What Are Your Worst Warrantied Car Repair Stories?

Photo: Kevork Djansezian (Getty Images)

There’s peace of mind that comes with a warranty, and it can seal the deal for many potential car buyers. It’s a mark of assurance that an automaker believes its products won’t suffer any big issue, and a promise to fix the problem if it arises. However, it’s not uncommon for headaches to emerge when people actually need their warranty to cover a repair. Hoop-jumping doesn’t even begin to describe the process of getting warranty-covered service in some cases.

Fewer New-Car Leases Means Disaster for the Used-Car Market

What are your worst warrantied car repair stories? Did you have to spend weeks trying to prove that modifications that you made to your car didn’t cause the reported problem? Or, did a manufacturer’s representative believe that your sports car was in the shop because you treated your local freeway like it was Talladega? Maybe you were caught in a fine-print debate about what was or wasn’t covered under warranty.

Warranties are becoming an emerging tool for automakers to prevent people from flipping desirable new models. In November last year, it was discovered that General Motors included anti-flipping stipulations in the warranty for the GMC Canyon AT4X. The warranty requires the original buyer to own the off-roader for at least six months. Otherwise, much of the protections would be voided, including the powertrain and bumper-to-bumper warranties. I hope you all have your calendars at the ready.

Please don’t hesitate to share your worst warranty stories. However, neither myself nor anyone else at Jalopnik will protect you if the details shared void any warranty you currently have.