Our Warranty Policy:
At LiveTheVanLife Restorations we pride ourselves on offering the best possible service, at the best possible prices. Being far away and in a different country does come with some caveats and limitations that are important for you to understand before working with us. All of the work that we do carries a 1 year warranty on parts (purchased by us) and labor. This includes our paint work and mechanical work. However, and this is very important, the vehicle or part in question must be returned to us for any warranty work or replacement.
The responsibility of getting your vehicle to us and from us is yours, the customer. We will gladly fix anything for you that is covered under our warranty, but the vehicle or part must be with us to do so. This may differ slightly from what you are used to. We believe that the cost savings incurred with us greatly outweigh the occasional warranty issue. Furthermore, due to the often tremendous difference in the price of our work, versus what is offered in the States, we cannot pay another shop to repair something under warranty for you. If you choose to do so, you may, but please understand that this will void our warranty and we will not reimburse you for these expenses.
Warranty for Paint and BodyWork:
We will warranty your paint and bodywork for a period of 1 year from completion. You must return your vehicle to us in La Paz for any warranty work. Any physical damage to the vehicle including rock chips, dents, scratches, drilled holes, improper installation of external accessories will void your warranty. We will not warranty any damage resulting from leaking window seals. We purchase all of our window seals from GoWesty.com who sources their seals from WestCoastMetric in Los Angeles. These are the best quality seals that we can find, however they are aftermarket and sometimes may shrink or not fit perfectly resulting in leaks. We also will not warranty any vehicle that we determine to have been exposed repeatedly to salty environments including camping on the beach, or living in very close proximity to the ocean. Salty environments are extremely harmful to classic cars and their paint. If you must camp on the beach, we recommend washing your van with fresh water immediately afterwards and maintaining a good wax on your van. If you live in close proximity to the ocean, we highly recommend garaging your Vanagon, and regular fresh water rinsing as well as routinely waxing it. Vanagons are unibody vehicles and once any rust has penetrated more than skin deep, it can be extremely difficult to fix permanently. The solution for rust that has penetrated the unibody is complete panel removal and grafting in new sections from donor vehicles. We do not perform structural work (rust or otherwise) due to the risks involved and the difficulty in warrantying said work. The work we perform for rust remediation is limited to panel replacements, and cleaning and resealing vanagon seams. If your van has more serious rust issues, or rust that has penetrated the unibody, the rust will creep back over time.
New Parts Purchased:
All new parts purchased through LiveTheVanLife Restorations are warrantied to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the completion date of services. If a product is found to be defective within the warranty period, contact us, return the product, and we will repair or replace the item (our option). This warranty covers replacing failed parts that were purchased and installed by us. We do not warranty parts or labor for parts supplied by the customer.
Labor necessary to replace parts purchased by LiveTheVanLife Restorations, under conditions outlined below. Failed parts will be replaced with repairing part or identical parts that are available due to market availability. If identical parts are no longer available, similarly priced parts will be used. Customer may elect to upgrade to better quality parts at additional cost. Only those items that were replaced and billed on the original invoice are covered by this warranty. WARRANTY CLAIMS CAN NOT EXCEED ORIGINAL INVOICE AMOUNT. Warranty begins on the day services are completed and expires at the end of the warranty period/mileage or when you sell your vehicle. This warranty is NON TRANSFERRABLE.
Replacement of warrantied component does not extend warranty term. Warranty work may not be able to receive priority scheduling depending on the nature of the warranty. ALL WARRANTY CLAIMS MUST BE MADE AT LiveTheVanlife Restorations, and any warranty work must be performed by us unless we authorize in writing (email or text) otherwise. Any claims for repairs performed at other repair facilities without our written approval will be denied. This warranty is void if any future work is performed on the warrantied component by anyone other than LiveTheVanLife Restorations or someone approved by LiveTheVanLife Restorations. There will be no cash refunds issued –no exceptions.
Our Warranty does not cover:
Warranty claims will be handled by outsourced provider and their terms and conditions.
Parts Removed During Work:
All parts removed during the restoration become the property of LiveTheVanLife Restorations unless expressed otherwise before services have started.
Standard Engine Rebuild Warranty:
All rebuilt motors come with a 12 month/12,000-mile warranty whichever comes first. The warranty is exclusive to the long block and the heads. Engine peripherals are subject to the standard one year warranty. Engines sourced from third parties, ex GoWesty, Mansispeed, etc are subject to the warranty terms on that company, and any warranty claims must be made with said company.
Schedule of milage maintenance: Any engine warranty claims must be accompanied by documentation that all oil changes have been performed per the recommended schedule. 500 miles from milage of completion then at every 3000-mile intervals. If not we reserve the right to void your warranty.
