Car makers dont want extended drains. And the obvious implication is that the warranty will be voided if one does extended drains. Just wondering if past UOAs can be used to verify the integrity of an extended drain if one's engine fails in the future.
UOA and manufacturer's warranty
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I guess I am preaching to the converted but how often do "you" do a UOA on a 'normal use' car?
Myself. Not at all on my wife's and child's 'normal' use cars. For obvious reasons I am confident that any failure will not be oil related.
On my work vehicle which is driven 'not normal'conditions I do them here and there for verification of drain intervals.
As far as warranty issues are concerned. Extended drains are only an issue if it can be proven that the oil did not hold-up or was at fault.
On my work vehicle which is driven 'not normal'conditions I do them here and there for verification of drain intervals.
As far as warranty issues are concerned. Extended drains are only an issue if it can be proven that the oil did not hold-up or was at fault.
My big worry is that the dealer or zone manager might look at the maintenance records (and type of oil used) and use that as an excuse. Certainly UOAs could be a useful backup, but that doesn't mean the dealer/ZM will accept it when they've already made up their minds that they can deny a warranty claim because they have an "out". Let's say you've run counter to manufacturer's recommendations for oil change period and API approvals. They'll point to that and say you haven't kept your end of the deal, whether or not it really caused the problem.
I doubt that there will be any oil related engine failure within a warranty period. The problem will be if there's a mismanufactured part or design flaw, but the manufacturer's representative might paint the extended drains as a contributing cause. It seems reasonable that the manufacturer must show cause and effect. In the US, the FTC and several state laws even say that the manufacturer must show cause and effect. That doesn't mean the manufacturer won't refuse to do so with the idea that the carowner won't go through the trouble and expense of hiring a lawyer.
I doubt that there will be any oil related engine failure within a warranty period. The problem will be if there's a mismanufactured part or design flaw, but the manufacturer's representative might paint the extended drains as a contributing cause. It seems reasonable that the manufacturer must show cause and effect. In the US, the FTC and several state laws even say that the manufacturer must show cause and effect. That doesn't mean the manufacturer won't refuse to do so with the idea that the carowner won't go through the trouble and expense of hiring a lawyer.
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