Will Not Going to a 4S Shop for Maintenance Affect the Warranty?
3 Answers
Not going to a 4S shop for maintenance will not affect the warranty. According to regulations, car maintenance does not have to be performed at a 4S shop, and car owners have the right to choose maintenance service providers. If a car is not maintained at a 4S shop during the three-guarantee period, it will not affect the three-guarantee service. However, it is important to keep the maintenance receipts and relevant proof of maintenance when servicing elsewhere, so that in case of major issues later, the 4S shop cannot shirk responsibility. The following circumstances are not covered by the three-guarantee, but fee-based repairs can be provided: 1. Damage caused by improper use, maintenance, or storage by the consumer. 2. Damage caused by unauthorized disassembly by non-warranty repairers. 3. Lack of warranty certificate or valid invoice. 4. Discrepancy or alteration between the warranty certificate model and the repaired product model. 5. Damage caused by force majeure.
I understand your concern about not going to the 4S shop for maintenance affecting the warranty. In fact, according to China's Three Guarantees regulations, as long as you go to a qualified and regular repair shop for maintenance, use genuine parts as required, and keep complete maintenance records with official stamps, it should not affect the warranty. However, the advantage of 4S shops is that they know your car model better, and the records are directly linked to the manufacturer, making it easier to claim if any issues arise. I've done maintenance at outside shops before, and I had to remind the shop to fill out the manual and take photos for records. If the car has a problem someday, the manufacturer might try to shift the blame, and you'd need to prove that the issue wasn't caused by improper maintenance. It's recommended to go to the 4S shop during the warranty period for peace of mind and switch to outside shops after the warranty expires to save money.
My car is still under warranty. I tried getting it serviced at an independent shop to save money, but it was nerve-wracking. Whether the warranty stays valid depends on if the maintenance was done properly: the shop must have a business license, fill out the maintenance manual with each service, use genuine parts, and stamp it. Once, when I filed an engine failure claim, the dealership almost denied coverage—luckily, I had kept photos of the receipts from the independent shop. Now I've weighed the pros and cons: dealerships are expensive but reliable, while independent shops are cheaper but require more effort to keep records. If you decide to skip the dealership, make sure to choose a reputable chain shop—don't go for cheap roadside stalls, or you might end up paying for repairs out of pocket and wasting time if something goes wrong.
