Some of the worst claim problems start with a clerical line, not a broken part. A contract identifies the car through a set of details. If one of those details is wrong, the claim can stall, be rejected, or be routed to the wrong file. The error often stays hidden until the day you need the contract.
Early signs of a mismatch
Watch for a vehicle identification number on the contract that differs, even by a single character, from the number on the car. Watch for a model year, body style, or engine that does not match the car or its registration. Watch for a starting mileage far from the odometer reading on the day you bought the car. Watch for an owner name or a stock number that belongs to someone else's sale. Each one is a reason to stop before the contract goes into your file.
What to compare, line by line
Take the contract and the registration out to the car. Read the identification number from the windshield plate and the door-jamb label, and compare it character by character with the contract. Check the year, make, model, and engine. Photograph the odometer on the day you sign, and compare that reading with the mileage printed on the contract.
Get the correction in writing
A verbal assurance that a record will be fixed is not a correction. Ask for a corrected contract or a signed correction form, along with a new copy for you. Ask whether the company that answers claims will receive the corrected record, and how you can confirm that it has. Keep the original and the corrected copies together.
Check the mileage limits
Some contracts set a mileage limit at purchase, so a wrong starting number can matter beyond the paperwork. Compare the number on the contract with the odometer photo or the sale paperwork. If the mileage sits close to a limit, check the list of service contract companies that take high-mileage cars before you rely on the record.