In a business situation most all good vendors will back their part with a replacement or a credit. As a Bosch Service Center I am paid completely on labor also if a part is defective.

In the case of my relationship with Bosch the warrantee is not dependent on purchase requirements. I can buy the Bosch part through MB or in California and I get warrantee through Bosch in Chicago.

The concept I referred to above about discussions within the shop management forum of iATN, refers to the common practice of an independent shop tieing themselves to a company like N*P* or C*r qu*st. Most of these shops don't look up their own part numbers and buy a whole program including warrantees of labor in the deal. Generally speaking these marketing entities will charge as much as 50% mor(for the parts) than direct importers like WP that don't warrant anything but the product (no insurance sold here).

I have never had a warrantee claim such as the one used in my original example. We have had new water pumps leak and we have even left a drain plug (or two) loose. But even after 25 years of exposure we have never had a warrantee problem and a lack of sense occur at the same time (knock on wood). I do pay for insurance and with yearly parts sales approaching $1,000,000, 10-20% paid for warrantee insurance costs would be a healthy chuck of money.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician