I have a couple questions about the warranty and I was wondering if ya'll can help me out. I have gotten conflicting info from a lot of different sources and want to know what affect teh following will have on the warranty of my truck.

K&N Air Filter. Package says warranty OK, a dealer told me it voids it.

Having Oil Changed at Jiffy Lube or similar... will these suffice for warranty maintenece requirements? Its only $5 cheaper than the dealer, so if its a big deal I will go to a dealer.


Just hoping for people who might have had and resolved issues relating to the above with a dealer or anyone who knows for sure... warranty manual is not written in English!

 

Oil changes can be done anywhere and you can even do it yourself. It's best to keep a log and and any receipts that pertain to the oil changes. The K&N filter, I'm not to sure about. If the warranty repair isn't related to anything involving air filtration, then they can't deny your warranty claim. Aftermarket parts may be used and the warranty can only possibly be denied if they can show that the after market part caused the failure.

 

Your dealer rep sounds like an A$$HOLE If you have any problem at all, that dealer deserves to suffer for their attitude. I'd say: Take your truck in there for every little problem that you have. Many dealerships try to squirm out of warranty work because Ford Motor Co. only pays about 2/3rds what they can charge the customer, outside of warranty. It sounds like this is one of the bad dealers.

Ford, of course doesn't warranty the K&N filter. But, installing a K&N air filter does not void any part of your warranty coverage. The only problem that may develop with a K&N filter is a bit of oil on the MAF sensor. All you need to do is spray it with some elect contact cleaner or a bit of Windex, if this happens and the MIL illuminates.

As for the oil changes: The Moss-Magnuson Act protects consumers from just this sort of a dealership. It was written, because many manufacturers were denying warranty coverage unless you used only their replacement and maintenance parts. The problem was that manufactures could then get away with charging whatever they want for parts, if you wanted to keep your warranty valid.

The Act now dictates that if you can only use a manufacturer's parts and service to keep your warranty valid: The manufacturer must cover all associated costs. Basically: If you need to have the oil changed at the dealer to keep the warranty valid, then dealer has to pay for the oil change, not you.

If an aftermarket part fails or causes damage to a factory part, you need to take up your concerns with the aftermarket part manufacturer. If Ford denies a legitimate claim however, they are required to prove the aftermarket part caused the damage.

Ford Warranty Policy

Aftermarket parts only void the warranty on Ford parts directy damaged by the aftermarket part.

Have the oil changed where it's convenient. Even do it yourself. Just hold onto all receipts for oil and filters and keep track of the mileage.

 

AjRagno Makes some very good points here. It's just not as simple as a part voiding the warranty. The dealer might want you to think it is but it's just not.

I've found that being educated on how the warranty works is your best defence in a conflict with the dealer. If you understand how things actually work and the dealership says that something like the K&N filter "voids" the warranty, call them on it. Ask "it voids the entire warranty? So if there is a problem with the power window, it won't be fixed under warranty because of the K&N filter?" There are only a few things that something like a K&N filter might have adverse effects on. Knowing about the products you're using is a good thing too.

Don't let them walk all over you. Know your rights, and responsibilitys and you should be able to prevent them from taking advantage.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the tips guys, the dealer that told me that is indeed one of those dealers. Its not where I bought my truck, I just needed a part for another vehicle and they were closer. While I was waiting forthem to find it in the stock room I was chatting with the guy..... you know how that goes.

What is the MIL? I know what a MAF sensor is, but never heard the term MIL before.

Follow up question regarding oil changes: what are the warranty concerns in going with a full synthetic as opposed to the 5W-20 specified?

The dealer I bought from is fantastic and would absolutely bend over backwards to make a customer happy. They have earned my business for life with one sale. They are where I would go for service, but this stuff was from a dealer who obviously, is an idiot.

 

but this stuff was from a dealer who obviously, is an idiot.

I don't think it's fair to make such a statement from having a converstation with ONE person at the dealership. I hope the company I work for isn't judged by one employee in one conversation. There wouldn't be any companies out there worth a damn if that were the case. Maybe the employee misunderstood your question and/ or wasn't qualified to answer it. Don't be so quick to judge.

As for the oil issue, Ford has everyone over the barrel. If you look at the Ford spec for the oil that meets warranty requirements, as far as I have seen, 5w-20 is the only one that meets the spec. That's not to say they won't cover anything that goes wrong during the warrany period, as it would have to be oil related for them to deny the warranty. Even at that, I have heard that Ford has warrantied many vehicles that were running oil that didn't meet the spec. Some of their dealers have even been using 5w-30 for oil changes.

 

I don't think its fair to assume that statement was as a result of one conversation.

I have dealt with this dealership before when i was looking for my truck... they suck. Salespeople are the kind that hover outside the front door smoking and when its their 'turn' they stomp out the cigarette and blow out the smoke slowly as they walk to greet you and won't even remotely discuss price until they have your name, address, and phone. then they call you twice a day after you vist to bug the crap out of you.... this is the kind of dealer I am talking about.


As for the oil, thats good info. I am not sure what the dealer used on my first change, I will have to look..... it 5W30 a better oil? Is there a 5W20 synthetic? (You can tell how much I know about Oil. )

 

I didn't mean to assume anything, as I was just going off your original post. Anyway, i'm glad that you have a quality dealer to work with.

As for oil. The majority of people will tell you that 5w-30 would be better to use than 5w-20. The 5w-20 has just recently been introduced into the marketplace and their hasn't been very much data collected yet to determine how the oil is actually performing. The Motorcraft 5w-20 is a semi synthetic and Mobil is suppose to be introducing a full synthetic anytime soon, but for now, the majority are dino produced oils. Talk to your dealer and see what they say about using a 5w-30 for a vehicle under warranty. If possible, get them to put it writting if they say 5w-30 is ok. Don't be surprised if they don't though, as most will tell you to use what is recommended in the owners manual. That's always the politically correct answer

 

Thanks Navi....

So, an I correct that if Mobil rolls a full synthetic 5W20 then it would, without issue, meet warranty requirements?

 

As long as the oil meets this spec: Ford Specification WSS-M2C153-H, then you will be fully covered.