Rotors and drums, calipers, master and wheel cylinders, brake fluid, brake parts cleaner, air freshener etc etc… Customer retention… Plus they are counting on only having to warranty them once maybe twice before you get ride of it for whatever reason… I have seen them give you your money back if warrantied to many times, cheaper then to keep replacing…
They don’t count on the Georges of the world that keep their vehicles for 50 + years…
I do not know what the average new car ownership time was in the late '80s when I first bought the lifetime brake pads, but in today’s Googling, it says new cars are normally kept for just over 8-years… My father was not the norm in the '50s thru late '70s, he traded in his cars every 2-3-years. If he really liked the car, he might keep it 4-years… This was upstate New York and the salt really tore up the cars back then…
When I replaced the batteries in my 2001 Dodge Ram the first time (diesel uses two 750-amps batteries), the replacements were warrantied for 7-years. They had to be replaced after 5-years, got a small rebate. But the replacements were only warrantied for 5-years… The last ones I replaced only had a 3-year warranty…
Remember, decades ago, cars did not last as long as they do now. In the '50s average max milage out of an engine was only 50-90,000, depending on level of car. In the '60s the engines lasted easily up to 120,000 miles and in the '80s and '90s it got batter and better.
Consequently, the cars were kept longer. But you all need to remember, a warranty is not honored if you cannot prove you were the original purchaser… As I wrote earlier, I still have my original purchase receipt.
And as a note to all for future reference, many items bought today have the receipt printed out on a thermal printer. Those receipts fade and I believe that is a “marketing ploy” to prevent you from taking advantage of long term warranties, I scan the receipts (of items of any value) on my printer and print out a better copy.
I have several Stihl yard tools: a chain saw, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, and a weed wacker. They come with a 2-year warranty, but if you buy a pack (6-bottles) of their synth oil, it doubles the warranty. When I needed to bring in my leaf blower for work, the original receipt had faded away, but the copy was a clear as the day I printed it…
No, it’s not just you, and it doesn’t happen only at auto parts stores.
Back in the days when Sears was still a viable operation, I went to their local store to order parts for my Craftsman snowblower. They never called–despite their promise to do so–and when I went there a couple of weeks later, the trashy woman behind the parts counter snarled at me that the parts had been sent back because I hadn’t picked them up.
I reordered the parts, and when I went back a few days later, both of my orders were sitting there, and that same trashy woman told me that I had to pay for both of my orders. I walked out, and started from scratch at a different Sears location, without any major problems.
Sears… a failed enterprise, staffed largely by failed employees…
Once many years ago I ordered a part at my local Ford dealer. A few days later on my way back home from work I stopped by to see if the part had arrived. The parts guy said no.
When I got home 5 minutes later there was a message on my machine from the dealer that the part had arrived. Sheesh.
Well here’s the thing, I try not to take advantage of people or businesses. The lifetime warranties are based on statistical ownership data of which there are extremes. If you are one of those on the extreme, I would just offer maybe just give it up after a while. Why do we want a business to lose money?
An army buddy managed an auto parts store so I bought lifetime shocks from him when I was driving 50,000 miles a year. The first time they wire out he replaced them but the second time he begged mercy and I agreed and paid for them. My step mothers brother had a muffler shop and my Buick park Avenue went through mufflers yearly. Due to short trips and the muffler being located by the bumper. I bought a lifetime muffler from him. When I came back for a replacement he explained they were the same muffler and he had to pay for the replacement. We just split the cost and he died before I needed another one which I would have paid full price for.
I draw the line at being a patsy but I believe in handshakes not contracts, and fairness not taking advantage because I can. Just sayin is all.
They usually ask the customer to pay for the parts at the time they are ordered. I expect some customers buy the parts elsewhere anyway, then when the ordered parts arrive they either blow it off, let the store keep them, or pick them up and put them in storage for later use.
Land line phone w/answering machine.
I don’t answer the phone anymore unless it is identified as in my call list. If important they will leave a message. I got a couple from the irs saying I would be arrested soon but I just ignored them and packed an overnight bag in case the sheriff came.
