Looking for first person story: My warranty denied because of oil used

[ammolab]

You know, you used 5W-30 or such in a 0W-20 car or you used an unapproved oil (Amzoil / Redline etc) and had a warranty repair denied.
Not a story or warning from a tech or Service advisor, or an unverifiable tale from a forum.

Has this happened to you or someone you know? So many of you warn against the use of an unapproved oil during warranty this must have happened to a good number of people. Is the risk really worthy of the worry?

 

[tedsweet]

yes risk it

 

[dishdude]

Never heard of this happening.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Seriously if your dealer is a Stealership and its time to lose them now!

 

[CKN]

This subject has been beaten to death. Let me know if your requirements exceed towing a 5,000 pound travel trailer all over the Rockies. I run 0W/20 because that is what the manual states.

This is another "thick vs. thin" Dexos vs. Non-Dexos thread in disguise.

There is enough real world evidence to suggest thin oil won't blow up your motor.

 

[BrandonV]

Federal law requires that the manufacturer shows that your choice of lubricant caused a failure. Good luck with that.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I saw it happen first hand more often than I care to remember when I worked for an extended warranty company. "Use of improper fluids" is usually what they call it and they use it as an excuse to weasel out of otherwise legitimate claims. If you are still under factory bumper to bumper warranty or under any kind of CPO/manufacturer extended warranty it is best to read the entire warranty and find out what it requires and use only those kinds of oil or other lubricants. Branded dealers can deny claims just as fast as an extended warranty admin will if they think or claim the owner used some non-OEM approved oil. They will call it abuse or negligence and deny the claim. If you are under any kind of warranty, don't risk it. Use a dealer/manufacturer approved oil and filter, save all of your receipts and document the date you did the work, mileage, and anything else you did. Also make sure you follow the rest of the maintenance that the manufacturer warranty requires and document those too. Tire rotations, brake inspections, air and cabin filter changes, fuel treatments if the warranty allows them, anything in that maintenance schedule if you do it or have it done by someone else, make sure you keep all the paperwork just in case.

 

[CKN]

Federal law requires that the manufacturer shows that your choice of lubricant caused a failure. Good luck with that.

You hire one Lawyer-they have a boardroom full. You lose.

 

[BrandonV]

You hire one Lawyer-they have a boardroom full. You lose.

Correct. It's a moot point regardless. If it gets to that point they are realistically going to void your warranty for whatever reason they can come up with.

 

[BrandonV]

Thread reminds me of this story where Ford just made up various conflicting stories about a lady's RV and voided a warranty. Penske Automotive Group was who stepped up to help pay for the engine.

Ford V10motor locked up

I have a 2002 Hurricane Rv with a Ford V10 engine and 29,000 miles. Memorial weekend, coming from amotocross race in north Arkansas, as we slowed to turn into a gas station the engine suddenly died. no lights, no loss of preesure, the engine didn't get hot...nothing. the Rv was towed to...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[MolaKule]

...So many of you warn against the use of an unapproved oil during warranty this must have happened to a good number of people. Is the risk really worthy of the worry?

What do you mean by 'unapproved' oil?

Are you referring to what was defined in the owners manual with respect to viscosity and API/ILSAC approvals or what was being used as a replacement oil that didn't have the API/ILSAC approvals?

For example, if there is a chart in the owners manual showing viscosity verses temperature, and you use a higher viscosity oil listed in the chart for 'expected temperatures,' then you are following the owners manual's recommendations.

I would surmise that most warranty rejections would be based on insufficient oil change intervals especially when sludge is found.

BTW, neither the Tech nor the Dealer has the capability nor education to determine if the oil used disqualifies warranty coverage. Always ask for a detailed, written technical explanation if warranty coverage is denied by the manf. that shows a direct correlation between the oil used and the failure mechanism, i.e., why and how did the oil cause the failure, and have them show you their oil analysis as to cause and effect.

 

[TiGeo]

Federal law requires that the manufacturer shows that your choice of lubricant caused a failure. Good luck with that.

The MMA states in essence that a consumer can't be required to use the manufacturer's parts to maintain the warranty...that equivalent parts that meet the manufacturer's specs are ok i.e. oil, filter, etc. Ford says 0W20 meeting xyz... you don't need Motorcraft oil and can use M1 if it meets the requirements. You use M1 0W40 then you lose in court.

 

[TiGeo]

What do you mean by 'unapproved' oil?

Are you referring to what was defined in the owners manual with respect to viscosity and API/ILSAC approvals or what was being used as a replacement oil that didn't have the API/ILSAC approvals?

