Free Car Repairs

You Might Be Able to Get Your Car Fixed Gratis Even After the Warranty Has Expired
By Peter Bohr
Illustration by George Bloomfield

hat's the best thing about buying a new car? If you ask me, it's not the feeling of power and élan you get when you're behind the wheel. Or that delicious new-car aroma. Or the envious stares from your neighbors. No, I'd say the best thing about a new car is the bumper-to-bumper warranty, the security blanket that protects your monthly budget from unforeseen, costly repairs.

New-car warranties have become much better in recent years. The one for my Mercedes runs for a full four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. But alas, all warranties do eventually expire, leaving owners exposed to the caprice of their cars and the avarice of their repair shops. Or so it would seem. But there are circumstances when you can get your car repaired for free, even after that bumper-to-bumper new-car warranty is history — and even if you're not the car's original owner.

Formal factory recalls are certainly one kind of free car repair. Since 1966, when the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was enacted, and 1970, when the Clean Air Act went into effect, auto manufacturers have recalled hundreds of millions of vehicles to their dealerships to correct defects with safety-related components or emissions-control systems, making the repairs free of charge to the car owners.

Automakers are required by law to send you a notice of an official recall — if they know where to find you. If you change your address after you buy your car, or if you buy a used car, fill out the little card included with your car's owner's manual and send it to the automaker.

You can also look up recalls affecting your make and model of vehicle by perusing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website (www.nhtsa.dot.gov). If you give a new-car dealer your car's vehicle identification number (the VIN), usually stamped on a little plaque placed at the edge of the windshield, the dealer can tell you if there are any "open" recalls (problems that haven't been corrected) on your particular car — handy if you've bought a used car.

Official factory recalls, however, occur relatively rarely. You're more likely to benefit from other — and often less well-known — forms of free repairs. For instance, both the federal government and California's state government require automakers to warrant emissions-control systems. There are a couple of nifty features about these emissions-systems warranties. For one, they cover almost any component that could possibly affect emissions. I checked the warranty handbook that came with my car and found a long list that included manifolds, the fuel cap, fuel injectors, fuel filters, the fuel pump, ignition cables, certain dashboard instruments, the fuel tank, and a lot more.

Second, these warranties may last a lot longer than your regular new-car warranty. These days, the typical new-car warranty is good for 36,000 miles or three years, whichever comes first. But California (and Massachusetts) require automakers to cover most of these emissions-related items for 50,000 miles or three years, whichever comes first.

And the news gets better: A few big-buck components, such as turbochargers and transmission-control modules, are covered for seven years or 70,000 miles. Moreover, the federal government requires coverage for the catalytic converter and the engine-control module for eight years and 80,000 miles.

Beyond emissions-system warranties and official recalls, there are the so-called "secret" warranties — or as automakers prefer to call them, "special adjustment," "good-faith," or "goodwill" programs to correct a problem when the automaker made an obvious boo-boo in the car's design or assembly. The automaker will pay for the repair, but only if an owner complains loudly enough. Unfair? Maybe. But automakers say that many times, a relatively small percentage of cars will be affected by a problem, so it doesn't make financial sense to call every car in for repair whether it needs it or not.

Despite laws in California and other states that attempt to regulate these special programs, it's still often the squeakiest wheel, so to speak, that gets reimbursed. If you think a problem is the result of a design defect and not just ordinary wear and tear, check for any technical service bulletins (TSB) related to the problem; automakers issue some 6,000 a year. Ask your dealer if there's a relevant TSB. Or you can go online; you'll find TSBs at www.alldata.com. When you locate a TSB, you'll know that yours isn't the only car with the problem. Some TSBs may specifically authorize a dealer to make free repairs, though there may also be a specified time limit.

But I'd suggest that you avoid getting into a scrap with your dealer. The automaker, not the dealer, must approve the free repairs. And if you're a good customer and appear to be a reasonable person, the dealer is more likely to go to bat for you with the automaker. When the dealer won't or can't help, contact the automaker directly; you'll find addresses and phone numbers in your owner's manual.

So when it comes to car repairs, there really can be a free lunch — if you're a vigilant consumer.

Ask the Expert Q: For years, I've been puzzled by what type of gasoline to use in my cars. I heard that regular gas gives the same mileage as premium gas but does not have the additives that give the engine a longer life. Is this true? — Victor Dela Vina, Palmdale A: All grades of gasoline from every reputable refiner have additive packages in them to help keep engines clean and make them run more efficiently. Rather than worrying about additives, focus on the octane requirements of your car's engine. Unless the engine requires a higher-octane premium or midgrade fuel, you're wasting 10 or 20 cents a gallon by buying anything but regular grade. — P.B.

If you'd like Peter Bohr to answer a question in this column, write to him at Westways, P.O. Box 25222, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5222; or e-mail him at westways@aaa-calif.com.

You are reading the May/June 2001 issue of Westways. Some information contained in this publication is time-sensitive, and the terms of some offers (cruise or vacation packages, for example) or services (provisions for roadside assistance, for example) might have been superseded by subsequent information and might no longer apply.