Basic Maintenance

American Standard Auto Protection understands the hardship the consumer has faced due to the claim outcome. However, American Standard Auto Protection's Vehicle Service Contract clearly states that, "Coverage will be denied if YOU fail to perform maintenance services at proper intervals, or...

otherwise fail to properly maintain YOUR VEHICLE, and a BREAKDOWN is caused by YOUR failure to perform maintenance services or otherwise properly maintain YOUR VEHICLE..." According to the complaint, the consumer failed to perform a manufacture recommended maintenance service at the recommended interval; instead the vehicle maintenance was performed over 14,000 miles after the recommended interval. A lack of maintenance for such an extended period may lead to additional breakdown of components within the vehicle and is considered negligence under the VSC that the consumer signed up for. In order to help the consumer, American Standard Auto Protection is willing to offer the consumer a complete refund of the price paid for the consumer's Vehicle Service Contract minus the $25.00 processing fee. American Standard Auto Protection will be refunding the consumer a total of $1180.00.

On 12/31/2015 the consumer purchased a Vehicle Service Contract from ASAP. The consumer signed the contract terms and conditions on 1/3/2016. On 2/23/16 a claim was filed by [redacted] Auto Repair on behalf of the consumer for 2 outer tie rods and an ignition coil. Because the failures were covered...

by the VSC, the claim was, reviewed, authorized and paid. On 5/23/2016 [redacted] Auto Repair submitted a new claim. The repair was for an electronic brake control module, which is not listed as a covered component in the contract. The air conditioning condenser was leaking as well. A leak is generally not a covered issue. The reason being is this a mechanical failure contract. A leak in the condenser aluminum is simply the result of freon gas corroding the aluminum causing it to become porous and leak. The part was not defective, it was leaking. Even though ASAP did not have a obligation to cover the claim under the guidelines of the contract, ASAP performed a goodwill courtesy and covered both repairs.On 8/11 [redacted] Auto Repair submitted a new claim. The consumer stated to the shop there is a noise coming from the front of the vehicle when driving. The shop stated the front wheel hub assembly is noisy. Noises are not considered a defect by the contract. Please see the attached signed contract, section Definitions, number 11, which discusses the contract covers defective parts. Please also see section titled Total Performance, which has a complete listing of all of the VSC covered components. The electronic brake control module is not listed.After a thorough review of all details of claims and diagnostics the claims have been:1. Covered in accordance with the terms and conditions.2. Covered although the terms do not allow coverage.3. Declined according to the terms of the VSC.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. The customer purchased the contract on July 28th 2016. The contract became effective 30 days later on August 27th, 2016, with an effective mileage of 103,700. The customer has electronically signed the Vehicle Service Contract, agreeing to...

all of the terms and conditions (please see attached). On September 19th, 2016, with the vehicle mileage of 104,237, the customer took her vehicle to a repair facility. The shop filed a claim for both front drive axles, leaking valve cover gaskets, and air conditioning vent actuator, and the drive belt and tensioner. ASAP dispatched a 3rd party, ASE certified inspector to view the vehicle. The inspector's report verifies the failures are all pre-existing to the contract (please attached). In her written complaint to the Revdex.com, the customer stated her reason for purchasing the Vehicle Service Contract was because she suspected the car needed work. The Service Contract discusses pre-existing conditions will not be covered by ASAP (please see attached, Section "Exclusions" number 12). The customer was informed of the claim and requested to cancel. The customer was sent an e-mail with cancellation instructions. After review of the claim and the contract terms and conditions, ASAP has acted in accordance with the contract.

On 11/9/2015 the customer purchased a Vehicle Service Contract from ASAP. The customer was sent a contract to sign and return to ASAP (see attached "Letter of Authorization". The document also requested the current vehicle mileage and VIN. The customer signed and returned this document on...

