Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive - Liquid Metal

[Kyle_Reis]

@TheTwistgibber

Incorrect. Please read the verbiage of the Act before posting a “IIRC”. It’s dangerous.

I will read over the act later, however from a quick search on ecfr.gov I see that “No warrantor may condition the continued validity of a warranty on the use of only authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance”.

That part I guess would depend on if replacing the thermal paste is considered maintenance by replacing with an unauthorized replacement part, however in the event that the thermal paste experiences pump out or dry out over time I think replacing it definitely counts as maintenance.

I will look into it more later.

Edit: Immediately after posting I found this statement from the Federal Trade Commission which seems to apply even without it being maintenance:

The Interpretations and related educational materials already make clear that the mere use of an aftermarket (or recycled) component is not alone a sufficient justification for warranty denial. As discussed above, part 700.10(c), as revised, states that “a warrantor cannot, as a matter of law, avoid liability under a written warranty where a defect is unrelated to the use by a consumer of unauthorized articles or service (unless the warrantor provides the service or part without charge under the warranty or receives a waiver as set forth in section 2302(c) of the Act.)” A warrantor can refuse coverage “where the warrantor can demonstrate that the defect or damage was so caused.”

I’ll look at the exact wording of the act later, but given that both ecfr.gov and ftc.gov have interpretations along these lines I would be surprised if the actual act is dramatically different.