If I do my own maintenance on a new car, will that void my warranty or make the car unsellable?
June 7, 2009 in Buying & Selling
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airforcewolf16 asked:
For example, if I do my own maintenance, I will have no service records. Will this void my warranty or make me unable to sell my car in the future?
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It will probably void the warranty but won’t make it unsellable.
Depends on the service you do and the contract you have with the dealer.
Some dealers allow you to change your oil and filters and lights, the reason they want to do it themselves is to make sure that its done right and on time. Usually the pricier the car, the more reluctant they are to have a shady tree mechanic do the work.
Anything above that i.e. alternator, radio installation, altering the tires etc. would void the complete warranty on the vehicle.
Just record everything you do, and save receipts for any oil, parts etc. that you buy, keep track of the mileage intervals and you should be OK.
Any service that you are unable to perform will have to be done and recorded by the garage and or mechanic that performs it.
Depends on what you do. General maintenance on a car, like oil changes, filter replacements, etc. can be done by you. Some of the higher ends stuff (bad clutch, major engine issues) must be done by a “certified” mechanic. Not necessarily the dealership, but a mechanic that is certified to work on your model vehicle.
Now Huyndai and Kia have different rules entirely. They want you to bring your car to the dealership only, and you MUST do the scheduled maintenance or you forfeit the warranty.
Most other brands, especialy American ones, don’t hold you to the maintenance schedule. If you miss the 30k checkup they won’t void your warranty.
That’s all I know! Good luck to you!
No….the fine print in the warranty will rule out you getting any satisfactory remedy should you have a problem.
Keep good records just for the heck of it, though.
just save all receipts