In many cases, when consumers buy a used car, they want to know whether the original manufacturer’s warranty still protects the car. Even if you buy a brand new vehicle, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the warranty terms.

In addition, different parts of your car may be covered by separate warranties. For example, many new cars provide a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. If your camshaft fails, it will be protected by these terms, but the standard warranty will cover your power window problems.

This is a quick and concise guide to check if your car is still under warranty. Before we begin, we should emphasize that this guide only covers the manufacturer's warranty. If you have purchased an extended warranty plan for your vehicle, you will need to contact the warranty provider to retrieve information about the specific terms that apply to you.

Your car's vehicle identification number (abbreviated as "VIN number" with some redundancy) is a 17-character string of letters and numbers that is unique to your vehicle. It contains information about the type of vehicle, the manufacturer, and even the factory where the car is made.

For legal purposes, manufacturers need to place VIN signs or stickers in multiple locations on the vehicle to ensure unique identification. Here are some places where you can usually find the VIN number:

If you have tried all these options but still cannot find your VIN number, please call your local dealer. Provide them with the year and model of your car, and they should be able to tell you exactly where to find the VIN of a particular vehicle.

After finding the VIN, the next step is to find out how many miles your car has driven. This information is critical because most warranties have mileage restrictions. A good example is the 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty we mentioned above.

To find the mileage of a car, check the odometer. It is located behind the steering wheel and can be mechanical or electric. To view the electronic odometer, you may need to turn the key in the ignition switch so that the vehicle's power system turns on and displays information on the dashboard and dashboard.

With your VIN number and mileage, you have all the information you need to determine whether the vehicle warranty is still valid. Now, all you need to do is call the dealer and consult.

If you have a good working relationship with a particular dealer, please call them first. Otherwise, any distributor of your manufacturer should be able to provide you with the information you need. So, for example, if you own a Ford truck, any Ford dealer should be able to tell you whether the truck’s warranty status is valid.

If you cannot find the VIN number in the worst case, you may need to drive to the dealership. Even in this case, they will have all the necessary information to help you.

One place you should avoid as a source of warranty information is your vehicle manual. The manual usually contains information about the terms and conditions of the warranty, which seems natural. So why avoid doing this?

The problem with this approach is that the warranty takes effect on the date of purchase, not the date of manufacture, not the model year. The 2016 car you used may have been purchased in the fall of 2015, or it may have been sold at a dealership one year later. In this case, the five-year warranty period may expire in the fall of 2020 or even the fall of 2021 at the latest, depending on the terms and actual purchase date.

As mentioned earlier, any reputable dealer should be able to resolve any warranty issues. In other words, there are always outliers or specific situations that may require more investigation. In this case, running the Carfax report is a good first step.

Carfax is a paid service that can look up the history of your vehicle. It does this by searching dealer records, insurance records, and state DMV databases. You can search by VIN number or enter your license plate number and indicate that the vehicle has been registered.

Leaving aside warranty issues, it is usually best practice to run Carfax reports on any used car. In addition to warranty information, you will also learn about any accidents, airbag deployments, major repairs, and whether it has been used for commercial or fleet purposes. Having background information about your vehicle is essential to give you peace of mind in making a reliable purchase decision.

The vehicle warranty is not unconditional. Therefore, if you want your manufacturer to fulfill their promise, you need to stick to it and maintain your car in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

Your user manual will provide a recommended maintenance plan. Follow it. Carry out oil change, wheel alignment and oil change at an appropriate time. This is not only critical to maintaining warranty coverage; it also helps to ensure that your car stays in top condition.

As we outlined in this article, finding out the warranty status of your vehicle is a simple three-step process. Find your VIN number, check your mileage, then call your dealer to see if your car is still covered by the warranty. If you find this guide helpful, please check out our other guides and reports for more information!

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© 2019 JDPower. all rights reserved.