Definitive answer on use of aftermarket parts, etc... and warranty

Some know I have been fighting a little bit of a battle lately with Toyota/dealership... a bunch of legal docs, etc have been presented. When I see something that will help you guys in an everyday situation I try to share.

Anyway, here is the Federal Trade Commission's Final Review of Magnuson-Moss (case that sets your rights under warranty). This is the final word on what Toyota (or anyone else) can do in regard to warranty.

Attached.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy some wheeling and do some camping

I can't .... cause of #@%^!& dealership!

 

Re: Aftermarket "replacement" parts. The consumer "protections" of Magnuson-Moss do not apply when OEM parts have been overloaded or stressed beyond original specifications by/through of use aftermarket parts. They do have to prove that the aftermarket part created the alleged warranty issue, however in many instances doing so in a court would be child's play.

E.g. Toyota is not required to warranty the driveshaft on a vehicle that has been "lifted" by installation of aftermarket parts; or wheel bearings that fail after installation of wheel spacers; or springs that break after drive gear changes/oversize wheels/tires; etc.

In situations such as these proving the modifications made by use of aftermarket parts caused the OEM component(s) to fail would be trivial...

 

Correct. For that type of issue. This more applies to a situation where you had not lifted your truck, but during routine maintenance you used an OE (not OEM) u-joint when replacing one of yours. The driveshaft failed under warranty because one of the other u-joints you never touched failed. They cant deny warranty. The main point is they cant deny warranty for self maintenance or using non OEM parts in other areas of the truck.

Same thing in the situation of you doing your own oil changes. Or, you replaced the fan clutch and bearing seizes, etc...


Another key point in regard to this Act, both the dealership and Toyota Corp (on recorded phone calls) stated that I must pay an unrefundible amount of roughly $1,900 for an internal inspection of the engine. Before warranty would apply. That is a no-no. I did inpection myself. The Federal Trade Commission clearly states that the owner can perform inspections without voiding warranty.

Another fun fact about warranty on internal work....

Attorney found a case where work was done on a product. The work was done improperly. There was no way to tell. Several months later a failure occurred. Investigation afterwards discovered that the parts installed during service were not cleaned properly leading to failure. The company tried to argue that the warranty had expired. Court ruled the warranty started when it was discovered that the parts were not cleaned properly.

This is very important! The one year warranty on the work done by the dealership expired today! Failure to install oil pump gasket was discovered in May, 2017. The dealership has been delaying on purpose waiting for today! IE warranty expire!

 

Hmmm, makes me second guess my use of the aftermarket hose clamp mod for my tailgate. Hope it doesn't void my engine warranty!!!