The Value of Warranty Protected Parts
We live in a world where anything we want to find or anything we want to know are at our fingertips. Since there is so much information, both good and bad, shops are often asked if it is possible to install a part that a customer has purchased. Most of these parts are purchased online from one of the companies that spend a ton of money on advertising to get the average driver to go to their site. There are so many reasons why this is not a good idea but this month I wanted to write about one of the most important reasons. Warranty.
Sure, there’s liability along with the possibility of getting the wrong part, but how much does your time mean to you? When a customer purchases their own parts, they are buying a do-it-yourself part. They are taking responsibility for that part. Let me give you an example of a situation that recently took place to better explain.
A few weeks ago, a Jeep was dropped off with a clutch problem. The transmission had to be removed to access the clutch. This is not an easy nor a fast repair. In addition to that, there were additional parts that needed to be replaced at the same time due to their location. The repair was completed and the transmission re-installed. Once fully complete, the vehicle was picked up by the customer.
Here is where the real value of a warranty comes in. One of those parts that we installed started to leak. We had a defective part! Although this does not happen often, it happens. We have no control over the manufacturing process of any of the parts. We can only provide the best quality at the best possible price. Along with part quality and price, we can offer a warranty on the repair. Since we provided the part and installed it, all it took was a phone call to our supplier to get a replacement part on the way. That labor-intensive job that had just completed, was taken apart and performed again at no charge to the vehicle owner.
Had we not supplied the part the owner of the Jeep would have had a lot to deal with. He would have had to re-order a replacement part, pay again to have the defective part removed, then once removed send the defective part back to the supplier and wait for a refund. Not only would he have lost money by paying for the repair twice, but he would have lost in time and been extremely frustrated. Add to that, the time to do all of the running around without the vehicle that is in the shop.
When you take your car in for service or repair to a professional mechanic, you are not only getting needed work done, you are getting piece of mind. Knowing that you have someone that will stand behind their product will pay off and pay off big. Warranty is similar to an insurance policy, except that it covers your car.

As for that Jeep, it’s back on the road and the driver was able to have minimal interruption from his day. So next time you are thinking about buying your own parts and trying to find someone to install them, think about what you would do if that part failed. Is it worth the extra cost or the lost time?
