Documentation for warranty purposes

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Hi all,
Its been awhile since I've had a new car, or one I need to worry about warranty work. My jeep has an extended warranty, so this may apply to it as well.

When doing my own maintenance, especially oil changes, what is the best way to document for warranty purposes? I will be ordering oil through a website for my new VW. With that I will have the receipt. I was thinking about taking pictures of the supplies, and mileage. but is there anything better to ensure that if I ever have an issue, I don't catch flak from the dealer?

Thanks,
 
Keep a detailed log with the mileage, date, etc. with receipts for the oil and filters you're using, along with any other maintenance you've done. That should be good enough.
 
I email the dealer with a request to enter my maintenance to the service records. I request a receipt to make sure they got it. The dealer has always replied to my emails saying they updated my service records. Last time I went to the dealer for a DPF inspection, I requested to see what service had been performed. They acknowledged my work in a narrative section of my service record which is good enough for me.
 
Taking pictures is a bit overboard. Just keep receipts and log everything clearly.

Honda has an owner's site that allows you to enter your service records into their system. I'm not sure it's the same system the dealer can look at but I'm hoping so.
 
Get a spiral notebook and staple the receipts with your notes as you go. The pages will be in order and new ones can't be added, later. Overkill is better than being caught out later. The dealer will look for a reason to deny a warranty claim and you should not help him.

I was so paranoid about documentation because of a friend's problem with his Jeep a while back. So, I kept the old oil filters, a 2 ounce oil sample for each change along with the notes and receipts. Repairs on today's motor vehicles can be so expensive that overkill is a good idea.
 
The dealer has no reason to go out of his way to deny a claim. The dealer is paid by the manufacturer to make repairs under warranty, and in the case of an engine would probably make more than if it was a customer pay job.
 
Originally Posted By: PR1955
The dealer has no reason to go out of his way to deny a claim. The dealer is paid by the manufacturer to make repairs under warranty, and in the case of an engine would probably make more than if it was a customer pay job.


The former I agree, the latter is a sore point

Research Flat rate techs, and the flag hour system, CP work is more sought after and profitable
 
Get your tin-foil hats out... I keep a simple word doc with mileage and maintenance for my own records. I don't keep receipts or oil or filters.

The day an engine fails due to oil, I'll start keeping better records.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Get your tin-foil hats out... I keep a simple word doc with mileage and maintenance for my own records. I don't keep receipts or oil or filters.

The day an engine fails due to oil, I'll start keeping better records.


I have a small piece of paper on my fridge where I keep track of oil changes and coolant changes. Can't be bothered with receipts, either.
 
Not true, if the dealer gets retail reimbursement for parts on warranty claims. They take a hit on labor, but more than make up for it on parts markup from the manufacturer.
 
In the case of a VW I would keep something to indicate the oil was approved...

My usual custom is to write the oil change in a book and on the receipt for supplies, I drop the receipt in the file with all the cars other paperwork. For the cars that have "owner" websites, I also record it there. If I buy enough supplies for more than one change I dig the receipt out and write the next change on it as well.

The reality is that in the unlikely event you have an engine issue - if they ask for records they have probably already seen something that makes them question the service record.

Not sure if it holds true for the current gasoline dealer oil, but the data sheet for SLX Professional did say it includes a UV marker, so it maybe that the lack of a dye marker is what they see.

If you have an extended warranty, it may have conditions.
 
Your owner's manual has a place for the dealer to stamp off services. If you perform them yourself I would fill it out yourself and place the receipt for parts on the relevant page.

Or you can go full OCD like I have and keep a binder for each vehicle containing service history, purchased parts, and Excel-generated "at home" statements of work.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Get your tin-foil hats out... I keep a simple word doc with mileage and maintenance for my own records. I don't keep receipts or oil or filters.

The day an engine fails due to oil, I'll start keeping better records.

This!!!! The fact that the vehicle companies do not explicitly indicate what documentation is required says it all. There is no standard. date and mileage that I changed oil or filters is what I do. I have never been questioned on this method in my 47 years of buying new cars.
 
Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Get your tin-foil hats out... I keep a simple word doc with mileage and maintenance for my own records. I don't keep receipts or oil or filters.

The day an engine fails due to oil, I'll start keeping better records.

This!!!! The fact that the vehicle companies do not explicitly indicate what documentation is required says it all. There is no standard. date and mileage that I changed oil or filters is what I do. I have never been questioned on this method in my 47 years of buying new cars.


But have you ever had a failure of an item that required maintenance.

I have personally asked for maintenance records in a handful of instances either at the direction of a Technician, SM or DSM. In each case we had a pretty good idea the records could not be produced based on the condition of the engine. In one case the customer produced a notebook full or hand written records. The note book was pristine and new, there were no greasy fingerprints and it was all written in the same color pen (in fact it appeared to be the exact same pen). In another the car had something like 20,000 miles on it and had the factory installed filter on it. Those are two I remember.

While it is true dealers have little to gain by denying warranty on something, they also can get left holding the bag if they perform warranty work on something that clearly was not warranty and the warranty claim can be charged back. Something like an engine or transmission has a high probability of someone wanting to see it, so a dealer might seek pre-approval or it might even require a technical assistance case. At least that is my admitadly dated experience.

I'd be very surprised if a manufacturer asked for records on a car that had actually been taken care of, but all it takes is one person raising a red flag... once you have a failure - which is pretty long odds to start with.

But not having been asked for records if you haven't had a failure is irrelevant.
 
Probably overboard but for my Golf i am literally filming and uploading to Youtube each and every oil change. I show the exact oil, that it is a brand new sealed bottle, all that. After all, it is VW we are talking about.
 
Buying used cars I don't have a warranty issue with the car, but I do keep records for items that come with a warranty: tires, (incl. rotation records) alternator, starter, battery.
 
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