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Your Manufacturer’s Warranty is Secure

Your Manufacturer’s Warranty is Secure and better protected with AMSOIL

AMSOIL lubricants maintain your factory vehicle and equipment warranties.

_by David Hilgendorf October 24, 2022

According to the Federal Trade Commission, manufacturers or sellers may make promises to stand behind the products you purchase. Any warranty offered must be available to read before purchase, so be sure to understand the details of what is covered before you buy.

Vehicle and equipment warranties often cover the expensive costs of labor and parts necessary to fix certain product defects or malfunctions within a predetermined amount of time or usage. It is important to know that your manufacturer’s warranty is secure for peace of mind.

Whether investing a few thousand dollars in lawn equipment, tens of thousands on powersports vehicles that may only be used a few months out of the year, or buying a new car or truck for daily use, manufacturers know these are big investments. They put a lot of focus on warranties to build consumer confidence and want you to buy their brand of parts and lubricants instead of aftermarket products.

Feeling pressured to use their products?

Some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) falsely claim that you must use their brand of parts and lubricants or risk voiding your factory warranty. OEMs may even attempt to make you feel like they control what you can do with your vehicles. This is one of the biggest hurdles faced when recommending AMSOIL.

Thankfully, in America, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act [15 USC Ch. 50 §2302(c)] protects your freedom to choose any brand of aftermarket parts and lubricants and your right to extend oil-change intervals beyond what is recommended in your owner’s manual, without voiding your warranty. Similar protections are available in Canada.

U.S. Federal law Protects you

Here are key points to remember for maintaining your factory warranty:

  • It is illegal to tie warranty coverage to the brand of parts or lubricants you use unless the manufacturer provides the parts or lubricants free of charge.
  • You have freedom to choose how to protect your vehicles and equipment, including extending recommended drain intervals.
  • Manufacturers can’t deny warranty coverage without proving an aftermarket part or lubricant caused a failure.

If anyone tries to tell you differently, contact the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

Tips to avoid warranty issues

No one wants to file a warranty claim. It’s a hassle and can take months to resolve. Here are a few tips to help smooth the process should you ever need to use your factory warranty.

  • Read your warranty. Familiarizing yourself with what is and is not covered is worth your time.
  • Period of coverage. If your vehicle or equipment acts up, have it looked at before the end of the warranty term.
  • Service records and receipts. No matter who performs the service, providing proof that you maintained your vehicle removes the easiest way for manufacturers to shirk responsibility.
  • Speak up. If you think a service adviser denied your warranty claim unfairly, ask to speak with a supervisor. If the dealer does not resolve the issue, try another dealer, or contact the manufacturer. If you still aren’t getting results, contact your attorney general, local consumer protection office or the FTC.
  • Avoid aftermarket warranties. Many are scams. If a dealership is selling one please check the BBB looking up the company first! I can bet there are a lot of angry customers! If you think it’s legit remember it’s a contract and NOT a warranty so be sure to have them add in that you are going to use AMSOIL on your terms.

Strong products, strong warranty

AMSOIL designs high-performance replacements for manufacturer-branded lubricants that keep your factory warranty intact.

AMSOIL developed Warranty Secure branding to simply and effectively reinforce your right to use AMSOIL synthetic lubricants. We use clear, direct language to remind consumers that the law is on their side and to dispel fears generated by misleading or false warranty claims from any manufacturer, dealer or mechanic.

Because this issue is more prevalent in the powersports market, the Warranty Secure icon appears on all our powersports products, including AMSOIL Synthetic V-Twin Motorcycle Oil and ATV/UTV oils.

AMSOIL also offers its own Limited Warranty, offering an extra measure of protection. While some oil companies guarantee their products only for a specified mileage, we stand behind our products for as long as you use them.

Runs on Freedom™ Snowmobile Warranty

Additionally, AMSOIL offers the revolutionary Runs on Freedom Snowmobile Warranty offering complete peace of mind. Simply use AMSOIL INTERCEPTOR Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil exclusively in your new sled and we’ll cover any engine repairs for up to two years or 5,000 miles (8,000 km). Read the terms and conditions and register your sled today!

No other aftermarket snowmobile lubricant manufacturer offers this robust of a warranty. We’re so confident in our products, we’ll cover any repair to your snowmobile engine in the unlikely event of an engine failure. This means AMSOIL may end up fixing defective OEM parts that fail for reasons unrelated to our oil, but we’re more concerned about protecting our customers and their machines.

As millions of satisfied AMSOIL customers know, using AMSOIL synthetic lubricants or practicing extended drain intervals does not void vehicle or equipment warranties.

