Secret Warranties
    and Factory Service Bulletin Car Reports

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 charge, 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