I gotta go. Got a car to wax and polish.
I purchased a Moen kitchen faucet 30 years ago. Around $75 IIRC. Box said “Lifetime warranty”, meaning as long as I own it, and it remains in the same location where it was originally installed. Other than during the initial Covid-problem when they had some stocking problems, they’ve been very good at honoring the warranty w/no complaints. They’ve sent me 7 or 8 replacement parts, cartridges, diverter valves, o-ring sets, base plate, over the years, gratis. Good service is indeed rare, but is possible.
lol … pretty funny retail-store story. On the positive side, at least they found both of them. It’s often the case when I return to pick up a long-ago ordered car part, they look and look, usually looking here and there 15 minutes or more, before either they find it or give up. You’d think they would at least have the common sense to place all warehouse ordered parts in the same location.
I’ve always wondered how it is that some businesses cannot seem to achieve even basic competence at performing major functions.
I’ve never used a lifetime warranty on any car part. A money-saving concept I’ve missed out on apparently. I’ve heard stories of car owners who buy lifetime mufflers, and own the car for 50 years, getting 4 or 5 replacement mufflers for free over the years. Personally I wouldn’t do that even if I had a lifetime muffler warranty. For one thing, I could never find the paperwork … lol …
With all due respect, No wonder no one calls you back, it sounds like you special order the $5.00 1 year warranty brake pads instead of the $29.99 ones with a lifetime warranty that are in stock… You have to almost go out of your way to not get the lifetime warranty on most items… I think radiators almost (performance not included) always have lifetime warranty’s…
I have ordered/bought hundreds or more radiators over the years for customers and don’t remember any of them not being lifetime warranty…
And most of the time all you have to do is give them your phone number and or name and they can see your history…
Maybe I actually get a lifetime warranty with a part, but don’t notice and so never use it. I purchased a replacement radiator for my Corolla a few years ago, I’ll see if I can locate the paperwork. I don’t recall seeing anything about a lifetime warranty. But, hey, maybe I’ll get the next on free. By my estimates the next one will be in 2045 … lol …
I did get a replacement on a moon ball joint from Napa though. I think it was about 6 months old but the shop got it replaced for me so I didn’t do anything. On another car prior I had a one year old mood tie rod end just break. So I dunno, maybe they all come from the same place but I prefer oem now for front end parts and not moog.
I guess you are kind of writing about me and others who hold the venders’ feet to the fire for their warranties. First off, I am not some cheapskate who tries to squeeze “every drop of blood from the stone…” When I shop for home products, tools, supplies, I often shop the “Mom 'n Pops” shops. Lowes, Home Depot, and other Big-Box stores are not fun to shop in.
I grew up in the mountains of upstate NY and every business was a Mom 'n Pops. We had a General Store and Mercantile and the Montgomery Brothers sold everything… If you needed only 4 eggs, they broke the carton down. We had one restaurant and Miss Della opened early on Sunday morning so the folks leaving church could go have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. The post office was in a private residence and your mail address was “General Delivery” and Mrs. Porter knew everyone… So I know that those folk do not get the “cheaper by the dozen” price that Big-Box gets. So I do not “bleed them…,” I need them!
As I’ve mentioned in other postings, I served in the Air Force for over 30-years and I was assigned to 17-differents locations, all over the US, Europe, and Asia. So, I’ve had to deal with all types of businesses, in all types of locations, everywhere…
But when I buy from a Big-Box business and the business pushes the Premium Product and stress the “Life-Time Warranty”, I hold their feet to the fire… Remember, I PAY a Premium Price for that item, be it brakes, mufflers, alternators, struts, etc… And that is my justification!
