Smart AutoCare Reviews 

Smart auto care shorts the customer, and the shop doing the work. The customer pays a premium for the contract with smart auto care, then smart auto care shorts the shop time, and also makes the shop install inferior parts, not OEM parts. Along with all of this, they take forever to get an answer to the shop whether or not a component is covered or not. DO NOT RECOMMEND SMART AUTO CARE.

Absolute criminals. I was told I would be contacted by phone and then had 3 months to make claim for gap insurance. I do not have any record of a call, Tex or voicemail.

I bought the Comprehensive Advantage Care agreement at the dealership when I bought my car. Today was my 2nd time trying to file a claim. The first experience was mid. They approved the work, but the coverage was less than I might have hoped for. Today, they went the delay and deny route.

They told my mechanic that it would take 48 hours to put in the order to schedule an inspector to come out some time next week, and then, if approved, they would have the parts shipped to the shop (it's right behind auto zone and close to the dealership). The mechanic told me last time a warranty company did that, the parts took a week and a half. AutoCare also said my car would not be allowed to leave the shop in that time.

The delayed and denied a repair to the timing chain until the oil pump failed and locked the engine up. Now they are claiming that it is my fault and i should have had the repair done and i pay for it out of pocket. This is the worst company to work with. They will find anyway out of paying for a repair, even after i paid the $4400 for the coverage. total scam.

This company will do everything in their power to not cover repairs clearly listed in the policy. One of the worst companies I have ever dealt with. I went without my vehicle for 2 months due to their greediness.

I took my vehicle to my repair shop because a check engine light came on. They read the code and from their program found it to be a faulty EVAP / Charcoal Canister and Solenoid. The owner call Smart AutoCare to get authorization and was honest when asked what caused the failure, dust and dirt from the roadway. Due to being honest this repair would not be covered. After talking to a supervisor if he would have not told the truth and said the cannister failed due to mechanical failure and that caused the Solenoid to go bad the repair would have been covered. Talk about a company without Integrity..................

Patrick O'Donnell
Kansas

I don't know why I bought an extended warranty. This is my 3rd try. Only once was something ever covered. Stay Away from this one!!!!! It is a waste of money. They denied a transmission and the excuse they used had nothing to do with the transmission. Total Scam.

I've had smartauto for about 9 months and now I need their assistance for a repair. The experience was an unpleasant ordeal. The repair shop said a needed a torque converter and a bypass valve. After being in the shop for well over a week It seems SmartAuto tried every loophole to deny my claim. They put the repair shop through numerous processes and eventually when they found something they found fitting which was my tire size was not exactly what was factory recommended. I actually feel like I was conned by this company.

My dad purchased a vehicle at a dealership and less than a year in the truck needs a repair the claim was denied TWICE even though its bumper to bumper coverage and now we have to pay out of pocket. If it exceeds $5,000 I'm filing a small claims in court because never in my life has he had to or should experience this at 65 years old when he wanted to gift himself something nice and we paid to protect it and it is in fact NOT being honored. I will do everything in my power to make sure this place receives a horrible reputation for the stress and MONEY this has caused!!! the warranty is FRAUD at this point that its being denied without valid explanation when it should be sent through as per our mechanic and dealership !!!

Do NOT buy a car with this plan. They have done everything to not pay a clam for my daughter’s vehicle with a blown motor. Refusing to replace the motor because she didn’t replace the O2 sensor when she took it in because it was going through 3 to 4 quarts of oil a week. Last time I checked the O2 sensor is affected by the oil consumption not the other way around. Very hard to deal with and they were reaching at things to make sure they didn’t pay for this. 👎🖕

i dont recomen this company invthe agrement say 100 dedutible dont sing nothing wi

I would rate negative 5 stars!!**BEWARE,SELLS INFO,NO REAL HELP!DO NOT USE.

I had a terrible experience with Smart Auto Care, a GAP insurance provider. When my truck was totaled, they failed to cover the full balance, leaving me stuck with payments at a time when the entire loan should have been cleared. Their customer service was frustrating and unhelpful, making the entire process even worse. I do not recommend them to anyone who expects reliability and support when it’s needed most.

I strongly advise against engaging with this particular contract provider. Their claims processing consistently experiences significant delays, often spanning several days. Furthermore, they mandate the exclusive use of parts sourced directly from them, which introduces an additional day to the service timeline. It is important to note that rental coverage is limited solely to the duration of labor. I caution potential buyers to exercise extreme discretion and avoid any association with this entity.

Smart AutoCare is one of the worst warranty companies I’ve ever dealt with. I truly wish I could give zero stars.

