What should you keep in mind when taking your car for routine maintenance?

Free warranty repairs

Most car manufacturers provide free warranty coverage for the vehicle's powertrain system, including the transmission, drivetrain, and engine. During the warranty period, if these components malfunction or require repair or replacement, the user will not incur any cost. Some common powertrain malfunctions include jerky gear changes, engine overheating or difficulty starting, and sudden increases in engine speed during gear shifts.

It's important to note that powertrain warranties are based on mileage or timeframes. However, powertrain warranties are generally longer than those for batteries, audio systems, or chassis. Most automakers offer a warranty period of 3 years or 100,000 km for new vehicles.

Currently, only Honda offers an extended warranty package if customers want to add up to 150,000 km or 5 years, while Subaru offers a warranty of 100,000 km or 5 years.

Several car manufacturers, such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan, Kia, and Hyundai, offer a battery warranty of 20,000 km or 12 months. Lexus, on the other hand, provides a battery warranty of 100,000 km or 36 months. Chevrolet offers a warranty of 100,000 km or 3 years for its engine and transmission.

Additionally, Lexus offers a 100,000 km or 36-month warranty on the vehicle's surface for rust or major paint damage, and an unlimited mileage 6-year warranty against corrosion-related perforations. Meanwhile, Nissan offers a 100,000 km or 36-month warranty on its air conditioning system. Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi provides a 100,000 km or 36-month warranty on its audio system.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW offer unlimited mileage warranties for 24 months. Porsche provides a 48-month warranty with an extension option of up to 10 years if needed. Audi offers a warranty period of up to 36 months.

Items that are damaged will be charged for under warranty.

Free warranty coverage typically does not apply to naturally worn parts such as clutch discs, governor couplings, tires, spark plugs, fuel filters, oil filters, air filters, brake pads, clutch discs, lights, fuses, carbon brushes, wiper blades, belts and rubber parts, glass, etc. When the vehicle is serviced or maintained, additional costs such as oil, grease, electrolyte for the battery, radiator coolant, etc., will be charged.

Furthermore, the free warranty will not apply to any damage or loss occurring in cases where the vehicle is not maintained according to the manufacturer's recommended schedule, maintenance is incomplete or not in accordance with the manufacturer's regulations, or maintenance and repairs are not performed by authorized dealers, damage due to overloading, or damage caused by the owner installing additional equipment or accessories without authorization, etc.

Remember the vehicle's warranty schedule and service locations.

During the warranty period, vehicle owners should remember the warranty and maintenance schedules for the vehicle's parts (clearly stated in the manufacturer's warranty booklet) to ensure they take their vehicle for free maintenance as scheduled. Ignoring these schedules and failing to maintain the vehicle will make it difficult to receive free warranty coverage for any subsequent malfunctions.

Car owners can have their vehicles serviced at authorized dealerships if their new cars are still under warranty. Before taking your car in for service, review the warranty booklet and ask the staff about the total cost to avoid being caught off guard by the price after the repairs are completed.