Do your own maintenance?
 

Was wondering if anyone has experience when GM asks for proof you did your own maintenance to satisfy warranty requirements (5/60 power-train or EPP). How about just a receipt showing the correct oil purchased on certain dates? Did they ever refuse this 'evidence', and on what grounds? - Thanks

^ This for me also.

GM is OK with customers doing their own maintenance and keeping receipts while under factory bumper to bumper or power train warranty. GMEPP and nearly every other EPP will not allow owners to do their own maintenance and most have the requirement for a shop to perform maintenance in the contract. I've had several "close calls" with various EPP companies that either denied or came very close to denying a large claim due to lack of maintenance receipts. Usually they want a shop (doesn't have to be a dealer) to perform the maintenance and record the date, mileage, VIN and part numbers for filters/fluids used.

IMO it's not worth taking the risk of a claim being denied to change your own oil if you have an extended warranty.

I understand what you are saying, that it may not be worth doing your own maintenance (engine, transmission, and diff lubricants) if there is a chance they may refuse a GMEPP claim. But why would they change their policy for GMEPP vs power-train warranty? And legally speaking,...the only thing I found in the GMEPP fine print under exclusions was the following:

D. For any Breakdown caused by misuse, abuse, negligence, lack of normal maintenance required by the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule for
Your Vehicle, or improper servicing or repairs subsequent to purchase. For any Breakdown caused by sludge build-up resulting from Your failure
to perform recommended maintenance services, or failure to maintain proper levels of lubricants and/or coolants, or Breakdowns caused by fuels
containing more than 10% Ethanol ...

There are a few different references to maintenance in the GMEPP contract and we've dealt with enough extended warranty companies to know they expect the maintenance to be done at a shop. There really isn't any other way to "prove" the specific parts and fluids purchased were for a specific car on a certain date and at a specific mileage. Legally you might be able to sue them over coverage, but that is significantly more of a PITA than just allowing a shop to do a few oil changes while under the extended warranty coverage.

Here are a couple copy and pastes from the GMEPP contract:

THINGS YOU MUST DO THROUGHOUT THE TERM OF YOUR CONTRACT
Properly Maintain Your Vehicle and KEEP THE RECEIPTS – Keep copies of all receipts (oil changes, lubrication, etc.), as proof of maintenance may be
required when You file a claim. SEE SECTION: "PROVISIONS OF THIS VEHICLE SERVICE CONTRACT" FOR SPECIFIC MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS.
OBTAIN APPROVAL PRIOR TO HAVING WORK PERFORMED THAT MAY BE COVERED BY THIS CONTRACT.

You must have Your Vehicle serviced as recommended by the Vehicle's manufacturer. If requested, proof of required service including verifiable
receipts proving purchases of all required parts and materials necessary to perform the required maintenance; confirming the date and mileage for
the services performed. Maintenance and/or service work receipts may be requested by the Administrator

I'm starting to think they should void the warranty if you go to a dealer.

There is a response in another thread that I don't have the time to find, from Dennis Fichtner, that performing your own maintenance meets the requirements of GMEPP and GMPP. He is the guru for these plans. Contact him directly if you have questions.

I'd always said the same thing until we had a couple claims nearly denied for not following their maintenance rules. We did have an engine claim denied on a Car max extended warranty due to the customer not having actual receipts for from a shop for multiple years of oil changes. He had every receipt from the parts store showing he purchased the oil and filter, but nothing to prove the mileage intervals or that it was actually for that vehicle.

If ever the engine blows or has any major issues it will be sent to GM for inspection - I was told that they will be able to look at the engine and tell if the required maintenance has been completed or not.

We do all our own maintenance. Dealer has never touched our Z06. not even for the free oil changes.

I've always done my own, saved all my receipts in chronological order, along with a dated log-book with mileages. Never had an issue. :thumbs:

Six Corvettes - approaching 800,000 miles over 29 years this month - always dealer serviced = zero complaints: Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Washington State....

I do some of my own maintenance and keep all receipts plus indicate date/mileage on the receipt. Never had a problem with that being acceptable should a warranty claim occur.

I do my own maintenance and in addition to receipts from the parts store I always take pictures of the odometer, the new oil and filter sitting on the engine with the date written on the containers with a Sharpie, and a picture of the date and time displayed on my TV. I guess one could also include pictures of the old oil flowing out and the old filter sitting beside the old oil. If they want documentation I can give them plenty. A simple receipt doesn't mean you actually put the oil in the car, just that you bought some. You might haver taken it back for a refund or put it in another car. This won't necessarily get you by a policy rule that requires a shop receipt but it should improve your chances as an owner doing his own work.

Great responses so far. My reason for the thread is to see if anyone ever had actual push back when making a claim against power-train or GMEPP warranties.

As far as protecting from warranty disputes, I like some of the ideas above. I don't think its a bad idea to just take pictures of your receipts. As long as the quantity, viscosity, date and your name are on a series of receipts, you are pretty safe. They would have to argue that you took all the time to buy the right oil at the right intervals and take the pictures, and after all that, didn't bother to actually put it in your car. Not a strong argument.

I do my own maintenance and have GMEPP. Hopefully I won't have a problem.
I keep paper copies of my receipts (although it seems some places use "disappearing ink") in a folder.
I printed out the maintenance schedule and maintenance record page from a PDF copy of the owners manual to use as a log. I record the date and mileage of the services performed in the appropriate places.
I also log the service in the maintenance section of the my.chevrolet.com website.
Yes, one could argue that I could fake all of this (so could a repair facility) and return the filters or use the fluids on other vehicles. But you get to a point of a preponderance of evidence that the maintenance was performed.