What a Written Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship Actually Covers

What "workmanship" actually means

A workmanship warranty covers the labor and the repair itself, the work we did to your car. That means if a panel we painted starts to peel, if a seam we sealed comes apart, or if bodywork we performed fails to hold up, that's on us to make right. It doesn't extend to unrelated parts of the car, to damage from a new accident, or to normal wear that has nothing to do with the repair we performed. It covers our work, specifically.

Who it's for

Our written limited lifetime warranty on workmanship is for the original owner, meaning the person who owned the vehicle at the time of the repair. That's stated plainly rather than buried, because a warranty that quietly doesn't apply to the situation you're actually in isn't worth much. If you have a repair coming up and aren't sure how the warranty terms apply to your situation, ask us directly before the work starts, not after.

Why it has to be written down

A spoken promise is easy to make and hard to hold anyone to years later. Nobody remembers the exact wording of a conversation from three years ago, and memories tend to shift in the direction that's convenient. A written warranty is something you can keep in a drawer and pull out if you ever need it, with terms that don't change depending on who you happen to be talking to that day.

Why the age of the shop is the real question

Here's the part most people don't think to ask about: a warranty is only as good as the business that's still around to honor it. A shop that opened last year and closes in three isn't going to be there when you need to use it, no matter how the paperwork reads. We've been on Elyria Avenue since 1963, three generations of the same family running the same shop out of the same building. Having been in business this long, you can be confident we'll be here to honor what we've put in writing.

Why this matters more the longer you keep the car

A one year warranty is only useful if something goes wrong within a year. A lifetime warranty on workmanship matters most for a vehicle you plan to keep for a long while, especially somewhere like Lorain County, where winter driving and road salt put more strain on a car over its life than most other climates do. The longer you keep the car, the more that written promise is actually worth to you.

How to actually use it if something comes up

If you ever notice an issue with a repair we did, years down the road, a call is the only step. Get in touch, tell us which repair and roughly when it was done, and bring the car by so we can take a look. We stand behind our own work, the same as this warranty says we will.

What to ask any shop about their warranty, ours included

• Is the warranty actually written down, or only spoken about
• What specifically does it cover, and what does it clearly not cover
• Is it tied to the original owner, or does it transfer if the car is sold
• How long has this shop actually been in business at this location

Our warranty, plainly stated

We offer a written limited lifetime warranty on our workmanship, for the original owner. It's part of every comprehensive collision repair we do, alongside ASE certified technicians and a complimentary wash and vacuum when the car goes home. Ask to see the warranty in writing before the work starts. We'd rather you ask now than wonder later.