Can anyone confirm that a manufacturers warranty would not be invalidated by work carried out that was not done by a main dealer but by a reputable garage and at the times specifed in the handbook.
many thanks
dominic
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if it contravenes the terms, then yes, it would be invalidated.
M.
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Most warranties contain a clause that says something to the effect that the warranty is only valid if serviced by a franchised dealer. This way, they can not only screw you when you buy the car, they can also screw you on servicing as well.
Andy
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Ah but hasn't this been tested against consumer law and found to be lacking.
It is one thing to make conditions on a warranty that is extra to consumer rights but it can't be right to negate these rights by unfair clauses.
Think about all the guarantee cards and such twaddle in new TV/Video instruction packs. We don't need to fill in the info and register within 14 days to ensure the warranty is valid. We have a contract with the seller upheld in consumer law.
David
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You've got a point, young David;
Further reading....
1) Interesting, if a little dated report.
www.oft.gov.uk/html/rsearch/reports/oft307.htm
"In addition, most new car buyers incorrectly believe that servicing is tied in by warranty terms to the franchised dealer who sold the car, or to franchised dealers selling the same marque. Clearer guidance from the industry is needed to remove this misconception."
There is an e-mail address at the bottom, which if you are sufficiently interested may be worth a shot.
2) A US report, which is not irrelevant since it can sometimes be used as guidance of "reasonable" behaviour, but is more interest value than anything else.
www.sema.org/warranty/
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David
I understand that you are right. And, I also believe that European legislation is coming (already in place?) which makes such locking in illegal. I believe all that can be insisted upon is servicing and repairs to the makers standards - but therefore watch non-original spares especially consumables!
Regards
John
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that warranty card nonsense about needing to complete it is as David says not necessary as consumer law protects us anyway, it is merely as we all know a name and address gatherer so we can be sold on to junk mailers
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Ever wondered why manufacturers have changed from one to three year warranties? Nothing to do with benefitting the consumer - by the end of the first year, pretty much all the defects built in at the factory will have revealed themselves anyway, so 2nd and 3rd year warranty claims should be minimal. What a 3 year warranty does is ensure that customers keep taking their cars back to the franchised dealer for astonishingly overpriced servicing after the first year, instead of going to a decent independent garage. Wouldn't want to risk invalidating the warranty, after all.....
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Honda take a different attitude with their motorcycle warranties. Provided that the servicing has been carried out to the schedule, they claim that they will honour the warranty even if a non-franchised dealer done the work. Don't know if their car division takes the same attiude though.
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I often get this question in the column. My answer is how do you know that the independent garage has carried out the service to manufacturer's standards? You don't. For example, if you have a VW with the TDI PD 115 engine and the wrong oil is used, then the special Teflon coating on the pistons could fail. But there is another aspect to this. Most modern cars are subject to at least half a dozen technical service bulletins during their first three years or so. Basically the manufacturer tells his franchises to fix known faults which develop when the cars are in for service. If you go independent you miss out on these. And if someone buys the car at say four years old and it goes wrong because the TSB work hasn't been carried out, manufacturers can say the car hasn't been serviced to their standards and wash their hands of it. Official safety recalls are different because they apply whoever has been servicing the car. But this is the reason why I include as many TSBs as I find out about in the individual model recall section in the car by car breakdown on this site.
HJ
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Excellent advice there from HJ.
My question is how many of these TSB's are of the category, fix it when you next see the car, or are in a second category of fix it if the customer complains loudly enough.
Eg Rover 75 damper seal lub problem in the latter category methinks, or is it just down to how good a service dept the dealer has?
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The impression I get is to have a new car serviced at a main dealer up to the point at which the warranty runs out, and then use a reputable independant garage.
Dominic
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HJ has a point but when I get a car in at 2 years old after main dealer servicing for all that period and find the unused spare tyre has 10psi, the drop down carrier is rusted solid and the door hinges have never seen any oil I wonder just how good they might have been with the TSBs!
I do everything I can to find out the problems with the cars I look after but admit I could miss something on a "secret" TSB.
Again I find I'm far more likely to advise 6,000 mile oil changes, two yearly coolant/brake fluid changes, transmission oil changes at least once in the life of a car and all those little things that help a car up to and over 100,000 miles. The dealers are happy to carry out minimal maintenance and do the repairs.
You pays your money and......
David
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Amazingly,since I can service most cars with a hangover,in the rain,with minimal tools,and without even a handbook,I consider that having a car serviced by a dealer in its warranty period to be a very good idea.HJ elucidated the reasons.
What gets right up my snout is paying more than three quid a litre for oil,and paying for time that is not actually spent on the service.
If I'm going to pay for an hours work then I want an hours work done,or pay for the time actually spent.
Even I can service a car in the time the manufacturer allocates,and I'm checking a great deal more than the mechanic ever does...
And,yes,I do know how hard it is to make money in the motor trade,its one of the reasons I'm not IN the motor trade,anymore!
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