They're at it again. Out-of-state companies are flooding our mail boxes with urgent warnings about our car warranties. They say it's the final notice. You need to call right away.

But whatever you do, do not pick up that phone. These guys are determined to get your money.

The notices come in your mailbox. The calls come over the phone. They're deceptive auto warranty sales pitches designed to raise your concern about the high costs of future repairs on your car once the factory warranty has expired.

As I first warned a year ago- most of these companies are in Missouri. They have no relationship with any car dealer. They're simply auto warranty processors trying to sell expensive extended warranties over the phone, without first evaluating what you're really getting. Consumer complaints include denied claims and failure to give refunds.

The Missouri Better Business Bureau has tracked more than 100 auto warranty processors operating in that state.
It's third highest complaint in that region.

Many of the companies have unsatisfactory records.

When I called the number on the card I got in the mail this month, I first got a recording saying the call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance.

Then, I got a woman named Amy. When I asked her what exactly her company did- she said they were "direct pay with major manufacturers."

I asked her what that meant, but could not get a straight answer.

"It means just what it says, ma'am," was Amy's response. "We handle extended warranties for the manufacturers."

She wanted the number on my card and used that to look up my actual vehicle information. When I told her my car had more than 60,000 miles, possibly 66,000, she said, "Oh! That's outside factory warranty on time and miles. We try to grab you before your factory warranty expires. I'll tell you what, let me grab my program manager for you to see what we can do."

Her program manager, Shawn, told me they work with "list companies." They buy consumer profiles. Shawn was aggressive, challenging my reluctance to do business with someone I did not know in another state.

"You mean you don't order pizza from Dominoes over the phone with your credit card?" he said.

And when I told him no, he challenged me again.

"You don't order from QVC off television and give them your credit card number over the phone?" he said.

Shawn was persistent, proceeding to try to convince me of the company's credentials. He was argumentative, challenging me when I said I wanted to investigate more for myself. And he was rude. When I finally repeatedly told him to take my name off the mail list, he hung up on me.

Because of the high volume of complaints, the Missouri Attorney General sued five companies last march.

The FTC, the BBB regulators across the country have issued warnings about the misrepresentations and deceptive practices
Consumer advocates and auto repair experts say once your manufacturer's warranty expires, you don't need another warranty, especially not from some stranger trying to pressure you into buying one over the phone.