Friday’s Advice: Voiding Your Auto Warranty

Last week, we’ve talked about checking recalls and TSBs as a means to save on auto repairs. There’s actually another means to save, if you’ll just pay attention to it: your auto warranty. There may be parts in your vehicle that are covered by specific warranties, so you don’t have to shell out big bucks when you replace them.

If your car is still covered by warranty and you want to be sure that you’ll get the most out of that warranty, it’s important that you take care not to commit actions that can result in voiding the warranty on your car and its parts. What are some of the actions that you have to watch out for?

Well, one is maintenance. When a part gets damaged and the manufacturer finds that it is poorly maintained, you may be denied a warranty claim. While your car is still under warranty, it’s very important that you follow the recommended maintenance to avoid problems should the need for warranty claim arises.

Another is the installation of aftermarket parts. It’s not advised that you mount upgrades to your vehicle while it’s under warranty. When any problem occurs and the carmaker finds any relationship between the upgrade and the problem, your warranty will end up void.

The use of your vehicle in extreme activities can also void its warranty (especially if your car is not designed for such rides). This is termed as misuse, and this can include the use of a vehicle in such activities as racing.

Finally, odometer tampering is one other common reason that can void an auto warranty.

If you want to know all the dos and don’ts when it comes to your vehicle, carefully read the contract as this will state all the requirements that you need to follow.

A Look at After Warranty Assistance

Most warranties cover three years, but do you know that the said rule can be bent a little when needed? About.com talked about what is so-called as a “secret warranty.”

What exactly is this kind of warranty, and how can it benefit you? Well, this is an after warranty assistance, a kind of “warranty after the warranty” – meaning, this is offered when the given warranty has already expired (but, only for a short time after warranty expiry). This kind of warranty, however, is only offered when you asked. And, it is only given according to the discretion of the manufacturer.

If you encounter any problem in your car a few days after its warranty has expired, you have another option aside from bringing your car to an auto repair shop and spending on car repair. You can try getting in touch with the manufacturer to ask for help on the repair of the part involved.

Most manufacturers will consider the idea of providing assistance as long as: (1) the customer is loyal to the company, and (2) the correct interval has been followed when it comes to the maintenance of the vehicle.

The first is important because it shows the manufacturer that you’re bringing them some profit, that you’re a contributing car owner, so to speak. And, they can get some more benefits when they help you. Meanwhile, the second is sort of like standard procedure. Of course, no shop would want to offer assistance if the mechanics know that you’re not taking good care of your vehicle.

The first thing to do to avail of this warranty is to just try. The manufacturer may not shoulder the whole bill, but there’s a great chance it will slash off a certain amount from what you have to pay for the repair.

A Look at the Usual Auto Repair Warranty

Warranty is one controversial issue in auto repair, and there are a lot of gray areas when it comes to this topic. What warranty are you entitled to when you have your vehicle repaired? How long is the said warranty in effect? What are the exceptions? And what are the processes involved when it comes to the processing of claims?

An auto repair warranty is a detail-filled document that requires careful paying of attention. This document varies from shop to shop, from case to case, so you can’t expect a previous repair warranty to be similar to the warranty that you’ll get on a present repair. As to the questions mentioned above, there’s no specific answer that applies to all situations.

So, given this fact, it is of utmost importance that you pay attention to the complete details in the warranty offered by an auto repair shop. There are certain details that you need to look into when checking out any warranty from a shop.

Aside from the usual details (such as the time covered by the warranty), you also have to look into the smaller but more important details like deductibles, if any. Other pertinent information that you need to check would be the shops that can perform warranty repair—this is important in case you need the repair while you’re in a different place. In the same manner, you have to know the procedures involved in making a warranty claim.

The process is crucial because it is sometimes the reason a claim is denied despite its validity. Every small detail in the claim procedure must be checked and followed to ensure that the claim will be approved and that approval will not be delayed.

And when you go for a repair, be sure that you get a copy of the warranty afterwards so that you won’t have troubles should problems arise.

Friday’s Advice: Dealing with a Warranty Dispute and Filing a Warranty Claim

Warranty issues are among the problems that many car owners have to deal with every now and then. This could include the failure of the other party to honor what is written in the warranty, tricky warranty clauses, as well as other rip-off-designed practices.

But, there are actually some things that you can do to ensure that you will not emerge the loser in a warranty negotiation. As a car owner and a customer, there are some precautions that you can take in order to avoid wasting your hard-earned money.

First and foremost, negotiate within. Meaning, talk to the people involved, the people within the shop–such as the manager. If there’s someone who can act on your complaint or on the issue, that would be the manager. Before you escalate the issue outside of the shop, try to work it out with the people involved.

However, if the issue is not resolved, then there are agencies or institutions in which you can file a complaint. If your case really has basis, then you’re more likely to get justice and to salvage your money.

Just remember that you must be fully familiar with all the conditions in the warranty. This way, you’ll know whether a dispute is worth your time and energy. Also, remember to keep all the pertinent documents that you might need during the negotiation, such as complete receipts. Be particular even with the smallest details such as time–details like this might make all the difference.

Of course, nothing beats prevention. Even before a problem occurs, be sure that you carefully study any warranty offer and familiarize yourself with all the details. With all these in mind, you are rest assured that whatever dispute you get into with an auto repair shop, you’ll emerge the one on top.

