[Untold]

After a less-than-stellar recent experience with a dealer service department, I'm wondering if I would run into any potential warranty issues if I started doing, at a bare minimum, my own oil/fluid changes. Do I just need to save receipts? Document anything else?

I just don't trust the quality of workmanship from the dealer. Anyone have experience with a warranty claim for a part that they serviced themself?

 

[invasion08]

Keep the receipts and even make copies of them. I have noticed sometime the receipts fade sometimes and are hard to read. Don’t forgot to write down the date mileage and what maintenance you performed.

 

[Grumpy Shihtzu]

Write down the mileage on the receipts, take a pic of the receipts, and upload them to your email/cloud. Every important piece of paper sits in my safe, but is backed up to my email.

 

[RamTest]

Each of my vehicles has a separate large envelope with purchase info, title, copy of registration and safety inspections, insurance docs, FCC ID's of key fobs, and photocopies of receipts for oil and part warranties. The thermal receipts you get at a store will fade completely away if exposed to air, and will fade in a day if exposed to direct sunlight. You must take a paper copy or a picture of important receipts.

About 20 years ago a friend of mine traded her bomber truck in for a new one. Several years later she was contacted by police who traced the vin back to her, as the vehicle was used in a crime. Fortunately she had the records that it was traded in to a dealer. She was the last recorded owner. It pays to hang on to vehicle records.

 

[estunum]

As already said, just make sure you keep your receipts with mileage. Not so much the credit card receipt, but the paper they give you with all services rendered. You can also have an app to keep track. I personally use CARFAX Care Care. One suggestion I would make is to get service at a shop that will report it. I for example stayed with the dealer until I ran out of warranty, then ran out of the service plan. The last place I got the oil change was when I got a front locker installed, but I made sure they reported it. I still keep the paperwork, but at least this way there's an automatic record that doesn't involve me remembering to add it on some app. The benefit is that this is public record, so it's available to anyone that cares to look. Here's my last few services for example, each entry has a short description of what service was completed.

 

[Untold]

As already said, just make sure you keep your receipts with mileage. Not so much the credit card receipt, but the paper they give you with all services rendered. You can also have an app to keep track. I personally use CARFAX Care Care. One suggestion I would make is to get service at a shop that will report it. I for example stayed with the dealer until I ran out of warranty, then ran out of the service plan. The last place I got the oil change was when I got a front locker installed, but I made sure they reported it. I still keep the paperwork, but at least this way there's an automatic record that doesn't involve me remembering to add it on some app. The benefit is that this is public record, so it's available to anyone that cares to look. Here's my last few services for example, each entry has a short description of what service was completed.

View attachment 364624

That’s the whole thing, I don’t want to take it to a shop. The receipts would just be for materials (oil/filter/diff fluid) from an autozone or something.

 

[Slavic Boer]

What if a dispute arises and they question your qualification for the work you've done?
I figure if you have a trusted on great terms mechanic, they'll see a qualified mechanic did the work.

 

[geo8866]

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects consumers from misuse of warranties. Basically, if you do what is supposed to be done as far as maintenance, federal law protects you from a business using this as an excuse to not cover you.

 

[Untold]

What if a dispute arises and they question your qualification for the work you've done?
I figure if you have a trusted on great terms mechanic, they'll see a qualified mechanic did the work.

Hence my question. Looking for real world experiences of folks that do their own maintenance and later had a warranty claim.

 

[geo8866]

What if a dispute arises and they question your qualification for the work you've done?
I figure if you have a trusted on great terms mechanic, they'll see a qualified mechanic did the work.

In the States, that would be a violation of the Magnuson-Moss Act. (See my previous post. ) I'm not sure if Canada has a similar law.

 

[geo8866]

Hence my question. Looking for real world experiences of folks that do their own maintenance and later had a warranty claim.

If you do it right, you are covered. I take a picture of 5 quarts of oil and an oil filter, with the current odometer reading in the picture.

 

[estunum]

That’s the whole thing, I don’t want to take it to a shop. The receipts would just be for materials (oil/filter/diff fluid) from an autozone or something.

