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Vehicle ownership is challenging. You didn’t sign up to be an expert on vehicle repair when you bought your car, crossover, or truck. You expected that the warranty would be simple to use if needed. Guess again.
Automakers have good intentions when they offer you a vehicle with a warranty, However, to them, a warranty is more easily understood. After all, they wrote it. For the rest of us, there are really two parts to understand. The first part is the comprehensive warranty. It covers failure on the vehicle more or less from bumper to bumper with some obvious exceptions. Glass, rubber like tires and wiper blades, and maintenance are not part of your warranty unless you have one that states otherwise.
The second part is trickier. It is the “drivetrain” warranty. There is no standard definition of exactly what is and what is not included in a “drivetrain.” So your owners manual will have an insert or section that lists all of the stuff covered and not covered. Generally, the engine, transmission, and the power delivery system are included. However, things that make those work, like your alternator, which hangs off the engine, may not be.
The warranty has a duration that begins on the day you buy the vehicle, It is not tied to any calendar year or model year. So, if you buy a leftover new car, it should still have a full warranty beginning on the day you buy it. The warranty will always be the lesser of the months of coverage or miles of coverage. For example, if you have only 10,000 miles, but have owned the vehicle for 40 months, a "3-year / 36-month warranty" is no longer in effect.
Related Story: Hyundai Extends Warranties On Current Owners' Vehicles In Response To Pandemic
Your warranty also depends on how you maintain and keep the vehicle. You must follow the manufacturer’s instructions on required maintenance such as oil changes and other care, or the warranty is not enforceable. Furthermore, if you are dumb enough to do something like put an aftermarket chip in your WRX’s engine, or modify the suspension, or the exhaust, you may as well kiss goodbye any part of the warranty related to those systems.
Related Story: How To Get the Most and Pay the Least When Your Car Needs Service At the Dealership
So, let’s say that you and your dealer are not in agreement on who should pay the cost of a repair that is required, and you feel it does meet the warranty requirements. Here’s what to do:
Don’t Lose Your Cool
Nobody needs a person screaming at them at work, nor should they have to deal with it. You will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar when it comes to warranty coverage and customer service people. Be polite. Be firm, but offer the person the same respect you would like to have from a person if you were at work.
Ask If a Manager Is Available At the Dealership
If a manager is available, be patient. They manage. Ask if they are familiar with your situation. If not, politely explain what is going on and why you feel your vehicle should be repaired under warranty. Maybe they will see things your way.
“Do You Kow Who I Am?!"
Almost everybody is a brand-loyal car buyer. If you’ve owned multiple vehicles of the brand, and if you have been a long-term customer of that exact dealership, it is worth mentioning. However, your loyalty and past business only goes so far. Be tactful. If you have already screamed that you will never buy another car from that brand again, why would the manager bother with helping you?
Educate Yourself
Using the world wide web, find out if the problem you are having with your vehicle is known to the dealer. Search using keywords and then add “TSB” and “Service Bulletin.” Find out if many other owners are also reporting this same issue. Try to determine if the manufacturer has issued any guidance to the dealers on how to fix it, either under warranty or otherwise. If it is a known issue, you are in a better position. In many cases, the manufacturer may be offering support to those customers who ask for it. Here’s how to do that.
Psst... Did You Hear About the Secret Warranty Expension On Your Car?
Try The Manufacturer’s Customer Advocacy Line
Every automaker has a customer advocacy line in their owner’s manual or that you can find online. Give it a try. Be prepared to start at the beginning. Explain your case and why you feel that you deserve to be helped. Try not to make the issue one of “right vs. wrong.” Ask if the manufacturer will help you out. There are many possible outcomes.
How a Manufacturer Might Offer Help
A manufacturer may cover the full cost of the repair. They may offer no support. However, there are other ways they might offer to help. For example, they may offer to pay for the parts if you will pay for the labor. Or vice versa. Or they may offer a partial payment. Consider these offers a win if the issue is in any way fuzzy and not an obvious warranty repair. If the issue has already been dealt with, you can also ask for an extended warranty to help ensure the issue won’t be a problem in the future.
Related Story: Subaru Extends Its New Vehicle Warranty For Current Customers An Additional 6 Months
ALWAYS SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS
You should have a folder with every single receipt that you get when you maintain your car, truck, or crossover. No exceptions. They can help you prove you maintained your vehicle in a warranty dispute, and they can help you get a higher trade-in or sell price when you finally get rid of the car. One receipt that you MUST save is your disputed warranty repair. If you paid for it, and if the manufacturer later decides to cover this repair for all owners later, you may get a refund. But you will need that slip of paper. Keep it safe.
