What’s Really Covered Under the Warranty?

Today’s life lesson was all about the fine print you never read; no matter how many times you are warned to do so. In this particular case the items in question are car parts: brakes to be more specific.

One local garage has a giant banner proclaiming, “Never buy brakes again.” Is that what they really mean? Every time you need to replace the brakes they are going to replace them and not charge you? That’s not what they mean at all. While the parts will be replaced under the warranty you still pay for the labor to change them. For the sake of argument let’s go with brakes on my car, rotors are $40.00 and pads are $20.00 per wheel; all four wheels would represent a total savings of $240.00 in parts costs. That’s a really good deal when you consider the current economic situation.

Last week when the thumping and grinding started coming from my front wheels I called my friend the mechanic who told me to go to the local auto parts store and get the replacements per the warranty before bringing him the car to replace them. The economic times require a more hands on do it yourself or have friends who can do it for you life style. We are lucky enough to have a mechanic in our friends arsenal. Now if only we could find a friend who was a plumber! But I digress.

There I was at the parts store, at the parts counter and I was in for a surprise. Only the brake pads have a lifetime warranty; the rotors have a two year warranty. Still not a problem; I replaced everything only 18 months ago. Then the sales clerk drops the other shoe. I still have to pay for the rotors because my FIRST rotors were guaranteed for two years. The set on the car for the last 18 months is a warranty replacement for rotors that only lasted 12 months. Yes I bought something that was under warranty for two years that only lasted one and yes they replaced it with the same product or one of equal value as per the warranty. In my mind these replacement parts would come with their own two year warranty, i.e. the same two year warranty as the like parts they replaced that failed.

While that makes perfect sense to me the man behind the counter had his company set of rules to go by. Since the first set of rotors was purchased 2 years and six months ago the two year warranty is no longer in effect. The rotors I am returning are only 18 months old but because they are replacements they are only under warranty for the remainder of the time on the original warranty.

It’s kind of like saying I know I sell junk but at least I warranty the junk I sell… sort of. They have figured out that it is cost effective and creates repeat business to sell junk with a limited time warranty and replace it once before that time runs out. The man behind the counter actually said if we ran the warranty for the two years on the replacement parts we would go out of business. What a way to do business. Scarier is these are my brakes and this company has such little faith in their own product and its replacement that they will not warranty them equally.

So the fine print; read it, understand what you read, and look for a company with a real warranty on their real product that they really stand behind.


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