Voiding a Warranty:
If your odometer is not functioning properly- your warranty is void.
If you continue to drive while the engine is overheating- your warranty is void.
Adding accessories to engine improperly- your warranty is void.
Adding Oil additives will void your warranty.
If you run the engine with not enough or not the recommended oil- your warranty is void.
If you decline to replace your fuel system or complete cooling system- your warranty if void.
If any parts are removed or replaced from the engine LiveTheVanLife Restorations reserves the right to void your warranty.
LiveTheVanLife Restorations does not assume any responsibility for towing charges, fluid loss, time, or vehicle loss.
Exercising an engine warranty:
In the event the warranty needs to be exercised, our team will work to schedule your vehicle for service as soon as possible. If you decide to approve another shop to begin services without prior written consent, we reserve the right to void your warranty.
Vehicle pick up and storage:
Vehicles are to be picked up and services paid for within 14 days of completion of services. Storage fees will accrue at the rate of $125 per month, billed monthly. We do not pro rate for storage.
Long term storage rates:
Outdoor, gated only, with no warranty against theft, rodent damage or any other claim of any kind. Rate at $125 per month.
IMPORTANT: This Warranty is NOT a guarantee that there are no other issues with the vehicle. Only the claim made will be addressed unless other arrangements are made. Modern automobiles are very complicated, and multiple problems may exist. There will be instances when replacing any given component may not resolve the problem, even though all symptoms/tests/diagnostic pointed to that component being faulty. Additionally, a failed component can cause damage to other components of vehicle, and the damage may not be apparent until disassembly and often until completion of the original repair. Therefore, it may take extended testing or return visits to address certain concerns.
NO WARRANTY ON ANY JOB UTILIZING USED PARTS INCLUDING USED ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONS,
UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSED. NO WARRANTY ON ANY JOB UTILIZING CUSTOMER SUPPLIED PARTS.
The only remedies the purchaser has in connection with the breach or performance of any warranty on the LiveTheVanLife Restorations purchased parts are those set forth herein. In no event will LiveTheVanLife Restorations be liable for incidental or consequential damaged or injuries, including but not limited to loss of use or any other loss.
The responsibility of getting your vehicle to us and from us is yours, the customer. We will gladly fix anything for you that is covered under our warranty, but the vehicle or part must be with us to do so. This may differ slightly from what you are used to. We believe that the cost savings incurred with us greatly outweigh the occasional warranty issue. Furthermore, due to the often tremendous difference in the price of our work, versus what is offered in the States, we cannot pay another shop to repair something under warranty for you. If you choose to do so, you may, but please understand that this will void our warranty and we will not reimburse you for these expenses.
Warranty for Paint and BodyWork:
We will warranty your paint and bodywork for a period of 1 year from completion. You must return your vehicle to us in La Paz for any warranty work. Any physical damage to the vehicle including rock chips, dents, scratches, drilled holes, improper installation of external accessories will void your warranty. We will not warranty any damage resulting from leaking window seals. We purchase all of our window seals from GoWesty.com who sources their seals from WestCoastMetric in Los Angeles. These are the best quality seals that we can find, however they are aftermarket and sometimes may shrink or not fit perfectly resulting in leaks. We also will not warranty any vehicle that we determine to have been exposed repeatedly to salty environments including camping on the beach, or living in very close proximity to the ocean. Salty environments are extremely harmful to classic cars and their paint. If you must camp on the beach, we recommend washing your van with fresh water immediately afterwards and maintaining a good wax on your van. If you live in close proximity to the ocean, we highly recommend garaging your Vanagon, and regular fresh water rinsing as well as routinely waxing it. Vanagons are unibody vehicles and once any rust has penetrated more than skin deep, it can be extremely difficult to fix permanently. The solution for rust that has penetrated the unibody is complete panel removal and grafting in new sections from donor vehicles. We do not perform structural work (rust or otherwise) due to the risks involved and the difficulty in warrantying said work. The work we perform for rust remediation is limited to panel replacements, and cleaning and resealing vanagon seams. If your van has more serious rust issues, or rust that has penetrated the unibody, the rust will creep back over time.
New Parts Purchased:
All new parts purchased through LiveTheVanLife Restorations are warrantied to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the completion date of services. If a product is found to be defective within the warranty period, contact us, return the product, and we will repair or replace the item (our option). This warranty covers replacing failed parts that were purchased and installed by us. We do not warranty parts or labor for parts supplied by the customer.