Examining Extended Warranty in Relation to Auto Repairs

There’s been a lot of differing opinion when it comes to extended warranty—some people say it’s a waste of money, while others attest that it’s extremely helpful. If you belong to the latter group and you plan to get an extended warranty on repairs, you have a lot of options. In the same way, there are a lot of things that you need to consider.

First and foremost, you need to check the repair shop coverage of the warranty. Does the warranty allow you to bring your car to any shop and avail of the extended warranty for the repair? Or does it stipulate that you have to bring your car only to specific “accredited” shops?

Of course, you also need to know how the warranty will work. Will the shop or the dealer or the seller of the warranty pay the auto repair shop directly when you go in for repair under warranty? Or will you have to pay the shop and just ask for reimbursement later on? Generally, the first option is better because it causes less hassle.

Another point that you need to look into is transferability. If you sell your vehicle, will the extended warranty still be in effect with the new car owner? A car that will still be covered by an extended warranty will sell better than one that doesn’t.

When going for car repairs, you need to find a shop that will honor the extended warranty of your vehicle. You need to negotiate about the billing and you should have everything properly documented so that you’ll be ready just in case you encounter a dispute with the shop or the warranty seller later on.

In one of my next posts this week, we’ll look at warranty claims and some ways to deal with a warranty dispute.

Car Repair Warranties: The Devil is in the Details

In one of my posts a couple of months ago, I talked about the need to have any repair warranty that is discussed between you and the shop owner put in writing. This time, we’ll talk about the nitty gritty of a written car repair warranty, about how you must check and examine it to ensure that your car is fully covered and to ensure that what you’ve talked about is included in the written and official document.

Remember that there is no such thing as standard warranty on car repairs. Whatever warranty your car may get from a repair, you have to discuss that with the shop owner or mechanic. Once you have the hard copy on hand, pay attention to all the small details included as these may sometimes be the most important parts of the warranty.

Of course, check the part or repair covered by the warranty, as well as the timeframe or mileage frame that it covers. You’d want to be sure that the time or mileage is reasonable and that the warranty is not simply a rip-off. In some instances, there are certain processes that you have to go through when making a warranty claim, and you have to pay attention to these. Failure to follow a single and negligible detail in the process could be all it takes for your claim to be rejected. Similarly, you have to check the warranty and clarify with the shop owner as to which institutions are allowed to perform warranty work on your vehicle if you plan to file a warranty claim later on. This is another tricky part that you have to familiarize yourself with if you want to avoid any possible problem later on.

A car repair warranty is a beneficial perk to car owners, but you just have to be careful in examining the warranty to ensure that you’ll get the benefits.

Friday’s Advice: What Happens if Car Problem Symptoms Return After a Repair?

In many of the previous articles that I posted in this blog, I have mentioned several types of car repair rip offs being practiced by some of the auto repair shops and auto repair mechanics out there. These rip offs take on many forms, but they have one thing in common—they make you spend more than you should, and you don’t get additional benefits at all.

One common form of rip off that you will encounter in your auto repair experiences comes in the form of a repair that does not actually solve the problem. This happens when auto repair mechanics do a trial and error in determining the problem of your car, and take a chance at solving the problem by replacing or fixing this or that component—without actually being 100% sure that the replacement or fix will work and solve the problem.

No mechanic is perfect, yes, and some of them are as clueless as you are when it comes to the problem of your vehicle. To avoid encountering a problem like this, it’s advised that you open the issue upfront with the mechanic even before the repair is performed. Ask what they would do in case such a situation arises. The most reasonable solution to this problem would be for the shop or mechanic to fix that problem again without charging you for the procedure, but not all shops will give that guarantee. In many instances, you will have to avail, and pay for, a second repair.

So, asking your mechanic upfront will bring you on equal grounds. Watch how your mechanic responds to the question, and remember that you should get a concrete answer. Don’t put up with as vague an answer as “depending on the situation” or “it’s a case to case basis.” You need the right to know exactly what to expect to ensure that you will avoid double spending.

Asking for Warranty and Putting it in Writing

Our previous discussions here have revolved around auto repair secrets and how some auto repair shops resort to fraud when dealing with customers, employing several techniques that rip off people who bring their car in for repair. But, added to these, we have also discussed means by which we can avoid being a victim to these scams and how we can avoid being ripped off.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the importance of asking a warranty during a repair. Yes, you don’t only ask a warranty when you get your car from the dealer. During a car repair, you should also pay attention to the warranty provided by the shop that conducted the service or repair. A warranty will serve here as an assurance that the service performed is efficient, and that your car will remain in top shape for a specific amount of time.

There are two kinds of warranty that you can ask from a shop: warranty on labor and warranty on parts (in case the part is from the shop). Asking for a warranty will deter any mechanic from performing inefficient or loose work on your car, because they’ll still be the one to do it should it fail before the warranty is up—and you’re not going to pay them.

When asking for a warranty, however, remember that you don’t simply ask for the word or the assurance of the mechanic. Have the warranty placed in writing as your proof someday should you find the need to go back to the shop early on due to a problem with the service performed or due to the premature failure of the part installed.

This is especially important in cases when a shop tells you that it has installed a brand new part when in fact it didn’t. A written warranty is your shield against a rip-off.