American Auto Shield was established in 2002, and based out of Colorado. American Auto displays its commitment to customers by providing 24/7 customer service options through phone, and live chat.

American Auto Shield also shows devotion to its community by raising awareness and supporting charities such as Every Child's Hope, Make-A-Wish, Adopt-A-Family, and other great philanthropic efforts. American Auto Shield has also made excellent partners in the industry so that their customers are fully covered in more locations.

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The Good

Multiple Customer Support Features
Flexible Vehicle Requirements
Protection Plans

Multiple Customer Support Features

American Auto Shield offers customer support 24/7 and through phone, and live chat. This is very uncommon in the industry, as most auto warranty companies only offer customer support during normal business hours.

Some warranty companies do not have the live chat option for support. Live chat is becoming a desirable option for customers who do not have the time or desire to speak on the phone, but don't want to wait for answers through email.

We really like that American Auto Shield understands the desires of customers and offers this form of support. The company also provides a way for customers to submit reports and claims online for added convenience. Its roadside assistance is also 24/7, which is a huge benefit for clients.

Flexible Vehicle Requirements

Many extended warranty companies only cover vehicles within a very limited max year and max mileage range. The average is approximately 15 years, with 175,000 miles. This allows warranty companies to pick and choose which cars they will cover. Older cars or cars with more mileage tend to have more issues than newer cars. It is less risky for these auto warranty companies if they restrict their vehicle protection plans to newer cars with lower mileage.

While American Auto does have restrictions, it is very generous. American Auto covers cars up to 25 years old with 250,000 miles. This makes American Auto Shield's service contracts available to more car owners. American Auto is a great choice for people with older cars with a great deal of mileage.

Protection Plans

American Auto Shield offers several protection plan options that cover different types of automotive issues. These extended warranties offer repair cost coverage for some malfunction and breakdowns once the factory warranty has expired. They do not cover normal wear and tear or damage caused in a car accident.

The vehicle protection plans a customer can choose will depend on how many miles their car has, the age of the car, and what the customer would like covered. Optional coverage may be added to customize an auto warranty, which is very convenient for customers who would like more coverage than what is offered in the basic extended warranty:

Deluxe: covers cars up to 20 model years and 150,000 miles. Covers most major car components.
Platinum: covers cars up to 20 model years and 100,000 miles. Covers most major car components.
Diamond: covers cars up to 9 model years and 90,000 miles. Covers all but a small list of exclusionary parts.

American Auto Shield's powertrain coverage plans include the following:

Powertrain: covers cars up to 25 model years and 250,000 miles. Covers engine, transmission, cooling system, and etc.
PT Silver: covers cars up to 25 model years and 200,000 miles. Covers engine, transmission, cooling system, and etc.
PT Gold: covers cars up to 25 model years and 200,000 miles. Covers engine, transmission, cooling system, and etc.

Each service contract for cars includes roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, and trip interruption assistance. An American Auto Shield vehicle service contract may also be transferred if the vehicle is sold. An extended auto warranty can add value to your vehicle, which is nice for customers who decide to sell their car.

American Auto Shield clients can add coverage for luxury electronics, emissions, and the ability to use the repair shop's labor rate.

In addition to offering good vehicle service contract plans, American Auto Shield also offers service contracts for motorcycles, ATVs, and dirt bikes. These additional protection plan offerings make American Auto Shield stand out from other car warranty companies.

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The Bad

Limited Online Cost Information

Limited Online Cost Information

American Auto Shield supplies good information about its extended car warranties, including plan-type and coverage. It would be nice to see cost information. However, because the cost is based on vehicle make, model, and mileage, there is a lot of variability. The level of variability makes it difficult to offer helpful general information.

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The Bottom Line

Should your car have a mechanical breakdown, an extended car warranty can save car owners money on that expensive repair. American Auto Shield offers good protection plan options, and covers more years and mileage that almost any other company in the industry. It shows a commitment to customers and community by investing in technological advances in the industry, and participating in philanthropic efforts.

