Are companies required to prove oil caused a problem?

[Nessism1]

I can show both Amazon and Walmart filter and oil purchases going back to when I first bought the car. That's all anyone should need to show the oil was changed on time.

And again, has anyone ever been challenged by a dealership on a warranty claim? I'm still waiting for someone to say they were...

 

[tnt_motorsports]

Are pictures of receipts, pictures of oil change, a note of following the torque specs, and report to Carfax enough to protect myself?
How do you guys service your car that is under warranty?
Thank you

Change the oil per the specified time / miles in the manual, keep the receipts and stop worrying. Unless you are using an oil that doesn't meet the manufacturers specification, you are worrying about nothing. I've not seen an oil related failure in all my years or owing cars including race cars. The root cause is almost always something else, not the oil.

 

[bdcardinal]

Really no margin compared to selling parts and labor

Yes and no. The labor is substantially less both in the amount paid per hour and the number of hours that can be flagged. On the parts side we usually do substantially better thanks to laws that have come into effect over the last few years. For the longest time we got cost+40% on warranty parts while powertrain components paid a handling allowance over cost. Now, at least at my dealer, we get cost +90.89% on Ford warranty. A lot of times that is over MSRP so we do well. Case in point, the 25S02 battery recall, the BAGM-48H6-760 battery has a MSRP of $229.95. Under warranty we get to bill it out at $351.16. That is why so many dealers have bailed on wholesale, especially collision, because it doesn't make sense to participate in the race to the bottom when I can sit on my barstool and make substantially more.

Also on a warranty repair, we are required to bill out all One Time Use Parts, hardware, seals, fluids, etc. Ford will pay it without question because the repair is being done properly as described in the Workshop Manual. Customer pay repairs always seem to not want to pay for hardware because it is viewed incorrectly as unnecessary to perform a complete repair.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Are pictures of receipts, pictures of oil change, a note of following the torque specs, and report to Carfax enough to protect myself?
How do you guys service your car that is under warranty?
Thank you

I save all the removed filters and the box( or box top flap) they came out of with service date mm/yy and my initials. I save the purchase receipts with OCI #, date, ODO mileage. I make a log enrty into the Owners manual service section or notes section.
That's all you would EVER need.

 

[Motor oil rookie]

I save all the removed filters and the box( or box top flap) they came out of with service date mm/yy and my initials. I save the purchase receipts with OCI #, date, ODO mileage. I make a log enrty into the Owners manual service section or notes section.
That's all you would EVER need.

Thanks a ton

 

[Motor oil rookie]

Today I put my thingies back on so I am serious about exploring

 

[tiger862]

I keep records of oil changes and maintenance, however I never put brand or viscosity. I don't keep receipts. Dealers ask for receipts to prove you did something wrong.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Thanks a ton

Just my method - I never had to use it.

I did have a case, and the dealer settled out of (small claims?) court about a half hour before the hearing.

Porsche- Audi dealer in Lawrence, Mass. I bought a used car, moderate mileage, soon found it was burning oil, then it blew the engine about a week later. Had it back to the dealer a couple times with no good remedy other than putting in new spark plugs to replace oil fouled ones.

I got full purchase price back AND lawyer and court fees and kept the car. Back in the late 70's. - Arco

 

[Motor oil rookie]

Don't worry my visibility is fine

 

[Paco Pena]

Internal engine problems within the warranty period of most vehicles is extremely rare. Kia/Hyundai and GM V8's, excepted.

Has anyone ever heard of a case where an OEM denied warranty responsibility because of an oil change?

Lack of an oil change certainly.

paco

 

[Pablo]

Don't worry my visibility is fine

View attachment 279743

How many times have you used your farm jack?

 

[Motor oil rookie]

How many times have you used your farm jack?

Like 15,000

 

[Motor oil rookie]

How many times have you used your farm jack?

Sorry I missed your question. Zero times. But I go to remote places. I can't afford a flat tire. Better be prepared than sorry. Getting a flat on these beefy mudterrains is not very common but it happens.

 

[Pablo]

Sorry I missed your question. Zero times. But I go to remote places. I can't afford a flat tire. Better be prepared than sorry. Getting a flat on these beefy mudterrains is not very common but it happens.

It's OK I thought you were kidding anyway.

I really meant - have you actually jacked your Jeep up with it, you know for practice - to see how it works. Obviously I have not seen your jack but some offer little mechanical leverage and are tough to use, especially in a tight spot.

 

[Motor oil rookie]

It's OK I thought you were kidding anyway.

I really meant - have you actually jacked your Jeep up with it, you know for practice - to see how it works. Obviously I have not seen your jack but some offer little mechanical leverage and are tough to use, especially in a tight spot.

Yes I did practice twice, I'm confident now. The only thing that I'm nervous about is the location of the stupid thing. I'm going to mount it under the rear bumper. My departure angle will suffer a bit, but I don't care. My little Jeeps angles are amazing.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

So if they say you changed your oil yourself that's why you have engine problem, can we demand from them proof and thorough investigation that oil caused the problem? Like convincing proof. If Oil pan looks super clean, filter looks clean, oil looks clean and internals of engine look clean, then on what basis they could deny warranty?
I simply hate going to the dealer. They are crooks. They overcharge and never do a good oil change. When they spilled oil in the engine bay I decided no more.
Thank you!

Are you going to be present at the dealership making sure the technician reserves an oil sample?

Automakers aren't that stingy when it comes to engine replacements, especially if you have receipts, or Carfax. Lubricant related engine failures are very rare and are normally the result of a known manufacturing defect. Sure if they document sludge then they can say lack of changes. Viscosity and timely changes matter. The factory warranty includes a lot of words like "recommends" or "may".

 

[ARCOgraphite]

It's OK I thought you were kidding anyway.

I really meant - have you actually jacked your Jeep up with it, you know for practice - to see how it works. Obviously I have not seen your jack but some offer little mechanical leverage and are tough to use, especially in a tight spot.

I would think you would jack up the axle. Maybe no fun or no-go in a mudhole. Whatever happened to those airbag jacks from the early 2000's?

 

[Hootbro]

Really going to boil down if your local dealership service department is a bunch of douche nozzles or not. Most reasonable people will take it on face value if you provide document receipted proof that you did what you claimed, but there is always outliers. Receipts that you bought something does not prove you put it in, nor so called "time stamped" video or pictures as that can be fudged. There is a million ways they can if they choose to pick it apart and is why having a cordial relationship with a particular dealership in regards to how you have dealt with them and how much business you have given them can go a long way in making any warranty claim less painful.

 

[duck__dodgers]

look in the text of the warranty.

there probably is a clause that all disputes w/the dealer go to arbitration.

Now go wait at a bar and wait for a professional arbiter to show up and give him free booze in exchange for an in-person Reddit AMA.