One of the biggest myths surrounding new vehicle purchases is that you have to bring it back to the dealership in order to maintain the manufacturers warranty. The Moss-Magnuson Act enacted in 1975 says that a warranty can’t require you to purchase additional services from the warranter in order to keep your warranty. You have to have the maintenance done, and you have to follow their recommended maintenance intervals, but you can have it done anywhere, just save your receipts as proof you had the work done. Taking your vehicle to a well educated independent repair shop can save you 30-50% off your maintenance costs.
So why wouldn’t you want to take your new vehicle back to the dealership? They are going to take the best care of it, right? Make sure that anything that is going wrong will be fixed while your still in warranty, right? Not necessarily. Warranty work costs them money, you having to have something repaired after the vehicle is out of warranty makes them money. You are far more likely to get an honest evaluation of your vehicle from an independent source. I would recommend establishing a relationship with a good independent technician. Make sure they are ASE certified and ask them for references. Make sure they have access to the latest information regarding recalls and repair campaigns. This information is pretty widely available through subscription websites and regularly updated repair manuals.
Once you have found someone you are ready to work with, talk with them to set up your first appointment. Let them know that your vehicle is under warranty still and you would appreciate it if they would check for any developing problems during your regular maintenance checks and then let you know. If anything does develop that is covered under your warranty, you can then take it back to the dealership for the repair work.
Keep in mind the fact that dealerships are in the business of selling new cars, not suggesting the maintenance that is going to keep your car running like new for 200,000 miles, that’s the last thing they want. As soon as your car is four years old, if not sooner, you can bet they will start suggesting a shiny new replacement.
During this process make sure you keep all the repair orders associated with the maintenance you have done so that if an issue does arise you can prove that you have kept up with the required maintenance, make sure the repair orders have your correct vehicle information, the date of service and the mileage on your vehicle.
If you decide you would rather bring your vehicle back to the dealer for maintenance during the warranty period, at the very least have it checked over by an independent facility before the warranty runs out. Technicians have been known to let something go, like a ball joint with play in it, until after the warranty is expired.
