3 Myths About Car Warranties You Should Know About During Your Service Advisor Career

Service advisor training can prepare you for a number of different career paths in the automotive sector, including as a warranty administrator. These professionals process and submit warranty claims, among several other duties.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths surrounding car warranties. That can lead to many vehicle owners believing things about their warranties that are simply untrue. If you pursue a service advisor career, you’ll be able to dispel a few common myths. Here’s a look at a couple of the ones that continue to persist.

1. Service Advisors Know Dealership Warranties Aren’t the Only Option

There is a common misconception that when buying a new or used car the only warranty option available (aside from the manufacturer’s warranty) is the one the dealer is offering, but this is simply untrue. Buyers have other options, including third-party warranty providers, and they are in no way obligated to get their warranty from the dealership.

That being said, there are often advantages to dealer warranties versus third-party warranties. Third-party warranties may require more documentation for processing a claim, for example, than a dealer warranty would.

2. Servicing a Vehicle at a Non-Dealership Garage Will Not Void the Warranty

This is a related myth and probably the most widely believed one you’ll come across after your service advisor training. The truth is that even if a warranty was purchased through a dealership, vehicle owners are under no obligation to get their vehicles serviced exclusively at dealership garages. Owners can get their cars and trucks serviced at any garage.

However, because dealership garages do most of their work on the make of vehicles they actually sell, their auto technicians may be more familiar with those vehicles and have training specifically for them, which other garages may lack. Also, vehicle owners need to follow their car manual’s recommended maintenance schedule regardless of where they get their car serviced. They also need to keep receipts to prove they’ve kept to that schedule as failing to do so could void the warranty.

3. Pros with Service Advisor Training Know that Not All Warranties Are the Same

There are a lot of different warranties out there for car owners: manufacturer warranties, dealer warranties, service warranties, extended warranties, and so on. All of these options can be a little overwhelming and you may hear car owners telling you during your service advisor career that all warranties are basically the same. But this assumption is definitely not true. Each warranty is different and covers different issues. Even coverage that sounds the same is sometimes very different.

For example, while many warranties cover mechanical breakdowns, not all cover wear and tear breakdowns. While some car owners may assume that there is no difference between these two types of breakdowns, there actually is. A mechanical breakdown occurs when a part fails or is defective due to manufacturing problems, such as if a part is recalled. A wear and tear breakdown, on the other hand, doesn’t mean there is anything inherently wrong with the vehicle, only that its parts have worn down through use and need to be replaced.

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