a phone number or email.” Note the word attempt. A store purchase paid in cash leaves no card for that search to use, so a photo of the receipt taken on the day is cheap insurance for a battery you expect to keep for years. The help article also says your Walmart.com purchase history “displays the latest eligible date for a return or replacement” for orders placed there. What voids an EverStart warranty is not printed on any Walmart page we read. There is no list of exclusions online, no wording on misuse, commercial use or damage from a charging fault. Those terms, if the battery carries them, are in the paperwork. Read them before the old battery goes back over the counter. **A battery that came with a used car is not yours to claim on.** The 90-day guarantee is for the “original purchaser,” and after day 90 the exchange is for “the original purchaser” too. A seller who points to a nearly new Walmart battery is pointing to coverage that stayed with the person on the receipt. On a car you are about to buy, a fresh battery is also worth a question of its own, which we cover in [the brand-new battery that should make you ask questions](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#new-battery). ## Free installation: what the asterisk leaves out The Battery Install page leads with “Fast battery installation for less” and, in a row of three promises, “Free installation with Walmart battery purchases.*” We searched the page for the footnote that asterisk points to and found none. The conditions are in the page’s FAQ panels instead, and they are worth reading before you assume the fitting is free. The first panel says “Free installation with purchase can apply at participating Auto Care Centers, but eligibility depends on both your selected battery and your vehicle’s design.” It asks you to confirm three things: that your local center “offers battery installation for your vehicle type,” that “free installation applies to the battery you’re buying,” and that “your vehicle allows standard under‑hood access.” Then comes the exception: “Some vehicles have battery locations that are more involved, which can change service terms.” The second panel, on cost, is plainer still. “Installation cost can vary based on where the battery is located and how your vehicle is designed,” and “Store participation, coverage for your vehicle type, and local policies can influence fees.” Lower down the page Walmart mentions “any standard installation fee based on vehicle design.” It prints no figure for that fee anywhere, so you will only learn it at the store. So the free fitting holds for the common case, a Walmart battery going under the hood at a center that does the work, and is uncertain outside it: a battery under a seat or in the trunk, for example. Our page on [where the battery lives and what disconnecting it costs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#labour) explains why those cars take longer. On the work itself, Walmart says installation support “can include managing terminals, hold‑down hardware, and battery orientation for your vehicle,” and that “Participating Auto Care Centers support many cars, SUVs, and trucks, plus some motorcycles, depending on store coverage and battery access.” The Battery Install page says there are “over 2,000 locations” with an Auto Care Center. You can book through the page or ask about “walk‑in vs. appointment options,” in Walmart’s words; we did not use the booking tool. One step is missing from every Walmart installation page we read: battery registration. Many newer cars with intelligent charging need to be told a new battery has been fitted, and some need to know if the type changed from flooded to AGM. Walmart’s pages do not mention registration, coding or a memory saver. If your car is one that needs it, ask the Auto Care Center before the old battery comes out whether they do it; our page on [battery registration](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#registration) explains what goes wrong when nobody does. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a pair of jumper-cable clamps held above an engine bay mark the engine, one clamp and the other, with where Walmart says a battery's warranty length is printed, its 90-day battery guarantee, and the limits on its free fitting. Walmart’s Car Batteries and Battery Install pages and its corporate Return Policy, read on 7 October 2026, leave each battery’s warranty length to its label and paperwork (callout 1), give the original purchaser a refund or exchange if the battery tests bad within 90 days (callout 2), and say free fitting depends on the battery and how the car is built (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Battery testing at an Auto Care Center Walmart does not have a battery-testing service page that we could find. Testing comes up in two places. The Car Batteries page answers “How can I tell if a battery needs replacing?” with signs to look for (slow starts, dim headlights, “corrosion on terminals or a swollen case”) and the line “Walmart Auto Care Centers can test your battery’s health for you.” And a store’s Auto Care Center page says “Every oil change at Walmart’s Auto Care Center includes a few added benefits at no extra cost,” among them a “battery inspection.” What each oil change package includes is on our [Walmart oil change](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-oil-change/) page. Neither page prints a price for a test on its own, and neither says what the test measures or whether you get a printout. That gap matters because the 90-day guarantee turns on the phrase “tests bad.” If you are bringing a battery back inside 90 days, ask for the test result in writing or on the screen, so you know what the decision rests on. A test is also the step that separates a worn-out battery from a car that is killing batteries. If a battery you bought recently tests fine but the car keeps failing to start, the battery is not the problem, and a replacement will not fix it. Our pages on [when a dead battery is not the battery](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#not-battery) and [why the battery gets replaced first](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-alternator/#battery-first) cover what to check next. If you are stuck in a parking lot right now, start with [how to jump start a car](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-to-jump-start-a-car/) or [what a single click from the starter means](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-wont-start/#click). Don’t read too much into a battery’s age, either. The EverStart page says many lead-acid batteries “last roughly three to five years under average conditions”; the Value page says “between 2 to 4 years.” Across Walmart’s own pages that is 2 to 5 years (our arithmetic: the lowest and highest figures across its three printed ranges), and all of them name temperature and short trips as things that cut it short. ## The core charge and recycling the old battery A core charge is a deposit added to the price of a new lead-acid battery and taken off again when you hand in an old one. It is one of the first things people ask about a Walmart battery, and the honest answer from Walmart’s own pages is that they do not print the amount. Nor do they print how long you have to bring the old battery back, or how the refund is paid. What the pages do say is hedged. The EverStart Maxx page: “When you purchase a new battery, Walmart offers a core return program for used automotive batteries. Simply bring your old battery to the store’s Auto Care Center.” Then: “Returning your used battery may qualify you for a core credit at checkout.” The Car Batteries page says Walmart recycles used car batteries “at many store locations” and that “Some stores may offer a refund on the core charge when you recycle your old battery”, then tells you to “check with your local automotive desk for details.” The EverStart Value page says you “can typically receive a core charge refund when you return your old battery through the stated process,” and the Plus page says to review “the product page details to understand how the exchange process works with your old battery.” The process those pages refer to is not stated on any page we could read, and the corporate Return Policy does not mention core charges at all. The simplest way around it is to bring the old battery, or have the Auto Care Center take it out when it fits the new one, and check the receipt for a core line before you leave. State law sometimes sets the rules Walmart’s pages leave out. Washington is one example, and we read its statute rather than a summary of it. [RCW 70A.205.520](https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Law/RCW/RCW%20%2070A%20TITLE/RCW%20%2070A.205%20%20CHAPTER/RCW%20%2070A.205%20.520.htm) says each retail sale of a vehicle battery “shall include, in the price of the battery for sale, a core charge of not less than five dollars,” and that the seller “shall omit the core charge” when the buyer offers a used battery of equivalent size. [RCW 70A.205.515](https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Law/RCW/RCW%20%2070A%20TITLE/RCW%20%2070A.205%20%20CHAPTER/RCW%20%2070A.205%20.515.htm) requires the retailer to accept used batteries at the time of purchase and lets a buyer who did not bring one reclaim the core charge “by returning, to the point of purchase within thirty days, a used battery or batteries and a receipt showing proof of purchase.” Other states have their own rules or none; this is Washington’s, not a national one. Recycling the old battery is not optional in practice. EPA’s page on [used household batteries](https://www.epa.gov/recycle/used-household-batteries) (last updated on July 21, 2026) says lead-acid batteries “may contain up to 18 pounds of lead and about one gallon of corrosive lead-contaminated sulfuric acid,” and recommends returning them “to a battery retailer or local household hazardous waste collection program.” It also says not to put them “in the trash or municipal recycling bins.” Walmart’s Car Batteries page adds its own handling advice: “Always carry batteries upright and avoid contact with leaking fluids for safety.” **The core charge: what Walmart’s pages say, beside one state’s law (read 7 October 2026)** | Question | Walmart’s pages | Washington law (RCW 70A.205.515 and .520) | | --- | --- | --- | | How much is it? | Not printed on any page we read | “not less than five dollars” | | Is it waived if I bring a battery? | A core credit “may” apply at checkout | The seller “shall omit the core charge” for a used battery of equivalent size | | Can I bring the old battery later? | “Some stores may offer a refund”; process not stated | Yes, to the point of purchase within thirty days, with the receipt | | Where do I take it? | The store’s Auto Care Center, or the local automotive desk | The place where new batteries are handed over | | Must the store take used batteries? | “Walmart provides recycling services for used car batteries at many store locations” | Yes, at least as many as the new batteries bought, if offered | ## Buying online, pickup and Marketplace sellers Buying a battery on walmart.com adds two things to check. The first is who is selling it. Walmart’s help article says “Items sold and shipped by a Marketplace seller may be returned within 30 days,” and the corporate policy puts most Marketplace items in its 30-day group. The 90-Day Automotive Battery Guarantee is written into Walmart’s own return policy; for a battery from another seller, that seller’s terms and its own warranty are what you are buying. The help article adds that items “purchased from dealers or resellers and not Walmart or Walmart.com directly aren’t eligible for return, refund, or exchange.” The second is the old battery. The EverStart Plus page suggests checking “whether your local store supports convenient core exchange during pickup or installation planning,” which is as specific as the pages we read get; per-item pickup and core rules sit on product listings we could not read. Returns of a battery bought online are also caught by the hazardous-materials line in the Return Policy: such returns “may be subject to specific requirements, such as mail-back or in-store returns only.” Ask before you try to send a lead-acid battery back by mail; the straightforward route is a store, ideally one with an Auto Care Center. ## Walmart and Sam’s Club: same company, different battery terms Sam’s Club is a Walmart Inc. business (Walmart’s own coupon policy covers properties of Walmart Inc. and its subsidiaries “excluding Sam’s Club locations”), and its Tire & Battery Centers fit batteries too, but its published terms read differently. We read Sam’s Club’s help pages on 7 October 2026 for our [Sam’s Club tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#membership). Its Tire & Battery Center article lists “free battery installation” among perks it calls “exclusive benefits for Sam’s Club members,” and says “an active membership is required to purchase products or services from our Tire & Battery Center.” Walmart’s Battery Install page mentions no membership; its conditions are the battery, the car and the store. On returns the two part company more clearly. Walmart prints a 90-day battery guarantee. Sam’s Club’s returns page puts “Automotive tires and batteries” under “Check with your club,” and says some products “may be offered with their own return policy, product-specific warranties, limitations, restrictions and/or requirements.” If you are comparing warehouse-club terms more widely, our page on [Costco car batteries](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-car-battery/) reads Costco’s. ## What Walmart’s pages leave out, and where they disagree We read 12 walmart.com pages and Walmart’s corporate Return Policy; 2 more walmart.com pages answered with a “Robot or human?” check and were left unread. Across what we could read, these are the gaps: - **No warranty length for any line**, and nothing online on what voids one. - **No core-charge amount, deadline or refund method.** - **No figure for the “standard installation fee.”** - **No maker named, and no battery registration step.** And in 6 places the pages disagree with each other or point at terms that are not there: - **Battery life.** Three to five years on two pages, 2 to 4 on a third, “several years” on a fourth. - **Tier names.** The EverStart page lists Value, Plus, Maxx and Platinum AGM, then describes warranty tiers “such as Maxx, Plus, and Standard.” - **The free-installation asterisk** has no footnote. - **Core refunds.** “Some stores may offer a refund” on one page; a refund you can “typically” get “through the stated process” on another, with the process stated nowhere. - **Where to recycle.** “at many store locations” on one page; “the store’s Auto Care Center” on another. - **Warranty terms that point elsewhere.** The Return Policy relies on “the warranty terms” without printing them. None of this means the terms are bad. It means the binding version is the one on the product listing, the label and the paperwork for the exact battery you buy, and you should read that version rather than a summary, ours included. ## Before you buy a car battery at Walmart - **Confirm the battery your car takes.** Group size, terminal position and hold-down style from the owner’s manual or the old battery’s label; AGM if the car has start-stop. - **Read the warranty for that exact battery.** On the product listing or, at the store, on the label and paperwork. Note the free-replacement period and any prorated period separately. You can ask to see the written terms before you pay. - **Check who is selling it online.** An item “sold and shipped by” a Marketplace seller comes with different return terms from Walmart’s own. - **Ask whether fitting is free for your car.** Free installation depends on the battery, the store and where the battery sits. If yours is not under the hood, ask about the fee first. - **Ask about registration.** If your car needs a new battery registered or coded, ask whether the Auto Care Center does it before the old one comes out. - **Bring the old battery, and check the core line.** Make sure the receipt shows the core charge taken off, or ask how and where you can get it back. - **Keep the proof of purchase.** The receipt, the order in your Walmart account, or a photo of the receipt. Note the serial code on the battery case. - **Mark day 90.** Before it, a battery that tests bad means money back or an exchange; after it, exchange only on the warranty’s terms. - **If it fails early, get the test result.** And have the charging system checked before you accept a second battery. ## Common questions ### What is Walmart’s car battery warranty? Walmart prints two layers. Its Return Policy gives a 90-Day Automotive Battery Guarantee: money back or an exchange to the original purchaser if the battery tests bad within 90 days. After that, the original purchaser can exchange the battery under its own warranty terms, which differ by battery and are printed on the product page and in the paperwork, not on Walmart’s policy pages. Check the exact battery. ### Does Walmart install car batteries for free? Often, but not always. Walmart advertises “Free installation with Walmart battery purchases,” and its FAQ says this “can apply at participating Auto Care Centers” and depends on the battery you buy and your car’s design. Batteries in less accessible places can change the service terms, and Walmart mentions a standard installation fee it does not print. ### How much is Walmart’s battery core charge? Walmart does not print the amount on any page we could read on 7 October 2026. Its pages say returning your old battery “may qualify you for a core credit at checkout” and that “some stores” refund the charge later. Bring the old battery when you buy, and check the receipt. Some states set their own rules; Washington’s is at least five dollars, reclaimable within thirty days with the receipt. ### Can I return a car battery to Walmart? Within 90 days, if the battery tests bad and you are the original purchaser, Walmart’s policy offers money back or an exchange. After 90 days it is exchange only, under the warranty. Batteries sold by Marketplace sellers follow the seller’s terms, most within 30 days. Take a lead-acid battery back to a store rather than mailing it. ### Does Walmart test car batteries? Walmart says its “Auto Care Centers can test your battery’s health for you,” and every oil change there includes a courtesy “battery inspection.” It prints no price for a stand-alone test. If a battery is failing early, have the charging system checked too. ### Who makes EverStart batteries? Walmart does not say. Its EverStart pages describe the batteries as produced “specifically for Walmart by leading battery manufacturers” and say Walmart “doesn’t publicly disclose the exact manufacturer for every model.” Warranty claims go through Walmart stores, not a maker. ## Sources and further reading - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/ --- title: "Costco Car Battery: The 36-Month Warranty, Core Charge and Fitting" description: "Costco’s 36-month battery warranty is a pro-rata refund, set by the battery’s label, and ends if the battery changes cars. Core charge, fitting and returns." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-car-battery/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Costco Car Battery: The 36-Month Warranty, Core Charge and Fitting > Costco’s 36-month battery warranty is a pro-rata refund, set by the battery’s label, and ends if the battery changes cars. Core charge, fitting and returns. *Detailing & Maintenance · 22 min read · 4,999 words* ## The short version - Costco sells Interstate-brand car batteries, standard flooded and AGM, in its warehouses. It prints no car battery prices on the pages we read and says it “does not offer a telephone service to call in for prices or product availability.” - The headline is a “36 Month Prorated Warranty”, but Costco’s written terms say the period “is indicated on the battery itself” and the only remedy is a pro-rata refund of the price and sales tax. No Costco document we read prints a free-replacement period. - Coverage is for the original purchaser and ends early if the battery leaves the vehicle it was first installed in. Proof of purchase is required, a removed date code voids it, and a battery that is merely discharged is not a defect. - Costco describes the core charge as a refundable deposit but prints no amount on its car-battery pages. The $10.00 in Google’s AI overview is cited to a costco.com listing for a powersport battery; state laws set different floors, such as at least $5 in Washington and at least $10 in Minnesota. - No Costco page we read offers to install or test a car battery. Its FAQ gives 9 do-it-yourself steps, and the Interstate site for Costco says some newer cars need a computer reset afterwards. - Costco’s pages and the Interstate site it links disagree in places: “all Costco car batteries” get 36 months, yet you are told to check the label; there is no phone service, yet you are told to “call your local Costco Tire and Battery Center.” Costco sells Interstate car batteries in its warehouses with a warranty it advertises as 36 months, prorated. Its written terms make the battery’s own label the authority on the period, pay a pro-rata refund of the price and sales tax rather than a free replacement, and end coverage once the battery leaves the car it was first installed in. No Costco page we read offers to fit or test a battery. On 7 October 2026 we read Costco’s Interstate Car & Truck Batteries page and its FAQ, the Costco Wholesale Limited Battery Warranty it links (footer dated 07-11-2023), a Costco Connection article, the Member Privileges and Conditions (updated March 30, 2026), the Tires & Auto page, the tire-center Disclaimers, the Interstate site Costco uses as its battery finder, and two state core-charge laws. Costco’s terms allow links to its home page only and Interstate’s bar links without permission, so their documents are named, not linked. This site has no commercial relationship with Costco, Interstate or any battery seller. Interstate’s own warranty, which Costco says differs from its program, is compared with other sellers’ on our [car battery warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-warranty/) page. **Figure: What Costco’s battery warranty does in seven situations** A two-column table. A battery flat from a light left on is not a claim, because Costco covers defects and not a battery merely discharged. A defect within the period on the label earns a pro-rata refund of the price and sales tax at any US or Puerto Rico Costco warehouse, with no free-replacement period. Moving the battery to another vehicle ends coverage, the warranty is for the original purchaser only, proof of purchase is required and a removed date code voids it. Returning the old battery earns a core credit, with no amount printed, and no Costco page offers fitting or testing; the FAQ lists 9 do-it-yourself steps. Read from Costco’s Limited Battery Warranty (footer 07-11-2023) and its Interstate Car & Truck Batteries page and FAQ on 7 October 2026. The period that applies is the one printed on the battery’s label. ## What Costco sells, and where you buy it The car batteries Costco sells are Interstate batteries. Its battery page is titled Interstate Car & Truck Batteries and says “Costco offers Interstate brand batteries for boats, RVs, golf carts and lawn mowers. Selection by location may vary.” The Tires & Auto page adds cars, trucks and recreational vehicles to that list. The Interstate site built for Costco shows four kinds of replacement battery (car, golf cart, lawn and garden, marine and RV), each marked “Available at warehouse only,” plus powersports batteries for motorcycles, ATVs and personal watercraft. For cars there are two technologies. Costco lists 5 features for its Standard Flooded Battery, starting with “Sealed, maintenance-free”, and 7 for its Absorbed Glass Mat Battery, starting with “Pure lead”. The section on [AGM or flooded](#agm) below sets out how Costco tells them apart. A Costco Connection article says “Costco warehouses stock the most common 12-volt Interstate AGM batteries used by auto manufacturers (selection varies from warehouse to warehouse). Marine and RV batteries can be special-ordered through Costco Tire Centers.” Finding the right one is your job, with help. Costco’s FAQ offers three routes: the “Find My Battery” button, which leads to the Interstate site; “the Interstate Batteries Application Guide” in the warehouse; or “a Costco Tire Center employee”, who can also discuss special orders. The Interstate finder accepts a vehicle, a licence plate or a VIN; we entered none. Size and terminal layout are not interchangeable, and our guide to [the battery a car specifies](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#group-size) explains why a near miss on fit causes trouble. Is it the same battery Interstate sells elsewhere? Costco’s answer: “Costco Interstate batteries offer the same reliable power as Interstate batteries, but a different warranty program supports them.” The practical point is the second half. A Costco battery is warranted by Costco, under Costco’s terms, and claims go to a Costco warehouse, not to an Interstate dealer. We did not read Interstate’s own retail warranty for that reason. One wrinkle: the same Interstate site also offers “Get AGM Batteries Shipped to You.” We did not use its cart, so we cannot say who sells a shipped battery or whether Costco’s warranty, which covers batteries “purchased directly from Costco Wholesale,” applies to it. ## What a Costco car battery costs, and why we print no figure Costco does not publish car battery prices on the pages we read, and it will not quote them by phone: “To keep prices low, Costco does not offer a telephone service to call in for prices or product availability.” Its Member Privileges and Conditions say “The price of the item, along with the description and identifying number, is posted with the item,” which for a warehouse-only battery means the shelf. Interstate’s terms for the Costco site add that pricing “may vary throughout Interstate Batteries’ distributor network of wholesale warehouses and dealers.” The AI overview that answers this search prints a dollar range and cites Costco’s battery page, which prints no price, and a YouTube video. We do not repeat the range. What you can know in advance is what gets added or taken away at the register: - **The core charge,** a deposit you get back by returning your old battery (see [the core charge](#core-charge) below). - **Sales tax,** which Costco says “may be based on the price before any discounts or promotions.” - **Fitting,** which Costco does not offer on any page we read; our page on [where the battery lives and what disconnecting it costs](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#labour) explains why the labour varies by car. Is it cheaper than elsewhere? We do not compare prices, and Costco gives us nothing to compare. What can be compared is terms: a refund-only warranty, no fitting, and a membership requirement. Our page on [Walmart car batteries](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/) reads another retailer’s terms the same way, and our guide to [what decides a battery bill](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#no-price) covers the costs that do not appear on a shelf tag. ## The Costco battery warranty: what the terms actually say Costco’s battery page carries a panel headed “36 Month Prorated Warranty on Automotive Batteries,” and its FAQ answers “What are the terms of a Costco car battery warranty?” with one line: “Costco Automotive Batteries are supported by a 36 Month Limited Prorated Warranty.” The same panel then says something the headline does not: “Check the warranty duration printed on your battery’s label. Download the battery limited warranty terms for more details.” Those terms are a one-page document, the Costco Wholesale Limited Battery Warranty for the United States including Puerto Rico. Its footer reads 07-11-2023, though the PDF file’s own metadata shows it was created on 6 October 2026, the day before we read it. Every clause matters. **The Costco Wholesale Limited Battery Warranty, clause by clause (footer dated 07-11-2023, read 7 October 2026)** | Clause | Costco’s wording | What it means for a buyer | | --- | --- | --- | | Who is covered | “the original purchaser of automotive and specialty (i.e., recreational) batteries purchased directly from Costco Wholesale in the United States, including Puerto Rico” | Only the person who bought it. A battery that came with a used car carries no Costco warranty for you. | | What is covered | “free of defects in material and workmanship”, when used “in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and for its intended purpose in a personal automobile” | A defect, not a battery that is merely flat. | | How long | “the battery’s designated warranty period, or for as long as it remains in the vehicle in which it was originally installed, whichever is shorter” | Two end points. The period is the one on the label; moving the battery ends it sooner. | | What you get | “a pro-rata portion of the original purchase price and sales tax paid will be refunded” | Money back, reduced for time used. You then buy the new battery. | | Where to claim | “upon return of the battery to any United States or Puerto Rico Costco Wholesale warehouse” | Any warehouse, not only the one where you bought it. | | Paperwork | “Proof of purchase is required for all claims.” | Keep the receipt with the car’s papers. | | Date code | “void if the date coding on the battery is removed or destroyed. If more than one date is indicated, the earliest date will be used.” | Leave the label alone, and check its date when you buy. | | Everything else | “YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY, WITH RESPECT TO ALL LOSSES WHATSOEVER, SHALL BE AS SPECIFIED ABOVE.” | Nothing beyond the refund; Costco excludes “CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND.” | Three things follow that the headline does not tell you. The period is whatever the label says; the “36 Month” on the website is a headline, not a clause in the warranty. The end points work as “whichever is shorter”: a battery moved to a second car loses its cover the day it is moved. And “not merely the battery being discharged” is written into the remedy clause, so a battery that went flat because a light was left on is not a defect. Our page on [when a dead battery is not the battery](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#not-battery) sets out the usual causes. The warranty also disclaims “ANY OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTY, IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE”, but only “TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY LAW IN YOUR STATE OR JURISDICTION.” Federal law is one such limit. Under [15 U.S.C. 2308](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308), a supplier that “makes any written warranty to the consumer” may not disclaim implied warranties, though it may limit their duration “to the duration of a written warranty of reasonable duration” in “clear and unmistakable language”. A disclaimer made in violation is “ineffective for purposes of this chapter and State law.” Costco’s clause, by its own words, gives way wherever the law says so. We do not say how a court would read it. ## Prorated how? The refund Costco does not define Battery warranties are often sold in two parts: a free-replacement period, then a prorated tail. Our page on [how battery warranties work](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#warranty) explains the difference. Costco’s terms have only the second part. No Costco page or document we read prints a free-replacement period, and the remedy is a refund of “a pro-rata portion of the original purchase price and sales tax paid.” Costco does not say how the portion is worked out: by months, by days, from which date, or with any minimum. The most natural reading of “pro-rata” is time left over the whole period. The table below shows what that would mean on a 36-month label. It is our arithmetic, on an assumption Costco does not confirm, and it uses shares, not prices. **Share of the price and sales tax refunded on a 36-month label, if Costco prorates in a straight line by months (our arithmetic; Costco prints no method)** | Months since purchase | Months left | Share refunded | | --- | --- | --- | | 6 | 30 | Five-sixths, about 83% | | 12 | 24 | Two-thirds, about 67% | | 18 | 18 | Half, 50% | | 24 | 12 | One-third, about 33% | | 30 | 6 | One-sixth, about 17% | Two consequences hold whatever the method. The refund is a fraction of what you paid, so a claim leaves you paying the rest of the replacement’s price yourself. And Costco’s own FAQ says car batteries “typically last between 3 to 5 years.” By our arithmetic that is 36 to 60 months, so the 36-month headline ends at the bottom of Costco’s own typical-life range. A battery that fails in its fourth or fifth year, well within what Costco calls typical, is past the headline period. Costco’s tire warranty works differently, paying credit on the tread left rather than a refund; our [Costco tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#credit) page reads that one. ## Making a claim: the receipt, the date code and the flat-battery test Costco’s page says the warranty is “serviced through your local Costco Wholesale warehouse,” and the terms widen that to “any United States or Puerto Rico Costco Wholesale warehouse.” Take the battery itself and your proof of purchase. Costco’s pages do not say which counter handles claims, how the refund is paid, or whether your membership must still be current; ask at the warehouse. The battery’s date code matters as much as the receipt. Costco’s FAQ explains it: “The code is a two-digit code stamped into the cover as part of a longer code or on a battery’s top or side label.” The letter is the month (“A is January, B is February, C is March, etc.”) and the digit is the year (“9 for 2019, 0 for 2020, 1 for 2021, etc.”). Costco’s example: a code starting “B1” is February 2021, and “In February 2027, this battery would be 72 months old.” Our arithmetic agrees. The same code is the quickest age check on a used car, as our guide to [batteries on a used car](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#used-car) explains. The code matters twice. The warranty is “void if the date coding on the battery is removed or destroyed,” so a label scuffed off during fitting can end a claim before it starts. And the warranty says “If more than one date is indicated, the earliest date will be used.” Costco’s FAQ says the code “indicates when the battery was shipped from the manufacturing plant,” which is earlier than the day you buy it. Costco does not say whether the warranty clock runs from your receipt or from that code. If it is the code, a battery that sat in stock starts with less time. Read the code on the shelf before you pay. Before you take a battery in, find out whether it is faulty or just flat, because only the first is a claim. Costco’s FAQ lists 4 signs that a battery “should be tested immediately”: the motor “has difficulty turning over,” the battery light “stays lit for extended periods after starting,” headlights “dim when the engine is idling,” and the clock “starts to lose time after the vehicle sits unused for several days.” The light “could also be a mechanical issue (possibly the alternator).” Costco does not say who does the test, and no Costco page we read says Costco tests batteries. Costco’s FAQ is frank about how batteries end up flat without being faulty: “running the engine at idle or short stop-and-go trips will not recharge the battery effectively,” nor will it after an interior light left on “for 18-24 hours,” a car not driven “for a month or more,” or a car “only driven at 35 miles per hour to a nearby store and back 2 or 3 days a week.” A battery drained that way may recharge and test healthy. One that keeps going flat after a full charge points to the battery or the charging system; our guides to [a battery that keeps dying](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#keeps-dying) and to [checking the battery before the alternator](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-alternator/#battery-first) show how to tell them apart. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over an engine bay mark the battery's top label, its terminals and its hold-down, with Costco's warranty rule on the date code, its own steps for changing a battery, and when warranty coverage ends. Costco’s Limited Battery Warranty and its battery FAQ, read on 7 October 2026, void the warranty if the date code is removed and use the earliest date when two appear (callout 1), tell owners to take the negative cable off first and put the positive cable on first (callout 2), and end coverage once the battery is moved from the vehicle it was first installed in (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## The core charge: a refundable deposit, and what state law adds Costco’s FAQ: “A battery core charge is a deposit paid when you purchase a battery. That fee can be retrieved by recycling your old battery, as mentioned above.” On disposal: “Just return it to your local Costco. You will even receive a core credit as a reward for your recycling efforts.” The Interstate site for Costco repeats both answers word for word. Neither page prints the amount, a deadline for bringing the old battery back, or whether you need the receipt. The figure in search results comes from elsewhere. Google’s AI overview says “A refundable $10.00 deposit is added at checkout,” and its citation is a costco.com product listing for a powersport battery, not a car-battery page. We did not open the listing, because Costco’s site terms bar “the collection and use of any product listings or descriptions.” So we cannot confirm $10.00 for a car battery bought in a warehouse. State law often sets the floor, and floors differ. We read two states’ statutes as examples: **Lead-acid battery core charges in two state laws (official statute sites, read 7 October 2026)** | State | The charge | Getting it back | Taking old batteries | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Washington, [RCW 70A.205.520](https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70A.205.520) and [70A.205.515](https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70A.205.515) | “a core charge of not less than five dollars”; omitted when you offer “a used battery of equivalent size” | Return a used battery “and a receipt showing proof of purchase” to the point of purchase “within thirty days” | Seller must accept used batteries at the time of purchase, at least one per new battery | | Minnesota, [325E.1151](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/325E.1151) | “a surcharge of at least $10”, unless you return a lead acid battery (boat-motor batteries bought with the motor excepted) | Refund if you return a battery “with a receipt” within 30 days | Retailers must accept them “EVEN IF YOU DO NOT PURCHASE A BATTERY,” free, up to five at a time | Two practical points come out of the statutes. Bringing the old battery with you when you buy can mean no charge at all: Washington’s law says the seller “shall omit the core charge” when you hand over an equivalent used battery. And keep the receipt, because both states tie the refund to it and to a 30-day window. Other states have their own rules, which we have not read; Costco’s pages do not say which rule a given warehouse follows. Both states also keep batteries out of the trash: Washington’s required notice reads “It is illegal to put a motor vehicle battery or other vehicle battery in your garbage,” and Minnesota’s “It is a crime to put a motor vehicle battery in the garbage.” ## Will Costco install or test your battery? No Costco page we read offers to. The Tires & Auto page describes the warehouse tire shops as the people “who take care of tire installation, rotations, balancing, and tire inflation,” and its installation footnote is about tires only. The tire-center Disclaimers are all about tires. The battery pages name the Tire Center for three things: fitment help, the “battery fitment guide at the Costco Tire Desk,” and special orders. The AI overview says Costco does not install or test car batteries at its tire centers, but its citations for that are a YouTube short and a car dealer’s blog, not Costco. Costco’s customer-service answers sit on a site closed to automated agents, so we did not read them. What we can say is narrower: Costco’s battery pages offer no installation or testing service or price. Ask at your warehouse before you count on either. What Costco does publish is a do-it-yourself guide. “You will most likely need a 10/11 mm socket and a socket wrench to replace the battery,” plus “protective eyewear, gloves and an apron or other protective clothing.” Its 9 steps come down to an order and a posture: - **Removing:** “Remove the negative (black) cable first,” then the positive (red), check for hold-downs, and keep the battery “vertical/straight.” - **Installing:** line up the terminals, “Attach the positive (red) cable first,” then the negative, and secure the hold-downs. Costco’s safety notes are blunt: “Lead-acid batteries contain hydrogen-oxygen gases that can be explosive and sulfuric acid that can cause severe burns.” Work in a well-ventilated space, never lean over the battery while jump-starting, testing or charging it, and “Remove all hand and wrist jewelry.” The Interstate site adds, “If you have questions about any of the steps above, be sure and check your owner’s manual.” **Newer cars may need more than a wrench.** The Interstate FAQ for Costco says “Some newer model vehicles (especially those with start-stop technology) require a computer system reset. Please refer to your Owner’s Manual and/or contact your service specialist.” Costco does not offer that step. Our page on [battery registration](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#registration) explains what the reset does and what happens to a new battery when it is skipped. ## AGM or flooded: how Costco describes the two Costco’s page answers its own question, “Two types of automotive batteries?”, with two lists. The Standard Flooded Battery is “Sealed, maintenance-free” with a “Free-flowing liquid design” and “Safety ventilation when recharging”, and “Meets or exceeds vehicles’ starting needs.” The Absorbed Glass Mat Battery has “Fiberglass mat cushions”, “Liquid absorbed into mats”, is “Vibration resistant” and gives “Extra power when the engine’s off.” On who needs an AGM, Costco says they are “designed to offer ultimate performance for power-hungry luxury vehicles and vehicles with plenty of aftermarket accessories,” and that “If your car came with an AGM, or you find yourself regularly replacing your battery due to accessory power drain, look into an AGM today.” Its FAQ narrows that: you need one “If your vehicle came equipped with an AGM, or your vehicle needs a power upgrade and an AGM is specified for your vehicle.” It also warns that “AGM technology is not suitable for every application,” and sends you to the finder or the fitment guide at the Tire Desk. The stronger claims come from Interstate. Its site for Costco says “A regular battery would only last a few months in a car that needs an AGM battery,” and lists AGM advantages such as “Delivering thousands more engine starts in its lifespan.” In the Costco Connection article, the manager of Interstate’s battery laboratory is quoted saying the design “provides 15% more pulse cranking amps than flooded batteries,” and the article says AGM batteries “can last up to twice as long as a traditional battery.” These are Interstate’s and the magazine’s claims; we did not test them. The safe rule is the one in Costco’s own FAQ: match what the car came with. A start-stop car that left the factory with an AGM needs another AGM, for reasons our guide to [start-stop and AGM batteries](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/car-battery-replacement-cost/#agm) sets out. Costco also defines the cold cranking rating. Cold cranking amps are “the amount of current or amps a battery can provide at 0 °F (−18 °C) for a 30-second duration until the battery voltage drops to unusable levels.” Its example: a 12-volt battery rated at 650 CCA “will provide 650 amps for 30 seconds at 0 °F before the voltage falls to 7.20 volts.” Heat matters too: Costco says hot weather “accelerates corrosion inside the battery.” Our page on [whether battery failure is really a cold-weather thing](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-battery/#cold) looks at when owners report it. ## Membership, returns and the satisfaction guarantee You need a membership to buy one. The Member Privileges and Conditions say “Only Costco members may purchase items,” with membership open to anyone 16 or older for “one 12-month period.” Nonmembers can buy “Certain merchandise” online for “5% more than members,” but the Interstate site marks car batteries “Available at warehouse only.” The warranty then belongs to “the original purchaser,” so if a friend buys it on their membership, the warranty is theirs. Returns are where we hit a wall. Costco promises “a risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee on both your membership and merchandise. Limited exceptions apply. See return policy for more information.” The return policy, and Costco’s customer-service answers about batteries, sit on a Costco site whose robots.txt ends “User-agent: * Disallow: /”, so we did not read them. We cannot tell you whether car batteries are one of the exceptions. That matters because the two documents point different ways. The guarantee sounds unlimited; the battery warranty calls the pro-rata refund “YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY.” Which one governs a battery that fails in month 30, or an unused battery you want to return, is a question for the membership counter before you buy. ## What Costco’s battery pages leave out, and where they disagree Several things a buyer would want in writing are on no Costco page we read: a price; the core charge amount, deadline and receipt rule; any free-replacement period; how the pro-rata refund is calculated; whether the clock starts at the receipt or the date code; whether Costco will install or test a battery; and whether batteries are an exception to the satisfaction guarantee. The documents also disagree with each other: - **The period.** The Interstate FAQ says “A 36-month limited warranty supports all Costco car batteries.” Costco says to “Check the warranty duration printed on your battery’s label,” and the warranty says the period “is indicated on the battery itself.” - **The phone.** Costco “does not offer a telephone service to call in for prices or product availability”; the Interstate FAQ says to “call your local Costco Tire and Battery Center” about specialty batteries, and Interstate’s terms say to “visit or call” a dealer for availability and pricing. - **Recreational batteries.** The warranty covers “specialty (i.e., recreational) batteries” but warrants them “for its intended purpose in a personal automobile.” How that applies to a golf cart or a boat is not said. ## Before you buy a car battery at Costco Most of what decides how a Costco battery works out happens at the shelf and on the day you fit it. - **Confirm the fit and the type** with the finder, the fitment guide or a Tire Center employee, and buy an AGM if the car came with one. - **Read the label before you pay:** the warranty period printed on it, and the date code, which Costco says shows when the battery left the plant. - **Bring the old battery with you** and ask what the core charge is, how long you have to return it, and whether you need the receipt. - **Keep the receipt** with the car’s papers; “Proof of purchase is required for all claims.” - **Do not scrape or cover the date code** during fitting; a removed code voids the warranty. - **Plan the fitting yourself,** including any computer reset or battery registration the car needs, since Costco’s pages offer neither. - **Leave the battery in the car it went into;** moving it ends the warranty. - **Get a flat battery charged and tested** before you claim; a discharged battery is not a defect. - **Ask about returns** at the membership counter if you might want to bring back an unused battery. ## Common questions ### Is it cheaper to buy a car battery at Costco? We cannot say: Costco prints no car battery prices on the pages we read and does not quote them by phone. What you can compare is terms. Costco’s warranty pays a pro-rata refund rather than a free replacement, no Costco page offers fitting, and you need a membership. Our [Walmart car battery](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/walmart-car-battery/) page reads another seller’s terms the same way. ### How much does a car battery cost at Costco? Costco does not publish a figure on its battery pages; prices are “posted with the item” in the warehouse and vary by location. The dollar range in Google’s AI overview is not printed on the Costco page it cites. Expect a core charge on top, refunded when you return the old battery, plus sales tax. ### Can I replace my car battery at Costco? You can buy one there, get help choosing it at the Tire Center, return your old battery for the core credit and make warranty claims at any US or Puerto Rico warehouse. No Costco page we read offers to install or test a battery; the tire shops’ listed services are tire services. Costco’s FAQ gives do-it-yourself steps: negative cable off first, positive cable on first, battery kept upright, hold-downs secured. ### What is Costco’s car battery warranty? Costco advertises a “36 Month Limited Prorated Warranty” on automotive batteries, but its written terms say the period is the one “indicated on the battery itself,” or as long as the battery stays in the vehicle it was first installed in, whichever is shorter. For a defect, “not merely the battery being discharged,” you get “a pro-rata portion of the original purchase price and sales tax paid” refunded at any US or Puerto Rico warehouse. Only the original purchaser is covered. ### Do I need a receipt for a Costco battery warranty claim? Yes. The warranty says “Proof of purchase is required for all claims.” It is also void if the date code on the battery is removed or destroyed, and “If more than one date is indicated, the earliest date will be used.” Keep the receipt and leave the label intact. ### How long do Costco car batteries last? Costco’s FAQ says car batteries “typically last between 3 to 5 years,” depending on heat and cold, electrical load and drive time. By our arithmetic that is 36 to 60 months, so the 36-month headline warranty ends at the low end of the life Costco itself calls typical. A battery that lasts four or five years has done what Costco describes, with no warranty left to claim. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-car-battery/ --- title: "Nissan Motor Acceptance Review: Paying, Payoff and Lease Return" description: "Nissan Motor Acceptance (NMAC) runs Nissan Finance and INFINITI Financial Services. What its own pages say about paying, payoff, title and lease-end fees." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Nissan Motor Acceptance Review: Paying, Payoff and Lease Return > Nissan Motor Acceptance (NMAC) runs Nissan Finance and INFINITI Financial Services. What its own pages say about paying, payoff, title and lease-end fees. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,818 words* ## The short version - Nissan Motor Acceptance is Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC (NMAC), Nissan North America’s finance company; INFINITI Financial Services is a division of it. It buys loans and leases from dealers and says it cannot refinance your car. - Paying from a bank account online or by autopay is free. Paymentus, NMAC’s phone and debit-card processor, charges $3.90 a payment, and lease accounts may pay by credit card for 3.0% where state law allows. NMAC prints no late-fee amount. - A payoff quote is good for 10 days and includes 10 days of interest, with no prepayment penalty. NMAC mails the title or lien release within 10 business days after the final payment clears; electronic-title states can take up to 6 weeks. - Returning a lease costs a disposition fee of up to $395. SignatureFLEX leases charge $0.15 or $0.25 a mile over the allowance, or $0.10 for miles bought during the lease. NMAC waives up to $500 of wear and the fee if you get a new Nissan through it within 30 days; one older FAQ says 90. - NMAC’s lease filing shows 52.71% of Nissan leases ending in the year to 31 March 2026 were handed back, against 2.20% three years earlier. Its loan filing says a June 2025 move to a new servicing platform brought “delays and disruptions.” - A 2020 CFPB consent order (up to $1 million redress, a $4 million penalty) covered wrongful repossessions and undisclosed phone-payment fees; its status reads Expired/Terminated/Dismissed. In 2019 NMAC paid $3 million to settle a Justice Department servicemember case. Most people who search “Nissan Motor Acceptance” want to log in, pay, pay a car off or hand a lease back. On 7 October 2026 we read what NMAC publishes on those questions: its [Payment Options page](https://www.nissanfinance.com/s/paymentoptions?language=en_US), 50 articles in its help centre, its end-of-lease pages, its [website terms](https://www.nissanfinance.com/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?file=01550000001wX5Y) and wear-and-use guide, and three INFINITI Financial Services articles. We also read the SEC prospectuses for [Nissan Auto Receivables 2026-B](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2153094/000119312526401058/d153597d424b5.htm) (dated 22 September 2026) and [Nissan Auto Lease Trust 2026-B](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2141529/000119312526313766/d131968d424b5.htm) (dated 21 July 2026), the CFPB’s 2020 consent order, the Justice Department’s 2019 release and the CFPB complaint counts. We entered no login, VIN or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Nissan, NMAC or any lender. Where NMAC’s own pages disagree, we say so. **Figure: Nissan Motor Acceptance: what its own pages and filings say** A two-column table of seven points on a Nissan Motor Acceptance loan or lease, set against NMAC’s own pages and bond filings: Paymentus charges $3.90 a payment and lease credit-card payments cost 3.0% where allowed, while online and autopay payments are free; a payoff quote is valid for 10 days with 10 days of interest and the title or lien release is mailed within 10 business days after the last payment clears; the disposition fee is up to $395 and a purchase option fee up to $300; SignatureFLEX leases charge $0.15 or $0.25 a mile over the allowance, or $0.10 for miles bought during the lease; the loyalty waiver covers up to $500 of wear and the $395 fee with a new Nissan financed through NMAC within 30 days, though an older FAQ says 90; the free inspection is called required, and skipping it loses the chance to repair first; and 52.71% of Nissan leases ending in the year to March 2026 were handed back, against 2.20% three years earlier. Read from Nissan Motor Acceptance’s help centre, Payment Options and end-of-lease pages and from the Nissan Auto Lease Trust 2026-B prospectus (dated 21 July 2026) on 7 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Nissan Motor Acceptance is NMAC’s loan prospectus says it was incorporated in California in November 1981 and “was converted from a California corporation to a Delaware limited liability company on April 1, 2021.” That is why older records, including both enforcement actions below, name Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissan North America, based in Franklin, Tennessee, with operations centres in Irving, Texas and Aguascalientes, Mexico. INFINITI drivers deal with the same company: the prospectus describes contracts sold “to NMAC, including its Infiniti Financial Services division.” INFINITI accounts run on infinitifinance.com, whose lease-return and mileage articles largely mirror NMAC’s, with differences noted below. INFINITI Financial Services is an NMAC division, and its own lease-end pages are read on our [INFINITI Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/infiniti-financial-services-review/). NMAC is an indirect lender: the dealer writes your contract and NMAC buys it. So the rate is set in the dealer’s office, priced by risk (NMAC “will assign the obligor a higher interest rate and a lower permissible advance rate” if it sees more risk; see [the buy rate and dealer markup](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate)). And NMAC will not refinance: “since NMAC is an indirect lender, we are unable to refinance your vehicle.” Our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers the bank and credit-union route. The account site is what NMAC’s terms call NMAC Finance Account Manager. You need an active NMAC loan or lease to register, the terms warn that account data “may not always be accurate or current because of processing delays,” and they promise: “NMAC will never ask for your account number or social security number by email.” If your contract has an arbitration clause, it applies to the website too. Phone and chat support run Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central. One help article gets the company’s name wrong, calling the lienholder “Nissan Motor Company LLC (NMAC)”; the name that should be on your title is Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC. If you are still shopping, our guides to [Nissan certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/nissan-certified-pre-owned/) and the [Nissan extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-extended-warranty/) cover Nissan’s own used-car and service-contract programs. ## How to pay NMAC, and what each way costs **Ways to pay a Nissan Motor Acceptance account and the fees NMAC prints, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Fee | What NMAC adds | | --- | --- | --- | | Online, one-time (website or app) | Free: “offered FREE of charge” | From checking or savings; edit or cancel before 6 p.m. CT on the draft date | | Recurring Payments (autopay) | Free: “NMAC does not charge a fee” | Your bank “may assess a fee” | | Paymentus, online or phone | $3.90 a payment | Debit card, check card or electronic check; not in Maryland; same-day posting before 4 p.m. CT | | Credit card through Paymentus | 3.0% of the payment | Lease accounts only, “Where not prohibited by state law” | | MoneyGram | A fee; no amount printed | Same-day posting before 2 p.m. CT | | Mail | None printed | Check or money order, account number in the memo line | The free routes draw on a bank account through NMAC’s own site or app. Paying every month through Paymentus would cost $46.80 a year, by our arithmetic. NMAC lists no credit-card option for loan accounts. If a payment bounces, NMAC “will re-submit the draft to your financial institution one more time”; if it fails again it is reversed “and you may be charged a fee,” with no amount printed, and repeated returns can “limit your payment options.” NMAC’s pages disagree on timing. The Payment Options page says online payments are applied “within 2 business days”; a 2021 help article says “within 2-3 business days.” The autopay article says the draft can come “eight days before or eight days after your contracted due date,” then that it “can be scheduled eight days before or on your contractual due date.” Near a due date, pay early. Paper checks have a similar problem: the check-payment article and the Payment Options page give different P.O. boxes for regular loan payments, and the latter still names the payee “Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation.” Use the address on your current statement. Extra payments need care. A principal-only payment applies “directly to your principal balance and not toward future payments,” but only with nothing past due, and it “cannot be made using the mobile app”; extra money added in the app “will appear as a credit toward future payments.” Late payments cost interest because NMAC loans use simple interest that “accrues daily.” In NMAC’s example, $20,000 at 5% costs $2.74 a day, so 30 days between payments sends $82.20 to interest; three days later costs another $8.22, by our arithmetic. ## Due dates, extensions and falling behind You can ask to move your due date “for qualified accounts” through a form in the logged-in site; NMAC does not say who qualifies. Change your autopay date at the same time, or payments “will continue to be debited on the current draft date.” Before submitting a payment-extension form you “must cancel your Recurring Payment schedule,” or the draft may still run. NMAC prints no late-fee amount or grace period, only that “applicable fees may be assessed” if you pay short. INFINITI Financial Services gives the rule: “A late charge may be assessed according to the state laws where your contract originated.” Your contract has the figure, and late payments “may be reflected on your credit report.” The loan prospectus describes NMAC’s “current customary servicing practices” after that: - An account is past due if you pay less than 80% of a payment, and delinquent “when 20% or more of a scheduled payment is past due for 15 days.” - Not brought current within 60 days, it moves to late-stage collections. - At “approximately 70 days delinquency, NMAC generally attempts to repossess the vehicle while still trying to collect the payments.” - At 120 days its “general policy is to charge off that account,” and a deficiency after sale is pursued “to the extent practicable and legally permitted.” Ask for help before that. The prospectus says term extensions “do not exceed six months in the life of the receivable,” and NMAC may lower payments case by case by extending the maturity “by up to twelve months,” without cutting the balance; simple interest keeps running. If a repossession has happened, see [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back). ## Payoff quotes and getting your title Your payoff figure is under Payoff Quote in the logged-in site. NMAC’s [payoff article](https://www.nissanfinance.com/nmachelp/s/article/Where-Can-I-Find-My-Payoff-Amount-and-Instructions?language=en_US), updated 21 September 2026, says: “All payoffs generated are valid for 10 days and include 10 days of interest.” The quote is “an estimate,” and NMAC “will not release the title or issue a lien release until all payments made toward the payoff have fully cleared.” There is no prepayment penalty: “Your account can be paid off at any time with no penalties.” Loan customers can pay off online; lease customers cannot, and the Payment Options page says “In most states, NMAC cannot accept a payoff from a lease customer.” A mailed payoff must use NMAC’s payoff address exactly as printed, and in some states “sending a certified check will expedite the release of your title.” - **Paper-title states:** the title or lien release “will be mailed within 10 business days upon clearance of your final payment.” - **Electronic-title states:** the title is held by your state, which prints and mails it; that “can take up to 6 weeks.” - **Florida:** contact your county tax assessor’s office to have the title released. - **Nothing yet:** call if “it has been more than 20 business days since you paid off your account.” If the paper title you receive still shows NMAC’s lien, NMAC says to take it to your DMV, MVA or tax office; see [clearing a lien from a title](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#lien). NMAC’s prospectus also says it “intends to change its customary servicing practices in the future to cease processing payoffs at NCCD and only process payoffs at the lockbox,” so use the payoff address on your current payoff letter. ## Ending a Nissan lease: return, buy or replace NMAC says you have “3 options”: replace the car with a new Nissan, buy it “for the amount agreed to in the lease agreement,” or return it. The lease prospectus says NMAC starts mailing you “approximately 180 days prior to maturity” and may call “as early as 60 days prior.” **Returning it.** The car goes back to an authorized Nissan dealer; asked about other brands’ dealers, NMAC answers “No.” The [lease-return steps](https://www.nissanfinance.com/nmachelp/s/article/Steps-to-Complete-your-Lease-Return-Nissan?language=en_US) (updated 24 September 2026) are: book the free inspection; decide on repairs; call the dealer “30 days prior to your maturity date”; sign a Federal Odometer/Lease Termination Statement, which “will serve as your receipt for the return of the vehicle”; then settle the end-of-lease statement. The Return It page adds: cancel autopay “to prevent any debits from occurring after the vehicle has been returned.” An outside firm does the inspection, which NMAC calls both Manheim Mobile Inspection and AIM; INFINITI calls it Alliance Inspection Management. “Nissan Dealers are not authorized to perform this inspection,” though another article says the inspector can come to the dealer at turn-in. NMAC gives three timings: “within the last 60 days of your lease,” “15 – 60 days before your maturity date,” and “Up to 60 days prior.” Two to eight weeks before maturity meets all three. NMAC calls it “complimentary, but required,” yet if you skip it “an inspection will take place at a later date” and “You will not have the opportunity to make repairs.” Skipping it costs you the chance to fix damage before you are billed. **Buying it.** The price is the purchase option price in your lease, shown on the payoff letter. Your lease “may require you to pay incidental charges such as: sales tax, vehicle registration fees, a purchase option fee of up to $300.” Buying means no inspection and no mileage or wear charges. Where you buy depends on the state: one article says buying through a Nissan dealer is “mandatory for Ohio and Illinois residents,” the Payment Options page says NMAC cannot take a lease payoff in most states, and no page lists the states. Ask the Lease Customer Network before arranging a loan, and see [tax and fees on a lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#tax). **Leaving early.** The lease prospectus says an early exit costs any unpaid amounts, prorated mileage and wear charges, taxes and a disposition fee, plus an Early Termination Charge: the lesser of the remaining payments (discounted) or the amount by which your lease balance exceeds the car’s wholesale value, which you “may dispute” with an appraisal. A pull-forward program can end a lease early when you take a new Nissan or Infiniti financed through NMAC, and servicemembers ending a lease under the SCRA owe no early-termination charge. Property tax that NMAC pays for your car is usually billed to your account, and NMAC warns that tickets and tolls can arrive after the final statement. ## Miles, wear and the disposition fee The end-of-lease liability statement can include excess wear and use, excess mileage, the disposition fee, missed payments and other amounts still owed, such as unpaid late charges or taxes. NMAC says you can pay it online “free of charge,” and that disputes go to its Lease Customer Network. **End-of-lease charges on a Nissan lease as NMAC’s own pages state them, read 7 October 2026** | Charge | What NMAC says | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Disposition fee | “up to $395” if you do not buy the car | Lease-return steps, Return It page; INFINITI’s steps say the same | | Excess miles, SignatureFLEX leases | $0.15 a mile on 15,000- or 12,000-mile-a-year leases; $0.25 on 10,000- or 5,000-mile leases | SignatureFLEX footnote | | Miles bought during the lease | $0.10 a mile plus sales tax, up to 30 days before maturity; non-refundable | SignatureFLEX article | | Excess miles, other leases | “Please refer to your agreement” | Mileage FAQ | | Excess wear and use | From the inspection, against the Nissan Guide to Chargeable Wear and Use | Wear guide | | Purchase option fee (if you buy) | “up to $300” | Lease-purchase FAQ | | Loyalty waiver | Up to $500 of wear and the $395 fee, with a new Nissan financed through NMAC within 30 days; miles not covered | Replace It page, steps article | **Miles.** SignatureFLEX covers Nissans from model year 2020 with a lease maturity of 2/1/2025 or later, and lets you buy miles at “only $0.10/mile” while the account is current. NMAC’s headline is “savings of up to 60%”; that holds against the $0.25 rate, but against the $0.15 rate on a 12,000- or 15,000-mile lease the saving is 33.3%, by our arithmetic. At 1,000 miles over, that is $100 bought ahead against $150 or $250 at return; at 3,000 miles, $300 against $450 or $750 (before tax). Unused miles are lost: “No refund will be issued for unused miles.” NMAC tracks mileage through NissanConnect data sharing, if you have turned it on. INFINITI’s version sells miles in 5-mile steps ($20 minimum, $2,000 maximum) and gives a single $0.25 overage rate. Other leases carry their own rate in the contract; see [how lease mileage limits work](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the door mirror, the road-side guardrail and the door panel, with Nissan Motor Acceptance's excess-mileage rates on SignatureFLEX leases, its disposition fee and loyalty waiver, and its free pre-return inspection. Nissan Motor Acceptance’s lease-end help articles, read on 7 October 2026, charge $0.15 or $0.25 a mile over a SignatureFLEX allowance, or $0.10 for miles bought early (callout 1); set a disposition fee of up to $395, waived when a new Nissan is financed or leased through NMAC within 30 days (callout 2); and offer a free inspection before return, which is the chance to repair first (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Wear and use.** NMAC’s wear guide charges a scratch that “exceeds 3 inches, single or accumulative,” a panel with 4 or more dents or a dent over 3 inches, “10 or more” chips on one panel, tyre tread under 1/8 inch, wheel scuffs past 6 inches, and missing keys or remotes. It also says NMAC “reserves the right to maintain a claim for engine damage caused by sludge, subsequent to the lease termination,” so keep oil-change receipts until the lease is closed. To have repairs count, fax the itemised repair order, a paid receipt and a cover sheet to the Lease Customer Network before you return the car, or “the chargeable excess wear and use amount may appear on your end of lease statement.” NMAC notes your car insurance may pay for some repairs, leaving the deductible. See [normal versus excess wear](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear). **The loyalty waiver.** NMAC’s Replace It page: “We’ll waive up to $500 in excess wear-and-use charges and your $395 disposition fee, if applicable, on your current NMAC lease when you purchase or lease a new Nissan,” up to $895 by our arithmetic, if the new car is financed through NMAC “up to 30 days after lease termination.” Excess miles are never waived. A liability-statement FAQ last updated in May 2022 says “within 90 days of returning your vehicle” and mentions only the disposition fee, and the Return It page requires the new car’s registered owner to match the lease, where Replace It extends the offer to “individuals residing in the same household.” Get the waiver in writing before you sign. Unpaid charges are chased. The lease prospectus says mileage and wear charges a lessee does not pay are “charged-off” only “despite collection efforts.” ## Transfers, insurance, GAP and a total loss **Transfers.** NMAC offers a “Transfer of Equity/Lease,” but its [help article](https://www.nissanfinance.com/nmachelp/s/article/Can-I-transfer-my-vehicle-to-someone-else?language=en_US) says it “does not release the original buyer/lessee from their contractual obligation.” The lease prospectus agrees: NMAC occasionally adds a new lessee “with the original lessee still obligated.” That matches what our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) recorded on 6 October 2026; the wording is unchanged. **Lease insurance.** NMAC requires comprehensive and collision with deductibles of no more than $1,000, and liability of at least 100/300/50 ($100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, $50,000 property damage) or a $300,000 combined single limit, with Nissan-Infiniti LT named loss payee and additional insured. The Florida line is unclear: a $500,000 combined single limit, then the state minimum for Florida leases dated after 4.20.17. On loans, the prospectus says NMAC checks insurance at signing but “performs no verification of continued coverage after origination”; your contract still requires it. **GAP and total loss.** “Lease vehicles do not have GAP Insurance, however, NMAC does provide a GAP Waiver at no additional cost.” Loan customers who bought GAP did so at the dealer; see our [GAP insurance guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/). After a total loss, NMAC asks you and your insurer to call its insurance department. Anyone other than the signers and NMAC affiliates “(such as Nissan Dealers)” needs your authorisation to discuss the account. ## What NMAC’s filings say about its loans and leases NMAC files no annual report with the SEC, but each bond prospectus carries its portfolio figures, and two matter to borrowers. NMAC is lending less: it bought 198,745 retail contracts in the year to 31 March 2026 against 294,469 a year earlier, down 32.5%, and 34,487 in the quarter to 30 June 2026, down 45.4% on a year before, by our arithmetic. And it changed the system that runs your account: NMAC “transitioned the servicing of the receivables to an updated servicing platform hosted on a third-party system in June 2025,” the servicer “experienced delays and disruptions in certain processes,” and that “may have contributed to an increase in delinquencies.” **NMAC’s U.S. retail loan portfolio (Nissan Auto Receivables 2026-B prospectus; the 30+ day total adds three printed buckets, our arithmetic)** | Date or period | Contracts outstanding | 30+ days late | Repossessions | Net losses | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 30 June 2026 (quarter) | 849,388 | 2.47% | 3,890 | 0.94% (annualized) | | 30 June 2025 (quarter) | 987,053 | 3.04% | 3,805 | 0.74% (annualized) | | 31 March 2026 (year) | 893,291 | 2.39% | 18,032 | 1.04% | | 31 March 2025 (year) | 1,001,056 | 1.52% | 20,760 | 0.87% | | 31 March 2022 (year) | 1,111,754 | 1.64% | 16,219 | 0.30% | Late accounts went from 1.52% of contracts at 31 March 2025 to 3.04% at 30 June 2025, the month of the switch. If anything on your account has looked wrong since then, such as a payment not posted, raise it in writing and keep records. Repossessions ran at about 49.4 a day in the year to March 2026, by our arithmetic, and net losses rose from 0.30% of balances in the year to March 2022 to 1.04%. The 2026-B pool itself (54,150 loans picked from the portfolio, so not every borrower) has a weighted average APR of 4.03%, a weighted average FICO score of 784 and an average original term of 70 payments; 70.94% of the balance is on terms of 72 months or more, where NMAC says it “has experienced higher overall levels of losses.” Infiniti loans are 13.23% of it. NMAC “generally does not independently verify or confirm” stated income. **Lease returns.** Of 70,671 Nissan leases due to end in the year to 31 March 2026, 37,250 came back to NMAC, a 52.71% return ratio; in the year to March 2023 it was 2.20%. Infiniti’s latest ratio was 53.82%. NMAC averaged a $97 gain per returned Nissan, after a $1,917 average loss the year before. The average Nissan contract residual was 68.36% of adjusted MSRP against 57.88% for ALG’s independent estimate; NMAC says that gap “represents marketing incentives offered to customers” and “may affect consumer behavior concerning purchasing or returning a vehicle.” When your buyout price sits above the car’s market value, handing it back can cost less. Compare the two first; see [the residual and the buyout price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual). ## The 2020 CFPB order and the 2019 SCRA settlement On 13 October 2020 the CFPB issued [consent order 2020-BCFP-0017](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/nissan-motor-acceptance-corporation/) against Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation, which consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The CFPB found that NMAC and its agents “wrongfully repossessed vehicles; kept personal property in consumers’ repossessed vehicles until consumers paid a storage fee; deprived consumers paying by phone of the ability to select payment options with significantly lower fees,” and used extension agreements with “a deceptive statement that appeared to limit consumers’ bankruptcy protections.” The detail is specific. From 2012 through late 2017 NMAC’s phone processor charged “$5 for payments by electronic check or in-network debit-card payments and $12.95 for credit-card and out-of-network debit-card payments,” and “Numerous consumers were charged $7.95 more” without being told of the cheaper option. From 2013 through September 2019 NMAC repossessed the cars of hundreds of people who had cut their arrears below 60 days, kept promises to pay or signed extensions. Extension letters sent to “between 50,000 to 150,000 consumers each year” from 2012 through 2016 had borrowers agree not to file for bankruptcy within 120 days. The order required up to $1 million in redress and a $4 million penalty, a fee disclosure on every phone payment call, and a ban on repossession agents charging to return personal property. It was to “terminate 5 years from the Effective Date,” 13 October 2025 by our arithmetic; the CFPB page, last modified 13 March 2026, lists its status as Expired/Terminated/Dismissed. On 1 August 2019 the Justice Department [announced](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-reaches-3-million-settlement-nissan-motor-acceptance-corporation-violating) that NMAC “has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations” under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: that it repossessed 113 servicemembers’ vehicles without court orders and failed to refund up-front capitalized cost reduction amounts when servicemembers lawfully ended leases early. The settlement set up a $2,937,971 fund and a $62,029 payment to the Treasury, covering cases since 1 January 2008. These were allegations resolved by settlement, not findings. NMAC’s 2026 prospectus says it is “presently a party to, and is vigorously defending, various legal proceedings,” including purported class actions, and names none. ## CFPB complaints filed against NMAC On 7 October 2026 the CFPB database held 5,473 complaints against Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC, received from 1 March 2012 to 21 September 2026; INFINITI customers are in the same count. Complaints are unverified, and a lender with 849,388 loans and 396,081 leases draws more than a small one, so the counts show what people complain about, not how likely trouble is. 2,106 (38.5%) concern a vehicle loan or lease, 1,337 loans and 769 leases, the 15th-largest count of 1,153 companies in that category. Within them: - **Managing the account:** 628, including 340 billing problems (16.1%). - **End of the loan or lease:** 470, including 114 about the title after payoff (5.4%, against 7.2% across all companies), 101 about paying off, and 166 about lease-end charges, early termination or buyouts. - **Repossession:** 215 (10.2%). NMAC closed 7 of the 2,106 with relief to the consumer, 0.3%, against 9.4% across the category. Complaints rose from 598 in 2024 to 1,021 in 2025, up 70.7%, and vehicle complaints went from 79 in the April-June quarter of 2025 to 143 in July-September, the quarter after the platform change. The counts cannot say why. Our [Nissan extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-extended-warranty/#lender) counted 2,073 vehicle complaints in the same file on 11 September 2026; the difference is complaints filed since. **Use the real site.** NMAC’s account site is nissanfinance.com (infinitifinance.com for INFINITI), and its terms say NMAC “will never ask for your account number or social security number by email.” Type the address yourself rather than following a search ad or emailed link, and pay only through the routes on the Payment Options page. ## If you have an NMAC loan or lease - **Pay free.** Use the website or autopay from a bank account; Paymentus costs $3.90 a payment. - **Fix autopay after any change.** A new due date, an extension, a payoff or a lease return all need the recurring payment changed or cancelled by you. - **Pay extra on the website.** Principal-only payments go through separately, with nothing past due. - **Time the payoff.** A quote lasts 10 days. Expect the title within 10 business days of the payment clearing, or up to 6 weeks in an electronic-title state. - **Ask for help early.** Extensions exist; repossession attempts start around day 70. - **Book the lease inspection.** Two to eight weeks before maturity; fax repair paperwork before the return. - **Buy miles early.** On SignatureFLEX leases, $0.10 a mile more than 30 days out, against $0.15 or $0.25 at return. - **Compare the buyout with the market.** Returning can cost less if the purchase option price is above the car’s value. - **Get the loyalty waiver in writing,** and keep the odometer statement: NMAC calls it your receipt. ## Common questions ### Is Nissan Motor Acceptance the same as Nissan Finance? Yes. nissanfinance.com is run by Nissan Motor Acceptance Company LLC, Nissan North America’s finance company, called Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation until 1 April 2021. INFINITI Financial Services is a division of it. ### Does Nissan Motor Acceptance charge a fee to pay? Not online, by autopay from a bank account, or by mail. Paymentus charges $3.90 for debit-card, check-card and phone payments, lease accounts paying by credit card pay 3.0% where allowed, and MoneyGram charges a fee NMAC does not print. Paymentus is not available in Maryland. ### How long does NMAC take to send the title after payoff? NMAC says it mails the title or lien release within 10 business days after the final payment clears. Electronic-title states can take up to 6 weeks to print and mail it, and Florida owners deal with their county tax office. Call if nothing arrives within 20 business days. ### What is the Nissan lease disposition fee? Up to $395, charged if you return the car instead of buying it. It is waived, with up to $500 of wear and use, if you buy or lease a new Nissan financed through NMAC within 30 days. Excess miles are not waived. Buying the car may instead bring a purchase option fee of up to $300. ### How much does Nissan charge for extra miles on a lease? Your contract sets it. For SignatureFLEX leases (model year 2020 on, maturing from 2/1/2025), NMAC gives $0.15 a mile over a 15,000- or 12,000-mile allowance and $0.25 over a 10,000- or 5,000-mile one, or $0.10 for miles bought more than 30 days before the lease ends. ### Can I return my Nissan lease to any dealer? Any authorized Nissan dealer, but not another brand’s. Book the free inspection first, call the dealer about 30 days ahead, and sign the odometer statement at turn-in. INFINITI leases go to INFINITI retailers. Other carmaker lenders’ rules are in our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [Honda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/), [BMW Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/) and [Mercedes-Benz Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mercedes-benz-financial-services-review/). ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [TxDMV add or remove a lien](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/add-remove-lien) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/ --- title: "Flagship Credit Acceptance Review: Payments, Payoff and Record" description: "Flagship Credit Acceptance, now Flagship Financial Group: login and the $4.75 fee, no skip-a-payment, title release, the InterVest sale, 3,810 CFPB complaints." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/flagship-credit-acceptance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Flagship Credit Acceptance Review: Payments, Payoff and Record > Flagship Credit Acceptance, now Flagship Financial Group: login and the $4.75 fee, no skip-a-payment, title release, the InterVest sale, 3,810 CFPB complaints. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,863 words* ## The short version - Flagship Credit Acceptance is a non-prime auto lender that buys loans from dealers and refinances existing car loans. Its website is now signed Flagship Financial Group LLC (NMLS #2779548), the company formed for the sale it announced on 21 November 2025. It is not Credit Acceptance Corporation. - To pay, log in at my.flagshipfinancial.com (you need the 17-digit account number on your statement) or call 1-800-900-5150. One-time payments carry a “$4.75 one-time third party processing fee” that Automatic Bill Pay waives. - Flagship’s FAQ answers “Can I skip a payment?” with “No.” You can move your due date up to 15 days or to the 25th, and the change is permanent. Partial payments must be at least $25. - For the fastest title release, Flagship says to pay off with certified funds such as a cashier’s check or debit card. - In October 2025 Flagship settled with California’s financial regulator over 2021 “good faith” payments it asked of borrowers seeking loan modifications, neither admitting nor denying the findings, and agreed to $8,819.41 in refunds and an $18,819.41 fee. - EDGAR shows 35 Flagship Credit Auto Trust bond deals reported from 2015 to 2024, none SEC-registered and none since October 2024. The CFPB holds 3,810 complaints under three names Flagship’s privacy notice ties to it. Flagship Credit Acceptance, now operating as Flagship Financial Group LLC, is a licensed non-prime auto lender: dealers send it car-loan applications, and it refinances existing car loans that reach it through loan aggregators. On 7 October 2026 we read Flagship’s [FAQ](https://flagshipfinancial.com/faqs/) and its payment, services, privacy, licensing and dealer pages; its January 2026 privacy notice; the 21 November 2025 sale announcement; its 50 securitization filings and a withdrawn 2015 IPO filing on SEC EDGAR; a California settlement; a federal class action; and its CFPB, BBB and Trustpilot counts. We entered no login, payment or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Flagship or any lender. **Figure: Flagship’s pages next to its own filings** A two-column table setting seven lines from Flagship Financial Group’s website against its own filings and records: no skip-a-payment versus the extensions its 2015 IPO filing described after 6 payments and up to 5 per loan; a $4.75 one-time payment fee that costs $57 a year if paid monthly; a due-date move of up to 15 days that is permanent on a simple-interest loan; a website signed Flagship Financial Group LLC, NMLS #2779548, after the 21 November 2025 agreement to sell its operations to affiliates of InterVest; 35 Flagship Credit Auto Trust deals from 2015-2 to 2024-3 that are not SEC-registered; a California settlement of October 2025 with $8,819.41 in refunds for 2021 good-faith payments; and phone hours printed five different ways on seven pages. Read from Flagship Financial Group’s FAQ, payment, services and privacy pages, its 2015 S-1/A, its ABS-15G filings, the 21 November 2025 release and the California DFPI settlement, on 7 October 2026. No login or payment was entered. ## How Flagship works: dealer loans, refinancing and a new name Flagship lends in two ways. Under “Indirect Lending,” its services page says, “Flagship originates or purchases automobile contracts secured by new and used automobiles purchased by consumers” and “currently works with over 9,000 automotive dealerships nationwide.” The dealer writes your retail installment contract, sends the application to Flagship among other lenders, and assigns the contract to Flagship if it approves. You then pay Flagship for the life of the loan. “Direct Lending” is refinancing for “non-prime credit consumers” of “existing loans secured by automobiles,” sourced through “several loan aggregators” that Flagship does not name. Its credit-reporting FAQ explains the result: if you “applied for dealer financing or refinanced your vehicle, your application was forwarded to Flagship Financial Group LLC” to decide whether, and on what terms, it would buy the contract or refinance it. A Flagship inquiry can appear on your report even if you never visited its website. Flagship’s home page says that “Even if you have had a previous bankruptcy or have defaulted on a loan,” it “may have the ability to help” borrowers who can “demonstrate a stable income and ability to repay.” It describes “multi-tiered pricing structures to finance borrowers across the credit spectrum” but publishes no rates, minimum credit score or maximum term; dealers get program details in Program Guidelines distributed through DealerTrack and RouteOne, which need dealer logins. Our reviews of [Global Lending Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/#how-it-works), [American Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works) and [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#how-it-works) read other subprime lenders the same way, and our page on [buy here pay here lots](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#what-it-is) covers dealers that keep the loan. **Three names to keep apart.** Flagship Credit Acceptance is not Credit Acceptance Corporation, a separate lender covered in [our Credit Acceptance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works); nothing in Flagship’s documents links the two. And the new name, Flagship Financial Group LLC, is shared by a Utah mortgage company that a CFPB consent order filed February 12, 2015 required to pay a $225,000 civil money penalty. That company is not the auto lender. The rebrand is unfinished. Every page of flagshipfinancial.com is signed “Flagship Financial Group LLC, NMLS #2779548,” and the FAQ says your title “should reflect Flagship Financial Group as the lienholder.” But BBB and Trustpilot still list Flagship Credit Acceptance, and some links on Flagship’s own site still point to the old my.flagshipcredit.com portal. If your contract names Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC, the privacy notice explains the link: Flagship Financial Group LLC “acts as servicer” for Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC, its funding companies and the Flagship Credit Auto Trust. ## Flagship login and payments: the portal, the phone line and the fees The customer portal is my.flagshipfinancial.com. You register with “Your 17 digit account number,” printed in the Account Information section of your statement, and a co-borrower can register a separate profile. The portal shows payment history and takes recurring and one-time payments “24/7.” There is no coupon book: Flagship sends “a monthly statement, usually two weeks before your payment due date.” Contact details still have to be changed through Customer Service. Type the portal address yourself. Some of Flagship’s buttons still point to my.flagshipcredit.com, and the link in its Communication Preferences FAQ points to a misspelt my.flagshipcfinancial.com. We opened none of them, since each is a login page. **Ways to pay Flagship and what its pages say about cost, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Cost, per Flagship | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Automatic Bill Pay (recurring) in the portal | No fee; it waives the one-time fee | Bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly | | One-time payment in the portal (debit card, credit card, checking or savings) | “$4.75 one-time third party processing fee” | Flagship also takes payments through Speedpay, an ACI Worldwide company | | Phone, automated or with an agent, 1-800-900-5150 | A third-party processing fee; amount not printed | Payment agents: weekdays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central | | MoneyGram (receiver code 10041) | “third party processing fees may apply” | Most CVS Pharmacy and Advance America locations | | Western Union Quick Collect (sender code FLAGSHIP, state code PA) | “third party processing fees may apply” | The Payment Center also lists a Client ID, 5102247285 | | Check or money order by mail | None stated | Payable to Flagship Financial Group LLC, with the remittance slip; never cash | The $4.75 fee is the one charge Flagship prints, and it adds up: paying one-time every month would cost $57 a year, or $342 over a 72-month loan, by our arithmetic. Recurring payments already set up through the website continue “without a payment processing fee,” the portal FAQ says. The phone fee is set by “that 3rd party vendor” and falls “outside any fees assessed (where applicable) by Flagship directly.” Mailed payments go to a Dallas P.O. box and overnight payoffs to a Coppell, Texas street address; use the ones on your statement. ### When a payment counts, and what late fees depend on Payments “made before 8 pm EST” will “generally post to your account within one to three days after they are received, excluding weekends and holidays,” and your bank may not take the money “for up to 48 hours after the payment is posted.” Keep the confirmation number; if none appears, Flagship says “do not attempt to process your payment again,” since that “may result in duplicate payments.” Flagship prints no late fee. Its FAQ says the number of days before one is charged “depends on the state where you live and the terms of your agreement,” and gives one state’s example: a payment due on the 5th “must be received by the 12th,” a 7-day window by our arithmetic. Your Retail Installment Contract, or your Security Note for a refinance, holds the real terms. Payments go “first” to “accrued interest and principal, and then to late fees,” and “late fees do not accrue interest.” Partial payments “must be at least $25.” Flagship warns they may not avoid a late fee, do not “stop or prevent collection activity,” do not change your due date, and can carry the third-party fee. ## Can you skip a Flagship payment or get an extension? Not by asking for a skip. Flagship’s account FAQ says: “Can I skip a payment? No – in accordance with your contract, payments are due monthly, on or before the scheduled due date. If you are facing a hardship and cannot make your monthly payment on time, please call us at 1-800-900-5150.” No Flagship page we read describes an extension, deferral or hardship program, who qualifies or what it costs. What Flagship does publish is a due-date change: “up to 15 days from the original due date, or as late as the 25th of the month,” requested by phone, and “changes to due dates are permanent.” Autopay can also run bi-weekly or semi-monthly, which can line payments up with paydays. The only extension rules Flagship has published are a decade old. Its 2015 IPO filing said it offered “payment extensions to borrowers on our retail installment contracts and loans on a limited basis”: a borrower “must generally have made at least six payments,” could not have had one “in the immediately preceding 12 months,” and the extension had to “bring the account current,” with no more than “five extensions over the life” of the loan or “eight months in duration.” Treat that as a hint of what a hardship call might lead to, not a current policy. **A later due date is not free on a simple-interest loan.** Flagship’s loans accrue interest daily on the remaining principal. On a hypothetical $20,000 balance at 15.6%, the weighted average rate Flagship reported for its dealer loans in March 2015, interest runs about $8.55 a day, so moving a due date the full 15 days adds roughly $128.22 of interest before that payment, by our arithmetic. Ask Flagship for the figure on your loan, and get any hardship arrangement in writing. If you are already behind, read our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) before you call, and our page on [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#refinancing) if you owe more than the car is worth. ## Flagship payoff, title release and insurance To pay off, Flagship’s FAQ says: “Sign in to our Customer Portal, or call us at 1-800-900-5150 to get your current payoff amount.” A simple-interest loan “accrues, or adds interest daily,” so the payoff changes every day; ask for a figure good through the date your money arrives. How you pay decides how fast the lien comes off: “We recommend certified funds over uncertified funds. If you need your title as soon as possible, paying with certified funds allows us to release the lien/title of the payoff sooner.” Certified means cashier’s checks, dealership checks, debit cards, money orders and Western Union wires. Personal and business checks, BillPay, online banking, payments by routing and account number and the automated phone line are uncertified. Flagship prints no number of days for the title. Its contract-and-title FAQ says the method depends on your state: where the title was mailed to you at purchase, Flagship sends “a Lien Card or Lien Release letter at the time of payoff” for you to take to the DMV; where no title is printed until payoff, it “will send a lien release as directed by you”; and in electronic-title states it notifies the state, after which some states mail a title and others make you request one. If your temporary tag expires before plates arrive, the FAQ says to call the dealer. After a total loss, “Borrowers remain responsible for making monthly payments until the loan is paid in full,” and once the insurer pays, “you will be responsible for any remaining balance.” If you bought GAP, Flagship says it will “provide the information needed to file the necessary claims”; see [how GAP insurance works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works). A repair check made out to you and Flagship needs its endorsement, which you request by phone. ## How Flagship reports to the credit bureaus, and how to dispute “Flagship reports monthly in the first week following the end of the month,” using your status on “the last night of the month minus the number of days from your latest statement due date.” Its example: a payment due July 5, 2020 and unpaid on July 31, 2020 was reported “paid as agreed”; one due June 25, 2020 and unpaid on July 31, 2020 was reported “30 days past due.” By our arithmetic the first was 26 days late and the second 36, so where your due date falls in the month decides whether a late payment reaches your report. A repossession, voluntary or not, is reported “as a repossession, which is considered negative,” until it is redeemed. A settlement for less than you owe is reported “paid in full for less than full balance.” Our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-happens) covers your rights. To dispute, e-mail CBDispute@flagshipfinancial.com with your name, account number, last four of your Social Security number, address and documents, write to Flagship’s Coppell P.O. box, or go through TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Keep copies: Flagship “cannot guarantee return of items sent.” Separately, Flagship’s FAQ says a data-breach site “incorrectly claimed” on October 28, 2024 to hold Flagship data, and that “this was not Flagship customer data.” Flagship may call with “prerecorded or automated voice messages” if you consented, which it says you may have done in your contract, by enrolling in the portal or on a call. You can revoke that consent in writing to its Coppell P.O. box, listing each phone number, though Flagship may still reach you by “other permissible methods.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the cupholder, the centre console and the key fob, with where to find a Flagship account number, what Flagship says about skipping a payment and moving a due date, and how paying off with certified funds speeds the lien release. Flagship Financial Group’s FAQ, read on 7 October 2026, says the account number is 17 digits and printed on each monthly statement (callout 1); answers “No” to skipping a payment, while allowing a due date to move up to 15 days, permanently (callout 2); and says paying off with certified funds lets it release the lien sooner (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Who owns Flagship: the InterVest agreement and the history On 21 November 2025 Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC announced, in a [release carried by Business Wire](https://markets.financialcontent.com/stocks/article/bizwire-2025-11-21-flagship-credit-acceptance-enters-agreement-to-sell-its-business-operations-to-intervest-capital-partners), that “affiliates of InterVest capital partners,” “a New York-based specialty finance investment firm,” had “entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the operating assets and business operations of the Company through a newly formed company, Flagship Financial Group LLC.” A new chief executive would take over “Upon the final closing.” The release named no seller and no price. We found no primary document that states when the sale closed. The documents do show the new company at work: South Carolina certificates for Flagship Financial Group LLC dated 11/20/2025, a Michigan Regulatory Loan License “effective February 12, 2026,” a January 2026 privacy notice in which it services the old entities’ loans, and CFPB complaints under the new name from February 2026. No Flagship page names InterVest. A trade-press line that Flagship was “for sale” earlier is not a primary source, and we do not rely on it. The release says “Flagship was started in 2010 and is the successor company to FCC, which was founded in 2005,” is “headquartered in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania” with offices in Coppell, Texas and Tempe, Arizona, had “over 500 full time employees” on September 30, 2025, and has originated “over $16 billion of auto loans” since inception. The website now gives only Texas addresses for customer mail. Earlier history comes from Flagship’s own SEC filing. In April 2015 its parent, Flagship Credit Corporation, filed to go public. The amended S-1 says “In August 2010, the ABV Funds formed Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC (‘FCA’) and acquired the assets of Former FCC.” The ABV Funds were “managed by Perella Weinberg Partners Capital Management LP” and would still “control more than a majority of the combined voting power” after the offering. They invested in CarFinance Capital in 2011, and “On January 1, 2015, we completed the merger” of the two; CarFinance.com became Flagship’s direct channel. On April 16, 2018 Flagship withdrew the IPO “in light of current unfavorable market conditions”; “No securities were sold.” No document we read says who owned Flagship from then until the 2025 sale. **Flagship then and now, from its own documents** | Item | 2015 S-1/A (as of March 31, 2015) | Now (release and website, read 7 October 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | | Name on customer pages | Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC | Flagship Financial Group LLC, NMLS #2779548 | | Owner | Funds managed by an affiliate of Perella Weinberg Partners | Agreement of 21 November 2025 with affiliates of InterVest; closing date not published | | Staff | 619 employees | “over 500 full time employees” (September 30, 2025) | | Dealers | “more than 7,700 active dealer customers in 43 states” | “over 9,000 automotive dealerships” (undated) | | Dealer mix | 81% of first-quarter dealer volume from manufacturer-franchised dealers, 19% independent | Not published | | Borrowers | Weighted average FICO score of 597 at origination | “all levels of credit” | | Rates | Weighted average APR 15.6% (dealer loans), 12.8% (direct loans) | No rate published | | Extensions | Up to five per loan, after six payments | “Can I skip a payment? No” | The 2015 averages describe a decade-old portfolio, not offers; your rate depends on your credit, the car and the dealer. Our page on [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders like Flagship publish no floor. ## Flagship Credit Auto Trust: what its SEC filings show Flagship funds loans by bundling them into bonds sold to investors through trusts named Flagship Credit Auto Trust, and those bonds are not registered with the SEC. The 2015 S-1/A calls a 2015 deal “a Rule 144A securitization transaction,” and EDGAR holds no prospectus, monthly Form 10-D or loan-level Form ABS-EE for any trust. The securitizer, FC Funding LLC of Chadds Ford, has filed only Form ABS-15G: 50 filings from 2013 to 2026. No pool rate, credit score, delinquency or loss figure is public, so we report deal counts only. **Flagship Credit Auto Trust deals with a Rule 15Ga-2 report on SEC EDGAR (FC Funding LLC, CIK 0001569573)** | Year | Deals reported | Series | | --- | --- | --- | | 2015 | 2 | 2015-2, 2015-3 | | 2016 to 2022 | 4 a year | 2016-1 to 2022-4 | | 2023 | 3 | 2023-1, 2023-2, 2023-3 | | 2024 | 2 | 2024-1, 2024-3 | | 2025 to 7 October 2026 | 0 | None | That is 35 deals from 2015-2 to 2024-3, four a year for seven straight years. The S-1/A counted “11 rated securitizations” by March 31, 2015, so earlier deals such as FCAT 2015-1 predate the first report on file. Series 2023-4 and 2024-2 have no report, and the last one, for 2024-3, was filed on October 18, 2024, 23 months before we read the filings. EDGAR does not say why the deals stopped or how Flagship funds loans now. All 14 annual Rule 15Ga-1 reports, for 2012 through 2025, say the securitizer “reports no demands” from investors to buy back loans. Our reviews of [Global Lending Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/#securitizations) and [American Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/#securitizations) show the same pattern of private deals. ## Licenses, privacy and phone hours Flagship Financial Group LLC posts NMLS #2779548 in every footer, an Oregon licensing notice, South Carolina consumer credit grantor certificates for its Chadds Ford, Coppell and Tempe offices (CGL-185652, CGL-185653 and CGL-185654, issued 11/20/2025, expiring 01/31/2027) and Michigan Regulatory Loan License RL 0027005. Its privacy notice says it is “licensed and examined under the laws of the State of Texas” by the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, which takes complaints. California’s settlement shows Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC licensed as a finance lender since September 6, 2016 (CFL 60DBO-46362, NMLS 473165). Its posted South Carolina file holds the three certificates and no maximum rate schedule. The January 2026 privacy notice covers Flagship Financial Group LLC and nine related entities, including Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC, FC HoldCo LLC and CarFinance Capital LLC. Flagship shares data “For our marketing purposes” and you cannot limit that; it does not share so nonaffiliates can market to you. The notice contradicts itself: its table says “No” to sharing “For joint marketing with other financial companies,” while page two says “Our joint marketing partners include auto dealers, banks, and other finance companies.” The web policy also has you authorize your wireless carrier to disclose your number, account and device details “to verify your identity and prevent fraud.” We found no terms-of-use page on flagshipfinancial.com; its sitemap lists none. **Flagship customer phone hours as each of its pages prints them, read 7 October 2026** | Page | Hours printed | | --- | --- | | FAQ and Contact page (1-800-900-5150) | Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central | | Welcome page for new customers | Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central | | Payment Center (agents taking payments) | Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central | | Security Policy | Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern | | Fair Lending Policy | Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern | | Privacy Policy (1-800-707-0114) | Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern | Seven pages give five sets of hours and two numbers. Near opening or closing, go by the FAQ and Contact page, the two that agree. ## Regulators and courts: what the public record shows **California, October 2025.** In a [settlement agreement](https://dfpi.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Admin.-Action-Flagship-Credit-Acceptance-LLC-Settlement-Agreement.pdf) dated October 16, 2025, California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation found that between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 Flagship told California borrowers “who were seeking a modification of their loan terms, to make a good faith payment before the company determined whether the borrower qualified for a loan modification,” and that those requests “were subsequently denied.” The Commissioner called this “a deceptive practice” under Financial Code section 90003. The DFPI also found Flagship “paid unlicensed third-party forwarders in connection with car repossessions” and could not produce records on those fees. “Flagship neither admits nor denies any of the findings.” It accepted an order to desist and refrain, agreed to refund $8,819.41 to the borrowers who made those payments and to pay an $18,819.41 administrative fee ($10,000 more than the refunds, by our arithmetic), and says it has “ceased these practices.” If Flagship asks for a payment while it reviews a hardship request, get the terms in writing first. **CFPB.** The CFPB’s enforcement index, searched for “flagship” on 7 October 2026, returned three actions, all filed February 12, 2015 against reverse mortgage lenders. One is Flagship Financial Group, LLC, which the consent order calls “a privately-held corporation formed and operated under Utah law” licensed as a mortgage lender or broker in 35 states. It is not the auto lender. We found no CFPB action naming Flagship Credit Acceptance. **The robocall class action.** In *Ward v. Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC* (E.D. Pa. No. 17-2069), filed May 5, 2017, the plaintiff alleged that Flagship “placed automated and prerecorded phone calls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.” The parties agreed a $4 million class settlement; the administrator identified 327,924 class members, 67,255 made valid claims (20.5%), and each would have received $35.30. On February 13, 2020 the court refused final approval in a [50-page memorandum](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-paed-2_17-cv-02069/pdf/USCOURTS-paed-2_17-cv-02069-2.pdf), noting Flagship’s own press release put its managed receivables at $2.9 billion. The court ruled on the settlement, not on whether Flagship broke the law, and we did not read what happened after 2020. We found no state attorney-general settlement naming Flagship, though that search was not exhaustive. Flagship’s 2015 filing said it was “not currently involved in any material legal proceedings.” ## Flagship reviews and complaints: CFPB, BBB and Trustpilot The CFPB’s public [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) holds nothing under “Flagship Credit Acceptance.” Complaints about the lender sit under three names Flagship’s privacy notice ties to it: FC HoldCo LLC (the parent named in the 2015 filing), FLAGSHIP FINANCIAL GROUP LLC and CarFinance Capital LLC. Together they hold 3,810 complaints. These are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and a lender with more loans draws more of them. **CFPB complaints under the names tied to Flagship, as of 7 October 2026** | Name in the CFPB database | Complaints | Received | Vehicle loan or lease | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | FC HoldCo LLC | 3,612 | June 2014 to June 2026 | 980 | | FLAGSHIP FINANCIAL GROUP LLC | 111 | February to September 2026 | 38 | | CarFinance Capital LLC, Irvine, CA Branch | 87 | July 2014 to October 2020 | 9 | | Total | 3,810 | | | Most FC HoldCo complaints concern credit reports: 2,009, or 55.6% by our arithmetic, fall under the CFPB’s credit-reporting labels, and 27.1% are vehicle-loan complaints. Of those 980, the largest issue is “Managing the loan or lease” (303, including 182 billing problems), then “Repossession” (160, or 16.3%) and “Struggling to pay your loan” (147, including 71 “Denied request to lower payments”). Another 53 say the borrower was “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off.” Flagship closed 99.8% “with explanation”; two brought monetary relief. The count rose fast under FC HoldCo: 284 complaints in 2022, 724 in 2024 and 886 in 2025, 3.12 times the 2022 level by our arithmetic. In 2026, 416 had arrived under FC HoldCo and the new name together by early October. A fourth record, “Flagship Financial Group,” with 24 mostly mortgage complaints from 2012 to 2021, matches the Utah mortgage company and is not counted. **BBB.** The BBB profile, still titled Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC with “Flagship Financial Group LLC” as an alternate name, gives an A+ rating and says the company is not BBB accredited. It shows 127 complaints in the last 3 years, 78 of them billing issues (61.4%) and 31 service or repair issues, and a 1.12 out of 5 average from 114 customer reviews. **Trustpilot.** The profile, still under flagshipcredit.com, showed a TrustScore of 1.4 from 44 reviews on 7 October 2026, 93% of them one-star; it was claimed in August 2019 and “Replied to 42% of negative reviews.” That is a small sample for a lender this size. ## Before you sign a contract that will go to Flagship You rarely choose Flagship; a dealer or a refinance marketplace does. These steps come from Flagship’s pages and the record above. - **Read the price on the contract.** Flagship publishes no rates, so the contract’s rate, term and total of payments are the only price you will see. Compare them with a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union first. - **Find the late-fee terms.** Flagship says they depend on your state and “the terms of your agreement.” - **Price the add-ons.** Service contracts and GAP sold with the car can be added to the amount financed; ask what each costs and how to cancel. - **Enroll in Automatic Bill Pay.** It waives the $4.75 one-time fee. - **Pick a due date you can keep.** You can move it by up to 15 days, permanently, and there is no skip-a-payment option. - **Get any hardship deal in writing.** California found Flagship asked for “good faith” payments before deciding modification requests it then denied. - **Plan the payoff.** Use certified funds, get a payoff good through the arrival date, and follow up on the lien release. - **Know the way out.** If your credit improves, see [how refinancing works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value); our reviews of [AutoPay](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/), [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/) and [OpenRoad Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/) cover refinance services. ## Common questions ### Is Flagship Credit Acceptance the same as Credit Acceptance? No. Flagship Credit Acceptance, now Flagship Financial Group LLC, is a different lender from Credit Acceptance Corporation, which has [its own review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#settlement) on this site. Nothing in Flagship’s documents links the two. ### How do I make a Flagship Credit Acceptance payment? Log in at my.flagshipfinancial.com with the 17-digit account number from your statement and set up Automatic Bill Pay, which waives the $4.75 one-time fee. You can also pay by phone at 1-800-900-5150, through MoneyGram (receiver code 10041) or Western Union Quick Collect (sender code FLAGSHIP, state code PA), each with a third-party fee, or by mail to the address on your statement. ### What is the Flagship Credit Acceptance phone number? Customer Service is 1-800-900-5150, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central, per its FAQ and Contact page. Credit-report disputes go to CBDispute@flagshipfinancial.com. ### Can I skip a payment with Flagship? No. The FAQ says “Can I skip a payment? No” and asks borrowers facing hardship to call. You can permanently move your due date by up to 15 days or to the 25th. Its 2015 IPO filing described limited extensions, but no current policy is published. ### Who owns Flagship Credit Acceptance now? On 21 November 2025 Flagship announced an agreement for affiliates of InterVest capital partners, a New York investment firm, to buy its operations through Flagship Financial Group LLC, which now signs its website. No primary document we read gives the closing date. Its 2015 filing says funds managed by an affiliate of Perella Weinberg Partners formed Flagship Credit Acceptance LLC in 2010 and still controlled it in 2015. ### Does Flagship refinance car loans? Yes. Its “Direct Lending” arm refinances existing car loans for “non-prime credit consumers” through “several loan aggregators,” and a refinance application can put a Flagship inquiry on your credit report. Flagship publishes no refinance rates, so compare offers before accepting. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/flagship-credit-acceptance-review/ --- title: "USAA Auto Loan: Rates by Model Year, Terms, GAP and Fine Print" description: "USAA auto loan rates read 7 Oct 2026 by model year, term and seller, with the conditions: membership, a 45-day approval, no GAP and the private-sale premium." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/usaa-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # USAA Auto Loan: Rates by Model Year, Terms, GAP and Fine Print > USAA auto loan rates read 7 Oct 2026 by model year, term and seller, with the conditions: membership, a 45-day approval, no GAP and the private-sale premium. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,824 words* ## The short version - A USAA auto loan comes from USAA Federal Savings Bank and is for USAA members only. USAA’s own securitization filing calls the USAA membership the bank’s “only source of applicants.” - On 7 October 2026 USAA’s loan calculator showed “as low as” 4.49% APR for a 2025 or newer car from a dealer over 36 months, including a 0.25-point automatic-payment discount. Older cars, longer terms and private sales cost more. These advertised rates change without notice and are not an offer. - On every row we read, a private-party purchase cost 1.25 percentage points more than the same car from a dealer, while a refinance showed exactly the dealer rate. For 2018 and older models the calculator stops at 72 months. - USAA Bank sells no GAP coverage, and its FAQ says the loan cannot pay for GAP or other credit-related add-ons bought from a dealer. - An approval lasts 45 days. Terms run 36 to 84 months, with minimum amounts of $5,000 up to 60 months, $15,000 for 72 and $25,000 for 84. There is no application fee and no prepayment penalty. - Three regulators took six enforcement actions against the bank from 2019 to 2024; none of the documents names auto loans. The OCC’s December 2024 order requires its sign-off before the bank adds riskier products or widens membership. A USAA auto loan is a fixed-rate loan from USAA Federal Savings Bank for members buying a new or used car from a dealer or a private seller, buying out a lease, or refinancing, with terms of 36 to 84 months and a 45-day approval window. On 7 October 2026 we read USAA’s auto loan page, FAQ, refinance page, loan calculator, car title, membership and SCRA pages, the shelf registration its securitization arm filed with the SEC, the FDIC’s call-report figures and the CFPB, OCC and FinCEN records. We applied for nothing, so no rate or payment here is ours. This site has no commercial relationship with USAA or any lender, and because USAA’s Site Terms ask for permission before anyone links to usaa.com, we name its pages without linking them. **Figure: Will USAA’s auto loan fit this deal?