How warranties actually work.

[Trogdor]

So as many of you know I had a shit experience with my warranty. So, I'm going to avoid talking about speculation and what did or didn't actually cause the problems I had with my car.

With that said, there's a lot of misunderstanding about how your warranty works, and who is responsible.

First off, a company can't just outright void your entire warranty. So when you hear people say "my warranty was voided because _______." They're wrong. Warranty claims are examined on a case-by-case basis. Each individual claim can be denied or paid. And, just because one was denied doesn't mean subsequent ones won't be paid. It all depends.

According to the federal trade commission, aftermarket parts must be shown to have contributed to the problem in order to blame them for the warranty denial. Meaning, most things that alter FTA ratios, boost pressure, back pressure, etc, will increase horse power and torque beyond factory settings. Note that factory settings are not always factory limits. But for a company to deny a claim, beyond factory settings is enough to deny most power train claims.

However, if mods are clearly unrelated a specific warranty claim, it may still be paid. I.E. engine mods have no bearing on your speakers. If something happens with your stereo system, even though a power train claim has been denied before, it may still be covered.

The other thing to be aware of is that we, the dealer, have little or no control over whether a claim is paid or not. We're simply the middle man between the customer, and the warranty holder (either the manufacturer or the 3rd party warranty company). You ask the dealer to look at your car, our mechanics diagnose it, we call the warranty holder and ask if they will pay for it, the warranty holder may ask for additional information from the mechanics. Then the warranty holder decides if they will pay the dealership to fix the problem.

Sure, we can talk to higher ups at the warranty holder on your behalf and advocate for you. But ultimately its not our decision. We're not trying to deny your claim so we can make more money. In fact, it's in our best interest to have it covered under warranty. If it's done under warranty, yes we get paid less than if you paid for it. However, it's is not covered we then run the risk of a) having you, the customer, upset with us for no reason (see above), or b) shopping around for the best shop rates. E.G. I gave MAP and Ron a shit load of money, and the dealership got very little (OEM parts I had to order).

By the way, don't ever let a dealer charge you for a diagnostic while your car is under warranty! Most warranties cover the diagnostic, even if the claim itself isn't paid.