Labor necessary to replace parts purchased by LiveTheVanLife Restorations, under conditions outlined below. Failed parts will be replaced with repairing part or identical parts that are available due to market availability. If identical parts are no longer available, similarly priced parts will be used. Customer may elect to upgrade to better quality parts at additional cost. Only those items that were replaced and billed on the original invoice are covered by this warranty. WARRANTY CLAIMS CAN NOT EXCEED ORIGINAL INVOICE AMOUNT. Warranty begins on the day services are completed and expires at the end of the warranty period/mileage or when you sell your vehicle. This warranty is NON TRANSFERRABLE.
Replacement of warrantied component does not extend warranty term. Warranty work may not be able to receive priority scheduling depending on the nature of the warranty. ALL WARRANTY CLAIMS MUST BE MADE AT LiveTheVanlife Restorations, and any warranty work must be performed by us unless we authorize in writing (email or text) otherwise. Any claims for repairs performed at other repair facilities without our written approval will be denied. This warranty is void if any future work is performed on the warrantied component by anyone other than LiveTheVanLife Restorations or someone approved by LiveTheVanLife Restorations. There will be no cash refunds issued –no exceptions.
Our Warranty does not cover:
- Normal Wear and Tear.
B. Failure due to Accident or Collision.
C. Failure due to Road Hazards or Act of God (Lightning, Flood, Fire, etc.)
D. Failure due to misuse, abuse, modification, or off-road use of vehicle
E. Failure due to lack of Regular Maintenance, or NOT MAINTAINING CORRECT FLUID LEVELS
F. TOWING, Rental Fees, Impound and Storage Feels, Traffic Fines, Lost Wages, Inconveniences, or any other incidental expenses
G: Damage caused to other components of vehicle due to the failure of covered component, or damage caused to the covered component due to the failure of other components of vehicle.
Warranty claims will be handled by outsourced provider and their terms and conditions.
Parts Removed During Work:
All parts removed during the restoration become the property of LiveTheVanLife Restorations unless expressed otherwise before services have started.
Standard Engine Rebuild Warranty:
All rebuilt motors come with a 12 month/12,000-mile warranty whichever comes first. The warranty is exclusive to the long block and the heads. Engine peripherals are subject to the standard one year warranty. Engines sourced from third parties, ex GoWesty, Mansispeed, etc are subject to the warranty terms on that company, and any warranty claims must be made with said company.
Schedule of milage maintenance: Any engine warranty claims must be accompanied by documentation that all oil changes have been performed per the recommended schedule. 500 miles from milage of completion then at every 3000-mile intervals. If not we reserve the right to void your warranty.
Voiding a Warranty:
If your odometer is not functioning properly- your warranty is void.
If you continue to drive while the engine is overheating- your warranty is void.
Adding accessories to engine improperly- your warranty is void.
Adding Oil additives will void your warranty.
If you run the engine with not enough or not the recommended oil- your warranty is void.
If you decline to replace your fuel system or complete cooling system- your warranty if void.
If any parts are removed or replaced from the engine LiveTheVanLife Restorations reserves the right to void your warranty.
LiveTheVanLife Restorations does not assume any responsibility for towing charges, fluid loss, time, or vehicle loss.
Exercising an engine warranty:
In the event the warranty needs to be exercised, our team will work to schedule your vehicle for service as soon as possible. If you decide to approve another shop to begin services without prior written consent, we reserve the right to void your warranty.
Vehicle pick up and storage:
Vehicles are to be picked up and services paid for within 14 days of completion of services. Storage fees will accrue at the rate of $125 per month, billed monthly. We do not pro rate for storage.
Long term storage rates:
Outdoor, gated only, with no warranty against theft, rodent damage or any other claim of any kind. Rate at $125 per month.
IMPORTANT: This Warranty is NOT a guarantee that there are no other issues with the vehicle. Only the claim made will be addressed unless other arrangements are made. Modern automobiles are very complicated, and multiple problems may exist. There will be instances when replacing any given component may not resolve the problem, even though all symptoms/tests/diagnostic pointed to that component being faulty. Additionally, a failed component can cause damage to other components of vehicle, and the damage may not be apparent until disassembly and often until completion of the original repair. Therefore, it may take extended testing or return visits to address certain concerns.
NO WARRANTY ON ANY JOB UTILIZING USED PARTS INCLUDING USED ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONS,
UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSED. NO WARRANTY ON ANY JOB UTILIZING CUSTOMER SUPPLIED PARTS.
The only remedies the purchaser has in connection with the breach or performance of any warranty on the LiveTheVanLife Restorations purchased parts are those set forth herein. In no event will LiveTheVanLife Restorations be liable for incidental or consequential damaged or injuries, including but not limited to loss of use or any other loss.
