Do Lifetime Warranties On Auto Parts Really Make Sense?

[macarose]

What would an average 7 to 10 year old car need to stay mobile for a lifetime? At least over the average 'driving' lifetime for people like us?

About 10 batteries, 4 or 5 catalytic converters, 3 transmissions, 3 or 4 engines, maybe 50 or so miscellaneous parts ranging from sensors and suspension components to modules that are stockpiled in a backroom somewhere. Throw in a frame that would probably give out if it wasn't located in a rust-free climate with smooth roads, and, well, a brutally terminal conclusion becomes all too obvious.

Cars can't last like people do. If they could, most owners would find a way to mess them up anyhow.

That's why I'm struggling with the value of lifetime parts. I realize that for 98% of the people out there, a lifetime warranty, even a limited one, is just a marketing ploy designed to make people believe that it's a quality part. That vehicle will almost always be owned for years instead of decades. So the risk of offering it for a lifetime isn't all that much.

On the other hand how often do you ever have to replace the same part more than twice? Oil, filters, brakes, batteries, fluids, and certain belts will definitely make what amounts to a short list. But all those parts don't add up to much when you're looking strictly at the cost of the part. We're talking maybe around $700 to $900 on most vehicles over a 15 year span.

So what's the real value of a lifetime part beyond the 'feel good' marketing? Isn't it smarter to just buy an overengineered part? Such as a radiator with an inch thickness vs. the cheap Ebay 5/8 inch plastic version? Or an alternator that is professionally rebuilt vs. the limited lifetime one you get from the auto parts store?

I get how 'lifetime' works in the rarified European car owner world that is FCP Euro. But most people aren't auto enthusiasts. They're frugalists at best, abusers and neglecters at the very worst.

So what's the real value of a lifetime part beyond the 'feel good' marketing?

 

[Vern_in_IL]

It is marketing and getting your product out there.
For example Airtex after WW2 developed a rubber diaphragm that would last 100k miles. In the days of mechanical fuel pumps, the diaphragm usually failed, fuel pumps were even rebuildable. With Airtex revolutionary patent, they advertised a UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME WARRANTY.
This patented rubber carried the company for the next 40 years, they expanded into water pumps.

Unfortunately, when electric fuel pumps came along, Airtex was loosing their edge, then UIS was sold to Carlyle Group, they moved the water pump dept. to ASC. ... and still even then they had a few of these UNCONDITONAL WARRANTIED parts in stock, because they had to honor it, 50 years later. Quality of fuel pump windings gone downhill'' made in china assembled in U.S¨¨, built up a million dollars of warranty claims, and after a few more owner they moved it all to Mexico.
Electric pumps were their downfall
People got mad at Airtex cause they would not honor their warranty claims, they would install a new Airtex pump and it would not work, Airtex claimed corroded electrical connector, cause the pumps came back and tested good.

 

[oldcodger]

With the poor quality of some of the parts being shipped today the lifetime warranty does not make sense. If you do not mind changing the part regularly then maybe it works for you, It has been my experience that an OE or equivalent part has a better chance at giving good service than the part with the lifetime warranty. My son-in-law needed a starter for his Ford truck. He chose the parts house starter with lifetime warranty. He was back in 14 months for a replacement. In 10 months he was back again.

 

[michaelluscher]

In my experience

"Lifetime warranty" really means your gonna spend the rest of your life changing it under warranty

 

[brianl703]

"Lifetime warranty" really means you're gonna spend the rest of your life changing it under warranty

Not really--you'll stop when the part becomes obsolete and isn't available anymore.

 

[Zee09]

They don't make cents only dollars...

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Yeah, it's just marketing because your car is already on its way out and will rust before the new part fails

 

[Fla]

In my experience

"Lifetime warranty" really means your gonna spend the rest of your life changing it under warranty

This! Years ago I did A LOT of auto repairs and rebuilding and I bought nearly all of my auto parts from Discount Auto parts because their water pumps, starters, alternators, etc all had a lifetime warranty. But after a few years what I found out was that about 80% of those items failed as soon as you installed them. I was spending hours replacing an assembly only to have to immediately replace it all over again. At the time (no longer true apparently) NAPA's parts were all tested before they sold them so you never had to immediately replace the item.

 

[WylieCoyote]

A lifetime warranty on parts would sure come in handy for folks who have repeated failure cars such as a Fiesta or Focus with the PowerShift automatic. Input seals were one of three items that killed these transmissions repeatedly. But in this case, if the warranty didn't include labor, it wouldn't be worth the receipt it's printed on.

 

[dumkid]

i like lifetime warranty on stuff that's easy to change like alternators and sensors. everything else I'll buy a quality part over one with a lifetime warranty just because it's too much work to replace those parts every year.

 

[supton]

I have to think, in the rustbelt, once the car hits 10 years or so, those "lifetime" parts might get one replacement, if they are lucky. Odds are, something else will condemn the car--or more likely, the owner will move on, and the next owner won't get to take advantage of that lifetime warranty.

Those offering the "lifetime" warranty know that. They know that they might have to replace 1 out of a hundred of them due to wearing out, and 1 out of a 1,000 multiple times. They make their money on the 999 of them.