** USAA’s own conditions, from its auto loan pages, FAQ and loan calculator, set against the situation a buyer is in. Source: USAA auto loan page, Auto loan FAQs, refinance page and Consumer Loan Calculator (usaa.com), read 7 October 2026. Rate gaps are our arithmetic on the calculator’s display for a $30,000 loan with the automatic-payment discount; rates change without notice. ## Who can get a USAA auto loan: membership comes first USAA does not lend to the general public. Its Site Terms say its products “are generally available to military members and their families who meet certain membership eligibility criteria,” and the shelf registration that USAA Acceptance, LLC filed with the SEC on 5 August 2025 is blunter: the bank’s “only source of applicants” is USAA’s membership and associate membership, which it describes as mostly current and former officers, enlisted personnel, retirees and their families. USAA’s membership page prints no single eligibility rule. Its questionnaire asks which description fits you: honorably served in the U.S. armed forces, enlisting, commissioning, NOAA or USPHS actively commissioned, federal agency employee, a parent who served or is a member, a spouse who served or is a member, or something else. We did not answer it, so we cannot say which of those routes leads to membership. Two rules are printed in its footnotes: separated military personnel need a discharge of Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions, and “Eligible family members may also join USAA.” The page adds that a member’s children and spouse have a “good chance” of being eligible. Joining costs nothing. USAA says creating a member account is free and that its products “have no membership fees.” Membership is a status, not ownership: USAA’s footnote says the word “member” does not convey “any legal or ownership rights in USAA.” No page we read asks for a savings deposit to hold membership, as [credit unions](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/#membership) do. The regulator has a say too. The OCC’s order of 18 December 2024 bars the bank from expanding its membership criteria without the OCC examiner’s prior written no-objection. ## USAA auto loan rates on 7 October 2026, with every condition USAA’s auto loan page prints one rate: auto purchase loans “as low as 4.49% APR,” which “includes a 0.25% discount for using optional automatic payments.” Its footnote says that displayed rate is the lowest APR, “available on 36 month terms,” and applies to dealer purchases and refinancing. The refinance page advertises the same 4.49%. The full set of rates sits in USAA’s consumer loan calculator, which draws them by script for each loan purpose, model-year band and term. We set the calculator by hand on 7 October 2026. We left its loan amount at the $30,000 it loads with and its automatic-payment discount box checked, as it loads. The table shows what it displayed for a purchase from a dealer. Refinance rates were identical on every row we read. **USAA’s calculator “as low as” APRs for a dealer purchase or a refinance, read 7 October 2026 ($30,000, automatic-payment discount included; subject to change, not an offer)** | Model year | 36 months | 48 months | 60 months | 72 months | 84 months | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025 or newer | 4.49% | 5.55% | 5.65% | 5.81% | 6.33% | | 2022 to 2024 | 5.74% | 5.90% | 5.90% | 6.01% | 6.64% | | 2019 to 2021 | 6.09% | 6.25% | 6.25% | 6.36% | 7.05% | | 2016 to 2018 | 6.30% | 6.56% | 6.84% | 7.52% | Not offered | | 2015 or older | 7.25% | 7.51% | 8.04% | 8.72% | Not offered | Every condition USAA prints beside these rates matters. The rates “vary based on approved credit and other factors, such as term, model year, loan amount, and loan purpose,” and are “subject to change without notice.” The calculator is “for illustrative purposes only,” USAA does “not guarantee these estimates, rates, or terms,” loan-to-value limits exist, and a dealer purchase needs a down payment “in some circumstances.” No minimum credit score is printed anywhere we looked. Our guide to [credit scores and rate shopping](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping) covers comparing quotes. USAA’s payment example, a 36-month loan at 6.40% APR costing $30.60 a month per thousand dollars borrowed, checks out by the standard formula. The calculator also offers 66, 75 and 78 months, which we did not read. Google’s AI summary on the read date mixed USAA’s current rate with an older review-site figure, so check the date on any USAA rate you see. ## What moves a USAA rate: private sellers, older cars, longer terms and autopay Four price rules show up in the calculator that USAA’s pages do not spell out. The gaps below are our arithmetic on its display. **A private seller costs 1.25 points more.** The headline footnote says the displayed rates apply to “dealer purchases and vehicle refinancing.” On all 23 band-and-term pairs we read, a purchase from an individual was exactly 1.25 points above the dealer rate; on a 2025 or newer car over 60 months, the calculator’s finance charges on $30,000 were $1,050.15 higher. **USAA’s calculator “as low as” APRs for a purchase from an individual, read 7 October 2026 ($30,000, automatic-payment discount included; subject to change, not an offer)** | Model year | 36 months | 48 months | 60 months | 72 months | 84 months | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025 or newer | 5.74% | 6.80% | 6.90% | 7.06% | 7.58% | | 2022 to 2024 | 6.99% | 7.15% | 7.15% | 7.26% | 7.89% | | 2019 to 2021 | 7.34% | 7.50% | 7.50% | 7.61% | 8.30% | | 2016 to 2018 | 7.55% | 7.81% | 8.09% | 8.77% | Not offered | | 2015 or older | 8.50% | 8.76% | 9.29% | 9.97% | Not offered | **Older cars cost more, and stop at 72 months.** At 36 months, a 2015 or older car sat 2.76 points above a 2025 or newer one; at 60 months the gap was 2.39 points, worth $2,024.49 more in finance charges on the calculator’s $30,000 example. USAA’s refinance page says there are no age or mileage restrictions, and its auto loan page says its loans apply to “new, used and older vehicles,” so on the pages we read a car’s age sets its price band and term limit rather than a printed age cutoff. **Longer terms cost more, twice.** For a 2025 or newer car the rate climbed from 4.49% at 36 months to 6.33% at 84, and the calculator’s finance charges from $2,120.08 to $7,213.58 on the same $30,000. See [how the term changes what a loan costs](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term). **Skipping automatic payments costs 0.25 points.** With the discount box unchecked, the 60-month rate for a 2025 or newer car rose from 5.65% to 5.90%, and the calculator’s finance charges by $208.49. To get it, USAA’s FAQ says, set up automatic payments when you finalize the loan, before signing, from an account you own and verify; it can be at another bank. One quirk before you budget with it: on every row we read, the calculator’s “Monthly payment” times the term exceeded its own “Total cost of loan.” At 60 months and 5.65%, $577.45 a month comes to $34,647.00, but the screen shows $34,505.40, a $141.60 gap; the standard formula gives $575.11 a month, which fits the total. The gap ran from $119.00 to $325.89 across our readings (our arithmetic). USAA does not explain it. ## What USAA finances, and the amounts and terms USAA’s purchase loan works with dealers, private sellers and lease buyouts, including cars equipped for people with disabilities. The FAQ fills in each route: - **Dealers.** “You can use any dealer.” With online dealers, USAA advises verifying the VIN, seeing the car in person or through an inspection service, and avoiding sending money up front to an unverified seller; see [checking a car’s history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) and a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/). - **Private sellers.** USAA mails a check payable to the seller once it has your documents; you pay the taxes and fees to move the title, and some states need notarized documents. See [how the lien works in a private sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#lien). - **Lease buyouts.** “It depends on your lease contract,” but often you can, and USAA tells you to call to apply. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#financing) covers the other costs. - **Refinancing.** Another lender’s loan, or a USAA loan “in good standing.” USAA needs a 10-day payoff amount, mails the old lender a check 2 to 3 business days after approval and signing, and may roll in negative equity. It warns a longer term “may cost you more in the long run.” See [what a refinance needs](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#what-you-need) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/). - **A new car bought overseas.** Allowed if it has never been titled and meets U.S. specifications, for members living in the U.S. or on a U.S. military base, subject to approval. - **Not covered.** Motorcycles and vans converted to RVs (separate USAA loans exist) and commercial vehicles, from semi-trucks to food trucks. On amounts and terms, the footnote is the rulebook. Terms of 36 to 60 months need at least $5,000 financed, 72 months needs $15,000, and 84 months needs $25,000 and is available on new cars (the current model year plus or minus one) and used ones “two or more years old.” “Maximum loan amounts apply,” but no maximum is printed for auto loans. The shelf registration ties the maximum to creditworthiness, debts, term, gross income and loan-to-value; USAA’s FAQ example is $27,000 borrowed on a $30,000 car, an LTV of 90%. There is no application fee or prepayment penalty; refinances may carry state and local fees. The term rules do not quite agree with each other. The footnote offers 84 months on used cars two or more years old, but the calculator offers 84 months only for 2019 and newer models and shows “36 to 72 months” for anything older. The auto loan page says longer terms depend on “your credit”; the refinance page says they depend on “how much you borrow.” Ask before you count on 84 months for an older car. ## Applying, the 45-day approval and how USAA underwrites You apply online, in the USAA Mobile App or by phone, and USAA recommends applying before you shop. The FAQ lists what to have ready: income details, the loan amount you want, the vehicle’s age and trade-in details. If you are approved, “You have 45 days to finalize your loan and buy your car.” To finalize, USAA needs the VIN, the odometer reading, the seller’s details and the final amount, plus your choice of how to repay; documents are signed electronically, and changes can be requested online while you are still in the offer period and the loan is unfunded. What USAA’s pages do not say is how it checks your credit. None of the auto loan pages we read says whether the application is a soft or a hard inquiry, or offers a prequalification. USAA’s advice article on the subject explains that prequalification usually uses a soft check and preapproval a hard one, then adds that “not all lenders offer both options” and to confirm with the lender. Assume a hard inquiry unless USAA says otherwise; see [using a preapproval at the dealer](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk). The shelf registration describes the underwriting itself. The bank “directly originates” its auto loans and reviews each application first by an automated process: if the applicant meets certain criteria and has at least a specified credit score, the loan is approved; if not, an underwriter makes a judgmental review; otherwise the application is declined. The criteria named are payment and credit history, two income tests (total monthly debt to gross monthly income, and the loan payment to gross monthly income) and a loan-to-value test on the car’s market value. Exceptions need “compensating factors,” and the two examples given are an established deposit relationship with the bank and a positive credit history with it. The filing says the bank’s origination policies had no material changes in the three years before it. ## Is there a USAA car buying service? Not on any auto loan page we read. Neither the auto loan page, the FAQ, the refinance page nor the calculator mentions a USAA car buying service or a rate discount for using one, and the loan flow they describe is simple: get approved, then buy from any dealer or a private seller within 45 days. USAA’s own advice article on car buying services, updated 23 September 2025, describes brokers, concierges, online platforms, membership-based car buying programs, auctions and fleet sellers in general terms without naming a USAA program. The bank’s securitization filing tells a different story about the past. Its form of prospectus includes an optional, bracketed passage about “the Bank’s TrueCar program,” under which a qualifying borrower’s rate “is reduced between 0.25% and 1.00%.” Bracketed text in a form is used only if it applies to a given pool, so the filing does not show the program is running today, and we found no consumer page offering it. If a dealer or a website tells you a USAA buying program cuts your rate, ask USAA to confirm it in writing. Our [Carfax discount page](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-discount/), which read USAA’s public Perks page on 2 October 2026, found member discount categories, auto incentives among them, reached by logging on, and no USAA Carfax offer. Whatever route you take, compare [out-the-door prices](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/), not discounts off sticker. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the mirror's reflection, its warning light and the road-side hill, with how long a USAA auto loan approval lasts and its terms, USAA's position on GAP, and what a private buyer must do about the title. USAA’s auto loan page and FAQ, read on 7 October 2026, say an approval lasts 45 days, with terms of 36 to 84 months that each need a minimum amount (callout 1); that USAA Bank sells no GAP and its loan cannot finance a dealer’s GAP (callout 2); and that a private buyer files the title and adds USAA as lienholder at the DMV (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## No GAP from USAA, and what happens after a total loss This is the condition most likely to surprise a buyer at the dealer’s finance desk. USAA’s FAQ asks whether you can finance GAP or other credit-related add-ons from the dealer, and answers: “No. You can’t use a USAA Bank Auto Loan to finance GAP or other credit-related products.” Some other add-ons, “things like extended warranties and vehicle protection plans,” may be financed. A separate answer says “USAA Bank doesn’t offer GAP coverage,” and that GAP on a loan you refinance into USAA ends, so you should ask your old lender for a refund of any unused premium. **Plan for GAP before you sign.** If the dealer puts GAP on a contract you mean to pay off with a USAA loan, USAA says the loan cannot cover it. If you want GAP, it has to be paid for outside the USAA loan. Our guides to [how GAP works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) and [where it is sold](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/#where-to-buy) cover the choices. Without GAP, a total loss works the way USAA’s FAQ describes: you keep paying while your insurer handles the claim, USAA applies the settlement to your balance, any surplus is sent to you, and if you still owe, you keep making your contractual payments until the loan is paid off. If you bought a service contract or other protection product from the dealer, you may qualify for a refund. The shelf registration adds that every loan requires physical damage insurance on the car, that the bank “does not monitor” whether borrowers keep it, and that most borrowers buy it from USAA or an affiliate. None of the consumer pages we read states that requirement. USAA no longer sells a service contract of its own either. Its Extended Vehicle Protection plan, provided by Assurant, was offered through 2018, and USAA says it “doesn’t currently offer an EVP plan for purchase.” Contracts bought before then run to their own expiry. ## Payments, payoff and the title USAA’s loans are simple-interest loans that accrue interest daily on the principal: balance times rate, divided by 365 (366 in a leap year). Its FAQ example is $10,000 at 8%, which is $800 a year, or $2.19 a day, and it warns that “longer months or gaps between payments will result in more interest.” Each payment goes first to unpaid fees and charges other than late charges, then interest due, principal due, unpaid late charges and finally the remaining principal. No late-fee amount is printed on any page we read. Extra money can go two ways. You can make regular payments ahead of their due dates, or send a principal-only payment, which lowers the balance “but don’t satisfy the amount due for that period,” so the next installment is still owed. You can pay off early or make extra payments without penalty. The refinance page offers payments once a month, twice a month or every 2 weeks. Payments made on a weekend, a holiday or after 9 p.m. CT may post the next business day. The due date “can’t be changed,” though you choose it at closing. On automatic payments, paying the full amount due at least 2 business days before the draft skips the next draft, while a smaller payment must arrive at least 12 days before to reduce it; the two windows differ as printed. Report payment errors within 60 days. An overpaid payoff is refunded 15 calendar days after the last payment posts, or 7 to 10 days later by mailed check. USAA is the lienholder. A dealer in your home state should file the title for you. After a private sale you take the signed title to your state’s titling agency, pay the fees, put it in your name and add USAA as lienholder; in 12 jurisdictions, including Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, you also bring a copy of the signed Note, Disclosure and Security Agreement. After the final payment, USAA releases the title on a timetable that depends on the payoff method and state rules, and most states then want a release of lien. USAA says it usually lets you take the car overseas when you deploy or move, but shipping it needs a USAA letter for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which USAA will not process if your payment is more than 30 days overdue. After a move to another state, the new state’s titling agency requests the original title from USAA if it needs it. ## Falling behind: extensions, SCRA and repossession If you are current but expect trouble, USAA’s FAQ says you can ask online to extend a due date; extensions depend on availability and eligibility, and interest keeps accruing. If you are already past due, it says to call. For servicemembers, USAA goes beyond the law. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest at 6% on debt taken on before active duty; USAA says it caps qualifying accounts, auto loans included, at 4%, and will tell you within 30 days whether you qualify. A bracketed passage in the shelf registration says the servicer keeps the 4% cap for 12 months after active duty ends. USAA “can’t process” an application received more than 180 days after qualifying service ends, and when benefits end the regular rate returns. One trap: USAA warns that refinancing a loan that has SCRA benefits may end them. The shelf registration describes what happens next for loans that go unpaid. The bank starts calling on day 1 for high-risk loans, day 7 for medium and day 10 for low risk. After 50 days it sends a right-to-cure letter on balances over $1,500, and “Generally, the Bank initiates repossession procedures” after 72 days of delinquency, sooner if the loan is deemed uncollectible, the car is at risk or the borrower surrenders it. Losses are recognized by 120 days, or within 60 days of a bankruptcy notice, and after a repossession sale the bank “pursues any deficiency” where practical and lawful. It also offers loss-mitigation options to members in hardship and may cut rates for some borrowers with a consistent payment history. Our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) explains the notices and rights that state law adds. ## Regulators, complaints and USAA’s auto loan book None of the enforcement documents we read says an action concerned auto loans, but two touch borrowers: the OCC’s 2020 penalty names Servicemembers Civil Relief Act violations without saying which products were involved, and its 2024 order still binds the bank. **Regulators’ actions against USAA Federal Savings Bank, as each document describes them (read 7 October 2026)** | Date | Regulator and document | What it says | Product | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 3 January 2019 | CFPB consent order, 2019-BCFP-0001 | Stop-payment, error-resolution and account-reopening failures; about $12 million in restitution and a $3.5 million penalty, consented to “without admitting or denying”; terminated after 5 years. | Deposits | | 7 January 2019 | OCC consent order, AA-EA-2018-90 | Ineffective risk management, compliance management, audit and IT programs; the bank “neither admits nor denies.” | Bank-wide | | 14 October 2020 | OCC civil money penalty, AA-ENF-2020-67 | $85 million for compliance and IT risk governance failures that “resulted in violations of law, including but not limited to violations of the Military Lending Act and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act”; neither admitted nor denied. | Not specified | | 17 March 2022 | OCC penalty and cease-and-desist order | $60 million for Bank Secrecy Act violations and an order to fix the anti-money-laundering program. | Compliance program | | 17 March 2022 | FinCEN civil money penalty | $140 million in total, crediting the OCC’s $60 million; FinCEN says the bank “admitted” willfully failing to keep an adequate anti-money-laundering program from at least January 2016 through April 2021. | Compliance program | | 18 December 2024 | OCC comprehensive cease-and-desist order, AA-ENF-2024-96 | Replaces the 2019 and 2022 orders; unsafe or unsound practices including consumer compliance; requires finding and repaying harmed customers and OCC sign-off before riskier products or wider membership; neither admitted nor denied. | Bank-wide | By our arithmetic the civil money penalties in these documents total $228.5 million, counting the OCC’s 2022 penalty once because FinCEN credited it against its own $140 million. The CFPB lists only the 2019 action; we found no 2022 CFPB order. The 2024 order found the bank still out of compliance with parts of the earlier orders. We could not open the OCC’s enforcement search, so a later change would not appear here. The CFPB’s complaint database files USAA complaints under United Services Automobile Association. Through 6 October 2026 it held 713 vehicle loan or lease complaints, plus 186 car-loan complaints under the label used before 2017, 899 in all by our arithmetic, out of 19,868 naming USAA. The largest issue was managing the loan (241), then getting a loan (159) and problems at the end of the loan (126), within which 62 concerned the title or other problems after payoff. 389 complaints carried a servicemember tag; 87.2% were closed with an explanation and 91 with monetary or non-monetary relief. Counts rose from 86 in 2024 to 111 in 2025, with 99 so far in 2026. Complaints are unverified, and counts grow with a lender’s size; USAA ranked 33rd of 1,153 companies. Size is in the call reports. The FDIC’s data show USAA Federal Savings Bank held $17.4 billion of auto loans on 30 June 2026, 37.7% of its $46.2 billion loan book, down $522 million, or 2.9%, from $17.9 billion at the end of 2024. Auto loans 30 to 89 days past due were $77 million, 0.44% of the total, with none reported 90 days or more past due and $45 million on nonaccrual. Net auto charge-offs were $91 million in 2025, 0.52% of the year-end balance, and $46 million in the first half of 2026 (our arithmetic from the FDIC’s figures). USAA itself files with the SEC as an investment manager, with no annual report on the first page of its EDGAR filings. Its bank’s car loans reach the SEC through securitization: registered USAA auto owner trusts run from 2000-1 to 2019-1, which stopped reporting on 21 September 2022, and the depositor, USAA Acceptance, LLC, has a shelf registration effective 26 August 2025 and filed a due-diligence report for USAA Auto Owner Trust 2026-A dated 23 September 2026. The underwriting and collections passages above come from that registration. ## Before you apply for a USAA auto loan - **Confirm membership first.** USAA lends only to members. - **Price your exact deal in the calculator.** The 4.49% headline needs a 2025 or newer car, a dealer or refinance, 36 months and autopay. - **Check the minimum for your term.** $5,000 up to 60 months, $15,000 for 72 and $25,000 for 84. Ask about 84 months on a car older than a 2019 model before counting on it. - **Set up automatic payments before you sign.** The 0.25-point discount needs autopay arranged when you finalize, from an account you own and have verified. - **Use the 45 days.** Keep other applications in a short window and compare APR and total cost, not the monthly payment. - **Decide on GAP before the finance office.** A USAA loan cannot pay for dealer GAP, and USAA Bank sells none. - **Plan the title.** Buying privately, you file it and add USAA as lienholder yourself. - **Keep your car insured.** USAA’s securitization filing says every loan requires physical damage insurance on the car. We have read other lenders that serve military families the same way, [Navy Federal](https://baronauto1.com/financing/navy-federal-auto-loan/) and [PenFed](https://baronauto1.com/financing/penfed-auto-loan/), and a bank lender, [Wells Fargo](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/). We do not rank lenders; compare the APR and total cost each quotes for the same car, term and date. ## Common questions ### What are USAA’s auto loan rates right now? On 7 October 2026 USAA’s calculator showed “as low as” rates from 4.49% APR (2025 or newer, dealer or refinance, 36 months) to 8.72% (2015 or older, 72 months), and 9.97% for that older car from a private seller, all for $30,000 with autopay. A 2025 or newer car was 5.65% at 60 months, 5.81% at 72 and 6.33% at 84. Rates change without notice. ### Who is eligible for a USAA auto loan? Only USAA members: military members and families who meet its criteria. Its questionnaire covers those who served honorably, are enlisting or commissioning, NOAA or USPHS officers, federal agency employees, and parents and spouses of those who served or are members. Membership is free. ### Can I use a USAA auto loan to buy from a private seller? Yes. USAA mails a check payable to the seller, and you file the title, adding USAA as lienholder. The calculator priced every private sale we read 1.25 points above the dealer rate. ### Does USAA offer GAP insurance on car loans? No. USAA’s FAQ says USAA Bank “doesn’t offer GAP coverage,” and that a USAA auto loan cannot finance GAP or other credit-related products bought from a dealer. If you refinance into USAA, GAP on your old loan ends. ### How long is a USAA auto loan approval good for? 45 days. USAA’s auto loan page says the approval “is good for 45 days,” and its FAQ says you have 45 days to finalize the loan and buy the car. ### What is USAA’s longest auto loan term? 84 months, which needs at least $25,000 financed and, in the calculator, a 2019 or newer model. 72 months needs $15,000. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/usaa-auto-loan/ --- title: "Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff, Lease End" description: "How to pay Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and what each way costs, payoff and title, lease-end credits and charges, transfers, and what its filings show." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/mercedes-benz-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff, Lease End > How to pay Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and what each way costs, payoff and title, lease-end credits and charges, transfers, and what its filings show. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,813 words* ## The short version - Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC (MBFS), formed in 2007 and owned by Mercedes-Benz Group AG, services every loan and lease it buys. Accounts live at mbfs.com and in the Mercedes-Benz Finance app. - Paying from a checking or savings account, online or by Auto Pay, carries no MBFS fee. Cards go through REPAY, a third party that “will charge a service fee.” - For a payoff MBFS wants a cashier’s check and Auto Pay stopped 10 days ahead. It prints no time for releasing the title, and title trouble is the top end-of-loan complaint against it at the CFPB. - At lease end MBFS credits the turn-in fee, up to $595, if your next Mercedes-Benz goes through it. Buying out early costs the adjusted lease balance plus 4% where state law allows. - Lease transfers are allowed only for families of deceased customers and in Connecticut ($50 plus $595, and the original lessee stays jointly liable). - Its 2026 prospectuses show loan delinquencies up from 1.14% to 3.08% between 2021 and 2025. We found no CFPB, Justice Department or state attorney-general action naming MBFS. Most people who search “Mercedes-Benz Financial Services” want to log in, pay, pay off a loan or hand back a lease. On 7 October 2026 we read what Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC (MBFS) publishes on those questions: the FAQ, glossary, Terms of Use and privacy notice on mbfs.com, and the MBFS pages on Mercedes-Benz USA’s site, including its payment FAQ and First Class Finish lease-end guide. We also read two MBFS securitization prospectuses filed with the SEC in 2026, the CFPB’s enforcement list and complaint database, and one state attorney-general release. We opened no account screen. This site has no commercial relationship with Mercedes-Benz, MBFS or any lender. Where MBFS’s pages contradict each other, we say so. **Figure: Mercedes-Benz Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of seven things Mercedes-Benz Financial Services customers search for and what MBFS’s own pages and its 2026 lease prospectus said on 7 October 2026: free bank-account payments, a third-party card fee, a due-date fee for moves of 11 to 28 days, a payoff with no printed title time, a turn-in fee credit of up to $595, a 4% early-buyout add-on and transfers limited to two cases. Sources: mbfs.com FAQ and glossary, MBUSA’s Financial Services FAQ and First Class Finish page, Mercedes-Benz Auto Lease Trust 2026-A prospectus. Read 7 October 2026. ## Who MBFS is, where the login lives, and what it does with your data The loan prospectus calls MBFS “a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group AG,” formed in 2007, which buys contracts from Mercedes-Benz dealers and services all of them, including those sold to bond trusts. Leases are owned through a titling trust, Mercedes-Benz Vehicle Trust, which is why that name appears on insurance checks. Its managed loan book was $10.3 billion at the end of 2025; its lease book $19.5 billion at 30 September 2025. The front door is mbfs.com (“Login or Register”) and the Mercedes-Benz Finance app, which MBFS says is “not applicable for smart vehicles.” First-time users give their last name, ZIP code and “the last four digits of your Social Security Number,” or the account number and date of birth. A co-buyer or guarantor cannot request a payoff quote and can pay only through REPAY, where “Fees may apply.” We name the login pages rather than link them: MBFS’s Terms of Use require written approval for links beyond a text link to its home page. MBFS publishes no rates. Its FAQ says estimator rates “are for sample purposes only. You and your Mercedes-Benz Dealer will determine your actual rate.” The prospectus says the amount MBFS advances can include “dealer markups,” so your contract rate can sit above what MBFS approved; our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains the gap, and a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a number to compare. MBFS also “frequently purchases” contracts at below-target rates under carmaker incentive programs. **Your data.** MBFS’s federal privacy notice says it shares your information for its own marketing, for joint marketing with “automobile dealers and insurance companies” and with affiliates about your transactions, and you cannot limit those. You can stop affiliates such as Mercedes-Benz USA from marketing to you, and MBFS “does not share with nonaffiliates so they can market to you.” Sharing can begin “30 days from the date we sent this notice” and continues after you leave unless you limit what the law lets you limit. ## How to pay MBFS, and which ways cost money **Ways to pay a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services account, from MBFS’s FAQ on mbfs.com, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Fee, in MBFS’s words | What else MBFS says | | --- | --- | --- | | Online or in the app, from a checking or savings account | “no fee or charge assessed” | One-time or recurring; you can add principal | | Auto Pay | “no fee or charge assessed” | Primary account holder only; cancel “more than 3 days before” the next payment | | Debit or credit card through REPAY | “will charge a service fee to your card” | “a third party provider”; no amount printed | | Phone | “A processing fee may apply depending on your state law” | Bank account, debit or credit card; no amount printed | | Mail | None printed | The default if you choose no electronic method | The cheap route is a bank account. A payment that bounces can bring “late fees and/or a return payment charge,” amounts not printed. The prospectus says statements go out “approximately 19 days before a payment is due” and lists “credit card payments” among MBFS’s most-used methods, so the card fee is not an edge case. The two sites disagree about statements. MBFS’s FAQ says with Auto Pay “You will automatically receive electronic statements.” Mercedes-Benz USA’s copy says “You’ll receive no monthly statement with Auto Pay,” and omits REPAY and the phone fee. Check your settings if you rely on a statement to catch errors. **Moving your due date.** MBFS’s FAQ says only to call “for details.” Mercedes-Benz USA’s copy prints what reads like guidance for phone agents: “No fee for changes from 1 – 10 days, however, a fee is required for those 11 – 28 days,” “Only 1 change per month,” changes “cannot be reversed,” the account “must be current,” and a lease’s maturity date does not move. No fee amount is printed, so ask before moving it more than 10 days. ## Falling behind: extensions, deferrals and collections MBFS’s FAQ says only “To speak with us about payment options please contact us.” The rules are in the prospectuses. **Loans.** MBFS may extend or modify the payment schedule, with “current interest due collected,” at its “sole discretion” and within limits: “a maximum of eight extensions over the life of the Contract,” “no more than three extensions within the last 12 months,” “the first four contract payments must be paid” first, and “the extension must bring the account current.” More may be allowed after “a natural disaster or extreme circumstances.” **Leases.** A deferral adds the deferred amount “to the maturity of the lease,” and “a deferral fee may be charged,” amount unprinted. Get the fee and the new maturity date in writing. **The collections clock.** A loan payment is late when less than 90% of it arrives “within one day after the related due date,” and phone calls “can begin as early as one day after the due date.” After a repossession “a legal notice containing redemption instructions is sent”; if you do not redeem, the car is auctioned and the net proceeds go against the balance. Contracts are generally “submitted for charge-off by the 120th day of delinquency” when MBFS cannot find the car, and shortfalls are pursued “to the extent practicable and legally permitted.” Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers state rules. **Nobody at MBFS checks that your car is insured.** Both prospectuses say “MBFS USA is not obligated to, and does not, monitor whether” the customer is “maintaining that insurance,” and a lapse is “an event of default.” The lease’s GAP Waiver applies only “as long as your insurance is in place at the time of the loss.” Keep the policy current and send MBFS each renewal. ## Payoff quotes, the payoff address and your title Payoff figures come from your online account (primary account holders only), the app, a “24-hour Automated Information Line” or a Mercedes-Benz dealer. “You may pay off the remaining balance of your loan at any time before the last payment is due.” MBFS loans are simple interest: a borrower who prepays pays “interest only to the date of prepayment,” the prospectus says. MBFS’s pages say nothing either way about a prepayment penalty. - **Stop Auto Pay first:** “at least 10 days prior to paying off or trading in your vehicle to ensure that the funds are not debited in error,” longer than the three days its Auto Pay answer gives for an ordinary cancellation. - **Send a cashier’s check** “For the fastest processing,” and “include instructions as to where to send the title.” - **Confirm the overnight address.** mbfs.com and Mercedes-Benz USA’s copy of the FAQ print the same P.O. box for standard payoffs but different Chicago street addresses for overnight ones. Neither site gives a time for releasing the title, and title trouble is the largest end-of-loan or lease complaint against MBFS in the CFPB database: 75 complaints about being “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off.” If a buyer or new lender is waiting, ask MBFS how release works in your state and keep proof of when your payment cleared. Some MBFS loans are “non-walkaway balloon accounts”: at maturity “the customer must pay the balloon payment amount,” which MBFS “may offer” to finance. To move a loan elsewhere, see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). ## Ending an MBFS lease: return, buy or extend MBFS’s FAQ lists three choices: return the car, buy it, or “In limited circumstances” extend. Mercedes-Benz USA’s First Class Finish page says the return process “starts approximately four months prior to your lease maturity date”; the lease prospectus says MBFS starts contacting customers “at 6 months to contract maturity.” **Returning it.** Book the “complimentary pre-inspection with the independent third-party inspection company” (OPENLANE), at home or work; read the report and consider repairs at a Mercedes-Benz dealer; book the return with your dealer; then wait for the lease-end statement, with charges “based on the final, third-party vehicle inspection to be conducted at vehicle turn-in.” The prospectus says that if nothing has changed since a pre-inspection, the dealer “will ground the vehicle and can provide the customer a maturity bill.” Keep the pre-inspection report and photos from turn-in day. **Buying it.** The glossary says you buy “for the purchase option price stated in the lease agreement.” The prospectus says that price is “generally equal to the stated residual value established at the inception of the lease, subject to certain concessions MBFS USA may offer,” so asking for one is reasonable. Our guide to [lease buyouts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) covers the taxes and fees on top. **Buying out early costs more than the balance.** The lease prospectus sets the early purchase price as amounts due, fees and taxes, “an amount equal to the vehicle turn-in fee, where allowed by law,” the adjusted lease balance, “plus (5) 4% of the adjusted lease balance, where allowed by state law.” That is $400 on every $10,000 of balance, by our arithmetic. Get a written quote and compare it with the price at maturity. **Extending or leaving early.** The prospectus allows extensions of up to three months without an order for a new car, though “dealer engagement is required”; “any extension of four months or greater require confirmation of a purchase order on a new vehicle,” and “Generally, extensions of any type may not exceed 12 months.” Returning early triggers an “Early Return of Vehicle Charge, if allowed by state law,” the lesser of two sums that both include unpaid amounts and “any turn-in fee specified in the Lease.” MBFS’s pull-ahead programs have offered “payment waivers from three to five months plus waiver of the customer’s end of lease disposition fee” to lessees who take a new Mercedes-Benz. Under certain circumstances servicemembers with military orders can end a lease, and “No early termination charges may be imposed.” Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#the-end) explains how lease endings are disclosed. ## The turn-in fee, extra miles and wear charges **The turn-in fee and the loyalty credits.** No MBFS page prints the fee itself (the FAQ calls it the “vehicle return fee”); your lease does. The First Class Finish page prints two credits instead. “If you replace your off-lease vehicle with a new Mercedes-Benz vehicle, we will credit your account for excess wear and use charges up to $500,” and “if you lease or finance your next Mercedes-Benz vehicle with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS), you will receive a credit for the vehicle turn-in fee, up to $595.” Its footnote says you must not be in default, must “apply for and meet current Mercedes-Benz Financial Services credit approval criteria” for the turn-in credit, and still owe wear above $500, excess mileage and overdue maintenance. “The turn-in fee credit is not applicable to New York contracts entered into on or after 1/1/25.” **Extra miles.** MBFS’s glossary offers allowances of “7,500 / 10,000 / 12,000 / 15,000 (standard term) / 20,000” miles a year and says “There is currently a 0.25¢ charge that is assessed for each mile beyond the mileage allowance,” with miles bought at signing for “0.20¢ per mile.” Read literally, 0.25¢ is a quarter of a cent, or $2.50 for 1,000 extra miles; if MBFS means 25 cents, it is $250, by our arithmetic. The glossary does not say which, and Mercedes-Benz USA’s Assess your Vehicle page says only “Refer to your Lease Agreement for the per-mile rate.” That page also mentions “additional miles purchased midterm,” so ask MBFS about buying miles before turn-in if you are running over. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a leather front seat mark the seat back, the seat-belt side and the headrest, with Mercedes-Benz's lease-end charges for interior damage and damaged safety items, and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services' turn-in fee credit. Mercedes-Benz USA’s lease-end wear-and-use page, read on 7 October 2026, bills tears, cuts, holes or burns to the interior regardless of size (callout 1) and damaged safety items such as torn seat belts (callout 2); Mercedes-Benz Financial Services credits the turn-in fee, up to $595, when the next Mercedes-Benz is leased or financed through it (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Wear and use.** MBFS’s FAQ says “The standard for excess wear and use is set forth in your lease.” The First Class Finish page offers “The Credit Card Test®”: “if exterior damage cannot be seen when a standard size credit card is placed over it, you won’t be charged,” though the test does not cover windshields, lights, wheels, tires, cracks, gouges, holes, collective damage or interior damage. Its Assess your Vehicle page lists what is charged: **What draws an excess wear and use charge on an MBFS lease return, abridged from Mercedes-Benz USA’s Assess your Vehicle page, read 7 October 2026** | Area | Charged at turn-in | | --- | --- | | Body | Holes, cracks, gouges, tears or cuts of any size; dents or through-the-paint scratches larger than a credit card; the sixth and each later through-the-paint scratch on a panel; hail and other single-event damage | | Interior | Tears, cuts, holes or burns of any size; damaged safety items such as torn seat belts | | Glass and lights | Cracks, stars, holes or plugs; a windshield with 3 or more chips | | Tires and wheels | Cracked or bent wheels; non-original wheels not fitted by a Mercedes-Benz dealer; tread under 1/8 inch (4/32); sidewall damage; tires on an axle differing in size, brand, model, type or speed rating | | Maintenance and changes | Scheduled maintenance not done and documented; aftermarket changes not reversed; non-factory paint | | Missing items | Second key, cargo cover, tool kit, spare tire, EV charging cables and other original equipment | Tires are the easiest charge to trip. A car delivered on run-flats must go back on run-flats, so if you replace tires first, buy the original size, type and speed rating; our [Discount Tire warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) reads one retailer’s terms. The prospectus adds one point in your favor: “MBFS USA may, however, waive all or part of the excessive wear and tear or mileage billed to the lessee.” Asking costs nothing. Our guide to [wear-and-tear standards](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear) explains how they are disclosed. **First Class Lease Protection.** This optional add-on, sold only “at the time of vehicle lease,” waives “specified excess wear and use charges up to a maximum limit of $7,500,” including missing parts “up to $200 per part” and one key fob, with no deductible, but not damage from “a single event with damage over $3,000” or excess miles. No price is printed. Check your contract for it before paying a wear bill. ## Can you transfer an MBFS lease? Mostly no. “MBFS does not offer vehicle transfers,” its FAQ says, except for “the families of deceased customers who wish to keep the vehicle” and “Connecticut Lease Contracts as required by law; the original lessee will remain jointly liable under the Lease Agreement.” The new customer is “subject to credit approval.” For families MBFS calls the service “complementary,” apparently meaning free. In Connecticut, “There is a $50 non-refundable application fee and a $595 transfer fee,” $645 in all by our arithmetic. These are the terms our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) recorded on 6 October 2026, unchanged a day later. The new customer takes on “all financial obligations,” including earlier taxes, parking tickets and traffic violations, the security deposit, and “all lease-end charges.” The original customer keeps insuring the car and “may physically transfer the vehicle to the new customer when the confirmation package is received.” Extended warranties and optional insurance “do not transfer with the contract.” If neither exception fits, the routes in MBFS’s documents are a call about “available options,” an early return, an early buyout or a pull-ahead. ## Insurance, GAP, tickets and taxes **Insurance.** MBFS’s FAQ says a lease requires bodily injury liability of “not less than $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence,” property damage “not less than $50,000,” comprehensive and collision for the car’s actual cash value, and a “$2,500 maximum allowed deductible.” The sites name different loss payees: mbfs.com says “Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC must be listed,” while Mercedes-Benz USA’s copy and the lease prospectus name the titling trust, Mercedes-Benz Vehicle Trust, which is also a payee on insurance repair checks. Ask your insurer to list the trust and confirm with MBFS. Loans need “continual comprehensive and collision insurance.” The deadline for telling MBFS about a cancellation differs by tab: “within 30 days of the effective date” for leases, “at least 30 days prior” for loans. Send each new policy promptly. **GAP.** Every First Class Lease includes a GAP Waiver, conditional on insurance being in force and payments current, and you still owe “an amount equal to your policy’s deductible.” On a loan GAP is optional; First Class Guaranteed Auto Protection, administered by a Zurich company and “marketed through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services,” can also cover a deductible “up to $1,000 where allowable by state law.” No price is printed. Our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) explains lease GAP; on an MBFS lease, ask before buying a second policy. **Tickets and taxes.** MBFS “pays parking and toll tickets and adds the charges to your account,” and its glossary adds “an administration fee of $25 (to the extent permitted by law)” per parking ticket; Mercedes-Benz USA’s copy leaves the $25 out. A toll tag keeps toll notices with you. Lease sales tax is “billed either monthly or upfront depending on the state law,” and personal property tax bills go to MBFS and onto your account. Leased cars are “restricted to the United States,” with trips of “up to 30 days in Mexico and Canada” by arrangement. ## What MBFS’s securitization filings show MBFS sells pools of loans and leases to trusts whose bonds are registered with the SEC, and the prospectuses print data its web pages do not. We read the [Mercedes-Benz Auto Receivables Trust 2026-1 prospectus](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2115657/000114036126021348/ef20073238_424b2.htm) (loans, filed 14 May 2026, tables to 31 December 2025) and the [Mercedes-Benz Auto Lease Trust 2026-A prospectus](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2096965/000114036126001320/ef20063019_424b2.htm) (filed 15 January 2026, the latest lease prospectus on file, tables to 30 September 2025). The portfolio tables cover MBFS’s whole managed U.S. book. MBFS bought 54,517 retail contracts in 2025 against 138,361 in 2021, 60.6% fewer, and pre-owned cars secured 67.7% of the money it lent in 2025, up from 53.8%, by our arithmetic. The 31,650 loans in the 2026-1 pool had a weighted average FICO score of 779.86 and contract rates from 0.00% to 11.99%, averaging 6.37%. That describes one pool MBFS chose to securitize, not rates on offer. **MBFS’s serviced U.S. retail loan portfolio (Mercedes-Benz Auto Receivables Trust 2026-1 prospectus)** | Year | Contracts serviced at 31 December | 31+ days delinquent | Net losses, % of average balance | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 368,111 | 1.14% | 0.27% | | 2022 | 356,457 | 1.62% | 0.49% | | 2023 | 363,418 | 2.73% | 1.05% | | 2024 | 339,331 | 2.61% | 1.59% | | 2025 | 286,608 | 3.08% | 1.52% | Delinquency at the end of 2025 was 2.7 times its 2021 level and the net loss rate 5.6 times, by our arithmetic. The lease book held up better: 0.92% of leases were 31 days or more behind at 30 September 2025, against 1.14% a year earlier. **What happens to returned leases.** The lease prospectus reports the share of ending leases that came back to MBFS and its average gain or loss on each against J.D. Power-ALG’s residual forecast, net of remarketing costs and end-of-lease collections. **Leases ending at MBFS: share returned and average result per returned car (Mercedes-Benz Auto Lease Trust 2026-A prospectus)** | Period | Returned to MBFS | Average gain or loss per returned car | | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 49.70% | $4,423 gain | | 2022 | 19.12% | $4,078 gain | | 2023 | 21.33% | $4,623 gain | | 2024 | 38.30% | $2,152 gain | | First nine months of 2024 | 36.21% | $2,642 gain | | First nine months of 2025 | 48.40% | $718 loss | In 2022 and 2023, while MBFS was clearing an average of $4,078 and then $4,623 over the residual on each car that came back, only about one in five ending leases were returned. In the first nine months of 2025, 48.40% came back and MBFS lost $718 on the average one, a swing of $3,360 a car from a year earlier, by our arithmetic. Your lease is closed-end: you are not responsible for “any amount by which the Contract Residual Value of the Leased Vehicle exceeds the Sales Proceeds.” If your car is worth less than its purchase-option price, handing it back leaves that loss with MBFS; if it is worth more, buying it keeps the difference. Get an appraisal first. The MBFS pages we read do not say whether it accepts a payoff from a third-party dealer, so ask before agreeing to sell a leased car to one. The loan prospectus also describes the Certified Pre-Owned program as cars “fewer than six model years old,” with “fewer than 75,000 miles,” that pass “a 165+ point vehicle inspection”; MBFS’s glossary still says “a rigorous 130+ point inspection.” Our [Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned guide](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mercedes-benz-certified-pre-owned/#inspection) reads the current terms. Both prospectuses say no legal or governmental proceedings “that are material to Noteholders” are pending or contemplated, a statement about bondholders, not individual disputes. The loan prospectus adds that MBFS has been under the CFPB’s supervisory authority since 2015. ## Regulators and complaints We found no enforcement action naming MBFS. The CFPB’s enforcement list, filtered by “mercedes” and by “daimler” on 7 October 2026, returned “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” Web searches for Justice Department, servicemember-law or state attorney-general actions naming MBFS found none, though we did not check every state or any court docket. The big recent case involving the brand concerned diesel emissions: on 22 December 2025, 50 attorneys general announced a $149,673,750 settlement “with Mercedes-Benz USA and Mercedes-Benz AG.” The [Connecticut Attorney General’s release](https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2025-press-releases/multistate-settlement-with-mercedes-benz-usa-and-daimler-ag-over-emissions-fraud) does not name MBFS. The loan prospectus describes a 2025 settlement with U.S. state authorities over diesel claims in which the group “denies the allegations” and “does not admit liability.” **Complaints.** The CFPB’s database holds 3,363 complaints under “Mercedes Benz Financial Services,” the only company name matching “Mercedes,” received from 21 March 2012 to 2 October 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and grow with a lender’s size; since 30 September 2026 the CFPB publishes no narratives, so we use counts only. Credit reporting accounts for 1,574 (46.8%). Vehicle loans and leases account for 1,213 (36.1%): 672 loans and 541 leases, or 1.16% of all 104,448 such complaints, by our arithmetic. The largest vehicle issues are managing the loan or lease (339, including 170 billing problems and 88 about add-on products), problems at the end (237: 75 about the title after payoff, 42 about mileage, damage or wear fees, 35 about paying off), getting a loan or lease (226, including 105 credit denials) and repossession (189). One number stands out. MBFS closed 3,332 complaints “with explanation” and 13 with monetary or non-monetary relief, 0.39%, against 9.4% with relief across all vehicle loan or lease complaints, by our arithmetic; in the vehicle category it was 1 of 1,213. It answered 99.6% on time. A response label is MBFS’s own description, not a ruling; our [Mercedes-Benz extended warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mercedes-benz-extended-warranty/#lender) looks at the add-on complaints in the same file. **Complaints against Mercedes-Benz Financial Services by year received (CFPB database, pulled 7 October 2026; 2026 runs to 2 October)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All MBFS complaints | | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 91 | 260 | | 2022 | 109 | 300 | | 2023 | 149 | 388 | | 2024 | 199 | 516 | | 2025 | 295 | 790 | | 2026 to 2 October | 201 | 575 | Vehicle complaints in 2025 were 3.2 times the 2021 count, by our arithmetic, while MBFS bought far fewer loans; a count cannot say whether that means more problems or more people using the CFPB. Our reviews of [BMW Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/), [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/) and [Nissan Motor Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/nissan-motor-acceptance-review/) read other carmakers’ lenders the same way. ## If you have an MBFS loan or lease - **Pay from a bank account,** online or by Auto Pay; cards go through REPAY, which charges a fee. - **Ask the fee before moving your due date** more than 10 days, and get any extension or deferral in writing. - **Keep insurance in force** with the right loss payee and, on a lease, a deductible of $2,500 or less; MBFS does not check. - **Before a payoff,** stop Auto Pay 10 days ahead, send a cashier’s check to the address MBFS confirms, and say where the title goes. - **Book the free pre-inspection,** repair at a Mercedes-Benz dealer, and keep the report. - **Match your tires** on each axle, keep 4/32 inch of tread, and return both keys and the charging cables. - **Check your lease** for the turn-in fee, the per-mile rate and First Class Lease Protection, and claim the loyalty credits if you stay. - **Get an early buyout quote in writing;** it adds 4% of the adjusted balance where state law allows. ## Common questions ### What is the Mercedes-Benz Financial Services login, and how do I reach MBFS? Accounts are managed at mbfs.com through “Login or Register” and in the Mercedes-Benz Finance app, which does not serve smart vehicles. MBFS’s Client Care Center number is on its Contact Us page and your statement; lease-end questions go to your dealer or MBFS’s lease-end department. We do not reprint phone numbers; use the ones on your own paperwork. ### Can I pay Mercedes-Benz Financial Services with a credit card? Yes, through REPAY, “a third party provider that will charge a service fee to your card,” or by phone, where “A processing fee may apply depending on your state law.” Neither amount is printed. Payments from a checking or savings account carry no MBFS fee. ### Where do I send a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services payoff, and how long does the title take? MBFS asks for a cashier’s check to its payoff address, with instructions on where to send the title, and Auto Pay cancelled at least 10 days before. Its two websites print different overnight addresses, so confirm first. Neither gives a title-release time; ask how it works in your state. ### What does Mercedes-Benz Financial Services charge when I return a lease? Possibly a turn-in fee, excess miles and wear beyond the guidelines, plus anything still owed. The fee and per-mile rate are in your lease. If your next Mercedes-Benz is leased or financed through MBFS, it credits the turn-in fee up to $595, and a new Mercedes-Benz brings a wear credit of up to $500, both with conditions; the turn-in credit excludes New York contracts entered into on or after 1/1/25. ### Can I transfer my Mercedes-Benz lease to someone else? Only for families of deceased customers (a service MBFS calls “complementary”) and in Connecticut, where MBFS charges $50 plus $595 and “the original lessee will remain jointly liable.” See our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/) for other lessors. ### Does Mercedes-Benz Financial Services negotiate lease buyouts? The price is in your lease, “generally equal to the stated residual value” but “subject to certain concessions MBFS USA may offer,” so asking is reasonable. Buying before maturity adds 4% of the adjusted lease balance where state law allows. To finance a buyout or refinance elsewhere, see our reviews of [USAA](https://baronauto1.com/financing/usaa-auto-loan/), [Wells Fargo](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/) and [OpenRoad Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/). ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/mercedes-benz-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Discount Tire Warranty and Certificates: What the Terms Say" description: "Discount Tire gives no warranty of its own. Its Certificates refund a tire’s price plus tax for 3 years above 3/32 inch, and give up the maker’s warranty." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Discount Tire Warranty and Certificates: What the Terms Say > Discount Tire gives no warranty of its own. Its Certificates refund a tire’s price plus tax for 3 years above 3/32 inch, and give up the maker’s warranty. *Detailing & Maintenance · 23 min read · 5,065 words* ## The short version - Discount Tire gives no warranty of its own. Its Invoice Terms sell tires “without any warranty from Discount Tire whatsoever” and leave defects and wear-out to the tire maker’s warranty. - Its paid layer is the Tire Protection Certificate, a service contract with Discount Tire Certificate, LLC, bought per tire at purchase or up to 30 days after. No price is printed; Discount Tire calls it “a small additional fee.” - A Certificate covers a tire for 3 years while it has more than 3/32 inch of tread. If the tire can’t be repaired, the contract refunds or credits the price paid plus sales tax, once, with no proration. - Redeeming a Certificate gives up the tire maker’s warranty on that tire, and the contract excludes collision, vandalism, chain damage, abuse and normal wear, though two Discount Tire pages say “no disqualification for any reason.” - Rotation, rebalancing, flat repair, inspections and air checks are “Life of Tire Maintenance,” paid for in the one-time installation charge. Air checks are free for anyone. - Three pages promise a “FREE prorated road hazard” credit on every tire, but no terms for it are published and the Invoice Terms leave it out. Discount Tire does not warrant the tires it sells; the tire maker does. What Discount Tire sells on top is a Tire Protection Certificate, a 3-year service contract that repairs a damaged tire or refunds what you paid for it, alongside lifetime services on tires it installs. On 7 October 2026 we read Discount Tire’s own documents: its Terms of Use (effective May 13, 2026), Invoice Terms, Terms and Conditions with three state disclosures, the Certificates page and three Certificate guides, both versions of the Service Contract Certificate (Florida, and every other state), its return policy, service pages and its page on tire makers’ warranties. America’s Tire is the same company under the same terms. Discount Tire’s Terms allow links only to its homepage, so we name its documents rather than link them. This site has no commercial relationship with Discount Tire or any tire maker. **Figure: Which Discount Tire promise applies, by what happened to the tire** A two-column table of seven situations: air checks are free on any tire in 5 minutes or less; a repairable nail in a tire Discount Tire sold is fixed under Life of Tire Maintenance, paid for in the installation charge; a non-repairable road hazard on a tire with a Certificate, inside 3 years and above 3/32 inch of tread, gets a refund or credit of the price paid plus sales tax, with a new Certificate extra; without a Certificate, only an unpublished ‘free prorated’ credit; at 3/32 inch or after 3 years the Certificate no longer applies; defects go to the maker’s warranty or the Certificate, and redeeming the Certificate gives up the maker’s warranty; early wear-out is the maker’s treadwear warranty. Read from Discount Tire’s Invoice Terms, Certificates page, Service Contract Certificate, return policy and service pages on 7 October 2026. ## Discount Tire’s own warranty: the paperwork says there isn’t one Discount Tire’s Terms of Use say purchases “are governed by our Invoice Terms and Conditions.” Those Invoice Terms have a section headed “No Seller Warranty”: Two more chains with their own terms are read on our [Mavis Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/mavis-tires/) and [Firestone Complete Auto Care](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/firestone-complete-auto-care/) pages. Tire Discounters, a separate company with a similar name, is read on our [Tire Discounters](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-discounters/) page, and another regional chain on our [Belle Tire](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/belle-tire/) page. > “All tires, wheel, or parts (‘Products’) and services offered by Discount Tire are provided ‘as is’ and without any warranty from Discount Tire whatsoever, whether express or implied, including but not limited to any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, to the extent permitted by law.” The next sentence keeps the maker’s promise intact: the disclaimer “does not, in any way, limit or otherwise affect the terms of any applicable warranties from the manufacturer of the Products.” So someone searching for a Discount Tire warranty is usually after one of three things: - **The tire maker’s warranty,** for defects in workmanship and materials and, on many tires, a mileage promise. Discount Tire helps you claim it but does not write it. - **The Tire Protection Certificate,** an optional contract you pay for, covering road hazards and defects for 3 years. - **A “FREE prorated road hazard warranty”** that some Discount Tire pages say comes with every tire, and that no published document defines. Federal law draws a line between a warranty and a service contract. 15 U.S.C. 2301(8) defines a [service contract](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) as “a contract in writing to perform, over a fixed period of time or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair (or both) of a consumer product.” And 15 U.S.C. 2308(a) bars a supplier from [disclaiming an implied warranty](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) if, “at the time of sale, or within 90 days thereafter, such supplier enters into a service contract with the consumer.” The Certificate is a service contract, but its provider is a separate company, and Discount Tire disclaims only “to the extent permitted by law.” Whether section 2308 reaches a sale with a Certificate attached is a question for a lawyer or your state attorney general; Discount Tire’s own Terms and Conditions say “You are advised to seek legal advice from counsel.” Our guide to [the 90-day implied-warranty rule](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#ninety-days) explains it for cars. ## What a Tire Protection Certificate is, what it costs and who you contract with The Certificates page calls them “optional coverage that helps protect you from unexpected tire expenses caused by eligible road hazards and manufacturer defects,” available “at the time of purchase and up to 30 days after.” Service pages and the FAQ still use the older name, the Certificate for Repair, Refund or Replacement. America’s Tire, which the Terms of Use name as the same business (“The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation d/b/a Discount Tire and America’s Tire”), prints the same page and links the same two contracts. The contract names the other party. Outside Florida, “We, Us, Our” means “the provider of this Certificate, Discount Tire Certificate, LLC”; for Florida residents it is “CNA National Warranty Corporation,” under a Florida licence. Both forms say “This Certificate is not an insurance policy, it is a service contract.” Our page on [why a service contract is not a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#not-a-warranty) explains the difference. In 11 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin) the obligations “are insured by a policy issued by Continental Casualty Company,” and an unpaid claim can go to the insurer after 60 days. In every other state outside Florida they are only “backed by the full faith and credit of Discount Tire Certificate, LLC.” Discount Tire prints no price. Service pages call it “a small additional fee”; the blog says Certificates “can be added individually for each eligible tire” and “Cost depends on: Tire size Tire value Vehicle type.” California’s disclosure form leaves a blank for it: “Cost of Service Contract:$ ______________.” Ask for the per-tire figure, and keep the invoice that shows it. You can cancel. The contract for all states but Florida gives “a full refund of the Certificate charge by returning it to Customer Care within 30 days of purchase,” and after that “a pro rata refund of the Certificate charge based on elapsed time,” without saying how time is measured. Done month by month, cancelling 12 months into the 36-month term would return two thirds (24/36), by our arithmetic. A late refund adds “10% of the Certificate charge for each 30-day period or portion thereof”; a refund 45 days late spans two periods, or 20%, also our arithmetic. Florida’s form allows a full refund within 60 days, “less any claims paid,” and states “There is no deductible required to obtain authorized benefits under this Certificate.” Both forms say a Certificate “is non-renewable” and is “not mandatory to purchase Tires.” ## What a Certificate covers, and what the contract excludes The contract’s definitions do most of the work. “Damage” means “when the Tire will no longer hold air due to a defect in materials or workmanship or contact with a Road Hazard.” A “Road Hazard” is damage from “a pothole, debris (i.e. nails, glass, rocks, tree limbs), or any other object or condition not normally found on a roadway.” The test is whether the tire stops holding air, and why; a scuff that still holds air is not Damage, which fits the learn page’s note that “Cosmetic tire damage” does not qualify. The Certificates page sets three conditions, all of which must be met: the tire “fails due to a non-repairable road hazard or manufacturer defect,” it has more than 3/32 inch of tread, and it is “within 3 years of purchase date.” The contract then lists what it does not cover, in capitals: 1. “LOSSES RESULTING FROM ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: COLLISION; VANDALISM; CHAIN DAMAGE; MECHANICAL DEFECTS OF THE VEHICLE; WILLFUL ABUSE, OR NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR.” 2. “A TIRE WITH 3/32 OF AN INCH TREAD DEPTH OR LESS.” 3. “PREEXISTING DAMAGE OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES THAT MAY RESULT FROM DAMAGE TO A COVERED TIRE,” which the form for most states qualifies with “UNLESS THE CONDITION IS KNOWN OR SHOULD REASONABLY BE KNOWN BY US.” The Florida form leaves those words out. Discount Tire’s marketing pages describe the same product in broader words. This table sets them beside the contract. **Discount Tire’s Certificate pages and its Service Contract Certificate, side by side (read 7 October 2026)** | Question | What a Discount Tire page says | What the contract says | | --- | --- | --- | | How long | FAQ: “a 3-year hassle-free tire protection”; blog: “covers the life of tire replacement” | Expires “three (3) years from the date of purchase or until the Refund or Credit Limit is reached” | | Disqualification | FAQ: “no disqualification for any reason” | Excludes collision, vandalism, chain damage, mechanical defects of the vehicle, willful abuse and normal wear and tear | | A tire that can’t be repaired | Blog: “we will replace it for free” | Refund or credit of “the original purchase price and sales tax,” at “Our sole discretion” | | Tires bought elsewhere | Blog: can be added “even if the tires were not originally purchased through Discount Tire” | “Tire” means “the tire you purchased, as listed on the Original Receipt” | | Selling the car | Blog: “Yes, Certificates can be transferred to new drivers when you sell a vehicle” | “non-transferable, except in North Carolina”; the Florida form makes it assignable | | Tread floor | Learn page: “3/32’’ or deeper” | No cover for a tire with “3/32 OF AN INCH TREAD DEPTH OR LESS” | The blog itself tells customers to review “the most current Tire Protection Certificate terms and conditions for complete coverage details.” That is the contract, and where a page and the contract part ways, expect a claim to be decided under the contract. The form ends “Please ask us to print you a copy!” Do. If you are offered a Certificate on tires Discount Tire did not sell you, as the blog describes for new cars, ask which contract applies and what purchase date starts its 3 years. ## What a claim pays: repair, refund, or a replacement at the old price The first step is a repair. “In the event of Damage to your Tire, if in Our opinion, the Tire can be safely repaired, We will do so free of charge.” Discount Tire repairs to USTMA guidelines: the tire comes off the wheel for an inside inspection, repairs are “limited to the tread area only,” and “A tire puncture greater than 1/4 inch (or 6mm) cannot be repaired.” Run-flat tires add limits of their own; see [why shops often refuse to repair run-flats](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). If the tire cannot be repaired, the contract’s remedy is money, not a tire: “In lieu of repair, We reserve the right, at Our sole discretion, to refund or credit the original purchase price and sales tax, if any, of the Tire.” Then “you may elect to purchase a replacement tire at the original price paid for the Damaged Tire, plus the required sales tax,” and if that tire is gone, Discount Tire may substitute one “not necessarily the same brand.” Three more lines matter: - **One refund per tire.** “Up to one (1) refund or credit of the purchase price and sales tax, if any, of your covered Tire.” Reaching that limit ends the contract; the Florida form says “coverage will terminate.” - **The new tire is uncovered.** “There will be an additional charge to purchase a new Certificate for a replacement tire.” - **The old tire is theirs.** “We shall have all rights of ownership to the Tire (salvaged part).” There is no proration. The Certificates page lists “No prorating, mileage adjustment, or disqualification” as a benefit, and the refund is the full original price whatever tread is left above 3/32 inch. By our arithmetic, a tire that has used half its tread gets 100% of its price back; a credit “based on your tire’s remaining treadwear,” the kind Discount Tire says comes free, would come to roughly half, on whatever base it uses. The trade is the term: 3 years, against 60 months for Costco’s prorated plan, 24 months shorter by our arithmetic. **Redeeming a Certificate gives up the tire maker’s warranty.** The contract reads: “By redeeming this Certificate, you relinquish the right to any manufacturer’s warranty that may apply, and We may claim for Our own benefit any such manufacturer’s warranty.” For a road hazard this rarely matters: Discount Tire’s own blog says makers’ warranties “typically only cover defects in workmanship and materials.” For a defect, ask which route pays you more before you redeem. Damage on a Sunday, or far from a store, follows a different path. Stores are closed on Sundays, and the FAQ says “Discount Tire does not have emergency tow or roadside service at this time.” If you must buy a tire elsewhere, the Certificates page says to buy one so you can travel safely, save receipts and photos, and contact Customer Care “as soon as possible.” The contract sets the deadline the page leaves out: when Customer Care is closed, “you must call within five (5) business days from the date of repair.” If the job is not covered, “you will be responsible for the repair/replacement cost(s).” How much comes back is another place the pages and the contract differ. Discount Tire’s Sunday guide says “we’ll reimburse you up to the current retail price of the tire,” and credits that to “Discount Tire Certificate terms.” The contract we read limits any refund or credit to “the purchase price and sales tax, if any, of your covered Tire.” Keep the receipt, damage photos and any tow invoice, as the guide asks. ## Whose warranty covers wear and defects: the tire maker’s For tread that wears out early, or a manufacturing fault, the warranty is the maker’s; our [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) page compares twelve makers’ booklets. Discount Tire’s tire warranty page says mileage warranties “tend to range from 20,000 miles up to 100,000 miles for select highway tires,” and names 7 maker plans: Bridgestone’s Platinum Pact, Continental’s Total Confidence, the Cooper Satisfaction Guarantee, the Goodyear Pledge, Michelin’s Promise Plan, Nexen’s Total Coverage and Vogue’s Promise Warranty. It says these include “complimentary spare tire change and towing services (some up to 150 miles if you’re stranded).” In Discount Tire’s description of makers’ terms: - **Early defects.** Most manufacturers “will outright replace a tire if a manufacturing defect is found” within the first 2/32 inch of tread life. - **Trial periods.** Makers “will give you a promotional warranty period, usually 30 days, to try out their tires.” - **No warranty.** “ATV/UTV tires, competition tires, mud terrain tires, trailer tires and some winter tires” generally carry none. The store’s role is to help: if tires wear “to unsafe levels well before the manufacturer’s warranty, we can usually provide an intermediate solution” while it works out reimbursement with the maker. It also warns that “Improper maintenance is the biggest culprit of voided tire warranties.” Rotation records matter for mileage claims, and Discount Tire’s pages give two intervals: “every 5-6,000 miles, including the spare tire” on the warranty page, “every 6-8,000 miles” on the rotation page and the Certificates blog. The maker’s booklet decides. Michelin’s, which we read for our [Costco tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#maker-warranty), requires rotation “every 6,000 - 8,000 miles (10,000 -12,000 km), or as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, whichever rotation period is less,” and says “Failure to rotate the tires as provided herein voids the treadwear warranty.” It also excludes “Road hazards (e.g., cuts, snags, bruises, impact damage or punctures),” the gap a Certificate fills. Our guide to [rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers vehicle makers’ schedules. Under 16 CFR 702.3 the seller must make the warranty text “readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” so ask for the booklet for the exact tire before you buy. ## Life of Tire Maintenance: the “free” services, and what pays for them Discount Tire’s service pages say “All Discount Tire purchases include free rotations, rebalancing, air checks, flat tire repair, and inspections!” The Invoice Terms put the same 5 services inside a charge you pay once: > “Life of Tire Maintenance includes Rotation, Rebalance, Tire Flat Repair, Tire Inspection and Air Check for the life of the tire installed on your vehicle. The Installation & Life of Tire Maintenance charge may vary based off market and installation complexity.” Installation includes “all labor and parts necessary to install or replace a tire, such as a tire pressure monitoring system rebuild kit or rubber valve stem.” Discount Tire prints no installation price; the fees appear “during checkout online or in-store.” Our page on [pressure sensors when tires are changed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/#tyres-changed) explains the TPMS kit. Some services reach tires bought elsewhere, and some cost extra: **Discount Tire services and who gets them, as its pages describe them on 7 October 2026** | Service | Tires bought and installed there | Tires bought elsewhere | | --- | --- | --- | | Air pressure check | Life of Tire Maintenance | Free, “regardless of where you originally bought your tires” | | Tire inspection | Life of Tire Maintenance | Free: “we still give you free tire inspections” | | Flat repair | Life of Tire Maintenance | “We’ll fix most flats for free,” the air check page says, “even if you didn’t buy from us” | | Rotation and rebalancing | Life of Tire Maintenance; “a free lifetime spin balancing” | Mount and balance “for a charge per tire that depends on your store’s region,” with lifetime rebalancing | | Winter tire changeover | “an additional charge” (Invoice Terms) | Not addressed | | Disposal of old tires | “a small disposal fee” if you leave them, plus any state fee | Not addressed | The word “most” matters. The flat repair page says “Not all tires can be repaired,” and the Certificate guide lists signs that mean replacement, from “Visible sidewall damage” to “Multiple punctures close together.” A repair can “never overlap a previous repair,” and the puncture must be at least 1/2 inch from the edge of the tread. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a pile of wheel lug nuts note what Discount Tire's installation charge covers, that its Invoice Terms sell tires without any warranty from Discount Tire, and when its Tire Protection Certificates stop covering a tire. Discount Tire’s installation page, read on 7 October 2026, says installation includes the labor and parts needed to fit a tire, such as a valve stem or TPMS rebuild kit (callout 1); its Invoice Terms provide products “as is” and without any warranty from Discount Tire (callout 2); and its Certificate contract ends cover at 3/32 inch of tread or 3 years from purchase (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. The air check has no strings: “Yes, the air check service is completely free,” with no appointment, and “The service itself takes 5 minutes or less.” Discount Tire says it checks wear and tread depth at the same stop. Its warranty page calls a tire “past its usable standard” after 6 years in use or below 2/32 inch of tread; our guides to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) and [the tire date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) show how to check both. What Discount Tire does not do: its “Services Not Offered” page lists 13 items, among them brakes, oil changes, batteries and “Towing service,” and alignment is offered only at “Some Discount Tire locations.” A free rotation does not fix uneven wear from bad alignment; see [reading tire wear for alignment faults](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#reading-wear). Fees sit outside the bundle: a “state-mandated tire fee” that “is distinct from Discount Tire’s disposal fee,” in what Discount Tire counts as “one of 40 states that impose tire disposal, recycling or environmental fees.” ## The free prorated road hazard promise with no published terms Three Discount Tire pages say every tire comes with road hazard cover at no charge. The return policy: “Every tire we sell comes with a FREE prorated road hazard warranty, as well as a manufacturer’s limited warranty.” The low price page: “we will give you credit toward new tires if normal road hazards cause you to need replacement. Credit is based on your tire’s remaining treadwear.” The installation-cost page lists “Free prorated road hazard protection” as the sixth item of Life of Tire Maintenance. That is all that is published. No page or PDF we read says how long the free cover lasts, what tread depth ends it, how “remaining treadwear” is measured, what price the credit is figured from, or what it excludes. The Certificates page does not mention it. The Invoice Terms, the document your purchase runs under, list 5 Life of Tire Maintenance services with no road hazard among them. **Get the free road hazard terms in writing, or don’t count on them.** Discount Tire’s pages promise a prorated credit on every tire, but its Invoice Terms disclaim any Discount Tire warranty and leave road hazard out of the services they list. Ask the store to print the terms, or note the promise on your invoice, before you decide whether you need a Certificate. For what a prorated credit looks like on paper, Costco’s printed terms, read for our [Costco tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty), say: “Credit is determined by multiplying the usable remaining tread by the price you paid for the tire net of all discounts received.” Discount Tire’s free credit is described in similar words, without the method or the base. ## Returns, exchanges and refunds The return policy opens: “If ever you’re not satisfied with your purchase, bring it back and we will make it right. That is our promise.” You bring the item “along with your receipt and original form of payment,” and “Returns will be handled on a case-by-case basis.” It says “There are no time limits for returns or exchanges,” but also “There are occasions where we may not accept a return.” The online buying guide frames it as “a 90-day satisfaction guarantee that you will love your tire selection,” and neither page says which governs a tire you have driven on. Restocking fees “may apply to products we have to custom order on your behalf,” and card refunds are credited “within 14 business days.” If you return tires, ask for the Certificate charge back too; the contract’s full refund runs only 30 days from purchase (60 in Florida), pro rata after that. Tire Rack, which calls itself “part of the Discount Tire family,” runs its own free road hazard program; see our [Tire Rack review](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rack-review/). ## Discount Tire, Costco and Sam’s Club: road hazard terms side by side This table compares what each retailer prints, not prices, and does not rank them. The Costco column comes from our [reading of Costco’s tire terms](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) on 6 October 2026, the Sam’s Club column from our [reading of Sam’s Club’s tire pages](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/#road-hazard) on 7 October 2026. Two store chains with their own terms are read on our [Big O Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/big-o-tires/) and [Les Schwab Tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/les-schwab-tires/) pages. **Road hazard terms as each retailer prints them (Discount Tire and Sam’s Club read 7 October 2026; Costco read 6 October 2026)** | Term | Discount Tire Certificate | Costco | Sam’s Club | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | An optional service contract, bought per tire | Costco Road Hazard Warranty: “all of our tires are backed” by it | Road Hazard Protection, part of the $20 Premium Tire Installation Package | | How long | 3 years from purchase, while tread is above 3/32 inch | 60 months or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | 5 years from purchase, while you remain a member | | What a claim pays | Refund or credit of the price paid plus tax, no proration; one per tire | Credit of usable remaining tread times the price paid, net of discounts | A new tire, charged for the tread you used, plus installation package charges | | The maker’s warranty | Redeeming gives it up for that tire | “does not replace or modify” it | Extends it; its other terms still apply | | Full terms online | Yes, two contract PDFs | Yes, a terms page | No; at a Tire and Battery Center | Discount Tire’s Certificate is the only one of the three sold as a separate contract and the only one that pays the full price back rather than a share. It is also the shortest, 2 years shorter than Sam’s Club’s by our arithmetic, and it stops at 3/32 inch of tread, 1/32 inch sooner than Costco’s, also our arithmetic. And only its printed terms hand the maker’s warranty to the provider: Costco’s terms say its warranty “does not replace or modify any original tire manufacturer’s warranty on material and workmanship.” ## Where Discount Tire’s documents disagree We recorded 14 places where Discount Tire’s own documents say different things. Those that matter most to a buyer: - **Length.** 3 years in the contract, the Certificates page and the FAQ; “the life of tire replacement” in the blog. - **Transfer.** “non-transferable, except in North Carolina” in the contract (assignable in Florida); “Yes” in the blog. - **Tires bought elsewhere.** “Available for tires purchased at Discount Tire” on the Certificates page; “even if the tires were not originally purchased through Discount Tire” in the blog. - **Disqualification.** “no disqualification for any reason” in the FAQ and on the low price page; 6 named causes excluded in the contract. - **The payout.** “we will replace it for free” in the blog; a refund or credit, then a replacement bought “at the original price paid,” in the contract. - **Emergency purchases.** “up to the current retail price of the tire” on the Sunday page; “the purchase price and sales tax” in the contract. - **Tread floor.** More than 3/32 inch on most pages; “3/32’’ or deeper” on the damage guide. - **Free road hazard cover.** Promised on three pages, absent from the Invoice Terms. - **Rotation.** Every 5,000 to 6,000 miles on one page, 6,000 to 8,000 on two others. - **Polls.** 5,800 customers and 97.1% who would buy again on the Certificates page; 8,000 customers and 5 of 5 stars on service pages. - **Returns.** “no time limits” in the policy; a 90-day guarantee for online buyers. - **Names and numbers.** The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation in the Terms of Use, “Discount Tire, Inc.” in the Terms and Conditions, Discount Tire Certificate, LLC in the contract; Arizona’s disclosure calls such an agreement “a product warranty”; and three different Customer Care phone numbers. Before any dispute, note that the Terms of Use send claims to the courts of Maricopa County, Arizona, and say a cause of action “must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises.” ## Before you buy tires or Certificates at Discount Tire Register the tires. Discount Tire says “When you buy new tires, we provide you with a tire registration card,” which lets the maker reach you in a recall; you mail it in or register online. That is one of the three options in [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574/section-574.8): hand the buyer a paper form recording “The entire tire identification number.” The other two have the dealer register the tires “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” With the card, sending it is up to you. Confirm the size against the door-jamb placard, which our guide to [finding your tire size](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) treats as the authority. - **Ask for the Certificate price per tire** before it goes in the cart; Discount Tire prints none. - **Ask for the printed Service Contract Certificate** for your state, and read the exclusions and the subrogation clause. - **Note the 30-day windows** to add Certificates and to cancel one for a full refund (60 days in Florida). - **Ask for the free prorated road hazard terms in writing,** or a note of them on the invoice. - **Keep the Original Receipt;** the contract defines the covered tire and its start date by it. - **Get the maker’s warranty booklet** and rotate on the shorter of its schedule and your vehicle’s, keeping each invoice. - **If a tire fails when stores are closed,** save receipts and photos, and call Customer Care within 5 business days. - **Before redeeming a Certificate for a defect,** ask what the maker’s warranty would pay. ## Common questions ### What does the Discount Tire warranty cover? Discount Tire itself gives no warranty: its Invoice Terms sell tires “without any warranty from Discount Tire whatsoever” and leave defects and wear-out to the maker’s warranty. Road hazards are covered by an optional Tire Protection Certificate, a 3-year service contract; some pages also promise a free prorated road hazard credit whose terms are not published. ### Are Discount Tire Certificates worth it? We make no recommendation. On paper, a Certificate refunds the full price paid plus tax if a tire with more than 3/32 inch of tread fails from a road hazard or defect within 3 years. Against that: no price is printed, the contract excludes collision, vandalism, chain damage, abuse and wear, it pays once per tire, and redeeming gives up the maker’s warranty. ### How long do Discount Tire Certificates last? Cover expires “three (3) years from the date of purchase or until the Refund or Credit Limit is reached,” and excludes any tire at 3/32 inch of tread or less. It ends at whichever comes first: 3 years, one refund, or 3/32 inch. A blog post says “the life of tire replacement,” but the contract decides claims. ### Can I add Certificates after buying tires? Yes, “up to 30 days after,” online or in store. The blog also says they can be added to eligible tires on a new car, but the Certificates page says they are “Available for tires purchased at Discount Tire,” so ask which applies. ### Are Discount Tire Certificates transferable? The contract for every state but Florida says “This Certificate is non-transferable, except in North Carolina,” where it can pass to the vehicle’s next owner. The Florida form makes it assignable to a later buyer of the vehicle. ### Does Discount Tire fix flats for free? On tires it sold and installed, flat repair is part of Life of Tire Maintenance, paid for in the installation charge. Its air check page says “We’ll fix most flats for free” even on tires bought elsewhere. Repairs follow USTMA guidelines: tread area only, and no puncture over 1/4 inch. ## Sources and further reading - [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301) - [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308) - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/ --- title: "Regional Acceptance Review: Login, Payoff, Extensions and Records" description: "Regional Acceptance buys subprime car loans from dealers for Truist. Login and payments, two payoff addresses, extensions, title release and its public record." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/regional-acceptance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-09" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Regional Acceptance Review: Login, Payoff, Extensions and Records > Regional Acceptance buys subprime car loans from dealers for Truist. Login and payments, two payoff addresses, extensions, title release and its public record. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,653 words* ## The short version - Regional Acceptance Corporation is a Greenville, North Carolina auto finance company that buys car loans from dealers, mostly for borrowers with weak credit, and calls itself “an affiliate of Truist.” A dealer writes your contract and sells it to Regional Acceptance, which collects the payments. - To pay or log in, use the RAC Auto app or the online Payment Portal, or call the 24/7 line at 877-722-7299 with your 10-digit account number. Auto Pay is free; MoneyGram and Western Union carry third-party fees it does not print. - There is no penalty for paying off early, and it says it releases the lien within 2 business days of a payoff in certified funds, about 10 otherwise. Its pages give two different payoff PO boxes, so use the address on your payoff quote. - An extension can push back up to 2 payments, but finance charges keep accruing at your contract rate and insurance in the contract is not extended. - Regional Acceptance publishes no rates. Truist’s filings put its loans in a $25.7 billion indirect auto portfolio that charged off a net 2.00% in 2025, and say Truist “further reduced originations” in non-prime auto in mid-2026. - We found no enforcement action naming Regional Acceptance. The CFPB files complaints under Truist (1,665 vehicle loan complaints since 2020, all Truist car lending); Trustpilot shows 1.9 from 19 reviews. Regional Acceptance is a licensed auto lender (NMLS 1104859) in the Truist group that buys dealer-written car loans. On 7 October 2026 we read its [payment options page](https://www.regionalacceptance.com/payment-options), customer and dealer FAQs, extension form, legal notice, account terms and posted licences; Truist Financial Corporation’s [2025 Form 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92230/000009223026000030/tfc-20251231.htm) and [June 2026 Form 10-Q](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92230/000009223026000099/tfc-20260630.htm); Regional Acceptance’s 1996 SEC filings; the CFPB’s enforcement index and complaint database; and its BBB and Trustpilot pages. We entered no login, payment or request, and this site has no commercial relationship with Regional Acceptance, Truist or any lender. **Figure: Regional Acceptance, read against its own pages and Truist’s filings** Six claims from Regional Acceptance’s customer pages set beside its other pages, its account terms and Truist’s 2025 Form 10-K. Source: regionalacceptance.com pages and terms read 7 October 2026; Truist Financial Corporation 2025 Form 10-K. Truist figures cover its whole indirect auto portfolio, Regional Acceptance included. ## How Regional Acceptance works: a dealer writes the contract, RAC buys it Regional Acceptance (RAC) is an indirect lender. “For over 40 years, we’ve specialized in indirect sub-prime and near-prime automotive financing,” its About page says. “We also purchase prime-to-near-prime automobile portfolios from other lenders.” The dealer fills in a retail installment contract, sends your application to lenders and sells the signed contract to one of them. Regional Acceptance described the same model in 1996: “Sales finance loans are originated by the selling dealer who sells the customer’s note to the Company.” So the rate, term and add-ons are settled at the dealership, and the dealer, which Regional Acceptance courts with “flexibility in structuring deals allowing you to close more sales,” has a stake in which lender gets your contract. Our reviews of [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/), [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/), [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/), [Consumer Portfolio Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/consumer-portfolio-services-review/) and [Flagship Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/flagship-credit-acceptance-review/) read other dealer-channel lenders the same way, and our page on [buy here pay here lots](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/) covers dealers that keep the loan. Some borrowers never chose Regional Acceptance, because it also buys loans in bulk. “Why did my account get sold to RAC?” its FAQ asks, answering that “institutions sell their assets” and “All the terms and conditions of the Retail Installment Contract you signed remain the same.” Payments mailed to the old lender “will be forwarded to us” and backdated. The company says it is “Headquartered in Greenville, NC” with “12 regional business centers and four customer service centers serving 42 states.” Its business-center page lists the 12 offices and names nine states it does not serve: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Nevada. The same page says its Tempe, Arizona office serves Nevada. Taken at its word, 50 states minus 9 leaves 41 (our arithmetic); the 42 works only if Nevada is served. Truist’s 2025 Form 10-K confirms the link: its indirect auto loans are “originated through approved franchised and independent dealers throughout the Truist market area and nationally through Regional Acceptance Corporation,” and the portfolio “also includes nonprime and near-prime automobile finance.” Being an affiliate does not let you pay at a branch: “Can I make a payment at a Truist bank because RAC is an affiliate? No,” the FAQ says. ## Regional Acceptance login, payments and phone numbers There are two ways into your account: the RAC Auto app (App Store and Google Play) and the online Payment Portal, reached from “Log in” on regionalacceptance.com, with a separate link to activate a new account. For a forgotten password, select “forgot password” on the login screen; to reset a username, call customer support at 866-644-7687. Keep your 10-digit account number handy. Online access is free (“No fee is charged by Regional for access to the Service”), and only the cash networks cost extra. **Ways to pay Regional Acceptance and what it says about fees, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Fee, per Regional Acceptance | Timing and notes | | --- | --- | --- | | RAC Auto app or Payment Portal (debit or ATM card, or bank account) | None for the service | Paid before 11:00 P.M. Eastern, posts the same day (11:45 P.M. on the month’s last day) | | Auto Pay (monthly bank draft) | None (“no-fee Auto Pay”) | Allow 5 business days before the first draft | | Phone, automated line 877-722-7299 | None stated | ATM and debit cards or electronic checks, 24/7 | | Mail (check with your account number) | None stated | PO Box 580075, Charlotte; “Don’t send cash” | | MoneyGram or Western Union | “Third-party fees apply”; amount not printed | Receive codes are on the payment page | | A Truist branch | Not accepted | “No. However, there are a variety of other payment options.” | Two Auto Pay rules matter. The ACH terms let Regional Acceptance stop your drafts “at any time and for any reason, without giving me advance notice,” and you must still pay on time if it does. And a one-time online payment cannot be changed or stopped once you authorize it. An older Auto Pay page still on the site describes mailing a paper form and giving “72 business hours’ notice” to cancel; the current payment page describes signing up in the app or portal, and the ACH terms allow “up to three (3) business days” for a cancellation. For a person, the customer contact page lists 877-722-7299, Monday through Thursday 8 am to 12 am ET, Friday 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday 8 am to 1 pm; the payment page instead gives 866-259-5318 to “Speak to an associate.” Customer service is 866-644-7687, the bankruptcy department 800-993-1858 and insurance claims 866-447-8072, weekdays 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET. Text alerts stop when you text STOP to 39453. If money is short before a due date, Promise to Pay “can offer some flexibility so you avoid late payments” for eligible customers who call “Before your next due date.” Regional Acceptance does not say whether a late charge is waived; your contract sets that charge, and no fee schedule is published. Write down what you agree to. ## Payoff amount, payoff address and getting your title back Your payoff figure is in the app, on the Payment Portal’s account information page, on your statement or on the 24/7 line. “There are no penalties for making payments early or paying off your account early,” the FAQ says. A dealer paying off your loan in a trade gets its own quote on a dealer line, 866-495-7570. Where to send the money is less clear, because Regional Acceptance’s pages disagree. **Where Regional Acceptance’s own pages say to send a payoff, read 7 October 2026** | Page | By mail (USPS) | Overnight | | --- | --- | --- | | Payment Options (payoff FAQ) | PO Box 580306, Charlotte | Charlotte lockbox “Attn: 580306” | | Customer FAQ | PO Box 580075, Charlotte | Payoff Department, Greenville | | Existing Dealers FAQ | PO Box 580075, Charlotte | Payoff Department, Greenville | | Dealers: Request a Payoff | PO Box 580306, Charlotte | Charlotte lockbox “Attn: 580306” | | Important Addresses | Not given | Charlotte lockbox “Attn: 580306” | Do not copy a payoff address from the web, ours included: use the one printed on your payoff quote, ask on the phone if it has none, and keep proof of delivery. How you pay decides how fast the lien comes off. “If your account was paid off with certified funds, we’ll release the lien on the title within 2 business days,” Regional Acceptance says; with non-certified funds, “in approximately 10 business days.” The paid account is reported to the credit bureaus “the first of the following month from your payoff date,” and “A return of funds for any reason may render this statement null and void.” If your state issued a paper title, Regional Acceptance mails “the notarized title with the lien released.” With an electronic title the release is electronic and your state “may or may not mail you a title.” Where the lender holds only a lien statement, you get “a notarized lien release only.” Either way, take it to your DMV “to ensure your state records the released lien status”; our guides to [checking for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) and [replacing a lost title](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/replace-lost-car-title/) cover that side. If nothing arrives, call 866-644-7687. For a duplicate lien release, the account FAQ says to write to Document Control in Greenville, while the Important Addresses page lists a Lien Release Team box in Whiteville, North Carolina; ask which to use. Converting an electronic title after a move “may take 30 days or longer.” ## Promise to Pay and payment extensions: what they cost An extension moves payments to the end of the loan. Regional Acceptance’s form lets you ask to extend “past due, current or one or more future payments until the end of your contract,” with one request covering “up to two (2) payments”: you tick 30 days (1 month) or 60 days (2 months). Every signer must be asking, the request “is not valid until received and approved,” and some states also require a signed Extension Agreement, with instructions sent by email. The form’s disclosures spell out the cost: “Finance Charges will continue to accrue on the unpaid balance at the contract rate. By extending one or more installments, you will pay more finance charges than originally disclosed.” Later payments go “to any accrued fees and charges, then the interest accrued during the extension, and then to principal,” so the balance shrinks more slowly for a while. **An extension does not stretch your insurance or GAP.** The form says it “does not include any additional insurance premium and that any insurance coverage provided in my/our contract will expire on the expiration dates shown on the insurance policies.” Regional Acceptance’s GAP guide adds that GAP “doesn’t pay for late fees, additional interest accrued from late payments or account extensions.” If the car is totaled after a policy ends, or with extension interest on the balance, that part is yours. Truist’s 10-K shows how common deferrals are in the portfolio that holds these loans. In 2025 it modified $1,458 million of indirect auto loans to borrowers “experiencing financial difficulty,” 5.68% of the portfolio; $1,384 million of that, 94.9% (our arithmetic), was payment delays, which “Provided 258 days of payment deferral” on average, about 8 months (our arithmetic). Of the indirect auto loans modified in the 12 months to 31 December 2025, 23.7% (our arithmetic) were 30 days or more past due at year-end. Truist does not say how much of this was Regional Acceptance. Truist also tightened how it counts long deferrals: “Effective January 1, 2026, the Company has enhanced its nonaccrual criteria for certain indirect auto loans to prospectively include accounts in which cumulative payment extensions are at or above 12 months.” Nonperforming indirect auto loans rose from $267 million at the end of 2025 to $569 million on 30 June 2026, 2.1 times (our arithmetic), and the 10-Q says “The increase in indirect auto was driven by” that change. It is an accounting rule, not a published cap, but it means Truist now stops accruing interest income on a loan once its extensions add up to a year. If you are reaching for a second or third extension, compare [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) or selling the car, and read our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) before you fall behind. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the card, the envelope and its flap, with Regional Acceptance's conflicting payoff mailing addresses, how fast it releases the lien after a certified-funds payoff, and how its payment extensions work. Regional Acceptance’s own pages, read on 7 October 2026, give two different PO boxes for mailed payoffs, so use the one printed on your payoff quote (callout 1); its title FAQ says the lien is released within 2 business days of a certified-funds payoff (callout 2); and its extension disclosure allows up to 2 payments, with finance charges accruing at the contract rate (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Insurance, total losses and GAP claims “Comprehensive and collision coverage must be maintained on your vehicle,” the FAQ says. Your insurer should list Regional Acceptance’s loss payee box in Sioux City, Iowa; the dealer FAQ warns “Please don’t send payments to our loss payee address.” If the car is totaled, “Borrowers are responsible for making their monthly payments until their loans are paid in full,” and the claims line is 866-447-8072. A repair check made out to you and Regional Acceptance must be endorsed and mailed with the estimate, and the claims team forwards it to the shop “once a statement of completed repairs has been received,” so the shop is paid after the work. For GAP, “It is your responsibility to help the claims representative obtain all documents required by your GAP administrator,” and payments continue meanwhile. Regional Acceptance’s own example: a $20,000 car totaled with $18,000 owed and a value of $15,000 leaves “the $3,000 remaining on the loan,” which GAP would cover. It suggests GAP if you put down less than 20%, financed for 60 months or more or drive more than 15,000 miles a year. To cancel GAP or a service contract you go through the selling dealer, and “Insurance cancellation/refund checks are applied to the principal balance only and are not applied as regular payments,” so a refund will not cover this month’s bill. Our pages on [GAP insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) go further. ## What Truist’s SEC filings say about Regional Acceptance’s loans The only public loan figures come from Truist, which folds Regional Acceptance into one line, “indirect auto,” that also holds prime loans bought from dealers in Truist’s own market area. The 10-K names Regional Acceptance once; the June 2026 10-Q not at all. Read every figure as the whole portfolio. (Truist’s other consumer car-loan route, the unsecured online lender LightStream, sits in a different portfolio; see our [LightStream review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/).) Update, 9 October 2026: Truist’s Form 8-K of 15 September 2026 says it agreed to sell “$5.5B of auto loans representing substantially all assets of Regional Acceptance Corporation,” with closing anticipated in late 3Q26 or early 4Q26; see our [Truist auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/truist-auto-loan/) page. **Truist’s indirect auto portfolio (Regional Acceptance included), dollars in millions, from its 2025 Form 10-K and June 2026 Form 10-Q** | Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Second quarter 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Balance at period end | Not used | 23,089 | 25,659 | 23,840 | | Average balance | 25,621 | 22,326 | 24,510 | 24,430 | | Charge-offs, less recoveries | 531 less 107 | 591 less 120 | 591 less 102 | 135 less 29 | | Net charge-offs as a share of average loans | 1.66% | 2.11% | 2.00% | 1.73% | | 30 to 89 days past due, still accruing | Not used | 622 | 679 | 521 | | Nonperforming loans | Not used | 259 | 267 | 569 | Losses run well above Truist’s bank-wide net charge-off rate of 0.54% in 2025, and its allowance for indirect auto losses, $1,036 million, was 4.0% of the year-end balance (our arithmetic). Truist evaluates these loans for nonperforming status at 90 days past due and for charge-off at 120 days, sooner in bankruptcy. A charge-off is an accounting step; it does not cancel the debt or rule out [repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/). Truist is also pulling back. “During the second quarter of 2026, we discontinued the origination of certain marine and recreational vehicle loans, and we further reduced originations in less strategic and less profitable consumer lending units such as prime and non-prime auto,” the 10-Q says. The indirect auto balance fell $1.8 billion, or 7.1%, in the first half of 2026 (our arithmetic). Truist does not say how the cut splits between its prime dealer loans and Regional Acceptance, and it changes nothing in an existing contract. The filings print no rate for any borrower; the blended yield Truist reports mixes prime and nonprime loans, so we leave it out. Our pages on [used car financing rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/) and the [CFPB](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) explain how rates are set. ## Who owns Regional Acceptance: a 1996 merger and a BB&T legal notice Regional Acceptance was once public. Its 10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 1996 says it agreed “On March 29, 1996” to a merger “pursuant to which Regional would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNC,” Southern National Corporation, and its Form 15 of 3 September 1996 terminated its SEC registration with “one(1)” holder of record. EDGAR shows Southern National Corp renamed BB&T Corp in 1997 and Truist Financial Corp in December 2019. Today it calls itself “an affiliate of Truist” and “an affiliate of Truist Bank” (an FDIC member) without saying which Truist entity owns it, and Truist’s subsidiaries exhibit for 2025 does not name it (“Certain subsidiaries are not included,” as SEC rules allow). The site’s Legal Notice is still written in the name of “BB&T,” and BBB’s profile calls it “an affilate of BB&T”: stale labels, not separate companies. ## The fine print: arbitration, calls and texts, and privacy Signing up for online access brings an Agreement to Receive Electronic Communications, and it contains a Mutual Arbitration Agreement that reaches the whole loan. Unless you opt out, disputes are resolved “exclusively through final, binding, and individual arbitration,” and a covered claim is anything that “arises out of or relates to the Account.” Neither side can “have a court or a jury decide the Claim” or “participate in a class action in court or in arbitration.” JAMS runs it, small claims court remains open, and “Nothing in this Mutual Arbitration Agreement prevents You or us from exercising any self-help rights, including repossession.” The opt-out paragraph gives two clocks. You may opt out “within thirty (30) days of your agreement/consent to the Consent for Use of Electronic Signatures and Records,” but the notice “must be received by Regional within thirty (30) days of opening Your Account.” It needs your handwritten signature, name, address and account number, sent by certified or overnight mail to Regional Acceptance care of the Truist Legal Department (the full address is in the agreement). Send it early enough to meet both. Opting out does not undo an arbitration clause in any other agreement with Regional Acceptance, so check your retail installment contract for one. The online terms also say Regional Acceptance and its “affiliates, agents, service providers or assignees” may use prerecorded or artificial voice calls and texts about “servicing and collection” at “any telephone number associated with your Account(s), including cellular telephone numbers.” The agreement is governed by North Carolina law. Going paperless is free to undo: “There is no fee for paper copies,” though paper statements may take “up to two (2) statement cycles” to resume. On privacy, Regional Acceptance “may share limited information within the Truist corporate family”; to opt out, the FAQ gives 888-800-3420, 6 am to 9 pm ET, seven days a week. Servicemembers can claim SCRA rate relief with “your written request for the SCRA benefit along with a copy of the official activation orders.” ## Licences, regulators and the public record Regional Acceptance lists NMLS ID 1104859; South Carolina supervised lender licences SL-1104859 and SLW1-1104859; Illinois sales finance and consumer installment licences; Michigan Regulatory Loan License RL-0020850, “effective April 7, 2017”; and Virginia licence CFI-232. We could not check NMLS, whose site answered with a block page, and did not use Virginia’s licensee list, whose robots file bars automated readers; those details are as Regional Acceptance states them. The South Carolina certificates were signed “this 19th day of March 2026” under the state’s Consumer Protection Code, Section 37-3-503, and the Illinois Sales Finance Agency certificates show an expiry of 12/31/2026. But the Illinois Consumer Installment certificates Regional Acceptance links from every page show “EXPIRES: 12/31/2024.” The posted copies may simply be old; each says its status “can be verified at IDFPR.illinois.gov.” It also posts South Carolina’s consumer loan pamphlet. If you miss payments, “the lender must send you a ‘Notice of Right to Cure’ before repossessing the property,” after which “you have twenty (20) days to make the missed payment(s),” but “If you miss another payment, you will not receive any additional Right to Cure notices.” Other states differ; see our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) and the [FTC](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession). On enforcement we found nothing naming Regional Acceptance. On 7 October 2026 the CFPB’s enforcement index returned “no results” for the titles “regional acceptance” and “truist,” and our searches for state settlements, consent orders or cease-and-desist orders naming it found none. We read no court docket naming it, so we describe none. Not finding a record is not proof that none exists. ## CFPB complaints, BBB and Trustpilot The CFPB’s complaint database has no company called Regional Acceptance: three spellings returned zero on 7 October 2026. Complaints about Truist’s car loans are filed under TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION, and before its December 2019 renaming under BB&T CORPORATION. They cover all of Truist’s car lending, prime loans included, and the database does not say which concern Regional Acceptance. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, and counts grow with a lender’s size. Through 6 October 2026 the database held 1,665 “Vehicle loan or lease” complaints naming Truist, received from 27 February 2020 to 4 October 2026, 6.6% of the 25,046 complaints naming Truist in that window (our arithmetic). They rose from 266 in 2024 to 368 in 2025, with 313 so far in 2026. BB&T CORPORATION’s file, which runs from December 2011 to February 2020, holds 532 vehicle loan complaints (231 plus 301 under the CFPB’s new and old product names, our arithmetic). **Vehicle loan or lease complaints naming TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION by issue, all Truist car lending, received through 6 October 2026** | Issue (CFPB label) | Complaints | Share (our arithmetic) | Largest sub-issues | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 613 | 36.8% | Billing problem 352; fees charged 83 | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 307 | 18.4% | Title after payoff 162; paying off the loan 107 | | Repossession | 205 | 12.3% | Balance left after sale 63; deficiency balance 32 | | Getting a loan or lease | 202 | 12.1% | Credit denial 59; fraudulent loan 35 | | Incorrect information on your report | 127 | 7.6% | Account information incorrect 54 | | Struggling to pay your loan | 124 | 7.4% | Denied request to lower payments 63 | Truist closed 1,490 with an explanation, 114 with non-monetary relief and 41 with monetary relief, so 155, or 9.3%, closed with some relief (our arithmetic). If you file with the [CFPB](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) about a Regional Acceptance loan, name Regional Acceptance in the description, since the database has no separate entry for it. BBB’s Greenville profile shows an A+ rating and says “Regional Acceptance Corporation is NOT a BBB Accredited Business,” with a file opened 12/17/1998; its Reviews and Complaints links go to Truist Bank’s headquarters profile, so there is no Regional Acceptance-only count. Trustpilot’s page for regionalacceptance.com is an unclaimed profile scoring 1.9 from 19 reviews, 84% of them one-star (about 16, our arithmetic), with 10 in the last 12 months and “No history of asking for reviews.” Nineteen reviews say little about a lender this size. ## Before you sign a contract a dealer will send to Regional Acceptance Regional Acceptance’s own advice is a good start: “If possible, secure your auto loan before you start shopping,” because pre-approval “frees you to negotiate solely on the price of the vehicle.” You only know a dealer’s offer is fair if you have another to set beside it. - **Bring your own quote.