While American Auto Shield could offer more cost information for each extended warranty, this is difficult due variation based on vehicle-specific information. American Auto Shield is worth considering, especially for those seeking a service contract for a motorcycle, ATV, dirt bike, or car. Before making a final choice, consider what American Auto Shield clients have to say about the service.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

3.8

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147 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

39%

4 grade

30%

3 grade

10%

2 grade

1 grade

12%

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Bernd Herrmann

Where to even begin? Approximately 6 months ago I elected to take a chance and sign up with Car Shield. Quite frankly, I was surprised that they insured my 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, which still looks like it's in showroom condition (because I have kept it in a garage for 22 years). But it was a stiff price at $139 a month, but I figured if something major goes wrong, I'd be out of alot more. Well, sure as the sun rising each morning, my transmission went bad 6 months later and I took it to my local AAMCO Transmission where I live - and they accept Car Shield. Now here is where the rat race began. To begin with, during week one, Car Shield was supposed to send out an adjuster to evaluate my transmission to make sure what AAMCO says was wrong, is true. But the adjuster never came, so we tried again the following week (we're now at week 2). The adjuster finally came, and seconded the fact that the transmission was gone - so all of us thought, OK, this should be it. Then they (Car Shield) waited another 4-5 days before requesting some additional photos of the drop pan and oil - OK, so now we're at 2.5 weeks (and my vehicle has been sitting there for this long). Finally they approved the transmission repair/replacement, but they didn't want to pay the money for AAMCO to order a transmission from their source. Rather, Car Shield told them that they were sending a transmission - which took another week. So as of this writing (labor day weekend), the transmission finally arrived, but it will be another few days before they test and install the factory rebuilt one - now it's a month!!!!! So my car had been sitting outside (covered with bird crap) for a month (not AAMCO's fault, as they had to play along with Car Shield). My cost was the $250 deductible as per my policy, plus an offset of what AAMCO charges for labor and what Car Shield was willing to pay (remember, the insurance company will always look for the cheapest route to go). So my total out-of-pocket cost was $694. In the end, I saved around $3500-$4000, which is not bad at all. But it was the run around, the constantly having to wait, etc., that soured the entire experience for me, so I'm currently torn over it all. Now it's important to note that Car Shield will want all service records of your vehicle. Since I do my own oil changes (Mobil 1 synthetic only), and my friend, who is a retired Ford Mechanic, doing my transmission fluid changes, I didn't have anything official to show them. So I had to provide what I did in letter format - which they accepted. They (Car Shield) do check to make sure your fluids haven't been ignored (i.e. sludge in the engine), because if they see that you've abused/ignored vehicle maintenance on your car, they won't cover anything. As for a car rental, Car Shield did pay for 2 weeks (no more than 14 days) of a car rental, but beyond that, you have to pay for a rental out of your own pocket (which I did). So that was another $376 out of my pocket because of the amount of time it took for Car Shield to approve and send a replacement transmission. So is it worth it to me? I've got mixed emotions on this one. After all, even though it took almost a month to get a final decision, I didn't have to eat the cost of a transmission, which was a huge load off my mind because I'm a senior citzen on a very limited retirement income. I'm still sticking with Car Shield, but I just hope that in the future, I don't fall victim again to the same delayed response times.

1 year ago

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Jeff Wilson Woodstock, ON

If you live in Canada, while choosing which aftermarket warranty to buy, be sure to read covered components for Canadian coverage, US and Canada are different. For example my vehicle is all wheel drive, in the US the drive shaft is a covered component which without it it’s only a front wheel drive. In Canada they feel you don’t need it and is not a covered component as a mechanic I don’t understand, it is an important part of the powertrain. The advisers at Carsheild were on it very helpful but the adjusters refused it twice. I would be interested in seeing the adjuster’s mechanics licence so they could prove they totally understand the driveshaft being an integral part of an all wheel drive vehicle. Aside from this they are a good company to do business

1 year ago

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Michael Bridwell

I would like to thank CarShield for all they have done for me. They have helped me through some really bad situations with my vehicle. I purchased Carshield when I bought my vehicle. When I purchased my coverage, I really hoped that I would never need their help. I purchased coverage just in case something was to go wrong. Well, something did go wrong. And I mean seriously wrong. Just after I reached the minimum requirements for coverage the check engine light came on. The code indicated a timing chain issue. To my surprise CarShield authorized and paid nearly $3,500 to have the timing chains replaced. All it took was for the repair shop to file a claim and then provide the necessary evidence of failure and the quote for the job.