 

[blufeb95]

I think mostly the lifetime warranty is used as a selling point, but the parts stores know you likely won't keep the car long enough for it to fail again or if it does fail you won't even bother cashing in on it. Although I got lucky recently, I had my front brakes done at a local shop that mostly uses Autozone as their parts provider, so they managed to get the Duralast Gold pads warrantied even though neither me or the shop were the original purchaser, and I had no record of the purchase they were on my car when I got it.

 

[nobb]

In the last few years, I've had to make claims on some lifetime warranty parts through Napa and the guys at the counter have always made a fuss about it. Sometimes to the point where I had to complain to an upper manager just to get the part replaced. The warranty terms appear to be written in a way that these parts counter guys can make all sort of excuses to deny the claim.

I used to pay a premium specifically to get a lifetime warrantied part from Napa, but IMO, the premium you're paying for the part is mostly going into their insurance policy to replace the part. Paying a premium does not necessarily mean that the part is of physically better quality.

 

[SC Maintenance]

The only places that give liftime warranty are the high price local retail parts stores. Are you really better off paying $100 bucks more for a set of struts at the parts store, than ordering the same parts online without a warranty, keep your money in your pocket?

I am guessing that even where people have a legit warranty - they likely forget they have the warranty, lost the receipt, whatever. I bet the claim percentage is tiny.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

"Lifetime" warranties often have fine print and exclusions that give the manufacturer or seller plenty of reasons to deny almost every warranty claim.

One has already been mentioned: saying the warranty applies only to the original purchaser. If you're going to pretend to sell great parts, why make the warranty non-transferable after the car gets a new owner?

A more recent way a claim will get denied, which first came up with tools, is to say that the lifetime warranty is no longer valid because that part or the car it goes on is "past its expected lifetime". This is how they weasel out of honoring parts warranty claims on older vehicles.

 

[Nick1994]

It depends. If I'm buying an alternator for example, but I can plan ahead, I'd order one online. It might have a 1 year warranty but I at least get to pick out the brand. But if I have to buy it in a parts store last second, they often have 2 options. 1 year or lifetime. I'd get the lifetime, that 1 year version is probably even more junk.

I think most people will sell the car before they can use the lifetime warranty. Sure older cars exist, but they usually trade hands every so often. The next owner doesn't have access to the warranty on the alternator, and probably doesn't have the ability to change it themselves so off to a mechanic shop it goes.

 

[97prizm]

What would an average 7 to 10 year old car need to stay mobile for a lifetime? At least over the average 'driving' lifetime for people like us?

About 10 batteries, 4 or 5 catalytic converters, 3 transmissions, 3 or 4 engines, maybe 50 or so miscellaneous parts ranging from sensors and suspension components to modules that are stockpiled in a backroom somewhere. Throw in a frame that would probably give out if it wasn't located in a rust-free climate with smooth roads, and, well, a brutally terminal conclusion becomes all too obvious.

Cars can't last like people do. If they could, most owners would find a way to mess them up anyhow.

That's why I'm struggling with the value of lifetime parts. I realize that for 98% of the people out there, a lifetime warranty, even a limited one, is just a marketing ploy designed to make people believe that it's a quality part. That vehicle will almost always be owned for years instead of decades. So the risk of offering it for a lifetime isn't all that much.

On the other hand how often do you ever have to replace the same part more than twice? Oil, filters, brakes, batteries, fluids, and certain belts will definitely make what amounts to a short list. But all those parts don't add up to much when you're looking strictly at the cost of the part. We're talking maybe around $700 to $900 on most vehicles over a 15 year span.

So what's the real value of a lifetime part beyond the 'feel good' marketing? Isn't it smarter to just buy an overengineered part? Such as a radiator with an inch thickness vs. the cheap Ebay 5/8 inch plastic version? Or an alternator that is professionally rebuilt vs. the limited lifetime one you get from the auto parts store?

I get how 'lifetime' works in the rarified European car owner world that is FCP Euro. But most people aren't auto enthusiasts. They're frugalists at best, abusers and neglecters at the very worst.

So what's the real value of a lifetime part beyond the 'feel good' marketing?

I went ahead and purchased a thermostat for my vehicle. My new one failed. I went ahead and picked up a "Stant" now unfortunately motorad for I think $1-2 more than the mid tier which only had a 6 month warranty vs the lifetime.

 

[John105]

I don't think they do. Try to make a claim say on a Walker lifetime exhaust?

I've seen online Bilstein is no picnic.

I think it was here where it was said Dewalt with the 3 years is useless and gets denied.

Long story short, I doubt it.

I did manage to get 2 "new" ACDelco starters replaced under their lifetime warranty. There likely was a huge issue, so ACDelco eliminated the lifetime warranty. Even the mighty Costco reduced the battery warranty from 42 to 36 mos. under my watch.

 

[Malo83]

On my 83 Silverado I have a Lifetime fuel pump, water pump and alternator as well as the transmission.

 

[jeepman3071]

Most of these lifetime warranties (with the exception of FCP Euro) are on cheap POS remanufactured parts. The companies selling these parts know the car will likely change hands or be totaled before the warranty is ever used.