They Can Cancel My Car Warranty for That?

Posted in Auto Insurance

April 24th, 2009

Myth: Your dealership can cancel your car warranty because you brought your car in for an oil change to your local branch of a major oil change chain.

Fact: Your dealership can cancel your car warranty because you brought your warranty-covered car in to an outside agent for an issue covered under your warranty, and they messed it up. If the original issue you brought your car in for persists, gets worse or if any outside work done while your car was under warranty causes something else to fail, your dealership has a legal right to make your warranty null and void and not cover future repairs.

When you were shopping for a new car at a dealership, one of the first things you considered before buying was the warranty. While a dealership warranty grants you peace of mind that should anything unexpectedly go wrong with your car while it’s still new and shiny, you shouldn’t take it for granted.

When something does go wrong with your car (and it probably will, unfortunately), you want to get it fixed as quickly as possible and for as little cash as possible. Unfortunately, repairs through the dealership you bought your car from can be costly.

So where should you bring your car in for service or repairs when it’s under warranty?

Warranty work MUST be done through the dealer. But regular service can be done by anyone, provided they are capable and reliable.

According to the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act of 1975, you can go to whomever you want to have your vehicle serviced (i.e: regular oil changes, new brakes, tire rotations etc.), but you cannot take your car elsewhere than the dealership for any work that would be covered under warranty.
Should the carmaker or dealer prove that any later failure in your car’s performance be due to work performed by an outside agent, they have the legal right to make your warranty null and void.

So while it’s totally legal to bring your car to an independent or chain general service provider for routine maintenance, you still have to take precautions. If the outside shop created a problem in your car’s performance (or even total engine failure) while under warranty due to incorrect oil or oil filter, you will be held liable for the damages and the carmaker no longer has to uphold any corrective repairs that would have formerly been covered under warranty. Your warranty is now null and void.

No matter where you choose to get your car serviced, make sure to do your research first (so don’t throw away those owners’ manuals!), consult the dealership if you have any questions, and keep hold of your records in case a warranty claim should ever come up.

So the next time you’re getting your oil changed at a chain and the service employee tries to convince you need even more work done, be sure to ask yourself if that work could possibly be covered by your warranty. First and foremost, you do not want to jeopardize your warranty and the perks that come with it.

Where have you taken your car for repairs in the past? Do you trust that the quality of work performed by a dealership merits the higher price tag? Please share your thoughts and stories with our community if anything similar has happened to you.