ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  – As most drivers know, an unexpected road hazard can damage tires and wheels, and ding a windshield in an instant. By the same token, a rolling shopping cart can quickly dent a car door. To help drivers guard against these problems, SouthwestRe announced today the release of a brand new product: the First Automotive Multi-Guard Protection Plan.

An “all in one” vehicle service contract, Multi-Guard features two levels of coverage. Multi-Guard Gold protects a vehicle’s tires and wheels, offers Paintless Dent Repair (PDR), and repairs dinged windshields. Multi-Guard Platinum also provides Key Replacement with Travel Interruption Reimbursement. Both levels of coverage include Emergency Roadside Assistance. Cosmetic Wheel Repair is available as an option.

“Agents and dealers have been asking us for a product like Multi-Guard for quite some time,” said Jamie Jerabek, Vice President of Underwriting and Product Development for SouthwestRe. “Bringing Multi-Guard to the marketplace took a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated people here at SouthwestRe, but it was definitely time well spent. A vehicle owner might have to purchase three or more different service contracts to enjoy the same amount of coverage available with a single First Automotive Multi-Guard Protection Plan. I think that’s pretty exciting, and I believe dealers and their customers will think so too.”

Multi-Guard Gold repairs or replaces flat tires and wheels if they are damaged by a road hazard, and provides Rental Car Reimbursement and Emergency Towing. It also offers Paintless Dent Repair to remove small dents and dings from painted sheet metal surfaces up to 4” in diameter, and Windshield Repair to help prevent minor chips, stars and cracks from becoming bigger problems. Emergency Roadside Assistance includes 24/7 Emergency Towing, Battery Jump Start, Flat Tire Change, Lock-Out Assistance, and Fuel, Oil, Fluid and Water Delivery.

Multi-Guard Platinum includes all of Multi-Guard Gold’s coverage, and goes a few steps further by providing Key Replacement with Travel Interruption Reimbursement. If the customer’s master key or OEM key fob is lost, stolen or destroyed, the plan will pay the cost of an equivalent replacement up to $850 per year. Also, if the key or key fob is lost when the customer is away from home, the plan’s Travel Reimbursement coverage can help them recover some or all of the costs of alternate transportation, lodging and meals (where allowed by law).