Warranty claim with oil inspection performed

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Has anyone on this website had this done to them personally or actually know someone that has filed a warranty claim and had an oil analysis done on their vehicle?

I am not talking friend of a friend or I heard of this guy that had his warranty claim denied. But someone you actually know that had a warranty claim denied due to using the wrong oil viscosity or weight.

I personally follow what the manufacturer recommends very closely. Sometimes, I might slip some 0w40 in the Silverado or use 0w20 instead of 5w20 in the Honda Civic. But don't think I am about to challenge the engineers as to which oil weight is the best for my vehicles. Just curious as to actual experiences with warranty claims.
 
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Never heard of an oil analysis being called for on a warranty claim, just visual inspection of oil level and condition, with valid written records of oil changes that include date, mileage, oil and filter used.
 
I have been at the same dealer for 25 years and have never seen that happen. Have seen warranty work denied due to sludge build up and warranty voided on diesel engines due to aftermarket oiled cotton air filters. They pretty much don't care what you run as long as you change it and neither does your engine.
 
Originally Posted By: LckydevL

Has anyone on this website had this done to them personally or actually know someone that has filed a warranty claim and had an oil analysis done on their vehicle?

I am not talking friend of a friend or I heard of this guy that had his warranty claim denied. But someone you actually know that had a warranty claim denied due to using the wrong oil viscosity or weight.

I personally follow what the manufacturer recommends very closely. Sometimes, I might slip some 0w40 in the Silverado or use 0w20 instead of 5w20 in the Honda Civic. But don't think I am about to challenge the engineers as to which oil weight is the best for my vehicles. Just curious as to actual experiences with warranty claims.



Honestly. Many engines specify different grades of oil based on the market the vehicle is sold in.
So if its ok to run "x" oil in Australia but that same oil gets a warranty Liam denied in North America I would be disgusted with the manufacturer.
Now if a certain model/engine has the same oil specification worldwide,with no exceptions well then that's a different story.
As long as different grades are specified in different markets then the manufacturer cannot use that to deny warranty in my opinion however I'm sure its happened at some point and time.
 
This is why my car takes 5w30 but I use 10w30

10w30 is less likely to shear than 5w30, and when 10w30 is tested against 5w30 in a VOA, all numbers are similar, except the extremely cold test that few labs perform anyway. Then, in the UOA, the viscosity will still be at the upper end of the acceptable range, so there will be no warranty denial.

At least I hope that is what happens if I am ever stuck with a major engine problem. Hopefully I get the miles I deserve from my car.

Now as for filters, I use fully synthetic ones. If the people deny the warranty and the filter hasn't failed, I should be okay.
 
I had Jeep give me a tough time on a warranty claim trying the blame the oil as the MDS requires a certain weight oil.

I was able to show them receipts that I was running the required weight oil.
 
I actually worked at a dealer where the manufacturer reps requested that a sample of the oil used in the vehicle under consideration for warranty repairs be taken. Amazingly it the tests concluded that the incorrect spec oil was used and the claim was denied...I was very surprised and shocked as were the other dealer employees. Of course you can bet that the customer was enraged. The SM asked the owner to provide receipts that would indicate the proper oil was used, but could not produce one single receipt.

I had a feeling that if the customer would cough of a couple of receipts the manufacturer would have approved warranty repairs.

Warranty request denied.
 
Off topic a bit. I once let a local service garage change my Caravan transmission fluid and shortly after, the transmission started "slipping". The garage advertised Quaker State products (green bottles), but I noticed the technician poured fluid from black bottles.

I sent a fluid sample to Blackstone and they indicated that the fluid had chemistry different than the recommended ATF+3.

The service garage denied any wrong doing until I showed them the UOA and noted the color of the bottles used. They had Quaker State ATF+3 in green bottles sitting on the shelves.

They did a complete fluid exchange (free) and the tranny ran perfect from then on.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I actually worked at a dealer where the manufacturer reps requested that a sample of the oil used in the vehicle under consideration for warranty repairs be taken. Amazingly it the tests concluded that the incorrect spec oil was used and the claim was denied...I was very surprised and shocked as were the other dealer employees. Of course you can bet that the customer was enraged. The SM asked the owner to provide receipts that would indicate the proper oil was used, but could not produce one single receipt.

I had a feeling that if the customer would cough of a couple of receipts the manufacturer would have approved warranty repairs.

Warranty request denied.


So its a possibility. Better walk the straight and narrow then.
 
Originally Posted By: rraiderr
I had Jeep give me a tough time on a warranty claim trying the blame the oil as the MDS requires a certain weight oil.

I was able to show them receipts that I was running the required weight oil.


This is what I'd expect. Actual analysis is most likely a real long shot, but wanting receipts to prove you did the maintenance and used the correct spec oil is a much more likely possibility IMO.

I keep fanatical records on our KIA for just that reason.
 
Originally Posted By: shDK
Getting curius. How long is a typical waranty period/miles in the us ?


It depends on the make. Honda power train warranty is 60k miles, Hyundai/Kia is 100K miles I believe. I don't remember what Ford is I'm thinking 60K as well.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I actually worked at a dealer where the manufacturer reps requested that a sample of the oil used in the vehicle under consideration for warranty repairs be taken. Amazingly it the tests concluded that the incorrect spec oil was used and the claim was denied...I was very surprised and shocked as were the other dealer employees. Of course you can bet that the customer was enraged. The SM asked the owner to provide receipts that would indicate the proper oil was used, but could not produce one single receipt.

I had a feeling that if the customer would cough of a couple of receipts the manufacturer would have approved warranty repairs.

Warranty request denied.


That's one of the reasons I use the dealer while under warranty. Much easier to pay the $39 for a change an tire rotation (needed since the car is AWD) than fight if there are issues. Then it would become "well, you guys put the wrong oil in so it's not my problem".
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08


That's one of the reasons I use the dealer while under warranty. Much easier to pay the $39 for a change an tire rotation (needed since the car is AWD) than fight if there are issues. Then it would become "well, you guys put the wrong oil in so it's not my problem".

The dealer likes that thinking. I'm not even taking my truck to the dealer for the free oil change.
 
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