You can do ANYTHING you want to under the bonnet (or anywhere else on the car) as long as the parts and fluids you use meet the criteria and requirements of the manufacturer- the dealer CANNOT void or cancel your warranty for you doing anything under there. In order to do so under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act they MUST PROVIDE ALL PARTS AND SERVICES FOR FREE during the life of the warranty.
If you need brake fluid (which, FYI does not evaporate in anything less than years- you had a dangerous leak somewhere that should have been found and fixed) you can use any fluid you want as long as it meets the manufactures rating of DOT3, DOT4, DOT5, etc.
Same with oil- you can use what ever you want as long as it meets the required GL SAE spec. Oil filter, the same. EVERYTHING under the hood that is not covered directly by the warranty can be fixed by you or any mechanic using quality parts and they cannot claim otherwise or deny you warranty service.
In order to not cover a repair the dealer and manufacturer must PROVE that the use of a item or repair was the sole and full cause of the failure. They cannot claim your brand of oil caused your engine to fail. for example, unless they can 100% prove the engine suffered ONLY and SIMPLY an oil caused failure. If you toss a rod yet the rest of the bearings are fine, that was not oil related. Same if a headgasket blows- they cannot claim the use of non dealer antifreeze was the cause if the engine does not show signs of severe corrosion.
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Date: 2011-08-25 10:53 pm (UTC)If you need brake fluid (which, FYI does not evaporate in anything less than years- you had a dangerous leak somewhere that should have been found and fixed) you can use any fluid you want as long as it meets the manufactures rating of DOT3, DOT4, DOT5, etc.
Same with oil- you can use what ever you want as long as it meets the required GL SAE spec. Oil filter, the same. EVERYTHING under the hood that is not covered directly by the warranty can be fixed by you or any mechanic using quality parts and they cannot claim otherwise or deny you warranty service.
In order to not cover a repair the dealer and manufacturer must PROVE that the use of a item or repair was the sole and full cause of the failure. They cannot claim your brand of oil caused your engine to fail. for example, unless they can 100% prove the engine suffered ONLY and SIMPLY an oil caused failure. If you toss a rod yet the rest of the bearings are fine, that was not oil related. Same if a headgasket blows- they cannot claim the use of non dealer antifreeze was the cause if the engine does not show signs of severe corrosion.