AMSOIL stands behind its products and the people who use them. If the OEM claims use of AMSOIL products violates the warranty, contact AMSOIL Technical Services (715-399-8324) or visit amsoil.com/warrantysecure.

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Lubricant specifications are here to help.

Use Lubricant Specifications To Your Advantage

 

Amsoil Tech Guru

Matt Erickson | DIRECTOR, TECHNICAL PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

Specs can be confusing if you miss these three points.

Let’s step back in time for a minute. It’s the 1920s. You’re cruising around town in your Ford* Model A or maybe your Nash* Advanced Six Coupe. You’re off to the theater to see the latest Charlie Chaplin picture. Life is good.

But your car needs motor oil. How can you be sure of the oil’s performance? Will it provide the quality needed to keep your engine humming?

This dilemma is why we have motor oil specifications today. Back then, there was no telling what motorists were getting in each can of oil they purchased. One oil might offer good engine protection while another solidified in the cold, evaporated in the presence of heat and delivered all around poor performance. The industry quickly realized the need for a simple way to assure motorists the oil they were buying wouldn’t ruin their engines.

Setting The Most Basic Standard – The API

Eventually, the American Petroleum Institute (API) introduced its first gasoline motor oil performance specification – API SA. Motorists could look for oils recommended for the API SA specification and know that they were safe to use in vehicles built in 1930 and earlier. Soon, the API SB specification was introduced to supersede the previous specification. Fast forward several decades and now API SN PLUS is the current gasoline motor oil specification, with API SP/ILSAC GF-6 set to be introduced next May.

Side Note: There are still marketers selling SA and SB rated oils which will destroy your engine – Amalie is being sued for selling a product line through Dollar stores. So watch out!! These specifications including the latest are “LOW” minimums.

Today, the market is loaded with lubricant specifications, which is one reason many motorists don’t understand them. In addition to API, there’s ILSAC, ACEA and JASO specifications. And don’t forget the dozens of specifications published by the automakers themselves, like GM* dexos® 1 Gen 2 or Chrysler* MS-6395. Plus, we have several transmission fluid specifications, like MERCON* LV and DEXRON* III.

Clear as mud, right?

Understanding lubricant performance specifications isn’t that difficult if you identify a few key points.

1) A lubricant performance specification is a set of minimum performance standards.

Say you turn to the back of your owner’s manual and see that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recommends using a 5W-20 motor oil rated for API SN PLUS. That means you can safely use any 5W-20 motor oil recommended for API SN PLUS. To earn that designation, the oil must demonstrate a minimum level of performance in a range of motor oil bench and engine tests. These tests are designed to screen for wear protection, stability in the presence of heat, engine cleanliness and more. These standards usually set the minimum performance standard for conventional oils, which is a pretty low bar. That means two lubricants recommended for the same specification (API SN PLUS, for example) do not necessarily provide equal performance and protection. Lubricants meeting the specification requirements have only met the minimum performance requirements, leaving room for significant differences in performance.

2) Many OEMs publish their own motor oil performance specifications.

For decades, API and other industry lubricant specifications were the only game in town. Some 3rd parties called it “The lowest Common Denominator”. This kept things relatively simple. Then, General Motors* introduced its GM dexos 1 spec in 2011, further confusing things for consumers. An OEM might determine its engines require oil that offers better performance in certain areas than required by industry specifications, hence the need for its own specification. European OEMs have been doing this for years. Thus European labeled oils…

3) Specifications aren’t the same as brands.

You might hear owners of GM vehicles say that they need to use “dexos oil” in their engines. There’s no such thing as a brand of oil named “dexos.” What the driver means to say is he or she needs to use an oil that is made for the GM dexos specification. This is a key difference because they might falsely think they have to use the OEM-branded fluid to maintain their warranty when they can, in fact, use any oil recommended for the dexos spec.

Lubricant specifications are designed to help motorists, but at the end of the day they’re just recommendations. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act guarantees you the freedom to choose whichever oil you think is best for your vehicles and equipment. An OEM cannot deny warranty coverage simply based on the oil you use. For the record, AMSOIL recommends consulting your owner’s manual for the recommended viscosity and oil specifications and using an oil that lists those on its label.

Note!! This does not apply in Canada. AMSOIL is working to create a Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in each providence to protect Canadians as their American counterparts enjoy.

Profits are with set minimums (Specifications) – Performance exists when they are enhanced further

This is where AMSOIL stands apart from all other products which can be sorted into two additional categories.

Lubricant specifications also simply set minimum performance requirements. We’re not satisfied with “minimum” performance here. That’s why customers who want the best protection should use AMSOIL instead of just any old oil recommended for their vehicles. For proof of how AMSOIL products exceed the toughest specifications, visit www.amsoil.com/performancetests.aspx