** A bank or credit union [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a rate to compare, because Regional Acceptance publishes none. - **Ask who will buy the contract.** If it is Regional Acceptance, you will pay through its app, portal or phone line, not at a Truist branch. - **Read the rate, term, amount financed and total of payments.** Compare them with the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) and question every [dealer fee](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/). - **Price each add-on separately.** GAP and service contracts are cancelled through the selling dealer, and refunds go to principal, not your next payment. - **Decide on arbitration early.** If you enroll online and want to keep court rights, mail a signed opt-out well within 30 days. - **Set up Auto Pay 5 business days ahead,** and keep paying another way until it is active. - **At payoff, get a written quote and pay with certified funds,** send it to the address on the quote, and expect the lien release within 2 business days. If your credit improves, [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) pays Regional Acceptance off like any payoff; we review refinance lenders such as [OpenRoad Lending](https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/) on the same terms as this page, and our guide to [credit scores for a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) explains what moves your rate. ## Common questions ### How do I log in to my Regional Acceptance account? Use the RAC Auto app or the Payment Portal linked from “Log in” on regionalacceptance.com; first-time users activate their account through the link beside it. Have the 10-digit account number from your statement. For a forgotten password, select “forgot password” on the login screen; to reset a username, call 866-644-7687, weekdays 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET. ### What is Regional Acceptance’s phone number? The main line is 877-722-7299: automated payments and account information around the clock, and representatives Monday through Thursday 8 am to 12 am ET, Friday 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday 8 am to 1 pm. The payment page also lists 866-259-5318 for an associate. Customer service is 866-644-7687, claims 866-447-8072, bankruptcy 800-993-1858, and the dealer payoff line 866-495-7570. ### What is the Regional Acceptance payoff address? Its pages give two: PO Box 580306 in Charlotte (payment page and dealer payoff page) and PO Box 580075 in Charlotte (FAQ and Existing Dealers page), with overnight addresses in Charlotte or Greenville depending on the page. Get a payoff quote and use the address printed on it. Insurers use a separate loss payee box in Sioux City, Iowa, which is not for payments. ### How long does Regional Acceptance take to release the title? It says “within 2 business days” after a payoff in certified funds and “in approximately 10 business days” with other funds. A paper title is mailed notarized with the lien released; an electronic title is released electronically, and your state may or may not mail you anything. If nothing arrives, call 866-644-7687. ### Can I get a payment extension from Regional Acceptance? You can ask. One request covers up to two payments, moved to the end of the contract, and must be approved; some states need a signed Extension Agreement. Finance charges keep accruing at your contract rate and insurance coverage is not extended. For a short gap, eligible customers can call 877-722-7299 about Promise to Pay before the due date. ### Is Regional Acceptance part of Truist, and is it legitimate? It calls itself “an affiliate of Truist,” Truist’s 2025 Form 10-K says its indirect auto loans come “nationally through Regional Acceptance Corporation,” and 1996 SEC filings show it agreed to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern National Corporation, which EDGAR lists as the company now named Truist Financial. It holds the NMLS ID and state licences above, and we found no regulator action naming it. It lends to people with weaker credit, so compare its terms with another offer before you sign. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB, Repossession in Auto Finance (January 2025)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_report-repossession-in-auto-finance_2025-01.pdf) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/regional-acceptance-review/ --- title: "OpenRoad Lending Review: What Its Own Terms and Filings Say" description: "OpenRoad Lending refinances car loans itself or via partners. Its pages disagree on who qualifies, and a 2018 California order brought a $2,500 citation." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # OpenRoad Lending Review: What Its Own Terms and Filings Say > OpenRoad Lending refinances car loans itself or via partners. Its pages disagree on who qualifies, and a 2018 California order brought a $2,500 citation. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,883 words* ## The short version - OpenRoad Lending, LLC is a licensed auto refinance company in Fort Worth, Texas (NMLS #710945). Its disclosures say loans come from “OpenRoad Lending, or a partner of OpenRoad Lending,” and a loan “may be assigned to a lending partner.” - It refinances existing car loans only. We found no lease-buyout or purchase loan on its site. - Its own pages disagree on who qualifies: the FAQ allows cars eight model years old with 140,000 miles; its Disclosures and mail-offer terms say seven years and 100,000 miles. Income and loan minimums differ too. - It prints no application fee and no general origination fee. A state title fee of $0 to $100 is added to the loan, and GAP, service contracts and dent repair can be financed in it. - Clarion Capital Partners, a private equity firm, bought a majority stake in 2021. SEC filings show Exeter Finance buying refinance loans from OpenRoad. - The record: a 2018 California desist-and-refrain order and $2,500 citation; a 2024 class-action complaint over partner lenders’ credit pulls (allegations; outcome not read); and 124 CFPB complaints since 2014, a third about improper use of credit reports. OpenRoad Lending is a real, licensed auto refinance lender, founded in 2009 and based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, that says some of its loans come from, or are assigned to, partner lenders. On 7 October 2026 we read its [Disclosures and Conditions](https://www.openroadlending.com/disclosures-and-conditions/), its [terms for prescreened mail offers](https://www.openroadlending.com/terms-conditions-pre-qualified-offer/), its [state disclosures](https://www.openroadlending.com/state-specific-disclosures/), [Privacy Policy](https://www.openroadlending.com/privacy-policy/) (last modified 11 September 2026), e-sign consent, FAQ, product and partner pages and its reposted press releases; two filings in SEC-registered deals and funds that name it; the [2018 California order](https://dfpi.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/337/2019/03/OpenRoad-Lending-LLC-10-29-18.pdf); a 2024 federal complaint; and CFPB complaint counts. We started no application and ran no rate check, so this page holds no offer. This site has no commercial relationship with OpenRoad or any lender. **Figure: Will OpenRoad take your car and your loan? It depends which page you read** OpenRoad Lending’s FAQ, its Disclosures and Conditions, and its prescreened-offer terms print different limits. Source: OpenRoad Lending FAQ, "Disclosures and Conditions" and "Terms and Conditions Pre-Qualified Offer" (openroadlending.com), read 7 October 2026. OpenRoad says its disclosures "may not reflect the most current policy changes" and to consult it about discrepancies. ## Lender, broker or both: what OpenRoad’s own pages say OpenRoad’s Disclosures say: “Loans are provided by OpenRoad Lending, or a partner of OpenRoad Lending, and are all subject to credit approval.” Its [consent for electronic documents](https://www.openroadlending.com/consent-for-electronic-documents/) describes “an auto loan (‘Loan’) made by OpenRoad Lending or one of our lending partners and which may be assigned to a lending partner.” The company that approves you and the one that ends up holding your loan may differ. Its page for lenders spells out the model: OpenRoad “connects lenders with consumers seeking to refinance their current auto loan through our extensive network of affiliate partners, online expertise, and targeted direct mail pre-screen campaigns.” It promises banks and credit unions “only the loan applications that meet 100% of your credit and eligibility criteria,” “ready-to-fund packages,” and this: “Loans are originated under the OpenRoad brand, avoiding any conflict with your indirect lending channels.” The same page says OpenRoad has “originated more than $7 billion in direct auto refinance loans.” The consumer pages say it more softly: “Trust in OpenRoad to connect you with the right lender.” The 2021 release announcing its new owner said OpenRoad “partners with banks, credit unions and institutional investors” while calling it “one of the country’s largest direct lenders for auto loans.” California’s regulator records both roles. Its 2018 order says OpenRoad was “originally licensed as a California finance lender on October 13, 2010,” and that “On or around November 15, 2017, OpenRoad’s CFL license was amended to include authority to act as a broker.” OpenRoad’s California notice says loans “will be arranged or made pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law License.” Arranged or made: broker or lender. Applications also arrive from outside: a [landing page](https://www.openroadlending.com/lending-tree-landing-page/) asks LendingTree customers to call “so we can finalize your approval from Lending Tree.” A 2024 complaint (see [the public record](#public-record)) alleges that “OpenRoad itself is not a lender”; that is an allegation, not a finding. What this means for you: the contract names the creditor, and OpenRoad’s FAQ says your due date comes in a welcome letter. Keep both, and if you are told the loan has been assigned, get the new holder’s name in writing. ## Who owns OpenRoad Lending, and who ends up with its loans OpenRoad Lending, LLC is “a Texas limited liability company,” says the California order, “headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas,” says its 2021 release. That release, reposted in its [newsroom](https://www.openroadlending.com/2024/07/openroad-lending-announces-investment-from-clarion-capital-partners/), is dated 13 September 2021 and says OpenRoad and Clarion Capital Partners “executed an agreement under which Clarion acquired a majority stake.” Clarion is “a New York based private equity firm”; the CEO and co-founder was to retain “a meaningful ownership stake,” and “The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.” The September 2026 Privacy Policy still says: “Our affiliates include financial companies such as Clarion Capital.” The release says the deal was financed by “funds managed by Madison Capital Funding and PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC.” [An amendment to PennantPark Floating Rate Capital’s credit facility](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1504619/000119312526042778/pflt-ex10_3.htm), dated as of 13 November 2025, still lists “OpenRoad Lending (Term Loan)” as a first-lien loan in its pool. That is a loan to the company, not to its customers. Customer loans can end up elsewhere. KPMG’s 28 October 2021 [agreed-upon procedures report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1891012/000092963821001252/eart2021-4_exhibit991.htm) for Exeter Automobile Receivables Trust 2021-4, an SEC-registered securitization, says: “If Exeter Finance is listed as the assignee on an OpenRoad Lending Assignment of Contract, which confirms the Selected Loan is a refinanced loan purchased from OpenRoad Lending, the Model Type is ‘Used’.” So Exeter has bought refinance loans that OpenRoad wrote; the report, which covers a pool of 37,778 loans, does not say how many came from OpenRoad. Our [Exeter Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/) reads that lender’s own terms. A full-text EDGAR search on 7 October 2026 found no filing by OpenRoad itself. Its size claims move. September 2021: “more than $3 billion in auto loan receivables,” in “44 states.” July 2022: more than 200,000 funded refinance loans and “close to $4 billion” originated, in “38 states across the USA.” Today’s partner page: “more than $7 billion.” No page we read lists the states it serves now. ## Who qualifies: three OpenRoad pages, three sets of rules OpenRoad publishes eligibility rules in three places, and they do not match. The [FAQ](https://www.openroadlending.com/faq/), last modified 25 August 2026, is the most generous. The Disclosures and Conditions (modified 23 April 2026) and the terms for prescreened mail offers (modified 17 June 2025) are stricter. **OpenRoad Lending’s eligibility rules, page by page, as printed on 7 October 2026** | Rule | FAQ | Disclosures and Conditions | Prescreened-offer terms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Vehicle age | “up to eight model years old or newer” | “no more than seven model years old or newer” | “no more than seven model years old or newer” | | Mileage | “140,000 miles or less” | “not exceeding 100,000” | “not exceeding 100,000” | | Income | At least $1,500 a month gross; Uber or taxi income “does not qualify” | Not stated | At least $2,000 a month gross; payment no more than 10% of it; all monthly expenses no more than 40% | | Loan size | Payoff between $7,500 and $100,000 | Not stated | At least $10,000 | | Loan-to-value | Not stated | Up to 125% of NADA wholesale value | Up to 125% of NADA wholesale value | | Excluded | Commercial vehicles, motorcycles, RVs; Oldsmobile, Daewoo, Smart Cars, Isuzu; trucks over 3/4 ton; vehicles no longer made; cars not registered in the US; self-employed applicants | Vehicles no longer made, “such as but not limited to Hummer, Oldsmobile, Daewoo,” motorcycles, RVs, business or work vehicles | Commercial vehicles, conversion packages, branded or salvage titles, motorcycles, vehicles no longer made | Which page wins? OpenRoad does not say. The Disclosures concede that “those pages may not reflect the most current policy changes. Please consult OpenRoad Lending for any questions or discrepancies.” Mailed offers also require “evidence of Full Coverage Automobile Insurance,” a valid driver’s license (“one loan allowed per valid Driver’s License”) and an age of at least 18. The gaps are not small: one model year, 40,000 miles, $500 a month of income and $2,500 of loan balance (our arithmetic). If your car is eight model years old or has more than 100,000 miles, ask which rule applies before you apply. Two more rules matter. The loan may be up to 125% of the car’s NADA “wholesale value,” so a loan far underwater may not fit; see [refinancing with negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#refinancing). And the FAQ excludes “Applicants who are self-employed,” though OpenRoad’s September 2026 post on variable income discusses “self-employed business owners” without mentioning it. ## Rates: what OpenRoad prints, and what it does not OpenRoad posts no rate table and no standing APR range. Its terms for prescreened mail offers, read on 7 October 2026, do print a range, but those terms are “subject to change and not available in all states,” and the offer is “valid for a limited time only as shown on the front page of the letter,” so this page does not quote it as a rate. In Missouri, the state page caps OpenRoad’s APR at 24%. OpenRoad publishes no minimum credit score. Its Disclosures say “‘Rates as low as’ shown are for excellent and substantial credit types” and that the final rate depends on “your credit profile, term of loan and age and current mileage of the vehicle.” OpenRoad’s Disclosures print a “representative example” for an $18,000 loan at 8.24% and 17.99% APR. Every payment matches a standard amortization schedule to the cent (we re-ran them all), and multiplying them out shows what longer terms cost. **OpenRoad’s $18,000 representative examples: its printed payments, with total interest by term (interest is our arithmetic: payment times months, minus $18,000)** | Term | Payment at 8.24% APR | Interest at 8.24% | Payment at 17.99% APR | Interest at 17.99% | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 24 months | $816.06 | $1,585.44 | $898.55 | $3,565.20 | | 36 months | $566.05 | $2,377.80 | $650.65 | $5,423.40 | | 48 months | $441.46 | $3,190.08 | $528.66 | $7,375.68 | | 60 months | $367.05 | $4,023.00 | $456.98 | $9,418.80 | | 72 months | $317.71 | $4,875.12 | $410.44 | $11,551.68 | At 17.99%, stretching the same $18,000 from 24 to 72 months cuts the payment by $488.11 but raises the interest from $3,565.20 to $11,551.68, an extra $7,986.48 (our arithmetic). The last year of term does the least for you: going from 60 to 72 months saves $46.54 a month and adds $2,132.88 of interest. OpenRoad’s footnote concedes that payment cuts “may result from a lower interest rate, a longer term or both.” Our [refinancing guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#when-worth-it) shows how to tell a rate saving from a term stretch. The mail-offer terms also cap the payment: “The monthly payment on the loan cannot exceed 10% of your gross monthly income.” At the $2,000 minimum income those terms set, that allows $200 a month (our arithmetic), and every payment in OpenRoad’s $18,000 examples is higher; the lowest is $275.42. The 17.99%, 72-month payment of $410.44 would need gross income of at least $4,104.40 a month under that cap. ## Fees: what OpenRoad prints, and what it leaves out The FAQ answers the application-fee question directly: “With OpenRoad Lending there’s no obligation to apply, hidden costs and application fees.” We found no origination, processing or documentation fee printed anywhere on the site for borrowers in general. Three fees are printed: - **Title transfer.** “Each state imposes a title transfer fee that ranges from $0 to $100, depending on the state in which you reside. This fee is charged by your state, not OpenRoad Lending. We will pay this fee on your behalf and add it to your final loan amount.” You pay it, with interest, over the loan. - **Missouri.** “The maximum loan fee that OpenRoad Lending shall charge in Missouri is $99.” The page does not say what the fee is for, or whether a similar fee applies elsewhere. - **Minnesota.** “The following fees will apply to your loan”: a $13 title fee; a late fee if a payment is more than 10 days late, “equal to 5% of the unpaid installment amount or $8.32, whichever is greater”; and a $30.00 NSF fee. The Minnesota list is the only late-fee or returned-payment schedule OpenRoad publishes. Other states’ late fees will be in your contract. We found no page on prepayment, so we cannot say whether OpenRoad charges for paying off early; ask, and check the contract. The bigger costs are optional products financed into the loan, covered [below](#add-ons). **Watch the amount financed.** The title fee, and any GAP coverage, service contract or dent-repair plan you accept, are added to what you borrow. Ask for the amount financed and the total of payments with and without each add-on before you sign. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the paper, the calculator and the pen, with OpenRoad Lending's conflicting vehicle-age rules, the title fee added to a refinance loan, and its e-sign consent's note that a loan may be made by a partner and assigned. OpenRoad Lending’s FAQ, read on 7 October 2026, allows cars 8 model years old while its disclosures say 7 (callout 1); the FAQ says the state title fee, $0 to $100, is added to the new loan (callout 2); and its e-sign consent says a loan may be made by a lending partner and assigned (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Credit checks: “No SSN required,” prescreened mail and partner lenders OpenRoad’s home page says “NO SSN REQUIRED.” A March 2026 blog post explains the limit: “Some lenders, including OpenRoad Lending, allow qualified borrowers to begin online and request a no-obligation quote without providing a Social Security number at the initial stage,” but “A lender still has to verify identity, review creditworthiness, and confirm vehicle and loan details before a refinance can close.” No page we read says plainly whether OpenRoad’s application is a soft or hard inquiry. What the pages do say: - **Mail offers start from your credit file.** The prescreen notice says the offer “is based on information in your credit report indicating that you meet certain criteria” and “is not guaranteed if you do not meet our criteria.” The notice gives the bureaus’ opt-out line. - **A report may be pulled when you apply.** The New York notice: “A consumer report may be requested in connection with your application.” - **Bureaus feed its files.** The Privacy Policy lists “Credit History and Credit Scores” among what it collects, and says “We also collect your personal information from others, such as credit bureaus, affiliates, or other companies.” - **Your file can go to other lenders.** The California notice says that when you apply “you must agree to our Terms of Use, in which you will consent to the disclosure of your Personal Information to other entities, such as financial institutions.” Those Terms sit behind the application, on a path closed to automated readers, so we did not read them. That last point matters because each lender that receives your application may pull your credit itself. It is what the 2024 lawsuit below alleges, and the largest single CFPB complaint category for OpenRoad is “Credit inquiries on your report that you don’t recognize,” with 32 complaints. Ask which lenders will see your application and whether each will make a hard inquiry; our [credit score guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping) explains how scoring treats several auto inquiries. On marketing, the Privacy Policy says OpenRoad shares for joint marketing (you cannot limit it) and lets non-affiliates market to you (you can opt out); “Nonaffiliates we share with can include credit unions, insurance companies, and direct marketing companies.” The e-sign consent covers messages from “ANY OF OUR LENDING PARTNERS OR THIRD PARTY MARKETNG PARTNERS” (the typo is OpenRoad’s). ## From decision to payoff: the timeline OpenRoad prints The pages differ on decision speed: “Get a Decision in Seconds,” “within one minute” and “within minutes.” After approval, the FAQ says, you download a loan package “either by DocuSign or by signing into our website,” sign “a Loan and Security agreement,” give details of the loan you are paying off and “provide proof of your current income.” In a title-holding state you overnight the original title to OpenRoad in Fort Worth. Then the clock: - **Approval lasts 30 days.** “Don’t delay, because your approval is only good for 30 days.” - **Payoff in 7 to 10 business days.** With complete paperwork, “it should only take 7-10 business days to complete your loan and issue the funds to your previous lender.” - **Overpayments come back from the old lender.** “Your current lender will refund any overpayment directly to you,” and “Each lender is different on the amount of time it takes.” - **First payment about a month out.** The FAQ says “Your first payment will be due 30 after OpenRoad Lending finalizes your loan” (the word “days” is missing on the page), with the date in your welcome letter. The Disclosures say “at least 30 days from the day the new loan is funded.” The skip-a-payment idea gets a straight answer in the Disclosures: “Actual payment is not skipped but deferred. You will still be responsible for making the number of payments listed on your Note and Security Agreement.” And: “Interest will accrue on your existing loan until it is paid in full. Interest will accrue on your new loan beginning on the date the loan is funded.” Keep paying the old loan until its lender confirms the payoff; our refinancing guide lists [the traps at this stage](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#traps). We found no page on how to make payments, set up autopay or get a payoff quote once the loan is running; the FAQ says agents answer “Monday through Friday from 8am CST to 7pm CST.” ## GAP, service contracts and dent repair sold with the loan OpenRoad lists GAP coverage, vehicle service contracts, insurance, paintless dent removal and “Credit Repair Services” as supplemental products. What its pages say: - **GAP.** It “covers the difference between what you owe and what your insurance pays, up to $50,000,” is “Paid over the life of your auto refinance loan,” and has a “Protection Plus option” that “pays $1,000 toward your insurance deductible and provides a full refund of the GAP waiver if your vehicle is totaled (not available in all states).” No price is printed. - **Service contract.** “Save money and bundle your payments when you add an extended auto warranty to your refinance with OpenRoad!” It says you can “Add roadside assistance at no additional cost” and “Take your vehicle to any ASE-certified technician for repairs.” No price, term or deductible is printed. - **DentGuard.** Paintless dent repair with deductible reimbursement “up to $500,” and “we can include the cost in your OpenRoad Lending auto loan.” If your current loan already carries GAP or a service contract, refinancing can end that coverage; our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) explains how to cancel and claim a refund, and whether you need GAP at all depends on your loan-to-value (see [is GAP insurance worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/) and [is an extended warranty worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/)). The CFPB counts 4 complaints about OpenRoad tagged “Problem with additional products or services purchased with the loan.” ## Lease buyouts and purchase loans: not offered on the pages we read Searchers often ask whether OpenRoad finances a lease buyout or a car purchase. On 7 October 2026 its site described only refinancing. The page and post sitemaps list no buyout or purchase product, and the September 2021 release said: “OpenRoad currently focuses all its efforts on auto refinancing,” with plans to “explore additional business lines, such as lending for auto purchases, lease buyouts, car insurance and other consumer verticals.” Its September 2026 post on leases says you usually cannot refinance an active lease, that “Some lenders may structure the transaction as financing a lease buyout, while others may require you to complete the purchase before applying to refinance,” and pitches OpenRoad for the second step: “If you have already purchased your leased vehicle and now have an auto loan, refinancing may be a way to pursue a lower payment.” If you are buying out a lease, our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) covers financing the purchase first. (California’s 2018 order describes a 2016 arrangement under which another company’s website let customers see whether OpenRoad would pre-qualify them “for an automobile purchase or refinancing loan”; we found no purchase loan offered today.) ## The public record: a 2018 California order, a 2024 lawsuit and CFPB counts ### California’s 2018 desist-and-refrain order and citation On 29 October 2018 California’s Department of Business Oversight (now the [DFPI](https://dfpi.ca.gov/enforcement_action/openroad-lending-llc/)) issued a [desist-and-refrain order and citation](https://dfpi.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/337/2019/03/OpenRoad-Lending-LLC-10-29-18.pdf) against OpenRoad Lending, LLC, CFL License No. 603-I315. Written as charges (the Complainant “alleges and charges”), it says an examination began in March 2016 and that on or around 23 October 2018 “OpenRoad disclosed” that from August 2016 to March 2018 it “compensated at least one unlicensed person or company who was not regularly employed at OpenRoad’s licensed place of business for soliciting applications for loans.” The other company’s website collected applicants’ “name, social security number, address, birthdate, annual income, and vehicle information” for OpenRoad. OpenRoad paid it “$260.00 per funded loan” for approximately 48 funded loans through a “QuickApply” form and approximately 16 through a pre-qualification process, about $16,640 in all (our arithmetic; the order prints no total). The Commissioner “is of the opinion that OpenRoad Lending, LLC violated” California’s rule against paying unlicensed people for loan applications, ordered OpenRoad to desist and refrain, and imposed “an administrative penalty of $2,500.00.” The statute it quotes says such a citation and fine “shall not be reported as disciplinary action taken by the commissioner.” The DFPI page lists no later action. ### The 2024 credit-pull class action (allegations only) On 9 February 2024 a Los Angeles County resident filed a proposed class action in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (case 2:24-cv-01123) against OpenRoad Lending, LLC and three lenders: Global Lending Services, LLC; Stellantis Financial Services, Inc., doing business as First Investors Financial Services; and Regional Acceptance Corporation. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, it alleges that he asked OpenRoad about refinancing in August 2023, was approved through a partner lender, turned the loan down and “ceased doing any business with Defendant OpenRoad”; that “in or around October of 2023, Defendant OpenRoad provided Lender Defendants with Plaintiff’s information and credit application”; and that the three lenders then pulled his credit reports without his permission. It seeks to represent everyone whose information OpenRoad gave a partner that then pulled their reports “without a permissible purpose.” These are allegations, made in part “on information and belief.” We read the complaint but could not read the docket (CourtListener bars automated readers, Justia answered with a bot wall, PACER needs an account), so we do not know whether the case was dismissed, settled or is pending, or what OpenRoad said in reply. Our [Global Lending Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/) and [Regional Acceptance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/regional-acceptance-review/) read two of the co-defendants’ own terms. ### CFPB complaints The CFPB’s [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) holds 124 complaints filed under “OpenRoad Lending,” received between 29 August 2014 and 23 June 2026 (our count ran to 6 October 2026; counts only). Complaints are unverified consumer reports, the CFPB says the database is not a statistical sample, and counts rise with a lender’s size and marketing. **CFPB complaints about OpenRoad Lending by issue, received through 6 October 2026 (counts only; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue (largest sub-issues) | Complaints | | --- | --- | | Improper use of your report (32 “Credit inquiries on your report that you don’t recognize”; 4 offers received after opting out) | 41 (33.1%) | | Getting a loan or lease (11 “Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing”; 10 “Changes in terms mid-deal or after closing”) | 26 | | Shopping for a loan or lease | 12 | | Incorrect information on your report | 11 | | Managing the loan or lease (4 about add-on products) | 9 | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease (all 9 “Problem related to refinancing”) | 9 | | All other issues | 16 | | **Total** | **124** | By product, 53 complaints (42.7%) were filed as credit reporting complaints and 42 as vehicle loan or lease complaints. Volume peaked in 2016 to 2018, with 57 complaints (46%), fell to 2 in 2023 and was 13 in 2025. OpenRoad answered every complaint on time by the CFPB’s measure; 119 were “Closed with explanation,” 4 simply “Closed” and 1 “Closed with monetary relief.” We used no review-site scores: BBB’s site blocked our request, so we report only OpenRoad’s claim to be “an A+ accredited business with the Better Business Bureau,” and Trustpilot’s terms bar AI agents from collecting its content. OpenRoad’s own testimonials carry a warning: “Customer names and state of residence have been changed to protect their privacy.” ## Before you apply to OpenRoad OpenRoad’s pages also disagree in smaller ways. None changes your contract, but they show which claims to check. **Where OpenRoad Lending’s own pages disagree, as read on 7 October 2026** | Topic | One page says | Another says | | --- | --- | --- | | Average savings | “save $105* per month, on average” (home page) | The footnotes support “$100/month or more,” from customers who refinanced in 2021 (6-1-2021 to 9-30-2021 on one page, 1-1-2021 through 2-28-2021 on another) | | Decision speed | “Get a Decision in Seconds” | “within one minute” and “within minutes” (FAQ) | | States served | 44 states (September 2021 release) | 38 states (July 2022 release) | | NMLS number | #710945 (footer, California notice) | “NMLS 740945” (Maryland notice, which links to record 710945) | | Loan terms | 24 to 72 months (mail-offer terms) | 48 to 84 months (savings calculator slider) | The licence number to check is NMLS #710945, which OpenRoad prints in its footer next to “CA LENDER LICENSE #603 I315.” Its state page also names a Michigan license. NMLS Consumer Access blocked our request, so check the record there yourself. A refinance is only worth it if the new loan costs less in total. Get at least one competing quote: a [credit union](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/) or a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from your own bank. Our reviews of [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/), [AUTOPAY](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/), [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/) and [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/) read those companies’ own terms the same way. - **Check your car against the strict rule.** Seven model years and 100,000 miles fits every OpenRoad page; eight years or up to 140,000 miles fits only the FAQ. Ask which applies before you apply. - **Check your income and balance.** The FAQ asks for $1,500 a month gross and a payoff of $7,500 to $100,000; mailed offers ask for $2,000 and at least $10,000. Self-employed applicants are excluded by the FAQ. - **Ask who will see your application.** Find out which partner lenders it may go to and whether each will make a hard inquiry. - **Read the contract.** Note the creditor’s name and whether the loan may be assigned, and keep the welcome letter with your due date. - **Get the amount financed with and without add-ons.** The state title fee of $0 to $100 is added to the loan; GAP, a service contract or DentGuard add more. - **Compare total interest, not just the payment.** In OpenRoad’s own 17.99% example, 72 months instead of 60 lowers the payment by $46.54 and adds $2,132.88 of interest. - **Ask about prepayment and late fees.** OpenRoad publishes a fee schedule only for Minnesota and a loan-fee cap only for Missouri. - **Keep paying the old loan** until its lender confirms the payoff; OpenRoad says sending the funds should take 7 to 10 business days once your paperwork is complete. ## Common questions ### Is OpenRoad Lending a real, legit company? Yes. OpenRoad Lending, LLC is a Fort Worth, Texas company, NMLS #710945, licensed as a California finance lender since 2010. Its record includes a 2018 California desist-and-refrain order with a $2,500 citation for paying an unlicensed company for loan applications, a 2024 class-action complaint over credit pulls whose outcome we could not read, and 124 CFPB complaints since 2014. ### Is OpenRoad Lending a direct lender or a broker? Both, by its own pages. Its Disclosures say loans “are provided by OpenRoad Lending, or a partner of OpenRoad Lending,” its e-sign consent says a loan “may be assigned to a lending partner,” and California added broker authority to its lender license in 2017. Your contract names the creditor. ### What credit score do you need for OpenRoad Lending? OpenRoad publishes no minimum score. It says rates depend on “your credit profile, term of loan and year and current mileage of the vehicle,” and that “Rates as low as” are “for excellent and substantial credit types.” It publishes no standing APR range. ### Does OpenRoad Lending do a hard credit check? Its pages do not say plainly. You can start a quote without a Social Security number, but OpenRoad says a lender “still has to verify identity, review creditworthiness” before closing, its New York notice says a consumer report “may be requested,” and partner lenders that receive your application may pull your credit. Ask before you submit. ### Does OpenRoad Lending charge fees? It says there is no application fee and prints no general origination fee. A state title fee of $0 to $100 is added to the loan; its Missouri loan fee is capped at $99, and Minnesota borrowers face a $13 title fee, a late fee and a $30.00 NSF fee. Add-ons cost extra. ### Should I refinance with OpenRoad Lending? Only if the offer lowers your total cost, not just your payment, and your car fits its stricter rules (seven model years, 100,000 miles) or OpenRoad confirms the FAQ’s looser ones apply. Compare it with a credit union or bank quote over the same remaining term. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts) - [CFPB, Negative Equity in Auto Lending (June 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_negative-equity-in-auto-lending-report_2024-06.pdf) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/openroad-lending-review/ --- title: "Wells Fargo Auto Loan: Dealer-Only Lending, Payoff and Title" description: "Wells Fargo auto loans come only through dealers: no direct application, refinancing or published rate. Its payoff, title and GAP rules, 10-K and CFPB orders." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Wells Fargo Auto Loan: Dealer-Only Lending, Payoff and Title > Wells Fargo auto loans come only through dealers: no direct application, refinancing or published rate. Its payoff, title and GAP rules, 10-K and CFPB orders. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,989 words* ## The short version - Wells Fargo makes car loans only through dealers: its auto loans “are only available through our network of nearly 11,000 dealerships,” and “We don’t offer refinancing for auto loans at this time.” There is no direct application. - Wells Fargo publishes no auto loan rate. The dealer submits your application and writes the rate into the contract, so bring a pre-approval from another lender to compare. - New Volkswagen and Audi loans arranged at the dealer since 1 May 2025 are Wells Fargo loans sold as Volkswagen Retail Finance and Audi Retail Finance; VW Credit keeps leases and older loans. - Payoff: a quote online, on your statement or by phone; payoffs under $5,000 can be paid online; the lien release “is typically initiated within 10 days” after the payoff posts, and no title after 60 days means calling your motor vehicle department. - Its filings show a U-turn: auto loans fell from $56.7 billion (end of 2021) to $42.4 billion (end of 2024) under “credit tightening,” then rose to $56.9 billion by 30 June 2026. - The CFPB’s 2022 order recorded $1.3 billion of auto remediation to more than 11 million accounts for misapplied payments, wrong fees, wrongful repossessions and unpaid GAP refunds. That order and the 2018 insurance orders have ended. The CFPB file holds 4,847 vehicle loan or lease complaints. You cannot apply to Wells Fargo for a car loan. A Wells Fargo auto loan is arranged by a dealer: the dealer sends your application, and if Wells Fargo funds the loan, Wells Fargo Auto services it until it is paid off. On 7 October 2026 we read Wells Fargo’s auto pages (the Auto loans page, its vehicle financing, payment and payment-help pages, and the Auto loan FAQs), its page for auto dealers, its [2025 annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/72971/000007297126000133/wfc-20251231.htm) and [June 2026 quarterly report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/72971/000007297126000302/wfc-20260630.htm), the CFPB and OCC orders on its auto lending, and the CFPB complaint counts. Wells Fargo’s website terms bar linking to its pages for a public purpose, so we name them without links. We applied for nothing, and this site has no commercial relationship with Wells Fargo or any lender. **Figure: A Wells Fargo auto loan, from the dealer to the title** What Wells Fargo’s own auto pages say happens at each step of the loan, read 7 October 2026. Source: Wells Fargo’s Auto loans page, Auto loan payments page, Help with auto loan payments page and Auto loan FAQs (wellsfargo.com), read 7 October 2026; the Volkswagen and Audi row from VW Credit’s Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B prospectus and Volkswagen’s own pages. Late fees and grace periods are set by each loan contract. ## Does Wells Fargo still make auto loans? Only through dealers Yes, but not to you directly. Wells Fargo’s Auto loans page and FAQ give one answer to “How do I apply for a Wells Fargo auto loan?”: “Wells Fargo auto loans are only available through our nationwide network of nearly 11,000 dealerships. Be sure to ask your dealership if Wells Fargo auto financing is available. If your loan is funded by Wells Fargo Auto, we’ll service your account.” No page we read offers an online application, prequalification or branch car loan; older forum threads describing a Wells Fargo online auto application describe a route the bank no longer lists. Refinancing is out too: “We don’t offer refinancing for auto loans at this time.” A cheaper rate on a Wells Fargo loan has to come from another lender; see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). A dealer-only lender cannot finance a private sale either; see [where private-party car loans come from](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#where-to-borrow). And the network is closed to newcomers among independents: Wells Fargo’s page for dealers says “We are not enrolling new independent dealers at this time.” Two names confuse searches. Many reviews still say “Wells Fargo Dealer Services”; the consumer pages now say “Wells Fargo Auto,” and the old wellsfargodealerservices.com address did not resolve on our reading day. The one car-related loan you can apply for yourself is an unsecured personal loan the bank markets for repairs, “a personal loan used to finance car maintenance and repair costs,” from $3,000 to $100,000 over 12 to 84 months. It is not purchase financing. ## At the dealer: who sets the rate and what gets added Wells Fargo’s page for dealers describes the process from the lender’s side: “Once a credit application is received in our system, the best financing option for a customer is determined. (Financing options are based on customer needs and ability to pay.) Dealers receive updates on customer applications by credit and rate tiers.” The finance office sees that answer, not you, and the rate in your contract is the one the dealer writes. The same page lists “Dealer reserve statements” among the work of its Dealer Desk; a dealer reserve is what a lender pays a dealer for placing a loan, and it can come from a markup on the rate. Wells Fargo does not say how its reserve is set. Our guide to [the buy rate and the contract rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#buy-rate) explains the mechanism. No minimum credit score is printed; the vehicle financing page says “a specific FICO® Score or Wells Fargo credit rating does not guarantee a specific loan rate, approval of a loan, or an upgrade on a credit card.” Its advice on terms: “Car loans generally range from 36 to 72 months. Longer terms can lower your monthly auto loan payment but can also cost you more over the life of the loan.” Then come the extras: “state and local taxes, or aftermarket products such as an extended warranty, can be part of your loan amount.” Wells Fargo’s list is GAP, service contracts, anti-theft protection, surface protection and maintenance packages, and its FAQ is plain: “The purchase of aftermarket products is optional and isn’t required to receive approval for your loan.” Compare the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/), read our guide to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/), and sit down with a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a credit union, bank or online lender so the dealer has a number to beat. If the dealer sends your application to several lenders, keep the checks inside a short [rate-shopping window](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping). ## Wells Fargo auto loan rates: none published None of the Wells Fargo auto pages we read on 7 October 2026 shows an auto loan rate, an “as low as” APR or a calculator. With dealer-only lending, the rate depends on your credit, the car, the term and what the dealer writes into the contract, so anyone quoting “today’s Wells Fargo auto loan rate” is not quoting Wells Fargo. Two figures on its own documents get mistaken for a rate; the table shows why neither is an offer. **What Wells Fargo prints about the price of an auto loan, read 7 October 2026 (wellsfargo.com and the 2025 10-K)** | Item | What the documents say | | --- | --- | | Advertised auto loan APR | None printed on any auto page | | Where to apply | “Only available through our network of nearly 11,000 dealerships” | | Refinancing | “We don’t offer refinancing for auto loans at this time” | | Late fee and grace period | Not printed; “Grace periods vary from state to state,” and your contract sets both | | Paying through MoneyGram or Western Union | “Third-party fees may apply” | | Average yield on the whole auto book | 5.53% in 2025 and 5.84% in the second quarter of 2026: what the bank earned across all its auto loans, not an offer | | Auto repair personal loan | “Starting at 6.74% APR” for an unsecured loan of at least $10,000 over a 3-year term, including a 0.25% relationship discount, with rates “as of 07/10/2026” | Interest is simple and daily, so timing changes the cost: “If you pay your loan early, the amount of interest will be less, and if you pay your loan late, the amount of interest will be more.” The auto pages mention no prepayment penalty. Our [used car loan rates guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/) shows what moves a dealer’s number. ## Volkswagen and Audi buyers: Wells Fargo behind the brand name Many Wells Fargo borrowers never chose Wells Fargo: they financed a Volkswagen or an Audi at the dealer. VW Credit’s bond prospectus for the [Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1182534/000110465926108497/tm2624876d11_424b5.htm) says that on 16 September 2024 VW Credit and Wells Fargo “announced a multi-year co-branded agreement under which Wells Fargo will be the preferred purchase financing provider for the Volkswagen, Audi, and Ducati brands in the U.S. market. This new relationship began for Audi and Volkswagen dealers and consumers in May 2025 and for Ducati dealers and consumers in September 2026.” Volkswagen’s account page sets the date: “For auto financing on or after May 1, 2025, your account is powered by Wells Fargo,” and its FAQ says “Auto finance accounts are owned and serviced by Wells Fargo.” Audi’s pages say the same of Audi Retail Finance. So the payment, payoff, title and GAP rules on this page apply to those loans. A lease, or a loan started before that date, stays with VW Credit; see our [VW Credit review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/#payoff-title). Wells Fargo’s own filings credit auto growth to “a financing partnership launched in second quarter 2025” without naming it, and its auto pages do not mention either brand. ## Paying the loan: methods, fees and where each dollar goes To manage the loan online you set up access first, and “You’ll need your Social Security number and date of birth to get started.” Only 12 months of auto statements stay online, so download the ones you need. The FAQ lists these ways to pay: - **Autopay** from checking or savings. To change it you cancel and set it up again, allowing “at least 3 business days before the automatic payment is scheduled to withdraw.” - **Online or in the app,** now or scheduled up to 30 days ahead, or **by phone** through the automated system at 1-800-289-8004, at any hour. - **By mail,** a check or money order payable to Wells Fargo Auto, to the address on your statement. Mail can take “up to 5 days,” and a payment that lands after the due date and any grace period can bring a late fee. - **In person** at any Wells Fargo banking location, with or without a Wells Fargo account; or through your bank’s bill pay, MoneyGram or Western Union. Wells Fargo prints no fee amounts: “Your contract has information about late fees, finance charges, and other fees or charges.” A post-dated check “will be processed on the date it’s received.” A bounced payment may be presented once more, and your bank “may charge a fee each time the payment is returned.” Where the money goes depends on whether you are current. A payment that is due goes to accrued interest, then principal, then “Fees and other charges (if applicable).” A past-due payment goes to interest and principal only: “Fees and other charges won’t automatically be paid if you’re past due,” so an old late fee can linger after you catch up. Extra money advances the due date, but “You can pay your account up to 3 months in advance”; after that it only cuts principal. Wells Fargo’s own example shows daily simple interest at work: at 9% on $10,000, interest is $2.47 a day, and a $250 payment made 30 days after the last one puts $73.97 toward interest, leaving $9,823.97. At $2.50 a day, 30 days of interest is $75.00 and 40 days is $100.00. Both reproduce exactly, by our arithmetic; see [how loan interest accrues](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#accrual). You may move your due date once in the life of the loan, by no more than 15 days, after the first payment, and only if you are current or no more than 10 days past due. And on taxes, the FAQ says the new car-loan interest deduction (Sec. 70203) “may allow individuals to deduct interest paid on a loan used to purchase a qualified vehicle,” with a Form 1098-VLI starting with tax year 2026; ask a tax adviser. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the tablet screen, the keyboard and a notebook, with Wells Fargo's dealer-only auto lending, its lien-release timing after payoff, and how long a GAP refund can take. Wells Fargo’s auto loan pages and FAQ, read on 7 October 2026, say its car loans come only through its dealer network and that it does not refinance auto loans (callout 1), that a lien release is typically initiated within 10 days after the payoff posts (callout 2), and that a refund of unused GAP after an early payoff can take up to 120 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Wells Fargo auto loan payoff, lien release and title Start with a quote: sign on and choose “Get payoff quote,” read the payoff amount and daily interest on your monthly statement, or call 1-800-289-8004. “If you choose to pay off your account after the date provided, please call us for an updated quote.” Before paying, Wells Fargo says to stop Autopay or bill pay “at least 3 business days prior to payoff,” to consider a cashier’s check or money order, which “can help you receive your certificate of title faster,” and to make sure Wells Fargo Auto and your motor vehicle department have your current address. A payoff can go online only “If your payoff amount is less than $5,000.” Larger ones go by mail (with “Payoff” on the memo line and your 10-digit account number or 17-digit VIN), by wire, at any Wells Fargo banking location, or through MoneyGram or Western Union, where limits vary and fees may apply. Take the address and wire details from your own quote or statement. **What happens after a Wells Fargo auto loan payoff, in Wells Fargo’s words (Auto loan FAQs, read 7 October 2026)** | Step | Timing Wells Fargo gives | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Lien release starts | “Typically initiated within 10 days after your payoff has posted,” or as state rules require | A paid-in-full letter follows | | Paper title arrives | Varies by state; none after 60 days from the paid-in-full date means contacting your motor vehicle department | Electronic-title states release the lien electronically | | Overpayment refund | “Typically takes 2 to 3 weeks” by check | Common when the money arrives before the quote date | | Credit report shows paid in full | “Up to 120 days” | Reported to Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and Innovis | | Unused GAP refund | “May take up to 120 days” | Some GAP products are not refundable | One snag stops the chain: “If Wells Fargo Auto isn’t listed as the lienholder on the certificate of title at the time of payoff, we won’t be able to release the lien.” The title has to be corrected first. Title questions have their own line, 1-888-329-4856; our guide to [checking for a lien on a car](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/) shows how to confirm the release reached the state. To sell privately, “your loan must be paid in full” first. On a trade-in, “The dealership will contact us to pay off the loan on your behalf. Continue to make your monthly payment until your payoff is received.” If you need a paper title from an electronic one, the FAQ says it “could take up to 6 weeks” in one answer and “at least 4-6 weeks” in another; allow the longer figure. ## Insurance, GAP and refunds on add-ons The contract requires insurance for the life of the loan, and “Your insurance policy must name Wells Fargo Auto as the loss payee.” After an accident, “You’re responsible for making your regular monthly payments until the loan is paid off.” Driving abroad needs written permission, for trips “not to exceed 60 days for non-military travel,” with insurance covering 80% of the balance or the car’s actual cash value. GAP, Wells Fargo says, “covers any ‘gap’ between the amount owed on the loan and the vehicle’s value in the event of a total loss.” In its example the insurer pays $10,000 on a $13,000 balance and GAP may cover the $3,000 left, though “GAP may not cover late payments, late fees, or deferred payments.” It “isn’t transferable” and “typically ends when the loan is refinanced or paid off.” After an early payoff, or after a repossessed car is sold, “we’ll initiate cancellation of your GAP product”; the refund goes to you if the balance is zero, or to principal if not, and “won’t reduce your monthly payment amount.” Our guides to [how GAP works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works) and [GAP refunds](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-gap-insurance-worth-it/#refunds) go further. **Track the GAP refund yourself.** Unpaid GAP refunds are what the CFPB recorded in 2022: until July 2021, the order says, Wells Fargo did not ensure that borrowers on loans it “did not originate but subsequently owned and serviced” received GAP refunds they were eligible for after an early payoff or a repossession. Keep your payoff letter, and if no refund or principal credit appears within 120 days, ask in writing. For other add-ons, the dealer or the product’s administrator handles cancellation, with Wells Fargo as backstop: to cancel GAP, credit life or credit accident and health insurance, “contact the dealership, or call us at 1-800-289-8004, and we can start the cancellation process for you,” and if a dealer “has refused to cancel the product, or is out of business,” call Wells Fargo. Products already applied, such as surface protection or etching, “can’t be canceled.” If you do not remember buying one, “All purchased products require a signature”: ask the dealer for the signed contract. ## Behind on payments: deferment, SCRA and repossession Wells Fargo’s payment-help page offers four options: change the due date, defer a payment, make payment arrangements, or surrender the car. A deferment “pushes out your due date and extends the loan maturity date,” and interest keeps running; its 10-K describes these as “insignificant payment deferrals over the loan term (e.g., three months or less).” Servicemembers can ask about the SCRA, which “may allow us to adjust the interest rate on your auto loan to 6%.” Credit damage starts at a known point: “If your payment is 30 or more days late, it may show up on your credit report.” A Right to Cure letter says how to “cure” a default before repossession; call before its deadline. After a repossession, “you can ‘redeem’ your vehicle by paying the full amount outstanding (plus repossession costs), or ‘reinstate’ your account by paying the outstanding monthly payments (plus repossession costs)” in some cases. Otherwise the car is sold at auction, and “If the proceeds from the sale aren’t enough to pay the full amount you owe us, you may be responsible for paying the remaining balance.” A voluntary surrender ends the same way. The bank charges off an auto loan “when the loan is 120 days past due,” but that is an accounting entry, not forgiveness. See our guides to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [what you can still owe](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-survives). ## What Wells Fargo’s 10-K and 10-Q show about its auto lending Wells Fargo & Company reports car loans as their own class, “Auto,” so its filings speak directly about this business. Across five years they show a lender that pulled back hard and then turned around. **Wells Fargo’s auto loans as printed in its 10-K and 10-Q reports (balances at period end; the first-half 2026 charge-off ratio is annualized; delinquency is loans 30 or more days past due)** | Year or period | Auto loans held | Auto loans made | Net charge-offs (share of average loans) | 30+ day delinquency | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | $56.7 billion | $33.9 billion | $181 million (0.35%) | 1.84% | | 2022 | $53.7 billion | $23.1 billion | $422 million (0.76%) | 2.64% | | 2023 | $47.8 billion | $17.2 billion | $478 million (0.93%) | 2.80% | | 2024 | $42.4 billion | $16.9 billion | $356 million (0.80%) | 2.31% | | 2025 | $50.5 billion | $30.5 billion | $204 million (0.46%) | 1.52% | | First six months of 2026 | $56.9 billion (30 June) | $19.4 billion | $117 million (0.44%) | 1.31% (30 June) | The 2022 annual report blamed a smaller auto business on “credit tightening actions and rising interest rates,” and higher charge-offs on auto losses “driven by loans originated in 2021.” The 2024 report: “paydowns exceeded originations reflecting our actions related to credit tightening.” By our arithmetic the book shrank $14.3 billion, or 25.2%, from the end of 2021 to the end of 2024, and 2024 originations were 50.1% below 2021’s. Then it flipped. Originations reached $30.5 billion in 2025, an 80% rise as printed, and $19.4 billion in the first half of 2026 against $11.5 billion a year earlier: more in six months than in all of 2024. The filings credit “growth across the portfolio, including the impact of a new financing partnership.” By our arithmetic the book grew $14.6 billion, or 34.4%, from the end of 2024 to 30 June 2026. Charge-offs fell 57.3% from their 2023 peak to 2025 and the 30-day delinquency rate fell to 1.31%, though the June 2026 10-Q reports “higher losses in our auto portfolio” than a year earlier and an allowance for auto losses of $948 million, 1.67% of auto loans. The borrower mix moved too. Wells Fargo tables auto loans by updated FICO, the borrower’s current score. By our arithmetic, 55.7% of the book scored 740 or more at the end of 2024 and 11.2% sat below 620; on 30 June 2026 the shares were 53.9% and 10.7%. The newest loans show it more sharply: of the 2024 loans held at the end of 2024, 2.3% scored below 620; of the 2026 loans held on 30 June 2026, 10.2% did. The two groups are measured at different ages and on current scores, so read this as a direction: since 2025 Wells Fargo has lent further down the credit range than it did in 2024, which makes an outside pre-approval more useful, not less. For two other big banks read the same way, see [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/#filings) and [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/#filings). PNC, by contrast, says it is “not currently offering auto loans”; see our [PNC auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/pnc-auto-loan/) page. ## The 2018 and 2022 auto orders, how they ended, and the complaint record Two sets of federal orders concern Wells Fargo’s car loans. In both CFPB orders Wells Fargo consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law,” except jurisdiction; below is what the regulators found, in their words. ### 2018: force-placed insurance on car loans On 20 April 2018 the CFPB ([2018-BCFP-0001](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/wells-fargo-bank-na-2018/)) and the OCC (AA-EC-2018-15) acted together, in part over collateral protection insurance that Wells Fargo bought for borrowers who appeared to lack coverage and charged to their loans. The CFPB’s [order](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_wells-fargo-bank-na_consent-order_2018-04.pdf) says that since 2005 the bank force-placed insurance for “about 2 million borrowers”; that “roughly 28%” of the policies were canceled as duplicating insurance the borrower already had; that premiums were “typically just over $1,000 a policy”; and that “for at least 27,000 customers” the cost “could have contributed to a default that resulted in the repossession of their vehicle.” It found unfair practices from 21 July 2011 through 30 September 2016, and assessed a $1 billion penalty, reduced by the $500 million paid to the OCC; that penalty also covered mortgage rate-lock fees. Both 2018 orders are over. The [OCC’s termination order](https://www.occ.gov/static/enforcement-actions/eaAA-ENF-2025-13.pdf), signed 13 February 2025, directs that its 2018 order “be, and it hereby is, TERMINATED.” The CFPB modified its order on 20 December 2022 so it would end within three years of that date, and its action page now reads “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed.” ### 2022: payments, fees, repossessions and GAP On 20 December 2022 the CFPB issued a [consent order](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_wells-fargo-na-2022_consent-order_2022-12.pdf) ([2022-CFPB-0011](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/wells-fargo-bank-na-2022/)) covering auto loans, mortgages and deposit accounts. Its auto finding: the bank’s servicing systems “experienced a number of failures that caused Respondent to incorrectly apply borrowers’ payments; charge borrowers incorrect fees, interest, or other amounts; and repossess borrowers’ vehicles,” and the bank lacked processes to refund fees paid upfront to dealers “when warranted.” From at least 2011 through 2022, it “repossessed vehicles despite the borrower having made a payment or entering into an agreement to forestall the repossession.” **Auto findings in the CFPB’s 2022 order against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as the order states them (the order does not say whether each example sits inside a larger total, so the rows are not added)** | Finding | Accounts | Remediation | | --- | --- | --- | | All auto servicing issues | More than 11 million | $1.3 billion | | Payment-application errors (misapplied, late-posted, wrong Autopay amounts) | Almost 6 million | Roughly $565 million | | Other improper fees and charges | Almost 4.5 million | At least $424 million | | Repossession-related harm | Nearly 850,000 | More than $246 million | | Deferment dates entered wrongly, causing late fees | More than 688,000 | $26.5 million in late fees | | Repossessed cars not sold in a commercially reasonable time | At least 38,000 instances | More than $40 million | | Late GAP refunds under Texas rules (2017 to 2020) | Nearly 90,000 | More than $25 million | For each wrongful repossession, remediation includes $1,500 for transportation costs, $2,500 for other costs, repossession fees, any shortfall if the car sold below market value and refunds of deficiency payments. On GAP, the order found Wells Fargo “obtained such GAP fee refunds when it would benefit Respondent,” as after a default, but did not ensure refunds to borrowers who paid off early; it required refunds of unused GAP “regardless of state law.” The $1.7 billion penalty covered all three product areas; the CFPB’s release put auto redress at “more than $1.3 billion” of more than $2 billion. Wells Fargo’s 2024 annual report describes it as an order “that the Company announced was terminated on January 28, 2025,” and the CFPB lists it as “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed.” The 2025 annual report lists no auto matter among its legal actions, though its risk factors still mention auto collateral protection insurance and unused GAP. Of the nine CFPB actions naming Wells Fargo on our reading day, only these two list auto finance servicing. We did not read state attorney-general records or class-action dockets. ### CFPB complaints about Wells Fargo auto loans On 7 October 2026 we pulled CFPB complaint counts for “WELLS FARGO & COMPANY” under “Vehicle loan or lease,” received through 6 October 2026: 4,847, from 24 April 2017 to 30 September 2026, of which 4,724 concern loans and 121 leases. That is 2.8% of the 175,922 complaints naming the company, by our arithmetic, and the sixth-largest count among 1,153 companies in the category. The yearly count jumped from 372 in 2022 to 1,636 in 2023, 4.4 times as many, the year after the 2022 order; it was 388 in 2024, 531 in 2025 and 515 in 2026 to 6 October. The data do not say why. **CFPB vehicle loan or lease complaints naming Wells Fargo & Company: the five largest issues and the largest sub-issue in each (received through 6 October 2026; unverified; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 1,958 | 40.4% | Billing problem (812) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 768 | 15.8% | Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle (290) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 675 | 13.9% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (347) | | Repossession | 455 | 9.4% | Account reinstatement or redemption after repossession (83) | | Getting a loan or lease | 437 | 9.0% | Fraudulent loan (139) | Wells Fargo closed 719 (14.8%) with relief and most of the rest with an explanation; the CFPB marks 4,638 (95.7%) as answered on time. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and counts grow with a lender’s size: Wells Fargo held $56.9 billion of auto loans on 30 June 2026. The CFPB has served no complaint narratives since 30 September 2026, so these are counts only. ## Before you sign, and after you pay off - **Get a pre-approval elsewhere first.** Wells Fargo publishes no rate, so you need your own number to judge the dealer’s. - **Ask who the lender is.** On a new VW or Audi financed at the dealer since 1 May 2025, it is Wells Fargo. - **Strike the add-ons you did not ask for.** Wells Fargo says they are optional and not needed for approval. - **Find the late fee and grace period in your contract.** Wells Fargo’s pages do not print them. - **Before payoff, get a fresh quote and stop Autopay** at least 3 business days ahead. - **After payoff, watch the clock.** Lien release typically starts within 10 days; no title after 60 days means calling your motor vehicle department; GAP refunds can take up to 120 days. - **If you fall behind, call before any Right to Cure deadline,** and ask about a deferment or, if you serve, the SCRA rate. ## Common questions ### Can I apply for a Wells Fargo auto loan directly? No. Wells Fargo says its auto loans “are only available through our network of nearly 11,000 dealerships” and tells buyers to ask the dealer whether its financing is available. There is no online application on the pages we read. ### Can I refinance my car with Wells Fargo? No: “We don’t offer refinancing for auto loans at this time.” You need another lender, and GAP on the old loan ends when it is paid off. See our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). ### What are Wells Fargo auto loan rates today? Wells Fargo publishes none. The rate comes through the dealer and depends on your credit, the car and the term. Its annual report shows its whole auto book yielded 5.53% in 2025, which is not an offer. ### How do I get my Wells Fargo auto loan payoff amount? Choose “Get payoff quote” after signing on, check the payoff amount on your monthly statement, or call 1-800-289-8004. Payoffs under $5,000 can be paid online; larger ones go by mail, wire, branch, MoneyGram or Western Union. ### How do I contact Wells Fargo about my car loan? Call 1-800-289-8004, staffed Monday to Thursday from 7 am to 10 pm, Friday from 7 am to 9 pm and Saturday from 7 am to 5:30 pm Central Time; the automated system answers at any hour. Title questions go to 1-888-329-4856. ### How long after payoff does Wells Fargo send the title? The lien release “is typically initiated within 10 days after your payoff has posted,” and timelines vary by state. With no title 60 days after the paid-in-full date, Wells Fargo says to contact your motor vehicle department. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB Supervisory Highlights: Auto Finance (October 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_supervisory-highlights-special-ed-auto-finance_2024-10.pdf) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/ --- title: "BMW Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff and Lease End" description: "How to pay BMW Financial Services and what each way costs, title timing after payoff, lease-end and transfer charges, and its 2018 servicemember settlement." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # BMW Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff and Lease End > How to pay BMW Financial Services and what each way costs, title timing after payoff, lease-end and transfer charges, and its 2018 servicemember settlement. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,834 words* ## The short version - BMW Financial Services NA, LLC finances and leases BMWs and MINIs (MINI Financial Services is a division of it) and services every loan and lease it finances, including those made by its Utah bank. - Paying from a bank account or debit card costs nothing: BMW FS calls EasyPay free and phone payments “no cost.” It takes no credit cards for monthly payments. - There is no prepayment penalty on loans. With certified funds, BMW FS says the title is “normally released within 3 business days,” or overnight for $15.00. - A lease goes back to the BMW Center that wrote it unless another agrees. BMW FS does not negotiate buyouts, and a payoff sent by a third-party dealership “will not be honored.” Disposition and per-mile charges are in your lease, not on its pages. - BMW FS’s FAQ prints a $500 lease-transfer fee, requires six or more payments left, and says the original lessee is “fully released” when the transfer completes. - In 2018 BMW FS paid over $2 million to settle a Justice Department case over lease refunds owed to 492 servicemembers, neither admitting nor denying the allegations. We found no CFPB enforcement action naming it. Most people who search “BMW Financial Services” want to log in, pay, pay off a loan or hand back a lease. On 7 October 2026 we read what BMW Financial Services NA, LLC (BMW FS) publishes on those questions: dozens of its help articles on BMW’s FAQ site, its overview and Vehicle Return pages, the BMW Terms and MINI Financial Services’ page. We also read three BMW securitization prospectuses filed with the SEC in 2026, the CFPB’s enforcement list and complaint database, and the Justice Department’s 2018 servicemember case. We opened no login or account screen. This site has no commercial relationship with BMW, BMW FS or any lender. Where BMW FS’s own pages disagree, we say so. **Figure: BMW Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of seven account tasks set against BMW Financial Services’ own FAQ and pages: paying online, through EasyPay, by phone or by mail from a bank account or debit card has no fee; credit cards are not taken for monthly payments, only for extra lease miles; the due date can move once every 12 months and 3 times at most, for $20.00 online or $25.00 by phone on a lease; the title is normally released within 3 business days of a certified-funds payoff, or overnight for $15.00; the lease buyout price is the contract residual and is not negotiated, and a payoff sent by a third-party dealership will not be honored; the disposition fee is waived for customers who lease or finance a new BMW with BMW FS within 12 months or have an active account; and a lease transfer costs $500 and needs at least 6 payments left. Read from BMW Financial Services’ FAQ articles and its overview and Vehicle Return pages on 7 October 2026. No login or account screen was opened. ## Who BMW Financial Services is, and where the login lives BMW’s overview page says “BMW Financial Services is a subsidiary of BMW of North America, LLC.” Its prospectuses add BMW Bank of North America, which “is an industrial bank organized under the laws of the State of Utah,” and say the two have financed cars “since 1999” and leased them “since 1993.” Whoever wrote your contract, and whether or not it was sold to a trust, “BMW FS is the servicer for all of the loans and leases that it finances.” MINI’s page says MINI Financial Services “operates as a division of BMW Financial Services NA, LLC.” The front doors differ. BMW customers use My BMW, on the web or in the My BMW App once it is linked to the BMW FS account; the overview page also names myaccount.bmwfs.com. MINI customers sign in to the Owners’ Lounge at ol.miniusa.com “using your MINI ID Login.” We name these rather than link them: they are login pages, and BMW’s terms bar deep links into its sites. No rates are published. BMW FS “uses internal credit tiers,” with Tier 1 “typically available to customers with FICO scores of 720 or above,” and “The specific tier thresholds are not publicly disclosed.” Contracts “are originated by Centers and other Dealers who regularly sell those contracts to BMW Bank or other finance sources,” and BMW FS reviews “loan pricing data for potential disparities resulting from dealer” markup, a sign that your rate can sit above the one BMW FS approved. Our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains the gap, and a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a number to compare. Approval is common: 89.63% of loan applications in the year to 30 June 2026, and about 92.29% of lease applications in the year to 31 August 2026, though BMW FS and BMW Bank “generally do not provide financing to applicants with previous bankruptcies.” ## How to pay BMW FS, and what each way costs **Ways to pay a BMW Financial Services account, from BMW FS’s FAQ, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Fee | What BMW FS adds | | --- | --- | --- | | Online in My BMW, one-time or scheduled | None printed | Bank account or debit card; cancel a scheduled payment until 9:00pm ET the day before it posts | | EasyPay automatic payments | “It’s easy and it’s free!” | Credits on the due date; “allow 1 to 5 business days” for the money to leave your account | | Automated phone line, any hour | “There is no cost for this service” | Same-day payment by debit card or bank account | | Mail or overnight courier | None printed | Overnight payoffs go to a different address from monthly payments | | Credit card | Not accepted | Except to buy extra lease miles | The card rule appears in four BMW FS answers and on MINI’s page: “BMW FS accepts payment by checking account, savings account, or debit cards for monthly payments. Credit card payments are not accepted.” Money market accounts are out too. A bounced payment “may incur a charge. (The amount varies by state.)” Late charges follow state law: “Your State regulates the grace period,” and your statement’s Account Summary says whether you have one. Statements arrive “approximately 14 days before your due date.” Paying extra helps. BMW FS says “All loans financed through BMW Financial Services are simple interest loans,” so paying early cuts interest and paying late adds to it, and money above the amount due “may reduce your final payment or shorten the term.” If the next amount due shrinks afterwards, keep paying the regular amount: “the extra amounts will stay on your balance.” The articles disagree on order. One says payments go “first” to finance charges, then principal, then fees; the interest article sends extra money “first” to “any other charges outstanding.” Check your statement after an extra payment. ## Due dates, deferments and falling behind You can move your due date in My BMW “once every 12 months, and a maximum of 3 times prior to your final payment.” On a lease it costs money: “the processing fee for an online due date change is $20.00 plus applicable tax, or $25.00 if done by phone,” $5 more by phone, by our arithmetic. On a loan there is no fee, but you may be billed “a one-time, pro-rated amount at the end of your contract” for the extra interest. An older copy of the answer, still on the FAQ site, prints no lease fee; plan on the newer one. BMW FS offers deferments, which take a payment “and places it at the end of your loan,” adding a month and “an additional month of interest.” The rules appear only in the prospectus: the general policy allows “one deferment for every 12-month financed period,” provided “the first six monthly billings have been paid,” and “A maximum of two deferments is allowed for every 12-month financed period.” Those sentences sit side by side, so ask which applies to you and get the new maturity date in writing. The prospectus also sets the collections clock. A payment is late if less than 90% of it arrives by the due date; BMW FS says payments “more than 29 days past due” may be reported to credit bureaus; and “Repossession procedures typically begin when a contract becomes 60 days delinquent.” Since 14 March 2025 contracts are generally charged off at the 160th day of delinquency (it was the 150th), and shortfalls after a repossession sale are pursued “to the extent practicable and legally permitted.” BMW FS asks you to call “before a payment is missed.” Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers the state rules. **Keep your own insurance current.** BMW FS requires comprehensive and collision cover with a deductible of no more than $1,000, but its prospectus says “The Servicer is not required to monitor the maintenance of insurance. Neither BMW FS nor BMW Bank currently “force places” insurance.” If your policy lapses, nobody buys cover for you, and after a total loss you could still owe the balance. ## Payoff quotes and your title The payoff amount and the forms to send are under Payoff Information in My BMW. “BMW Financial Services does not charge a prepayment penalty on retail financing contracts,” the overview page says. Pay with certified funds; if you overnight a payoff, BMW FS uses a different address than for monthly payments. **What BMW FS says happens to the title after a payoff, read 7 October 2026** | Situation | What BMW FS says | | --- | --- | | Loan paid with certified funds | “the title is normally released within 3 business days, standard mail” | | You want it faster | “for an extra $15.00 you can have the title sent overnight”; not to a P.O. box; two-day express for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico | | Lease bought out | “The title release policy may vary based on your state” | | Vehicle Return page, any payoff | “The title release policy differs based on your state” | So one page gives 3 business days and two others say it depends on the state. If a buyer or a new lender is waiting, ask BMW FS which applies in your state before promising a date. Selling a financed BMW is allowed: loans “are not assumable,” but “You may however sell the vehicle to the 3rd party for the payoff.” Nothing in the pages we read stops another lender paying off a BMW FS loan; our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers when it pays. Leases are different, as the next section explains. ## Ending a BMW FS lease: return, buy or extend BMW FS lists three choices: “choose a new BMW, purchase your current BMW, or return your BMW.” The prospectus says BMW emails lessees 120 and 75 days before maturity and BMW FS starts calling at 60 days if the dealer has not been in touch; the FAQ adds a letter with a “Ding-O-Meter (or inspection wheel)” about 90 days out. **Returning it.** “Please note that the only BMW Center required to accept return of your vehicle is the BMW Center where the contract originated.” Another center may take it “as long as that center is willing,” so call first. An inspection is required, sometimes through BMW FS’s “third-party inspection company.” The pre-inspection is “complimentary”, and results appear online as a Vehicle Return Estimate. Repairs can be done at any authorized BMW Center before the return; if a third-party inspector found the damage, you must send “a copy of the itemized receipt showing the repair work completed and paid in full” to have the charge removed. Bring “all keys, manuals and accessories that the vehicle originally came with”; no other paperwork is needed. You sign a Federal Odometer Statement, which serves as confirmation of the return, so keep a copy. Electric cars need their charging cables and a battery “charged to a minimum of 50% at time of turn in.” The Vehicle Return Statement is mailed “approximately two to three weeks after your vehicle is returned.” Then handle the plates: in the states BMW FS lists, among them Florida, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, skip it and “you remain liable after termination for all of the tickets, official fees, and taxes billed on that vehicle.” **Buying it.** “No. BMW Financial Services does not negotiate payoffs or residual values.” Your lease has no provision for buying “at any rate other than the agreed-upon residual value, whether you purchase it from BMW Financial Services directly or opt to purchase it from your BMW Center.” Our guide to [lease buyouts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) covers the taxes and fees on top. BMW FS says it will discuss “financing your lease purchase.” **A third-party dealer cannot pay off your BMW FS lease for you.** BMW FS’s payoff article says: “This payoff is intended for you, and will not be honored if sent in by a third-party dealership.” If another brand’s dealer, an online buyer or an independent dealer offers to buy your leased BMW, ask BMW FS first; the routes its documents describe are buying it yourself or through a BMW Center. **Extending it.** The FAQ says BMW FS “may have options available to extend the term of your Lease up to six months,” online only “in the final two months of the contract term.” The prospectus is more specific: one or two extra months need no commitment; beyond two months you need “proof of deposit or production number”; three to six months only with another BMW on order. Leaving early costs the “Early Termination Cost”: unpaid payments, fees, taxes and repair charges, “a disposition fee” and the “Actuarial Payoff,” minus the car’s Black Book wholesale value. A “pull-ahead” program sometimes lets you leave early for a new car. ## Mileage, wear and the disposition fee BMW FS prints no per-mile overage charge and no disposition-fee amount. The prospectus says a returning lessee pays excess mileage “at the stated rate on the related Lease,” and the FAQ says “The disposition fee amount may vary based on state guidelines.” Both are in your lease agreement. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) explains how they are disclosed. **Miles.** The Mileage Adjustment Program sells extra miles “at a discounted rate, right up until the day before you turn in your vehicle.” It covers “vehicles with up to 100,000 total miles”; the account must have “no outstanding fees,” property tax included; within 120 days of maturity miles are bought in a lump sum; and this is the one place BMW FS takes “a credit card.” Unused purchased miles are credited “equal to the per mile purchase price” at lease end. The price per mile is not printed. Driving less can earn something back: return the car with “at least ten percent of the total allowed mileage unused,” finance or lease your next BMW through BMW FS “within two months prior to or six months after” the return, and “a credit of up to $300.00” goes on the new account. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark scuffs on a bumper corner, a dent and the panel above it, with BMW Financial Services' wear-and-use allowance for small dents and scratches, its optional Lease-End Protection, and its complimentary pre-inspection. BMW Financial Services’ lease-end guidelines, read on 7 October 2026, treat dents and scuffs of 2 inches or less with no paint damage as no problem (callout 1); its optional Lease-End Protection covers excess wear and use such as dents and dings up to $5,000 (callout 2); and its FAQ offers a complimentary pre-inspection, with the BMW Center doing the final inspection at return (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. **Wear and use.** BMW FS’s Inspection Guidelines sort damage into “No Problem” and “Needs Repair.” The line for body damage is 2 inches. **BMW FS’s lease-return Inspection Guidelines, abridged (Vehicle Return page, read 7 October 2026)** | Area | No problem | Needs repair | | --- | --- | --- | | Exterior | Dents 2 inches or less with no paint damage (unless multiple per panel); scuffs or scratches 2 inches or less that do not penetrate the paint | Dents or scratches greater than 2 inches; collision damage; aftermarket vinyl wrap not removed | | Interior | Minor scuffs to the interior, seats and soft trim | Cuts, burns, or tears to upholstery or carpet; stains or odors that cannot be removed | | Maintenance | Brake fluid service indicator | Past due oil or brake pad service indicators; engine or mechanical warning lights | | Glass and lamps | Replacement windshield to the manufacturer’s specifications | Chips, cracks, scratches, or stars in glass; a repaired windshield | | Tires and wheels | Original-equipment size, speed rating and run-flat type; minor curb rash | Less than 4/32 of an inch of tread; seasonal or re-treaded tires; scuffed painted or chromed wheels | | Parts | All original equipment present | Missing keys, cargo covers or charging cable; any aftermarket alterations | Tires are where returns get expensive. BMW FS charges “for each tire that is not of equal size, quality, and speed rating as your original tires,” and a car delivered on run-flats must go back on run-flats. The 4/32-inch minimum matches the lease prospectus’s 1/8 of an inch “remaining at the shallowest point.” If you buy replacements first (our [Sam’s Club tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/) guide reads one retailer’s terms), match the door-jamb label exactly. Accident repairs must use “new and genuine BMW manufacturer’s original equipment replacement parts.” Our guide to [wear-and-tear standards](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear) explains how they work. **The disposition fee.** BMW FS waives it “if you or a member of your household lease or finance a new BMW through BMW Financial Services within 12 months of your termination date or have any active account with BMW Financial Services.” On that wording, any active BMW FS account is enough; ask for the waiver before paying the final statement. **Lease-End Protection.** This optional product “covers excess wear and use charges for interior stains, tire wear, chips, dents, dings, and more, at the end of your lease – up to $5,000 total.” It is “not available for purchase in New York,” and no price is printed. Check My BMW for whether your lease has it before paying a wear charge. ## Transferring a BMW FS lease BMW FS’s FAQ answers the swap questions fully. A lease “may be assumed if your account is current and has at least six payments remaining.” “There is a one-time charge of $500 to submit a Lease Transfer.” If the new lessee fails the credit check, or the process runs past 60 days, the fee comes back “less a $100 processing charge” ($400, by our arithmetic) and you start again. BMW FS “cannot accept partial payment from either party” and “cannot mediate,” so agree in writing who pays. It “may take up to 4-6 weeks.” The current lessee insures the car until the end; the new lessee’s policy must start within 10 days of BMW FS receiving proof of it. Warranties such as “Excess Wear and Tear and BMW CPO warranties” “may not transfer.” For the person leaving, BMW FS says: “Once all steps are complete, you are fully released from the financial liability of the account.” Our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors), written from BMW’s transfer articles a day earlier, found no fee and no release statement and records that the new lessee owes every lease-end charge, including earlier wear; the three further articles read here print the fee, the six-payment rule and the release. ## Insurance, GAP and add-ons For a lease, BMW FS requires bodily injury liability of “at least $100,000 per person, and $300,000 per occurrence,” property damage liability of “at least $50,000,” and comprehensive and collision “for the vehicle’s actual value,” with “The maximum deductible allowed is $1,000.” Loans need comprehensive and collision with the same deductible cap. If an insurer’s check names you and BMW FS, “do not endorse it! Only BMW Financial Services can endorse checks.” GAP “is included in all BMW Financial Services leases. This is an option on loans financed with BMW Financial Services.” It pays the gap between insurance and what you owe “(minus your insurance deductible, the disposition fee, and all past due amounts you may owe).” On a BMW FS lease, ask before paying for separate GAP; our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) explains lease GAP. For service contracts, “the originating BMW Center is responsible for issuing the refund,” and “BMW of North America is not involved with the cancellation/reimbursement process,” so start with the selling dealer; our [BMW extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-extended-warranty/#cancelling) covers the contracts. Property or excise taxes on a leased car are “your responsibility,” and after a move “you may be required to re-register within 30 days or less.” ## What BMW’s securitization filings show BMW FS sells pools of loans and leases to trusts that register bonds with the SEC, and their prospectuses print data no BMW FS web page does. We read the [BMW Vehicle Owner Trust 2026-A prospectus](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1136586/000092963826003032/bmw2026a_424b5.htm) (loans, filed 13 August 2026), the BMW Vehicle Lease Trust 2026-1 prospectus (16 April 2026) and the preliminary [BMW Vehicle Lease Trust 2026-2 prospectus](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1126530/000092963826003761/bmw2026-2_424h.htm) dated 1 October 2026. The 44,721 loans in the 2026-A pool had a weighted average FICO score of 788 and original terms of 24 to 84 months; their weighted average APR was 5.36%, from 0.90% to 14.99%. Those describe one securitized pool, not rates on offer, and BMW FS says it “in many cases” buys contracts “with APRs that are lower than those it would otherwise require, pursuant to incentive finance programs.” The 2026-2 lease pool’s average FICO score was 796. **BMW FS’s serviced retail loan portfolio (BMW Vehicle Owner Trust 2026-A prospectus; first-quarter loss rate annualized)** | Period | Contracts | 30+ days delinquent | Net losses, % of balance | Repossessed cars sold | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 688,973 | 1.13% | 0.21% | 2,721 | | 2023 | 656,934 | 1.48% | 0.42% | 2,550 | | 2024 | 659,459 | 1.58% | 0.55% | 3,573 | | 2025 | 618,341 | 1.70% | 0.60% | 4,524 | | First quarter 2026 | 609,617 | 1.62% | 0.50% | 1,062 | From 2021 to 2025 delinquency rose 0.57 percentage points, the net loss rate reached 2.9 times its 2021 level and repossession sales 1.7 times, by our arithmetic. The lease book drifted the same way: 0.90% of balances 31 days or more late at the end of 2025 against 0.54% in 2021, with net losses of 0.32% in 2025. The lease tables also show what happens to returned cars. Of leases scheduled to end in 2025, 69% came back to BMW FS (66,747 of 96,599); in the first half of 2026 it was 68%, against 75% a year earlier. On returned cars BMW FS recorded an average gain of $4,171 over the ALG residual in 2025 (ALG “is an independent publisher of lease residual value percentages”), down from $8,348 in 2022, about half, by our arithmetic. That gain is measured against ALG’s forecast, not your contract, and BMW FS says the residual in a lease (its “Contract Residual Value”) “may be higher than the residual value determined using ALG Residual Values.” What it does show is that returned BMWs have, on average, sold above that forecast, so compare your buyout price with what dealers pay before handing the car back. Both prospectuses say “there are no legal proceedings pending, or governmental proceedings contemplated” against BMW FS “that would be material to holders of any Notes,” a statement about bondholders, not individual disputes. ## Regulators, the 2018 servicemember case and complaints On 22 February 2018 the Justice Department sued BMW FS in federal court in New Jersey (Civil No. 2:18-cv-02495) and settled the same day. Its [press release](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-obtains-over-2-million-servicemembers-who-terminated-their-motor-vehicle) said BMW FS “has agreed to pay over $2 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to refund a type of up-front lease payment to 492 servicemembers who lawfully terminated their motor vehicle leases early,” the Department’s first such case against a vehicle lessor. The payment was the capitalized cost reduction (CCR), the down payment, trade-in credit or rebate that lowers a lease payment. As the [settlement agreement](https://www.justice.gov/d9/press-releases/attachments/2018/02/22/bmw_settlement_agreement_0.pdf) records, “the United States alleges that BMW FS did not, as a matter of policy or practice, refund any portion of CCR amounts.” BMW FS disputed this, contending CCR “is a payment in the form of a down payment, retained by the motor vehicle dealer,” and “BMW FS neither admits nor denies the factual allegations.” These are settled allegations, not findings. Covering leases ended since 24 August 2011, the agreement required $2,165,518.84 in escrow for the 492 servicemembers: a pro-rated CCR refund with interest plus “indirect damages in the amount of $500, or three times” the refund, “whichever is larger.” BMW FS also paid $60,788 to the United States, asked the credit bureaus to remove related negative entries and revised its procedures. The escrow averages about $4,401 per servicemember and the payments total about $2.23 million, by our arithmetic. The agreement ran four years. We did not read the docket, and no document we read says how much was paid out. The 2026 lease prospectuses describe the law as it stands: for a qualifying military termination, “No early termination charge may be imposed on the user-lessee.” We found nothing else. The CFPB’s enforcement list, searched for “bmw” on 7 October 2026, returned “Sorry, there were no results”; the prospectus notes BMW FS “is also subject to the CFPB’s investigation and enforcement authority.” Searches for state attorney-general actions naming BMW FS found none, though we did not check every state. **Complaints.** The CFPB’s database holds 3,353 complaints under BMW Financial Services NA, LLC, the only company name matching “BMW”, received from April 2012 to 2 October 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, not findings, and grow with a lender’s size; since 30 September 2026 the CFPB publishes no narratives, so only counts are used. Credit reporting accounts for 1,550 (46.2%) across three product names. Vehicle loans and leases account for 1,064 (31.7%), split 596 loans and 465 leases, or 1.02% of all 104,437 such complaints, by our arithmetic. The largest vehicle issues are managing the loan or lease (282, including 168 billing problems) and problems at the end of the loan or lease (233: 50 about mileage or wear fees, 46 about getting the title, 45 about early-termination fees, 41 about paying off). Our [BMW extended warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-extended-warranty/#complaints) compares these with the whole database. One number stands out: BMW FS closed 3,327 complaints “with explanation” and none with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% closed with relief across all vehicle loan or lease complaints, by our arithmetic. It answered 98% on time. **Complaints against BMW FS by year received (CFPB database, pulled 7 October 2026; 2026 runs to 2 October)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All BMW FS complaints | | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 108 | 313 | | 2022 | 106 | 318 | | 2023 | 119 | 357 | | 2024 | 111 | 343 | | 2025 | 134 | 493 | | 2026 to 2 October | 137 | 440 | Complaints in 2025 were 1.38 times the 2023 level, by our arithmetic, and 2026’s vehicle count had passed 2025’s by October; a count cannot say whether that means more problems or more customers. Our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [Honda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/), [Ford Credit](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-credit-review/), [VW Credit](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/) and [Hyundai Motor Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/) read other carmakers’ lenders the same way. ## If you have a BMW FS loan or lease - **Pay from a bank account or debit card;** online, EasyPay and phone payments carry no BMW FS fee. - **Think before moving a lease due date:** $20.00 online or $25.00 by phone, plus tax. - **Get any deferment in writing,** with the new maturity date. - **Keep insurance in force** with a deductible of $1,000 or less; BMW FS does not buy it for you. - **Pay off with certified funds** and ask how title release works in your state. - **Book the pre-inspection,** repair at a BMW Center, keep itemized receipts, and check for Lease-End Protection. - **Return the car to the center that wrote the lease,** keep the odometer statement, and deal with the plates. - **Ask for the disposition-fee waiver** if you have or are opening another BMW FS account. - **Never let a third-party dealer send your lease payoff.** ## Common questions ### What is the BMW Financial Services login? BMW FS accounts are managed through My BMW, on the web or in the linked My BMW App; BMW’s overview page also names myaccount.bmwfs.com. MINI Financial Services customers use the Owners’ Lounge at ol.miniusa.com with a MINI ID. Payoff figures and the Vehicle Return Estimate sit behind that login. ### Can I pay BMW Financial Services with a credit card? Not for monthly payments: “Credit card payments are not accepted.” Debit cards and bank accounts are. The one exception in BMW FS’s FAQ is buying extra lease miles. ### How long does BMW Financial Services take to send the title after payoff? With certified funds, BMW FS says “the title is normally released within 3 business days, standard mail,” and overnight delivery costs $15.00. Its lease and Vehicle Return pages say the policy varies by state, so ask. ### What does BMW Financial Services charge when I return a lease? Possibly a disposition fee, excess-mileage charges and wear beyond its guidelines. No amounts are printed: the fee “may vary based on state guidelines” and miles are billed at your lease’s rate. The fee is waived if you or your household lease or finance a new BMW through BMW FS within 12 months, or have any active BMW FS account. ### Can I transfer my BMW lease to someone else? Yes, if the account is current with at least six payments left. BMW FS charges $500, refunds all but $100 if the new lessee fails its credit check or the process passes 60 days, and says the original lessee is “fully released” once every step is complete. See our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/) for other lessors. ### Does BMW Financial Services negotiate lease buyouts, and can a dealer buy my lease? No to the first: “BMW Financial Services does not negotiate payoffs or residual values.” On the second, a lease payoff “will not be honored if sent in by a third-party dealership,” so buy it yourself or through a BMW Center. Financed BMWs can be sold to a third party “for the payoff.” For other lenders, see our reviews of [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/), [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/), [TD Auto Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/td-auto-finance-review/) and [Consumer Portfolio Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/consumer-portfolio-services-review/), and our [BMW](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/bmw-certified-pre-owned/) and [MINI](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/mini-certified-pre-owned/) certified pre-owned guides. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/ --- title: "VW Credit Review: Login, Payments, Payoff, Lease End and Record" description: "VW Credit is Volkswagen and Audi Financial Services. What its own pages say about paying, payoff, titles and lease-end fees, and what its bond filings show." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # VW Credit Review: Login, Payments, Payoff, Lease End and Record > VW Credit is Volkswagen and Audi Financial Services. What its own pages say about paying, payoff, titles and lease-end fees, and what its bond filings show. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,953 words* ## The short version - VW Credit, Inc. is the lender behind the Volkswagen Financial Services and Audi Financial Services names. Since 1 May 2025, new Volkswagen and Audi loans have been written as Volkswagen or Audi Retail Finance, which Wells Fargo owns and services. VW Credit keeps every lease and the loans started before that date. - VW Credit takes payments from a checking account, online, by AutoPay or by automated phone; “Credit cards are not accepted.” Its online terms print “no monthly or transaction fees.” - After a loan is paid in full, VW Credit says it mails the title or releases it to the DMV in about 10 business days. After a lease buyout it says to allow 2 to 4 weeks. - At lease end only an AiM inspection counts, and its report is valid for 90 days. The turn-in fee and per-mile charge are in your lease, not online; the fee is waived if your next Volkswagen goes through VW Credit within 90 days, or 120, depending on the page. - VW Credit’s bond filings show 464,079 leases at 30 June 2026, 0.89% of them 31 or more days late. Lease net losses rose to an annualized 0.61% in the first half of 2026, and 47.2% of the leases due to end came back to VW Credit. - We found no CFPB, Justice Department or state action naming VW Credit. The CFPB holds 2,622 complaints under “VW Credit”, 1,080 about vehicle loans or leases, and 28.9% of those closed with relief against 9.4% across the product. Most people who search “VW Credit” want to log in, make a payment, pay a car off or hand a lease back. On 7 October 2026 we read what VW Credit publishes on those questions: the [Volkswagen Financial Services FAQ](https://www.vw.com/en/owners-and-services/my-financial-account/faq.html), its Accounts & Payments, Lease Transition Options and [Turn-in Process](https://www.vw.com/en/shop/financing-and-leasing/lease-a-vw/turn-in-process.html) pages, Audi Financial Services’ FAQ, and VW Credit’s own Online Access and Usage Agreement, payment authorizations and Privacy Notice. We also read VW Credit’s prospectuses for [Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1182534/000110465926108497/tm2624876d11_424b5.htm), filed on 17 September 2026, and [Volkswagen Auto Loan Enhanced Trust 2025-2](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1182534/000110465925114562/tm2530801d11_424b5.htm), filed on 20 November 2025, a servicer report and the FTC’s 2016 diesel order. We entered no login, payment or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with VW Credit, Volkswagen, Audi, Wells Fargo or any lender. Where VW Credit’s documents disagree, we say so. **Figure: VW Credit: what its own documents say** A two-column table of eight points on a VW Credit account set against VW Credit’s own pages, payment terms and bond filings: loans begun on or after 1 May 2025 are owned and serviced by Wells Fargo, while VW Credit keeps leases and older loans; payments come from a checking account online, by AutoPay or by phone, credit cards are not accepted and online services carry no fees; the FAQ credits payments scheduled by 11:59 p.m. CT, Monday to Saturday, while the ACH terms say payments process at 5 p.m. CT; titles are mailed or released about 10 business days after payoff, and 2 to 4 weeks after a lease buyout; the turn-in fee amount is in the lease and is waived if the next new or certified Volkswagen goes through VW Credit within 90 days by the FAQ or 120 days by a footnote; only AiM inspections count and the report lasts 90 days, while the per-mile rate is in the lease; leases can be extended three months, or up to six for select models, if current; and VW Credit generally sends a repossession agent once an account cannot be brought current within 60 to 90 days. Read from Volkswagen’s and Audi’s Financial Services pages, VW Credit’s online terms and its VALT 2026-B and VALET 2025-2 prospectuses on 7 October 2026. No login, payment or credit application was entered. ## Who VW Credit is, and why your loan may not be with it VW Credit, Inc. uses several names. Volkswagen’s lease pages say “VW Credit, Inc. (dba Volkswagen Financial Services) is a servicer for VW Credit Leasing, Ltd. And VCI Loan Services, LLC,” and its Online Access and Usage Agreement calls VW Credit and its affiliates both “Audi Financial Services” and “Volkswagen Financial Services.” The lease prospectus says VW Credit was incorporated in Delaware in April 1981, is wholly owned by Volkswagen US-Holding, Inc. and so by Volkswagen AG, and works through about 931 Volkswagen and Audi dealers. The dealer writes your contract; VW Credit buys and services it. VW Credit also trades as Audi Financial Services; see our [Audi Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-financial-services-review/). For loans, that changed in 2025. On 16 September 2024 VW Credit and Wells Fargo announced that Wells Fargo would be “the preferred purchase financing provider for the Volkswagen, Audi, and Ducati brands,” starting for Volkswagen and Audi “in May 2025.” VW Credit “will continue to service existing customer contracts” and now focuses on “consumer leasing, floorplan lending and usage-based products.” Volkswagen’s FAQ turns that into a simple test: **Which company holds your Volkswagen or Audi account, per Volkswagen’s and Audi’s FAQs, read 7 October 2026** | Your contract | Who holds and services it | Where you log in | | --- | --- | --- | | Any Volkswagen or Audi lease | VW Credit (Volkswagen or Audi Financial Services) | My Account (Volkswagen) or myAudi | | Loan begun before 1 May 2025 | VW Credit | My Account or myAudi | | Loan begun on or after 1 May 2025 | Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as Volkswagen or Audi Retail Finance | Wells Fargo Online or the Wells Fargo Mobile app | The footnote is plain: “Auto finance accounts are owned and serviced by Wells Fargo.” Audi’s FAQ says the same of Audi Retail Finance. If you financed a Volkswagen or Audi recently, this page is probably not about your loan; our [Wells Fargo auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/wells-fargo-auto-loan/#volkswagen-audi) page reads that lender’s own pages. The loan prospectus notes “a significant reduction in Volkswagen Financial Services retail originations,” and the FAQ says VW Credit “does not refinance vehicles at this time.” VW Credit files no annual report with the SEC (its own EDGAR list holds only Form ABS-15G), so its business is disclosed in the prospectuses of the bond trusts it sponsors. Even those differ on names: the 2025 loan prospectus calls Volkswagen Financial Services “an affiliate of VW Credit.” ## Logging in, statements and privacy The FAQ answers the login question first: “Register for My Account at vwcredit.com/register. You’ll need your account number, Social Security number, and email address.” Audi customers use myAudi. The account number arrives in a welcome booklet a few weeks after you leave the dealer and is printed on your contract. If it has been “12 weeks since you logged in on that device,” VW Credit asks you to re-authenticate. We have left phone numbers off this page; the FAQ lists them. Save statements as they arrive. The FAQ says Document Center shows “previous statements over the last 12 months.” VW Credit’s Online Access and Usage Agreement, effective since 1 July 2024, says “Your statements are available online for up to a maximum of 90 days,” and that older ones may cost a fee, though its Online Fees clause says “There are no monthly or transaction fees for Online Service(s)” and names none. The Privacy Notice, last updated on 1 June 2026, lists what VW Credit may collect, including “Biometric Information” and “Geolocation Data,” and says it may “jointly market financial products and services with affiliated and non-affiliated companies.” You can limit some sharing through the privacy link in your online account, though VW Credit warns you then “may not receive coupons, refunds, discounts, or any other special programs.” ## How to pay VW Credit, what it costs and when it counts VW Credit takes payments from a bank account only. The FAQ says “We only accept checking accounts as a form of monthly payment” and lists three routes: AutoPay, a one-time payment online, and the automated phone system, which it suggests for a first payment due before your account details arrive. **Ways to pay a Volkswagen Financial Services account and the fees VW Credit prints, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Fee printed | What VW Credit adds | | --- | --- | --- | | AutoPay (My Account or myAudi) | None; “no monthly or transaction fees for Online Service(s)” | One enrollment per vehicle; not open to accounts with any payment past due | | One-time payment online | None | Can be cancelled while “Pending,” not once “Posted” | | Automated phone payment | None printed | Account number or Social Security number; from a checking account | | Check by mail | None printed | Left off the FAQ’s list; VW Credit’s AutoPay terms and its prospectus mention checks | | Credit card | Not accepted | “Credit cards are not accepted” | VW Credit’s own payment authorizations read slightly wider than the FAQ: both draw on “the financial institution checking/savings account you selected.” They also list “late charges, returned payment fees, parking tickets or personal property taxes” among amounts a payment may cover, without printing any fee amount. Timing is where the documents part company. The FAQ says: “If you scheduled your payment by 11:59 p.m. CT, Monday through Saturday, it will be credited to your account for the date you selected,” while Sunday and bank-holiday payments are credited “on the second business day.” The ACH Payment Authorization says “Payments are processed at 5 p.m. CT on the selected payment date, and cannot be modified or canceled after that time.” One is about crediting and the other about processing, but near a due date, schedule a day early. The FAQ also says to “allow up to 6 business days for the payment to withdraw from your account.” AutoPay has its own rules. If the AutoPay date you pick falls after your next due date, or “within 12 calendar days before your next payment is due,” make a one-time payment that month. The FAQ says “You can cancel AutoPay at any time”; the Automatic Payment Plan authorization says a cancellation must arrive “at least 5 days before the scheduled payment date” or that month’s draw still goes through. If a draw bounces, VW Credit “may discontinue processing of recurring charges.” Lessees in 11 states, among them Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia, may also see a yearly property tax bill: local offices bill VW Credit, which adds the tax to your balance, and AutoPay takes it with the regular payment. ## Falling behind, deferrals and insurance If money is tight, the FAQ says “you may be eligible to receive payment assistance” and asks for a secure message. For leases the usual tool is a deferral, and VW Credit spells out the catch: “if you defer two months of payments, instead of having one monthly payment due on your final payment date, you would have three monthly payments due.” If that final bill is not paid in full, “late charges may be applied” and there may be “credit reporting impacts.” The Turn-in Process page says those payments may be rolled into a new Volkswagen lease or loan with VW Credit, subject to credit approval. The prospectuses describe what happens when payments stop. A lease payment is late when the lessee “fails to make at least 75% of a scheduled payment”; a loan is late if “more than 25% of the scheduled monthly payment is past due.” Notices start between 3 and 20 days late on a lease (2 and 28 on a loan). Then: “If the delinquent lease cannot be brought current or completely collected within 60 to 90 days, VW Credit generally assigns the vehicle to a repossession agent.” Accounts are charged off by the 120th day, and VW Credit generally pursues any shortfall after the sale “to the extent practicable and legally permitted.” See our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back). **Keep your insurance in force until VW Credit confirms a return.** A lease must carry the coverage printed on the back of the contract, naming “VW Credit Leasing, Ltd. as the additionally insured and loss payee.” The lease prospectus says VW Credit “is not obligated to monitor whether a lessee continues to satisfy its insurance requirement,” so a lapse is your risk. After an accident, keep paying until you are told the account is closed; a GAP plan bought from an outside insurer is claimed with that insurer. See our guide to [GAP on a lease](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing). VW Credit takes credit-report disputes in writing, and service members activate Servicemembers Civil Relief Act benefits by secure message. Since 31 August 2015 it has been subject to CFPB supervision. ## Paying off, buying out a lease and getting the title Payoff starts in your account: “Select ‘Request payoff quote,’ on the homepage.” The 11:59 p.m. CT rule decides which day a payoff payment is credited. VW Credit does not print how long a quote stays good, so check the date on it. On timing, the FAQ says: “Paper titles are generally mailed and electronic titles and/or liens are released to the DMV approximately 10 business days after the account is paid in full. In some states, this might be faster as required by state law.” Your DMV adds its own time. Audi’s FAQ gives the same 10 business days. One FAQ answer adds a condition: the title comes once the car is paid off “and you have completed and returned the Bill of Sale and Odometer Statement.” If a title is slow, ask whether VW Credit is waiting for paperwork. It will send the title to an address you authorize, but “We cannot release the title in the name of a third party.” Since VW Credit does not refinance, a new lender pays it off directly; see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). You can buy a leased car at any time. “Get a payoff quote” produces a Purchase Agreement Package with a bill of sale, odometer disclosure statement, titling page and checklist. Pay online, or by check to VCI Account Services, LLC, and “allow 2-4 weeks to receive your title and final purchase documents.” A security deposit lowers the price. In Colorado, Florida and South Dakota, “Any off-lease purchase must be made at your local or preferred Volkswagen dealership.” Buying also cancels the lease-end bill: “You do not have to pay a turn-in fee, excess wear and use, or excess mileage if you purchase your vehicle.” Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains how to judge the price. Some Volkswagen customers have a balloon contract, under which, the FAQ says, “you automatically became the owner of your vehicle.” At the end you pay the balance in one sum or sell the car back, with a notarized Power of Attorney form and Motor Vehicle Sales Agreement mailed to you “approximately 90 days before your term ends.” ## Ending a lease: inspection, turn-in and extensions Volkswagen’s Accounts & Payments page sets the clock: explore your options with 6 months left, receive the Wear and Use guide at 3 months, schedule the complimentary inspection at 45 days, make the final payment at 30 days, and turn in or buy the car at 0 days. VW Credit also contacts each lessee “At 90 days and 45 days prior to maturity,” the prospectus says. The inspection decides most of the bill. VW Credit uses AiM, a third-party company inspecting “at your home, office, or dealership,” and the FAQ is firm: “Volkswagen Financial Services only accepts inspections done by AiM to determine if there are charges for excess wear and use.” The Turn-in Process page says “This inspection is free” and the report “will be valid for 90 days, provided no additional damage occurs.” Skip it and, per the prospectus, one is done at the dealership where you return the car. Repairs must be made at “a Volkswagen Authorized Collision Repair Facility,” and “You cannot repair the items on the inspection report yourself.” Email the receipts to VW Credit before the turn-in. “Only your original dealer is required to take your vehicle back,” so call any other dealer first. Leave with the Lessee Vehicle Return Receipt and the Odometer Disclosure Statement and upload both through your account’s Message Center. One version of the FAQ says you may cancel your insurance once VW Credit receives the documents “and confirm[s] this with you”; another on the same page drops the confirmation. Wait for it. California lessees also file a [release of liability](https://baronauto1.com/guides/release-of-liability/#how-to-file). The final invoice follows “within six weeks of the date we receive your Odometer Disclosure Statement,” per the FAQ, or “in about four to six weeks,” per the turn-in page. Only Volkswagen’s Lease Transition Options footnote prints extension terms: lessees “can extend their current lease for an additional three months, or up to six months for select models,” with the mileage allowance raised pro rata and Lease-End Protection extended “for 180 days beyond the contract lease maturity date.” The lease must be fully current, “Not all lessees will qualify,” and you “may also have to pay a turn-in fee” at the end. Ending early costs money, and VW Credit prints only the warning: “The earlier you end the lease, the greater this charge is likely to be.” The prospectus formula adds the turn-in fee, unpaid amounts and the remaining payments, less unearned rent charges, adjusted for what the car sells for. VW Credit also runs “Lease Pull Ahead incentives,” financed by Volkswagen Group of America, that “may include waiver of one or more monthly payments” if you lease a new car early. On transfers, one FAQ answer cites “state laws and account details”; another says VW Credit “does not allow transfers ... under normal circumstances,” as our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) records. ## The turn-in fee, extra miles and wear The FAQ lists what a final lease invoice may include: outstanding payments or taxes, personal property tax, parking tickets, excess wear and use, excess mileage, the turn-in fee, late payment fees, “Late vehicle return fees” and other unpaid contractual charges. Your security deposit is applied to the charges and any remainder returned. Volkswagen calls its disposition fee a turn-in fee, which “goes toward cleaning and reconditioning the vehicle for its next owner.” No page we read prints the amount; the prospectus calls it “the turn-in fee, if any, specified in the lease.” The waiver depends on which page you trust. The FAQ (and Audi’s) waives the fee “if you lease or purchase a new or Certified Pre-owned Volkswagen through Volkswagen Financial Services within 90 days of returning your leased vehicle.” The Lease Transition Options footnote says “within 120 days,” 30 days longer by our arithmetic. The Turn-in Process page charges the fee “If you didn’t lease a new vehicle,” leaving buyers out. To be safe, replace the car within 90 days through VW Credit and get the waiver in writing. A [certified pre-owned Volkswagen](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/volkswagen-certified-pre-owned/) or [certified Audi](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/audi-certified-pre-owned/) counts if VW Credit finances or leases it, but since 1 May 2025 Wells Fargo is the preferred provider of purchase loans. Miles are the other big line. Standard leases allow “typically 15,000 or fewer per year,” and for miles over the allowance the Turn-in Process page says: “Refer to your lease agreement for the per-mile rate.” Find that rate in your lease now. “Eligible customers will have the option to purchase additional miles at the halfway point during their lease,” subject to “eligibility, availability, and applicable fees.” Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) shows how allowances work. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the odometer window, the ignition and the tachometer, with VW Credit's unpublished per-mile charge, its turn-in fee waiver, and its rule that only AiM lease inspections count. VW Credit’s lease-end pages, read on 7 October 2026, print no per-mile overage rate and leave it to the lease agreement (callout 1); its FAQ waives the turn-in fee when the next new Volkswagen is leased or bought through VW Credit within 90 days (callout 2); and its Turn-in Process page counts only AiM inspections, with the report valid for 90 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. For wear, the Turn-in Process page gives examples; the full guide arrives by mail with a measuring tool. **Examples of normal and excess wear on VW Credit’s Turn-in Process page, read 7 October 2026 (not a complete list)** | Area | Normal wear and use | Excess wear and use | | --- | --- | --- | | Body | Scratches, dents or gouges smaller than 2 inches on a bumper or panel; three or fewer quarter-sized dings per panel | Scratches, dents or gouges larger than 2 inches; more than three dings per panel; poor body repairs; missing badges or trim | | Glass | A single windshield chip without spidering | Chips, cracks or pits more than 1/8 of an inch; improperly tinted windows | | Interior | Minor staining or carpet wear; all keys, manuals, headrests and cargo cover present | Holes, tears, burns or singes; excessive staining | | Mechanical | All equipment working | Warning lights on; unfinished warranty repairs or scheduled maintenance | | Tires | All four tires and the spare with more than 1/8 of an inch of tread | Any tire, including the spare, under 1/8 of an inch; on 4MOTION cars, tires that do not match in brand, size and rating | | Modifications | None listed | Aftermarket changes left on the car; color changes or non-original paint | The lease prospectus uses the same 2-inch line and adds a sentence the website does not: “VW Credit may waive all or part of the excessive wear and mileage billed to the lessee.” If you repaired damage after the inspection, the FAQ says receipts sent in will be reviewed and the invoice adjusted. Lease-End Protection, an add-on, covers some wear charges; our [Volkswagen extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/volkswagen-extended-warranty/#other-plans) page describes it. ## What VW Credit’s bond filings show VW Credit funds much of its business by selling bonds backed by its leases and loans: at 31 July 2026, 62.79% of its receivables, about $15.1 billion by our arithmetic, were pledged to those deals. Each prospectus also reports VW Credit’s whole serviced book. Since January 2025 there have been six, two loan deals in 2025 and four lease deals, and none for loans in 2026, which fits the move to Wells Fargo. **VW Credit’s managed Volkswagen and Audi lease book, from the Volkswagen Auto Lease Trust 2026-B prospectus (half-year net losses annualized)** | Period | Leases outstanding | 31+ days late | Net losses | Leases due that came back | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | First half of 2026 | 464,079 | 0.89% | 0.61% | 47.2% | | First half of 2025 | 452,024 | 0.99% | 0.45% | 42.8% | | 2025 | 475,609 | 1.07% | 0.51% | 46.1% | | 2024 | 447,064 | 1.19% | 0.34% | 45.6% | | 2023 | 435,427 | 1.20% | 0.27% | 41.9% | | 2022 | 448,447 | 1.10% | 0.17% | 39.0% | | 2021 | 567,498 | 0.89% | 0.16% | 51.3% | The lease book, about $17.3 billion at 30 June 2026 by our arithmetic, mostly pays on time, but losses are rising from a low base: annualized net losses went from 0.45% to 0.61% in a year, and VW Credit repossessed 1,646 leased cars in the first half of 2026 against 3,011 in all of 2025. More lessees are handing cars back: 47.2% of the leases due to end in the first half of 2026 came back to VW Credit, 4.4 points more than a year earlier. The residual table is the part a lessee can use. On those leases, VW Credit’s stated residual, the end-of-lease value your monthly payments were calculated on, averaged 56.84% of the sticker price, against 49.73% from ALG, which the prospectus calls “an independent publisher of residual value percentages”: a gap it prints as 7.11 points. VW Credit’s average gain over ALG’s figure on returned cars fell to $877 from $2,116 a year earlier, a 58.6% drop by our arithmetic. If your purchase price sits near the stated residual, buying the car may cost more than it is worth, so compare the payoff quote with market value first. If the car is worth less, a closed-end lease protects you: lessees “will not be responsible for any amount by which the stated residual value of the leased vehicle exceeds the sales proceeds.” The newest lease pool, 35,178 leases cut off on 31 July 2026, was 51.63% Audi by value, with an average original term of 36.25 months and a weighted average FICO score of 775 (from 600 to 900); 13.47% of its value came from lessees scoring under 700, by our arithmetic. The loan book is shrinking and slipping. At 30 September 2025 VW Credit serviced 519,221 retail loans worth about $10.6 billion, 13.5% fewer loans and 21.7% less principal than a year before, by our arithmetic. Loans 30 or more days late rose to 2.09% from 1.67%, and annualized net losses to 1.22% from 0.95%. The last public loan pool, Volkswagen Auto Loan Enhanced Trust 2025-2, held 37,329 loans with an average contract rate of 5.03% (from 0.00% to 23.83%), 16.15% of the balance at under 1%, an average original term of 65.32 months and a weighted average FICO score of 773. Those are averages for one bond pool, not rates on offer. By 31 August 2026 its cumulative net losses were 0.97%. ## Regulators and the diesel settlement We found no enforcement action against VW Credit. On 7 October 2026 the CFPB’s enforcement list returned no results for titles containing “volkswagen” or “vw,” and web searches turned up no Justice Department or state attorney-general action naming VW Credit. The lease prospectus says only that VW Credit and its affiliates are “periodically otherwise involved in, reviews, investigations, and proceedings,” naming none. The diesel emissions case touched VW Credit’s leases, though not as a defendant. The FTC sued Volkswagen Group of America (FTC Matter 162 3006), and the [FTC’s case page](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/162-3006-volkswagen-group-america-inc) names it as the only defendant. The court-approved partial order for 2.0-liter diesels, stamped filed on 10/25/16, entered a $10,033,000,000 judgment against Volkswagen Group of America. It defined an “Eligible Lessee” by “a lease issued by VW Credit, Inc.,” which it said includes “VW Credit Inc. d/b/a Volkswagen Credit and Audi Financial Services,” and said “no person shall be considered an Eligible Lessee by virtue of holding a lease issued by a lessor other than VW Credit, Inc.” Those lessees could end the lease “without paying an early termination penalty,” with Volkswagen paying the early termination fees, and the order refers to $26,000,000 “earmarked to pay a portion of the remaining future lease payments previously owed to lessors” by lessees who gave up their leases early. The order did not make Volkswagen pay excess wear and mileage charges, late fees, tickets or tolls owed under the lease. ## CFPB complaints filed under VW Credit The CFPB’s database holds 2,622 complaints under “VW Credit,” received from 7 May 2012 to 24 September 2026; no separate Volkswagen Financial Services or Audi Financial Services name appears in its company list. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, their number grows with a lender’s size, and since 30 September 2026 the CFPB publishes no narratives, so only counts are used here. The file cannot separate Volkswagen from Audi customers. Vehicle loans and leases account for 1,080 complaints (41.2%), 592 about leases and 488 about loans, or 1.03% of the 104,437 such complaints in the database; credit reporting accounts for 1,038 (39.6%). In the vehicle file, problems at the end of a loan or lease lead with 327, including 120 about getting the title after payoff (11.1% of the file), 53 about mileage, damage or wear fees, 52 about early-termination charges and 35 about buying the car at lease end. Managing the account follows with 316, including 195 billing problems (18.1%) and 60 about fees. Add-on products account for 47 (4.4%) and repossession for 75. VW Credit closed 312 vehicle complaints (28.9%) with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% across the whole product, by our arithmetic, and answered all but 5 of its 2,622 complaints on time. The count is rising even as the loan book shrinks: vehicle complaints went from 148 in 2023 to 191 in 2025, 1.29 times as many by our arithmetic, and 173 had arrived by 24 September 2026. Our [Audi extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/audi-extended-warranty/#lender) page reads the same file for add-on products. ## If you have a VW Credit loan or lease - **Check who holds your account.** A loan begun on or after 1 May 2025 is with Wells Fargo, not VW Credit. - **Pay from a checking account a day before the due date;** the FAQ says 11:59 p.m. CT, the payment terms say 5 p.m. CT. - **Cancel AutoPay at least 5 days before a draw** if you need to stop it that month. - **After payoff, chase the title** if it has not arrived about 10 business days after the account is paid in full, plus your DMV’s time. - **Book the free AiM inspection** about 45 days before lease end and fix damage only at an authorized collision repair facility. - **Keep the Lessee Vehicle Return Receipt and odometer statement,** upload them, and keep your insurance until VW Credit confirms the return. - **Replace the car within 90 days through VW Credit** if you want the turn-in fee waived, and get the waiver in writing. ## Common questions ### Is VW Credit the same as Volkswagen Financial Services? Yes. VW Credit, Inc. does business as Volkswagen Financial Services and Audi Financial Services. The exception is newer loans: since 1 May 2025, new Volkswagen and Audi loans are Volkswagen or Audi Retail Finance, owned and serviced by Wells Fargo. ### How do I log in to VW Credit? Volkswagen customers use My Account at vwcredit.com, registering with the account number, Social Security number and email address; Audi customers use myAudi. Loans begun on or after 1 May 2025 are managed in Wells Fargo Online or the Wells Fargo Mobile app instead. ### Can I pay VW Credit with a credit card? No. The FAQ says “Credit cards are not accepted” and “We only accept checking accounts as a form of monthly payment.” Online, AutoPay and automated phone payments are the routes it lists. ### How long does VW Credit take to send the title after payoff? VW Credit says paper titles are mailed, and electronic titles or liens released to the DMV, about 10 business days after the account is paid in full, with extra time at the DMV. After a lease buyout it says to allow 2 to 4 weeks for the title and purchase documents. ### What is the VW Credit turn-in fee, and how do I avoid it? It is Volkswagen’s name for a disposition fee, charged for “cleaning and reconditioning” a returned car; the amount is in your lease. The FAQ waives it if you lease or buy a new or certified pre-owned Volkswagen through VW Credit within 90 days of the return (another page says 120), and buying the leased car avoids it. ### Can I extend or refinance a VW Credit lease or loan? Volkswagen says lessees can extend for three months, or up to six for select models, if the lease is fully current. VW Credit “does not refinance vehicles at this time,” so refinancing means a new lender paying it off; see our guides to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/). Our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [Kia Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/), [Ford Credit](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-credit-review/), [BMW Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/), [Hyundai Motor Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/), [TD Auto Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/td-auto-finance-review/), [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/) and [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/) read other lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB Supervisory Highlights: Auto Finance (October 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_supervisory-highlights-special-ed-auto-finance_2024-10.pdf) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/ --- title: "Hyundai Motor Finance Review: Paying, Payoff and Lease Return" description: "Hyundai Motor Finance is Hyundai Capital America. What its own pages say about logging in, paying, payoff, title and lease-end charges, and its loan data." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Hyundai Motor Finance Review: Paying, Payoff and Lease Return > Hyundai Motor Finance is Hyundai Capital America. What its own pages say about logging in, paying, payoff, title and lease-end charges, and its loan data. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 5,040 words* ## The short version - Hyundai Motor Finance (HMF) is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America (HCA), which also runs Genesis Finance and Kia Finance America. HMF’s privacy notice comes from “Hyundai Capital America dba Hyundai Motor Finance”: your loan or lease is with HCA. - HMF’s terms say you “must register and login” to pay through the website. No HMF page we could read prints a fee for any way of paying, and one look-alike login site says it is not affiliated with HMF. - HMF’s lease-end kit charges $.20 a mile over your allowance and says a Hyundai lease must go back to an authorized Hyundai dealer. A loyalty reward covers up to $900 if you lease or finance a new Hyundai through HMF within 60 days. - Genesis Finance prints different numbers: $0.25 a mile, and a loyalty reward of up to $1,525 that also covers up to 2,500 excess miles. Lessees in CO, DC, FL, HI, IN, PA, SD, SC and KS must buy a Genesis through a dealership. - HCA’s September 2026 bond prospectus shows 1,099,255 Hyundai and Genesis loan accounts at 30 June 2026, 1.88% of balances 30 or more days late, against 2.62% for Kia. Repossessions rose from 5,077 in 2021 to 15,957 in 2025. - Title trouble after payoff is 18.3% of HCA’s vehicle complaints to the CFPB, against 7.2% across all lenders, and HMF publishes no title timeline. Most people searching “Hyundai Motor Finance” want to log in, pay, pay off or hand a lease back. On 7 October 2026 we read what HMF publishes without a login: its home, contact, FAQ, lease-end, self-assessment, purchasing, leasing, resources and three credit-dispute pages, its Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, its lease-end kit and its privacy notice. We read the same for Genesis Finance, including its separate lease-end site and kit, the prospectus for [Hyundai Auto Receivables Trust 2026-C](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1260125/000110465926108507/tm2624221d10_424b5.htm) filed with the SEC on 17 September 2026, and the CFPB’s complaint counts. Both lenders’ terms require written consent before another site links to them, so we name their pages without linking. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Hyundai, HCA or any lender. **Figure: Hyundai Motor Finance and Genesis Finance: what their own documents say** A two-column table of seven points on a Hyundai Motor Finance or Genesis Finance account, set against the lenders’ own documents and Hyundai Capital America’s bond prospectus: excess mileage is $.20 a mile in HMF’s lease-end kit and $0.25 in Genesis Finance’s; the loyalty reward covers up to $900 on a Hyundai ($400 turn-in fee and $500 wear) and up to $1,525 on a Genesis, which adds 2,500 miles ($625); neither kit prints the disposition fee, which is set in the lease contract; leases go back only to an authorized Hyundai dealer or Genesis retailer; the kits list 9 property tax states while Genesis’s lease-end FAQ lists 13; HMF says to dispute credit-report errors in writing with the account number and the month and year of each payment, or with the bureaus; and 1.88% of Hyundai and Genesis loan balances were 30 or more days late at 30 June 2026, against 2.62% for Kia-dealer loans. Read from Hyundai Motor Finance’s and Genesis Finance’s pages and 2024 lease-end kits and from Hyundai Capital America’s HART 2026-C prospectus (filed 17 September 2026) on 7 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Hyundai Motor Finance and Genesis Finance are HMF’s Terms and Conditions end: “Hyundai Motor Finance is a trademark of Hyundai Capital America, a California corporation and/or its affiliates.” Its Privacy Policy, effective 10 December 2025, calls HMF “the trade name of Hyundai Capital America”, and its privacy notice, revised April 2025, answers “Who is providing this notice?” with “Hyundai Capital America dba Hyundai Motor Finance”. The company that holds your contract, sends your statement and reports to the credit bureaus is HCA. Genesis Finance is the same company under another name. Its terms, effective 1 August 2023, say “Genesis Finance is a trademark of Hyundai Capital America”, and HCA’s company page adds: “Genesis Finance does business as Genesis Finance USA in Utah.” Its Contact Us page prints the same P.O. boxes and hours as HMF’s. HCA’s prospectus dates the brand to August 2016, when “Genesis, a division of HMA, began distributing a new line of vehicles under the Genesis brand.” The prospectus says Hyundai Motor America, “the primary distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the United States”, owns “approximately 80%” of HCA and Kia America about 20%. Hyundai Motor America sells the cars; HCA holds the loan. Our guides to [the Hyundai Protection Plan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-extended-warranty/), [Hyundai certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/hyundai-certified-pre-owned/), [Genesis certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/genesis-certified-pre-owned/) and [the Genesis Protection Plan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-extended-warranty/) cover the carmaker’s side, and our [Kia Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/) reads HCA’s third brand and its enforcement record in full. HMF does not lend to you directly. Its terms say it “is not a direct lender or seller of motor vehicles,” and “The price and final terms of any vehicle purchase or lease are set by you and your Hyundai dealer.” The dealer writes the contract and HCA buys it, so the rate can be negotiated; see our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate). HMF prints no APR on the pages we read, and we quote none of its offers, which change. ## Logging in and paying Hyundai Motor Finance HMF’s terms are plain: “To access your account information, make payments or to request other services through secure areas of this website, you must register and login to the secure areas by entering your unique user name and password.” The home page lists what the account holds: “account alerts and summary statements, your FICO® Score, and more”, plus AutoPay, paperless statements and a title tracker. The Make a Payment menu item has no public address; the obvious one returned HMF’s “page not found” page, which lists “How do I make a payment?” among its popular topics. **Type the address yourself.** Search results for the HMF login include sites run by other people. One, hmfusa.org, calls itself “HMFusa Login” and says: “We are not affiliated with Hyundai Motor Finance or HMFUSA.” HMF’s site is hmfusa.com and Genesis Finance’s is genesisfinanceusa.com. HMF’s terms say it “may rely on the fact that any person(s) using your unique user name and password” is authorized by you, so keep that password for HMF’s own site. The FAQ’s “Payments & Fees” topic asks “What are my payment options?”, “Can I post-date a payment?” and “Can another party make a payment on my account?”, but the answers open only inside the site’s app, which our reading tools could not do. So we cannot say what HMF tells customers about fees, cut-off times or grace periods. The public documents say this: **Ways to pay a Hyundai Motor Finance or Genesis Finance account, as the public documents describe them (read 7 October 2026)** | Method | What the documents say | Fee printed? | | --- | --- | --- | | Online account and AutoPay | HMF’s terms require a login to pay online; HCA’s prospectus says customers “may enroll in a variety of recurring and one-time automated clearinghouse programs that debit funds directly from their bank accounts” | None on the pages read; the terms say “We do not charge you to access and use this website via a mobile device” | | Debit card | The Privacy Policy says the payment is “processed by a trusted third-party payment processor” and HMF is “not responsible for payment failures, errors, or unauthorized charges” from those services | None on the pages read | | Phone | An automated line gives “account status, date of last payment received, and pay-off information”; the prospectus mentions direct debit “online or by phone” | None on the pages read | | Mail | Separate P.O. boxes for lease payments and finance payments, each marked “Please write account number on check.”; letters go to a third, “Written Correspondence Only (Not Payments)” | None printed | | Genesis Finance app | Genesis Finance’s home page promotes a mobile app with “One-tap payments” | None on the pages read | HMF’s contact page prints no overnight payoff address. Customer service answers “Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern)”, and collections also works Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Timing matters because each payment, HCA’s prospectus says, “is first applied to interest accrued and then the remaining payment is applied to the unpaid outstanding principal balance”, so paying early puts more toward principal and paying late puts less. Two lines in HMF’s terms matter before you rely on the website: online balances “may not include amounts you may owe for expenses incurred but not yet billed to your account”, and “Any delay of access will not affect your obligations under your retail loan or lease contract.” If the login is down on a due date, pay another way. ## Payoff quotes, buyouts and getting your title HMF’s FAQ lists “Finance Payoff Process”, “Lease Buyout Title Process” and “How can I obtain a payoff/buyout quote?”, again with answers we could not open. What is public: the automated phone line gives “pay-off information”, and the home page says HMF’s “title tracker tool can help you stay informed about where you are in the title/lien release process.” Its “Title Services” topic also asks “Can I transport my vehicle outside the continental United States?” and “I’ve moved out of state. How can I register my vehicle?”. Ask HMF before doing either while you owe money. HMF prints no title timeline on any public page we could read, and title delays loom large in HCA’s complaint file. Of its 4,091 vehicle loan or lease complaints, 749, or 18.3%, fall under “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off”, against 7.2% of all such complaints in the CFPB database; another 193 (4.7%, against 3.9%) are about paying the loan off, by our arithmetic. Keep the payoff confirmation, check the title tracker, and if your state records liens electronically, ask its titling office whether HCA’s lien has been released. Our guide to [clearing a lien from a title](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/car-title-transfer/#lien) covers what to ask for. **Buying a leased Hyundai.** HMF’s lease-end kit says: “To request a Buyout Quote, log in to your HMFUSA.com account and submit the Odometer Disclosure Statement, which can be found in Document Services. The statement is required for titling purposes along with the Buyout final payment.” It asks “What is a purchase option fee?” and answers only: “Refer to the lease contract for specific terms and conditions.” Kia Finance’s kit, from the same company, at least defines the term. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains the residual, and its section on [sales tax on a buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#tax) covers the bill a quote may leave out. **Buying a leased Genesis.** Genesis Finance’s lease-end site says: “If your vehicle is garaged/registered in CO, DC, FL, HI, IN, PA, SD, SC, or KS, you will need to contact a Dealership to purchase the vehicle.” Everyone else gets a quote, faxes the Odometer Disclosure Statement and mails the payoff check to “HCA Exchange, Inc.”. HMF’s kit mentions no such state rule, and no HMF page we read says whether one applies, so Hyundai lessees in those 9 places should ask before assuming a direct buyout. Nothing in the public documents stops you refinancing an HMF loan with another lender, who pays HCA off. Get a written payoff figure first and watch for the title; see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). ## Credit reporting: how HMF says to dispute an error HMF publishes three credit-dispute pages, and they matter because credit reporting is where HCA’s regulator found trouble. The CFPB’s 2022 consent order against HCA, covering contracts “originated by Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis dealerships,” found it had violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by “failing to modify or delete information disputed by consumers that it found to be inaccurate”, among other failures. The Kia page reads [the order’s findings in full](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/#regulators). HMF’s dispute page says that if you find “any inaccurate or incomplete information that we may have furnished to a credit reporting agency, you have the right to directly dispute that information by writing us”. It asks the letter to include: - “Your name and account number being disputed.” - “The information you are disputing and why you believe it is wrong: Actual payment(s) (month/year) being disputed and specific reason for disputing this payment.” - “Any supporting documentation that validates your claim, such as a credit report containing the disputed information, bank statement, and a copy of applicable letter.” The dispute address on that page is a Fountain Valley, California P.O. box, not the correspondence box on the Contact Us page. A second page says “consumers do not have the right to opt out of Hyundai Motor Finance’s reporting of account information to credit reporting agencies.” A third says you can also dispute with Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, who “will respond to your dispute pursuant to their own policies, which are separate from Hyundai Motor Finance.” Writing to both, and keeping copies, covers both routes. **Check your reports after the last payment or the lease return.** Credit-reporting products account for 2,831 of the 8,314 complaints filed against HCA, 34.1%, and another 407 vehicle complaints (9.9%) are about incorrect information on a report. Pull all three reports a month or two after payoff or turn-in, and dispute any wrong late or open mark in writing. ## Hyundai lease return: the steps HMF prints HMF says it has “provided leases to millions of Hyundai drivers” and that “we’ll mail you a Lease-End Kit four months before your contract maturity date.” Its Lease-End Overview frames three choices: “whether to drive off in a new Hyundai, buy your current leased vehicle, or just return it.” The kit it links was created in August 2024, and on returns it is blunt: “Can I return my car to a non Hyundai dealer? No, your vehicle must be returned to an authorized Hyundai dealer.” Its checklist, in its words: 1. “Clean inside and outside, and remove any remotes and toll tags.” 2. “Ensure all equipment originally provided with the vehicle is present.” 3. “Cancel any automatic payments you have set up.” 4. If unsure about the car’s condition, contact a Lease-End Advisor “to schedule a complimentary pre-termination inspection at your preferred location.” HMF also offers an online Self-Assessment (“Set aside 5-10 minutes to complete”) and a printable Wear and Use Estimation Tool you place “over each damaged area”; the copy linked dates from 2015. Neither binds anyone: the “Self-Assessment provides estimate only and is not binding. Final wear and use charges will be determined through a formal inspection performed at your Hyundai dealer after vehicle turn-in. Estimates do not reflect state sales tax.” The menu lists a Lease Return Balance Estimator and an End-Of-Term page too; on Kia Finance’s matching site both ask for a login, so we did not open HMF’s. The kit lists what can still be billed after you hand the car back: “1. Excess wear and use. 2. Excess mileage. 3. Disposition (turn-in) fee. 4. Any past-due and unpaid monthly payments. 5. Any other fees (e.g., unpaid late payment fees, taxes, tolls, parking violations).” Ending early “is considered an early termination and may result in significant charges. Refer to your contract for more information.” No formula is published. None of HMF’s visible leasing questions mentions a lease transfer; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares what lessors allow. **Plates and property tax can follow you.** If you do not cancel or transfer the plates as your state requires, the kit says, “you remain liable after lease termination for all tickets, official fees, and taxes billed on that vehicle.” In the property tax states it lists (AR, CT, KY, MA, MO, RI, TX, VA and WV), HMF pays the bill and “you are responsible for reimbursing Hyundai Motor Finance for those amounts pursuant to your contract terms.” In CT, KY, MA and VA it asks for proof the plates were cancelled or transferred. ## Mileage, wear, the turn-in fee and the loyalty reward HMF’s kit prints one per-mile figure: “At lease end, you will be responsible for excess mileage charges of $.20 per mile over the mileage option you’ve chosen.” Genesis Finance’s kit, created the same month, prints “$0.25 per mile”. Your lease contract governs the actual rate, and HMF’s Leasing page says you can choose “your mileage allowance”. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers how to size it. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the instrument screen, the dashboard and the steering wheel, with Hyundai Motor Finance's and Genesis Finance's excess-mileage charges, the turn-in fee and its loyalty cover, and where a Hyundai lease must be returned. Hyundai Motor Finance’s and Genesis Finance’s lease-end kits, read on 7 October 2026, charge $.20 and $0.25 for each mile over the allowance (callout 1); HMF’s leaves the turn-in fee to the lease and covers up to $400 of it when a new Hyundai is financed or leased through HMF within 60 days (callout 2), and says the car must go back to an authorized Hyundai dealer (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Side by side, the two kits from the same company read like this: **Lease-end terms in Hyundai Motor Finance’s and Genesis Finance’s lease-end kits (both created August 2024, read 7 October 2026)** | Term | Hyundai Motor Finance kit | Genesis Finance kit | | --- | --- | --- | | Excess mileage | $.20 a mile over your allowance | $0.25 a mile; the allowance is not prorated if you turn the car in early | | Disposition (turn-in) fee | “specified in the lease contract”; no amount printed | Same wording; the lease-end FAQ calls it “a fixed fee”; no amount printed | | Loyalty reward | Up to $900: turn-in fee up to $400 and wear and use up to $500 | Up to $1,525: turn-in fee up to $400, wear and use up to $500, excess mileage up to $625 | | Who qualifies | Lease or finance a new Hyundai through HMF within 60 days | Lease or finance a new Genesis through Genesis Finance within 60 days | | Acceptable wear | Scratches and dents under 4 inches, windshield cracks under 2 inches, tread of 1/8 inch or more, chips under 1/2 inch | The same five limits | | Where to return it | An authorized Hyundai dealer | An authorized Genesis retailer | | Property tax states listed | 9 | 9 in the kit; 13 in the lease-end FAQ | As hypotheticals, by our arithmetic: a Hyundai lease 1,000 miles over would owe $200, and one 3,000 miles over $600; a Genesis lease would owe $250 and $750. If the Genesis lessee takes the loyalty reward, its 2,500-mile cover leaves $125 of the 3,000-mile bill. HMF’s reward covers no mileage at all. The Genesis kit adds a rule in the lessee’s favour: “Genesis Finance will not prorate your leased vehicle mileage allowance based on your vehicle turn-in date.” HMF’s kit says nothing about proration. The disposition fee is the charge for turning the car in instead of buying it, “specified in the lease contract”; HMF prints no amount. Its reward reads: “When you lease or finance a new Hyundai with Hyundai Finance within 60 days of returning your lease, you’ll enjoy a special Loyalty Reward up to $900”, covering the turn-in fee “up to $400, and Excess Wear and Use charges up to $500.” Read its limits from that wording. It needs a new Hyundai financed or leased through HMF, so a used Hyundai or outside financing does not qualify, and a turn-in fee above $400 leaves the rest to you. The panel counts 60 days “of returning your lease”, but its footnote says “of terminating your lease”; if you end early, count from the earlier date. Damage beyond the kits’ wear limits may be billed after the dealer’s inspection, so a scratch over 4 inches or a windshield crack over 2 inches is worth pricing before turn-in; our [guide to lease wear standards](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear) explains how lessors apply them. ## Genesis Finance leases: what its lease-end site adds Genesis Finance runs lease end through a separate site, GenesisLeaseEnd.com, whose footer links Genesis Finance’s terms, so we do not link it either. Its steps start “With just four months to go”, and its FAQ says the kit “will be mailed to you approximately 120 days before your lease maturity date.” It says more than HMF’s pages on several points: Genesis Finance’s own pages are read on our [Genesis Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/genesis-finance-review/). - **Repairs.** “You may also choose to have repairs done independently as long as they are done prudently and according to industry standards. All repairs must be made using original equipment manufacturer’s parts or those of equal value.” - **Appointments.** “Not scheduling an appointment may result in delayed assistance and longer processing times.” The free pre-termination inspection can be booked online. - **Early return.** “You have the option to turn in your vehicle at any time. However returning your vehicle in advance of your scheduled maturity date may be considered an early termination under your lease agreement.” The kit is firmer: an early turn-in “is considered an early termination and may result in significant charges.” - **Automatic payments.** “Once your final payment is made, contact your bank or login to your genesisfinanceusa.com account and cancel any scheduled recurring payments to avoid ongoing charges.” - **Property tax.** The FAQ lists “the following 13 states”, adding Louisiana (New Orleans only), Nebraska, North Carolina and South Carolina to the kit’s 9, and says “Other states and localities may also impose taxes.” - **Plates.** The FAQ says only “It varies by state”; the kit carries the same liability warning as HMF’s. Because the two Genesis documents disagree on the tax list and on how firmly an early return counts as termination, a Genesis lessee in one of the four extra states, or planning an early return, should get the answer in writing from the Lease-End Concierge. The concierge and HMF’s Lease-End Servicing Team are both listed as reachable Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, while both kits give Monday to Thursday until 9 p.m. and Friday until 7 p.m. ## What HCA’s bond filing shows about Hyundai and Genesis loans HCA funds its loans partly by selling bundles of them to trusts that issue bonds. The prospectus for Hyundai Auto Receivables Trust 2026-C, filed on 17 September 2026, reports HCA’s whole retail loan portfolio split by dealer brand. Its “Hyundai” tables carry the footnote “Includes Hyundai and Genesis vehicles” and cover contracts tied to those dealers, including ones sold to trusts that HCA still services. They exclude leases, and the filing never uses the names Hyundai Motor Finance or Genesis Finance. **HCA’s Hyundai-and-Genesis-dealer retail loans, from the HART 2026-C prospectus (filed 17 September 2026); 2026 rates are for the first half, annualized** | Period | Accounts at period end | Balances | 30+ days late (share of balances) | Repossessions | Repossessed (share of accounts) | Net charge-offs (share of balances) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 686,420 | $14.3 billion | 1.45% | 5,077 | 0.80% | 0.29% | | 2022 | 756,404 | $15.9 billion | 1.96% | 6,200 | 0.86% | 0.43% | | 2023 | 965,419 | $21.4 billion | 1.98% | 8,706 | 1.00% | 0.62% | | 2024 | 1,066,619 | $23.8 billion | 2.20% | 13,158 | 1.29% | 0.82% | | 2025 | 1,120,860 | $25.8 billion | 2.35% | 15,957 | 1.45% | 0.84% | | First half of 2026 | 1,099,255 | $25.5 billion | 1.88% | 8,933 | 1.61% | 0.84% | At 30 June 2026, Hyundai and Genesis contracts made up 55% of HCA’s serviced retail balances and accounts ($46.4 billion and 1,998,873 accounts in all), with an average balance of $23,191, by our arithmetic. From the end of 2021 to the end of 2025, accounts rose 63.3% and balances 80%, while repossessions rose about 3.1 times, from 5,077 to 15,957, roughly 43.7 a day in 2025. The share of accounts repossessed went from 0.80% to 1.45%, and the first half of 2026 ran at an annualized 1.61%, against 1.42% a year earlier. The filing warns that its percentages “have not been adjusted to eliminate the effect of the growth of HCA’s portfolio”, and it does not explain the trend. Against Kia-dealer loans the Hyundai side looks better: 19,960 accounts, 1.88% of balances, were 30 or more days late at 30 June 2026, while the Kia figure, 2.62%, was about 1.4 times higher. The Kia page reads [the Kia tables](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/#the-loans). The 2026-C pool is a selected slice: contracts of $5,000 to $100,000 with 24 to 84 scheduled payments that were “not more than 30 days past due” at the 10 August 2026 cut-off. In it, 38,872 Hyundai contracts carried $1.18 billion, 51.21% of the pool, with a weighted average credit score at origination of 773 and 99.90% new cars. Their weighted average APR was 4.06%, 1.06 points below the Kia contracts’ 5.12% at the same average score, and 4.99% of the Hyundai balance ran 73 or more payments, against 8.85% for Kia. Genesis contracts, 5.36% of the pool or about $123.6 million by our arithmetic, get no column: the pool table’s “Hyundai” column is 100% Hyundai vehicles, while the portfolio tables fold Genesis into “Hyundai”. These are averages for one bond pool, not rates on offer. On falling behind, the prospectus says HCA “generally attempts to repossess the vehicle” at “around 80 days delinquent”, and HMF’s Privacy Policy says that after a material breach it may use “geolocation features, where available” to find the car. The Kia page sets out [HCA’s collection clock](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/#falling-behind), and our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers redemption and reinstatement. ## The shared HCA record: two orders and the complaint file HMF, Genesis Finance and Kia Finance America are one company, so they share one enforcement record and one complaint file. On 26 July 2022 the CFPB issued a [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/hyundai-capital-america/) against HCA, file number 2022-CFPB-0005, over credit reporting on contracts from Hyundai, Kia and Genesis dealerships, requiring it “to pay $13,200,000 in redress to affected consumers and a $6,000,000 civil money penalty”, $19.2 million in all by our arithmetic. On 7 October 2026 the CFPB listed its status as “Post Order/Post Judgment”. HCA’s own prospectus says that in May 2024 it agreed to a consent order with the Justice Department over its practices under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, approved by the court on 26 November 2024, covering HCA’s “alleged violations of the SCRA with respect to 26 motor vehicle repossessions” and a payment of $74,941 to the United States Treasury. The Kia page reads [both orders](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/#regulators) in detail. The CFPB’s database holds 8,314 complaints under HYUNDAI CAPITAL AMERICA, received from 19 March 2012 to 1 October 2026: the same file the Kia page counted at 8,306 a day earlier. No complaint sits under a Genesis Finance name; the companies filed under names containing “Genesis” are other businesses. Vehicle loans and leases account for 4,091 complaints (49.2%), 40.8% of them about leases. In that file, billing problems lead with 809 (19.8%), then title after payoff at 749 (18.3%), incorrect credit-report information at 407 (9.9%), lease-end charges at 360 (8.8%: 138 on mileage, damage or wear fees, 141 on ending early, 81 on buying the car) and repossession at 302 (7.4%). HCA closed 76 vehicle complaints with monetary or non-monetary relief, 1.9%, against 9.4% across the whole product, by our arithmetic. Complaints in 2026 reached 1,463 by 1 October, past the 1,408 for all of 2025. Complaints are unverified reports, this file mixes all three brands, and its size grows with the lender: HCA services nearly 2 million retail accounts before leases. The counts show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. We used counts only; the CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026. Our [Hyundai extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-extended-warranty/#lender) reads the add-on product complaints in this file. ## If you have a Hyundai Motor Finance or Genesis Finance account - **Know who you owe.** Your contract is with Hyundai Capital America, and letters and credit reports may use that name; Genesis buyout checks go to HCA Exchange, Inc. - **Log in only at hmfusa.com or genesisfinanceusa.com,** typed yourself. - **Read your contract for fees.** HMF prints no late fee, grace period, payment-method fee or purchase-option fee on its public pages. - **Pay on or before the due date,** by another route if the website is down. - **Keep insurance in force.** HCA says it does not track it. - **After payoff,** keep the confirmation, watch the title tracker and check your state’s lien record. - **Before a lease return,** book the free pre-termination inspection, return only to an authorized Hyundai dealer or Genesis retailer, cancel AutoPay and deal with the plates. - **Planning a new Hyundai or Genesis?** Do it within 60 days to use the loyalty reward, and get the cover in writing. - **Check your credit reports** after payoff or turn-in, and dispute any error in writing with the month and year of each payment. ## Common questions ### Is Hyundai Motor Finance the same company as Hyundai? Not quite. Hyundai Motor Finance is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America, which Hyundai Motor America owns about 80% and Kia America about 20%. HCA also runs Genesis Finance and Kia Finance America. Hyundai Motor America distributes the cars; HCA holds your loan or lease. ### How do I pay Hyundai Motor Finance, and is there a fee? HMF’s terms say you must register and log in at hmfusa.com to pay online. Its documents also mention AutoPay, debit cards through a third-party processor, an automated phone line and mail to separate loan and lease P.O. boxes. None of the pages we read prints a fee; HMF’s own payment answers open only inside its app, so check your statement before paying by card. ### How much does Hyundai charge for extra miles on a lease? HMF’s lease-end kit says “$.20 per mile over the mileage option you’ve chosen”; Genesis Finance’s says $0.25. Your contract sets the actual rate. At $.20, 1,000 extra miles would cost $200, by our arithmetic. ### What is the Hyundai disposition fee, and can it be waived? It is a turn-in fee “specified in the lease contract”, charged if you return the car instead of buying it; HMF does not publish the amount. Its loyalty reward covers it up to $400, plus wear charges up to $500, if you lease or finance a new Hyundai through HMF within 60 days. ### Can I return my Hyundai lease to any dealer? No. HMF’s kit says “your vehicle must be returned to an authorized Hyundai dealer”; Genesis Finance’s says an authorized Genesis retailer. Our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [GM Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/), [Honda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/), [Ford Credit](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-credit-review/), [VW Credit](https://baronauto1.com/financing/vw-credit-review/) and [BMW Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bmw-financial-services-review/) read other carmakers’ lenders the same way; [TD Auto Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/td-auto-finance-review/), [Consumer Portfolio Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/consumer-portfolio-services-review/), [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/) and [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/) cover other lenders. ### How long does Hyundai Motor Finance take to send the title after payoff? HMF publishes no timeline on any public page we could read; its online account has a title tracker. Title problems after payoff are 18.3% of HCA’s CFPB vehicle complaints, against 7.2% for all lenders, so keep your payoff confirmation and follow up early with HMF and your state’s titling office. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [TxDMV add or remove a lien](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/add-remove-lien) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/ --- title: "Bank of America Auto Loan: Rates, Rules and What It No Longer Does" description: "Bank of America auto loans now cover dealer purchases only: no refinance, lease buyout or private sale. Its rates, car limits, Rewards discount and 10-K." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Bank of America Auto Loan: Rates, Rules and What It No Longer Does > Bank of America auto loans now cover dealer purchases only: no refinance, lease buyout or private sale. Its rates, car limits, Rewards discount and 10-K. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,962 words* ## The short version - A Bank of America auto loan now pays only for a car bought from a dealer, new or used. Its rates page says the bank “no longer offers Refinance or Lease Buyout auto loans,” and its FAQ says it “doesn’t offer financing to purchase a vehicle from private parties.” - On 7 October 2026 the rates page showed “as low as” 5.49% APR for a new car and 5.69% APR for a used car from a dealer, for 60 months, labelled “Results shown are for VA.” Bank of America says these assume excellent credit and leave out the BofA Rewards discount. They are advertised rates, not an offer. - BofA Rewards members get 0.10% to 0.50% off the rate by tier, but only on applications made directly to the bank. Applications that come through a dealer or carmaker get no discount, and a loan you already have is not repriced. - The car must be no older than 10 calendar years, under 125,000 miles and worth at least $6,000, and the bank finances at least $7,500 ($8,000 in Minnesota). A prior-model-year car financed on or after 1 July gets the used-car rate. - Prequalification needs a Bank of America login, is for one person only, shows amounts from $10,000 to $85,000 and “won’t impact your credit score.” The full application is a hard pull, and an approved rate is held for 30 calendar days. - Bank of America’s filings put its auto and specialty lending at $52.4 billion on 30 June 2026, down from $55.3 billion six months earlier. None of the seven CFPB enforcement actions naming the bank concerns auto lending; the CFPB complaint file holds 1,316 vehicle loan or lease complaints. A Bank of America auto loan is a fixed-rate loan for buying a new or used car from a dealer: you apply with the bank, get a rate held for 30 days, and take the approval to the dealer. On 7 October 2026 we read Bank of America’s [auto loan page](https://www.bankofamerica.com/auto-loans/), its [rates page](https://www.bankofamerica.com/auto-loans/auto-loan-rates/) and [auto loan FAQ](https://www.bankofamerica.com/auto-loans/auto-loan-faq/), the [BofA Rewards terms](https://info.bankofamerica.com/en/bofa-rewards), the auto lines of its [2025 annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/70858/000007085826000157/bac-20251231.htm) and [June 2026 quarterly report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/70858/000007085826000394/bac-20260630.htm), the CFPB’s enforcement and complaint records, and a federal court memorandum. We applied for nothing, and this site has no commercial relationship with Bank of America or any lender. **Figure: Will a Bank of America auto loan pay for this car?** Bank of America’s own limits on the deal, the car and the amount, as its auto loan FAQ and rates page print them. Source: Bank of America Auto Loan FAQs and Auto Loan Rates page (bankofamerica.com), read 7 October 2026. Bank of America’s list of ineligible vehicles also names motorcycles, boats, aircraft and conversion or delivery vehicles; RVs are financed only through its authorized RV dealers. ## What a Bank of America auto loan covers now: dealer purchases only The FAQ answers in one line: “Bank of America offers dealer purchase financing for new or used vehicles.” The rest of the menu is gone. The rates page, read on 7 October 2026: “Bank of America no longer offers Refinance or Lease Buyout auto loans.” The old refinance and lease buyout pages now redirect permanently to the main auto loan page. Review pages that still describe those loans are out of date. Bank of America also funds Volvo’s own finance company; see our [Volvo Car Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/volvo-car-financial-services-review/). Private sales are out too: “Bank of America doesn’t offer financing to purchase a vehicle from private parties, or individual sellers.” One leftover calculator note on the main page still tells customers to visit a financial center “to apply for your private party loan”; treat the FAQ as the rule. Buying from a person? See [where private-party loans come from](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#where-to-borrow); for a lease, [how lease buyouts are financed](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#financing); to replace a loan, [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). Within dealer purchases the net is wide: “franchised dealers, electric vehicle only manufacturers, and many used vehicle only dealers.” The FAQ’s examples are Ford, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz dealers; Tesla and Rivian, which sell direct; and CarMax, Enterprise Car Sales and Carvana. The dealer-network page says Tesla, Carvana, Karma and Rivian are not authorized dealers, but Bank of America “offers auto loans” for their cars, finished by phone with a loan specialist. Lucid is separate: the bank and Lucid Motors “offer auto loans and leases for new Lucid vehicles under either the Lucid Financial Services or Bank of America branding.” RVs are financed only “through our Authorized RV Dealers,” and loans are “available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.” ## Bank of America auto loan rates on 7 October 2026, with every condition The rates page draws its figures by script for one state at a time. We chose no state and entered nothing; the page showed its default, labelled “Results shown are for VA.” Under “60-month auto loan options” it displayed “as low as” 5.49% APR for a new car from a dealer and 5.69% APR for a used car from a dealer, “as of Oct. 7, 2026.” The main auto loan page showed the same two rates, “Rate as of October 7, 2026 for a 60-month term.” These are the rates the page displayed for Virginia that day. They are not an offer to you, they change without notice, and the conditions below come with them. **Bank of America’s displayed auto loan rates and the conditions printed with them, read 7 October 2026 (subject to change; not an offer)** | What the page shows | New car (dealer) | Used car (dealer) | | --- | --- | --- | | Advertised “as low as” APR | 5.49% | 5.69% | | Term the rate is for | 60 months | 60 months | | State the display used | VA (the page default; no state was chosen) | VA | | Credit assumed | “excellent borrower credit history” | Same | | BofA Rewards discount | Not included (up to 0.50% more) | Not included | | AutoPay discount | None printed | None printed | | Fees named beside the rate | “No loan documentation fee, but title and state fees may apply” | Same | | Bank of America’s representative example | $54,000 for 60 months: 60 payments of $1,032 | $34,000 for 60 months: 60 payments of $653 | Bank of America’s condition, in full: “Advertised as low as APRs (Annual Percentage Rate) assume excellent borrower credit history. Your actual APR may differ based on your credit history, approved loan amount, term, state of residence and applicable discounts, such as BofA Rewards.” The online application “allows you to select term lengths of 48, 60 or 72 months”; other lengths can be discussed with a loan officer after you apply. Only 60-month rates are displayed, and we found no AutoPay discount on any page we read. The examples are “representative credit terms” that “may not reflect the loan amount, term, APR and estimated payment for your loan.” By our arithmetic, 60 payments of $1,032 total $61,920, or $7,920 of interest on $54,000; 60 payments of $653 total $39,180, or $5,180 of interest on $34,000. The standard loan formula gives $1,031.21 and $652.43, so the printed payments are rounded up. The used-car rate sat 0.20 percentage points above the new-car rate. See [how the loan term changes the price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term). Two rules decide which rate a car gets. The new-car rate needs a car that has “Never been titled or registered with the DMV” with an odometer that “has less than 10,000 miles.” And: “Any financing obtained on July 1 or after to purchase vehicles from the prior year will qualify for used auto loan rates.” A leftover new car from last year’s model, financed in the second half of the year, gets the used-car rate. The dating is loose: the page said “as of Oct. 7, 2026,” the rate data behind it carried a time stamp of 6 October 2026, 7:00:45 a.m. Eastern, and the main auto loan page showed the same rates with its state line blank. Pick your own state before comparing, and keep applications to other lenders within a short window, as our guide to [rate shopping](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping) explains. Our [credit union rate guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/) shows another source of published rates. ## The BofA Rewards discount: four tiers and three conditions The relationship program is now called BofA Rewards; its page still refers to customers who “enrolled in Preferred Rewards before May 26, 2026,” the old name many reviews use. It lists four tiers, starting with a Member tier that needs no minimum balance. Membership needs “an eligible Bank of America personal checking account,” and “Checking accounts may have a monthly maintenance fee if waiver requirements are not met.” Higher tiers depend on combined Bank of America deposit and Merrill investment balances. **BofA Rewards auto loan discounts as Bank of America prints them, with our arithmetic on its own $54,000, 60-month new-car example at 5.49% (read 7 October 2026; a what-if, not a quote)** | Tier | Balance to qualify | Auto loan rate discount | Example APR after discount | Example payment, by our arithmetic | Saved over 60 months, by our arithmetic | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Member | No minimum balance | 0.10% | 5.39% | $1,028.72 | $149 | | Preferred Plus | $30,000 or more combined average 3-month balance | 0.25% | 5.24% | $1,024.99 | $373 | | Preferred Honors | $100,000 or more | 0.35% | 5.14% | $1,022.51 | $522 | | Premier | $1 million or more | 0.50% | 4.99% | $1,018.80 | $745 | Against the standard payment of $1,031.21 at 5.49%, the Member discount saves about $2 a month on that example and Premier about $12, by our arithmetic. The conditions matter more than the size: - **Apply directly.** “Discounts are only available on auto loan applications submitted by you directly to Bank of America through its website, Financial Centers, or Bank call centers. Discounts are not available for motor vehicle leases or for applications sourced from car dealerships, car manufacturers, or third-party branded/co-branded relationships.” See [how a dealer-arranged rate is built](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#buy-rate). - **Your tier at application counts.** The discount is “based on their BofA Rewards tier at the time of auto loan application.” Moving money in after you apply does not change it. - **No repricing.** Bank of America’s example: “if you have an auto loan with us when you join the BofA Rewards program, we can’t retroactively apply the discount to that loan.” The displayed rates leave the discount out: it “is not reflected in all our published rates on our website but will be confirmed and reflected in the interest rate quoted upon loan approval.” And membership is not an approval: “Your BofA Rewards program status doesn’t guarantee approval for lending and credit products.” ## Which cars and borrowers Bank of America will finance Applicants “must be at least 18, or have the ability to enter into a legal contract for auto financing in their state of residence,” and must be “a U.S. citizen or resident alien (permanent or non-permanent).” No Bank of America page we read prints a minimum credit score or income. The FAQ lists what to expect before applying: “The minimum amount we finance is $7,500 ($8,000 in Minnesota),” “Term limitations may apply,” “Loan-to-value restrictions apply,” “A down payment may be required” and “Title and state fees may apply.” The loan-to-value line matters if you are rolling an old balance into the new loan; see [what negative equity does to a loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#rolling-over). The car list is specific. These, in the FAQ’s words, “are not eligible for financing”: - **Age, miles and value:** “Vehicles older than 10 calendar years,” “Vehicles with 125,000 miles or more,” and “Vehicles valued at less than $6,000,” with value based on the franchise dealer invoice for a new car or a used-car guide “such as J.D. Power.” - **Title and history:** “Salvaged or branded-title vehicles” and “Gray market or lemon law vehicles.” Our guide to [what a salvage title means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/) covers the brands. - **Use and type:** vehicles “used for commercial and/or business purposes,” heavy-duty trucks and vans of the 450/4500 series, “Conversion or delivery vehicles,” and “Motorcycles, boats or aircraft.” RVs only through authorized RV dealers. A car at exactly 125,000 miles is out, the age rule counts calendar years, and the value floor rules out many cheap older cars that pass the other two tests. No page we read gives a maximum loan. The calculator accepts amounts “not to exceed $1,000,000,” and Google’s AI overview turned that into a lending range on 7 October 2026; it is an input limit, not a loan promise. Prequalification shows only “amounts between $10,000 and $85,000.” ## Prequalification, the application and the two credit pulls Prequalification is “only available if you have a Bank of America login”; everyone else “may apply for an auto loan online, by phone, or by visiting a financial center.” It is for one person (“Joint prequalification requests aren’t available”), covers only dealer purchases, and presents amounts from $10,000 to $85,000. On the credit check, the FAQ is clear: “A prequalification request may result in a soft credit pull, which is a check of your credit report for informational purposes, but it won’t impact your credit score. When you submit your complete loan application and the lender checks your credit report to make a credit decision, that’s called a hard credit pull which can impact your credit score.” Prequalifying still “requires your written instructions for a consumer reporting agency to release your credit information,” and it is “not a commitment to lend or a loan approval.” Our guide to [prequalification and pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) explains the difference. The application decides the loan, “based on, but not limited to: employment, housing expense, ability to repay, collateral, co-applicant information (if applicable) and any other information required.” Three practical points from the FAQ: - **No application fee:** “No, there’s no charge to apply for an auto loan.” - **Unfreeze your credit first:** a frozen report must be temporarily unfrozen “with all three credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) to proceed.” - **Saved applications expire:** “You can access your saved application for 30 days.” ## The 30-day rate hold, and changing the car The rates page sells a “30-day rate lock guarantee,” and the FAQ sets the clock: “Your loan offer and rate are guaranteed for 30 calendar days from the date of your original application approval.” Counted from approval, not from when you find the car. You can apply before choosing a car, but the car can move the deal: “Changes to the loan amount or collateral may affect your approval and loan terms.” A pricier, older or higher-mileage car is new collateral. For a car delivered later, such as an electric car on order: “Interest accrual begins as of the date the auto loan is funded even if you accept delivery of the vehicle at a later date.” Time the application to the delivery date. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the pen, the form and the signing hand, with Bank of America's dealer-only rule, the cars it will not finance, and how long an approved rate holds and who gets the rewards discount. Bank of America’s auto loan FAQ and rates page, read on 7 October 2026, say it finances dealer purchases only, with no private-party loans, refinancing or lease buyouts (callout 1); exclude cars over 10 years old, at 125,000 miles or worth under $6,000 (callout 2); and hold an approved rate for 30 days, with the BofA Rewards discount limited to direct applications (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## At the dealer: authorized dealers, the Approval Code and title work Bank of America runs a network of authorized dealers, “authorized to submit loan applications via our streamlined process.” After approval “you’ll receive an Approval Code that lets authorized dealers quickly retrieve your information.” At an authorized dealer “you’ll complete all your paperwork at the dealership to finalize your loan,” and “the dealer will complete the title work on your behalf.” At any other dealer, “we’ll provide information on how to complete your title work.” Tax, tag and title fees “vary by state.” Bank of America “is not affiliated with these dealerships” and “is not otherwise responsible for any aspect related to the purchase of your vehicle and associated products and services.” Its car-shopping tool runs on Dealertrack, which lists “over 1 million vehicles”; on our reading day it said “Vehicles at California dealerships are currently unavailable,” a limit on the tool, not the loans. Price, add-ons and fees are the dealer’s: compare the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) and read our guide to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/). **Do not let the dealer re-apply for you.** A Bank of America approval comes with a rate held for 30 days and, for BofA Rewards members, a discount that applies only to applications “submitted by you directly to Bank of America.” If the finance office sends a fresh application to Bank of America or other lenders, the discount does not apply to a dealer-sourced application, and each lender’s check can add a hard inquiry. Bring the Approval Code and finance on the terms you were approved for. ## Paying the loan, paying it off and getting the title Interest is “calculated using daily simple interest.” Bank of America’s example: “$10,000 multiplied by 8.5% interest divided by 365 days in the year = $2.33 per diem,” and after 33 days “$76.85” of the payment goes to interest (that uses the unrounded daily figure; $2.33 times 33 is $76.89, by our arithmetic). Paying early cuts the interest; paying late adds to it, as our guide to [how loan interest accrues](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#accrual) shows. “Bank of America does not charge prepayment penalties for auto loans.” A welcome package arrives within 10-15 business days of closing. Ways to pay, from the FAQ: - **Bill Pay** in Online Banking, from checking or money market. The Online Banking Service Agreement says “There are no service fees for use of the Bill Pay Service,” and vehicle-loan payments made “before 5 p.m. ET on a business day will be applied on the same day.” Other banks’ accounts may be linked. - **By phone,** 24/7, but “same-day payments cannot be canceled.” - **By mail, in person** at a financial center (about 3,600, per the 10-K), **or by automatic payment.** Three traps are spelled out. An autopay confirmation letter takes 3-4 weeks, so “To avoid late charges, continue to make your payment as usual until you receive the confirmation letter.” Enrolling by paper form and online “can result in multiple payments being made from your account each month.” And on Online Bill Pay autopay, “you won’t receive monthly statements by mail”; otherwise statements come 20 days before the due date, and 18 months stay online. A returned payment is reversed “and you may incur late payment or other fees.” No page we read gives the late fee or grace period; your contract sets both. Payoff runs on a quote. A “10-day payoff quote” is available in Online Banking with an estimated payoff amount and a good-through date. After you pay, “The process to payoff and release the lien can take up to 10 – 12 business days,” and then “you can expect to receive your lien release, paid-in-full letter and title (if the title is not electronic) within 7-10 business days.” Bank of America “is unable to expedite your state’s titling office process,” so keep your address current and cancel any bill-pay schedule once paid. After a move, “Original title cannot be provided without a request from the state DMV.” And: “Is my loan assumable by another party? No.” A tax note: the bank said it would tell clients “that may have qualified vehicle accounts under federal law” the interest they paid for 2025, warning it “may not be fully deductible” and that “place of assembly” among other things affects eligibility. Ask a tax adviser. ## What Bank of America’s 10-K and 10-Q show about its auto lending Bank of America Corporation does not report car loans as their own line. They sit inside “direct/indirect consumer” loans, $118.3 billion on 30 June 2026, which also hold securities-based lending to wealth clients. A footnote gives the auto part: “auto and specialty lending loans and leases.” At 30 June 2026, 44 percent of the direct/indirect portfolio sat in Consumer Banking, described as “consumer auto and recreational vehicle lending.” Charge-offs are printed only for the whole direct/indirect portfolio. **Bank of America’s auto and specialty lending balance and direct/indirect consumer net charge-offs, as printed in its 10-K and 10-Q reports (the charge-offs include securities-based lending; the six-month ratio is annualized)** | Year or period | Auto and specialty lending loans and leases at period end | Direct/indirect consumer net charge-offs | Net charge-off ratio | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | $48.5 billion | $1 million | Printed as a dash | | 2022 | $51.8 billion | $18 million | 0.02% | | 2023 | $53.9 billion | $92 million | 0.09% | | 2024 | $54.9 billion | $239 million | 0.23% | | 2025 | $55.3 billion | $235 million | 0.21% | | First six months of 2026 | $52.4 billion (30 June) | $130 million | 0.23% | The balance grew $6.8 billion, or 14.0%, from the end of 2021 to the end of 2025, then fell $2.9 billion, or 5.2%, in the first half of 2026, by our arithmetic. The filings’ wording tracks the turn: the 2022 report credited portfolio growth to “growth in our auto portfolio,” the 2024 report to “securities-based lending and consumer auto,” the 2025 report to “securities-based lending” alone. They give no reason for the 2026 drop; ending refinance and lease buyout loans would fit it, but the filings do not say so. The borrowers are mostly prime. Bank of America scores this portfolio by refreshed (current) FICO, except the securities-based loans, measured by “other internal credit metrics.” The FICO-scored part came to $52.5 billion on 30 June 2026, close to the $52.4 billion auto footnote, though the filing does not label it auto. By our arithmetic, 78.4% of it had a FICO of 740 or more, 16.5% sat at 660 to 739 and 5.1% below 660; for loans made in early 2026, 79.2% were at 740 or more. Charge-offs were small but rose: from $1 million in 2021 to $239 million in 2024 and $235 million in 2025, with $176 million of direct/indirect loans nonperforming at the end of 2025. Car loans stop accruing interest at 90 days past due and are “charged off to the estimated fair value of the collateral less expected disposal costs when the loans become 120 days past due, upon repossession of the collateral,” or on bankruptcy, death or fraud. A charge-off is not forgiveness; see [what survives a repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-survives). Three more lines. The bank “securitizes originated and purchased credit card and automobile loans as a source of financing” and keeps servicing them. It has a commitment “to originate or purchase up to $4.0 billion, on a rolling 12-month basis, of auto loans and leases from a strategic partner,” extended to November 2030 from November 2026 and $3.8 billion at 30 June 2026; the partner is not named. And it lends to dealers: commercial exposure to “Vehicle dealers” was $19.8 billion drawn at 30 June 2026. For another bank read through its filings, see our [Capital One auto loan guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/capital-one-auto-loan/#filings). ## CFPB complaints, enforcement actions and a repossession case On 7 October 2026 we pulled CFPB complaint counts for “BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION” under “Vehicle loan or lease,” received through 6 October 2026. The file holds 1,316, received between 1 May 2017 and 29 September 2026: 1,293 about loans and 23 about leases. That is 0.7% of the 188,008 complaints naming the bank across all products, by our arithmetic, and the 20th-largest count among 1,153 companies named in the vehicle category. The yearly count went from 203 in 2024 to 206 in 2025, with 192 more in 2026 to 6 October. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. The CFPB says its database “is not a statistical sample of consumers’ experiences in the marketplace,” and counts grow with a lender’s size: Bank of America held $52.4 billion of auto and specialty lending on 30 June 2026. The CFPB has served no complaint narratives since 30 September 2026, so these are counts only. **CFPB vehicle loan or lease complaints naming Bank of America, N.A., six largest issues with the largest sub-issue in each (received through 6 October 2026; unverified; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 418 | 31.8% | Billing problem (280) | | Getting a loan or lease | 351 | 26.7% | Credit denial (173) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 212 | 16.1% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (128) | | Repossession | 111 | 8.4% | Account reinstatement or redemption after repossession (32) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 80 | 6.1% | Denied request to lower payments (46) | | Incorrect information on your report | 78 | 5.9% | Account status incorrect (41) | Bank of America closed 1,050 with an explanation and 255 (19.4%) with monetary or non-monetary relief; 11 were in progress, and it responded on time to 1,282. Title problems after payoff (128) line up with the release process above. ### CFPB enforcement actions naming Bank of America The CFPB’s enforcement list returned seven actions for “bank of america” on 7 October 2026. We read each page. None concerns auto lending: **CFPB enforcement actions naming Bank of America, N.A., with the products the CFPB lists for each (read 7 October 2026)** | Filed | Docket | Product (CFPB’s label) | Subject, in the CFPB’s words | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 9 April 2014 | 2014-CFPB-0004 | Credit Cards | “credit card add-on products” | Expired/Terminated/Dismissed | | 4 May 2022 | 2022-CFPB-0002 | Deposits | “processing of garnishment notices” | Post Order/Post Judgment | | 14 July 2022 | 2022-CFPB-0004 | Prepaid | unemployment and benefit prepaid debit cards | Post Order/Post Judgment | | 11 July 2023 | 2023-CFPB-0006 | Deposits | non-sufficient funds fees | Post Order/Post Judgment | | 11 July 2023 | 2023-CFPB-0007 | Consumer Reporting, Credit Cards | credit card accounts opened “without consumer consent” and rewards bonuses | Post Order/Post Judgment | | 28 November 2023 | 2023-CFPB-0016 | Fair Lending, Mortgage Origination | Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reporting; order terminated 5 June 2025 | Expired/Terminated/Dismissed | | 20 December 2024 | 2:24-cv-03652 (D. Ariz.) | Deposits, Payments | a lawsuit over Zelle, voluntarily dismissed with prejudice in March 2025 | Expired/Terminated/Dismissed | The 2025 annual report’s litigation note describes no auto-lending matter. We did not search the OCC’s or state attorneys general’s records for this page, and a web search on 7 October 2026 surfaced no auto-specific regulator action against Bank of America: a search result, not a clearance. ### The Pennsylvania repossession-notice case One court record does concern car loans. In Nelson v. Bank of America, National Association, No. 23-0255 (E.D. Pa.), two borrowers brought a class action over post-repossession notices. The court’s memorandum of 18 May 2023 recounts the complaint’s allegations: that Nelson’s notice set a sale date “thirteen days from the date on which the Notice was mailed,” Potter’s “fourteen days,” while Pennsylvania law gives “the right to redeem the vehicle within fifteen days.” These are allegations. The ruling was procedural: the court kept the case in federal court, finding “removal was proper.” We could not read the later docket or any settlement papers, so this page does not report how the case ended. The lesson stands: the notice sets your deadline to get the car back, so count the days yourself; see [what repossession notices must say](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#notice). ## Before you apply for a Bank of America auto loan - **Confirm the deal type.** A dealer purchase only: no private seller, no refinance, no lease buyout. - **Check the car against three numbers.** No more than 10 calendar years old, under 125,000 miles, worth at least $6,000. - **Check the model year and the date.** A prior-year car financed on or after 1 July gets the used-car rate. - **Choose your state on the rates page.** The default display is for Virginia and assumes excellent credit. - **Apply directly if you are a BofA Rewards member.** Dealer-sourced applications get no discount, and your tier is fixed at application. - **Unfreeze your credit before applying.** All three bureaus, temporarily. - **Get one outside approval too.** A credit union or another bank gives you something to compare. - **Shop within 30 calendar days of approval.** Tell the bank if the price or the car changes. - **Read the contract’s late-fee terms.** No Bank of America page we read prints them. ## Common questions ### What are Bank of America’s auto loan rates? On 7 October 2026 its rates page showed “as low as” 5.49% APR for a new car and 5.69% APR for a used car from a dealer, for 60 months, for Virginia (the page’s default state). These assume excellent credit and exclude the BofA Rewards discount of up to 0.50%. Rates change without notice; check the page for your state. ### Does Bank of America refinance auto loans or do lease buyouts? No. Its rates page says “Bank of America no longer offers Refinance or Lease Buyout auto loans,” and its old refinance and lease buyout pages redirect to the main auto loan page. Our guides to [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [lease buyouts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/) cover other routes. ### Can I use a Bank of America auto loan to buy from a private seller? No. The FAQ says “Bank of America doesn’t offer financing to purchase a vehicle from private parties, or individual sellers.” It finances purchases from franchised dealers, electric-vehicle makers such as Tesla and Rivian, and used-car dealers such as CarMax, Enterprise Car Sales and Carvana. ### Does Bank of America auto loan prequalification hurt your credit? Bank of America says a prequalification request “may result in a soft credit pull” that “won’t impact your credit score,” while the complete application is a hard pull “which can impact your credit score.” Prequalification needs a Bank of America login and is for one person only. ### What credit score do you need for a Bank of America car loan? Bank of America prints no minimum. Its advertised rates assume “excellent borrower credit history,” and its filings show a prime book: by our arithmetic, 78.4% of the FICO-scored part of its direct/indirect consumer loans had a score of 740 or more on 30 June 2026. ### How do I pay or contact Bank of America about my car loan? Through Bill Pay in Online Banking (no service fee; payments before 5 p.m. ET on a business day apply the same day), by phone 24/7, by mail, at a financial center, or by automatic payment. For questions, the FAQ points to Contact us in Online Banking or Erica in the mobile app. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/ --- title: "Consumer Portfolio Services Review: Login, Rates and Record" description: "CPS buys subprime car loans from dealers; its 10-K shows a 20.0% average APR. Login, phone numbers, payoff, extensions, the 2014 FTC order and CFPB complaints." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/consumer-portfolio-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Consumer Portfolio Services Review: Login, Rates and Record > CPS buys subprime car loans from dealers; its 10-K shows a 20.0% average APR. Login, phone numbers, payoff, extensions, the 2014 FTC order and CFPB complaints. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,942 words* ## The short version - Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS, Nasdaq: CPSS) is a subprime auto lender that buys contracts from dealers and collects the payments. To log in or pay, use the customer portal at customers.consumerportfolio.com or call CPS’s helpline, (888)469-4520. - CPS’s website shows no rates, but its 10-K does. Contracts it bought for its own portfolio in 2025 carried a weighted average APR of 20.0%, with an average of $22,652 financed over 71 months. - You can pay off early: the 10-K says all CPS contracts “may be prepaid at any time without penalty.” CPS says payoff quotes are available in the portal around the clock. - Extensions are common and not free. CPS moves the due date a month, interest keeps accruing, and it allows two in 12 months and eight over the loan. At 30 June 2026, 44.1% of the contracts it serviced had received at least one, by our arithmetic. - The 2014 case was the FTC’s, not the CFPB’s: CPS agreed to refund or adjust more than $3.5 million on 128,000 accounts and pay a $2 million civil penalty, without admitting the allegations. In 2023 it settled with the Massachusetts Attorney General for $1.24 million plus trustee costs, also without admitting wrongdoing. - The CFPB database holds 3,925 complaints naming CPS, 53.6% of them about credit reports. BBB rates CPS A+ and lists it as accredited, with 254 complaints in 3 years and a 1.13 review average from 56 reviews. Consumer Portfolio Services is a licensed lender (NMLS #96016) that buys car loans from dealers, mostly for borrowers with damaged or thin credit. On 7 October 2026 we read CPS’s public website, including its [state disclosures](https://www.consumerportfolio.com/about-state-disclosures.php), its [online privacy policy](https://www.consumerportfolio.com/PDF/CPS_Online_Privacy_Policy_April_2025.pdf), its dealer FAQ and the January 2026 dealer guidelines it posts; its [10-K for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/889609/000168316826001856/cps_i10k-123125.htm) and [10-Q to 30 June 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/889609/000168316826006096/cpss_i10q-063026.htm); the FTC’s 2014 case and the court order that settled it; and its CFPB and BBB counts. We entered no login, payment or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with CPS or any lender. **Figure: CPS’s own pages next to its SEC filings and the 2014 order** A two-column table setting six lines from Consumer Portfolio Services’ website and dealer pages against its 10-K, 10-Q and the 2014 FTC court order: no minimum FICO score versus a 20.0% average APR on 2025 contracts; a payoff quote in the portal and no prepayment penalty; extensions unmentioned on the site versus two per 12 months, eight per loan, accruing interest and 44.1% of contracts extended at 30 June 2026; up to 150,000 miles on the dealer FAQ versus 15 model years or 200,000 miles and a 78-month maximum term in the 10-K; a dealer page claiming over $12 billion purchased and over $2 billion managed versus about $26.0 billion originated and $4.4 billion managed; and 24/7 payments alongside the order’s rule on disclosing fee-bearing payment methods. Read from consumerportfolio.com, CPS’s dealer FAQ and dealer home page, its 10-K for 2025, its 10-Q to 30 June 2026 and the FTC’s 2014 stipulated order, on 7 October 2026. No login, payment or application was entered. ## How CPS financing works: the dealer writes the contract, CPS buys it CPS is an indirect lender: its 10-K says it provides “indirect financing to the customers of dealers who have limited credit histories or past credit problems, who we refer to as sub-prime customers.” Your contract is with the dealer first; once CPS buys it, you pay CPS. The decision is mostly automated. In 2025 CPS received 3.3 million applications, and its system gave an initial decision “within seconds on approximately 99%” of them. CPS orders “two credit reports” plus an alternative-data score and builds internal scores partly from “house/rental payment, length of employment, residence stability and total income.” Some 43% of its applications were pass-throughs from other lenders that had declined them. Since May 2021 CPS has also bought some contracts “for immediate sale to a third-party” and services them, so the company collecting your payments may not own your loan. Before it buys a contract, CPS checks your file. Its dealer guidelines say it “will verify employment, insurance, and references prior to purchasing each contract” and “conducts a Welcome Call interview with the Applicant”; if what it verifies differs from the application, “the contract may not qualify to be purchased.” Answer the call, and compare what you hear with what you signed. Because the guidelines require that you have the car at funding, you may drive away before CPS has finished checking. Self-employed and gig-work applicants are verified through digital bank statements: CPS’s instructions say you get a link by text or email and “will need to enter the exact same credentials” and security questions you use for online banking on a third-party verification page, with “three (3) attempts.” Decide whether you are comfortable handing a bank login to a verification vendor. The separate consent to autodialed calls and texts says that consent to texts is not required “as a condition of credit.” The dealer is paid, or charged, for placing the loan. The 10-K reports an average net acquisition fee “charged (paid) to dealers”; in 2025 CPS paid dealers an average of $209 a contract. Its guidelines tell dealers they “are not permitted to pass along, charge, or otherwise specifically recoup” any discount or fee from you. Our reviews of [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#how-it-works) and [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works) read those lenders’ dealer terms the same way, and our page on [buy here pay here lots](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#what-it-is) covers dealers that keep the loan themselves. ## CPS login, payments and phone numbers CPS’s customer portal is at customers.consumerportfolio.com, linked as “Log In” from its home page. CPS lists what you can do there: “Make an online payment,” “View and print a recent statement,” “Get mailing instructions,” “View your payment history,” “Get a payoff quote” and “See frequently asked questions,” as well as check a new application and submit loan documents. The portal is closed to outside readers, so we did not open it. CPS’s Michigan licence notice says “Customers may make payments 24/7 through the online customer portal or by phone.” The 10-K adds an automated phone system for account information and payments, and chat with a collector “while logged into our website.” For a mailed payment, use the mailing instructions in the portal or on your statement rather than an address copied from the web. **Consumer Portfolio Services contact points in its own documents, read 7 October 2026** | What for | Number or address | Where CPS prints it | | --- | --- | --- | | Customer helpline | (888)469-4520 | Home page and customer contacts page | | Payoff and customer service | 888-718-7823 | CPS Quick Contacts, a sheet for dealers | | Lien release and titles | 800-400-4491 | CPS Quick Contacts | | Lienholder and insurance address | P.O. Box 57071, Irvine, CA 92619-7071 | Quick Contacts, dealer guidelines, insurance form | | Online account, payments, payoff quote | customers.consumerportfolio.com | Home page “Log In” link | Does paying cost extra? CPS’s public pages print no payment fee; its funding checklist describes the contract only as “Simple Interest with Late Fees.” One protection is on the public record: among the practices the 2014 court order covered later in this review prohibits is “Failing to disclose, when requesting payment by a method requiring a transaction fee, the costs and availability of all payment methods available to consumers.” If a representative steers you to a paid method, ask which methods are free. Our [Westlake Financial review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#fee-lawsuit) shows how one lender’s payment fee ended up in court. ## Who CPS lends to: eight programs and the average borrower CPS describes its customers as “individuals with past credit problems, low incomes or limited credit histories.” Its dealer FAQ advertises “No minimum FICO score” and accepts “Freshly filed Chapter 7 BK’s that are still open.” The 10-K says CPS has offered eight financing programs, priced “according to the relative credit risk.” Most of its money goes to the upper five, which made up about 90% of 2025 purchases for its own portfolio. **CPS contract purchases by program, 2025, and the average contract, from its 10-K for 2025** | Program (highest to lowest credit quality) | Share of 2025 amount financed | | --- | --- | | Meta | 4.8% | | Preferred | 18.2% | | Super Alpha | 19.3% | | Alpha Plus | 19.5% | | Alpha | 27.4% | | Standard | 7.4% | | Mercury / Delta | 1.4% | | First Time Buyer | 1.2% | | Third parties | 0.9% | For 2025 purchases the 10-K reports an average household income of $76,433, an average age of 41, an average of 5 years in the current job, an average down payment of 10.6%, and a 7-year-old car with an average purchase price of $20,906. Used cars made up about 90% of 2025 contracts. The dealer guidelines, effective January 2026, set the floor. You generally need “a minimum of six months of continuous, permanent employment,” and “Cash income is not acceptable.” Repossessions “less than one year old” disqualify you, and CPS “does not finance customers who have a previously charged off CPS account.” A co-signer will not rescue a weak file: CPS “does not consider co-signers or guarantors for Applicants not meeting minimum requirements,” and “Each Applicant on the contract is fully responsible for the loan.” Our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders rarely publish a minimum. ## What CPS charges: APR, term and how much it will lend CPS publishes no rate for car buyers; the dealer writes the APR into the contract. The nearest thing to a rate sheet is the 10-K, which prints the weighted average APR on the contracts CPS bought each year. **Weighted average APR on contracts CPS bought for its own portfolio, and the average net fee to or from dealers (10-K for 2025)** | Year | Weighted average APR | Average net acquisition fee | | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 17.8% | CPS paid dealers $65 (0.3% of amount financed) | | 2022 | 18.4% | CPS paid dealers $150 (0.7%) | | 2023 | 20.9% | CPS charged dealers $98 (1.3%) | | 2024 | 20.4% | CPS paid dealers $50 (0.2%) | | 2025 | 20.0% | CPS paid dealers $209 (0.9%) | The 2025 average is 2.2 points above 2021, by our arithmetic, and averages hide a wide range: the 10-K says the lowest tiers pay higher rates. One ceiling is on the record. CPS’s South Carolina Maximum Rate Schedule, issued 30 January 2026 and valid to 31 January 2027, posts a maximum of 28% fixed for new and used vehicle credit sales in that state, and notes that a creditor “may be willing to grant you credit rate that are lower.” That is a South Carolina filing, not a nationwide cap. CPS will lend more than the car is worth. Its funding guidelines “generally limit the maximum principal amount” to “125% of wholesale book value” for used cars, or 125% of invoice for new ones, “plus, in each case, sales tax, licensing” and any service contract or GAP-type product. On a car with a $15,000 wholesale book value, that allows $18,750 before tax and add-ons, by our arithmetic. CPS generally does not finance cars “more than 15 model years old or have more than 200,000 miles,” and “The maximum term of a purchased contract is 78 months.” Above 100% of value you owe more than the car is worth from the first day; see our guide to [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#what-it-is). What does 20.0% mean in dollars? By our arithmetic, CPS’s 2025 averages ($22,652 financed at 20.0% over 71 months) give a payment of $546.56 a month and $16,154 in interest, $38,806 in all. That is an illustration of averages, not a CPS offer. Bring a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union to compare, and see [how term length changes the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#term-structure). ## Payment extensions: what CPS allows and what they cost CPS’s public pages do not mention extensions, but its 10-K describes them in detail. CPS “will grant obligors one-month payment extensions to assist them with temporary cash flow problems.” In general, a borrower gets no “more than two such extensions in any 12-month period and no more than eight over the life of the contract.” The only change is that the next due date moves, “generally by one month,” and the maturity date moves with it. “There are no other concessions such as a reduction in interest rate, forgiveness of principal or of accrued interest,” and after an extension the account stays subject to CPS’s normal rules “for interest accrual, reporting delinquency and recognizing charge-offs.” So interest keeps running. CPS’s contracts are simple-interest contracts, and on a hypothetical $20,000 balance at 20.0%, interest accrues at about $10.96 a day, so a one-month extension adds roughly $329 of interest, by our arithmetic. An extension may also require “all or a portion of a past due payment,” the 10-Q says. A collector recommends it, a supervisor approves it, and CPS states the test plainly: whether an extension would be “delaying an inevitable repossession and liquidation.” Extensions are routine. In the first half of 2026 CPS granted an average of 11,152 a month, 4.8% of its accounts each month. At 30 June 2026, 104,054 of the 235,760 contracts in its servicing portfolio had received at least one: 44.1%, by our arithmetic. At the end of 2025, 58.4% of the extended contracts the 10-K counted had received two or more. **What happened to accounts after a CPS extension, by year granted, as of 30 June 2026 (10-Q)** | Year granted | Extensions granted | Account active or paid off | Charged off more than 6 months later | Charged off within 6 months | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2014 | 25,773 | 40.4% | 56.2% | 3.4% | | 2018 | 121,531 | 45.7% | 44.3% | 10.0% | | 2021 | 47,010 | 66.0% | 31.4% | 2.6% | | 2024 | 90,484 | 71.2% | 25.9% | 2.9% | | 2025 | 110,200 | 88.5% | 8.1% | 3.4% | Recent years look better partly because those accounts have had less time to fail. Of the 293,836 extensions CPS granted from 2014 through 2017, 58.5% were on accounts later charged off, by our arithmetic from CPS’s table. CPS counts later charge-offs as “at least partially successful,” because it collected more first. For a borrower, an extension buys time; it does not change the debt. **Get any extension in writing, with its cost.** The 2014 court order bars CPS from changing a loan’s terms “through an extension of the loan term or otherwise, without express, informed consent, in writing,” which includes disclosing “all fees and costs” and whether the change “will reduce or eliminate the ongoing assessment of any fees, including but not limited to late fees.” Ask for that disclosure, check how much more interest the extension adds, and count how many of your two-a-year and eight-a-loan extensions you have used. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the wallet, the coffee cup and the car key, with Consumer Portfolio Services' average APR and term in 2025, how its payment extensions work, and its insurance deductible rule. Consumer Portfolio Services’ 10-K for 2025, read on 7 October 2026, puts the contracts it bought that year at an average 20.0% APR over 71 months (callout 1) and says an extension moves the due date while interest keeps accruing (callout 2); its insurance form requires full coverage with a deductible of $1,000 or less (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Late payments, collections and repossession CPS counts a contract as delinquent when less than 90% of a payment arrives by the next due date. It tries to call “from one to 20 days after their monthly payment due date,” and an outside call center with about 80 agents supplements its collectors. A collector will ask for a payment or a promise to pay, “generally not to exceed one week from the date of the call.” Repossession is a supervisor’s call, “Generally” made “between the 60th and 90th day past the customer’s payment due date, but could occur sooner or later.” “Prior to sale, the customer has the right to redeem the vehicle by paying the contract in full,” and CPS “may return the vehicle” if you pay all, or what it deems enough, of the past-due amount. After the sale, “proceeds usually are insufficient to pay the customer’s obligation in full, resulting in a deficiency,” and CPS may pursue it “for up to several years after charge-off” or sell the account to a debt buyer. It charges an account off at the end of the month it becomes five installments past due, or after a repossessed car is sold or has sat in inventory more than three months. CPS’s own experience is that once a contract is more than 90 days past due, “it is more likely than not” to end in a charge-off. Our guides to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [what you owe after the sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale) explain your rights. **CPS’s servicing portfolio: delinquency, repossession and net charge-offs (10-K for 2025 and 10-Q to 30 June 2026)** | As of | Balance 31+ days delinquent | Delinquent or in repossession | Net charge-offs, share of average portfolio | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 31 December 2023 | 12.3% | 14.5% | 6.5% (2023) | | 31 December 2024 | 12.1% | 14.8% | 7.6% (2024) | | 31 December 2025 | 11.8% | 14.8% | 7.8% (2025) | | 30 June 2026 | 9.97% | 12.16% | 7.3% (second quarter, annualized) | At 30 June 2026 about $429.6 million of a $4.3 billion portfolio was 31 days or more past due, and $523.9 million counting cars in repossession, by our arithmetic. Insurance is part of the contract. CPS’s insurance form says “$1,000 maximum deductible” and “Comprehensive and collision coverage for the vehicle is required,” with CPS on the policy as first lienholder and additional insured. If you change insurers, send the new declarations page to the lienholder address above. ## Paying off a CPS loan and getting your title Early payoff carries no penalty: “All automobile contracts may be prepaid at any time without penalty,” the 10-K says. Get a payoff quote in the portal; CPS’s dealer contact sheet says “Payoff quotes on the website 24/7” and lists 888-718-7823 for payoffs and customer service. Your title should show CPS as first lienholder, and the dealer is responsible for that. The dealer guidelines require the title to “reflect Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. as the first lienholder within the time specified in the Dealer Agreement,” and the 10-K says that if CPS does not receive the state registration “within three months,” it works with the dealer and otherwise “generally will require the dealer to repurchase” the contract. After payoff, the lien release goes through CPS’s titles line, 800-400-4491. In the CFPB database, 25 complaints naming CPS are tagged “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off.” Refinancing is less clear. CPS’s January 2026 dealer guidelines say “CPS does not refinance vehicles owned by the Applicant(s),” yet its 10-K says that in December 2025 it “began to originate loans directly to consumers for the refinancing of an existing loan from other lenders.” We found no public CPS page describing that program. To move a CPS loan to another lender, the car usually has to be worth close to what you owe; our guide to [refinancing and loan-to-value](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value) explains why. ## The 2014 FTC order, the 2023 Massachusetts settlement and lawsuits On 29 May 2014 the [FTC announced](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2014/05/auto-lender-will-pay-55-million-settle-ftc-charges-it-harassed-consumers-collected-amounts-they-did) that CPS would “pay more than $5.5 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company used illegal tactics to service and collect consumers’ loans.” CPS “agreed to refund or adjust 128,000 consumers’ accounts more than $3.5 million and forebear collections on an additional 35,000 accounts,” and to pay “another $2 million in civil penalties.” The Justice Department filed the complaint for the FTC in the federal court for the Central District of California on 28 May 2014. The charges, as the FTC described them, included “Misrepresenting fees consumers owed,” “Unilaterally modifying contracts by, for example, increasing principal balances,” “Failing to disclose financial effects of loan extensions,” “Misrepresenting that consumers must use particular payment methods requiring service fees,” “making unauthorized debits from consumer bank accounts,” “falsely threatening car repossession” and disclosing debts to third parties. These were allegations. The [Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction and Civil Penalty Judgment](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/140529cpsstiporder_0.pdf) (Case 8:14-cv-00819, filed 11 June 2014) says “CPS neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint.” The order’s terms still matter to borrowers. It entered a $2,000,000 civil penalty, $1 million each for alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s Furnisher Rule. It required refunds or balance adjustments for overcharges in listed categories, among them NSF fees, late fees, legal fees, field chase fees and “Finance charges that accrued on principal balance increases related to loan extensions”; paid-off borrowers who overpaid more than $1.00 were to get refunds within ninety days. On charged-off accounts, CPS could instead forbear for good, “by never 1) reporting the account to a consumer reporting agency, 2) seeking to collect a deficiency balance on the account, or 3) selling the account.” It also required a data integrity program with independent assessments every two years “for ten (10) years,” plus the extension and payment-method rules described above. The research brief for this page described a 2014 CFPB consent order. The documents say otherwise: the case was the FTC’s, CPS’s 10-K describes it as an FTC inquiry and “proposed remedial action against us in 2014, to which we consented,” and on 7 October 2026 the CFPB’s enforcement index returned no action under the titles “consumer portfolio” or “CPS.” CPS is subject to CFPB “supervision and examination,” which is not an enforcement action. CPS’s 10-K for 2023 says it received a civil investigative demand from the Massachusetts Attorney General in September 2021 “relating to the Company’s communications with and repossession notices sent to Massachusetts customers.” On 28 December 2023, “without admitting any wrongdoing,” CPS entered an assurance of discontinuance to “settle and fully resolve allegations” of noncompliance with Massachusetts law. It agreed to pay $1.24 million to an independent trust for payments to eligible consumers, implementation costs and the Attorney General’s investigation costs, plus $75,000 for a trustee. We did not find the assurance itself on mass.gov, so these terms are as CPS reports them. CPS’s 10-K for 2024 also described a Connecticut cross-claim, filed 16 October 2019, “alleging that our deficiency notices were not compliant with Connecticut law” and seeking class relief; summary judgment went to CPS and was appealed on 25 October 2024. We read no docket, and the 10-K for 2025 no longer describes the case. That 10-K says consumers “can and do initiate lawsuits” over collections, which CPS contests or settles “for immaterial amounts,” and that CPS “is not currently a party to any such material legal proceedings.” **The public enforcement record on Consumer Portfolio Services, from the documents read on 7 October 2026** | Date | What happened | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 28 to 29 May 2014 | FTC complaint filed by the Justice Department; settlement announced (more than $3.5 million refunded or adjusted, $2 million civil penalty); allegations | FTC release | | 11 June 2014 | Stipulated order filed; CPS neither admits nor denies the allegations | Court order on ftc.gov | | September 2021 | Massachusetts Attorney General’s civil investigative demand on communications and repossession notices | CPS 10-K for 2023 | | 28 December 2023 | Massachusetts assurance of discontinuance, without admitting wrongdoing: $1.24 million to a trust plus $75,000 for a trustee | CPS 10-K for 2023 | | 7 October 2026 | CFPB enforcement index shows no action under “consumer portfolio” or “CPS” | CFPB enforcement page | ## CFPB complaints and BBB: what 3,925 reports show The CFPB’s public database held 3,925 complaints naming Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc., received from 20 June 2012 to 2 October 2026, pulled on 7 October 2026. They are unverified reports that consumers submit and the company answers, and their number grows with the size of a lender’s book, so they show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing complaint narratives on 30 September 2026; only counts are used here. Most are about credit reports: 2,103 (53.6%) fall under the three credit-reporting labels the CFPB has used, led by “Improper use of your report” (1,226) and “Incorrect information on your report” (684). Another 858 (21.9%) are filed as vehicle loan complaints, plus 230 under the CFPB’s older “Consumer Loan” label, and 710 (18.1%) concern debt collection. Within the vehicle loan complaints, the largest issues are managing the loan (267, led by billing problems at 120), repossession (164, or 19.1%), struggling to pay (129, with 69 about a denied request to lower payments), getting the loan (126, including 22 tagged “Loan opened without my consent or knowledge”) and the end of the loan (74). CPS closed 3,895 complaints “with explanation,” 19 with monetary relief and 11 with non-monetary relief. **Complaints naming Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 7 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | All complaints | Vehicle loan or lease | | --- | --- | --- | | 2020 | 181 | 61 | | 2021 | 228 | 45 | | 2022 | 254 | 64 | | 2023 | 391 | 75 | | 2024 | 551 | 99 | | 2025 | 899 | 194 | | 2026 to 2 October | 753 | 199 | Complaints in 2025 were 3.94 times the 2021 count, by our arithmetic, while the portfolio CPS manages grew 1.73 times from the end of 2021 to the end of 2025. So the rise is not only a bigger book. [BBB](https://www.bbb.org/us/nv/las-vegas/profile/consumer-finance-companies/consumer-portfolio-services-inc-1086-90048971) rates CPS A+ and lists it as accredited since 23 February 2018, with 254 complaints in the last 3 years and 74 closed in the last 12 months; its 56 customer reviews average 1.13 out of 5. We read the profile once on 7 October 2026. We did not use Trustpilot figures, because Trustpilot’s terms bar collecting its content by automated means, including AI agents. ## Who CPS is, what it files, and the fine print CPS was incorporated and began operating in March 1991 and trades on Nasdaq as CPSS. The brief for this page placed it in Irvine, California; its website calls Irvine its “operational headquarters,” but the 10-K says “Our principal executive offices are in Las Vegas, Nevada,” with most operations in Irvine and servicing branches in California, Nevada, Virginia, Florida and Illinois. At 30 June 2026 CPS said it serviced a managed portfolio of about $4.4 billion for about 243,000 active customers, with 994 employees. Its dealer pages are out of date: the dealer home page still claims “over $12 billion in loans purchased since 1991,” against “over $25.9 billion” in the profile on the same site. Your loan probably sits in a trust: CPS has done 109 term securitizations since 1994, 19 of them active at 30 June 2026. Those bonds are not SEC-registered: the 10-K says all such debt was issued “in private placement transactions to qualified institutional investors,” and the trusts have no SEC file of their own, so no pool-level data is public and none is used here. CPS keeps servicing the loans for a fee “equal to 2.5% per annum” of the balance, so you keep paying CPS. The offerings CPS does register with the SEC include renewable unsecured subordinated notes sold to retail investors, which are not car-loan pools. CPS’s online privacy policy (effective April 2025) says it may collect information from “employers, landlords, and personal references,” that “All personal information is collected, processed, sold and/or disclosed” under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and that it collects the location of the device you use on its website and app; California and Vermont residents get a narrower sharing rule. CPS is licensed as NMLS #96016 and posts state notices, including a Michigan licence (No. RL 0014663, effective 1 January 2007) and its South Carolina supervised lender licence. Its public site links no terms of use. ## Before you sign a contract that will go to CPS - **Get a second quote first.** CPS publishes no rate, and the contracts it bought in 2025 averaged 20.0%. A pre-approval from a bank or credit union gives you a number to compare; our reviews of [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/) and [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/) auto loans read those banks’ published terms. - **Read the APR, term and total of payments.** CPS allows terms up to 78 months; a longer term lowers the payment and raises the total. - **Compare the amount financed with the car’s value.** CPS may finance up to 125% of wholesale book plus tax, licensing and add-ons; ask for the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) in writing. - **Price each add-on separately.** GAP and service contracts are financed at your APR; see [how GAP works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works). - **Answer the welcome call.** CPS uses it to confirm you understand the terms; if anything differs from your contract, say so then. - **Think before sharing a bank login.** CPS verifies some income through a third-party page that asks for your online banking credentials. - **Keep full coverage with a deductible of $1,000 or less.** It is a condition of the loan, and CPS must be listed as lienholder. - **Ask which payment methods are free, and get any extension in writing.** Have the car checked with a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) too. ## Common questions ### How do I log in to my Consumer Portfolio Services account? Use the “Log In” link on consumerportfolio.com, which goes to customers.consumerportfolio.com. CPS says the portal lets you make an online payment, view statements and payment history, get mailing instructions and get a payoff quote. Otherwise, call (888)469-4520. ### What is the Consumer Portfolio Services phone number? CPS’s home and contact pages give one customer number, (888)469-4520. Its contact sheet for dealers lists 888-718-7823 for payoffs and customer service and 800-400-4491 for lien releases and titles. ### Does CPS charge a fee to pay online or by phone? CPS’s public pages print no payment fee, and the fee terms sit in your contract and the portal, which we did not open. Under the 2014 court order, CPS must disclose the cost and availability of all payment methods when it asks you to pay by a method that carries a transaction fee, so ask which methods are free. ### Can I get a payment extension from CPS? Sometimes. CPS’s 10-K describes one-month extensions for temporary cash-flow problems, generally no more than two in any 12 months and eight over the loan. Interest keeps accruing and nothing is forgiven. ### How do I get my title after paying off CPS? Pay the amount on a current payoff quote from the portal before it expires, then follow up on the lien release with CPS’s titles line, 800-400-4491. CPS contracts can be paid off early without penalty. Keep your payoff confirmation until the title arrives. ### Has Consumer Portfolio Services been sued or fined? Yes, by the FTC in 2014: CPS paid a $2 million civil penalty and refunded or adjusted more than $3.5 million on 128,000 accounts, neither admitting nor denying the allegations. In 2023 it settled a Massachusetts Attorney General investigation for $1.24 million plus $75,000 in trustee costs, without admitting wrongdoing. The CFPB’s enforcement index listed no action against CPS on 7 October 2026. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB, Repossession in Auto Finance (January 2025)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_report-repossession-in-auto-finance_2025-01.pdf) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/consumer-portfolio-services-review/ --- title: "Chase Auto Loan: How It Works, Refinancing and What the 10-K Shows" description: "Chase finances cars only from network dealers and refinances payoffs of $4,000 to $99,999. Its 10-K: $44.8 billion of auto loans and leases made in 2025." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Chase Auto Loan: How It Works, Refinancing and What the 10-K Shows > Chase finances cars only from network dealers and refinances payoffs of $4,000 to $99,999. Its 10-K: $44.8 billion of auto loans and leases made in 2025. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,982 words* ## The short version - A Chase auto loan pays for a new or used car bought from a dealer in Chase’s network. You can apply online or at the dealership, but either way, Chase says, “The dealer will be the original creditor and assign the financing to Chase.” Chase does not finance private party sales. - Prequalifying is a soft inquiry that does not affect your score; the application is a hard inquiry. Chase says most decisions come within 2–3 hours, and an approval and its APR last 30 days (60 for Tesla) for the specific car, dealer and terms you asked about. - Chase prints advertised rates, last updated 1 October 2026, for online applicants with excellent credit: 6.24% for a new car and 6.29% for a used 2022 car over 60 months, and 6.79% to refinance over 48 months. Those rates apply only to online applications; at a dealership, Chase says, rates and terms may differ. - Chase does refinance car loans. The payoff must be $4,000 to $99,999, you must have held the loan at least 91 days with 12 or more months left, and the car must be no more than 10 years old with no more than 120,000 miles. Loans already held by Chase, or by seven of its brand-name finance programs, are excluded. - JPMorgan Chase’s 10-K shows Chase Auto made $44.8 billion of loans and leases in 2025. Loans held fell from $77.7 billion (end of 2023) to $70.6 billion (end of 2025) while auto lease assets rose from $12.8 billion to $20.0 billion in 2025. The 2025 net charge-off rate was 0.47%. - The CFPB file holds 2,660 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming JPMorgan Chase & Co. through 6 October 2026, 591 of them about leases. In 2011 the OCC fined the bank $2 million over how Chase Auto Finance sold a payment protection product; the bank neither admitted nor denied the findings. A Chase auto loan is financing from JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. for a car bought from a dealer in Chase’s network: you apply online or at the dealership, the dealer writes the contract, and Chase takes it over and collects the payments. Chase also refinances car loans held by other lenders. On 7 October 2026 we read Chase Auto’s [financing page](https://autofinance.chase.com/auto-finance/auto-loans), [refinance page](https://autofinance.chase.com/auto-finance/refinance), [FAQ](https://autofinance.chase.com/auto-finance/faqs) and [rate discount page](https://autofinance.chase.com/auto-finance/interest-rate-discount), the chase.com [rates page](https://www.chase.com/personal/auto/auto-loan-rates) and servicing FAQs, JPMorgan Chase’s [2025 annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19617/000162828026008131/jpm-20251231.htm) and [quarterly report to 30 June 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19617/000162828026054343/jpm-20260630.htm), the EDGAR records of its auto securitizations, a 2011 OCC consent order and the CFPB complaint file. We ran no prequalification or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Chase or any lender. **Figure: Can Chase finance or refinance this car?** Chase’s own limits for purchase loans and refinancing, as its Chase Auto pages and FAQ print them. Source: Chase Auto financing, refinance and FAQ pages and the chase.com rates page, read 7 October 2026. Chase’s lists of ineligible vehicles "include but are not limited to" those named; approval still depends on credit. ## How a Chase auto loan works: a dealer contract that Chase takes over Chase does not hand you a check to spend anywhere. The disclosure under its financing videos reads: “To finance a new or used car with your dealer through JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (‘Chase’), you must purchase your car from a dealer in the Chase network. The dealer will be the original creditor and assign the financing to Chase.” You sign the dealer’s contract, and Chase owns it from then on. Chase’s video lists three ways in: online at chase.com/auto, at one of its network dealers, or “through a Private Label brand either online or at a dealership.” The private labels are brand finance names; the Chase Auto site lists nine, from Aston Martin Financial Services and Enterprise Auto Finance to Rivian Financial Services and Subaru Motors Finance. The same video puts the network at “12,000+ dealers”; the financing page says “thousands of authorized dealers.” The network is the limit that matters. Chase’s FAQ: “If your dealership isn’t in the Chase network, you can’t apply for financing with Chase.” If your dealer is in the network but missing from the online locator, you apply at the dealership, and Chase warns: “Your financing may or may not be with Chase.” Two more rules from the FAQ: “Chase doesn’t offer financing for private party vehicle purchases,” and business vehicles go through a branch relationship manager, not this program. You don’t need a Chase account, and “A down payment isn’t required.” Chase also runs an online marketplace, Chase Auto Preferred, for browsing dealer inventory in “select markets.” Shopping there carries no duty to borrow from Chase, the dealers “are not corporate affiliates of Chase,” and the video disclosure adds: “Chase may receive compensation from Dealers as part of this service.” (The marketplace site answered our one request with “Access Denied.”) How a dealer can add its own margin to a rate it arranges is covered in our guide to [dealer-arranged rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#buy-rate). ## Prequalifying and applying: the soft pull, then the hard pull Chase separates two steps. Prequalification, in its FAQ’s words, gives “an idea of how much you may be able to borrow,” based on “your self-reported income, an estimated Annual Percentage Rate (APR) determined by your credit and a term of 72 months.” It is a soft inquiry: “Soft inquiries do not affect your credit score because you are not actually applying for new credit.” It is not an offer, and an address mismatch or a credit freeze can stop it returning a figure. Because it assumes 72 months, it shows more than the same payment would buy over a shorter term. The application is where the score can move. Chase’s rates page: “If you submit an application for credit, you may receive a ‘hard inquiry’ that could impact your credit score.” You need the car’s make, model, trim and mileage and the dealer’s name, you may add a co-applicant, and Chase says: “Most decisions are available within 2–3 hours.” Where you apply changes who sees your file. The FAQ: “If you apply directly with us, only we will receive your application. If you apply for financing through a dealer, your application may be sent to multiple lenders for consideration.” That is the source of the string of inquiries many buyers later find on their reports. Our guide to [rate shopping without hurting your score](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping) covers how those inquiries are counted. Once approved, Chase sends the details to you and your dealer. The approval has edges: - **It lasts 30 days.