You are joyfully cruising in your car when you notice that something is wrong with your speakers. It has been showing signs of some sort of issue for days, but you have been ignoring it in hopes that it will go away on its own. However, now that it is officially there, you wonder, are your car speakers covered under warranty?
Your car speakers are covered under warranty if your car is new and your speakers are factory speakers damaged through no fault of your own. Likewise, your car speakers have a warranty if they’ve been brought from reputable manufacturers that offer one under certain terms.
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This article will explain the basics of car speaker warranties. It’ll also guide you on finding out if your speaker has a warranty and talk about the things that void a car speaker’s warranty.
Car Warranty Basics
Warranties guarantee replacements and repairs if your car or a part of it malfunctions or proves itself to be below its promised quality. However, they’re only valid at a specified timeframe and with certain conditions. Claiming them would be impossible if you breach the agreements or reach their expiry dates.
All new cars are under factory warranty, but used cars less than three years old may still have a warranty. You’ll have to ask your dealer to confirm that. Meanwhile, most car accessories have warranties, but it’s best to ask the seller about it before making your purchase.
Before figuring out if your car speakers are covered under warranty, it’s best to know the basic types of car warranties first. By doing this, you’ll understand the coverage of different car warranty types.
Bumper to Bumper Warranty
A bumper to bumper warranty is also known as a factory or manufacturer warranty. It often lasts for three years or until you’ve traveled 36,000 miles (57,936 km).
You can expect most of your car parts to be covered by the bumper to bumper warranty as long as the parts are factory components and aren’t maintenance items like tires. This means that if your car is brand new, your car speakers are covered under warranty.
However, note that car speakers need to be stock speakers. Similarly, check your owner’s manual or your contract for mentions of warranty voids if you enhance or upgrade your audio system. Some manufacturers void your car speaker warranty if you change parts of your car’s audio system.
New cars always have bumper to bumper warranties, although their warranty coverage varies. Hence, check with your dealer or your contract to see your factory warranty coverage.
If you bought a used car that’s less than three years old, there’s also a possibility that its warranty still holds. For this case, it’s best to ask your dealer or the seller.
Stated Component Factory Car Warranty
Bumper to bumper warranties are common, but stated component factory car warranties are also on the rise. These warranties cover limited car parts.
As you can guess from its name, it covers only the stated car components, including the cooling and heating systems or the engine. Only the things mentioned within the warranty’s written guarantee are under warranty.
Powertrain Warranty
A powertrain warranty is limited to covering only everything that powers your car. This includes the drive axles, transmission, engine, and driveshaft. You can’t expect speakers to be covered under this warranty, so if this is the only warranty your car possesses, you’re out of luck.
Powertrain warranty often lasts for six years or 70,000 miles (112,654 km).
Express Warranty
An express warranty can be written or spoken. The seller himself or herself can state things about the car, or you can see advertisements for the car’s promise of quality. An express warranty guarantees your car gets repaired if statements about its quality prove untrue.
This means that if the manufacturer claims that your windows are bulletproof. Still, you find out that it wasn’t, you can demand replacement windows or return the car itself because the manufacturer breached the warranty.
Implied Warranty
An implied warranty is always there unless you bought your car on an “as is” contract. This warranty guarantees that your car works as expected for its condition and age and ensures that it’s safe to use and drive.
Similarly, it assures you that your car will work for your intended purpose. However, this only applies if you made the dealer aware of the purpose you had for your car.
For example, you told the dealer you’re buying the car because you wanted to wade through rocky and muddy places. Suppose he or she suggested that car, it’s implied that your car can wade through mud and rocks. If it fails to do so, you can return the car to your dealer since he or she breached your implied warranty.
Do Your Car Speakers Have Warranty?
You’ve read through the types of car warranties but still can’t figure out if your speakers are covered by warranty.
Your car speakers are under warranty if your car is brand new. Your speakers are covered by the bumper to bumper or manufacturer warranty but note that your speakers need to be the car’s factory speakers to claim this warranty.
Your car speakers are also under warranty if you bought speakers from a well-known brand. Famous brands usually offer warranties to guarantee the quality of their speakers. For example, JBL offers a warranty of a year for its speakers, and “5 years for any non-powered speakers”.
Most manufacturers offer a warranty to your car speakers for only a short amount of time if you install them yourself or have an unauthorized dealer install them. Meanwhile, when installed by approved dealers, your car speaker’s warranty can have a lifespan of up to two years.
You’ll often see that speaker manufacturers offer only three months of warranty despite how you’ve bought new speakers if you choose to install them yourself.
How to Know if Your Car Speakers Have Warranty
There are three ways to check if your car speakers are under warranty. First, check if your car is still covered by factory or bumper to bumper warranty.If it is, it means your car speakers are covered, too, as long as they’re stock speakers and you didn’t cause the damage yourself.
If that doesn’t work, your next step is to figure out your car’s vehicle identification number or VIN. A VIN identifies your car, similar to how a social security number identifies you. You can find your car’s VIN on your windshield above the dash on the driver’s side or inside the edge of your door on the driver’s side.
However, if you can’t find your car’s VIN by yourself, you can always simply contact your local dealer. Contacting your dealer is the surest way to figure out if your car speakers are under warranty.
Things That Void Warranty in Car Speakers
So, you found out your car speakers are under warranty. You now need to know the things that void your speaker warranty to ensure you can make the best out of your warranty.
- Car speaker misuse and abuse or causing speaker damage yourself
- Buying speakers from unauthorized dealers
- Installing speakers improperly
- Installing other audio equipment that damages the car speakers
Final Thoughts
Your car speakers are under a warranty if you’re using stock speakers and your car is less than three years old. This is because bumper to bumper or manufacturer warranty covers everything factory-manufactured within the car, including car accessories.
You can also expect warranty coverage if you bought aftermarket speakers from a well-known manufacturer and had them installed by a professional. This warranty can last up to two years. However, if you purchased a famous brand speaker but installed it yourself or had an unauthorized person install it, expect your warranty coverage to last only a few months.