jeffie7;
Whether you wish to believe it or not it does matter that you can document whether or not proper maintenance was done. I am telling you that from personal experience both working dealer service and as a customer who had an engine replacement( Sister's car actually but I handled it for her ). I have dealt with this from both sides.
Originally Posted By: jeffie7
so dealership says. Sorry we are not covering your cars repair because 2 oil changes ago we believe you used the not correct engine oil. Unless you can provide documentation your warranty is void.
The dealer won't say that though. They have no clue what you used for oil 2 OC's ago and that is the entire point! They will investigate to see what you used and that is where your receipts come into play. They will almost assuredly ask to see proof that you did X# of OC's and that you did them on time and with the correct oil/filter if you have some type of major engine failure that is not a well known issues as another person talked of earlier( even then they may still ask ). They have that right. It is now up to you to provide those receipts. If you can't they have grounds now to work on denying your coverage.
Originally Posted By: jeffie7
They don't need to provide evidence of why they believe the wrong oil was used. Just their word vs yours because you didn't document it.
Not as far fetched as you think. You have obligations as the car owner, who is provided with the warranty by the car mfg, to do certain things. Maintenance on the car mfg's schedule is one of them. Now, if you have an engine problem and the car mfg asks you for proof you did proper maintenance and you can't provide it they are almost assuredly going to deny the repair under warranty.
You can then take them to court and try to win using the "they must prove what I did caused it" angle or you could try and say "I did it right but don't have the receipts so they have to prove I didn't". My response to that, and it is based on going to court for this exact thing when I worked at the dealer, is the judge is probably going to say that you not being able to provide receipts documenting you actually did proper maintenance justifies the car mfg's denial of warranty.
You actually have some obligation of proof as well. It is not all on the car mfg. You still have to do things properly and when you don't it shifts the burden of proof at the least into the middle if not over to your side. Even if you eventually win it will take a lot of time and money to do so. Is the potential for such a hassle really worth it vs. just changing your oil on time using the right oil and filter and keeping the receipts? Heck, an accurate, well kept, maintenance log helps with resale value of the vehicle be it private or trade in. Keeping that info is just a win win for you as the vehicle owner.
Originally Posted By: jeffie7
So at any point they can deny pretty much EVERY car that isn't serviced by them or well documented cars. Which we all know most everyone does not document.
Pretty much as long as what they are denying matches up with a lack of documentation on maintenance things. They can't deny a blown transmission because you don't have proof you did OC's. It has to match up. If you can't prove you did the required trans service(s) on time you better believe they will be on it like white on rice!
Car mfg's actually have a right to require proof that you lived up to your end of the warranty requirements. Would you just take someone's word if you were warrantying something that broke on your dime, that required maintenance, without 1st verifying it was done and done properly according to the requirements/schedule you gave the customer at purchase? If the warranty had a time limit wouldn't you require a receipt to verify the item is not too old? I am serious now and not being a jerk. Wouldn't you ask for proof before shelling out for a new item or repairing the old one? Is that really so unreasonable? I find no fault with the car mfg's asking that of us.
Originally Posted By: jeffie7
I'll sleep easily at night knowing our brand new car that is about to get its first oil change and won't be documented.
Congratulations on your new car( serious ). I seriously hope you never have any major drivetrain issues if you will not keep documentation you did proper maintenance( if you have it done at the dealer of course they have the records although you should still keep your copy ). Engine/drivetrain repairs are very costly these days and having to pay out of pocket would most definitely give you nightmares when you realize if you just kept receipts showing you did things right it would have been covered.
Originally Posted By: jeffie7
We can just agree to disagree. Don't need to turn this into the royal purple thread.
No let's not turn this useful thread into a fiasco like RP threads turn into full of [censored]. Let's be civil 1st and foremost and let's talk about facts and actual experience not myths or preconceived biases.