11/12/2015. The contract had a 30 day and 1,000 mile wait period prior to the contract becoming active. On /14/2016 a claim was initiated by a Stevens Creek BMW in Santa Clara, CA. The vehicle mileage at the time was 115,331. The repairs requested include a replacement transmission costing $8,500, an engine repair exceeding $12,000, cooling system leaks exceeding $1,200, as well as a failed vacuum pump, 2 rear control arms, two rear ball joints the rear trunk shocks, differential cover and rear active sway bar. The shop stated the total amount to repair the vehicle is "about $42,000.00." ASAP then requested the customer to submit all vehicle maintenance history. Upon review of the records, ASAP found the customer misrepresented his vehicle. On 11/12/2015, the same day the customer signed his contract stating there were 114,200 miles on the car, there is a maintenance document stating the vehicle had 114,347 (attached). The customer's contract states, "We may cancel this contract at any time if YOU made a material misrepresentation....relating to the vehicle or its use." Reporting incorrect mileage on a vehicle at the time of sign up is a major misrepresentation which, in a case like this, cannot be overlooked. Once this was discovered, the customer was refunded the full amount paid for the contract (see receipt attached) and administratively cancelled. Also, ASAP does not commit to sending a tow truck in the event of a breakdown. It is the customer's responsibility to arrange for towing, and towing is a limited reimbursement for covered claims.

The customer is complaining of ASAP taking too long on this claim. The customer states the inspector took too long to come look at the car. The customer also says it took the shop 2 days to diagnose the car. The car was taken to the shop on 10/14/2016. The shop filed its diagnosis with ASAP on 10/18/2016. The attached repair order shows the vehicle was brought into the shop with 72,280 miles. The attached inspection report shows the inspection was completed on 10/21/2016 and the vehicle on that date had 72,884 miles. ASAP called the shop to find out why the vehicle was driven 604 miles during the 3 days between filing a claim for repairs and the vehicle being inspected. The shop stated they did not know the reason.
The shop filed a claim stating the turbo boost pressure sensor has electrically failed and was not communicating with the system and need to be replaced. Secondly, the valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket and oil pan gasket are all leaking to an active drip. Finally, the front left and right control arm bushings have play and leaks and need replacement. 
ASAP sent a third party inspector to view the vehicle. The inspector's report states: "The was no failure to the turbo sensor shown, only a code set at 72,843 miles. There is seepage only from the valve cover gaset not active drips. There is a long term leak from the oil filter adapter gasket with oil running down the (engine) block and dripping off the oil pan at the front. The oil filter adapter gasket is consistent with a pre-existing conditions. There was no verified leak at the oil pan at this time. There is a failure of both lower control arm bushings as they are leaking fluid. This fluid leak appears to be shot term."
The claim outcome was provided as follows:
As per the inspection report: "There was no failure of the turbo sensor shown only a code set @ 72843 miles. There is seepage only from the valve cover gasket no active drips. There is a long term leak from the oil filter adapter gasket with oil running down the block and dripping off the oil pan at the front. The oil filter adapter gasket is consistent with a preexisting condition. There was no verified leak from the oil pan at this time. There is a failure of both lower control arm bushings as they are leaking fluid. This fluid leak appears to be short term." Front control arms are authorized for $258.92 for both, Shop's requested labor time (2.5 hours) is approved at the contract labor rate of $90.00 per hour, parts that have not failed (boost sensor) and pre-existing conditions are not covered. The total authorization is $483.92.
ASAP has acted properly in authorizing the covered repair and declining repair for pre-exiting conditions and non failed parts. The customer states the turbo is not functioning, however, the the car was driven 604 miles in the 3 days after the claim was filed by the repair facility. 
The customer also signed a cancellation form agreeing to a refund amount and the refund has been processed and the contract has been cancelled.