Terms and Conditions
Deposit:
Due in part to how our business is operated (under a strict appointment based system planned many months in advance) Under no circumstances will any deposits made for work or parts be returned. A deposit is you agreeing to said work, and if you then cancel said work for any reason, the deposit is to cover losses incurred to LiveTheVanLife Restorations. If you feel like there is a risk that you will not be able to make your appointment, or get the work done with us that you are agreeing to, please do not make a deposit.
Arriving with greater than stated damage to vehicle:
We do our best to gauge the amount of work required to your vehicle before your arrival, but there is only so much we can see from photos and videos. It is not uncommon for vehicles to arrive and for us to find major unforeseen issues that were covered up by past paint and bodywork, or that were simply unknown to the client. Regardless of the reasons for the mixup, if your vehicle arrives with damage that increases the scope of the work required, the cost for the work we quoted you will increase. Sometimes, this increase can be dramatic, and occasionally, we may even refuse to work on a vehicle. Oftentimes, unfortunately there is nothing that either of us could have done to prevent this as the damage found was covered up to hide it by a previous owner or shop.
Timelines:
Paint and Bodywork, mechanical work, upholstery, electrical work, none of these things are an exact science. Parts we need go out of stock, people get sick and cant work, often times we find things while working on your vehicle that are unexpected, parts are rusty and seized requiring hours or days of work to extract them. We wish working on your van was like baking a cake! 350 degrees for 45 minutes and voila! Alas, this is far from the case. We provide you with some estimates for how long the job may take, but this is not an exact science. We do our best, and we pride ourselves on getting these huge and complex projects done as fast as we can while delivering the quality you expect. With this being said, you should not book flights, or make plans for pickup, until the work on your vehicle is complete, or LiveTheVanLife Restorations provides you with a “done by date” which can usually be done a few weeks before completion. If you choose to book flights, hotels, and any other arrangements without us providing you a completion date or letting you know your van is finished, know that we are not responsible for any delays in delivering your vehicle that may occur.
Payment Terms:
We require a 50% deposit at drop off, an additional 25% when the project is half finished (we will notify you of this milestone) and the remaining 25% at pick up. We require the majority of these payments to be made in Cash, either dollars or pesos equivalent, although when this is not possible, such as when you are home and we require the 25% in the middle of the project, we can take a payment via bank transfer to our U.S. based bank account. Zelle is acceptable in those instances as well. For any payment methods that we incur a fee, the fees will be passed on the customer.
Customer Sourced Parts:
We have a pretty strict rule against bringing your parts. There are reasons for this, and it's widespread across all service-based businesses - not just auto repair shops. It is no secret that we buy parts at a wholesale/volume discount, then mark those up and profit from them. To manage this markup, we use an industry-standard algorithm called a "parts markup matrix" built into the software we use to manage the shop. This algorithm was built over the years to help auto shops operate responsibly and profitably. We can, and do, override the algorithm most often to make sure it feels right from your perspective. The markup on parts covers things such as overhead costs in the shop, the ability to carry inventory (meaning we don't have to wait a week for parts to arrive and can complete your job faster), shipping (except for large items), R&D time, etc. However, the warranty expense may be the most critical cost a parts markup covers. When a part fails, if you bought it from us, we will cover the costs associated with replacing it, processing all the paperwork to deal with the return, and covering the labor at our location in La Paz. If we install a part you supplied that fails, it's super annoying to pay us to remove the part, have you deal with the supplier, and then pay us again to install the replaced part.
While the profit component of this is essential, customer satisfaction is equally important. Almost every time we make exceptions to the policy, something goes awry. Most commonly, the customer misdiagnoses the problem. Under the customer's direction, we replace the part, and the problem is still there or, worse, the problem comes back shortly after pick up. Almost as typical is the customer supplying the wrong part, incomplete parts, or a part with an identical part number but the wrong country of manufacture. This bogs down our workflow, adds cost to the job, and creates tremendous frustration while the van sits here and we wait for the correct or missing parts to arrive. The Internet is rife with misinformation about maintaining these vehicles.
A recent great example of this: the customer seemed knowledgeable and informed and mentioned on the phone they had a leaking coolant bottle—a straightforward diagnosis and one that's visibly obvious. So, we scheduled it and said we could install their replacement bottle without a warranty caveat. The customer waited about a week to get on the schedule. We roll the van into the shop and prepared for the work, and the customer supplied a bottle for a 1.9L motor, not the 2.1L.
We make exceptions for what we consider "consumer" items, generally non-mechanical. But always check with us first. We know it's fun to shop for your van, and we don't want to be a buzzkill, but we do want to be able to service your vehicle correctly.
