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You walk into your shop, coffee in-hand, to face your first problem of the day. A customer is standing at the counter, yelling like they are auditioning for a courtroom drama. The car is back because some part failed again. And yes, this is the same customer who declined the auto parts warranty two months ago.
You told them that they’d need it. But they didn’t listen, they thought it was yet another upsell.
Your employees are also sick of dealing with all the skepticism around their work.
“This lady argues with me about repairs every time she brings her car in, like I’m the enemy or something. Then asks for a discount immediately after I give her the price. We’re doing a service for you, how are you gonna be rude to the people doing it and think that’s alright? Anyways I’ve always hoped she never comes back, and from the first time she argued with me I always charge her more than I should for everything.”
- An exasperated mechanic on Reddit.
The last sentence of that quote basically describes the whole problem. When a car part fails for the first time:
With more clarity, this cycle can shorten by a lot. You might even be able to off-load the burden to another partner almost entirely. But more on that later.
Let’s go over why manufacturer warranties aren’t enough, how the whole auto parts warranty process affects techs, and how third-party warranty partners help.
At first, when salespeople sell cars, they also talk about car warranties. Car warranties aren’t really “bumper-to-bumper", but that phrase makes the sale. If you try talking to them about parts warranties, they think you’re trying to make an upsell.
Then, when a part fails, customers walk in expecting to keep their wallets closed. That never ends well, unfortunately.
Car warranties are sold by dealerships. These have different types like powertrain and bumper-to-bumper, which usually cover radiators, engines, transmission, all the big parts.
Most auto parts like brake pads, tires, and wiper blades aren’t covered by car warranties.
Without actual auto parts warranties, those components only have manufacturing warranties (OEM warranties). Nothing else.
So when customers return with some other part not working, they expect it to be already covered by the manufacturer or by a car warranty.
Even though all the plans and their distinctions are confusing, they’re not reasons to yell. It’s still frustrating for your mechanics to deal with the subset of customers who get upset easily.
And when they do yell, it won’t be at the manufacturers or the dealerships. They’ll direct it at your staff.
Some repair techs just up and quit because of all the rage.
“I quit the trade. That's how I dealt with it. The final straw for me was some guy freaking out because of the cost of replacing the brakes on his 911. He was trying to compare the price of the brakes on his sisters caviler to the price of his. He was SCREAMING at the poor service lady. I explained calmly that the brakes on his car cost more than his sister’s entire car.”
- A burnt-out ex-repair tech on Reddit.
The issue in the post could have been avoided if there was a separate warranty on the parts. If there was a part protection plan, the mechanic would’ve continued working without the customer blaming them for issues.
In general, when a part breaks, techs have no issues repairing the component. The trouble starts when customers yell at your staff who have nothing to do with what manufacturers cover or what dealerships sell.
Most repair shops don’t manage parts claims themselves, but customers don’t understand that. If the claim gets denied by the manufacturer, they think it’s your fault.
Even when the claim denial is legitimate, it feels personal. This is why warranty disputes on car parts escalate so fast; Customers believe that you’re out to get them.
And when you’re helping them file claims, taking care of the repairs, and then dealing with the manufacturers, you get pushed into conflict you never asked for.
Third-party warranty partners reduce the noise around claims and take care of the replacements. They manage customer expectations and complaints, and your staff won’t have to worry about paperwork either.
“It feels like a full-time job just to get paid for work I've already done. I fix the car, the customer is happy, and then I spend the next week playing telephone between the parts supplier and the OEM, filling out endless forms, and half the time, feeling like they're just looking for a reason to deny the claim. It's incredibly frustrating, and as a new business, I can't afford to just eat these costs.”
- An exhausted mechanic on Reddit.
Compared to car parts warranty providers, OEM warranties don’t have a lot of benefits:
With a third-party warranty partner, your techs won’t have to deal with burnout as much.
The workload will lighten because:
With trusted auto parts warranty providers like SureBright, you also get a fully transparent view of how these plans are selling, what you can improve, and how the whole process is going. That way, you still have control, but it won’t be your headache.
Everybody wins when auto parts warranties are in place.
Instead of fighting over coverage, your techs will focus on fixing cars, and your customers will get the protection they need. With these plans, you’ll protect your sanity, your team, and the relationship you've built with customers over years of honest work.
If you’re confused about what to do next, you can look into how you can choose the right warranty partner or how they compare against one another.
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