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Secret Warranties
and Factory
Service Bulletin Car Reports
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Secret Warranties also known as after-warranty-assistance may provide free or
discounted repairs for issues that are common to particular makes or models,
even though the official factory warranties have run out. These special policy
adjustments are referred to as secret because the manufacturers do not
make these policies known to the public. Vehicle owners are usually not notified
that a problem may exist that could be repaired free of charg e, even though
federal law requires car manufacturers to notify affected consumers and offer
free repairs or reimbursement if they’ve already paid for a covered repair.
How can you take
advantage of secret warranties that might exist on your vehicle? It's
easy, just search our database on your year, make and model vehicle. Browse our
Reports for
New and Used Cars found in technical service bulletins for Issues that apply to your vehicle. Mark those
Issues and create a myCarStats Custom Report. Take the
report to your dealer service center and ask the manager to work
together with you to resolve the issue(s). In rare cases the dealer
service center will cover the entire costs of the repair. More than likely you
will end up sharing the costs with the dealer and or the manufacturer.
Several states have
recently passed laws concerning secret warranties that require
manufacturers to disclose any special adjustment programs and provide service
bulletins describing those programs to consumers. Under the new laws, consumers
are also entitled to refunds for covered repairs if they paid for them before
the program was announced.
Secret warranties
normally have a time or mileage limit usually 1-2 years after the warranty
has expired, in some cases free repairs are done with no limitations. At one
time Toyota was replacing exhaust manifolds on certain engines free of charge no
matter how many miles were on the cars.
Secret warranties do
not usually involve safety problems (for example, possible brake failure, or
fuel leaks that could cause a fire). Safety problems usually trigger factory
recalls in which all owners of a particular model receive
notification describing the problem and the remedy and inviting them to bring in
the vehicle for free repairs.
Even though
manufacturers do not identify particular Issues as safety related many of these
mechanical Issues may still cause unsafe conditions. Sudden loss of power in
traffic, engine or transmission failure and electrical problems are examples of
mechanical Issue that could be deemed unsafe. Just because it is not a recall
does not mean your vehicle is safe. Check our
Reports for
New and Used Cars often.
Maintaining a
friendly and loyal relationship with your dealer service center is key. Your
end result will almost always be directly related to the loyalty you have shown
to the dealership and manufacturer. Dealer service centers and manufacturers are
much more likely to work with loyal customers in an attempt to keep them
satisfied in hopes that they will return to the dealership when ready to
purchase their next vehicle.
Your Automobile
Consumer Advocate
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