quote:
Originally posted by memo:
(...swnip...)Dude, going over 5K miles in a new Toyota is going against Toyota's recomended oil change and would void the warranty. The chances of a engine failure are next to nothing, but it can happen. Either way, you are recomending that this user bypass Toyota's oil change limits.(...snip...)
Memo:
With all due respect, you're dead wrong on that. US new car warranties are governed by the Moss-Magnuson Warranty Act (MMWA). Mfrs and dealers can say whatever they want about their wtys, but anything they say that purports to give you less rights than the MMWA grants is totally unforceable.
Under the MMWA, there is no such thing as "voiding" a warranty. In fact, if the mfr wants to deny a claim for repair under wty, they have the burden of proving that something the owner (or some other 3rd party) did was the actual cause of the failure at issue. The mere fact that one did not do timely oil changes can not be the basis for a claim denial,
unless the mfr can prove that the neglected oil actually caused the claimed failure. The can not refuse a repair as a "penalty" for not changing oil on time.
In addition, even if the mfr does prove that the failure is the owner's fault, and successfully denies the repair claim, the warranty is still in full force for the rest of its term -- it is not at all void. So, for example, if you don't change your oil, your engine sludges and dies, you might well see the mfr deny your claim for a new engine (probably should...), but if a week later, your CD player blows up, it will still be covered, since obviously, your failure to change oil can't be shown to have caused it to fail.
In the end, of course, it's best to avoid fights, even fights you know you'll win in the end. With that in mind, the safe course is to stay with the mfr's oil change
recommendations during the wty period. After that, do what your UOA suggests is most effective.