** “Your credit decision and Annual Percentage Rate (APR) are good for 30 days (60 days for Tesla) from the decision date.” - **It covers one deal.** “Your lock applies only to the specific vehicle, dealer and terms you requested; any changes may result in a rate change.” - **It binds you to nothing.** “You don’t have to finance with us, even if we approve your application.” An approval works like a pre-approval, but only at network dealers; see [prequalification and pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is). ## Which cars and borrowers Chase will finance Chase’s FAQ lists vehicles that “are not eligible for financing”, a list that “include[s] but [is] not limited to” these: - **Age and miles:** “Vehicles older than 10 calendar years,” “Teslas older than 5 calendar years” and “Vehicles with more than 120,000 miles.” - **Title and registration:** salvaged or branded titles, and cars “not titled or registered in one of the 50 United States or District of Columbia.” See [what a salvage title means](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/what-is-a-salvage-title/). - **Use and type:** commercial vehicles; taxis, limousines and ride share; motorcycles, RVs, boats and aircraft; and “certain exotic makes.” The age rule is worded three ways: “10 years old, max” on the home page, 10 calendar years with 5 for Teslas in the FAQ, and 5 years “for certain makes” (unnamed) on the rates and refinance pages. Near either limit, ask before you apply. For the borrower, the financing page says “You must be 18 years old or older to apply” and the FAQ says “Generally” 18. No Chase page we read prints a minimum credit score or income. Chase’s FAQ says decisions rest on “your application, your credit and any existing Chase relationship,” and the annual report describes the portfolio as “prime-quality scored auto” loans. Our guide to [the credit score you need](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders rarely print a floor. ## Chase’s advertised rates, and who gets them Chase prints example rates. Its rates page, marked “Last updated 10/1/2026,” gives three, “For customers with excellent credit who apply online.” The payments are Chase’s; the totals and interest are our arithmetic from them. **Chase’s advertised auto rates as printed on chase.com (last updated 1 October 2026; excellent credit, online applications, $0 down; totals and interest are our arithmetic)** | Example | APR | Term | Amount | Monthly payment | Total of payments | Interest | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | New car | 6.24% | 60 months | $45,000 | $875.01 | $52,500.60 | $7,500.60 | | Used 2022 car | 6.29% | 60 months | $30,000 | $584.04 | $35,042.40 | $5,042.40 | | Refinance (2022 car) | 6.79% | 48 months | $30,000 | $715.47 | $34,342.56 | $4,342.56 | Chase does not guarantee these rates, which exclude taxes and dealer fees, and your own rate depends on your credit, the term, the car and the amount. The condition that shapes the whole decision sits in an FAQ answer: “The interest rates shown on this page apply only to applications submitted online. If you apply at a dealership, available rates and terms may differ. Manufacturer discounts and promotions are not factored into this and may be available at participating dealerships.” Chase also offers a relationship discount: “Get a 0.25% rate discount on auto financing or refinancing when you apply online.” You qualify with “an average daily combined balance of $150,000 or more across eligible accounts over a recent three-month period determined by Chase.” It needs an online application, cannot be combined with other discounts, and is “not available for the purchase of certain vehicle brands or for lease buyouts.” On Chase’s new-car example, 5.99% instead of 6.24% would bring the payment to $869.77, by our arithmetic: $5.24 a month, or $314.40 over 60 months. Our guide to [used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/) shows how term and credit tier change what a loan costs. **The rate Chase advertises is an online rate.** Chase says its posted rates apply only to applications submitted online, the relationship discount needs an online application, and an application made through a dealer “may be sent to multiple lenders.” If you want Chase’s own terms, apply with Chase before you sit down in the finance office, and compare that approval with what the dealer offers. ## Does Chase refinance car loans? Yes, within these limits Chase does offer auto refinancing. Its home page FAQ: “Yes, if your car and current financing meet all requirements, you can submit an application to refinance.” The refinance page lists nine requirements: - **Your current lender:** the car “can’t currently be financed with Chase” or with Aston Martin Financial Services, Jaguar Financial Group, Land Rover Financial Group, Maserati Capital USA, McLaren Financial Services, Rivian Financial Services or Subaru Motors Finance. The loan must appear on your credit report and the lien must be perfected. - **The balance:** “Your estimated payoff must be between $4,000 and $99,999,” or in the disclosure’s words “at least $4,000 and less than $100,000. Fees are excluded.” - **Timing:** you must have had the loan “for at least 91 days” and have “at least 12 months remaining.” - **The car:** not leased, used mainly for personal, family or household purposes, no salvaged, branded or bonded title, no more than 120,000 miles, and “10 years old or newer, or 5 years old or newer for certain makes.” A refinance cannot change who is on the title or the titling state, and all owners apply together. After approval the paperwork “typically takes about two weeks,” then “around 30-60 days to payoff your current lender and update your title.” Keep paying the old lender until it confirms the payoff. Chase charges no application fee, but state title fees and taxes are added to the new loan, and the application is a hard pull. Two warnings come from Chase itself. Products bundled into your current loan “(e.g., extended warranty or GAP waiver) … may not transfer to the new financing.” And: “Your overall costs could be more, your repayment term longer, and monthly payment higher depending on your circumstances.” Our guide to [the ways a refinance costs you money](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#traps) works through both, and [why an underwater loan is hard to refinance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value) explains the balance problem. Chase headlines its refinance page with “save an average of $2,600.” The footnote defines it as “Life of loan savings based on customers who refinanced their eligible auto loan with Chase from May 2025 through June 2026, excluding costs for optional vehicle coverage, tax, title and registration fees.” It is an average for people who went ahead, not a forecast for you. **Chase’s purchase-loan and refinance rules side by side, as printed on Chase’s pages (read 7 October 2026)** | Rule | Buying from a network dealer | Refinancing another lender’s loan | | --- | --- | --- | | Where the car or loan comes from | A dealer in Chase’s network; no private sales | Any lender except Chase and seven named Chase brands | | Amount | No minimum or maximum printed | Payoff of $4,000 to $99,999, fees excluded | | Car age | Not older than 10 calendar years; Teslas 5 | 10 years old or newer; 5 for certain makes | | Mileage | Not more than 120,000 miles | Not more than 120,000 miles | | Timing | Approval good for 30 days (60 for Tesla) | Loan held 91 days or more, 12 months or more left | | Credit check | Soft to prequalify; hard to apply | Soft to prequalify; hard to apply | | Fees Chase names | No application fee | No application fee; state title fees and taxes added | | Advertised example | 6.24% new, 6.29% used (60 months) | 6.79% (48 months) | **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the key being handed over, the cars behind and the receiving hand, with how Chase's prequalification and application affect credit, where its advertised rates apply, and its refinance limits. Chase’s auto finance FAQ and rates page, read on 7 October 2026, say prequalifying is a soft credit pull while the full application is a hard pull (callout 1) and that its advertised rates apply only to applications submitted online (callout 2); its refinance page requires an estimated payoff of $4,000 to $99,999, a loan held at least 91 days and 12 or more months left (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Paying a Chase auto loan: statements, extra principal, payoff and title Chase’s final-payment FAQ: “Interest accrues daily based on simple interest method.” Payments go “first … to interest due, then to principal due, and then to outstanding fees.” Pay late and more of the next payment goes to interest, so “Late payments can lead to a larger final payment.” Chase’s own example: at $2.00 of daily interest, paying 11 days late adds about $22 of interest, and about $22 less of the next payment reaches principal. Our guide to [how loan interest accrues](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#accrual) shows the arithmetic. You can pay online or by automatic payment from any checking account, by phone, at a branch, by check or money order, or through MoneyGram or Western Union, which “may charge a fee.” No Chase page we read names a Chase fee for paying; late fees are set by your contract. The statements are the catch. Chase’s FAQ says “You’ll receive quarterly statements in the mail,” while its payment page warns that paying by check or money order “doesn’t provide confirmation that we received your payment until you get your next statement.” On paper alone, a mailed payment could go unconfirmed for months. Use the online account to see when each payment posts. - **Due dates:** you can change a loan’s due date “two times during the life of the loan” (once for a lease). - **Extra principal:** money above the amount due is applied “as principal reduction.” Paying ahead is a separate request, and “interest continues to accrue daily during this time.” - **Paying off early:** “We don’t charge pre-payment fees, even if your contract lists a fee.” A payoff quote is “valid through the date that appears on the quote,” and your account “isn’t considered paid until the payment posts.” Turn off automatic payments afterwards. - **The title:** the balance must be $0, and Chase asks you to “allow up to 45 days” for the title or lien release. Chase mails it to the address on your statements, so update that first. In electronic-title states the DMV sends the title; Chase notes that in Florida and Oklahoma it stays electronic unless you ask the state for paper. - **Credit reporting:** a payment “may be reported as past due if it’s received 30 or more days after the due date,” and Chase says it does not make “goodwill or courtesy adjustments.” One clause catches people who move: taking the car “outside of the U.S., including to Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories” needs Chase’s written permission, requested at least three weeks ahead. ## Insurance, GAP, a total loss and hardship Insurance “must be maintained throughout the loan or lease, even if the vehicle is not being driven.” For repair checks under $10,000 Chase endorses and returns the check; for $10,000 or more it wants the adjuster’s estimate and the shop’s bill. If the car is a total loss, keep paying. Chase: “You’ll need to pay any remaining account balance after a total loss,” and “We are not your insurance provider.” Its pages present GAP as something you may have bought with the car: “Review your contract to see if you purchased a Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) product, which may waive all or part of the difference” between the insurer’s value and your balance. No Chase page we read offers GAP as a Chase product. After a total loss, Chase suggests cancelling other dealer add-ons for a refund. Our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) explains how the gap opens, and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#rolling-over) is the usual cause. For hardship, Chase says to “let Chase know right away.” Its disaster and hardship page lists a payment extension, “which adds the extended payment to the end of the loan and extends the maturity date,” with an example: one extended payment on a 36-month loan makes it 37 months. Interest still accrues daily over the longer term. Servicemembers may have protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which Chase’s military page says include “protection from repossession and in some cases interest rate and fee benefits.” The annual report shows what happens to a loan that fails. Chase charges off auto loans “upon repossession of the automobile,” and auto loans are charged off or down “within 60 days of receiving notification of a bankruptcy filing.” A charge-off is an accounting write-down, not forgiveness: Chase’s credit-reporting FAQ says that if you pay after a charge-off, “this status will remain on your credit report.” Our guides to [how repossession works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#no-judge) and [what you can still owe](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-survives) cover the rest. ## Chase Auto leases: network dealers and Chase’s brand names Chase leases as well as lends: you can “lease a new car, from any of our participating network dealers nationwide.” Its lease-end pages point to brand sites for Subaru, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Aston Martin, McLaren and Rivian, plus Tesla, where Chase says the name is licensed to it and “Auto finance accounts are owned by Chase.” Chase also runs Subaru Motors Finance; see our [Subaru Motors Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/subaru-motors-finance-review/). Chase’s Tesla lease-end FAQ is its most detailed lease document: - **Ending early:** you “may have to pay a substantial charge, which could be several thousand dollars,” larger the earlier you end it. - **Buying the car:** allowed at any time, but “We can’t accept purchases from third parties (such as friends and family)” and “We don’t negotiate the purchase price.” At the end of the term you pay the residual in your lease plus the purchase option fee, before tags, taxes and registration. - **Turning it in:** the lease-end bill can include excess wear and use, excess mileage, a turn-in (disposition) fee, unpaid deferred payments and any tickets Chase paid for you. - **The title after a buyout:** released “typically within 2-10 business days,” with up to 30 days allowed for mail and the DMV. Two limits follow from the rest of Chase’s terms: Chase will not refinance a leased car, and its relationship discount does not apply to lease buyouts. See our guides to the [lease buyout](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/), [leasing or buying](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/) and [lease takeovers](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/). The filings show leasing is where Chase Auto is growing. The consumer credit tables exclude auto operating lease assets of $12.8 billion at the end of 2024, $20.0 billion at the end of 2025 and $21.5 billion on 30 June 2026. That is a 56.2% rise in 2025, and lease assets went from 14.8% of Chase Auto’s loans plus leases to 22.9%, by our arithmetic. Operating lease income was $3,803 million in 2025, up 36.1% on 2024. The 10-K says the residual-value risk “is mitigated through arrangements with certain manufacturers or lessees.” ## What JPMorgan Chase’s 10-K and 10-Q show about Chase Auto JPMorgan Chase reports Chase Auto inside its Consumer & Community Banking segment, where “Auto originates and services auto loans and leases.” Origination volume below counts loans and leases together; the other columns are loans only. **Chase Auto in JPMorgan Chase’s 10-K and 10-Q (loans held converted from millions to billions by our arithmetic; the six-month charge-off rate is annualized)** | Period | Loans and leases made | Auto loans held at period end | Net charge-off rate | 30+ days delinquent | Allowance for loan losses | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2023 | $41.3 billion | $77.7 billion | 0.49% | 1.19% | $742 million | | 2024 | $40.3 billion | $73.6 billion | 0.59% | 1.43% | $692 million | | 2025 | $44.8 billion | $70.6 billion | 0.47% | 1.33% | $587 million | | First six months of 2025 | $22.0 billion | $72.2 billion | 0.47% | 1.12% | $637 million | | First six months of 2026 | $22.7 billion | $72.2 billion | 0.41% | 1.03% | $587 million | Origination volume rose 11.2% in 2025, by our arithmetic, and the 10-Q prints rises of 9% for the second quarter of 2026 and 3% for the first half. Loans held fell 9.2% from the end of 2023 to the end of 2025 while lease assets grew, so a growing share of Chase Auto’s book is leases. Average auto lease assets rose 48.6% from $10.9 billion in 2023 to $16.2 billion in 2025, by our arithmetic. Credit losses are low and have fallen since 2024. Chase Auto’s net charge-off rate was 0.59% in 2024 and 0.47% in 2025, and 0.41% annualized in the first half of 2026. Loans 30 or more days past due were 1.03% on 30 June 2026. The 10-K credits the 2025 decline to “lower scored auto net charge-offs, reflecting improved used vehicle valuations”; the 10-Q repeats it for 2026. JPMorgan Chase prints no auto credit-score mix, only “prime-quality scored auto” loans, so the filings say little about borrowers with damaged credit. Our [Capital One auto loan page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/capital-one-auto-loan/#filings) reads another bank’s auto filings the same way. On securitization, we checked whether Chase’s auto loan trusts are SEC-registered. The 10-K’s securitization note describes no auto loan program; it mentions auto loans only as reference pools for “credit-related notes” the bank issued to buy credit protection. EDGAR shows a depositor, Chase Auto Receivables LLC, that filed a shelf registration in 2012, declared effective on 20 May 2014, and has filed nothing since then but ABS-15G due-diligence reports. Its March 2026 ABS-15G for “Chase Auto Owner Trust 2026-1” lists the issuing entity’s CIK as “Not applicable.” Older trusts were public: Chase Auto Owner Trust 2006-B filed a prospectus on 6 September 2006. The recent deals are not registered offerings, so no pool data appears on EDGAR and this page uses none. ## CFPB complaints and the 2011 OCC penalty On 7 October 2026 we pulled CFPB complaint counts for “JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.” under “Vehicle loan or lease,” received through 6 October 2026. The file holds 2,660, received between 24 April 2017 and 24 September 2026: 2,069 about loans and 591 about leases, 22.2% leases by our arithmetic. That is the 12th-largest count among 1,153 companies, and 1.5% of the 177,097 complaints naming the company. The count went from 304 in 2024 to 390 in 2025, 1.28 times as many, and 2026 had reached 390 by early October. Brand-name accounts such as Subaru Motors Finance sit in the same file. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; the CFPB says its database “is not a statistical sample of consumers’ experiences in the marketplace,” and counts grow with a lender’s size. The CFPB has served no narratives since 30 September 2026, so these are counts only. **CFPB vehicle loan or lease complaints naming JPMorgan Chase & Co., six largest issues, with the largest sub-issue in each (received through 6 October 2026; unverified; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | Largest sub-issue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 784 | 29.5% | Billing problem (520) | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 707 | 26.6% | Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off (298) | | Getting a loan or lease | 344 | 12.9% | Credit denial (116) | | Struggling to pay your loan | 228 | 8.6% | Denied request to lower payments (106) | | Incorrect information on your report | 217 | 8.2% | Account status incorrect (116) | | Repossession | 214 | 8.0% | Account reinstatement or redemption after repossession (52) | Chase closed 2,144 with an explanation, 295 with non-monetary relief and 219 with monetary relief; 2 were in progress, and the CFPB marks all 2,660 responses as timely. Title trouble after payoff accounts for 298 complaints, 11.2% of the file: if your lien release has not arrived within Chase’s 45 days, ask in writing. ### The 2011 OCC civil money penalty On 15 June 2011 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced (News Release 2011-70) a civil money penalty of $2 million against JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. “related to the marketing and sale of a credit protection product by Chase Auto Finance, a division of the Bank, during January 2008 through May 2009.” The consent order, docket AA-EC-11-57, dated 14 June 2011, names the product: “In Chase Auto, the product was known as Chase Payment Assurance,” a debt cancellation and suspension product sold for a monthly fee. The OCC found that some Chase Auto representatives used “high-pressure sales tactics” and made “materially false, deceptive or otherwise misleading oral statements” about its cost and coverage, violating Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The bank consented “without admitting or denying any wrongdoing,” and the order records findings that “the Bank neither admits nor denies.” The release says the bank’s remediation, across Chase Auto and two other business lines, included “distributing nearly $25 million to affected customers,” and the order says it stopped marketing the product to Chase Auto customers in 2009. The 2025 annual report’s litigation note lists no auto-lending matter among its material proceedings, and our searches on 7 October 2026 found no CFPB or Justice Department action about Chase’s auto lending: a search result, not a clearance. ## Before you sign a Chase auto loan - **Confirm the dealer is in Chase’s network.** Chase will not take an application for a car from a dealer outside it, or from a private seller. - **Check the car’s age and miles.** Over 10 years (5 for Teslas and certain makes) or over 120,000 miles rules it out. - **Apply online if you want Chase’s posted rates.** Chase says they apply only to online applications. - **Treat the prequalification as an estimate.** It assumes 72 months and your stated income; the application is a hard pull. - **Keep the deal inside the approval.** The 30-day lock covers one car, one dealer and the terms you asked for. - **Price add-ons apart from the loan.** Chase’s pages treat GAP and service contracts as dealer products. - **Read the contract’s fee section.** Late fees and lease-end charges are set there, not on Chase’s site. - **Watch your payments online.** Statements come quarterly by mail, and a mailed check is unconfirmed until the next one. ## Common questions ### What is the Chase auto loan interest rate? Chase’s rates page, last updated 1 October 2026, shows 6.24% APR new and 6.29% used (60 months) and 6.79% to refinance (48 months), for online applicants with excellent credit. Chase does not guarantee them. ### Does Chase do auto refinancing? Yes. Chase refinances loans from other lenders when the payoff is $4,000 to $99,999, you have held the loan at least 91 days with 12 or more months left, and the car is no more than 10 years old with no more than 120,000 miles. It does not refinance loans already held by Chase or seven of its brand-name finance programs, or leased cars. ### Does Chase auto prequalification hurt your credit score? Chase says no: prequalification is a “soft inquiry,” and soft inquiries “do not affect your credit score.” Submitting the application is different; Chase says you “may receive a ‘hard inquiry’ that could impact your credit score.” ### Can I use a Chase auto loan at any dealership or for a private sale? No. The car must come from a dealer in Chase’s network, and “Chase doesn’t offer financing for private party vehicle purchases.” If your dealer is in the network but not in the online locator, you apply at the dealership. ### How long does it take to get my title after paying off a Chase auto loan? Chase asks you to allow up to 45 days after the final payment posts, with a $0 balance. It mails the title or lien release to the address on your statements; in electronic-title states the DMV sends the title. ### Is Chase a good choice for a car loan? That depends on your car and credit. Chase posts its rates and charges no application or prepayment fee, but it lends only through its dealer network and its posted rates apply only to online applications. Compare its approval with a bank or credit union’s before you sign. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/ --- title: "TD Auto Finance Review: Login, Payments, Payoff and Title" description: "How to log in and pay TD Auto Finance, what each way costs, how long payoff quotes and title release take, and what TD’s filings and regulators show." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/td-auto-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # TD Auto Finance Review: Login, Payments, Payoff and Title > How to log in and pay TD Auto Finance, what each way costs, how long payoff quotes and title release take, and what TD’s filings and regulators show. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,976 words* ## The short version - TD Auto Finance (TDAF) is not a separate company. It is “a division of TD Bank, N.A.”, the former Chrysler Financial, renamed in 2011 and merged into the bank on 31 December 2021. It lends only through dealers and says it “does not offer refinancing options at this time.” - Paying from a checking account online, by Automatic Payments or by mail costs nothing from TDAF. Debit cards go through BillMatrix or the phone line, and TDAF warns your card issuer may charge; cash goes through CheckFreePay agent locations, which “charge a fee for this service” of an amount TDAF does not print. - Pay before 5:30 PM ET for same-day processing; TDAF says posting can take 3 to 5 business days. A payoff quote is good for ten days. - TDAF’s FAQ says a title it holds is released about 10 business days after the payoff posts; the payoff-quote screen says 7 to 10 calendar days. Both exclude mailing time. - At an early payoff TDAF requests GAP and credit insurance cancellations for you, but says it “will not cancel” the other optional products you bought from the dealer. Those are on you. - We found no regulator action naming TD Auto Finance. The CFPB’s 2020 and 2024 orders and the OCC’s 2024 action against TD Bank concern overdrafts, credit-card and deposit reporting, and anti-money-laundering controls. Of 1,154 vehicle complaints filed under TD’s name, 190 are about getting the title after payoff. Most people who search “TD Auto Finance” want to log in, make a payment or pay the car off. On 7 October 2026 we read what TDAF publishes on those questions: its FAQ, the screen text its website serves for the payoff quote and payment pages, its Online Account Service Agreement, its Automatic and Recurring Payment Agreement and its letter listing its former names. We also read The Toronto-Dominion Bank’s [2025 annual report filed with its Form 40-F](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/947263/000156276225000289/ex992.htm), TD Bank’s call-report data at the FDIC, the CFPB’s and the OCC’s records on TD Bank, a 2022 California Supreme Court ruling against TDAF and the CFPB’s complaint counts. We entered no login, account number or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with TD or any lender. Where TDAF’s own documents disagree, we say so. **Figure: TD Auto Finance: what its own pages say** A two-column table of eight account tasks set against TD Auto Finance’s own FAQ and screen text: first-time login needs the VIN, account number, SSN or EIN and an e-mail, verified within 48 hours; paying from a checking account online, by Automatic Payments or by mail carries no TDAF fee; debit cards go through BillMatrix or the phone line and cash through CheckFreePay, which charges a fee; payments submitted before 5:30 PM ET process the same day but can take 3 to 5 business days to post; a payoff quote is good for ten days; a title TDAF holds is released about 10 business days after the payoff posts, or 7 to 10 calendar days per the quote screen, plus mailing time; TDAF does not refinance; and at an early payoff TDAF requests GAP and credit insurance cancellations but will not cancel other optional products. Read from TD Auto Finance’s FAQ, its website’s screen text and its account agreements on 7 October 2026. No login, account number or credit application was entered. ## Who TD Auto Finance is TDAF’s About Us screen opens: “At TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., it’s all about you.” Both of its account agreements end with the same line, and the Toronto-Dominion Bank’s filings list “TD Auto Finance U.S.” inside its American banking segment, which the third-quarter 2026 report calls U.S. Banking. TD Auto Finance Canada is a separate business with its own site and phone line; this page covers the American one. The company is older than its name. TDAF’s “One and the Same” letter, which it offers for motor-vehicle offices confused by an old lienholder name, traces it through seven changes: **TD Auto Finance’s former names, from its “One and the Same” letter (read 7 October 2026)** | Date | What happened | | --- | --- | | 31 December 1995 | Chrysler Credit Corporation merged into Chrysler Financial Corporation | | 25 October 1998 | Chrysler Financial Corporation merged into Chrysler Financial Company LLC | | 30 November 2001 | Merged into DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC | | 1 January 2006 | Merged into DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas LLC | | 1 January 2009 | Began operating as Chrysler Financial Services Americas LLC | | 1 June 2011 | Began operating as TD Auto Finance LLC | | 31 December 2021 | TD Auto Finance LLC merged into TD Bank, N.A. | If a title, lien filing or old paperwork names any of those companies, the letter says they “are to be considered ONE AND THE SAME” as TD Bank, N.A. Do not confuse the old Chrysler Financial with Chrysler Capital, the name Santander Consumer USA later used for Chrysler-brand loans; our [Chrysler Capital review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chrysler-capital-review/) covers that lender. TDAF does not lend directly to the public. Its FAQ says: “TD Auto Finance is an indirect lender, but you can Find a Dealer in your area that works with TD Auto Finance.” The About Us screen says “more than 6,000 participating dealerships” and financing “from 24 to 84 months”, and TD’s annual report describes the business as “indirect retail financing through a network of auto dealers.” Dealers are “independent third parties from which TD Auto Finance may purchase retail installment contracts.” TDAF prints no rates and does not say how it pays dealers; your rate is the one you and the dealer signed, and dealer-arranged rates can include a markup over the lender’s [buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate). A [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a number to compare. Every TDAF document we read describes retail installment sale contracts. None describes a lease, a lease-end process or a lease payoff. ## Logging in, and what the site asks you to agree to The login sits on TDAF’s home page at [tdautofinance.com](https://www.tdautofinance.com/). To register you need, in the FAQ’s words, “your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), TD Auto Finance account number, Social Security number or Federal Tax ID Number / Employer Identification Number on the account, and a valid e-mail address.” After you create the profile, “you will need to verify it within 48 hours.” User names run 8 to 35 characters; passwords run 8 to 20 characters with at least one number, one lower-case and one upper-case letter, and “cannot contain spaces or special characters.” E-mail addresses cannot exceed 50 characters. Repeated failed logins lock the profile; Forgot Password resets it. Questions go through the Secure Message Center: “Please allow 48-72 business hours for a response.” Download your payment history and documents before you pay off: the agreement says “We will terminate your access to the Bank’s Online Account Service 60 days after your account is paid in full.” Using the site comes with terms. The agreement lets TDAF call or text “using prerecorded or artificial voice messages, text messages, and automatic telephone dialing systems” at any number you give it, “even if the telephone number is a cell phone number.” If money leaves your bank account without your permission, report it within 2 business days to cap your loss at $50; otherwise you “could lose as much as $500.” TD Bank’s U.S. Consumer Privacy Notice covers TDAF: affiliates may market to you unless you limit it, nothing is shared with outside companies to market to you, and a new customer’s information can be shared “45 days from the date we sent this notice.” TDAF’s footer and dealer-locator terms point to TD Bank’s general Terms of Use, which bar automated tools and “deep-link” access; that is why this page links TDAF’s home page only. ## How to pay TD Auto Finance, and what each way costs TDAF’s FAQ lists the routes below. The Online Account Service Agreement adds: “You will not be charged for use of the Bank’s Online Account Service,” though “There may be third party fees.” **Ways to pay a TD Auto Finance account and what TDAF says each costs, read 7 October 2026** | Method | Fee, as TDAF states it | What else TDAF says | | --- | --- | --- | | Online, one-time or recurring | None charged for the online service | Personal checking account only; schedule up to 31 days ahead; one payment per day per account | | Automatic Payments | “TD Auto Finance does not charge for the Automatic Payments service” | Debits the contract payment on the due date; enrolls you in Paperless Statements | | Debit card on BillMatrix | “debit card issuers may charge additional fees” | Cannot be scheduled for a future date; BillMatrix’s landing page prints no fee | | Phone, automated or with an agent | None printed | ATM card, debit card or personal checking account | | Mail | None printed | Personal check, cashier’s check or money order with the payment coupon | | Any TD Bank location | None printed | In person | | CheckFreePay agent location | “these locations charge a fee”; no amount printed | Cash; keep the receipt and receipt number | Timing is where people get caught. “Same-day payments can be made if the payment is submitted before 5:30 PM ET. Payments made after 5:30 PM ET, on a weekend or on a holiday will process the next business day. Payments may take 3-5 business days to process and post to your online account.” The agreement adds that your bank account “may not be debited for up to 5 Business Days after the scheduled payment date(s).” Neither says which date counts against a late charge; the agreement says payments take effect under “the cutoff times and payment instructions specified in your Account Agreement(s) and statements.” Pending payments can be deleted “until 5:30 PM ET on the scheduled payment date.” TDAF prints no late-charge amount or grace period. “Late charges vary by state. Please refer to the contract you signed when you financed the purchase of your vehicle.” The Fees and Late Charges screen says the same of other fees, “such as return payment fees”: they are “described in your contract.” The recurring-payment agreement warns of “an insufficient funds fee or other charge in accordance with your Auto Finance Account agreement” if a debit bounces. If five or more payments have been returned, the site may refuse an online payment altogether. Automatic Payments take only the contract amount, and to enroll your account “must be current, in good standing, cannot have fees currently due and cannot have less than four payments remaining.” Until enrollment is confirmed, “you are responsible for making all payments.” Unpaid fees are left out of the monthly debit and swept into the final one, with “a notice 10 days prior to the final scheduled payment date.” A returned debit can get you unenrolled. To stop, cancel online or “at least 3 Business Days before the scheduled date.” Recurring payments are the flexible version: bi-weekly or monthly, for the amount due, principal only or both, and TDAF may stop them “If your Auto Finance Account becomes 15 days past due.” A bi-weekly series takes the full monthly installment “every 14 days,” so it pays ahead. Extra principal comes with a choice the screens describe two ways. The FAQ and the “Additional Principal” option say it “will not reduce the amount due on future statements”, so next month’s bill still comes due; another option’s text says it “will reduce the outstanding balance on your account and the amount due for future payments.” Read the label before you submit. Paper statements go out “19 days prior to the due date”, but a missing bill does not move the due date. ## Falling behind, extensions and other hardship options TDAF says less here than other lenders we have read. If you are behind, the FAQ says “You may be eligible to request Payment Assistance options in your Accounts Summary” and points to short videos, one titled “What is a payment extension?” It prints no extension terms: not how many, how often or what they cost. We did not open the account screens or watch the videos. Ask for any extension’s terms in writing, with the new maturity date. Due-date changes are offered “If you have an eligible account.” The screen text shows a step: up to 59 days late the message is “Please make a payment to bring your account current”; at 60 days it adds, “If you are unable to make a payment due to financial hardship, other options may be available.” Do not wait for the second message. Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers what happens after a missed payment turns into a repossession, state by state. Three other situations have their own rules: - **Bankruptcy.** “If you are under the protection of the Bankruptcy Code, you are not required to make payment to us. Any payment made on the account in consideration of TD’s lien rights in the vehicle is voluntary.” - **Military service.** Service members, spouses and dependents “may be entitled to certain legal protections and debt relief” under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. - **Handing the loan to someone else.** A Transfer of Equity or Assumption is limited to “the death of the contracted party or parties or if contracted parties are financially unable to afford the vehicle.” The new borrower must apply and be approved, and “The transferor remains contractually liable for repayment of the account even after the TOE/Assumption is processed.” Moving abroad permanently means paying off first; short stays need TDAF’s written permission. Refinancing is not on the menu: “TD Auto Finance does not offer refinancing options at this time.” Another lender would have to pay TDAF off; our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers when it is worth it. ## Payoff quotes and getting your title The payoff quote is in the Account Summary online, or from an agent or the automated phone line. “Payoff quotes are good for ten days after the request.” Ignore the payoff figure on your paper statement: TDAF says it “is calculated on the date your statement is printed”, while “The 10-day payoff quote you receive from online, from an agent, or from our phone service provides a more up-to-date number.” The quote screen’s small print matters if anything bounces. The quote “is subject to adjustment as a result of the reversal of any payment previously applied to this account.” “If an overpayment results, you will receive a refund as applicable. If the account is underpaid, you will be required to remit an additional payment.” TDAF says a refund of an overpayment goes to the address on file “21-30 days from the date that the payoff posted.” You can pay online, by mail, by phone or in person; to send money overnight, TDAF accepts “certified funds only.” **Paying off does not cancel scheduled payments.** The payoff screen warns that “paying off your account at this time will NOT automatically cancel these pending payments.” Delete pending one-time and recurring payments, and turn off Automatic Payments, when you pay off. Any overpayment comes back as a refund, which TDAF says takes 21 to 30 days. On the title, TDAF’s documents give two release times for the same step: **When TD Auto Finance says a title or lien release comes back after a payoff, read 7 October 2026** | Source | What it says | Mailing time | | --- | --- | --- | | FAQ: how long will it take to receive my title | Released “in approximately 10 business days after the payoff posts” when TDAF holds the title | Not included | | Payoff-quote screen | Released “in approximately 7-10 calendar days after the payoff posts” | Not included | | FAQ: paid off but no title | “It may take 15 to 30 days for receipt of your title based on mail time and/or state agency processes” | Included | | Electronic titles (state holds it) | TDAF asks the state to release it; “liens are released directly with the department of motor vehicles” | Ask your state agency | Ten business days is two calendar weeks, by our arithmetic, so the screen’s 7 to 10 calendar days is the faster promise. A short payoff holds everything up: “If the payoff received does not satisfy the amount owed, the title or lien release will not be sent out until the balance is paid in full.” The title goes to the primary account holder at the address on the quote. If your state’s office rejects a release because the lienholder name differs, the One and the Same letter is TDAF’s fix. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over a calendar mark a circled date and two pinned dates, with TD Auto Finance's same-day payment cut-off and posting time, how long its payoff quote lasts, and how long it takes to release a title after payoff. TD Auto Finance’s FAQ, read on 7 October 2026, says same-day payments must be submitted before 5:30 PM ET and can take 3 to 5 business days to post (callout 1), that a payoff quote is good for ten days (callout 2), and that a title it holds is released about 10 business days after the payoff posts, plus mailing time (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Removing a co-owner from the title is allowed only for “death, divorce, incarceration, or if the registered owner becomes uninsurable,” and “removing a party’s name from the title does not relieve them of their contractual obligation.” ## GAP, credit insurance and other add-ons at payoff TDAF’s FAQ is direct about add-ons sold with the loan. Asked whether credit insurance or optional products are required, it answers: “No. … A dealership cannot require you to buy these to obtain financing.” Most can be cancelled “before the maturity date,” subject to state law and each product’s terms, usually through the dealer or the product provider, with a refund that “may vary based on a number of factors, such as the number of months you have left” or the car’s mileage. What happens at an early payoff depends on what kind of product you bought, and TDAF treats the two kinds differently: - **Credit Products**, which TDAF lists as GAP waiver or GAP insurance, credit life insurance, and accident and health insurance. “If your contract ends before its scheduled maturity date, we will submit a cancellation request on your behalf for each Credit Product financed under your contract.” Refunds come off the payoff amount, by check, or both, and “may be reduced by cancellation or administration fees from product administrators.” For credit insurance specifically, TDAF says some states have it refunded automatically while in others “the dealership will request an eligible refund.” - **Optional Products and Services**, which the FAQ names separately from credit insurance and Credit Products without listing them. “TD Auto Finance will not cancel this product on your behalf. You are still in possession of your vehicle and may continue to benefit from this product.” **If you sell or trade the car, cancel other add-ons yourself.** TDAF requests GAP and credit insurance refunds at an early payoff, but it does not cancel optional products. If you no longer have the car, contact the dealer or the product provider about a refund; our guide to [cancelling GAP](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) covers the refund rules. After a repossession TDAF says it “will credit a customer’s account with any applicable unearned Credit Insurance premiums”, and only “In some cases” optional-product refunds. Check the deficiency notice for both. ## When the dealer is at fault: the Holder Rule and a 2022 ruling Because TDAF buys contracts from dealers, a dealer’s misconduct can follow the loan. The California Supreme Court’s opinion in [Pulliam v. HNL Automotive Inc.](https://supreme.courts.ca.gov/sites/default/files/supremecourt/default/2022-08/S267576.pdf) (S267576, 26 May 2022) explains the federal rule: the FTC’s “Holder Rule” requires consumer credit contracts to let a buyer “assert against third party creditors all claims and defenses that could be asserted against the seller,” with recovery capped at “amounts paid by the debtor hereunder.” In that case a buyer bought a “Certified Pre-Owned” 2015 Nissan Altima in July 2016 that, the opinion says, did not meet the program’s requirements or have advertised features. The contract “was subsequently assigned to TD Auto Finance (TDAF; now merged into TD Bank), which became the ‘holder’ of the contract.” A jury found for the buyer on a breach of implied warranty claim and awarded $21,957.25; the buyer then sought $169,602 in attorney’s fees, and TDAF argued the Holder Rule capped what it owed. The court disagreed: “the Holder Rule does not limit the award of attorney’s fees where, as here, a buyer seeks fees from a holder under a state prevailing party statute,” and it affirmed the judgment. That is a final ruling, not an allegation. For a TDAF borrower the point is practical. If the dealer misrepresented the car, the Holder notice the rule requires in the contract lets you raise that claim against TDAF too, up to what you paid, and in California a state fee-shifting law can add attorney’s fees. Keep the advertisement, the buyer’s guide and the contract. ## What TD’s filings and call reports say about the loans TD reports in Canadian dollars, with a fiscal year ending 31 October. Its 2025 annual report breaks out loans TD labels “Indirect Auto” under the United States. The Canadian line covers TD’s Canadian dealer lending, and we leave it out. **US indirect auto loans in TD’s 2025 annual report (Form 40-F, millions of Canadian dollars, year to 31 October)** | Measure | 2025 | 2024 | | --- | --- | --- | | Gross loans at 31 October | 44,225 | 42,981 | | Gross impaired loans | 349 | Not printed | | Net impaired loans | 291 | 251 | | Provision for credit losses, impaired (Stage 3) | 351 | 355 | | Write-offs | 523 | 501 | | Recoveries | 172 | 163 | | Loans with more than 5 years left to run | 18,142 | Not printed | By our arithmetic the book grew 2.9% in the year, impaired loans were 0.79% of it, and write-offs less recoveries came to C$351 million, also 0.79% of the year-end balance. The maturity table shows long loans: 41% of the balance had more than five years left to run and 57.8% one to five years. US indirect auto was 4.6% of TD’s loans. The FDIC publishes TD Bank, N.A.’s call-report figures in US dollars. They cover every automobile loan the bank holds; the call report does not split out TDAF’s: **Automobile loans at TD Bank, N.A. from its call reports (FDIC BankFind, US dollars; ratios our arithmetic)** | Report date | Auto loans | 30 to 89 days past due | Nonaccrual | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 31 December 2024 | $28.8 billion | 1.56% | 0.71% | | 30 June 2025 | $28.7 billion | 1.34% | 0.75% | | 31 December 2025 | $29.5 billion | 1.43% | 0.76% | | 30 June 2026 | $29.6 billion | 1.27% | 0.79% | At 30 June 2026 that was $376 million 30 to 89 days late and $232.1 million on nonaccrual, and nothing in the 90-days-or-more past-due line. Auto loans were 17.9% of the bank’s loans and grew 3.1% over the year. Net charge-offs were $226.4 million in 2025, about 0.78% of the average balance, and $113.3 million in the first half of 2026, about 0.77% annualized, by our arithmetic. Neither source we read breaks these loans down by credit score. No pool data is available from the SEC, because no TDAF securitization reports there. The last registered pool, Chrysler Financial Auto Securitization Trust 2010-A, filed its last monthly report in May 2013 and a Form 15 in December 2016, and TD Auto Finance LLC’s last filing, a Form ABS-15G of 9 May 2013, says “The date of the last payment on the last outstanding asset-backed security issued or sponsored by the securitizer was May 8, 2013.” The bank around TDAF is under limits. TD’s 40-F describes the October 2024 resolution of its anti-money-laundering failures: a total payment of US$3.088 billion, TD Bank, N.A. “pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to fail to maintain an adequate AML program,” and a US$434 billion cap on its US banks’ combined assets. TD says it is “Exiting commercial auto”, its loans to dealers, not retail car loans. ## Regulator records: what they cover and what they don’t We found no regulator action that names TD Auto Finance. The CFPB’s enforcement list returns “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections” for titles containing “td auto” and for “chrysler.” Filtered by “td bank” it lists two actions, and the OCC took a third. None concerns auto lending: - **CFPB, 11 September 2024 (2024-CFPB-0009).** The CFPB found that TD Bank “repeatedly furnished to consumer reporting agencies information containing numerous systemic errors” on credit card and deposit accounts. The order requires “$7.76 million in redress to affected consumers and a $20 million civil money penalty.” TD Bank consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The CFPB lists the products as credit cards, deposits and furnishing, and the order’s text does not mention auto loans. Its status is “Post Order/Post Judgment.” - **CFPB, 20 August 2020 (2020-BCFP-0007).** A consent order on TD Bank’s overdraft service, Debit Card Advance, requiring “an estimated $97 million in restitution” and “a $25 million civil money penalty.” Product: deposits. Status: “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed.” - **OCC, 10 October 2024 (News Release 2024-116).** A cease and desist order and “a $450 million civil money penalty against TD Bank, N.A. and TD Bank USA, N.A.” for anti-money-laundering deficiencies, with “a restriction on the growth of the bank.” We found no state attorney-general action naming TD Auto Finance. If your loan is misreported, TDAF says it “will respond to the dispute and, if validated, send the update to all three credit reporting agencies”; you can also dispute with the bureaus. ## CFPB complaints filed under TD Bank’s name The CFPB files every TD Bank complaint, TDAF’s included, under one name: TD BANK US HOLDING COMPANY. It holds 37,816 complaints received through 6 October 2026, mostly about checking accounts, cards and credit reports. The vehicle loan or lease product, which only TDAF’s customers would use, holds 1,154, from May 2017 on (1,122 filed as loans and 32 as leases). Another 331 sit under the CFPB’s pre-2017 “Consumer Loan” label as vehicle loans or leases. Complaints are unverified reports, and their number grows with a lender’s size; TD’s 1,154 are 1.1% of all vehicle loan or lease complaints in the database. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026, so only counts are used here. The pattern is specific. “Problems at the end of the loan or lease” accounts for 290 complaints (25.1%), and within it 190, or 16.5% of the whole vehicle file, are about being “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off,” with 70 more about paying the loan off. Together that is 22.5% of TDAF’s vehicle complaints, by our arithmetic. Managing the loan is the largest issue (367, including 233 billing problems), then repossession (106) and struggling to pay (85, of which 41 were denied requests to lower payments). Add-on products account for 55 (4.8%). TD closed 31.5% of its vehicle complaints with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% across the whole product, by our arithmetic. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints under TD BANK US HOLDING COMPANY by year received (CFPB, through 6 October 2026)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All TD complaints | | --- | --- | --- | | 2018 | 82 | 2,117 | | 2019 | 80 | 1,881 | | 2020 | 116 | 2,448 | | 2021 | 88 | 3,276 | | 2022 | 65 | 3,248 | | 2023 | 112 | 3,444 | | 2024 | 154 | 4,041 | | 2025 | 205 | 5,594 | | 2026 to 6 October | 211 | 4,732 | Vehicle complaints in 2025 were 1.8 times the 2023 count, by our arithmetic, and 2026 had passed 2025 by early October, while the auto book grew 3.1% over the year to June 2026. A count cannot say whether that means more problems, more customers or more people using the database. ## If you have a TD Auto Finance loan - **Pay from a checking account before 5:30 PM ET,** and allow 3 to 5 business days to post; CheckFreePay and your card issuer can charge. - **Check which extra-payment option you pick:** “Additional Principal” does not lower next month’s amount due. - **Get hardship terms in writing** before you accept an extension; TDAF publishes none. - **Pay off within the quote’s ten days,** with certified funds if you send it overnight, and cancel pending payments and Automatic Payments. - **Cancel other add-ons yourself** if you sell the car; TDAF only requests GAP and credit insurance refunds. - **Chase the title** if nothing arrives within 15 to 30 days of the payoff posting; for an electronic title, ask your state agency. - **Download your payment history and documents** within 60 days of payoff, before online access ends. - **Keep the dealer’s ads and paperwork;** under the Holder Rule a dealer claim can be raised against TDAF. ## Common questions ### How do I log in to my TD Auto Finance account? Use the login on [tdautofinance.com](https://www.tdautofinance.com/). First-time users register with the VIN, the TDAF account number, the Social Security or tax ID number and an e-mail address, then verify within 48 hours. TD Bank’s online banking login is separate. ### Is TD Auto Finance part of TD Bank? Yes. TD Auto Finance LLC merged into TD Bank, N.A. on 31 December 2021, and TDAF calls itself “a division of TD Bank, N.A.” It began as Chrysler Credit Corporation and operated as Chrysler Financial until it took the TD Auto Finance name on 1 June 2011. You can pay at any TD Bank location. ### Can I pay TD Auto Finance with a debit card? Yes, two ways: online through BillMatrix, or by phone. TDAF charges no fee it prints, but warns that “debit card issuers may charge additional fees.” Debit card payments cannot be scheduled for a future date. TDAF lists no credit card option; cash goes through CheckFreePay, which charges a fee. ### How long is a TD Auto Finance payoff quote good for? Ten days from the request. Get it in your online Account Summary, through the Secure Message Center or by phone. The payoff figure on a paper statement is older and should not be used to pay off. ### How long does TD Auto Finance take to release the title after payoff? If TDAF holds the title, its FAQ says about 10 business days after the payoff posts and its payoff-quote screen says 7 to 10 calendar days, neither counting mailing time. Another FAQ answer allows 15 to 30 days for the title to reach you. If your state holds an electronic title, TDAF releases the lien with the state and you deal with your motor vehicle agency. ### Does TD Auto Finance refinance car loans? No. Its FAQ says “TD Auto Finance does not offer refinancing options at this time.” Another lender can pay TDAF off; ask TDAF for a payoff quote and send it to the new lender. See our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/), and our reviews of [Bank of America](https://baronauto1.com/financing/bank-of-america-auto-loan/), [Chase](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chase-auto-loan/) and [Capital One](https://baronauto1.com/financing/capital-one-auto-loan/) auto loans. Our [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/) and [GM Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/) reviews read other lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/td-auto-finance-review/ --- title: "Sam’s Club Tires: Installation, Road Hazard and Free Flat Repair" description: "Sam’s Club prints $20 a tire to install. What its 5-year Road Hazard Protection charges, why it ends with your membership, and who gets free flat repair." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Sam’s Club Tires: Installation, Road Hazard and Free Flat Repair > Sam’s Club prints $20 a tire to install. What its 5-year Road Hazard Protection charges, why it ends with your membership, and who gets free flat repair. *Detailing & Maintenance · 23 min read · 5,067 words* ## The short version - Sam’s Club prints its installation price: the Premium Tire Installation Package is “$20.00 per tire” for most vehicles, and Sam’s Club says the package is required for it to install tires. It will not mount new tires bought from another store. - The package lists 9 items, among them lifetime balancing, rotation and flat repair until the tread is down to 2/32 inch, Road Hazard Protection and 4 years of roadside help. All of it lasts only “for as long as they remain an active member of Sam’s Club.” - Road Hazard Protection is a prorated replacement, not a free tire: Sam’s Club will “only charge you for the tread that you’ve used,” plus the installation package on the new tire. One help article says it lasts 5 years; it is not offered on tires bought in New York after early 2025 or on trailer, specialty and non-DOT tires. - Members get free flat repair on any passenger or light truck tire, wherever they bought it. Rotation on tires bought elsewhere is paid: $3.88 a wheel once, or $9.98 a wheel for a lifetime package. - Wear-out and defects are the tire maker’s warranty. Sam’s Club keeps its complete warranty terms at its Tire and Battery Centers, not online, and says “Check with your club” about returning tires. - Sam’s Club’s pages disagree: “no hidden fees” beside a printed $19.00 TPMS reset charge, road hazard cover of 5 years in one passage and “up to four years” in another, and roadside help called lifetime in the Terms but four years on the package page. Sam’s Club installs tires for a printed $20 per tire, and that package carries lifetime balancing, rotation and flat repair, a 5-year Road Hazard Protection plan that charges you for the tread you used, and 4 years of roadside assistance, all tied to an active membership. On 7 October 2026 we read Sam’s Club’s own documents: the [Premium Tire Installation Package page](https://help.samsclub.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4173/~/premium-tire-installation-package---sams-club) and its PDF, the long [Tire & Battery Center Services article](https://help.samsclub.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2659/~/sams-club-tire-&-battery-center-services) with its price list, the [returns page](https://help.samsclub.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4072), its answers on tire returns, warranty claims and worn tires, the Club and Plus benefits page, and its Terms and Conditions (last updated September 8, 2026). Where we set Sam’s Club beside Costco, Costco’s terms come from our reading of its pages on 6 October 2026. This site has no commercial relationship with Sam’s Club, Costco or any tire maker. **Figure: What Sam’s Club’s tire pages promise, by situation** A two-column table of seven situations at a Sam’s Club Tire & Battery Center: tires bought and installed with the $20 Premium package get lifetime balance, rotation and flat repair to 2/32 inch, 5 years of road hazard cover and 4 years of roadside help; members get free flat repair on any passenger or light truck tire wherever bought; rotation on outside tires costs $3.88 a wheel once or $9.98 a wheel for life; new tires bought elsewhere are not installed; a non-repairable road hazard gets a new tire charged for the tread used plus installation; New York purchases after 2/28/25 and trailer, specialty or non-DOT tires get no road hazard cover; and everything ends if the membership lapses. Read from Sam’s Club’s Premium Tire Installation Package page and PDF, its Tire & Battery Center Services article and its Terms and Conditions on 7 October 2026. The help page gives the New York date as 3/01/25. ## What the $20 installation package includes The package page opens with the price, “$20.00 per tire - Most Vehicles,” and then the condition that matters most: the package “provides purchasing members with the following benefits and services for as long as they remain an active member of Sam’s Club.” The help article repeats the figure as “$20 per tire for most cars and light trucks” and calls it a “one-time fee.” For a set of four that is $80, a figure Sam’s Club prints itself. The page lists 9 benefits and services. Here they are in its order, with the limit each one carries: **The 9 items in Sam’s Club’s Premium Tire Installation Package (help page, read 7 October 2026)** | Item | What Sam’s Club says | Limit it prints | | --- | --- | --- | | Tire mounting | Mounted “on serviceable wheels” to “the manufacturer’s specifications” | None printed | | Valve stem | “a new valve stem when mounting your new tire” | “TPMS stems and service packs are sold separately if needed” | | Lifetime balance | Re-balancing “upon the member’s request” | Until “2/32nds tread remaining” | | Lifetime rotation | “Upon member’s request” | Until 2/32nds tread remaining | | Lifetime flat repair | “any repairable puncture on the covered tire at no cost” | Until 2/32nds tread remaining | | Road Hazard Protection | Expands the maker’s workmanship and materials warranty to road hazards | Not in New York for recent purchases; not on trailer, specialty or non-DOT/NHS tires | | TPMS reset | Reset “as necessary” on cars with “a properly functioning TPMS system” | Replacement parts “are sold separately” | | Waste tire disposal | “Only EPA-licensed waste haulers handle our scrap tires” | None printed | | Emergency roadside assistance | “24-hour toll-free access” | “For four years from the date of purchase”; 11 exclusions | The roadside service covers “towing, flat tire assistance, fuel delivery service, lock out service, jump start, winching/extraction.” Its 11 exclusions include RVs, fleet and commercial vehicles, off-road vehicles, vandalism, theft and accident-related incidents. The help article adds that roadside help is “Only included in PTIP,” the Premium package. RVs and dual-rear-wheel trucks get their own package at the same $20 per tire. Its list repeats everything except roadside assistance, which in any case excludes RVs. Buying online does not skip the package. At checkout you pick the club that will fit the tires and add the Tire Installation Package for each tire, because “it’s required for us to install them.” If they are not in stock there, shipping to the club “typically takes a few business days.” ## The tire-service prices Sam’s Club prints The Tire & Battery Center article ends its cost section with a price list. We copied its tire lines with the prices as printed; the list is the only place Sam’s Club puts a figure on most of these services. **Sam’s Club Tire & Battery Center prices, as printed in its help article on 7 October 2026 (13 tire-related lines)** | Service | Printed price | Charged per | | --- | --- | --- | | Premium Tire Installation Package | $20.00 | Wheel | | Dually/RV Installation Package | $20.00 | Wheel | | NHS/Non-DOT Tire | $9.50 | Wheel | | Trailer and Specialty Tire Install | $20.00 | Wheel | | One-Time Balance & Rotation (OTBR) | $3.88 | Wheel | | Lifetime Balance & Rotation (LTBR) | $9.98 | Wheel | | TPMS System Reset | $19.00 | Vehicle | | TPMS Single Wheel Reset | $5.00 | Wheel | | Tire Studding | $15.00 | Wheel | | Seasonal Change Over | $14.00 | Wheel | | Seasonal Change Over Dual-Rear Wheel | $20.00 | Wheel | | Lug Nut Service | $1.00 | Lug nut | | Tire Recycling Service | $2.50 | Tire | The list does not say when its TPMS and recycling charges apply. Earlier, the same article says “There are no hidden fees,” that the TPMS reset “is done at no extra charge as part of the install,” and of disposal, “You won’t have to worry about a disposal fee.” Our reading is that those lines cover work outside a package installation, but Sam’s Club does not say so. Parts are separate: TPMS stems, service packs and replacement parts are “sold separately,” per the package page. Ask for the total first; our page on [what happens to pressure sensors when tires are changed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/#tyres-changed) explains why parts can be needed. The NHS/Non-DOT line is the cheaper exception to the $20 rule. NHS, which Sam’s Club does not define here, is the industry marking for a tire not for highway service; those tires are also excluded from Road Hazard Protection. ## Lifetime balance, rotation and flat repair: what “lifetime” means Sam’s Club defines the word twice. On the package page each lifetime service runs “for the usable life of the tire (2/32nds tread remaining),” and the whole package runs only while you “remain an active member.” So the services end at whichever comes first: the tread reaching 2/32 inch, or your membership ending. Our guide to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows where 2/32 inch sits; Sam’s Club’s own advice is the wear bar and the penny test, and it recommends checking “once a month.” Balancing and rotation are “upon the member’s request,” so nothing happens unless you come in. The help article suggests when: you can come in every 6,000 to 8,000 miles “or whenever you feel it’s needed,” and Sam’s Club will rotate and balance the tires “at no charge.” The article also offers to “adjust your tire pressure and perform tread depth checks anytime.” Our guide to [tire rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) covers what the vehicle maker’s schedule usually says, which can be shorter. Two more services come with new tires. Sam’s Club asks you to have the lug nuts re-checked “after the first 50 miles of driving” and offers “a free re-torque service.” It is also clear about what it does not do: “We do not do wheel alignments,” nor oil changes or brakes. A free rotation does not fix uneven wear from a bad alignment; our page on [reading tire wear for alignment faults](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#reading-wear) shows the patterns to look for. Sam’s Club says each visit is logged: “every time you have a tire serviced, it’s recorded in our system under your membership.” It also tells you to keep “your purchase/service records.” Do both; a tire maker’s mileage warranty may want proof that an internal log does not give you. ## Road Hazard Protection: what it covers and for how long Sam’s Club does not call it a warranty. The package page describes Road Hazard Protection as something that “Expands the Manufacturer’s workmanship / materials warranty to include tire failure caused by road hazard incurred in normal driving conditions (e.g., a cut, snag, bruise, impact break or puncture, whether repairable or not).” The next sentences matter as much: “In the event a replacement tire is needed, Tire Installation Package charges are applicable. All other terms and conditions of the workmanship / materials warranty are applicable.” So the plan borrows its rules from the tire maker’s own warranty, and adds road damage to what that warranty covers. A maker’s own warranty can exclude exactly that kind of damage: the Michelin booklet we read for our Costco page lists “Road hazards (e.g., cuts, snags, bruises, impact damage or punctures)” as not covered. Sam’s Club’s plan is the layer that fills that gap, on its terms. How long it lasts is printed in only one place. The package page and its PDF give no length. The Tire & Battery Center article says “you automatically get 5 years of road hazard coverage,” and later: “Road Hazard Protection lasts for five years from your purchase date, as long as you remain a member.” Five years is 60 months by our arithmetic. Yet higher up, the same article says new tires come with Road Hazard Protection “and Emergency Roadside Assistance for up to four years.” It reads like a slip that runs the two benefits together, but it is Sam’s Club’s wording; ask at the counter. The plan comes with the Premium package: Sam’s Club provides it “at no additional cost when your tires are installed with our Premium Tire Installation Package.” The exclusions printed online are short: - **New York.** “Road Hazard Protection not available in New York for new tire purchases after 3/01/25,” says the help page; the PDF of the same page says “after 2/28/25.” The dates are a day apart. Neither says why. - **Some tire types.** “Trailer/specialty tires and non-DOT/NHS/ tires are excluded from this benefit,” on the help page only. - **A lapsed membership.** The plan lasts “as long as you remain a member.” That is all Sam’s Club publishes. Both versions of the package page end: “Complete terms and conditions of all Sam’s Club warranties and services can be obtained at any Sam’s Club Tire and Battery Center location.” We found no online copy. Whether there is a tread-depth cut-off, and what counts as abuse or an accident, only that document answers. Ask for it before you pay. **Road Hazard Protection ends with your membership.** Sam’s Club says the plan lasts five years “as long as you remain a member,” and the whole installation package runs only while you “remain an active member.” If you let the membership lapse in year two, the road hazard cover, the free rotations and the roadside help go with it, by Sam’s Club’s own wording. ## What a road hazard replacement costs you, and how to claim Sam’s Club describes the payout three ways in the same article. When “the tire is not repairable, we will credit you for the unused tread toward a replacement tire.” Later: “we will replace the tire and only charge you for the tread that you’ve used. (This is the pro-rated part.)” And in the flat-repair answer: “you’d get a pro-rated discount on the replacement.” The direction is the same each time. You pay for the share of the tread you have already used; Sam’s Club covers the rest. By our arithmetic, a tire that fails with a quarter of its tread used would leave you paying for that quarter, with Sam’s Club covering the other three quarters. A quarter of what price, Sam’s Club does not say online, nor how the tread is measured. We have assumed no price and no depth; the share is all the published wording supports. Then add the installation. The package page says that when a replacement tire is needed, “Tire Installation Package charges are applicable.” At the printed price that is $20.00 for the new tire on most vehicles. The help article, which calls the plan “at no additional cost” and says “most of the replacement cost is covered” on a fairly new tire, does not mention that charge. **A road hazard claim is a prorated replacement, not a free tire.** You pay for the tread you have used plus the installation package on the new tire. If a repair is possible, Sam’s Club repairs the tire for free instead of replacing it. Ask how the replacement price is set before you agree to the new tire. To claim, Sam’s Club’s warranty-claim answer says: “Tires purchased at Sams Club or SamsClub.com, visit the club TBC to make a warranty claim.” TBC is the Tire & Battery Center, and the list is headed “(Requires active Membership).” Bring the tire and your membership card. Receipts you print from your SamsClub.com purchase history come “but warranty information isn’t included,” so keep the “warranty paperwork” Sam’s Club says it hands over at installation. The plan says nothing about towing or a rental car. For the first four years the roadside service covers towing, unless the cause is on its exclusion list, which includes accident-related incidents. ## Free flat repair, even on tires bought elsewhere This is where Sam’s Club goes further than its installation package. Its Terms and Conditions say: “Sam’s Club offers free tire repair as a member benefit regardless of where the tire was purchased. In order for Sam’s Club to provide repair, the tires must meet USTMA (U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association) guidelines for repair.” The help article says “as a member, we’ll fix any tire for free,” even one bought elsewhere, and narrows it to “any passenger or light truck tire on your vehicle.” Whether a tire can be repaired is the technician’s call, and Sam’s Club prints the rules it works to. Its answer on worn and damaged tires lists 3 conditions: “The tire has not been driven on when flat,” “The damage is only in the tread section of your tire” and “The puncture is less than 1/4 of an inch.” The tire must come off the wheel to be checked from inside, because “Internal damage is not visible when the tire is mounted.” The help article adds two hard stops: sidewall damage, or a puncture “too large or irregular,” cannot be repaired, and a tire worn down until only 2/32 inch of tread is left is neither repaired nor reinstalled, “for safety reasons.” On plugs, Sam’s Club is direct: “If someone offers you a plug repair, you should refuse.” Its reason is that a plug goes in without the tire coming off the wheel, and “This method is not reliable and can lead to tire failure.” It asks for “a full inspection and patch and fill repair on the inside of the tire.” Run-flat tires have tighter repair limits of their own, covered in our guide to [why shops often refuse to repair run-flats](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a tread groove, the centre of the tread and the sidewall, with where Sam's Club's lifetime tire services end, its free flat repair for members, and how its Road Hazard Protection treats a sidewall cut. Sam’s Club’s installation package and Tire & Battery Center pages, read on 7 October 2026, end the lifetime balance, rotation and flat-repair services when tread reaches 2/32 inch (callout 1); its Terms give members free flat repair on tires bought elsewhere (callout 2); and its help article says a sidewall injury is not repaired, with Road Hazard Protection replacing the tire and charging for the tread used (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. For tires you bought somewhere else, flat repair and pressure checks are free, and the rest is paid. Sam’s Club offers a One-Time Balance and Rotation at $3.88 a wheel and a Lifetime Balance & Rotation package at $9.98 a wheel, which “covers rotating and balancing those tires for as long as they last (or up to a certain time limit, like 6 years).” By our arithmetic a set of four costs $15.52 for one visit or $39.92 for the lifetime package. The “like 6 years” is Sam’s Club’s own hedge; ask what limit your club applies. What Sam’s Club will not do is fit them: “We do not mount or install brand-new tires that you purchased from another store or online vendor. Our installation service (and all the perks that come with it) is exclusive to tires purchased through Sam’s Club.” ## Whose warranty covers wear and defects Not Sam’s Club’s (our [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) page compares the makers’ booklets). The help article says: “Every tire we sell is backed by the tire manufacturer’s warranty against defects in materials or workmanship,” and promises that “we will assist you in honoring the manufacturer’s warranty (usually this means the tire would be replaced or pro-rated according to the manufacturer’s policy).” Mileage is the maker’s too: “Many of the tires we sell are also backed by the tire manufacturers treadwear warranty aka the mileage warranty. This varies by tire brand and line. Ask your TBC Service Advisor for more information.” For a maker’s warranty claim, Sam’s Club’s general answer says “a dated sales receipt is usually adequate,” and for tires it sends you to the club’s Tire & Battery Center. None of its pages we read links a maker’s warranty booklet, so the booklet you are handed at installation is the document that sets the mileage terms. Sam’s Club lists Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, Pirelli, Continental and Firestone among its brands. We read one maker’s booklet, Michelin’s, for our [Costco tires page](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#maker-warranty), and two of its terms bear on Sam’s Club buyers. Its treadwear warranty requires the tires to be “rotated every 6,000 - 8,000 miles (10,000 -12,000 km), or as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, whichever rotation period is less,” and says “Failure to rotate the tires as provided herein voids the treadwear warranty.” A claim needs the Mounting and Rotation Service Record “fully completed and signed.” Sam’s Club’s suggested window of 6,000 to 8,000 miles is the same band, but its internal log is not that signed record. Take the booklet to each free rotation, or keep each invoice with the odometer reading. Michelin also says “Mileage Warranties vary by tire line,” and other makers’ terms differ. You can read them first: under the FTC’s pre-sale availability rule, 16 CFR 702.3, the seller of a consumer product with a written warranty “shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” for example by “Furnishing it upon request prior to sale.” Ask for the booklet for the exact tire before you buy. ## Membership, Club versus Plus, booking and returns Everything above needs a membership. “Sam’s Club is a members-only warehouse club, and an active membership is required to purchase products or services from our Tire & Battery Center,” the help article says; “Both Club-level and Plus-level members are eligible.” Members must be 18 or older, and the fee “covers a 12-month period.” On 7 October 2026 Sam’s Club’s benefits page priced Club membership at $60 a year and Plus at $120, a difference of $60 by our arithmetic. That page lists no tire perk for either tier. The Plus tire perks appear only in the Tire & Battery Center article: - **Half-price installation on a set of four.** “Plus members enjoy 50% off our tire installation package when purchasing a set of four tires,” paying “$40 total for the set” instead of $80. For fewer than four tires, “the discount is not 50%,” and Sam’s Club does not say what it is. - **Earlier service.** Plus members “can come in as early as 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and Saturday,” about two hours before the usual opening. The Plus perks do not reach every card: “Only Primary and Complimentary cardholders are eligible for the Plus benefits,” and add-on members get club-level cards. Nor does the Plus cash-back reward cover the fitting. Plus members earn 2% Sam’s Cash, up to $750 a year, but the Terms exclude “Services and labor offered by Sam’s Club,” naming “tire installation,” and merchandise “sold or provided on SamsClub.com.” Sam’s Club’s own pitch is that the half-price installation “can help offset the difference in membership cost.” We make no recommendation either way. If you do not renew, the Terms say you “will not be able to shop at Sam’s Club,” and “a non-member surcharge fee equal to 10% of the total purchase may apply” after expiry. A renewal “initiated within sixty (60) days after your expiration date” runs from the old expiry date. The Terms do not say whether a short gap restores Road Hazard Protection on tires bought before it. Appointments are optional: “walk-ins are welcome,” the article says, though members with appointments “get priority at their scheduled time.” You book by calling or visiting the club, or by choosing a slot when you order tires online. Hours are “Generally” Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sam’s Club tells you to check your own club’s hours. Returns are the one area with no tire terms online. The returns page promises “our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee” to a current member, “with a few exceptions,” and puts “Automotive tires and batteries” under “Check with your club.” The answer on returning tires says to “visit your local club and speak with a Tire and Battery Center Technician” about tires you have “purchased, installed, and/or driven on.” ## Sam’s Club and Costco: the printed terms side by side The two warehouse clubs set out their tire terms differently. This table compares what each prints, not prices, and does not rank them. The Costco column comes from our [reading of Costco’s tire pages](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/#road-hazard-warranty) on 6 October 2026. **Sam’s Club and Costco tire terms as each prints them (Sam’s Club read 7 October 2026; Costco read 6 October 2026)** | Term | Sam’s Club | Costco | | --- | --- | --- | | Road hazard length | 5 years from purchase, as long as you remain a member | 60 months from purchase or 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first | | What a replacement costs | You are charged for the tread you used; installation package charges apply | Credit of the usable remaining tread times the price you paid, net of discounts | | Paperwork | An active membership; services are recorded under it | Original purchaser, original receipt and the tire | | Lifetime services | Balance, rotation and flat repair, to 2/32 inch | Inflation checks, balancing, rotation and flat repairs; “some limits may apply” | | Flat repair on a tire bought elsewhere | Free for members, any passenger or light truck tire | Not addressed; no services on tires bought by non-members | | Roadside assistance | 4 years, with the Premium package | Not among the services Costco’s tire pages list | | Full terms | Available at a Tire and Battery Center | Published online as a Terms and Conditions page | The same span, 60 months by our arithmetic, ends differently at each club. Costco’s cover also stops at 2/32 inch of tread. Sam’s Club’s published wording sets no tread limit of its own but stops the plan if the membership ends, and it applies “All other terms and conditions” of the maker’s warranty, which may end it sooner. Costco prices its credit on what you paid; Sam’s Club does not say online what price it prorates. BJ’s, another warehouse club, ends its road hazard cover at 36 months or 36,000 miles, or at 2/32 inch of tread if that comes first; see our [BJ’s tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/bjs-tires/) page. ## What Sam’s Club’s pages leave out, and where they disagree Several things a buyer would want in writing appear on no Sam’s Club page we read: the complete Road Hazard Protection terms; the price a replacement is prorated from, and who measures the tread; whether a tread limit or the maker’s terms end the plan early; when the TPMS reset and recycling charges apply; the Plus discount on fewer than four tires; and any tire return terms. Two older help pages, “Tire Warranty” and “Tire Installation @ Sam’s Club,” now answer “This answer is no longer available.” Sam’s Club’s documents also disagree with each other in 8 places we recorded: - **Road hazard length.** 5 years twice in the help article, “up to four years” once in the same article, and no length on the package page or PDF. - **Lifetime roadside help.** The Terms list “24-Hour Emergency Roadside Assistance” among benefits for “the rest of the tire lifetime”; the package page says four years. - **Fees.** “There are no hidden fees,” beside a printed $19.00 TPMS reset, a $2.50 recycling charge and parts “sold separately.” - **The replacement charge.** Installation package charges apply, says the package page; the article calls the plan “at no additional cost.” - **Repairable or not.** “whether repairable or not” on the package page; “non-repairable damage” in the article. - **New York.** “after 3/01/25” on the help page, “after 2/28/25” in the PDF. - **Flat repair scope.** Any tire “regardless of where the tire was purchased” in the Terms; “any passenger or light truck tire” in the article. - **Plus perks.** Printed in the Tire & Battery Center article, absent from the membership-benefits page. ## Before you buy tires at Sam’s Club Register the tires. The federal rule, [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574/section-574.8), gives an independent tire dealer three options: hand you a paper form recording “The entire tire identification number” and the dealer’s name, or register the tires with the maker itself, on paper or electronically, “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” A dealer that registers electronically must say so on the invoice. None of the Sam’s Club pages we read mentions registration, so ask which way your club does it; registration is how a maker reaches you in a recall. Check the build date on the sidewall too: our guide to [reading the tire date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) shows how. Confirm the size before you order. The door-jamb placard, which our guide to [finding your tire size](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) treats as the authority, is the check on whatever a tire search suggests. - **Ask for the complete Road Hazard Protection terms** at the Tire & Battery Center; they are not online. - **Ask how a road hazard replacement is priced** and who measures the tread. - **Ask whether your tire and state qualify;** New York purchases and trailer, specialty and non-DOT tires do not. - **Get the total before the work starts,** including any TPMS parts, service packs or reset charges. - **Ask for the tire maker’s warranty booklet** and note its mileage figure and rotation rule. - **Keep the membership active** for as long as you want the package benefits. - **Rotate every 6,000 to 8,000 miles or sooner** if your vehicle maker says so, and keep each invoice with the odometer reading. - **Refuse a plug-only repair** anywhere, and have the lug nuts re-checked after the first 50 miles. ## Common questions ### How much does Sam’s Club charge to install tires? Sam’s Club prints “$20.00 per tire” for its Premium Tire Installation Package on most vehicles, $80 for a set of four; Plus members pay $40 for four. The package is required for installation and includes lifetime balancing, rotation and flat repair, Road Hazard Protection and 4 years of roadside help. TPMS parts and service packs are extra. ### What does the Sam’s Club tire warranty cover? Defects and wear-out are covered by the tire maker’s warranty, which Sam’s Club says it will help you claim. Its own add-on is Road Hazard Protection, which extends the maker’s warranty to cuts, snags, bruises, impact breaks and punctures, for 5 years from purchase while you remain a member. A claim replaces the tire and charges you for the tread you used, plus installation package charges. ### Does Sam’s Club fix flat tires for free if I bought the tires elsewhere? Yes, for members. Sam’s Club’s Terms call free tire repair “a member benefit regardless of where the tire was purchased,” and the help article covers “any passenger or light truck tire.” The repair must meet USTMA guidelines; Sam’s Club’s own conditions are damage in the tread only, a puncture under 1/4 inch, and a tire not driven on flat. ### Does Sam’s Club rotate tires for free? For tires bought and installed there with the package, yes, on request, until the tread is down to 2/32 inch and while your membership is active. Sam’s Club suggests coming in every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. For tires bought elsewhere it charges $3.88 a wheel once or $9.98 a wheel for a lifetime package. ### Do I need a Sam’s Club membership to buy and service tires? Yes. Sam’s Club says an active membership is required to buy anything or use any service at its Tire & Battery Center, and the package benefits last only while you remain an active member. Club membership was $60 a year and Plus $120 on 7 October 2026. ### Can I return tires to Sam’s Club? Sam’s Club publishes no tire return terms. Its returns page lists “Automotive tires and batteries” under “Check with your club,” and its answer on tire returns says to speak with a Tire and Battery Center Technician about tires you have bought, had installed or driven on. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/ --- title: "Car Title Loans: How They Work, What They Cost, What the Law Says" description: "Car title loans often cost 25% a month, about 300% a year. What CFPB data on 3.5 million loans, federal rules, state laws and the military ban say." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Car Title Loans: How They Work, What They Cost, What the Law Says > Car title loans often cost 25% a month, about 300% a year. What CFPB data on 3.5 million loans, federal rules, state laws and the military ban say. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,979 words* ## The short version - A car title loan is cash borrowed against the title to a car you own, sized on the car’s value rather than your credit. The FTC says they typically last 15 or 30 days and are for 25% to 50% of the car’s value. - The price is quoted by the month. The FTC says monthly fees run as high as 25%, about 300% a year. The CFPB’s study found a median loan of $694 at a median APR of 317%. - When the CFPB followed nearly 3.5 million single-payment title loans, 83% were reborrowed the same day the last one was repaid, about one sequence in eight was a single loan paid off, and one in five ended with the vehicle repossessed. - At 25% a month, a borrower who renews by paying only the fee has paid the whole loan in fees after four loans and still owes it, by our arithmetic. - The 2017 federal rule lost its ability-to-repay part in 2020; what is left governs withdrawals from bank accounts. The firmest federal line is military: a lender that is not a bank or credit union may not take a car title from an active-duty servicemember or dependent at all. - State law sets the price. Of the states we read, Wisconsin sets no limit on interest before the due date, Arizona allows up to 17% a month on small loans, and Illinois and South Dakota cap loans at 36% a year. A car title loan, also called an auto or vehicle title loan, is a loan against a car you own outright, with the lender holding your title until you repay. It is expensive because the fee is charged by the month and most borrowers renew, and risky because the car is the collateral. On 6 October 2026 we read the CFPB’s May 2016 report on single-payment vehicle title lending, the 2017 federal rule and the documents that cut it back, the Military Lending Act rule, the FTC’s consumer page on car title loans, the CFPB’s orders against TMX Finance LLC (2016 and 2023) and an Arizona title lender, the title-loan laws of seven states, Texas’s 2025 regulator data and the CFPB complaint database. This site has no relationship with any lender and recommends none; this is an explainer, not legal or financial advice. **Figure: What regulators measured about car title loans** A two-column table setting six measurements beside what they mean for one loan: 83% of single-payment title loans reborrowed the same day, with only about 12% of sequences a single loan repaid; 56% of sequences running to four or more loans, when four loans at a 25% monthly fee cost as much as the loan; 20% of sequences ending in repossession against 3% of single loans; a median loan of $694 at a median APR of 317%, about $173.50 in fees a month; Texas in 2025, where 27.5% of single-payment title loans closed without a refinance and 4,849 only after more than 10; and federal credit union payday alternative loans of up to $2,000 at no more than 28%. From the CFPB’s May 2016 report on single-payment vehicle title lending (loans made 2010 to 2013), the FTC’s consumer page, the Texas OCCC’s 2025 credit access business report and 12 CFR 701.21, read on 6 October 2026. Fee arithmetic is ours. ## How a car title loan works The CFPB’s 2016 report defines it: the lender “takes a security interest in the borrower’s vehicle and the loan approval and amount is primarily based on the vehicle’s value, rather than a credit check and traditonal underwriting” (the spelling is the report’s). Instead of a post-dated check, the borrower hands over the title, “which generally must be owned free and clear,” and keeps driving. Because no bank account is needed, title borrowers “may not have an account with a bank or credit union,” and lending is “typically conducted in storefronts so that the lender can assess the vehicle’s condition.” There are two shapes. A single-payment loan is due in full, principal plus fee, after a short term; the loans the CFPB studied “typically have 30-day terms.” An installment title loan runs for months: TitleMax’s parent makes loans “from 30 days to 48 months,” the CFPB’s 2023 order says, and Virginia now requires 6 to 24 months. The CFPB’s 2016 figures cover only the single-payment kind, where the key word is renewal: “Reborrowing occurs when a loan is rolled over by paying a fee to extend the loan another 30 days, or when a subsequent loan is taken soon after repayment.” The fee buys another month. It does not reduce the debt. The lender either records a lien on your title or, as the 2023 TMX order describes, buys non-file insurance against its failure to record one and charges you for it, “typically $35.” Either way the car now carries a lien, which our guide to [checking a car for a lien](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-for-a-lien-on-a-car/#what) explains. The FTC adds that some lenders “insist on installing Global Positioning System (GPS) and starter interrupt devices,” the hardware described on our [buy here pay here](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#devices) page, and often add “processing, document, and loan origination fees” and add-ons “like a roadside service plan.” ## What lenders ask for, and how much you can borrow The FTC’s list: “Usually, you need to own the vehicle free and clear, but some lenders will take your title if you’ve paid off most of your vehicle loan. The lender will want to see the vehicle, a photo ID, and proof of insurance. Many lenders also want a duplicate set of keys.” The 2017 rule adds that there is “generally no requirement that the borrowers have a bank account, and some lenders do not require a copy of a pay stub or other evidence of income.” So what rules you out is mostly the car and where you live: a large loan still on the car, a title not in your name, a state that does not license title lending at the prices lenders want, and, with a nonbank lender, being an active-duty servicemember or dependent. Even the keys are not universal: Virginia says a licensee shall not “require or accept from a borrower a set of keys,” and Wisconsin bars requiring “a key or copy of a key.” The FTC puts the usual amount at 25% to 50% of the vehicle’s value. Wisconsin caps principal at 50% of retail value and defines a title loan as $25,000 or less; Virginia caps it at $2,500. In the CFPB’s data the median loan was $694, the average $959 and the 75th percentile $1,080. ## What it costs: turning a monthly fee into an APR The FTC is direct: “Title loans often have monthly finance fees as high as 25%, which translates to an APR of about 300%.” The conversion is the monthly rate times twelve, a method Arizona’s statute writes into law (“multiplying the monthly secondary motor vehicle finance rate by twelve”). The CFPB found a median APR of 317%, an average of 291% and a 25th percentile of 300%. Enforcement records show real price sheets. The CFPB’s 2016 TMX order found a “monthly pawnshop charge equal to 9.99% to 24.99% of the principal” in Alabama and Georgia, and in Tennessee “interest of 2% per month and a monthly customary fee of 10.99% to 21.99%.” Times twelve, that is 119.88% to 299.88% a year and 155.88% to 287.88%, our arithmetic: a simple annual figure, not a regulated APR. Federal law requires the APR in writing before you sign; the FTC says lenders “must tell you the finance charge, which is a dollar amount, and the APR, which is a percentage.” Advertising is covered too. In September 2016 the CFPB sued five Arizona title lenders, alleging they advertised monthly rates without an APR; one, it said, “asked consumers to take its advertised rate and multiply it by 12, but did not inform consumers that the calculated number is the annual percentage rate.” Those were allegations. One of the five, Oasis Title Loans, consented to an order filed on 1 November 2016 that found its website listed “varying monthly rates of finance based on the loan amount” without an APR, with a $20,000 penalty. For a rough calculator: one month’s fee is the loan times the monthly rate, and the yearly rate is about the monthly rate times twelve. Here is one month on $1,000 under the price rules we read, our arithmetic. **One month’s charge on a $1,000 loan under different price rules (our arithmetic; simple interest on the full balance)** | Price rule | Source | One month | | --- | --- | --- | | 25% monthly finance fee | FTC’s typical title loan | $250 | | 15% a month (over $500, up to $2,500) | Arizona’s maximum | $150 | | 36% a year plus a fee of up to $15 a month | Virginia’s statute | $45 | | 36% a year, every fee included | South Dakota and Illinois caps | $30 | | 30% a year on the first $2,000 | Florida’s title loan statute | $25 | | 28% a year | Federal credit union payday alternative loans | $23.33 | A 25% fee and a 30% rate sound alike. One is per month and the other per year, and over the same 30 days the monthly fee costs ten times as much. The rest of the cost is renewal. The FTC’s example: borrow $1,000 for 30 days at a 25% fee and you owe $1,250; roll it over and “now you owe $1,500,” and “the rollover brings your cost of borrowing $1,000 for 60 days to at least $500.” Four renewals at $250 come to $1,000 in fees, the whole loan, with the $1,000 still owed. **The CFPB’s median title loan ($694) renewed by paying only a 25% monthly fee (our arithmetic), beside how many CFPB sequences ran that long (30-day definition)** | Loans | Fees paid | Fees as share of the loan | Total paid if the last loan is repaid | CFPB sequences this long or longer | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | $173.50 | 25% | $867.50 | 12% were a single loan, repaid | | 4 | $694 | 100% | $1,388 | 56% | | 7 | $1,214.50 | 175% | $1,908.50 | 36% | | 10 | $1,735 | 250% | $2,429 | 23% | | 12 | $2,082 | 300% | $2,776 | 15% | This is an illustration, not a typical bill. It holds the principal fixed, and the CFPB found 37% of multi-loan sequences ended smaller than they started, while those that grew rose by a median of over 50% ($322 to $325). The 25% is the FTC’s figure and the 2017 rule’s “common fee limit,” not any lender’s quote. The pattern holds at any monthly rate r: renewals cost the full principal after 100 divided by r months. ## What the CFPB found when it followed 3.5 million loans The May 2016 report is still the largest public measurement of single-payment title loans: “nearly 3.5 million loans made to over 400,000 borrowers in ten states during 2010-2013,” from storefronts, on 30-day terms. The CFPB grouped them into sequences, a first loan plus any taken within 14, 30 or 60 days of repaying the last, and followed each for up to 12 months. **How single-payment title loan sequences ended, CFPB May 2016 report (loans made 2010 to 2013), by sequence definition** | Outcome | 14-day | 30-day | 60-day | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Single loan, repaid | 13% | 12% | 11% | | Single loan, defaulted | 9% | 9% | 9% | | Several loans, repaid | 55% | 56% | 56% | | Several loans, defaulted | 22% | 23% | 25% | | Ran to 10 or more loans | 21% | 23% | 26% | | Ended in repossession | 19% | 20% | 20% | “Over 80% of vehicle title loans are reborrowed on the same day a previous loan is repaid,” 83% exactly, and 87% within 60 days. “Only about one-in-eight loan sequences consist of a single loan that is repaid without reborrowing,” leaving 88% renewed, defaulted or both, our arithmetic. The business rests on long sequences: “about half of all loans are in sequences of ten or more loans,” and fewer than 20% of loans were the first in a sequence. And “about a third of loan sequences experience a default and one-in-five loan sequences result in the repossession of the borrower’s vehicle.” Two caveats come from the CFPB’s own documents. Its press release turned the sequence figure into “one-in-five borrowers,” but the report counts sequences, with customer IDs specific to each lender, so it cannot follow one person across lenders. And the 2017 rule describes the same 3.5 million loans as made “in 20 States,” not ten, with the same $694 median. A later CFPB survey saw the same persistence from the borrower’s side. Its 2021 Making Ends Meet brief says 2.0% of consumers took out an auto title loan in the six months before June 2019, 83% of them still owed on it at the survey, and 32.1% took out another within the next year. ## Default, repossession and what is left afterwards Per loan, default looks rare: 6% of loans defaulted and 3% were repossessed in the CFPB’s data. Per sequence it is 33% and 20%. The renewals make the difference, because each month is a new chance to fall short. The contract and state law decide the trigger. In the 2016 TMX order, if a borrower “does not repay at least the accrued finance charge by the deadline set forth in the contract,” the lender “may repossess the consumer’s car in accordance with state law requirements.” The FTC warns a lender may repossess “even if you’ve been making partial payments,” and that “In some states, lenders can keep all the money they get from selling the vehicle, even if they get more than you owe.” **Partial payments do not protect the car.** The FTC says a title lender may repossess even after partial payments, and one CFPB sequence in five ended that way. Before signing, find out exactly what amount, on what date, keeps the loan out of default. After the sale, states differ most. The 2017 rule counted nine “non-recourse” states, where the lender’s remedy is the car unless the borrower damaged or hid it. Of those we read, Virginia bars a judgment for “any deficiency resulting after the sale,” requires written notice 10 days before repossession, caps repossession and sale costs at 5% of the loan and returns any surplus within 10 days. Delaware says the borrower “shall not be liable for any deficiency” and requires a workout offer cutting the balance by at least 10% a month before repossession. Wisconsin requires 20 days’ notice and bars most deficiency claims. Elsewhere the general rules apply; see our page on [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale). **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the document being handed over, the cars in the background and the hand giving the document, with what a 25% monthly fee costs a year, the CFPB's repossession finding, and the Military Lending Act's ban on title loans to covered borrowers. The FTC’s car title loan page, read on 6 October 2026, puts typical monthly fees as high as 25%, about 300% a year; at that fee, four renewals cost as much as the loan itself, by our arithmetic (callout 1). The CFPB’s May 2016 report found that 1 in 5 single-payment title-loan sequences ended with the vehicle repossessed (callout 2), and the Military Lending Act rule bars nonbank lenders from taking a vehicle title from covered borrowers (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## One state’s own numbers: Texas in 2025 In Texas, “Credit access businesses obtain credit for a consumer from an independent third-party lender in the form of a deferred presentment transaction or a motor vehicle title loan,” and report to the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner each year. Its report for 2025 gives these figures for single-payment auto title loans: - 74,839 consumers; 150,086 new loans totalling $232 million, an average of $1,545 (our arithmetic); 3,485 loans over $7,500. - 228,399 refinances of loans made in the year, 1.52 per new loan (our arithmetic), worth $723.1 million. - $247.8 million in fees, 106.9% of the year’s new lending (our arithmetic; the fees include refinances of older loans, so this compares two annual totals). - Of 27,463 loans closed, 7,561 (27.5%) were never refinanced; 4,849 (17.7%) were paid off only after more than 10 refinances. Installment title loans add 84,693 consumers and $333.4 million in fees. The OCCC notes the data are location-level and that customer-level data “could produce different results.” Its loan amounts by size add to $62 more than its stated total, and the PDF’s publication date (24 April 2026) differs from the reports page (24 March 2026). Neither changes the picture, which is the CFPB’s a decade on: fewer than three in ten Texas single-payment title loans closed without a refinance. ## The federal payday and title loan rule: what is left of it The CFPB’s 2017 rule (82 FR 54472) had two parts. One made it “an unfair and abusive practice” to make short-term or balloon-payment loans, “including payday and vehicle title loans,” without checking the borrower could repay; short-term means due within 45 days, which takes in a 30-day title loan. The other limits withdrawals from bank accounts. The rule said it “operates as a floor,” leaving states free to go further. **The 2017 payday and vehicle title rule (12 CFR part 1041), document by document, as read on 6 October 2026** | Date | Document | What it did | | --- | --- | --- | | 17 November 2017 | Final rule, 82 FR 54472 | Ability-to-repay underwriting, including for title loans, plus withdrawal limits; effective 16 January 2018, compliance due 19 August 2019 | | 17 June 2019 | Final rule, 84 FR 27907 | Delayed the underwriting provisions by 15 months, to 19 November 2020 | | 13 July 2020 | Ratification, 85 FR 41905 | Ratified the payment provisions | | 22 July 2020 | Final rule, 85 FR 44382 | Revoked the underwriting provisions (§§ 1041.4 to 1041.6, 1041.10, 1041.11), effective 20 October 2020 | | 28 March 2025 | CFPB statement | Payment provisions operative 30 March 2025; the CFPB will not prioritize penalties under them | The revocation removed the part aimed squarely at month-after-month renewals. What survives is § 1041.7, which bars further withdrawal attempts “after the lender’s second consecutive attempts to withdraw payments from the accounts from which the prior attempts were made have failed due to a lack of sufficient funds,” unless the borrower re-authorizes, plus notices before withdrawals. A payment transfer is a “lender-initiated debit or withdrawal of funds from a consumer’s account,” and the official interpretation says a consumer who pays “in cash withdrawn by the consumer from the consumer’s account” has not triggered one. For a borrower paying cash at the counter, the surviving rule has nothing to act on. In the complaint database, 111 title-loan complaints (1.9%) concern bank-account withdrawals or charges. The CFPB then stepped back from those provisions as well. Its statement of 28 March 2025 says it “will not prioritize enforcement or supervision actions with regard to any penalties or fines” under them, and is “contemplating issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking to narrow the scope of the rule.” We did not read the court orders behind the 30 March 2025 date. On 6 October 2026 the Federal Register’s API lists 7 documents touching part 1041, the newest the 2020 revocation, and the CFPB’s interactive regulation says “Most recently amended Oct. 20, 2020.” The CFPB’s own page for the 2017 rule, last modified in July 2021, still shows the 19 August 2019 compliance date. ## Military borrowers: a ban, not only a rate cap The FTC says the Military Lending Act “limits the Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) on many types of credit, including payday loans, car title loans, personal loans, and credit cards, to 36%,” and an Ask CFPB answer lists “vehicle title loans” among credit capped at 36%. The Defense Department’s rule goes further. [32 CFR 232.8(f)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-232) makes it unlawful to lend to a covered borrower when “The creditor uses the title of a vehicle as security for the obligation,” with banks, savings associations and credit unions excepted from that paragraph. A contract that breaks the rule is “void from the inception of the contract” (232.9(c)), and the 36% MAPR cap in 232.4(b) applies to every lender. Covered borrowers are active-duty members on orders not limited to “a period of 30 days or fewer” and their dependents. Loans to buy a car are excluded, so the ban reaches loans against a car you already own. The CFPB’s February 2023 order against TMX Finance shows the ban broken. TitleMax’s own policy said covered borrowers “are not eligible for a loan,” yet between 3 October 2016 and 17 September 2021 it made 2,670 prohibited loans to them, 2,655 of them title loans; 2,569 had MAPRs above 36%, and “many of those loans had APRs in excess of 100%.” The CFPB found TitleMax “changed consumers’ personally identifiable information” to get database answers saying borrowers were not covered, and “in certain instances, repossessed and sold the Covered Borrowers’ vehicles.” It also charged non-file-insurance fees on 15,386 loans whose lien was already recorded, understating the finance charge on 15,468 loans in all. The order required $5,050,000 in redress and a $10,000,000 penalty, $15.05 million together (our arithmetic). TMX consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings.” The press release rounded the count to “at least 2,670 prohibited auto title loans”; the order separates the 2,655 title loans. In the complaint database, 877 of 5,863 title-loan complaints (15%) carry the “Servicemember” tag, which also covers “anyone who previously served and is a veteran or retiree,” so it is not a count of covered borrowers. ## State law sets most of the rules In 2017, citing a 2015 Pew report adjusted for South Dakota’s new 36% cap, the CFPB counted “24 States that permit some form of vehicle title lending,” and said “A common fee limit is 25 percent of the loan amount per month, but roughly half of the authorizing States have no restrictions on rates or fees.” Those counts are dated. The same rule described Virginia’s fees as “tiered at 22 percent per month for amounts up to $700”; Virginia’s code, amended in 2020, now allows 36% a year plus a small monthly fee. We copied no private compilation, and the table covers only states whose statute or regulator page we read on 6 October 2026. **Title-loan rules in the states we read in a primary source on 6 October 2026 (not a complete list)** | State | Law | Price limit | Size and term | After default | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Virginia | [Va. Code § 6.2-2216](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title6.2/chapter22/section6.2-2216/) and nearby sections | 36% a year, plus a monthly fee of 8% of the loan or $15, whichever is less | Up to $2,500; 6 to 24 months | No deficiency judgment unless the car is damaged, hidden or already pledged | | Florida | [Fla. Stat. § 537.011](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0537/Sections/0537.011.html) | 30% a year on the first $2,000, 24% on the next $1,000, 18% above $3,000 | Extensions in 30-day periods by mutual consent | Not read | | Arizona | [A.R.S. § 44-291(G)](https://www.azleg.gov/ars/44/00291.htm) | Per month: 17% up to $500, 15% to $2,500, 13% to $5,000, 10% above (204%, 180%, 156%, 120% a year, our arithmetic) | Not limited in this section | Not read | | Delaware | [5 Del. C. §§ 2250-2261](https://delcode.delaware.gov/title5/c022/sc05/index.html) | No maximum rate in the title-loan subchapter | Term and rollovers end 180 days after payout | Workout offer before repossession; no deficiency | | Wisconsin | [Wis. Stat. § 138.16](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/138/16) | “no limit on the interest” before maturity; 2.75% a month after | Up to $25,000 and 50% of retail value; 6 months or less | 20 days’ notice; no deficiency unless the car is damaged, hidden or already pledged | | South Dakota | [SDCL 54-4-44](https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/54-4-44.html) | 36% a year, every fee and add-on included | Since 16 November 2016 (Initiated Measure 21) | A loan over the cap is void | | Illinois | [815 ILCS 123/15-5-5](https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/081501230K15-5-5.htm) | 36% APR on any consumer loan, measured the military way | Since 23 March 2021 (Public Act 101-658) | Not read | | Texas | [OCCC, credit access businesses](https://occc.texas.gov/industry/cab/) | A credit access business arranges the loan from a third-party lender and charges its own fee | Single-payment and installment loans reported separately | Not read | South Dakota’s cap counts “all charges for any ancillary product or service,” and Illinois uses the military MAPR method, so neither leaves room for fees on top. Wisconsin’s statute says outright that it “imposes no limit on the interest that a licensed lender may charge before the maturity date.” For any other state, the FTC’s advice is practical: “check with your state attorney general or state regulator about payday and title lending laws in your state.” ## What regulators found at title lenders, and what consumers report TMX Finance, then with about 1300 storefronts in 18 states, was the subject of the CFPB’s order of 26 September 2016 (2016-CFPB-0022). The CFPB found staff offered a “monthly option” and a payback guide spreading a 30-day loan over a default 12 months, and that the guide “does not disclose the total cost of the transaction” if renewed. It called that abusive, and found staff made “in-person visits” to borrowers’ homes and references until December 2015. The order banned payback guides and in-person collection visits to homes and workplaces and imposed a $9 million penalty; TMX consented without admitting or denying the findings. Six later modifications are listed on the CFPB’s case page; we did not read them. TitleMax’s own record, including its 2023 sale to CCF Holdings, is on our [TitleMax review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/titlemax-review/). The complaint database is the other public record. Title loans sit under four product labels over time, each with a “Title loan” sub-product, and together they hold 5,863 complaints received from 21 July 2014 to 5 October 2026, pulled on 6 October 2026. The yearly count rose from 177 in 2015 to 889 in 2025, about 5 times as many, with 722 in 2026 so far. The commonest issue is fees or interest the consumer did not expect (1,622, or 27.7%), then struggling to pay (945), payoff problems (842) and repossession or sale of the vehicle (813, or 13.9%). 156 complaints (2.7%) closed with monetary relief. TMX Finance LLC is named in 823 (14%). These are unverified consumer reports: the consumer picks the label, so some name lenders that do not market title loans, and counts grow with a company’s size. The database has served no narratives since 30 September 2026. ## Alternatives that come with a federal rulebook The FTC’s alternatives start with asking creditors for more time and trying a credit union, since “some federal credit unions offer ‘payday alternative loans,’ or ‘PAL loans,’ for small loans” that are “much less expensive than payday or car title loans.” It also lists community banks, small loans at large banks, an early tax refund, nonprofit credit counseling, family and local charities. PAL terms are written into [12 CFR 701.21](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-VII/subchapter-A/part-701/section-701.21). A federal credit union may charge 1000 basis points above the NCUA Board’s maximum, which the NCUA’s February 2026 letter puts at “up to 28 percent,” with the general ceiling held at 18% through 10 September 2027. A PALs I loan is $200 to $1,000 over one to six months, fully amortized, never rolled over, with an application fee that “in no case exceeds $20,” after at least one month of membership, and no more than three in a rolling six months. PALs II go up to $2,000 for up to 12 months. Not every credit union offers them. Our page on [credit union loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/#ceiling) explains the ceiling. A bank or credit union may also lend against a car, including a cash-out refinance, which the CFPB excluded from its definition of a title loan; see [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/), [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) and [credit scores and car loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/). The CFPB’s 2021 survey found 33% of auto title borrowers had at least $300 of unused credit-card credit. Which option fits depends on facts this page cannot see. Some installment lenders also take a car as security for a personal loan; our [OneMain Financial review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/onemain-financial-review/) reads one lender’s rules for the pledged car. - **Get the APR and finance charge in writing.** A monthly rate on a poster is not an APR. - **Ask what you owe on day 30 and what a renewal costs.** At 25% a month, four renewals equal the loan. - **Check the lender’s state license.** Your attorney general or state regulator can tell you the local rules. - **Ask about GPS, starter interrupts and keys.** Virginia and Wisconsin bar requiring your keys. - **Find out what happens after a sale.** Some states bar deficiency claims; the FTC says some let the lender keep the surplus. - **List every add-on.** Document fees, roadside plans and non-file insurance all add cost. - **On active duty or a dependent?** A nonbank title loan is prohibited, and a contract that breaks the rule is void. ## Common questions ### Is a title loan ever a good idea? This page does not make that call. The records show the product works as designed for a minority: about one CFPB sequence in eight was a single loan repaid, one in five ended in repossession, and in Texas in 2025, 27.5% of single-payment loans closed without a refinance. The cost depends on how many months the loan stays open, so know where the full payoff will come from on day 30. ### What disqualifies you for a title loan? Mostly the car: lenders usually want it owned free and clear, plus a photo ID and proof of insurance. A large existing car loan, a title not in your name or a state that caps rates low can end it. Active-duty servicemembers and dependents cannot lawfully borrow against a title from a nonbank lender. Weak credit usually does not disqualify you, because approval rests on the car’s value. ### How much can I borrow with a title loan? The FTC says usually 25% to 50% of the car’s value. Virginia caps loans at $2,500; Wisconsin at $25,000 and 50% of retail value. The CFPB’s median was $694, and Texas’s 2025 average for new single-payment loans was $1,545, our arithmetic. ### What are typical title loan interest rates? Usually a monthly fee: up to 25% a month, about 300% a year, says the FTC, and a 317% median APR in the CFPB’s data. State limits run from 17% a month on small Arizona loans to 36% a year in Illinois and South Dakota. ### Can I get a title loan if my car is not paid off? Sometimes. The FTC says some lenders accept a title if you have paid off most of the loan, and the CFPB says some take a second lien. Expect a smaller amount, since the first lender is paid first. ### Can the lender take my car if I have been making payments? Yes, if they fall short of what the contract requires; the FTC says repossession can happen “even if you’ve been making partial payments.” Some states add steps first, such as Virginia’s 10 days’ notice and Wisconsin’s 20. Our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) covers what follows. