Miles on the odometer and years on the calendar are the first things a service contract reads. The second thing it reads is what the owner did with the car after the signing day. Most contracts put duties on both sides, and the owner side is the part people forget.
Maintenance the contract expects
Start with the maintenance schedule the manufacturer printed in the owner's manual. Contracts often point to that schedule and may ask for proof that the work was done on time. Oil, filters, fluids, belts, and the other scheduled items are the usual examples. Keep each receipt with the date and the mileage on it. A missing record does not prove a missed service, but it can make a claim harder to support.
Use the contract describes
Read how the contract describes use. Some contracts separate personal driving from commercial work such as rideshare, delivery, towing, or track use. A car used in a way the contract does not describe may fall outside the agreement. Ask the seller in writing which use the contract was written for, and keep that answer with the paper.
Keep the paper in one place
Store the contract, the vehicle details, the claim contact, the service log, and any cancellation address together, in a folder or a single file. When a warning light comes on, the owner who can find these quickly makes the next call faster. Some contracts also set a deadline for reporting a problem. Find that deadline now, not on the roadside.
The routine that never stops
Keeping a car running past its factory coverage is ongoing work. Check the fluids on a set schedule, act on a warning light within days, and write down what the shop found and what it fixed. That log is what turns a repair visit into something a contract can read. The contract does not replace the owner's routine, and no contract promises that a claim will be paid.
The published figures for the companies on this site live in its own tables, and this page explains the duties that come with any agreement. It does not describe what a particular company's contract covers.