2 years ago

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Gary Gilson Missouri City, TX

I was impressed by the fact my motor mounts were covered on my December 22 claim. This didn’t resolve the error in the computer, so I had to go to a dealer to have the computer reprogrammed to recognize the repaired part. The supplemental claim was resubmitted in March ‘23 electronically, but never acknowledged. In October ‘23 I made calls and resubmitted the claim again to the same email site as in March, and followed up with a phone call and email reception acknowledgment. I received email acknowledgment of the claim, and that a review of the matter was in progress. I received a check a week later via mail. Persistence pays off!

2 years ago Edited November 7, 2023

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Rebecca Talavera San Antonio, TX

Tracy was very informative and was able to get me up and going relatively quickly. He was extremely knowledgeable and answered all my questions thoroughly. I was really impressed with how well taken care of the carshield customers are from breaking down to getting back on the road again. As I was telling Tracy, it makes me feel like a princess. The only reason I did not give a five star review was because it is a little pricey.

2 years ago

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ebskolnick

I like accessability of customer service. I dislike limited coverage of Gold plan for dashboard electronics including all interactive touch screen functions related to vehicle operations , especially for hybrid vehicles, including hands free cell phone pairing, tire pressure monitoring, trip mileage statistics, traction battery charging, also odometer reading speedometer and other non-touchscreen displays.

2 years ago

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michael d allen Montgomery, TX

Rental car perk is worthless/. Takes forever to get approved for the repair and then the car rental. Car sits in transmission shop for 2-3 weeks before you approve the repair and then you have no car for that period. The transmission then went out again and had to be sent to the local dealer where it sat for another 10 days without benefit of a rental car.

2 years ago

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Joelle Kaut (ELLIEk.) Auburn, WA

Hello, I decided to call Car Shield after receiving a letter promoting their service. Although the initial person I spoke with was impersoneI & rushed... the sales rep he transfered me to however, was very professional, informative and relatable throughout our conversation! I can't attest to anything other than the initial purchase experience that i had... being that the product is not tangible, it will have to be a "to be determined" as far as recommending Car Shield, ... for now.... I wanted to extend my thanks and give a compliment to your phone sale Rep!

2 years ago Edited January 18, 2023

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Shelia Woody Memphis, TN

it was Hard to find a company that would accept Carshield, but after numerous tried found Express oil, Lakeland, TN , they accepted carshield, we took our truck, they checked it out, the manager (Travis) great guy and the mechanical were great, also friendly and efficient, they filed our claim & everything handled in about 4 hours, our claim was denied, item wasn't covered but Express oil made it a good experience

3 years ago

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Nicholas Clarey San Francisco, CA

I have a policy with car shield and I’m very certain that if I have a major brake down I will be more than happy I bought into it. My one thing I would point out is that they don’t cover things like brake rotors and pads witch I needed to replace on my truck today and much to my surprise it is very expensive ($1,000.00) dollars expensive. Maybe if enough people complain about it they will change there policy to possibly help with some of the cost. A lot of us don’t have 1,000 dollars laying around

3 years ago

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Mark Cary

Not quite like advertised on TV ... kind of hassle with the rental car ... still don't know if I'll get reimbursed for my rental expenses ... timing is everything and the timing of services versus filing claim versus having an active claim ... seems a bit disjointed ... Check back with me after a week or so ...

1 year ago

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Card Country Music

It's a great service and the customer service representatives are very helpful. I got my car fixed and Car Shield delivered as promised and pulled through. However, the monthly rates are way too high. Please lower my monthly payment. Thank you 🙏

1 year ago

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Emma Kimble Benton Harbor, MI

I’ve only had to use Car Shield one time since I’ve had the coverage. My problem was I had to wait until the adjuster decided if they were going to cover my engine problem. I was anxiously waiting for an answer. Car Shield finally came through in my favor. I was happy like all the other happy people in the Car Shield commercials.

2 years ago

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Sam Clark Memphis, TN

I really don't like the haggling that they do with the shops. I know that there are some scammers out there, but for the most part, many of us go to reputable technicians and I think that their professional opinion should outweigh much of the back and forth banter of whether a procedure is needed or not.