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [UCC Article 9, part 6 — default (uniform text)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/9/article9) - [12 CFR 701.21 — loans and lines of credit to members](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-VII/subchapter-A/part-701/section-701.21) - [12 CFR §1026.4 (Regulation Z, finance charge)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1026/subpart-A/section-1026.4) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-title-loans/ --- title: "Ford Credit Review: Payments, Payoff, Title and Lease End" description: "How to pay Ford Credit and what each way costs, when the title comes after payoff, what a lease return can cost, and its 10-K loan data and regulator record." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-credit-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Ford Credit Review: Payments, Payoff, Title and Lease End > How to pay Ford Credit and what each way costs, when the title comes after payoff, what a lease return can cost, and its 10-K loan data and regulator record. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,797 words* ## The short version - Ford Credit is Ford Motor Credit Company LLC, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Lincoln Automotive Financial Services is the same company; Ford Credit’s privacy notice calls it a “private label.” - Pay from a bank account. Ford Credit says Guest Pay has “no fees” and prints no fee for Account Manager, the app, phone or mail. It “does not accept credit cards”; MoneyGram and Western Union take cards and set their own fees. - Online and Guest Pay payments made before 9 p.m. ET post the same business day. A payoff can be scheduled up to 10 calendar days ahead, and Ford Credit says the title is mailed, or the lien released, within 10 days of the payoff date. - Ford Credit prints no disposition-fee amount and no per-mile overage rate on any page we read; both come from your Red Carpet Lease Agreement. It does print its wear limits, and its web page and PDF disagree on one. - The 10-K shows mostly prime lending (an average placement FICO of 753 in 2025) but longer loans: 14% of 2025 US retail contracts ran 84 months or more, and 21% in the second quarter of 2026. - We found no CFPB enforcement action under Ford’s name. The record we could read is an FTC fair-lending settlement in 1999 ($650,000, no admission) and a 2004 multistate settlement over Red Carpet Lease early-termination charges. Most people who search “Ford Credit” want to log in, pay, pay a loan off or end a lease. On 6 October 2026 we read what Ford Credit publishes on those tasks: its [Ways to Pay page](https://www.ford.com/finance/ways-to-pay/), its payment, payoff, title and lease FAQs, its lease-end and wear-and-use pages and PDFs, its protection page, its privacy notice and its [Terms and Conditions](https://www.ford.com/finance/terms-and-conditions/). We also read Ford Motor Credit’s [10-K for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/38009/000003800926000010/fmcc-20251231.htm) and 10-Q to 30 June 2026, the CFPB’s enforcement list, an FTC release and a New York Attorney General release, and counted the CFPB complaints filed under the company’s name. We entered no login, payment or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Ford or any lender. Where Ford Credit’s documents disagree, we say so. **Figure: Ford Credit: what its own pages say** A two-column table of seven account tasks set against Ford Credit’s own pages: Guest Pay is free and no fee is printed for Account Manager, the app, phone or mail; Ford Credit does not accept credit cards, though MoneyGram and Western Union take them for their own fees; online and Guest Pay payments before 9 p.m. ET post the same business day and phone payments before 5 p.m. ET are credited the next; a payoff can be scheduled up to 10 calendar days ahead, with paid-in-full documents typically in 7 to 10 business days; the title is mailed or the lien released within 10 days, though an electronic-title state can take upwards of 6 weeks to send paper; excess miles are charged at the contract’s rate with no per-mile figure printed; and a lease goes back to the originating dealer, or any participating Ford dealer after a move, with a disposition fee if the lease discloses one. Read from Ford Credit’s payment, payoff, title and lease-end pages and FAQs on 6 October 2026. No login, payment or credit application was entered. ## Who Ford Credit is Ford Credit is a trade name. The company, Ford Motor Credit Company LLC, “was incorporated in Delaware in 1959 and converted to a limited liability company in 2007,” and its 10-K says “We are an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company.” It files its own reports with the SEC, which is why this page can quote its loan figures. Lincoln drivers deal with the same lender. The 10-K says “Under the Ford Credit, Lincoln Automotive Financial Services, and Ford Pro FinSimple brand names, we provide financing services to and through dealers of Ford and Lincoln vehicles.” The privacy notice is issued by “Ford Credit, which includes the private label Lincoln Automotive Financial Services,” and the accident FAQ applies one rule to “FMCC and LAFS.” We did not read Lincoln’s own pages. Ford Credit does not set your rate online. Its terms say “Individual dealers set the actual transaction price and lease or finance terms.” The dealer writes the contract and Ford Credit buys it if it meets its standards, judging “the applicant, the credit application, the proposed contract terms, credit bureau information (e.g., FICO score), proprietary risk score, and other information.” The price it pays the dealer includes “any additional products, such as insurance and extended service plans, that are included in the contract,” so add-ons are financed at your rate. Our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains how a dealer’s rate can differ from the lender’s. The web address is a detour: www.fordcredit.com has no pages of its own and redirected us to ford.com/finance, where every Ford Credit page here lives. And a bank is coming: on 22 January 2026 the FDIC conditionally approved deposit insurance for a planned Ford Credit Bank. ## How to pay Ford Credit, and what each way costs Ford Credit lists eight routes: the app, Account Manager, Guest Pay, telephone, mail, wire transfer, combined billing and payroll deduction. Apart from payroll deduction, every route it runs itself draws on a bank account. **Ways to pay a Ford Credit account, with the fees and posting times Ford Credit prints, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Fee Ford Credit prints | When it posts, per Ford Credit | | --- | --- | --- | | Account Manager or the app | None printed | Same day “if submitted before 9 p.m. ET” | | Automatic payments | None printed | On the due date; next business day if it is not one | | Guest Pay (no login) | “There are no fees for using it” | Same business day before 9 p.m. ET; checking accounts only | | Telephone | None printed | Before 5 p.m. ET on a weekday: credited the next business day, posted within two | | Mail | None printed | Not stated | | MoneyGram or Western Union | Their own; fees “may differ by agent” | Same business day if received before 6 p.m. ET | | Payroll deduction | None printed | Ford and government employees only; not for leases | Cards are the trap. Ford Credit “does not accept credit cards for monthly lease or retail payments, but you may pay through MoneyGram or Western Union with a credit or debit card,” and sends you to those companies “for fee details.” It prints no amount, so a card payment costs whatever the agent charges. Guest Pay is the way to pay without logging in: “a no-fee online way to make a one-time, same-day payment,” available 24/7. Besides a checking account, it asks for the account number and the last four digits of the holder’s Social Security number, which is why Ford Credit says someone else can pay for you with them. Guard those two items. Autopay has limits. Changes must be made “before 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), two or more business days before your due date,” and “You cannot choose the automatic payment amount.” To pay extra, make a separate “Principal Only” payment on a loan or “Custom Amount” on a lease. A principal-only payment needs a current account and “does not satisfy your regular monthly payment obligation, or count as an advance payment for future months.” Statements are “generated 17-20 days before your scheduled due date,” so a missing one is usually filed under the previous month. ## Due dates, extensions and falling behind The amount due can double overnight. Ford Credit says the balance shown “includes any payment currently due, plus the next scheduled payment. If your account is even one day past due, the total will update to include both.” To pay only the late one, choose a custom amount. Ford Credit prints no late-charge amount and no grace period: “A late charge may be assessed if the payment is not received within the specified payment period according to your contract,” and “Past-due payments may be reported to the credit reporting agencies at 30, 60 and 90 days past due.” You can move your due date online if the account is current, but “You can only move the account 29 days over the life of the contract,” everyone on the contract must sign within five days, and a payment that reaches 30 days past due before the change is processed may still be reported. For short-term trouble Ford Credit offers payment extensions, which defer payments and push the maturity date back. Its 10-K says the problem should be temporary, you need “an income source for making the next payment,” and you must have made “at least one payment since the contract’s origination.” Three costs follow: - **A possible fee.** The 10-K says “When allowed by state law, we usually collect a fee on extensions.” The FAQ says any fee “will be disclosed on the extension form.” Neither prints an amount. - **More interest on a loan.** Above a 0% rate, interest keeps accruing, and you may end up “owing more finance charges (interest) over the term of your contract than originally disclosed,” with a larger last payment. “Interest does not accrue on lease extensions.” - **No extra coverage.** “The extension does not extend coverage of any insurance products, service contracts or other ancillary products.” If payments stop, the 10-K calls repossession “a final step that we undertake only after all other collection efforts have failed.” After a sale, “The customer typically remains liable for any deficiency between net auction proceeds and the defaulted contract obligations, including any repossession-related expenses.” Some states let you reinstate; see our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back). ## Paying off the loan and getting your title You can pay off a retail account in the app, in Account Manager or by personal or cashier’s check. Online, “Payoffs can only be scheduled up to 10 calendar days in advance.” The page does not say how long a payoff quote stays valid. Cancel autopay or any smaller scheduled payment first (by 9 p.m. ET, two business days ahead) to avoid paying twice; if you do overpay, “please allow 10 business days for a refund.” **What Ford Credit says happens after a retail loan is paid off, read 6 October 2026** | Situation | What Ford Credit does | Then | | --- | --- | --- | | Any payoff | “we typically issue your paid-in-full documents within 7–10 business days of receiving the payoff” | Check your address in Account Manager | | Paper-title state, Ford Credit holds the title | Mails the title “within 10 days of your payoff date” | Nothing more from Ford Credit | | Paper-title state, you hold the title | Mails a lien release within 10 days | Take it to your motor vehicle agency if required | | Electronic-title state | Releases the lien within 10 days | The state mails a paper title, which “can take upwards of 6 weeks”; some states wait for a request (“fees may apply”) | | Paid off by a dealer, lender or insurer | Sends the title or lien release to the party that paid | Ask that party for it | The two FAQs use different clocks: “7–10 business days” on the payoff page, “10 days” on the title page without saying business days. Allow the longer reading before you chase. Title problems after payoff are a recurring CFPB complaint, as the counts below show. If you move state with a financed car, “you must request documents from Ford Credit and provide them to your new state’s Department of Motor Vehicles”; Account Manager lists the steps, and “Some states do not require customers to transfer the title.” ## Ending a Red Carpet Lease: return, buy or replace Ford Credit’s retail lease is Red Carpet Lease, its “highest volume retail-leasing plan,” with US terms “primarily from 24 to 48 months” and an average of 37 months in 2025. Its Lease-End page compares the three ways out: **Ford Credit’s lease-end options as its Lease-End page compares them, read 6 October 2026** | | Get a new Ford | Buy your current Ford | Return your Ford | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Inspection | At lease end | Not required | At lease end | | Excess wear and use | You pay | Not applicable | You pay | | Excess mileage | You pay | Not applicable | You pay | | Fees | “See dealer for details” | Taxes and official fees may be charged | “A Disposition Fee applies to returned vehicles” | Return the car to the dealer that wrote the lease or, if you have moved, to “any participating Ford Dealer,” by appointment. You sign the odometer statement, “required by federal law,” and hand over everything that came with the car; Ford Credit’s checklist names keys and fobs, floor mats, cargo covers, crossbars, manuals, the original wheels and the EV charging cord. Then cancel your automatic payments. Ford Credit says that “Under certain circumstances, you may be able to extend your lease” and that you should finish “by your lease-end date to avoid additional charges.” Buying is possible only “if a purchase option is listed in your agreement or by your dealer,” and “Electric vehicles may not be eligible for purchase at lease-end.” The price is in your Red Carpet Lease Agreement or Account Manager; the originating dealer quotes it with taxes. Buying ends the lease charges: “When you purchase your lease, you are not responsible for any excess mileage charges or excess wear and use charges.” Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) covers the fees to check. Ending early has no published price: follow “the Voluntary Early Termination section of your Lease Agreement.” Handing the lease on is possible: the self-service FAQ lists “Transfer of Equity/Lease: Transfer the lease or finance contract of your vehicle to another person,” with no fee or rule printed. Our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares lessors. **Ford Credit does not print the two numbers lessees search for most.** We found no disposition-fee amount and no per-mile overage rate on any Ford Credit page or PDF. The fee applies “if disclosed on the Lease Agreement,” and the mileage charge is in the Red Carpet Lease Agreement. Open your Digital Contract in Account Manager (available for agreements from August 2019) before turn-in day. ## Mileage, wear and the disposition fee “Any mileage that exceeds the amount allowed on your contract is assessed a charge at lease-end,” Ford Credit says, but “If you choose to purchase your vehicle at lease-end, you will not be charged for any additional mileage.” The 10-K mentions programs that let customers “purchase refundable higher mileage allowances” at signing; no Ford Credit page describes that, so ask the dealer before you sign. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the trip distance, the speed readout and the gear indicator, with Ford Credit's unpublished per-mile overage rate, its payoff scheduling and title-release timing, and where a lease can be returned after a move. Ford Credit’s lease-end pages, read on 6 October 2026, print no per-mile overage rate and leave it to the Red Carpet Lease Agreement (callout 1); its payoff and title FAQs say a payoff can be scheduled up to 10 days ahead and the title or lien release follows within 10 days (callout 2); and its lease-end options say a customer who has moved can return the car to any participating Ford dealer (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Ford Credit also offers to roll the bill forward. The originating dealer “may be able to work with you to move your excess mileage charges to your next contract,” “Typically there is no upfront cost,” and Ford Credit suggests dividing the charge by the next term to estimate the effect. As a hypothetical, a $1,000 mileage bill adds about $27.78 a month over 36 months or $20.83 over 48, by our arithmetic, before finance charges. Ford Credit warns it “could result in a higher monthly payment.” Ford Credit publishes its wear limits: **Normal against excess wear and use on Ford Credit’s Wear and Use page (read 6 October 2026); your Red Carpet Lease Agreement governs** | Item | Normal wear and use | Excess (chargeable) | | --- | --- | --- | | Body dings, dents, scratches | Up to three per panel, up to 4 inches across | Four or more per panel, or any over 4 inches | | Glass | No glass damage | “All glass damage is chargeable” | | Lenses | Scratches and scuffs | Cracked or broken | | Wheels | Scratches and gouges up to 6 inches | Over 6 inches | | Tires | No sidewall damage, plugs or exposed cords | Any of those, or tires that do not match the vehicle | | Burn holes | Up to two per panel, up to 1/8 inch | Three or more, or any over 1/8 inch | | Stains | One per panel, up to 1/2 inch | Two per panel, or any over 1/2 inch | | Cuts and tears | Up to two per panel, up to 1/2 inch | Three or more, or any over 1/2 inch | The PDF guidelines (file dated 12.21.23) differ. They allow “Up to fifteen (15) paint chips per panel,” which the web page never mentions, set burn holes at “diameters up to 1/4 inch” rather than 1/8, and charge glass as a repair for up to two chips per panel within a 1-inch circle, replacement otherwise. Keep a copy and ask which version the inspector uses. Both add missing parts, poor repairs, mechanical or electrical faults and mismatched tires. The inspection is your chance to fix things first, and the documents disagree on who books it. The Lease-End page says you can “schedule a complimentary pre-inspection within 60-days of your lease-end date”; the Lease Renewal Guide says to book Manheim Mobile Inspections yourself; the checklist says you “should be contacted” about 60 days out. If nobody calls, book it. Ford Credit says inspections “typically take 30 minutes” and end with a Vehicle Condition Report. Two things can waive charges. WearCare, bought at signing for leases of up to 48 months, waives excess wear and use “up to $5,000 in most cases”; it excludes mileage and missing parts costing more than $200. And Ford Credit offers loyalty waivers: the Wear and Use page says customers who take “a new Ford or Lincoln vehicle may be eligible” for a disposition-fee waiver, while the Lease Renewal Guide adds Ford Blue Advantage and [Lincoln Certified Pre-Owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/lincoln-certified-pre-owned/) vehicles and a wear waiver that “requires payment of all other remaining charges and renewal into a new Ford Credit retail contract or Lease Agreement.” No amount is printed, and the guide says the offer “may be canceled at any time.” Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) explains allowances. ## GAP, accidents and the hard moments Ford Credit sells GAPCoverage at signing. It covers the gap between your insurance payoff and the finance balance and, Ford Credit says, “up to $1,000 of your insurance deductible,” for terms of “up to 96 months”; GAPAdvantage adds “an additional $1,000” toward a new vehicle. GAP does not pay late charges or “Termination and disposition fees,” and no price is printed. Our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) covers cancelling and refunds. After an accident, keep paying: “It is critical to continue making your regular monthly payments until the claim is fully resolved.” You are “generally responsible for your deductible and any balance not covered by the primary insurance company,” and GAP is filed separately. On a lease, “FMCC and LAFS does not allow diminished value claims.” - **Military service.** The 10-K says the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act bars Ford Credit “from charging interest in excess of 6%” for eligible customers; its self-service menu offers to return a leased vehicle early or cut a loan rate to 6%. - **A death on the account.** Under the Peace of Mind Program, qualified parties “may return the vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealership within 60 days of the customer’s death,” and “Ford Credit will not pursue any remaining obligation on the contract.” Contracts dated before 1 January 2016 do not qualify. - **A wrong credit report.** Ford Credit takes disputes in writing, with the account number, the entry and dates disputed, and a copy of the report page. On privacy, the notice (Rev. 10/2024) says Ford Credit shares data with affiliates, including Ford Motor Company, and with dealers and insurers as joint marketing partners. You can stop only affiliates marketing to you, and the notice says to “Mail the form below” to do it. ## What the filings say about Ford Credit’s loans and leases Ford Credit financed 41% of new Ford and Lincoln vehicles sold in the US in 2025 (fleet sales excluded), down from 53%, and placed 745 thousand US contracts; its 10-K says “Ford’s marketing programs may encourage or require Ford Credit financing.” The average US retail contract ran 65 months. The filings print these measures: **Ford Credit US retail and lease measures from its 10-K for 2025 and 10-Q to 30 June 2026** | Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | First half 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Average placement FICO | 756 | 756 | 753 | 746 | | Higher-risk share of placements | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | | Retail contracts of 84 months or more | 8% | 7% | 14% | 17% | | Over-60-day delinquencies | 0.18% | 0.19% | 0.18% | 0.19% | | Repossessions | 16 thousand | 21 thousand | 24 thousand | 13 thousand | | Repossession ratio | 0.85% | 1.08% | 1.23% | 1.33% | | Loss severity | $12.2 thousand | $16.1 thousand | $17.3 thousand | $17.3 thousand | | Net charge-offs, US retail | $184 million | $301 million | $362 million | $185 million | This is mostly prime lending: the higher-risk business “represents 3% of our portfolio and has been stable for over 15 years.” But terms are stretching. Contracts of 84 months or longer doubled as a share in 2025, by our arithmetic, which the 10-K puts down to “changes in Ford’s marketing programs,” and reached 21% in the second quarter of 2026. A longer term lowers the payment but keeps you owing more than the car is worth for longer; see our guide to [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/). Repossessions rose 50% from 2023 to 2025, by our arithmetic, and the ratio rose again in 2026. Loss severity is the figure that lands on borrowers: “The expected difference between the amount a customer owes when the finance contract is charged off and the amount received, net of expenses, from selling the repossessed vehicle,” $17.3 thousand in 2025. Since Ford Credit pursues deficiencies, that is roughly what a repossessed borrower can still be billed for, before recoveries. Across the worldwide consumer book at 31 December 2025, 98.5% was current, $934 million (1.1%) was 31 to 60 days past due and $320 million (0.4%) more than 60 days. On leases, Ford Credit’s share of US retail sales was 14% in 2025, against 21% for the industry. Its lease return rate fell to 45% from 52%, because “more customers and dealers are electing to purchase the off-lease vehicles.” Off-lease auction values averaged $31,475, up 3%, and Ford Credit expected them “to decline in 2026”; the first half averaged $32,005 with a 43% return rate. When used values run high, a buyout at the contract price deserves a look. ## Regulators and courts: what the record shows Each record below is described only as the document we read describes it. **CFPB.** The CFPB’s enforcement list, filtered by the title “ford” on 6 October 2026, returned “Sorry, there were no results based on your filter selections.” (The same filter finds Toyota Motor Credit’s two actions.) Ford Credit’s 10-K says the CFPB can supervise it and that “in response to audits, inspections, or investigations conducted by regulatory authorities, Ford Credit has in the past modified and may in the future modify its operations or take other actions, such as remunerating customers.” It names no matter, and supervisory findings are not published by name. **FTC, 1999.** On 9 December 1999 the FTC announced that Ford Credit would pay $650,000, “covering consumer redress and the costs to administer such redress, for alleged violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.” The FTC alleged that from May 1994 to August 1995 Ford Credit failed “to aggregate the income of unmarried joint applicants, while combining incomes for applicants who were married.” The consent decree was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan and, the release says, “does not constitute an admission by the defendant of a law violation.” **New York and 37 other states, 2004.** On 10 June 2004 New York’s Attorney General announced a settlement with Ford Motor Credit and “over 1,300 participating Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers.” Investigators found that terminating a Red Carpet Lease early to buy the car “resulted in undisclosed and unauthorized charges being added to the lease pay-off quote,” which dealers kept because the figure “was provided by their dealer instead of coming directly from Ford Motor Credit.” Consumers who terminated leases early from 1991 to 1999 without a Ford Motor Credit quote “may be eligible for $100 refunds,” about 150,000 people; the parties paid over $6.2 million in fees and costs, $500,000 from Ford Motor Credit, which also agreed to rewrite its lease language. The lesson holds: get your payoff from Ford Credit, not only the dealer. Georgia’s and Washington’s releases would not open for us. **Jones, 2005.** Ford Motor Credit’s 10-K for 2005 reported that plaintiffs in Jones v. Ford Motor Credit Company “allege that our pricing practices discriminate against African-Americans,” and that a preliminarily approved settlement faced a fairness hearing “scheduled for May 31, 2006.” We did not read the court record and do not state the outcome. **Today.** The 2025 10-K says matters are pending, some “or purport to be, class actions,” and that any liability “should not materially affect our operations, financial condition, or liquidity.” Neither it nor the 10-Q names a consumer case. Searches of justice.gov found no Justice Department case against Ford Motor Credit, which is not proof none exists. ## What the CFPB complaint database shows The CFPB’s database holds 3,745 complaints under “FORD MOTOR CREDIT CO.” from March 2012 to 26 September 2026. They are unverified consumer reports, and counts grow with a lender’s size (Ford Credit placed 745 thousand US contracts in 2025 alone), so they show what goes wrong, not how often. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026; we count categories only. **CFPB complaints under FORD MOTOR CREDIT CO., by type, pulled 6 October 2026** | Category | Complaints | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | All products | 3,745 | 100% | | Credit reporting (three CFPB labels) | 1,578 | 42.1% | | Vehicle loan or lease (828 loans, 356 leases) | 1,184 | 31.6% | | Debt collection | 533 | 14.2% | | Tagged Servicemember | 410 | 10.9% | Inside the vehicle file, the commonest sub-issue is billing (165). Repossession accounts for 116 and struggling to pay for 142, including 68 denied requests to lower payments. At the end of the contract, 63 concern a title or other problem after payoff, 42 paying off the loan, 26 early lease-termination fees, 25 lease mileage or wear fees and 14 buying the car at lease end. Add-on products account for 66. Ford Credit closed 243 vehicle complaints (20.5%) with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% across all 104,347 vehicle loan or lease complaints, by our arithmetic; it accounts for 1.1% of them. Volume is rising: 662 complaints in 2025, about twice the 336 of 2023. ## Before you pay off, return or sign - **Pay from a bank account.** Ford Credit says Guest Pay is free and prints no fee for its own routes; a card means MoneyGram or Western Union fees. - **Beat the cut-off.** 9 p.m. ET online for same-day posting; change autopay at least two business days before the due date. - **Read your contract.** The late charge, extension fee, disposition fee and per-mile rate are in your contract or Red Carpet Lease Agreement, not on the website. - **Cancel autopay before a payoff** and keep your address current for the title or lien release. - **Get a lease payoff from Ford Credit directly** and compare it with the dealer’s figure; that gap is what the 2004 settlement was about. - **Book the inspection about 60 days out**, fix what the report finds, and bring every key, mat, manual and charging cord. - **Check GAP and service-contract dates before an extension.** It does not lengthen them. ## Common questions ### Is Ford Credit the same as Ford Motor Company? No, but Ford owns it. Ford Motor Credit Company LLC is an indirect, wholly owned Ford subsidiary with its own SEC filings. Lincoln Automotive Financial Services is the same company under another name. ### Can I pay my Ford Credit bill with a credit card? Not directly. Ford Credit “does not accept credit cards for monthly lease or retail payments.” MoneyGram and Western Union accept cards for a Ford Credit payment, with fees that “may differ by agent.” Guest Pay needs no login and is free, but draws on a checking account. ### How long does it take to get my title from Ford Credit? Ford Credit says it mails the title, or a lien release if you hold the title, within 10 days of the payoff date in paper-title states. In electronic-title states it releases the lien within 10 days and the state mails the title, which “can take upwards of 6 weeks.” ### What is the Ford Credit disposition fee? A charge on returning a leased car that “applies to returned vehicles, if disclosed on the Lease Agreement.” Ford Credit prints no amount; check your Red Carpet Lease Agreement. Customers who take a new Ford or Lincoln, and per the Lease Renewal Guide some certified used ones, “may be eligible for a waiver.” ### How much does Ford Credit charge per mile over the allowance? It does not publish a figure. Excess miles are “assessed a charge at lease-end” at your contract’s rate; buying the car means you “will not be charged for any additional mileage,” and a dealer may roll the charge into your next contract. ### Can I refinance a Ford Credit loan or hand over my lease? Another lender can pay off the loan at any time and receives the title; our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers when it pays. For a lease, Ford Credit lists a “Transfer of Equity/Lease” with no published fee. Compare other carmaker lenders in our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [GM Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/), [Honda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/) and [Kia Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/); for Ford service plans, see our [Ford extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-extended-warranty/) and [Ford certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/ford-certified-pre-owned/) guides. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-credit-review/ --- title: "American Credit Acceptance Review: Login, Payments and Record" description: "American Credit Acceptance is not Credit Acceptance. Login and phone number, payment fees, payoff, its Massachusetts record and 4,102 CFPB complaints." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # American Credit Acceptance Review: Login, Payments and Record > American Credit Acceptance is not Credit Acceptance. Login and phone number, payment fees, payoff, its Massachusetts record and 4,102 CFPB complaints. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,981 words* ## The short version - American Credit Acceptance (ACA) is an auto lender in Spartanburg, South Carolina, that files no annual report with the SEC. A dealer writes your contract and ACA buys it, then collects the payments. It is not Credit Acceptance Corporation, the Michigan lender in the September 2026 multistate settlement. - To log in or pay, use ACA’s customer portal (myloan.acacceptance.com) with your 11-digit account number, or call 1-866-544-3430, weekdays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. AutoPay and mailed payments are free; card, phone and one-time online payments carry a processing fee ACA does not print. - ACA publishes no rates. Its own simple-interest example uses a 25% APR, where $14,600 accrues $10 a day; paying on the 29th instead of the 15th sends $140 more of a $600 payment to interest, by our arithmetic from ACA’s figures. - ACA applies each payment to “Miscellaneous fees (e.g., repossession fee)” before interest and principal. It says it “does not offer contract refinancing,” and interest keeps accruing during payment extensions. - In 2016 the Massachusetts Attorney General announced about $1.7 million in relief on ACA loans whose GAP charges, the state alleged, pushed effective rates past the 21% cap. A 2017 Division of Banks consent order, agreed without admitting the allegations, also barred interest after repossession on Massachusetts accounts; it ended in December 2021. The CFPB lists no action against ACA. - The CFPB database holds 4,102 complaints naming American Credit Acceptance, LLC; 40.5% concern credit reporting, and 2026 has already passed 2025’s total. Trustpilot shows 1.9 from 15 reviews. ACA says it is BBB-accredited, which we could not check. American Credit Acceptance is a real, licensed lender (NMLS 345863) that buys car loans from dealers, for borrowers it calls “the emerging credit consumer.” On 6 October 2026 we read ACA’s customer, payment, FAQ, contact, complaints, portal and reinstatement pages, its dealer pages, its Terms of Service, privacy policy and licensing page; its filings on the SEC’s EDGAR system; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s 2016 release and the Division of Banks’ 2017 consent order; and its CFPB and Trustpilot counts. ACA’s terms bar using its trademarks as a link without approval, so we name its pages rather than link them. We entered no login, payment or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with ACA or any lender. **Figure: ACA’s customer pages next to its other documents** A two-column table setting seven lines from American Credit Acceptance’s customer pages against its other pages, SEC filings and Massachusetts records: payments go first to miscellaneous fees such as a repossession fee; in ACA’s own example a $600 payment sends $300 to interest when paid on the 15th but $440 when paid on the 29th; ACA does not refinance and posts no extension rules; its FAQ and Contact Us page give different payoff addresses; its claim of BBB accreditation could not be checked; its four securitizations a year are not registered with the SEC; and Massachusetts found in 2016 that GAP charges pushed effective rates past the 21% cap, with about $1.7 million in relief. Read from ACA’s FAQ, payment, contact and dealer pages, its ABS-15G filings on EDGAR and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s release, on 6 October 2026. No login, payment or application was entered. ## How American Credit Acceptance works, and why it is not Credit Acceptance ACA is an indirect lender. You sign a retail installment contract at a dealership, the dealer sends the application to lenders, and if ACA buys the contract you pay ACA from then on. ACA’s FAQ refers to “The Retail Installment Sales Contract that you signed at the dealership.” Its own pages never use the word subprime; the Massachusetts Attorney General did, describing ACA’s and Westlake’s “subprime auto loans” in 2016. ACA’s dealer pages list “Non Reserve Program,” “No Recourse,” “No GPS” and “No Dealer Enrollment Fees,” with divisions for franchise, independent, motorcycle and buy here pay here dealers. A dealer reserve is usually the part of your interest rate a dealer keeps for arranging the loan (the CFPB explains [dealer-arranged financing](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/)); ACA’s pages do not say how it pays dealers instead. CarMax’s 10-K lists American Credit Acceptance among its “third-party finance providers” as of 28 February 2026; our page on [CarMax Auto Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carmax-auto-finance/#tiers) explains how CarMax passes applications to outside lenders. ACA claims more than 1,000 associates, more than 630,000 customers helped, “more than 2,500 dealer partners in all 50 states” and, on its dealer page, “more than $3 billion in assets.” It has offices in Spartanburg, South Carolina; Forest Park, Georgia; and Meridian, Idaho, and calls itself “part of the Johnson Group.” Its division Spartan Financial Partners (founded in 2010, ACA says) buys loan portfolios from buy here pay here dealers, so a contract signed at a [buy here pay here lot](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#what-it-is) can also end up owned by ACA. The name causes real confusion. American Credit Acceptance, LLC is a South Carolina company whose only SEC filings are asset-backed securities forms. Credit Acceptance Corporation is a separate lender in Southfield, Michigan, traded on Nasdaq as CACC. The $700 million settlement the New York Attorney General announced on 17 September 2026 is with “Credit Acceptance Corporation (CAC)”; ACA is not a party. Our [Credit Acceptance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#settlement) covers that company. Our reviews of [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#dealer-tiers), [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#how-it-works) and [Global Lending Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/) read other lenders that buy dealer contracts. ## American Credit Acceptance login and payments: the portal, Speedpay and the fees ACA’s customer portal is at myloan.acacceptance.com. To register, ACA’s sign-up page says you need your account number, Social Security number, date of birth and a valid email address. A one-time online payment needs “your 11-digit ACA customer account number, the last 4-digits of your Social Security Number, and the 5-digit zip code associated with your account”; the account number is on “the upper left corner of your statement coupon.” Passwords must be 8 to 16 characters, and there is no online reset: “For issues logging into your account or to reset your password, please call us at 1-866-544-3430.” The portal shows due dates, payment history and loan information, and hands payments to an outside processor: “You will be redirected to the Speedpay website to submit your payment.” Only two methods are free. **Ways to pay American Credit Acceptance and what ACA says about fees, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Fee, per ACA | Timing and conditions | | --- | --- | --- | | AutoPay (recurring ACH from checking or savings, through ACI) | “FREE”; “no processing fees” | “Your account must be current to enroll” | | Mail (check or money order with the payment voucher) | “FREE” | Send “at least 5 business days before your scheduled due date” | | One-time online payment through ACI (bank account, Mastercard or Visa debit, Mastercard credit, prepaid cards with the STAR logo) | “subject to processing fee”; amount not printed | Received before 8 p.m. Eastern, applied that day, weekends and holidays excluded | | Phone (automated line, processed by ACI) | “Processing fees do apply”; amount not printed | 1-866-544-3430 | | MoneyGram, Check FreePay (“At most Wal-Mart locations”), Western Union | “may be subject to processing fees” | Use the codes on ACA’s Payment Options page | Once processed, ACA says a payment “will be posted to your account within 1 business day,” and an email confirms it. If an AutoPay draft or check bounces, ACA tries again “within the next week,” and after two failed attempts an NSF fee “may be assessed on your account, if permitted under applicable law.” Card payments are not retried. A payment can take time to reach ACA’s systems, “which could result in our call(s) to you”; keep the confirmation. One oddity: on 6 October 2026 the FAQ’s “CLICK HERE” links for payment options and AutoPay pointed to a host named acatest.wpengine.com rather than ACA’s own domain. Reach the payment pages from ACA’s menu, and enter your Social Security digits only on an address you have checked. ## American Credit Acceptance phone numbers and hours ACA’s main line, 1-866-544-3430, handles payments, payoffs and general servicing. Its customer pages give hours of Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, closed Sunday; its complaints page gives weekday “General Servicing” hours of 8 a.m. to midnight. Departmental lines are spread across ACA’s customer and dealer pages: **American Credit Acceptance phone lines, from ACA’s own pages (read 6 October 2026)** | What you need | Number or channel | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Payments, payoffs, account questions | 1-866-544-3430 | The automated line gives same-day payoffs only; ask a representative for a 10-day payoff | | Chat with an agent | Inside the customer portal | Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern | | Complaints (Customer Experience Team) | 1-866-544-3430, email or mail | Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern | | Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) | 1-855-292-6426 | Call “to speak with an associate” | | Total and partial loss insurance claims | 1-855-292-6430 | Call your insurer first, ACA says | | Titles | 877-811-1620 | ACA prefers title paperwork by email | | Service contract and GAP cancellations (“Rebates”) | 855-292-6429 | Listed on ACA’s dealer contact page | | Impound notifications | 877-204-6757 | Listed on ACA’s dealer contact page | | New-customer interview | 888-941-7233, or a text from 70611 | From ACA’s New Customer page | | Employment verification (W-2 workers) and dealer support | 855-295-8810 | Same number as ACA’s dealer line | ACA offers spoken support in Spanish and, through a language line, other languages. For a credit-report error, file a dispute with ACA or the credit bureau before you call: ACA warns that calling first “may limit our ability to provide complete information during the phone call.” It “generally submits updates to the credit bureaus on a monthly basis.” ## After you sign: the interview, the employment check and a 48-hour text ACA does not finish underwriting at the dealership. Its New Customer page opens with “Action required to finalize your account!” and lists what ACA needs: “Call us at 888-941-7233 to complete your customer interview or look for a text from 70611 to complete the interview by text”; verify your employment (W-2 employees call 855-295-8810 “to provide your HR representative’s contact info,” self-employed and 1099 workers send a business license or recent bank statements, and people on fixed income send an award letter and bank statements). ACA’s dealer pages describe the rest. Customers get a text from 869-40 with a link “to review and confirm the details of their loan,” and “The customer must confirm the loan details within 48 hours”; if not, ACA calls. When an income, residence or ID document is missing from the dealer’s packet, a “Missing Stip Text” asks you to photograph it. Treat the interview and the confirmation text as your check on the dealer: compare the amount financed, payment, term and every add-on with your contract, and speak up if anything differs. Our guides to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#junk) and the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) list what to look for. If ACA declines you, its FAQ says you can request the specific reasons in writing “within 60 days of the date of the Adverse Action letter,” and ACA will answer “within 30 days”; our page on [the notice a lender must send](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#the-notice) explains what it should contain. ## Simple interest, late fees and hardship: ACA’s own numbers ACA prints no rate for borrowers; the APR is in your contract. The closest thing to a rate on its site is the worked example in its FAQ, which ACA says shows how to calculate “daily and monthly interest accruals on a simple interest contract.” Interest “starts accruing as of the date of your contract and continues to accrue each day until your account is paid off.” The example: a principal balance of $14,600 at an APR of 25% costs $3,650 a year; divided by 365 that is a “Per Diem” of $10; over 30 days, $300 of interest. ACA adds that you should review your contract for your own figures, and the 25% is an illustration, not an ACA rate. ACA then runs the same account with a $600 payment due on the 15th. Paid on the 1st, about $450 goes to principal and $150 to interest. Paid on the 15th, $300 and $300. Paid on the 29th, $160 to principal and $440 to interest. By our arithmetic from ACA’s figures, paying 14 days late moves $140 more of the payment to interest, only 26.7% of the payment reaches principal, and the $440 is 44 days of interest; paying two weeks early saves $150 against paying on time. ACA’s FAQ is blunt about the pattern: paying late regularly “can greatly increase the size of the final loan payment,” and your payment “may not be enough to cover the accrued interest owed.” The order in which ACA applies a payment matters as much. Its FAQ lists: “Miscellaneous fees (e.g., repossession fee) if applicable,” then interest due, then current principal, then “Fees (e.g., late/NSF),” then the remaining principal. Late fees “will only be collected from the payment if your account is current, and the payment is processed prior to the next statement cycle.” ACA’s website prints no late-fee amount or grace period: “Late fees and grace periods vary from state to state. Your contract will include information when a late fee will be assessed and the amount of any late fee.” **ACA does not refinance, and it publishes no extension rules.** Its FAQ says plainly: “ACA does not offer contract refinancing.” For a temporary hardship it tells you to call 1-866-544-3430, and a due-date change is possible only “Depending on the status of your account.” Its simple-interest notes add that “Interest continues to accrue during extension periods.” ACA’s pages give no eligibility rule, limit or fee for extensions, so ask for every term in writing; ACA’s Terms of Service say a contract modification or settlement you agree with ACA controls over the website terms. If you want a lower rate, you need another lender to pay ACA off. Our guide to [refinancing and loan-to-value](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value) explains why that is hard when you owe more than the car is worth, and a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union is the comparison to bring to the dealer next time. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the key fob, the dashboard and the key ring, with how American Credit Acceptance applies each payment, what paying two weeks late costs in interest in its own example, and how long it says a title transfer takes. American Credit Acceptance’s payment pages, read on 6 October 2026, say each payment goes first to miscellaneous fees such as a repossession fee (callout 1); in its own 25% APR example, paying a $600 payment on the 29th instead of the 15th sends $140 more to interest (callout 2); and its title FAQ says preparing a title for a new state can take two weeks and the whole change three (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Payoff, title and insurance For a payoff figure, ACA’s FAQ says you can call or “obtain and print a 10-day payoff quote by logging in to the Customer Portal,” adding that “Our IVR phone system can only provide same-day payoff information.” Where to send the money is less clear. The FAQ and the Payment Options page give a PO box in Dallas, Texas (and a lockbox in Irving, Texas, for overnight delivery) and say those addresses “are for payments and payoffs only.” The customer Contact Us page says “Payoff checks should be sent to the address below” and gives ACA’s office in Spartanburg. Use the address printed on your payoff quote, and confirm it by phone before mailing a large check. ACA’s pages say nothing about how long it takes to release its lien or send the title once a loan is paid. That is a question to ask when you request the payoff, and the CFPB data suggests it matters: 61 of ACA’s vehicle-loan complaints are tagged “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off.” ACA’s title line is 877-811-1620, and its FAQ says its “preferred method of contact is via email.” Moving states takes paperwork. ACA tells you to get a State Change Request form from the new state’s DMV and send it to ACA, which prepares the title and sends it to the DMV: up to two weeks to prepare, an additional week to send, three weeks in all. If you are moving from Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York or Oklahoma “and currently hold the title to your vehicle, you may complete the transfer yourself.” Removing a living person’s name needs a request “signed by both parties on the account and notarized” or a court order. After an accident, ACA says to call your insurer, then ACA’s claims line. Insurers often ask for the lienholder address: ACA’s dealer contact page lists a “Lien Holder” address “(For all states)” in Wilmington, Ohio, and a “Loss Payee” address in Carmel, Indiana. If you pay off early or the car is totaled, ask about refunds on any service contract or GAP you bought: ACA lists a “Rebates” line for “Extended Service Contracts & GAP Cancellations,” and our guide to [cancelling GAP](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) explains how refunds are usually figured. ## Repossession and getting the car back ACA posts the script its agents read when a borrower wants a repossessed car back. The PDF version (“Script Revision Date: 02/05/2021”) says “ACA will continue to prepare the vehicle for auction until payment is made and all documents are received,” and asks you to drop the key at the repossession lot: “Failure to do so, could result in a key fee.” It warns that “In addition to your past-due payments, there are repossession fees associated with recovery of your vehicle,” and that ACA “may not have received all invoices for repossession related fees” when it quotes you; later invoices “must be paid with your next scheduled payment.” The web-page version of the same disclosure leaves out the sentence about repossession fees. Two more lines are easy to miss. “The total amount collected by ACA will not include the amount owed to the repossession lot or auction,” so you pay the lot or auction separately. And payment other than money gram or certified funds “may delay the reinstatement process.” Personal property is free to retrieve, ACA says, but unclaimed property “may be disposed of after a period of time, as permitted by state law.” State law sets the floor. ACA posts South Carolina’s consumer-loan pamphlet, which says the lender “must send you a ‘Notice of Right to Cure’ before repossessing the property,” after which “you have twenty (20) days to make the missed payment(s).” In Massachusetts, the 2017 consent order (below) required ACA to stop charging interest after the date of repossession. ACA’s dealer page says “No GPS,” unlike the tracking devices common on [buy here pay here loans](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#devices). Repossession is the issue in 351 of ACA’s vehicle-loan complaints (21.4%), including 89 about the balance left after the sale. Our guides to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [what you owe after the sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale) cover the general rules. ## Where ACA’s loans go: private securitizations, not SEC prospectuses ACA funds itself partly by bundling loans into trusts named American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust and selling notes to investors. Its depositor’s SEC filings name eight such deals from 2025-1 (filed 8 January 2025) to 2026-4 (filed 28 September 2026), about four a year. None is registered with the SEC. On EDGAR, American Credit Acceptance, LLC has 22 filings since 2012 and its depositor, American Credit Acceptance Receivables LLC, has 41 since 2017, and every one is a Form ABS-15G. The 2025 and 2026 forms give each trust’s EDGAR number as “Not applicable,” and the accountants’ report filed with the 2026-4 deal refers to “the offering memorandum,” the document used when securities are sold privately rather than registered. No document we read names the exemption used, and we did not use rating-agency presale reports. That matters for anyone judging ACA’s pricing. Lenders that register their deals publish pool tables with average APRs, credit scores and losses; our [Exeter Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#rates-and-terms) reads them. For ACA, no public filing prints any of that. ACA’s first ABS-15G, filed 10 February 2012, is a securitizer’s report covering 2009 to 2011, and its annual repurchase reports for 2024 and 2025 say there was “no activity to report.” Nothing in the filings changes how you pay: ACA’s pages send every customer’s payments to ACA. ## The Massachusetts record, ACA’s licences and what else we checked On 16 March 2016 the [Massachusetts Attorney General announced](https://www.mass.gov/news/thousands-of-massachusetts-drivers-to-receive-74-million-in-relief-on-high-interest-auto-loans-from-two-lenders) that “Two national auto lenders have agreed to provide a total of $7.4 million in relief to thousands of Massachusetts consumers over allegations they charged excessive interest rates on their subprime auto loans.” Under assurances of discontinuance filed in Suffolk Superior Court, ACA and Westlake agreed “to eliminate interest on certain loans they purchased that allegedly included excessive interest rates due to the inclusion of so-called GAP coverage,” to forgive outstanding interest and to reimburse interest already paid. The release puts ACA’s share at “approximately $1.7 million,” about 23% of the total by our arithmetic, and explains the mechanism: GAP fees “caused the effective interest rates on the loans to exceed the 21 percent state interest cap.” We did not find the assurance itself on mass.gov. On 14 November 2017 the [Massachusetts Division of Banks](https://www.mass.gov/consent-order/american-credit-acceptance-llc-consent-order) issued a consent order (Docket Number 2016-003) after an examination as of 29 December 2015, whose report “alleged substantial non-compliance.” ACA agreed “without admitting any allegations.” The order required ACA to stop acquiring Massachusetts accounts above the 21% limit; to review Massachusetts GAP accounts acquired since 1 January 2008 and refund those whose “GAP Test APR” exceeded 21%; to “immediately cease assessing interest after the date of repossession” and refund such interest on repossessions since 21 June 2013; to build a compliance management system; and to file quarterly progress reports. The order page says it “was terminated on December 6, 2021,” about 4.1 years later by our arithmetic. Westlake’s own Massachusetts order is in our [Westlake review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#other-actions). **The public record on American Credit Acceptance, from the documents read on 6 October 2026** | Date | What happened | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 16 March 2016 | Massachusetts assurances of discontinuance with ACA and Westlake over GAP and the 21% cap; about $1.7 million in relief for ACA loans; allegations, settled | Massachusetts AG release | | 14 November 2017 | Division of Banks consent order, Docket 2016-003: 21% limit, GAP testing, no interest after repossession, compliance program; no admission | Consent order | | 6 December 2021 | The 2017 consent order is terminated | Consent order page | | 17 September 2026 | Multistate settlement with Credit Acceptance Corporation, a different company; ACA is not a party | New York AG release | | 6 October 2026 | The CFPB’s enforcement index lists no action under the title “american credit acceptance” | CFPB enforcement page | The CFPB index check has a control: the same filter with “credit acceptance” returns Credit Acceptance Corporation, so the empty result for ACA is real. Searches of official sources found no other state action naming ACA, though such searches are never complete, and we read no court docket, so we describe no lawsuit. ACA’s licensing page lists NMLS 345863, Alabama Consumer Credit License MC 20521, South Carolina Supervised Lenders licenses SL and SLW1 345863, and Wisconsin Sales Finance License 506. The Alabama link points to a file whose name gives a 31 December 2022 expiry; we could not open it and did not check for a renewal. Confirm current licenses on the NMLS Consumer Access site. ## CFPB complaints and Trustpilot: what 4,102 reports and 15 reviews show The CFPB’s [complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) held 4,102 complaints naming “American Credit Acceptance, LLC” (the CFPB’s spelling; a free-text search finds the same 4,102), received from 10 January 2013 to 6 October 2026 and pulled on 6 October 2026. They are unverified reports that consumers submit and the company answers, and their number grows with a lender’s size, so they show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026; only counts are used here. By product, 1,662 complaints (40.5%) fall under the three credit-reporting labels the CFPB has used, 1,644 (40.1%) concern the vehicle loan itself, and 618 (15.1%) debt collection; 134 older ones sit under the CFPB’s former “Consumer Loan” label. The largest issues overall are “Incorrect information on your report” (821) and “Improper use of your report” (634). Within the car-loan complaints, managing the loan leads (530, including 212 billing problems), then repossession (351), struggling to pay (239, of which 129 are a “Denied request to lower payments”), getting the loan (178) and the end of the loan (164, including 61 about the title). ACA closed 3,800 (92.6%) “with explanation” and 16 with monetary relief, and the CFPB marks 395 (9.6%) as not answered on time. **CFPB complaints naming American Credit Acceptance, LLC, by year received (pulled 6 October 2026)** | Year | All complaints | Vehicle loan or lease | Credit reporting | Debt collection | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 222 | 98 | 85 | 33 | | 2022 | 281 | 117 | 130 | 30 | | 2023 | 389 | 189 | 169 | 26 | | 2024 | 554 | 234 | 259 | 55 | | 2025 | 1,017 | 365 | 469 | 178 | | 2026 (to 6 October) | 1,023 | 419 | 393 | 204 | Complaints in 2025 were 1.84 times the 2024 count and 4.58 times the 2021 count, and by 6 October 2026 the year had already passed all of 2025, by our arithmetic. ACA publishes no history of its loan book, so we cannot say how much of that rise is growth. On [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/americancreditacceptance.com), read once on 6 October 2026, ACA’s profile is marked “Unclaimed profile” and shows a TrustScore of 1.9 (“Poor”) from 15 reviews, 9 of them in the past 12 months; 80% are one-star and 7% five-star. Trustpilot notes “No history of asking for reviews.” Fifteen reviews is too few to say much. ACA’s customer and dealer pages say it “is accredited with the Better Business Bureau”; BBB’s site blocked our reading, so we could not confirm the rating or the accreditation, and you can check it on bbb.org yourself. ## The fine print, and a checklist before you sign ACA’s Terms of Service (last updated 14 May 2024) govern its website, not your loan: where they conflict with “any retail installment contract, modification to a retail installment contract, or settlement,” the contract or settlement controls. For website disputes they require individual claims “without resort to any form of class actions,” a one-year deadline and South Carolina courts, and cap ACA’s liability for use of the site at $100. They ask for notice of disputed charges “within [ten (10)] business days,” template brackets included. The privacy policy (last updated 14 July 2025) says ACA may share “your name, contact details, and account history” with “non-affiliated financial institutions” under joint marketing agreements, and lists “data brokers” among the third parties it may disclose information to. It records calls (“audio information (e.g., call recordings)”) and says “We recognize the Global Privacy Control.” Its federal financial privacy notice is available only by email request. - **Bring your own financing quote.** ACA publishes no rates, so a bank or credit union offer is the simplest way to judge the APR on the contract. - **Read the APR, finance charge and term before signing.** ACA’s own example shows how a 25% simple-interest loan punishes late payments; the Finance Charge box on the first page of your contract shows the interest cost. - **Check every add-on line.** In Massachusetts, GAP charges were what pushed ACA loans past the state’s 21% cap, the Attorney General alleged. Know what each product costs and whether you can cancel it. - **Answer the interview and confirm the text carefully.** ACA asks you to confirm loan details within 48 hours; if what you hear differs from your paperwork, say so before confirming. - **Set up AutoPay once you are current.** It is free, avoids processing fees and keeps simple interest from piling up on late days. - **Get hardship terms in writing.** ACA does not refinance, and interest accrues during extensions. - **At payoff, use the address on your quote and ask when the title will be released.** ACA’s pages disagree on the payoff address and give no title-release timeline. ## Common questions ### What is the American Credit Acceptance phone number? ACA’s customer service number is 1-866-544-3430, for payments, payoffs and account questions, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. Separate lines exist for SCRA requests (1-855-292-6426), insurance claims (1-855-292-6430) and titles (877-811-1620). ### How do I log in or make a payment to American Credit Acceptance? Use ACA’s customer portal at myloan.acacceptance.com, with your 11-digit account number from your statement. Payments run through Speedpay. AutoPay and mailed checks are free; card, phone and one-time online payments carry a processing fee. Password problems are handled by phone. ### Is American Credit Acceptance the same as Credit Acceptance? No. American Credit Acceptance, LLC is a lender in Spartanburg, South Carolina, whose only SEC filings are asset-backed securities forms. Credit Acceptance Corporation is a separate, Nasdaq-listed lender in Southfield, Michigan. The $700 million settlement announced on 17 September 2026 is with Credit Acceptance Corporation; ACA is not part of it. ### Is American Credit Acceptance legit? It is a licensed lender (NMLS 345863) that buys and services real car loans, works with dealers including CarMax, and has filed securitization reports with the SEC since 2012. Its record includes the 2016 Massachusetts settlement over GAP and the state’s 21% cap and a 2017 Massachusetts consent order, agreed without admission and terminated in 2021. Whether a loan from ACA is a good deal depends on the APR and add-ons in your contract. ### Does American Credit Acceptance refinance loans or give payment extensions? ACA’s FAQ says “ACA does not offer contract refinancing.” For a temporary hardship it asks you to call 1-866-544-3430, and a due-date change depends on the status of your account. ACA posts no extension rules, but says interest continues to accrue during extension periods. To lower your rate, you would need another lender to refinance the loan and pay ACA off. ### What is American Credit Acceptance’s lienholder or payoff address? ACA’s dealer contact page lists a lienholder address “(For all states)” in Wilmington, Ohio, and a loss-payee address in Carmel, Indiana, for insurers. For payoffs, its FAQ gives a Dallas PO box (with an Irving lockbox for overnight delivery) while its Contact Us page names its Spartanburg office, so use the address printed on your 10-day payoff quote and confirm it with ACA before you send money. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [SEC EDGAR filings: CarMax, Inc.](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1170010) - [SEC EDGAR filings: Credit Acceptance Corporation](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=885550) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/ --- title: "Kia Finance Review: Paying, Payoff, Lease End and the Record" description: "Kia Finance is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America. What its pages say about paying and lease-end charges, its Kia loan data, and its 2022 CFPB order." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Kia Finance Review: Paying, Payoff, Lease End and the Record > Kia Finance is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America. What its pages say about paying and lease-end charges, its Kia loan data, and its 2022 CFPB order. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 5,005 words* ## The short version - Kia Finance America is not a separate lender. It is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America (HCA), which Hyundai Motor America owns about 80% and Kia America about 20%. Your loan or lease is with HCA. - The lease-end brochure Kia Finance links prints the charges: $.20 a mile over your allowance, a disposition fee “specified in the lease contract”, and a loyalty reward of up to $900 if you lease or finance a new Kia through Kia Finance within 60 days. - Kia Finance prints no payment fee, late fee, grace period or title timeline on any public page we could read. Its FAQ answers open only inside the site’s app, so check your contract and statement. - HCA’s September 2026 bond prospectus reports its Kia-dealer loans separately: 899,618 accounts and $20.9 billion at 30 June 2026, with 2.62% of balances 30 or more days late, against 1.88% for Hyundai and Genesis. - In July 2022 the CFPB ordered HCA to pay $13.2 million in redress and a $6 million penalty for years of wrong credit reporting on loans and leases from Hyundai, Kia and Genesis dealers. HCA neither admitted nor denied the findings. - In the CFPB complaint database, 18.3% of HCA’s vehicle complaints are about getting the title after payoff, against 7.2% across all lenders. Kia customers’ complaints can’t be separated from Hyundai’s and Genesis’s. Most people who search “Kia Finance” want to log in, pay or pay a car off. On 6 October 2026 we read what Kia Finance America publishes without a login: its home, contact, FAQ, lease-end, purchasing, leasing and resources pages, its Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and the lease-end brochure the site links. We also read Hyundai Capital America’s company and investor pages, the [prospectus for Hyundai Auto Receivables Trust 2026-C](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1260125/000110465926108507/tm2624221d10_424b5.htm) filed with the SEC on 17 September 2026, the CFPB’s 2022 consent order, the Justice Department’s 2024 servicemember case and the CFPB’s complaint counts. Kia Finance’s terms require its written consent before another site links to it, so we name its pages without linking them. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Kia, HCA or any lender. **Figure: Kia Finance: what its own documents say** A two-column table of seven points on a Kia Finance account set against Kia Finance America’s and Hyundai Capital America’s own documents: Kia Finance is Hyundai Capital America doing business under another name, and Kia America owns about 20% of HCA; the lease-end brochure charges $.20 a mile over the allowance; the disposition fee is set in the lease contract, with a loyalty reward covering up to $400 for customers who lease or finance a new Kia through Kia Finance within 60 days; scratches and dents under 4 inches count as acceptable wear, and the same reward covers up to $500 of wear charges; leases must go back to an authorized Kia dealer and ending early may bring significant charges; HCA generally tries to repossess at around 80 days past due and sells at auction within 45 days; and 2.62% of HCA’s Kia-dealer loan balances were 30 or more days late at 30 June 2026, against 1.88% for Hyundai and Genesis. Read from Kia Finance America’s pages and lease-end brochure and from Hyundai Capital America’s HART 2026-C prospectus (filed 17 September 2026) on 6 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Kia Finance America is, and who it is not Kia Finance America’s own documents answer this three ways. Its Terms and Conditions end: “Kia Finance America is a trademark of Hyundai Capital America, a California corporation and/or its affiliates.” Its Privacy Policy calls it “the trade name of Hyundai Capital America, a California corporation”. Its customer privacy notice, revised April 2025, answers “Who is providing this notice?” with “Hyundai Capital America dba Kia Finance America.” HCA’s own privacy page adds the old name: “Kia Finance America (formerly known as Kia Motors Finance)”. So the company that holds your contract, sends your statement and reports to the credit bureaus is HCA. HCA is owned by both carmakers’ US arms. Its prospectus says HCA “was incorporated in the State of California on September 6, 1989,” that Hyundai Motor America “owns approximately 80% of the outstanding common stock”, and that “Kia America, Inc. (formerly known as Kia Motors America, Inc.)” owns “approximately 20%”. HCA’s company timeline dates its Kia business to 2005: “Expanded to support Kia sales”. The shared plumbing shows on the website too: Kia Finance’s “page not found” page offers “How do I contact Hyundai Motor Finance?” as a popular topic. Kia America, the carmaker’s distributor, is a different company. Kia Finance’s Privacy Policy lists it among its affiliates as one of the “non-financial companies such as Kia America inc.” Kia America stands behind the factory warranty and the certified pre-owned program; HCA holds the loan. Our guides to [Kia’s extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-extended-warranty/) and [Kia certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/kia-certified-pre-owned/) cover the carmaker’s side. Kia Finance does not lend to you directly. Its terms say: “Kia Finance America is not a direct lender or seller of motor vehicles,” and “The price and final terms of any vehicle purchase or lease are set by you and your Kia dealer.” The dealer writes the contract and HCA buys it, and HCA’s prospectus says: “If HCA considers an applicant to be relatively less credit worthy and, as a result, a greater risk, HCA will assign the applicant a higher interest rate and lower permissible advance rates.” Because the dealer sets the final terms, the rate is negotiable; our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains dealer-arranged rates. HCA’s investor page says it is “servicing approximately 2.7 million customers and 1,800 dealers across the U.S., with total assets reaching $76 billion in 2024”; its company page says “over 3 million customers”. HCA files no annual reports with the SEC: its EDGAR list holds 15 filings from 2012 to 2026, all Form ABS-15G, the repurchase reports securitizers file. Its condensed financial statements sit in a folder its investor site’s robots.txt closes to automated readers, so the numbers below come from its bond prospectus instead. ## Logging in and paying: what Kia Finance publishes On 6 October 2026, most Kia Finance pages we read carried a banner: “Login services may be temporarily unavailable. While the website will remain accessible, account access and other authenticated features may be impacted.” The home page lists what the online account holds: “account alerts and summary, statements, your FICO® Score and more,” plus Autopay, paperless billing and a title tracker. The FAQ has a “Payments & Fees” topic with the questions “What are my payment options?”, “Can I post-date a payment?” and “Can another party make a payment on my account?”. The answers, and the rest of the list behind “View More”, open only inside the site’s app, which our reading tools could not do. So we cannot say what Kia Finance tells customers about fees, cut-off times or grace periods. Here is what the public documents say: **Ways to pay a Kia Finance account and what the public documents say about each, read 6 October 2026** | Method | What the documents say | Fee printed? | | --- | --- | --- | | Online account and Autopay | The home page promotes Autopay; HCA’s prospectus says customers “may enroll in a variety of recurring and one-time automated clearinghouse programs that debit funds directly from their bank accounts” | None on the pages read | | Debit card | The Privacy Policy says a debit-card payment is “processed by a trusted third-party payment processor”, and Kia Finance is “not responsible for payment failures, errors, or unauthorized charges” from those services | None on the pages read | | Phone | The Contact Us page offers an automated phone system for “account status, date of last payment received, and pay-off information”; the prospectus mentions direct debit “online or by phone” | None on the pages read | | Mail | Separate addresses for lease payments and finance payments, each with “Please write account number on check.” | None printed | | Overnight payoff | Separate overnight payoff addresses for finance and lease accounts | None printed | Use the address for your account type; letters go to a separate address marked “Written Correspondence Only (Not Payments)”. The phone numbers are on the Contact Us page and your statement. Customer service answers “Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern)”, and the collections department also works Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Timing matters on a Kia Finance loan because interest is simple interest, counted by the day. HCA’s prospectus says each “payment is first applied to interest accrued and then the remaining payment is applied to the unpaid outstanding principal balance due and then to other charges,” and that paying before the due date means less goes to interest and more to principal. Paying late works the other way. The terms also warn that an online balance “may not include amounts you may owe for expenses incurred but not yet billed to your account.” ## Payoff quotes, buyouts and getting your title The FAQ’s “Payoffs & Buyouts” topic lists “Finance Payoff Process”, “Lease Buyout Title Process” and “How can I obtain a payoff/buyout quote?”, again with answers we could not open. What is public: the automated phone line gives “pay-off information”, the Contact Us page has its own overnight payoff addresses, and the home page says the account’s “title tracker tool can help you stay informed about where you are in the title/lien release process.” Kia Finance prints no title timeline on any public page we could read. That gap matters, because title delays loom large in HCA’s complaint file: 748 of its 4,086 vehicle loan or lease complaints, 18.3%, fall under “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off”, against 7.2% of all such complaints in the CFPB database, by our arithmetic. Keep the payoff confirmation, check the title tracker, and if your state holds titles electronically, ask the state titling office whether the lien has been released. To buy a leased Kia, the brochure the Lease-End Overview links says: “Request a Buyout Quote by logging into your kiafinance.com account and submitting the Odometer Disclosure Statement, which can be found in Document Services. The statement is required for titling purposes along with the Buyout final payment.” The price is “a fixed price plus a predetermined purchase option fee” set in the lease contract. An older copy of the brochure, still linked from the Self-Assessment page, says to get the quote from your dealer, the website or an advisor instead. Our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains the residual and the fees to check. Nothing in the public documents stops you refinancing a Kia Finance loan with another lender, who pays HCA off. Get a payoff figure first and watch for the title transfer; see our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/). ## Falling behind: what HCA’s filing says happens Kia Finance’s public pages say nothing about collections; HCA’s prospectus does. For its own tables, HCA counts a payment as late “when an obligor fails to make at least 83% of the scheduled monthly payment by the related due date.” The collection clock runs like this: - **Day 1 to about day 79.** “Early stage collection begins contacting customers as early as 1 day delinquent and continues through about 79 days delinquent.” - **Around day 80.** Accounts move to late-stage collection, and “If the delinquent vehicle cannot be brought current or completely collected by around 80 days delinquent, HCA generally attempts to repossess the vehicle.” - **Within 45 days of repossession.** “Vehicles generally are sold at auction within 45 days of repossession.” - **About day 120.** Contracts are generally charged off “at the earlier of 120 days delinquent, the sale of the repossessed vehicle or 30 days from the repossession.” - **After the sale.** Any shortfall “may be pursued by or on behalf of HCA to the extent practicable and legally permitted.” Before that point, help is discretionary. HCA “will grant extensions or deferments of contracts in accordance with its customary servicing procedures,” which “may change at the discretion of HCA,” and runs relief programs after events “including pandemics and natural disasters.” Ask early, and get any extension or due-date change in writing. Kia Finance’s Privacy Policy, effective 17 December 2025, adds a clause most borrowers will not expect. If you “have materially breached the terms of the applicable agreement,” Kia Finance says it may, “to the extent permitted by applicable law”, “use vehicle connected service technology (including geolocation features, where available) to locate the vehicle for purposes of communicating with you and/or recovering the Vehicle.” The clause covers leases and loans alike. Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers redemption and reinstatement by state. Keep your insurance in force. Each borrower “is required to maintain specific levels and types of insurance,” but HCA “does not track or monitor whether there is insurance coverage in effect” and does not “purchase insurance for the account of a financed vehicle owner” when cover lapses. A lapse leaves you uninsured and in breach at once. Service members have extra protection: the prospectus notes the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest at “6% per annum during the period of the obligor’s active duty.” ## Ending a Kia lease: return, buy or replace Kia Finance says it will “mail you a Lease-End Kit four months before your contract maturity date,” and frames three choices: “whether to drive off in a new Kia, buy your current leased vehicle, or just return it.” The print-friendly version the Lease-End Overview links is a 2024 brochure, and on returns it is blunt: “Can I return my car to a non Kia dealer? No, your vehicle must be returned to an authorized Kia dealer.” Its checklist for a return: clean the car and “remove any remotes and toll tags”; make sure “all equipment originally provided with the vehicle is present”; “Cancel any automatic payments you have set up”; and, if unsure about the car’s condition, book “a complimentary pre-termination inspection at your preferred location.” Both that inspection and the website’s Self-Assessment tool (“Set aside 5-10 minutes to complete”) give “an estimate only, which is not binding”; final charges come from a formal inspection after turn-in, and the online estimates “do not reflect state sales tax.” The brochure lists what can still be billed after you hand the car back: “1. Excess wear and use 2. Excess mileage 3. Disposition (turn-in) fee 4. Any past-due and unpaid monthly payments 5. Any other fees (e.g., unpaid late payment fees, taxes, tolls, parking violations)”. Ending early is open-ended: it “is considered an early termination and may result in significant charges. Refer to your contract for more information.” No formula is published. Our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares other exits; the Kia Finance FAQ questions we could see did not mention transfers. **Bills can follow the car.** The brochure says that if you do not cancel or transfer the plates as your state requires, “you remain liable after lease termination for all tickets, official fees, and taxes billed on that vehicle.” In personal property tax states (it lists AR, CT, KY, MA, MO, RI, TX, VA and WV), Kia Finance pays the tax bill and “you are responsible for reimbursing Kia Finance America for those amounts pursuant to your contract terms.” In CT, KY, MA and VA it asks for proof the plates were cancelled or transferred. ## Mileage, wear and the disposition fee Kia Finance’s brochure prints one per-mile figure: “At lease end, you will be responsible for excess mileage charges of $.20 per mile over the mileage option you’ve chosen.” As a hypothetical, a lease 1,000 miles over would owe $200 and one 3,000 miles over $600, by our arithmetic. Your lease contract governs the actual rate, and the Leasing page says you can choose “your mileage allowance”. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers how to size it. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the instrument screen, the centre console and the steering wheel, with Kia Finance's excess-mileage charge, the disposition fee and its loyalty cover, and where a Kia Finance lease must be returned. Kia Finance’s lease-end brochure, read on 6 October 2026, charges $.20 for each mile over the allowance (callout 1), leaves the disposition fee to the lease and covers up to $400 of it when a new Kia is leased or financed through Kia Finance within 60 days (callout 2), and says the car must go back to an authorized Kia dealer (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. For wear, the brochure prints a short list of what counts as acceptable. Damage beyond these limits may be billed after the dealer’s inspection: **Acceptable wear and use in Kia Finance America’s lease-end brochure (2024 print, read 6 October 2026)** | Item | Acceptable, as the brochure prints it | | --- | --- | | Scratches | Less than 4 inches | | Dings and dents | Less than 4 inches | | Windshield cracks | Less than 2 inches | | Tire tread | 1/8 inch or more from the lowest point | | Window or paint chips | Less than 1/2 inch | The disposition fee is the charge for turning the car in instead of buying it. The brochure defines it as “A disposition (turn-in) fee, specified in the lease contract, payable at lease-end if the lessee does not purchase the vehicle”, and prints no amount. What it does print is a loyalty reward: “When you lease or finance a new Kia with Kia Finance America within 60 days of returning your lease, you’ll enjoy a special Loyalty Reward up to $900 to cover your Disposition (turn-in) Fee up to $400, and Excess Wear and Use Charges up to $500.” Its footnote says “within 60 days of terminating your lease,” so if you end early, count from whichever date is earlier. Read the reward’s limits from its wording: it needs a new Kia, financed or leased through Kia Finance, so a used Kia or outside financing does not qualify; and if your contract’s disposition fee is above $400, the difference is yours. ## GAP, insurance and add-on products Kia Finance says its lease includes GAP: its Resources page promises “peace-of-mind with a built-in Guaranteed Asset Protection Plan (GAP)”. If you are leasing through Kia Finance, read the lease before paying for a separate GAP product on top; our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) explains how lease GAP works. On a loan, GAP is a separate product sold with the contract. The FAQ has questions titled “How do I cancel an ancillary product such as Extended Warranty/GAP/Credit Insurance?” and “How do I file a GAP claim?”; the answers sit in the app, so ask in writing for any refund amount and where it was credited. Our guide to [cancelling GAP](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) covers refunds, and the [Kia extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-extended-warranty/) covers service contracts sold with the loan. The home page also promotes car insurance: “Kia Finance America has partnered with Root Insurance to give you a great rate for your Kia.” That is Kia Finance’s claim, which we have not tested. The Purchasing page adds that buyers’ “Insurance premiums are typically lower than those required for leasing the same vehicle.” ## What HCA’s bond filing shows about Kia Finance loans HCA funds its loans partly by selling bundles of them to trusts that issue bonds. The latest, Hyundai Auto Receivables Trust 2026-C, issued $2,066,160,000 of notes, and its prospectus, filed on 17 September 2026, reports HCA’s whole retail loan portfolio split by dealer brand. The “Kia” tables cover contracts tied to Kia dealers, including ones sold to trusts that HCA still services. They exclude leases, and the prospectus never uses the name “Kia Finance America”. **HCA’s Kia-dealer retail loan portfolio and 30+ day delinquency, from the HART 2026-C prospectus (filed 17 September 2026)** | Date | Kia accounts | Kia balances | Kia 30+ days late (share of balances) | Hyundai and Genesis 30+ days late | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 31 December 2021 | 665,185 | $14.1 billion | 2.30% | 1.45% | | 31 December 2022 | 650,412 | $14.1 billion | 3.45% | 1.96% | | 31 December 2023 | 771,709 | $17.6 billion | 3.36% | 1.98% | | 31 December 2024 | 850,119 | $19.4 billion | 3.41% | 2.20% | | 31 December 2025 | 903,019 | $20.7 billion | 3.41% | 2.35% | | 30 June 2026 | 899,618 | $20.9 billion | 2.62% | 1.88% | Kia-dealer contracts made up 45% of HCA’s serviced retail balances and accounts at 30 June 2026, out of $46.4 billion and 1,998,873 accounts, and the Kia book grew 35.8% by account count from the end of 2021 to the end of 2025, by our arithmetic. Kia-dealer loans run behind HCA’s Hyundai and Genesis loans on every delinquency, charge-off and repossession figure we compared. At 30 June 2026, 23,973 Kia accounts were 30 or more days late, 2.62% of balances, about 1.4 times the Hyundai-and-Genesis rate of 1.88%. In the first half of 2026, net charge-offs on Kia loans ran at an annualized 0.99% of average balances ($102.5 million), against 0.84%; HCA repossessed 10,642 Kia-dealer vehicles, an annualized 2.36% of accounts, against 8,933 and 1.61%. In 2025 it repossessed 19,479 Kia-dealer vehicles, 2.21% of accounts and about 53.4 a day, by our arithmetic, against 1.45% on the Hyundai side. The filing warns that its percentages “have not been adjusted to eliminate the effect of the growth of HCA’s portfolio”, and it does not say why the two books differ. The 2026-C pool itself is a selected slice, not a sample of all borrowers: contracts of $5,000 to $100,000 with 24 to 84 scheduled payments that were “not more than 30 days past due” at the 10 August 2026 cut-off. In it, 32,611 Kia contracts carried just over $1 billion, 43.43% of the pool. Their weighted average credit score at origination was 773, the same as the Hyundai contracts, and 99.87% were for new cars. Yet the Kia contracts carried a weighted average APR of 5.12% against 4.06% for Hyundai, 1.06 points higher, and 8.85% of the Kia balance ran 73 or more payments, against 4.99%. These are averages for one bond pool, not rates on offer, and the filing gives no reason for the gap. ## The CFPB’s 2022 order and the 2024 servicemember case **The credit-reporting order.** On 26 July 2022 the CFPB issued a [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/hyundai-capital-america/) against HCA, file number 2022-CFPB-0005. The order defines the respondent as “Hyundai Capital America and its successors and assigns” and finds that its “primary business is the purchase and servicing of retail installment contracts and vehicle leases originated by Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis dealerships.” That sentence is the only place the order names Kia. It does not use the names Kia Finance America or Kia Motors Finance, and it defines the consumers owed redress by what HCA reported, not by brand: anyone HCA wrongly reported as “30 or more days past due on an automobile retail installment contract or lease” from January 2016 through 2 March 2020. Kia-dealer customers are inside that definition on its words. The findings are specific. HCA furnished inaccurate payment histories “In more than 8.7 million instances across 2.2 million accounts”, including about 570,000 instances showing missed payments on accounts that were current. A lease coding error affected “the Respondent’s entire lease portfolio” in 1.4 million instances. It reported wrong delinquency dates in over 537,000 instances on more than 168,000 accounts, inflated original loan amounts in over 2.2 million instances on over 1.2 million accounts, and flagged accounts as delinquent with no amount past due in over 2.9 million instances on more than 189,000 accounts. A 2018 internal audit found one system upgrade had wrongly reported “almost 18,000 consumers who were current (paid-in-full on their retail installment contracts)” as delinquent, and when customers disputed errors, HCA’s systems sometimes “overrode those corrections and reinserted the error.” The order required $13,200,000 in redress, paid as a credit to open accounts or by check to closed ones, and a $6,000,000 civil money penalty: $19.2 million in all, by our arithmetic, which the CFPB called its “largest Fair Credit Reporting Act case against an auto servicer.” HCA consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” By its terms the order runs at least 5 years, to 26 July 2027 at the earliest, by our arithmetic; on 6 October 2026 the CFPB listed its status as “Post Order/Post Judgment”. No document we read says how much redress has been paid. **The servicemember repossession case.** On 8 May 2024 the Justice Department filed a complaint in the Central District of California alleging that HCA violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by “repossessing 26 motor vehicles leased or owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without first obtaining the required court orders.” Its release describes one case, a 2014 Hyundai Elantra repossessed in 2017, and alleges 25 more between 15 April 2015 and 21 May 2023; neither the release nor the [case page](https://www.justice.gov/crt/case/united-states-v-hyundai-capital-america-cd-cal) says how many of the 26 were Kias. The court approved a consent order on 26 November 2024 requiring HCA to pay “$10,000 plus any lost equity” to each affected servicemember, repair their credit, train staff and pay a civil penalty of $74,941. The release’s headline says HCA “has agreed to pay $333,941”, but its own terms, 26 times $10,000 plus $74,941, come to $334,941 before lost equity, by our arithmetic. We could not open the order to settle the $1,000 gap. HCA’s prospectus refers to “HCA’s alleged violations of the SCRA”. **Check your credit reports after payoff or lease return.** The CFPB’s order found HCA reporting current and paid-off accounts as late for years, and credit reporting is the second-largest group of complaints filed against it. Pull your reports from all three bureaus after the final payment or turn-in, and dispute any late mark with the bureau and with Kia Finance in writing. ## Complaints: the CFPB database and Trustpilot The CFPB’s database holds 8,306 complaints under HYUNDAI CAPITAL AMERICA, received from 19 March 2012 to 1 October 2026, and none under any company name containing “kia”. The file mixes Kia Finance, Hyundai Motor Finance and Genesis Finance customers and cannot be split. Complaints are unverified reports, and their number grows with a lender’s size; HCA services nearly 2 million retail accounts before counting leases. We use counts only; the CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026. Vehicle loans and leases account for 4,086 complaints (49.2%), 3.9% of the 104,347 such complaints in the database, and leases make up 40.8% of them. Credit-reporting products add 2,828 (34%). In the vehicle file, billing problems lead with 809 (19.8%), followed closely by trouble getting the title after payoff at 748 (18.3%); then come repossession at 300 (7.3%), lease-end charges for mileage, wear, early termination and buyouts at 360 (8.8%), and add-on products at 212 (5.2%). HCA closed 76 vehicle complaints with monetary or non-monetary relief, 1.9%, against 9.4% across the whole product, by our arithmetic. Our [Hyundai extended warranty guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-extended-warranty/#lender) reads the add-on complaints in more detail. **Complaints against Hyundai Capital America in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 6 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All HCA complaints | | --- | --- | --- | | 2017 | 89 | 248 | | 2018 | 208 | 402 | | 2019 | 194 | 331 | | 2020 | 372 | 578 | | 2021 | 477 | 810 | | 2022 | 476 | 833 | | 2023 | 523 | 939 | | 2024 | 415 | 868 | | 2025 | 623 | 1,408 | | 2026 to 1 October | 709 | 1,455 | The 2017 vehicle figure starts with the CFPB’s current product label; before it, 447 vehicle loan and lease complaints sit under the older “Consumer Loan” label. All complaints were 1.5 times higher in 2025 than in 2023, by our arithmetic, and 2026 had passed 2025 by October. A count cannot say whether that reflects more problems, more customers or more people using the database. On Trustpilot, read on 6 October 2026, kiafinance.com has an unclaimed profile with 80 reviews, a TrustScore of 1.3 and 95% one-star ratings; 55 reviews arrived in the last 12 months. Trustpilot notes the company has no history of asking for reviews and that “reviews may not be representative.” Eighty self-selected reviews say little about a lender with 899,618 Kia loan accounts. ## If you have a Kia Finance loan or lease - **Know who you owe.** Your contract is with Hyundai Capital America; letters and credit reports may use that name. - **Read your contract for fees.** Kia Finance prints no late fee, grace period or payment-method fee on its public pages. - **Pay on or before the due date.** Simple interest means late payments put less toward principal. - **Use the right address** for loans, leases, payoffs and letters; each has its own. - **Keep insurance in force.** HCA does not track it or buy cover for you if it lapses. - **Track the title after payoff** in your account, and contact your state if it stalls. - **Before a lease return,** book the free pre-termination inspection, return only to an authorized Kia dealer, cancel Autopay and deal with the plates. - **Check your credit reports** after payoff or turn-in, and dispute any late mark in writing. ## Common questions ### Is Kia Finance the same company as Kia? No. Kia Finance America is a trade name of Hyundai Capital America, which also runs Hyundai Motor Finance and Genesis Finance; our [Hyundai Motor Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/hyundai-motor-finance-review/) reads their own pages. Kia America, the carmaker’s US distributor, owns about 20% of HCA and Hyundai Motor America about 80%. Kia America backs the warranty; HCA holds your loan or lease. ### How do I pay Kia Finance, and is there a fee? The documents we could read mention the online account and Autopay, debit cards through a third-party processor, an automated phone line and mail to separate loan and lease addresses. None prints a fee. Kia Finance’s own payment answers open only inside its app, so check your statement before using a card. ### How much does Kia Finance charge for extra miles? Its lease-end brochure says “$.20 per mile over the mileage option you’ve chosen.” Your lease contract sets the actual rate. At $.20, 1,000 extra miles would cost $200, by our arithmetic. ### What is the Kia Finance disposition fee? A turn-in fee “specified in the lease contract”, charged if you return the car instead of buying it. Kia Finance does not publish the amount. Its loyalty reward covers the fee up to $400, plus wear charges up to $500, if you lease or finance a new Kia through Kia Finance within 60 days. ### How long does Kia Finance take to send the title after payoff? Kia Finance publishes no timeline on any public page we could read; its online account has a title tracker. Title problems after payoff are 18.3% of HCA’s CFPB vehicle complaints, so keep your payoff confirmation and follow up early. ### Can I return my Kia lease to any dealer? No. The brochure says “your vehicle must be returned to an authorized Kia dealer.” Our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [GM Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/), [Honda Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/), [Chrysler Capital](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chrysler-capital-review/), [Global Lending Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/) and [American Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/) read other lenders’ documents the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/ --- title: "Global Lending Services Review: Login, Payments, Rates and Record" description: "Global Lending Services buys subprime car loans from dealers. Login and free payments, its 36% rate ceiling, the Sixth Street deal, 5,187 CFPB complaints." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Global Lending Services Review: Login, Payments, Rates and Record > Global Lending Services buys subprime car loans from dealers. Login and free payments, its 36% rate ceiling, the Sixth Street deal, 5,187 CFPB complaints. *Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,806 words* ## The short version - Global Lending Services (GLS) is a subprime auto lender in Greenville, South Carolina. You do not apply to it directly: a dealer writes your contract and sells it to GLS, which then collects the payments. To log in or pay, use myglsloan.com (you need the 10-digit account number on your statement) or call (866) 464-0269. - GLS publishes no rates. The only rate figure it posts is a South Carolina maximum rate schedule, issued 29 January 2026, that allows up to 36% APR on secured loans. Its dealer page advertises approvals with a “FICO AS LOW AS 400.” - Bank-account and debit-card payments in the portal and on the automated phone line are free. MoneyGram and Western Union payments “Fees may apply,” and credit cards are not accepted. - GLS’s public pages describe no skip-a-payment, extension or deferral program. The FAQ says you “may be eligible” to move your due date, so ask, and get any change in writing. - On 15 October 2025 GLS announced an agreement to be acquired by Sixth Street; terms were not disclosed. GLS sold loans into 29 securitizations from 2023 to 2026 that are not registered with the SEC, so no prospectus with rates or losses is public. - In the sources we checked, we found no CFPB or state enforcement action naming GLS. The CFPB database holds 5,187 complaints naming it, 59.1% about credit reporting by our arithmetic. BBB rates it A+ with 569 complaints in 3 years and a 1.15 review average. Global Lending Services is a licensed lender (NMLS 1089726) that buys car loans from dealers in what its BBB profile calls “the sub-prime market” and services them until they are paid off. On 6 October 2026 we read GLS’s customer pages, [FAQ](https://www.glsauto.com/faqs.html), contact, licensing and privacy pages, its website and portal terms, its South Carolina rate schedules, its 2021 ESG report, the 64 SEC filings of its securitization arm, the October 2025 Sixth Street announcement, four federal court opinions, and its CFPB and BBB counts. We entered no login, payment or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with GLS or any lender. **Figure: GLS’s website next to its own filings** A two-column table setting seven lines from Global Lending Services’ website against its own documents: affordable rates versus South Carolina rate schedules that allow up to 36% APR on secured loans of $5,943.84 to $52,186.00; approvals with a FICO as low as 400 and a 65% approval rate, against the 2021 ESG report’s over 70%; 21,400 dealers and $29B originated versus the October 2025 release’s more than 19,000 dealers and over $22 billion; free bank and debit payments versus fees on MoneyGram and Western Union and no credit cards; mail times of 7-10 business days versus the FAQ’s 5-7; no published late fees or extension terms; and 29 securitizations from 2023 to 2026 with no public prospectus. Read from GLS’s About, Dealers, Customers and FAQ pages, its South Carolina rate schedules, its 2021 ESG report and Form ABS-15G filings, and the 15 October 2025 Sixth Street release, on 6 October 2026. No login or payment was entered. ## How GLS works: a dealer writes the loan, GLS buys it GLS is an indirect lender. Its 2021 ESG report says “GLS maintains business and contractual relationships with automobile dealers to acquire retail installment sales contracts,” and its BBB profile describes the business the same way: GLS “purchases retail installment sales contracts for vehicles purchased in the sub-prime market.” The dealer sends your application to lenders, GLS’s software answers, and if the deal closes the dealer assigns the contract to GLS. You then pay GLS for the life of the loan. A 2023 federal court opinion shows the handoff in one real case. A buyer signed a retail installment contract at a franchised Infiniti store on 31 October 2020, and the same day the dealer “assigned the RISC to Global Lending.” The court called it “undisputed that Global Lending is the creditor and lender” for the loan, and noted that “creditors are not debt collectors when they act to collect debts owed to themselves.” So the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act did not reach GLS in that case. GLS is open about who it serves. “With nearly one-third of all customers not having access to prime credit, getting a loan can be challenging and expensive,” its About page says. Its dealer page advertises “14 Seconds to Decision,” a “65% Approval Rate” and “FICO AS LOW AS 400.” Software makes the call: the ESG report says automated models “determine the approval decision as well as the pricing and terms of the loan,” and that GLS verifies income and employment and, “in most cases,” adds “a customer interview within the loan origination process.” Expect GLS to contact you while the loan is being set up, and make sure what you hear matches what you signed. Where do the loans come from? The October 2025 release says GLS serves “franchise and independent auto dealerships,” and the ESG report lists “franchise dealers, OEM captives, bank and credit unions, and online auto purchasing platforms.” No GLS document gives the split. Our reviews of [Exeter Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#how-it-works), [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#dealer-tiers), [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works) and [American Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/) read other subprime lenders the same way, and our page on [buy here pay here lots](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#what-it-is) covers dealers that keep the loan themselves. ## GLS login and payments: myglsloan.com, phone, and what costs money GLS’s customer portal is myglsloan.com. Its FAQ walks through enrollment: select “Enroll Now,” verify your email, create a password, “Set up four security questions,” enter the emailed security code (which “is very time sensitive”), then link the loan with your name, account number, the last six of the VIN, the account ZIP code and your Social Security number. The account number is “the 10-digit number in the field labeled ‘Account Number’” on your monthly statement. Someone else can pay for you through Guest Pay with your account number, ZIP code and an email address. **Ways to pay Global Lending Services and what GLS says about cost and timing, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Cost, per GLS | Timing and notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Portal, one-time or recurring, from a bank account or debit card | Free (“Free Online/Mobile Payments”) | Before 7 p.m. Eastern posts the same day; may take 1-2 business days to show | | Automatic withdrawal from checking, savings or a debit account | Free | Set up in the portal or by phone | | Automated phone line, (866) 464-0269 | Free (“processed free of charge”) | Needs the 10-digit account number and billing ZIP code; runs around the clock | | Phone payment with an agent | No fee stated | Accepts checking, savings, prepaid and debit cards | | Mail (check, cashier’s check or money order) | None stated | Customers page: allow 7-10 business days; FAQ: allow 5-7. Do not mail cash | | MoneyGram or Western Union | “Fees may apply”; amount not printed | Use the payee details on your statement | | Credit card | Not accepted | “credit cards are not accepted at this time” | Two of GLS’s own pages disagree on mail: the Customers page says to allow 7-10 business days, the FAQ 5-7. Use the longer one. GLS also says that if a payment screen shows an error, “do not attempt to make another payment,” and call instead. A payment that bounces “may be submitted again,” and if the second try fails “it may be considered an Insufficient Funds transaction.” GLS prints no returned-payment fee; your contract and state law set it. One option borrowers rarely know about: GLS says to call Customer Service for help to “split up payments into weekly or bi-weekly installments.” Customer Care is (866) 464-0269, Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, closed Sunday; the portal and automated phone line run 24x7. GLS’s mailing addresses for payments, overnight payments, insurance papers and disputes all differ, so use the one printed on your statement or given by an agent. ## Does GLS offer skip-a-payment or payment extensions? Not on any public page we read. GLS’s website and FAQ describe no skip-a-payment, extension or deferral program, and give no eligibility rules, cost or limits for one. Three things come closest. The FAQ says “You may be eligible to request a change to your payment due date depending on the status of your account” and to call. The Customers page offers to split a monthly payment into weekly or bi-weekly pieces. And the 2021 ESG report says GLS aims “to provide payment alternatives that will help customers get back on track” when customers hit financial hardship. Whatever GLS offers costs interest. Its loans are “standard simple interest loans”: a simple interest loan “accrues interest daily from the day the contract is signed until the day it’s paid off,” and GLS warns that “frequent late payments may lead to a higher total cost of the loan.” Its own example is “($10,000 x 18%) / 365 = $4.93 per day.” Pushing a payment back 30 days on that example adds $147.95 of interest, by our arithmetic, which your next payments must cover before they reduce what you owe. **Until GLS confirms a change in writing, the old due date stands.** GLS prints no extension policy, so there are no published limits on what an agent can agree to, and no published promise either. Late fees depend, GLS says, on “state guidelines and the terms of your contract,” and its FAQ says it reports to the credit bureaus “in alignment with the terms” of the contract. Ask for the new due date, the extra interest and any effect on GAP or a service contract by email or letter before you skip anything. At Exeter, for comparison, [an extension does not stretch GAP coverage](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#simple-interest); GLS does not say either way. If the problem is the size of the payment rather than its timing, a refinance with another lender is the other route; our guide to [refinancing and loan-to-value](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value) explains why a loan that started underwater is hard to move. If payments have already stopped, read our page on [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) before the deadlines in your state pass. ## What GLS charges: no published rates, a 36% ceiling on file GLS publishes no APR for car buyers. Its software prices each application and the dealer writes the rate into the contract. Its About page speaks of “affordable auto loans at the best rates possible,” and its ESG report says it partners with pension funds, insurers, investors and banks to secure “the best rates for customers based on their individual credit.” Neither gives a number. The one number GLS posts is a ceiling. Under the form’s own wording, creditors making consumer loans in South Carolina and “intending to charge more than 18%” are “required by law to post a schedule” of their maximum rates, and GLS’s three schedules (for its Greenville office, its Tempe, Arizona office and glsauto.com), issued 29 January 2026 and valid to 31 January 2027, list a maximum APR of 36% fixed on secured loans of $5,943.84 to $52,186.00. The form itself says “Creditors are prohibited only from granting consumer credit at rates higher than those specified” and that a creditor “may be willing to grant you credit rate that are lower.” It is a cap posted for one state, not a rate anyone is quoted, but it is the most GLS says it “intends to charge” on these loans there. **A hypothetical $20,000 financed over 72 months at GLS’s FAQ example rate and at its South Carolina ceiling (our arithmetic, not GLS offers)** | APR | Monthly payment | Total interest | Daily interest at the start | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 18% (the rate in GLS’s own daily-interest example) | $456.16 | $12,844 | $9.86 | | 36% (the maximum in GLS’s South Carolina rate schedules) | $681.08 | $29,038 | $19.73 | On the same $20,000 and the same 72 months, the higher rate costs $224.92 more a month and $16,194 more in interest, by our arithmetic. The rate on your contract is the one that counts, and you see it before you sign, so bring a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union to compare, and read our guide to [how the term changes the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#term-structure). Simple interest also works in your favor. GLS says “Any payment made in excess of accrued interest and fees will automatically lower your principal,” which “may allow you to pay off your loan in advance of the scheduled term.” Payments go first to interest accrued since your last payment, then to principal; extra money beyond the monthly installment “first pay outstanding fees and then are applied to the principal.” GLS’s pages do not say whether any contract carries a prepayment charge, so check yours. ## Payoff, title release, insurance and add-ons For a payoff figure, GLS says the easiest route is the portal: “Select the Request Payoff Tab,” or call. After you pay off, “The certificate of title or lien satisfaction is sent to the authorized party in accordance with state-specific regulations after the payoff has been posted to your account and the account is paid in full.” If you have moved states and need GLS’s documents to re-title the car, the FAQ gives an email address for its titles team. First-time titling and registration are “handled by the selling dealer,” though the FAQ files that answer under the heading “How can I update my personal information?”, copied from another section. GLS requires “comprehensive and collision coverage with a maximum deductible of $1,000.” If the car is damaged and repairable, GLS’s FAQ treats the insurer’s payment as a “two party check” that GLS must endorse. It does so only after it receives “A copy of the body repair shop invoice for completed work; an estimate is not sufficient,” proof of payment if you paid the shop, and pictures of the repaired car; any overage goes to your principal. **A total-loss claim does not pause your payments.** GLS’s FAQ says the contract requires “that a customer meets his/her obligations even if a Total Loss occurs or if the vehicle is stolen,” and that GLS “will continue reporting to credit bureaus” under the contract while the claim runs. Keep paying until the insurer and any GAP product have settled the balance. Our page on [how GAP works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works) explains what it covers. If you want to cancel a vehicle service contract or GAP coverage bought with the loan, GLS asks you to call and “request to speak with a Total Loss representative prior to doing this.” Before you sign, ask for the payment with and without each add-on; they are financed at the contract rate. Our guide to the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) shows how to get that figure in writing. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a paper on the seat, the steering wheel and the dashboard, with the 36% ceiling in Global Lending Services' South Carolina rate schedules, its example of daily interest, and its insurance deductible limit. Global Lending Services’ South Carolina maximum rate schedules, read on 6 October 2026, allow up to a 36% APR on secured loans (callout 1); its FAQ says interest accrues daily, with $10,000 at 18% costing $4.93 a day (callout 2), and that borrowers must carry comprehensive and collision cover with deductibles of $1,000 or less (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## What GLS’s SEC filings show, and why there is no prospectus GLS sells pools of its loans into trusts that issue bonds to investors. Unlike Exeter, whose trusts file public prospectuses (see [our Exeter review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/#rates-and-terms)), GLS’s deals are not registered with the SEC. On EDGAR, its depositor, GLS Auto Receivables LLC (CIK 0001645741), has filed only Form ABS-15G: 64 of them from 19 June 2015 to 30 September 2026, and no prospectus, monthly distribution report or loan-level data. EDGAR’s company list gives no CIK to any “GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust” or “GLS Auto Select” trust, and the issuing-entity CIK line on every recent cover page is blank. So the APRs, credit scores, terms and loss rates of GLS’s pools are not public. We did not use rating-agency presale reports, which sit behind logins. What the filings do show is volume. Since 2023 GLS has run two programs, GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust and GLS Auto Select Receivables Trust; GLS does not publicly explain the difference. Each deal comes with a Deloitte & Touche report on a “Statistical Loan File,” which states how many loans were in it. **GLS securitizations by deal year: number of deals and loans in the accountants’ statistical files, from GLS’s Form ABS-15G filings (2026 to date)** | Deal year | GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust | GLS Auto Select Receivables Trust | All loans in statistical files | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2023 | 4 deals, 81,860 loans | 2 deals, 21,473 loans | 103,333 | | 2024 | 4 deals, 126,281 loans | 4 deals, 27,275 loans | 153,556 | | 2025 | 4 deals, 111,050 loans | 4 deals, 28,156 loans | 139,206 | | 2026 (to the 2026-4 Select deal) | 3 deals, 116,781 loans | 4 deals, 29,889 loans | 146,670 | By our arithmetic, the 2023 to 2025 deals’ files held 396,095 loans, and the Issuer Trust program accounted for 79.8% of the 2025 total. The largest single file, for GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust 2026-3 (as of 30 June 2026), held 42,461 loans, 2.55 times the 2023-1 file. A statistical file is the loan list a deal is marketed on, not a count of every loan GLS made. The reports also say what was checked. In the latest one Deloitte “randomly selected 150 automobile loans” and compared 11 characteristics, including the original APR, amount financed, term and FICO score, against the contracts, and found them “in agreement.” In reports filed since September 2025, the FICO check applies only to loans whose “REFINANCEFLAG” reads “FALSE,” so GLS’s recent files also hold refinanced loans, though its website offers no refinance product. The reports state plainly what they did not test: whether loans conformed to underwriting guidelines, the “value of collateral,” or compliance “with federal, state, and local laws.” GLS’s annual repurchase reports for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 each mark “no activity to report,” meaning no demand to repurchase a loan for a breach of GLS’s representations was reported. J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, BMO, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Mizuho are named with GLS as the parties the reports were prepared for. For a borrower, the trust changes little: you keep paying GLS. One oddity for anyone searching EDGAR: from 2025 the cover pages call the Select deals “GLS Auto Select Receivables Issuer Trust,” while the attached reports call them “GLS Auto Select Receivables Trust.” ## Who owns Global Lending Services: the Sixth Street agreement On 15 October 2025, in a release datelined Greenville and posted by [Sixth Street](https://sixthstreet.com/investment_announce/global-lending-services-enters-agreement-to-be-acquired-by-sixth-street/), GLS “announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Sixth Street, a global investment firm.” GLS’s chief executive and “long-tenured management team will continue to lead the Company,” and “Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.” Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo advised GLS; JPMorgan advised Sixth Street, which describes itself as having “over $115 billion in assets under management and committed capital.” Two caveats. First, the release announces an agreement; we found no GLS or Sixth Street document confirming when, or whether, the deal closed, and GLS’s own website does not mention Sixth Street. Second, earlier ownership is not documented in any primary source we found. GLS’s 2021 ESG report says only “OWNERSHIP: Privately held,” and its privacy notice (Rev. Feb 2025, before the agreement) says “Global Lending Services LLC currently has no affiliates.” News reports have named a previous owner, but we could not read them and do not repeat them. A change of owner does not rewrite your contract; keep paying GLS as your statement directs. GLS’s own size figures do not agree with each other, which is worth knowing when you read its marketing: **How big GLS says it is, by document (read 6 October 2026)** | Source | Dealers | Customers | Loans originated | Staff | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 ESG report | 12,500+ partners | 400,000+ (CEO letter: more than 450,000) | $8+ billion | 900+ | | October 2025 release | More than 19,000 | Over 1 million | Over $22 billion | 980 | | About page, undated | 21,400 | 1,260,000 lifetime | $29B | More than 1,000 | | Home page, undated | More than 20,000 | Over a half a million | Not stated | Not stated | The leadership page adds “over 930” employees and calls GLS a “seven-time winner” of Inc.’s fastest-growing list, while the home and About pages say “nine times.” The footer still reads “© 2022.” GLS says it was founded in 2012; BBB’s profile lists a business start of 6/7/2007 and incorporation on 10/28/2011. ## Licenses, privacy and the fine print GLS’s licensing page lists NMLS 1089726, a Michigan Regulatory Loan License (RL0024570, effective 28 April 2023), and three South Carolina supervised lender licenses (SL - 1089726 for Greenville, SLB - 1160940 for Tempe and SLW1 - 1089726 for the website), the Greenville certificate signed on 16 June 2023. The footer adds that in Idaho “the company is known as Global Lending Services LLC,” because “GLS is not an authorized trade name” there. The privacy notice says GLS shares your information for its everyday business, for its own marketing and “For joint marketing with other financial companies,” and you cannot limit any of the three. Its joint marketing partners “include financial service providers, motor vehicle dealers, and insurance companies.” It does not share with affiliates (it has none) or with outside companies to market to you, and for a new customer sharing can start “30 days from the date we sent this notice.” Three sets of terms govern GLS’s websites, not your loan. The glsauto.com terms say “Use of this Website may be monitored, tracked and recorded” and apply Delaware law; payment-reminder texts stop if you text STOP to 39367. The portal’s Legal Notice waives jury trials and class actions for disputes about the website and applies New York law. The terms for statements in a phone’s mobile wallet (updated 02-20-2024) require “binding non-appearance-based arbitration,” with the matter submitted for decision within 90 days, and bar class actions. Your retail installment contract has its own dispute terms; read its arbitration clause before you sign, and see our guide to [fees that appear at signing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#late-fees). ## Lawsuits and regulators: what the public record shows The CFPB’s enforcement-action index, filtered for “global lending,” returned “Sorry, there were no results” on 6 October 2026, and a search for “GLS” found none either. Our searches turned up no state attorney-general settlement or regulator consent order naming GLS. That is not a full state-by-state docket search, so treat it as what we found, not a clean bill. We read four federal court opinions naming GLS, all from govinfo.gov. Each was an individual suit, and none of the four opinions found against GLS. **Federal court opinions naming Global Lending Services, as each court described the case** | Court and docket | Date | What the plaintiff claimed | What the court did | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | D. Maryland, [22-cv-01938-LKG](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mdd-8_22-cv-01938/pdf/USCOURTS-mdd-8_22-cv-01938-0.pdf) | 3 August 2023 | Truth in Lending and debt-collection violations over a cash down payment and finance charges | Granted GLS’s motion to dismiss; GLS is “not a ‘debt collector’” under the FDCPA | | N.D. Texas, 4:23-cv-01101-O-BP | 22 February 2024 | A credit inquiry the plaintiff called “unauthorized” | Magistrate judge recommended dismissal, with leave to amend | | W.D. Oklahoma, CIV-25-121-D | 16 May 2025 | That an “indorsed draft” sent to GLS paid off the loan | Dismissed with prejudice as “a frivolous, soundly rejected legal theory” | | N.D. California, 19-cv-06967-SVK | 2 January 2020 | Not described | Order to show cause over an unpaid $400 filing fee | The Oklahoma case carries a lesson. The borrower had “tendered an indorsed draft” to GLS and argued it discharged the loan; his complaint called GLS’s attempt to repossess the car criminal. The court called the theory frivolous and cited an appeals court that rejected the same idea, that a lender’s refusal of a “bill of exchange” discharges the debt. If you see that advice online, ignore it. ## CFPB complaints and BBB: what 5,187 reports show The [CFPB’s public database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) held 5,187 complaints naming Global Lending Services LLC, received from 19 March 2015 to 23 September 2026, pulled on 6 October 2026. They are unverified reports that consumers submit and the company answers, and their number grows with the size of a lender’s book, so they show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing complaint narratives on 30 September 2026; only counts are used here. Most are about credit reports: 3,066 (59.1%) fall under the three credit-reporting labels the CFPB has used, led by “Improper use of your report” (1,880) and “Incorrect information on your report” (929). Another 1,362 (26.3%) concern the car loan itself and 707 (13.6%) debt collection. Within the car-loan complaints, repossession is the largest issue (355, or 26.1%), then managing the loan (342, including 170 billing problems, 65 about fees and 56 about add-on products), getting the loan (211), struggling to pay (155, of which 85 were a denied request to lower payments) and the end of the loan (113, including 41 payoff problems and 40 about not receiving the title). GLS closed 4,947 complaints with an explanation and 239 (4.6%) with non-monetary relief; one was in progress. **Complaints naming Global Lending Services LLC in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 6 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | All complaints | Vehicle loan or lease | | --- | --- | --- | | 2019 | 75 | 29 | | 2020 | 138 | 49 | | 2021 | 243 | 61 | | 2022 | 298 | 81 | | 2023 | 486 | 159 | | 2024 | 774 | 180 | | 2025 | 1,639 | 380 | | 2026 to 23 September | 1,445 | 399 | Complaints in 2025 were 2.12 times the 2024 count and 3.37 times the 2023 count, by our arithmetic, while the loans in GLS’s securitization files grew 1.35 times from the 2023 deals to the 2025 deals. Those files are only a rough gauge of lending volume, but the rise in complaints is far steeper. [BBB](https://www.bbb.org/us/sc/greenville/profile/consumer-finance-companies/global-lending-services-llc-0673-90006028) rates GLS A+ and lists it as accredited since 10/13/2014. It shows 569 complaints in the last 3 years, 201 closed in the last 12 months; 431 of them (75.7%) are typed as billing issues, and 529 are marked answered and 40 resolved. GLS’s 185 customer reviews on BBB average 1.15 out of 5. The letter rating and the review average are separate measures, and here they point in opposite directions. We found no Trustpilot profile for GLS’s auto lending business. We read each page once on 6 October 2026. ## Before you sign a contract that will go to GLS - **Get a second quote first.** GLS posts no rates and its South Carolina schedules allow up to 36%, so a bank or credit union pre-approval is your only benchmark. - **Read the APR, term and total of payments.** On a hypothetical $20,000 over 72 months, 36% instead of 18% adds $16,194 of interest, by our arithmetic. - **Ask for the payment with and without each add-on.** GAP and service contracts are financed at your rate, and GLS asks you to call its Total Loss team before cancelling one. - **Answer the verification call honestly.** GLS says it verifies income and employment and usually interviews the customer; if anything differs from your contract, say so then. - **Set up free payments.** Use the portal, automatic withdrawal or the automated phone line from a bank account or debit card; cash networks can charge fees, and credit cards are refused. - **Pay before 7 p.m. Eastern, and mail early.** Allow 7-10 business days for a mailed check, the longer of GLS’s two estimates. - **Keep full coverage.** GLS requires comprehensive and collision with deductibles of $1,000 or less, and payments continue during a total-loss claim. - **Get any hardship arrangement in writing.** GLS publishes no extension policy. Have the car checked with a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) before you sign, too. ## Common questions ### Who owns Global Lending Services LLC? On 15 October 2025 GLS announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by Sixth Street, a global investment firm, with terms not disclosed and the existing management staying on. We found no primary document confirming the closing date. Before that, GLS described itself only as “Privately held.” ### Does Global Lending Services offer skip-a-payment? GLS’s public pages describe no skip-a-payment or extension program. Its FAQ says you “may be eligible” to change your due date depending on your account’s status, and it can split payments into weekly or bi-weekly amounts. Call (866) 464-0269, and get any arrangement in writing; interest keeps accruing daily. ### How do I log in and pay my GLS loan online? Go to myglsloan.com and choose “Enroll Now” the first time; you link the loan with your name, 10-digit account number, the last six of the VIN, your ZIP code and Social Security number. Bank and debit payments there are free, and Guest Payment lets someone pay without logging in. ### What is Global Lending Services’ phone number? Customer Care is (866) 464-0269: Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. The automated payment line answers 24x7 and is free. ### Is Global Lending Services a legitimate lender? Yes. GLS is licensed (NMLS 1089726, with Michigan and South Carolina licenses on its site) and buys real dealer contracts. Legitimate is not the same as cheap: it lends to subprime borrowers, posts a 36% rate ceiling in South Carolina, and draws thousands of CFPB complaints, most about credit reporting. ### What credit score does GLS accept? GLS publishes no minimum. Its dealer page advertises “FICO AS LOW AS 400” and a “65% Approval Rate,” and software sets the approval and price. Our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders rarely publish a floor. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/ --- title: "Honda Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff and Lease End" description: "How to pay Honda Financial Services and what each way costs, when the title arrives after payoff, lease-end charges, and AHFC’s 2015 and 2025 CFPB orders." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Honda Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff and Lease End > How to pay Honda Financial Services and what each way costs, when the title arrives after payoff, lease-end charges, and AHFC’s 2015 and 2025 CFPB orders. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,960 words* ## The short version - Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services are trade names (DBAs) of American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC), Honda’s US lender. The old hondafinancialservices.com address now forwards to honda.americanhondafinance.com, where the account login sits. - Paying from a bank account is free, HFS says. It takes no credit cards; debit goes through ACI Pay, cash through Western Union or MoneyGram, each for its own fee. A payment made by 2:00 p.m. Pacific on a business day counts that day. - The payoff quote is on your statement, by phone or in your account, and HFS prints no expiry for it. After the final payment clears, a title or lien release takes about 2 to 3 weeks on average, HFS says; a paid-off loan gets a lien release, not a title. - On a lease, only you or an authorized Honda or Acura dealer can buy the car, at a price that is not negotiable. HFS prints no excess-mileage rate and no turn-in fee amount. Honda leases include a $500 wear-and-use waiver ($1,000 if you buy or lease again), Acura leases $750 ($1,500). - AHFC lends mostly to strong credit: 81.5% of its US and Canadian retail loans were graded A or B at origination, by our arithmetic. But US charge-offs rose to 0.65% in the year to 31 March 2026, from 0.50% two years earlier. - The public record holds a 2015 CFPB and Justice Department dealer-markup settlement ($24 million fund, markups capped), a January 2025 CFPB credit-reporting order ($10.3 million redress, $2.5 million penalty), a 2021 Justice Department servicemember case, and a $130 million add-on settlement AHFC disclosed without naming. Most people who search “Honda Financial Services” want to log in, make a payment, pay a car off or hand back a lease. On 6 October 2026 we read what HFS publishes on those questions: its help articles on payments, payoff, titles and lease end, its [Payment Options](https://honda.americanhondafinance.com/s/paymentoptions-prelogin) and [End of Lease](https://honda.americanhondafinance.com/s/end-of-lease-pre-login) pages, its lease inspection guide, its EasyPay terms and its Legal Terms and Conditions. We also read AHFC’s [10-K for the year to 31 March 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/864270/000086427026000006/ahfc-20260331.htm) and its 10-Q to 30 June 2026, both CFPB consent orders, and two Justice Department pages. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Honda, AHFC or any lender. Where HFS’s own documents disagree, we say so. **Figure: Honda Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of seven account tasks set against Honda Financial Services’ own pages: paying from a bank account by One-Time Payment, EasyPay or the automated phone line is free; HFS takes no credit cards, while ACI Pay, Western Union and MoneyGram charge their own fees for debit or cash; a payment submitted by 2:00 p.m. Pacific on a business day keeps that day’s date; the payoff quote is on the statement, by phone or online, with no printed expiry; a title or lien release takes about 2 to 3 weeks after the final payment clears, and Ohio lease buyouts 4 to 6 weeks; only the lessee or an authorized Honda or Acura dealer may buy a leased car, at a price that is not negotiable; and Honda leases include a $500 wear waiver, $1,000 for loyal customers, Acura $750 and $1,500. Read from Honda Financial Services’ help articles, Payment Options and End of Lease pages on 6 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Honda Financial Services is AHFC’s Legal Terms and Conditions put it plainly: “Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services are DBAs of American Honda Finance Corporation.” The 10-K says AHFC “was incorporated on February 6, 1980,” is “a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.,” and that “In the United States and Canada, we provide our financing products under the brand names Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services.” HFS’s About Us page adds that leases “are offered through our affiliate Honda Lease Trust,” the name your insurer must list on a lease. The same company trades as Acura Financial Services; see our [Acura Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-financial-services-review/). The website has moved: the home page and robots file of www.hondafinancialservices.com both redirect to honda.americanhondafinance.com, the account site. Acura drivers use the same help centre, and several of its answers cover both brands. HFS does not set your interest rate on its site. “Since we are an indirect lender, you must obtain your annual percentage rate (APR) from your dealer,” its FAQ says. The dealer writes the contract and AHFC buys it; the 10-K says that in the US “AHFC utilizes a tiered pricing structure based on customer Fair Isaac Corporation/FICO scores at origination.” The gap between AHFC’s rate and the dealer’s is what the 2015 orders below were about; our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains it, and a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a rate to compare. AHFC services its own accounts from “three service centers in the United States,” and leases pass to its Lease Maturity Center “six months prior to the end of the given lease term.” ## How to pay HFS, and what each way costs HFS’s payments FAQ says “You have six payment options,” and its Payment Options page lists a few more. Every route HFS runs itself draws on a checking or savings account. **Ways to pay a Honda or Acura Financial Services account and the fees HFS prints, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Fee, as HFS prints it | What HFS adds | | --- | --- | --- | | One-Time Payment, online | “provided free of charge” | From a checking or savings account; up to six one-time payments can be pending at once | | EasyPay automatic payments | “provided free of charge” | Withdrawn on the date you pick; does not change your due date | | Automated phone line | “our free automated system” | Needs a bank account saved to your online payment profile | | Customer Service by phone | None printed | Bank account or debit card, per the FAQ | | Mail, or your bank’s bill pay | None printed | Use the payment address on your statement | | Debit card through ACI Pay | “ACI Pay assesses a processing fee”; no amount printed | A third-party vendor | | Western Union Quick Collect | “Western Union fees and terms apply” | Same-day, per the Payment Options page | | MoneyGram | “MoneyGram charges a fee” | Same-day | | Credit card | Not accepted | “We are unable to accept credit cards” | The documents do not quite agree on debit cards. The FAQ lists “Call Customer Service and pay using your bank account or debit card” as its own option; the Payment Options page lists debit only as “a one‑time debit card payment through a third‑party vendor. ACI Pay fees and terms apply.” Ask whether a fee applies before you read out a card number. Timing is the part that costs people money. AHFC’s terms say “any payment transacted electronically after 2:00 p.m. PT (Pacific Time) or on a non-business day will be processed the following business day,” and that payments “will be posted to your account within 1-2 business days.” The FAQ softens the risk: online payments made before the cut-off “will typically be deducted within two business days,” and “The date of payment will be honored by Honda and Acura Financial Services, regardless of the date that the payment is deducted from your bank account.” Payments scheduled for a weekend or holiday are “credited to your account as of the payment date.” EasyPay’s enrollment terms add two traps. The scheduled amount “will be automatically withdrawn even if additional payments are submitted during the same calendar month,” so to stop a draft, cancel “by 2:00 PM Pacific Time on the payment date.” And a new bank account needs “a 10 day processing period.” Bounced payments cost more than your bank’s fee: “HFS may charge you a fee and your bank may also charge you a fee.” EasyPay is cancelled after three returned payments in 12 months, returned “due to insufficient funds” in the FAQ but “for any reason” in the terms. HFS prints no late-fee amount or grace period: “a late charge may be assessed to your account and interest will continue to accrue. Refer to your contract for specific information regarding late charges.” ## Extra payments, due dates, insurance and falling behind HFS loans use simple interest: a payment “is first applied to the interest due,” and interest depends on “the number of days between your last payment and the date your next payment is received.” To pay down principal online, choose “Pay additional principal amount?” on the payment screen, and “if you are only making a principal payment, leave the Standard Payment Amount as $0.00.” Extra principal does not count as next month’s payment: “you must still make your regular monthly payments to avoid delinquency.” You can ask for a new due date online or by phone. HFS says requests “will take 2-3 business days to process,” “will not always be granted,” and need an account “in good standing”; on a lease, “changing your due date will not extend your contract.” None of the 124 articles in HFS’s help centre covers loan extensions or payment deferrals. AHFC’s 10-K says it “may waive late payment fees” and “allow payment deferrals by extending the loan’s term,” and on leases may “extend the lease term.” If you need one, call, and get the terms in writing; the 2025 CFPB order below found that AHFC reported deferred COVID-era accounts as late. The 10-K also sets out what happens when payments stop. A payment “is generally considered to have been made upon receipt of 90% of the sum of the current monthly payment due plus any overdue monthly payments.” AHFC “typically” decides whether to repossess “when the account is 45 to 60 or more days past due,” and charges off at 120 days. Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers the state rules. If you are called to active duty, HFS says SCRA benefits “may include, but are not limited to, early termination of vehicle lease agreements and interest rate reduction for retail installment contracts.” Keep the insurance the contract requires. A loan needs physical damage, comprehensive and collision cover “with American Honda Finance Corporation named as the loss payee”; on a lease, Honda Lease Trust “should be listed as an additional insured and loss payee.” HFS prints no deductible limit. “All leases include Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP),” though it “provides different protection than Honda Care or Acura Care GAP”; our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#leasing) explains the difference, and our [Honda](https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-extended-warranty/#lender) and [Acura](https://baronauto1.com/financing/acura-extended-warranty/#lender) extended warranty pages cover the add-ons sold with AHFC contracts. An insurance check for repairs goes to AHFC for endorsement: under $3,000 without documents if the account is current, $3,000 to $8,000 with the estimate and repair order, and above $8,000 with a dealer inspection too. If you move, register the car in the new state “within 30 days.” ## Payoff quotes and getting your title HFS says “Payoff quotes are located on your monthly statement,” by phone or in your account. Unlike some lenders, it prints no period for which a quote stays good, so get a fresh quote on the day you pay. On a lease, “Only the vehicle depreciation portion of your payment applies towards your payoff.” **What HFS says you receive after a payoff, and when (help articles read 6 October 2026)** | Situation | What you receive | HFS’s stated timing | | --- | --- | --- | | Loan paid off | A lien release; take it to your DMV for a clean title | 2 to 3 weeks on average, once the final payment clears | | Lease paid off by a bank, credit union or dealer | Title goes to whoever paid | 2 to 3 weeks on average | | You buy your lease, forms mailed with the payoff check | Title | 3 to 4 weeks by standard mail (another article says 2 to 3) | | You buy your lease, odometer form emailed or faxed | Title | 2 to 3 business days to process the form, then 3 to 4 weeks | | Lease garaged in Ohio | Title re-issued by the Ohio BMV | About 4 to 6 weeks | | Lost lien release | Duplicate through Vehicle Title My Way; “A processing fee may be charged” | Once paid in full for more than 90 days | A paid-off loan does not produce a title from HFS: “For a retail finance account, a lien release is issued once your vehicle is paid off,” and you take it to your state agency. On a lease buyout the paperwork matters as much as the money: “Your vehicle title cannot be released until we receive the Odometer Disclosure Statement form.” Ohio needs two forms, one notarized, signed by every party “with a wet signature.” Check that HFS has your current address before you pay. ## Ending a lease: buy it, hand it back or extend In “the final six months of your lease,” HFS offers three options: return it and lease a new Honda or Acura, buy it, or return it. For leases that have ended, its FAQ adds a fourth: “You may qualify for a lease extension.” “Conditions apply,” and HFS prints none. **No outside buyer can take over the purchase.** HFS says: “We are unable to conduct third-party sales. In accordance with the HFS and AFS lease agreement, lease purchases are only available to the lessee or authorized Honda and Acura dealers. Leased vehicles not purchased must be returned to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer.” An independent dealer, an online buyer or a private party cannot buy it from HFS; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares what each lessor allows. The buyout price is fixed. Asked whether it is negotiable, HFS answers: “No, this amount is determined at the beginning of your lease or Leadership Purchase Plan, is included in your contract, and is used to determine your monthly payments.” Get a purchase quote in your account or from the automated line, though that line “cannot provide quotes on lease accounts in which the vehicle is garaged in IL or OH.” You then pay “the full purchase amount (including state sales tax, if any),” and to finance it you go through a Honda or Acura dealer. Our guide to [lease buyouts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains the residual. Few Honda lease cars reach an auction. AHFC’s 10-K counts US lease terminations by how the car was sold: in the year to 31 March 2026, 272 thousand of 279 thousand were bought by the lessee or the dealer at the residual value or remaining balance, 97.5% by our arithmetic. When you hand a car back, “the grounding dealer initially has the exclusive right to purchase the vehicle at the contractual residual value.” If you return it, HFS’s End of Lease page gives a timeline: two to three months out, call the Lease Maturity Center and book the free inspection; a week out, book the return with your dealer. Bring every key, the owner’s manual and maintenance records, the Vehicle Return Receipt, the inspection report and repair receipts, then call the Lease Maturity Center to say the car is back. The return receipt says it “DOES NOT establish the accurate condition of the vehicle.” If the dealer promised to make your last payments, “follow up with your dealer to ensure they are made on time.” In VA, CT, RI, KY and MA you must also prove the plates were cancelled or transferred, which HFS says “is required to stop the assessment of property taxes on the leased vehicle.” ## Wear, mileage and the turn-in fee HFS lists what can appear on the final bill: “Wear-and-use or damage, outstanding payments, excessive mileage, turn-in fee” and “any other outstanding obligations specified in your vehicle lease agreement.” It prints no amount for any of them. The turn-in fee, often called a disposition fee, “depends on your state. See your lease contract for details.” On miles, HFS says only: “If you go over your mileage allowance, charges may apply. Please review your lease agreement for details.” **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the front and windscreen of the SUV and the rear of the sedan, with the Honda lease wear-and-use waiver, the excess-mileage charge being set by the lease agreement, and Honda Financial Services' 2:00 p.m. Pacific payment cut-off. Honda Financial Services’ lease-end pages, read on 6 October 2026, say Honda leases waive up to $500 of excess wear and use, or $1,000 for customers who buy or lease again (callout 1), and print no per-mile rate, leaving the excess-mileage charge to the lease agreement (callout 2); its payment FAQ and terms credit a payment made by 2:00 p.m. Pacific on a business day to that day (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Miles can be bought cheaper at the start. HFS says “special lease programs” let you buy “up-front” mileage “less expensively than you would pay at the conclusion of the lease,” but “If you do not use all the miles you purchase, no refund is made,” and once signed “you cannot change your mileage allowance.” Returning Acura lessees get more: unused miles, up to 15,000, “rounded up to the nearest 1,000” and added to the next Acura lease, and if they are over by up to 7,500 miles, “we will waive half of your excess mileage.” As a hypothetical, 3,000 miles over would leave 1,500 billable, by our arithmetic. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers allowances. The inspection is free and done by “a licensed inspection company,” not your dealer. HFS suggests attending, since “you’ll be asked to sign the report,” and warns of “a final inspection after you turn it in, so if a problem arises after your preliminary inspection, you may still be liable for it.” Its inspection guide gives these yardsticks, noting “this is not a complete list.” **Examples of chargeable wear and damage in HFS’s lease-end inspection guide (PDF, ©2021)** | Area | Chargeable, as the guide describes it | | --- | --- | | Scratches | Any a fingernail catches; more than 2 per panel; any longer than 3 inches | | Dings and dents | 4 or more dings per panel; damage larger than 1.5 inches across counts as a dent | | Paint | Etched, stained or tree-sap damage; “Touch-up paint is considered unrepaired damage” | | Glass | All windshield cracks, stars and bullseyes; damage larger than a dime means a new windshield | | Interior | “Any interior burns, holes, stains or tears are chargeable” | | Tires and wheels | Less than 4/32 inch of tread at the lowest point; broken or bent wheels or rims | Every Honda or Acura lease carries a waiver, HFS says. “Honda Leadership Leasing includes a $500 Excessive Wear-and-Use or Damage Waiver,” and a loyal customer gets “an additional $500” (“up to $1,000 total waived”) plus a turn-in fee waiver. An Acura Luxury Lease includes $750, with $750 more for loyalty, “not to exceed $1,500.” Loyal means buying or leasing “another new Honda or Acura automobile within 30 days prior to or after the turn-in date.” One Honda article says loyal customers “may be eligible” for the turn-in fee waiver and another that they “are eligible,” so get it confirmed. Call the Lease Maturity Center before paying for repairs, HFS says, “as some damages may be covered by your Excessive Wear-and-Use or Damage Waiver.” ## What AHFC’s filings say about its loans AHFC’s fiscal year ends on 31 March. Its filings print no average FICO score and no term mix; retail loans “generally range from 24 to 84 months,” US leases 24 to 48. They do print credit grades, set at origination and “not reassessed during the life of the contract.” **AHFC retail loans by internal credit grade at origination, 31 March 2026 (consolidated US and Canada, 10-K for fiscal 2026)** | Grade | AHFC’s description | Amount | Share (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | A | “very low credit risks” | $31,385 million | 62.7% | | B | “relatively low credit risks” | $9,450 million | 18.9% | | C | “moderate credit risks” | $6,673 million | 13.3% | | D | “relatively higher credit risks” | $1,844 million | 3.7% | | Others | “without credit bureau reports” | $724 million | 1.4% | | Total | | $50,076 million | | Of those loans, 1.51% were 30 or more days behind on 31 March 2026 and 0.34% were 60 or more, by our arithmetic from AHFC’s aging table; used and certified car loans ran higher, at 2.43%. The direction is up. AHFC says “The trend in delinquencies and charge-offs continued to increase,” blaming “higher transaction prices, inflationary pressures, rising insurance premiums, and other factors.” **AHFC’s US segment: losses, delinquency, Honda and Acura share, and lease buyouts (10-K for fiscal 2026, 10-Q to 30 June 2026)** | Period | Charge-offs, % of average receivables | 60+ days past due | New Honda and Acura cars financed by AHFC | Lease terminations bought by lessee or dealer (our arithmetic) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Year to 31 March 2024 | 0.50% | 0.27% | 68% | 99.3% | | Year to 31 March 2025 | 0.54% | 0.30% | 71% | 96.8% | | Year to 31 March 2026 | 0.65% | 0.32% | 65% | 97.5% | | Quarter to 30 June 2026 | 0.55% (annualized) | 0.39% | 67% | 97.8% | The charge-off ratio rose 30% in two years, by our arithmetic, and early termination losses on US operating leases were $294 million against $135 million a year earlier. AHFC also wrote down its electric-car leases, with “impairment losses totaling $226 million in the United States segment.” In the US it acquired 745 thousand retail loans and 372 thousand leases in fiscal 2026; 82.8% of the leases came through incentive programs sponsored by American Honda, by our arithmetic. Its share of new Honda and Acura sales fell to 65% from 71%, which AHFC puts down to “increased competition” and “the allocation of incentive support.” ## The 2015 dealer-markup orders On 14 July 2015 the CFPB and the Justice Department resolved a joint investigation that began in April 2013. The CFPB issued a [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/american-honda-finance-corporation/) (2015-CFPB-0014), and the Justice Department filed a complaint and proposed consent order in federal court in the Central District of California. The CFPB’s order says that “As the Bureau states below and the DOJ alleges, Respondent violated the ECOA and Regulation B by permitting dealers to charge higher interest rates to consumer auto loan borrowers on the basis of race and national origin.” AHFC consented, admitting only “the facts necessary to establish the Bureau’s jurisdiction”; its own 10-Q refers to the agencies’ “investigation of, and allegations regarding,” dealer pricing practices. The issue was dealer markup on loans Honda did not subsidize. AHFC let dealers raise the rate above its buy rate by up to 225 basis points on terms of 60 months or less and 200 on longer terms. On contracts bought from 2011 to 2013, the CFPB found, African-American borrowers paid on average about 36 basis points more in markup than similar non-Hispanic white borrowers, “over $250 more each in interest”; Hispanic borrowers about 28 basis points, “approximately $200 more”; and Asian and Pacific Islander borrowers about 25 basis points, “over $150 more.” The Justice Department’s release puts the Hispanic figure at “over $200.” The remedy capped markups at 125 basis points for terms of 60 months or less and 100 for longer terms, a cut of 100 basis points each, or let AHFC drop dealer discretion altogether. AHFC had to put $24,000,000 into a settlement fund for affected borrowers and, under the Justice Department’s order, $1 million toward financial education. “The Bureau did not assess penalties against Honda because of Honda’s responsible conduct,” its release said. AHFC’s 10-Q says the new dealer pay policy took effect on 11 August 2015. The CFPB order was set to “terminate five (5) years from the Effective Date,” and the CFPB lists it as “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed”; its page now notes that on 22 April 2026 the Bureau amended Regulation B to “state that ECOA does not authorize disparate-impact liability.” We did not read the Justice Department’s order or docket. ## The 2025 credit-reporting order and other actions On 17 January 2025 the CFPB issued a second [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/american-honda-finance-corporation-2025/) (2025-CFPB-0003), after a civil investigative demand in November 2023. AHFC consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The CFPB found that from 2019 through 2024 AHFC sent inaccurate or incomplete information to credit bureaus “on over 300,000 occasions”: - **COVID deferrals reported as late.** From February 2020 to May 2021 AHFC deferred payments on “nearly 85,000 accounts but reported them as delinquent.” - **Errors left uncorrected.** Nearly 35,000 paid accounts later shown as unpaid; roughly 30,000 charge-offs reported with no amount; around 170,000 accounts missing the date of first delinquency. - **Disputes.** AHFC required people disputing their report “to verify their identity in two different ways, a more rigorous verification method than legally required,” and sometimes sent results 10 months late. The order requires $10,300,000 in redress and a $2,500,000 penalty, $12.8 million in all, and dispute records kept for at least five years. AHFC’s 10-K for fiscal 2025 rounds these to “$10 million in consumer redress” and “a $3 million civil money penalty.” The CFPB lists the order as “Post Order/Post Judgment,” its docket shows no order ending it, and it runs at least five years, to 17 January 2030 by our arithmetic. HFS’s dispute article asks for “the specific information disputed” and your reasons, in writing. The Justice Department brought a separate case under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Its [case page](https://www.justice.gov/crt/case/united-states-v-american-honda-finance-corporation-cd-cal) says the complaint, filed on 29 September 2021, “alleged that American Honda Finance Corporation violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to refund pre-paid lease amounts” to servicemembers who ended leases on military orders. The court entered a consent order on 6 October 2021 requiring AHFC “to pay $1,585,803.89 to 714 servicemembers, pay a $64,715 civil penalty to the United States,” change its policies and train staff. Last, AHFC’s 10-K for fiscal 2026 says: “In October 2025, the Company settled a legal action for approximately $130 million related to the financing of add-on products.” Its 10-Q to 30 September 2025 called it an agreement to settle “for which accruals have been established.” Neither names the action, the court or the other side, and we found no complaint, docket or official release naming it, so we report only AHFC’s words. Ask for a written list of every add-on in your contract, and how to cancel any you did not want. ## CFPB complaints filed against AHFC The CFPB’s database holds 5,080 complaints under AMERICAN HONDA FINANCE CORP, the company behind both brands, from April 2012 to 30 September 2026. Complaints are unverified reports, and their number grows with a lender’s size. Vehicle loans and leases account for 2,125 (41.8%), 2.04% of all 104,347 such complaints in the database, and credit reporting for 1,840 (36.2%). In the vehicle file the largest issues are managing the loan or lease (664), end-of-loan or lease problems (408) and repossession (222). The end-of-term group includes 147 complaints about getting the title after payoff, 39 about mileage or wear fees and 46 about early-termination fees; add-on sub-issues hold 165. AHFC closed 9.3% of vehicle complaints with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% across the whole product, by our arithmetic. **Complaints against AHFC in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 6 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All AHFC complaints | | --- | --- | --- | | 2017 | 76 | 230 | | 2018 | 153 | 296 | | 2019 | 136 | 263 | | 2020 | 170 | 351 | | 2021 | 189 | 459 | | 2022 | 156 | 368 | | 2023 | 205 | 389 | | 2024 | 234 | 495 | | 2025 | 389 | 844 | | 2026 to 30 September | 417 | 796 | Vehicle complaints in 2025 were 1.9 times the 2023 level, by our arithmetic, and 2026 passed 2025 by September. A count cannot say whether that reflects more problems, more customers or more people using the database. The CFPB stopped publishing complaint narratives on 30 September 2026, so only counts are used here. ## If you have an HFS loan or lease - **Pay from a bank account,** by 2:00 p.m. Pacific on a business day; ACI Pay, Western Union and MoneyGram charge. - **Cancel EasyPay before 2:00 p.m. Pacific on the draft date** if you pay another way; a manual payment does not stop it. - **Use “Pay additional principal amount?”** for extra payments, and keep making the regular one. - **Get a fresh payoff quote on the day you pay,** since HFS prints no expiry, and check the address on file for the title. - **Send the signed odometer statement** with a lease buyout, or the title waits. - **Book the free inspection two to three months out,** attend it, and ask whether your wear waiver covers a repair before paying for one. - **Return the car only to a Honda or Acura dealer,** keep the Vehicle Return Receipt, and call the Lease Maturity Center afterwards. - **Check your credit report** after any deferral, payoff or lease return, and dispute errors in writing. ## Common questions ### Is Honda Financial Services the same as American Honda Finance Corporation? Yes. AHFC’s terms say “Honda Financial Services and Acura Financial Services are DBAs of American Honda Finance Corporation.” Leases are offered through its affiliate Honda Lease Trust, and AHFC services the loans and leases it buys. The hondafinancialservices.com address now forwards to honda.americanhondafinance.com. ### Can I pay Honda Financial Services with a credit card? No. HFS says “We are unable to accept credit cards.” You can pay by debit card through ACI Pay, which “assesses a processing fee,” or in cash at Western Union or MoneyGram for their fees. One-Time Payment and EasyPay from a bank account are free. ### How long does Honda Financial Services take to send the title after payoff? HFS says a title or lien release takes about 2 to 3 weeks on average, once the final payment clears, depending on the state. A lease buyout title by mail takes 3 to 4 weeks in another HFS article, and Ohio lease buyouts about 4 to 6 weeks. A paid-off loan gets a lien release, which you take to your DMV. ### What is the Honda Financial Services turn-in fee? It is the fee for returning a leased car, which other lessors call a disposition fee. HFS prints no amount: it “depends on your state. See your lease contract for details.” HFS offers a waiver to loyal customers, those who buy or lease another new Honda or Acura within 30 days before or after the turn-in, though one of its articles says they only “may be eligible.” ### Can another dealer buy out my Honda lease? Only an authorized Honda or Acura dealer. HFS says “lease purchases are only available to the lessee or authorized Honda and Acura dealers.” You can buy it yourself at the price in your lease, which HFS says is not negotiable, and then sell it. ### Can I refinance a Honda Financial Services loan? Nothing in the HFS pages we read bars another lender from paying off your loan; on a lease paid off by a bank, credit union or dealer, HFS sends the title to whoever paid. See our guides to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and to [Honda](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/honda-certified-pre-owned/) and [Acura certified pre-owned](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/acura-certified-pre-owned/) financing. Our reviews of [Toyota Financial Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/), [GM Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/), [Kia Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/kia-finance-review/), [Ally](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ally-auto-loan/), [Global Lending Services](https://baronauto1.com/financing/global-lending-services-review/) and [American Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/american-credit-acceptance-review/) read other lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Costco Auto Program: Who Runs It, Who Pays, What the Price Covers" description: "The Costco Auto Program is run by Affinity Auto Programs, not Costco, and paid for by dealers. What the no-haggle price covers, and what it leaves out." url: "https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/costco-auto-program/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Costco Auto Program: Who Runs It, Who Pays, What the Price Covers > The Costco Auto Program is run by Affinity Auto Programs, not Costco, and paid for by dealers. What the no-haggle price covers, and what it leaves out. *Used Car Buying · 22 min read · 4,906 words* ## The short version - The Costco Auto Program is run by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., which its own Terms of Use call “an independent company, not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale Corporation.” Costco “and its affiliates do not sell automobiles or negotiate individual transactions.” - Dealers pay for it: “A participation fee has been paid by the dealers participating in Costco Auto Program.” No document we read charges the member to use it or states the fee. You do need a Costco membership, which Costco prices at $65 a year, or $130 for Executive. - “Prearranged pricing” is a no-haggle price on a Member-Only Price Sheet. The program tells dealers it works with them “to establish pricing” and that its pricing modules “monitor local markets.” It publishes no price, discount or formula. - You are referred to one dealership per make and model, and dealers are offered “brand exclusivity for your selected markets.” The trade-in is whatever that dealer offers. Fees, add-ons, tax and financing are not addressed on any car page we could read. - Member-only incentives are registered certificates, tiered by membership level, that stack with public manufacturer incentives, with a limit of 2 codes per member. - After a purchase through a referral, a survey within 30 days unlocks one 50% parts-and-service discount at that dealer. BBB rates the operator D- for 2 unanswered complaints; Trustpilot showed 0 reviews. The Costco Auto Program is a referral service: you register as a Costco member, the program passes your details to a participating dealer, and that dealer shows you a prearranged, no-haggle price. The program never says how good that price is, but its own documents show who sets it and what it leaves out. On 6 October 2026 we read the program’s [home page](https://www.costcoauto.com/) with its Terms of Use (updated February 2019) and Privacy Policy (updated February 12, 2025), its specials and RV pages, its public dealer-recruitment site, the program page and FAQ that Costco publishes on costco.com, Costco’s annual reports on [SEC EDGAR](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=909832), and the operator’s [BBB profile](https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-diego/profile/auto-brokers/affinity-auto-programs-inc-1126-171989469). We entered no ZIP code, membership number or VIN, so this page shows no member price, and this site has no commercial relationship with Costco, the program or any dealer. **Figure: What the Costco price covers, line by line** A two-column table setting seven parts of a car deal against what the Costco Auto Program’s own documents say: the vehicle price is prearranged with the dealer and shown on a Member-Only Price Sheet; you are referred to one dealership per make and model and dealers are offered brand exclusivity; the trade-in is whatever the dealer offers; fees, add-ons and tax are not addressed; there is no program financing offer; member-only incentives are registered certificates that stack with public incentives, 2 codes per member; and a survey within 30 days unlocks one 50% parts-and-service discount at the selling dealer. Read from the Costco Auto Program’s home page, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, its specials and RV pages, its dealer-recruitment site and the program FAQ published on costco.com on 6 October 2026. No ZIP code, membership number or VIN was entered and no member price is shown. ## Who runs the Costco Auto Program Not Costco. The Terms of Use open with it: “The Costco Auto Program is operated in the United States by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., doing business as ‘Costco Auto Program’ ... which is an independent company, not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale Corporation.” A banner on each page of the program’s consumer site that we read repeats the point: “This site is operated by a third party, not by Costco.” The privacy policy adds that it is “separate from Costco’s privacy policy.” The history is told on the program’s dealer-recruitment site. Price Club, the warehouse club that opened in San Diego in 1976, “launched its auto buying program as part of its services division in 1989.” When Price Club merged with Costco in 1993, “Affinity Development Group (ADG) acquired the auto program component of Costco’s services division.” That makes the program 37 years old and 33 years in Affinity’s hands, by our arithmetic; the consumer site says “more than 35 years.” The company names vary by page, which matters if you ever need to complain or check a record. The Terms and the privacy policy name Affinity Auto Programs, Inc. The consumer site’s footer reads “Copyright © 2010 – 2026 Affinity Development Group, Inc.” The dealer site’s footer names Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., doing business as Costco Auto Program. BBB files the business as Affinity Auto Programs Inc, with Costco Auto Program as an alternate name and a business start date of 11/20/2000, which is the corporation’s date rather than the program’s. Costco’s own filings list the program among third-party services, not as a Costco business. Its fiscal 2010 Form 10-K named “the Costco auto purchase program” among the consumer services on which Executive membership offers “additional savings and benefits,” and said “The services are generally provided by third-parties and vary by country and state.” An EDGAR full-text search finds that phrase in 14 consecutive 10-Ks, fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2023. The fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 10-Ks do not mention it, the search finds no Costco filing that uses the name “Costco Auto Program”, and none of the filings we read gives a figure for it. Costco’s filings offer no financial picture of the program. TrueCar, a separate company that runs other member buying programs, lists Costco’s program among its competitors; see our [TrueCar review](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/truecar-review/). ## Who pays: dealers, not members The disclaimer at the foot of the program’s home page answers the money question: “Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles or negotiate individual transactions. All vehicles arranged for sale are subject to availability and a price prearranged with the participating franchised dealer. A participation fee has been paid by the dealers participating in Costco Auto Program.” Costco’s own page words it in the present tense: “A participation fee is paid by the dealers.” Neither page says how much the fee is or whether it is charged per sale. On the RV side, “A marketing fee has been paid by Camping World.” **Who pays whom in the Costco Auto Program, as the documents read on 6 October 2026 put it** | Party | What the documents say it pays or gets | What is not published | | --- | --- | --- | | Participating car dealers | Pay “a participation fee”; get referrals and, per the dealer site, “brand exclusivity for your selected markets” | The fee amount, and whether it is per sale | | Camping World (RVs) | Has paid “a marketing fee” | The amount | | You, the member | No program fee appears in any document we read | Any member price, before you register | | Costco membership | $65 a year (fiscal 2025 10-K); Executive is an extra $65, “a total of $130” at renewal (costco.com) | Nothing; both are printed | | Costco Wholesale | Receives member data “for customer service, member tracking and satisfaction purposes” (privacy policy) | Whether Costco is paid anything for the program | Two things follow. First, the program’s customers in the commercial sense are the dealers: the dealer site pitches “Privileged access to over 70 million buyers” who “exceed the national average for household income, home ownership, and credit score.” That does not make the price bad, but it means nobody in the chain is paid by you to find you the lowest one. Second, the membership is the real cost of entry. Executive members should not count on the 2% Reward here either: Costco’s reward terms exclude “purchases not recorded through Costco’s front-end registers” and “all business, consumer, and insurance services.” You pay the dealer, not Costco, so by those terms the car earns no reward. That is our reading; no Costco page addresses car purchases directly. ## How the program works, step by step The program’s How It Works page sits behind a ZIP-code box (“Enter your zip code to view How It Works”), as do its FAQ, new-car and pre-owned pages: without a ZIP code they send you back to the home page. We did not enter one. The steps below come from the pages that are open, the registration screens built into the specials pages, and the program FAQ that Costco publishes on its own site. 1. **Choose a make, model and ZIP code.** “To save you time, our system searches for participating dealerships both within your ZIP code as well as the surrounding area.” 2. **Register.** The registration screen says that “By filling out this form, you give us permission to provide your contact information to an Approved Dealer to review your exclusive, prearranged Costco Member Price.” The privacy policy says the program uses your Costco membership number “to verify your membership with Costco.” 3. **Get your dealer contact.** “A Costco Auto Program trained and certified Authorized Dealer Contact will receive your information and connect with you to discuss your needs and schedule an appointment, or you may contact them at your convenience.” 4. **Deal only with the named contact.** Your certificate lists the Authorized Dealer Contacts, “the only people at the dealership who have been trained and certified to provide you with Costco member pricing.” 5. **See the price.** “Every member is presented with a Member-Only Price Sheet that outlines the prearranged purchase price.” 6. **Buy or lease, then take the survey.** “We will send you an online survey to ensure your satisfaction and to identify anything else we can do to assist you.” Costco’s page calls the whole thing “a referral service.” The dealer site says “a comprehensive training program” is something “all dealerships complete before working with Costco Auto Program.” Two practical points come out of the FAQ. You are referred to “one dealership per make and model,” so comparing two brands means two referrals. And prices move: “you should locate an Approved Dealer each time you’re in the market for a vehicle” so as to be referred to one “with the most up-to-date pricing.” A price sheet from last year is not this year’s price. ## What “prearranged pricing” means, and whether you can negotiate In the program’s words, “Costco members receive a no-haggle price on new and pre-owned vehicles from Approved Dealers, eliminating the need for traditional back-and-forth.” Asked whether you can negotiate, the FAQ answers that the program “is designed to eliminate price negotiation by offering members prearranged, no-haggle pricing.” Costco’s page shows the alternative as a loop: “Meet with sales. Try other dealerships. Compare pricing. Meet with sales again.” What the consumer pages leave out, the dealer pages explain. “We work closely with your dealership to establish pricing,” the dealer site says, and “Our proprietary pricing modules monitor local markets and notify our dealers when pricing needs attention. Plus, our Intranet site allows dealers to submit pricing updates for review to maximize sales.” So the prearranged price is set dealer by dealer, against the local market, and changes over time. It is a dealer’s price rather than a national Costco price, and no document describes it as a fixed percentage off anything. The disclaimer points the same way: “Actual savings may vary based on vehicle purchased, dealer and location,” and “Certain vehicles may be excluded from the program.” The referral rules narrow the comparison further. The FAQ refers you to one dealership per make and model, and the dealer site offers partners “brand exclusivity for your selected markets.” So the program is not built to give you a second Costco price for the same make nearby to set against the first. One registration screen on the program’s specials pages does read “We have located two Approved Dealers in your area,” so some members are offered a choice; we did not register and cannot say how often. **“No-haggle” covers one line of the deal.** The Member-Only Price Sheet “outlines the prearranged purchase price.” The trade-in, fees, add-ons, tax and financing are separate lines, and nothing we read fixes them. You cannot haggle the prearranged price, but you can compare the whole deal: ask the Costco dealer and at least one other dealer for a written [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#how-to-ask) on the same car, and buy whichever total is lower. Nothing in the program’s documents stops you from getting outside quotes, and the FAQ’s own advice on trade-ins (“You can then decide to accept their offer or sell the vehicle on your own”) assumes you will compare. Our guides to [negotiating on the out-the-door total](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/how-to-negotiate-used-car-price/#otd) and the [negotiation step for first-time buyers](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/first-time-car-buyer/#negotiate) apply to every line the price sheet does not cover. ## What the price sheet covers, and what it leaves to the dealer The program’s documents describe the vehicle price and the incentives in detail and say almost nothing about the rest of the deal. The table sets out each part of a car purchase against what we could find. **Each line of a car deal against the Costco Auto Program’s own documents (read 6 October 2026)** | Line of the deal | What the program says | What that leaves to you | | --- | --- | --- | | Vehicle price | Prearranged, no-haggle, on a Member-Only Price Sheet | Checking it against other dealers’ totals | | Public manufacturer incentives | “Publicly available manufacturer incentives can be combined” with the member price | Confirming which ones you qualify for | | Member-only incentive | Registered certificate; stacks with public incentives | Registering before the deadline | | Trade-in | “The Authorized Dealer Contact will disclose how much the dealership can offer” | Getting outside offers; the value is not prearranged | | Documentation and dealer fees | Not addressed on any car page we could read | Asking for every fee in writing | | Add-on products | Not addressed | Declining optional products | | Sales tax | Not addressed for vehicles | Budgeting for it | | Financing | No program financing offer; the home page has a finance calculator | Arranging a loan or paying cash | The silence on fees stands out because the program has the vocabulary. A footnote in the page code of its site, attached to the Camping World RV disclaimers, defines “Dealer Processing Fee” as “Conveyance, Handling, Closing, Administration, and Documentation fees.” No car page we read uses the term or says whether those charges sit inside or on top of the prearranged price. Treat them as on top until the dealer puts them in writing. Our page on [documentation fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#doc-fee) covers what is a real charge and what is [pure margin](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#junk). On the trade-in, the FAQ is plain: the dealer tells you what it can offer, and “If you choose to accept the dealership’s offer, the agreed upon trade-in value will be applied to the prearranged price.” That is the moment a fixed price can be quietly offset by a low allowance, which is why the allowance and the price should be [kept as separate numbers](https://baronauto1.com/trade-your-car/how-does-a-car-trade-in-work/#one-number). On financing, the program’s privacy policy mentions lenders only where you direct it to share data with “financial institutions who offer financing or prequalification services.” A [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#at-the-desk) or a [cash purchase](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/buying-a-car-with-cash/) keeps the rate out of the dealer’s hands, and the program also covers leases, so our comparison of [leasing against buying](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/) applies too. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the car, the key fob and the front of the car, with what the Costco Auto Program's documents say about the no-haggle price, the dealers' participation fee and the trade-in. The Costco Auto Program’s FAQ and dealer pages, read on 6 October 2026, describe a Member-Only Price Sheet with a prearranged, no-haggle price set with the dealer (callout 1); say dealers pay the program a participation fee, without printing the amount (callout 2); and leave the trade-in to whatever the dealer offers (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Member-only incentives and their conditions The incentives are where the program adds money that is not in the dealer’s price. “Costco Auto Program works directly with manufacturers to provide Costco members with unique savings opportunities,” the specials page says, and “Costco member-only incentives are combinable with public incentives for which you qualify and Costco Auto Program’s low, prearranged pricing.” Costco’s Executive benefits page says “Select manufacturer promotions include additional value for Executive Members of $250 or more.” On 6 October 2026 the program’s specials menu listed three: a Volkswagen new-model special, tiered by membership level; an INEOS Grenadier incentive for Executive members only, with an accessories credit; and a special on Certified by Volvo pre-owned cars. To carmakers, the program describes national “60- to 90-day Tier 1 promotions on select new models” and regional Tier 2 promotions where the carmaker sets “the parameters, regions, and offer details.” We print no amounts or dates: they change with each special, and the specials page itself says “If you see a promotion you like, make sure to take advantage before it’s gone.” The conditions repeat from one special to the next. **Conditions printed in the three member-only specials open on 6 October 2026** | Condition | Volkswagen special | INEOS Grenadier special | Certified by Volvo special | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Costco member by a cut-off date | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Register for a certificate with a unique promotion code | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Take delivery inside a fixed window | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Amount set by membership level | Executive more than Gold Star and Business | Executive only | Executive more than Gold Star and Business | | Stacks with public manufacturer incentives | Yes | Yes | Yes, with named exceptions | | Named exclusions | “the Dealership Sales Program” | None printed | “A-plan, Affinity Offers and lease returns” | | Codes per member or membership | 2 | 2 | 2 | | Codes per vehicle | 1 per VIN | Not stated | 1 per vehicle | | Cash or transfer | “Not redeemable for cash”; codes “not transferable” | Not stated | Not stated | Where you can use the certificate is less tidy than the prearranged price. The certified pre-owned special says to “Visit any Volvo retailer.” The registration screen offers to “Activate certificate without locating an Approved Dealer,” while promising that at an Approved Dealer “you’ll receive your member-only incentive in addition to Costco Auto Program’s low, prearranged pricing.” The Volkswagen special’s page says to present the certificate “at any Volkswagen dealer,” while its terms say “participating Volkswagen dealer.” Before you visit a dealer that is not your referral, ask whether it will honour the code. Keep the incentives in proportion. The dealer site tells carmakers that “Approximately half of the Costco members who purchased through our manufacturer promotions stated that the exclusive Member-only incentive was the deciding factor in their decision to purchase a specific vehicle versus a competing brand.” That is the incentive doing its job for the carmaker. An incentive on a car you were not planning to buy is a reason to look at that car, not a reason to buy it. ## Pre-owned and certified pre-owned cars The program also refers members for used cars. Costco’s page says you can “Find a vehicle that’s new to you without having to negotiate on pricing” and that “Costco Auto Program Approved Dealers offer pre-owned vehicles that meet specific criteria for quality and pricing.” The criteria themselves sit on the program’s Pre-Owned page, behind the ZIP-code box, and we did not read them. Nothing we read promises an inspection, a warranty or a history report on a used car bought through a referral beyond whatever the dealer or carmaker provides. The certified offer on the specials menu on 6 October 2026 was for Certified by Volvo cars, and its page quotes Volvo’s standard: each car “has to pass a rigorous test with more than 170 points, have less than 80,000 miles, and receive a detailed CARFAX Vehicle History Report.” That is Volvo’s certification, not the program’s, and our page on [Certified by Volvo](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/volvo-certified-pre-owned/) reads it against Volvo’s warranty terms. For certification in general, see [what certified pre-owned does and does not promise](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/certified-pre-owned/). For any other used car, check it as you would anywhere: a [history check](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/) and an independent [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/). We found no Carfax offer on the program’s open pages; our [Carfax discount](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/carfax-discount/) page lists where reports cost less. ## Service discounts and the post-purchase survey The program runs two parts-and-service discounts that are easy to confuse. One is open to any member at participating service centers. The other is earned by buying through a referral and then answering the satisfaction survey. **The program’s two parts-and-service discounts, from their printed terms (read 6 October 2026)** | Term | Standing discount | After a purchase through a referral | | --- | --- | --- | | Discount | 15% off parts, service and accessories | 50% off parts, service and accessories | | Cap | Up to $500 per visit | $200 for Executive members, $100 for others | | Where | Participating service centers, “not Costco Tire Centers” | “the dealer where the vehicle was purchased or leased” | | How to get it | Find a participating service center | Complete the member satisfaction survey “within 30 days of the purchase or lease date” | | Excluded | Air bags, oil changes, tires, state-mandated inspections, warranty or insurance work, prior work, other promotions | Tires; any other promotion or incentive | | Limits | “Not all Costco Auto Program dealerships currently participate”; tax is charged on the pre-discount amount where required | “can only be used once,” no cash value; “expires six months after its issue date” | The standing discount cannot be used “at the time of vehicle purchase or lease,” so it is no help on the deal itself. The 50% discount is a one-off, capped, and tied to the selling dealer’s service department; the dealer site tells partners the program is “developing program enhancements that can grow your fixed operations.” Neither is a reason to choose a dealer, but the survey is worth the minutes if you will service there. Tires are excluded from both, and the 15% discount does not apply at Costco Tire Centers; for tires, see our page on [Costco’s tire centers](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/). ## Member Advocates, complaints and what the terms promise The program’s support promise is people, not a guarantee. “Our highly trained Member Advocates are available to assist you before, during, and after your dealership visit,” the specials page says; Costco’s page describes “a unique member advocacy program to support you at every stage of the buying process”; the dealer site says a team is “on hand seven days a week to answer questions and ease any buyer concerns.” We found no price guarantee, satisfaction guarantee or refund promise for a car bought through the program. The sale is a contract between you and the dealer. The privacy policy shows the program’s own lever over dealers. “With your consent,” it may collect your purchase or lease agreement “to conduct price verification and program compliance audits with our service centers, dealerships and vehicle manufacturers.” If the contract does not match the price sheet, that is the check to invoke: keep both documents and call the Member Advocates before you sign, not after. The same policy says the program shares “your name, physical address, email address, phone number and requested vehicle information” with a participating dealership, which “may use information about you for their own purposes,” and discloses identifiers and inferences to Costco. Under state privacy-law definitions it says “We sell, and share for cross-context behavioral advertising and targeted advertising” certain categories, with a “Your Privacy Choices” opt-out on the site. And “you cannot opt-out of non-promotional emails and phone calls.” The Terms of Use govern the website, not the car. The site and its data are provided on an “AS IS, WHERE IS” basis, without warranties; the program makes “no representations to you about the accuracy of the information” including “the availability of any CAP Service to you on a local or national basis”; and disputes go to the Delaware courts under Delaware law. The Terms also say that data you submit “becomes part of a database, which CAP owns,” which CAP may share “with Costco Wholesale, Participating Dealers and OEM’s.” The public record is thin. BBB lists Affinity Auto Programs Inc as not accredited, with a D- rating for “Failure to respond to 2 complaint(s) filed against business.” Those are the only 2 complaints in BBB’s 3-year window, both filed in 2026 and both marked unanswered. By our reading, one concerns survey and marketing emails that continued after the consumer asked to be removed; the other asks the program for member advocacy over a dealer sale, alleging a different trim and added optional products. They are unverified allegations, and BBB asks readers to “consider the company’s size and volume of transactions.” Trustpilot’s profile for costcoauto.com, listed under Affinity Development Group, Inc., was unclaimed with 0 reviews. A web search found no FTC, CFPB or state attorney-general action naming the program or its operator; that is a search result, not a clearance. ## The program’s own numbers, side by side The program prints volume and satisfaction figures in several places. They are company claims, unchecked, and they do not all agree. **Figures the Costco Auto Program prints about itself, by page (read 6 October 2026)** | Measure | Figure | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Years of prearranged pricing | “more than 35 years” | Consumer site | | Satisfied members | “Over 5 Million Satisfied Members in The Past 5 Years” | costco.com | | Vehicles sold by participating dealers | “more than three million vehicles in the past five years” | Dealer site, about page | | Buyers reached | More than 50 million; more than 60 million; over 70 million | Dealer site: about, services and home pages | | Closing ratio | 49% nationwide; “in excess of 45%” | Dealer site: home and services pages | | Closing ratio on manufacturer promotions | 60%; “approximately 60%” | Dealer site: home and services pages | | Would recommend the program | 94%; “more than 96%” | Dealer site: home and services pages | The three “buyers reached” figures are for the same measure on the same site, and the recommend rates and closing ratios each come in two versions. The member and vehicle counts measure different things, so they need not conflict, but no page says how a member is counted as “satisfied.” The closing ratios are the more useful numbers for a buyer: by the program’s own count, close to half of referrals end in a sale, and more on manufacturer promotions. That is what the participation fee buys. ## What the program does not publish, and how to check the price yourself On 6 October 2026, none of the following was public: any member price or discount formula; the dealers’ participation fee; whether the prearranged price includes documentation or dealer fees, add-ons or tax; trade-in values; any financing terms; the list of Approved Dealers; and the pre-owned criteria. How It Works, the FAQ and the Pre-Owned pages could not be read without a ZIP code. The program’s value to you therefore cannot be judged from outside. It can only be judged on the day, against a competing quote. - **Get an outside quote first.** Ask a non-program dealer for a written out-the-door price on the same trim. - **Register, and note your Authorized Dealer Contact.** Deal only with the people named on the certificate. - **Keep the Member-Only Price Sheet.** It is your record of the prearranged price. - **Ask for the full out-the-door total in writing,** with every fee, add-on and tax line shown. - **Register any member-only incentive before the deadline,** and confirm the dealer will apply it on top of public incentives. - **Price the trade-in separately** with outside offers before you discuss it. - **Bring your own financing** or decide to pay cash before you sit down. - **If the contract does not match the price sheet, call the Member Advocates before signing.** - **Take the survey within 30 days** if you will service the car at that dealer. Our guides to the [out-the-door total](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#reading) and [reading a buyer’s order line by line](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#reading) cover what to look for when the paperwork arrives. ## Common questions ### Is it worth buying a car through the Costco Auto Program? It can be, if you dislike negotiating and compare the result. The program gives you a no-haggle vehicle price from one referred dealer, member-only incentives that stack with public ones, and a one-time 50% service discount after the survey. It does not publish its prices or promise they are the lowest, and fees, add-ons, the trade-in and financing are outside the prearranged price. Get one outside out-the-door quote and keep whichever total is lower. ### How much of a discount do you get with the Costco Auto Program? The program prints no discount figure. Its disclaimer says “Actual savings may vary based on vehicle purchased, dealer and location,” and its dealer site says prices are set with each dealer against the local market. The only fixed amounts are the member-only incentives on specific models, which change with each special, and costco.com says some promotions add $250 or more for Executive members. ### Can you negotiate the Costco Auto Program price? Not the vehicle price: the program says it “is designed to eliminate price negotiation” with a no-haggle price on a Member-Only Price Sheet. The trade-in, fees, add-ons and financing are separate, and nothing in the program’s documents fixes them, so compare those lines and the total against another dealer’s written quote. ### How do you use the Costco Auto Program? Enter a make, model and ZIP code on the program’s site, register with your Costco membership details, and the program passes your contact information to an Approved Dealer. A trained Authorized Dealer Contact contacts you, or you contact them, and shows you the Member-Only Price Sheet. If a member-only special covers your model, register for its certificate too, then complete the satisfaction survey within 30 days of buying. ### Does the Costco Auto Program cost anything to use? No program fee appears in any document we read; dealers pay the program a participation fee. You do need a Costco membership, which Costco prices at $65 a year in the U.S., or $130 for Executive. By Costco’s reward terms, a car paid for at the dealer does not earn the Executive 2% Reward. ### Is the Costco Auto Program run by Costco? No. It is operated by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., which its Terms describe as “an independent company, not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale Corporation.” Affinity Development Group took the program over from Costco’s services division in 1993. Costco’s fiscal 2010 10-K described such member services as “generally provided by third-parties,” and its 10-Ks stopped mentioning the program after fiscal 2023. ## Sources and further reading - [FTC warns 97 auto dealership groups about deceptive pricing](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-warns-97-auto-dealership-groups-about-deceptive-pricing) - [FTC Used Car Rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/dealers-guide-used-car-rule) - [SEC EDGAR company facts API](https://data.sec.gov/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/costco-auto-program/ --- title: "Costco Tires: Installation, Lifetime Services and Road Hazard Warranty" description: "Costco prints no installation price; installation is included. What its 5-year Road Hazard Warranty pays, its 11 exclusions, and whose warranty covers wear." url: "https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-07" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Costco Tires: Installation, Lifetime Services and Road Hazard Warranty > Costco prints no installation price; installation is included. What its 5-year Road Hazard Warranty pays, its 11 exclusions, and whose warranty covers wear. *Detailing & Maintenance · 23 min read · 5,065 words* ## The short version - Costco prints no separate installation price. Its tire pages say installation is included “at no charge” on tires bought at a Costco tire center by members, though TPMS parts and “TPMS service pack fees” can be extra, and no page says how much. - Four services are free “throughout the life of the tires”: inflation pressure checks, balancing, rotation and flat repairs, with “some limits” Costco does not list. Costco says it will not service tires bought by non-members. - The Costco Road Hazard Warranty runs 60 months from purchase or until the tread is down to 2/32 of an inch, whichever comes first. It pays prorated credit toward a new tire, not a free tire: the usable tread left times the price you paid, net of discounts. - It covers only the tire that failed, only for the original purchaser with the original receipt, and it lists 11 exclusions, including accidents, commercial use and tires moved to another vehicle. - Wear-out and defects belong to the tire maker’s warranty, not Costco’s. The Michelin booklet Costco links prorates mileage claims and voids them unless the tires were rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles with a signed service record. - Costco’s own pages disagree in places: “all of our tires” against “most” tires for the warranty, and “The price you SEE is the price you PAY!” against extra TPMS charges. Costco tires come with installation at no separate charge, four lifetime services and a 5-year road-hazard warranty that pays prorated credit rather than a new tire; the maker’s mileage warranty sits on top with its own conditions. On 6 October 2026 we read Costco’s tire pages (the Road Hazard Warranty and its Terms and Conditions page, the installation-package page called “The Costco Advantage”, the tire-center Disclaimers, the FAQ, Tire Tips, Tire Basics, the Tire Glossary and the Warranty page), costco.com’s Tires & Auto page, its Member Privileges and Conditions (updated March 30, 2026) and its Executive Rewards terms, the Michelin warranty booklet Costco links, and the federal tire-registration rule. Costco’s site terms allow links to its home page only, so its documents are named here, not linked. This site has no commercial relationship with Costco or any tire maker. **Figure: Who pays when a Costco tire fails** A two-column table mapping seven kinds of tire failure to the coverage that applies: a small nail in the tread is a free flat repair, one of Costco’s 4 lifetime services; a cut, non-repairable puncture or impact damage earns prorated credit under Costco’s Road Hazard Warranty for 60 months or until 2/32 inch of tread; at 2/32 inch the tire is worn out; early wear-out and defects go to the tire maker’s warranty, which in Michelin’s case requires rotation every 6,000 to 8,000 miles and runs 6 years; on AWD and 4WD cars Costco credits only the failed tire; and accidents, vandalism, racing, off-road use, chains and irregular wear are excluded. Read from Costco’s Road Hazard Warranty, The Costco Advantage, Disclaimers and Tire Tips pages, costco.com’s Tires & Auto page and the Michelin booklet Costco links, on 6 October 2026. Michelin’s terms are one maker’s example; others differ. ## What the installation package includes, and the price Costco prints The tires home page puts it in one line: “Tire purchase includes installation at No charge.” It then lists six “Additional member values”: a “5 year road hazard warranty, Rotation, Balancing, Inflation checks, Flat repairs, Nitrogen tire Inflation.” costco.com’s Tires & Auto page repeats the list with INCLUDED beside each item, and The Costco Advantage adds that “Our published retail pricing includes all of the shipping and handling costs associated with your tires.” So the price on the tire is meant to be the installed price. No Costco page we read prints a separate figure for installation, mounting, balancing or disposal. Per-tire installation figures circulate on other websites and do not agree with each other; we do not repeat them, because Costco does not print one. The exceptions are named but not priced. The home page says “Additional component costs, including TPMS service pack fees, may apply.” The Costco Advantage says Costco installs new rubber valve stems, then adds “(Note: TPMS valve stems and accessories will be an additional charge).” Cars with direct pressure monitoring carry a sensor in each wheel, so their owners should expect some component charge; our page on [what happens to pressure sensors when tires are changed](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tpms-light/#tyres-changed) explains why. costco.com’s headline “The price you SEE is the price you PAY!” sits above a footnote saying “Additional component costs may apply.” Read the footnote. **What Costco says comes with tires bought at its tire centers (tires.costco.com and costco.com, read 6 October 2026)** | Item | Costco’s wording | Limits Costco prints | | --- | --- | --- | | Installation | “includes installation at No charge” | Tires bought from a Costco tire center by members; component costs and TPMS fees may apply | | Rotation, balancing, inflation checks, flat repairs | “Lifetime services” that “extend throughout the life of the tires” | “(some limits may apply)”, not listed | | Nitrogen | “we inflate your tires with nitrogen, not compressed air” | Listed as a member value; not named among the lifetime services | | Valve stems | “new rubber valve stems” on service | TPMS stems and accessories are “an additional charge” | | Road Hazard Warranty | “5 year road hazard warranty” | 60 months or 2/32 inch of tread; “Not available for all vehicles and/or tires” | | Shipping of online orders | “delivered to your chosen Costco Tire Center free of charge” | Installed at the tire center you choose | One line in Costco’s membership terms bears on the total: sales tax “may be based on the price before any discounts or promotions.” A set bought on a tire-maker promotion can be taxed on the undiscounted price. ## Free for the life of the tires, and the limits Costco leaves open The Costco Advantage names the lifetime services exactly: “These Lifetime services include inflation pressure checks, tire balancing, tire rotations, as well as flat repairs.” That is 4 services, and the sentence before says they “extend throughout the life of the tires you purchase (some limits may apply).” No page says what the limits are: how often you can come in, or whether a flat repair is free on a tire bought years earlier. Ask at the tire counter before you rely on them. The services are tied to membership and to where the tires came from. The Disclaimers say “Costco will not perform services on tires purchased by non-members” and “Installation available for tires purchased at Costco Wholesale only.” Costco does not say what happens to the services if your membership lapses, or whether a tire center will repair a tire bought elsewhere. Rotation is where the details matter. The FAQ answer to “Should I rotate my tires?” gives no interval. The only one Costco prints is on Tire Basics, for cars whose manual is silent: “If no period is specified in your vehicle owner’s manual, tires should be rotated every 10,000 km to 12,000 km.” That is in kilometres on the US site; by our arithmetic it is 6,214 to 7,456 miles, roughly 6,200 to 7,500. The Road Hazard Warranty requires you to “rotate and balance your tires as outlined by the vehicle manufacturer,” so the manual is the schedule that counts. Our guide to [tire rotation intervals](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#interval) explains the usual schedule, and [which rotations a car allows](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-rotation-cost/#what-the-car-allows) when the tread is directional or the axles carry different sizes. Balancing, Tire Basics says, is due “whenever a tire is replaced, when a balance weight is moved or removed,” and at “the first sign of vibration or irregular tread wear.” Costco recommends “checking air pressure once a month, and before a long trip.” On nitrogen, Costco makes a claim we did not test: it “retains tire pressure better over time than compressed air.” Topping up with ordinary air does not hurt at least one maker’s warranty: the Michelin booklet excludes damage from materials “other than air, nitrogen or carbon dioxide.” ## The Road Hazard Warranty: what it covers, and for how long Costco defines the event narrowly. “Road hazard failure” means “a tire that becomes unserviceable due to cuts, non-repairable punctures or impact damage.” A pothole that breaks the casing, glass that slices the tread, or a screw too close to the shoulder to patch all fit. A tire that wears out, cracks with age or fails from a defect does not. The warranty “covers road hazard failures in most passenger, performance and light truck tires purchased from Costco Wholesale,” and “may not be available for certain vehicles and/or tires.” The Costco Advantage says something broader, that “all of our tires are backed with the Costco Road Hazard Warranty.” The warranty’s own wording is the narrower one, and the home page and costco.com both repeat “Not available for all vehicles and/or tires.” For an unusual size, a run-flat or a heavy truck, ask whether it applies before you pay. The term has two end points: “This warranty is valid for 60 months from the date of purchase, or until the tire reaches 1.6 mm Millimetre (2/32 of an inch) or less in remaining tread depth regardless of age, whichever occurs first.” A tire that wears to 2/32 inch in its second year is out of coverage then; a tire with deep tread is out of coverage once the 60 months are up. The 60 months equal the “5 year” on the home page, by our arithmetic. At 2/32 inch the tire “is considered worn out and this warranty does not apply”; our guide to [reading tread depth](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#tread-depth) shows where that line sits. BJ’s road hazard cover is shorter, at 36 months or 36,000 miles, as our [BJ’s tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/bjs-tires/) page shows. It covers one tire at a time: the warranty “only covers the specific tire that is damaged/failed” and “does not provide credit for the other tires on a vehicle.” Costco lists 3 requirements to qualify: you are the original purchaser, the tires came from Costco Wholesale, and you present “the original purchase receipt and tire to a Costco Wholesale tire center.” It lists 4 conditions: rotate and balance as the vehicle maker outlines, run the vehicle maker’s pressures, keep “all mechanical parts that affect tires in proper working condition,” and sign a “Costco Wholesale tire adjustment form.” **The 11 things Costco’s Road Hazard Warranty says it does not cover (read 6 October 2026)** | Not covered | What it means in practice | | --- | --- | | Vandalism | A slashed tire is not covered | | An accident | Tire damage in a collision is excluded | | Commercial use | Not defined on the page; ask if you drive for deliveries or ride-sharing | | Racing | Track days included, on a plain reading | | Off-road use | A cut from a trail rock is excluded | | Snow chains or studs | Damage caused by them is excluded | | Rapid or irregular wear | Wear is never a road hazard | | Worn or badly adjusted mechanical parts | Wear caused by alignment, suspension or brake faults | | Tires moved from the original vehicle | The tire must stay on the car it was installed on | | Loss of time, inconvenience, loss of use, consequential damage | No towing, rental or time off work, “except where and to the extent prohibited by law” | | Anything outside the definition | Only cuts, non-repairable punctures and impact damage | The irregular-wear and mechanical-parts exclusions are where an alignment fault becomes a warranty problem; our page on [reading tire wear for alignment faults](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/wheel-alignment-cost/#reading-wear) shows the patterns. Neither of Costco’s two warranty pages prints an effective date or version, and they carry the same text, except that one says “1.6 mm Millimetre” and the other “1.6 mm”. ## How the credit is worked out Costco’s words: “This warranty provides credit based upon remaining usable tread at the time of failure due to road hazard. ‘Usable tread’ is defined as the original tread depth of a tire less than 1.6 mm Millimetre (2/32 of an inch). Credit is determined by multiplying the usable remaining tread by the price you paid for the tire net of all discounts received.” And plainly, it is “a promise under certain conditions to give credit on a prorated basis towards the purchase of a new tire.” Read literally, the multiplication only works as a share. The tread that counts is the depth above 2/32 inch, and the credit is the part of that usable tread still on the tire when it failed, applied to what you paid. By our arithmetic, a tire that fails with half its usable tread left earns a credit of half the price you paid for it, after discounts. We have assumed no tread depth or price: the share is the whole calculation. **The road hazard warranty is credit, not a replacement.** Costco applies a prorated credit toward a new tire, worked out on the price you paid net of discounts, so a set bought on promotion earns a smaller credit, and you pay the rest of the new tire’s price. Ask to see the tread measurement before you sign the adjustment form. The earlier the failure, the bigger the credit. The discount you got at purchase follows you, because the base is the price you paid, not the shelf price on the day of the claim. And the replacement is a purchase: Costco’s pages do not say whether the new tire must be the same model, how its price is set, or who measures the tread. Those answers belong on the adjustment form before you sign it. Tire makers prorate differently: Michelin uses “the current selling price of the replacement tire,” times the share of tread worn for a defect or of mileage received for early wear. Costco uses the price you originally paid. ## A nail in the tread: repaired, or credited Most punctures never reach the warranty, because they are repaired. Costco’s Tire Tips say there is “a good chance that your tire can be repaired if” it has not been driven on flat, “The damage is only on the tread section of your tire” and “The puncture is less than 1/4 inch.” The tire must come off the wheel to be inspected from inside, “because internal damage is not visible while the tire is mounted.” Flat repair is a lifetime service, so on tires a member bought at Costco the repair carries no charge, subject to the unlisted limits. Costco is blunt about plugs: “If you are offered a plug repair--refuse!” Its glossary calls a plug pushed in from outside “not satisfactory.” The warranty’s care tips ask for a “USTMA (United States Tire Manufacturers Association) approved two-piece tire repair,” and Michelin requires “the combined-plug-and-inside-patch type.” Same message each time: the repair is done from inside, with the tire off the wheel. Costco says it “will repair tires with treadface injuries in accordance with established USTMA” standards. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark a tread block, a groove and the sidewall of a new tire, with when Costco repairs a puncture as a lifetime service, when its Road Hazard Warranty credit ends, and why a sidewall cut earns prorated credit rather than a free tire. Costco’s Tire Tips and The Costco Advantage pages, read on 6 October 2026, describe a repairable puncture as one in the tread under 1/4 inch and list flat repair among its lifetime services (callout 1); its Road Hazard Warranty runs 60 months or until 2/32 inch of tread, whichever comes first (callout 2), and pays prorated credit toward a replacement for damage that cannot be repaired (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. So a nail in the middle of the tread is usually a free repair. A puncture in the shoulder or sidewall, one wider than 1/4 inch, or a tire driven on flat, counts as non-repairable, and that is when the warranty’s prorated credit applies, if the tire is within 60 months and above 2/32 inch. Michelin adds: “Never repair a tire with less than 2/32nds of an inch of tread remaining.” Costco warns that “Fix-a-flat products should be avoided if possible. These products can make a tire non-repairable.” Run-flats have their own rules, covered in our guide to [why shops often refuse to repair run-flats](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/run-flat-tires/#repair). ## How to claim the Costco tire warranty Costco’s warranty pages describe a claim through its requirements rather than as a procedure. Put together: - Take the damaged tire and “the original purchase receipt” to a Costco Wholesale tire center. - Be the original purchaser. A used car bought with Costco tires on it does not carry the warranty to its new owner. - The tire must still be on the vehicle it was first installed on. - Expect questions on rotation, balancing, inflation and the suspension: the 4 conditions. - Sign the “Costco Wholesale tire adjustment form” and apply the credit to a new tire. Keep the receipt with the car’s papers: Costco gives no fallback if it is lost. Michelin’s booklet does: without an invoice, “the date will be calculated based on the date of manufacture which is molded on the sidewall.” No page we read says what proof of rotation Costco asks for, so keep every service invoice. Costco’s customer-service site carries tire-center questions, but its robots.txt closes it to automated readers, so we did not read it and nothing here comes from it. The claim will not pay for “Loss of time, inconvenience, loss of use of vehicle or consequential damage”: a tow or a rental car is your cost, unless your state’s law says otherwise. ## Costco’s warranty versus the tire maker’s: whose warranty pays for what Costco’s home page says its tire installation “includes a warranty for mileage, road hazard and manufacturer’s defects.” Only one of those is Costco’s. The Road Hazard Warranty “does not replace or modify any original tire manufacturer’s warranty on material and workmanship”; the mileage and defect warranties come from the company that made the tire. Costco’s Warranty page links each maker’s booklet: Michelin, BFGoodrich, Bridgestone and Firestone (by purchase date, from 2019 to tires bought after January 1, 2024), Pirelli, and two trailer-tire makers. We read the Michelin booklet Costco links (copyright 2022) as an example. Other makers’ terms differ, and mileage warranties “vary by tire line,” Michelin says. Michelin’s own warranty page now links a newer edition (copyright 2025), which differs on two points below: it halves staggered-fitment mileage on each tire rather than each rear tire, and drops the 7,500-mile line; our [tire manufacturer warranties](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/tire-manufacturer-warranties/) page reads the current editions. Its structure shows how the two warranties fit together: - **Defects.** Covered for the life of the usable tread “or six (6) years from date of purchase (whichever comes first).” Within 12 months, with no more than 2/32 inch or 25% of the tread worn, Michelin replaces, mounts and balances the tire “free of charge”; after that, pro rata. - **Treadwear.** If the tread wears out evenly before the warranted mileage, Michelin replaces the tire pro rata, and you pay “in-full the cost of mounting and balancing.” - **The rotation condition.** The tires “must be rotated every 6,000 - 8,000 miles (10,000 -12,000 km), or as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, whichever rotation period is less,” with the Mounting and Rotation Service Record “fully completed and signed.” Skipping it “voids the treadwear warranty.” The service-record page itself says “every 7,500 miles.” - **Road hazards.** Excluded: “cuts, snags, bruises, impact damage or punctures.” That is the gap Costco’s warranty fills. - **Other limits.** No treadwear warranty for “ride sharing vehicles” and other commercial use; with different front and rear sizes, “the mileage warranty on each rear tire will be half that specified.” **Whose warranty pays for what: Costco’s Road Hazard Warranty beside Michelin’s booklet, as each printed it on 6 October 2026** | Question | Costco Road Hazard Warranty | Michelin limited and treadwear warranty (example) | | --- | --- | --- | | What it covers | Cuts, non-repairable punctures, impact damage | Defects in workmanship and materials; tread wearing out before the warranted mileage | | How long | 60 months or 2/32 inch, whichever first | Life of the usable tread or 6 years, whichever first | | What you get | Credit on remaining usable tread times the price you paid, net of discounts | Free within 12 months and 2/32 inch or 25% worn; otherwise pro rata at the current price | | Who must claim | Original purchaser, with the original receipt and the tire | Original purchaser; invoice, owner form and signed service record for mileage claims | | Rotation | “As outlined by the vehicle manufacturer” | Every 6,000 to 8,000 miles or the vehicle maker’s interval, whichever is shorter | | Road hazards | The whole point | Excluded | | Where you claim | A Costco tire center | A participating Michelin tire retailer | The practical link between them is the rotation record. Costco rotates the tires for free; Michelin’s mileage warranty needs those rotations on its record, signed, no more than 8,000 miles apart. Costco’s kilometre interval, 6,214 to 7,456 miles by our arithmetic, falls inside Michelin’s band. Take the booklet to each rotation, or keep each Costco invoice with the odometer reading on it. Federal law lets you read these terms before you buy. The FTC’s pre-sale availability rule, 16 CFR 702.3, says the seller of a consumer product with a written warranty “shall make a text of the warranty readily available for examination by the prospective buyer,” for example by “Furnishing it upon request prior to sale.” Ask the counter for the booklet for the tire you are buying. ## Installation rules: what the tire center will and will not fit Costco’s Disclaimers page sets the rules. “Costco will only install tires authorized for a specific vehicle,” and “The final decision to install a tire on a vehicle will be made by the Costco tire center manager or supervisor.” Tires are fitted only if their speed rating and load-carrying capacity are “the same or higher” than the factory’s. The FAQ adds: “Never choose a smaller size than those that came with the car.” Those sizes and ratings are on the door-jamb placard, which our guide to [finding your tire size](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/tire-size-by-vin/#the-placard) treats as the authority. Fewer than four tires changes where they go: “the new tires will be installed on the rear of your vehicle regardless of the drive axle,” except on dual-wheel vehicles and cars with different front and rear sizes. A single new tire “must be paired on the rear axle with the tire having the most tread depth of the other three.” Snow tires “will only be installed in sets of four” on front-wheel, four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles. For older cars, the home page says a vehicle “manufactured before 2002” needs a call or a visit. All-wheel and four-wheel drive have the strictest rule. For a partial set, “the tire size and tread design must be identical,” and the overall circumference must follow the owner’s manual or, without guidance there, “should have a difference of less than 1 1/2 inches.” **On an AWD or 4WD car, one ruined tire can mean buying more than one.** costco.com’s footnote says the road hazard warranty “Only applies to the failed tires on all vehicles including AWD and 4-wheel drive.” If the other three are part-worn and the tire center will not mix a new tire with them, the extra tires are a full-price purchase. Ask before the replacement is fitted. ## Membership, appointments and returns Every tire service Costco describes is tied to membership. The Member Privileges and Conditions say “Only Costco members may purchase items.” Membership is open to anyone 16 or older, for “one 12-month period.” Nonmembers can buy certain merchandise online for “5% more than members,” but that does not help with fitted tires: installation is “only available on tires purchased from Costco tire center by Costco members.” Sam’s Club ties its tire services to membership in a similar way; our [Sam’s Club tires](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/sams-club-tires/) page reads its terms, and our [Discount Tire warranty](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/discount-tire-warranty/) page reads a tire chain’s. We found no Costco tire benefit that differs by tier. Executive Members “earn an annual 2% Reward, up to $1,250,” on qualified purchases through “front-end registers, most ancillary business registers.” The exclusions list gasoline, tobacco, Shop Cards, cellphones and more; tires are neither excluded nor named, and Costco reserves “certain other categories as determined at Costco’s discretion.” Ask the membership counter whether a tire-center purchase earns the reward. Costco’s tire pages also advertise the Costco Auto Program, with one brand marked “Executive Only”; our guide to the [Costco Auto Program](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/costco-auto-program/) reads its terms. Costco lists 4 steps online: search, select, “Schedule your installation appointment at your chosen Costco Tire Center,” and free shipping of the tires to that tire center. To change a booking, “please call your warehouse location.” The search can match tires to a licence plate against “Your State’s Public Vehicle Records,” or by vehicle or placard size. We entered neither a plate nor a vehicle. Returns are the one area we could not read. Costco promises “a risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee on both your membership and merchandise. Limited exceptions apply. See return policy for more information.” The return policy sits on Costco’s customer-service site, which robots.txt closes to automated agents, so we cannot say whether tires are an exception. Michelin offers its own route: a “60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee” under which the dealer will “exchange them for a new set of tires of equal or lesser value,” for up to 6 tires. That is an exchange, not a refund, and road-hazard damage is excluded. ## What Costco’s tire pages do not say, and where they disagree Several things a buyer would want in writing are on no Costco page we read: a price for installation, or for the TPMS “service pack” and parts; what the “some limits” on lifetime services are; who measures the tread at a claim and how the new tire’s price is set; whether services continue after a membership lapses; and whether tires are an exception to the satisfaction guarantee. The mileage warranty for a particular tire sits on Costco’s product listings, which its site terms bar collecting, so we did not. Costco’s documents also disagree. “All of our tires are backed” by the warranty, says The Costco Advantage; the warranty says “most” tires. “The price you SEE is the price you PAY!”, says costco.com; three Costco pages say component and TPMS costs may be added. The FAQ calls a tire cold after less than 1.6 km of driving, while Tire Basics says before it “has been driven one mile.” Parts of the US site are shared with Costco Canada: the rotation interval is in kilometres, the FAQ speaks of “kilometrage,” and the warranty is “offered by” both Costco Wholesale Corporation and Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. ## Before you buy tires at Costco Register the tires. Costco’s warranty page says to “Register your tires using the DOT (Department of Transportation) card provided at the time of installation,” and Tire Tips says registration means “you can be notified of any product updates,” which includes recalls. The federal rule, [49 CFR 574.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574/section-574.8), gives an independent tire dealer three options: hand you a paper form recording “The entire tire identification number” and the dealer’s name, or register the tires with the maker itself, on paper or electronically, “at no charge to the tire purchaser and within 30 days.” A dealer that registers electronically must say so on the invoice. If you are handed a card, sending it is up to you. Check the build date and read the grades. The DOT code on the sidewall, Costco’s glossary says, can identify the “date of production”; our guides to [reading the tire date code](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#date-code) and [how old is too old](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/how-long-do-tires-last/#how-old-is-too-old) cover both. Costco’s glossary says the treadwear grading system “is not a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed number of miles,” though a tire graded 200 “should have its useful tread last twice as long as a tire graded 100” under test conditions. - **Ask whether the road hazard warranty applies** to your tire and vehicle; Costco says it is not available for all of them. - **Ask what component or TPMS charges will be added,** and get the total before installation. - **Ask for the maker’s warranty booklet** and note its mileage figure and rotation interval. - **Keep the original receipt** with the car’s papers. - **Rotate on the vehicle maker’s schedule** and keep each invoice with the odometer reading, or get the maker’s service record signed. - **Refuse a plug-only repair** anywhere; Costco and Michelin both require a patch from inside. - **Keep the tires on the car they were fitted to,** and register them. - **On AWD or 4WD,** ask what happens to the other three tires if one fails. ## Common questions ### Does Costco repair tires for free? For tires a member bought at a Costco tire center, yes: flat repairs are one of the 4 lifetime services, with “some limits” unlisted. The puncture must be repairable, which Costco’s Tire Tips describe as tread area only, less than 1/4 inch, and not driven on flat. Costco says it “will not perform services on tires purchased by non-members,” and its pages do not say whether it repairs tires bought elsewhere. ### Will Costco replace a tire with a nail in it? A nail in the tread is normally repaired, not replaced. If the puncture cannot be repaired (shoulder or sidewall, too large, or driven flat), the Road Hazard Warranty gives prorated credit toward a new tire, provided the tire is within 60 months of purchase and has more than 2/32 inch of tread. It is credit, not a free tire. ### How do I claim my Costco tire warranty? Take the tire and the original purchase receipt to a Costco tire center. You must be the original purchaser, the tire must still be on the vehicle it was installed on, and you will sign a “Costco Wholesale tire adjustment form.” Costco can ask whether the tires were rotated, balanced and inflated as the vehicle maker specifies, so keep your service invoices. ### How does Costco tire replacement work? Under the Road Hazard Warranty, Costco takes the usable tread left above 2/32 inch and multiplies it by the price you paid, net of discounts. By our arithmetic, a tire with half its usable tread left earns credit equal to half what you paid; you pay the rest of the new tire. Wear-out and defects go to the tire maker’s warranty instead. ### Does Costco rotate tires for free? Yes, for tires bought there: rotation is a lifetime service. Costco prints an interval only for cars whose manual gives none, every 10,000 km to 12,000 km (about 6,200 to 7,500 miles by our arithmetic). Its warranty requires rotation as the vehicle maker outlines, and a maker’s mileage warranty can be stricter: Michelin’s requires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles with a signed record. ### How much does Costco charge for tire installation? Costco prints no installation price. Its tires home page says “Tire purchase includes installation at No charge,” and The Costco Advantage says the published price includes shipping and handling. TPMS valve stems, accessories and “service pack fees” may be added, and Costco does not publish those amounts, so ask for the total before the work starts. ## Sources and further reading - [49 CFR Part 574 — Tire Identification and Recordkeeping](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) - [16 CFR Part 702 (Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-702) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/car-care/costco-tires/ --- title: "LightStream Auto Loan: How Its Unsecured Car Loan Works" description: "LightStream auto loans are unsecured: no lien, $5,000 to $100,000, 36 to 84 months, a hard pull and a 5-day funding window. Rate Beat terms, fees, CFPB record." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # LightStream Auto Loan: How Its Unsecured Car Loan Works > LightStream auto loans are unsecured: no lien, $5,000 to $100,000, 36 to 84 months, a hard pull and a 5-day funding window. Rate Beat terms, fees, CFPB record. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,870 words* ## The short version - A LightStream auto loan is an unsecured personal loan from Truist Bank. The money goes into your bank account and you pay the seller as a cash buyer. LightStream takes no lien on the car, and Truist’s LightStream page says the car “is yours from day one.” - Loans run from $5,000 to $100,000. On 6 October 2026 LightStream’s calculator showed car loans of 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months for new and used cars from dealers, private-party purchases, lease buyouts and refinances, with no limit on the car’s age or mileage. - There is no pre-approval and no soft-pull preview of your own rate: the application “pulls a hard inquiry from TransUnion or Equifax,” and LightStream says it approves only good-to-excellent credit. - The Rate Beat Program beats a competing rate by .10 percentage points only for an unsecured offer on the same terms. It “excludes secured or collateralized loan offers from any lender,” which rules out an ordinary dealer, bank or credit union car loan. - LightStream says its loans “do not have any fees” and no prepayment penalty. Still costing money: paying by invoice instead of AutoPay (0.50 percentage points on the rate), Florida’s documentary stamp tax, and any wire fee your own bank charges. - Once approved, the money must reach your account within 5 days or the approval expires. LightStream offers no GAP coverage. Its “guaranteed” loan experience has no published terms: the guarantee page now redirects to About Us. A LightStream auto loan is an unsecured loan you use to pay for a car in cash: LightStream deposits the money, you buy the car, and the title carries no LightStream lien. On 6 October 2026 we read LightStream’s [auto loan page](https://www.lightstream.com/auto-loans), its [FAQ](https://www.lightstream.com/faq), its [Rate Beat terms](https://www.lightstream.com/rate-beat) and its rate calculator for all five auto loan purposes; the LightStream pages Truist hosts on truist.com; the passages about LightStream in Truist Financial Corporation’s annual reports; and the CFPB complaint file for Truist. LightStream’s loan agreement is not published, so we could not read it. We applied for nothing, and this site has no commercial relationship with LightStream, Truist or any lender. **Figure: Will a LightStream auto loan fit this purchase?** A two-column table of six buying situations set against LightStream’s own pages: buying from a dealer or a private seller is allowed and you pay as a cash buyer; older or high-mileage cars face no limits and need no appraisal; lease buyouts and refinancing another lender’s loan are allowed, but not refinancing a LightStream loan or taking cash out; Rate Beat ignores secured or collateralized offers such as a credit union or dealer car loan; LightStream offers no GAP and existing GAP will not transfer; and an approval expires after 5 days. Source: LightStream FAQ, auto loan and Rate Beat pages (lightstream.com) and LightStream pages on truist.com, read 6 October 2026. No rates shown; LightStream says its terms are subject to change. ## How a LightStream auto loan works: cash in your account, no lien on the car LightStream is a brand, not a separate lender. Its FAQ: “LightStream unsecured loans are a lending product offered by Truist Bank.” You do not need to bank with Truist, and LightStream says it serves customers “across all 50 states.” The same loan pays for a boat, a pool or a timeshare; for a car you pick one of five auto purposes in the application: New Auto Purchase, Used Auto Purchase from Dealer, Used Auto Purchase from Individual, Auto Lease Buyout or Auto Loan Refinance. The money comes to you, not to the seller. “Be a cash buyer and get any car you want,” the auto loan page says. “LightStream deposits funds directly to your account, which saves time at the dealer, and gives you the power to negotiate a better deal with any dealer or private seller.” The FAQ widens it: “You can buy any vehicle (new or used) from anyone (dealer or individual).” The loan must be used “for the loan purpose that you selected in your loan application.” Because the loan is not tied to the car, LightStream skips the checks a car lender makes on the vehicle. Its pages say “No appraisal, or restrictions on age or mileage,” and the FAQ says that whether you are buying or refinancing, it places no restrictions on the vehicle’s year, make, model or mileage. It also says: “We do not require any down payment for your vehicle purchase; you may apply for a loan for the full amount of the vehicle.” The title question is answered on Truist’s own LightStream page: “An unsecured new car loan is a personal loan that is not tied to collateral. This means the car you purchase is yours from day one.” No lienholder is named on the title for this loan, and no lender looks at the car, so checking it is your job. Use our guides to [checking a used car’s title and history](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/how-to-check-a-used-cars-history/#title) and to a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) before the money moves. The application page adds: “Please remember to include any additional tax, titling, or registration fees in your requested loan amount.” If the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/#government-charges) comes in above the loan, the difference comes from your savings. ## Unsecured vs secured: what changes when the car is not collateral A dealer-arranged car loan is secured by the car. The CFPB’s auto loan glossary describes the lender who buys a dealer’s loan this way: “The assignee has a lien on the vehicle and can repossess if you don’t pay.” A LightStream loan has no lien and no vehicle to repossess. The CFPB’s teaching guide on the two kinds of credit explains the trade: - **Secured:** “Secured loans require the borrower to provide collateral (something of value like a car, a boat, a home, etc.) that the bank or lending institution can take to get their money back if the borrower can’t pay back the loan.” - **Unsecured:** “These loans require no collateral, so the bank or lending institution is trusting that these borrowers will pay them back.” And: “Because unsecured loans put lenders at higher risk, they may have a higher interest rate than secured loans.” No repossession does not mean no consequences. If an unsecured loan goes unpaid, the CFPB guide says, “the lender can report late or missing payments to the credit reporting companies, can engage in debt collection, and might sue the borrower.” The risk moves from the car to your credit. Our guide to [what happens in a repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#what-happens) covers the secured side. Truist sells both kinds of car loan. Its auto loan page: “Depending on your location, you can choose between a secured car loan (with collateral) or an unsecured car loan (no collateral).” The unsecured one is LightStream. On its private-party page Truist sets the two side by side and says of the secured loan, “Your car secures your loan, so interest rates tend to be lower,” and of LightStream, “An unsecured loan does not have collateral. Because of that, it may have a higher interest rate compared to a secured loan.” **Truist’s secured private-party car loan and its LightStream unsecured loan, as Truist’s comparison table printed them on 6 October 2026 (rates left out)** | Feature | Truist secured auto loan | LightStream unsecured loan | | --- | --- | --- | | Collateral | The car | None | | Where available | Eligible dealerships nationwide; branches in 17 states and DC | Nationwide, online only | | Vehicle age | Up to 20 prior model years | No restrictions | | Mileage | Up to 120,000 miles | No restrictions | | Loan amounts | $3,500 to $400,000 (minimum may vary by state) | $5,000 to $100,000 | | Longest term | Up to 84 months | Up to 84 months | | Fees | No prepayment penalties; late and returned-payment fees “vary by state” | “No origination fees, no pre-payment penalties, and no late fees” | | Ways to pay | Digital, AutoPay, mail, phone, in branch | Digital: AutoPay or invoice | | Rate held after approval | 30 days | 30 days (but see the 5-day funding rule below) | The same choice shows up on LightStream’s application page, which tells applicants: “In your area, Truist offers additional loan options which may include different underwriting guidelines, product terms, fees and pricing.” In a branch state, a secured loan may exist under the same bank’s name, and a [credit union car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/) is the other common secured comparison. On the day we read both tables, Truist’s secured private-party loan started at a lower APR than LightStream’s private-party loan, as Truist’s own wording predicts. ## Loan amounts, terms and the one rate we quote Every LightStream auto page gives the same range: “from $5,000 to $100,000.” The site-wide footnote says “Loan terms range from 24 - 240 months depending on the loan type,” but the 24-month and 240-month ends belong to other purposes. For each of the five auto purposes, at $10,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000, the calculator on 6 October 2026 offered the same five terms: 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months. The FAQ says the fixed rate depends on loan purpose, term, amount, your credit profile and payment method. The calculator shows only the “with AutoPay and excellent credit” figure: a floor, not your quote. On 6 October 2026, the lowest APR LightStream’s calculator showed for any auto purpose was 9.99%, for a new car or a used car bought from a dealer on a 36-month term at every amount we tried (and at 48 months on a $10,000 loan). That figure assumes AutoPay and excellent credit; without AutoPay LightStream says “Rates without AutoPay are 0.50% points higher,” and its disclosures add that “Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice.” LightStream also prints that “At least 33.00% of approved applicants applying for the lowest rate qualified for the lowest rate available,” based on its data from 1 April to 30 June 2026. Three patterns in the calculator matter more than any single figure. A new car and a used car from a dealer were priced identically at every amount and term. Private-party purchases, lease buyouts and refinances were also priced identically to one another, and their floor sat 0.25 percentage points above the dealer floor by our arithmetic. And the APR rose with the term on every purpose. **A $25,000 LightStream New Auto Purchase loan by term: monthly payments from LightStream’s calculator (6 October 2026, AutoPay and excellent credit assumed); totals are our arithmetic from the rounded payments** | Term | Monthly payment | Total of payments | Paid above the $25,000 borrowed | Extra over the 36-month loan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 36 months | $807 | $29,052 | $4,052 | $0 | | 48 months | $635 | $30,480 | $5,480 | $1,428 | | 60 months | $536 | $32,160 | $7,160 | $3,108 | | 72 months | $478 | $34,416 | $9,416 | $5,364 | | 84 months | $437 | $36,708 | $11,708 | $7,656 | Stretching the same $25,000 from 36 to 84 months cut the payment by $370 a month and added $7,656 in total cost, by our arithmetic. Our guide to [how the loan term changes the price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/#the-term) works through that trade. LightStream’s application page also prints an undated payment example at an APR far below anything the calculator showed; it is not an offer. ## Who LightStream lends to: its credit standard and the hard pull LightStream’s application help panel: “LightStream only approves good-to-excellent credit profiles.” The FAQ: “We require a good-to-excellent FICO score as a qualifier to be reviewed. However, a high FICO score does not necessarily mean applicants will be approved.” No LightStream page we read prints a minimum score, income or debt ratio. The application lists one basic requirement: “You have Good Credit including sufficient income and assets to support your existing debt obligations and requested loan amount.” Instead of a score, LightStream describes what it looks for. For excellent credit, the FAQ lists four traits: - **Credit history:** “Five or more years of significant credit history with a variety of account types” such as cards, installment loans, vehicle loans and a mortgage. - **Assets:** “A proven ability to save,” shown by retirement, investment, checking and savings accounts. - **Income against debt:** stable income and assets to repay current debts easily, “including little, if any, revolving credit card debt.” - **Payment history:** “An excellent payment history with no delinquencies or other problems repaying debt obligations.” For good credit the bar is “Several years of credit history” and “few, if any, delinquencies.” The test behind both, in LightStream’s words, is “whether we conclude that there is a high likelihood our loan will be repaid in a complete, timely manner.” On joint applications, “We equally review each party on the application as each individual is equally responsible for the loan.” Two groups are excluded outright: “LightStream loans are not available to non-resident aliens,” and the application says “We do not accept military residential addresses.” The bigger practical point is the credit check. Some car lenders let you pre-qualify with a soft inquiry first; [Capital One’s auto loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/capital-one-auto-loan/#pre-qualification) is one. LightStream does not (our [pre-approval guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) explains the difference). Its FAQ: “The LightStream loan application process pulls a hard inquiry from TransUnion or Equifax.” And: “LightStream by Truist does not provide loan pre-approvals nor do we take application information by phone, fax or email.” The calculator shows a floor for excellent credit; your own rate arrives only after the hard pull. You are not bound by it: “if you are approved for a loan, you are under no obligation to accept the loan.” Keep the LightStream application inside the same short window as your other loan applications (see [rate shopping without hurting your score](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#rate-shopping)); LightStream does not say whether its inquiry counts as a car-loan inquiry. ## The Rate Beat Program, condition by condition LightStream advertises that it beats competitors’ rates. Its consumer loan page asks, “How many will beat your lowest qualifying rate, from any lender? We will.” The binding version is on the Rate Beat page, read 6 October 2026: “LightStream will offer a rate .10 percentage points lower than the rate offered on any competing lender’s unsecured loan provided that you were approved for that lower rate (with the same loan terms offered by LightStream) no later than 2 p.m. Eastern time two business days prior to loan funding. The Rate Beat Program excludes secured or collateralized loan offers from any lender, and the competitive offer must be available to any customer with a similar credit profile. Terms are subject to change at any time.” Read as a checklist, a competing offer qualifies only if all six hold: - **An approval,** not an estimate. - **Unsecured:** no secured or collateralized offer, from any lender. - **The same loan terms** LightStream offered you. - **In time:** approved by 2 p.m. Eastern two business days before LightStream funds the loan. - **Not a special deal:** available to any customer with a similar credit profile. - **Submitted by you** through “Submit Rate Beat Request” in your account, with “the required documentation.” **A normal car loan offer will not trigger Rate Beat.