When I read @VDCdriver 's experience at Sears, it reminded me about the Life-Time Warrantied Struts we bought for the '85 Toyota (we bought new and still have…). At about 40k miles, the dealer (dealer that sold us the car…) replaced them (warranty 1-year, 12k miles…). At about 85k miles, while assigned to a base in Texas, we went to Sears to buy new struts and the Salesman pushed and pushed the lifetime struts on us, kept saying, “you’ve already replaced them twice…” So we paid the extra-high, Premium Price, for the Life-Time Warrantied Struts…
At about 125k miles; Yup, we needed new ones again… The Life-Time Warrantied Struts gave us no better mileage than the standard models did… But now, we are back East in New York and the Manager at this Sears Store tried three different ways to get out of the honoring the warranty…
First he told us that the Life-Time Warranty was only valid for the original purchaser but we had all the paper work showing we bought the struts.
Next, he told us that the warranty was regional and there were two regions, East of the Mississippi and West of the Mississippi and I had to go back to the original store that sold the struts.
Well, like I wrote, we had the original paperwork, receipts, etc… and it said nothing about regions…
Finally, after going away to the parts department, he came back and said they do not carry struts for our car anymore, so there was nothing he could do…
Once again, I pulled out the paper work that the warranty says that they will replace or refund the purchase price and since we paid cash, we expect a cash reimbursement…
He said he needed to clear this with the general manager and he left the service center and went to the main store…
We really wanted replacements, if we had to buy new ones, they would cost a lot more than what we paid years before.
While we were waiting, a salesman asked if he could show us anything, we told him we needed new struts and he looked up our car, and told us the price and I said I wanted the Premium, Life-Time Warrantied Struts. He placed the order and we left. I did not care to talk to that “manager” again…
A couple of days later, the salesman called that the struts came in. We called back and made an appointment to again talk to that manager and he again said he can’t help us, it’s a regional issue, the struts are not carried by them anymore and the general manager was not in today…
Since he really irked me with his lies and bull, I laid it on the line, the warranty says, “if the product fails during the warranty period (Life-Time) due to defect in materials or workmanship, Sears will replace it, free of charge, or refund the purchase price.”
I told him the NEW struts were sitting right there on the parts counter and if he did not install them “Free of Charge” I will raise such a stink with the General Manager and with Corporate that it will be heard back in Texas… I will also charge the store with deceptive practices with the Air Force Authorities on base and while the store is being investigated to determine if it needs to be put on the “Black List,” that fact will hit the newspapers and local news…
His face changed a few shades of color and I do not know if it was anger or fear, but he did change his tune and said he would have them installed, free of charge. And the way he said it made it sound like he was doing us a favor.
I reminded him that he was not doing us any favors and we never should have been treated this way in the first place…
The Toyota now has 230K miles on it and those Struts are still on her…
I did report the situation to the base, they determined it was not a systemic situation in Sears but the base did notify the General Manager that they initiated an investigation and why. The next time we shopped in the Sears Service Department, there was a new manger working there…
I agree with this sentiment… I wrote a week aback or so about replacing the Oil Pressure Sending Unit on the '85 and that I had to buy a 27mm deep-well socket from O’Reillys. The sending unit came out like a dream and installed the new one almost as easy as writing this. The Socket still looks brand new and I could easily return it saying I did not need it but O’Reillys is a franchise and is individually owned (like a Mon 'n Pops…) and I want them around the next time I need a part, so that socket now sits in a tool draw marked “Unloved Tools”…
No I didn’t have you or anyone else in particular in mind. Just my thoughts in general.
I had to rethink my original statements based on the insight provided by you guys. It makes business sense just from the fact most people are unlikely to take advantage of the warranty and they get your information. This is useful to them and they can sell it to any company that they are “affiliated” with, which is more than likely to include an advertising data collection business. That alone probably pays for the few people that use the warranty…
Yeah, I should probably add that I bought a new alternator from Napa. New, not rebuilt. I don’t remember what the warranty was but it failed within a year. Exchanged it in the parking lot to continue my trip out of state. That one failed too so I threw it away with the warranty and bought a new delco. No more problems so I have bought delco ever since. Who wants to keep replacing parts, warranty or not?
They would have given your money back… lol …
I purchased a car part (starter) that failed right out of the box a few years ago. I asked for a refund. The store manager refused, insisted my only recourse was to accept a store credit. Not worth arguing about, so I just took the store credit and found an auto-electric place to repair the original part.