New Car Warranties in Mexico

An Introduction to New Car Warranties in Mexico

If you’re in the process of buying a new car -or have already done so- it is essential that you understand how new car warranties work in Mexico.

Owning a vehicle in Mexico can and will be a very different experience than north of the border.

The processes, rules, and just the way things are done in this country are unique in every way.

I invite you to read more about that in our Car Ownership Guide for Lake Chapala article, where we go into full detail about what to expect about owning a car in this country.

But enough of that! You’re here to learn more about how car warranties work in Mexico, so let’s get started.

All New Cars in Mexico Come with a Warranty

All new vehicles purchased in Mexico come with a manufacturer’s warranty.

These warranties come with the car and are generally transferred to the new owner -under very specific conditions- when it is sold.

A large misconception that car buyers believe is that the warranties are supplied and upheld by the dealerships.

This is not the case; all warranties are enforced by the manufacturer.

This means that if you buy a Honda, Ford, Mercedes, etc. it will be the manufacturer -in Mexico- that will be responsible for honoring any repairs.

You will want to pay special attention to the above paragraph where I say that it’s the manufacturer in Mexico that honors the claim.

In other words, if you have an issue with a new Honda vehicle, it’s Honda Mexico that handles the claim – not the dealer that you purchased it from.

How Do These Warranties Work?

We just mentioned that all new vehicles in Mexico come with a warranty from the manufacturer. So, how does one make a warranty valid?

The process is actually surprisingly simple, although a bit slow.

A warranty claim is honored by the manufacturer but processed through any one of their dealers in the country.

Say you started having issues with your engine or transmission on your way to Puerto Vallarta; you can go to a dealer there to have the car looked at and the warranty process initiated.

This diagnostic process can often be very slow as the dealer has to first find the issue and prove that the problem was a manufacturer defect.

This is another important point that car owners often overlook.

Warranties in Mexico, much like in all countries and other types of products, only cover manufacturer defects.

Trust me on this… they can definitely tell when something malfunctioned due to human error.

Once the manufacturer determines that the malfunction was caused by a defect, they will initiate the repair process at the dealer; giving them the green light to work on the car and sending them any necessary parts that need to be replaced.

Depending on the brand of vehicle and the availability of parts, this process can take anywhere from a few days to even several months.

Once the car is repaired, the dealer will do testing and notify the vehicle owner when it’s ready for pickup.

What Do The Warranties Cover?

All warranties are unique in the way they are written and what they cover.

However, generally, when you purchase a new car, everything that’s mechanically important will be covered; engine, transmission, air conditioning, sensors, electronics, etc.

But again, it will only cover against manufacturer defects.

If the owner of the car shatters the infotainment screen by accident, pulls on the door handle way too hard, hits a monster speed bump (tope), etc. those repairs will not be covered.

Tires are also covered for the first year or two (depending on the brand), but these warranties are taken up directly with the tire manufacturer and will only cover manufacturing defects.

Hitting a pothole or parking way too close to a sidewalk and damaging the sidewall does not apply as a legitimate claim.

Infotainment screens where the radio, backup camera, Android Auto & Apple Carplay, etc. are displayed will also generally be part of a different warranty that’s taken up with the screen manufacturer.

These can also only apply for a few years, and not the entire duration of the car’s general warranty.

Dealers and manufacturers will never guarantee an exact time frame of how long repairs can take on a warranty claim.

Loaner cars are also not a thing in Mexico as of yet.

This is why it’s so important to buy a good vehicle from the start, in an effort to reduce the risk of being without a car as much as possible.

At the end of the day, vehicles are nothing more than complex machines. They can and will break eventually, but some machines are way better than others.

How Long Do Car Warranties Last in Mexico?

Every car manufacturer is different, so it’s important that you pay special attention to their warranty duration that are almost always listed on their websites.

The warranties have a duration that’s determined by time and/or mileage. This means that the warranty expires until either one happens.

Let’s take Kia for example, which has one of the best warranties on the market. Their warranty lasts a total of 7 years or 125,000 kilometers – whichever happens first.

In real terms, this means that your vehicle is covered until it turns 7 years -from the date of invoice or when the warranty was first reported- or when it reaches 125,000 kilometers.

However…. there is a big catch with warranties in Mexico that I will get to in just a bit.

Here’s a look at different brands and what their new vehicle warranties look like:

• Honda: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Toyota: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Mazda: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Nissan: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Ford: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Chevrolet: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Mopar: 3 years or 60,000 kms
• Subaru: 5 years or 100,000 kms
• Hyundai: 5 years or 100,000 kms
• Kia: 7 years or 100,000 kms

Warranty Maintenance and Service Work

A little while ago I spoke about a “big catch” with new car warranties in Mexico, so here it is.

In order for a new vehicle warranty in Mexico to be maintained and valid throughout its duration, all maintenance, servicing, and warranty work has to be done at an authorized dealership in the country.

All scheduled maintenance has to be done per the requirements and terms and conditions set by the manufacturer – and these will vary from one brand to the next.

All maintenance work has a cost that is the responsibility of the vehicle owner and there’s no way to get around it.

It happens a lot in the Lake Chapala community that new car owners won’t put a lot of mileage on their cars and are then surprised by the maintenance work that has to be performed.

Take Kia or Hyundai for example. All of their vehicles have to be serviced every 6 months or 10,000 kilometers – whichever happens first.

So, the service calendar for the duration of a Hyundai or Kia Vehicle’s warranty will look something like this:

• 1st Service – 6 months or 10,000 kms
• 2nd Service – 12 months or 20,000 kms
• 3rd Service – 18 months or 30,000 kms
• 4th Service – 24 months or 40,000 kms

And so on and so forth.

It will not matter if the vehicle has only been driven 5,000 kilometers in two years – the dealer will still be performing the 24-month or 40,000 kms service, as per the owner’s manual and manufacturer rules.

Each service has a list of things they do, which will always entail at least an oil and filter change, as well as a full check-up of the vehicle.

Kia does an excellent job of listing their service calendar online, which can be accessed by clicking here.

You can see why someone that does very little driving would get upset at this. Nonetheless, Lake Chapala and its small towns make up a very small population in Mexico.

Most people in Mexico will naturally be putting 10,000 – 20,000 kms per year on their vehicle, due to their work, hobbies, life, etc.

The manufacturers can’t change the rules or make an exception for a smaller group of people. They would also lose a lot of money that way, and we all know that’s the ultimate goal of most big corporations.

I’ve encountered a few clients that have decided to void the manufacturer warranty and do any servicing/repairs with their mechanic of choice.

While there’s nothing stopping someone from doing this, I would strongly advise against this.

Why? Well, simply put, modern cars are not that easy to work on; they are very complex machines with complex features.

Complex is expensive and the dealer maintenance, while not cheap, will more than pay for itself should something malfunction.

Don’t believe me? Call a dealer or specialized mechanic and ask them how much a transmission, ECU, etc. costs on a newer vehicle.

Not too long ago, a client had to replace a transmission component on a Japanese vehicle that was 3 years old.

The cost for the part and labor was $50,000 pesos. Had the whole transmission needed to be replaced, it would have been over 7 times the cost.

If a new vehicle comes with a warranty, I will always recommend taking full advantage of it.