** A dealer, bank or credit union auto loan is secured by the car (the CFPB: the lender “has a lien on the vehicle”), and LightStream’s program “excludes secured or collateralized loan offers from any lender.” Only another unsecured personal loan on the same terms can be beaten. If your credit union offers a lower secured rate, the comparison is simply which loan to take, not a match. We did not submit a request, so we cannot say what documents LightStream asks for or how it judges “a similar credit profile.” The program’s value is as a tie-breaker between two unsecured lenders, not as a way to pull a car-loan rate into a personal loan. ## The guarantee LightStream advertises but does not define LightStream’s auto loan page opens with a promise that ends in the word “guaranteed,” and its consumer loan page says “We even guarantee” that a LightStream loan will be the borrower’s greatest loan experience ever. We looked for the terms. We found none on any live page. The address lightstream.com/guarantee redirects to /customer-experience-guarantee, which on 6 October 2026 redirected again to the About Us page. That page prints no guarantee terms: no remedy, amount, deadline or condition, and none of the auto loan pages we read on truist.com mentions one. Review sites describe a cash payment for unhappy borrowers, but those are not LightStream’s documents, and an archived copy of the old page could not be retrieved on the day. Until LightStream publishes terms, treat “guaranteed” as a slogan: ask in writing what the guarantee gives you, and keep the answer. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the speedometer, the dashboard and the steering wheel, with LightStream's lack of age and mileage limits, the absence of a lien, and its 5-day window to take the money. LightStream’s FAQ and auto loan page, read on 6 October 2026, say it places no restrictions on the vehicle’s year, make, model or mileage and needs no appraisal (callout 1); Truist’s page on unsecured car loans says the car “is yours from day one” (callout 2); and LightStream’s FAQ says the funds must be transferred within 5 days or the approval expires (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Fees: what “no fees” covers and what still costs money LightStream’s FAQ answers the fee question in one line: “LightStream loans do not have any fees.” Its About page: “There are no fees or charges, nor penalties for early payment.” Truist’s LightStream pages spell it out: “No origination fees. No late fees. No pre-payment fees.” We could not check those promises against a loan agreement, which LightStream does not publish. Four costs sit outside the promise: - **Paying by invoice.** “If you choose to pay by invoice, your rate will be 0.50% points higher.” The AutoPay discount “is only available prior to loan funding,” so the choice you make before funding sticks. - **Florida’s documentary stamp tax.** LightStream must collect it, “slightly more than .0035 times your loan amount (or just over $35 for a $10,000 loan),” and it “will be added to your loan amount.” “The tax amount is not included in the quoted APR.” On a $25,000 loan that is slightly more than $87.50, by our arithmetic. - **Your own bank’s wire fee.** For a wire, LightStream asks you to check with your bank about “any special wire instructions or wire fees.” - **The car’s own charges.** Truist’s LightStream page: “You’ll only be responsible for any interest on the loan, along with any standard taxes, title, and registration fees required by the dealership or your state.” Paying cash removes dealer financing from the deal, not the documentation fee or add-ons; see our guide to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/#doc-fee). On taxes, LightStream’s FAQ says “We do not issue a 1098 on our loans” and points borrowers to a tax advisor about deducting interest. GAP is the other missing piece. “No, we do not offer Guaranteed Auto Protection (GAP) insurance,” the FAQ says, and “If you are refinancing an existing loan that has GAP coverage, the coverage will not transfer.” Because the loan is not tied to the car, the balance stays due whatever happens to the car. If the car would be worth less than you owe, read our guide to [what GAP covers](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#what-it-is) and ask your insurer what it offers. ## Funding: same day, a 5-day window and a 30-day rate After approval you “e-sign your loan agreement and set up your loan for funding.” Same-day funding is possible by wire: the footnote says you can fund today “if today is a banking business day, your application is approved,” and you finish three steps “by 2:30 p.m. Eastern time”: e-sign the agreement, give your funding and banking details, and complete final verification. The FAQ words the wire deadline as logging in “before 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time” and scheduling “by 3 p.m. Eastern Time”; treat 2:30 p.m. as the cutoff. For a direct deposit by ACH, the FAQ says you must log in “before 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time and schedule funding by 6 p.m. Eastern Time on the day prior to your desired receipt date.” Funding runs “Monday through Friday except on a banking holiday,” and “Funds must be deposited into your personal bank account,” never a business or third-party account. The deadline that catches car buyers is the approval window. LightStream’s FAQ: “When approved for a LightStream loan, the funds must be transferred into your account within 5 days. After 5 days, the loan approval will expire and a new loan application will be required.” A new application means a new hard inquiry. Truist’s LightStream pages, by contrast, badge a “30-day interest lock guarantee” and say “the interest rate is valid for 30 days as long as there are no changes to your application or loan terms.” The two do not fit together: a rate held 30 days does little if the approval itself lapses after 5. Plan the purchase first, apply when the car is chosen, and take the money within the shorter window. For a private sale, our guide to the [private-party loan sequence](https://baronauto1.com/financing/private-party-auto-loan/#the-sequence) shows the order of payment and title transfer; with LightStream there is no lender to name on the new title. ## Paying it off early: the 18-day rule and principal-only payments LightStream’s loans are simple interest at a fixed rate: “Simple interest accrues on a daily basis, based on the unpaid principal balance,” and each payment covers accrued interest first, then principal. Prepaying is allowed: “LightStream by Truist does not charge any penalties for prepaying your loan, in whole or in part.” Three rules decide whether an extra payment does what you meant: - **Early is not on time.** “Payments made 18 or more days before your payment due date will be applied as an extra payment and your regularly scheduled payment will still be due.” With a due date on the 25th, a payment received on or before the 7th counts as extra, by our arithmetic, and the regular payment is still owed on the 25th. - **Principal-only payments have a set date.** “To ensure the extra payment is allocated to your principal only, you must schedule your extra payment to occur on the same date as your regularly scheduled monthly payment.” - **The due date is fixed after funding.** “No, once the loan has funded, you may no longer change the due date.” Payments must come from “your personal bank account,” and same-day payments are not possible: “You must sign into your account at least two business days before your desired payment date.” Invoice borrowers pay by mail or bank bill-pay; “You cannot make payments at Truist Bank branches.” Refinancing a LightStream loan later is possible only elsewhere: the FAQ says “You may not use your loan proceeds to refinance an existing LightStream loan.” Using LightStream to refinance another lender’s car loan is allowed, but “We do not provide any loans for cash out refinance purposes,” and Truist adds that “the vehicle title must be in your name, and you’ll need a copy of your current registration before you can refinance your existing loan.” Paying off a secured loan with LightStream money should end with the old lender releasing its lien, leaving no lender on the title. Our guide to [the ways a refinance costs you money](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#traps) applies here too, and our reviews of [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/), [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/) and [AutoPay](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/) cover three refinance services. For a lease, see our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#financing). ## What Truist’s filings and the CFPB file show ### Truist’s annual reports None of the Truist reports we read gives LightStream’s balance, volume or losses separately. The annual report for 2025, filed with the SEC on 24 February 2026, names LightStream twice. It lists LightStream inside the “other consumer” loan portfolio as “an online platform which originates fixed-rate, unsecured lending to consumers with strong credit.” And it explains 2025 loan growth in part by “a $2.8 billion increase in other consumer portfolio driven by growth of higher-return point-of-sale lending or online portfolios (Service Finance and LightStream).” That $2.8 billion covers the whole portfolio, not LightStream alone. The year before ran the other way. The 2024 annual report says average loans in Truist’s Consumer and Small Business Banking segment fell $8.0 billion, or 6.0%, driven partly by “a decrease in LightStream loans and home equity lending.” Truist’s two 2026 quarterly reports, to 31 March and 30 June, do not mention LightStream at all, and the 2025 report’s legal proceedings note describes no LightStream matter. The same 2025 sentence gives the context for the complaint counts below: Truist also grew its “indirect auto portfolio” by $2.6 billion. The report describes that book as “secured indirect installment loans to consumers for the purchase of new and used automobiles,” originated “through approved franchised and independent dealers throughout the Truist market area and nationally through Regional Acceptance Corporation.” Truist’s car-loan complaints come from all of these, not only LightStream. ### CFPB complaint counts for Truist The CFPB complaint database held 1,663 vehicle loan or lease complaints naming TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION, received from 27 February 2020 through 5 October 2026: 6.6% of the 25,015 complaints naming Truist across all products, by our arithmetic. Complaints are unverified consumer reports, and the CFPB says the database “is not a statistical sample of consumers.” Counts grow with a lender’s size, and the file names only the parent company, so it cannot separate LightStream from Truist’s other auto lending. The CFPB has served no narratives since 30 September 2026; these are counts only. **Vehicle loan or lease complaints naming Truist Financial Corporation, by issue (CFPB database, received through 5 October 2026; shares are our arithmetic)** | Issue | Complaints | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Managing the loan or lease | 613 | 36.9% | | Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 306 | 18.4% | | Repossession | 205 | 12.3% | | Getting a loan or lease | 202 | 12.1% | | Incorrect information on your report | 127 | 7.6% | | Struggling to pay your loan | 124 | 7.5% | | Four smaller issues | 86 | 5.2% | The repossession line is a reminder that these counts include Truist’s secured lending: a LightStream loan has no car to repossess. Yearly counts rose from 266 in 2024 to 368 in 2025, up 38.3% by our arithmetic, with 311 in 2026 to 5 October. Truist closed 155 complaints with monetary or non-monetary relief (9.3%), and 221 carried a Servicemember tag. Among 1,152 companies named in vehicle loan or lease complaints, Truist had the 17th-largest count. LightStream’s loans are personal installment loans, and the file also holds 602 installment-loan complaints naming Truist under two personal-loan product names; none is labelled LightStream. Complaints filed under SUNTRUST BANKS, INC. and BB&T CORPORATION, which the file lists as separate companies, are not counted here. A web search of consumerfinance.gov on 6 October 2026 surfaced no enforcement action about LightStream or Truist’s auto lending: a search result, not a clearance. ## Before you apply for a LightStream auto loan - **Choose the car first.** The approval lapses unless funds reach your account within 5 days, and a new application means a new hard inquiry. - **Price the whole purchase.** Include tax, title, registration and dealer fees in the amount you request; LightStream lends one sum. - **Get a secured quote too.** A credit union or bank car loan may cost less, and Rate Beat will not match it. - **Pick the right purpose.** Dealer, private-party, lease-buyout and refinance loans were priced differently, and proceeds must match the purpose. - **Choose AutoPay before funding.** Invoice billing adds 0.50 percentage points, and the discount is not available after funding. - **Collect any unsecured competing offer early.** Rate Beat needs an approval dated by 2 p.m. Eastern two business days before funding. - **Check the car yourself.** No lender inspects it, appraises it or checks its title; run the history and get an inspection. - **Arrange GAP elsewhere if you need it.** LightStream offers none, and existing GAP does not carry into a LightStream refinance. - **Ask about the guarantee in writing.** No terms are published. For other lenders’ own terms, our reviews of [Capital One](https://baronauto1.com/financing/capital-one-auto-loan/), [Navy Federal](https://baronauto1.com/financing/navy-federal-auto-loan/) and [Ally](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ally-auto-loan/) auto loans read each company’s documents the same way. ## Common questions ### How does a LightStream auto loan work? You apply online for an unsecured loan of $5,000 to $100,000 for an auto purpose. If approved, you e-sign the agreement, LightStream deposits the money in your bank account (as soon as the same day), and you pay the seller as a cash buyer. LightStream takes no lien on the car. ### Is LightStream hard to get approved for? LightStream says it “only approves good-to-excellent credit profiles” and that a high FICO score “does not necessarily mean applicants will be approved.” Applying is a hard inquiry with TransUnion or Equifax, and there is no pre-approval. ### Does LightStream put a lien on the car title? No. The loan is unsecured: Truist’s LightStream page says it is “not tied to collateral” and that the car “is yours from day one.” The flip side, in the CFPB’s words, is that an unpaid unsecured lender can report late payments, use debt collection and “might sue the borrower.” ### Can I use LightStream to buy a car from a private seller? Yes. “Used Auto Purchase from Individual” is one of LightStream’s five auto purposes, and its FAQ says you can buy any vehicle “from anyone (dealer or individual)” with no limit on age or mileage. On 6 October 2026 the private-party floor sat 0.25 percentage points above the dealer floor. ### Does a LightStream auto loan have fees or a prepayment penalty? LightStream says its loans “do not have any fees” and charges no penalty for prepaying “in whole or in part.” Paying by invoice raises the rate by 0.50 percentage points, Florida borrowers pay a documentary stamp tax added to the loan, and your bank may charge for a wire. ### Can LightStream refinance my current car loan? Yes, if another lender holds it: Auto Loan Refinance is an auto purpose, with no cash out, and the title must be in your name. LightStream will not refinance its own loans, and existing GAP coverage “will not transfer.” ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [CFPB: what is a credit score?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-score-en-315/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/ --- title: "Toyota Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff and Lease End" description: "How to pay Toyota Financial Services and what each way costs, how long payoff and title take, lease-end charges, and TMCC’s 2016 and 2023 CFPB orders." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Toyota Financial Services Review: Payments, Payoff and Lease End > How to pay Toyota Financial Services and what each way costs, how long payoff and title take, lease-end charges, and TMCC’s 2016 and 2023 CFPB orders. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,970 words* ## The short version - Toyota Financial Services is a brand of Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC), not a separate lender. TMCC services every TFS loan and lease, and Lexus Financial Services is another TMCC brand. - Paying from a bank account costs nothing: Pay Online, the myTFS app, AutoCheque, phone and mail. TFS says it “can’t process cash, credit, or debit card payments”; Western Union and CheckFreePay take cash for a fee TFS does not print. - A payoff quote is good for 10 days. After the payoff posts, TFS expects a paper title or lien release to reach you in 25 to 40 business days, and an electronic title in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks. - A lease must go back to a Toyota or Lexus dealer. TFS says excess miles typically cost $0.15 each, waives the disposition fee (up to $350) for customers who come back, and for leases after 27 January 2026 waives wear-and-use charges up to $500. - TMCC lends mostly to strong credit: an average origination FICO score of 753 in the year to 31 March 2026, and net charge-offs of 0.80%. - The CFPB has issued two consent orders against TMCC: February 2016, with the Justice Department, over dealer markups (up to $21.9 million in restitution), and November 2023 over add-ons and credit reporting ($48 million in redress and a $12 million penalty), terminated on 12 May 2025. TMCC consented without admitting or denying the findings. Most people who search “Toyota Financial Services” want to log in, pay or pay a car off. On 6 October 2026 we read what TFS publishes on those questions: its payment, payoff, title and lease-end pages and FAQs, its Lease-End Guide, its wear-and-use guidelines and its [Online Policies and Agreements](https://www.toyotafinancial.com/content/dam/tmcc-webcommons/toyotafinancial/ebaoc/TFS%20Online%20Documents%20Legal.pdf). We also read Toyota Motor Credit Corporation’s [10-K for the year to 31 March 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/834071/000119312526252796/ck0000834071-20260331.htm) and its 10-Q to 30 June 2026, the CFPB’s two consent orders against TMCC, and the Justice Department’s page on its 2016 case. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Toyota, TMCC or any lender. Where TFS’s own documents disagree, we say so. **Figure: Toyota Financial Services: what its own pages say** A two-column table of seven account tasks set against Toyota Financial Services’ own pages: paying from a bank account through Pay Online, the app, AutoCheque, phone or mail is free; TFS says it can’t process cash, credit or debit card payments, while Western Union and CheckFreePay take cash for their own fee; a payoff quote is good for 10 days; a paper title arrives 25 to 40 business days after payoff posts and an electronic one in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks; a lease must go back to a Toyota or Lexus dealer; excess miles typically cost $0.15 each; and the disposition fee is waived, up to $350, for customers who finance or lease their next Toyota or Lexus with TFS or LFS or have had three TFS or LFS accounts. Read from Toyota Financial Services’ payment, payoff, title and lease-end pages and FAQs on 6 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## Who Toyota Financial Services is TFS calls itself “the finance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through participating dealers and Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust.” The name belongs to two companies: “TFS is a service mark of both TMCC and TMIS,” the second being Toyota Motor Insurance Services, which backs the protection products dealers sell. TMCC’s 10-K says “TMCC is marketed under the brands of Toyota Financial Services, Lexus Financial Services, and Bass Pro Shops Financial Services.” TMCC began operating in 1983 and is owned, through two holding companies, by Toyota Motor Corporation. In Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas, many Toyota loans and leases come instead from World Omni; see our [Southeast Toyota Finance review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/southeast-toyota-finance-review/). Retail accounts may be owned by TMCC or its securitization affiliates and leases by Toyota Lease Trust (TLT), but TFS says “TMCC is the servicer for accounts owned by TMCC, TLT, and their securitization affiliates.” Whoever holds the paper, you deal with TMCC. Mazda drivers meet the same servicer: new Mazda Financial Services contracts now come from an affiliated bank, but “TMCC continues to service these contracts.” Our [Mazda Financial Services review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mazda-financial-services-review/) reads those contracts’ own payment, payoff and lease-end pages. TFS does not set your rate on its website. Its FAQ says: “Your Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is agreed upon by you and your dealer.” The dealer writes the contract and TMCC buys it; the 10-K says “Substantially all of our retail and lease contracts are purchased as non-recourse from the dealers,” and that TMCC “matches interest rates with customer risk as defined by credit bureau scores and other factors.” That gap between the lender’s rate and the dealer’s rate is what the 2016 order below was about; our guide to [the buy rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains it. ## How to pay TFS, and what each way costs TFS’s [Ways to Pay page](https://www.toyotafinancial.com/us/en/planning_tools/ways_to_pay.html) and payments FAQ list the routes below. Every route TFS runs itself draws on a bank account. **Ways to pay a Toyota Financial Services account and the fees TFS prints, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Fee | What TFS adds | | --- | --- | --- | | Pay Online (website) | Free: “Pay Online is a free service for all of our customers” | One-time or recurring payments from a bank account | | myTFS app or Toyota App | None printed | “Accounts in bankruptcy or repo are not able to link” to the Toyota App | | AutoCheque (automatic debit) | None printed | Paper form; “generally completed within 14 business days” | | Phone, automated or with an agent | None printed | From a checking account | | Mail | None printed | Check and stub to the address on your statement | | Western Union Quick Collect | “Western Union will collect a fee”; no amount printed | Cash or debit card at an agent location | | CheckFreePay | “CheckFreePay collects a fee”; no amount printed | Cash at retail locations | The payments FAQ says: “Unfortunately, we can’t process cash, credit, or debit card payments.” The Ways to Pay page, though, offers Western Union for “a guaranteed payment by either cash or debit card” and says “Cash payments to your account can be made through CheckFreePay.” Both hold only because TFS takes no cash or cards itself; the networks do, for a fee. The Pay Online rules sit in TMCC’s Online Policies and Agreements. A payment must be “at least $5.00”, cannot be scheduled “more than 60 days in advance”, and a post date entered after “5 p.m. Pacific Time” may move to the next business day. A payment is pending on its post date and “the 2 calendar days prior,” and cannot then be changed. On fees: “Right now, we will not charge you any monthly or payment transaction fees to use Pay Online.” Bounced payments cost more than your bank’s fee. After a returned payment TFS “may discontinue your participation in the Pay Online program,” and “If your bank has returned NSF payments four or more times within the last 12 months, we will automatically cancel recurring payments.” TFS prints no late-fee amount or grace period: “Late fees are subject to state laws. Please review your contract or billing statement for account specific details.” Paying extra has a catch. Money above the amount due goes to principal but “will be applied toward your next scheduled payment,” so the account may show as paid ahead. To cut principal only, choose “Make A Principal Only Payment” (the account must be current); such payments “will not be applied toward past-due amounts.” Timing matters too, because “Daily interest continues to accrue on your unpaid principal balance.” In TFS’s own example, at a 9% APR on a $415.17 payment, paying 31 days after the last one puts $148.74 toward interest and paying after 28 days $134.35: $14.39 more for three days’ delay, by our arithmetic. ## Due dates, extensions and falling behind You can ask to move your due date through the Support Center. The online agreement says a change “cannot be processed if your account is past due, if you have a lease that is near maturity, or if you have not made the first payment,” and you can move it “by a total of no more than 29 days” over the contract. Loans cannot move to the 31st and leases cannot move to the 29th, 30th or 31st. For short-term trouble TFS offers loan extensions and lease deferrals. An extension moves a payment, typically one or two, to the end of the loan, but “your interest will still be calculated daily in accordance with the terms of your loan agreement and may result in additional finance charges.” Lease deferrals are decided “on a case-by-case basis and could result in additional charges.” After a natural disaster, file a Support Center request under “Payment Relief.” If payments stop, the 10-K sets the clock: TMCC generally decides whether to repossess “after an account is approximately 80 days past due,” charges off at 120 days, and keeps trying to collect “up to 190 days after the account is past due.” TFS says you can get a repossessed car back “by either redeeming or reinstating your contract”, paying everything owed or catching up plus permitted costs, and that it will send “a notice of intent to sell.” After a sale you owe any shortfall, and “if the proceeds are more than the amount owed, we will send you the excess.” Our guide to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) covers the state rules. Keep your insurance current. A loan needs physical damage cover “for the full value of your vehicle” with “no deductible limitations”; on a lease “The maximum allowable deductible is $1,000.” The 10-K says TMCC does “not exercise our right to obtain insurance coverage on behalf of the customer,” so a lapse leaves you exposed. ## Payoff quotes and getting your title The payoff quote is in your account under Remaining Balance. TFS says “A Payoff Quote is good for 10 days from the date it is provided,” though the amount can change if “returned payments or other charges or fees post to the account” meanwhile. Pay it with the “Payoff” button online or in the app, or by mail. If a new lender or dealer should receive the title, “Written or verbal authorization is required for the title/lien release to be sent to a third party.” **When TFS says a title or lien release arrives after a loan payoff posts, read 6 October 2026** | Title type | What TFS does | Then | Total TFS expects | When to chase | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper title or lien release | Mails it within 10 business days | 15 to 30 business days in the post | 25 to 40 business days | After 40 business days, contact TFS | | Electronic title | Notifies the state within 10 business days | The state takes 6 to 8 weeks | 7.5 to 9.5 weeks | After 9.5 weeks, contact your state titling agency | The Title/Lien Release Status page in your account shows which type you have, and TFS notes that “Florida and Arizona generally require the title to remain electronic unless the owner requests a paper title.” Moving state with a lease is different: TMCC or Toyota Lease Trust “must be listed as the legal owner or lessor on all title and registration documentation,” and you will need a limited power of attorney form to re-title the car. Title delays are a common complaint, as the CFPB counts below show. ## Ending a TFS lease: returning, buying or leaving early TFS gives three lease-end options: replace the car with a new Toyota, buy it, or hand it back. A return must go to an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer. “Your originating Dealer is required to process the vehicle return.” Most other Toyota and Lexus dealers will take it too, the FAQ says, “while not required,” so call first, about 30 days before maturity. **Do not drop a TFS lease at an independent dealer.** TFS calls that “an unauthorized third-party vehicle return and you remain responsible for all obligations under the lease agreement” until it has the payoff and paperwork or the car reaches a Toyota or Lexus dealer: “we deem the vehicle to remain in your possession until the vehicle is delivered to us.” The same applies if you assign your purchase option to an outside dealer. At the turn-in, bring the TFS Odometer Disclosure Statement, every key and remote, the tool kit and spare, the manuals and any original equipment; missing items can be billed. Then tell TFS through your account that the car is back, which it says “can help minimize potential delays,” and cancel your automatic payments: “Yes, and this is one people forget.” Ask your DMV whether your state wants the plates back. The final bill comes later, and TFS’s documents disagree on when. The FAQ says “you can expect your final bill to be mailed to you within 30-90 days.” The Lease-End Guide says “60 to 120 days after your vehicle is returned.” The bill can list excess wear and use, excess mileage, the disposition fee, unpaid payments and “Any other miscellaneous charges (e.g., unpaid late payment fees, taxes, tolls)”. To keep the car, the 10-K says the lessee may buy it “at the contractual residual value”; get the payoff quote in your account, and note that “Some states require that you purchase your lease vehicle through your dealer.” Our guide to [lease buyouts](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#residual) explains the fees to check. Leaving early costs money, and TFS prints no formula: “you may have a substantial charge if you return your vehicle early.” For a return 31 days or more before maturity, “TFS will use the lowest calculation of this balance based on your lease agreement,” and the invoice follows “60-120 days after return” because it may wait for the auction. Eligible service members can end a lease “without early lease termination charges.” A “Transfer of Lease” appears only under the page’s heading for deceased customers; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#which-lessors) compares what each lessor says. ## Mileage, wear and the disposition fee The mileage allowance is the term in months, divided by 12, times “15,000 (standard lease) or 12,000 (low mileage lease)”: 45,000 miles on a standard 36-month lease. Going over costs “typically $0.15 per mile for leases through Toyota Financial Services,” though your lease agreement sets the figure. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark parked cars, with Toyota Financial Services' typical excess-mileage charge, how long a payoff quote lasts and how long the title takes, and where a TFS lease has to be returned. Toyota Financial Services’ mileage FAQ, read on 6 October 2026, says excess miles are “typically $0.15 per mile”, with the lease agreement governing (callout 1); its payoff and title pages say a payoff quote is good for 10 days and a paper title arrives 25 to 40 business days after the payoff posts (callout 2); and its lease-end pages say a lease returned to a third-party dealer leaves the customer liable under the lease (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. Whether you can buy miles in advance depends on which TFS page you read. The glossary says at signing “you can add the anticipated excess mileage (at $.10 per mile) to your lease.” The end-of-lease FAQ says: “Unfortunately, we’re not currently offering that as an option.” As a hypothetical, 1,000 extra miles would cost $150 at the typical overage rate against $100 bought at the glossary’s figure, by our arithmetic, so ask the dealer before you sign. The Lease a Toyota page also uses 12,000 miles a year for low-mileage leases in one line and “less than 10,000 miles per year” in another. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#mileage) covers allowances. **Examples of excess wear and use on TFS’s Wear & Use page (read 6 October 2026; TFS says the list is not complete)** | Area | Excess, as TFS describes it | | --- | --- | | Paint and body | Scratches through the paint, or a single dent, larger than a credit card; poor repairs or unrepaired collision damage | | Glass and lights | Windshield cracks, stars or bull’s-eyes; bent, broken or missing lights, mirrors or lamps | | Tires and wheels | Exposed cords or sidewall damage; wheel gouges, scratches, dents or cracks larger than a credit card | | Seats and trim | A single cut, tear, burn or stain larger than a credit card | | Equipment | Missing keys or remotes; missing parts; modifications not on the car at lease inception | TFS’s older PDF guide draws the wheel line elsewhere: it lists wheel gouges greater than 1 inch, and puts a credit card at 3 3/8 inches long, so a gouge between the two is excess under the PDF but not under the web page. Two things help. “FOR LEASES AFTER JANUARY 27, 2026,” TFS waives excess wear and use charges, excluding missing equipment such as keys, “up to a maximum of $500.” For earlier leases, charges “may be waived if the customer has an EWU product,” which TFS says covers events up to $1,000 each and “Up to $5,000 in excess wear and use charges.” (Neither heading covers a lease signed on 27 January itself.) And TFS offers a courtesy pre-inspection, “a no-cost inspection performed by a participating Toyota dealer,” ideally within 60 days of the return, which estimates the charges while you can still fix the damage. It is not offered in Hawaii or for leases from New Hampshire or Wisconsin; one footnote adds Alaska. The disposition fee covers “the cost of reconditioning and remarketing” the returned car. TFS prints no amount; your lease agreement has it. TFS does print a waiver: “we will waive the Disposition Fee (up to $350)” if you finance or lease a new or [certified Toyota](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/toyota-certified-pre-owned/) or Lexus through TFS or LFS “within 30 days before or after return,” or have had three or more TFS or LFS accounts. The Lease-End Guide says “within 30 days of your vehicle return,” stretches it in a footnote to “no earlier than 31 days prior to or no later than 90 days following” maturity or return, and prints no cap. Leases from New Jersey “may receive a bill for a disposition fee prior to the application of the waiver.” ## What TMCC’s filings say about its loans TMCC’s fiscal year ends on 31 March. Its filings print how many contracts it bought: **Contracts TMCC acquired, in thousands, and its share of new Toyota and Lexus sales (10-K for fiscal 2026, 10-Q to 30 June 2026)** | Period | New-car loans | Used-car loans | Leases | Total | Share of Toyota and Lexus sales | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Year to 31 March 2024 | 840 | 390 | 343 | 1,573 | 54.4% | | Year to 31 March 2025 | 788 | 304 | 434 | 1,526 | 54.5% | | Year to 31 March 2026 | 709 | 255 | 320 | 1,284 | 53.3% | | Quarter to 30 June 2025 | 161 | 60 | 78 | 299 | 48.5% | | Quarter to 30 June 2026 | 187 | 78 | 75 | 340 | 52.5% | The 10-K says volume “decreased 16 percent in fiscal 2026,” mainly because Mazda originations moved to the affiliated bank, leaving Toyota and Lexus at about 97 percent of it. The latest quarter was 13.7% busier than a year earlier, by our arithmetic. Much of the business is subvened, TMCC’s word for “special promotional rates” whose cost Toyota’s sales arm largely covers: “The majority of our lease contracts and a significant portion of our retail contracts are subvened,” and by our arithmetic 67.9% of fiscal 2026 contracts were. The filings print no breakdown of borrowers by credit band. They give the average origination FICO score: 753 in fiscal 2026, 759 in 2025, 756 in 2024, and 756 in the June 2026 quarter. Loans average 69 months, and 11% run 78 months or longer. TMCC watches credit mainly through days past due: of $84.3 billion of retail loans at 31 March 2026, 97.7% were current and 2.27% ($1,915 million) were 30 days or more behind, by our arithmetic from its aging table. Losses are low and edging up. Net charge-offs were 0.80% of average finance receivables in fiscal 2026, against 0.86% in 2025, with an average loss of $13,602 per repossessed or charged-off car. In the June 2026 quarter the annualized rate rose to 0.76% from 0.72% a year earlier, and loans 60 or more days past due rose to 0.83% from 0.77%; the 10-Q says “consumer price increases, have negatively impacted some consumers ability to make scheduled payments.” TMCC earned $2,311 million in fiscal 2026. The 10-K names no lawsuit; it says some pending actions “are or purport to be class action suits” and expects no material effect. ## The 2016 dealer-markup orders On 2 February 2016 the CFPB and the Justice Department resolved a joint investigation that began in April 2013. The CFPB issued a [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/toyota-motor-credit-corporation/) (2016-CFPB-0002), and the Justice Department filed a complaint and consent order in federal court in the Central District of California; its case page says “The court entered the consent order on February 11, 2016.” We found no order against TMCC dated November 2016. TMCC’s 10-K for fiscal 2017 says its new dealer pay policy took effect on 1 August 2016. The issue was dealer markup. TMCC let dealers mark up the interest rate above its own buy rate, by up to 250 basis points for terms of 60 months or less, 200 up to 72 months and 175 beyond. The CFPB found that TMCC “violated the ECOA and Regulation B by permitting dealers to charge higher interest rates to consumer auto loan borrowers on the basis of race and national origin,” and the Justice Department “alleged the same violations.” On contracts bought from 2011 to 2013, African-American borrowers paid on average about 27 basis points more in markup than similar non-Hispanic white borrowers, over $200 each in interest, and Asian and Pacific Islander borrowers about 18 basis points, over $100. The CFPB’s release adds: “The investigation did not find that Toyota Motor Credit intentionally discriminated against its customers.” The remedy cut the caps to 125 basis points for terms of 60 months or less and 100 for longer terms, or let TMCC remove dealer discretion altogether. TMCC had to put $19.9 million into a fund for affected borrowers plus up to $2 million more, “up to twenty-one million, nine hundred thousand dollars ($21,900,000)” in all, and “The Bureau did not assess penalties.” TMCC consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law.” The order ran three years at most; the CFPB lists it as “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed,” and its page now opens with a note that on 22 April 2026 the Bureau amended Regulation B to “state that ECOA does not authorize disparate-impact liability.” For a buyer the mechanism remains: your contract rate can still sit above TMCC’s buy rate by up to the dealer’s cap, and a [preapproval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) gives you a rate to compare. ## The 2023 order on add-ons and credit reports On 20 November 2023 the CFPB issued its second [consent order](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/toyota-motor-credit-corporation-2023/) against TMCC (2023-CFPB-0015), after a civil investigative demand of 24 November 2020. TMCC again neither admitted nor denied the findings: - **Cancelling add-ons.** Customers cancelling service agreements, GAP and similar products were sent to a “retention hotline” whose staff were told to keep promoting the product “until the consumer voices three separate affirmative requests to cancel it,” then required to write by mail or fax. More than 118,000 calls went through it from 2016 to 2021. Refunds were applied to principal, shortening the loan rather than lowering the payment. - **Unearned premiums.** On early payoff, TMCC charged GAP and credit life premiums for the full term and, “Before October 2021,” did not make sure the unearned part was refunded in most states, though it collected those refunds for itself after repossessions. - **Service agreement refunds.** A system flaw miscalculated cancellation refunds on “at least 116 consumer accounts.” - **Credit reports after lease returns.** TMCC relied on dealers to log returns, dealers often logged them late, and customers who had handed cars back were reported delinquent. It kept reporting the errors “for up to four more years,” and at least 27,507 accounts were affected. The order set redress in seven parts, which add to exactly $48 million by our arithmetic (the CFPB’s release says “nearly $48 million”), plus a $12,000,000 civil money penalty. TMCC’s 10-K called it “a voluntary agreement” and said it “will pay $60 million in customer restitution and penalties.” **Redress required by the CFPB’s 2023 consent order, paragraph 87** | Who | Amount | | --- | --- | | Hotline callers whose cancellation was tied to a dealer sales or servicing issue | $1,964,864 | | Other hotline callers, invited to claim a refund (fund) | $8,000,000 | | GAP buyers who paid off early with no refund of unearned premium | $27,085,792 | | The same, in statutory jurisdictions | $1,876,723 | | Credit life and accident and health (CLAH) buyers with no refund | $3,011,749 | | Service agreement refunds miscalculated (not less than) | $52,022 | | Lease customers wrongly reported delinquent, $150 per negative mark | $6,008,850 | The order also required an online portal for cancelling add-ons, a full refund when a customer cancels an unused product “within the longer of 30 days” or the state’s period, or within 90 days where a dealer is accused of slipping it in unasked, GAP refunds on early payoff “regardless of state law,” and an end to financing CLAH from 1 January 2024. It was written to run at least 5 years. On 12 May 2025, 539 days after filing by our arithmetic, the CFPB issued an order that “terminates this Consent Order. The Bureau also waives any alleged non-compliance therewith,” naming the redress obligations in paragraph 87(a)-(d). No document we read says how much redress had been paid by then. **Cancelling a protection product is your right, not a favour.** TFS says its protection products are “optional, cancelable (subject to specific agreement terms) and not required to obtain credit.” If you pay off early or cancel a GAP, service or wear product, ask in writing for the refund amount and where it was applied, and check your next statement. Our guides to [cancelling GAP](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#cancel) and to [Toyota’s extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-extended-warranty/) cover the contracts. ## CFPB complaints filed against TMCC The CFPB’s database holds 9,411 complaints under TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORPORATION, from March 2012 to 4 October 2026; a separate Lexus Financial Services name holds 1 and Toyota Credit de Puerto Rico 30. Complaints are unverified reports, and their number grows with a lender’s size: the 2023 order says TMCC had “nearly five million customer accounts” in October 2022. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026, so only counts are used here. Vehicle loans and leases account for 3,659 complaints (38.9%), 3.5% of all 104,326 such complaints in the database, and credit reporting for 3,697 (39.3%). In the vehicle file, the largest issue is managing the loan or lease (1,254, including 665 billing problems), then end-of-loan or lease problems (671) and repossession (421). The end-of-term group holds 223 complaints about getting the title after payoff (6.1% of the file), 90 about mileage or wear fees and 64 about early-termination fees; add-on sub-issues hold 334 (9.1%). TMCC closed 6.4% of vehicle complaints with monetary or non-monetary relief, against 9.4% across the whole product, by our arithmetic. Our [Lexus extended warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lexus-extended-warranty/#lender) reads the add-on complaints in more detail. **Complaints against TMCC in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 6 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All TMCC complaints | | --- | --- | --- | | 2017 | 159 | 416 | | 2018 | 261 | 505 | | 2019 | 199 | 361 | | 2020 | 230 | 475 | | 2021 | 293 | 682 | | 2022 | 253 | 601 | | 2023 | 368 | 811 | | 2024 | 510 | 1,216 | | 2025 | 664 | 1,805 | | 2026 to 4 October | 722 | 1,769 | Vehicle complaints were 1.8 times higher in 2025 than in 2023, by our arithmetic, and 2026 passed 2025 by early October. A count cannot say whether that reflects more problems, more customers or more people using the database. ## If you have a TFS loan or lease - **Pay from a bank account,** before 5 p.m. Pacific; Western Union and CheckFreePay charge. - **Use “Principal Only” for extra payments** you want off the balance rather than counted toward next month. - **Get extension or deferral terms in writing,** with the new maturity date; interest keeps running. - **Pay off within the quote’s 10 days,** and authorize TFS in writing if the title should go to a new lender. - **Chase a missing title** after 40 business days (paper, ask TFS) or 9.5 weeks (electronic, ask your state). - **Book the free pre-inspection** before a lease return, and fix what it finds. - **Return the lease only to a Toyota or Lexus dealer,** keep the signed odometer statement, and cancel automatic payments. - **Check your credit report after a lease return** for late payments reported after the car was back. ## Common questions ### Is Toyota Financial Services the same as Toyota Motor Credit Corporation? In practice, yes. TFS is a service mark of TMCC and of Toyota Motor Insurance Services. Loans may be owned by TMCC or its affiliates and leases by Toyota Lease Trust, and TMCC services all of them. Lexus Financial Services is a TMCC brand too. ### Can I pay Toyota Financial Services with a debit or credit card? Not directly. TFS says it “can’t process cash, credit, or debit card payments.” Western Union Quick Collect accepts cash or a debit card and CheckFreePay takes cash, each for its own fee. Paying from a bank account is free. ### How long does Toyota Financial Services take to send the title after payoff? TFS expects a paper title or lien release to arrive within 25 to 40 business days after the payoff posts. With an electronic title, TFS notifies the state within 10 business days and expects the title in 7.5 to 9.5 weeks. ### What is the Toyota Financial Services disposition fee? A fee for returning a leased car, covering “the cost of reconditioning and remarketing” it. TFS does not print the amount; it is in your lease agreement. TFS waives it, up to $350, if your next new or certified Toyota or Lexus is financed or leased through TFS or LFS around the return, or if you have had three or more TFS or LFS accounts. ### What does Toyota Financial Services charge for extra miles? TFS says the charge is “typically $0.15 per mile,” with the exact rate in your lease agreement. The allowance is 15,000 miles a year on a standard lease and 12,000 on a low-mileage lease. ### Can I refinance a Toyota Financial Services loan? Nothing in TFS’s terms stops another lender paying off the loan; authorize TFS to send the title to the new lender and watch the quote’s 10-day window. See our guides to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [credit union auto rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-union-used-car-loan-rates/), and our reviews of [LightStream](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lightstream-auto-loan/), [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/), [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/) and [AUTOPAY](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/). Our [Ally](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ally-auto-loan/), [GM Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/) and [Chrysler Capital](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chrysler-capital-review/) reviews read other lenders the same way. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) - [12 CFR Part 1013 — Consumer Leasing (Regulation M)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1013) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/toyota-financial-services-review/ --- title: "Exeter Finance Review: Rates, Login, Fees and Its Public Record" description: "Exeter Finance buys subprime car loans from dealers; its SEC filings show a 20.49% average APR. Login, fees, 2019 settlements and 9,666 CFPB complaints." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # Exeter Finance Review: Rates, Login, Fees and Its Public Record > Exeter Finance buys subprime car loans from dealers; its SEC filings show a 20.49% average APR. Login, fees, 2019 settlements and 9,666 CFPB complaints. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,964 words* ## The short version - Exeter Finance is a privately held subprime auto lender in Irving, Texas. You do not apply to it directly: a dealer writes your contract and sells it to Exeter, which then collects the payments. To pay or log in, use MyAccount (you need your 7-digit account number) or call (800) 321-9637. - Exeter’s website shows no rates, but its SEC prospectuses print pool averages. Its August 2026 subprime loan pool carried a weighted average APR of 20.49% over a 75-month original term, and 52.47% of the balance was at 20% or more, by our arithmetic. - AutoPay and one-time bank payments in MyAccount are free. Debit card, phone, MoneyGram and Western Union payments can carry third-party fees that Exeter does not print. - Payment extensions exist but cost money: interest keeps accruing, GAP coverage is not extended, and Exeter’s prospectus says you must first have made six payments. - In April 2019 Exeter settled with the Massachusetts and Delaware attorneys general over subprime loans that, the states alleged, it knew or should have known were unlawful: $5.5 million in Massachusetts and $0.6 million in Delaware, with no admission. Its prospectus also discloses a multistate investigation open since May 2015. - The CFPB database holds 9,666 complaints naming Exeter Finance, LLC., half of them about credit reporting. BBB shows 742 complaints in 3 years and a 1.08 review average; Trustpilot shows 4.5 from 16,574 reviews that Exeter invites customers to write. Exeter Finance is a real, licensed lender (NMLS 967404) that buys car loans from dealers, mostly for borrowers with damaged or thin credit, and charges rates to match. On 6 October 2026 we read its customer pages, [FAQs](https://www.exeterfinance.com/faqs), terms, privacy notice and state rate filings; the [prospectus for Exeter Automobile Receivables Trust 2026-4](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1654238/000092963826003269/eart2026-4_424b5.htm) and the [prospectus for Exeter Select Automobile Receivables Trust 2026-2](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1654238/000092963826003630/esart2026-2_424b5.htm), which describe the loans Exeter sold to investors; its withdrawn 2019 IPO filing; the Massachusetts and Delaware settlement records; and its CFPB, BBB and Trustpilot counts. We entered no login, payment or application, and this site has no commercial relationship with Exeter or any lender. **Figure: Exeter’s website next to its own SEC filings** A two-column table setting seven lines from Exeter Finance’s website against its securitization prospectuses and state filings: over 15,000 dealers on the website versus over 12,500 dealerships in the August 2026 prospectus; a serviced portfolio of over $10 billion versus about 760,000 contracts and $14.8 billion; flexible terms versus a 20.49% average APR with 72.48% of the balance at 73 months or more; payment extensions on request versus accruing interest, unextended GAP and six required payments; no prepayment penalties, with Exeter’s example that 10 days late on $20,000 at 20% adds $109.60; a refinance program for non-customers only, funded by third-party direct lenders; and free bank payments versus unprinted third-party fees for card, phone and cash payments. Read from Exeter Finance’s customer, dealer, FAQ and refinance pages, the EART 2026-4 prospectus and Exeter’s simple-interest PDF, on 6 October 2026. No login, payment or application was entered. ## How Exeter Finance works: a dealer writes the loan, Exeter buys it Exeter is an indirect lender. Its prospectus says it “purchases automobile loan contracts that are secured by new and used vehicles purchased by consumers from predominantly franchised automobile dealerships, generally without recourse to the dealers.” The dealer sends your application to several lenders; if Exeter buys the contract, you pay Exeter for the rest of the loan. Exeter is direct about who it serves. “Exeter primarily offers financing to consumers who are unable to obtain financing from traditional financing sources such as banks, credit unions and captive automobile finance companies,” the prospectus says, and because of that “the sponsor generally charges higher interest rates than those charged by such sources.” At 30 June 2026 it serviced about 760,000 contracts with about $14.8 billion outstanding, had about 1,900 employees and worked with “over 12,500 automobile dealerships.” Software makes the decision. Since October 2014 “all of the sponsor’s credit underwriting decisions are made through this automated credit underwriting system,” and staff cannot “override the decisions.” A proprietary score sets “the approval or decline decision as well as the pricing,” and since September 2022 the bureau input has been VantageScore rather than FICO. Before buying a contract Exeter makes a “welcome call” to confirm the terms; answer it and compare what you hear with what you signed. The dealer is paid for placing the loan. Exeter’s dealer page advertises an Elite Program that lets dealers “Earn up to 75% more per deal” once they send 6 loans in 3 months, and when it launched its near-prime ExeterPlus program on 30 November 2021 it promised dealers “flats, an extended max term and increased back-end.” That is common in indirect lending, but the person arranging your loan has an interest in which lender gets it. Our reviews of [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/#how-it-works) and [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/#dealer-tiers) read those lenders’ dealer terms the same way, and our page on [buy here pay here lots](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#what-it-is) covers dealers that keep the loan. Exeter also buys loans through CarMax (its prospectus mentions a “CarMax channel”); our page on [CarMax Auto Finance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/carmax-auto-finance/#tiers) explains how CarMax passes applications to outside lenders. ## Exeter Finance login and payments: MyAccount, QuickPay and what costs money Exeter’s customer portal is MyAccount (myaccount.exeterfinance.com). To register, its login page says to have “your 7-digit Exeter account number handy, along with the last four digits of your (or the primary account holder’s) Social Security number and the ZIP code associated with the mailing address on the account,” then click “Register” and create a user ID and password. The account number is in the “ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT” box on your statement. If registration rejects your details, Exeter’s FAQ gives one fix worth knowing: “Delete ‘1001’ at the end of the account number.” Exeter says it offers “seven easy ways to pay.” Only the bank-account methods are free; the others go through outside processors, and Exeter prints no fee amounts for them. Its FAQ says the processing fee “is charged by our third-party payment providers. Exeter does not retain any portion of this fee.” **Ways to pay Exeter Finance and what Exeter says about fees, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Fee, per Exeter | Timing and notes | | --- | --- | --- | | AutoPay (recurring ACH from checking or savings, set up in MyAccount) | None (“no fees”) | Exeter recommends it to avoid late fees and processing fees | | One-time ACH payment in MyAccount | None (“no fees”) | Cutoff 7 p.m. Central for same-day credit | | Debit or ATM card (MyAccount or QuickPay, run by ACI) | “Third-party payment processing fees may apply”; amount not printed | QuickPay needs no login; cutoff 7 p.m. Central | | Phone (automated line or a representative) | “Restrictions and third-party payment processing fees may apply” | Automated line answers around the clock | | MoneyGram or Western Union (cash) | “Fees may apply”; amount not printed | Cutoff 8 p.m. Central | | Mail | None stated | Exeter says to use the address on your statement’s payment coupon | A payment “could take up to 48 hours to reflect on account/statement,” Exeter says, and the gap can trigger a collection call; keep the confirmation number MyAccount shows. Payments go first to interest accrued since your last payment, then to principal, “then any outstanding fees.” Statements went paperless by default in June 2026, and a due-date change is available “after first payment” with “Some restrictions.” For a payoff quote, call or use MyAccount. Exeter’s payoff, overnight and regular payment addresses differ, so use the one on your quote or statement rather than one copied from the web. Customer service is at (800) 321-9637, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central; MyAccount messages get a reply within 48 hours, Exeter says, and complaints have their own line, (855) 717-1250. ## Who Exeter lends to, in its own prospectus “The sponsor’s typical borrower has experienced prior credit difficulties or has a limited credit history,” Exeter’s prospectus says. Exeter sells its loans to investors through two programs. Exeter Automobile Receivables Trust (EART) pools are subprime; the 2026-4 pool left out borrowers who had both a bureau score of 640 or more and a high internal score. Exeter Select (ESART), started in 2025, takes only bureau scores of 640 or more. Both use “the same origination procedures and systems,” Exeter says, so the pools show each end of its range. In the EART 2026-4 pool (cutoff 9 August 2026; 45,996 contracts), the weighted average FICO score was 566. By our arithmetic, 70.22% of the balance went to borrowers scoring below 600, and another 5.17% had no FICO score at all. Exeter used VantageScore for 95.63% of the pool; on that measure the average was 585. Used cars made up 82.45% of the balance, and Texas, California, Florida and Georgia were the largest states. In the ESART 2026-2 pool the average FICO score was 646 and the average bureau score 671. Exeter’s dealer sign-up page calls it “the 4th largest non-prime auto finance company in the U.S.,” citing J.D. Power data we did not see. What the filings show is that a score below 600 does not stop an Exeter approval; our guide to [the credit score you need to buy a car](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#no-minimum) explains why lenders rarely publish a minimum. ## What Exeter charges: APRs, terms and loan-to-value in its 2026 pools Exeter publishes no rate for car buyers; its system prices each application, and the dealer writes the APR into the contract. The nearest thing to a rate sheet is the prospectus for each pool Exeter sells. Its figures are averages across thousands of loans, not offers. **Exeter’s two 2026 loan pools, as printed in their SEC prospectuses (read 6 October 2026)** | Measure | EART 2026-4 (subprime) | ESART 2026-2 (bureau score 640 or more) | | --- | --- | --- | | Cutoff date | 9 August 2026 | 31 August 2026 | | Contracts | 45,996 | 17,589 | | Weighted average APR | 20.49% | 16.69% | | APR on used cars / new cars | 20.96% / 18.28% | 17.02% / 15.19% | | APR range | 6.00% to 29.99% | 6.00% to 29.99% | | Weighted average original term | 75 months | 77 months | | Weighted average FICO score | 566 | 646 | | Weighted average loan-to-value | 117.75% | 125.84% | | Used cars, share of balance | 82.45% | 82.15% | The APR table in the EART prospectus is spread across 24 bands. By our arithmetic, 52.47% of the balance carried an APR of 20% or more, 46.31% was between 12% and 20%, and only 1.22% was below 12%. The single largest band was 18.000% to 18.999% (10.44% of the balance), and the top band, 29.000% to 29.999%, held 7.15% of the balance across 3,669 contracts. The ceiling matches Exeter’s South Carolina Maximum Rate Schedule, issued 27 January 2026 and valid to 31 January 2027, which caps secured loans of $5,000 to $60,000 at 29.99%. Terms are long. In the EART 2026-4 pool, 72.48% of the balance had an original term of 73 months or more, and 92.5% ran 67 months or longer, by our arithmetic; the longest remaining term was 84 months. In 2019, when Exeter filed to go public, it told investors its contracts “provide for payments over periods typically ranging from 24 to 72 months,” at rates “ranging from 5% to 29%.” Our page on [how term length affects the rate](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-financing-rates/#term-structure) explains the trade-off. Most of these loans start underwater. The prospectus measures loan-to-value from “the total amount financed, which may include taxes, title fees and ancillary products,” over the car’s value. The EART pool averaged 117.75%, with 77.4% of the balance at 105% or more and 24.61% in the top band. The higher-credit ESART pool averaged 125.84%. Above 100%, you owe more than the car is worth from the first day; see our guide to [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#what-it-is). What does 20.49% mean in dollars? By our arithmetic, a hypothetical $20,000 amount financed at the EART pool’s averages (20.49% over 75 months) costs $474.89 a month and $15,617 in interest. The same $20,000 at the ESART averages (16.69% over 77 months) costs $424.83 a month and $12,712 in interest, $2,905 less. These are illustrations of the pool averages, not Exeter offers. The rate on your contract is the one that counts, so bring a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/#what-it-is) from a bank or credit union to compare. ## Simple interest, late payments and payment extensions Exeter’s loans are simple-interest contracts: “Interest accrues daily on the unpaid balance of the contract.” Its own PDF shows what that means. On “a $20,000 loan at 20% interest,” interest runs at $10.96 a day, so being “ten days late on your payment” costs “$109.60 in additional interest,” and more of the next payment goes to interest. At the EART pool’s 20.49%, the same $20,000 accrues $11.23 a day, by our arithmetic. Paying early works the other way, and Exeter’s simple-interest article promises “No prepayment penalties.” One point to check in your contract: the prospectus lists “late fees, prepayment fees and liquidation fees” among fees the servicer may collect. Exeter’s website prints no late fee; your contract and state law set it. The only fee schedules it posts are state disclosures. Its Montana statement (dated 11/3/2023) says Exeter may charge “the greater of $15 or 5% of the amount past due, not to exceed $50,” up to $25 for a dishonored payment, and that it “does not charge deferral or extension fees.” Exeter’s article on missed payments says a late payment “may incur a late fee,” while a missed one “can stay on your credit report for up to 7 years.” If you are struggling, Exeter’s FAQ says you may ask for a payment extension. Read the rest of the answer first. Interest “will continue to accrue daily and may result in a larger final payment.” The form “expires in ten (10) days from the Date of the Notice.” On “a 60-month term” with “a two-month extension, your term will now expire at the end of the 62nd month.” Exeter says the option “should be reserved for significant financial challenges or emergencies.” **An extension does not extend your GAP coverage.** Exeter’s FAQ says “the extension of your payments does not include the extension of insurance and/or GAP coverage,” so on a GAP product covering 60 months, “anything after the 60-month term is not covered.” If the car is totaled in those extra months, any gap between the insurance payout and your balance is yours. The prospectus also limits extensions: you “must have made six payments since the loan was originated, or six payments since the last extension,” all extensions on one loan may not exceed eight months in total, and a due date can be moved only once, by no more than 14 days. The prospectus allows exceptions approved “at the appropriate level of authority,” so ask, but get any agreement in writing: Exeter’s Terms of Use say that where a representative’s words conflict with the written terms, the written terms “will control.” Our pages on [how GAP works](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/#how-it-works) and [alternatives to refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#alternative) cover the options around a hardship. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the carburettor, the cooling fan housing and the lower engine, with the used-car share and APR of Exeter's 2026-4 loan pool, its average loan-to-value, and when Exeter charges an account off. Exeter’s EART 2026-4 prospectus, read on 6 October 2026, puts used cars at 82.45% of the pool’s balance with a 20.96% average APR on them (callout 1), and a weighted average loan-to-value of 117.75%; 77.4% of the balance at 105% or more is our arithmetic from its table (callout 2). The same prospectus says Exeter charges an account off after 120 days with more than 10% of a payment unpaid, or once a repossessed car is sold or held more than 60 days (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Collections, repossession and charge-offs Statements go out “approximately fifteen days prior to the monthly due date,” the prospectus says, and “the collection process generally begins as early as an account becoming 5 days past due.” A contract is delinquent when “more than 10% of a contractual payment remains unpaid by the due date.” Exeter says it “uses repossession as a last resort,” decided on “the customer’s delinquency status, capacity to bring the account up to date, whether or not the asset is in jeopardy, and the customer’s willingness to continue to maintain contact with collections staff.” If you do not redeem or reinstate the car, it goes to auction, and the proceeds, net of auction, reconditioning and other costs, go to your account. Exeter charges an account off after 120 days with more than 10% of a payment unpaid, or once a repossessed car is sold or held more than 60 days. A charge-off does not end the debt: a Form 1099-C “simply reflects that Exeter has discontinued any further collection activity,” its FAQ says. Our guides to [getting a repossessed car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [what you owe after the sale](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale) explain the rules. Insurance is the trap people miss. Exeter requires “comprehensive and collision coverage with a maximum deductible of $1,000 each,” and the prospectus says “it is the sponsor’s policy not to force-place such coverage.” If your policy lapses, nobody buys cover for you. Service members get more: Exeter’s SCRA page lists “An interest rate of 6%,” “Protection from repossession of collateral” and “No late fee assessments.” The portfolio tables show how often Exeter’s borrowers fall behind, across every loan it services. **Exeter’s serviced portfolio: delinquency and net charge-offs, from the EART 2026-4 prospectus** | Period | Balances 31+ days delinquent | Repossessed assets | Net charge-offs (share of average balance) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2021 | 15.23% | 0.75% | 4.64% | | 2022 | 19.68% | 0.92% | 8.28% | | 2023 | 18.94% | 1.08% | 10.28% | | 2024 | 17.92% | 0.84% | 10.22% | | 2025 | 16.87% | 0.75% | 9.79% | | First half of 2026 (annualized) | 15.57% | 0.95% | 9.79% | Delinquency is measured at period end. At 30 June 2026, about $2.28 billion of a $14.6 billion portfolio was 31 days or more past due, by our arithmetic. After 56 months, cumulative net losses on Exeter’s four 2021 EART pools ranged from 14.21% to 23.14% of their original balances. Those losses are what the rates pay for. ## Exeter’s refinance program, and why current customers cannot use it Exeter’s FAQ says: “Refinancing with Exeter Finance is not available at this time.” Its refinance page invites people to “Lower your monthly payment in minutes,” then says “Currently, refinancing is not available to existing Exeter customers.” Read together, Exeter refinances other lenders’ borrowers, not its own. Nor does Exeter write those loans. The prospectus says Exeter has bought, since December 2020, “auto loans originated by the direct lenders, in connection with the refinancing of existing auto loans,” and Exeter’s Montana disclosure says it “purchases note and security agreements from its strategic refinance partners.” That disclosure (dated 11/3/2023) gives a minimum example of 12.95% on $6,000 over 36 months ($202.02 a month) and a maximum of 29% on $38,000 over 78 months ($1,087.13 a month, $46,796.42 in total interest). Its first page says “Exeter does not purchase contracts that exceed 28%,” so the document contradicts itself. The refinance page says “Customers save an average of $181 per month on their car payment,” footnoted to loans funded “Oct. 2025 through Feb. 2026,” and adds “There is no guarantee of savings.” The first payment is due “45 days from the date on the contract.” A lower payment from a longer term can cost more in total, so compare the total of payments. If Exeter holds your loan and you want a lower rate, you need another lender. Our guide to [refinancing and loan-to-value](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#loan-to-value) explains why an underwater loan is hard to move, and our reviews of [Caribou](https://baronauto1.com/financing/caribou-auto-refinance/), [RateGenius](https://baronauto1.com/financing/rategenius-review/) and [AUTOPAY](https://baronauto1.com/financing/autopay-refinance/) read the refinance marketplaces’ terms. First Investors’ About page still describes mailed refinance offers, but its FAQ says it “does not refinance loans”; see our [First Investors review](https://baronauto1.com/financing/first-investors-review/). ## The 2019 Massachusetts and Delaware settlements, and the open investigations On 8 April 2019 the [Massachusetts Attorney General announced](https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-healey-secures-55-million-for-consumers-state-in-subprime-auto-loan-settlement) that Exeter would pay “more than $5.5 million for its role in allegedly financing unfair, subprime auto loans.” The assurance of discontinuance, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, included $4.675 million for borrowers and $825,000 to the state. The Attorney General alleged that Exeter “facilitated the origination of Massachusetts auto loans that the company knew or should have known were unfair,” noting that lending is unlawful under the statute “if lenders do not have a basis for believing that borrowers will be able to repay,” and that Exeter “allegedly mishandled servicing and collecting activities.” Exeter also agreed to waive deficiencies on certain loans and to ask the credit bureaus to remove the trade lines. We did not find the assurance itself on mass.gov, so its terms come from the release and Exeter’s prospectus. The same day the [Delaware Attorney General announced](https://news.delaware.gov/2019/04/08/attorney-general-jennings-secures-relief-for-consumers-in-subprime-auto-loan-settlement/) a parallel settlement. The [Cease and Desist by Agreement](https://attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2019/04/Exeter-Delaware-Agreement-executed-April-5-2019.pdf), signed 5 April 2019, required $550,000 for a relief fund and $50,000 to the state, covered “certain subprime contracts that were acquired by Exeter between 2011 and 2015 that charged off or are at elevated risk of charging off,” and required Exeter to waive deficiency balances on charged-off contracts on the borrower list. It states that Exeter “neither admits nor denies” the allegations and that the agreement “is made without any trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law.” **The public enforcement record on Exeter Finance, from the documents read on 6 October 2026** | Date | What happened | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | September 2014 onward | Civil subpoenas and civil investigative demands from the Justice Department (under FIRREA), the SEC and several state attorneys general | Exeter prospectus | | May 2015 | Maryland Attorney General notifies Exeter of a multistate investigation into origination, servicing and collection | Exeter prospectus | | November 2015 onward | CFPB civil investigative demands, “related primarily to Exeter’s servicing activities” | Exeter prospectus | | 5 to 8 April 2019 | Massachusetts ($4.675 million to borrowers, $825,000 to the state) and Delaware ($550,000 and $50,000) settlements; allegations, no admission | State releases; Delaware agreement | | 6 October 2026 | The CFPB’s enforcement index shows no action under the title “exeter” | CFPB enforcement page | The multistate investigation is still open, according to Exeter. Its August 2026 prospectus names the executive committee (the attorneys general of Arkansas, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington), says Exeter received subpoenas or demands “through 2017,” and says it “recently received a request for additional information.” No allegation or finding from it is public, and none should be assumed. The prospectus also lists the usual consumer claims, such as “wrongful repossession” and “credit bureau reporting,” without naming cases; we read no court docket and describe none. ## Who owns Exeter, what it files, and the fine print Exeter was incorporated in Texas on 24 April 2006 and became a Delaware company in 2017. Its own timeline says it was acquired by the Blackstone Group in 2011. In January 2019 a newly formed corporation, Exeter Finance Corporation, filed to go public; the S-1 said Blackstone affiliates would still control a majority of the vote. On 22 November 2019 Exeter withdrew it, writing that it “decided not to pursue the offering due to market conditions.” On 28 June 2021 Exeter announced a sale to an investor group led by Warburg Pincus, which closed on 8 November 2021, per the prospectus; Exeter’s press release said “Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.” So Exeter files no 10-K. Under its own SEC number, Exeter Finance LLC files only Form ABS-15G, a report on loan repurchase requests. The useful filings come from its securitization depositor, EFCAR, LLC: a prospectus for each pool, then monthly 10-D reports from each trust. EART 2026-4 was the 56th subprime EART deal since Exeter began securitizing in March 2012, and in 2023 Exeter agreed to sell up to $200 million of “residual certificates per annum” to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. For a borrower this changes little: your loan may sit in a trust owned by bondholders, but Exeter keeps servicing it for a fee (3% a year of the balance in the 2026-4 deal), so you keep paying Exeter. Two parts of the fine print matter. Exeter’s privacy notice (updated July 2025) says the companies it shares with “can include financial service providers, motor vehicle dealers, insurance companies, aftermarket product providers, and direct marketing companies,” starting “30 days from the date we sent this notice” for new customers; outside California you can limit the marketing sharing. Its Terms of Use (updated 25 February 2025) say that giving a mobile number is consent to “auto-dialed, artificial voice, and pre-recorded message calls,” which you can withdraw. In Texas, Exeter is licensed and examined by the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner. ## CFPB complaints, BBB and Trustpilot: what 9,666 reports and two review scores show The CFPB’s public database held 9,666 complaints naming Exeter Finance, LLC. received from 29 March 2013 to 22 September 2026, pulled on 6 October 2026. They are unverified reports that consumers submit and the company answers, and their number grows with the size of a lender’s book, so they show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing complaint narratives on 30 September 2026; only counts are used here. Half are about credit reports: 4,911 (50.8%) fall under the three credit-reporting labels the CFPB has used, and the two largest issues overall are “Improper use of your report” (2,223) and “Incorrect information on your report” (2,107). Another 2,641 (27.3%) concern the car loan itself and 1,790 (18.5%) debt collection. Within the car-loan complaints, the largest issues are managing the loan (830, led by billing problems at 376), repossession (508, or 19.2%), getting the loan (402, including 101 tagged as a fraudulent loan), struggling to pay (286, with 157 about a denied request to lower payments) and the end of the loan (235, including 95 about not receiving the title). Of all 9,666, Exeter closed 9,663 “with explanation” and 3 were in progress; the database records none closed with monetary or non-monetary relief. **Complaints naming Exeter Finance, LLC. in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 6 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | All complaints | Vehicle loan or lease | | --- | --- | --- | | 2020 | 335 | 120 | | 2021 | 543 | 131 | | 2022 | 696 | 220 | | 2023 | 896 | 282 | | 2024 | 1,352 | 355 | | 2025 | 2,671 | 728 | | 2026 to 22 September | 2,208 | 621 | Complaints in 2025 were 1.98 times the 2024 count and 4.92 times the 2021 count, by our arithmetic, while the portfolio Exeter services grew 1.75 times from the end of 2021 to the end of 2025. So the rise is not only a bigger book. The two review sites point in opposite directions. [BBB](https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/irving/profile/loans/exeter-finance-corp-0875-90225713) rates Exeter A+ but lists it as not accredited, with 742 complaints in the last 3 years (198 closed in the last 12 months), 542 of them, or 73%, typed as billing issues; its 126 customer reviews average 1.08 out of 5. [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/exeterfinance.com) shows a TrustScore of 4.5 from 16,574 reviews, 77.5% of them five stars and 9.4% one star. Trustpilot labels Exeter as a company that “invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative,” with a paid subscription, and says it replied to 100% of negative reviews. Invited reviews come from people Exeter prompts; BBB reviews come from people who went looking. We read each profile once on 6 October 2026. ## Before you sign a contract that will go to Exeter - **Get a second quote first.** A bank or credit union pre-approval gives you an APR to compare, because Exeter publishes none and its 2026 subprime pool averaged 20.49%. - **Read the APR, term and total of payments.** Most of the balance in Exeter’s 2026-4 pool ran past 72 months; a longer term lowers the payment and raises the total. - **Compare the amount financed with the car’s value.** Counting taxes, fees and add-ons, one pool’s average loan-to-value was 117.75%; ask for the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) in writing. - **Ask for the payment with and without each add-on.** GAP and service contracts are financed at your APR, and an extension will not stretch GAP coverage. - **Answer the welcome call.** Exeter uses it to confirm your terms; if anything differs from your contract, say so then. - **Set up AutoPay or pay by bank in MyAccount.** Both are free; card, phone and cash-network payments can carry third-party fees. - **Keep full insurance in force.** Exeter requires comprehensive and collision with deductibles no higher than $1,000 and does not force-place coverage. - **Get any promise in writing.** Exeter’s terms say its written terms control over what a representative says. Have the car checked with a [pre-purchase inspection](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/used-car-pre-purchase-inspection/) too. ## Common questions ### How do I log in to my Exeter Finance account? Go to MyAccount at myaccount.exeterfinance.com and click “Register” the first time. You need the 7-digit account number from your statement, the last four digits of the primary holder’s Social Security number and the ZIP code on the account. If the number is rejected, Exeter says to delete “1001” from the end. QuickPay takes payments without a login. ### What is Exeter Finance’s phone number? Customer service is (800) 321-9637, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central; the automated payment line runs around the clock. Complaints go to (855) 717-1250. ### What credit score do you need for Exeter Finance? Exeter publishes no minimum, and software makes the decision. In its August 2026 subprime pool the average FICO score was 566, 70.22% of the balance went to borrowers below 600 by our arithmetic, and 5.17% had no FICO score. Its Exeter Select pool took only bureau scores of 640 or more. ### Why did I get a letter from Exeter Finance when I don’t have an account? Usually because a dealer or refinance site sent your application to Exeter. Its FAQ says that in that case “Exeter Finance was included as an option” and it is “obligated to send you the letter.” Our guide to [the notices lenders must send](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#the-notice) explains why. ### Can I refinance my Exeter Finance loan? Not with Exeter: its refinance page says the program is “not available to existing Exeter customers.” Another lender may refinance the loan if the car is worth enough and your credit has improved; see our guides to [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [why negative equity gets in the way](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/#refinancing). ### Has Exeter Finance been sued or fined? In April 2019 Exeter settled with the Massachusetts and Delaware attorneys general over allegations that it financed loans it knew or should have known were unlawful, paying $5.5 million and $0.6 million in total and admitting nothing. Its 2026 prospectus discloses an open multistate investigation and past CFPB demands. The CFPB’s enforcement index listed no action against Exeter on 6 October 2026. ## Sources and further reading - [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/) - [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) - [CFPB: how does a lender decide what interest rate to offer me on an auto loan?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-does-a-lender-decide-what-interest-rate-to-offer-me-on-an-auto-loan-en-765/) - [CFPB, Negative Equity in Auto Lending (June 2024)](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_negative-equity-in-auto-lending-report_2024-06.pdf) - [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession) - [CFPB: what is Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-guaranteed-asset-protection-gap-insurance-en-797/) Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it. --- *This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.* Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/exeter-finance-review/ --- title: "GM Financial Review: Payments, Payoff, Title and Lease-End Rules" description: "How to pay GM Financial and what each way costs, the no-grace-period rule, when the title arrives after payoff, lease-end charges and its 2022 settlements." url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-financial-review/" type: "article" published: "2026-10-06" modified: "2026-10-06" site: "Baron Auto" disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership." --- # GM Financial Review: Payments, Payoff, Title and Lease-End Rules > How to pay GM Financial and what each way costs, the no-grace-period rule, when the title arrives after payoff, lease-end charges and its 2022 settlements. *Car Loans & Credit · 22 min read · 4,851 words* ## The short version - GM Financial is General Motors’ own lender. It began as AmeriCredit in 1992 and GM bought it on 1 October 2010; the licensed company is still AmeriCredit Financial Services, Inc., which “does business as GM Financial and as AmeriCredit” and still makes sub-prime loans through non-GM dealers. - Paying online from a bank account is free. Its payment options page says phone payments must come from a bank account and be under $3,000, and ACI Payments, Inc. may charge $2.50 or $3.50. GM Financial takes no payments in person. - There is no grace period. Payments received before 6 p.m. CT post the same day, and extra money goes to future payments unless you choose a principal payment in MyAccount. - After payoff, GM Financial says the title or lien release goes out within 30 days of your final payment clearing; electronic liens are released about 10 business days after payoff. - The lease disposition fee is printed in section 4 of your lease, not online. The lease-end invoice arrives up to 30-45 days after the return, and property tax bills can follow for up to 18 months. - The public record holds two 2022 settlements: a Justice Department consent order over servicemembers’ leases and repossessions ($3,534,171 to servicemembers plus a $65,480 penalty, with no admission) and a Massachusetts assurance ($1,849,182). The CFPB lists no enforcement action against it. Most people who search “GM Financial” want to log in or pay, so this page starts there: what each way of paying costs, when a payment counts, how to get a payoff and the title, and what a lease return can cost. On 6 October 2026 we read GM Financial’s own pages (FAQ, payment options, payment terms, simple interest, title release, lease end, wear and use, servicemembers, licences and site terms), its [10-K for 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/804269/000080426926000008/acf-20251231.htm) and 10-Q to 30 June 2026, the Justice Department’s 2022 case, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s 2022 settlement and the CFPB’s records. We entered no login or credit application, and this site has no commercial relationship with GM Financial, General Motors or any lender. **Figure: GM Financial’s payment and lease-end rules, from its own pages** A two-column table of seven rules on a GM Financial account, each set against what GM Financial’s own pages say: there is no grace period and interest and late fees accrue each day past due; payments received before 6 p.m. CT post the same day (9 p.m. on the last day of the month); phone payments must come from a bank account, be under $3,000 and may carry a $2.50 or $3.50 ACI Payments fee; extra money goes to future payments unless you choose a principal payment; the title or lien release goes out within 30 days of the final payment clearing; the lease-end invoice arrives up to 30-45 days after the return, with property tax bills possible for up to 18 months; and the disposition fee amount is in section 4 of the lease. Read from GM Financial’s FAQ, payment options, simple-interest, title-release and lease-end pages and its June 2025 disposition-fee article on 6 October 2026. No login or credit application was entered. ## What GM Financial is, and where AmeriCredit fits GM Financial calls itself “the wholly owned captive finance subsidiary of General Motors,” based in Fort Worth, Texas. A captive lender belongs to a carmaker and helps sell its cars: the 10-K says GM Financial financed 33.3% of GM’s U.S. retail sales in 2025, down from 38.9% in 2024, and 36.1% in the second quarter of 2026. GM pays it to offer cheaper deals through “subvention programs, under which GM provides us cash payments in order for us to be able to provide for lower customer payments.” The company is older than the GM name. It “was founded as AmeriCredit in September 1992,” and “On October 1, 2010, AmeriCredit Corp. was acquired by General Motors Company and renamed General Motors Financial Company, Inc.” The footer of every GM Financial page still names “AmeriCredit Financial Services, Inc.” as the licensed company, and both government cases below were brought against “AmeriCredit Financial Services, Inc. dba GM Financial.” The brand still lends, too: “We also offer a sub-prime lending product through non-GM-franchised and select independent dealers under the AmeriCredit brand.” An AmeriCredit loan arranged by a non-GM dealer is a GM Financial loan. Two more names belong to it. Its 10-K names “ACAR Leasing Ltd., as Titling Trust” in its lease financing agreements, and its subsidiary GM Protections, LLC is the obligor on “mechanical service contracts, prepaid maintenance (PPM), guaranteed auto protection (GAP), and excess wear and use (EWU) contracts.” Our [GM extended warranty page](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gm-extended-warranty/) reads that contract. Most borrowers meet GM Financial through a dealer. The 10-K calls it “primarily an indirect auto finance provider” and says “the dealers retain discretion to obtain financing from us or from another source.” None of the GM Financial pages we read prints a standard APR, so a [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from another lender gives you something to compare. ## Paying GM Financial: the methods and what they cost “Paying online with a bank account is free, but debit payments may have a fee,” the FAQ says, and “In-person payments are not accepted at GM Financial locations.” The [payment options page](https://www.gmfinancial.com/en-us/resources/payment-options.html) fills in the rest. No page we read prints the online debit-card fee. **Ways to pay a GM Financial account and the fees GM Financial prints, read 6 October 2026** | Method | Fee printed | What GM Financial’s pages add | | --- | --- | --- | | Auto Pay in MyAccount or the app (bank account) | Free | Auto Pay “immediately goes into effect” | | One-time online payment from a bank account | Free | Minimum $10, maximum $50,000; up to two business days to post | | Debit card online | “may have a fee” (no amount printed) | A credit card may also be offered in MyAccount | | Phone, from a bank account | ACI Payments, Inc. “may charge” $2.50 or $3.50 | Under $3,000 only; the fee is a separate debit | | Auto Debit by mail, email or fax | None printed | At least 10 days to start; cancel at least 5 days before the due date | | Mail (check or money order with the coupon) | None printed | Payoffs and lease purchases go to a separate Treasury Operations address | | Western Union or MoneyGram | Charged by them; no amount printed | The option “allows payments to post quickly”; biller is GM Financial for loans, GM Financial Leasing for leases | | In person | Not accepted | | Paying by phone every month for a year would cost $30 at $2.50 or $42 at $3.50, by our arithmetic, against nothing for Auto Pay. GM Financial does not say which call costs which: its Personal tab labels both fee lines “Agent-Assisted” and its Commercial tab labels both “Automated Phone System.” Its pages also disagree on what you can pay with. The payment options page says “Paying your bill by phone requires using your bank account,” while a February 2026 article on the same site says it “accepts payment by phone via bank account or debit card through ACI Payments Inc. or Stripe, both of whom charge a fee.” MyAccount Auto Pay starts at once; Auto Debit, requested on a form, does not. The FAQ says it “will start 10 days after the request has been processed,” the payment options page that it takes “a minimum of 10 days,” and the lease-end FAQ that enrollment by mail “will take approximately one billing cycle.” Until then, GM Financial says to “make a payment using another method to avoid late fees.” The payment terms let you cancel a recurring payment by phone at least 3 business days before it runs, though GM Financial may want that in writing within 14 days. If a payment does not clear, “it’ll be submitted a second time,” and if it fails again “You may be liable to GM Financial for interest and late fees.” ## Cut-off times, no grace period and where extra money goes “Payments received before 6 p.m. CT will be posted to your account the same day. On the last day of the month (excluding Sundays), the time is extended to 9 p.m. CT.” Bank drafts “can take up to two business days” to post. There is no cushion: “No, we don’t offer a grace period. We require that all payments be made by the due date listed on your statement. Interest charges and any late fees will accrue and be applied to your account each day it’s past due according to your contract.” No late fee is printed; “Your contract will show you when late fees are assessed.” The FAQ tells borrowers “your account is a simple interest loan,” and the simple-interest page says “Interest accrues on a daily basis on the unpaid principal balance,” with each payment paying accrued interest first. Paying late means “the final payment can be more than the scheduled payment amount that is listed on your contract.” Auto Pay and Auto Debit stop on their own at maturity, but a bank bill-pay order “may continue unless you cancel” it. **Paying extra does not automatically cut your balance.** GM Financial’s simple-interest page says its “standard practice is to apply any extra payments received to future due dates,” and ends its payment order with “future due payments.” Its FAQ words this differently, saying leftover funds go to principal once interest and fees are paid. To make sure extra money reduces the loan, use the principal-payment option in MyAccount and “Specify the amount to apply toward your principal balance on the payment screen.” Accounts that fall well behind are treated differently. The 10-K says interest accrual stops on accounts “more than 60 days delinquent,” in bankruptcy or in repossession, and that their payments “are first applied to any fees due, then to any interest due,” fees before interest. Retail loans are “generally charged off in the month in which the account becomes 120 days contractually delinquent.” Our [repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) explains what follows a default. ## Payoff quotes and getting your title A payoff is not the statement balance. GM Financial says the two can differ “due to interest charges, fees and other items,” and its site terms warn that a displayed balance “could be inaccurate” if a payment or late charge has not posted. A GM Financial article says to select “Request a Payoff” in MyAccount, that “You’ll have to request your payoff for it to show up,” and, as of 2020, that quotes were “only available for retail customers”; lessees ask for a purchase option price instead. Mailed payoffs go to a separate Treasury Operations address. The [title release page](https://www.gmfinancial.com/en-us/resources/title-release.html) says: “we’ll send the title or lien release to you within 30 days of your final payment clearing, depending on payment method and applicable state laws.” In electronic-title states, liens “are released to the state’s agency about 10 business days after an account is paid in full,” and the state may take longer. Nothing is sent if ownership was transferred or “a second lienholder is disclosed on the title,” and the title may go to the wrong address unless you update it before the final payment. If more than 30 days pass with no title and you were not told your state releases liens electronically, the page says to order a duplicate at getmycartitle.com/gmfinancial, where “Fees may apply.” Arizona, New York and West Virginia require the lienholder’s permission to re-register a car after a move. Lessees who buy their car complete GM Financial’s Lease Purchase Documents, “including the odometer statement and damage disclosure acknowledgment (depending on state law).” If you plan to pay GM Financial off with a new loan, our guides to [refinancing](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) and [negative equity](https://baronauto1.com/financing/negative-equity-car-loan/) cover what to check first. ## Ending a GM Financial lease The [lease-end page](https://www.gmfinancial.com/en-us/resources/lease-end.html) says “Your lease-end journey happens over the next 12 months”: look ahead 12 to 5 months out, explore your options 4 to 2 months out, prepare for return in the final month, then watch for the Lease-End Liability Invoice. The lease-end FAQ lists three options: return the car and lease or buy a new one, buy the leased car (“at any point during your lease”), or simply turn it in. The leases are closed-end, and the 10-K says the purchase price at maturity “equals the contract residual value determined at origination of the lease, plus any fees and all other amounts owed under the lease.” The pre-return inspection by OPENLANE Inspections is free and optional, and produces “an itemized condition report.” The page gives two timings for it. Its timeline puts it in “Prepare for Return 1 Month Prior to Lease End,” while the text below says “Completing the inspection two to four months ahead of your lease maturity date gives you time to make any necessary repairs or plan for charges.” The disposition fee is not printed online. The FAQ calls it “A flat-rate fee, outlined in the lease agreement,” and a June 2025 article says to “check your lease agreement and refer to section 4.” The waiver is worded three ways. The lease-end page says the fee “may be waived” if you buy or lease a new GM vehicle or exercise your purchase option; the FAQ says it “may be waived” if you buy or lease another new GM vehicle and “will not be charged” if you exercise the purchase option; the article says “we’ll waive it.” Excess wear charges get at most a “partial waiver” for another new GM vehicle, but “If you purchase your leased vehicle, you can avoid paying any excess wear and mileage charges.” - **Extension.** “Lease customers can maintain their lease for one month past the original scheduled lease end” by paying as usual; the extra month adds no miles. - **Where to return it.** The FAQ says any convenient GM dealer will do; the lease-end FAQ says that after a long move you can use “any participating GM dealership” and should call first. - **Paperwork.** “Ask the dealer to record the mileage,” and keep the check-in receipt and odometer statement. - **The invoice.** It arrives “up to 30-45 days after your vehicle has been returned,” with any amount due or refund owed. - **Taxes.** “Property tax bills can still be received up to 18 months after your lease has ended.” - **Buying it.** GM Financial says “We do not currently process lease purchase requests through non-GM dealerships,” and lessees in 10 states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Vermont) “can’t purchase their vehicles directly from GM Financial” and must use a GM dealer. - **Recalls.** Returning a car early because of a recall is processed “as an early termination.” A lease with at least six months left can be handed to someone else for a $625 transfer fee, paid by the new lessee; our [lease takeover guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-lease-takeover/#gm-financial) reads that program in full, and our [lease buyout guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-buyout/#fees) covers purchase fees. ## GM Financial’s excess-wear standards The FAQ says “The standards for wear are listed in your lease agreement,” with examples such as “missing or broken parts, dented or damaged body panels, and cracked or broken glass.” GM Financial’s [wear and use guidelines](https://www.gmfinancial.com/en-us/resources/lease-end/wear-and-use.html) put measurements on it. They are a guide; the lease agreement governs, and holds your mileage allowance. **GM Financial’s wear and use guidelines, “Good To Go” against “Needs Repair,” read 6 October 2026** | Area | Normal wear (“Good To Go”) | Excess wear (“Needs Repair”) | | --- | --- | --- | | Dings | Fewer than 4 per panel, each under 2 inches | 4 or more per panel, or several of 2 inches or more | | Dents and scratches | 1 dent of 4 inches or less, or 1 scratch under 6 inches, per panel | A dent over 4 inches or a scratch of 6 inches or more | | Glass | Cracks under ½ inch across | Cracks of ½ inch or more, or spider cracks | | Upholstery | Holes of 1/8 inch or less; tears under 1/2 inch; removable stains | Larger holes or tears; permanent stains | | Tires | Undamaged, at least 4/32-inch tread, the recommended size and speed rating (any brand) | Less than 4/32 inch, mismatched, or not the original size and specification | | Wheels | Original wheels; scratches or gouges of 3 inches or less | Scratches or gouges over 3 inches | | Equipment and warnings | Nothing missing or broken; no warning lights | Missing keys or fobs, cracked headlights, mechanical defects, warning lights on | Measure tread before the inspection: the guide wants at least 4/32 inch on undamaged tires of the original size and speed rating, so a worn or mismatched set can appear on the invoice. Our [lease-or-buy guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/lease-vs-buy-car/#wear-and-tear) explains wear charges in general. **Figure: Annotated photograph** Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the rear-view mirror, the road ahead and the dashboard, with GM Financial's title-release timing, its no-grace-period rule and what to collect at lease return. GM Financial’s title-release page, read on 6 October 2026, says the title or lien release goes out within 30 days of the final payment clearing (callout 1); its FAQ says there is no grace period (callout 2); and its lease-end pages say lessees receive a check-in receipt and odometer statement at return, with the lease-end invoice arriving 30 to 45 days after return (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative. ## Insurance, a totaled car, servicemembers and bankruptcy GM Financial “requires full coverage” on financed cars. For leases it sets bodily injury limits of $100,000/$300,000, property damage of $50,000/$500,000 (or a combined single limit), and collision and comprehensive cover “with a maximum deductible of $1,000.” If a car is totaled and the insurer pays more than you owe, the refund is released “within 15 business days”; GAP claims “typically take four to six weeks to review.” GAP “may not cover additional charges added to the account such as late fees or property tax,” and is “optional and not required to obtain financing.” Our [GAP guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/gap-insurance/) explains what it covers. GM Financial’s [SCRA page](https://www.gmfinancial.com/en-us/resources/scra.html) summarises servicemembers’ rights: interest of “no more than 6% per year” on retail contracts opened before active duty, early lease termination “with no penalty” in many cases, and no repossession without a court order for cars financed before service. It says Military Customer Support replies “typically within eight business days” of receiving documentation. The 2022 Justice Department case below concerned these protections. In bankruptcy, “All statements will cease” and automatic payments stop. If a debt of “$600 or more is canceled,” GM Financial sends a Form 1099-C, which the IRS may treat as income. On credit-report errors, it says “We’re not able to honor requests for goodwill credit adjustments.” ## What GM Financial’s filings say about its borrowers GM Financial files its own reports with the SEC as General Motors Financial Company, Inc., formerly AmeriCredit Corp. It made $55.9 billion of retail loans and leases in 2025 (by our rounding of $55,881 million), 85.6% of it on new GM vehicles by our arithmetic: $36.3 billion of loans and $19.6 billion of leases. It had 3,194,917 retail contracts outstanding, averaging $23,601, and Texas borrowers held 14.8% of the retail book. The 10-K’s table by FICO score at origination (or “its equivalent” abroad) covers the whole retail book, International segment included: **GM Financial’s retail finance receivables by FICO score at origination (10-K for 2025; 10-Q to 30 June 2026)** | Band | 31 Dec 2024 | 31 Dec 2025 | 30 Jun 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Prime, FICO 680 and above | 76.3% | 74.9% | 74.1% | | Near-prime, FICO 620 to 679 | 11.8% | 12.3% | 12.5% | | Sub-prime, FICO below 620 | 11.8% | 12.8% | 13.4% | | Total retail book | $76.1 billion | $75.4 billion | $76.1 billion | The mix is drifting toward weaker credit. By our arithmetic, the share below 680 rose from 23.6% to 25.9% in eighteen months; the sub-prime balance grew 7.2% in 2025, to $9.7 billion, while prime shrank 2.8%, and sub-prime reached $10.2 billion by June 2026. Loans made in 2025 were 75.2% prime and 12.7% sub-prime at year end, against 77.7% and 10.9% for the 2024 loans a year earlier. The 10-K says its loss provision rose “primarily due to a shift in the credit mix of loan originations.” GM’s own 10-K measures it by flow: prime loans were 80% of GM Financial’s North American loan originations in 2025 and 81% in 2024. Losses are rising. Net charge-offs were $963 million in 2025, 1.3% of average retail receivables, up from $853 million and 1.2% in 2024, a 12.9% rise by our arithmetic; of $1,998 million in gross charge-offs, recoveries brought back 51.8%. At the end of 2025, 3.7% of the book was more than 30 days late, 3.8% counting cars in repossession; at 30 June 2026 it was 3.4%, against 2.9% a year earlier, and net charge-offs ran at an annualized 1.4% in the first half. The 10-K’s “effective yield” on retail loans, 9.0% in 2025 and 8.5% in 2024, includes GM’s subvention and is not a rate anyone is quoted; see our [used car loan rates](https://baronauto1.com/financing/used-car-loan-rates/) page. No filing prints a lease penetration rate. By our arithmetic leases were 35% of 2025 originations, and GM’s 10-K says leased vehicle income was 46% of GM Financial’s revenue. In 2025, 365 thousand leases ended and 96 thousand of those cars came back to GM Financial for remarketing, 26%. The 10-K says return rates stayed below historical levels “as used vehicle prices have generally remained higher than contractual residual values,” and termination gains fell to $586 million from $758 million. Lease originations fell 21.2% in the first half of 2026, by our arithmetic from the earnings release; the 10-Q cites “lower GM sales, lease sales mix, and net capitalized cost.” Electric cars were 21.1% of the lease book’s residual value at the end of 2025, up from 10.0%. ## The public enforcement record We found two government settlements with GM Financial and read both. On 30 September 2022 the United States sued “AmeriCredit Financial Services, Inc. dba GM Financial” in the Northern District of Texas (case 4:22-cv-00887-P) under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Its [complaint](https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1249796/dl) alleged that GM Financial unlawfully rejected 14 early lease terminations, failed to process “more than 1,000” others properly, “resulting in overcharges, overpayments, and delayed refunds,” and made 71 repossessions of protected servicemembers’ cars without a court order since 1 January 2015, and that it “provided many of the refunds only after the United States initiated its investigation.” The [Justice Department’s release](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/gm-financial-pay-over-35-million-resolve-servicemembers-civil-relief-act-claims) says it began with one soldier: GM Financial approved his termination before a 10-month deployment, then wrote to him overseas demanding “over $15,000.” The court entered the [consent order](https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1249851/dl) on 4 October 2022; in it, “GM Financial neither admits nor denies any of the allegations.” It required GM Financial to put $3,534,171 into escrow for servicemembers and pay a $65,480 civil penalty, $3.6 million in all by our arithmetic. Each of the 71 servicemembers whose car was repossessed was due $10,000 plus any lost equity (at least $710,000 together, by our arithmetic); those charged improper lease fees, a refund plus $500 or three times the amount, whichever is larger; and those wrongly denied a termination, refunds plus $5,000 if they returned the car. The order also required credit repair, staff training and SCRA policies, and runs “for a period of four (4) years from its date of entry,” to 4 October 2026 by our arithmetic unless extended; we did not check the docket. On 7 March 2022 the Massachusetts Attorney General filed an [assurance of discontinuance](https://www.mass.gov/doc/gm-financial-final-aod/download) in Suffolk Superior Court. The office alleged that GM Financial “provided defective pre-sale or post-sale repossession related notices” between 17 July 2013 and 18 July 2014 and “failed to refund to certain consumers interest on unearned premiums” on GAP contracts. GM Financial agreed to pay $1,849,182 into an independent trust; the [release](https://www.mass.gov/news/gm-financial-to-pay-more-than-18-million-relating-to-its-auto-loan-servicing-practices) said more than 2,000 residents might be eligible. **Public actions involving GM Financial, from the documents read on 6 October 2026** | Date | Agency | What it concerned | How it ended, in the document’s words | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 7 March 2022 | Massachusetts Attorney General | Alleged defective repossession notices (2013 to 2014) and unpaid interest on GAP refunds | Assurance of discontinuance; $1,849,182 fund | | 4 October 2022 | U.S. Justice Department | Alleged SCRA violations: 71 repossessions, 14 rejected and more than 1,000 mishandled lease terminations | Consent order; GM Financial “neither admits nor denies”; $3,534,171 plus a $65,480 penalty | | Ongoing | CFPB | Supervises GM Financial as a “larger participant” in auto finance | No enforcement action listed under GM Financial, AmeriCredit or General Motors | The CFPB’s enforcement list returned no action with “GM Financial,” “AmeriCredit” or “General Motors” in the title on 6 October 2026. The 10-K says the CFPB supervises GM Financial “as a ‘larger participant’ in the automobile finance market” and puts its reasonably possible legal exposure at “insignificant,” as does the 10-Q to 30 June 2026. Our [Chrysler Capital](https://baronauto1.com/financing/chrysler-capital-review/), [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/) and [Westlake Financial](https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/) reviews read other lenders’ records the same way. ## CFPB complaints filed against GM Financial The CFPB’s database holds 9,760 complaints against “General Motors Financial Company, Inc.,” received from April 2012 to 28 September 2026; a search of the company field for “AmeriCredit” matched none. Complaints are unverified reports, and their number grows with a lender’s size: GM Financial had 3,194,917 retail contracts at the end of 2025, before counting leases. They show what people complain about, not how likely a problem is. The CFPB stopped publishing narratives on 30 September 2026, so only counts are used. Credit reporting is the largest category: 4,741 complaints, 48.6% of the file, by our sum of the CFPB’s three credit-reporting labels. Vehicle loans and leases account for 3,071, or 31.5% (2,084 loans and 985 leases), plus 602 filed before 2017 under the older “Consumer Loan” label. In the vehicle file, managing the loan or lease leads (885), mostly billing problems (547, or 17.8%). Problems at the end of the loan or lease follow (591): 135 about getting the title after payoff (4.4%), 127 about excess mileage, damage or wear fees, 111 about paying off the loan and 106 about early-termination fees. Repossession accounts for 342 (11.1%), and 127 people said a request to lower payments was denied. GM Financial closed 395 vehicle complaints, 12.9%, with monetary or non-monetary relief, and answered 9,749 of all 9,760 on time. **Complaints against General Motors Financial Company, Inc. in the CFPB database by year received (pulled 6 October 2026; 2026 is partial)** | Year | Vehicle loan or lease | All products | | --- | --- | --- | | 2017 | 129 | 359 | | 2018 | 378 | 703 | | 2019 | 260 | 548 | | 2020 | 315 | 703 | | 2021 | 287 | 830 | | 2022 | 253 | 766 | | 2023 | 263 | 864 | | 2024 | 328 | 1,217 | | 2025 | 480 | 1,750 | | 2026 to 28 September | 378 | 1,355 | Complaints roughly doubled from 2023 to 2025, and vehicle complaints rose to 1.8 times their 2023 level, by our arithmetic, while the retail book stayed between $75.4 billion and $76.1 billion. A count cannot say whether that reflects more problems, the shift toward weaker credit, or more people using the database. ## If you have a GM Financial account - **Pay from a bank account online or with Auto Pay.** Both are free; phone payments can cost $2.50 or $3.50 each. - **Pay before 6 p.m. CT by the due date.** There is no grace period, and interest accrues daily. - **Cover the gap when starting Auto Debit.** It takes at least 10 days, so pay any bill due before then another way. - **Mark extra money as principal.** Otherwise it goes to future payments. - **Request a payoff quote, not the statement bal