When you purchase a new vehicle, it may come with a warranty that covers specific parts against early wear or malfunction. If your vehicle is under warranty, you may find yourself wondering if you have to have the vehicle serviced by a direct dealership. For example, if you bought a new Toyota, you may wonder if the vehicle needs to be serviced at a Toyota dealership or if you can bring your vehicle to your preferred auto repair shop. Here is what you need to know about this topic.
The Simple Answer Is No
According to the law, you are not required to use a specific auto repair shop to maintain or repair your vehicle in order to keep a warranty valid. This means that you can decide to use the dealership for maintenance or repairs or you can use a car repair shop of your choosing for maintenance and repairs. The benefit to having work done at the dealership is that they can tell you what the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle and can track that information so there will be no disputes pertaining to your warranty.
The Exceptions to Having a Warranty Voided
While your warranty cannot simply be voided because you had work done outside of a direct dealership, your warranty can be voided if you cannot prove to the manufacturer or dealership that offered the warranty that you have stayed up to date on routine maintenance or repairs. Your warranty can also be voided if the auto repair shop you selected was not licensed or if the auto dealership that you selected damaged your car during the course of performing routine repairs or maintenance.
How to Document That You Had Work Done
In order to ensure that your warranty is not voided, you need to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance and repairs. For example, if the manufacturer recommends that you have oil changes every 5,000 miles, you need to be able to show that you had those oil changes performed. When you have work done outside of a dealership, you need to keep both the receipts and the work orders to show what work was done. This is the best way to protect yourself and ensure that your warranty cannot be voided.
If you are looking to have routine car maintenance performed or need a car repair, Morgan Automotive Repair is here to help you. Call us today to schedule an appointment with either our Tracy, Manteca, or Stockton car repair shop.