quote:
Originally posted by brian:
Hello,
A buddy of mine just bought a 2006 Toyota Tacoma with the 4.0 V-6. According to his owner's manual he is to use 5w-30 or lose warranty. The owner's manual says 10w-30 may be used in an emergency, but it should be changed out to 5w-30 as soon as possible.
Why are they putting this in the manual? Is it to satisfy the EPA or is there something special about this engine? Maybe it just gets bad karma from 10w-30?
-brian
Read the book more carefully. Regardless of what's in there (btw, we still own an 01 Sequoia, and I had an 03 Camry, and those manuals do not say this), he will not "lose warranty" if he uses something else. Of course, it's probably best to stay with what the mfr recommends, but one need not worry if they use a fill of 10w-30 instead of 5w-30.
In the US, new car wtys are governed by the Moss-Magnuson Warranty Act (MMWA). Under the Act, if an owner makes a claim for wty repairs, and the mfr wants to deny it, the mfr must prove that something that the owner (or some other 3rd party did) caused the failure. If they can't prove this, then they must make (or pay for) the repair. The critical thing is the
cause factor. Without it, the mfr
will lose if the mess goes to court (and they will pay the owner's attorney's fees and costs. The mfr is NOT allowed to deny a wty claim as a "penalty" for not using the exact oil (or whatever service) the mfr recommends.
In addition, even if the owner used a wildly wrong oil and the mfr did prove that it caused the failure, the wty is
still in effect as to any other covered failure; it is not "lost". Therefore, if AFTER having his engine claim denied, the owner could still have his radio or a door repaired under wty, since obviously, the poor oil choice did not cause those things to fail.
Also understand that the MMWA does NOT apply to so called "extended warranties". These are generally (check your state law carefully) nearly unregulated. If your contract requires you to hire a medium to hold a seance in your car while changing the oil, well, you'd better do it.
Don't believe the dealer and manufacturer scare mongering about wtys. Consult a lawyer in your jurisdiction promptly if you have (or even suspect you may have) a wty problem.