Are Headlights Covered Under Warranty?
Are headlights covered under warranty? If your car is covered under a manufacturer or factory warranty, repairs are generally covered at no cost to you. However, most manufacturer warranties only last a certain amount of time or mileage, with most standard factory warranties ending at 3 years or 36,000 miles. If your car’s headlights unexpectedly breaks and your manufacturer’s warranty expired, then you’ll left paying those costly repair bills on your own.
It’s important to check the warranty information for your specific vehicle before making any repairs. Some warranties may cover the cost of repairs, while others may only cover the cost of replacement parts.
Manufacturer’s Warranty
Headlights are commonly covered by the vehicle’s Manufacturer Warranty. This coverage typically applies to defects in materials or workmanship during the warranty period. The warranty duration for a vehicle’s headlights can vary. It may range from a few years to the vehicle’s lifetime. Check your vehicle’s warranty documentation or contact the manufacturer for coverage period.
Manufacturer warranties frequently include exclusions, such as coverage for typical wear and tear or damage resulting from accidents, misuse, or modifications by the owner. Should your vehicle’s headlights experience a problem covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, you can usually get it fixed or replaced at an authorized dealership or service center. In order to secure warranty coverage for your vehicle, proof of ownership is typically required. This can be provided through your vehicle’s registration or purchase documents.
Extended Warranty
Consumers may choose to buy extended warranties for their headlights. These are frequently provided by third-party companies or retailers and can offer coverage beyond the manufacturer’s warranty. Carefully review the policy to understand the coverage and circumstances for repairs under extended warranties.
The Mopar Maximum Care Warranty, also known as the “bumper-to-bumper” warranty, is the most comprehensive extended coverage available for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram. It extends your Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram’s powertrain and basic component coverage beyond the 3-year/36,000-mile manufacturer’s warranty. Additionally, it covers more than 5,000 components, providing virtually complete mechanical coverage for your vehicle.
The only components not covered under this warranty include:
- Maintenance services and items used in such services.
- Glass, plastic lenses.
- Body and paint items, including soft trim.
- Wear items such as manual clutch assembly, brake pads, shoes, rotors, drums and belts are not covered at any time.
- Snowplows, winches and trailer hitches
How Much Does It Cost To Fix Your Headlights?
The labor time required to change the average headlight bulb by a mechanic should be between five minutes and an hour, depending on the model of the vehicle and the difficulty of the process. When you factor in the cost of the bulb and the labor, you will be looking at a total cost of between $30 and $300, depending on the type of bulb and the difficulty of installation.
If you need to replace the entire headlight assembly, the price variation is extreme, to say the least. Headlight assemblies for some vehicles can be purchased for as low as $30, but the price range for a replacement headlight assembly can go as high as $4,000 and above, for headlight assemblies that contain high-tech light systems. Then add the labor cost to replace a headlight assembly, which would typically be between $100 and $400, depending on how complicated the installation is.
As you can see, the cost of replacing headlight assembly and the headlight bulb replacement cost at a mechanic shop will vary widely, depending upon what type of vehicle you have.