Dealerships are almost always independent companies apart from the manufacturer. This can be frustrating, but it also affords you a second chance to get help. Before you give up on a warranty claim you feel should be honored, remember our advice; Be polite, educate yourself, ask for the manager’s input, and call the manufacturer’s advocacy line for help.
If you have had a conflict over a warranty feel free to report it below. We’d especially love to hear stories about how an initially declined warranty repair ended up with a happy ending.
John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of a team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of battery thermal control designer. For 20 years he applied his engineering and sales talents in the high tech world and published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career to chase his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin
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Comments
Must be from Ford? 9 months
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In reply to My wife and I purchased a by Corina L Predmore (not verified)
Must be from Ford? 9 months of no call backs..
Is there a timeframe in which
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Is there a timeframe in which Consumer Affairs must let you know one way or another if a repair is covered? After the dealership told me my repair would not be covered (leased vehicle), they advised me to contact Consumer Affairs. 34 days later and about 7 phone calls with Consumer Affairs, I still don't have an answer.
Contact BBB auto line,
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Contact BBB auto line, (should be in your warrenty book, or go online) I filed a claim with them and within a couple days Nissan sent paperwork to start the repurchase of vehicle, that's FULL purchase price.
Purchased a 2022 Hyundai
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Purchased a 2022 Hyundai sonata in11/21 in a dealer in ny. On 3/28/22 the car started bucking when excelerating At that point the car only had 5,124 miles on it. On the 29th I called Hyundai road side assistance and told them of my issue they said they would take the car to the nearest dealership. After the car left I called the dealer the selected to take the car to,I called to inform them who I was and the problem the car was having that call got as far as their answering service in the discussion I was asked if I had the car serviced their with 5124 no service was required at the time then I was asked if I purchased the car from them and again I responded no her reply was well sir I'm sorry we're not excepting new customers I was shocked I then called the dealership I purchased the car from and they directed me to again call Hyundai roadside assistance to take to my dealer which was an additional 9 miles away from the first dealer Hyundai took the car to while talking to road side asst.she told me I had to pay out of pocket to tow the car to the new location needless to say I exploded. I called Hyundai customer service with no satisfaction and awaiting g a response after still waiting 3 days what actions should I pursue concerning this matter the car is supposed to be looked at on the 6th April and I don't k ow what other surprises this dealer has up their sleeve. Hyundai shows their true colors and I made the mistake but I won't repeat.
Same problems except this was
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In reply to Purchased a 2022 Hyundai by John (not verified)
Same problems except this was with a new Corolla acquired two years ago for $25K. Dealer professes not to know why my Corolla refuses to start indicating "they can't duplicate the problem". Asked them What Toyota sez and they could care less. Have had this pile of crap towed back to dealer several times with identical problem. I learned No purrdy warranty language is worth a crap.. So this vehicle remains parked in my driveway and I have alerted state and NTSB feds. I plan on hiring a lemon law attorney if this mess continues to be ignored by Toyota. have lost all respect for Toyota since I was obliged to get another vehicle at my expense to drive since my new Toyota is nothing but a pile of S
___.
my Hyundai 2021 broke down i
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In reply to Purchased a 2022 Hyundai by John (not verified)
my Hyundai 2021 broke down i got towed to the local dealership and after 2 weeks they told me that they had found sludge in the valve chain and it needed an engine replacement and they won't cover it, is there anything I could do? Please Help. (when I called Hyundai they told me a different story, that it's not covered because of negligence since they had a recall on my car but I didn't get the notice in the mail)
Same story re: Brand new
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Same story re: Brand new Corolla I bought from a Toyota new car dealer. Same run around. Car periodically refuses to start or dies. Have had it towed back to dealer and dealer can't find anything wrong with the battery. Dealer has attitude the new car warranty is just words on a piece of paper they can just repeatedly ignore. I now have an attorney and want to get even because of the repeated lying I have been subjected to by Toyota. I blame Toyota more than the dealer since Toy loves to claim theirs is the most reliable car in the world. Lesson I took away. Don't believe anything anybody tells you especially car dealers and manufaCTURERS. THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO IGNORE YOU WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. OF COURSE., IF YOU HAVE CLOUT, YOU WILL GET REDRESS, OTHERWISE YOU WON'T.
Honda recalled the EPS for
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Honda recalled the EPS for the 2013 Acura TLs'. I had the part REPLACED before the recall & later Honda sent a letter stating they would reimbursed customers that had already REPLACED the part. I provided Honda the Repair Shop invoice and they REFUSED to pay me because I paid cash...
We bought a pre owned 2017
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We bought a pre owned 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee from University dodge now Greenway and purchased an extended warranty. No after just 14,000 miles the check engine light comes on with 14 codes all to do with rocker arms and cams . Per the service manager yeah they have issues with that engine dodge knows about it. Now they have had this car for 3 weeks and it's been a different problem every week that we have to deal with . First they cleared the codes and didn't drive it so the codes didn't just pop up. 2nd we had to get maintenance records/ proof of oil changes and submit, 3rd we had to approve a $850 tear down so they can take pictures of the engine and submit to the warranty company (Assurant), all this time sharing a vehicle with 2 people working in different areas. There is no end in site and I think we are being played by the dealership and the warranty company that by the way we can only go to this particular dealership to have repairs done. Does anyone know of anyone who can help us?
my wife Theresa Smoth bought
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my wife Theresa Smoth bought a 2017 Dodge Durango in October, 2021 with a full coverage warranty. she was having the oil changed by our local mechanic on a saturday in May, 2022 when they discovered the water pump was bad. she called the local Dodge dealership to inform them about the water pump. they indicated it would be the following Monday before they could look at the vehicle and it would be 4 days before they could provide a rental vehicle which was also covered under the warranty. My wife could not afford to lose 4 days of work. in addition the vehicle would have to be towed from our local mechanic to the local Dodge dealership.as the water pump was not functioning. Our local mechanic replaced the water pump. we have been trying since May, 2022 to get Dodge/Chrysler to reimburse us for the water pump repair which is $460. Dodge/Chrysler is refusing to reimburse us. They state that she could have taken the vehicle to another dealership to have the water pump replaced. Dodge/Chrysler states that the work needed to be completed by an authorized dealership. My wife could not afford to take time off from work plus the vehicle would have to have been towed.
Is there any recourse that could be taken for this situation?
Thank you
Mark Smith
I have a story I don’t wanna
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I have a story I don’t wanna put on a public comment section would take entirely to long please reach out when you have a few moment s
I just paid my car off this…
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I just paid my car off this year 2023. Used $15,000. My car started acting funny, oil pressure light kept coming on, while on my way home to California from Oklahoma 40 mph the whole way home. With flashers on. I get home and there is a recall letter in my mailbox. Encouraging exactly what just happened to me on the highway. I took it in to dealership. They said nothing was wrong but I had to pay for it. I have a 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid. I ended up taking it in 9 times since I bought it. I've only had it for 3 years. 4 different Kia dealerships. There was metal shavings in the oil after the first oil change. But.... Kia REFUSED to recall our fix the engine ahead of time. Now... It's at 150,301 miles and the engine started knocking. Even though I Did have the KSDS software added 2 years ago. My car is still at Kia 2 months later with a recall repair bill of $16,000. Kia refuses to help with this. Idk what to do.
I bought a used 2021…
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I bought a used 2021 Mercedes Benz Sprinter with 33,000 miles from a non Mercedes dealer. One of the selling points was that there was a 50,000 mile warranty on the engine. At 38,000 miles I noticed issues and found out I need a new engine. Mercedes asked that I provide maintenance records in which I did provide receipts of an oil change preformed. They then said I need to prove oil changes from previous owners since the car fax is missing a period of maintenance. They seem to longer respond to my inquiries even after talking to customer care. My next action is to go after the dealer that sold it to me since they sold me the vehicle with a "intact" warranty. I think it is unfair business practice to expect me to try to find maintenance records of previous owners. The new engine will be $25,000. Any other course of action recommended?
I own a 2019 Alltrack SEL…
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I own a 2019 Alltrack SEL with 29,400 miles on it. The sunroof drains were clogged, and this caused a leak which stained the headliner and the rear hatch carpet. The dealer says cost of labor to replace the headliner and carpet is $6,100 not including parts. The dealer will not honor the warranty, saying clearing drain tubes is part of regular maintenance. This doesn't seem right at all, particularly because there is also an extended warranty just for the sunroof. It is a well known manufacturer's defect. The extended maintenance schedule says the drains should be cleaned as part of the 20k mile service, which I had completed at another VW dealer. I am getting docs on that in an attempt to get VW to cover this. VW USA was not helpful either so far, but I can't see how they can deny warranty if I had the 20k service. I'm still working on this to get it resolved while car remains at dealer.