Factory Installed Car Parts Are Covered…Are You?
Filed Under: Cars
It’s best to avoid buying a car that’s been modified by a third party. What you can do is ask a dealership to install authentic branded parts or accessories in your car that fill your needs.
Some of the most common aftermarket add-ons include: theft alarms, CD players, automatic starting systems, high-power stereos, GPS systems, and sunroofs. You’ll be a lot better off if you only install original equipment items, and have them put in by the dealer.
It may be a pain, but you’ll have to wait for the dealer to locate the car you’re looking for or order the car you want. But there are some big benefits. The best thing is that your accessories will be covered if you have any problems with them or the car. What happens with aftermarket components, is that unofficial installations may end up voiding your car warranty.
Third-party accessories are normally installed at facilities though not been approved by a manufacturer or the dealership. And dealerships do not usually extend a warranty to cover third-party installations. The car manufacturer certainly doesn’t provide any guarantee because the components don’t come from them.
The third-party installer may not even offer a warranty on the components. Therefore, if you are having problems with aftermarket components or if they are affecting the factory-installed components, you may have few options.
Most likely, you will not have the protection and remedies provided by your state?s lemon law. In our practice, we have heard many horror stories from buyers of vehicles with aftermarket accessories or components:
* A remote starter from a third party was improperly installed and drain the battery dead.
* The third-party sunroof, ended up funneling rainwater right inside the car.
* An incorrectly installed DVD player actually kept the car from starting.
* The highway guidance system from a third party messed up the whole electrical system in the car.
Despite the seriousness of these problems, lemon laws in the state didn’t apply. So these people were either stuck with the way things were, or they had to pay to have the components removed again.
If aftermarket components happen to cause damage to the factory components in your car, your warranty may be partially or even fully voided.
