When buying a new car, you may wonder whether dealership servicing is required to keep its warranty valid. This concern grows if the dealership location is inconvenient, if budget constraints apply, or if you have a preferred independent auto shop.
Do you need regular maintenance performed at the dealership to keep your warranty valid? Here’s the answer.
Short Answer: No
By law, manufacturers and dealerships cannot require you to have regular maintenance performed at a dealership to keep your new-car warranty valid.
In other words, you can get oil changes, tire rotations, and other regular maintenance performed by just about any mechanic, and the manufacturer and dealership will still have to honor the new-car warranty.
How to Keep Your Warranty Valid
Keeping your warranty valid isn’t always cut-and-dried. Warranties include specific stipulations. In some cases, a manufacturer might not honor a warranty if they believe an unauthorized party performed the maintenance or repairs, or if the maintenance was performed untimely or incorrectly.
To stay ahead of potential issues, always keep documentation for all your service appointments — receipts, printed service reports, and an updated maintenance sticker — to help ensure you have proof of your compliance with the warranty requirements.
How Your Car Warranty Could Get Voided
There are situations in which an automaker can legally void a warranty: If you have regular maintenance performed at an independent shop, and a mistake is made by that shop that damages a component.
For example, if a shop services the cooling system but doesn’t bleed it correctly, trapped air can cause overheating and engine damage — damage the manufacturer may deny if it’s traced to the improper repair.
In general, however, you should feel free to take your car to a shop of your choice for maintenance and service, even if it’s still under factory warranty.
True or False?
Choose an answer – your score updates instantly.
You must service your car at the dealership to keep your warranty valid.
Routine maintenance can be done at any qualified shop. What matters is following the manufacturer’s schedule and keeping documentation.
If you use an independent shop, your warranty is automatically voided.
A warranty isn’t automatically voided just because of where you go. Issues usually come from missed required maintenance or repairs that cause damage.
Keeping receipts and service records can help protect your warranty.
Save itemized receipts with the date, mileage, and what was done. Documentation helps if there’s ever a dispute about maintenance.
Following the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule matters more than where you go.
Missed required maintenance can create warranty issues. Stick to the schedule and keep proof of service.
Using the wrong oil or fluids can lead to warranty problems if it causes damage.
Incorrect fluids or improper service can cause issues. Use manufacturer-recommended specs and keep itemized receipts.
Editor’s Note: We have updated this article since its initial publication.
Hi Doug,
i personally know of a lawsuit that’s in rendering as we speak with a local dealership on this manner, a gentleman bought a new 2018 chevy silverado with 2400 miles on it, he went in for his free oil change and after waiting for 4 1/2 hours (and the truck was still sitting in the parking lot untouched) he left, he went to a valvoline oil change and had documentation that he used the synthetic blend oil that they provide, at 11,000+ miles their was a engine defect that was diagnosed as a lifter issue, the dealer refused the warranty and noted that the oil change wasn’t sufficient enough. the suit that is being filed is under the note of used vehicle sales from that dealer which states the dealer is selling vehicles with under 60,000 miles and offering remaining factory warranty, but the dealer cannot show adequate proof of the maintenance including oil changes on those said vehicles which hippocradically validates their claim. so if they cannot honor the warranty on that man’s truck because of records but if that truck was traded then they would put it on their lot and sell it with remaining factory warranty which at that moment is no longer about the vehicle but it’s solely about the person owning it!
I got a warranty with nationalrepairsolutions.com and they let me use whatever mechanic I wanted!
I just got a 2016 grand caravan and the transmittion needs to be changed it’s covered by warranty but it’s been in the shop for over a month. When we call they say that they are waiting for other parts to get shipped from another country. Would we be able to change mechanics while it already is being worked on?
If the mechanic is different than the one you are currently using, the answer is, “No.” However, the answer is, ” Yes, ” if you know you have to pay the current mechanic what you owe and you must start from ground zero paid with the new mechanic. Your cost is basically doubled when jumping from one mechanic to another. You might, on-the-otherhand, investigate the current mechanic and if found unreliable, build a case against this current mechanic and go to court. This sounds like the old adage, “You get what you pay for!” I carry rental reimbursement on my insurance. Do you?
Doug, thanks for this clairification, but can you share with me the exact Case Law back from the fifties establishing this fact? My battle is with Subaru and they offer decreased reimbursement as I have only used them 25% of the time. My email is tomeckert@me.com
I have the same question, because my nearest dealership is 75 miles away. My bumper to bumper is over, but there is the 10-year warranty on the powertrain.
I know it’s been a year and I hope you were able to solve this issue but the law is called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act