That's good enough, write down the mileage on the receipt at time of change. In the US, you're protected from that. That aside, in order for the dealer to deny a warranty claim, they have to prove that it was your own negligence. Unless it's something obvious, they won't bother as that would involve an expensive investigation and/or court.

 

[Clint]

Keep the receipts and even make copies of them. I have noticed sometime the receipts fade sometimes and are hard to read. Don’t forgot to write down the date mileage and what maintenance you performed.

If you take pictures you can print out a copy if needed, It then becomes a legal document. It pays to have coffee before work every day with a lawyer friend.

Clint

 

[Grampy Matt]

Hence my question. Looking for real world experiences of folks that do their own maintenance and later had a warranty claim.

I never had a problem, like everyone is saying, keep receipts and records, my Maintenace manual has a pages in the back for recording, idk if Nissan still does that.

 

[Frontinator]

One odd bit is if you buy in bulk... that wouldn't give any indication of timelines for service. That said, in a warranty scenario they would need proof to the contrary.

My take: receipts for each service, document the date/mileage and receipt number on the filter (partially for your benefit also). Snap a photo(s) and send to yourself - this will give a time stamp via email. Harder to fake! lol.

 

[PoMans4x4]

After a less-than-stellar recent experience with a dealer service department, I'm wondering if I would run into any potential warranty issues if I started doing, at a bare minimum, my own oil/fluid changes. Do I just need to save receipts? Document anything else?

I just don't trust the quality of workmanship from the dealer. Anyone have experience with a warranty claim for a part that they serviced themself?

Having been a member over at a pathfinder board for some years, I've seen many cases of 2017+ Pathfinders with sludged engines, where owners DIY and independent shop maintenance records were deemed inadequate and powertrain warranty was denied. In reality, you can fake any DIY oil change, etc. records, so their records must have been sketchy at best. You can go ~10 miles beyond what the owner's manual states and the dealer/manufacturer can deny coverage.

Regardless, I haven't used dealer or shop service for oil / fluid / brakes, etc for 30+ years and countless vehicles. No associated warranty issues ever. In fact, for my 2022 Frontier, I bought a box of 9 oil filters and 12qts of Castrol synthetic 0w20 to start out with. If I have a warranty problem, it's not going to be oil maintenance related.

I do use the CarFax app to track my DIY maintenance. I do not keep proper receipts because that's pretty worthless when you buy oil at walmart along with $300 worth of groceries and filters from Rock Auto, etc as I do.

 

[keith56]

At the very least, write down the service that you do in the owners manual or the service manual that came with the truck. But be sure you do ALL the services required including inspections and record them too. If something does go wrong, in order to deny a warranty claim, the dealer has to PROVE that it was related to the service you did yourself. I.e., if a wheel falls off due to a broken bolt, they can't deny the claim based on your oil change.

 

[Untold]

Maybe the move is to just try out another dealer while still under warranty

 

[Nissan4Life]

I got a new engine for my 96 at about 30k for rod knock. Did all my own oil changes. No receipts. Did write it down in the maintance book. No questions asked. Nissan of San Luis obispo.

 

[Sly_408]

As already said, just make sure you keep your receipts with mileage. Not so much the credit card receipt, but the paper they give you with all services rendered. You can also have an app to keep track. I personally use CARFAX Care Care. One suggestion I would make is to get service at a shop that will report it. I for example stayed with the dealer until I ran out of warranty, then ran out of the service plan. The last place I got the oil change was when I got a front locker installed, but I made sure they reported it. I still keep the paperwork, but at least this way there's an automatic record that doesn't involve me remembering to add it on some app. The benefit is that this is public record, so it's available to anyone that cares to look. Here's my last few services for example, each entry has a short description of what service was completed.

View attachment 364624

That's how I've been recording my maintenance record as well for all my vehicles, for DIY portion I just take a photo of the maintenance item receipt and current odometer reading and upload on to MyCarfax. Handy little feature they have.