Warranty worries

[BillyTheKid]

I know a lot of people on here say stick close with the recommended oil and change interval (with records if you do it yourself) while under warranty. I am not disagreeing with that, however, I do think this statement is used too much. Anyway, who on here can personally had an oil related issue where the manufacturer or dealer has looked into the interval records or ran a UOA to try to void warranty and argue the oil was not correct? Is it even possible to hold someone accountable with just a UOA anyway, oil can thicken or thin and in turn it be almost impossible to see if the oil was the proper grade or even the correct certification?

Just want personal stories/experiences with facts, not stories from he said or she said or distant relatives.

I personally have none nor do I know of anyone with this issue. I can also say in the past I have used all sorts of oils which on paper could have possibly voided a warranty.

 

[Doog]

I have had 2 Toyota dealers request my service records before they would perform warranty work at 50,000 miles on 2 different vehicles. In both cases I produced my spiral steno notebook with dates, service performed and receipts stapled to each page and walked the service manager through the entire book. Once I did that the never asked again. In fact the comment he made was "I wish all of our customers paid this much attention to their maintenance."

BTW, the work was not oil related BUT they were looking to void the warranty. One repair was a water pump and the other a bad ignition coil.

 

[Anikiri]

Looks like OP's question has been answered.

 

[dave1251]

I have had warranty work done before. Not once did the dealership ask me for maintenance records.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: dave1251
I have had warranty work done before. Not once did the dealership ask me for maintenance records.


Some do, some don't, it depends on the work performed and the dealer doing the work.

 

[dparm]

The way I see it is this: it takes almost no extra time/effort for you to save your receipts and write things down in a spreadsheet or notebook. There's no reason NOT to do this.

As for adherence to their maintenance intervals, look at it from the other side: why should the auto manufacturer be responsible for fixing something as a result of owner neglect? Honda shouldn't have to cough up $8000 for a new engine and transmission because you didn't feel like coming in for oil changes a few times a year. It's CYA.

They simply can't take everyone's word for it because there are way too many people who would lie or twist things.

 

[Danh]

While I don't have the personal experience you are looking for, I do have a couple thoughts:

First, unless it's really obvious I don't believe a dealer service department will look for a reason to deny a warranty claim unless prompted from the manufacturer. In your hypothetical case, if there was an expensive repair needed which could have an oil-related cause, maybe they would look further, maybe not. Of course bringing in a car with sludge and varnish visible through the fill hole decreases your oil change credibility.

Second, a manufacturer UOA would be of limited value: as you point out oils can shear or thicken plus it tells them nothing about what oil was used in the previous (many) changes. However, if you are asked to produce receipts documenting oil changes, I believe the product number on the receipt will confirm the oil type and viscosity. So, if your car was spec'd for 0w20 and you've chosen to run 20w/50, it may be evident from your receipts and you would be (deservedly) at warranty risk.

 

[SrDriver]

Dealer here is picky about warranty repairs. While in warranty my wife and I just have vehicles serviced by their service department.

That way there is no issue they can raise about it.

With specials and coupons their price can't be beat either.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: BillyTheKid
I know a lot of people on here say stick close with the recommended oil and change interval (with records if you do it yourself) while under warranty. I am not disagreeing with that, however, I do think this statement is used too much. Anyway, who on here can personally had an oil related issue where the manufacturer or dealer has looked into the interval records or ran a UOA to try to void warranty and argue the oil was not correct? Is it even possible to hold someone accountable with just a UOA anyway, oil can thicken or thin and in turn it be almost impossible to see if the oil was the proper grade or even the correct certification?

Just want personal stories/experiences with facts, not stories from he said or she said or distant relatives.

I personally have none nor do I know of anyone with this issue. I can also say in the past I have used all sorts of oils which on paper could have possibly voided a warranty.


I requested proof of maintenance from customers many times when working in dealer parts & service. That happened when we had no record of them having the required maintenance done and there was a major failure. The car mfg many times stepped in and asked for it too. They had to provide not only proof they did everything on time but also used the correct parts/fluids. If they could show it they were good. If not they ended up with a bill.

My Sister had an engine fail in her 2006 Impala. GM replaced it no problem but only AFTER verifying she had done proper OC's. Dealer verified for GM proper OC's were done as we brought it to them( our oil and filters but corect weight, ratings, changed on time, right fiilter, etc... ). They had records to show they were done right and we had the slips( in this case we didn't have to show them - dealer records were good ).

There was a memebr on here like a year ago who had engine problems with a 4Runner as I recall. This guy had done all the OC's himself. Toyota would not fix it until he provided proof of, as I recall, 7 OC's worth of the correct oil and filters. Lucky for him he kept the receipts otherwise Toyota was not going to repair his engine. You should be able to find this thread and verify I am telling the truth if you look back 12-18 months or so.

Proper maintenance comes into play all the time when major engine or other drivetrain components are involved and it is big repair. Car mfg's will step in a lot, or warranty policy requires their appproval before a dealer can act anyway, on major repairs.

 

[Falken]

If you blow an engine from not maintaining it, nobody will ever deny you a new engine.

It is just a small matter of who pays for it in the end...

I have PERSONALLY seen someone on a message board SCRAMBLING to buy someone's oil receipts, so I can guess it gets pretty scary if something happens to your car and you need proof you did maintenance.

It was a few years ago, but I am sure some Internet sleuths can dig up the thread.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Falken
If you blow an engine from not maintaining it, nobody will ever deny you a new engine.


Unless that is a typo or something that is some bad advice. Absolutely if you blow an engine from not taking care of it the car mfg will refuse to replace it. One of the easiest things to see as far as how an engine failed is if it wasn't maintained well.

 

[Falken]

I really should keep my posts to one-liners in the future

 

[BillyTheKid]

I am just asking the question, not that saving receipts is hard, etc. I was not asking for a lecture on that. I just don't know anyone who has had an oil related issue in a car under warranty ever. I also did not know how deep they would really look into it. Seems like the opinions or experiences are split here. I guess it depends on how much the dealer puts the pressure on. I personally am extra anal and itchy to do oil changes on everything I own, but I have in the past never thought about saving the receipts years ago. I also know a friend with a legit shop, so producing receipts would be a simple task for me.

Again, it is all hypothetical here.

Keep the opinions or facts coming, I find it interesting. I also do not trust the service departments at my dealer I have used, I was not happy so would not have them change anything anymore and I was getting free changes for a while too, but only used them twice.

 

[Hollow]

I've never had a vehicle young enough to be covered under any type of warranty...that being said I still keep records in a Word or Excell file, along with as much paperwork as I can.

I've found that simple receipts for oil and whatnot fade out over a few years. But I keep records for my own benefit and if I ever sell the car.

 

[widman]

I run oil analysis for several dealers when they need them. I often find high levels of dirt, wrong oil, etc.

CAT denied the claim on a 924 loader when the results showed it had motor oil instead of TO-4 in the transmission.

Mitsubishi has denied several, mostly for dirt (air filters "cleaned"), but one the other day that had SAE 40 instead of 5w30.

Toyota denied a transmission claim when the sample came back with 25% water (plus high dirt).

The Suzuki dealer refused a customer who came back to the dealer after about a year with a blown engine. Customer told him the dealer charged too much for oil (about $5.50/qt), so he had it done at a quick-lube (about $1.20/qt) (one that is known for recycling the previous customer's oils).

 

[surfstar]

"I got 99 problems, but a warranty ain't one"


"Be happy,
no warranty"


I honestly think that people with warranty-less cars sleep better at night

 

[supton]

This worries me. I keep receipts, but all together, for IRS stuff--filed by month, by year. Still doesn't prove I dumped the oil into the sump, though. Seems easier to let the dealer do changes, while in warranty, if worried. Well, if they are competant, that is. On my VW I found out very quickly that the dealer was likely to use the wrong oil. So I did it myself.

I wonder: if Iffy-Lube does the oil change, does that come up on a Carfax? Seems like it would hold more weight on a claim, as it's an indepandant party doing the work (or Joe Shmoe's corner garage), anything with a printout that says, oil change at x miles.

Logbook is easy to keep. Note to the wise: keep it in the glovebox, don't ever toss it onto the seat and then leave the sunroof open...

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
"I got 99 problems, but a warranty ain't one"


"Be happy,
no warranty"


I honestly think that people with warranty-less cars sleep better at night

Very true!

As a defense, I have to admit to buying cars with warranties, as I want to buy problem-free. Which means spending more; and then it's just a bit more to get a warranty at that point, so as to ensure no problems.

 

[BillyTheKid]

Originally Posted By: widman
I run oil analysis for several dealers when they need them. I often find high levels of dirt, wrong oil, etc.

CAT denied the claim on a 924 loader when the results showed it had motor oil instead of TO-4 in the transmission.

Mitsubishi has denied several, mostly for dirt (air filters "cleaned"), but one the other day that had SAE 40 instead of 5w30.

Toyota denied a transmission claim when the sample came back with 25% water (plus high dirt).

The Suzuki dealer refused a customer who came back to the dealer after about a year with a blown engine. Customer told him the dealer charged too much for oil (about $5.50/qt), so he had it done at a quick-lube (about $1.20/qt) (one that is known for recycling the previous customer's oils).


Very interesting. Now thinking back, had a 99 VW trannny go bad. It was a 5 speed manual and just started making a racket like marbles rolling around after I downshifted one day. I called the dealer and they said I had a two week wait to get it in there. I said the thing is making a racket and will need to be replaced if I keep driving it. They said no, they will replace what is broken and keep using it until they can get me in. Anyway, like I told them, they needed to replace the whole transmission, but no issues for me. Had 53k on it and the powertrain was good for 100k under warranty, so they replaced it and washed my car and did not cost me a dime.

 

[demarpaint]

This is funny because this topic has come up from time to time over the years. Many of us took a lot of heat saying warranty claims can be denied for using oil or an interval that is not approved by the mfg, or using a viscosity other than what the mfg recommends. I worked in dealerships and saw claims denied, it was not pleasant and very costly for some people. Follow the OM when under warranty, use an oil and filter that meets the mfg specs, be able to produce receipts and maintenance history if the need ever arises.