I only service my vehicle at the dealership, and thankfully the dealer where I purchased my car does accept this warranty. Even more fortunate for me, my service advisor has been incredibly patient when dealing with Smart AutoCare. He’s told me that every time he calls them, he’s placed in a queue for 30–45 minutes — and sometimes up to two hours — just to speak with someone.

Most recently, I needed two parts replaced due to a steering issue. Instead of approving locally sourced parts, Smart AutoCare insisted on shipping the parts themselves, which automatically added at least one extra day to my rental car. They assured us the parts would arrive within two days, so I agreed to cover the additional rental day.

Now here I am, seven days into paying for a rental car — and still no parts. Smart AutoCare refuses to take responsibility for delays from the parts vendor they chose, and they are unwilling to cover the extended rental costs. What should have cost me around $500 out of pocket without the warranty is now turning into my $100 deductible plus at least $50 per day (plus tax) for a rental car. The current (non-guaranteed) ETA puts me at roughly 10 days of rental fees.

This has been an incredibly frustrating and costly experience. If you’re ever given the option to purchase this warranty, I strongly recommend you think twice — or better yet, run the other way.

I would give them a 0 star If I could. I took my car in because the check engine light came on and it was smoking — clearly something serious. Instead of focusing on helping resolve the issue, it felt like Smart Auto Care was looking for the smallest possible reason to deny my claim.

From the beginning, the process felt more like an investigation against me than support for a paying customer. Rather than trying to work toward a solution, they seemed focused on technicalities and fine print. In the end, my claim was denied, and I was left dealing with a major repair on my own.

When you’re already stressed about car trouble, the last thing you need is to feel like the company is working against you. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t recommend Smart Auto Care. Make sure you read every detail of your contract and don’t expect them to give you the benefit of the doubt.

I’m extremely disappointed with my experience with Smart AutoCare.

When I purchased the vehicle service contract, I was led to believe that specific components — including tire and rim-related issues — would be covered. The coverage was presented as comprehensive and intended to protect against exactly the type of issue I later experienced.

However, when I filed a claim, it was completely denied. I was never clearly informed that these specific items were excluded. There was no transparent explanation during the sales process about limitations or exclusions related to these parts.

It feels misleading to sell coverage in a way that suggests protection, only to deny it later based on exclusions that were not clearly disclosed upfront.

Consumers deserve transparency before purchasing a service contract — not surprises when they actually need coverage.

Based on my experience, I would advise others to carefully review every detail in writing before signing, and not rely solely on verbal assurances.

I have owned many new cars where I ALWAYS purchase GAP coverage. This has been by the far most worst nightmare of my life dealing with them. There is no customer service with this company. They truly make impossible to gwt things taken care of I am 4 weeks out from a car accident my full coverage insurance has covered thier part 2 weeks ago and quit paying for rental but this company is needing everything but my death certificate just to pay a few grand! I pa for this service specifically for a time like this. I would never recommend this company to anyone and I made sure whej I bought my new vehicle that this company is not who the dealership ship went through.

Picked up a sheet metal screw in the left rear tire causing a slow leak on a Saturday afternoon in western North Carolina, over three hours from my home. The closest open place of repair was a small family run shop (Polacios Tires - 5 star rated) off Rt 64 In Pittsboro. They repaired the tire with an internal patch for $40. I called Smart Auto Care prior to repair as instructed in the agreement and got a recording that said the office was closed at 2pm CST. No opportunity to leave a message was present. I got a written receipt from the mechanic stating the date, tire size and cash payment. On Monday I sent an email claim in to SAC with a scan of the receipt. I quickly got a response that it would not be processed due to no prior authorization. That started a number of phone conversations with statements from SAC like, "You should've changed the tire and got it fixed on Monday at home." or "We use an answering service when we're closed to take the information, giving tentative approval." The first comment was ridiculous and the latter was wrong and to verify it, the next Saturday I called again at the same time and got the same recording. They're closed. Then they asked me for a copy of my call log on my phone to prove when I called. Then they asked me for the invoice again. They didn't like the brief written receipt out of a receipt book, but wanted, and I quote, " in order for us to provide a reimbursement, we need a full detailed receipt. The receipt should have the name and address of the facility who performed the work, the vehicle information (VIN, mileage, make and model) and cost of the repair, with a stamp that shoes paid and how you paid. If we do not have that, we cannot provide any type of reimbursement. " This is for $40! They've spent more than that on labor refusing my claim. I'd be embarrassed to go back to the family business and request this be supplied. I'd have to supply most of the information to them. They repaired a tire. If some dealer offers this service when you purchase a car, run away as fast as you can. This is a ripoff.

refused to pay previously approved claim because i changed repair shop and 2nd shop file claim correctly as per them. Car has been at tire shop for 3 days. Zero help from customer service. SO I THE CUSTOMER as to suffer.