"If you don't use a Mazda filter, no engine repair

[slingha]

Long time lurker first time poster.

My wife's CX-9 needed yet another warranty repair(not engine related) and I happened to kill time by talking to the parts guy. He was asking me about the car. I brought up oil.
I ad mentioned that I use PP with a Pureone filter. He told me that it was a bad idea to change oil yourself under warranty. He told me that in the last 4 years theyve had 4 blown cx-7 engines that were under warranty. The first question Mazda asked the dealer was whether there was a Mazda filter on the car. If the answer was no, or if there was an oil change sticker on the windshield, it was an automatic warranty rejection. I would venture to say that the oil and filter I use are superior to a Mazda filter and Dino but now im nervous that if something goes wrong with the motor id be sunk. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[mechanicx]

That would be a flagrant violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. If Mazda reguired you to use their oil and filters to maintain the warranty they would have to offer them free of charge. That's about the only way they could require the use of their brands. Ask them for free oil and filters and if they refuse, then tell them to require their use is a violation of the Act.

magnuson-moss warranty act

Quote:
Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty.[2] This is commonly referred to as the "tie-in sales" provisions[3]


Btw, you cannot get much better than PP and P1 filters. I bet they are superior to the Mazda parts. Dealer parts guys are oftentimes crazy with the OEM parts stuff and don't know what they are talking about.

 

[Gary Allan]

They can try it, but can't make it work legally. Given that they would try it, then they are probably of the integrity (lack of it) to try and bump the liability to the filter manufacturer without proving that it indeed was a filter related problem.


It's the old tried and true method of liability/blame assignment. We've all heard something like "did you do anything different?" as though the person (usually a supervisor/manager) truly wants to determine the cause. You, in an attempt to help in leaving no stone unturned ..think ...ponder..and say, "Well, the only thing different was that I sneezed and coughed a bit - otherwise it was a totally normal event".

THAT'S IT!! You destroyed/disrupted/fouled/messed up ..whatever it was.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
That would be a flagrant violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. If Mazda reguired you to use their oil and filters to maintain the warranty they would have to offer them free of charge. That's about the only way they could require the use of their brands. Ask them for free oil and filters and if they refuse, then tell them to require their use is a violation of the Act.

magnuson-moss warranty act

Quote:
Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty.[2] This is commonly referred to as the "tie-in sales" provisions[3]


Btw, you cannot get much better than PP and P1 filters. I bet they are superior to the Mazda parts. Dealer parts guys are oftentimes crazy with the OEM parts stuff and don't know what they are talking about.



This is 100% correct. The only way they can void warranty for using a non Mazda filter( make sure it is the correct part # for your appplication )or having an oil change done elsewhere is if they provide it to you free of charge. Of course if the filter itself fails and causes the problem they can as well but the filter needs to fail 1st. Tell that moron to educate himself before speaking.

 

[Cutehumor]

I agree with Gary. These stealers will try anything to get out of warranty repair. Some unsuspecting folks actually fall for it!

 

[demarpaint]

All of the above statements are true. What sucks is they can leave the car parked in the lot while all this is being sorted out. I saw it happen more than once when I worked at a Honda, then Nissan, and VW. The customers were TWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSTED. All depends on how loud you bark, and how hard you bite sometimes.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I'd relay to the parts guy that I'm telling all my friends never to buy a car from this dealer as it's sleazy.

 

[ottotheclown]

I have said it before I will say it again, the Mazda cars are great the dealers are the pits. The main office in Irvine is pretty good. Try using that approach but the dealer stay clear of.

 

[Rodmiser]

60% of the dealers are BAD.

 

[Kestas]

I can only imagine how many customers listened to that dealer line and fell for it. After you walked away they probably continued to use that line on other customers.

 

[Paul B.]

After market parts must meet the oem specifications or you could have a problem if you make a warranty claim. The fact that an aftermarket manufacturer lists a filter as fiting you car does not necessarily mean it meets the OEM specs. None of the commonly available aftermarket filters listed for my Subaru meet the by pass valve pressure spec even though they are shown as fitting the car. You could turn blue in the face talking about the Magnasun act and spend a lot of time trying to establish blame if
there is a warranty claim involved and the dealer claims the filter is inferior.

