The good news for those of us who like running down to the auto parts store for a new oil filter that we then fit onto our cars, is that by doing so we are not voiding the car’s warranty.

That’s because in Australia the Trade Practices Act prevents the practice of exclusive dealing by attaching conditions to the sale of goods that restrict the buyer’s freedom of choice to deal with whom or in what they choose. In other words, Manufacturer A can’t force you to go to a Manufacturer A repair shop when your car needs a service.

Warranty repairs vs servicing

The bad news is that the above freedom applies only to servicing the car. A vehicle manufacturer cannot specify that you must have your car serviced by a particular dealer or group of dealers as part of the warranty conditions. If you do service the car yourself, the manufacturer cannot void the warranty just because you did so outside of the dealer approved servicing network. But as soon as you do an auto repair or replace a part that’s covered by the warranty, that’s another issue. Another reason why you may want to have your car part replaced by a dealer approved outlet, is that non-dealers may not be able to do the auto repair they wish to because they do not have access to the complicated systems used to diagnose and calibrate modern cars. The prevalence of onboard computer systems that need specialist, manufacturer-specific plug-ins to correct faults, means that you may find yourself having to take the vehicle in to the manufacturer to have the repair done after all.

Check the fine print

Generally speaking, the vehicle manufacturer will not reimburse for repairs done at a non-dealer garage unless you had no other option available. This means you have to be on holiday, or out in an area where you could not get to an approved dealer. Even then, you may have a difficult time getting reimbursed for the repairs. You should also read the warranty carefully to make sure that you perform routine checks and repairs to the car at the specified times in its life, say every 10,000 kilometres. Many warranties will become void if you do not perform these at the right time. Remember that a warranty is your guarantee of getting free repairs done on your car, but the issuer of the warranty needs to know that you are not taking unnecessary risks that may damage the vehicle by doing auto repairs yourself which should be done by a dealer approved professional.

Know your warranty

• There is no standard warranty – check yours to see what you are permitted to do and not do
• Find out where and how you are supposed to get quotes for replacing parts professionally
• Be aware that warranties may be subject to limitations, including time and mileage
• Do you have to inform the warranty issuer before any car repair is done?

If you read your warranty carefully you will not rush in and replace parts yourself only to find that the warranty is void because what you did should have been done by an approved automotive repairer. There are motor replacement parts and accessories that you can replace yourself, but some spare parts may need the specialist automotive repair skills of a manufacturer approved dealer. If you void the warranty, you may end up costing yourself a lot more than you saved in buying your own car spares and installing them by yourself.