Customer was refunded 07/19/2016 for a total of $595.00 as per her contract, customer is entitled to a prorated amount. ASAP's standard refund process takes anywhere from twelve to fourteen business days, client was refunded within ten business days of receiving required documentation to process her...

refund.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, my response is below:I have again talked to the Certified Mechanic at Volkswagon regarding this issue and have attached the vacuum pump schematics that apply.  There are several concerns & disputes I have with the response from ASAP.  First, as can be seen from the schematics as well as where the leak is coming from on the pictures taken for the Inspection Report, there is NO  seal or gasket on the area that was leaking.  That is a metal plate that is attached to and is part of  the rest of the pump (the mechanics of it).  The 'gasket' is on the other side of the pump (as indicated on the diagram/schematics) and is attached to the engine manifold.  The vacuum pump housing comes as an entire unit and is plate to part.  It is non-serviceable, repairable, and has NO gasket or seal in that area, so it CAN'T be leaking from the gasket because it's NOT a gasket or seal.  Again - it is ONE piece unit and has no gasket or seal on the side that they took pictures indicating that it is leaking.  I was also informed that the spot where the leak was is an indication that the pump has a failure and that is the place it would leak from and show that it has a problem (except for the gasket on the other side, which is an actual gasket as indicated on the schematics, and then it wouldn't be a vacuum pump issue but a gasket leak to the engine manifold, which wasn't leaking).  In addition, I again reiterate that the contract states that 'leaking seals and gaskets as 'stand alone' repairs are not covered, but are covered in conjunction with a covered part.'  I remain concerned because the housing issue on the vacuum pump is not a seal or gasket, not a stand alone repair, and therefore this should be a covered part.  That is why ASAP initially stated it was 'potentially covered'  when the claim was first called in.  Second, I wish to address ASAP's claim that 'a failure of the part would disable the vehicle' and how this supports their denial of my claim.  The vacuum pump's purpose is to assist in boosting the breaking system and helping the engine to run smoothly.  The Certified Mechanic stated that the car would not be disabled if the vacuum pump leaked or began failing, however, the symptoms of a problem would be having a 'hard time breaking smoothly, the engine running rough, and the service light being on.'   All of which were happening!  Am I supposed to trust a car that is having this type of trouble?  Just tolerate this and possibly have a bigger issue or accident because the breaks might act up or fail?  How am I supposed to know what will happen next and I want a safe vehicle!  Thus my statement that I believed I had to have this fixed so as not to cause other mechanical problems (such as an accident) that the warranty would then say I was negligent in addressing because I never fixed the vacuum pump.  Once again, I would like to reiterate that there are NO seals in the vacuum pump (it's a one unit housing as shown on the schematics); the only seal or gasket that's attached to the vacuum pump is where the vacuum pump connects to the engine manifold, which was NOT leaking.I continue to demonstrate that this is a valid claim and counteract EVERY statement they are making as do 2 Certified Mechanics who have reviewed the problem, with one being a Volkswagon Certified Technician & Mechanic.  This appears to me to be continued attempts to back out of a paid for warranty and legally binding agreement.  I want ASAP to step up and do what's right and just.  Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 11628964, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The most recent claim. I brought the car by because of yes a noise. Thinking my self it was a wheel bearing and my mechanic brought the car into the shop and diagnosed it to be what I figured it to be when he found play with the wheel bearing. The noise of it is what made me bring the car in since wheel bearing are safety issues and I have an infant and a 10 yr old child that I have to drive around so if this wheel bearing lets go and cause me to get into an accident the are responsible for not paying for the repair that they say the cover in their contract. The ac condenser is just like a radiator from the ac and the only way you can know that part has failed is if they start leaking and it does not state in the contract how it has to fail. they did pay for part of the ac  repair. They sent my mechanic a new condenser and payed him for some of the labor of putting it in. It took longer for him to put in since one of the ac lines was frozen on and took longer to for him to  remove. I had to pay out my pocket to replace that line since it started leaking. my whole ac system is bad in the car now he needs to put a new compressor in since that has since let go. So I would like them to start paying for the parts and labor to repair my car or give me a full refund with them eating the repairs that they payed for since I bought this contract to reduce my stress level if my car did need repairs. Otherwise I will be contacting a lawyer and suing them for causing me unnecessary stress. You can feel free to contact my mechanic for his thoughts on ASAP and he will gladly give them to you.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. ASAP strives to address all customer concerns and resolve to the customer's satisfaction.Attached is a cancellation form electronically signed by the customer and a refund transaction receipt showing the funds have been returned to the customer....