Due in part to how our business is operated (under a strict appointment based system planned many months in advance) Under no circumstances will any deposits made for work or parts be returned. A deposit is you agreeing to said work, and if you then cancel said work for any reason, the deposit is to cover losses incurred to LiveTheVanLife Restorations. If you feel like there is a risk that you will not be able to make your appointment, or get the work done with us that you are agreeing to, please do not make a deposit.
Arriving with greater than stated damage to vehicle:
We do our best to gauge the amount of work required to your vehicle before your arrival, but there is only so much we can see from photos and videos. It is not uncommon for vehicles to arrive and for us to find major unforeseen issues that were covered up by past paint and bodywork, or that were simply unknown to the client. Regardless of the reasons for the mixup, if your vehicle arrives with damage that increases the scope of the work required, the cost for the work we quoted you will increase. Sometimes, this increase can be dramatic, and occasionally, we may even refuse to work on a vehicle. Oftentimes, unfortunately there is nothing that either of us could have done to prevent this as the damage found was covered up to hide it by a previous owner or shop.
Timelines:
Paint and Bodywork, mechanical work, upholstery, electrical work, none of these things are an exact science. Parts we need go out of stock, people get sick and cant work, often times we find things while working on your vehicle that are unexpected, parts are rusty and seized requiring hours or days of work to extract them. We wish working on your van was like baking a cake! 350 degrees for 45 minutes and voila! Alas, this is far from the case. We provide you with some estimates for how long the job may take, but this is not an exact science. We do our best, and we pride ourselves on getting these huge and complex projects done as fast as we can while delivering the quality you expect. With this being said, you should not book flights, or make plans for pickup, until the work on your vehicle is complete, or LiveTheVanLife Restorations provides you with a “done by date” which can usually be done a few weeks before completion. If you choose to book flights, hotels, and any other arrangements without us providing you a completion date or letting you know your van is finished, know that we are not responsible for any delays in delivering your vehicle that may occur.
Payment Terms:
We require a 50% deposit at drop off, an additional 25% when the project is half finished (we will notify you of this milestone) and the remaining 25% at pick up. We require the majority of these payments to be made in Cash, either dollars or pesos equivalent, although when this is not possible, such as when you are home and we require the 25% in the middle of the project, we can take a payment via bank transfer to our U.S. based bank account. Zelle is acceptable in those instances as well. For any payment methods that we incur a fee, the fees will be passed on the customer.
Customer Sourced Parts:
We have a pretty strict rule against bringing your parts. There are reasons for this, and it's widespread across all service-based businesses - not just auto repair shops. It is no secret that we buy parts at a wholesale/volume discount, then mark those up and profit from them. To manage this markup, we use an industry-standard algorithm called a "parts markup matrix" built into the software we use to manage the shop. This algorithm was built over the years to help auto shops operate responsibly and profitably. We can, and do, override the algorithm most often to make sure it feels right from your perspective. The markup on parts covers things such as overhead costs in the shop, the ability to carry inventory (meaning we don't have to wait a week for parts to arrive and can complete your job faster), shipping (except for large items), R&D time, etc. However, the warranty expense may be the most critical cost a parts markup covers. When a part fails, if you bought it from us, we will cover the costs associated with replacing it, processing all the paperwork to deal with the return, and covering the labor at our location in La Paz. If we install a part you supplied that fails, it's super annoying to pay us to remove the part, have you deal with the supplier, and then pay us again to install the replaced part.
While the profit component of this is essential, customer satisfaction is equally important. Almost every time we make exceptions to the policy, something goes awry. Most commonly, the customer misdiagnoses the problem. Under the customer's direction, we replace the part, and the problem is still there or, worse, the problem comes back shortly after pick up. Almost as typical is the customer supplying the wrong part, incomplete parts, or a part with an identical part number but the wrong country of manufacture. This bogs down our workflow, adds cost to the job, and creates tremendous frustration while the van sits here and we wait for the correct or missing parts to arrive. The Internet is rife with misinformation about maintaining these vehicles.
A recent great example of this: the customer seemed knowledgeable and informed and mentioned on the phone they had a leaking coolant bottle—a straightforward diagnosis and one that's visibly obvious. So, we scheduled it and said we could install their replacement bottle without a warranty caveat. The customer waited about a week to get on the schedule. We roll the van into the shop and prepared for the work, and the customer supplied a bottle for a 1.9L motor, not the 2.1L.
We make exceptions for what we consider "consumer" items, generally non-mechanical. But always check with us first. We know it's fun to shop for your van, and we don't want to be a buzzkill, but we do want to be able to service your vehicle correctly.