Exhaust News: Catalytic Converter 8years/80,000 Miles Warranty

Have you ever taken any of your vehicles to the local exhaust repair shop and was told you will be needing a catalytic converter? The prices can range any where from $500 to $1,500 to replace plus the labor, shop supplies, and taxes. If you bought some type of extended warranty you are in luck. If you did not then I have some good news for you. If you had Exhaust problems and was told your catalytic converter is bad it might be covered under Uncle Sam’s law. What I mean is under the EPA’s Federal Emissions Law of 1995 you are covered for up to 8 years/80,000 miles! It does not matter if you are a first, second, or third owner of this new or used car or truck. Don’t get tricked into paying for a bad catalytic converter.

This website has more information including your vehicle’s main computer is under this same 8 years/80,000 mile Federal warranty. If your worried that this law is so old dating back to 1995 don’t be. I personally emailed the EPA and was told there was no update to this warranty because it was still enforced even to today’s cars and trucks. Below are a few lines from the EPA’s Website:

Design and Defect Warranty Coverage for 1995 and newer light-duty
vehicles:
* Emission control and emission related parts are covered for the
first 2 years or 24,000 miles of vehicle use; and
* Specified major emission control components are covered for the
first 8 years or 80,000 miles of vehicle use.
If an emission control or emission related part, or a specified
major emission control component is defective, or if your vehicle
fails an I/M test, and your vehicle is within the time and mileage
limitations for emissions warranty coverage:
* Present a warranty claim to an authorized warranty representative.
If your warranty claim is denied:
* Ask for the reason for denial, in writing.
* Follow the appeal procedures in your owner's manual.
If you are not satisfied with the manufacturer's decision:
* Contact the EPA, which will investigate the denial of a

valid emissions warranty complaint.

Information taken from: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Vehicle Programs & Compliance Division (6405J)
Attn: Warranty Complaints

401 M Street, SW Washington DC 20460

You And Your Car Warranty: Emissions

Federal emissions extended warranties cover a lot more parts for your new car or truck than you would realize. In this article I want to go over a few things you should know about your new car extended federal emissions warranty that I discovered from a website I will give you later in this article. I do not understand why more people do not take advantage of this federal emissions warranty that covers them for up to 8 years or 80,000 miles. I wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify what was all covered and I could not believe their response concerning this federal emissions extended warranty for your car or truck.

I guess the easiest way to explain most of it would be to tell you that any time your "Check Engine Light or Service Engine Soon" light illuminated while you are under this 8/80,000 mile federal emissions warranty, you can take your vehicle in to your local car dealership and have this repaired for free. This extended federal emissions warranty may even cover a loaner car if you do your homework before taking your vehicle in for repairs. I have seen a lot of cars and trucks fall into this category of warranty repair work. If the customer did not understand this law I would explain to them that the EPA will not tolerate excessive emissions coming out of their vehicle's tail pipe and will stand behind you if the car dealer ship will not warranty the bad parts. One other tip for understanding your car or truck's federal extended warranties would be if your vehicle failed an emissions test. This is covered and will also be fixed for free.

I knew of this EPA federal emission law back in the late 1990's and to clarify it with the EPA today their response was that, "this law even know it is very old the same contents of it applies to new cars and trucks even today" going into the year 2011. The EPA website with all of this information and parts that are covered can be found at, United States Environmental Protection Agency. If you just bought a new car or truck or you are planning on purchasing one any time soon I would urge you to book mark this article for future references. I doubt if any new car service facility applies this law to any of it's customers without putting up some kind of argument with you. This site also tells you how to file a complaint against the car dealership who does not follow this older EPA law.

My ASE certifications included engine performance where I specialized in a car or truck's drivability problems which included finding out why your check engine light was on and finding out why the vehicle was running so bad. Most of the time the bad parts were covered under this new car warranty of 8/80,000 miles which ever occurs first. So once again I urge you to visit this site and print a copy of this for your glove box for the next time your check engine light illuminates or your vehicle starts to run bad. I may go into this article in depth for you in the future so check back here for more information on this secret car and truck warranty. This information will save you thousands of dollars in warranty repair work on your new car or truck.