As we have addressed the customer's concern, we respectfully request this complaint to be resolved.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.American Standard Auto Protection is an Equal Opportunity Employer. American Standard Auto Protection does not tolerate discrimination in the work place, or interaction with consumers. American Standard Auto Protection's core mission is the...

development of good consumer relations, whether or not the consumer enrolls in a VSC program. American Standard Auto Protection has reviewed the consumer complaint, and finds no where was the consumer spoken to in a disrespectful manner, or derogatory statements made.ASAP, using proprietary data, and historical information regarding the vehicle, determined not to issue VSC coverage on the consumers vehicle, as it is its right to do so. Furthermore, no payments were taken from the consumer. American Standard Auto Protection, using "KYC", "Best Practices" regulations Visa/MasterCard, as well as being PCI compliant, does not retain/store any consumer credit card information in its data base.ASAP is in the sincere hopes this information will be comforting and reassuring to the consumer.Thank you

The consumer called in and stated her complaint is resolved.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.ASAP apologizes for any delay or inconvenience to the customer.following receipt of the documentation requested and electronically signed cancellation form, the customer has since been refunded.Accounting Department

The customer purchased a contract on September 12, 2016 for a 2013 BMW X5 with 47,000. The contract start mileage is 48,000. On December 19, 2016, with mileage of 48,988, the customer took the vehicle a local BMW dealership with a complaint of a drive-train malfunction. The dealer diagnosed and...

found no malfunction. The dealer performed an in house inspection on the car and found the oil filter housing gasket leaking. The attached contract states stand alone seals and gaskets are not covered. ASAP, however, provided coverage for this repair as a courtesy. The repair was authorized according to the customer's signed contract labor rate of $90 per hour. ASAP did not deceive this customer. The customer signed and submitted the contract back to ASAP on September 23, 2016 which is 11 days after purchase date allowing for enough time to have read and reviewed the details. Most importantly though,ASAP has reviewed calls and determined the customer only provided information consistent with the contract he was offered.

Please see the attached customer contract. The contract includes roadside assistance. It states very specifically any roadside assistance is a customer reimbursement. It does not state ASAP will dispatch a service. It is the customer's responsibility to arrange for service and request reimbursement....

ASAP does not pay for AAA membership. The customer's contract does not cover air conditioning components. ASAP does not avoid phone calls from customers. It is our responsibility to serve and assist our customers.The customer is requesting a full refund. However, the contract has been active for 8 months. Any refund would be pro-rated.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The bill for new AC in my Metta was $1115.79. The warranty co paid $575.98. Upon purchasing , I was told this was full coverage. The papers I hsve from this company sats nothing about partial coverage. It evev says" no  deductable" I want the full amount paid or my $2300.00 back that I paid for full coverage
Regards,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I want a full refund and this company investigated for selling products that do not match up to the promise of total protection. I have received an email from ASPAP that they have received my odometer statement and my policy is now canceled.

Regarding the most recent claim, the customer has confirmed confirmed that the vehicle was brought in for a noise which, as we previously stated, does not qualify as a breakdown to covered by the contract. Regarding the air condition condenser, customer acknowledged that SAP paid for it. The labor paid is for installation of the condenser. Lines are not covered by the contract therefore any labor associated with lines is the customer's responsibility. ASAP has not received a claim stating the air conditioning compressor has failed. It is unreasonable for the customer to request ASAP to provide a full refund and "eat the repairs." The customer's contract states regarding cancellation that any refund will be pro-rated, less claim payments as well.

