If you buy your vehicle through a dealer, you will doubtless be offered a warranty for both new and used car sales. A dealer or manufacturer’s warranty can offer real value, and is an excellent safe-guard against the costs of having major service. What if you need to replace a part that is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty? Should you use an original part or will your warranty be voided by using a cheaper non-genuine part?

Check your warranty conditions

As a first step, check the conditions and fine print on the warranty. Generally, a warranty obligates the owner to service the vehicle as specified in the manufacturer’s manual, in terms of frequency and type of service. You are not required to have the car serviced by the dealer from which you purchased the vehicle, but you do have to ensure that a qualified mechanic, using genuine or appropriate-quality parts, performs the service.

OEM or non-genuine parts?

Also, be wary of using non-genuine service parts. While it is true that many original equipment manufacturer’s parts are more expensive, it is not necessarily in your interests to use non-genuine parts. If your vehicle is still covered by warranty, the failure of a non-genuine part can leave you stuck with neither the vehicle manufacturer nor parts supplier willing to accept responsibility for any resulting damage. Where a qualified mechanic or auto recycler guarantees the second-hand part, this would not impact the warranty.

Take special care in choosing your mechanic and used or recycled parts dealer to avoid impacting on the validity of the warranty. Talk to your nearest auto parts dealer for advice.