Your Warranty, Your Way

Did you know: When you buy a car from a dealership, it is not mandatory to have it serviced where purchased – Nope, it doesn’t void the warranty.

Let’s break that down a little more; just because you bought your car from a dealership, doesn’t mean they have to work on it for you if you don’t want them to. You can take your own vehicle to any repair shop you feel comfortable with, and have them do the maintenance – If later you decide to go back to the original dealership and have them do maintenance, you can do that too!

Routine maintenance is what you should have done to your car before something breaks; for example, oil changes, rotating tires, replacing belts, ensuring fluids are where they should be, flushing fluids, replacing brake pads, and doing multiple inspections to make sure all of your travels are safe. Have you ever heard of the “Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act”? This act allows you to read a simple warranty at any time about what product you’re purchasing for your vehicle – No “fine print”, no “catches”. This act denies companies the right to void your warranty or deny your warranty at any time because you used a part that wasn’t brand new.

Trust is a good thing, especially trusting those who work on your car. Occasionally, problems can arise: would you rather be safe than sorry? If you would (I mean, who wouldn’t?), it’s always a good idea to keep your receipts for multiple reasons: your organization, budgeting, filing, warranty claims. In case any problem against you arises, you’re covered because you have your receipts with the warranty dates on them; the problem is solved before it begins.

In short, don’t feel obligated to commit to a dealership if you have a local shop you trust more. Don’t be afraid to bring up your warranty if something is not the way you wanted it, and make sure to keep all of your receipts from automotive purchases and repairs in the event something negative does happen.