Mr. [redacted] entered Vehicle Service Contract 88423843 on 02/29/2016, with an effective start date of 04/29/2016 and an effective mileage of 100,600. Customer agreed to the terms and conditions of the contract by signing a Letter of Authorization before his effective date on 04/03/2016. He filed his...

first claim within four days of his contract coming into effect, for a valve cover gasket and a control arm, per the contract guidelines the claim was denied but as a courtesy American Standard Auto Protection decided to assist with 50% of the repairs. On 07/27/2016, Small Car Center called in with a complaint of a check engine light on behalf of our mutual customer, again based on the contract guidelines; we were able to assist with the repair of the water pump. Shortly after another claim was filed on 09/26/2016, unfortunately, the failures were not able to be covered because they were due to rust and carbon buildup. There was a final claim filed on 10/21/2016 by Hinemins Service Center, for another check engine light. The technician verified that it was caused by a failed transfer case. American Standard Auto Protection requested that the customer send in his service records (to show the vehicle was properly maintained) and registration (to show proof of ownership). Customer complied and sent in his records, after inspecting these records we found a discrepancy in mileage. Customer received a denial and his Vehicle Service Contract was administratively cancelled as follows: The vehicle's registration paperwork shows Actual Mileage on 3/29/2016 was 103,013. Vehicle was at Hineman's Service Center on 5/19/2016 with 101,956 miles. Contract states WE may cancel this CONTRACT at any time if: WE cannot determine the true mileage of the VEHICLE due to replacement, ALTERNATION, disconnection or failure of the Odometer. Based on these documented facts, the contract is administratively cancelled effective immediately. ASAP does not cover vehicles in which the odometer has been altered.Tell us why here...

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 12121537, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I would like my money back in full for  absolute nonsense and handling with my case without being without a car for three weeks at my own convenience telling me everything is pre-existing when the car should've been looked at before the warranty was sold to me  and also when I specifically asked them before they sold me the warranty do they need me to bring the car to be inspected and I was told no .it is not my fault that the mechanic said the car needed to $3500 worth of stuff  that they did not want to cover on top of it sold me the wrong warranty and played games while leaving me without  while they needed to figure out that they sold me the wrong warranty from the get-go also the quad like I said previously is 12 years old they should not be selling warrantees the cars that are 12 years old then I want the money in full now at this point because I'm getting annoyed that they were constantly rude to me on the phone play games every time I call them never got callbacks from supervisors took weeks upon weeks before anything happened  now if they want me to disappear totally I want my money back in full for inconveniencing me without a car for three weeks because they didn't know what to do and play phone games and didn't return phone calls where I had to track them down and they're not going to prorate my account with them and charge me for four months when they already knew I had a case with Attorney General now at this point I want my money in full for return for me to disappear now  and first of all from purchase date. Was not pre-existing because for me to even have the warrantee start was a 1000 miles   Of purchase date of me driving and then 159 into my contract so I drove 1159 miles and my car started having problems so like I said I want now my money for a return for me to disappear absolutely absurd !!

On 12.03.2015 [redacted] entered into Vehicle Service Contract 73928303 with American Standard Auto Protection acknowledging and accepting the Terms & Conditions with an electronic signature. A copy of the signed contract is attached. On 03.02.2016 Mr. [redacted] initiated a claim stating...

his vehicle was difficult to start and the charging system failure light was on. He would have the repairing facility call in with a completed diagnosis. Later that same day Southfield Imports called stating they believed the vehicle needed a starter. They would call back when more diagnostic information was available. On 03.08.2016 Southfield Imports again called stating they never replaced the starter. They charged the battery and gave the vehicle back to Mr. [redacted]. The vehicle was brought back in and the technician verified the alternator was failing requiring replacement. There was no request for a battery. The claim was authorized based on the contract Terms & Conditions Mr. [redacted] acknowledged and accepted. A Claim Authorization Form was faxed to Southfield Imports. The form states: 1) I acknowledge that the repair authorized has been completed to my satisfaction and restored the vehicle to proper working order.  2) I hereby agree that I am satisfied with the authorized amount for my covered repair. 3) I agree that I am aware of all non-covered fees. The Claim Authorization Form was signed by Mr. [redacted] and Southfield Imports. A copy of the signed form is attached. A copy of the ASAP terminal receipt documenting Southfield Imports has already been paid is also attached.