2 years ago

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Matt AZ

The representatives I have talked to have been very helpful. I got a sweet rental car. Don't expect the process to move fast, it doesn't, but I have no worries . I'm waiting for the reimbursement of my rideshare , then I know they will get 5 stars. Fromthe work being done, I know I'm going to save about 1000. Very excited!

3 years ago

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David St. John Bellefontaine, OH

Got the part and a better price than my dealer with a 12 month warranty. What I didn't like was the run around I received in the time it took to get the part to my dealer (a month and a half) with many phone calls and a threat to go to my local news and my lawyer.

5 years ago

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Chris Duffee Tallahassee, FL

Customer service was very good, however, on two occasions I needed to use CarShield, the was only 1 shop that would accept CarShield, and the dealership (Dale Jr Chevrolet/ Hendrick Motor Company)was not a participant.

2 years ago

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Audrey Johnson Arlington, TX

I was able to speak with Ryan who help me with an issue of coverage. I was so impressed with her, I was planning to drop coverage but decided to stay because of her.

1 year ago

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Luis Gilces Philadelphia, PA

I had a great experience although at the beginning I was a bit apprehensive he sells associate help me to relax and be accepting under terms and conditions of the contract.

4 years ago

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Louis Johnson Marietta, GA

I thought is was very difficult to connect with company. First job I had to come out of pocket $1000. Very disappointing

5 years ago

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Karin Ida Underwood Fayetteville, NC

I had called to cancel a vechicle and add a vehicle. The representative was in my opinion rude. I could tell by the tone in her voice.

5 years ago

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Deborah Holliday Columbus, GA

I like that it is very easy to get help when you call. I'm not too fond of the mechanics having to call Car Shield. I would recommend to all.

5 years ago

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Daniel McGinnis New Ulm, MN

Anytime I've needed anything it's a short time before they get back with you and I like that in a business. Prompt.

4 years ago

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Stacy Adams Phoenix, AZ

Very pleasant speaking with the person on the phone. Also very helpful and using my issue and claim submitted.

5 years ago

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Derek Arneaud Philadelphia, PA

They are good listeners, they helped me find the correct problems and helped me solves

3 years ago

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Christian L Dull Wilmington, DE

They have a very full coverage. Take care of the problem quickly. Are friendly when you call.

4 years ago

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Tina J Austin Riverhead, NY

I was fine she helped me with my billing question and also she helped me with my contract question

4 years ago

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Edmund and Linda Zayas Grovetown, GA

When I called in with questions and a problem they took care of me quickly and professionally.

5 years ago

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LETITIA LAMAR Los Angeles, CA

Because its affordable and I like knowing that I am covered if something happens

5 years ago

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rrobinson1027@yahoo.com Palmetto, FL

I called to cancel and now I have to write a letter I explained why I'm canceling .too much

5 years ago

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Keith Perry Good Hope, GA

Great Service I hope it continues to work out well for All Members

2 years ago

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Dennis Eleftheratos Charlotte, NC

Always there for me. they always have my back and answerer me all the time

2 years ago

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Michael Keller Everett, WA

No experience with it other than signing up for it. That was very good.

3 years ago

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Ifeanyi Ofili Dallas, TX

Staff friendly approach and response to customer's requests.

4 years ago

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tiffany tillery Norfolk, VA

She was very polite and helpful, and answered every question!

4 years ago

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Irene Smith-Hall St Louis, MO

The communications from your company re: my issue was terrible.

5 years ago

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Monte E Thomas SR Cleveland, OH

everything is fine people was nice and helpful

1 year ago

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Jerry Rowe Haines City, FL

Service was great ,business help to get great service

1 year ago

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Eileen & Randy Pard Abington, PA

Car Shield does not pay for entire labor expenses.

2 years ago

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Michael Argento Nashville, TN

Representatives were very polite and helpful.

3 years ago

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CHARLENE CROSBY Lansing, MI

Packages offer limited auto services to my vehicle.

4 years ago

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Brandon Goudelock Decatur, GA

Affordable rates with the good customer service

4 years ago

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Oluremi Banmeke Laurel, MD

Okay, excellent customer service relations

4 years ago

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Cynthia Byron, GA

tha agent was very helpful and listened attentively.

4 years ago