 

[Kestas]

The burden is on the dealer to prove that the non-OEM filter caused the engine damage.

The letter of the law is one matter. On practical terms something like this can turn into a messy battle with the dealer.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
The burden is on the dealer to prove that the non-OEM filter caused the engine damage.

The letter of the law is one matter. On practical terms something like this can turn into a messy battle with the dealer.


They can deny you in 2 seconds and then you have a toasted car and have to go the legal route. Not fun. Buy the OEM filters until the warranty expires.

 

[hominid7]

Documentation is key. If you change the oil yourself, be certain that you keep all your receipts together, and write the mileage and date down on the receipts. I went so far as to create my own nice looking oil change receipt using MS Word where i listed the mileage, products used, and all that i did (tire pressure check, PS fluid check, trans fluid check, flush radiator, etc..) and then staple the receipts for oil, filter, and any other products/parts along with it.

I buy mazda OEM filters online in bulk and make an equal number of copies of that receipt for each oil change. My mazda has been out of warranty for years but i still follow this practice for the next owner of the car after i sell it some day (hopefully not anytime soon).

 

[matt922]

Originally Posted By: Paul B.
After market parts must meet the oem specifications or you could have a problem if you make a warranty claim. The fact that an aftermarket manufacturer lists a filter as fiting you car does not necessarily mean it meets the OEM specs. None of the commonly available aftermarket filters listed for my Subaru meet the by pass valve pressure spec even though they are shown as fitting the car. You could turn blue in the face talking about the Magnasun act and spend a lot of time trying to establish blame if
there is a warranty claim involved and the dealer claims the filter is inferior.

lol what? the bypass valve on the turbo?

 

[sangyup81]

The thing is, you probably would have to sue to get your warranty in cases like that. You'd win of course but the car makers will make sure its such a pain people would rather just get the oil changed at a shop

 

[driftmaster77]

A bit off the subject, but the same thing may ring true for Hyundai, so watch out.Evidently some filters are too restrictive thus a memo at the dealership stating use of anything other than a Hyundai filter may cause engine damage.Does it void the warranty?it wasn't clear. If I owned a Hyundai still on warranty, I would check it out.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: sangyup81
The thing is, you probably would have to sue to get your warranty in cases like that. You'd win of course but the car makers will make sure its such a pain people would rather just get the oil changed at a shop


That's the problem; you can chant "Magnuson-Moss" at the dealer until you are blue in the face, but you are probably in for a protracted legal struggle in order to prevail. Fortunately, I have an excellent Mazda dealer who gives me free oil changes for as long as I own the car(I provide the M1 5W-30) so it's a moot point for me. The only drawbacks are that the dealer is located over 100 miles away(the Louisville dealers are worthless) and my Mazdaspeed 3 needs warranty work on a regular basis.
Zoom-Zoom Gloom.

 

[mechanicx]

Well I don't think in the USA your warranty is up to the dealer in the first place. Has anyone actually been denied a warranty repair on the basis of just using an aftermarket part? I haven't really heard of it. Any automaker that did that would lose a lot of sells and get a bad reputation fast. In reality most manufactures will repair under warranty even in borderline cases for good will.

The automaker would lose in a legal dispute and wouldn't be worth their extra cost and bad will.

This just sounds like a dealer parts guy talking out of his butt and probably not even what this dealer would actually do let alone another dealer or the manufacture. Besides if you did have an oil related failure how hard is it to grab an OEM brabd filter or even oil and put it on

.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Well I don't think in the USA your warranty is up to the dealer in the first place. Has anyone actually been denied a warranty repair on the basis of just using an aftermarket part?


This hsppens every day...if you chip or mod the engine...your factory warranty is toast. An aftermarket oil filter is a real stretch though. Harley Davidson is famous for warranty denials on bikes where guys use aftermarket parts. Some of their dealers even tell you that if you don't use Harley oil it will void your warranty. All horsehockey of course, but having a dealer deny a claim is very aggravating.