Most of us don’t think we need protection until life proves otherwise.
It is easy to dismiss cover you’ve never had to use. Until your phone slips from your hand and cracks on the kitchen floor. Your geyser bursts. Or your car, which was driving perfectly well last week, suddenly lands you with a repair bill you didn’t see coming.
And when it comes to cars, those costs can be significant. A failed water pump, for example, can in some cases lead to damage that leaves a motorist facing repair costs of R20 000 or more.
“The challenge is that many people assume car trouble is something that happens to other drivers, or at some point later down the line,” says Keagan Sloman, Head of Product and Commercial at The Unlimited, an authorised financial services provider. “If the car is newer, it feels too soon for anything major to go wrong. If it’s been reliable for years, it’s easy to assume it will stay that way. But breakdowns don’t always come with warning, and they rarely happen at a convenient time.”
Sloman says that there are four clear signs it may be time to put protection in place before something goes wrong:
For many motorists, this is the moment that matters most, and the one most often overlooked. Once your manufacturer’s warranty expires, that safety net falls away. From that point, the cost of mechanical or electrical failures becomes yours to carry.
Modern vehicles rely on advanced electronics, sensors and specialised components. When something goes wrong, repairs are often both complex and costly. Acting as soon as your manufacturer’s warranty ends can help you avoid being caught without cover when it matters most.
As vehicles age and mileage increases, wear and tear becomes more likely, even if the car still feels reliable. While there’s no single rule for when a car is considered ‘old’, many motorists start facing higher repair risk once a vehicle is more than five years old or has covered substantial mileage. That doesn’t mean something will go wrong tomorrow, but it does mean the likelihood of mechanical or electrical issues tends to rise over time.
Cars rarely go from perfect to broken overnight. It often starts with something subtle: a noise that wasn’t there before, an aircon that isn’t performing as it should, or a warning light that appears briefly and then disappears.
These changes are easy to dismiss when the car is still running, but they can point to issues developing beneath the surface, and by that stage, your options for cover may already be more limited. Waiting until a problem becomes serious is often when costs escalate. Putting cover in place early can make the difference between being prepared and being caught out.
If your car is how you get to work, how your children get to school, and how your household keeps moving, being without it can have immediate consequences.
When your car is out of action, it’s not just your routine that takes strain. It can affect your income, your responsibilities and your ability to keep things going day to day. If no car means added pressure, lost time or lost money, then protecting it becomes far more than a nice-to-have.
“A car warranty isn’t about assuming something will go wrong. It’s about being prepared if it does. The right cover can make a real difference when the unexpected happens, especially if your car plays an important role in your daily life. If any of these signs sound familiar, it may be time to consider a warranty,” Slowman concludes.
