Get Gephardt: Magna man says car warranty company should not have denied his engine repair claim

MAGNA — Gene Allen's Kia Sportage runs fine now, but he says it cost him $7,000 to get it there.

“The engine blew up,” Allen said. “I started having engine problems with it.”

Worse, the extended auto warranty he bought for $1,800 last year is refusing to help pay for those repairs. Allen says he was told he violated the terms by filling up with cheap gas.

“Pre-ignition, pre-detonation, low quality of fuel,” he listed.

Allen protested, saying he gets his gas from the same mainstream, brand-name stations where most people in Utah buy gas. And his owner's manual doesn't say anything about using more-expensive, higher-octane gasoline.

“If it's a high-performance car. yeah, naturally, you would put a high performance, you know, you'd put a higher-octane gas or maybe even a certain brand or gas additives,” he said. “But it's just a standard car, you know, and the computers are set to run basic no lead regular gasoline.”

Still, Allen says the warranty company won't budge. So, he called the KSL Investigators.

We began by reading through Allen’s contract from Total Auto Protect. It does say they won't cover “damage caused by pre-ignition detonation.” And it says fuel can't be “improper” or “contaminated” or “more than 10% ethanol.” It doesn't say anything about the cost or the grade of gas.

So, we contacted Total Auto Protect to ask if the claim was denied because Allen uses the lowest and cheapest octane. And we asked how pre-ignition detonation was determined. No answers to those questions, but in an email, a representative of the company told us: “the customer complaint that is the subject of your specific inquiry has been resolved.”

We don’t know what the resolution is, as Allen has since stopped communicating with us – suggesting he had to agree to stop talking to get a resolution. But we can’t confirm that.

Considering buying an extended auto warranty? You should know that whoever provides it, the contract's terms have to be followed to the tee. Stuff like towing, using your car for rideshare, and lifting your truck can get your claim denied quickly. But if you're positive your claim should have been approved, you can contact Utah's Insurance Department and the Consumer Protection Division.

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