For example, if there is a chart in the owners manual showing viscosity verses temperature, and you use a higher viscosity oil listed in the chart for 'expected temperatures,' then you are following the owners manual's recommendations.

I would surmise that most warranty rejections would be based on insufficient oil change intervals especially when sludge is found.

BTW, neither the Tech nor the Dealer has the capability nor education to determine if the oil used disqualifies warranty coverage. Always ask for a detailed, written technical explanation if warranty coverage is denied by the manf. that shows a direct correlation between the oil used and the failure mechanism, i.e., why and how did the oil cause the failure, and have them show you their oil analysis as to cause and effect.

Folks want this hypothetical discussion to be very technical with samples and EWs etc. and in the end if you want manufacturer's warranty coverage you follow the book else the manufacturer has no obligation under their warranty to you nor will you have a leg to stand on in court.

 

[dlundblad]

A warranty could be denied if you just “DIY” your oil changes. When we bought our 4Runner, the salesman said the value of our truck would go down if I did them myself. (My time going to the dealer aside, it has too many skids for me to trust a dealership goon not to mess up.)

On a side note, dad just traded in his SHO for an Expedition. They gave him what the car was worth and I did the oil changes myself from day 1. That didn’t seem to bother them.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I'd like to hear the manufacturer's lawyer explain why a grade or two above a xW-16 or xW-20 would destroy an engine. If they hired an enginneer/Tribologist he would say it can't, and only help better protect the engine. Now if someone used 20W-xx in -35F start-ups and the oil didn't pump and starved the engine of lubrication, I could see a warranty denial.

If an engine "blows up" from a thicker hot viscosity lubrication issue, it's not going to be the viscosiy being used. It's going to be a lack of lubrication issue, like a mechanical related problem, or a very low sump level due to a leak and/or oil consumption and lack of maintenance and checking the oil level.

 

[Pablo]

You know, you used 5W-30 or such in a 0W-20 car or you used an unapproved oil (Amzoil / Redline etc) and had a warranty repair denied.
Not a story or warning from a tech or Service advisor, or an unverifiable tale from a forum.

Has this happened to you or someone you know? So many of you warn against the use of an unapproved oil during warranty this must have happened to a good number of people. Is the risk really worthy of the worry?

Please don't imply Amsoil (no Z) is "unapproved".

You actually mix issues.

Using an unlisted/not recommended viscosity can result in denial of warranty claim if the cause is the lubricant. The bad news here is Amsoil will not help you either. That said, absolutely rare, never heard or read about, say 0W-30 used in a car calling for say 0W-20, and for the record, I do this with my own vehicles. My cars, my risk. Some ignorant people actually think doing such a thing voids the entire warranty which is simply not true.

As for "unapproved" lubricants: Bottom line it comes down to how the recommendation and warranty are written. Many are NOT written in hard legal terms. This does not mean you can use any lubricant you want. It means basically if the lube must meets the performance requirements as written.

Topic beaten to death. Just asked in a different way.

No I have never seen it in 43+ years.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I have not had a warranty that was worth the paper it was printed on. If they don't want to pay - they will find any excuse - or just not pay and dare you to sue them.

Yes, the law is on your side - except its not because there lawyers are their to ensure you don't get paid, and its a club your not part of.

 

[4WD]

A trend now for dealerships is “we didn’t do it so it never happened” … They accused me of poor maintenance at trade in time because it was not in the computer … (tried to lower trade value). Me? More like extreme maintenance when it comes to driveline fluids - so out comes the iPhone pictures (lubes, filters, odometer) … Issue went away …

 

[otis24]

Not related to the oil used but: I worked at a Ford dealership. A guy comes in with an older car. He had an aftermarket warranty that he had purchased with the vehicle for around $2000. He had had the warranty for a couple of years. I don’t remember the particular issue with his vehicle. We called the warranty company and the first thing they said was “We want a copy of every oil change since the date the date of the warranty purchase”. Of course he didn’t have records.

 

[TiGeo]

A warranty could be denied if you just “DIY” your oil changes. When we bought our 4Runner, the salesman said the value of our truck would go down if I did them myself. (My time going to the dealer aside, it has too many skids for me to trust a dealership goon not to mess up.)

On a side note, dad just traded in his SHO for an Expedition. They gave him what the car was worth and I did the oil changes myself from day 1. That didn’t seem to bother them.

No it can't. You simply need a record and a spreadsheet could be a record. Pics of your odo with a receipt would be a good one. Of course the dealer said that they want you in that service bay for all that yummy profit! This is the example of where in court you'd win it - a dealer/manufacturer denies warranty claim b/c they don't like your DIY/records.