In accordance with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty-Federal Trade Improvement Act of 1975, manufacturers are required to provide consumers with information about warranty coverage. Most auto manufacturers will have the details of their provided warranties posted on their Web sites, and they have to provide and explain a warranty manual to you when you purchase a new car. Be sure you know how much coverage you are getting and for how long. The last thing you want is to bring your car in for service and find out your warranty expired four days ago.
Why dealers don't want to help you outThe biggest reason service managers seem to have sticks up their asses is they suspect people are abusing the warranty system. Enthusiasts tend to drive much faster and put more stress on their rides than normal people. Also, service managers aren't always knowledgeable about what aftermarket parts are and who installed them. Is the part designed correctly? How can anyone be certain it functions perfectly with the rest of the stock equipment? Maybe a bolt was re-torqued incorrectly? A car manufacturer doesn't stay in business by handing out an unlimited supply of replacement transmissions, tires and engines.
Selling massive amounts of Corollas helps keep the lights on at the local Toyota dealership, but labor and service fees are also a big cash cow. Dealerships-or stealerships as they are sometimes playfully referred to-love non-warranty service repairs. Filed as just a standard repair, the dealership can charge upwards of $80 per hour for labor. Warranty labor is a trickier subject for dealers. For high-dollar items like engines and transmissions, their hands are tied. It's not up to the dealer but the local manufacturer representative to approve or deny warranty claims for these items. Dealerships get reimbursed by the automaker for warranty labor based on a manufacturer-predetermined, flat-scale rating. If a mechanic takes longer than normal, or if a part has to be upgraded to overnight shipping, the dealership eats the difference.
According to Ferdie Ang, performance marketing manager for South Coast Subaru in Costa Mesa, Calif., a car dealer will usually break even or make a little bit of money on warranty labor, but the big plus is getting a return customer who won't visit another dealership for service.
Will it void my warranty?There are three kinds of car owners: guys who don't touch their cars, guys who want to "wait until the warranty runs out" and guys who load up on parts when they pick up their new ride. The first two kinds of owners are a pretty levelheaded bunch. If they come across any problems early on, the dealership will repair them no questions asked. The third group is our kind of car owner, and he's in for one hell of a shit storm when it comes to warranty work.
When you buy an intake, a suspension or a cat-back exhaust, or hit the track, the last thing crossing your mind is if your warranty will go up in smoke. Whether or not an aftermarket product is unconditionally covered depends on which brand you purchased. Dealerships will often offer a warranty or honor your original factory warranty, no questions asked, on factory performance brands such as Nismo, SPT or Mopar-when the parts are purchased and installed at the dealership.
Aftermarket brands, however, are never covered by warranty at dealerships. Although a well-known parts manufacturer admitted to 2NR that its sway bars are re-branded as factory performance parts, at double the price. It's the exact same part, yet the more expensive one will be honored under warranty and the cheaper one will be blamed for all sorts of problems. Rather double-handed.