Owning a car has its benefits, but keeping it in top condition is another story. Repairs and routine maintenance, including oil changes, can be expensive that’s why it always helps if a warranty covers these.
Yet sometimes, these warranties get void, which results in more expenses than expected.
There are a few things you need to keep in mind on how to prove oil change for warranty purposes. Although it may entail some paperwork on your part, this useful guide can help you keep your warranty valid and save some bucks in the long run.
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How to Prove Oil Changes for Warranty Maintenance
Warranty for oil changes can be considered void for a number of reasons. Here are some steps you need to do in case a warranty claim arises.
1. Save all your receipts
Receipts are proof of all the maintenance and/or repair done to your car. Have all your oil change receipts filed in a safe place. Please note that oil change receipts for warranty should include the date, service performed, and type of oil used.
It will also be useful to have the actual mileage stamped on the receipt when the oil change was done.
2. Take a photo of the receipt
If you are the techy type and prefer to keep digital oil change records, you may take out your cellphone and take a snap of your receipt in front of the car’s odometer to clearly show the mileage when you had your oil changed.
Again, make sure that the date and other important details are captured in your photo.
3. Follow your car manufacturer’s maintenance schedule
You must follow your car manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule in order to keep the warranty in force, including the extended warranty that covers oil change.
Oil changes must be done on a timely basis. Hyundai, for example, recommends changing oil every 7,500 to 10,000 miles on average.
Over at Ford, an oil change is recommended every 7,500 miles for car models from 2008 or newer and 5,000 miles for cars from 2007 or earlier.
However, oil change for new cars should be done sooner. Ideally, brand-new cars should have an oil change at 1,500 miles or as specified by the manufacturer.
Such recommendations should be observed. Always keep track of your oil change intervals because a late oil change may void the warranty.
4. Maintain a spreadsheet log
Creating a spreadsheet detailing all the information on your car is a more organized way of tracking your oil change as well as other maintenance and repair jobs.
Make columns for the date, the type of service, oil used, and mileage, as well as a column for comments should there be any issues.
See to it that you update your spreadsheet every time your car undergoes routine tune-ups and upload the file to a cloud-based storage for easy access.
Does Changing Your Own Oil Void Your Warranty?
If you are a car owner who prefers to do your own oil change, you can still keep the warranty as long as you use the manufacturer’s recommended oil.
Go through your owner’s manual for information on which oil to use and when to change your oil.
You can also have your oil changed somewhere else without compromising the warranty. Just inform your service provider to use the oil and filter specified in the car’s manual, and get hold of the receipt as proof and record of the service performed.
Remember to log the details, including the date you did the oil change and the type of oil you used for your car.
Conclusion
Oil change is a vital part of keeping your car in good running condition. If done regularly and properly, you can be assured of a smooth driving experience.
Though the process can be costly at times, you can still save some money by taking advantage of your warranty but you need to present the proper records or documents to support your claim.
Some people may find the steps on how to prove oil change for warranty a bit tedious, but at the end of the day, you will benefit from the efforts you put into proper record-keeping.
Working with Vernon and Ryley has been a great experience for me. Together with the rest of the team, I hope to create reliable and useful information for our readers, no matter where they are and their experience with car maintenance.
