Car Advice from Tommy...
Hi. We get asked the question a lot, “Do I need to take my car back to the dealer for maintenance when it's under warranty?” The answer is NO. By law you can take your car anywhere you feel fit to be serviced. If the service center follows what the manufacturer recommends as regular service, you can never be denied a warranty repair.
The United States Congress passed the Magnuson-Moss act in 1975 which forbid companies from canceling their warranties on their product because the felt like it. What this meant in the automotive industry was you could take your car any where for service and the car manufactures could not deny warranty coverage because the car was not maintained by the dealer. If a car dealer or manufacturer required the use of their product to keep the warranty valid, the manufacturer or dealer would be required by law to provide the service or product a $0 cost to the consumer.
There are only a few ways a car manufacturer can deny warranty to a car. One way is to prove the owner showed gross neglect to maintaining the car or used the car in a manner for which it was not designed. Another is if it was in a flood or bad enough accident to total the car. If any of these items happen, they can cancel the warranty. Having your car serviced and cared for by an independent mechanic is not a reason the can cancel your warranty.