One of my neighbours is a retired former Ford Dealer network owner and in the conversations with them claims under this warranty were typically refused unless the annual body inspections were done and the book stamped for evidence. Unless things have changed in recent years?

The only car we have owned since the 1980s that required a specific annual paint/body inspection was the Kia Ceed.

There was a page in the back for the dealer to stamp and when carried out at the same time as a normal service there was no fee. Owners who used independents for servicing had to visit their Kia dealer for a body/paint chack and were charged between £25 and £50 for the privilege of putting it on the ramp and stamping the book. This charge wiped out any savings they would make by using the independent.

But Kia made the rule clear enough, no stamp, no warranty.

Some owners had the independent stamp the body inspection page but I remember one owner found some rust on the rear door of a Ceed and being upset when Kia refused to repair it. He was furious on the forum and was threatening to take Kia to court claiming their T & C's were not clear and totally unfair.

Our Mondeo had corrosion issues shortly after its first service and these continued until we eventually sold the car, it was the seam sealant reacting with paint and affected a batch of cars made in 2002. There was no place for body stamps in the service book or on the service sheets but every 6 months the car would be in the body shop for a week being sorted. Those 5 visits with a loan car must have cost a fair sum of money.

Just looked on the MOT site, it finally died in 2016 and on the advisories between 2006 and 2015 there was no mention of rust/corrosion. But one interesting point, it had covered fewer miles at its MOT in 2006 than it had when we sold it in 2005, how strange, we PX'd it to a Ford dealer.

All such 'warranties' are basically insurance policies of which the 'premium' consists of an annual payment to the ste@lership. New car buyers are almost always tied into this, often with the inducement of 'free' inspection or even servicing for a short time (the premium is built into the purchase price). Such owners will rarely keep the car longer than a few years during which time it is highly unlikely a problem will manifest itself. If it does, the 'insurer' will try their best to wriggle out of payment or remedial work. Cars these days should last well over ten years before any significant corrosion appears if they are given a reasonable amount of care and attention. So far, our 18yr old 134,000m Focus has required a mere £100's worth of welding at a known weak spot at the rear wheel arch where corrosion had invisibly crept under the plasticised protection - nearly two years ago. I have attended to minor rusting at the seams along the bottom of the doors myself with no more than a screw driver, a bit of sand paper, a small bottle of Kurust and a can of paint from Wilcos.

Edited by John F on 13/12/2018 at 09:55