What Lifetime Warranties On Car Parts Usually Cover (And What We'd Double-Check)

Nobody likes needing car repairs. Unfortunately, though, repairs and maintenance are part of car ownership, whether that car be a brand-new Tesla or a four-decade-old Honda. Having to address faults often means taking time off from work, dipping into savings, or relying on lifts and public transport while your car's in the shop.

Sure, it's annoying, but not as frustrating as the repair failing. Imagine buying a new starter motor, having your car towed to a shop, paying for the labor to strip the old motor out, only to find you've been sold a faulty or incorrect part. That's potentially more time off work, more money out of your pocket for a new starter, and just more headaches that you don't need.

This is why warranties exist, and in many cases, car-parts suppliers offer what's called a lifetime warranty. The idea behind this is that you buy the part, and should it fail again during the vehicle's lifetime, you get a free replacement. It sounds great on paper, but there are limitations to it. Also, it's important to understand what these warranty packages typically cover — and what they don't.

If you've purchased a new part — perhaps you're looking to replace a failed crankshaft sensor — and when you go to install it, it becomes clear the part is incorrect or faulty, a lifetime warranty covers its replacement. The same goes for if you installed the part and it worked fine, but then it failed weeks, months, or even years down the line. Provided the part has been installed correctly and not misused in any way, a lifetime warranty should absolutely cover its replacement.

But what the warranty typically covers is one replacement of the item. A lifetime warranty isn't an endless ticket to free replacements, it can generally be used once to repair the original item, and then it is expired. Having said that, if the part you are resupplied with is immediately faulty or just incorrect, you should also be entitled to a refund or new item, although that's due only to the warranty; many states' laws let stores set whatever refund policy they like.

It's also worth knowing that you don't need a qualified technician to fit the part for the warranty to work. You can take it to a shop or do it yourself, it makes no difference so long as it's fitted correctly. There are stipulations to the replacement of these parts, though, and these are the things you are best off double-checking before depending on a lifetime warranty.

Sometimes, the part isn't the trouble. If a sensor fails deep within your engine bay, the part might only set you back $20 — as an example — but getting to it might require the removal of numerous ancillaries, setting you back $200 for labor. Now imagine that the new sensor fails after just a week or two. The warranty promises to cover the $20 cost of another new sensor, but that $200 labor bill is up to you again.

Here's another scenario. You're buying a car from your friend, and he says the alternator is giving up the ghost, so to avoid the alternator dying while you're driving he'll get it repaired before he sells it. The alternator sets him back a few hundred dollars, and you buy the car. Trouble hits, and the alternator fails the following week, but no problem — the lifetime warranty will cover it, right? Wrong. Lifetime warranties on car parts usually stipulate that they're only valid if the owner of the car is the same person who purchased the part, and vice versa.

Other things to double-check include whether the parts supplier requires you to buy the replacement first before putting in a warranty claim, whether it supplies a refund or store credit, and if any parts are excluded. For instance, products such as aerosol cans may be exempt, which can be frustrating if they fail.